Pregnancy policies matter just as much as maternity leave

Maternity leave gets all the attention. It’s what companies shout about on social media, what’s front and centre in HR handbooks and what people think of when they imagine workplace support for parents.

There’s a whole stretch of time that comes before that and it’s often overlooked. The part where you’re pregnant and still working, tired, sick and expected to carry on as if nothing’s changed.

Those weeks and months where you’re still expected to show up, deliver, smile and soldier on, while your body does something completely extraordinary and sometimes, completely exhausting. Nausea that doesn’t just come in the morning. Back pain that starts during the commute. That constant worry about how and when to tell your boss, how your team might react and whether asking for support will make you look like a problem.

Let’s stop pretending pregnancy is just a warm-up to maternity leave. It’s not always a calm, glowy run-up to baby bliss. For many, it’s a rollercoaster of hormones, sickness, worry, joy and discomfort, all while trying to hold things together at work.

Pregnancy isn’t just a footnote

The problem is that in most organisations, pregnancy support gets buried in the fine print of a wider maternity policy, a quick mention of antenatal appointments, a reminder to do a risk assessment and not much else. No real structure, no detail and no understanding of how different pregnancy looks from one person to the next.

Some people breeze through until their due date. Others are floored by fatigue and illness before they’ve even had a chance to announce it. So why is this treated like a standard experience with a one-size-fits-all approach?

What a real pregnancy policy should include

We need pregnancy policies that actually reflect what people go through. Not just a tick-box exercise, but a proper commitment to support. That means flexibility during the working day, without judgment. It means having time off when needed, not using up annual leave or feeling like you’re slacking. It means physical adjustments without a fuss, and genuine, ongoing conversations about how work can be shaped around what someone needs, not the other way round.

Line managers need guidance too. Most want to do the right thing but don’t always know how, and that lack of clarity leaves too many people feeling like they have to keep quiet or prove themselves when they’re already under pressure. A clear pregnancy policy can take the guesswork out of it, helping everyone feel more confident and supported.

Pregnancy is not a test of commitment

Too often, being pregnant at work still feels like a quiet performance test. You carry on, trying not to complain, keen to show you’re still capable and reliable. You put in the hours, you cover your bases and you try to manage the emotional load without making it visible.  Let’s be honest, that’s not strength, that’s survival.

What if we made it easier instead of harder? What if we normalised saying, I’m not feeling well today, without having to justify it? What if we had policies in place that actually allowed people to be honest, vulnerable and human, without fear of being sidelined or silently judged?

A sign that we care

Pregnancy policies shouldn’t be an afterthought. They should be a clear sign that an organisation doesn’t just care once a baby arrives, but from the very beginning of someone’s parenting journey. It shows people they don’t need to downplay their experience or power through in silence. It says, we see you, we hear you and we want to help.

It’s a small thing that can make a big difference. Not because people are asking for special treatment, but because they deserve respect, flexibility and compassion while going through one of the biggest changes in their lives.

If we can celebrate maternity, we can acknowledge pregnancy too. Not just with flowers at the end, but with real support at the start.