Severe Posting Lapse
I credit Melissa with getting me back over to BHN to catch up on what i've missed. I posted in the comments section to her recent post, but i'm expecting #2 as well. I'm due at the end of March so i'm actually heading into the homestretch. I can't believe that starting next week i start to go to the Dr. every two weeks from now on. This pregnancy has passed pretty quickly-- although i'm already gigantic and just can't imagine what i'll look like in 3 more months!
One cool thing is two other friends that live near me are pregnant with their first babies and are due slightly before and slightly after me. I'm really hoping it helps me get out of the house once all the babies are here, and i've really enjoyed being a resource for all their questions. In fact i'm doing what i'm calling an "e-roundtable" for all of them. It involves me and another good friend (mom of two) laying out our two cents/what worked for us on a specifc topic each week. After we provide our little overview, we'll be available to answer questions from everyone on the topic all week. At the end of the roudtable i'll gather everything into a word doc and send it out so people have it as a reference.
These are the topics i've come up with so far, am i missing anything?
One cool thing is two other friends that live near me are pregnant with their first babies and are due slightly before and slightly after me. I'm really hoping it helps me get out of the house once all the babies are here, and i've really enjoyed being a resource for all their questions. In fact i'm doing what i'm calling an "e-roundtable" for all of them. It involves me and another good friend (mom of two) laying out our two cents/what worked for us on a specifc topic each week. After we provide our little overview, we'll be available to answer questions from everyone on the topic all week. At the end of the roudtable i'll gather everything into a word doc and send it out so people have it as a reference.
These are the topics i've come up with so far, am i missing anything?
- Baby Gear—How much stuff does this baby really need and what kind of stuff should I do/have on hand before the baby arrives?
- Feeding—What are the nuts and bolts of breast and formula-feeding?
- Sleeping—What should I expect regarding sleep, can I do anything to help my baby sleep better?
- Taking Care of Mom—How do you find time for yourself, what are coping strategies for dealing with the new baby, what are warning signs of post-partum depression?
- Partner Relationships—How does having a baby change your relationship to your partner, what can you expect, what can you do to help you grow into being parents?
- Labor and Delivery—Natural, medicated, fast, slow—what to expect in labor and how to have the best birth you can.
posted by Tallis Ford @ 7:48 PM
7 Comments:
At 5:12 PM,
landismom said…
Congratulations! I think that's a pretty good list. One suggestion I'd make as you get closer to the birth would be something about how not all babies are the same. (Seems obvious, I know, but trust me, I wish someone had said that to me every single day of my third trimester. Both times.)
At 9:12 AM,
Melissa said…
congratulations!! how about diapers? cloth vs. disposable. etc etc. i remember having lots of questions around that in the beginning. you could write an entire thesis on the different varieties of diaper covers etc. congrats again! how wonderful for you to have a sweet, warm little baby coming your way to snuggle with. i miss those days!!
At 11:47 PM,
Anonymous said…
Just wanted to say Congratulations Tamra! I've been following you over at your blog so know you were pregnant - yay!
Anne-Marie
At 7:10 PM,
Nicole Steeves said…
Hi - I am a stranger and sometime reader of your site (I come via 50 Books). But your post got me thinking about the many things that blindsided me when I had my girl 16 months ago:
1 - The crying. Mine, not hers. I was weepy as all get-out for the first few weeks. I don't think I had PPD - but it was hard and scary and I wish I had some way of preparing myself and my husband for it.
2 - The expectations I had for help. My beloved parents and wonderful friends all made many generous promises of babysitting and assisting with our transition, but no one really came through. I would tell new parents to appreciate the love and well wishes of others but to remember that it is "you against the world" for a while.
3 - Becoming a parent. I really struggled with the first few weeks and months (see above). I now treasure those battle scars because I now love my life with my daughter, and how my husband and I work together (and try to fight fair since our hectic schedule can make it easy to be at odds), and that every single news item or commercial or plot point about a sick child can make my heart break because I can't imagine anything happening to Gwen.
Is this more than a brand new parent needs to hear? I don't know. But I know that when I have time to think about being a parent, while diapers and gear and sleep are real, practical points that matter, these other aspects feel more like the foundation for what the next twenty years will be built on.
At 7:44 PM,
Tallis Ford said…
thanks for the feedback guys. I like the suggestions you have for topics to cover and have been weaving them into our discussions. I had the joy of having PPD and a very colicky infant so i remember how often the practical things were trigger points for emotional minefields. I'm trying to weave some of those discussions in with the practical to not make things overwhelming but make the discussion a more realistic ones for all the new parents.
Thanks again and if there are any other comments i'm very open for suggestion!
At 3:27 PM,
Anonymous said…
vaccines. cause not making a decision is making a decision and there is SO much info out there on both sides.
At 3:05 PM,
Anonymous said…
I have a request of y'all. What preparing for pregnancy books the right balance of education and common sense? We're looking to start trying for our first child and are about to pick up "What to Expect When You're Expecting" - but I want something that won't scare the bejesus out of me and tell me all the things that can go wrong. And maybe something about the parents still be partners?
Book lists?
Thanks, Ann K.
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