When did you start your maternity leave?

[loullou90]

Hi, sorry if this is posted on the wrong sub-thread, I couldn’t find one more appropriate.

When did you start your maternity leave? My baby is due in late October 24 and I’m thinking of starting it at 37 weeks, as the nursery we want would like the baby to start in September 24 (not ideal but we love the nursery so..) I’m planning on taking the full 12 months. I realise the norm is 38 weeks, I have an office job.

Thanks 😊

37 weeks, but he was a week late so I ended up being off for nearly a month. I enjoyed it until the last week when I was desperate for him to arrive!

DC1 29 weeks plus AL so 27 weeks as I hated work, it was summer and hot and I couldn’t reach my desk anymore 🤣.
DC2 signed off at 24 weeks on bed rest.
DC3 mainly office duties from around 28-30 weeks as I work on a high risk hospital ward. Plan was May leave from 36 weeks as I needed special clearance to work past that date, and 2 weeks annual leave over Xmas and NY prior to that so starting at 34 weeks, however I was ill and off work for the last week so I actually left at 33 weeks.

The day I gave birth.....but I was signed off prior

I'm off work from the 18th September but using 3 weeks of annual leave. My maternity leave officially starts on October 9th and I'm due on October 11th 23

I had an elective section booked at 39 weeks and took my leave 2 weeks before - so 37 weeks. But the first week was annual leave and the mat leave started officially the following week.

I was so done by 37 weeks!! My brain just couldn’t focus at work and I wanted to move into ‘baby mode’. Was a relief when I finally logged off.

Finishing up work at 35wks using a/l with maternity kicking in day after due date - they won't let me go past due date due to a mix of pregnancy related things. Currently 33wks and counting down the days which isn't like me at all 🥱 😴

@loullou90 All depends on how your pregnancy is progressing. If you have no complications and it is first baby you could be a week or 2 overdue, so leaving work at 38 weeks is likely to make you bored! Nursery shouldn’t push you to start at a certain date, but tbh I would take the “holiday” at the other end. Be at home when your baby is in nursery, not working, take some time to recover from the year of sleep deprivation. You will still be getting up in the night with a teething baby, and they will be getting illnesses from exposure to other babies so you would have to take time off work anyway. Enjoy those weeks knowing baby is safe in nursery, you are there to pick them up if needed, and give yourself some “me time”. Trust me you will need it more then than you will at 38 weeks pregnant!

make sure you look at your companies maternity leave policy - most will say it will start the day you give birth regardless of when you plan to take it :)

im planning to start a week of annual leave at 37 weeks (which will carry over if I go early) and the maternity at 38 weeks

It depends how well you feel in yourself. Is it your first child? I think often those with older children like to go off early to spend more time with them before the new baby arrives.

Bearing in mind you could be up to two weeks late, so it depends if you're the type who will end up bored with nothing to do.

I went on mat leave at 39 weeks, baby was born 41+1, and by the end of that two weeks I was definitely quite bored and impatient!