Getting home when labor starts? - Page 2

[bclare]

Interesting idea about lying about the due date- I am afraid everyone has paid too much attention already to get away with this! That said, I work in a pretty supportive environment (homebirth is not very strange here). And although I get 6 weeks leave I can bring the baby with me to work for the next 3 months after I return so I can continue to nurse without having to pump much.

So many interesting stories! I have never really understood when labor "starts"-- it seems subjective in most cases, so it is interesting to hear when everyone felt that it did.

[SuzyLee]

Not to freak you out, but I had NO time. I stood up, my water broke, and I immeadiately started having 2-3 minute apart contractions.

I am a working mom and will work up until my DD this time too. I plan to have a few friends on call to drive me home if I start labor during work. There is NO WAY I could drive myself 30 minutes home.

[scottishmommy]

you will probably be fine, but you need a plan. my contractions started with no warning about 3 mins apart. i got to 8 centimeters in about an hour and a half. make sure someone can pick you up and drive you home!

[Miss Chris]

Didn't you say you can work from home?

What if you started working from home one week before your due date and just kept that up until the baby was born?

Miss Chris

[bclare]

My closest friend and many people would drive me home-- I really am not worried as much as I am curious how it happened for so many others. It sounds like a good number of women don't leave the house for a week or so before their due date? I am guessing this since there really isnt' a different going out to a store or to work or wherever, so if I was going to stay home the week before I would stay home period and not leave? I am sure I will home one way or another....now I just have to worry about the hour plus commute DH has before he can get home! Thanks!

[MegBoz]

Originally Posted by bclare

, I work in a pretty supportive environment (homebirth is not very strange here). And although I get 6 weeks leave I can bring the baby with me to work for the next 3 months after I return so I can continue to nurse without having to pump much.

That RULLLLESS! That is so great!

Ha - I was the freak of the office for the whole NCB thing. Here's a convo I had with my new boss (had an org change 3 weeks before I was due.)

Meg <clearly, before she knew better.> "Well, I'm July 7, but, ya know, I could go any day now, or it could even be later than that."
Boss, all excited, "Oh, ya know, they could induce you on your due date!"
Meg <being polite to new boss - showing great restraint > "Yeah, I know, but, ya know that has risks."
Boss, "Really?" Yes, said with utter incredulity.

I should note that he already has one young child & his wife was PG with #2 (due 2 weeks after me) so I expected him to have some degree of familiarity with birth.

[Engineering_Mama]

I spent an entire day at work in early labor and didn't even realize it. Then I had a really long active labor. Total time beginning to end was about 48 hours. Hopefully your labor won't take that long

[bclare]

Thanks, MegBoz, you're right, it's pretty good. The good is that I can bring baby, nurse openly, and have a job I love. The challange is that no one else can do my job, so I really can't take much time off, so my 6 weeks off will really be quite a bit of working from home. But hey, going back "full time" will be 3 days a week at work and 2 days at home, so I can't complain. That said, I have had some exchanges like yours as well, especially about not knowing the sex of the baby people say "how can you do that in this economy?". LOL, like I am going to buy tons of pink sutff and then just have to buy it all in blue later....;-)

[TyrantOfTheWeek]

I thought I had a while when my water broke...Yeah, contrax went from nil to OMG in like an hour.
I'd say you would have a little time to get home. I would not have wanted to be out when things started getting tough. And a car ride would have made it way worse!