Work, pregnant, sick

[somedizzywhore1804]

Hi all

I've been moaning on these boards since I got pregnant but this is a new problem

I'm currently 15+3 and just emerging from the hell that was HG. I'm still being sick but nothing like I was.

I am a teacher (secondary. Large dept. 2nd in dept) and before Xmas was signed off for 4 weeks. Went back last Monday and have been lucky as timetable has been rejigged to help me- i. e year 7 and 8 classes I shared taken from me and redistributed to staff who were under hours.
Unfortunately Though I have a top set year 11 class and when I returned last week I found out that in the whole time I was off they never had a long term supply- just day to day random cover. LM also made it clear that my KS3 classes had been cut so I could "concentrate" on year 11.

Line manager has been really supportive and asked how I am feeling etc each day but head of dept has form for being pretty crap and hasn't so much as had a meeting with me to fill me in on what's been happening in my absence. And whilst LM has been asking how I am I don't know what would be done in practice if I said "dreadful- need to go home". And as I mentioned above I felt that I was told in so many words that I can't go sick again as my timetable has been lightened so that I don't get ill and leave year 11 without a teacher.

Last week was truly awful. I felt ill and tired despite 8hrs sleep a night and a 2hr nap in the evening and spent all weekend in bed bracing myself for the coming week. Then yesterday (Sunday) afternoon I began to feel sweaty and shivery and was peeing a lot. I get a lot of cystitis especially when stressed. This went on all night and haven't been able to go to work today (Monday). Have just been in bed throwing up all day so haven't even made it to GP (although unlikely to have a UTI- I generally don't seem to is normally just cystitis).

So I feel I MUST go in tomorrow due to my year 11 but equally do not feel this is a workable solution. In my heart of hearts I feel I am too unwell to be there that the workload is too much and that I'm not getting enough sleep but work seem to be dealing with covering me and supporting me pretty poorly. I have been sick 7 times today, i certainly have cystitis if not a UTI and I have a migraine and am currently laid with a hot water bottle on my belly and an ice pack on my head. But what do I do?

I'm feeling dreadful and incredibly disheartened that I have months of this before maternity leave. I have been in tears thinking about dragging myself through the 5.30am start, the long days and not getting home til 6. Then I sleep til 8 and go to bed again at 9.30. It's not helping.

I'm feeling desperate and have no idea how to broach this with school.

I can understand how you feel about your students (I'm not a teacher myself) but you have to prioritise yourself and your baby. I've also got hg and am astonished that you've managed to struggle back into work, you're amazing for even trying! But I really think you need to go back to your doctor, tell them everything that's in your above post about how you've been feeling, and ask to be signed off for another couple of weeks. Then contact your manager and explain how ill you are, that you can't guarantee that you will be able to come back but of course you hope you can, and suggest that they arrange a longer term cover for your class. I don't know if you have a HR person or someone you can talk to as well as your manager, who might be able to help? Please please look after yourself. I hope you start to feel better soon.

I think you've got 2 separate issues here:

1. You're unwell at the moment with cystitis / UTI. You can't go into work suffering with this, so you need to get to the dr and get some antibiotics. Also if the HG isn't controlled well enough you can be signed off again for that.

1. The way work are handling things. They have made reasonable adjustments for you regarding lightening your workload etc. How they covered your classes while you were off is not ideal, but at the same time sadly it's not your concern, it's up to them to manage it.

The tiredness etc is normal IME, hopefully as your HG eases you will start to feel better. Think I stopped feeling so drained and wanting to sleep 24/7 around 18 weeks (then started again around 30!).

PS I was signed off work for my entire first pregnancy - I tried going in a few half days when I was around 20 weeks but it just made me exhausted and very sick so I had to stop. I felt guilty at first for just disappearing but honestly, imagine if you knew a colleague of yours was going through all that, feeling the way you do, wouldn't you just tell them to stay home?! Think of it that way and don't feel bad.

Thanks all. I have just composed a long email to line manager laying my cards on the table that I'm not coping. Hopefully this will kick start some solutions!!

That s good, hope you've been to the gp too and not to work!

Sadly no one replied to my email or called me or even acknowledged my cover which makes me both angry and think "why am I even bothered?" I don't know if the silence is a subtle way of saying they're pissed off or what but it's infuriating. Especially as I spent almost 2hrs on cover work feeling like shit.

That's really poor management, I'm so sorry you're going through this. Really hope you can see your doctor soon and take some more time off, if that's what you need. As the other person said above, sorting out cover etc is not your problem. Just look after yourself. There are lots of lovely people on the Hyperemesis Support thread in this topic if you need some more support. Hope you feel better soon.

Yes I thought that was bad management tbh but generally schools seem to run this way in my experience- shambles.

My GP was shut today for staff training and I couldn't face the poly clinic so am going to go tomorrow.

Whilst I'm immensely grateful to be pregnant as I want this baby desperately, pregnancy is certainly taking it out of me.

Just to update I went to GP yesterday and not only have a UTI but also an ear infection and tonsillitis no wonder I feel rough

Doc signed me off for 2 weeks and has written to school saying I need to be on reduced hours for a month after that. Fingers crossed that this will kick them up the arse to do something about my year 11 and longer term cover.

I am deliberately not checking work email now and trying to rest.