Am I being unreasonable to work 'till 40 weeks pregnant?

[Nightfall1983]

It's my first post on mumsnet, just registered today though I have been "lurking" for a few weeks :)

I'm currently 29 weeks (29+2) pregnant with my first (v. excited), I am planning on working until the day before my due date (due on a Saturday, want to work till the Friday) so I'll be 39+6 on my last day - I want to do this because:

• Although I'm not planning on returning to work after the having baby the maternity pay is still important to help ease us into budgeting for being on one wage only. Also I get 6 weeks on 90% pay so if I'm off for say two weeks before my due date and babe is 2 weeks late then I will only have 2 weeks pay left! (*I know I'll continue to get the statutory payment for a few months after this)

• I'm a worrier. Big time. Always have been. If I have a couple of weeks off before the birth I don't think I'll be able to relax, I'll just be stressing about the birth and worrying if everything is ok - I can imagine myself doing kick-counts every half hour, that sort of thing.

• It's the end of August, so much as I'd love two weeks off in the sunshine it will probably rain, so why bother? :)

• I've had a pretty easy pregnancy so far - touch wood. Fairly nasty morning sickness for the first 20 weeks which did make work hard but haven't yet had to take any time off. Morning sickness gone now and the last couple of months have really enjoyed being pregnant - but I know it's going to start getting harder!

So tell me - am I crazy? How much time did you have off?

Wait until you are 35 weeks, then see how you feel. I shall say no more

I worked until the friday before the week i was due.
Apart from having to move my car seat back so i could still fit in there was no problems.

I went into labour at work 2 wks early and had him a hour after i left work and was back to work 2wks later

No you are not mad! It seems quite sensible to me. Unless you are a chimney sweep or similar

I grew lots in my final month and I was quite tired (ok very tired) but I didn't have a job where I could sit down for more than a minute so that didn't help.

As its your first all I'll say is wait and see. I worked in a pub as supervisor so was on my feet for 12 hours. I was more than happy to go on ML at 32 weeks.

I don't think you are BU, but probably unrealistic!

I am 34w and desperate for maternity leave to start, and I'm trying to go for another 3 weeks doing short shifts. I can't see me making it though!

The tiredness and inability to concentrate for long periods of time are indescribable at this gestation. Not to mention how uncomfortable it is!

What job do you do?

agree with pom.
Im 20wks with DC#2 and blindly forgetting how unpleasant the last 8wks or so are!

I keep thinking I will work til 38wks this time but something in my mind reminds me how desperate I was to get out the door at 35wks last time

Do you have a desk job or are you on your feet a lot?

As long as you carry on feeling fine then it should be ok. I worked until about 35-36 weeks and to be honest I wish I had worked longer and then had more time with DS when he was a baby before my ML ended. I was really bored when I started ML as everyone I knew was at work. So I finished work when I was about 36 weeks (was still teching aerobic classes too up till then) and I went back to work when DS was 20 weeks old.

However, like PomBear says, you may get to 35 weeks and not be able to bear it anymore.

Theres no right or wrong, totally depends on how you are feeling.

I don't think you are allowed to work until the day before, i think you have to stop a week before (dd is 7 so this might have changed) Fwiw i worked up to the week before I was due and I was fine (i was standing up in a shop all day so not the best job!)

As long as it's not a disaster if you just don't turn up for work one morning because you've gone into labour the night before, then it's not unreasonable.

I started mat leave at 38wks but had 2 weeks holiday to take before this. To be honest, with the job I do I could easily have worked until my due date and ds was 10 days late anyway.

I had a v easy pg right up to the end though. Some people find it difficult to get any sleep near the end of pregnancy and would find it difficult to work for that reason, other people find that their mobility really reduces.

You can always go a bit earlier if you need to.

I worked until I was 41+4 - I was working in the morning and went in to be induced in the afternoon - went back 6 weeks later

we needed the money

Best laid plans and all that (mine born at 35 and 37 weeks).

If you feel well enough, there's no reason why not.

But do listen to your body.

I stopped work 6 weeks before my due date in both pregnancies and had both of mine 2 weeks late (it takes me 42 weeks to make a baby and precisely 2 hours 52 mins to get one out - exact same labour time both times).

In theory I could have worked to my due date but in practice I enjoyed the last few weeks rest surfing the web/raiding the fridge every 5 mins.

I'm with Pom too!
I thought I could manage it but I couldn't & that was only on part time but quite a physical job.

I worked with DS2 until 39 weeks, after always saying I'd leave at 29 weeks and not go back with number 2! Thing is, I did it in order to be able to complete a project that only I knew about. I was also working locally 25 mins drive door to door and only 3 days per week. It was fine and I had no problem.

Contrast that to DS1, I had planned to work until 37 weeks and ended up leaving at 33 weeks. Circumstances were very different though in that I was working full time and commuting into London, a total of 3hrs a day travelling. When I was 31 weeks there was a massive train crash which meant my journey increased to 2.5hrs each way and I couldn't often get a seat. I just couldn't carry on doing that with a stressful job.

So, in short it's not ridiculous but it really depends on your circumstances.

No, you're not being unreasonable. I worked until Term + 3 days and DD was born at +5. I'd have been bored sitting around doing nothing.

I'm self employed working from home so back to office work around 4 weeks after the birth though DH did have a VAT question for me when i was still in hospital!

Physically I would have had no problem at all working until my due date (walked several miles the day he was born!)

But, this will be your last time for years to have some real 'Me Time'. You may regret it if you don't take advantage.

Agree with the other posters to see how you feel after 35 weeks and I do think it does depend on what job you do and how you get to work. If you are in London commuting during August and the Olympics will be a nightmare!

I finished at 36 weeks, had to take holiday before maternity started, I enjoyed the quiet time at home just relaxing and preparing for baby. Once baby comes you will never have that alone time again

Good luck

YANBU. I worked until 36 weeks with DS1, he was born at 39 +2. I used annual leave and didn't officially go on maternity until his born date.

Do you have any leave you could use so you can give yourself a couple of days rest?

My friend recently had her 4th before she had finished because baby came along early so she started her mat leave on his date of birth.

See how you feel and take it week by week. You might be absolutely fine, but you might also be absolutely knackered.

I taught until 38 weeks and was exhausted. It got to the point where I had to sit and let the kids do worksheets and come to me with problems. That being said, DS was 15 days late, and those 4 weeks were a killer(though I quite enjoyed being a lady if leisure!).

Please take some time off and sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. I was man Keres before I even started my labour and it was 55 hours and I have not slept properly since, and that was 18 months ago.

YANBU in the least if you feel up to it. See how it goes, don't make any promises. If it helps, I worked up until 2 days before the birth of my first child (who was 10 days late) and would have been working the day before had I not decided to take a day off to go out. So, it can be done. Take it easy. :)

Man Keres? Bloody hell. Knackered. Stupid iPad. And lack of sleep.

Wow lots of resposes :-)

To answer a couple:
PomBear I think this makes a lot of sense, I think I have to give work a months notice of when I want ML to start so I think I will start to have a weekly review (mental review) on a monday morning of whether I think I can last another 4 weeks :-)

All those who asked about my job: Good point, should have said. I'm an engineer, I do mostly design work so I do sit at my desk a fair amount, probably for more than half the day on average. The rest of my time involves going out to see people in the factory such as the machinists etc. My boss and the company have been v. supportive so far for instance I pointed out that if my feet swell and I can't get into my steel toe-caps then I can't really go out into the factory, the boss immediately said not to worry, as soon as that happens will put out a note that I'm to be desk-based and one of the others will cover me, so I guess the answer is that by the last month or so I could easily be 90% desk based.

suzikettles I had thought of this too, I have already started and plan to continue tying up loose ends so that if I go into labour unexpectedly I don't have to worry about anything in the office. Since I'm not coming back I will need to do a good job of this...