It's reassuring to know that there is some financial cover when you have your baby, and for this, don't miss Your Statutory Maternity Employment Benefits which explain all about leave, pay, what you are entitled to if you decide not to return to work, and so on.
However, you may have heard horror stories about women being sacked when their employers discovered they were pregnant. Nowadays the full force of the law is behind any woman who suffers such an occurrence, but there are also many other legal rights that help a pregnant woman if she is working.
Telling your employer you are expecting
Your employer does not have to be the first person you tell about your pregnancy. In fact, you do not have to tell your employer that you are pregnant until, at latest, 15 weeks before your due date. Most women, however, tend to tell their employer between 16 and 20 weeks, though this does not mean you have to tell everyone you work with - you can ask that your manager keeps this confidential until you feel the time is right.
For some women, delaying the announcement might feel best - especially if you do not wish to let everyone know about your pregnancy if you have suffered a miscarriage before, or are dealing with medical problems.
However, it is a good idea if you feel you can, to tell your employer earlier than the 25-week cut-off point, because you are not entitled to paid leave for antenatal appointments until your employer knows you are expecting. Also, this can also allow extra time for your maternity cover to be arranged and to accommodate any changes that might be needed to your working conditions or hours (see below).
Taking time off work for antenatal appointments
No matter how long you have been working for your employer, you must be allowed to take time off to attend antenatal scans, check-ups and (where your GP or midwife has advised) pregnancy relaxation or parentcraft sessions. During these periods, you must be paid the full-rate of your normal wage.
Whilst you might try to make appointments as convenient as possible to avoid disruption to your job, your employer cannot put pressure on you to miss an appointment or antenatal meeting.
Safe working conditions in pregnancy
Once your employer has been made aware that you are pregnant, your employer must make an assessment of your working conditions to ensure that they will not harm you or your unborn child during the course of your normal work. Possible risks might include carrying heavy loads, having to stand or sit for long periods, working long hours, or being exposed to toxic substances.
If your employer cannot remove an identified risk from your normal working role, they must find you another suitable job to do. If this cannot be found, you are entitled to leave on full pay.
If you feel your situation has not been safely and fully addressed and you are concerned, speak to your employer (or if you have one, your union representative). If you are still concerned or feel you have been treated unfairly, you can speak to the Health and Safety Executive helpline on 0845 345 0055 (8am-6pm, Mon-Fri).
Going off on maternity leave
You must confirm with your employer when you plan to start your maternity leave. By 25 weeks you need to let your employer know what this date is likely to be, but you are entitled to change the date if you give 28 days' notice (and some employers might be more flexible with you than this).
You can start your maternity leave up to 11 weeks before your due date, but bear in mind this reduces the amount of time you will have with your baby after the birth.
If you are off sick with a pregnancy-related illness four or less weeks before your due date, your employer is entitled to request that your maternity leave begins from that point.
For more about how long you can take off as maternity leave, click here.
For more about returning to work after maternity leave, click here.
Know what you are entitled to
For more information on a whole range of related issues, including advice if you are having problems with your employer over your pregnancy, or you want to find out about leave should you lose your baby, what conditions are safe to work in, and much more, you will find the following website direct.gov.uk really helpful.
