Pregnant Leanne: Week 32 - Countdown begins

January 12, 2010: Week 32 of pregnancy

Eight months. Two months left, or less. Holy moly.

Back in September, I remember thinking about all the things we have to do in our January and it seemed so far away. Order this, make a list of that, contact so-and-so.

I’ve now given my notice at work for the end of January and tried to call the employment insurance help-line to make sure I had all my ducks in a row. Bless me and my EI naïveté! The EI website says, "If you are unsure about your most advantageous maternity period to receive maximum benefits, please contact us." Wow! That sounds so helpful, thought I. I will call them.

What a fool! After being on hold for 30 minutes, the EI system hung up on me, twice. How rude! I tried calling again only to be hung up on as soon as I was transferred to the queue. Not so helpful.

Thank goodness for every other woman in my life who’s applied for EI in the past and was able to answer my questions. I “can’t wait” until the online application process. I feel like I’m being set up to fail and that despite my best intentions, I’m going to get ripped off. What with sleep deprivation and baby brain, it just doesn’t seem right to make us pregnant ladies fill out our own forms. I mean, really, Government of Canada, I can’t even tie my own shoelaces anymore!