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When did you start your maternity leave?

Hi ladies,

We're looking for your stories on when you chose to start your maternity leave and how you spent the last few weeks before you gave birth when you weren't at work.

Did you choose to stop as early as you could (11 weeks before your due date) or did you work right update until the week before b-day? Did you find you had lots of time to sort out your nursery, buy your buggy and stock up your freeze or were you super-busy trying to fit everything in in the final dayes before your little one arrived?

Please share your stories on how you spend the last few weeks before b-day for Practical Parenting magazine. Either post here or email me at liz.stansfield@magicalia.com.

Big thanks,

Liz, PP x

Replies

  • stop work at 30 weeks for my 1st baby! to spend the rest of the 10 weeks with my husband alone and feet up! so glad i did that, cos now we hardly have time to have a good meal and watch moive in peace!
  • Hi Liz,

    I finished work just over four weeks early with plans to spend the my last 4 weeks swimming, meeting friends and sorting out the nursery.

    Unfortunately my dear son had other ideas and decided to make an appearance 4 weeks early!! The girls at work couldn't believe it when my husband rang to say i'd had the baby as i'd only been out for lunch with them 48 hours earlier.  I only actually had two days of maternity leave before i went into labour.

    Karel

  • Your lucky - I would have preferred that than waiting two weeks afgter my due date!     I also stopped four weeks before my due date, I needed to stop then it was tough going at work by then, so uncomfy but Harry decided he didnt want to put in a an appearance and kept me hanging around waiting!!!   But alls well that ends well!

    (Got sick of everyone asking me if I had had baby yet!! SUrely they would realise they would know if i had!!!!!!)

  • I finished work about 5/6 weeks before my first baby was due.I wanted as much time left for after he was born as possible.I was a nanny to twin 18 month old boys so my job was at times quite physical,though I don't suppose anymore than if you're looking after your own toddlers.

    We moved into  our new house the weekend I finished work,so that all kept me busy for most of my maternity leave sorting the house out,and of course the nursery ,the fun bit.My Harry was late too,only five days but you're sat at home waiting from a couple of weeks before your due date.I was fed up of being asked that question too.You would think people would know but when I had Arthur we had to go look round a house and the housing officer had arranged the appointment two days before  in between contractions which was a bit awkward,but when he saw me he asked what had happened with the baby,had I had it yet.I didn't hit him cos we needed the house..... 

  • I was lucky to be a stay at home by the time we had Ava but, with Mia I had a feeling. Oh, it sounds stupid now & I sort of understand why Lee rolled his eyes like I was mad but I was convinced Mia was going to arrive really early. It was hot at work being the middle of summer & the heating system broke so instead of air-con we got heat in a building where the windows to open (the office joke was, it stopped you jumping). Anyway, I snapped & couldn't stand the heat any longer so I left 2 months before Mia's due date because I thought she was going to arrive any day. Oh dear. 2 months go by, nothing. On the night she was due I was so upset with waiting we went to the seaside at midnight for a walk. 12 days later there she was. At the time it seemed to drag but now with my hands full from waking to sleeping I'm glad I got a bit of time to myself. With my time off I read so many books, did jigsaws, slept for England & cleaned like crazy. Lee wasn't happy but I wallpapered the nursery ready for Mia coming & 2 days later I painted it. We have high ceilings so I was up ladders & got in a lot of trouble. It was nice to have time off but a bit lonely because everyone was at work while I was getting excited about our baby coming & my mum had just moved away & she was the only family other then Lee I had. I did manage to get quite a bit of shopping done too. Shame to waste time off really. Lol image
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