Pregnancy Question - Maternity Leave Before the Baby Is Here?

Hi Mama
Here in Ireland we get 6 mths,well 26 weeks, paid maternity leave.
I will work until two weeks prior to due date.
I couldn't imagine only having 6 weeks.
Wishing you the best
B. k

I had saved all my vacation for DD1 and took off two weeks before (she was expected Dec 2 so I took off after Thanksgiving)

I worked until I went in labor. Think it's silly not to. I've known people that wasted a week of maternity leave because baby decided to be late :)

I worked till my son was born then had 12 weeks of leave.
I think if you are put on bed rest the leave might start a bit sooner, but if there's no medical reason I'd just a soon have the time to be with my child once the baby has arrived.
Additional:
Working till the baby came had nothing to do with trying to be a hero. Other than waddling a whole lot I didn't have so much as a Braxton Hicks contraction before I went into labor. There was no reason for me to be home and walking around at work was actually good for me.
Why would anyone work right up till the baby comes?
The pay check.
As far as disability works - it can be VERY different at different/ different sized company s. At my job, short term disability does not kick in till you've been off 4 weeks. Long term disability kicks in at 8 weeks. That's a long time to be without money coming in. FMLA does not have to be paid leave and many companies force you to burn up your sick leave and vacation time and when you've used them up there's no money till you return to work.

With my son, I worked the full 8-5 day and then went for my daily walk after work. My water broke about a block from the house after practically completing my normal walk. I almost laughed saying he was so considerate to let me get so much done that day :-) I am lucky though, in that I work an "office" type of job but from home so I really could work all day with my feet up. I have friends who started maternity leave a few weeks before their due date but they were absolutely miserable. They were very uncomfortable working with feet and legs swollen 3 x the size than normal etc. etc. If you can handle working until your due date, that is great. I know for me personally, I had to return to work. I planned for 3 months off and wanted every second of that time with my son, not alone. But then again, you have to take care of your pregnant self and if work is hurting that in some way, you may need to go out on leave earlier. Just take care of both of you :-)

I worked up until I delivered with my daughter (I was due to be induced on a Wednesday just 4 days before my due date but went in labor on my own on Sunday night/Monday morning). With my son, I was working up until delivery (which made my boss very nervous) but I started having a LOT of swelling in my ankles on my due date and was advised to quit working (and didn't have my son for two more weeks). I didn't have maternity leave that time so it really hurt to not work.

I think typically you work until close to your due date unless the doctor takes you out for medical reasons sooner (unless you don't HAVE to work in which case you might want to take off sooner to prepare things).

I am able to work from home as needed. I have a really long commute and people didn't want me to be 'the one' that went into labor on the Metro or I-95.
Both my deliveries were scheduled. I worked up to the day before the deliveries. The morning of my 2nd, I sent hubby to work and told him I would call him. I called him at 10a (half day done) and told him that if he just stopped by on the way home at 2p he'd be there in time. Boss sent him home right then. Baby arrvied at 3:45. I said, man, you could've gotten a whole day in!!

I have a coworker who pregnant with twins went for a checkup down the street. was told she was in labor, should go to the hospital next door and be admitted. She said, not yet, I have a deadline. Came back to work for 2-3 hours til she met her deadline. Told her boss, I'm in labor and went to the hospital. Don't know that I'm THAT dedicated, although I am a workaholic, so its a close call.

I too only got six weeks and actually went into work while I was in labor. I felt that I needed to get things more organized. It was a Monday morning too and hubby met me at the hospital at lunch to be admitted. :) I figured that was 4 more hours that I could stay at home with the new baby.

My insurence gave us two weeks before the due date with my first so I went out a week and a half before my due date and he was 4 days late. Still got the 6 weeks after so what was REALLY nice.

However- they have stopped doing that unless your doctor 'releases' you from work. I am almost 32 weeks now and #2 and I know I will be induced at 38.5 weeks if she doesn't come before that. I am hoping I can convince my OB to get me out at least a week early just because of the pain and comfort level I currently have.

If you are asking for a suggestion on what you should do- well I would say it depends on how you feel. If you are able to do your job effectively and they don't give you another option- don't burn vacation days unless you have to.

I've done it both ways. I stopped working two weeks before my scheduled induction and I've worked right up until I was in labor. You sort of just have to deal with whatever your company offers.

With my first I worked til the day I went into labor, which was almost a week late. I'm currently 36wks and plan to work as long as possible. I want to have as much time home with my girls as possible!

OK, B P is only PARTIALLY right.

Not all state disability programs work the same, nor are they all equal. When I had both of my children I lived in NJ. There, yes, everyone who works in the state pays into disability just like unemployment, FICA, etc. so if you ever run into a situation where you would need to collect disability, then you're covered & yes, pregnancy counts. You can go out 4 weeks before your due date & if you go late like I did with both of my kids those were basically bonus days. Unless there are issues with the birth or your healing process you get 6 weeks after a vaginal birth & 8 for a c-section. Of course if there ARE issues your doctor can leave you out longer & you will continue to collect disability, but they cannot force you to go back before those time limits.

I currently live in Delaware where disability is an option, but not mandatory. What that means is that NOT everyone is entitled to it if there is an issue. Unless you have private disability insurance that specifically covers pregnancy, you will NOT be collecting it for even a millisecond, let alone 4 months' worth.

Like I said, she's right a little bit, but it varies widely on a state-to-state basis & she certainly shouldn't act like every mom out there who works until the day she delivers ISN'T a hero, but they are in my book!!

Had to add, I had just gotten back from market so I had a lot of orders to place, I took the my brief case with paperwork with me to the hospital, because I was convinced that "just because my water broke, I was not feeling any contractions and everybody must be wrong about me being in labor." I was in total denial..

I planned on working right up to the delivery..

She came 3 weeks early so darn it, when I returned at 6 weeks.... I had to go on a 2 week buying trip.. come back and then run inventory.. If she had been born at the calculated time, I could have skipped all of that work..

I worked all day on Monday, went home at 5 pm, and was in the hospital by 11 pm and by son was born on Tuesday just before 8 am. I was so thankful that I made it through the day on Monday because I had a big deadline that day and I was able to meet it!! I stayed home for 8 weeks after he was born before returning to work.

I worked through a Friday afternoon, left my desk a mess, and went into labor that Saturday. She was only 10 days "early", but I'm not much of a planner. I had 12 weeks of leave, but saw no reason to stop working until she arrived!

Well, I live in Canada and we get one year semi-paid maternity leave (it's about 60% of your wages). I also had some issues (high bp, etc), so my doctor wrote me a note and I spent the last 3 months of pregnancy on medical leave (same pay as mat leave) before starting my year of mat leave when baby was born.

Of course, I know I was spoiled. If I'd only had 6 weeks I'd have been working till that baby was damn-near crowning!

My OB/GYN, typically 'releases' his patients from work, 2 weeks prior to their due date.
That is what I did.
And I needed to.
My tummy was SO huge, like I was carrying multiples! And I was so uncomfortable and had a hard time toddling around. Even walking normally was hard.

I was supposed to be induced, so I worked up to that point. My main thing was that I didn't want to leave my manager in a bind when I wasn't able to show up for my shift. I know that they would understand, and not hold it against me... but it felt irresponsible for me to be scheduled when I knew I might not be able to come in. Finding people to cover shifts is pretty difficult where I worked, and we always had minimum staff, so one person missing was a big deal. I wound up getting 'fired' though, because I technically only got 6 weeks from the company, but my boss told me he would let me have 12 weeks... but he didn't clear it with corporate so they fired me for not working. So I wound up taking 4 months maternity, then got my old boss to hire me back on. :)

~I really don't see why BP is saying we are all acting like we are 'heros' for working so long... We are just answering the question... Defensive much? I know many of us work so long not because we can or to prove how tough we are or how much we can handle... but because we need that paycheck... Not to mention that many of us only get 6 weeks total, which we would prefer to spend with the baby after birth. Where I was, we could get out early with disability... BUT the company would only allow so much disability per year... Why use it when you don't HAVE to? What happens if something else comes up?

I was asked the same thing during my pregnancy. My company is small too and doesn't offer FMLA. I took 8 weeks and my boss was kind enough to pay me (I was expecting my leave to be unpaid)!

I worked a full day (it was a Monday) and in the middle of the night my water broke and into labor I went. My son was 3 weeks early, so granted, I wasn't expecting him to arrive just yet. I think as long as you are feeling good and are able to do your job then there is no need to stop working prior to having your child. It is all in what you are comfortable with and how you are feeling. Good luck! :)

I worked until the day I delivered! I had no other options cause I wouldn't have had enough paid leave time to get paid during my whole FMLA even though my company does qualify for it. So I had to work all the way up till the day of. If you can do it, then do it and just keep telling people that. I got asked everyday for my last trimester when I was leaving and I kept having to repeat myself. Get used to it lol

I worked up until I delivered with both my children. With my first, I knew I was being induced at 7pm and I worked until noon that day. With my second, I worked all day and went to the hospital at 10 that night. I never understood why people quit working before the baby was born - I would have lost my mind sitting at home waiting!

With my first I was only getting 6 weeks leave also so I didn't want to stop working before that because I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. My boss kept asking me when are you going to stop working and hinting that I should take leave soon and I told him, Oh don't worry, I'll have him on my day off. Well, he came at 37 weeks and on my day off LOL. I was soo tired too so it worked out well.
With my second I was working as a temp, what was supposed to be a 3 month assignment turned into 5 months when my daughter came at 36 weeks. It was a Friday night so I had to call them Monday morning to let them know I had the baby and wouldn't be back!

I worked while I was pregnant with my first. I recieved short term disability for 6 weeks and took an additional unpaid 6 weeks. Disability required a week out of work for the "disabililty incident" with no pay before they payed out so at the suggestion of my midwife I took the five days before my due date off, she was born the day before my due date, so it worked out that I actually got paid for the 6 weeks after the baby was born...but it just worked out that way. If I had stayed pregnant past my due date (and the five days off) I would have at least gone back to work part time until I went into labor.

It's a personal choice. I personally scheduled myself up to the end, as a nurse I have a pretty flexible scheduling process. However, on the second to last day, while in the shower getting ready my water broke. Another reason I decided to wrok so long is that I knew I didn't want to sit at home "waiting" for two weeks, I would have driven myself and my husband insane! Also wanted to use as much time as possible with the baby once she was here. There is no right or wrong way of doing things. As others have explained the amount of time taken off is also very different. So you have to decide was is right for you. Best of luck!

I had to save up as much vacation/sick as I could before having both my kids. In addition, I had Short Term Disability, which could be anywhere from 6-12 weeks of paid leave. With my daughter, I was on bed rest for 5 days to help my swelling go down (only 2 days work) and then was induced 1 week early. I had saved up enough time to be off (paid - part of the time 100% and part of the time 67% for 10 weeks). With my son, I only had 9 weeks but about the same %.

My job is pretty demanding overall - not a lot of sitting and other strenuous activities and I repeatedly asked my doctor if I should stop working before I went into labor. She told me that as long as I stayed in good condition and was comfortable I could still work. I worked the day before I went into labor with my first and the next day was my day off so I went right up to that day. I had already planned on stopping work 2 days before my due date with my second and ended up having an induction on the 1st day of my scheduled maternity leave but I would have worked up to the the onset of labor if I could.

I worked until the day before DS was born. Which was Sunday Christmas Day, so if it had not been a holiday, I would have been working the day he was born. If you feel fine, I would not use up the maternity leave. That said, I went back to work PT at 4 weeks (I was going stir crazy without adult interaction) and FT at 9 weeks.

I got 3 months with my son. But before my son was born I too 2 weeks that didn't count as maternity or vacation, it was more a medical leave or something. I am not sure exactly, but my company that I worked for just gave it to you. Which was very nice. But if yours doesn't have that and you only get 6 weeks, then I saw keep working til the baby comes. You are going to need every last one of those days after the baby is here to prepare yourself to go back. Good luck and congrats!

With my job I got 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after, 8 weeks for a c-section. I stopped working 3 weeks before my DD was born. The job I had required me to stand on my feet for 8 hours a day. It was just getting to hard for me to continue. I had a c-section so I was out for 8 weeks after. I have to look into what my current job offers for maternity leave. Good Luck!

I worked in a warehouse when I was pregnant. Lots of heavy lifting, driving vehicles and driving vehicles where a harness is required because you are lifted up in to the air. After I couldn't safely lift anymore because the belly (even still small) was in the way I went on restrictions. My job only allows you 30 days on restrictions and then they need to improve or you are out on short term disability. I was out mid Oct and had my kiddo mid Jan. Best 3 months EVER!!! After I had her I took my full 12 weeks off. I used the first 6 totally off and then went back to work on 4hr shifts / 4 day work weeks to use up the rest.

When I was pregnant with my twins, I was so worried about having to go one bedrest and start my maternity leave too soon. Luckily, I was able to work until 36 weeks and delivered at 38 weeks. With baby #3 I plan on working until 36 weeks when school lets out for summer.

I leave on the day the baby comes. I had my DD on her due date so that is when I was done with #1; I worked 1 week past my due date with DS who was induced a week late; and I plan to work up until #3 decides to come in his own due time (due May 19). People ask me the same thing but although we do qualify for FMLA and get 12 weeks....I am not about to waste my precious maternity leave sitting on my couch at home waiting for the baby to "come." That is nuts! I can understand if you have a health issue or are on bedrest but if not, there is no way I would skip work early. :P They will just have to deal with me here if my water breaks or I go into heavy labor while at work (less of a big deal because my husband also works here - ha!)

I had 12 weeks, so I planned to go out on leave a week prior to my due date. I was working a pretty far distance from my home and hospital, and I didn't want to be in labor and trying to drive back through traffic for an hour! However, it was good I left when I did, because I would have been out anyway -my baby was born the Sunday after my last day on Friday! If I had been in your position, I would have worked until the last possible minute as well.

Ok, all you moms like to talk like you are heroes or something because you worked up until the day you delivered. If you do, great...good for you. Companies don't like to tell you the truth, which is, even if you have a healthy pregnancy, by law, your doctor can put you out 4 weeks before your actual due date. This have nothing to do with FMLA. It is paid just like disability is. The first week, like any disability is not paid so you can either choose to use your vacation days or just take it unpaid. Of course unless you have supplemental disability insurance the entire disability will only be partially funded. If you have a vaginal birth then you are expected to return to work in 6-8 weeks. If you have a c-section, you can stay our 8-12 weeks depending on how you are healing. Lots of people are completely mislead as to how disability works. You do NOT have to work until the end...why would you? Bottom line, each state is different and do your research. That is the way it is here in NJ but it was like pulling teeth to get the info out of my HR director. I had to get the info from my doctor and ladies who I worked with who had babies recently.

My employer "made" me take three weeks disability before my estimated due date. I had preterm labor twice, so it was a good thing they did. I only had a few days before she was born. Normally that particular employer encouraged two weeks disability. None of that time was taken out of maternity time.

I had the option of taking the disability time as FMLA, but if I took FMLA I wouldn't have been paid. And I ended up taking FMLA to extend my maternity leave anyway.

I work as a full time overnight Nurse... and at 6 months along, I don't know how much longer my mind and body can take working. I had planned on not returning to my job, especially not as full time, anyways... so since I'm due late July, I was going to take off first week of July and do some much needed organizing and cleaning of the house (with a professional's help I hope!).

It really depends on how demanding your job is. Sit down, phone/computer type jobs... you can stay until your water breaks. Lots of walking, bending, lifting, stress of life or death situations (Nurse, medical field, etc) = not such a great place to work until your water breaks.

With both of my children I worked right up until I delivered.

Of course, with both deliveries I did not know I was going to have to be induced until I set foot in the hospital. In fact, with my second birth I left in the middle of the day, desk all a mess, no lesson plans, etc. and went to the hospital because of my symptoms.