When to stop working

Hi everyone. I'm new here and after reading a lot of posts, I am finally getting around to asking my questions.

A litte about me. I am 24 weeks pregnant with twin boys! Needless to say, it was quite a shock to learn we were having twins. I have three other kids and wanted one last little one but were blessed with two. As of today, my main concern is when to stop working. I just had my doctor's appointment yesterday and he said that it was basically up to me when to to decide (can't tell you how much I love my doc). He said that it depends on how I feel, how I'm planning financially and what happens in the next few weeks. I've been thinking about when to stop working since I learned I was having twins because it is so different from my other pregnancies. With the others, I took the 4 weeks off before and 8-10 weeks after.

Luckily, I have had no major complications up to this point. My ultrasounds show everything is fine, the development is normal. The only thing I have to do is the 3 hour glucose since the 1 hour came back a little high. But this happened my last pregnancy (3 years ago) so I'm hoping this one will turn out ok too. I am very big, no surprise there, and I get sooo tired. I do have some pain in my lower abdomen when I over do it. The sad thing is, it's not like I'm jogging or walking a few miles, sometimes it can happen from just going shopping or taking my 3 year old to the park, it's actually quite annoying. My doc just keeps telling me to take it easy and that it's common with twins. It gets so bad that some days I can hardly stand because my lower back pain is horrible. I'll get the shooting pain at the top of my belly too, on and off. And after 8 horrible weeks of morning sickness, I have the lovely headaches that have remained throughout. I work 8 hours at an office and by 2 pm, I'm ready to call it quits.

I know that a twin pregnancy is different and that I need to give myself a little room but sometimes I do feel like such a baby. I already have intermittent FMLA (I live in CA) because my morning sickness was so extreme and my boss was great in recommending I get it so my mornings and days out would not count negatively against me. At the start of my pregnancy, my doc did tell me that this pregnancy was going to be very different and to be ready to gain more weight and deal with the different complications that are common in twin pregnancies. He mentioned a few things, including the possibility of having to leave work much earlier. To be honest, I thought I would be just fine and that I would be working until the 36 weeks like before. But I'm only 24 weeks and seriously thinking I am not going to make it, not even close.

Any input from your experience will surely help me figure this out.

 

First, welcome to TS and congrat's on your twin pregnancy!!

I think more than anything you should just listen to your body. Definitely don't push yourself, and take it easy. I don't think there is a magical number where everyone that is pregnant with twins quits working.

For me, I quit working the day I was admitted to the hospital for PTL at 24 weeks so it wasn't really an option. My mom had twins (albeit 20 years before I did) and she worked up until she was 37 weeks. It truly is different for everyone, and a lot also depends on what type of work it is that you do.

Good Luck!!

 

I am also 24 weeks but with twin girls. I feel many of the same symptoms- although upper back pain, not lower. I am a teacher so automatically stopping in 2 weeks. But, if it wasn't scheduled that way, I think I would have to anyway. I am so ready! Good luck with your decision and don't feel wimpy at all. I worked all the way up to 37 weeks with my son and there is NO way I could do that again.

 

It really does depend on what type of work you do. I worked in an office, so my job was not physically hard on me. My doctor left it up to me how I was feeling as to when to stop, however, since I worked an hour away from the doctor, hospital and my home...my OB's office wanted me to stop at 36 weeks and that's when I did stop.
Good luck with your decision and the rest of your pregnancy!

 

Yeah, I have had everyone telling me to stop working for a good month or so (I'm 30 weeks today)- I kept telling them I believe I will know when it's time and my body will tell me. Next week is my last week of work. It could easily have been this week, but I wanted to finish out the school year. It's not that I couldn't work a little longer probably, but the way I'm looking at it is the longer I keep them in, the healthier and bigger they will be from the start. If that means sitting around home longer than I would like (I actually dread the thought of not working all day~ I'm usually very very busy all the time!), so be it. My job now is to grow them some more and I suppose enjoy the quiet while I can! If your body is saying enough, then it's time to stop and not push yourself too hard. It's just not worth it. (But it seems 28 weeks is the average I have heard and read for people to stop with twins, barring no other complications.)

 

My doctor was the same. She left it up to me for the most part since all seemed to be going well. I had the same problems as you. Back/hip pain and I was having more Braxton Hicks when I was at work too. I finally decided to go part time around 28wks to 3 days a week. Then at 30wks went to 2 days a week. Finally by 32wks, I couldn't take it anymore. I too was trying to make it as far as possible for money reasons, but I have been off for a couple weeks now and I have been doing so much better!! Listen to your body and do what feels right!

 

My first OB told me I would need to stop at 28 weeks. I teach and summber break was 20-28 weeks. I really wanted to start the school year with my new students, so I did. Another OB in the practice told me it would be okay as long as I took it easy. DH came in and did all the moving to get my classroom back in order-the cleaners that come in during the summer stack chairs 6 high and desks on top of each other. We set the room up to make it easier for me. I always stood at my overhead, so he set up a table so I could sit for example. Are there things you can do to make things easier on you at work? I planned to go until 36 weeks because that fell at conference time and was a natural break in the schedule, but I had preterm labor at 33 weeks and ended up in the hospital. A lot of that was working late nights to get things ready for a long term sub. I worked until 7:00 the night before I ended up in the hospital and I atteneded a lot of trainings for a new science curriculum. I ignored signs that I was doing too much and trudged along. I probably could have worked longer if I had slowed down a bit more and done some 1/2 days. Maybe that is an option?

 

What others have said -- everyone is totally different with completely different situations. Stay tuned with what works for you best. Also, you have other kids to take care of while pregnant with twins, and most of us didnt.

I worked only until up to 30 weeks. My work was not exceptionally strenuous physically, but I was still mostly on my feet the whole day, and that plus walking all around and the swelling of my limbs didnt help at all! ...And by then I was such a mammoth size that I seriously couldnt take it any longer!

 

I thought I wouldnt have any trouble going to 36 weeks because I had a cushy desk job. Wrong!!! By 28 weeks I went to mornings only and 32 weeks I was done!! My back couldn't take it anymore and it became a real hassel just trying to get ready in the morning. I couldn't get close enough to the mirror because of my stomach to see if my eyeliner was on right. :rotflmbo:

 

I had a desk job and a wedding to be in at my 36 week point. So, I thought I would be ok, but I feared that I wouldn't make the wedding, so I stopped at 30 weeks. I made the wedding, plus their return of their 2 week honeymoon and then some!

I thought that having a desk job was going to be easy for me, but it got really rough near the end of my working there, I had a ball shoved in my back to relieve any pressure and I pushed baby B's bum down all day long so he would stay out of my ribs. Once I got home, I had a 14 month old to take care of but I was thankful that he had 2 naps a day!

Everyone is very different but I think that people are right when they say "listen to your body" and do what is right for you! Good thing your doctor is all for what you want! That helps a bunch!

CONGRATULATIONS on your twin pregnancy!!!

 

My original plan was to work until 36w2d (June 4). The further along I got, the less confident I was about lasting that long. However, I did make it to 35w1d. My last day was this past Thursday. Shortly afterward, I felt like the babies had a big growth spurt. I can barely creep around my house, much less endure a day at work. I am satisfied that my maternity leave was well-timed.

I have had a relatively easy, uncomplicated pregnancy so far, otherwise I wouldn't have lasted so long. As others have said, it's different for everybody.

 

Agree with pp's about listening to your body. Everyone is different.
For me... I worked until 33 weeks. I had an office desk job but was so uncomfortable and grumpy at the end that it was hard to do my job. I was thankful for those last few weeks to rest and prepare for babies arrival. I wish I would have even done it a little sooner actually.

Also remember, it isn't just the working part that is hard... it is keeping up with "life" AND working that is hard. If you work all day, all of the things around the house, etc. have to be done after work. If you are not working, you can pick one or two small things to do each day so you can reserve your energy for growing those babies!



Good luck to you!!

 

I agree with all of the above posts. Just listen to your body. I asked a similar question when I was pregnant with my boys (now 13 months old) and got a variety of awnsers. Some do it up to delivery others go out way early. I went out at 34 weeks. I finally felt that something had to give. I could work fulltime or get my house ready for babies. Babies won. Good Luck. It is a hard choice to make. Just be sure to listen to your body.

 

I hope you start feeling better! but yes, you have to listen to your body so that you can grow some good healthy babies! just be sure you want to take off early if you do... b/c I believe that the FMLA is 12 wks only, including whatever time you take before they are born... of course if you have to take it off you have to, but if you are thinking of taking it off and aren't really needing to, then that just shortens the time you have with your babies after they are born.

 

I started feeling better around 22 weeks or so, so perhaps you'll get your second wind! But yes, we're all different and listen to your body and your doctor. Of the three OBs in the practice, one said I should stop at 28, one said I should cut down at 28 and one said I was entitled to stop at 28. At 29 I just couldn't do it anymore and began working from home. I have a very stressful desk job. Once I stopped working at the office, I stopped having BH, hot flahes and headaches. It was a rough adjustment, but now I'm 36w5d, and these guys are still cooking.

 

I work at a pharmacy, standing all day counting pills and helping customers. My bosses have not been very accommodating and have not done what they told me they would in the beginning (giving me sit down projects to work on). Since about 16 weeks I've had numbness in my leg and awful pain in my lower abdomen (round ligament pain?). I'm a measly 20 weeks but have decided to start working part time next week. So glad today was my last 9-630pm day!
This being my first pregnancy, and despite the fact I'm having twins, I naively thought I could work up until a few weeks before the birth. I never imagined it would wear so much on my body.

 

I stopped working at 27 weeks. I wanted to work longer (closer to 33-34 weeks), but the doctor took me off of work and put me on modified bedrest due to possible pre-eclempsia. Thankfully, the timing was perfect for me. I'm a teacher and had enough sick days to cover me for the rest of the school year. My summer will be paid like normal and then I'll take 9 weeks unpaid in the fall using our extended parenting leave. We were already planning on the fall being unpaid, so it was actually nice to have the time at home to rest and get ready for the babies. I really think stopping work helped me to go to full term.

 

I believe it depends on a bunch of things. As long as you are healthy and the babies are doing fine, and of course your ob agrees, you can stay at work almost till the end.

With my singleton I worked until one day shy of my due date - and she came late...lol. With the twins I worked until 36 weeks and I was often up on my feet.

But it is different for everyone.

 

Thank you for all replies. It really helped me to just trust my instincts and follow what my body is telling me.