What’s fair re pregnancy anxiety/appointments/work?

[PearsSoapsandTins]

I can’t manage to go back to work after appointments. I’ve had some bleeding which obviously had to get checked out too.

Should that be a sick day? I don’t want to use up more paid leave as I’m trying to save that for the end.

You need to check your work pregnancy sickness policy but according to ACAS pregnancy related sickness should not count toward any trigger point

www.acas.org.uk/managing-your-employees-maternity-leave-and-pay/if-theyre-ill-or-having-a-difficult-pregnancy

Why can’t you manage to go to work after any appointment?

You are entitled to be paid for reasonable time off to keep the ante natal appointment. So if you had to go for a follow up, that part should be paid too.

Also this - is it travel time, complications, something else?

Even if you are sick it wouldn’t be a whole day, as you’ll still have the time to keep
the appointment you should be paid for

You're entitled to time off for your appointments and then go back to work. Unless there is a problem at the appt which may need a compassionate response I would expect you back asap afterwards.

Appointment at 4pm, with follow up assessments, probably no issue.
30 min appointment with no follow up at 10am, probably stretching the "time off for antenatal appointments"
I guess it really comes down to why you can't get back.

I just can’t face going back, I get so nervous, the doctors etc all say just to go rest x

Whilst it's understandable you are anxious before the appt surely once you've been and everything is ok it should be the time when you are least anxious.

If it's just cos you've been worried before then frankly you need to take a deep breath once you've had good news and crack on

Can you try and schedule appts for late afternoon? Or can you log onto work from home?

If not you should be going back really unless there's a problem.

You need to do your job.

You asked what was fair

What's fair is you get time off for you and your babies care.

That's it.

I know this is a cliche response... but are some of your appointments for MH support? Because your response isn't usual.

As a manager, and also someone who has had 2 tricky pregnancies, I'd be totally happy for you to have the time off if it was necessary. But I'd be very nonplussed if you weren't doing anything to help the situation.

I'm sorry OP, but you're being unreasonable - unless you need to take the time off sick as anxiety related and get help for that x

I had a colleague who used to want the whole day off for maternity appointments and things got really uncomfortable for everyone as she wasn't entitled and as much as we wanted to be accommodating, it worked out at least one full day off a week as she was needing off! Very tough conversations were had and HR got involved.

On the flip side, for my pregnancy I couldn't face going back to work straight afterwards so insisted (politely but firmly) I couldn't take any appointments during my work hours, and then rescheduled any that were made anyway. I found the hospital pretty accommodating.

How far along are you? How often are you having appointments?

What time are your appointments in the day?That’s not really a good reason to not go back.
Do you work 5 days a week?

Agree with this. I completely understand being anxious beforehand but surely once you've been told everything with you and baby is fine you shouldn't have a problem going back?