Due February 2017- thread #6

[Readyfortwo]

See below for previous chatter:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/2697188-Due-in-February-2017-thread-5

salt and vinegar discos?! HEATHENS!! it's all about salt and vinegar SQUARES. Mmmmmm, squares......

topmammy - me too re the citrus. Have become obsessed with lime and soda and had to switch my perfume, shampoo and shower gel to citrus smelling ones as they were all I could tolerate when I was in the first trimester!

Oh, and hi McBobby & WeeJo! Welcome!

I don't really have any cravings... when do they kick in 😓

Sorry ever about the judgemental relatives, I'm experiencing the same myself and it's very hard to let it go when it's family. My mum got a proper telling off last night, her "I hope you're not showing yet, I didn't until I was 5 months" was a classic case and wound me up no end.

My go-to foods are bananas and beef hula hoops but I now have an urge for square crisps! Must be the salt?

Piano how bloody rude and utterly stupid is that comment???!!! So not showing is somehow to be admired!??
Gerreerrrrrr

Ha! They also made the weirdest comment!!! I have lived in the UK for 11 years right. My husband (still getting used to saying this) is English.

They said to my mum (as if I wasnt there) oh so when she comes to give birth . [Say what??!!!] and maybe they saw my puzzle look and said oh! Maybe she is not coming to give birth here

Wait what???!!!! Why would I come to Spain to give birth??!!! So my mum can take care of me?? Is the the 16th century???!!

Ladies are you planning your maternity leave????
I think I will start at 33 weeks, it might be the only way I dont lose any holidays and my job involves a lot of standing and running around, lifting, resetting activities for kids...

I will take a year and will have to go back when bubba is 11 months.

It seems very early but I also commute 2 hours each day....

Anyone else?

evergreen I'm due on 2nd Feb and if it was any other month I'd probably take maternity leave from early Jan, so at 36 weeks. But since I'll be off for about 2 weeks at Christmas and NY and January is a busy month for my role, I'll probably go back for a couple of weeks after Christmas and work until about 37 1/2 weeks. I'm not going back to work so it seems silly to be off from before Christmas as the extra two weeks' pay would be nice given we have to survive on DH's income for a few years!

I told my mum this last night, and I felt like I had to defend my decision as apparently I'll be 'too tired' to work that long. We're talking about 7 days at work after I've just had two weeks off, and I'll probably do half of them from home, so about 4 days in the office. And I worked until 37 weeks last time and would have been fine to continue another week or so - I was off for a month in the end as DS was late and I was so bored and frustrated. But my mum has decided I'll be too tired, so won't hear otherwise, despite me telling her I don't want to stop at 33 weeks, and we need the money! I love my mum but she's incredibly opinionated, and especially so when it comes to my pregnancies!

Evergreen I've already got my maternity leave approved 😁. If all goes to plan I'll finish work at 37 wks with 2 wks leave to use and officially start mat leave at 39 wks. I have an office job and a 10 min commute so it should be doable. On the otherhand, this is my first so I may get to Xmas, find myself waddling around the office and think sod this, and finish earlier. I'm grateful that my commute is so short and have looked at other jobs in the past couple of years and not applied because of the commute.

Anyone else getting pain around their ribs when they eat or sleep? I've had it a few weeks now but is getting much worse and I have to hug a pillow at night to cushion the area.

My mum keeps saying the same thing piano - "oh, surely you can't be showing yet!" I'm 5'2 and my waist is normally 12 inches smaller than my boobs & hips - of course I'm showing, there isn't anywhere else for the sodding baby to go!!

I'm going go back for a week or two after Christmas to get things in order, then go at 36 weeks, use up my 4 weeks holiday and then start mat leave on my due date. Unless the baby comes early of course! Then I will probably just go back after the following Christmas, so at 10 or 11 months.

Ever I haven't planned anything maternity leave-wise yet either, but I think I'll also do what mimi plans I think, and work up to around the first or second week of Jan which should be my week 37, then take leave and officially start at week 39 or so, to maximise.

It's also my first, so I don't know how optimistic I'm being, but I also work in an office in a pretty sedentary role, so there's not as much stress on rushing about or lifting etc.

Mimi I'm glad you mentioned the ribs thing, yes!! I woke up with it in the night and it's still there this morning but lightly. It feels weirdly like it's almost a trapped wind-ache so I'm guessing that yet again it's everything stretching and being squashed to accommodate!

Welcome McBobby

All this talk of crisps, I need crisps today and McDonalds fries. Why does salt have to taste so good?! Haha.

I'm thinking of starting maternity leave at 34 weeks like I did last time. It'll mean I finish on a Friday and then the next day is my birthday! I probably could have gone on another week last time but I had DD at 37+4 so I want to make sure I have a good bit of time with DD before baby arrives. I think I'll be so emotional . I'm hoping school will get my maternity cover in to start at three beginning of term in Jan so I will be able to take a bit more of a back seat in the last few days of work.

Haven't planned maternity leave yet. My bosses don't even know yet (teacher, summer holidays!) Really hoping they won't be able to tell as soon as we go back.. Topmammy sounds like you're a teacher too. I had originally thought I'd make it to Feb half term but I'll be 38 weeks then. Is that ridiculous?! Really don't want to go into labour in front of a class of 7 year olds! I drive 30 mins to work; when does driving become difficult?
To be honest, I really haven't thought about any of this because it doesn't all seem real yet!

Twocats I wanted to work a bit longer as well, but the way my annual leave goes (1st of Feb starts annual leave year) I would be losing days
And in my role Christmas will be really busy, too much maybe

It seems that you have a good plan though! Mum doesnt always know best

Mimi all sorted?! I have to meet my manager when I am back
Fenella I want the baby not to come late! That way I will get more time with him/ her
36 weeks seems ideal, a bit gutted to leave at 33 but probably grateful when the time comes

Top 34 weeks for you then. Ok so maybe my 33 are not crazy early

shell I don't really have any cravings and didn't last time so sometimes they don't kick in! People seemed to ask about them loads, I think it's one of the things tv likes to make out everyone has, like waters breaking dramatically in the street!

Evergreen the amnio comment is just crazy!! And I wouldn't fancy travelling to Spain heavily pregnant and back with a small baby! Your mum could come to you if you wanted but personally I would leave it a couple weeks after the birth.

I'll probably start leave at 36 or 37 weeks. Thought of trying to work later but I'll be on my own during the week with a just 2 year old and working full time so may need a break! So that will mean going back after Xmas for a few days for me.

So pleased to report that our harmony reukts were low risk. That basically means negative for all trisomies yay. Was a horrible wait but I had a feeling that baby was fine. My 1 in 204 result must just have been caused by high HCG. No idea why I had that but it's probably just one of those things.

Last time I went on maternity leave at 39 weeks but i took 2 1/2 weeks annual leave before that. I also used annual leave to work 4 day weeks for about 4 weeks before that and I worked every other day from home after about 32 weeks. Made everything so much easier. Remember that you accrue annual leave and bank holiday leave while you're off. It means that you get a bonus 30 plus days of holiday at the end of your maternity leave which you can either take to extend your leave or be paid for. It means if you work things well you can get almost 14 months off!
I'm sure I could feel fluttering movement at about 5am when I got up to feed dd. I don't think it was wind!

Naschkatze, I'm in the same boat as you. Back to school for in service days next Wednesday, and no one there knows yet. In fact I went shopping last week specifically to buy loose tops to hide the belly (bulge more than bump atm!)!

Not yet decided when to tell them, (was going to a few weeks ago, but after some good advice on here, realised you have to just protect number 1 in some cases) as I'm on a zero hours contract which restarts next week. Doubt I'll get any maternity pay, and worried that simply they'll hire another teacher, and just say they haven't got any hours to give me.

I'll be due just as the Feb holidays start. To be honest, I was thinking before of working right up til then, and as it's my first, hoping baby will be late! Thinking now that was a bit over ambitious! And of finishing 2 weeks before, but have got a feeling it'll all depend on what the headmaster decides :-/ .

Same here too with the commute, 30 minutes each way, not sure when/if that'll stop becoming possible / comfortable.

Wonderlust I need to have a look at my work wardrobe and see what hides it well. Might need a shopping trip too. Even if I tell my colleagues and bosses soon; I don't think they'll want parents to know until there is a cover plan in place!

Friendly I don't think that applies to teachers as we don't get annual leave as such. I'm more than happy to be corrected on this though! I really need to find out how all this works...

Argh, really not sure what to do about mat leave, but I have to let work know by end of Oct. I have a generous holiday allowance (34 days) but our holiday year runs Aug - July, and I've already booked lots of days off for actual holidays!

I commute into London for 3 hours each day and would really rather not do that after Christmas, but I'll be barely 34 weeks when the office reopens on 2 Jan and I'd feel a bit pathetic leaving so early! (Not to mention bored out of my skull at home, just waiting!)

Naschkatze yes I'm a teacher (primary - year 1). Last time I actually somehow managed to plan my pregnancy so that I finished at 34 weeks because it was the start of the summer hols! My official start date was my due date in late August. I went back the next July for the last 2 weeks before the summer hols so I got paid for the summer hols. Worked out pretty well! Not as good this time but I didn't want another August baby. At around 36 weeks I recall getting delightful sharp pains up my foof so I wouldn't like to be working with those going on. I drive 30 mins to work too. I pretty much stopped driving by about 36 weeks as I just didn't want to go anywhere alone. I think I just subconsciously knew it wouldn't be long till baby arrived. Remember though you can always start your leave early so I'd put down whatever date you want, you might well feel ok to carry on till much later than I did.

Lacey it was my cousins talking about it. My poor mum was quiet. And then they were saying well you have a trip to do in February what!? I am due 13 of Feb and having NO VISITS for two weeks. That I am sure of!!!

Honestly maybe I live in a different world but I am happy I do

Brilliant about your harmony!!!!

Friendly yes good points about the AL to add to mat leave. I will take that after the mat leave but I need to take it in the same annual leave year (all too complex for my brain) so planning on starting mat leave at 33 weeks (26th of Dec roughly) then using al to come back on 1st of Feb

All very exciting!!!!!!!!

Sky I do worry I will be bored too, but I think it will be best to go at 33 for my personal case

Lots of knitting in my future!

I have emailed my headteacher to tell him the news already. One, to give him more time to find someone else. And two, because it's easier than telling him face to face when we're back at school .

Wonder I thought my first would be over due too. Even my mum who is a midwife thought that would be the case as it is quite common with first babies, so she booked a couple of weeks off work with that time frame in mind. But nope, DD arrived 3 weeks early. You just can't predict these things .

Btw leaving 6 weeks before baby is due is what midwives used to (maybe still do) suggest so don't feel you have to push yourselves to work practically up to birth. You will be glad you got a bit of rest before the night feeds begin

Topmammy That did work out well. My dates were similar with the miscarriage I had and I remember being quite pleased it was going to work out so easily. Not so much this time. I feel a bit guilty for leaving so early in the year!

Oh, I hadn't thought about emailing! What a good idea. I'm dreading telling them.

I think I'll speak to my midwife about when to leave because I really don't know what to do for the best. I want the maximum amount of time with baby afterwards before having to go back!

Hi all

Due to the nature of my work/ accrued holidays, I'll actually be breaking up on 16 December, with mat leave kicking in on 5 Feb. Will therefore be off a fair bit before, but my work's stress levels really ramp up from middle Dec and so everyone has said it's not worth it for baby!