11 weeks to go and counting.....

[Anonymous]

11 weeks till we meet baby for the first time ...... well, give or take a few days and they are never on time are they.

Got all her Organic bath and hygine stuff sorted out too, thanks to everyone's ideas here. Except the nappies made out of Yaks skin and wot not.  I've gone for washable ones and a few disposables for when we go away.
My cousin has sent me lots of organic stuff from Germany too, including an organic cotton sleeping bag and baby-gro's etc.

We're getting there and I'm getting fatter and fatter.

Mother-in-laws not mentioned Christenings for a while now but she's still on a mission for clothes. Baby now has 9 pairs of pram shoes including a minature pair of pink adidas trainers. I'm just letting her get on with it. (Imelda Marcos II).

And I find out next week if I have to push this baby out or have a C-section ...... I'll keep you updated.  

[Shadow]

11 weeks till we meet baby for the first time ...... well, give or take a few days and they are never on time are they.

Of lcourse they are always on time.  They just happen to go by their own clocks and calendars.

While you're getting everything together, did you happen to find a Baby Sling?  It's the most natural way to carry a baby when he isn't directly in your arms.  We had one for Connor.  We were able to keep him directly with us at all times and still have our hands free.

[Fillionous]

I hope all goes well with the arrival of your little one. I'll admit that the last few weeks were very hard as I got more and more incapable of doing stuff and frustrated because of that combined with my body getting more and more uncomftable. But in the end the actual birthing was not too bad... (but I was very glad of the pain relief!)

It has been a VERY steep learning curve (like vertical!) over the last couple of months. The sleep deprivation is the hardest. Take all and any offers of help - esspecally if you have had a c-section. And try and find a few minutes alone each day to care for youself.

Shadow is right, a sling is a great way of carrying baby around (if you can)
Breast feeding is great, if you get the right help to get a proper latch on... other wise it is amzingly painful.
But always remember that what ever you plan, what ever you have read or heard... you baby is unique and has not read the books!

You are always welcome to pick my brains, cry on my shoulder or generally rant and vent in my direction if you need it... My tadpole is now 12 weeks old, so I might be able to give you a little warning as to what happens next!

Good luck and blessings from the Divine

Be bright, be bold
Fillionous

[Gryphon]

Oh my! Becoming a parent is one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. The force of Goddess surging through your body (with or without pain meds) is so intense. I felt as if I was just along for the ride and someone else was taking charge of us.
 
I carried my Rabbit every where in a baby strap. Since she was a preemie she was way to small for the regular slings, she slipped right out! I ended up with a contraction that had a million buckles and webbing all around the two of us that looked amazingly like an overgrown pocket with very wide, long whiskers. We were gifted a very elaborate stroller that we ended up using mostly as a package carrier when we used it at all!
 
Rabbit is 12 now, but it seems only yesterday when I was nursing her.
 
Get a nice comfy rocking chair with padding and a foot rest for nursing, also a small pillow to rest your arm on while holding the baby's head to the right position. It will help with the process of both of you learning what to do.

[Anonymous]

Ah, Baby slings.  I had one for Ryan, years ago that was a pain in the butt, took two people to get it on or being a contortionist.
So we are looking at the different ones on the market at the moment. Jon wants to be able to carry her in it too and he's a lot bigger than me, so one that adjusts from midget to giant will be good.
I did buy a fantastic knitted long coat last week that will wrap around me and baby when I've got a sling on so we'll both be snug as bugs when we go out.
And we've got her a hammock. Its free standing on a wooden frame and used for daytime naps so she can be in the same room as me during the day and not sitting up in a baby rocker. Its made in Africa and I'd never seen one before but it looks so comfy.

[Shadow]

These might help.

http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sling.html#reviews

http://www.mayawrap.com/

I'd look up more but I'm suffering with a really bad sinus infection right now and the headache makes it difficult to read the screen.

We bought ours in some little shop in Gainesville Florida where we were living at the time.  It was a really simple affair and both Jennie and I were able to use it (she's 5'2" 120lbs, I'm 6'2" 260lbs).  From my experience the more elaborate it is the less likely you are to use the thing.

[NachtSorcier]

I'm sure you'll be a great mommy.  May the spirit of the Mother be with you always.  

[Anonymous]

Thank you Shadow.  Jons been looking at those sites.

Hope you're feeling better.