First, congratulations. I am also due in December. I think it's perfectly valid and normal to ponder the myriad of ways having a baby will change your life, including your therapy work. I currently see T twice a week and plan on taking a break at first, then resuming at once a week, with H caring for the baby. I haven't been in therapy with an infant, but I've had one before, which is why I don't think I'm have it in me, physically, to do therapy for at least a few weeks after s/he is born. Skype makes things more complicated, because if someone is sitting the baby at home and you're trying to do therapy. If it could be someone who could take the baby on a little walk thst might help. They do sleep quite a lot, and while s/he won't have a steady routine at first , eventually you'll probably establish one, with regular nap times, generally making it easier to do other activities, whether it be Skype therapy or basic chores. Most of all, don't be surprised if your perspective shifts. I'm already finding myself pretty sure I will have less room for therapy in my life for a season, which is ok, even if daunting at first. I'm slowly coming to accept it, though. Again, congrats!

Thanks, Yaku and congrats to you, as well!! So exciting!

T is going to be out of the country for a few weeks around the holidays which is when baby is due, so if I have the baby early or on time, I would be taking a break from T anyway while she is out of the country.

I am thinking I will probably then just go to once a week, perhaps a longer session.

Truth is I was getting to a place where I dont need as much therapy anymore anyway, so I suppose the timing is okay. I guess I'm just scared that I'm going to lose my mind after the baby is born and will need more therapy again!

Seriously though, I know it will all work out okay. I have made a lot of progress in the last couple of years, the past year in particular. I will be ok. Its just a lot of change all at once!

Hey there. Sorry this is my first post but the topic interested me. I'd ask your therapist about what they would allow. My T didn't mind me bringing my infant into therapy. He only doesn't allow children when they are old enough to understand the topics being discussed. I don't know if you are breastfeeding or not, but if you are, you could always quiet baby with nursing if your T is OK with you doing so. (Legally you're allowed to nurse anywhere you are regardless of what anyone says.) I'd ask your T about it.

Congrats, Lady Grey!

I had my babies quite close together and so have been through pregnancy and the newborn stage twice while in therapy. I never really skipped a beat with T. In fact, both times I contacted her from the hospital to let her know when the baby had been born.

I switched to phone sessions for the two weeks after the babies were born. . . during the time period they tell you you're not "supposed" to drive. I think I held the baby while talking with T on the phone a couple times, on other occasions he or she was sleeping in the crib or my H was watching her.

After the two weeks, I started going back to the office and would take baby with me to my sessions. The question comes was this distracting. . . yes, but it was also fun in that I got to know another side of my T because we'd interact together over the babies a lot. She is very much a baby person and would often hold them and play with them. Also, newborns sleep a lot and mine were particularly sleepy little munchkins (have often been told I'm lucky in that regard) so they would often snooze right through a session in the early months. Sometimes, of course, it didn't go that way and I'd be dealing with diaper changes and nursing in therapy. T didn't mind. I guess that might depend on the T. Breastfeeding in therapy was a little awkward at first, but not terribly.

Once they got to the crawling stage, I began leaving them with H or a babysitter because T's place is not at all childproof. There is delicate looking bric a brac on low shelves everywhere.

As far as the work of therapy itself goes, it was definitely less intense during those months I was bringing baby with me, but it helped so much with my buoyancy and overall outlook just to keep the connection going.

I have really fond memories of those days, and
T has told me as well that it was an honor and a joy to get to witness so much of their baby stages.

Aw, now I'm gonna cry Okay, not really. But thanks for letting me ramble and congrats on all the precious days and moments ahead. They may make you exhausted and a little crazy at times, but it is all so wonderful. Maybe more so in retrospect at times.

Hi LG... I don't know how I missed this post. What wonderful news! Congratulations. I am SO happy for you. I am also happy to hear of the progress you have been making in therapy. You sound like a different person from the one I knew 4 years ago. Have you been with a new T or still with old T1? I kind of lost track.

I am sure you will work something out with therapy, especially since you can Skype. I would try to get baby on a regular nap schedule and make appointments during that time via Skype. Even my son who was terrible at napping would sleep for at least 45 minutes once per day. My nephew would take 2 naps of 90 minutes each. I think you will be fine.

Please keep us updated as things progress. It was nice hearing from you and I thank you for this lovely update.

TN

quote:

if I told you my experience it would only represent how me and my frenetically feeding, dedicatedly non sleeping Pengles fought our way through the early months of life together

LOL, Oh, gosh, SP, you are a super-hero. I was so lucky with Boo, other than she had a hard time latching at first, so I had to do a combination of expressing and using nipple shields until she figured out breastfeeding, but it worked out. As for nap routines, they were non-existent, but my little one seemed determined to sleep through the night as soon as she gained enough weight that the doctors would advised me I could let her do so. So, I figure my next one will be the opposite, lol.

LG - SP is right, every kid is different and every mom. But whatever decisions you make, however it turns out to be, will be what works best for you and your little one and that will be great. Turns out my session time will be changing, so I'll have no choice but to bring the little one once I return to therapy, which is good, as I'll feel less anxious, but also challenging, as I refuse to breastfeed publicly for my own comfort (it doesn't bother me when others do, but relates to how hard it was to do so discreetly with Boo). So, I'll just have to pump or leave the room, and if it doesn't work, it may be a bigger break than expected, but it will all work out.