Worried about maternity pay

[beaanna]

I know so many others will be in similar positions but I guess I just want a space to vent.

I am on maternity leave currently and sick with worry about how we will manage when I drop to statutory pay (in less than 2 months). It’s £185 a week, less than £800 a month and will be taxed still - for anyone who didn’t know.

We have a mortgage on a semi detached home that we bought while I was pregnant. Interest rates were extremely high but it was that or continue to rent, and we desperately wanted a home of our own to bring our DC up in. There were unexpected costs after moving which meant we haven’t been able to save as much as we hoped and our bills have all gone up which accounts for the majority of the little disposable income we had planned to have while my income is reduced on maternity.

We will from June have anywhere between £150-350 left as disposable per month until I return to work. If we book the short trip we wanted to take our DC on this summer, it will be the lower end of that bracket. That’s for treats for the DC, clothes for the whole family, anything unexpected. I hadn’t planned to go back until late this year but I’m now thinking I may have to bring this forward to late summer, which will affect how long I can breastfeed for. I don’t feel ready to leave baby and we also don’t have any childcare lined up that early and doubt there will be any availability. Refuse to just book any old nursery particularly after that documentary. I am tearing my hair out trying to think of solutions. I knew it would drop lower but I didn’t foresee the unexpected costs and bills going up as much as they have.

WTF can we do? Will it be more doable than I think?

5 years ago things were so much more affordable :(

You either live on credit cards or go back to work.

You won’t pay tax on SMP if you’re on the normal tax code.

Did you not factor in contingencies on the house purchase? And cost of living increases? And the fact your pay would drop whilst on mat leave? These were all obvious up front, weren’t they?

It’s so so tough and I’m sorry you’re worrying through your maternity leave instead of enjoying your baby!

How long would you need to live on limited disposable income? If it’s only a few months, I think you’ll be able to do it with some planning - maybe don’t take the trip this summer but look at the Autumn or New Year when you’re back at work. Over the summer there are so many more free options for taking the baby out because it’s sunny and parks, walks, the beach, playgrounds, your garden etc are so much more enjoyable so you won’t spend as much on days out and tickets to things. If you have friends or family with slightly older kids, asks for their hand me downs of clothes - I happily donate mine to friends and family to get them out of my house and the clothes and up doing the rounds which is nice! Kids think it’s a treat if they get an ice pop or get to throw buckets of water at each other in the garden or whatever so don’t worry about buying them toys or expensive treats for that short period, you’re all they need anyway! Anything unexpected can go on a credit card for a short time until your income comes back up too.

Prioritse your time off with your baby, breastfeeding as long as you and your baby want to and try not to worry, you’ll be back to full earning capacity soon and will catch up!

Is there any work you can do on a self employed basis while you’re off?

Don’t forget Kit days (best done when you’re on nil pay)

Thank you, I am that’s a relief

It’s a tough one but you’re probably going to have to go back to work. £150 a month just isn’t enough sadly.

could you use your annual leave weekly and work a shorter week?

Thank you so much for this.

I don’t think I can afford any unpaid time off tbh

It's only for a very short period of time, you'll have to budget strictly but you'll manage, worst case scenario you'll put a couple of hundred pounds a month onto a credit card.

Did you not consider all this when you planned your mat leave? Our finances dictated how long I could be off for. I think you need to be pragmatic and responsible here - if you can’t afford to be off you can’t afford it. I’d start looking for a nursery place and start pumping + bottle feeding. Going back to work doesn’t mean you have to stop breast feeding. Alternatively you could see if you can take a mortgage holiday and strip back all spending you possibly can, but personally I wouldn’t go down this road. Definitely don’t book a trip if you’re this strapped financially, that would be daft. Going back to work really isn’t that bad and it has to happen at some point. You settle back in and find a new routine. Your baby will adjust to childcare, it will be fine :)

Could you take a shorter maternity leave?

£150 per week so not as bad as that!

Defer your trip or go on some cheap day trips. Get a zero interest credit card but do not go wild spending.
Whenever you plan to return start looking for childcare so you have a plan.
If it helps I returned to work after my baby turned one. I was on no pay for 3 months and then annual leave. I have been back at work over a year and still breastfeeding, it doesn’t t have to be the end of you want to keep going.

It is a month, PP was right. £150-350

I think it's doable OP, if you do need anything urgent such as clothes etc you could put them on credit. Maybe scale back your expenses and just enjoy this precious few months you have left with your baby, you can go on holidays next year. Kids enjoy the little things in life just as much as the big things 🥰

Unfortunately extended maternity leave is a bit of a luxury - it’s a choice rather than a requirement so I do think you’ll have to rethink your return to work date

Quite honestly I don’t think is enough for everything you want i.e holiday, long mat leave, as well as covering emergencies and anything else you might want during mat leave like a bit of spending money. I think you need to go back to work a bit earlier, or forget the trip, though £350 a month still wouldn’t be enough for me.

I would rather forget the holiday than end breastfeeding early. I don't live in the UK and recently had to go back to work at 7 months (we only get 6 months here and I added holiday on top).

Doable but breastfeeding is making it a nightmare. Pumping is actually quite expensive and has lots of downsides. My baby has CMPA so changing to formula is not straightforward.

If you don’t want to go back to work just yet you’ll have to defer the trip until you’re back on full pay. SMP is rubbish, I did an entire maternity leave on that with my first, luckily it was lockdown so we couldn’t go anyway.

as mentioned by others could you not return to work but go on annual leave?

You will manage somehow, as a previous poster said, the weather will be getting nicer at some point, free things to do- different parks, mum and baby groups, picnics, meeting up at other friend’s houses.
I look back when we went down to one wage years ago after the birth of our second child and wonder how we did it- husband was on an okish wage but we certainly weren’t rolling in money- we just had to cut back and live within our means and prioritise what was important to us and that was having that time whilst they are still
so young. It really does go so quick and your maternity leave will be over before you know it.
Good luck on your decision, I know it’s not easy.

You are going to budget the income that is coming in the house so you can stay off longer.
vinted for clothes.
meal planning
free activities for the children.
start saving before smp kicks in.
use kit days for treats or top ups.
would going back earlier actually make you better off after childcare fees. ?

You could go back around 10 months when baby is likely on 3 meals a day so you only breastfeed morning and evening.

Just to add, I'd you have to go back to work earlier than you would like, have you considered a childminder instead of nursery?

I only had to as the nursery I was booked into closed 4 weeks before I was due to go back to work.
But...it was a blessing as we ended up with the best childminder who did such amazing things with my DS and the other kids.

Also, breastfeeding can continue if you want it too.
I continued for over 18months working full time and still feeding when we were together.

It's stressful, but you will find a way that works.
It's a small phase in life, it just seems really big now.