Any moms work from home?

cpalumbos · July 2009

I am prego with our first baby and am unsure how to approach my company about working after the baby gets here! I work full time from home as a medical biller. My company is internet-based and even though my schedule is a set daily schedule I don't really have to have it that way. Our house is on the market right now and until it sells we really can't afford to take a pay cut.

I guess what I am asking is... are there any other moms out there who manage to work full time from home without having a sitter or nanny? Confused

Sam78 · July 2009

I work from home and it is against my terms of employment to watch my daughter while I am on the clock. Even if it weren't, I wouldn't be able to fit in a 40 hour week and take care of my daughter full time especially before 8 weeks old (when she started sttn).

flyer23 · July 2009

I work from home, but DD goes to preschool full-time. My work is pretty flexible, and so I can usually watch her while working from home on occasion, but it's not something I could do on a regular basis without sacrificing one or more of the following: 1) my sleep, 2) my "me" time, 3) my 1-on-1 time with DH, 4) my work performance, 5) my sanity.

DD loves her preschool much more than she would love hanging out with me glued to a computer all day, so it works out well for everyone.

savannah11 · July 2009

Sam78:
I work from home and it is against my terms of employment to watch my daughter while I am on the clock. Even if it weren't, I wouldn't be able to fit in a 40 hour week and take care of my daughter full time especially before 8 weeks old (when she started sttn).

ditto.

cpalumbos · July 2009

I know its not against my terms of employment. Other women in my company work from home and have their children home with them... but they are all over 5 yrs so they have school half days.

I'm not sure how it would work with a newborn?

toryem29 · July 2009

Working from home while watching your baby (even infants who sleep a lot) is stressful and exhausting. I did it for a month and a half with my 12 week old, and while I loved being home with her the extra time, I always felt like I was either 1) ignoring my work or 2) ignoring her. Daycare or a nanny/babysitter are pretty much must-haves when you're working full time, period.

AlisaS · July 2009

Having one full time job is not compatible with watching a newborn full-time. If I was your employer I would fire you for that.

Sam78 · July 2009

Although some days you will look back on the day and wonder how you got done "so little," caring for a newborn is a fulltime job. So the question for you is: can you work 2 fulltime jobs at a time? I suppose there are people out there who work 80 hour+ weeks, but is this something you could do?

The difference with people with kids over 5 is that those kids are self sufficient for the most part, a newborn is not (heck, even a baby is not, or a 1 year old or a 2 year old). At 6 weeks, I fed Alyssa every 3 hours and it took me an hour to feed her, so 1 of every 3 hours, she was eating. 1 of those 3 she was sleeping, 1 of those I was trying to entertain her. This schedule was not confined to daylight hours although she did sleep for longer stretches at night. So the question for you to decide is a) can you get your work done in 1 hour spurts when you've been up 2-5 times overnight, b) when are you going to have time to fit in a shower or making a meal (this sounds really petty, but it is seriously a concern), and c) will it bother you that you literally will have no time for anything else (related to b) including your DH, cleaning your house, meal prep, time to unwind, etc.

Do I think its possible? yes. Do I think that 99% of people could make it work? no.

trinny · July 2009

I have to agree with pps. I got laid off at 36w and needed to look for a job. I was too busy to look for work until after 8w, and then I could only squeeze it in when DD was taking a nap or after DH got home.

Snucci · July 2009

Yes, I work from home. However, there is absolutely NO WAY that I could work from home with a baby. #1 - I am working. My company is not paying me to take care of my baby. #2 - you will get absolutely nothing done unless the baby is asleep. My DD was home last week for 3 days, sick, and I was only able to work when she was sleeping. She's into everything and demands attention. Once your baby arrives, you will realize that it's impossible. For those that do manage to do so, they have to have extremely easy going babies.

Snucci · July 2009

I have a 3 1/2 year old DS and when he's sick, I'm still able to get some work done because he can play by himself or watches alot of TV. A baby and a 3 year old are completely different.

jlw2505 · July 2009

Most companies do not allow that. I know my current company and others that I have worked for have rules that you must have other daycare options for your kids while you work at home - either the kids need to be out of the house or there needs to be another adult there to care for the kids. Sorry but you can't do your job and take care your child at the same time, at least not at this young age. I can see it when they are older but for a full day, even that is a stretch in my mind.

[Deleted User] · April 2014

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Maybride2 · April 2014

You have no idea what having an infant will be like. But here's a clue - those first 10 weeks or so, I felt like the Queen of the World if I managed to brush my teeth and get a single load of laundry from hamper to clean, folded and put away. Like, I seriously felt damn accomplished. And guess what - the older they get - at least until they're school aged - the harder it gets, because they're awake longer and demand more. So unless your employer is cool with paying you for not doing any work, you need to come up with a better plan.

olivj100 · April 2014

I work from home and take care of my 3 month old. My employer knows this he's with me. I'm a sales admin so most of my work is done via email. I'm on the phone for 5 maybe 10 mins a day at 830 and that's it. I do have a nanny however she only comes on days that I know I'm going to be really busy or if I have a contract going out. It's stressful at times but I make it work, he's a very happy baby. I do most of my work when he's sleeping or I have him in the bejour playing with a toy at my desk. A lot of moms on these boards have judged me or called me a bad mother because I work from home and still take care of him they think I don't spend the time with him or neglect him. Which isn't the case I just manage my time and have a very understanding boss. So I think you could do it.your a mom you can do ANYTHING NOW you created a life!!!