Maternity leave date

[2019bride]

Hi all,

Currently 24 weeks with my first baby. So far everything has gone smoothly (fingers crossed!) I'm starting to think about when to go on maternity leave. Due date is 9th December and I want to work as long as I can so I get more time off with baby.

I work as a primary school teacher but from September I will only be working with small groups all day rather than a full class. I am unsure whether to leave at 38 or 39 weeks. Can anyone suggest when might be a good time to go, especially as I have no idea how I'll feel towards the end of the pregnancy. I'm worried about leaving and then going overdue so possibly having 2 or 3 weeks of sitting around.

TIA

Hey,
I'm also a primary teacher and finished at the end of the summer term (36 weeks) but my maternity leave didn't start until my due date last week. I was really struggling with the heat and end of year madness so think I would have struggled to go to 39 weeks.

I think in December, if you're working with smaller groups and with it being cooler, it's definitely possible to go to 39 weeks, then you don't feel like you've wasted too much time if you go overdue :)

I'm on my third baby (due a week before you!) and started both of my maternity leaves with the last two at 38 weeks. Luckily as it turned out at DS1 was born the day after I finished work! DS2 came at 39 weeks. I was glad both times that I didn't have a lot of hanging about to do and felt fine.

I'm planning to do the same this time BUT I work in an office and only three days a week now so it's not a big ordeal. Ideally I'd work until 39 but with mine tending to come a little bit before their due date I want to make sure I'm covered.

If your work is taxing or stressful or you have a long commute you might want to go earlier. You can generally change the date once you have decided though, most employers don't mind.

I planned on leaving at 38 weeks but ended up being signed off with rib pain at 27 weeks. DS was born at 37+6 so wouldn't have made it anyway. Think next time I'll go at 36 or 37 to be safe.

My best friend had a long commute from Essex into London every day, she planned on pushing til 39w since, she evaluated, most first babies come after due date.

She gave up work at 36w and baby came the day before due date. The commute was too much in the end and she really values having had a few weeks to herself to compose herself and best before the mega rush of having a baby and demanding relatives turning up at her door!

I’m an introvert. I want my own space so I’m planning to take a few weeks before due date to chill (as best I can 😬). I’be saved annual leave to take at least 2wks for myself.

That said, I have SPD now (30w) and I’m negotiating reduced hours with my lovely lovely boss so I’m definitely winding right down already 😉

I am not sure if you have a partner, but as a teacher it might be worth looking at some of the options around Shared Parental Leave.

You can for example be back at work and getting paid full salary (rather than SMP) for the summer holidays and your partner be on shared parental leave. Then when September comes you go back on to Shared Parental Leave and your partner returns to work.

There is a brief page about it here (they have a maternity pay calculator, that actually works for teacher's maternity pay too)
maternity.money/teachers-maternity-pay
and a discussion here
community.tes.com/threads/maternity-pay-over-summer-holidays.764559/

If this feels like gaming the system, remember that everyone else other than teachers accrues holiday during maternity leave (I believe teachers do too strictly speaking, just not in a meaningful way).