Working when you are pregnant

Your rights at work

You do not have to legally tell your workplace by a certain time if you’re pregnant, but think about letting them know earlier if you:

• have morning sickness and are unwell
• need adjustments at work to continue doing your job
• need time off for medical appointments.

It's against the law for a workplace to discriminate against you if you’re pregnant, which means they cannot:

• reduce your hours
• fire you
• overlook you for a promotion
• ask if you’re pregnant or planning on getting pregnant during a job interview.

Find out more about your rights during and after pregnancy at Supporting Working Parents.

Your safety at work

Your workplace is responsible for protecting you from any risks at work while pregnant.

Potential risks can include:

• heavy lifting
• working with chemicals
• shift work
• too much travel.

A risk assessment may need to be done:

• at different stages of your pregnancy, or
• if your work duties change.

If it’s not safe for you to do your normal job while pregnant, your workplace has to offer you a safe job at the same pay rate and number of working hours as your normal job. 

If there’s no safe job available, you may be able to take either paid or unpaid no safe job leave.

Learn more about your safety at work while pregnant at SafeWork NSW.

Types of leave

You can take your normal leave entitlements during pregnancy. You may also be able to get other types of leave before and after your baby is born, including:

• no safe job leave – paid or unpaid leave if it’s not safe to do your normal job while pregnant and there’s no alternative safe job available
• special maternity leave – unpaid leave if you’re eligible for unpaid parental leave and you have a pregnancy related illness
• unpaid parental leave – unpaid leave up to 6 weeks before your expected due date, including the option to take up to 30 days of the maximum 12 months on a flexible basis.

Learn more about your leave options if you’re pregnant at the Fair Work Ombudsman.

If you take leave once your baby is born, you may be able to get Parental Leave Pay from the government. Find out more about this and other types of income support payments under Getting financial support.

Some workplaces may also offer paid parental leave - talk directly to your employer.