Mommy Confessions: Joni

I am excited to share with you today mommy confessions from my friend, Joni Watson.  I have enjoyed getting to know her and even more excited as we continue to build our friendship.  Our husbands are on the District PTA Board for the school district where are children attend.  She just moved into a new home over the summer where she has tackled some great decorating projects with the help of Pinterst! I have referred her blog to all my nurse friends and believe you would enjoy it as much as I have so stop by Nursetopia to learn from her.  

She describes herself as follows: A nurse serving the underserved. RN, MSN, MBA, OCN, wife, mom, Christ lover, shoe junkie, reader, blogger, runner, & oh, so much more.  

Labor with drugs or without drugs?

Labor *with* drugs. I'm a nurse, and this is a hot-topic even among nurses. I personally don't think you have to endure pain to understand childbirth, and medications are titrated pretty well these days so anesthesia complications to mom and baby are rare. It's my personal opinion, but one I hold near and dear. 3 kiddos, 3 epidurals, 3 fabulous deliveries. Thank you, Lord, for the wisdom and miracle that is anesthesia!!

What is the best piece of advice you could give to a new Mother?

The best piece of advice I'd give to a new mom is soak. it. up. Every bit of it. The spit stains, the coos, the sweet smell of that baby that was designed only for you, the hugs, the sleepless nights - soak it all up. Savor the moments God gives you and stop looking for life to start. We get so caught up in "oh, it will be better when..." or "I will do that when..." When is NOW. Live.

What is something you said you would NEVER do with/to your children, that you have found yourself doing?

I told myself I would never do the "I'm going to count to three" thing. I do it all the time. Yeah, yeah, all the parenting advice says don't do it. Meh. The youngest one it doesn't really work for, but my older two...well, I rarely get to two these days. Whatever works. 

Did you breastfeed- why/why not? Did you feel pressure to/not to?
I actually did not breastfeed, and yes, I felt an enormous pressure to do so. I actually tried with each of my three kiddos. *Numerous* lactation consultants and friends and nurses helped me; it just didn't work for us, and I was so stressed out the entire time. As soon as I resolved that my kids would be fine with formula and allowed myself not to breastfeed (and released the guilt I had piled upon myself), life was so much better. It was the worst with my first child and gradually became easier, but I did try with each of my kids, and I did feel guilty each time. Turns out, they are okay. Man, I stressed myself out there for a while, which doesn't make for a happy household with all those hormones trying to regulate.