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Should I be nervous or what

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Precious Roy, Feb 20, 2012.

  1. YGBFKM

    YGBFKM Guest

    I did push-ups to pass the time.
     
  2. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    I somehow believe that.
     
  3. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Also don't freak out if you aren't forging the kind of bond you anticipated right off the bat. Newborns don't do a whole lot an development can really drag early on. Trust me, it gets awesome soon enough.
     
  4. YGBFKM

    YGBFKM Guest

    It's true. Only got in a couple hundred before the contractions kicked in. Then I put my shoes back on.
     
  5. Precious Roy

    Precious Roy Active Member

    Yeah, I wasn't hoping for a shared beer right right out of the woom. We will wait until he's two LOL
     
  6. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Maybe have one in the hospital romb
     
  7. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    A few other things:

    Regarding No. 4, one of the best things I remember was having to ask our nurse a million times about changing diapers and feeding the first night my first one was born. At one point I apologized, and the nurse told me, "None of this matters right now. What matters is that you love your baby. Everything else will take care of itself."

    I've always remembered that.

    And a couple other tips:

    10. Don't take it personally if, during the labor, your wife starts swearing at you or anything like that because she's in so much pain. My wife had a horrible labor, and said some nasty stuff. The nurse looked at me and whispered, "You're doing fine." Wifey later got the epidural, and within seconds, she became super-nice again. Once she was out of the hospital, I had fun telling her all the nasty stuff she said. She didn't remember any of it.

    11. Keep any visits from family and friends brief, unless they're willing to keep an eye on the little one while your wife rests and let you take a break. Too many people coming in and out will tire your wife out. And you don't want to risk someone's germs getting to the baby.

    12. Don't be afraid to ask the nursing staff to take the baby for a couple of hours during the night, even if they grumble a little or try to claim that you need to bond with the baby. You'll have plenty of nights where you're waking up in the middle of. Your wife needs her rest, and needs you rested as well to help out. Another great memory of my son being born was having the nurse take him for a while, then waking up a couple hours later to see him sleeping in a little swing. I just sat down and rocked him for a while.

    13. The TV remote is hers. It doesn't matter what you want to watch. I missed two historic sports things when my son was born. And I didn't care. Remote's her's. Nuff said.

    14. Also related to No. 12, see if the hospital has any sort of congratulatory meal or anything like that. One cool thing my hospital did was on the last night before we took the little guy home, the nurses would take him for a while, and they'd bring a special meal into the family room for both my wife and I. It wasn't anything super gourmet, but it was still nice to have an hour with my wife without having to worry about getting interrupted. It was the last time for a long time.

    Oh, and congrats to you and your wife. It'll be fine, and keep us all posted.
     
  8. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    Bring a Comet Bomb for the Nurses station. Just in case.
     
  9. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    If you will be there for the delivery, wear a shirt you aren't interested in seeing again.
     
  10. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Couple of ways that I went a little off script, from reading this thread:

    (1) I didn't cut the cord. Had absolutely no interest in it. I let the professionals do it. Our bond has somehow survived it. I don't feel strongly one way or another about it, but I just didn't feel it was a big deal for me personally, and it's not something I regret whatsoever.

    (2) The delivery room was just me, my wife, and medical professionals. My mom was at the hospital, mostly in the waiting room. At one point, she was lingering outside the delivery room door - this was her first grandchild - and we had the doctor or nurse chase her out of there. She's a hoverer, god love her. The doctors expressed gratitude that we were minimalist about the crowd. "Some people want to practically set up bleachers," one of them told us. Again: This is what worked for us, not necessarily everybody. But don't feel pressured by whatever the current trend may be. Go with your gut on this one. This is your baby and your decisions (using the plural "your" here.)
     
  11. albert77

    albert77 Well-Known Member

    Interesting stuff.

    Our first child came after considerable trials and tribulations, and, honestly, I had that same detachment beforehand, because I was absolutely convinced he wasn't going to make it, and I didn't want to get emotionally attached to a child I thought we were going to lose. Wife had already miscarried one baby, she was diagnosed with a partial previa with this one (large blood clots in the birth canal) and she went into premature labor at 20 weeks. Somehow, by the grace of God, she made it to 34 weeks and they took him by C-section as soon as our OB doc felt like he had a fighting chance. It was touch-and-go for the first week or so, and he wasn't terribly healthy for the first year, but he made it. He'll be 28 in August, and after spending his first birthday in the hospital with a lactose allergy, he has hardly been sick a day since.

    Oh, and the two younger kids were picture-perfect pregnancies. Our younger son came on his due date, and our daughter arrived about 45 minutes after we arrived at the hospital. (OK, we dicked around a little too much getting there, but still...)

    All I can say to you young parents is treasure the time you have with them, because you'll blink your eyes a couple of times, look up and realize they're all grown up and on their own.
     
  12. finishthehat

    finishthehat Active Member

    Get some sleep now, while you can.
     
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