Naps.....for ME!!!

[kfcboston]

Man, oh man. I've been full of all this big talk this pregnancy of how I'm going to just keep on working, and how my water's going to break at my desk, blah, blah, blah. Well, I'm beat!! I just took a 45-minute nap here in the office. Hmmm.

I'd prefer to not take any "extra" leave on the front end, since it will technically come off the back end (my paid leave is my vaca and sick time). But I'm hearing that I'm nuts, and I'll regret it later if I take time now to rest. I always figured I'd be bored sitting at home twiddling my thumbs waiting for the baby to arrive, but now I'm thinking maybe I'll sleep! This seems so weird, b/c my job is NOT physically labor intensive in the slightest, although my commute is a little bit, and I feel like I've just run a race! I know my body is hard at work, but it just seems weird when I'm not actually DOING anything!

Anyone have any thoughts or experiences to share on taking leave of work before the due date? Thanks!

Katie
EDD w/ #1 -- 3/7/03!

[celfsh]

I was also pretty tired and uncomfortable at work towards the end of my pregnancy. Fortunately, I was able to keep working until just a couple of days before my due date due to the fact that my really understanding boss let me work from home for the last few weeks (in fact, he was the one who suggested it).

I don't know if this would be an option for you, but it made all the difference for me. I took naps at lunch in my own bed, sat on a birthing ball while I worked (SO much more comfortable at the time than a regular office chair!), and kept my feet up all the time to relieve my swollen "cankles".

Like I said, I don't know if this would work for you, but it might be worth looking into. Best of luck--you're almost there!

celeste
mom to olivia 9/25/02

[COElizabeth]

If working from home doesn't work out, Celeste's idea of the ball might still help. I visited a marketing firm once where someone told me that several staff had made it through working there while pregnant only because they sat on those fit balls you see at the gym.

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02

[LD92599]

I was due on Wed and it's now Friday,...still no baby and I'm working til the baby is born. Fortunately, my commute is about 20 minutes by car..no far walking, etc and I can get up, walk around, etc if need be. Just my 2¢ worth..i knew i wanted my full time home after the baby, not before.

Laura
Due: Feb 26th, 2003

[Rachels]

I regret NOT taking more time off before my baby was born. It would have been nice to go into the whole thing rested. My body was screaming at me to stop, and I just didn't (couldn't?) listen. Then I had an unbelievably difficult labor. I don't know if the two were related, but I do know I will never again push so hard when I'm very, very pregnant. Your body is working really hard. I remember reading that the body of a pregnant woman at rest is working as hard as the body of a not-pregnant woman climbing a mountain. That stuck with me. If your deepest sense is saying stop, think about how you can honor that.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[JMarie]

I too was completely exhausted towards the end of my pregnancy - it was all I could do to drag myself into work, sit at my desk for eight hours, and then drag myself back home - and I only have a fifteen minute commute! It was an enormous task for me to just walk to the bathroom and by the end of the day my ankles were swollen beyond recognition. I was in terrible pain, but since I wasn't even eight months along, I felt like such a baby (pardon the pun) for complaining! My co-workers would joke with me that I would never make it another month. Well, I didn't! I kept thinking I should just talk to my OB's and take my leave early (I work for a large corporation, so that was an option for me), but I didn't want to be classified as a wimp, so I just sucked it up. Looking back, I really wish I had taken my leave six weeks before my due date (Aidan was born five weeks early). I know stress can cause pre-term labor, and now I will always wonder if I had just taken it easy, would Aidan have made it to term? If you can, I would take time off on the front end. Rest up and take care of yourself - you might not get that chance again for a while!

JMarie
Mom to Aidan Christopher 01/28/03

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Yesterday was my last day in the office and I am not due for three more weeks. It's not the work that gets to me, it's the commute; an hour on the train each way. (besides that, I don't want to take a chance of having this baby on the train)

My boss is great, he is letting me work from home until the baby is born, and for 6 weeks after my maternity leave is over so I don't have to go back to the office until baby is 3 months old.

Right now, I am looking forward to the extra hour of sleep each morning, and being able to take a break and sit in my comfy recliner for awhile each afternoon. And I just might take a nap daily.

...Karen
Mom to Jake age 12 and expecting Logan Elizabeth or Garrett Benjamin , EDD March 21

[himom]

I had planned to work up until baby was born too but that went out the window right around the time I hit 8 months. I have a desk job that I can get comfortable at and it's only 15 minutes away, but I still had the hardest time working.

Between bad heartburn, swollen legs, and my big tummy I was having a hard time sleeping. To make up for this, my body decided to doze off at my computer! I can't tell you how many times someone walked into my office and scared me awake. Anyway, I figured at that point I was pretty useless at work so I ended up taking off 2 weeks before my EDD.
I was not at all bored, since I spent a great deal of time sleeping, practicing breathing, and reading up on labor and baby care.

I really did want to keep as much time as possible for "after" so I could spend it with Josh, but I also believe that those two weeks of rest were the best thing I could have done for me and baby. By the time I went into labor I was well-rested and prepared, and L&D went very well. Since I get no sleep now, it's a good thing I stored it up pre-baby!

Mommy to Joshua Keoni, 2/8/03

[kfcboston]

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I have slept my brains out this weekend (about 22 hours over 2 nights!!) I really haven't been having trouble sleeping at night, or with overwhleming fatigue on the weekends. I'm also not yet having much trouble with swelling, waddling, insomnia, or extreme physical discomfort, so I guess I'm going to take this week as it comes.

Katie
EDD w/ #1 -- 3/7/03!!