Forum Pregnant and working

Household help and pregnant

11 replies

mb90
Hi everyone,

I probably have to wait until I’ve seen the OB-GYN for an answer, but I wanted to jot it down here anyway.

During my previous pregnancy, I worked until 6 months. At the time, I worked as a saleswoman at a butcher shop. A week later, I was in the hospital due to bleeding, and it turned out I was having contractions.
They immediately gave me medication to stop the contractions and steroids for lung maturation. I felt terrible after one of those two injections and was put on bed rest.
The first week, I wasn’t even allowed to go to the toilet by myself!
During that week, there were several times when our baby’s heart rate dropped significantly.
After that, everything stabilized, and I was allowed to go home, but I wasn’t allowed to do anything anymore.
In the end, everything turned out fine, and A. was born just a few days early

This experience has stayed with me deeply, and at the time, I was really scared!
I definitely don’t want to go through that a second time, of course.

So now I work as a cleaner in people’s homes, about 32 hours a week. Some houses are quite demanding.
I’m hoping I won’t have to work for long, of course, given the scare from my previous pregnancy.

Do you think I’ll be allowed to stop working earlier, around 6 months, in this case? And what if the OB-GYN doesn’t want to put me on bed rest anyway?

I’m only just pregnant, yet I’m already thinking about this a lot!

xXx mb90

Replies

  1. jessie95 #2

    I think you'd better discuss with your boss whether you can work fewer hours or swap out the more demanding houses for easier ones, so you still get your hours in but can take it easy.

    Wishing you lots of success with your pregnancy xx

  2. Irma 1987 #3

    32 is quite a lot, actually.
    I'll wait for the first appointment with the midwife/GP and then let my employer know.

    I assume you'll have two addresses on the same day? Maybe it's possible to have one address per day?

    Enjoy your pregnancy—you only go through it a few times in your life.

    I'm also pregnant here, with my second, now 33 weeks and 3 days.

  3. mb90 started this #4

    Oops, my last message went wrong...

    We've been to 4 houses, 2 each time.

    I'll indeed wait for the first ultrasound. I'm allowed to go on February 17th.
    Then I'll hear what the gynecologist says and then I can tell my work.

  4. jade #5

    Hi, I'm a domestic helper working 28 hours. I've been home for two weeks now because my pelvis is giving me a lot of trouble. Work feels so heavy right now. I'm allowed to stop at 6 months, but that's still 3 months away. I'm not the type to ask for a doctor's note every week, but on Friday I have an appointment with the gynecologist. I hope she can help me out because I really don't see myself going back to work on Monday. I also have a toddler who's 2 years old running around...

  5. mb90 started this #6

    Oh no, that sucks that you're already dealing with so much discomfort.

    I'm allowed to stop working at 6 months too. My OB-GYN won't let me stop earlier... I also find being pregnant quite tough, especially with a 2-year-old toddler.

    I got severe abdominal pain on Tuesday night and went to the doctor, who sent me straight to the OB-GYN at the hospital for all sorts of tests. The baby is fine, and they didn't really find a cause. I'm just home this week, but I have to go back to work on Monday, and I'm dreading it!

    I'm still in pain, but I don't dare call back because they'll probably say there's nothing wrong anyway...

  6. jade #7

    I have to go to the OB/GYN this afternoon and I really hope she prescribes bed rest for me, but yeah, that's probably just a slim chance... I'm completely unable to start on Monday, so I don't know what I'll have to do...

  7. Edith #8

    hey

    how has your pregnancy been going along with the heavy work?

    I'm currently 7 weeks.
    I also work 32h as a cleaner and have quite a few heavy houses...
    I have a son of 2 now and already had a miscarriage at 9.3 weeks in November.
    I'm 100% sure this was caused by the work. I had a heavy day and started getting bleeding and cramps during work. With my first pregnancy, I didn't work as a cleaner. So now I'm really scared it will go wrong again... I also have cramps and pain when I'm at work now, no problems on weekends when I'm at home, and Monday everything starts again. I'd so much like to stay home.. I'm so tired during work too, my body just won't cooperate..


    Maybe you have some tips?

  8. Romy Guest #9

    I'm almost 16 weeks pregnant now, but I haven't told my work yet because I had a contract for fewer hours than I actually work. I just got that contract a few days ago... Thank goodness. But I'm also starting to feel the strain at work, especially after work. I work 20 hours in household cleaning, and I do have some houses that are really physically and mentally demanding. I find myself dreading it quite a bit. This is my first pregnancy, so I don't know what to expect. It's hard to tell them and hard to stay at home.

  9. krestin Guest #10

    I'm already 7 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I also work as a cleaning helper 35 hours a week. In some houses, I work with high ladders, and I'm afraid of heights. Sometimes I have to move heavy furniture (like iron tables) when vacuuming and mopping.

  10. GEMMA #11

    I also work as a maternity leave nurse (HHH) and my gynecologist told me to stop at 16 weeks because I'm at risk of preterm labor. But you need to discuss this with your gynecologist; they're the ones who decide, not your employer. If your gynecologist says you can stop, you can stop. If they force you to work until 6 months, I think that's really too long for an HHH, and if something happens, they'd be responsible. It applies to other doctors too. For example, I had a miscarriage in September 2020, stayed home with my GP's approval, but my employer sent me to a control doctor who said I had to go back to work on Monday, even though my GP gave me another full week of rest. In that case, the control doctor couldn't force me because I was okay with my GP and could stay home. Don't forget what they did to me, oh definitely not. I always say family and kids first, the rest can wait.

  11. Els Guest #12

    As a domestic helper, you're required to stop working at 6 months anyway.
    You'll then receive a work dismissal from the occupational doctor.

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