First Time Mommy Group #2

Today was the first time I had a chance to meet up with the pregnant women in my placement group from my first time mommy meetup.  For their last meeting a few weeks ago, the group went to Clay Cafe Studios and painted pottery.  So today, we stopped by to pick up their finished pieces, and then we went to lunch.

Most of the women in our group are due in October.  One of the gals is due in November and one in December. We are about to gain three new members that are also due in October.  Two of the gals are having twins.  One of the women with twins couldn't make it today, because she is now on bed rest and will be in the hospital because of a condition she developed.  All of us are going back to work after our babies are born.

Regardless of our differences, we have so many things in common right now.  We are all feeling different aches and movements.  We are all getting bombarded with information that we have to sort through.  We all need to buy cribs, car seats, and strollers.  We all have questions.   We are all going through similar experiences.  We all have to make our own decisions on what is best for our own family.  We are all going to need play dates.  We all need other women near us who understand what we're going through.  It might not be a place where I can talk about my choices, but I can talk and ask questions about being a new mom, which is also so very important.  For example, we've got a gal in our group who needs to be entertained in the hospital for the next two months with 11 fast pregnant friends who are all too willing to entertain, because it could be any of us.

I live in my natural birth bubble most of the time, and I forget that most women don't view life this way.  Out of the six of us there today, I am the only one delivering with a midwife and not in a hospital.  Most of the other women in the group are nervous or scared of birth.  I am very confident that my body can do what it was designed to do.  My mantra is that I am going to squat, she's gonna pop out, and that is it. Several of them expressed that they didn't care how the baby came out, just as long as he/she was able to get out. Where the last conversation coming out of my birth class was about other members of the class finding a doctor that would work with an alternative vaccine schedule, the mommy group women talked about how many of them had just gotten boosters and to make sure that everyone that came into contact with the baby had been vaccinated.

Just a side note about Clay Cafe Studios, which is a very neat concept. You can make a reservation or just drop in.  You pick out a piece of pottery, paint it, and then within 10 days, the pieces are ready to be picked up.  There were little banks, plates, and all sorts of things to paint.  I love getting folks coffee mugs, and they had mugs there that could be personalized.  And, even martini and margarita glasses, too!  They had set up the back room for a birthday party. And, a dad had taken his daughter in to pick out something to paint for mom's birthday.  How neat!