How long did you work until going on maternity leave?

[widowwadman]

I'm currently still planning to work up until the christmas shutdown, which would leave me about 10 days before my due date. I've got a busy job, which is office based and I enjoy immensely, so it's not only financial reasons why I want to leave as late as possible.

How crazy am I for doing this? Will I actually be able to do it, if it's a "normal" pregnancy and Horatio won't show any signs of wanting to arrive early? I guess if I was expecting any complications, it'd be different, but at the moment I feel mostly great.

Has anybody here worked until the very end and what are your experiences?

 

[LisaJ1986]

I left 14 days before my due date. She came 10 days late but i wanted to work as long as possible. My reason was because i have a desk job. I wasn't straining myself. If i wasn't sat at work i'd be sat at home. The longer i worked the longer i got with my baby.

 

[Tangerinedream]

My EDD was 24th July so I started maternity leave on 1st July but took 2 weeks annual leave from 13th June. I really couldnt have worked longer than I did, I was HUGE and as a housng officer I did a lot of walking which was tiring me out.

 

[nickilubs]

Im planning to work till 12days before my due date could possibly be more at the moment due to my boss having a few problems with familly. So far every things been good and Ive had no problems the only thing is trying to fit you MW appointments, health visitor and antenatal classes in on your days off is the only real bug. Everyone assumes you are on mat leave when your not and makes it quite difficult because they want you to plan you around them when you have to explain your still working and they have to plan around you instead!

 

[daftscotslass]

I stopped just over 2 weeks before my due date. I felt fine up until then. When I stopped I think it was only then I realised how exhausted I was!

 

[Gem & Leland]

i stopped at 29 weeks , that was our xmas shut down so was easy ,and good job as i was hospitalised at 31 lol

 

[charlie84]

I went on maternity leave three weeks before her due date.
Like it has been said i dont think i realised how tired i actually was until i left work. Definately needed to rest at that point.
Calleigh came on her due date so i enjoyed three weeks off.

What ever you decide to do, when you do go on maternity make sure you do relax and have yourself lie ins, long baths etc etc because once baby is here that all goes out the window

 

[NIE]

I went as early as possible. I think it was at 29 weeks. xxx

 

[widowwadman]

Im planning to work till 12days before my due date could possibly be more at the moment due to my boss having a few problems with familly. So far every things been good and Ive had no problems the only thing is trying to fit you MW appointments, health visitor and antenatal classes in on your days off is the only real bug. Everyone assumes you are on mat leave when your not and makes it quite difficult because they want you to plan you around them when you have to explain your still working and they have to plan around you instead!

Well, but aren't you entitled to time off just to attend the appointment? That's how I understood it, and my employer doesn't seem to have a problem with it. I can't do any MW or Scan Appointments outside working hours due to the clinic opening times, but try to put them towards the end or the beginning of the day, which apart from my scan next Wednesday (Yay!) always seemed to work. Even though I'm not asked to, I'm making the time up as much as possible, because anything else wouldn't be fair on my colleagues. And I'm a workaholic.

Do you get to see the HV even before birth? I thought that came only after?

 

[nickilubs]

I work in a small shop theres only me and my boss so I cant take time off for appointments even thought she would let me and wouldn't have a problem with it but I would feel bad myself to leave her having to work with out me she has alot of other things to do and sometimes would have to close the shop if I wasn't able to cover for her either that or get one of her friends to help but it being a florist they arnt really much help when it comes to making things up for customers or knowing flowers and stuff.

Like I say its not so much the work having a problem its the Midwifes and people who want to see you that find it difficult. My Antenatal class was a one day thing from 9.30-4.30 so I had to book a day off with only a couple weeks notice because that was when I received the letter.

Health Visitors are different in different areas mine came early because she was changing areas and wanted to see me before she moved some peoples will wait till they are further on in pregnancy some will wait till babys born. Its quite a common thing now though that they will visit you before the birth.

 

[aramintalovegrove]

I plan (if all goes well) to leave on my due date unless anything drastic changes or I give birth early, Im having the worst pregnancy and have been very ill so dont want to tempt fate, however if I can drag myself in in some of the states I have been in the last few months lasting till DD should be a doddle

Last time I had to leave a couple of weeks (works policy) before I would have liked to have stayed longer though and that time I was fit as a fiddle.

 

[Jelly_Fly]

I worked up until 3 weeks before, I worked in a busy pub then & got that I couldn't do a lot except pull pints. Standing all day was hard as well. When the time comes for #2 I think I'll work a bit later. Now I sit at a computer & would rather get paid to sit & have more time off with the baby after!

 

[Becky]

I worked till 36 weeks last time and ended up 2 weeks over due! However I couldn't have worked much longer as I worked in IT for a packaging manufaturer which meant a lot of my job involved standing out on the factory floor looking after the PCs there and I ended up with quite a lot of back pain.

This time I'm in an office based job but I'm still planning to finish at 36 weeks. Mainly because my due date is 8th December and I want to have time before to get ready for Christmas.

 

[Jade&Evie]

I left at 30 weeks because I couldn't cope with the 2 hour commute into London everyday

 

[widowwadman]

Wow! I couldn't cope with a 2 hour commute even when not pregnant!

 

[CoreysMummy]

I had a two hour commute too!!

I was planning on leaving at 32 weeks because of this, I had to drive, and I was so huge out front there, that it was so unsafe if Id of been in an accident. Unfortunately at 28 weeks my father died, so work told me to go, and I was not required to come back, they would pay me full wages for the 4 weeks I was not there, then start my Mat leave as usual. SO it feels like I havent been at work for like... ever!!! Very good of them too.

 

[Lis32]

I finished work 2 weeks before my EDD. The first week was annual leave, so my mat leave started 7 days before EDD and he came 4 days early. I felt like I had enough time off as I'm not really one for sitting down/ relaxing... I was lucky though as I had a completely trouble free pregnancy and felt great all through.

 

[kirstyxxx]

i worked until the day before my planned c section. purely because i was bored, would obssess on pregnancy websites on days off and being at work made the time go faster.

my job was quite busy which kept my mind off things and i was fine in myself so kept going.

it also meant i got loads of paid antenatal and hospital visits and birthing classes especially in the last few weeks!

you should do what you feel most comfortable with which will vary from pregnancy to pregnancy etc. i took 5 weeks off in tri 1 as i was so sick and had spotting.

xx

 

[~*Leanne*~]

I finish on 26th September and go back on 11th August 2009!! i think it makes it about 10 1/2 months i have off (roughly) but my maternity leave doesnt start until 13th October as i am taking 2 weeks holiday first!!

 

[maybebaby]

I stopped work at 27 weeks last time, I took 2 weeks holiday then started my maternity leave at 29 weeks. The only reason I took it so early was because I was moving back down south & wanted to get down here as early as possible to meet the midwife etc & get settled in the new house before the baby arrived. I did get really bored & fed up, and it also meant I had to go back to work when Austin was only 3 months old because my maternity pay ran out.

This time I'm currently planning to start maternity leave on my due date but take 2 weeks holiday before so actually finish at 38 weeks. I only do 2 days a week in an office though, I don't think I could work that long if I was full time.

I'm going to have the first 3 months off completely, then go in once a month ('keeping in touch' days) for a few months, then once a fortnight until I go back properly (probably after 9 months but we haven't decided yet).