Weekly chit-chat November 22nd-28th

[DreamsInDigital]

So last week brought most of the mamas due mid-month into the third trimester. Is there anyone who is joining us in the home stretch this week? How exciting to feel like we're really almost there! : I saw that there was a baby born in the January DDC and it made me realize that we really are getting close!

Hopefully everyone is working on their birth plans. Do any first-time moms need help or advice on this? Don't hesitate to ask!

Have a great week everyone and for those of you that celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving!

[nighten]

Originally Posted by Vegan Princess

Akislandgirl: Is the myofacial supposed to help your hips? Mine have been bothering me. I'll be curious to see if you get relief.

I went to the chiro today. I am sore now. Took a nap after and slept slightly better than last night but still not well. I was so sore when I woke up. Iced my lower back a bit. I'm afraid to go to bed bc I know I'm going to be uncomfortable. But I'm hoping I'll wake up feeling better like I did last time he adjusted me.

Cindy

Cindy, if it's causing you that much discomfort after an adjustment, I'd venture a guess you might need to find a different chiropractor. Not to speak ill of the one you've been seeing, but in my experience, you should feel relief after an adjustment, not more stiffness/soreness.

I used to see a great chiro, then he sold his practice. The new chiro adjusted me twice. Both times I felt discomfort after the adjustment (for more than a day even). I switched to a totally new one and am back to feeling much much better after adjustments.

I'd try someone else if I were you. Sorry that it hasn't been helping thus far.

----

Baby has been kicking me painfully all day. She's definitely gotten a lot bigger -- and is quasi-transverse (not sure the technical term here) -- she's diagonal, from up under my right rib to down on the left side of my lower abdomen. I'm really really hoping she doesn't do what Guinevere did (get perfectly horizontal/transverse in there) because that was extremely uncomfortable for a long while last time.

But I'm afraid that's probably the most roomy position in there, since I'm so short-waisted. Feh.

[Mal85]

I'll cruise into the third trimester this Wednesday. I feel like I've been there for two weeks already. I've had many people tell me that just in the last two weeks I am really exploding (my word, not theirs). I'm starting to understand the discomfort of the third trimester I've heard about. It's fun and exciting to start showing and appear pregnant, which I definitely do now. If I could just stay this size until she's born, I'd be okay. But I have three months to go!

[Everrgreen]

Oh wow I can't believe the January DDC has a baby! I've been watching for that but I must have missed it.

I have a few miner issues that I would love to hear are normal (or be informed if they aren't). Here goes:

1. I have some sore spots on my belly, it feels kind of like a bruised area in a couple of tiny spots, and when the baby pushes in these spots it hurts. Anyone else have this?

2. Sometimes I get out of breath or feel like my heart is really pumping hard for no reason. Usually it's when I'm sitting doing nothing, so I'm wondering if maybe it's just crammed in there which is reducing my lung capacity and making my heart work hard. Is this normal?

3. The last couple of weeks I've had a big increase in cm. I've actually started to wear a panty liner . I know I've heard this is normal so I'm not really worried. But, I was wondering, how do you know the difference between cm and leaking amniotic fluid? Is there a point when I should worry?

Okay that's my whining for now

[AllyRae]

I'm down to about 50 days until Mia's born! Holy cow!

Can I freak out now? Because the fact that I have DS's birthday tomorrow, then Thanksgiving, then decorating for Christmas, then Christmas, then mine and & DH's anniversary...and then comes Mia is freaking me out! LOL!! Not to mention, Jocelyn's birthday is 2 weeks after that!

[nighten]

Originally Posted by Gillian28

1. I have some sore spots on my belly, it feels kind of like a bruised area in a couple of tiny spots, and when the baby pushes in these spots it hurts. Anyone else have this?

I don't, except for my belly button, which hurts like hell sometimes. I have heard people make mention of hernias/umbilical hernias, so I would definitely mention it to your midwife/OB if I were you just in case.

2. Sometimes I get out of breath or feel like my heart is really pumping hard for no reason. Usually it's when I'm sitting doing nothing, so I'm wondering if maybe it's just crammed in there which is reducing my lung capacity and making my heart work hard. Is this normal?

Happens to me. I'd say normal, personally. Again, mentioning it to your m/w is never a bad thing just in case.

3. The last couple of weeks I've had a big increase in cm. I've actually started to wear a panty liner . I know I've heard this is normal so I'm not really worried. But, I was wondering, how do you know the difference between cm and leaking amniotic fluid? Is there a point when I should worry?

Ah, this I definitely know for sure: 100% normal. Your body is constantly recycling fluids: CM, amniotic fluid, etc. Even your mucus plug. Expect the CM to be heavy from here on out -- that's totally normal. Amniotic fluid is watery and typically clear. CM is typically slippery and thicker. If you're worried, you can get tested to make sure the dampness isn't your waters leaking.

[BathrobeGoddess]

Originally Posted by AllyRae

I'm down to about 50 days until Mia's born! Holy cow!

Can I freak out now? Because the fact that I have DS's birthday tomorrow, then Thanksgiving, then decorating for Christmas, then Christmas, then mine and & DH's anniversary...and then comes Mia is freaking me out! LOL!! Not to mention, Jocelyn's birthday is 2 weeks after that!

It my dd birthday tomorrow, too! Happy birthday to our kidos :!

I am feeling pretty great, no RLS, no carrying as high as the other three so less rib pain.

Guess what I did today? I made a waldorf inspired play stand! like this http://www.achildsdream.com/creative...playcloths.htm

only just one and no canopy...yet! We made it out of salvaged wood of my oldest dd kindergarten an my ds current prek table top...so many memories made on that table and now we have some small pieces here!

it was so easy!

[AKislandgirl]

Vegan: I am feeling better after my session. Not 100% but I went for a long walk in the snow today without any hip pain. As the day has progressed I am feeling a bit sore though. Not nearly as bad as I normally do though. Maybe try a different chiro as Nighten suggested or look for someone who does myofacial release and see if that helps any. Good luck.

I'm getting some major cleaning and organizing done today which feels so good! Yeah : something is getting accomplished!

[nighten]

My toddler woke up this morning and announced, "Let's build a Christmas tree, mama!"

I laughed and said OK!

We'd planned on putting the tree up early this year because we have new kitties and one is still quite young and very rambunctious. So we wanted to put up the tree, leave it up a bit, then decorate it, to give the cats time to adjust. Or something. Hopefully.

Anyway, I wasn't planning on putting up the tree until next weekend (it feels wrong to do it before Thanksgiving) but she was so cute and so excited and I just didn't care, so today we put up our Christmas tree. It's not decorated at all or anything, and I tied it to the deck doorhinge (in case kitten climbs it and it were to fall), but by golly, my two year old is in heaven. And since the tree was packed up in the attic (we have a fake tree obviously), I went ahead and organized the baby gear stuff. So it's all handy and right there for when we need to pull it out. I'm excited!

I love the holidays so much, and love decorating for them, but this is like an added bonus: we get to get all the baby stuff out too, once the Christmas stuff is put away. So this year instead of it being a little sad to put the holiday stuff away, we get to pull out all the baby stuff.

----

BG, that stand is adorable! You are too creative! This might be a dumb question, but how do you keep your little ones from climbing on the top part? That arch would be the Best Swinging Thing Ever for my toddler. I'm envious. I have zero woodworking skills. Nice job!

[Mal85]

Originally Posted by Gillian28

2. Sometimes I get out of breath or feel like my heart is really pumping hard for no reason. Usually it's when I'm sitting doing nothing, so I'm wondering if maybe it's just crammed in there which is reducing my lung capacity and making my heart work hard. Is this normal?

3. The last couple of weeks I've had a big increase in cm. I've actually started to wear a panty liner . I know I've heard this is normal so I'm not really worried. But, I was wondering, how do you know the difference between cm and leaking amniotic fluid? Is there a point when I should worry?

I've been noticing these two things as well. The out of breath, heart pumping hard thing really concerned me the first couple of times, but I asked some other experience mamas about it and they've all told me it was normal. Doesn't seem normal, but then there's not much about pregnancy that feels normal. I'll probably still mention it at my next appointment with my midwife...
I really started noticing the increase in cm just this week and am a little grossed out by it. It hasn't crossed my mind that it would be fluid leaking, because it's fairly thick. I'm just not used to all these fluids leaking from every orifice of my body!

My skin has also started to break out, which really bums me out. I've always had very clear skin, didn't even really have bad break outs during puberty. I usually just get one pimple here and there a few times a year. But right now it seems just as one bad one goes away, another pops up. I'm not finding that very fun...

[AllyRae]

Originally Posted by BathrobeGoddess

It my dd birthday tomorrow, too! Happy birthday to our kidos :!

Yay!! Happy birthday to both of our little ones! (And isn't it kind of great that the calendar's finally making it so our kiddos don't have Thanksgiving weekend birthdays! Those were a bit rough with all of the cooking and less downtime--I like that DS has his own weekend this time! : )

[BathrobeGoddess]

Originally Posted by nighten

----

BG, that stand is adorable! You are too creative! This might be a dumb question, but how do you keep your little ones from climbing on the top part? That arch would be the Best Swinging Thing Ever for my toddler. I'm envious. I have zero woodworking skills. Nice job!

Thanks! It is really easy, the hardest part is cutting out the sides, everything else is just normal sized width and cut to size with a bit of screwing. We had a shelf in the play room already that they didn't climb on so I don't think they will climb on this one either but we will see!

Originally Posted by AllyRae

Yay!! Happy birthday to both of our little ones! (And isn't it kind of great that the calendar's finally making it so our kiddos don't have Thanksgiving weekend birthdays! Those were a bit rough with all of the cooking and less downtime--I like that DS has his own weekend this time! : )

Yeah...Yarrow was actually BORN on Thanksgiving...so not only was it a very dramatic birth it also involved a holiday! Sure fit her personality!

[mommabear207]

i must be in the 3rd trimester by now. this pregnancy i'm so busy i actually have to stop and figure out what month i'm in i had to make an appointment the other day 12 weeks from now and i was like what! i'll already have had the baby!!!
my biggest sore spot is my right hip. ever since my last pregnancy its felt a little off IYKWIM now its very sore if i move just right esp. when i'm trying to roll over on the bed and use my legs to support my middle. kind of in my hip and toward my back... i dunno if its just tight or what. sometimes i think my hips separated and then the right one didn't re adjust? i also had a really sore tail bone last time and my hips hurt cause i had to take this really huge step to get inside before we got better stairs anyways....
i also recently did the glucose test haven't heard back about the results yet but i'm sure its fine... i don't know if its because i'm rural but they wouldn't do any test but the one with drinking glucose drink. i did the one hour but i could eat before hand- not during the test just water then and i wsn't suppose to drive either? i didn't remember that from last time. i was really hoping to just be able to eat something....

[Mal85]

Bathrobe Goddess This is funny because when I first found out I was pregnant I had the craziest dream that I gave birth on Thanksgiving and was so upset about missing Thanksgiving dinner! I think having a baby on that day would be totally worth it, though!


So, yesterday my town had our annual local Craft Fair day where tons of people set up booths at the high school and sell handmade items and Christmas decorations and a bunch of local businesses have open houses with major sales. I have an annual tradition to hit all the sales with my mom and go out for a nice lunch. Although I usually gather Christmas decorations during this day, I was unable to find anything I felt like I needed. However, we got lots of stuff for Owyn. My mom got her a beautiful light, light pink crocheted blanket for her Baptism and a wooden rattle for $3 (I have found these rattles online for close to $15!). I found a wall hanging to put in her room that says "I believe in fairies", very fitting since her room is getting a mural with a woodland fairy scene.

[monkaha]

:

These last couple weeks have been so busy! I'm trying to get in a bunch of shifts at work to save up for baby and Christmas, and man! I'm pooped! I've been lurking around though. Glad everyone's doing well. It's fun reading what everyone's doing to get ready, both for the holidays and for baby.

[Vegan Princess]

Nighten: Ya know it didn't occur to me that maybe he wasn't good. Darn prego brain. I do feel much better by the next day each time though. I feel good now. He said the muscles around where he adjusted my back were really tight so maybe that is causing soreness? It isn't discomfort like he did something wrong. There is a free chiro once/month at my birth center so I will try him out and compare. I am also going to look into the myofascial release.

Yesterday we drove to napa to hang out and have dinner at a place I wanted to try before baby. We also visited DH's highschool friend - his wife is 9 days overdue with their first! It was fun to see their place though - they are so ready - down to having a diaper spreadout on the changing table and ready to use. It got me even more excited!

Can someone remind me what basic clothes I need to have? My friend gave me a bag of clothes yesterday 0-6 mos and it is a lot of cute outfits but I think maybe not enough of the basics. But I don't know exactly what I need as far as basics. Thanks!

Cindy

[nighten]

Newborn basic clothes for me are side snap long sleeved t-shirts, and those long gowns that have the fold-over mittens built in and slight elastic at the bottom hem.

And hats and socks, and receiving blankets for swaddling.

ETA: That's for indoor stuff only though. Depending on where you live you might need warmer layers for Going Home outfit and/or early WBVs.

[Vegan Princess]

Nighten: How many of each of those things do I need? Thanks!

[nighten]

Oh gosh, it depends really on two things: (1) Whether your baby spits up/has poop explosions often and (2) How often you will need to and be able to do laundry.

There's no way to know ahead of time whether #1 will be an issue, but the reality is more #2 than anything.

I honestly don't remember how many times I changed G's outfit as a newborn. She got a sponge bath with plain warm water on a washcloth everyday, so that's one time I know I'd have changed her clothes, but she never spat up, and didn't have too many explosive diapers that messed up her clothes. So honestly I'd say once or twice a day?

But I was lucky and got a lot of her layette as gifts ahead of time and we still have it all on hand -- probably 10 of the shirts and 7 or 8 of the gowns. Lots of socks and probably 6 or 7 hats? Which was way more than plenty for us first time around and should be this time too. I don't know how many receiving blankets we have honestly. We have a ton, but they double for lots of other things, so they're handy -- again, they were gifts.

But if you have a very active let-down, and/or reflux issues with baby, then you may need more gowns, etc., because you may be changing baby's clothes a lot more often.

[AKislandgirl]

I'm pretty partial to Thanksgiving birthdays as I was born on Thanksgiving Day! My mom figured she would deliver late as she did with my 4 siblings before me and wanted to have one last holiday in the house before they moved. Well, I came on time so she woke my sisters and told them that the turkey was in the oven and my Aunt was on her way over to cook the rest of the meal. The whole family celebrated at the old house and they brought pumpkin pie to mom in the hospital after I was born!

i want to shampoo our carpets before baby arrives but I don't really like the chemicals in the traditional cleaners. I was thinking of using just water and vinegar. (or any other suggestions) Do you guys know of any way to get the soap residue out of the shampooer though? I will need to rent one from the grocery store.