When stop working.,

jonajackie

Hi Ladies, just want some info .on when it's the best time to stop working, This is my first baby , and since I work overnights, I just want to be prepared., any suggestions!

Nerdchild

Working nights might change your timeline a bit, just based on your preference.  I plan to stop working 30 days out from my due date if everything goes smoothly.  I want to add, I had already planned on moving out of state this summer, and getting pregnant pushed my exit date a month out (originally planned May, now doing June). How soon do you plan to go back after baby?  Have you looked into your maternity leave policy?

Edit: words.  It's been a long night.

ButterMyBiscuit

I worked up until the day I went into labor..it's hard to know.

Y0urm0m

Well sounds like youre pretty prepared for all-nighters when baby comes. Most people work all the way until baby is born. Idk about your state but mine gives me 4 weeks of payed disability off before the baby is born. I plan on taking that before he is born.

PinkLady2015

Also going to try working as long as possible to be able to use sick time once I deliver.

jlgriff11

I want to stop working a month ago but I can't. Sigh.

blissylissy86

Thankfully my time off is built into my schedule. My semsester end may 18th and my EDD is June 30, so hopefully I will have a good month and a half off before baby comes. My sister had Pre E, so I am hoping I don't end up in that same boat and need to be on bed rest.

whataboutscience

I think it depends on if you have a limited amount of time off or if you can afford to be flexible. If you only have a certain amount of time you can be away from work, I would stay until the baby arrives unless you can't because of medical reasons. You will want the time with your baby and you might get bored sitting around waiting for baby to arrive. If you can afford extra time off, then it's really a personal decision. Last pregnancy, DH and I wanted to get some traveling in and I had a job that was both physical and had me in the summer heat. I planned to SAH after baby, so I left at about 6 months pregnant because we could afford to and decided it was worth it.

DominiqueU

I'm due July 9th. I'm a teacher, so I'm planning on hanging in there until the end of the school year (around June 20th if we don't get any snow days). It works out pretty well for me, but I'm honestly not sure when I'd stop if I were due during the year.

I'd venture to say that you may want just a couple of weeks before you're due to get ready, relax, and mentally prepare a bit. I'm a FTM and I don't have much experience. Also, you can plan, but your baby and body may have other ideas.

givemepenguinss

Last time, I worked until I went into labor, so I could have the max time off after baby was born (14 weeks.)

This time around, I'm freelancing, so I won't have as much time off. I'm going to try and give myself a solid month off, but I don't want to take so much time that I'll lose clients.

foxa319

I worked until the day before I was scheduled to be induced with Ds. I took the day off before, had a pregnancy massage, got my hair done and a pedicure. I had complications last pregnancy and had to be induced 3 weeks early so I knew when I had to go to the hospital. I plan on working as long as possible this time also! I would rather have more time at home when the baby is here!

carcrashheart

Until I landed in the hospital to be induced. I didn't want to use sick time until after the baby arrived. If you have a huge excess of time off to use, then I might stop a week or so before your due date. But I honestly wouldn't waste it. You're going to want that time once baby comes. Yes, it will be hard and you'll be miserable and it will suck. But you have no idea how hard it's going to be to leave the baby once they arrive. You think you might have an idea, but honestly, you won't know the gravity of the feeling until baby arrives. I actually didn't return to work-I couldn't leave DS and we decided to make it work. Also, not everyone ends up on bed rest for pre e. Both times my blood pressure didn't spike until three weeks before my due date and I had to be induced because of it. If it had spiked sooner than full term they probably would have put me on bed rest though.

sboston06

I'm a nurse so my job is pretty physical. If everything continues to go well, I'll work right up until I go into labor. I don't know if I'll have to change my hours and stop doing 12-hour shifts but only time will tell. 

blackgirlmagic

I already told my coworkers that I want to start contractions at work and someone must be prepared to drive me to the hospital. Thankfully I work about 15 minutes from the hospital. 

MDmomma1217

With DD, I worked until my due date. With this baby, since it's due in July, I will have about a month off before because school gets out in mid-June.

kayham12

Also a teacher so I will get some time off before this one comes and I'm not planning on going back the first couple weeks of school. DD1 was due during the Christmas holiday and decided not to come. I work 2 hours from the hospital so I was induced the Monday I was supposed to go back to work. Technically I got two weeks off before she was born, but I would have kept working. It was also Christmas so that's not really "off". I did ride the bus to an away game 2 hours from home, an hour from the hospital, to coach my team before I went on maternity leave. I really felt okay the whole time.

MrsRo731

I basically worked until baby was born - I did schedule some time for a maternity massage, pedicure and haircut. I think I had like 2 days off before she was born. Honestly, the time at home before she was born was heavy for me. I was nervous about the birth and this time I think I'll work right up until I go into labor. Not sure how your maternity leave works, but mine didn't start until the actual birth so I had to use my own time off to cover the couple days before delivery.

chanfa

Agreed with @MrsRo731 I would definitely check out what your maternity leave is like before making a decision. 

For me, I can only take max 2 weeks off prior to actual birth so that it does not start counting towards my 12 week leave. Even then I have to use my paid time off for the 2 weeks, so before you decide when you want to stop working definitely have that information.

My plan is to keep working all the way up to birth so that I can use my vacation days for doc appts or other things later on in the year.

owens0410

With my first I only got 6 weeks off and I wanted to use all of it for when the baby was born. We scheduled our induction for a Tuesday and I took the day before off so I had a four-day weekend. 

noelietrex

I'm required to use my PTO for the first 2 weeks of maternity leave so I can't take that time early. I get 12 weeks total but it's a patchwork disability, FMLA, PTO, and tiny bit of company paid. What I'm hoping is that my manager will allow me to "work from home" the last week or 2 when I'm enormous and uncomfortable. That way I'm just winding down and closing out jobs and available for email... Fingers crossed!

magzor

My office is half a block from the hospital, whereas from home it's more than a 30 minute drive.  (I work for a University associated with the hospital, so my insurance covers muuuuch more here than the hospital near my house).  So I'm hoping to go into labor at my desk!  I told my coworkers I'd just take a leisurely stroll across the street.  My boss said "Honey, there will be nothing leisurely about that stroll."  

MrsRo731

@marowan - You never know! With my first, my water broke and I didn't start having contractions until about an hour later. And the contractions in the beginning weren't bad at all!

john5111

I worked the full day before going into labor... I woke up in the middle of the night and contractions had started.. I had no other signs that day that it would happen that day.  Youll prob be fine to work up till you go into labor.  I think sitting at home all day would make the waiting worse too..all youd think about

slorbets

I plan on taking a month off before the baby is due. Then I am taking my 1 year paid maternity leave.

ButterMyBiscuit

slorbets said:

I plan on taking a month off before the baby is due. Then I am taking my 1 year paid maternity leave.

That's amazing. Canada?

DominiqueU

Listen, guys, I think all of us are making a really big mistake by not living in Canada. Perhaps we should buy a plot of land, start a commune, and raise our babies/yell at each other for a year.

thebigoaktree

If I can get over the Montreal Canadiens fans, I'd move. Actually, I'd still move who am I kidding. 

blackgirlmagic

DominiqueU  I was thinking the exact same thing! But I am wondering how often can it be used. If I have babies back to back to back will I get a year  off for each of the births and still have my job waiting for me when I get back?

quartz02

@DominiqueU LOL! love that... especially the "yell at each other" part.

chanfa

ButterMyBiscuit said:

I plan on taking a month off before the baby is due. Then I am taking my 1 year paid maternity leave.

That's amazing. Canada?

I work/live in the wrong country.. sigh...

Weville

@thebigoaktree There are plenty of places here you can avoid the Habs fans!

quartz02

My first day off from work was supposed to be my biophysical profile appointment (I was overdue) and last date with DH. From the appt, we got sent to the hospital to be induced... never got that last date. We took DD with us when she was 5 days old to our favorite Italian place in Long Island

PP was spot on, if you have limited time off from work, you'll want that time to bond with the baby. I would have driven myself crazy at home. I'm not good at relaxing. There's only so much nesting you can do.

slorbets

Yes I am in Canada. The paid maternity leave here is pretty awesome. I have become to appreciate our health care system: all the dr's appointments, ultrasounds and tests for free. I do not live in Quebec, but they also have daycare that is practically free! So ladies, come on over!

ButterMyBiscuit

thebigoaktree said:

If I can get over the Montreal Canadiens fans, I'd move. Actually, I'd still move who am I kidding. 

Ha! I live in NC but somehow my husband became a Habs fan.

soberkfell

With DS I ended up taking off 1 week before he was due. I walked around dilated at a 3 for a full week (in inactive labor), and on his due date my water broke while I was sitting on my basement floor organizing tupperware in a random bout of nesting. The contractions were immediately 3 minutes apart and very painful, and I was holding my baby in my arms 5 hours later. With my new job I feel like I need to save up as much of my PTO as possible, so I'm just going to ask if I can work from home the last week or two before my due date. Not sure if this will be acceptable, though, as my director worked up until she had her baby. But I've heard that your labor only gets shorter with each birth, so I'm nervous to not be home or with my mom to drive me to the hospital quickly.

PhoebeJune1984

My first one, I worked until a month before my due date. I would have worked longer, but the new schedule had to work on a certain date, so I stopped early. 

This one, I am due 7/24 (but will deliver a week before then), and my last day will be 6/17. My nanny kids get out of preschool on 6/15, and I don't want their schedule to change previous to that, so I will be working that last week of their preschool, and then I will be done. If I don't go into labor on my own, my RCS will be scheduled around 7/17, so that gives me about a month before baby comes. 

thebigoaktree

ButterMyBiscuit said:

If I can get over the Montreal Canadiens fans, I'd move. Actually, I'd still move who am I kidding. 

Ha! I live in NC but somehow my husband became a Habs fan.

That's pretty funny. Then again the fact that there is a hockey team in Tampa and Arizona makes me laugh too. It was disgusting being in Montreal for New Years in a bar for the winter classic, sitting there in a Marchand jersey and then we lost. And when we played them again we beat them. Hockey is nerve racking. 

stillcozy

This is a good thread I haven't thought about it I'm planning on working until I pop but I might take pto around due date if I haven't gone yet but without much pto it seems like a risk if I went past that to have to go back to work

thebigoaktree

I'm saving up PTO at the moment, but do plan to take two weeks prior to my due date off regardless. I also loathe my job and owe them nothing so I don't really feel bad at all. 

born2run911

DominiqueU said:

Listen, guys, I think all of us are making a really big mistake by not living in Canada. Perhaps we should buy a plot of land, start a commune, and raise our babies/yell at each other for a year.

Come one, come all. We welcome anyone and anything north of the boarder.

chanfa

born2run911 said:

Listen, guys, I think all of us are making a really big mistake by not living in Canada. Perhaps we should buy a plot of land, start a commune, and raise our babies/yell at each other for a year.

Come one, come all. We welcome anyone and anything north of the boarder.

Depending on who gets elected for president, I might have to take that offer.