best time to take maternity leave???

[allyk]

I have told work that i am pregnant and now hwave to work out when to take maternity leave. My company has a great maternity package, and i can work up to whenever i like. I spend alot of my working day walking round or standing up. i have to drive up to an hour each way to and from work

I orignally thought i should leave at 32 weeks but other people i know havent left work until 37 weeks.

When is the best time to go? I really cant work this out!!

 

[Butterfly2]

Whenever you feel is comfortable.. everyone is different. I have 6 weeks of holiday to take which i will take 6 weeks before my due date then start maternity leave on my due date!

The 2 other girls at my work who are pregnant have both left at 34 and 36 weeks
xx

 

[allyk]

i am due on march 6th and was planning on taking 1 weeks leave (all i have left) before going on maternity on the 7th Jan - am concerned that i might get too tired if i am working, i work shifts that involve nights as well so am concerned that i will knacker myself out and maybe cause myself or the baby some issues!?!?

 

[Water Baby]

I'm leaving around Christmas eve depending on how much holiday I have left. It just seemed a nice 'neat' cut-off point. With the holiday I have left I won't actually start my mat leave until early Jan as I want to have as much time off with bubs as I can.

 

[allyk]

Whenever you feel is comfortable.. everyone is different. I have 6 weeks of holiday to take which i will take 6 weeks before my due date then start maternity leave on my due date!

The 2 other girls at my work who are pregnant have both left at 34 and 36 weeks
xx

wish i had 6 weeks leave, you must have a good job!!!

 

[allyk]

I'm leaving around Christmas eve depending on how much holiday I have left. It just seemed a nice 'neat' cut-off point. With the holiday I have left I won't actually start my mat leave until early Jan as I want to have as much time off with bubs as I can.

if you dont mind me asking when are you due, sorry i know you are 5 weeks ahead of me but i cant work out dates at moment (baby brain is my excuse!!!) hehe

 

[lizardbreath]

my last days feb 3rd and bubba is due feb 24th I will be 37 weeks to the Day with my Daughter I worked til May 3rd and had her May 18th I was 38 weeks

 

[Butterfly2]

Whenever you feel is comfortable.. everyone is different. I have 6 weeks of holiday to take which i will take 6 weeks before my due date then start maternity leave on my due date!

The 2 other girls at my work who are pregnant have both left at 34 and 36 weeks
xx

wish i had 6 weeks leave, you must have a good job!!!

LOL not a good job, i work in a supermarket, and havent taken any of my holiday yet, and only found out a few weeks ago i was entitled to 6 weeks! So they offered for me to take the whole lot before bubs was born, so i can use all my maternity leave when bubs is here x

 

[Mizze]

I have 6 weeks to take too - it so happens my leave year starts on 1st November and my due date is 24 December which means if I take all my leave up front (which im allowed to do) I can use all that and start maternity on 10th December. So roughly 38 weeks I start my actual maternity - which id never manage to work until but I will actually stop working about 32 weeks! Because im taking my entire year off and cant move all my holiday into the following year its take it up front, lose it or stop maternity early - im taking it up front and have less than 2 months left in work - HURRAH!

Mizze xx

 

[Embovstar]

Hiya

Def. go with the flow and remember that everyone is different...I realise that you have to tell them at such a time.

I had agreed to go at 38 weeks, but take a week annual leabe before hand, meaning no work from 37. In retrospect, this was too late.

I had an EXCELLENT pregnancy bar high BP throughout and at 34 weeks I was signed off work for 2 weeks with this..

It went down and I went back to work for 3 days before my annual leave.

If we have a number 2, I will, FOR SURE, go on mat leave at 34 weeks.

Nicola xx

 

[allyk]

Whenever you feel is comfortable.. everyone is different. I have 6 weeks of holiday to take which i will take 6 weeks before my due date then start maternity leave on my due date!

The 2 other girls at my work who are pregnant have both left at 34 and 36 weeks
xx

wish i had 6 weeks leave, you must have a good job!!!

LOL not a good job, i work in a supermarket, and havent taken any of my holiday yet, and only found out a few weeks ago i was entitled to 6 weeks! So they offered for me to take the whole lot before bubs was born, so i can use all my maternity leave when bubs is here x

you have a decent worplace!!! we have to book 1/2 years leave by august and then the other half must be taken by march!! so only managed to keep a week to take before maternity!!

 

[Fabby]

because my job is constantly on the go i think i am finishing at christmas when i will be 30 weeks. People say ''ooo, thats too early'' but i would like to see them do my job and be pregnant!!! I feel as though my babies and my own health are more important than anything. I am due 2nd march

 

[PinkEmily]

I was considering going on maternity leave at 29 weeks, as my job is pretty tiring, on my feet all the time and managers are a bit ignorant to the fact im pregnant, decided to have 2 weeks holiday then go on maternity leave at 31 weeks. My manager asked me today when i would be leaving i told him the end of October and he went " right.. your getting pretty big, your gona be struggling soon"

 

[amym]

I'm starting mat leave at 37 weeks but only cos I'm taking 3 weeks annual leave first...

I'm a big woman anyway and can't imagine how big I'll be at or close to full term...would rather take it easy than plan to go in for longer and find I can't manage it. My mum keeps telling me that when she was pregnnat with me (32 years ago!) you HAD to stop work at something like 30 weeks by law.

 

[Linny]

I'l be leaving work at 34/35 weeks as I've got four weeks annual leave to take too.

I get to leave before xmas and baby is due end of January so my actual mat leave will start a week before I'm due!

 

[Kitten596]

Potentially, I will try and get to 38 weeks but if we can save enough from now till feb I will leave about 35/6 weeks.

 

[allyk]

because my job is constantly on the go i think i am finishing at christmas when i will be 30 weeks. People say ''ooo, thats too early'' but i would like to see them do my job and be pregnant!!! I feel as though my babies and my own health are more important than anything. I am due 2nd march

my job is the same, as well as working shifts, i am concerned that if i go too early i might get a bit bored, i know i;m sounding a bit silly but this is my 1st and i think there is only so much shopping you can do!!!

 

[allyk]

it does seem that every one is different, some people go early and some go late, think i'm gonna tell work early and then if i feel ok go later. as i'm only 13 weeks at moment i only have toi give work rough date of when i'll go. Think i'll have chat with my boss on monday she is really reasonable

 

[whoops]

I'll be 35 weeks at Xmas, so I'm thinking that will be a nice cut-off point. I've holidays as well, but not sure how many, so my actual maternity leave might not start until the beginning of January. It will give me the whole month of January to prepare. And rest.

 

[JA1988]

I have no holiday left and I want as much time off as possible once he's born so I am starting maternity leave on 19th December and I am due on 6th Jan!!! So I'll be just about 38 weeks!!! Oh good god I may regret this when I get to December!!