How long after having baby did you/will you return to work?

[rwhite]

I got a full time job when LO was 11 months old and I felt it was the perfect time for me

 

[ttcnewbie123]

Im planning to have 39 weeks off on the UK statutory maternity pay. £128 odd a week is rubbish but we will hopefully have some savings put aside should we need them. I plan to work three days a week when I go back, luckily we have two family members who are each willing to do 1 day childcare so we will only have to pay for 1 day a week at nursery x

 

[ChristinaRN]

I'm not going back for several years. This will be my 4th child so I really need to be home with all of my kids to assist with school work, school plays, after school activities etc. We are fortunate enough that DH has an awesome job and we can afford for me to quit. In a year or so I may work a few hours a week doing home health nursing (IV infusions in peoples homes) but essentially I will be a SAHM for the next few years.

 

[missmayhem]

i intend to take as long as possible off and then go back working evenings only, atm i work evenings and weekends

having weekends off mean that OH, baby and i can be a family and do family things

also me working evenings means i won't have to put baby in childcare, saving money

instead of sposie nappys i am using cloth to save money, so that will be a bit less going out each month

 

[ahcigar1]

I don't get paid at all for maternity leave only get up to 12 weeks of FMLA so will only be taking 6 weeks off before going back to work and will be working up till I go in labor.

 

[glaciergirl]

This is such an interesting thread, and I really feel for all those ladies that would like longer mat leave with their babies but can't.

I work as an Education Manager in Local Government, hubby is a University lecturer so we have good jobs. We took ages to decide to have kids so we have been saving for a while which has helped. I am taking 1 year off work, but only 10 months of that is Mat leave, the rest is made up of my annual leave carry over...so in fact I think there are only 4 weeks out of the year where I have no pay at all and will have to rely on savings.
Scary, but I have done the maths and think its going to be OK.

I am looking forward to the career break as I am a workaholic who loves and has worked hard for my dream job! I will be going back to work at 4 days a week, so will hubby - so our baby will be in nursery 3 days a week (my mum and his mum are very far away)...

 

[Trying4ababy]

I had Madison on a Wednesday and was back to work on Monday.

 

[Zodiac]

I'll be working up untill two weeks before my due date, unless my doc says earlier. I have to plan my leave to the day because of the sensitivity of my job, I can't leave any loose ends.

After will be the standard 6 weeks of short term disability, and back to work. I can't afford to take any additional unpaid time. If I can I might see if I can work a few hours from home the 1st few weeks back so I just don't jump into being out of the house full time...but all that is up in the air for now.

 

[Seity]

I got up to 12 weeks unpaid. I took 8 weeks. (I was able to use my sick time to get paid while gone and I had enough to cover 8 weeks)
I also left work when my contractions were close enough to go to the hospital.

 

[Mary Jo]

with Adam I took the full 39 weeks, on SMP. finished work at 36 weeks so went back when he was 8 months old. but I only work very part time (1 or occasionally 2 days a week now). this time I hope to work to maybe 38 weeks, I'll definitely not go back before 39 weeks of MA is up (I don't qualify for SMP this time) and whether I go back depends on me being offered shifts as I work freelance. If I do get offered Saturday shifts, and OH can cope with the children, I will definitely go back.

 

[Jellybean0k]

I've taken 12 months off work, that includes the 11 weeks before, BUT, I have told them in work that I may come back early, it's not a problem though. I really do hope we can manage the full 12 months and put enough by to cope with the 3 months unpaid - eek

 

[oblada18]

I will be taking 4 months, including about 3 weeks of holidays roughly. Will start maternity leave a couple of weeks before my due date so when I go back to work LO will be a bit more than 3 months old... Planning to go back on 4 days + 1 day home working if that is possible. Booked the nursery already... I think its a reasonable compromise; cant afford to live on SMP for long and plus I dont want to stay away from my work for too long either lol

xx

 

[xxsteffyxx]

With my company I am very blessed that I get my salary topped up by my company on SMP, so they top up whatever SMP gives me to make up my normal monthly wage for 6 months. After that I am entilted to a further 6 months on AML, which is also topped up to make my annual salary, plus I get a lovely bonus in March which will help, massively!

All in all i am entitled to 52 weeks off with my company.

But I may only take 6 months, depending on the circumstances. Still early days yet, so havn't fully decided!

 

[HollieQ]

I'm HOPING to take the full 9 months off, I've just paid off all my small debts and now over the next few months before I leave am saving like crazy, hoping to save a few grand to go along my maternity pay. My hubby has a really good job, so I think we'll be fine. I'm then going back to work 3 days a week and our baby will be going into nursery/childminder - not sure yet, for those 3 days.

I'm self employed so have no option but to go straight back to work because we can't afford for me not to, we're not entitled to any grants or benefits. I will be having 3 weeks off then back to work 3 days a week (10 hour shifts). If I had the choice I would love to have 39 weeks off but I don't

heya hunny, you should be entitiled to Self Employed maternity allowance?

https://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyT...ort/Expectingorbringingupchildren/DG_10018869

I'm self employed and I think I'll be getting around £400/£500 a month.

Hi Hollie, I wish that was enough but I'm afraid it isn't. Maybe your business doesn't have high overheads but I need on average £170 a week to cover the business expenses (rent of premises, business rates, electric, water, gas, insurance etc etc) before even thinking about having money to live off and MA is only about £130 a week, so if I don't work then every week that goes by will be a £50 loss for the business, which will inevitably lead to me losing the business I can't let that happen because I'll only have to start over again years down the line, so my only option is to keep working through what will undoubtably be a difficult time. I want to have my cake and eat it We've looked at it long and hard and the only way it can work without making me bankrupt, is if I keep working. I'm going to claim MA for the 3 weeks that I'll be closing the business and for about 5 weeks leading up to birth, when I will make full use of the KIT days (so will be working about 2 days a week during that time). Then after the birth, I will happily work 3 days a week (albiet very long shifts), because that means that I still get to spend 4 days a week with my baby, whilst maintaining the same level of income Its not ideal but needs must, although I'm still very envious of those that can take full maternity leave

ah I see, yeah i just work from home, next to no overheads. Your plan sounds good though, you've done well to get such a great business up and running, and now you have a LO on the way, well done and good luck

 

[Lozzy_Loo]

OH and I have been weighing up our finances for next year when baby's here and SMP isn't much at all and I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how much we'd be entitled to in CTC or WTC and whether we'd qualify for a Sure Start Grant... it feels like so much hassle and I won't be bringing in very much and it's very tempting to go back to work earlier, perhaps working part-time for a while.

I was just wondering did you take all 39 weeks of your SMP or did you go back to work earlier, and if so how soon after having baby and what did you do about childcare?

Thank-you for the help girls

Hey this is exactly how i feel.
I feel like i havent really got a clue if im entitled to ctc or wtc, and it just seems like alot of hassle to sort out...

Do you know when we have to ring them up to apply for all of this??

 

[ttcfirstbb]

I had Madison on a Wednesday and was back to work on Monday.

Wow ur kidding! How did u do it?

 

[ttcfirstbb]

I have 2 days left at work n will be taking 12 weeks off work. I will be going back on Sept 19th. I hope LO isnt too overdue as I wanna spend most of my maternity leave w him. I will then be going back part time. Im fortunate to have a great boss that will pay me during maternity leave.

 

[chubbin]

I was offered full time work when LO was just over a year old, and I took it. I LOVE being back at work, although as LO is still not sleeping through the night every night, I am permanently knackered! LO goes to a childminder 4 days a week, which he seems to love. I then have him for half a day on Friday, and mil has him in the afternoon xx

 

[rocketb]

I plan to take the full 12 weeks unpaid. I work for a small company and they'll be flexible about it.

Happily DH makes enough and we have more than enough in savings to support us during that time. All the cars are paid off and all my salary has ever covered is groceries, my own gas expenses, and luxuries like our twice-monthly maid service. DH wants me to see if I have the option of working part time afterwards. I can look into it... but I love my job (architect) and really want to continue working on my career. Once I'm working again, child care will only take about a third of my salary each month. We could have three kids before it would start making sense for me to stay at home and only two total are planned.

 

[babydustcass]

As I own my own business and co-own another I will be back at work within a week or so... Starting with the little jobs and building gradually back up to a full time job! OH finishes at 3 most days so my real work hours will be then and when LO is sleeping. I pay national insurance and I'm told this gives me some maternity allowance but as you live to youre means we need the income from my work... If I don't do it there is no one else too! The good thing about my own business is that it started as my hobby and I can take things as slowly or quickly as I feel when ready! When I'm not working my fingers are twitching lol