Babies due in November 2016 #5

[FuzzyOwl]

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Muffy I'm sure you'll be fine, I reckon if you've had half term off then you'll be a bit rested for your final week back. Having lots of towels sounds like a good idea though!
It does seem a big waste taking too much time off beforehand especially if the mat leave isn't great. I think I went off at 37 weeks with DD but that was 2 weeks of annual leave and she arrived early so I started mat leave the day she was born. This time I've resigned myself to having no money for a few months, luckily DH has managed to pick up a bit of extra work over the summer (self-employed) which should help.
I just thank my lucky stars we don't live in the US. A friend of mine had all of 8 weeks off, most of which was scraped together annual leave and sick leave. She had to go back or lose her job, no protection whatsoever.

I'm planning on stopping at 35 weeks and using 4 weeks of annual leave. I'm hoping my section will be at 39 weeks so that mat leave can start on the day baby is born. Totally agree with wanting as much time as possible with baby. A friend of mine stopped at 29 weeks and then her baby was 2 weeks late and now it's looking like she'll have to go back to work when baby is 4 months old. She didn't have to finish so early (ie no medical or health issues) she just fancied some time off work .

I'm always completely shocked at maternity benefits in the USA, we really are very lucky to be able to take a year off in this country (even if crap pay means we can't always take the full lot).

Agree about the US! I always wonder how people actually do it? Do they get support with childcare out there? I can't imagine having to leave such a small baby in nursery (or day care, as they call it!) I'm already worried about having to put this one in at 10 months, let alone 8 weeks!

The friends I've got in the USA have all stopped work to have their babies as it's just not been worth it.

I'm stopping at 35w. I'm a teacher too and had planned to go until half term but know how much I struggled last time and have DD to think of too. I also do PPA cover now so I'm running round the school all day!

Gosh, I can't imagine anything worse than PPA cover spotty! Luckily my school have been great and have only given me two classes to teach for the half term that I am there (secondary, core subject), so most of my time will be spent sorting schemes of work and doing some interventions. There are two days on my timetable when I'm not teaching at all! It's going to feel very strange.

I'm going to half term too (also secondary core). That'll put me at 37 wks - the same stage as I did with dd and had ofsted the final week with a full timetable oid exam classes which I won't have this time, so reckon I'll manage. I went back when she was 4 months old and that was hard. As I've mentioned before I think, my maternity leave will be immediately followed by dick leave as it'll end when I have my brain tumour removed a couple of months after baby arrives so not sure when I'll be ready to return!

Hi all, hope everyone is feeling some good movements today and not struggling too much! (I had my whooping cough jab last night and ate too much for breakfast this morning, now really struggling to focus at all! Arghh!)

I'm wondering if anyone can help...

I've been invited to take part in some research on community led action in pregnancy, and first year of baby's life.

The time commitment is quite a lot whilst working full time though - weekly sessions of 90 mins during Monday afternoon.

My work is flexible and would definitely let me work from home on Mondays and catch up around the sessions. But I wonder whether this might count as antenatal appointments that pregnant employees are entitled to paid time-off for?

On one hand, I can see how this is completely extra and why an employer wouldn't see it as part of the same arrangement. It is voluntary after all!

On the other hand, if employers don't accommodate the time for medical research, we'd never find anything out to improve antenatal treatment in the future?...

Has anyone had any experience with extra paid time off for voluntary stuff like that??

I'm sure I can follow up with HR, or just my manager, but would really appreciate your views on it!

I'm technically starting my maternity leave at the end of the month but am currently on annual leave after my last last of maternity leave finished two months ago, so I haven't been working since the day before DD was born but I did manage right to the end with her and had planned on a further fortnight to take me to my due date. I felt well then and this pregnancy is completely different, so it all comes down to what we can and can't do.

I'm planning on an ELCS and now worrying what will happen if this baby comes early and I don't get to the hospital in time or they refuse an EMCS. Am seeing the consultant this week so I will go through my list of worries then but instead of having strange dreams, I just have insomnia at the moment and am constantly fretting about things.

Has anyone packed their hospital bag yet? It feels much too early for me but I keep hearing of women who are at a similar or earlier gestation giving birth and know I should get on with doing it. We're redecorating/nesting at the moment so the house in complete disarray and I just feel like we need to get everything sorted before I can pack my bag. I think that my mind is working on the basis that the everything needs to be ready for the baby before she comes along, rather than the other way round.

statsy you aren't automatically entitled to antenatal appointments, just a reasonable amount of time off for them and generally in a first pregnancy that is considered to be around seven appointments - so take your midwife and scan appointments whilst pregnant into account, and you are usually almost there. Your doctor or midwife can write a letter to say that you need to attend more and in that case an employer would find it difficult to justify a business need to say no. However, what you are suggesting are not antenatal appointments so it really would come down to your employer's goodwill. I hope you are able to do so though because, as you say, it is needed to help out in the future.

statsy, sorry it is usually ten for a first baby and seven appointments thereafter.

fuzzy I BOUGHT a hospital bag a couple of days ago and have a wash bag in it full and ready! I've got an mri next week which will determine whether I'm left to it or am having baby very soon so don't want to pack any more until I know what's going on in my brain!

That's sensible LittleGrey. Hope the MRI brings you good news and the baby can stay put for a while longer. I keep thinking that if this baby comes along at the same gestation as DD, it's only ten more weeks to go which simultaneously feels forever and no time at all.

I met a woman yesterday who had her baby at 27 weeks That's only a week more than I am right now, so that's made me think that I really need to pack a hospital bag, even though I know delivery that early is fairly rare.

I'm finishing work on the 26th, ill only be 28 weeks but I have 5 weeks of annual leave to take or I'll lose it so I'm taking it! Work is already a struggle, had a little cry in the toilets this morning because I feel so uncomfortable and my ribs are hurting so much. I only have 9 more shifts left until I leave so it's not long at all but I wish it was time already 😄 I had no idea id find work this tough!

I'm leaving early as I will probably not be going back to work for a while after baby arrives. Plus I'm finding the commute and full day at work quite hard as my sleep is really disrupted from hip pain. I've got two weeks of annual leave booked at 29 weeks then my maternity leave starts after that at 31 weeks.

That sounds like a lot to deal with LittleGrey, I hope everything goes okay for you.

As for hospital bags, that thought hasn't even crossed my mind yet I'll be meeting my midwife for the first time next week so maybe after that it'll all seem a bit more real and I'll start to put more things in action!

I haven't done a thing yet, I think I'm in denial that this baby is coming

Definitely no hospital bag. None of the baby stuff we are getting from friends is at ours. In my head, I've still got another 10 weeks to go, which...

Shit, you're right fuzzy, 10 weeks isn't exactly much? Maybe I ought to buy a few babygrows...

Good luck with the MRI little

Little hope the MRI means baby can stay put for a while, it must be tough with so many questions to plan.
Hospital bags? Eek I am so in denial we still have nakey baby that has a book to read, maybe we had better shop sooner rather than later.
On the dream front I have a complete range but loving the ones with my nana who passed away 4 years ago, she would totally love this baby so I am treasuring those dreams. The scary ones an bugger off and the sexy ones make me blush!

I'm starting mat leave at 37 weeks but I'm using annual leave to go down to 4 days a week for the 6 weeks before then.
I'm not struggling physically at work yet, for me it's more of a total lack of motivation! I just don't really want to be here, hopefully my holiday next week will re-charge my batteries a bit!

Thanks fuzzy, you're right on the 10 day antenatal appointments. And in fairness, there should be a limit to all the time off! I feel there's so many things that keep coming up.

Though also, if we all could just not work and get paid throughout whole pregnancy, that'd be nice. ...

We've hardly bought anything, no big items except for a breast pump. And definitely not even remotely thought about a hospital bag! Though I have read plenty of Pinterest posts on what to pack during the many sleepless nights :)

We moved into a new flat 10 months ago and still don't have a main wardrobe or curtains... should really get on with all that 😩 I can't imagine how all the people moving houses around now or decorating are managing!! I'm very impressed at you all!

if we all could just not work and get paid throughout whole pregnancy, that'd be nice...

I know someone who is an airline pilot and they pretty much get to not work for their whole pregnancy! They obviously can't fly as it's a risk, but at the same time it's not like their employer can magic up a ground-based job for them, so she spends her time doing the odd bit of training and interviews and essentially getting the better part of 2 years off!

Thurlow I also know someone who is a pilot, it's such an easy "job" when pregnant!

Oh to be a pilot! (Although my fear of flying might be a slight issue there...).
I think I might be the only non-teacher on this thread!
LittleGrey I hope the scan goes ok.

I'm not a teacher either Cockles, I work in the exciting world of online marketing.

Hope the scan goes ok littleGrey.

I'm not a teacher - my husband & I run our own bicycle business.

!! Thought there must be some others. I'm a doctor (hospital specialty, nothing to do with pregnancy or babies though).