when do you plan on stopping work?

OhBabyDear

If you are currently pregnant with multiples and working, around when do you plan on stopping work? I plan on working up until about 25 weeks. I think this is actually very early, but financially we can pull it off and my commute (an hour and twenty minutes one way) was hard on me when I WASN'T pregnant and it's brutal now that I am. I just want to take it easy... and I'm not sure how much "taking it easy" contributes to hopefully preventing preterm labor, but I figure it can't hurt. 

My internet research tells me that OBs seem pretty divided in terms of when and if they want multiple pregnant moms to stop working. It seems as if there is a camp that insists that people scale back or go on disability or something around the 28th week. And then there's another camp that seems to think you should just keep working as long as you can... UNLESS something goes wrong. Mine, I can tell, are of the camp that believes you should continue working as long as possible UNLESS something goes wrong... and I know these are the doctors who tend to act as if you asked for their left kidney when you ask them about signing off on anything (not necessarily disability).  

What's been your experience? WHen do you plan on stopping work? Sorry if my above paragraphs made no sense... I'm just kind of trying to straighten my own thoughts out, I think .  

jenkm

I live in NJ and have worked in the city, doing a commute of that length.  I think you're smart for stopping work early.  It takes an incredible toll on you to do that every day when you're not pg!

I now work in the burbs and only have a 30 min commute, so my goal was to work until 30 weeks and then see how I felt.  At 28 weeks my cervix measured "on the short side of normal" so I went back for another measurement at 30 weeks, same result.  My dr. brought up thinking about going on leave so I decided to finish the week, work the following week from home and be done 3/1.  I was 32 1/2 weeks as of my first day of maternity leave on Monday.

I think you can only plan so much - depends on how you do.  I would have worked a couple more weeks but I wasn't going to risk preterm labor.

benkari

I worked until 29 weeks but my work is running a day care from my home with 2 other employees so it was easy for me to keep going.

BizEB

I'm scaling back at 22 weeks.  I plan to keep a reduced schedule as long as I and my peri feel that I can.  I can always work from home but I'm much less effective.

nygrl79

My OB and MFM are of the camp that says "wait and see".  They don't have a set time for disability, but they also don't require that something horrible happen (PTL or shortened cervix) to go on disability.  My MFM told me that by 32 weeks, even if all is well, mostly all of his patients with twins are out on disability because of sheer discomfort.  My OB always said let's just see.  At my 28 week appointment, I was miserable:  swollen, in pain, out of breath, having lots of BH contractions, etc. We discussed working from home, but my job was/is very demanding, working until 11p.m. at night at times, working on the weekends if client work so requires.  So my OB wrote me out on disability. I am very thankful to her because it allowed me to take it easy and I think is partially the reason I've gotten as far as I have so far. 

PMBridetobe

My doctor is of the wait and see approach.  The Peri thinks I will end up in the hospital at 32w but we will see. I am going to talk to my HR and see if I can work from home, etc.  My job pretty much requires an internet connection and a phone.  However, we can not afford for me to go out full time right now.  I only get 6 weeks paid leave and then have about 6 weeks saved up. I would really like to take all 12w after the babies are here.

D31

I am 25 weeks and plan on going right to the end if it's safe and if I can handle it. My ob is of the camp "Unless something goes wrong"..... I'm ok with going as long as I can so I am saving up my time for after the babies are here and not eating it up beforehand. We can't afford for me to take any unpaid leave. My commute is 20 minutes and my DH drives me for the most part, he only works 2 blocks away. My work is an office setting with some off site meetings, but I'm pretty much not attending them or calling in via conference call. 

babydontforget

I plan to work until my body tells me to stop. A troublesome cervical measurement would be included in my body telling me to stop.

I work at home, so I have hopes I'll make it pretty far. But we'll see. 

Temp159135562506975

From day 1 my OB told me to expect to leave work between 24-28w even if all was OK.  I left work at 27w - it just worked out that way better than 28w timing wise (end of the quarter). I ended up making it to 38w and I think that taking it easy those 11 weeks certainly helped. I was not on bed rest but did really rest a lot. I kept my older son in daycare full time and did a lot of nothing during the day - but also did get to get some things done, and have a little fun (movies, out to lunch) but spent 75% of each day on the couch watching TV or on the internet : )

OrangeSmoke

My OB/MFM is also in the wait and see camp... but he did say that most disability insurance will reject your claim if you file before week 20 (unless something is really wrong).

Personally I "plan" on leaving work betwen 24 -28 weeks.  I have incredible benefits which will pay for disability on top of my maternity leave.  My commute is about an hour and half into NYC and it's already starting to hurt.

Carmela752

My OB told me early on to plan on reducing my activity at 28 weeks, but we would wait and see at the time what exactly that would mean. I wound up having PTL starting right around then, so that's when I went off work and on bedrest.

TheNewFry

My OB hasn't really given me a time frame - but has been reminding me every appointment that it is likely I will have to stop work earlier than most because of possible complications (I already have high BP).  So I plan to work as long as I have the ok from my OB. 

babya2010

Taking everything one step at a time right now. My doctor did say I *could* have to stop working at any given point but so far everything is going well thus far. I've told work not to count on me working much past 30 weeks though.

ticaro007

I am currently at 29 weeks and 3 days and plan on working until I'm 33weeks and 4 days but we'll see how it goes. So far, my doctor has not even mentioned bedrest.  He said that my body will tell me if I can't continue to work.  You should however start taking it easy and still be prudent since you never know how your body is going to react to all the weight.