October 2013- Constantly hungry and counting down to maternity leave.

[GTbaby]

Right off to finish the last thread

Thanks for the new thread! Marking my place.

I've just discovered chocolate covered Oreos in the local supermarket so munching my way through a packet of those!

My maternity leave starts a week today, very early as my contract expires then and I can't exactly go back in September! I'm looking forward to being a lady of leisure all summer but worried about getting bored.

Enjoy your holiday Natalie it will be lovely!

Umlauf, you'll be spending all summer in Spain wearing your swimming costume, chilling by a pool getting a tan!!! I'm well jel now...can we swap lives please?! :-)

Thankyou for all the congratulations. Yes it was my 20 week scan. But I am 20 +6 due 25/10. I think I am second to last to scan.

He had a slight jelly baby appearance. V cute.

Thanks for making the new thread.
:)

Congrats slippy, and another boy....x

Hi all, sorry you're feeling down natalie, but your holiday will be lovely whatever the weather. A change of scene is always good.
Just back from my consultant appt. I'd decided I really want a vbac as can't face another c section recovery with a 14month old and a newborn but he is strongly recommending cs as my scar won't have healed properly and it may rupture. . Going to ask for a second opinion and ultimately its my decision but I don't think I'll risk a vbac against a dr's wishes. Hated being sliced open so much though and felt like it took weeks to be me again whereas all the other ladies with normal births were running about in no time.

That's if I can find a swimming costume flyer haha! But yes I'm very excited. Ill have no money at all, not entitled to any form of maternity pay or help or benefit or nada, DH still on starting salary so its a struggle. Swings and roundabouts! Tefl jobs run September-June so ill be unemployed for 15 months or so, but luckily its cheaper to live here so hopefully we'll be ok, no choice really!!

Congratulations slippy, another boy to join the gang! Have you thought of names? I love having a gender attached to my bump now it helps me feel like he is real, up until my gender scan I had no attachment to my little parasite, now I do :-)

Super behind on the thread so just checking in for now!

have a good holiday natalie and congrats on your boy slippy! can't believe we have another boy...!

warlin re your active baby. DS was the same - it felt like having a built in washing machine inside me! and I'm afraid he is still pretty much the same :-) I remember midwife asking me if I felt 10 movements each day. More like 10 per minute!

pseudo love your way of thinking -
67 working days left for me... seems a lot to be honest but still better than thinking about it in terms of months. so jealous you have so little left umlauf!

Think I have 48 working days left but might need to recount when I'm back in the office tomorrow.

warlin I too have an extremely active baby, he is on the go near enough constantly. I'm glad I can feel him but my god it's like my stomach is turning all the bloody time.

Thanks for the new thread GT - very accurate title!

I'm full of cold and miserable today, but on the bright side am working from home tomorrow then off to Greece for 2 weeks early Sunday morning. Don't feel too jealous though - I have spent today sorting out VPN and filestore on my iPad as I have to do some critical work while I'm there. Oh well... I'm sure it will be less stressful working with a (weak) Mythos shandy lying on a sun lounger by the pool

Right - I'm off to count the exact number of days I have left at work after I get back!

38 days! And I will have some TOIL to take too, so even less really

Hi ladies! :) Wow, I'm now worried that I've put my mat leave start date as a little late after seeing when you're all finishing up... I'm a teacher (in Scotland-2 weeks til the summer holidays!!) so was planning on going back after the holidays for 5 weeks, which means I will finish up on 20th September for a due date of 3rd October... 13 days between finishing and due date. This is my first baby-am I crazy? Should I start it earlier? Have been feeling pretty good so far but I know that could all change!

I should clarify that my ML starts on the 1st October; I'm taking annual leave from the 11th September.

33 working daytsssss yay!

bree i dont think its too late to finish work, plus if you go into labour whilst technically still at work they will start it automatically.

Having dd at 37+5 i wanted to ensure I had a few weeks before arrival. Dont reckon i'll be early with this one though!

I had DS at 38 weeks, I had one week off beforehand.

So glad you asked this bree! I am a teacher too and was thinking of doing 4 weeks after summer hols and finishing a week before my due date. Is this very naive? I do not have many friends with babies but 3 out of 4 of them were over a week late with their first. I want to work as late as possible so that maternity pay lasts longer but would appreciate advice on whether working til 38/9 weeks is really tough?

I'm a teacher too, Bree and Ruby but am having to finish earlier than I'd like because I haven't been timtabled for September, so my replacement will be in post from the start of term. I'll do two weeks to help start the year off, but can't justify staying longer than that with no classes.

I am hoping not to have any classes either shire but the head has said I can start maternity whenever I want to. Unfortunately decent science teachers seem to be a rareity so no one has been appointed to cover me yet ......!

For teacher folks. Last preg I arranged to leave 2weeks before due. I was exhausted by 5/6 weeks before due date. Teaching is a hard job! I ended up leaving earlier.

warin YOU start mat leave when YOU want. It's the schools choice to start your replacement at the start of term (as my school are doing). Do t feel pressurised to start early.

SORRY I meant shire not warin.

Bree I finished work 6 days before my due date with DD. She was 2 weeks late, so all was fine! I was supposed to finish a week earlier, but just kept going as I felt totally fine.

Hello shiny new thread
Just sorted my maternity leave. I'm due on 9th Oct. I finish on 6th sept, taking 3 week A/L then starting mat leave on 30th Sept and going back to work on 30th June 2014.......wow, it seems like a crazy long time when it's written down

Yes Shire - you choose the date. If that means you work alongside your replacement, even if that means there's no work, it's still your right.

I am a teacher too. I haven't confirmed when my maternity leave will start yet. I initially thought of stopping at 36 weeks or even not going back at all in September. But I am not sure now, particularly as I will have had the summer holidays to rest and get things ready, I wonder if working as long as possible to get more money would be a good idea. Also DH won't be able to take the time of to spend with me so if I am overdue it would just be up to 6 lonely weeks.