Chaz Moms and Moms-to-Be Chat (everyone welcome)

milos_mommy

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I shopped at Macy's maternity section and bought what was on sale. Also at destination maternity, and picked up some stuff at h&m and Burlington.

I still wear one pair of maternity jeans, a skirt, and quite a few tops
and sweaters. So those were definitely worth it. But mostly in pregnancy I wore flowy, empire waist dresses or long skirts with elastic waists with a maternity top.
 

Grab

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My workpants were scrubs, so they just stretched or I wore them below the belly. Other than that I just needed jeans, so I shopped at Old navy during a sale. and Target for shirts
 

sparks19

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I mostly just shopped at department stores in the maternity sections. Target, walmart, k mart, sears, wherever.

Consignment shops are a good place to look :) they can be fun and sometimes you can really score good finds. I am a big fan of consignment shops.

In the meantime, there are belly bands. :) they are great for the transition period between regular pants and maternity pants
 

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I've heard Motherhood Maternity is REALLY bad about selling email addresses, so if you go there, don't give that info out unless you want to be inundated.
 

CaliTerp07

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Thanks for the suggestions! I had no idea Macys had a maternity section, and had totally forgotten about Target. Stopped by the latter tonight and found a cartwheel coupon for 25% off all maternity clothing, so I got a bunch of sweaters and a dress. I ended up ordering a pair of the gap pants online (nothing else has fit me, and I really need some) and bid on another pair on ebay.

I'll stop by macys later in the week--there's one on the way home from work :)
 

CaliTerp07

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Okay, looking for opinions.

DH's best friend since childhood is getting married in Atlanta April 27th. Baby is due in Northern Virginia the first week of April. Obviously, baby could show up whenever baby feels like coming.

Is it completely irresponsible/ridiculous to say we'll make the drive down so long as baby is healthy and I feel physically up to it? It's a 12 hour drive. Normally we'd fly, but I don't want to book plane tickets when we might not be able to go.

Assuming all goes according to plan, can a 3 week old baby handle a wedding? Obviously I'll take it easy, we'll sit in the back, ask people to wash hands, leave if it's too overstimulating, etc...but it's not dangerous to take a newborn out in a crowded situation, is it?

Normally we'd just RSVP no, but it's his best friend...(and as much as DH will regret it, I don't think he'll go unless I go with him).
 

sparks19

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Okay, looking for opinions.

DH's best friend since childhood is getting married in Atlanta April 27th. Baby is due in Northern Virginia the first week of April. Obviously, baby could show up whenever baby feels like coming.

Is it completely irresponsible/ridiculous to say we'll make the drive down so long as baby is healthy and I feel physically up to it? It's a 12 hour drive. Normally we'd fly, but I don't want to book plane tickets when we might not be able to go.

Assuming all goes according to plan, can a 3 week old baby handle a wedding? Obviously I'll take it easy, we'll sit in the back, ask people to wash hands, leave if it's too overstimulating, etc...but it's not dangerous to take a newborn out in a crowded situation, is it?

Normally we'd just RSVP no, but it's his best friend...(and as much as DH will regret it, I don't think he'll go unless I go with him).
I think it should be absolutely fine. I don't believe there id any real danger in having infants out in public early. After Hannah was released from the nicu at one week of age we went to a craft show to support a friend. She was and is fine.
 
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Okay, looking for opinions.

DH's best friend since childhood is getting married in Atlanta April 27th. Baby is due in Northern Virginia the first week of April. Obviously, baby could show up whenever baby feels like coming.

Is it completely irresponsible/ridiculous to say we'll make the drive down so long as baby is healthy and I feel physically up to it? It's a 12 hour drive. Normally we'd fly, but I don't want to book plane tickets when we might not be able to go.

Assuming all goes according to plan, can a 3 week old baby handle a wedding? Obviously I'll take it easy, we'll sit in the back, ask people to wash hands, leave if it's too overstimulating, etc...but it's not dangerous to take a newborn out in a crowded situation, is it?

Normally we'd just RSVP no, but it's his best friend...(and as much as DH will regret it, I don't think he'll go unless I go with him).
As far as being around people etc. that part is fine

However, I know for certain it wouldve not worked with either one of mine at that age. They would scream the whole time in a car seat, would want to nurse constantly (which is doable for sure but at 3 weeks with my first I was still very unsure of everything), and my daughter actually could not stand being around groups for quite awhile.

NOT trying to say it wont work, just be very prepared for it to possibly be too much, for both you and the baby.

On the flip side, I know of other babies that it wouldve been pretty simple and easy to do something like that with :)
 

CaliTerp07

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Yeah, it's more a question of whether we should RSVP "no", or "maybe, we'll make a game time decision". I fully understand that baby may come 2 weeks late and be a screamy mess who won't sleep in a car seat, in which case no way am I going to let DH go, let alone go with him.

On the other hand, I don't want us all to be sitting around that weekend saying "coulda woulda shoulda", you know?
 

sparks19

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Yeah, it's more a question of whether we should RSVP "no", or "maybe, we'll make a game time decision". I fully understand that baby may come 2 weeks late and be a screamy mess who won't sleep in a car seat, in which case no way am I going to let DH go, let alone go with him.

On the other hand, I don't want us all to be sitting around that weekend saying "coulda woulda shoulda", you know?
Since it's his best friend, I would RSVP yes and just let them know that it could change based on baby and your needs.
 

milos_mommy

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I wouldn't have taken a 12 hour car ride with my 3 week old. Are you going to be willing to pull over potentially every 2 hours to nurse/change/give baby a break? 12 hour car ride with two adults is going to be like a 15/16 hr ride with a newborn.

But, a well behaved, good sleeper, car-loving baby might be ok to take. I'd say maybe, but know it's not all that likely you'll make the trip.
 

CaliTerp07

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I wouldn't have taken a 12 hour car ride with my 3 week old. Are you going to be willing to pull over potentially every 2 hours to nurse/change/give baby a break? 12 hour car ride with two adults is going to be like a 15/16 hr ride with a newborn.

But, a well behaved, good sleeper, car-loving baby might be ok to take. I'd say maybe, but know it's not all that likely you'll make the trip.
Yeah :( Flying would be so much easier--it's only 2 hours that way. Not willing to risk screaming baby on an airplane or losing $600+ of plane tickets though. Baby logistics suck.
 

milos_mommy

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Can't you switch the plane tickets if you can't go for a fee? I think $50 to switch a southwest flight. If you'll go to Atlanta anyway eventually, there's an idea. And a 3 week old is VERY likely to sleep through a 2 hour plane ride.
 

CaliTerp07

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Can't you switch the plane tickets if you can't go for a fee? I think $50 to switch a southwest flight. If you'll go to Atlanta anyway eventually, there's an idea. And a 3 week old is VERY likely to sleep through a 2 hour plane ride.
Hrm, I hadn't looked at southwest. The other airlines have a $200 change fee, which makes purchasing $300 tickets seem silly. Looks like southwest has no change fees? "Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines for the originally ticketed passenger only." That's definitely something to look into.

I still am super nervous about the idea of flying with a baby. If it's screaming, I don't want everyone else's trip to be ruined. I have had so many flights with screaming babies next to me where everyone was miserable, and I just don't want to be "that person".
 

JessLough

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Hrm, I hadn't looked at southwest. The other airlines have a $200 change fee, which makes purchasing $300 tickets seem silly. Looks like southwest has no change fees? "Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines for the originally ticketed passenger only." That's definitely something to look into.

I still am super nervous about the idea of flying with a baby. If it's screaming, I don't want everyone else's trip to be ruined. I have had so many flights with screaming babies next to me where everyone was miserable, and I just don't want to be "that person".
If it's an option, potentially look into flying at a non-peak time, so there's a better chance the flight isn't full, at least?

Most of my friends that have kids inevitably had to fly when they were newborns, and most tried to get a late night flight on a weekday (basically, Tuesday-Thursday night) for chances of it being less packed, and less chance of disrupting everyone.
 

milos_mommy

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People fly with babies. That's part of getting on a plane. Ruining someone's two hour flight isn't like ruining a 10 hour flight.

The screaming babies you hear on planes are almost always
older babies or toddlers.

A 3 week old's cry isn't even that loud. At 3 weeks, my daughter, who is a loud crier, could easily be muffled by headphones, and couldn't be heard from the next bedroom with doors shut. If the baby screamed (unlikely), they'd probably only annoy the people right next to you.

My daughter is not a quiet baby by any means. We've flown four times, the earliest being 7 weeks, and she's never cried on a plane.
 

Taqroy

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Yeah :( Flying would be so much easier--it's only 2 hours that way. Not willing to risk screaming baby on an airplane or losing $600+ of plane tickets though. Baby logistics suck.
I would definitely fly. A 3 week old baby will need to eat every 2-3 hours which would make a road trip pretty awful (IMO). I would RSVP a maybe and look into the refundable/transferable tickets.

I thought there was a recommended limit for the amount of time an infant should spend in a carseat...I think it was 2 hours or so but I'm not sure at what age that goes away. Something to look into if you decide to do the road trip.

For maternity clothes - check Craigslist. I got a bunch of mine that way for super cheap and they were mostly in great shape.
 

maxfox426

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Yeah :( Flying would be so much easier--it's only 2 hours that way. Not willing to risk screaming baby on an airplane or losing $600+ of plane tickets though. Baby logistics suck.
In my experience, the younger the baby, the easier it is to fly. They don't need their own seat (depending on the airline), they don't need to move around a lot, and in all likelihood they are just going to sleep through it all. We flew a couple times while Justin was under 6mos old, and it was easy peasy. Once he started crawling/walking/more attentive to his surroundings, however, it is more work to hold his attention for a plane flight. Still, we took a flying vacation over his second birthday this summer, and he was fine. He only cried at the landing of the second flight home because of his ears, and by that I really mean "cried", not "screamed". There is a big difference. ;)

The only real downside of traveling by plane is the extra bulk of stuff you have to carry through the airport. It's near impossible to fly with a baby completely carry-on. I definitely recommend taking advantage of the plane-side checking for the stuff you have to have in the terminal, but not necessarily on the flight.

In contrast, we had to take an 8-hour drive by car when he was about 4mos old. All in all, he did just fine, but it actually was logistically more difficult. Frequent stops for diapering/feeding/etc., which isn't a deal on the plane because you can handle that stuff while the plane is still flying. lol In the car, you have to stop every time. Again, it wasn't a PROBLEM, per se, because Justin was basically asleep as long as he wasn't stinky or hungry. It just does make the trip longer.

As he's gotten older, car trips have gotten easier and plane flights more complicated, but I wouldn't say one is definitely easier over another... we just base it on distance.

Hope that helps!


ETA: Also, never feel like you have to base your travel plans around "other people". Obviously, you are courteous as you can, and do the best you're able. However, honestly, you aren't going to "ruin" anybody else's vacation because your baby cried on the plane. Have you ever gotten to your destination and thought, "This trip is going to SUCK and I'm going to HATE every minute of it because I had to hear a cranky baby on the airplane! UGH!" or arrived home thinking, "My wonderful vacation was DESTROYED by that kid on the flight home. What a waste of a week off." No. People don't take a vacation to fly, they fly to take a vacation. You won't be ruining anything for anybody. Frustrating them? Maybe. But no long-term damage will be done. Ever. Remember that. :)
 
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sparks19

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We've been incredibly lucky to have been blessed with a very easy car traveler even from the very start.

Since having Hannah I developed in intense fear of flying (can't understand it because I've flown many times in my life and always enjoyed it but now it causes me to have nightmares for weeks) and with our families living at opposite ends of the continent... long car trips are unavoidable.

We did fly with her at 3 months of age and she was great... slept the whole flight. She pretty much did the same for her first long car trip as well though. As adults we needed to stop every couple hours for bathroom breaks and to stretch our legs.

If you don't want to risk flying, is there anyway you can break up the drive over two days? When we drive down to Disney World we would drive 8 hours one day and stop for the night and then 8 hours the next day. that always worked out well... EVERYONE enjoyed the break. Now that Hannah's older we drive 12 hours the first day and then the last 4 the next day.
 

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