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Original poster

Maternity Leave

25 replies

MrsChristmasY · 09/12/2008 13:07

Just wondered how long people are giving themselves before they are due?

I work for an agency (office work only) and they are paying my mat leave, but have just asked me to confirm when I'll stop working - I want to give myself as much time as poss with madam afterwards, but don't want to be silly about things. Is two weeks off before due date sensible? I know some who are due near me (I'm 22.02.09) stopping at Christmas (which makes sense) but don't want to have to go back before I'm ready.

Also wondered how flexible I can be? If I give myself two weeks but then need to stop working before then, can I bring the date forwards?

OP posts:
ninjinglebells · 09/12/2008 13:10

First time I worked until my due date (and she was 5 days early ooops)and second time gave myself a week! First time round was fine, second time round I could have done with stopping a week earlier.

I would say that if you have an office job and an easy(?) pregnancy that 2 weeks should be fine. You can always get signed off by the doctor earlier if you feel you need to.

littleboyblue · 09/12/2008 13:12

Two weeks sounds fine if that's what you want. I planned to stop 4 weeks before due date to finish preparing and to have some time on my own, watching telly and doing the things I wouldn't be able to do for a while, like read a book, long soaks in the bath etc, I ended up going off earlier because I started to bleed a few times and took it as I sign I was doing too much.
I think Christmas might be a bit early tbh, depends how long you plan to take off.
Not sure how much notice you have to give to change dates mind you.

flowerytaleofNewYork · 09/12/2008 13:51

2 weeks isn't very long. I know a lot of people who worked to 36 weeks and beyond who gave birth within 48 hours of stopping work. Almost as though the baby was hanging on until work stopped. I'd want to do my best to ensure at least a little bit of breathing space.

WHat about taking some holiday to give yourself a bit more time?

If you want to change your dates you have to give 28 days notice, although in practice if you decided that you couldn't physically manage to work any longer, most employers would try and relax that requirement.

dickensiandora · 09/12/2008 13:53

with my dd I worked until one week before I gave birth. Am exhausted this time around, have planned to work up to 38 weeks and will have to get signed off by doc I think (will I ever learn?)

stillstanding · 09/12/2008 13:55

I took two weeks off before my due date and would recommend it. Towards the end it was getting quite tiring but DS ended up being two weeks overdue so I had a month off before he was born and any longer and I would have gone barmy!! Ultimately you can always go off earlier if you change your mind closer to the time.

HappyMummyOfOne · 09/12/2008 19:56

Same as stillstanding, finished at 38 weeks and went 2 over - was bored silly so glad I didnt finish any earlier.

staryeyed · 09/12/2008 20:03

misread both of your posts and thought you meant you stayed at home with your new born for 2 weeks and were bored silly.

staryeyed · 09/12/2008 20:05

Can I intrude and ask a related question- Im due in april so new year for AL. I was wandering if its possible to stack my AL at the beginning of my ML iyswim.

Original poster
MrsChristmasY · 10/12/2008 12:37

Staryeyed: I know you acrue it while you're off, but a friend of mine was told she had to use them at the end of mat leave, not the begining. Might just be down to individual companies though...

Thanks for all the advice, guys. I'm convinved that madam will be as stubborn as her mum and be at least a week late, but if she comes early or on time, giving myself two weeks should be fine... (I hope)!

OP posts:
elkiedee · 10/12/2008 15:31

staryeyed, how long do you plan to take on maternity? My employer says people should take AL as a block at the beginning or end - First time round, I started ml very near the end of a leave year so took my outstanding leave before and then had 5 weeks of a new year's AL in Jan-Feb, returning in early March with just a few days before my leave year finished at the end of May. If your AL year starts at the beginning of April and you're due at end, then your plan makes sense - and do you have any left for this year that you can take eg at end of March, or to make your weeks shorter as it gets tougher.

flowerytaleofNewYork · 10/12/2008 15:34

staryeyed you need to ask your employer. If you are due to go off at the beginning of a leave year, you might not have time to take it before mat leave kicks in, so the other option is to take it in a block at the end of your maternity leave.

Pinkjennybellrock · 10/12/2008 15:35

I finished work on the Friday and had a scheduled C-section the following Thursday. Definitely wish I'd had longer off before dd was born.

staryeyed · 10/12/2008 18:29

Due on 21st April so I have a few weeks between new year and and due date. I just thought it would help us financially to take AL at the beginning as pay would continue as normal for as long as possible.

mygreatauntgriselda4christmas · 10/12/2008 18:33

I stopped a month befre DS1 and was bored silly for a month

With DD it was 1 week ebfore and with DS1 it was 2 weeks

I think two weeks is ideal - you will feel tired but you will still have a couple of weeks to get stuff sorted out and chill (get into "baby mode") before your lovely newborn appears

How exciting!!

[broody emoticon]

mygreatauntgriselda4christmas · 10/12/2008 18:40

Re annual leave yes you do accrue AL for 6 months (might be 12 months now though)

I doubt whethe an employer can tell you when to take your leave - that would be discrimination. Its up to you to plan it in and agree with your line manager

Non PG people are not told they have to take their leave in "blocks" and I doubt whether an employer could enforce that

I took mine as one day a week (Fridays) when I returned - by the time it ran out, I hd accrued more - MEANING THAT FOR THE FIRST 6 MONTHS BACK, i WORKED 4 DAY WEEK BUT GOT PAID FOR 5 DAY WEEK. (oops didn't mean to shout!!)

You need to decide ho you want to play it. Yur employer needs to demonstrate that the are being reasonable and not discriminaing against you

mygreatauntgriselda4christmas · 10/12/2008 18:40

Re annual leave yes you do accrue AL for 6 months (might be 12 months now though)

I doubt whethe an employer can tell you when to take your leave - that would be discrimination. Its up to you to plan it in and agree with your line manager

Non PG people are not told they have to take their leave in "blocks" and I doubt whether an employer could enforce that

I took mine as one day a week (Fridays) when I returned - by the time it ran out, I hd accrued more - MEANING THAT FOR THE FIRST 6 MONTHS BACK, i WORKED 4 DAY WEEK BUT GOT PAID FOR 5 DAY WEEK. (oops didn't mean to shout!!)

You need to decide ho you want to play it. Yur employer needs to demonstrate that the are being reasonable and not discriminaing against you

flowerytaleofNewYork · 10/12/2008 19:04

You accrue annual leave throughout, and yes it's perfectly legal for an employer to tell any employee when to take their leave. Difficult not to take leave in blocks if you are not at work for months or a year.

mygreatauntgriselda4christmas · 10/12/2008 20:56

Hmm I guess if the employer can demonstrate that they have made other employees take their leave in blocks and not just PG women .

They are not allowed to treat PG women differently

RibenaBerry · 10/12/2008 23:02

Greataunt -also bear in mind that (although I agree with your comment about taking all the leave in a single block, and Flowery's comment about the practicalities) a lot of employers will not let you use leave the way you did. Mine, for example, wouldn't let you use a day's holiday a week for a long period. They don't want the continual disruption. They'd turn down the same request for anyone, so it's not discrimination.

Great that your work let you though

elkiedee · 10/12/2008 23:25

They did allow one of my colleagues to use leave to work a 3 day week when she first returned. But taking most of mine as a block at the end actually suited me quite well, as it fell at quite a nice point in the leave year and I was back on full pay for the month before I had to start paying ds's childminder. This time I need to use up this year's leave before I go, apart from 5 days which I can carry forward as per standard practice. Then I'll probably use a week or two before I go back to work, but not all as I'll have 7 months of 2009/2010 left and will need time off over Christmas, if my CM needs time off and probably to have some sort of actual holiday even if it's just visiting family.

mygreatauntgriselda4christmas · 11/12/2008 11:50

Ribena/Flowery - maybe I am spoilt as I work in the public sector ?

elkiedee · 11/12/2008 11:53

Me too, our maternity leave guidelines still advise it should be taken in blocks

mygreatauntgriselda4christmas · 11/12/2008 12:23

Really?

catweazle · 11/12/2008 22:11

My last day at work was 2 March with a due date of 19 March. I planned to take Annual Leave from 5 March to 16th. Had a MW appointment the evening of 2 March and she realised DD was breech. Cue the next week trotting up and down to the hospital and a CS on 13th.

flowerytaleofNewYork · 12/12/2008 09:03

The bottom line is, if an employee begins maternity leave at the beginning of a holiday year, she can't take any of it before she goes. So she spends 9 months on paid maternity leave, leaving her with 3 months to take at least 4 weeks holiday, maybe more.

IMO it's more convenient for everyone if this leave is tacked on the to end of maternity leave. If an employer always lets everyone take leave whenever they want it (unlikely) then yes, refusing an employee's request to come back from maternity leave for a week, go off again for a week, then come back for a week, go off for two weeks, or whatever, might be risky.

But personally I would have no compunction about refusing that request on the grounds that it would be overly disruptive to the business and saying that in order to take 4 weeks in the space of 3 months, it's better to take it in one block.

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