If I were in your shoes, I probably wouldn't handle it that way... I'd just head straight down to Chase and let them deal with all the headaches themselves...
Mine was smaller back when I was nine months along too, and honestly, it wasn't like I felt ready to pop at every single moment, especially since I was dealing with constant heartburn through the entire pregnancy... People's comments were just so incredibly mindless, it was actually kind of unbelievable
I don't really feel the competitive vibe surrounding me, mostly because the people I hang out with either don't have kids yet or their little ones are already old enough that they're focused on totally different things...
It was actually pretty frustrating not having anyone to turn to for advice, since whenever I tried asking my friends, they were all like, "Oh, that was ages ago," and couldn't really remember the details anymore. So, I ended up looking for some online mom groups, though honestly, most of those communities feel a bit overwhelming and intense to me...
The two most annoying things I’ve dealt with during this pregnancy are being told to "get all the sleep you can while you still can" and all the comments about weight gain that I haven't even experienced yet. It feels like everyone thinks the most important part of being pregnant is just staying slim and poised... And then if I happen to put on a few pounds after the baby is born 😬 I guess that would mean I somehow failed at the whole process...
It’s not even about you needing to justify anything, it’s just that those comments along the lines of "I get everything done, and all my girlfriends stay on top of everything too" really aren't helpful for an average mom dealing with hormonal shifts who can't keep up with every single task😬 People set these impossible standards, and online forums or even local PTA groups are just overflowing with these "superwomen" who supposedly do it all and somehow manage to have a sixth child without breaking a sweat... I'm not saying you're doing that, I'm just talking about those kinds of comments in general, because when someone tries to present a perfect home and a perfect baby as if that's the norm, and then they end up being moms with little screaming toddlers who won't let you catch a breath, they truly do feel inadequate and unsuccessful and all sorts of things...
I really think it's okay to tell new moms that things might get tough, that they shouldn't obsess over having a spotless house, that it's perfectly fine to have a baby that sleeps in tiny increments and needs constant nursing in those early days, and that maybe they won't actually get much done besides just being there for their little one. Even if you don't have a particularly demanding baby, everyday life can still feel exactly like that...
casualowl33 said:Every mom in my circle has been able to stay on top of everything from the very beginning, so I find it pretty silly to suggest that Carol Palmer90's perspective is somehow less realistic than the alternatives. To me, her reality feels much more relatable because I don't know any babies in my neighborhood who just eat, sleep, and demand nothing at all... During my first six months, I even managed to knock out all my post-grad exams... At the end of the day, we are all just forming impressions based on our own lives and the people around us, so it's unfair to dismiss someone else's experience as unrealistic or suspicious... I suppose I'll just wait and see if things change with my next child, and then maybe I'll understand the other side of the story...
Honestly, I'm just sitting here wondering how some people manage to pull it all off... how is that even possible?😁
How do you balance everything—grad school, a newborn, and life—all in one single day?...
I was grinding through my exams, and by the time I got home, trying to make lunch, tidy up, and look after my little one was more than enough to fill my day, leaving me totally exhausted and stressed out... and that's even with my mom jumping in to help clean the house, watching the baby while I was at class, or whipping up dinner when my cycle hit, plus my husband really stepped up and did his part too. It’s true that even though I have a pretty easygoing baby who wouldn't even be considered demanding, there was hardly any room to move during those first few months, despite having people I could delegate tasks to...😬
Not every baby is easygoing, you know, some little ones just push you to your absolute limit... there are moms out there who basically can't even step away to use the restroom without a diaper change waiting, or they have babies that just won't stop screaming, which honestly just isn't everyone's cup of tea...
For me, those first two months were a total blur of exhaustion, physical aches, constant nursing, trying to sleep whenever I could, and hormones that were just swinging wildly everywhere... one minute I was over the moon happy, then I was incredibly cranky, and then I'd just burst into tears like it was the end of the world. I don't know, that whole beginning was both beautiful and incredibly draining... I actually lost my temper with my husband a few times, and honestly, I didn't even recognize myself...😬
As soon as we got home from the hospital, I picked up an electric breast pump, and that was pretty much my golden ticket to having any kind of life outside the house... 😬 About twenty days after giving birth, I jumped right back into my college courses, exams, seminars, and pulling all-nighters studying, and let me tell you, it wasn't easy at all. It felt like I was teetering on the edge of losing my mind, and the sheer exhaustion was just overwhelming. I would go out with friends for dinner or a night out once a week, though I could have gone more often if I had the energy. But there’s this weird sort of "mom madness" where I’ll head out feeling happy as a clam, only to start missing them after about two hours... so I just come home and stare at the two of them while they sleep... Everything just revolves around the little one now. When we think about going out for a stroll or somewhere else, my first thought is always how she’ll handle it. My whole life has shifted to accommodate her and respect her rhythm. Whether you want it to or not, your entire world changes, even if it feels like it happened all on its own...
@EsteeLauder, oh come on, three years?! You're totally overthinking it... If you really want to, you could just head straight from the hospital onto part-time work. It’s not like you have to be breastfeeding constantly, there's always bottles, or powdered milk, or even Grandma to help out, so you can just enjoy being free...
I ended up canceling my sticker because most of the shops I hit up have no clue what to do with it at the register. There’s really just this one local spot where they can make it work, but I usually just stick to my Visa debit card there anyway... so I figured it was easier to just ditch the sticker and the app altogether...
Blake, what you’re saying is honestly quite heartbreaking...🙂
I find it kind of funny when people go out of their way to do trivial little things for me, though I don't know, I just can't seem to get used to all that attention. But then again, on the flip side, I feel so incredibly frail when I realize I just can't do nearly as much as I used to... there are moments where my energy just completely vanishes, and I feel like I could just fall asleep right there against a tree... A few days ago, I was walking along a trail that I used to run several times a day back in the day, and now, just managing to walk the whole thing feels like a win. To be honest, in the most blunt version of the story, my bladder was putting so much pressure on me that I had to find a place to pee right then and there. Since you're out on a trail and don't exactly have many options, the only spot I could duck away to was the patio of this closed-up local pub. I felt so humiliated and pathetic even having to write that part down...
So, I’ve started noticing my stomach sticking out a bit more lately, which honestly feels like an open invitation for people to start poking at it... And truth be told, I’ve never been much of a fan of being touched by people I'm not close with, let alone being touched around my midsection. I really just don't want anyone doing that to me.
It was free during the initial promo period, but I think they started charging for it later on... For me, it hasn't really been worth anything yet since my local cashier hasn't even tried to run that 😬
Susan Brooks93 said:I’m reporting an unpleasant post over in the Career & Jobs subforum that the moderator Elizabeth Baker38 (?) seems to be ignoring, so I’d really appreciate it if someone in charge could step in, penalize the author of this next post, and maybe even look into how the moderation quality is being handled in that section...
Topic regarding Estée Lauder:
I don't have any intention of sanctioning the author of that specific post... If the post was strictly a review of products, I would have deleted it, but since the author is also touching on the human element within the company, I don't see a reason to take it down...
The whole point of this entire subforum, Employer Information , is to allow for the exchange of information and impressions, whether they happen to be negative or positive... I'll leave it to the super-mods and admins to step in if they feel it's truly necessary...