Wicked Local Mamas

INTRODUCTION:

Recently, Hayden Panettiere talked to 'Live with Kelly and Michael' openly about postpartum depression, and how confusing a time this can be for new mothers. Mothers everywhere applauded and thanked her for her courage. In the spirit of openness, I would like to share a breakdown I had too.

I have not suffered with postpartum depression and I felt very lucky about that. I was worried I might be particularly susceptible to it because I have mental health issues in my family, such as bipolar disorder. That being said I'm still a human in the new and all encompassing world of parenthood and I did recently have a very overwhelming emotional breakdown. It was a compilation of many things-but was brought to a head by Nintendo's new Super Mario Maker. 

Now that you have likely scoured the internet and all the baby name books, sharing with your partner names that aren't completely atrocious-who comes up with these? Comes "Namey" a new app that makes searching for names easy and fun...

INTRODUCTION:

Motherhood is the hardest job in the world. We've all heard it. But is it? I've had jobs since I was 14, some that were pretty hard. I mean, in what other job do they ask you in a condescending tone what you do all day? Who created this idea? Who benefits from it? Not SAHMs. Not me. 

Motherhood is not the hardest job in the world. Motherhood is not a job at all. Think I'm wrong? Check out some of my reasons, and tell me that again!

As a new mom, I wonder about other mothers and motherhood in general sometimes-it can be pretty isolating when you haven't got your shit together just yet.  Because my son will only sleep while touching me, and I can't just sleep sitting up, and he's already teething and not sleeping a ton-thanks for nothing milestone books, I wonder about absurd things sometimes. Today's absurd train of thought is about the Hemsworth Brothers...

INTRODUCTION:

I never wanted to be a SAHM (Stay at Home Mom-for the uninitiated), I had worked hard in college, done well, landed a great job, making good money, stock options yadda yadda yadda. I kind of hand that whole Lean In attitude about SAHMs-where I felt like they could do more for women in society if they were breaking down the glass ceiling (I am so sorry about that, moms). It wasn't my plan, though. Then I became a mother and suddenly- very suddenly-it wasn't about society, or women's movements or what I thought before hand, or even about me: it was about a person. One little person. He thinks I'm the world. So, as with all my endevours, I am going to work hard to be great at this!

One of the things that has become important, is a family budget. Now, I can't really change what the cable bill goes for (although, you should cancel cable and get Netflix and Hulu-eff Comcast), I can work on the food budget! Before the baby, my husband and I spent a lot on take out. We drove in and out of Boston every day for work and it was usually 6pm or later when we got home. No one was trying to be Martha Stewart, although I do love to cook. 

Now, I have a new baby and not a ton of time, so stuff I can cook and prep ahead has become really important. Or if I can prep 2 meals at once, put one in the fridge, you get the idea. What I also do now, is find recipes that are similar enough that I can buy more of what I was already buying at the store, (you get better unit prices the more you buy of something in most cases), but different enough that my husband doesn't riot and order $60 worth of delivery sushi. 

Foster care is one of those things people don't usually discuss. There's this weird stereotype that exists in that community that those kids are different, even dangerous. I rather blame shows like Criminal Minds. Usually 99% of their serial killers grew up in foster care. People are so helpful. I suppose the idea is that these kids come with baggage that people just don't want to deal with. Which I guess is why about 18,000 kids per year "age out" of foster care having never been adopted. This was always strange to me because of the desperation of people looking to adopt-spending thousands to go abroad and adopt foreign born babies-but I digress.

I grew up in foster care and over the years, I have been asked everything you can possibly imagine, usually by strangers, because I've been forced to reveal that fact about myself. It's human nature. People are curious about things that aren't their experience. I even did an expert panel where potential foster parents had questions about their future foster children, really wild.

It's usually well meaning, and I always felt if a little discomfort to me as an adult helped even one kid not have to feel ostracized, then it's worth it! Here are the Frequently Asked Questions on growing up in foster care. 

So we've all run across this at one point, creepy people who want to take pictures or touch the belly. Usually older, clearly iffy men. I was working with a pregnant young lady at one point, and a man was talking to her about her pregnancy-not in the context of having children himself, but just how "beautiful pregnant women are", and then he asked if he could take a photo of her. She politely refused, again she/we were working, but he wasn't interested in being put off, and took one anyway. She was 25 he was easily 60. I was 17 and never forgot it. 

INTRODUCTION:

We've all been through it; the debilitating nausea that accompanies the first trimester of pregnancy. It hits women in varying degrees, differs from woman to woman and even pregnancy to pregnancy. One thing is certain however, things that you were doing a lot of during your first trimester can make you nauseous years or even decades after the fact. 

Scientists say that aversions develop as evolution's way of keeping us alive. If you ate a plant that made you sick, you never ate that plant again. Or if you ate the creamy mac and cheese from a local deli in Danvers and got sick that one time, you never went back for it, did you? Science.

Personally, I was pretty lucky. I did' t get sick in public, I had a very supportive partner and I didn't have a girl (apparently, it matters). That being said, I have a phobia about throwing up and I was nauseous for 14 weeks. That is 98 days. 2,352 hours of nausea. *Gag* I have incredibly weird things that bother me to this day, here are mine, what are yours?

You've had your baby! Congratulations! You got through the most intense physical test of strength and frustration of your life either for the first or last time and didn't kill anyone. Unless you are reading this from prison in which case: hello! I almost killed the nurse who suggested that other women can push harder... but alas, I digress. 

Either way, most of us will be spending a lot of time recouping, and while you are feeding your new noise and poop machine you'll need some entertainment! For your viewing pleasure and marathoning: