Preparing for Maternity leave, its more complicated than i remember!

[nananaps]

Got a wad of policy & procedural documents to read through and some stuff to sign.

I have my Mat B1 form, got the ladies name in payroll to ring on Monday to sort wages and 12 months off.
Ive just been writing interview questions and presentation title for candidate applying for mat cover for my job.
Got to cancel car park pay/pass,
Close and cash in my ISA to cover my mat leave shortfall.
Trying to work out when i can finish and tag some leave onto the start of mat leave.
I am not allowed any leave over Christmas, so i will have to be canny trying to finish just before the cut off date....ffs i will be 36 weeks over Christmas, i will be in NO state to perform at that time.
(I am HUGE now at 24 weeks with a very very sore back)

10 years ago when i had my son, i signed a form and then counted down the weeks to finish..that was it!
Sigh, im too tired and irritable to be arsed..

WHY do things have to get SO complex???

Sympathy! FWIW i would imagine the difficulty you are facing is company / seniority specific (not that that helps!) as my work have waited to hear from me as to when I wish to finish Etc, its very off of your company to impose the christmas limitation, is that due to the industry?
Im 28w due jan 5th but having ELCS for medical reasons so will be delivered anywhen from 20th dec, so im finishing end of Nov. hope you can work your leave to suit you

Afaik company's are not allowed to dictate when you can or can't finish after 29 weeks, unless your ill and that's a different matter so if you say you want to start maternity at 36 weeks they have to let you and give you leave you are owed. Or have I misunderstood the op??

NHS can and do dictate that nurses are not allowed to take any annual leave over the 2 week Christmas period...pregnant or not.

I am about to go into battle about this..think they will insist i start mat leave, or start leave the week before.

Either way, it will ruffle many feathers that i have the audacity to time my pregnancy to clash with Christmas off duty
Its just not the done thing!

Plus to sdd to the insult i am throwing at my colleagues..i was gracefully given Christmas day off last year..so i have had my lot for the next 10 years!
I am an ungrateful slut

It's not an NHS policy that nurses can't take annual leave over Christmas.. It's at your manager's discretion. If you have annual leave still to take before you go on maternity leave then you should be able to take it over Christmas prior to maternity leave starting at 38 weeks or whatever you are planning. It's not like you are going to be there either way! Just make sure you work it out so you get next Christmas off too

I work for the NHS (lab staff though), and am also 24 weeks pregnant. I'm starting mat leave at 38 weeks and taking 6 weeks of annual leave before that. So I finish before Christmas, but as I don't start mat leave until until after Christmas it means I'll be getting two Christmas' off! Haven't had a Christmas off for years.

I work Nhs and our manager uses al to give extra days off over Christmas ( withbpermission of employees)and allows al right up until the 24th dec. she says its fair that staff work either Christmas or new year but allows al in the middle. My mat leave starts on 29th oct and goes through Christmas and new year Nhs I just filled a form in and posted it with mat b1 and that was it. I had it back within 3 days saying all approved no problems. Nhs policy also states that you can start mat leave 11 weeks before baby is due if you need to. In my trust anyway.

I also work for the nhs and have the Xmas off duty restrictions. I'm finishing at 32 weeks and then have 3 weeks annual leave. When I come back after the 12 months off I'm having 6 weeks annual leave from middle of dec to end of Jan and nothing was said about the christmas period. Maybe check with your line manager. The rules can be broken???