Sick leave while pregnant for work stress

[Sadgoose]

Hiya all. First time poster just need some advice and to speak to people I don’t know about this!
I’m really struggling at work at the moment. I’m 19 weeks pregnant and I know the hormones are making me feel things more deeply, but I just feel like I need to take some time off but don’t know how to go about it.
My company offers 12 weeks full pay sick leave for context so not worried about financial side of things.
There’s lots going on at work at the moment, we’ve had a high number of staff leave which is putting pressure on those of us left. I take up extra responsibilities, which some of my coworkers in similar roles to me do not do, and I’ve asked if I can stop doing these and focus on my own job and have been told no - I don’t get any extra pay for this.
I dread going to work every day, I’ve cried multiple times over work problems in the last few weeks. Have raised some issues about rota being unfair and have just been sort of told tough luck. I just feel so anxious all day when I’m working and while I do have days where I feel like I can manage most of them are filled with dread and anxiety.
I am spending hours awake at night thinking and dreading work. I’m struggling after work as a result as the stress I feel being there is making it hard to not get stressed and feel burnt out when trying to parent my son.
I just feel like I’m working then spending my time not working just mentally recovering from my job.
I have also been suffering from headaches, which I have told my employer about, and there just seems to be such a lack of empathy about the situation and the potential stress I could be feeling while pregnant.
So my question is, if I get signed off on the sick from work, could it be classed as pregnancy related sickness? I’d of course rather this as it gives you more protection legal wise and in terms of impacting potential redundancy (my company goes through rounds of redundancy almost on the yearly, haven’t had any this year as they cut so much last year to prepare so I wouldn’t be surprised if redundancy becomes an option next year when I’m on maternity leave and I would very much like to take it if it is an option.)

my other concern is what you are allowed to do while on maternity leave. I would feel so guilty going out and about and trying to enjoy myself socially when on sick leave for mental stress, but I know this would help me immensely.
so I suppose my question is if someone is signed off on the sick because of stress and burnout, are they expected to just stay home like a hermit? I have no stress personally and my days off are my happiest.

if I was not pregnant I’d be looking for a new job and would be wanting to leave ASAP but obviously that isn’t really an option when no one will employ a pregnant person and I’d lose my maternity pay.

any advice is appreciated.

I would say it’s work related stress, and you happen to be pregnant. Pregnant related sickness would be things like HG or PGP or other things related directly to your pregnancy.
I would also want work to understand the impact that their practise is truly having on staff ie resulting in stress leave and not hide behind the pregnancy.

the other thing to consider, by going off, what will change when your 2 or 4 weeks is up and you return? I only ask as I did also take stress leave from work whilst pregnant and whilst nothing changed at work at my return it gave me chance to recover and reenergise.

you also need to be careful when using pregnancy related sickness, if it’s after a certain point of your pregnancy work can force you to start maternity leave if off with pregnancy related sickness. I think you have to be in the 30 weeks plus area for that. I was really clear I was off with stress as I wanted to maximise my maternity leave and took that from the day I gave birth (with a few days annual leave before).

finally you can do what you wish whilst off sick other than do another job/get additional income. But you can apply for other jobs. I work in the nhs and we have to declare if we’re going away I think but that’s part of keeping the line manager regularly updated.

hope that helps and hope things improve

It’s not pregnancy related. And a doctor won’t sign you off and say it is due to pregnancy, if it is stress it is stress.

you don’t need to stay home, no, but “out and about out enjoying yourself” isn’t usually a phrase used by those so stressed they cannot function as you describe.

It's not pregnancy related sickness is it? You don't want to say it is unless it is or you could risk your mat leave being triggered early. Also be careful when it comes to your qualifying weeks for maternity leave.

Do you get paid your full pay as sick leave or is it ssp? Be careful if it’s ssp as you’re coming up to your qualifying weeks for mat pay and you’ll get less if you earn less.

When I got to the point of needing to be signed off for stress and burnout because I couldn’t be in work without crying, going out and about enjoying myself socially wasn’t one of my first concerns because I was burnt out! It took a long time to move beyond needing to be curled up at home resting and trying to get mentally well again.

Have you spoken to HR about the unreasonable demands that work are making of you? I’m not sure why you’re the only one who has to take on extra responsibilities and no one else does but it very much sounds like an issue for your HR department.

Thanks all for your input and clarity re the pregnancy related sickness not being stress. I thought it might be able to come under this as it’s not my usual behaviour/reaction to situations and is kind of hormonal but I understand that it’s not for things like this now.

My point with wanting to carry on my life as normal outside of work isn’t really out and about socialising in the sense id want to be out with my friends enjoying things like that, because I don’t do that now anyway. It’s more that I wouldn’t want to stop taking my little boy places and spending time as a family as that really is the only thing that brings me joy.

I of course will want to be at home resting for a while but as I work from home anyway being couped up at home isn’t really something that helps me feel distressed. I’m the type of person who needs to get out of the house. My stress and burnout really is only directly related to work.

Speaking to HR is a bit of a tricky one as I feel like in my company they’re only there for the sort of filling out of forms and sorting pay not actual support. I work for a very large company but based at a local centre so HR work centrally so it’s not like I could just go and “chat to Sharon at HR.”

id get full pay on sick for 12 weeks so wouldn’t affect my SSP.

I also don’t think anything will change in the 2/4 weeks off but I’m worried I’ll be treated differently for taking time off which is another reason I’m apprehensive about it. I just can’t face tearing up every day before work any longer