Due in May 2014? The Maybies Roll On Together... Come Join Us!

[ThePFJ]

New Thread!!!!

Update the stats here with your EDD's, Scan Dates and Baby Names!!
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Settle down for cake, sympathy and lots of laughs! xxx

cbeebies I'm really sorry you're feeling the way you do I wish there was something I could do to help or even advice I can offer but I can't; but my hand is here to hold if it's any help :)

dobe again, no advice or help to offer, but I'm sorry they're making things difficult for you. Oh and some encouragement - take them down

Morning all! I'd definitely echo going to the GP, cbeebies. The first thing they usually do, without hesitation, is send you to get your basic bloods done. Maybe make sure to eat something carby beforehand to ensure they signal if high sugar level is the problem? That might give the information they need about what's going on. And if not, keep at the GP until they do more tests and figure it out!

Have you had a scan yet? (Sorry, I'm losing track of who has or hasn't!) If not, could you afford to get a private reassurance scan somewhere? Might either let you know if something is wrong, or reassure you that the problem lies in an imbalance within your own body (which will probably be easily fixed once it's discovered) rather than a problem with the baby.

dobedobedo, have they given you no pay at all? If you pay your taxes and NI then surely your eligible for statutory sick pay at the very least?

Not much to report here this morning... Same niggly cramps I get every morning that is probably everything having a good old stretch and I can feel the nausea starting to build. At least I'm WFH today so can curl up on the sofa with my laptop if it gets bad!

Will be very of anyone feeling movement. I didn't feel anything until 24 weeks last time because I had an anterior placenta. I don't know where it's placed this time around, probably the same!

bluestone don't worry, I only realised when checking in that I had said new instead of news so no wonder it was confusing! I have definitely had incidences of pregnancy brain recently, especially at work.

dobe I think I would at least raise it and ask why you weren't paid. Surely if purely because your illness was pregnancy related as opposed to them not paying sick leave generally then that is discriminatory? I think that is why they are talking about male comparator/comparison with another time you were ill and got paid.

cbeebies sorry nothing to offer but sympathy, I hope more knowledgable people are able to help.

Happy Friday to everyone, hope you are able to rest up over the weekend and that we all feel miraculously better (although still that bit pregnant for reassurance) soon...

Dobe, I think it's definitely worth a conversation with your boss/the owner. I think it's quite often useful to go in with a "I don't really understand this as I had a vague idea I should be paid" and then if they say no then follow up with a "wait there I've printed something out, let's look through it together and I'll show you what I meant" I find that fairly non confrontational but you're still showing them the legislation.

Oh I'm 12 weeks today. How exciting. I've graduated to a lime.

Morning everyone :)
cbeebies I hope you are already on the phone to your doctors surgery! Don't take no for an answer and demand at least your bloods taken. What you are describing is not a normal part of pregnancy. I do hope you feel better soon do you have any friends or family you could palm the kids off to for a bit?

We had a surprise visit from DS in our bed last night, he's never slept in with us before and I have to say, I won't be rushing to have him in again! Those feet get everywhere!

I was pregnant at the exact same time 3 years ago so I'm trying to remember when everything started happening. My boobs had definitely doubled in size by December and I had a lovely little bump by Christmas Day. My due date is exactly the same as last time so I'm hoping I don't go over again and have them share the same birthday!

Dobe, is your manager quite approachable? I would just go in and explain firmly but nicely what you have said to us. If they still don't want to pay you then maybe hint at legal action? Sorry they aren't treating you well :(

Oh and good luck with the scan tonight Squiffie!

Thanks for the advice and support! Oh and good luck for your scan squiffie! Can't wait to see the pics!

Morning all! Such great news yesterday... so relieved all was well!

squiffie good luck today and let us know later how it all went!!

dobe I think talking to the citizens advice bureo sounds like a great idea they can help walk you through your options. But if you go and talk to your boss direct then good luck and I hope it stays non-confrontational. We're all rooting for you!

cbeebies I'm so sorry to hear how awful you're feeling, but I hope you're get an appointment with your GP soon and they give you a serious hearing and help work out what it is. Good luck

My wretched oven has broken... It's a rubbish oven anyway and we've had so many problems with it since we got it... we have gas as the electricity supply is so erratic here (recently it's been out 12hrs in every 24)... and when it gets hot it won't turn off properly... yesterday I THOUGHT it was turned off but when I got back from walking the dogs and the door had been closed there was an overwhealming smell of gas as it hadn't turned off properly. This isn't the first time it's happened and scares the living daylights out of me.

If they can't fix it this time (3rd time) then we're going to have to find a new one... but we brought this one up from south Africa (as everything is so expensive here) so it's not as easy as popping down the road.

anyhow, sorry for moaning, seems such a daft thing not to be able to turn off our oven but not so if I manage to blow ourselves up!

bureo?! Bureau even! (I could never spell even before pg brain!) xx

dobe I'd go to the doctor and get a sick note for the day you were off. If like mine last time they will just sign you off with "general debility" or something. Then take that in and say that you have a note now, expect the illness to be treated like previously, and for you to be paid. If they argue then slip in that if there is a problem it will become a legal matter. At which point I'd be surprised indeed if they didn't just pay you.

Congrats on the scan moomin you sound really happy

cbeebies that's one of the reasons I've gone for an independent midwife, that the normal ones just dismiss you. Go back and demand, don't stand down on it and tell them you are within your rights to be tested when they suspected last time. Happened to me, I went in and told them my ms was getting me down and I couldn't cope they were like "oh shame, its hard second time round" dismissing me, then later in the same appointment she asked the depression questions and I agreed I felt down and didn't want to do anything and she was all concerned suddenly. Idiots.

Seems to me a common theme of pregnancy is the pregnant woman being dismissed and ignored and a constant struggle to be heard. Its incredibly unfair.

I have a cold to add to the worsening ms, hoorah. Sigh.

Hi, sorry to hijack your thread, I've popped over from the due March thread to give you a heads up on childcare vouchers. We've just realised that some of us will be out of pocket re mat pay because they're considered a salary sacrifice. Your mat pay is calculated on you average pay between weeks 17 and 25 so if you don't cancel you vouchers by then you'll be down on money if that makes sense?!

I seemed to have missed what's happened to cbeebies

Thanks for the headsup lumpylumps ! (as if my work would do anything progressive like childcare vouchers anyway)

Morning!

cbeebies I echo everyone else in saying see your GP. Also GPs can order GTT so it's strange your midwife said they can't maybe once this is sorted look at an alternative midwife if possible. Her dismissive attitude is terrible.

dobe let us know what happens with your work. Again, if you have a union please discuss with them too. If not, then CAB.

squif good luck with scan

lou thank you for your post

I meant lumps not Lou !!

thistle it's up thread maybe 2 pages back by now...she linked to a thread she started yesterday asking for help

That's not exactly the case, Lumps... Child care vouchers are seen as a benefit and therefore they have to keep paying them throughout your maternity leave - on top of normal maternity payments. Like how you still accrue holiday and you still receive company wide bonuses.

So as long as you use the vouchers (they last for 12 months, so can be saved up for when you go back to work) then you're actually saving money on tax reduction. Though it will reduce your immediate cash in hand in your salary.

Arguably you could stop them between 17-25 weeks and then start them up again, to receive maximum salary and maximum vouchers, but I think most employers would take a dim view of blatantly playing the system that way! In my case, I think there's a clause in my contract preventing me from changing my vouchers more than once per year, anyway.

For those who are working for a company that does childcare vouchers and who intend to use them when/if they go back to work, it's actually worth starting the child care vouchers before you go on maternity leave if you're on statutory maternity pay.

My negotiation with work will be over KIT days. As they can technically subtract the childcare voucher amount from any money owed for a KIT day - which means my going in would be utterly pointless as I'd get nothing for it that I wasn't getting already!

Hoping I can negotiate that they pay me on top of the childcare vouchers. [mercenary]

It's not that they don't continue paying them. It's that they can affect your pay. In some cases mat pay is calculated by the average earning of weeks 17-25. This is the amount after the vouchers have gone out but before tax etc. So if you receive the full £243 each month, that average will be less £486.

Um.. What are childcare vouchers ... Something the employed among us get only I guess?

DAMN YOU PHD

Hi everyone

Good to hear about some great scans...cant wait for mine to finally see what is going on.
Had booking in on Tuesday and all went well...the midwife is trying to get me an early reassurance scan and booking to see the consultant. She has put something on my notes that says once in labour I shouldn't leave hospital as my last labour was very fast.15 minutes from 1cm to birth
Warning to all those getting dopplers .. I had one with both my girls and used to use it all the time. Last pregnancy I used it again and thought I was picking up babies heartbeat and in fact it was my own. So I thought baby was okay and it wasn't. Not using one this time round

hamncheese I can sympathise... because I get student loans rather than income support, I'm not eligible for Early Start vouchers or any kind of help although I'm lucky in that I get student finance.

rosesintherain I hope your scan goes well. I can understand how nervous you must be, I know after loosing my son I find having scans an anxious experience.

Cbeebies I head your thread I had folate anemia post natal it was horrible but I don't think I was ever as bad as that I would insist further investigations are done. At the very least I would change midwives I have no time for those that just dismiss legitimate concerns as Paranoid another phrase for it could be mothers intuition. Especially when you have had two previous experiences.

sqiffy I'm planning on writing it in my birth plan and I also I tend to give a little lecture when I arrive making it clear how I expect to be treated.
I am honestly not this bloshy usually I've just found when your at your most vulnerable its easy for others to push their own agenda.

nanny just read about the carbon Monoxide tester. I did this my first pregancy it's really outrageous when I made it clear I have never smoked!
Neither my DH or I do and we clearly do t smell of smoke.
Plus smoking is legal so why on earth try 'catch you out'.
I was intending to refuse this time and make it clear it's offensive, but they didn't request it this time.
Aparently they target areas that they consider to be 'deprived' and therefore people are more likely to be uneducated about the dangers. nice bit of social stereotyping.

Just checked the stats page and longtailtit is due for a scan today, as well as squiffie. Good luck to you both, you too Roses.

Loads of us are having scans Monday, me included. Think 5 or 6 of us are having one on Monday.

Oh I have a new symptom! Aching back and hips. Isn't pregnancy fun? lol. When is the damn sickness going to piss off?!

Update on the work thing. My manager started talking about the sick pay thing again, and I casually said "Oh it's illegal, I'll have to speak to [the owner] because I'm sure he's not aware of this."

I printed off the relevant info and gave it to her. Now I'm going to wait for this issue to disappear, or I'll speak to the owner when I next see him. I think he'll be raging.

TFI Friday! So happy it's the weekend! I'm going home and straight to bed. I've eaten SOOOOOOO much today. I'm going to have to get my slaves ds or dh to massage my back for a while.