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MB - What was your average
day like as a Surgical Technologist?
I would have
to be at work at 6:45 am. My job was to prepare and set up
the operating room and the instruments and supplies used in
the surgery. I would then assist the doctor in doing the
surgery. I primarily worked in the Eye and Ear, Nose, and
Throat rooms, so I did cataract removals, tonsillectomies,
ear tube placements, sinus surgery, and removals of head and
neck cancers. Some days I would do several small cases
during my shift or other days I would do only one long case.
The operating room environment is demanding and fast paced.
You always have to be at your best and willing to be
flexible. I loved knowing that I was making a difference in
each patient’s life.
MB - How did you arrive at
the decision to leave that field to become a stay-at-home
mom and do you have any regrets?
One benefit of working in the
medical field is that there are many job opportunities and
healthcare is a 24/7 365 days a year service. You can work
as little or as much as you want. When I got pregnant I felt
like I wanted to take the opportunity to stay home with the
baby. I knew that the work would be there when I was ready
to return. I don’t have any regrets. Some days the work I am
doing at home now is much harder than any surgery I have
ever done!
MB - What is your average
day like now?
My average day now seems just as
busy and crazy as it was when I was working in surgery.
Keeping up with Elliot now that he is almost walking and
into EVERYTHING is challenging. I feel like I am moving
nonstop from the time I wake up until I go to bed. I look
forward to Elliot’s naptime so I can relax and do a few
things for myself. We usually do one errand or outing a day
and then have time to play and nap at home.
MB - What has been your
most memorable moment as a mom?
So far my most memorable moment
as a mom was the day that we brought Elliot home from the
hospital. He was born six weeks premature and stayed in the
hospital for 10 days before we could bring him home. Those
were the most stressful, emotional days of my life. On top
of recovering from my C section, I was worried about getting
Elliot strong enough to come home. After I was discharged,
my husband and I stayed up at the hospital with Elliot most
of the time leaving only to eat or go home to sleep at
night. The day that we were able to bring him home was such
a relief. I was ready to just get him home so we could start
our new life together.
MB - What has been the
biggest challenge for you in motherhood?
Practicing patience and
relinquishing control. It has been hard to learn in this
first year of Elliot’s life that I am not always the one in
charge. Sometimes he has other plans. Especially early on,
just trying to plan our day was difficult. I never knew if
we were going to get everything done and I had to practice
being flexible enough to let it go if the day didn’t go as
planned. I am still working on that!
MB - How do you maintain
your sense of style?
After wearing scrubs to work for
5 years, I am not sure that I really have a sense of style.
I just look for comfortable clothes that let me move and
play with Elliot during all of our activities.
MB - What activities do
you like to do with Elliot and why?
Elliot and I participate
together in Gymboree classes and Itsy Bitsy Yoga classes and
we are looking forward to taking swimming lessons this
summer. We have had the chance to meet some great new
friends through these classes. It was through a few of the
moms at Itsy Bitsy that I first heard of MetroMoms. Of
course we also enjoy attending any MetroMoms events that we
can. I was happy to find the Itsy Bitsy Yoga classes
because I discovered yoga myself a few years ago it has
become an important part of my life and I want to share that
with Elliot. We also enjoy spending time with my sister in
law and her two daughters (ages 16 months and 4 yrs) doing
things like going to the Dallas Arboretum, shopping, or
just meeting for lunch, or to just play. It is nice to know
that Elliot is going to grow up being close with his
cousins.
MB - What are your
favorite “Mom Essentials” and why?
Elliot LOVES his Red Dog
Wubbanub pacifier. We discovered the Wubbanub when Elliot
was about 3 or 4 months old. It was a tremendous help to
keep the paci in his mouth and as he got older he learned to
grab it and get it into his mouth by himself and to find the
paci in the middle of the night. I also love the Ultimate
Crib sheet by Basic Comfort. I discovered these while I was
filling out my gift registry and they are awesome. It is a
waterproof flat sheet that fits on top of the crib mattress
and snaps around the crib slats to hold it in place. These
alleviate changing the fitted sheet in the middle of the
night when an “accident” has occurred. You just unsnap it,
peel it off and snap a new one on!
MB - What is the best
advice you received about being a mom or raising a child?
Pick your battles! Don’t get
worked up over the little things. Worry about the big stuff.
MB - If you could give
another mom or expectant mom one piece of advice, what would
it be?
There is not one right way to do
something. Just because another mom does something different
than you doesn’t mean what you are doing is wrong. Don’t get
caught up in what everyone else is doing. Keep doing what
works for you.
MB - Do you have a motto
you would like to share with other moms?
“There will be better days.” On
those days that you feel that nothing is going right and you
are going to have a meltdown, just take a deep breath and
tell yourself that it will get better.
MB - What has been your
favorite MetroMoms event to date and why?
I really like the StrollArt
events. I think that it is great opportunity to be able to
enjoy the museum with my son and other moms. Otherwise I
might be apprehensive about bringing a baby to the museum.
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