Sick leave or maternity leave?

[babybouncer]

I was due to start my maternity leave at 36 1/2 weeks, but had a small bleed at 34 weeks and the doc told me to stop working. I haven't been back into work, generally all the people I work with have been hugely supportive, and when my boss asked if I was taking early maternity leave I said that I thought it was sick leave and she said that was fine. I've now had an email to say that Personnel says my maternity leave will be starting early. (I work in a school, so it's the city council's Personnel Dept, which I've never really had any dealings with).
Unfortunately, I've left my Maternity Handbook in my desk at work, but I'm sure it said that even pregnancy-related sickness absence wasn't taken out of my maternity leave. Can anyone clarify?

You need to check with HR. I work for a large public sector employer and if you are signed off after 36 weeks that automatically starts your maternity leave, doesn't seem beyond the realms of possibility that your employer's cut off date is a bit earlier.

Good luck with the rest of the pregnancy!

If it's within four weeks of your due date it can start your maternity leave but check this out.

But, faeriefruitcake if I was 34 weeks, that would make me 6 weeks from my due date

mat leave starts at 36 weeks if sick leave is pregnancy related. Basically its a HR issue and they record accordingly.

based on what you've said - your mat leave is going to start a couple of days early not 2 weeks early. if you've already informed you were leaving at 36 1/2 weeks, then you are starting mat leave 1/2 a week early. if they are gracious then they'll give you the days lost at the end of the mat period.

take care and rest - had a placenta previa grade 4 with my last baby, signed off from 21weeks, another bleed at 31weeks and DS arrived at 35wk5days.

should say the only thing that changes this is if baby arrives before the agreed maternity start date (like me), then mat leave starts the next day.

I work in a council HR team and our policy is that ML is triggered where there is a maternity related sickness 4 weeks before expected due date, so 36 weeks as others have said. I'd just call HR and ask them to explain it to you, I wouldn't mind if you called me it's their job to explain things like that to staff. hTH

Thanks for all your advice. I emailed school to ask them for HR's contact details, but they've had a look in our maternity handbook and confirmed that I am correct. Now I just need to get a GP sick note to cover the two weeks before my 'official' maternity leave starts at 36 weeks.

So glad you were able to back me up, I was worried that was going to be a battle, but it turned out to be (so far!) simple to sort out.