Canadian Moms Check-in

tosh24 · June 2018

Hey Canadian moms!!!! I think we've got a nice little group of us here.

Thought it would be helpful to start up a Canadian check-in since a lot of things are different for us compared to our American mom friends.

Q: I was thinking of doing this thread monthly or even just one per trimester since there aren't a ton of us. Or heck, we can just do one and keep it going. Doesn't matter at all to me. What is everyone's preference?

I'm also not set on having the check-in too structured - we can do some general updates and maybe GTKYs and everyone can just chime in with questions. Or just have fun posting stereotypical Canadian gifs. Whatever

Our Canadian Moms:
@melly-melly
@kiwieloping
@MeggieLynne
@baileym9126
@Nirolosa
@sareej521
@leighbrek

(I just went through the Intro and GTKY and pulled names. If you want to be removed, LMK. If I missed you and you want to be added, also LMK)

Maybe for this first check-in we can all answer some Q's to get to know one another better.

How far along are you?:

What province or part of the country are you from (if you're comfortable sharing)?:

FTM, STM, or TTM+?:

R/R/Q:

GTKY: What is your fav thing about Canada?:

tosh24 · June 2018

How far along are you?: 10+3

What province or part of the country are you from (if you're comfortable sharing)?: Ontario

FTM, STM, or TTM+?: Hopefully third time mom

R/R/Q: Who has given some thought to mat leave? Are you leaning toward 12 months or 18 months? I'd love to do 18 but not sure we could swing it financially without eating too much into savings.

GTKY: What is your fav thing about Canada?:
Everything! Its rugged beauty, our people, our values, our butter tarts...lol!

leighbrek · June 2018

How far along are you?:
11+1

What province or part of the country are you from (if you're comfortable sharing)?:
Ontario

FTM, STM, or TTM+?:
FTM

R/R/Q:
Morning sickness needs to go the hell away!

GTKY: What is your fav thing about Canada?:
This changes daily! Love the options for mat leave, love maple syrup and butter tarts, love all the scenic places to live and visit, love that we have four full seasons.

tosh24 · June 2018

@leighbrek Ugh, sorry you're still dealing with MS. Hopefully it will be easing up soon for you! I totally forgot about the four seasons tidbit...I agree. I couldn't live anywhere that didn't have a proper fall!

leighbrek · June 2018

@tosh24 Thanks. I honestly thought I was getting over it. I just had two really great says of energy and feeling good. Today was like starting at ground 0 and I was super frustrated!

Autumn is the best. Such a beautiful time of year, especially in Ontario!

melly-melly · June 2018

Hi ladies! I've been a little MIA lately, but hopefully I can jump back in? I've been exhausted and stressed, but I feel like I'm ready to be back on the board!

How far along are you?: 9 weeks today

What province or part of the country are you from (if you're comfortable sharing)?: BC

FTM, STM, or TTM+?: this will be my second

R/R/Q: Having a hard time not talking about it at work yet! I feel like it's going to accidentally slip out any moment, but I'd really like to get through my first trimester before telling everyone.
Also I have a sinus infection right now and that can kiss my ass.

GTKY: What is your fav thing about Canada?: Everything. I love living in Canada. Every time I go see my doctor, get an ultrasound, get bloodwork, etc and don't have to pay a dime, I'm thankful to be Canadian.

@tosh24 I've been thinking a lot about maternity leave too! 18 months feels like such a long time to be away from work, but it would be really nice to be at home with both kids for that long! Plus the financial aspect will be tricky--but I guess not that much more of a burden than two kids in daycare full time.

baileym9126 · June 2018

So, I’m sorry if I go MIA from time to time. I usually read all the updates, but don’t always post if I’m feeling uneasy or stressed (which seems to be more often than not haha). PGAL brain sucks sometimes.

@tosh24 I’m at home already, so mat leave doesn’t apply to me, but I just wanted to say I hope you can find a way financially to make 18 months work, if that’s what you want!

@leighbrek I feel you on the MS. Mine has started to calm down enough that it only lasts for a few hours a day instead of all day, but I’m about ready for it to leave completely.

@melly-melly sorry about the sinus infection, those suck even when you don’t have the added symptoms of pregnancy. Hopefully it clears up soon!

How far along are you?:
10+1

What province or part of the country are you from (if you're comfortable sharing)?:
Saskatchewan

FTM, STM, or TTM+?:
FTM

R/R/Q:
I finally got my appetite back today after 4 weeks of not wanting anything and have been eating everything in sight. I feel like I’m going to regret it later, but right now I’m loving it.

GTKY: What is your fav thing about Canada?:
So many things, but in light of my appetite coming back, defiantly the poutine!

sareej521 · June 2018

How far along are you?:
8+4!

What province or part of the country are you from (if you're comfortable sharing)?:
Friendly Manitoba

FTM, STM, or TTM+?:
Hopefully this will be our third baby

R/R/Q:
I'm so tiiiiiiiired!! But a rave is *knock on wood* i have yet to puke! DD1 it started daily at 6 weeks, DD2 it started just before 8 weeks and lasted until I delivered her at 41+4

GTKY: What is your fav thing about Canada?:
I like it all! And agree with the butter tarts comments, yum! Real talk though, raisins or no raisins?

kiwieloping · June 2018

Thanks for starting this! Great idea

@sareej521no raisins! All the way. But I don't mind pecans or walnuts once in a while

@tosh24DH and I just decided to share 18 months. We are saving extra now to make it work. It will be an adjustment but we think it will be worth it. I'll do 9 and he will do 9. I'll also have a month of vacation so will technically be off for 10 months. I'm pretty lucky as I have 95% top up for the first 6 months.

How far along are you?: 10 weeks today

What province or part of the country are you from (if you're comfortable sharing)?: Northern Ontario

FTM, STM, or TTM+?: FTM

R/R/Q: I played 18 holes today and had some brown spotting (first spotting ever) so I kinda freaked out. It was very very little and has stopped so I'm calmer now but still googling and somewhat worried. My mom is also having major surgery tomorrow and is staying with us so I'm pretty stressed overall which I know isn't good for baby.

GTKY: What is your fav thing about Canada?: Everything! Multiculturalism. Natural beauty. Our rights and freedoms. Free health care. Affordable education. Four seasons. Politeness. Comedy. And most importantly right now.... No Trump.

melly-melly · June 2018

@kiwieloping any spotting is always so stressful! Glad it’s resolving quickly for you. I seem to have really “spotty” pregnancies and I can’t help but check the tp every time I pee.

@sareej521 no raisins for sure!!

kaylaef · June 2018

How far along are you?: I unno. 7 weeks 3 days based on lmp. I think I o 'd late

What province or part of the country are you from (if you're comfortable sharing)?: hamilton ontario!

FTM, STM, or TTM+?: ttm. 2ds. 2.5 hrs and 15 months

R/R/Q: I feel like shit. I'm broken out. Moody. Pukey. The works. It's tough doing this while working and having two littles! I also have multiple sclerosis which also kicks my butt with fatigue.

GTKY: What is your fav thing about Canada?: I love Canada! My most favourite thing is probably our diversity. I love living in a country where the world is at your fingertips!

kaylaef · June 2018

Butter tarts though....

AliKay20 · June 2018

Hey guys. Not to butt in on the convo here but just wanted to add that I am jealous we don’t have ketchup flavored potato chips here in America. That is all. Also I get that this could be an UO bc I know ketchup flavored chips don’t roll with everyone, lol.

PolarBear517 · June 2018

lol I would also like to butt in & say I'm jealous of your whole system, Canada really seems to support its families & the health of its citizens

I live in MI about 3 hours drive from the border and some days I think about making a break for it- it's getting scarier to live here!

leighbrek · June 2018

@PolarBear517 In a way. The downside to free health care are the wait times. Absolutely brutal.
Overall, though... Gotta love Canada!

tosh24 · June 2018

@melly-melly So sorry for pulling you back out of the woodwork if you weren't ready. I've definitely had periods of being MIA around here when my sanity requires it. So brutal you have a sinus infection - I hope it clears up quickly. I definitely have to sit down and see how much of a difference there is in staying home the extra 6 months vs. doing 12 months and 6 months of daycare.

@baileym9126 Totally get the PGAL brain. Hope it settles down soon for the both of us. I would really like to actually enjoy this pregnancy at some point! Glad you are starting to feel better. Totally forgot to mention poutine! I have dairy allergy so no more poutine for me, but I definitely ate my fair share as a teenager!

@sareej521 Ahhhhh...MS for 41 weeks???? That sounds awful. I hope this babe is easy on you and you have a smooth ride. Definitely no raisins. Pecans are OK though!

@kiwieloping Sorry about the spotting scare....always stressful when that happens. I don't think it's too uncommon when you've exerted yourself so maybe it was all the walking and swinging while golfing? Hope your mom's surgery went smoothly and her recovery is quick. So nice to have someone represent from northern Ontario here! My DH is from SSM so we travel back there a few times a year. DH and I will definitely split the mat leave - we did that last time with DS. I took 8 months (had to go back a bit earlier than I wanted because I applied for a new position while off and got it) and DH took the last 4 months. DH and I are also both topped up by our employers so that does make it easier. The only thing I'm worried about is that DH just took a new job with the same base salary but no overtime pay and he used to make a good chunk of money working overtime (he just went from union to management). It was worth it because now he has flexible hours and can work from home which will be super helpful with 3 kids, but I am a tad concerned about how finances on mat leave are going to go!

@kaylaef Ugh, sorry you're having a rough go. You are one busy mama. Having two kids and working full time while suffering through early pregnancy symptoms is so rough - I can't imaging adding MS on top of all that. I hope you have a good support system that is helping you get through!

@AliKay20 I haven't had ketchup chips since I was a kid! Let us know if we can ship you some

@PolarBear517 Our system definitely isn't perfect, but I do think our healthcare system and some of our social programs (like a year of mat leave) are a sense of pride for most Canadians. We like to know that our people are taken care of, no matter their life circumstances. It does differ across the country - I know where I am I have never had an issue with healthcare wait times for anything, but it definitely isn't that way everywhere.

Edit* formatting

kiwieloping · June 2018

@tosh24 we ski in SSM a couple times a year and DH went to college there. Thx for asking about my mom - everything went well but she has to be in hospital for a few days. They also have to do some testing on the kidney they removed to make sure the mass isn't the big C so fx. I hear you about finances especially with new jobs. I hope it works out so you two can take the extended leave...maybe 14 or 16 months would work?

@PolarBear517 yes we do have a nice social system. Some healthcare does have longer waits (like knee replacement for example) but personally the only time I've had a long wait was for IVF- it's currently a one year wait to be covered by the govt but you can always choose to pay. Luckily we got KU the old fashion way while waiting! Unfortunately with the current politics in the US we are getting a crazy number of people crossing the border illegally to seek asylum here.

@AliKay20 a friend that lives in Texas orders her Canadian treats from Amazon - seems pricy but a craving is a craving

kiwieloping · June 2018

Son of a bitch! I had a way longer post and it cut off like 75%. Is it because I posted a link for ketchup chips on Amazon? Are we not able to do That? It literally cut off the link and everything below. Or is it the stupid app?

Well I had written responses to everyone and I'm afraid I don't have time to rewrite.

But I was starving and thinking about butter tarts and poutine so I thought of a bunch of other great Canadian food lol. Mostly yummy French Canadian treats like sugar pie, Sucre a la creme (my fav), crepes, real French Toast. Also maple bacon, back bacon, peameal bacon (i think this is just an Ontario thing?) all bacon, our dairy (have you tried American milk), I can go on. I'm metis so my grandmother used to make fry bread and Sucre a la creme all the time. It's amazong my whole family isn't diabetic.

sarahlynlaf · June 2018

Hi ladies! I'm Sarah from Victoria!

How far along are you?: 8 weeks tomorrow

What province or part of the country are you from (if you're comfortable sharing)?: Vancouver Island, BC

FTM, STM, or TTM+?: FTM!

R/R/Q: I haven't told my client yet, but I need the work and will need to continue working after labour because I don't qualify for mat leave as a self employed individual until April next year! Ufff. I haven't had a lot of symptoms other than being tired and occasionally nauseous, but no sickness.

GTKY: What is your fav thing about Canada?: I love Canada. I think my favourite thing is that we are safe. I think of all the other countries in turmoil right now, and families being torn apart, and I just feel so blessed to live in this country. We aren't without our problems, but we have the luxury of safety.

MeggieLynne · June 2018

How far along are you?: tomorrow will be 10 weeks.

What province or part of the country are you from (if you're comfortable sharing)?: Alberta

FTM, STM, or TTM+?: STM. one boy, there st the end of August.

R/R/Q: I actually have no idea what this means.

GTKY: What is your fav thing about Canada?: I love the healthcare. Not saying it’s perfect, but it’s quite good. I can’t even imagine all the stuff from the states about how much deliveries cost, never mind and complications with Mom or baby. (We’d still be paying a bill from my first delivery).

kiwieloping · June 2018

Have to bump thread this to say that this week (largely due to this thread) I have eaten a:

- poutine
- buttertart
- bag of ketchup chips

All things that I rarely (maybe 2x per year for the first 2 and never for the last) eat. And I'm not going to lie, poutine #2 may happen this weekend.

Image: https://gifimage.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/poutine-gif-2.gif

tosh24 · June 2018

Happy Canada Day, Canadian moms! I hope you all have a relaxing long weekend planned....I can't wait to be sitting on the dock in a few hours!

Whatever your plans, I hope you all enjoy celebrating our beautiful country this weekend ❤

kkb0520 · June 2018

Happy almost Canada Day, Canadian moms! I’m a USA citizen here but I just spent the week in Toronto for a work conference and it is the most amazing place. I even got to shake Justin Trudeau’s hand, so I just wanted to pop over here and express my fierce appreciation for Toronto and Canadian culture at large. You all rock.

mustardpanda · July 2018

Hi everyone! I have no idea what LMK means but i don't mind being added to the Canadian mom list!

I'm 11w5d

BC. Waaaay out in the boonies.

FTM

R/R/Q? What does this mean?? Based off of other responses I think it has to do with symptoms. Feeling much better lately but damn weeks 7-10.5 we're rough.

Favorite thing about Canada would have to be the scenery.

tosh24 · September 2018

@leighbrek @baileym9126 Are we the only 3 Canadian moms left?????

How are you guys doing? Has anyone given more thought to mat leave? Decide your last day of work? How long will you take?

I just did my paperwork with HR yesterday. I have some vacation to use up before my leave so my last day will be Dec 13th. It's gonna be panic mode now trying to get everything done! I decided to take the 18 months. I do get topped up for 9 months so it shouldn't be too bad. I'll probably go back after 12-14 months and DH will take the rest of the leave. He'll get topped up by his employer so it should only be around 3-5 months that we're living solely off the EI amount. Hopefully we can swing it!

leighbrek · September 2018

@tosh24 I think we might be!
I put in my paperwork last month, because I fully expect that it'll get lost about three times before it's actually processed. I think I was a bit ambitious, putting my start date at the end of December! Haha. Might have to copy you and take some vacation weeks leading up to it... I'm also getting a bit nervous about taking a year off. What the heck am I going to do all day?

Good for you, taking the full benefit! It's nice that it's available, and so good for baby to be with a parent in those early stages. Even if you don't take the full time, it's never a bad thing for dad to get some quality baby time.

My husband works from home, so the plan is that after my year off, baby will be with him three days a week, and daycare two days a week. It gives him freedom for client appointments, but also saves us money on childcare... And baby gets socialized.

I have a new employee starting next week, and I have no idea how I'm going to train him to take over for me in such a limited time!

tosh24 · September 2018

@leighbrek Yeah, that's why I did my paperwork early too. I'm sure there will be so many errors on the forms that payroll/HR fill out that are going to need to be fixed, as always, so I didn't want to be scrambling last minute.

I was home with DD for 14 months and was not ready to go back. I went back at 8 months with DS because I was over staying home lol. Who knows what I'll feel like this time. At least we have the flexibility to just give written notice of our return date 4 weeks in advance, so we can really go back whenever we want (aside from any daycare issues).

DH stayed home for 4 months with DS and he LOVED it. He's looking forward to being home again. He asked me if I could go back after 6 months so that he could have the year lol! Awesome that your DH has the flexibility to watch baby 3 days a week. That will totally save a ton of money on daycare.

The whole "who's going to do my job" thing while off is stressful. At least you get to train your replacement! With the government's hiring freeze on right now, there won't be anyone taking over my position for the foreseeable future. That should be fun. I feel really bad for my coworkers who are going to have to pick up the slack.

FYI for you or any lurkers out there - if you get topped up by your employer on leave, MAKE SURE TO FILL OUT THE PROPER TAX FORMS!!!! I have a friend who got topped up during her leave and she didn't fill out the tax forms properly and the government was not taking tax off her top up. When she did her taxes for that tax season, she owed the government $7000!!!!

leighbrek · September 2018

@tosh24 Or finding out that you don't have any paycheque coming at all! Eesh.

I think it is very nice how we have the kind of flexibility we have, but also the benefits there if we want them. I know it kind of drives employers a little bananas, but... C'mon, we're ensuring the continuance of the human race here! lol
It's also nice that your hubby enjoyed being home with the baby - it seems to be a mixed bag for a lot of people. I work with a guy who, upon learning that I'm pregnant, told me that my life was pretty much over. He'd taken parental leave for at least one of his kids, and he was pissy that he didn't get to "do all the things" he'd had planned, none of which involved baby. Sigh. Active, nurturing fathers are the best!

The problem with my 'replacement' is that I'm actually his supervisor! lol He's coming in brand new, starting from scratch on doing the basic job, and my boss also wants me to teach him how to do my job as the supervisor. If the guy doesn't quit before I get back I'll be very surprised.

Ugh, taxes.... I have the forms, just haven't done them yet. It's a good reminder!

hollye30 · September 2018

I'm a Canadian mom too! I'm in Ontario.

Since I work for my husbands business I will work right up to the day I have the baby. That's what I did with my first.

Hoping to have my replacement hired soon, they will have a lot to learn.

Thanks for the tip about the tax forms, definitely want to make sure that is done right.

baileym9126 · September 2018

@tosh24 that’s awesome your husband is planning on taking some of the leave! And my SIL didn’t claim her top up, either, and had to pay somewhere around the 7000 mark, too!

@leighbrek good luck training you’re new employee!

@hollye30 hopefully they find someone to replace you soon!

I won’t be taking mat leave as I’m already at home, but I’ve been trying to convince DH to take some paternal leave. It’s looking like he won’t, though, since he and my father started up a business a few years ago and DH doesn’t feel like it’s at the point where he can take an extended period of time off without the business suffering. Having said that, he will be off for all of January, but that’s only helpful if the baby comes on her due date (Jan 5th) otherwise he’ll only get a couple weeks with her before he has to go back on the road (he’s usually home every weekend, just gone during the week). So I’m hoping she comes on time!

leighbrek · September 2018

Hi @hollye30! Good luck finding a replacement!

@baileym9126 Hopefully baby does arrive on-time! I'm really bad at keeping track of details - is this your first baby? I'm in the opposite boat - I'm hoping baby holds out for an extra week just to get past the holidays. 😊

baileym9126 · September 2018

@leighbrek yes, this our first! And, yes, getting past the holidays would be nice!

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