Living with HG

Work

• Pregnancy is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 — it's unlawful for an employer to treat you unfavourably because of your pregnancy or a pregnancy-related illness, and HG counts as pregnancy-related
• This legal protection applies once your employer is aware you're pregnant, so telling them early — even if it feels premature — is what puts these protections in place, not just a courtesy
• Sickness absence caused by HG should be recorded separately from ordinary sickness absence, and shouldn't be counted towards disciplinary action, performance concerns, or redundancy decisions — if it is, that can amount to direct discrimination
• Employers are expected to make reasonable adjustments where needed — working from home, flexible or reduced hours, changed duties — to help you keep working through it if you want to
• If things aren't going well informally, it's worth raising it clearly with your manager or HR in writing, stating what you need — and keeping a record of that conversation and the response
• If that doesn't resolve things, a formal grievance is the next step, with legal action treated as a last resort. If you do need to consider legal action for pregnancy discrimination, there's a strict time limit — three months less one day from the last act of discrimination — so getting advice early matters if you think you're heading in that direction

Relationships and family

• Partners, family, and friends often want to help but don't know how — being specific ("I need quiet, not advice," "please just sit with me," "I need someone to take the kids to school this week") tends to work better than a general "I need support"
• It's common to feel guilty about how much HG affects the people around you. That guilt is a very normal response to a genuinely hard situation — it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong
• If you have other children, simple, honest, age-appropriate language ("Mummy's tummy is very poorly right now") tends to help more than hiding what's happening

Eating and daily routine

• What's tolerable often changes day to day, or even hour to hour — this is a very commonly reported pattern with HG, not a sign you're doing something wrong
• Some people find it easier to let someone else handle food preparation and smells entirely for a while, rather than trying to cook
• Keeping something small within reach for the moment you wake up (before getting up and moving) is a commonly reported helpful habit, since nausea is often worse first thing
• For anything specific to your own diet or medication, your GP, midwife, or maternity team is the right source — this page is general information, not individual medical advice

Emotional wellbeing