Anyone else looking forward to maternity leave? Anything special planned or ways you want to fill your days?
Our hospital offers a breastfeeding support group Tuesdays and Thursdays. Its great to get out of the house and see the LC (if needed) and do a weighted feeding.
Other than that my oldest will start K so I will be doing drop off at 8 am and pick up at 3 pm.
When the weather cools down and baby is a bit older, I really want to get out and walk. I wish I had a walking-buddy I could call but most of my other friends are also WOHM.
Re: Working moms - Plans for maternity leave ?
I'm excited to take them to school and pick them up each day while I'm on leave. Their school is less than a mile from our house, so I'll even be able to walk them sometimes. I'm also volunteering to help with a couple of school events in September/October and I'm pretty excited about that.
We have to drive out to Virginia a few weeks after the birth for my sisters wedding. So that will be a couple weeks.
Beyond that I hope to survive. And pump for a freezer stash.
Married May 2014
DD born August 2016
Baby #2 due December 2017
I don't really have any "plans" for my leave except to survive it being a FTM. I guess I plan on taking it day by day. My BFF who lives in Oregon may come out for a week in September to spend some time with Baby and I. I am really looking forward to that.
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks.
10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery
11/2/17 Twin A & B born
11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
Benched 6 months
BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO
BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
I plan to fill my days with pumping (oh the joy!), walking early in the am and late in the evening with him, going to indoor play parks with DD and the baby, and sitting in the lounge area at Nordstroms and Central Market (eta... drinking wine).
For activities, the goal is to keep both me and the baby alive. As a FTM, I can't fathom making any other plans!
@Jcr727 I only got 6 weeks the first time around so I feel you! It's really cool that your hubby can stay home with the baby for a while too. My daughter just went right into daycare at 6 weeks.
And all of you talking about planning to pump a bunch - YES! Same here! lol
We'll go for walks if it is nice outside, and I will have some friends on maternity leave at the same time, but I'm really aiming to avoid setting unreasonable goals.
BFP #1: 08/17/2012 DD1 born 05/01/2013
BFP #2: 07/31/2015 M/C 09/23/2015 (11.5 weeks)
Baby #2 due 8/11/2016
I went to those breastfeeding groups at the hospital a couple times when I was on leave with DD, and honestly they're just not for me. Too much crunchy talk and romanticized notions of how BFing really goes being thrown around by SAHMs for my taste, but I know a lot of people swear by them.
Baby #2 due 8/11/2016
I'm hoping to take the full 12 weeks, I have 9 weeks paid.
I know the first 6 weeks will likely just be survival mode, but I want to make sure I make a point to get out - even if I don't feel like it. Emotionally, and physically, I think that will make a big difference for me.
I already talked to my doula about setting up a lactation consultant (apparently my health insurance covers it!) for home visits as needed for the first 12 weeks. She is referring us, and we'll have our first meeting prior to birth, then she will come by our house about 4 or 5 days post partum, (roughly two days after we get home) and on an as needed basis after that. Getting breast feeding established / a stash built up (if we CAN do it) is one of the big things I want to get accomplished.
There is a mommy boot camp I am planning on doing. Near us there is actually a class with a special focus on post partum moms. The class runs 6 weeks, and it meant to be started at 6 weeks post partum (8 weeks for c section moms) with clearance from your doctor. I think it'll give me a chance to get moving again, connect with other post partum moms, and give me a little "me" time during those first few weeks which are all about the baby. It's through the same group that does a lot of the "stroller fit" classes. We'll see how I feel at 6 weeks PP, but it's nice to know that is there if I am feeling isolated.
I'm also looking forward to doing farmers markets, crafts fairs, and that sort of thing. Our town does a bunch of that sort of thing, and they are pretty low key community events. (some are even within sight of my house!)
I have friends who are like, "oh your insurance must be great working for a hospital!" Nope. We don't even have paid sick leave. It all comes out of our PTO (paid time off/vacation) that we have to accrue by how many hours we work.
What sucks is my DH has a ton more hours than I do and you can gift PTO hours to another employee for medical leaves. Buuuut since maternity leave is a planned medical leave and not an emergent one, we don't qualify for that either. So in summary we only get 12 weeks between the two of us per 12 month period, I have to take most of it unpaid even though my DH has tons of hours sitting there that we can't use.
Needless to say I cried my little heart out after I talked to HR about it a few months back. What a complete joke.
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks.
10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery
11/2/17 Twin A & B born
11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
Benched 6 months
BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO
BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
Ehhhhhh...so much for enjoying the perks of working at a health system, right?!
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks.
10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery
11/2/17 Twin A & B born
11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
Benched 6 months
BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO
BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
Baby Boy
Baby #2 due 8/11/2016
That sounds awful! I'd be looking to get the heck outta there if it was me. I'm sorry you have to deal with that kind of sexism, which is illegal, btw....we are a protected class after all.
Baby #2 due 8/11/2016
ETA: STM+ I am allowed 12 weeks of maternity leave, but only 8 weeks of that would be paid. When I had my son I had to go back to school about a week after he was born and I just brought him with me. In the past, I have had to work two jobs to keep ahead, and while my situation is different this time around-the single mom in me is saying, "you only need 8 weeks and 4 weeks of unpaid maternity leave is selfish."
My question is: What worked for all of you, and did/does anyone feel guilty about not working?
kristynmac Nope, no guilt here whatsoever and I took my full 20 weeks with DD (hopefully it'll be 21 this time )! I figure I'm only going to have so many kids and so many chances to be home with them. In the grand scheme of things a few unpaid weeks of work is insignificant. I'm still young and have my entire life to work, I might as well enjoy the little time with my newborn that I'm entitled to. Yes, it's hard those last couple weeks of no pay since I'm the primary breadwinner in our family, but we got through it.
Baby #2 due 8/11/2016