Jan 2016 #3 - booking in for ginger tea vs frankfurters + rapidly expanding boobs

[Blackandwhitecat3]

New thread for the January babies

Valancy I've been thinking about July and am a bit jealous of my teacher friends who succeeded in having sept/oct babies - nine months then back for summer 2nd half term then get paid over the summer. Our babies will still be so tiny in June/July I can't imagine going back to school at that point, but financially it does make an awful lot of sense.

I guess we have a lot of time to decide these things...

Marvelette I'd be surprised if they took you off A-level in that case, it would make more sense to keep you with them and then hand over to an NQT. Ditto though, I'll be miffed if I just end up with KS3 - but at the same time I just want to do right by the kids. Glad I could help, think it will make much more sense financially! Am due officially on the 21st, but based on my dates will be closer to 24th of Jan. I reckon I'll run into February though!

black Same - someone at work has timed it blooming perfectly with a September baby and I was both impressed and irritated at the same time!! Yes, I know they'll still be small - but I'm looking at it from the point of view that I work one week of July then get six weeks off, and I'd have to go back in September anyway. Hopefully part time, but that's a battle for a later date. Yes, lots of time, but I like to have a concrete plan!!

Blackandwhite - it was actually our 'plan' to conceive this baby at Christmas so we could do just as you suggest above but Mother Nature obviously had different plans!

are all of you teachers haha?

MissM once teachers get talking about work it really just doesn't stop .

Valancy can I really just go back for one week at the end of the summer term? Don't I have to do the full half term? If it's just a week I'll get DM to come and stay! School will get their money's worth though, part of my current role means I'm in for some of August working....

Sorry all you non-teachers, not ignoring you!

Marvelette, yes our original plan was to conceive in Dec...in 2012! Mother Nature just did not want to play ball on that one.

MissM Sorry, think I've caused the teachery tangent tonight!!

black Actually having googled it, some threads are saying you can come back for the last day, or declare the first day of the summer holidays your first day back at work. I'm going to run that by the Union at some point, but if that's accurate that would be ace!

We were also trying for a September baby, just took a bit longer than we thought (black you win that one though!)

I work in finance and as part of a team headed in the US and there aren't many women at all here; my team thinks 3 months is a standard maternity leave and 4 is generous. I think I will end up at 4. Part of me would like to do 6 but I don't think that'll be easy to do. We'll see! I was hoping for a baby in May / June so I could at least have a summer off for may leave but given the weather so far it's not so bad it took 8 months to conceive haha.

missMartin I'm not a teacher!!

The conversation is reminiscent however of family get togethers where we have teachers and TAs abundantly! One cousin timed it beautifully with both of hers (Aug - included some unpaid leave, and a Nov, heading back end of this term!)

blackandwhite you are right Mother nature often does not play ball in this area...

joey I've heard about American mat leave (or the lack of it compared to here!). My American friend said she had no intention of returning to the states at this stage and mentioned the differences! (she is married to a Brit) her friends baby was 8 weeks prem, but still expected back at work when baby was 12 weeks... Made me realise how much I took for granted with mat leave entitlement!

Gosh Joey US employers are so ridiculous about all kinds of leave aren't they? 4 months just sounds so short.

Valancy I think you tapped a nerve! We all needed that teacherchat.

OK, I feel silly asking my next question: can you go back to work while still breastfeeding or do you have to stop to go back to work?

Blackandwhite- you can go back whilst bf. I'm still bf my 20 month old and working. If you go back whilst the baby is young then you can express milk and your work should support you with this ( I.e. The best ones provide a room and a fridge) or if they're older babies they will eat solids when you're away and wait for you to return for milk.

Or they could have formula whilst you're at work and you feed them when you're back.

Loads of options.

Ps-not silly at all! I wondered the same when I had dd

Blackandwhite, I had my first two DC in the US. With DS I had to go back after 12 wks but managed to keep bfeeding for 9 Mo. I had a very good double electric pump, and pumped at work at his feeding times, then he had that milk the next day. It worked fine apart from having to sit in a filing cupboard to pump. I think my body did struggle a little as I had to supplement with formula at 6 Mo, but then he was a big boy so maybe that would have happened anyway.

I went back to work when both dc were 9/10 months. Dd1 breastfed to 17 months and dc2 to 3. I've worked ft, pt, shifts, studied, travelled etc and kept feeding without difficulty. Breastfeeding is fairly all consuming in the early months but imvho the real benefits come later when it's very flexible and more in your control.

Neither dc ever took a bottle or expressed milk - they just bf if I was around and not if not.

I love this forum, thanks ladies

haha im not fussed! i was just thinking..am i the only one who isn't lol

I feel a bit like that in real life - all my friends are teachers!!

I timed DD perfectly; I went back in Sept 2013 for 4 days, then went on maternity! Back to school in June 2014 so did my 13 weeks' duty (it includes summer holiday). I wasn't sure if I'd have/ want a job for Sept 14 so wanted to cover my back.

Tried for another Sept baby but didn't work that way. I think I'll probably go back after the Christmas holiday for a bit as you won't get paid for the holiday if you start your maternity leave.

I think I'm probably leaving teaching after number 2. Will probably become a childminder whilst my littlies are so little.

I made spreadsheet after spreadsheet to work out how many days is best to work! I found that if I worked full time, I'd only make £10 for the 5th day (after childcare). DD starts at nursery in Sept and it's going to be £89 a day until she turns 2!

The trapped wind! It's so bad. I've been chugging away the old peppermint tea, but broke out deflatine tonight (safe in pregnancy thankfully) I've been in agony with it.

I'm going to have 8 months may leave as sharing parental leave with DH. We did that for DS too, but only took 9 months between us, so I had 6 and he 3 months, but this time around going to have 12 so we both get a bit more than last time.

I was actually surprised with how our finances worked out, I thought we'd never afford a full year last time, but by the time we were approaching 9 months I realised with a bit of saving we would have been fine, as I didn't really spend much on mat leave apart from on coffee and cake!

This time around we'll be saving £500 each month from DS's childcare so if we saved that up it should tide is over for the last 3 months. My employer is very generous and we get full pay for 6 months which makes it more manageable to take a year off.

Wow 6 months mat leave impatiently, I want your job!

When you share parental leave, do both of you get enhanced pay? I.e. When you go back after 6 months full pay and 2 months reduced pay, does your DH start his leave on full pay?

My employer also has a very good maternity package, 6 months full play, 3 months statutory so most people (me included) took a year off. They are an American company but well established in Europe. The downside is that they make coming back to work on any type of flexible arrangement very difficult. They expect you to work full time and that's that. It took me a long time to battle out a paet time arrangement and only for three months. It is lucky I will be going on maternity leave so soon after returning as I would have run out of options to remain part time. They will hate me when they find out I'm pregnant.

Sorry be more teacher bit.
Yes you can go back just for the last week - I did it with DD. Went off ict half term and returned for the last week of term (I think it was 2 or 3 days) Valancy that was my alternative plan but it seems so little. Maybe I'll get DH to take a couple days and have baby. I'm not sure we could manage without the pay either and it seems stupid going back in September.
Re breastfeeding - I did continue. DD refused expressed milk so she had solids and water on the 2 days I worked with a BF in the morning and evening and then normal on the days I was home. It worked ok for us. Employers are supposed to facilitate Bf although not sure where I would have the privacy to do so at my school. I never asked though as it wasn't an issue for me.

Apologies for so many typos

MissMartin I'm not a teacher but love how much support there is from everyone! It's nice to know that if I ask a question someone here will know the answer!

I'm 7 weeks tomorrow and apart from a couple of days of sickness I feel quite good... We meet the midwife on Sunday. Can't believe that they do sunday appointments, makes it so easy with work especially as DH works about 1.5 hrs away from home.

Haven't really thought too much about Mat leave save for I will be leaving on 23rd December as my office is closed all over christmas (paid and not taken out of our holiday!) then I think I will taken 2 weeks leave and start mat leave after that.

Anyone else desperate for the weekend?