Is there anything you regret??? [Archive]

Renrel

07-20-2005, 06:57 AM

At the moment all I can think of if that we did not get more done before the birth, but that is the story of my life not an isolated issue. It would have been so much easier if we had bought a house before the baby was born, thrown out all of our unnecessary clutter, had a clean neat organize way of life to start from. I also wish I had ordered and addressed announcement cards before the baby arrived. I did not even know that people did that until after. As it was our announcement went out over two months after the birth and I had to order and pay for them twice because with my mommy brain I managed to spell my son's middle name wrong the first time, Jabob instead of Jacob. :o

I am lucky, I have been happy with most of our choices. My issues/regrets are all with my own lazineness, disorganization and such.

gizzyntaz

07-20-2005, 07:10 AM

I had a bad patch of morning sickness from weeks 6-9 of the pregnancy. During week 7 I was really bad, couldn't go to work etc. I ended up going on a prescription drug to help (it only helped moderately) for 2 weeks. I wish I hadn't. Of course, I didn't know that the end was already in sight by the time I got the prescription, but next time I'll try not to.

I also regret not putting my foot down more about my MIL's visit after the baby was born. She treated the whole situation as her "right" not a privilege, and it caused some really hard feelings from me. Next time, things will be different.

Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with our decisions...

cgmom313

07-20-2005, 07:26 AM

mamahammer

07-20-2005, 07:36 AM

having thomas circumcised is the one thing i would never do again.

happy1nuv

07-20-2005, 07:49 AM

i would have made my manicure/pedicure/massage appt earlier... nic came early an i mssed it. i also would have added a hair appt - cause now theres just no time. Oh, and probably my biggest regret - I didnt read any parenting type books befoe e was born ... sleep issues...bfing... those kinds of books...

Renrel

07-20-2005, 08:13 AM

happy1nuv i reminded me. I would have gotten my hair cut and colored sometime during those first 12 weeks. I reget looking like such a mess in all those hundreds and hundreds of photos. Of course since I was only sleeping in 3 hours segments, napping all the time and dressing for comfort and having my picture snapped as I slept with my son maybe it would not have made that much a difference in how I looked in the photos anyway. A neat cut and color only helps so much if you have not brushed your hair, have no make up on and are drooling into your pillow. I could say I regret having those photos taken, but I don't really. As bad as I look that was my life at that point in time. It is important that I remember that, and that my DIL someday be able to look at my photos and realize that she is not the only one that looked awlful at that point in her life, just as I now know why my mom looks a mess in the photos taken of her during my early years.

curlywig

07-20-2005, 08:27 AM

My regret is being disappointed with myself for a few days because I was having trouble BF and I felt so guilty when I move to Formula. The LC actually made me feel like such a failure in the hospital, and in the end I felt that put me into a bit of depression for a few days. When in the end I had to do what was best for my baby. I guess I had all these dreams of BF and it going well that I think I set myself up to feel like a failure.

Ditto this completely. After weeks of excruciating pain, multiple visits to LCs (who thank goodness were much kinder than the one referenced above) my dream of BF gave way to my DS getting his mommy back both emotionally and physically. Despite this and our troubles, I'm such a BF advocate it's crazy. In the end, the LC gave me a "purple heart" of BF and that helped ease my mood a bit.

alisong

07-20-2005, 08:32 AM

I regret not hiring a doula.

Also, we never got around to taking pregnancy photos (they were scheduled for the day DS arrived!), but I'm fine with that.

gelfnrach

07-20-2005, 08:33 AM

My only regret is that I didnt take alot of pics of me PG...other than that, I have none..

sparkle&shine

07-20-2005, 08:36 AM

I regret letting the Dr. induce me and getting an epidural. I was handling the cntrx fine until they upped my pitocin too much causing my cntx to be too much for my uterus. They had to turn it off to let my body regulate itself but I had already had the epidural. I believe that those 2 things led to my C-section.

Brady

07-20-2005, 08:45 AM

Pictures. Like someone else mentioned, I regret not having many of me pregnant. Most were just of my belly because I thought my face looked too "fat". :rolleyes: So, all I really have are the few from my baby shower. I also shyed away from pictures in the delivery room (before/after), and regret not having many of myself in pics from that time.

Other than that, we/I am very much a sort of "go with the flow" type person, so I didn't really set too many expectations on other things, so no other real regrets. Sure, I wish we had a house.. but the $$ reality, was just that- reality said No, so I can't really regret it, you know?

Winter Biscuit

07-20-2005, 08:54 AM

I regret not getting a prenatal massage. I wanted to and kept saying I was going to, and then never got around to it. During my next pregnancy (assuming I can get pregnant again), I intend to pamper myself more than I did the first time around.

I wish we had taken more pictures of our DD with other family members in the beginning. We have hundreds of pictures of her alone, of her with me, and of her with DH. But few pictures from the early months with her great-grandmothers, grandparents, and some aunts/uncles. My grandmother died in April and I only have a few pictures of her holding DD (and some of them did not turn out well). I would have loved one good picture of her holding DD.

Also, my FIL is battling cancer and it appears that he is losing his battle and that there is not much time left. In the beginning when DD was first born, he was too nervous and intimidated to hold her, so I don't have a single picture of him holding her when she was a newborn. He eventually did become more comfortable around her - especially as she got more active - and I wish we had taken more pictures of them together.

Chylynn

07-20-2005, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by cgmom313
My regret is being disappointed with myself for a few days because I was having trouble BF and I felt so guilty when I move to Formula. The LC actually made me feel like such a failure in the hospital, and in the end I felt that put me into a bit of depression for a few days. When in the end I had to do what was best for my baby. I guess I had all these dreams of BF and it going well that I think I set myself up to feel like a failure.

That was me to a T. I felt like such a bad mother. I invested so much into BFing, 6 visits with a LC, PIS, breast sheilds and still, to no avail. My daughter can not go without eating for too long (she has a metobolic disorder called MCAD), so in the end, I know I made the right decision and now we know exactly how much she is getting to eat everyday. With our next child, I am definately going to try to BF again...

hub1176

07-20-2005, 08:58 AM

I regret not having the nursery done before dd arrived. It made things a lot harder in the beginning by not having a spot - also she's 7 weeks old and her room still isn't as together as I'd like.

Not having enough help in the first few weeks home - seriously it's the main reason dd will be an only child :(

ellybelle

07-20-2005, 09:00 AM

I regret not hiring a doula for childbirth. The nurses and doctors generally told me what they were going to do, rather than asking.

Not videotaping the actual birth. I should have done it for myself, since I really didn't see it!

Kim

07-20-2005, 09:00 AM

I'd have to echo what some others have said. I regret not having more pictures of me while I was pregnant (I avoided the camera). I also regret not breaking out the video camera more often with baby #1. I was in such a new mommy haze that I really didn't start videoing until she was about 6 months old. Luckily I took tons of still pics.

carolc

07-20-2005, 09:12 AM

I really regret not hiring a doula. I reget not taking pictures of the birth--yes, the birth itself, as in the baby coming out. I couldn't see (didn't have my glasses on) and didn't want to look at the time anyway, and I wish I had now.

I also regret not getting a digital camera right away (so much better) and not taking more videos.

mom_to_zoe

07-20-2005, 09:19 AM

I regret gaining so much weight while pregnant. I basically used pregnancy as an excuse to chow down and I gained like 50 pounds. It has been hard taking it all off. I also wished I had started trying to lose the weight sooner, like do WW for breastfeeding moms or something.

The only other thing I really regret is that I didn't take advantage of the time when Zoe was a newborn. By that, I mean that I should have gotten out and about more with her when she was still so portable. BY the time she was four months or so, I (like the true Weissbluth devotee that I am) insisted on always being home for naptime and that really limits your day. Those first few weeks, they'll sleep anyway, so you have no excuse not to go out. I think I was intimidated by the thought of nursing in public.

Oh wait, the other thing I regret is not pumping more in the beginning when my supply was so good and freezing the milk to have a stash later.

RileyMom

07-20-2005, 10:22 AM

Some of the things I regret were things I couldn't do anything about. Like the fact that I had severe complications following my c-section that caused me to remain in the hospital for 11 days following her birth - during which time I was too incapacitated to even hold her, let alone bond with her.

The bf'ing struggles we had (mostly due to the above) that made the first 3 months a blur and not very pleasant. I never had that peaceful newborn bonding experience. It was all just such a mess that at one point that I didn't think I would ever come out of the bad place I was in. We did make bf'ing work, and for that I am glad, but I still have awful memories of being tied to a pump all day long, not being able to go anywhere or do anything, nipples that were cracked and bleeding, and severe depression that sent me into crying spells constantly. I distinctly remember telling DH that I felt "trapped" and "out of control."

Things I could control that I regret: not having any pregnancy photos of me, really, except for a couple. Not being better about her baby book. I really neglected it for a long time, and am just trying to catch up now.

Jen1098

07-20-2005, 10:37 AM

I regret not having good pictures of the three of us in the hospital after ds's birth.
I regret not getting a pic. of ds with my ob b/c I loved him.

I regret not taking a picture each month on his birthday in the same spot like the glider, boppy or with a bear kwim

I also regret not getting out enough when he was real little-guess I was nervous.

Other then that no big regrets

dana b

07-20-2005, 11:33 AM

-buying absolutely everything in pink. i love pink, but now i have so much to buy if #2 is a boy.

-not doing the nursery completely gender neutral, knowing that our kids will share a room.

-not getting an slr camera before she was born.

- not having preg photos done, a photog friend would've done them for free, but i felt, too fat.

- not getting one of those stork signs for your lawn, everyone in our neighborhood gets them and i think they're so cute.

- and like renrel mentioned, i regret not getting our house more organized and put together. we moved right when i got pg and to this day, we still have stuff in boxes.

BeachBum

07-20-2005, 11:34 AM

I regret not keeping a journal during the pregnancy. I thought I would remember everything...but here I am at 32 weeks and my feelings on being pregnant, my excitement level, nervousness have changed so much. I would love to be able to go back and read everything.

mindy

07-20-2005, 01:13 PM

I regret not having pregnancy pictures taken of me and I also wished I would have pumped and not did formula.

moderngal

07-20-2005, 04:15 PM

*not getting more pictures of the 3 of us

*not taking more videos

otherwise I think we did everything as well as we could have expected.

dzmattie

07-20-2005, 06:45 PM

Crib - we bought one of the cribs that does not have a side that goes down. We thought they were more "sturdy" than the others - to make a long story short - I hurt my back when DS was 12 months old and the crib was lowered all the way down. It was VERY hard to put him in for naps etc. Also - it is very hard with these cribs to find bumpers that fit (backside is solid - we have the Jardine Madison Crib), a mobile to fit, and a teething thing for the edges. If I could do it again - I would not get this crib - although I love the look of it.

Baby Gear - I would have asked more people for suggestions and researched more. Or waited to buy things till we knew what we wanted. We kind of just picked what looked good at the time and made some bad and some good decisions. Although I guess you don't truly know what you will like till you live it.

Breastfeeding - I loved it for the first 4 months - then I got a kidney stone and was hospitalized. My son hadn't had a bottle yet - not to mention I only had one day's worth of BM in the freezer. It was so hard for him to adjust to the bottle - not to mention formula. I "pumped and dumped" for 4 weeks and then he would only nurse occasionally and I didn't really have a milk supply anyway. I nursed part time for another 4 months then stopped. I was so hard on myself about the whole situation but now I realize how much it was out of my hands. But with next baby I will make sure to get him used to a bottle just in case.

Lvella43

08-31-2005, 04:49 PM

BUMP - this is really interesting and I'd love to read more thoughts.

LyLMyssChaos

08-31-2005, 04:58 PM

I regret all of the furniture that I felt was such a "necessity" for the nursery. Our DD did not sleep in her crib until she was 15 months old, and now our DS uses it, but I had such a big thing about "having to having matching" blah blah blah for the nursery, and it all ended up in storage from the time she was 3 months old until she was 22 months old and we started using some of it for DS. We went the cheap route, but we could have gone much cheaper if I wouldn't have demanded so much over stupid hutches (that got shattered while moving :( ) and such!

kimthebride

08-31-2005, 06:23 PM

florytee

08-31-2005, 06:44 PM

I sort of regret not CD'g #1. We could've saved so much money.

I also regret not taking pro maternity pics with either pregnancies...those look so nice!

vjel

08-31-2005, 06:49 PM

I regret not trying hard enough to introduce a bottle so that I could get an occassional "break" from BFing. While I enjoyed the bonding time, it was really tiring and I could never go out by myself or w/ friends for a long periods of time.

catmom

08-31-2005, 07:00 PM

I regret not keeping up with the baby book... I am just getting around to it, and I'm having such a hard time remembering when she first did things.

I regret not being more persistant about getting bf-ing help from day one. I eventually saw 3 lc's, but I can't help thinking if I had seen a real lc in the beginning (I deliverd on a friday, and the hospital lc's were off for the weekend), maybe I could have had an easier time. As it was, I was in constant, horrible pain for the first 3 months of my DD's life, and I'm pretty sure that had a lot to do with my subsequent supply problems. Not to mention that it pretty much ruined my chances of enjoying my DD's newborn period. I also regret that I let one of these lc's make me feel guilty about supplementing her when her weight gain stalled and then she started losing at 4 1/2 months... as if I had a choice at that point!

I regret not having DH learn to put DD down at bedtime and for naps at least a few times a week. Now DD won't go down for anyone but me.

There are some things I spent money on that I wish I hadn't, but to me that's fairly minor.

NYN

08-31-2005, 08:12 PM

i regret not taking professional pregnancy photos also but i was so lazy during those last few months, i didn't even have the energy to make the appt. i promise you it is true what they say though: no matter how fat you feel, you will love looking at pictures of yourself from when you were PG.

i really regret allowing as many visitors as i did during the first two or three weeks of DD's life. i thought i would want my family around but i never anticipated how horrible and rude people would be and it really turned me into a nervous wreck.

i wish i had never allowed people to hold her as much as i did. a few minutes in someone's arms would have been fine, but not hours. i know better for next time but i feel bad that i allowed this to happen.

i also regret allowing other people besides me or my DH bottle feed her the first three days of her life (during week one she didn't latch on so i pumped). i realized quickly that i should put a stop to it but it wasn't quick enough.

basically i wish i hadn't beenn so nice to people. i should have just concentrated on bonding w/ my daughter and told everyone else to take their unsolicited advice and shove it.

Natasha

08-31-2005, 08:32 PM

I regret my emergency c-section (not that I could have done anything about it). I regret going back to work as soon as I did. I wish I could have taken a little more time off with DS. I regret not working harder at BF'ing. i went through 7 LC's, all assuring me that I was doing my best, and DS never managed to find the interest. We were in bottles the first week, and in formula by week 5.

lorbo

08-31-2005, 11:48 PM

i regret not automatically uploading the digital pics from the camera of DD meeting DS as he came home from the NICU after 5 weeks in it...DH erased them because..."well, i thought you would have already downloaded them." of course that's my fault!

mamax2

09-01-2005, 12:41 PM

I have a few regrets...

not taking more videos - we only seem to break out the video camera for holidays and birthdays, unfortunately
getting to the point that I gave in to the CIO philosophy - DD and I were both miserable and it never ended up working for her despite months of trying - I wish I never even tried this since it was so not in tune w/my mommy instinct
keeping up her baby book on a regular basis - like once a week/month
taking pictures once a month to fill in her 'my first year' frame
filling up the 'time capsule' my ILs gave her w/the newspaper from the day she was born, etc.

ellybelle

09-01-2005, 01:06 PM

not taking more videos -- including having the actual birth videotaped
not insisting that an LC meet with me before I left the hospital
not getting professional baby photos taken
not reading Weissbluth more carefully BEFORE dd was born (the parts about schedules and napping)

There's other stuff I'm unhappy about, but these were things that would be hard to have changed.

Mrs. M.

09-01-2005, 01:50 PM

I regret not insisting they put her on me right after birth. They bathed and clothed her before I could hold her :(

I regret only having 3 photos of her birth day. Next time I will make DH take more.

I regret not kicking out visitors who overstayed.

dal

09-01-2005, 02:47 PM

I regret allowing my doctor to give me pitocin so early in my labor with Kailey. It made for a miserable labor and delivery without any pain medication (though a very quick labor and delivery).

cat_loverpq

05-31-2007, 06:35 PM

Bump! I'd love to hear more thoughts on this topic...

MichelleRenee

05-31-2007, 06:41 PM

1. I regret not having a "first family photo" taken right after he was born.

2. I regret not sending birth announcements.

3. I regret ignoring my gut instinct when I first relaized I wasn't comfortable with our first babysitter.

4. I regret quitting pumping, even though it was causing me a lot of stress.

5. I regret not having professional belly shots done. I felt so fat and lazy towards the end.

MichelleRenee

05-31-2007, 06:43 PM

1 more:

I regret telling certain family members about my PPD... they laughed at me and made it 100x worse!

psusna

05-31-2007, 06:49 PM

Michele: I agree with #1, 2 and 4. I also regret having MIL stay with us for 2 weeks after DS was born. I felt I had to entertain and never really got into a good groove (or took naps!) until she left and I could get us into a routine.

maplekitty

05-31-2007, 07:02 PM

I had the shakes pretty badly during my csec, and then the nurse wouldnt let me hold DD for an hour after my surgery. Curt held her the whole time, but I had said that I wanted to try and nurse her ASAP after birth. Well I wasnt more forceful about wanting to do that, and then we were wheeled into my room and left alone until morning. I should ahve asked the nurse for bf'ing help right away.

Between that and using a nipple shield too early I think that was the demise of our bad bf'ing relationship. She only nurse with a nipple shield for 4 months, and I really wanted to go for the year mark :(

Winter Biscuit

06-01-2007, 05:33 AM

It was interesting to go back and read what I wrote 2 years ago about DD#1. :) Now that DD#2 is here...

I regret giving #2 a paci so early. With DD#1, we did not offer her a pacifier until she was at least a month old. It had been drilled into my head that it was important to get BFing established before we introduced any type of artificial nipple. By the time she was 4+ weeks old, BFing was going really well so we offered a pacifier, and she would not take it. She simply had no interest whatsoever. With DD#2, I had such a miserable experience in the hospital the first 2 nights (I had a c-section so I was there 3 nights total) that I agreed to let the nurse give her a paci. So she has basically been using a paci since the beginning. DD#2 is 4 months old now and the biggest binkie addict. I don't mind the fact that she uses a binkie per se. And it didn't affect our BFing relationship at all. I just wish we had waited.

I have taken tons of pictures, but I regret that I haven't taken more video. (Mental note to self: must get video camera out tonight....)

I regret that I didn't take more pictures at her baptism. We took some and got some very nice ones. However, we hosted 20+ people at our house after the baptism so it was a bit chaotic after the baptism trying to get out the door and rush back to our house so we could get ready for everyone to come over. I wish I had just relaxed and taken more pictures of DD#2 in her baptism gown at the church, instead of rushing home to get the food ready :rolleyes:

BethIrish

06-01-2007, 05:47 AM

I regret not trying breastfeeding right away. Looking back, it was almost like I was waiting for someone to tell me what to do!

As for pictures before/during/after delivery....we took them, with the caveat that I had full editing rights to delete ;) I'm so glad we did. The one picture I thought I would hate - the one DH took of DS and I as soon as he was cleaned up and handed to me - is my favorite picture from that day. Sure, I'm sweaty, my hair is a mess and I look exhausted...but he captured the pure joy of that moment. In fact, we liked the picture so much it now hangs in DS's nursery along with his first picture and his first picture with DH.

miaclear

06-01-2007, 06:39 AM

I ended up having an emergency c-section. The only thing I regret and I'm not sure if I could have changed it is being so drugged after DSs birth.

Oh...I also regret not making him sleep on his back in his bassinett when he was just a baby baby. Now at 10 weeks I think it will be hard as hell to get him to sleep in his crib.

jesseybell

06-01-2007, 06:46 AM

I regret not taking more pictures at the beginning - we really don't have any good pictures of me or DH with DD at the hospital

I regret not having DH at the hospital more - I did tell him to go to work a couple of the days (I was there for 5 days) and he only slept there 2 - I wish he was there more

I regret not having professional belly shots done (or at least having DH take nice shots)

I regret not taking more videos in her first few months

I regret not putting her down to bed in her bassinet before i went back to work - she'd go to bed with us at midnight and we in turn were having to change her schedule during my first few days back at work

I regret not getting out of the house more during maternity leave - I bled so much for 8 weeks - I was so scared of an "accident" that I'd rather stay at home....and after that I was tied to the pump - next time I'll pump in the car

This wasn't something I could control so I can't regret it, but by the time DD was born at 9:45 pm I hadn't really slept in 36 hours and by the time I was sewn up and got back to my room it was the middle of the night and I was exhausted and kind of loopy on drugs, so I really didn't get to or want to hold her much until the next morning (they didn't even bring her to me until 11:00 am because i needed to rest). I expect I'll have a scheduled c/s next time and hopefully can bond with her more right from the start

LMG462

06-01-2007, 06:53 AM

I regret not doing more sole searching to realize how important a vaginal birth was to me. I ended up having an unnecessary c-section. Unfortunately I had an OB who was highly interventive and probably just wanted to go home.

Soulmate

06-01-2007, 06:59 AM

I regret not appreciating pregnancy more. I was soooo freaked out about the huge lifestyle change and the permanency of having a baby that I didn't really enjoy being pregnant as much as I should have. I never really experienced the joy of having a life grow inside of me. My next baby will be very different.

I also regret allowing myself to get pitocin. Didn't help and won't happen again.

kimthebride

06-01-2007, 09:19 AM

I would have liked some digital pics taken of me in labor & delivering. DH can't get over how amazing it was to see DS come out of me, and i never got to see it.

I would have like DH to cut the cord.

My (natural) labor was so crazy fast these 2 things fell by the wayside. :(
Its now 2 years later and I just had baby #2. So...
- this time we got more pictures of me in L&D. I look like hell in a handbag! LOL
- I now don't mind that DH wasn't taking video of the birth. I prefer he got to watch it without multitasking, and we each have our own experience of what it was like for me to deliver our kids. So we can take that "regret" off the list. :)
- this time DH got to cut the cord

I can say this: as I went through DS's baby pics before I was due with DD, I realized that there are a few pics of me in the hospital with him but after that NOTHING of me until he's over 2 months old, and its because my friend took them for me with my camera. So it looks like he is a motherless child!!

So I do regret not being more aware that I was always the photographer, and not the photo subject. I am more than making up for it this time, making a point to have DH and others use my camera to take pics of me with both kids. I find that so many moms look back and realize they are missing from the photo albums...I don't want this to happen to us!

cr8zyforaf

06-01-2007, 10:47 AM

Lets see:

· Not taking pictures of me pregnant - I don't like to have my picture taken and I just felt awful (very sick for almost the entire pregnancy)
· I wish I would have relaxed and enjoyed things more - I was too busy trying to get the house ready, get the room ready, etc. I wish I could have enjoyed my last child-free days more.
· Breastfeeding - I was devastated when this didn't work for us - and I tried everything - I wish I could have been able to just let it go instead of crying and spiraling into a depression that lasted for almost a year.
· I wish I would have gotten help for the depression – maybe it wouldn’t have lasted so long.
· Pictures – none of the birth and very few at the hospital. I also have very few pictures of us – I am always the one taking the pictures. And video – we purchased a video camera to catch many of the special moments and I have next to nothing…things have passed by that are only a distant memory now.
· Few pictures of special events (baptism, 1st birthday) – I was too busy playing hostess and just forgot.
· Spending a ton of money on cute baby shoes, dresses, outfits, hats, hair bows. I have a ton of stuff that just didn’t get used and is now sitting in bins taking up room.

· My single biggest regret – DD was colicky and didn’t sleep consistently until almost 18 months – for the first year I read every sleep book, searched the web for ideas, worried myself sick that I was setting myself up for a lifetime of rocking, swaddling, feed to sleep, up all night issues – I wish I would have just relaxed and enjoyed the moments instead of wishing to get sleep and stressing over every.little.thing I did. I miss that special time of rocking and holding and feeding during the night when the house is quiet and it was just the two of us. Now that she is a toddler, I am lucky if I get an occasional hug as she runs past me.

Wrighty26

06-01-2007, 11:04 AM

I regret being induced. I wish I would have just waited it out. Everything turned out fine - but next time I will just wait.

I regret not appreciating my maternity leave more - or extending it. I went back when my DS was 7.5 weeks and at first I really enjoyed working again. I had the baby blues pretty badly at first and just craved adult interaction. Now I wish I had extended that time and really appreciated the newborn stage. I feel like I was in a huge rush for him to get older -- but now I miss how cuddlely and snuggly my DS was. I think this whole 1st year has been full of bittersweet moments like that though!

DansGirl

06-01-2007, 11:19 AM

A few:

1. I wish I would have gotten my hair re-highlighted closer to my delivery. Who knew I would go 2 weeks over? My hair looked pretty scary in the first few week pictures.

2. I regret coming back to work (I think I'm the only one who's posted this so far) - or at least seriously planning for the possibility of being a SAHM. I could have really gotten some money saved. Doing that now though, and counting down the months until I can stay at home.

3. I regret taking narcotics during the delivery. I had a long long labor (34 hours of painful contractions every 5 minutes. Labor was so long because I dilated very very very slowly (almost 12 hours before I got to 2 cm). Labor started at midnight and I had been up since 6 a.m. that morning, so needless to say I was exhausted. Doc suggested Stadohl (sp?) and Ambien to take the edge off and help me sleep before they would give me the epi. I knew that these types of drugs make me woozy - and boy did it ever! FWIW, I never slept & was a crazy fool during labor. Who knows though, I might've been crazy anyway? :)

lml41981

06-01-2007, 12:10 PM

*I regret not being healthier when I got pg.
*I regret my OB choice.
*I regret agreeing to be induced.
*I regret not ripping off the monitors when I was in labor.
*I regret not telling the nurses that I didn't give a damn about their policy, but I needed to labor in another position because the bed was literally hurting my ass (still hurts a week shy of 20 months later).
*I regret not hiring a doula.
*I regret not putting my foot down and insisting that my mother allow me to get rest instead of complaining to me about her problems during the first week postpartum.

Kanga

06-01-2007, 12:12 PM

not having a video camera for #1

not taking enough pictures and not making sure I'm in some of them. I have a Daddy and me page in the scrapbook and would like to do a Mommy and me, but I'm having hard time finding ANY pictures, let alone good ones. And family pictures are near non-existent. I am always making excuses about how messy the house looks, how dirty dd1 is after playing hard outside, it's not a very cute outfit, I didn't do my hair/make-up today and the list goes on. And now I regret not having anything to look back on. Even if the house was messy, and the girls were only in diapers at least I'd still have something.

Vaccinating my oldest dd, espeically the 4mo ones. I hadn't heard of not vaxing at her birth and 2mo shots but at 4mo my gut told me to at least research it more and I did it anyways.

There are a lot more things I'm going to do different next time, but I don't really regret doing it this time around, if that makes sense.

booksie

06-01-2007, 02:56 PM

Lets see:
· My single biggest regret – DD was colicky and didn’t sleep consistently until almost 18 months – for the first year I read every sleep book, searched the web for ideas, worried myself sick that I was setting myself up for a lifetime of rocking, swaddling, feed to sleep, up all night issues – I wish I would have just relaxed and enjoyed the moments instead of wishing to get sleep and stressing over every.little.thing I did. I miss that special time of rocking and holding and feeding during the night when the house is quiet and it was just the two of us. Now that she is a toddler, I am lucky if I get an occasional hug as she runs past me.

cr8zyforaf: Thank you SO much for sharing this. It really helps put everything in perspective for those of us in the midst of it right now.

jbenny75

06-01-2007, 04:27 PM

-not getting a good pic of the three of us right after DS was born and before taking DS home from the hospital
-not taking enough pics of him in the hospital
-not making DH take more pics of me with DS. Like others have said, I'm always the photographer, so in our photos it appears that I do not exist.

-one of my friends was an obnoxious b*tch about my baby shower. She put down the food, the gifts people gave, and made all sorts of comments about it. I wish I had told her to STFU and not let her ruin it for me.

solongtogo

06-01-2007, 06:31 PM

Not having a calendar hanging somewhere to write down milestones etc for scrapbooking purposes

Not taking enough photos while pregnant

Not having them show me the baby directly after birth

Beating myself up when breastfeeding failed

Complaing a lot (though I was absolutely miserable), next time around I'll do it with a smile on my face

Not getting a chocolate chip hospital cookie every meal there (I'm just kidding...sortof. Those cookies were more edible than the rest of the hospital food)

jbenny75

06-02-2007, 06:05 AM

Another regret: taking Nubain while I was waiting for my epidural. It made me way too goofy and I don't remember things as clearly as I'd like. The contractions still hurt almost just as much anyway.

mmm0708

06-02-2007, 06:28 AM

I regret being induced with my first... led to a mama on oxygen and an emergency c-section.

Kopper

06-02-2007, 04:15 PM

I regret being induced. I am certain my body was not ready and that is why I ended up with a c-section.

I regret pretty much the whole hospital experience. I didn't like the nursery nurses, the ped DS had to see (b/c his didn't travel to the hospital my OB delivers at), some of the PP nurses and hospital policy. I am going plan a birth center birth for the next one.

I regret not letting people come over more. I was seriously restrictive on visits. I wish I would have tried to relax a little more. I wouldn't want a ton of people around all the time but some sort of balance.

I regret not learning more about BFAR (breastfeeding after reduction) before DS was born.

MidwesternGal

06-02-2007, 08:38 PM

I regret not taking a little bit better care of myself while pregnant. I only gained the standard 35, but it was a lot of flab. I barely worked out at all while preggo, and so even though my weight is down now, I'm pretty squishy!

I regret not enjoying my pregnancy. DS was a HUGE surprise and we weren't planning on any kids, so I was semi-upset most of the pregnancy. I should have enjoyed it more and taken advantage of being cute and pregnant when I had the chance!

Honestly, that's about it. I regret a few other things, like not having as much money saved, and swaddling too long, but those are the two biggies.

Kopper--I hated my pp daytime nurses--they were mean and rude. The night ones, I wanted to take home with me, LOL.

ETA: I also regret not pumping when my supply was off the charts. Yeah, it would have made it worse, but when I started drying up early, it would have been great to have.

Nigellas

06-03-2007, 05:37 AM

There are definitely things that I wish happened differently, but I can't say I regret them because they were instances that were out of my hands and I had no control over. For instance, I was on bedrest for 5 months before I had my son - he was also early so nothing was ready - The carpet for his room got installed the day we brought him home from the hospital - Way stressful.
Also, I didn't have any food made in the freezer, since I couldn't cook on bedrest. We ate a ton of crap those first few weeks because we coudln't get it together to cook and shop.
And the worst- being on bedrest, I couldn't go to a childbirth class. I wanted (and got) a natural childbirth, but it was really, really awful - Mostly because I was scared and in pain and didn't know how to cope well. I really wish I could have taken a class to prepare.

jeninef

06-03-2007, 02:15 PM

I can agree with so many things previously posted in here...but one thing stands out in my mind, and it seems so trivial, but I got the idea on these boards AFTER DS was born and I think it would have been really cool to do...so now I will do it whenever we have the next one, God willing.

I will buy a newspaper from the day my child is born, so he/she can have it when they get older, or I can look at it and remember what was going on that day in the world , since the only thing that mattered to me that day was the birth of my child.

DansGirl

06-04-2007, 08:35 AM

FWIW: For those of you regretting not buying a newspaper the day your DC was born, here's a suggestion. Call your local paper and see if they have back issues in archive that you can have/buy. Just a thought.

Sarah

06-04-2007, 09:58 AM

I regret not setting discipline standards for DD1 a lot earlier. I feel like we were really lax with her until she was over 2 and then had to change a lot of bad habits. With DD2 we started setting good habits and routines earlier, and although DD2 is a much less naturally "well behaved" child, she is more used to having expectations and consequences (not like big punishments, but the expectation of obedience).

I regret being so uptight about stuff when DD1 was smaller. I still support the choices I made then, but I wish I hadn't obsessed about stuff.

petdoc08

06-04-2007, 12:15 PM

Not enjoying my pregnancy- I was so wound up with school/work stress I never took time to just enjoy being pregnant. I really just felt like I was getting fatter and fatter and rarely took the opportunity to let the fact a baby was growing inside me sink in.

Getting induced- everything went text book perfect but next time I would just like to wait it out. I was so anxious to meet DD that I let the docs convince me it was needed.

My epidural- It didn't work at all. I was stuck laboring on my back because of the darn thing but got no pain relieve. Next time, I am planning a natural labor so I can move when my body tells me I need to.

rosa727

06-07-2007, 03:37 PM

-I regret not having professional belly shots done
-I regret not trusting my instincts more and pushing the doctor to consider whether DS had a medical problem, rather than telling me it was "just colic" or "maybe because I was a new mom I was making him uneasy and nervous". Turns out he had bad reflux (getting way better now thankfully) and suffered unnecessarily for too long.
-little things I did that made BFing less successful than it could have been (I made it to my 6 month goal, but had to supplement which upset me)
-that I did not have a sling from DAY 1. It was the only place DS was really happy in those tough first couple months (when his reflux was terrible).

I guess it will be nice when I have #2 and know more than I did the first time around

MichelleRenee

06-07-2007, 07:03 PM

I have yet another:

I regret a few of the major items I registered for. Before the baby I was so obsessed with things based on how they look. After he was born I realized how important function and convenience are!

kristin

06-07-2007, 07:27 PM

I regret focusing so much on "stuff" for the baby during my pregnancy, rather than focusing on how our lives were changing. I spent way too many hours coordinating the perfect nursery, investigating strollers, and buying cute little clothes.

I definitely regret not having many photos or videos.

I regret insisting on moving into a house prior to DS being born. I just had it in my mind that a family lives in a house, not a condo. Stupid me, we would have been so much more comfortable in our beautiful 2 bedroom condo than the falling down shack of a home we moved into. We bought a fixer-upper, which should have really been a tearer-downer. We moved in 2 weeks before DS was born. Three months later, we still didn't have our oven or dishwasher hooked up. We joke around now that he was the youngest baby to camp out for 6 months ever. But seriously, it was not fun. I will never move if I am pregnant again.

I also regret being a super-control freak about breastfeeding. I made it 10 months (when I found out I was pregnant again), and towards the end I really didn't enjoy it. I once did a full grocery shopping and left my DS home with DH, only to find there was an incredibly long line. I ditched the cart and went home empty-handed. It would not have killed my child to have formula once in a blue moon.

mimieliza

06-07-2007, 09:52 PM

I regret focusing so much on "stuff" for the baby during my pregnancy, rather than focusing on how our lives were changing. I spent way too many hours coordinating the perfect nursery, investigating strollers, and buying cute little clothes.

That. I think I was in a state of panic my entire pregnancy, and the "stuff" felt like the only thing I have control over. I honestly wish I had saved my money and spent my time on things that would have made life easier and more memorable (like making scrapbook pages or preparing freezer meals).

mimieliza

06-07-2007, 09:54 PM

I regret not anticipating how expensive the birth would be, even with health insurance. Our portion of the bills was $4000 and we're still paying it off (c-section). It's a great strain.

booksie

06-08-2007, 07:00 AM

I guess it will be nice when I have #2 and know more than I did the first time around

I thought the same thing too... but baby number 2 was SOOOO different that i had a whole new set of regrets. : )

My biggest regret this far is not taking baby#1 to Early Childhood Family Education groups or Mommy & Me or SOMETHING. I was working but now with baby#2 I'm not and it's harder to get involved with these groups with the two kids now. All the women in the older child groups have been together and have formed great bonds that I've missed out on. And I could have really used the support and bonding when I was first starting out on this parenting journey.

ceaserbride

06-08-2007, 07:37 AM

I regret being so uptight about stuff when DD1 was smaller. I still support the choices I made then, but I wish I hadn't obsessed about stuff.

I can so see this being me:s I have so many expectations for myself as a mom and how I want to do things, and if something doesn't work out, I can see me being really upset about it and I know that's not good. I have to be flexible damb it! lol...
MIL & FIL just even mention taking the babe overnight or something I can feel my heart starting to race, she's not even here yet!
How do you get over this?

MidwesternGal

06-08-2007, 07:47 AM

I have another one:

Not taking a photo of DS in the same spot every month to chart his progress. I take a zillion pics and didn't think it was necessary. Well, now that I"m scrapbooking, it would have been soooo nice to have!

re: "stuff"-Actually, that helped me intially because I'm a super anal retentive planner, so having something to focus on *other* than my little surprise package helped ease the transition.

ceaserbride--To "get over it"--just basically ignore them. They can't come and force you to hand over DC! Just smile and nod and say "Oh sometime when DC is older" and don't give them a date. My ILs did this, and so I would do that, and it worked. FIL even wanted to buy a pnp and we told him that he wouldn't need it because DS would be in a real bed or we could use our own pnp when we ALL stayed over!! (See how it turned into the 3 of us instead of *just* DS? LOL).

ceaserbride

06-08-2007, 07:55 AM

ceaserbride--To "get over it"--just basically ignore them. They can't come and force you to hand over DC! Just smile and nod and say "Oh sometime when DC is older" and don't give them a date. My ILs did this, and so I would do that, and it worked. FIL even wanted to buy a pnp and we told him that he wouldn't need it because DS would be in a real bed or we could use our own pnp when we ALL stayed over!! (See how it turned into the 3 of us instead of *just* DS? LOL).

So it's okay that I feel this way? What a concept! lol...I feel like I'm being "mean" by not feeling comfortable with that sort of thing, but it's good to know, I'm not the only one who feels this way & it's normal. They already want to buy a crib and MIL has a monitor. Luckily dh feels the same as me and commented to me that "she can buy a monitor if she wants but my baby's not staying there any time soon!"

cosmic

06-08-2007, 12:20 PM

ceaserbride--To "get over it"--just basically ignore them. They can't come and force you to hand over DC! Just smile and nod and say "Oh sometime when DC is older" and don't give them a date. My ILs did this, and so I would do that, and it worked. FIL even wanted to buy a pnp and we told him that he wouldn't need it because DS would be in a real bed or we could use our own pnp when we ALL stayed over!! (See how it turned into the 3 of us instead of *just* DS? LOL).

I love it! Wish I had read this a couple of weeks ago. My mother and my MIL are hounding us about letting DS stay for a weekend. I know it's normal for a lot of people, but we are SOOO not ready for that. DH and I were childless for 30+ years of our lives so we really don't fantasize about long weekends without DS. Maybe a few hours... *winkie, winkie* ;)
Also, DS is so particular and I can just hear him crying all weekend long. Still MIL is constantly talking about buying a crib, stroller, etc. We're like, "what do you need all of that for?"

jh124

06-08-2007, 12:32 PM

Kanga

06-08-2007, 12:36 PM

So it's okay that I feel this way? What a concept! lol...I feel like I'm being "mean" by not feeling comfortable with that sort of thing, but it's good to know, I'm not the only one who feels this way & it's normal. They already want to buy a crib and MIL has a monitor. Luckily dh feels the same as me and commented to me that "she can buy a monitor if she wants but my baby's not staying there any time soon!"

Listen to your gut. My parents asked when dd1 was a couple months old so dh and I could spend our 1 year anniversary alone. They didn't push it at all and I just assumed it was a new mommy thing that I would get over it after she left but I didn't. I worried the entire time she was gone and called constantly to check in. Both sets of parents have been asking when dd2 will be able to as she's older than she was when dd1 stayed over but I tell them it's more of a PITA for me since we're cosleeping and bfing and it wouldn't be any help. When she's old enough to not nurse in the night and I'm still not comfortable I'll just say so this time.

Oh and MIL bought everything under the sun before dd1 was born, even an infant bathtub! I would just add in how nice it will be to use that stuff when you *all* come down to visit.

TracyDP

06-08-2007, 02:54 PM

OH man, so much info for a first time Mom at 25 weeks preg!

It would take hours to copy and quote the stuff I wanted to respond to so I'll just put it down as it comes.

* Is it too late to find a doula? I LOVE my OB and found out that if I go see a Midwife I will actually be leaving my OB and using the Midwife as my provider (news to me) but I want someone to be there with me that knows what's going on and can help me get through a natural birth (as much as it's possible).

* I am loving being pregnant and I must humbly say that I'm a pretty damn cute and trendy Mom-to-be :o I drift off to sleep every night on my back with my hands on my tummy feeling her move, then just before I go to sleep I turn on my side and hug my body pillow. I stop when I feel her kicking and smile, stuff like that. It might be my only baby so I'm trying to enjoy it. Luckily, I have felt really good almost the whole pregnancy...no morning sickness so far.

* I am going to do everything I can to breastfeed, but I also understand that sometimes your body or the baby just doesn't cooperate so hopefully I can deal with it if it doesn't happen for whatever reason. Pump and freeze is the mantra I have been getting from breastfeeding websites...I'll try and keep that in mind.

* I want to be comfortable for labor. Laboring on my back looks like it would be so uncomfortable and I want to be able to be upright during the birth (or at least sort of sitting up...let gravity help!! Women have done this for 1000's of years squatting so I don't know why we have decided we should do it on our backs... My OB is supportive of this and they have a laboring tub which I LOVE the idea of (we have a hot tub at home and I sit in it and think how great it would be to be in labor in the warm water with the weight taken off my back). My OB is very much in favor of only doing c-section or inducing if there is danger to Mom or baby, not for convenience. He is known throughout Portland as a very hands-on delivery doc who delivers almost all of his own patients. He actually won't take new patients who are due at a time he has a planned vacation (he told me he didn't take any new patients last year who were due in July because he would be gone for 3 weeks).

* I need to get some good parenting books to read, I haven't done any of that yet.

* I'm taking preg pictures! I think we need to go shop for a video camera soon...

* Am I the only new Mom who is already looking forward to my DD being old enough to spend the weekend with Grandma? My SIL has 3 kids who all survived my MIL watching them a lot so I trust my MIL with my baby, but I'll go with my gut on when the timing is right.

* I am already planning on taking at LEAST my 12 week FMLA leave, and possibly a 6 month leave of abcense from work. My DH makes enough money for us to make it on one income, and at the end of the leave I will decide if I'm going to go back part time or quit altogether and go back to school. I can't even imagine leaving my baby after only 6 weeks unless it was a financial imperative to do so (which it's not).

* I already bought a really awesome sling for the baby. I want to do the babywearing thing as much as I can (if she digs it) right from the beginning.

* I'm rambling and this post is getting really long. I'll post more later when I'm having less diarhea of the fingers.

Thank you for sharing all of your regrets, it's a real help to us newbies to know what's REALLY important in the end. I already know I've spent too much time researching strollers...lol. :rolleyes:

polkadot

06-08-2007, 06:03 PM

Tonysweetie

06-08-2007, 06:21 PM

bumping....33 weeks here and wondering if I should get off my butt and make an appt for professional pics?? I feel big and yuck...and I have horrible strechmarks...but will i regret not taking them???

Some do, some don't. I got huge and had bad stretch marks and didn't want them. I don't regret it at all. But DH did take some nice pictures of me at home.

lml41981

06-08-2007, 06:28 PM

* Is it too late to find a doula? I LOVE my OB and found out that if I go see a Midwife I will actually be leaving my OB and using the Midwife as my provider (news to me) but I want someone to be there with me that knows what's going on and can help me get through a natural birth (as much as it's possible).
No, it is not too late to find a doula. You can go to the DONA website and find doulas in your area and interview them. I dunno if I mentioned it, but I really regret not hiring one for my hospital birth.

malala

06-08-2007, 06:40 PM

* Am I the only new Mom who is already looking forward to my DD being old enough to spend the weekend with Grandma? My SIL has 3 kids who all survived my MIL watching them a lot so I trust my MIL with my baby, but I'll go with my gut on when the timing is right.

When I was pg with DD I kept saying DH and I could go on a vacation to the Caribbean for our anniversary and DD could stay with the ILs, since she'd be 10 months old at the time.
Big HA! to me, she's 17 months old now and I haven't spent a night away from her, and I don't see me doing it any time soon.

ShannonGH

06-08-2007, 06:49 PM

Natasha

06-08-2007, 07:14 PM

My big regret with #2 is her name. i really wanted to name her Kemberlyn, badly. The letter K was important to me. FMIL apparently threw a fit, insisting she hated the name, and would be really offended if we named her that. So, we compromised, and named her Kelly. Then, FMIL got to decide on her Chinese name anyway. Argh, I had no idea. If you get to pick her other name, what do you care about the one we picked. Anyway, I can say that is my only regret this time around.

lawgirl4

06-08-2007, 09:52 PM

polkadot, I did get pro maternity pics taken and I am SO glad I did. I *really* missed being pregnant after DD was born and having the photos helped a lot. but it's definitely a personal thing.

lml41981

06-08-2007, 09:55 PM

bumping....33 weeks here and wondering if I should get off my butt and make an appt for professional pics?? I feel big and yuck...and I have horrible strechmarks...but will i regret not taking them???
I didn't and don't regret it. I was unhappy with my body and never felt beautiful during my pregnancy with DD... I would likely never look back at photos from my pregnancy with her and think, "I am so glad I got this documented on film."

Ohana

06-08-2007, 10:21 PM

I regret that I was such a control freak in the weeks after DD#1 was born that I completely alienated DH. She's 3.5 now, and it's only been recently that they have forged a close relationship. Her first 2 years of life, I hated leaving her with DH, and I ended up burning myself out by trying to do all/be all. This time around, I'm much more relaxed. DD#2 is still a mama's girl (probably because I have the boobies), but she is much closer to DH. Just tonight, I ran to the grocery store alone, and DH put her to bed. That would have never happened the first time around.

I also regret not realizing I had PPD with DD#1. I had no idea it wasn't normal to feel as miserable as I did. I had no idea it wasn't normal to gain 40 lbs AFTER pregnancy due to emotional eating. Now I know.

Finally, I regret our crib. Yes, it's beautiful, but it sucks that it takes 2 hands to lower the sides, making it virtually impossible to lower the sides while carrying a sleeping baby. We should have opted for a cheaper crib that's easier to use.

PinkBeary

06-08-2007, 11:31 PM

Finally, I regret our crib. Yes, it's beautiful, but it sucks that it takes 2 hands to lower the sides, making it virtually impossible to lower the sides while carrying a sleeping baby. We should have opted for a cheaper crib that's easier to use.

i also regret getting the crib that we did. we never tested the rail/side at the store and after we assembled it. it was when we had to lower the crib bed when DD was 4 months old that we realized how hard it was to lower the side... and it makes a really loud noise when we do. the good thing is that my DD is used to the sound now.

smurf

06-09-2007, 09:29 AM

This may seem small, but I regret not saving the boxes that all the baby equipment came in. We're packing to move right now, and trying to find boxes to fit the swing, bouncer, etc. is nearly impossible.

I also regret not having DH put DD to bed more often when she was tiny. Now it's a struggle for him if he has to put her to bed b/c I'm not around.

jesseybell

06-09-2007, 02:19 PM

bumping....33 weeks here and wondering if I should get off my butt and make an appt for professional pics?? I feel big and yuck...and I have horrible strechmarks...but will i regret not taking them???

At 24 weeks I was convinced I wanted to have the pics done, but as time went on I felt not as happy with my body so I did nothing. But I was totally in love with my pregnant body in the end (okay, not the last week when it was 100 degrees) but obviously I wasn't going to try to find a photographer last minute. DH took some pictures (in the buff as well), but part of me wishes I did end up with the prof pictures - it isn't killing me, but it is a "nice to have". I think I will do it next time around and having them be family pics, since hopefully DD will be 2-3.

I think the photographer could do wonders with making the stretch marks less noticeable using draping, different lighting, having the pics be B&W.

hub1176

06-09-2007, 06:49 PM

I didn't know at the time but since I found out: I wish I has said thanks, but no thanks, to SIL's offer to throw me a shower for her side of the family, so they wouldn't have to travel to the shower my family was throwing. Only because that side of the family was ticked at my IL's over a business dealing and chose to use my shower to show their displeasure. :(

I would have been more relaxed bringing home oldest DD, slept when she slept etc. I wound up trying to do everything and it sucked.
I regret not having a Doula - I felt like the nurses really talked down to me, and DH didn't know how to advocate (he felt like they were the experts, and what did he know...)

steviem

06-09-2007, 08:46 PM

Things I regret:

1) Not being stronger and telling DH to make his family go home and to come back to the hosptial AFTER my DS was born.

2) Not taking more naps and relaxing during those last few weeks before DS was born. I was intent on having everything be perfect... I wore myself out trying to do everything.

3) Not forcing DS to take a bottle from the beginning, as I worried about "nipple confusion.". I was lucky in that, breastfeeding was very easy for me, however, in retrospect I wish I would have pumped so DS would get used to the bottle as well. He absoltely refused to drink from a bottle when we finally tried. That made life complete and utter hell. I could not be gone from the baby longer than 2 hrs at a time because he had to eat.

4) I regret not journaling more. I did (and do) write in his baby book, but not as often as I would like. He is not even 1 yet (but he will be in 2 weeks!) and it is already so hard for me to remember what the first few months were like.... it feels like so long ago.

5) I regret not cuddling and napping with DS more. I was so intent on having a "perfect" house and dinner on the table for DH when he got home that I never, ever tood advantage of the downtime when DS was napping. (Everyone told me to relax, but I ignored them. I will not do this with DC #2).

6) I regret buying all of those clothes (and not returning some of the ones I received as gifts.) DS lived in onsies when he was born. All of the "outfits" were a complete waste.

Polkadot: I too, was not happy with how I looked being PG. However, I bit the bullet and got professional belly shots. I am SO HAPPY that I did it. I have not even developed them- they remain on a cd, but I look at them now and again and they actually make me teary eyed knowing that my son was that "bump" inside my belly. I actually look at my belly (stretch marks and all) and realize what a miracle it is to have that baby growing inside of you. That is why I am so happy it was captured on film. (Aside from the above, I do not think I will get professional pics of my subsequent pregnancies. ) At some point, I do intend to print the pics and put them in an album.

{b}

06-09-2007, 08:52 PM

Not getting professional maternity photos taken. I tried to schedule it, we just couldn't work out a good time with the photog I wanted, and I dropped it too easily. Should have tried harder.

We haven't taken nearly enough video.

I regret not standing up for myself, my gut instinct and my faith in my body and refusing to be induced. I hated it, I probably didn't need it and I will never do it again.

kemorr

06-10-2007, 07:50 AM

This may seem small, but I regret not saving the boxes that all the baby equipment came in. We're packing to move right now, and trying to find boxes to fit the swing, bouncer, etc. is nearly impossible.

I totally agree with this one. When DD was small, we were just starting to re-finish our basement, so we tossed all the boxes to "tidy up". Now that she is done with some of her big items (ie swing), it would be great to be able to dismantle them and put them neatly back into the boxes. Instead, they are taking up a large amount of room in our storage area. Silly us....

jesseybell

06-10-2007, 05:39 PM

I totally agree with this one. When DD was small, we were just starting to re-finish our basement, so we tossed all the boxes to "tidy up". Now that she is done with some of her big items (ie swing), it would be great to be able to dismantle them and put them neatly back into the boxes. Instead, they are taking up a large amount of room in our storage area. Silly us....

I was really glad that my BFF kept all her boxes - she gave me a lot of her stuff and it she had cleaned it all really well and put it back in the boxes - I felt like I was getting new stuff. For free!

I second that about not napping/cuddling more. I think I took 3 naps the whole first 12 weeks. I was just so happy when DD was asleep so I could get stuff done, stuff that in hindsight really didn't need to be done (and I know I pushed myself too hard after having a C/S)

I also second the too many clothes. I am now organizing all of our stuff in preparation for ttc #2 (I call it the pre-nesting!) - I have so many clothes that she never, ever wore.