Welcome to The Everymom Before 9am, where we’re exploring the challenges of weekdays and shedding light on all that goes into mornings with kids. We’re asking mothers how they manage their mornings, from the time they wake up until the time they leave the house (if applicable). We hope by sharing a variety of stories, maybe we can help each other find hacks, shortcuts, and, at the very least, support in knowing we’re not alone.
Today: A labor and delivery nurse from Cincinnati, Ohio working part-time while her husband also works outside of the home and their 10-month-old baby boy is cared for by a college-aged nanny in their home.
City: Cincinnati
State: Ohio
Relationship status: Married
Age: 30
Gender Identity: Female
Job Title: Labor and delivery nurse
Work hours: Part-Time
Work location: Outside of the home
Awake time: 5:00am
Out the door time: 6:15am
Commute time: 25 minutes
Number of cups of coffee drank before 9am: 1
Partner’s age: 31
Partner’s gender identity: Male
Partner’s work hours: Full-Time
Work location: Outside of the home
Child 1 age: 10 months
Childcare: Our son is cared for by a college-student nanny in our home while both myself and my husband work outside of the home.
Pets: 1 dog
5:00am: My alarm goes off, and I stay in bed for another 15-30 minutes reading the news.
5:30-5:50am: I get up and get ready for work. That currently includes brushing my teeth, putting on deodorant, pulling my hair into a ponytail, and applying eyebrow mascara. I’m not allowed to wear makeup at work while wearing my N95 mask, so it can later be sterilized and reused.
Next, I find a comfy outfit—most of the time it’s just loungewear … OK, actually PJs—because I have to change into scrubs once I get to the hospital so why dirty a cute outfit just to commute in?
5:50am: I kiss my sleeping hubby goodbye and tip-toe downstairs so I don’t wake the baby. I don’t see my baby on days I work because he’s asleep by 7:30pm and I get home from work at 8pm.
I kiss my sleeping hubby goodbye and tip-toe downstairs so I don’t wake the baby. I don’t see my baby on days I work because he’s asleep by 7:30pm and I get home from work at 8pm.
Then, I make coffee, pack a lunch, and maybe sit for five minutes and eat some cereal if I have time. I also let our dog, Willow, who is a shepherd mix, outside.
6:15am: Leave the house and drive the 25 minutes to work while enjoying a podcast or music and my coffee.
6:40am: Arrive at the hospital and get my temperature taken at the entrance before I go inside. I then get a sticker which indicates I’ve been screened for the virus and am ready to work.
6:45am: Change into scrubs and head up to the labor and delivery unit where I work.
I’m very grateful to have a mask at all to wear, but wow, they make you feel winded and lightheaded after wearing them for 12 hours straight.
6:54am: I clock in. Not a minute earlier nor a minute later if I want to take a paid lunch during my day.
7:00am: Collect my N95 mask and a paper bag to store it in for the week. I look at the board and brace for what 9 out of 10 times is a chaotic day of babies being delivered, emergency C-sections, or whatever else the universe brings in.
7:05am: Get a report on my patient or patients, introduce myself to them, and hit the ground running.
7:10-9am: Care for my patients, fill out charts, and repeat. I’m very grateful to have a mask at all to wear, but wow, they make you feel winded and lightheaded after wearing them for 12 hours straight. Babies don’t stop coming just because of a pandemic, so I’m busy at work until 7:30pm when I clock out and head home!
