What new hell is this?

[jennschwaz]

So far I've read Baby Wise, Happiest Baby on the Block, Bradley Method, Baby Bargains and I'm about to start Milk Memos.

Wow, girl. I clearly have a lot of catching up to do. So far I've read.. Birthing from Within and Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful. (Yes, my maternity philosophy swings way hippie! And no, I didn't mean to tackle my pregnancy and parenting texts in alphabetical order, it just happened that way!)

And I've watched a lot of Breaking Bad. NO SPOILERS!!!

[poky]

ooh, the idea of doing a year of research without graduating is an interesting one, and maybe if his step2 score is good, he wouldn't hit cutoffs next year?

I'm glad you'll be sticking around here, and to hear there are viable options being considered, but will continue to hope he matches at one of the spots he DOES have an interview.

What did/do you do in theater? My husband and I have done a lot of tech work at various community theaters, mostly lighting (I just finished designing and running lights for a production of Cannibal! The Musical, in fact).

[WolfpackWife]

Wow, really? It felt like almost EVERYONE we know from med school matched at their #1. There were a few that didn't, but most of them seemed to. We didn't, of course, but we're now glad we didn't. Things do often seem to work out for the best eventually.

Just another great example of one the biggest lessons I've learned from being here: there is so much to learn, because for everyone who has had a terrible experience in one phase, someone else has had a wonderful experience in the same phase (or at least relatively painless). The takeaway for me has been: this is a community of people who get it, and are here for each other. When I've had bleak moments of "medical school has changed everything I loved about my life and relationship" I've gotten feedback from "you'll get through it - med school years were terrible to us, but residency was wonderful. We actually miss it sometimes" to "We actually loved medical school...it was residency that chewed us up and spit us out". So, I think no one knows what to expect for themselves during any aspect, just that we've all got this amazing community to fall back on and turn to when it's needed. And trust me - it gets VERY needed sometimes. It's been a sanity saver for me, not to mention one of the biggest contributors to helping me feel less lonely during all of this!

[Pollyanna]

We love Penelope Leach's "Your Baby & Child"

Best book ever!!!!

Now we could move this to the debates and discuss Baby Wise

[spotty_dog]

Wow, girl. I clearly have a lot of catching up to do. So far I've read.. Birthing from Within and Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful. (Yes, my maternity philosophy swings way hippie! And no, I didn't mean to tackle my pregnancy and parenting texts in alphabetical order, it just happened that way!)

And I've watched a lot of Breaking Bad. NO SPOILERS!!!

Yay hippy birthing, I had two great births and while I didn't feel like I had much baggage to discharge a la Birthing from Within I did like the book and I feel ya. Ina May?

I cant believe you haven't finished breaking bad. I thought we were late! Hurry up, then we can discuss (I don't know if there even is a thread here yet... my husband wad Walter White for halloween though.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Yay hippy birthing

Whoot! Another hippy birther here! (Hilarious because I'm literally a complete non-hippie in so many other ways...). I had a great med-free birth and hoping to have another one in 2.5ish weeks.

[MAPPLEBUM]

...internship in an undesirable geographic location that resulted in a lot of hardship, disruption/dissolution of my career, postponement of other personal goals, etc. Then, after completing the internship, we got a psych residency and spent four more years in an even more undesirable geographic location.

At the end of the day, it is all good. My husband finished residency, we are still married, we have two children and a third on the way, he got a post-training job that really excites him, we have nice house in the suburbs and, really, I have everything I ever wanted. But it required a surprising amount of flexibility and I found myself faced with decisions and sacrifices that I never imagined would be required of me. I also learned a lot about myself and our marriage through the process. In retrospect, I'm embarrassed by some of the things I agonized, cried over, and insisted upon though the training process. The most important thing is to keep your eye on your primary goal and be willing to take a meandering path to get there.

Ha, pretty sure if there were membership cards this would be on the back.

[Meenah]

This could be our mission statement!!!!

[jennschwaz]

ooh, the idea of doing a year of research without graduating is an interesting one, and maybe if his step2 score is good, he wouldn't hit cutoffs next year?

Yeah, thanks. I know DH wouldn't regret having more time to spend with baby during baby's first year of life. That's me trying to look on the bright side...

I'm glad you'll be sticking around here, and to hear there are viable options being considered, but will continue to hope he matches at one of the spots he DOES have an interview.

And he's still going to talk to the ENT PD at his own school and see whether or not it's too late to apply for a prelim spot this year.

What did/do you do in theater? My husband and I have done a lot of tech work at various community theaters, mostly lighting (I just finished designing and running lights for a production of Cannibal! The Musical, in fact).

Well, I got my BFA degree in musical theater performance and moved to NYC when I was 21. Lived there for three and a half years, mostly did summer stock and regional theatre (Vermont, upstate NY, Indiana, North Carolina) and one non-equity tour of a Gershwin show. Then September 11 happened and I realized I didn't love living in NYC enough to be so far away from my family. (Clearly the bond there is very strong, which is why the thought of moving to Southern California just when I'm becoming a mom scares the bejeezus out of me!)

Okay, time to pack for the weekend away - my first baby shower back home in Michigan!

[jennschwaz]

Whoot! Another hippy birther here! (Hilarious because I'm literally a complete non-hippie in so many other ways...). I had a great med-free birth and hoping to have another one in 2.5ish weeks.

I'm a non-hippie in a lot of ways too! For instance, when I'm not pregnant, if foie gras is on the menu, there's no way I'm not ordering. And don't you dare expect me to share it!

2.5 weeks! That's so exciting! They say every pregnancy/birth is different, but you already know you can do it! Many blessings for a smooth delivery!

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

When we met with our doula for #1, we talked all about natural labor, natural induction, no eye drops, etc. - all these hippie birthing things and then she (clearly thinking I was on the same wavelength about other things) started talking about non-vaccination, encapsulating the placenta, etc. and I was like, Yeah, sorry to disappoint but the hippiness pretty much ends with the birthing...

Except that we compost and eat mostly vegetables. So, labels aren't really that useful... #thankyoucaptainobvious

[jennschwaz]

Yay hippy birthing, I had two great births and while I didn't feel like I had much baggage to discharge a la Birthing from Within I did like the book and I feel ya. Ina May?

Ina May indeed! In fact, the doula who will be teaching our birthing class is apparently one of her protegées! I think we'll be doing birth art in the class. I'm open to the idea, though I don't think I have a lot of baggage to discharge...I could be in for a surprise once we start trolling the depths of my psyche! We only got pregnant via fertility treatment and I had a giant fibroid removed from my uterus in 2011, so there's bound to be some muck in there!

I cant believe you haven't finished breaking bad. I thought we were late! Hurry up, then we can discuss (I don't know if there even is a thread here yet... my husband wad Walter White for halloween though.

Well, I don't have cable, so I waited for it to be available on Netflix. Also, I didn't expect to like it very much. I'm not a huge fan of violent shows (won't watch the Wire, hated the Sopranos, etc.) My tastes run more toward Six Feet Under (best TV drama of all time IMO), Sherlock Holmes, Homeland, Mad Men. Although I fell in love with Dexter much to my surprise, so a pal and I decided we would watch BB together. It's keeping me occupied until the new seasons of Dexter and Mad Men are available. Plus, I watched the entire second season in one day when I had a week-long bout of PUPPPS at 25 weeks pregnant. Holy crud, thank god that went away! I think I might have jumped out of a window if it had lasted the rest of my pregnancy!

Is your husband bald?

[jennschwaz]

When we met with our doula for #1, we talked all about natural labor, natural induction, no eye drops, etc. - all these hippie birthing things and then she (clearly thinking I was on the same wavelength about other things) started talking about non-vaccination, encapsulating the placenta, etc. and I was like, Yeah, sorry to disappoint but the hippiness pretty much ends with the birthing...

Except that we compost and eat mostly vegetables. So, labels aren't really that useful... #thankyoucaptainobvious

Aaaahhh!!! Not placenta encapsulation!!!! I am SO on your wavelength! And don't get me started on non-vaccinators!!

But just out of curiosity: why no eye drops?

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

But just out of curiosity: why no eye drops?

They blur the baby's eyes so they cannot see. I prefer to them to be able to see me and to start the immediate eye contact and bonding. The eyedrops treat an STD (gonorrhea I want to say...too lazy to google it) that I know I don't have so they're unnecessary in my opinion. In Ohio during my first pregnancy, they do mandatory STD screening so we 100% knew I didn't have it (well, I knew already but it was 100% confirmed) and I obviously knew I didn't pick it up during pregnancy. So, I felt pretty safe to decline it.

[spotty_dog]

Ina May indeed! In fact, the doula who will be teaching our birthing class is apparently one of her protegées!

Wow, cool! I had two really great births, I hope your experience is similarly empowering.

Well, I don't have cable, so I waited for it to be available on Netflix. Also, I didn't expect to like it very much.

...

Is your husband bald?

We don't have cable either, but we've splurged and bought it on iTunes so we usually manage to watch the episodes a couple of days after they air. Yes, DH has been shaving his head since his mid-twenties because of vanity over his male pattern balding! He also wears a goatee intermittently. The WW thing was an obvious choice.