Some of the articles of interest to working mothers that we’ve seen around the web recently…
- Jessica Grose’s post on Slate’s XX Factor blog can be summed up by the caption to the photo used in the piece: “Mothers drop out because they lack maternity leave and child care, not because they’re obsessed with babies.”
- Fortune says that the decision of former MongoDB CEO Max Schireson to step down into a less demanding role at the company is an important step toward making the “having it all” discussion not just about women (via the Broadsheet).
- Thanks to HuffPost Parents, we now know about the Tumblr blog Places I Have Pumped, where a working mom chronicles the various places she’s used her breast pump, from her own home while watching a webinar for work to the Acela.
- Remember that story about the parents of twins who gave fellow airplane passengers little goody bags because the babies were likely to do some crying during the flight? Mike Julianelle (DadandBuried blogger) doesn’t think traveling parents should feel guilty about their kids acting like, well, KIDS.
Make sure to check out the news update over at Corporette!
On Corporette Recently…
- Lisa from Privilege guest posted on thinking ahead to what you want out of retirement.
- We took a peek into the Corporette time capsule in a Previously post.
- Kat answered a reader question about interviews and heels.
- We talked about lifting weights and suggested some resources.
KJ says
I love that Places I Have Pumped tumblr! It’s very timely for me, as I’m trying to figure out how I am going to pump at a week-long offsite training next month. It looks like I will have a place to pump, but not a fridge. Is it safe to feed my baby milk that’s been in a cooler with an ice pack for 8 hours (by the end of the day the ice pack will have been out of the freezer for at least 10 hours)?
anne-on says
Yes. Breast milk is much more stable than formula. I believe you can technically leave a bottle of breastmilk at room temperature for 8 hours and it would still be ok to feed (never tried it, but its hardier than you think). A great tip I read here last week was to get a metal thermos (like you’d use for a cold drink or for your lunch) pre-chill it, and then pump and dump your milk into that. It should keep it much colder than the plastic bottles would if you’re worried about temperature.
Also, when pumping at work I wouldn’t wash pump parts in between sessions, I’d just wipe down and store them in the fridge and wash/sterilize everything at the end of the day at home. Saved lots of time.
Shoes and Feet says
One of the symptoms of pregnancy I have been living in fear of is my feet growing. I don’t care from a “dainty lady feet” standpoint, I just don’t want to have to replace my shoe wardrobe. I’m due in about 7 weeks and my feet haven’t grown yet (knock on wood!!). Am I probably in the clear, or is this something that happens at the last minute?
mascot says
My feet grew just a bit in the 3rd tri but went back down to normal afterwards. I didn’t have to replace a whole lot of shoes.
hoola hoopa says
Based on my experience, you’re probably good. I had some last minute swelling at the very end (last 4-6 weeks?) that went away after birth. From folks I’ve known who have had their feet grow, it didn’t seem like a changed that happened in the last month.
Kat G says
Anyone have any tips for flying on Southwest with an infant and a toddler (and a husband)? We’re getting the cheapest seats so not boarding early or so forth.
OCAssociate says
I haven’t done a flight with the toddler + baby yet. But we’ve done Southwest several times with just 1.
We get a separate seat for the toddler, and use the CARES harness. We started buying him his own ticket before it was required, because my son is too squirrely to sit in a lap for a flight.
We don’t bring a carseat on the plane (seems like a huge hassle), but we’ve found that using the CARES restraint made the regular seat seem like his car seat, so he didn’t try to get up/walk around.
Southwest has family boarding between A group and B group. One of us boards during that time and picks out seats/sets up the harness. One of us stays behind with the toddler as long as possible, so he’s sitting on the plane for a shorter amount of time before takeoff. This will probably be more complicated with the baby, but I think one can board early with the baby while the other stays behind to let the kid run around for 10 more minutes.
Hopefully you’ll have sympathetic fellow passengers. Good luck!
Southwest says
When I flew SWA alone with my baby, I specifically chose the last row of the plane for more privacy while nursing and in general. Not that it matters with your crew, but no one wanted to sit in the back with a baby so we had a whole row of 3 to ourselves even when the plane was mostly full. If it’s all the way full, it might not be as great. (Gate agent can tell you how full it is).
Meg Murry says
Set an alarm on your phone and check in online as early as it let’s you – I think 24 hours in advance to get as early a boarding group as possible. Spend the extra money to check as much as possible – don’t try to carry on more than you need for 24 hours (which is still a lot with 2 kids). If you are going to visit family, Amazon Prime diapers and wipes direct to their house.
And don’t be afraid to use a toddler backpack with leash at the airport – you won’t be the only one doing it!
Gina says
Questions for working moms- did you wear regular pantyhose and order a larger size or do you shell out for the maternity pantyhose?
KJ says
I don’t wear pantyhose, but I did wear tights while I was pregnant. I was able to stay in regular tights until I was about 6 months along. At that point they started rolling off me, leading to an embarrassing incident at the office holiday party when they suddenly rolled down to my knees. After that I wore maternity tights from H&M.
KLR says
Regular pantyhose. Towards the end of second trimester I made vertical slits in the waistband to make them a bit looser.
Katarina says
I bought maternity pantyhose. I ordered Berkshire maternity pantyhose from Amazon, which were my favorites, although I also tried some form Motherhood Maternity and Pea in the Pod. I had a hard time finding non-control top pantyhose, so I switched pretty early. I wore non-maternity tights through my second trimester (after that it was too warm).
Laree says
I am of mixed race, with extremely curly hair, and was looking for a good conditioner to use until I could run across town to purchase my regular botanical conditioner.