driving in pregnancy

MrsTinks

OK I can probably offer some advice on this because I had the same problem during my pregnancy. I had seriously bad hip and lower back pain and struggled driving to the office and frankly there was no reason for me to be in the office when everything could have been done by me working from home. I went through my GP who agreed, work sent me to London to see the Occ Health doctor (that was fun: "My problem is I can't move around very easily and it hurts LOTS" - work: "OK well we don't believe your doctor so we're going to insist you see Occ Health - the journey will involve driving, a train and the underground - it will take approx 2 hours each way and you'll have a mile walk once you get in there... have fun!")
Basically if they argue that you need to be in the office or travel as part of your job then tough really... If you can't then your only option is to get a certificate from your doctor to say you're sick and explain why etc.

So... it is ENTIRELY down to if your manager is willing to work round this or not. Mine wasn't and I spent large chunks of my pregnancy as off sick. Not willingly and I found it very annoying as I had a tonne of work to do and clients were beign let down - but being in extreem pain wasn't an option either so I had to take sick pay and just let work get over the issues with my absence...

Good luck

MrsTinks

emlou2009 wrote: »

say the midwife has said you shouldnt drive such long distances due to an increased risk of DVT when pregnant from sitting still so long in my experience, employers are so scared of doing the wrong thing in case you sue them that they believe anything to do with pregnancy lol!

All they have to say is that in that case you should be off sick as driving is a major part of your job - and a lot of companies are not in the leats bit scared about pregnancies and risks etc...

nancmat

I'm not planning on stopping to drive 37 weeks now.. my car is one of the most comfortable places to sit so all is ok. I drive for 2 hrs a day 1 hr each way but wouldnt want to go too far this far on just encase..

ab7167

mostly sorted now, I talked to our H&S guy and he said not to do the long journeys and he would sort it if there were any problems with management. I am going to do the last long journey next week, then after that all my jobs will be inside the county boundaries - office is about central in the county, so there should never be too long a drive.

I can get to and from the office without too much difficulty, so hopefully this will all keep me going until Christmas at the very least.

Thanks for all the advice!

jcr16

i never stopped driving. but then i've had very good pregnacies really and no major reason to stop. i did get huge with my 1st 2 pregnancies. but my 3rd pregnancy i was fine. i need my seat fairly close to the wheel, but we have adjustable sterring wheel height so solved the problem fine.

amilotte

ab7167 wrote: »

mostly sorted now, I talked to our H&S guy and he said not to do the long journeys and he would sort it if there were any problems with management. I am going to do the last long journey next week, then after that all my jobs will be inside the county boundaries - office is about central in the county, so there should never be too long a drive.

I can get to and from the office without too much difficulty, so hopefully this will all keep me going until Christmas at the very least.

Thanks for all the advice!

Thats good news, hope your SPD behaves itself in the meantime!

Whitewillow_2

Um i know certain insurance companies will not insure you past a certain point, esp with issues like spd, you need to check this out with your insurance first! Im not insured anymore (only 29 weeks) but because im so short, the wheel is against my belly and so therefore i cant turn the wheel properly, so im not insured. I think you need to call them and check!

minimoneysaver

Oooops, I drove myself to hospital when I was in labour (daughter was 4wks early and had planned c section)! Bad mummy, lol. I was a total control freak when I was in the final stages of my pregnancy and even though my mum was there when my waters broke at home, I still insisted on driving us both to hospital. Looking back, I must have been totally nuts. I also drove just a week after my c-section. I called my insurance company, which I think was Lloyds at the time and they said as long as I felt okay and could react quickly, I was okay to drive.