Post # 1

Member
111 posts
Blushing bee
Hi ladies, i really need your opinion on this,
I am a full time nanny and the baby i take care of is sick, with a contagious virus, and has had ahigh 102.8 fever all day long. I am already not feeling like myself, ive been having a crazy headache and feeling drowsy all day. I am soo scared to catch the virus from him, i kno that if i have a fever this early on in my pregnancy(8weeks today) it could potentially harm the baby!? So i told my boss i would rather not take the risk and said i wanted to stay home tmorrow ( and probably thursdaytoo but i did not say that ). She did not seem happy!! Which i understand, but she works from home so its not like she will have to take the day off too. She is always in the same room as us, and when the baby is sick he gets extremely cranky and wants her all the time, so i am really not much help regardless, and it doesnt help that she still stays zooming around us all day. To make matters worse, my friend who usually covers for me cannot make it tmorrow either “/
So here is my question, am i being dramatic? Selfish? Should i just suck it up and go? Or is she the one being selfish by not understanding? What should i do?
Post # 3

Member
5096 posts
Bee Keeper
You are protecting your health and that of your fetus. That is a totally smart and reasonable thing to do, and if your employer doesn’t realize that, she’s a jerk. (Or at least a little self-centered for the time being.)
Post # 4

Member
6572 posts
Bee Keeper
You have to look out for your health and your baby’s health first. And you’re right, fevers can be dangerous and scary when you’re pregnant. I think you made a smart decision to stay home.
Post # 5

Member
1810 posts
Buzzing bee
I agree. I am a nanny and always work when the boys I watch are sick, but if I got pregnant, I would definitely re-evaluate that choice, so I definitely don’t blame you.
If there are any other new issues that you think may come up due to your pregnancy, maybe you could sit down with her and explain to her your limits/ expectations ahead of time. Like maybe you used to work 12 hour days and feel like you might need to cut down to 9 hour days due to fatigue (or something like that), it may help if you talk to her before the issue presents itself– she may be more understanding. Does that make sense? It does in my head…
Post # 6

Member
111 posts
Blushing bee
Shes extremely selfish… Never cares if im sick, and i always had to go in even on snow days, when no one else was working. She made me scrub her kitchen floor this week (which I usually dont mind doing) even though i had told her i was cramping a lot. I just called my doc, and he advised me to stay home if i can. I texted her telling her what he said, and told her i would try to find someone to cover, “/ she hasnt replied and ican tell shes upset and ignoring me because she had just texted me a minute before. This is making me wonder if i should keep working for her during this pregnancy.
Post # 7

Member
330 posts
Helper bee
Holy cow! Yeah first things first is your health. If she is upset with you… in the grand scheme of it all it doesnt matter. I am surprised that she is being kind of a brat. It is common knowledge that fevers can be dangerous. Don’t worry about being overly cautious; better to be safe. Trust your instincts and just let her know. She will get over it and if she doesn’t… that is more her problem.
Post # 8

Member
538 posts
Busy bee
Im sure shes just overwhelmed right now and a bit frustrated but hopefully as a mother herself she will understand.
Post # 9

Member
2867 posts
Sugar bee
I can understand why she’d be upset but it’s not like you just don’t want to work with a sick baby – you have to protect your own as well. You’re health right now is the most important thing – you are NOT being overly dramatic (especially since she will be there regardless). Stick to your plan, be apologetic but firm, she’ll get over it.
Post # 10

Member
1130 posts
Bumble bee
I think she’s being a bitch. If she took her kid to a regular daycare -or if the kid was in school -with a contagious illness, the kid would be sent home. That’s just the way it works. Sure, it’s inconvenient for the parents who have to change their plans or miss work, but welcome to being a parent.
Post # 11

Member
4355 posts
Honey bee
Ever seen the movie Nanny Diaries? She seems a little crazy!
Post # 12

Member
111 posts
Blushing bee
So i decided to stick to my plan & not go into work today evnthough she seemed mad. I found someone to cover but she said “no its ok , thats not going to work”, 10 min later texted me back asking me to go in the morning…..uuhhhh, wtf?? I said NO i am not going at all!!! and so she didnt have anyone’s help today. She texted me today in the afternoon asking if i was okay, and saying i better not go tmorrow either to be ‘safe’, sounds like shes still upset but i kno she did that because my friend who usually covers is free tomorrow, otherwise, im pretty sure she would have asked me to go. It seems like shes a lil upset but is hopefully getting over it. I apologized for not going and told her i am just trying to look out for my health and make sure my first trimester goes smoothly, she said “dont worry about it too much, you’ll have a good pregnancy” Im glad this happened, it was the first time i ever stood up for myself and i feel like i did the right thing.
Thanks for all the advice!