Six weeks ago, Jarrett and Kim had twins. It was a time of great joy and great stress. Jarrett, a medical resident, had been sleep-deprived from working long hours, even before the twins arrived. Now he was so tired that he began to fear he might make a mistake. He felt his only recourse was to sleep in the break room between shifts so that his sleep would not be interrupted by the twins’ crying. Kim’s maternity leave was over, and she had to return to work.
Physically, she was in no shape to serve as the superstar employee she had been. A difficult pregnancy and an emergency C-section had left her drained. Trying to care for and nurse twins with little help from her spouse had depleted what few reserves she had left. But the physical issues were nothing compared with the emotional issues. Kim had always considered herself a career woman. She wanted kids, but predelivery, she was certain that by 6 weeks she would be dying to get back to work. That did not prove to be the case. The thought of placing her twins in day care left her in tears. She wanted to be at home with her babies. She did not want to go back to work. But they could not afford their house, their cars, and Jarrett’s student loan payments without her income.