An RWA ' s Personal Experience of Pregnancy
Vanessa McKay works as a Senior Nuclear Regulator at the Environment Agency
Travelling on the bus to Oxford to see Dara Ó Briain on a Friday evening I started to feel queasy . Thinking it was travel sickness , I tucked into a pre-theatre treat of mediumrare steak and chips – little did I know it was the last good steak for nine months . The next day , still nauseous , I took a test – positive . It was a precautious joy as the same day as Dara Ó Briain I had heard I ' d been successful at interview for a new role at the Environment Agency ( EA ). On Monday I called the recruiting manager with the expectation I would be turning down the role , putting my career on hold due to the financial burden of a year of zero pay whilst raising a baby . I was lucky , the EA maternity policy meant this wouldn ' t be the case .
In a meeting with my line manager at UKAEA , I informed him verbally I was pregnant at 12 weeks and showed him a photo of my scan . I notified UKAEA in writing by email ( Regulation 9 ( 7 ) of The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 ( IRRs )) that I was pregnant , to instigate the requirements for a risk assessment . At both UKAEA and EA , a general risk assessment for pregnancy existed , which could be tweaked to reflect my situation . This included risks from ionising radiation , manual handling , handling chemicals , tiredness etc .
Whilst still at UKAEA I carried on my role , entering supervised areas supporting waste characterisation and assay – in my head always thinking “ time , distance and shielding ” to reduce risks to myself and the foetus . During pregnancy I also changed dental practice and , as a new patient , I required dental X-rays . The sensible approach by the
Radiation Protection Today Autumn 2024 dentist was to delay these until after birth , avoiding unnecessary dose to the foetus .
I joined EA with a visible bump in a hot summer . Personal Protective Equipment for women at the best of times can be too big here , too small there , too long etc . I decided to be quite selective in what I really needed and found some maternity walking trousers to carry out regulatory inspections . I gave good notice to inspection sites that I was pregnant , to ensure they could accommodate any requirements and create a specific radiological risk assessment if required . I informed them of my dose thus far since pregnancy to provide assurance to the inspection site employer the visit would not result in me receiving a dose exceeding 1 mSv during my pregnancy ( Regulation 9 ( 6 ) of IRRs ). This is important under the ' Co-operation between Employers ' Regulation 16 of the IRRs – further details specific to pregnancy can be found under Guidance 9 ( 6 ) of the Approved Code of Practice . At 34 weeks pregnant I was still climbing staircases inspecting ventilation systems , determined to gain as much experience as I could before maternity leave .
During maternity leave I attended SRP ' s Rising Generations Group visit to the Atomic Weapons Establishment ( AWE ). At the time I was breastfeeding , and it was therefore important to inform them ahead of the visit to ensure there was time to pump in peace and , although I was not working , also to ensure there was no significant risk of the intake of radionuclides or bodily contamination ( Regulation 9 ( 6 ) of IRRs ).
I will be returning to work this autumn , hoping that baby brain has not caused me to forget everything and juggling a relatively new job and family life with a one-year old baby bringing home every nursery cough and cold . Wish me luck !
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