No I need my kids OUT of the house if I want to ever get work done during daylight hours!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way would my office allow this. My office won't even allow you to telework if there are children in your home during work hours (even if watched by nanny or if it's a snow day for the kids).

How is that even legal? Sounds discriminatory.

Don't be stupid

Anonymous wrote:No way would my office allow this. My office won't even allow you to telework if there are children in your home during work hours (even if watched by nanny or if it's a snow day for the kids).

How is that even legal? Sounds discriminatory.

It's really hard to picture how all-consuming having an infant (or, hell, a toddler) can be until you have been there! I had a huge to-do list for my maternity leave, naively thinking I could do things like reorganize the pantry, write a zillion thank you notes, etc. while baby happily napped or cooed. HAHAHA! I laugh at my former self now. Most days I was lucky if I had time to shower and brush my teeth. All that to say that no way could I have managed to do anything in a professional capacity. DH was (almost) as exhausted as I was, and I felt horrible for him when he had to return to work and then come home every night to his second "job," i.e. giving me a break from baby, possibly doing a load of laundry, emptying the dishwasher, etc. (yes, he is amazing). It does get easier, of course, but I had a generous maternity leave and did not return to work until baby was almost 5 months old and still felt like I never had a minute to spare. By the end of my leave I could manage to pull off going to the grocery store and cooking dinner, but that was about it. DS is now 21 months old and no way in hell can I get anything done with him around.

Not saying this to scare you, OP, but just another little nugget to show your husband

Anonymous wrote:FTM here. I'm just wondering if it can be done? I work from home about 4 hours a day. I am hoping, if my employer is willing, that I can continue to do this once our baby is born - I'm just wondering if it's actually possible? I don't ever have to talk on the phone but I am constantly on the computer monitoring emails - some days I can go 10-20 minutes without any work and some days it's constant. Would a newborn be too needy to pull this off for 4 hours or will it just sleep through the day?

You need to hire childcare for the time that you will be working.

I've done it twice. Once as a department director with a high needs baby, and once freelance with a very chill baby. The first time nearly broke me and I wound up quitting my job the day after the elections (political organization). The second time worked out fine. Flexibility in schedule and having an "easy baby" are key. One, you can predict -- the other, not so much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thank you for all the real-world advice! I can't believe some of you assume I would keep this a secret from my boss...she's very well aware I'm pregnant and it is my *hope* she would let me continue to figure out a way to work. I don't work for the government - not a fancy job at all really - I do admin work for a staffing agency. So really this could not happen at all if she requires I have a nanny because the pay wouldn't be worth what it would cost.

I should show my husband this thread though - really he's the one 100% convinced I'll be able to continue to work as normal and I've been the one, although I'd like to continue, really skeptical of how it would work. Seems like it probably wouldn't...

Shit, have your husband call me.

1) I'll buy him a beer.
2) I'll explain to him that he's fucking hilarious nutso to think you can juggle working and childcare
3) I'll also explain to him his life is over, shut the fuck up, tuck your balls in cause it's gonna be tough, and get ready to man up
4) I'll return him to you a better, perhaps more emotionally scarred, man.

Signed,
DH

love this

Anonymous wrote:It won't work, OP.

yeah - I agree.

I had to take family leave b/c one of my parents was ill. So that meant we let go of our nanny. However, my boss, who needed me for one last project, begged me to stay on and work from home. I had a toddler at the time, which - as many of you know - can be maddening.

I was up at the ass crack of dawn, squeezing in hours of work. I worked weekends while my husband watched our daughter, and then worked nights while my daughter was asleep. He was forever indebted to me b/c I managed to complete the project in 3 months. But it was very difficult. I did love the guy; he was one of the best bosses anyone could hope for. So that was motivation for me to continue.

But w/o another body around - a FT nanny, for example - it's very difficult to make this a semi-permanent solution.

Much luck in finding a situation that works for you, OP.

Anonymous wrote:People who ask if they can "work from home" while also being responsible for their children clearly have never worked from home. It is consuming. You need separate child care if your work hours aren't flexible (working overnight when your husband is home, etc).

I used to work from home 1 - 2 days a month. I thought it was so great, could get a ton done the days I was home, etc. Once you go to working from home permanently, it's a totally different deal. Even getting deliveries can be a big interruption to work days at home. Providing care for your child while working is a no go.

What? Deliveries? You mean the 10 seconds it takes to answer a door? Put the phone on mute, answer the door, sign for package, unmute. Seems beyond trivial.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thank you for all the real-world advice! I can't believe some of you assume I would keep this a secret from my boss...she's very well aware I'm pregnant and it is my *hope* she would let me continue to figure out a way to work. I don't work for the government - not a fancy job at all really - I do admin work for a staffing agency. So really this could not happen at all if she requires I have a nanny because the pay wouldn't be worth what it would cost.

I should show my husband this thread though - really he's the one 100% convinced I'll be able to continue to work as normal and I've been the one, although I'd like to continue, really skeptical of how it would work. Seems like it probably wouldn't...

Shit, have your husband call me.

1) I'll buy him a beer.
2) I'll explain to him that he's fucking hilarious nutso to think you can juggle working and childcare
3) I'll also explain to him his life is over, shut the fuck up, tuck your balls in cause it's gonna be tough, and get ready to man up
4) I'll return him to you a better, perhaps more emotionally scarred, man.

Signed,
DH