Bad Mommy Moments #1

So I wanted this to also be a learning experience I could look back on, hopefully without embarrassment. So occasionally (I hope) I wanted to share some events that were probably not good judgment on my part. Sometimes it seems to work out just fine for me and my little one. Sometimes, it's really just a bad mommy moment.

Keeping Baby Nails Trimmed




During all of our parenting classes and even during a tour of the hospital, they told each of us to bring nail clippers for our new infant. The hospital staff are not allowed to trim baby's nails, commenting that it's some type of "invasive procedure." During our Infant Care Class, the instructor told us point blank that we would nick their fingers occasionally. It's just something parents have to do. My mother later suggested biting them off, because you would be able to feel your boundaries a little bit better than with metal shears. I decided that would be my only way of grooming Astrid's tiny fingers.

Astrid does not like her hands in my mouth, especially when she realizes I'm messing with her nails. This has been this way since birth. I tried a different tactic of pulling at the soft nails until they ripped off. She doesn't like that either. It doesn't hurt, just annoys. Only once have I resorted to clipping her nails because she scratched her face and we were worried the next time would be worse. Mind you, one of us had to hold her while the other did the clipping.

"Why not wait until she is asleep? Then she won't even know." Yeah right. She knows. As I tug on her hand to clip or trim or bite away her claws, she pulls back- asleep or not. Finally, I gave up. I stopped fighting her.

Results?
She has beautiful, long nails. And no scratches on her face. Turns out babies, at least mine, can adjust. When she is griping my arm or hand, she digs in with her nails no worries. When it hurts, I loosen her grip. She also flails in and swipes at her face when agitated (during sleep and awake times). However, she never scratches her face. (She scratches mine though.)

I still get a little worried that my child may scratch her corneas; but it's been at least a month and she has grown into her hands with grace. This moment didn't turn out too bad.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Judgement Day

Tomorrow morning at 6am PST, I am set to be induced. I'm not really looking forward to it, but we're at the point where my body just isn't doing what it's suppose to be doing. It is protecting my baby and has been a very good house for her to grow in. However, it's time to come out and I need some help with that.

My husband and I wanted the most natural hospital birth you could have, no drugs and NO INDUCTION. We waited and waited for my body to react to being 40 weeks. We waited for it to notice I had hit 41 weeks, and that all those painful false labor contractions were doing what they were suppose to be doing. My doctor, however, said it isn't safe to wait too much longer.

I learned during my pregnancy that placentas, the life source between me and my baby, have a shelf life. That life ends around 42 weeks of pregnancy. Sometimes, placentas die before the baby is born, sometimes they stop working as well. A year and a half ago, my sister lost her first child due to her placenta detaching before the baby was born. It is a scary experience to live through and very emotional to deal with. I have been dealing with it mentally ever since I got pregnant, it just adds to the normal fears of pregnancy. You can't stop it from happening and you can't predict if it will happen to you. It's scary and I have been scared the last 41 weeks. But tomorrow it should all change, the fear should dissipate.

So how do I feel about the induction? I'm scared. Scared of the pain and the unknown. Scared that it will tire me out and makes me too weak to push. Scared I will have to get a C-Section. Scared I'll never get to meet my baby. I know this seems melodramatic but these are my fears.

Nevertheless, I have a great support system. My husband has become the light at the end of the tunnel. He as been amazing, living up to more than I ever thought I could need. This pregnancy has made us so much closer, thinking that we knew each other as well as we could. His enthusiasm to be a new dad has kept my head up this whole time. We have made a great team and always have a plan, including the hospital tomorrow. That would be my biggest advice, always have a backup plan and make sure you and your partner agree. Before things get hairy. He as proven to be my best friend in all of this.

My fears, hopes and dreams are all on the table. So my judgement day? It will be the most exhilarating day of my life.