Did you enjoy your job in the Third Trimester?

[PinkPlantCase]

I’m 31 weeks and am finding work so difficult.

We work from home, which I know is lucky but we regularly do 65+ hour weeks (overtime is unpaid, it’s just what’s needed to get everything done). I put my foot down recently and said I couldn’t do that anymore and if they make then I’ll be ill.

Luckily management have been sensible and agreed in principle that I shouldn’t work past our finish time, I also brought my mat leave forward by a few weeks and am working 4 day weeks until then, based on the idea that if I do have to work late at least I get 1 extra day of rest in the week.

There is still so much work, I don’t have proper support from junior staff who I’m being told to push more work onto to help clear my calendar.

I’m just fed up, I can’t do a good job because I can’t put the extra time in because they don’t have enough resource to cover all the work.

Does everyone feel fed up with work as they get closer towards the end?

Only had Mat leave for my last child and by that point was in a job that was fairly child friendly.

But I do sympathise, I was in a high stress job when my first DC was young and it was impossible for me to juggle everything and actually put the effort needed into my job.

You might want to consider how your job will be on return to work after mat leave and make sure you have a rock solid support system in place. Otherwise it will be even harder once you have a DC.

It was a good idea to bring your mat leave forward by a few weeks, you will be able to relax a little before the baby comes.

No, but mostly because of my hour long commute. I was exhausted before I arrived and for nothing by the time I got home.

Will you have mat cover? It was a big relief when mine started as I could start to hand stuff over. By my last week, I didn’t have much to do at all and didn’t feel in the slightest bit guilty about it either.

@Redcrayons no mat cover, they think they can just spread the work around. It does mean that I have lots of project hand over meetings that give me even less time to do any actual work.

@HelloSocks my DH has a very laid back flexible job, my parents are also close by and baby is already booked in for nursery. I’m also going to keep an eye open for a workplace with a better work/life balance.

Mine said no mat cover till I hit them with my leaving date and told them I wasn’t coming back till the following summer (this was in July).
It’s really shit that they know how many hours you are doing but think they can farm your work out.

First baby - I loved it till the last two weeks. My replacement started then and it hard work trying to get everything done and train someone. I felt hugely hormonal and was having to go for fresh air brakes to have a quick cry and then get back onto it. I felt hormonal as I felt that I wasn't performing aswell as I usually did and it was getting me done. I worked until 38 plus 4 which with hindsight was a week too long. I had a job with constant deliverables each week

Second baby - came back to a different more project based role. This time much easier as I stopped picking up new projects in the last month.

Your hours are shocking - either everyone is inefficient or you are covering short staffing. Probably the latter.

Put together your handover list and ask your manager to start assigning people now to the list.