Physical job....?

[Kittique]

Apologies - this is going to be long! I want some advice and opinions on what I can do about my work situation. Sometimes I think i'm just being paranoid and I should just get on with it, but it helps to get other peoples views.

Before I found out I was pregnant I decided on a career change from working in an office to being a special needs teaching assistant, hoping to work up from there. I got a new job and I started it last week, at 8 weeks pregnant. I'd done a similar job before, but only part-time. This is full time 5 days per week. The job involves working with students age 14-23 with severe learning disabilities and I do enjoy working with them it is very rewarding. However, the job comes with......other responsibilities that i'm getting really worried about..

Firstly, I have to bend to the floor, gently lift/encourage students to walk/stand up all day long. There isn't heavy lifting involved but I have to use hoists. I do full personal care with students which includes pad changing/cleaning up sick/snot/mucous again - this is constant at the moment as everyone seems to be ill. Of course I am washing hands constantly (they've cracked they're so dry!!) and using antibac but I am so worried about germs and infections. I have had miscarriages in the past so I'm even more concerned.

We do also have students who can become violent but I have not been placed to work with any of those, but due to the nature of their learning difficulty any student can hit out at any point.

Also, I am on my feet literally 9 hours constantly with a 10 minute break if i'm lucky. No-one takes breaks as the students can't be left alone. I am getting home and going to bed at 7, sleeping for 12 hours straight. I can barely get some food in my mouth before I pass out. This can't be good for the baby?

This also sounds so horrible and I feel guilty for even saying it but I am struggling with the whole changing/spit/mucous thing I am physically gagging thinking about it. I am usually pretty tolerant of it but I am finding it really hard and its not the students fault

I feel like i've made the wrong decision so worried about how i'm going to get through the next 6 months. I haven't gone in today as I was up all night worrying/feeling sick and getting myself upset about it all

I know there are tons of pregnant women who are support workers/Nurses - what do you do/stop doing when you're pregnant? How should the employer handle this?

 

[Kiki1993]

My past colleague when i worked in a nursery had similar concerns, she had tantruming children, a child with ASN and there was outbreaks of chicken pox/slap cheek etc which can risk pregancy ... she told the boss very early (5 weeks) to get a risk assessment done, she had to pretty much force the risk assessment .. what happened mainly was she got sent home once because there was an illness spreading that had a chance to risk pregnancies, I had to take over jobs she didn't feel comfortable with e.g. lifting heavy stuff, cleaning on ladders etc ... she milked it a bit though .. help is there if you need it and i was happy to help her as im sure any colleagues of yours will be but when she was telling me she didnt feel comfortable to hoover at 5 weeks pregnant was just too far
Risk assessments should be done as soon as they find out really, they can't dismiss you because your pregnant but they might alter your role slightly I work part time in a similar job now and if i was full time i would definitely tell them the second i found out just to be safe.
Also i know some of the personal care can be hard to do, wouldnt help if you have a change in hormones im guessing ... maybe soemthing to bring up in the Risk assessment as well

 

[Kittique]

Thanks for the reply. I do worry that people will just think I am milking it..

Do need to get a risk assessment in place though will do that this week.

Yeah there are always some contagious things going around - my bloods came back non immune to rubella as well so i'm always looking for rashes.

 

[Kiki1993]

I don't think people will think you are miling it, unless you get someone to hoover for you at 5 weeks along lol! She admitted it though, we werent annoyed at it we found it hilarious (we had a great working relationship and ended up being close friends! ) i ended up leaving mid pregnancy but she was laughing saying who will she get to do her work now
I'm not sure what your relationship is like with your colleagues, we had a great one and it helped her a lot, our employer wasn't great and didn't really think anything should change when your pregnant unless the woman requests the changes, it did get harder for her towards the end she said, she could empty the water tray, do any bending or sit or stand for too long etc (normal for en dof pregnancy) so what she did which you might want to do, is save her annual leave and then she used all her annual leave before her mat leave, so she took 4 weeks AL and then 2 weeks ML to have 6 weeks off before her due date, she did say if she was to do it again she would give herself 2 months off before baby due because when she got to 7 months she got so uncomfortable and the last 2 weeks working was so hard for her, i visited her and her son last week and we got chatting loads about all things about her pregnancy/birht/new baby etc.. she has already said she wont be going bck to work, they wont give her part time so its 40 hours a week :/ she is glad though,s he said she had been wanting to leave for ages!
Your colleagues will probably be great (not to stereotype but in this job area they tend to be girls) so they understand your worry and stuff, some workplaces already have risk assessments for that, my last job at a council nursery they had one in place, pregnant staff were not allowed to go on forest walks, sit on the tiny furniture, would be sent home if any infections etc had been in nursery, to avoid doing changes, not to lift water tray, not to move furniture etc .. that workplace was on the ball ha!
I'm assuming your workplace will have had loads of staff before you get pregnant so will probably already have a rough idea of what you should and shouldnt be doing