23 weeks and incredibly stressed

[RoxyLady]

My work is really stressing me out. The work load is so huge I could spend every night at my desk from 9am to 10pm at night. As soon as I do one thing, another 20 things land on my desk.
I nearly burst out crying today and Im worried the stress is bad for me...
Is it?

erm, well I'm not sure if stress is actively bad for baby, but it's not good! I had a miserable first trimester with sickness etc and in second tri now it's a bit better but I've got really bad anxiety/struggling to cope with work and getting really stressed. Mw has suggested I might be best not to work because of this.

I think stress can make your blood pressure higher - which isn't good and could I think potentially lead to pre-eclampsia (my mum had it with me and she always blames the stress of having the house rewired when she was pregnant and all the workmen turning the house upside down).

See your GP and discuss with her - 13 hr work days don't sound like a good thing and Doc can write a note to reduce your hours at work/ensure you get a light work load or sign you off.

Like you, I have had periods of intense stress during my pregnancy and have sometimes worried about how it will be affecting me and my baby.

Like angels1 says, it can affect your blood pressure but not always. It hasn't affected mine thank God.

However, this doesn't mean you should carry on wearing yourself out in the hope that you will be alright. I would speak to your midwife first and get her opinion and depending on what she says, you may need to speak to your manager to discuss your work load. It is only sensible.

I cut my hours back when I was about 4 months pregnant as I was still not completely over morning sickness and was so knackered at the end of the day, all I could do was crawl into bed.

I know it is tempting to try to carry on as normal and not be defeated and think 'I can do this and I won't create a fuss', but your body is changing and at some point you are going to have to hold your hands up and say enough is enough.