Mat leave?

Growlycoyote

So when are people going on mat leave from work? I'm sort of torn between staying there as long as I can so I have more time at home with baby, and calling it a day as soon as we hit November to give myself some time to relax before the big day comes.

 thoughts? 

uncharch7

i have no choice but to stay until i go into labor. i don't have enough time off, and our STD is so crappy that my check wouldn't even come remotely close to being worth it. 

EvenAngelsFall

Ideally going as long as I can.... would rather take the time after LO is here.

LaurenRinAtlanta

I'm working up until whenever I feel like it... I am only part-time. I will probably work up until going into labor because I think I might go crazy sitting around for a couple of weeks with nothing to do! 

Mrvswife

I'll work until baby arrives!

co baby1

I have 8 days of vacation I have to use (or lose) before the end of the year so I may take a week or two before EDD off!

jwolfe1205

I'm feeling the same way, I get 12 weeks pd because of STD and my saved Vacation time, and every day is getting harder. I am trying to wait until Oct and then reconsider, and if the answer is I'm okay then again mid-Oct. 

IDK its a tough decision.  

Carrie3102

Our maternity leave here is like nothing I've heard of. 

I saved up my vacation and my last day of work will be the 11/11/11.  I am allowed to take 2 weeks before my due date off as well.  I figure she won't be "on-time" either early or late, we'll see... so I have those two weeks scheduled for 11/28-12/9 once the baby is born I get 8 weeks.  It doesn't matter if I used the two weeks before or not, I only get 8 once she gets here.  I can't put the 2 they'll give you before onto the end.

I'd have liked to keep my vacation to use after she's here and extend my leave to a total of 12 weeks paid, but our vacation expires at the end of the year which is why I'm taking 2 weeks in November.

mrs.tashnash

I'm going to leave a week early unless I get too uncomfortable. I'm also going to check and see what I have for vacation and maybe take off before that.

emd2887

I'm finishing up my masters and will be done with everything on Dec. 8 (almost 38 weeks), though I'm trying to do as much as possible now in case I go early. I'm just hoping to make it up to then and then will be able to devote all my time to nesting. 

buttercup1221

EvenAngelsFall:

Ideally going as long as I can.... would rather take the time after LO is here.

This. I only get 6 weeks paid maternity, then I'm using two weeks vacation on top of that. Plus DH informed me last night that he is looking into transferring to a new unit come the 1st of the year so that he can deploy with them in the spring... and if that happens then I'll be taking an unpaid leave of absence in order for us to spend time as a family before he leaves, so working as much as I can now.

I also know that I can't count on DH to pick baby up from daycare, etc on a regular basis so my overtime hours are going to be limited. So just another reason for me to work as much as I can now before she arrives and I don't want to work a minute past 4 because I want to be with my baby girl.

secretsout

I'll probably work up until my due date (Dec. 20) if I can--or maybe the rest of the week if I feel like it.  After that week our Christmas vacation begins and by the end of that I will definitely have had the baby.  I can take 12 weeks, but I have to use my saved up sick and vacation leave to get paid, and I think I'd rather save my time off for when baby is here.  Though, now that i think about it, maybe i'll just take that week before Christmas...

michelle142

I'm working until I go into labor unless my OB tells me otherwise

iluvmylab

I don't get any paid time off, so I'm really trying to hold out until Dec. 9, which is the Friday before my due date on the 12th.  I can use my sick days to get paid, but every day I take before baby means one less day after and less time paid while on maternity leave.  We get a week off for Thanksgiving, so I'm hoping that will give me enough rest to get through those last two weeks before I am due.

anne.ortego

I emailed human resources Wednesday, and I'm still waiting to hear back from someone.  My company is going through a merger, and I don't know what the new company's policy is because they haven't gotten that far yet with letting us know what's up.  Once I hear something back from them, then I'll be able to make a decision as to when I'm going to start my leave.  I have a week of vacation that I haven't used yet, so I might use that the week before I'm due and then just start my leave.

whirlygirl00

I'm planning to work up until I go into labor unless I can't for a medical reason.

I will say if I go way overdue I'll probably stop working a week after my due date regardless, but I hope it doesn't come to that!

Maggie-Moo

I'll be taking about a week and a half vacation before EDD, either to get everything finished up for Christmas and keeping the freezer full or (hopefully!) to welcome our little girl.

steph141

RedheadBaker:

I'm working up until I go into labor (unless my doctor tells me otherwise). I don't get paid time off (I'm a temp), and I don't get any sort of "maternity leave" protection, no disability benefits. 

This is me.  I'm not a temp, but I've been at this company one month shy of a year by the time I deliver.  In fact, in talking with HR, I learned I will have to reapply for my position if I want to come back, IF my position is open.  It sucks. I don't think I will be coming back.

Leap08

My plan at the moment is to work until Dec 2 (my due date is the 4th), unless the baby comes earlier or my MW advises me to stop working before that date.

alieb82

I get 12 weeks, and my plan is to work up until as close to my due date as possible.  I want as much time with my little man as I can get!

L8ebugs

I'm starting two weeks before due date. I told my doc at my appointment yesterday, and he was like, oh you should reallynthink about starting earlier. 35 weeks would be better. Does he think I have all the money in the world to add another month to the unpaid time I'm taking after my mat leave finishes? Don't think he understands that if I werer having this baby in the states I'd probably be workingup til my water breaks and back at school a month later. Oh well.

chankins14

I want as much time as possible with LO so I will be working up until I go into labor, just like I did with DS.  I woked a full day on Monday, water broke at 1am Tuesday morning & DS was here Wednesday morning.  )  Then I got the full 13 weeks with him! 

silivren

Well I'm lucky because my c-section is scheduled for a monday or a tuesday. I'm basically going to work til the friday before.

With my last baby I worked right up til I went into labor.  I want to spend as much time with my baby as possible before I return to work

alber2am

I think my last day will be 1 week before my due date.  They way our schedule is here I kind of need to pick a day so we have coverage, if I deliver early then they will have to just figure something out-obviously I have no control over that. I have a lot of PTO time but in January you are only allowed "roll over"80 hours, the rest you have to do a buy back at 50% or lose it.  Since my STD is only covering 70% of my salary we are relying on that buy back to make up the rest.  I wish I could use my PTO time for after the baby was born but my employer won't allow it.  I have to use 2 weeks after delivery until STD kicks in. 

MrsT2008

EvenAngelsFall:

Ideally going as long as I can.... would rather take the time after LO is here.

This.  I also have the flexibility to work from home at the end if I need to.