Uncle Joe, Hi..Gina from Jersey..I think this is an awesome idea to have Bobby's first year on the website. Cant wait to tune in each Monday to read about my cousin since we are so far apart! It will be very informative. :-) Gina    10/02/1999

I think this is great! I wish I could email it to my husband who will be a daddy in a couple of months! 10/05/1999

The journal made me cry within a few minutes of reading the initial entries. I am expecting a boy too! Since I am 39 and petite, I would have loved to read more about why Mary needed a c- section. Jill Cohen    10/05/1999

Hi Jill, Every situation's different, of course, but Mary tried to deliver vaginally for 2 1/2 hours and the baby just wouldn't come through. We figured it was because he was such a big boy (9-2) and the head just wouldn't fit. On the other hand, I know other women (even petite ones!) who've delivered 9 and 10-pound babies vaginally, so I wouldn't worry that you're bound for a c-section. Still, might be a good idea to read up on 'em just in case. Good luck! JD    10/05/1999

JD -- I read your birth story and I'm sitting here at my desk crying!!!!! I love it!!!! Kelly Polizzi    10/05/1999

for each page of this diary, I wish you had an option to "Email to a friend" as I'd like to email them to my husband. thanks. sandra sullivan    10/05/1999

thanks - i'll be a first time dad in Novemeber and your site will be very helpful. good luck with the baby and the site. Best, Bill bill@shopnlist.com    10/05/1999

What a wonderful moment in time we all get to share with you and your new family. I can't wait to read more next monday. Karey    10/05/1999

I would just to like to say that I was very touched by your story. My husband and I have 4 children and we are now trying to conceive our fifth and last. It was nice to read about a father and his experiences during the whole "process".It brought back a lot of memories for me. I can not wait to go through all of this again. Their birth's were the best memories of our life. Thank you for sharing your story. I also would like to wish you Congratulations and the best of luck with raising your new son. It is a wonderful lifetime experience! Liz    10/05/1999

I am almost five months pregnant, and I can barely get the father of my child to go to an appointment with me. I can make a dozen excuses for him like he's going to school for his Masters, he works full time blah blah blah. But he is missing it on so much. I know that this is just the beginning. But it is so important to me to have him there. Don't get me wrong he is a great man and is very happy for our Blessing.....but his involvement is almost non existent. So JD I just wanted to commend you on being a great father and husband. Your involvement reminds me of how my Daddy is with my Mother and our family. Julia    10/05/1999

I am 28 years old and we are expecting our first baby in February. My husband always wanted children, but knew there was little chance that I could not have children. When I was 21 years old, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease and almost died. After several long months of aggresive treatment with chemotherapy and radiation I won the battle. My fiance at the time was very supportive and stuck by me the entire time. He loved me for who I was and overlooked his desires of one day having his own family. I am in my 6th year of remission and continue to have a clean bill of health. My husband and I stopped the pill for 3 months and tried on the fourth month. With God's will I got pregnant on the first try! My pregnancy has been wonderful thus far. We are so very thankful of our baby and are looking forward to devoting our lives to this little one. Carolyn Cobb    10/05/1999

i think this is a beautiful story and i love the fact that the father was the one to share his birth experience. i think it's great. i have a three month old daughter and bringing her into this world was an amazing experience.absolutely indescribable feelings. babies are definately the most precious little people. brandie    10/05/1999

I think this is such a good idea what you have done. I am a first time parent and our baby is due Dec 13 and reading this taught me what to look for and got me ready. Thanks. I will read about cute little Bobby every week. Candice    10/06/1999

My baby just turned a year old and I have to admit my eyes moistened at the memory of those days in the hospital, and bringing him home. One shocker for me was circumcision. I hadn't circumcized my 14 year old when he was born and the new baby's dad was all for it. I cried and cried after we had it done just thinking that he was hurting and maybe there was no reason for it (and we made sure he had a local!). Maybe it was just postpartum hormones, but it really shook me up. But I got over it (not as quickly as he did, even). This is a heartwarming little BabyCenter piece...but I wish it didn't so often sound like a BabyCenter plug for this or that (it interrupts the sweetness flow). Thanks for including it. Catherine    10/06/1999

Thanks for the nice words and expressions of goodwill, all. Julia, I hope your partner comes to realize how important it is to share in your pregnancy, and that no professional degree compares with the miracle of parenthood. Carolyn, bless you and good luck with your pregnancy -- sometimes going through an ordeal such as yours provides perspective on what's important in life. You'll be a great mom. JD    10/06/1999

Keeping a journal like this is a wonderful idea. Babies grow up so fast. I have a 21 month old daughter. It is hard for me to remember all of the little things that I should have recorded. My advice to the new parents is to take plenty of pictures. They'll come in very handy when they are older and getting into everything. I keep a picture of my daughter when she was 5 days old in my Bible. Whenever she is acting up at church, I pull it out and look at how innocent and sweet she was and still is. Diana L. Arana    10/06/1999

Congradulations!!! Welcome to the world Bobby! I have two kids so I know everything you're going through, but it is all worth it!! Heather    10/06/1999

Thanks for doing this journal! I really enjoyed "Mary's Story," & am looking forward to the next pregnancy journal, which I hear is due to start sometime this month. At the same time, having just started my 3rd trime, I'm beginning to realize that while I'm still fully consumed by the pregnancy (I'm writing this at around 4 a.m.-- the insomnia is getting a little old at this point!), I should start thinking about what happens we we actually bring our baby home. I'm glad not only that they're starting a journal about parenthood, but also that it's a father's journal. I like to hear the man's perspective. Good luck with Bobby! I'll check in every Monday to see how you're all doing. Sharon edd 1-9-00 #1, girl 10/07/1999

This is sich a nice story, I have three kids of my own and each time I brought them home it was like the first time, so much love and awe. When your baby looks at you when he or she is feeding the feeling is wonderful, enjoy your little boy they grow really fast. Mrs. Merle Fischer    10/07/1999

CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST OF LUCK Being a mother of 3 we learn new things with each child my last one was a very gasey baby. Mylicon was my life saver!! I should have bought stock in it but oh well. Other than that Your wife and I are very lucky to have such supportive husbands Way to go!! Take care of that little one they grow way to fast! My oldest son is now 9 and my daughters are 4 and 19 months. Christy    10/07/1999

My husband and I discovered your story last week - one day after we brought home our own newborn baby boy. You wrote what my husband felt but could never express. We look forward to each installment and wish you the best of luck with your family. Ashley    10/11/1999

I have a three month old daughter and reading the journal has been wonderful. I also had a c-section(after 14 hours of labor)and reading about how Mary felt guilty when she couldnt hold Bobby immediately made me cry, I felt the same way and struggled with that for some time. The only other thing I can say is that the journal would be a lot nicer if it wasnt interuppted by advertisements for information on Baby Center. Besides that it is touching and I will look forward to it every week. Thanks! Marcie    10/11/1999

Hi, I just read your installment and i have a 7 week old and I also had a C-section. Things WILL get drastically better within the next few weeks. Alot of people told me try to get your baby on a schedule and it really works-espically @ night. My little one wakes up once a night now--what works is to give him a bath at night (once umbilical cord falls off) and that really gets him tired before bed time and make it consistent every night, he'll come to expect it and know it is time for sleep (it also really helps to feed him after the bath-that will really help him fall asleep a while longer also). Anyways, thought that might help some, I had the same situation the first few weeks. Anyways- Congratulations-I cant believe it is already been 7 weeks for my baby boy-it seems like yesterday. We can't wait to read next weeks installment! Kristen    10/11/1999

I fully enjoyed reading this and look forward to reading more. Tammy Luther    10/12/1999

I had a preterm baby who weighed in at 4pounds 8 ounces. I breast fed her every hour round the clock for a whole month. I lost my mind several times, what with latching on problems and all. What kept me going? the fact that I endured many a sleepless night studying for the bar exams which were not half as important as providing nourishment for my new baby. She gained an average of an ounce a day and I lost 29 pounds in less than 3 months. Mums, regardless of what those nurses tell you do not introduce formula for a while. If you need a break, once baby is 6 weeks, start expressing and have someone feed baby that from the bottle. bola Lawrence    10/12/1999

This is so sweet! I'm really enjoying reading about dad's views and feelings. Laura    10/12/1999

JD, What a wonderful thing you are doing for all parents and parents to be! My husband and I are expecting our first in December and reading your journal really helps relieve some anxiety. We wish you the best of luck with your son. Little Bobby is blessed to have such a wonderful, caring father! Audrey    10/12/1999

My suggestion to you guys is to just go with the flow. I have a 12 and a half month old daughter. By the time she was 4 weeks out I was giving her a little bit of cereal because she was so hungry. After I started that she slept through the night. If your baby was big at birth, breastmilk and formula are not always enough. My husband and I have been very laxed about things that make my parents nervous but our daughter is healthy and quite laid back. I believe that if you feel nervous and scared everytime you are around the baby, they pick that up and they become very nervous and scare also. Good Luck. Enjoy him because as soon as they start moving they aren't your little babies anymore. 10/12/1999

JD, Thank you for sharing your story to us. My husband and I are expecting our first daughter the end of December. Reading your journal helps ease our anxieties. We look forward to reading each week. Kathy    10/12/1999

At first I thought this was from someone I know, I also have a two week old son named Bobby, Robert joesph strada 3 to be exact,9/30/1999 our jealous dog is staying at the inlaws. Better him then me, after 23 hours of labor 3 bad indusements, that all lead to an emergency c-section We are also proud parents of our little Bobby(week 2) Bobby Strada Jr    10/12/1999

I THOUGHT IT WAS THE END All the books in the world, and all the dadys for dombis classes couldn't prepair me for our "first day of the rest of our lives" durring the delivery about 18 hours after she was indused, thats when the shindig hit the fan. The assistants kept making large mistakes, for myself it was hard to keep up everything that was going on. Dialation wasn't increasing, the night staff gelled her to soft, they broke her water to soon, after the epidural was in place its common for contractions to seeze, for a short time, not a few hours, the assistants said "they were fooling with the Pitosin Drip to increase contractions, but for about a half hour failed to see she was having contractions, one very large and longe one. This contraction sent the babys heart rate past the mid 200 range. Thats when I steped in the room. With Jenn on an oxygen tank shaking like a leaf nurces with this frantick look on there faces screaming stop the pregnancy, giving her a shot to stop the birth. At this point the infection was about to set in, so off we go to the ER were at this point no one could take me away from her. Even during the c-section I wouldn't let them keep the screen up to keep me from watching. I never thought it would be so rushed and forcefull, I was to tired to be queeze. Every thing left my mind when I say him take his first breath of air, It was realy great to be there for this. Because at this point I knew every thing was going to be ok. So remember don't let the best thing get the worst of ya-it aint over till the fat lady screems i meen sings. HANG IN THERE Bobby Strada jr    10/12/1999

I like the idea of bobby's story and the interesting things his father learns by caring for him but the facts, statistics, and other information make this story more like a text book than a father's story. I would prefer to hear a father's perspective on childbirth and caring for a newborn rather than facts I can find elsewhere. Jodi    10/12/1999

My comment comes in with the feeding/sleeping problems. I also breastfed and had the same fears of the milk. Although this is not in style right now, I am all for putting a child on a schedule. My son is now 7 months old and is doing great. I put him on a schedule from the day he was born. I too had a c- section so my husband helped out a lot. At the beginning I would feed him every three hours (give or take 1/2 hour) throughout the 24 hour period and then he would have wake time and then he would nap between 1 1/2hr to 2 hr. There was no waketime at night. By 7 weeks, his last feeding was midnight and he slept until 6am. At that point I tried extending the night by 15min increments every few days. By 12 weeks, he was on a 3 1/2 hour feeding schedule and he would take 3 naps ranging from 1 1/2hr to 2 hr with his last feeding at 9:30pm and he woke up around 6:30am. With him doing so well on this schedule I decided I would like to sleep in a little bit so I decided to extend his mornings so he does not get up until 7:30am. By 6 months I have moved him to the next scheduling bracket. He is now feeding 4 times a day on a 4 hour increment (breakfast,lunch, dinner, and a bedtime snack). His schedule allows him to be awake more and he now takes 2-2hr naps (morning and afternoon)and a 45min-1hr catnap in the late afternoon early evening. His last feeding is 7:30pm and he is down for the night between 8- 8:30pm and sleeps till 7-7:30am. At this point I also started introducing solids and that is where he is today,enjoying the tastes of the new things I give him. Even though people feel that when a baby cries they are hungry, I disagree. With this schedule you have trained you baby to know what is going to happen and when. This give them confidence and security they need. Denise Leech    10/13/1999

Julia - don't worry, fatherhood is just not as "real" to your husband as it is to you - most men are wonderful once there is a baby they can see & hold. I made sure to find out when I was having an ultrasound so that my spouse could attend & "see" our girls - the rest of the appointments were, fortunately, routine and I saw no need for him to change his schedule. He sure came thru at delivery when both the Dr and Nurse had left the room & he was stuck at the business end by himself while I was doing the pushing! He would not loosen his grip on our swaddled newborn even enough to toss me my water bottle. So hang in there. Polly    10/13/1999

Hi Jodi, BabyCenter's a combination of story-telling (like this journal and Mary's Story) as well as a tool for providing deeper levels of information through links to other areas of our site. Sure, it may interrupt the narrative flow at times (and hey, I'm a writer so I know where you're coming from), but in the end we think the payout is worth it for readers who are coming to this journal not just to learn about Bobby's story but who want pointers to more information relevant to their individual situations. I'm thinking of this journal as a sort of interactive diary, and I'm thrilled that parents and parents-to-be are posting advice and observations that are providing guidance not just to me and Mary but to other folks with young babies. You guys are fantastic! JD    10/13/1999

Dear JD, I loved your second installment. I'm especially interested in SIDS prevention. Actually terrified about the thought of it. Did you worry about leaving the baby alone sleeping in another room during the first three months? What can you suggest to anxiety-ridden moms and dads? Jill Cohen    10/14/1999

Actually, we put the crib a few feet from the foot of our bed, so that we're right there if there are any problems. Unless your baby is high-risk (say, born premature), and if you take sensible precautions (see http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/419.html), the odds of something bad happening are extremely small. If you want even more info, see the SIDS Alliance page: http://www.sidsalliance.org/ JD    10/14/1999

my husband and i are expecting our first child in the next few weeks. your journal has realived some of our worries, and been very useful and informative. i look foward to reading about each step, and cannot wait until my son is also born... kristy    10/15/1999

I have a two month old, this is my fourth child, but it is fun reliving your experience with you. We of course have experienced almost all and then some, of the fun you have had. Sincerely Kristina Sakowich kristina and michael    10/18/1999

I just wanted too tell you congrats!!! I have a 6 month old son and it seems like yesterday that I had him. They grow so fast, enjoy him. He is beatiful. I think that is wonderful that you are writting a journal. Good luck and once again congrats! Bre.. Livermore,Ca    10/19/1999

Just a comment, This is such a wonderful reading experience. I'm about to be a new grandmother and while my daughter and son in law have read everything written in the world, this is a perfect way for me to learn more about parenting today .Waiting for my new gift of a grandchild due any da M. Simmons    10/19/1999

This is great reading since you are about a week behind my son born 9/18. Your reactions and his developments are very similar to my son's. It feels good to know someone else is marveling at these little things just as we are. Keep up the great writing. trish    10/19/1999

I absolutely LOVE your journal! I'm in my third trimester & I feel like I have read practically every book written on pregnancy, it seems so few books/articles are really "Dad friendly" but your journal is the only thing I have been able to get my baby's father to read on a regular basis and look forward to (granted it's only been a couple of weeks- but hey, it's something!). Vanessa McCoy    10/20/1999

(Sorry, but I have to get this off my chest.) First of all to Denise Leech, strict scheduling with a baby, especially a newborn, can be very dangerous. And if you are breastfeeding, it's best to feed on demand for many reasons. It's fine to have a routine for a baby, but a strict schedule is not. You still have to be flexible to allow for bad days and especially for growth spurts. It's necessary for a baby to feed more during growth spurts. Don't you ever have days where you're more hungry than normal? What do you do? Do you starve yourself because it isn't the proper time to eat yet? Also, some babies do just fine on a routine and others don't. You can't be so rigid and inflexible that it's detrimental to the baby. It seems that you lucked out and your baby had no problem with your schedule. It normally isn't that easy. Now to JD: The change in eating during week two sounds like the normal mini-growth spurt that happens around that time. With your sister a former LLLLeader, I'm surprised that she didn't mention that to you. (Or if she did, I'm surprised that you didn't mention it because many women have the same concern about feeding the baby enough.) During a growth spurt, it's very normal for the baby to want to nurse much more than usual, but it only lasts a couple of days. And there are two purposes to the growth spurt. One, he's growing and needs the extra food (obviously) and two, it stimulates your wife's milk supply to increase production to meet his new need. Growth spurts are typically the time when women question their milk supplies and end up starting the weaning process by introducing formula during this time. Any amount of supplementing should be avoided during the first few months because it interferes with natural supply and demand. And bottles should be avoided until the milk supply is established so that the baby doesn't get nipple confusion. For some babies it's not a problem, for others it can be. Overall, I think it's a great story and I think that it's wonderful we finally get to see a detailed description from the dad's view. Thanks and good luck! Koukla's Mom    10/20/1999

JD- I love this website! It always has everything I'm looking for! It is the best one around, and I'm always talking about it with my friends and family. I loved Mary's story. And when I started reading Bobby's story, I was at work and found myself laughing and crying. I am 5 months pregnant-expecting my 1st in February. Thanks for the smiles and tears that you bring with each story (it's all good). Keep up the good work 10/22/1999

Hi. When my newborn would wake up in the middle of the night for a feeding, I would check her diaper first and change it if needed. Then, after she nursed, we put her right to bed instead of disturbing her by taking her clothes off and using a cold wipe on her bum. Yes, sometimes, she would "dirty" a diaper when she nursed and I'd change her after she ate, but to make the experience more soothing for her, I didn't disrupt her calm state. I didn't disrupt my husband's sleep either if she'd cry after she ate when getting changed. Kristen Swentosky    11/12/1999

My husband and I tune in each week for the latest installment, since our duaghter was born the same week that you started writing this journal. We laugh and nod our heads in agreement at everything (I also had a c- section, something we never considered until they were shoving the consents in my face due to fetal distress.) I have to say that your writing is the most validating, real-life stuff we've been able to find, and we read everything. Thanks for the open, honest reporting, and please keep it up! It is a real affirmation of the struggles and vast joys of being new parents. Jen Judd-McGee    11/15/1999

JD, my son (also my first child) was born on September 13, 1999 via emergency C-section (just a couple of weeks before Bobby, I believe?) and I have found your story both eerily familiar and comforting. It is nice to read the story from your point of view because it gives me more insight into how my husband might see all of this. I cried when I read about your wife's anxiety and stress upon returning to work (I have also gone back to work part-time) and laughed out loud at the comment from a stranger that the baby looks nothing like her! I have heard the EXACT same thing. (And yes, I admit that my son is the spitting image of my husband, but he has MY sweet Virgo personality!) Anyhow, I look forward to reading more about Bobby's progress and wish you and your wife all the best. Elissa Khakee    02/16/2000

I greatly enjoyed reading your journal so far. I'm keeping something similar for my 4 month old daughter. I'm writing letters to the future her, telling her about what she is like now. I was interested that your little fella was disturbed by the sound of rattling paper. Our Miryam was, too (though she's over it now). Do you know of any reason why that particular sound would bother babies so much? Samantha Dunaway    05/06/2000

pregnancy is 9 month beauriful dont have explicacion ,thank you. marinamelo    08/15/2000

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