Money troubles when pregnant

[Gxrgx]

Hi guys, wondering if someone can give me some advice.
So i started an apprenticeship in April and shortly after found out i was pregnant they all know about it, ive recently had to go off sick due to me hating the job and the people and some gossipers, its gave me major anxiety going to work which i knew was not right so i have gone on sick to apply for jobs i will be 18 weeks next week, i have applied for many jobs and had a few interviews but have had no luck getting a new job and thats without telling them im pregnant, a few people have told me (on mumsnet and friends) to stay on sick until maternity leave to still have an income then after maternity leave , then try again for another job, which i was going to do but i think i am getting SSP which is 99.35 a week which is no where near enough, i have been told to apply for UC which i have but due to how much i take home each month usually if i was at work even though ive stated im off sick and have provided sick notes for some reason im not entitled to anything, i havent started buying for my baby yet was going to start in august and im really struggling, my partner isnt on a great wage either and we are only young so we live with my dad im only 20 im really struggling and getting really depressed and worried over it as ive tried to look up any other financial help i could get but having no luck anywhere, does anyone have any advice or know anywhere i could get any financial support anywhere else as i really dont know what to do thank you

I think you're going to have to suck it up and go back to work.

What is your boyfriend doing to find another job to supplement your income as a couple? What were your income plans for when you and your boyfriend wanted a baby?

Not liking your job is not reason to not attend. Are you actually signed off by your GP for stress?

You are young, have no income, have no home, are not married, and have a boyfriend unable to support you, are you comfortable that you are making what you feel is the right decision here?

Your partner can get a second job.

You can get a different job of some sort.

Sorry, I don't agree with going "on the sick" because you don't like your job. 😐What were your financial plans when you decided to have a child together? How do you see your immediate future with a child to raise?

You need to address the issues at work.

Have you spoken to your manager/apprenticeship assessor about the conflicts you have with the other staff?

Specifically what is it about the ion and the people that you hate%.

Yes im signed off my my GP for stress, and anxiety, im not just off sick for not liking my job i just didnt state the full extent of everything in my post if everyone wants me to make a separate post stating all the things that have happened to me since being there its due to the other workers then i will make one so you get the full idea its not because if the job role itsself, i dont know how to reply to comments so ive had to quote sorry

The mental health issues make this even more difficult for you.

Your husband / partner needs to find a job that pays enough to support you when you are on maternity leave I think,

Yeah i know, my partner does work full time hes moving in with me soon but he has more bills to pay out than me so thats where his money goes

You need to ask yourself if this is an environment to bring a baby into

Sorry have to quote comments as im not sure how i reply but i have addressed them and my manager luckily is good to talk to but not really to sort things out and its about 90% of people 2 of them being other managers as the manager i feel comfortable going to she works part time at the moment due to having a small child and the other ones i rarely feel i can talk to as its like they are all friends and some of them family so theyre all together and i dont fit in, im a very private person and one girl had spread rumours around about me to people outside the workplace that i dont even know who know my boyfriend so have sent him threatening messages when they arent true, one manager when i did something wrong in my first week screamed what i did across the whole office and didnt come to me first and address it to fix it and that made me feel terrible , they gossip about me and other people, the phone was ringing and i was about to be sick with morning sickness so i went to bounce the call to my colleagues phone and she said "you need to answer that else theyll just slag you off" when i was literally about to be sick and thats only some of the things that have happened

Thing is, you don't have any other way to make money right now, and you're about to be a parent, so you really do just need to suck it up and get on with it.

All of this sounds vastly immature - I get that you're pretty much a kid still, but a very valuable lesson to learn early is that this sort of petty "don't fit in" sort of stuff isn't appropriate for the workplace. You're not there to make friends, you're there to work. Not liking people shouldn't be a barrier to doing your job.

Speak to your midwife and see what info she can give you on local support, also she will be able to offer support with your mental health too. There are often charities which collect and give out baby and toddler equipment and groups on social media where mums donate items to other mums. The Salvation Army usually have baby banks for example.

Stay signed off from work if your mental health is suffering. Pregnancy can worsen pre existing mental health illness. Get some support in place for your mental health, be open with professionals, they are there to support you.

Find out about benefit entitlements too and apply for this www.gov.uk/sure-start-maternity-grant/eligibility

I guess PPs missed the part where the OP says she is really worried, stressed and depressed. It’s hard being young and pregnant. OP I have been exactly where you are and struggled massively. Pregnant at 20, lost my job to redundancy when my eldest was a newborn, had no money, food banks didn’t really exist, was horrendous and in the last crash/recession too.

I eventually got a better job after maternity leave, and then went on to train in a much better paying job a few years later. My life now is so different to what it was 12 years ago but I still remember the panic. I also had pre existing mental health issues and not much support with those.

Be organised, seek help now to get support/plans in place for your finances and mental health. You have got this.

I completely agree that you shouldn't be having to put yourself in a horrible situation whilst pregnant and you shouldn't have to argue this with people on here. You came here to ask for suggestions and hopefully someone will be able to help.

Out of interest can I ask you a couple of questions:

• You say sick pay isn't enough. What expenses do you currently have that makes this too little?

• You started your job just before you found out you were pregnant, are you entitled to Statutory pay through your job or would it be maternity allowance? (essentially were you working there before the first day of your last period?)

• Is statutory enhanced at all? Is it much more than MA considering your job is an apprenticeship?

• Considering MA/ Statutory is only about £600 a month + child benefit is that enough to sustain you until you are able to find a new job after baby is born? (although you may be able to claim UC at that point, I'm not sure?)

• What are you going to do with baby when you go back to work as childcare is not cheap?

• Can the dad find a better paid job? and when he is living with your dad what expenses will he have to pay out and what is your plan to leave your dads and find you own place?

UC : I suspect you'll be entitled after the baby is born. Have you tried online benefit calculators? You can also contact
pregnantthenscrewed.com/ for advice on maternity pay etc

Try getting free/cheap secondhand stuff for the baby. Facebook groups, Netxdoor, charity shops, even specific mum and baby groups.

Your boyfriend needs to get a second job to support both of you. It's summer, there's a huge staff shortage so unless you live somewhere very rural he can definitely get a few hours in the evening/weekends.

Your bigger issue is what to do after baby is born - childcare is very expensive.