Tags:
Minding your Mind
()
Maternity 33
33 weeks of maternity leave in the life of a 33 year old
~ Monday, April 19 ~
week 2: take smart time off work
If you count the few weeks I took around Christmas, before my maternity leave officially started, and the few weeks I will take to ease back into a full time work schedule, I’ll come pretty close to 33 weeks - the inspiration for this blog’s title. Since I’m 33 years old, it’s a nice coincidence: 33 weeks in the life of a 33 year old.
Seven months of maternity leave … “that’s great”, “you’re so lucky”, “!!??!!”, “I’m so happy for you”. These are some of the comments I received when I turned on the auto-reply message on my email, a few weeks before my due date. But luck had nothing to do with it. I planned this maternity leave carefully, learning from my last. Here are three principles that worked for me and that should help you plan your leave.
()
~ Sunday, April 18 ~
week 1: remedies for sleep deprivation
I’m sleep deprived. The signs are clear: grumpiness, propensity to get ill, and a terrible short term memory. I remember these symptoms from the months following my son’s birth, three years ago. I was like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde: I’d wake up in the morning feeling very sorry for myself. I’d snap at my mom and anyone who was trying to help. Then I would take my afternoon nap and awaken with a smile and effusive signs of love for all those around me. Nighttime would come around again and with it, the rollercoaster of emotions. Four months after his birth, he was a better sleeper, but my brain was still slow. Weeks after returning to work I took the highway the wrong way and was back in San Francisco before realizing that I had been driving north for 15 minutes, not South as I had intended.
Having lived through this once, I’m a little wiser the second time around. Here are my personal remedies for dealing with the first 4 months after birth and keeping some of your intellectual mojo…
()
Posts that have made me click the 
button
