Parenting Advice -- take it or leave it?

So, we have already had to struggle with our first bit of parenting advice and whether or not we should take it or leave it. 

Here is the situation:
IF the baby is born May 5th, the baby will be 5 weeks old when we need to travel to RI for Anna's wedding. We are then planning to show the baby off to the Ferland family and then travel up to Albany so that the Dwyer/Howland family can see the newest addition. This is really going against all pediatrician's recommendations that babies NOT travel prior to their 8 week immunizations.  Also, they do not recommend that non-sibling children under the age of 12 handle or see the baby until the baby is at least 8 weeks old.  That would mean that we couldn't visit Jill, Leah and Megan or Rachel and the Glasheen girls.  The last thing we want is to have this wonderful trip and not be able to share our baby with our family members.  I'm really struggling with the conservative pediatrician guidelines and what we really want to do.

As a new mother, I know it's completely within my power to say that no children under a certain age can see my newborn but that's not what I want to do.  It wouldn't be so much of a struggle if I didn't help write health guidance and policies (like the pediatrician guidelines) for my profession. Do I just ignore the pediatrician and cross my fingers that my newborn won't get sick?  Or do I heed on the side of caution and not share our baby with our littlest family members?

This isn't just an "adult decision."  This is a parenting decision with a lot of gray area with no clear right or wrong answer.  I'm sure my stress and worry over this issue will just be the start of many other things I will need to worry about in this child's life.

AFI update and BF Class

So at my last prenatal visit, the midwife wanted to do an ultrasound to check on my amniotic fluid index (AFI) since I had some major swelling in my legs and noticed decreased fetal movement/kicks.  After two ultrasounds, it was noted that my AFI was on the low side of normal but was still in the normal range.  The baby's development was measured and determined that everything was developing according to plan.

At my follow up visit yesterday, the midwife looked at my ankles, asked if I had any more swelling, noticed the baby moving, etc and basically said that there was no reason for a follow up ultrasound to check on the fluid.  I guess that means everything is good to go but I was slightly disappointed that there wasn't more 'science' to her conclusion.  The further we go into this pregnancy, the more I realize that things are what they are.  Your baby may move around a lot one day and not so much the next but that doesn't mean there is cause for concern.  So, we're good to chug along and our next appointment is April 14th (Week 37!).  I still have the group B strep test to undergo but that should be relatively easy.  I pass those tests like they're nothing!

Last night I had an interesting experience.  I signed up for a breastfeeding class months ago and Jon and I took a birth class together.  Jon opted out of this one citing it was "woman-stuff" and drank beers with cousin Mikey.  I can't blame him really.  I was fairly tired by the time I made it back to the hospital for my class and noticed that there wasn't anyone there.  I mean, nobody was there.  Our birth class had some people wandering the halls but last night, I was solo.  When I walked into the waiting room, I saw that there were two chairs facing each other and nobody else in the room.  OK - we're having a private breast feeding instruction class.  Not too bad.  It turns out that the other person who had signed up for my night jumped into a different class 3 weeks earlier.  The next scheduled class is too close to my due date so she kept my night open and gave me one-on-one advice and instruction.

It ended up being helpful because I could explain my exact work situation and daycare/nannycare and work through strategies for a successful transition between baby and work.  It was a little odd being the only person there but she was nice enough to stay late on a Tuesday night and provide fairly comprehensive education.

This weekend is going to be 'get everything done weekend':
1. Organize the nursery
2. Finish baby shower thank you notes -- those will never get done otherwise
3. Install our car seat bases
4. Meet with the granite folks to get the countertops measured and templated
5. Pack our hospital bags and doggy-care bags
6. Attend our infant CPR class on Sunday
7. Finish knitting my first infant hat -- it's been 98% done for the past 3 months.

I'm kind of over the waiting bit of this pregnancy so getting the above accomplished will feel like a great weight is lifted.  You should see my work to-do list! Much longer!

March MAD-ness

During last weekend I spent a lot of time thinking of how things change so quickly.

A few years ago I would spend the first two days of march madness at a bar with some friends and then head back home to watch the rest of the games

This year lis and I watched a lot of the games, all at home and did some spring cleaning in the middle of it. I think Saturday we had a pretty busy day actually - hitting up both home depot and baby’s r us! (yes, writing that I did feel like will Ferrell in old school)

What will next year look like? El Nino will be 10-11 months old by then, running around like crazy ( I think), and will probably not be that interested in laying on the couch watching a #2 seed take on some school that I only learned existed three days beforehand.

We have some pretty nice days down here in March – will I really want to spend my time inside watching basketball? Or will I be just as excited about bringing el nino down to the park to run around on the playground?

And more importantly for taco mac / hudson grille – will I ever go to a sports bar again??

Thought Process over Time:

Looking back (with still some time to go), it’s amazing to me how much our thoughts and overall focus has changed. From overall dreams and hypothetical’s 8 months ago to decision trees and packing lists now. Each day our focus gets more and more narrowed, I can only imagine how detailed we will be once May hits!

A sampling:

Month 1 (Initial Excitement) – We’re what?? Wow….let’s hope we don’t regret this trip to the Amazon jungle!
Month 2 (Spreading the Joy) – ohh…how should we tell our parents? They are going to be so surprised!
Month 3 (High Level Plans) – What should we name the baby? Doesn’t “ Tom Brady Ferland” have a great ring to it? It’s perfect for both a boy OR a girl!
Month 4 (High Level Plans II) – We should wait to be surprised by the sex…we should probably find out the sex…we should wait to be surprised …find out…wait…find out…wait….
Month 5 (Planning 6m to 3 years out) – Hmm…what will we do when Lisa goes back to work? We should check out some daycare spots
Month 6 (Planning 0m – 6m) – We should probably get a pool pass for the summer, that will be fun for everyone! What should our first trip be with the baby?
Month 7 (Getting ready to get ready) – We should take a birthing class and a tour of the hospital at some point…then we will feel more comfortable about everything
Month 8 (AHHH!) – We are running out of time! We need to pack bags, drive test multiple ways to the hospital, install new countertops, get the baby red sox gear, find someone to take care of the dogs when we head out, install our car seats, buy 6 months worth of toiletries / casseroles and find out what day of the month is the full moon!?!?
Month 9 (TBD) – we’ll see on this one, but I’m guessing things will continue to get more and more real every day. As we move from abstract projections and dreams to tangible “who will drive Lis to the hospital if the baby shows up while she is at work” type of questions, we need to be prepared. We are really excited about everything that is about to happen, but are continuing to realize that it is not just cute onesies and fun pop-up books. (luckily, the fun stuff is a big part of the whole experience)

Can’t wait to see what happens next!

Sping/Baby Cleaning

This past Sunday we did some MAJOR spring/baby cleaning.  After our baby shower in RI, we took an assessment of the amount of space we have versus the amount of space the new baby gear will require.  A quick inventory indicated that we needed to do some major re-organizing and take a few more trips to Goodwill/the trash can.  We still aren't finished, but the closet in the nursery is completely clean and ready for baby stuff!

We have 3 large boxes of clothing, shoes, business suits and other items to donate so I'm sure our old treasures will become someone's new treasures.  Jon tried to 'save' some of his inappropriate tshirts for me to convert into a quilt later in life but I think he's delaying the inevitable.  I'm not sure when he thinks I'm going to have time to make him a quilt... maybe someone with a sewing machine would be better suited for that task.  Is it wrong to drop them off at a tailor and have one made?  Isn't that the same idea as having a cleaning service come scrub my floors?  I could do it myself, but I could also have someone else do it and save a lot of time.  We'll have to see how creative I am post-baby.

Physically prepared? Sure. Mentally prepared? No way!

So, last night while Jon was watching the first round of March Madness basketball, I casually asked if he was ready to bring the baby home in a month.  He looked at me slackjawed and replied, "umm...no!"  This is our problem.  We are completely prepared to receive a child -- we have a ton of diapers, bath towels, crib sheets, etc (thanks to the generosity of friends and family) but honestly, I don't think we've given it much thought aside from the preparedness aspect.  It's currently beyond our comprehension to absorb exactly how much our lives will change.  I know that people say, "Oh, nobody is ever prepared" and "Your lives will change in ways you can never predict."  -- instead of being reassuring, those statements drive fear into the core of my being.

I'm up for new challenges and I have no doubt that this will probably be the biggest challenge I have yet to face, but it still seems surreal at the moment.  Any sage advice?

33 Weeks (or Larry Bird Week as Jon calls it)

So, I'm 33 weeks pregnant today and still feeling very pregnant.  I slept with my snoogle last night and that really helped me stay in position so I didn't feel the need to flop around.  On the other hand, changing position under the covers with an oversized body pillow was quite a challenge.  Darby really likes the snoogle as she likes to curl within it and rest her head on the pillow.  Spoiled dog...

We had somewhat of a scare at our 32 week prenatal check up as my amniotic fluid is slightly low.  I guess the range of 'normal' is 8-25cm and my fluid level was 10.62cm.  Still normal but definitely on the low side.  I've been drinking 1 liter of water each hour so I'm doing as much as I can to stay hydrated.  We'll see at our 34 week check up if my hydration efforts have paid off.  The baby is currently 4 lbs. 10oz and they estimate s/he will be in the 7 lb range.  Sounds good to me!

Our RI shower last weekend was full of fun, family and friends.  I was overwhelmed by the excitement and generosity of everyone!  We have already started on the laundry to get everything washed and folded in the drawers.  We need to do an overhaul on the organization of our closet so that we can fit more baby items.  I didn't know babies required so much stuff!  I hope to post pictures of the nursery once we get the bedding and decorations in from RI.