Uh oh! Somehow in the sleep deprived fog I was stumbling through I had completely missed one of those great big whopping decisions about which we as mothers are meant to have intelligent, insightful and well informed opinions!
A very newly pregnant friend confessed recently her similar ignorance when on her first visit to the midwife she was asked whether she wanted to have the baby at home or in hospital. She just didn't have an opinion. She didn't even know she was "meant" to have an opinion at this point and instantly felt like she failed "mummyhood 101".
This got me thinking about all the other great debates of motherhood about which it seems we as mothers are expected to be instant experts. These are what I came up with off the top of my head for pregnancy and the first 3 years. Obviously although they are presented as either / ors in some cases the ideal path is a "happy medium". I am sure there are loads more ... what else can you think of?
- Hospital v home birth
- Midwife led v doctor led birth
- Natural labour v medical pain relief
- Natural 3rd stage of labour v managed 3rd stage (i.e. delivery of placenta)
- Vitamin K supplement for new born or not
- Breast feeding v bottle feeding
- Co-sleeping v cot
- Disposable v cloth nappies
- Sleeping & eating routine v baby led
- Controlled crying v comforting to sleep
- Stay at home v go back to work
- Nursery v nanny v child-minder
- Baby led weaning v puree based weaning
- Free play v directed learning
I haven't got a clue about what comes next so am hoping that some of you who have "been there and got the t-shirt" will jump in and let me know what they are so the first time I discover them isn't when I stumble over them in the fog :-)
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