Originally Posted by Miss Marple
...It is my company's policy for pregnant crew to be grounded from the time they find out on full pay (not sure if that is law or internal only...
Wow, that is quite a remarkable policy - at least, viewed from the perspective that we have here in Canada.
Under Canadian law, a pilot is obliged to disclose pregnancy to her Aviation Medical Examiner when she becomes aware of it, but not to her employer. A normal pregnancy is considered to be a "state of good health", not some kind of disease.
I think that there is a regulation somewhere that requires Canadian pilots to stop flying commercially at the beginning of the third trimester, but that does not create any financial hardship, because there is a requirement for all employers to provide employees with leave for pregnancy. The pilot can still fly recreationally if she wishes, that decision is up to her and her Aviation Medical Examiner.
It sounds to me like your company takes a very conservative approach to things (granting you leave from the moment of conception, so to speak), but, heck, it is a very generous policy, so, it's tough to complain about it unless you really miss flying the plane.
As for the "what-if" scenario presented by the second pregnancy (congratulations, by the way), I think that
d105 offered the best answer in the second post on this thread - just ask the HR department how they would like to handle that.
Originally Posted by Miss Marple
...I will indeed probably have to resign after my maternity leave...
Whatever for? It costs employers a fortune to recruit and train good pilots, and presumably after four years with the company, they know you are a good pilot. Just ask them for unpaid leave, and perhaps volunteer to keep your licence current (not necessarily your type rating) on your own dime. Heck, they might respond by offering to keep you current on type if you agree to show up every 6 months for the sim check.
Most employers (at least, mine for sure) are not the least bit upset about pilots taking pregnancy leave, or even longer leaves after that until the kid gets into primary school - they know that the pilot will eventually come back, because they now have one extra mouth to feed!
Michael