Maternity Monday: ‘Mia’ High Collar Maternity Coat

I am moving soon! I cleaned out my garage yesterday, and I have a decent-sized box of maternity clothes, including some work clothes, pants, sweaters, and a light coat. They’re mostly a size large, and they’re mostly petite/hemmed for a short stature where length is an issue. (Pre-pregnancy, I was 5-2 and around 175 lbs, size 14-16.)

If anyone would like these and is willing to pay for shipping, they’re yours. I can create a burner email to get the shipping details. Otherwise, they’re going to Goodwill this weekend.

Just curious – has anyone ever leveraged their parents’ connections for job searching? I’ve always firmly avoided this (except for some college internships) but now I am in my late 30’s, well established in my field with an advanced degree and looking for the next thing. My dad has a ton of connections in a field that somewhat relates to mine and I’m wondering if it’s weird to explore those. Am I naive to have been avoiding those connections before now or was I right all along?

Asking for your positive thoughts – I’m interviewing at firm for a position that would be the next step up in pay/title and would be an amazing opportunity to lead an entire region. Sounds like there is another internal candidate but without the specific experience I have in the area. Second interview this week and I’m nervous but hopeful!

36 weeks pregnant and I was surprised when my midwife asked about my birth control plans. Talk about the last thing on my mind!

I was on the pill for the better part of a decade, and was lucky to get pregnant immediately after stopping. We definitely want to have more kids (thinking at least 3), and DH is 40 so we’re eager to have kids close together. I don’t want to get pregnant immediately, but think I’d be comfortable being pregnant again within a year.

I’ve read Taking Charge of Your Fertility and based on that and other research, EBFing is very effective birth control with certain caveats (only 6 months, no supplementation, etc). Of course we all hear anecdotes but it seems to me that the science supports this. After that 6 month period, I’d be comfortable with natural family planning – taking temp, charting mucus, etc.

No desire to go back on the pill or use barrier methods. My midwife was not on board with this plan. She dismissed EBF as effective birth control and said I need to wait a year to get pregnant again due to “nutrients” in my body.

Just curious as to how others approached this. Obviously if at 6 weeks once we can start being intimate again, BFing isn’t working out, we’d reevaluate the plan.

Can we talk about 4 year old tantrums? They usually come when kiddo is exhausted or frustrated and I used to give her “time in” and offer a hug and extra kindness, but that hasn’t been working. The tantrums are also bigger and badder. She’ll just cry and scream for longer, really testing my patience, making it harder for me to be empathetic. Help.

More bedtime advice requested! My 3.5-year-old is really not interested in going to sleep most nights until 9 or later. We put him to bed at 8:15, but it takes 45 minutes + of crying, cajoling, threatening, cuddling (we’re clearly not doing a great job with consistency and discipline here) until he’s asleep. He takes a 1-2 hour nap at preschool (usually closer to 2 hours). He shares a room with my nearly 6-year-old. The older kid just started kindergarten and would probably be asleep by 8:15 or earlier if it weren’t for his younger brother riling him up. Last night they were both asleep by 8:30, but they had a really active day and the 3-year-old only had a 1-hour nap. I think my two options are (1) put older boy to bed first (hard if solo parenting, and both boys are really not into this idea) and/or (2) try to get preschool teachers to have him take a shorter nap. Thoughts?