Morning sickness - are you managing to struggle on at work?

[Stopputtingitoff]

Currently 9 weeks with DC2 and have been feeling really nauseous since 6 weeks (but only been sick a couple of times)Have been battling on at work - wearing Sea Bands and nibbling ginger biscuits. So far haven't taken time off, but I just feel so bloody sick and exhausted that I just want to crawl into bed and not come out until 12 weeks. How is everyone else managing? Would I be a wuss to take tomorrow off work?

Yeah but it's hell. Past 10 weeks now and definitely not as bad as 8 weeks. My work is very very busy and fast paced and on my feet so I guess it's at least distracting. I end up skipping meals though which makes me feel like I'm DYING.

If I could I would have taken a few days off a couple of weeks back. But we were extremely short staffed and I felt too bad.

However I have been spending my days off in bed, DP is doing all the child care!! (I have a toddler)

Everyone's pregnancy is different and you know what you're capable of. A day in bed might not be the worst idea in the world.

In my first pregnancy my sickness was so bad I quit when I was about 10 weeks, I couldn't concentrate, I couldn't he down anything esp when people had lunch. I was lifeless and it was hell. I wondered after if I'd been too hasty and only during this pregnancy did I realise there is no way I could manage it, it's a miracle I lasted till 10 weeks, I've been a wreck and even now at 17 weeks I'm still rough and being sick. Maybe I should've got signed off but I didn't feel it'd be we'll received and no one seemed to get it. It's not a weakness to say enough is enough. I have no idea how bad you are but mines like food poisoning (without the diarrhoea) you wouldn't work with that is how I look at it. Hope you feel better. Xx

Weebairn I'm exactly the same. We're short staffed too and I know that me not going in will just dump extra work on colleagues. Hope you begin to feel better soon.

I run my own business and I spend a lot of the time feeling like I'm dying. Thankfully I have a very supportive husband but it's really hard at the moment. I feel your pain, not that it's any help!!

Paradoxically I found being busy help occasionally distracted me from the sickness but I absolutely hated not being able to eat what I wanted when I needed to. Normally a quick cup of tea would sort me if I was busy in the NHS but with sickness that would have just madeit worse. Evening shifts were the worst and sometimes when I finally got home I felt so rough I couldn't even manage salty crisps or toast. I didn't want to take time off sick because pregnancy is so unpredictable I thought I might need it even more later on, but I would not hesitate to do so if it was any worse.

I am sick every morning (and most evenings) and work is becoming a bit of a struggle. Fortunately for me my boss knows and is sympathetic so I can start a bit late etc but it's still hard concentrating when you aren't sure when you will next need to run for the bathroom. Fingers crossed it starts to ease off soon (I'm 10+2)

Nice to talk to some other NHS girls, it's not easy is it!!

I'm struggling on- made easier by the fact that I can work from home in the mornings (which is when I'm most likely to be sick) but my boss has eluded to the fact that I either need to be in work and working at a normal pace or off sick so she can explain any lack of productivity to her boss.....leaves me in a bit of a dilemma- I'm not ill enough to be off work so just end up feeling guilty about the fact that I'm probably only working at 60% and hope that she won't notice :-/

Oh, Blonde. So sorry to hear that you've had such a rotten time of it. I think I'll take tomorrow off. It's not as if you get any thanks for turning up when you feel rotten and I wouldn't expect any of my team to turn up feeling like this.

Just wanted to add as reading my own post I know quitting work sounds ridiculous and I know for most it is not an option (it was just a job not a career iykwim), and had I been letting others down I'm sure I'd have felt differently about calling it a day. My job was really unsuitable and not worth the suffering and I was lucky enough I be able to leave with my family even supporting it knowing how ill I was. Anyway I admire every person with horrific MS that manages to get on with it at work and hope it all passes for you soon and your colleagues are kind and understanding towards you. It is not as recognised by lots of people for how hard it is to deal with if you suffer so badly. Xx

Have a day off work and don't feel bad about it, u need it so take it and rest all day, hope it eases soon

I don't blame you stopputtingitoff. Hope you feel better for a rest. Xxx

Thank you for all your kind messages. I hope you all start feeling much better soon. As DM keeps reminding me, it will all be worth it

The useful thing to know is that your pregnancy sick leave should not be included in your Bradford score. I also recommend anti-sickness medication, it helped me have more productive spurts at work so when it wore off I could get away with sitting in the corner just looking pale....

I'm nhs too and I tried to battle on but my gp said I would be unsafe so signed me off. That was at 6 weeks and I'm now 12 and still off, but starting to feel a bit better.
I couldn't keep anything down at all and had to move in with my mum so she could help with my two year old so I know I wouldn't have been able to carry on working and it was the right decision.
Hoping to go back in a few weeks

I'm NHS too. I went in one day when I was feeling really bad, and ended up regretting it, and had to go home a few hours later. My job is stressful, but usually I thrive on it, but this day I was feeling so weak and sick and headachy and hormonal and shattered, I just couldn't cope and ended up in tears which is embarrassing as I supposed to be the one supporting everyone else. I wished I hadn't gone in that day. Call in sick if you're feeling bad enough to post on here like this!

I've just had a couple of days off because of all day sickness and feel so much better for it. Do it, time to put yourself and baby first x

I'm the same I'm not sick but nauseous (though have noticed is easing) I am working to year end so it is a really busy time trying to get things fitted in. its horrible I keep feeling like putting my head on the desk and either sleeping or crying. I'm manager of my department but it is teeny tiny so no-one can really do my job for me.

also I accidentally emailed my boss instead of my hubby when noticed tiny bit of blood last week (all ok mw seen etc) so she knows now....am only 10 wks.

I need a days sleep but life outside work is hectic too at the moment

I teach and have found it such a struggle everyday. Last term we had a 7 week half term and I was proud I only took 2 days off in that time as often I was a mess, pale ans sweaty my only saving grace is that the children I teach are wonderful and will work away quietly whilst I die in a corner!

I am off today though, having only been back for 2 days! I fainted in assembly yesterday and have had a severe headache since then and was literally forced to go home and miss parents evening. My sickness went at about 18 weeks but I still have the odd morning when i'm gaging. My MS has now been replaced by crippling headaches and dizziness, makes me feel like a failure when I have days off but the stress of teaching is making me a whole lot worse and I don't want it to start impacting on my baby! Bumpy seems relatively happy kicking away now and we have our 20 scan on friday so that should alleviate some stress to know that everything is ok.

Sorry for the ramblig, but its nice to get it off my chest with people who may be feeling the same way about work and taking time off!

I'm 16 weeks with first pregnancy. I had time off between ~8-12 weeks, but I'm fortunate that my work can be done at home, so I kept up with some of it and eased the guilt that way. I'm an emetophobe and have a terrible fear of being sick, especially in public, so am still struggling back at work ~6 hours a day instead of 8. I'm getting terrible acid reflux now and GERD-induced cough that causes retching every time I eat, so I avoid eating at work (and then feel more ill). There are some days that I really want to quit, but the notice period is 3 months anyway!

I took time off because the only thing that seemed to stop me throwing up was lying horizontal between lots of small meals. The doctor signed me off for a fortnight, after which I started going back gradually. I felt much better lying down and sometimes wondered whether I was being a wuss, but my body made its opinion felt whenever I stood up!

I think if I'd tried to push it I would probably have got more dehydrated/hungry and thus sicker, so resting when I felt bad probably reduced the total time I had to take off.

Now in week 14 and haven't thrown up for 12 whole days... really hope that's it for this pregnancy!

I had that motion sickness thing too. Most odd. Had to lie totally still. As soon as I moved, even turned over sometimes, I'd start gagging.
I worried about being off and being a wuss too but I was really sick with my first and went to work everyday so I know, for me to be off work, this is a whole lot worse

I'm in week 7, I work in a hospital and I've had to take a couple of night shifts off, just because I feel absolutely crap - nauseous, tired, doing everything at half the speed, even being grumpy to my colleagues (I normally have the reputation of being extremely nice!) I feel sick when I'm hungry and sick when I eat. I struggled through two night shifts, then decided I couldn't hack it and called in sick for the next two. I have a few days off after that so hopefully things will settle down by the time I need to go back to work - otherwise I don't know what I'll do :(