I like lists. I could have made a table to compare and contrast but I don't want to turn on my super old laptop to create an excel spreadsheet. So let's stick with bullet points and dashes as I write my experience as a stay-at-home mom aka maternity leave.
It's amazing {and funny!} when I explain to employers why I'm finishing in January 2014 instead of July 2013. It's taking me 5 1/2 years to finish my child neurology training instead of 5 years because of 3(!!!) maternity leaves. Derrick and I knew we wanted to start our family while I'm in training. But THREE kids during residency (whoo!) we didn't plan that. Just shows that even though I'm a planner, God is still in control!
D = Daniel, I = Isabel , S = Sebastian
Weeks of leave
D ~
14 (!) weeks
The Peds chiefs couldn't find a rotation for me that I can come back mid- month so they asked if I'm ok extending my leave. And I said yesssss! We did not have kids in daycare then, plus we had savings so we were able to afford only one income and 8 unpaid weeks. Yikes.
I ~ 10 weeks
S ~ looking like it will be 9 weeks. Plan was to come back at 8 weeks but with interviews lined up, looking like 9 weeks this time.
Season
D ~ summer
I ~ winter
S ~ autumn
{do I hear spring baby next?!}
Sahm vs wohm?
D ~ sahm! I did not want to go back to work! At all!
I ~ wohm..... Isabel was a little fussy baby. I was about to loose my mind with cabin fever because of the winter cold. I could not wait to go back to work.
S ~ enjoying sahm experience. My baby is 3 weeks old and I'm loving my leave. Let's just see by 9 weeks if I'm ready to be a wohm.
**sahm = stay at home mom; wohm = work outside of home mom
Mood
D ~ summer sun does wonders. I had the baby blues early on but not postpartum depression till I went back to work! I missed Daniel so so much. It was also the h1N1 season then and visitors weren't allowed to the hospital. I was a mess because I could not see Daniel when i was on call. My first day back at work I was also on call - brutal! I was a MESS! I was away from Daniel for 30 hours :(
I ~
depressed. The wintertime is not good for postpartum moms, at least not the season for me. Isabel and I were stuck inside. No trips to the library, mall or store. It was cold!
S ~ so far so good. Summer/fall temps are nice to us.
Paternity leave
D ~ 4 weeks. We were first time parents. I did not know what i was doing. So thankful
derrick stayed for a month with me and Daniel.
I ~ 2 weeks
S ~ 1.5 week
Exercise
D ~ walking at a week, mild Zumba (is there such a thing?) at 2-3 weeks. Yup, i was a go-getter then.
I ~ no walks! no Zumba. No nothing. My fault for not having the happy hormones during winter time.
S ~ walking at a week and half. So far, almost daily walks with Sebastian and Isabel. I'm thinking of starting
this workout at 4 weeks.
Daily routine (where I talk about bodily fluids)
D ~ he ate every 1.5-2 hours! Hungry baby! He took his lovely time too. He had stools with every single feeding.
I ~ she's my barracuda feeder. She's efficient and nursed for 5-7 minutes per breast. She stooled every 5-7 days!
S ~ he nursed a lot even at day 1 of life. He stretches his feedings to every 3-4 hours but when he eats, he nurses for 1-2 hours, switching side to side to side. he cluster feeds but then will give me a stretch of 3 hours of sleep.
Trips
D ~ I remember going to the mall with Daniel. He was crying in the stroller while I was trying on shorts at banana rep. I was one of those nursing in public ~ with a nursing cover! We also went to weekly breastfeeding support groups and
mother connection group (mommy and me group).
I ~ nope, nada. No trips.
S ~ we went for sushi after his one week well child check. But no trips to the mall yet. Just at target times three. If we are lucky and stars align, maybe Costco this weekend.
Borrow a DVD
D ~ Criminal minds. I watched all 3 seasons.
I ~ Bones. Watched almost all 5(?) seasons.
S ~ Rookie blue. Done with season one. Season two waiting for me at the library.
I've got a thing for gory, bloody shows and cops postpartum apparently. David boreanaz? Hello?
Anything special
D ~ we went to a friend's wedding at 6 weeks. It was an intimate table of 8 and I remember nursing Daniel all night long.
I ~ we went to the
Super Bowl village a week before going back to work. I guess we did venture outside.
S ~ depending on the schedule, we are going for interviews with possible plane rides.
Let's keep in touch: