Starting a new job and announcing first pregnancy to new employers

[Lewaney3]

Hi all,

Background: I hope I don't out myself! I'm due to start a new job for a scheduled contract of 8 months. Upon which I qualify into my chosen profession. This has been a very long hard road and to be honest I can't quite believe I'm almost near the finishing line!
I found out I'm pregnant end November. By which time I'd already done a short placement at my new place and I was offered the contract to start in jan. I have accepted the new contract etc. all the paperwork is due to be sent off the first week of jan.

I now have my 12 week scan mid jan. approximately 10 days after I start my new job. I am so worried. Firstly about telling them about the pregnancy I worry they may think I tricked them into it...or I've been hiding things( I know it's none of their bloody concern as my DH put it) but I am a big worrier and I'm in a competitive field. It's a small workforce and the boss is a male. Whilst all my colleagues are older females with no children.( stating their genders so as not to drip feed) I worry I'm going to come across as not committed when its far from the truth.

Also I'm unsure how to get time off for my scan. As its my first pregnancy I would love to see a reassurance scan first of baby before declaring it to work whom I barely know. God forbid it was sad news. So do I just state it's a medical appointment but I can't see that going down well after I've just started? Also am I entitled to a whole day off or half day? I'm stressed out about getting to my appointment and back to work and how to manage it all.

I know I will have to disclose it to work eventually. I was hoping to do so at the end of January or after the scan.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Congratulations on new job and pregnancy.
Regarding the scan how much time do you need? My dh is allowed time off work for 2 scans ( 12 and 20 weeks) and a max of 6.5hrs per time. Unless you have to drive over 2-3 hours each way you should not need a whole day off. I found I needed 30 minutes in the hospital and travel time. So a few hours depending on what time your appointment is, if that helps.

Thank you silver
I'm not too sure how long scans are for . Mine is at 10 am. However I shall be working in bham and my scans/antenatal are in london. I know this is now quite impractical but our family home remains in london. I'm essentially only in bham to work. So if my scan did finish by 12. I would need 2 hours to train it back to bham. Then come to work. It would be a squeeze and totally reliant on hospital times. Also I don't see how I can say I'm unsure of how long it will take without disclosing its a pregnancy scan.

Although at the scan I will be raising the possibility of moving my appointments to bham and for the birth back to london.

Can you just say there's a hospital appt you've been waiting for and you've had the letter through over Xmas? The travel does make things awkward but unless they're not very nice people I'm sure they'll let you take the time.

I terms of telling them, you don't legally have to let them know for a little while yet, but it depends how big you get and how long you can bear to keep it a secret for.

I found out I was pg 3 weeks after starting a new job. I was dreading telling them but they were really supportive. They might be a bit annoyed but they can't show this to you as it would be discriminatory and you have lots of rights at work once they know you're pg to avoid discrimination. I'd built it up to be a massive thing in my head and it was actually fine.

I remember my friend saying to me " it's life, people get pregnant all the time, they'll just have to deal with it". Which is so true!

Congratulations and hope all goes well with the scan

Your entitled to any antenatal appointment time plus travel time, but you'd have to tell them you're preggo. Otherwise in my workplace your entitled to 1 hour medical time. My 12 weeks scan took about 10-15 mins max - this was with nothing unusual found then I had to wait to get blood taken as I opted to have the screening for downs. Then after you have to book in your 20 week scan at the reception. I'd say I was in the hospital max 45 mins. But you can never know if your appointment is going to run late or if something comes up in the scan that takes a bit longer - I haven't experienced this so I'm not sure what happens. Can you take annual leave for a day or half day? Or offer to work time back for time off. I possibly wouldn't come up with a fake story like a funeral or something as eventually if going ahead with pregnancy you'll have to come clean & they will be able to work out why you needed time off. Also your have midwife appointments at 16 & 24 weeks - this is where I'm at so I can't tell you what happens next. Congrats & best wishes

Well, you could probably get away with saying you have an appointment that has been there for ages, as you made it before you got the job. I had this in a previous job where I had a dentist appointment in my second week that was scheduled for 10am and involved getting things done that meant I needed the entire day off. I just told them I had an appointment that I'd made before getting the job and they didn't make any fuss about it.

Agree if all on time less than an hour is usual. Quite a short scan at 12 weeks. You will need time as a PP said for midwife appointments which are usually at 16,24,28 weeks so if having those on NHS in London you are going to need quite a lot of time off with travel time. I book my midwife appointments for first available slot but only have a 40min travel time.

Similar to what the others have said, around an hour for the scan and bloods plus travel time. I'm in a similar position as I work in Leicester but am having my baby at home in Warrington. I'm very lucky that my work have been really accommodating, especially as midwife & hospital clinic are only on a Tuesday afternoon. I tend to work from home or one of our other sites at the start of the week and travel to Leicester on a Wednesday morning. Hopefully your work will be understanding too. x

Could you phone now, before you start, and ask to take a day's leave as you have a booked appointment but travel makes it impractical to work? Of course you're entitled to paid time off but you may feel more comfortable doing it this way.

I’m in exactly the same position! I start a new job next week and will be starting 8 weeks pregnant. It is a dream job for me and a role that I’ve been working towards for a few years - but at the same time I’ve been ttc for 2.5 years and it has been a long hard struggle - having just been referred for fertility treatment and being told we were eligible we decided to hold off for 6-12 months so I could settle into my new job… and then I discovered I was pregnant naturally. I am absolutely thrilled but yes at the same time nervous about that awkward conversation!

Like you, I’m not planning on telling my new employer (also got a male boss) until I’m 14-15 weeks (mid Feb). I want to spend January proving how committed I am and good at the job, plus I want to have the scan and tests etc completed so that I know that the pregnancy is healthy etc. before I break the news that I will imminently need maternity leave.

I have requested a Saturday appointment for my booking appointment and I am planning to take half a days annual leave for my scan. My thinking is that half a days annual leave is the least stressful option - I don’t have to make any excuses or lie. I won’t be rushed or worried if the appointment is running late and I don’t have to get myself back to the office within a certain timeframe.

If you want an early reassurance scan I assume you are paying for it privately? The NHS wont give you an early scan without a medical reason for you needing one (and it will be in working hours). But if you are paying for a private scan you can ask for one outside of working hours or at the weekend.

Good luck!

Thank you all for the support. Feels much better to know I'm not the only one who has been through this :)

Sonic I like the idea of saying I've got a med appointment letter over Christmas. This is the truth as I got my scan letter over Christmas post.

Sorry for the confusion by my use of reassurance. It is my official 12 week scan and blood testing with the Nhs. If it was private I would have opted for weekend or evening as some clinics offer them. But financially private is not really an option right now for us.

Also I'm not too sure of how much annual leave I get if any. As I'm only employed for 8 months. I was hoping to get sight of the papers on my first day back and double check as well as view the office manual and what it has to say about maternity leave etc.

I was thinking to state it's an appointment that's come over the Christmas period and as my gp remains in London. I have to return there for the appointment. Hoping they will be accommodating. Just wish it wasn't barely 10 days after I start the job!

I may just disclose the fact I am pregnant after the scan shows everything is healthy. I think it will make the whole process a lot less stressful for me. Thank you for all the reassurance and well wishes.

I found out I was pregnant when I was a month into my new job. I took half day annual leave for all my hospital appointments and worked from home for midwife ones. My local hospital always run late so I usually have to wait an hour in the waiting room. In didn't tell them until 17-18 weeks. It's my second pregnancy so I showed earlier. You might be able to get away till after 20 weeks,

I took a days leave for my 12 week scan. Thought it would be easier not rushing and made a day of it with my OH. No-one knew just me and OH so if it there had been a problem we could have just gone home. Up to you whether or not you take a day off but seemed easier for me.

It's worth remembering that many if your colleagues are probably parents and have been there. Many of my middle aged male colleagues went rather misty-eyed when I said I was pregnant. They adore their children and one said he envied me and how sad he was that he'll never have another newborn.

This time round I took a day's leave for my 12 week scan as it was a long way from work. But I did tell my boss where I was going so that it was authorised.

Hi all,

I've checked my papers and noticed I do get annual leave but 1 day has to be requested a week before. So I'm hoping to request it on my second day on the job and hope all goes well.

Also I've noted I have a probationary period of 2 months. The irrational part of me is now worried to tell them about the pregnancy before then. :( But I'd be 20 weeks by then and most likely showing. I also think the stress of hiding will really get to me!

I was still in my probationary period when I told work I was pg. I was thinking of holding off until after but I was suffering badly with ms and I think my boss was starting to wonder what was wrong with me so I ended up telling them anyway.

You're actually more protected once they know about the pregnancy as it would be hard for them to not keep you on after probation (if you're performing ok) without it looking like sexual discrimination. They'd need to have really clear evidence that it was about you and your performance and not about the fact that you're pregnant to terminate your employment at end of probation. So in a lot of ways it's better if they do know.

I have this same problem. Only 6 weeks but I start my new job 12th January. I don't know when best to tell them as its in a healthcare profession with heavy lifting etc so will need a risk assessment at some point. I was planning to tell them at 12 weeks so I could prove myself for a month and also know the baby will probably be fine at that point. Is it possible for an employer to let you go due to pregnancy x