If you are able to work up until your due date, then you have more leave time to spend with the baby once it's born.

I agree with Maureen: yeah, it would be nice to have some time to relax before childbirth, but I certainly wouldn't put a higher priority on that over spending time with my newborn child. I had YEARS to relax, now I want to have a baby. I am actually shocked that mothers-to-be would trade two weeks at home with their newborn for a couple of weeks to "relax" before childbirth.

This, of course, assumes that the pregnancy is going well -- oviously, if you are in a lot of discomfort or the doctor recommends bedrest, that's a different situation.

In terms of being induced, I was two weeks late for my first child, so on Thursday we scheduled an induction for the following Monday. So in my mind, I was going to deliver on Monday -- it was scheduled, right? When my water broke on Friday, I was actually surprised to go into labor, and my husband claims I am the only woman who was 9 1/2 month pregnant to be surprised about going into labor! :-) But I worked right up through my due date, to the Friday that I actually delivered.

I agree. I worked until the day before my inductions were scheduled. I never have babies on my own, felt great and didn't want to waste any of my leave prior to having my baby. If we could have afforded it then sure! I would have also taken off 6 months afterwards too instead of just 8 weeks.

It would be nice to be able to take off early, but in the USA we don't get good benefits like most other places in the world-12 weeks max for leave of absence. That is ridiculous! I think that the UK, Canada, and France have 1 year leave of absence. So most people work to the very end, just so they they can get their minimum of 6 weeks and maximum of 12 weeks off.