when to start maternity leave?

[loubuch09]

Hi there
I work full time as an infant class teacher and was wondering when people would advise to sart maernity leave. i am currently 24 weeks and feeling finebut tired. want to know if you would suggest going off at 31/32 or 37? What have others done?
Thanks,
Lou

I'm finishing work next Friday. I'll be 38 and a half weeks. The work part is fine (even though my back hurts when I sit for too long) but the commute on the tube is becoming quite tiring.

Petalouda you're finishing the same day as me :) At least you can take comfort knowing that I'm suffering too and working till 39 weeks!

I think it is worth considering the impact of a stressful job on your body and the likelihood of going past term - there is a lot of evidence to support that stress prolongs pregnancy and contributes to going overdue (and therefore the threat of induction). So my feeling is that it is better to give your body time to wind down well before your due date, maybe 35/36 weeks. I have an active job so have decided to start my ML earlier than most (32 weeks). Stopping work has made such a difference to how I feel physically.

I've got 30 days leave to take before due date so I'll be off at 34 weeks but my mat leave will only start on my c-section date.

im currently 28+5 and finished work last thursday at 28 weeks although technically this week i am taking as holiday so maternity leave starts officially on sunday but then im going back to work in september and only taking 28 weeks in total off.
Am a nursery manager and found it harder to work safely with the children when my SPD started kicking in a few weeks ago!

I had intended to stop at 37 1/2 weeks until a good friend pointed out that babies are considered term at 37 weeks so I had a re-think because I really did want to try and make sure that I had at least a week to wind down (i.e. sleep lots) before he could potentially arrive!

I'm really glad I did because although I've had no medical problems with the pregnancy and no reason to think he will come early, I'm now 31 weeks and really struggling with the sheer exhaustion. I have an hour 1/2 commute on the train and two tubes and then a relatively stressful job at the other end so I guess judging when to stop depends on those kind of factors. I'm now stopping at 35 weeks but it still feels like aaaaaggggeeesss away!

I think it's really down to personal choice. There is nothing wrong with going off a bit earlier, and likewise many people prefer to work for as long as they can. Personally I have a very long commute and plan on stopping between 32-34 weeks. I can't wait to have time at home to cook some meals for the freezer, enjoy the garden, relax and visit with friends and family.

Saying that, I fully appreciate some people might get really bored and want to push on for as long as they can! I'm just not motivated enough for that!! Either way, do what is best for you and baby!

I'm currently 32 weeks and was planning to work until 37+3. However I've been using annual leave to take Wednesdays off for the last couple of weeks, and will continue doing so till the end - this makes a huge amount of difference to feeling I can get through the week, as I only ever have to work two days on the trot. Appreciate this wouldn't be possible in jobs like teaching/nursing, but it's working well for me in my office job.

That being said, I'm still considering bringing it forward a week or two. I do want to make sure I have a clear couple of weeks at home to relax before the baby and I'll be gutted if I go into labour the day after I finish or something!

I'm also a teacher. With DS I was due end of July so after term had finished so I carried on until the end of term(38weeks)and put my EDD as first day of maternity leave.
However, apart from PUPP during the last 3 weeks, my pregnancy was easy and the summer term is easy work with exam classes leaving.

If money is an issue then leave at the latest possible date you think you can realistically last until. Most schools get in maternity cover at either half term or the start of a new term, so if this is your situation then maybe lasting longer when there is another teacher around with your class may make your workload easier (hope that makes sense).