May 2017 #6........ 'Half way there and trips to Mothercare'

[Adventuregame]

And the chat/moans/advice/excitement continues.............any newbies welcome !

What's the deadline to hand in the matB1 form?

I think MP differs from employer to employer. My lot give me 6months AMP (full pay) further three months SMP and up to 3 months unpaid leave. My Company allow shared leave for any/ all bar the first two statutory weeks of may leave. BUT I believe that my OH's company policies are what will determine what time he can/can't take.

Plan at the moment is me take all AMP and a month of SMP and then he can use the other 2 months of SMP if. Ended for cover/ time with Bic etc.

Trying to figure a plan for the first 12-14 months using AMP/SMP/AL and buy time to figure out childcare options!!

Rabbity - love it!! Me too ;)

I have to Chair part of a big conference in late April, 2wks before EDD but 3 days before consultant wants to induce. HR are already getting twitchy ;)

Just headed home after 20wk scan part 2.

Saw all the extra bits. Confirmed gender. Heard heart and saw arteries and chambers. Saw face and lip and brain. And legs and arms were going for it (thanks for the orange juice tip - either MrsJW or Blondes!).

Reality is hitting. Not in a bad way, but my "yadda yaddas" are reducing with each week/ scan. I'm actually going to be a mum!

Great news on scans!!! Lovy pictures too.

I'm going on Mat leave on 10th April, 4 weeks before I'm due. I'm a nurse and although its a role that's not hugely physical (I'm a Macmillan Nurse in a hospital), I'm on my feet walking around a lot, and it can be quite intense. Plus I like the idea of a month at home on my own - going to treat myself to a massage and a haircut! (Literally never do things like that!).

I'm not too worried about being on my own, but have zero idea how I will be with a new human in tow! I've got this idea that I want to walk every footpath on my ordanance survey map during the year off. Thought it would be good to get me out of the house everyday, and get her out in the fresh air. No idea if this is just mental though!

Not sure whether to do NCT or not. Seems pricey, but more sessions than nhs antenatal. Will have a think!

Sipper I'm planning on mat leave same week - I'm in ICU though where the work can be quite heavy so that may change!! Won't be long coming round now!

Ps was in Mothercare earlier and in my store there where LOADS of great bargains - not online for some reason! I got a breastfeeding shawl reduced from £20 to £7.50! Car seats reduced from £175 to £40!!

Nurse which store? You're London aren't you??

I'm planning to start ML 2 days before EDD, but I am taking 4 weeks leave before which I'm really looking forward too! My works leave year is may to April, so I will have a whole year leave accrued, so debating wether the stick it on the end, or cancel ML a month early and get the pay back sooner.

Red, when I asked previously, and from having looked online, you HAVE to state your intention of ML by 25 weeks, but the MatB1 form has to be submitted (from memory) by the 2nd week of SMP. So there's plenty of time, I spoke to my HR department who confirmed this, and were happy for me to submit the form for intention now, and then the MatB1 when you get it. Hope that makes sense

Teaspoon - no, Northern Ireland! Sorry!!

I found the nct classes useful for the friends it gives you. I chat to my group daily. The classes, I found less useful. The breastfeeding one sugar coated it to a ridiculous extent.

Nurse - doh! Thanks for the tip - will check out the local!!

Teaspoon I suppose movements do sometimes feel like wind/bubbly orgasm feeling!! More lately I've been getting proper jabs and kicks. Also times when baby somersaults and I feel round bits really pressing outwards or onto my bladder.

Im putting my mat leave date at 3 weeks before due date as I teach Y1 and it's quite a physical, stressful job! I will have 2 weeks holiday before that too (obviously don't get a say in when my hols are!) so I'm probably going to end up bored before baby's arrival. Hopefully I can catch up on sleep and seeing friends before everything kicks off.

I got my matb form yesterday at mw appointment (23 weeks)- not quite sure why it was so early, should have been more like 25 weeks I think.

Any recommendations about where to get smart-ish maternity trousers? I have one pair that I'm wearing over and over! I'm really struggling to find anything that isn't jeans. So far I've tried H&M, asos, Next, M&S, Debenhams.

GrowCook - glad I'm not going mad!

For trousers try Monsoon (good sizes and with stretch so not maternity, but decent quality and they've got their sale on at the moment).

If you can wear smart leggings (full length, thick black cotton stretch) with a tunic or shirt then try Sainsbury's Tu range - they have thick waist banded long black leggings for £10 that are great for over-bump!!

My work is so slack, I don't think it will occur to anyone to ask about maternity leave until April at the earliest. That's if I make it that long. I think I might be made redundant any time.

I have a low lying placenta blossom. Didn't realise there was a risk of bleeding

Grow, I'm also really struggling with work trousers. I have one pair of black over the bump that I wear to death. I've looked everywhere for a different colour as I fancied a grey pair but no luck!

I'm planning on working up to about 2.5 weeks from my due date. My leave year runs April to April so I'm going to save all my leave and then finish maternity mid feb 2018 and then tag all my leave onto the end. It means I will have to go back the beginning of April 2018 so 11 months off but it does mean that I will only have a week or two of completely unpaid maternity leave and if I need to I can start my maternity leave even earlier before my due date if I'm getting tired and fed up (although that will then extend the unpaid period so want to try and avoid if I can)

Gap for smart maternity trousers!

Think I said before but I'm stopping at 35.5 weeks. Have been in hospital before from 36 weeks if not daily as an in patient for monitoring so I'm not keen to risk anything but a week off before it all goes pear shaped would be nice!

I was at antenatal clinic yesterday and the baby was kicking the sonic aid away when the midwife was trying to listen!

Gurtie try not to worry too much just now. The reality is always so different. You'll fall into a rhythm eventually, you might even like days at home alone with just you and the baby.

Blossom I'm another with a low placenta - the sonographer mentioned this to me so casually that I sort of dismissed it at the time but at no point did she mention any risk of bleeding - since then I've come to realise it comes with this risk. I have a colleague with one too and she had a bleed - I think it's important to take things reasonably easy and I'm now hoping it shifts up at the next scan.

This is terrible of me but I am concerned that having to have a c section as a result will mean me and baby share a birthday (and it's my 30th!) because of when the c section is likely to be. I'd really rather avoid that!

I've not really given mat leave much thought but I should. Currently thinking of going officially at 38 weeks with a week of leave beforehand, but it 2 minds as it might be better for me to save the leave at the tail end. It's too difficult to know how uncomfortable I'll be at work later on and I can't sit down all day, oh and I also walk to work!

Hey everyone I have not been on in ages due to loads of stressful stuff. Can someone add me to he spreadsheet,it would let me edit unless I download an app and no space on my phone. I am due 14 th of may, baby number 4 and it's a boy. I am from Lisburn in ni! Thanks.

Going to have a proper read through the thread and catch up with all the news! X

I got my work trousers from Seraphine - they are very good quality but expensive - though better when they had a % money off event. Also over bump trousers keep me nice and toasty in this freezing cold weather

Greetings from Gran Canaria ! Bump is loving the holiday sun and he's moving about a lot !!

Evening ladies

Had whooping cough jab and my first consultants appointment, which went fine. Am going to have extra scans to monitor baby's growth as dd was very small when born despite being a day overdue.

Acorncat - we're planning on keeping dd in nursery full time until she starts school in September (roughly 3 months) as we'll have the money to cover this plus she loves nursery and I don't want to disrupt her learning before she's due to start school.

I'm planning on finishing work when I reach 35 weeks (will be covered by annual leave) but my maternity leave won't actually start until my due date. I'm feeling quite knackered so am glad I'll be finishing work early.