My 41 year old cousin just gave birth to preemie twins last Wednesday after years of infertility treatment and IVF. On Monday she returned to work, and not because her employer made her. She has a small law practice with another woman, and she just felt she needed to get back.
The babies, Florence Rose and Ida Marie
earseek: ) are both just under 5 lbs., and considered healthy, even though they were over 3 weeks early. Her pediatrician and OB both are both strongly against it, but she chose to ignore them. She has been taking a lot of heat from our relatives about this, so she called me looking for sympathy and support. I told her if SHE feels up to it, that's one thing, but my concern is for those babies. The daycare center she had originally contracted with refuses to take the babies until they are 6 weeks old, so she is having a neighbor watch them. The neighbor has a 1 yr. old and a 3-yr. old of her own. I would be concerned that the babies are too young and too small to be around all those germs. She asked me if anyone I knew had ever gone back to work that soon, so I told her I'd ask 60,000 of my closest friends
if any of them had done it.
My personal feelings, which I made very clear to her, is that she is crazy. My hormones were still so whacked out a few days after giving birth, I can't imagine feeling up to working. Also, I feel it's important to be there to bond with those babies at this time. She's gone through so much to just have them, that I really can't understand it. Her husband is a physician, so he works long hours as well. Oh well, I'll report my findings to her as soon as I hear from all of you.

The babies, Florence Rose and Ida Marie


My personal feelings, which I made very clear to her, is that she is crazy. My hormones were still so whacked out a few days after giving birth, I can't imagine feeling up to working. Also, I feel it's important to be there to bond with those babies at this time. She's gone through so much to just have them, that I really can't understand it. Her husband is a physician, so he works long hours as well. Oh well, I'll report my findings to her as soon as I hear from all of you.
