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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Not sure I can handle anymore stress

26 replies

pumpkinbump · 15/03/2018 17:50

I posted a little while ago re time off work for appointments and how they are meant to be made up.

My previous appointment was for whooping cough injection, I was told that it doesn't count as it was a GP appointment and doesn't count as preg care. Even though I wouldn't have needed the injection if I wasn't pregnant. Still yet to fight this.

Today I had a midwife appointment so I left work to attend it at 10am. I only expected to be gone about an hour. When she took my blood pressure it was through the roof so she contacted the hospital and they told her to send me in. I went to the hospital with the blood samples she had taken. When I got there and they took my blood pressure it had come down. They sent the bloods off to be tested and I was told to wait in the waiting room. After a while she called me to monitor the baby's heartbeat which was ok. More time in the waiting room when eventually a doctor called me out and told me that the blood tests hadn't come back yet and that it was okay for me to go and that they would ring me if they found anything.

I got back to work at 3pm. Manager had a chat with me to make sure I was okay so I told her everything that happened.

After a while she said to me, 'What are we going to do about your flexi?', I work flexi-time as gov dept. So it seems that this appointment, although a pre-natal/ante-natal appointment will not be made up for me either? I have already taken annual leave for some of the appointments I have had. She got distracted and then left and said we will have our sheduled meeting tomorrow.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

LucyLou19 · 15/03/2018 18:01

Any pregnancy related appointments are paid for,you don't have to take holidays or annual leave,are they familiar with pregnancy in your workplace? I would print some things out if you can explaining it all. Xx

LucyLou19 · 15/03/2018 18:05

CHeck out maternityaction.co.uk tells you all your rights etc xx

Original poster

pumpkinbump · 15/03/2018 18:09

Thank you. I will take a look now. I was just wondering about this one as it took me 5 hours all in all so not sure if there is a time limit on appointments?

OP posts:

LucyLou19 · 15/03/2018 18:10

Specially not when you was sent there! You don't need this stress from your work place when pregnancy should be enjoyable xx

NinaMarieP · 15/03/2018 18:15

ALL maternity appointments count - including parenting classes if your midwife recommends them. I know of women who had done aquanatal aerobics on work time.

There's no limits, no time to be made up, and nobody should be giving you a hard time about it.

MardalaRhyme · 15/03/2018 18:19

Government dept you say? Then email HR and ask for their Maternity Policy. There will be one and it should state that time off for antenatal care must be given and it will be paid time.

Also, refer your manager to this .gov link
www.gov.uk/working-when-pregnant-your-rights

Original poster

pumpkinbump · 15/03/2018 18:22

Thank you both.

I'm not sure if she genuinely forgets what is what. She has not long come back from maternity leave herself so thought she would know.

It just seems that even as it's policy, it just isn't cut and dried.

For instance, when I first had the midwife visit my house it was on the Friday and she was expected at 12:30pm. In a meeting when I told my manager, she mentioned something about as it's 12:30 I can do that in lunch time.

I booked two days off annual leave for 1st and second scans as I was worried about bad news.

For the last two appointments, one consultant appointment and this one today, I told her about them she asked me if I was going into work or if I wanted to book half day or whatever.

It just doesn't seem to go without saying that my time will automatically be made up.

I'm not a confrontational person at all and I'm worried that when I mention this tomorrow in our meeting she will say that as I was gone so long or whatever that it won't be made up or whatever other reason.

OP posts:

Original poster

pumpkinbump · 15/03/2018 18:24

I have read the policy at my work and it does state that reasonable time off for appointments will be paid. I actually did email HR re the whooping cough appointment I had and they basically said that antenatal apps will be covered but GP appointments not and to refer to mananger about it.

OP posts:

Didntcomeheretofuckspiders · 15/03/2018 18:26

Being sent to the hospital is urgent antenatal care, whether it turned out to be an emergency or not! They cannot make you make this time up or take pay from you for it!

MardalaRhyme · 15/03/2018 18:28

Your whooping cough vaccine was basic antenatal care provided within your GP surgery. End off. All your care during pregnancy counts if it is related to the pregnancy. Are you in a union?

Original poster

pumpkinbump · 15/03/2018 18:29

Do I tell her that whilst I appreciate her opinion on having the time made up, I am going to look into it myself and ask HR as I don't think it's right?

OP posts:

Original poster

pumpkinbump · 15/03/2018 18:29

I'm not in the union no but there is one at work.

OP posts:

LucyLou19 · 15/03/2018 18:44

Tell her your going to look into all yourself. Hr should be able to tell you all you need to know and basically tell you ALL appointments and antenatal are paid for xx

surreygirl1987 · 15/03/2018 18:53

This is appalling. You MUST fight this. It is illegal if they try and imply anything other than the documentation states.

Original poster

pumpkinbump · 15/03/2018 19:11

Thank you all. I have emailed the adress on maternity action website so I will see what they say. It seems the HR dept at work can't give me a difinitive answer.

OP posts:

RosaBaby2 · 15/03/2018 19:17

Please do not put up with this it is so wrong!

I have had all my scheduled appointments (plus travel time 30mins each way) and hospital for monitoring which obviously was not pre-scheduled as well as being ill on a few occasions which you cannot be penalised for if pregnancy related, there is nothing you need to make up for, do not let them bully you.

And I can’t believe HR cannot give you an answer either, it’s the bloody LAW!!

NinaMarieP · 15/03/2018 19:26

Your own company's policies cannot override the law!

My line manager tried to get me to use up a few hours I was owed for one of my antenatal appointments and I had to correct her and showed her the government site.

She still had to check with her line manager who checked with HR and thankfully HR said 'er, yes, we have to follow the law...' or words to that effect.

Rockandrollwithit · 15/03/2018 19:30

This is completely wrong!

Your boss would have hated me, I had lots of time off with HG in my second pregnancy. I went for a midwife appt one day at lunchtime and ended up in hospital for almost a week at one point as I was so dehydrated and ill. Thankfully my workplace (a school) had a better understanding of pregnancy related illness etc.

katelily2017 · 15/03/2018 19:36

It would be classed as discrimination to not let you take it. Xxx

Original poster

pumpkinbump · 15/03/2018 19:39

I'd be okay arguing if it was just a normal ante natal appointment. The problem is, it seems grey area regarding the whooping cough vaccination although I have read that any care recommended by midwife should count, and if it wasn't for her telling me to have it I wouldn't know anything about it. But because it was with the nurse at the GP surgery, they're unsure it seems.

With the appointment today, she could say that as you were gone 5 hours thats too long, and there doesn't seem to be any literature either way to state that there is a time limit on appointments or that there isn't.

OP posts:

NinaMarieP · 15/03/2018 20:19

If the government doesn't state a time limit there cannot be one!

Pregnant employees have 4 main legal rights:

paid time off for antenatal care
maternity leave
maternity pay or maternity allowance
protection against unfair treatment, discrimination or dismissal
‘Antenatal care’ isn’t just medical appointments - it can also include antenatal or parenting classes if they’ve been recommended by a doctor or midwife.

Employers can’t change a pregnant employee’s contract terms and conditions without agreement - if they do they are in breach of contract.

Employers must give pregnant employees time off for antenatal care and pay their normal rate for this time off. The father or pregnant woman’s partner has the right to unpaid time off work to go to 2 antenatal appointments.*
*
It's as simple as that - no caveats, no fine print, no exclusions.

Marmite27 · 15/03/2018 20:29

They should all be paid for, including the whooping cough jab.

I’ve had all the usual appointments, separate ones for flu and whooping cough and coming up to 13 extra scans with my consultant to check for fetal anemia.

I was upset when I got back after one appointment and was sent home and they put it down as antenatal care.

I’m probably going to be at the hospital all day on Monday and have been told to take Tuesday as antenatal to get my head straight.

With my first, I just had the usual appointments, plus 2 hours a week for 2 weeks for an antenatal class.

Everything was in paid work time without a problem.

You are entitled to time off for antenatal care (note care, not midwife appointments) by law, and they must follow the law.

Marmite27 · 15/03/2018 20:30

2 hours a week for 6 weeks

ClareB83 · 15/03/2018 21:15

You work for a govt department!!! This is outrageous your manager and HR should know better.

Join the Union. There's a reason they exist and it's because individually we sometimes struggle to stand up for our rights and it's helpful to have someone do it for us.

I work for a govt dept and every single second of my dozens of medical appointments in this pregnancy have been fine (twins = many appointments). Including blood pressure check ups and vaccinations.

MardalaRhyme · 15/03/2018 22:07

The whooping cough vaccine AND the flu vaccine falls under antenatal care. There is no argument about it. If you weren't pregnant, you wouldn't qualify (unless you had another qualifying health condition).

www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/

See section on special groups.

Do not take any more annual leave for antenatal care, in fact you should get your previous leave returned to you!

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