Due June 2004 - new thread 'cos we can't keep quiet!

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Paternity leave is a real rip-off imho. My dh can get one week at full pay but another for just £100 before tax - we just can't afford it.

Must get off MN and get DD dressed!

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dh gets 3 weeks off to start whenever he wants. so he's starting it from when baby is arriving.

he still has loads of annual leave left too so we are going away mid-August.

one of the good things the Halifax does!!!

my mum is 3.5 hrs drive away! have some friends who have said they'll have ds until she gets here.
Dh's dad lives an hr away in Hull but when we asked he just gave us a list of dates they were busy!
v annoyiuing since he is retired & stepMIL doesn't work, but golf obviously takes priority over birth of a grandchild!

I'm sure it will all work out in the end.

MG BB reminds me of ds (july 01) watched it all the time i was preg & lying in bed with an itchy heat rash type thing.

I'd better go give ds some lunch - poor neglected child, but I have had SO much catching up to do after 2 days not loggin on!!!

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Secur - Are in the UK? I am only getting the Statutory Mat Pay too and after 6 wks it drops down to £102.60 per wk for 20wks.

Monkeygirl - At least his pay only drops to £100 for one week..... mine will be 20wks. As I'm the main earner it's going to be a huge strain. 4 mths at £450 per month..... NIGHTMARE!

My DH is getting one week paternity and 2 wks annual leave taken whenever he needs it. Tesco are good that way too.

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Sorry that last message was cut short!

Secur - What I mean is it's gone up quite a bit so you might be entitled to more than you think.

Monkeygirl - That message wasn't worded very well... I didn't mean to come across as 'poor me poor me'!!! Ignore it please... hormones getting the better (or worse) of me.

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Mine is from an Employer, but with ds I was a Contractor and worked through an Agency. I still got the SMP at the same rate as the staff though. You'd better check that out. I get 6wks at 90% pay, then 20wks at £102.60.

I earn £11.50 an hour, so pretty average.

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why oh why is maternity pay so complicated? I feel sorry for you trying to cope.

I don't work so doesn't affect me.

off to north devon for hols for a week. my friend is off work same week so we can meet up.

also have Guide camp end of August! I must be mad!

well I really must go do something constructive this afternoon!

xxxBW

I get 6 weeks at 90% then an extra 8 weeks at 90% (based on the condition I come back after mat leave) then on the basic £102.60 for the last 12 weeks so I suppose it's not too bad.

DP has recently got a new job and I thought he woouldn't get pat leave but he gets 2 weeks fully paid on top of his annual leave.

You get Child Benefit as well don't you once bubs is here and do you not get an extra £10 odds a week in Child Tax Credits if you earn under 55K a year, I think I read it in Pregnancy adn Birth mag this month??

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secur- Do you claim the child tax credits. If you do (or look into it anyway) you may be entitled to the maternity cash grant which is a lump sum of £500 . you can claim this from being 30weeks pregnant. it may be worth a try.

I am lucky as DH is forces he gets his paternity on full pay, it just affects us when he is due to leave after doing his 22 years they will add the two weeks on at the end.

better go and have some lunch lately i have been forgetting about eating until I am ravished and then I remember.

I don't generally eat curry but i think I may well have one tonight and hopefully DH won't be too tired i am seriously going to try doing all (or most ) suggestions to get things started. my DD has her taekwondo testing in saturday so I have asked a friend to tkae her with her boys just uincase anything should happen!!

I don't know why i keep doing the smiley faces as i am shi**ing my self about vbac and having to go through labour as i have never experienced any of it.

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Good morning ladies- how are you all? If Gomez doesn't log on today can I assume that she is finally in labour????

God but this country is crap with about maternity/paternity pay isn't it? In some countries (Sweden??) don't they get a year's good maternity pay and dhs/dps get a lot more as well. At least being a SAHM I start with nothing so I expect nothing but am still pissed off about the deal most people get with paternity leave.

Spent a lot of yesterday really really upset. My original back-ups for looking after dd1 informed me they were going away for the weekend and now my back-up's back-up have let me down - my own bloody parents of all people! They are getting on a bit and my dad is literally slightly mad but I cannot believe they are leaving me in the lurch. It's now too late to get another back-up so am sh***g myself that I will go into labour this weekend. It's not meant to be like this is it??

Still, look on the bright side - the stress might send me into labour today...

Skara, belated congratulations. And before you worry, I don't know you in RL - your sister mentioned you were a Mumsnetter and when you were due, so I had put 2 and 2 together (she also arrived at the weekend with the news).

I'm a regular, but confess to changing my name for this one as you and she would work it out!

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Sorry MG nothing happening here. Was feeling really ill last night (bucket beside the bed thing) and thought that just maybe it might have been the start of something - but eh, no. Relax about the lack of back-ups this weekend - it will work out one way or the other if needs be!

DH working from home today so limited PC access for me.

Skara hope all is going well and you are enjoying your new baby.

Karen - hope you and DH had a nice evening after he got home - and maybe managed to get you moving.....

Right the rest of you lot get on with it - we still don't have a June Baby and I am abdicating responsibility

Take care

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hi all, thanks for all the congrats...
think someone needs to come over to the other side, I feel emarrassingly early
Phew Rolymo, I had visions of stalker in my village keeping tabs on me but spoke to my sister and she inadvertently let our cats out of their bags! Will have to make sure I change my name for any 'my sodding family' posts now D'you know you're the first mumsnetter I've heard of in the real world?

MG, we managed to sort out childcare when my mother decided to go awol the week before Jude was due, it's amazing what people will do when you call them on a Sat at 8am in labour! Am v excited about the silence from Gomez, hopefully I won't be the oly one typing ineptly with one hand soon. Have to confess I'd forgotten that babies have no concept of night time and was astounded that between feeds dozes and changes it was 5am before I got a decent sleep last night!

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