Two Words, One Answer.
maternity leave
 Mama Mio Countdown Kit 5 piece $70.00 This four part kit features pampering products to soothe stress, moisturize skin, banish itchiness and increase elasticity. Packaged in an adorable tin lunch box, the Countdown Kit is the perfect baby shower gift for any expecting mother. The Countdown Kit includes : Calming Facial Spray (1.8 fl. oz.) - this cooling, aromatherapeutic mist is the perfect formula to keep on hand for those moments of extreme warmness. Massage Oil (1.8 fl. oz.) - formulated with a blend of essential fatty acid-rich oils to moisturize the skin while promoting elasticity. Perfect for massaging away leg cramps and aching shoulders. Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Butter (4 oz.) - provides amazing moisture while preventing stretch marks by increasing elasticity. Wonder-Full Balm (1 fl. oz.) - formulated with a blend of nine oils in a beeswax base to supply an extra dose of moisture to the dry, itchy patches of skin that often occur during pregnancy. Tin lunch box - this adorable lunch box is the the perfect ''no paper needed'' wrapping for an instant gift! It measures 8'' long, 3'' deep and 7'' high.  The Best Friend's Guide to Maternity Leave: Making the Most of Your Precious Time at Home $13.95 I had several major problems with this book, which I found to be a complete waste of time. First, for those women who have a decent amount of fully paid leave (>8 weeks), this book is not relevant. For those without, or with only very limited paid leave, there is one good chapter on cobbling together a maternity leave period from existing workplace and government benefit programs. However, I found that to be the only useful chapter in this book, and again it really is only useful for those who do not have significant paid leave through work. Given the title, I thought this book would be most useful for those WITH maternity leave benefits (not those without them). Second, at least a third of the book is dedicated to cheerleading and anecdotes that add up to the conclusion: "The first weeks at home with a new baby are chaotic." I doubt very many moms-to-be needed a hundred pages to help them reach that conclusion. Also, it's not really relevant for "making the most of your time at home", which is what I was hoping to learn about. Third, this book assumes that husbands are either totally useless or absent altogether. While I acknowledge that very few men have paid "paternity leave," as I understand it most salaried workers have 2-4 weeks vacation time. Since most of the men I know maxed out their vacation time to be at home with the new baby, I thought it strange that the book assumes (with the exception of a single sentence) that new moms' partners will not be a resource worth calling upon. Thus, if you have a partner who's planning to take time off when the baby comes home, this book will not be relevant to your experience, at all, whatsoever. Along the same lines, if you have your childcare lined up already (your partner, for instance, or extended family, or whatever), there's an entire chapter of the book that's not applicable to you. Further still, if you will be bottle-feeding, there's another whole chapter that's just not relevant for you. Despite what a previous reviewer stated, the "breast vs. bottle" question is presented in one paragraph for the reader to answer for herself, and then launches into a lot of discussion of nursing issues that aren't relevant for bottle-feeding families. In sum, if you are a working woman with paid maternity leave who has a supportive partner, very little of this book will be relevant to your experience. The portions that ARE relevant could be condensed down to a magazine article, so there's no point in buying and reading this book. |
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