Hey, all! It's been a while since I posted because I've been working on this little project that finally came into the world in October (3 weeks early via emergency c-section): Isn't she just great? I know, I can't stop staring at her little face. Thankfully, my institution offers a full semester leave or two half semesters depending on your preference, so I have been off since August (or technically since June, but I am a 9-month contract). And let me just say that while I knew, logically, that maternity leave was a good and useful thing, now I KNOW with my whole body and soul what a good and useful thing it is. I can't believe how matter-of-fact people are about pregnancy, birth, and parenting. I mean, my world has forever changed. I could have died or suffered the loss of a child I hadn't even met. I had major surgery. I haven't slept longer than 3 hours at a time since mid-October! And I'm not talking about wake up, scroll your phone, make yourself a tea, go back to sleep not sleeping. I'm talking - get up, pee as quickly as possible, feed/burb/soothe a baby back to sleep all while not trying to pass out while holding them in the rocker - kind of not sleeping. How the fuck does the U.S. not see that paid maternity leave is ESSENTIAL?
Greetings from Maternity Leave
Greetings from Maternity Leave
Greetings from Maternity Leave
Hey, all! It's been a while since I posted because I've been working on this little project that finally came into the world in October (3 weeks early via emergency c-section): Isn't she just great? I know, I can't stop staring at her little face. Thankfully, my institution offers a full semester leave or two half semesters depending on your preference, so I have been off since August (or technically since June, but I am a 9-month contract). And let me just say that while I knew, logically, that maternity leave was a good and useful thing, now I KNOW with my whole body and soul what a good and useful thing it is. I can't believe how matter-of-fact people are about pregnancy, birth, and parenting. I mean, my world has forever changed. I could have died or suffered the loss of a child I hadn't even met. I had major surgery. I haven't slept longer than 3 hours at a time since mid-October! And I'm not talking about wake up, scroll your phone, make yourself a tea, go back to sleep not sleeping. I'm talking - get up, pee as quickly as possible, feed/burb/soothe a baby back to sleep all while not trying to pass out while holding them in the rocker - kind of not sleeping. How the fuck does the U.S. not see that paid maternity leave is ESSENTIAL?