Question for female music teachers

[nafmeadmin]

I am newly pregnant and have yet to tell anyone other then my immediate family (previously had a bad pregnancy if you know what I mean). I am having really bad morning sickness and it is effecting my teaching. People are getting suspious and my elementary kids are confused. I am only 5 weeks along. Any advice from teachers who are soon to be moms or presently moms?

[nafmeadmin]

I thought I posted this earlier, but I don’t think it went through- sorry if it’s a repeat.
First of all, congratulations! I know that it can be scary when you’ve had complications in the past, but I’m sure that you know that the bad morning sickness is a great sign. I’m currently 12 weeks along with my second, and I teach middle and high school, mostly band. I can completely understand why you want to wait to tell people, but you might want to consider making a few exceptions for people who might be able to help you:
If you have a good relationship with your principal, it might be good to tell him or her- they might be able to make arrangements to help you deal with the sickness, or at least they would know why you’re acting a little strange and maybe taking more sick time for doctor’s appointments and stuff like that.
If you have a couple of colleagues that you’re close to who might be able to help you out- watch a class for a couple minutes if you have to run to the rest room, etc.- it’s so ironic that when we need the most help is when we’re not telling people. By the time we start to show, people are volunteering to help us in all sorts of ways, and by then we usually feel better.
You might want to consider telling the school nurse so that she or he can alert you if something is going around that’s dangerous for you and/or the baby, like chickenpox.
As far as morning sickness and teaching- I’m a lot sicker with this pregnancy than I was with my first, but with a lot less complications, so I’ll take it. It’s miserable but managable as long as I never let myself get hungry. I try to have a little snack between each class- that will probably be harder for you, since elementary teachers usually don’t get any time between classes, but even if you can have a handful of nuts and something to drink when your class is walking out, it might take the edge off. But sometimes nothing helps. For some reason, citrus helped me. For what it’s worth, at 12 weeks, the morning sickness and mind numbing fatigue are starting to lift a little bit. And during my last pregnancy, I felt better during my second trimester than I did before I was pregnant.
About your kids being confused- I don’t think that they’ll figure out what’s going on until you tell them. For now, can you tell them something generic like “I’m not feeling well, but I’m going to be OK?”
I’m not sure if those were the kind of suggestions you were looking for- if not, please post again. Congratulations, good luck, and take care of yourself!

[nafmeadmin]

I’d tell your principal / administration and ask them what you can do about coverage when you’re not feeling great. It’s ultimately up to you to tell them or not. I’d tell the kids what jnu said – I’m sick but I’ll be okay. They don’t need to know right away. Good luck!!

[nafmeadmin]

I ended up telling my co-worker the dance teacher (she has a bathroom in her locker room which is easier to get to then the faculty bathroom upstairs) and I also told the school secretary because lets me honest who really runs the school the secretary. Besides I can call her line directly and she can get help for me faster. I am holding of on my principal just because he and I don’t have the greatest of relationships (that in itself is a long story) and I want to keep this on the down low for as long as possible. As for your advice with the school nurse, it would be nice if we had a full time school nurse. Thank you for your help!

[Author]

Posts