Pregnant and new job

Savvy_Sue

FBaby wrote: »

Just one thing to consider, rather than telling them that you intend on working until a week before your due date and coming back two weeks later, I would suggest you test the waters and see how they would react with a 6 weeks maternity leave. That is still a very short time and would give you a little bit more time with your baby. No offense at all, but I think giving birth and looking after a newborn does come as a shock and might not be what you expect at all. To start with, you seem to already think that you will be able to breastfeed and -therefore I assume - express milk for whoever is looking after the baby to give it in a bottle, but many newborn breastfeeding absolutely refuse to take on a bottle, not very pleasant compared to the warmth and softness of a breast! The last thing you want to is to feel under massive pressure to come back when you and your baby just physically can't.

That sounds like very good advice ...

BTW, poorgrad, have you looked into whether you are entitled to Maternity Allowance? If you are a recent graduate, I'd guess not, as you won't have paid enough NI in the relevant years, unless you were working a LOT of hours on the side. But if you ARE entitled to MA, it will probably pay more than your wages for any period you claim it, if you're only working a couple of hours a week.

From the point of view of staying on good terms with your employer, you might still want to hurry back. From an economic point of view, perhaps not so much.

silvercar

If it was really a non-issue and as immaterial as saying you had a holiday already booked a few months hence, what is the problem in declaring it at the outset.

The only reason not to declare it is that you know that it won't be as simple as 2 weeks off and then back to work as before.

Oldernotwiser

Person_one wrote: »

Seriously? You think someone should be unemployable because of a planned surgery?

I think it would be very wrong for someone to accept a job when they know that they're going to be off almost immediately for some time for surgery. I think that they should be honest with their employer and, if that means they lose the job, then so be it.