Maternity break. Perfect - I'll use that. Thanks for all your posts.

Maternity break.

You are right it is not leave, but it is not long enough for a career break. Maternity break describes perfectly what it is for and hints at how long it will be: - I have seen people use this term.

How about 'x-month maternity break'?

I would just call it maternity leave. You are taking leave from your normal activities. I knew someone who was s/e as a yoga teacher and when she stopped to have her baby, she called it mat leave and it worked fine.

At least people know what you mean then, even if it might not strictly be the correct terminology. You could always put it in inverted commas or something.

'Career break' sounds like you might be re-thinking what you do, and as a S/E person myself, that would be the last thing I would want my clients to think as I'd be worried they would look elsewhere while I'm away on the assumption that I might not be back.

Even 'taking a break to raise a family' sounds like it could take anywhere up to 18 years!

Maternity leave sounds absolutely fine to me.

career break is usually much longer than a year more like 5 years so use maternity leave.

taking time out to raise a family?
tbh I don't see what's wrong with putting career break because if you're planning to resume your line of work again once the baby is a certain age then that's exactly what you're doing, I don't think it would make people think you were putting your baby second!

I am going on 'maternity leave' from Jan to Oct. I've put it in quotes because I am self-employed and therefore I'm not taking leave from anyone! I don't get any maternity leave (I'll get an allowance from the gov). I want to start warning people in my email signature about my forthcoming leave, but it doesn't feel right using the words 'Maternity leave'; and I especially hate the term 'Career break' because it implies that my baby will come second to my career (it also presumes that I have something called a career). Any advice?