Although I hope Ian isn't born for a few more weeks, I have been trying to prepare in case he comes earlier than expected. Last night I didn't get much sleep because the contractions were so strong they kept waking me up all throughout the night. A few days ago I washed his crib sheets and the few 0-3 month clothes that I have purchased for him (one outfit, ten short sleeved onesies, and two pairs of knit pants). I don't own any newborn or preemie size clothing for a boy. Hopefully he'll start out in 0-3 month although it took Nadia a few months to grow into that size. Yesterday I started packing a suitcase. I have a to do list prepared for Paul of various tasks I'd like him to accomplish in the next couple of weeks. Some won't take but a few minutes, such as hanging Ian's clock in his room and installing the infant car seat bases in our cars, and others will take longer, such as painting Ian's room. I plan to show him the list after he finishes his thesis, and the deadline for that is today. What a relief it will be when his Master's degree is finally behind us! I feel badly for his advisor as Paul's not giving him much time AT ALL to read the final draft. I have four questions for you, my blog readers. I'd appreciate any advice you might be able to give regarding any of the questions!
1. I feel confident as to what to pack for myself this time around. I am unsure what to pack for Ian though presuming he doesn't end up in the NICU. Nadia was under the lights for jaundice so she wasn't wearing clothing during most of her stay in the hospital. If Ian doesn't have jaundice, what should I pack for him aside from the "going home outfit?" Should I pack a few onesies and sleepers and outfits for the other days we'll be there? I want him to look cute for the photos we'll surely take! I know the hospital will provide diapers.
2. What is the best arrangement for the car seats in the back seat with an 18 month old and newborn? We have always had Nadia in the center since that's the safest place. I am thinking about whether is she going to poke her brother - so maybe I should have one on each side of the back seat, or if we put one car seat in the middle, should it be Nadia's or Ian's? I figure whomever is in the middle is the one who will be put in the carseat first. I am sure some of you have "been there and done that" so I welcome your advice as to what will probably work out best for us.
3. I know that it's not automatic these days to have a baby boy circumcised. I have read the pros and cons of each side of that issue and am still not sure what we should do. I was hoping to leave that decision up to Paul, but I don't get the impression he wants to make the decision on his own. So, if you have any advice on whether to snip or not, I'd appreciate that also.
9 comments:
I have no idea about the car thing but hopefully it's just minor!
I packed onsies for Marryn...I had quite a few cute ones but make sure they're little! Even at 7lbs 11oz Marryn was too small for some of the 0-3 month stuff I had.
If it were me, I'd have them one on either side. We have a van with seperate seats so it's kind of the same because there is no "middle" seat.
Neither of my boys are circ'd. The first reason was that it's $350 here to get it done. Secondly, I don't have any religious reasons for it and I didn't really want to hurt my babies. Even though they won't remember it, I still wouldn't have been able to watch them go through something like that and it was only me there with them when I had them since I was basically a single mom for both of them. I wouldn't have wanted them to be alone through something so traumatic so we opted out of it. I showed them how to clean themselves and we have never had any infections or problems with the area.
While we were in the hospital, I put Henry and Holly in those sleep dresses they make for newborns. They're easy for diaper changes.
We have our carseats on either side of the back seat. I'm not sure we could've fit them both in if one was in the middle.
I would vote no snip if neither of you feel strongly about it one way or the other.
1: All I packed was a going home outfit since we used the onesies from the hospital.
2: We had the car seats on either side of the car. We put the infant one behind the passenger seat that way if the baby was fussing, I could reach over and gently rock the seat while driving until we arrived at the destination.
3: Both my boys were circumcized simply for cleanliness. No ohter reason than that. They both had low pain but it did bleed pretty bad which made ME feel awful.
4: No idea on the car. Sorry! :0)
We brought a pair of pj's and an outfit for River but because I didn't have to stay at the hospital to recover, as soon as River got the okay from our pediatrician and all of his tests were complete we were able to leave the hospital which turned out to be about 18-19 hours after he was born.
On circumcision, I would recommend doing it... for Ian. I had a friend in HS who's parents didn't have him circumcised and he said that in situations like changing or showering in locker rooms it was quite embarassing and he was teased often through school. Perhaps more boys are not circumcised these days and it may no longer be an issue but it is a good part of the reason that we had River circumcised. Yes it sucks to cause them that much pain but vaccinations hurt them, taking their blood for all of the testing hurts them, too. And we still do those things because the benefits outway the costs. If you decide to snip, I would recommend having your mom, Paul or MIL go in with Ian because you want him to have someone there who loves him but it may be too much for you as his mom!
I did not take clothes for my children in the hospital just a take home outfit. I did not want Lee to have to lug so much stuff up to the room.
I would highly recommend finding a car seat safety check point place. They will be able to tell you what you should do about the car seats and also make sure you are putting it in properly. http://www.seatcheck.org/
When I talk to dad I will ask him what he thinks about the car thing. I can't even change a tire.LOL
I will not say much about circumcision b/c some people get so heated w/ the discussion. My hubby was an oncology RN for 10 years so it was not an option whether it was done or not. Tyler had it done as will Wyatt when he can have it done. Email me if you have questions about it.
car seats- one on each side
car- no clue
hospital bag- less is best. I just used the gowns the hospital had available and packed a take home outfit.
definitely vote for snip. better now than later. I have heard many stories of regret wishing they had...never heard a story of regret wishing they hadn't!
Hospital - my hospital provided t-'s that were 6 months, we brought 2 preemie ones and an outfit for pics.
Car we put one on each side and Evan behind the passanger so I could hand him things easily and he could talk to me.
Car problems - sorry no idea
Circusision - we did it like riversnake said to avoid the locker room effect later. He healed quickly we just loaded him up with vaseline with each diaper change. We did skip the hep-b in the hospital though and he still has only had one dose.
Good luck and hang in there for a few more weeks. Can your OB give you Procardia to stop/lessen the contractions for a few weeks? The side affects are not as bad as the other drugs.
Hi Ruth! I just read everything that's been going on with you and WOW! I hope your little one cooks longer! :)
For Ian I would pack easy and comfy outfits. Maybe one cute and completely impractical for pics but you won't want him in it long. Sleepers and gowns are GREAT for those newborn days. I don't recommend 2 pieces with pants because of their little cord (it would bother me to have something rubbing on my freshly cut cord!) and shirts can pull up causing a chilly belly. I like onsies but depending on where you are it might be cold, so I would go with long sleeve onsies, gowns and sleepers. I also brought our own diapers (hospital gives you some but it may not be your preferred brand) and I brought our own wipes (remember the hospital issue ones? UGH!), diaper rash ointment, blankies, hats, hand mits. Everyone told me not to pack too much but really a few baby items don't take up much room and in my opinion you can never have too much gear! LOL!!!
We had Liam circumsized, for us we knew we would do it without a doubt. It was the best decision for us. Liam's ped swaddled him, dipped his binky in sugar water (which soothes them) and the only time Liam cried was during the shots of Lidocaine to numb him. He fell asleep during the circumcision procedure. Didn't make a peep. His ped says he gets about one baby per year who cries during the actual procedure. Our doc did a newer procedure (without the plastic bell thing) which worked great. If you want more info on the procedure, just let me know.
We kept it clean with wet cloths and applied Neosporin at each change. It was red for a few days and 100% healed within 10 days. It was a fantastic experience, I worried for so long about pain, infection, etc. but it was not a problem at all. Our insurance did pay for the circumcision, although some don't because they consider it cosmetic. This is another reason peds are doing it in their office instead of hospitals, so you don't have the hospital costs. I am all for it for so many reasons... there are no conclusive studies I know of that show circumcision is healthier persay but I do hear a lot of reports about heigeine problems (especially with little ones) and a higher risk of infection (UTI, etc). It also has a religious tone to it, which is important to us. Also, my husband is circ'd so he wanted his son to be like him. I agree that I have never heard of a man wishing he wasn't circ'd, but have heard of them wishing they had been.
Take care of yourself, I am praying for you!
1. I would consider buying a package of Newborn onesies at Target... they are cheap... Even Rachel wore newborn size onesies at first (at 9 lbs. 7 oz.) although she only fit them for a very short time. If Ian is born early, he will almost definitely not fit 0-3m right away, and it'd be nice to not have to send Paul to the store looking for onesies after Ian is born. Were all of Nadia's pink? I'd be surprised if there weren't a white or other neutral colored one in the batch of what she wore? As for what to bring to the hospital, it is funny how long the lists can be that some people suggest. I figure that my main priority is to SLEEP as much as I can between feedings, and I don't need a lot of supplies for that. LOL. The hospital truly provides all the essentials other than going-home clothing for baby & you, toiletries for you, a carseat, and a camera :). I am a photo nut but I don't even make that TOO much of a priority in those early days at the hospital. Yes we took lots of pictures but I didn't worry about details like how cute the baby's outfit was. But it's true that baby clothing doesn't take up much room in the suitcase if you want to make that a priority.
2. The problem of where to put your carseats sounds like an "easy" problem to me right now, since we have three in the back of our compact car these days. :) But in any case, my opinion is to avoid using the middle when you have two kids back there. It is so much easier to get the kids in and out of the vehicle if each one is by a door, and the possible increased safety of using the middle seat would be offset by the increased risk of Nadia poking her brother in the eye out of innocent curiosity. :)
3. I vote for circumcision although it is definitely a very personal decision for each couple to make on behalf of their child. We did it for medical reasons, having talked to doctor friends who cited the potential hygiene benefits, not only for the circumcised male, but also for his future wife, as there is supposedly an increased risk for HER to get infections if he is uncircumcised. HOWEVER there are plenty of advocates who would argue the other side. But most insurance companies in the U.S. do cover the cost of circ. simply because it is considered a medically helpful preventative procedure. They would not cover it if it were purely cosmetic. It was definitely not for religious reasons for us. As far as the "locker room" factor that others have mentioned, I don't think that is likely to be as big of a deal in our children's generation as it was for our generation, because uncircumcision is growing more common. However, last I saw the stats, it was still a large majority in the U.S. that go with circumcision. You may want to look up the current circ. rates if the "locker room" factor is a significant factor in your decision.
4. No clue on car stuff, sorry. :)
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