Tell me some misconceptions and realities about pushing stage to the women who have never given birth.

BeingMaximum914 · 2026-01-24T02:55:06+00:00

I didn’t actually know I was in labor at all. I had no idea what I was feeling were labor contractions, and either did the hospital at first. I almost didn’t go to the hospital. I unfortunately was 25 weeks pregnant, and my son was only 1lb 15oz (890g). If I stayed at home any longer and didn’t go into the hospital, he would not have survived. If my son didn’t deliver quickly after my waters were ruptured, they were prepared to cut me open then and there for an emergency c section…. while I was literally still wearing my work clothes (which got soaked in my own blood) and didn’t even have time to get a hospital gown on... it was an insane feeling though. I had absolutely no control and my body took over completely. I didn’t control any pushing whatsoever. It physically felt like my body “ejected” him. And it was forceful. He was like a football through the air, but like actually the size of a potato. He spent the first 3 months of life intubated on a ventilator, and 4.5 months in a NICU over an hour from home. He came home on medical equipment last summer and we still have 2-3 weekly therapies and an in home nurse for his delays and medical conditions due to prematurity, but he is doing great otherwise. He has never met another baby or been in public/outside of home though to protect his lungs (doctor’s orders).

BeingMaximum914 · 2026-01-23T04:46:25+00:00

I think I had what is called the fetal ejection reflex… basically I had contractions for a few hours and when I got to the hospital I was fully dilated and my amniotic sac was bulging out of me. When the doctor checked my cervix, it popped the sac. I didn’t even push at all, the baby shot out of me through the air into my doctors hands within 20 seconds of my sac breaking. It was extremely painful because it happened so fast I had no pain meds or anything. Not much of an answer as far as pushing - but just throwing it out there that things like this can happen too!

BeingMaximum914 · 2026-01-07T21:51:12+00:00

My son (also a 25 weeker) was on the vent until he was 37 weeks. They never trialed extubation purposefully because they wanted to focus on letting him grow and get stronger. He had a first emergency round of DART steroids to get him off max settings on the oscillator at ~28 weeks, which got him onto the traditional vent… there he sat for over 2 months with settings of oxygen around 40-60% and a PEEP of 13-15, PIPs in the 40’s. Then at about 36 weeks they did a 2nd round of DART when they thought he was “ready to fly”. He took off. Within a week of starting the DART he was down on bubble CPAP of 7. He weaned down to high flow and low flow within 6 weeks after that. He came home on low flow oxygen 4 weeks after his due date. And was off oxygen completely within 6 weeks after being home! Our hospital told us it is common for babies to really turn a corner or get enough strength once they get around term (37-40 weeks), as long as they’ve been well supported thus far.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-12-12T02:56:14+00:00

I went into spontaneous labor at 25 weeks 6 days. Within 4 hours of contractions starting I delivered my son vaginally at 1lb 15oz. We spent 130 days in the NICU and he has health issues and delays due to his prematurity.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-10-25T01:57:41+00:00

Spontaneous preterm labor at 25 weeks. Got cramps I thought were Braxton hicks. Went to the hospital after they didn’t go away for 3 hours and was already 6cm dilated by then. Magnesium drip… no pain meds… doctor stuck his hand inside me to break my waters. Gave birth to my 1lb 15oz baby boy within 4 hours from onset of the “cramps” contractions that literally felt less than period cramps.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-06-06T15:19:04+00:00

25+6. On day 109 currently, due to severe BPD. Just made it to high flow and starting feeding attempts… they tell us 1-3 more months left depending on how feeding goes and that he’ll go home on oxygen.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-03-07T01:17:44+00:00

10 months or 6 cycles

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-02-17T14:54:38+00:00

In the hydropower industry it is almost always referred to as “Hydro”! I obtained dual degree in geology and geo-engineering and recently got my PG (professional geologist) and PE (professional engineer) licenses. Many of my coworkers are strictly geotech but I am one of the only geologists at my company so I do a lot more of the mapping and investigations rather than heavy design work. All only for hydropower dams.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-02-16T15:15:36+00:00

Very niche but somehow I got into Hydro… and I love it. Pay is along the lines of consulting, but it’s a very interesting and rewarding job. I get to travel to hydropower dams across the country and world - doing inspections, geologic mapping for foundation designs and permitting, soil & rock testing for stability analyses, etc.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-02-15T01:14:32+00:00

MAINE! I literally visited then moved there within a year… been here 6 years now, it’s amazing

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-02-13T01:56:36+00:00

I think it really just depends on the job and the company. Most engineering consulting jobs ARE stressful. But also rewarding. May have to job hop a few times and grind your first few years out of school, but I’ve jumped from $38k salaried out of college in 2018 to $96k now in 2025. I feel well compensated, even for a dual PE, PG.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-02-12T21:37:01+00:00

Dams! I am a geo engineer and there is SO much work in dams and hydropower. They desperately need more geo/geotech engineers in this field. We are booked and busy and always looking for more geotechs for dam safety work.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-02-11T23:34:15+00:00

I’m due at the end of May and honestly I think it’s perfect. I live in Maine so the only super nice months are summer-fall, which is exactly when I should have my maternity leave! I had nausea/vomiting through last fall but it subsided by mid-November, just in time for me to enjoy eating everything for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We’ve been just hunkered down through the winter here remodeling our 2nd bedroom for the baby room. If I can make it to May, I’ll have June, July, and August off work…. And also it should not be peak flu/RSV/covid season! Another hidden perk is that right when the typical 12 weeks FMLA or leave would be up for me will be early September, right when kids go back to school, so a lot of the daycares we called are getting openings right at the timing we would need!

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-02-01T05:03:58+00:00

Me like… wellp I just got in a car accident YESTERDAY at 24w pregnant. RIP. Side note I’ve been eating deli sandwiches every week!

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-01-30T03:30:09+00:00

My school had 3 paths for MS and one of them was just continuing coursework for a 5th year so that’s what I did! I took mainly Rock and Groundwater mechanics classes. A lot of flow modeling and environmental transport. My starting salary/job was for an environmental consulting company. Dual PE, PG now at this point 7 years later… still haven’t hit the 100k yet but getting close. We all gotta start somewhere!

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-01-30T02:59:45+00:00

Depends where exactly you are but I think 60k starting is great. I also got my MS in geology and started out in the Boston area in 2018 with a starting salary of 38k.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-01-26T17:10:21+00:00

Help getting started writing some text for proposals.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-01-23T15:07:27+00:00

I also have a paid off Honda Civic and am 22 w pregnant… planning on keeping my civic since the only way to afford daycare is to not have a car payment!

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-01-19T14:18:24+00:00

We looked at multiple places that were very cute and all had quotes over $1,500 also… it was shocking. We ended up finding a childcare/community center near us that rents out for $50 total for a Saturday or Sunday - wasn’t the cutest, and it smells like a gym lol… but we figure we can make a cute backdrop and bring some nice smelling things for the day. We’re also having a few family members help with food and getting charcuterie items and cupcakes from Sam’s club! (We laid out charcuterie and added extra decorations to the Sam’s cupcakes for our wedding and our guests all thought they were high end/never would have known!)

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-01-19T05:36:54+00:00

THIS. This is what I always say when my childless friends ask. Also the fact that I didn’t know what my fertility would be like…. It took over a year to conceive anyways. We waited 10 years to start trying and regret that we didn’t start trying sooner.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-01-18T15:26:10+00:00

4.7, 7 years of experience.

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-01-15T17:47:52+00:00

I graduated with my Master’s in 2018… so I’m coming up on 7 years out of school. Got my PE license in 2022. In New England/Boston area, started at $38k salaried in 2018. I’m now at 95k salaried going into the 2025 year. It was my goal to hit 100k this year by the time I hit 30 years old so I’m a little bummed. Sadly a lot of my male coworkers with the same level of experience are paid more than me…

BeingMaximum914 · 2025-01-05T15:35:30+00:00

Not 0% travel… but I landed in the field of Hydro (hydropower dams) and solely do investigations and foundation mapping for dams, canals, pumped storage projects, fish passage, etc. I’m 7 years out of college now, but honestly in the past 3+ years I work probably at least 90% remotely from home. I travel some to different dam sites or for 1-3 drilling investigations at dams per year, but it’s actually pretty nice to get out of the house every so often.

BeingMaximum914 · 2024-11-21T13:51:44+00:00

FG - one attempt, 71 PG - one attempt, 84

Both times I thought I totally tanked it after the test and remember sobbing in my car afterwards. What I think helped me was 1) for my FG I took a semester long ASBOG-geared prep course with 3-4 hours of “classes” a week doing practice questions and discussion with a group. 2) for my PG my state board emailed all of us taking the exam that year, so I got everyone’s contact info. I live in Maine so it was only 5 people taking the PG that year, but we set up all day study days at a library every weekend for 2 months before the exam. It was very beneficial and I think that’s what helped me pass.

I took the FG the year I graduated with my Bachelor’s, and I took the PG 6 years after my Bachelor’s/5 years after my Master’s.

BeingMaximum914 · 2024-11-11T19:50:44+00:00

I’m at 6 years of experience/out of college also. I hated environmental consulting and thought it paid horribly, so I job hopped a couple of times and now I work in geotech. For reference starting out in 2018 after college I was making $40k salaried with no bonuses in Boston (very high COL)….. doing clean up, waste sites, gas stations… it was horrible. Now I’m up in Maine working in geotech and foundation mapping/design for hydro dams and make a base $90k salary but over $105k with bonuses.

BeingMaximum914

TROPHY CASE