LAUGH
1. Baby Names are a Minefield
Don’t count on using any old name. After all, you’ve had potentially hundreds of students over the years. Anyone whose name you remember for bad behavior, chronic nose picking or some other quirk is off your potential list.
2. The Bathroom Situation
Gone are the days of peeing before and after school. Now you’re frantically searching the hallway for another teacher, administrator, janitor… anyone who can watch the kids for five seconds while you pee!
3. The Dangers of the Cafeteria
Those first few months when morning sickness rears its ugly head make entering the lunchroom no small feat. So many smells, so many bad manners. It would make someone with an iron-clad stomach queasy so it’s no match for your sensitive state.
4. Lesson Planning
There is no task more daunting than leaving your classroom in the hands of a substitute for an extended period of time. Add in the unpredictability of baby’s arrival and the task of planning for your leave becomes a monster of an undertaking. There’s folder upon folder, color coding, underlining, and bolded directions. Now you just pray.
5. Water-Breaking Nightmares
As your due date approaches, the fear of traumatizing a classroom of children with a gush of amniotic fluid becomes super real. You’re suddenly rising out of chairs much more slowly! The good news is, this is a fairly rare occurrence so the odds are in your favor.
6. Snacks, snacks, snacks!
Anyone who has been pregnant knows that the need to eat comes on quickly and without warning. Teachers quickly learn to stash things in their desk drawers and to bring a protein-packed lunch. Suddenly, your “no food in class” rule seems archaic. Chow down!
7. Goodbye Fashion, Hello Comfort
Swollen ankles and an expanding waistline make comfort king! As the baby grows, so does your affinity for shoes that support your aching back and stretchy pants to let your bump breathe.
8. Kids Say the Darndest Things
One of the most fun aspects of being pregnant while teaching is the reaction from students. Depending on their ages, you may get questions about how it happened (help!), if they can babysit, and certainly lots of offers to name the baby. This is a really fun way to connect with your students, too. Let them write advice for you as a new mom or suggest things you may need to buy. You won’t be disappointed!
9. Learning to Sit
Most of us have honed the ability to stand for long periods of time, pacing the room to check on student progress and ward off shenanigans. Once you are carrying a baby, it becomes important to rest and get off your feet. You’ll learn to utilize trustworthy students to help monitor and hand out materials. You’ll also reinvent lessons to make them less strenuous–hello group work! These few months are a great exercise in relinquishing control before the chaos of newborn life hits!
10. Socializing takes a backseat
You may find that as your due date approaches, you’re less chatty during your planning period. The motivation to get things done before the school day ends is heightened once that afternoon exhaustion becomes a daily thing. No longer can you stay awake to grade papers until 10 pm. In fact, you may find you are handing out assignments that are easier to grade, too. It’s time to simplify!
Read: Pumping at School: Teacher Moms Say It’s a Challenge
