Sickness Stress

image from www.pamf.org

Getting sick while pregnant is a scary thing. We are going to step outside of the realm of "pleasantries" here, so you've been forewarned! Yesterday I had a bit of diarrhea. Amazingly, I rationalized it and told myself it was my iron tablets, even though I had to send a child in my class home because of diarrhea and a low grade fever just a couple of days ago. Since then I've had a slightly rumbly tummy and felt really "off" somehow. I swiftly rationalized it was the heat, the muggy, sticky weather, the rain and so on and so forth. I felt tired and uncomfortable, but not really awful so in effect, I was still okay. But let's face it, at this point, I wanted a day off of work. I'm stressed and tired and the pregnancy is becoming more taxing, so I told myself I'd stay home today. But it felt like taking advantage somehow. So this morning when I got up, instead of staying home and resting, which I really should have done (because let's face it, I was having some symptoms that spell s-t-a-y h-o-m-e) I took a shower and decided to power through. 

Bad move.

I got to work and felt weird. I was slightly dizzy and the ground looked very far away and I couldn't stop sweating. We're talking serious sweat. It was actually visible on my upper lip and I had to keep mopping it off from there and from my brow. My goodness. I don't think I've ever sweat like that before. But do you know what? I kept on rationalizing! What on earth was I thinking? I told myself I was hot from the walk to work and the cappuccino I'd had with breakfast. Mind you, I have a cappuccino or coffee and walk to work every morning. Why was I ignoring everything? 

Well, I don't know what a contraction feels like, but I am familiar with lower back pain. However, I am not familiar with lower back pain that only lasts a minute or 90 seconds and then goes away and comes back half an hour later. So that's what did it for me. There I was, mopping my brow and upper lip, feeling hotter than ever before, with periodic back pain and my co-teacher said to me that I really didn't look good. Bingo! I didn't feel good either! 

At her urging, I went to my administrator and they told me to call the doctor, which I did and I go see the doctor in a couple hours and now I'm sitting with my feet up and a glass of water resting. I feel better already. The back pain has stopped. Miraculously I seem to have cooled down. I'm not sweating like a pig. 

Why do we do push ourselves? Do other moms-to-be feel guilty about pregnancy interfering with work obligations? How do you manage and take care of yourself?