To refuse to travel at 20 weeks pregnant

[Kofifi]

I have been put forward to attend an important event for work in San Fransisco, when I will be 20 weeks pregnant. I find these events exhausting at the best of times and am really dreading the idea of doing it pregnant. Especially with the long travel (16hr) involved.

I was planning to tell work that I'm pregnant after my 12 week scan next week. And I ideally want to use it as a reason to say I don't want to do any long haul trips.

But everywhere I google it says there's no reason I can't travel at 20 weeks. And so I'm worried they'll make me go anyway.

Aibu to think I should be able to opt out?

@sarahd29 not sure I see your point.

Obviously it is between me, maybe my doctor, and my HR. But as I mentioned before I don't plan to bring this up until after my 12 week scan.

When I started this thread I knew that in my gut I didn't feel it was right to go, but I was having problems articulating and understanding why. After reading through so many responses I now have a better understanding of where that feeling was coming from plus new things that I hadn't considered.

So now I'm better prepared for my conversation and I also won't be as shocked if I hear some response like "YoUr NoT sICK YoUr JuSt PrEgNaNt".

So yeah it actually has solved my problem because I know exactly how I'm going to handle this and what I will and won't tolerate from my employer.

Good for you.

But she isn't incapacitated, she is just pregnant.

The travel insurance cost could well be more to cover medical emergencies abroad. Some people have difficult pregnancies and have to limit their activities. Being pregnant isn’t like being not pregnant. It’s actual hard work for the body.

"just pregnant" 🙄it's a pretty big deal for your body to go through! Takes nine months post-partum for some of your organs to move back to where they were, for starters.

Good luck, OP. Stay strong 💪

I'd go, un your second trimester you're generally on good form. Just tell work there's a risk you might need to drop out last minute if you're not well enough. I nearly went on a work trip at 39 weeks pregnant, only didn't in the end because it fell through (and probably wouldn't have gotten travel insurance!).

My employer (public service) takes the stance ‘being pregnant is not a sickness’. This was clearly written by a man, as I’ve never felt so unwell in my life. Even at 20 weeks, particularly the second baby I was struggling massively, so if you don’t feel you can travel that far, don’t go. It’s not a case of “it’s perfectly safe to travel up to X weeks”, if YOU don’t feel you can travel then don’t do it. Every pregnancy is different.

Being pregnant is a protected characteristic in the UK by law and your employer can’t hold it against you if you say you don’t want to travel such a long way.