August 2011 Whatever Ladies Having Babies - Page 5

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by AnnieA 
 I used those shells last night and it was a disaster! They drew out my niples but DD was having a rough night so she screamed on and off for hours and the shells were filling up with milk and then my shirt, bra, pants and part of my bed got soaked with milk! And I still couldn't get her to latch! I tried again this morning after I had pumped for a few mins and she still wouldn't latch. I have two friends that are LLL leaders so I'm going to try to see them this weekend to get help.

Im also going to check in to renting one of the hospital pumps. I'm pumping enough for maybe 1 1/2 feeds but I'm concerned that if I don't get her nursing my supply will dry up and I want to be able to give her BM at least until after her next surgery which could be 6-8 months away. With the hospital pump, I was pumping enough for three feeds so I could freeze most of it.

Oh man!  The shells do fill up fast, don't they?  Im sorry you had such a rough night.  I hope your LLL leaders can offer some help with latch.  It will take time, but you know it's totally worth it.  Hang in there mama!!  Definitely rent a pump!  It will make that worry the last thing on your mind!!
 

Originally Posted by MarineWife 
annie ~ i know what you mean. there's a bit of a let down once all of that drama is over. now there's not much to do but wait for baby to wake up to be fed and change diapers. 

I'm ready for the drama to be over!  LOL!  I'm ready to not get texts every morning from 3 people, my 2 friends and my MIL, asking, "How are you feeling?" as if I feel any different.  I'm not going to forget to tell them I'm either in labor or had the baby!    I'm ready to hunker down, nurse, change diapers, and get on with life!!  This limbo SUCKS.

Although, today I feel oddly at peace.  Having a nice, slow day with DD, just enjoying her and having fun.  She's being really cute today so it helps.  It doesn't hurt that everything is just...ready.  I should wash the shower curtain but other than that, the house is ready for a birth!

I made the shopping list for the week and DH was like, is any of that urgent or can it wait til tmw at lunch for me to run out (I make the list and he runs out to get the groceries lately, makes my life easier).  I looked at the list and looked at him and I said, "Well...no, none of this stuff we necessarily need tonight but if I go into labor b/w now and tmw...we're basically screwed!  LOL!"  He laughed and was like, ok, ok.  Gotcha.  Then he was like, "Maybe I won't go and it'll make things happen."  Hardy har har mister!  But I admit part of me wants to risk it.  

Have you guys heard of this "labor line" as an indicator of progress?  The dark purple line that goes basically up your buttcrack the more dilated you are?  It's a way to check for dilation without actually checking.  I peeked today after I got out of the shower and mines very dark purple -- and maybe like half way up?  3-4 cm?  Ha - I wonder if it's true.  I still haven't had any internal exams.

http://sarahvine.wordpress.com/2010/03/07/how-dilated-am-i-assessing-dilation-without-an-internal-exam/

[MarineWife]

I've never heard of that, Carrie, so I never checked. I never noticed a line anywhere except my belly.


Annie ~ I'm breastfeeding my 4th child and still having trouble. You'd think I'd have it down by now. I like to say that breastfeeding may be simple but it's not easy (at least at first). Hey, have you thought of trying one of those breast supplementer thingies instead of bottles? Maybe if she has some nipple confusion going on, that would help. I've never used one of those either so I don't know exactly how it works. Seems it would be closer to breastfeeding and you can put expressed breastmilk in it.

So, I ordered that Milkies Milk Saver thing yesterday. Shipping is supposed to take 3-5 business days. I've also been doing the block nursing for a little more than 24 hours now (I think). It seems my leaking has already lessened and D is nursing more easily. He hasn't been choking and sputtering as much and he's been sleeping in longer stretches (which still bothers me ). How much do you want to bet the leaking will be fixed by the time I get the Milkies thing and I won't be able to use it?

Oh, and, I have some EMAB PP herbal perineal tea bags if anyone wants them.

[akind1]

Annie - hope your LLL friends are able to help. I agree, a SNS might be an option too. With DS, we tried an eyedropper, but that was frustrating all around - he was so upset I was trying to get him calm enough to latch properly . . .but eh, we figured things out eventually. But in the midst of it, it can be very trying!

MW: you still might have leakage issues later, I know I did. I think I only stopped leaking on occaision after about 8 months or more. I have  a friend nursing her 17 month old and she STILL has leakage issues! so maybe the milkies will still work out after all! I am glad the block nursing seems to be helping.

Carrie - I hit zen around 40 weeks with DS . . . i was so anxious to get labor to start before then, and once I hit my DD, it just didn't matter as much. That line thing is interesting! makes you wonder . . .

Nothing new with us; DS is coughing like mad; all the drainage from the snot the last day or two. poor baby. He slept better though.

[MarineWife]

Kat ~ I hope so, sort of. I leaked for a looong time with E, over a year. I had a freezer full of saved milk With K I stopped leaking a lot sooner. I remember being a little disappointed but also happy that I didn't have to wear nursing pads anymore or worry about huge wet milk spots on my shirt and smelling like sour milk. I was a little worried that I didn't have nearly as much milk saved. I never needed any of it, anyway, but it's nice to have for an emergency. I mean, what would happen if I were in a car accident and ended up in a coma? Not very likely to happen, I know, but you all know those are the types of things us mamas worry about.

I hope Gabe is feeling 100% soon. D has sounded a little congested in the past week. He's not sick so I don't know what it's from.

Carrie ~ Yeah, it is nice to have my baby to snuggle. It was funny. For the first week or so after he was born I'd catch myself sitting forward with my belly scrunched up and think, "Oh, I'd better straighten up. I'm squishing the baby." Then I'd wonder why I didn't feel him hitting me like he always did when he got squished like that. It would take a few seconds for me to remember that there was no baby in there anymore.

I'm going to attempt to take the boys to the pool today. I was hoping to go early in the morning so it would be cooler but it doesn't open until 11 am. It's supposed to be cooler today than it has been. The high is 87 instead of 97 or above but there are also supposed to be thunderstorms. So, we shall see. The other pool is having the last pool party of the summer tonight so I'm going to try to take them to that, too. My mom is still here to help me.

Shannon ~ You guys want to go to a pool party?

[Baby_Cakes]

Have fun at the pool, Alysia!

Still no baby yet!  But I'm getting close!  Last nights ctx felt seriously like the real thing and lasted all night.  Still happening now, but a little further apart.  I'm going absolutely crazy and cried a bit,  but I guess I'm coming to terms with the fact that he will come out eventually and I might as well just ride this out.

Alysia - I remember after giving birth to Nora, I would have gas bubbles and think it was baby movement.  Took awhile to realize there was nobody in there anymore!  

[MarineWife]

well, the pool got rained out. the weather said possible afternoon showers but it started sprinkling as soon as we got to the pool. it never even opened. i tried going to the indoor pool but those have to close for inclement weather, too. hopefully, all the storms will be gone by tonight so we can go to the pool party.

carrie ~ how are things coming? did you call your mw to tell her about your ctx?

i need more breast pads. anyone know where i can get some good ones? most of the ones i have don't work anymore. they are from when ryan was a baby.

[Baby_Cakes]

No I haven't mentioned anything to my mw, these have really slowed down/petered out.  It's disappointing to say the least.  I really, really had myself convinced I'd be holding him by tonight.  

Do you use disposable breast pads or cloth?  I like the Gerber disposable ones.  They are ultra thin.  I had a hell of a time finding them b/c they changed the packaging and name to Nuk instead of having the normal blue packaging and Gerber baby on the front.  I was looking all over and trying to find them online b/c they are my favorite, and then I was walking around BRU registering for misc stuff and saw the box and realized they were, in fact, the right ones.  Just different name and package.  Score!  I registered for like 2 more boxes and bought 2 right then.

[MarineWife]

i changed the title of the thread. i figured the new title is more fun and fitting since we've either had or are going to have babies now.

[MarineWife]

Oh, oh well, Carrie. I thought maybe you were still having those serious ctx.

I'm using cloth pads. I have a few I like. One pair are made by FuzziBunz, I think. They work but they have PUL on one side, which I'm not a fan of. I have a couple of pairs of some other bramd that have cotton flannel on the inside and fleece on the outside, which I like better. They work but I can't remember where I got them and can't seem to find anymore like them now. I tried wool but soaked right through those. I have a whole bunch of some really old cotton ones that I bought when I was nursing Ryan. I think they might have been made by Gerber or some other big name brand that's sold at retail stores. I guess maybe they are just too old and have been used so much that they aren't very absorbent anymore because every time I nurse the side D is not nursing on gets soaked right through onto my shirt. Sometimes I even go through those pads when he's not nursing. I may buy a box of disposable ones just to get me through until I can get some more cloth ones. I know they sell Lanisoh ones at the grocery store. I'm pretty sure I used those before and they worked. For now I'm going to have to resort to stuffing a PF into my bra whenever I nurse at home.

[Baby_Cakes]

My friend uses these and likes them.  Got them at Babies R Us.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3371331

These ctx are coming frequently and I feel them, they don't stop when I'm moving around but I'm not timing them.  Until they make me stop in my tracks for real, as though they aren't going to just stop again, I can't get my hopes up.  I'm really, relaly hoping things amp up today or by tonight.  Maybe I'll bounce on the ball for a bit.  Maybe TMI, but we tried DTD last night and though I got my *ahem* prostaglandins, I personally couldn't finish b/c the ctx hurt too much.  That was what tipped me off.  I never do that.  LOL.

I'm going to be in denial for a long time b/c I just can't take the heartbreak!

I feel like this could be the real thing, partly b/c I'm over the apprehension I had about Nora going to Grandmas.  I'm going to pack her bag up now and at least that way it'll be ready and I won't have to worry about it.

Edited by Baby_Cakes - 8/12/11 at 10:15am

[MarineWife]

Thanks for that link. Those look promising. I wish there was a way to check store availability online. Looks like they may only available on the website. Our local Babies R Us doesn't carry nearly as much stuff as they have online.

Hmm...interesting about the ctx. The early ctx I felt the day I went into labor didn't stop me in my tracks, either. I could just tell they were something I needed to pay attention to. When does your MW want you to call? Mine was a little upset that I had waited so long to call her. She wanted to know sooner rather than later if I thought something was happening.

Sex?! What is that? I have no desire anymore, although I was much more interested for the week or two before D was born (not that I was getting any but that's another story). Did you see the photo of Sean I posted on FB? Yummy! Hehe

[onetwoten]

ugh. I keep meaning to wander over to the new sex forum, and forgetting. We dtd so infrequently now, not from lack of desire, or even ability, somehow the belly is still negligible, but just because everything has changed so much down there that nothing feels 'right'. Everything leading up to, is great, but between the different ph balance, and just feeling constantly swollen, actually dtd isn't enjoyable at all. I feel bad for poor DH. 

Good to hear about the nursing pads-- I have kushies ones on the registry because they were the only non-disaposable ones in stores. But I'm going to see if they have those organic ones on the website for canada.  If not, there's a friend of the family who lives a few blocks from us who makes mama cloth- I might see if she can make some for me. 

Carrie-- I have this quote saved in my "birth" folder, and I've always liked it. 

I talk about "doing life." It's something the trainer taught us at our doula training. Basically, if they can do life in between contractions, they probably aren't in active labor. EVEN IF it takes some amount of concentration DURING a contraction, if they aren't fully focused, relaxing, and waiting, thinking ONLY about getting through the next contraction that is coming up? They should be doing life. Whatever they planned to do that day or that night--go to a movie, do the laundry, wash the floor, see your family, go to the grocery store. Labor goes a LOT more quickly when you aren't focusing on contractions from the very VERY first one. When they cannot DO life anymore, because they are focusing only on the labor, then they should probalby be in or near active labor. I do a lot of work with partners, as well, to help them support the woman during early labor...encouraging them to sleep when it is night, or go about their daily life if it is daytime, keeping them nourished and hydrated, making sure they pee, but keeping them on task for what they would otherwise be doing, until they can no longer DO that. When I started having this conversation seriously with my clients because I had had just one too many mothers end up in exhaustion because they didn't sleep when they should have at least been pretending to sleep, the number of hours I started to spend at labors went down.

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by MarineWife 

Hmm...interesting about the ctx. The early ctx I felt the day I went into labor didn't stop me in my tracks, either. I could just tell they were something I needed to pay attention to. When does your MW want you to call? Mine was a little upset that I had waited so long to call her. She wanted to know sooner rather than later if I thought something was happening.

Sex?! What is that? I have no desire anymore, although I was much more interested for the week or two before D was born (not that I was getting any but that's another story). Did you see the photo of Sean I posted on FB? Yummy! Hehe

She said when things are regular and strong or if my water breaks give her a heads up.  So, since none of those things are happening, I'll just keep trucking along.

LOL, I'm not really in the mood either, but I want my prostaglandins and DH isn't complaining, lol.  It's an acrobatic feat, let me tell you.  Not easy and not particularly sexy, but we get the job done, ha!

Originally Posted by jeninejessica 

Carrie-- I have this quote saved in my "birth" folder, and I've always liked it. 

Life is definitely still going on, even if I have to pause for a ctx.  LOL!  The hardest part of the day was admitting defeat.  Pouring my coffee, doing the dishes, making breakfast.  Vacuuming the living room. I cried a bit and had a moment, but I think I'm realizing now...it's not happening today.  
 

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by jeninejessica 

feeling constantly swollen, actually dtd isn't enjoyable at all.

This was the one positive I had for Sean being gone while I was pg. I was so swollen and just felt so weird down there that I wouldn't have wanted him to touch or see me. I get very self-conscious about that.

That quote is exactly how things were for me for the entire day on the Sunday I went into labor. I was able to go about my normal life until around 8 pm or so. Even then, I was able to chat and laugh between ctx but I did have to stop and concentrate and breathe through them when they came whereas earlier I was able to keep doing whatever right through the ctx. It wasn't until around 10 pm or so when I couldn't really do much of anything but get through the ctx and try to get comfortable until the next one came. My MW showed up at 10:30 or 10:45, so just in time.

i ended up ordering some motherease nursing pads from amazon. i need the waterproof layer or else i soak everything. i also liked that they are contoured. i have mostly flat ones and they are very obvious through my shirt. i do have some contoured ones that are not noticeable. the price seemed pretty good comparatively, too.

i also ordered a bunch of other stuff that i probably don't need.

[onetwoten]

haha it's so easy to buy things you don't need though! That's why I'm so eager to find out the sex, and then go through everything we have, to really show myself again how much more I DONT need. 

See, with DTD, it's not even that i'm self conscious or anything... it's more like... literally, everything is just too swollen. Things don't fit the same... lol. I'm feeling very "at home" in my pregnant body (in spite of the constant aches and feeling like my hips are falling off), and I know DH very much enjoys my body (hello, I've gained like three cup sizes already!), it's just the actual physical act that's leaving something to be desired. It sucks. 

We're cleaning the house today so that it's nice and pretty for my sister to house sit next week. It feels so nice to see things get all pretty and shiny. I think I've pretty much been nesting in my brain since the positive test. lol. Even when I don't have the energy to follow through, I feel like constantly organizing, and sorting and cleaning. 

This cartoon from pinterest pretty much sums up my brain:

[MarineWife]

i don't think i've ever had the chance to find out whether or not things fit. sean was home when i was pg with E but i don't remember anything about sex or lack thereof.

i was going to sya that at least i didn't buy anymore diapers then I remembered I did order some infant size PFs at the last minute.

I don't think we're going to make it to the pool tonight, either. It's still storming and now there's a severe weather alert.

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by jeninejessica 

 Things don't fit the same... lol. I'm feeling very "at home" in my pregnant body (in spite of the constant aches and feeling like my hips are falling off), and I know DH very much enjoys my body (hello, I've gained like three cup sizes already!), it's just the actual physical act that's leaving something to be desired. It sucks. 

I know what you mean. For a long time things just didn't line up anymore. There was absolutely no physical way to do it! LOL!

Alysia - I thought you didn't even like prefolds!? LOL!!

AFM - Lost some goo. I checked my cervix (man it's far up there) and I'm at least a 3, but I can't tell if it's all the way thru or just the outer OS. When I pulled my hand out a bunch of goo came with it (very interesting!) but it was just goo, no pink tinge. Ctx still happening, moreso when I'm up and about. My mw called me while I was out on a stroller walk (I know, I know, I'm trying to take it easy AND get things going at the same time) and said she'd be out of range for a bit. So I did tell her what was going on. I'm glad she called. I wouldn't have called her based on what's going on, but I'm glad now she knows and at least has a heads up it could be soon. Could be. I'm still not feeling too hopeful, but I cannot CANNOT take another week of this. Sigh.

[MarineWife]

hmmm...ya know, carrie, your mucous plug doesn't have to be bloody. when i was in labor only once did i have the teeniest bit if pink when i wiped after going to the bathroom. it was so faint i almost wasn't sure that i saw what i thought i saw.

oh, and i use PFs to stuff my pockets at night. the ones i have are too large for the smallest setting of my OS pockets and some of them leak with the inserts i have so i bought a dozen infant size PFs to see if they work better. also, i do use PFs around the house without a cover sometimes once baby is up and walking.

[Baby_Cakes]

It was plug or at least a chunk of it.  Had a membrane like quality to it.  It's all progress!  I'll take it!!

[Baby_Cakes]

There's something alluring about these GroVia AIOs b/c they're so trim and you don't have to stuff them, it's all built in.  I know, I'm just crazy.  DH said no more dipes.  But, but, but!!!  LOL!!