If you left work before your due date...

What were the signs that you knew it was time to leave?

I don't mean permanently, I mean out on short-term disability or whatever option you had (unpaid or paid, etc)

If you've had more than one baby, was your experience different in this regard both times?

The first pregnancy, I was fine and left about a month before I was due. I probably could have stuck it out, but as a first-time prego, I was scared and feared water breaking at work, etc. I didn't know what to expect.

This time, I feel like absolute poo. I am barely holding it together and feel like I am running myself into the ground.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I've only had one....but I left work about a month before my due date due to the extreme swelling in my ankles. I have an hour commute back and forth to work, and by the time I was ready to go home, I had trouble moving my ankles....making driving very challenging. Luckily, I have unlimited sick time at work, so it wasn't a problem to leave then.
If I ever have another child, I'd likely do the same thing....especially if my feet decide to turn into moon boots again.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I was working on the day I went to the hospital and had DS like 24 hours after being admitted.

Then again, I delivered 8 weeks early under some not so good circumstances (severe pre eclampsia)...

My plan was to work until the end. I didn't want to go out a month early because what if baby came late and also, I wanted to spend the most time WITH the baby, not before.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

Well with my first, I left and came back, LOL!!! I was 9 days late with my first.

With my 2nd I was 15 days early and I really thought I would be on time (around my due date or later) but the 2nd came fast and furious. I ended up giving birth in my playroom. I didn't have any signs, my water broke, then less then 10 minutes later he was born.

So, I did leave some unfinished work at work because I thought I would be back that Monday morning. Instead, I was having a blood transfusion from loosing blood.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

Only have 1 but I had gestational & high bl pressure at the end.... I left about 1 wk before my date to be induced and went into labor a few days later lol ....

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I was due 9/1 and my last day in the office was 8/27. I was able to work from home the whole next week so I didn't have to dip into my maternity leave. I just could not sit at my desk any longer... my back constantly hurt, my legs and feet were super swollen and my commute was an hour each way... I said that's it!! Not to mention it was the height of summertime, so I was outta there. DS ended up coming a week late but I'm so glad I was able to work it out the way I did.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

With #1 i left pretty much the week before i was being induced, it wasn't planned but worked out perfectly that they had lay offs at my job at the time so i asked if they could let me go so i could get the unemployment since my maternity was unpaid.

With #2 i was supposed to be out at 38 weeks and wound up working another week and had my DD the day after i went out of work.

With #3 my plan was to work up till then end because we needed the $$ but when it came down to it, i had sooo many problems that i put myself out at 36 weeks and the doctor was happy when i did, I wound up being induced about a week later due to the medical issues.

All in all i would say that i tried to work as close to the end as i could because i wanted more time home with my babies once they were born. Alo 2 of my 3 were summer babies so i wanted the whole summer off with them.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

With DS I left on Friday and went into labor early Monday morning.

With DD (she is my second) I got lightheaded and dizzy at work about a week and a half before my scheduled section. I went to the dr and he told me I was done working.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I think I made it to 34 weeks and had the boys at 36 weeks. I commute into Brooklyn every day and the commute was torture from 20 weeks on.

Around 26 weeks, I asked HR what would happen if I went out on leave early. I didn't think I could work much longer. They said that FMLA only makes them hold your job for 12 weeks so if I went out then, I would have to come back to work basically right after having them. I decided to suck it up bc I really wanted to maximize my time w/ them.

It was horrible but I did what I had to do. At 34 weeks, the dr strongly advised me to stop working bc the fluid around Georgie was pretty much gone and I was in risk of early labor. I *knew* it was time to stop working. I went to my boss and she let me work from home until I gave birth. I work at a place where working from home is a big NO-NO! They don't allow it so I was shocked that my boss agreed to it.

Definitely talk to your HR about their policies.

Sorry u r feeling so crappy!

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I left 3 weeks before my due date because my doctor made me. I commute to downtown Brooklyn on the LIRR then take the subway. He didn't like my commute. He said if I drove local on long island I could have continued until my due date. I wasn't induced until my actual due date. I was so bored at home!!

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I was due 8/12 - my last day of work was 7/27, and my water broke on 7/29. When I couldn't make it through the day without crying because my hips hurt so much in my chair, i knew it was time to call it quits.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I was getting ready for work when my water broke. I wish I would have left a few weeks earlier I felt like I had no time to rest before hand

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I left work at 36 weeks at dr's orders. I had an hour plus commute to NYC (LIRR and subway) and my blood pressure was climbing so he took me out. I had DD at 38w.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I wanted to work til the end and tried with DS1 even though at the end I had severe sciatica and was limping thru Penn during my commute.
However, my boss was scared to death I'd deliver in the ofc despite my assuring him first deliveries don't go like that. My due date was March 30 and he gave me extra time and said to make March 20 my last day. I almost went in that morning but I felt off and got to the hospital 15 minutes before delivering at 1024.
Next child I planned to stick it out til 10/30 (due date 11/8). Boss told me to leave 10/23 and I did have ds2 10/30.

I would do what you can do without pushing yourself too hard (if you're able to work out the extra time)

Feel good!

Re: If you left work before your due date...

With DD I worked unitl Friday, and had her on Monday (her due date).....

I was lucky I felt great the entire pg.... no issues

Re: If you left work before your due date...

For my first I worked up to delivery (6 weeks early).

For my second, it was time to leave commuting to work when I wasn't getting a seat on the train & was sleeping through my train transfers & missing my stop. Also my boss was petrified I'd be in labor. I played on his fears & told him my doctor said I had a higher percentage of giving birth earlier because I had a preemie already (it's only 15%). I was able to work from home until delivery.

Edited to add:
I didn't want to use my time before the baby was born so I wanted to work as long as I could.

With the second, I had what I thought was more frequent Braxton Hicks but didn't drop like I did with my first. I read later that for second babies, Braxton Hicks were actually more common & often times the baby doesn't drop until it's time.

Message edited 1/19/2011 9:53:12 AM.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I left 2 weeks before my due date. That was what my disability insurance through work approved, but also, I could barely walk from my car to my office. It was just time.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

i worked up till the day my son was born - he came at 37 weeks
my water broke durign the middle of the night

i felt fine - i still ran to catch a plane the day before my son was born

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I didn't 'leave work' but worked remotely from Melville about 3w before she was born.

commuting from huntington to the world financial center daily in the July / August heat was ticking off my OB! haha

I got to say working closer to home and having less walking and climbing a million stairs, sitting in the LIRR for an hour etc made a huge difference.

I worked up to the day before she was born. I was planning on working up to the week before her c/s date at the LEAST but if I could manage to 'work' (aka send an email or make an appearance) on 9-2 I would have gotten an extra 3 days off..... I didn't make it

What is that saying again about God laughing at the best laid plans or something?

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I became too uncomfortable to sit at my desk for more than 15 minutes at a time. One day, I decided I would start coming in part time to work the next few weeks, but that night I went into labor.

I wanted to work up until my due date, but ended up working until I went into labor, 3 weeks before that. I think your body lets you know when you need to slow down, you just have to pay attention to the signs.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I was originally planning to stop working about 4 weeks before my due date and not come back to work.

Now I'm considering returning back to work PT so maybe I'll stop working 2 weeks before my due date. We'll see.

I worked until the day before I delivered DS with my last pregnancy. Not doing that again.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I was taken out of work 1 month early. It wasn't my choice. I was put on bedrest due to high BP, severe swelling, etc.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

I left 1 month early - I was commuting into the city and my job required a lot of inter city travel usually done by subway, it was a hot summer, and the LIRR was PACKED everytime I got on it to go home - it was a nightmare there were many times no one would even give me a seat - I was so done.

Looking back I probably would have worked to the end if it wasn't that time of year.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

my mom was hospitalized on Jan 2. I could not take the stress. I went out on the 7th instead of the 14th...best decision ever.

Re: If you left work before your due date...

first pg worked till I was 40 weeks and went inot labor at work.

second pg left work at 37 weeks pg simply bc I wanted to chill out a little while before the baby came. The dr. gave me a disability letter stating nothing other than I was pg (at 37 weeks you don't need a medical reason bc you are considred full term, if it was 34 weeks then there needs to be a valid medical reason to be out of work.) so I went on disability for 2 weeks and then the day I had the baby, the disability went straight into maternity leave.

In detail, the 1st week I left, the time came from my own vacation time. The next 2 weeks were disability and when I had her I had to tell HR so maternity leave could kick in.

it was totally work giving myself the extra time.