Hey ladies, quick question for you. Do any of you have a decent commute to work and are starting to think about working form home in the weeks leading up to your due date (if its a possibility with your job)? My current door to door commute is two hours, although its broken up into a 15 minute chunk from my house to the bus station, commuter bus is generally an hour an a half in morning traffic, then i have a 15-20 minute walk from where the bus drops me off to my office. My boss has already mentioned me working from home in the weeks leading up to my due date, but its just been mentioned quickly here and there, i don't have an actual date that i'm going to start working from home. I'm currently 33w5d and doing fine so far. When would you start to seriously consider stopping commuting to wfh? i also don't want to totally take advantage of the flexibility either.
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i don't have a work from home option. I commuted until I went to labor BUT my commute was only 30 minutes on a train. I usually got a seat and it wasn't that bad.
Seeing your commute is about 2 hours I would consider it especially if your boss offered it to you.
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With my first pregnancy, I started working from home 100% (my original schedule was 2 days at home, 3 days at office) starting at 35 weeks., my boss at the time was so afraid I'd go into labor at work that she insisted.
This time, I started working from home 100% of the time this week (at just past 37 weeks). I was only working at the office 1-2 days a week anyway though. I could have started to earlier, but with a rambunctious toddler at home, I relish in my office "adult" days.
My commute is usually 45 min - 1 hour each way. I'm definitely glad I don't have to be stuck in a car with the way I've been feeling... it's nice to be in the comfort of my own home.
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My coworker was worried about giving birth on the side of the road so she stopped working about 2 weeks before her due date. Her commute is about 1.5 hrs.
I might be a bit worried about my water breaking at work. I'm only an 1 hr commute and I'm part of a vanpool so I hardly ever drive.
We both have the option to work from home. I work from home on days I have Dr appts.
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If your boss offered, you're not taking advantage!
I'm only just entering the second tri, but dreading being further along and commuting. I drive and door to door it's about an hour and a half. If my bosses offered to let me telework even I few days, I'll be all over that!
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Thanks for the responses ladies! I'm thinking definitely the two weeks leading up to my due date and possibly even the week before.
@bluestriped bee: i've also been working from home on all of the days i have doctors appointments, even though the actual appointment is only approximately 3 minutes long, i totally milk it and work from home those days. my job is 90% coordinating things through email/phone calls, so really i can work from anywhere with the exception of shoot days and VO/editing sessions where i need to actually attend in person.
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I have a decent commute. Last pregnancy I started working from home at 39 weeks. I'm thinking I will do the same this time.
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As you get farther along, I think it'll be clearer when you'll want to start working at home. I'm approaching 36 weeks, and my doctor mentioned at my last appointment that I shouldn't be farther than an hour or so from my hospital for the next few weeks, just in case.
Maybe you can mention your lonnnng commute to your doctor at your next check-up, and they can make a recommendation for when you should stop commuting? (It'd also help with the guilt complex - if your doctor is saying slow down, you gotta do it!)
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I dont have that long of a commute but I was just terrified of my water breaking at the office. I literally kept a bag with me with an extra pair of black yoga pants and some super pads in it in case. I worked from home the 2 weeks before K arrived - best decision ever. I was much more comfortable and was able to get some extra things done (I am super productive at home).
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I didn't have a WFM option and had a long commute so my Dr started my leave at 36 weeks for LO 1.
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I have a short commute but I worked from home starting at 38 weeks. The baby had dropped, my office chair was killing my crotch, and I was really getting pissy with people.
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Is your hospital closer to home or work? My concern is less about the commute and more about going into labor and being two hours away from the hospital!
I worked right up until I delivered but I can literally see my hopsital from my office so it was better for me to be here anyway.
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I have been working at home for a while due to threatened preterm labor. My MFM said I could go back at 37 weeks, and I just talked to my boss yesterday and she said "no way, you should stay home until the baby comes." My commute is about an hour each way (sometimes more, sometimes less), but unpredictable with traffic. If you have the option and they are offering it to you, I would do it in a heartbeat!
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@Truth Bombs: my hospital is closer to home. I live on the border of MA/NH and my hospital is about 20 minutes north of my house and i work about 40 miles south of my house in Boston, so totally opposite directions. A comforting fact though is there are several highly rated hospitals in Boston within a few minutes of my office that also take my insurance if i REALLY needed it.
@Raspberries: thats a good idea getting a doctors note with their recommendation, then i'm not just working from home because its convenient/peace of mind, but because its doctors orders!
I'm thinking by 36 weeks i'll be able to judge more accurately. Plus my work needs to get on top of hiring my temp replacement (we already know who it will be, but they haven't officially reached out to him with the details/rates, etc), because they want us to overlap a week or two to transition everything, but at this rate he should probably start within the next two weeks.
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If I had the choice I would have started working from home around 35w. I started feeling really miserable around 34w and the commute home started getting really miserable on the T. My commute was about 45 minutes and people were always nicer in the morning then the afternoon. So, I was exhausted by the end of the day anyway and would have to basically stand the whole way home, with people bumping into me, which was really frustrating. I don't think is that big of a deal to take advantage if your boss offered.
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I'm 34 weeks, and with the pelvic pain and swelling I've been having, there's no way I could do your commute now! My 30 min drive and walk up a flight of stairs from the parking lot exhausts me. I talked to my boss last week, and I'm going to be working from home at least one extra day from now on. (I was doing 1 day at home each week previously.) As things get closer to the due date, I'll see if I need to do more.
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My commute was not quite as long - 5 minute drive, 30 minute train ride, 15-20 minute walk. Towards the end of pregnancy I was mostly taking the bus rather than walking that last bit because I was huge and it was December/January and icy on the sidewalks. I was handling it fine up until about 39 weeks when it started to get really uncomfortable and I was getting very nervous about going into labor on the train. At 39w5d, I started having contractions at work, called my boss and told her I was going home and would be starting my maternity leave. Baby Boy stayed put for another week and ended up having to be kicked out at 41w, but I felt way better being at home and close to the hospital. I lost a week of time at home with him after delivery, but the peace of mind was worth it. If you have the chance to work from home, I'd say take it.
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@MissLace: How funny, I grew up in that area. Knowing what a pain it is to commute into the city, and that your preferred hospital is North. I would definitely transition around 36/37 weeks to working from home.
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I had a 1.5-2hr commute in each direction with my first pregnancy, but the hospital I was delivering at was right next door to my office. I worked until the day before I delivered. My stance was always that for the vast majority of people, labor is a drawn out process that starts slow. Meaning there's plenty of time to get somewhere before it's an issue. If I was in your position though, hospital in different direction, public transportation, I would would probably work from home if that was an option. Especially if that makes you more comfortable.
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