Main Earner?

[fothers]

Hi I am ttc and starting to worry about money already. I am the main earner in our house and am worried that as I will only get stat maternity pay that I will need to go back to work really soon afterthe birth depending on how much money we can save up.

I will need to work right up til due date full time (and its quite a stressful job and long hours) so I can get the max time off afterwards rather than wasting it before. I am worried how we will manage after the first 6w when money gets cut down to £108/week. There is know way that will be enough to pay mortgage etc etc along with OH pay.

I think I will need to go back maybe 3d a week when baby is only 3-4months old even though I would really rather stay at home.

Is anyone else in this situation??

 

[Lindsay]

Hello fothers, 2 friends of mine had to go back to work when their LO was 14 weeks old for the same reason, they both went back full time and said that although it was hard it was something that had to be done. Another friend is going back to work in a couple of weeks and her Lo will be 4 months old, she is going back 4 days a week until Christmas. I know that she is in 2 minds about going back to work, she really doesn't want to leave her LO but has to go back in order to pay the bills. Her LO is going into childcare and that is going to cost her money too. When I fell pg, I had planned to go back to work full time after my maternity leave (I am lucky to be able to take 6 months off as DH earns a decent wage and I saved money up for when I get SMP for the last 2 months) but now I have my LO I don't want to go back and leave him! I have requested to go back 4 days a week and am just waiting for the outcome. Good luck and I hope that you get sorted with an outcome that makes you happy!

Xxx

 

[Hypnorm]

one thing i will say it you can guarantee that you will be able to work right up untill your due date, what if you have complications with the pregnancy and you are signed off, legally your work can then start your maternity leave i think up unitll 6 week before babe is due.

Child care is NOT cheap and that will use up alot of your wages, plus you will mis out on seeing your little one grow up.

i think you really have to think long and hard about your options maybe your other half could be the stay at home person?

i wanted to go back to work part time - but it wasn't an option becuase childcare would have basically had me taking home about 2.50 an hour!

 

[fothers]

Thanks guys- I realise I may need to stop work sooner but am going to aim for as late as possible. We have started cutting back and saving etc and I suppose at the end of the day we will just need to manage.

I will try and go back 3 or 4 days if poss and maybe oh will do 4d as his job should be flexible. His mum will hopefully be able to help with childcare.

I would be really jealous if he got to be a stay at home dad - and would be worried that I would need to come home and do cleaning etc to as men are never as good at that- or maybe thats just me??!

 

[skatty]

Fothers I am sure everything will work out, it always does! My friend started saving as much money as she could as soon as she found out she was pregnant and then stayed at home for 7 months. She then went back part time, she is also the main earner in her house.

I do have to agree that you don't know what complications you may have. I work for myself and had sickness for the first 4 months and have now got a pregnancy related liver condition which means I don't sleep at night and I have just had to face facts that work will have to take a backseat. I do need to be earning the money but IO just have to have the belief that its all going to work out.

try not to worry about anything as stress isn't good when TTC.

Good luck and I hope you get your BFP super quick

 

I was not the main earner in my house but can I just say that if you have unsecured debts (credit cards, store cards, computer finance type things, etc) you can legally cut you payments down if you can't afford them. We've done this so that I can stay at home with Damien, and I wouldn't have it any other way now.

I hope you work something out xx