if you get signed off sick, when does maternity leave automatically start?

[mrswee]

Just that really. I can't remeber now but I am sure there is a week towarsd the end where being signed of sick automatically becomes maternity leave. Does anyone know which it is?

my job is V stressful and I can see myself being in this position if things don't improve!

I don't know the answer to this (although I have a little voice in my head saying its quite early like 27wk? I may be waaaaaaay off tho!

Interested tho as I'm not doing too well in my pregnancy at the min and may be signed off sick, but don't want this or my may leave to start!!

Oh I hope not. I don';t want to have to start leave so early as I don't have enough money to take a long time off.

Hi
It's 4 weeks before your expected date of maternity leave....I think!

It's 36 weeks. You can self certify for a week at a time until then. You could even sign off for a week, go back a day then sign off again if you were that way inclined!

This only applies if your illness is pregnancy related. So, in my case, I went off sick wiht appendicitis at 31 weeks pg, was signed off work till 38 weeks, then started my mat leave. As the appendicitis was unrelated to my pregnancy (just bloody awful timing!), I was on sick leave, not mat leave.

ah all very interesting. My job is stressful but the stress which I normally handle on a daily basis and will probably shorten my life in long run, is now effecting my pregnancy. I have had tightenings in my uterus everyday and it often stays like that for days, it's not very nice at all. I'm attempting to deal with it for now but I can't imagine going on like this for another 20 weeks if I am honest!

heeheehee I'm going on maternity 4 weeks before estimated blast off date and I fully intend to do several sudden self certified sciatica attacks.
Bring on some sofa weeks where I can lie watching rubbish telly and eat ice pops constantly

I don't like my job

It is from 36 weeks onwards if the sickness is pregnancy related. So if you were signed of with say stress and your doctor made it clear on the note 'non pregnancy related stress' for example your employer cannot force you to start mat leave.