How long in advance should I start Maternity Leave?
Hi,
Sorry for gatecrashing this forum, but thinking you ladies who have recently given birth are best placed to answer my query. I am currently just debating when to start my maternity leave...I know some people work right up to the due date and others take considerable time off before. I do a desk job in an office about 30 minutes drive from home....is shopping about 4 weeks before edd about right? Or should I stop before that? When did you stop?
Thanks
E xx
Sorry for gatecrashing this forum, but thinking you ladies who have recently given birth are best placed to answer my query. I am currently just debating when to start my maternity leave...I know some people work right up to the due date and others take considerable time off before. I do a desk job in an office about 30 minutes drive from home....is shopping about 4 weeks before edd about right? Or should I stop before that? When did you stop?
Thanks
E xx
0
Replies
I was unemployed when pg with DS but if I was a first time mum now, I would want to have at least 2-4 weeks before due date.
It's nice to have that time to relax, prepare and pamper yourself before baby arrives, if you're a first timer! xx
For a while I felt really cheated out of my couple of weeks of down time and I just felt shattered having gone straight from work to being induced to having a baby, although I wouldn't change it now I would really recommend finishing at least a month before.
A very wise midwife said to me that maternity leave isn;t just for the baby it's also for you before the baby arrives and you should make sure you take the time to rest before this huge event in your life.
Because I was so taken off guard my poor husband had to go and buy nursing bras and do all the babies washing so he probably wished I'd finished earlier too!
Enjoy your pregnancy..x
Enjoy and good luck!
Within 3days of finishing work I went into labour
I think it depends whether you like sitting down and waiting for little one to arrive, I am so impatient I would rather be busy!
Good luck!
xx
sorry for ramling on and on and on and on.....
sophie
archie 3
and phoebe 12weeks
It is so hard to know how you will feel by then, but I think it is nice to have some time to just relax and get excited before the baby arrives is lovely. As one of my colleagues said, with your first baby it is the only time you really get to relax as once you have your baby it is busy busy, and then with subsequent babies you have other children to look after!
xxx
With dd2 I also finshed at 39+3 and she was 7 days late.
I was lucky enough that with my job I was able to be fairly flexible with my hours and take regular breaks. I wanted to work right up to the end so I would have as much time as possible with lo before I had to return to work.
Sophie+archie, can't believe they only gave you a 30 min break in 8 hours, thats really tight. I run a pub and restaurant and would never treat a pg employee like that.