You know you’re old when Halloween falls on a Friday and still your only plan is to stay in, maybe order food, snuggle up with your husband on the couch, and then head to bed early. For a split second I thought it would be fun to paint my round belly like a pumpkin and head downtown to watch the parade with Shannon and Mike. But then I thought about how cold it would be outside, how there is really no such thing as totally non-toxic paint that I want to put directly on my belly, and how much crowds annoy me right now – and I was back to wanting to be lame and stay home. The good thing about having a kid is that in a few more years the child will force Jason and I to reenter society and acknowledge these kinds of holidays again.
A Pediatrician Crush
Last week I officially picked our pediatricians (Dr. Hammond and Dr. Zabar). Aliza had given me the name and number of two of her friends who recently started a practice together and who she totally adores. So I called and set up a time to meet with them. The first sign that they are worth her adoration was that they wanted me to be able to talk to them both, so they set up a thirty minute appointment for all three of us to meet at the same time. We sat down together in one of their offices and spent the first few minutes introducing ourselves and making small talk. Dr. Hammond was extremely pregnant at the time (I am sure she has had her baby by now) and so our conversation shifted easily to being pregnant and being a new mom. They have two children each (including the little one who I am assuming has been born by now), and spoke very openly about their experiences, not only as doctors, but also mothers. They took turns asking me questions, giving me advice, and waxing poetic about how great children are. Throughout our conversation I kept an eye on the list of questions I had brought along with me – and unbeknownst to them, they were slowly answering them one by one. Yes, they had both breastfed their own children; yes, they believe in vaccinating; yes, they are on call during nights and weekends for emergencies; yes, Dr. Zabar would take over all the care until Dr. Hammond was back from maternity leave; etc., etc. They openly talked about their differences in parenting styles – and thus their respect for styles other than their own. Dr. Hammond admitted that she doesn’t implement much a routine and that as long as something is working for both her and her daughter, she considers it a successful strategy. Dr. Zabar prefers a more structured routine with her children and spoke a little about getting children on a sleep schedule. Both supplied me with an abundance of tips on being a new mom in New York. Starting from the very beginning they said to get out of the apartment once a day even if it’s cold and only for a short while. Dr. Zabar said that she would split her errands up throughout the week so that she had something small to run out and do every day. Instead of going to the grocery store and post office and bank all in one day, she would make three separate trips on three separate days to have a reason to leave the apartment. They said to take advantage of the park, even when it’s cold, and talked about how many layers to put on the baby during the winter months. They also advised me to use the stroller as little as possible (since we have no elevator in the building) and to wear the baby in the Baby Bjorn as much as possible. They also mentioned that breastfeeding hurts at first, and to expect that, and gave me signs to look for to know if the hurt is not normal or not what should be expected. They talked a bit about seeing their own babies for the first time and how it sometimes takes time to form attachments and begin to really love this new high-need, slimy, funny looking creature who has just emerged from your body. And, most importantly, they made it clear that I should always feel free to call, visit, and ask lots of questions. They told me over and over again that are happy to spend time answering questions about what is normal and what is not and that they feel that a large part of their job is supporting and soothing mothers (in addition to treating children, that is). By the time I looked at the time, an hour had passed and I had to leave (more bonus points to them for spending more than the scheduled time with me!). Anyway, I left there totally starry eyed like a teenager in love. They were so honest about parenting and yet so positive that I couldn’t help but look up to them as role models. Just as with our midwives, I think I might just threaten to move into their office in an attempt to make them be my friends.
Brain Soup
I don’t know whether it’s the dreaded “Baby Brain” or whether I’m just distracted because of pending labor and parenthood, but my brain has been functioning as well as a pile of mashed potatoes lately. My memory is only partially working, my common sense is totally gone, and I have the motor skills of a stuffed animal. I’m constantly bumping into things, tripping, dropping things, forgetting words, and making absent minded mistakes.
Things took an ugly turn last week when I woke up on Monday morning at 7:45 and promptly realized at 8:15 that I had missed an 8am dentist appointment. Events took an even uglier turn later in the week when I was making myself a pitcher of iced tea (a la Carol Steele). As I was pouring the boiling water into the glass pitcher I thought to myself “Hmm, I probably should have let this water cool a bit” (you see where I’m going with this story, right?). And just as I had poured the water all the way to the top the pitcher, it of course, cracked and exploded all over the kitchen and my legs. Luckily, the hot water totally avoided my belly and my pants protected my legs from being burned more than just a minor sunburn. But still. I scared the crap out of myself, made a big mess, and subsequently feel I should lock myself in my room where I can do no more harm until my brain decides to wake up.
Imminent Labor
Lately I’ve really been freaking out about labor… this is something Jason hears about on a daily basis. So, just to show off what an incredible husband I have – this is an email response I got from him recently:
“It is going to be a challenge but I know you will rise up for it….
Just remember women have done this forever and used to do it naturally by themselves with no instruction. Be positive - change the way you are thinking about it, start looking forward to it, embrace the challenge. I will be there with you and we will use all of the tools we have been given. Plus the midwives will be a huge help.
I know you are going to be incredible because you are incredible at everything you do so why should this be different. Just relax and start accepting the fact that you are awesome, that we will get through this together, and you will not only get a baby in the end, but you will get to tell everyone how much of a bad ass you are.”
A Pediatrician Crush
Last week I officially picked our pediatricians (Dr. Hammond and Dr. Zabar). Aliza had given me the name and number of two of her friends who recently started a practice together and who she totally adores. So I called and set up a time to meet with them. The first sign that they are worth her adoration was that they wanted me to be able to talk to them both, so they set up a thirty minute appointment for all three of us to meet at the same time. We sat down together in one of their offices and spent the first few minutes introducing ourselves and making small talk. Dr. Hammond was extremely pregnant at the time (I am sure she has had her baby by now) and so our conversation shifted easily to being pregnant and being a new mom. They have two children each (including the little one who I am assuming has been born by now), and spoke very openly about their experiences, not only as doctors, but also mothers. They took turns asking me questions, giving me advice, and waxing poetic about how great children are. Throughout our conversation I kept an eye on the list of questions I had brought along with me – and unbeknownst to them, they were slowly answering them one by one. Yes, they had both breastfed their own children; yes, they believe in vaccinating; yes, they are on call during nights and weekends for emergencies; yes, Dr. Zabar would take over all the care until Dr. Hammond was back from maternity leave; etc., etc. They openly talked about their differences in parenting styles – and thus their respect for styles other than their own. Dr. Hammond admitted that she doesn’t implement much a routine and that as long as something is working for both her and her daughter, she considers it a successful strategy. Dr. Zabar prefers a more structured routine with her children and spoke a little about getting children on a sleep schedule. Both supplied me with an abundance of tips on being a new mom in New York. Starting from the very beginning they said to get out of the apartment once a day even if it’s cold and only for a short while. Dr. Zabar said that she would split her errands up throughout the week so that she had something small to run out and do every day. Instead of going to the grocery store and post office and bank all in one day, she would make three separate trips on three separate days to have a reason to leave the apartment. They said to take advantage of the park, even when it’s cold, and talked about how many layers to put on the baby during the winter months. They also advised me to use the stroller as little as possible (since we have no elevator in the building) and to wear the baby in the Baby Bjorn as much as possible. They also mentioned that breastfeeding hurts at first, and to expect that, and gave me signs to look for to know if the hurt is not normal or not what should be expected. They talked a bit about seeing their own babies for the first time and how it sometimes takes time to form attachments and begin to really love this new high-need, slimy, funny looking creature who has just emerged from your body. And, most importantly, they made it clear that I should always feel free to call, visit, and ask lots of questions. They told me over and over again that are happy to spend time answering questions about what is normal and what is not and that they feel that a large part of their job is supporting and soothing mothers (in addition to treating children, that is). By the time I looked at the time, an hour had passed and I had to leave (more bonus points to them for spending more than the scheduled time with me!). Anyway, I left there totally starry eyed like a teenager in love. They were so honest about parenting and yet so positive that I couldn’t help but look up to them as role models. Just as with our midwives, I think I might just threaten to move into their office in an attempt to make them be my friends.
Brain Soup
I don’t know whether it’s the dreaded “Baby Brain” or whether I’m just distracted because of pending labor and parenthood, but my brain has been functioning as well as a pile of mashed potatoes lately. My memory is only partially working, my common sense is totally gone, and I have the motor skills of a stuffed animal. I’m constantly bumping into things, tripping, dropping things, forgetting words, and making absent minded mistakes.
Things took an ugly turn last week when I woke up on Monday morning at 7:45 and promptly realized at 8:15 that I had missed an 8am dentist appointment. Events took an even uglier turn later in the week when I was making myself a pitcher of iced tea (a la Carol Steele). As I was pouring the boiling water into the glass pitcher I thought to myself “Hmm, I probably should have let this water cool a bit” (you see where I’m going with this story, right?). And just as I had poured the water all the way to the top the pitcher, it of course, cracked and exploded all over the kitchen and my legs. Luckily, the hot water totally avoided my belly and my pants protected my legs from being burned more than just a minor sunburn. But still. I scared the crap out of myself, made a big mess, and subsequently feel I should lock myself in my room where I can do no more harm until my brain decides to wake up.
Imminent Labor
Lately I’ve really been freaking out about labor… this is something Jason hears about on a daily basis. So, just to show off what an incredible husband I have – this is an email response I got from him recently:
“It is going to be a challenge but I know you will rise up for it….
Just remember women have done this forever and used to do it naturally by themselves with no instruction. Be positive - change the way you are thinking about it, start looking forward to it, embrace the challenge. I will be there with you and we will use all of the tools we have been given. Plus the midwives will be a huge help.
I know you are going to be incredible because you are incredible at everything you do so why should this be different. Just relax and start accepting the fact that you are awesome, that we will get through this together, and you will not only get a baby in the end, but you will get to tell everyone how much of a bad ass you are.”
1 comment:
Nina,
I can't even remember the first couple months of Simon's life...but feeding Simon wasn't the easiest thing, and it really made the situation worse. Not only was I getting used to having a baby, but I was busy trying to get him fed in a far from ideal manner. It is really unfortunate because I wasn't able to just enjoy the little guy. You have really got everything together. You sound super prepared. I know, I know, you can never be fully prepared, but you've done so much. I didn't bother with half the things you've done. And even though you'll still feel like you're in the middle of a whirlwind, it will be so much better than it could be. You don't need to go through Rachel to ask me questions. Just ask her for my email and you may contact me directly. (And I wish I could tell you labor is no biggie, but my water broke so I was induced and medicated, so you'll have a totally different experience, but i think you'll do great!)
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