Working During Pregnancy

You may not want to tell too early in case of miscarriage, or because you could lose out on work opportunities. But you may need to tell earlier than you had planned if you’re suffering from severe morning sickness, or tiredness. No employer has the right to discriminate against you becasue you are pregnant. 

Many women have heard the rumour that working in front of a computer all day could harm their baby. Research doesn’t show that being in front of a screen can cause miscarriage or harm to your baby. You should take regular breaks from your computer anyway; take a walk about, don’t sit for too long in the same position. 

While it depends on individual circumstances, standing or indeed sitting in one place is likely to become more uncomfortable as your pregnancy progresses. Any job that can be done sitting, should be done sitting. 

Toxins such as lead, mercury, organic solvents, second hand smoke and ionising radiation can lead to complications in pregnancy. 

There is limited data on how much weight is safe for pregnant women to lift. The amount of weight you can lift will depend on what you usually do and the stage of your pregnancy. Pregnancy hormones make your ligaments loose and your centre of gravity will change as your belly grows. If you feel that work is putting your health or that of your unborn baby at risk, ask your LMC to write a letter to your employer. 

Paid parental leave (PPL) is one continuous period up to 26 weeks. This is available for primary carers who take total responsibility for the care and wellbeing of the baby. This does not need to be the birthing parent however the birthing parent must be eligible and then transfer their PPL to another caregiver. Parental leave payments are available to employees who have worked any 26 weeks out of the 52 weeks before the baby is born, for at least 10 hours per week. People with more than one employer or have recently changed jobs are also entitled to paid parental leave if they have worked at least 26 weeks in the last 52. 

Your paid parental leave payment is the higher of your ‘ordinary weekly pay’ and ‘average weekly income’  

The maximum paid parental leave payment (before tax) is:

• 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025: $754.87 a week
• 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024: $712.17 a week

If you need to stay connected with your workplace while on paid parental leave, then you can use 'Keeping in Touch' hours. This is 64 hours that allow you (if your employer agrees) to perform work from time to time, for example to attend a team day, without losing your entitlement to paid parental leave payments. This work is paid on top of your PPL and must not exceed the 64 hour limit over the paid parental leave period and must not happen within the first 28 days after your child is born. 

If your baby is born more than 3 weeks early you may qualify for premature baby payments. You will get these from the day your baby is born through to the end of what would have been your 36th week of pregnancy. You can also get the premature baby payments if you have primary care of the baby during this time but are not the birth mother. Your regular paid parental leave payments will start after this. Before you apply for PPL you will need a letter from your LMC/GP to prove your pregnancy.