Maternity leave

I work a very stressful job to where they would have to find a replacement for me and no one wants to do what I do. We don't get any paid maternity leave here. I'm honestly just thinking of quitting when I get about 30w and finding a less stressful job when the baby is about 3m.

I haven’t been with my employer long enough to get anything paid from them but will get the commonwealth payment. At this stage I’m planning to take 7 months and then go back part time but I also know I’ll have to play it by ear.
I’m not going to lie, the thought of going without an income for that long makes me feel clammy but I know I’ll feel guilty going back to work.

I am taking 4 months (1 day shy of 19 weeks)

I have taken the full year. First five months were fine pay wise then last four months just been receiving SMP and next three months will be on holiday pay.

I’ve got my own business and I have a lot of privacy and flexibility of my own offices (upstairs my mum and I work, downstairs my team works). I have the ability to bring baby to work with me and breastfeed, even take a nap. So most likely I will take 1 month off at most and start coming in part time after that. It’s flexible so I will take it days at a time.

I can take 1y and hubby can take up to 5w. I don’t know if I will take the time entire year though. It will depend on day care availability.

I get 13 weeks on full pay, 26 on SMP (which won't even touch my mortgage!) I'm the "breadwinnder" so I can't take the full year. I am a teacher in Scotland so I'll probably go back in August once our summer holidays are over, but I'll go back on payroll before the holidays so I'll get full pay over them. It'll equate to 6 months off. Gonna be so hard to go back though, even though I love my job. 😖

I was planning on taking 9 months but have gone back after 5 months instead. This was due to money but also I missed having purpose in the day of going to work xx

I have 2x jobs & got 18wks mat leave from 1x position but was back at the other 2wks after giving birth, bub has just turned 1 & I feel like I didn't get a break at all🤷‍♀️

I'm taking the full year because this is my last baby and he won't be little for very long. I've grafted, cut back and saved £2K for the final 13weeks when I get no SMP at all to cover the loss of SMP. It's not enough but it's something

Please don’t rush back because you feel like the place will fall apart unless it’s your own business believe me the company will go on and manage, i’m sure there was a business before you and there will be one after, I don’t mean to sound harsh saying that I’d just experienced a lot of people feeling like this and ending up resentful. I believe true happiness comes when we learn we work to support our life and not live to support our work….I’m a senior manager responsible for legal advice to a finance company so classed as a ‘key person’ but family and personal life always comes first. Do whatever is right for you and your family not for work, whether that’s going back after 1 month or 1 year x

I did the whole year and absolutely loved it. If you want the whole year, work will cope x

I’m taking full year. Was planning on 9 months but with a prices of childcare in my area there’s no point. Price of full time nursery with my commuting expenses is more than I earn 🤦‍♀️

I'm taking 10 months in total. The first month is annual leave, then 6 months full pay and the last 3 at 50%. Lucky to be in the position where I can do this x

I’m in the UK so I took a year, then a month of holiday tacked on the end. I got 6 weeks of full pay, 33 weeks of 60% pay and then the rest with nothing. Your work really will cope without you. If they don’t then they’ll just be really happy to see you when you return ❤️

I quit my job for mental health and PPD kinda got worse so I'm with baby but going to look for a part time job to work after baby turns one.

Full year plus a month of holiday, so will go back to work when my girl will be a year and 2 weeks. I was saving money all my pregnancy for the months when there will be no income. I’m not planning to have anymore kids, so wanted to take as much time off as possible. Also wanted to have summer off as I missed that with my first one :)

I’ll be off probably over a year with holidays added on from work. Then I will be back part time as I have little childcare help.

I’m taking 52 weeks plus all my accrued leave and am currently on 2 weeks annual leave from last year before Mat leave kicks in. It means my last day was 4th Feb and I return 11th April. My work will find some things really hard in my absence but they’ll learn. It’s all well and good me being the expert it lots of things but we have a team at the same level and they can all do what I can, it’s just easier to ask me. I am slightly worried for one task as it has legal consequences but it’s in April so I’ll have a newborn and not likely be in a position to help. I have delivered training and toolkits to my organisation (plus there’s national guidance) and a neighbouring one, beyond that my responsibility is done… I have a right to take time off for myself and for baby and I’m doing so. (They are quite ok, even encouraging with it but even if they weren’t it’s our right!)

Financially - it’s in our budget, my partner is good at planning for these things.

6months for me, I was the same with my first x

I'm just finishing up my leave now its been almst 8 months. Baby almost 7 months. Take as much as you need and can afford. Childcare can be expensive depending on inhome care or a center. They are a baby for such a small amount of time in their lives enjoy the time at home no matter how long you have. Now matter what you do it will work out.

If all goes to plan I will have had 14 months off in total. I started my maternity on baby’s due date of Dec 3rd - I used my remaining 3 weeks of annual leave to take before that so I was off from 37 weeks pregnant.
Baby was nearly 2 weeks late, so gutted that 5 weeks I was pottering about at home buuut I was getting less and less useful at work (retail management).
I plan to take the full year and then 6 weeks of annual leave that I will have built up tacked on the end.

Hoping we can put aside enough money so that when the last 12 weeks of no pay start we can chug through. I get 10 KIT days to use as well so I’ll do one of those a week during that time which will basically put me back on weekly statutory pay.

I’m determined to have Christmas off again like last year - was the dream after 13 years in retail 😂

I say do what feels right. O hate the fact thar yoi will be stressed from thinking about going back to work. Is there a way yoi can train the mew girl so she doesn’t mess everything up so much or maybe work from home?
If you are that needed at your job maybe you can express your concerns to someone and that way you can work remotely or something like that. Being with the baby will require all your attention, you don’t need added stress!

4 months… I’m self employed and the government maternity pay is so low that I can’t afford any longer 😞

AUSTRALIA
I will be taking 13mth then returning for 3 days for 15wk before going back to full time.
Luckily I have long service leave, annual leave, work funded mat leave for a few weeks, plus the 18wk minimum wage. All combined with savings to get me through.

I did three months but I would have preferred to do 6 mo

Altogether I'll be taking 14months, I'll get 12 months full pay and then tack my accrued paid leave on the end. I am so, so lucky my employer has such generous maternity.

My work will also have to find cover and I'm stressing about it but honestly, I know that will all melt away, it's so much more important to me to have that time with my LO.

With my first I was off for about 5 months

Take as long as you can. Your work will figure it out.

I took 1 year both times.

1 year :)

I feel the same that once I tell my boss everything will fall apart when I’m gone.

I feel like a year is reasonable + any AL I have saved up and come back 3 times a week after that

I’m taking a year, maybe 13 months off. I don’t know yet if I’ll go back full or part time.

I’m taking 9months mat leave with a month of annual leave on the end and going back part time 😊

I’m taking 12 weeks and 4 days, and the 4 days had to come out of my vacation. But I’m still luckier than most of my coworkers who had to use all of their sick time, vacation, and then go without pay for 6 weeks of maternity leave. Boy am I glad times have changed.

I’m planning on taking at least a year. I get 26 weeks with work which I can take at half pay and I also have long service leave which I might take if I want longer.

I’m only allowed 12 weeks but if you can take more I’d do it lol

Wow these comments 😭 my job only gave me a month off, I start again Friday

Taking 9 months off and then planning to go back to work part-time but if my financial circumstances change I am also preparing for going back to work full-time.

I2 weeks .

6-7 months

Thank you so much for the comments everyone it is good to see both ends of the spectrum, I think I may take the full pay 14 weeks now and just occasionally do some work from home stuff.
I know when I transition back in work will be pretty flexible and let me stay at home 3 days per week.

I had 17 weeks and it was not enough time. Im looking at options to go part time at my job

I'm not sure... depends on how I'm feeling I think

Take the max work will still be there after but that time you cant get back

I can take 9 months paid at my work and also 3 months unpaid which is what I’m planning to do. I have a two year old and just had twins 6 weeks ago so I’m not even sure if I’m going back to work yet🙈😂xx

I get 12 weeks at 50% of my current pay.... I would love to take more but that is a huge pay cut and not sure if we will be able to afford more

6 months with 75% of my pay

I get 12 weeks at 67% pay through short term disability. I will make up the 33% with using up all my sick days. I was thinking about doing ten week and then go back half time for a few weeks, but I may take all 12.

I've taken a whole year off. I'm thinking of extending it if possible ! I regretted when I returned to work at 10 months with my first. I feel that I will never get this time back with my second and they grow up so fast!

I took 4 months and honestly needed longer. But then covid hit 1 month later and they sent us all to work from home.