working on bed rest

I posted a while back about how to prepare my job for the likely bed rest ahead. I'm now at 23 weeks and feeling it. My doc mentioned leaving work at 28 weeks. Are any of you on bed rest working from home? How did you arrange it? Ask for it? Prepare your office for it?

Any advice would be great!

 

I never went on "official" bedrest, but I worked from home, from the bed/couch for the last 8 weeks. I was due in Feb and the December/Janurary are very busy months at work for me, so we wanted to plan ahead. Having an open dialogue with my boss really helped. I already had a laptop and we made sure I had full access to all of my files and my company's network to be able to do as much as possible from home. If needed, my doctor would have written me out of work at 28 weeks due to some growth issues we were having. I made sure my boss realized this and he felt it was better to have me working from home than not working at all. It also worked out better for me as I didn't have to use any FMLA or short term disability prior to delivery. I ended up working from home up until the day before I delivered at 36 weeks.

My biggest piece of advice is talk to your boss and your HR department to find out what might work and what services are available to you. I think most bosses would rather have you work from home than not working at all. Good luck and keep them cooking!

 

Today, I joined those of you on bed rest. I still plan on working (otherwise I might lose my mind) and here's what I've done.

I got work to issue me a laptop and our IT department set the Microsoft Outlook with my work e-mail address. DH set up a secure wireless network in our house with a wireless multi-function center (printer, scanner, copier, fax) and gave my work laptop permission to access it. Now, when I send e-mails, no one can tell I am not at my desk. I also have spent the last year cultivating a great relationship with my secretary. She is my eyes and ears in the office and we discussed how we will communicate while I am out. When stuff does come in, in addition to calling me, she scans it and e-mails it to me in PDF. This way I can print it and work on it. I plan on sending her little gifts (gift cards, notes, flowers) thanking her for all of her extra work on my behalf throughout my bed rest.

Although I am now home, and could probably hide this fact from many of my clients who don't come to my office regularly, I bit the bullet and (with my bosses permission and preview) sent them all a message explaining that I would be working from home. I gave them a skinny explanation of why I needed to do this, but assured them that I will be continuing my efforts on their behalf. I have also assured my clients that I am staying on top of their accounts by coordinating all of my work with a colleague, who is being brought up to speed in the event that I am told to stop working, even from home. Granted, this means a lot more work for me - I have to explain everything - but my hope is to assure my clients that I have their best interest at heart.

Good luck to you. I think it is totally possible to work while on bed rest. In fact, from those who have been here before me, I am told it actually helps pass the time. Daytime television apparently drives you crazy in a matter of hours!