https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 26 May 2026 07:13:15 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-529193 Sat, 26 Jan 2013 15:36:59 +0000 birdofafeather 529193@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started my leave a little over 3 weeks before my due date. With the holidays and my office being closed for over a week and it being slow season, I wanted to relax and not go into work just to sit there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-529072 Sat, 26 Jan 2013 13:42:19 +0000 oliviaoblivia 529072@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would have been fine working until my due date. My office was closed for the holidays and only opened three days before I was due. There was no way I was going back to work at 39w5d after a week and a half off. The few days that I was home waiting were torturous. I went nuts thinking every little thing was "it". </p> <p>Next pregnancy I will work as long as I can for mental health. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-529042 Sat, 26 Jan 2013 13:19:25 +0000 lomom 529042@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>On my FMLA paperwork, I put my due date. I may bail out a few days sooner just to have a couple of days to relax before LO gets here. My HR person said it didn't matter, it'd start either when I was ready to bail out or when I went into labor. For the sake of putting something in that box, it was my due date. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-528975 Sat, 26 Jan 2013 12:05:16 +0000 pinkcupcake 528975@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I put my due date as the start but of course there was some flexibility depending on when the baby would be born. I wanted to work until the very end to maximize my time home with her. Baby ended up coming four days early - last day was a Friday and baby girl was born Monday. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-528968 Sat, 26 Jan 2013 11:59:53 +0000 evenstar982 528968@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have to use up my annual leave before I start my mat leave (or I will just 'lose' the annual leave... but on the plus side that means that its looking quite feasible for me to have up to 4 weeks off as holiday before my Due Date (but the way Mat leave policy works, if the LO arrived early the mat leave would default to the DOB). </p> <p>Told my boss this week and she is going to schedule work for me up to July, but no later - EDD is start of Sept! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-528215 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:24:49 +0000 LemonLong 528215@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I put my due date but ended up having her two weeks later. I just let my boss know I was in the hospital and after I was discharged I called HR and they adjusted the date for me. Super easy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-528207 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:16:16 +0000 Foodnerd81 528207@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Company policy is to start mat leave 2 weeks before your due date, so that's what I will do. It's nice to know the end date, but if that wasn't the policy I'd probably plan on going until the end unless something came up that I couldn't or didn't want to. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-528205 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:14:46 +0000 photojane 528205@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started my leave almost a month before my due date. I have a very physical job though. I started being miserable at work at like 30 weeks... I didn't think I was going to be able make it to 36 weeks! So glad to be done for now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-528195 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:09:10 +0000 ladyfingers 528195@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not eligible for FMLA, but I just told work that I'd start maternity leave Feb. 1 -- I'm due Feb. 3 (a Sunday). And if I go early, we'll just adjust my leave dates internally. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-528095 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:13:25 +0000 Alivoo01 528095@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I plan on putting my due date as of right now. However, I'm going to request to see if I can work from home the last month of my pregnancy because the hospital I plan on delivering at is far away from work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-528011 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:29:47 +0000 sotomorrow 528011@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I went 2 weeks before but my job involves a physical element and I was having some minor health problems that made it difficult to work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-528008 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:28:41 +0000 JoJoGirl 528008@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hmm so maybe I'll just put the day before my due date (I'm due on a Saturday) and if I go early, I'll let them know. It's a long weekend so I wouldn't even be expected back at work until Tuesday, or 3 days after my due date, and I'm sure by then I'd be happy to stay home if LO isn't here yet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-527994 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:23:56 +0000 Charm54 527994@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It works out nicely because baby is due September 20th and I'm a teacher so I just won't go back to work in August - so 4 weeks early which is the norm in my area for most mothers. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-527967 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:16:40 +0000 pelikila 527967@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I put my due date and was told if I went late I could adjust it with my manager's permission. I ended up going early so I called in the day after I had my son and started the FMLA leave then. It was very easy to do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-527962 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:14:10 +0000 cascademom 527962@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started my maternity leave on the day I had my son. I worked up until I gave birth. I worked a full day 8-5pm, went into labor after 5 and had him at 8:30am the next morning.</p> <p>I was supposed to have a half day of work on the day he arrived, then work from home until he arrived. Never happened. So, I'm no help to you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-plan-ahead-to-start-maternity-leave#post-527954 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:12:02 +0000 JoJoGirl 527954@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just filling out my FMLA paperwork and they are asking me for a start date! My job is not super physical and I sit at a desk all day so just trying to figure out if I should be optimistic and put my due date, or what? </p>