Falling pregnant whilst on maternity/ or not long after return.

[Dozeyland]

what are your views?

I had to go in to work and tell my boss I was pregnant again while I was on maternity leave. He hit the roof apparantly (not in front of me - I heard through the office grapevine.) I worked right up to a week before my due date with both pregnancies and only took 6 months ML both times even though I could've taken more but I kind of felt like they had been good to me and I knew it would make things very difficult for them if I took all of my entitlement. I don't really understand what the big deal is though - I got my maternity leave all out of the way in the space of 2 years but even if I hadn't got pregnant again so quickly I still would've had another baby eventually and still would've had 2 lots of ML just a bit more spread out. Isn't it just prolonging the inevitable if you want more than one child?

this is some kind of bored board troll invasion, no?

Triggles, childbirth doesn't usually take that long. If more men pulled their weight later on (e.g. staying at home with the sick baby), women would be seen as less of an employment liability. We naturally can't have total equality, but we could aspire to the kind of equality that might make an employer want to ask a young man what his childcare plans were.

WHen are people going to take on board the fact that maternity leave is about much more than the mother.

It is about the bonding relationship between mother and child. And if that is strong, and the mother is happy, then bonding between father and child (assuming a 2-parent family where father is working full time-generalising for the sake of argument) can take place in an atmosphere of calm and peace when father is at home.

This builds a strong family base, in which a child is nurtured and secure, and can grow and learn.

This leads to happy, healthy children and happy, healthy parents. This is good for the economy that supports families where good relationships have not thrived.

I find this really difficult tbh. I firmly believe that all parents, mothers and fathers, should be entitled to time off work with their children both immediately after birth and at points in the first few years when their children need them. The amount that they should be paid for this is something I'm not so sure about. If benefits are to be limited for people who are not working to one or two children then I think this should also be the case for those who are working. I'm sure I'll get flamed but that is still what I think.

I also think that as employees women have a responsibility to be fair to their employers. I worked with a woman 9 years ago who had 2 maternity leaves during the 3 years I worked with her. I moved to another job but saw her at midwife clinic with my first DC, she was on ML with baby no.3 in 5 years. I'm friends with her on facebook now, she's just returned to work after her 6th baby in 9 years. She constantly moans about being exhausted, status is often 'only 3 more hours at work today, it's dragging' or 'shit, missed the bus cos so tired, late again'. I cant help thinking she has and is being unfair to my former employers.

The lady on daybreak got compensation for being discriminated against.
A 5 figure sum.

I believe that women should be offered equal rights- after all they
Are the ones who go through labour and as amistillsexy says, its important
For mother and child to bond, ESPECIALLY if the father is the main
Bread-winner. I believe in strong parent/child attatchment theory - which makes for
A happy child, which then equals for happy mother. For this to happen,
Mother should be entitled to time off with baby whether they choose 6m or a year. And if they happen
To fall pregnant again within that time - then that's life.

Having a baby is beyond the most precious gift, and it should be cherished, not though
On as a burden for employers.

Especially when they will get the money back from the SMP. And also its not that
Hard to find someone who will want a maternity cover job. I should know - I've done it, covered mat
Leave.

I agree, what age gap would be suitable then?

What about those people who want kids, but have a job that they need Mat leave from, why should a woman have
To choose between having a lovely secure famnily and working. Surely there is a balance between the two. Or am I dreaming?

Maypole, are you for real?

If so, you're an idiot.

Maypole get a grip... and a dictionary! It's comments like yours that set the feminist movement back around 50 years. How are intelligent, hard-working women supposed to produce intelligent, hard-working offspring if companies sack them because they have two babies close together? It's illegal and immoral. I'm guessing you work for/own a small business...

Well here's what I figure. I gave my employers seven good years bloody hard work full time. Then I went on maternity leave. Then I got pregnant (without planning it - that does happen) before I returned from ML. Yes, I was embarrassed, yes, they were probably a bit pissed off, but they didn't show it. Result: after my second leave (and I had 4 months at work in between the two) I went back and worked bloody hard for them for another three years until they made me redundant.

It works both ways: a good employer who honours your employee rights generates loyalty in the employee. Yes there are people that take the piss, but getting pregnant is a pretty drastic way to do that!

I went back to work after my first maternity leave almost 7 months pregnant. It wasn't supposed to happen that way..

What was I to do? Say "sack me now"? Just because I got pregnant when DS was 3 months old?

I fell into this category. I've been with the same employer for 10 years and I think they've had good value from me. It really makes no difference if you have 2 lots of leave soon after each other or a few years apart.

I would suggest that even small businesses who cannot cope with meeting the demands of basic employment law should not in fact be in business in the first place?

There cannot be total equality because men cannot get pregnant and carry and give birth to children. If they could then this discussion would be a very different one, I'm sure!