When did you start your maternity leave?

With DS, I worked up until the end of my 38th week.

I would have been happy to stay another week, but my colleagues were having heart attacks about me still being there, and one literally had plastic sheets, towells, and a needle and thread all packed away under her desk and both a taxi and ambulance on speed dial, as she was completely convinced I was going to go into labour at her desk ...

And my waters broke a few days later, so she may have been right, if I'd stayed!

But I was feeling ok - a bit uncomfy, but not too bad.

This pg, I'm hot and tired, have a 19 month old, lots more stressed about the actual birth, having nightmares, not getting as much sleep, less productive at work (due to stress) and feeling sicker than I did last time, and *still* vomiting with m/s ...

So I'm wondering - when did *you* go on maternity leave? With each pregnancy?

There doesn't seem to be any "normal" time to do it, but I'm wondering whether I should actually start considering stopping work around the 34-36 week mark, if I'm already feeling like this at not quite 31 weeks ...

Maybe I should take some time off, get some rest, do some nesting, get some fresh air, and block in some extra counselling sessions in anticipation of Ziggy's arrival ...?

I planned to work until 36 weeks so i would have 4ish weeks before the baby came to get ready. But when i started having prelabour contractions at 32 weeks and my BP was through the roof by 34 weeks i was told i had to stop. Which im glad i did because i still ended up with my 4 weeks to myself before DD came.

This pregnancy i think i will work until 34/35 weeks. Or i may even see if i can work right up until the baby is due as i only work one day a week as is so its not overly tiring.

I left at 30 weeks, was working as a nurse in an aged care facility and was completely exhausted! Was great having some time at home before Moo made his appearance. But to do this I used all my annual leave I'd saved up so it didn't impact on my 12 months of maternity leave ITMS.

Sounds like the extra time off would do you good.

I stopped working at 34 or 35 weeks I believe. I was starting to get too stressed, I was glad to leave :)

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Maybe I should take some time off, get some rest, do some nesting, get some fresh air, and block in some extra counselling sessions in anticipation of Ziggy's arrival ...?

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I reckon this is an excellent idea hun. Seriously give yourself some time to enjoy the end of this phase and prepare for the next special addition to your family. xxxx

ETA - I finished at 38 with #1 and 35 with #2.

I planned to leave at 34 weeks, but with DS1 had regular contractions at 32 weeks, PROM at 33weeks and delivered at 34 weeks. DS2 planned to finish at 34 weeks, but I was getting niggly pain at 33 weeks, so I got a medical certificate for my last planned week at work and delived at 38 weeks.

1st pregnancy was only on a temp assignment so finished at 34.
Was bored out of my mind until baby came at 39+4
2nd pregnancy worked until 37+4, baby born 38+6

i finished up at 34 weeks last time. i could have worked for longer but DP was at home at that stage & my workplace was going through redundancies & a tough time & just wasn't a great place to be. i had a lovely time at home & the two of us really enjoyed spending those weeks together as a couple & just relaxing.

this time round i'm not really working, i've primarily been a SAHM - although i'm working 3 days a week during january to get some extra money. i definitely feel far more tired this time round & am feeling the effects of a sleepless night far more (can't just go home & nap for a couple of hours before dinner anymore). i originally said i'd keep working till the end of feb if they need me but i'm thinking that i might retract that!

so imo, i think if you are able to finish up earlier, i'd say go for it. take the time to relax, enjoy spending time with your DS before he becomes a big brother etc. clear your head of all the work stress & enjoy being able to do what you want, when you want (as much as you can with a toddler!).

Im a nurse and our work place policy is you need a letter from your health care provider if you want to work beyond 34 weeks. With DD1 I worked until 35 weeks and she was born at 36+2. With DD2 I worked until 34.5 weeks and she was born at 35+6. With DD 1 the week was enough time off beforehand, with DD2 I would have liked some more time to spend 1:1 with DD1 before baby came, then again she may have started expecting all the extra attention :dunno:

This time with 2 little ones to take care of Im finishing at 33 weeks. Im hoping I will have at least 2-3 weeks to relax before bubs arrives

I wanted to balance having time to mentally and physically relax before the birth with having as much time off after the birth with the whole family as possible. I am really hoping I dont go over as mentally I think it would be more difficult to go over if I stop early and then spend 9 weeks waiting for baby to arrive :o

With DD I went off at 35 weeks. People said I'd be bored, but I wasn't. I was rested and organised.

With DS I got sick. I went off work 3 years ago last week at 31 and a few days. I was on bedrest though....I was B.O.R.E.D then. I totally agree with the PPs about it being nice to be able to spend time with your LO though.

I think your plan is a good one. Work is an added stress you can do without if you can afford it with so much other stuff on your plate.

I worked until 37 weeks with dd1 and she came 6 days after I finished.

Dd2 I thought she would be early again is I finished at 36 weeks and hung around until 39+3 but it was good. I needed the downtime and time with dd1

I worked at a primary school.

So DS1 was due in Jan and i worked up until the end of term 4 (i think it was 6 weeks to go). From memory my offical start date of ML was the day before the end of term. Kind of sh!!ty timing as my ML was eaten up in what would have been my holidays anyway.

With DS2 i scored with the timing. This time ML begun on the first day back of Term 1 so when you look at it as to when no work was being done it was about 10ish weeks to go when Term 4 finished.

DD was at least 7 weeks before as i was tired and i was going to get the most out of my time before bub arrived as i knew i wouldn't be returning to work anyway.

Rest if you feel you need to :)

I finished at 35wks with each pregnancy. It was policy at work to leave at this gestation. You had to get an EDC certificate from your OB and if you did stay and had approval to stay, you had to have an all clear from your OB or GP to do so, I could't be bothered and I enjoyed the time off. Although the first pregnancy I got quite bored towards the end as I went over and was just hanging around.
Weekly appointments with the OB as well in the last few weeks, another reason I didn't want to have to stay at work.

I was meant tol finish the day I went into labour :lol: didnt quite make it to work that day! That said, I was sick and had the first 20 weeks of my pregnancy on special maternity leave so only worked from 20- 38 weeks.

I stopped both times at 40 weeks, but I felt great and I worked about a 3 minute walk from home. I only stopped working with DD2 because I had been exposed to Whooping cough by my Dr and had no choice.

If your feeling like you need to finish now then I would say do it. Each person is different and you should listen to your body and how your feeling.

Thinking I'd go over (Mum and sister both went post-dates with all children, inductions etc), I initially put my leave in for 38 weeks. Got back from holidays at 32 weeks (I'm a teacher) and knew within a couple of days that I wouldn't make it to 38 weeks. Soooo puffy and tired. I brought my leave forward to 36 weeks. When bub dropped just before recess at 35 weeks I knew I had made the right decision. Waddled around the school for another week then sat under the aircon at home until I went into labour at 37+6... yes, had I worked to my original date I would have gone into labour AT SCHOOL. Doesn't bear thinking about.

This time... I don't know, I'm only working 3 days per week, but I'm doing a HT load on those days so much more responsibility and stress. Our award is good, I can take mat leave up to 9 weeks prior to EDD so I'll just see how I'm travelling.

Good luck with your decision making!

Can you do shorter hours for a few weeks before you go on leave?

I worked up to 39.5 weeks with DD and up to 37 this time (would have kept working but it was christmas and they closed down) but i wasn't working full time.

First time 36 weeks DD arrived 41 - I never felt bored wished stayed at work longer. Second time about 34 weeks - and I loved having the time off to spend with DD, catch up with friends etc DS arrived 40 weeks. I would be surprised if with a toddler you ever felt you had left work too soon, unless work is easier than being at home with toddler (which it can be depending on job). Although had extra time off with DS I was far less prepared than with DD and I enjoyed the time at home more because I just used it to enjoy myself, have naps with DD every arvo etc etc.

36 weeks both times.

DD arrived 39+5 so I was a little bored at home but I had a new 8mth old niece to play with and my sis and mum both off work so that was great.

DS arrived smack on 41 weeks but I was not bored at home at all - just kept busy with DD and stuff around the home. I love being at home so for me it was a case of "how soon can I finish?" Financially we needed me to stay as long as I felt comfortable.

I definitely felt it a lot more with DS. So I know how you are feeling.

P, I think it'd be a great idea for you to finish up sooner. Being at work is not really helping anything... you know your productivity isn't really the greatest, you're focussing on other things right now ;) HotI makes a good suggestion - can you do a day or so from home or wind your hours back? Finish up whatever case work you've got going on, wind it up and then finish completely?

You need time to spend with DS, time to meditate on what is coming. :hug:

I worked up until 37+5...I had initially planned to work until 38+5 to make the most of my paid mat leave, but work was really busy in the months before I went on leave and I managed to accrue enough flex time to leave a week early without it affecting my pay. I had quite a lot of pre-labour in my last week at work and had thought baby might come before EDD but he stayed put until 41 weeks.

Are you able to work shorter hours or do modified duties?

While I'm sure my work would be happy to chat about flexible options (shorter hours, less days) I don't think that would solve the issue ... I think I would still be needing to get the same amount of work done, just in a shorter space of time!

Plus I have a 1hr commute each way, which doesn't help, for shorter days, and DH and I share a car which he uses to get to and from his work ...

I have an Ob appointment tomorrow - I think I'll chat with her about it then.

Definitely looks like there's no "standard" though!

Thanks for all the replies :hug:

I was informed by HR this morning that if I want to stay past 34 weeks I have to supply a medical certificate stating I am still capable of safely working but considering what's involved in my position they would prefer I left at 34 weeks as from now til then I have to have someone help with some of my duties it is. Thankfully this is only a week earlier than I was planning. They pay me for the 6 weeks before my due date so I guess I can't complain.

With DS1, I finished at 32 weeks. I was in a lot of pain, exhausted & wasn't productive anyway. I had planned to finish at 36 weeks. He arrived at 35+3.

If you can afford it, finish early and have some time to rest.

With DS1 I gave birth on my last day. Missed my farewell lunch. That was at 37 weeks.

With DS2 I knew my BP would mean an early baby so finished at 34 weeks. I was induced at 36.

The few weeks off was great. I'd recommend it.

If you want, you can one over and babysit my children for a week straight to give you practice with 2 kids. Just a thought!!!!!

With DS, I finished at 32wks because of the stress factor of the job I was in at the time (shift worker, no help, on my feet up to 10 hours a day and a bit of heavy lifting) and was able to cause I had an inheritance from my granddad to tide us over.

I've literally only just finished on the 29th of December for this one and was 36+2 - but completely in the opposite line when it came to having no help and such (had so many wonderful people looking after me) so was able to last that long.
As it is, I still had to take out a loan from my dad to tide us over till PPL kicks in :(

Look after yourself and Ziggy Nutter :) xx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - even though I should be cleaning or sleeping ;)

I'm planning on taking off Mat leave 2 weeks before I am due (but this is my first). I figured I would get more time with bubs before I have to go back to work 12 months later. I have to supply a medical cert to say it will be ok, which I don't see a problem with getting, but I figure I don't need to get it til I am a little closer...

I started mine at 35 weeks - I had GD so there was a chance I was going to be induced early. Also it was a rare quiet time at work so I had nothing to do.

Am so fortunate that I have 16 weeks paid leave from work, which I'm taking at half pay to last me 32 weeks. Then 18 weeks paid parental leave from the Govt (about the same fortnightly as my half pay). The other 5 weeks is annual leave at full pay. And I have long service leave if I decide to take any more time off, but planning on saving that if/when DH lets me have bubs #2!

I left at 38 weeks and bub arrived at 39+6. I would have been bored, but sadly my dear Pop passed away 2 days before I went on mat leave, so the first week was filled with family gatherings, the funeral etc.

Hi hon, I think you're right, there isn't any 'normal' time when to start maternity leave it's so individual. I finished up at 34 week and ds was 10 days late so I had loads of time! dh started his 2 month leave when I was 39 weeks I think (or 38? hmmm I can't remember). Lots of people told me that I would get sick of being at home but now way, I new I would love it and I still do :D

I went part-time, <15 hours/wk, at 23 weeks, and then stopped altogether at 28 weeks. DH would have had me finish even earlier if he could have - my workplace was disease central, there was a fair bit of manual handling involved, and while I was comfortable, I could see that my team weren't. So I left. It was tight, financially, but being at home longer I could do a lot of stuff that saved us money because I had plenty of time. Baby was born just shy of 42 weeks, so that's 13.5 weeks that I had on mat leave! I look back on the time incredibly fondly.

I worked until 37wks with DD. It wasnt work but the train travel (an hour each way) that got to me in the end.
We had to get a Dr's cert to say it was OK to work past 34wks but as I work in IT in an office there was no problem there.

This time around Im going to finish up at 37wks....but I am also taking a months annual leave first so I actually leave at 33wks...
I am so tired this time around and just want to spend time with DD and go on a relaxing holiday before the baby comes but not cut into my maternity leave too much!

Well 'technically' my maternity leave started the day AFTER DD was born.....but that was because I am a teacher and she was born on the last day of the summer school holidays and my maternity leave was technically starting the day teachers went back to school for term 1. In reality, I worked up to the end of my 33rd week, at which point the holidays started (DD was born a week early).

I started my maternity leave at 36 weeks, DS arrived 36+3 so I didn't really get much time to relax as had a few appointments and errands the first few days :)

I am starting maternity leave at 36 weeks again. I considered maybe stopping at 34 but in the end if I go early I don't mind, I'd rather have more time off while bub is here :)

I finished at 37 weeks with DS.. with this pregnancy I'm working up until 39 weeks. Financially we need to extra money and I am the main breadwinner. I will stop my interstate travel at 30 weeks, so I'll be desk bound. However, DS came at 39+2 so I am slightly worried that things might happen before 39 weeks and potentially at work.. I have spoken to my OB who has agreed to monitor me more closely and let me know if he thinks I'll be OK to keep working. Also, of course how I feel will come into it.

I just figured that I would be better off sitting at a desk at work all day than trying to deal with a 2 year old at home.. but I'm still really nervous!!

I finished at xmas when I was 30 weeks. I usually have 4 weeks off at xmas, so I figured it wasn't worth coming back for 2 weeks after my break and then going on mat. leave at 36 weeks. But I was already really sore at 30 weeks so it was just as well.

I stopped work at 37 weeks as it was Christmas and work was closing-ish for 2 weeks. But at 41 weeks when baby hadn't arrived, and work had some work for me, i did a day of work. Baby was born that night.

With DD I left at 35 weeks, with this baby I'm leaving at 32/33 weeks depending on if I can cope for another week or two

Each time I went on maternity leave a week early with each bubba.
DD - 38 weeks
DS1 - 37 weeks
DS2 - 36 weeks
With each pregnancy I found myself getting tired earlier and needed to finish work earlier each time. With my third I could have easily finished a few weeks earlier.