Maternity Leave - when to plan to start?

All being well but I’m planning on week commencing 2nd dec, I’ll be 37 weeks and due on Christmas Day.

I’m thinking 4 weeks before my due date but I work in a and e x

I'll be taking a weeks holiday before my c section date then mat leave will kick in. I have an office job and I'll work from home for the last month so it's not bad but depends on your job, holidays to take beforehand and how much time you want off with baby once they arrive.

I’m finishing end of November. I’ll be taking my remaining annual leave (2 weeks) off before due date, then starting official mat leave on my due date December 12th.

I’m planning to take 2 weeks off before my due date/ induction date. With my first I only stopped working 2 days before my Induction and it was too much

I’m going to take annual leave for the first two weeks of December and then officially start mat leave around mid-way through. Due 31st December, but will be nice to have all of dec off :)

@Vicky the absolute dream, it's already the best month of the year 😍

Im due 24th December but very likely be having an elective c-section few weeks before due to having an emergency with my son. I’m starting my maternity leave from 9th but I’ve got annual leave from 2nd when I’m 36+5. I could’ve gone of earlier but I only work 2 days/nights a week and I quite like it. I also have annual leave in September October and November so I’ll barely be at work leading up to maternity leave.

Due 24th with Baby 2: Planning to take the remainder of my annual leave from 28th November, with actual maternity leave starting on 12th December. Just remember, if baby comes whilst on annual leave, your maternity leave automatically starts. You then get any of the remaining holiday at the end of your maternity leave. Also worth remembering that you’ll accrue an entire years worth of holiday whilst on maternity leave, and most companies allow you to tag that onto the end of your maternity leave, extending the time you have off 😊

@Lauren that's really helpful thank you :)

I’m due 25th and planning to work up to 20th December so I have more time off once baby is here. But it all depends on what you would prefer and what works with your income and work. If I have holiday left I’ll finished a week earlier which would be nice to have some time at home resting. Xx

Due 10th of December - probably going to start mat leave a week before, maybe 2. I started 2 weeks before with my first and then had her a week early. It's completely personal but I'd have gone stir crazy with longer off, especially as you can go over. All depends on your job etc though

With my first he was due 26th jan and I finished at Xmas. I used two weeks hol and two weeks mat leave , this time I want to work as close to due date as possible (17th dec) to give me as much time after as possible. This plan doesn’t take into consideration how I will feel but I would rather have the time with baby than before hand . X

Mine is a week before due date

I'll take some annual leave from mid-December. Baby due very beginning of Jan, but in my job, we don't work from 23rd December until into the new year anyway.

Am due 19 December work in a school as well so we don’t have annual leave and due to the pay being so crap my plan is to work as close to my due date as I can

I’m due 25th December and will work until as late as possible. I do office work and can work from home so trying to keep as much maternity leave for once babies here x

I had 7 weeks off before our 1st was born, finishing last week in Nov & she came mid Jan. It was really lovely to have all that time over Christmas and needed in the job I was doing at the time. I now work part time & fully from home, so I’m planning to finish 3 weeks before my elective section as it was the last 3 weeks of my previous pregnancy that I found hardest / most tiring x

I’m due 7th December I’ll be 37 weeks on my sons birthday 15th November that’s when I’m going to be taking mine x

I’m due 26th Dec too and think I’m planning on leave leave from the 9th and officially starting Mat leave wc 23rd. And I’m going to take a week off in Nov and Oct towards the end for a bit of a rest! More stressing now about how much time off to take / when to return to work / how many hours etc 😖

Yes. I’m due 22nd December and also planning to work up until the 6th. I’ll hopefully have 2 weeks holiday to use then go into Mat leave. I have an office job so hoping I can work for as long as I can with the hope of having most of my mat leave when the baby is here x

I've just had to sort mine out today. I'm due the 4th December so I'm taking the week before off. On the basis I assume they'll be late. If not then leave will start from the date they're born anyway. And if I'm in to much pain then I'll get a doctors note rather than taking early leave. My first I took 2 weeks before but then was induced a week early which I think worked great 😊

I went into labour at 37weeks and 2 days. I hadn't even made it to my maternity leave. This time round I'm determined to have a rest before I go off so I'm considering going off 5 weeks early 😂

@Amanda I'm pretty sure if you are signed off after a certain point in your pregnancy for something pregnancy related, your maternity leave automatically kicks in

My first came at 37 weeks, I’m due 10th December this time so I think I’ll probably start maternity leave the beginning of November. Just then if this baby comes at 37 weeks, I’ve had a couple of weeks to get all prepared and spend quality time with my first baby whilst it’s still just him! X

@Jess I don't blame you! I definitely want a few weeks of Christmassy bliss and to prepare before they arrive!

This post is really helpful! It’s my first baby and I’m due 25th December. I was planning to work up to my due date but this has really made me reconsider. I think having some preparation time before is a good idea, and I expect im completely underestimating how uncomfortable I’ll be!

I’ve got 4 weeks annual leave to take so hoping to go off beginning of November, with Mat leave from start of December, due 17th.

@Jess 36 weeks I believe.

My waters went last time after I’d been in the office (33+5) so work are trying to persuade me to go early this time (esp as it’s our busiest time of the year) but I’m aiming to work as late as possible.

With my first I had a months holiday booked before my due date and my LO was 2 weeks late so I ended up having 6 weeks off before she was born which was way too much and I wish I’d saved it to help extend my maternity leave before returning to work. I’m lucky my work is very flexible, so this time I’m planning to work up to 38 weeks on normal hours and then use some holiday to reduce my hours in the 2 weeks before (as I do think I’d struggle working full time by that point - but if I’m OK I’ll keep going), then start my maternity leave from my due date. That way I can carry over all my remaining holiday to add on to the end of my maternity leave. However, I know if I’m struggling towards the end I have the option to use more holiday or start my maternity leave earlier, so I am lucky to have such a flexible employer.

I actually had the conversation with my boss today, I'll be finishing around 35wks, I did the same with my daughter - but actually I've got a few weeks holiday so looking like it'll be around mid-end October for me. I work in a GP surgery so it's full on & I've also got a 2 year old, so wanting to spend time with her before baby arrives & get as much sorted as possible. Also being around Xmas time I need time to sort all of that 😂. I'm taking the year too. Just to add, I'll be having this baby around the 39th week as it's going to be an elective section x

I’m due the 11th of December and will be leaving after October half term so I won’t return to work (I’m a teacher). I’ll officially start maternity leave on 4th November! X

@Becca yes this is the bit I can't imagine, how I'll actually be feeling that far along! But definitely think it would be nice to have a few weeks to prepare

Thanks everyone this has been so helpful and hopefully for others too 🖤

@Katie I'm in the exact same boat. I was thinking that Oct half term would be too soon. Maybe start of November is a better idea ... It's all so unpredictable!

@Becky I’m doing this too!

I’m taking 2 weeks annual leave from 1st Dec to my due date (15th) then starting Mat Leave on 16th. Adding on my accrued annual leave days from 2025 + accrued back hols and going back mid March 2026 x

I'm due 26th and aiming to work up until 19th. I worked up until the day before with my first and was fine so I'll get as far as I can this time too. Plus I work in a hospital so not a bad place to be that late on anyway 🙃 x

@Vicky I'm due 31st December too! 💕 I'm a teacher though so will try to drag myself through to the end of term, I'm part time so hoping to carry on till 18th December then mat leave can start on the due date however that's 38 weeks 😬

Oh I had thought about it almost immediately 😂 I’m due 3rd December however due to health, I likely wont make it to that, I’m starting mat leave at 37 weeks with a week annual leave before, so 36weeks I’ll be finishing x

@Mary Yep! Definitely don’t start it until the first day back after half term anyway which is the start of November because you save a week with the half term. X

I’m due December 5th but my 40th birthday is November 22nd so think I’ll finish the day before that which gives me about 2 weeks before baby is due. I’m using annual leave to cut down to 4 days a week for about 6 weeks before that as it needs using before I go on may leave anyway

With my first I finished at Xmas and he wasn’t due until 26th jan. I had two weeks hol from the new years allowance and two weeks maternity leave leave before he arrived. This time I plan on working right up until just before the due date so I get the time with bubba after . I had to go back after 9 months as we couldn’t afford not to and I really struggled going back to work so anytime extra is a bonus c

@Mary @Katie I'm due Dec 2nd but was hoping to work until the 15th or 22nd Nov as I want to spend as much time off with baby! Work were encouraging me to take from half term but I'm working alongside my mat cover from September so not concerned by costing money etc. Not sure how I'll feel by givjng myself a week or so at that point though!