Time off before due date?

redfallon · June 2013

Can't make a clicky poll. Not looking for advice. Just curious...

Situation: Not returning to work after baby is born; Money is not a factor; Maternity leave is not a factor (it's n/a); No other kids at home

Purpose: Time to yourself before baby gets here - for sleep, getting nursery ready, straightening house, some R&R, etc.

How much time would you take off before your due date? (i.e. When would you quit work?) 1 Week, 3 Weeks, 6 Weeks, 8 Weeks? Not until baby drops out of your uterus? Wink

ravenclaw1 · June 2013

if all those things were factors for our family, I think I would take a week off. I get stir crazy easily, so I think I would just end up not being productive if I took too much off

StephanieLove10 · June 2013

Two weeks

puppyciao23 · June 2013

NYS gives you a week before your due date as disability time so I'll be taking that as part of my maternity leave. If I wasn't coming back and pay wasn't a factor I would take two weeks to finish nesting and relax. Any more than that and I would go nuts.

VTFutureMrs · June 2013

I would take just a week off. It gets dreadful just waiting around for the baby to come, especially if he or she decides to come late.

msjanet02 · June 2013

I'm a teacher and looooove what I do, and don't want the students to have a long term sub for long. Given that, I am hoping to teach until I'm ready to give birth. Sounds crazy, and it probably won't pan out, but I do want to push it back as long as possible and come back within 6 weeks, which is the length of my paid maternity leave.

AlejandraN2 · June 2013

I'll probably work till the last minute so that i can get more maternity leave after. But hoping i can work from home the last 7-10 days to kind of ease through it.

IrishPiratess · June 2013

Im working until this kid falls out of me. Im saving the extra time for on the back end of maternity leave so I don't have to come back to work between Xmas and New Year. I'll come back January 2nd. So Im saving that extra time for then.

SopranoMama · June 2013

I'm a teacher so I only have 9 school days left to the year and then I won't be coming back in the fall, so I guess I'm taking about 10 weeks before my EDD. Then I'll be on maternity leave until mid-January (when we enter 3rd Term/2nd Semester so it will be the least disruptive to my students) I'm only going to have about 7 weeks of sick time (the only way to have a 'paid' maternity leave in my district), and I'll probably only take about 6 weeks of it so I have some days when I come back in case I actually, you know, get sick.

The good news is I will continued to be paid over the summer (I have my checks spread over 26 pay periods rather than just getting paid during the school year) so the money won't dry up until mid October... That's still going to make November - January pretty scary.

Wow, very little of that was actually what you were asking. Pregnancy brain FTW!

SweetPeaK26 · June 2013

If money weren't a factor, AND I didn't like what I do, I'd quit now! Lol.

But, with dd1, I quit my pt job about a week before my edd, and she was induced at 41 weeks. It was nice to have those two weeks, and I did also have my main job to keep me busy, though I had stopped scheduling sessions by that point.

This time, I'm just going to see how it pans out. I may leave early, but probably not, because if I want to return, I have to maintain 24 hours of work per 2 week schedule, unless I have a dr note.

nata59 · June 2013

As it stands now, my last day of work is scheduled for Sept 5th or 6th, baby's due on the 17th so I guess I'll be off a week and a half before her arrival, if she comes early I'll work up until I can!! Wouldn't want to be off too long before hand, I'd get bored at home waiting!

jeapplegate · June 2013

Last time I stopped working at 40W2D and I had Mat 41W3D. I didn't like the time at home. Even though there was stuff to do I felt so lazy not much got done. I mostly just sat around waiting to go into labor. Everyone wasat work during the day so I couldn't go out to visit people, all the baby shopping was done at that point and it only take a day to clean the house. This time I will work as long as I can. Money isn't an issue though it would cut into my maternity leave, the main thing is I want the distraction and something to force me to stay active.

Unknown · June 2013

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devilglrk7 · June 2013

1 or 2 weeks would be sufficient, with DD I worked Friday and gave birth Monday. With DS I was lucky enough to stay home.

Bamgal25 · June 2013

If money was not a factor, I would quit work today! haha jk

If I was in that situation, I would think about two weeks before my due date would be a great time to stop working.

Mmamax2 · June 2013

My dr will write me off at 36 weeks so ill have 4 weeks before my due date and I get 12 weeks after the baby is born then I will most likely quit my job and go part time

kje120 · June 2013

With all of those factors I don't know - maybe a week? Two at most - I think I'd get bored just waiting around for something to happen.

staceymack · June 2013

I was taken out of work at 22.5 weeks and not by choice. It has sucked sitting around the house. Now, I worry about having enough time off after they get to come home. If I wasn't having a complicated pregnancy, I would work right up until my due date.

Curls218 · June 2013

Considering those factors I'd take a week or 2 off before my due date to get ready.

In my reality - I'm going to start working from home the week of my due date (due on a Thursday) but I'll still be full-time so I will have *some* nesting time but the only added time is my lunch break and what would have been my commuting time. And I'm only doing that because I don't want to have to commute the hour home by train if I go into labor at work, I'd rather tough it out at home where I can be a little more comfortable before heading to the hospital.

magdalina.h · June 2013

I'm working up until my RCS. That way my mind is occupied and I'm not sitting around board.

In the OP situation...probably a month so I could sit in the pool every day.

Bellodomani · June 2013

I'm a preschool teacher, and our program runs part time during the summer. It's pretty typical for most people in this job to go out a month before their due date because it is a VERY physical job and we occasionally have to use restraints with our population. However, I just think I'd be soooo bored if I went out that early. I told them I'd go out 2 weeks beforehand, but I may change my mind as we get closer, depending on how I feel.

Marley629 · June 2013

Here in NJ we get 4 weeks before baby but at two thirds our pay. I'm taking off approximately 6 weeks before but that's because my commute is between and hour and twenty to two hours each way to work so doc recommended going out earlier.

happybride 276 · June 2013

I am so envious of you. I would give myself 3 to 4 weeks if money wasn't a factor. I was advised the last month is the hardest, and I day dream about being able just to work from home. If I had the ability I would totally take the time off work or in your case resign

Naydals423 · June 2013

I am not working after this LO comes, right now I have a plan with my boss that the person I am replacing will be working with me from august to when I go into labor. Once the boss feels like she's getting the hang of it I will go part time (but not before labor day- I want full pay checks until then. And if they want to phase me out more in the last two weeks that's fine (Due 9/24). I have heard from alot of people that they get bored (as FTM's) waiting at home for baby so I figure being part time will give me the errand and prep time I need without sitting around tweddling my thumbs.

redfallon · June 2013

Wow! A lot more responses than I expected Big Smile

I've been thinking about a month before my due date. I do feel lucky that my husband has a great job/career that allows me to stay home after the baby gets here. We went over finances even before we got married, and with what I made at my old job (which was about a third of what he makes) or with what I make now (which is piddly), if I went back to work, I would only be working to pay for someone else to take care of her, and even that wouldn't cover it, more than likely. In our situation, it works out better for us for me to stay home. And it's what I want to do, so it's nice that I can. I understand that not everyone has that opportunity, or even that desire to do so.

The time between quitting and due date I hope will allow me to take care of some things around the house and with my car that we haven't had time for and that I would have needed to take time off work to do anyway, and maybe go spend some time with my mother who lives 4 hours away. Definitely won't be any lounging around the pool (that we don't have)! hehe Wink

Thanks for all the responses! It's neat to see what perspectives everyone has.

mmdd20 · June 2013

If I was in your position, probably a week to run errands and finish things up around the house. It is amazing how much you can get done on a week day. Any more, and you risk having a month or so off waiting for baby to get here and you may wish you had something to keep yourself occupied. Although with it being summer, I wouldn't mind to extra weeks to lounge at the beach with a cool drink in my hand!

redfallon · June 2013

Bellodomani:
I'm a preschool teacher, and our program runs part time during the summer. It's pretty typical for most people in this job to go out a month before their due date because it is a VERY physical job and we occasionally have to use restraints with our population. However, I just think I'd be soooo bored if I went out that early. I told them I'd go out 2 weeks beforehand, but I may change my mind as we get closer, depending on how I feel.

One of our good friends is a grade school vice-principal. Some of the stories she has about work and those little kids acting crazy are so amazing! She has told us about having to use retraints and such on even the kindergartners. Teaching should not be such a physical job, and it's so sad that it is. Her husband doesn't want her doing it anymore, especially now that she's pregnant, too.

xxpairofmedicsxx · June 2013

Due to my job, I won't make it much past 7.5 months I don't believe. The company is lacking a third person to be on the ambulance so unless they create a position out of their hiney's for me, I will likely try to supplement my already sh!tty pay with selling things on eBay, etc.

In your position, I would probably work up until a week before.

cvl105 · June 2013

If I was in your situation, I'd probably take 1-2 weeks off before my due date.

I however will work until I go into labor. I worked till 41 weeks with DD, right up until the day I went in for induction. I will do the same this time. My maternity leave is precious to me and I want to save it all for after the baby is here.

sequoiasky · June 2013

I had 2 weeks and it was really nice. I stocked the freezer, got things crazy clean and enjoyed a lot of rest and husband time!

starinyte · June 2013

With my first I took starting on my due date and then gave birth a week later. I was going absolutely crazy waiting around for LO to make her way here. I sort of wish I'd just stayed at work to keep my mind off of it (although the quiet time was sort of nice).

With my second, I had a scheduled induction at one o'clock in the afternoon, and worked that morning until noon. Looking back on it, I do sort of wish I'd taken that morning off and slept a bit more.

With this one, I'm planning on working until I go in to labor, or if an induction is scheduled again, I'll work until the day before so I do get a bit of a rest before the work begins.

AshleyPT · June 2013

unfortunately this is super hard to plan! I took two weeks off before my due date, but then my daughter came at 37 weeks, so I got no days off.

kat81again2 · June 2013

If you can afford it, I'd take off 4-6 weeks, maybe even more. Why not?

redfallon · June 2013

BTW - If I was still at my other job, and had maternity leave, and was going back to work, I would work as close to my due date as possible. I may have taken a couple of days or a week prior, but not more than that.

sugarkissed · June 2013

I'm due August 29 and I stop working next week at 30 weeks. Granted, I'm a flight attendant so I didn't have much choice in the matter. It is starting to get way too uncomfortable and it's a very physical job. I'm going to go absolutely stir crazy this summer, but I'd rather be bored at home than across the country worrying about going into labour early!

Lbear8 · June 2013

2 weeks.

olga1311 · June 2013

My state is giving me 4 weeks pre-delivery maternity leave that can not be combined with after delivery time. This is what I'll take. 4 weeks.

janelleashu · June 2013

msjanet02:
I'm a teacher and looooove what I do, and don't want the students to have a long term sub for long. Given that, I am hoping to teach until I'm ready to give birth. Sounds crazy, and it probably won't pan out, but I do want to push it back as long as possible and come back within 6 weeks, which is the length of my paid maternity leave.

I am jealous of your six weeks paid leave! Where do you teach? I'm in Baltimore City high school and we don't have paid leave, we use sick days. I love teaching too and am hoping to be okay with a brief maternity leave.

Heffafish · June 2013

I'm currently on a contract at the moment and will be finishing up at the end of July to spend a year as a stay at home mum! So I actually have about 6 to 7 weeks off and I honestly can't wait!! I'm a first time mum and have never ever had that much time off in my life, so I may potentially go a little crazy but I'm honestly already on a countdown until I finish and looking forward to relaxing before baby comes along!