Maternity leave

1990fran · 2020-12-29T11:46:20+00:00

Hi all Im 33 wks this friday, due on 29th feb, I am just wondering about maternity leave. I originally was going to finish 22nd Jan which would leave 3 wks till due date, my friend told me finishing a week earlier would be better more time for me however i am already working from home so dont need to commute etc, I like to be kept busy I will go oit of my mind bouncing around home all day for weeks but then thought what happens if I am late like up to 42 weeks, I know its personal preference, I have 2 weeks leave to use before the mat leave starts I just want more time after the arrival than before, all new to me so I apoligize if this post is a bit silly but I just wanted to see what other people have done or suggest x

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MsHedgehog · 29/12/2020 11:48

I know with my firm you can change your leave date, but the earliest you go on leave is your planned leave date, or your expected week of childbirth. So even if you’re late, you can’t work past 40 weeks. Not sure if that’s a statutory rule or just my work.

Persipan · 29/12/2020 11:49

How is 22 Jan to 29 Feb 3 weeks?

MsHedgehog · 29/12/2020 11:50

I mean latest you can go on leave, not earliest!

Ksi91 · 29/12/2020 11:51

I am in the same boat myself
I'm due 12th February , currently 33 weeks myself
I'm due to go on maternity on 18th jan & have been debating the last few weeks about going on leave 2 weeks earlier

I think every company is different, I had to give 4 weeks notice to change my maternity leave date which I was just out of time for so I'm leaving it as the original date

I think it's down to whatever is best for you
xxxx

boymum88 · 29/12/2020 11:58

If you feel fine continue to work. some women work up until due date ( think it has to start the Sunday before baby is due) so maybe start ur mat leave then and take ur annual leave the two weeks before ?
Each person if different and how they feel towards to end.
Maybe have a word with ur manager or hr to see if they have any policy's when they like you to start ur leave ?

Original poster

1990fran · 29/12/2020 12:06

@persipan meant to be 19th feb

OP posts:

countdowntobaby2020 · 29/12/2020 12:08

I think it's a personal preference in terms of how you're feeling and what kind of work you're doing but in the situation of working from home without a stressful commute, I'd work as long as you can manage to give you more time the other end with your baby! Saying this as someone who can see the end of maternity leave looming 😢

I was working from home (doing very little tbh) at the end of my pregnancy and actually had my due date scheduled as the start date. He came 8 days early so had to send my boss a text from maternity ward haha!

I understand the view point of take some time to yourself to rest while you can but I don't think it really makes much difference, I had plenty of time to do this because of lockdown and was still exhausted a few days in to parenthood!

Do whatever feels right for you 😊

Stef92 · 29/12/2020 12:30

I'm 32 weeks today and my last day will be 1st Feb. I think I could've gone another week but I've been able to carry 9 days of annual leave over from this year so I really want to take them in case they get "forgotten" about whilst I'm off.

BeautyAndTheBump1 · 29/12/2020 12:33

If youre WFH and fine to work within yourself i would work until the latest you possibly can. You'll be thankful when you get an extra few weeks with your baby when its time to go back to work.

ALew15 · 29/12/2020 12:38

I'm 29 weeks and I'm due 15th March. I plan to start my maternity leave 2 weeks before due date and have loads of annual leave accumulated so I am actually finishing on the 9th Feb.
I am a dental nurse and still working in practice so thought best to finish as soon as I could

SJR86 · 29/12/2020 12:41

I took a weeks annual leave before my due date and started my actual maternity leave from the baby's due date.
I was also working from home because of lockdown, and didn't want to be hanging around with nothing to do for weeks before giving birth! As it happened my daughter arrived a month early and put paid to all those plans!

Nat4392 · 29/12/2020 13:19

It’s completely personal preference and now you feel. Personally I want as much time after baby is born so plan on starting mat leave the week I’m due. I’m taking most of my annual holidays as a block beforehand so I’m actually finishing work around a month before I’m due. My last day is 30th April and I’m due 27th May but mat leave will start w/c 24th May. I don’t have the option of working from home as I’m a dental nurse. But if I did have the option, I’d be working as late as I possibly could as you can still take it easy (to a degree) at home.

TitsOot4Xmas · 29/12/2020 13:21

@MsHedgehog

I know with my firm you can change your leave date, but the earliest you go on leave is your planned leave date, or your expected week of childbirth. So even if you’re late, you can’t work past 40 weeks. Not sure if that’s a statutory rule or just my work.

Makes no sense. Do you mean latest? If so that’s legally unenforceable. You can legally work until the baby appears.

ALew15 · 29/12/2020 13:22

@Nat4392

It’s completely personal preference and now you feel. Personally I want as much time after baby is born so plan on starting mat leave the week I’m due. I’m taking most of my annual holidays as a block beforehand so I’m actually finishing work around a month before I’m due. My last day is 30th April and I’m due 27th May but mat leave will start w/c 24th May. I don’t have the option of working from home as I’m a dental nurse. But if I did have the option, I’d be working as late as I possibly could as you can still take it easy (to a degree) at home.

Dental Nurse here too! 💁🏼‍♀️

strawberry2017 · 29/12/2020 13:24

You will most likely get fed up with nothing to do if you leave to early. Waiting round for a baby just makes it feel like the last few weeks drag even more.
If you can work and you are happy to stick to your plan. Good luck x

user159 · 29/12/2020 13:26

I was the one that was two weeks late so even though I finished at 38 weeks I had a whole month of nothing. It was great to begin with but I got quite bored in the end and this was pre pandemic! If I was WFH I'd go a week before DD now (just in case!) but then I have a desk job close to home so that does play into the decision.

happytoday73 · 29/12/2020 13:34

My previous two companies have also not let you work the week you are due. You had to start at the latest week prior

user1471518119 · 29/12/2020 17:08

I'd planned to work up until 39 weeks as had also wanted to maximise time with baby and not get bored of home. However...I then realised at 36 weeks I was feeling horribly stressed by work and overwhelmed without enough time to rest or exercise , I also had heaps of hospital appointments as baby started to measure small and pregnancy was high risk anyway. So with one day's notice I started maternity leave at 36+3. I'll be induced at 39 weeks so I think it's a reasonable amount of time to allow for a break/nesting, baby might come early anyway! I would say be prepared to feel differently about when you should start mat leave nearer the time!

pinknsparkly · 29/12/2020 17:28

Depending on how flexible your work can be if you decide you want to finish early then I'd go as late as you can. My due date was Wednesday and I planned my maternity leave to start that Monday on the understanding that I would use some annual leave to go earlier if I felt I needed to. Due to covid, my husband and I were both working from home and I wouldn't have been able to do much around the house with him on calls all day anyway! I ended up taking the Friday afternoon as leave.because i was struggling but finished up my work on the Sunday. I was induced on my due date and baby arrived the following day (Thursday). I'm also only taking 6 months maternity leave, with my husband then taking 6 months shared paternity leave. So I didn't want to waste some of my leave sat around waiting for baby to arrive. It was definitely the right thing for me - plus I'd have gone a bit crazy sat around doing nothing during lockdown!

kittenpeak · 29/12/2020 17:37

Everyone is different but I would start as late as possible, especially as you are WFH. Do you have annual leave you can take? My leave starts on my due date and I’m taking 2 weeks of AL before hand.

4 main reasons: I work from
Home and can work on the sofa unless I’m in a meeting

1st baby, so likely to be late (appreciate this isn’t an exact science) and don’t want to be off for weeks before my due date, then potentially have 2 more weeks

I have annual leave to use up

Most importantly,I think most people would appreciate the time off at the end , rather than at the beginning

Thirdlifecrisis · 29/12/2020 18:28

I've just finished (due mid Feb), I'm tired and work was a stress I didn't need. I'll have another 10.5 months on maternity leave after baby's due. Honestly I'm so glad I finished early, I can relax and get everything ready. I didn't want to work right to the last minute and worry about handover at the very last minute.

Oct18mummy · 29/12/2020 18:46

I worked to a week before due date and then went into labour 2 days after I finished- didn’t get any time to get organised and pre covid has organised a lovely pampering spa day and hair appointment all had to be cancelled! I would recommend finishing 2 weeks before due date and don’t feel guilty about having your final you time x

Rainb0wDrops · 29/12/2020 18:57

As late as possible for me. I had mat leave booked to start day before due date and took 1 weeks annual leave before hand. Baby ended up 10 days early so didn't really go to plan and I was working right up until waters breaking but as I wfh it wasn't a problem and I appreciated having the time at the other end of mat leave.

Lazypuppy · 29/12/2020 19:05

I had a month off before baby was born and i loved it!

Binge watched boxsets, finished buying and sorting everything i needed, lie in every morning etc. Just did what i wanted as knew once baby was here i wouldn't be able to

snowone · 29/12/2020 19:14

I would work up to my due date if I were you. If you are WFH and can manage the job then it makes sense to me!