Dis-United

I was all set to rant about my unpleasant experience with United Airlines today but the company has had a pretty rough day already and I figured that screaming on my blog would only be cathartic for me. So I'm going to try to be constructive. 

My main complaint is that flying on United with a family is just downright unfriendly. Here is a summary of how it was so sucky this trip to the Bay Area with my 2 1/2 year-old son and 8 month-old daughter. 

• No guaranteed seats together. This is a new policy. If I were flying with my husband it would be inconvenient but with a toddler it is impossible. How can I let my 2 year-old sit in a row with two strangers!? When I booked the flight I called to request seats together and even offered to pay a premium but I was told that my only option was to upgrade to the emergency exit row for $70 per ticket. 

Me: Do you know that children are not allowed to sit in the emergency exit row? 

Phone agent: Oh yeah. Okay well then there is nothing we can do. Just ask some people to move when you get on the plane. 

I worried about this for weeks leading up to the flight knowing I'd have to beg a stranger to sit in my crappy middle seat. I called the airline again the day before the flight with the same result. I also asked every desk and gate agent I could find to help but no one would. They all told me the same thing: No ma'am, nothing we can do. Just beg for mercy from your fellow passengers. 

Luckily it worked out that I was able to switch with a kind soul but this is not a permanent solution. This was dumb luck.

United, plain and simple: this sucks! You've been able to fix this in the past but you are now simply unwilling? Why??   

• No preboarding for families. This is also a new policy that I don't understand. Why not give young travelers a little extra time? I have A LOT of gear that I lug with me to accommodate my two little ones and that gear makes our flight a smooth sail. But I need time to deal with all of that stuff. I need time to break down my double stroller, set up my CARES harness, get myself seated with the baby in the Ergo, pull out the iPad for the flight, get a nursing cover, etc. Giving me a few minutes to do this without other passengers waiting impatiently in the aisle just makes sense! It keeps me from holding everyone else up!

• No stroller coverage on domestic flights. This was my final straw today. We had a pretty smooth flight from San Francisco to Newark but when we arrived the sun hood on my Mountain Buggy Duet was broken off and the bent frame was tossed on the floor next to my folded stroller without explanation. I was directed to a baggage claim service desk where an agent inquired about the price of the stroller and its age. This is an expensive stroller but having a double helps A TON - especially since I flew the first leg of this flight alone without my husband. When I told her that it was not yet 4 months old and costs just under $600, her response was this: 

Agent: We suggest you travel with less expensive strollers because we don't cover them on domestic flights. 

I was dumbfounded. So if it were cheaper it would be okay for you to break it?? And is it any of your business how much it costs anyway? I choose the best products in order to make my travels easier - is that any of your business? Why kind of response is that?? 

I wasn't asking that they replace the entire stroller - just the sun hood, which costs all of $45. She said that she would look into sending us a replacement. She was kind enough, giving me a claim number and her contact information, but I was still dumbfounded by this policy. 

We may break your stroller so make sure it's cheap, parents! Oh and screw you for traveling with little ones too. 

Now I don't want to scream about how unacceptable this all is. I think thats pretty obvious. And I will vote with my dollars. In April Virgin America begins service out of Newark and then I will take my regular cross-country fares elsewhere. 

To their credit, United has responded to my Twitter ravings with offers to help. But it shouldn't come to this! These cold, unfriendly policies have really alienated my family and - I don't mean to brag - but we are seriously THE easiest travelers you can imagine. My kids never cry on planes, they don't kick seats, they don't have fits. They know the drill. They play with their toys, watch movies on iPad, sleep, and eat their lunches. They are seasoned travelers. We make it very easy on the airlines that accommodate us. Problem is: they don't make it easy on us. And they so easily could by throwing out the policies that alienate and starting with a new policy. It's called customer service. 

MommyBeta Podcast #84: Introducing Baby to Toddler

On this week's show, the MommyBetas discuss ways to gently introduce a new baby to your toddler including gift ideas for toddler and baby, and why you shouldn't fret too much over how much your little one is eating. 

Listen to the podcast here.

Planning for a VBAC

After 9 months of weighing a repeat C-section vs. a VBAC, I've finally decided to go for the VBAC should I go into labor. As of now, I have a C-section scheduled at 41 weeks. So, if I don't go into labor before then, I will have the scheduled C.

What made me opt to go for it? That's tough to answer. Since I've been told by my practice that I'm a good candidate and doctors never want to put anyone at risk, I feel like I should at least try, especially if it means avoiding major surgery. According to the American Pregnancy Association you are a good candidate for a VBAC if you have:

• No more than 2 low transverse cesarean deliveries.
• No additional uterine scars, anomalies or previous ruptures.
• Your health care provider should be prepared to monitor labor and perform or refer for a cesarean if necessary .
• Your birth location should have personnel available on weekends and evenings in case a cesarean is necessary.
• If the original reason for a cesarean delivery is not repeated with this pregnancy
• You have no major medical problems
• The baby is a normal size
• The baby is head-down

My former labor wasn't your typical situation. After speaking with several labor specialists, it is standard practice to check a woman's progress before performing any sort of intervention such as pitocin or an epidural. I wasn't checked before either of those so we have no idea what sort of progress was or was not being made. We only know that my contractions slowed/spaced out after the epidural and when I was checked 17 hours after my first and only previous check, I was at 7 cm. It's hard to know if I had been there for 5 hours since I got the epidural or if I had slowly been moving along. My daughter was on the large side at 8 lbs, 9 oz but there are much bigger babies born every day. (Not that I'm hoping for a whopper with this one!) 

After interviewing several doulas, I feel that the chances for a vaginal birth are on my side though I do secretly fear that it may result in a c-section which is much much riskier than if I had gone in for a scheduled C. I'm doing all I can though to try for a successful vaginal birth. 

I've been getting prenatal massages, had one acupuncture session, hired a doula and plan to see a pregnancy chiropractor specialist. Of course another fear of mine is damaging my you know what but I've been told that while it happens, extreme tears are rare. I'm trying perineal massage to avoid it and doing exercises that supposedly help get the baby in optimal positioning for labor. 

So, if after all this, we go to a C, I'll know we did what we could to avoid surgery but in the end the most important thing is a healthy baby and mommy. That's my ultimate end goal. 

Disney World at 35 Weeks

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was on a plane headed to Orlanda (from SF) with my toddler sans my husband. Just two weeks prior, I decided to make the trip to go to Disney World with my parents, sister and her husband and kids. I was thinking it was out of the question but my OB gave me the green light, I felt well and my husband had been working a lot so I thought why not go. 

Elle waving hi to Mickey in Orlando airport

Thankfully the five hour flight there went smoothly. I could not have asked for a better flight. I literally almost wanted to cry tears of joy at how good my 2 year old was. We arrive, find our way to the hotel and head out to dinner with my family. Around Midnight I wake up nauseous and head to the bathroom, starting my bout of vomiting that lasts for 14 hours. Around Noon the next day, I call my OB who tells me to go to the emergency room to be checked for deydration. I felt TERRIBLE and to top it off I was having contractions from the dehydration. Thankfully there was a great women's hospital in Orlando only about 30 minutes away. 

We had called the front desk to explain the situation and they were super helpful in giving us directions and hospital recommendations. If you don't do your homework beforehand (like me), this is a good route to go. 

Thank goodness I did go to the hospital because I was severly dehydrated. They hooked me up to an IV to get some fluids and medicine in me. Two hours later I felt like a new person but was still achy from the dehydration. The doctors were in shock that I was traveling this late in my pregnancy. It was pretty risky. However, in hindsight I still would have gone.

My daughter had the most amazing time - more so than I ever would have thought and it was awesome seeing her get to experience Disney with my nieces and nephew and my parents. But, after I got home a few days later I was happy to not be traveling for a while. Here's a few recommendations when traveling late in pregnancy.

1. Drink tons of water (duh)

2. Research nearby hospitals in case you need to pay a visit

3. Have a note from your doctor saying you can fly (some airlines won't let you on without it)

When's the latest your traveled in pregnancy?

Waiting & Eating

Well, I've just finished putting away about two brownies that I shouldn't have baked but I couldn't help myself. I needed them! Here I am in my 38th week of pregnancy (I turn 39 on Friday) and I find myself counting the days and not so much my calories. While I'm ready to meet my baby boy, I'm also aware that our world is about to experience a shift (not necessarily a negative one) but that  I should enjoy what we have now a little longer. 

I've been trying to continue working out but I highly doubt it can keep up with the amount I'm eating. For some reason I'm so hungry -- and a lot of my cravings are for sweets. I've done much better this time around with weight management but this last month is really getting to me. I gained 3 lbs last week! 

I've decided to go for the VBAC so consuming these empty calories is definitely not a good idea if I don't want to attempt to push out a 10 lb baby. I need to buckle down and have some will power. 

Anyone else struggle with this at the home stretch?