getting signed off work

[firstontheway]

Will try to make this at short as possible!

I'm 32 weeks pregnant and am on home monitoring/ medication for my blood pressure. Last week it shot up a bit and had + protein in my urine. After speaking to my hypertension midwife she advised I leave work till 36 weeks (which is when I'm on mat leave) as I'm a nurse and job involves lots of shift work/ long hours etc. I decided I didn't want to leave just yet, so spoke to my manager and we agreed to carry on and see how things went.

Anyway, the last 2 days my BP has gone back up again (though urine clear) and I went to GP yesterday to get a letter (my manager knew about this and was happy). While I was there I told him I'd been having bad stomach pains at times, particularly at night. He advised it was probably just pressure of the baby, examined me, wrote a note and I went home not checking the letter.

When I looked at the letter this morning he's signed me off for 4 weeks with abdo pain which I'm not too happy with as I'm worried my manager will just ausume I'm trying to get signed off with anything, and my BP isn't a problem. I rang the GP surgery this morning, and my husband took the note in (along with a letter from me explaining why I thought it needed changing as there's no way my stomach pain warrants not going to work for 4 weeks!). And he said he can't sign me off for BP as he can only go by the clinical symptoms he sees? (BTW he didn't take my BP when I was there, I just told him what the hypertension team at the hospital had advised).

So now I don't know what to do. I think I'm worrying too much in a way, but I don't get along very well with my manager anyway and am worried it'll look like I'm 'faking' things. After all, I'm signed off which is the main thing, but not for BP, so how does anyone get signed off for that, if midwives can't write these notes (and it's them that have advised I do this in the first place?).

Sorry this is so long!

Did he not take your BP?

Look, don't worry about it. Your manager will (should) understand that medical professionals do err on the side of caution during pregnancy. They won't include pregnancy related absence for disciplinary action. Your mat leave will automatically be triggered at 36 weeks if you are still off, did you know?

Thanks... the note does say abdo pain, pregnancy related. But am just a bit worried as I hadn't mentioned this to my manager, with good reason becuase it's no way bad enough to effect my work. (happens mostly at night) It was just a '... while I'm here' type of enquiry.

llareggub- no, he didn't take my BP which is why I'm a bit confused. I think you're right really that I shouldn't worry too much, but I worry when I go off for 2 days with flu, I'm just a guilt ridden person! I just don't want anyone to think I've been lying or exaggerating things.

My mat leave starts at 36 weeks anyway, which is why he signed me off till then

Please don't worry anymore.

I worked as much as I could with my first pregnancy, but with my second I am listening to my body and slowing down a lot. Your GP may be concerned that the abdo pain is caused by you being in work, as I'm assuming being a nurse means being on your feet a lot.

By the time you get back from maternity leave they'll have forgotten you were off towards the end. Most people will probably think you're on maternity leave, not off sick.

I'm starting mine at 29 weeks, I can't wait!

I'll try! I wish i'd arranged my mat leave to start earlier tbh, but this is my first and aussumed I'd be one of those (fictional?) women that glow during pregnancy, put on the recomended 30lbs and bounce through the whole thing! But, alas, no.

Do you not think it's worth trying again to get it changed then? They can't refuse the note can they?

I wouldn't bother getting it changed, tbh. Relax and put your feet up!

I have just been signed off for a week and I am 26 weeks pregnant.

I have pulled a muscle in my back and the doctor thinks I got Lumbago and sciatica. I think I have badly pulled a muscle in my back.

Hi. I work in the NHS too, and my understanding is that if you get signed off with pregnancy related illness in the 15weeks prior to going off on maternity leave then it can trigger your maternity leave allowance. I just changed jobs, so had all that stuff sent to me. I think it's OK to be off sick but pregnancy related illness may be different, for the very reasons that you are worried about. This might be my trust and may not apply to yours, but it may be worth checking our your trust policies, hopefully they are online. I'm not trying to make you more anxious, just suggesting you double check, as it sounds like you really want your mat leave for after the baby is born.

They can only trigger your maternity leave 4 weeks before due to a pregnancy related illness. That is the statutory scheme, which the NHS cannot override.

first on the way I was signed off from 28 weeks in my first pregnancy, basically a doctors note is a doctors note doesn't matter what it says hr won't dare question it. My work were so scared of my BP issues they didn't want me back anyway so scared I'd get a nasty phonecall and stroke out (they had healthy imaginations)