Your Pre-Maternity Leave Checklist: What to Do Before Baby Arrives
Donna Davies
7 min read
Preparing for maternity leave can feel like another full-time job, especially when you're still working, getting ready for your baby and trying to remember everything that needs doing before you finish. There's the paperwork, conversations with your employer, maternity pay, annual leave, handovers, childcare plans and, of course, all the things you need to organise for your baby.
It's easy to focus on the obvious things, like packing your hospital bag and buying baby clothes, but there are quite a few practical details that are worth sorting before your last day at work. The good news is that you don't need to do everything at once. A little planning now can make the weeks leading up to maternity leave feel much more manageable.
Here's a practical pre-maternity leave checklist to help you get organised.
1. Confirm your maternity leave dates and arrangements
Start by making sure you understand your maternity leave dates and what you've agreed with your employer.
Check:
Your expected week of childbirth and due date.
The date you plan to start maternity leave.
When you need to give your employer formal notice.
How much maternity leave you intend to take.
Whether you have any annual leave you want to use before or after maternity leave.
What happens if your baby arrives earlier than expected.
It's also worth checking your employer's maternity policy so you understand any additional benefits or arrangements that apply to you. If you haven't already, confirm everything in writing so you have a record of the dates and arrangements you've agreed.
2. Understand your maternity pay and finances
This is one of the most important things to organise before you leave work. Don't assume your maternity pay will simply follow your usual monthly salary. Depending on your employer's enhanced maternity pay policy and your eligibility for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), your income may change at different points during your leave.
Make sure you know:
Whether you're entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance.
Whether your employer offers enhanced maternity pay.
How much you'll receive and when the payments will change.
When maternity pay will stop.
Whether you'll receive any unpaid periods during your leave.
How your pension contributions and other workplace benefits will be affected.
It can also help to look at your household finances rather than just your own income. Consider regular bills, savings, childcare costs and any changes to your partner's working arrangements. Knowing what to expect financially can make a real difference to how confident you feel going into maternity leave. If you need help understanding the figures, take a look at our Maternity Pay and Finances guide.
3. Check your annual leave entitlement
Annual leave is something many women overlook when planning maternity leave. You continue to accrue your statutory annual leave entitlement while on maternity leave, including bank holidays where these form part of your entitlement.
Before you leave, check:
How much annual leave you have available.
Whether you have any unused leave to carry over.
Whether you can take annual leave immediately before or after maternity leave.
How your employer handles bank holidays during maternity leave.
Whether you need to agree your dates with your manager in advance.
You might decide to use some annual leave before your maternity leave starts, or save it for the period immediately before you return. There isn't one right approach, but it's worth understanding your options before you finish work.
4. Have a conversation with your manager or HR
Before you go on maternity leave, make time for a proper conversation with your manager or HR team.
You don't need to have every detail finalised, but it helps to discuss what will happen while you're away and how your return will be managed.
Topics worth covering include:
Your final working day and maternity leave arrangements.
Who will cover your responsibilities.
How your workload will be managed.
How and when you would like to be contacted.
Whether you might want to use Keeping in Touch (KIT) days.
Any training, development or workplace changes you should know about.
How your return-to-work conversation will be arranged.
If you have concerns about your role, responsibilities or how maternity leave might affect your career, this is also an opportunity to raise them.
You can find more information in our Maternity Rights and Employment guide.
5. Prepare your maternity handover
Your handover doesn't need to be a huge document covering every possible scenario, but it should give the person covering your role enough information to understand what needs doing. Start by listing your current responsibilities and any work that will need attention while you're away.
Your handover might include:
Current projects and their progress.
Important deadlines and upcoming meetings.
Key contacts and stakeholders.
Regular tasks and reporting requirements.
Where important documents and information are stored.
Any outstanding decisions or issues.
Who to contact if something needs escalating.
Try to prioritise the information someone will genuinely need rather than documenting every detail of your job.
It's also worth being realistic about what can be completed before you leave. You don't need to finish every project, resolve every issue or make yourself indispensable before going on maternity leave. The purpose of a handover is to support a smooth transition, not to create an impossible final few weeks for yourself.
6. Agree how you want to keep in touch
Some women like to hear occasional updates from work. Others want to switch off completely and enjoy their time away. Think about what would work best for you.
Before you leave, discuss:
Whether you want occasional updates.
Who your main point of contact will be.
Whether you would like to receive invitations to team events or social activities.
Whether you might use any KIT days.
How you will be contacted if something important needs discussing.
Remember, KIT days are optional. You don't have to work during maternity leave, and you shouldn't feel pressured to stay involved simply because you want to maintain your professional relationships. You can read more in our guide to KIT Days During Maternity Leave.
7. Start thinking about your return to work
I know it might feel strange to think about returning to work before you've even started maternity leave, but this is one of the things that can easily get overlooked. You don't need to decide exactly what your working life will look like months in advance. However, it is helpful to understand what options are available and what conversations you might need to have.
Start thinking about:
Whether you expect to return to the same working pattern.
What childcare arrangements you might need.
Whether flexible working could help.
Whether you might want to use annual leave to extend your time at home.
What support you would need during your first few weeks back.
When you would like to discuss your return with your manager.
Your circumstances and feelings may change during maternity leave, so treat these as things to explore rather than decisions you have to make now. Our Returning to Work After Maternity Leave guide explains some of the options available and how to prepare for the transition.
8. Get the practical things ready for baby
Of course, there's also the small matter of getting ready for your baby! It can be tempting to spend all your time organising the nursery and buying tiny clothes, but try to focus on the essentials first.
Your baby preparation checklist might include:
Buying essential clothing and newborn supplies.
Organising a safe place for your baby to sleep.
Preparing your hospital bag.
Arranging transport for hospital appointments and birth.
Understanding your maternity and newborn healthcare arrangements.
Thinking about who can support you during the first few weeks.
Making a few practical arrangements at home, such as meals and household essentials.
You don't need to have every drawer perfectly organised before your baby arrives. Focus on what will make those first few weeks easier.
Not sure where to start?
If you're reading this and thinking there's quite a lot more to maternity leave planning than you realised, you're not wrong! It's easy to concentrate on the immediate things and overlook the decisions that will affect you financially, professionally and personally during your leave.
That's exactly why I created the Are You Ready? Quiz.
It takes around two minutes and helps you understand which parts of your maternity journey need your attention first, from preparing to leave work through to your finances and return.
You don't need to have everything sorted. You just need to know where to start.
Because your maternity leave should feel calm, not chaotic.
This article provides general information. Your individual maternity arrangements and entitlements will depend on your circumstances and your employer's policies. Always check the relevant guidance and your employer's maternity policy.
Your pre-maternity leave checklist at a glance
Here's a quick reminder of the main things to work through before your last day:
Confirm your maternity leave dates and arrangements.
Check your maternity pay and understand how your income will change.
Review your annual leave entitlement.
Read your employer's maternity policy.
Arrange a conversation with your manager or HR.
Prepare your maternity handover.
Agree how you would like to keep in touch.
Understand your KIT day options.
Start thinking about your return to work.
Make a plan for childcare and future working arrangements.
Organise the essentials for your baby.
Make time for yourself before maternity leave begins.
You don't have to tick everything off in one weekend. Work through the list gradually and focus on the things that need attention first.
9. Make a little space for yourself
This is probably the easiest thing to push to the bottom of the list. When you're juggling work, appointments, paperwork and getting ready for your baby, it's easy to feel as though every spare moment needs to be productive.
But you don't need to spend your final weeks at work completing an endless list of jobs. Think about what would help you feel ready to finish work. Perhaps it's getting a few things organised at home, spending time with people you care about or simply having some time to yourself.
You don't have to earn your maternity leave by getting everything done first.
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