July 2011 Whatever Ladies Graduates - Page 2

[AnnieA]

Will have to watch those videos later this afternoon when my kids are involved with something else.

Here's my major concern right now with Ava's position. At the ultrasound on Friday, her left foot is pretty much hanging out at my right hip bone and her right foot is up by her head. So there's nothing over my cervix. For me, that seems as though the risk of cord prolapse would be pretty high if I started dilating before my water broke. I'll talk to my OB about it on Friday and have him check me then to see if I've started dilating. If I have, I am seriously considering scheduling the birth for next week. But again, I'll talk to him about it on Friday. I've only talked to my MFM so far since the last ultrasound on Friday. He's actually the one that was encouraging me to schedule as close to my due date as possible to give her a chance to turn. My OB's main concern is about cord prolapse and honestly that's my biggest concern right now too based on her position.

[onetwoten]

Yeah, if you could get her bum down in there settled, then you might even have a chance at delivering her breech vaginally... but you're right, you've got to weigh the chances of something settling in there before her bum does (or her head!)

I would deliver a breech at home with a midwife, however the footling is a hard hurdle to go over, and that would definately be hospital for me, and almost certainly a planned c-section. But like I said, with a non-footling breech, I would feel comfortable delivering vaginally, and most likely at home, after having spent lots of time reading up on different techniques, etc. But it all goes out the window with footling and the chances of cord prolapse. 

I crochet... but even though I've been doing it for years, It's still primitive. They always look wonderful while in progress, but once finished I hold them up, and they always look so uneven and amateur. lol. It doesn't really matter, as once it's on the baby, it will provide warmth, which is what matters... and you probably won't be able to see much of the flaws... And I can't seem to do booties or hats. They just are never shaped or sized properly, no matter what I do!

Yes, it was definately a hold your breath moment when she made it clear she thought there were twins in there, and such a relief when there was just one. And so nice to be able to take a quick peek! It's bad now though because we both have boy in our minds, and we're going to be surprised now if it's a girl. Not disappointed, but just having to reframe your mind, you know? 

I don't have any friends around who have children, only aquaintances and family members. Our family are all pretty darn mainstream. I got into a semi fight a few weeks ago with my SIL and BIL about the safety of homebirth, as well as the whole issue of GBS, and how it's funny that it's so much less common everyone BUT the states and Canada. It gives me an idea of what the future holds for us. It drives me nuts though when people argue about things that they obviously haven't researched outside of reading what to expect. 

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes 

Right?  People forget!  Like within a DAY.  I must have had the homebirth convo with one of my coworkers at least twice.  When I opened up my shower gifts at work, one was a blue gown for the baby and she said, "That gown is perfect for the hospital!" 

Haha, and I don't think he'll come in 3 weeks.  Maybe 4. 

Haha! Did you say then you'd have to find someone to visit in a hospital?

4 weeks still could be before me, though. I've still got 3 weeks and 4 days until I get to my 40w edb. Isn't yours not until 8/18? I'll message you when I go into labor so you can start to, but not before then.

The PA I saw about my sinuses asked something about my OB. I told her I didn't have an OB. I see a MW. She said it's all the same to her. I might think that's a good thing except for the way she said it. I don't like the attitude that it's automatically assumed that you see an OB if you are pg and seeing a MW is really no different.

[MarineWife]

Ack! I keep missing posts as I'm trying to reply because I keep getting distracted and pulled away from the computer.

Annie ~ Those aren't videos. They're birth stories with pictures. Still might be something you'd want to wait on viewing after the kids are occupied with something else. I don't mind my ds seeing stuff like that but I don't have to deal with another parent. He just thought it was icky.

From what I was just reading, cord prolapse may not be quite as dangerous as most US OBs lead us to believe. There was some stuff about how the cord is more probably not completely pinched off during a breech birth except for when the head is completely engaged and then the baby can be fully out pretty quickly. You have to make sure the arms are not up by the head and no one is trying to pull or otherwise force the baby out. And the whole issue about the cervix clamping down on the head after the body is out is most likely associated with either preterm babies whose heads are much bigger than their bodies and when pushing a full term baby starts before the cervix is fully dilated. The midwife info I read said it's safe protocol to have the mother breathe through pushing for an hour in those cases to make sure the cervix is completely dilated.

Again, though, it all ultimately comes down to having someone knowledgeable and experienced enough to know all of that. I doubt most OBs these days are and they probably wouldn't be very open to us providing them the info. The story about the unassisted footling breech birth was cool. The dad seemed to have enough sense to know that mom needed to push the baby out quickly but not to try to do much of anything himself. They didn't know baby was breech at all but I guess that goes along with doing UC because most women don't get any prenatal care for that.

[akind1]

I saw, I don't know if it was a freebirthing show or other sort of thing on discovery health (before Oprah took that channel over) where a women UC's footling breech TWINS in the bathtub. how amazing! I mean, delivering footling breech babies is possible, but just has some inherent challenges. If it were me, I would do a version -followed by an induction if necessary - and if that didn't work, then a c-section. Though I would probably wait until my cervix was pretty favorable (good Bishop score) before attempting the version. But that is me. We all have to make the choices we are most comfortable with.

The rare times it comes up; I really try to inform/educate about my choices or others choices without sounding judgey about it. It's hard though, especially if I think the decisions were kind of silly ones - or made based on no or bad info. mostly I just bite my tongue.

MW: fx your little man (Dylan?) comes close to the DD.

[MarineWife]

It's so hard for me, sometimes, to make decisions about such things because there is so much conflicting info. I have a hard time trusting medical info and things that doctors tell me because I don't think they are knowledgeable about anything outside medicine. They only know what they've been taught and told in medical school and don't usually take the time to read up on different info. On the Ronnie Falco website, there were a few doctors who admitted that it's all pretty much controlled by insurance liability and the legal system rather than what is truly best for mother and baby. That site is hard to navigate, though, and confuses me even more sometimes.

I even question my vax decisions periodically. I mean, it seems most people get vaxed and don't have problems, although there aren't any long-term studies to find out if vaxes cause other health problems later in life. I read an article a week or so ago about how there appears to be a correlation between the rise in vaxes and the rise in allergies and childhood diabetes that used to be almost exclusively an adult disease. But then I think, even if vaxes are safe, are they really necessary? I read up on the diseases on the CDC website and just don't get that they are these huge, life threatening diseases. There is some risk as with any illness but most children survive them without much trouble.

I guess we're going with Dylan. I haven't come up with anything better that dh will agree to. I'm still not really liking Dylan Sloan, though. DH says he likes it so whatever. What do you all think of Dylan Reid? I don't know that I like that, either, but I came across Reid as a middle name I had picked a while back. DS2 is not happy about Dylan at all. He says he likes Brenden. I told him to tell Daddy about that. hehe

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by AnnieA 

Will have to watch those videos later this afternoon when my kids are involved with something else.

Here's my major concern right now with Ava's position. At the ultrasound on Friday, her left foot is pretty much hanging out at my right hip bone and her right foot is up by her head. So there's nothing over my cervix. For me, that seems as though the risk of cord prolapse would be pretty high if I started dilating before my water broke. I'll talk to my OB about it on Friday and have him check me then to see if I've started dilating. If I have, I am seriously considering scheduling the birth for next week. But again, I'll talk to him about it on Friday. I've only talked to my MFM so far since the last ultrasound on Friday. He's actually the one that was encouraging me to schedule as close to my due date as possible to give her a chance to turn. My OB's main concern is about cord prolapse and honestly that's my biggest concern right now too based on her position.

  That's exciting!  I think I'd be doing the same thing, in all honestly. Vaginal birth is wonderful but I feel there is a time and place for intervention, be it by c-section or otherwise.  I also think it's hella exciting you might have Ava in your arms that soon! 

Originally Posted by MarineWife 



Haha! Did you say then you'd have to find someone to visit in a hospital?

4 weeks still could be before me, though. I've still got 3 weeks and 4 days until I get to my 40w edb. Isn't yours not until 8/18? I'll message you when I go into labor so you can start to, but not before then.

The PA I saw about my sinuses asked something about my OB. I told her I didn't have an OB. I see a MW. She said it's all the same to her. I might think that's a good thing except for the way she said it. I don't like the attitude that it's automatically assumed that you see an OB if you are pg and seeing a MW is really no different.

Haha I was like, "But...I'm not going to the hospital!" and she goes, "Oh, oh right! Duh!  It'll be cute for at home then!" it's just stupid how fast people forget.  It's pretty radical and different to just let it slip your mind, you know?

I've still got 6 weeks til I'm due, correct.  EDD is 8/16.  Nora came at 39 weeks.  I think my mw's assumption was just based off 37 weeks being term, not that I was looking like I was going to have him in 3 weeks.  Haha, though if she could know that sort of thing, she'd be a much richer woman, for sure!

I forgot to mention that I brought up the SPD with her.  We talked at length about it, and talked about labor positions.  She said a simple "test" to determine if it's indeed my sympysis pubis that is separated is after the birth, see if I can walk backwards without pain.  If I have pain when I walk  forwards but not backwards, it's SPD.  If not, it's just typical creaky hips.  So, she isn't too concerned now.  She mentioned doing chiro or massage, but again noted it would only be temporary relief.  I told her how with Nora, I would go to the chiro and by the time I got home I felt sore and creaky again!  She said that's the unfortunate thing about adjustments.  They just pop back in if that's the natural state of things.

Oh she did say one other interesting thing.  The maladies and things we really suffer with during pregnancy seem to be a good sign of what will be our problems when we are elderly.  She said it'll be very important for me in the long run to make sure I take calcium and vitamin D, and keep my bones strong so I don't need a hip replacement when I'm old.  Haha!  I 
 

Originally Posted by MarineWife 
I guess we're going with Dylan. I haven't come up with anything better that dh will agree to. I'm still not really liking Dylan Sloan, though. DH says he likes it so whatever. What do you all think of Dylan Reid? I don't know that I like that, either, but I came across Reid as a middle name I had picked a while back. DS2 is not happy about Dylan at all. He says he likes Brenden. I told him to tell Daddy about that. hehe

Don't settle!  I like Dylan.  I like Dylan Reid better than Dylan Sloan based on sound alone, but you have to go with your gut.  Or just don't decide yet!  Wait til he's born.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes 

I've still got 6 weeks til I'm due, correct.  EDD is 8/16.  Nora came at 39 weeks.  I think my mw's assumption was just based off 37 weeks being term, not that I was looking like I was going to have him in 3 weeks.

When did 37w become full term? I always thought it was 38w. I know I've asked this a couple of times but no one has answered me. Does anyone know?

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes 

I forgot to mention that I brought up the SPD with her.  We talked at length about it, and talked about labor positions.  She said a simple "test" to determine if it's indeed my sympysis pubis that is separated is after the birth, see if I can walk backwards without pain.  If I have pain when I walk  forwards but not backwards, it's SPD.  If not, it's just typical creaky hips.

How did the test go? Did you determine that it is, in fact, SPD?

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes 

Don't settle!  I like Dylan.  I like Dylan Reid better than Dylan Sloan based on sound alone, but you have to go with your gut.  Or just don't decide yet!  Wait til he's born.

Either way I'm settling because I can't get dh to agree to the names I really like. No one IRL likes Dylan.

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by MarineWife 



When did 37w become full term? I always thought it was 38w. I know I've asked this a couple of times but no one has answered me. Does anyone know?



How did the test go? Did you determine that it is, in fact, SPD?



Either way I'm settling because I can't get dh to agree to the names I really like. No one IRL likes Dylan.

Even when I was pg with Nora (in '08) 37 weeks was term and was the cut off for home birth.

Test gets done after he's born, unfortunately.  

And bah humbug on settling!  I really do like Dylan.  It's classic, it's timeless, it's not trendy.  It matches your other boys names well.  It's a good name.  

[MarineWife]

I found this comparing death rates of babies born at what they call early term, 37-38w, vs. term, 39-40w.

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/may2011/nichd-23.htm

It says babies born at early term were twice as likely to die within the first year than babies born at term.

Well, what good does the test do for you if you can't do it until after birth? The SPD will probably resolve itself then, anyway, won't it?

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by MarineWife 

Well, what good does the test do for you if you can't do it until after birth? The SPD will probably resolve itself then, anyway, won't it?

Making her aware of it now is important b/c of labor positions, etc.  I shouldn't squat, at least not without assistance.  And lunges would be bad.  But knowing after the fact will help her to help me get everything back together.  She said they can really do some great things with binding and castor oil packs (?) to help shrink the pelvis back into place.  It's more about recovery from the condition (it doesnt "go away" after birth, that's why women can suffer for years with it, get pg again, and have it even worse) after childbirth and managing pain now.  She gave me some good tips for now, too.  Like let DH do the stairs for the wash.  

[akind1]

I always thought 37 weeks was term. 38 is better of course, but 37 is what I've read.

Carrie, glad there are things that can be done to help the SPD.

MW: re: names. I like Reid in general as a middle name better, especially if the 1st name is going to end with an "n" two "n" sounding names don't always sound right to me. Dylan Reid or Brenden Reid are both good I think. Can you take a family vote on names and go with majority rules? Mama gets an extra vote because she had to go through pregnancy and delivery?

AFU: 28 weeks! yay! Ultrasound tomorrow - hopefully they see the brain and heart like they want to, then still another week and a half until the GTC (1 hour thing). Baby seems to have flipped to be up and down now, but not sure which end is up, so to speak. she hasn't been kicking and punching enough yet this morning for me to tell. If she is head down, I'd like her to stay put, but there is no telling!

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes 

Making her aware of it now is important b/c of labor positions, etc.  I shouldn't squat, at least not without assistance.  And lunges would be bad.  But knowing after the fact will help her to help me get everything back together.  She said they can really do some great things with binding and castor oil packs (?) to help shrink the pelvis back into place.  It's more about recovery from the condition (it doesnt "go away" after birth, that's why women can suffer for years with it, get pg again, and have it even worse) after childbirth and managing pain now.  She gave me some good tips for now, too.  Like let DH do the stairs for the wash.  

Ah, ok. From what I read the other day, SPD usually resolves itself after birth and does not usually cause permanent or long-term problems. I did read, though, that there isn't really much you can do about while pg except possibly chiro adjustments and just taking it easy, not walking too much or lifting/carrying heavy objects.

I wish I had someone to carry the laundry up and down the stairs. I always wonder who's bright idea it was to put laundry rooms on the lower floors when all the dirty clothes are on the upper floors. I assume it has something to do with fears about water damage, kind of like back in the day when it was advised not to set up a waterbed upstairs. Um, then where would it go if your bedrooms are on an upper floor?

I'm not comfortable with the idea of 37w being full term. Maybe it's just a holdover from being pg with my first over 20 years ago but I've always read and been told that full term is 38+w until recently. I don't even remember all this talk about 37w being full term when I was pg with ds3 in 2006-2007. Based on what I was reading yesterday, I think it's mainly because we've learned that most babies lungs are fully mature at 37w so they don't need much medical intervention or support immediately after birth. However, there's more to a baby being ready for the world than lung maturity.

I was looking for the percentage of babies born without any medical intervention at 37w from lmp and can't find anything about percentage of babies born or taken at 37w at all. I did read, though, that that really means 37 completed weeks. So, I think that would really mean when you hit the 38w mark, right? I'll have to add it up.

If the average pg length was determined to be 40w from lmp, with babies coming naturally and healthy and without medical intervention or treatment anywhere from 38-42w, I don't see how the medical community can turn around and say that 37w is fine now. It just doesn't make sense. There are higher risks of health complications for babies born before 38w. I'm just not buying it.

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by akind1 

MW: re: names. I like Reid in general as a middle name better, especially if the 1st name is going to end with an "n" two "n" sounding names don't always sound right to me. Dylan Reid or Brenden Reid are both good I think. Can you take a family vote on names and go with majority rules? Mama gets an extra vote because she had to go through pregnancy and delivery?

AFU: 28 weeks! yay! Ultrasound tomorrow - hopefully they see the brain and heart like they want to, then still another week and a half until the GTC (1 hour thing). Baby seems to have flipped to be up and down now, but not sure which end is up, so to speak. she hasn't been kicking and punching enough yet this morning for me to tell. If she is head down, I'd like her to stay put, but there is no telling!

I like Dylan Reid or Brendan Sloan.  But I know you're not in love with either of those first names which makes it tough.  Why not just name him Sloan?  That's a cool name.  Like a lawyer name or something.  Is that not an option?

Katrina - Yay for 28 weeks!!  Hopefully all your tests go well.  I'm sure they will! 

AFM - so...I bit the bullet and went to the website for the hospital I'll be using if I risk out.  It's not so bad.  It seems like a very good, family friendly, baby friendly maternity facility.  Tubs to labor in, rooming in, etc.  So, my fears a little pushed to the side.  Of course I don't want to go there, but if I have to at least it's a nice-ish place.

[akind1]

MW: I think it has to do with lung maturity, the 37 week thing. I think most babies born at that time rarely are due to normal, spontaneous labor, but even if induced or surgically born, it is usually do to other factors, like twin or more gestation, pre-eclamsia, etc. (could be wrong, as this is not a researched assumption, but just a guess). And doctors and mamas might feel IF labor starts on its own at that point, then if the lungs are fully mature, or close to, should you try to stop the labor? I know so many mamas (granted very mainstream ones) that are just so DONE being pregnant by that point, they would want to go ahead and have the baby at that time, if they were to go into labor.

Carrie, glad the hospital seems to be mama/baby friendly. it helps to be at peace with the alternatives, if they need to happen. Will or when will they check platelets again?

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by akind1 

MW: I think it has to do with lung maturity, the 37 week thing. I think most babies born at that time rarely are due to normal, spontaneous labor, but even if induced or surgically born, it is usually do to other factors, like twin or more gestation, pre-eclamsia, etc. (could be wrong, as this is not a researched assumption, but just a guess). And doctors and mamas might feel IF labor starts on its own at that point, then if the lungs are fully mature, or close to, should you try to stop the labor? I know so many mamas (granted very mainstream ones) that are just so DONE being pregnant by that point, they would want to go ahead and have the baby at that time, if they were to go into labor.

Carrie, glad the hospital seems to be mama/baby friendly. it helps to be at peace with the alternatives, if they need to happen. Will or when will they check platelets again?

One of the mamas in my DDC just posted that most babies lungs are mature by that point, that the whole 37/38 week = term came along b/c of erring on the side of caution in case of a miscalculated EDD.  Interesting, huh?

I got a script from my mw to actually go to Labcorp and get my blood drawn at the lab just in case there's something going on with the platelet count being affected by transit time.  So I'm going to go right at 37 weeks (she said I could go the day before or the day of) and we'll get the results same day.  I'm just wishing on stars at this point.  I'm so afraid I'll risk out -- I just cant even get my head to go there.  I'll be so disappointed.  

[MarineWife]

Carrie ~ Actually, Brenden Sloan would be my first choice. It's dh that's being difficult about Brenden. I'm trying to decide how much I should push it. I mean, technically, he didn't even want this baby and I am the one who's growing him and going to give birth to him, so shouldn't I have more say in his name?

Yeah, Katrina, it seems to be about lung maturity. But I'm reading a lot of stuff about babies born at 37-38w being at higher risk for all kinds of problems, not just medical problems such as breathing problems (which 37 weekers do have a higher risk of even if most are thought to have fully mature lungs at that point) but also autism and other special educational needs. I agree that it might be best to let things progress if one goes into labor completely naturally at 37w and there are no other health issues. Again, though, I just read that the rise in "early term" singleton births is almost solely because of elective c-sections. That's not good. It seems that OBs have decided that it's safe for them to take babies out at 37w for no particular reason because of lung maturity without taking any other factors into account. Again, docs deciding what's ok without looking at the long term effects. I guess since they don't have to live with children that end up with special needs later or dealing with a baby that dies within the first year, they are fine with it as long as the baby survives birth.

I think it does a disservice to women to start telling them 37w is full term as if it's just as good to have a baby at 37w as at 40w. Women then start getting anxious to have their babies earlier and are more likely to either try natural inductions or agree to unnecessary and possibly dangerous medical interventions. And, then of course, there's the whole issue of dating a pg by lmp so that what a doctor considers 37w may be dangerously off, like with me. If my OB had wanted to induce me at what he considered 37w for me when I was pg with ds2 and I agreed, he would have been born at 34.5-35w. Not good at all.

And, I think I was wrong in thinking that completed 37w was actually day 1 of 38w. It is when you hit the 37w mark.

[MarineWife]

I keep cross posting with you guys.

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes 

One of the mamas in my DDC just posted that most babies lungs are mature by that point, that the whole 37/38 week = term came along b/c of erring on the side of caution in case of a miscalculated EDD.  Interesting, huh?

I'm not sure what you mean. Was she saying that 37w has always been considered full term? I really don't think that's true. From what I was just reading on several different websites, the 40w average was determined by counting ahead from lmp and figuring the percentages of babies born at various times. Most babies are born naturally at 38-42w. I think that medical probing and interventions may be contributing to babies coming a little earlier than normal, too. Like I've read that many OBs will strip membranes as soon as a woman reaches full term without even mentioning it to the woman at the time. Also, just the act of continually doing internal exams can mess with the timetable. I think we've become so removed from what's natural and normal that no one really knows anymore what is. KWIM?

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by MarineWife 

I'm not sure what you mean. Was she saying that 37w has always been considered full term? I really don't think that's true. From what I was just reading on several different websites, the 40w average was determined by counting ahead from lmp and figuring the percentages of babies born at various times. Most babies are born naturally at 38-42w. I think that medical probing and interventions may be contributing to babies coming a little earlier than normal, too. Like I've read that many OBs will strip membranes as soon as a woman reaches full term without even mentioning it to the woman at the time. Also, just the act of continually doing internal exams can mess with the timetable. I think we've become so removed from what's natural and normal that no one really knows anymore what is. KWIM?

Here's what she said directly, it makes more sense:

I was reading in my midwifery book last night that "babies' lungs are are almost always mature by 34 wks, but the 37 wk cutoff simply includes a generous margin of error in calculating the EDD."

It's a thread started by a mama 35 +4 who thinks labor might be starting soon, and would you stay home? that sort of thing.  Interesting thread.  I personally wouldn't stay home but that's just me.

I do know what you mean.  I've mentally had to stop thinking that 37 is the end.  It's so not.  I could have another 5 weeks after that and still be perfectly healthy/normal/everything fine.  I don't even want to think about that, but it's the truth!  I don't think I would push it past 42 weeks though.  I would probably say ok to an induction at that point, happily.

[AnnieA]

At the hospital where my sister has her babies, they have different "rules" depending on if the baby is born before 37 weeks or not. So when my niece came at 36w4d, she didn't need the NICU but she had to go to the nursery for "observation" 30 minutes after she was born rather than waiting 90 minutes. Breathing-wise, my niece was fine but she had lots of issues latching and never really developed a good nursing relationship with my sister.