How bad do things need to get?

[Bubble04]

I know this sounds like whinging, but how bad do things need to be to go off sick during pregnancy? I'm only 26 weeks, so still 13 weeks till my leaving date. I work as a year 2 teacher, so on the lead up to sats, and don't want to let the kids down...
BUT
I've got hip pain, which is now spreading and is now right across the front of my pelvis too. Shooting pains down legs. Having to use crutches to get around. Can't sit down for more than 10 mins as my muscles seize up causing pain. I'm having to stay upright all day. I have 2 hours marking every night, but can only sit to mark for 10mins at a time so I'm falling behind as I have to do it in spurts. I've been working till past 11 every night this week. SLT have 'supported' by doing random book checks to make sure I'm up to standard with marking which is so stressful. They don't want me teaching PE so want me to teach 2 topic lessons in a row while another teacher does my pe. Great until you realise I now have to do marking for 2 classes as a result... I've spent every evening in tears from pain and exhaustion. I can't sleep because of pain and stress. How bad does my hip pain have to be before I say enough is enough? Since getting back after half term it's been getting worse so quickly. I know I'm pushing myself to breaking point but need to know at what point I stop soldiering on and accept defeat...
I just want to sleep

Week four I bet that was a relief not getting it with subsequent pgs! I've had it with all of mine unfortunately

@nailsathome other than the obvious don’t take it near the due date due to breathing issues. What other risks are there? I’ve been told by several doctors and my midwife that it’s safe and I haven’t come across anybody saying otherwise. Is there something I don’t know?

I was signed off a 22 weeks, and never made it back.
Codeine, physio, chiropractor, rest.

You automatically go on maternity leave at 36 weeks if signed off sick.

@weekfour tramadol! I have tramadol from prepreganncy and was told not to take it. Buggers. Absolute wonder drug for pain.
I have SPD now and have codeine but haven’t taken it for about a week now as I’ve randomly been granted an okay week by the pregnancy fairies or something.

I mean Christ, if you can safely take tramadol then you’re set. No need to struggle

In fairness @FranticallyPeaceful , it was a heavily deliberated decision. I was in hospital at the time and being monitored. I know of one other person that has been prescribed it for SPD during pregnancy and she was equally as bad as I was.

In your position I would take the physio up on her offer.

If you're off due to pregnancy related sickness in the four weeks before your due date they'd normally start that as your maternity leave.
Only you can tell if you're fit to go to work, if not get the doctor's note. Don't run yourself into the ground.

@weekfour I can only imagine the pain you were in to arrive at tramadol tbh. But honestly, I’m glad they do it for those seriously struggling. I always thought codeine was a harsh cut-off point. I have pretty awful SPD but I also have weeks where i can struggle past the pain so it isn’t as bad as it could be, always makes me wonder how those with it worse cope.

@Bubble04 none of us can answer how bad doe it have to be. But you are struggling and in pain. Try asking your ho to sign you off for a month, and see if you feel better, then make a decision about the rest of the pregnancy.

It doesn't sound like you're able to concentrate on your work properly so, in the nicest way, it may be better for your students if you're signed off.

I've suffered terribly with SPD too so I feel your pain (literally). I did manage to work till 37 weeks but I was lucky in that I didn't have to do marking or work evenings plus I was able to adapt my working space to make it easier for me.

If the nhs can only give you school hours physio appointments then that's when you go. I had numerous extra hospital appointments and I tried to arrange them to cause the least disruption, but I ended up writing a lot of cover too. You're entitled to those appointments so don't feel guilty about going.

Ah. I would just get signed off.

I was signed off mid August I think when DD was due end of October. I couldn't walk very easily and my back was agony sitting in the office chairs. I was very stressed and had no adjustments or understanding from the team so my midwife was very insistent I was signed off. It was really tedious but better to be safe than sorry. I was signed off for a month I think and then started my mat leave 4-6 weeks before she was due.

Jeez, go to your GP. Get signed off. Never mind how bad does it have to be - how much worse could you even get??
You're doing nobody any favours going to work. The head will find a teacher to cover for you who is healthy and capable. They won't thank you for killing yourself, once you're on leave they'll forget all about you. I mean that nicely!

Get a sick cert!!!

OP I'd urge you to see a chiropractor or osteopath and to look at the website www.pelvicpartnership.org.uk - it's the best resource on the issue of pelvic girdle pain.

I second pelvicpartnership. Wish I'd gone to them sooner.

It depends OP on how much you can manage. No one is going to put yours and your baby's interests first like you can.

I have had 2 pregnancies during which I had sciatica and pgp (now in early stages of 3rd pregnancy). During my first I worked up until 38 weeks but I was crippled in pain from 28 weeks and on crutches from 22 weeks. I pushed through because I didn't want my mat leave to start early and because I didn't want to let anyone down. I should have absolutely gone off sooner, not least because it left me unable to recover fully and I suffered sporadically with sciatica between pregnancies as a result. It all started at 8 weeks in my second pregnancy and I was on crutches by 12, hardly able to walk. I was in so much constant pain and consequently had very little sleep. I had gone from being the only person to get performance related bonuses at work, to struggling to focus. Work were not supportive at all and were about to take me down performance management. So I ended up getting signed off at 28 weeks because I physically couldn't cope any longer and once they started negatively effecting me mentally too I knew it was too much. I will be 8 weeks pregnant on Wednesday so I'm bracing myself for what might come; I've had sciatica twinges since my last pregnancy so I don't hold out much hope. With both pregnancies I had physio, hydro and went to see a chiropractor, but nothing helped. This time I am planning my leave from 28 weeks, which involves a mixture of annual leave, a period of paid leave and maternity leave. I absolutely have to listen to my body or I could end up doing serious damage.

Who is going to support you and listen to your body? It's you. You're the only one who can stand up for you and who wants the best for you. What alarms me most from your post is that you have no respite during the week. An average non pregnant teacher is pushed to their limits with the amount of teaching/marking/planning etc. Now throw in pregnancy and you have an entirely different dynamic. Then you have pregnant women with pgp or another debilitating condition. At this point you NEED to be doing less, not more. Just because your deputy head sailed through her pregnancies doesn't mean everyone else does. It doesn't matter what she thinks.

So if you don't want to get signed off you need to go to the school and ask for adjusted duties. If they can't do this then you need to be signed off. Even if they can and it doesn't work, then you get signed off. There are two issues here 1) your pelvis pain and 2) your lack of respite. So equally you can just give up the fight. It is OK. Sometimes it's even best. From what you have described I would just get signed off. Being at home made such a difference for me as I could be mobile when needed and rest when I needed. It definitely made things so much better and gave me some quality of life back.

Do yourself and your baby a favour-get signed off from work, I did with milder pain than you and (genuine) stress caused by my employers and I'm so glad I did, even though I felt guilty-I ended up having my DD at 39 weeks so if I'd have stayed until then and taken mat leave at 39 weeks, I'd have had no time to adjust or 'breathe' after working in that environment . I also saw a osteopath who helped a lot with the pain.

You really need to get yourself signed off. You're clearly not in a fit state to work and need to look after yourself and your baby. Don't be a martyr, no one hands out medals for staying at work right up until baby is born. (Been there, done that )
You need to rest and if there's any kick back from school, get the union involved. As a pregnant woman you have a protected characteristic and they cannot force you to start mat leave until 36 weeks.
HTH

Thanks everyone. I've been to the dr this morning. She's given me codeine, and says it's not possible for me to continue like this. She wants me to contact occupational health through school to see about reducing hours/responsibilities. Just really worried if I go part time that will mean my maternity pay is reduced... does anyone know how it works? Tried ringing the helpline but they had no idea x

Mat pay is calculated between 18-25ish weeks I think so you should be ok.
Please Listen to the health professionals. You can't risk damaging your health over a job.

Maternity pay is usually calculated on your qualifying weeks, which should be the 8 weeks before you're 25 weeks. So being signed off now shouldn't make a difference.

Brilliant, thank you. That's really reassuring x

Sounds like you've got a good doctor OP. When you're conscientious it's really hard to let go of work. For me it took a friend to remind me that it was my responsibility to protect my baby and that jobs come and go but that I needed to put my baby first. We often feel obligated to stick it out, especially as we see others manage so easily, but if it's not working for you, then it's not.

Just an update...
Gp wrote me a sick note. She was amazing. Put on the sick note that I needed hours and responsibilities reducing, and that I should stop work at 12 each day. This means I can teach maths and English, then mark in my own time. School accepted it and seemed supportive (probably because they had no choice as it was in a sick note). Then today the Head said that after discussing the situation with the deputy head they've decided that as I'm officially still full time I need to stay late on Tuesdays to meet with the key stage team and decide what extra planning I can do now that I have all this extra time in the afternoons to do paperwork! I left school today in agony and am struggling just to mark my books let alone do extra paperwork and planning! He's also wanting me to do extra intervention lessons to prep for sats. He doesn't want to get someone just for the afternoons so I'm having to stay behind and get all the resources ready for whichever ta is going to be covering my class that pm. I didn't leave till 1.15 today. I'm so tired. I can't walk, sit or lie down. Feels like he's got completely the wrong end of the stick. The dr signed me off because I needed to reduce my hours for legitimate medical reasons