When do most people stop working?

Yes, I am very concerned about pre-term labor. I carried all my singleton babies full-term but I was not working most of the time and I was only goin to class where I sat down. But this time is much different. I have been looking for jobs every since before i got pregnant and now Im scared that no one is going to want to hire a pregnant person. However, today at work they noticed that I was absolutely miserable and are workin on previsons to make my job less demanding. But I will till havet stand for most of my shift. I am taking online classes starting tomorrow. I am hoping that my financial aid along with my income tax will be enough for me to stop workin by mid-February. I have a lot of support from my sister who is in the AirForce and other family members. My job is good in that I can be off for months (unpaid) but will most likely have a job when im ready to return. Im on medicaid so my insurance is not through my job. I will be asking my doctor seriously about what he thinks I should do about my job because it puts a lot of physical strain on me and dont feel comfortable doing it.

 

I read just some of those blogs and was sooooo glad to hear of positive stories! Thank you!

 

I'm also a Speech Pathologist. When I was pregnant with my twins, I worked full-time for a school district. I feel you're pain with all the movement and not being able to just sit for a bit. The paperwork side of the job often comes "after hours". I was lucky in a way that I was 24 weeks when school ended for the year. So, I let the district know that I would be starting my leave of absence beginning in Sept. The babies were due Oct. 3rd. So, I had the summer off. Well, I was chasing a 2.5 yr. old around and moving, but not having to do that on top of work. I think you have to listen to your body. With my singleton, I worked past my due date, but I was in a sub-acute setting and was able to sit more. In the schools, when you have 60 + kids to try to fit into your schedule, it can get very tiring. It sounds like those long days are starting to get to be too much. Listen to your body and stay hydrated.

 

My OB was awesome and really listened to me. I was about 14 weeks when I had a huge increase in my stress level due to some issues at work. I told him I was really worn out and didn't feel I could work as much as I was. He asked me what I wanted to work and I needed to work at least 20 hours to keep my insurance. So, he wrote that I was to work 2.5 days a week which is exactly what I needed. When I was ready, he gave the ok for me to go back full-time. My pregnacy was not complicated at all, but there was just a lot going on at work that I was exhausted from the stress of it. I wish more OB's were like mine where they truly listened to their patients and their needs. He was so sensitive. The other OB's in his practice weren't as great as he was and each Dr. has their own way of doing things.

 

Okay- today is an excellent example of my dilemma... I had the 2 weeks with a much lighter caseload at work because of the holidays and this week I'm back at work full-force. Last night, though, the brax hicks just kept coming.. this morning after a good night's sleep I feel much better and have only had one contraction. I just don't know what to do. I'm going to take today off and rest- at my husband's insistence but I know next week is going to be more of the same. We don't have another appointment for another week and a half and I'm having trouble differentiating between what is a normal and what is not when it comes to brax hicks. We almost called last night and then they started to settle down.

 

Babyhopes- I would go to your doctor THIS week and talk about your concerns. Just say, "Is it a bad thing that I have lots of brax hicks when I work a full day?" Do you think I need to cut back? Maybe he or she can help you decide what to do. I know there is no way I could have done your job from 32 weeks on - absolutely no way. Right now I'm having a hard time just sitting in a recliner doing paperwork! Seriously I'm not kidding. I would LOVE to just lay on the couch and read, but it's not going to happen

 

I stopped working at 20 weeks. I was a teacher. I didn't "NEED" to stop but I wanted to stop!! I am sooo glad I did because that was the last time I got to rest.. probably EVER! For real. I had fun. Laid on the couch, watched tv, got EVERYTHING done that I would EVER need done for the next five years.. etc.

I'm soo glad I did it. Cuz once those babies arrived.. WOW. (2 plus yrs ago now) I have not rested since!

GL.

I probably could have worked til 27 weeks or so. After that, I had constant ctx and was just miserably LARGE.

 

Well, I'm going into the doctor to talk to her tomorrow about cutting back on my work schedule (as the nurse puts it). We already had an appointment booked for a week from Tuesday- after 4 long weeks of waiting and I'm afraid that we'll get short-changed at this appointment and only get to talk to the doctor and then they'll cancel my appointment for next week.. then we won't see anyone for another 4 weeks. I'm really seriously considering asking to be monitored more closely with continuing to work and the brax hicks and insisting that they check my cervix tomorrow as well.. am I wrong to think that there really is no way to know if brax hicks have become "productive" without getting checked by the doctor? Does anyone know if an increase in brax hicks (for me, it's always when I'm working a full schedule) gives you a higher likelihood of having a cervical change?

Thanks ladies for all of your support through this!!!!!!

 

BabyHopes,

I have an 'irritable uterus' which is really a term meaning LOTS of BH contrax with no cervical change. However, with my singleto DS pregnancy, the BH contrax started coming SO often (every 2-3 minutes for a day) that they DID start changing my cervix, and I ended up hospitalized and then on at-home bedrest the remainder of my pregnancy.

You are right, there is NO way to know if contrax are changing your cervix without a check. Really though, the best check is an internal u/s to measure your cervical length as sometimes manual checks of your cervix will miss early shortening and funneling and also can actually aggravate a cervix to start to dilate.

B/C of my hx and the fact that I have a lot of contrax, I get cervical measurements every two weeks. Luckily so far, despite all my contracting, I've had no cervical change...so I'm not on bedrest. But my doc told me some time ago to limit the time spent on my feet standing or walking and to limit my work hours. I also take Procardia to help with my contrax.

GL!

 

Trust your instincts! I have not had any complications and my OB has still done a transvaginal U/S every other week since Week 5 to check the length and shape of my cervix. Soon I will be checked weekly. He is pulling me out of work in 1.5 weeks at 32 Weeks. All the research I've read suggests that antepartum leave results in better delivery outcomes, improved postpartum recovery, and a more relaxed beginning for the family.

 

Hi Babyhopes -

No way to know for sure if the BH's are causing cervical change, at least that is what doc has told me. I've had a lot of brax hicks throughout my entire 3rd trimester and only started dilation about a week ago. I have had internal ultrasounds ever 4 weeks since 12 weeks and internal exams from my OB every week since 30 weeks. After I hit 30 weeks, they stopped the internal ultrasounds now I just get the internal exams now.

Def. ask your dr to put you off work if you are feeling run down and like your body isn't responding well. Afterall, we can never go back and change labor once it starts....atleast that is what my dr. told me. Better safe then sorry!

Good luck.