How long are you taking off for maternity?

When you are in it, you will likely want to scrape each and every day extra that you can. Don't make any fixed decisions now if you don't have to

could you look at going on to shared parental leave so you're "back at work" around the summer holidays and then can go on leave again after. I know other teachers who do this

I may end up going back at 6 months aswell! It's soo hard and maternity money doesn't stretch far enough! I wish more than anything to stay home as long as I can

you're right! Even now I want to stay with baby for 12 months but get scared each time I think about maternity money 😂

I know it may sound a bit reckless but if we need to go into a couple of grand debt to help during maternity leave then so be it. It can be paid back. Thats personal preference though. I'd never use a credit card to pay for a holiday, we would save up in advance but i would to be able to spend more time with baby when they are so little. I went back at 9 months with my first and I regret it on reflection but it was covid and I was needed at work.

I don't have credit cards I don't trust myself with them haha

oh that's a pain. My SIL is doing the shared parental thing as a teacher even though my brother isn't actually planning to take any share of the leave, it was just a way of making it all make more sense financially

I had 9 months off with my last baby and doing the same this time. I can’t afford for the last 3 months to be unpaid 😩

15 months, I want as long as possible. Recognise I’m very fortunate my husband can comfortably support us but with that comes the demands of his job, bless him he often does 8-4am office stints no joke so it’ll just be me and baby a lot of the time x