Baby Care Class

Shawn and I took the Baby Care Class at the hospital last night. I asked quite a few people whether they recommend this class and I got mixed feedbacks. Since neither Shawn or I have much experience with babies, I decided to sign us up. The class was about 3 hours long and I am so glad we took it! I learned so much in the 3 hours and now I feel like I should've signed up for more classes at the hospital like Childbirth and Breastfeeding Classes. Our instructor was really good, and we left there feeling much better about having this baby. The 3 hours went by really fast. Of course some of the stuff we already knew by just talking with other moms and reading books, but it was nice that we had hands-on practice (with a baby doll that looked like a real baby) and we got a tons of great information on basic baby care. I totally recommend this class to any new parent because whether you "think" you already know this stuff, or that you "think" it might come to you naturally after the baby, it's just wonderful to have all the great info and recommendations ahead of time, and all the hands on practice was great. The instructor gave us a lot of great advice. I think we definitely got lucky with a really good instructor, too. I feel so much better after taking this class now and feel even more ready than ever for the arrival.

Some of the things we went over in class were:

*Newborn Appearances/Characteristics
*Different ways to hold the baby (hands-on practice)
*Swaddling the baby (hands-on-practice)
*Sleep Safety (how and when to put the baby to sleep, when to wake them up)
*How to bathe the baby (sponge baths and tub baths) and lots of great information on supplies/toiletries (no baby powder and no baby oils!)
*How to change diapers (hands-on-practice) and information on how many diapers per day, what to do for diaper rash, etc
*Cord Care
*Nail Care
*Feeding Baby - went over a few basics on breastfeeding, how to and how often to feed baby, BPA info/nipple info, formula, pumping, bottles, etc
*What to do for a baby that cries/colic babies
*Health of Baby - pediatrician info, illness (when to call doc), temperature taking, immunizations, medicines
*Dangerous Products - stores carry a lot of items that are not safe for babies. We went over what products/items were dangerous and to avoid buying...(we actually had one of these already at home, thank goodness for this class, we won't be using it)
*Baby and Layette supplies
*Car Seat information
*Recommended Products, Toys, Nursery Checklist
*Tips for Dads

Daddy Entry

I want to dedicate an entry to the daddy. Shawn's been such an amazing husband and future daddy-to-be. The start of this pregnancy wasn't easy for me, as i had horrible tiredness and morning sickness in the 1st trimester. Shawn was there for me every step of the way, helping me with all the chores around the house and dealing with all my crazy emotions, and never has he complained about it. I know I've been a demanding, needy, emotional and a tough-to-deal-with wife throughout some parts of this pregnancy, but Shawn definitely has the patience and the laid-back personality to take it all and still be so loving. I do not know how I would've dealt with this pregnancy if I didn't have him, but I am so grateful to have a loving and patient husband who loves me and who loves this baby so much. I know this is cheesy for some of you to read but I do truly want Shawn to know how grateful I am and how much I LOVE him so much for everything he does for me. Alaina will be so lucky to have a daddy like him. And I truly feel blessed to have him as my husband.

I'm READY!

As of this past weekend, Shawn and I are officially ready for this baby to arrive. I really put Shawn to work this weekend...unpacking the rest of the baby items, cleaning bottles, putting together the gym and the rocker, and organizing the rest of the baby's space. We have our changing area ready with diaper genie set up and diapers/wipes all put in place. I want Shawn to be involved with everything he can be. I don't want him to be one of those daddys that are clueless and not know how to do anything if I'm not there. I want him to be able to participate and get involved as much as possible, and not feel left out of the special moments. Yes, everything we do for this baby will be special, even changing those poopy diapers! Of course he won't be able to participate in everything, like breastfeeding and pumping, but he will know how to find, warm, feed, and clean them bottles! He's been such a great sport and so far he's been involved with everything when it comes to preparing for the baby. Sometimes I feel like he knows more than I do!

With only a few weeks to go, I feel completely prepared and ready. I've already had a couple of incidents where I thought I was going into labor but it was all false labor. Not the real thing. I am scared and nervous about the actual labor, but I do want this baby to come early! My swelling has started (can't wear my wedding rings anymore). I'm definitely getting tired and going to sleep earlier each day. The leg cramps and constant need to pee keeps me from a good night's sleep. I've been getting Braxton Hick's. Hospital bags are packed. Hospital tours and pre-registrations are done. I'm READY!

3rd Trimester Symptoms

My 1st trimester was really hard. Being nauseous and having morning sickness was not fun. 2nd trimester was a breeze. I did not have any symptoms and I felt great and energized. Now that I’m in the middle of my 3rd trimester, I am starting to feel the symptoms again. The tiredness, leg cramps (keeps me from a good night’s sleep) and constant urges to pee. They’re all normal symptoms so I do feel lucky to only have a few symptoms, but it is getting harder and harder going into work everyday. So far I haven’t had too much swelling but I can see it coming. I can still wear my rings but it is getting tighter, and I think my feet are starting to swell, too. Sometimes they look swollen, sometimes they don’t. I hope this means the end is near. As I see my body get bigger, I feel more ready for this baby than ever. I took the Fairfax Hospital Tour last week and everything just hit me. I can’t believe it’s almost time! I still don’t know where I’ll be delivering so I’ll be taking another tour at Fair Oaks Hospital next week. I can’t believe I only have about 6 weeks left. I’m nervous and scared for the delivery, but am very excited about the baby. My whole life is going to change. All I pray for is that I am blessed with a healthy baby and that I will be a good mother.

I started to pack my hospital bag last weekend. I’m almost done with that. This weekend I’ll be washing all of Alaina’s clothes to get ready for her arrival. Next weekend I’ll be cleaning/sterilizing all her bottles/nipples/pumps. Then I think I’m done. The house is set for her arrival. The nesting stage will be over (we’ll see).