surprize baby

fiona_the_frog

hi, I've had some great help here in the past and hope you can all do me the same good service!

As the title suggest I've just found out I am pregnant, 27 weeks, pregnant! I'm due in April and have no idea where to start. I was wondering if some kind soul could fill me in on where to start, because I'm in full on panic mode and can't do anything at the job centre or work until I get some form from the midwife.

The story goes, I'm 25 (on sunday) and my first baby is due mid-April. I've been in my job since 26/10/09 after a period of unemployment. My partner is unemployed (tho job searching frantically). From what my frantic search suggests I wont get Statutory Maternity Pay, does this mean I can only 2 weeks off or take the rest unpaid?

This is crazy I know, I just dont know that I have anytime to plan and save (we were getting by on my wage, without any help but from what I understand babies are expensive)

Thanks for taking some pressure of me!

loobyloo0302

fiona_the_frog wrote: »

hi, I've had some great help here in the past and hope you can all do me the same good service!

As the title suggest I've just found out I am pregnant, 27 weeks, pregnant! I'm due in April and have no idea where to start. I was wondering if some kind soul could fill me in on where to start, because I'm in full on panic mode and can't do anything at the job centre or work until I get some form from the midwife.

The story goes, I'm 25 (on sunday) and my first baby is due mid-April. I've been in my job since 26/10/09 after a period of unemployment. My partner is unemployed (tho job searching frantically). From what my frantic search suggests I wont get Statutory Maternity Pay, does this mean I can only 2 weeks off or take the rest unpaid?

This is crazy I know, I just dont know that I have anytime to plan and save (we were getting by on my wage, without any help but from what I understand babies are expensive)

Thanks for taking some pressure of me!

When will you be planning on taking maternity leave from your employer? Oh actually, haveyou informed them that you are pregnant yet? There's usuallya testperiod (mine was 16 weeks) and for SMP purposes you should have earned £95 or over per week. Ifnot, you MAY be entitled to maternity allowance, paid by DWP and for this you have a test period of 13 weeks and need to have earned at least £35 per week.

First things first though,you need to discuss this withyour employer!

Ohand you don't need to wait for your MATB1 form to let your employers know that you are expecting! You need to get things moving fast! However, I did notice on my SMP1 form (I wasn't entitled to SMP from my employer as they claimed a 3 week gap in my test period which was all down to changing contract meant I lost my entitlement) that there's an option for them to not pay you SMP if you didn't notify them soon enough of your pregnancy and intentions to take leave!

daska

You've already seen your GP/Midwife I guess or you wouldn't know you were 27 weeks. This is where you start:

Take a deep breath and remember that you have about 13 weeks to sort things out, I promise you will be all ready to go and getting bored if you go overdue

Tell your employer. Some are more generous than they need to be, I hope yours is if you've missed the various cutoffs.

Apply for a Health in Pregnancy Grant

Apply for HealthyStart vouchers.

Tell your friends who already have children so that they can help you assemble what you need: to start with you really only need a few things, a place for the baby to sleep and some bedlinen/blankets (old t'shirts make good crib sheets), some bottles in case you are unable to feed the baby yourself and plenty of muslins and babygrows (a washing machine helps).

Join your local freecycle/freegle, you'll pick up some basics on there.

Find out when your local NCT/Surestart sales are.

Fill your freezer with ready meals.

Pack a hospital bag.

Give birth.

Apply for Tax Credits, inform LHA and any other benefits that you might then be claiming (preferably on the same day baby arrives, some can't be backdated and you want them in payment sooner rather than later).

Enjoy being a mum