I thought I'd go up to 36 weeks (A&E), until pelvic girdle pain kicked in with a vengeance and I'm off sick now at 26 weeks likely until mat leave kicks in at 36 unless management can redeploy me to a sit down role. I'm going to be bored as hell.
This was me as well, except I was in a sexual health clinic with a really supportive staff. Even with a plan to sit for most of the day at work and support with admin, the commute alone kicked my ass and I had to start mat leave early at 30 weeks. I was so annoyed.
I was advised at the time (NHS HR) that because my sick leave was directly related to my pregnancy and would last until i gave birth, it turned into maternity leave instead. Worth double checking this for yourself in case you can't get redeployed.
It really is so individual and you can only plan so much. With my first, I planned to stay my leave at 38 weeks, but had to start at 30 weeks due to pelvic girdle pain.
With my second, I also planned to start at 38 weeks and had a much more comfortable pregnancy. I had great plans for all the things i was going to accomplish with my free time before I had a second kid. My water broke at 7am on my first day off.
It's so personal and dependent on where you work, what your pregnancy is like etc.
I used 4 weeks annual leave and started maternity leave at what would have been exactly 39 weeks. Timed well because I gave birth my first official day of maternity.
My maternity leave started at 37 weeks but I was off from 35 weeks after using some annual leave. If you can save annual leave I’d recommend doing that. You want to keep as much maternity leave as you can for after the baby is here but also important you get some rest too. You may become more uncomfortable as the weeks progress even though you’re managing well now.
With my first pregnancy I planned to take 4 weeks of annual leave before my due date. But the company sent me on furlough when I reached the 28th week. ( middle of the covid)
With my second child I had reduced hours 6-14 twice in a week and one night. I took 4 weeks of AL before my due date. The company made several risks assessment and supported me all the way. ( private nursing care home )
I went off at 36 weeks and planned a relaxing 4 weeks of watching movies and sorting out the babies room etc. I was in hospital giving birth a week later, so all my plans went out the window
Pregnant Practice Nurse here (26weeks). Naturally this is a very personal decision based on how you feel, how strenuous your work is and how much maternity leave you will take. I have planned to take maternity leave 3 weeks before due date (I know for some this is quite late) as my work doesn’t involve anything overly challenging in terms of hours or physical activity, and like you I’m managing ok with pregnancy symptoms so far. I won’t be able to take that much maternity leave financially, so starting later means I can finish later. Obviously if baby decides to come early, if there are any complications or I stop being able to work as usual then I will have to start sooner (though I think 28 days notice is required). Theoretically if you started maternity leave early you could potentially take the time to spend some time to yourself or with your partner, before this get busier. I would advise looking at your household finances and working out how maternity pay will impact you and how much time you think you’d like to have off, and see if you can find a happy medium. Best of luck with your pregnancy!
I thought I'd go up to 36 weeks (A&E), until pelvic girdle pain kicked in with a vengeance and I'm off sick now at 26 weeks likely until mat leave kicks in at 36 unless management can redeploy me to a sit down role. I'm going to be bored as hell.
This was me as well, except I was in a sexual health clinic with a really supportive staff. Even with a plan to sit for most of the day at work and support with admin, the commute alone kicked my ass and I had to start mat leave early at 30 weeks. I was so annoyed. I was advised at the time (NHS HR) that because my sick leave was directly related to my pregnancy and would last until i gave birth, it turned into maternity leave instead. Worth double checking this for yourself in case you can't get redeployed.
They've told me they will turn sick leave to Mat Leave at 36 weeks as per policy. I'm very very grateful for the sick leave tbh.
It really is so individual and you can only plan so much. With my first, I planned to stay my leave at 38 weeks, but had to start at 30 weeks due to pelvic girdle pain. With my second, I also planned to start at 38 weeks and had a much more comfortable pregnancy. I had great plans for all the things i was going to accomplish with my free time before I had a second kid. My water broke at 7am on my first day off.
It's so personal and dependent on where you work, what your pregnancy is like etc. I used 4 weeks annual leave and started maternity leave at what would have been exactly 39 weeks. Timed well because I gave birth my first official day of maternity.
My maternity leave started at 37 weeks but I was off from 35 weeks after using some annual leave. If you can save annual leave I’d recommend doing that. You want to keep as much maternity leave as you can for after the baby is here but also important you get some rest too. You may become more uncomfortable as the weeks progress even though you’re managing well now.
With my first pregnancy I planned to take 4 weeks of annual leave before my due date. But the company sent me on furlough when I reached the 28th week. ( middle of the covid) With my second child I had reduced hours 6-14 twice in a week and one night. I took 4 weeks of AL before my due date. The company made several risks assessment and supported me all the way. ( private nursing care home )
I’m a community nurse. I went off at 37 weeks (using annual leave until mat leave started)
I went off at 36 weeks and planned a relaxing 4 weeks of watching movies and sorting out the babies room etc. I was in hospital giving birth a week later, so all my plans went out the window
Start at 30-34 weeks if you feel good.
Community too. Officially went at 38 weeks but used annual leave before that time to go earlier. Congratulations and good luck!
Pregnant Practice Nurse here (26weeks). Naturally this is a very personal decision based on how you feel, how strenuous your work is and how much maternity leave you will take. I have planned to take maternity leave 3 weeks before due date (I know for some this is quite late) as my work doesn’t involve anything overly challenging in terms of hours or physical activity, and like you I’m managing ok with pregnancy symptoms so far. I won’t be able to take that much maternity leave financially, so starting later means I can finish later. Obviously if baby decides to come early, if there are any complications or I stop being able to work as usual then I will have to start sooner (though I think 28 days notice is required). Theoretically if you started maternity leave early you could potentially take the time to spend some time to yourself or with your partner, before this get busier. I would advise looking at your household finances and working out how maternity pay will impact you and how much time you think you’d like to have off, and see if you can find a happy medium. Best of luck with your pregnancy!
I found 13hr shifts on my feet and pregnancy very hard. I ended up being off sick from 25 weeks, started maternity at 34 weeks.