Moms. does it make you smile when a pregnant woman says this?

[michellev]

I agree that those things are achievable, but did you also spend 10-12 hours a day running your own business? That's the part that I think will throw her. SOMETHING has to give.

My situation was a little different as I was home on a one year mat. leave for each of my kids. I did start up and run a baby wearing business during that time, but I certainly could not put in 12 hour days while attempting to parent my children.

Once I went back to work, I guess it would be somewhat comparable. However, I had a great daycare provider who was willing to use cloth diapers and by then the bottles and baby food were no longer an issue.

I guess I 'm just don't see the big deal over her parenting decisions- parenting decisions I made for myself (except the schedule thing) and was successful with.

 

[Acklander]

I think everyone goes in with a "plan" and what happens, happens. I see nothing wrong with her having an idea of how she wants to do things, reality will catch up with her or maybe it will work as she plans it. Though, from my experience, breast fed babies like to be fed more often (not as filling???) so that might not go very well with wanting the baby to sleep thru the night. Other than that, I've seen some families that managed the cloth/no bottle/no binky thing.

 

[FigmentFinder]

I've already decided that I am using Playtex Drop-Ins (baby willing!) because I am NOT washing 50,000 bottles every day. I'm already stocking up on Pampers and Huggies. So, sorry environment, do you need my address to send me my Bad Earthling award?

Love the drop-ins. Keeps me from worrying about getting the corners of the bottles clean enough. Target sells generic drop-ins cheaper, but I've learned it's more expensive to buy them at Target.

All those things she planned on are possible, if she weren't trying to run a business. I couldn't imagine washing cloth diapers in addition to working. Plus, I thought breast fed babies weren't supposed to be scheduled until they were older. I still haven't scheduled my FF baby and she's 5 months.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Most of my friends with children are raising them exactly as they planned on. I don't see the issue here.

 

[hereyago]

I would be telling said pregnant woman that babies are alot like cats: it's their world and we are just living in it.

That's like me not wanting drugs for delivery and actually i didn't feel pain for 11 hours just pressure-probably because someone's little baby butt was where her head should be-but that's another topic.

well it wasn't discovered until later and all the sudden things got crazy and I ended up with a emergency C section. so the drugs and NEEDLES that I didn't want to get, I got.

when DD was a baby, she would get up at 2 or 3 am, wasn't hungry, wasn't wet, but she wanted for dh at the time would have to get up and hold her in front of him in his arms walking around.

 

[NYEmomma]

Though, from my experience, breast fed babies like to be fed more often (not as filling???) so that might not go very well with wanting the baby to sleep thru the night.

Breastmilk is easier to digest than formula is, so that's why they need to eat more often. Also, initially, the frequent nursing helps mom develop a good supply.

DD started sleeping through the night at 2 weeks (I know this because it was the night before my birthday, which was 2 weeks after she was born... best birthday present ever!). All the nurses/pedi's will tell you to take up a baby that young and make them eat. But I figured she was gaining weight well, having enough poopy/wet diapers, wasn't jaundiced & was eating regularly otherwise. She also didn't sleep ANY other time besides overnight. So I said screw all the experts & let her sleep. She was just fine.

My breasts on the other hand were not, lol! The kid got to sleep all night but I was stuck getting up in the middle of the night to pump so that I didn't explode all over bed.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

whenmy sister was pregnant with her first, I remember her ironing the baby's onesies. I kind of remember laughing about that... Really? Ironing onesies?

 

[daisyyy]

I agree with you. That is precisely why I didn't say anything to her. I was very careful to not burst her bubble. She will find out very soon how things really are. I sincerely hope it works out like she thinks it will. Who knows, maybe she will have a perfect baby and things will be a breeze for her.

Well... hopefully her baby is perfect so it fits into her perfectly planned life. But, I agree with most here, you can make plans, but be willing to change it up depending upon the baby. The key is to be flexible, and I would NEVER say.. I will NEVER.... cuz' sometimes ya gotta.

I bet she also has the birthing plan all planned out. None of mine followed my birthing plan.... except maybe the 4th, cuz'... by then I was smart enough to know, the baby is gonna come, how, and when they feel, so I didn't bother with a "plan" or a refresher course on breathing etc. What are those classes called again? you know, the one where the DH is supposed to hold your hand, and rub your back, count your contractions, feed you ice chips and help you focus???

 

[CanadianPaco]

Slightly different story.... when my boss was about 8month pregnant with her first, she was bragging how she had no stretch marks on her belly. Then I suggested she take a mirror and check the belly's under side.... enough said

 

[ZephyrHawk]

All my friends who don't have kids seem to have these grandiose plans for when they do get around to having them. They want to make their own baby food and breastfeed for as long as possible. They want to homeschool and co-sleep and one (who is a bit militant about babycare) wants to practice "elimination communication". I actually thought she was making it up until I googled it.

I intend to make no real plans. I'll go with what works and what's easiest at the time. I can tell you right now the kid's going to be bottle fed and sleep in its own crib and put in daycare as soon as my and my husband's maternity/father leaves run out. I have absolutely no pretentions of being an earth-mommy. I'm gonna continue to be high-powered attorney mommy.

 

[Acklander]

I intend to make no real plans. I'll go with what works and what's easiest at the time. I can tell you right now the kid's going to be bottle fed and sleep in its own crib and put in daycare as soon as my and my husband's maternity/father leaves run out. I have absolutely no pretentions of being an earth-mommy. I'm gonna continue to be high-powered attorney mommy.

Then I won't tell you about all my high powered career friends that decided to extend the maternity leave, to a first year leave, to a until the child is in school leave....

 

[Nette]

Love the drop-ins. Keeps me from worrying about getting the corners of the bottles clean enough. Target sells generic drop-ins cheaper, but I've learned it's more expensive to buy them at Target.

All those things she planned on are possible, if she weren't trying to run a business. I couldn't imagine washing cloth diapers in addition to working. Plus, I thought breast fed babies weren't supposed to be scheduled until they were older. I still haven't scheduled my FF baby and she's 5 months.

I'd love to know what you guys think is involved in washing "all those cloth diapers"... It seriously takes no longer than throwing them in the machine every other day... Sure the cycle for washing is longer (due to more rinses), but the time to set it up isn't any worse than an extra load of laundry.

I always feel like the oddball when it comes to babies and schedules. I went into it thinking DD would make her own schedule & I'd just go with it. I was going to be a SAHM and she was my first so I really had no reason NOT to adjust to her schedule.

Then it turns out the girl was completely incapable of making her own schedule. She NEVER slept. She was a bear!! I figured she'd just know how to do it all... she'd sleep when she was sleepy.

It wasn't until 4 months that I put her on a schedule myself (actively encourage sleep after 90 minutes of wakefulness) that she finally started sleeping and became a pleasant, happy baby.

It's awesome to have an idea of what you WANT to do before the baby's born. But the key to surviving is having the flexibility to do what you HAVE to do after the baby's born. I got all kinds of pacifiers & bottles & supplies to pump and store breastmilk so that DH could help feed her and my parent's could babysit occasionally. Turns out I spent 13 months being no further than 2 hours away because the child WOULD NOT take a bottle no matter how hard we tried. And I became a human pacifier (and had to learn other soothing methods) because she never took a single pacifier either.

That's exactly how I was... I thought, schedules, no way! Wrong. Baby sleeps so much better when he is encouraged to sleep before he gets too sleepy.

People like this crack me up. She is in for a HUGE life adjustment.

Why? Did our parents have all the luxuries of disposable diapers, canned baby food and drop in bottles? Mine certainly didn't, and both of my parents had to work as well. If they could manage it, why can't we?

I do understand what you mean in general though. It's impossible to know what life with a baby is going to be like until he (or she) is here... even when you already have a child, there is no telling what the new baby will be like.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Then I won't tell you about all my high powered career friends that decided to extend the maternity leave, to a first year leave, to a until the child is in school leave....

You're probably right. I shouldn't speak too soon. However, you aren't going to catch me calling out my friends for not being earth conscious enough in their diaper choices, or not joining a baby-wearing group. Seriously, I have some very opinionated non-parent friends and I just don't see how they think they can judge when they've never actually done it themselves. I don't care if you're a professional nanny training for Montessori (one of my friends is), that still won't prepare you for being a mom.

 

[nmmom95]

The part that cracked me up is that she said she will be putting the baby on a strict schedule the minute he/she is born to ensure that the baby sleeps through the night.

Thanks for the laugh!

 

[DisneyCher]

My only "grand plan" was to breastfeed, and that did NOT turn out as I had hoped. My son would not latch, and even after pumping 6 or 7 times a day, 20 minutes at a time, for the first 2 weeks, and my milk never really coming in (I would get a grand total of about 2oz per day on a good day), I threw in the towel. I fet like a complete failure. I wish the nursing Nazis at the hospital didn't mess with my mind so much that I felt so badly when this didn't work out.

I knew all along I was going to use disposable diapers - the smell of his mess makes me gag sometimes and we barely have enough time to get the laundry done as it is; even adding one more load would be a challenge, especially one that had to go on every other day or so.

I also knew I'd be going back to work, since I have a great job and DH was going to school & freelancing. Since I've come back in January, I received a promotion, and a substantial pay increase, which is great. I felt really guilty about not being at home (because of societal pressures) for about my first month back, but I know he is well taken care of by DH.

 

[MickeySP]

I've known a couple who managed that kind if life...for the first one. It all went to he'll in a handbasket for the second though. It is cute. I was a great parent before I had kids.

Truer words were never uttered!!!

My lovely dear cousin's DW was one of those "My kids will never...(insert behavior here) Well be careful what you say she has 3 of the worst kids - smart mouths that have been brought home by cops, drunk etc.....

I hope she gets her dream - one of us should!

The best revenge - live long enough to have a grandchild just like your kid - I LOVE IT!!!!!

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I'd love to know what you guys think is involved in washing "all those cloth diapers"... It seriously takes no longer than throwing them in the machine every other day... Sure the cycle for washing is longer (due to more rinses), but the time to set it up isn't any worse than an extra load of laundry.

Why? Did our parents have all the luxuries of disposable diapers, canned baby food and drop in bottles? Mine certainly didn't, and both of my parents had to work as well. If they could manage it, why can't we?

I do understand what you mean in general though. It's impossible to know what life with a baby is going to be like until he (or she) is here... even when you already have a child, there is no telling what the new baby will be like.

I cloth diaper (have never used a single disposable diaper, once we left the hospital), breastfeed (I used bottles for about 4 days during a nursing strike at 7 months, but that's it), and made all my own baby food. This was all part of my "grand plan" and I have stuck to it pretty easily. Granted, the breastfeeding thing is in part chance and I got lucky, but I'm not sure why people believe cloth diapers and homemade baby food is so much work. I do literally 2 loads of cloth diapers a week - it takes 1 minute to throw the diapers in the wash, 3 minutes to transfer the diapers to the dryer and hang up the covers to dry, and maybe 10 minutes to sort and fold. If I'm having a busy day, I skip the last step and just throw everything in a laundry basket and pull them out as I need them. Homemade baby food? Just cook a little extra of whatever you're cooking for dinner (like a few extra carrots, or an extra sweet potato), and then puree it in the blender. One sweet potato and an extra 5 minutes of work would make me 18 servings of baby food.

Yes, babies have their own plan - I was NEVER going to cosleep, but ended up doing it for the first 4 months - but there's nothing wrong with having your own plan of attack. Some of us do actually care about the environment, and are willing to put in the extra effort to use more environmentally friendly methods of child-raising.

I'm not saying this all won't go out the window if I have a second (or third, etc.) child.

 

[diznygirl]

My SIL told me the same things. I politely intimated that when the second baby comes around it will be more difficult to do the same things she was doing with the first. She saw the light for herself - hubby and I chuckle about it now but would never say, "I told you so." Well, he would - it's his sister and he loves to tease!

 

[GinnyEmma]

Odd doublepost

 

[GinnyEmma]

Lol." Some of us actually do care about the environment... "That means everyone else doesn't.

The mommy wars have begun. What started as amusement at a non mother's dreams changed quickly.