Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Decisions, Decisions

So one of the things J and C are quickly learning is that as a future parent you make very BIG decisions. Decisions that can literally change a life. For starters the name. How do you pick a name. You want a name that fits your child's personality. You want a name that will be strong and yet calming. You want a name that will be not easy to make fun of or easily misspelled. But then you don't want all children with the same name you want it to be unique. Get the decision on the name wrong and you could mess your child up for life.

A second big decision is daycare. C and J both work out of the home and both plan to go back to work after baby arrives and mom heals. When thinking about daycare you have to decide who is going to spend a large chunk of the day with your child. Can this person be trusted. What philosophy do they have about child rearing. Do they spank? Is she (lets face it I don't know of any male daycare providers) licensed? For how many kids? What does it cost? How will we afford it? Luckily, J and C found a provider they like and are hoping for the best. Everything checked out and most questions were answered.

Another decision people forget to tell you about when thinking about parenthood is God parents. C and J are both Catholic so they are having their baby baptized in their church. However, the decision on who to chose to aid in the development of their child's faith life has been a very difficult one. They want to choose someone who is close, loyal, and has a good relationship with God and his/her faith. J and C are blessed to have a wide variety of people to choose from that meet these criteria but then the decision is also weighed upon how to make the right decision. Or is there a right decision?

Further, another decision you get to make for your child before he/she is born is discipline strategies. Granted, most discipline will not happen for some time but you want to have a plan ahead of time for consistency and to be prepared. J and C both have a generally good feel for how they want to parent and reward/discipline a child but it does not go without some decision making that you would not otherwise consider.

Finally, probably the biggest decision they have had to make is who to care for Weevig if something were to happen to both of them. This is not a decision anyone wants to think about or make but for the first time your life you have to consider how to make sure everything is in order if something were to happen.

Parenthood or future parenthood has opened J and C's eyes to a wide array of decision making that they never thought they would have to make. It only stands to continue to increase. What an awesome responsibility. They are ready for it!

BTW...the countdown is on until due date...t-minus 57 days...if anyone has office pools on due dates J wants in they have to pay for this kid somehow!

Friday, July 10, 2009

Childbirth Classes 101

So tonight is the start of childbirth class at St. A's. J and C go this evening and then all day tomorrow. While thinking about this, it dawned on them that they have no clue what to expect tonight. So naturally being in the 21st Century they googled it. Here are some interesting articles of note:

According to Parents.com "...a little education can go a long way in boosting your confidence and dispelling the many myths about Labor Day." This would be a good thing! J and C are both a little nervous about the big day and it does not help that they have been watching the dramatized childbirth shows on television.

They go on further to say: "Fortunately, most of them will be first-time parents..." That also makes them feel better as they have been wondering about sounding and looking stupid. Well besides how they normally look! :)

The Mayo Clinic website on childbirth says they will also "discuss options for handling pain. You'll practice various methods for coping with contractions, such as breathing, relaxation and visualization. Most classes also cover the pros and cons of common medications, such as narcotic analgesics and epidural blocks." C is wondering if they do trial runs as she is starting to get uncomfortable.

Further, kidshealth.org says that they will learn about "the role of the coach or labor partner." C is going to make sure J listens intently here. J is pretty excited to learn about what he can do and a little bit nervous to learn about what he cannot do!

Anyway...off to learn about the day the bundle of joy arrives...