Teaching, depression and pregnancy

[Polliver]

Hi everyone. I was hoping for some advice (or just someone who has been in a similar boat). I have taken citalopram on and off since the beginning of my 20s (I am now 31). I am in my 4th year of a teaching career that I find very stressful and difficult...I sometimes enjoy the job but it has been the source of some real anxiety over the years.

I am almost 8 weeks pregnant with my first (very, very wanted) DC, and since I found out I was pregnant I have only been taking the citalopram on and off. I scaled down from 40mg to 10mg in anticipation of ttc, and I am now only taking the 10mg tablets about 2x a week, if that. Over the last week I have started to feel really anxious about being in work, and like k just can't cope with the demands of the job. I feel nervous in front of the kids, and the thought of doing all of them marking and planning and long days is making me want to crawl into bed and not come out for weeks.

I called in sick this morning because I am struggling a bit with nausea and a cold, and now I feel really nervous about going back in, because it is only the 2nd week of term and I've already been off. I had a fair amount of time off last year and the year before due to anxiety and depression, and I feel like my colleagues think I am basically a lazy cow who calls in sick at the drop of a hat.

I'm not really sure what to do, and how to approach the situation.

Have you discussed the AD dosage with your GP since you became pregnant? It may be absolutely fine, but you definitely need to discus with the GP.

Don't feel bad about taking time off sick early in the term - when you're pregnant, you are limited in what medication you can take, so they won't be surprised if you are off more than other teachers. Plus, when you're pregnant, you take time off so that the baby doesn't suffer - not just to look after yourself for purely "selfish" reasons (not really selfish, but you know what I mean).

Don't be hard on yourself about feeling overwhelmed with your job - have you ever been on the discussion forums on the tes.com website?! If not, take a look, and you will soon discover that there are huge numbers of stressed out teachers (most of whom are not pregnant).

I think you need a long chat with your GP. Have you done a risk assessment at work yet? Or just give OH a call.

Definately speak to your GP. There are some ADs that are prefered during pregnancy and breast feeding. Overall you and your GP need to weigh up any risks to the baby from the ADs with risks related to your mental health. There are also mental health teams specifically for people who are pregnant if your GP thinks that is necessary.