When do you think I should go on maternity leave?

[ellam25]

Hi everyone, just looking for some advice. I am a nanny to 3 (pretty rowdy) kids, a 4 year old boy and 2 girls, 7 and 11… I am due November 8th, and am not sure when to tell my boss I will be leaving. I thought I would try to stay till 2 weeks before, but it is getting to the point where it is getting difficult for me to move, my back hurts, I am dead tired and the kids are driving me crazy. I’m just wondering when most people go on pregnancy leave or does it seem like I am just being lazy? When did you guys go on maternity leave and what was your jobs? Thanks!

 

[Kelfa28]

It depends on how you feel and also how you’re OB feels.

I was pregnant with my first when I was still working as a paramedic and I think I stopped work around 7 month mark but that was because I couldn’t lift very much and they were concerned about the patients I would be encountering.

In the military…irregardless of the position you have or how you feel…you are on maternity leave when you hit 37 weeks because you are term.
Since I’m not active duty…it depends on when my drill schedule occurs in relation to my due date.

I would have stopped work earlier my second and third pregnancies because the hip and back pain I was in was just too much to handle and I was barely walking by the end of the day during my last pregnancy…but I was in school and it was easy waddling to class and sitting down for a lecture or a test.

Talk to your OB and let her know what your concerns are. Most OBs are different.
I know my midwife was really concerned about the amount of pain I was in and she probably would have pulled me from work earlier then 37 weeks but because it was the summer and we don’t drill over the summer it didn’t matter.

Also talk to your boss and let him/her know how you feel and what your OB says.

 

[Viki63]

You’re 6 weeks from your due date?
I would suggest the next week.
My children both came 3 weeks early. And if you’re feeling too tired and your back hurts. I would stop ASAP. Hopefully your employer will be able to find a replacement, and the sooner she starts looking, the better.
It’s not an endurance contest. Be kind to yourself and you will be more rested for the upcoming weeks of little sleep.
God bless.

.

 

[phil_at_dayboro]

My wife is a mid wife,her advise is,it’s really up to you,
Have you ever had any form of complications,
If you never had a problem,then 2. Weeks is fine,
But Speak to your Doctor first,
Don’t be a Hero,

 

[Usige]

Not a mom, but I hope your employer is already considering a replacement for you. If my wife had waited until 2 weeks before her due date it would have been close with the majority of our kids. Four of our six kids were born 12 to 17 days before their due dates. As such I’ve already notified my boss that all my major projects need to be wrapped up by mid December as my wife could deliver our 7th any time between Christmas and the second week of January (I take 3 to 4 weeks off to wrangle the other kids).

First, listen to your body. With number 4 my wife threw out her back at 36 weeks. It was barely healed and loosening up when she went into labor just shy of 38 weeks. You don’t want to be ragged going into delivery.

Second, you have to consider what happens with the kids you’re watching if you go into labor early. Can their parents get a replacement or make arrangements with only a couple hours notice? How quickly can they be home if you need to leave?

If you were doing something where others could be scheduled to cover you then working up to the day you deliver would be fine as long as you are up to it. Since your job really doesn’t have easy coverage on short notice, I’d be conservative and plan on leaving at 36 or 37 weeks. You may go to 40+ weeks, but if I was your employer I wouldn’t want you in a situation where you have to decide to stay with my kids or leave them alone when your water breaks.

I’d talk with you OB/midwife and your employer sometime this week or early next week.

 

[Gliggle]

Hi everyone, just looking for some advice. I am a nanny to 3 (pretty rowdy) kids, a 4 year old boy and 2 girls, 7 and 11… I am due November 8th, and am not sure when to tell my boss I will be leaving. I thought I would try to stay till 2 weeks before, but it is getting to the point where it is getting difficult for me to move, my back hurts, I am dead tired and the kids are driving me crazy. I’m just wondering when most people go on pregnancy leave or does it seem like I am just being lazy? When did you guys go on maternity leave and what was your jobs? Thanks!

If you have a choice and feel financially able, I would say it’s fine to start much earlier than you planned. Definitely not lazy. maybe make it four weeks before the due date so your employer has some notice? You are not imagining the strain on your body, it can be huge, and it is better to be well rested for the labour, and the ensuring weeks/months/years which can be exhausting, even gruelling. It’s just about managing your employers expectations and deciding what you can afford financially? And the big question, when do you plan to return to work?

 

[Lorelei12]

I worked almost right up until my due date, but I had a desk job at the time, so I imagine it’s rather different in your situation. I certainly don’t think it’s lazy to stop working, especially since you seem overwhelmed. Plus if you can afford it, this is probably going to be the last “break” you get in a very long time.

In my case, I worked so late because I only got 8 weeks of (unpaid) maternity leave, and wanted to have as much time with the baby as possible, but if that had not been the case I would not have stayed so long.

 

[SusanneT]

Hi everyone, just looking for some advice. I am a nanny to 3 (pretty rowdy) kids, a 4 year old boy and 2 girls, 7 and 11… I am due November 8th, and am not sure when to tell my boss I will be leaving. I thought I would try to stay till 2 weeks before, but it is getting to the point where it is getting difficult for me to move, my back hurts, I am dead tired and the kids are driving me crazy. I’m just wondering when most people go on pregnancy leave or does it seem like I am just being lazy? When did you guys go on maternity leave and what was your jobs? Thanks!

It depends entirely on how you feel but I would have thought about now is time to relax a little. After all it will hardly be a shock to your employer.

 

[Anglewannabe]

I think it is only fair to your employer to say ‘I really getting more tired everyday and think it is best to leave ASAP’. Hopefully your employer will find a replacement in 2 weeks

Honestly, what has our society become when pregnant women feel that taking care of a baby is being lazy?

 

[ThePCWife]

Hi everyone, just looking for some advice. I am a nanny to 3 (pretty rowdy) kids, a 4 year old boy and 2 girls, 7 and 11… I am due November 8th, and am not sure when to tell my boss I will be leaving. I thought I would try to stay till 2 weeks before, but it is getting to the point where it is getting difficult for me to move, my back hurts, I am dead tired and the kids are driving me crazy. I’m just wondering when most people go on pregnancy leave or does it seem like I am just being lazy? When did you guys go on maternity leave and what was your jobs? Thanks!

Agree with the rest here. You should talk to your employer, they should be ok with you working no later than 36 weeks and preferably stopping earlier. With three kids, bringing your own is probably not optimal on either side, and if it’s not feasible, they should give you some time postpartum to set up baby care and not expect you back for at least two or three months. Pregnancies of the nanny are hard, but it’s not like they can’t tell and hopefully they understand and can offer you the flexibility and accommodation you could use right now.