Having our first baby

[mrgreen4242]

Well, it's official... the wife and I our having our first baby! She's due in March, so we've got quite a bit of time yet. So, it's time to hear everyone's parenting advice, baby horror stories, and most importantly leads for work at home jobs for my wife!

Anywho, thought I'd share the good news!

 

[nospleen]

Congrats!! I have a 3 and a 4 year old myself. Get lots of sleep now, lol. Also, never let them have markers in their rooms, just an fyi.

 

[jimN]

I've just completed 6 months in neonatal medicine. Honestly, you don't want to hear my horror stories. However, I understand that the vast majority of children are discharged from hospital promptly and never have to re-visit

I now work on a liver unit and am starting to suspect that every child in the world is also a little bit yellow - perhaps it's time I stepped off the ward to get a sense of perspective.

 

[swingerofbirch]

There's a great resource for work at home info called WAHM (work at home moms). I have used it to my advantage even though I am a male college student.

http://www.wahm.com

They have good leads and can help you avoid scams. Look in their forums for more info. I personally worked for West for a couple of years. http://www.workathomeagent.com

And working for them was quite nice and flexible. The pay was not great, but I didn't expect it to be. I stopped working for them when they lost the business (Pizza Hut) I was working for through them. Pizza Hut moved to another company called LiveOps. I can't tell you much about LiveOps except that the certification process with them takes much longer and they require a $35 check for a background check which West did not. I got fed up with the certification proccess, and i was at a point where I no longer had to work from home, so you shouldn't take that as a negative review. I could have finished the certification, but chose not to.

BTW, congratulations!

 

[gertruded]

Every one is wonderful. When you have raised 14 as we have, then maybe it will be enough. Be sure to keep going if you can.

 

[siurpeeman]

congratulations. i'm not a parent, so i can't give any advice. just don't drop the baby.

 

[steamboat26]

Congrats!

I can't give you a any advice, but in the wise words of Stephen Colbert:
"I was a baby once, and you know what? I grew up"

 

[echeck]

Congrats!

Like nospleen said, get lots of sleep now!

My little one is nearly 20 months now, and even though he throws more temper tantrums now than what he used to, it's a blast every day!

My biggest piece of advice is to be patient with your wife, because she will likely be extremely emotional from this point on. Keep this in mind at all times, our poor wives have so many hormones running rampant through their bodies, they can't control their moods sometimes.

Also, make sure and be the biggest support as possible. My sister-in-law is pregnant and her husband is a complete jerk. She has a history of blood clots and shortly after she got pregnant she had a pain in her leg and they found like three clots down her leg. Her husband didn't even take time off work when she was in the hospital, and even though she's pregnant and now in a wheelchair because of the clots, he still won't even go to the grocery store for her.

It's so bad that my wife and I just booked her a flight back home from Texas because she needs to be around people that will actually take care of her.

I don't see this marriage lasting, which is sad since there's now going to be a child involved.

Anyway, there's my advice. It's going to be SO much fun, but nothing will EVER be the same. Your relationship with your wife will change along with everything else in your life. It's not necessarily a bad change, but having a child (and consequently being stressed out constantly) will put a strain on your marriage to some extent.

*raises glass of Dr. Pepper*

Here's to a healthy and happy baby!



**EDIT**

One more thing! This is REALLY important!! Get your wife a Pregnancy Massage. Depending upon your finances (massages can be expensive), try to get her two or three throughout the pregnancy. I got my wife one when she was about six months along and she absolutely LOVED it. It's a great way to pamper your wife and get some brownie points at the same time.

 

[0098386]

That's fantastic news! Good luck with it all, I haven't got any kids myself but remember vividly when my little sister was born and the midnight cryings that woke us all up. Ah, lovely times
Then they impress you and make you proud and it's awesome.

 

[maccam]

Congratulations!!!!

Heres some advise:

1. Keep him or her out of the bathroom.
2. DISCIPLINE YOUR CHILD!!!!
3. Be sure not to drop the baby!

Thats all I can think of.

 

[j26]

Congrats.

It's a bit in the future for you, but don't leave your good shoes out when toilet training - seriously.

Other than that, just give them time and love - it's worth a lot more than stuff.

 

[rdowns]

Congratulations.

Play the Macintosh startup chime everyday while the wifey is pregnant. Just have her belly near the computer. This insures you get a Mac user, regardless of the baby's sex.

 

[obeygiant]

go out to eat and see as many late night movies as you can. do adult stuff as much as you can now. because the next 3 years you'll be singing dora the explorer theme song to yourself at work.

 

[Caezar]

Congratulations!

I have a little head-start, as I got my my first baby girl two days ago!


My first advice would be:
- to get some sleep while you can,
- ask your wife to remove her rings while she can (she will have to take them off when she delivers the baby and if she waits until she is 9-month pregnant, she might not be able to remove them).

Caezar

 

[j26]

Congratulations!

I have a little head-start, as I got my my first baby girl two days ago!


My first advice would be:
- to get some sleep while you can,
- ask your wife to remove her rings while she can (she will have to take them off when she delivers the baby and if she waits until she is 9-month pregnant, she might not be able to remove them).

Caezar

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Congrats.

 

[iGav]

Commiserations.

 

[mrgreen4242]

Congrats!! I have a 3 and a 4 year old myself. Get lots of sleep now, lol. Also, never let them have markers in their rooms, just an fyi.

That's a great picture!

I've just completed 6 months in neonatal medicine. Honestly, you don't want to hear my horror stories. However, I understand that the vast majority of children are discharged from hospital promptly and never have to re-visit

My wife volunteered in the neonatal ICU for awhile and studied child development in college, so she's seen a bit herself. We're doing everything we can to promote a healthy pregnancy...

There's a great resource for work at home info called WAHM (work at home moms). I have used it to my advantage even though I am a male college student.

Those are both great resources! Thanks! We're looking for something she can do, but I'm also looking for stuff like this that I can make a few extra bucks here and there.

Congrats!

Like nospleen said, get lots of sleep now!
...
My sister-in-law is pregnant and her husband is a complete jerk. She has a history of blood clots and shortly after she got pregnant she had a pain in her leg and they found like three clots down her leg. Her husband didn't even take time off work when she was in the hospital, and even though she's pregnant and now in a wheelchair because of the clots, he still won't even go to the grocery store for her.
...
One more thing! This is REALLY important!! Get your wife a Pregnancy Massage. Depending upon your finances (massages can be expensive), try to get her two or three throughout the pregnancy. I got my wife one when she was about six months along and she absolutely LOVED it. It's a great way to pamper your wife and get some brownie points at the same time.

WOW, that sucks! Glad you're bringing her home to be around people who care... I'm trying to be as supportive as I can, I know she needs it. It can be a bit hard at times, though.

Congratulations.

Play the Macintosh startup chime everyday while the wifey is pregnant. Just have her belly near the computer. This insures you get a Mac user, regardless of the baby's sex.

BRILLIANT!

Congratulations!

I have a little head-start, as I got my my first baby girl two days ago!


My first advice would be:
- to get some sleep while you can,
- ask your wife to remove her rings while she can (she will have to take them off when she delivers the baby and if she waits until she is 9-month pregnant, she might not be able to remove them).

Caezar

Congrats! and good advice on the rings... I'll mention that to her and hopefully we'll remember in a couple months when she starts to ... bloat.

Thanks everyone for your advice and pointers. I'll try not to drop the baby, but my mom did drop my little sister down a light of steep wooden stairs where she tumbled head over feet several times, and amazingly enough didn't have a scratch on here. I think babies are tougher than people want to believe.

 

[iGav]

I think babies are tougher than people want to believe.

I was was wrestling with my friends 14 month old several weeks ago. She was Tonka™ Tuff.

 

[echeck]

I was was wrestling with my friends 14 month old several weeks ago. She was Tonka™ Tuff.

Ha ha ha!

Yeah, my little boy has fallen off of more things than I can count and usually without even a tear.

Actually just last night I had my first real panic since my son was born. I made him a little sandwich (one piece of bread folded over) and gave it to him. He's always been really good with biting, but last night he decided to shove the whole stinkin thing in his mouth!! He started choking and I had to dig the sandwich out of his throat with my fingers.

Scary stuff.

Dang kids.

**EDIT**

All these cute pictures of kids, I have to share one of my own. It's a Proud Papa Moment!

 

[Maui]

Congrats.

Buy this. And then buy a second copy in case you lose the first one.

(Seriously, buy it. Tons of books/advice/etc. This one actually works.)

Maui, parent of 22 month old Ian the Destroyer.

 

[swingerofbirch]

Also moisturizing the stomach while pregnant can help avoid stretch marks.

Also please please please if you have a boy don't make a decision for him regarding circumcision. There are so many myths about circumcision. But the bottom-line is that it is painful and unnecessary. http://www.nocirc.org At least consider reading about it.

 

[kymac]

Also please please please if you have a boy don't make a decision for him regarding circumcision. There are so many myths about circumcision. But the bottom-line is that it is painful and unnecessary. http://www.nocirc.org At least consider reading about it.

its not my place to say anything.. but i think that this should be the parents decision, not yours. plus, its a pain that wont be remembered.

 

[swingerofbirch]

its not my place to say anything.. but i think that this should be the parents decision, not yours. plus, its a pain that wont be remembered.

I do not appreciate you telling me how I may or may not speak, especially after I have already given three useful pieces of advice in this thread. I disregard your suggestion. The OP asked for advice. In some countries it is not the parents' decision, and in my opinion, it should not be the parents' decision in any country. And as a member of society, it is my belief that it is my obligation to express my opinion against any form of violence. I don't understand the argument that because someone cares for an animal or child, one should be allowed to harm it. There are obviously plenty of laws in place to show that is not true.

I researched circumcision extensively while I was in college. Research of routine neonatal circumcision was the focus of my thesis project. In a double-blind study, infants who had been circumcised showed a much greater pain response during routine vaccinations than babies who had been left intact. This suggests the pain of circumcision, which lasts for 10-15 minutes, and is most often performed without anesthesia is not easily forgotten.

Female circumcision has been illegal in the United States since 1986, at which time there was religious opposition to making it illegal. We have unfortunately faced the same opposition to male circumcision due to religious beliefs. If you look at circumcision beyond its social context, it is a brutal, sexual assault.

 

[echeck]

But the bottom-line is that it is painful and unnecessary.

My son slept soundly throughout his circumcision.

He also had blood drawn five times after his birth (both from his heel and his arm), and then when he was 15 months old he was in the hospital for four days with Rota Virus and had an IV stuck in the back of his hand the entire time.

So the poor little guy has been through an ordeal or two in his short time with us, but he seems relatively well adjusted to me.

We're all entitled to our opinions, but that's all they are.

 

[swingerofbirch]

My son slept soundly throughout his circumcision.

He also had blood drawn five times after his birth (both from his heel and his arm), and then when he was 15 months old he was in the hospital for four days with Rota Virus and had an IV stuck in the back of his hand the entire time.

So the poor little guy has been through an ordeal or two in his short time with us, but he seems relatively well adjusted to me.

We're all entitled to our opinions, but that's all they are.

It's possible he had anesthesia, but it's extremely dangerous to give anesthesia to newborns. Also, some infants cry to the point that they pass out during circumcision. Most often parents do not witness the circumcision. I cannot speak to the specifics of your case, but I have witnessed hospital circumcisions without anesthesia and they are brutal. I think there's a film on Google Video from Canada where you can see what a hospital circumcision is like.