When are you starting Mat Leave......

Just wondering how soon before your due date you ladies are taking maternity leave. My due date is 25th April and I am not leaving work until 11th. Have lots of people telling me I am cutting it fine but I feel well and still have plenty of energy. Is anyone else leaving it til a couple of weeks before or are you all going earlier?

I'm cutting it tighter. Due 16th April and finishing work on 11th April.

If you're still feeling fine then you're dead right!! On DS I was the same as you, was due 26th December and finished up work on the 10th so it was 2 weeks before due date. DS arived on the 27th so i had my two weeks to myslef and enjoyed resting up waiting for his arrival. Some people go earlier especially if they work on their feet all day but I found I wanted the time after baby arrived. A girl i work with (in a chemist) finished up 4 weeks before due date due to being tired but her baby was 2 weeks over due and she used up 6 weeks of maternity leave waiting on baby's arrival!! If i were you I'd stick to the 2 week deadline and hope you don't go early so you get a few days of relaxing and resting up. Best of luck!

First time I finished at 38 weeks, reasoning I'd be likely to go beyond my due date and baby was born at 39 weeks This time my ML starts at 38 weeks, but I had a week of holidays to use, so I officially finished at 37 weeks. This time I was completely ready to finish, whereas first time I was looking forward to the break, but didn't physically feel like I had to stop working right then.

Under our terms we must start Maternity leave 2 weeks prior to due date. so offically 38 weeks but liek u others keep tellin me to take time to relax so i plan on taking 2 weeks leave before so 36 weeks

i'm self employed so only finished a week before DS was due. so glad as he was 2 weeks late and i was going mental! i had everything ready before i finished work and was just driven demented having nothing to do but wait. will defo work as late as possible again this time.

[quote="yonex":31toj8x2]Under our terms we must start Maternity leave 2 weeks prior to due date. so offically 38[/quote:31toj8x2] +1. Finishing up May 31st....50 days left People were telling me to finish up earlier so I could relax but I think I'd just get bored sitting around while everyone else is working so I'd prefer to work up as close as I can and have more time off with babs afterwards.

My maternity leave starts at 35 weeks! Don't know how people manage working so close to their EDD - I've been sick for most of the pregnancy so this probably contributes to how I feel but I'm so big and wrecked as it is now that I can't even begin to imagine what I'll be like come 37-38 weeks!!!

Last year I as due May 3rd and worked til May 12th, went into hosp on may 13th and DD2 was born on may 14th, I had asked Dr to put a later date than my due date on my Mat form, so my mat leave didnt kick in til after I was due anyways, same this year am due towards end of May and have asked Dr to put a date in June on it, as Im having a fairly straightforward and no sickness etc prg, Im happy to keep working as long as I can, much prefer the time off after LO arrives than sitting twiddling my thumbs waiting at home if LO arrives before the time, it will kick in anyways.

I'm starting my maternity leave a week before my due date.