MSE Pregnancy Club 24

moneypuddle

AMC1979 wrote: »

The first 13 weeks at full pay
The next 5 weeks at half pay
21 weeks' statutory maternity pay = £135.45
Then the last 3 months = nothing.
...

I wish I work where you work

sexymouse

Well I must be off to bed - nesting has caught up with me and just had a call for a full day of work tomorrow, so will need to be up early. Will have to continue with the nesting on Saturday instead.

Hugs to all who need or want them.

sexymouse xx

savageHK

A quick rummage seems to show that at SMP rate only it will be too little to trigger PAYE tax, but will still get NI contributions on the bit over £107 per week at 13.8%. Now I'm not sure how the tax codes are changed and so on but it's probably worth factoring in a few long phonecalls to HMRC as soon as your SMP kicks in to make sure that they use the right tax code for you. If it were only 13.8% on the bit over £107 per week, it'd still be just over £130 per week take-home. If my brain is still working this late

MrsExcited

savageHK wrote: »

A quick rummage seems to show that at SMP rate only it will be too little to trigger PAYE tax, but will still get NI contributions on the bit over £107 per week at 13.8%. Now I'm not sure how the tax codes are changed and so on but it's probably worth factoring in a few long phonecalls to HMRC as soon as your SMP kicks in to make sure that they use the right tax code for you. If it were only 13.8% on the bit over £107 per week, it'd still be just over £130 per week take-home. If my brain is still working this late

Thanks savage. You ROCK!!!

That sort of thing makes my brain hurt! (a lot!)

I've heard that we should also apply for a tax refund in March to get back the tax we have paid this financial year. Has anyone else heard of this?

NBirdy

Ahh I remember the days of maternity leave - lie-ins, naps, pottering about the shops, getting things tidy and organised...... *sigh*. Make the most of it ladies!

As a mum of 2 already I will be 'working' right up until I'm admitted to hospital! So plenty of cleaning, hoovering, cooking, ironing uniforms, packed lunches, organising, refereeing arguments, doing baths and hairwashes etc, not to mention the loooong summer school holidays when they'll want to be out and about on adventures and activities. Never any chance of a lie-in or nap! The house will remain chaos (unless we can move like we plan). And DH will continue to work from 8am to 7pm, until I'm in labour.

I hope to get SMA as I work some evenings and a few hours on a Saturday, but I'll carry that on for as long as I can, as they're quite flexible and have said I can stop when I want to with no notice required.

Must confess I'm a little envious of those of you having a first baby going on maternity leave! I didn't appreciate it enough but it really is time you will never get again.

AMC1979

moneypuddle wrote: »

I wish I work where you work

I actually thought that it wasn't much, but now I'm realising that it's pretty good compared to what other women get. I guess I'm living in dreamland thinking we should be entitled to more!

In America they don't get any paid maternity leave, is that right? I don't think I could cope ...

I think I will contact the tax office sooner rather than later due to work status changing now on maternity leave. Good advice!

little_miss_moneysaver_3

Hello all!

Wow what a busy day talking about SMP. The NHS actually has a good maternity deal so I think I'm very lucky. According to my bf who does payroll we will get a tax rebate, I don't think we need to apply I got the impression it was given monthly. Although now I think that's sounds too easy to be true. I would ask her but she's going in for a sweep tomorrow but yes MrsE we are entitled to tax rebate as tax is deducted based on earning that amount a month all year and obv it'll drop once on mat pay.
I've been off since mid April and don't start my mat leave until August! Its easy to get bored, I'm quite into crafts so can easily escape in my craft room. If I was more mobile I'd really have a lovely clean house and decorated nursery. But I'm trying to enjoy stuff now I have time to myself
AMC I think you're right in America they don't and go back to work like a few weeks later in some cases. We're very lucky here!
Rebekah glad you've got the chance for your little lady to turn, fingers crossed it works and you can have the natural birth you'd like
Hope fluff is ok, can't remember seeing her after the sweep. Hole you're having mummy cuddles

Well back from our 4d scan :j :j :j
After bubba being naughty on Saturday I drank coke, ate chocolate and ice cream all afternoon to keep him active. Well the little so-and-so still wouldn't look directly at the camera! But we still got some lovely pics of most of his face. Lots of grumpy faces, he really wasn't impressed at the prodding. Did get enough for our DVD too, there's a bit where he looks so sad and has his bottom lip stuck out like he's going to cry. I felt so sad and just wanted to cuddle him. He's also got his eyes open for some of it. We were there for two hours and three massive long scan attempts too get the pics and footage. Wonderful clinic and lovely staff. He was chomping on the umbilical cord at one point. The third and final time to try and get a full face pic he faced the scanner thing but kept his whole forearm across his face! He may as well have just stuck his fingers up at us! Have tried taking photos of the photos on my phone but they haven't come out great. We've got them on cd so will put them on pc tomorrow and try and upload one on here and on the Facebook group. It was just amazing, and although by half nine when we left there I was so tired I just thought I can't wait to meet him. Ten weeks seems so long away but I don't want to wish him here too soon. Ahh I'm rambling! Time for some sleep, if I can after all the coke drinking.
Night all xxx

little_miss_moneysaver_3

A note to anyone who gets advised to drink coke before a 4d scan, make sure it's not a late evening appointment. I'm still awake feeling a bit sleepy but can't sleep :-( caffeine overload me thinks!!

MissMonkeyMoo

MSE ALERT! For anyone that is thinking of buying Little Lamb reusable nappies they will be having a clearout this weekend and will be selling off lots of their nappies at heavily reduced prices! It will only be available via their facebook page so make sure you go on there to 'like' them and then you should get the notification when it starts.

LMM sounds like the scan was great - glad you got some good pictures! I can't believe we only have ten weeks left, in some ways I know that will fly by but in other ways it still seems so long!

Moneypuddle re car boot clothes, I made a point of buying all our stuff from charity shops and car boots! OH wasn't really happy about it at first but we have got some lovely things and the most any one item cost was about £2 - most things were 20p! We have mostly got babygros as I keep being told that's what baby will be in for the first few months; I'll probably go and scour for more second hand bargains as I need to get larger clothes for baby but that's not to say that we won;t buy new stuff as well - I just think that having a baby is expensive enough as it is, so if you can get clothes that look like they haven't had much use for a fraction of their cost - why not!

KatyLiz

LMM - your scan sounds brilliant. Do you have to have 4d scans at a set number of weeks or can they be anytime?

NBirdy I could have written your post, sounds exactly like my life! I look back and remember my lovely relaxed maternity leave before I had my daughter. It was such a nice time catching up on sleep and getting ready for baby. And now I've got the summer holidays with two bickering kids instead. One of which is not impressed about getting 'another smelly sister' when he wanted a brother :rotfl:

Oh, and I forgot to say yesterday re movements - I double checked with my midwife, and she confirmed as of 28 weeks I have to start counting, but don't worry until then. She said count once I wake up and if I hadn't felt 10 movements by 6pm then lie down for an hour, if that doesn't bring on 10 movements I have to ring delivery suite and go in for monitoring. I was quite surprised and told her most of my movement is at night, but apparently that should change around now (and thinking about it in the last 2 days baby has been much more active). I feel better for knowing what is normal/expected and what I should do though.