Stuff (as in, what to buy...)
Has anyone else noticed how overwhelming it can be to buy all the stuff you have to buy during pregnancy?
I think for me it started with the food. During the first pregnancy (short as it was), I remember going through a whole phase of being completely panicked by food. What am I allowed to eat, what am I not allowed to eat, how much caffeine is OK, how much fish is OK, etc etc etc. I would spend long hours searching the web, trying to figure out how to keep the baby safe from preservatives and evil sugar substitutes. I literally remember having a panic attack in the grocery store one day because even plain old flour tortillas were impossible to find without a whole list of unpronounceable preservatives. Of course, this pregnancy changed all that. Fruit is pretty safe, and even careful washing went out the window when it was all I could eat and wanted it NOW! Everything else was a matter of what could I hold down??? If that meant ramen noodles (gasp - horrible processed food completely lacking in any nutritional value, according to the web sites), then ramen noodles it was! So far, she doesn't seem to be having any trouble with this philosophy!
Then there was the whole clothing issue. (Well, really the continuing saga of clothing, but at least now I'm a little more educated and have more than 2 pairs of pants to wear.) Junk, junk, junk! And where to buy anything that anyone with a shred of taste would wear? And once there, what to buy that anyone with an ounce of practicality would pay for? Glen can vouch for my return from the Mall on what I thought would be my first glorious day of shopping as a PREGNANT WOMAN, when I showed up at the house sobbing with only a scarf to show. It turns out you actually have to understand maternity clothing. You can't just sweep in and grab whatever looks good off the rack. There are different styles for your size and and your belly's size (two very different things for me). On bottoms especially - underbelly, over the belly, mid belly, demi-panel, full panel, "hug" styles, "OK" styles... All designed to sit somewhere different on your hips, and in the stores often not labeled or explained for first-time mommies. Of course, they say that you can just casually get the same maternity size as you used to wear. Ha! I think I tried on literally like a hundred tops and bottoms shopping with Mom, and came home with 12 things. Actually, shopping on the internet is easier, even though you end up having to return more stuff. That's because it explains what you're getting. What the style is, how it's supposed to fit, in some cases what trimester it's recommended for. And you can return things, which is not the case in most maternity stores. I suppose that's to keep you from returning something that you've outgrown before you even wear it, but none the less frustrating when they make you sign a special receipt swearing you will not try to return it!
Having survived the break-in period for that phase, I am now entering what I'm realizing will be the biggest, most challenging buying phase: baby stuff. Thankfully my sister-in-law saved some of her furniture for us, because at least we don't have to figure out the whole changing table thing. But still... Bassinett, cradle, crib, pak-n-play... Does anyone need all these things? At once? Car seat, convertibles car seat, car system, stroller, carriage... And how many types of bottles are there??? Not to mention choosing between the 30 varieties of breast pumps. Then there are the clothes. Just a quick search of the internet will produce about a million web sites selling tiny little beribboned, laced, frocked, and frilly infant outfits. Leather shoes, caps with ears, blankets with matching stuffed animals in pockets, mini-vests and sweater sets, designer boots for goodness sake! Again, does anyone really need these things? Our baby will be born late May/early June - doesn't that mean she'll be wearing t-shirts, diapers, and onesies for the first six months? I have to admit, born shopper that I am, I have walked into and out of more baby stores in the last few weeks, overwhelmed and intimidated by the sheer magnitude of the selection out there. Even the book store has become a source of wonder. WHen I was young, I remember there being one staple: The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Now the caterpillar has been joined by like six friends such as the tired spider and the happy bunny and whatever else. Where do these things come from? And do we really need any of it? Aaaaargh!
I think for me it started with the food. During the first pregnancy (short as it was), I remember going through a whole phase of being completely panicked by food. What am I allowed to eat, what am I not allowed to eat, how much caffeine is OK, how much fish is OK, etc etc etc. I would spend long hours searching the web, trying to figure out how to keep the baby safe from preservatives and evil sugar substitutes. I literally remember having a panic attack in the grocery store one day because even plain old flour tortillas were impossible to find without a whole list of unpronounceable preservatives. Of course, this pregnancy changed all that. Fruit is pretty safe, and even careful washing went out the window when it was all I could eat and wanted it NOW! Everything else was a matter of what could I hold down??? If that meant ramen noodles (gasp - horrible processed food completely lacking in any nutritional value, according to the web sites), then ramen noodles it was! So far, she doesn't seem to be having any trouble with this philosophy!
Then there was the whole clothing issue. (Well, really the continuing saga of clothing, but at least now I'm a little more educated and have more than 2 pairs of pants to wear.) Junk, junk, junk! And where to buy anything that anyone with a shred of taste would wear? And once there, what to buy that anyone with an ounce of practicality would pay for? Glen can vouch for my return from the Mall on what I thought would be my first glorious day of shopping as a PREGNANT WOMAN, when I showed up at the house sobbing with only a scarf to show. It turns out you actually have to understand maternity clothing. You can't just sweep in and grab whatever looks good off the rack. There are different styles for your size and and your belly's size (two very different things for me). On bottoms especially - underbelly, over the belly, mid belly, demi-panel, full panel, "hug" styles, "OK" styles... All designed to sit somewhere different on your hips, and in the stores often not labeled or explained for first-time mommies. Of course, they say that you can just casually get the same maternity size as you used to wear. Ha! I think I tried on literally like a hundred tops and bottoms shopping with Mom, and came home with 12 things. Actually, shopping on the internet is easier, even though you end up having to return more stuff. That's because it explains what you're getting. What the style is, how it's supposed to fit, in some cases what trimester it's recommended for. And you can return things, which is not the case in most maternity stores. I suppose that's to keep you from returning something that you've outgrown before you even wear it, but none the less frustrating when they make you sign a special receipt swearing you will not try to return it!
Having survived the break-in period for that phase, I am now entering what I'm realizing will be the biggest, most challenging buying phase: baby stuff. Thankfully my sister-in-law saved some of her furniture for us, because at least we don't have to figure out the whole changing table thing. But still... Bassinett, cradle, crib, pak-n-play... Does anyone need all these things? At once? Car seat, convertibles car seat, car system, stroller, carriage... And how many types of bottles are there??? Not to mention choosing between the 30 varieties of breast pumps. Then there are the clothes. Just a quick search of the internet will produce about a million web sites selling tiny little beribboned, laced, frocked, and frilly infant outfits. Leather shoes, caps with ears, blankets with matching stuffed animals in pockets, mini-vests and sweater sets, designer boots for goodness sake! Again, does anyone really need these things? Our baby will be born late May/early June - doesn't that mean she'll be wearing t-shirts, diapers, and onesies for the first six months? I have to admit, born shopper that I am, I have walked into and out of more baby stores in the last few weeks, overwhelmed and intimidated by the sheer magnitude of the selection out there. Even the book store has become a source of wonder. WHen I was young, I remember there being one staple: The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Now the caterpillar has been joined by like six friends such as the tired spider and the happy bunny and whatever else. Where do these things come from? And do we really need any of it? Aaaaargh!
posted by me at 1:12 PM
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