Maternity leave - NOW they tell me!

Dh and I have recently started TTC, and now my employer has offered me a package which includes 3 months paid maternity leave after 12 months employment! Obviously 3 months is nothing to sneeze at (although I'm not exactly on a fabulous salary) but I really don't want to stop TTC for 4 months to be able to qualify for it. Biological clock is ticking here! Of course there is a chance we don't concieve for the next 4 months anyway, but just the thought of putting a hold on TTC (especially at my age....) scares me. I just want to go on TTC and if I don't get my maternity leave, just deal with it. I have no intention of returning to the job anyway, I have always known I would be a SAHM and my qualifications are in another area that I could feasibly do from home anyway.

Am I being insane??!:dunno:

Follow your heart hun. I understand how you feel about not wanting to put ttc on hold. With Gemma it took us over 13 months to conceive and it was with clomid in the end that got me pregnant(oh and Corey of course!LOL). Maternity leave is great, gives you peace of mind, but like you said you might not concieve between now and then but then again you might..........tough choice............sorry I'm not much help!!

ETA should add when we were ttc with gemma I thought I didn't qualify for maternity(did though in the end) but we still were ttc as we didn't want to miss our window

I'd keep ttc and see what happens because it's possible it will take another 4 months anyway (although I hope not for your sake!)

I didn't worry about paid maternity leave because there were too many restrictions on it at my work - ie if you leave within 12 months of returning, you have to pay it back, you have to work a minimum of 3 days when returning, I only wanted to do 2, you only get half when you go on leave, half when you come back (how ridiculous is that?? why would you need it once you were back at work??) etc etc.

You'll get by without it, we all manage somehow!

Good luck!

Keep ttc, the paid mat leave wasn't something they offered b4, so I'd just keep ttc and if you happen to qualify, bonus! Think of yourself here, not your employer.

Keep going with the ttc. I think most couples take longer than 4 months anyway.

If you read the fine print on the maternity leave I think you will find (as others have said) that you have to go back after your leave finishes. If you don't you have to pay it back. I've never heard of a company that will pay it to you if you are not returning. Company policy does vary - one place I worked gave 3 months and loads of women would come back and resign on their first day. No wonder lots of companies don't bother.

I'd keep going - you don't know how long it will take and if you did stop now and had trouble you might always have that thought in the back of your head 'what if we had tried for those 4 months'.

Satya - there aren't any restrictions on paid maternity leave in the public service (apart from working 40 weeks to a year before being eligible). I've never even been involved with a private company that paid anything.

Thanks for your imput everyone, it has put my mind at ease.
I didn't even really think of the 'small print', as I haven't signed the contract yet. Thanks Willow and the other girls who pointed that out for me.

Cally, that is exactly what I was thinking - and I would hate to think I may have missed an opportunity to conceive just for the sake of money.

Feel better now. :)