May 2011 Whatever Ladies Graduates - Page 2

[Kindermama]

@ Carrie- I cannot believe you are far enough to be thinking about your baby's position...where did that time go? How many weeks are you now?  You know what's crazy, if I didn't miscarry, I'd be 17.5 weeks along already. That is just NUTS! Makes me realize how fast this pregnancy will fly by. 

I'm super excited to be having morning sickness- it really kicked in this morning. Never had that last time so this must be a good sign! 

[jeninejessica]

yay Kinder!! You can HAVE it. I've been ravaged the past few weeks, but I'm 9/5 right now, and I think, at the risk of jinxing myself, that today may have been the first on the road to good days again. I hateeeeee morning sickness. I was so excited about it too, because it means the baby is really digging in and growing, but by now, I'd be good without the reminder. lol

It's hard for me to imagine paying at all for a birth, or any medical expenses, so I don't really have the same insight you guys do. Here everything to do with 'primary care' is covered. Any hospital stays, doctors visits, routine shots, casts, accidents, etc etc. It's only for ancillary type things-- massage, dental, vision, chiropractic, physio... those kind of things you pay out of pocket for, or can get additional insurance. But other than that for childbirth, the ONLY thing you pay for is if you want to pay extra to have a private room, or maybe to rent a tv in your room. That's it. Same with homebirth here, it's totally covered. 

But I can see how if you've had good experience with the hospital, either firsthand or through visiting others, spending time there, etc etc, then the idea of a hospital birth seems absolutely fine when the alternative could cost you thousands of dollars. It's only really after you've had a bad experience that you start to see the value of $4000 of piece of mind, you know? But if you're lucky enough to have care providers/facilities who are good to mamas, then I can see how it wouldn't be as big of a deal. And heck, finances can hurt. Even the idea right now of hiring a doula for $500 hurts my brain, and while DH and I are not rich by any means, we -do- have the money in the bank for it. But anyways, the point is that it is always hard to put out money for something when there's a free alternative (or close to)... especially if that alternative has never done wrong by you. 

BFS:  Hopefully you'll be able to find some peace with this issue. It's such a hard one because the consequences either way can be very serious. It's one of the issues that DH gets a bit more say than I do, because he's actually contracted meningitis before, and gone through the spinal taps, and the headahces and all the pain, whereas I don't have that experience, just the knowledge and statistics. Sometimes it's hard to balance the two. I would definately push for the reswab though, and start there. 

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by Kindermama 

@ Carrie- I cannot believe you are far enough to be thinking about your baby's position...where did that time go? How many weeks are you now?  You know what's crazy, if I didn't miscarry, I'd be 17.5 weeks along already. That is just NUTS! Makes me realize how fast this pregnancy will fly by. 

I'm super excited to be having morning sickness- it really kicked in this morning. Never had that last time so this must be a good sign! 

Yay for morning sickness!!  I was miserable this pregnancy, seriously miserable, but always thankful that I had that reminder.  And I'm TWENTY FIVE weeks today!  Holy moly, yes it's going by fast.  

Originally Posted by jeninejessica 

It's hard for me to imagine paying at all for a birth, or any medical expenses, so I don't really have the same insight you guys do. Here everything to do with 'primary care' is covered. Any hospital stays, doctors visits, routine shots, casts, accidents, etc etc. It's only for ancillary type things-- massage, dental, vision, chiropractic, physio... those kind of things you pay out of pocket for, or can get additional insurance. But other than that for childbirth, the ONLY thing you pay for is if you want to pay extra to have a private room, or maybe to rent a tv in your room. That's it. Same with homebirth here, it's totally covered. 

In a similar vein, it's really hard for me to imagine not being able to choose any provider for my medical care. True that for you everything is covered, but hearing about your struggles getting accepted by a midwife for a homebirth freaks me out. I love that, even though I have to pay for it, I can go online or ask around and choose ANY midwife or any doctor. While it might be covered a fraction by insurance (or not at all) I really like having that option. 

And I agree with MW too, that money shouldn't be the ONLY thing keeping someone from homebirthing.  I get it, I get that money is real and an issue, and if I couldn't afford my midwife's fee, I don't know what I would do.  I'd probably set up a payment plan or something.  And lets say I didn't have insurance, I'd rather work hard to pay off a couple thousand than the TENS of thousands a hospital visit would cost.  Of course, you can never know if you'll just have one of those cases where a c-sec is truly necessary, and can't plan for that.  But, just saying.

[akind1]

Money was an important factor with DS' birth; If we could have swung it, I would have birthed at the freestanding birth center, and perhaps not have ended up as a c-section . . . With this baby money, while an issue, is the least of it. I can't even find a midwife close enough to pay, did I have the money to do so, that will attend a VBAC. The only one I have found is in NC, which between prenatal visits and the birth, is just too far away. and since I do work, it isn't like I could choose to stay closer to her (I have friends and family nearby) when the time draws near.  As it is, paying the doula will be a pinch for us. (DH isn't working; he is in school). If I already had a successful vaginal birth under my belt, so to speak, I would be far more comfortable attempting a UC. As it is, I would really like an extra pair of experienced eyes and hands.

I am thankful that I was spared extreme morning sickness. though lately brushing my teeth has become an issue - well, the back teeth - it makes me gag. why can't they invent a mouthwash that works as well as toothbrush? I still don't want to eat chicken . . .and it looks like that is on the menu for mother's day. It almost makes me want to skip it. (we do a potluck with the same family members we did Easter with; and there was chicken for Easter)

Kinder, yay for good strong signs!

[MarineWife]

JJ ~ I don't think it's entirely true that you don't pay for your medical care. You don't pay when you see a doctor but you pay taxes that cover the cost for everyone. I wonder if tax rates were compared, if cost wouldn't actually break pretty even for both. I've always wanted to work that out just for my own curiosity.

Also, I've had 2 hospital births and 1 homebirth. I wouldn't say that either of my hospital births were traumatic or even bad experiences. I knew going in with my first that I would have a c-section. It was disappointing but not something that I felt guilty or bad about or coerced/forced into. My 2nd hospital birth was really fine for a hospital birth. Like I've said before, I don't even mind staying in the hospital for a day or two. It's nice to have someone wait on you hand and foot and bring you meals and all that. Even with a very attentive dh it's hard to not do anything at home. KWIM? The thing is that even the best hospital birth cannot compare to a good homebirth. They are two very different animals. I guess it would be hard if you haven't had both to understand that but the entire setting and feeling and atmosphere and whatever else is so different once you enter that hospital and are surrounded by medical personnel compared to being at home with a midwife. It is impossible to go to a hospital in the USA to have a baby, no matter what stage of labor you are in, without having some sort of medical intervention, people poking and prodding you. Hospitals have procedures that much be followed no matter what.

I'm with you, Carrie, which is why I choose to keep my fee-for-service military insurance that allows me to see any doctor at any time for any covered reason rather than switching to the HMO-type where I have to have a primary care manager whom I have to see before I can see anyone else. I'll gladly pay for that, especially when my copay for an office visit to a specialist has never amounted to more than $20. Of course, the military insurance is a lot cheaper than many private insurances.

I was thinking later last night how ironic it is that we are complaining about how we can't afford to not use medical care while there are people in other places who complain that they can't afford to get medical care. It's all about perspective, I guess.

Katrina ~ Bring your own meat dish. I always bring my own protein dish to potlucks or eat before I go because I am a very picky eater. I rarely can eat what other people make for those sorts of things.

I'm getting my new kitchen floor today! I hope it looks good. I'm a little nervous about putting new wood next to wood that's 7 years old. We'll probably have to have it buffed and refinished before we sell, anyway, so hopefully that will even out any difference. Oh, and now I've lost my debit card so I can't return those Target clothes, which means I can't buy that changing table just yet. Aaargh!

[akind1]

did you purchase them with a gift card? or still have the receipt? either way, you should be able to return them and get store credit. (unless you really wanted the money to go on your debit card)

It is tempting . . . not sure what I'd bring. It's not that I am entirely opposed to chicken; I really want to make chicken enchiladas next week, but at least in something like that, the chicken is smothered in cheese and sauce and a bit less chicken-y. hmmm. I will think of something. It is bad enough that I am just not southern enough in my eating habits and pick around things as is (don't really like country style green beans, but I cook them for everyone else. or lima beans, or grits, or half a dozen other things that end up at these things. I do love me some potato salad, but can't live on that alone!)

When dad was in the service, and I was a dependent, we always did the full-fledged sort of care, we just went to the clinic at the NH; now eventually mom was able to get us to see a regular pediatrician (meaning, one that we saw regularly) but by that time I was in high school and really frustrated with them anyway. (telling me that DD boobs aren't enough to cause back pain, it must just be my weight, which at that point was a relatively reasonable 140 lbs - among other things). Though I recall mom deciding to see outside OB's for her last pregnancy, and not the NH doctors.

Honestly, DH and I have discussed it, and generally it would be cheaper for us to be uninsured. DS doesn't do well-visits as we don't vax (well, we did a few in the beginning - up to 4 months), and other than that we only use it for chiro and pregnancy stuff. If I could have homebirth, with a midwife, it would be cheaper than what I pay per year for family coverage. (which is in the neighborhood of $5k) what keeps us from doing it though is the thought  of what if something truly catastrophic happens; especially with a child you just don't know. I am sure Gabe will have stitches and broken bones at some point. As rough and tumble as he is now at only a year and a half, it is bound to happen eventually.

it is a fine line. I would rather the goverment's energy be put to better maternity leave, etc than the healthcare stuff. but that is just me.

[AnnieA]

I should have provided more info when I was talking about the cost of homebirth vs hospital birth. For me, the other factor that played in to my decision was we only have one group of homebirth midwives in my town. I met with them at the beginning of my first pregnancy and I LOVED one midwife and really disliked the other one. They work as a team so both would be at my birth. I couldn't reconcile my idea of homebirth with having someone there with this really abrasive personality. Adding that to the fact that it would cost more than double and we are on a VERY tight budget, I just couldn't get there. I love homebirth. I support it when it makes sense. If I lived in a different area, perhaps like where my sister lives and I had to choose between going to a hospital that I knew would have unbearable rules and restrictions or dealing with an abrasive midwife, I would probably have come to a different decision. But I have access to a hospital that professes to use evidence based care. I've attended a birth there as a doula and seen how that evidence based care plays out. So far, I've had wonderful care from my OB and not felt slighted in the least. I'm happy with my decision to birth in a hospital. Did finances play a large role in the decision? Yes it did. But were there other factors as well? Yes indeed. I readily admit that I am very lucky to have access to a care provider that is willing to work in a more "midwife-type" fashion. He's the only OB in town that has a midwife on his staff. I'm also very lucky to have access to a progressive, forward thinking hospital. I know that unless it's medically indicated, I will not have to fight with anyone about having a hep-lock or an IV. I will be able to do as I please while in labor once I give them 20-30 mins on the monitor to get a baseline. Would it be wonderful to stay in my home and have my baby and not have to go anywhere? Yes probably but I also have four older stepkids that may or may not be home with us when I go in to labor. I may WANT to go somewhere different where I can focus and not have the noise and distraction that naturally occurs when they are home. For me, my personal goal when discussing labor and birth choices with other women is that they make an informed decision. Get all the facts, don't just go by what a care provider or someone else is telling you, educate yourself and then make a decision. If it's your own decision, then it should be honored, even if someone else doesn't agree with it.

[Baby_Cakes]

Annie - I hear you!!  I would probably make a similar choice given your circumstances.  And trust me, if I lived with other people no WAY would I want to run the risk of laboring/having the baby @ home.  I don't even want my MIL here watching Nora!  I'm going to have her pick her up and take her to her house instead, lol!

AFM - had a pn appt this morning!  Went well.  Baby's hb was 148, and he's sort of transverse/breech still.  Not worried about that @ only 25 weeks.  We talked more about the genetic testing and she can use cord blood which is great -- I'd rather that than have to draw blood from my brand new baby!  Talked about getting the fishy pool, the diabetes test next visit, etc.  Pretty uneventful, really.  Good.  I like uneventful after the rollercoaster month I had!!

[MarineWife]

Katrina ~ I was wondering about choosing to be uninsured, too. If everyone took the money they would spend on health insurance and saved it, they would get to make money off of it rather than letting the insurance company make money off of it, which is what they do. Most people would probably have enough savings if an emergency medical event happened, especially if you didn't use any of that money for regular preventative check ups. Although, for adults an annual exam wouldn't cost more than a few hundred dollars, which would easily be covered by the savings. That's one thing that I think of because I only go to a MD if someone is really sick or injured while I do go to chiropractors on a somewhat regular basis and would like to be able to go to an acupuncturist. I spend my money on herbs and OTC medicines/treatments rather than prescription drugs. My health insurance doesn't cover any of that. Since I don't have to pay a premium for my insurance atm it's not an issue, but if it were, I may choose not to have it at all so I'd have my money for what I wanted or needed.

I used the MTFs when I was in Hawaii. I'm not opposed to seeing military doctors. I just don't like having to go only there or getting permission to see someone else (which may or may not be approved).

I called Target about my dilemma. I was told they would give me another gift card for the amount of that that I used and I don't need my card for them to refund the remainder back to that. Whew! I didn't want just store credit because the changing table is only available online unless by store credit you meant like a gift card. Anyway, that works for me so I can get it done.

Carrie ~ Uneventful is good. Glad everything went well.

Annie ~ I know other factors went into making the decisions you made. It just sounded from the conversation at that moment that things were reduced to the only major factor to consider when choosing between homebirth and hospital birth was the cost. I was not in a good mood when I came home from TKD last night, either. I had to sit there and listen to a couple of women talk about leaving a 4 week old baby to CIO so she wouldn't be spoiled. I mentioned an article I read recently about a study showing that it was actually physically harmful to do that to babies because it causes so much stress. These ladies looked at me like I had 2 heads. The one, who is the aunt of the baby she brought, calls the baby a pig because she eats all the time. Well, um, isn't that what babies are supposed to do? She tells the baby she's a brat and ugly when she cries for more food. I know the baby doesn't understand what she's saying but still...that baby will eventually start picking up on the insults. Then they went on to bash breastfeeding, even though one of them breastfed her children each for a year. They all agreed that it was disgusting to breastfeed past a year. It will be interesting to see how they all react to me sitting there with my baby in a sling, breastfeeding on demand. The whole thing just left me feeling sad and angry. I don't know if I can sit there with this woman and the baby if she's going to keep behaving that way toward her.

[akind1]

MW: those are very hard attitudes to deal with. Most of my IRL friends have no issues with CIO (though one couple I wish we saw more of cosleeps still with both of their children, almost age 4 and 1, and nursed both past a year), rarely BF past 6 months, and I think take their ped's parenting advice too seriously. (for me, doctors are for medical advice, not parenting - but that is just me). It is hard being with them and hearing them discuss sleep training methods, etc, as I didn't use any of that. I think you did the best you could, and really, I might consider either continuing to go to TKD so you can kind of live as an examle of crunchy-ness and show that it isn't odd to feed on demand, or past a year, or stop going if the attitudes grate on you (I am a non-confrontational sort, so I might choose to not go).

As for healthcare, I think one of the reasons it is the way it is, is because alot of people - me included - are horrible savers. I am plain not good at it. So we give our $$ to the insurance company hoping they would be better stewards of it than we would. - I work in disability insurance, and I hear alot from people who are like, if I just put aside the money I pay your company, I wouldn't have all these issues (like us needing employer and doctor statements of disability, etc). And I agree with them. If they had; but they chose not to, and therefore must abide by the terms of the policy. It seems really callous, but there it is.

Store credit anymore really means gift card, so you can use it online or in store. I think Target was just switching to the plastic cards when I went to work for them back in 1999. don't anymore, but I did like working for them.

I do mind seeing military doctors; I saw them mess up way too many times (not with us, but with friends) to be really ok with them. I know all doctors are bound to make mistakes some of the time, but I would rather be able to choose.

[jeninejessica]

Yeah I think the insurance/out of pocket could probably be a fine line. 

For us here, DH and I make about $60k right now. We pay about $10 in taxes each year. This is spread between things like employment insurance, pension plan, and general income tax. It's hard to really split it up into all the little things that income tax goes into though right? Because it's not just health care that we're paying for, you know? Quick google searches tell me 10% of income, or about 60% of the taxes you pay go to health care, but that doesn't match up with the pie chart I found stating what -other- ventures taxes go to (ie military, education, gov debt, etc etc). 

It's hard to try to compare the two countries though because there's so many variables. Number of people in the household, how often you're using it, how prepared for emergency, and not to mention the actual delivery of the system. 

Carrie is right-- it does scare me that we don't have better access to something like midwives. It's hard because the government keeps increasing funding, but we can't find midwives to fill the spots. At any given time there are at least three full time midwife postings up... just nobody applies. I's ad really

[akind1]

By myself, I make in the mid 30k's, and about 15% of my pay is federal and state income tax, and another 17% is insurance (medical, dental, vision).  That is more than 30% of my check, gone, before I even see the rest. Just looking at the numbers now made me sort of depressed.

I hope I may have found a doula . . . she is actually the least expensive of the ones I have looked at online; had a primary c-section and a successful VBAC, and is studying to be a CPM, all of which sounds great for my situation (I am seriously considering studying to be a doula and then a midwife, if I can squeeze in the time somewhere) the crazy thing to me is, If I could be relatively successful as a doula, 4-5 clients a month would more than make up my take home pay. It's a thought. Waiting to hear back from her.

[AnnieA]

Just got back from an appt with my OB. I am really glad that I went in to see him because the report that the MFM OB sent over said everything was fine. That was so NOT what he told me at my appt on Friday so it was good to talk through things with my OB and figure some stuff out. The plan right now is that I start taking a baby aspirin every day, I need to drink at least a gallon of water a day and I absolutely need to not sleep on my back. He said that there's always mixed reviews about whether or not it's ok to sleep on your back and generally he doesn't think it's a big deal but in this situation, I don't need to do anything else that could potentially affect blood flow to Ava so I need to stay on my sides. The water and aspirin will help increase the blood that is available to go to Ava. I'll go back in two weeks and he wants to do an NST at that point to see how she's doing.

Then we wait for my next ultrasound at 32 weeks. At that point, if things are not looking good they will start me on steroids to get Ava ready for delivery. If we can wait until 34 weeks, then I can stay at my regular hospital and my OB can deliver her. If she needs to come early, then it will be a c-section and not an induction. I'm o.k. with that because he explained the reasoning. Basically, if she is already having issues with bloodflow and potentially stressed from that, introducing more stress and potential to restrict bloodflow through an induction would not be in her best interest.

So overall I'm glad that there are some things that I can do right away that could potentially help her.

[MarineWife]

Annie ~ The MFM doc is the one who initially told you there was a problem or was it your regular OB? I sure hope things end up being fine and you don't have to worry about steroids or an induction or early c-section.

I will have to keep going to TKD because I'm the only person available to take the boys. I don't understand why this one woman is even bringing this baby there. She's not her baby. She's only the aunt. I guess there are some power struggles going on with the women in the family because the mother of the baby is so young, only 16. The aunt has decided that she is going to take care of the baby so the mother can do her homework and what not after school. I think it's great that she's willing to help but I don't understand why it has to involve separating mother and baby. Oh, and in the process of bashing breastfeeding she was complaining about how they are on the 4th type of formula because everything seems to be upsetting the baby and how lucky they are that they get WIC or they wouldn't be able to afford it. Sheesh! I understand that a 16yo girl probably isn't going to be into breastfeeding, especially since she has to go to school, but the whole attitude that it's disgusting really got me angry.

I've been so emotional lately. I started crying while watching the movie Rio yesterday. It wasn't from anything in the movie. I just got sad and cried and I never cry. I feel like crying right now because my new kitchen floor doesn't match the rest. It's not the right color. I don't know if I ordered the wrong color or they did. Right now I don't feel like I can deal with it and I don't know what to do. Do I leave it and hope any potential buyers don't really notice or do I try to get something else? If the people at the store say that's the color I picked, I think I'm screwed. I'll have to pay for this floor and anything else I try to get instead.

My boys are driving me crazy. They bicker so much. DS3 is so demanding and contradictory. If he doesn't get exactly what he wants when he wants it, he refuses anything. Example, we got home today and they wanted hot dogs. While heating them up one split. Both refused to eat it. I just walked out of the room. I couldn't take one more complaint or struggle or argument.

[Baby_Cakes]

Sigh.  Kids are picky like that aren't they?  DD does that all the time.  If something is off just a tiny bit she refuses or throws it or throws a fit.  Leaving the room is sometimes the best thing you can do!

Don't worry about the floor!  Look at it with new eyes tomorrow.  I'm sure it looks wonderful!!  Take a picture if you want, I'll be honest with you.  Double check it's the right one you ordered, sometimes mistakes happen and it might not be your fault!

Hugs on the emo front.  I hear you.  I have days like that, and it's all I can do to keep myself together.  

Don't let the anti-bf'ing brigade bring you down.  You just nurse your babies and teach them that it's normal.  Someday they will  be wonderfully supportive husbands and fathers to their breastfeeding wives and daughters.  It will be amazing, you'll see.  

Annie - that's GREAT news about your results.  A gallon of water a day is super tough -- I had to do that for a few days and it was about all I could do!  I was barely eating b/c my tummy was so full of liquids!  So start early in the day.  That way too you won't be up all night peeing.

Katrina - good luck with the doula!

AFUs - I make basically nothing (like maybe $100-$200 a weekend) but DH makes about $90k before taxes.  He also has stocks and stuff and other incentives that I really don't know anything about.  I have no idea what they take out for insurance, though, either.  I'll ask him.  He's in charge of money and stuff, I'm just in charge of pushing the baby out when it comes to paying for the midwife.  LOL.

[MarineWife]

Yeah, kids are like that. I try to be accommodating because I understand that they are basically at the mercy of us big people. I can't throw out food and make more just because it doesn't look right, though. KWIM? I mean, I made them what they asked for. It's not like I was trying to force them to eat something I made without their input. What am I supposed to do? I guess one of them eventually ate the split hot dog because it's not there anymore and I didn't hear any fussing or crying or fighting after I left.

I don't know what has gotten into ds3 lately. I posted a thread about it in the Childhood Years board but no one has responded. He's gotten into aggravating other people on purpose. He's very high energy like my 1st. It was easier with ds1, though, because I was the only one he aggravated. Now I have to deal with ds2 throwing a fit because ds3 is bothering him on top of trying to get ds3 to do something that doesn't involve bothering someone else. Then ds1 comes in and is mean to ds3 because he gets annoyed and thinks I spoil him. Ugh!

[AnnieA]

MW: It was the MFM doc that told me there was a problem. He does all the ultrasounds if you are delivering at my hospital. I'm a little annoyed at him because he didn't communicate in the chart that he sent back to my OB the things that he told me. I know that there is a problem though because I saw the umbilical cord sound waves that he kept measuring over and over and in my research this past weekend, my sound waves looked exactly like the examples of abnormal sound waves rather than the normal sound waves.

Baby_Cakes: I agree, it's a lot of water. My plan is to drink a liter on my way to work (30 min drive), drink 2 liters during the day at work and then drink a liter on the way home. That way I'm done by 6ish and shouldn't be up all night peeing!

Oh and MW, I think it's just the part of pregnancy that we're in. I am SUPER emotional too for no apparent reason right now!

[jeninejessica]

Oh great, if more emotion is what I have in store, I'm screwed. I was listening to an angsty angry taylor swift song on the bus yesterday and totally teared up. It was ridiculous. I'm noticing more of that though-- things that aren't even sad, and I'm all teary. it's a tad embarassing. Don't worry bus people, I'm fine, just hormonal... 

[MarineWife]

LMAO JJ. Yep, that happens. I used to get teary eye over commercials in the beginning. Things settled down for a bit but are now getting a little wacky again. The thing is that now I don't need a trigger. But if something does trigger me, it's 100 times worse than usual. I guess I should really look into encapsulating my placenta to take after this baby is born.

Annie ~ So the MFM doc told you there was a problem but then didn't mention it at all in his report to your regular OB? That's strange. I'd be upset, too. But when you discussed it with your OB he took your word for it rather than shrugging you off and saying the report he got was fine, right? Well, hopefully, it's not as serious as first thought or first expressed to you by the MFM doc.

I could never drink that much water. I'm up every 1-2 hours from about 11 pm to 3 am peeing as it is and I already limit how much I drink after dinner.

My new floor definitely does not match. I'm not as emotional about it this morning so I think I can call the guy and talk about it. I don't know what I'll be able to do, though. It's not like they can take the material back and get me new stuff. It will cost me. This really sucks.

Oh, I got my Target stuff returned and got most of the money back on a gfit card. They were able to put the remainder back on my debit card without me having it. When I got home to order that one changing table with the baskets, I found that Target had the other changing table for about $20 less. So, I went ahead and ordered that one instead. The reason is because I read a little closer and learned that the one with all the baskets didn't have full shelves for the baskets to sit on. It only has 1" slats on each side so the baskets could easily fall through plus there's no support for the center of the basket bottoms.

Do any of you use cloth wipes? I am wondering if I should get a wipes warmer for mine. DS3 complains sometimes that the wipes are cold. That wasn't an issue in Hawaii with ds2 but I guess it is here where the temperature does get below 80 degrees sometimes. Amazon has a wipes warmer specifically for cloth diapers but some local stores carry disposable wipes warmers. I'm wondering if I have to get a special one for cloth diapers, in which case I'd have to order it and pay shipping, or if I can buy one of the regular ones from a store here. Anyone know if there's anything different or special about a cloth wipes warmer?

One thing that has kept me from buying one before is that in Hawaii where it was warm all the time my cloth wipes would sometimes get moldy because I like to keep them in water. Taking one to the bathroom to get wet every time was a pain and I couldn't use any spray because ds2 would have a bad reaction to it. I'm worried that a wipes warmer would have the same effect or that I would have to keep my cloth wipes dry. Then what's the point?

[MovingMomma]

Annie:  Can you get a second opinion?  

MW: I use cloth wipes but just wet them in the sink.  Maybe you could fill a thermos with warm water to keep with you?