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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Calling all teachers - what's the best time to have a baby?

18 replies

honory · 07/08/2007 08:44

At the risk of sounding mercenary or organised to the point of madness I have a question to all teachers to help me work out the best time to have a baby (even if choice doesn't come into it!) so that we maximise the holiday/maternity breaks teachers have. We are on a tight budget so making the most of any benefits that we can is a priority. We have a little girl (2.5yrs) who was born in January which worked out quite well as I went back to school in time for pay over the summer holidays. Has anyone done this and if so what's the best time to conceive?? All help and advice greatly appreciated.

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hayley2u · 07/08/2007 08:50

my sil and brother are both teachers. they had there baby n the first week of july. that way she could work for most of time only taking few weeks off before baby was due. my brother then took those weeks baby was born. so they had all there summer with baby together and sil started back work the last couple of days before christmas holidays.

cece · 07/08/2007 08:58

My friend had a Dec baby and went back for a week before summer holidays so she could get paid.

Caz10 · 07/08/2007 12:29

That's what I'm trying to do cece! Not at all planned, but we conceived in March, so due date mid Dec. I'm in Scotland so hols are end of June - mid August. I plan to go back in for a couple of weeks in June, then summer off, then back to work in August when LO will be 8-9 months.

However the downside to this is that I will be working into Nov whilst heavily pregnant - we are on a tight budget too, and I really need to save my maternity pay for when baby is here, otherwise I'll be back at work when he/she is only 3mthsish.

A colleague is due in Sept, so she was able to stop work at the end of the summer term, and not needing to work at all until after the baby, so she was about 30 weeks when she stopped, much more manageable. I am dreading work in Oct/Nov especially as I have a "lively" class and an upstairs classroom!!

witchandchips · 07/08/2007 12:34

Isn't smp for 9 months now though so wouldn't the best time be to have lo in july august. Then you wouldn't have to take leave until edd. You would then have to work a few weeks in may june and then get the summer hols.

Caz10 · 07/08/2007 12:36

Depends if you can get by on SMP though - I know we can't, so will be using up the savings then heading back to work!

witchandchips · 07/08/2007 12:38

okay then answer is to wait a year or so until the unions persuade schools to update their provision. This happened a few years ago when smp was increased from 4 months to 6

DaftAndFussy · 07/08/2007 12:40

Having had fertility problems for years before my DC I feel obliged to say that really careful planning doesn't always quite pay off, but I don't mean that in a catty way at all.
September a good time to have a baby for teachers. My DSIL managed this twice, so full pay all through summer until start of term, 2/3 weeks before babies were due in each case. As SMP now 9 months, you could go back May half-termish, knowing that the summer break was already looming?
Hope it all goes ok.

tigerschick · 07/08/2007 13:23

I know what you mean about not wanting to work when heavily pg but to be on Mat leave over the summer hols seems like a waste of your leave time as you would be off anyway. I agree that a mid-late September due date would be good as you have the whole summer off, go in for a couple of weeks - probably not have much to do as they won't want to give you a class to then change teachers so quickly - then you can go back with just the run down to the summer to look forward to.

Of course it's all accademic (pardon the pun) as there is no guarantee of getting pg to order or that the baby will wait til you're on leave before it comes!

rek21 · 07/08/2007 13:37

Hello honory,

I'm a secondary school teacher, my baby is due in October - which has worked out beatifully. Like everyone I am currently 2 weeks into summer holidays and I am taking my maternity leave as of the first day of next term so I don't have to go back to work, but the LEA does have to pay my full salary through the summer hols (they couldn't refuse this as I could not start my maternity leave at the beginning of the hols as it would be too early). Then I will take advantage of 9 months smp to go back after May half term, which is quiet time in secondary schools as yr 11 & 13 have left and there are lots of fun things like activities week, sports day etc.

I should add that this timing was total luck, we had been trying for several months, so I don't mean to sound smug, I am just really happy that things have worked out well. Hope you have good luck too when you are TTC!

ejt1764 · 07/08/2007 13:38

I am a teacher, and this lo is due 2nd October ... ds was born 4th October 2002 (although wasn't planned that way!)

I think it works really well for me - I'm off at the moment on summer holidays - and could, if I wanted, not go back after holidays, and just confirm my date of starting ML as the day before the start of term.

What I'm actually doing is going back for the first week (my mat. cover will be in then anyway, so I'm not teaching), then going on ml until the last week before the summer holidays next year ... we've sorted out a payment holiday on our mortgage to allow me to do this, as we're not going to have any more, and going back in March (as I did with ds) was really difficult - I teach secondary French - so went back just before all my exam classes were due to do their speaking exams and other exams - and tbh it was very difficult!

If all had gone well though, this would have happened last year - but I lost 2 babies to mc last year - the 1st was due Sept, the 2nd was due December.

To aim for an October baby, you have to start trying around Christmas time - try one of the ovulation calcuators to work out the best time for you - but be aware that it may not work out as you plan it ...

Original poster

honory · 07/08/2007 15:28

Hi all and thanks for the messages!
There seem to be lots of options and I hope that we can take advantage of these when it comes to the time of successful conception but often the best laid plans come to nothing! Will keep fingers crossed

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cat64 · 07/08/2007 15:43

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3isthemagicnumber · 07/08/2007 16:28

since having my first ds 7 years ago, everything has changed. Then you had to have gone on maternity leave by 37 weeks and could not start it in the hols, so if your 37th week fell in the summer hols for example you had to start mat leave at end of term. Now you can work right up to your edd, and you can start mat leave whenever so your holidays are not affected. I am due 1st september- 25 more sleeps yeh!- and although 'on holiday' am not starting my mat leave until 31st august. Also i am going to take the academic year, but actually 'return' to work on july 21st next year, 1st day of summer hols. Do feel very cheeky about this but was on heads advice, as maternity leave/pay is all covered by insurance anyway and does not come from budget xx. now all i have to worry about is having a youngest in the year- 1 day early 31st august, or if make it to due date, oldest in the year xx hth

Lostmykeys · 07/08/2007 16:34

I am a secondary teacher and had my DS in September. This means almost an extra year of nursery fees, so beware if you are on a tight budget!
Plus, I found it difficult when I got back to work as my maternity cover had gone off in the early weeks with stress and they had a mishmash of cover teachers until I returned. I then had to do an awful lot of cramming with them and my head of dept left which also added to the work. All in all quite stressful.
Had DD1 in March and went back to work in the September and the timing was much better.
Differnt times of the year suit everyone differently, so just go for it!!

cazzybabs · 07/08/2007 16:47

Well I think Sept - to make it old in the year, but I guess Oct - so you can take your 9 months off and go back in time for the summer holidays and have 6 weeks paid.

cat64 · 07/08/2007 22:05

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spudmasher · 07/08/2007 22:08

DD2 was due 3rd of September which meant I could start my mat leave on that date so the whole of that summer holiday was on full pay. Went back to work during the last week of the next summer term which meant I was on full pay for the whole of that summer holiday too.

Careful planning paid off in my case but you can't choose when you conceive!

Jollybaby · 08/08/2007 19:45

Similarly i conceived early in December and am due on 3rd of sept and my school are miffed that they have to pay me for the whole summer and if you are secondary school teacher then its great as your timetable will also go down significantly with loosing exam groups for the last couple of months of working. I don't know how i would have coped on a full timetable !

I am having a whole academic year off and will them be timetabled back in for the next academic year and so maybe can have a nicer timetable and a better chance of the days i want to work.

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