Is 35 weeks too early to go on mat leave?

[Spookey80]

I am currently 31 weeks pg, already have 2 dcs aged nearly 5 and a 3 yo.
I work pt (2 and 1/2 days a week) and My job is quite active and busy.
Was planning on going at 36 weeks, but now may be able to go at 35 weeks which sounds good as the thought of another 4 weeks has been making me feel tired in itself.
However I'm a bit worried i will regret it, I'm being dithery and just and just can't decide?
Would welcome opinions/ advice.
Thanks

I went off at 38+5 and DD was born at 42+2 giving me almost a whole month off. That seemed to be the right time for me, no regrets as by the time my last week came I was thinking I could use a break... For me 35 weeks would have been far too early as I was feeling absolutely fine and had plenty of energy - in fact I was working long hours (60+ per week) taking on extra projects and enjoying every minute of it at that point.

This time around I'm planning to stop work nearer to 37-38 weeks depending how I'm feeling as I could use a bit of 'me time' which I don't get very often anymore. I hope I don't feel the need to stop sooner but as I'm only 22 weeks I'm keeping an open mind.

I have a desk based office job with a relatively easy commute (30 mins door to door, by bus/tube) and never had any issues with either pregnancy... and of course I can imagine with two children at home, it must be more tiring.

I was planning on 1st Feb which would be about 34 weeks. However, work has been non existent since Christmas, (I'm a market trader), I've got the lurgy, and we are broke! So I'm considering leaving now at 31 weeks just so I get maternity pay. Work should start again on Saturday but if it doesn't I will speak to my boss about it. It's a shame to waste so many weeks but we need to eat.

You have to do whats right for you - I was sitting in the coffee room chatting with 2 senior female colleagues who had completed their families and one was espousing how she found all 5 (!) of her pregnancies easy, with no morning sickness/tiredness/reflux and worked to 38 or 39 weeks with each, whilst the other lamented how she felt terrible all the time with both of hers, kept vomiting/fainting and started mat leave at 32 weeks each time.

My plan was to work to 37 weeks, which is what I'd done with my first, but with a toddler I've just found it so much harder and by 35 weeks I was beginning to struggle, then fainted at work without warning which pretty much meant I had to start my mat leave (am in a job where fainting is dangerous)

Not the way I wanted to start mat leave and wish I'd been a bit more proactive in listening to my body and less stubborn in being determined to make my (entirely self-selected) end point.

So in summary: no, I don't think 35 weeks is too early, especially when you have other children so are not free to just rest when you're at not at work, and don't listen to others and their tales of working until their waters broke - bully for them, but everyone is different and at 40 weeks they may have been in physiologically better shape than someone else at 30 weeks!

I went off at 35 weeks (largely because Christmas was looming, so it made sense to finish then.) But i was so glad i did because within a few days my backache had ramped up and I had slowed up considerably. In hindsight, I'd have really struggled to continue at work beyond that point. Everyone is different but, if you feel you're flagging, then stop.