Help,
Our nanny has just revealed she is well into her second trimester. Was over 3 months pregnant when we hired her but did not disclose it. There were a few teething problems before this over trust etc. The problem is we have very demanding twins, 16 months, and she will be leaving them when they are about 19.5 months. She insists she wants to come back and will only take a few months off.
Questions I have are: *how are we meant to afford maternity pay and a temporary nanny rate (if indeed we are even liable) and
*how far into her last trimester can she work on health and safety grounds; right up until she drops?! If you are a nanny who has worked during pregnancy, what issues did you experience (I know everyone is different) and when did you stop work? Did you go back? I have very inflexible employers and work long hours. The reason we hired a nanny was so there were minimal days off due to childcare crises but this is already slipping as she has been off ill a few times.
*What should happens when our kids get ill with infectious bugs etc - we do not want to put her at risk obvs.
*And what will the impact be on our children of a temp after three months, or six months even if they then change back? What if the temp is more effective than the nanny and the kids have bonded with her? How vital a time is this age group for development etc? Friends have told me that I seem to be spending more time worrying about the nanny's rights than our kids'.
Advice appreciated to a pushover mum.