When are you starting your maternity leave?

kmb21416 · May 2016

When is a normal time to start maternity leave? Do most people work until their water breaks or what?

deuxbouledogues · May 2016

I'm curious by the answers of people who aren't teachers like me... My last day is June 17 and EDD is July 2nd. I get paid all summer based on how our contract year is, so I won't take actual maternity leave until September 12-beginning of January. If he was to come early though it would be based on my water suddenly breaking/being put on bed rest/whatever and just taking sick leave at that point to finish the year.

sboston06 · May 2016

What I'm planning on: July 8th (EDD July 12th)

I'm a nurse and I'm delivering at the hospital that I work at, so if I go into labor at work it won't be the end of the world. However, my official leave date depends on whether I'm able to keep up this level of activity and remain healthy until the end. I'm not sure if my blood pressure and stress level will remain reasonable. I only get 12 weeks of FMLA (most of which is paid out of my vacation bank) so I want to save as much of that as possible for after then baby is born.

PhoebeJune1984 · May 2016

With my first, my plan was to work until a week or two before my due date. Instead, I went through a job change and there was a large gap between the end of one and the start of another, so I stopped working 10 weeks before my due date.

This one, I am due 7/24, I will be scheduling a RCS for around 7/17, and my last day is a month before my RCS date. If I was working a job that I was coming back to, I would work as close to my due date as possible, so I could have more time off once baby was here. However, I am quitting my job, so I don't have to worry about maternity leave and such.

ETA: I will say that while it was nice to have those 10 weeks off while pregnant with the first, when I was uncomfortable, it made the days seem like they were SOOOOO much longer. Time felt like it went so slowly, and was just dragging on and on. By working closer to my due date, even though I am uncomfortable, I feel like the days are going faster. Having to go to work, forces me to get up, get out of the house, and get moving. If I was home, I would be sleeping in and chilling in my sweats all day, lacking motivation to do anything. And while that sounds nice, I know all of that relaxing would mean that I was getting less exercise during the day, snacking more, and gaining unnecessary weight. HAHA

IB113 · May 2016

Working until I am in active labor. Saving the maternity leave for when the baby is here.

oneliloaktree13 · May 2016

Could be tomorrow, could be June. Im playing this whole thing by how annoying my job gets.

DarkCat · May 2016

My birth is up in the air at this point. I have gestational diabetes and I start my non-stress tests at 32 weeks. Depending on how well my girl is doing I could be allowed to reached exactly 40 weeks (if I don't go into labour naturally) or I could be have an early induction. As far as when I will start my maternity leave I think I will start it either July 2nd or July 9th. My EDD is July 15th.

yycmama · May 2016

My due date was July 7 but currently have a csection booked for June 27. I had planned on working until May 19, then using up a couple
of weeks vacation and starting mat leave June 8 (I'm in Canada and get a year of leave). Instead the doctor put me on leave from work a couple of weeks ago. So I'll have been off for 10 weeks prior if she cooperates and stays in, which probably isn't likely :S

elenabrent · May 2016

I'm teaching until a week before my due date (7/2). Unless I blow early.

jwittwer · May 2016

My due date is 7/31 (revised to 7/26). Work lets me take up to two weeks off before the baby comes, and then 16 weeks afterwards. My current plan is to go on leave around July 18th.

oneliloaktree13 · May 2016

elenabrent said:

I'm teaching until a week before my due date (7/2). Unless I blow early.

Hahaha, the visual I got from this is awesome.

blackgirlmagic · May 2016

I will be working until my water breaks or I am in active labor. I already told my coworkers that someone better be ready to drive me to the hospital and I'll bring a towel closer to my due date just in case there is a shit ton of water leaking...FTM I'm not really sure what to expect with the whole water breaking scene.

shaylalr · May 2016

My last day is June 24th. My due date is July 8. I won't be returning to work, but they are letting me take maternity leave anyways.

Kellyj103 · May 2016

My original plan was to work until my due date or baby decides to come early. However, I'm always working these long hours and accumulating lots of comp time so I might leave two to three weeks early.

HMcDade1 · May 2016

@BeachTigress from what I understand only like 1/5 women actually breaks their water spontaneously. I'm hoping to be one of the 4/5. I'm also planning on working until my due date even though my work wont officially put me on the schedule past 38 weeks.

joleri23 · May 2016

As long as I remain healthy and it's fine with my doctor, I plan on working right up until the time I go into labor. I wish I didn't have to, but I only get 12 weeks FMLA and the paid portion of that is my PTO. I don't want to have to waste time that I could have spent with my baby, especially considering I'm most likely only taking 8 weeks off completely and then coming back part-time for the remaining 4.

trigur · May 2016

Plan is to work up until due date 7/8. I am able to take 6 wks STD at 66% pay then tack on up to 6 more fmla unpaid. I can also use vacation/sick days during the fmla period.

LilLambie · May 2016

I will be working until 35 weeks pregnant which is the end of the school term. I will get paid for the 2 weeks of school holidays, and start my maternity leave at 37 weeks. As part of my work's policy I am technically supposed to go on maternity leave 6 weeks before my edd. To continue working until 37 weeks (which even though I won't be at work for those last 2 weeks they still classify it as being at work) I need medical clearance. I am a bit concerned I won't get the medical clearance because I am having heaps of health issues which will really screw with my maternity leave if they make me leave early, but I'm just hoping everything goes to plan.

sunshineandwhiskey · May 2016

I'm a teacher so we are done June 16th. My EDD is 7/27 (for now) but don't plan on taking any leave in the fall unless I have to. I honestly would rather my husband use his days instead next year - he teaches at the same school as me.

eta: wrong date

samantha1206 · May 2016

Last time my water broke a week early and my leave started then. Same plan of action this time: work until water breaks or active labor.

Schmooie730 · May 2016

I'm due July 4th and my last day will be June 30th. That's the plan at least, as long as baby and I are healthy enough to keep working and she stays put til her due date. I don't get any paid maternity leave (I need to use my own vacation and sick time) so I wanted to make sure I have as much time as possible with her after she arrives.

jlmartinez517 · May 2016

I'm a teacher as well and my last teacher day is June 15th. My due date is July 12th, so I'm glad I'll have a little less than a month to be home and relax before.

I will then take the first 9 weeks of the school year, unpaid

off, so I won't return until November 7th.

DominiqueU · May 2016

I'm a teacher. Our last day is June 20th. My due date is July 9th, so I'm glad I'll have a few weeks off to rest before the baby arrives (fingers crossed). I technically start my leave August 31st, when school starts again. I'll be out until November 21st or until after Christmas, depending on how things go.

LadyFleck · May 2016

Working until I pop.

I'm due 7/1 so we arranged to have my projects wrapped up by mid June. I'll do admin and day to day training tasks until it's time to head to the hospital.

I'm nervous about the whole "going into labor at work" possibility but I hope I'm like the majority of people and go into labor at night so I can gracefully just shoot a text to my boss in the morning. No one needs to see me labor at my office.

rakel88 · May 2016

I'll work my main job until baby comes (I work from home for my dad's software dev company), but I'll be done at the gym (personal training/teaching Zumba) at the end of May cause that shit's getting hard..

givemepenguinss · May 2016

I work for myself, so I'm SOL as far as maternity leave goes. I'm just hoping I can manage to keep a client or two while I reduce my workload.

But last time, i worked for a big company, and I worked until I went into labor. Didn't want to waste a minute of maternity leave!

tigerlilly1983 · May 2016

I'm planning right now on being out on 7/18, starting two weeks before my due date (7/30), but if I am feeling good and baby is healthy will try to continue working through those two weeks.

MDmomma1217 · May 2016

With my first, my last day was 12/4 (a Friday) and my due date was that Monday 12/7, but she wasn't born until 12/7. This time around, I am due 7/15 but I work at a school so my last day is 6/16. I won't be returning back to work though.

stillcozy · May 2016

Until I go into full labor. I can't afford not to and don't want to waste my fmla early
eta: My supervisor is having me stop seeing clients 6/17 two weeks before my due date so that im hopefully not way far away from home if I go into labor at work.

WVUPetunia · May 2016

I'm a teacher, and I was planning to work until June 11. Unfortunately, contractions and other issues I've been having are taking a toll on me, and my doctor has been hinting for weeks that I need to throw the towel in, so I'm doing that after next week since my kids will be testing pretty much the rest of the year after that. DH and I work in the same county, so he is sharing his leave with me. I'm a bit bummed because I was laid off (and so was DH) from that county this year and am starting in a new one next school year (so is DH), so this effectively ends my career there.

crixiegirl · May 2016

Also a teacher...last day of work for me is June 15th then LO isn't due until 7/24 so it gives me time to catch up on everything I couldn't do while working and a bit of time to relax. I have my 6 weeks medical leave which will only overlap a few days of the beginning of school so for those I take PTO then my 12 weeks start, but I don't think I can afford to take all 12 as I make more money than my SO. I'll be getting 50% pay..add onto that the insurance going up for baby being put on the plan..I'm looking at going back to work November 1st-ish. :-/

carolynpetite · May 2016

I stay home now, but with my first 2, I worked up until I went into labor. I wanted all of my paid time off to be postpartum. It was hard enough to go back after 12 and 15 weeks! For me, I was glad I stayed until the last second

adough27 · May 2016

I am planning to work up until I go into labor and save my 10 weeks of leave for when the baby is here. What is great about my job is that I could telework a week or two before the baby is born. My EDD is 7/15 and I plan to start teleworking on 7/1 or 7/7 depending on how I feel.

megstervt · May 2016

My EDD is 7/24 and Im planning on working up until I go into labor. Luckily things slow down for us during the summer and whoever is taking over my caseload will be on board fully a few weeks before my due date so even though I'll be working, the last couple weeks shouldn't be awful. I need to work for as long as I can since I'm taking only 10 full weeks and 2 part time weeks. I'm actually hoping to go late so that my full time off gets pushed firmly into Oct rather than the end of September.

MrsRo731 · May 2016

I'll be working until at least my due date (7/15), but most likely will continue to work form home after that. I will say that I worked until my due date with my DD and then started my leave a few days before she was born (she was a week late); those few days at home made me very anxious. I'm not sure I want to do that again. I'd rather save as much time as possible for when LO arrives.

john5111 · May 2016

Until Im in labor last time I worked that full day and that night I went into labor... my water never broke and I arrived at the hospital ready to push and complete...they had to break my water then.

Shelby00519 · May 2016

EDD is July 5th and I plan on working until June 26th and if I go back it would be end of October/start of November. Not exactly sure yet.

quartz02 · May 2016

DD#1- I worked until after my due date and then my supervisor encouraged me to start my FMLA because he was nervous about me taking the train for 1hr+ each day from Long Island to NYC for work. My first day off was the day I had a Biophysical Profile (ultrasound) and was sent to L&D to be induced. I was glad to not have wasted a lot of time off but without a baby at home.

DD#2- I now work in the hospital where she'll be delivered so I'll work until I pop

Cosmic+Love · May 2016

I'm working until I go into labor. Last time, I worked up until my due date, then had 3 days off before labor started. I did keep a towel in the car in case my water broke.

I'll be on "maternity leave" from the office until November, but will be continuing to do half of my responsibilities from home. I did this last time and although it isn't desirable at all, there is really no other option. My company does not have a back up plan and though they have had since December to hire a replacement for me to train, nothing has been done. The extra money helps our family, so we will make it work.

rnyland1 · May 2016

I'm hoping to go into labor at work so people can feel awkward about my company's ass-backward maternity leave (or lack of) policies.

randishane011804 · May 2016

Working till I pop!1

We only get 6 weeks of un-paid FMLA, and this is a fairly new job for me so I don't have PTO saved up yet. So I need all the work I can get until then.

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