When should I go on maternity leave?

[3rdTriMossTer]

I'm due 27th March (with my first).

• I work a 48 hour week (contracted hours; they like you to work more and you have to sign the opt-out), and my commute takes over an hour each way (35 min train then walk either end; I can't drive).

• The company does not let people work from home for fear of theft of information so that's out.

I have already been told that the job I do cannot be done part-time: if they did let me reduce my hours, it would mean me doing a more junior role. Although having said that I'm not that* bothered about that, unless it's more junior pay as well!

• I doubt they will let me reduce my hours - long story so I won't bore you, but basically our financial year has changed and it's meant extra work.

• I have previously said I'll go off at the end of February, but I'm exhausted. Dh and mil are really worried about me. And I'm not doing my job properly if I'm being honest, just don't have the energy.

• I'm going to ask to reduce my hours come February in a meeting which was next Wednesday but is now at two o'clock!!

If they say no, do you think I should go off sooner? Dh thinks we can afford for me to go off from the end of Jan. How long have others left it before their EDD before going off? Nearly two months does seem excessive to me, it's not like I have complications or anything.

(Oh I work in an office, sat down.)

I'd ask for the reduced hours and if they say no ask for some time to condsider your options - it sounds like you really ned it, but nearly two months early does sound a lot (and would it mean you'd have to go back sooner after the birth?).

Could you compromise and take some holiday somewhere along the line - ie 2wks leave from end of Jan and then mat leave after that?
Only because in my (limited) experience of this kind of job you tend to be allocated more holiday than you're able to take so often have some days 'spare'...

Sorry, MrsBadger, I forgot to say, I get two weeks' holiday on top of my OML. So yes I could take two weeks and then go off on maternity leave (currently I have told them I'm taking the holiday and then going off mid-March). I meant, is two months at home before having the baby too long?

It does seem a long time.

Hiya

Had to post as your thread sounded so like my work who have been a NIGHTMARE. I ended up taking two lots of three days off with stress, one of which had me in hosp with a stress induced UTI and thrush.

I started Mat Leave on 29th at 36 weeks - all I will say is with hindsight, I would have left at 32 weeks - your health and the health of the baby is far more important than work. Your work sounds very inflexible and it makes me SO cross that employers can be like this.

You also have to consider that if you reduce your hours, your maternity pay is only 90% for the first six weeks of what you earnt the 8 weeks previous to starting mat leave (i.e. if you reduced your hours down to, say 20 hours, you would be paid 90% of this for the first six weeks rather than your usual salary - if your company use statutory mat pay)

Personally, I would finish beginning of Feb.

I'm online for an hour or two if you want to talk anymore

Hi Wilkie50 I hadn't realised that about maternity leave, I thought it was six weeks at 90% of your average salary over the previous year, so that although it would be slightly reduced, it wouldn't be that bad.

That's a thought.

Tbh it's not so much the hours, it's the commute, but as they won't let you work from home there's not much I can do on that front.

The big thing I really want to stop doing is the late night on Tuesday (we work eight thirty until eight on a Tuesday). There isn't a train to our local station at that time, so they very kindly let me leave five minutes early on Tuesdays without reducing my pay, so I can get a different train that takes me about four miles away, and then dh picks me up, or I get a taxi.

But it is quite a stressful job (I say that, I know people have genuinely stressful jobs, like Doctors and Police Officers, but it is stressful for me atm) and it is taking its toll!

Could they not be more flexible with the hours you work i.e. on a Tuesday let you finish at 5??

Don't forget, it is their responsibility to make life as easy as possible for you when you are pregnant. If you are feeling stressed due to work you are entitled to take paid time off until they remove whatever it is that is causing the stress and in your case, this is the hours and the commute. They have to do something to help you.

This is a brilliant document that outlines what your employer HAS to do

\link{www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg373.pdf}

B*llocks - I'm no good at links. Just copy and paste into your browser address window www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg373.pdf

I went off at 32/3 weeks with ds 1 as I was just too darn tired. It was a long time yeah and maybe I should have struggled a couple more weeks... but we could afford it and I used holiday to do it rather than maternity leave- so I still had just under 6 mos at home with ds (wasn't entitled to a year off waaaahhh).

HOWever in 2 months I read loads of books, pottered about, made a few things for the baby, made all my own announcement cards and generally ate and tested well. met up with other women from antenatal and got to know them better too b4 all our babies arrived. Met DH for lunch a coulpe of days a week etc etc.

It was a lovely time.

rested well!!

start now, and get the train to me! we will have fun and eat cream cakes !!

Wilkie50 that is very interesting. If I am not allowed to stop working the lates I'm going to print it out and give it to my boss.

I am going to fight my corner in my meeting. He is just such a nasty little man my boss and has a real skill for twisting everything around so it makes it sound like he is wonderful and you are letting the team down, iykwim. You end up agreeing that black is white and rain is dry.

Lulumama... mmmm... cream cakes....

Redtent (named after the book out of interest?) how did your colleagues react to you taking your maternity leave at that time?

I'm not sure about the SMP being based on the weeks leading up to ML
I thought it was more like how much you are earning from in the eight week period up to and including the 15th week before your expected week of childbirth

Anyway back to the original query - I would go sick if they won't let you reduce your hours

Print off that doc anyway and go in to the meeting armed with it, that way you have it to hand - f*ck it, print off two and give one to him to read then at least he knows you are serious.

When I kicked up a fuss about the fact that they wouldn't pay me sick pay for the three days I had off sick due to work related stress, my boss didn't speak to me for three weeks. Needless to say, they ended up paying me after consulting a HR legal firm although the party line was 'We don't have to pay you but we will use our discretion on this occassion' FFS! Needless to say, I am not going back...

TheBlonde - sadly it is true - I have had NIGHTMARES with my work over this and even rang ACAS for advice. It is based on the 8 weeks up to when you start mat leave (so if you are off sick for a week and they only pay you SSP like my company, this will reduce the 90% you get paid)

Can you tell this has been a subject close to my heart???

(sorry to rant - I am usually a calm person )

I stopped work at 36 weeks with my first. I too was doing long hours in a stressful job but didn't have the commute you have. I was really bored during the 4 weeks before ds was born though!!

yes named after the book

well in my line of work they were miffed I didn't work Xmas but people understood that I was getting tired and my health was far more important than me being there at midnight mass!!

I think if you are going within the government guidelines/laws of when you can take leave they can huff and puff but you are entitled to do it anyway.

My only concern would be that you are not rushed back to work having taken so much leave before the baby arrives..... I really wasn't ready personally even at 6 months.... everyone is different.

My Other thought is that if you over do it you will end up signed off on sick- that was what happenned to me when I returned to work at 6 months..... I would have probably made myself ill and been signed off right b4 xmas if I had worked thru... it is just such a busy time.

Don't worry about what people think- think about your health- as long as you are within your rights your collegues will cope... and heck workplaces have got to get used to family friendly working!!

To be honest since they sound like that they are fairly inflexible I would be tempted to go sick and then start your maternity leave so you get paid sick pay which presumably is somewhere near full salary and then have a full maternity aloowance. Have a chat with a doc and see if you can persuade them to signe you of for a week and go back at the end and ask for more.

Good luck

been meaning to get hold of that book. what is the full title !

sorry for hijack!!!

Let us know what they say

(If he starts being nasty, imagine him naked sat on the loo - don't know why but it works for me by making them less intimidating!!! )

ooh The Red Tent - brillonat book but don't read if you're squeamish about childbirth

is that the full name...? author? for my doula work....i am the least squeamish..!

anita diamant

Wilkie - I'm shocked! DWP still says it's based on pay up to the 15th week before your due date
this