when did your pg really affect your job?

[redwellybluewelly]

My lovely teacher friend is really struggling at 33weeks, has opted to finish at ending this term and will have a good 6-7 weeks before baby arrives. Or more as first baby and might be later.

I want to work until 38weeks due to various project commitments (part desk based part site based) and I remember with my first still being relatively unaffected in as much as work went until 38/39 weeks. Obviously every pg is different but I was wondering when you felt you had to scale back what you did?

Thank you

[babybythesea]

First time, it didn't really. I didn't live in the UK at the time and in order to claim maternity benefit you had to go off work six weeks before your due date (I don't know why - stupid rule.) so I did. But I could have carried on until a couple of weeks before. But then I also had a job that although it could be active, also needed a fair bit of desk work so I could have organised it to do more of the desk work towards the end.
This time I'm 21 weeks pregnant and it's already pretty much put a stop to work. I am suffering from SPD and doing a job which involves leading groups for walks around a site for an hour at a time, and I'm struggling. I can do it as long as it's only one walk a day, and not two consecutive days. And even then the evening and the day after is painful. I'm part-time so this is just about manageable but I have already had to make arrangements for colleagues to step in and take over if I can't manage it on any given day and because of that it places a bit of a burden on them. I'm pretty much stopping after Christmas. It's crap.

[CalamityJ]

Until this week I could see myself easily working up until 38 weeks but this week has been so hard and I'm only 30 weeks. So I can see why legally you're allowed to start your leave this early. You have to give your work 21 days notice if you're changing your leaving date but other than that it's best to keep an open mind about when you finish.

[OodKingWenceslas]

Last time I was off for 8 weeks early on then finished at 30. This time I've been really limited since 12 weeks and finished at 25 weeks.

[Jollyb]

I found it really difficult from around 28 weeks onwards (I'm a HCP). It didn't help that my commute was nearly 2 hours across London each way and with hindsight I had SPD. I went on holiday at 31 weeks for a week, went back to work for a day then stopped. DD was born at 42 weeks so had 10 weeks twiddling my thumbs.

I think it really depends what your job is and how physical it is. My job (as I imagine teaching is) was very all or nothing ie there wasn't really the option to take things easy at work in the last few weeks. I had friends with office based roles who worked up to 37-38 weeks as they were able to relax a bit towards the end - they could work from home and leave on time or early.

[ConfusedKiwi]

I've had desk based jobs both pregnancies - first time I finished two weeks before due date but could have worked up at least until my due date (went nearly two weeks overdue) as felt great and only really got uncomfortable at all from about 41.5

This time I've finished two weeks beforehand again but have felt much more uncomfy from about 34 weeks, I think the baby pops up and down more and when up I find he's pressing against my ribs and it's not pleasant. However, this pregnancy has also been more stessful (bleeding at 8 weeks, then potentially being made redundant and now in-laws arriving tomorrow for 10 weeks) plus lifting/carrying a toddler at times which is much harder on my body.

[BuntysFestiveCollocks]

I work a desk job and am finishing tomorrow at 38 weeks. Aside from coming in half an hour later and finishing half an hour earlier (but still working through lunch, so technically working my full time hours), nothing has changed.

I could work on, but my bump/hips are sore after a day on an office chair, I'm tired and starting to need to nap (I also have a nearly 2 year old), and to be honest, I just can't be arsed anymore.

[bruffin]

The first time got taken in to hospital at 34 weeks so left 2weeks earlier than I planned maternity leave.
2nd time worked from home at 32 weeks, but went on maternity leave at 37. 2 and had the baby that night.

[Dogsmom]

I'm self employed and work on my own so can't finish work or I don't earn

In the first tri I could've really done with a few days off because of sickness and now (28 weeks) Due to bad back and hipsI'd love to be either part time or sit down but can't do either, I'm already booked up to work until 36 weeks and may need to do longer.

[HappyAsASandboy]

Not until I went back to work 12 months after the birth!

I worked until 37 weeks with my twin pregnancy, and delivered at 38 weeks. It was an office job with a 2 hour each way commute by car/train/tube/bus. I don't think my work suffered, though I slept a lot at home.

I think every mother and every pregnancy is different. There isn't really any way to know how you'll feel in later pregnancy, so plan for what you'd like to do and see how you feel when you get there. Work will cope if you have to suddenly leave early (I know it doesn't feel like they will, but they will!).

Good luck!

[WidowWadman]

First time I worked until 10 days before due date, child born 7 days before due date. Was a pen pushing job, so pregnancy wasn't an issue at all apart from then boss's sexist attitude. 2nd time round I worked until 3 weeks before ELCS date, had holidays to use up and started ML on day child was born.

I had some kidney problems which were caused/exacerbated by pregnancy though, and was hospitalised and signed off for 2 weeks around the beginning of the 3rd trimester. Other than that I could have happily gone one until the end of the pregnancy.

[SantasLittleElfycat]

Both my Open University scores and work assessment scores had dropped by about 10% at about week 14. I missed out on early morning sickness but started at around this point and was very sick every day until 36 weeks when I had DD1. I wouldn't call it hyperemesis as I could keep down fluids and some food each day, but I lost weight during pregnancy and ended up a stone and a half lighter once I'd delivered i had it to lose. I felt grim the whole time and my head felt full of fog.

With work this put me into getting warnings about my levels (nurse working in a call centre). Luckily I had a sympathetic GP who's wife had a similar working issue and he signed me off with stress when several factors started sending me towards depression. I went on maternity leave on the first day I could, and was very glad I had when my waters went 4 weeks early.

[stowsettler]

Now 31 weeks and planning to stop at 36 (officially 38 but I have leave to take). I can honestly say that I could probably keep going to 40 weeks if it weren't for the fact that I really don't want to! I have a 40-min commute either way, but I like this as it relaxes me nicely and my car is comfy.
I have been taking Wednesdays off for the past 6 weeks or so though, which has helped enormously, like having a mini-weekend in the middle of the week.
Mine is a desk job so much less arduous than many people's working day though.
I do realise that I'm in the minority, in that I've had a dream of a pregnancy, with virtually no nausea and no sickness at all, very little tiredness since 14 weeks, no back / hip pain or SPD etc.
The only thing which has been difficult is that my job can be very stressful and this has taken its toll on my motivation to be here. Whilst usually I would just suck it up, I'm less inclined to do this now because I have someone else's health to think of, not just my own.

[ItsMyLastOne]

I have two jobs. One is evenings and weekends being on my feet constantly. In my first pregnancy I finished at 26/27 weeks due to SPD. This time my SPD was nowhere near as severe but I finished at 32 weeks when I had a bad fall at work and my boss told me I wasn't allowed to come back, except for a cup of tea and to say hello!

My other job was mainly standing, partly desk based first time round and I finished at 39+4. This time it has been more desk based, but also part time and I officially finished at 36 weeks but ended up going in twice after that. I mainly finished that early because of the way my job works and if I didn't finish then, I would have had to finish at 40+ weeks.

[nananaps]

First time round, 10 years ago, i worked till 36 weeks. Pre eclampsia put stop to any plans i had to continue beyond.
I was a nurse on a very busy intensive care unit, lifting 20 stone patients up beds, 12 hour shifts, stressful situations, but could have carried on.

(i was 32 years old then)

Now, at 42, i am fecking shattered. 33 weeks and i will not be returning to work.
My health is poor, i am in constant pain and short of breath.

What a difference 10 years makes!!

[philbee]

First pg I worked until 38 weeks (office job) but it was tough and probably pointless towards the end in terms of productivity. My colleagues were very accommodating and helped me blow up the exercise ball I sat on sometimes, and I had naps in the office at lunchtime!

This time I plan to leave at 37 weeks but will work from home for the last few before that and will go earlier if I feel I need to. I only work part time now so have time in the week to rest, and often end up working one day at home anyway.

I'd go as soon as you feel you need to - it's horrible trying to be at work when you're knackered and uncomfortable. It seems like you should conserve as much as possible for the end of maternity leave, but a few weeks doesn't actually make much difference really. You can give your employer a date to start mat leave and change it if necessary as long as you give notice, I think it's a month's notice.

[nannyl]

I had HG so was signed off at 7 weeks and never want back

[WutheringTights]

It didn't really. I stopped last week at 38 weeks (desk-based, but very long hours and stressful and lots of responsibility). In the last week or so I noticed that I was slowing down so had to allow extra time for tasks which was frustrating, but I don't think it affected my job particularly. I had about 50 mins commute each way, about 30 minutes of that walking (gradually getting slower as I got bigger!). I probably could have gone on for another week to be honest. First baby though and I've always been pretty active. I've also had a pretty easy pregnancy so far (lucky genes!).

[twolittlebundles]

First pregnancy, I worked up until birth (last two weeks from home), thinking I was still going well. Post-birth, I read back on some of the shite work I created and I think I should maybe have given it up sooner!

Second pregnancy, worked up til 37 weeks and that was more than enough- I'm a business coach and found the work fine, but the travel was getting too much for me.

[noblegiraffe]

I taught up to 38 weeks first time around and it was bloody awful by the end even though it was the summer term, no exam classes and winding down. I spent the last few weeks sat at my desk and getting the kids to come to me.

This time I'm going off at 34 weeks (technically 36 weeks but have 2 weeks Christmas holiday. I'm only part time and I'm knackered and looking forward to having a rest before birth. If the baby came now I'd be screwed. Christmas term is much harder than summer term too.

[ivanapoo]

I worked till 38 weeks but found the last few weeks fairly stressful and mentally exhausting - I think part of this was a result of having no wind-down, eg with two days to go I was still being asked to get involved in new projects.

Physically it wasn't really a problem.

[BiddyPop]

I worked until 38 weeks. At the time, you weren't supposed to fly after 32 weeks (within EU) and I came home from my last trip (2 weeks away in 2 seperate cities) at 32+4.

I did all the running around etc as normal, although I needed some extra time off for appointments and my pg yoga (as it was only available in working hours) but that class also meant that I really was still RUNNING around at 40 weeks.

The only thing that really imacted on me was the last trip. I had to go into my bosses to tell them I was pg at 7 weeks, just in case anything happened. I wasn't saying I couldn't travel (it just happened that there weren't any meetings until I was about 15 weeks but I was still happy to travel and indeed went to Cuba on pre-booked hols at 11 weeks) just letting them know in case something happened. And it also meant that I had to cancel my seat on the plane to Hong Kong (huge huge international conference) as they all flew out the day I went on mat leave. (In fairness, my boss DID offer to investigate me going my sea on a naval ship, plenty of hunky medics on board too!! ).

[redwellybluewelly]

Thanks everyone, it been really good to hear the comments on what you found harder and what was easier.

I'm intending to wrap up site visits and do just desk based from 34/35 weeks onwards for as long as possible. I did antenatal yoga from 12 weeks last time but can't start until 20 weeks this time as we are not telling anyone until after the 20wk scan and the way our town works you even so much as set foot in mothercare and you are being asked if you are expecting.

[Polyethyl]

I'm 33 weeks, with my first child. Have a desk job and easy commute. Coping ok so far, as long as I have an afternoon nap on the squashy chairs in the lunch room. Luckily my colleagues think this is hilarious, and leave me to my 20 mins shut eye.

[StrawberriesTasteLikeLipsDo]

With DS1 i had a desk office based role which was quite pleasant, once i'd refused to lift boxes for an office move at 14 weeks!! (My boss was a bit of a clueless fool) despite my team being reduced to just me the week before i told them. I worked up until about 37 weeks, took a weeks holiday and DS was born the sunday that my mat leave officially started. Had GD anaemia and SPD in that pg.

Am 37 weeks today with DC2, worked for same employer but again due to the shitty economy was redeployed about three weeks before I found out i was pregnant, to a desk role but on a working site doing more hours.

Despite only being P/T the role and environment (plus a changing for the worse culture within the business) led me to get signed off from 29+4 to 34 weeks, when my pre M/L holiday started. Again had GD and anaemia and SPD but anaemia and SPD much better this time, GD very much worse. Docs felt the stress of the role was related to the GD issue.

Each pregnancy is definitely different!

[allchik]

Hi,Im a teacher and am finishing at Christmas break,I will be 38wks.Quite shocked Ive lasted this long,but have been really lucky n havent felt bad at all. To be honest it was the first 16 wks which were crap,just remember having to dash from my classroo 3 or 4 times a day to puke n felt close to tears as was so tired.The last trimester has been a doddle compared to the first. But my friend has been the op,sailed through t first 18wks with no puking or fatigue but now at 28wks is really struggling n is thinking of leaving asap x