Does WOH keep you from giving birth?

[engineer_mom]

What do you gals think?
Would your body want you at home?

I think working outside the homewould just keep you busy.
But does your mind shut off the possiblity of labor starting at work?

Just curious because I haven't seen many stories of labor starting at work (or in a store, etc...).

[*MamaJen*]

I've heard some funny stories of labor starting in the middle of business meetings. But in general, it does seem in birth stories that labor often begins at home, where you're most comfortable.
But I could theoretically see some possibility to this. I think labor does tend to kick in when you feel emotionally comfortable and secure (I always like the analogy that we are mammals after all, and an antelope doesn't go into labor in front of a lion).
I worked up until the day before the baby was born (though I was taking it reaaaally easy in the last couple weeks). I left Thursday afternoon and said I would be back the next day unless I was in labor. Contractions started early Friday morning while I was in bed, I was in active labor by late afternoon, and the baby was born right after midnight -- funnily enough, on his due date.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Sorry.

With my first son, my water very spontaneously broke 2 weeks early in the middle of a grocery store right after I had worked 3/4 day. It broke at 330 in the afternoon, so I would still have been at work if I hadnt had a doctors appt.

My second, I was taken out of work a month early, and went into labor very gradually 5 days AFTER my due date.

For me, it was a crapshoot.

[honey-lilac]

There was a girl at my work who was very pregnant and had a miserable home life but loved being at work. She went into labor as soon as she got into work one morning.

I *personally* never worked during pregnancy (due to medical issues), so I can't speak from experience, but I know I would probably be in a better headspace at home so I can't imagine going into labor anywhere else. Guess the same as if I had to leave the house for an errand or something I can't imagine going into labor in the store - but I know some people have. I guess it all depends, but if your body is telling you that you should be home, then if at all possible I would listen to it!

[staceychev]

My sister's labor started at her desk at work. She called my BIL, then headed out to the parking garage to get her car and drove herself home! She didn't tell anyone she was in labor--just left. (It's my dad's company, and she's an executive there, so she didn't really need to "report in" or anything. But my dad was like "Why the heck didn't you tell me????")

I stopped working at about 38 weeks both times, and went into labor at home. Or, as DH explained to DD1: "Your mommy likes to have babies at night."

[MeepyCat]

I know of one tax accountant who filed her last client return on April 15 while having contractions.

I don't think that being at work will prevent you from going into labor.

[chandasz]

I labored at work for several hours-- drove to my midwives in rush hour traffic... met my husband there and found out I was 7 cm with a bulging BOW.... went out to dinner... birthed my 2nd daughter less than 2 hours after dinner. LOL

[CallMeMommy]

Labor started for me at work, I actually labored all day (but didn't know it at the time, the contractions were very erratic), but things really kicked in to gear once I got home. I had him that night. I think my body was subconsciously holding off until I was home.

[Gena 22]

Originally Posted by MeepyCat

I know of one tax accountant who filed her last client return on April 15 while having contractions.

I don't think that being at work will prevent you from going into labor.

I wholeheartedly agree. I had some pre-labor at work, and wished I had worked through it. So long as your work isn't super stressful, it shouldn't be a problem!

[Engineering_Mama]

I think it totally depends on your personality and your job. I labored the entire day (early labor) at work and didn't even realize it. Felt kind of crappy, but I'd felt kind of crappy that entire week IYKWIM Active labor didn't kick in until sometime during the night, I labored all the next day and DD was finally born early the morning after that. Working up until labor didn't delay anything DD was my 1st and she was born 39w1d, so early for a 1st baby.

[Tizzy]

I went into labor at home (thankfully!) the evening after I had settled with work who would be doing my job. It was like the last thing to cross of my list and once that was taken care of, labor was "allowed" to start

This time I honestly want to stop working 2wks in advance so I get a chance to settle into a new routine with the kids BEFORE the baby comes. We'll see how that goes...

[KSLaura]

I went into labor with my second DD on the drive home from work. She was born about an hour later.

[MyBoysBlue]

I went into labour on a Monday morning. So he was born after a weekend at home. DS 1 was born 20 minutes before I was supposed to be at work. He was 3 weeks early and I had one week left of work. My boss was gone for the week so it left just the one tech at the office who had to do the job of 3 people for a few days until that could get the lady hired to be my replacement in earlier then expected. With DS 2 I was already off work for 2 weeks.

[mambera]

Originally Posted by Engineering_Mama

I think it totally depends on your personality and your job. I labored the entire day (early labor) at work and didn't even realize it. Felt kind of crappy, but I'd felt kind of crappy that entire week IYKWIM Active labor didn't kick in until sometime during the night, I labored all the next day and DD was finally born early the morning after that. Working up until labor didn't delay anything DD was my 1st and she was born 39w1d, so early for a 1st baby.

I had a really similar experience. Felt crappier and crappier over the course of the day at work with tons of B-H, went into clear labor that evening while browsing in a bookstore, had dd the next morning.

She was 38wk5d (first baby, yup) and I actually wondered whether I'd hastened labor by being so active at work. (I was on the consult service and was on my feet 80% of the time and running up and down flights of stairs in the hospital throughout my 9th month.)

[SneakyPie]

Originally Posted by engineer_mom

What do you gals think?
Would your body want you at home?

I think working outside the homewould just keep you busy.
But does your mind shut off the possiblity of labor starting at work?

:

I guess one could just stave off premature labor by working 2 jobs!

:

[savithny]

I think I've read the statistic that most labors get going at night.

So you'd be home in any case, nothing to do with whether you WOH or not. Unless, I suppose, you work night shift.

Me? I worked FT until #1 was born. I went into labor Sunday night/Monday morning, called in to work to say I was going to be checked Monday morning, and #1 was born before 5pm.

I worked PT until #2 was born. I again went into labor on a Sunday night, but it was less regular and consistent, and petered out Monday morning. So I went to work, figuring that I might as well be distracted from early labor. Labor stayed inconsistent (contractions every 15-20 minutes or so) most of the day and didn't really get going again until after dinner. After dinner, we called the midwife, called the friend who was watching #1, and went to the hospital, where DD was born around 2am.

[emaye_to_2]

I think it totally varies. But, I worked right up until my due date with each of my children, my last work days were Fridays. My daughter and son were both born during the weekend after I finished work.

[MegBoz]

I really just can't help but at this one.
Yes yes yes, an antelope doesn't go into labor in front of a lion, but c'mon! Most of us don't work jobs that produce as much stress as that! Sure, severe, extreme stress can inhibit labor, but:
1. It won't stave off labor forever
2. Again, most of us don't work jobs that are severely stressful (or, even if there is a degree of stress, such as with air-traffic controllers, we are accustomed to it & may even enjoy it & thrive off it.)

I think too often we attribute way too much power to our minds to control labor (same goes with amount of pain in labor.) Yes, it has an impact, but not complete control, just some impact.

Besides, isn't labor most likely to start at night anyway? Most people aren't working more than 8-10 hours per day - so that's another 14 hours we aren't at work.

So WOH preventing you from going into labor? Uh, ridiculous!

One of my co-workers had her membranes stripped & then had ctrx as she was sitting at her desk! Her colleagues were urging her to go home while she was laboring! LOL

Personally though I stopped working the day after my due date, but only because I was clueless & had TOLD people my exact due date! When I showed up in the office that day, you would have thought I came to work after having both my arms ripped off!!! They were all THAT SHOCKED. & The comments,
"No baby yet?!"

"No, I gave birth 3 hours ago, left him in the car." WTF?

I was terrified of being induced, & frustrated by the fact that I wasn't yet even having any BH ctrx! I was worried that my uterus didn't even work! So I couldn't stand the stress of those comments. (Didn't go to the gym where I taught aerobics for the same reason.)

But even though I stopped working at 40W 1D, I STILL didn't have any ctrx until after having my membranes stripped at 41W 4D!!!!!!!!!

[Gena 22]

Agree with MegBoz! My first MW "accused" me of emotional dystocia, and it was wrong and the worst part of my birth. No, minor pressure wasn't keeping me from labor. If anything, the pressure from my DH and MW to go into labor already was stressful! I was calm and ready for it, and kept working because I had no paid maternity leave.

Give moms a break! If you need some time and space to mentally prepare for birth, more power to you. But it doesn't mean that's necessary. If a mom is just going about her normal life, and is calm and happy about the birth, that's all you can hope for.

[suzywan]

I was so busy preparing for my upcoming maternity leave that I was in the office on a Saturday when my water broke - 2:30ish pm at 39 weeks exactly. I kept on working even after water broke 'cause I knew it would drive me nuts to have loose ends (and I'm not even Type A lol).

WOH made no difference to me - maybe moved things faster cause I had no time to navel-gaze and get caught up in worry....