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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Signing off work with morning sickness

14 replies

Wildflower922 · 03/08/2022 18:33

Hi everyone,

I am 5 weeks pregnant and suffering from extreme morning sickness. I am being sick up to 10 times a day, day and night. I'm sipping on water and nibbling crackers (I just gagged writing that). It's becoming distracting, I'm exhausted and my work is suffering.

I WFH at the moment in a public sector role, I really feel like I need to be signed off by a doctor but I am so nervous to tell my employer. I feel like a complete fraud and that I should just get on with it. I had a 121 meeting today but I couldn't get the words out :-( any advice or help would be great

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IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 03/08/2022 18:47

So, you need to know that you can self certify sick for 28 days - used to be 7, but it went up to 28 days during Covid and i don't think it's gone back.

Also, pregnancy related sick leave must be recorded seperately to other sick leave, and can not be used against you. They do need to know you are pregnant though.

there are lots of anti sickness drugs your gp can prescribe. Go see them.

Have a look at PSS

Runwalkskijump · 03/08/2022 18:52

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 03/08/2022 18:47

So, you need to know that you can self certify sick for 28 days - used to be 7, but it went up to 28 days during Covid and i don't think it's gone back.

Also, pregnancy related sick leave must be recorded seperately to other sick leave, and can not be used against you. They do need to know you are pregnant though.

there are lots of anti sickness drugs your gp can prescribe. Go see them.

Have a look at PSS

According to gov website it is 7 now

dementedpixie · 03/08/2022 18:53

I'm sure its not 28 days any longer. I'm sure it reverted back to 7 days

You need to tell them about the pregnancy if the sick leave is to be recorded as pregnancy related

dementedpixie · 03/08/2022 18:55

The 28 day duration was temporary over Christmas and ended in January 2022

Original poster

Wildflower922 · 03/08/2022 19:29

Thanks everyone I'm glad the self cert period is shorter because I'm worried they won't believe me :-(

How do I start the conversation I'm so nervous. I have been performing really badly lately so I'm hoping this explains things.

OP posts:

Agapanthus13 · 15/08/2022 13:05

@Wildflower922 how are you doing, you feeling any better? I was just having a read as I’m in a similar situation and wondering what on earth to do. It feels like the room is spinning! I’ve got 2weeks leave starting tomorrow and desperately hoping my body will have adjusted by then. I just didn’t expect it to start so soon.
Hope you’re looking after yourself

AgathaMystery · 15/08/2022 13:11

I would suggest you call your hospital antenatal clinic and ask for an urgent appt. Also call GP and ask for appt.

man obstetrician should be able to write you up for first line anti emetics. It’s not okay for you to feel so poorly and be struggling so much. Ask to be signed off for 3 weeks initially. You will need this long to start to get on top of your nausea & vomiting.

be honest with your employer - you probably won’t be the first person they have known with this very debilitating condition. It’s important you get treatment to protect your physical and mental health.

you can (& likely will) feel better but you will need to be assertive and seek the help you need. I’m so sorry you’re struggling.

BeeVeeF · 15/08/2022 14:05

Be honest with your employer and get straight to the doctor for a sick note. I’ve had hyperemesis and ended up signed off for around 10 weeks in total and it sounds like you may have HG too. It’s sadly likely to get worse and you need rest and to reduce stress.

Your employer cannot penalise you for sick leave taken related to pregnancy, do not feel bad because you need time off. Explain to them how severe your symptoms are and that you are unable to work effectively when you feel so ill.

Thetractorjustmoved · 15/08/2022 14:10

Definitely get signed off sick, I tried to struggle through with my first preg and it was horrendous. Some people are lucky and aren't sick, or just a bit sick and can carry on with their day. For me, it felt like I was dying, so sick and couldn't function. A good lesson from the start of pregnancy is that you need to start putting your own health (including mental health) first! Nothing is more important.
I was signed off for a few weeks and got on top of the sickness with drugs. Get a gp appointment as soon as you can (they just prescribed my meds over the phone) and take care of yourself. Don't worry about telling them you're pregnant, I know it feels early, but it's better than lying and trying to struggle on

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 15/08/2022 15:36

Masses of legal, medical and emotional help here

I had 8 weeks off on both pregnancies. I asked my boss for a confidential meeting and just told her. Her reaction was "thank goodness for that, I thought you were going to resign!" . I was very lucky to have a mother as a boss. She then told me about how awful both her pregnancies were and sent me home. The following day I was admitted to hospital for the first of several stays. Even more fortunately, she was still my boss three years later when I had my second baby.

Good luck OP.

Mommabear20 · 15/08/2022 15:47

Having been through the horrendous first trimester, 3 times, I'd suggest calling your gp and asking for antisickness tablets (I've had cyclizine hydrocloride in all 3 pregnancies) and self certify for the first 7 days, then if you feel better with the meds, you can go back without trying them about your pregnancy before you're ready, but if you don't feel ready to be back at work, you can tell them and get a sick note.
Hope you're feeling better soon! Morning sickness is not a pleasant thing to endure so you have my sympathy!

madeinthe80z · 15/08/2022 15:52

As others have said, you may not need to be signed off for the whole of pregnancy so don't worry about that at this stage! I would speak to the doctor, get the drugs and get signed off for 2 weeks then tell your boss you have extreme morning sickness and have been signed off for 2 weeks whilst you take medication to get it under control so you can return. That way you are telling them what action you are taking and not just that you're pregnant and struggling! The GP and the lovely people here will be able to tell you how long it should take to find the right drug and start feeling more human. Good luck!

RobertJohnsonsShoes · 15/08/2022 18:36

I had hyperemesis and i trudged through that first trimester like some
Kind of martyr. I ended up hospitalised for weeks, meaning I was away from my other DC. Just take the time off. It's not worth burning yourself out.

VORE · 23/05/2023 14:29

I got pregnant two weeks into a new job (I have a senior job in financial services so it’s pretty full on, plus it’s pretty male dominated) and am now 12 weeks pregnant and have already taken various sick days because of my morning sickness.

Any pregnancy related illness is not allowed to be used against you in anyway and can’t even be deducted from your given sick leave amount. You could technically get signed off sick for your entire pregnancy and there is nothing your employer can do but keep paying you (my mum actually did this exact thing when she was pregnant with me and 30 years later she still works for the same company).

Trust me - everyone is so scared of being seen as discriminatory that telling them you’re pregnant and need time off is like a get out of jail free card.

I am so sorry you feel this way about your job and employer but you’re fully within your rights to get signed off from work and you should do if you feel awful. Don’t struggle through - the only person you’re hurting is yourself in this situation and if your manager doesn’t like it then tough she’ll just have to lump it because there is quite literally nothing she can do.

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