Any pregnant teachers out there?

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Hi there,
Was just wondering how everyone copes with feeling rubbish in class (having to run to the loo etc).

Just discovered I'm pregnant and want to sleep all the time - not looking forward to going back to school tomorrow particularly!

I guess with any job it is exhausting being pregnant, but just ater some advice from people who have been there.

Thanks!

Shooting, I told a colleague the day I got back from the summer and she asked me if I'd told the HoD yet and told me I better because she's never going to keep that a secret. She also claimed that before the summer holidays (when I was 5 weeks pregnant) she had a discussion with a member of the department debating whether I was pregnant or not This was a shock since the day she claims she had the conversation was the day I found out myself! I then told my HoD who was over the moon for me but told me I better tell the head fairly quickly as our school don't do secrets very well. :)

Does anyone have any advice about telling the kids? I'm 21 weeks and I teach year 2, so the kids probably wouldn't notice just yet, but it's getting to the stage where their parents are going to spot the bump when they come into school, so I'd rather tell the class as a whole first!
In reply to the OP, I have a very supportive TA, who doesn't mind me nipping out to the loo if I have to, and since I told everyone about the pregnancy, people don't bat an eyelid when I leave at ten past four so I can go home and nap!

I wouldn't tell the kids just yet. They get a bit obsessed with it, and Year 2s won't understand how long it'll be until your baby's here. Once bump is obvious, I'd check your HT's okay with you telling them, then let them know. If it's your first, you'll probably be showing by half term at least.

As a secondary teacher I'm probably not best to answer the question on when or what you should tell the kids. In my personal opinion though I probably would want to avoid telling them anything until the question arises. Even in secondary I didn't volunteer the information but I told my year 11s I would be off for some time from March (so wouldn't be around for their exams) and when I started developing a belly they put 2 and 2 together and asked me if I was pregnant, at which point it would have been rude (and pointless) to lie. Within two weeks it was round the whole school. That suited me just fine.

In your situation though I'd be worried about answering the question of where babies come from and how it got in your belly. You kids parents might not appreciate having to explain these things just yet. I'm sure there are a few kids that won't even notice. Now I know times change (I am only 25 though) but I'm pretty sure that in year 2 I didn't understand these things and wasn't told where babies come from until I was in late junior school. If I were you I would let the parents guess first and leave it up to them if they want to explain it to their kids or not. When you go on maternity leave tell your kids you are going to have a baby. Unless, that is, the question is raised by the children before hand and the decision of when to tell is taken out of your hands. But ofc, this is the opinion of a secondary teacher who has had no contact with 6 year olds for quite a few years (thats about the right age for year 2 right?).

Sooooo exhaisted after first day back, and that was without the kids there!

Ended up telling my head of department and headteacher today, who were bother very nice and supportive and have decided to tell other colleagues after our next scan next Tues, will be 14 weeks then anyway and would rather tell people before they start speculating about whether I'm just getting fat :)

2nd day back here and soooooooooooooo tired. Got a very busy day tomorrow so will be glad when that's over!

I am very lucky as i have a loo just across the corridor.

I told my head of dept, who was very nice and full of congratulations :)

Thanks 1Catherine1 I think word would get around the staff pretty quickly in my school too! And as for the pupils, they're not backward in coming forward so will definitely notice and ask whether I'm pregnant!

Hello Teachers!

Well done, we made it to the end of the week!

I had the pleasure of teaching birth to year 7 today! I've been tackling the reproduction module in quite a humorous way, I was telling them not to scare me with all their birth knowledge today!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Yay! We made it to the weekend. Now? SLEEP!! Night night everyone x

I taught sixth form all morning, had lunch, then a free period, but still ended up so exhausted I didn't know how I was going to get through p5! I've just come home and slept for two hours. And I'm only 8+6 and it's only the second day of term! How am I going to survive?

Had a lovely time back at school with everyone finding out, think that has helped me through the tiredness. If this thread is moved can someone post directions how to get to it for the technologically challenged? thanks

witches it should still be findable through the "I'm on" section or you could choose to "watch" it.

coast at 29+6 I still know that feeling. Yesterday I was completely shattered period 5 that I was finding Venn Diagrams tricky (maths teacher) and was helped out by the one boy in the class who hadn't being paying attention. My brain had given up. I would like to say I had some time where I was less tired but unfortunately the time where people say you feel less tired was the pre-Christmas stress time and then as any teacher I was exhausted right before Christmas. Now onto the pre-maternity leave rush, so much to do in the 8 teaching weeks I have left!

I am a primary teacher who is actually in nursery this year so there is lots of bending down and getting up and down off of the floor and lifting upset children onto my lap. I really struggled before Christmas with sickness and sheer exhaustion and the poor class guinea pigs have had to spend the winter in the shed as I was sick every time I passed them.

I remember sitting in my office wondering how on earth I was going to get through 9 months! I was ver fortunate to have a fantastic ta who helped and in the end I was so fed up with people asking me if I was ok that I told everyone at about 8 weeks and found it was better when everyone knew.

I am now 16 weeks and although I am still sick in the morning and have a terrible taste in my mouth (I am constantly trying to convince the children that I don't have chewing gum in my mouth) I do feel much better. Still tired but making sure I leave early when I can.

I have unfortunately lost my great ta to a class higher up the school and she has been replaced with a very young girl so I am concerned about my pregnancy progressing but will cross that bridge when I get to it!

Contests to all x

I'm a trainee teacher and am doing placements as well as university work, I'm finding that I'm very tired and I'm not sure if I want to tell anyone because I don't want them to treat me differently, any advice?

Jazz you need to tell your mentor at each placement. It will really help you because as any teacher will tell you the demands for a trainee are high. As I said in my last post I ended up stood in front of the class not remembering which sign related to which region because I was just so exhausted. Had my HoD been in and not known I was pregnant she would have raised an eyebrow at this.

As a teacher we all get observed now and again but as a trainee that is weekly - you will find you have to alter your teaching techniques to cope day to day. So if you are in pain (I suffered with lots of pain in my first trimester and had to be observed) then you may need to spend a lesson teaching sat down which is never easy - an observers might look badly upon this unless they know why.

Another point to note is that your university requires you to do a certain amount of hours at each placement, sometimes though this hours aren't convenient for the school you are at and they could add on an extra 2 hours or so to make life easier for them. If they know you are pregnant they are less likely to do this as they will know how hard it is for you to fit everything in already.

Honestly though Jazz, I wish you all the luck. My PGCE year was exhausting and so is pregnancy - I don't think I could have managed both at the same time.

:) thanks for the reply! I'm doing the bEd so I don't think it's as exhausting as the PGCE although it is still knackering!
I have a two week placement coming up at the end of Jan by which time I will only be about 9 ish weeks... I don't really know how to tell anyone (how I told my Mum "so I weed on a stick...")!
Thanks for all of the info, are you aware of any grants available as very soon I'm going to have to move as the stairs we have to get to our flat are dangerous enough as it is let alone heavily pregnant or with a pram!
xx

Hi I was 7 weeks pg when I began work as an Assistant Head in a secondary school in special measures! Told the Head straight away who has been v supportive. But this is my first SLT post and have pushed myself to keep up with the others in the team. Felt pretty good in the first trimester. Now 26+3 getting over a three week flu like virus and feeling pants. no idea when I'm going on maternity leave, I don't qualify for maternity pay so need to keep going as long as possible. May need to take the advice of leaving early ( before 6 anyway) having a rest and then doing some more in the evening. Good luck to all you pg teachers out there. Yes we do have a tough job to be going through pg with but a great job nonetheless!

Yay! It's Saturday and I could actually take a nap when I felt exhausted today!

I'm off on maternity leave very soon - just one more week at work to do. I'm really pleased about that, but it dawned on me today just how lonely I'm going to be now. Teaching full time and looking after DD has taken its toll on my social life - not something that bothered me particularly before since I work in a fab department with some really lovely people who I get to talk to frequently. Perhaps taking the whole year wasn't such a great plan??

How is everyone else planning to spend their time away from school? Or am I worrying needlessly.... DD is nearly 10 now so I must say I have conveniently forgotten some of the more challenging aspects of having a new baby.

Im a little similar Toni although in early pregnancy. Im not great at being on my own ( as in adult alone as obviously will hav the baby) and do not know anyone else pregnant my friends are not really at this stage yet. Im really hoping will meet some people through aqua natal and maybe baby/toddler groups to share the experiences with. As its my first i ma very aware (terrified) of how dificult it may all be and would love people to share it with!

I have some fab friends at work and we have a great laugh in the staffroom at lunchtime - there's a real camaraderie there across people from different departments, and I will really miss it on ML.

Am secondary / 6th form teacher and just started mat leave (36 wks). Pregancy has been very hard work this time round (3rd) but it helped so much that I told HoD and Head very early on (7 wks ish). Was taken off duty straight away and risk assessment was done meaning I was given classrooms close to our office / lift key etc. Depends on how supportive your Head is I think (mine even sent me flowers when I was off sick for 3 weeks before Xmas ). I am still worried about my classes though, I'm also a control freak, and I ran loads of extra lessons at lucnh and after school in Autumn to make sure we finished the syllabus in time for Jan exams. I wonder if it's harder for primary teachers - less chance for them to sit down in a lesson I think.

Yes Caboodle there I certainly no time to sit down fo the whole day! As I said before I'm in nursery so don't even have the luxury of assembly or break for rest it is straight through till lunch and then through till they go home! It is keeping me active though I suppose.

As someone who has done all three stages of schooling ( as a teacher, i realise everyone did it as a pupil!) i think nursery would be the hardest. You don't get a second, not one. But yes look on the bright side you are prob not piling on the pounds at quite the rate i am because u r so active!

Danilou22 you must be exhausted! (But very fit )

I don't know they seem to be piling on thick and fast! I am worried the children will be able to roll me around the classroom by June!