Just become pregnant.. fellow lab workers sought

[Catalepticdru]

Used a home kit today, as my period didn't start today (you can set a watch by my cycle!) and it came back positive. Hubby & I pleased coz we've just started trying for a baby. I'm 4 weeks pregnant I've actually be having nausea & vomiting for about a week now. I've not had sore breasts but I have had probs with my stomach - odd cramping pains, and butterflies in my stomach which seem worse when I lie down - hence why I'm writing this message in the wee hours of the morning! Is this usual so early on?
Also, was wondering is there anyone here who works in the chemical industry? Would like to hear from anyone who works or have worked in any laboratories, I'm a lab manager for a waste company and am a bit concerned about the fact that my work could potentially put me into contact with teratogenic & mutagenic substances. Once I get my pregnancy confirmed by my GP then I'll be seing my boss & our SHEQ manager to get a risk assessment done but would like to hear of others' experiences.
Thanks, Sonia

First of all congratulations! I'm not a lab worker, but it's a job I'd like to do. I did however work in a hospital whilst pregnant and went to see health and safety, who told me exactly what I could and couldn't do. The same should happen for you. It's probably a relatively common problem!

Hi there, and congratulations!

There are lots of scientists on MN, but I'm not sure how many are lab based.
I am, though, and the deal at our workplace has always been you tell H&S immediately you discover you're pregnant - they're obliged to keep it confidential so no-one else need know yet - and they do the risk assessment straight away.

Admittedly we only work with tiny quantities of teratogens and mutagens so are very low risk, but I can't remember anyone in our lab being advised more than 'wear your PPE' - to be honest the biggest problem that comes up in the risk assessment is the ergonomics issue of sitting at a PC / bench for long periods...

You shouldn't have to come into contact with these things at all unless you choose to. I am in an academic environment which is very different to commercial environments but the law is there to protect you and if you come into contact with the chemicals alternative work should be provided for you.

At the most extreme if you cannot avoid anything dangerous to you or the baby they have to pay you and you stay at home. I think in most situations your employers will find an alternative person to do the dangerous bits and put you to use somewhere else.

I was lucky that I only use formaldehyde which is a carcinogen so no extra danger than before being pregnant. My employers have been very good. I told safety officer at 6 weeks and no-one else until I'd had my scan at 12 weeks, since then I have had a very positive experience with lots of people offering to do anything I'm not comfortable with and telling me to do only what I can.

I don't know how common this is but I do feel very lucky. If you are not this lucky and have to fight, you should know that the law is behind you and you have to do what is necessary to protect your baby. Everyone is different, I have heard of a woman who continued to work with radioactivity but wore a lead apron in addition to regular ppe.

See what comes out with the risk assessement and go from there. Good luck and congratulations!

Hi

I work in the pharmaceutical industry. We have bothe lab-based Chemists and lab-based biologists on site. You company has to perform a risk assessment covering both the chemical and ergonomic factors.

In practise this means that Chemists are out the lab throguhut the duration of pregnancy. Most biologist tend to stay in the lab. The guidelines for biologist are unclear. Your PPE should be covering your exposure whether pregnant or not so revised PPE is never discussed.

During my first pregnany I took the decision that I wasn't comfortable handling compounds durign the first 12 weeks. I felt a little precious stamping my foot (not many people do) but I can't quite understand the why the Chemists and biologists have different rules as we (I'm an in vivo biologist). I handle novel chemicals that have not had tox screening. I got very pissed off last time when I was accused (many months later) of not pulling my weight in the lab (my men who knoew little about the physical requirements of the job). My work was physically tiring and it got the point where it was an ergonomic impossiblility when I was huge (it required me to access eqipment from floor to head height and I couldn't bend down).

I am now 12 weeks. I don't do so much in the way of lab work anymore and as I now run my own lab can easily avoid handling compounds when I am uncomfortable doing so.

MY advice is to work wiht your Occ Health and don't do anyhting that you are uncomfortable with

By the way - I fely uncomfortable very early on with the symptoms you described - I was 99 % cnifend I was pg before I had missed my period

Congrats ! I found out I am pg too this morning, hooray!

With DD I felt sick as a dog and had very very sore boobs before I was even late but with this one just a faint inking that I might be, the odd boob ache and wave of nausea.

Thanks for all your help.
I've contacted my boss and a risk assessment will be carried out next week.
In the meantime, I'm spending all my time in my office and not handling any chemicals whatsoever.
Thanks to you all.

congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!