I'm sure this has been done to death previously but just after a bit of advice re pregnancy/ maternity leave and minding.

So, I am newly pregnant but thinking about what I am going to do re minding and interested to hear what you have all done and what your thoughts are.

Currently I am working about 50 hours a week, which is fine a t the moment but in the later stages I wonder if this will become a bit too much and should I think about cutting back on some of the children I look after (I have lots of part timers) so I am doing less hours?

How much maternity leave did you take? I am thinking of working until the end of the summer term (due 8th August)
I know this is very much personal to you and how you are feeling etc, initially I was thinking about taking just a few weeks off, but then I started thinking that if the baby doesnt sleep well (which is kind of inevitable to start with lol) then I'm not going to fancy going back to work too quickly!
So that got me thinking that perhaps I could do just after schoolies from September as I will be doing the school run anyway with my own DD (8), although maybe she will like to have some time with just baby and me?

I am worried that if I take too long off I will be less likely to have any of my current mindees return to me and I love them all dearly, I would be so sad to lose them, did any of you keep your mindees on?

So then I thought maybe I could take off until after Christmas, so it is affectively only 1 term (lots of my mindees are tto).

Oh I just don't know what to do, sorry for the rambling post! If you can make any sense of this thread and have any thoughts or would like to share your experience I would be very grateful!!