Page 3 | Maternity pay

Kell91 · 2022-09-03T11:27:44+00:00

Feeling stressed wondering how wel manage when I'm maternity pay il be £350 down a month until i return to work I'll only be paid £626 a month i usually take home £1000 it's a big drop my partners works but it's not enough for us to survive on without my wage we just about scraped by. I'm worried now that gas and electric prices are going to be very high :(

PMAmostofthetime · 15/09/2022 09:02

RewildingAmbridge · 05/09/2022 23:01

People could also tell you not to have three children if you can't afford them. You are being very unreasonable. Your wage is low anyway so it's not as much of a hit as it is for women who are the main/higher wage earner. Either your husband gets a second job/does overtime, you do some work to top up your mat pay, you tighten your belts for a bit, or claim UC like the people you so casually deride if your income is that low.

Really unhelpful OP like myself could have been very comfortable before we got the cost of living crisis.

I've had friends who's partners have lost work and jobs due to it and had to take lower paid jobs- this was not the case before they were pregnant.
Your contribution is rude and unhelpful.

Keepitrealnomists · 15/09/2022 10:10

Posts like this drive me nuts. If your planning a baby or 3 why wouldn't you consider your finances and how you will manage. Everyone wants to spend time with their new baby but sometimes that's not always possible without getting into a huge amount of debt. Everyone is feeling the increase in cost of living. I'm on Mat leave atm and we have saved enough for me to take of 12 months off (more like 14 months when my leave is added to me mat leave) if we couldnt afford this in would go back to work. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and make a plan, save, go back to work early.... They are your options.

PMAmostofthetime · 15/09/2022 19:41

Keepitrealnomists · 15/09/2022 10:10

Posts like this drive me nuts. If your planning a baby or 3 why wouldn't you consider your finances and how you will manage. Everyone wants to spend time with their new baby but sometimes that's not always possible without getting into a huge amount of debt. Everyone is feeling the increase in cost of living. I'm on Mat leave atm and we have saved enough for me to take of 12 months off (more like 14 months when my leave is added to me mat leave) if we couldnt afford this in would go back to work. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and make a plan, save, go back to work early.... They are your options.

I planned- unfortunate circumstances took our savings after I was pregnant and the cost of living crisis is not helping our situation at all.
I don't think people realise how low statutory maternity pay is. Also what the op is saying is right people who don't work have no change in income and it seems unfair.

berksandbeyond · 15/09/2022 20:42

Love how you're criticising people for having kids they can't afford when you are also having a child you can't afford. You don't see the irony?

Babyroobs · 16/09/2022 08:33

When I had my first 2 babies we lived in a country where you got zero maternity pay until you went back to work and then you got a lump sum equivalent to six weeks pay. So I ended up going back part time when my boys were 4 and 5 months old. Fortunately their Nursery was in the grounds of the hospital where i worked so I was able to bf them in my lunch breaks.

anonanonanon123 · 16/09/2022 08:48

I get it, to an extent. We planned our baby and budgeted accordingly before this crisis. Tough, but doable and now baby is here it feels impossible and I don’t want to go back to work early either it feels really unfair. But I am down about £1700 a month on Mat leave, our household outgoings are based on both our full wages therefore our mortgage/rent/expenses are likely higher than yours. As I earn more than you I’ve paid more into the system in terms of tax and NI and still I’m only entitled to the same £600 a month.

PointyMcguire · 16/09/2022 08:50

Your issue is you’re comparing yourself to others. I’m in a similar boat to @Mushroo in that I’ll be taking a significant drop in income whilst on maternity. We have decent savings so could get by if I chose to take the full year off, yet I’ve opted to take 6mths leave and will then have a phased return to work. Of course I’d love to spend more time with my baby, but personally I value financial security more and a year’s maternity leave isn’t a god given right.

Spiritqueen1111 · 16/09/2022 09:19

I am in a similar position to you, I have 2 children and found out I was having a 3rd (wasn't planned at all). I am single, no family around and children's dads don't see them at all so fully single parent. My work provide 13 weeks full pay and then I go onto SMP. I do not know how I am going to cope when baby is here and I hope I can have as long as possible off with baby but I don't see how it is going to work. Dad doesn't want to know so I will have to put my baby into childcare when I go back to work too which makes me want to have even longer off work.
I am really tired during this pregnancy, it's been really hard but I'm pushing through and working nearly double my contract to try and put some savings away to enable me to stay off longer. I have to buy everything for baby as my youngest at the moment is 11 ½ so I have no baby items left in my house lol. I'm worried but trying to take each day as it comes and just hope for the best. Hope it works out for you

Whadda · 16/09/2022 09:30

I don’t understand why you won’t go back to work early.

You’re home all day with the baby, then work five hours in the evening while your friend has him/her.

If you work from day 5-10pm, your baby is probably in bed from 7pm anyway so you’re not missing out much time at all.

PMAmostofthetime · 16/09/2022 10:05

anonanonanon123 · 16/09/2022 08:48

I get it, to an extent. We planned our baby and budgeted accordingly before this crisis. Tough, but doable and now baby is here it feels impossible and I don’t want to go back to work early either it feels really unfair. But I am down about £1700 a month on Mat leave, our household outgoings are based on both our full wages therefore our mortgage/rent/expenses are likely higher than yours. As I earn more than you I’ve paid more into the system in terms of tax and NI and still I’m only entitled to the same £600 a month.

This is exactly like me- still trying to save as baby's not here yet but everything keeps going up and I'm worrying daily.

Congratulations on your little one.

Theprimeofmissmulroney · 16/09/2022 11:43

I don't really know what you're looking for. You have chosen to have a family of five. Unless you are independently wealthy, then of course it will be expensive. You made those decisions. No point in moaning now.