Pre-Pregnancy Classes, the Baby How To's......

You are so cute! I had some friends get a dog a couple years before they got prego and there are some similarities! I never knew how much a dog could change your life! I don't know about a robot baby ;) I say go for it! There is no class, preparation, book etc that can ever fully prepare you for the real thing! Do you have a church home? If so, maybe volunteer in the infant nursery and practice holding babies and changing diapers. I didn't really feel prepared for parenthood either but after lots of on the job training, I am gettin' to be half way decent at it! So where to begin...well some wine....etc... and then just go from there ;)

Have you babysat your nieces and nephews when they were infants? If yes, it's the same thing only you're exhausted and they never leave. ;)

If you haven't, it honestly it's that bad. You need to learn how to change a diaper (which with my first one, a nurse showed the ex how to do it) and how to feed the baby. You need to burp the baby after you feed him/her with a bottle. Lastly, you need to bathe the baby regularly. To start off with a wet rag and soapy water and wipe the baby down. Then as the baby gets older, you buy a "tub" that sits on the counter and when the baby can sit up on his/her own, you move him/her to the bathroom tub.

For anything else you're unsure of, we're all here to help out.

You'll do great hon! *hugs*

ETA: Jen, I almost wrote "Start with a bottle of wine and some candles...and see where the night leads." LOL!

Read some good books on infant development. I actually attended a local college and took the Infant and Toddler psychology courses in addition to my other classes when I was about 4 months pregnant. I really wish this was provided to all pregnant women, it was wonderful.

Also, your hospital should have a class you attend that will teach about diapering... they even have practice babies. It was required at my hospital before you took the baby home. So, you can call local hospitals and see what the program is like, what obgyn has privileges there...

But, next bet (or maybe even better) is Dr. Sears! I have his books, but a lot of the same information is on his website:
http://www.askdrsears.com/

Also, the What to Expect While Your're Expecting is a wonderful resource. Loved it, and so is the What to Expect the First Year.

babycenter.com is a great resource too

For hands on practice, baby sit! I'm not a big 'other people's kids' person, but I love my kiddos including their poop, vomit, boogers... so your baby will be not as gross or weird to you as someone elses :)

I agree with both Jen and Jennifer! Get a puppy (which will be grown and trained by the time a baby arrives), and get romantic! The puppy will teach you SO much about dealing with a baby (they cry, poop, eat, nap, burp, need schedules and baths, etc). The wine and romance...well, you know what that's for!

Good luck!

Looks around, there probably are classes by the same group that offers birthing classes. There was one night one that was all about the basics where we were when we took ours, but we did not take the class. I read the What to Expect Books and also Your Pregnancy Week by Week. I found both at Goodwill for 50 cents. Also talk to your siblings with questions and I have to say the nurses at the hospital were great- they showed us how to give a bath, change diapers, swaddle, helped with nursing and were ready to answer any and all questions. Our first is 6 months old now and neither of us had any prior experience. They don't break too easily, thank goodness! Once you get going it really does kind of come naturally with what you need and want to do.

Listen to anyone who wants to tell you things and take what you want from everyone. One of the best pieces of advice we heard from more than one source is to double bag the crib, ie two water proof pad, sheet, water proof pad, sheet. It saves time in the middle of the night when you just have to pull off one set of sheets and the bed is ready to go.

babycenter.com is also great for questions and seeing different stages and they will send you weekly emails about pregnancy and after and what is going on at each stage.

We also both took a CPR class that included infant CPR and it was beneficial to have the knowledge just in case. It was given by the local EMS and gave us a chance to practice on different sized dummies for adult, child and infant.

When I was close to my due date I also made several meals to freeze. My mom and mother-in- law had also made a variety so I really didn't have to cook much for about the first month we were home. The food was a little repetitive, but it was great and made life much easier.

The best of luck to you!!

Don't know your infant feeding plans, but there is a lot to learn with either method. For instance, if you decide to FF did you know you should add the water to the bottle first then the powder? The amount of water listed on the can is the actual amount of water you need to add to the powder--so a 4 oz. bottle really looks more like 5 oz. of formula when the powder is added. Diluting or concentrating the formula too much can really mess up your little one's system. If you choose to BF, I highly recommend taking a class at the hospital and going to some LLL (La Leche League) meetings while you are still pregnant. Most hurdles to a successful breastfeeding relationship happen in the first few days and weeks when finding support is hard--Go while you are pregnant--support from other women is invaluable. No offense to pediatricians, but expecting them to help in this area just doesn't pan out. Best of luck!

Speak with your OB/GYN and see if they have any good advice and if they know of any good classes (usually at hospitals, etc). And start taking your pre-natal vitamins.

And RELAX and have fun with the whole experience.