Comments on: Another Fatherhood reality hits me on the head with the force of a cruise ship going full speed.

By: Mosesofny

Mosesofny — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:30:29 +0000

Well there goes that idea for me… I always wanted to go off on a cruise with my wife, too bad my boys can swim too!!! Glenni all that information sounds great and expensive! Im just a military man we dont make that much ya know… I will however pass the info on to my wife she seems to always have cash flow (hummmmm)…

By: Tracey

Tracey — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:59:13 +0000

It’s up to you. I found it easier to travel with a small baby and my little one had 12 flights under her belt by 18 months. You don’t need too much for a very small guy and you can put him in a wrap or a sling and he can be very portable, even while breastfeeding (after a little practice). That said a new baby is a huge change so it’s hard to know how you’ll feel about it and when you’ll feel ready to handle anything out of the ordinary. Also, Tarzan, Jane may still be a litle tired and may not mind an afternoon break to nap on some days.

It would be a shame to miss your friend’s wedding but I’m sure he will understand if you can’t go. Just play it by ear and make the decision as last minute as you can.

By: Julie

Julie — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:21:30 +0000

I say do it! Breastfed babies are portable, their ity bity clothes don’t take up much room and all they want at that age is constant cuddle time and milk. You don’t need to take a stroller, use a sling. You can also feed discreetly in a sling and Mom and Bub can have bed rest when ever they want it. plus.. no coking meals or doing dishes for a whole week!
I took my son on a 4 day adventure involving long stretches of train travel when he was 6 weeks and found it to be the perfect time to travel. My husband carried the bags, I carried the baby and had everyone treating me like a princess. I loved it.
Of course, this will work only if Mom and bub are doing well and feel ready for such an adventure. It is probably something you won’t be able to commit until the last minute.

By: Jane

Jane — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:24:30 +0000

Hi Glenni – thanks for your stories and the product recommendations. I will have to make a note of all the products and practice once I decide on one. I can’t believe that you were able to nurse in a restaurant that discreetly. I must admit, it doesn’t sound too awful and what a learning curve all of this is! I immediately think “My boob will be exposed and that will be the end of breast feeding in public.” I guess I’m being a little dramatic, but it’s so hard to imagine a life and all the changes that I don’t even know about yet. Whew. I really appreciate hearing it from your point of view and thanks for sharing with me!

Hey Stephanie – No worries at all! I never thought you were being too preachy and I welcome any and all points of view here. Like I’ve said a million times, I have no idea what to expect with a baby, so my thoughts might be totally wrong and thats where I depend on y’all to help me out! I think the best thing to do is to wait a couple of months, see what we learn, think about how it will be, talk to the dr. about it, and then make a better decision. Our thoughts might be clouded at the moment with all that’s going on.

All in all though, I am grateful for your thoughts and your opinions on everything. The thing that I’m most terrified of is losing myself and the lifestyle that we’re used to. It’s nice to hear that we can fit the baby into our lifestyle instead of the other way. Makes it sound a whole lot better!

Again, no worries and thanks so much!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:02:23 +0000

Jane & Tarzan…..didn’t mean to get all preachy on you. The first rule of parenting is you can’t judge other parents and everyone does what is right for them. So sorry if I sounded preachy. And it is soooo much easier in hindsight

It’s a tough choice to make because you have to pay for everything in advance.

Maybe you can just wait, see how you feel, and then grab a last minute deal if things are going well once baby comes along.

I’m really enjoying your blog and the 2 points of view.

By: Glenni@A Nurturing Moment

Glenni@A Nurturing Moment — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:15:37 +0000

We traveled internationally with 4 kids in tow! I kept the baby in a sling, and we maneuvered just fine through airports here and abroad. The key was the baby sling, though. If you begin wearing your baby in the first weeks of life, both you and the baby will love it! It makes discreet breastfeeding second-nature. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a restaurant eating my meal while my baby ate his, and nobody had a clue. People sometimes asked, “Do you have a baby in there? Can I see?” Since baby was in the midst of a meal and I didn’t really care to expose baby, boob and all, I would respond politely (as I pulled the sling higher), “He’s asleep right now, and I don’t want to disturb him.” As with everything, practice makes perfect…practice using your sling in front of a mirror until you’re really comfortable with it. My favorite baby carriers are Baby K’tan, Peanut Shell and Baby Hawk.

As far as germs go, your body produces antibodies to anything you are exposed to, and you pass those to your baby in your milk. When we went to Costa Rica to live, the only one who didn’t get sick was the one who was still nursing!

I wish you all wisdom as you make this decision. It would be great if grandparents could go along. A great, compact, easy-to-use pump is the Medela Swing. You can actually nurse on one side and pump the other so grandma has a bottle for later.

Although having a baby does bring a lot of changes, you will still be the same fun-loving people you are today. Bring your baby into your lifestyle and love every minute of it!

By: Tarzan

Tarzan — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:07:02 +0000

Wow. Thanks for all of the comments everyone. Very much appreciated!

Jane and I have a little bit of time to decide, but the more I think about it and reading all of your replies, I’m still leaning more towards no… but will keep you posted on the decision we make.

@Jill… that blog… that story is incredibly sad. REALLY sad.

I’ll even admit I have some tears in my eyes right now.

I’m going to go downstairs, give Jane a big hug, and tell her I love her right now.

By: Crysi

Crysi — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:29:41 +0000

If you’re seriously worried about it, check out My Charming Kids. She just took her 3 month old on a 1 week cruise. They had a blast and their only problem was needing a birth certificate to get on the ship.
http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2009/01/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know.html

Crysi’s last blog post..Sunny Days

By: MVP

MVP — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:09:06 +0000

I think it’s up to you. If you both want to do it, it’s definitely do-able. And a cruise ship seems like it would be a great place to be – either of you could easily go back to the room to feed, change and rest the baby. Then come out for dinner, walks on the deck, a dip in the pool, etc. No, you likely wouldn’t be able to enjoy ALL the amenities, like boozing it up and staying up all night, but personally, I think it would still be a nice getaway.

That said, you guys know yourselves, and if it would be supremely stressful to pack for yourselves and a newborn and schlep all the way to the cruise ship, then worry about the germs, then don’t do it. Also, Tarzan could consider going alone, to support your friend, if Jane wouldn’t mind too much. Might be a good time for her to have a friend or sister or Mom out to visit. GL – it’s a nice problem to have!

PS…why can’t you go swimming or get a massage? Daddy can certainly (and I’m sure he’d be glad to) take the babe for awhile so mama can pamper herself! And about b/f in public, you can get a very pretty wrap or “hooter hider” (yes, that’s what they’re called and find a quiet corner. But that’s a personal choice.

But yeah, you’ve gotta do what’s best for you. It’s probably a lot of money, which could be spent doing sthg else you’d enjoy more.

By: Elisa

Elisa — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:36:50 +0000

Mmh. That is a tough one. I am 12 weeks pregnant and I can not imagine how I will feel. But I know that my parents took me to California (from Berlin, Germany!) when I was only a couple months old. They spent the ‘Baby Money’ (1000 Marks from the government for baby stuff) on a great trip to their friends in the US. Maybe that was the 70′s and they were Hippies (kind of), but they had the time of their life and I have great pictures of me as a baby in front of the Golden Gate Bridge.