Is this an unrealistic goal?

lovesinthehouse

Hi ladies! I lurk over here quite a bit since so many of you have been graduating and I like to see how you're doing. I hope you don't mind me asking a question about work after delivery.

I have a unique work situation and I work from home. I feel very privileged, and would like to avoid them needing to hire a temp. Here is what I think would be ideal, and please let me know if you think this is unrealistic:

Take a full week off after delivery. Work UP TO 4 hours a week for a couple weeks, and gradually increase from there. I think I could accomplish my weekly tasks in 2-3 hours each week, and it's computer work. Everything else could be arranged to be done prior or just done when I get back to working more.

I feel like this is doable, but I'd love to hear your input. TIA!

lovesinthehouse

I should also mention that DH and I have discussed this, and he thinks this is a good idea and will do whatever he needed to help me with this (like watch/hold the baby, etc.).

Crazycrustacean

I guess it really depends on what your tasks are. 

Either way i'd take off at least 2-3 weeks to allow for any complications, time to heal and time to figure out somewhat of a schedule.  Then you'll better know what you can & cannot handle. 

pentagrl

Iagree with crazy, take off at least 2 weeks after delivery to rest and then get into your schedule. then from there it would depend on your tasks. If LO is sleeping for a few hours at a time it would be easier to get your work done but you may get a baby that wakes every hour or so for the first few weeks.

popcorn13

I have to agree with the previous post.  You'll need time to recover yourself.  Even if you aren't in any pain you will be exhausted and hormonal.  Give yourself a couple of weeks at least.  My husband took 2 weeks off and even with him here and help from our family, it took me a week before I could even upload a picture so I can't imagine trying to do work.  Good luck with your decision!

lovesinthehouse

Thanks for the input! I really appreciate it and welcome any other responses if anyone else has feedback.

My work doesn't have to be done all at once, so I could work in 10, 20, 30-minute increments if I had to. I'll talk to my boss. He's really cool and his wife works partly from home and they have 2 little kids. He'll probably have some good input.

mr+ms

I work at home... definitely has its ups and downs! In general, it takes me a lot longer to get my work done. Half an hour of work can take like one to three hours. I'd figure in some extra time like that. I'll add as a disclaimer: my husband is not the best at daddy daycare. He'll hang with the baby for an hour and act like he's been watching her "all day long" or yell for help in the middle of diaper changes on a regular basis, etc... And ditto on the 2 weeks off as pp's said.

Ciconrad

Like pp said, you need at least 2 weeks off completely.  After that it's going to depend on your baby and the work.  My son from day 1 had to be held all the time.  He screamed his head off if someone wasn't holding him.  I had maybe 5-10 minutes in his swing where he would be content and then be fussing for someone to pick him up.  He took all his naps on me until he was 4 months old.  MOST babies are not like that and will nap for hours in a swing for the first few months.  But if you should end up with a crazy little man like mine (and some of my friends have had babies who were similar), you would find getting any work done difficult.  I guess I am just a big believer in not making any big commitments as to what you will do too quickly after having a baby.  There are just so many factors - like your recovery and your baby that could alter your plans.

Just curious - what are your concerns about having a temp fill in for your 6-8 weeks maternity leave? 

 

jnealet

It took a couple of weeks to get my head to think of anything but baby.  And a couple of more weeks to think of anything else but baby and making sure I ate enough.

 You're life is going to change more then you realize.  Take all the time that you possibly can.  Your child is much more important then getting work done.

nancyandnate

Honestly, I don't feel I could have managed that.  Since my guy was 5 weeks early, I left some things unfinished, including mid-year reviews.  I wanted to get them done in the first few weeks, but was way too fried.

pahokie

How well do you function on a really jacked up sleep schedule?  The baby is going to want fed every two hours or so for at least the first few weeks.  It turns into a "neverending day" scenario, which I found very discombobulating.

sharon2004

pahokie:

How well do you function on a really jacked up sleep schedule?  The baby is going to want fed every two hours or so for at least the first few weeks.  It turns into a "neverending day" scenario, which I found very discombobulating.

This, especially the "neverending day" - you never really sleep, just have naps, so it's like your dayss just roll into the next without any kind of closure.  Like others said, take at least 2 weeks to get your act together (minimally together anyway).  Let your boss know that you plan to work a much reduced schedule after that but that you really can't make a solid commitment until after the baby actually comes and you see what's going on.  If he's got a wife and a couple little ones at home, he'll understand that you can't really commit to much right away.

lovesinthehouse

Thanks again for all the input. It seems like most of you have time to bump in the first couple of weeks, so I don't know why I couldn't squeeze in a tiny bit of work here and there. I'll talk to my boss though. I think that will be the best way to figure out what we're going to do. And I want to avoid having them hire a temp because of the type of work that I do. Having someone else come in would make things inconsistent. We could make it work, but I'd rather not. We'll see. See you all again in about 6 months!