Total panic about financial situation!

[Lucynewmum2be]

I am in the early stages of my first pregnancy and already in utter panic about managing finances when my baby arrives.
My partner works away from home Monday-Friday and I work in a local residential school which requires me to sleep at work twice a week. We have no local family that can care for the baby for the 24hr shifts I will be required to do when I return to work and not working is financially not possible (I also don’t want to give up my job). I’m confused regarding childcare, is everyone entitled to 15hrs a week free childcare? How would I cover over night stays? Given I earn on average 32k a year, will I be paying that in childcare and earning nothing? I luckily do get all the school holidays off which is something.
I have never considered or understood maternity pay, I assumed it was full pay but I’ve soon learnt after 6 weeks this drops to £180 per week!! How on earth do people cope?
we have a 3 door car so will need to get savings together to upgrade, we also live in a 1 bed flat so will need to save to move somewhere bigger.
I don’t know how this is all possible with big cuts to pay and potentially not being able to manage my work rota!!
any help, advice or personal experiences of juggling this would be much appreciated.

Surely you can look for something part-time or daytime in a school instead when you return to work, to fit around childcare. But that is some way off.

Yeah i definitely could and this is looking like an option, i was reluctant to leave my current position as it is well paid, I get good work place benefits and there is career progression.
if my partner left his job, he would likely only pick up agency work local which is so unreliable which makes me feel like going back to work and he been the stay at home parent probably the sensible option.
Our monthly outgoings for bills are currently £1400 which is a worry when our income will be cut in half and I don’t feel comfortable having those bills to cover if my partner was out of work for occasionally weeks here and there. I’ve always been the one who pays all the bills monthly from my salary and he pay his half to me weekly.
I checked UC and I’m entitled to £0. When on mat leave I’d have around £200pw with child benefit which is a £1700 decrease in earnings. I really underestimated how difficult this would be, but as I’m coming up to 30 I felt like time was ticking and I had to take this opportunity to be a mother, despite it not being planned.
I’ve realised how difficult this is going to be and it’s making me so stressed. I desperately want to get things right and give my baby the best life possible.

But won't your partner will still be working while you are on ml? SMP is still around £750 per month and first six weeks at 90% of your average in qualifying period, Suggest you see where you can cut back now and start saving as a buffer,

Most definitely going to get some serious savings put away whilst we both work full time.
My thinking after this thread would be for me to return to work after a year with baby, my partner to do local work and we would then have to cover:
3 full days at nursery
4 hours childminder.
Would I get 15hrs childcare for nursery? Leaving me to cover 1 day and 4 hours? Which seems achievable.

If you're considering future childcare I would start looking at all your local providers and options too OP.

The two main reasons are:

1. To understand cost implications (and factor in a rise in fees before you will actually need a place)

1. To secure a place for the time you need it and day(s) you want (where I live there is a waiting list of at least a year for anywhere decent!)

Thank you so much for the advice. It will be at least 18 months before I need childcare, but I can join a waiting list now and start enquiries?
I am assuming I can’t apply for any childcare funding until baby is born? Is there a certain age when you can submit an application. I’m looking at starting childcare around 6-9 months of age which will be Dec 2025- March 2026

Yes, if that is your timeframe then absolutely start making enquiries now. You won't need a name or a birth date to secure a place but may need to make a financial deposit (usually refundable if you change your mind until 6 weeks before the date when the nursery place is reserved for you from etc.)

For gov funding there is an online portal which you will be able to sign up to once your baby is born. This portal is important for 2 key cost saving requirements

1. Tax free payments (like a gov top up to your nursery hours)
2. 15 free hours

Does the school have weekend cover requirements? Could you ask for e.g. Saturday night sleep ins permanently?
Could your partner reduce his hours, and work 4 days a week away, and you fix Monday or Friday nights working?
You've both got at least a year to find new roles that work, but generally both parents being required to work nights isn't compatible with having kids.

Unfortunately no weekend work. I think we could make it work if my partner worked local either full time and we sort childcare or part time around my work. As you say, we have a year if not more for him to find a new job so that should work.

Don't forget that in most nursery settings
"Free childcare " is often "Funded"

What the poster above means is government says 15hrs free at x amount per hour, but if nursery actually charges double that at y amount per hour, you're only going to be getting 7.5hrs free.

You need to look at how many hours constitutes a full day at your local nursery options - 15 hours won't cover two full days, maybe 1.5 days.

Congratulations on your pregnancy OP!

Just be aware that if you're not married (as you say "partner") that being a SAHM could potentially leave you in a very vulnerable position financially. The same applies to your unmarried partner if he's a SAHD.

Married people have legal protection and legal entitlement to each other's money in the event of a split. Unmarried people don't.

So if you or your partner stayed at home with baby and then split up later, the non-earner would be left with nothing apart from their share of any jointly-owned assets (eg 50% of the flat, if owned equally). The earner however would have built up their career, earnings and pension and would have no legal obligation to share any of this with the non-earner.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/living-together-marriage-and-civil-partnership/living-together-and-civil-partnership-legal-differences/

Just wanted to mention this as it may be something to discuss with your partner as you plan for your future.