Pregnancy at work: mothers’ rights

Until a couple of years ago, being a woman was synonym of wife and mother since she used to spend most of her time at home looking after the kids. Nowadays, life is definitely more hectic and the role of a woman has changed: she is not only a wife and a mother anymore, because most of time a woman must go to work too. Mothers in our society often have no choice. They will not be able to stay at home with their new bundles of joy for very long after delivery.
As a consequence, when you find out you are expecting a baby, you will have thousands of doubts on how to handle and conciliate maternity and work.

Maternity’s rights

To live this amazing period of your life in the best way possible, it is essential that you are aware of your rights as an employee, in order to be protected. The law, in fact, helps and protects employees during maternity and breastfeeding. So let’s have a look together at the most important points:

- As soon as you know you are pregnant and once your employer knows about it, he must make alternative arrangements to guarantee both your and your baby’s safety when you are at work and also, you are protected from unfair treatment including a potential dismissal connected with your pregnancy. If you are off work because of a illness related to your pregnancy, your employer must pay you in the same way as for any other type of illness.

- You are entitled to take up to 52 weeks’ maternity leave. You are not allowed to work for the first two weeks after the birth. During your maternity leave, your employer must continue to give any benefit he would give you like if you were at work. You are an employee throughout the 52 weeks of your maternity leave. But you must give the correct notice in order to get the Statutory Maternity Pay: tell your employer when you want your maternity leave to start and it can be anytime from 11 weeks before the week your baby is due. When your midwife gives you the maternity certificate around the 21st week of your pregnancy, you must give it to your employer. Just remember that you can change your mind about the day you want your maternity leave to start but you must give at least 28 days notice.

- You are entitled to reasonable paid time off to attend ante-natal appointments or classes advised by your midwife. Your employer can only ask for a proof after your second appointment.

- Breastfeeding: after birth, when it’s time to go back to work, there is no need to stop breastfeeding just because you are returning to work. Many women find ways to continue breastfeeding and the employer have some obligations towards breastfeeding mothers. You have the right to ask your employer for flexible working hours, arranged around breastfeeding. Or, you can arrange for childcare close to work in order for you to breastfeed during breaks or before and after work. You can decide to express milk so that someone else can breastfeed your baby while you are at work. Employers can help breastfeeding mothers allowing mothers to have a break allowance so that mothers can express milk and the policy to support breastfeeding includes: provision of a clean, warm and private room for expressing where the mother can keep the pram or you can change nappies without the need of leaving the work place.

- Parental Leave: Parental leave is the right to take time off work to care for your child or make arrangements for your child's welfare. It is available if you have worked for your current employer for at least a year by the time you want to take the leave. Each parent is eligible for 13 weeks' leave, which you can take at any time until your child's fifth birthday or, if you have adopted a child, up to five years from the date of placement. Both parents are able to take 13 weeks, even if both of them are not living with the child at the time. However, they do have to have formal parental responsibility for the child, and they have to use the leave to care for their child. In the case of parents of a child who receives disability living allowance, the leave is 18 weeks in total and it can be taken up to the child's 18th birthday. But there is no automatic right to paid parental leave. Any payment would be at the discretion of your employer, so you may want to ask if they are prepared to make one.

Rest is also very important

Working during pregnancy then, it is possible and riskless. But due to the many changes that your body will experience during pregnancy, it is advisable for expectant mothers to take precautions while at work. Just remember to have some breaks during the day: sit down if your job requires you to stand or stand up and walk at least every two hours if you have to sit all day. Employers must, if possible, provide a suitable place for you to rest when you are pregnant or breastfeeding. This should include somewhere to lie down.