Last week, I had an experience worth writing about at the hair salon. I don’t usually go on a regular basis, but I was glad that I went on this particular day.
I got to the hair salon last Tuesday morning (my day off) after dropping the kids to school, and arrived at the same time as another woman. This woman was VERY pregnant. Like ready-to-deliver-tomorrow pregnant. She greeted me and checked me in, and I soon realized that she was going to be my stylist for the day.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure how this was going to go. For one, she’d never done my hair before, and straightening my hair is no easy feat because I have A LOT of it. I also knew she would have to be on her feet for a solid 1.5 hours while doing it, which can be tough while pregnant.
But, she washed and started blow-drying my hair, and hung in there for some time. Soon, she had to take a bathroom break. She came back and started flat-ironing my hair, then had to take another break for a snack and drink of water. And another bathroom and water break followed.
To be honest, I started my day by thinking about the long list of things I needed to get done. After all, it was my day off and really my only day of the week without the kids to get anything done. But, even in the midst of my stylists’ many breaks, I couldn’t find it within myself to get upset.
You see, I’ve been in her position 5 times over. I’ve been pregnant at the end of undergrad, having to waddle slowly across the University of Florida campus to get to my class. I’ve been pregnant during medical school, on my hospital rotations, having to take breaks during rounds with my teams because my feet or my back were hurting. Or sitting in a lecture, physically exhausted, trying my best to stay awake. During residency, I’ve had to sit out of attending c-sections because my growing uterus was pressing on my lungs and causing me to get short of breath. And, while in private practice, I’ve had to take breaks to sit between seeing patients because the weight of my growing belly was too much.
I know how it feels to be a pregnant mother, working hard to support your family and your soon-coming baby. A lot of the time, I was able to push through it and not let my pregnancies become too restrictive, but there was always a time near the end where I had simply just had enough. This woman seemed to really be pushing through.
I understood her discomfort, but also her determination to continue working in spite of her physical limitations. She not only showed up for work, but did her absolute best. She had such a great personality and did an AWESOME job on my hair. Probably the best that I’ve ever had it done.
I think society tends to look at working moms as limitations to our workforce. When pregnant, we can’t always physically or mentally keep up. When our children are born, we may have to cut back on our hours, or miss days because of a sick child. But, this woman’s work ethic is one that I think any employer would want. I see the same traits of determination, perseverance, ability to balance, and just overall great work ethic in so many working moms that I know.
We also get criticized by others, making us feel guilty for our choice to do something other than raise our children. “Mom shaming” and “Mommy guilt” is real! But they don’t realize that our awesomeness can’t, and doesn’t have to, be confined to our homes!
So, to all the working moms out there, know that you are simply AWESOME. Pregnant or not, you have a lot to manage with your physical, emotional, and time demands on a daily basis. You sacrifice time with your family to contribute to society, and to help provide for those you love the most. You’re honing and refining your skills, and making yourself better in the process. Keep doing what you do – you’re setting an awesome example for your children. You play such an important role in our world, and you should never forget that!
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