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3rd Trimester
When to take mat leave?
When did you ladies decide to take your mat leave or are deciding to take your mat leave?
I'm debating on trying to work for as long as I can up to my due date or starting my time off work a month before my due date. I'm scared I'll go into labour before I'm scheduled to finish working. I don't know if I'm too keen on the idea of my water possibly breaking while I'm at my desk. 
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Re: When to take mat leave?
I read that the 'gush' of water is generally if you are laying down, since the baby's head is not acting as a 'cork'. If you are sitting or standing, there is a better chance of a 'trickle' instead of the 'gush'.
with that being said, I am right there with you. My EDD is Aug 5th, and if I have not had her by the 7th (a friday) then I will start mat leave. I have to go as long as possible, since I only get 6weeks off.
I'll be 39w3d on my last work day.
Matthew Kevin
7/31/83-7/20/11
Met 1/8/00
Engaged 4/21/06
Married 9/29/07
Two beautiful legacies: Noah Matthew (2 yrs) and Chloe Marcella (8 mos)
Day Three
My LO is due August 17 (A Monday). So I'm planning to work until August 15th (a Friday).
I don't want to waste my time at the begining. I want more time with my LO
I'm sure you will get a lot of "it's a personal choice" responses, and I am still 12 weeks away, but my plans if no complications present themselves are to work until the Friday before my due date (EDD is on a Wed). I figure if baby is late, I will be miserable at work after the 40 week period (hell, I'm miserable today!)
I just want to have as much time home with baby as possible, and I only get 12 weeks off unless there are complications that put me on bed rest. So I do not want to "waste" any of my 12 weeks leaving work to just sit around the house alone waiting and watching a bunch of TLC.
It's a double edged sword. Today is actually my first day on leave (I'm 39 weeks). I wanted to work up to the last minute. However, dear friends encouraged me to take this last week or so for myself. I know it's a good idea, and in retrospect I will probably appreciate it. However, I can't help but think that I would rather have this extra week once the baby is born.
A month before seems like a lot of time to me...but I honestly don't really know how to relax and would be absolutley stir crazy unless nothing else was done up to that point.
I am almost completely effaced and dilated 1-2, -2 station as of last friday...that helped make the decision too. But, no contractions, so I think I am still a ways off.
12 months? Gee, I wish. Only in Canada...which I am only 15 minutes from, but not a citizen. 12 weeks is the longest an employer has to hold a full-time employees job in this country. It's the FMLA courtesy of Pres Clinton.
I struggled with this question for months.... and I have a job where I can literally take as much time as I want. But I have decided to start my leave 2 weeks from tomorrow, I will be 37 weeks.
I have defenatly mentally checked out and I am exhausted all the time now!!
This is my plan exactly. We have the same due date!
poster said they were in canada in their profile so i assumed 12 months. i've taken the month of may off, due 8 june. i love it. we get 12 months in the UK as well. pres clinton did wonders for women in fmla (i guess) but the US has a long way to go for making it easier for working women to balance their motherhood with their careers. i don't know what i'd do if i had only 12 weeks--i don't even want to think about it.
i was planning on going up til about a week or two from EDD but now that i am high risk for pre-eclampsia (high bp).. i am finishing up tomorrow!
i mentally checked out a month ago lol!
DD -- 5YO
DS -- 3YO
I am not ungrateful for FMLA, and I agree that the US is well behind other countries.
The other caveat is with the economy, I would be afraid to be gone that long from work. I have felt a little guilty being off this last week when there really isn't anything "wrong".
Enjoy your time off.
My plan is to work until the day baby is born--since short term disability pay won't start until them--and then take 12 weeks off under FMLA/STD and two weeks of additional unpaid time. So far I am still feeling really good and so I don't really see any reason to not come to work. Plus, we keep the bag in the car and I am much closer to the hospital at work than at home.
I might start working a day or two a week from home just to wrap up some loose ends, but not actually start leave until LO is here.
Will baby #3 be another girl?
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unfortunately, pres clinton and other presidents did not consider all women...this FMLA only holds for larger establishments (50 or more employees) - i am losing my job over my pregnancy -discrimination at its best and i have NO protection- i am not protected by FMLA or disability laws... and it sucks...
there are a ton of other ppl out there like this as well...
so yes...the US has a LOT of work to do in this area...
Last time I worked right up until I went into labor, and I really wish someone had told me not to do that. I was trying to save my leave time for mat leave, but I wish to god I had taken some time off and rested before having the baby.
The last couple weeks, I was having insomnia every night and working all day, and then was in labor over the course of two days, and then came home to, you know, NO sleep for weeks. It was all too much. A few days of rest would have helped me enormously in labor and given me even a little bit of reserves for what came after.