Question for working MoM's

mrstanya78

Okay I know this has been asked before so please humor me. I am 23 weeks with twins, and I work as a manager for a busy medical practice at a large university health system. I am trying to stay mostly at my desk only getting up every 2 hours. However I work 40-50 hours per week with a 90 minute commute each way, I plan on working full time up until 36 weeks, though lately as I get bigger and more uncomfortable I am thinking I am going to have to maybe work one day from home starting at maybe 32 weeks. Am I unrealistic thinking I can work full time and take care of my seven year old at home up to 36 weeks? Any advice would be helpful!

 

Thanks,

Tanya

cutebride73

I am having this same dilemma with what to do for work.  Only I work less hours than you - 37.5 to 40 and I don't have a 7 year old at home.  My commute is only about 30 minutes each way as well.  I work as a school counselor and it is very stressful, especially at the beginning of the school year.  I am actually off for 5 weeks in the summer, so I am not working right now.  I am supposed to start back when I am 31 weeks ( I am currently 27) and planned to work until 36 weeks.  But, I am not sure that I will even be able to manage to start back after being off for these few weeks!! 

I am just not sure what is realistic at all.  So sorry that I jumped into your post, since I have no answers, but I am very curious as to what others think.  

GypsyEsq

MrsLee04:

Unrealistic.  I had a 30 minute commute to my desk job and I finally gave up at 32w.  I wasn't having problems, but I was too uncomfy to drive 30 minutes there and back, and to sit at a desk all day.  I had BHs all day.  Once I left work at 32w and took it easy at home, the BHs stopped.  I think with the fact you have a much longer commute, work more than 40 hours, and you already have a child to care for, you need to plan to leave much earlier. 

This.  I'm an attorney and have a 30 minute commute and 50-60 hour work weeks plus a two year old (almost three year old).  I worked one day a week from home starting at 24 weeks.  Then two days a week at home starting 28 weeks.  At 32 my OB wanted to write me out completely but because of my benefits I talked her into letting me try working part time (50%) from home from weeks 32-36.  I've got just this week to go and honestly I wish desperately I'd just taken her up on the offer to write me out.  It's too much and even at home I'm having a lot of BHs and discomfort and feel pretty much like crap.

jcath

I think you can probably find a few MoMs that worked all the way up to the end full time but I think working from home or cutting back on hours is fairly common.  I started working from home 2 days a week at 28 weeks and then 3 days a week at 30 weeks.  I did go into the office the week the girls were born at 37 weeks so all in all I think my boss was happy I could work that long even if some of it was from home.  

Breezy8407

I was able to work 50-60 hour work weeks until about 24 weeks. My doctor said it had to stop, so I "only" worked 40 hours after that. I started to get really uncomfortable around 30 weeks even at a desk job.  At 33 weeks I was diagnosed with PTL and had to go on bedrest. I hated it but didn't know how I would have been working at the end. Sitting up at all was nearly impossible. 

I know people do it and I planned to make it to 37 weeks, but my body had other plans! I didn't have any complications up until the PTL fwiw. 

festivus

I am a school psychologist and lucked out that summer started when I was 27-28 weeks. I had to work a few days over the summer, and it was not easy even though I could mostly just work on reports in my office. By that point, even a day or 2 a week was so hard. FWIW, other than some bleeding during the 1st tri, I hadn't had any complications until my water broke and I had the babies at 35w1d.

OP, it sounds like your job is much more taxing and certainly a longer commute, so I would seriously reconsider your plan. You don't want to have any regrets about what you could have done differently if the babies come early. Good luck!

JodiAriel

I'm an ophthalmic tech and am currently working 40 hrs a week but I spend about 3/4 of my day on my feet. I only work about 20 mins from home and have no other kids to attend to. I am almost 23 weeks and due 11/7.  My current goal is to work full time until mid Sept at which point I will about 32 weeks although I must admit that I am thinking I am going to have to cut out one day a week sometime before that.  I get very winded walking around the office and I am trying to limit my excess walking but even so I am exhausted. 

tarajayne

I cut down to working 16 hrs a week (on my feet) at around 28 or 29 weeks.  But I was also taking classes (11 credits).  At 32 weeks doc took me off work but I still kept going to class.  Even that was hard just sitting in those chairs. I made it to 36 weeks.

mrstanya78

Thanks everyone!!

ivygalore

my experience:  i am a professor and was teaching 2 classes a day, and at my desk working from 9 - 3pm otherwise.  my dh was out of town and i was in charge of my 4y.o. (who was at school while i worked).  i worked full-time up until about 30 weeks.  then, i cut out a day (stayed home and rested).  at 32 wks, i cut out my office hours and was only on campus when i needed to teach.  at 35 weeks, i was only on campus 2-3 days and ran my courses in a hybrid format (online & in person).  i did that until 37wks, 4 days when i put my courses totally online.  i had the babies two days later with a scheduled induction.  i went back to work (only for classes) when the babies were 2 weeks old.  my mil came up to help me out then.

my commute was about 45 minutes on a good day.  the hard part was drop-off & pick-up at dd's school (i needed a bathroom break each time).  i ate snacks (cheese, crackers, boost drinks, etc.) while on the road.  i think it would be difficult to do a 90 min commute.  also, think about the heat & other factors that will be hard.  i delivered a day before thanksgiving in ohio and only wore light jackets and dresses b/c i was always so warm (from the pg).  you will definitely be uncomfy.  at the end, it was hard for me to even get in and out of the car!!

ivygalore

i must also say that my boss and colleagues were very supportive!!!  my dr wanted me out of work at 28 weeks. i'm the one who pushed myself and kept going partly b/c i knew i was taking off the next semester and wasnt quite ready to stop working.  throughout my worries of the pg though, the best advice i got was that the pg was my job and that i needed to do all i could to ensure a long and healthy pg.

Frankelberry

I worked 50+ hours a week with a 30 minute commute each way until 35w6d when my OB called and told me to get to the hospital for a c-section as I had developed HELLP Syndrome. I was surprised to say the least. At my appointment the day earlier my blood pressure was a little high for me but not pre-e and I was feeling better than I had all week.

I am a project manager so I mainly sit at a desk. That was even diffcult somedays but I had a high foot stool under my desk so I could elevate my legs which helped. I was determined to work as long as I physically could for financial reasons, and was very open with my manager about the possibility of bedrest or complications that could take me out early. I set mini-goals for myself (32 weeks, 34 weeks, etc.) which seemed to help on the harder days. Also, other than GD I didn't have any major complications until my OB called that day.

I didn't have a 7-year-old to take care of on top of working though.

Good luck!

CER+MEL

I totally understand wanting to work as long as you can, but the risk of PTL with multiples made me change my plan once I learned it was twins.  I worked until 32 weeks and was glad I started my leave then.  My feet were very swollen by the end of the day and I was totally wiped out, even though I sat a lot more than I normally would (I'm a teacher).  I had no complications, but I'm a believer in listening to your body.  It seems like most MoMs get really uncomfortable by 28-30 weeks, and to me that means take it easy.  I'd aim for at least cutting back significantly by that point. 

leebi07

I worked 37.5 hours a week and worked up until I delivered at 36 weeks.  I was preganat during the summer so my job turned into mostly a desk job instead of me driving a lot which definitley helped.  I worked 1-2 days from home and the others were spent at my desk.  I brought a stool to put my feet up which helped while I was sitting.  My commute was about 20-30 minutes.  It can be done, you'll know when the time comes what you are able to do.

floridakat

It totally depends on your pregnancy. I was lucky and was able to work full-time at my desk job until the day before I delivered at 37w5d. My commute was only half an hour each way. I'm not going to lie, it was hard, but I did it. 

selenamarino

You never know.  At around 24 weeks I started working half days  and only 4 days per week because of the swelling and back/hip pain.  Then at 31 weeks and 3 days I was feeling really bad and had to leave work and go to the doctor and was told not to return to work...then at 32 weeks I went into labor, spent 3 days in the hospital wtih the doctors trying to stop labor and then was sent home on strict bed rest from 32 weeks to 36 weeks when I delivered...but that's my story.

 There are others who work full term.  Your body and your babies will decide for you.  Best advice I can give you is to listen to your body.  You know if something is wrong and NEVER ignore it.  I almost didn't go to the doctor at 32 weeks.  If I hadn't I would have had my babies 4 weeks earlier.   

ShopperKristi

I am currently working 40 hrs/wk with a 1 hr commute each way and it is not that much fun!  I can only imagine in 4 more weeks!  Just curious - for those of you that stopped working early - were you able to qualify for short term disability or did you just end up taking your mat. leave early (or even unpaid?)  I am really glad I'm not having complications but would rather not work up until 37 or 38 weeks but don't want to take unpaid leave.  Anyone have experience with this?