February 2014 - is there an octopus in there?

[LittlePandaBear]

Okay I don't like to run out of things, even threads, so here's the new one.

Can't remember who described their baby kicking like an octopus but it's very true :)

NotOne I am fascinated by your laundry rituals. Bet your whites are all gleaming. I have never run my washing machine empty, should I be doing something? I like to give myself a huge pat on the back when I clean out the skanky detergent/fab cond tray once in a blue moon or remember to clean the dishwasher filters - you are in another league! But on a serious note, I always soak poo-covered baby clothes in a washing up bowl with Napisan in it until I put the next wash on. Definitely recommend buying some - you can get it in supermarkets. It's a sort of old-school non-bio stain remover.

I think I have 18 more days in the office - not bothering to count those where I'll be working from home or having antenatal appointments and it might be less if I chuck in a few more working from home/sick days. Can you tell I want to be on maternity leave NOW?!

champs if I pm'd you my email address would you be able to send me your jazzy spreadsheet?

Clearly I am a proper scumbag as I have never, ever cleaned out my washing machine aside from an occasional empty hot wash.
The thought of reusable nappies terrifies me. Disposables were bad enough. Plus surely the ecological benefits are at least partly cancelled out by all the extra hot washes, bleach, electricity? Not to mention my time, which I have little enough of as it is... Disposables all the way for me.

Waiting for midwife to arrive at my house for my 28 week appointment. As predicted, the house is a flapjack-free zone :-)

I've just had my wc and flu jabs and they didn't hurt one tiny bit!! I'm so brave

I went to London last night to meet DH for a concert and a business dude gave up his seat for me! I was touched.

lovestobake ooh I haven't factored in working from home days / medical appointments.. a quick recalc means only 31 days in office left now, if I can just have a few sickies too....

unplastered I've been trying to make the reusable vs disposable nappy decision. Either way, I'll have disposable for the first six weeks or so.

This is interesting which report

Hi preggos, nothing new to report here but I have my 26 week (I think) MW appointment later today. I really am losing track of where I am in this pregnancy - with the boys I knew down to the day all the time - this time round when people ask me I have to really think and work it out (or just cop out with an approximate number of months). I have to ask her if I'm ok to fly on Monday (I'd better be as the flight is booked!) and whether I need a note. Can't remember when the cutoff is for needing medical consent. If I'm not supposed to fly, I will just have to wear baggy clothes and try to hold myself in so that I look smaller than I am (or at least bigger everywhere else!)

I so badly want to be on ML already. Thing is, I'm only actually employed to work once a fortnight, and the rest of my work is on a self-employed basis from home. I still dread working and just want to rest, but really cannot afford to (with the SE work I will probably only take a month off as it is mainly in the evenings when DH is around to do childcare, but with the employed stuff I will take the full year) I only have 5 employed shifts left (plus any holiday cover I do between now and then) My last shift will be 18th Jan, then using annual leave and officially starting ML on 15th February, which should help me have as much time as possible after the bambino is born. My boss has never had anyone go on maternity leave before and is asking me on a weekly basis what date I'm starting back afterwards! I haven't broken it to her that I will be accruing holiday entitlement whilst on ML so will also have all that to take before the end of March

For me the reusable nappy thing is all about the landfill. Since we live in North Scotland I will blatantly be using the tumble dryer a LOT so from that pov not very environmentally friendly, but I just hate thinking about the amount of landfill disposables create.

LovesTo I'm another one in the feel-great-about-myself-if-I-clean-out-the-detergent-drawer camp. When we finally get to move back into our house I am definitely doing one of these vinegar wash thingys.

SugarMice I'm flying on Monday and will be almost 29 weeks. The airline says I'm supposed to have a note but I forgot to get one at the 28wk appointment so I'm just going to take my notes, wear not very pregnant looking clothes and hope for the best...

marzi don't forget about the return leg - we were held up a few years back when a couple were denied boarding at the gate. They hadn't been asked for any info on the way out but easyjet (legitimately) refused to fly them home leaving them stuck in a foreign country and their other children with relatives at home... Worth checking with the airline though, not everyone requires a dr's note.

marzi check your airline websites - I found Easyjet would accept me up to 35th week but Norwegian Air 36wks. Others wanted medical notes from doctor after 28 wks. Also check you have travel insurance to cover you!

Champs I have a question about what happens if you decide not to return to work at the end of your maternity leave. When would I need to tell them and would I still be entitled to be paid for the annual leave I accrued whilst off?

marzi I got a Dr's note to fly when I was 27+4, returning when I was 28+1, and no-one batted an eyelid. This was with Virgin, but it wasn't like I wasn't obviously knocked up. They just don't want you dropping on the plane!

The re-usable nappy thing for me is also about landfill. Someone mentioned further upthread about disposables that biodegrade within a few years, rather than a few lifetimes like most modern nappies, so I'm going to look into that for our first few days whilst we all get used to each other. Am now thinking of going the whole hog and looking at washable sanitary pads for afterwards - the mooncup doesn't really work for me, but you never know, after Bean's arrival that may change?!

Wow gnitting washable maternity pads sounds very virtuous, not sure I could get my head around that one. I do remember that once my crazy milk oversupply and leaking calmed down after a few months, I did switch to washable breast pads which felt better for the environment and saved me a fair bit of money especially as I bf for 10.5 months - you get through a hell of a lot in that time!

lovesto I had to give my normal notice period for not returning back to work and got paid for all the holiday I had accrued up til my leaving date. Our maternity policy was written as such that I had to give 8weeks notice of changing the return dates, but if I was resigning only my normal notice period (5 weeks) was needed.

Hmmm, thanks camwombat - they're just changing my notice period from 1 month to 3 months so I just want to make sure I play the game right so I don't lose out on any mat pay/holiday/childcare voucher payments... Weird thinking about it but I am 99.9% sure I won't be returning this time.

Gah, thats harsh. DHs old company used to be three months but realised that they were then stuck with staff who didnt want to be there having resigned so altered it to one month up to x years, then a week for every year on top of that to a maximum of 3months notice.

I was bad and got all of this is writing from HR before I went on ML, just so I knew exactly where I stood if I decided not to go back or wanted to extend or shorten the leave. At that point I wasnt sure about going back, then I went on ml, my job description and hours changed (for the worse) and discovered things like weekends actually happened, and that Christmas wasnt so awful if you didnt work in retail....

Although saying that today DS is driving me potty, he is still spotty but feeling ok in himself so is charging round the house with cabin fever causing trouble, and generally wearing me out. There are several dvds that may go "missing" overnight too, watching them on fast forward is only amusing to him....

I have just started to put things up for sale on local fb selling pages and preloved. Mostly toddler boy clothes and there is still mountains in the loft when i can brave that lot, although I suspect i'll nearly new that lot.

gnitting have you thought about the 'family cloth'? www.thepolivkafamily.com/2013/06/no-more-toilet-paper-switching-to-cloth/ (they are cute though...)
I also want to get the biodegradable nappies, NCT shop has lots but probably cheaper elsewhere...

Thanks for the airline advice - the website says I'm good to fly up to 35 weeks but need a note after 28 weeks. Only going for three days so will still be 29-ish on the return leg! But if I wear my big coat I really don't look pregnant, so not sure if they'd ask...however, don't like the thought of holding up flight/being stuck overseas. Perhaps better dash back to the doctor tomorrow.

Went in for flu jab today and the nurse said, "oh, I'll give you your wc at the same time" so after all my dithering it pretty much got decided for me :)

so sad... no one has applied for my job for mat leave. So worried about my class.

Oh no bare can you get someone in using a supply agency?

I've got another question about returning to work... If I go from full time to part time (lets say 2 days) can I take my accrued full time holiday off my part time hours? So, if I accrue 22 days, does that mean I can take 11 weeks off??

yes thats what will happen...but often supply teachers dont last very long. last thing i want is for my little ones to have a different random each week....

Tiny I think that's what I'm doing with my leave - gives me a bonus week off (though on part time pay sadly)