One Thing That Sucks About Becoming a Mom

I was talking with a new mom friend the other day a memory hit me like a ton of bricks -- one of the wierdest adjustments I had to make with my first baby was that I was penniless!

Not literally, of course. I was married, we had money for food and our mortgage and I was nursing (nonstop, it seemed) and I was a pretty steadily working actress. But the feeling of panic I felt when I realised that I was not working at that precise moment was very real. I think Cameron was about 9 weeks old at the time, and, funnily enough, I had worked a week on a sitcom (The Smart Guy!) at 6 weeks postpartum.

But the overwhelming feeling I had was that I would never be free to earn as much money as I previously had, again. In a way, I was right. But by becoming a mother, you (hopefully) have first decided to do so with a mate, a mate who will be there for you and support the new family. This didn't, however, assuage my feelings of dread about having to ask for money to get a magazine or a new top. And my friend felt the same, though she has a husband working at a quite lucrative job.

Of course, now that the economy's gotten a tad shaky, and all the news is about the Great Despression, it feels like the world's agreeing that you shouldn't buy yourself a new shirt. But if you aren't being foreclosed on, remember that nursing for a year will save the average family over $1,600. And your baby, once he has his car seat and some onesies and diapers, doesn't really need anything else. So if you (collectively) can swing the price of something useful and pretty, it's okay to get it for yourself.

I'm only partly saying this to make it okay for you to buy a new Japanese Weekend nursing and maternity vest top at One Hot Mama -- :) -- I also want you to feel okay about tossing a magazine into the cart at the grocery store. A mom contributes more than dollars to her family. Thanks for all you do -- and will do in the future.