What will you do differently next time?
LexpectoPatronum
member
Can you tell I'm bored today? :-)
Now that DH and I have a few months' experience under our belts, we have started working on a list of "What we will do differently next time". Of course, we know that this list will probably be thrown out the window when "next time" comes along, but here's my list - and I'm wondering if any of you have similar ones! BTDT moms - What did you do differently with your 2nd (3rd, 4th...) babies?
For us...
1. I will not let my doctor consider the size of my baby. They thought I was going to have a 10 pounder, but she was only 7,12. We ended up needing to buy newborn clothes after we got home from the hospital because we had only prepared for a large baby.
2. I will get professional newborn photos done. We got them done at 7 weeks (as a gift from my MIL), but I regret not getting them sooner.
3. I want to take a picture of my belly EVERY DAY if I can, and make a fun time-lapse video afterwards. I took pictures every 2 weeks this time, but every day would be fun!
4. I will join a LLLI group before the baby is born and find a good LC and force DH to come with me. I gave up too easily this time. I kept pumping (and still am), but I do miss nursing her. I think our NICU experience doomed us - but I wish I would have tried harder now.
5. If I get put on bed rest again, I will take it more seriously. I think I could have avoided being induced had I rested more. I thought I was "taking it easy", but I really should have done much less.
6. I will try to exercise more during pregnancy. I was running about 30 minutes, 3 times a week before I was pregnant. My main symptom was tiredness though, and I gave up. Then once my tiredness went away, it was hard to start running again, my belly got bigger, and I got lazy.
Re: What will you do differently next time?
I will get a LC before. Breastfeeding was so painful. But I am glad I stuck it out
I will bring the boppy to the hospital
I will bring less clothes and depends to the hospital the pads they give you are horrible
I will also try to take more belly photos
I will exercise. I gained 60 lbs!!!
Let's see...here are mine:
1. Limit visitors to the hospital. We had so many people coming & going that I didn't eat or sleep much.
2. I would also let my staff at school know sooner. I was just so overwhelmed after the c-section, I didn't let people know that everything was fine & our baby boy arrived safely. Just should have had my hubby call the office.
3. I would have had my bag packed. I delivered 2 weeks before my due date. Had stuff out but not packed.
2. Not be induced. Wait it out longer. My first and I was impatient, so went with the induction, I want the element of surprise with no pitocin.
3. Stay in the hospital the 2 nights. I needed more rest. I left after only 1 night, because hubby wanted to come home, so I thought I was ready, but I could have used the additional night!
4. Take pregnancy pictures, and get newborn pictures done sooner. I didn't do pregnancy pics and waited til 4 weeks to do newborns.
5. Give the baby the bottle sooner, and do it more often, so LO has practice. Mine won't take one, which makes it difficult at times for me to do things. Good thing I'm a SAHM.
6. Put the baby down for naps more often and make more noise. As a result, she is a light sleeper and likes to be held. She is getting much better though!
Married: 08/04/12
DD: 6 years | Born: 03/28/13
DS: 1 Year I Born 10/15/17
1) Not gain 75 lbs during pregnancy.
2) Go straight to the crib. Skip the effing RnP.
3) If my milk's low next time, too, I WILL NOT wait until 4 weeks to start supplementing w/ formula.
4) I'll start building my freezer stash much sooner.
5) Not gain 75 lbs during pregnancy.
6) Not gain 75 lbs during pregnancy.
Did I mention I won't gain 75 lbs during pregnancy?
Lol, this! If I were going to go for 3, I would vow to introduce a bottle earlier. It was the one thing I wanted to do differently this time and once again waited too long.
Be more relaxed and not so bitchy at the end of the pregnancy... (but note it's not a promise)
exercise.
hire a cleaning lady
Totally this!! LOL
This!
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
I works also exercise more. I gained 30 lbs while pregnant and have lost more then that since she's been here but i think if i worked out i might have been able to deliver naturally.
1. Get a doula. We were going to get one and then I found out I had to have a csection so we decided not to, but I think that would have been great PP with nursing and since they stick with you 6 wks she would have maybe noticed that my Lo wasn't gaining weight when we didn't see it.
2. Use the LC. My hospital called once after birth but never asked how nursing was going. I wish they'd suggest seeing the LC to make sure the baby is doing good because I didn't produce enough bm. Next time I will just see one often to hopefully make bf successful for us.
3. See a specialist about my thyroid. I think that with my thyroid level my obgyn should have sent me to one to control my levels better.
4. Demand to see my baby sooner. I had thought that since I had a c section that they'd hold my Lo up for me to see him quick before cleaning him off but they didn't. I lyed there for a good 5 or more mins. Seemed like it anyway, I was drugged LOL before my dh brought him over. I had some serious anger about it and still think I should have seen him right when dh did. I carried him afterall.
5. Used my boppy at the hospital. We had it there, but I didn't use it!
There are more for sure.
1 at 16 weeks I am still breastfeeding him. I didnt bf past 6 weeks with my first two.
2. I have him in cloth diapers.
3. Since I am not in a rush to have to deal with scraping or spraying poopy diapers I am trying to make myself hold off on solids for another 2 or 3 more months yet. My ex demanded introducing solids early with my first two.
4 I am wearing LO when we are out and about rather than relying 100 on the stroller.
5 I am following my mommy instincts more rather than second guessing myself so much.
The most important thing I am doing different is living with a husband that adores his child and helps me rather than my ex who threw away his family.
Y
I'm a fan of The Cloth Diaper Tech Support group on Facebook
Things I did different THIS time that with my older DS:
1. Relaxed more and enjoyed being a mom to a newbie. With my older DS, I obsessed about everything, critiqued every milestone, looked forward to when he was doing____ and didn't just enjoy things in the moment.
2. I wear my little one way more and love it.
3. I take him out in public way more and get out of the house more (last time I was afraid of going out to Target because what if he started crying and people looked at me and judged me for having a loud baby...I know, lame.)
My little man at 0-1-2
I want to do #2 of yours more myself next time, too. I didn't really wear her at ALL ... and now I wish I would have! I don't think I could get used to it now.
And for #3, I keep trying to convince DH to do this (he's a SAHD) ... he'll get over it eventually
I keep telling him "anyone who cares that she is crying doesn't understand, and anyone who understands won't care."
1. Use a hospital grade pump! I got a super cheap one cuz my insurance provided it for free, but it sucked and it hurt and I gave up on BF.
2. Get better newborn pics done. We went to JCPenny and they suck...
3. Bring my own pillow and blankets to the hospital.
4. Not let my doctor worry me about baby's size. They declared I had IUGR and were gonna induce me. DD came 2 weeks early on her own, and was 5 15, so if she would've stayed in longer she would've probably been a completely healthy weight! They automatically monitor you for the next pregnancies, but at least I won't worry about it this time around.
5. Not that I don't love DD's name, but DH decided on the first and middle, and I gave in. I am gonna fight more for the names next time!
1. Eat better. I only ate what sounded good, and that was mostly pizza and ramen. :
2. Not worry about my weight. I only gained 12lb until the last 4 weeks. I was freaked out the whole time thinking our baby wasn't growing right. Everything turned out perfect.
3. We use a baby Bjorn right now, but I want a sling. Wish I would have worn DS more.
4. Nurse more in the hospital. I had no clue what I was doing and the staff didn't tell me to nurse him frequently. I thought he would cry when he was hungry. Turns out, our baby loves sleep and slept through the first two nights. I didn't wake him, so I never got my supply fully established. We had to start formula at 7 weeks :. I had to wake him to nurse for the first 45 weeks! He didn't have jaundice, he just loved to sleep. He still does.
5. Not buy NB jeans, suits, etc. Babies are so little when they are born, it's hard to keep those clothes from riding up or staying on. Footed PJs were our choice. He even kicked off socks and unwrapped his swaddle.
6. Get the epidural. I delivered in 45 minutes so they weren't able to give me one. The pain wasn't that bad, but if my labor had been longer.....I wouldn't have survived. I'm asking for the epidural when I get pregnant next time!
7. Nap more in the beginning. I felt great after delivery, so when he napped I chose to clean and cook. When he would have a bad night, I wouldn't be rested. Sleep when the baby sleeps!
1. Will definitely exercise more, even if it's just yoga and stretching.
2. It sounds minor, but I will buy nursing nightgowns and bring them with me to the hospital. It was such a PITA having to untie/retie those hideous hospital gowns to breastfeed.
3. I will remember to request my extra break at work to pump BM. I didn't this time, thinking I could use my lunchtime and scheduled breaks, but it logistically did not work out because of time differences and the location of the privacy room, so I only got to do it during lunch, which messed up my supply. Going to classes in another city with no time to pump and baby STTN were the death knell for our BF journey.
4. I will take more belly shots. I took a grand total of 2 (one at 20 weeks, one at 24), just out of pure laziness. Time just felt like it flew by and I lost track of when I had wanted to take those shots (every 4 weeks). I will aim to get them done every week next time.
5. I will hire a maid for the first month of LO being home. I know it isn't cheap, but that first month was the worst for actually keeping the house in any semblance of order, which added to stress. Having someone come in once a week or once every other week to put dishes in the dishwasher, wipe down counters, and vacuum would have given me one less (HUGE) thing to worry about until I could have settled into some kind of routine or, at the very least, adjusted to my new sleep "schedule."
6. Do last minute "housekeeping" things sooner. The night we went to the hospital, DH had just gone to the grocery store to buy things I needed for freezer-friendly casseroles. I had planned to use the next day to get my haircut, vacuum the house, and make my casseroles. Suffice to say, I was a little busy that day...