Hi all. I'm currently 6weeks today. It was a shock as we weren't trying for a baby but we are happy about it. Recently though these last couple of days I've been feeling extremely anxious about when I'm on maternity leave. Me and my partner do not live together we live 96 miles apart. My partner bought his flat last year and i live in a house.
bit of a back story. So this isn't my first child. I have an older child. When I fell pregnant the first time I moved in with the dad. We weren't together but we lived together and it seemed like an ideal situation at the time. After a year we had an argument and he punched me in the face. I left, became homeless and had to quit my job. I've struggled financially as a single parent barely having enough money to cover the electric and gas meters and food. I did get myself a part time job but it barely left me with anything after bills were paid. Now my child is older I was able to work longer hours and with better pay. Financially I'm better off. I think part of my anxiety is I do not want to go back to how I felt all them years ago as a single parent.
I don't know if it's me jumping the gun slightly but I thought after this news my partner would have been like ok let's move in together. Now I know men do not think like that and he's been talking about how often he can come down to see us and spend time once the baby is here.
So now I'm panicking as I know maternity pay isn't the best. I work for the nhs and after talking to other staff who have been on maternity leave Recently I've asked what the pay was like. I was horrified to find out towards the end of maternity leave their pay dropped to just £200!
I also checked what I would be entitled to on maternity leave and its absolutely nothing except child benefit. My main worry is how can I pay my all of my bills and also I have a car on lease from work which I have the option of handing back but then I'm stuck as I live in a village. I have no extra money to even think about buying a cheaper car.
Am I just being anxious for no reason? or do you think that I should have a talk with my partner about my anxieties? He was here at my house all last week and not once did I have any thoughts about money etc and now since he left and went back I have done nothing but worry.