Pro-choice and pregnant!

My dear Sin City Siren readers, I have been keeping a secret from you for some weeks, and yes, it is partly why I have been a bit too busy and distracted for blogging. I am pregnant! I’m just moving out of the first trimester this week.

This is a planned pregnancy. (Indeed, I got pregnant within one month of going off the pill!) My husband, of 12 years, and I are so excited about becoming parents for the first time!

I may tire a bit easily these days, but don’t worry, I’m still the feisty, feminist you know and love! And I’m still very much pro-reproductive-choices, pro-sex-education, pro-equality in health care and all that good stuff!

One thing I can already feel is that some of the issues I have always cared about have taken on new meaning. I have known pro-choice women who changed their mind after becoming pregnant. But for me, it has made me feel all the more resolved that I don’t ever want someone to tell me what I can and can’t do regarding my uterus, my health, my body and my family planning.

Of course, there are a lot of reasons for me to remain pro-choice and to fight for everyone to have equal access to good health care and good reproductive health options (including contraceptives and abortion). In my life, I have been lucky to always have access to affordable birth control. But plenty of women — even married, working women with children — don’t.

I believe that if you have abundance and good fortune in your life, then it is important to help those who don’t. Because I have always had access to birth control, I fight for those who don’t. Because I received quality sex education in my school system when I was growing up, I fight for it to be in schools now. Because I never had to be in a position where I had to consider having an abortion (because of my access to birth control and affordable health care), I fight for those who don’t have access or who are in danger of having it taken away.

And I fight because I want a better world for my future child and all the children (of friends and relatives) whom I know.

Tell NV Legislators to support ENDA

Senate Hearing on ENDA this week,
Contact Senators Reid and Ensign

Friend,

This Thursday, November 5, a Senate Committee will hold a hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (S. 1584). Key witnesses will testify about how vital this legislation is for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers and their families. But we know that the most important voices to these Senators are the voices of people who live back home.

We have made it easy to call or send an email, below.  Senators and Representatives and their staffs tell us that calls and emails make all the difference!

So Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to Senators Reid and Ensign.

Use this message: My name is _____ and I am a proud resident of Nevada. I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017/S. 1584), to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination. Please support ENDA. I can be reached at _______ (give your phone number). Thank you.

The President supports ENDA, he needs us to push Congress to send the bill to his desk to sign.  We can see House action in next two weeks, Senate action soon after.

Let’s do all we can to pass ENDA, today!

To be, or not to be … a person

I am honored to have a wonderful guest post today from Maggie McLetchie, staff attorney and Interim Southern Program Director of the ACLU of Nevada. Here, she breaks down the latest Richard Ziser garbage and helps demystify the legalese behind it all.

What’s the big deal about “personhood”?

On its surface, the “Personhood Initiative” recently introduced by Richard Ziser of defense-of-marriage fame does little to nothing.  It proposes an amendment to the Nevada constitution very succinctly stating:

In the great state of Nevada, the term ‘person’ applies to every human being.

So what’s the big deal?  People are human beings, aren’t they?

The very problem with the amendment, though, is its very apparent innocuousness. It is deceptively simple.  First of all, the law is a tricky thing and “person” is a term that has legal meaning throughout Nevada law.  Thus, it is no small thing to expand or change its definition.  And while the language of the amendment itself is simple on its face, the “description of effect” included with the amendment is far less so.  If the initiative passed, the description of effect would be used to interpret the meaning of the amendment and would be taken as reflective of the intent of voters.

That’s no laughing matter, as the description purports to do a whole array of things.  Some things included in the description make no sense and others violate Supreme Court precedent.  Most centrally, the petition defines human being as any one “possessing a human genome specific for an individual member of the human species.”

While not worded exactly the same, “Personhood” amendments have been introduced in other states with the express goal of undercutting a women’s constitutional right of choice and right to access certain forms of birth control.   And Mr. Ziser has made clear that it is his goal in Nevada is to protect life from conception until death.  Of course, the Nevada Personhood Amendment would be unenforceable as a bar on abortions under Roe v. Wade. The right to access birth control is likewise protected by Supreme Court precedent.  And, despite statements by Mr. Ziser to the contrary, the United States Constitution is binding in Nevada.  Put simply, voters in Nevada cannot vote away individual rights protected by the United States Constitution.

Which brings us back to the same question: so what’s the big deal?  OK, here’s the problem: protecting constitutional rights require vigilance and a woman’s right to legal abortions and birth control is by no means secure.  Recently, in its decision in Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Gonzales v. Carhart, the Supreme Court undermined some central assumptions and protections implicit in Roe.  To name one, the decision questioned the ability of women to serve as full moral actors.  In justifying limitations on partial birth abortions, the Supreme Court in part relied on the fact that women may make decisions that they later may regret – and found that protecting women from the consequences to themselves of their decisions was a valid role for the state.

And it is no secret that the Pro-life movement is dead set on getting Roe overturned.  If that should happen, Nevada could be free to ban abortion.  I was recently asked by Jon Ralston on Face-to-Face with Jon Ralston about my thoughts on how likely that was.  I am no political analyst, and I really don’t know.  But it is scary enough a possibility that it must be avoided.  Further, passing the Personhood Initiative could also have collateral effects: like worsening an already dire lack of sex education in schools across Nevada by demonstrating to our political leaders that Nevada voters oppose abortion and the birth control pill, and thus we should pretend that they don’t exist.

The Personhood Initiative reminds us that in no area are our constitutional rights set in stone.  And while history has seen revolutionary steps to protect our rights – Brown v. Board of Education and Roe itself come to mind – we have also seen a diminution of rights and constitutional protections in some areas.  To give a marked example, after 9-11, fundamental constitutional protections such as requiring probable cause and warrants went out the door in the name of national security.  More generally, over the past decade, the Fourth Amendment has taken such a beating that it now serves as a very flimsy safeguard against over-stepping by law enforcement.

On the federal level, judges hold great power to change the contours of our rights and to set the scope of checks on governmental power.  In Nevada, voters too hold power through the initiative process. Thus, at the very least, initiative petitions cannot be misleading.  The description of effect included with the Personhood Initiative is such a jumble and purports to do so much – from protecting people from death panels to imposing new obligations on the state – it is completely misleading. Further, while the ACLU of Nevada supports fair access to the ballot initiative process, ballot initiatives must provide notice to voters of the impact of what they vote for. Because the language proposed to be added to the Nevada Constitution is deceptively simple, the Personhood Initiative fails to do that.  Finally, the Personhood Initiative raises questions that are central to democracy in Nevada: to what extent can and should voters – even when they are in the majority – be allowed to change the central nature of our state constitution?  Are our fundamental rights subject to majority vote?

It is the importance of these issues and questions, and not our support for privacy and reproductive rights alone, that has led the ACLU of Nevada to get into the fray of debate on the Personhood Initiative.  From our point of view, the Personhood Initiative is not only unconstitutional and a legal mess, but it is completely misguided if its proponents are seeking to reduce abortions.  Rather than interfering with the most personal of decisions and the bodily and moral autonomy of women, we should all work together to improve sex education in Nevada and reduce unwanted pregnancies.  Given that we have one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the nation, such steps would do much more to prevent abortion than passing a constitutional amendment that would be unenforceable – at least for now.

Women and Economic Recovery: Nov. 7

This looks like a cool event (full disclosure, I’m biased as a member of the Nevada Women’s Lobby advisory committee):

Economic Recovery:

What Women Need to Know

Sponsored by Nevada Women’s Lobby under a contract with the U.S. Department of Labor, Women Bureau, Region 9 Please join us to learn about opportunities made available to Nevada women by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. ARRA allocated $2.2 billion to Nevada for recovery and reinvestment efforts, including these area:

Free Half-day conference includes:

• Job training, rehabilitation and apprenticeship opportunities for adults, youth and people with disabilities
• Extended unemployment benefits and extended COBRA health insurance coverage and premium assistance
• Housing assistance, including assistance for first-time homebuyers and support for neighborhood stabilization and homelessness prevention.
• Weatherization programs to help low income families and seniors reduce energy bills by making their homes more energy- efficient
• Social services assistance-child care, child support enforcement, SNAP (food stamps) and more
• Domestic violence prevention and outreach
• Helping fund small business start-up and growth

Speakers will included representatives from state agencies, community organizations, elected officials and others who are directly involved with stimulus funding in our state.

Space is limited and registration will close when capacity is reached. If this occurs, you may request to be placed on a waiting list.

If you require assistance or need additional information, please call (702) 948-4393

When: Saturday

November 7, 2009

9:00am-12:30pm

Doors open at 8am

Where:

SEIU Nevada

3785 East Sunset Rd

Las Vegas, NV 89120

Cost: Free, but space is limited so register early

Who can attend?

event open to anyone, but is targeted towards women

Register online or by phone (online registration is preferred):

Online: https://nevadawomenslobby.wufoo.com/forms/registration/

Phone:

(702) 948-4393

Transgender Health Fair: Oct. 31

Very cool:

TRANSGENDER HEALTH FAIR, FIRST EVER IN SOUTHERN NEVADA
Renowned Surgeon Marci Bowers to come from Colorado

The first ever Transgender Health Fair will be held this Halloween, Saturday 31 October 2009, at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center, 953 E. Sahara (at Maryland Parkway) from 10 am to 1pm.  We will have a variety of community organizations on hand to provide free health screenings, health and advocacy information, and information about services available in Southern Nevada.  Celebrated surgeon Dr. Marci Bowers (www.MarciBowers.com) will be coming from Colorado to present on her work as well.  The health fair is free and open to the public, and will include food and beverage, live music from local artists BandVino, and a raffle of valuable prizes.

This event represents an historic opportunity to bring providers and transgender persons together.  Surgeon Marci Bowers will be presenting about her work in Trinidad, Colorado, and will also be speaking afterward to interested professionals about related health care needs of transgender persons in a talk scheduled to run from 1pm to 2pm.  The overall aim is to support a larger number of transgender persons to seek care from a larger pool of providers for a larger number of health-related issues.

“It is our hope to open a dialogue with providers about the need for increased access to low-cost, culturally competent health care,” states local Marriage and Family Therapist Jane Heenan, who also self-identifies as transgender.  “We wish to begin to address the lack of services to meet the primary, preventative, and mental health needs of the community.  For instance, many transitioning transgender persons can begin hormone therapy without access to health insurance.  Without access to a doctor, such persons often choose to purchase hormones on the street, administering them on a trial and error basis.”

A number of local health care professionals are committed to hosting tables at the event.  In addition, there will be other professionals who provide important services to the transgender community, including lawyers, politicians, and sexual assault and domestic violence service organizations.  “We expect a large and diverse group on Halloween at the Center,” said Heenan.

Sponsors include The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, Planned Parenthood of Southern Nevada, Harrah’s Corporation, and The Human Rights Campaign.

It’s beginning to look a lot like … Christmas?

What was that on that last block of TV commercials? Was that three Christmas commercials in-a-row?! Was that the subtle chime of Jingle Bells that I just heard, a subtext designed to whet my appetite for … holiday shopping? Wait, what day is it again? October 26. OCT-O-BER. It’s not even the end of Daylight Savings, people!

True, my favorite holiday is Halloween. So I felt a little slighted when I walked into my neighborhood grocery store on my birthday (Oct. 2) and saw a HUGE Christmas display, front-and-center. But being used to the short-shrift people give Halloween, I wasn’t even going to say anything until my best friend, visiting from out-of-town, stopped in her tracks and with a point, said, “Is that a Christmas display?!” She was slightly horrified. And no, Halloween is not her favorite holiday. So there it was: A Christmas-lover recoiling at the oddity of the Christmas Creep.

Now, I know I have a reputation as a Christmas curmudgeon. So I don’t get off on decking the halls! But I get that Christmas is the most popular, most loved holiday.  (Judging by popular culture: People like stuff, getting presents, the mass-consumer orgy.) I accept it. I don’t like it. But I accept it. Still, I don’t think I’m all that far off the path questioning this perennial calendar-creep-up. Yes, yes, it’s happening earlier every year. But why?

I can’t help the questions swirling in my head (maybe the Gum Drop Fairy put them there):

• Isn’t part of the “magic” of Christmas that it is a special time? It’s not an everyday-gotta-do-laundry time. And it’s a very specific time of year, if you believe the Rudolph special (which I do). I’m all for pointing out the arbitrariness of time (it is an artificial construct, after all), but I thought the whole deal with Christmas is that it’s “the most wonderful time of the year.” And that time is in December. Or at least not until the day after Thanksgiving. I’m just going by what I’ve been indoctrinated to believe for the past 33 years, but I could be wrong. So the question is: If in the past we all agreed that part of what made “Christmas”, well Christmas, was the time/date on the calendar, isn’t it pointing out that indeed Christmas has a lot of hollow hype if we keep changing the time/date when Christmas starts?
• And getting further into this “Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year” time conundrum: Doesn’t it diminish the specialness of the holiday if we make it a longer season (by which we can become bored and anesthetized)? Isn’t the anticipation part of what makes it special?
• Here’s my real irritation: Isn’t all this inching up just a fourth-quarter ploy by companies looking to make money? We’re in one of the worst economic down-turns in American history. Companies are banking on the last quarter sales to try and pull things out of the shitter. Okay, that’s their right under capitalism. But doesn’t that make us — the laid-off or under-employed, over-debt-ridden masses the patsies? The obligation of the Christmas orgy may be the last thing Americans need to be doing or feeling guilt-ridden about if they can’t afford it.
• And, hell, I’ll just say it: What’s wrong with the other fall holidays anyway? What’s wrong with Halloween and Thanksgiving? Who doesn’t like holidays that are centered around eating (candy and then turkey, what’s not to like?)?

I guess it just comes down to what you take away from all the Christmas commercials already playing on TV and the displays popping up all over Consumerville. If buying stuff makes you feel all warm-and-fuzzy, then I guess expanding Christmas to three months is fantastic for you. If Santa and fake snowmen in the middle of October make you treat the next person in line a little friendlier, then this is for you.

But I would just leave you with this: If Christmas is so special and lovely, doesn’t it make it more special the more rarified it is? And if what you miss about Christmas is that certain “spirit,” why don’t you just live in that friendlier, more charitable spirit all year long? You don’t need a holiday to have permission to live a sweeter life. You don’t need an excuse to make your life nicer, better, more full of family and friends. Live for today, not Dec. 25!

Shine a Light

Former CityLife Editor (and friend) Matt O’Brien is doing some amazing work with the homeless community living in the tunnels under Las Vegas. You may know of his book, Beneath the Neon, which explores this topic in great depth. (It’s even been featured on CNN’s AC360 and Dateline!) Recently, he has partnered with HELP of Southern Nevada to create an outreach organization, which helps match homeless people to services/goods they need to move into stable lives and housing, called Shine a Light.

Here’s some details from his blog from Oct. 6:

It’s been six months since HELP of Southern Nevada and I co-founded Shine a Light – a charity organization that helps the hundreds of men and women living in the underground flood channels of Las Vegas – so I figured I’d give you all a quick update. We’ve met and offered services to more than 100 people, got paperwork on about 35 (who are now on file) and housed and treated about 15. We’ve also helped people get IDs, food stamps, medical treatment and we’ve rescued a few animals.

The staff of HELP of Southern Nevada – led by Rich Penksa – and its affiliated organizations, including Straight from the Streets, Mojave Mental Health and WestCare, do incredible work! It’s been amazing to watch them take people from the tunnels and turn their lives around.

For more information on Shine a Light, visit www.beneaththeneon.com/shine_a_light.html.

Love Your Body Day

From NOW:

Unrealistic Images of Women Make Love Your Body Day More Important Than Ever

For years now, advertisers and fashion magazines have airbrushed photos to turn models into the latest beauty ideal. Women and girls are constantly bombarded with these artificial images — fantasies they can’t possibly live up to in real life.

This Photoshopping of models and celebrities has really gotten out of hand lately. Self magazine felt the need to digitally slenderize singer Kelly Clarkson before putting her on the cover of its “total body confidence” issue, even though Clarkson has said that she is comfortable with herself just the way she is. Model Filippa Hamilton recently revealed that she was fired by Ralph Lauren for being too big, despite being a size four. Hamilton is the same model who appeared in a Ralph Lauren ad that was so aggressively retouched that she appeared emaciated and completely out of proportion.

If models can’t catch a break, how can the rest of us hope to have a healthy self-image? Starting at younger and younger ages, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and a preoccupation with appearance plague women and girls, sometimes with disastrous results. “In my teenage years, I was hospitalized for anorexia,” said eating disorder survivor and NOW Action Vice President Erin Matson. “I remember a fellow patient winning a modeling contest while she was on a pass from the hospital. The only way to end the glorification of unhealthy beauty stereotypes is to stand up proudly for real women’s bodies.”

That’s why the NOW Foundation is celebrating its 12th annual Love Your Body Day on Oct. 21. This campaign is a giant shout out to the fashion, beauty, diet and advertising industries: No more fake images! Show us real women, diverse women, strong women, bold women. And to the women and girls who are targeted by messages telling them that the key to success and happiness is manufactured beauty, we say: It’s okay to “Be You” — the true you is beautiful.

Many different kinds of Love Your Body events will be held across the country on Oct. 21. Contact the NOW Foundation to learn more.

More Information:

Kelly Clarkson Photo Retouched to Make Her ‘Look Her Best’, Janet Mock People Magazine

Size 4 model: I was fired for being too fat — Former Ralph Lauren model Filippa Hamilton is 5′ 10″ and 120 pounds, Today MSNBC

Goodbye Mike Zigler; RIP

This morning I heard the news that my former CityLife co-worker and news editor, Mike Zigler, has died at the age of 29. I am greatly saddened by this news. Mike was a great guy, one of the hardest-working people I ever met and had a big heart.

I met Mike when I moved into his cubicle (which also was the home of CL photographer Bill Hughes) on my first day at Las Vegas CityLife in the spring of 2004. I was the new kid. I was the new girl (the only female staff writer). And since I was moving to CL from a less respected newspaper, I was someone who had to prove herself to her new news editor (and everyone else).

Even though Mike was my manager (and when CL Editor Matt O’Brien went on sabbatical that summer to write his book, Mike was certainly my boss) he welcomed me to my first day at CityLife with a huge, sincere smile and handshake. There is a scarcity of sincerity and charisma in journalism. Mike had an unusually high supply of both.

In the deadline-drenched crazy days ahead, Mike and I became a kind of team. We were the only dedicated news reporters on staff. And even though he could have pulled rank on me lots of times, Mike always welcomed my opinion (even if he didn’t take it) with an openess that is also rare in the newsroom. And in a way, we were the perfect odd couple. He, the full-blooded Libertarian, All-American guy from Indiana. And me, the hard-core feminist, liberal gal from Alaska (by way of birth in Illinois).

Our political philosophies could not have been farther apart. (And Zig delighted in pressing my buttons until I was in full Feminist Outrage mode!) But in truth, our core beliefs — our shared idealism about the good in people — was what made us friends. For me, my relationship with Mike was like brother and sister. We enjoyed pushing each other on the politics that separated us. But deep down, we were more alike than either of us would ever have wanted to admit.

And I am certain that Mike helped guide me to do some of my best work as a journalist. It was the work of my first year at CityLife that earned me the Outstanding Journalist of the Year award in 2005. I know that some of that was due to Mike’s innate ability to know when to push, when to encourage and when to let a writer struggle and figure it out for herself.

Mike had a big heart. He put the love he had for his family at the top of his priorities, even under the crush of deadlines or when it was wholly inconvenient. In a business where competition and scoops have a way of squeezing the heart and humanity out of a person, Mike never flinched.

And he never forgot to have fun. I will never forget how for my birthday that first fall, Mike got the CL crew to help him decorate my third of the cubicle with Halloween stuff (my favorite holiday). There was a huge, plastic scarecrow in my seat, stuff was all over the floor and my desk and computer. I had to dig my way back into my seat when I came back from lunch with my husband! This might seem like such a small, silly thing. But to me it was so sweet and symbolic. Mike was one of the biggest neat-freaks I have ever met! And the sheer volume of Halloween glory happening at my desk was certainly a kind of “mess.” Somehow, he was the architect of that messiness because he knew it was good fun and would make me and others laugh, which was more important.

Mike was quite a guy. He was a tenacious reporter. My heart goes out to his family and his close loved ones. He will be missed.

Working and pregnancy are not mutually exclusive

Today’s guest post comes from journalist and all-around awesome woman Kris Hill. In another life, she and I both covered Henderson City Council together for competing papers and we’ve been friends ever since. Today, she lives in and covers a suburban beat near Seattle. And since becoming pregnant, she’s been writing a nice blog, Baby Babble. But because Kris is awesome, this post is just for The Siren … enjoy …

Throughout my pregnancy, family, friends, colleagues have coddled me, fretted over my work load, my activities, everything.

It’s really been driving me crazy.

In May, early in the second trimester when my husband and father-in-law were working on the baby’s room, I was whisked away with my mother-in-law and her mother to go shopping. It was an early reconnaissance mission to Babies R Us. While I don’t regret the shopping trip now, I really wish that I had been able to help with re-painting and re-flooring the baby’s room, because at this point I am becoming more limited physically.
Right now, I’m 35 weeks and change, with a due date of Nov. 15.

I have always been independent, always done things for myself, but I’ve had to let go of some tasks which is especially hard at work.

I’m a journalist. I am a jack-of-all-trades reporter who works for a small community newspaper in the Seattle suburbs that prints weekly and publishes daily online. I cover anything you can think of from city hall to sports to schools to cops. I shoot photos and video as well as lay out the paper.

My editor, Dennis, and I split the responsibilities pretty evenly but in the past month I’ve been shooting fewer photos and covering sports less. Dennis has been particularly concerned about my working nights but in this job it is unavoidable at times. With sports shooting, I was banned from photographing football or soccer.

I’ve also been writing a bit less just because it’s getting harder to balance everything.

Something about being pregnant, though, causes moments of fierce independence.

Last Monday I insisted against Dennis’ protestations that I cover a local school board candidate forum. It lasted only 20 minutes but between taking notes and shooting photos, I was pretty tired by the end, but I did stick around for another 45 minutes after it finished to get more photos and make sure I had everything I needed for the story I would write the next day. But, I survived.

This past Saturday I told Dennis it would be better if we divided and conquered because we had two events going on at the same site, I told him I’d shoot one and he should shoot the other.

It was the closing day of the local farmers market, significant because it was wrapping up the market’s inaugural season, and I had been covering it all year long.

After an hour of shooting photos, most of which would be used in an online slide show, one of the vendors asked if I’d shoot a photo. It was a typical posed shot, exactly the kind of thing we wouldn’t put in the paper, but it was fine for the slide show.

Then one of the trio in the photo asked if I got his product in the picture. I looked at the photo on the LCD on my Nikon D80 and alas, I had not, so I squatted down and shot the photo. As I was trying to get up I ended up shifting my weight backward and I fell over, either from a coffee can used for weighing down the vendor’s canopy or the pole of the canopy. Being pregnant, even though I’ve only gained 15 pounds, I do have enough of a belly these days that my equilibrium is messed up.

I fell flat on my butt. In front of a lot of people. Including my editor.

Before I knew it — because everyone there knows I’m pregnant thanks to my columns in the paper and my blog, Baby Babble, on my newspaper’s Web site — there were six or eight unidentified people helping me up.
Dennis told me I was done for the day and it was time to go home.

I was ready to leave. I’m eight months pregnant. I had a protein smoothie for breakfast and I really had to go to the bathroom.

Now, the baby is plenty well cushioned, I fell on my bum and only about six inches since I was squatting, so I was fine. As soon as I got home and situated in my recliner, this baby of mine was doing some tae bo or kick boxing in my belly, so I knew she was fine.

Still, this morning, Dennis was worried about any ill effects of the tumble.

I swear, I’m fine. I just have to look where I’m walking. Pregnancy klutziness is common. This was the fourth or fifth time I’ve fallen.

On the other hand, I realized today that I am somewhat limited at times, especially with my mobility. I was out at the new school district transportation facility where the buses live. I was getting a tour of the place and learning about all the great new amenities the staff and drivers can enjoy after working out of a modified shack and remodeled 90 year old school building.

But, being pregnant, all the muscles in my abdomen are stretched out, my hips are spreading and the ligaments are loose. My right hip has been out of whack since last week, so has my right calf, and after 15 minutes of walking around I had to ask to cut the tour short and finish the interview somewhere I could sit down. My leg was killing me and I just couldn’t put any more weight on it.

It was no easy feat to do that because I’m usually totally flexible when out on a story. I pride myself on the fact that I can roll with the punches, walk all over the earth, talk to a million people, shoot a ton of photos and get something great out of it. I am thorough.

Today I had to compromise. It sucked. I can’t lie.

Because I used up three weeks of vacation throughout the year, two of it planned before I found out about being pregnant, I have just six weeks of paid time to take off for maternity leave. I am asked daily if I plan to take more time than that off. I’ve had people tell me I’ll regret not taking more than six weeks, that I am not going to want to leave my baby and on and on.

Financially, though, it’s just not feasible. If I could just quit working completely, I would. But there are two reasons for not doing that, money as I mentioned, and besides, I love my job.

If I took two extra weeks off before the baby’s due date, I’d be bored in about three days, and be right back in the office even if all I could do was sit at my desk and do phone or e-mail interviews.

I am just trying to manage the challenges of being pregnant and working. I try not to complain. Yeah, I’m sore, yeah, I’m easily worn out, yeah I have a baby in there crowding my internal organs including my lungs so it gets hard walking around for long but I’m going to keep doing it.

This Thursday I’m going to take the morning off so I can shoot a high school swim meet in the afternoon and then cover the city council candidate debate — all three positions are being contested — that night, which is going to be a long, tiring day. But I WANT to do it. I like it. Yes, I will be worn out, but that’s OK. I’ll manage.

People tell me to take advantage of being coddled because I’m pregnant but I can’t subscribe to that attitude. I know my limitations and when to ask for help, but, I won’t sacrifice my independence because I’m pregnant.

Even though my baby girl doesn’t know it now I’m trying to be a good role model for her from the outset, even if it means sucking it up sometimes so I can keep doing my job, I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.