Working Until Due Date?

LMeR01 · July 2011

I know that we still have a while to go, but DH and I were talking about this last night...

I work in the middle of downtown (at least 25 minutes from my home and hospital), and I walk a mile (roundtrip) from my car to the office every day. I don't have a job that I can work from home, so, when I get closer to my due date, my options would be to work up until the day (or I go into labor) or schedule time off before (I wouldn't get paid).

I'm a FTM, so I'm not sure what the standard (if there is such a thing) is. What are your plans as far as working until the due date is concerned?

Fianschneid · July 2011

I commute via train every day and plan to work up until the day I go into labor. Naive as it sounds, I'm going to play the odds that labor won't begin in the eight hours a day that I'm there.

About a month before your due date, your doctor will start having you come in for weekly appointments to see how the baby is positioned. While this doesn't predict the moment you'll go into labor, it can offer a little weekly peace of mind.

Soon2BMrsSikes · July 2011

I plan on working up until the baby comes because I need to save the paid time off for after the baby is here. I work about 10 minutes from the hospital and 1/2 an hour from home.

jpeazybreezy · July 2011

All of the ladies at my job work until they either go into labour, or their dr's tell them not to come in anymore. I plan on working up until I go into labor as well. Most women start having contractions at night, so I figure I'll know when not to go in. Also, if my water does spontaneously break, I will have PLENTY of time to get where I need to go, which would be home since I don't plan on spending hours at the hospital un-necessarily.

LadieBumbles · July 2011

My commute and distance away from home/delivering hospital are a non-issue (I work in the hospital I will deliver at). But I work grueling 12 hour long shifts helping other Momma's bring their LO's into the world. My goal is to work until I have this little boy - but I know that that will be very difficult near the end. Hopefully all will go as planned because I intend to use all my FMLA at home with my baby.

btsrc5 · July 2011

I will work up until I go into labor.

My house is about 50 mins (without traffic) from the hospital and my work is about 25 mins (with normal traffic) from the hospital.

Blue789 · July 2011

I'm in a similar boat, with no paid time off and an hour commute each way. I'm going the middle route of taking a week before the due date off. Another FTM advised I take two weeks, as its the last chance to rest and prepare and have a little time for yourself. I can't financially swing two weeks, so I'm going with one.

KrisM86 · July 2011

I work about a half hour away as a nanny for two kids. My last day will be September 30th. This way, I can be around and get the preschooler back into her school routine before I leave, but I still have (hopefully) a week or two to be at home, relax, and get things ready before LO arrives.

Also, I'm not returning to work so I don't have the issue of burning up maternity leave time before the baby comes.

KimnCurt · July 2011

With my first pregnancy I worked all the way up until I went into labor (Two weeks after my due date!). I got lucky because I happened to go into labor very early on a Monday morning so I was already home and in bed. Work also knew that if I didn't come in it was because I was in labor and I would call them when I could. I wouldn't have been able to afford leaving 2 weeks early from work unpaid. Plus I would have gone mad being home waiting for LO to arrive.

As of right now I am leaning towards a repeat c-section but if I do end up trying a vbac I will work up until I go into labor with this pregnancy also, or until the doctor says enough is enough. If I set a c-section date I will work up until the day before so I can prepare.

amberdrabik · July 2011

I'm going to try my hardest to work until I go into labor. I'm a teacher (so it's kind of like I'm on bed rest now with the summer off and all... haha! Going back to work is going to be KILLER!) I work 25 minutes away from home/the hospital, but my family lives near my school so I could always contact them if I needed help getting to the hospital from work.

I don't want to take any days off before I deliver because I want to use them when LO is here. I don't get paid maternity leave, so I am using all my sick days I have saved up so we can still have my income. I will have right at 6 weeks worth of sick days to use. The good news is that when my 6 weeks is up it will be time for Thanksgiving break. Then a month later I will have winter vacation.

SS9436 · July 2011

I work about 5 minutes from work and the hospital. I work for a very small company and we do not qualify for FMLA. My boss is making me use up all of my vacation time first and then I can take 3 months off but it is unpaid. I would like to take a week off before the due date since I figure I'll be pretty uncomfortable but really can't afford to not work.

shihtzu51 · July 2011

With DS, I worked up until the day before my scheduled c-section [he was breech]. This time I have a repeat c-section scheduled for my due date 10/11. If I don't go into labor before then, I get 12 weeks off for maternity leave - 8 paid plus 4 from vacation. I will have a couple "extra" vacation days in my bank, so I plan to take a couple days before 10/11 off. If I deliver earlier, than those days I'll have for the holidays when I come back.

vanessa11411 · July 2011

I plan on working until the day I go into labor. I work for a temp agency so I don't get paid vacation or paid holidays so I can't afford to miss work.

jkitty520 · July 2011

I am actually in a really lucky situation that I still can't believe got approved. I figured it couldn't hurt to ask and so proposed it to my work that I would like to drop down to part time hours for my 3rd trimester and work those part time hours from home. They said yes and I was floored. (my company has made it clear in the past with other employees asking for the convenience of working from home that they 'do not have a work-from-home policy', so I thought it was an impossibility. But I'm sure glad now that I asked!)

So, starting at the beginning of August, I'll be dropping down to part time and working from home until I have the baby, and then taking some time off (about 6-8 weeks). After that, if I can continue to work some hours from home they will let me, but if it doesn't work out, then I'll be quitting and staying home full time with LO. They are aware of this, and know that it could go either way - I was very clear about "I've never done this before, so we'll just have to see!"

I'm so thankful to not have to make the commute anymore and to still be bringing in some money, while still having the extra time to relax and take it easy before the big day.

FabulousMrs.P · July 2011

I work pretty close to home and plan on working until I give birth. For one thing, I don't want to waste my precious maternity leave sitting around waiting for the baby to arrive. I would rather spend it with the baby. Secondly, I think sitting around doing nothing before labor would drive me crazy. Keeping busy at work will be good to keep my mind off things.

pag41989 · July 2011

I plan on working until my water breaks. I honestly hope my water breaks while I'm sitting at my desk.. I want a new office chair lol. I plan on packing my hospital bag and leaving it in my car that way when my water breaks I am ready to go and if it breaks at home then all I have to do is grab my bag out of my car.

alison2379 · July 2011

I am leaving my job permanently, so I will stop working 3-4 weeks before my due date. My commute is far too long and the pace is far too rigorous to contemplate working all the way up to the end.

Sweetpea1718 · July 2011

I will be staying at home once the baby is here so plan on working as long as I can. The hospital is less than 10 minutes from where I work and an hour from our house so it would probably be easier to go to the hospital from work.

Elsa1984 · July 2011

I will be working up until I go into labor. I have a friend on call to cover for me (work wise) with my nanny kids. If I go into labor in the middle of the night, one of my bosses will cover for that first day until my friend can start up. If I go into labor at work, the nanny kids will go to the neighbors house until one of my bosses can get off work.

Chanels26 · July 2011

I plan to work until I go into labor, unless I have complications that prevent me from doing so. If I do go into labor I will just jump in the elevator and go two floors down to labor and delivery since Im a nurse in the hospital I'm delivering in. I worked til the day before I gave birth to my second it was on my day off.

HeatherJ10 · July 2011

I plan on taking two weeks off before the baby is due. It was recommended by my HR office to do this since I work an hour drive from home and my hospital and in a manufacturing environment. I have also had other circumstances that have convinced me to do this, since I am moving within two months of having the baby due to DH job.

mlstagner · July 2011

I plan on working up until I go into labor, but I know my company will be flexible with me and allow me to work from home as needed. I have several friends who took off early, and ended up bored out of their mind for days/weeks waiting for labor to come!

aimeelclark · July 2011

I am going to work until I go into labor because I only get 16 weeks maternity leave (which I am thankful for) but I do not want to use it until she is here.

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