To only take two months off work?

[mollifly]

I am currently 11 weeks pregnant and I am starting to think about maternity leave.

My maternity leave package is not great, 4 weeks full pay, 2 weeks half then down to statutory.

I've been told by HR it's 4 months full pay 2 months half pay, is this incorrect?

This is more than SMP so your employer offers a 'maternity package'
Bear minimum is 6 weeks at 90% and then £140 per week for 33 weeks.

I can't comment on them treating you differently as my employer was very supportive! But if you feel you are being discriminated against then you can report it to HR as that's illegal. If I were you (and you haven't already) do plenty of reading up on your rights and what you're entitled to as well as obligations of your employer just so you know where you stand.

Childminders in my area charge a lot more for under 6month olds strawberry, I assumed it would be the case in most areas
what a rip off! Wonder how they justify that? They're a lot easier at that age then when they're mobile! I wouldn't dream of charging more

Childminders in my area charge a lot more for under 6month olds strawberry, I assumed it would be the case in most areas
what a rip off! Wonder how they justify that? They're a lot easier at that age then when they're mobile! I wouldn't dream of charging more

Have you got a copy of the maternity pay policy. I think you should go back and check. If you qualify for SMP, this would be the minimum. www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave/pay . If it is infact 4 months full, 2 months half, this would fit with enhanced maternity pay.

I go back next week and dd will be 10 months. At various stages over the first 6 months in particular I've thought to myself "Phew! I'm glad I'm not working at the moment!" Sleep deprivation, breastfeeding, weaning, all those changes that happen on a pretty much daily/ weekly basis in the first year etc. I know that women can and do go back much sooner (especially in the US where maternity leave is paltry) but ime it really isn't ideal. It's quite an emotional time for me right now as I'll be going back more or less full time and will miss her so much, but I really do feel I've given the best part of a year to her, given us as much time as possible, the best possible start and prepared us all fully for this day. I honestly could not have contemplated going back when she was 8 weeks, but fully appreciate that I'm extremely fortunate to have had so much time off and many women don't have a choice.

Agree you need to get a copy of your maternity policy. Most employers will offer above the minimum statutory, particularly if you've worked there a long time, but don't necessarily advertise it. I work for a company that is 2 years old and fought for a better policy (myself and one other colleague were guineapigs).

Sorry for the confusion, I mean four weeks full pay two weeks half pay!

Can you save up at all before the baby is due, given that it's still quite early on in the pregnancy? That would give you more options, as you won't have to tell your work until later on how long you want to take off.

My maternity package is pretty shite, so the only way I've been able to plan 9 months off is by saving up £7k before I go off.

Could you also take some annual leave?

To give an alternative experience, I went back when my DS was 14 weeks. I had a very straightforward delivery and recovered quickly which obviously helped.

He was EBF until 6 months so I spent a looooot of time hooked up to a pump which was quite tiring but it was certainly doable.

I had a (live-out) nanny who looked after him whilst DH and I were at work and I was lucky in that he was a good sleeper from quite early on.

I loved spending my mat leave at home with my newborn but after about 2 months, I was ready to go back to work. My boss said I could take as much time as I needed and I received full pay (I'm not in the UK) but for me personally, I was ready to get back to the office. I love my job, I worked hard for my career and it's very important to me. That's no reflection on how much I love my son, who is of course my absolute priority. But equally, long periods at home aren't for everyone and there's no shame in that. Do we judge husbands who go back to work after a few weeks?

If you are struggling to type here what your maternity pay is then I can understand your employers concerns about what projects to give you. Is this happening at work? My last line manager got what she called baby brain near the end of a huge project and we all had to read and re-read her work to make sure mistakes were caught. It passed after about 19-20 weeks though and she was back to her super competent self.

The trouble is it is so difficult to tell how you will feel until you have the baby! I went back at 5 months and I was a bit sad but it had to be done. If I knew that I had to go back after 2 months for financial reasons and for the family then I would have adjusted to that I'm sure.

You should definitely have some contingency though for if there are any complications for either you or the baby and you can't go back in 2 months.

The other biggie is finding childcare that allows you to go back.

The other thing that can help a bit is that you retain your full holiday entitlement even when you are on mat leave so I did a kind of phased return using a couple days holiday each week to start with and built up to full time again.

As for work treating you differently this is an issue I'm afraid. My work were good but they can't help thinking 'how long is she going to be here', 'when will she come back' etc. Although they shouldn't discriminate they do have to think about practicalities eg will you be there to finish the project.

Don’t go back to work so quickly. Newborns are hard work and boring. I can honestly say my son did not get interesting until about 2 months lol. I took 7 months off in the end, which we could just about afford, but I don’t regret it. You have plenty of time to save and budget for the future.

Is the 4 weeks full pay on top of the statutory minimum, so you'd get 4 weeks full pay, 6 weeks at 90% of pay and then down to 2 weeks half pay and then the low per week statutory amount? You
need to clarify with your employer how the 4 weeks at full pay that they've quoted to you works with the statutory minimum of 6 weeks at 90%.

If you go back after a few months you'll likely find your baby is by far the youngest at nursery (If you use a nursery). I only know a few people who returned before 6 months and they used nannies. Most took around 9 to 12 months and saved up to cover the lost income.

I'm not sure of anybody has mentioned this but if for any reason you have to have a c-section you may not feel like or be able to go back to work after 8 weeks. I thought that I was recovered and fine after about 5 weeks but looking back it actually took a lot longer and I was sore after being on my feet for too long or after walking too far for quite a long time afterwards.

I was ready to go back to work after 6 weeks with dd2 but I couldn't get a place in the nursery I wanted until she was 7 months. That was with her on a waiting list before she was born. Everyone is different, I would most definitely not have regretted leaving her or cried leaving her if I'd got in earlier.

I was studying when dd1 was born so that was a bit different. It may have taken longer to get to grips the first time round.

Mumsnet in general is very against people taking short maternity leave periods, but many many people do it for lots of different reasons, especially outside the UK. It can only be your choice in the end and only you know how to weigh up all the options for what's right for your family.

It's worth saying, though, that taking a short maternity leave isn't the end of the world. Think of all the dads who only take two weeks! Childbirth recovery is an unknown - you might be up and about quickly, or you might take a long time to get back to fitness and adjust, and we can't tell you which one you'll be. But whatever happens you'll be fine and your baby won't suffer because of what you decide

I had my DCs some years ago now and took DC1 6 weeks, DC2 3 months, DC3 4 weeks. All three born by CS.

When I had DC1 the company offered only statutory ML so couldnt afford to take longer. With DC2 & 3 I could have taken longer but was very concerned about career impact as I am the main breadwinner.

It is possible to go back quickly.

As for being treated differently, yes, as you are seeing, in subtle ways. I have felt that I have always had to try a bit harder, push myself more. What I see is that if a man has a child the assumption is that he will be more serious about his career. If a woman has a child there seems to be an assumption that she will be less serious about her career.

I took 10 months the first time and it didn't feel like enough, I was actually a mess for those first weeks back. I'm taking a year this time.
It's a very personal decision, some will take a couple of weeks and be perfectly happy, some will never go back.

Not done it yet, but currently pg and hoping to take 9 months off, with DP taking 3 months SPL straight afterwards. We are both public sector though so we are very lucky that the mat leave and SPL packages are actually quite good (in fact DP's SPL package is better than mine, so it's almost a no-brainer that he takes some time off).

Is this your first DC?

I'd just wait and see how you feel after a month or two tbh, give yourself a bit of time.

I don't think it's a question of judging that a mother goes back to work early, Primavera. The question is: is it doable. If you can afford a live in or live out nanny, then in my opinion, and if it's a straight forward birth, then yes it is doable.

However, it is difficult to find childcare for a young baby. Contrary to what other posters have said, it is very difficult for a childminder to look after a baby younger than 6 months old, as there are so many bottles, nappy changes and naps that there is little time to entertain, educate, cook and properly look after the other children. I have been a childminder for ten years and I have never been asked to look after a baby younger than 5 months old. And just to confirm, all the nurseries I know will charge more for baby under 6 months old.

A nanny would have only one baby. But they cost a lot more money.

OP, also please consider that if your baby goes to a childminder or nursery they will be exposed to lots of bugs - and will probably get eye infections, stomach bugs, colds regularly and you will need a plan B - either you and your husband share the time off to look after a baby that is ill, or you have family nearby.

Of course, it's not easy on a practical level - without taking any judgment into consideration. However, based on a few conditions (your health; recovery from the birth; the health of your baby; equal share of responsibility with your DH; a good nanny; a supportive employer) then yes it's feasible.

I went back to uni when DS1 was 7 weeks and had two part time jobs by the time he was 12 weeks. It was hard. I had an emcs and wasn't fully recovered but I had no other choice, I was constantly tired and found it difficult to manage my work-home balance. I felt awful and really struggled to bond with DS at first.

This time I'll be going back when DS2 is 7.5 months old and it will be much easier. I've had 13 weeks 90% pay and 26 weeks smp. Emotionally I've been much better off but financially it will be tighter.

Your employer has to give you six weeks at 90% pay so you need to go back and check that either you or they haven't misunderstood before you make any decisions.

Does your work not have a staff handbook or intranet? They can't give you less than the statutory minimum. You do seem very uniformed and the info is generally not hard to find.

Your op says it's 4 weeks full pay and 2 weeks half pay?