I'm 13 weeks and feel awful every day, a

Feeling rough every day at 13 weeks is worth a call to your midwife or doctor this week — not because something is wrong, but because "every day" is the part they can actually do something about, and because it decides how hard you should be pushing this week. You don't need a name for it first to be seen. I'm not diagnosing anything here, and nothing below replaces your clinician's call.

1. What you've tried, and a better version

Pushing through without telling anyone. It buys you a day, then it costs you the two interviews and the school run. Two people are enough — not an announcement:

• One person at work — whoever schedules your week, not the hiring manager on day one.
• One person at home — not the whole family chat.

Sending it now:

> I'm not looking to make this a big thing — I just need to plan my weeks honestly. Can I tell you one health constraint and then we work around it?

Not yet having an appointment. "I feel awful every day" is exactly what a booking call is for. Say those words.

Trying to cook through it. With crackers, water and ginger in the house, cooking is not the lever. Eating small and often is.

2. Tonight — under 25 minutes, three steps

Step 1 (5 min) — before you get up. Two crackers on the nightstand. Eat them lying down, before your feet hit the floor. An empty stomach is what most people mistake for "just feeling sick."

Step 2 (10 min) — the day.

• Something small every 1–2 hours: crackers, toast, rice, whatever's already in the cupboard.
• Water *with* food, not between. Sips, not glasses.
• Your ginger, your way — tea, or a piece to chew.
• Skip lying down right after eating.
• Let someone else cook. That's the one chore worth trading this week.

Step 3 (5 min) — the two people. Send the line above to one person at work and one person at home. That's the whole task.

3. Asking the employer — without oversharing

You don't have to say "pregnant" to ask for any of this. Say there's a medical reason and give no detail. You are not obligated to disclose a diagnosis.

Ask for:

• A start that isn't 7am — mid-morning.
• Back-to-back meetings cut, one gap between calls to eat and sit down.
• Calls clustered after lunch instead of spread across the day.
• A quiet room and a closed door for one call a day.
• A written task list for the week instead of live interruptions.
• Two or three hours a week in the diary nobody books.

A line you can send now:

> For scheduling — I have a health matter I need to plan around, and I'd rather tell you that than guess. Could my day start at 10, keep one free gap between meetings, and cluster calls after lunch?

If you want to say more later:
> I have a pregnancy-related medical matter ongoing, I'm under care, and my clinician has advised X. I'd like the arrangement above in place.

One thing worth knowing: your midwife or doctor can write a short note. In many places that's the trigger for formal accommodation, so if the informal version gets vague, that's the next move. Local rules vary — tell me your country or city and I'll point you at the actual ones instead of guessing.

4. Before the interviews

• Eat something in the 30 minutes before, even if it's two crackers.
• Say up front: "If I need a minute during the session, could we pause?" Nobody minds, and it pre-empts the worst moment.
• Sit where you can step out. Water bottle in the bag, not on the table.

5. Constraints and avoid list

Don't:

• Take anything prescribed to someone else or left over from before — including anti-sickness medicine.
• Buy prescription medicine or "herbal pregnancy" blends online. Unlabelled powders, drops, capsules — no.
• Start, stop or change any medicine without asking your clinician. Ginger is food, but if you're on anything, check first.
• Dose the child or the elder yourself, or copy a dose off a label onto anyone else.
• Fast, or push through to the point where you can't manage the school run safely.

House rules this week: name the person and the task, not "help me." Ask for the school pickup change in writing, not in a corridor.

6. Red flags — stop the DIY and get help

Contact local emergency services or go to the maternity unit now, day or night:

• Any vaginal bleeding or leaking
• Severe or constant abdominal pain
• Severe headache with blurred or flashing vision
• Fast or difficult breathing
• A fit, or feeling faint/collapsed
• A fall or blow to the abdomen, even if you feel fine
• One-sided calf pain, redness or swelling

Same day, don't wait:

• You can't keep fluids down, you're passing almost no urine, you feel dizzy on standing, or you're drowsy. That's dehydration, not morning sickness — and it's treatable.
• You're losing weight rather than just feeling sick.

If either of those applies, call your local emergency number or your maternity unit. Tell me your country or city and I'll point you at the actual local door.

7. What success looks like in 24 hours

Not "feeling great." Three concrete things:

1. One message to one person at work, one to one person at home.
2. A clinic or midwife call made or booked — asking to be seen for "feeling unwell every day, 13 weeks pregnant."
3. Both interviews this week, each with a cracker eaten beforehand and a gap in the diary around them.

If those three happen, the week worked, even if you still feel awful. Feeling better is the clinic's job to help with — not tonight's test of you.