When is everyone finishing for mat leave and how far along will you be??

[Chelle1986]

Hi All,

Just being nosey really!!

I am 28+2 and will be finished in 5 weeks!! Woohoo!! Everyone keeps saying this is dead early because I will only be 33 weeks!

But the reason is because I am actually being made redundant on 31st December anyway, so I am using all my holidays for the year in August and mat leave will automatically start on 1st September while I'm off. This way when they give me my pay off in December they will have had to may be the maximum mat leave before I go! Am being crafty!! LOL.

Am I going to be really bored though....hmmm. My thinking is that this is my first baby so get as much rest in as I can befor emy life changes forever!! lol.

Hope you are all well today.xxx

Hey there,
I am finishing on 31 Aug, I'll be 37 weeks then. (We must be due around the same time, am 28+1).
But my post has also been made redundant so will transition into something new when I return from mat leave. Which means they have been paying me to do absolutely nothing lately so have no problem "working" till 37 weeks...

i'm going on mat leave mid august, i will be 29 weeks.

but i'm self employed and i want my business to be back up and fully running by next may, and i want to take my full entitlement!

i'm also finding work quite difficult so i'm counting down the weeks!

RunningGuerita : I know the feeling! I have had nothing to do since January at work! Its ridiculous - I hate being bored! Can't wait to finish.

I did have the option to come back to work after mat leave - but to a job I've never done and if I didn't like the job they wouldn't have to give me my redundancy money. So was easier for me to take the money and go and be able to spend another 6/7 months with my little boy. Then I can find something new!

addictedishavinga girl : I'm counting the weeks too! I have a little countdown calendar on my desk...hehe

Next Friday and I will be 36+4.

I could probably manage another week if it wasn't for killer heartburn everytime I lie down meaning I'm averaging about 2 - 3 hours sleep a night

I'm finishing two days before my due date - last time I was off for two weeks and then went late and was BORED. There's only so much house-cleaning/ internet surfing/ reading you can do when you're just waiting for it to happen. Plus work is really close to the hospital so if necessary I can just get a taxi there. I'll probably take my notes and a minimal hospital bag (a t-shirt and a bottle of water) to work for the last couple of weeks just in case.

I finished yesterday. I'm 32 weeks.

Last time I worked until 37 weeks and would have been bored at home.

This time I have been ready to stop for a while. I'm looking forward to not being so crushingly tired (I have a feeling that wont be today).

Today and I am 36+3. I worked until 38 weeks last time with an underground and train commute. Looking forward to sitting on the sofa reading to DD.

I finished last Friday at 35+5. Yes, I could probably have carried on at least one more week, but I'm incredibly glad I'm not having to take the tube in this heat. Instead I have been going swimming, watching Wimbledon, drinking coffee with my neighbour etc... I had three weeks of annual leave to use up so my actual mat leave doesn't start until 19 July (when I'll be 39+1).

I'm taking leave from 30 weeks. Haven't been well for most of pregnancy so they can't rely on me ro be there anyway!

Baby is also likely to be born at 38 weeks so I will get a good amount of time with the other 2 first

Not until the end of September when I will be 34 weeks- I work at a university so our holiday year runs from 1 October, so it makes sense to go off just before that and tag a week of holiday onto the beginning of my maternity leave as I can't carry it over.As I posted on one of the other threads yesterday though- in this heat I am tired enough to want to go off now and I'm only 22 weeks!

Hi Chelle,

Don't know if you have heard of something called the 1999 Parental Working Leave regulations or similar name? It states that if you are on maternity leave and at risk of redundancy AND there is a suitable alternative vacancy, your employer must offer it to you. Of course, it may be different in your case (for example, if there are no suitable vacancies), but just wanted to make you aware of this!
Enjoy your mat leave : )

I was going to start mat leave on my due date and use up my two weeks of holiday before then because up until this weekend I've been all smug and considered this pregnancy lark to be a breeze. Since Saturday though I've not slept for longer than half an hour in a row due to having to pee 10+ times a night. My indigestion/heartburn is so bad that I'm drinking gaviscon like water and I puked on the train this morning (made it to the toilet at least) which was embarassing and unpleasant. Am hoping this isn't going to last for the next 10 weeks before I'm due to give up work (I'm 28+1) but if it does, I'll take being bored at home over puking on a train anyday and will probably leave a bit earlier.

I went at 32 weeks as I was finding my job difficult and tbh I had holiday and Im taking my entitlement. This is my first. For the few couple of wk's was a bit bored but being a lady of leisure is quite nice! Enjoy yourself good luck with your bub

I will be 37 weeks and I can't wait - no work and new baby to look forward to!!!

It's bliss I tell ya. Am considering pottering down to the library now to stock up on chick lit. This is only my third day off and yes, it feels like a long time already, but I'm not complaining (yet). I've got something, however small, planned in pretty much every day for the next fortnight - I think I'm going to wonder how I had time to go to work.

The only problem is my DH works from home a lot of the time so we are just getting used to not getting under each other's feet! His office is where all the baby stuff is that I want to be sorting out - wish he'd go out and let me get on with it! Oh well, he works in the office all day on a Friday so I can do it then...

I will be 39+ 2 when I finish work, but I work from home, so want to maximise my pay and entitlements (since all I get is SMP).

I took 2.5 weeks off prior to DS1 and he arrived 3 days early.

I highly suspect I will be early again this time, which may well mean I go into labour before I'm officially meant to finish, but I'll be at home, and the hospital is very close by, so it doesn't worry me.

I will be winding down at work anyway, so I don't have a worry of leaving loads of stuff unfinished.

I'm off in 2 weeks this Friday and I'll be 35+1.

I can't wait! I have a few little projects to keep me amused, e.g. sewing nursery curtains, defrosting the freezer etc, and I have a little online business to wind down before due date so hopefully I won't get too bored!

i have 14 weeks of work left, ill be 37+5.

I work in an office and to be honest i think ill get more rest there than at home with my toddler!

I am praying (unlike last time where i did everything in my poweer to make him come out!) that this one doesnt come early as im so looking forward to having 2 or 3 weeks with my little boy before new baby arrives!

I'm going to start at 30 weeks and take nine months. Can't face the commute in the last bit - over an hour with two train changes.

I have got 3 weeks 2days 2 hours (ish!) to go. Im finishing for annual leave at 35+3 but start my maternity leave on my due date - so get a full 9 months at home with my first baby. Im not too worried about being bored, if baby turns up early Im a bit stuck as Im in the middle of a massive home rennovation project now and am yet to get all my baby stuff (but I know what I want!!) I figure in any case I will cope - if I go over then I will also cope... what will be will be

I have ages left! Finishing 3rd September when I'll be 37 weeks (27+2 now and suffering on the tube!).... Becasue of holiday, my mat leave actuially starts at 39 weeks.

I am looking forward to finishing because I can't wait to meet this baby, obviously, but I have mixed feelings... I genuinely love my job, so I really don't want there to be too much of a gap between finishing and having the baby...if that makes sense! Once the baby has arrived though, I know the last thing I will want is to go back to work... at least not for a good long while!

I am 36 weeks and finished just over a week ago and it is fab!!! I was told that I would be bored but I am sooo not in fact I don't know how I got everything done when I was working! I am having a ball, so if you are able to finish work a little earlier i.e. if you too have got holidays stored up then I would say do it!! Also nice to have the last bit of 'me time' before baby no.1 arrives!! Good Luck!

I'll be 31 weeks when i finish, but have two weeks of hols then that i'd already booked for august, so mat leave will start at 33 weeks.
I'm really struggling with work and have had so much time off theres no way i could stay any later!

I'm hoping to go at 38 weeks but use two weeks leave before that, so go at 36 weeks. It's hard to judge as this is my first but it's an office job and I can be flexible so it should work out okay.

I will have 4 weeks off before EDD, in fact I have to take that as I am on medically reduced hours (due to having a shit time this pregnancy) so as I am technically on sick leave (though not really, just working one or two hours less per day which is accruing as sick leave) I have to start mat leave 4 weeks before EDD.

That's 8 weeks away (starting leave - due 21st Sept) but would happily stop now as I'm not enjoying my role at the moment (will go into another unknown role on my return) and am so knackered and uncomfortable all the time. Though it won't be much of a break being at home with DD (3 yo) and really what's keeping me at work is the air conditioning!

First time round though I had 5 weeks off and it was bliss and I wasn't bored for one minute!