Gatherings with a newborn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sending your older kid to preschool and not attending Thanksgiving or Christmas is a hard sell. Pick a lane.

I had two winter babies (pre-pandemic) and took steps to avoid illness. I also didn’t attend Christmas with days-old babies. I’m a SAHM and my older child was turning 3 when my younger child was born. My older child wasn’t in preschool yet so the 3 of us were just…home.

This. You’re being inconsistent. It’d be like insisting on the best possible child safety car seat for your infant to ride in, and then putting it, and the baby, loose in the bed of a pickup. You’ve lost the plot and you’re acting emotionally.

I disagree- the benefits of your older child going to preschool and your husband going to work are clear, and worth those risks to you (from what I understand- they were to me too). Also, assuming your husband and preschooler are vaccinated, have experienced plenty of common colds, likely have had COVID, etc they won’t be picking up EVERYTHING that a newborn could in a crowded room full of people with who knows how many people aren’t vaccinated, didn’t get flu shot, whatever. My ped (2019 baby) wanted us to keep my newborn away from crowded indoor spaces even if older kid was in daycare, (but my OBGYN urged me to go out and about for MY mental health as long as people weren’t like breathing directly on the baby).

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't blame the potential for illness but rather say that you don't want to commit to something so soon after the birth. You'll still be recovering at the time of the wedding if you have a c-section, and your ability to lift things will be limited so you will need your husband there. You don't want to be at a wedding when you're exhausted, likely still bleeding, and nursing every few hours or less. That is totally understandable.