Now that we've accomplished most of the things on our house checklist -- and hopefully, our landlord won't be showing up again any time before the baby's born, because if he adds one more thing to our list, I'm going to tell him what -- it's dawning on me that there are several important baby-related things I have yet to consider.
Like selecting a pediatrician. Which apparently means we should be going around interviewing doctors in the area to see who best "fits" with us. Sigh.
And signing up for classes: breastfeeding class, birthing class, infant parenting class, and also, a tour of the hospital's maternity ward. And apparently, we're also supposed to ask a lot of questions there, too.
Reading all these books is helpful, but sometimes, they bring up more questions and more things I need to add to my list. The holiday season is upon us, and what with the emotional toil of my jobs, I'm starting to feel a little bit like I'm sinking.
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - Mary Oliver
Try not to sweat it. Believe me, those books are extremely helpful, but they also make some things a great deal more complicated than it really is. Finding the "right" pediatrician is not that big of a deal. I would recommend finding an office that has several doctors and maybe a nurse practitioner or two, and that way if you don't like one of them, it's easy to "switch" without changing office/location.
ReplyDeleteAnd breastfeeding is more natural than they make it sound, too. Probably all you really need is the La Leche League book and a good friend who has breastfed!
And, honestly, from someone who has taken birthing classes and had 3 natural deliveries, let me just say that births just happen, for the most part. It's good to be educated about what you do/do not want happening, but at the end of the day, if you're in good shape physically, have a reasonable idea of what's going to happen in labor and delivery (like from reading all those books!), and have discussed things with your doctor you'll probably be as prepared as you need to be. Honestly, those books, in some ways, cause more anxiety than there needs to be! I know, I've been there! It will all work out in the end. :)
You'll be fine!
Megan
Thanks, Megan! :~) I need more of my friends near by for days like this!
ReplyDeleteWe didn't pick a pediatrician ahead of time - I did not have time to "call around and meet with" pediatricians in the area, and everyone I talked to thought that was strange anyway. We got a recommendation for one practice, and they weren't taking new patients but pointed us to another. That all worked out.
ReplyDeleteI found the breastfeeding class I took to be helpful, and the birthing class. As far as parenting goes - we touched on that stuff in our birthing class a little (it was technically "birth and parenting"), but I was pretty comfortable around babies anyway, so that part didn't worry me.
Don't feel pressure to ask questions; if you have them, ask them, but if you don't, don't worry about it. I did most of my learning from books, and only asked questions I didn't feel the books answered. If you already have an idea of how you want the birth to go (drugs/no drugs, etc.), that gives you a platform for questions. If not, it will be ok without them :)
While my birth experience unfortunately was not as smooth as your friend Megan's, I had Jesse with me, and mostly that was what mattered. To an extent, I think the hospital tour will be more for Nich. He should find out what he will need to do when you arrive in labor. Jesse really appreciated knowing exactly where to park, where to take me, where to move the car to later, etc., so that when the time came, he could just execute. I just concentrated on one foot in front of the other :)
Love you!