It is against the law for your employer to dismiss you, treat you unfairly, or select you for redundancy for any reason connected with pregnancy, childbirth, or maternity leave. It doesn't matter how long you have worked for your employer or how many hours you work. You have the right not to be unreasonably refused any time off work you need for antenatal care and to be paid for such time off. This means that you can take time off for your antenatal appointments , including time needed to travel to your clinic or GP without loss of pay. Again, it doesn't matter how long you have worked for your employer or how many hours you work.
Antenatal care includes parentcraft and relaxation classes.
After the first appointment, your employer can ask to see your appointment card and a certificate signed by your GP, midwife, or health visitor saying that you are pregnant. Depending on the length of time in their present job, all mothers are entitled to statutory maternity pay or maternity allowance. The extent of leave is also dependent on the length of service. Some companies have a very enlightened approach to impending parenthood. Their human resources departments make sure that you will be offered services which make your pregnancy less stressful and help you to adjust to becoming a new parent after the birth.