Pregnant teachers - what are you doing?

[Ems2021]

Hi all

I am 25 weeks pregnant, and had covid before Christmas when I was 29 weeks. It was like a very bad cold and I was breathless for a few weeks but everything's been fine since.

Now the unions have advised "it would be prudent to allow pregnant teachers to work from home regardless of the gestation" my headteacher offered me this position and said it's completely my decision.

I'm battling with it a bit to be honest, I don't know if my mental health would suffer being at home so long before baby arrives, I don't know if I have some immunity as I've just had covid.
Then I'm thinking should I just follow their advice? Do I wait to 28 weeks?
I'm going on Mat leave at half term anyway so only 6 weeks to go.

What are you guys doing?

@Ems2021

Hi all

I am 25 weeks pregnant, and had covid before Christmas when I was 29 weeks. It was like a very bad cold and I was breathless for a few weeks but everything's been fine since.

Now the unions have advised "it would be prudent to allow pregnant teachers to work from home regardless of the gestation" my headteacher offered me this position and said it's completely my decision.

I'm battling with it a bit to be honest, I don't know if my mental health would suffer being at home so long before baby arrives, I don't know if I have some immunity as I've just had covid.
Then I'm thinking should I just follow their advice? Do I wait to 28 weeks?
I'm going on Mat leave at half term anyway so only 6 weeks to go.

What are you guys doing?

*had covid when I was 20 weeks

My school are still sticking to the 28 weeks option - if the risk assessment doesn’t support being in work. It was a battle to get even that. You’re very lucky your school are being so understanding. If I were at the stage you were at I would work from home from 28 weeks. You don’t know what variant you had before Christmas and it might affect you very differently once you’re in your third trimester. There’s after effects like long covid to worry about. You don’t owe them anything, they have a duty to protect you and you have the right to protect you and your baby’s health. In the grand scheme of things, by the time you come back after maternity leave no one will even remember.

It shouldn’t really be your decision, you can catch it again although it’s rare it could be possible and the advice changed as they don’t know what omicron is going to be like in pregnant women. I think you should consider WFH as although it will be lonely, I think the stress of catching it again will be a lot to think about and you might end up damaging your mental health that way. They should just follow union guidelines though and take the decision out of your hands, I don’t think it’s fair to ask you to decide!

I’ve just returned from mat leave and discovered I am pregnant again. Baby no.1 was born in Jan 2021 so I was heavily pregnant all through the first term of school. The headteacher insisted pregnant staff carry on working (whilst COVID was tearing through the school) despite my having numerous meetings with her and the teaching unions and medical professionals saying that teachers should wfh from 28 weeks. Eventually the cases in school got so high, she told me to go home. 2 days before my mat leave started (I was 36 weeks by that time.)

I was stressed and terrified as the vaccine wasn’t even a thing then!

The school implemented the 28 weeks wfh two weeks after I started mat leave. This September they decided it wasn’t needed anymore and everything is back to normal.

Whilst I have the booster vaccine now and I’m not as worried, it’s still stressful! Especially as having COVID is found to be especially bad for pregnant women.

If I were you I would wfh if it saves you stress in the third trimester.

I’m 8 weeks pregnant and a TA. I haven’t told school yet, will wait until after the scan. I’m assuming I will not be offered to wfh as there’s nothing a TA could do from home! I’m also a 1:1 so it’s a bit harder moving me to admin etc. If I were a teacher and could deliver my lessons via teams, I think I would take that option x

I’m 21 weeks and due at the end of May. I’m meeting HR on Tuesday and will ask to wfh for the summer term (we go back at the end of April), but I’m not sure if they'll agree - their policy is from 28 weeks only if the risk assessment suggests reasonable adjustments can't be made.

You can ask your school to get CO2 monitors in the room that you work in and monitor if it’s safe for you to be in there that way too

If you went wfh at 28 weeks could you work a bit longer? If you’re only 25 weeks and finishing at half term I’m guessing you’re finishing quite early, I’m assuming because teaching is quite physical / hard!

I’m 24 weeks and meeting this week. I’m pushing for wfh from 28 weeks as my booster will be 14 weeks ago by then, I have severe asthma and there is a slight increase in risk of stillborn birth with covid in pregnancy I believe. It may only be slight, but I’d like to reduce my chances of catching it!

I do however think it’s a personal decision, the mental health side of wfh can’t be minimised.

@BB0505

If you went wfh at 28 weeks could you work a bit longer? If you’re only 25 weeks and finishing at half term I’m guessing you’re finishing quite early, I’m assuming because teaching is quite physical / hard!

I’m 24 weeks and meeting this week. I’m pushing for wfh from 28 weeks as my booster will be 14 weeks ago by then, I have severe asthma and there is a slight increase in risk of stillborn birth with covid in pregnancy I believe. It may only be slight, but I’d like to reduce my chances of catching it!

I do however think it’s a personal decision, the mental health side of wfh can’t be minimised.

It wouldn't make much difference for me if I finished work later, as I am using Shared Parental Leave to split up my leave around the school holidays. So if actually end up financially worse off. I'm still not going back until baby's first birthday so end up with 14 months off. (www.teachersspl.co.uk if anyone's not heard of doing this)

I haven't had my booster yet, because I caught covid so now have to wait until at least a month after.

I think my gut instinct is saying to keep going for now and review it weekly based on the case numbers in the area. I do have a CO2 monitor in class.

You’re lucky you’ve been offered it. I haven’t and am 36 weeks now. Only one week til I start mat leave but would be gutted if I catch it now. I’m covering for another teacher who is still really sick with long covid and another member of staff we were all with tested positive last week. On the other hand, I think there’s just as much risk of ds1 bringing it home from nursery so unless I keep him out, I don’t have much to moan about. I’m glad I can support the dept for a little longer. Why do you think wfh would affect your mental health?

@Ems2021 oooo I’m also doing the shared parental leave - glad word is getting out there about that! My plan is to finish at Easter at 36 weeks then start Mat leave on the first day back so I don’t go back. I’m then going to get paid for summer holiday, Christmas and potentially Easter if baby hasn’t turned one by then.

I think monitoring it is a good idea, it’s a balance isn’t it!

@Lady1576

You’re lucky you’ve been offered it. I haven’t and am 36 weeks now. Only one week til I start mat leave but would be gutted if I catch it now. I’m covering for another teacher who is still really sick with long covid and another member of staff we were all with tested positive last week. On the other hand, I think there’s just as much risk of ds1 bringing it home from nursery so unless I keep him out, I don’t have much to moan about. I’m glad I can support the dept for a little longer. Why do you think wfh would affect your mental health?

Yeah I am lucky. Wow I hope you manage to get through your final week 🙏🏻 I know what you mean, I have two kids in school as well so they could bring it home.

I'm worried I would feel a bit isolated and would affect my mood. I wouldn't be virtual teaching, it would most likely be subject admin and long term planning.

[quote BB0505]@Ems2021 oooo I’m also doing the shared parental leave - glad word is getting out there about that! My plan is to finish at Easter at 36 weeks then start Mat leave on the first day back so I don’t go back. I’m then going to get paid for summer holiday, Christmas and potentially Easter if baby hasn’t turned one by then.

I think monitoring it is a good idea, it’s a balance isn’t it![/quote]
That was going to be my plan, but then I realised I couldn't take any parental leave after baby's first birthday, so I was losing about 10 weeks of leave that I was entitled to. So I've brought my maternity leave 7 weeks early and my husbands having 3 weeks SPL too. It does mean I won't get paid Jan-March though.

@Ems2021 that makes sense! I need to cling onto my full time wage for as long as possible unfortunately else I would go earlier!

32+2 and been working from home since the start of term. Mat leave will start after half term at 38+4.

@Nik84 I am a TA and been offered it as it part of union advice if you are in a union they have just updated there pregnancy guidance. I got offered working from home or in a low risk area . I have chosen the low risk area as I want to keep busy. I work in nursery to xxx

I'm a teacher and I'm 10 weeks pregnant. I told my headteacher and line manager at around 6 weeks. No risk assessment has been mentioned yet - I'm not sure at what point I should expect this to happen? I was CEV and shielding last spring (I was added to the shielding list in early 2021) so am even more concerned about being in school now that I'm pregnant.

I expect that I'll be working at school until the end of the school year (baby is due in the summer holidays) as at my school, pregnant staff have been expected to work at school until their maternity leave begins (risk assessments will claim that risks have been removed when clearly this is not possible in a school setting). It's like the management are ignoring the fact that covid exists.