is it possible towork before and after having twins?

amother

Wed, Aug 01 2012, 4:42 pm

were you able to work until the end of pregnancy and were you able to go back to work after having twins? im not sure if I should take a job for next year. im a teacher and wondering if ill be able to manage coming back to work and dealing with twins ( I work 1/2 day)

amother

Wed, Aug 01 2012, 4:55 pm

1/2 a day is ideal..I'm sure plenty will say to do it. Everyones situation is different. I taught until 26 weeks and then I had to go on bed rest (early labor). After my twins were born..there were medical issues that kept me with them for awhile. If you have good help and everything is fine...I dont see why not. Good Luck!

chani8

Wed, Aug 01 2012, 4:58 pm

I was in college at the time, and after having my twins, my brain had gone mushy from all the hormones and stress. I'm serious.

Also the physical aspect, of the body getting back into shape, takes more time than a single birth.

So I ended up needing a bigger break than I had hoped I'd need. While I do hope you'll bounce back quickly, prepare for otherwise.

(ETA, I ended up on bedrest during pregnancy - which is sometimes standard procedure for twins)

Last edited by chani8 on Wed, Aug 01 2012, 5:37 pm; edited 1 time in total

33055

Wed, Aug 01 2012, 5:35 pm

I couldn't work in my office for most of my pregnancy because I was on bed rest so I had my secretaries in and out of my house all day. I also did work on my computer.

After my kids were born I was meeting clients at the hospital before I was discharged. Obviously, we have different work situations.

After my kids were born I went back to work immediately. I brought my kids to my office. When they were around half a year, I realized I was crazy using my secretaries to feed them milk I pumped. I retired and never regretted it.

SivanMom

Wed, Aug 01 2012, 5:52 pm

I worked up until a week or so before they were born, but I work in my house at a computer. And it was torture. No way could I have done it that long standing in front of a classroom. B"H I had no bedrest. As for after, I guess it depends on whether you need the money, does it pay for you after childcare expenses, do you want to be a SAHM, etc. It's doable. But the childcare expenses are double (unless you have help in the house anyway).
My babies are now 21 months old. I work around their schedule at home (meaning no baby sitter) so whenever they are sleeping I am working. It is not easy, and I wish I could either stop working or send them to playgroup. But the expense is much higher with two so I'm planning to push through it for another year.

rac429

Wed, Aug 01 2012, 6:54 pm

I was put on bedrest 30 weeks but I was able to work while I was lying in bed. Once they were born I tried to quite my job but my office didn't want to let me go so now I work from home when I want too and it seems to be working. Be aware that I am usually working at night when I should be sleeping and my DH hates that but it is extra spending money for me so I keep doing it.

Wed, Aug 01 2012, 7:09 pm

Not me, but two of my colleagues had twins and came back to work after a regular maternity leave. At least one of them worked part-time (2-3 eight-hour days per week) afterwards. One had a nanny (I don't recall if she was a live-in or full-time live-out), the other used a drop-off babysitter. Our jobs were a combination of walking around and desk work.

ntm1

Wed, Aug 01 2012, 7:17 pm

I worked until the day I gave birth, b"h I did not need to be on bedrest. However after they were born I did not go back to work, I wanted to be home with my babies, and like others say, its not worth it unless u get paid a nice amount. my kids will be turning 2 I"yh very soon and I just sent them to playgroup and started working part time.

peo

Mon, Aug 13 2012, 10:16 am

I worked till the day I had my twins. (I'm a preschool teacher)
I did go back after they were born, but had a nurse for a few times a week to take me over forthe night. Otherwise it's impossible! I could sleep about 3-4 hours a night without help... Well, my husban also helped me, that meant I was able to sleep maybe an hour more. I'm glad I took that extra help and returned to work.

ILOVELIFE

Mon, Aug 13 2012, 9:33 pm

I taught all through my pregnancy and worked part time. I had them in July so I was off then but technically I was fine till 2 days b4. I was on bedrest for a cpl of weeks in my first trimester but otherwise fine.

I did make a career change so I had the first 4-6 months free but it was not good for me. Those were the months I needed a few hours to air out so I cld function the rest of the day.

amother

Mon, Aug 13 2012, 9:55 pm

op
Thnaks for your replys... im still unsure of what to do and the more people I speak to the more confused... ni wish someone just told me what will be good for me!
peo- did you have lots of comments from work mates about you carrying so big or asking if yor carrying twins? also were you able to walk normaly and feel ok through the day? how long after birth did you return to work?

peo

Tue, Aug 14 2012, 8:34 am

I was not big, so I didn't get any comments. Everyone was shocked when they heard I had twins.
I bh felt fine, at home I was nauseous and everything, but in school I was ok. I was just very very weak, but I managed. I didn't want to quit earlier because I wanted to stay with the job. Otherwise I would definitely drop out earlier.
I returned to work at six weeks. BUT I COULD ONLY DO IT BECAUSE I HAD A NURSE. Otherwise it's crazy! You can't be up at night and work during the day. Going back to work is hard. Do it only if you want it for the future. (I wanted to stay with my job, that's why I did it) Oh, and I get pai for daycare.

ILOVELIFE

Wed, Aug 15 2012, 8:17 pm

btw, the nurse thing depends also if you're nursing or not. I nursed one for the first 4 weeks (then milk supply stopped) and the other nothing at all. My husband helped me with shifts. We couldn't afford a nurse and we had a tiny apt and couldn't see ourselves having someone underfoot. It's hard to work full time but I wish I'd worked something sooner after I had them because I lost my sanity for a bit there

amother

Wed, Aug 15 2012, 9:49 pm

I have two sets of twins born 3 years apart.
The first time I worked till maybe two weeks before they were born. My dr. put me on bedrest at that point only b/c that was the only way she could be sure I wouldn't overdo things. I went back to work p/t after six weeks and f/t after about three months.
The second time I worked right up until the day before they were born and went back to work F/T right after my six-week checkup.

the two most critical things are excellent reliable childcare and organization. The first for obvious reasons, and the second because without being organized you will quickly sink into a morass of chaos so deep you may not emerge for decades. You need to learn to plan ahead, make lists, leave detailed instructions, and strip your routine down to the barest essentials.

Don't get the idea that it was a picnic. It was very, very hard, and to this day it'ss till a mystery how we managed. But it would have been harder as a SAHM. Sure, I had to get up practically in the middle of the night to go to work, but I also got to dress like an adult and talk to adults and see myself as an educated, intelligent adult for 8 hours every day. I got to go to the bank, post office or library on my lunch break without having to figure out how to get a double stroller up the entrance stairs. I got to eat lunch! , at least on days when here was no need to go to the bank, PO or library. Of course sleep was an impossible dream, but my friends who were stay-at-home mothers of singletons didn't get much of that commodity, either.