Morning sickness and work

[Trusky]

I'm 7w5d and have been suffering sickness since 5weeks. I have already had time off for a suspected ectopic, for which everything turned out fine.

I've tried to cope with going into work, I work in an office. I've been vomiting while at work as discreetly as I can. I've had to tell my managers earlier than I would have liked. My GP prescribed anti sickness meds which while they take the edge off, aren't great.

Yesterday the toilets on our floor were locked as they were broken. Which meant I kept having to run upstairs to vomit, one time I almost didn't make it. Today I woke up at 4:30am to be sick and have been sick twice since then.

Ive called in sick but I'm terrified work will think I am taking the piss and just want a long weekend. My Mum keeps going on about how she felt so amazing during her pregnancys but I just feel so awful and weak.

Has anyone had problems with work due to Morning sickness? I'm looking for some reassurance because I just feel so down about not being able to work.

I had terrible morning sickness from 6w till about 16/18w and my colleagues worked it out by about 10w. I work in retail on shifts and many times I was supposed to do 9am start and couldn’t come in till after 3pm (for example) some days I didn’t come in at all. Not once did anyone make me feel like I was taking the piss and I even called my HR manager to get reassurance my job wasn’t at risk. Some weeks I barely worked 15 hours when I was supposed to do 40. Pregnancy sickness is totally different to Norma sickness and you won’t be penalised at all so try not to worry.
I do feel for you, I never felt anything but weak and shit through my whole pregnancy. It’s just one of those things. It’s all worth it in the end, I promise :)

As you've already told your managers that it is pregnancy related it is looked at differently to usual sick leave and you are protected. I know it's really hard, but you have to try stopping worrying what everyone else thinks and do the best for you and the baby. You can't perform to your best at work when you are feeling terrible and vomiting multiple times a day anyway.
If things continue to be this bad, please see your GP about alternative medications. There is lots of good advice on the Pregnancy Sickness Support website about all nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, not just hyperemesis. The hyperemesis support thread on here has great advice on support and food/drink choices that can help, and people suffering from a range of sickness severities too.
Hope the sickness settles today and you feel a bit better, I know how utterly miserable it is.

I had acupuncture and it really helped aliviate the sickness - worth a shot? It’s awful feeling so sick at work

I was off work for 10 weeks due to hyperemesis and then when I returned to work I did afternoons only for about the first 3 weeks then I went back full-time but with my hours moved later in the day so coming in later and staying later and I used annual leave to take Wednesdays off for the first few weeks to break up the week so I could rest. I'm 24 weeks now and back full-time but I still come in 30 minutes later than my official start time make the time up by only taking 30 minutes at lunch instead of an hour like we're meant to.

I know how you feel, it is awful, and I've been sick at work a few times too. However exhaustion makes the vomiting worse and you really need to take care of yourself. It's good that you told work as pregnancy-related sickness absence must be recorded separately on your absence record and can't be taken into account for things like redundancies nor can you be made to attend a disciplinary for it or anything like that. Your health comes first. I'd only been in my job two months when I suddenly went off sick for longer than I'd even worked there! And I was terrified as they could have easily gotten rid of me with virtually no notice given I was in my probation. But health always has to come first.

I just took the first couple of months off work sick both times. I was nursing. There was no way I could work, I could barely get out of bed the first time -used to wake up in the night to throw up. Horrible horrible time, felt like I was slowly being poisoned. The only way to escape the feeling was try and sleep.
Work can wait.

Go to your gp and get signed off and get some different medication. Have a really good rest and take the tablets. I was signed off for HG in both pregnancies and tiredness and stressing out made it so much worse.

As long as your managers are aware then they should understand. Pregnancy sickness is treated differently to normal sickness at work and allowances should be made.

If you are having to run upstairs to vomit then you are not fit for work so I'd speak to your GP to see if you can get signed off, just for a bit of insurance though you shouldn't actually need it in pregnancy as those allowances should already be in place

Hope you feel better soon. Awful isn't it? X