MSE Pregnancy Club 22

Kira000

I am discussing my finish dates etc with my boss and department head on Tuesday.
My EDD is 30th Dec. I have about 5 weeks leave to use up by end of March, but i am allowed to take unused leave at the end of my mat leave.
Because of my financial situation (not good!) and my 1.5 hour each way commute, my ideal scenario is:
Start my official Mat leave as late as possible-if i can persuade my midwife to change my EDD to the 2nd Jan, then i'll say Sun 1st Jan. Otherwise it has to be the 25th as it has to start on a Sunday.

Either way i'm going to propose that i take off as leave the 2 weeks before my EDD which with bank holidays for christmas, wont use too many days. But i'm going to ask if i can more or less work at home from about the start of December, and use my laptop and also mainly dial in for meetings, and just come in for the odd handover session. Its in their interests, as the person covering me wont start till early Jan, so if i am on m/l or annual leave for most of december, it leaves them very stuck! Plus then i get to keep more of my paid leave for the end of my m/l, when i'll "come back" early from Mat leave and back to full salary for pay purposes, but i can use the annual leave to have another 3-4 weeks off.

Thats the plan at least! I dont want to do the big commute at 36+ weeks, so if they say no, i'll just take the last 3-4 weeks as leave!

Kx

jenjade

oh thats i look a stab in the dark and guessed when i needed to go but sounds like my plan is okay now i have seen others

i am due 18th December. I am using my holiday up so the 14th Novemeber is my last day at work. holiday takes me from the 14th Nov until 5th December. then i start my mat leave. so off for about 2 weeks mat leave before my darling daughter arrives on the 18th December (hopefully she will come early)

i did this coz i have loads to sort out as i have a 9 year old and dont want her to feel her christmas has be ruined by the new baby so want to make sure i have time to buy and wrap her pressies!

i am so glad i asked was worried everyone was going to be having mat leave from the due date etc and no leave before

Gillyx

Not sure how much you guys know about Maternity Allowance but I'm looking now, my mum works for the Benefits Agency and she's coming to visit tomorrow so I will ask her but thought I'd ask here too.

I quit my job at the end of May to move here (before finding out I was pregnant) I've been actively trying to find employment, and had a few interviews but none have been successful. What I'm wondering is with Maternity Allowance, I will have worked and paid taxes for 26 weeks of my "test period" so would that mean I'd be entitled if I don't manage to find a job?

I'm trying so hard but I am aware the minute I start to show it'l make the prospect even harder, it is illegal to discriminate but its highly likely they'd find a "better" candidate for the job.

We will be able to cope without the extra help, but we will struggle big time so this would help us, plus I've never been unemployed before now and it's getting me down

4nnabella

jenjade wrote: »

i am so glad i asked was worried everyone was going to be having mat leave from the due date etc and no leave before

I'm just going on the assumption that a) I *may* go early (my mum was induced early with both me and my brother as she stopped putting on weight (and actually started losing weight with me) but I don't know that it is something that may happen with me as well, am just keeping it in the back of my mind, just in case ) and b) I'm going to be huge and exhausted so am going to want as much time as possible relaxing with my feet up before I become a baby slave!

My friend is due on the 14th September, and this week coming is her last week at work, so she's got three weeks off before her due date.

seafarers_wife

Im going on maternity leave at start of october, 11 weeks before my due date. doing that as 1. im shattered all the time and 2. my back is still really playing up so rather than get signed off sick again, im going as early as i can. work are letting me go part time up until then which is good, obviously means less pay, but its better for me healthwise.

mirrorimage0

im due on the 29th sep and im taking maternity leave from the 9th sep but i work in a school so in all fairness i have had the summer holidays off and am only going back for 6 days in all

jenjade

seafarers_wife wrote: »

Im going on maternity leave at start of october, 11 weeks before my due date. doing that as 1. im shattered all the time and 2. my back is still really playing up so rather than get signed off sick again, im going as early as i can. work are letting me go part time up until then which is good, obviously means less pay, but its better for me healthwise.

oh sorry to hear that you are not feeling good. hope finishing early helps.

I think i will end up off sick before my mat leave. my legs are really bad i have varicous veins and they are reducing me to tears after a day at work already. luckily i only work 16 hours a week so just trying to cope

seafarers_wife

ive sorta got spd but not if that makes sense. have major issues with my sacroiliac joints at the back of my pelvis being inflamed and since not allowed to take any decent painkillers its not been good. however have managed to do a lot of prep for baby whilst ive been off so its not all bad.

ouch to the varicose veins, i can only imagine how painful they are. have you tried a relativley cool bath? that used to help my MIL before she had hers removed.

Wonder_Womble

My EDD is 11th Dec, maternity pay will start 1st Dec, but I've got annual leave to use up so will be finishing on 18th Nov, approx 3 weeks before EDD. I want to be all sorted for Christmas and house scrubbed clean, which I do every year before my tree goes up. Plus I want to be able to go to my niece's nativity plays and concerts as I haven't always been able to get to them in the past with working full time. I bet baby comes early though :rotfl:

waitingforpost

Gillyx wrote: »

Not sure how much you guys know about Maternity Allowance but I'm looking now, my mum works for the Benefits Agency and she's coming to visit tomorrow so I will ask her but thought I'd ask here too.

I quit my job at the end of May to move here (before finding out I was pregnant) I've been actively trying to find employment, and had a few interviews but none have been successful. What I'm wondering is with Maternity Allowance, I will have worked and paid taxes for 26 weeks of my "test period" so would that mean I'd be entitled if I don't manage to find a job?

I'm trying so hard but I am aware the minute I start to show it'l make the prospect even harder, it is illegal to discriminate but its highly likely they'd find a "better" candidate for the job.

We will be able to cope without the extra help, but we will struggle big time so this would help us, plus I've never been unemployed before now and it's getting me down

As long as you meet the minimum earnings rule (not sure exactly how much you have to have earned) for those 26 weeks in the test period then you can claim MA, even if you are still unemployed.

If you are unemployed 11 weeks before your due date, your MA will start. If you find a job before 11 weeks before your due date then you can choose when to start MA.

Good luck finding something - have you tried looking for fixed term temp jobs as they are more likely not to care if you are pregnant as they are not looking for someone long term? I know it's not ideal but worth considering.