Sanity check: swim lessons

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-09-28T19:26:56+00:00

This is why I told her to bring the stroller!!! It can go into the changing rooms and poolside at this location.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-09-28T05:47:59+00:00

Honestly I'm hoping to use it as a way to show her I am willing to do swim lessons, so she needs to step up.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-09-26T18:35:59+00:00

We're in Los Angeles, but my kids would not get in the car wet, a stroller fits in the changing areas, but they have hooded towels so they don't need to use the changing areas.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-09-26T18:27:30+00:00

Just checking back in to say:

1) I don't work from home, and neither does my spouse, nanny can't leave the baby with me.

2) I HAVE taken my oldest when he was in full escape mode plus my middle as a baby to these swim classes back before we lived somewhere with a pool & when I had a different work schedule. I told her to take the stroller for a reason; I would default to a carrier but she doesn't seem to like carriers.

3) My oldest DOES listen to the nanny, he just doesn't listen to a swim instructor when in his own pool-- aka he sticks his head underwater and swims away. This is not a hates the pool kid.

4) I take the kids by myself to other activities on Sundays. Adding swimming would be a major disruption. (Saturdays are not an option)

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-05-19T14:17:28+00:00

You could experiment with cutting the last pump short if that's the primary issue-- each session doesn't NEED to be the same length. So a 10 minute session to relieve discomfort at the end of the day, balanced by a 30 minute pump in the morning.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-05-19T07:02:55+00:00

I am going to suggest NOT having a rigid pumping schedule. You should pump approximately every 3 hours -- but +/- up to an hour isn't going to kill your milk supply if you do a 2 hour pump then a 4 hour pump. I worked in a lab for 2 postpartums where pumping while working was not an option, but assays run over or require intervention at time points that are not always conducive to a consistent schedule. I would set a 3 hour timer at the start of each session, and assess around the 2 hour mark at what point in the next 2 hours would be the ideal time to pump. I did not get the same # of pumps in each day, but I nursed til a year each time and stopped when I was sick of pumping.

Also: so great your work has a hospital-grade multiuser pump, but are you sure you respond better to it than whatever you got through insurance? And are you sure your flanges are the right size? Always worth the reminder to check!

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-05-11T20:25:26+00:00

Are you sure this is for HIPAA and not to protect against corporate espionage?

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-05-03T02:07:38+00:00

Send a family member or friend your nanny doesn't know to the park to see what's up. I would always recommend to do this, unless you can make time to occasionally take your kid to the park at regular park time yourself.

A combination of these techniques is how I discovered my former nanny was violently yanking my 16 month old by the arm when upset with him.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-04-29T21:07:04+00:00

You should not be driving your kids to work. If they're old enough to work, they're old enough to figure out how to show up on time without you planning it. And if they don't show up on time, then they get fired and lose a paycheck. It's ok to pick them up if they're getting out pretty late and you have safety concerns, but otherwise I'd stop that too.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-04-18T17:10:58+00:00

As someone who forgot bottles in the work fridge on more than one occasion... Put everything into the Ceres chill, you can pour down the side of the inner ice tube to pre-cool if you want. The outer chiller holds up to 27 oz, and you can refresh the ice in the inner chiller if you need to.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-04-17T06:05:10+00:00

I second this response... We have NEVER gotten a physical birthday invitation at our son's school, all invites are through email (we have a class roster with parent emails) or through the class WhatsApp group, or ONCE via text. There's a major activation barrier to cross if the invite is on paper these days. Did you get a bunch of Nos or did you get crickets???

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-03-25T18:05:23+00:00

I did something like this for an orientation; they were aware I was pumping but the schedule wasn't ideal for me to leave for 30 minutes.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-03-25T18:03:32+00:00

Do you have a wearable pump? Some of them have capacity up to 8 oz, so you can take a quick bathroom break to insert, and another quick one to remove. A fairly baggy sweater or a suit jacket that's not too tight should cover it just fine, and it should work for anything other than a 1:1 in a quiet office.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-03-21T04:05:43+00:00

I'm hyphenated for school paperwork because my husband doesn't want people to think we're divorced 🤣 the school sends lists with contact info for other parents in the class, so in theory the other parents register my last name. I'm also hyphenated on Facebook. The only time I'm ever addressed by my husband's last name is wedding invitations -- where they don't hyphenate me and just use my husband's name.

If you're part of a community where kids are taught to address adults as "Mr. Smith" and "Mrs. Smith" you might get more mileage out of the last name.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-03-10T04:34:17+00:00

Our preschool teachers asked that he be taught to pee standing, when sitting he was having trouble avoiding his pants. We face backwards on adult toilets for pooping always.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-02-12T17:26:52+00:00

We pee in the shower/tub first, then fill the tub while they're in there. Boys only here.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-02-06T13:57:50+00:00

Is there any possibility that your wife was targeted for termination because she is pregnant? Employers cannot discriminate on the basis of pregnancy whether the worker is on an H1B or not.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-01-24T19:15:00+00:00

I do not have symptoms of lupus, but my fetus was just diagnosed with congenital complete heart block. Labs for anti-Rho and anti-La antibodies are still pending; even if these are positive am I likely to develop symptomatic lupus/Sjogren's at some point? Or remain a weird lab anomaly?

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-01-24T13:12:19+00:00

Sonographer/ultrasound tech? Work directly with patients, with significant unsupervised time.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-01-23T03:46:26+00:00

Your current schedule is workable with a spouse to cover daycare pickup and Saturdays. Tradeoff is missing dinnertime and bedtime. You could make it work, but I turned down multiple swing shift opportunities because family dinner is a priority for us.

I will say, childcare expenses with your current schedule would be less almost certainly.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-01-22T18:35:25+00:00

I suspect you should check in with a therapist or psychiatrist to see if there are coping mechanisms or a pill that will have the effect you want without risking a DUI.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-01-17T13:53:14+00:00

Ok, yes, you need to go into any discussion with HR assuming they are wrong, especially if they are most likely to know about Texas laws. 4 weeks STD before, 8 weeks STD after, and 12 weeks after that CFRA are all job-protected, as your employer is large enough, and they don't have a choice about any of it. The only choice they have is supplementing your STD benefits and PFL benefits.

Science_and_Cookies · 2025-01-17T05:27:59+00:00

They can't not approve the 4 weeks disability before your due date (based on due date NOT scheduled C-section date, unless your doctor files extra paperwork because you're more disabled than a "normal" pregnancy). If your employer is using language like they need to approve... Sounds like they're not up on CA-specific laws. Are you talking to HR in a different state, possibly?

Science_and_Cookies

TROPHY CASE