August 2014 - Baking summer babies in our ovens.

[HalfPintPickle]

Doesn't seem to be a new thread yet - correct me if I'm wrong.....
Continue as you were ladies..... :)

I really really want a dippy egg!!!

I remember the teaching placements well, luckily I only had my two older sons then so although bloody hard work they were not babies!! I admire you ladies returning full time monday feeling crappy, hope it goes ok for you all

Have been feeling pretty sicky all day, had friends over for a curry and it hasnt gone down well so tired too! Im deffo having a meh day!!

Be back tmrw hopefully more cheery

I'm shattered today too, Lucy, and feeling a but wobbly tonight. Wondering if MS is kicking off just before I go back to work.

Oddly quite looking forward to going back to school. I know it's going to be really hard but I know between now and half term time will fly by, and the first Monday of the holidays is my scan. I need to stop sitting and thinking all the time!

Have a dippy egg then it will be fine!

Horace I haven't been asked to bring a urine sample to my booking appointment. Has everyone else had a urine test at booking appointment? I feel totally uninformed - I haven't seen a doctor or midwife yet, just got a pack of leaflets. I know that's normal, but I still feel out of the loop with everything.

I'd imagine you'd need one. They're probably going to ask you to do one there. You take a wee sample to every appointment. They're obsessed with wee! :-)

If you can get a sample pot beforehand I'd take one with you.

Oh, and a dippy egg will be fine! :-)

I don't stop eating runny eggs at all. I wouldn't do it abroad, but lion marked eggs are vaccinated.

I get only 16 weeks maternity leave and you have to take it at least 2 weeks before your due date - and that's only with a doctor's note that your healthy enough to work, otherwise it's 6 weeks before. At least it's full pay and annual leave accumulates. Officially I can take unpaid leave for up to a year but our visa status here would no longer hold during that period and we'd have to leave the US, take the children out of school, dh leave his job! So clearly not an option!!! I think if I take up to 30 days unpaid the visa status doesn't change so that might be a possibility, but it doesn't seem very long. It's going to be very hard! And we have no family here to help. I wish I'd planned things better - we should have had this baby a few years ago when we were in the UK!

Luckily dh teaches in adult education so he gets very long holidays and he's always home to do the pm school run so we hope, if all goes to plan, to put off using daycare until mid-Jan and then it'd only be until 3-ish.

Women here are not entitled to any paid maternity leave. They can take up to 12 weeks unpaid but that's it. The rest depends on how generous the employer is. Women often return to work when the baby is only 6 weeks old which seems terribly early.

Shak- that seems really harsh. I work in the nhs and get such a good deal IMO (8 weeks full, 18 weeks half plus accumulated annual leave). ESP since I'm moving jobs when I'll be 17 weeks but because I'm staying in the nhs I'm still entitled to the same as if is been there more than 2 years.

It must be annoying for teachers due in August - my friend had a baby in sept so had a whole year off but only 10 months counted as mat leave.

That is very harsh, Shak. :-/

I'm feeling hideous today. Yay!

Is anybody else exceptionally thirsty overnight? It's driving me crazy. As are my weird dreams!

Thanks hungry.

Hmmmm. Maybe I'm not understanding the teacher thing but I feel like it's quite good. I'll finish school in late July but won't go back until a year and 6 weeks later. It sucks that we don't get the holiday we would accumulate like everyone else, but that 6 weeks is a lot and if it were due in say January you wouldn't get it, you'd just be off December - January. Haven't worked out how pay works for it yet though.

I think we're pretty lucky here in the UK in terms of maternity leave & pay compared to some countries. I couldn't imagine only have 6 weeks off - that would be horrendous!

I too haven't planned my babies very well as having worked in the NHS and for a good University before, both with great maternity pay packages. I've actually ended up having my babies whilst doing a research job on contract with only statutory maternity pay. My job also ends in November so I'll be jobless too (although I believe I still get the 9 months stat pay?).

Having said all that, my job is a doddle that I get to do at home so I can't complain really as I could've back doing 12.5hr shifts with no breaks!

I'm not a teacher, but my dad was one and 2 of my best friends as well as many other friends are and they work so hard, I couldn't do it even though I like the idea of the job itself- it's all the hours into the evening and at the weekend they do that puts me off!

Hungry I am having a pint in the night! So Also weeing non stop!! Great fun!!

Sorry to go about these dippy eggs, but my mid wife said no to runny eggs, I don't know the reasoning but I'm craving like mad...hungry & Dorothy you think there fine??? Should I or shouldn't i??

I'm a teacher too (not sure for how much longer id want to do it though) and we are due end of July based on our early scan I just don't want to leave this august club!

Catching up on the posts and all the teacher chat.... I'm sorry but ANYONE who gets ANY holiday or leave, AND maternity pay is very lucky. I am self employed and will get no holiday, no maternity pay (apart from whatever the government gives as basic). If I stop work I'll loose my clients and income, so going to have to work right up to the date and start back a few weeks later. My choice, I know, BUT COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS all those who are employees!

Not sure what came over me, just been for a run. More like jog and walk but it's the first time in a while I've felt up to it. Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I eat fried eggs which have dippy yolks. Obviously that's my choice.

If you're not happy with it, then don't eat them. It's all up to you really.

I wouldn't eat liver, pate etc, but I'm happy to have a dippy egg. :-)

It is shit, Clarissa. The only difference from what you'll get to what I'll get is the 90% at 6 weeks as you'll get the flat rate for 9 months. However, when you're self employed you can earn on top of maternity allowance, so get the full amount of SMP / MA plus whatever you earn, whereas employees can only work 10 days before losing SMP.

It is crap, but it appears the government did realise the difficulty when self employed when setting up the current system.

What is it you do?

It's the salmonella risk with runny eggs, however I think it's very rare - especially with lion stamped eggs. I'm still eating runny eggs. It's your call, whatever you feel comfortable with.
Well done jenbee! Wish I had the energy to do any exercise. Just bought a pregnancy Pilates DVD, but haven't had the energy to even put it in the DVD player yet!

I know the advice about runny eggs but it is the one thing I just can't give up!! I am happy with that decision but I think it is an individual thing.

Had 10 hours sleep last night, woo feel amazing!!

FEEdec, I am a researcher on a fixed term contract too, which finishes in March 2015. I'm not sure whether they will extend it for a year to account for ML or not. I hope so because then I'll have a job to go back to, albeit only for a few months. Also not sure whether I will get the full package that my employer offer (which is very good), or just statutory. It would make about £15k difference before tax...

I'll be eating runny eggs if and when the need pops up. I'll also be eating medium/rare steak. I won't do pâté and unpasturised stuff though. I don't know what makes me feel comfortable with the former ones though. Just something I feel is ok to do for me.

Where ones everyone stand on alcohol after 12 weeks? I find it interesting to know other people's opinions. Do you think being a first timer/ second timer Makes a difference to our choices?

I don't think I'll have any alcohol for the duration. I don't normally drink much at home anyway (which is the only place I would be able to drink without all the glaring eyes), plus I think it would give me a taste for more.

Also, DH seems to comment on everything I am eating at the moment. I have had the occasional cup of tea (not decaf) plus chocolate, and he is there looking up the amount of caffeine in it. Hope he calms down over the next 8-9 months!

Allduffedup I'm the same with the alcohol thing, I know if I have a wee glass of wine then I'll be in the mood for the whole bottle, so just not going to bother at all.
I was a caffeine fiend until I found out! Was drinking an 500ml energy drink every day which extremely high caffeine content, but as soon as I found out I stopped and tried the wee half can sized ones, but my body was just like 'Ewww nooo!' and didn't seem to like it anymore, so giving up was easier than I thought

Now my family knows and I've had my wee scan I am allowing myself to be excited so might go buy some things today. I'm feeling a bit crap as it is back to college tomorrow and I am still struggling with this UTI, so retail therapy should help!

Happy Sunday!