Day One- I Feel Like a Statistic

Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms.  Original post from June 19, 2008.The front door opened. Startled I looked up to find my husband coming home from work early yesterday. I was about to take a work related phone call so I just briefly asked him what was up. He perched himself on the edge of the kitchen counter and said, "It's done. Over. I got laid off."Immediately, I had to grip the counter myself and keep from feeling as if my brain was doing a fade to black sort of thing. If there wasn't already a baby growing inside me it would have felt as if my stomach was being kicked in. Pummeled. I hear the words being calmly stated, "Two weeks severance...one month of insurance...", and my mind just reels. How are we going to survive? I feel like one of those brief profiles you … [Read more...]

The Price of the Pump- That Old Boob Dilemma

Cross-posted from October 2007 DC Metro Moms. If you work outside the home and you plan to breastfeed after the birth of your child then there's a good chance that you probably already know what dilemma I'm talking about. Pumping. Will you be able to pump at work? Has your company made sufficient accommodations or are you going it on your own? When I gave birth to my daughter I knew without a doubt that I would breastfeed and it went off without a hitch. She was a natural. I was lucky. She was also colicky. I tried to persevere but even after I had already paid the rental fees on the pump for the next few months, I knew my days were numbered. My boob dilemma was rearing its ugly head. How was I going to pump at work? I had a cubicle without a door. Sure the walls were high but anyone … [Read more...]