The Value of Parenting Class

We attended Parenting class last night at Chesapeake General Hospital. We were really impressed with the material that was covered. Many of the things that were on our mind, which may seem minor, were covered. For example, they went over the care of the umbilical cord and the treatment after the circumcision procedure.

First, a local pediatrician spoke with us covering so many things. He spoke a lot about breastfeeding and really provided me with my first "a-ha moment" in regards to breastfeeding. I do harbor a lot of worry about it, but feel a little more relaxed hearing the more medical side of how your milk comes in, hormones required for it to come in, etc...

Once he was done, the session was passed to one of the nursery room RNs, who herself is 39 weeks pregnant! She was also very interesting to talk to. She covered care for the newborn when you get home, including bathing, swaddling, and diaper changing. One great thing about her too, was that she was close to our ages and had a lot of first hand experience as a mother to offer us.

This Saturday we have our Relaxation and breathing class. I know it is necessary, but I just feel like I am going to feel weird down on the floor in front of a room of people, breathing...

First Childbirth Class

Last week we attended our first childbirth class: Medical Options. The class was taught at the hospital where we will give birth, Chesapeake General Hospital. Very awesome RN, Jessica taught the class. The material is very biased, toward the use of an epidural. With that being said, it did calm my nerves a bit about the epidural.

One thing that I have been worried about was becoming paralyzed. Apparently, these stories have remained since the beginning of the use of epidural. When the product was first developed, it contained preservatives that were making the women paralyzed. It was not in fact the procedure itself. These preservatives have been removed and no one has been paralyzed since. I thought it was very interesting.

There was one annoying couple. The male had comments to say about pretty much everything, usually nothing positive. The female was VERY affectionate with her partner, which at times was very creepy. We hope they will not be in any more of the classes we have signed up for.

This coming Monday we have our first Parenting class. I hope it's informative, especially about the care of the newborn when we come home, like how do we care for his umbilical cord stub and care for his circumcision. Look for an update next week about Parenting class Part 1.

Grocery shopping=FAIL

I used to be so good at grocery shopping: going through all the circulars, clipping coupons, buying only sale items, and shopping in bulk.

I am not quite sure what happened. It does not happen that way anymore. I will use coupons if I have one for the item that we are purchasing, but is no longer the process that it used to be. Let me just say it needs to be!

Today's grocery bill: $177.80!!!! FOR TWO PEOPLE! What on earth is going on? I bought one meat item, turkey meatballs. I did purchase a lot of frozen meals that were on sale because I figure they will be easy to have on the nights that we have childbirth classes.

Honestly though, that is ridiculous. With baby on the way and my part-time hours being cut to part-time of that, changes need to be made. An amendment to my "get organized" resolution for the year, needs to include the return to SMART shopping techniques. For a woman, who loves to 'brag' about her good deals, this is certainly not a post I am proud of.

What are some techniques you use when shopping? Anyone have any good suggestions for online coupons?

Third Trimester!

Can you even believe it!?! I am now in the third trimester. Today marks the start of Week 28. It is amazing how quick the time has gone by and from what I am told, the last trimester will go by the quickest!

We are on target for the most part with our things to do before Maddox arrives, except for finding a pediatrician. I really need to take some time and focus on it. Perhaps next week...

What did people do when they chose their pediatrician? Did you perform interviews, take referrals, or just open the yellow pages and point?

So what causes my elevated heart rate?

Now keep in mind, this is not a medical diagnosis, but stress definitely is a contributing factor. Hubby is currently protecting me from certain family drama that causes my heart to race! But the shortness of breath surely is connected to physical activity, like my walk from the car to the mail box yesterday. Then the shortness of breath causes your heart rate to rise, so again, I am not a doctor, so this clearly is not a diagnosis blog entry.

At any rate, I have an appointment in about 2 weeks with the specialist...apparently that's a "rushed" appointment. I have calmed down a lot since initially having the EKG done, but I am still overcome with worry at times. All the What If's...

What If is no way to live your life.

Putting together the baby's room

Who knew how tiring, yet exciting this would be!

Last weekend, Hubs painted the nursery! No pictures until we have it all done. I took random progession pictures, but we prefer to do a "big" reveal.

I am currently trying to figure out the most effective way to organize the changing table...any thoughts, suggestions are appreciated.

Graco recall

I was shocked to read about the latest recall. A large volume of Graco stroller models have been recalled due to the risk of amputation of a child's finger. This is an instance where it is so important for parents to fill out the registrations cards that come with virtually all baby products.

For more information regarding the recall, please read this: http://tinyurl.com/yev3s7a

Everything that Hubs opens for Maddox, I hound him for the registration card until I have it in hand. It has pretty much become a joke for us now. The best thing to do though is fill it out right away, then stick it in the mail. NO STAMP REQUIRED!! I especially love the ones that come preprinted with model information.