I voted near home because I'm assuming you'll be home in the last 3-4 weeks. Also, labor & delivery will be fast the 2nd time around. Typically it's half the time of your first one.
Near work - since this is where you'll be the majority of the time!
Home - you might be at home more often in the final stretch
Make arrangements for both locations somehow
IT's a toss up!
I voted near home because I'm assuming you'll be home in the last 3-4 weeks. Also, labor & delivery will be fast the 2nd time around. Typically it's half the time of your first one.
Trust me...I'm a little concerned about getting home on time, too. Although I don't have the bumpy transit ride (but the roads I drive are pretty bumpy). I think I agree with PP that suggested taking a cab IF you do go into labor at work. Better yet, if you have access to a car that you could drive the last couple weeks or so, it might be another option because you aren't at hte mercy of transit schedules and cab availability.
FWIW, I was REALLY freaked out with DS...but I had a feeling the day before I had him that I wouldn't be in the office the next day. I worked all day Tuesday...shut my computer down when I left because I didn't think I'd be back for a few months. I started having contractions about 4 am the next day and had DS at 10:30 am. The crazy thing was that I didn't think I was that far along because my contractions were so irregular. We were leaving my driveway at 9:30 am to go to the clinic to be checked...when I got to the clinic I was 9.5 cm and fully effaced. They made me take an ambulance to the hospital 2 blocks away!
Since we expect things to go even more quickly this time around, I'll probably start taking my laptop home every single night for the week or two before my due date. That way if I start having contractions, I can just stay home and see how things play out, yet still get work done if it turns out to be false labor. I plan to talk to my managers about this in the next couple weeks.
However, I DO know where the nearest hospital is from several points on my commute and FIL will be on standby again (he works fairly close to me) in case I feel like I can't make the 1 hr drive by myself.
ETA: I plan to work until I go into labor, no time off scheduled before the due date...or after if we go past. I only have 3 months where I get to spend more time with my child than our babysitter does...I'm taking full advantage of it!
Last edited by BabbyO; 07-27-2011 at 11:21 AM.
Wow that is a crazy story Babby O! Sounds like you have a good plan and I hear you on not wanting to take any days before if it can be helped! That's my plan too, but I might ask to work from home that last week at the very least. If it stretches out past that then hopefully they'll continue to let me WFH otherwise I'll just dip into vacay days.
Thing with me is I work in NYC so driving in not really an option (be worse than bumpy transit) and the cabs are not so hot either! I could probably get a private car if it really came down to it. We have plenty of hospitals near work, but would be ER situation, so not great - but at least better than delivering at my desk, haha.
Janine - my SIL works in NYC...so I understand the car thing (and the cabs there generally scare me...but then I'm really not used to cabs!).
Anyway, I think working from home would be ideal if at all possible. I will say...regardless at the first sign of labor I'm leaving if I'm at work. I don't think my labor would be less than an hour...but I think it will be quick, so no dawdling from me!
If I had more vacay days...I'd use them. I always try to have a plan and a couple of backups with the understanding that in the end, I just need to roll with it when it happens! Best of luck, though!