Taking time off with 5 weeks to go before mat leave

[Heartburn888]

I’m due in 7 weeks and due for maternity leave in 5. I’ve had a relatively problem free pregnancy but this last bit is taking its toll on my back. It’s in bits. Rang midwife nothing she can do apart from suggest a pregnancy bump holder thing, no physio offered as I’m too far along.

I work in an office so I’m sat down all day and the chairs are ducking horrible. I have a back support but it’s a load of crap and makes me more uncomfortable.

Anyway my AIBU is aibu to call in sick due to my aches this close to maternity leave? Should I just power on through and take it on the Chin? I feel like I could manage with frequent breaks from the chair of death but have a feeling I’ll be signed off on maternity leave early if i suggest this to my team leader.

Will calling in sick affect my maternity pay amount?

Acas are brilliant for advice op give them a call and see how it goes.
I worked right to the end and do you know what more fool me........i know how important money is (trust me i know).
I just wish id had more time at home to prepare and relax before baby arrived.

No they cannot discipline you for pregnancy related absence but can pay you Statutory sick pay rather than full pay if you were off. It could affect your 90% part of maternity pay if you were on a lower wage in the qualifying weeks, if you got reduced pay due to being signed off at that time.

The actual recording of pregnancy related absence is different and shouldn't be lumped in with other types of absence

Would a different chair help? I swapped over from wheelie office chair to ordinary 4 legged chair( borr owed from the meeting room), it did help a bit. Also lay on the floor with feet up very now and again, ( but I did have my own office, might not be possible if you are open plan).

maternityaction.org.uk/advice/sickness-during-pregnancy-and-maternity-leave/

You said you did get reduced pay when off sick, so it could affect your maternity pay, if it was in your qualifying weeks.

Have you had a desk assessment? Is your back pain definitely pregnancy-related or was it pre-existing?

You can start leave from 29 weeks. If you take sick leave related to pregnancy after a certain point it triggers the start of maternity leave. If you cannot comfortably work you need to speak to work and trigger it sooner

www.gov.uk/maternity-paternity-calculator

Yoga! Seriously helped my lower back with DS1. Stretch out all your muscles. I just followed a pregnancy YouTube video every evening and was amazed at how better my back was.

You are allowed to take regular breaks if you work on a VDU. That break is suppose to be anything where you don't look at a screen. In your case you simply get up and move around for up to 10 minutes every hour.

Where I work, one of the H&S staff has been trained in pregnancy-related stuff, they provide sit/stand desks, special chairs and all sorts. One pregnant woman used speech recognition software late in her pregnancy to reduce the amount she had to use her keyboard (by then hard to reach, she had a massive bump!).

It might be worth asking for a specialist workstation assessment.

I would suggest speaking to your HR or your union rep because they will have the best understanding of your policy and what they can offer you.
Hope things get better for you.

gosh it all sounds like such a faff. In Germany (unless self-employed) you have to stop 6 weeks before your due date and you're not allowed back until 8 weeks after the birth (so great if you go over 2 weeks)* or 12 weeks for a preemie/multiples.

*caveat: you can but you have to sign a shit ton of forms and most employers don't want you to