At 37 weeks: nobody acting like I'll be giving birth in a few weeks!?

[Ecoden]

Okay this is a vent but I wonder if anyone else is going through it too. At work, I keep getting thrown projects that I'll have to rush to get through if I get through them at all before I leave for ML. Even though I've been planning for ML at work like crazy, everyone else seems like they're in denial about me leaving! I keep getting meeting notices etc. during times I'll most certainly be gone and keep having to explain why I decline them. Part of this is b/c I work for a very small company.

In my personal life, friends/family keep asking me to commit to things around my due date or during ML and even though I set boundaries and say no, there is a general attitude around me that I will just "make it work" (since that's my usual MO) even though I have stated otherwise repeatedly. I know that they're all just in for a rude awakening when the time comes and I'm doing nothing but taking care of my daughter but it's so frustrating that I have to keep reminding everyone!

 

[rosegarden620]

Omg that's crazy!
I can completely relate! I felt like you as well, for a while it seemed as if they were in denial that I was leaving (for good). With late replacement ideas, schedules needing to be changed! Then I had a preterm labour scare and I ended up taking my leave a week early!

But alas, my last day is tomorrow! And they can't deny it anymore. You'll get to that point even through the frustration lol!

How much longer do you have?

 

[MeaganMackenz]

I can relate a bit. Not to the work thing but the family stuff. I got invited to a bridal shower 2.5 weeks before I'm due which I declined and got "figured" as a response. Anything in the month- two months following my due date I've said maybe to and people are like why?

.. Um well I just had a baby?? Maybe I won't be up to going to your whatever. Like common people.

 

[tootyfruity]

I have the same thing, they haven't sorted cover for me at work and I have 3weeks left at work. I'm a hairdresser and all my family are so selfish that they don't expect me to have a break at all while I'm on mat leave, when I had my son my in laws asked me to cut their hair 2 weeks after I'd given birth! I couldn't stand for long at that point as had forceps delivery (so episiotomy etc) so I refused, a few weeks later they asked again grrrr!!! This time I will be warning them in advance that I'm having a few months off!
That turned into a bit of a rant sorry

 

[kajastarlight]

thats too bad they are putting so much pressure on you! Good thing you are gonna stick to your guns and they will just have to suffer without you when the time comes!

 

[george83]

I can totally relate. At work most of my colleagues are younger than me and don't have children so I don't think they realise that even though I think I'm coping well pregnancy is exhausting. Im still a expected to do things I wouldn't expect other pregnant women to do. For example next week our head teacher (I work in a school) wanted to use the class I'd be teaching to test our emergency evacuation procedures which means walking the children half way across a town which is seriously hilly. The only person who questioned whether I'd cope with it was our school care taker. Luckily I'm capable of walking pretty far still but I was really sad that nobody even considered it might be stupid for me to do so.

At home my oh doesn't treat me any differently at all and I'm still expected to do everything around the house including decorating the kitchen and dining room at the minute. Again I can cope and wouldn't be doing it if I wasn't but it still upsets me. For various reasons my oh has always treated me like shit when I'm pregnant and I told him this time I wanted to be treated in the same way my friends oh's spoil them but no such luck.

 

[babykate]

with my first baby i was still involved in the world (i've since had another baby and moved overseas so i'm more of a homebody these days) and I also kept getting invitations to birthday parties and bridal showers. I replied 'maybe' for all of them and explained that I would attend if baby hadn't been born yet. He was 10 days overdue so I actually went to everything that I thought I would miss!

My mom even threw a baby shower for me in our hometown (about 1 hour plane ride) when I was 32 weeks and I didn't go because I was worried about going into labor so far away from my husband/in a place with not-such-a-great hospital. It was a "skype" shower and my baby didn't come for over 9 weeks after that so I really felt guilty like I should have gone.

With pregnancy number 2 I actually traveled to Brazil at 33 weeks for the Catholic world youth day and everything was fine. I think you just learn from your first pregnancy how your body 'does' pregnancy. I'm 33 weeks now and I'm really sure I'll go to at least 39 weeks (baby #2 was born 39+6) so I'm accepting invites all the way up until then lol.

 

[mod19]

I'm so sorry you're feeling like this. I too wish people would consider the fact that I'm pregnant. The only reason anyone even acknowledges it at work is because I have Dr restrictions, so they have to be conscious of what I can't do. Even so, I've had complications and I feel like they don't care and continue to make me do things I know I have a hard time physically doing and continously get stressed out by my boss cuz she's so ******* and doesn't care about anyone but herself.

Sorry for the self rant on your post.

I guess I'm just saying I know how you feel when it comes to work. I'm sorry your friends and family aren't being more considerate though. That's very frustrating and can't imagine why they think you'll be able to do all these things shortly after giving birth. What are they expecting? You'll push this kid out and everything will be like it was? Uh, no. Like you said, I think they're in for a rude awakening.

Edit: I didn't realize
s p a s t i c
was a forbidden word lol.

 

[BabyCleo]

Oh that sucks

My husband has been amazing, but some people have treated me like I shouldn't be as sick as what ive been. I have hyperemesis gravidum and was on an IV treatment, and still made to feel guilty when I just wasn't up for going out anywhere. Now I always get tired really fast, I can barely make it to the grocery store. I think that's partially sickness though. My husband has been the only one who has been 100% supportive and not thought of me as lazy.