Summer Sensations! (due May/June 2013)

[GettingBroody]

Wow Christie, congrats on your adoption!!!!! How exciting! How old is he? It will great for him and the new baby to be so close in age! Did the adoption process take a long time?

NoDoubt - that sounds like a wonderful scan!!! It's so cute seeing them move around in there - flips must have been fab to watch!!

I really can't believe how little time off so many of you are entitled to once the baby is born... In Ireland, once you've been paying taxes for a minimum time (I think it might be a year) then you are entitled to 26 weeks paid maternity leave. The pay is 80% of your gross pay per week but because it's not taxed it works out as more or less the same as your normal pay. I'm feeling very lucky now....

 

[No Doubt]

I wish I know in the one of the countries where we have a site they are given 3 years!

 

[GettingBroody]

3 years!! How fab would that be! We'll all have to move there!!

 

[TwoRdue]

In nz we only get 14 weeks paid maternity leave as well as family assistance, the same for Australia (not sure how long maternity leave is there) just there pay out is better $4000 for having a baby and family assistance

Christie as the OH and I can't have any more kids we were on the list for adoption but as the ivf was a success I now have to wait till my LO is one before we can go back on the adoption list

 

[Christie2011]

I did an independent adoption. I knew the birth mother, so it didn't take long at all. I actually only found out about him about 2 months before he was born. I wasn't in the process of adopting, since I was doing an IVF cycle, so had nothing prepared. I had less than 2 months to gather all the paperwork and do all the background checks and home study.

I decided to do both the adoption and IVF, since neither were guaranteed at the time and they were both happening at the same time. I was just hoping one way or the other I would end up with a LO all my own and now I get 2!

He will be 7 weeks on Wednesday. I'll have 2 babies under 10 months! I love it!

 

[GettingBroody]

Exciting times in your house Christie!!! Have you found it hard getting used to having a new baby and being pregnant at the same time?

 

[TwoRdue]

Christie that is fab!! I would totally love that two....

 

[Christie2011]

Getting up for feedings in the middle of the night is the hardest part. I've been lucky in that I've had no pregnancy symptoms. I'm just hoping that maybe he's sleeping through the night, or can hold his own bottle by the time the other one gets here. I'm definitely getting a bassinet for #2. They will eventually share a room and since #2 won't be sleeping through the night right away, I don't want him to wake the first one up. Though I'm sure both of them getting up in the night at the same time will happen more than once, if I can avoid it, then I shall try.

 

[almosthere]

Oh wow congrats on your first lo christie!

 

[No Doubt]

Wow Christie that is so much and so exciting!

 

[lilbabywalker]

Christie, that's awesome! What a joy!

Ok, my freak out is over. Sorry to keep bombarding you guys with my mood swings. Here's what I'm figuring:

I can get about 8 weeks paid time off by using all my sick, vacation, and comp time (plus, I can try to earn more comp time in the coming months). Then, I can go in the hole about four weeks worth of sick time. My husband and I put away $500-$1000 month into savings, so if I do want some unpaid time off after that point (although August 19th is actually a perfect time to come back to work because of the schedule of the program I coordinate), we could use some of the savings to cover extra bills. I'm also not opposed to seeing if I could come back and work part-time instead of full time, and get more time at home with the LO for a few years, and my husband is considering looking for a higher paying job.

SO, freak out over. Thanks for your kind ears and words and your patience!!

Oh, and I have a LEMON today!

 

[almosthere]

Yay for a little lemon! Then comes orange! Lol

 

[raelynn]

I'm in the same boat with the 60% pay for up to 6 weeks. I did read that you could request an additional 6 weeks of short term disability for 'bonding' time but I'm not sure I'm making complete sense out of everything. I have to use 5 days of personal leave before maternity pay would kick in so I've been saving up my sick time since I can roll that over to next year. I wish they made all these policies easier to understand!

Christie - How exciting adopting a little one! They're bound to get along great since they'll be so close in age!

 

[snowflakes120]

I am pretty upset ladies. I got my NT results - I have a 1:270 chance of having a baby with down's. Average for my age is 1:700. Genetic OBGYN considered my number "normal". I am not happy about it at all. I have been crying since I found out after work. I am really scared. I go for the 2nd part of the test at 16 weeks.

 

[almosthere]

I am so sorry snowflake-I think baby will be fine though!! HUGS

 

[Jesss123]

Snow, I'm so sorry

In regards to everyone's maternity pay, WOW, you only get 6 - 8 weeks? Where I work, it states in my contract that I will be getting 83% of my pay, not taxed for 26 weeks, then 60% of my pay for a further 13 weeks then I'm entitled to another 3 months unpaid. I will be taking my full maternity, my full year as I'm going back to university next September, at that point LO will be 4 months or so, but then again.. I also get paid for going to university, I get a good wage out of uni itself since my course is almost all practical (Midwifery). Then when I do come back to work, I'm only gonna be working there for about 15 hours a week as I'll be at uni for 30hrs. I'm glad i'm in the UK! You guys don't get much time off at all to spend with LO once they're born!

I hope it works out ok for you all

AFM.. I had my fluids in today, god, I hate IVs. I've been taken off any medication as it's not longer having any effect and I've been officially put on sick leave until 25 weeks.. after which my maternity basically starts LO is doing well, we seen her bouncing around today on a quick ultrasound. I had my counseling session too, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing so I'll post more about it tomorrow!

 

[Jesss123]

OMG! 16 weeks 1 day!

 

[raelynn]

snowflakes - So sorry about your results! I know it is probably really scarey but remember they are just a guess at this point. I've seen people with 1:100 chances and lower and they have perfectly healthy little babies

 

[No Doubt]

Snow I thought your numbers were normal too from the info I got from my doc. I know things can be nerve wrecking when it's hot what you want to hear. I'm sure things are fine hun. Try not to fret.

 

[TwoRdue]

So sorry snow.. I sure you will be fine and number look good.x

Yay for week 16 Jess

Well I found today that I have put on 4.4 pounds in 13 weeks, nowhere near what I thought I had out on yay