Is anyone a Full time working mum or plan to be

[sam08]

I cant afford not to work full time after the baby although we have saved for me to take the full year off. I do like working so i couldnt see myself at home all the time anyway but it would be so nice to at least go part time but financially we jsut cant do it on one salary. Even weighing up that we will have to pay for full time childcare we are still better off me working full time. I have done many many calculations to see what we could and couldn't manage on.

Is anyone else in this position.

Thanks

 

[lillyblue]

I am in the same position hun,

Due to the fact I have just bought my first house and new family car it would be impossible for me to go back part time and I can only afford to stay off for 6 months due to the fact we hadnt planned the baby!!! I am a little down about it all, but my mum and OH mum are both retired meaning no childcare bills so suppose im lucky there arent I?

So you have done all sorts of calculations? Would you not get any more benefits?

x

 

[kaybee]

Hi Sam

I just answered another similar post to say that I'm going to have to work - probably within a few weeks of baby's birth Me and hubby work freelance (together), but I earn a greater proportion of the money than he does - and I'm not talking big bucks either!

As we're both self-employed any time either of us has off is unpaid - it's my big worry at the moment. I'm getting really down about it; I have a couple of friends who are due now - one is a doctor and has oodles of paid maternity and the other works at a university and gets a couple of months full pay, then half pay for another month or so then SMP for the rest. It really upsets me that I work just as hard as them (long hours, demanding clients etc) but when I have the baby I will get basic MA and any time hubby takes off is completely unpaid as self-employed fathers can't claim a penny paternity allowance. It's really getting me down.

So, as much as I'd love to be a full-time mum I know already that it's out of the question as we can't afford to rely totally on OH's wage. I'm feeling pretty resentful of the situation tbh (not being pregnant, just the cash thing) so can completely sympathise with you

 

[sam08]

unfroutunately not - we earn too much to get any benefits - my OH pays ex child maintenance which we would never dream of reducing as it's not like we will struggle and wont be able to pay bills. Hey ho! I started at only being off 6 months but then realised you get paid your holidays and bnak holidays on top of your maternity pay which will be 33 days for me, then there is this grant you get for £190.00. Im also hoping to do the Keeping in touch with work days for some extra cash and to keep on top of things at work. That jsut about takes us to 12 months now. I hope things change for you and you get the full 12 months hun! It's a bummer isn't it but sometimes it can't be helped. xxxx

 

[sam08]

Hi Kayb - my OH is self employed as well so will have to take the time off as holiday (he's in a pernership). do doctors get extra maternity pay then? I knew i picked the wrong job! Yeah i get the minimum MP which I belive is the same as MA. Big hugs to all the F/T working mums!

 

[Cixes]

Well i spent a year at college full time and was really proud to get offered a place in uni to study adult nursing, only 32 days before i was due to start i found out i was pregnant with this baby and the uni refused to let me start this year.
So i am starting uni in september, baby will be about 6 months then and we have our other three who will be 10, 7 and 5.
My hubby isn't working at the moment and will probably stay home to look after the boys.

My course is full time so i think its about 4 days at uni a week then so much study time, then once i am on placement i do 12 weeks of full time 37 hours a week hospital work plus 7 hours a week study time, before going back to uni for a about 8 weeks! It's going to be tough with a family!!

 

[lillyblue]

Well I am similar sam 08 because I get 33 days holiday but somehow I dont think I can manage on the amount as I am the one who brings most money into the home!! Sham really!!

What is the £190 grant?

x

 

[Sammy J]

Same sort of story for me and my hubby really.

We both bring home about the same amount of money a month, however he is a semi-pro rugby player and this can equate to around £700 extra a month on top of our wages. So we are saving that money before the end of the season (why can't it be 12 months of the year )

So when we go off my work doesn't pay any maternity pay, I can claim SMP and thats it!

The cost of our house (which we bought 3 years ago, were still doing it up) along with the cost of living is really getting me down.

I plan to take as much time off as we can afford without us getting into trouble.

 

[sam08]

Lilly, Heres the link for the £190 grant, it starts from April next year if you are still pregnant then and it's not means tested, EVERYONE gets it! think your midwife helps to sort it for you in April, I plan to ask mine about it later this month! Every little helps though. Cixie i really admire you, you go girl and what a great career you will have at the end!

Good news on mortgage rates though if you're not fixed at the moment? If your fixed rate ends soon check out your banks Standard Variable Rate as that is what they usually automatically put you on, we are with Lloyds and our fixed rate ends March, the SVR is going down to 4% at the moment saving us £100. Maybe this will help some of you guys as well?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7095009.stm

 

[claire_louise]

my LO will be 6 months old when i start my full time uni course, so she'll be in nursery 5 days a week, which i hate the idea of, but it means i will be able to be a teacher, and will be able to provide just as well for her as if i was still with her daddy.

also means evening, weekends and all school holiday's she'll be with me, which is alot more then a lot of ppl get

 

[indie78]

I would like to go back part-time
We have no family to help with childcare so will have to pay for childcare- which is so expensive i dont know if it will work out better financially for me to work full or part time, its something i need to explore
Im a paediatric nurse and am considering exploring the option as training and registering as a childminder after i have taken my maternity leave and gone back to work for the few months necessary for me not to have to pay back the maternity pay
So much I need to look into- best get sorting it really!

 

[indie78]

Well i spent a year at college full time and was really proud to get offered a place in uni to study adult nursing, only 32 days before i was due to start i found out i was pregnant with this baby and the uni refused to let me start this year.
So i am starting uni in september, baby will be about 6 months then and we have our other three who will be 10, 7 and 5.
My hubby isn't working at the moment and will probably stay home to look after the boys.

My course is full time so i think its about 4 days at uni a week then so much study time, then once i am on placement i do 12 weeks of full time 37 hours a week hospital work plus 7 hours a week study time, before going back to uni for a about 8 weeks! It's going to be tough with a family!!

gosh- good luck! I cant imagine having done my nurse training with a family! However, there were lots of Mums training and they all coped just fine. I loved my nurse training- hope you do to!

 

[chezzabell]

im a full time working mother of 2 now, and plan to become a full time working mother of 3

thats just life for some people

 

[Sandie]

I HAVE to go back to work after my Maternity Leave due to our Mortgage. But i also think i'll miss my work if i didn't go back.

 

[meandthebump]

I have to go back to work too. I'm hoping to take 6 months off work, then the LO will go to nursery as i don't have family close by. We're going to see if we could manage with me working a 4 day week but we'll see how it goes.