Not To Sound Like A Boomer But Having Internet Access At A Young Age Fucked A Lot Of Us Over And Continues

I know it's a stretch, but I'm convinced the monk doing a silly little dance in Satanized is a reference to St. Vitus dance. There seems to be a real theme of saints and martyrs recently, so I think it fits.

Tried to take a nice, relaxing, candle light bath with a fragrant jewels bathbomb and ended up being stared down by a demon eye.

Things about pregnancy/childbirth/taking care of a newborn that no one talks about (or at least I didn't know until I experienced it)

When you're pregnant, you will be thirsty all the time, and you should be drinking a ton of water. If you think you should drink more water now, your mouth and throat will be bone dry on a regular basis.

If you do not drink enough, you wont have enough fluid in utero and may have to be induced. Think about your baby as a fish in a tank. Gotta make sure there's enough water. They do go to the bathroom in there.

As your baby grows, it puts pressure on all your other organs. That's obvious. What I didnt know is that this starts to impede your ability to empty your bladder and to poop. You will have to pee constantly (in addition to the water drinking bit), but I had to take a laxative/softener because it was debilitatingly painful to poop.

Tale an iron supplement! Good god, this was the biggest thing for me during my pregnancy. I was actually collapsing because I was iron deficient. Listen to your doctor. Take an iron supplement. They're available as gummies.

And while you're at it, take your prenatals, and try to start taking them before you become pregnant. If you have other health issues, like me, talk to your other doctors before you become pregnant. You may need to change your medication.

I worked until one week before my due date. Pregnancy is tiring, but bearable. You'll be going to bed early whether you want to or not, and you will be getting up frequently to pee at night as you get close.

There's multiple youtube series that go week by week. Watch them.

As for childbirth, it is a 12+ hour affair. However, 90% of that time is labor and not pushing. Labor is very painful, but manageable with medication and counter pressure. I did not have an epidural- they have a gas that helps a lot. It doesn't knock you out, just numbs the pain, and only when you put the mask over your face. You feel normal when the mask is removed.

Counter pressure is when your spouse or a member of the medical team puts pressure on your hips to help widen them. Your hips will kind of operate like a hinge. Counter pressure helps immensely.

Contractions happens in waves. You'll experience a wave of pain that peaks and then goes away. In the beginning, you may even be able to sleep while I labor. It will increase in intensity as time passes.

10% of labor is the pushing. It hurts as much as people say (or dont say). But it is over relatively quickly (I was pushing for 45 minutes). When you push, you are using the same muscles as when you poop. It feels like you're taking the biggest poop of your life.

You're going to pee/poop on the table/nurses. This is normal. They expect it.

Afterwards, they're going to want you to stay in the hospital for 2-3 days. You're not supposed to take your own medication (they will provide it for you). I assume this is because you are under their care.

Breastfeeding is hard! Both for you and your baby. You'd think as a defining characteristic of our species this would be easier, but it isnt!

You have to angle your boob correctly in their mouth, and potentially squeeze your areola, all while holding their body and head. It's very tricky. Ask for help, and continue asking for help.

My problem with breastfeeding wasnt just on my end- my baby would connect, then either not nurse, fall asleep, or get frustrated. At one month into childcare, I've kind of given up on breastfeeding. However! That doesnt mean I'm using formula.

YOUR INSURANCE MAY INCLUDE A FREE BREAST PUMP. ASK ABOUT IT!

My life would not be the same without my pump.

Also, your milk ducts may get a clog! No one told me about this. Its painful and it forms a lump. It is not cancer, it's a clog. It happens if you dont nurse enough, dont drink enough water, dont bathe enough, or your bra is too tight. Quite honestly, just go shirtless for as long as you can.

Taking care of a newborn, at least for me, is a cycle of change diaper, feed, burp, sleep. Rely on your spouse or friend. Sleep when you can. You will be up at night.

Dry your baby's butt with a tissue after wiping them. If you dont dry them, they get diaper rash. Use vaseline after drying them. Get your supplies ready before you take off their diaper. Put the new diaper under the old one in case they go while you're changing them.

Babies get acne! This is normal, and there isnt a lot you can do about it.

Ask about gas drops. Babies have very little control over their digestive system. Gas has been the most difficult need to address.

They dont hate you. They cant show you that they love you, but they do. They physically cannot express anything besides distress in the beginning. Do not beat yourself up.

You will experience mood swings. Talk about it, be open about them. They are normal. Rely on others.

Your baby will very quickly drink 4 ounces/125 ml in one sitting. You will feel like there's no way you can produce that much. You will. Pump/nurse frequently and until your boobs are empty, and go a little longer. Your body will meet the demand you present to it. If your baby isnt hungry, pump. Empty your boobs.

Get a PUMPING bra. Nursing bras and pumping bras are different. If you're pumping, get a pumping bra. It holds the collectors so you dont have to.

Most police stations will check your car seat to make sure it's installed properly. You will not be able to leave the hospital with your baby unless you have a properly installed car seat.

Learn about safe sleep and get some sleep sacks! Seriously, sleep sacks are awesome. Get some with swaddle wings and without. Once they start to roll, you arent supposed to swaddle them.

Get a little bouncer/chair that vibrates. They love it. Game changer.

I don't know if I can keep teaching. This is not what I signed up for.

Teacher Rant

What do people want from teachers? We walk into a classroom every single day knowing we could get shot and accept that risk. We have our canned food weapons,  our intruder drills to prepare for that day someone might come in and try to kill me and we work 12+ hour days for barely enough money to live on.  We decorate our rooms with our own money, we buy pencils and supplies for students from our own money, we even make student protection shields with our own money. A global pandemic hits and we completely rearranged instruction to make sure our students would get what they needed with 24 hours notice.  We made sure they had food everyday.  We made sure they had school supplies and electronic devices to do their work on.  We recorded lessons from home and contacted parents and students every single day to make sure they were okay and to offer help if needed.  We did this every day- willingly and without complaint.  Now we are asking you to listen to us this one time and postpone school or start online.  We are telling you we are scared and we are afraid – afraid for ourselves, for our families, and for those students we love as our own children.  All we are asking is for you to understand that while research suggests children may not be as susceptible to the virus, adults definitely are. We’re telling you that schools are full of adults and many are high risk. We are explaining our reasons over and over.  And you call us snowflakes or lazy and imply that we just want more time off work.  It’s bad enough we get judged for having summers “off” (which we don’t; I just don’t get paid for that time), but to imply that we haven’t done anything during these quarantine months is not only insulting but hurtful.  We are not babysitters.  I didn’t pay $30,000+ plus to go to college and receive multiple advanced degrees to babysit your kids.  That’s not my job.  My job is to teach them, to prepare them for the future, to give them what they need to be successful beyond high school. My job is not to watch them so you can go back to work.  Your problem is not with the teachers - your problem is with the government.  They’re the ones making you choose.  They’re the ones who have let us down.  They’re the ones who are responsible for this failure.  They are the ones who are responsible for the fact that we are now 6 months into a pandemic and numbers are on the rise.  They are the ones to blame for us not feeling comfortable going back to school. Put the blame where it belongs - the federal government.  Please stop blaming the teachers who barely make a living wage, the teachers who are tens of thousands of dollars in debt, the teachers who work every single day and spend their own money and take time away from their own families to make sure YOUR children have what they need.  I won’t apologize for wanting to stay alive so I can continue doing what I love to do - teaching your children. 

perhaps some will disagree, but i think the world got worse when we changed the colour of the night

Books you would like to read..

detail from a page of a bound periodical from 1893

Just a reminder that I’m an Adult™ and if that makes you feel uncomfortable feel free to:

unfollow me

ask me to unfollow you

block me

I won’t get mad or anything. It’s important to make sure you feel comfortable and secure.