Oh yeah, and more decisions. I shouldn’t be surprised that becoming a first time parent calls for about six billion decisions to be made before your child is even born. But here I am, still surprised. Actually I think I’m mostly surprised by how much I don’t know. It’s kind of terrifying! I mean some stuff, in the grand scheme of things, is pretty arbitrary…like which baby carrier to purchase. But even though it’s technically not going to matter all that much in the long run, I still find myself researching for HOURS because, well… this is for my baby. I want it to be the best and the safest and oh yeah, I don’t want it to completely bankrupt me and my husband. So I sit and research baby wraps versus soft structure carriers (with or without sun hoods, with or without infant inserts, with or without outward facing options, etc. etc. etc.) until my head is ready to explode.
I’m sure it’s a thousand times easier with the second kid, but right now I’m in a sea of parenting crap I know next to nothing about. Everyone has their own opinion about what they think is the best way to go on everything, from the big scary stuff like vaccinations to silly things like diaper bags. And they’re not afraid to let you know. Have you ever heard of the Mommy Wars? It’s actually crazy to see how some of these moms treat each other on social media…women jumping down each others’ throats because one mom decided to formula-feed instead of breastfeed or because a first time mom is scared about miscarriage and the veteran moms are annoyed by her questions. Moms posting super braggy (I know that’s not a word) pictures and posts about their creative craft times with their kids and asserting that if you don’t opt for a completely natural childbirth, you are putting your child in grave danger. Seriously. It gets bad on the mommy boards.
I saw this super short video posted a few weeks ago and really liked the message of it. Check it out here if you want. š
No matter what our beliefs, we are parents first.
All I can say is…thank goodness I’m only in the third month because at least I still have awhile to make choices on certain things. And also thank goodness for my husband because he’s the kind of guy who actually cares about all this stuff…even right down to the silly diaper bags. In the end, we have to do what’s best for us and what we think will be best for our baby. I’m so thankful to have Alex with me on this wonderful (and extremely nutty) parenting journey. I think it’s always best to have a partner when you’re headed straight into the unknown. š
Milk with a Meal 