Working and pregnancy... How??!!

amother

Brown

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 2:17 pm

I was about to start a new job after Summer vacation and just found out I'm pregnant. I'm feeling really bad and sick and don't want to do anything.
How do people work and be pregnant!?!!
Doc told me today that it'll take a while till I'm feeling better prob- ah! She said she would suggest going to work if I need the money. Welllllll don't we all?
Am I insane to be thinking of NOT working for a few months?
What if I'm sick at work?
Can't take off too many sick days....
What do people do?
Advice? Thanks!

amother

Azure

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 2:20 pm

amother wrote:

Hugs. It's hard. Last summer, I was pregnant and trying to find a job. I was so nauseous. One time, I was on the train on the way to an interview, and I got so nauseous and weak that I had to cancel my interview and go home.

B'H I started my job just as my nausea leveled out, but it was still not easy. I was on my feet all day and often in rooms with no A/C. I was going up to the 4th floor of the building in my 9th month. I don't know how I'll manage if I have to go through the first trimester while I'm working.

mha3484

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 2:23 pm

Honestly, the one pregnancy that I really experienced nausea, it happened after work. Work was like a distraction and then I would come home and sit on the couch and feel horrible until I went to bed.

Shoshana37

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 2:43 pm

I totally can relate to this. I remember 17 years ago like yesterday. I had to work because my income was the only source of income. I was passing out on trains and waking up in the hospitals it was crazy first three months I was always weak. Then my dad G-d rest his soul, decided to drive me to work every single morning for the rest of the pregnancy. BH second and the rest of the pregnancies wasn't bad at all and the rest is history Smile

It's definitely not easy but doable when you really need money. Good luck!!!

mha3484

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 2:49 pm

With my second, I worked in the downtown area so instead of taking the "L" Train (like the subway but above ground) I paid extra to take the commuter train that mainly goes to the suburbs but has a few city stops. It costs a little more money but the ride was infinitely more comfortable.

debsey

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 2:58 pm

amother wrote:

It's pretty horrible. I tell my daughters to look for professions that you can do while feeling ill, because what if they have pregnancies like mine? I mostly am in front of a computer, but what if I was a nurse or a PT? I'd have to take a leave of absence!

debsey

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:00 pm

Sorry, just realized I didn't really say anything helpful or comforting!

Can you work from home part time? Is there anything that will make the day more bearable (like more carbs in the morning?)

Is your boss likely to be understanding?

Why not start, and if you see it's not do-able, take a leave of absence. You never know, you may feel better in a few weeks.

Whatever you do, be kind to yourself and don't beat yourself up about feeling weak. You are literally making another human, that's plenty of work right there.

amother

Brown

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:03 pm

So basically fuhgeddaboudit till I'm back to 'normal'??
Uh oh.... I want some inspiration of people who manage...! (maybe not, because at least I won't feel bad this way- if no-one can do it!!)
Do people manage? I never realised what pregnant people go thru... Yeah they huff and puff all around and you hear about the nausea but seriously... I was worried about suffering thru labor. Hmmf
BH... I'm not complaining. It's a brocha... I just want advice. Thanks all!

amother

Teal

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:05 pm

Those of us that work all the time just push through and somehow make it through because there's no choice. But if I wasn't working when I found out I was pregnant I totally wouldn't have the same push to just suck it up so I understand you. I've worked through all my pregnancies and it's tough.

saw50st8

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:09 pm

I had 4 bad pregnancies but one of them was so bad that I was out of work for 3 months on sick leave.

The others I survived on coke. I tried a ton of drugs (zofran, compazine, reglan) and nothing touched my nausea. Sipping coke worked like a wonder drug. I still threw up a few times but I was able to function.

debsey

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:12 pm

Ruchel wrote:

I don't know. I have weeks barely standing, sometimes even sitting is an effort. First thing in France is gyn asks if you work and if yes, do you want stop.

France is so civilized about things like that!

But to answer OP's second question, most of us just push through. We survive work, and then cut every single corner possible at home. There was a time that preparing PB&J for dinner seemed like too Herculean a task, and I hired a mother's helper just to do things like that. I was so wiped out from work, nothing else at all got done. Then I'd have periods of (relative) energy, where I tried to tackle the mountains of undone errands.

Basically, it was not so much fun, but I did it many times. Now that I work for myself, I definitely take it easier and hire more help. I will not take on certain types of projects when I'm pregnant.

momsrus

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:13 pm

For some working is just part of their life. No one said it was easy, but working with kids ain't easy either. Unless your pregnancies are unusual and much harder than the norm, I think most of you are just kvetches and need to suck it up.

Shoshana37

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:20 pm

It's definitely not easy but people work through worse conditions. My Sister in law once told me in front of all my in laws when I was about to faint and I quote "pregnancy is not sickness" I was 19 then I cried for months:(
I wish there was immamother then to help me 😊😘 good luck and you can always turn here for support

amother

Mint

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:23 pm

This won't help you, but my pregnancies are easy, so it's no big deal for me to work. The challenge comes after the baby. I generally have a hard time during the newborn state, no sleep means no energy, plus no one wants to go back as soon as most Americans are forced to. And I actually enjoy working and prefer it to staying home, but wish real maternity leave were a thing.

amother

Azure

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:23 pm

momsrus wrote:

That is very insensitive. Do you have pregnancies where you're nauseous for much of the day, and so tired you feel like you can't get out of bed -- at least in the first trimester? I know many, many women who had pregnancies like that--not just me.

You sound like a woman who has never been pregnant, or has very easy pregnancies, or just has high pain tolerance. If any one of these is the case, then who are you to be judging other people for their pain?

amother

Cerise

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:33 pm

I got to work after 11 every single day in my first trimester once the nausea kicked in . I would wake up early and it would take me hours to be able to get out of the house. There was nothing I could do about it. One morning I really pushed myself to leave on time and ended up vomiting all over the sidewalk and then in my car on the way to work. When I got to my office, in the elevator, I looked so bad that a stranger asked me if he could help me in any way.
I told my boss and he understood. I lost the pregnancy in the beginning of the second trimester so not sure if it would have gotten better or not. Hugs, it's very hard to feel sick and be expected to function

frumPA

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:40 pm

I find when you are forced to pull yourself together you feel better and can do it. I applied for my first job before I found out I was pregnant with my second kid and when I found out I was so nervous abt starting as I always felt exhausted. Credentialing took 3 months and when I started it was good since having structure forced me to pull myself together.

amother

Dodgerblue

Mon, Aug 21 2017, 3:49 pm

It may sound nuts but I find myself feeling worse after work...I dont blame u for freaking out cuz I hav taken yr off cuz I couldnt deal...but when I was working it does distract. Also the smells outdoors were easier for me to deal withthan in a small apt.
My advice? Dont freak out. Do your best but dont push yourself. Ppl are understanding if u feel the need to quit.
Btw I'll just mention best advice I got is to eat as much protien as u can handle. I'd eat chicken cold cuz couldnt handle smell when heated up...but it doeskeep stomach calmer than starches. But #1 is usually the toughest...
I know ppl that absolutely cant work. They throw up all day and land up on iv for dehydration...do ur best but dnt stress!
Feel good!
(And just cuz it's a brocha it's ok to kvetch!)