Do most people here take the entire year maternity leave?

[helloteas]

I get paid full salary for around 7 and a bit months ( including holiday ).

For my first baby I went back at the point I stopped getting paid in full.

I'm considering taking the whole year this time, just because I think it might be less stressful.

Money isn't a huge issue. It was more of an issue last time, which is why I went back.

I feel like now with two small kids, working is going to be even harder. I mean to juggle it all. So I might as well wait until I've had a whole year.

What's the general consensus ? In my company, women tend to come back when full pay runs out..

15 months with my 1st and 5 years with my 2nd!!

*15 months

Yes I did. They are only babies once, you never get that time back with them.

I had decent mat pay for 6 months so went back after that. It was partly financial but really the fact that pay went down just sort of put a psychological line in the sand for me.

I didn't enjoy maternity leave and couldn't wait to get back to work so I can't relate to the concept of being lucky to have a year off. I went back full time but a few years on am part time to accommodate school hours and this was always much more important to me than having a year off at the start. So each to their own really. Most people I know have had closer to a year than 6 months so it's 'the norm' for my peers.

If I'd had another I would have taken 6 months mat leave again. And my husband would have taken shared parental leave while I was off for a few weeks and used the statutory pay I wasn't taking.

I get 3 months full pay, 6 months half pay and 3 months no pay.

This is aside from stat mat pay. I asked my employer to divide by pay equally for all 12 months so i had money coming in the whole 12 months.

Not sure if you can ask for this but its a great option. Statutory pay cant be touched as i paid according to government etc but your employer should be able to give you this option. I took the whole year because i knew id never get the time off back and why not?! They’re only young once 😁

I did this too with my accrued leave, felt much more relaxed getting back into work as going from not working to full time is quite a shock!

I’ve taken the full year each time, plus accrued annual leave, so around 14 months.

1st baby:
SMP only and no savings so went back after 7 months, it was ok, baby settled well into childcare

2nd baby:
6 months full pay and had savings so took 15 months off, it was great

13 months with all 3 of mine using 52 weeks ML + annual leave attached. I would hate to go back before their first birthdays.

Absolutely love maternity leave, if money isn’t an issue then defo go for it. If you change your mind then return to work earlier.

13 - I don’t know why it’s wrote like that

… 13!!!

DC1: I got SMP, from a job I liked but didn't ever see as permanent or directly leading to my future career (I was studying at the same time). Had a difficult birth injury, really hard time breastfeeding, fractious child, everything hurt all the time. I ended up resigning and later applying to start something different when he was 17 months. The 'maternity leave' after his first birthday, when I was finally physically healed and enjoying my baby, was wonderful. I'm so grateful we had that.

DC2: A bit of a gap later, in a 'proper' career with an excellent maternity package (9 months full pay!) and which i couldn't afford to resign from, even if I'd wanted to. I took the year, plus annual leave and a little bit of parental leave gave us almost 14 months. I loved every minute of that maternity leave and didn't really feel ready at all to go back, but financially there was no choice.

Most people I know professionally take a full year (imagine the mat pay has something to do with that..), although I also know increasing numbers of colleagues (male and female) who are using shared parental leave too. Most people I know from my non work life seem to not go back tbh, although that perspective might be skewed by my envy.

Full year plus accrued leave plus 3 months unpaid leave

So about 16 months in total

I'm taking the year.

3 months number 1 and 4 months number 2. Freelance and the money is poor. Plus I couldn’t risk being off to long and lose business.

Almost all my friends and myself have gone back after 9 months (and the accrued holiday).

(But we have all been absolute ready and willing to go back by then!)

Wow what amazing maternity pay. I get 12 weeks and then statutory. Pretty much everyone at my work takes the full year p plus accrued holidays so 13 months and I'm quite embarrassed that I'm planning on taking 9 months. Maybe a chance of 10 with accrued annual leave and bank holidays. I just cant afford any more than that

First baby: full year plus accrued leave so about 14 months in total.

Second baby, we took shared leave, so I had nine months off, plus leave, and DH had three.

Most people I know take the full year.

Urgh how awful - gossip?! The sisterhood eh...?

I was bored by maternity leave but in hindsight the later part of it is more interesting with a more interactive/mobile baby. I think we really need more people to use shared parental leave so that women's careers are not ruined by mat leave/the perception that they will take mat leave. It works brilliantly in countries where leave is offered - and taken - by both parents. My husband earns less than me so it makes sense for him to take leave and me to get back to work sooner.

I took 13 months with both. 12 months mat leave plus accrued holiday.

I went back when my DS was 11 months old (I'm a teacher and it was the start of term). I would have really struggled to go back earlier.

1st; 14 months but that was due to covid. I was due to take the full 12.

2nd; I'm taking 12 months again, but had I have had my crystal ball and seen this financial crisis, I would be going back sooner.

I don't get any pay at all in the last 3 months, so it'll be a tight run up to Christmas and my DS2s first birthday!

The full year with both and loved it.