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?

I planned to finish when I was 37+3 but baby had other ideas and waters broke at exactly 37 weeks.... I had no time to organise and no time relax so certainly won't leave it so late next time... if there is a next time 🤣 lol

I'm stopping at 38 weeks. I've got 12 days of annual leave to carry over but adding that to the end of my mat leave for boring bonus reasons. I have a short commute (10min walk, 12min train) and desk based job but it's stressful. It's hard as it's my first baby, no idea when it will arrive, and trying to balance getting a rest before it comes with maximising time off with the baby. I'm 34 weeks now so only 3.5 weeks to go!

I plan to finish at 31wks, I have 7 weeks holiday to use and then plan to take the full 52 wks maternity leave.

This is my first and the way i see it, it's possibly the last chance to put my feet up for a while. I have a long commute and i'd like to leave before the busiest and most stressful time of year starts when im 32wks+

I know it's early, but i cannot face a crap manager and the worst time of year.

I've got a while yet but I think I'll plan to start ML on my EDD, then use up two weeks of annual leave beforehand, that's if my boss will agree to me working weeks 36-38 from home as I have a 90 minute drive each way to the office which is bad at the best of times!

That should hopefully mean the 10 weeks of full pay I get will take me more or less up to Christmas so we're not scraping around for presents & food at the end of the year!

I stopped working at 37 weeks and was far from bored! It was so nice to have the time off. As it happened DD arrived at 38+6 so I was robbed of my last week of freedom. I had horrendous back pain so sitting at a desk all day was sheer agony by the end, I was more than ready to finish.

I’m planning to stay till 37 weeks (EDD mid June) but this is my first so have no idea how I will be. I have a 4 hr round commute and am a hairdresser so on my feet at least 10 hours a day. I maybe wishful thinking!

Due to our ante natal classes being on a working day though I’m only working 3 days a week in April so am hoping that will help a little.

I worked right up until 3 days before my due date (was due on a Monday) because I wanted maximum time with the baby. DS didn't come until 42+2 and continues to wreck every plan I make to this day.

I too was posed with loosing holiday pay so I spoke to my employer and said I would rather get paid for the leave and have more time with my maternity cover for handover. My company are notoriously inflexible but even they saw the merit in this arrangement! I'm leaving two weeks before EDD but I think three sounds good seeing as you cannot predict if baby will come early or late. I recommend you save your extra week as I have needed the odd day off for this and that.

I had a preplanned holiday from 34-36 weeks so decided to not bother coming back from it. But it's was a on your feet running waddling kind of job.

In the end I ended up sick (separated pelvis) from 27-30 weeks. Went back to work for 2 weeks and then decided to ask whether they'd prefere me to go on holiday at 32 weeks as they'd got my cover in early anticipating me not coming back from sickness. To be honest I felt like a complete waste of space because I was so big I wasn't up to normal speed, plus it seemed pointless taking most of my jobs back from my cover person for such a small amount of time.

So I went on holiday at 32 weeks and maternity kicked in at 36 weeks, baby arrived at 41 weeks. I wasn't bored I used the time to wash baby clothes (had done hospital bag ones earlier) read several books, get all the house sorted and meals in the freezer. Never had so much time off and it was nice just pottering, seeing friends and relaxing.

I did the same. Gave my EDD as my date to start mat leave but took 3 weeks annual leave beforehand. By that time I had a good circle of NCT friends, many due after me, so boredom was not an issue. In the end DS arrived 4 days before EDD.

With the public holidays I will accrue plus some carried annual leave, I will also be able to tag an extra 4 weeks on the end of my mat leave, so have 9 months off altogether (DH and I shared the first 4 months).