1st Trimester - Coping mechanisms at work?

[EllaWt]

Hi Ladies!

Anyone can share how they coped at work with feeling shit / sick / tired ? Also how did you/ do you guys go about "hiding" it?
I work in a very high performance / high pressure job in London and worries what to do when things start kicking in

I used to go to the toilet and sit in the cubicle with my eyes closed for five minutes just to take the edge off the tiredness. Had to tell my manager at 9 weeks as had a scare (baby was fine) and that made it easier - so would recommend telling one trustworthy person if you can

I worked in the same type of job in London when I was pregnant with my first and the first five months were hell.

Tube journey was the worst as I regularly had to get off as I didn't want to puke on the tube. At work I took regular breaks, I also had a big bleed at the beginning so a few of my colleagues knew, I kept as hydrated as I could and made sure no matter how sick I felt I would eat something regularly as if my sugar levels dropped I felt so much worse. I also had a small fan on my desk which seemed to help for some reason

I often would come home from work, shower and go straight to bed as the exhaustion was on another level, you just have to do whatever works for you to get through those first few months.

I ate a sandwich in my car for lunch and napped there for the rest of that hour!

I got pregnant in winter which helped as I also had a stinking cold along with a lot of colleagues. It was miserable for me but helped hide the pregnancy. Take AL or WFH days if you can and try to look after yourself food and water wise. Fresh air also helped and I would have a walk over lunch.

Assuming your boss knows, do you have the option of using a first aid/rest room/empty meeting room for 20min breaks etc just to put feet up and relax?

I work for a company where I'm often not around work people, we mainly stay in contact on the phone. So that parts not a problem for me. BUT we have a work meeting next week and the company (including myself) often enjoy many drinks in the evening / night out. I'm early stages so not ready to tell as we haven't told anyone yet. But how do I get around a night away with no drinking? It will be a meal with drinks followed by more drinks. About 8 of us.

How often can you get outside for some fresh air? I feel this helps sometimes. Basically tho i feel it’s impossible to feel better and I just want to lay my head on the desk and sleep!! For the nausea I eat tiny amounts every half hour or so.

Hope you feel better soon. I am starting to feel more myself at 9wks

@Absa say you're doing Stoptober. No one believes the anti biotics story.

I've had severe morning sickness and have been signed off work for 3 weeks. I want to go back when i am well enough so interested in these responses too

@EllaWt I'm wondering about this too because I see patients all morning and afternoon in clinic. A pregnant colleague told me recently that she vomited on a patient when he took his socks off to reveal a horrible smell!
Because I'm in my own room, my tactics will be lots of snacks, water, window open and taking a few minutes where I can in the bathroom. Luckily my appointments are ten minutes so I will have to focus on concentrating for that period of time and that's it!
I also have a couch in my room so I will be napping if I really have to.

Try and work from home sometimes. Have a nap.

In the early days with my first pregnancy I had horrible crampy, stretching pains across my stomach but I didn't want to take anything for it so I would take a walk outside along the perimeter of our site at work. The walking and fresh air really helped and nobody batted an eyelid because it's a busy site with lots of walking between departments.

You guys are so lucky. I work on a trading floor so no work from home or breaks for me. I am terrified!!

@rosina38 good call about Stoptober... that's my official line now and I hadn't thought of it!

Tell someone, it makes it much easier. There is no rule that you must hide your pregnancy, work will likely find out if you miscarry and once you have told work you are protected in law.

Maybe accept you won't be as productive then, ask about breaks etc if you need them.

So tricky. Do you have a colleague you trust who could cover for you for an hour around 1 or 2pm so you can have a nap?
I don’t know how trading floors work but you must get breaks to eat etc so presumably there is some mechanism to cover if something major happens in that time...?

I’d second telling someone if you can

I was absolutely exhausted in my first trimester, I can’t believe that seems to be the most common symptom that no one tells you about!

Plenty of water, sprite, sour sweets, plain sandwiches (I liked marmite on cheap white bread). Then home, shower and bed almost right away at the end of the day.

Take some days as annual leave, just do whatever you can to make it through. It does get better I promise.

Teacher here so no wfh option and the kids continue to be kids regardless of how their teacher is feeling that day!
I told my line manager pretty well straight away so that they had some understanding. I totally agree that there is no reason why it needs to be a secret. Tell people on a need to know basis.

Sea sickness bands on my wrists under my shirt sleeves helped. Small snacks regularly- ginger biscuits really helped me with the 'oh god I'm going to puck!' Feeling. Lots of lemon squash, the slight bitterness to it was so good. All the carbs!

Being signed off also was great. Yes it meant work knew sooner then maybe I'd have wanted but I was then protected by law. They put a lot of things in place to support me which was brilliant.

Ella I was on a trading floor when I was pg with first and second.

Travel was fine because I was at my desk by 7.30am so always had a seat on the tube. Luckily I never had morning sickness or any nausea but I do remember the tiredness and hunger.

I used to get a bacon sarnie first thing and a hot choc mid morning. Salad and protein lunch, hot choc and biccy mid afternoon. Then a good supper at home. In bed by 9pm, up at 5.45 and slept like a log.

No-one realised I was pg until they were told I was at 16 weeks. I gave up smoking that year on 1 Jan and just told them if I had a drink it made me want a fag.

Probably lucky vis the nausea but I did find it garnered in if I let myself get hungry. I was v slim before dc and still cannot forget the sheer hunger of the first 12 weeks.

I was ready to stop working at 34 weeks and was glad I had put that marker down by the time I reached the third trimester which I found harder than the first.

What I recall about doing the same job as you is the self discipline required (my ds is 24 now so things may have changed). I found it very hard once he arrived to have no timetable and midwives dropping in all over the place drove nuts. Wish I'd had more prep for that and the fact that bf can mean sitting in a chair for hours and hours unable to get anything else done.

Agree that regular eating (like every 2 hours) helps a lot with the nausea. Nuts are good.

I also worked in the city and was pregnant last year during Christmas.

It was a nightmare so I feel for you. We regularly had drinks with clients/the team and I didn’t use the antibiotics story because it isn’t believable. Also “hungover” and “early start” lies wear thin too. - I would just hold a half full glass and not sip it. So no-one suspected.

I remember getting the tube to a meeting and having to go to the loo to throw up halfway. To be honest I just had to style it out and took a fresh breath spray with me and redid my lipstick before going back into the meeting.

was difficult but I just had to have lots of water and peppermint tea for comfort.

I wore a baby on board badge and asked for a seat when my nausea was bad (but took the badge off before going into work).

I also told my female boss (one partner of five) confidentially once I had passed about 8 weeks so she understood why I would have to run to the loo. Can you do that?

If not it’s just about keeping your strength about you and holding tight for a few weeks.

Good luck

@OhTheRoses @Meshy23 and everyone ... thanks so much for your thoughts... it's really helpful.. i think I will tell someone probably. I'm new-ish to the company (about 9 months in actually - ha ha) so it's daunting