The income drop is not a surprise. It is a number. And numbers can be planned for.
Most women say, in the fourth week of maternity leave: I wish I had started planning earlier. You are starting now. That matters.
The Maternity Leave Money Plan is the step-by-step financial guide to calculating your maternity leave income gap, building your buffer, and planning the return to work. Before you need to. While you still have time.
For the woman who is organised, capable, and has somehow never been given the exact framework for this.
If This Is You
The feeling that brought you here is exactly right.
This guide was written for these specific experiences. Not the generic version. The real one.
You know the income drop is coming but you have not calculated exactly what it will be.
Most women overestimate their maternity income and underestimate their expenditure. The gap calculation in this guide forces both into the light and gives you one specific number to plan toward.
You are saving but you do not know if it is enough.
Without a specific target, saving during pregnancy is guesswork. This guide calculates your exact buffer target, including a 20% contingency, based on your real numbers.
You have been thinking about the leave but not the return.
The maternity leave financial plan is not complete until the return-to-work calculation is done. This guide covers both sides: the gap and the re-entry.
What’s Inside
33 pages. Every part covered.
A complete guide from beginning to end. Written with warmth. Grounded in research. Made for the real version of this experience.
Understanding Your Maternity Leave Income
Statutory vs contractual pay, qualifying periods, notification deadlines, and how to calculate your actual weekly income for every week of leave.
Calculating the Gap
A five-step process to calculate your exact maternity buffer target from your real income and expenditure figures.
The Week-by-Week Savings Strategy
A trimester-by-trimester saving plan with a different focus and intensity for each phase of the pregnancy.
Smart Expenses
The subscription audit, fixed cost renegotiation, what to protect, and what to cut with intention rather than anxiety.
Returning to Work
The childcare cost calculation, flexible return options, and the return-to-work buffer.
What to Do If You Are Starting Late
A dedicated chapter for women in the third trimester who have not yet built their buffer.
A budget is not a list of things you cannot have. It is a decision about what matters most. Made in advance, with intention, by you.
Eraytee Dawn · The Maternity Leave Money Plan · Ebook 06
Who This Is For
Written for your specific experience.
The woman who is ready to stop feeling alone in this.
Whatever you are carrying right now, this guide was written by someone who understands that carrying it is hard. Not generic hard. Specifically, honestly, recognisably hard. And it was written for you.
The woman who wants information, not just reassurance.
Reassurance that everything will be fine is available everywhere. This guide gives you something more useful: an honest account of what is actually happening, and what you can actually do about it.
The woman who will come back to this more than once.
This guide is designed to be read at your own pace and returned to as things change. The reflection pages, the toolkits, and the resource signposting make it a working document, not just a one-time read.
The woman reading this anywhere in the world.
Every resource in this guide is internationally accessible. Every framework applies regardless of country, income, or circumstance. This guide was built for a global audience from the first page.
Common Questions
Everything you need to know.
Does this guide work if I am self-employed?
Yes. There is specific guidance on self-employed maternity provision. The gap calculation framework works for any income structure, including variable or project-based income.
Is this professional financial advice?
No. The author has significant knowledge in personal finance but is not a regulated financial adviser. This guide provides frameworks and education. For specific decisions around investments, pensions, or legal matters, please consult a qualified professional.
I am in a couple. Is there a version for us?
Yes. Ebook 08, Baby on the Way Money Sorted, is the couples’ version of financial planning for pregnancy. This guide focuses on individual income and expenditure. The couples guide covers joint financial planning.
How is this different from the Baby Budget Blueprint?
This guide focuses on the maternity leave income gap and the saving strategy to close it. The Baby Budget Blueprint focuses on the costs of the baby itself. Both are included in the Financial Readiness Bundle.
Ebook 06 · Financial Planning
The Maternity Leave Money Plan
How to Save
The Maternity Leave Money Plan is the step-by-step financial guide to calculating your maternity leave income gap, building your buffer, and planning the return to work. Before you need to. While you still have time.
33 pages · complete guide
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