When did everyone take maternity leave?

[El77]

I'm due in Feb 2022, and I'm in a office role. I know I legally have to tell my work by end of October and I could start my maternity leave end of Nov but that seems too early to me!

When did everyone begin their maternity leave?

You're entitled to workplace adjustments eg. to hours or working pattern or duties during pregnancy so I plan on using these to enable working up to 38weeks ish, then hopefully have a weeks annual leave before starting mat leave. I'm due end of Jan so will be dark and cold and post-christmas lul so I don't want loads of time to myself before baby comes, I'm very extrovert and don't much like my own company

38 weeks. Although I'm working from home and mat leave doesn't technically start until 39 weeks as taking 1 week annual leave beforehand.

39+5 weeks and I went into labour the next day. I had a weeks annual leave before that because I had loads of holidays because of covid. I felt absolutely fine to keep going and I think I'd have been bored if I took any longer off.
If you have holidays then why not drop how many days you work? Take every Friday off for a couple of months before?

A week before my induction date so 37 weeks.
Office based role too but was struggling with pelvic pain so decided to have a week to myself 😂

I was due end of May and took Mat leave from 4th May thinking it would be nice to 'nest' and relax, but I was just bored and rattling about!

This time I am likely to have ELCS so I will know the date and intend working right to the end (probably finish 1 week before) so I can tack on when baby is here rather than beforehand

I’m in two minds when to finish really. I finished at 34 weeks with my first, on due date with 2nd (but had 6 weeks off before that as he was born at end of august & I’m a teacher!), 3rd I finished at 38 weeks which was fine.

This time I’m due mid Nov my dates were adjusted back by 2 weeks so still have a feeling I might go earlier! I think I’m going to finish the 1st/2nd week of October which would be about 34/35 weeks as I want to get all my Xmas shopping done before baby arrives & spend some extra time with my older ones.

Technically my maternity leave is to start on my due date, but I have three weeks of annual leave to use up before that, so I’ll be going off at 37 weeks. Office based job.

I work from home and have chosen to work until 39+2. I do have some AL in reserve to use as and when I need in the lead up.

Hi everyone, thanks for your advice! I definitely will have to see closer to the time but probably going to work up to 2 weeks before the due date!

Taking time off as holiday is a super good idea too cos I'll have some annual leave left.

Xxx

Im currently 34 weeks and due in September. Baby will be born 13th at the latest by c section.

My maternity leave is due to start on 2nd September when I will be nearly 38 weeks pregnant.

However I work in a school and finished for the school holidays back on 16th July so actually have a really nice break before baby arrives, without using up my maternity leave as that is timed to begin on what would be my first day back after the holidays.

I was over 37 weeks both times. I'm a teacher so was on my feet and fairy busy. I wanted to work as long as I could so that I could have the time with the babies afterwards

I started ML on the Monday before DD was due on the Saturday but I took a few weeks leave before that.
I ended up hospitalised for half of my leave and didn't tell work as I'd have had to start ML early.
I'm in an office job and my commute was horrendous so I was glad to finish.

My second is due mid February and I think I might finish earlier this time but will see how it goes as my commute is less frantic now. I'm not back in the office yet though, and I'm absolutely knackered all the time so I think I'll struggle more this time around.

Finished work the Friday before I had a planned inducement on the Monday (but was only 37weeks).

Work and the teenagers I work with where great and brought me lots of tea and snacks when I was on shift.

I started my maternity leave at 36 weeks both times, but due to covid, I was finished both times at 28 weeks.

39 weeks with DD and planning 38 weeks with DS due next month. Taking a week’s annual leave before finishing this time. Dd came early at 38+5 so I had very little time off to chill before the birth!

37 weeks with my first - he arrived at 42 weeks.
38 with my second, and will have one week before she comes.

...I'm 32 weeks at the moment and have lost all motivation!

I’m 33 weeks at the moment and can’t wait to finish work. Although I’m working from home I’m feeling rubbish and really struggling now. My actual maternity leave starts 2 weeks before my elcs but I’m taking 2 weeks annual leave before that so I’ll finish at 35 weeks.

I’m starting mat leave at 37 weeks but have to use up annual leave so finishing at 33 weeks (next week woo hoo). I don’t cope all that well with pregnancy and am fed up of trying to negotiate a full on job with nausea, fatigue and pelvic pain!

This is my third and with my previous two I was ready to go back to work by 10/11 months and was ready to finish work well before my mat leave started. Plus she’ll be evicted by my due date at the latest and DC2 came a week early. So I thought sod it, I want some down time before things get really crazy!

But it’s so different for everyone’s different circumstances and hard to know until nearer the time how you’ll be feeling.

I’m a teacher, I taught until 39 weeks the first time but the last weeks were tough. Started my leave at 37 weeks the second time.

I'm due on the 7th Jan, taking two weeks holiday from 15th Dec and Mat leave from the 3rd Jan (I get bank Holidays off so in reality my leave is more than two weeks with them included). I do work in an office based role with the ability to work from home though so if I didn't have the leave to take I would probably go off later.

I have quite alot of leave left so planning on taking one day off a week from the beginning of November up until I go off.

I finished at 37 weeks. I'd been having a lot of issues with my pregnancy though. I was in a wheelchair and working from home by the end. I also used annual leave to only do 3 day weeks for a few weeks before I finished. DD was born by planned C-section at 39+3. If I hadn't had such an understanding and flexible boss/company I think I'd have had to finish by about 32 weeks though.

I think you're right to see how you feel nearer the time. I'd planned to push things to 38-39 weeks to maximise the time after but it was clear I was never going to manage that so we amended it.

27 weeks and it was too bloody late. 35 is more comfortable, and earlier if you are in a physical job.

40 weeks both times. In a stressful and physically taxing job so it was too long but I wanted to maximise my time afterwards with the baby. 37/38 would have been better.

I went to WFH at 39 weeks and then put my out of office on the night before my c-section at 39+5.

I have an office job though, although I worked a bit event the weekend before I had DS so I was on my feet schmoozing all through Saturday and Sunday and wound up working 10 days straight.