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I shopped around quite a bit while I was pregnant with my first child and right after he was born. I checked online mommy groups for advice and drove around my neighborhood. The places I found were not very nice and the biggest red flag was that the kids did not seem happy at most of the places...Read more
Dawn
My husband and I found ourselves with a surprise pregnancy when our two children were 10 and 12. At the time I was working full time as a nanny. By the end of the pregnancy I was working for the same family part time. I took off just under a month and went back to work for them part time, toting...Read more
Sandy, Washington
Being pregnant and going into labor were the scariest moments of my life. And it wasn’t because I didn’t know what to expect, or because I had watched too many movie deliveries. I was terrified because I knew, that despite living in America, one of the richest countries in the world - that it was...Read more
Lashonda, NY
Like most Americans, I do not have paid family leave. I went into labor with my son when I was at work, almost two months before his due date. My son was born at 33 weeks, by emergency C-section, and spent a month in the NICU. I used all of my vacation and sick time to be with him daily. When that...Read more
Jonna Ashley, Denver
As a recent PhD graduate, I've been looking for full-time work while struggling to manage an active 2 year old daughter. I am fortunate to have a grandmother nearby who watches my daughter twice a week. Without her, I would not be able to apply for jobs or keep up with the few contract jobs I do...Read more
Shelby
I'm writing on behalf of my daughter who had her first child in July. After giving birth her company gave her 6 weeks of medical leave. Unfortunately after the 6 weeks the baby was still on a very unsteady sleeping schedule...usually 3 to 4 hours sleep and then waking and crying to be fed. She was...Read more
Anonymous
As two professionals living the American Dream (well, sort of--too bad about that mortgage thing and associated housing bubble) we need to work. We have a pre-K and an infant. Finding decent day-care is like scouring the classified ads for '58 Buick parts--you got Chrysler parts, Chevy Parts, '52...Read more
Anonymous, Washington
While living in California, quality early education/childcare cost as much as I was making. Not having a career position as an executive assistant, leaving the workforce seemed the best option, given that I would be working to hold a place in a career path that was my second choice. (I have a...Read more
Sybil
The absolute worst part of becoming a new mother two years ago was trying to deal with my time off from work -- supporting myself and my family financially and guaranteeing that I would have a job to return to. I work for the University of Texas which is considered to have good benefits including "...Read more
Briana, Texas
Well, I guess I'm one of the "lucky" ones in the working middle class who makes just enough money to justify keeping a job and placing my two children in daycare. We couldn't afford full time care for both. So for three days a week, childcare costs more than my mortgage. In fact, when I balance my...Read more
Jeannine

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