Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Decisions

I'm going to have to make some critter-related decisions in the next few days.

First, I heard back from the big daycare center where I had been on the wait list since November. They have a space for our critter starting in September. Now, I need to decide whether to keep the critter in his current home day care or move him to the big center.

The current daycare situation is in a woman's home. She and an assistant take care of 7 kids from the critter (the youngest) up to age 4. The location is very close to my home, and the critter seems to be doing well there (in the little over two weeks he's gone).

The daycare center would put the critter in a group of 12-15 kids his own age, with whom he would move from room to room as they grow. For older kids, the center has very good arts, music, and swimming programs, and getting the critter in now would guarantee him a spot in those. The center is closer to my work. The critter wouldn't need to be in care as long, but the time gained with me would just be time in the car. It's more expensive, but we can afford it if we think it's worth it.

Thoughts and suggestions on this matter are apppreciated, particularly from the mommies across the country that sometimes read my blog.

The other issue is that after a long time of claims being sent to the wrong address and then needing to take the time to resubmit them, I have now gotten the notification that the domperidone that I started taking to increase my milk supply is not covered by insurance. We've already paid for 3 months for which we won't be reimbursed (which we knew was a risk), but the question is whether I should continue taking it.

If I stop taking the drug my milk supply will likely decrease or possibly dry up altogether. It might not, but if I choose not to refill it anymore I need to be prepared for the fact that that may mean the end of breastfeeding. On the other hand, we are spending a lot of money on this drug, but I still need to feed the critter quite a bit of formula. (It's probably about half of what he eats.) An additional variable is that the pediatrician says he can start solid foods next month. Now, I've read that there is no hurry and starting foods early just creates an additional chore, but that decision seems relevant to how important it is to keep my milk supply.

Ah. Too much to think about. I just want to make the best decisions for my boy. I know he'll be fine at either daycare. I know he'll be fine without breastmilk. Knowing all that makes the decisions that much harder.

2 comments:

D. said...

I vote for the one closer to work - you get extra commute time together and it's close enough that if you wanted to see him at lunch, you can. And you get more time with him on a daily basis. Plus the benefits long term are worth it.

Can't put a price on extra time with the little guy!!

Maggie said...

I think you need to go where you are the most comfortable. When I was looking I remember some places I was like "no" as soon as I walked in. I just got a feeling when I went to the place we are at. It is a center and I like it cause I think it is very structured and that is how I am. Daycare is the hardest decision for a working mom....in my opinion.