A really hard time with this pregnancy and work

[furbaby]

I work as a care assistant in an elderly persons home (trying to be very pc!) the thing is I know i should be able to do my job and obviously we need the money with the arrival of spud (may) but I am struggling to keep it together; I still have 'morning' sickness and this is esasperated by the smells (which are all so much more intense now) and I HATE throwing up at work and then just getting on with it, but I do. However a new symptom in the last few weeks is insomnia, I can fall asleep just fine then I spend the night clock watching which means even with the extreme tiredness I already have from pregnancy I only get about 4 hours sleep a night and then go into work to do a very physical job

Work have been very accommodating in allowing me to do more half shifts 6hrs instead of a couple 12 hour shifts (they would literally kill me!), but I'm still constantly struggling so I am not considering lowering my hours to part time for the foreseeable future just so I can cope

Sorry my first post in try 2 is such a moony and negative one but I just feel at my wits end- I'm off to work now with little sleep (of which none is a particularly deep sleep) and it doesn't help when people say it's preparing you for when the baby comes, especially considering as I will have more help and maternity leave- when the baby naps so will I!

I was just really hoping with the commencing of try 2 all the symptoms would be dropping off not continuing and adding new symptoms

Plus to make me feel even more useless the other pregnant girl at work (really lovely girl) is having a really easy time of it- no sickness, she's sleeping more soundly then ever before and she doesn't get tired out at work - not only does it make me jealous but makes me feel like I shouldn't be having such a hard time

Any advice appreciated
xxxxxxx

 

[mummy2b73]

Awwwwww hun I sympathise completely with you I had exactly the same symptoms it's pretty grim at the time but believe me it will get better.....honest ! I had awful morning sickness until 16 weeks and now I have nothing the only thing that is hanging on with me at the moment is the waking up during the night and not being able to get back off to sleep.....I know we are not the only ones on here. I am getting the occasional full nights sleep (not counting the 4 times I get up for a wee) around once a week now so at least I have that. Everyone is different the girl you work with has just been very lucky (up to now) I will never forget my sister in law laughing her head off at me the first time I was pregnant cause I had sickness and bragging that she wouldn't be getting it cause her mum never had it but it was me who had the last laugh when two days later she started throwing up like something off the exorcist.....that will teach her ha ha !!

 

[Maybe_mummy]

Hey Hunnie, firstly eveyone is completely different my best friend had absoltely no symptoms the entire way through her pregnancy and would make anyone want to be pregnant, me on the other hand seem to have had constant all day long morning sickness it was horrid but it did end!! I only work in a office so on days i used to go in and cry at my desk and then get sent home so they were good too. All you can do is try and muggle through and one day you will wake feeling much better and tri 2 is supposed to be your better trimester where you should feel better.

Have you got no holiday days you can use so you cna have a week of r & r???

I know dosent seem like it at the mo but things will get better, big hugs XXXX

 

[mummy2b19]

I was the same everything I could have had IV pretty much had, all day morning sickness, constipation tmi sorry, heartburn, no sleep, low blood pressure so I canalways dizzy and fainted several times, I had to tell work I was pregnant at 5 weeks simply because I was constantly throwing up. There are 2others also pregnant where I work and neither one has had a single symptom, it made me feel like people thought I was putting it on (they didn't it was all in my head) it sounds asthough your boss is going to be quite supportive have you got any holidays you could use like maybe mummy suggested. Or if its getting too much get yourself signed off for a week, the most important thing is your and your LO health, IV been signed off now since I was 16/17 weeks and IV been told not to go back until after Baba is born because IV got mussel and ligiment strain under my bump. We can't really afford it but we decided mine and babies health is more important and we are muddling threw making cut backs. If I was you I would take a week off if that don't help maybe ythen cut your hours down, you can always ask them to go back up again when you feel better. Sending hugs hope you feel better soon x

 

[angie84]

Dont stress your self out.
Everyone is diffrent as i keep telling my friend whos due in feb, she keeps telling me what i should be feeling etc.think she had an ok 1st tri.
anyway, u need to do whats best for u. i used to find it hard to sleep, doc used to say get up, get a walm drink (NOT tea or coffee - no caffine) stay up for half an hr, then do a your bed time rountine, ie go the loo, wash, brush teath and go to bed. worked for me.
personally i can sleep for england, i get up about once to go the loo, but im still tired during the day.
im lucky i work for my mum so i can have half days here and there to go hm and rest. but you sound like you could do with a few days off to rest.

 

[rosey]

a god trick for the smells is to rub vicks under your nose before doing any toiling etc
hope it works

 

[Sleepy sue]

Is there a different job role you can do e.g activity coordinator, do you have to do personal care can you not work in food prep?
Is it a nursing service or residential? Could you not be in the office updating support plans etc.
Can your hours work be 7hrs but 10-5 so you get a little lie in. If you get letter off doc they may accommodate this x x

 

[BevG]

im a support worker with disabled ppl and i was totally the same, im just getting over the sickness part but the insomnia and tiredness is still wrecking me. fortunatley (kind of ) i got pushed by one of the clients in the stomach which prompted my work to move me to a different house where the clients need manual handling etc but there are plenty of staff and hours so im basically the ironing skivvy. im not allowed to do any manual handling, lifting etc to the point where i cant even get out the ironing board for myself lol. and im off from 18th of december as they found i had 2 weeks holidays left to take.

i cant wait either as i had to go to hospital today and get checked out after another mild bleed. had one at 15 weeks and then nothing til now. they say everything seems fine and my cervix is tightly closed hb is fine etc so i just gotta rest. im meant to do 3 x 10 hr shifts and 1 x 5hr shift but they keep sending me home early cos i havent got much to do and i will get paid for the whole shift, this week has just been really busy with college and appointments etc so i think i did too much

 

[furbaby]

Thanks for all the comments girls I will give a proper lengthy reply when I'm at my mac, but things are still bad

The sickness is if anything getting worse and another horrid side effect is sometimes my urges are so incredibly powerful,not pleasant as is but it actually makes me pee myself

The insomnia is still bad which means my eyes are sore, dry and itchy, and worse today because all night I had pains and cramping from beneath my belly button towards my right side and when I woke this morning I had some red/ brown discharge/ spotting - only small saving grace is that the blood wasn't bright red but I'm not any less worried
So I called work said I had a bit of a bleed off sick today and dr this afternoon

As for my work, the boss lady is very good and has been accommodating but I also get the impression she's not a push over and will only stand for so much, and in the last month I've been off sick for a suspected etopic, kidney infection, dental abscess/ ear infection and now this my first trimester was so horrific, I was hoping things would start to get better

As for my work place as far as moving and handling goes I can't move a hoist with a person in it, so I still have to lift people (2 of us) using a handling belt which is still pretty heavy and there are no other units I could be moved too, it's a nursing home (only 5 residential residents)

I know it may be all in my head but I can't help thinking that people think I am exaggerating or 'putting' it on and comparing me against the other girl who is futher gone and complains alot less

I really hope your all having a better time xxxx

 

[angie84]

BIG HUG, sounds like ur really bad huni.
Talk to your docs today, see if they can offer any advice.

 

[BevG]

if the works too hard or your not well enough get the dr to sign you off. you cant be penalised for time off sick while preg. they just have to take it and they cant say anything about how much time you have off lol.

 

[furbaby]

Dr's went ok, fetal heartbeat strong, back on antibiotics - cefradine 2gr a day! For uti and I am dehydrated and apparently suffering panic attacks, I've been signed off for a week as dr said it's too much stress for me at the moment especially with insomnia

I have until Sunday to increase fluid intake to 2 litres a day and KEEP it down otherwise I need to call Devon docs and go into hospital to have fluids via drip

Xxxx

 

[hellywelly]

Oh poor you!!! Sounds like you are having a pants time. Enjoy the week off and use it to rest, not worry about work. I was just bragging earlier this week that I finally felt the best I have felt the whole time I have been pregnant and then wham!! I've come down with a stinker of a cold today!! I think people who say pregnancy is not an illness are normally people who haven't been pregnant!! I don't mind admitting that I'm finding it much harder work than I thought I would, and my attitude is now 'bubs comes first' and if I'm ill, stuff doesn't get done. My best friend didn't get any symptoms at all either, but that doesn't mean that what we are feeling is a lie or a trick of the mind!! Stay at home and get better. xxx