When to start maternity leave?

[Jessica12345625]

I am a secondary school teacher and am 32 weeks pregnant with my second. I was going to start maternity at 38 weeks but am now contemplating starting a little earlier. How many weeks were you (or will you be) when you took maternity?

I'm self employed and my job is pretty physical. I'm going g to try and up until 6 weeks before my due date, bit this is no.3 and I'm already struggling a bit.

Presumably from your dates it is your intention to work up to half term? I’m aiming to do the same (28 weeks, but expecting twins so delivery is usually 4/5 weeks earlier, so effectively the same amount of remaining pregnant time).

I’d stick with it if I were you. If your baby comes early or you are unable to cope, you can take your leave earlier (you are allowed to do so) or if you are unwell from the pregnancy e.g. swelling, unable to stand for long enough you are entitled to sick leave. Be prepared though - with my first I stayed to 38 weeks, and DD was born on the first day of my maternity leave - I wasn’t really ready for that and hadn’t got everything sorted to my satisfaction. It didn’t really matter, but I felt a little wrong-footed.

It doesn’t sound like your school is making it very easy for you though. I’m on a reduced timetable to limit my contact as my school classifies teachers in 3rd trimester as vulnerable, so I’m only teaching certain year groups, which gives me a lot of boring, stuck in an office time. Physically, will you be ok to continue for another 6 weeks do you think? Standing/walking can get quite uncomfortable towards the end.

Another teacher here (primary), I've been told that from 28 weeks I'm to work from home so will be taking my maternity from my due date in early January. This is when I was going to take it as I would have got the 2 weeks from the Christmas holidays so would have finished at 38 weeks. I don't see any point changing it now because I won't have been in work for 12 weeks before I am due.