Welcome to the blog of science fiction author Eileen Rhoadarmer--where science fiction and Mommyhood collide!


Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Maternity Leave

All right, so possible complications keep cropping up and then fading, but it's looking increasingly likely that this baby will need to arrive sooner rather than later.  As such, I thought I would outline the guidelines I'm giving myself for a maternity leave.
  • On the day I go into labor, the counter on my right sidebar will freeze (though I may not actually make that happen until several days/weeks after.)  I don't feel like it should reset to zero for something as big as having a baby.
  • For the first three months of the baby's life, I will not require myself to write.  This doesn't mean I won't write--if I feel the desire and have/make the time, I certainly won't stop myself--but I'm not going to feel bad if nothing happens.  I will make this an actual three months, not 90 days.  The final day will be my child's 3 month birthday.
  • I will attempt to keep stories in submission circulation, but I won't beat myself up if that doesn't happen either.
  • Any days on which I actually do some writing will get added to the counter (either progressively or at the end of my leave, depending on how I feel.)  For example, if I freeze the counter at 275 days and I write on 20 days during my leave, it will start up again at 295 days.
  • Once my three months are up, I will turn the counter back on.  If, at that time, I fail to do at least something every day, it will reset to zero.
  • I reserve the right to extend the period of my leave as the end approaches if I feel it is necessary, but if so I will make that decision before it is over, not after failing to write for a week.  I'm hoping the personal integrity that has kept me going these last eight months will bring me back without an extension though.
So there you go, my own personal maternity leave schedule.  We'll see how it goes.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

An excellent plan! Rest, recovery, and sanity are more important than creativity those first few months. :) Plus you'd rather be looking at your child when that first smile happens, instead of the computer screen!

Is your little guy getting excited? My daughter was two and a half when my son was born. Just enough for her to understand (and to understand when she got time with gradnma and granndpa that she wasn't being sent away, that she was getting some special time).

Charlie N. Holmberg said...

Ah, good luck! And I suppose having a baby is a legit excuse.... ;) But be sure to let us know when the newbie arrives!

Eileen Rhoadarmer said...

He's 2 2/1 also. I'm not sure quite how much he understands. I think he's got a pretty good idea, but, of course, has no idea how drastically this is going to affect his life.

Thanks for the well wishes, and yes, there will definitely be an announcement followed by pictures.