How much time off work did you have in your first trimester?

[Paris2019]

I'm 11 weeks and have been struggling on, despite feeling like cr*p most days! Did you take time off, how much, and was your employer understanding??

I was signed off at week 6 and didn’t go back, I’m on maternity leave now.

I had back to back issues including hyperemesis and Cholestasis, was hospitalised a few times and advised Bi midwives and GP that I was absolutely not fit to work. I actually loved my job though and was really upset about not being there. I felt so guilty around week 20 I dragged myself into the office but by lunch time my manager told me to go home and not to come back!
I was visibly very poorly.

My boss/colleagues did understand but at the same time it’s a crazy amount of time to take off and I’m not naive enough to think it hasn’t impacted my prospects for promotion.
It will have. They know I’m likely to have another in the next few years and the same may happen.

None but every pregnancy is different. I was exhausted with DS1 but figured that’s because it was busy season and we were working until 1am...I didn’t even realise I was pregnant until 12 weeks, that’s how easy it was.

There are no medals for killing yourself. My pregnancies were way off one extreme with how easy they were and I know it’s not normal. I napped a lot at the weekends.

I got a polite dressing down from my manager for not telling him as he would have packed me off home and made some excuse for me. And he then laughed at me a lot when I explained that I hadn’t realised. They were great, despite being a long hours, high stress culture.

Oh my. I wish I saw this sooner.

I don’t like to post on forums but felt compelled with this entry!

Like seriously….. Hercwasonaroll. Give it a rest. Pregnancy isn’t a competition. Every woman is different?!

Paris2019…you may never read this but for any woman that does read this and is struggling in their first trimester. How you feel and cope, it’s totally unique to you. If you feel you need to rest…you do that! Take time off!

Like I said before…pregnancy isn’t a competition. Don’t take any notice of all these women who seem to want an Iron Man medal for going into work. Well done. Uh huh. Cool stories. Helpful.

Every woman deals with pregnancy differently so don’t ever feel bad for how you feel because you’re comparing yourself to other women.

Your physical and mental health is your priority right now so do whatever feels right to support that.

Hope you got through it Paris and now have a beautiful bubba!

I didn't need to take any time off, I'm a nurse so I work long and quite physical shifts but I've been very lucky with an easy pregnancy so far. I didn't need to tell them until I was 18 weeks and was just starting to show. I remember being exhausted on my days off though.

Everyone is different. I had to run out of the classroom to vomit a few fair times, and occasionally got it in the sink in front of the kids (I'm science so we helpfully had them in the room!). The exhaustion was awful but it is so time consuming setting cover I just stayed, looked like death and had lots of water. I did cry before parents evenings though as all I wanted to do was sleep.

10 days as lost part of the placenta at 12 weeks and doctor signed me off, even though I felt ok

I’m at week 8 and have taken one day off. I was exhausted. Had been up all night with sickness and the thought of even trying to work made me burst into tears. Employer was very understanding. It was my first sick day in many years so I think I was probably due a break.

I’m lucky to be working from home and able to flex my hours, so I’m days where I’m completely wiped I can block out a nap hour and just make it up in the evening which has been amazingly helpful.

I have been signed off 6-14 weeks. I have Hyperemesis and there is zero chance of me going in. My work are amazing about it. Extremely supportive.
I struggled in in my first pregnancy and it was a nightmare for my team, who had to constantly cover my work last minute. It's better that they know I'm off, so they can plan around it

None, I’m 16+5 now and haven’t needed anything.

But this is my pregnancy and yours is yours - they won’t be identical, and we won’t cope the same.

All of it from about 7 weeks, but I was being sick 8-10 times a day. My employer were arseholes about it- and they were a LA 😂 not much you can do though if you’re physically unable to get up or are in hospital (where I hung out from around 11 weeks to 30 weeks). Do what you can, don’t kill yourself over it. Even the most important job is just a job.

I've just had a week off, I couldn't cope with the constant sickness and tiredness anymore and my colleague actually sent me home! The rest has made me so much better and I plan to go back on Monday (I'll be 11 weeks then)

Guaranteed that if men got this sick and tired for as long as women do in the first trimester, there would be pregnancy leave like there is maternity leave. Take the time off. There's absolutely no point in soldiering through feeling like shit. Ultimately, nobody thanks you for it. If more women spoke up and took time off when they felt rubbish, it would be more of an accepted, open thing to do.

I took quite a bit of time off. I'm a teacher, and the thought of throwing up in front of a class of teenagers was just too much. I also was just so exhausted. I didn't have the energy to be on my feet controlling a class of 30 (sometimes unruly) teenagers all day, every day, and then going home and planning and marking until 8 pm as well. It was too much.

None. I was tired but not queasy. I didn't tell work until the last possible moment because the pregnancy was risky and I didn't want their sympathy if anything went wrong.

I organised antenatal appointments in the evenings.

@Dalgleish same issue here! I had to run out of year 10s three times in one period and just thought that's enough.. luckily my department has been amazing

All these replies are making me so sad - women really are just programmed to “get on with it” and I think they may possibly make other feel bad. If you can’t work because you feel so bad then ring in sick!!!

Both times I went off sick at 6 weeks and returned about 12/13 weeks later due to HG.

None, I was lucky didn’t suffer morning sickness, but I was sick in the evenings. So I was fine for work.

I’ve had 4-5 days off so far all one off occasions and I’m 23 weeks, but I’ve felt I’ve needed them each time and I won’t put myself in a position where I’ve overdone it for a job - baby comes first as do you as a woman.

Time off for pregnancy is protected - your employer cannot use it as any trigger points under absence management either so if you need time off - you take it and put yourself first.

Remember if you died they’d have you replaced in a month, you’re irreplaceable to your family.