What are you classed as during labour at work?

Sorry this sounds like a silly question but online it says if your baby comes early, your maternity leave starts the day AFTER they’re born. So on the day they’re born (and any additional days you are in labour and therefore not at work), are you classed as sick leave from work and paid sick pay? Or not paid? Or paid normally? Not sure what that time period is classed as, as you’re not working, but i wouldn’t call it ‘sick’ either 🤣 confused.

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I’m sure your maternity starts the day they are born. I tried to put my maternity leave in to start on the Monday 2 days after my due date. Apparently this isn’t allowed 😂 maternity leave has to start in your due date at the latest.

I think it’s a policy that most businesses set out themselves. There are guidance and set rules but generally it depends on employer. I would ask your HR department to clarify. I would assume with my work that they’ll put it through as pregnancy related sickness and it goes down separately from other sickness. I know I’d be paid for it regardless as my work are pretty good but I would just clarify. My work is also it would start the day after baby is born and then they’ve got a policy in place for if they’re born before 37 weeks and additional pay we’d get for that too x

I would presume that it would be put through as sick leave or pregnancy related sickness (not all companies recognise a difference - it’s not a legal obligation to do anything different for pregnancy related sickness companies can just follow statutory guidelines)

Thanks all! I thought it would be a rule by the government as opposed to individual work companies - so i will ask my employer tomorrow! When it said online ‘the day after birth’ it through me off!

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