I went on Mat leave 6 weeks before my due date. DD came 4 days early. I feel it was just right for me. I got to have a break before I had DD. I ended up quitting my job a week before DD was born coz I didn't want to travel all the way to the city for work when I had a baby at home. Now DD is 7 months and I work 10mins from home and have been full time ever since DD was 4 months old. I love it!
I went on mat leave when I was 37 weeks. I gave birth at 38 4 so I got a week and a half off work before bubs was born.
The last couple of weeks were a little hard, particularly the last week. I had swollen feet and it got really uncomfortable walking around and I had to go bare foot around the office sometimes as my shoes wouldn't fit.
I will be finishing when I am 38 weeks - so 2 weeks b4 bub is due! I am tiered now but I have a desk job and I would rather have the leave after bub than b4. I am looking fwd to finishing now tho!
I work for a pirvate company so I am taking all the AL that I have accrued (7 weeks) and having it part pay for 14 weeks then the reminder of the 6 months off at no pay. Then back to work 3 days a week - thats the plan now - but who knows!!
Two weeks before DD was due - I would have finished a couple of weeks before that though because I was really tired but I had pelvic instability so it was actually easier going to work (they paid for taxis woohoo) rather than sitting at home unable to do any nesting because I couldn't bend or lift anything. I found I was virtually comatose at work until about 11am though so I wasn't super productive!!!
I was supposed to leave at 34 weeks (I worked for Qld Govt) but went into pre-term labour at 31 weeks so had to go on immediate maternity leave and on bed rest. I thought at the time "woo hoo, TV and sleeping and lazing around the pool for 9 weeks". That thought lasted two days, there is only a certain amount of lazing and watching TV a girl can do (IMO anyway, feel free to disagree). I think 34 weeks would have been good.
I'm still on maternity at the moment and am 20 weeks pregnant again so not going back to work.
I finished up at 35 weeks on the dot (it was a friday so good timing LOL!). i absolutely enjoyed the time off. it gave me a chance to organise the baby shower at 36 weeks and prepare the invites for our wedding etc. i also used the time to just chill and do some relaxed and indulgent baby stuff shopping.
DD arrived at 38+2 weeks, so i was quite shocked! (being my 1st i just assumed i would be over ). so next time i might go off a bit earlier, especially as i will have DD tiring me out as well as work.
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). so next time i might go off a bit earlier, especially as i will have DD tiring me out as well as work.
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