The MSE Pregnancy Club

emmaBZ

hi to you all....just wondering does anyone know what the maternity rights are as i heard they will be changing from april....im hopefully starting work next week but we are thinking of trying for another baby some time at the end of this year.....so just wondering how things stand....

SusanCarter

Ordinary Maternity Leave (the paid bit) has been extended from 6 months to 9 months.

emmaBZ

do you need to of worked there for a year before you can get paid mat leave ?

Snaggles

So does that mean if my baby is due on 11th May, I'll get statutory maternity pay for 9 months? I'm sorry, I'm a bit thick with these things, and don't know nearly enough about it!

india

emmaBZ wrote: »

do you need to of worked there for a year before you can get paid mat leave ?

If your baby is due before 1 April 2007

As an 'employee' you have the right to 26 weeks of 'Ordinary Maternity Leave'. Provided you meet certain notification requirements, you can take this no matter how long you've been with your employer, how many hours you work or how much you're paid.

If you've been with the same employer for 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before the beginning of the week when your baby's due, you also have the right to an extra 26 weeks of 'Additional Maternity Leave' so you can take up to one year in total.

india

Snaggles wrote: »

So does that mean if my baby is due on 11th May, I'll get statutory maternity pay for 9 months? I'm sorry, I'm a bit thick with these things, and don't know nearly enough about it!

Yes you'll be entiltled to 9 months

Snaggles

Woo hoo! That is FANTASTIC news!! It means things wont be as tight for us, and I can relax and enjoy my time with the new baby

alm721

:j Hi folks just thought Id say hello. I found this forum by accident after being on some of the others. Its great having a forum just for us mums to be. Anyway I'm expecting our 2nd child on 22th April. I have an 8 year old daughter whos really excited as she thought for a long time that shed be an only one (so did we for that matter!) Have just been signed off sick now as was'nt going to start maternity leave until April but have really bad spd. Just getting to that wanting it all over part now, although I think thats just cause Im in pain all the time.
Anyway should really try and get some sleep.
alm

Snaggles

Congratulations alm! I can sympathise with the SPD. I had it in my last pregnancy, and have been managing to keep it at bay this time around, but over the last few weeks I've been getting more and more of the twinges, and am now walking with a limp. I can feel that my hips are way out of alignment. I'm just waiting for the midwife to ring me, as I think it's got to the stage where I need physio, so she's going to refer me, hopefully. Take care and hope the rest of your pregnancy flies by.

SusanCarter

emmaBZ wrote: »

do you need to of worked there for a year before you can get paid mat leave ?

I think you have to have worked for the same employer for a certain number of weeks in the 66 weeks before the due date. I'm not sure of the exact figure (doesn't work the same for me as I'm self-employed) but I think it approximately works out that as long as you had at least one period after starting work (i.e. you weren't pregnant already) then you should have enough weeks. If for whatever reason you missed out on qualifying for SMP then you would qualify for Maternity Allowance as long as you've worked for 26(?) weeks out of the 66. Again I'm not sure of the exact figures but someone else may know.