How long are you having off work?

[believeintheshield]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place; I'm new to MN and couldn't see anywhere else to put it! I was just wondering how much mat leave people are planning on taking. I'm having my second and, as DH is a SAHD and we can't afford for me to have any longer than 6 months off. TBH I'm lucky that we have such a generous mat policy here, as I certainly couldn't afford even that much otherwise. It just feels like everyone else at my office tends to take the full year and I was wondering how normal it is for people to have less!

Im taking 9 months(6 months enhanced through work and 3 months stat mat pay).People at your work may have OHs income aswell and free childcare etc so dont need to worry so much?

I'm lucky enough to take a full year. DH is the main breadwinner and I work in the public sector so pretty good mat leave/pay. Having said that, I'd probably earn a lot more in the private. Swings and roundabouts.,..

Among my friends a year seems more common but with people I actually work with (where we have really bad mat pay!) a lot less is more common.

One girl went back around 3-4 months.

Most do between 6-9 months.

Please don't feel bad (if you do) - you have to do what's right for your family.

I took 9 months last time. This time I'm doing almost a year - but only because of the way the school year falls (or I'd have to pay two lots of childcare next July/August - might as well be broke and hold on to September!). Obviously I want to spend time with my baby, but my work only does statutory maternity pay so it will have a huge affect on our finances.

9 1/2 months ... then another 5 weeks off, then back properly. Work in a school, due September - so just going back for light duties to get back into the swing of things after their exams next year for a month or 2, then back to full-on duties next September! Sort of like gingerly picking off a plaster rather than ripping it off pain wise!

...Oh and my returning in June is made a little easier as DH is going to take some time off then for childcare, so it is a couple of months 'money in the bank' before I start paying through the nose for nursery or childminder.

I've had 16 years off.

I will probably take 2 months off - but I am self employed and the main breadwinner. I work from home and have a hands on DP so hopefully all will work out OK.

I was going to take the full year but then OH was made redundant so he has become the sahd and I went back after 9 months.

10 months, I'm a teacher so that's how the timing has worked out.
I think (from rough calculations) that I won't be receiving any money for the 6 week holidays next summer but that suits me, think we can manage!

39 weeks. Its gonna be a killer living on Maternity Allowance when I usuallu draw a good wage. Wish I could afford to take the 52 weeks

About 14 weeks maternity full-time. Then use annual leave to work part-time for a couple of months when I'll juggle childcare with dh. Then dh is taking nearly a month off.

The baby should be about 6.5 months before we need outside childcare.

I'd love to take more time off but I'm the main breadwinner. It's a juggling act for us but I don't feel guilty about the baby, she'll be totally fine.

I also think it's great for dads to be more involved and hands on!

Thanks everyone; I'm clearly not the only one then! I think a lot of the women I work with do have high-earning partners, or they earn more generally (I'm at the bottom of the ladder where I work) so more room to save. It was just that my boss seemed so surprised when I said 6 months that it made me feel a bit abnormal. I feel really lucky to have DH at home, and I know we have it better than lots of people where both have to work so I definitely wasn't meaning to moan!

Shakshuka I hadn't thought about using my annual leave in that way. The 6 months includes a couple of weeks of my annual leave, but I wonder if I might actually like it better if I split that over 10 weeks or so, so had 5.5 months of and then 10 weeks of 3-day weeks. Might ease the transition a bit.

I only get Stat Mat and dh is relatively low paid but we will scrimp to keep me off as log as possible.

I start Mat Leave the day before EDD, but I have three weeks of leave to use in the three weeks prior to that. Ill then take the 39 weeks stat paid. After that, ill add on any 2015 leave I will have accrued which will be four weeks so all of August will be full paid. No way im going beack at that start of the summer holidays!!

So.in total, 11 months, 2 months full pay (annual leave) 9months stat mat.

8 and a half months - that's how term times work out. I'm happy with that because I'm quite scared of maternity leave and not working.

I'm having a year. But this is my first and I have a good mat policy. I expect I'd go back sooner after my second purely for financial reasons.

I'm taking 9 months but couldn't take that long if dh wasn't at work. ..think you're really lucky to both have that time together!

I am having 7 months plus 3 weeks holiday. I am the main earner so this is as far as we could stretch it. One tip I'd suggest is to work out your budget really carefully and see if you can stretch it even a week or two longer. I got it into my head it should be a round number like 6, 9 or 12 months so I initially said 6, but then realised we could stretch to 7 - I think even if it's an extra week you'll appreciate it when it arrives!

18 weeks, I'm a teacher and our mat pay isn't great. After 18 weeks it's onto smp and I can't live on that so back to work.

I had a year with DC1. I'm the main breadwinner so we took a bit of a hit. I really wanted it though so we just tightened our belts a bit. Was very hard even going back when I did, still bf through the night but having to do night shifts etc. I went back part time as well so we def don't earn like we used to!

I think I will take 9 months this time. I'm going to try and work later this pregnancy, I was off at 32 weeks completely exhausted (I work shifts and on my feet) last time. Hopefully it will be manageable as I am part time now.

I'm the main (only, really - DH brings in about 10k in a really good year) earner and I'm trying for a year. Managed to save 15k to fund it, it'll be really tight. It's my first and very likely only though so I think it's worth the money.

That'll include 6 weeks of leave (some at each end).

I'm taking 9 months then 2 weeks holidays, I get a really good package which means I don't get much less than I earn usually. The last 3 months is unpaid and we can't afford that at all as this will be DC3.

I will be off for just over 13 months. I know it will be tough going back and I am going to be so broke for last 3 months!

I'll be off for a year but it's my first, I've saved up money and DH is on a good income. Plus we're putting off selling the flat for a year as the mortgage is quite low. Wind forward to number 2 (hopefully) and we'll probably have a mortgage double the size and nursery fees....so a year wouldn't be practical then. It really is individual to your circumstances:-)

I'm taking a year, husband has just started working full time after uni. I only get stat mat pay but have saved up a bit (enough for a years' worth of mortgage payments) so hopefully this will take the pressure off a bit.

Probably 6-9 months, but I'll phase it in and will probably not be able to afford childcare for full time work for a long time. But if you're on the stat mat, and you're working part time (thinking every other sat to start, so it won't add up to more than the mat pay) can you still claim it for the 9 months? Haven't looked into that yet.