When to start maternity leave?

[Mumtobe0211]

Hello, I'm only 9 weeks pregnant. So far I'm feeling great and have not had any problems with morning sickness. I will have my first scan in a month's time and if everything goes well I will let my employers known. I will have to let them know when I am planning to go on maternity leave and I was wondering if someone could give me some advice please? Ideally I would like to take the most of my maternity leave once the baby is born so I would like to work as close as possible to the due date. Fortunately, I live very close to work so I only have to walk. I do not know however how I will feel close to the time. How close to the due date can one continue working? Many thanks

Am pretty sure you can work right up to your due date. I worked up to a week before mine as I wanted the same as you. Also had a suspicion I would go over which I did by 10 days. I did get very tired though in the last trimester.
You don't have to tell your employer of a definite date until 15 weeks before the week in which your baby is due.

Forgot to say - many congratulations!

You can work up to your due date if you feel well enough - I would have done but actually won't have anything to do in the office after the end of July and have holiday coming out of my ears, so I'm going at 38 weeks (am now 36 and feeling perfectly OK). It does all depend completely on how you feel. Do you have a desk job? If I had to be on my feet a lot I might have wanted to go sooner.

It's also worth remembering that you don't actually have to tell your employers till 25 weeks, so you could leave it for a while before letting them know, which would give you a bit more thinking time.

I'd be careful about not leaving yourself too much time at the end. I finished 6 weeks before my due date but spent the first 2 weeks running round like a mad woman going to funerals - yes really - and then had a weeks chilling before spending another 2 weeks going back and forth to the hospital for scans and appointments as DD was breach.

I think what I'm saying is, be vague until you know how you feel but leave yourself some chilled time at the end!

Entirely dependant on how you are feeling!

I left work when I was 35+2, and used up 3 weeks holidays before starting my maternity pay and I'm so glad I did as I was so exhausted and not sleeping very well.

I've got to say I was quite busy for the first 4 weeks (November) as I was getting all my Xmas shopping done and chilling out. Although on the 5th week I did start to get slightly bored, DS arrived on my 6th week off work.

Congratulations!

I don't think you have to give a definite date for finishing until much nearer the time, you just have to tell your employer your EDD.

I think this is because quite a lot of people plan to work up until the week before but find they are too tired or whatever and bring their date forward.

I was originally going to work up until 39+1 but actually finished at 38+1 because I had a long way to travel and decided it probably wouldn't be sensible to keep travelling for 2 hours a day at that stage. I felt fine though so would have carried on otherwise.

I guess its good to have a date to aim for but see how you go. Good luck, x.

At my work I have to give them the date I want to finish. I am planning on finishing 1-2 weeks before EDD although at 12 weeks I am already showing and getting a terrible bad back, so I might change my mind about when I finish!

I can change my date of going on Mat leave but it has to be in writing at a certain notice period.

I am finishing up at the end of this week when I'll be 38 weeks. I'm taking a week's holiday before going on mat leave so my mat leave effectively starts from 2 August. I am only taking three months for various reasons, so I want to have as much of my mat leave with the baby rather than just on my own!

However, although I have had a dream pregnancy and been full of energy, no morning sickness, no real aches and pains and not even needing to get up to go to the loo in the night, if I had longer maternity leave I would have finished at 36 weeks. There are still bits and pieces DH and I need to do about the house and some bits of shopping and planning that would be good to be doing during the week when it's not as busy as on the weekends! And in the past week I have started feeling much tireder and more cumbersome and would appreciate the opportunity for some quiet time (and maybe some naps!) in the day!

I agree with the PPs who have said that you should indicate a date, but ensure there is some flexibility in there too. If you need to go off a week or so earlier due to your health or the health of your baby, you are entitled to do so.

Congratulations!

If you are fit and healthy then there is no reason that you can't work right up to your due date. Alkthough I don't know anyone personally who has done that. The discomfort of being 8 months + and the knackeredness of just exisitng makes work a step too far. If you walk to work, literally getting washed, dressed breakfasted and into work might be enough for the morning.

I started mine at 36 weeks, and was glad I did as I could sort things out, potter about and rest.

I think the last 4 weeks is fairly flexible, if you get signed off sick you employer can enforce the start of your maternity leave - I think.

I'd say plan for a month but try and keep it flexible - and use holiday if you have any as this means you still get paid for a while - always nice.

I finished work on the Friday, DD was due on the following Tuesday, but went into labour saturday night and she appeared Sunday afternoon. So I had all of one day off! I was expecting her to be 2 weeks late, but I'm glad I didn't waste any of the short time I had with her, couldn't afford more than 6 months off and was worried I'd end up having the first month off with no baby. However most people thought I was mad and it was hard towards the end. I did use up holiday to mean I could do 3 or 4 day weeks towards ther end and I could WFH occassionally which helped.

There isn't a right way to do it, whatever you want really, as long as you feel you can cope with the job work as long as you want!

I'm 8 weeks pregnant with DC2 and planning doing the same again, well maybe finish a week before this time?!

I think it depends on what type of job your doing and whether you ahve children already. I went on maternity leave with my daughter at 38 weeks. I had a desk job and would have been able to carry on until my due date especially as i went 2 weeks over. I was so bored by the end! This time i was ready at 33 weeks but i was doing a more physical job plus have a toddler to look after. I officially left at 37 weeks and was more than ready to stop working! Its a bummer when you go overdue as it is let alone feel like your wasting your maternity pay.

Cat

I started my maternity leave when I was 37 weeks pregnant. I was run off my feet in work right till the very end and didnt feel that my employed took my pregnancy into consideration at all. Although I felt great, I started to get really tired. Next time I plan to stop at 36 weeks to give myself time to get organised. I spent the last 3 weeks spring cleaning the house, shopping and just generally getting things ready for my DD coming.

You can work right up to your due date, but dont think that I could have done that! I was more than ready to stop work.

I am 37 +6 and am going to the end of this week. (i am a teacher and school holidays start so i won't officially be on maternity leave until 31st July.
I wasn't sure if i would be able to continue this long but actually feel fine and think i would be bored at home for too long. However i have had an easy pregnancy so i think it is all down to how the individual feels.

I'm going right to the bitter end this time. I took a few months off last time and really regretted not keeping that time for once the baby was born. I'm finishing on a Friday and C-section booked early the next week.