Should you work up until your delivery?
Tuesday March 24, 2009
I get asked this question a lot. I mean seriously, there are a lot of things to consider when trying to decide how long to work. While there are no easy answers, there are some ways to help you make the decision, and some experts to bring into the mix. For example, when I made this decision with my first baby I talked to my boss, the doctor, my friends, my husband and the HR people where I worked. I do admit that I hadn't made a decision by the time that baby was born at 40 weeks and 5 days gestation, but I was getting around to it.
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With my first baby I was working for a company that started maternity leaves 2 weeks prior to your due date (and you still got 6-8 weeks after no matter what). I was so relieved. By that time, commuting to work was so hard on me (it involved a bus, two subways and a lot of stairs).
With my current pregnancy, I work from home and for myself so I am sure someone will pry my laptop away from me as I am being wheeled into the delivery room.
I was a bit obsessed with Twitter in labor. I even left a tweet a few minutes after she was born!
With my daughter, I worked until my due date but not after that. I felt like it was a good compromise at the time, but since she was two weeks over due, now I wish I had saved those days to be with the baby.
I totally get the baby being overdo and you twiddling your thumbs for 2 weeks. It gets really old really fast.
Like Catherine, I’m lucky enough to work for a company that provides two weeks off prior to birth, while still maintaining the 6 – 8 weeks post-partum leave (which isn’t nearly enough, but that’s another story…)
For both of my pregnancies, I chose to stop working one week prior to my due date. For me, that was the right choice. I used the time as a chance to wrap up loose ends at home, and just be calm. I became more centered and peaceful, which was a great benefit to me in labor.
SInce I work for myself and birth at home, I worked with my last two during labor, and was back on line within a few hours. Mostly because I was SO wired, and hubby was long since crashed, and here I was, alone and not the least bit sleepy in a quiet house with 4 or 5 other kids! I sure did get some work done lol.