working until you give birth.....a good idea?

[fairymo]

I have a new job about to start which is due to finish on the week after I give birth. I should be able to arrange the work schedule so that all work is over by my due date - but I still run the risk of letting them down if I give birth early. The job is amazing and I would excel at it, but really don't want to let them down if I go into labour early, or find I'm too tired in the final month (it will be quite a busy job leading projects and presentations).

Does anyone have any positive stories of working through to the end of their pregnancy? I have heard all the negative stories, and my friend gave birth six weeks early just now.... so I am aware of all the downsides!

Many thanks.

It depends how well you are towards the end of your pregnancy. How pregnant are you now and is this your first child?

I'm assuming this is your first child?

If you're youngish and healthy-ish chances are it will be fine, but it is a bit like asking how long is a piece of string. You could get pre-natal complications like SPD which affects mobility, or pre-eclampsia, but you probably won't. There's just no way of telling. Bear in mind though that every woman who has more than one child effectively works up to their due date!

All I can really suggest is that you work out with your potential employer a Plan B - if I have complications or an early labour then X is prepared to take over, or Y will happen.

FWIW I worked up to going into labour with DD3. Having packed in commuting at 36 weeks with DS, then gone to 42 weeks in retrospect I could probably have dragged my sorry frame in for a couple of weeks longer- if only some bastard had given me their seat on the train home!

I think all you can do is have a back up plan because there are so many what ifs involved. I planned to work up to 2 weeks before due date (because 1st babies never come early right) DS came 3.5wks early but i was winding down to finish at that point so I only had to tie up a few loose ends and get somebody to cover the last bit wasn't planned but turned out ok - I had been preparing hand over notes as I was going along so most things for handover were at least started (except poor work experience student who i had forgotten about but they used my notes from year before) . Covered a few things my pregnancy brain had forgotten by email & phone after that.
Friend who was pregnant at the same time finished 3 wks before DD and then had to be induced 10 days over spent the whole time getting frustrated and annoyed (mainly because hers was due just before mine and mine appeared first sorry)
Biggest pain was being hospitalised for a few days after an unexpected bleed a few wks before due date but now I think I could have coped with it better as I could have done a chunk of stuff on my iPhone/iPad. (which I didn't have 4yrs ago)

NO it is NOT a good idea.

I speak from experience.
I worked until the day before.
i believe it contributed to my dd being so late, and i believe that was the reason my contractions were so shit.
I had a 19 hour labour (from being woken by contractions to delivery) and it was exhausting.
my body and brain had had no time to rest to prepare.

my MW tells me her experience has proved that a length of rest time before birth makes for an easier birth in general.

I think you do need a rest? Maybe work until 8 months? Thats what I'm planning to do this time. I have to say my last birth was the easiest by far & I left work at 7 months.

DS2 was three weeks early so I was at work the day before I went into labour. I was supposed to work until 38+2.

I had some feeling that he might be early, so I'd started keeping a work log saved where my line manager could access it. I updated it at the end of each day with detailed notes about work done, phone calls, links to important documents, what I planned for the next day/week, so my manager could pick up where I left off. I warned people in emails that I was due to go on leave imminently and gave the names of colleagues who would carry on with projects after I left. I also had well labelled piles of work on my desk and kept touching base with the people taking on my work so they knew where I'd got to.

I'm not sure I'd recommend it exactly, but if that's what you need or want to do I'm sure you can make it work.

I worked to 38 weeks with my second (first was 3yoand worked days & nights in the same week, 12 hour shifts and was actually ok. I just sort of floated about on a hormone high.

That labour was a couple of hours

I had 8 weeks off with the first, which was lush. Money wouldn't allow the second time (husband was made redundant).

My advice is, if you have the luxury, do exactly what pleases you.

Couple of friends of mine worked till 38 weeks and went into labour almost as soon as they stoped work - I would go as long as you feel up to it - although in my experience 39 and 40 week are very uncomfortable and tiring but it entirely depends - I stopped at 36 weeks with both mine and was overdue with both - could have gone a bit longer probably but it was nice to have the time off - especially with no 2

I would say give yourself at least a week off before your EDD - it builds in a bit of leeway and means you are likely to get a bit of a rest once you've finished.

If impressing this employer is important, then I wouldn't give up weeks before I had to so I could sit at home whingeing on MN about how I hadn't gone into labour yet.

I would say give yourself at least a week off before your EDD - it builds in a bit of leeway and means you are likely to get a bit of a rest once you've finished.

If impressing this employer is important, then I wouldn't give up weeks before I had to so I could sit at home whingeing on MN about how I hadn't gone into labour yet.

nickel I think your midwife is talking sh*t frankly. After my 6 week rest before DS's arrival I had an epic 50+ hour labour and felt as though I'd been run over by a juggernaut for the ensuing 3 months. Gave up with DD1 about 2 weeks before she was due, had a 21 hour labour. "Only" running around non-stop with older two when DD2 was born, no paid work but no chance to have daytime naps etc- 4 hour pretty easy labour.

DD3, stopped work by refusing work from my phone whilst in labour ward (self employed and working from home by this time)- crash CS but 0 hours, 0 mn labour.

I think every labour is different, every woman is different and it's wrong to generalise about anybody's circumstances.

Again every woman different I had nearly 6 weeks off before DD took her epic 40 hours to arrive in the world with horrible awful delivery due to LOP presentation. My DSis stopped work 24 hours before my DNep took exactly 19 minutes to arrive in the world with only one averagely big heave.

Think of it this way.....

I'm going to take you on an expedition soon. It's just a short walk - we're climbing Everest! It will quite possibly be the most physically challenging thing you have ever done. And to top it off you'll be taking a small fluffy kitten in your backpack, and you will be responsible for it's welfare and safety for the duration of the trip. We'll be leaving at some point in the next month, so pack your bags by all means, but I'm afraid I won't be able to tell you beforehand what time we're leaving. I'll turn up on your doorstep when it's time to go. This will possibly be in the small hours of the morning, my apologies if this is after a hard day at work but there's not much I can do about that, you'll just have to come along tired.

What would you do? Spend the month leading projects and presentations, or prepare your body and mind for the expedition?

With DC1 I chose the former, worked on my due date, and after a working day, 2 hours sleep, 36 hours labour and 3 hours of pushing, I was exhausted and needed forceps. Please think about this and put yourself and your baby first. Remember your career is potentially 45 years long - a month is not a big deal in the long run.

I did, went to work on monday morning and conveniently went into labour during my lunch break - and i gave birth to him in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. It was good in that my whole maternity leave was with him, but the day was all very stress-full, i ruined my suit and i had to undress - as you can't wear a pencil skirt when you have strong labour pains. I think mine is a unique case as my son was an extremely quick labour. With my daughter, i was working part time by that stage and i took two weeks off before she was born, and for my third i did the same. It's much better for your health and the baby' health to take it easy around 2 weeks before the birth.

Hard to say. I worked till a couple of days before my due date. I had an easy pregnancy, and was 10 days late delivering. No problems, except boredom as I hung around waiting for DD to put in an appearance!

But you never know what will happen, so a backup plan for work is good.

Thanks for all the advice, especially the Everest analogy! This is my first child so have no idea about how I'm going to feel in the last month. Sadly the job is all or nothing (the next six months planning for two major events in late summer and I'm due in September), so I can't really leave early, I'd have to let them down altogether - and try to find some other way to support myself. Lots to think about!

Will you have anybody working with/under you on this? Can you elect and train up a person to step in and deputise for you should you go into labour early or develop pregnancy complications? Even with severe SPD or pre-eclampsia or from a hospital bed you might technically be able to carry on emailing etc...

I will have three other support staff, I just worry about the inconvenience it is going to cause my employer.

They obviously want and trust you to pull this project off. Presumably you've not yet told them you're pregnant if you're only 3-4 months?

Personally I see no problem with working until you give birth if you're loving your job. However, you will definitely have to have an in-depth chat with your employer/client to make sure they are aware of your commitment and any contingency plans you put in place in case you aren't able to see the project through.

I wouldn't personally, knowing what I know now, begin to limit your professional development and career before you get to that particular bridge. After all a person might take this job and then get sick at a crucial time- we can't tell the future. The only difference here is that you have several months' warning of your absence and that in all likelihood your pregnancy will not interfere with your ability to do this job. Is there any chance you can get it all finished 2-3 weeks ahead of time? (sorry, I don't know what you do so don't know if that's possible).

I worked until a week before my due date with dses 1 and 2. Luckily I left slightly earlier with ds3 (Easter holidays gave me an extra fortnight). He arrived rather early (37 weeks) and fairly fast, so if I'd stuck to my week-before plans I'd probably have had him sitting at my desk.

I wanted to use my maternity leave to spend time with babies and am fit and healthy so didn't need or want to waste time and leave on being at home.

I worked all day my second dc was born. It was arranged for me to work from home from 33 weeks and then go on maternity leave from 37 weeks. I spent the last day of work clearing everything up and walked down to the post office at 4.30 to send all my work back. Waters broke about 6 and DD arrived 10.42 that night.
For my first birth I was going to go on maternity leave at 34 weeks but got taken into hospital with pre eclampsia at 32 weeks, where I stayed until he was induced at 38 weeks.

You just need to make sure you have alternative arrangements and most births really don't to plan.

YOu have months to put plans and contingencies into place, and train support staff up to cope wothout you.
How you will feel is very unpredictable (and things like how physical your job is, how long your expected hours are, how long your commute is) will all affect it. In a lot of ways, you may be fine, but, with maternity leave being so long nowadays, it would seem more sensible to take some of it before the baby is born. Different when you only got 3 months in total. That said, a lot of people are bored rigid by finishing a month before and then the bab being 2 weeks late, and they've been waiting around for 6 weeks when not being used to having nothing to do.
You need to put "Just in case" plans into place if you do decide to work right up though.

Impossible to say. That's the long and the short of it really.

I stopped at 36 weeks and then twiddled my thumbs for well over a month (Ds was 10 days over). I was definitely well enough to do my job and if I'd had a crystal ball I'd have started my mat leave at 39 weeks.

But if I'd had SPD, hideous heartburn, been running to the loo every 5 mins, getting no sleep, like many v pg women I know then it'd have been hell to be working those last few weeks. Or ds could have been early.

I'd say work as long as you can but plan as much as possible not to be there just in case.