Taking baby to the office

angiekdz

Hi ladies. I am due at the end of April. I am the first woman at my company to have a child, and as a member of the senior management team, I can't take a full 3 month maternity leave. However, my boss has graciously offered for me to bring my baby girl and nanny to the office once I return. He is giving me a larger office in a side building so that we can be together. I'm wondering if anyone else has tried this, and if so, how long will an arrangement like this work? I know that a walking/talking baby probably wouldn't thrive in an office setting, but I'd like to get your thoughts if you have either worked from home with a nanny or brought them with you to work. Thanks in advance!

kikimeemee

I've never seen this firsthand but WOW. What a nice arrangement! It may be tricky to all be in one office/room together. I work from home 50% of the time and shut my home office door so I can focus while nanny and baby are in the family room.

jbatch

Slightly different situation but I run a daycare so when my LO was born I nursed her until she was a year old. She was in the infant room and when she got hungry I just took her to my office and shut the door to nurse her. It worked very well. There were times I would hear her crying when she should nap and I would help them get her down but otherwise they would take care of her. I think the problem I would see in your situation is if the baby is sleeping what will you do about phone calls or people stopping in your office? For the first 4 months it probably won't matter as much but once you get past that it can be hard to get them to nap with a lot of talking in the room.

BabyHope2013

Wow, that is super nice of your employer. I work from home a few days a week and I have to say that I would be concerned about having an actual space for your baby and nanny. For me, having a crying baby in the background while I am working may not be the most professional with you are working with people. This may depend on how often you have to work with others. If you are mainly working independently, this may not be an issue. 

I can see this possibly being a better fit initially when your LO is young, compared to when they are a bit older. Even when DH is home is I am trying to get work done, DS knows that I am home and wants my attention. When your LO becomes mobile, will the floor be a space that you would feel comfortable with them crawling around on? Those are just a few things that come to my mind. 

DS goes to daycare when I am at home. I know that I am more productive to my employer that way and then I can get my work done faster so I can go get him at the end of the day and be done working so I can just put my focus on him. Sounds like your employer is willing to be really flexible with you and that is great. I would just recommend taking some time to think about what is best for you and your LO----and maybe that means one thing when they are 2 months old and something completely different when they are 9 months old. 

angiekdz

Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate the feedback.

jenn43

I'm a physician in private practice, and I was able to bring my baby to work with me after ML. I agree with PP- it is very distracting having the baby in the same room with you. It also puts a ton of pressure on the nanny to keep LO from crying or getting upset. I initially had LO's pack and play right in my office, but we ended up moving his stuff across the hall to an empty office. We did this until LO was about 3 months old (I went back to work at 2 weeks), and then he started DC. 

It was really nice having him at work with me, and being able to BF while at work. 

But it was also a huge relief when he started DC and I felt like I could focus a bit more at work. Plus I didn't have to drag so much stuff into the office with me (work bag, breast pump, diaper bag and the baby!), and I can also stop and run an errand or two on the way home if I need to.

Would it be an option for the nanny to bring LO up for just part of the day? Maybe for a couple of feedings with a nap in between? 

angiekdz

That's a good idea. I think it would probably work better to only do part of the day once she's not sleeping all the time. It's nice to have the option to keep her there, but it might not be practical all day.

MrsLillyG

I think it would be better if there was a separate room that the baby and nanny could stay in. I think it would be very distacting otherwise.