Should I feel bad for calling out of work tomorrow?

[Beckula]

Today it was so hot at work I felt like i was going to throw up or pass out about 4 times today, I stand for my entire shift which is about 5 hours. Tomorrow I have the same hours and it is supposed to be even hotter. I already warned them that i will probably call out because i can't do it and they made me feel like a crappy employee and a wimp. So now I feel like i have to force myself to go even though i'm sure it will be a mistake. What do you Ladies think?

[sorteep]

Should I feel bad for calling out of work tomorrow?

ummm, in a word NO... If I were not self employed I ma sure I owuld have totally quit by now.. take care of yourself and baby.. that is the main thing..

[scheelimama]

I don't think you should feel bad. I think sometimes people don't understand how much harder it is on your body when you are pregnant.

[GinaRae]

You are right on this one - call out. It's not easy working on your feet in the heat when pregnant.

Heck, I volunteer as a kitty foster mom and on Saturdays we go to Petco with the cats/kittens. All of us sweat buckets in there!! The a/c is crappy if functioning at all.

Last Saturday was extra hot and I ended up going home to take a break after 2 hours because I was drenched in sweat and felt like I was going to pass out. My heart was thumping hard and fast as I stripped down and laid in bed in my cool house for 45 minutes, trying to feel better.

So if you cannot get (literally) a break for an hour halfway through to cool down away from work, then I would call out.

FYI, people who are not pregnant or didn't have that problem when pregnant have NO idea. I was SO sick with Hyperemesis and everything else like the heat sensitivity when I worked in a store similar to Walmart and no one believed I was so sick. They thought I was just being wimpy.

Several women (two managers!) regularly told me I was sick because I thought I was supposed to get sick when pregnant (I told them I expected I wouldn't, because my first babe, lost at 13 weeks, had NO symptoms).

Once, I threw up grape juice in the break room bathroom and it wouldn't flush. I came out and told them that they could go look if they didn't believe me. *sigh*

Months later they also refused to give me a stool at the register and despite my pleas to them about pain when bending over too much, they always assigned me low shelves to fix. They were pure evil. I never went back after he was born.

NOW I wouldn't be such a pussycat, but 12 years ago, I was such a pushover.

[boogiemonster]

I didn't even read your post, just the title, and I was already thinking "NO!" Don't feel badly. Take care of yourself.

[StacieM]

I agree with the others!!!! I don't think you should feel bad about it.

[wwisdomskr]

I hope you're at home, resting, Mama. Getting overheated can be dangerous. If you don't feel good...that means you should stop what you're doing, kwim? I hope that a day of rest does the trick. Take gentle care of yourself, okay?

[BarefootinBrooklyn]

no way should you feel bad. you are number one right now.

take care and feel better!:

[Isaac'sMa]

Nope! Not one bit! Take the day off and take care of yourself and your baby No guilt!

[Curlita]

Before I even read your rationale I had my answer prepared: NO, do not feel guilty. Unless there are 30 starving orphans counting on you to bring them nourishment, your job is not as important as your own well-being. By now you've already made your decision one way or another, but hopefully you are reading this from the comfort of someplace cool and you are seated!!

[melissakc]

We all know that it is dangerous for a PG woman to get overheated, but when you get overheated AND you are standing for 5 hours at a time, that is really bad! Most people don't realize how bad it is for you to stand for long periods of time while PG. I'm glad you can take a day off! Good for you for taking care of yourself. I wish I had taken better care of myself during my first pregnancy. I could have avoided a lot of problems.

Here we are going to hit 98 degrees and a heat index of 108--yikes!

[GinaRae]

I have always thought the cycle of Toxemia was broken for me with my third because it was more desk work and less on my feet for 8-12 hours. Then with this one, I am staying home, so I hope to not have even the PIH I had last time.

Of course, I am prone to these things BUT I do think it can make a difference in the pregnancy health of most anyone!

[Beckula]

Oh yeah, i called in to work. Thank you Ladies for not making me feel wimpy and useless, i just hate using pregnancy as an excuse KWIM. I think they realize how dangerous it woulfd have been because they were sweet as pie on the phone. I sure am glad cause i had to run out to the store just to get toilet paper and good lord i barely made it there and back. Frankly Michael's Arts and Crafts just isn't that important. I going to stay home and play video games and color with my kid.

[Isaac'sMa]

Good for you! Glad you're taking care of yourself and your two little ones. Work is so not worth it compared to the health of you and your family!