[maisiedotes]

(stolen from the "I have no energy" thread):

when are you all cutting back on your work hours? I *really* would love to cut back from 4 days (about 30 hours) down to 3 days (about 22 hours). But of course, the bills are the same whether I work 80 hours or 10...

There are not a whole lot of places we can cut back, especially since I will not have paid maternity leave. Gotta save up now.

So, I am 32 weeks and working 4 days. In 2-4 weeks I will cut down to 3 days and work till I have the baby. What is your plan?

 

[Da WIC Lady]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maisiedotes (stolen from the "I have no energy" thread): when are you all cutting back on your work hours? I *really* would love to cut back from 4 days (about 30 hours) down to 3 days (about 22 hours). But of course, the bills are the same whether I work 80 hours or 10... There are not a whole lot of places we can cut back, especially since I will not have paid maternity leave. Gotta save up now. So, I am 32 weeks and working 4 days. In 2-4 weeks I will cut down to 3 days and work till I have the baby. What is your plan?

I want to cut down hours, but I'm the only paycheck right now and I'm only putting in about 20 or so a week. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but when you add in commute time, picking up and dropping off the kids, and not having DH here to give me a break, it adds up to a whole lot of tired. I'm hoping DH's first paycheck will be good enough for me to take off more than 1 day a week.

Anna

 

[LittleLlama]

I think it was right about this point with DS that I started cutting down from 40 to 30 and less.

 

[scheelimama]

I'm not working this time, but when I was pregnant with dd2, I had a full-time internship (32 hrs/week, 4 days a week) + a full day of classes on the 5th day (4 classes) and homework on top of that. I worked my internship until the day before I went into labor with her and only took one week off classes. I was exhausted, but it is possible to stay full time. Oh, by the way, my house was a complete wreck, but it was really the least of my priorities. Luckily, I had a long phase one of labor and had the urge to clean the house from top to bottom (literally) during that time (maybe 4-6 hours). So, we were able to come home to a very clean house.

 

[GooeyRN]

I don't work much now (10 hours a week) so I won't be cutting down any. I will work the same until the end. (hopefully)

 

[gcgirl]

I'll work until 4 weeks before my EDD, which in my state is when you can start taking paid pregnancy disability leave. That makes my last day of work Halloween.

At that point I will also stop taking any copyediting work that I do on the side until after the baby is born and I have more of an idea what I'm in for.

 

[sorteep]

currently I work three 11 or 12 hr days (MWF) with the t,th being by appt which usually adds another 4 hrs a week, plus weekend emergencies (average about three a month, in for maybe an hr each??) plus any depositions(1 to three a yr), court appearances(maybe once a yr..), cleaning, paperwork, insurance billing etc.. scattered about.. this IS my reduced schedule! I used to work 4, 11-12 hr days until Evan was born but came back to a three day week and kept it that way due to his "issues".

Since DH went back to work it has greatly eased my financial burden (90% of which was on me) I have been able to be a little less busy (no less hrs but less visits) and now can take 5 wks maternity (unpaid..) this is HUGE for me (I had two weeks off after Evan, unpaid..) I am considering keeping my mat leave doc on for one day a week to help me and shorten the length of my days a bit but we wills see..

my issue is that she is not starting until Nov 12th !! my EDD is the 5th!! I do have a few friends i could call on to throw me a day if I go before the 9th so it should work out.. she is only covering the office mon and fri.. I know me, I will prob start filling in the wed for at least 1/2 a day pretty soon after delivery.. plus I do have to go in to do payroll, paperwork, billing admin stuff etc.. so that will start basically as soon as I get home with the baby...

self employment has it's plus' and it's negatives!! w/o a DH as a chiro (like DH1) it is hard to be pg and BF etc and be a sole prac self employed chiro...buuut it is MUCH better this go round with DH now working a good job... sorry for the book but it is complicated..

we'll all manage it .. it just sorta works out somehow..

 

[Curlita]

I work a 32 hour week... because Jonny is still on crutches, I've been doing one day a week at home for the last couple weeks, but otherwise I am keeping to my usual schedule. One week before my due date I'll start working from home entirely (maybe 32 hours, maybe not) until the baby comes. I have a sedentary job, for the most part, so it's not difficult to keep trundling along.

 

[StacieM]

not working this time, but last time worked full time until the week I gave birth. However, on occasion I was allowed to use sick leave if I didn't feel I could come in or felt too drained to work a full day. Thankfully I had a desk job that didn't require much physical energy.

In some states FMLA allows you to use vacation or sick leave for your time off. Unfortunately, the company I worked for was too small to have to give me FMLA leave, so I just worked things out with them.

Then after delivery, my TDI kicked in for the next 6 weeks and I took two weeks vacation right after those 6 weeks were up.

 

[renaissanceed]

I've been part time (2-3 days/wk) since June - after DD was born I was obliged to go back to work full time for 6 months or else pay back the income top-up I received from my employer during mat leave. Once that 6 months was up I was fortunate enough to have the rare opportunity to job share and be part time.

I'll continue with this until my EDD (Nov 2 = last day of work).

With DD I officially started my leave Jan 2 and she was due Jan 7 but didn't arrive until Jan 24. However because I work at university, we were closed over the Christmas holiday break, so my last day of work was Dec 21. That month of no working actually drove me crazy so I'm hoping not to have too long to wait this time once I stop working - although with DD around, I can't really be lazy.

 

[oskie]

Not. Soon. Enough.

I'll be able to start work at home on 11/1 (EDD 11/16) and I'm trying to get a day or so a week until then at home, but I'm not always successful.

The work I take home in November isn't really due until I come back full time next year, so it will be something to take my mind off the impending baby if I need it, but if I go early, I won't have to worry about finishing things up in labor.

Until then, it's time to slog away 40 hours a week at the office, but at least my travel restrictions have taken effect and I don't have to be on the road at all.

 

[isosmom]

I'm working 40 hrs/week on my feet right now (due 11/14). I'll be stopping work completely in a week and a half (not that I'm counting)! I am so excited. I get paid disability and am just taking one extra week early.

 

[yogachick79]

Wow, I am majorly jealous right now... I won't be, at all... With the load that we have going on right now, and the fact that they are being so odd about my hours in general AFTER the babe comes, I will still be doing my 45 hrs/wk until the babe is born. Not the end of the world, I actually went in to labor at my old job with DS. I keep joking that will be the case here too, and really get them all freaked out

 

[Izzy's Mom]

I will continue to work full-time (37.5 hours a week plus 2 hours round-trip commute per day) until 36 weeks, when I will completely stop working and start my mat leave. I probably will not be returning to work for a few years after that.