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Maternity Leave - when to start?
Hi all,
I've just had my meeting with HR (eek this is happening!) about Maternity Policy and in about 6 weeks they will be asking me when I plan to start leave etc.
I don't want to be sat at home waiting for baby to arrive, but I also don't fancy battling my way into work every day until I'm ready to pop either!
I am thinking maybe 36/37 weeks...When did you / Are you and what would you suggest or do differently?
Thanks! x
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Replies
You could use one week of annual leave to drop to a 4 day week from 32-37 weeks. Maybe drop the Wednesday then you only gave to work two days max before a break!
I was planning to finish about 4 weeks before, although this will all be annual leave as I have to take 25 days before I finish (hurrah!). My line manager was surprised though and thought this was leaving it late. Assuming everything is ok, I'll try work up to then. My job isn't physical but I am concerned about travelling in if the weather is bad so we'll see!
Iv always gone about 35 weeks and used annual leave. This time I'm starting ml 38 weeks but having annual leave 2 weeks before this and will use 1 day a week annual leave from September (I get 8 weeks a year), so from 1st sept till 20 oct I will only do 2 days a week then the way my shifts work I actually finish 21st October. I'm having a section though so it's not like il be sat till 42ish weeks twiddling my thumbs, I did this first time round and finished around 34/5 weeks with ml starting on 37 weeks and he came at 41+4 so I'd already used 4.5 weeks iyswim.
I suppose it depends what you do, what your commute is like and how supportive work are. I'm getting pgp intermittently but work are great and I'm having regular breaks, shifts are spread out and Iv had another risk assessment, first time round it was just a case of get on with it
Work are supportive, and I did mention condensed weeks to my HR lady, but then, my job is as a PA, and its a full time job really. But I will see. I like the idea of having Wednesdays off! Or maybe I would go for Fridays and have a nice long weekend.
I am planning on saving 10 days annual leave to take the first two weeks as that rather than mat leave, but just not sure when to go...
Its not a physical job but its an hour commute on a train and then a DLR. Or I could drive which would help, but its still over an hour each way.
My official ML started 1 week before the due date, with 2 weeks annual leave used beforehand. Not sure if you're aware, but you accrue annual leave whilst you're off, so given my leave was starting in the summer and our holiday year is a calendar year, I had the whole year's allowance to use up before I left. If you leave it too late and the baby comes before official ML starts, then ML automatically commences on the day the baby comes. I was convinced I was going to be early last time, so I wanted to have that "buffer" of a week's ML so that I wouldn't lose my holiday. I was so busy in the lead up that I didn't really want to use holiday to take shorter weeks, but I did split up my holiday days into hours and finished at 3.00 for the last couple of weeks.
I was bored out of my skull though with three weeks off and felt absolutely fine. I think this time I'll go to at least 38 weeks. Luckily I don't have a long commute.
I had the half term holiday right before I went on mat leave so I stopped work then with both pregnancies. With Isla that was 38+2 and Maya I was 38+5 Isla was 4 days overdue so I had 16 days off before she arrived and Maya was a week overdue so I had another 16 days off til she arrived. I think I times it just right. I didn't want to waste mat leave before baby arrived as I wanted all the time after. I'm a cover teacher so my day is fairly hectic (all classes in different rooms spread all over the school, having to carry my equipment, books, resources with me) I was tired come the end but I felt fine. If I were to do it again i would aim to do the same.
Yea she explained about Annual Leave. Its pretty good timing cos im due in Feb and our leave runs April - March, so I will save enough to take 2 weeks before and when its done I have a year's work of leave AND bank holidays to take. It adds up tp 40 days! I could use some leave to take longer, go back in March and then get another leave year straight away! Love it.
I finished up at 38 weeks, but even then, i probably could have gone to term (Girls in the office wouldn't let me). I didn't enjoy sitting about the house waiting for 2 week to my due date, and then waiting another 12 days before i was induced. I work in an office, and i drive to work, so the commute and the actual job isn't strenuous on me physically.
I think you need to consider what your job demands are and how you travel to work to see when is best for you to stop. I was able to change my mind, up to about 8 weeks before i was due to stop.
Thanks guys. I will chat to H and see what he thinks. I guess it could all change, and depends on how I am feeling, if I have any issues with SPD etc. At 14 weeks you actually have no idea how the rest of the pregnancy will develop do you?! I am aiming for 37 weeks I think, or just before. Enough time to do some last minute bits but hopefully not too long waiting for baby!
Hi Rod,
I had 8 weeks combined bank hols and annual leave owing (including everything due to accrue while I'm away) and since I'll be back in the 2015-16 tax year, they asked me to take it all first, so I finished at 32 weeks and mat leave kicked in on my due date.
In hindsight, had I been able to choose, I wouldn't have finished that early.
At 34 weeks I think I accepted I wouldn't have been able to do my job well anymore so would probably have finished then, since I wouldn't have wanted to do a different role for an extra couple of weeks.
I found mat leave fine for the first 4 weeks then so so boring. Thank god I wasn't overdue or it would have been even worse. So all in all I'd say if no other problems, I'd choose to finish at 36 weeks if I had a job I could do while that pregnant.
I think it's common for people to finish about 36/37 weeks.
I started my maternity leave at 39+5 as I wanted to keep as much of it for the other side. I took annual leave in front of it and stopped when I was 37 weeks. It's a tricky one as you don't know how youre going to feel and when you'll actually have your baby. I had to submit my dates 15 weeks before my due date!!!
I have a heavy job and worked 13 hour day and had a lot of holiday, so I finished at 35+6 and used 4 weeks holiday, started ML at 39+5. He wasn't born until 42 weeks so I ended up with nearly 7 weeks off which was far too long!
Meant to add but I couldn't have continued with the shifts much longer, if I had a sit down job I may have gone much later
I started at 38 weeks, had a week of holiday and then may leave kicked in. S was 6 days late and I do think if I finished any earlier I'd have been even more impatient than I was! However some days were really tough, I live in essex and work in the west end so had a 90minute commute of drive/train/tube and by about 35 weeks I'd really had enough of that! I had a week off at about 30 weeks and it was amazing and gave me to the energy to last to 38weeks.
You can always amend your date too so if you do develop SPD etc you could bring the date forward with enough notice.
I left work at 35 weeks, used 2 weeks annual leave and then started ml at 37 weeks. I also used al to go down to 4 days a week in the run up to leaving.
I have a desk job and an easy commute but I was soooo fed up with work I couldn't wait to go. I had someone seconded to my role and she joined me when I went part time so my boss had a day a week working with just her which helped everyone find their feet. Are you likely to have someone covering your job? If so, cutting down your days for a few weeks might be a bit more feasible?
I was fine being at home for 5 weeks really, I saw it as the last time I'll ever have that kind of time to myself so I made the most of it. I think I'd still have been ok from a boredom point of view if I'd gone over but it wouldn't have appealed to the Project Manager in me, lol!
My maternity leave was due to start when I was 37+1 but instead it obviously had to begin the day I gave birth at 32+5 instead. I was only allowed to take holiday I'd earnt up to when maternity leave begins and any extra holiday I would of earnt between then and the end of year gets paid to me in one go in my December pay check.
I'm going to 38 weeks all being well. I'm a teacher and that takes me up to half term. They have been good to me though and I will be on half timetable when I get back then handing over classes at the end of September. I have an hour each ways drive and my only worry about that is needing the loo! I would rather have the time afterwards so am hoping to go that long.
I would definitely prefer the time afterwards, but we're lucky in that I get some extra because of accrued holidays, and my mat package is pretty good so I can take the full year, if not a little more.
I think my main question is whether you got bored waiting around or if the time you were off was useful / enjoyable. Thanks all. I think I will go til 37+3 which is a Friday, then I will have 2 weeks annual leave and Mat leave will kick in 2 days before my due date. x
I was pretty organised and had done everything I needed to do before I even went on ML. I felt really guilty for the first few days, as I felt that I was well enough to be in work and it took me a good few days to switch off. I was lucky in that my leave was during last summer's heatwave, so I was able to sit outside with nice cold drinks and a magazine and just chill. I also did a bit of batch cooking for the freezer and a bit of baking.
How much have you got? Are you taking stacks of time? If so I'd say 38 weeks is a good bet. If you're limited I'd say plan to work to 39 or 40 but keep a few holiday days for limiting your working time near the end.
I think it's a really hard decision when you don't know how you'll feel. Most employers are sympathetic if you go back and say 'I really hoped to work until term, but XYZ is making it too rough. I'd like to go sooner'