When did you start mat leave?

[Bunny2021]

I'm currently 21+5 with our first baby and starting to really think about when to start my mat leave.

I work in a really small team so don't want to make things difficult for the team but also not sure what to do.

I'm due end of July and was considering stopping work on 16 July (about 10 days prior to my due date). I will be able to continue to work from home between now and my due date so won't have to commute the 1+hour into London.

I've heard that first baby is often late. However, a couple of my friends have had theirs arrive early and I'm now worried that 10 days won't be sufficient time. It's also going to be summer, so assuming that I'm going to be hot and uncomfortable!

29 weeks I just wanted time to myself to be honest.

I finished work at 38+5 and went into labour at 40+1. Of the 5 women in my NCT group, all of us went overdue.

I'm taking all my annual leave and finishing at 34 weeks. I was going to carry on working but I'd rather get as much rest as possible and take the annual leave that way I can start my maternity leave on my due date!

Ive finished early in previous pregnancies 29-32 weeks, this time i have holidays to use first so thinj i'm going for 35/36 weeks mat leave

No way would i be working at 38/39 weeks but then i dont have a desk job so might feel different if i did

I went off at about 37 weeks with three weeks of annual leave. My mat leave properly started the day before my due date which is when I went into labour and DC was born the next day. It was a good amount of time to have free prior to birth, I got stuff done like housework, hair cut, last minute shopping and had a nice rest napping and relaxing reading books and watching films, did a few dates with DH too like cinema, dinner out etc. Things we wouldn't be able to do for ages once baby was born (this was way before covid).

I'm pregnant again this time and I think I will go off earlier as I'm expecting no.2 to come earlier given I wasn't late with my first and I have absolutely tons of annual leave to use. I rolled two weeks from last year into this one but then I've got mat leave later this year and I'm on long term sick leave now with HG so not using any. Might go off at say 34/35 weeks to use up a load of holiday first.

I made it to 37 weeks but oh my goodness it was a struggle. I had intended to work right up due to having a fairly comfortable desk job but as I had bad PGP I lost the ability to drive became housebound. DS was born at 39 weeks exactly so I only had 2 weeks before he was born which wasn't too bad.

I went off at a similar time to what you’ve planned. Working when 37 weeks meant I hit my deadlines, lots of people were nice to me, and I had more time with my baby later.

I think I actually started all my maternity leaves on my due dates but used a week or two annual leave each time before hand.

I'm finishing just before 37 weeks. I'm currently 35 weeks and it's is a real struggle. I'm working from home but I'm exhausted due to lack of sleep and so uncomfortable all the time. I just want to sleep!

I took maternity leave 37 weeks and DC arrived 41+1.

I was ok pottering about the house and enjoying my time alone until 40 weeks then i just ballooned (June last year), my legs/face/arms/stomach all went huge and I could barely move so those last 8 days were truly awful.

This time I’m going to try and work right up as far as I can, just starting when I go into labour I think. I have nothing to prep, it won’t be relaxing with DC1 running around like a whirlwind.

What do you want to do for those days between finishing and the baby arriving? That’ll probably help decide how long you should take.

I finished at 38 weeks. 37 weeks is technically full term so if you are concerned at all I’d go for that time.

I took two weeks annual leave from 37 weeks, started proper mat leave at 39 weeks. DD was born on her due date.
We moved house when I was 36 weeks so I spent the three weeks unpacking, wandering round IKEA, and (perhaps inadvisably) building furniture. It passed the time nicely and I think I’d have been bored if off for longer, but I was lucky to have a reasonably easy pregnancy, physically speaking.

I was teaching full time up to 37 weeks. Physically I could have carried on longer but its a good job I didn't as she was born at 38 weeks with a very quick labour so could well have arrived in the classroom 😂

38 weeks, I actually worked at 39+2 (as I was using annual leave up until the day before my due date).
I’m overdue now at 40+2 & although it was tiring, I couldn’t consider going off any earlier. I want as much time as poss with baby as I will be going back full time (taking a year off)

I finish on Thursday and I’ll be 34+2, using all my annual leave.
I have wondered over the last few months if that was a good idea but now it’s nearly here I can’t wait.
Sitting at a desk all day is hurting my back and my bum and I’m so tired I can barely function.
Don’t know how women work to 38-39 weeks. Kudos to them though.

I stopped (teaching) at 34 weeks and was prob a touch early but I'd say you def want longer than 10 days. You need to rest and get your head in gear a bit. Giving birth and then looking after a newborn is very intense. Plus being that pregnant is very uncomfortable, especially in summer. I'd advise at least a month.

I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant with my third. On my first I finished at 38 weeks and he was 2 weeks over. On my second I finished at 35 weeks due to SPD and he was born at just over a week late.
This time I'm exhausted at 30 weeks I'm considering stopping in the next 3-4 weeks as I've got bad SPD, insomnia and nausea.
I'm seeing my GP tomorrow and will chat about getting signed off. I was trying to hold off as I just got given a project two weeks ago but I cannot and I'm worried I'll make myself ill.

I should add that I'm in Ireland where you have to start mat leave two weeks before your baby is born.

I'm now 35 weeks and have been wfh full time since March last year. I've decided to stop working from 37 weeks+ by taking 2 weeks annual leave and then my mat leave starts on my due date! I only have a desk job and spend 90% of my time at home anyway so not too fussed about finishing majorly early.

I’m currently 37+2 and finishing up next Wednesday.
I’m sooooo done...

I worked up to 38 weeks and wish I'd gone on longer. DD arrived at 42 weeks.

31 weeks the day my DD was born.

I'm starting mine at 34 weeks I'm looking forward to some time to myself before he arrives

I started maternity at 39+3 but I had 4 weeks of leave to take before she arrived so went at 35+1. This was last summer (DD born mid-Aug) so I was wfh too. I found it a little bit too long, but that was mostly because I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything, if Covid hadn’t been a thing I reckon I could have made more of the time! If I had my time again I’d probably have just taken 2 weeks of leave rather than 4 and tacked the 2 weeks into the other end of leave. Labour started 40+1 and DD arrived 40+3.

As I'm wfh I am considering going up to 38 weeks and then taking a weeks annual leave and starting maternity at 39 weeks. With my first I had her 10 days early and 4 out of the 5 couples had there babies before the due dates, all first babies. I was induced due to low birth weight concerns.

• 4 out of the 5 couples from my nct class had there babies before the due date.