Maternity Leave - when to begin?

rcm201408 · April 2014

When are you planning to begin your maternity leave? I have some friends who waited it out as long as possible, while others started at 39 weeks.

Thoughts?

FrodaBaggins · April 2014

I have no idea what to do and going into a meeting in twenty minutes with my bosses to discuss my mat leave! I am hoping to work right up until the baby comes, but that doesn't seem fair for the person who'll be temping for me to not have a definitive start time. Yet both of my sisters in law had babies that were two weeks late!!!

Chicky0727 · April 2014

This is great, because this is the first time I'm working while being pregnant and I have NO idea when to take off. My boss has been asking me and I have no answer for her...I'm thinking mid-July...my due date is August 1. I have 2 other littles too. I'm also not too sure on when to come back...I'm allowed to bring my baby to work so that is super helpful, but I don't know what the recommended time off is?? Any advice on that? With my other two pregnancies I felt great after a month or so...but I wasn't working then, so I'm not sure...

Cat&S · April 2014

I'd like to work up until I give birth, but if I go up to 40 weeks and still have an inside baby, I'll probably stop then. My EDD is a Saturday, so I'd probably make my last day the Friday before.

Valancyy · April 2014

With my first I planned to go out at 38 weeks. I had my last day of work on a Friday and was looking forward to at least a week or a few days to relax before baby came. I cleaned the whole house on Saturday...and went into labor that night. Baby was born Sunday morning.

With my 2nd we had some issues with daycare, where I needed to save up as much vacation as possible. So...I planned to work up until the baby came. My grandmother died right before I hit 38 weeks...so I took 2 days of bereavement for the wake and funeral. Baby came the morning of the funeral (2nd day of bereavement).

How long are you taking for maternity leave? Would you rather have a week or so to relax before baby...or have as much time as possible with baby? Ideally, I would like to have at least a week before baby, to relax as much as possible, sleep in, etc. But...if it meant shortening my leave from 12 weeks to 10 weeks...then I may not. Depends how long your leave is (mine were 6 months).

This time around I'm a SAHM.

andatcdc · April 2014

I plan on working until I pop. I only get 4 weeks of paid maternity leave and want to use all of that for after baby comes. It will be difficult as my job is laborious but that's the game plan. Luckily I will have an intern starting early July that I can maybe pass some of my patients off to.

Jentech84 · April 2014

I'm due on August 14th. My last day is Friday August 1st - the following Monday is a holiday. I'll take the rest of the week as holidays, so my actual mat leave starts August 11th.

shevaCC · April 2014

I worked right up until the day before last time and hope to do the same thing this time. Those last few weeks draaaaagged and working gave me something to do.

kimberlybethh · April 2014

With dd I didn't take any extra time before. I had her on a Monday and worked the previous week before. I wish I would have taken at least a few days before dd came. I wanted to save all my time for when the baby came but I had no idea how exhausting maternity leave was going to be. my leave won't be paid this time I'm not sure if I will take extra time before or not.

enigmasara · April 2014

I'll be working right up until I go into labor (as long as the doctor allows). I don't get any paid maternity leave (very small company) so I need to save my days off/unpaid days for once the baby is here. It does suck because we have to hire a temp & we have to have someone who will be very flexible with their start date, yet have them fully trained before I go. It's hard to find someone with that kind of flexibility.

MandMLeona · April 2014

With my first I worked until she was born at 37 weeks. With my second I had vacation I had to take or I would loose, so I was on vacation for a week before she was born at 38 weeks. With this one, I intend to work until the baby is born, assuming no medical issues arise. Of course, I'm a computer worker and actually work from home, so it's easier for me to go to the end...and my end tends to be a bit earlier than most.

Jenrileysmom · April 2014

With DD I worked up until the day before I had her. I only had 8 weeks to use (2w vacation, 6w STD) and I didn't want to eat up any of it before I had her. She was a good girl and came on a Saturday morning when I wasn't working. I was terrified that my water would break at work and would have if it had been a work day.

This time I will be laid off when I give birth. I work in sales for a heating distributor and not many companies buy heaters in the summer. I will start my maternity leave at the tail end of my lay off though so I will still have to go back after 8 weeks.

Laur110 · April 2014

I am tentatively planning to work up until the Friday before my due date (a Sunday). My managers have been very supportive, offering to let me work from home in the weeks leading up to my EDD. I am lucky!

Chicky0727 · April 2014

toratoratori said:

I'm planning to take off two weeks before my due date (August 2, so leaving work in mid-July), but since that's right in the middle of my program's admissions cycle, I'll probably be doing some work from home and Lyncing in to meetings. My plan is to request a full three months after I give birth, as it'll likely be easier for me to come back to work early if I'm going stir crazy than it will be for me to stay home longer if I commit to coming back earlier.

That sounds like a good plan...you're EDD is one day after mine. I can work from home as well and I think requesting 3 full months off sounds like a good amount of time. That's what I was looking at on when to come back to work.

mae3014 · April 2014

I'm starting to plan meetings in July, which is making me nervous because some of them would fall in the 37-38 week range. There's no real replacement for me so when I leave, things just won't happen. My boss doesn't really pay attention to what I'm doing so he's going to be SOL when I'm gone if I'm not there to prep all the meeting materials, etc.

I'm planning on working to the end but that doesn't mean everything will go as planned.

JadaBlue · April 2014

My situation is a bit unusual. I'm a federal employee posted overseas in a country with inadequate medical care. I will be medevac'ed back to the U.S. at 34 weeks because of long haul flight restrictions. Until the baby is born I have to take vacation or unpaid leave (except when I'm at the doctor-then I can take my accumulated sick time), so that stinks as I will exhaust all of my vacation days before the baby is born and the federal government gives its employees zero maternity leave days. I'm looking forward to having time to prepare, but I know it will drag, particularly since my husband won't be able to join me until close to my due date.

VelvetElegance · April 2014

I am having a scheduled c/s, so I plan to work up to the Friday before. Last time, I had pre-e so I was induced at 37w3d. I was totally unprepared at work. This time I plan to me much more prepared. I'll use 6 weeks of vacay and 6 weeks FMLA. And with the way things are at work currently, August can't get here soon enough!

caballablanca · April 2014

I plan to work right up to the day DS plans to come. I did it with dd as well. I was just glad that I didn't actually go into labor at work but at home that morning.

Raclla · April 2014

I'll be working as long as possible.

With DD I was due on a Tues. I worked Tues, Wed, and Thur. I called in sick Fri and had DD on Sat.

People thought I was insane, but I don't get paid leave and didn't want to start my 12 weeks of FMLA until I HAD to. My FMLA started the Monday after she was born.

MereDe3 · April 2014

With DD I was due on a Tuesday and my last day was the Friday before. DD was born on her due date. With DS I had a scheduled induction and worked until the day before.

tracey007 · April 2014

I worked until the day before. I am a teacher and my sub was flexible. I got the feeling my principal wanted me to stop sooner (I went over a week past my due date), but I didn't care. I felt it was best for my kids and myself. This time I'll be off (summer and taking a year long leave).

pmpkn219 · April 2014

I waited as long as possible last time. so when I was 40+6 weeks with intermittent contractions, I stayed at work til 5. Went to the hospital 2 am that night.

Plan to do the same this time, providing my body agrees with it. I was big and waddling, but literally had NOTHING to do at home but sit twiddling my thumbs and waiting for labor to start... so working made the time go a little faster!

bcbuzzafsu · April 2014

With DS I was able to work the week before he was due at home. He came on a Monday. I just had to call my boss to start FMLA. I'm hourly so if I'm not working I'm not getting paid. I started up working part time from home again as soon as I felt well enough, about a week and a half.

KaleMonster · April 2014

As a teacher, I will be on summer break at that point. I plan on teaching summer night school through mid-July though (it's only one night a week).

sarahg8r · April 2014

I would like to take off at least a few days before I actually go into labor. It would be nice to have some time to stock the fridge, clean the house and get ready for house guests! I will have about a week of vacation time that I can take in August, so I'm hoping my boss will let me take some time off before FMLA starts. I'm worried she'll want my vacation days to be part of my 12 week FMLA, though.

I will probably see how things are progressing in the last few weeks, but if I don't go into labor by my due date, I'll probably use that as the cut off date for work. I'm due Aug. 11, which is a Monday, so I'd make that previous Friday my last day and then have a week (at most) off before my OB would induce me.

+RBL+ · April 2014

I'll work until I go into labor. I would prefer to be home with LO after they arrive then take the time off before.

CanadianintheSouth · April 2014

I have an fear (FTM so I'm not sure if it a legitimate or irrational fear) that my water is going to break when I am in front of a room full of my high school students. We go back to school on the 11th and I am due on the 19th, but I want to try to work at least the first week of school.

BlckRoses · April 2014

I plan on working until I go into labor. My boss wants my temp to start at the beginning of August and I'm due August 23rd. I don't know if I have enough work to entertain a temp for 3 weeks, but we'll see. My boss went early with all 3 of her kids, though, so she's assuming I'm going to have baby before my due date. DH will be working from home for the week before my due date in case I go into labor at work. He'll be able to come pick me up because I don't really want to drive if I'm having contractions.

Who knows, though. I had 2 employees just have babies and both were miserable at work and started their leave before babies arrived. We all have low key desk jobs, so I'm hoping I can make it.

MC03 · April 2014

Last time I took 3 weeks off, and that is my plan this time as well (3 weeks before my RCS). In CA, if your employment qualifies for disability (mine does) you can take up to 4 weeks off before your due date, and even if you are late, it does not take away from your time on disability after the baby. Although disability only pays about 60%, I will use sick and vacation hours to make up for the difference during my leave, and I have enough to last through 3 weeks before, plus 14 weeks after LO is born. I always urge my other co-workers to take advantage of that time before. Rest, get ready for baby, relax. Especially for the first child, because you will never again just have time alone like that. However I completely understand working right up until the day of labor if time before would take away from take after with baby. This time my three weeks off before won't be so relaxing because for two of those daycare is closed for summer vacation, so I'll be waddling after my 2.5 year old. Haha.

FrodaBaggins · April 2014

sarahg8r said:

I would like to take off at least a few days before I actually go into labor. It would be nice to have some time to stock the fridge, clean the house and get ready for house guests! I will have about a week of vacation time that I can take in August, so I'm hoping my boss will let me take some time off before FMLA starts. I'm worried she'll want my vacation days to be part of my 12 week FMLA, though.
I will probably see how things are progressing in the last few weeks, but if I don't go into labor by my due date, I'll probably use that as the cut off date for work. I'm due Aug. 11, which is a Monday, so I'd make that previous Friday my last day and then have a week (at most) off before my OB would induce me.

This is what I ended up going with too. Yesterday at our meeting my boss thought I would want to stop a week before our due date, on August 4th, but I figured having that Friday be the last day would be the best idea - just hoping the baby is not 2 weeks late and I'm sitting around at home waiting!!

tamarar5 · April 2014

I always planned to work up until delivery, but with my first, my Dr made me stop at 38 weeks after an accident at work. With my second, I ended up becoming a SAHM about half way through. However, I ended up on bed rest the last 5 weeks, so if I had been working, I would have used more than half my leave before the baby even came.

torooji · April 2014

Ideally I'll stay at work until baby arrives, but my boss has me down to tentatively leave 4 weeks before my due date just in case. I think he sees that I'm already uncomfortable and doesn't have much confidence in me lasting as long as I say I want to, LOL. So I have some flexibility and can leave any time in between. I'm really going to try to stick it out as long as I can, especially since I can choose to WFH during my last weeks.

Hilee18 · April 2014

Until I'm induced. I'm not going overdue, so we'll see when they want to do the induction and then the day before will be my last day as long as everything goes well

missmiss307 · April 2014

As of right now, my planned maternity leave start date is Sept. 3. I went a week overdue with DS, so I'm not counting on going early with this one. I'm allowed to adjust the start date if necessary, but if I start 9/3, my 12 weeks runs up to Thanksgiving. So I probably won't adjust regardless, especially since 9/1 is a holiday.

ETA: Due 8/28

jarethinafrock · April 2014

I'm a teacher so I will have 2.5 months off before baby gets here. \:D/ My due date (Aug 12) is the second day of in-service.

marathonmommy82 · April 2014

When I go into labor (that's what I did last time). My last day in court with cases is 2 weeks before I'm due - then I'll be the back up attorney until I'm out

mislogis · April 2014

Both girls I worked until I went into labor. I'm not one to be able to sit around so, I would go absolutely nuts twiddling my thumbs waiting for labor to start.

lsugirljen · April 2014

Waiting as long as I can. With Charles I worked until the day I was induced/had him. Hoping to be able to do the same thing with this baby.

Rosebean · April 2014

IMO it's really a Russian Roulette. I booked mine for 2 weeks before I was due. Had my "mat leave" party on the Friday, broke my water and delivered my son on the Monday. On my first day of vacation I was a mom. So I lost two weeks of what I thought were prep time to clean my house, make meals, make last minute buys... And I had an emergency c-section to boot. So just pick what you are comfortable with. A d hope you get more rest than I did before you pop.

dogperson11 · April 2014

I plan to work at least until my due date, possibly a few days more. My doctor won't let me go past 41 weeks, so I know this baby will be born by Sept 1 (due Aug 25). It's a little difficult for my work as I'm scheduled to see patients all day every day, but usually we're not scheduled more then a week or two out so they'll be able to shuffle another RT in for my absense. I don't get any paid maternity or STD and I will only have 1 week of vacation saved up, so it's going to be quite expensive for me to take my 6-8 weeks off of work. I want as much time with the baby as possible.

Maternity Leave - when to begin?

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