Doulas and doctors

Well, we chose a postpartum doula this week.

I had contacted 3 of them over the past few weeks and spent some time talking over the phone. They all sounded knowledgeable and experienced, so I setup and interview night on Tuesday - I had them each come visit for about 45 mins to an hour each. I didn't really have a lot of specific questions, but got them talking about their philosophies on breastfeeding, what a typical day would be like, what tips they had for me, etc.

One had the tendency to ramble, and her voice was a little loud and shrill. She would bug the heck out of me! Another was more grandmother-like, and a little too "granola" for me. She said she supported a mother's decision to breast or bottle feed, but you can tell she only REALLY supported breastfeeding. And I fully intend to breastfeed, and I very much hope it works for me, but I don't want to feel guilty or like I've failed if it doesn't. I also asked her if I would need to continue to restrict my diet when I breastfed. For example, I'm not eating deli meat now, but can I eat that once I deliver and am breastfeeding? Well, she said I really shouldn't be eating it anyway since it's so unhealthy. OK. Next!

The third was just right. She was confident but not aggressive, sort of a quiet calm about her. She seemed like an aunt, not a grandmother, and did not seem opinionated at all. Basically, she'll be making sure I'm eating and drinking, helping take care of the baby so I can sleep, do laundry and light cleaning, run errands, cook dinners, teach me how to bathe, burp and care for the baby, and a bunch of other helpful things. I know our parents will be around to help and support us a lot, but I like the idea of having someone objective and who's around babies all the time that can help us feel more comfortable with how to do things! We're going to start out with 3 days a week, then see how it goes from there.

Tonight I'm going to an open house meeting for expectant parents at a pediatrics group. It's only 1 block from my office, 1 block from the daycare, and 10 minutes from our house. Plus they are affiliated with the hospital I'll be delivering at. I hope I like them because then I'll look no further - it couldn't be more convenient! Luckily, I just happened to call them yesterday to setup a consult (finding a pediatrician was on my to-do list for Sep), and they told me they had this open house today. Great timing!

I feel like I'm keeping on top of everything I need to do, making good progress against my list. And so is DH. Poor guy - there is so much to do! He's almost finished with all his outdoor projects (pressure washing the house and deck, staining the deck, painting shutters, installing railings on the front porch...) and now he can focus on the indoor projects (finishing the basement, moving the gym down to the basement, and getting the playroom and nursery ready). This will be the fun part! I can't wait to start picking out paint colors and decorating. :)

But after today, we're taking a break from everything for 4 days!! We're heading to the shore house for a nice, 4-day weekend of beach time, golf, nice dinners with friends and hopefully a lot of relaxing! We have tenants coming on Monday who are renting from Sep through May, so we'll turn over the keys and head back to our massive to do list on Monday night. But meanwhile, I'm so happy the weather is great for the last weekend of summer!