Anyone working til due date???

[cosmicgirl]

Thats better x

 

[elisesmum]

I think the only reason i'm taking one/two nights off is because i work weekends which means it will be more like a week off not just days lol but the only reason i'm going back so quick is to stop my postnatal depression returning by being stuck in but i only work between 5 and 9 hours at the moment anyway so will probably stay like that when i go back so over two days i really dont work that many hours tbh xx

 

[Spinneygirl]

Im taking a year off, i dont want to go back to work and im defo not going back to my current job! We will have to see what the finances are like and if needs be i will get a part time job x

 

[TORino]

Wowzers, I couldn't imagine working any longer than I did and I finished at 37 weeks.

Hats off to you.

Where I work there is something in the policy about starting your mat leave the day the baby is born as well so if the baby comes early I'm not sure what would happen with my annual leave etc. I only had 2 weeks anyways but I'm going to be pissed if I lose them if baby comes soon. Having said that, I just won't tell them lol

 

[Tara1985]

Do you lose your annual leave if baby comes during that time?!

I planned on working right up to my EDD (I know I'm in denial) but my boss said I should take time before because I will be exhausted etc. so I plan on taking two weeks prior to 9th September. We can only afford to take 9 months of maternity leave but am working on OH because we could do it - he just doesn't like to scrimp. So jealous of the ladies that are able to stay with baby or go back part time as that is what I would have liked to have done

xxx

 

[ams25]

I am vaguely thinking I might start my mat leave 4 weeks before my EDD (well 2 or 3 weeks of that will be holiday if I can manage to save them until then). Its my 1st baby so I've got no idea how long you need really - I'm amazed how many of you ladies are planning to work until due date or very close, and its making me wonder if 4 weeks is too much now! But then because its our first, I am also figuring its probably the last chance I will get for lie-ins and catching up on trashy telly for the next 18 years so I plan to enjoy it!

I will probably take 6 months off and then go back full time I desperately wish I didn't have to and the thought really depresses me and makes me feel like a crap mother already! I so wish I could have 12 months off and go back part-time! But I earn more than my hubby so in reality he will probably drop down to working part-time and do 2 days childcare. We are also looking into that new scheme where your OH can use some of your maternity leave... Thinking that I could have 6 months off then my hubby will have 3 months off with the baby. Has anyone else looked into this? I've never heard of anyone else doing it but I think it will work well for us financially as I will then get my full wage for those 3 months!

 

[TaffyRose]

Me and my OH own our own business so I'll be helping out and balancing the laptop on my bump until my due date. To be honest I don't mind as I can work from home and rest when I need to, it'll also keep my mind active so I'm not sat thinking about when the baby will come. After the baby's born I will help out with the accounts, etc but can work the hours I want and take the baby into the office so I'm very lucky xxx

 

[Tara1985]

Taffy I have been thinking really hard of a working from home business but so far all I have come up with is online shopping for other people lol. Would love the freedom of earning a wage and looking after baby at home....

xxx

 

[TaffyRose]

We source and manufacture in the Far East, although my OH is looking to bring manufacture back to the UK, but are in the process of setting up online stores for other people and ourselves. Might be worth dabbling with an ebay store hun, it's easy to set up and you can just test the water to see if you could turn it into an at home business for yourself. I know people who contact the big retailers and buy end of line stock from them and sell that. Worth having a think ... xxx

 

[Tara1985]

It definitely is worth considering - I just need to find a niche to make it work. Ebay is definitely a good starting point though.

xx

 

[TaffyRose]

Yeah ebay will give you room to test things, you'll suddenly have a eureka moment of what niche you should go for. No doubt it'll be a mother and baby product none of us can find xx

 

[Tara1985]

Full of ideas Taffy!! I'm going to get my thinking cap on - I usually get great ideas after a night on the vino so will have to do some real market research...

xx

 

[Loula]

wow yous are crazy ladies...
Im finishing at 37+2 starting with annual leave and maternity leave starting the week im due...
I could easily finish work now as im soo shattered but defo if it all plans out for you all then hats off xxx

 

[kedi376]

I think I make a definite decision to when I leave nearer the time, see how I feel and what happening at work. At the moment I imagine I'll take a two weeks holiday and start maternity on on due date. I hope to take 10 months in total, 9 months of maternity and then 1 month of holiday. But we will see I guess.

 

[Cherrycola]

Wowzers, I couldn't imagine working any longer than I did and I finished at 37 weeks.

Hats off to you.

Where I work there is something in the policy about starting your mat leave the day the baby is born as well so if the baby comes early I'm not sure what would happen with my annual leave etc. I only had 2 weeks anyways but I'm going to be pissed if I lose them if baby comes soon. Having said that, I just won't tell them lol

I was going to say this, just be really careful about what your employers policy is regarding annual leave you have not managed to take before baby arrives. As far as I'm aware maternity leave must start the day your baby arrives. I work for the nhs and my first LO came 6 weeks early. I still had some annual leave to take and it required a lot of negotiation between HR and my manager to allow me to carry this leave over and tag it onto the end of my maternity leave. I was told that technically I should have lost this leave but they would allow me to carry it over due to exceptional circumstances.

 

[twinkles]

I wish I could take time off like you girls, take as much as u can off! I'm self employed and this is when it will bite me on the bum! I have a beauty salon, just me and fully booked 2 weeks in advance so I will have to work up until the labour pains kick in then fingers crossed I can take 2 weeks off then go back and do 4 12 hour days instead of 6! I can't afford to take longer off, not because of money because I will save lots over the months but if I took months off my clients wouldn't be there when I went back, I would haven business to go back to!!!!!

 

[michaelsmum]

For my first, I booked two weeks of annual leave the 2 weeks before my due date and he came 3 days into my holiday! I never got my holiday back as I didn't even think about it at the time.

This time, I'll have about 3 weeks annual leave I'd like to use before my due date, but I've been told due to carrying twins, the docs won't let me go over 37-38 weeks (and they could easily come earlier esp as my DS did!).

Like some of you, I'm just soooo tired at the moment so I'm a bit worried at just how long I'll be able to work for as I'd like to spend more time off after the babies are born. Saying that, I've just got to pay attention to my body and take it as easy as I can on my days off...luckily I'm part time at the moment so that's a big help.

 

[beckyboo1]

Maternity leave definitely has to start the day baby arrives so if baby arrives before you've used up your holidays you will lose them..hence why I finished at 33 weeks as I had 5 weeks holidays to take...no way was I risking losing holiday days which are essentially full paid days!!

 

[CARNAT22]

That's really handy to know ladies - and once I get to the stage I want to start considering dates etc then I'll give it some thought. I def want to save some holiday and would like to have a few weeks fully paid before maternity leave kicks in...

It's hard as some people go overdue with number 1 (my sister did with both her boys actually and I know several people that have gone anything between a week or 2 over!)

However my friend had her first baby a week early and my S-I-L had my nephew two weeks early (she went into labour the day her maternity leave started!!!)

I guess you can make your final decisions as you know more about bub and how he/she is growing?

Or do you have to give a date and stick to it when you inform work about your pregnancy?

xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[beckyboo1]

Carnat that all depends on how flexible your work are

I told them around the 25 week mark when I'd got my MAT B1 certain from midwife (certificate is basically proof of pregnancy for mat pay) so plenty of time to decide

My decision was based on the fact my Hols run from jan-jan so as I'm not returning to work this calendar year I had to take all 26 days before mat leave started

Only you will know how you feel depending on the sort of work you do. I'd def had enough by 33 weeks and I think if you ask most tri 3 ladies they'll say after 35 weeks it gets hard- lack of sleeping well is a massive factor

Although on theory I could end up with a couple of weeks less with baby at the other end I wouldn't have wanted to work longer. I'll never get this time back where it's just me and hubby and o now feel like I'm starting to relax with chance to catch up on sleep during the day xx