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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

When do you plan to start your maternity leave?

21 replies

emmyloo2 · 09/08/2010 15:17

Just asking out of interest really. I am currently 27 weeks and plan on working until 38 weeks but I really do wonder whether this is going to be possible. If I didn't think I was going to be bored shitless I would finish earlier than this but I am worried a month off will be too much. I don't have any family around and my friends will all be working.

Just interested in what other people are proposing to do....

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shell96 · 09/08/2010 15:34

When I was pregnant with DS I took maternity leave two weeks before he was due but with a weeks holiday giving me three weeks off. I was soooo glad to finish by then as I was getting really uncomfortable (I have an office job sat down all day) and was struggling with the walk to/from work BUT had it not been for DP being made redundant at exactly the same time and therefore being around to keep me company/taxi me around/etc I would have been bored out of my mind. Not helped by DS being 12 days late...

This time I am going to stay at work as long as possible to save my maternity leave for once baby is here but no fear of boredom this time - DS keeps me busy

SacharissaCripslock · 09/08/2010 15:37

With my DS1 I took 4 months off before my due date! 3 months were the maximum you were allowed before birth and the extra month was my yearly holiday entitlement. Oh God, it was bliss. I slept so much, slobbed about, watched loads of telly, got everything prepared. I look back on that time as a Golden Time.

Original poster

emmyloo2 · 09/08/2010 15:40

Thanks guys. I have a pile of annual leave I need to take but I am minded to save it to add to my maternity leave at the end. However, my job is an office job which is quite stressful with reasonably long hours so I am tempted to finish maybe 3 weeks before my due date and just spend the time getting things ready for the baby, going swimming, doing yoga (if I still can) and basically being a lady of leisure. For some reason though, part of me feels like I need to be this hero that works up until the day the baby is born. No idea why. No one cares when you finish. They will just bring in someone to replace me.

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websticks · 09/08/2010 16:08

I finished at 36 weeks using a weeks holiday first, it was a good job really as baby came 3 weeks early on the day i actually started my maternity leave.

Will be doing the same this time 36 weeks (job is both physical and stressful)

peppapighastakenovermylife · 09/08/2010 16:10

Depends on what your job is. Standing up all day / professional wrestling / deep sea diving = probably not

Sitting at a desk all day - why not stay as long as you can . It also depends on how much work you have to do.

I am still in work and I am due on sunday - am starting to wonder if I am clinically insane though. Saying that I manage my own workload, it is very quiet here. I can work from home if I want

Original poster

emmyloo2 · 09/08/2010 16:19

My job is sitting at a desk all day but is quite stressful and demanding at times and is at least 10 hours a day. I have told HR my last day is 2 weeks before my due date but I guess I can play it by ear and just finish a week or so earlier if need be. It is quite hard to judge how tired I will be at that stage.

Did people find they got much more tired once you get to 30+ weeks?

OP posts:

mumatron · 09/08/2010 16:28

i plan on staying until 38-39 weeks, but i only work 5.5 hours a day at a fairly stress free office job.

if i was stressed at work or on my feet i would be finishing earlier, especially if i had leave to add.

DuelingFanjo · 09/08/2010 16:30

I am leaving work 3 weeks before my due date but two of those are holiday so my maternity leave doesn't officially start until the week before due date.

Cosmosis · 09/08/2010 16:31

I finished at the end of July at 37 weeks and it was about right. Official mat leave doesn't start till next monday as have 2 weeks annual leave first. Being off is lovely :)

Original poster

emmyloo2 · 09/08/2010 16:35

Cosmosis - yes I am thinking 37 weeks might be about right. I would have over 3 weeks annual leave to take in any event so my mat leave wouldn't officially start until the baby is born....

OP posts:

Cosmosis · 09/08/2010 16:39

in answer to your question above about being tired, yes I found that round about 33/34 weeks I started getting much more tired, and by the time I finished work I just couldn't get comfortable at my desk which didn't help.

AxisofEvil · 09/08/2010 16:55

I'm probably going to leave at 34 weeks with me taking 4 weeks holiday with technical ML starting 38 weeks but then I'm having twins which they won'd let me go past 39 weeks with.

Mahraih · 09/08/2010 17:04

I plan to stay as long as physically possible!

May start leaving at 5 rather than 6 though, in the last week or two.

But no, I'll stay for as long as I can reach the keyboard (or even longer - the last pregnant lady in the office used to recline on a sofa with her laptop on her bump!)

ginger2000 · 09/08/2010 17:05

am leaving at 38 weeks - am a teacher so on my feet all day but will have had the 6 week summer holiday before going back for just 2 weeks! I left at 37 weeks with dd which was just about right as she was 5 days early.

DancingOnMyBladder · 09/08/2010 18:19

I'm workig until 38+3 which is close considering DS2 came at 38+4

I'm a childminder and so my job is quite physical and i do long days- 730-6pm but if i go into labour then a quick ohone call and parents will be here. (she hopes!

auburnlizzy78 · 09/08/2010 19:05

Exactly the same as AxisofEvil, but no twins!

I have a fairly high-powered job in London and the commute is 1.5 hours each way. This is my last week at work, and I really wish I had finished last Friday. Week 34 just feels that bit too far, personally. Not sleeping, anaemic, brain feels fuzzy, little things just seem somehow harder than they did a few weeks ago....

Thank heavens for four week holiday prior to mat leave - or I may have stretched time at work to another two weeks, and I think this would have been a big mistake.

louisesh · 09/08/2010 20:07

I m a sister in a clinic i m finishing in 4 weeks at 36 weeks, with 2 weeks annual leave first .Mat leave starting at 38 weeks.Looking foreward to finishing now as feet get quite swollen with being on them all day.Also do 1 or 2 long days of 11-12 hrs per week soo quite hard.However will miss all my friends terribly.

Porcelain · 09/08/2010 21:17

I am a teacher, so I was on my feet a lot. I was supposed to finish at 37 weeks, but at 35 my SPD got so bad I simply couldn't be in the classroom anymore (they cut my timetable down for me at 32 weeks, so with my leaver classes gone I never had more than 3 lessons a day, plus deskwork, but even that became far too much). After that I was doing deskwork, but about half of it from home.

From how I was feeling at 38 weeks (my SPD got sorted out by then) I would probably have had the energy to do maybe 3-4 hours office work a day, but it would really have drained me. I'm not sure it's worth it, the last few weeks should be for resting and "enjoying" being pregnant, spending time with partner, nesting etc. If I could do it again, knowing what I know now, I would have left by 34 weeks.

mamjo · 10/08/2010 11:37

I have planned to leave at 37 weeks, but I am considering that I may need to go before that. I am now 31 and have just been diagnosed with GD, I am absolutley exhausted all the time and the stress at work plays havoc with my sugar levels. I am going to make it through this week then I have a weeks holiday next week, and then I'll decide whether or not I can return.

PickleSarnie · 10/08/2010 12:25

I was all smug and thought I could last until 38 weeks until I ran smack into a wall of tiredness at about 30 weeks. Am delirious with tiredness most days and probably as much use as a chocolate teapot at work. So I'm leaving at 37 weeks now and working my last week from home since I've got a 1.5 hour each way commute to London each day.

Two weeks of that is annual leave though so only starting mat leave the week before my due date.

redbird79 · 10/08/2010 13:28

Hiya, am reading through and feeling a bit 'eek' as I am going off pretty early- 34 weeks (end of September) compared to you guys. Having a week's holiday then maternity leave starts on 1 October. To be honest I just picked that date as it seemed pretty good and my EDD was originally earlier- they have pushed it back a few days after scans etc. I was half-tempted to stay on a bit longer but as it is my first and I am already starting to get knackered and moany, I thought I would make the most of it.
Although I have an office-based job, it can be stressful and there is some out of hours work. Not to mention the fact that I find it hard to concentrate on anything other than the kicking as I type!

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