When do people tend to go on mat leave?

[MeadowHay]

I'm pregnant with my first.

I've given work my EDD as the date to start my mat leave officially and I've booked three weeks of annual leave off leading up to that. Is that early enough or do most people need to leave earlier? It's likely that I'll have about another weeks worth of annual leave still to use by then (I'm not due til June) so could stick that on later if I get stuck too. I work a desk job, so nothing physically demanding or anything and I don't have a long commute, it takes me like 15/20 minutes to walk there and back. Is that realistic assuming I don't have any health complications in late pregnancy?

God you'll be so bored when that baby doesn't rock up til 41+5.

I was planning on working til my EDD.

Now it's twins I'm planning on working til the week before the c section.

I worked til 2 weeks before my due date and saved my hols for the end of my may leave. I ended being induced at 10 days overdue so was climbing the walls by then!

I finished at 37 weeks or thereabouts with both of mine. DC1 arrived at 41 weeks; DC2 unexpectedly at just over 37!

A colleague just finished work at 39 weeks - she’s a home worker but I still thought it was a late finish. Her DC arrived on her last day of work!

Then again I have a couple of friends who unexpectedly had DC at 35 weeks (both completely healthy in the end).

In summary, you can’t over plan, but the last few weeks can be exhausting. I certainly wouldn’t work them by choice, but finishing too early can make for a very long wait!

I'm also working right up to my EDD. I'm 36 weeks and getting a bit slow, but I have a desk job where I can leave early or come in later if needed. Without the flexibility I might be struggling but I think I would prefer to use 2 weeks annual leave to do part time for the last few weeks!

I should say one of the reasons for taking my holiday is that I can't carry it over, it will expire while I am on mat leave as our holiday year starts in January. At the moment I'm not even sure if I will get paid for it if I haven't used it all, and those three weeks aren't even all my leave, so I may end up taking even more if they won't pay me for any left as I don't want to lose it entirely. There are changes in the company at the moment and my HR contact doesn't seem to know the position with regards to being paid for unused holidays but has said I definitely won't be allowed to carry them over.

Depends on so much. How well you feel, what number pregnancy, complications etc. My first I finished at 36 weeks and was very bored, 2nd I finished at 38 and was utterly exhausted. This time I’m finishing at 34 weeks, I’m having a really tough time and with a 5 and 2 year old I’m already very tired. Just play it by ear, you never know what’s round the corner in pregnancy.

It depends on your job too. I’m a nurse so spend 12 hours on my feet!

I finished at 37 weeks and regretted it, felt I needed longer. I work mainly in an office but also home visits and all of it was just so tiring at the end. At the time more time at the end seemed the most important thing but now on my second preg I'm thinking of finishing at 35 weeks. This time I feel a couple weeks at the other end makes less difference than a well rested mama for labour and spending the last proper alone time with my little one before her world gets turned upside down!

Basically everyone is different and you just have to make a call. I went into labour on my due date but I can imagine all the really overdue people feeling the time is wasted too.

Are you in the UK op? If so your holiday cannot expire while you are on mat leave. This changed a few years ago. Even if this is general company policy - so you will get to roll them if you do not use them up at the start.

Most people I know stop around 38weeks. I did with my first and planning 39 this time.
If you can afford it I'd use a weeks leave when you're in second trimester and have a last holiday pre baby! Even if just somewhere local.

I worked until 37 weeks then had 2 weeks annual leave, gave birth at 39+2 so my mat leave started then. I have office job, 15 min each way commute and sailed through pregnancy but was tired and ready to finish when l did....

With DC1 I worked until 39 weeks, finishing on Friday and the baby came by planned c-section on the Monday.

With DC2 due in May I will do the same, I find it better to keep active in the run up and indeed time with the baby is much more precious than he final stages of pregnancy, where you can be quite uncomfortable.

It seems interesting that you can't carry leave over, especially as you earn the entitlement. My work similarly strongly encouraged the use of all annual leave before taking Mat Leave. You can only carry over a maximum of 5 days. The new policy, however has since changed (2016) in recognition that it's slightly against the whole spirit of UK legislation around the protection that maternity leave should bring. Any amount of annual leave can now be carried over.

Good luck! ☺️

Ricstar Yes, in England. Even if the holiday year started before you went on leave? I know you continue to accrue holiday as usual whilst on mat leave, but I thought if you had annual leave that you got before you went on mat leave, you didn't necessarily have a right to have it roll over until your return to the next holiday year, because you could have taken it before you went on mat leave, iyswim? My HR contact told me the company wouldn't let me roll it over whilst on mat leave to the next holiday year and that I would either need to take it all before I go or possibly they may pay me at the end of the leave year (so, in December, when I'd still be getting SMP) the value of any outstanding holiday. But she is not sure whether they would pay me for it and says she will find out. If I have a legal right to roll it over could you maybe give me a link to the gov page/legislation that says that so I can bring it up with her next time we talk about it?

I finished at 36+5, I did struggle that last week though. My DD arrived at 38 weeks exactly so I only had a week to wait.

boat We actually are! We're not comfortable financially so it's only a very little trip away for 3 nights, going away at the start of the first trimester. But yeah we thought it would be nice to have a little holiday before baby comes .

I am finishing work at 36 weeks, using up two weeks holiday and then maternitt leave has to start two weeks before my due date (company policy and not in the UK so yours may be different). I'm 32 weeks now and counting down the days....ive got a lot to sort out around the house so hoping baby doesnt come early. And my back is so sore sitting at my desk I'm actually wondering whether I'll make it working to 36 weeks!

I think theres a lot of pressure to work as late as possible but you won't know how you feel until closer to the time. There's no shame in choosing to enjoy the time off before the baby rather than adding it to the end!!

I finish next week at 38 and a half(ish) weeks

I finished at 38 weeks and was a week overdue so had 3 weeks off. What's not to like - it was the last time i had holidays off on my own (rather than to look after children) for the16 years!

Think it varies according to your pregnancy when you feel like finishing up.

Best I could find

www.maternityaction.org.uk/advice-2/mums-dads-scenarios/pregnant/discrimination-during-maternity-leave-and-on-return-to-work/

"I will not be able to take all of the annual leave I will accrue during my maternity leave because my maternity leave ends shortly before the end of the annual leave year at my work.

It is very important to discuss with your employer when you will take your annual leave. Ideally this should be done well before your maternity leave. If you have accrued a lot of annual leave by the end of your maternity leave you will need to discuss with your employer when you can take it. You could give notice to end your maternity leave early, if you wish, and take paid annual leave immediately afterwards. You must give at least 8 weeks’ notice to end your maternity leave early and you must agree your annual leave with your employer in the usual way.
Your employer can refuse annual leave where it coincides with a busy time of year or a lot of other employees are taking leave at the same time but they should not refuse to allow you to take annual leave because you have been absent on maternity leave, as that may be maternity discrimination.

If you have returned to work early you and/or your partner may be able to take some shared parental leave within the first year from your baby’s birth. For more information, see Shared parental leave.

If you are unable to take all your annual leave in the leave year because of absence on maternity leave, shared parental leave or other types of parental leave, the government advises that employers should allow you to carry forward up to 28 days statutory leave to the next leave year. The government intends to amend the Working Time Regulations to allow 28 days to be carried forward if a parent cannot take it, see www.gov.uk/holiday-entitlement-rights/calculate-leave-entitlement.

If your employer offers more than the statutory minimum of 28 days annual leave, it is up to your employer how much of your contractual annual leave you can carry forward so you should check your contract or talk to your employer.

If you are not allowed to carry forward your annual leave you should seek legal advice. See below for where to go for more help."

Another article I read said the reason govt recommend this is because of the decisions of the European Court of Justice. Not just a whim.

Clare I don't see how that applies to me though, because I'm not talking about any additional annual leave that I will accrue on maternity leave, only annual leave I already have, and could realistically take before I went on maternity leave. I don't see how I could claim I was "unable" to take my entire annual leave allowance due to maternity leave when if I wanted I could just take it all over the next few months before my mat leave, iyswim? Obviously it's different with leave accrued whilst I'm on mat leave but I already have this leave available to me now. So I still don't see how that would entitle me to roll on leave that I could take now? Sorry if I'm just misunderstanding, not trying to be awkward but for obvious reasons don't want to start a potential dispute with work unless I'm confident about the rules.

I had to finish at 32 weeks unexpectedly due to complications you can plan the best you can but things may change by a few weeks dependent on how you feel x

I left a week before my EDD each time. First baby I went into labour at 39+2 and second at 40+4. I added holiday on the end of my leave, it’s so boring been off with no baby just waiting for it to happen.

I finished Tuesday, I am 36 weeks. Think I would of had a mental breakdown if I carried in anymore lol.

I worked until 37 1/2 weeks.

Gosh, no wonder everyone's so confused by me.
My first I finished at 30 weeks, this one I'm finishing at 33 weeks. I can't bloody wait for the sitting around watching telly and reading books. Perhaps i'm unnaturally lazy but I loved that time with my first and will enjoy the times my DD is in childcare this time around. Just some time to "be" before the craziness begins again!