PregnancyWeekly Friday Guest Writers!

Today I have compiled a hodge podge of two PregnancyWeekly guest writers! Thank you to both Darcy and Kathy for your contributions! * Darcy who is expecting her first from Ship Bottom, New Jersey writes, "My husband and I had friends not long ago. One couple has a set of triplets around the age of three. The one little girl asked me if I was a 'mommy.' I told her not yet, but I have a baby in my belly.....After looking at me for awhile she asked, quite serious....'Why did you eat it?????' * Kathy has two children and is expecting her third. She writes us from Florida! She is a frequent visitor of the November 2005 board. My name is Kathy and I have two children with a third on the way. My first child, Krystal, is 16 years old, and my second, Aidan, is 16 months old. Yep, when Krystal is in college, Aidan will just be starting kindergarten. Some of the advances in baby care items that happened between the time Krystal and Aidan were born are simply amazing! From Velcro-like tabs on disposable diapers to sippy cups that don’t spill when you turn them upside down, there is a plethora of cool baby stuff on the market that wasn’t there 16 years ago. Of course, there are still the tried-and-true items that probably will never go out of style. For instance, cloth diapers still make the best burp rags around, and I don’t think I’d want to go through motherhood without a tube of diaper rash cream handy. I have some advice for first-time moms, as if they don’t already get enough advice from everyone around them. Here goes: 1) For vaginal deliveries: As long as it doesn’t go against what your doctor says to do, keep bearing down somewhat in between contractions so your baby doesn’t “lose ground” by being sucked back up the birth canal in between pushes. Don’t actively push. Just try to sustain a little downward pressure. 2) It does hurt. A lot. So if you want it, take the epidural. There is no shame in this. And I can guarantee you that when your child is 16 years old (or even 6 months old), people won’t be asking, “Now did you take the epidural?” 3) Be aware that you will bleed for anywhere from 1 to 6 weeks after the baby is born. I’ve known quite a few women whose doctors failed to tell them this lovely tidbit of information until the very last minute, sometimes AFTER their babies were born. 4) Give breastfeeding a shot. It’s a wonderful feeling to bond with your baby in this way, and the health benefits for your child are well worth the initial effort. If you have trouble with breastfeeding don’t be discouraged. A lot of women need help to make it work. I had no trouble at all breastfeeding my first baby, but with my second, I had to seek out a lactation consultant to figure out what was going wrong. If you have given it your best shot and decide to go with formula feeding, don’t beat yourself up about it. Generations of children have been raised just fine with formula, and your baby can be, too. In fact, an advantage is that good old Dad can have more of a hand in the feeding duties. 5) When people give you oodles of advice about having a baby (including the advice I’m sharing right now), don’t feel pressured to take it all to heart. Just keep what YOU think is beneficial, and toss the rest. After all, it is YOU who are going through childbirth, and YOU who will one day hear your beautiful baby call you “Mom,” or as my 16-year-old says with a roll of her eyes, “Maaahhhhmmmmm.”