Is anyone else feeling nervous re covid?

[Kittyswhiskers]

I am fully vaccinated (pfizer, but 4 months apart due to a change in the guidelines) and a nurse. I work in what is considered a ‘safe’ area within a hospital.

I hate the masks and the social distancing and everything but I’m feeling really nervous about the complete lifting of restrictions. Nurses are supposed to be working from home from 28 weeks unless guidelines change and I suppose they’ll be scrapping that soon. I am all for getting back to normal but the midwife has told me that even if you do catch covid and have mild symptoms, the risk of blood clots is much higher, and the risk of still births etc is slightly increased. I know my pregnancy is making my anxiety a lot worse (was previously on antidepressants for anxiety/depression before I found out I was pg) I would love for some hand holds and general encouragement from other pregnant ladies.

I'm so stressed about this too! I'm only 10 weeks, due at the end of January so am particularly worried about working in my third trimester. I work in schools and am very nervous that the new stance seems to just be to let all the kids get it.

I'm very reluctant to have the vaccine with so little information about it. I have no idea what my employers position will be on wfh from 28 weeks. I can kind of do this but not do all of my role to a high standard, plus we are already very understaffed.

I really hope guidance for us pregnant ladies stays in place 🙏

@onanadventure I sympathise with you here but think your suggestion of LFTs and masks inside is a good one

Although arguably if negative LFT your in laws will try and avoid the mask I suspect

We’re asking everyone we see to do LFTs and we are doing them as well before we people (as unvaccinated for now, I’m as much risk to others as they are to me!)

A few people have made sarcastic comments but the majority have got used to it now and do them

@Bellyrumble LFTs at least give you a bit of peace of mind but my sister and her partner just had covid. Got a positive pcr then did a lateral flow just to see what it said.. both came back as negative 🙈 I was doing them twice per week for work and there were so many cases in schools yet I hardly ever heard of anyone getting a positive LFT. It’s something though I suppose!

[quote Bellyrumble]@onanadventure I sympathise with you here but think your suggestion of LFTs and masks inside is a good one

Although arguably if negative LFT your in laws will try and avoid the mask I suspect

We’re asking everyone we see to do LFTs and we are doing them as well before we people (as unvaccinated for now, I’m as much risk to others as they are to me!)

A few people have made sarcastic comments but the majority have got used to it now and do them[/quote]
Mhm.
I mean, they might just say they've done the lft, but hopefully they will respect my and DH's wishes and want to protect our baby enough to do so.

Aside from work, what are people’s thoughts on whether they will be going out for meals, coffee shops, shopping centres Etc . where you won’t be able to rely on social distancing once the rules change?

Thankyou

@sarah13xx that’s a bit scary then! It’s no substitute for being careful is it, guess it’s peace of mind

@onanadventure that’s my slight concern too- not everyone probably does them.

Funny I went for a growth scan this morning and the first thing they asked as part of booking me in was “have you done a lateral flow test”. If hospitals are wanting us to do them so we don’t bring covid onto the ante natal unit then it should persuade everyone else to do them too but there’s no persuading a lot of people is there

Aside from work, what are people’s thoughts on whether they will be going out for meals, coffee shops, shopping centres Etc . where you won’t be able to rely on social distancing once the rules change?

Afraid I won't be going near them. If pubs with big gardens keep the app that lets you order at the table, great. Otherwise I'll carry on shopping online and meeting friends outdoors.

Bit sad about a theatre trip that was planned for last March and is re-scheduled for September. But I'm crossing my fingers that lots of theatre goers might feel the same way and the theatre will insist on masks for all. Maybe I'm wrong but I think they'll lose fewer people that way.

Or they could have certain nights of the week when you have to wear a mask. Actually that's a good idea, I might email them and suggest it.

It really feels like we’ve been forgotten about.

I had my second jab today, 6.5 weeks after my first. They were reluctant but I said I want some protection before it’s a free for all.

I’m 22 weeks, a sahm but have two secondary school age children and am slightly over weight now. There have been several cases in school over the last few weeks.

I can’t believe masks etc are all going with cases rising. They’ve also announced Pfizer isn’t as effective as they thought against Delta.

I won’t be going anywhere bar appointments from the 19th. We thought this would be the right year to have our last baby, cases were going down and the vaccines were really great news. I’m actually regretting it now and its getting me quite down x

Do any of you guys follow Pregnant Then Screwed on Instagram? If not I’d recommend doing so. She’s just done a IGTV video for pregnant women/mothers feeling anxious about ‘Freedom Day’.

Specifically one of the things she pointed out about employment was that ‘Freedom Day’ doesn’t change the fact that our employers have a legal responsibility to carry out a risk assessment and keep us safe.

I’m not going out any where. I won’t be meeting up either until the baby is born. Makes me so sad. The poor kids in the holidays won’t be able to go places. I will try and make home fun. I feel I can stay safe over the holidays and im praying to get my second vaccine before September (considering we are vulnerable I think we shouldn’t have to wait so long!). Also I’m scared about the kids going back in September as the chances are going to be high someone has it and they don’t know. As hardly any parents test at the school!

I’m currently 32 weeks and a nurse. I worked until 16 weeks in a COVID ICU in the peak of the second wave, I declined the vaccine until 20 weeks but I always felt surprisingly safe. I had one jab and 20 weeks and the second at 28. I caught COVID on my last day at work at 28+6 and I’ve been really really unwell and had a PE too. Today is the first day I’ve got not had to have a mid morning and afternoon nap and can breath easily as rest.
In hindsight I wish I’d been more careful, I thought the increased risk in 3rd trimester was being exaggerated, and having worked through it all and having my jabs I let my guard down.
Now I’ve had it recently and passed the 2 weeks from second jab I should have a very good immunity but my last few weeks will be spent mostly isolating and if not very social distanced!

@tigerbread20 that sounds awful so sorry glad your feeling better.
That’s my worry sending the kids back in September and catching it and not being able to give birth due to being so poorly.
How have we been forgotten about.

I’m also feeling incredibly anxious. 29 weeks and work in a very big and busy hospital. My manager gave me two days notice that they had reversed the wfh policy so now we are not entitled to wfh from 28 weeks despite cases the highest in Europe. I don’t have any vaccine on board as was too anxious about getting it too. It fills my thoughts constantly

Despite RCOG guidance my manager in NHS said categorically no to wfh. I phoned occ health and they said that was no longer policy to wfh from 28 weeks so I feel terribly let down by my employer

@Kittyswhiskers you can do audits, admin? Help with discharge planning

@Yellocello

That’s awful. Have the done a risk assessment and told you how they’ll keep you safe at work if you aren’t allowed to WFH?

I’m so sorry. I swear they won’t want any Nhs staff working from home as by august the hospitals will be rammed!

Yes full risk assessment and apparently it’s all very ‘low risk’. It’s disgusting the way we have been treated. My midwife advised me to go off sick but I hate doing that. I’m hearing of lots of my colleagues now getting covid despite being double vaccinated and it’s just so worrying

Also in a public facing role, have already got customers saying they don’t want to wear masks and am getting increasingly anxious. Work are unaware of my pregnancy as yet so can’t ask them for help and for various reasons I really don’t want to tell them yet! They’ve not been very supportive in any case as they think that COVID has been blown out of proportion and have ignored or got around rules where possible. I’ve worked throughout but the idea of having to mix with people who aren’t wearing masks or keeping to a safe distance and who could have been attending all sorts of events with lots of different people is enough to reduce me to tears. I really, really wish that there were still going to be precautions where possible (and then if people want to go to mass gatherings eg concerts where it isn’t possible it’s up to them). I feel very panicky about it… baby is very VERY wanted after a long time of thinking they were never going to come along and I don’t want to put them at risk. Second vaccine isn’t until end of this month and I can’t move it up as it’s already been moved forward to 8 weeks after the first

@Penguin2021

Aside from work, what are people’s thoughts on whether they will be going out for meals, coffee shops, shopping centres Etc . where you won’t be able to rely on social distancing once the rules change?

Thankyou

I really don’t have very long left so I’m just avoiding going in anywhere until baby is here now. Luckily I’m in Scotland so I’m not in this position yet but the cases here are so high, you can’t even go out for dinner without being contacted to isolate 🤦🏼‍♀️ Feel it’s so risky now that my partner would end up being positive and not allowed in for the birth or something so I’m just being overly cautious. It’s a shame because it’s our first baby and I would of wanted to spend our last few weeks going out for lots of dinners and doing things we can’t when the baby arrives 😕

My job IS office based to a point but they’ll want me to be clinical. Numbers are going up and the hospital is busy. I’ve also got SPD and if this continues and I don’t feel safe I will be getting signed off.

Thanks for the link @Soverymuchfruit

@Penguin2021 I've been avoiding shops and pubs etc anyway. If cases go down, I MlGHT go outside to very specific pubs which I know are generally quiet but I'm not liking the idea of indoor shops at all.

Something that has made me even more nervous is the idea that from mod August, adults who have had both jabs won't have to self isolate of they come into contact with positive cases - I thought you could still get covid after the jab and you can still spread it to those who haven't had both jabs or are more vulnerable...

@KHR1 yes can still spread. I don’t get that either.
I also don’t understand all these changes before the kids go back to school. Shouldn’t that be our priority

@Yellocello could you ask your GP to sign you a fit note for amended duties that recommend home working from 28w?
Don't feel bad about having a sick day if you need it or don't feel safe at work. We give our entire working lives to the NHS, the least we can expect is not to be put at extra risk in vulnerable periods like late pregnancy.

I’m 29 weeks now and just trying to get through the next few weeks before I go off on mat leave. I just beggars belief that only two months ago if I were 28 weeks then I’d be wfh when rates were so low and now they’re through the roof! I just pray we all keep well