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Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Anon says
And on the first day of the kids winter break we are all sick. Kids were sick all weekend, fortunately negative for Covid, DH is off today but I’m working, we have an unvaccinated painter (i would not have chosen him had i known but he did all the other work before we moved in) who has to come to do touch ups today (was supposed to come last week when kids were still in school) In-laws scheduled to come visit later this week. I guess it’s good we don’t celebrate Christmas…
Anonymous says
We pushed our flight back to Wednesday because my husband had some cold symptoms this weekend. Two negative tests so fingers crossed it’s just a cold that goes away by Wednesday!
SC says
My whole family had the flu last week. Apparently, it’s really going around this winter. If you can, I recommend testing everyone for the flu so you can start Tamiflu right away if you have it. My son was the first to get symptoms, last Saturday, and we tested him for Covid (it was negative) and didn’t do anything more until Tuesday. His pediatrician diagnosed him with the flu, but it was too late to start Tamiflu.
I developed symptoms on Wednesday and started Tamiflu Wednesday night. I felt 80% better by Friday. DH came down with the flu as well, but the Tamiflu didn’t seem to help him as much. His illness lasted Thursday-Sunday.
Waffles says
How are you all preparing for Omicron?
I am lowering standards for appearance, but trying to raise standards for health. Investing in social relationships. Practicing gratitude as often as I can. Putting on a brave smile for my kid.
Thanks for the ideas, and wishing you all the very best.
Anonymous says
We have a teenager who is not eligible for a booster and attends in-person school where masking will not be required in January. We are expecting her to bring omicron home and infect the rest of the family. I am trying to find some KN95 or KF94 masks that actually fit me and my kid without gaps. Prepping family for the news that a January visit will likely be canceled. Checking stocks and expiration dates in the medicine cabinet. Squeezing in the last few in-person visits with friends over the holiday break.
Anonymous says
This is such a nasty way to speak about your child.
Anonymous says
Can we not? Kid’s a vector. We all know this. That is why schools shut down last year and it was painful for many of us to work. School makes them do things daily (eat inside unmasked) that I haven’t done in years unless outdoors or in my own house. I’m so glad they are in school but we all know the risk.
Anonymous says
What on earth? Of course we are expecting her to catch it. She herself is expecting to catch it. Those are the scientific facts. A bunch of unvaxxed kids breathing on a kid vaxxed >6 months ago in a stuffy classroom with no ventilation for 7 hours a day will inevitably cause a breakthrough infection. I’m not proposing to send her way to a leper colony or anything.
Let me guess. You are one of the moms who yelled against mask mandates at our local school board meeting?
Anonymous says
Same here — teen and tween in the “my vax is 6 months old” stage; 1/16-2/14 is my window of heavy expectation for us to get sick. We will keep masks on at school in January, but still, their schools are maybe 25% vaxxed and they will have to eat inside due to weather (cold, often with drizzle). So, trying to let them do inside/masked things (cat petting place) and see friends who aren’t travelling and maybe I will do some grocery hoarding (OTOH, will be doing no-contact delivery if I personally get sick and eating all the takeout when my homemade soup and chili stash dries up).
Anonymous says
I’m buying better masks and more home test kits
Anon says
Put in my notice at work. I’m just too tired for to maintain a career during all this. Put a fork in me; I’m done.
Anon says
I get it.
Anonymous says
I have work travel on deck for February — I just sort of chuckled bitterly upon seeing that. I was really looking forward to it (and made sure I have a new suit in my current size). Remote work has been like treading water (so OK, but not going to cut it forever).
Boston Legal Eagle says
I took this week off and hoping and crossing fingers that there are no closures at my kids’ schools. After I get this much needed break, I’m bracing for more quarantines at my little one’s daycare and possibly that he may catch it. Husband and I are vaxxed and boosted and 5 year old is recently vaxxed, so we have the highest chance of not getting infected, but we may. No travel planned for now. We still may do indoor museums, masked.
Anonymous says
Same. My teen is the weak link, since her vax now is old, but I feel like we will get COVID but none of us will become seriously ill with it, so it is more the annoyance of when do we start timing things and when do we get to re-emerge (IIRC, the + person can leave quarantine when symptoms resolve but the “close contacts” have to wait 14 days to see if symptoms develop of it they become + and then we are all restarting the clock at various times). Got my hair cut last week and got the car inspected . . . Need to make sure we don’t run out of caffeine.
Pogo says
This is where we are too. Toughest for me in additional to closures is the kid’s total lack of immunity to ANY illness and they’re both getting sick every week with some bug, which means doctor visit + PCR + 24h symptom free = min 2 days off from daycare for every sniffle.
I have seen countless breakthrough infections and I do think at some point it will hit us – we are both expected to return to the office and there have been increasing face to face dinners/social events too.
Fallen says
I am so incredibly sick of this. To me the worst part is feeling like I constantly have to be ahead at work because I don’t know if childcare is going to be available the next day/week/month. Several classrooms are quarantined at my sons school but we have been lucky so far.
I have a faculty job and a small private practice (Psychologist) and I love my academic job, and yet this weekend I was seriously contemplating quitting the faculty job because life would be so easy right now with just seeing a few patients a day and not having the stress of research. But then I imagined what it would be like if every day I would have to entertain my 3 year old while not being able to go anywhere because it is 35 degrees outside and covid is running wild, and realized that maybe I should hold on to my faculty job.
Anonymous says
I’m in NYC and it appears to be already here. 4 people in my fully vaxxed office tested positive last week, and our office switched back to remote work on Friday. I’ve been worrying about whether we can still safely go visit my parents in VA, but – PLOT TWIST – my dad texted me yesterday that he just tested positive on a rapid test. My mom’s was negative but she’s the one who has some actual symptoms (sore throat). They went for PCRs to confirm and won’t have results for a couple of days. So I feel like I can’t plan more than a day in advance now. I don’t trust that they won’t close schools again. We already had breakthrough Covid in August, and my son had it then and has since been vaccinated, so I’m not that worried about actually getting very sick if/when we get it again. It’s more just not knowing what we will be able to do on any given day I think.
Anon says
Is it bad that I feel like I’m kind of… giving up at this point? Like, I’ve moved into the phase of radical acceptance.
In fact, right now we’re struggling as to whether to take Oldest kiddo on a long promised trip to the museum of natural history in NYC (day trip for us). We do have a kiddo in the home who is too young to be vaxxed, but everyone else in our household + grandparents are vaxxed and boosted.
Because of stinking Omicron, husband and I were talking about cancelling this trip (literally kid has been begging for 2 years and trip was scheduled for Spring Break 2020…), but as a counterpoint: right now, kid is freshly vaxxed and husband and I are freshly boosted. This might be as good as it gets for a while. Little kid isn’t coming and we are going during winter break so kiddo will have a few days before he goes back to school and we will rapid test before that. We will still mask and take reasonable precautions, but also… I think we’re gonna take the trip.
Anonymous says
I think its reasonable, especially if you can drive and avoid eating inside. (I think the cafeteria is still closed anyway, FYI). They are serious about mask rules, and from what I have hear from friends who work in museum leadership, the AMNH has invested some real $$ in studying ventilation. And everyone eligible to be vaccinated will need to be to get in.
Boston Legal Eagle says
To me personally, the benefits are worth the risks, especially since you all are vaxxed. If you need support, I say go for it!
I think we are past the point of eliminating Covid and the best we can do is to take as many precautions as we can, get vaccinated, but still live some semblance of normal life. No one in my family is immunocompromised so obviously I have some privilege in saying this but it’s where I’m at.
Mary Moo Cow says
This is where I’m at, too.
Anon says
Thank you to both of you and Anon at 9:38!
The risk analysis seems exhausting… I really appreciate all the votes of confidence.
Anonymous says
Same. We’re on vacation right now, and never considered cancelling. Skiing, so mostly outdoors, we drove, etc etc, and we’ll be home for a week before school restarts and will test before the kids go back… I’m ok if January’s a wash of remote work with kids at home; we’re all vaxxed and I expect we’ll all have mild cases sometime before spring break. It is what it is, I’m done putting my life on hold for covid.
Anon says
Same. Even with a toddler who is too young to be vaccinated anytime soon I am so over it. I really don’t want to be a vector to the other kids in his class, and we will continue to take precautions against high risk activities, but I’m not skipping 10 person family christmas dinner this weekend (mix of vaccinated adults and unvaccinated kids). I’m still going to book a spring break driving beach trip trip. My in-laws will still fly down sometime this spring to visit for a week.
I’m at the point where I realize we are going to get it at some point. Balancing a somewhat normal life not in hiding and the hopefully minimal damage covid will cause when we eventually get it.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
This is where I am, too, and I think part of it is burnout, part of it is living in a state where the Governor has made it impossible for city/county officials to enforce any decent public health measures. I have 2 kids under 5, and DH and I are vaxxed, boosted, and pretty much living life with masking, etc. We mix with other vaxxed adults, but don’t take our kids anywhere public, besides their school. Both of our companies require vaxxes, and we go into the office on an as-needed basis.
DH’s childhood best friend is going through a really hard time in his life, and visited us this weekend, and they went to a few local pubs/breweries where there weren’t crowds and things were highly ventilated/outdoors. I didn’t love this because of Omincron, but also…I’m tired and it wouldn’t have been the same for them just sitting in our house all weekend. The trade-off was that we cancelled DS #2’s first birthday party (it was going to be about ~15 adults, indoors). DH’s family is coming to visit us (3 vaxxed adults, 1 teenager that can’t be boosted).
My bright line for now is that any adult or child that’s not vaxxed/boosted (and is qualified to do so), and does not mask when appropriate, is not someone we will spend any semblance of time with.
Anon says
i also think there is SO much regional variation. in places like NY, you have to be vaccinated to basically do anything indoors, so i’d be so much more comfortable taking my unvaxxed kids to do things there, than I do here in Houston. we are doing masked preschool, we have our vaxxed nanny come (and she has some exposure through vaxxed husband & daughter, but they both had covid in september and nanny didn’t get it), masked ballet at preschool (same germ pool), masked OT once a week, otherwise we are sticking to the outdoors because there are no mask or vax rules in most places. grandparents can fly to visit us after negative PCR test and negative rapid test day of flight. i see zero need to take my unvaxxed kids indoors to a restaurant, nor i do i see the need for me to go indoors to a restaurant. the thing i miss the most is not worrying about having to cancel plans due to exposure, and sipping starbucks while wandering around a store or getting a manicure (which i can legally do where i live, but no thank you). given the amount and type of travel being at my kids’ preschool are doing over break (like flying to vegas to see a basketball game?) i’m sure there will be lots of covid when school resumes
Anon says
+1. I would be comfortable having my preschool in any indoor activity where masks were required. Unfortunately I live in a red state and even in my blue-ish college town, masks aren’t required anywhere. So we do nothing. I get really jealous when I hear about kids doing masked gymnastics or dance or art classes because my kid is super extroverted and would love to do that stuff in addition to daycare. But it’s just so much less safe if masks aren’t required.
More Sleep Would Be Nice says
Ugh. Also in Houston, and I have a mani/pedi scheduled on Wednesday. The staff/techs are always masked but since the state mandate dropped there’s always a handful of unmasked customers. In the past I’ve been able to sit far away and double mask but now thanks to Omnicron I’m just like…hmmm I guess these shards of gel polish on my toes since September may just go into 2022…
Anonymous says
This is what our federal, state, and local governments are counting on–we’ll all give up and drop our masks and precautions and go back to 2019 lifestyles and just not care that we are probably all going to get long COVID at some point. That’s going to backfire when it completely destroys the economy and eventually society.
/end rant
I don’t think what you propose qualifies as “giving up.” In fact, it seems very strategically calculated to give kid a very high-value (to him) experience during what is likely to be the window of lowest risk for the next several months or longer.
Anon says
Ugh, thanks. I think we’re probably still more careful than many people, but it’s more like: I no longer get stressed when my kid gets a cold and I have to get the ol’ brain tickler. Now, I just do my heads ups if needed, but have accepted that at some point, somehow, my kids are going to be exposed. I don’t feel guilt about not homeschooling.
So we’re slowly adding in more activities. Vaxxed kid is going back to (indoor) sports and continuing swim lessons and might get to add martial arts which he’s been begging for a year. Kid too young to be vaxxed is going to do just swim lessons in a small group setting, but as soon as that kid is vaxxed, the are going into kiddie gymnastics too.
Resigned says
You’re not alone – I’ve also given up. DH and I have super immunity (triple vax’ed + breakthrough infection), but our kids are too young to be vax’ed. Hoping that our kids’ immunity from past infection (which fortunately was mild for them) protects them this time around. We plan to pull back on some indoor activities with the kids but are otherwise just accepting that we may all get it again.
Anonymous says
I would 100% go. The museum crowd is not exactly spring break in florida. And there is a lot of distancing in museums naturally.
Anon says
+1 We are very, very cautious but we have done museums (including a kids’ museum, which is less safe than a natural history museum) with mask mandates and it feels very safe. Mask compliance is >95% except among the tiniest kids, capacity is reduced, distancing is good, and I think many museums have upgraded ventilation systems since this began. To me, it feels safer than going to the grocery store where (at least in my city) 50% of people aren’t in masks and aisles feel more crowded.
TheElms says
Honestly, almost nothing. Maybe I’ll reassess my pantry stock post Christmas, but I’m already living about as conservatively as I can being pregnant and having a too young to be vaccinated kid at home. I am looking for some better masks for kiddo (ordered some vistaprint with the filter, will try to get some Happy Masks, and happy to take recs for KF94/KN95s that fit very tall 2.5 year olds well) for when she returns to preschool after winter break. The only things I did inside were an occasional masked trip to the library, grocery (but mostly use delivery), or pharmacy. I guess we’ll stop those again, which is a shame because kiddo loves the library. I do have to keep going into work at least part time or I risk being fired (but perhaps the office will close since we had about a dozen breakthrough cases last week). My husband has some non-negotiable work travel when I’m 37 weeks which I’m hoping will become virtual rather than in person, but if not there is nothing to be done about it.
AwayEmily says
Sigh, yeah, the pregnancy really complicates things. I feel like I’m the weak link here. If I wasn’t pregnant we’d probably largely continue as usual, but I’m still pretty nervous about getting covid during the third trimester (even when vaccinated). Kids are still going to kindergarten/daycare, but we are not going to continue with the playdates we had just started allowing.
TheElms says
Are you planning to do anything differently in the couple weeks prior to your anticipated due date to minimize the chance you or your partner or kids are positive at the time you deliver? The only thing I could do to meaningfully reduce our risk would be to pull older kiddo out of preschool, but I really don’t want to do that to older kiddo – she really needs the interaction and constant routine. That said, I also don’t want DH to be positive or a close contact of a positive older kiddo and not be allowed in the hospital with me. Blurgh.
AwayEmily says
I hadn’t considered it — it would mean pulling both the kindergartener and the 3yo out of school, which would be difficult on everyone. I also just learned that because of COVID, my husband won’t be allowed to leave the hospital at all during my stay, which means he can’t run home (we live five minutes from the hospital) to help my mom with the kids. Honestly, the whole thing is just sending me into a spiral of worry.
Anonymous says
I’m not doing anything out of the ordinary. We’ve behaved since March 2019, and my kids mental health is starting to suffer. Watching the rest of the world and the country, I’m pretty meh about it. Like someone else said, I can’t do this fire drill anymore. I’m taking the “good for you but not for me” approach toward things like not going to museums or not traveling to see family.
Anonymous says
I’m assuming that all of you taking this approach don’t have family who died or got long COVID. We had both. No thank you to long COVID.
Anonymous says
Do you have kids?
Mine just withered after lockdown + schools closed for over a year. Their suffering, to me, is worth taking some risks on high-value activities, esp if they can be done masked or outside or with known vaxxed friends.
Anonymous says
Yes, I have a kid who has probably suffered much more than most due to lockdown and school closings. I still don’t want her to get COVID, because that can lead to lifelong cognitive disability. I do want her in school. That means we need masks and vaccination requirements and ventilation and outdoor lunch and regular testing, and that when conditions get really bad we should do what’s necessary to keep schools open safely while locking down everything else. That’s never going to happen because people just don’t care and are going back to 2019 instead of demanding change that will keep kids in school safely. This means that in February a lot of schools across the country are going to be forced to shut down when all the teachers get sick or quit. Ignoring the problem just makes it worse. If we want our kids in school, during surges we all need to pull back on family visits and parties and travel and indoor dining and in-office meetings and swim lessons and all the other things that cause spread so we can keep the schools open.
Anonymous says
Masked or outdoor activities are a very different thing from travel or unmasked indoor gatherings.
Anon Lawyer says
Travel and unmasked indoor gatherings is a big spectrum. It’s asinine to act like everyone doing either of those things to any extent has “given up.” Public health experts haven’t even recommended that ALL holiday gatherings and travel be called off.
This kind of shaming is ridiculous at this point. Yeah
Anonymous says
What do you do, really, when maybe kids at their schools get vaxxed at half the adult rate, which is not good to begin with? My kids are old enough that they resent now what the unvaxxed are doing to to them (and yes, they feel like people are being unvaxxed “at” them and I can’t say I blame them). Vaxxed kids getting together and doing things has never been the problem. I feel that we are getting forced to play stupid games but b/c we have gotten vaxxed and medical response has gotten so much better, we will not win the really stupid prizes.
Anonymous says
With omicron we’ll still win the stupid prizes. Vaccination should be mandated in schools and everywhere else.
Anonymous says
Unvaxxed people are absolutely refusing to get vaccinated “at” us. Same with people, vaxxed or not, who don’t mask. It’s an act of aggression.
Anonymous says
The unvaxxed, especially those with comorbidities and their household, are playing the game the best and will get the lion’s share of the stupid prizes. Many others will lay low. We are where we are and know more than we did in March 2020.
Long COVID is like pre-cancer (see excellent WSJ article re future disease anxiety) to a lot of people. I will deal with the problems I have today and plan what I can for the future. Ultimately, it’s out of my hands.
Anonymous says
10:58, this is exactly the attitude that is going to cause long-term problems for public health and the economy. All we care about is hospitalizations and deaths. Let’s not worry about long COVID or future complications. For most younger people, the worry has NEVER been death. It’s always been disability. It is infuriating for those of us who already live with, or have family members who live with, disabilities similar to long COVID and know what the danger looks like. It is a real burden on individuals, families, and ultimately the economy to have people’s quality of life and ability to work destroyed. But society keeps those issues hidden away so “healthy” (= lucky) people like you don’t ever have to imagine what it’s like to live that way.
Anonymous says
Disagree. It’s not that we only care about hospital admissions and deaths. It’s that those are where we can actually affect progress. Stopping smoking is the only thing that moved the lever on lung cancer. Screenings like mamograms and colonoscopies and pap smears catch early cancers that let us live longer. We aren’t able to eliminate all risks. But we do what we can where we can do it. You can remain a prisoner of anxieties about what is outside of our hands and uncontrollable as of now. I got my shots. My family got theirs. We are not the bad guys even if we go to a Lessons and Carols service the day after xmas (b/c we figure xmas services may be packed; L&Cs are more likely attended historically).
Anon says
I’m sorry, that’s awful. And agreed – long COVID is really a concern of mine. A friend who wrote for a living now has debilitating neurological complications and it’s awful.
I’m the one who is considering bringing her kid to the museum of Natural History. I will say, I think there’s a big gap between what I hear people on this board describe as ‘giving up’ and truly giving up. I hear that this board’s version of giving up is letting go of the endless stress.
I hear that it’s having kids masked and (when possible) vaxxed in schools, it’s having small gatherings with vaxxed groups, it’s taking testing and staying home when sick seriously. It’s also though, allowing vaxxed kids to do masked sports when possible. It’s looking for balance when so many people are ‘all or nothing’. I think we hear a lot from people who are either 100% locked down or totally living in 2019, but lots of us are living a ‘best practices’ life. It’s best practice for my husband and I to be boosted and our kid to be vaxxed. We’re going to go to a museum that requires vaccinations and wear masks the whole time. My kid will probably eat his first street meat and will (of course) think it’s the greatest thing on earth.
Man, this is all really hard.
Anon says
it is SO hard. we just moved into a new house and the people across the street have a sign for the anti-mask school board candidate. so what am i supposed to do? like i dont want to be friends with them or talk to them. do you now ask every kid your kid hangs out with if they are vaccinated, if their parents are vaccinated?
9:50 says
Adhering to best practices is not the same as giving up. A lot of people here ARE giving up and dining indoors, traveling, etc., then criticizing those who are more cautious for being “unrealistic.”
I think your outing sounds wonderful and as safe as possible. It’s exactly the kind of thing our family is doing.
Anonymous says
This is us — I’m not giving up, but I’ve been resigned for a while that all we have done may not be enough. We’ve avoided it so far, but over time, it is probably inevitable (if not for me, for people in a similar boat). I may bring it home, but more likely it is my school-aged kids.
Anon says
+1. But also, in some sense, we are fortunate since we got COVID less than 10 months ago and thus DH and I have “super” immunity and my unvaxxed toddlers have at least some antibodies. I know the CDC doesn’t want to talk about natural immunity but I wish there was more reliable info out there about it.
Anon says
Anecdotally, I know several vaxxed and previously infected people who got Omicron. They all had very mild illness though.
Anon says
Yeah, we were all fortunate that DH and I had only very mild symptoms and kids were asymptomatic when we got COVID so I imagine any breakthrough infection would be equally mild. But who knows.
Pogo says
Same, I know many breakthrough infections in the past couple weeks and they’re all mild. For the most part it is adults bringing it home, as opposed to kids, but we have mandatory masks at schools and daycares.
I think what is so hard is we got a little taste of freedom this summer when numbers were low, and it is mentally tough to go back to the total lockdown state in winter.
Anon says
Almost nothing. We have a 3 year old not eligible for the vaccine so we were very locked down all fall. The only indoor things we do are daycare (with masks for all) and visits with my parents, who are triple vaxxed and more locked down than us.
Cb says
Omicron now seems to be the dominant strain in the UK and honestly, I have no idea. We are at my parents in Portugal right now where vaccine rates are high and mask compliance is 100%. I am hoping if the UK is going to close schools, they do it before we head home on the 30th, so we can just stay. I can’t cope with 2 big jobs and no childcare.
My teaching resumes on the 24th but they’ve just announced all uni teaching at my uni will be online until the end of January, so maybe we just stay for the month anyways and avoid getting covid?
Anon says
Stay! Enjoy the sunshine and the grandparents and the safer country. I’m glad you made it there :)
B says
Aww, thanks! My parents’ house is bigger than ours, the weather is better. My husband might have to go back but do we? I could probably work at 80% capacity with grandparents here to help, versus 50% when it is my husband and I.
Anonymous says
I apologize if this is an ignorant question- I’ve put myself on a bit of a news diet.
For those that are getting- or have relatives getting- breakthrough COVID infections, are they The Bad Kind eg. terribly sick for 1+ weeks? In my area, the handful of people I know personally testing positive for COVID have had extremely mild cases.
I’m asking because everyone in my family is vaxxed (adults, kids over 5) except my 3 year old, but my 3 year old is bringing home the nastiest (non COVID) colds from (masked, part time) preschool. Our entire family was down for a full week with a congestion/chest cold that required my 8 year old to use a nebulizer (or live in the steam of the shower) and DH and I had to take a couple days off work because we were hacking and dripping and generally miserable. At Thanksgiving she brought home a stomach bug.
I’m less afraid of COVID (meaning, if we get it, it seems like it will be fairly mild) and more afraid that our immune systems are suffering a barrage of germs this winter and cannot handle them!
Anon says
It really varies. I know someone (under 50) who was hospitalized with a breakthrough infection. I know 70 year olds who had breakthroughs and just had cold-like symptoms. I would say the average is more like a flu than a cold but not a severe flu/no hospital.
Anonymous says
I think it is a bit too soon to say what omicron breakthrough cases are like for sure, but so far, super mild in my circle. These are people who tested positive in the last week though, and most are under 50 and probably not at high risk. My own delta breakthrough case in August was like a bad cold; my 50+ husband was sicker but not hospitalized or anything.
Anon says
Delta breakthrough here: it was like an extremely mild cold. Truly a nonevent for me.
Anon says
I’m not really. I’m not sure it’s that different from Delta (except definitely more contagious, possibly more mild) and we are risk cautious anyways and have pretty much been living the same way for the past year plus. I did order some more rapid tests and restocked our medicine cabinet (and finally snagged a pulse oximeter) but I’m of the view that we will likely get it eventually (probably from kiddo even though preschool is masked) and we’ve done everything we can short of becoming hermits again (which is not sustainable). I’ve restocked my supply of rainy day crafts since we keep kiddo home from masked preschool for the slightest sniffle.
We’ll continue eating (outdoors) at sparsely populated winter patios with heaters (DH has bought long underwear to be comfortable with my refusal to eat indoors, which in this area is very outside the norm) unless the data on outdoor dining changes. I’ll continue going into my office 2 days a week (masks and vaccines required and I sit in a private office with the door closed most of the day). We don’t do indoor shopping so nothing to dial-back there. We’ll continue going to doctor’s visits and physical therapy where masks are all required. I will keep my child in swim class, because it is a sparsely attended late evening small group class and the risk benefit analysis makes sense to us (drowning terrifies me more than covid for small kids). We will continue seeing fully vaxxed friends and family in small groups from time to time when everyone is feeling well and ideally outdoors if we can swing it, but sometimes indoors too. It will be the winter of the fire pit again, I’m sure (so I have stocked up on smores supplies). I will talk to my doctor after she gets more data on the “preventative” antibody cocktail since I am on immunosuppressants, but she wanted more information before recommending to her patients. I’ll call my PCP for steps on how to get monoclonal antibodies if we do get it (what my rheumatolgist advised). This is the life that works for us right now.
Anonymous says
I’m in NYC and this just occurred to me, but I would encourage people to consider laying in a supply of rapid tests. We have really good testing access here, and even so, demand has gone through the roof in the last week, leading to long lines and somewhat scare rapid tests. I would have better peace of mind if I had more rapid tests on hand for upcoming gatherings with older family and random transient cold symptoms.
AnonATL says
I’m planning to run out and grab some today! A couple of the cvs and walgreens near us are out of stock already.
Anonymous says
We went to 4 drug stores on Sunday before we found one that had tests in stock, and they only let us buy 2 boxes (so 4 tests total).
Anon says
My boss told me about these tests in September and I’ve been buying them regularly since then to accumulate a stockpile for winter, so we can test before family gatherings, after daycare exposures and if anyone displays symptoms. My mom is going to a big conference in Seattle in January and I gave her a bunch of rapid tests so she can test daily when she gets home and avoid exposing my dad who is obese and has a bunch of other health conditions. We recently did a road trip vacation and even though we had no contact with other humans on the trip, we took some tests with us so we could test if we displayed any symptoms or if we got notified about an exposure. I can’t believe Jen Psaki scoffed at the reporter who suggested mailing them to people’s homes. That is actually a great idea. I’m sure there are some people who are resistant to testing no matter what, but so many of my colleagues are like “yeah I would be happy to test, but they’re sold out everywhere and I’m not going to go to 7 different Walgreens looking for them, so meh.”
Anon says
And they definitely need to be much cheaper too. I have – no joke – spent over $500 on rapid tests in the last few months. I can afford this, but obviously many people cannot.
anon in brooklyn says
Walmart ($14/two) and Target ($5/one) have them online, you just have to check every day or so for when they restock. I try to have some on hand.
When Omicron hits, it’s fast. In my neighborhood, the case number curve is a vertical line now, and it happened over only about 3 days last week. We’re 85% vaccinated, only vaccinated people allowed in restaurants, and every restaurant in the neighborhood is now closed due to cases or exposures among staff.
We’re very careful, triple vaxxed, and my five year old is fully freshly vaccinated, but I fully expect that we’ll have omicron within the next week or two. It’s that widespread here now.
TheElms says
I want to say thank you to all the moms, aunts, grandmothers (and of course some dads, uncles, granddads) and other folks who take on the job of hosting Christmas for their family and friends. This is my first year hosting (at nearly 40!) and while I always intellectually knew it was a lot of work, oh boy is it a lot of work! (It sort of feels like how I knew a newborn would be a lot of work, but actually having one was an entirely different perspective). So thank you a million times over to all the hosts and organizers out there!
Anonymous says
This really touched my heart.
Mary Moo Cow says
My MIL has never hosted Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter or anything. She moved out of her parents’ house to her marital home and her MIL always hosted. MIL limped along with help from grown grandchildren the last few years before DH and I married, and since then, she’s always celebrated with us. She doesn’t even bring anything (not that I mind that; she stopped asking a long time ago after I responded no. It is just the awe of being not responsible for anything and feeling no guilt about it. I envy that.) Good luck and enjoy your celebration!
anne-on says
As someone who hosts, first, thank you for recognizing it, and second – hopefully this inspires everyone to be an awesome guest (show up when asked, not early, not late), bring something if asked, help to clean up, and thank your host (even and especially if they are family!).
You’d think everyone would be able to do this but my family seems to think being family means they can ignore any and all social niceities and instead complain about the food, weather, traffic, what we’re watching on tv, why the TV is off, comment on my child-raising, etc. etc. etc.
Anon says
My adult siblings in law drive me batty – DH and I do the most hosting (we like it!) and I do 90% of gift getting for group gifts for my in laws (their parents) and they act like it’s an inconvenience to just text me back. Ugh.
Anonymous says
solidarity. My grandmothers had always hosted when I was growing up and my mom can’t/won’t/isn’t/doesn’t, so it’ s fallen to me and DH. I love it, but man, it’s taken me years to get it down. And while it’s still work, we now have all the timing, required serveware, have figured out what is OK to farm out and what is a must do ourselves, etc.
Anon says
This. The first few years are really really hard, but once you have all the kinks worked out (and all the serveware, menu plans, table clothes, etc.) it will get easier. My mother cooked her first turkey at 45. I cooked my first turkey at 25 and now cook a few a year for holidays and gatherings (less gatherings, more smaller birds for our smaller family celebrations these days of course). I love that I am creating traditions and memories for the younger generation to carry forward in the same way my grandmother did for me. My daughter (4) even helped with the cooking this year, although I think she was really just in it for wearing an apron like mommy.
TheElms says
I’m only hosting grandparents (vax’d + boosted and getting a PCR test before they come) but it seems like a lot of people to feed for a lot of days and who knows how it will all work out. They are all generally low key and will help with something (none are particularly good cooks sadly!) so I imagine it will be ok. It probably would be better for my first hosting experience to not include a 2.5 year old when I’m 29/30 weeks pregnant but here we are!
Anon says
I know this is unsolicited advice and feel free to ignore, but the doctors and scientists I know say a rapid test at the door is better than a PCR test done a couple days in advance. Omicron seems to have a shorter incubation period than even Delta, which was itself shorter than OG covid so a test taken 1-2 days in advance has very limited value, and while rapid tests aren’t perfect at detecting infections they’re apparently pretty good at detecting when you’re infectious and able to spread it.
TheElms says
They are staying with us and driving to get here (8-12 hour drives) so if they show up at the door and test positive it will be especially tricky because I have no where to send them at that point (hotels are pretty full for the holidays). I guess we could do it in addition to the PCR but at some point they will lose patience with me (we are more cautious than they are — that shouldn’t be the case but it is and generally they do a good job of acquiescing to my requests even if they personally disagree but I know i can’t push it too far.)
Anonymous says
In that case I’d tell them not to come. You are seriously willing to risk infection just to suit their misguided sensibilities?
Anonymous says
This right here is going to be a huge contributor to the post-holiday spike. You admit that you know better than to let them stay with you while positive, but you don’t want to hurt their feelings or miss your holiday gathering so you just won’t have them test. Otherwise sane people are putting the wishes of reckless old people first, or are using the reckless old people’s wishes as an excuse to do risky things they also want to do.
TheElms says
No that’s not what I said. They have been isolating at home for 3 days. They are getting tested, a PCR test, just not a rapid test on my doorstep. They are getting a PCR test the day before they leave. They will hang out at home the day of the PCR test so no new exposure. They should get the results that night and then are in their house overnight and then they drive to us (packing lunch, stopping for restrooms and gas). If I have them test when they arrive and its positive they would have to immediately turn around and drive the 8-12 hours home or to the closest hotel (which at the moment looks to be 2-4 hours away). That is a lot for folks in their health. If I take your approach I can basically never see them. DH and I are vax’d and boosted. Kid is not old enough to be vaccinated, but low risk otherwise. I’m not prepared to never see my family at the holidays (which is when we can get vacation generally). I’m doing almost everything I can to minimize risk. Nothing is perfect.
Anonymous says
I just don’t think that this is going to be a significant contributor to holiday spread. Especially, TheElms, if all involved test even after you’ve exposed each other so you know if you should limit your contact with others to avoid further spread. For example, we saw a sibling who flew cross-country & tested negative pre-flight and when she landed. But we also had her test after she’d been with us a few days so we’d know if we had been exposed — avoid inflicting our choices to see family (very understandable IMO) on the rest of society as much as we can.
It’s the unvaxxed folks who think a mask and a nasal swab violate their Freedom that are going to contribute to holiday spread.
Allie says
Sooo my daughter this AM told me I look like a daycare teacher because my belly is so big and my arms have gotten bigger too. How’s your morning going?
Anonymous says
Daycare teachers are the best people in the world, so maybe take as a most sincere compliment?
Anonymous says
I couldn’t sleep last night, again, so I stress-purged my closet at midnight. This morning is going about how you’d expect after that.
Anonymous says
I am a Virgo and nothing pleases my soul more than a stress purge. I was on some sort of steroid burse when the urge hit and OMG my place has never been tidier. Then I slept for maybe a day?
Anon says
I slept in three beds last night. Bed #1 was pushed somewhat carelessly across the floor as part of a master suite reno and it tweaked the bed such that the supports under snapped around midnight as DH was getting under the covers. I relocated to the guest room bed around 1. At 2:30 my 3.5 year old decided she was afraid of the dark for the first time so I finished the night in her twin bed. Guest room is next to DD’s room, so I was first to intercept her. DH looks nice and rested this AM. Coffee, please.
Pogo says
I spent 12:30-2:30 going back and forth to the 4 yo’s bed for similar reasons (“sing to me mommy”, “cover me with blankey”) and then 2:30-3:30 nursing the sick baby back to sleep. All the coffee & solidarity.
Walnut says
I slept on a dragon stuffie in my kiddo’s bed last night and my neck is not amused.
Anon says
Grumpy. Kidfree this weekend (grandparent visit) and I spent all weekend working with unexpected deadlines. Managed to wrap presents yesterday, but paid for it by working until midnight. Kid comes back tomorrow and I have accomplished just one (wrapping presents) of the 5 things I had planned (assembling her new desk, mixing cookie dough, making christmas eve lasagna and going out to eat (outside!) with my husband were the rest) for this weekend.
Neglectedheels says
Ideas please! I would love to buy a season pass (or maybe just a one time pass for the whole family) for something for my sister’s kids. 4 kids ages 3-10. They live in Alexandria Virginia. I know they have a season pass to Six Flags and use it regularly so I was thinking something along those lines. Maybe a museum or other kid friendly spot? Kid friendly theater productions?
Anonymous says
Mount Vernon?
DLC says
Sandy Spring Adventure Park. It’s in Montgomery County (and closed for the season), but is an awesome outdoor option.
Or you could see what is onstage at Wolf Trap.
I’d recommend checking out kidfriendlydc for other local fun spots.
Anon says
I am considering a pass to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, if you think your sister would make that drive regularly. My kid has been asking to see jellyfish for weeks now but I need the holiday madness to settle down before making the trek. It is worth it in 2 visits I think when I last looked at it.
Agree with the recommendation for Wolftrap. You used to be able to do national zoo memberships, but that’s just a mess since Covid and the whole program has since been disbanded.
Anonymous says
The Smithsonian zoo! Great for all ages, close drive, and you’ll save them a bundle on parking.
Neglectedheels says
Thanks all! I sent a membership to the aquarium and will have the rest in my back pocket for future years.
Anon says
Did you guys hear about Harvard going remote and closing on campus daycare for six weeks but allowing in person sporting events WITH SPECTATORS during that timeframe?!? As someone on Twitter put it “we’re sacrificing the emotional and educational development of a generation of children so people don’t have to suffer the indignity of watching basketball on tv.” I am so mad.
Anonymous says
I am the mom who commented above re. prioritizing schools. This is exactly what I’m talking about. We care more about sports and entertainment than about education, and this generation of kids is paying a hefty price.
Anonymous says
Honestly, I feel that there are not big crowds at Harvard sporting events.
Anon says
Eh it’s not the Big 10 or anything but there are likely hundreds or even thousands of students at most athletic events, so it’s much riskier than a daycare class of a couple teachers and 10 kids. Plus at least at my university (not Harvard) mask compliance at athletic events is terrible. They’re officially required and kids are very good about wearing them in the classroom, but of the photos I’ve seen in the newspaper from basketball games 75% of students aren’t wearing them. It really does not seem like a decision grounded in science.
Anonymous says
Is it really? I think outside of the huge revenue schools’ huge revenue teams, you’re spread out in a place with a high ceiling. If you keep your mask on (big IF), I think it’s on par or better than school (much lower ceiling, much closer together). Even if you do the equivalent of a kid eating lunch (mask off for a bit), I still think it’s better. And adults are vaxxed at about 2x the rate of kids. I’d be comfortable taking my chances at a minor-league hockey game or D1 school’s gymnastics meet vs a church service. My city is still mask-mandatory for all indoor events.
Anonymous says
You’re not really spread out that much, though. It’s not like Harvard has the same size basketball arena as Kentucky.
Anon says
I think your “big IF” is the key here. Mask compliance at college athletic events is terrible. The kids in my preschooler’s daycare have much better, more consistent mask-wearing than attendees at indoor university athletic events.
I also think you have to weigh risk against how essential it is. Childcare is very important for kids and essential for working families, especially working mothers. Having spectators at athletic events is not essential, particularly at a school like Harvard where athletic ticket sales are not a big revenue generator.
IHeartBacon says
Except that everyone at sporting events are usually yelling and hollering during the games. A large group of people yelling all at the same time, all game long in a closed venue = super spreader event. Have we really learned nothing over the past 2 years?
Anonymous says
Hockey fan here. The answer is More Cowbell.
GCA says
Yes, and I have friends who are directly affected. No, daycare staffers are prohibited from moonlighting as sitters. I am so furious on their behalf (but sincerely hope the daycare staffers are getting paid for that time). You can’t talk about prioritizing working families, building a diverse faculty and staff, etc and then pull this kind of BS.
Anonymous says
I mean, classes are over at Harvard. They are going remote in that exams will be virutal.
Anon says
Their winter term in January is virtual. They’re currently planning to start spring semester in person on January 24 but that may slip. Remember when we all went virtual “for a month” in March 2020?
Anon says
Any parenting books/instagrams/podcasts for the five plus crowd? I’m struggling with my five year old and all my favourite resources are geared at younger kids. I just want more tools to deal with the new behaviours I’m seeing. Entering school has really knocked us for six…
DLC says
I really like Meg Leahy who writes for the Washington Post- she covers a broad range of ages and does a live chat twice a month. She’s great about seeing the bigger picture of raising humans.
I also found Playful Parenting a helpful book with one of my kids but less so with others. I think that’s part of the difficulty is that with older kids there is no one size fits all method for any child/parent combination, you have to find what resonates with you for each child.
Podcasts that I’ve found helpful, depending on the episode: Tilt Parenting, The Wonder of Parenting, and Raising Humans.
Anonymous says
If it’s not safe to have kids in day care, it’s not safe to have athletes playing contact sports either, apart from the spectator issue.
Anon says
Agreed!
Anonymous says
devil’s advocate- the athletes and spectators are old enough to be vaccinated; daycare kids are not.
Anonymous says
I am inclined to agree with this. Vaxxed grownups, especially masked, should be fine here.
I will draw lines between silent gathering events (go to hear a chamber music ensemble) vs ones with a lot of mask-off eating, but even with the eating / drinking thing, a weekday game of our pathetic NBA team in the nosebleed seats seems to be less risky than a restaurant meal (mask is on more, place is huge, attendance is never great, ceiling is still much higher even in the bad seats). I’m not doing things 7 nights a week, but in year 3 of COVID, either what I’m doing is working or I’m lucky or I’m probably going to get it at some point and will just dial way back in the event visiting aging relatives is on the horizon.
To be clear: if someone knows hospital health-care worker current stats on breakthrough infections (or maybe also flight attendants / pilots), I’d be curious to know what’s up. They face daily risks and I’d like to know what mitigation efforts are with PPE and how well that is holding up. Maybe also in-person college teachers getting anything in their classrooms (hard to know for sure) or prisons / boarding schools.
Anon says
Omicron is spreading like wildfire among populations that are >99% vaccinated, so I feel like the fully vaccinated distinction is kind of meaningless now anyway, except as it relates to severe disease. If the concern is preventing severe disease among the campus population then there’s no reason to close daycares because kids aren’t getting seriously ill and parents can choose to take on the risk for their own children. And the concern is preventing infections/spread to the local community, then everything should be shut down but *especially* athletics, where thousands of students will be exposed at a single event. A daycare operating is not going to contribute to community spread the same way. I live in a college county — there have been several peer-reviewed studies that basketball games have significantly contributed to our community spread in a way that schools (which are much larger than daycares) have not.
Postpartum Wardrobe Confusion says
I am two months postpartum and several sizes bigger than I was before pregnancy. It is tempting to buy a whole new wardrobe now, but I am wondering if my size will keep changing over the next year or two. How did you navigate your clothing purchases through this period?
Anon says
At only two months postpartum I think your size will continue to change. I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of yoga pants (LLL align mostly), looser t-shirts, and sweaters.
Anonymous says
I bought a fair amount of new clothes (not a ton but enough to wear to work) in 1 size bigger about 16 weeks PP. after another month or two I was back to my normal size. After 2 kids I’m a size bigger on bottom permanently but it’s fine.
Anon says
It will very likely keep changing for at least a few more months. Are you breastfeeding? Some women continue to quickly lose weight while BFing, some hit a plateau but then lose it when they stop. I tend to keep wearing my maternity things as long as they are comfortable and fit; then I’ll buy a few items in my new transitional size. You will likely still need to buy a new wardrobe – I got back to my pre-preg weight pretty quickly but my shape was different/wider – but I’d wait until 6-9 months to assess where you are before buying a ton. But definitely get a few things you feel comfortable and confident in in the meantime
Anonymous says
I agree that you are likely to need a new wardrobe no matter what, but I’d hold off on lots of purchases until a few months after you’ve weaned and until you see whatever your post-baby BC method does to your body. Until then, I’d put together a capsule wardrobe in more forgiving styles and fabrics that can handle some shape-shifting. I got down to my post-baby weight very quickly, but my figure was permanently rearranged from pear to zucchini? carrot? Ent? so I had to replace all my pants with a smaller size in less curvy styles.
Anon says
+1. I’m almost 6 months postpartum, under my pre-pregnancy weight but wear a bigger size than before due to body composition/shape changing. What worked for me was buying a few new pieces (basics) to tide me over until I can see longer term where my body settles. I felt a lot better once I had a few items that fit properly again.
Anon says
Currently 9 months postpartum. I have gone through several size changes since 2 months post partum. I did not start trying to lose the weight until baby was sleeping through the night around 11-12 weeks. I would not buy a whole new wardrobe, but you will want a minimum number of clothes to make you feel like a real person right now. My suggestion would be to buy just the bare minimum of clothes you need right now and to buy stuff from Old Navy/Target/etc. Over time, you will probably start to fit into some (but not all) of your pre-pregnancy clothes, so it’s not like you are going to be buying multiple wardrobes (hopefully). To give some perspective on how my postpartum journey has gone– postpartum I was 22 lbs up from what I would consider the high range of my normal weight. I have lost 17 lbs and am now about 5 lbs up from that high range. I am in my bigger normal size, so most of my clothes fit. However, some things oddly don’t because my rib cage has stayed bigger.
2-3 months postpartum– Mostly still in maternity clothes
3-4 months postpartum– Went back to work in the summer. Bought Old Navy Dresses, stretchy pants, flowy tops.
5-6 months postpartum– Shape started to look more like pre-pregnancy. Bought a pair of jeans in new size. Some pre-pregnancy tops fit.
7-8 months postpartum– First set of postpartum jeans too big. Flowy clothes too big. Wear mostly tailored/fitted clothes due to desire to not look pregnant.
9 months postpartum– Most clothes fit size-wise but styles fit somewhat different. Also some stuff just doesn’t feel like “me” anymore due to being pre-pregnancy and pre-pandemic, etc.
Anon says
Depends on your age. Anecdotally (and according to the research I read), younger women have an easier time losing pregnancy weight.
My advice is to buy things in alpha sizes (e.g., S, M, L, XL) instead of numeric sizes (e.g., 6, 8, 10, 12, 14) because the former accommodate a wider weight range than the latter. Do not buy an entirely new wardrobe; buy enough so you feel comfortable and happy.
FWIW, I’m almost 2 years postpartum and still losing the weight. My metabolism crashed pretty hard during pregnancy; I was carrying so high that I couldn’t eat more than a tiny plateful of food at a time, and it’s been a long slog to reset my body. Still up about five pounds from my prepregnancy high weight, about 10 pounds from my normal weight.
DLC says
I think it really depends on your body and your life. I was back to my pre-baby weight a couple months after my third kid, but now two years later COVID quarantine and probably perimenopause have me two or three sizes bigger. I would think about what kind of clothing you need right now and buy a few forgiving basics to fill that gap. With my third kid, I splurged on a some nice nursing clothes that were well designed and I wish I had done that with my first child. Nursing wardrobe hacks are fine, but they always made me feel very sloppy and improvised. For me, one or two nice pieces that I can wear all the time is preferable to an entire new wardrobe.
Oh I also was gifted Rent the Runway for a fewl months post partum and that was fun too, but definitely pricey.
Anon says
did anyone see the article about 3rd graders in DC reenacting the Holocaust? how could a teacher possibly think that is ok?
Anon for today says
I had a whirlwind weekend and am now tentatively back to this moms site from the main site, because I managed to get pregnant 6 weeks after getting married while having a (properly placed non-expired) hormonal IUD and using condoms :(
I’m not sure where to start. We had thought about kids and, sort of ironically, were trading articles about pros and cons, how to decide, how vasectomies work the whole week before I found out. I think for now I just need to assume I will stay pregnant, and by christmas I should know whether it’s ectopic. What a fun holiday surprise :(
Has anyone here been given methotrexate for an ectopic pregnancy? sounds not so fun, but obviously I’d rather do it that way than wait and need to leave my state for a surgical procedure.
Anon says
I’m sorry you were surprised by this news. I don’t know anything about ectopic pregnancies but I sincerely hope you can get the medical care you deserve – not a given in the US, sadly. I want to reaffirm that even if the pregnancy is viable, you have options and there is no shame in terminating a pregnancy even though you’re happily married and otherwise ready “on paper.” I was not emotionally ready to become a mom until my 30s, even though I had many of the objective hallmarks of being ready (married, stable jobs, homeowner, pet owner, etc) and was pretty confident I eventually wanted kids. I believe I’m a much better and happier mom because I wanted until I was 100% ready.
anon says
Why are you thinking it could be ectopic?
Anon says
Not OP but I think it’s more likely when you conceive with an IUD in place.
Anon for today says
It’s not necessarily that it’s more likely, it’s just that the IUD is SO effective at avoiding uterine pregnancies, any pregnancy that comes with a (not embedded) IUD is more likely to be ectopic. It doesn’t actually raise your risk in the abstract, it just is way more likely to be ectopic if you’re pregnant.
Anon says
Yes I understand, that’s what I meant.
Anonymous says
Oh hugs. I have no advice except that maybe you should buy a lottery ticket, as this sounds like a 1 in a million kind of experience. I have posted before about how my IUD mysteriously came out without me noticing it. I’m just very, very lucky I noticed before there was a chance of me getting pregnant. I will be thinking of you and wishing you the best.
Anon for today says
Thanks. My first IUD disappeared and had to be surgically removed so maybe I should have accepted they’re not for me then??
My midwife literally gasped out loud when she saw it was properly located, apparently she’s seen lost or embedded ones result in pregnancy but never a properly placed not expired one.
Anon says
Has the pregnancy been confirmed by ultrasound? I’m guessing not, if they don’t yet know where it’s located? There are other medical conditions that can simulate pregnancy by raising HCG levels to the point of getting a + sign on a home pregnancy test (and maybe even reading as pregnant on medical lab tests). Given that you were using two forms of birth control, I feel like the other medical conditions are almost more likely, even though they’re generally rare.
Anon for today says
I’ll look in to it for sure. It can’t be confirmed by ultrasound until it’s further along, hopefully by Christmas Eve. Serum hCG levels need to reach ~1500 apparently, so I’m hoping to clear the blood test and get an ultrasound that day.
I didn’t mention in the original post but I have a 4 year old and have been pregnant before, and this FEELS like my first pregnancy. We did blood work and the hCG levels are consistent with when I last menstruated (and ovulated and gardened), so… I think it’s probably a pregnancy? We’ll see.