pressure to return to work after sickness absence?

[LizzieHart]

Following on from "does anyone feel sick all day " post, does anyone who has taken time off work feel under pressure to return before they are ready?

I have been signed off by my doctor for 2 months now with hyperemesis and advised to return only when good and ready, but I can't help feeling the pressure to return to work before I am.

I haven't been sign off for sickness but I will say that you should feel the pressure and make sure to go back to work when you are fit for it.
Your body is going and will go under a great deal during the next few months and you need to make sure you're ready for it!

(sorry if it sounds patronising! )

It should ready 'you should N OT feel the pressure'

Absolutely do not think of returning to work! I know it is hard, because unless people have had HG/know someone who has, they have no idea how debilitating the condition is.

If this is your first HG pregnancy, you won't have any idea whether you will feel better at 14/16/18/24 weeks, or not til you've delivered. You need to make it clear to you employer that you will return as soon as you are fit and able to do so, and get your GP to do a back up letter if necessary.

Then, forget about work! Take each day as it comes, and remember your baby will be worth it.

LizzieHart I have been off work since the end of October. I suffered with Hyperemesis and the worst of it ended at about 16 weeks, since then I have been suffering with really bad SPD and am off work because of that now. I have been told that I won't be able to return to work until after the baby is born.

I haven't yet told my boss as to be truthful she has been nothing but a pain in the arse since I first was sick.

I feel that she put pressure on me to tell her when I would be able to return to work. How long is a piece of string? She also seemed to get into a strop because unlike you my GP was signing me off week by week. This meant weekly visits to surgery which was bad enough for me as I felt so ill and sick it was horrendous. DH would then drop off my sick note and she seemed to be stroppy because I wasn't dropping them off myself! It didn't seem to matter that I felt so ill the only time I stepped out of the house was to go to the Doctors or that I couldn't drive because of the anti sickness tablets I was on.

I felt like she made a bad situation even worse. I've put off telling her for a few days that I won't be able to return before the baby is born because I'm scared of her reaction. I also need to find out if I'll still be able to claim SMP, having claimed SSP for so long.

Don't go back until you feel good and ready.

Forgot to say I am now 22 weeks. How far along are you Lizzie?

You are all going to shout at me - I go back to work Monday! BUT hopefully following a occy health appointment tomorrow, I am going to go back phazed return so I WILL take it easy and slowly!

mampam sorry to hear you have gone from one thing to another! And sorry to hear you are having such a crap time with your work. Also I had the pressure of giving the answer "When do you think you will be ready to come back?" I don't know, when I stop throwing up, when I stop feeling like I am going to throw up, or when I can function like a normal human being? I was being signed off for either 1 or 2 weeks off at a time. I was having weekly visits to the doctor, untill it got to the point when we were just discussing the smae things, "Any change?", "No." "Want another week off?" "Yes please!"

Then I ended up just calling into the surgery and talking to my GP over the phone. However she did say that it might be beneficial to go back, phased return, for no other reason than I would have human contact! I am also desperate to start classes and meeting people and feel that until I go back to work, I can't really be seen 'sipping a latte in Starbucks with another mum-to-be' so to speak!

I am 19 weeks now.