When will you stop traveling for work?

TRyan86 · March 2014

Just wondering when those ladies who travel for work are planning on stopping. I travel every three weeks or so but just short distances. Might fly an hour or drive a couple hours to my destination. It is already affecting when I can book my appts. (Should have been for a four week this week but got pushed to five).

What date/week do you think is reasonable when telling work you cannot travel out of town....

bunkgirl · March 2014

I travel daily for work (but I don't have to fly). I plan on working up until due date unless I have something crazy like high blood pressure get in the way. Otherwise, I am usually within 150 miles of my hospital and I think I can make it back in time.

JMSbaby2014 · March 2014

I drive daily for work - sometimes as much as 3-4 hours. I'm going to drive/normal work as long as I can, hopefully up to my due date but I'm already dealing with swelling problems when driving so I'm probably going to start being a little smarter with how I plan my schedule. I was supposed to fly to a meeting at 35 weeks and I said no.

marsalisails · March 2014

I fly a ton - everything from an hour to Alaska. I just had this convo with my boss. I'm not due until July 31, so technically I don't have to stop flying until the end of June, but since DS came 2 weeks early, and my water broke first, I think I'm going to stop as close to June 1 as possible.

He was cool with that, but right now I'm on the road almost weekly, so they'll definitely miss that when the time comes! (I won't!)

SuperTinkerham · March 2014

I don't travel that much, but did decline to attend an annual meeting being held in Kansas City at 35 weeks (I'm in Houston). I think my last trip is scheduled for 29 weeks.

huggabunch · March 2014

I travel all throughout PA and stay out of town M-Th or F every week. My OB said I have to be within an hour of the hospital 36wks and after. I'm really hoping they will let me work locally up until my due date after that. I only get 6 weeks off per company policy so I don't want to waste any of that time baby-less.

I'm glad you asked this bc I have been curious what others are planning as well.

TallMomma29 · March 2014

Good question! I just had a work trip bumped to the week I'll be 34/35 weeks. I think I'm going to say I can't make it (It's in PA and I live in CA, so a long way from home). I'm planning to stop all travel right around then, unless my doctor recommends not traveling sooner.

TigerLily12345 · March 2014

My OB practice suggested I stop flying 8 weeks before my due date.

ghostof5letters · March 2014

36-37 weeks. Basically Memorial Day Weekend (for airline travel).

I'll drive 3-4 hours up until I can't anymore. Probably throughout June.

Huahine · March 2014

My last airplane travel is this month. The next time I would have to fly is Mid-June and that is just too close. With DS1 I was flying in my 8th month, but I was going to major cities with good hospitals.

runrinserepeat · March 2014

My cutoff is May. I'm still trying to schedule something for April.

email2ash · March 2014

My dr said it's fine until about 4 weeks before. I have a trip later this month but I am hoping it is my last until after the baby. I got out of the trade show in Vegas next month! That would have been long days on my feet.

Llstone · March 2014

I regularly travel to china and hong kong, which my dr has already asked me to stop doing (I'm 22 weeks). I'll stop traveling by plane domestically around 34 weeks. I'll continue driving for as long as possible.

brooklynesque · March 2014

I'm going to stop around 35 weeks. Most of my trips lately have been via Acela which is easy and pleasant but I'd rather not go into labor 3 hours from my home and hospital.

marsalisails · March 2014

So I have a question - when is everyone thinking that they'll start back up? I'm hoping I can stay close to home for at least 6 months...anyone else? With DS I was a SAHM for the first 14 months, so this is new territory for me...

bewilderingstar · March 2014

Matthew930 said:
So I have a question - when is everyone thinking that they'll start back up? I'm hoping I can stay close to home for at least 6 months...anyone else? With DS I was a SAHM for the first 14 months, so this is new territory for me...

I'm going back at 8wks but only 30hrs a week.

dobbyisfree · March 2014

My regular job is about 45 min from the hospital and i was worried that was far... can clearly see im crazy. I might go nuts if I had to travel that much for work kudos to you all! And I have to go back to work at 6 or 8 weeks, because I am the breadwinner and without my paycheck we dont have a house. Lameee. At least the baby goes to its grandparents :-)

ghostof5letters · March 2014

Matthew930 said:
So I have a question - when is everyone thinking that they'll start back up? I'm hoping I can stay close to home for at least 6 months...anyone else? With DS I was a SAHM for the first 14 months, so this is new territory for me...

October - most of my travel/flights are same day round trips. My first 4 day trip will be the second week of November. My husband and baby will probably come with me on that trip (they did last time)

JayBzo · March 2014

I will stop when OB says or when I feel I can't do it anymore. I don't see much on the books late in pregnancy, so just hoping nothing comes up. I am only 5 hours ish away from home at most times, but the trips last several days.

As for going back..... I am dreading it. I have out of town requirements in November but I am secretly hoping someone says they will take some of it for me since I have a small baby. At least if I do go it will only be a few days at a time (total of 9 days max usually, but I can come home in between).

marsalisails · March 2014

Thanks everyone! It is so interesting hearing from others - I get so much crap about travel that I feel like unless I'm that "Lean in" woman or that CEO of yahoo that it's impossible. I'm hoping to bring my mom and my kids on the firs trip or so, but damn that adds up quickly.

Huahine · March 2014

Matthew930 said:

So I have a question - when is everyone thinking that they'll start back up? I'm hoping I can stay close to home for at least 6 months...anyone else? With DS I was a SAHM for the first 14 months, so this is new territory for me...

With DS1 my first trip was when he was 5 months old. I rented an apartment, flew in my mom to my destination city and she watched him during the day while I worked. We were there for 10 days. Since I worked from home before that (and still do) DS1 wasn't used to me being away, so he reverse-cycled the whole trip an nursed all night long. I got no sleep and was a walking zombie by the end.

DS1 kept traveling with me (and my mom) until he stopped nursing at 15 months old.

With DS2, the first time I would be expected to travel is when he is 3 months old. I'm not doing that trip or any others (if I can help it) until he is more than 6 months old. I'm just more efficient working from home and actually getting some sleep when they are young.

Huahine · March 2014

Matthew930 said:

Thanks everyone! It is so interesting hearing from others - I get so much crap about travel that I feel like unless I'm that "Lean in" woman or that CEO of yahoo that it's impossible. I'm hoping to bring my mom and my kids on the firs trip or so, but damn that adds up quickly.

S. Sandberg can suck my titties. She sets such unreasonable expectations. Maybe if my career plans included becoming a CEO, I'd be motivated to "lean in". But there is more to life than work and I want to enjoy time with my kids.

EllaSmella · March 2014

My schedule is similar to yours. I travel about once a month/every six weeks, but to relatively close locations for only a day or so at a time, usually flying. Last time, I opt-ed out of traveling around 34 weeks or so. I was not big and didn't look that far along, so probably could have got away with flying later, but just didn't feel comfortable being that far away from home at that point. I think I'll probably stick with the same timing this go-round.

After returning to work, I didn't travel until he was around 12 months old. I'm very lucky - my boss is awesome and told me he understood that I would want to stay close to home for that time and he scheduled other folks to cover any trips I would have been asked to go on. It was awesome particularly because I was nursing for that first year and traveling would have been more difficult because of that.

Edited to add: I go back at 16 weeks and I work 25-30 hours per week.

pantherRN · March 2014

I am heading to Atlanta in April and possibly Chicago at the end of May. Chicago will be my last trip, if I go.

marsalisails · March 2014

Huahine said:

Matthew930 said:

Thanks everyone! It is so interesting hearing from others - I get so much crap about travel that I feel like unless I'm that "Lean in" woman or that CEO of yahoo that it's impossible. I'm hoping to bring my mom and my kids on the firs trip or so, but damn that adds up quickly.

S. Sandberg can suck my titties. She sets such unreasonable expectations. Maybe if my career plans included becoming a CEO, I'd be motivated to "lean in". But there is more to life than work and I want to enjoy time with my kids.

This.

I will have to find the article I read that is titles something like "I Hate Sheryl Sandberg". It's exactly why that book is still sitting UNOPENED in my house. For some reason the women in my business were jonesing to read it, but I have no desire. I think my son even doodled on it with permanent marker! Ha!

TigerLily12345 · March 2014

I think a lot of people who criticize "Lean In" have not read it.

Sheryl Sandberg leaves work every day at 5:30 to have dinner and the evenings with her kids. She is not advocating working around the clock or ignoring family duties.

A lot of it is about being assertive and proactive in the work force, and not "leaning out" before you have to. In other words, don't turn down promotions and jobs all throughout your 20's because you want to have kids someday.

You will be in a much stronger position in your career and have far more opportunities for negotiation available to you if you advance and take opportunities before having children. I am able to create a work-life set-up that is ideal for us because I have built my career to a certain point. I never would have had these choices when first starting out.

marsalisails · March 2014

TigerLily12345 said:
I think a lot of people who criticize "Lean In" have not read it.

Sheryl Sandberg leaves work every day at 5:30 to have dinner and the evenings with her kids. She is not advocating working around the clock or ignoring family duties.

A lot of it is about being assertive and proactive in the work force, and not "leaning out" before you have to. In other words, don't turn down promotions and jobs all throughout your 20's because you want to have kids someday.

You will be in a much stronger position in your career and have far more opportunities for negotiation available to you if you advance and take opportunities before having children. I am able to create a work-life set-up that is ideal for us because I have built my career to a certain point. I never would have had these choices when first starting out.

Then I really don't need to read this b/c I have already done that (and continue to)...I have never said no to an opportunity in my life - especially one that scared the hell out of me.

BUT I will say that it annoys me that people present "saying no" to something as a bad thing. You also have to know your limitations too, based on the life you want to lead. That takes courage too. Because I have created and then taken advantage of every opportunity afforded me up until now, I have put myself in a position to CHOOSE whether-or-not to say yes from now on.

If I don't want to be a VP because I've made the choice to have children and I don't just want to see them every sixth day, that's not "leaning out" in my opinion. That impressing the hell out of people my entire career to get that opportunity and then CHOOSING to say no b/c I just don't want to. I'll make another opportunity for myself somewhere else down the line that I'll actually WANT to go after b/c it will be right for me and for my family.

argonne · March 2014

I have stopped now. I have placenta previa and my MW is very concerned that if I start bleeding in the air, there could be serious issues including death. My work travel tends to be very active and hot since I do turbine controls. I am often walking around on a turbine deck that is 110°F+ with high noise and high vibration. Couple that with walking up and down multiple flights of stairs, being on your feet the whole time, etc and it's just not worthe the risk.

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