Due in February 2017 - thread #9

[twocatsandatoddler]

New thread - hope everyone finds this! I'll try and post the link in the old thread if it will let us go over 1,000 posts.

Tea you are entitled to a year off. If you take of 6 months you are 100% entitled to go back to your old job. If you take of more than 6 months, your employer only has to give a similar job but not the exact same one you were doing before mat leave. You are entitled to statutory maternity pay for 9 months out of your total 1 year entitlement.

Steph I'm planning to start leave at 38 weeks but I'll use holiday entitlement rather than maternity leave. I'll have my maternity leave start on my due date if possible. I'm planning to take of 6 months. My DH has a generous shared parental leave policy so he'll take of the first 15 weeks with me and then I go back to work after 6 months, he'll do another 3 months through a combination of annual leave and statutory entitlement.

He has gotten sign of for his plans already but I still need to get final sign off on mine, particularly as I want to use some of my holiday entitlement to slowly transition back to work for the first couple of months, doing just 3 day weeks at first.

Teabags you're entitled to 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave (after which they have to give you your old role back) and then another 26 weeks of additional maternity leave (after which they have to give you either your old role back, or another one which has to be at least equal pay and responsibility). So 52 weeks in total. You get SMP up to 39 weeks (9 months) but you can legally take a whole year, it's just the last 3 months are unpaid. You can use annual leave either side of that and take more than a year in total. I took 11 1/2 months last time, including some annual leave I used in that period.

Oops, cross post with London!

Thanks for replies I will be taking the 9 months off as I will struggle without money for the last 3 months my ds cost me a fortune in music lessons alone!

Thanks snowflake think we'll try testing out some prams next time we're in John Lewis.

I'm planning on taking a full year mat leave and leaving it as late as possible, using my annual leave first my mat leave should start one day before I'm due.

Steph Have you checked whether your school/county offers Occupational Maternity Pay on top of SMP. Mine does and will make a big difference.

I teach KS1 and am currently planning to work to the start of 38 weeks which will take me to Feb half term. I'll then take Feb half term as paid and put the first day back as the start of mat leave. Like you I'm a bit worried about making it that far but I feel okay at the moment and if I need to bring the date forward I will. Hoping to take a year afterwards but need to check finances before I decide for certain!

Thanks everyone!
Londongirl that's amazing that your dh gets such great leave, mine has 2 weeks stat paternity and has been denied taking 2 weeks additional holiday after that as its a busy time for him at work!
Hoping I can leave it as long as possible - just found out our car needs serious repairs after I accidentally put petrol into a diesel ( baby brain ) and drove for a few miles without realising - so that's going to eat into the savings that I was planning to use to subsidise the last few weeks when I am on smp only! Nothing is ever simple lol!! Xx

Naschkatze- no I don't think my school offers anything above the normal package in burgundy book. Are you in an academy?
Is this your first baby? It's just so hard to guess how you will be feeling in the last few weeks. My sister went 3 weeks early with both of her little ones but I have a friend who went off at 34 weeks then didn't give birth til 41+6. If only you could just quickly glance into the future for a moment lol. Do you know if you put 39 weeks then find it too hard can you change the date near the time or do you have to give a full 4 weeks notice?

Welcome newbies
I took 14 months off last time. I used annual leave to take of time before, took the whole year and then took a month worth of the annual leave I had accrued during my maternity leave at the end. I still didn't feel ready to leave dd after that time and didn't go back for long. Childcare is so expensive though that it wasn't really worth it anyway.
I had my birth choices appointment today. The midwife gave me all the options but no decision will be made until January when I'm 35 weeks. Feels like it's cutting it fine! I'm determined to have a c-section again though so the decision has already been made by me!

Hi Curiosity! That was me, glad you found us!

Hi Friendly - how do you get your birth choices appointment?

Talking of maternity / paternity leave, my DH also gets the two weeks statutory which will start when the baby is here.

However, I suddenly realised the other day that this will mean that he may be at work when I go into labour. He works about 60 miles away, which is about an hour outside of peak times but can take 2 or more at rush hour. He also goes to London quite a lot which is about 1.5 hour train ride. I'm now a bit worried about going into labour at home on my own. I suppose I thought he would start the leave around my due date, so would be here, but if I go overdue then it's a waste of the leave.

Realistically I know that first labours can be long, but my SIL had a really quick first labour, so I am still quite worried.

What are others doing or did you do last time? Or is it just not an issue?!

friendly I think I'm going to decide after my growth scan at 32 weeks. If this baby is big like DH (11lbs). I'll be opting for a planned c-section!

In general I'm blocking the birth out for now. Im leaving all serious planning about birth and my maternity bag until the 3rd trimester! After Christmas I'll also start stocking the nursery with practical stuff like nappies!

Welcome newbies!

Witch my DH will also be in London and it's well over an hour for him to get home. Last time my waters broke before contractions started, so I called him and told him to finish off what he was doing and then head home as soon as he could, but it wasn't a massive rush. But that's because DS wasn't engaged properly so my labour was very slow to start - it might be totally different this time! I will probably ask him to work from home if I'm having any twinges in the morning, but in reality I think he should have plenty of time to get back. Let's hope so anyway!

I'm planning on taking my holidays so that my mat leave starts on my due date! Of they allow this then I finish on the 16th Dec! I don't plan on going back to my job... going to look for a part time job nearer home!

evergreen everything OK?? Not seen you OK or posting for awhile?!

My mat leave will start 30th Jan (due date 5th Feb) so at 39+1, but I'm using annual leave from 19th Jan so will finish at 37+5. I'm already knackered and counting down!

Scottish I only had the appointment because of a previous c-section. You have the appointment if you've had a previous difficult birth. They told me that they don't do planned c-sections on big babies unless it's estimated to be 11lbs or more 😱 I didn't manage to give birth to a 10lb one naturally so that seems quite ambitious!

Steph I am in an academy yes - perhaps that is why. Might be worth a call to HR at your county offices to check for sure though?
It is first baby, so I have no idea how I'll feel. If I wanted to change it, I have to give 28 days notice yes. But I also think if closer to the time I was too exhausted my head and phase leader would be quite flexible. They are very supportive.

I'm finishing work on the 30th of Nov. I'll be 31 weeks! With my previous two I went off at 37 (born at 42) and 38 weeks (born 40+1) so this is crazy early. However we are trying to move (across counties) and my parents will be visiting in Dec so I really need the time in Dec to sort stuff out.

Totally leaving work in the lurch but my PGP has meant I'm mostly useless anyway. At least I am completely resigning so they can recruit a replacement.

Welcome new people!

I'm due the same day as you CeeCeeEnnEss and had a sit down with HR today coming up with the same dates as you for using up holidays & starting mat leave. Glad things are starting to make sense I felt like I had no idea what I was doing!
I still can't believe the wibbles in my stomach are a person!
Have been getting a twitchy eye and a twitchy almost vibrating muscle in my shin? Will try sleep....

I'm in the preggo insomnia club....been awake since 3am & uncontrollably crying since about 4.30. I was sobbing so loud that DH woke up so have now moved down to the sofa & am crying to Phil Spencer instead. Don't know what to do with myself

Oh no! So sorry to hear that :( I've been up a few times with weird stomach pain. Has DH been understanding about it or is he confused? I think I'd force mine awake if I felt that upset. Do you have time to fall asleep on the sofa or do you have work?

Are you exhausted/frustrated or are there other things on your mind Readyfortwo ?
Hope Phil's calming voice helps ;) .xxx

Ready - I had the crying yesterday.... on the train. For no reason whatsoever, apart from exhaustion and hormones I suppose. I woke up at 4:40am desperate for the loo and there didn't seem any point going back to sleep after that as DH gets up for work at 5:30am.

I've decided to go back to work after Christmas just for 2 weeks, then take 4 weeks of AL, before starting mat leave on my due date. I'm quite lucky really as I work for a team of lovely women, all of whom have several children so they've been really understanding and accommodating about everything.

Hi ladies, I think it's a mix of hormones & tiredness.

I've been getting myself wound up about work too. I'm really good at my job & ready for promotion (they've openly said that I'm next in line & that I'm in the high potential/high performance box etc). Anyway, bit of a long story but I'm doing the most senior role at my level but due to a customer buy out my role is likely not to be the same when I come back. I have my eye on a particular role & have just got wind that they're offering externally. They advertised internally on Thurs last week with a closing date of yesterday (i.e. Don't bother actually applying), I saw my manager completing the offer paperwork yesterday. At the same time I also found out this week that they'd hand picked a bunch of people to go on some fairly expensive training & I wasn't included. I asked my boss yesterday whether I should be applying for the job & he said 'we could talk about it' and made up some bullshit reason that 'not everyone 'gets' me. I'm not silly enough to apply for a job that they don't want to give me as I know they'd just come up with even more bullshit reasons that would make me feel even worse. It doesn't help that my senior manager actually asked me at my interview whether I'd be able to handle my job alongside a child (this was in reference to DS) so I've always been wary of him & don't believe he thinks that mums should work. I'm pretty sure he's The person that doesn't 'get me'. I'm not the type to raise a discrimination claim, I know it wouldn't change anything. I'm just really sad that all the work I've put in to proving I can do this job alongside being a mum has amounted to nothing. I know this is a very negative way to look at it, which is why I blame hormones too. I've worked so hard & delivered way over & above other people I work alongside, just feel like giving up now.

I've called in sick today, first time I've ever done that as I normally just work from home.

Just need to look after myself for a bit I think.