It's a big question that many moms-to-be need to answer: When should you stop working before the baby arrives?

The answer isn't the same for everyone. Many women work right up until their due date. Other women stop working a few days or even weeks before they're ready to give birth.

What does the law say?

First, it's good to know that it's against the law for your employer to discriminate against you because you're pregnant. If you're pregnant or have a problem related to your pregnancy, legally you have to be treated just like any other employee with a health condition.

It's a good idea to visit your workplace's human resources (HR) department to learn your time-off options. These might include:
<ul>
 <li>Your company's own maternity leave policies. </li>
 <li>Short-term disability, which pays at least some of your salary for a period of time. </li>
 <li>The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). If you work for a company with at least 50 employees within 75 miles, FMLA requires your employer to give you up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave after the birth of a child. Note: FMLA only applies if you've been employed for at least 12 months and have worked at least 1,250 hours in the past 12 months. </li>
 <li>Your accrued sick and vacation time.
 </li>
</ul>
Be sure to ask your HR representative whether your benefits change while you're on leave. For example, who pays your health insurance premiums? Do you continue to earn other benefits when taking time off?

When do you want your leave to start?

Unless you need to stop working for medical reasons, you can choose when to start your maternity leave.

You may want to work until you give birth so you can spend all of your time away from work with your new baby. If you need time to prepare for your baby's arrival or just want a last bit of "me time," you may want to start your maternity leave earlier.

No matter which one you choose, it's smart to work with your employer early on. It will give you time to bring him or her up to speed on any projects you're working on&mdash;along with ideas for which co-worker should fill in for you while you're gone.

Can you ask for workplace accommodations?

Yes, especially if your job involves:
<ul>
 <li>Being around toxic chemicals.</li>
 <li>Lifting heavy objects. </li>
 <li>Standing all day.
 </li>
</ul>
If that's the case for you, talk to your employer about temporarily changing your job responsibilities while you're pregnant.

And if pregnancy symptoms mean a certain time of the day is bad for you, then you might want to ask for flex time. Your employer might let you come in later in the day when you're feeling more up to the task. You might also want to consider asking about working from home.

More pregnancy news

Getting ready to leave work means you're also getting ready for labor. Brush up on the <a href="[BASEDOMAIN]/healthinfo/Story.aspx?StoryId=1da582b7-b3fb-4e87-9e55-fc1a4b9a4562">three stages of labor</a> to prepare for what's ahead.

Sources: <a href="http://www.acog.org/" target="_blank">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists</a>; <a href="http://www.americanpregnancy.org/" target="_blank">American Pregnancy Association</a>; <a href="http://www.marchofdimes.org/" target="_blank">March of Dimes</a>
Reviewed 1/26/2024

Working while pregnant: When should you stop?