34 weeks and dead on my feet

[Joannezipan]

So i'm 34+1 and i'm exausted. I have been at work since 9am and haven't done anything useful yet. I'm just too tired to concentrate on anything. I still have 3 1/2 weeks of this left to go and I don't know how i'm going to cope! I like my job and am normally really motivated at work, but I just want to sleep and hoover my house (messy from plumbers) and grow my baby. I know I could go off on maternity leave a bit earlier, but any time I have now I can't spend with the baby afterwards. How am I going to keep dragging myself into the office until the end of May?

I was like that at 34 weeks and it didn't get easier for me. "Luckily" I was like that already at 30 weeks and I just told my employer I would go on maternity leave two weeks earlier than originally planned (I was meant to stay at work until 38 weeks, but left at 35ish). Best decision I ever made! I'm now 38+5 and can't imagine having worked until now.. Could you not take some annual leave before starting your maternity leave? Or better yet take all the annual leave and bank holiday days you've accrued during your maternity leave at the end of it to extend your time with the baby? That's what I did and I'm now planning to stay on maternity leave for the 39 weeks you get statutory maternity pay and then I'm looking at taking all the 7 weeks of annual leave I've accrued during maternity leave so I should still be able to be home with the baby for nearly a year... Best of luck! x