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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Pulled a sickie.

24 replies

northenlass · 11/07/2011 10:10

I'm 7 +5 and feeling sooooooo tired went to work today barely keeping my eyes open and feeling sick and dizzy.

I pulled a sickie and am now relaxing at home, trouble is i feel really bad on colleagues feel guilty.
I'm just so tired couldn't face all day.

Anyone else pulled a sickie in 1st trimester (please ease my guilt .

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

kri5ty · 11/07/2011 10:14

yes i had 3 weeks off in total!!

I was just so exhausted/ wasnt sleeping etc etc

Don't feel guilty, you have to do the best for you and bump and that is to relax!!

i hope you are watching Jeremy Kyle with a nice haha x

Original poster

northenlass · 11/07/2011 10:16

I am actually . thankyou feel better knowing i'm not alone feeling so tired.

Think it makes it harder as i haven't told work mates yet so i can't whinge about being so shattered.

OP posts:

kri5ty · 11/07/2011 10:24

a bit of Jezza will make you feel a whole lot better!!

Currently there are 5 of us preg at our place... i had 3 weeks, another had 4, one is still off (12 weeks later) and one has had a week and a half..

You may as well take the time now when you need it... you will feel better during your second trimester, and the rest will get you through this one!

HPonEverything · 11/07/2011 10:28

No but I wish I had. I was completely exhausted the first 14 weeks and was probably dangerous to drive.
I worried about feeling guilty, colleagues reactions etc. I didn't even dare work at home in case everyone did a face like that and accused me of taking the mick.

Now I know nobody cares what I do and I could die at my desk and really my work wouldn't give two hoots about me, so why did I care about work?

Just go for it and don't feel bad!

Squiglettsmummy2bx · 11/07/2011 10:42

Hi, I'm 8w6 & I volunteer for Homestart with a mum & her twins but I cried off for the 2nd week in a row today. I feel guilty but with constant nausea & feeling exhausted I couldn't face dropping my kids at school then nearly 5 hours including travel knowing that would destroy any chance pcs nap before school run time. I feel really selfish but also too tired to care that much. Feel i need to put any energy I have into my kids & my home.
Glad im not alone in my sickiness x

mummyzoe2012 · 11/07/2011 11:45

ive just gone back to work after 6 weeks off, had a few complications and suffered realy bad morning sickness even though it was all day and could not keep any thing down.

mpops · 11/07/2011 11:56

Don't feel bad. I was absolutely shattered and sick during the first trimester, I wish I'd taken more time off because I ended up being quizzed by my boss well before I was planning to tell him about my pregnancy. And all because I looked and felt like death most of the time.

KatyN · 11/07/2011 13:34

I didn't take solid blocks of time off but from my flexi sheet it's really clear when I became pregnant.. I was building up a good hour a week of flexi time and then I started losing half an hour a day or took a whole day sick/holiday until I was 14 weeks.

I'm now only 22 but thinking I might try taking a day a week off (esp after a busy weekend) because 5 days is just too much!!

and if we're going to get pernicity.. it's not a sickie because being pregnant does not count as being sick (it shouldn't go on your sick leave at work - provided they know it's pregnancy related!)

NearlyHeadlessnickelbabe · 11/07/2011 13:37

northenlass - you have not pulled a sickie.
you cannot pull a sickie if you're actually feeling poorly.
a sickie is when you pretend to be ill to have a day off.

and what KatyN said - you're entitled to it if it's pregnancy-related.

Original poster

northenlass · 11/07/2011 13:47

Thanks everyone feel much better knowing there are others out there. My bosses know i'm pg but aren't that sympathetic really. Had a busy w.end which i don't think helped so take it easy from now on. It's great to have the support on here.

OP posts:

questforanswers · 11/07/2011 14:45

I wish I had the balls to go sick!! I'm now7+4 and did a 12 and a half hour nightshift last night. Come 5am I felt absolutely dreadful and had to lie down for 10 minutes but didn't want to ask to go home and NIC didn't even offer! I was back at work the day after being discharged from hospital with ?EP as I felt that, as everything was good, there wasn't any need to be sat at home. This is my first pregnancy and it has hit me for 6 energy wise, I don't think I have EVER felt this exhausted but no amount of rest helps. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment

itsybitsy08 · 11/07/2011 15:02

I am off on the sick too. I am 19 weeks and still absoultley exhaused and nauseous with chronic heart burn. I was off for two weeks, went in for 1 night and got sent home, and now have another 2 weeks sick note.
Do not feel guilty - if you feel awful, you feel awful!
You dont have to make a marytar of yourself (all this 'youre pregnant not ill' crap) well actually yes im pregnant and yes im ill too!
I would rather be fine and be at work, but im not going to kill meself on the drive home at 9pm because im falling asleep at the wheel!

notcitrus · 11/07/2011 16:01

I've just taken my first half-day off and said I'm unlikely to be in tomorrow. Or, judging by my first pregnancy, much of the next 7 months - luckily I've got a job where I'm allowed to work from home and the chap I recently took over from did just because he liked it.

First pregnancy I took 6 days off around 9 weeks under the impression I had flu - luckily when I went to GP to get a sick note he insisted on doing blood tests and wrote to me to tell me I was pregnant.

If people say 'Pregnancy isn't a disability' I say 'It is the way I do it! Look - my legs have fallen off!' (SPD)

Hope everyone feels better soon!

BuffyFan · 11/07/2011 16:25

I'm nearly 21 weeks and still feeling rubbish. I've been fighting it for the last 6-8 weeks, but that's probably worse in the long run - I ended up blubbing on my boss this morning, who sent me home. Haven't stopped crying all day :(

But it's all pregnancy hormone related and/or tiredness for me, and I'm realising I need to look after myself. And as others have said - how can you be "pulling a sickie" if you're actually unwell?

madeindevon2 · 14/07/2011 14:22

I guess I'm in the minority but taking time off sick in early pregnancy just because you tired is a little bit off I think. Terrible ms or other problema like bleed fair enough. But tiredness? I'm not sure. I work in a very male dominated profession which maybe colours my judgement?

NearlyHeadlessnickelbabe · 14/07/2011 15:56

erm, if she feels sooo tired that she's feeling icky and dizzy, i would say that's a good enough reason not to go to work.

cos she'll be such a useful memeber ofh te team when she's feeling woozy, won't she...

madeindevon2 · 14/07/2011 17:16

As I said. Maybe my work culture gives me different perspective. And I'm not saying I'm right. But yes. Bit dizzy bit tired bit icky I personally work thru it. It's not easy but then who's says life is easy?
But as I said. Each to their own!

NearlyHeadlessnickelbabe · 14/07/2011 17:32

yes, i think it has :(

shame that men have to perpetuate this theory that it's weak to be ill.
(except of course, when they are, in which case it's life or death. )

notcitrus · 14/07/2011 18:47

Thing is, there's 'tired' as in you should have gone to bed earlier last night, and then there's 'tired' to the extent you are having problems staying on your chair at work, totally unable to add simple numbers together, let alone make complex judgements on 50 emails, and falling asleep on the loo and knocking yourself out on the wall.

If the latter, everyone's much better off not having you at work.

Beesok · 14/07/2011 19:00

When I hit 10 weeks I started getting debilitating migraines and I just could not get up out of bed let alone go to work, my GP signed me off for a week and then there was an outbreak of chicken pox in my nursery which meant I had to keep away until my bloods were clear (thankfully our maternity policy is very precise when it comes to my rights and that was within the policy)

I have to admit that I have taken a few days here and there due what could be described as pure exhaustion and I DO NOT feel guilty about it at all - I have also in the past stayed beyond my working hours and worked a few Saturdays so I figured it kind of balances out :)
When I had a MMC in Nov I took only 4 days off and was back at work two days after my operation so am really not going to feel bad about taking a few days off if I need to in this pregnancy :)

KateBC · 14/07/2011 19:26

I didn't take any time off in the 1st trimester, as i wanted to work as close to due date as possible (my work can send you on maternity leave from 32 weeks if you've been off due to pregnancy). Bad plan, ended up pushing myself too far, now have SPD and have been signed off since 18 weeks, and will have to go back to work when baby is 8 weeks :(

Take a few days and take it easy, really not worth pushing yourself too far

sassylassie · 14/07/2011 22:16

It's really not worth pushing yourself when you're "falling asleep tired". I drive to work and there were definitely one or two days a few weeks back when I was so exhausted I caught myself almost dozing off at the wheel driving home from work. Not good at all!! It scared me so much I took the bus for a few days until I felt better, but that was worse for my morning sickness, so I couldn't win! :( Think I really should have asked for more flexible working, but even though I have the kind of job where I could easily work from home one day a week it's very much frowned on by the management at our place. (Although when it suits them that's a different story...)

AmazingBouncingFerret · 14/07/2011 22:25

After I read the OP I was going to say pretty much exactly what nickelbabe said! (she worded it better than I would of though...)

crazyhead · 15/07/2011 10:31

I haven't taken time off yet - my pregnancy hasn't been too difficult but I have had very tough issues with family illness to deal with, which have been draining.

I manage a lot of people and we have a heavy workload and like madeindevon, I would really have to be quite ill to justify it - perhaps it is different when your work type is quite 'do in now-ish' and you know that if you're not doing it - one of your colleagues will be working late to do it, if you know what I mean. Some people's pregnancies do make them genuinely really ill though, I'm well aware!

However, my work are lovely, and there is no problem with working from home. I find that really solves the tiredness and you can do plenty of work even lying in bed if you have that sort of job! I keep certain tasks for 'working at home' days. It is a shame more employers aren't flexible about this stuff.

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