Lazy mom or good mom?

So I've finally decided to take Baby O to the Dr today to see about the cough.  It's been almost 2 weeks since she got sick and I have been reticent to bring her in because I'm fairly certain there is nothing to be done. Still, when you put your hand on her chest or back you can feel the fluid in her lungs.  

I have to ask myself, why am I, a first time mom, being so lazy when it comes to my daughter's cold?  As a new mom, I often hear the advice "You should treat her like she's your second baby". Well, my husband and I have succeeded in this task somewhat accidentally. 

Prior to Baby O's birth we discussed what type of parents we wanted to be and what type of a marriage we wanted to have.  Luckily we were both on the same page - we didn't want having a child to consume us in a way that was bad for the marriage.  We all have friends who are married but seem to have forgotten their marriage as soon as they had a baby.  We didn't want to have that kind of relationship.  So we laid down a few ground rules:

1. Baby O will NEVER spend a night in our bedroom

2. We will use judgment, not emotion when dealing with our baby's health (this one has been more difficult for me than for the husband)

3. Baby O is allowed to cry, it's good for her.  Before intervening, we usually let her cry for about 2 minutes.  You'll be surprised, about 90% of the time she stops on her own.  By doing this, we learned how to differentiate between the "I'm tired and complaining" cry and the "I'm in pain pick me up right now and burp me".  Obviously, I don't let the pain cry go for 2 minutes.

4. Breastfeeding is good for baby but if it makes mom feel like hell, allow some formula every now and then. A happy mommy will have a happy baby

5. Plan time without baby.  Yes, I go to work every day but I need time with the husband.  We haven't been out on as many dates as I'd like but we did plan a long weekend to Barcelona for December.  Baby O will be 6 months.

  

Comments

[Classy Mommy]

Naama- I love your blog. So excited to read about all your motherhood experiences. Awesome ground rules. Sounds like our parenting styles are alike...although I profess the longer you have kids and the more they grow and eventually start negotiating, the easier it is to get caught up in the child centered culture we live in and the demands of our babies. So how is O? What did the Dr. say? Does she have an ear infection? Fill me in! Miss you. Let's talk soon.