We Laughed, We Cried We Fell Asleep

MOM ADVICE AND ANECDOTES FROM DFWCHILD STAFF

it did. For someone who is Type A, that was a bit hard to do—but I am glad I did.” —Joy Niebes, publisher, mom of three

THE REALITY OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION

“Once when my daughter was a newborn and my son was 3, I couldn’t find my daughter anywhere in the house. I looked all over for her, pacing up and down the stairs, feeling very anxious and upset. I thought I had lost her and was calling her name over and over, when I realized I was holding her in my arms the whole time.” —Nancy McDaniel, advertising account executive, mom of two

… AND THE HILARITY OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION

“One night I was nursing my [first] baby in bed and fell asleep...I woke up thinking I lost the baby and woke my husband up to find him for me. My husband was so delirious, he was running around the room looking all over for our sweet boy. Ended up, he was right beside me! We were so sleep deprived and we couldn’t stop laughing.” —Alison Davis, advertising account executive, mom of three

WORDS ELIZABETH SMITH

EVERY OB-GYN, MIDWIFE AND FERTILITY SPECIALIST

LISTED on the following pages was recently nominated by our readers, many of whom gushed over how these doctors made a positive difference in their lives and birthing experiences. (Read the full comments in our Mom Approved directory online at dfwchild. com/momapproved.)

This made us nostalgic and reminisce about our personal histories with birth and babies, so we created our own version of What to Expect When You’re Expecting, according to us here at DFWChild. Read on to find out what we wish we knew, what we’d do differently and more stories we love to retell about the good, the bad and the giggle-worthy.

PACK YOUR BAGS

“Don’t delay getting a bag packed. I went into labor the day I hit 37 weeks, and I had to go to the hospital with nothing but my purse. I didn’t have any comfy clothes with me for my time in the hospital or for going home, and no clothes with me for the baby. No toiletries or toothbrush! Someone had to go to my house and guess what I wanted.” —Alexis Patterson, managing editor, mom of one

GO WITH YOUR GUT

“You’re not just choosing the doctor, you’re choosing the entire practice (including nurses), so be sure you like and trust the other doctors as well. You never know who will be on call when it’s time to deliver, or even do your embryo transfer (in my case).

Visits to my first (highlyrecommended) fertility doctor felt like I needed to prepare for battle and advocate for myself at every turn. After my first treatment cycle with them, I left and found a smaller, also highly regarded, practice with a doctor (and team of nurses!) who were a great fit for me and made me feel at ease throughout the entire process. And ultimately, I had a successful embryo transfer and pregnancy!” —Lauren Niebes, associate publisher, soon-to-be-mom of one

MIDWIFE’S THE CHARM

“I’ve had three births and each of them was totally different from the others [C-section, VBAC and midwife]. [For my last delivery,] I was able to have a midwife for a hospital birth, and I also had a doula helping with the delivery and an OB there, in case anything would go wrong. That was my easiest birth. My son was born within an hour of getting to the hospital! When leaving the hospital, I was told by my doula to stay in bed and let people wait on me for as long as I could handle it and my recovery would go faster…and

ON MORAL SUPPORT

“I was very sick all throughout my pregnancies because I had hyperemesis, or constant vomiting. (Kate Middleton had the same thing.) I couldn’t keep any food down, and there were periods when I was in and out of the hospital for two or three weeks at a time. And I can tell you that the most important thing for the physical health and emotional well-being of a mom is to have empathy and support from your spouse.” —Ann Mathai, office manager, mom of two

LOVED BEING PREGNANT

“Not sure how to put it into words…I just felt happy all the time. I guess it was a feeling of not being alone. Although I’ve always been a pretty independent person, having him felt so right.” —Reneé Higgins, art director, mom of one