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!

We can only afford 4 months as I'm the main bread winner. OH will be a SAHD. I am also being made redundant but I've been offered a role not quite as senior to start at the Octber half term.

icklekid I know we're lucky in that way. DH was still working when DS was born and only had a few days off (wasn't eligible for pat leave at the time) so I'm really looking forward to having such a long time all together this time round.

hedgehog the 6 months is already stretching our budget to the limit, unfortunately. This baby was a surprise so no money put aside for leave yet. I had a wonderful plan about when the next one was going to arrive and how we'd save in the lead up, but all that's gone to pot now! There's always the next one for that, I suppose!

I'm only taking 4 months as I'm the high earner, saving my holiday so I can go back 3 days a week but be paid full time for a further 2 months. Luckily I have family help with childcare until I go back ft so won't need to find a nursery place until baby is 6 months.

I'm another civil servant, so I'm hoarding my annual leave to finish before Christmas, then taking 6 months full pay. We also get 3 months SMP, so much budgeting needed to eke that out.