May 2011 Moms
Athena0809
member
If you could do it all over again...
Athena0809
member
It's dead here...
Tell me if there's anything you would do differently if you could go back in time. Either during the pregnancy or now that baby is here. Let's hear it....
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Re: If you could do it all over again...
I would have picked a different doctor. Mine was NOT natural birth friendly and I left her office in tears so many times. My 'need' to have a female doctor was foolish. I wish a few things had been different about my son's birth, but none of them were preventable. I had meconium in my fluid so my DH didn't get to cut the cord, they didn't wait for it to stop pulsing, the rushed my DS over to the incubator and completely cleaned him off and it was a full 5 minutes + before I held my baby. I might opt for a homebirth next time. Too many people fussing over us.
There are days I wish we'd never given him a paci, but I know why we did (he screamed constantly) and I'd probably do it again.
I wish I had photographed his milestones a little better. They all seemed to come on gradually. Like sitting up - he sat up for a while with us behind him, and then with the boppy, but I don't have a clear idea of when he was sitting up on his own.
Other than that - I'm pretty happy with how things have gone with this one. There are TONS of things I would have changed about my first one, but this one has been much easier and happier.
I would have taken more pictures. I don't think I have more than a couple pictures of me while I was pregnant. I really hate that it never occured to me to take more pictures.
I also would have photographed DS's milestones and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc months better. A lot of times I would forget, so it would end up being days later.
I wish I would have tried harder to flip him while I was still pregnant. He was OP and we had known for weeks, but I never did a lot to try and flip him over. After a 10ish hour labor and 2-3 hours of pushing, I ended up with a c section. It became medically necessary as DS's heartrate dropped, they had him out in 3 minutes. I just wonder if it could have been prevented if I had done more.
But it is what it is. I have my beautiful son and I love him to the moon and back
1. I would have taken more pictures of me happy and pregnant (I have zillions of tummy photos with my head chopped off)
2. I would have done more reading/research on breastfeeding. I thought reading the section on it in the pregnancy books was enough - it was not.
3. I would have bought just a few really cute crib sheets instead of a set.
4. I would have started earlier putting LO down when sleepy, and setting up a routine from the beginning that included a song.
I would have given DD a bottle earlier and more regularly. I didn't start until 7 weeks PP and even then was very sporadic with my efforts. For many months PP, she would vehemently refuse a bottle!
At least now she takes a straw cup.
I took a lot of belly pics, but I have very few, even now, of me & the boys together. I cried when I discovered my mom had actually taken some in the hospital because I don't remember them being taken and I thought I didn't have any.
I would have lined up more help and accepted offers for frozen meals. I thought I could do it on my own, but I ended up getting really sick and delirious and I don't remember a lot of the first month or so. It's all a blur.
I am doing it all over again with #2, and doing most of the same things that I swore I'd change.
I'd make sure the camera battery was charged in the hospital bag (we only got 1 pic and it died)
I'd start ECing more at 4 months instead of waiting until 6-7 months.
This is me too! At first I didn't want to be in any of the pictures because I hated what having a baby did to my "looks" and I still don't feel 100% me yet but I regret no having more pictures together. I'm gonna start being in pictures more, at least when he's older I can show him and say "look at what you did to me!" Lol.
Definitely I would have lined help, I didn't have any offers but my mom but I would have asked for help!
My third one would be, I wish I bedshared with DS from the start. I wish I would have gotten a wrap carrier and wore him more as a newborn. We babywear a lot now but I wish I had done more to have him closer to me more often.
My Blog: Naturally Mindful
Pregnancy and birth wise, I'm pretty happy. I hope my doctor is back practising when I have my second - she was great. I want to stay less time in hospital next time (unless it sucks less). I was there about 36 hours and I'd aim for closer to 6 next time. I love my belly pictures - DH took some great ones for me.
If I could go back in time, I would have got serious about sleep training at about 6 months and hopefully avoided the last month or two of terrible sleep for both of us. But what's done is done, and I wasn't ready then. I am now, and hopefully it'll take in a week or so.
I wish I would have bought my Arm's Reach cosleeper sooner, so I could use it with Owen as a cosleeper rather than a playpen. And I wish his crib didn't have solid ends so I could see him from the bed in his room.
I should have bought a jogging stroller last May. I couldn't have guessed that it wouldn't snow until January, though.
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I wish I would have stayed at home the morning I went into labor instead of go to my grandma's house so that I could have labored more at home. I had no idea I was in labor when I left though.
I wish I would have splurged on a double pump, I work part time and the single pmp takes too long.
I wish I would have gotten a jogging stroller instead of a travel system.
DS2 12/20/12
This this this. I switched at 32w4d and ended up being admitted to the hospital at 33w5d and having a c/s at 34w1d for HELLP. He wouldn't have been able to stop it, but I wish I would have switched to my new, wonderful OB sooner.
I would have gotten over my fear of taking my preemie out of the house and shelled out the money for professional newborn pics. We have adorable pics of her, but I wish we had gotten professional ones done.
BFP1: DD1 born April 2011 at 34w1d via unplanned c/s due to HELLP, DVT 1 week PP
BFP3: DD2 born Feb 2013 at 38w4d via unplanned RCS due to uterine dehiscence
I would stand up for what I want more during labour. I did not want a med free birth, and my labour/delivery is pretty much the whole reason I don't want another kid.
I would not have bought the bedding set, just some cute sheets.
I wish I had of started wearing him from day 1. I started too late, and now he will only face out, which is a PITA.
Take more belly pics! I only have my shower pics and a couple of snapshots from the day before I went into labor.
I want to be more assertive with my OB. There were things about the practice that looking back shouldn't have been and wouldn't have been if I had spoken up or not been afraid to switch docs.
I would have pushed DH to take us out for the professional family photos I wanted of us with our newborn.
I would put her down drowsy but awake from day one.
I would ask for more specific help. I had a c-section and couldn't lift, etc. my MILwas there helping but she only wanted to take care of the baby. I wish I asked her to cook, do some laundry, etc.
I would seriously try harder to sleep when the baby did and not worry about getting dressed and put together for visitors.
1. I would relax the last few weeks of my pregnancy and not get high BP and be induced- then I would have had the all-natural home-birth I wanted (though I did make it through without the epidural)
2. I would start pumping day one in hopes of avoiding my supply issues.
3. I would have slept more when he was STTN from 2-5 months and really enjoyed it.
I wouldn't get an epidural. I'm probably in the minority but I feel like the epi lead to my c/s and infection that both DD and I had. I wouldn't have let my doctor break my water when I was only 3cm. I would have waited longer before going to the hospital and tried to labor on my own until it was unbearable.
I would have consulted a LC right away. I would have made sure to keep pumping even though it sucked and I hardly got anything for 5 straight weeks. I would have tried other supplements to increase my supply.
Most importantly, I wouldn't have been so hard on myself for getting a c/s. I was so upset and felt like I failed. I'd want to try and focus more on my baby and less on how she arrived.
I'd have taken better care of myself while I was pregnant with DS and subsequently.
I learned a lot from being his momma, and it's helped SO much this time around. Hindsight is a great tool to have!
Now, one thing I am still terrible at with both kids is writing things down. I have baby books for both and have rarely filled them out. I'm working on getting both kids up to date, but my advice would be to write down the milestones, the goofy things they say/do etc. It comes in handy when you have more children, and it's also just a fun keepsake for them to have later in life.