Sick Leave during Pregnancy

[Poppybloom55]

Hi Everyone

How are others with severe pregnancy symptoms finding working full time? Up until 6 weeks, I didn’t have any symptoms at all, but since then I’ve had daily sickness, headaches, extreme tiredness and all day nausea so I’m really struggling!
I’m now 11 weeks so hoping it’ll calm down towards the second trimester but I just feel awful going home sick from work.

Has anyone else had to have numerous sick days since falling pregnant?

I did read online that you’re employer can’t question your sick leave while pregnant but my works policy doesn’t mention anything like that and simply says it’ll be treated like any other sickness.

It’s only pregnancy related absence that doesn’t count for sickness triggers etc. Pregnancy isn’t a get out of jail free card. If you break your leg it will be treated as normal sickness absence.

Not sure where you are reading this guff but they absolutely must question absence in order to establish whether it is pregnancy related or not, and whether you need any adjustments to your work/arrangements to support you.

They can question it, can ask for a drs note if it’s extended time off, for example. It just can’t “count” like the rest of your sick leave, and you can’t be penalised for it. So if they have a threshold of absence that triggers a review etc, pregnancy sick leave doesn’t count.

It wouldn't be able to be counted against you but you'd be subject to the same pay rules for ordinary sick leave

As people have said, pregancy-related sickness has to be treated by your employer differently from sickness that is not pregancy-related but just happens to occur during pregnancy. I think you'd perhaps have it a bit difficult to try to claim sick leave for 'tiredness' though as that's really not an illness of any sort and it would potentially be difficult to argue 'headache' is pregnancy-related. In terms of time off, I had about 12 weeks off with both my pregnancies as I had hyperemesis.

@OnceAgainWithFeeling Perhaps I worded that badly when I said they can’t question you. I meant they have to record pregnancy related absence differently e.g. they cannot consider it for disciplinary action which they may be able to do for other frequent absences.

I haven’t had any time off yet, I was mainly asking how others were coping and whether many had also found the symptoms of pregnancy were causing them to need to go back to bed frequently instead of working with ease!

I’m now 13 weeks and have been off since 6 weeks. The first 4 weeks I self certified and the other 3 weeks I used as holiday as I had days left to use. I’ll probably be off for atleast another 3 weeks due to hyperemesis, but will be getting a GP note as of next week.

I was signed off for 2 months with DD, and would have been again for this pregnancy if not for the fact I could work from home this time so could get up later, lie down at lunch, have access to ice lollies which I could keep down etc.