Taking maternity leave early?

protege_moi

I'm currently due mid July but for various reasons have considered leaving for leave at 34 weeks. My concern is that I can't go that early or I'd need a medical certificate for it. No point asking my hr because her advice changes every week. Any advice greatly appreciated

Meathcat7

I'm told by my sister in law who is currently on mat leave that you can just get your GP to sign you off sick. You would be on sick leave then as opposed to maternity leave. No offence to anyone on here who is in HR but HR are not there for you, they are there for the good of the company, that has always been my experience with HR. Their advice will change to suit the company, obviously within the law!

You need to do what's right for you and your baby, if that means going on sick leave then so be it. I will certainly be doing it if the need arises.

Anne_cordelia

protege_moi wrote: »

I'm currently due mid July but for various reasons have considered leaving for leave at 34 weeks. My concern is that I can't go that early or I'd need a medical certificate for it. No point asking my hr because her advice changes every week. Any advice greatly appreciated

You can go on maternity leave but it just means you are shortening your maternity leave by at least 4 weeks. If your baby is overdue you could be home without baby on maternity leave for 8 weeks. 26 weeks sounds like a long time off but it flies as you are finding your groove and then starting on solids etc. If you are unwell I'd take sick leave until maternity leave. Or take holidays. If you can afford to take unpaid leave afterwards and were desperate you could use your maternity leave but personally I'd be reluctant.

mrsmags16

Use the minimum mat leave possible pre birth i.e. only from the Monday of the week before you're due. That's only 1 week of the 26 if your due date is a Monday, for example. Anything before that take closer to the time as certified sick leave due to complications of pregnancy. I'm finishing next week at 36 weeks due to back pain. If you're late in 3rd trimester you'd be very lucky NOT to have some ailment that qualifies as a complication of pregnancy warranting sick leave.
HR will prefer you to take earlier leave as paid mat leave obviously so don't do that!

Liam McPoyle

My wife finished up a week earlier.

She was banjaxed physically.

Her consultant just wrote her a letter staring "due to the pregnancy she is not physically capable of being in work, any questions please contact this office directly"

Ms. Chanandler Bong

I was off with high blood pressure for 6 weeks before my leave was scheduled to start with my first (2 weeks before my due date). The only issue for me with taking sick leave as opposed to starting my leave early was that my workplace topped up my maternity pay based on the average of what I worked in the 13 weeks prior to my leave starting. Sick leave didn't count so my being out sick impacted my maternity pay while on leave.

protege_moi

I'm actually currently out on sick leave with muscle issues but getting pushed to come back. Consistently being rostered despite not yet being signed fit to return but now starting to get bad back and stomach pains so know going forward in my role I'll be in bits hence why curious about taking the leave earlier

Liam McPoyle

protege_moi wrote: »

I'm actually currently out on sick leave with muscle issues but getting pushed to come back. Consistently being rostered despite not yet being signed fit to return but now starting to get bad back and stomach pains so know going forward in my role I'll be in bits hence why curious about taking the leave earlier

You have been declared medically unfit but your employer is pressuring you to come back to work?

What absolute dicks.

I'm assuming that its a small, independent company with no proper HR structure?

Trying to force a physically incapable pregnant woman back into a job is a court case waiting to happen.

Its mind boggling that this kind of this is happening in 2017.

Anne_cordelia

protege_moi wrote: »

I'm actually currently out on sick leave with muscle issues but getting pushed to come back. Consistently being rostered despite not yet being signed fit to return but now starting to get bad back and stomach pains so know going forward in my role I'll be in bits hence why curious about taking the leave earlier

In that case stick with sick leave and don't be pressurised into taking maternity leave early. The time with your baby will be so precious.

Ms. Chanandler Bong

protege_moi wrote: »

I'm actually currently out on sick leave with muscle issues but getting pushed to come back. Consistently being rostered despite not yet being signed fit to return but now starting to get bad back and stomach pains so know going forward in my role I'll be in bits hence why curious about taking the leave earlier

In order for you to go back to work before your sick cert is up, you'll have to get a cert from the doctor stating you're fit to work. Without that, the company is leaving themselves open to all sorts of liability.
Screw them. If they're not all that bothered about your health, why should you be bothered about them? If being on sick leave doesn't affect anything in regards to payments or anything, then stay on sick leave and leave it as late as possible to go on mat leave. You'll regret not having the time with your baby. You won't regret taking as much time off work as you can!

jlm29

You can start your maternity leave earlier than planned, it's a minimum of the Monday of the week before, but after that it's up to you. I wouldn't though, unless it suits yourself. If you're not medically fit to work, then you shouldn't feel obliged or be pressured into going back, or staying there. The only person I've known who started their maternity leave significantly before the two ish weeks before their due date, was a teacher who it suited, because their mat leave was ending at the start of the summer holidays anyhow.

mirrorwall14

I started my maternity a week earlier than planned with my first. I was stressed about how much sick leave I had used.

Millem

Leave work and get a cert....start your maternity the Monday of the week before you are due. That's what I plan on doing....I will get cert for 1 or 2 weeks then go on maternity leave. I know I will be in no fit state to work, for me it's the week we come back after summer holidays....dragging tables across classrooms, sticking back up posters etc etc. Never mind the crowds on the corridor.

Easypeasey

How does this Monday before you're due work for officially starting Mat leave? I'm due a Monday so would I have to legally finish two Mondays before that?

Millem

Easypeasey wrote: »

How does this Monday before you're due work for officially starting Mat leave? I'm due a Monday so would I have to legally finish two Mondays before that?

No you take it 1 Monday before your due date
Basically say if you are due on a Monday you count forward to Saturday and go back 2 weeks and forward to a Monday.......hope that makes sense

mrsmags16

It's the Monday before the week in which you are due...not the specific due date. So only a week for me as I happen to be due on a Monday ie the start the of the week in which I am due.
HR were adamant it was 2 calendar weeks but it isn't.
On another note am 36 weeks now and my list of pregnancy related maladies is growing... I did pretty well til now but everything has turned to crap! Glad I didn't use maternity leave as I feel 100% entitled to sick leave instead.