Travelling for work (uk) at 36 weeks pregnant

[Supermomdiggingupthelawn]

Hello

Work have insisted I attend a meeting in person whilst 36 weeks pregnant. It’s 4 hours away by train, unfortunately I can’t drive that far due to PGP.

I could stay over one night but I’m nervous about being so far from home for any longer than necessary. That would be at least 8 hours train travel in a day.

Is that a reasonable request or am I being a bit precious?

Thanks in advance

36 weeks? Intending to work up to the last minute? I'd be tempted to start maternity and get ready for the baby.

Hi OP, they can ask you to do that as technically if you’re not on maternity leave then you’re still expected to carry out your usual responsibilities and there would be nothing to say that due to pregnancy you CAN’T travel, only that you don’t want to.

I wouldn’t have been happy to do that travel either but if they are insistent on it then start maternity leave x

Who’s voting YBU? How ridiculous. What a terrible idea to be so far away from where you will be giving birth at 36 weeks pregnant!

I think I would be getting a letter from my doctor exempting me from travelling more than 1 hour from the hospital.

Ask for them to do a risk assessment. Yanbu.

Train travel is not stressful. I don't see why you can't go. Your either working or your not.

No GP is going to do that unless a high risk pregnancy or reason to believe there’s a concern, just “being pregnant” isn’t a reason to chain yourself to the hospital.

I'm surprised they've asked you to travel that far and I don't think you'd be unreasonable to ask for a risk assessment.

How do you feel about travelling that far? Do you think you'd be comfortable for 4 hours each way on a train? Is this your first baby?

Pregnancy is different for everyone. I'm self employed so worked locally right up the birth of my first DC but a few weeks before then DH and I turned down a job that was 5 hours from home as I didn't feel comfortable him being so far away.

Talk to HR and ask for a risk assessment. Explain that PGP and greater need to urinate make it impossible. They might be trying to force you to start maternity early by calling in sick?

Speaking as someone who travels on the train regularly for work… it’s often stressful. Delays, waiting on platforms, hoping someone isn’t in your reserved seat, wondering if you’ll be able to get to the toilet. And I have no idea how you sit in a table seat when 36 weeks pregnant so working is going to be a challenge.

OP you are not being unreasonable. Ask them to do a risk assessment on your work travel.

My job involved lots of travel, all of which involved international flights lasting 90 minutes to 3 hours. I travelled until 37 weeks if memory serves me right.

But do check your company's travel insurance covers you.

If you are working you should attend unless there was a specific health condition that prevents travel, being pregnant isn't enough. Why not ask to start maternity leave/take any remaining annual leave then start? It used to be normal to start maternity 6 weeks or so beforehand and this was when we only got 29 weeks after the birth (up to 11 before and up to 29 after)

I am currently pregnant and following my health and safety assessment I won't be travelling at around 34 weeks pregnant (to be fair I will likely be too big to drive!). This should take priority to keep you safe in your role as it is your company's responsibility should anything happen to you.

So many train seats you'd struggle to fit in at 8 months pregnant. Have a word with your GP about not being fit for travel.

I would never expect a woman that pregnant to travel 4 hours away for work, and I wouldn’t myself (mine all came early). I’d be telling them where to go personally.

I said no travel after 35 weeks and work were fine with that. Until then I was up and down to London (2.5 hours each way). I think it’s perfectly acceptable to say no - at 36 weeks I was at appointments three times a week at least due to needing to monitor placental blood flow so there’s no way I could have travelled!

I'm travelling for a holiday at 36 weeks pregnant in the UK. Dh only coming for half the week so will be driving back alone. Other family are with me for the holiday though.
I'm checking out where the nearest hospital is but otherwise not worried too much, but then it's not my first baby and mine don't tend to come early.

Mine came at 36 and37 weeks so I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be travelling far in late pregnancy.

Honestly I think a nice train journey with a trashy book sounds lovely versus a day in the office

Yanbu. I wouldn't be doing that either. Busy stations and all that. No thanks. I was pretty massive at that point though! Very large baby!

I wouldn't want to do so much travelling so heavily pregnant, especially for a meeting that can presumably be done over Teams or whatever.

Ask them what they plan on doing if you go into labour.

Not a chance.

Get a note from your GP or MW to say this is unreasonable.

Not a chance I’d have been happy with that but more importantly as a manager I wouldn’t be wanting the responsibility of making a heavily pregnant women travel anywhere especially one with PGP. At that point I’d be suggesting wfh only.

I'm sure I just saw this in Facebook!

I gave birth at 36 weeks.