14.9.08

38 Week Freak Out

Dear Diary,

Yesterday I decided to pack my bag for the hospital. I thought hey, this will be fun. I bought a robe and cute slippers at target, along with fancy toiletries (including some lip balm because oh my god, anything you read about what to bring to the hospital makes you think that if you don't have lip balm you might as well just THROW IN THE TOWEL NOW because no way are you getting through labor without it). I was thinking that the BHE and I could pick out a going-home outfit for the baby together. Um, total freakout ensued.

It went something like this:

Me: Oh my god, we have no clothes for the baby.
BHE: Um, we have an entire dresser full of clothes. Also, this pile and this bag. Oh and look, this bag.
Me: But I don't understand what to put him in.
BHE: What's to understand? You put him in clothes.
Me: But what kind of clothes? Pants? Sleeper? Onesie? Smoking jacket? Wait, he has no pants. Our baby has no pants. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRESS MY BABY! TERRIBLE MOTHER! SOCIAL SERVICES! AAAAAAA!!!!!
BHE: I really think he'll be OK. You could wrap him up in one of my t-shirts and he'd be fine.
ME: Are you kidding? What if your mother saw that? I have no business having a baby.
BHE: Good grief.

This is how it's been going sometimes at our house. The BHE and I will be happily watching tv, joking around, marvelling at the site of our baby's foot sliding under my ribs, etc. Then out of nowhere I will completely freak out about some aspect of baby care for which I do not have written instructions. Which is... every aspect. Folks, I am a recipe follower. And even then sometimes I fuck up. (Baking borders on traumatic for me, and often ends with me in tears.) So this is another reason I hope my pregnancy doesn't drag on: Less obsessing, more doing. When you're busy feeding, burping, changing, swaddling, cuddling and being exhausted, I imagine you don't have the luxury to stop and freak out that you're doing it wrong. Right?

Don't even get me started on the bathing.

Love,
Fluffy

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so thankful to see that I'm not alone in the freak outs! I am due Nov. 7 (which means any time between the first of October and the first of December, right?!) and I am currently in the freak out zone. Best of luck to you! Can't wait to hear the news that your little man is here!

jenn said...

My last-minute freak out when I was pregnant with my first was being terrified I would trip and fall down the stairs while holding the baby. My entirely logical solution was that I would scooch down the steps on my butt any time I was holding the baby. At two in the morning, this seemed reasonable.

Don't worry, once the baby is born & the hormones go back to a normal level, it will all seem amusing (in an insane kinda way).

Bailey said...

I've been freaking out about bathing! Oh, and diaper changing. And just holding the baby correctly and supporting it's floppy neck! So, um, maybe I've been freaking out about everything?

Maddness of Me said...

You will be fine.

La Rivera said...

You're gonna do great. It really is a lot of fun. Can't wait to see some pictures of this baby!

Cindy said...

Diapers. Lots of them. That's the only thing you really need. But a smoking jacket might be nice.

Totally right that you've got to have lip balm. You're clearly on the right track.