Nesting and emotional rollercoasters

I'm 31 weeks pregnant, and man, these past couple of weeks, I have felt PREGNANT.  I feel completely different from one day to the next.  Some of that has to do with my erratic sleep schedule; I just cannot sleep through the night.  This morning, I woke up at 2 a.m. and haven't been able to get back to sleep.  The sleep has definitely affected my ability to concentrate, which is annoying because I have a lot I need to do!  I am also becoming more forgetful and klutzier than usual.  Since I have been pregnant, I lost my promise ring and my swimsuit.  I also almost lost my engagement ring (as in, I dropped my bag as I was leaving the gym, my ring fell out, and I was fortunate enough that someone had turned it in when I noticed a few minutes later and went back to check).  I'm constantly tripping over things.  Two days ago, I decided that because I was so tired, I would bring a spare coffee pot to work so that I could drink decaf (less caffeine is better for the baby) without subjecting my office to decaf.  On the way into the office, I dropped the coffee pot and it shattered all over the floor, completely ending that plan.

In Limbo

My nesting instincts are kicking into high gear.  It doesn't help that recent circumstances are not cooperating!  The health insurance issues are still looming, though legislators are talking about a possible extension until December!  Did I mention that a state senator called me?  No, not the a senator's aide, the senator himself.  That felt pretty cool.

There have been a few work situations I've wanted to post on this blog, but hesitated because I didn't want to divulge any information that could hurt me professionally.  But, if the purpose of this blog is to talk about a work-life balance, I guess I will have to talk about my work at some point, so here goes....

My boss recently told me the point person while I'm on maternity leave might be hired for a new position he wants to create.  Oh, but I shouldn't worry because if he is selected, he won't officially assume the new position until I get back.  Uh huh.  I've had my leave plan in writing since February and my boss approved it, so I am less than thrilled to have this news dropped in my lap now.  Don't get me wrong; I have been recommending this employee be considered for this position (should it be created) for over a year now.  He would be perfect for it, he's been a great employee, and I will do everything I can to support him.  But, the timing and implementation on my boss's part are poor.

FMLA

I recently learned while I am on leave, according to governmental regulations, I am not allowed to check email, return phone calls, or do anything work related.  My boss's response was "oh, don't worry, that won't stop me from calling you to see how you're doing and then saying 'oh, while I have you on the phone....'"  Granted, I want to stay in the loop while I'm gone; that's just my nature.  But, I am not obligated, nor should I be expected to do so.  I think I can solve this issue by taking intermittent (not continuous) FMLA.  If my doctor were willing to approve this, I could take up to 450 hours off, and subtract any time I spend working at home.  I am told most doctors require continuous leave for the first 6-8 weeks (meaning that working at home is not permitted), so most likely, if my doctor allowed me to work at home at all, she would specify some sort of cap (i.e. "not to exceed five hours per week).  My hope is to make all expectations crystal clear for all parties, and get the full amount of leave I am entitled to.  If my boss were to make a lot of those "oh by the way..." phone calls and assign my backup to other tasks, no problem for me; that just means he would be prolonging the amount of time before I return to the office.  We'll see.  

Labor and Birthing Classes

With so many unknowns, I've been more and more worried about the labor process.  Earlier in the week, I really felt like I am at the mercy of everyone else right now.  That feeling bugs me; I do not like to ask for help and I do not like to depend on others.  I met with a doula two days ago in the hopes that she would be able to put my mind at ease for a natural birth.  Jamie wasn't impressed.  His response was "she didn't tell you anything you didn't already know."  True.  I have a meeting with another doula next week, so we'll see if she's any better.

Luckily, I just started the first in a series of three birth classes last night and the instructor is amazing.  I feel a lot better.  I walked out of that class pretty convinced that by the end of the three weeks I will have all of the information I need to make informed decisions during my labor and will not need a doula.  I also felt great yesterday.  I had a ton of energy, and everything seemed to click.  Of course, I had also gotten a full night's sleep the night before, so we'll see how today goes considering I'm running on three hours' sleep right now.