Maternity leave, how long?

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francesXXX

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How long do hairdressers generally take off for Maternity leave?
 
Im curious to this to as im due june 2020 but self employed
 
Congratulations to you both. I'm a grandmother twice over.

Fashions in maternity leave have changed quite a bit over the years, it's a very personal decision, one that only you will have to live with. There is no "one size fits all" answer.

Some self employed barely take any time at all, usually for second babies, where there are no problems and an established baby care routine to glide into place. If you want to take time off - stick to your guns, don't do something if it doesn't feel right for you and your baby. On the other hand, if you need to return to work with a minimum of delay it can be done, don't feel guilty.

Ive tried to give a quick overview of some of the issues, don't worry too much about what most Mums do, they're not you. Doing what most people do doesn't suit everyone. Some women barely have a maternity leave of absence, they just flex their working arrangements around their life. Others want a definite "other life" period to adjust. Most compromise between the two. And financial circumstances, family and employer support make such a difference - these are the factors that help you decide.

You need to take 2 weeks off from a health point of view - although saying that I did my husband's annual accounts before my daughter was 2 weeks old. (I was a bit resentful though).

Between 2-6 weeks your body is still adjusting to major changes so returning to work at this point carries some risks that you'll have mental or physical problems. And, to be blunt, it's not good for baby uness they are being looked after by family. Part-time working will raise eyebrows, but if, say, your Mum is swinging into action, it's possible. If you overdo things you'll feel and look drained.

At 6 weeks you need to start a gentle exercise routine to protect your back. Lifting your baby will soon start to take a toll. You need to rehab your pelvic floor muscles and get fit enough to stand all day without back pain. Losing baby weight will take time and it's easier if you keep your fitness up.

You can return to work part or full-time from 6 weeks if you have to and have good childcare in place. After 6 weeks you are in a much better, more established sleep and eat routine. Breast feeding is easier and baby is usually big enough to sleep 5 or more hours once in a while. This is when self employed start spending more time working - maybe doing their best clients, or popping into the salon office for half a day three days a week (increasing to 5 half days by three months). This helps to reduce stress, keeps you in touch with clients and ensures everything is running smoothly, and keeps your column ticking over. If you return to work at 6 weeks make time to look after yourself, get some rest, exercise and eat healthily. if you just focus on baby and work you'll fall apart.

You need to allow time to express breast milk, which is surprisingly time consuming and a bit messy/drippy. Your employer needs to provide you with somewhere to do this - and not the loo, but frankly, most places you're going to struggle.

At 3 months life is starting to get into routine. It's so much easier than at 6 weeks. You may be getting 6 hours unbroken sleep most nights. Your body is well on the way to recovering from pregnancy. Standing on your feet all day is still not ideal, but less likely to overstrain your body. If you've not started keeping in touch days, this is the time to start booking them in. One day a week is perfectly doable. You will need to express Breast milk, but maybe only once a day, and it will be quicker and easier.

At 6 months you can return to work whenever you feel ready. Most babies are weaning themself off the breast after 6 months and you should both be getting a good night's sleep. It's still a wrench and very tiring if you are relying on daycare and have no home help. This is the time to negotiate part-time hours - your employer is missing you enough to say yes!

At 9 months your baby starts to become anxious when you leave. This is the hardest time to start a return to work. Your baby may be very distressed and unsettled and also teething. Most babies have weaned themself off the breast so the ultimate source of comfort has gone. Broken nights start up again and adjusting your life and relationship to the new family dynamic can get on top of you. You and your baby may find it emotionally very hard to adjust to working after 9 months at home together. Your employer has had time to get used to you being away, they may not be very supportive or sympathetic if you don't get back into the swing of things within a couple of weeks.

At One year you and your baby will both benefit from some time spent with other people. However, your Boss and colleagues will have mentally moved on and you may find that coming back to work feels like a whole new job. This can be a bit of a shock and you may need time to adjust to the changes that have taken place in your absence. Take time to think about whether your workplace is right for you, it may be time to start afresh.

Hope this helps. But the golden rule is don't get too fixated on your plans. They may change!
 
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I'm due end of April, currently trying to decide when to stop taking appointments to finish for maternity. I'm self employed, renting a chair.

If there is such a thing as a plan for maternity leave, mine is 12 weeks of no work then use my 10 kip days as either 1 day for 10 weeks or 2 days for 5 weeks depending on how Im managing at the time. Then I'll return gradually building upto 3 days. I've spoke to lots of people who have all different time scales but I'm hoping this works for me.
 
I'm self employed and have my own salon and currently work on my own. I'm due early April,and like that going to finish towards the end of March all going well and then planning on taking 6/8 wks depending on how I feel.salon will be closed for the duration of my time off.My mother will be taking care of baby once I head back to work which will be cut down to 4 day week to get started and gradually build back upto fulltime.it's definitely harder being self employed as you have the fear of losing out on clients and business,but at the end of the day you have to look out for yourself.business can be built back up again.I'll still be paying rent and have expenses but that's where planning ahead came in.
 
I'm self employed and took 4 weeks off. I had a c-section aswel so was still a bit sore but could not afford to take anymore
 
I'm self employed and took 4 weeks off. I had a c-section aswel so was still a bit sore but could not afford to take anymore
4weeks is all I'd like to take off too, did you reduce hours/days for a short period?
 
Try taking as long as you can, it’s the best thing in the world. Good luck xx
 

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