Well, it's already April, and I'm only just getting around to posting my New Year's goals. They have been written since, well, New Year's, but it turns out that there are more pressing things to do during late pregnancy and early parenthood! Here they are now; as an added bonus I can check in on my progress so far (while this might not count as a "prespecified analysis" in my line of work, the stakes are low enough here that I can do it!).
1. Have a successful delivery of our son. My son Sam was born on January 31st after an exciting entrance into the world. I was induced a few days early after feeling decreased fetal movement, and when doctors recommended a Ceasarean following signs of fetal distress, they found his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck FOUR times. Needless to say, I feel grateful every day that this goal was met and that I have this precious boy in my life intact.
2. Keep a sense of humor in parenting. Being in charge of another human's development and survival is stressful. Being able to laugh about it seems key. I've done lots of laughing so far, and hope to maintain this in the face of mounting and conflicting obligations, which brings me to...
3. Try for work/life balance. It's been easy so far, since I'm on leave from work for another three and a half weeks. Beyond that I have no idea. Is there such a thing? I'm always up for advice from those who have come before.
4. Get back to fitness/stay active even with a baby. It will be a long road back to pre-pregnancy weight and fitness. In the meantime a more manageable goal is to stay active each week: my usual goal is to walk/run at least 15 miles. I've just been cleared to run again, so I'm gradually trying to incorporate that again into my routine. But I also want to...
5. Be kind to myself. Having a baby is hard. Having a baby, a family, a career, AND an exercise regimen feels just about insurmountable at times. So I'm trying to give myself grace about the things I can do with the energy I have.
6. Have less idle screen time. In recent months I've been realizing how much time I spend mindlessly on social media. While it is fun to stay in touch with old friends online and meet new virtual friends, I worry that I engage less with the real world as a result. My hope is that the 'new normal' will prohibit much of this. (Thus far this has not been the case; often when e.g. pumping I'm so tired that all I can muster energy for is social media.) I'd love to hear other strategies for managing social media both in terms of time and emotional energy.
2. Keep a sense of humor in parenting. Being in charge of another human's development and survival is stressful. Being able to laugh about it seems key. I've done lots of laughing so far, and hope to maintain this in the face of mounting and conflicting obligations, which brings me to...
3. Try for work/life balance. It's been easy so far, since I'm on leave from work for another three and a half weeks. Beyond that I have no idea. Is there such a thing? I'm always up for advice from those who have come before.
4. Get back to fitness/stay active even with a baby. It will be a long road back to pre-pregnancy weight and fitness. In the meantime a more manageable goal is to stay active each week: my usual goal is to walk/run at least 15 miles. I've just been cleared to run again, so I'm gradually trying to incorporate that again into my routine. But I also want to...
5. Be kind to myself. Having a baby is hard. Having a baby, a family, a career, AND an exercise regimen feels just about insurmountable at times. So I'm trying to give myself grace about the things I can do with the energy I have.
6. Have less idle screen time. In recent months I've been realizing how much time I spend mindlessly on social media. While it is fun to stay in touch with old friends online and meet new virtual friends, I worry that I engage less with the real world as a result. My hope is that the 'new normal' will prohibit much of this. (Thus far this has not been the case; often when e.g. pumping I'm so tired that all I can muster energy for is social media.) I'd love to hear other strategies for managing social media both in terms of time and emotional energy.
7. Double down on my core values: love, family, community, hard work, and decency. In a time and political environment where these seem in short supply, I want to bring it back to my core values. To remember who I am, outside of the outrage I feel most days reading the headlines.
Time to check in: how are you doing on your New Year's goals?
