SO, here is the situation:

I was promoted 3 days before I found out I am pregnant to a pretty high level job which involves travelling around the whole region as a recruitment manager for the East of England. Working in a small team we have been responsible for implementing a high level skills sector contract in the area, setting it up from scratch and then delivering to targets. The job itself I knew I could still cope with being pregnant, and could still do it well. After about a month my only 2 advisors left (one just couldnt cope with the pressure and went off with stress, the other lost her mother and had to care for her father). My company has also struggled to recruit trainers to the level they expect, and as my background is as a trainer they asked me to take on some of this aswell, which I was OK about. The long and short of it it that I am currently doing 5 peoples jobs, working until 10pm some nights, driving miles and miles and working sooooooo hard to keep the contract going. My boss however, seems to do nothing and just doesnt seem to take me seriously when I explain I have to be careful as Im pregnant! He says "yes you do, but your putting all this pressure on yourself Beth" before in the next sentance saying "I need X amount of figures acheived by the end of this week" (Im the only one who can do it as these IS no one else!)
I then get a manager from another dept calling me demanding information that my boss should have been providing and has tol him to ask me for, meaning that Im now doing 6 peoples jobs.
Im sooooo tired, havent had a lunchbreak for 3 months and just want to pick up my bag and walk out. I work for a private sector big blue chip organisation who expects everyone to be target driven and career focused and dont seem to be pregnant woman friendly....(i have been a top performer since i joined, but now my priorities lie elsewhere I guess im just a burden)
If it wasnt for me this contract would have folded, and I feel like management are just piling more and more pressure on me at the moment to do everyones workload....
Its not like they can forget im pregnant, Ive got a bloody great bump!!

I know what my rights are, and they are obliged to support me, however I just dont feel like anyone is listening and taking me seriously..it doesnt help that my boss and I have always got on a mates aswell as colleagues before he became my boss. I have tried to approach it, and he says I need to take it easier, then makees demands on me which if i dont meet we will lose our budget...i just feel im stuck in between a rock and a hard place.

Sorry for the super long post, any advice would be greatly appreciated
xxxx

Sorry i cant be much help on the advice front and although my job is nothing like yours my boss is very similar so if you need an ear to chew feel free to contact me and rant! we all need a rant buddy and im happy to listen if you think it will help but as i said i cant offer any advice as i dont really know where i stand with my own company let alone yours.

Hope you get some more helpful posts than this

i know what you mean.. ive worked in Recruitment for many years and the culture of the industry isnt exactly 'family friendly' (or at least they are as long as it doesnt interfere with your 90 hour working weeks-lol)
I worked super hard throughout last pregnancy and started to get high bp which developed into Pre-eclampsia and that meant i was signed off from 23 weeks onwards.. I had been told to take it easy (which i told my employer) at 17 weeks as bp was creeping up but they certainly didnt lay off the workload..
Anyway.. in the end it worked out worse for them as they had to pay me long term sick leave instead whereas if my workload had been managed better i could have at least continued to work some hours and from home for some of it..

So.. i recommend you take it easier and if you get pressure from work then just take a few days 'sick' (for baby's sake) and not only will it rest you and baby but it might also remind them how valuable you are!
Just my opinion after a bad experience im super careful!
Take care xx

I'd have a chat with HR and ask for an assessment. Working those hours and with those demands can't be good for you or your little one and if your boss won't acknowledge that and ease off on your workload, then you need to go over your boss' head.

It's not a pleasant thing to consider, but there seem to be very few companies that show any loyalty toward their employees while demanding complete loyalty and commitment toward the company and job from those very same employees. In the end, no matter how much you drive yourself into the ground to do a good job, it quite often won't mean jack to the company when the times comes that you just can't give them what they want.

Long story short, put yourself and your needs first because no one else there will.

I know this will be hard, but stop. Just stop working so hard. You cant physically do the work of 6. Its either a case of you stop doing 5 other workloads and they get mad and sack you (which will see you trotting through a tribunal no bother) or you end up seriously ill through the stress. I know which one I would go for.

I have no advice... just want to say I sympathize. I hate hate hate my job this year too. I am a teacher. Normally I love my job, but the class i have this year is pure evil. They are going to give me a nervous breakdown... I swear!

Sorry to gatecrash 2nd tri but I can't sleep!!

I know this sounds extreme, but I'd probably get myself signed off work for a week. As you said your priorities have changed, and a week looking after yourself and relaxing should do you the world of good.

As someone else said, it might make your boss appreciate what you do. They will have to cut out some parts of the project, or seriously look into recruiting others to help.

Plus I'd try and think of it as actually doing them a favour!! You'll be on mat leave before you know it, and they need to consider how they'll cope without you....think of it as a trial run!!

I am a teacher too, and I know what you mean " nervous breakdown"
so I stop teaching for now, bubba is far more important. Its just short anyway, i'll get back after bubba is out!

LOL Spank! Don't know what your talking about!! x