how long up to EDD can I work?

[lizzymcfizzy]

hi girls

I would like to work up to two weeks before I am due, I am parttime since returning after my first child - she was 10 days over and I took 4 weeks off beforehand. So that shortened my maternity leave since you are only allowed to take 52 weeks off.

I can't find anywhere that says anything about how far you are allowed to work till but I'm sure there is a law. I have emailed the industrial relations and my HR department say there is nothing but she's only reading our policy.

I'm sure there was something when I had my first baby along the lines of 4 weeks and you needed a medical certificate to work longer than that???

[GabberQueeN83]

Where is work they want a doctor's certificate after 35 weeks to say im fit to work. I think it might be different for your workplace tho.

[overitand36]

no law you if you are not sick then you can work

of course some industries are different

[QTB]

I work for the QLD Government and have been looking at this myself, as to get paid maternity leave i need to be at work a year. which will be the 15th May. im due the 27th. (my first was born 39w6d and second was born 41w2d) so im hoping to work til about the 20th so that im covered for maternity leave.

we can work up til our baby arrives (well til in labour) with a medical certificate after 37weeks.

[elwoodgal]

I thought 6 weeks before EDD was the 'norm'?
If I am like I was last time I know I will be happy to finish at the 34/35 week mark as I will so tired by then.

[Bel0v3d]

I think it's up to 34 weeks then anything past that you need a medical certificate from your GP or ob stating you are fit to continue work.

[Kait]

^^ Yep. Same at my work. If I want to work past 34 weeks, then I need medical clearance from my doc until 36 weeks, and then a new one every week after that. I'm hoping to make it to 36 weeks but my job is quite physical so we'll see.

[overitand36]

has anyone found any legislation to back this up

i find it funny that when you are pregnant you are treated like you are sick, pregnancy is not an illness

i know some industries etc
but with a desk job surely its up to the individual

[Amara]

If your HR department says it's OK then you don't have a problem. Many companies do have policies that relate to the time that you have to take off before bubs is born, but others don't.

I worked til 3 weeks before my due date. I can't remember what the policy was but I know I didn't have to provide a certificate to be there. I work for a multinational company & there was paid maternity leave involved. I didn't even have to provide a certifcate to say I was pregnant when applying for the leave even though the policy said I had to.:rolleyes:

[Kattus]

I will be 37w1d when I finish up work on Friday. My work asked no questions about why I was working so close up until the date but they did tell me I could stop whenever I was ready. :) I have been very lucky and have had a smooth pregnancy & I know if I had of been at home I would be going insane with bordem :laughing:

[ALHmum]

My work has no hard and fast rule. It says that as long as you are able to complete all your work duties then you can work as far up as you want to. Hard being a nurse and on your feet all day so my guess is they assume noone wld want to work too far along!!

[Darnielle]

I am working up until 38 weeks, my last day being Friday this week... If I could do it again, I probably would have finished earlier.

Only because i'm more tired now, feel like I am slacking off, and they are paying me to work as I was pre-preggers.

But also moreso for my own health!! So if I was to do it again, I would finish earlier, + this is our first baby, no one guided me in any way to finish earlier, I thought it was just normal to work right up to... PS: need as much money as poss, as no paid maternity at my job!!

[linkspurr]

Hi,

I worked until 39 weeks, it was always my plan and I joked that I wanted to go into labour the day I finished work so I could max out my maternity leave - and that's exactly what happened.

Play it by ear, I was getting tired towards the end but I was working shift work and in some ways I think it really helped me to prepare for the sleepless nights ;)

Good luck

[KyD]

If your HR department don't mind I'd play it by ear. My industry requires, like quite a few others I've read, that I need a medical certificate to stay past 34 weeks. I was hoping to make it to that point and then go part time, but the time on my feet killed me and I went part time at 28 weeks. My employers have been fantastic though.
If you want something in writing tho you should check your applicable Award.

[katieinwa]

i work for fed govt, i got pregnant as soon as i started. i worked approx 7.5 months (then i was 34 weeks) and the took 3 months unpaid leave before starting 9 months paid maternity leave (i was about 6 weeks short of making it to 12 months service arrrh!!! this time however i am gettig 28 weeks half pay woohoo)

annnyhows

to the OP, check to see what the provisions are for "unpaid parental leave not to count as service" as most places off the unpaid leave option that allows you to take up to 2 years off. this time i am doing 12 months mat leave and 3 months unpaid parental leave so that the baby is around 14 months when i go back

[BigRedV]

I'm a teacher in NSW and the union says that they can't tell me when to stop work. I stopped when I was 38 weeks.

[tr1na]

Im stopping at 28 weeks. Basically I have real bad back pain, and hip pain, I cant drive or sit at my work desk without getting pain. ("The joys of being a super tall pregnant lady" says the midwife) It gets worse everyday.

My doctor gave me a medical certificate, so I might be technically on sick leave untill 34 weeks pregnant, and then technically on maternity as of then. Im just waiting for the facts first.

[lizzymcfizzy]

Thats good you can use sick leave instead of maternity leave :)

Thanks everyone for your replies, in the end I found out that I need a certifcate from my doctor for anything past 6 weeks before my EDD and so long as my work is ok with me working.

I think if I was fulltime like my last pregnancy I would stop at about 4 to 6 weeks beforehand but I only work a 5 day fortnight now and its sit down pretty much all day so I'll stay as long as I can and get the most out of maternity leave, not having to return until the baby is actually 1 year old instead 11 months like my first :)

cheers

[lizzymcfizzy]

has anyone found any legislation to back this up


I rang the NSW Office of Industrial Relations, I guess it depends what award you are under.



to the OP, check to see what the provisions are for "unpaid parental leave not to count as service" as most places off the unpaid leave option that allows you to take up to 2 years off. this time i am doing 12 months mat leave and 3 months unpaid parental leave so that the baby is around 14 months when i go back

I never considered that! I guess that is an option, I remember last time though I had to return before my baby turned 1 year old regardless of what type of leave I was taking but I will check it out.

[Butterfly Mummy]

I worked right up until and on the day that I was induce with my youngest, I finished work at 12noon and went home got my bag & DH and went to the hospital to be induced at 3pm. I was 37 weeks and induced due to Blood pressure which Id had since 24 weeks and PE.

I did not need a certificate to say that I could work or anything even though I was very sick, My work however did ask me to take 8 weeks off before going back to work.

I would have gone back at 2 weeks if I could have. I was a Sales rep so did my own hours and it was easy to come home to feed bub and then go back to work.

[mummyonthego]

I'm finishing up on the 22nd of jan, a week before i'm due. I'd rather keep myself busy than be at home thinking about the birth

[Hannahsmumma]

I worked up to 40+1 weeks with my first.

I was happy to go into labour at work!!! Yeah maybe not but apart from really really sore feet and a sore back I figured why sit at home when I could also sit in air-con and be paid for it and keep adding to sick/holiday leave etc (I did need the money).

DD2 I worked up to 38 weeks and only stopped because I had a lot of holiday pay to use up so for financial reasons wasn't quite so inclined to stay at work.

[GingerMama]

I finished up at work 12 weeks before my EDD, but that was due to underlying medical issues, the initial plan was to work until 36weeks.

[InfiniteDreams]

I'm due in 10 days, with bubs number 2, and I finished work today

Some people think i left it a little late, but I was pretty comfortable to work up until today,

but very glad I have stopped now...

now we wait!