Mommies, when to stop working? How long to go back to work, etc?

[TriciaHowe]

First off Congratulations!! That is wonderful news!!!

I was a nurse at an Ob/Gyn office for many years....

I have had 4 kids, all c-sections, and all were totally different recovery times. I think alot depends on how YOU feel after delivery. You may be on bedrest before hand (I was on bedrest for 6 wks before my 3rd was born because of blood pressure issues). I have seen some women take months to feel back to normal and some bounce back in a couple of weeks. I always recovered quickly from mine - too quickly to suite my Doctor who was always telling me to rest more LOL! I would give yourself at least 4-6 wks recovery time just to heal and spend time with your baby. Especially if you are going to breast feed you will need that time to establish a good milk supply. It's nice just to have that time to get to learn your baby and sleep when you can. Always sleep whenever you can when baby is a newborn!! I can't stress that enough

Good luck

 

[newdock]

1-When did you feel like walking and moving around were to much work to do and you wish you could just be at home?
Varied - but mostly I didn't want to work the entire time. I had such bad morning sickness with my first pregnancy that I weighed less when I went into labour than when I got pregnant. The doctor almost hospitalized me at 16 weeks because I could only eat iceberg lettuce and ice cubes. It was a long 9 months and I think I puked in every location in town including the garbage can at the bank.... All of my 4 pregnancies were similar. I have had friends that have worked, played, excercised until the end and I have had friends that have been bed-ridden and unable to do anything. I think it is impossible to predict. You'll just have to do what is best for you at the time - I know, tough with your job!

2-How long after baby were you just out of it and couldn't do much?
Once the baby was born, I was back at it pretty quick. Vaginal births, no complications. (4 kids, 4 births). With my first, I was begging to get off the delivery table to take a walk and stretch my legs. I would say that my brain was foggy until about 6 weeks - I always found that it took 6 weeks to feel like you knew what you were doing, things were going smoothly and you felt like life outside of baby was there again. After my 2nd baby, I never went back to work (she's 11 now). I continue to be a stay-at-home mom.

3-What is the standard maternity leave?
I live in BC Canada, and here it is currently 1 year, which can be shared between parents. So mom can take all 12 months or dad can take all 12 months, or the 12 months can be shared (mom 6, dad 6 etc.). During this time, your job must be held, and you receive employee benefits that are a % of your average salary....I"m not sure what it is now, but when I collected, it was about 50% or so.

Congratulations and good luck!

 

[Nyrial]

1-When did you feel like walking and moving around were to much work to do and you wish you could just be at home?
I worked full time, on my feet, lifting heavy objects until the day I went into labor with my first (can't imagine why she came out a month early

)
The second, I had just graduated from college and was applying to jobs, so it was a bit easier, except being at home with a newborn and 2 and a half year old is

2-How long after baby were you just out of it and couldn't do much?
About 2 weeks for both. You go comatose about 2 days after getting out of the hospital, and then sort of wake up in a puddle of your own drool a few weeks later. Usually with a baby attached to you.

3-What is the standard maternity leave?
I think 6-8 weeks is typical in the states, but you can get more usually if you have a cool employer.. I took 6 weeks with my first, I guess technically 3 months with my second, because that's when I got a job, followed by a cross country move for said job, flew kids out etc...

And........Congratulations! Being a working mother is hard, being a working mother and student is harder, but I know the pay off for my family is worth it.