Work Life....

[nurserachel22]

I am just curious as to what hours people work now & what your schedule will look like once baby is here? Do you feel it will be family friendly? I have a hard time finding balance and sometimes my schedule is all over the place. I am trying to find something consistent for once the little one gets here. Share your life please!

[t1green]

I work for a small CPA firm and the majority of the year my hours are from 8-5. Starting February 15th (16th this year) through April 15th I'm expected to work late and on Saturdays since that's the busy season. I typically put in 12 hours/day during that time without taking a lunch break and then work somewhere from 4-6 hours on Saturday. I love this time of the year and the overtime is always great to have.

I'm really not sure what my work schedule is going to look like once the baby arrives. I do plan on taking the full 3 months of maternity leave but I don't know what's going to be in store for me next tax year. My boyfriend and I are discussing marriage right now and me staying with the baby but we'll see what happens.

[jennadesigns]

I'm a med/surg nurse and I work 8 hour shifts, 5 days one week and 4 days the next. My children are in school full-time, so this schedule works out well for us. After the baby is born, I'm thinking of switching to three 12-hour shifts (which would give me four days off a week). I think it will work better for daycare even though I kind of loathe the thought of having to work 12s.

[chicagomomab]

I work in-house in the legal department of a large multinational company. I generally work 8:30 or 9 to 5 every day (staying until 5:30 or later when needed and my husband can handle pickup from daycare or relieving the nanny). I almost never work weekends. It's really an amazing schedule. I will say that when I was pregnant with DD1, I worked for a large international law firm and I was working crazy hours and almost every holiday and weekend. I left that job when DD1 was 11 months old and never looked back.

[lgsdesigner]

I work 8a-5p M-F, and then work 9p-11p doing my freelance design company.

When I am on maternity leave, I will still be doing the freelance work, but will probably give some of it to my senior designer to complete.
When I return to work, I will work the same hours, 8a-5p M-F, and will do freelance probably from 9a-10p so I can get some rest. Once the baby is on a sleep schedule, it's business as usual.

[emu0013]

I work in the HR department of a Big 4 public accounting firm. I have a lot of flexibility, I work from home. I work around 45-50 hours per week on average During our busy time sometimes more, and during practice staff's busy time sometimes less. However, I work in the AM until DD gets up then I run her to school and I leave to go pick her up at 4:30 and then on occasion work in the evening, or an hour or 2 during nap on the weekends. I will continue to do the same once baby comes.

[robotpcr]

I work a very nice 9am-5pm, with longer hours understood if an experiment takes more than 8 hours. The problem for me is that sometimes that happens with no warning and that's not going to fly with daycare. We only have 1 car (which I need to commute 35min to work) and DH takes public transit to work so he wouldn't have a way to pick the baby up. Plus my work at home potential is zero and my vacation/sick time isn't great. Science just isn't super flexible. I do love my career but with all of these things I'm considering becoming a SAHM. I'll take my 6 weeks short term disability and then make the call. Should I decide to go back we might have to get another car, we'll see. A relative has offered to take the baby in the short term so I don't have to find a daycare immediately.

[linny12]

I'm a corporate accountant for a national insurance company. My required hours are 7:30-4:30, but I have to stay as late as needed to get the work done. Sometimes that means coming home and getting back on the computer until 11 or so, it just depends on the day.

After leave, I'm hoping to work from home Tuesdays and Thursdays, possibly extending hours on those days so I can come in later on MWF. We'll see how it goes.

[jerseyakl]

Sigh. I hate work right now.

I am a consultant and technically work a normal week, but there is nothing normal about it. I am overdeployed and stressed to the max now, but spend 3 days onsite with a client and typically 1 or 2 days working from home or the office. It's kind of nice, but unpredictable and stress runs high trying to juggle a lot of different projects.

As of right now, I plan to stay full time after maternity leave. However, I am hoping not to be onsite with clients full time which will give me more flexibility. I don't know if that will make it easier or harder with the baby though. Sometimes I need things to be black and white (leave at the same time, get home at the same time, etc. That is not the case with consulting)! However, I may consider going part time for awhile if I can.

[shmee]

I'm very lucky to have the flexibility that I have at my job. Right now, I work M-F 9-5. Once this LO comes, I will be working M&W 9-5, T,Th&F 4-9. DD1 will be at daycare M&W while DD2 will be with MIL. On T&Th, DD1 will go to preschool for 2 hours while I'm home all day with DD2 until DH gets home. Then Fridays I'll be home with both girls all day until DH gets home.

That's so confusing. But it will give me the best of both worlds with getting to be a SAHM some days and being a working mom some days.

[medwards24]

Ugh, this is something I'm not looking forward to. I work out of town, my regular schedule is 6 days on/3 off, 6 nights on/6 off (right now I'm stuck on office duties so I work mon-fri). I'll be at home for a year with my mat leave which is awesome, but after that LO will stay at home with DH when I'm gone. He has a set mon-fri schedule, while I work days/nights and the overtime is unpredictable and unavoidable so it makes way for sense this way. Plus we have way more options for childcare at home and all our family/support is there. I just hate thinking about leaving the LO for 6 days at a time...and he's not even here yet!!

Long term I'm hoping to work in my hometown, but there's a long wait list so I just have to wait my turn for a transfer!

[mlbrooks]

I work in a corporate environment and it's pretty flexible. I currently work 8a-5p and I work from home one day a week. Once baby gets here I will probably work 7a-4p still my one day from home a week, except first month back I will do 2 days from home.

[ajm0711]

I currently work 9-6, M-F. It's a great schedule and totally rocks compared to retail where I was before. However, I don't get paid holidays, PTO, vacation or benefits, so I am seriously debating becoming a SAHM or moving to part time so that we can save money on daycare. If I could get PTO and paid holidays, I would most definitely stay since it would be easier for me to stay home with a sick LO and not worry about losing money.

[willadiesel814]

I work 8a to 5p M-F now. And will after the baby is born too. It is as good as I can get. I used to work 7a-3p and I loved that more, but DS was an early riser so it wasn't that big of a deal to get him out of bed that early in the morning. I am more worried about getting two kids out of the door on time every day!

[jil]

I work part-time now (1 weekday and weekends). DH works three 12s. Our schedules are mostly opposites. I think this will stay the same once DD2 is born. Once or twice a month DH has to work a Saturday and we need a babysitter. The worst part now is that I feel like DH and I never see each other.

I like my job but once my children are in school full-days, I hope I'm not working weekends.

[amylee545]

I work 3 days a week (1 always being a weekend day, since I work every other weekend), so only 2 week days. 6:45am - 3:15pm. We're considering me going per-diem once I have the baby, and only working 1-2 days a week. H is really encouraging me to do so, but it frightens me a little. If I stay at my 3 days a week, my MIL will be watching LO for the 2 week days, and then H will be home on the weekends to take care of her.

[miraclebbye]

I work M-F 7a-3p from home 98% of the time. I am taking 8wks and will go back to that same schedule. On the random day I have to drive to the office DH will have LO (works from home 100%, 6a-3p) if DH has training or meetings on that random day, MIL can come over and watch LO (lives 3 miles away, no job). My older kids are in school all day and either I or DH walks them to and from the bus every day.

Even if I wanted too, being a SAHM wouldnt be worth it, I get paid to do my job at home, why quit that to be where I already am? My boss is super flexible and I have lots of PTO time if needed.

[Cornflakegirl]

I work 6-3 mostly M-F, sometimes I work an occasional Saturday. I'm also trying to go to school at night, doing a combination of online/on campus schedule. Since this is the start of third trimester DH convinced me to take only one one line class, which I'm sure I'll be thanking him for later.

After LO comes I plan on taking 16 weeks and then will continue with my normal schedule. I don't have any options as far as cutting back hours or working from home. Working 6-3 is the bare minimum since I get paid salary but I will do my best to leave by 3.

[kj808]

My current hours are 7:45am-4:30pm, M-F. When baby comes, i'll have 12 weeks of maternity leave then i'll come back to work on the same schedule. It sucks, but i've done the same thing my with two kids and it works for us. My mom and MIL will watch baby during the day while we're at work. The older two will be in school.

[sjd06e]

I'm with most of you ladies here. I work 6am-230pm in a very busy DC hospital, but luckily I'm only M-F. I only get 6 weeks of short term disability pay (2/3 my salary), then it's back to work, as I bring home the bigger paycheck.

I will do whatever I have to do though to accommodate my LO...I hate that I only get 6 weeks with him before it's back to work, and working in a pathology lab I obviously can't work from home. Makes me so sad to think about already

[tomatopie]

I'm working 4 days a week right now, and I'm usually done by 2 or 3. I wish I could say I do something productive with the afternoons....but anyway.

After the baby I'll start working one weekend a month - thats the minimum to be "PRN" at my job. I'll also have to do one summer and one winter holiday. As LO grows up I'll add more days in to my week.

I hate starting new jobs and being the new person, so this will be good for me.

[nd38]

I am so extremely jealous of all of you ladies and working M-F!! I am a retail manager so I work 2 weekends a month and 2 closes a week. Or at least this is what I am contracted to work. My store manager started in October and cannot figured out to schedule things. I am hoping he figures this out before my maternity leave because he likes to schedule us every weekend. Not happening when I get back!! My schedule is and will be all over the place unfortunately.

[sarahchrismck]

I currently work full-time as a teacher, usually 7 - 4 and always have to bring home lesson plans, grading, etc.
I found out yesterday that my position might be cut to part time anyway next year, so I'll probably just be part time then. I was planning on returning in September as a full-time teacher still, but things change. Unless I find another job.

[cosmicav]

Currently, I'm waiting tables, but I'm going to stop in May. I don't know yet if I'm going back or quitting after the baby gets here, just because I'm job searching. If everything works out, I'll have a job lined up to start in September in the school system and have the baby set up in day care. I might work part time depending how I feel, since baby will be so young. If I don't get a job elsewhere, I'll resume waiting tables part time in September most likely.

[corrys12]

I am pretty blessed. I work from home 95% of the time. M-F. Business hours, however I usually sign on between 7-8am and am usually off by 4-4:30.

I have A TON of flexibility. Thats why I have stayed at this position for so long, because I knew come mommyhood time this would be the perfect job.

My boss is amazing. I will be taking off the allowed 6-8 weeks depending on delivery type. But she and I have talked about how to maximize my maternity leave and how to ease back into a full time work schedule. She doesnt think it's fair or reasonable to expect a woman to go from being with baby all day to all of a sudden working full time the next day. And she was a pioneer within our company years ago when she was having babies and pushing for work at home positions. She said she would nurse during conference calls sometimes. So she is totally on board with me having baby around while I work. I will have help during working hours of course. My parents are excited to be full time grandma and grandpa.

[marygracerich]

I work in retail so my schedule is subject to change every two weeks. However generally I work either 7:30am to 4:15pm or 4pm to 12:45am. I usually have tuesdays off and I have off every other weekend.

[beebe918]

I currently work 8-5 M-F. I'm taking 12 weeks maternity leave and then will return to my regular schedule. I would like to have something else set up by the time the baby is 1 so I can spend more time with him. My mom owns a cleaning business so I could work for her for a few hours a week and we do fairly well selling crafts so we're thinking about amping that up a bit. My goal is to never work another summer!

[sarahbmcd]

As a nanny I'm working 830-530 but some days I have to work 13+ hours and overnights. Unfortunately that won't change once I have the baby. Which is why I'm looking for something else since they're not allowing me to bring her.

[lauracox3]

I used to work a normal 40 hour week 8-4 up until December. My doctor put me on light duty due to bleeding from my placenta previa, and so I switched to Per Diem and cut my hours back to about 30 a week. Most days I'm at work 8-2 or 3. After the baby arrives I'll be off for 3 months and then I'll go back to part time Per Diem hours.

[orangepickle]

I work from home full-time but my company is great about letting me work hours that are good for me. Since I'm still managing a lot of the work I was doing in Scotland, I tend to work UK hours - very early mornings and done by lunchtime. Some weeks I can get everything I need to get done in under 40 hours while other weeks I'm working tons - but that flexibility is nice and will be great with LO is here.