Re: FRI: Being a Parent
From: Anna Meenan, MD (annam@uic.edu)
Fri Jul 26 13:26:29 2002
Yeah, that's about how it went, except that our 2nd kid swallowed all
three of the coins that were consumed in our house.
--
Anna Meenan (mother of 3)
At Fri, 26 Jul 2002, Joanne Bulley, MD wrote:
>
>Being a parent. . .
>
>Being a parent changes everything. But being a parent also changes with
>each baby. Here are some of the ways having a second and third child is
>different from having your first.
>
>Your Clothes
>
> 1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN
>confirms your pregnancy.
>
> 2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
>
> 3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
>
>Preparing for the Birth
>
> 1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
>
> 2nd baby: You don't bother practicing because you remember that last
>time, breathing didn't do a thing.
>
> 3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month.
>
>The Layette
>
> 1st baby: You pre-wash your newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them,
>and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
>
> 2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard
>only the ones with the darkest stains.
>
> 3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
>
>Worries
>
>1st baby: At the first sign of distress - a whimper, a frown-you pick up
>the baby.
>
> 2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your
>firstborn.
>
> 3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
>
>Pacifier
>
> 1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you
>can go home and wash and boil it.
>
> 2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with
>some juice from the baby's bottle.
>
> 3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
>
>Diapering
>
>1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need
>it or not.
>
> 2nd baby: You change their diaper every 2 to 3 hours, if needed.
>
>3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain
>about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
>
>Activities
>
> 1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, BabySwing, and Baby
>Story Hour.
>
> 2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
>
> 3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
>
>Going Out
>
>1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call
>home
>5 times.
>
> 2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a
>number where you can be reached.
>
>3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees
>blood.
>
>At Home
>
> 1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
>
> 2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older
>child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
>
> 3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
>
>Swallowing Coins (my favorite one)
>
> 1st child: when first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the
>hospital and demand x-rays.
>
> 2nd child: when 2nd child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for coin
>to pass.
>
> 3rd child: when 3rd child swallows a coin you deduct it from his
>allowance!!
>
>--
>Joanne Bulley, MD
>Keene, NH, USA
>
