Advice Needed - Can employer force maternity pay early?

[beccalil89]

Hi, I am new to mumsnet and I am hoping that I may be able to get some advice.

I am currently 29w6d pregnant and have been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. I have been speaking to my consultant and they have mentioned that due to the nature and pressures of my job it can get stressful rather quickly which brings on anxiety (suffered with this before I was pregnant, came of my meds when I found out I was pregnant).

My question is; if my doc/consultant signs me off with stress/anxiety before my maternity leave can my employer force early maternity? I ask this because I am only covered for the statutory maternity pay and for this reason I wanted to leave work as late as possible and have even been saving my holidays up as I would prefer to have more time with my baby when she arrives.

Feeling a little in the dark about what to do for best and couldn't find anything really on directgov and would like to know if anyone had had a similar experience?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Becca

[FelineFurry]

They can force you start maternity leave early if your sickness is in the last four weeks of pregnancy.

This should help hopefully:

www.maternityaction.org.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/sicknessduringpregnancymaternityleave.pdf

[beccalil89]

Hi thank you so much for the link...it's informative and kind of what I thought...think i'll just try to struggle through until she arrives...can't risk the cut in pay so soon on and just before Christmas!

[KnackeredCow]

Does your employer offer any occupational sick pay?

They can't force you to start mat leave until 36 weeks. Before that you could be signed off on sick leave, but statutory sick pay isn't much.

[missingmumxox]

Only if it is maternity related, and at 36 week, the gestational diabetes is maternity related the stress anxiety isn't as it is a pre exsisting condition.

I went off sick at 19 weeks with a pre existing heart condition, sick note in to employer and then got SPD really bad, bed bound, but had been told to be bed bound for heart condition as well, heart condition didn't happen again as the SPD really kept me in bed in hospital, I wasn't going anywhere.

GP put SVT (supra ventricular tachycardia) down on all my sick certs rather than SPD as it was the reason I did go off originally, and would continue to do so.

you are in the same boat, it is not the diabetes making you ill (althought it is, but there is no reason not to work if you are well controlled) it is your stress/anxiety.

my Mat leave started 3 days before I gave birth as I gave Birth on a Monday at 37+6 at 10 am, just eh way our calender worked.

Good luck