1st official 2011 chat - Page 3

[LifewithSage]

Waterbirth .... my midwife has a waterbirth tub that you can borrow if you so choose.  I haven't decided yet.  With both of my labors i didn't like the water... wierd I know, but I wanted to be on hands and knees and then between contractions go into child's pose.  It's just what felt right when laboring and the water wasn't really allowing for child's pose LOL.  I have a big garden tub so I'll probably just stick with that if the water calls my name this go round.

nerdymom - I think your midwife is being silly about your weight gain.  If you're eating healthy then whatever your body gains is what it is meant to gain.  There is no one size fits all picture of what women should gain...

puddle - I'm very sorry you feel like you're stuck in limbo.  I may have missed it, but why don't you know yet where you'll be having the baby?  If it makes you feel better, we still have done nothing in our house for the new baby.  I figure it'll all get done in due time and babies really need so little in the beginning anyways.  Just lots of love and snuggles and mama's milk.  ((hugs))  I hope you feel better soon

[Oregonicmama]

After reading this thread last night I had a big glass of raw whole milk and a generous slice of chocolate birthday cake after dinner.  We deserve it ladies!

Neuromancer-  have you seen this?

http://www.amazon.com/Humanity-Family-Bed-Sleeping-Pad/dp/B000LTN72S/ref=sr_1_11?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1294766586&sr=1-11

We're planning to get a co-sleeper, but I'm sort of considering this bolster thing instead.  I'm such a heavy sleeper I think once I wake up once to get the baby out of the co-sleeper to nurse it's pretty unlikely I will wake up again to put him/her back in.  With my previous babies we pushed the bed against the wall, but I know you can't do that. 

Birthing in a bathtub was sort of difficult for me with DD1.  I felt like I couldn't spread my legs far enough apart, and no one could get in there with me.  And if I got up on my knees I was completely out of the water, which sort of defeats the purpose.  With DD2 we didn't have money to rent the real birthing tub, but another one of our midwife's clients had bought a large rubbermaid horse trough to birth in, so we got to borrow that.  This time we are planning to rent the real birth tub.  Keeping the water warm isn't too much of an issue.  My midwife started filling it with hot water from the tap and heated big pots of water on the stove to keep the water warm.  I'm a big wimp about being cold, so she had to keep the water nice and hot for me and I was happy the whole time (so happy I refused to get out of the tub!).  I had intense back labor with both of my girls  and the water made such a difference.  There's no way I would consider birthing outside of a tub. 

Originally Posted by StarCat 
 

aaaaaannnnndddddd....February has started having babies.  holy cow. i am freaking out now.

OMG........ me too!!!  I hope I start feeling the urge to nest soon! 

[Neuromancer]

Originally Posted by kaPOW! 

wow, 6 weeks paid is awesome! have you figured out the childcare sitch yet? i'm taking 12 weeks (all unpaid unless i used some vacation) and i would gladly take more if i thought my work would be ok with it. especially since i haven't been able to line up care yet.

Oh, and also -- no!  I haven't figured out childcare.  ;)  I'm seeing one more "we take infants" day care place near my work, and then I'm giving up on that pipe dream.  I've seen 2 so far.  One was too expensive (and does partial weeks, but not my preferred schedule of Tuesday through Thursday), and the other will only do five-day-weeks (and I don't need that, so that automatically makes it too expensive).  Then I'll look into nanny share/babysitter options. 

I could take up to 12 weeks unpaid, but I'm really torn.  I both think I'll want to go back to work AND that I won't want to leave a tiny baby. 

[Neuromancer]

Originally Posted by Oregonicmama 

After reading this thread last night I had a big glass of raw whole milk and a generous slice of chocolate birthday cake after dinner.  We deserve it ladies!

Neuromancer-  have you seen this?

http://www.amazon.com/Humanity-Family-Bed-Sleeping-Pad/dp/B000LTN72S/ref=sr_1_11?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1294766586&sr=1-11

We're planning to get a co-sleeper, but I'm sort of considering this bolster thing instead.  I'm such a heavy sleeper I think once I wake up once to get the baby out of the co-sleeper to nurse it's pretty unlikely I will wake up again to put him/her back in.  With my previous babies we pushed the bed against the wall, but I know you can't do that. 

Birthing in a bathtub was sort of difficult for me with DD1.  I felt like I couldn't spread my legs far enough apart, and no one could get in there with me.  And if I got up on my knees I was completely out of the water, which sort of defeats the purpose.  With DD2 we didn't have money to rent the real birthing tub, but another one of our midwife's clients had bought a large rubbermaid horse trough to birth in, so we got to borrow that.  This time we are planning to rent the real birth tub.  Keeping the water warm isn't too much of an issue.  My midwife started filling it with hot water from the tap and heated big pots of water on the stove to keep the water warm.  I'm a big wimp about being cold, so she had to keep the water nice and hot for me and I was happy the whole time (so happy I refused to get out of the tub!).  I had intense back labor with both of my girls  and the water made such a difference.  There's no way I would consider birthing outside of a tub. 

Well, that's good to know about keeping the tub warm.  I could set my husband and doula and midwife to boiling pots of water...  ;) 

I have been looking at the Humanity Bed bolster.  It seems like an intriguing option.  I feel like such a cheapskate, though.  I wish it were cheaper.  Maybe I'll wait to buy it and see if the cradle works out well, or if I MUST have the baby in the bed with me.  ;)

[nerdymom]

Originally Posted by Neuromancer 

I'm 29 weeks (due late March, but hoping for early April).  I can relate to a lot of what y'all are discussing.

• Bed size: I'm a first-time mom, and interested in co-sleeping (I currently have a family heirloom cradle, but no crib).  But I live in a tiny, one-bedroom apartment and I cannot put our bed on the floor (nor can I get a king-sized bed).  I need the space under the bed for storage.  I am trying to figure out a creative way to skip the crib.
• Birth control: I don't like the idea of getting something implanted, but I don't want to get pregnant any time soon after this first time.  I'd try the mini-pill, but someone mentioned it can be bad for milk supply.
• Weight gain: My midwife doesn't weigh me.  She just measures my belly.  She says I'm right on track.  But I'm stressed about it because I vacillate between thinking I'm gaining too much and too little.  So I try not to weigh myself often (I have to do it on our Wii balance board, as we don't have a scale).

I'm also stressing about whether to get a tub and try water birth (love the idea except I'm not sure we have enough hot water AND I don't love the rental expense).  And I need to figure out how long an unpaid leave I'm going to want to take from work (after my 6 weeks paid maternity leave).  How in the world can I predict that in advance?  But I have to tell them in advance.

I really liked the tub. My MWs were also heating water on the stove to keep me warm. From what I understand it's not that uncommon to have to do. Look into Fertility Awareness for birth control. I would use a barrier (condom) as well, until your cycle comes back and you've had a couple of periods so you are comfortable with the method. We did that and avoided pregnancy until we were ready to start trying again.

Also, we were too poor for the Humanity or a new bed so we chose to use the Snug Tuck Pillow with DS. It worked really well for us!

And thanks to everyone for the weight gain support. I've got a little more perspective on the issue now, I think. It is something that is definitely hanging over my head but so far it is just leading me to think harder about what I eat and why I eat it. For instance, those brownies last night, I ate out of spite. ROFL! But honestly, they were pretty healthy. For a brownie. And I've decided not to give up my milk either. :) And today I did a 40 minute prenatal yoga video while DS napped, so I feel pretty darn good right now! :)

[Oregonicmama]

Nerdymom-  I ate my cake out of spite on your behalf. 

Neuromancer-  would an arm's-reach mini co-sleeper be an option for you?  Its about the same price as the bolster which I agree is very expensive.  The bolster, however, is something you could use for years of cosleeping, as opposed to a craddle or the co-sleeper which would only be useful for a matter of months. 

[Sihaya]

27w3d here and another one vacillating between thinking "Three whole months still?!" and "OMG, only three more months!!!" There are a boatload of ladies at my church due in February, and four of them are friends of mine so I think once they all start having their babies it will feel "really real" to me!

Weight gain - nerdymom: glad to hear your perspective has changed. I have gained almost exactly as much as you at this point and my midwife is happy I'm gaining so well. I struggle with disordered eating and get chided for not gaining enough during pg. We also try to eat Traditional Foods and lots of full-fat dairy and my midwife thinks it's great and encourages me to drink more milk, eat more yogurt and cheese, and to also get steaks and bacon in as much as I can. I might tell your midwife you've educated yourself on nutrition and would rather not have her opinion on that facet any more (or just nod, smile, and ignore what she says!).

Humanity Family Bed - We got one of these early in DS's pregnancy and I definitely think it was worth the investment. It is a bed rail + pregnancy pillow + mattress pad and when you look at the cost of buying all three of those things individually, it's not quite so expensive anymore.

Bathtub vs. Birth Pool - I am someone who loves water and finds a lot of comfort in baths, hot tubs, and swimming pools even when not pregnant, so before I had DS I felt like I would really want a pool. We ended up buying a La Bassine and it was totally worth it. I used it for most of my (relatively short) labor and he was born in the pool. I could not have been in the same positions in a normal bathtub and still have been as comfortable. If you enjoy baths/water for comfort normally, I really recommend getting at least a kiddie pool so you have some room to move around and get into upright positions while still being somewhat submerged.

Originally Posted by windymama

I'm planning on systematically going through every nook and cranny in our place and organizing it all over the next couple of months.

I'm planning to do this, too. I've got each week up through the end of March assigned to a different part of my house. I don't have a nursery to focus on, but there are a million little things that need to be taken care of and hopefully this approach will get them done.

Neuromancer - We were in a one-bedroom apartment when DS was born and we got a Happy Hangup baby hammock instead of a crib. If you're "allowed" to and can find a conveniently-located weight-bearing beam, you can hang it right from the ceiling. We couldn't, so we bought a frame instead. DS napped in it until he stopped taking naps around 2yo. He still likes to jump in it and sit/bounce/swing every once in a while.

[nadia105]

Originally Posted by nerdymom 

Sorry not to post personals but I just got back from my MW. I am frustrated because she told me I gained too much weight. 6lbs in 4 weeks. That puts my total weight gain at 14lbs. I know I started off a little overweight but we eat well. We loosely follow the traditional foods diet. We don't do refined sugars or flours (except at Christmas) and we do full fat dairy. She gave me a big talking to about my milk consumption and told me I ought to switch to non-fat milk. NONFAT. THAT THIN, DISGUSTING BLUE MILK. No thanks...I'd rather drink vinegar. I am putting away almost a pint a day...I could probably cut back. But really. I crave milk. Is that so horrible, would she rather I crave ho-hos or ice cream? I've struggled with eating disorders in the past and the stress of monthly weigh ins is getting to me. :cry:

I say don't listen to her.  A 14 pounds gain at this point is perfectly fine, plus why would she pick on your MILK?  That is really not a bad thing to be having, especially if you crave it.  I personally can't make myself drink skim when I am pg, it has to be 2% or it's not gonna happen -- that little bit of fat goes a long way!

I've btdt with EDs in the past too, you need to do what feels right to you.  Don't let her make you feel bad when you know you are making healthy choices.  I bet you can refuse the weigh ins too, and I would if it stresses you out.

Hugs mama!

 

[mclisa]

I have a corner tub so it would work as far as being able to open up the hips wide enough to birth in.  I have that in the back of my mind in case this one goes quickly and I opt for UC.

I'm waiting until Feb or early March to get the baby stuff out.  My kids will want to dig through it constantly so it won't stay organized.

I will take 8-9 weeks off.  That will take me into July.  I plan to work half days in July and then back to full time in August.  I have to go back to work since I am the bread winner and insurance provider, but that means that I'm lucky enough to have my DH home with the kids.  My daycare rocks!

[nadia105]

February is having babies alrady?  Holy crap! 

We bought our infant carseat today, it was really the only thing that we *have* to have before the baby comes, anything else would just be nice.

I'm due 3 months from today, which seems like a long time and no time at all, all at once!  I am finally hungry -- all.the.time.  Which has led to me gaining 5 pounds in about 2 weeks. that's all I've gained, but I was heavy for me when I got pg, so I was happy with the no gain while it lasted.  I'm fine with gaining as it comes, but I would really like to NOT gain 30 lbs in the last tri!

[bleumoose]

Buy an inflatable pool! They're inexpensive, as low as $25, but even if you buy the high end one that is $100 or more it's still tons cheaper than renting. Laboring and/or birthing in water is well worth the effort, IMO. I've done it both ways and would labor/birth in water every time if I can.

For the water, do you have a normal size water heater or is it small because of being in an apartment? If it's normal, you should be fine. Even if you have a smaller one, it might still be fine. I had this one and it worked really well. I thought I was ready for the pool around 9 in the morning, so we filled the pool. Then contractions stopped, so we covered the pool with a sheet and a blanket. I wasn't ready for the water until 4.30 that evening. The water in the pool was still warm! It was warm enough that I was comfortable getting in as it was. We started water heating on the stove in our two big pots, which we added to supplement. I think we also drained off a bit and filled it with fresh hot water after a bit.

So, all that to say: Turn up the temp on your water heater to get the most heat out of each drop of water. Then, if you start filling it well before you're ready to use it, and keep it covered while you wait for the water heater to heat back up and water to heat on the stove, it should be just fine. The air in the sides of the pool acts as an insulator and keeps the water warm. Also, if your apartment is on a concrete slab you can put some blankets beneath the tarp to add to the insulation. You could probably even make a pool-sized wrap out of a thrift store comforter to wrap around it while you fill it.

Originally Posted by Neuromancer 
I'm also stressing about whether to get a tub and try water birth (love the idea except I'm not sure we have enough hot water AND I don't love the rental expense).  And I need to figure out how long an unpaid leave I'm going to want to take from work (after my 6 weeks paid maternity leave).  How in the world can I predict that in advance?  But I have to tell them in advance.

[kaPOW!]

Wow!! You're making me want to get an inflatable pool instead of the hard one the mw is bringing! Although, I think I'd be a little worried about leaks :/
 

Originally Posted by bleumoose 

Buy an inflatable pool! They're inexpensive, as low as $25, but even if you buy the high end one that is $100 or more it's still tons cheaper than renting. Laboring and/or birthing in water is well worth the effort, IMO. I've done it both ways and would labor/birth in water every time if I can.

For the water, do you have a normal size water heater or is it small because of being in an apartment? If it's normal, you should be fine. Even if you have a smaller one, it might still be fine. I had this one and it worked really well. I thought I was ready for the pool around 9 in the morning, so we filled the pool. Then contractions stopped, so we covered the pool with a sheet and a blanket. I wasn't ready for the water until 4.30 that evening. The water in the pool was still warm! It was warm enough that I was comfortable getting in as it was. We started water heating on the stove in our two big pots, which we added to supplement. I think we also drained off a bit and filled it with fresh hot water after a bit.

So, all that to say: Turn up the temp on your water heater to get the most heat out of each drop of water. Then, if you start filling it well before you're ready to use it, and keep it covered while you wait for the water heater to heat back up and water to heat on the stove, it should be just fine. The air in the sides of the pool acts as an insulator and keeps the water warm. Also, if your apartment is on a concrete slab you can put some blankets beneath the tarp to add to the insulation. You could probably even make a pool-sized wrap out of a thrift store comforter to wrap around it while you fill it.

Originally Posted by Neuromancer 
I'm also stressing about whether to get a tub and try water birth (love the idea except I'm not sure we have enough hot water AND I don't love the rental expense).  And I need to figure out how long an unpaid leave I'm going to want to take from work (after my 6 weeks paid maternity leave).  How in the world can I predict that in advance?  But I have to tell them in advance.

 

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

A inflatable is heavenly.....i wrote my birth story here on mdc with my last baby and the inflatable was WONDERFUL.....it made my birth every bit of heavenly. The bottom of the pool inflated and felt super fluffy. I got into the pool when i started to feel lots of pressure....so i did wait till close to the end. But i remember getting in it and smiling.....with joy!

I bought it at Target for 15$.

The kids played in it for 2 summers and it finally got a hole. But it lasted for ever.

Someone mentioned the mini pill and milk supply...i didnt have nay issues with the mini-pill and milk supply....i even tandemed.

HOWEVER....you must take it the same time everyday....and DO NOT skip a day. Or you will get preggo's asap.

I also had very irregular periods that would last for 10days and I was miserable.

So it does come with some side effects.

[msmiles]

It's been awhile since the information was pertinent to me, so I may be wrong, but when I started the mini-pill while breastfeeding, the biggest concern was taking it at exactly the same time, every day, or risk being highly vulnerable to becoming pregnant again. I didn't have any problems with my supply, fyi. Isn't that why the mini pill substitutes the regular pill, because the mini pill comes specifically with the right amount of a particular hormone so that it does not mess with milk production?

It is a good time to start thinking about birth control, I suppose…but I'm on the fence over whether or not I should get on it asap. I won't see my husband for a year except for a two week span, so how necessary is it? I can't ever stay on top of pills, and double dosing makes me puke all night...having something with points inside of my lady parts makes me cringe (IUD--though it's what I'm leaning toward)...and just staying in tune with my ovulation isn't enough to make me confident, as I have the right to be, to know that I have control of when or if we have another baby. And condoms, I feel juvenile using them. I don't understand why picking a birth control is like picking your preferred instrument of torture in an age where our technology is so advanced we can get apps on our phone to check if we have STDs or not.

Originally Posted by Neuromancer 

I'm 29 weeks (due late March, but hoping for early April).  I can relate to a lot of what y'all are discussing.

• Bed size: I'm a first-time mom, and interested in co-sleeping (I currently have a family heirloom cradle, but no crib).  But I live in a tiny, one-bedroom apartment and I cannot put our bed on the floor (nor can I get a king-sized bed).  I need the space under the bed for storage.  I am trying to figure out a creative way to skip the crib.
• Birth control: I don't like the idea of getting something implanted, but I don't want to get pregnant any time soon after this first time.  I'd try the mini-pill, but someone mentioned it can be bad for milk supply.
• Weight gain: My midwife doesn't weigh me.  She just measures my belly.  She says I'm right on track.  But I'm stressed about it because I vacillate between thinking I'm gaining too much and too little.  So I try not to weigh myself often (I have to do it on our Wii balance board, as we don't have a scale).

I'm also stressing about whether to get a tub and try water birth (love the idea except I'm not sure we have enough hot water AND I don't love the rental expense).  And I need to figure out how long an unpaid leave I'm going to want to take from work (after my 6 weeks paid maternity leave).  How in the world can I predict that in advance?  But I have to tell them in advance.

[jenniferadurham]

We've decided to go the same route we have been for 3 years...no bc and be as careful as we can. probably abstain when it's the peak of my ovulation. We have done that since we were married, well before that, 3 years ago.

So I REALLY screwed up yesterday. I had a 10 appt with GP bc I've been really sick for the past month. So we get up, get dressed, eat and go. We proceed to go eat with my parents for lunch, run some errands, go shopping a bit, then met my DH for dinner, went to get some groceries. While we were in target....I of course sneeze and pee all over myself. I *should* have gone to the bathroom and pee'd riiiight? Lol nope...I just wanted to get out of there bc I didn't want people to see my pee pants. So on the way home, we stop and fill my tires up with air, then drive the rest of the 20 minutes home. As soon as we get back on the road it HITS me....I HAVE to go pee....BAD. But I'm not stopping at a gas station...ugh. So I drive in absolute misery until we get home...doubled over bc it hurts so bad. Come to realize....it's irritating my round ligament. I have been in sooo much pain since last night. I don't want to take any pain meds bc I'm on mucinex and antibiotics. I'm sooo tired of swallowing pills! Ugh!!! So I'm going to try and get in with my chiro today...it's been over a month since I've been in! Eeek! Dh is going to have to take off work early to take me in. Boo.

[Stayseeliz]

I hate anything hormonal so we've done condoms off and on for our married life when I wasn't pg. But they get old or you forget to use them on your anniversary trip :) and you get preggers. lol So we have to decide something this time. It'd be easier for me to get a tubal when I'm in the hospital especially since DH doesn't have insurance and we'd have to pay oop for the big V. So I dunno. I guess I've got awhile to decide.

[SeattleMolly]

Surprised that no one mentions old fashioned withdraw. It works really well for DH and we have continued it throughout the pregnancy as he doesn't wont to put anything "foreign" into me in the preggers state (kinda cute of him). He used it for years before he met me and no accidents. I think it really depends on the amount of fluid before ejaculation that each man has. My DH really has none.

[TinyFrog]

We used NFP for about 3 1/2 years before we TTC and used condoms as backups.  I was pretty diligent about all that though. :)  I don't think I ever want to go back on birth control again and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with and IUD so we'll be back to condoms I'm sure.  Yuck, I hate the thought of it. :lol

[windymama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mclisa 
I'm waiting until Feb or early March to get the baby stuff out.  My kids will want to dig through it constantly so it won't stay organized.

My two are the same.  I put the baby toys away and DS found them and wanted to play with them.  I had to remind him of how many toys he got for Christmas and that the baby toys are for BABIES. LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by msmiles 
 I don't understand why picking a birth control is like picking your preferred instrument of torture in an age where our technology is so advanced we can get apps on our phone to check if we have STDs or not.

Amen.  LAM has seemed to work for us for the first 6 months (my period seems to return around 8 months).  We also use condoms which are a PIA but better than the mini-pill because I'd forget to take it.  I've also done a bit of charting in the past but never seem to get enough sleep in the early hours to get a proper body temp.  When we're done having kids I'm getting my tubes tied.

I took "Welcome with Love" (aka Hello Baby) by Jenni Overend out from the library the other day for the kids and I LOVE it!  Such a great book about HB  DS likes it too.  Am thinking of trying to hunt down a copy for myself.

I'm tired and can't seem to shake my cold.  :-(  DS sounds like he's getting croup and I was hoping we'd avoid it this winter.  On a more positive note the baby's movements are much stronger and more defined.  If I'm resting and she's active I can see my belly move. 

[TinyFrog]

Oh, the infant carseat arrived yesterday.  Seems strange now, to have such an item in my possession. 

We also have plane tickets to Costa Rica and leave in just over three weeks.  Other than those tickets we have no other details fully planned out. So there's that to do and also quarterly and yearly taxes for the businesses, plus all the regular stuff.  

I have a friend asking about my colors.  Do I really have to pick colors?  Initially I had a mural in mind that I wanted to do but it basically is nowhere on the priority list to do such a thing.  Picking colors just seems silly to me.  I imagine she would like to make a quilt and needs something to work with.  Ugh, I'm just not into this part of it like most people and I don't feel like nailing it to one theme.  We'll wait until birth to even find out if it is a boy or girl so it all seems silly to me.