Dec 2014 Thread #5 - Battered and bruised we limp through the second trimester

[SassehMonsta]

Here we go again, the thrills & spills of leaky boobs, and feeling baby move for the first time - Lets go!

Stats Link!

Am I the only person outside the UK? Spotted one person in Ireland, but everyone else is mainland UK.

Stripy that's great news, mine went fine as well and they confirmed it's definitely a boy

Miraculous, that's good news. Hope things keep going as well as they can.

mines 22nd July. I have two weeks to decide whether to find out the sex!

Just joining this thread having only just realised it's here :)
What do I do? Newbie!
I had my 16 week MW appt today (17+4 actually because my EDD changed at 13 wk scan). Heard the heartbeat! And bump size is fine, 18cm. Feeling great about that! less great about not being able to get a decent night's sleep (2h stints) and sore hips.

BigHairy that's my wedding anniversary
Hiya Taura!

I a

whoops sorry! That was my cat. What I meant was, ooo fortuitous! Cat obviously cant spell fortuitous....

All seems jolly positive round here today. I approve!

Got a drs appointment tomorrow and a list of things to ask about. And then NO WORK due to strike action, huzzah! So also feeling tentatively positive.

8 and a bit days til scan :)

18+3

I think I've decided that I want to give up work after the birth. But I've got no idea how to do that. Do I have to tell work when I tell them about the pregnancy? Won't they just sack me to save the bother? But if I don't tell them until I'm on maternity leave, will I have to go back and work my notice (2 months ) or pay back any maternity pay I've received? Is it true that maternity pay is only paid on the proviso that you go back to work afterwards? I've only been working since January, so I think I'd probably only qualify for SMP, which comes through the government anyway? I have absolutely no idea about any of this stuff.

Fab news on the scans Imbrian and stripey - feeling tentatively excited for mine on Monday now

Not 100% sure on the leaving work thing peace but I think if you only get smp then you can just leave a job without having to go back at all - it's what I'm planning on doing too.

You don't have to tell them until 8 weeks before you're due to go back I think?!

Interested to see if anyone knows the answers peace

I absolutely cant decide what to do. I like my job, but would only want to go back 2/3 days. Alternatively I was considering staying home and maybe setting myself up with childminding (if my landlord is cool with it)

Evening ladies. Good day here. Only a mildly achey hip. But hubby is away for 2 days. He left at 10am and I feel lost having come in from work at 6.

I should tidy the house but nahhhhhhh.

Feeling a lot of baby moving about now. Had bouts of feels like I have a foot stuck in my side lol.

16+5.

Catface I'm planning on becoming a childminder too... I've nannied for a year and absolutely loved it and am also thinking I don't want to be working every day and not seeing my child just so that I can pay to have it in childcare.

Glad everyone's scans went well - so excited by nervous for mine, only 8 days to go though!

I don't have a scan date through. Anyone not finding out what they are having???

miraculous good to hear it went as well as possible today.

Congrats to brian and stripey, i can't believe you're already half way.

Welcome taura, i feel for you on the sleep front, i keep waking up in the middle of the night and stay wide awake, unable to go back to sleep for 2 hours.

you can get lots of info and calculate pay/benefit on here, maternity pay i hope it helps.

Me Drew! we're on the surprise train :) no energy tonight. found travel system I like then offered free one (different make/model) from DH's cousin. huzah!

trying to get a stair gate that doesn't require screws to be put into doorframes - found one in Argos, but needs ordering in. Getting some soon to get dog used to them.

20 week scan tomorrow. It's not until after I finish work so I'm going to be useless all day. It stresses me out so much and I feel a fool! I was like this last time too.

Hi Peace. I'm also thinking I might not go back. My job isn't really something you could do part time. Lots of phone calls and emailing evening and weekends. From what I can tell you get SMP whatever but if you're getting OMP on top you have to go back to work for at least 2 months after maternity leave or they make you pay the money back.

Peace don't tell work you aren't coming back, keep your options open. SMP is yours but check your employers maternity policy about any extra maternity pay they may give you, every employer is different and you may have to return to work for a period or pay back some/all of the extra if you don't. Some places offer 'return to work bonus' instead of additional mat pay which of course you would only qualify for if you return.

E.g. At my work the first six months of mat leave is on full pay, the next three on SMP, and the last three on nothing. I do have to return to work for 3 months though in order to not pay back any of my mat pay. This can be on a part time basis though. My firm do not offer any return to work bonus.

Great news Miraculous - long may it continue! Lovely to hear about your pink one Stripey and your blue one Imbrian! :-) They couldn't see at my vaginal scan today (boo), but my cervix is 4.4 cm which is great apparently! Don't need to go back for follow up scans, just my normal 20wk scan in 2 weeks!

Mines terrible. 6 weeks at 90% then Smp so no idea how long I can take. You dont have to tell your employer that you are not going back till 8 weeks before your planned return date.

Check the maternityaction.org website. Was very useful for me.

Good luck with the scan tomorrow pourquoi, hope you can stand the tension until the time comes! Do you have a flavour of baby your hoping for?

Sadly, as a mature student I don't qualify for any maternity help financially. I try not to think about it as I have no idea how we are going to cope . Hope everyone else gets a good answe to the SMP questions. I'll go back to burrying my head in the sand and hoping for the best

I'll be looking for p/t work quite soon, but I'm not that hopeful, and everyhthkng I read on mn about childcare sends me into spasams of fear if my head is burried any deeper I'll be in Australia soon......if there was ever a time for a glass or two of wine.....

Forgot to mention that today on of the lovely 8/9 year old girls I teach told me that she's never ever been wrong at guessing the of all her cousins/aunties/uncles/mums babies.

She managed to persuade me to lie on by front (in the classroom at break time!) And performed her own "scan" which seemed to be her waving her hands about. She then asked me if anything hurt and proclaimed with certainty "It's a girl"

Slightly strange but very sweet, made me giggle. Told her we'd see if she was right next week :)

calling I don't know about anyone else not being in the uk but I'm in scotland and I don't consider that to be part of the uk, or at least I hope it won't be come the September independence vote. I should also mention that my hormones are all over the place this week and keep opening my mouth when it should stay very frimly shut.

At my work, if we leave within a year of RTW we have to repay the difference between SMP and the "Enhanced mat Pay" they give us for 14 weeks if we've worked there for more than a certain period (might be a year - not sure, I've been there 19 yrs so haven't bothered to check that bit) - I think some sliding scale also applies if we work for some of that time.
My team member (currently on mat leave until Aug) is actually planning to take a career break rather than fully resign, meaning she has option to return within 2 yrs, and the company will help her to find a like-for-like post (if available). And she doesn't have to pay back the EMP until the 2 yrs are up, and even then the HR mgr thinks that they don't actually pursue it).