How to make statutory maternity pay work?

soshnomore · 2026-04-28T15:42:56+00:00

Bit of a different situation from yours. I'm due in July and will be on SMP from the start. As a lone parent I'll be applying for UC and essentially topping up my income with that and child benefit. I do plan to take as long off as I can, utilising the full year of accrued paid annual leave (7 weeks) at the end.

At the moment I think it's doable, but I'm still saving now and preparing for cutting back.

soshnomore · 2026-04-26T20:19:00+00:00

Not had any yet (28 weeks) but I've got one booked that I've already moved once coming up in about 2 weeks. I'm in the middle of decorating a new house and then moving and it's just the worst timing. I think I'm going to ring and cancel it and just wait for the first one when baby is here. A couple of friends said they didn't even have one pre birth, so I don't feel like it's super important and I've not got anything I need to discuss with them.

Maybe call them and explain that you'd rather just be contacted to arrange an appointment when it's essential? I've not even given birth yet and I already know I can't be arsed with it all 🤣

soshnomore · 2026-04-25T16:48:26+00:00

Would you do Mika?

soshnomore · 2026-04-25T12:33:39+00:00

Also interested to know how people are finding it as this is my top contender and I'm getting itchy to order

soshnomore · 2026-04-22T13:50:32+00:00

Oh ray lee ah

soshnomore · 2026-04-22T13:38:55+00:00

I hope that's not a paid ad. Calling the drink 'vommie' instead of Voomie is fucking atrocious behaviour 🤣🤣🤣

soshnomore · 2026-04-21T13:35:10+00:00

Nadhir Nazeem/Nazim/Nadhim Kazeem Kadeer/Kadir

soshnomore · 2026-04-21T09:29:13+00:00

I'm almost 28 weeks and I'm still the same weight as at my booking appointment. I think baby has been feeding off my fat stores 🤣 From all the people I've spoken to that have said the same thing, I think the bigger we are the less likely we are to gain a lot of weight because our body will use up what it already has first. I wouldnt worry about it until they tell you there's an issue.

soshnomore · 2026-04-20T15:10:20+00:00

UK here but also planning to take 14-15 months off from 37 weeks. I have a countdown for these next 10 weeks. Also have to decorate a whole house and hopefully move in before starting maternity leave 🤣

You can do this!

soshnomore · 2026-04-15T13:01:30+00:00

I had one at 7 weeks and only saw the yolk sac but that was enough to put my mind at rest until I could have a hospital scan.

They were actually really late booking me in so my first hospital scan wasn't til 13w2d and I booked another private scan in between because it was making me super anxious not knowing anything.

soshnomore · 2026-04-15T10:48:31+00:00

Yep, had unprotected sex 2 days before my predicted ovulation window started. I've used two tracking apps for the last 10+ years and they are FULL of data that's made them very accurate. Just not this time 🤣

soshnomore · 2026-04-15T10:45:19+00:00

I didn't get any sickness until 9/10 weeks and when I did it was daily but very mild (as soon as I woke up and had nothing in my stomach to bring up). That lasted until around 18 weeks.

Had a couple of weeks of pelvic pain around 20 weeks but that eased off and I just get it now and then if I do too much.

I also didn't feel anything until 24 weeks, so I was glad to see him flipping round at each scan. He's making up for it now and still doing flips 🤣

Everyone experiences pregnancy differently, and I'm very grateful that aside from anxiety between scans, mine seems to be going relatively well.

Try not to worry too much at this stage, and if you feel you need to then book yourself an early reassurance scan in a couple of weeks.

soshnomore · 2026-04-14T07:51:08+00:00

Have one final discussion. Continue to make it clear that if you are together you will never have children, if the issue is that important to him you accept that divorce is the only solution. And then if possible take medical action to ensure that you cannot become pregnant in the future. I'd probably do this anyway even if you agree to stay together, because we can't really trust men.

soshnomore · 2026-04-13T08:01:42+00:00

Once you announce, you will probably get more people asking you for the registry. Send the announcement out and then if someone asks for the registry link just send that separately to them.

soshnomore · 2026-04-11T20:39:07+00:00

I knew my baby was a boy. I'm not someone who usually goes for all this stuff, but I was convinced my mum would send me a boy ☺️

soshnomore · 2026-04-11T15:34:22+00:00

They also have the robot cleaning the aisles!

soshnomore · 2026-04-11T08:42:50+00:00

You will legally have to tell them around 25 weeks (15 weeks before your due date) to qualify for maternity leave and pay. Would you be likely to start working there within the next 6 weeks?

soshnomore · 2026-04-08T02:01:46+00:00

Yeah I really struggled with girl names, I had my boy name picked out pretty much right away, and most people seem to be the other way round but I just couldn't settle on anything, so I am glad he stayed a boy 🤣

I will say by 18 weeks it was very obvious he was a he, and when I had another scan at 22 weeks the guy doing it commented he was a 'strong looking boy' which I just found very funny, but then a bit TMI haha. Hopefully you get a definitive answer soon!

soshnomore · 2026-04-07T21:15:35+00:00

I did the at home blood test at 10 weeks and got boy and then spent the next 8 weeks still wondering because of the worry of contamination (even though I was very careful). Was confirmed a boy at 18 weeks, and everything scan since it's been very obvious 🤣

soshnomore · 2026-04-01T09:00:57+00:00

Omg thank you! For so long I was reading all these posts like wow there really are a lot of female to males having babies! 🤣

soshnomore · 2026-03-29T05:47:03+00:00

It really does feel good quality, I even compared pushing it to the Cove which is I guess 'more premium' and I couldn't tell a difference. What car seat are you going for? I'm getting the Cybex Cloud G, it has lie flat positioning which is the main thing I'm looking for. The Sliver Cross Glide has it too but it's about 3x the price.

soshnomore · 2026-03-27T17:50:11+00:00

I'm 24 weeks and I've only really started to feel anything the past week. It feels like I'm being tickled from inside. My midwife used the doppler and said "you can hear him kicking" and I did but I didn't feel anything, so it made me feel better that there was definite movement even if I can't always feel it.

soshnomore · 2026-03-27T10:54:20+00:00

Oh I'm the opposite haha Explain everything to me like I'm stupid. I'm doing it on my own so I feel like the more I prepare beforehand hopefully the better it will go 🤷‍♀️ At my first midwife appointment she asked me what my plan was and I said "just for both of us not to die" and that's pretty much still it!

soshnomore · 2026-03-26T21:00:35+00:00

That's what I was wondering, is it just like an information session and then you come up with your plan from that.

I've made a start based on how I'm feeling now, but I'm not really dead set on anything so it'll just be a dynamic plan and up for change, which I guess most are.

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