Morning sickness - sick leave

[rachhendy]

I'm wondering what all of you lovely ladies did about your morning sickness...? I'm only 6+1 however unfortunately I am extremely boaky (not physically vomiting but wrenching severely for most of the day). My issue is I got sent home from work yesterday half way through the day and now feel I should ask my GP to sign me off for 2-6 weeks depending on how long it persists. I work in a neonatal interns I've care unit as a nurse (NHS) and bouts of sickness have come on while feeding babies or having serious discussions with parents about their baby's condition ect...not to mention I could be in an emergency situation quite easily at any given moment. I don't know whether to just call in sick on the days I'm worse or whether I'm better to just be off for a few weeks until things settle down...as I obviously can't be having sickness coming on in my place of work in front of parents 🤦🏻‍♀️ I don't want to but I don't think I have a choice...my manager made a cheeky comment to me stating it was 'very early to be that sick' yesterday before sending me home as if I was making it up 🙃 luckily a colleague heard me in the toilet so backed me up 🙄

What have you all done about sickness in a job where you work long hours and in an environment that it isn't safe for you to have sickness come on???

Hi OP,
I would speak to your HR or line manager re sickness policy. Most places including NHS class each time off/return as a separate period of sickness. So if you take the Mon off, return Tues then take Wed off you have had 2 periods in one week. I believe NHS have policies to do with how many periods you can have in 1 year before it either affects your pay or you have to have a meeting about it. Where as if you took 4 weeks off it would only be classes as 1 period of sickness. IYSWIM

Not sure that was much help to you, if it was me I would ask HR and line manager what they would rather you do, and make sure it is followed up with an email. I expect they would prefer you only take single days, what with current pressures on NHS, but I wouldn't do them the favour if it would come back and bite me in the arse. Also I work in private sector, not a job where I could be sick or boaking, but I'm only entitled to SSP so I would be better taking 2 weeks as would at least get SSP, if I take single days I get no pay for those days.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and hope it all goes well for you!

That should be couldn't be sick. Really wouldn't make any difference as I am in the office atm

Hi thanks 👶🏻 my understanding was that pregnancy sickness is not counted as general sickness and therefore does not affect your current sickness record as it's protected. I also thought that pregnancy sickness would not affect your pay and your maternity pay as again, it's protected since it can't be helped? I work in an environment where it just is not possible to be at work if there's a chance I'll get sick because I may end up in a situation that's either dangerous for the patient for me to have to run to the nearest bin and it obviously also is not appropriate either considering most of our patients are very sick and their parents need to be able to trust the nurses looking after them and not have them running off sick 😬 I'll call my GP tomorrow for their advice and then also call my work as I'm due on a 12.5 hour nightshift tomorrow night and won't be able to do that since I've been super nauseous all day today 🤢🤦🏻‍♀️

Just get signed off, honestly. You need to rest, it's as important as medication for pregnancy sickness. Also ask your GP to prescribe you something. You have my sympathies, I'm on my second pregnancy with HG and my sickness started at 6 weeks in first pregnancy and 5 weeks in my second, both times had to be signed off. I was signed off for 12 weeks in my first pregnancy and on 50 per cent hours for two more weeks and then Flexi time once I returned. And that was an office job where I could run to the loo when I needed to vomit and I walked to work, it would have been a lot longer off if I had a job like yours. I'm 11 weeks with no.2 and been signed off since 6 weeks again with no prospect of returning any time soon and I WFH now.

@MeadowHay

Just get signed off, honestly. You need to rest, it's as important as medication for pregnancy sickness. Also ask your GP to prescribe you something. You have my sympathies, I'm on my second pregnancy with HG and my sickness started at 6 weeks in first pregnancy and 5 weeks in my second, both times had to be signed off. I was signed off for 12 weeks in my first pregnancy and on 50 per cent hours for two more weeks and then Flexi time once I returned. And that was an office job where I could run to the loo when I needed to vomit and I walked to work, it would have been a lot longer off if I had a job like yours. I'm 11 weeks with no.2 and been signed off since 6 weeks again with no prospect of returning any time soon and I WFH now.

Aw man, I've been pretty nauseous since I was about 4 weeks tbh - first pregnancy so no idea of the general rules when it comes to this. Think it put me off because one of my managers essentially implied she thinks I'm exaggerating 🙄 but I'm literally driving to work wrenching the entire way on the motorway which is clearly not safe and then having to stop feeding babies and chatting to parents ect with a seconds notice to run to the loo so I just don't think it's a good idea. Thanks for the input! I think when people don't get bad morning (all day) sickness or they develop it later on they don't really understand 🤦🏻‍♀️ congrats on baby no. 2...hope you feel better soon 💓

Yes pregnancy sickness is protected but it is still all recorded. If the employer believes the sickness is not pregnancy related they can record it as non-pregnancy related and it does count towards absence history. But it is always advised that any sickness that could potentially be pregnancy related such as upset stomach is treated as such. I would say though, it depends on you manager if they are twisted or not tbh. Ultimately it will be protected as it is morning sickness but it's probably less stressful for you to be signed off by go if they do question it further down the line. Also it will mean less return to work interviews. My workplace went through a phase of conducting them if you were off for just a single day. I had a migraine one day last year, only day off I had in a year, and had a return to work interview, where most of the questions made it seem like I was a cause for concern

Sucks that you have been feeling so bad today. Given the job you are doing it isn't possible to power through, hopefully your line manager will be understanding.

Cyclazine really helped my pregnancy sickness.

@SingleTTC31 yeah my work are doing the return to work interviews for single absences too which is annoying because I do suffer from migraines (maybe had a total of 3 in the last 14 months that I had to call in for). I think I will definitely just get the GP to give me a sick line for 2-6 weeks initially and hopefully it'll get better in a few weeks - I know it's meant to worsen week 8-9 so hopefully I'll get back for week 10/11 🤞🏻 it is just the way my job is unfortunately, it's also really long hours too 🙄 thanks for the advice :) my mum and grandma suffered from bad prolong morning sickness/nausea and I'm prone to bad motion sickness so suppose I'm not shocked I feel so bad so early on 🤦🏻‍♀️ I'm sure they'll understand!

It sounds like you could do with anti empties, as you say it will potentially get worse before it gets better. Take as much time off as you need. I also work for NHS and felt pressured into working nights last week despite the last set making me feel awful, and I regret so much not putting my foot down. They will manage without you and you will be able to go back in a few weeks when you're feeling much better.

Anti emetics, not empties!! Though on that note I would recommend ensuring you snack lots, empty stomach makes me so much worse.

I was like this and was prescribed medication, it was an absolute godsend and meant I could keep working throughout, I'm 12+ 3 now and barely need it,

I'm like you with motion sickness lol

I was a district nurse and got signed off for six weeks both times. I could barely get up and dressed without vomiting. Just do the same.
Even after that I struggled and used to drive round with a plastic bag for weeks!

And yes to the motion sickness. Horrendous.

As someone who suffered with hyperemesis, I'd say ask your GP to sign you off and prescribe something in the hope it might help the sickness. I only had an office job but absolutely couldn't be retching every 5 mins. In your job it is neither safe nor practical to be working whilst this unwell.

Perhaps try some ant emitics and ask your manager if you could do something non patient facing for a few weeks, there's loads of temporary redeployment stuff going on in most trusts due to Covid, you could have a go at something else.
I'd personally be trying all I could to avoid being sick at the moment, due to a sense of responsibility to the NHS, the sick records are through the roof.
Perhaps you could work from home or suchlike?

Hi @rachhendy. I’m also a nurse but I work on a busy emergency surgery ward. I started getting awful sickness from 5 and half weeks that lasted all the way to 16 weeks. Currently 18 weeks and honestly it only settled down the last two weeks.
I was vomiting several times on shift and felt awful for the full 12.5 hours. I made it to the bathroom for the most part. But was sick in bins, sinks, the macerator, and even just had to take a patients unused sick bowl off a their table once as I it just came up in the middle of a meds round with no notice. The matron and ward manger where well aware of this but seemed to Just avoid me in hope that I would keep coming into work I think. Not good in times of hightened infection control procedures.
I only had one day off sick, this is also my first pregnancy and no one told me true pregnancy related sickness didn’t go towards triggering the sickness policy. Before that episode I had only had one other day off work for compassionate leave after a family member passed away in over two years so don’t know why I panicked about taking one day off when i felt awful.
Now I feel more like myself, looking back I should have contacted my GP for antiemetics and taken time off work as I was vomiting a least 5/6 times daily. I truly felt awful but at the time just brushed it off and told myself it’s just a bit of pregnancy sickness and everyone goes through this so suck it up. However I have since found out that is not the case. I should have been off work to rest and not be in such a high risk environment while feeling to terrible. So I would say contact you GP to discuss symptoms. They may prescribe you some antiemetics and you may feel well enough to work again. However I have also read on here that antiemetics haven’t worked for some unfortunately, or have given relief but at the cost of some undesirable side effects. Drowsiness and exhaustion with cyclizine for example so not ideal in a busy stress fuelled environment. so guess you will have to take it once step at a time.
If it makes you feel any better I have since had a gender scan and found out I’m having a little girl. Seeing her wriggle away on the screen, so big compared to my 12 week scan makes every second of that sickness worth it. I would do it again in a heartbeat for my little baby girl!! X

@Coffeecake90 yeah it's terrible isn't it that we're so bad at taking the time we need to recover! I put my foot down this morning and told them I'm self certifying for a week then I'll hand a sick line in from GP - and yes an empty stomach makes things so much worse! I'm currently snacking on a ginger biscuit and just lying still in bed since movement makes me worse too 🤢🙄 thanks for the advice!

@ExcitingTimes2021 aww that's awful! It's so bad that we feel under that much pressure though isn't it! The guilt just hits me 🙄 I'm so glad you're feeling better and you can be properly excited about your pregnancy again lol! That feels so far away for me at the moment but I just keep telling myself the sickness is a really good sign and that it will end eventually...it will all be so worth it. I've self certified for a week until my GP will speak to me so at least I can relax for a few days knowing I don't need to stress about work!

Congrats!
I have a job with similar levels of resus and difficult talks so I understand the prob of the awkward nausea/dry heaves. I recommend trying some meds before signing off for weeks, but I get bored not working and found the N/V debilitating without meds anyway.
I take regular pyridoxine 25mg tds, doxylamine 25mg nocte and an ondansetron wafer most days. Same as last pregnancy where birth finally stopped the morning sickness.

www.nice.org.uk/advice/es20/chapter/Key-messages#:~:text=2017)%20also%20found%20that%2C%20overall,it%20is%20relatively%20well%20tolerated.

@Babysharkdododont unfortunately at my work there isn't any non patient type positions I can take since it's a clinical environment and I also can barely sit up nevermind get out of bed at the moment without wrenching so even a non clinical temporary post would be extremely difficult - considering I have to drive to work either way wrenching on the motorway which isn't very safe. We shouldn't have to feel that we can't be off because of the pressure the NHS is under compared to any other job, that doesn't make a difference. If I am too ill to even manage out of bed before midday on my days off I certainly can't go to work regardless of how understaffed they are. Working from home also isn't an option either for the same reasons.

Surely you should try treatment before you think about getting signed off? Antiemetics are pretty effective

Seems your mind is made up OP, you don't want antisemitics and you don't want to speak to anyone about working from home. So go on the sick, pretty pointless thread to start

OP please don’t listen to the negative, unsupportive posters on your thread. If you are suffering this badly then you are doing the right thing by staying at home and resting! If you don’t want to take medications like a lot of women then don’t that is your choice as well. You absolutely cannot be driving down the motorway retching the whole time! You are risking yourself and others as you could have a accident! I’m only 5 weeks pregnant and have found my morning sickness has started to kick in but I generally get it from 4pm onwards! I sympathise with you as it can really make you feel awful. Congratulations with your pregnancy! Look after yourself and do what’s best for you and no one else during this time

I had 3 months off work with HG.

I had Cyclizine and prochlorperazine but they didn’t stop the vomiting, just reduced it.

In the nicest possible way, who cares about having “a duty to the NHS?” Do you think they would care about you if you were run over by a bus? Put yourself first, it’s just a job.

I'm nhs and I've been off pretty much the whole pregnancy. I had hyperemesis from 4 weeks - was off until 15 weeks ish. It came back at 23 weeks so I was off sick until I was put on shielding at 28 weeks.
Don't feel bad as these are difficult jobs to do when feeling so poorly. I couldn't get out of bed some days never mind try and soldier through at work - and you don't get any prizes for doing so!