Maternity leave.....

[PrincessClementine]

I'm only 14 weeks, but thinking ahead! This is my first and I work fulltime, and wondering when I should ask to start my maternity leave. Of course, people tell me it's entirely up to me, but I have nothing to compare with! Hence asking the fount of all wisdom - MN!!

My work isn't completely desk work, I'm up and down a lot, but nothing too strenuous. I will need to go back to work after ML, although ideally not FT. So I guess it's a balance between not overdoing it when you're heavily pregnant, but equally not ending up sitting around bored and then not having enough time once the baby is born.

So, when are you planning on going on ML, or when have you in the past and what would you recommend?

Thanks.

I'm a teacher, I worked until 37.5 weeks and the last few were really hard work! Everyone told me I should just work an extra week as it would take me to the end of term and first babies are always late, very glad I didn't as she arrived a week early. I would have liked a little bit more time on ML before she arrived to have some me time (had a manicure & pedicure) booked and was hoping to have some girly lunches with friends but at least I didn't have any of the hanging around waiting for the baby to arrive for weeks on end :)

I worked up til 36 weeks and was pretty knackered by then, so was very very happy to finish! It was great to have time to relax and prepare, because by that stage I was very large, uncomfortable and not sleeping much. I was also in and out of hospital for tests. I personally felt I did well to get that far, but everyone is different and may be luckier than me healthwise.

It also very much depends on your maternity leave allowance. Mine was pretty generous so a couple of weeks here or there made little difference financially.

I will be at least finishing at 39 weeks, debating whether to go right up until my due date. I want to spend as much time as possible with the baby once s/he's arrived, especially as I will have to get back to work once ML is up. Me and OH are also trying our hardest to make sure all our debts are paid off before the baby arrives so I need to be earning for as long as possible. I'm a carer in the community though so am on my feet all day and aware that I may end up needing to leave sooner if it gets too much for me.

It depends on loads of things, like your commute, your health, your finances etc
I have a commute of about 1 hr each way to a desk based job, and with a bit of scrimping, can afford to take 12 months off.
In my first pg, I worked to 37 weeks and DD came 3 weeks early, so effectively there was no rest before she arrived. It was, for me, a dreadful mistake: I had awful SPD and was completely unfit to work.
With this baby, I am doing things very differently. I stopped work at 33 weeks, by which time i was already in pain, fainting in meetings, missing large chunks of work for AN appts and sleeping on average 4 hours a night. Also I just couldn't summon up the energy- physical, not mental- to do my job properly. With holiday tacked on, ML starts at 35 weeks and I will still manage 12 months with the baby.
Toiling to the bitter end quite frankly made me ill and miserable and absolutely was not worth it in my case, in fact I am
sure it contributed to my dreadful PND, and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Naps, gentle pottering and getting ready for baby is about all I am up for nowadays (35 weeks).

I'm currently 33+6 and hoping to work to 38. Am finding it tough, but it's hard being at home on my own too - at work I never have to climb stairs and my lovely colleagues also make me cups of tea! Totally desk based job so am hoping to stay as long as I can!

I'm having twins so the date on my form is 37 weeks... ahahahaha. That's so not going to happen. I'm only 20 weeks but am currently training up my cover - it's preferred in my job that we have 2 people trained up for each job so I'd have been doing it soon anyway.

One thing to consider is that 36 weeks is the point where mat leave kicks in if you're off sick with a pregnancy-related condition - because of that, and because I'm relatively high risk for needing bed rest etc I'm trying to call the work's bluff by not stopping before the 36 weeks. If I need to be off by then, the doc can sign me off...

I'm 32+4 with DD1. I have a very active job where i'm on my feet most of the day.

I'm due 19th Feb, my maternity leave starts on the 13th Feb. I finish work however on the 23rd Jan cos I have a fair bit of annual leave. But as i'm going back to work full time after my 9 months mat leave i wanted to leave it as late as i thought was possible so i had longer 'at the other side'