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Michelle S. has the roles of wife, mother, student and employee. She has a hardy personality and juggles all her responsibilities well. As a wife, she shares in her husbands stress over his new job. With this job came an increase in responsibilities and a decrease in his time spent with the family. He now spends additional time at home with work related issues. Not only has this been an adjustment for him, Michelle has had to readjust some of her daily routine.
Michelle is also a new mother. Her daughter Elaine is a person that is changing every day. Michelle, while still enjoying the new life, is feeling the stress of less sleep and greater responsibilities. Her daughter was starting to sleep through the night, but recently, she has started getting up at night and refusing to take a bottle. For Michelle, this has been a challenge. While she is at work, she feels some guilt and hurt knowing her daughter is at home hungry. The baby also adds some challenges to her morning routine. Now it takes Michelle an extra hour and a half to get both herself and the baby ready. Recently, the baby had her four month check-up and this left Elaine crying and cranky, requiring more of Michelle's time.
Graduate studies and work are also a big part of Michelle's life. While she spends 20 hours a week at work, she spends over 40 hours a week working and finishing her degree. She has an uncompleted thesis to finish and owes her boss over 100 hours of time due to her pregnancy. With all the events in her life, she has little time to do the things she used to enjoy.
Michelle does, however, have some social support from her step-mom and friend Kendra. While she has experienced a reduction in this support due to her life events, her friend Kendra does help with babysitting. They each take turns watching each others kids, giving them an occasional break from the responsibilities of motherhood. Michelle enjoys watching Kendra's 10 month-old toddler, but finds it tiring and challenging.
