can you start your maternity leave earlier than agreed?

[PurlyQueen]

I'm 33 weeks and due to start ML at the beginning of March. However, I'm so knackered that I doubt I'll be able to last until then. Do I need a doctors note to start my ML earlier?

My iron levels are fine, btw as I had a blood test last week.

I'm not sure that you need a Dr's note. If you feel like you're too tired and it's not doing you any good then you should stop.

I was in a similar position, i wanted to leave 3 weeks earlier than agreed but i didnt have a 'medical' reason not to. I just cited severe fatigue and told them I wouldn't be back.

If they ask for a Dr's note I'm sure your GP pr MW would support you if you asked for one that supports your decision to leave earlier.

Can you check with your HR department?

Easy! I started a week earlier than intended and just explained how tired I was and that I was finding the commute really hard. Wrote the boss a letter just to be polite but that was it. Five days later I was at home and much happier!

I don't think you'll get much hassle. If they are weird about it you can always go to your GP and he will sign you off with fatigue till your ML starts, so it's not in their interests to keep you when you want to go IYSWIM.

You should be able to just call HR and tell them. You set the original dates, right? So you're just amending them. HTH

If you get paid sick leave, why not try to get your GP to sign you off first? That way you still get the same amount of time off after baby is born, rather than having to come back a few weeks earlier than you'd originally planned. A friend of mine did this successfully. Work don't need to know if the GP refuses, so you can still go with the starting mat leave earlier if necessary.

You have the right to change the date you go on maternity leave if you give 28 days' notice.

Having said that, I would be astonished if you spoke to HR or your boss or whoever and said you wanted to start it sooner than 28 days if they made you work 28 days before you stopped. If you said you wanted to start because you didn't feel up to continuing they'd be daft to make you wait 28 days just because that's the rule.

if you go on sick leave near the end of your preg (can't remember the exact dates) your employer can ask you to start maternity leave, rather than giving you sickness absence

nervousal it's 36 weeks that the employer can forcibly start mat leave if you are off with pg-related illness.