Panic over pyjamas

So me and the wife spent half a day googling what we would need to put the baby in to sleep at night. We are currently moving home and therefore goong to be using the moses basket for the first few months.

There is not one way to do things, nor one website which says you need x y and z and you do this and our done.

We gathered you put the baby in a sleep suit or equivalent but then what? Which balnkets do u use? how many blankets? How do you know if there too warm?

One website was on about swaddling were you get a sheet or shawl ad wrap you baby like a mummy so it cant move an then wrap more blankets if its cold.

The second website suggested swaddling increased the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and advised simply tucking a blankets (add layers as appropriate) around the baby under the  armpits and tuck under mattress leaving there hands outside the blanket so they can move (scratch mittens are then used) an if using a cot place them at the bottom so they cant wriggle underneath them.

So after hours of research we finally decided for the later and ordered some moses blanket sheets to put over the mattress, some cellular blankets as its the summer and their cooler and we already have many sleep suits. 

So hopefully the new baby will sleep like a rock while we don't sleep at all due to worrying we got her pyjamas wrong

Shit I am having a baby

All of a sudden it is becoming real that i am having a baby. You think his would be obvious but you forget.

It came after the anti natal appointment when they showed us around the delivery ward and you see the bed with all its features for birth and you suddenly realise your wife has to give birth and your going to have a child

At this stage my wife just wants the baby to be here so she can stop worrying so much (i don't think this will change much after the birth) and also to be able to do more as she is able to do less and less as the weeks go buy

We have most of the suff we need now and technically are ready, but there are often times when I go shit, I am having a baby.

London is no place for a pregnant woman

Me and the mrs had a trip to London recently. We had booked it about a year ago to take my niece to a concert and even though my wife was 29 weeks pregnant at the time we thought nothing of it.

The train down was nice and relaxing but as soon as we got there it all changed. I went into over protective mode and was on edge all of the time. On the tube I had to run on and reserve a seat as no one would offer, and people were so rushed and pushy I was so concerned about people bumping the bump.

When we walked places she needed to rest allot of the time but I was so tired from being over protected I enjoyed the breaks.

One plus side you can walk in anywhere and use the toilets if your pregnant and as the partner you can too. This is great especially when you see other people being turned away.

The trip was enjoyable but in hindsight I should have cancelled and should have opted for a few lazy days, especially as I will never get lazy days once the baby is born

Looking good with the baby

I am not one for being trendy but for some reason I really want some good looking Dad accessories and these may end up on my birthday list.

The first item is a Dad bag which is like a trendy (cloth or leather) man bag but slightly bigger to accommodate the necessary accessories of a baby (nappies, cream, lotion, action man etc). I have found a few at http://www.dadgear.com/ which looks like my work one and I think it would be make me look like a dad with a plan.

The second item is a baby carrier. This is basically a manly sling and by that I mean more like a titanium rucksack. It straps on like a rucksack and hold your baby either in front or behind you (in front for me of fear of falling backwards). They look sturdy but best of all they free up your hands for shopping, playstation or just because a mans hands need to be free. They vary in price but Mother-care seem to have a good range so as will start there.

I may not buy any of these as a plastic bag and my expensive pram should realistically do for my outside ventures but I am starting to desire more trendy clothes and accessories for when I am a dad about town.

To Faint or not to Faint that will be the question!

I am only human and so I have many flaws such as my love for beer, ice cream, movies with Paul Rudd in and music by Justin Beaver (I know I should be shot, and if it helps I do have some manly Metallica on my iPhone as well).

One flaw has me worried in particular and that is that I am squeamish. For most of my life this has not been a problem, I have collapsed a few times but generally I know the signs and some deep breaths and sugary goods can prevent me from passing out.

What worries me is the fact that the birth will contain blood as well a my partner screaming in pain (or at me for collapsing). I reckon blood wise I will be ok as my mam accidentally cut her wrist (with a plant pot believe it or not) a while back and when I got to her there was allot of blood (including some pulsing out of her wrist) and I did some first aid and got her to the hospital and it was only when I had to fill in the paperwork at the hospital and had time to think about it that I started to feel faint.

I also worry that I will worry about it so much that it will be a self fulfilling prophecy, however to make it easier on me and my wife we have asked her sister to be in the room as well to step in should I need to collapse.

Only time will tell how this one goes?

Heartbeat

To date my favourite part of the baby so far has been the heartbeat. The scan pictures are great but as I mentioned previously they did not move me in the way I expected. The heartbeat on the other hand to me is amazing and fills me with a sense of joy each time.

I have the audio file on my phone and I often listen to it at work or at home and it always puts a smile on my face (sad I know) and Its weird because to anyone else it's just a fast heartbeat. There is nothing special about the sound and could be confused with a small animal heartbeat, however I can't get enough of it.

I don't believe in God but if we were designed we were designed well as when it comes to your own children even the most boring of things becomes interesting.

For all you fathers to be, if you cannot be there ask your wife to record the heartbeat on her phone and send you it where ever you are (I was in another country).

Scares so far

Every pregnancy will have its scares and it would take a while to list them all so I am just going to tell you about some of the ones I have experienced.

Squishy Tummy - at a certain stage the bump becomes a proper bump the mum can be proud of. It's rounder and is firm and gives that feeling of yes I am pregnant. My wife's bump was like this for a few weeks and all of a sudden one day it went squishy. Any sudden change at this stage will worry the mother (I must admit I was rather worried). Fortunately this one can be researched on google and this is the result of the baby starting to turn around in the bump in preparation for the birth. What makes the bump solid is how much and where the baby is pushing out of the bump and therefore as it moves around the bump will actually change shape.

Freezing - as the third trimester develops you will get use to the baby kicking regularly and you come to expect kicks at certain points. This is usually when your being lazy as movement on your part actually can rock the baby to sleep. Due to several reasons including how much amniotic fluid is around the baby where it kicks it can suddenly stop. This is very scary as you automatically assume something is very wrong. My wife got so scared on the second day that she got a midwives appointment during work to verify everything was ok (which it was). This hit me hard as I was away with work and could not be there to help (its hard hearing anyone cry knowing there is nothing you can do, never mind the mother of your child).

My advice for any parents to be is to not panic. The midwife service is excellent (you can ring anytime) and I would advise using them for any panic situation even if its just to give price of mind.