February 2014 - Part 5 - The one in which nobody has ANY vomiting, heartburn, or random leg injuries...

[marzipanned]

Well, here's hoping!

Hey,
Started back at work this (teacher) and told the head my news. He was nice but weirdly said 'I knew already'! Not enjoying having to work for a living again but by far the worst bit for me is driving to work - I've only started driving in the past few months and today the bumper is hanging off the car because I parked facing a kerb. Sorry, this is not relevant to babies but I've just got home and need to let it out!

Also been looking at term dates and maternity. The head assumed I'd be back in September but obviously July is better as then I'd get full pay over Summer. I have the same dilemma mentioned by some - due Jan 27th, do I finish at Christmas (5 weeks before DD) or one week into new term (only 2 weeks before DD)? And ideally I only want to work a few weeks before Summer but if I took Jan-June there are still 4 weeks of teaching in July, which might be hard for childcare? Any other ideas teachers?

Hope you're all feeling well x

I'm due end of Jan and I'm going to finish just before christmas. Last time i worked till 36 weeks and that was a stretch....don't think i could've gone any further. All depends how you're feeling though. I was fine apart from I was HUGE so moving around, sitting in one position for any length of time, etc was very painful.

same dilema ch11 do i stay till after christmas or go before... hmmm

looking forward to meeting my new little ones tomorrow. 15 shiny new 4 year olds (only half start tomorrow)

my head is telling all the staff tomorrow... sqquuueee!!!!

Awww good luck back at school bare! I'm due 1st feb so thinking if starting mat leave after chrimbo - part of me is tempted to go back for a week just to avoid being skint for a tiny bit longer but I reckon I'll be a big fat moany mess by then so probably won't

I'm also having weird and scary dreams! At one point lag night I looked in the mirror and I had false nails for teeth! They had French manicure and everything! Made perfect sense at the time

gnitting I am also self employed. I think matrrnity allowance has changed so its pretty much thr same as statutory maternity pay now. I think I will qualify for 90% of my earnings for 39 weeks. it can start anytime after 28w I think? ?? I know previously ma was just for 26w starting the day baby was born and was pathetically low! I just need to double check all my ni payments are up to date!

I think baby kicked/dive bombed on my bladder earlier I hope that's not going to be my first movement from him/her and a sign of things to come! ds was a darling and never kicked me in the bladder/ribs

I'm due 4 Feb and saving some holiday to tag on to Christmas so I start mat leave around the 11 Jan.

Re mucus - Tmi alert!! dh and I dtd on Sunday night and I had a lovely greenish snot like mucus (with a tiny blood vessel) when I went to the loo later. I think this must have been a bit of mucus plug, all subsequent mucus has been clear and normal. Bleugh! Won't be doing that often!

Aw, your class sound too cute bare

Can't wait for the bake off tonight!

Good news sassy

DD had a good first day at school, she's in yellow group, has her own locker, a Biff and Chip reading book, and New friends called Miley and Amelia, plus her teacher is 'really nice and smiles a lot'. She says she wants to go back tomorrow

Had a rubbish first day back at work today myself, so her fab day kind of makes up for it.

Eeyore isn't annual leave the same as working (I.e. you get paid for it) it just means you don't have as much to take at the end of mat leave? I think once baby arrives (even if early) you have to start SMP even if you have leave booked... Am I right?

gnittinggnome please check your maternity pay entitlements. The 90% of your usual rate of pay is only for the first few weeks, then it reduces to the statutory rate for the rest of the 39 weeks, which is Statutory Maternity Pay. Maternity Allowance is exactly the same, but you get the statutory rate all the way through not the 90% at the start. You can check your entitlement and get the full details on www.gov.uk

I'm finishing work on 23rd January, due on 11th February. It's the only way I can make my paid leave stretch till after October half term, if I finished work at Christmas (-and after today, I feel like jacking it in this week) I would have to go back in September, instead of 3rd November.

Thanks littlest and petty, I will take a good look at it closer to the time. Right now my energies are taken up with trying to actually generate revenue! Hoping for a mid-September launch of my Etsy shop and have an appt with the bank's business manager on Friday :-) Nothing like leaving it till the last minute!

Good news Sassy

I'm due 13th Feb and think I'll leave work by 17th Jan, and then take 3 weeks holiday before starting mat leave. I work 3 days a week so it's not as intense as being full time, although I do have a long train commute (1 1/2 hours each way) so hope it's not snowing! I can always work a day a week from home if I ask nicely so should be able to cope.

Last time I left at 37 weeks which was fine for me, again I used about 3 weeks holiday before my due date then started mat leave. I felt well though, but if you're feeling ill/huge then you'd probably want to finish earlier!

I understand it's tempting for people not to return to work after Xmas and you all have various holiday entitlements etc. But for me I wanted as much time with baby after she was born before returning to work, so those extra weeks I got with DD instead. I know lots of mums are desperate to get back to using their brain at work but I was happy to have my baby brain for as long as possible!

It's so difficult because we don't know when our babies will arrive - lots of first babies can be a couple of weeks late and therefore you get more time to yourself when you finish work, but of course it could always come a few weeks early and you may not get as much time as you'd like!

uh oh - after sorting my wardrobe and realising pretty much none of my normal clothes fit, i appear to have just bought a load of new maternity stuff from new look! Bought one of the snood coats too - it looks so cute and cosy only 40 quid too!

Lots of responses re: mat leave, that's good... so if I went for finishing at Christmas I think I could put the first day back as first day of mat leave... but seems so cheeky? I think that's around 7th Jan, then I guess I could go back 7th-ish of July which might make it 3 weeks to work before Summer. Might do this...
Wish I had a class of 4-year-olds but I'm secondary. Year 7s were cute and eager today, not anticipating the same for some of my other classes I'm keeping on from last year!
Holding off telling anyone else at work till after 20 week scan next week - running out of baggy clothes!

The decision re using my leave is made for me really as I have to use it before June 2014 so has to be taken before mat leave starts! I will accrue some more during mat leave so will tag some of that on the end.

Where did you get snood coat from MissKat? X

Just to clarify gnitting I will get the lower rate of 90% of pay as I don't earn enough to qualify for the £134(ish) a week.

I went on annual leave at 37.5 weeks last time and ML started the day ds arrived - his due date and the day after annual leave finished. He really is a very considerate child Had he arrived ahead of schedule though my AL would have been tagged on at the end. His arrival date also meant that I accrued a whole years worth of AL at the end of ML - a very welcome bonus! Sadly no AL for me being SE this time but at least maternity allowance has improved considerably!

I will try and work as late as possible this time. Possibly until I drop! I only work 2 days a week-ish though. Last time I reduced my hours towards the end. My bosses didn't want to but at 32 weeks (I had asked many weeks before, many times) I told them I had my mw appointment and they could either give me flexible hours or I could be signed off by mw that afternoon. They agreed that I would turn up at the office before 11am and leave by 5pm. It just gave me a bit of a lie in after terrible sleep at the end! The were a bit peeved that I cam in for the minimal possible hours on my last day though

ch1134 - it isn't cheeky at all! I think it's what most people do in teaching - try and maximise the mat leave around hols. No point using up two weeks of christmas holidays as mat pay when you don't have to

Sassy this is the coat i've ordered snood - looks cosy

Great news sassy.
I have the New Look snood too, in burgundy. I bought it a couple of weeks ago but spent ages trying to work out if it was the right size. It's so hard to work out with maternity clothes.

Teachers - can you not get away with just going back for the last week of term in July if you want the summer pay and are going back in sept anyway? I have known others to do that....

I know Thingy it's a nightmare isn't it - I've had things in a 14 from there which have been fine but thought i'd go for a 16 in the coat as I seem to be expanding by the day! Fingers crossed it fits alright.

Oh my god I totally need to figure out how to make these too - sooooo cute duck booties

Petty - we've had people come back the last day before summer so they get paid over summer.

I totally would missk!

missk I believe you can have a bash at these, which are very similar, if not quite the same:

www.knitty.com/ISSUEss10/PATTduck.php

ch11 would going back end of july count???

I'm a teacher and am planning on going back last week of jury term, if not the last day of term, so I get paid for summer hol.

Due 23rd feb and planning on going around 27th jan, so working first 3 weeks after Christmas hols (hoping they get my cover in straight after Christmas as this will be easier cover wise to employ someone 2 terms plus this means less hard work for me).

Kids are in tomorrow but really not in the mood for them!

Also just booked antenatal classes with a doula! Excited! Only thing is she only had 2 sets of dates that would be appropriate and one of them didn't finish until mid feb so she recommended the other which runs nov - dec which seems so early!

Ooh MissK and Thingy I really like that coat - I might to have do some online shopping!