Birth Control

I just spent an AMAZING week with the bff and her family. It's kinda cool saying "family" because she now has a little one of her own to take care of (besides her husband.) I went on vacation thinking that I was going to relax and lay around for 10 days. I did a lot of that, but I also came home with an overwhelming abundance of new knowledge about babies. What I learned is like birth control for me. Is what I learned and saw(!) really worth having a kid?!

These were my take-aways for the week:

1) They cost a butt-load of money.

-Your water bill goes up from having to pee every hour during pregnancy and it never goes down after you have the baby because you're constantly doing laundry. Add to that your hospital and Dr. bills, clothes, and diapers. Now, when you go shopping for yourself, you can no longer buy those $100 sunglasses that you normally would have bought when you were sans baby. You need to revert back to struggling college student days where you go with the Clearance rack $16.99 sunglasses. Sucks!

2) When you're pregnant, you're really NOT eating for two people.

-Almost every pregnant woman tries to console herself by saying she's eating for 2 people --an excuse as to why she's gained an enormous amount of weight and looks like she let herself go.

WRONG! Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you can eat DOUBLE. When you're pregnant, you're normally supposed to take in an additional 200 calories. That's HALF of a PB&J sandwich.

3) Why do Dr.'s measure the baby's head?

-It's called Baby Development. Big **Duh** moment for me here.

4) Poop smells REALLY bad...especially after eating Tex-Mex.

-Of course, what you eats affects what you're baby eats if you're breast feeding. It's amazing how this gets transmitted! I could tell when the baby ate Fritos & Salsa! I've never smelled anything quite like this before.

5) Sleep, Eat, Poop, Sleep, Eat, Poop - Repeat 10 times a day.

-It's true! This is basically what babies do all day. What a life!

6) It IS possible to lose the weight from pregnancy!

-The bff was back into her pre-pregnancy jeans just a few short days after she gave birth. Sick, I know. But, this just shows me that you don't have to look like a whale and continue to wear maternity clothes months (or even, years) after you've given birth.

7) They require attention...LOTS of attention.

-Babies know when all you want to do is watch college basketball playoffs, The Wire, or Grey's Anatomy rather than play with them, y'know?

8) Milk vs. Curds

-Have you ever smelled milk or cream in your fridge when it's old and curdled? It stinks. And yes, curds from babies is the same as curds in your milk.

9) Wardrobe malfunctions & dysfunctions

-Is your boob leaking, cause you've got a huge wet spot on your blouse? This never happened to the bff, but I can just imagine it happening to me. Having to think about what you're going to wear to make sure it's breast-feeding friendly is something I do not look forward to.

George Eliot once said, "What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories." The most special moments that I witnessed on my trip were the quiet moments that I saw my friend sharing with her newborn. It was personal and peaceful and made me realize that Yes! having a baby is worth the stretch marks, the weight gain, and the wardrobe malfunctions and that 10) It is possible to love someone more than yourself.