Tell me positive stories of having 2 DC under 18months?! Also work related Q

[Cannotbelieveit]

Got a BFP on Friday (weirdly a year to the day I got it last year!) haven't told DH yet as AF isn't due til tomorrow tho. We have a 4.5 month DS.

How is it having 2 that young? Am due 26/4 (very early days I know but had a weird feeling) and DS would be 13month by then.

Also just looked online and saw that with my job I may not qualify fir SMP again as wont have been back at work long enough (I know I can apply for maternity allowance tho), any work stories similar to this also?

Thanks ladies I'm slightly stressing!!

Sorry for spelling/grammar! Just entertaining DS whilst getting ready to do a KIT day at work!!

Congratulations! You still count as being employed when on mat leave - you don't need to be physically at work, so no need to build up qualifying weeks again.

I have a friend who has two children 12 months apart. She says it is hard work, but she loves it.

I have 13 months between my first two. It was very hard for the first 2 yrs I'd say but has got easier ever since to now having a 10 and 9 yr old who are best friends.

I've had that gap twice. To be honest you're in the zone so it's good. After getting out of the zone it's much harder! And from my experience they become fabulous friends!

There are 13 months between my brother and I, my mum says we went through lots of the same phases together, she found it easier as we were into similar stuff at the same time and my brother was too young to be jealous when i was born. And if it helps we were best friends growing up and still are now, I'm really glad we were so close in age. There's 2 years between my DS's and I'm looking forward to them being able to play together.
Congratulations

Thanks ladies! With the work thing I'm gonna have to look into it more, as I was planning to go back in January but it says something about 15 weeks before due date as qualifying period for how they work out pay? I'm so confused! x

It just means you won't get 6 weeks at 90% of your salary, you'll just get smp for the full period of your mat leave the second time.

I had my boys 11 months apart :) i got smp the second time as i was still counted as being employed, as you are, but i didn't actually go back to work :) the amount might vary a bit, i also got 100% additional maternity pay for the first 6 weeks, it was all good :) then i went back for 5 months, but was 3 months pregnant with baby number 5, and i'm now on maternity again, 37 weeks :) i'll have a 13 yr old, 12 yr old, 2 yr old and one yr old, and a newborn :)

Thanks for the replies! Think I will ring up tomorrow and not give them my name and see if the mat department of our HR/consultant services can tell me!