Absence from work during pregnancy

[yawn25]

Has anyone taken time off work due to sheer exhaustion? I am not vomiting but feeling very headachey and dizzy but I am just struggling to get through the day as I'm so tired.

I work 40-50 hours in a job that is life and death so I ideally need to feel my best. Current just under 7 weeks. Am I only going to feel worse?

I did!

I’m a surgeon and although I did take time off for awful voniting, I didn’t go to work for 2 weeks and I could hardly keep my eyes open (very unsafe in this job 🤦🏻‍♀️). GP signed me off and I felt so much better by around week 12/14. Work were very supportive

do it, no point struggling through.

Yep. I'm nearly 30 weeks and been signed off till my mat leave starts in 6 weeks. I'm exhausted and burned out and have pelvic girdle pain. My job is on my feet for 10 hours and they couldn't offer anything office based.
Take the time off! They can't discriminate in pregnancy and you are more protected.

You've got a long way to go. Pregnancy is a long slog. If you're tired now, you'll likely be more tired later on. Don't hang on and keep on keeping on just because. Take the time.

Yes I'm a vet so also a surgeon and medic. I don't really feel very safe but I feel awful taking time off this soon. Work has known since I found out at 3 weeks though

I’m 22 weeks
between 7 and 14 weeks I had about 7/8 sick days scattered as had terrible sickness most days.
after 14 weeks I did get a small burst of energy and have managed until now with no sickness. But now I’m back to feeling complete exhaustion, had a sick day last week. Now worried how I will get through these last weeks before maternity leave!

I felt the tiredness was much worse around your stage than I did at any other stage. If you need a bit of time off you should take it.

First trimester is often the worst time for feeling unwell. Later on you’ll be tired too but it’s usually a bit more manageable and also everyone knows by then so it’s easier to manage. Take some time off if you need and then pace yourself. Talk to your manager if you need to, you should be having a risk assessment.

I was working a bog standard office job and had to take two weeks off at 6-8 weeks! The exhaustion was like nothing I’d experienced before, I physically could not get myself up and in to work.

I did feel a lot better after that. Towards the end of pregnancy I got tired again, but in a more manageable way because that was just being big and heavy and the tiredness was directly related to how much I was trying to do.

I felt at my worst at that point to be honest! I may have been lucky but I found the later indigestion and then tiredness towards the end much much easier to work around. Although both were uncomfortable neither of them put me off being able to think or function in the same way that the week 6-13 nausea, exhaustion, etc did. That was the case for both of mine although I know you never know what kind of pregnancy you're going to get I was basically functional from 13 weeks to 39 weeks apart from the odd day here and there (like anybody really!).

Take it. I didn't take anytime off in the first trimester but looking back I absolutely should have not been at work. I'm 24 weeks now and have the delight of insomnia for the past 3 weeks. I've been struggling through work, totally exhausted but have finally cracked and self certifying for a week to just try and rest. Basically, you have a more important job to do now and that comes first x

Thanks everyone! I've put an advice request into the doctor to see what they suggest

I work from home doing fraud investigation and even found that incredibly taxing. I was off for fatigue but also insane sickness for about 4 weeks. Work were very understanding! I'd say do it if that's what you need. Don't struggle!

I’ve been off the whole first trimester. But I’ve had HG so working would be impossible when highly symptomatic. I’m almost 12 weeks and feel a bit better now, so I’m trying back to work next week.