More than you ever wanted to know about what's inside my head...
So this post deserves a huge shout out to RaShelle for the idea! I kind of went into a little about my thoughts and feelings on whether I will return to work or not in the last post but she gave me the great idea to do a post with common questions I get asked now that we are expecting - some fun some more serious - and I LOVED it!
Please keep in mind everything I put in here is what we "think" will work for our family and in no way, shape or form is meant as a judgement to anyone else or what they choose to do. If there's one thing I've learned over the past year it's the is no sense in judging anyone for their decisions or the path they choose to take, you have no clue where they have been, what they are facing or where they are going!
So here we go:
Q: Do you plan to return to work or be a stay at home mom?
A: So I answered this for the most part in my last post but in case you missed it I am planning - at this point in time - to return back to work. I cannot wait for maternity leave (65 days but who is counting) and I am looking forward to the whole summer off with my little one (My last day will be March 28th and I don't plan to return until August 4th) - but I think for me I will be one of those moms that needs to work - to feel fulfilled and content. And I am hoping it makes me a better wife and mombecause of it. But again, I have had many moms tell me once they looked into their baby's eyes there was no doubt - they were not returning. So my motto - never say never...
Q: Do I plan to breastfeed?
A. Yep! This is a funny one because breastfeeding actually scares me more than labor! My mom who also happens to be my best friend didn't breastfeed my brother or I so I feel like my resources and avenues for guidance are a little lacking but I plan to make full use of the hospital staff, the few classes we've signed up for and our amazing doula Rita!!
Q. Perfect lead in to next question - do you plan to try a natural birth?
A. So I am saving a post for our doula (she really is amazing and just so happens to be my next door neighbor) but the short story is - we don't know! The thing that Chris and I are hoping most for is to be blissfully unaware and just go into labor unexpectedly. I would love to avoid a scheduled induction or a c-section because as you can all probably tell from our wanting to be surprised as to Baby Wik's sex - we would love to be surprised when he or she decides to grace us with their presence! That being said - I always thought I would be one that would walk into the hospital and beg for an epidural right away. However, after meeting with Rita I realize we are not educated enough - at this point - to make that decision. We will be taking the hospital's birthing class in a few weeks as well as Rita's natural childbirth series and will decide from there what we feel is the best choice for us. I will say however - going through IVF made me realize I am stronger and braver than I ever imagined so it may not take much for me to decide to at least try the natural route! :)
Q: If I'm right and Baby Wik is indeed a boy - will we have him circumcised?
A. Maybe a weird question but I love it because Chris and I were talking last night and we haven't even discussed this! My gut reaction is to say yes - but for sure something we still need to discuss.
Q. Will we vaccinate the baby in a special way or stick to a more traditional shot schedule/
A. This again is something we haven't discussed too much. However, with all of the whooping cough outbreak scare information I have been seeing I know one thing is for sure and that is that I will trust my doctor/pediatrician. Chris and I have decided that we will be very strict on the whooping cough vaccination as it relates to anyone who plans to be around the baby for any significant period of time. I read a CNN article where there have been a number of infant deaths because they contracted whooping cough - not ok with this momma when it's something that can likely be prevented. As for vaccinations and things of that nature while I've been pregnant I did get the flu shot and will be getting the pertussis vaccine at 30 weeks just to be safe. Unless we can educate ourselves to the point where we feel comfortable making such an important decision on our own - we will likely find a pediatrician we trust whole heartedly and go with his/her recommendation.
Q: Have we considered cord blood banking?
A. For sure! I am a big proponent of it but Chris feels as though he wants to learn more about it's benefits, costs, etc. For me - crazy science got us here and if we can use science in the future in the event that anything goes wrong with the baby I'm all for it!
Q: Have we picked names?
A: This is a funny one - my husband is a product manager now but is educated as an engineer. That means he's very analytical. So he came up with a whole methodology that I will spare you from but essentially we each came up with about 10 boys names and 10 girls names. We whittled it down to 5 each and we are close! We have a definite favorite for a girls name - and a strong back up. I have a very strong favorite boys name - which I am still trying to get Chris on board with - but otherwise we are light years away on boys names - which presents a problem if the little one indeed is a boy! So we are close but not there yet. We won't be sharing the names until the baby arrives so that we can keep them in our bank for the time when our little frosties become Baby Wik #2 and beyond :)
Q: Do we plan to baptise or dedicate the baby?
A. This is a tough one. I believe in God and know whole heartedly we would not be where we are today without him. I pray and I pray a lot. Surprisingly it was one of my favorite parts of acupuncture - an hour to relax in totaly silence and just talk to God each week - could not have been more perfect and it's a big reason I miss going! That being said - Chris and I do not regulary go to Church. I grew up going to a Wesleyan church but my family ended up converting to Catholicism. Chris grew up his whole life Catholic. Now that we are adults - we just don't believe or stand behind some of the things the Catholic church believes in so we feel it isn't right and would be hypocritical of us to stand up there and promise to raise our child in the church when we don't go ourselves. So the easy answer to this is no - not at this time. We will teach them to pray and to love God - but don't feel we need to baptize them to do so.
Wow - that was a lot for one post! I think I will save some for a future post - thanks for reading and thanks again to RaShelle for helping spawn some fun dinner conversations between the two of us!! :)
XOXO
K
Please keep in mind everything I put in here is what we "think" will work for our family and in no way, shape or form is meant as a judgement to anyone else or what they choose to do. If there's one thing I've learned over the past year it's the is no sense in judging anyone for their decisions or the path they choose to take, you have no clue where they have been, what they are facing or where they are going!
So here we go:
Q: Do you plan to return to work or be a stay at home mom?
A: So I answered this for the most part in my last post but in case you missed it I am planning - at this point in time - to return back to work. I cannot wait for maternity leave (65 days but who is counting) and I am looking forward to the whole summer off with my little one (My last day will be March 28th and I don't plan to return until August 4th) - but I think for me I will be one of those moms that needs to work - to feel fulfilled and content. And I am hoping it makes me a better wife and mombecause of it. But again, I have had many moms tell me once they looked into their baby's eyes there was no doubt - they were not returning. So my motto - never say never...
Q: Do I plan to breastfeed?
A. Yep! This is a funny one because breastfeeding actually scares me more than labor! My mom who also happens to be my best friend didn't breastfeed my brother or I so I feel like my resources and avenues for guidance are a little lacking but I plan to make full use of the hospital staff, the few classes we've signed up for and our amazing doula Rita!!
Q. Perfect lead in to next question - do you plan to try a natural birth?
A. So I am saving a post for our doula (she really is amazing and just so happens to be my next door neighbor) but the short story is - we don't know! The thing that Chris and I are hoping most for is to be blissfully unaware and just go into labor unexpectedly. I would love to avoid a scheduled induction or a c-section because as you can all probably tell from our wanting to be surprised as to Baby Wik's sex - we would love to be surprised when he or she decides to grace us with their presence! That being said - I always thought I would be one that would walk into the hospital and beg for an epidural right away. However, after meeting with Rita I realize we are not educated enough - at this point - to make that decision. We will be taking the hospital's birthing class in a few weeks as well as Rita's natural childbirth series and will decide from there what we feel is the best choice for us. I will say however - going through IVF made me realize I am stronger and braver than I ever imagined so it may not take much for me to decide to at least try the natural route! :)
Q: If I'm right and Baby Wik is indeed a boy - will we have him circumcised?
A. Maybe a weird question but I love it because Chris and I were talking last night and we haven't even discussed this! My gut reaction is to say yes - but for sure something we still need to discuss.
Q. Will we vaccinate the baby in a special way or stick to a more traditional shot schedule/
A. This again is something we haven't discussed too much. However, with all of the whooping cough outbreak scare information I have been seeing I know one thing is for sure and that is that I will trust my doctor/pediatrician. Chris and I have decided that we will be very strict on the whooping cough vaccination as it relates to anyone who plans to be around the baby for any significant period of time. I read a CNN article where there have been a number of infant deaths because they contracted whooping cough - not ok with this momma when it's something that can likely be prevented. As for vaccinations and things of that nature while I've been pregnant I did get the flu shot and will be getting the pertussis vaccine at 30 weeks just to be safe. Unless we can educate ourselves to the point where we feel comfortable making such an important decision on our own - we will likely find a pediatrician we trust whole heartedly and go with his/her recommendation.
Q: Have we considered cord blood banking?
A. For sure! I am a big proponent of it but Chris feels as though he wants to learn more about it's benefits, costs, etc. For me - crazy science got us here and if we can use science in the future in the event that anything goes wrong with the baby I'm all for it!
Q: Have we picked names?
A: This is a funny one - my husband is a product manager now but is educated as an engineer. That means he's very analytical. So he came up with a whole methodology that I will spare you from but essentially we each came up with about 10 boys names and 10 girls names. We whittled it down to 5 each and we are close! We have a definite favorite for a girls name - and a strong back up. I have a very strong favorite boys name - which I am still trying to get Chris on board with - but otherwise we are light years away on boys names - which presents a problem if the little one indeed is a boy! So we are close but not there yet. We won't be sharing the names until the baby arrives so that we can keep them in our bank for the time when our little frosties become Baby Wik #2 and beyond :)
Q: Do we plan to baptise or dedicate the baby?
A. This is a tough one. I believe in God and know whole heartedly we would not be where we are today without him. I pray and I pray a lot. Surprisingly it was one of my favorite parts of acupuncture - an hour to relax in totaly silence and just talk to God each week - could not have been more perfect and it's a big reason I miss going! That being said - Chris and I do not regulary go to Church. I grew up going to a Wesleyan church but my family ended up converting to Catholicism. Chris grew up his whole life Catholic. Now that we are adults - we just don't believe or stand behind some of the things the Catholic church believes in so we feel it isn't right and would be hypocritical of us to stand up there and promise to raise our child in the church when we don't go ourselves. So the easy answer to this is no - not at this time. We will teach them to pray and to love God - but don't feel we need to baptize them to do so.
Wow - that was a lot for one post! I think I will save some for a future post - thanks for reading and thanks again to RaShelle for helping spawn some fun dinner conversations between the two of us!! :)
XOXO
K
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