Pregnany nanny - appointments

[HappyAsIAm]

I'm posting for a friend - our nanny is not pregnant (as far as I know!).

My friend's nanny works for them 2.5 days a week, spread over 3 days. She doesn't work on the other days of the week. She has told my friend that her routine ante-natal appointments at her local surgery can only take place on the afternoons of one of the 2.5 days she works for them, as that is when the midwife will be at her local surgery. She intends to work until 38 weeks, and she will be seen once every 4 weeks until 28 weeks, and then once every 2 weeks after that until she goes on maternity leave.

My friend has no reason to think that anything her nanny is saying isn't true. She is just concerned that, as the nanny has the right to go to these appointments, she will ahve to ake alternative childcare arrangements once a month and then once a fortnight, which will be difficult for her as she and her DH have demanding jobs and no family nearby. Their nanny's surgery is about 45 minutes' drive from their house, and 5 minutes' drive from the nanny's house. Therefore it doesn't seem sensible for her to come back to work after the appointments. Essentially, the nanny is going to be away from work from mid afternoon on the days that she has appointments (she would nromally work until 6 pm).

What can my friend do? Is it a case of just accepting that this is how it has fallen and this is something she has to work around, or is there any other way round this?

I think its just hard luck it falls on the days she works and she is entitled to time to attend these appointments - can she make them first or last thing so doesnt impact too much (I used to have mine at 9am first appointment or 3.30pm last appointment as worked 8-4 and my surgery was near home which is 25mins from work).

Can she or would she take children with her 2 appointments??

Once every 4wks until 28wks then every 2wks seems alot I went every 4-6wks throughout to see midwife I think but then had some consultant and scan appointments as well oh and physio!!

Can she make other appointments where possible on non-working days such as scans to limit impact on family.

Does she have a nanny friend who would cover for her?

As she is entitled to all antenatal care as paid time off it might just be one of those things your friend has to go along with - she can attend aquanatal and yoga classes etc also in work time if midwife recommends it for her health!!

Last appointment (only afternoon appointments are available, as it is only an afternoon session once a week that the midwife does from her surgery) is 3:15, which will involve nanny leaving work at about 2:15, to be there in time. I'd imagine that she wouldn't take my friend's child with her to the appointments, but they haven't spoken about this. I don't think my friend contemplated that this could/would happen.

Nanny has accepted the scan appointments at the times the hospital has said - one has fallen on a working day so she had time off for that, and one hasn't.

maybe my friend could approach the nanny's nanny friend to see if anyone could provide cover - I will suggest this.

I imagine that this is something my friend simply has to swallow, and pay her for the afternoons and take holiday from work herself, as she can't work flexibly.

Yes its just bad luck for your friend.

She is pregnant and had the right to paid time off for all her ante-natal appointments.

If she has some nanny (or local mummy) friends maybe they might be able to look after her children along with their own normal children.

Also they are quite within their rights to ask her to go back after the appointment, although there doesnt seem very much in going back just for half an hour, especially if midwife then runs late!

(im currently pg and my last midwife appt was 40 mins late!)

During my last pregnancy I took the youngest child with me to all my antenatal appointments, the surgery was quite near to my work & I was always back in time to collect the older children from school. As its usually a quick chat with the midwife, blood presure check & a dopple, it wasnt a hassle to take him with me.

Of course the nanny is not obliged to do this but it`s certainly worth asking her.

Can she see the doctor instead of the midwife, I seem to remember being able to do this, Infact it was alternate appointments. At least that would cut the appointments in half.Seems a fair compromise to me.

It's tough but that's the way life goes unfortunately.

Is there absolutely no way that your friend could temporarily work different days and the nanny work different days?

It does sound like she has a lot of appointments - every 2 weeks from 28 sounds unusual unless it's a high risk pregnancy.

If she's in london, sitters.co.uk will do short term one off cover during the day and its not that expensive.
I think it sounds like a lot of appointments too, but she may be high risk

Is that really true that an employee working three days a week could also elect to go to something like ante natal yoga during working hours?

I am currently pregnant and can only see the midwife on certain days so what the nanny is saying makes sense. Sadly, I think that your friend will have to suck it up and look for alternative arrangements. The sitters idea is a very good one. My nanny is registered with them and I know that they wouldn't take them on until I had given her a reference.

Does seem a lot of appointments but maybe the nanny has had mc before and doctors keeping an eye on her

I would suggest either trying to swap days that week if mb can or to see if the nanny has a friend who can leave children with or taking dc with her

Otherwise you just have to suck it I'm afraid

Think back when you were pregnant - did you have time off work to go to appointments?

The nanny isn't asking for anything that she isn't legally entitled to :)

Harriet - yes, it's true. If a class is specifically aimed at only PG women then employees are entitled to attend and still get paid. MW has to 'approve' it but TBH I can't imagine a scenario where the MW says 'Mmm, no, that PG yoga class is such a waste of time I'm going to stand in your way and say no'

Thansk for the replies. I have no idea of the nanny's medical history - its a friend's nanny, and I'm not sure she would know either. She hasn't said that she is high risk - she has said that these are the appointments that she will need time off for. It may be that she is high risk, but that's her business I suppose, and she doesn't have to volunteer that. Maybe my friend will ask whether her nanny can see the doctor on alernate appointments, though I'm not sure whetehr she would feel comfortable even suggesting it.

The sitters sugegstion is a really good one, I will recommend it to her. Unfortunately, my friend cannot change her working days, so sitters might work out really well for her.

Blondes - when I( was pregnant, I went back into work after all appointments and made up the time. My friend isn't even thinking of suggesting that ehr nanny comes back to work after the appointment is over (even if they are running on time), given that the nanny's surgery is so close to where the nanny lives. That said, I receognise that everyone is allowed time off for ante-natal appointments.

Thanks all.

Just a thought....
Im currently (15 weeks) pg
I know that my appts are 15 weeks 21 weeks, 28 weeks
32 weeks, 36 week, 38weeks, 40 weeks, then weekly.
If it were my second or more pregnancy it would be less than that!

This is for my midwife led care, and i too only have 1 session avaliable for me to attend (morning as it happens)
If the nanny is a "high risk" pregnancy, already knowing so far in advance that she needs so many appointments, it seems wierd to me that she is midwife led care, and not consultant led care.

To be fair i know nothing much on the subject, but it seems to be that as soon as the pg is not typicaly normal you are referred for consultant care.
Therefor is so, then surely she can have appts whenever at the hospital?
and if midwife care i find it very odd that she is having quite so many routine appts

What is your friend planning to do for childcare whilst her nanny is on maternity leave? Is there any possibility that some of the ante-natal dates could be covered by her maternity cover? Also it might be worth seeing whether any local childminders might be able to accommodate some of those dates.