Conference at 38/39 weeks pregnant?
Update: Thanks for all the feedback, everyone! The majority opinion is that this is obviously not worth the risk. I was just excited to get out of my home office and see people – most of whom I’ve never met in person! Plus, it’s not work work since it’s a conference/retreat with meals and other event-like things. But it’s true that I wasn’t considering complications or the possibility of giving birth without my husband – I was just focused on making the right decision for my job, not for my family. Very silly perspective, all things considered. Thanks for snapping me out of it! Fingers crossed baby is here by that time anyhow. 😉
Please help me figure out if I’m overthinking this.
I’m fully remote, so commuting/work travel is pretty much zilch. This coming spring, our entire department is meeting up for an in-person conference about 1.5 hours away (no virtual option). They’re allowing individual (!) hotel rooms for two nights, even if you live nearby – I thought that was pretty nice of them.
The thing is, I’ll be between 38 and 39 weeks pregnant. My first was born at 39+3 in under eight hours from first contraction.
Our hospital would be an additional half hour away from the conference, so should I go into labor, it’s at least a two-hour drive back.
I’m feeling like if I book the hotel but don’t end up attending the conference at all, it’ll be frowned upon for wasting money.
I was kind of looking forward to two nights alone in a hotel to relax, but I can commute both days, if need be. (People commute an hour or more every day while pregnant, right?)
Would you plan to go and book the hotel, plan to go and commute, or just decline altogether? Thanks for the input!