Decision about taking on a stressful job whilst pregnant

[Ceridwyn82]

Hi

I am having a bit of a decision dilemma and would appreciate any input/advice etc. so bit of a long post to explain the scenario!

I work freelance as a video editor and had a job booked when I'd need to be working on location in Rhodes for a week in July. I've had horrible pregnancy sickness the past 2 months so I have already told them I'd likely have to pull out. I'm at 13 weeks now and have started to see some improvement - I'm sick about once a day instead of 5/6 times and don't feel permanently nauseas everyday, like before. I'm wondering if I should assume that I'll keep improving and therefore be well enough to take the job - it's 1 month away so I'll be at 17 weeks then.

In some ways I think best to play it safe and not do it, as on location edits can be high stress, long hours and not the easiest environment to be able to take care of myself. I'm not sure yet of the accommodation arrangement but I'm worried about not having control over what/when I eat (as I get sick unless I eat little and often) and how the travel will affect me. I find these days even though I feel better, if I push it too hard I
start to feel really rough.

On the other hand these months are always quiet in my industry so it feels foolish to turn down work, especially as I'll have a long time of no income coming up once the baby is born. Also wonder if I'm being a bit too fragile I assume other people manage to travel/work high stress jobs during pregnancy!

I've been churning over this in my head for a while and overthinking never seems to help with making a decision!

It sounds like your sickness is subsiding which is good news and typical as your going into the seconds trimester.

Honestly, I'd go for it. You'll probably start to feel a lot better in the next few weeks and I find being distracted with work etc actually helps take my mind off it.

It's also a short period of time you'll be away. I would consider the vaccine if you haven't already had it due to the travelling.

I personally wouldn’t do it as I would want to reduce my contacts before i’m fully vaccinated. My morning sickness did improve at around 14 weeks and I have done a v stressful job in the past while pregnant. I suppose it’s a personal decision (and you have to weigh up pros and cons) - but i’d prefer to avoid stressful situations and a lot of travel if I could

In a non covid world I'd say go for it, it's just a week, not too long a flight, minimal time difference, and I'm sure you can take some snacks with you or get some out there to always have on you when you need to eat, eg crisps nuts snack bars etc. I presume if you're editing you'd be indoors most of the time so things like extreme heat wouldn't be an issue? Sounds like your sickness is improving as well so all signs point to yes.

However obviously COVID throws a spanner in the works so not sure how you feel about that.