May 2013- boys , girls or the unknown? Over half way there!

[scooby26]

Hi all, new had for may 2013!

Rachy, have a hug, I know what you mean about the crying, I made the mistake of watching 'Up' the other day and bawled my eyes out. I have been so much more tired than usual too, which I'm sure doesn't help. Anyway, just wanted to let you know you aren't alone.

Beaver Ahh thinking of you.Like others have said not your fault at all.Im sure you will get your money back.Let us know what happens.

Rachy Hugs to you.I am feeling emotional.Im not in work this week due to bring ill.I slept downstairs last night as cant stop coughing.Well I tried to sleep had about 2 hours.So now I'm ill,tired and my already bad back is worse.I answered the door to the Asda delivery man earlier and he was like ooh love are you alright.I went to look in the mirror afterwards and cried

I'm going to have a look at these swaddle blankets that keep getting a mention as I swaddled both of mine to get them to sleep

21+6

On phone- sorry if typing dreadful.

We have a tripp trapp for DS. Very happy with it now, but I bought an Ikea antilop during weaning because it has a tray and is so much easier to clean. Now just use the antilop chair when cutting his hair . He loves his Tripp trapp and was very put out when we tried to take off the cushion to give him more room this week.

Don't know about a movement monitor, sorry. Didn't use one so don't know how big they are.

We put the cot bumper across the cot to divide it in half. So the bumper was tied to the bottom of the cot. Up half one side, across the middle, and down the other half side. Very loath to recommend it because cot bumpers aren't recommended at all. If the baby rolls into it they can suffocate. (Never did personally understand why bumpers=bad but solid sided moses basket =ok). So that's what we did, but USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Can add that I'm back at work after almost 3 weeks xmas break and still exhausted. Got to work this morning, went straight to the restroom and slept for another hour before making it to my desk!

Gosh. We are all a sorry lot! Definitely agree about exhaustion. I've also had a headache for 3 days. It's really getting to me. Dr didn't seem too bothered yesterday though.

Rhienne I think the bumper thing is more that in theory they can get trapped underneath too. A newborn in a Moses basket won't be able to roll. An older baby in a cot could roll up against sides. I had our bumpers on for a bit but kept taking them off. Problem was, she kept head butting th sides and getting her legs and hands stuck through the bars.
I think they sell a cot divider? I'm sure I've seen one.

beaver I also agree that you're likely get your money back. Each ATM has a camera on it to film how takes the money. Did the guy punch in and take the money while you were there? Or was it some technical scam? I'd be tempted to cry down the phone to the bank and say you had the money put aside for a pushchair for new baby. Get the sympathy vote.

Baby girl news has sunk in a bit more now. Having to tell people to say helped. No negative comments so far. Tbh, our DD1 is such a good baby/kid that if we have another the same we'll be laughing.

Anyone had a breakdown of their maternity pay. Like a forcast? I did last time. Just wondering, does SMP kick in after your employer pay stops? I read SMP is 39 weeks but I get 12 weeks pay from work (6 full, 6 half). So, is the 39 weeks after the 12, or along side? I'm hoping the former. I want a year off!

Maybe- smp runs alongside so sadly not a year..

Oh no scooby! So three months to live off nothing then.

What are everyone else's maternity pay packages like? And how much is SMP now? I vaguely remember it going up since last time.

So 6 weeks half pay, will actually be more like 3/4 pay then. Plus I expect you don't get tax on it? Do I remember a tax rebate at some point that year off too? I did some KIT days last time to earn a bit more.

I'm self employed so I get maternity allowance not sure how much ill get.I pay my national insurance contributions and apparently that helps but it's all a bit confusing.

maybe I get 6 months full pay and then can take up to another 6 months without pay. I was told by work that I would get SMP at the end of the paid 6 months so that might be the same for you? They also said that if I take keeping it touch days (KIT) during the paid 6 months, you don't get additional pay on top. However, if I take them after that time they are paid, so would effectively be another 2 wks pay (I know I will have to do some work anyway, so might as well be paid for it!)

I just get statutory maybe - 6 weeks at 90% then up to 36 weeks at SMP (which is currently about £135.48/week). Am at people who get enhanced pay, but have started saving already. Am taking about 7 months off, going back in November, which fits in really well with my busy time at work.

Max MA is same as SMP beaut, at £138.48ish, but is not subject to Tax & NIC unlike SMP. Think there may be a calculation on the gov.uk website.

I get 15 weeks maternity leave. The first 30 days are paid at 82% of my salary; the remainder is paid at 75%. I'm planning to finish work one week before my EDD. Most of my leave will be in the school holidays - grrr.

It's a bit of a dilemma really. I'm only on a year's contract so I don't actually have to go back (indeed they may not want me back). There aren't very many employment opportunities for me over here as my French isn't great. It's taken ages to get this job so I feel that if I don't go back in September there's a good chance I won't be able to find another job. This is making me think that I have to go back if given the opportunity. On the other hand I know I'm really going to regret leaving my 15 week old baby in creche while I go out to work. On the plus side, my job is very part-time, I'd probably have a maximum of 10 hours a week. The downside is that those 10 hours could be split over five days with one lesson at 8.30am and the other finishing at 4.15pm. DS's creche is a bugger to get to too...

I really don't know what to do

Hmm, that's difficult mamma. When is the 1 year contract up?

School finishes in July, I think I'm contracted until the end of August.

I'm so lucky with my maternity deal: 6 months full pay then 3 further months of SMP. I will finish at the end of April and return in January. I would have liked to have returned part-time but work said no, I will return full-time but compressed into four days which I'd what I do now. It's not too bad really as I get a three day weekend with the kids and I enjoy my work. Being a stay at home mum for 8 months is actually a rather scary prospect!

So after the 15 weeks would you need to find another job anyway mamma, unless they want you back? If your hours are set, would it be easier to find a childminder to cover the lessons, rather than sending your 15 weeks baby to nursery?

Wow arti, that's fantastic!!!

Thanks for answering Elly. If the school didn't need me in September I'd go back to being a SAHM again (and be very happy doing it). I'm incredibly lucky to be able to do that I know.

Childminders don't really exist over here. The creche that DS goes to is excellent and DD would go there. It's quite normal for a teeny one to start creche and then spend the next six months off creche because they're ill all the time

6 months full pay, Artegene and roast?? Lucky ladies, am very .

Mine is 6 weeks full pay (the only enhanced bit), then the standard - 6 weeks 90 per cent and then SMP.

I want to take a year off so preparing in theory for 3 months unpaid at the end - although you do get paid for annual leave accrued, which for me amounts to a good seven weeks. That'll def help.

You feeling any better tonight rachy? Hope so.

Thanks for cash support, all - am def planning on milking the sympathy/baby card. And have reported to police who are going to check CCTV at the station. Still seeing red, though...

Ooh, and my mortgage application was approved today!! Getting closer to the new home...

22+2

Yay beaver!!

I have decided to spread my accrued leave out when I go back, so I won't actually be doing a full week until next Feb, which I think will be better for me than taking it in a block at the end, but we'll see!!

I'm in Sweden so in maternity pay heaven. We get 480 days of parental leave to split between us as we see fit and can be taken any time until baby is 8 years old. Any days my husband takes will be at full pay (80% from the state + 20% from his employer). Days I take will be at £18 per day (from the state) as I don't normally work, I study with the OU.

We're planning on taking 6 weeks together when baby arrives then husband will take 2 days a week so I can continue with my studies and I'll take 3 days a week.

Jinx Panda

:o

Congrats on the girl maybe.

beaver that's great news about your mortgage application. What an awful situation about the cashpoint though, hope the police find something on the CCTV footage.

ng what's the amnio checking for if you don't mind me asking? Sorry I missed a load of the previous thread and haven't caught up yet.

Whoever asked about those still to have scans mine isn't until the 23rd but it's late, I'll be 21+5. I'm not due until 31st may so right at the back of the thread, now 19+5 so I'm guessing there can't be many others left?

I feel for all of you lot worrying about maternity leave, it feels like a lifetime ago I was having the same worries when I was pregnant with DS. I've been a SAHM since I had him in 2008. Any other SAHMs here?

OMG! Very .
I'm going to have to keep the last 3 months pay a secret from DH for a bit. Might have to quietly put some a way.
But I've just ordered a new kitchen and was planing on a few other home improvements. It's a good job my DH's business is going well.
Anyone else got a DH who is self employed? He teaches in day at school then works in evenings. I've got a feeling he won't be able to take those evenings off around patenity leave. Bit anxious already.