June Mamas: April 11-17

[Smithie]

Time for a new thread! I guess everybody else is at church, so I will take it upon my heathen self to start one.

This is my 33rd week according to the radiologist, 32nd according to the midwives. The carpet cleaner cometh tomorrow, so I will be engaging in bending, stretching and heavy lifting all day today.

Question of the Week: What's your biggest regular deviation from your care provider's recommendations, and why do you do it? Mine is diet - can't give up the junk food nohow, and I do it because I'm not experiencing any ill effects related to it, so I figure it can't be killing me. In particular, others have mentioned that their babies react strongly to things like caffeine, and my baby seems completely unaffected.

[Greaseball]

I don't get a lot of recommendations...I guess I don't walk as much as they say to, mostly because I'm too tired or too sore.

I've been, uh, trickling when I cough!

We visited BIL and his family yesterday and our home birth plans didn't come up, which was good. Dh did refer to "the midwives" but no one asked questions. Maybe they assume we mean hospital midwives.

I wish that after dd was born I hadn't gone around telling everyone that I was sooooo glad she was born in a hospital and I most definitely would have my next baby there! You know how women in labor, or shortly afterward, say things they don't mean (like, "I'm never having sex again!")? Well, the praises of hospital birth was mine and now I have to tell everyone that I changed my mind! Even dh was surprised when a year after dd was born I told him I didn't think the hospital had been a good idea.

I'm also preparing for my GBS test. I guess you could say I'm "studying!":LOL I'm taking grapefruit seed extract, echinacea, vitamin C in addition to my prenatal vitamin, garlic caps and eating yogurt. I've been trying to cut down on sugar...not doing so well there. I normally eat at least one sugary thing a day, such as ice cream or pastry, and that doesn't count anything like jam, honey, etc. I may have.

[dharmama]

What's your biggest regular deviation from your care provider's recommendations, and why do you do it?

Ya know...I really don't get any recommendations from my midwives. I go back and forth between really liking their carefree, anything goes attitude to wishing I was getting a LITTLE more instruction/education.

I weigh myself at every appointment and just tell them what the scale says. They write it down and make a positive comment no matter what I say - one month I gained 8 pounds...lately I'm lucky if I gain a pound.

They did recommend prescription prenatal vitamins early on and I declined the sample as they were coated in yucky purple geletin (sp?). Just told them that I prefer to take what I buy at the health food store instead and they were like...ok, no problem.

That's all I can think of.

~Erin

[3girlsmommy]

I really don't have a lot of recommendations, with this pregnancy. With my first I had a HUGE list and everything freaked me out. I now realize my former doctors were stuck in the stoneage!

I feel like a stuffed pig!! I just got back from Easter dinner at my mom's. We had hamburgers and potato salad, I know not very traditional but it was what my brother wanted and it was his birthday. The thing that killed me was the coconut cream pie. I have been craving it for weeks so I bought one and brought it to my mom's. I ate 2 big pieces and now I can't breath! :

Hope everyone is enjoying their day!!

[eilonwy]

Well, we had a very long morning and Mike is busy sleeping it off. It was more painful for him than it was for me .

Reccomendations... hm. Well, I haven't gotten many either, except that if I have lots of contractions I should go to the hospital to be monitored. I haven't been told anything about my weight, except that if there was any evidence that the baby stopped growing while I was losing that I'd have to start eating more. My doctor is totally impressed that Eli is still nursing, and all is well. So I don't think I've gotten any reccomendations that I haven't been keeping up with, really. I don't know. I guess I'll find out on Wednesday at my next appointment.

Last night I discovered that there is no longer a comfortable position for me to lie down in... I ended up sleeping in a chair :. That was okay, until Eli woke up and wanted to nurse. He nursed for a few seconds, then Mike brought him a bottle and he drank that and went to sleep. The problem was that between Eli and NewBean I was having a really hard time breathing . It didn't end until Mike picked Eli up about an hour later to sleep with him.

[Doodlebugsmom]

Hi everyone! We have had a great Easter weekend. Friday night we had both BILs and their families here. I made a big dinner for everyone and everything actually turned out really well! They all left Saturday afternoon and we've had a very relaxed weekend. I'm glad everyone seems to be doing well.

As for the QOW, my mw hasn't made any recommendations so I haven't had any trouble deviating from them. At my appt. at the beginning of March, I had gained 12lbs. since the previous one a month before. Since the same thing happened during my pg with dd, neither she nor I were worried. At my last appt., I had gained one pound since then. I don't think I've gained any since that appt. My belly is growing though. I consistently measure 2 weeks ahead, which I also did with dd.

Rynna, I know what you mean about not being comfortable at night. I can't remember the last time I got a good night's sleep.

[mattjule]

My mw is not big on the recommendations either. My previous one was, but this one I tend to tell her things and in the same sentence recognize that I know the solution. I guess the only thing I am consciously disregarding is that echinacea is on my birth supplies list and I have no intention of buying it. The times I have taken it in the past, I have not noticed a difference between taking it and not taking it. We don't use it normally and like hell I am going to spend $10 on a bottle of something I know we are never going to use. I don't know, if I had problems getting sick or getting well once I was sick, I think I'd have more interest but my immune system pretty much kicks a$$ already, so I am not concerned.

As for sugar... I am so glad I am not the only one battling sugar. The problem is our whole family likes sugar or "treats" as we call them. Highly processed sweet things like ice cream, cake, candy. So instead of one of us having a problem and the other being strong about it, we tend to agree and go get it. I gained 8 lbs in 3 wks at my last appt and it is mostly in my thighs and butt. Not to mention that when I eat sugar, Tain eats sugar b/c I can't hardly eat it in front of him. He has been pretty bad lately, so we are weaning him off sugar for the 2nd time in his short life. Today is much better, I think he only had a crying fit once. Last time when he had crying fits a lot, I attributed them to his teeth, but now I realize that they were the rollercoaster of sugar highs and lows. It was getting to the point where we couldn't get him to eat real food. We've got to stop doing this to our son. So it helps keep me on the straight and narrow, though it is still hard to pass up all the wonderful looking treats at Whole Foods. I was telling my mom that the sugar thing is so much worse for him-I'll eat 2 pieces of licorice and he'll eat 2 pieces, but I wasn't picky about eating lunch and I weigh 5 times what he does, so it is a much bigger shock to his system than mine.

[rubelin]

The things I'm having the most trouble sticking with are exercise and diet. The exercise has mostly been a problem because of my horrid pubic pain so I think I'm more upset about it than they are, but maternal health is a big deal with them. Also, they really don't want me to eat any sugar/junk and I've been so depressed/stressed lately it's all I've been wanting. I have been trying really hard to get in veggies everyday, but was a total slacker with that last month. I do at least know I'm eating WAY better than I did with Ben (I was a Pop-Tart junkie in the last months with him) and am much more active (I sat at the 'puter playing the Sims all day long in the last months with him) so that makes me feel a bit better, but it's also my first homebirth and I am feeling like I'm jeopardizing my chances of a great birth everytime I eat a cookie, which stresses me out more and makes me want more cookies :

I got to go swimming today!! The water was a bit hot, so I mostly floated (and Ben climbed all over me) but it was just lovely! I so wish we had our own pool, I'd be in it all the time!

[eilonwy]

i too crave sugar, but not consistantly or constantly. more often than not, when given a choice between an ice cream bar and a can of peas, i'll take the peas. yesterday at the easter dinner, i only ate enough dessert that noone would be offendede, but what i really wanted was some mre veggies. i didn't have much of an appetite at all (long morning), so i only ate out of a feeling of obligation. even so, fil commented on how little i'd eaten. i didn't say anything, and then he said "i guess there's not that much room in there for food, huh?" i was so relieved to have an out!

carrying eli, i gained weight in a hurry at this point, but if i'm gaining much at all, it's definately going much more slowly this time. woohoo! if i keep this up, i'll be able to wear a lot of pre-eli clothing after newbean arrives; if i can get into a 14 or so, it'll about triple the size of my wardrobe! (i was a 14 for a pretty long time before eli was born).

[Ceili]

Recommendations.... Well I'm a little lax on remembering to take my prenatals and drink the Red Raspberry Tea. That's about it. She's never commented about my weight. It's bounced around quite a bit (last month I lost a pound from the stomach flu), but she never seems concerned.

[lilzark]

Hi! I have just been catching up on like 2 weeks of posts. It's been a crazy week. Last weekend hubby threw a surprise party for me for my 30th birthday. Most of my friends and family had never been to my house before, so it was lovely.

I feel a little discouraged about diet right now. The place I go has 6 midwives so I rotate mw's each time. They (at least some ladies) seem to look closely at weight. My appt before last, one said I was still "behind" 2-3 lbs and needed to catch up. So I started eating yogurt. The next time I went in, I was told I had gained too much (7.5 lbs) and needed to slow down!! That is so frustrating. What am I supposed to do now??

Anyway, my biggest vice has been sweets, I have managed to cut out most of them at this point but I still like Silk with chocolate. I don't really understand why some of you are avoiding carbs... noone mentioned this to me. Why is that a good idea, other than to fit more protein into your diet?

I am amazed that some of you can tell your baby's position. I am 30 weeks now but I still feel like my belly's small. I usually can't tell if the pokes are hands or feet or what. The only thing I can feel clearly is when the baby turns over because that feels like shoulders moving. But I have no idea if it's upside down or upright. I also have lost all touch with internal organs... last night after Easter meal I couldn't figure out if I was having a cramp or a tummy ache. :LOL

[liz-hippymom]

QOW-
i am also being bugged by my midwfe to cut out the sugar, but i CANT! i love sugar! i am sooooo much better in this pregnancy than i was with kiryn- with him it was whatever i wanted whenever i wanted. now i at least know something about nutrition, so the guilt keeps me more in line. but still if she knew the stuff i ate on a dialy basis she'd freak. :
plus i feel really bad the past two weeks, because i have lost my appitite again.. i am eating so littel, and all i want is junk so i am feeling like i am starving this poor babe.. when i went to my last appointment (tw weeks ago) i found out id gained less than i thought ..i thought id gained 15 or so pounds, but i was only at 12..part of me feels proud (some stupid highschool want to be skinny thing), but mostly i am worried i am not gaining enough (with kiryn by now id gained 30-something)

id rather not think about all of this!

[Queen of Cups]

The only suggestion I didn't take from my midwife was to do the GD screening. She said she recommended it because its suprizing how often it pops up in people with no risk factors, but told me that I was free to decline any procedure and gave me no grief about it at all.

I'm exhausted at the moment - my parents came in for Easter weekend and we had a WONDERFUL time, but it was a long weekend. Tomorrow, DH and I are going to go meet with a mortgage broker, and I think that worrying about that is making me feel even more tired. We really want to buy a house, but with DH (who makes 2x what I make) being self-employed its going to be a lot harder to qualify for a mortgage. Send me happy house vibes, please!!!

[Modesto Doula]

QOW- My biggest deviation is diet too... Im an admitted Junk Food Junkie. And worse, I cant cook without starting from a box... It makes it worse because she says to eat as few white flour products/ refined sugars as possible and Im thinking "Well, the cake mix I used for the chocolate fudge cake sitting on the counter was brown, LOL..." Yeah, between that and Breyers Dulce de Leche ice cream, Im in heaven... Im very much a grazer, I dont plan what Im gonna eat, and I eat whatever sounds good at the time. It might be a bowl of broccoli or a bowl of ramen- or one on top of the other, LOL.

Also, I havent been able to drink her herbal tea. Ive been trying, Ive been making whole pitchers of her herbal mix and Raspberry Zinger or something I like, but then a couple days goes by and I find its growing . When I make tea with the teas I like, I have to make it everyday...

Other than that she hasnt made any suggestions except to take all of my prenatals. I'm still only taking 2 out of the 3 for the daily dose, but she has stated before that my she's surprised my labs are so good for someone who is allergic to so many foods, so I dont stress.

Has anyone else had trouble sleeping lately? Usually I can get back to sleep within minutes of coming back from the bathroom, but the last couple weeks its been taking a while, sometimes an hour or more! This morning I woke up at 6:00 and couldnt get back to sleep, so I got up and had a cup of soup and watched an hour or morning TV before going back to sleep at 830. DC slept til 930 and 10, and I got up at 1030... Im still tired, and I feel like Im awake in bed more than asleep.

[irishgreengables]

I don't know if it is spring or the pregnancy but I am craving fresh fruits and veggies again -- which I also did towards the end of the first trimester. I want red foods -- red peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries -- like mad. This will hopefully counterbalance my need for daily chocolate (that food that dh and I had not eaten for a year because we have difficulties with the slavery issues in chocolate and so now have to travel f30 miles to get the fair trade stuff so I can have my daily supply).

In other news, a friend who has triplet girls just brought over a ton of clothes. We seriously do not need to buy a thing for this baby. I am so happy!

Can you all believe how close it is coming? 9 more weeks for me and I am stunned!

Peace,

[mattjule]

My only trouble with sleep is that when I get up to pee, my reflux is always bad and it keeps me awake/uncomfortable.

I was curious, what have your dso's said about your labors? For those with previous births, I mean a while after baby was born, like months or years, you know, when they have had time to process and you aren't so sensitive. For those with first babies, have you talked about what your dso is expecting it to be like? Fears/joys?

My dh was wonderful during my first labor and birth, but when we got pg with this one, we started talking about things I'd like to be different and it came out that he actually was quite tense and felt out of place and would like to not be the sole support person this time. He talked about how it was hard to see me in pain, how he felt helpless and when the mw showed up, felt he didn't belong there anymore. I was curious what other's are finding out/how their dso's have processed the experience.

At first I thought Rowan was moving-he is getting big and it was really uncomfortable when he tried to change position yesterday. But I am not feeling actual movement so I think I am getting BH. They are such a weird feeling. Not painful, but definitely noticable at this stage and vaguely uncomfortable. They feel a lot different from the ones I got with Tain. Old saggy uterus I guess. :LOL

[Greaseball]

Ugh, the sleeping thing...I'm feeling like the princess and the pea. I like soft mattresses, and the one we had wasn't soft enough so dh got a thick foam pad, which helped at first but now isn't good enough. It's like I can feel the individual springs, and since I sleep on my sides, I wake up with sore hips.

[rubelin]

I say Ugh on the sleep issue, too. It took me at least an hour last night to get comfortable enough to sleep, I kept getting punched in the cervix, YEOW!!! It hurt so much I actually got up to make sure I wasn't bleeding! On top of not being able to find a comfortable position, my ulcers have been hurting and I'm having regular heartburn, too. My goddess, how am I going to make it through 8 more weeks?!?!?! Dan keeps telling me that he's gonna remember all this when I want to do it again in a few years, but I'm thinking we might look into the adoption thing a little more seriously for the next babe, the more uncomfortable I get the more I really am not sure I can do this again.

OK, enough whining for tonight Better finish up and go find something healthy to eat! Hope you all sleep well!!

[Greaseball]

Does anyone else get shooting abdominal pains? I usually get one a day. It's not a cramp, it's more of a sudden sharp stabbing feeling and then it's gone. It's mostly in the lower abdomen, and mostly in the evening. I don't think it's a bh ctxn; I've never experienced those.:

[eilonwy]

Greaseball, if the shooting pains are toward the front of your pelvis/abdomen, they're probably round ligament pains. Toward the back (like at/below your kidneys) they're probably sciatica. I've had both, and they really suck . Late in pregnancy with Eli, he'd punch me so hard in the round ligaments that if I was standing up I'd literally crumple back into my chair.

The discomforts of this pregnancy have been... well, discomforts. It's just so much easier than carrying Eli was, I have to laugh. At this point I was homicidal and angry and in agonizing pain every single day with Eli. Serious, horrible pain. I would cry at night because I couldn't breathe, the heartburn was sooo painful, I was having contractions fairly regularly (about 4/hour at 29 weeks), I was getting frequent migraines (only 1-2/week, as opposed to the 4-6/week I had in the first trimester)... I was so tired and unhappy and on my best days everything hurt. The most painful things I've had to deal with this pregnancy don't hold a candle to what I dealt with the first time around. Even the sciatica... with Eli, I had it on both sides and couldn't get any relief no matter what I did (or didn't do). This time, I've only got it on one side, so if I sleep on the other side I wake up with a clean slate.

So yeah, I'm having trouble sleeping.. but I'm still getting soo much more sleep than I'd expected to get at this point in pregnancy that I'm thrilled to pieces with it.

: Hopefully my labor will follow this pattern! :

I can't believe how quickly this is moving, either. 11 weeks, and I keep thinking that I can't really be in the third trimester already, what the heck happened to the first? :LOL It's kind of funny, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop with this pregnancy. I'll probably be 6 months pp before I figure it out. :LOL :

Mike is very excited about this baby, and about being at the birth. He's had more worries than I have... will the baby be cute, will the labor be difficult, will Eli feel displaced, etc but he's still looking forward to it. He feels much more prepared to advocate for me this time, and to sneak around and break rules for me (we've decided that I'm eating whatever the heck I want during labor, and we're just not going to talk to anyone about it. :LOL) He's prepared to take charge!

I'm hoping for a much smoother ride, but I'm not holding my breath for it. I'm going in expecting it to be pretty crappy and miserable, and that way I'll be prepared for the worst should it happen. If I go in expecting things to be easy again, I know I'll just be asking for trouble. Better safe than sorry!