November 2020 babies - thread 8!

[wannabebump]

New thread xx

@HarrietM87

I am taking (4weeks) annual leave 2 weeks before my due date. My maternity leave will officially start 2 weeks after my due date.

How long are you planning on being off work?

I'm not sure how long yet x

@Clove20 I've only Just joined the group but glad to hear im not alone. I loved my job but im not able to be the workaholic I was... I think that's part of the problem I was so full on into my work that they can't understand how im not able to do what I did. I've been off sick for 3 days and then had this whole week off and doctors are signing me off for another week as I'm still not right. I don't like this situation it makes me very uncomfortable and stressed I thought my company would be great but they are really making things uncomfortable and the stress it's not good for my baby. I hope your okay! And u hope you get things sorted it's shameful how companies get away with playing these head games with pregnant women!

@Clove20 HR told me this morning that legally maternity leave has to start on your due date (or the day you give birth if you have the baby early), so not sure that will work?

I’m probably taking the full year. Really lucky with my maternity package as get 6 months full pay, so should be able to save enough to cover the rest.

I'm also planning on taking 2 weeks annual leave before due date then maternity leave.
Want to take a full year off, although SMP only from my company, but thinking after 9 months I will start to use KIT days once a week to get back into it and feel like I'm earning money again.
Not looking forward to not earning whilst I'm off, have saved enough and can pay all bills etc on just husband's pay but I just don't think I'm going to like not feeling like I'm bringing in money.
Also having a bit of a difficult time atm with work - have been acting as team leader since before Christmas, was chasing to get it made official and then covid happened and work cancelled any planned promotions or pay rises, and with needing to tell my boss I was pregnant at 5 weeks I feel like it's never going to happen now! He also made a comment that what's the point in changing my title when I'm off for a year anyway 🙄 feeling like I'm going to need to go back after 9 months just to keep my foot in the door and not be replaced 😒

Baring in mind women having babies keeps the world populated you wouldn't think there would still be such an issue at work!

@CharisA I think your work are being very unfair. Pregnancy plus type 1 diabetes must make you more vulnerable. Can you get your GO to write a letter.

I've not decided when to take mat leave but I'll be working from home so tempted to go right up. Other people on second pregnancies though are tellling me I won't be able to manage that close? I have no idea. It's difficult to tell this far in advance.

@Pink15 in my last (first) pregnancy I could easily have worked up to my due date. I stopped at 38 weeks because everyone told me I had to, but in the end DS was 2 weeks late and the day before he was born I did a 10mile walk and then swam 20 lengths in an effort to get labour started 🤣. Compared to that sitting on my arse at a desk was nothing! See how you feel towards the end is my advice, some people struggle but others are fine.

I’m only stopping at 38 weeks this time to get some time with my son before his sister appears.

I'm going to try to get to 39 weeks and then work from home part time until I am done
Unless I feel spritely and in which case my boss will allow me to work up to my due date. I will prob only be taking around 5 months off then going back 4 days

@Clove20 HR here - your maternity leave has to be begin when baby is born (not your due date) so if baby is 2 weeks late you’ll be able to take all 4 weeks, but if they come earlier your maternity leave will automatically start then and the period of annual leave stopped. So you might be able to carry that leave to next year, depending on your works policy, or you’ll lose it. Do speak to your manager or HR about what would work.

I’m hopefully going to take about two weeks annual leave up to my due date (which is a Friday) and then maternity will start then. I should be back at work for 3 full months in that case, but I’ll be able to work entirely from home so can go later than I would have done if I’d still been commuting.
I know first babies are more likely to be late but who knows what this one will do.

I plan to take most of the full year if not the whole year (will depend what looks sensible nearer the time) using KIT days and accrued leave to bolster the last unpaid 8-10 weeks. I hope I’ll be able to use some KIT days from earlier, I like my work and the people and will miss them. I only get SMP as I haven’t been at my job quite long enough for enhanced, but thankfully we can afford it.

I am also planning to go back part time and probably with some working from home (which we haven’t really been allowed in the past but Covid will have changed that) haven’t hashed it out with my manager yet but it’s been mentioned and I know will be expecting it. We have a female dominated workforce and noone yet has come back full-time after maternity

I'm furloughed and may not be working at all until the end of October, so I will probably be on furlough right up to my due date and then start mat leave. I was planning to take 2 weeks annual leave beforehand but if I'm still furloughed or am only working part time from home there doesn't seem any point taking annual leave.

Hoping to take 9/10 months off (depends whether I share 8 or 12 weeks shared parental with my partner) and then take accrued annual leave at the end to maximise my time off (which will be either 4 or 6 weeks depending on whether I take any in October). It means I'll be off almost a year.

Not sure what the plan is after mat leave but I'm aiming to go back part time - the working pattern will have to be discussed with my employer, but I'm keen to work from home fairly regularly as I have a minimum 1 hour each way commute.

I’ll probably officially start my mat leave a week before due date, and have two weeks leave before that. If I elect for a c section then that’ll happen at 39 weeks so mat leave will have to start then anyway.

I need to find out what holidays I can carry over and bolster them on to the end so I can get paid again. I only get SMP 😔 (my company with its “family values” only have an enhanced package to those of a certain grade, and I’m one below that 🙄 length of service means nothing)

I'll be finishing work a month before I'm due. I will use up any holiday and then switch onto maternity which is only SMP sadly. My company will not carry over any unused holiday and as DS was a little early, I don't want to lose out! I will take a year. I loved the time off before baby was due last time getting everything ready and having some me time. This time it'll be nice to have some quality time with my son aswell.

Had my 20 week scan this morning and everything looked fine. Soo relieved. She had to press pretty hard on my stomach at some points. Ouch! We are keeping the sex a surprise😊 I have an anterior placenta which explains a lot.

Congratulations on the scan @Whatinthename20.

I'm really worried about going back to work. I work in a high school in a high Covid risk area and I'll be in my third trimester, I'm in a BAME group and asthmatic so all high risk factors. As far as I'm aware they are planning on me coming back in September but I'm really anxious about it. We are a huge school and I'm very student facing. In a meeting this morning we were told they are expecting a second wave to hit around October. I can't take annual leave as we don't get any. Pre-Covid I had planned to work till my due date but now I'm thinking I will need to go on mat leave early if they will let me...... and try and find some way to work from home but I cant see that happening.

I plan on finishing a week and a half before my due date. This should hopefully tie in with half term. I can’t take annual leave to boost it as I’m a teacher so hoping I can stick it out that long. Of course this is all elementary as baby will come when baby wants lol.

I'm technically finishing up the day before my due date but I'm taking 2 weeks annual leave beforehand so I'll be 38 weeks.

I had asked to carry over all my unused leave so I can add it onto the end of my maternity leave. But apparently I must take at least 20 days annual leave by law (pro rata'd to 17 based on my due date). They're hopefully allowing me to carry over the rest (still to be agreed by HR) but it leaves me with 3 weeks to take before November. I have a week booked in already and plan to take the remaining 2 weeks prior to my due date.

On another note, my HR department appear to have messed up and confirmed the wrong maternity allowance for me. I couldn't make any sense of the HR policy (as there are various different packages) so I phoned them back in March and they sent me an email confirming my allowance. But my manager is now saying their email is wrong and the correct allowance is less (around £2k in total). Do you think I have a case for challenging this as I had planned my leave based on their duff information (early days I know) or do I just need to suck it up? Also, can anyone tell me what KIT days are? xx

[quote HarrietM87]@Clove20 HR told me this morning that legally maternity leave has to start on your due date (or the day you give birth if you have the baby early), so not sure that will work?

I’m probably taking the full year. Really lucky with my maternity package as get 6 months full pay, so should be able to save enough to cover the rest.[/quote]
“Compulsory maternity leave” starts on the day you give birth. “Ordinary maternity leave” which may be paid or unpaid it’s your choice if you want to start it ahead of the birth. I think legally you are entitled to begin it as early as 11 weeks prior to your due date 👍

Check out all the ACAS pages on maternity xx

@Pinktruffle

Congratulations on the scan *@Whatinthename20*.

I'm really worried about going back to work. I work in a high school in a high Covid risk area and I'll be in my third trimester, I'm in a BAME group and asthmatic so all high risk factors. As far as I'm aware they are planning on me coming back in September but I'm really anxious about it. We are a huge school and I'm very student facing. In a meeting this morning we were told they are expecting a second wave to hit around October. I can't take annual leave as we don't get any. Pre-Covid I had planned to work till my due date but now I'm thinking I will need to go on mat leave early if they will let me...... and try and find some way to work from home but I cant see that happening.

Surely in your situation your GP could sign you off as unfit for work? I’m shocked that with multiple risk factors and late pregnancy you’ll just be expected to suck it up 🥺💐

Thank you everyone for telling me about when maternity has to legally start. I didn't know that. I will have to check with management/HR if they would allow me to carry some leave into the next year. We are normally only allowed to carry 10 hours. But surely with Covid, you'd hope companies are abit more flexible.

Wish me luck x

@Crispaddict99 KIT days are keep in touch days. I believe you're allowed up to 10 during your maternity leave where you go to work to keep up to date and would usually get paid as normal. It's optional though and both sides need to agree to them.

I’m starting my mat leave on the first day of school term (Sept 3rd Where I am) and taking the full year off.

I’ll only be 31+3 at that point but I’m a Secondary science teacher and carrying twins 👍

I have a bunch of high risk pregnancy factors and I’ll be as big as a house (already struggling badly with PGP). I’ll be induced/c-sec at 37 weeks if they haven’t already arrived

@harrietM87 Thursday August 6th when I'll be 26 weeks. I'm being made redundant!

We're we meant to get a MatB1 form at 20 week scan? For mat pay? I never received one.

@NatalieH2220 ah thank you, I hadn't heard of these before. Good to know! xx