staring to ponder motherhood

[kuntrygurl78]

Ok ladies. Here goes. Ive had a lot on my mind here lately.

Jerry and I were married in September. So naturally, our next thoughts are to the next step in our lives. We want to have a baby. We have a smallish house and its brand new. So we are set there. He thought we needed a bigger fridge before we have a baby so we bought one last week, and plan to have it and our honemoon paid off by summer.

Im ready to have kids like yesterday. Hes ready, but not as ready as me. So tonight, I asked him if he had some sort of timeline in his head. He said he would like to have one in 2009. Im thinking yipee! I go for my yearly annual in June. I figure I can talk to the doc then, go off my bc, wait the three months, and we can start trying by fall. We are planning a weekend getaway for Labor Day weekend. Perfect!

Here's my questions/thoughts:
There is no way in heck I will be able to take pre natal vitamins. The vitamin C kills me. Its one of my few pain triggers. Ive been researching, and have found that I need to be on the following for sure: folic acid, iron, and calcium (just learned that one today). Im on the folic and the iron right now, and will go pick up some calcium when I get paid Friday.

Im also on glucosamin/chondroitn. Can I stay on that, or is that a pre natal nono?

Im also debating my life outside the home; my job. I love love love my job. As many of you know, I work in a dispatch office for a trucking company at a grocery warehouse. I ususally work Sun-Thurs 5pm-1am. Im kind of a night person, so this works for me. Jerry works days ususally M-F days and then two Saturday mornings a month. (He gets home as Im leaving for work)

Im just wondering if I should continue to work where I do. If I do, then most of the work with a baby would fall on Jerry. I kinda want it to be the other way around. I also dont like working every holiday. We only close three nights a year : thanksgiving eve, xmas eve, new years eve. Right now, that doesnt bother me. But as a mom, I think it would.

I have a great boss, and even greater co workers. There are only 8 of us total in the office. Theres my boss, two people who work days and plan loads, then four girls that work either 5a-5p or 5p-5a (two for each shift on rotating days). Well, one of the girls that works days is retiring in 2-3 years. That means, that my chances of moving to days are good. Tho one of the other night gals has the same seniority as me. (weve only been open two years, and five of us started on the same day...the two day gals, one of the night gals, and one of the planners) The other day gal is older but Im not sure what her timeline is for retirement.

I was talking to one of my co workers about my next five years and that I wasnt sure what I wanted to do. She's one of the night gals and shes also a pastor (she married us!) and shes wonderful. She understands where Im coming from. She said that there are many possibilities within our company in the next few years and that my boss might also be flexible with my night hours..such as maybe letting me work four ten hour nights instead of five eight our nights, or that I could possibly go part time. (i dont need the benefits..jerry has those)

I just dont know?? I love where I work. I make really good money! Especially living in a big college town without a bachelors degree. (I have an associates in elementary ed..and I dont want to finish it).

I just want to make sure that Im doing whats best for my family. I tried talking to Jerry about it tonight. He thought me staying on nights would be good since we would only have to have a sitter in the morning while Im sleeping. Maybe Im thinking too hard on this. Heck, we arent even officially trying yet.

Thanks for any imput yall might have!

[GriffsMommy]

I think it's great that you're trying to plan how all of this is going to work. Shane and I just kinda jumped in and figured it out later because we weren't sure if it would take me to get pregnant or how short my window was due to endo.

I can totally understand you wanting to be the primary one being with your baby. Shane has been staying at home with Griffin for awhile now and I love the relationship they have but I totally wish I was home with him all day.

I also know from experience how hard it is to find a job that you really like, with people you really like, and great pay to boot. I would talk to your boss openly if you feel that you can about possibly changing either your job duties or your job hours. Tell him that you would really like to go to days when there is an opening and what are the possibilities you would get it. Then you'll know where you stand and if you should wait for the new hours to open up for you or if you should possibly start looking for another job.

Whatever you decide I'm sure it'll be the right decision for your family. You have my number if you ever need to talk. :grouphug:

[LeeAnn]

In regards to prenatal vitamins my doctor now recommended that it was fine for me not to take one at all. He is very knowledgeable about IC and know that vitamins cause a lot of pain for most of us. I do my best to eat a variety of foods so that my baby will get what it needs. Vitamins weren't around until the last 100 years (if that) and plenty of babies were born without them. Even way back before eating a balanced diet was even easy, due to the seasonal nature of foods when hunting/gathering. That's my take on it though. Spinach and bread have folic acid, which is a B vitamin. Iron is in most meats. And calcium is easy to get w/ dairy and ice cream, etc. If you can't eat dairy, it still doesn't matter b/c over the counter Tums have like 50% of your daily need of calcium in just one chewable---and trust me, if you're like most pregnant women, you'll definitely have a bottle of Tums close by. Folic acid is absolute murder on my bladder. I tried taking it numerous times in different forms before I got pregnant, just b/c I knew it was recommended for women of childbearing age, but every brand I tried just made me flare horribly for weeks. But maybe some people are able to tolerate it. I don't know. My doctor was totally fine with me skipping prenatals altogether though. I try to keep track of my eating on a website called BabyFit, which allows you to see the nutrients of every food you eat. I track iron, folic acid, and sodium (to avoid too much of it). It's a great website in case you've never heard of it. It's free and easy to use. You just type in a food and it will keep track of any nutrient you would like it to, such as protein, fat, calories, but even specific minerals or vitamins. It helps me see that I really am getting the nutrients my baby needs without taking vitamins and helps put my mind at ease.

[kuntrygurl78]

I like the idea of the food diary thingy you mentioned. I will definately remember that!

Also, my bf is due just two weeks after you. Its so exciting! Shes having a boy. Ill also let her know about the website. Thanks so much!

[Claredale]

I didn't have IC while I was pregnant, but pre-natal vitamins made me so ill with my 2nd preg. I was never sick during my first and took my vitamins every day. My doctor told me to eat properly and not take the vitamins. My 2nd baby was bigger than my first and just as healthy as my first.

I am so excited for you! I am ready for grandchildren (actually a granddaughter to be specific now, but my son and his wife are on a 5 year plan so that my DIL can finish with her masters degree to be a nurse anesthestists. Now my son would love to have one yesterday LOL!