September 2020 5

[ChipsAreLife]

Hello 👋👋👋

@lilice @chipsarelife I've just downloaded an app to help me remember I feel like I need to take them more seriously or I'll regret it!

How long is everyone planning on taking off work? I'm planning on taking the max year my place allows as the maternity package is really good (sorry that sounds like I'm rubbing it in to the self employed I didn't mean it to sound like that and I do appreciate how lucky I am!)

Mmm ice cream. I can't stop chomping on ice at the moment which I feel is a bit weird. Getting through about 2 ice cube trays a day haha!

@ChipsAreLife same here, I know what you mean. I cant believe they're doing it to everyone. I was also upset when I read the letter as like you say I do everything by the book and they still found a way to make things more difficult. Hopefully it will get sorted out soon. I hope you get your student loan issue sorted soon. You definitely don't know all this stress right now. If you start a campaign, ill sign your petition 😉
@Sunsage I've been using the app for 60 days and already noticed massive improvements ( I would sometimes wee when I sneezed eeeek!!! But don't anymore 🥳) you should do the exercises 3 times a day, I only do them twice but still better than nothing. I've set up an alarm on my phone to remember

@Lilice that's great!!! I must put a reminder on too. Doing the exercises makes my tummy feel abit funny but ill push through lol

@MooseWL I'm going to take the 9 months smp (I have 3 weeks holidays before maternity leave and whatever holidays I can take before coming back) 4 weeks to go!!!! If I can last that long 🥴

@sunsage I've got 7 to go (though I have a week off in the middle of August!) I finish the day I turn 38 weeks and am on a serious count down! I based it on the fact that as its my first baby may stay in a bit longer and i didn't want to be sat around for ages waiting if I finished too early. Plus as I'm just working from home it's not too difficult (except the mid afternoon exhaustion!) Now I've convinced myself that he may come early and I'll still be working 😂

It's so hate to know what to do. It's my first aswell!!
I'll be off from 37 weeks... I kinda wish I was going earlier! Back in the office as of last week part time but I stayed all day today and it has me wrecked! I'm a receptionist but would be up and down stairs alot and getting various files to work from and that alone has done me in lol

So hard* flip my typing is awful!

I'm taking all my annual leave from this year and finishing up at 36 weeks. I'll be taking a year mat leave which is EDD 9th sept to 8th sept 2021. Plan to use next years leave to work 4 day weeks from sept-Dec.

I really feel for you that are self employed. The rules don't seem right at all 😢

Work is starting at our house from 36-38 weeks!! Last minute!!

I'm making sure my bags are all ready to go for 34/35 weeks so I can go and stay at my parents while work is being done, it'll probably get dusty.

Bonkers I know!!!

Morning ladies, sorry to hear HMRC are being dicks to the self employed (although nothing really surprises me about HMRC) my maternity package is rubbish (public sector) and there's no such thing as annual leave in my job so I think I'll be back at work by June at the very latest next year.

I hope we have a post natal thread so we can keep posting about the babies when they arrive!

As predicted, I ended up at the MAU last night. The pain in my bump was getting worse and they asked me to go in. They have no idea what it is so for now we're going with 'muscular' but if it gets any worse I have to go back. They did find protein in my urine though so I'm waiting for a call back today once the lab have checked it out.

It was lovely to hear baby's heartbeat on the monitor 💙

Hope you all have a good day 😊

@LatteLover12 I hope you are ok. Glad they saw you and ran the tests etc. Hearing the heartbeat is so lovely and reassuring, hugs xx

Yes I hope there is a post natal thread too 🤞

@LatteLover12 glad you went in, try get plenty of rest and hopefully they call you promptly today!

I’m going to to take a year I think with some
Holiday included in there. Can’t decide when to finish work though!! I’m at home working so in theory could work a bit later - what everyone else doing ?

I’m going to take a year and will be finishing when I turn 37 weeks. I’ll then tag on my unused leave to the end which hopefully (depending on when she arrives) will take me past bubba’s 1st birthday as i’ve got quite a lot to use. I work in the NHS (not front facing) so feel quite lucky to have a good package. They also let you average out the occupational pay part across 12 months, so it’s a little less to begin with but your not left with three months of no money at the end.

@OrDis oh that's a great idea about averaging it out across the year that would be really useful!
I'm going to add some leave on the end as well to take me past the first birthday (and my birthday which is 2 days before my due date, eek) so will actually probably end up being off nearly 13 months which sounds like forever!

It does seem ages doesn't it. I think so much will have changed before I go back- there are a few people retiring, including our head of service, so who knows what i’ll be walking back into! Not to mention the fact that we are all still WFH with no prospect of when we’ll all be in the office again! No idea what work will look like when I do have to return

@OrDis same. I work for a civil service team and we have a fairly high turn over so I can imagine going back and not knowing anyone. I supervise as well so it will be odd having to get to know all my staff again! We're the same not been in the office since March and no plans to be back there until end of September at the earliest but I think it will get pushed back longer tbh. We were meant to be moving to a new office in September 2021 (so just before I come back) as well but I think that's been pushed back now too. So many changes! I have a feeling I'll apply to go part time when I go back.

I do feel very lucky, my work have put me on furlough until my maternity leave starts. I’ve not worked since March.
Don’t know how if you’re working you manage it! You’re amazing! I’m permanently exhausted all the time. Just woke up and still feel exhausted like I can’t do all the things I need to. Would love some energy!

Yes same @MooseWL I think i’d like to go down to 3 days a week. Current boss already knows this and seems very receptive but she might not be there when I return. Fingers crossed it will be ok. I could do FT if I had too but I think i’d rather reduce the hours a little so I won’t need quite so much childcare

Energy is definately in short supply now @Emmy2020. I’m not sure i’d make it to 37 weeks if I had to commute into the office so at least WFH is good for something, although I miss the social aspect. I feel like my morning sickness is creeping back today as well, not sure if it’s the iron tablets making me feel sick or indigestion- probably both lol

@LatteLover12 hope everything will be all right with the test results.

I've already planned to go back in February using my kit days in my school (where I work just a day a week), and ill see if i want to resume the rest of my business depending on the baby and how we're coping financially and with the new baby. With my first i took a whole year, and 4 months with my second but he was already sleeping through the night by that stage so I was rested enough to function like a human being again.

We should definitely have a postnatal thread when the babies are all here 😊

Exhausted here too, 31 weeks. Compounded by stress for me though. My job contract isn't being renewed (following pregnancy discrimination and employer breach of contract) so I'll be unemployed by time baby arrives and pursing a stressful legal claim if I chose too. Then DH just found out that he is being made redundant in 8 weeks time too, so we'll both be unemployed for baby's arrival (not eligible for redundancy pay). Oh, we're both key workers (education and food supply chain) so no job is safe it seems. And we had already just started repair work on our house so we're in the middle of that, too. Expense we can not justify now even though it is to repair damp to baby's room. We were planning for me to take 9 months off but that won't be possible now. No idea what we're going to do to get through. Sell the house and go back to work after the minimum 2 weeks mat leave perhaps, assuming I can find a job, any job?! Was really hoping to enjoy this first pregnancy and build up to being a FTM but it's all turned to 5hit. Please send a life raft.

Oh thats terrible @Margo34, i’m so sorry. Get advice from maternity action about what you can do to challenge the decision. Get your DH registered to all the temping agencies, perhaps they can place him somewhere which might then lead to something more permanent. You should be entitled to some sort of benefits too I would expect, but i’m not sure which ones. Defo seek advice.

Oh @Margo34 that sounds incredibly stressful. I really hope you and your DH get sorted soon.

No phone call so I'm going to presume it wasn't too concerning. Still got pain but trying to ignore it & have been out for a coffee with a friend this morning & we're about to take the dog to the beach. It's not all grim up north! 💕

Oh @Margo34 I'm sending you a massive hug, I'm sorry I have no advice to give but you will get through this, it may not seem it now but you will!!

@LatteLover12 we will take it that no news is good news, but definitely get onto them again if your pain gets any worse, would it be worth giving them a call before the end of the day to chase it up? Just incase you do need an antibiotic! The lovely sea air will do you good too 🥰

Oh @Margo34 that sounds so stressful. No useful advice but I send virtual hugs.

I'm planning to go on leave at 37 weeks, using up 3 weeks of annual leave I still have. The next 6 weeks can't go quick enough!
We are planning to take the full year of parental leave entitlement and hoping to split it between myself and DP. It's a little up in the air though as I am on a fixed term contract and still waiting to hear if it will be renewed after my leave ends (boss wants to keep me, but have to see if funding comes in). If so I'll probably take 8/9 months and DP the rest, then we both hope to go down to 4 day work weeks after that for a while. Admittedly DP hasn't broached any of this with his company yet, so we shall see if they stand by their 'family friendly' claims!