Story by Alyssa Rocha
Assistant Editor
During the 2011-2012 school year at Bishop Amat, more than half a dozen teachers will be affected by their pregnancies, or the pregnancies of their spouses.
Ms. Isabelle Selak and Ms. Jolene Joseph Pudvan will be on maternity leave, while the wives of Mr. Raymond Rodriguez and Mr. John Carter will also be expecting. This past August, Mrs. Anita Rix gave birth to a baby boy, while just a few days later Mr. Mark Verti’s wife had a baby girl.
Next month, Ms. Isabelle Selak’s friends and family will throw her three baby showers to celebrate her first child.
Due on January 12, Ms. Selak will finish the first semester with her students unless she undergoes early labor.
She will not reveal any ideas for names until the day her daughter is born. She refers to her daughter as “Secret Selak.”
This being Ms. Selak’s first pregnancy, she said she feels amazing, scared and awesome all at once.
“I’m scared for how life will change, but excited for the same reason,” she said.
Her husband also has mixed feelings about having a girl.
“My husband is excited to meet our daughter but also terrified, especially for the day she starts dating,” said Ms. Selak.
As far as teaching, Ms. Selak said she will miss her students, but is learning new things.
“It’s given me a new perspective on my relationship with students as a parent,” she said.
Mr. Mark Verti, whose daughter was born near the end of summer school, splits his time watching football film and changing diapers.
As a history teacher at Amat and an assistant coach for Upland High School football, Mr. Verti watches his first born after he comes home from a long day at work.
His two month old, Victoria Kathleen Verti, spends all day with her mom at home.
Football practice takes up a lot of Mr. Verti’s time that he said he could be spending with his daughter.
“I don’t see her as much as I’d like to see her,” Mr. Verti said. “[Football practice] puts more stress in my life.”
With a newborn, Mr. Verti said life has become a lot more interesting.
“It is fun,” he said. “There’s less free time but more fun time.”
Mr. Verti enjoys his time with his daughter even after a long day at practice and work.
Mrs. Pudvan’s daughter, Piper Olivia, is due on December 18.
Like Ms. Selak this is Mrs. Pudvan’s first born and she will have a girl.
Experiencing her first pregnancy, she said she feels uncomfortable and, while teaching, she suffers from low energy and patience levels.
“My clothes no longer fit right and I was too small for maternity [clothes],” she said. “I just felt fat and awkward and unattractive. Just imagine losing control of your body, face, stomach, thighs, and your diet.”
Visits to the doctor’s office can cause anxiety, Mrs. Pudvan said, especially because everything is new for her.
And while Mrs. Pudvan often feels uncomfortable with her body changing, it is all worth it when the baby moves, she said.
“It’s difficult to adjust to. You can’t feel the baby till about halfway through it,” she said. “But now I feel her moving and she gets me through the day just by letting me know she’s there.”
[Correction: Mrs. Katherine Syrobyarsky and Mr. Richard Beck both had children earlier this year.]
