12-24 weeks pregnant (part 3)

lilmissreading

I'm meeting with my manager on Friday with my matB1 form (picking it up from GP surgery on Monday or rather DH is) to pick dates.

Lots depends for me on DH. He is starting TeachFirst at the end of June 2015 for 6 week unpaid residential course in Midlands, has August off we think and then will start somewhere (possibly in the South West - Swindon, Bristol, Gloucester) for 2 years which at best might be 90 mins one way and lots of evening study

Therefore I had thought to work till 38 weeks to save the time for the end as we had thought he would be doing the residential course over the school holidays. But now if he has August off I am thinking we have a fortnight off together as a family :j and then I go back to work mid August leaving him with Daddy time. We then start the childcare hoopla in September. I have also just known two people give birth - one 10 days early and the other a fortnight (both count as full term) and not keen on idea of having no time to myself before baby arrives.

lilmissreading

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/tools/cost-of-childcare-calculator

monty-doggy wrote: »

Has anyone started to think about how much money they will have after the baby comes and you go part time etc? I'm trying to work out how much disposable income we will have after all bills etc and if I should get rid of my car that's on finance and buy a cheap run around. I've no idea how much money we will need each week!

monty-doggy - depends on our families and how much they are willing and able to help out with childcare. Has anyone broached this with family? Although I am going off for 47 weeks ish I feel like it makes sense to look at child minders etc now.

On the plus side for our situation our lifestyle and outgoings are all based on my wage as DH has been in full time education since 2011. Therefore to have him in full time work for the next 3 years even if at less than my wage with me working part time should mean that even with a mini me and childcare we will hopefully not be massively worse off. Mortgage will take longer to pay off but we hope to have lodgers to help out and when they are older we have the space to try out au pairs etc.

There is a link at the top of this post (no idea why paste on the tablet always does that) which allows you to play around with the numbers

time2deal

Off topic I realise, but today marks five full months of pregnancy! Can't believe how fast its gone, and yet each week feels so slow.

MrsC....tobe

I plan on finishing as late as possible, probably 3rd October. I have 13 days leave left to take before I finish as I can't carry any over yo next year so will be a short summer for me. I'm not planning on taking it immediately before ML as if I go early then I will technically lose the holidays as ML will kick in instead.
I get 18 weeks fill pay then sml so I think I'll be back at work after 6 months. The last 2 months will be a struggle on that money! My car is paid off in November so will be keeping it but still have a Liam so that will take up some of the sml every month. I'll just have to be prepared and stockpile when things are in offer!
MIL wants to do all the childminding but I'm going to see a local childminder to see if I can get baby in with them 2/3 days a week as, it sounds ungrateful, but I don't want baby learning all granny's eating habits and getting whatever it wants when it wants, and I would like it to have the company of other kids too! It's either grannies way or no way and there's no reasoning with her sometimes but I'm going to have to put my foot down on some things.

daisiegg

Mrs C why would maternity leave kick in if you tried to take holiday before ml? I don't think they are allowed to do that!

Peonie

I've just had another dizzy/high temperature/vomiting episodes. Please tell me someone else is experiencing this?

MrsC....tobe

Maternity leaves starts on the day you specify, or on the day you give birth if earlier (or from 34 weeks I think it is if off long term with pregnancy related illness) so I'd be guessing that ml would take place of holidays if you went early.

daisiegg

On the topic of bellies from yesterday....mine is just horrid flab too I still have the 'B belly' thing going on where I go in a little bit level with my belly button. Below that is big, as that is where baby is, and above is also getting big - I think fat and organs getting pushed up by baby?! But it dips in the middle and I HATE it. I do think I look pregnant now, particularly from the side, but it is an ungainly, not pretty type of pregnant. My belly/bump also starts from really low down - pretty much at my knicker line - and it doesn't gently curve up and outwards, it just comes straight out! My 'bump' is almost rectangular shaped! :rotfl: not sure if this is because I am so short so my torso is tiny, so it has to start low and finish high to fit in, compared with taller ladies? Or maybe just because I was fat to begin with...

Yesterday I wore a slightly clingy maternity dress, that I bought in America. I was 15 weeks pregnant when I bought it and it just made me look fat. Yesterday when I tried it on I was thrilled because it made me look pregnant (still like a fat pregnant lady - but pregnant none the less!) I felt really good when we went out but then we were going up an escalator and I could see myself in the mirror at the side and I looked like I just had a big rectangular blob stuck to my front...yes definitely pregnant, but just blobby and weirdly shaped and not hard and round. I passed a pregnant lady with a lovely round high hard bump and I felt like absolute cr*p I am trying to resign myself to the fact that due to being fat to begin with I may never get a nice, round, hard, proper baby bump. I suppose what I look like shouldn't matter as long as baby is ok.

On the plus side, I was worried that I would not be able to feel much movements due to being fat, and I can feel loads. I was also convinced that hubby would not feel her move from the outside as I have too much padding, but he can feel her already. So it is not all bad.

lilmissreading

Peonie wrote: »

I've just had another dizzy/high temperature/vomiting episodes. Please tell me someone else is experiencing this?

No sorry just a rash so far for me. Have you spoken to the dr/mw about this yet? Or if you are feeling panic, dial 111 or go to A&E? Not trying to be alarmist just worried if you are?

daisiegg

MrsC....tobe wrote: »

Maternity leaves starts on the day you specify, or on the day you give birth if earlier (or from 34 weeks I think it is if off long term with pregnancy related illness) so I'd be guessing that ml would take place of holidays if you went early.

No! You would say I am starting ML on, say, 2nd October (just using my dates as an example). Separately, you would say I would like to take holiday from 20th September to 1st October, This would be holiday, not ml. Ml starts when you specify that ml starts, not when you stop working for whatever reason. If you had holiday booked before that they can't take away your holiday and count it as ml instead. What they could do I suppose is say no it is not convenient for you to have your holiday that fortnight, as they could with any holiday request, and then you'd need to decide whether to stay working until the 2nd October or start your ml early. But what they can't do is say 'oh, I see you are taking holiday on 20th September and then starting ml on 2nd October - well, actually you are losing your holiday and we will start your ml from 20th September!'