Five separate medical studies have shown that 30% of pregnant people in paid employment need time off work due to NVP. When you can barely get out of bed, heading to a job every day is the last thing you want to worry about. You’re not alone, many HG sufferers struggle to maintain this commitment.

Every year, millions of hours of paid employment are lost due to pregnancy sickness - but it can still be difficult to get your employer to understand the severity of the condition. This is not normal ‘morning sickness’ and should be treated with the care and respect of any other chronic illness - including being able to take the necessary time off work. Here are some tips for communicating with your workplace:

• Do not beat yourself up. You are not alone in needing time off for pregnancy-related sickness. It is important that you rest and you cannot do this properly if you are working

• There’s an immense lack of awareness around this condition - so don’t be surprised if your employer and co-workers don’t understand the severity of your symptoms. Print out the information on this website, direct people to do their own research and educate them as much as you can about what your life looks like with HG

• If you only plan to take a short amount of time off, ask your doctor to give a medical certificate to give to your employer. This certificate should indicate that you are unfit for work because of a pregnancy-related illness and how long you’ll be taking off

• Should you need an extended period of time off you are entitled to Special Maternity Leave - which is separate from leave taken at the end of your pregnancy/upon the birth of your child. If you take special maternity leave because of a pregnancy-related illness, the leave will end when the pregnancy or illness ends, whichever is earlier

• If you feel able to work, but your current duties are not suitable now that you’re pregnant, or are made difficult because of your illness, you can request to be moved to a new role. All pregnant employees, including casuals, are entitled to move to a safe job and this includes employees that aren’t eligible for unpaid parental leave. If you move to a safe job you will still get the same pay rate, hours of work and other entitlements that you got in your usual job. You and your employer can agree on different working hours. You will need to provide evidence that you can’t work your normal job and how long this arrangement will be in effect. This may need to be accompanied by a medical certificate

• It is illegal for an employer to discriminate against you because you are pregnant - even if your pregnancy illness renders you unable to work for an extended period. This means you cannot be fired, demoted or otherwise treated unfairly while you are pregnant

• If you feel you have been treated unfavourably because of your pregnancy, the first step is to explain this to your employer and try to resolve the issue informally. Tell your manager what has happened or, if it is your manager who has treated you unfavourably, tell someone more senior. Keep a record of what has happened, when and where it happened and whether there were any witnesses

• If the informal approach fails then you may wish to make a formal complaint under your employer’s grievance procedure. Your employer would then be under an obligation to investigate the matter

• The final step, if all else fails, would be to lodge a complaint with the Fair Work Ombudsman. There are time constraints and requirements around evidence of discrimination so it’s worth seeking advice on your situation as early as you can