To think if you work one day a week...

[StuffezLaBouche]

You should arrange your appointments for any of the four working days you're not at home?
Willing to be told IABU here as I'm childless so obviously haven't experienced this.
An ex colleague of mine fell pregnant after a long time believing she couldn't. Took her maternity leave and returned to work (teaching) @ 0.2, which is one day a week. Her DH works from home and grandparents look after the toddler while she works. All fine.
Her child is now two and she is pregnant again and thrilled. However, she's arranged her last two medical appointments on the one day she works - which means a TA has had to cover her (not fun for the TA in the school in question.)
So genuinely, AIBU to think she should have arranged them on a different day?

[MrsLouisTheroux]

As a teacher I am gobsmacked at her being able to secure a 0.2 post! What a waste of time.How can she possibly maintain a positive relationship with her pupils seeing them only one day a week?
She's obviously not the main teacher! Covering PPA, making up another teacher's 0.8 timetable? I see some classes (11-16) for one hour a week!

[IneedAsockamnesty]

I have a staff member who is currently pregnant she works 2 days a week almost all her appointments fall on those days, she is unable to change her working days due to an older child with a disability and his care.

Everybody likes her she works hard and she's a asset to my team.

I know she's not telling porkies about the days her midwife works and the consultant she sees because I had the same midwife and consultant last year,some times the midwife will see her at home on Sundays but there is nothing else she can do about the other appointments.

Tbh yabu but only a bit because it is frustrating but its only 40 weeks

[breatheslowly]

In secondary teaching there are many subjects where a teacher would see a class once a week.

[pigletpower]

As a teacher I am gobsmacked at her being able to secure a 0.2 post! What a waste of time.How can she possibly maintain a positive relationship with her pupils seeing them only one day a week?

[MerylStrop]

Routine early pg midwifery appts are NOT particularly time-sensitive.

The community midwives in our area can book their own appointments on the system shared by the GP practices, so they can book you for any other surgery available. You ring them up explain the problem and they'd help you find a solution. No biggie. Honest.

[MrsLouisTheroux]

Mortified Did you not think to ask where she was the rest of the week and arrange to see her there?

[mamapants]

She's gone to 2 appt, hardly crime of the century.

[DontmindifIdo]

I looked into this as i'm pregnant and work parttime, your employer has a right to ask you to try to move your appointments ot a non-work day. You get the time off if you can't move it, but you can't (as another part time worker in our office did and got huffy when HR had words) deliberately pick to do it on the days you work on the grounds you already have childcare for existing DCs set up when you have an option of appointments on other days you don't work.

Consultant appointments are different, it's hard to get those on other days. And she might find she calls up and can't change them, but her employer has a right to ask her to try to. they also can ask for written evidence of all appointments after her first booking in one.

BTW - I've had midwifery care under two different areas, in both, there was at least some flexibility in the dates/times. I can see in some areas you are stuck to one day a week, but that doesn't seem to be the norm.

[MrsLouisTheroux]

Hilda If she's seeing the midwife at her GP surgery I agree with everything you've just said for the reasons I've already posted.
If she is under some sort of specialist hospital care it's possibly more complicated.

[MortifiedAdams]

My MW was.only ever at the docs between 2-4pm on a tuesday. Thats it. I usually work a tuesday late (2.30-11pm) so would always have to be late that day.

[HildaOgden]

She's using the system to her advantage.

Plenty of people do it,in one way or another.

It's also the main reason some employers are reluctant to employ women of child-bearing age.

Nothing you can do about it,she is protected by employment law.Take comfort that most people don't take the piss like that (assuming she is ,and that the only possible maternity care available to her doesnt't just happen to occur on the only day she is in paid employment)

[MrsLouisTheroux]

I think that it's unreasonable to expect a woman to change her GP for the convenience of her employer over midwifery appointments. Who said anything about changing your GP? It's the same midwife, working for the same health authority at a different location. Often, 5 mins down the road.

[GreenEggsAndNichts]

well. On principle, I'd say YANBU. I would expect someone who had other options for appointment days to schedule them on days she wasn't working.

But, as many people have already said, the midwife at my GP only works on Tuesdays. So if Tuesday was my day at work, it would be unfortunate for everyone. I would personally make an effort to get an appt later in the day, if it were possible, but that's just me.

[jamdonut]

I'm a TA. I work 5 days a week. I have to take time off to transport my children to hospital and dental appointments. It most certainly isn't possible to negotiate specific days or times, otherwise you have to wait months. (I do request to be seen either first thing or last thing on a clinic,especially if it is a hospital appointment...nearest hospital 20 miles away.Sometimes I'm lucky. )
I also work half an hour early most mornings and after school has finished, so that no-one can accuse me of not making time up.

[MyNameIsAnAnagram]

At my gp the mw is only there one day a week so you don't get a choice.

[breatheslowly]

This is a big issue for jobs like teaching where you can't catch up the work at another time as the timetable is fixed. For many jobs you can just move a few hours around and it is less of an issue. The flexibility required of GPs in offering evening or weekend appointments doesn't seem to have filtered through into things like MW appointments.

[TheYamiOfYawn]

I think that it's unreasonable to expect a woman to change her GP for the convenience of her employer over midwifery appointments. And the appointments are time sensitive so can't just be lumped into the holidays like a smear test or dental check up.

[MrsLouisTheroux]

The midwife at our surgery has appointments on a Wednesday and Friday morning. She is at other surgeries throughout the rest of the week.
I went to different surgeries/clinics quite a few times because of work.

Also, why does she need to take the whole day off?

[MerylStrop]

Honestly all the posters prepared to have drs receptionists tell them it was that day only, or never see a midwife. Rubbish.

You can go to a different surgery, or health centre, or to the hospital.

If you only work term time you have plenty of opportunity to see a midwife in holidays. If you work school hours you can at least try to make your appointments at the end of the day.

If you ask, properly, like you expect to be taken seriously, you can usually be seen at another time for routine stuff.

[NumericalMum]

YANBU! I used to cringe that I had to leave at 3:30 to get to the last appointment of the day at my midwife. I also usually had to wait an hour when I got there

[TheYamiOfYawn]

My midwife appointments were only available on Tuesday mornings, and with hospital appointments, you pretty much have to take the date you are given, so don't have an option. In my case, all my non hospital appointmentments fell on my day off.

[willesden]

Oh, FFS, she is proper taking the piss. She works one day a week, and her appointments are magically all on that day? If she had any commitment to her job whatsoever, she would move her working hours to a different day. She doesn't care about her job, her pupils or her colleagues. As soon as she gets back from ML, poor performance the bitch and get her out. I would.

[Fillyjonk75]

My ante natal appointments HAD to be on a Tuesday afternoon. YABU

[bangwhizz]

Clinics are usually only run on particular days