12-24 weeks pregnant (part 4)

hieveryone

That's cute getting a picture of baby feet littleskintdragon :T

I am wondering when you ladies would recommend starting maternity leave?

- Due date 29th December
- Work in a school in a highly stressful role
- Workplace is 1 hour travelling by car
- I live in Scotland so weather can be bad :rotfl: (read: IS bad)
- School year finishes 19th December
- First baby
- First 13 weeks of maternity leave @ full pay

Based on the above, what would you ladies recommend?

I know people will say wait and see how I feel, but I think my boss was angling for a date ASAP - I am part of a large school and my role is so specialised that it will take time to recruit a replacement.

Thanks

devildolly5

I am not sure hieveryone. I am due 19th Jan, and will likely finish before the christmas break so at 36 weeks. I am just aware that we have the added of stress of christmas, family visits and being heavily pregnant so will try to give myself a few weeks beforehand to take time out. My official mat leave will probably start the 11th Jan, and use annual leave up to that point.

The long commute and bad weather may plan a big part in how confident you feel getting to and from work towards the end.

Does your work NEED to know the date before a replacement can be recruited? If they know they will cover you regardless, then they surely could get the ball rolling until you know an exact date. Baby may have his/her own plan anyway.

I dont think I have been particularly helpful I am afraid.


Just go back from my 16 week (actually 18 weeks) midwife appointment. She was lovely and they listened to the heartbeat which is amazing. I have a doppler but it makes it more real when someone else tells you your not imagining it. Can hear (but not feel) loads of movements too. GTT and anti-D booked in too. Feeling very real now.

Can I ask when you guys are preparing a nursery (if you are) for baby? We have mostly cleared the spare room out, and I would like to at least get it decorated before hand. Baby will be in with us for a bit to begin with anyway so not sure when the best time to do it is.

snow_ball

My EDD is 28 December and I'm thinking I will finish about 3 weeks before, using 2 weeks of annual leave so starting my actual maternity leave 1 week before EDD. I don't have concerns about work stress or weather/travel etc to the same degree though, so I'd like to leave it as late as possible so that I can have longer once baby arrives.

I've started looking at furnishing the nursery, we have the cotbed (at my mum's) and I'm trying to decide what colours I want (for curtains and bedding etc). I don't feel any rush to sort it, we will be keeping baby in with us for a while, but I will probably want it done before he arrives, so maybe the end of November, finances permitting! We're redoing our living room first and then will start on emptying out the baby's room ready to fill again

minimuffin12

With mat leave last time I worked until 37weeks and will prob do the same this time. We didn't actually decorate ds room until he was here as he slept in our room until 6 or 7 months. We will prob re carpet spare room and re use the light shade, curtains etc.

TamVilla80

*** DO NOT DELETE - To update this list, quote the post and remove the quote boxes ***

Recent graduates (who are still welcome!):
KittenPie - 5th October
Cath_Ster - 18th October - 20 week scan 29th
Sunshine81 - 21st October - 20 week scan 8th June
Mrshaworth2b - 4th November - 20 week scan 17th June
Mandz1- 7th November - 20 week scan 23rd June
AmyTurtle - 14th November
Nightsky224 - 16th November


Current list:
1. jwil - 3rd December, 20 week scan 22nd July
2. bellola - 5th December
3. Bookgirl - 16th December
4. Diamond Orchid - 21st December - 20 week scan 6th August
5. snow_ball - 28th December - 20 week scan 10th August
6. hieveryone - 29th December - 20 week scan 14th August
7. Littleskintdragon - 2nd January - caesarean 27th December 20 week scan 17th August
8. Rambosmum 16th January - 20 week scan 2nd September
9. frozenpenguin - 19th January, MW appointment 4th August
10. devildolly5 - 19th January MW appt 18th August 20 week scan 4th September
11. Pinkshoes - 24 January, MW 12 Aug, 20 wk scan 12 Sept
12. michbright - 27 January, MW 20 Aug, 20 week scan 10 Sept.
13. japmis - 14 February, MW 8 Sep, 20 wk scan (?)
14. Saffagal - 19 February, MW 24 Aug, 20 wk scan (?)
15. TamVilla80 - 27 February, MW 10 Sept, 20 wk scan (?)


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Hi. Hope everyone is ok today.

Just graduating from the less than 12weeks thread. Thought I should be 13+1 but yesterdays scan put me at 12+3, so few more days to wait (getting closer to EDD of 29th Feb, eek) Baby was asleep and not playing ball, but all is well and going ok, phew.

Good news is that my taste for tea seems to have come back and morning sickness has gone, huzzah!

Saffagal

hieveryone, can't advise you on when to stop work, as only you know your work situation, commute and how you feel.

Last time I stopped work at 36 weeks - took two weeks AL and then mat leave from 2 weeks before due.
This time I am planning to stop work at either 32 or 33 weeks, only because I have WEEKS of AL to use up. I will actually only start my mat leave the week of my section so approx 38/39 weeks. I will also be working reduced hours through December using up leave but with my commute and my job - I won't be able to do my actual job at that stage and will be on restricted (desk) duties, this works best for me.

Re a nursery, last time I had it all decorated before baby arrived as didn't want to have to worry about decorating with a new baby. She was in our room for the first three months until she outgrew her moses basket. I did it in the very hungry caterpillar. This time, I will be moving dd into her "big girl" room in December so she has two months to get used to it before baby arrives so hopefully won't feel misplaced by baby. When she moves out, I will put the cot side back on the cot and raise the level, possibly rearrange the furniture to make it different from how it looks now but that's all.

Having the nursery all ready, and unexpectantly not being able to drive due to emc meant I got quite bored and when dd was three weeks old I decided to strip the wallpaper off the landing and stairs so we'd have to redecorate it... OH was not best pleased

Welcome Tamvilla hurray for sickness passing!! Mine seems to have too

TamVilla80

Morning!

Todays random question - anyone else have a really tender tummy after their 12 weeks scan? Had it on Monday and the sonographer was really pushing down hard to wake up the baby (and probably doesn't help that on the padded side of build ;-) )
Still a bit tender today, sure everything is fine but I can really feel my trousers today (iykwim)

snow_ball

Hi TamVilla!

I was ok after the 12wk scan, but after our 20wk re-scan I was quite tender. The consultant had to do lots of jiggling on my abdomen to get a good look at the baby's feet and afterwards I did quite a lot of walking when I probably should have gone straight home and put my feet up!

Still feeling some soreness now, but not sure what's causing it as it's a week since the scan. Think baby might be lying a bit funny now, it feels more like internal pressure.

frozenpenguin

Hi Tam! Glad to see you over here I didn't have a tender tum specifically after the 12 week scan, mine seemed to be tender pretty much all the time during the first trimester! (I haven't worn a pair of jeans since the beginning of May)

Sorry I've been a bit awol as well, had a week on holiday up in Edinburgh for the festival - it was the fifth year in a row we've been and was just as fab as ever but slightly more tiring this year! While we were away though, I finally had a date through for my 20 week scan - next Wednesday, the 26th at 8am - which should be 19+1.

Re: maternity leave - I'm planning on finishing on 11th December with the mat leave year starting on 4th Jan. Where I work closes for the Christmas break and our leave year runs from September to August so I've got 5 weeks to use in the autumn. As well as the couple of weeks before Christmas, I'm hoping to take off every Wednesday from October so in essence I'm only doing 2 days at work in a row.

frozenpenguin

*** DO NOT DELETE - To update this list, quote the post and remove the quote boxes ***

Recent graduates (who are still welcome!):
KittenPie - 5th October
Cath_Ster - 18th October - 20 week scan 29th
Sunshine81 - 21st October - 20 week scan 8th June
Mrshaworth2b - 4th November - 20 week scan 17th June
Mandz1- 7th November - 20 week scan 23rd June
AmyTurtle - 14th November
Nightsky224 - 16th November


Current list:
1. jwil - 3rd December, 20 week scan 22nd July
2. bellola - 5th December
3. Bookgirl - 16th December
4. Diamond Orchid - 21st December - 20 week scan 6th August
5. snow_ball - 28th December - 20 week scan 10th August
6. hieveryone - 29th December - 20 week scan 14th August
7. Littleskintdragon - 2nd January - caesarean 27th December 20 week scan 17th August
8. Rambosmum 16th January - 20 week scan 2nd September
9. frozenpenguin - 19th January, 20 week scan 26th August, MW appt 6th October
10. devildolly5 - 19th January MW appt 18th August 20 week scan 4th September
11. Pinkshoes - 24 January, MW 12 Aug, 20 wk scan 12 Sept
12. michbright - 27 January, MW 20 Aug, 20 week scan 10 Sept.
13. japmis - 14 February, MW 8 Sep, 20 wk scan (?)
14. Saffagal - 19 February, MW 24 Aug, 20 wk scan (?)
15. TamVilla80 - 27 February, MW 10 Sept, 20 wk scan (?)


WHEN YOU SEE THIS POST DO YOUR PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES!!