1. We’ve been spending quite a bit on groceries recently, so I decided that I would not go to the grocery store at all this week. I’ve been having some fun getting creative with what we already have in the cupboards, although the meals have been quite rudimentary. I’ll be happy when I go to the grocery store next week to buy specific ingredients for some more complex meals.
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3. This past Sunday, David and I had some maternity pictures taken. My mom was so sweet, she sent us the money and insisted that we get maternity pictures with each pregnancy. The photographer spent two hours with us and I can’t wait to get the pictures back! I’ll make sure to share some of them here after we get the CD.
4. I had my 34 week appointment at the birth center on Tuesday. The midwife said everything looks great and the baby is already head down and ready for his or her big entrance. This was the first time we met this midwife and she was very quiet and soft spoken. After we left, David mentioned that he was worried about how she would be if she was the midwife we get for the delivery since she was so quiet. I think that comment was insightful regarding the different ways each of us are thinking about the delivery. I loved that she was so quiet because it made me think that she would be very calm and provide a peaceful atmosphere for the birth. On the other hand, David is worried because he wants to make sure that the his wife and child are being taken care of by someone assertive and confident. I think his concern is very sweet, but soft spoken people can be assertive too!
5. On Tuesday night, we went to check out a pediatrician’s open house. I’ve been a little overwhelmed about picking a pediatrician because I wasn’t sure what to look for, I mean, all pediatricians are the same, right? Wrong. I knew before I left the office that this was not the pediatrician for us. She was very opinionated about non-medical issues (she insisted that parents put babies to sleep in a crib in their own room from day one and was very negative about using cloth diapers) yet she was not very opinionated about health issues. Breastfeeding versus bottle feeding isn’t just a personal choice, it’s also a medical issue with research to back up its health benefits. Doctors can’t make women choose to breastfeed, but they certainly should encourage it. This pediatrician’s response when all the moms there indicated that they planned to breastfeed? “Good luck with that.” So the search continues…
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| largest watermelon - 262 lbs! |
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| Isn't this flower just gorgeous? |
7. On last week’s Quick Takes, I wrote about wanting to find a rocking chair. Well, I found one! We bought a beautiful oak rocking chair from someone who was advertising on Craig’s List. We are slowly crossing necessary baby items off our list in anticipation of the little one’s arrival. Still on the list: burp cloths, cloth wipes, rocking chair cushions, diaper pail, and baby toiletries.
Doctors have so much power, and so much more than they *should*, IMNSHO. Doctors are made into experts and end-point-of-all-searches on things they shouldn't be, like developmental milestones. I loathe well-baby checks. The offices now want to charge you for a "medical" visit if you talk about anything other than developmental milestones, which is not a doctor's specialty, and get shots. Infuriating.
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled that you found a doctor who had an open house to attend. You've saved yourself so much time! We've been switching doctors in our house recently and I went on FB to ask friends for recommendations in our area. Most of the best doctors weren't accepting patients, but it's worth a try. Also--we went for family practice because pediatricians have a reputation (whether deserved or not) for being more interventionist. For instance, when my daughter was in the hospital as a newborn with RSV, the peds team wanted to do a spinal tap to make sure she didn't have meningitis; the family practice team argued them out of it, saying it was unnecessary. That being said, all but my daughter are now in a pediatric clinic, but I've kept her with her original doctor (who we liked, he's just hard to get in to see) because he knows her complex history.
Great blog! This is @Sjgpotter by the way. :) I just wanted to give you a tip about your cloth wipes! We bought the thin baby facecloths and used those with warm water and a bit of soap. It's inexpensive to acquire a large quantity and very effective. So long as baby is exclusively BF you can dump them right in the wash with your diapers! Good luck with your delivery. I've never had a midwife as they're not covered in my province but my friends rave about their incredible experiences. You've probably heard this before, but I found that offering up special intentions during the contractions helped so much! It was something to concentrate on. I managed my first epidural free delivery that way!
ReplyDeleteWe did a "No Grocery Week" during lent to help us appreciate how fortunate we are to be able to go buy what we need. Since then I have never taken a trip to the store for granted. It is so frustrating to have everything out to make a meal and then realize there's no eggs, or milk, or whatever it was!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm so sorry about the peds doc! You would think someone who deals with kids everyday would be more flexible! Hope you found a great one soon!
I'm glad you found your rocking chair too! I saw one at Lowe's yesterday and thought of you!
I also had trouble finding a pediatrician I liked. Even though I only ended up interviewing around 3 practices it felt like a lot more than that. I talked with all my friends in the area and eliminated a few practices before I even went to interview them. Vaccines were a big issue for me (the polio vaccine in particular) - I have an article about how one of the polio vaccines is linked to aborted fetal tissue and wanted to be sure to avoid that particular option. You can find the article here if you'd like to check it out: http://www.cogforlife.org/fischerncbc.pdf
ReplyDeleteI also find myself spending oodles of money at the grocery store, but have recently started trying to shop by the weekly sales and use coupons a little bit. I've had varying levels of success, but feel like I'm able to save at least some money.
And those apple bars look delicious! I may have to check out that recipe :)
34 weeks--you're getting so close! And that's wonderful that you got to do maternity pics. I hope you love them!
ReplyDeleteGet this: the American Academy of Pediatrics just this week came out with new recommendations for infant sleep, including: "The baby should sleep in the same room as the parents, but not in the same bed." I couldnt' believe it when I heard that on the radio! Here's the link to the full updated recommendations:
http://www.aap.org/pressroom/sids.pdf
I hope you find a pediatrician you love.
I love trying to make a meal with just the food in the cupboard, but I would never be able to do it for a whole week--impressive! And you even baked. Which sound delicious, btw.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that a person could be philosophically opposed to cloth diapers. It's good that you were able to find all this info out in a relatively easy way, though. Good luck in your continued search!
as far as finding a pediatrician, ask some of the moms in your parish (with whom you share interests) who they go to. it would hopefully ensure that the pediatrician is at least open to your beliefs on things.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like that pediatrician and the first OBGYN I saw should go bowling together.
ReplyDelete:)
Can't wait to see pictures from the photoshoot!
I hope you find a pediatrician that you like! I can't believe how she responded about breastfeeding! That's ridiculous. I wish that pediatricians were more encouraging and helpful in general when it comes to breastfeeding...it seems so obvious that they should be!
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