'I was up a step ladder painting the week before x was born', ' I worked right up to my due date!'

[smiler389]

Well good for you but I'm shattered and can't seem to manage changing the bed! Anyone else feel like this at 17 weeks?

[PhyllisDoris]

I found I was very tired for the first half, then not so much in the second half. Second half I was just plain uncomfortable. (I worked to 5 days before DD2 was born - she was 2 weeks early).

[bogwoppitinatree]

23 weeks and counting down the days until I can leave work. Hopefully at Easter which is 2 months before my due date, despite my work seeming to be full of people who worked to the day before or even, one woman, went into labour at work!!!

[cyclecamper]

Me! I could barely move for the first 4 months (didn't know why, since I didn't know I was pregnant till 16 weeks!). I'm 21 weeks now and only marginally better. I feel like a right wimp! I used to cycle 20-30 miles every day and at the moment I get worn out walking for 20 minutes.

[tasmaniandevilchaser]

Gaaah! Whenever people say things like that I just smile and nod. Inside I'm not smiling or nodding.

Don't bother changing the bed, just lie down on it!

I got tired later on, sorry, you probably didn't want to know that! But it was probably down to anaemia. Worth getting it checked out, when are your next bloods? Or you could just take floradix and see if it helps?

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

I was incapable of anything the whole way through my second pregnancy. My first wasnt too bad. But even getting out of bed was a struggle with DD2!

[mirry2]

I took maternity leave as soon as i could with my first pregnancy on the grounds that I would never again have time to myself - and I loved it Having worked for all my life up to then it was pure luxury to get up when I wanted, mooch round the shops during the week days, visit places I'd always want to go but never been able to because of work.

[DontmindifIdo]

Different pregnancies are different, with DS I was fine, bouncy, tonnes of energy right up until 34 weeks when it all left me - annoyingly I'd planned to work until 38 weeks but was able to bring that back to 36.

This time round, I'm completely different, I'm 22 weeks, I have no energy, my hip kills me already (It hurt for the last week or so last time round, but fine before). I've had morning sickness (nothing with DS), I've fainted 3 times on the train on the way to work.

I know woman who've worked until the last minute, none of them had physical jobs or long commutes, and no one does a good job past 37 weeks IME.

[freerangelady]

I'm 40 +'4 today and was feeding cattle this morning.

Didn't feel like it though -'I'm just walking everywhere to try and move baby!!!!

Everyone is different.

[ithaka]

Everyone is different. I am afraid I am one of those annoying types who worked up to her due date with the first. With my third I was still seeing to my horses on the day I gave birth. However, I would say I was utterly knackered in early pregnancy (before it showed). Once I had the first 3 months over, I felt fine. Listen to your body and do what is right for you.

[carrielou2007]

There is always a one-up-man ship I worked uNeil 37 weeks with both dd and ds, I am shattered thus time 30 weeks but just have to get on with it. Due to eye ops can't drive so have to do school and preschool trips 6 times a day. So the housework slides for a bit.

I remember a thread where everyone was listing all their achievements recently 'I have 4 children, produced a tv series and redecorated the whole house' erc type comments. Then one 'I are two cream cakes today' or suchlike I'm still chuckling about it now typing it!!

[beckie90]

Ds1 first half of my pregnancy was fine not too tired and bad, but from 23wks I grew really ill had anemia and often had blackouts, were I worked was constantly stood up, so my employer gently said to me we have put you on the least demanding job we can and your still too ill to do it, so she was great, she put my mat leave in from 29wks but my holidays in from 26wks, so I left at 26wk.

Ds2 I was shockingly ill first 16wks after that I got more energy back but due to anemia again had a few spells were id just have to stop everything n lay down on the floor. But towards end I was quite well really, my labour was 5 days long on day 4 I decided to take ds out on a walk as it was a hot day to try speed it up, which ended up in me chasing him round the park through contractions lol. I could not of done that with my first pregnancy, had no energy, so I think its just down to every pregnancy been different :) x

[Missingthemincepies]

It's particularly hard when your boss is one of those women that had 5 kids and never had any problems, worked til due date.....

I worked til 37 weeks with DS, active job. Tired but ok. Annual/mat leave booked from 34 weeks this time but off sick from 28 weeks with SPD and painful braxton hicks. Didn't have anything like it last time, didn't anticipate it at all and feel rubbish for abandoning work. But I genuinely couldn't do it.

Agree with all pp, every pregnancy is different.
Counting the weeks......

[LazyMachine]

I only worked until 30 weeks. No health issues or pregnancy problems of any sort, and it wasn't a stressful or strenous job. I just didn't want to work anymore. Am 39+1 now (with DC1) and it's been brilliant having the last 2 months to lounge around, read, have lunch with friends, prepare for LazyBaby, watch movies and some very crappy daytime tv. I've absolutely loved all the free time!

[RubyrooUK]

Don't let other people's experiences bother you - every pregnancy and person is different. And at different times, you feel better or worse.

I worked till 38 weeks with DS1 and walked seven miles the day before he was born. I felt great at the end. However, for the first three months of that pregnancy, I had to make excuses to leave work for 5:30pm and go straight to bed. I felt grim.

I am working till 39 weeks with DS2. BUT this is because I want to take off all my maternity leave after his birth, not because I want to be a superwoman. Oh and DS1 is such hard work on my knackered back that even though my job is tough and stressful, it isn't as hard work as late-pregnancy toddler care!

[MrsHoarder]

I stopped at 24 Weeks (studying and the next logical breakpoint was after due date although he still hadn't been born. It was great, I rested and pottered. We did move house at 36 Weeks though.

[SamSmalaidh]

I finished at 32 weeks and had 9 lovely, long child-free weeks reading, sleeping in and doing as I pleased for the last time ever

[binkybonk]

Everyone and every pregnancy is different. But despite everything I now realise I loved working on the Monday, giving birth on the Tuesday to DS as I'm now 40 weeks w DC2 and took a week off 'in case it comes when DS1 did' and every precious day is a day without DC2 at the end of maternity leave.
But then I don't live in the UK where Maternity Leave is a bit better than here -where it is unpaid from day 1, no benefits, and people think you're nuts to take more than 8 weeks I have saved like a demon for a year to get my 6 months off.

[cupcake78]

This afternoon I've just had the 'well I had 5 kids to look after'. Yes but we're you working full time hours within school hours and evenings, running your own business, dh works 12 hr days, suffering from hypermensis etc etc! Arrhghhhh. I seriously wanted to scream at them! This was topped off by a comment from a 70yr old male pig who said, 'there was none of this bought rubbish like cakes and ready meals, everything was made with real food and ready on time. Homemade bread every day and always a cake for tea'. .

I'm 19+5 and utterly exhausted, sleeping on average 4hrs a night, full of cold, still throwing up on some days, feeling nauseous most days and trying to earn as much as possible while I can.

I know I'm hormonal but

[Mother2many]

I had no choice. When my daughter was due to arrive my XH still didn't bother to fix the remaining room for her brother to move into! (so she could get his crib) I was drywalling, mudding, and doing all that wonderful stuff, including painting, just to get ready... We had started on building a NEW room, so, only 2x4's for up!! Wasn't easy but I had help with my teenage sons...

(yep...XH was such an A@#)

[Mother2many]

oh, and I was 9 months pregnant tooo

[peanutMD]

I have 10 working days left and I will be 37 Weeks.

I have had continuous sickness and SPD and tbh I would've loved to have finished earlier but felt that I couldn't as I found out I was PG the day before I started this job in August so I'm lucky to even be allowed to keep my job but my bosses have been lovely about it :)

I work in a daycare centre so I've had to comprise quite a bit in what I can/can't do which has been a bit odd and I when I was asked by a colleague a few days ago how far on I would be when maternity leave started she stated that she was surprised I wanted to finish so early because she'd be bored by the time baby came and was I being made to leave then?

She is 23 and has no children

[Pontouf]

I hear this a lot. I work in operating theatres and there is very much an ethos of just keeping working despite any personal problems/illness/horrendous pregnancy symptoms you might be suffering. I once rang into work because I'd been in A&E till 6am with my 10 mo son who had croup and had had to be blue lighted in. My boss genuinely thought I was being totally unreasonable in saying I couldn't come in that day. Bear in mind my job involves assisting in operations, so I do kind of need to be with it!

I finished work at 34 weeks with DS (my first) as I had terrible swelling and was carrying tons of water (I lost a stone and ten lbs overnight when i had DS and he was only 7lb 3oz) and working ten hour shifts, on my feet all day with only one half hour break. I had lots of tutting and eye rolling and comments that "well in my day you didn't get maternity pay so you had to just work rigt up till you dropped."

This time I am much healthier and haven't put on as much water weight so I feel generally better. I am planning to work till 35+3 and have had lots of people say that I am finishing too late and that they don't think I'll manage to work that long. You can't bloody win.

[OhGood]

17 weeks with number 2 and exhausted. Exhausted.

Stupid horrible delusional work. Scares with baby at scans (now hopefully resolved but am frightened every time I go to midwife.) And now these horrible headaches.

Can barely move.

I am not going to have another, and I so wanted to have a good experience of pregnancy. Ha.