May 2002 Hipmamas

[staleyg]

A no-drama hipmama hoping to meet up with her long lost may mamas here and also make new friends.

Anyone else care to join in??

[BattleAxe]

Hi, Staley! Glad to see you here. I've lurked at Mothering for months, and get the magazine, so this seems like a good next step.

Hope to see other May mamas here soon!

Oh, and thanks so much for the great gifts!!! Awesome stuff - and perfect for keeping my brain alive during my increasingly frequent "bed rest" intervals. Thank you thank you thank you!

-love, anna

[Pinfeather]

I'm here Alas, very tired. I posted an update on the yahoo group, but i'll repost it here...

I had to go to the ER today with a suspected raging UTI. Well,
there's nothing wrong with me. I can't figure it out. All the
signs are there. My MW even thought I might have kidney stones.
Nada. They hooked me up to the monitor, and all is well (I
already knew that) BUT I got an ultrasound [] I wasn't expecting
to have one since i'm doing this at home, but they wanted to
check things out down below, so we peeked at the baby too [] Everything looks good, very cramped. Baby is pretty much ready to
go. Baby has a big ole head. Space is TIGHT. Same thing the MW
told me. From what she could see, which wasn't much, it looks
like there's Girl Parts [] I wanted another girl, too [] It's by
no means accurate, but she said that's what it looked like [] Kewl. I got a good face shot out of the deal. It's like a magic
eye picture.. you can see the face if you look just right. She's
been moving like mad all day. Kinda ouchy. And my twat hurts from
the catheter they had to give me to get a good urine sample. ow.
So that was my day.
How ya'll doing?

[CosmicMama]

Hi Stayelg, BattleAxe and Pinfeather (Ruhiel) - good to see you all and I hope others come too!

Ruhiel- Sorry to hear about your hospital visit but I'm glad everything was ok and that is cool you got another ultrasound and the pic (that magic eye comment made me laugh). You must be getting pretty close now - when is everyone's due date again?

I'm due one month from today!! Feels like a big milestone for me -my last month of pregnancy - WOW! I think we have most of the major necessitities but still neeed a diaper pail, a bathtub and maybe a medicine kit - stuff I didn't get from the shower. I guess I will have to pack a bag soon too. That is one thing I'm a little stressed about - getting to the hospital - since we live in the city we don't have a car and I'll have to call a car service when I go into labor!! I have to remember to keep a few #'s on hand and some cash... I just hope it doesn't happen during a rush hour or a Fri/Sat. night because sometimes the car services have kind of a long wait.

Also - does everyone who is not a SAHM know what they are doing for daycare already? I have one option and it's not bad but I wish I had a few more choices. I wish I could be a SAHM for a few years but can't afford it now... I'm hoping my job lets me work out a 4 day a week schedule but I've been afraid to ask - I think I might weight until I'm on leave or right when I come back to bring up the subject. Not sure how that will work out.

I have an ultrasound Thurs.- excited about that. Hope they tell me Max is in the right position and that he is still MAX... has anyone else been a little paranoid about that - his room is looking pretty cute and I keep having these thoughts that maybe they were wrong and it's a girl - that is what I really wanted originally but now I'm expecting my little Max and would freak if they had been wrong!!

[AnnaRed]

Peggianne Here!!

I'm a lurker/sometime poster here....i like it and love the magazine.

I hope Mothering may mamas feel welcome to join in if there are any!!

Cosmic - I get 3 months unpaid maternity leave w/benefits and plan to take it - and have no idea what we'll do after that. In fact, i have no idea what we'll do for the three months that i'm not working....hope dh's income can cover us.

The idea of handing my baby over to anyone just doesn't fly with me and i don't make enough money to justify paying for childcare...we'll see what happens.

I am OBSESSED with this baby. I am so boring now - all i want to talk about is all things baby - i can't wait!!

[Katey-Kat]

Hi everyone! (Starshine* here...)

I agree, I hope to "meet" some more cool mama's here. Maybe there will even be someone from Washington!

All is going pretty well with the baby. I have to second that it seems like she is moving less. Also, that she is a little lower. I don't think she's dropped per-say, but I'm pretty sure she is head-down now, and that is giving me a little more space by my ribs. Till she starts running her little feet along them.

She always starts moving around a lot when I am listening to music...her faves seem to be regge, and classical. Also when DH comes home (4 am!) it always wakes her up.

I was thinking...maybe we should do a roll-call dealy...I've forgotten everyones stats and such. It would be good to know dates, since we are so close, and to let the other moms here know a little more about us. What do you think?

(oh yeah, peggianne....I am so there too. Baby this and baby that, everyone IRL is starting to get sick of me I think!)

[staleyg]

hey mamas!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am so glad to see you here!!! i am totally swamped at work today but promise to write a real entry soon. i hope everyone else shows up!! and i agree it would be great to add some new mothering moms to our group!

[playfulmama]

lisa d here

Kinda like playfulmama as a name (lisa d was taken)... maybe it will be a good influence on me! Thanks for getting us here staleyg... hope everyone follows and we meet some new maymamas too!

Specs: 1st babe
sex unknown
names... Tylee for a girl... Liam for a boy
age 37
SO = 28 yr old partner (we have been engaged for 2 years but never seem to want to handle the stress of marriage)
artist
director of non-profit art gallery (I get a year off work)
aiming for a home waterbirth
so far uncomplicated pregnancy
I'm due in 2 weeks!!!!!

I feel like the babe could come anyday. My cervix is starting to twinge (does this mean I might be dilating?), and I feel pressure in my pelvis. We got the watertub yesterday so are basically ready! All I can think about is the babe too! I think I have just about cleared everything off my plate!

Sorry you went through that scare, Pinfeather. Like the name. Well off to garden again... feel like I need to get the vegies in before this babe comes!

[Ravenmoon]

Hey Katey-kat i am a April mama from the boards and my due date was yesterday(how depressing!)but i live in Bellingham.Where you at?

[laralou]

I am not due until November but wanted to welcome you all here. Sorry your boards went down. I hope you decide to make a home here.

[Hueylene]

Howdy Mamas,
This seems like a pretty swanky new set up. To be honest I have a deep seated hatred of all things smiley or emoticon related but I'll try to contain myself. I introduced myself in the big hello thread (or whatever it's called) and I'll do some Cliff Notes at the end of this post. My mama always taught me to be polite when going to someone else's house for the first time. I was scanning the Roll Call thread and saw a number of established May Mama's. We didn't hijack an exisiting group did we?

It got really hot (for April) here yesterday and I am one cranky mama. I planned this whole business so as not to be pregnant in the above 70 degree weather. I do not enjoy the way sweat is forming where my belly touches my thighs when I sit, or where my breasts rest on my belly or any freaking where else for that matter.

Other than that all is well. I have a big day of "getting ready" planned for tomorrow. We are venturing to the dreaded Toys'r'Us to return the giant space highchair from hell. I'm also going to clean out my car so the bebe will not be attacked by unknown life forms in the back seat. I can't quite get my brain around "packing the bag for the hospital." I'm I mistaken in the idea that there will be plenty of time for that when labor starts? I'm working on a list of what to take but I'm still using a lot of it and can't pack it all up. We don't even call our midwife untill contractions are 4 min apart for two hours. Also the hospital is exactly one mile from the house, if we forget something it's not a big deal to go get it.

Sweatily yours,
Huey

Me: Huey
Age: 27 but I'll be 28 next Tuesday
Due Date: May 7
Bebe: Gender unknown
Birth Plan: Midwife in Hospital all natural we hope
Pregnancy: Best damn thing that ever happend to me. I'm one of the disgusting glowing ones.

[AnnaRed]

My stats

Good idea to re-do everyone's stats......

Me: Peggy Ann
Age: 35
DH: 35 yr old executive chef, we married at 4 mos pg
Due: May 26th, gender unknown
Names : Duncan for boy, Maeva for girl (will it have red hair?)
Birth: Home waterbirth is the plan
Pregnancy: a surprise, easy, happy, big, very excited.

I'm glad to see us all showing up here.....back to work fer now!

[BattleAxe]

Okay, I've stopped panicking about losing you May mamas... I guess the pregnancy combined with unemployment has made me pretty loopy these days. It's so good to "see" you all again.

Doc said today that bebe is riding really low in my pelvis now, which explains why I can breathe and eat again. My hips, tailbone, and pelvis are so sore and loose now that I can hardly walk - but, yeah, I've definitely been "glowing" and driving most everyone nuts with all the baby preps and excitement. I still have six weeks to go... doc says keep him in for another three and we'll be okay.

So here's my stat list:

name: BattleAxe (Anna)
location: SoCal
occupation: unemployed editor; might start teaching this fall
age: 35 (36 next Monday)
due: May 27
dh: Antonio, student (former truck driver/electrician etc.)
kids: I also have a 10-yo stepdaughter
pregnancy: this is my first; very hard first trimester but still worth it! other mild stuff - early contractions, mild gest. diabetes
name: Lazarus Stephen or Lazarus James (I'm still holding out for Lazarus Howlin' Wolf, though)
Birth: hospital, attended by OB and doula, with no drugs or other interventions, if at all possible

[Katey-Kat]

Hey Huey, I agree. I was kind of worried about hi-jacking their board, but every one seems nice. I have been a sometimes lurker, and haven't seen a "May Mamas" thread per-say.

Cosmic: I'll be going back to work (4 hrs per day away from home) 2 or 3 weeks after babe comes. I struggled with who would watch baby too. Our solution (with DS 8 years ago too) was that DH worked nights, and stayed with bebe durring the day. That sucked in a lot of ways...no sleep for either of us, and we saw each other for about 20 min a day. Just found out that someone I work with has a daugher (she is 17) who is looking for a part-time deal watching a small baby. I've met her and she is very responsible and caring. She also works caring for several dissabled adults, and is licensed to provided respite care for kids refered by Child Services. Any way, she willl come and stay with the baby for a few hours a day, so DH can sleep. SO relieved that I found her...

Ravenmoon: I'm in Spokane. not that far :

BattleAxe: I have that hip/pelvic pain too. I think (know) my poor posture makes it worse. My sweet, sweet, DD rubed my sacrum with the back masager for 20 min last night. Too bad that she doesn't want to be at the birth. I'm thinking I could really use here there!

The worst thing is, with all that pelvic pain, my ribs ALSO hurt, and just as bad. Sometimes so bad that I cry. (ok I was so temped to do the little crying icon guy, but in honor of Huey, I won't!). I guess that is just what I get for being short. No room for baby!

Ok here are my stats:
Me: Katey
Age: 26 (freelance Graphic Designer)
DH: James, 29 (works in electronics)
Kids: Kayla (10) and Stephen (8)
Due: June 3rd, girl (probably)
Names : Morgan (still working on a middle name, I want Rose)
Birth: Hospital with an OB, but have been thinking a lot about an unasisted bith...I better decide quick!
Pregnancy: My first planned baby! Has been a breeze, really. No health problems, and I'm still hardly showing (that's what others say). I just like to complain a lot.

[staleyg]

hey mamas! i couldn't resist logging on from home to say hi.

huey i don't think i hijacked anything--just started the thread for the hipmamas but made it clear in my first post that it was open to everyone. hopefully we'll make some new friends oops sorry i am sort of an emoticon junky...will try to hold it together--no dancing bananas or anything. i agree with you about the heat! geez i imagine memphis and virginny are pretty close to the same level of miserable right now. it was 85 over the weekend and very unbearable. i crank the ac at night but still can't sleep. my once beloved body pillow is now like a giant ball of heat, but i need it!!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

i am so all about baby right now. tomorrow i am full term (37 weeks) and i am so ready to go! i am really crossing my fingers for going into labor on sunday and fulfilling my dream of a baby aries, but it is probably unlikely. i have my home visit with the midwives thursday and i guess they can tell me if i have any early signs. anyways i'm washing all the baby clothes now, i've done my birth bags, bought yummy snacks, scoured the house, bought birth announcements and made a list of who to send them to. i refuse to do a hospital bag. if i have to go i'll just send someone to fetch what i need. i feel like it will be bad luck to have it packed, ya know??

so so so so SICK of work.

i have read so many baby books it is out of control.

oh here's my stats:
just turned 30--dh is 35
i'm an urban anthropologist who does community relations work
dh is an archaeologist (we met in the peace corps--cameroon west africa)
first pregnancy--very very excited
gender unknown but strong suspicions of a boy
due date may 7th
planning a homebirth
planning to use cloth diapers, breastfeed, co-sleep, and sling (memphis weather permitting!)

i think that's it.


who are we missing now? fiber, baltimama, electricita, urskek....buehler??

[violet]

Hey all--So good to hear from some other mama's dealing with the same stages. I'm about 38 weeks, technically due May 1 and I think I'll make it about that long.

I'm 25, living with the dearest MIL in the world with DH (age 32).
I'm staying home now. Nothing good to report in the financial area--DD is WAY underemployed, recently graduated with an MBA but nobody is hiring. But we'll make it somehow.
We live in Northern Calif. and it's starting to warm up--I love it!!!
first pregnancy
gender unknown--I suspect a boy
finially turned head down after months of transverse
homebirth all the way.

Anybody nauseous? I woke up feeling horrible this morning. I'm guessing there's some hormone/prep. for labor thing going on in my body that's making me queasy---I feel worse than at 12 weeks!!!

Blessings to all--
Violet

[playfulmama]

Welcome violet! We pretty much have the same due date.

I tested out the birthing tub last night and stayed in for hours watching a movie! It was great... I walked for about 2 hours today without limping!!!! Had prune feet.

So great to hear from you all!

I get kinda nauseous with the smiley icons too! But have to say this site seems very cool and welcoming! Hey and all you may mamas are here! I'm going go to the temporary thread and see where the others are!

[Hueylene]

Hi Ma's-
Ummm yeah I was complaining about the heat yesterday... it was 97 freaking degrees here today. What is up with that? (If they had one of the little evil smiling things that burst into flames even I would insert it here.) I have no maternity clothes to cope with this crap. I tried to go to Old Navy for some cheap shorts but nothing would encompass my low riding belly. I wish I were more of the go naked around the house type but I'm not.
I was able to complete some of my list of to do's. Toys'r'us was as miserable as expected but the highchair is no more. We got lots of odds and ends and bought diapers. Yikes I thought choosing tampons was confusing! I also did some house cleaning and Paul kept saying "Are you nesting?" I don't think vacuming up the giant dust elephants under the bed qualifies as nesting, it's basic hygeine.
Tomorrow we start our one a weeks with the midwife. She's back from vacation so my biggest birth fear is gone. I'm sure something else will pop up to replace it.
We're going to get a digital camera as a birthday present from my MIL (husband's bday is Monday mine is Tuesday) any advice from the gallery? We're lookking for something good but not super complex.
Peggy Ann- How did I not know your husband is a chef? Did you know mine is too? (as am I) What kind of place does he work? Did we go over this before and I forgot? Did he go to culinary school? I went to New England Culinary, husband trained on the battlefield.

Anna- Sorry to hear about the hip and pelvis pain. I have an occasional twinge that makes me walk all funky but it goes pretty fast. Your birthday is the same as my sweetie, Earth Day too! Mine is the day after. We have had some ripping birthday parties since we celebrate two at once. With this baby we are going to be a three taurus family!

Katey- I'm so glad you found what sounds like the ideal caretaker for the baby. I know that is going to make it easier to go back to work when the time comes. When I have to go back we are going to try to stagger our schedules so one of us can always be with the baby. I worry that we won't have enough time for each other though. We'll see.

Staley- I'm really glad you started a thread here, I didn't mean to sound critical. New places just make me anxious and I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot.
Did it get hotter there today too? We are a/c free (for now) and it's rough. I'll be kinda glad to go to work tomorrow 'cause at least it's cool.
You sound so prepared for the baby. I'm still pretending like it's not really going to happen half the time. I'm guessing you're not going to get your Aries baby but we bulls aint so bad...

Violet- Hi mama. Glad to meet you. Sounds like your body is getting ready for that baby to come soon. How exciting (not the nausea just the soon!) Hope that lets up. Are any of the morning sickness remedies working?

Time for another ice pop, more soon.
Huey

[Electricita]

Hi all!

Jeez, this is like the fourth forum that has been established around the net for May mamas, isn't it? I've signed up for all of them but I don't know if I will remember what they all are!

But lotsa you seem to be here, so I'll hang around...

LisaD and...(who was it?) we all have the same due date - May 1! I am starting my weekly midwife sessions today...I am curious as to whether the head is now in place, but I somehow doubt it, I think I felt it more on my side yesterday...

I have been wondering - do the babies keep moving around noticably as you go into labor or do they go quiet and stop kicking, for example? I'll have to ask my midwife. I definitely have felt a slowing down in movement, I don't think there is much room, and the sleep periods are longer. But when baby moves, it is often by sweeping the head (I think) over my bladder so I just about wet my pants!

But otherwise, my main physical complaint is a bit of heartburn...I am feeling the emotional part a little harder right now. I am getting anxious about dumb shit and the rational part of my brain is really annoyed with myself. I'd prefer that my DH did not go anywhere in the morning and just stayed with me and I tend to have horrible "what if" scenarios dancing in my head - about life in general, not necessarily the birth or the baby...It sucks but I take it to be hormonal.

Yesterday I broke down and bought a lot of store stuff after basically being given most stuff used & for free - except my deluxe, 70s era white vinyl baby carriage that I love (and only paid about $150 for). So when the changing table is assembled and I've stocked it, we are pretty much there on the supply side.

BTW - I've said this on the Bust boards before, but damn, so many Americans get a rotten friggin maternity deal. I feel almost embarrassed to be not a little pissed at my (American owned) company for not giving me the six month fully paid maternity leave that 60 percent of companies give here. But I do get half my pay for the first 12 weeks - and I can stay away for a year under the law with at least unemployment benefits to support our ass. I'm the main provider in the house, so we will definitely take an income cut, but at least I have that choice. I salute you guys for dealing so well with so little - and I hope you use your votes well!

OK, stats time before I use up all the space on this board!

Where: Danish national, living in Copenhagen with American DH of 7 years whom I met in Scotland 10 yrs. ago. Lived in Albuquerque, NM 1993-97.
Age: 30 as of Monday
Occ.: IT Journalist (rock journalist in my free time, see www.deadbeatmagazine.com)
Due date: May 1 - birth clinic
First child - have a hunch it's a boy but no facts to support it!

[esperanza]

it's me, baltimama!

hi everyone! took me awhile to find my way over her but here i am! i'm also at fiercefamily.com under this same username.

anyways, i must let you all know first that i really dig the emoticons and will probably use them lots. sorry!

ok, so when did it decide to be summer? oh, right when i am at my biggest and crankiest already! it was in the 90s yesterday here. i was not happy, and usually summer is my favorite season!

luckily my mom had already convinced me to get a pair of maternity shorts, so i was semi-prepared, but i've not shaved my legs since i got pregnant in september and had a dr's appt, so went in my shorts and all my hairy glory!

i've been lots more sensitive lately, i think. had a big freeze-out with dh yesterday, and fought this morning too. i'm feeling all kinds of super-anxious about what things are going to be like after the baby, and he is just not matching my paranoia/anxiety level! i want him to be as baby-obsessed as i am, but i think only my fellow may mamas are!

definite confirmation on the low-riding baby=serious hip, pelvic, tailbone pain. baby A (on the left side) is pushing my cervix but not yet engaged, while baby B (on the right side) is still riding a little high. so i can get cervix tickling and rib tickling at the same time-- aren't i lucky?

only about four weeks to go for me!! i'm so ready to for the pregnancy phase to be over and the babies phase to begin! good luck to everyone!
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