How to register with the NHS – plus a thank you to the NHS

Being currently pregnant with our second child and once again having numerous hospital appointments for growth scans, tests, and consultant check-ups as well as midwife appointments, I am once again reminded of that the fact that I am fortunate to be living in the UK where I have access to a great healthcare system – the NHS.

It is thanks to the NHS that I, like other UK residents, have access to medical care regardless of how much or how little money we have.

I can’t imagine how difficult and worrisome it must be to be pregnant without access to free or affordable healthcare, let alone deal with an injury, illness, medical emergency or long-term health problem.

Maternity leave and being pregnant in the workplace… do you know your rights?

When I was pregnant with Bug my job came to an end and with a number of months to go until my maternity leave started I hoped to find a new job for the meantime.  During that time I applied for a host of jobs and with it nearing Christmas I thought it would be perfect if I could find a seasonal vacancy as the job would naturally come to an end just before my maternity leave started and I would not feel like I was letting an employer down by starting a job to only have to go on maternity leave a matter of months later.

A dilemma I had when attending interviews was whether I should mention the fact that I was pregnant or not, especially as I was concerned that my growing baby bump would highlight the fact that I was pregnant whether I mentioned it or not.  In the end I decided that honesty was the best policy and informed potential employers of my pregnancy during interviews as I knew it would have to discussed in a matter of weeks when I approached my 25th week of pregnancy if I got a job.  I was pleasantly surprised by the response I got during interviewers and did not feel that I was being discriminated against and not considered for the job because of my pregnancy.

Even though I had a positive experience with potential employers when I informed them of my pregnancy during interviews I was very worried about raising the matter and thought that it would negatively affect my chances of getting a job.