First-time mamas! - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[Knitting Mama]

If you have a floor mattress already, what about a twin sized floor mattress next to your bed? In your situation I'd be bedsharing for the first year anyway, and then transition to a mattress next to mine. That's basically what we've done with a sidecarred crib. It lets my daughter cuddle me as often as she wants but also her own space when she wants it (and she does do both).

[eleuthia]

Well, we do have a bedframe, it just has slats instead of the box spring. So we're not on the floor (and I'd rather not be). The mattress sits down in the frame a bit so we may be able to put the plate between the frame & the mattress. I am just not sure how to test if it's safe before actually buying the cosleeper. 

[Knitting Mama]

Hmmm, do you know anyone who likes to build stuff? It probably wouldn't be too hard to build a box-like frame for a crib mattress to the right height for your bed.

[eleuthia]

We may end up just getting a pack n play. Our bed is probably high enough that it would still be easy to grab the baby. And then we wouldn't need to worry about attaching it to the bed. Plus a lot of them coming with the changing station attachment, which would be nice since we don't really have room for a changing table. 

[iixivboots]

I'm going to need to look at how the cosleepers attach to the bed. We also have a bed with slats and no boxspring. A sidecarred crib would also be a good option for us, too. Do you usually push the whole thing against the wall?

found this:

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1182409/advice-on-co-sleeper-dilemma-no-box-spring

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by bootsvalentine 

I'm going to need to look at how the cosleepers attach to the bed. We also have a bed with slats and no boxspring. A sidecarred crib would also be a good option for us, too. Do you usually push the whole thing against the wall?

That's what we did, yeah. We have the crib against the wall and the bed pushed against it. I don't think we have it attached to the bedframe or anything, but there's no way it can move. Our bed is heavy.

[iixivboots]

Here's another good thread about the merits of different sleeping arrangements.

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1337042/if-you-planned-to-cobed-did-you-purchase-a-baby-crib

The one thing that it looks like people want  four-sided crib for is having somewhere safe to put baby down when you have to be away from him/her. What are alternatives to this? I would assume it's not a good idea to leave the baby in the sidecarred crib but maybe with some kind of lounger pillow thing when they're little tiny? (Like the bobby lounger, which could keep them still?) I don't know. Consider me clueless.

I do think we will keep our plan to have a nursery. I want a space away from our bedroom that will be a nice place to feed and soothe the baby so both of us don't have to lose sleep at once.

[Knitting Mama]

I used her swing if I needed to put her down, but nine times out of ten, I was wearing her and didn't need to put her down.

[Sol_y_Paz]

Is anyone getting a pregnancy pillow?  I have heard them recommended often.  If so, what type?

[Knitting Mama]

I used a comma shaped pillow between my knees and a wedge pillow under my belly when I was more heavily pregnant with Cecilia, and I loved them both (neither were as expensive as they are now when I got them). I don't know that I would spend the money on them now if I didn't have them already, given that I am not working now like I was then, but since I already own them, I'll be happy to bust them out when I need them.

[eleuthia]

I wish we could just sidecar by pushing the crib/bed against the wall but our bedroom is not actually square shaped! The front wall is on a slight diagonal so there would be a weird gap of wasted space behind the headboard. 

We are going to set up our 2nd bedroom as a nursery but at first the baby's sleeping space will just be in our room & the nursery will have our futon so one parent has a quiet place to sleep. 

[iixivboots]

Hi everyone, I updated my first post with a list of first-time mamas. I also put a blurb for anyone whose EDD or age I could figure out from their sig, please let me know what you'd like yours to be. Hopefully we can keep this thread alive for the next eight+ months.

Anyone breaking the news over the holildays? We'll be telling my brother-in-law and his wife tonight.

Happy holidays and happy weekend :)

[eleuthia]

My EDD is 8/10/12. Also, I'll be 35 in a couple weeks, so you can go ahead & change my age now if you want (I gotta get used to it anyway!) 

[monkeyscience]

Add me in - monkeyscience, 27 (though 28 in February), EDD 8/14/12 with #1 after 1.5 years TTC!

I am excited to have our first birth center tour tomorrow! I am not excited that I have thrown up the past two mornings, and that I've never really gotten feeling quite well today. I am excited that Christmas Day I actually had a couple of hours where I felt pretty much completely normal, one of the only times since I started getting queasy two weeks ago. 7 weeks tomorrow, and I hope that I'm one of the people who starts feeling better at 10 weeks!

[Veritas Vitae]

Can you please add me as well - 29yo, but will be 30 before this babe comes, EDD 8/28 (although I'll find out on 1/13 if that is correct when I get an ultrasound).

LilyTiger that books seems sooo interesting.  I tried to get it on my Kindle, but it isn't available yet. I guess I'll have to order it.  Also, I think I'll check out the Dr. Sears book as well.  I know I've heard my sister talking about Dr. Sears and she is my guru regarding natural and attachment parenting. 

Boots and Willovia I get the concern regarding working and mothering this is my first pregnancy and I'm excited about it but the timing is off with a move and jobs we've planned.  My BF and I are both accountants and we decided to transfer to NC and recently completed the interview process.  He has accepted an offer beginning April 1 and I should hear back about the position I interviewed for sometime after I got back to work in January.  The problem is that both of the positions require 40-60% travel and we will have no family around once we move. On top of 40-60% travel, there is a good chance that mine would require travel around the US and even internationally. I would also move in April with B, but I would work at home on projects for my current department until my start date on July 1, at which point I would be pretty heavily pregnant. So not sure my dream job is going to work out. I might have to see if I can finagle continuing working for my current office at home, which would mean I'd make less, or going to private accounting. Probably need to talk to my HR rep. but honestly, I'm really not excited about the idea of continuing on projects for my current office, even if it might be the best possible situation given this babe.

It seems like everyone has "realized" their pregnancies, if that makes sense (?) but I'm having a hard time feeling like this is going to (or is) happening.  Anyone else feeling a little disconnected?  I almost feel like I felt more in tune with being pregnant before I even knew I was because I actually had symptoms, and even once I tested positive, I was fatigued and queasy for about a week.  But recently all symptoms have disappeared and I feel not pregnant and it sort of freaks me out.  Maybe when we start telling people I'll feel more connected?

[iixivboots]

Updates done. Hey, did you guys realize this thread is on the front page of mothering? If you go there and click on the thread title and the pic of the lady with the camera. So everybody watch your mouth or you'll have lunch detention!

hehe.

Monkey, I have NO idea how I missed you. I am so out of it. Sorry, you know I didn't really forget you :)

Vertitas, I do think what you're feeling is normal. I go through  a lot of days not "feeling" pregnant for awhile, then having some symptom or another and feeling more pregnant. It does seem more real now that more people know, but I also still go through anxiety that we shouldn't have told. I've even had an early ultrasound and that didn't really make me feel pregnant, it was a black dot. I asked my friend when she finally relaxed and realized her pregnancy was real and she told me during a 20 week u/s or something where she could see her son really moving and flipping and stuff. I also did a lot of things like making a nursery style board, just because that's what I wanted to do and felt "safe" and not "jinxy" to me.

TOMORROW is my 8 week U/S. I am so excited and scared and nervous. I am a teacher, in case you didn't figure that out from my earlier lecture, so I have this week and next week off. Today I just feel like I'm wasting time sitting around waiting for it to be tomorrow. I might go check out a baby/kid consignment shop just to do something.

[DesertSunsets]

Hey everyone!  My wife and I are first time moms and we are so ecstatic to be here!  Hoping to be here for a good long time, too.  DW is the one carrying our first babe, she's 25 now and turning 26 the month before our EDD - which is tentatively 8/30/12.  

For the past year and a half, we've been licensed foster parents and were blessed to have three lovely children come through our home.  So far, we've parented a 10 week old (for five months), an 8 month old (for nine months) and his sister, who was 3.5y when she arrived (also for nine months, of course).  We're really, really looking forward to a child who doesn't have any question marks about their history, a baby that we've known every single day of his or her existence.  And of course, a child who doesn't go home to their "real" parents.  So happy at the idea of getting to be moms, instead of just going by our first names.  

Glad to be part of this group!

[LilyTiger]

Welcome, DesertSunsets!  So exciting for both of you!  Fostering is amazing work.  My husband and I definitely want to foster or adopt, but we've been too unstable (school, changing jobs, getting tenure) to manage it so far.  Very cool that you and your wife were able to do it.  We compromised by fostering dogs for local rescues.  Not quite the same thing, I know.    

Boots, I feel like you and I are living parallel lives!  My U/S isn't until 1/5 and I'm off from teaching until March to write (I got a part-year sabbatical to write my first book) and now I just google pregnancy symptoms all day long and twiddle my thumbs.  Obviously, I can't really do that for much longer, but the idea of sitting down and cleaning up citations or editing is horrifying.  So here I am, posting when I should be doing something else.  Fortunately, my sister leaves after the holidays tomorrow which means that I have no good excuse to do not be working.  UGH.  Good luck at your U/S and update us!  Mine isn't until 9.5 weeks, so I'm dying of waiting.

[pennywhistle]

I'm a first-timer too, due (according to the internet - first pre-natal visit is next week) 08/26/12.  I'm 34, my fiance is 35, and we're getting married in 3 days!  This pregnancy was...not at all planned or expected.  It's been a week since I found out, and it's still a little unreal.  Once the wedding is over and we tell everyone, I'm sure I'll get more used to the idea.

I've had a tiny amount of spotting yesterday and today - just a few droplets over the span of the day, mostly brownish blood.  Everything I've read online, and the advice nurse I called last night, says this is normal, but it still freaks me out a little bit.

[monkeyscience]

Yeah, I feel like death at least a few hours of every day, and rarely feel normal at all, so I feel pregnant! I would trade places with someone with no symptoms in a heartbeat! I am a huge weenie, though, especially about stomach discomfort. I also used to be a teacher (middle school science) but quit when dh graduated and got a job that currently has him traveling a lot. I'm really grateful he has vacation time he had to use, so he's been off last week and this week. I think it may be harder when he's back at work and I don't have anyone to get me water or distract me. But for his sake, he needs to go back to work. He's getting really depressed with not being able to make me feel better. Problems he can't fix drive him CRAZY. I feel so bad that I'm not more fun, and I do push myself sometimes to go out and get some dinner or see a movie or something, but sometimes I feel so bad I just can't push myself. It doesn't help that we have different hobbies, so sometimes I feel up to doing something that I like (like reading/listening to a book) but not something that he likes to do (like playing a video game). He got me a 4000 piece puzzle for Christmas, and he's been trying to get me to work on it, even though he's not a huge fan of puzzles. But it has just sounded too daunting and I haven't felt enough like sitting up lately. I did lay on the couch and sort out the edge pieces with him last night, though. So far, today seems like it might be better than yesterday (which was misery), so maybe I will make it further. Next goal: Take a shower! (Yes, it is past noon where I live!)