Ladies: How many weeks were you when you finished work for maternity leave?

moneypuddle

I'm due 4th Oct (so 31 weeks) and considering leaving on 20th Sep, so 2 weeks before due date. I would then have 6 days of holiday before my maternity leave kicks in the weekend before the baby in due. This was also my plan but now I'm really re-considering. I am HATING being at work whilst pregnant, and some colleagues are making my life difficult.

I know its all dependent on how you feel etc but there has to be some element of it thats planned. I'm thinking of finishing a week sooner maybe (so at 37 weeks). Seems slightly less traumatic to think I only have 6 weeks left!

ktothema

I left at 34 weeks first time, using 2 weeks holiday in that time. Definitely the best move even though baby was 11 days over in the end! Though in my case it was the travelling that was killing me. This time my contract came to an end at 29 weeks, so decided to start claiming maternity from then. This pregnancy hasn't been good though, so the waiting around may end up being less that first time <fingers crossed>.

You must have given a date by now of planned leave, if you want to change it you'll need to do it soon as there's normally some minimum notice they need. HR will be best to let you know.

moneypuddle

Thanks hun. We have no HR department and every time I even mention maternity leave to my boss, she just shrugs at me and says she doesn't know how it works, so its not like procedures are followed at all at my place, but thank you. They couldn't be less helpful if they tried.

beth25

I personally left 20 days before my due date on my 1st daughter and ended up going into labour that same evening!!
With my 2nd I finished 4 weeks before and she came 1 day early- I was soo bored of waiting after assuming she too would be early.
It depends what type of job you do and how physical also.
I personally think you should try to stick it out as long as you possibly can, just so you can then use the extra time to spend with the baby. hope this is of some help to you.

Jinx

I left work at 3 months pregnant, but I resigned rather than going off pretty much permanently sick. (lots of probs, 3 days a week in hospital)

I say good on you for getting this far

sweetdaisy

With DS1 I left work 2 weeks before my due date, however he was 1 week overdue, so had 3 weeks off before Maternity Pay kicked in. It felt like the longest 3 weeks ever.

With DS2, I planned to take 1.5 weeks off before due date, however I finished work on the Friday, went into labour on the Sunday evening and he arrived early hours Monday morning - 9 days early!

I think it depends on how you feel. My job isn't physical, however the hour commute into work can be stressful at times. I didn't want to finish a month before I was due, because the longer you stay in work until your due date, the more time you have with your baby before going back to work.

MissDVL

I started maternity leave when I was 28 weeks, due to ongoing health problems, and it also coincided with the end of my seasonal contract at work.

I went back to work when DS was 6 months old, so didn't have a great deal of time to spend with him but with a combination of PND and his colic, going back to work was a godsend for me!

Like you say, it completely depends on your own situation and how much you feel up to. You can always specify a date and change it nearer the time if you have to, just make sure you give them heads up.

livalicious

Im 35 weeks pregnant and will be taking 3 weeks holiday from this friday and then maternity kicks in from 27 Aug with baby due 7 Sep. However like you I was finding it increasingly difficult motivating myself to stay at work for a number of reasons. Mainly issues with my boss messing me around with a bonus i was due, him faffing about leaving it to the last minute finding someone to take over from me etc. This meant i had to spend a week training a colleague up and then being told i would have to do it all again last week when they finally found someone else.

I think the exhaustion of overworking myself for the bonus and then not getting it, the training etc just got me so rundown i actually fell really ill and had to be signed off work since last tuesday and i wont be back. I would have liked to have stayed longer to have the extra money and extra maternity leave at the end but if you finding it hard to be at work and stressing yourself out in the process its really not worth it trying to stay longer. Trust me, being at home now and not having to spend 8 hours a day sat down in a stuffy office feeling uncomfortable is fantastic. Your health and the babys wellbeing
is far more important so do what you feel is best for you both.

Good luck

Kynthia

I think that maternity leave automatically begins when you give birth, so if you have the baby before taking your annual leave you can't use them. If this happens are you allowed to carry them over or will you lose them?

I know so many people who gave birth a couple of weeks early. One was so sure she'd be late as it was her first, she tried to work up to a week before. She was persuaded to finish two weeks before at the last minute and actually went into labour on her last day! Generally it's the commute that means most people in my office leave three/four weeks before and take a week or two of annual to start the M/L about a fortnight before the due date.

ktothema

moneypuddle wrote: »

Thanks hun. We have no HR department and every time I even mention maternity leave to my boss, she just shrugs at me and says she doesn't know how it works, so its not like procedures are followed at all at my place, but thank you. They couldn't be less helpful if they tried.

Eek. This really worries me. They should have been sorting your SMP already. Apparently this can take some time, which is why they normally want quite a bit more notice on this than they do if you extended your normal leaving notice period by a week for instance. I rememeber your post now. I really hope you don't get shafted. Did anyone manage to give you some helpful info on it?

getmore4less

Don't forget you accrue holiday while on maternity.

If you are unable to take the holiday due to sick or maternity then the holiday carries over.

It is recomended you take the holiday before or immediately after the maternity period(handy to help get paid for the extended period).

depending on the holiday year and the amount of maternity you are planning to take you might want to split the holiday allthough an employer can say when you take it.