When to start maternity??

Replies

• piggypops

  Mar 29, 2011 10:47AM

  i left at 31 weeks last time as i worked 3 or 4 12 hour shifts a week and my job was becoming increasingly difficult, i didnt regret leaving early as we had just moved house and needed to nest although as i could only take 9 months off i went back when LO was just over 7 months which was hard
  
  
  
  this time i am trying to get to 35 weeks, i dont do the stupid hours anymore and have oppertunity to rest for short periods

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• peeweesmum

  Mar 29, 2011 11:07AM

  I'm finishing 4 weeks before DD, although using 2 weeks holiday and then starting maternity.
  
  
  
  I can't wait. I'm finding it quite hard even now - feel like such a wimp because I only work in an office but think that trying to live a "normal" life and not just collapse when you get home is difficult! Think I'm possibly doing too much at weekends! Anyway, I digress...
  
  
  
  (we always see to be the ones on here?! )
  
  
  
  Roll on June 24th!
  
  
  
  P.S. My Mum think's I'm leaving it far too late to finish?!!

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• GlitterBug09

  Mar 29, 2011 12:18PM

  Im a teacher and was planning to go until the end of the academic year which would have taken me to 39 weeks. However, the boss has advised me to think a little longer because he doesnt want me to over do it. (Hes either being really nice, or he means he doesnt want to risk me giving birth on the class room floor!). Therefore I have decided to finish at 37 weeks. In the back of my mind I know that even finishing at 37 weeks could mean that I have up to a five week wait until I meet my baby, but Im hoping I will actially be able to use that time to rest!

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• becksf77

  Mar 29, 2011 12:37PM

  Hi g/c, saw this on front page. I went to end of the school year which was 38.5 weeks for me. If you can last out, do you realise that then your actual maternity leave doesn't actually have to start until either your due date or the Sunday before? (i forget which one it is!) This means you are still on full pay but not at work anyway and you can come back later. Don't know if that helps?

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• Shelley5185

  Mar 29, 2011 2:06PM

  I m intending to finish on the Monday as I am due on the Thursday!!!!!
  
  Simply because I intend to use up all of my leave at the end because i cant afford financially to take longer than 3 months at SMP because I will be ??1300 worse off!!
  
  :evil:

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• Nimue_

  Mar 29, 2011 3:16PM

  I'm working till my due date, but it's not too bad for me as I've been quite lucky and am I'm working from home at the moment. I do keep wondering how much I'm going to get done though because I'm finding it hard to stay awake already and I'm pretty uncomfortable sat in my office.

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• Brid9ette

  Mar 29, 2011 4:02PM

  I'm starting mine at 36weeks as I did with DD but my company has a policy that if you want to leave anything shorter than 4weeks before your due date you need a note from the doctor 2 say you can work and you have 2 see company nurse. With a few days holiday thrown in 2 my last day is going 2 b 8th June
  
  I think I'm going 2 b well ready by this point

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• 30somethin

  Mar 30, 2011 6:41AM

  I'm not working at the moment so don't have to worry about this but with my first I worked full time and left 3 weeks before my due date. At the time I wished I'd finished sooner but only because I had really bad SPD and was having to go in early so my husband could drop me at the door, and leave early so he could collect me as I could hardly walk. I ended up going a week over but enjoyed having the time to relax which made the SPD so much better by the time I went into labour.

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• MrsWispa

  Mar 30, 2011 7:02AM

  I'm finishing at just over 36 weeks. I have 3 weeks holiday so will start maternity leave 5 days before my due date. It will be quite a long time at home if baby goes late but because most of it is annual leave it still means I'll have lots of time with the baby before I have to go back to work. Plus I think I'll be more than ready to chill out by then. I work in an office but I have a stressful job and I need some time to unwind before facing the huge task of motherhood! I'm keeping fingers crossed baby doesn't put in an early appearance and ruin my relaxation plans!
  
  
  
  

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• snowie83

  Mar 30, 2011 7:48AM

  I'm finishing 3wks before I'm due - but using 2wks holiday and starting mat leave the week I'm due - due on the Thursday and starting mat leave on the Monday. I am using my holiday to reduce working week from 5 days to 3 days starting this week - so scary - which means I have about 34 days left at work now!! Maybe you could look to reduce your working week for 2-3 weeks before you have full weeks off, just to give yourself a rest or have some days out/shopping when hopefully be abit more mobile so you wont get too bored.
  
  
  
  xx

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• tinkerbell573

  Mar 30, 2011 7:59AM

  I'm starting mine at 32 weeks, I have a hectic job managing a large office and dont have a particulalry understanding boss. We are lucky that I dont need to go back to work so it wont mean I have to go return earlier. Cant wait, moved into our house in Dec (which we completely refurbished since July) so will definately be able to fill up my time nesting! xx

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• kels124

  Mar 30, 2011 12:18PM

  Im finishing at 33 weeks but thats using up annual leave. my mat leave starts at 38 weeks xxx

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• Teapot

  Mar 31, 2011 9:59AM

  Thanks for all your responses, maybe 3 weeks before is a good idea ... annoyingly my line manager has booked a holiday for the first week in July, so I almost feel obliged / pressured to stay until he's back but then that would mean starting mat leave less than 2 weeks before my due date which I don't really want to do.

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