Financial/benefits advice?

[forgetfullucy]

Hi all

I have a high paid job (70K) working for a foreign company and am due to go on maternity leave at the beginning of September. My company are only giving me the very minimum maternity leave (6 weeks @ 90% pay) and from then on it's SMP. I plan to take nine months off after the birth. One other thing to bear in mind - i don't live with my baby's father. He is in another city so to all intents and purposes I will be supporting myself and my child on my own until I go back to work.

Because of my high pay, I will not be eligible for many of the benefits which other mums in my situation (i.e. single) would get so I can only imagine I will struggle hugely. Does anyone have any idea what benefits I might be able to claim, or perhaps any recommendations of companies I can go to for advice?

Won't the child's father be contributing at all?

TBH, I would imagine that on that salary, most people would assume you could save enough to cover a few months of no pay.

You'll get child benefit - £20.30 a week - and a one-off health in pregnancy grant of £190. If you have a mortgage, you could ask to go interest only for a few months?