February 2019 babies... here comes the third trimester

[maxiflump1]

New link ladies...... the final trimester is here!

@baby160p it must be tricky to have any motivation if you aren't going back. I generally still enjoy work but there are times it feels like it gets in the way of baby shopping /research /mumsnet!!

Just seen on ocadi there's offers on all the baby stuff nappies/wipes etc but the bambino puri reusables are buy one get one half price. So a bargain if anyones interested.

I’m dreading going on maternity leave... I’m a bit of a control freak and handing over my job is stressing me out! I’ve interviewed someone today, she’s coming back for a second interview next week... it’s scary!! 😩😩

I can see me coming back to work a few times a month during my mat leave, just to keep an eye on things..

I'm still waiting for my HR to confirm my maternity leave 8 weeks after putting the form in. They say that I have to give 4 weeks notice to change the date not sure how that works....

Its annoying as I need to do shared parental leave as well so they begrudgingly agreed that I can do it whilst on maternity leave as they are so slow!

@NotAsGreenAsCabbageLooking I’m a bit like that but also getting more and more ready to go! I do worry about what will happen when I’m not there and the new girl on my team seems a bit unreliable and I have no patience to train her at the moment!!

On the plus side, my work have put my mat leave in the diary as my due date and I have almost 20 days hol to use which I will use before then and my manager said I can just let him know when I plan to go properly whenever suits me

I am thinking maybe mid Jan but also thinking of maybe phasing it a bit eg working from home more and / or working half days or short weeks

@NotAsGreenAsCabbageLooking - I completely understand where you're coming from! I've started writing my handover notes and I'm already up to 9 pages. I'm only going to be off for about 5 months including AL either side, but I just don't trust my work to be done to my usual high standard whilst I'm off. We have an annual cycle and I'll miss the most important bit, but will have to come back and pick up the pieces :(

@AliceRR I've got 20 days AL too, going to take 10 days before due date, then the rest to extend the maternity by 10 days, once you add on the bank holidays (and our works bonus closure day) it works out as carrying over 15 days so I'll have 5 more days to play with.

I’m glad I’m not the only controll freak here. I’m only having off till June and won’t finish unill my last tax return/ set of account are done in January. Bear in mind I’m due on 5/2 and have a feeling they won’t let me go over I haven’t got much leeway either way. I have to be back by end of june as got big changes happening to how we do vat coming in then and only junior staff on the pay at the moment and they are defo not capable. I’m carrying 20 odd hours of overtime and 6 days leave over and I can bet I’ll have nearer 50 hours by due date

I'm so glad that my work is going to carry on fine without me and I can take a full year. I'm really looking forward to the beginning of mat leave as hopefully I will have a week or two to relax before my little one decides to put in an appearance! I'm only working the first week of January next year and if all goes to plan going back January 2020.

@emalady - I have a similar plan, although finishing mid - end of January but not going back until Jan - 2020 (man that feels good to see in writing!)!

I won't be taking much time off before baby and plan to take what holiday I accrue at the end of the year x

Well I hate to rub it in bit my last day of work is this Wednesday! Only work 3 days a week so have taken a few weeks annual leave and my maternity leave starts 1st December. Have a really stressful job in child protection and am planning on taking at least a years career break after my maternity leave ends. Off to Cardiff on a xmas shopping trip overnight with my mum next Monday and then lots of fun xmas things with DS in lead up to xmas. January is then for nesting before baby will probably arrive by ELCS last week of January. Am so excited!!

@maxiflump1 - that's amazing! I'm so jealous! X

I've lost all motivation to be at work, but that might be because I haven't been able to do my actual job since being pregnant so I'm not enjoying sitting in an office! But at the same time It's nice not to be stressed all the time haha. I've got annual leave at the end of the month for my birthday then it's nearly Xmas so I'm hoping time will fly by!

I’ve got 6 weeks left! Annual leave over Christmas and first week of jan, then mat leave. Anticipating ELCS in 1st week of Feb, so planning on lots of quality time with DD and finishing jobs like her photo book (I make one for each year) and scrapbook. I ‘return to work’ on AL mid Nov and then annual leave till second week of jan 2020. So taking a year all in.

Sick of my commute!

I’ve got 6 weeks left also. My employer won’t allow me to use all my annual leave upfront so having to start maternity leave earlier than expected. Wouldn’t mind as assumed that accrued holiday could be taken at the end of my maternity leave. Was informed that this can only happen if it meets the needs of the business at that point. Think they want me to do a phased return to work but I’d rather have my accrued leave as a block

Yeah I can only take what I’ve accrued.
So I’ll then take the annual leave i have left between jan and end of March and April and Nov at the end. It all works out on balance. I get 33 days pro rata plus bank hols (I work 4 days a week) so it’s very generous!

I'm self-employed so wasn't really sure what to do. As it is, I've set the date for my maternity allowance as the week I'm due as I'll be able to do bits and bobs of work up till then I think (but if I can't it's no big deal - I've told clients I'll be stopping work from Christmas onwards, but there will always be a few urgent jobs that sneak through I'm sure!). I'm planning to take the full MA entitlement and then just see what I can get back to when I start up again, mainly in evenings and weekends when my DP will be home to help look after the baby. I work from home and can be pretty flexible when I do work (I don't have to work at specific times) so I'm hoping it'll work out OK.

I'm jealous too @maxiflump1! I'm working up to 39 weeks then taking a year off so will go back in Feb 2020. I need to work out what to do about annual leave. My leave year ends at the end of March and I've only got three days left not booked for this year so will just have the years worth of leave I accrue on mat leave.

@lanalawr why don't you start your mat leave a bit earlier a tack a couple of weeks holiday on the end?

I am over work to all those that are also...
And im going back! 8 weeks till I go on maternity leave I just cant stand the rude and understanding clients anymore not even pregnancy related. I work for Headmasters its a chain branch with a big name and we have a colour sale on its so busy and people are just so rude if they cant get an appointment!! Im just in the hospital wating for my glucose test and i think i may have the start of a chest infection x

@DeliberatelyGinger I only work three days a week and want to be off with the baby as long as possible so was trying to save maternity and annual leave for the end. I did the same with dd but ended up off for three weeks before she was born because she was a week late. I just need to calculate my accrued leave. I was also a moody cow for those three weeks off without dd and don't want to inflict that on family again!

I've just had my 28 week midwife appointment. She was great, I told her about my concerns about wanting a section and being refused and she point blank said they cannot refuse a section if that's what I want.

She said that my first appointment will be more of an informative discussion where they will give me all the info on risks etc and I'll be booked back in around 35 weeks to then agree and confirm date.

Feel better knowing that they simply can't refuse me. Will be glad to get the first one done so I can secure a date etc xx

Just been addmitted for my chest got bad breathing problems and nurse measured my bump 27weeks today measuring 32weeks 🙈 so have emergency growth scan this is all very scary! This is why maybe they shouldnt just leave you alone with second baby

@Lulabell1 oh no :( hope you’re ok x

@Lulabell1 - that's so scary. Hope everything is OK. Keep us posted xx

I just worked out that I have exactly 20 days hol even taking into account time off for Xmas. My mat leave is currently set to start on my due date of 10 Feb but if I took all 20 days in one go immediately before that then my last day in the office would be 11 Jan! That seems so soon, it’s about a week and a half after Christmas...