Two Weeks to Go: Preparing for Maternity Leave and Parenthood

Dear Diary, 

We are in the final stretch! After a few more midwife appointments, I’ve decided to take an earlier start to my maternity and pregnancy leave. If all goes well with HR and my request, I will be officially done with work in 2 weeks! 

As much as I wanted to try to stick it out and stay with my students for as long as possible, I also need to think about my own health and safety, as well as baby’s. Unfortunately, there is no AC at work. With outside temperatures still being in the mid to high 20’s, my feet, my hands and my face are constantly swelling in the heat. I’ve been having even more rib pain as well, most likely from having to go across the campus every 45 minutes to get to my next class. And the cherry on top this week was that there seems to be a burst pipe underground, which has somehow triggered the furnace and the heating system to be running during the day. So not only is there no AC, but now the heat is on. I’ve also had some close calls with flying soccer balls nearly hitting me in the stomach, and students always running in the halls and not paying attention to their surroundings. 

All in all, my husband is worried about me being at work so late into the pregnancy, plus being over an hour and a half away from the hospital. I’ve been feeling guilty about my decision, but my co-workers keep trying to assure me that this is more important than trying to be tough and sticking it out for 6 weeks. To try to minimize the disruption and the guilt, I’ve done everything I can to best transition my classes. I’ve prepared lesson plans and units for the next few months, have told them all that they’ll be getting a new teacher soon, and have told my boss I can come in to meet with the new teacher and give them a run down of each class and their needs. It hasn’t made the guilt completely dissipate, but I feel like I’ve done as much as I can. 

Speaking of emotions, I’ve been feeling extra unstable this week. Some people have been telling me this is an early sign of pre-term labour, which I’m really hoping is not the case. Crying while listening to songs that never used to make me emotional, crying when I see something on TV, crying when I see a baby squirrel. My poor husband comes home confused every other day when he sees me laying on the couch in tears. I’m hoping this doesn’t follow me into post-partum! 

Any advice on how to manage these wild emotions? 

See you next week with all the new updates! 

B.