New Here, Work Question

I'm new here & this is my first post. I'm 25 weeks pregnant with di/di boys & have been having BH since 23 weeks. My cervix is closed & 5cm as of 24 weeks and my fFN test was negative at 23 weeks. We're not sure on the genetic component, but my mom did go into PTL with me at 20 weeks & my brother at 24 weeks, so there is a potential that I'm higher risk.

I'm a 12-hour-night-shift nurse that works 3 days/week. My doctor has started some work restrictions (ie only 2 days in a row, limited walking, etc) but is still allowing me to work.

I'm just curious, in general, as to when most of you were taken off work. I know my time working is limited, but the longer I work, the more maternity leave I get, so I'm trying my best! Just curious on other's stories.

Thanks in advance....

 

Well i am a SAHM, so i cant really help you on the working aspect... But Congrats on your twins and welcome to this site!!

 

I am working from home 5 days a week now. I was 3 days a week up until 28 weeks and then I went to full time work from home. I was 3 days a week when I was not pregnant so going to 5 was not a big deal. I also sit at a desk and am not on my feet like it sounds your job entails. I understand about wanting to save your maternity leave time - I too am aiming for the same thing but you have to take into consideration that you don't want to overdo it and go into PTL.

Just be careful and if your body tells you that it's too much - cut back.

Good luck!

 

Thanks! I'm beginning to think I'm only looking at a couple more weeks of work, but unfortunately I do not have the option of doing any work from home. Whatever's best for the boys is what I'll do, even if I complain about it a little bit .

Just wondering what everyone else's experiences were....

 

Hi Andrea - welcome to twinstuff and congrats on your twins.

I went down to 8 hour days at 28 weeks, then about 30 weeks I noted lots of braxton hicks, so I went down to my normal work in the morning and then answering phones/etc (i.e. -- sitting, not up and down, or moving around) in the afternoon. At that time I had a closed thick cervix. Then at 32 and 5/7 I was admitted for preterm labor - cervix changed to 50% effaced and 2-3cm dilated - I stayed in the hospital for four days, no change, so I was sent home on bedrest. I haven't been back to work since then.

I think no one knows if you are or are not going to end up on bedrest, etc. I was doing fine with no problems prior. I still actually feel relatively well, (except I'm ready to have these kids!) for a twin pregnancy. Even while I was in the hospital, I felt like I could have been at work - just my cervix and uterus weren't letting me!

Erica.

 

Congratulations!!! I wanted to work as long as possible too so i could get more leave to spend with my babies afterwards. I finished working @ 32 weeks exactly as i was so tired i had planned to go to 34 / 35 weeks. Up untill that point my pregnancy had been near perfect and i was working 8.5 hours a day mon - fri in a school. I then went on to have them 4 days later so i guess that was my body saying you should have slowed down! A lot of people work untill near the end and a lot have to stop earlier due to bed rest etc. Listen to your body and if it gets too much just stop. x

 

I worked the same shifts and same job and gave up at 23-24 weeks. It was just killing me. However, I had to really advocate for myself, because my doc didn't want to sign the papers unless I was contracting... I do not understand that reasoning, but whatever.

Good luck! Be proud you made it so far and still seem like you want to keep going. Hopefully, you will have an easy time of it when you are ready to quit.

 

It is great to get a consensus, the weeks absolutely vary from never stopping work to stopping in the first trimester. I stopped at 29 weeks because of some preterm labor issues.

Welcome!

 

I was on modified rest from 26 weeks on where I was able to work, but had to be sitting most of the time. I was hospitalized at about 31 weeks and after that was put on strict bedrest. Your body will do what it wants so listen to it!

 

I had a great pregnancy with no problems besides the fact that if I was on my feet to long I looked like Shrek. I went down to 6 hour work days at about 32 weeks. It was me that made the decision - my doctor just kept telling me that I was doing great. I stopped my self from working at 35 weeks 4 days. The next morning I had a dr appt. and that afternoon my water broke. So - I worked until the day before I had the girls.

I REALLY wish that my dr had pulled me off work sooner but she didn't. If you feel like you can work go for it - but if you are having a had time tell your doctor.

Good luck - and WELCOME!

 

luckily the doc i saw on tues. said it was time for me to stop working - i'm not on any type of bedrest for now, she didnt want me driving around b/c of my big belly - and i'm having alot of groin and back pain - she said she is very conservative when it comes to twins

i'm glad b/c i had my son at 35 weeks and i worked up until the day i had him - so hopefully this early being out of work will help me rest and bake these babies longer!

 

I stayed home as of 28 weeks on my dr's recommendation, not because of any complications or issues. I was more than happy to accept his recommendation.

 

I am a dietitian. My MD said he would pull me off at 32 weeks no matter what. I didn't make it that far. Everything went fine (except being very uncomfortable) until 26 weeks. Then, I started having contractions that were regular. They put me in the hospital and gave me two rounds of staroids. I was done working from then on out (I delivered at 36 1/2 weeks)

Angel

 

I work 12 hour shifts as an L+D nurse. My ob wanted me to stop working at 20 weeks. But i have never had any problems with ptl or anything so I ignored him till 27 weeks. After that the 12's got to long and the long walks down the halls got even longer!

 

Hey I'm a NICU nurse... I normally work 12 hr shifts... 3 days a week. I was SO tired I begged my Doc to take me out of work. He explained in detail that he'd take me out without any problems but wanted to know if I was planning on claiming short-term disability. When I said that I was... he said he's had a few patients get denied short-term because they don't accept high risk pregnancy as a reason to not work. There has to be a documented problem (true contractions, PIH, GD, or TTTS there were more but nothing that I wanted!) So since he couldn't put any of those reasons down then he was pretty sure that they would deny me. He did say it was time to cut me back to 8 hr shifts. He said I probably should have cut back at 20 weeks. So I'm now working 8 hr shifts and feel like a new person. I feel so much better especially since they have me working 11a to 7p (that's our busiest time.) I feel great. Maybe you should consider cutting back your hours to 8hr shifts. I am only scheduled 3 days a week but I do pick up an extra day so I don't use too much of my time.

 

Thank you all so very much for the 'welcomes' & all the input. I've been lurking, but finally signed up for a user name so I could post!

I'm still surviving 12 hr shifts (I work 6p-6a) in a Neuro/Trauma ICU but they are getting more & more tiring. My past few shifts have been slow, so I have survived better. I'm scared for the next time I have a busy night at work. I'm trying to really take it easy on my days off, but even if I'm taking it easy, I get BH. I'll definitely start listening to my body better & have a good, long chat with my doctor at my next visit (my last visit was quick b/c he was pulled out for a delivery). I really don't want to do anything to jeopardize the babies, even if it means a hit financially & going back to work 6 weeks after they're born. I also don't want to pull out of work TOO early just to be overly cautious. My next step will be going to 8 hr shifts, so maybe I'll feel like a 'new woman' (like BDFDGirl!).

Part of me is worried b/c there are times I just put my hand on my belly to rub it (I think that's woman instinct ...right?) & I'm having a contraction without even feeling it. Other times I know. Other times I know what USUALLY brings them on, so I can feel for them. I just hope I'm not getting too many that I'm not feeling while I'm at work! My doctor said he's really only TRULY concerned about the contractions lasting more than 45 seconds (so far I've ALWAYS felt those ones), which most of mine aren't....does that seem right? Or should I be concerned about ANY contraction?

Ironically, my mom carried my twin brothers to 36 weeks (not even KNOWING it was twins), but then went into labor with me at 20 weeks. I'm hoping my pregnancy goes as well as HER twin pregnancy!!! Aside from tailbone pain, my pregnancy was smooth sailing until 23 weeks (including only 8lb weight gain...at that time anyway!)! Guess I can't complain too much!

Thanks again for your help! It's so much nicer hearing input from twin mommies than all my friends who are carrying singletons (and working til the dire end). I think I'll be referencing this site quite a bit more now!!!!

Andrea

 

I went on bedrest at29 weeks, due to contractions. I am a massage therapist so have a pretty physical job also. I did feel like it woz a warning becoz I woz doing too much.

I delivered at 37 weeks so everything woz fine.

Just listen to your body.



amanda

 

I'm also a nurse and am wondering how long I will make it at work. Lately, I come home from work, sit down for a bit and have severe back and sciatic pain. No fun at all. I'm in the OR, so drinking adequate fluids is not always possible. Right now I'm 19 weeks, 2 days. I see my doctor in just over a week. I need to discuss being out on short term disability and what I need to have in order to qualify.
Good luck!
Jennie

 

I hope you get your hours cut back soon! When do you start contracting at work? I would start after about 2pm (7hrs into the shift.) They would always start as me just feeling them... nothing too painful. Until about 6 (11hrs into the shift.) They would come much more frequently and become a little more uncomfortable. Nothing really painful (only one day but that was a very busy bad emotional day... I'm sure you know about those) I would also always have at least two on the way out to the car, one on the drive home (I live 5 min from the hospital) but as soon as I got home, they would stop. Of course that's because I would stop! I would sit down and veg on the couch for a little bit. I might have like one, but it wouldn't hurt... I would just notice it. Then I would have another one when I was in the shower. Now if I worked two days in a row, then I would start contracting the next day at about 12noon.

Sorry for the long winded story... but now that I'm doing 8s, I don't contract until the last hour of the shift, even if I work two days in a row. But I'm still limited to only working two in a row. So my point is... if you are contracting like I was... this may be what you need.

 

I worked until 35w2d (a Thursday) doc pulled me out of work because of my protein (I have a desk job so it wasn't too bad)...I delivered on Tuesday.

 

Heather, I contract even at the beginning of my shift. They aren't ever painful (except last Tuesday when work was extremely busy...like you said...and that night I left after 6 hrs so I could go home & lay down), just uncomfortable. Plus, I have 2 heads right by my lungs right now, so add on a contraction & I'm super short of breath ! Anyways, I contract every now & again the whole shift, with the end of the shift being worse. Like you said, once I go home & veg, they putter out, but never go away. I get them every time I roll over in bed, every time I get up to pee, & sometimes I'll wake up from a deep sleep with one. Very few of mine last much more than 20-40 seconds, but I still wonder if I shouldn't be concerned. Maybe I should TRY some 8 hr shifts to see if it makes a difference (problem w/8hr is that I can't work in the ICU then & would have LOTS more walking up & down halls, plus less sitting...we sit & chart in the ICU). Tough call. I just know I get MORE contractions at work than at home, so I wonder how much longer I should put my body (and the poor babies) through this stress. Who knows how bad work will be if we get a super busy night (haven't had one since the contractions started).....Guess I'll just talk to my doc at my appt in a week.

Thanks again for all your input. It's good to know others were getting off work around the time I am, so at least I won't feel like I had to quit earlier than most.

For those of you who left work early, did you still get a full 12 week maternity leave? If so, can you explain how (I know it varies state to state & job to job, but just wondering if anyone had suggestions I may not be aware of).... THANKS!

 

I am getting my short term disability, but I haven't been there long enough to qualify for any sick time or PTO. I just told them I wasn't going to be back until Sept, had it written on my doctors note as well. Our hospital was just bought out by a private company and we lost about half our nursing staff because of the fear in the 'changes'. I am SURE there will be a place for me and the hours I want when I decide to go back

 

Well, my contractions seem to be subsiding at work a bit, yet I'm also tiring easier & getting more achy by the end of my long shifts (and by the end of two 12 hr shifts in a row). Do you think my doc would let me cut back just because of the achiness & exhaustion, or will he only cut me back for TRUE medical reasons? And I wonder, if I'm getting achy & overly tired, that most likely means I'm overdoing it & the stress probably isn't good for the boys, right? My next appt is May 7, so I think I might ask to cut back to 32 hrs/week (dropping 4 may help, right ???) and see if he'll let me!!!

Thanks again for all your input! I plan to use my short term disability first (we're allowed to use 6 weeks) & then tap into my vacation time. I just wish I had enough vacation time to keep my paychecks relatively close to what they are now until after the babies are born !