Hippie As A Genetic Trait

As I get further on in my job of parenting Eli I'm starting to think more and more about the decisions I'm making for him. I'm constantly saying things that I want to do different with the next baby, and mind you we're only a year in. Most of these pertain to medical issues. If I can figure out what went wrong with my body to cause the bleeding I'd like to try a home birth or a birthing center instead of the traditional hospital setting. When I think back to lying in bed being stitched up while various things of "immense importance" were done to Eli I get so annoyed. It was a full half hour til he was given back to me and I wish that everyone had been less concerned with cleaning/weighing/vaxing him and more concerned with letting me try to nurse him/bond with him/hold him. There was absolutely no reason I couldn't have been holding him while they were taking care of my "downstairs". Another thing that infuriates me in hindsight is all the doctors/nurses barging in to check his temp and startle reflex; waking up both of us or interrupting my fledgling attempts to nurse in the process. I can think of nothing more ideal than being in bed with my new baby interruption free from the moment of birth on. So that's one thing.

Another big thing is vaccinations. Don't start freaking out I want to vax my kid; but I don't want him to get so many all at once. I'd rather him get more sticks over more visits than have a reaction and us not know which vax caused it. This is a decision I'm going to enact with Eli, not wait for the next one for. I'm pretty nervous about telling the pediatrician (who will be a stranger to me since we're switching offices) that I want his MMR broken up over three visits, and that maybe we won't be getting the rubella at all since the worst side effects occur in pregnant women and he'll never be one of those. You can read about the disease here http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/german_measles.html. And while I'm nervous about the conversation I feel good about my choice. Just like I'm proud of most of the choices I've made for Eli so far. Before I had him I assumed I'd follow the party line and use disposable diapers and feed him cereal starting at 4 months and follow the exact AAP schedule for all things, but I guess I got some hippie passed down in my bloodlines.