When to finish work??

[MummyDuck]

My DP and I are in a debate about when to finish work.....

I will be quitting my job for good (for the second time - 9 months after leaving the first time I was bgged to come back) and as it is such a small company I really want to give as much notice as possible for my boss to get his butt into gear and get a replacement. I want to give in my letter of resignation this week.

I wont be getting paid maternity leave and although it is possible to set me up at home quite easily while everyone else thinks it is a great idea (as DP and I work together he can bring home and take in anything needed) my boss seems to have security issues, not with me but with everyone else (hackers etc)

So to the point. My EDD is 16 June. I am happy to finish on 22 May (office job - the most physical I get is lifting boxes - which i just get DP to do most of the time now - and one weekly walk to the bank). DP would prefer me to finish on or closer to 1 May.

So I really need some help - I think Ill do nothing but sleep if i finish that early but my friend agrees with him and thinks I should finish that early. I am not very big and can't imagine getting hugely bigger either so I just don't know..........

How nice it is to even think about finishing work in 6ish weeks though. I hate it here

22 May or 1 May????

[Laranna]

I'm finishing work on the 30th April. Gives me about 4 weeks before bub is due and I'm planning on sleeping as much as possible and getting final bits and pieces for the baby organised.

My job is really boring atm and have no work to do so I've convinced the boss to let me work from home 1 day week up until I finish. I have an office job too but I would go nuts out of boredom if I worked closer to my due date.

If you are hating your job then maybe finish on the earlier date. At least you won't have the stressful feelings of "hating it here" and then when you're at home you can relax and sleep whenever you want etc.

[MantaRay]

There is no right answer to this, everyone is different.

My experience with DS1 was that I finished 4 weeks before he was due, hoping he would be early, and he was instead 2 days late. At work I was bored (my work had run out already), so I couldn't wait to finish up, but then when I was at home, I had even less to do, no company during the day and it was too hot to go out, so actually I was more bored. I wished I had worked for longer and at least been paid for being bored.

DS2 arrived 4 weeks early, on what would have been my first day of maternity leave. I felt really unprepared as I had been sick for a week before that and had so much left to do to get ready for baby.

So one time I wished for less leave, and the other time for more! I think just make the best of whatever you do, and if you do finish earlier, plan for lots of people to come and visit to keep you company in case you are too tired to go out much. At least it won't be summer, so you'll probably be fine to go out though. GL.

[Mollygirl]

I agree with MantaRay.

With DS I left 5 weeks before and enjoyed the 3 weeks before he arrived 2 weeks early.
With DD I worked up to 37 weeks, went into work half day on the Tuesday and had her on the following Friday and felt so unprepared, had been unwell too.

I would say nothing less than 4 weeks before, but longer could be good if you don't need the $$ as it is the last time you get any time to yourself as life changes so much when bub comes along. Even if you spend the time reading, watching DVD's, going for a coffee at the coffee shop etc, you will be well rested and prepared for the baby and the tiredness that comes with it.

All the best.
MG

[fionas]

I finished work three weeks before DD was born because there was no point me finishing earlier. I had grand plans of freezing lots of food, doing stuff around the house but I had an unstable pelvis from Week 28 making it hard to walk, stand or bend. So no point being at home on the couch I figured. Might as well work (they let me get a taxi to and from) and bring in the dollars.

But I did get really tired in the mornings and could have done with the sleep-ins. Infact I was way more tired when I was pregnant than I was when DD came along.

Maybe compromise with your DP and pick a date between 1 and 22 May.

[{sarah}]

I finished at 38 weeks with Zander & he was a week late, I'm also finishing at 38 weeks with this one - four weeks to go YAY!!