Maternity Leave - When do You Start Yours?

[0FrillyKnickers0]

Hi All

I'm 27 weeks pregnant and due to start my maternity leave at 38 weeks. At 36 weeks I am using annual leave to go down to half days for 2 weeks.

This heat and sitting in an office all day is not doing me any favours and I feel like crap!

How many weeks will you be when you start your maternity leave? I still have 2 months of 40 hour weeks and I am beginning to wonder if I will cope with that.

Advice?

TYIA!!!

Im only 18wks .

Got wild ideas of staying untl 38wks but I didnt even get to 35wks with Dc1.

I've been doing 60+hrs a week recently. If this keeps up I will probably be wheeled out of the office sooner rather than later!

Wanted all my time off after the birth to spend as long as poss with baby so intended to work right up til birth and that nearly happened............waters broke on the doorstep just after i got home from work one day........

Oh my gosh gblatte...60 hours?!

I've no idea what to do...may have to talk to DH about possibility of me going to a 4 day week...

I'll be 37 wks when I stop mid Aug.

I feel your pain. I work in Central London and have to commute. My station is bad enough with tourists on any other day....I'm dreading the Olympics (i work near an Olympic venue!!) Added to that I am rapidly losing faith in the human race as I have just once in the last 2 weeks of properly showing a bump been offered a seat on tube.

I've resorted to coming in to work an hour earlier to retain my sanity. The calmer start to my day seems to be having a good effect.

I'll start my ML at 39 weeks, currently 36 and wishing it could've been sooner - unfortunately finances wouldn't allow for that. I'm a community carer and do about 40 hours a week, am this week dropping from 6 days to 5 a week though. Driving about in a hot car throughout the day is not good. No tips other than you will cope because you have to, and make sure you stay hydrated!

I finish on Friday cannot wait. I will be 37+1. However taking holiday until my due date. Last few days in this heat have been bad but it hasn't been too bad otherwise so I think I have judged it quite well. However I have a desk job and drive to work so no major commute to worry about. Plus I took some holiday so that apart from this week I have been working 4 day working weeks since beginning of April which has really helped.

I'm also a community carer and yes the car is tough in this weather as is washing and dressing people and cooking for them! I do about 30 hours as a carer and 15 cleaning a doctors surgery ! I've now had to leave when I'm 35 weeks I jus cannot continue ! Financially it will b hard but I will have to pay this price I was so tired yesterday I was holding onto the Walls whilst walking down a corridor ! That can't b good ?? 4 weeks left and soooo counting!

I will be 38+1 when I finish. I'm currently 33+4 and that date seems forever away! I'm a teacher and have an hour commute in to central London which with the heat has been nasty. I'm hanging in until 38+1 as that is when my school holidays start which means that my mat leave can start on my due date. If I had a 'normal' job where I could take holiday before my mat leave if still only leave at 36 and a half/37 weeks.

I finish on weds at 34 weeks, the first 4 weeks is AL then ML starts at 38 weeks.

I've really been struggling at work (I'm a carer in a fairly physical role) and now that the heat has arrived I'm bloody glad I'm finishing sooner rather than later!

I finish at 35 weeks but taking 4 weeks al before ml starts to prepare (watch wimbledon). Seems the best way to do things. Just 4 weeks more of work :-)

I start mine as of 8pm this evening! 35 weeks, I have to stand all day in a building with currently broken air con. There is no way I can do it any longer... I was only alowed to take 18 hours holiday before MAT so will be formally on leave from the coming Sunday...

I intended to work to 39 weeks but my dr signed me off at 35 weeks and I was on bed rest with a no salt diet for 5 weeks. I was on bed rest and a no salt diet. I walked in the AM and just before the sun went down.

Here in New Jersey, USA, the disablity leave while pregnant is unlimited when signed off by a dr but no dr sign off is required from 36 weeks onwards. I intend to stop work at 36 weeks next time.

Officially at 30 weeks (but using two weeks of leave so actually 28 weeks) so only 10 weeks of work left! I am a childminder and a lot of lifting/carrying etc and having twins so want lots of me time and rest before they are born. Can't wait!

I finish at 33 weeks, will be using up my annual leave then my Mat leave starts at 38 weeks. I'm a nurse, and although I love my job, it's pretty stressful and knackering at the best of times but when heavily pregnant will horrible. I'm already finding physically it's harder, my bump (and it's still not very big) gets in the way at times.

If I had a "normal" office job I'd keep going much longer. I have 8 weeks more to work!

I will be finishing with the schools in July and I'll be 26 weeks! It sounds very early but I am having twins and there's very little point in me starting a new school year.

I stopped at 34 weeks with dd and that was enough! I really can't imagine going until 38 weeks.

I finish this week at 37+3. Using annual leave for 2 weeks and maternity leave officially starts on the day before my due date...assuming little one doesn't decide to put in an early appearance!

38 weeks, seems so far away, am 23weeks today and work 50 hours a week with under 5 year olds!

It has been decided...I will start maternity leave at 38 weeks, take 2 weeks annual leave at 36 weeks and work 2 weeks of half days from 34 weeks Thanks for telling me how you've all done/doing it! Made it much easier!

Good decision frilly!! I think you'll be grateful for that. And hey, when you're on leave, you'll be able to spend time with you DSis and new niece!!

I started mine at 39 weeks and had one week of Annual Leave left so finished at 38 weeks. I do a desk job, with a short car commute, so felt I should battle on as long as possible.

Tbf, my brain gave up long before my body. especially as I had to spend the last month training my replacement.

Right now, I have 2 consultancy contracts. One finishes 2 days before my due date. But I work from home on that one so it's not as much of a big deal as if I were in an office. If I drop early, then I guess I finish the contract early.

The other one, we haven't really agreed but I can give a weeks notice. I think he wants me to stay on retainer when I have had the baby. Not sure how that will work really...

Argh princesswatermellon! That freaked me out then...I was wondering who knew such personal details about me Then I saw your name!! Seems just yesterday you were princesspoppyseed!!

I'm starting at 36+5 but I have quite a stressful job and also work in central London which I am finding increasingly busy, hot and uncomfortable.

We're also moving house (great timing!) when I'm about 34 weeks pregnant, so I want to have a chance to unpack everything before bambino arrives!

I am literally counting down the days I have left in work though! 41...

I am 32 weeks tomorrow, and finished this Sunday just gone, although i am using 4 weeks annual leave, so start ML at 36 weeks.
I work in retail, have been on crutches since 12 weeks and tbh i am suprised i lasted this long, as was everyone else.

I need this time to relax and organize myself, we are moving house soon, and ds(4) has cut down nursery time so i have a lot more 1-1 time with him now, which is nice, he starts school in september, so want to be with him more for a while.

I finished at 30 weeks. Because of an admin cock-up I couldn't take AL before but will be taking it after so no matter. I have really struggled all the way through this time, and to be honest, have felt so much better since being off, to the point one of my colleagues commented how much better I looked for being finished, when I saw her a couple of weeks ago. I still feel a bit crap, but not having to haul myself out to 12 1/2 shifts on my feet all day has made such a difference. I felt like a wuss going off so early, but I haven't given work a second thought and feel so much better by comparison, that I know it was the right thing to do. And, I have done loads of preparatory stuff for the new arrival, so feel all chilled about that too