How about a February March 2012 thread!!! - Page 2

[JMJ]

My pain is mostly just up at or very close to my pubic bone.  I found this website for exercises: http://mutusystem.com/exercise-for-symphysis-pubis-dysfunction-spd-or-pelvic-girdle-pain-pgp-i-pregnancy-how-exercise-can-help.html

Additionally, I called my midwife today since it's only getting worse.  I can't roll over in bed at night without extreme pain, and I can't get out of bed very well at all, etc.  She said that there's inflammation and perhaps misalignment (Baby is going crazy, drastically changing position multiple times/day) and recommended considering the following:

Homeopathic Arnica

calcium/magnesium

Tylenol

chiropractic

accupuncture

ice/heat alternating

stretching

[8inTulgeyWood]

JMJ, I can totally empathize.  I go through quite the ordeal to get up at night or just roll to the other side.  Lots of times I feel really great in the day and even have been taking fairly long walks.  Being active seems to help.

My midwife has me taking something called MSM.  I did a bit of research and think it sounds like great stuff.  I definitely have been better than I expected to be, based off my past pregnancies and the condition I was in when I started this one.

I also take mineral goat whey which is not only a great source of calcium/ mag and other minerals, but is the best thing I have taken for heartburn ever.  I think its called Capra Mineral whey and can be found usually only at bigger health food stores. I got mine from Good Earth, but the little, local stores didn't have it.

I put an ice pack on my pubic bone when I was really bad, and it felt great, but word of warning, I left it in place so long that I think the baby could feel it,  her head was right there pushed against it.  She actually started turning so hard I thought she was going to flip breech.  I removed it and all was well, but it made me wonder if you could use an ice pack on the head of a breech baby and get them to flip head down, though the tissue is thicker up top so the effect might not be the same.

The chiro I went to, though I think he said a lot of things wrong, told me to ice only, and no heat, including baths.  I have ignored that advice.  I love taking baths!

Thanks for the link to the exercises!  I am going to check them out for sure!

I had fun on my overnight at- home "getaway" without the kids.  It was crazy how much we missed them though!.  We went out to dinner, did the Valentines shopping for the kiddos and went home and relaxed on a bed we made in front of the fire.  And we got to sleep in as long as we want.  Then we run a couple extra errands on Saturday before picking them up.  It was a really nice break.

Over the weekend, I also stripped all my cloth diapers that had a yucky smell, and got them all sized down for a newborn and ready to go.  Today, I sterilized the breast pump so it is ready when I need it, which is a rare occasion for me, but will be much less daunting if it is ready to go.  

I still need to deep clean my bathroom, and I want to make some cloth wiped out of the scrap flannel that I have.  I also need to figure out what to use to store the cloth diapers in by the changing table.  Any Ideas?

[MommyBecky]

JMJ- My Mom pretty much commanded me not to move things/close things with my feet when pregnant. She said I could end up injuring myself/ pulling my groin muscle. I'm inclined to believe her as I also experience pain when I try to use my feet to do things now. I bet chiro would help a lot. I don't know if I said this already but Prenatal Yoga with Collette Crawford has also helped me immensely. I originally borrowed from the library. I'm not okay with her meditations- instead of "no mind, no time" I think of the timelessness of God and being in the present moment, etc. The moves themselves are helpful though is what I'm saying. I hope you feel better!

8inTugleyWood- how did you strip your dipes? I have never had to do so, but my dipes are smelling pretty bad lately (DD2 is still using them).

I don't have a breast pump, but have used a hand pump without issue in the past. They usually have those at the hospital if I were to have an issue, right? I doubt needing it... but if baby does have Downs after all, it could mean complications and needing to pump. Duh, I guess I'll just ask my MW.

Speaking of whom, she gave me more info that the Dr. had failed to mention- baby measured 29 cm at my 32 wks (and 4 days) appt, which is why they asked for an U/S. We decided to get the U/S and just keep it as short as possible, want to check on the babe. MW explained that her entire practice as a policy recognizes that U/S is not as accurate for baby sizing, and they're not going to be trying to induce me if it somehow says the baby is "big." She also explained from studies she has read AND personal experience that it is more accurate for amniotic fluid check. I feel like I can really trust her, it's such a relief. She also keeps emphasizing that no one is going to force us into anything.

I have found doing yoga and stretches before getting into bed every single night has helped me immensely. Actually, I cannot sleep unless I stretch, because my legs get so restless. Perhaps this would be helpful to everyone who is complaining of discomfort?

[JMJ]

8inTulgeyWood, I didn't think of it until later, but the assistant midwife I'm working with mentioned that there's a chiropractor she likes in Draper.  She also likes the place in Salt Lake, so I see no reason to drive to Draper, but I can get the name for you if you need.

I ended up going to the chiropractor here today.  I'm not sure I feel better yet, but I'll give it a few times to see how things go.

MommyBecky, most hospitals have hospital/rental grade pumps for if they are needed.  You would purchase a user kit that only you would use so that your milk would only touch your kit, and nobody else's milk would touch any other part of the rest of the pump.  You also may have some time to get it figured out since according to the new Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, some mothers find it easier to just hand express their colostrum.  You can practice now if you like.  If there is something going on, though, that is making the baby's suck weak or ineffective at first, you will probably want a pretty good pump to make sure your milk supply gets well established.

[8inTulgeyWood]

JMJ, Thanks!  I will keep that in mind if I get desperate.  I have been doing fairly well this week.  Its still bad when I get up from lying or sitting for long periods, but in the day I am fine and mostly pretty comfortable.  I hope everything is in place for the birth!  I know when I was at my worst I couldn't move at all, and I tried to get on hands and knees, which is the position I delivered my last two in and it was impossible.

MommyBecky, a friend of mine owns a diaper making company, so I talked to her about the smell issues I am having with my diapers.  I have 30 one size pocket diapers that I made, and have used them for my last two.  They started really smelling as soon as they would get wet, like the new pee brought out all the old pee and poop.  She said I am likely using too much detergent and have ammonia bulid up.  I just soaked them first overnight in a hot water cycle with nothing in the water, then I soaked them again overnight with a dose of Rock N' Green's Funk Rock Ammonia bouncer added.  They do seem fresher, but I won't really know how well it worked til I use them, cause they didn't stink before til they were worn, and I don't have any little ones in diapers at the moment.

My breast pump is just a hand pump.  The avent Isis.  I have tried several, and found it was the most effective and gentle for me.  I HATED the cheap electric pump I tried.  It was so painful.  With one baby I had use of a hospital grade pump, though and it was super nice and way better than the hand pump.

I remember hearing a little about your baby possibly having Down's.  Would you telling me about what has led them to believe that?  And how have you been coping/preparing?

[JMJ]

This past couple weeks has been kinda a blur for me, and I've barely had a chance to breathe, much less come to MDC.  Sorry, 8inTulgeyWood, I didn't even see your birth announcement until yesterday!  How is everyone else doing?

My hips have still been giving me a lot of problems, despite a whole lot of chiropractic appointments.  I'm working really hard to get the inflammation down, and after my baby decided to temporarily go breech last weekend, I had double chiro appointments 3 days this week.  Add to that the fact that this week was the most intense week for a project I'm working on for my church, and I've definitely been pushing my limits as far as how much I can do and how much pain I can be in before I snap.  I've been doing a reasonable job of pulling myself together pretty quickly after it happens, and my husband and daughter have been amazingly patient with me.  Things finally seem to be moving in a positive direction.  The inflammation is finally going down (slowly), the baby is finally LOT (most of the time), and I've been sleeping a little bit more.

In just the past couple days, I've had a bit of time to move forward on getting ready for the birth.  I just finished my birth plan, or at least have a good draft.  I still need to go over it with my husband.  The swimsuit is almost done.  Maybe I'll even finish it this afternoon, but we'll see.  We mailed off our taxes this morning, and then it's pretty much just cooking, cleaning, and organizing before the baby comes, and everything else can get put on hold if it needs to.  Our home visit with our midwives is Monday.  37 weeks, here I come!

[JMJ]

Woo Hoo!!!  My birthing swimsuit is done.  DD is trying out the nursing holes as I type and has given her vote of approval.

[8inTulgeyWood]

JMJ, YAY for getting your suit finished!  And taxes as well!  I got my taxes finished the week before baby arrived and so glad i didn't put it off.  Its a good feeling to be done with them.  I ended up deciding to wear my swim suit coverup to labor in and it was perfect... a soft, short  black v neck dress.  

I took my baby to her pediatrician when she was 2 days old to get the newborn screening and he said she has a heart murmur that he wasn't too concerned about but wanted to keep an eye on.  She was supposed to go back in today to check her weight and heart, but I had to cancel because someone left the lights on in the van and the battery was dead.

 

My midwife came today for the one week post-partum check.  I kind of got annoyed by some of the comments.  My baby weighed 7.3 at birth according to the assistant midwife's scale, and at 2 days old she weighed  6.12 at the doctor. and today she weighed 6.15 with the midwife's scale.  Before she weighed her she said the scales could be 1/2 lb off from each other, but after she commented a couple times that "My babies are always back to their birth weight after a week", like I had let her down or something.  She also was concerned about jaundice which I have felt was really mild but she thought should be totally gone by now.  I shouldn't be annoyed, but just don't want to hear about anything else being wrong with my baby unless it is really something that needs to be addressed.  The doctor also said something about her feet, followed by a comment that it wasn't a concern.  Why mention it then?  Now I have to sit here and worry about her heart, her feet, her liver, and her weight when I feel she is doing great. Ugh.

 

And how crazy is this... I seemed to develop some sort of sleep apnea since she was born.  Its just temporary I hope.  I am thinking it might be aggravated just by sheer exhaustion.  I read several accounts of sleep apnea being triggered by pregnancy.  It has woken me up several times during the night gasping for air and  feeling super oxygen deprived, then I can feel it start to happen again when I go back to sleep.  Its like I have to wake up to take a breath.  It feels so scary!  Last night I finally feel like I got some sleep and didn't have any apnea episodes that I am aware of so I hope it is getting better.

 

Who's going to be next to join me in the postpartum club???   

 

[JMJ]

Aww, hugs to you 8intTulgeyWood.  I'm sorry to hear you're going through all of that.  I don't know about the heart, but everything else actually makes sense together.  When a baby is born earlier, your milk stays more like colostrum for longer.  Now, I know that your baby wasn't really that early, but if you're nursing on demand, and your baby is sucking well, it sounds like it's just that your milk took a little while to come in.  That could have something to do with the continued jaundice too.  It's really not dangerous for the baby as long as the levels are slowly going down, and this sometimes takes a while in breastfed babies, especially if your milk takes some time to come in.  I thought my milk came in quickly with my DD, but she still wasn't back up to her birth weight by a week.  I wouldn't compare yourself to your midwife at all!

[8inTulgeyWood]

Thanks JMJ!  That's the kicker.  My midwife has never had any children, tried and never could, so when she said that about her babies being back to their birth weight by one week old, she was referring to her clients babies!  Just annoying.  And from what I read jaundice peaks around day 5-7.  My baby is 8 days old today, so her saying that it should be totally gone doesn't seem accurate.  And it also said it is much more common in babies born before 38 weeks so your right it makes sense.

Oh well, I have so much to be grateful for.  My pregnancy was so scary during the first trimester that I really had a hard time believing I'd get a healthy baby in the end.  I am still just in awe and so in love with my new little person!

Originally Posted by JMJ 

Aww, hugs to you 8intTulgeyWood.  I'm sorry to hear you're going through all of that.  I don't know about the heart, but everything else actually makes sense together.  When a baby is born earlier, your milk stays more like colostrum for longer.  Now, I know that your baby wasn't really that early, but if you're nursing on demand, and your baby is sucking well, it sounds like it's just that your milk took a little while to come in.  That could have something to do with the continued jaundice too.  It's really not dangerous for the baby as long as the levels are slowly going down, and this sometimes takes a while in breastfed babies, especially if your milk takes some time to come in.  I thought my milk came in quickly with my DD, but she still wasn't back up to her birth weight by a week.  I wouldn't compare yourself to your midwife at all!

[sh118]

8inTulgeyWood - My first babe was very jaundiced (got up to 19) and sleepy.  We just woke her to nurse and really tried to get her to eat as much as possible.  It was nervewracking, but my Dr. was supportive of nursing and she got over it.  I would agree that it got worse until maybe a week old?  She didn't get back to birth weight until 4 weeks.   I think I took her in to a support group to be weighed twice a week.  Their encouragement really helped. 

Sorry your ped. was not very informative/reassuring.  I think that as baby grows/matures they can outgrow a slight murmur, so maybe that is why he was not too concerned.

JMJ - glad to hear you are happy with your swimsuit!  We won't have everything for our taxes until after babe, that is one thing I am afraid will slip thru the cracks during the exhaustion period!  

AFM - I have my 38 week appt. this morning, and have agreed to an internal exam (I know, not a good predictor of anything...).  I thought I lost some plug in the last couple days, so we will see if anything is going on, and make decision on what to do with my medication.  My DD has been acting up, not sure if it's my moodiness rubbing off on her, or just normal 2 y.o. behavior.  The drywall guys are done in our basement, so now DH wants to hire painters instead of doing it ourselves.  At this point, I don't really care! 

[3timesamom]

WOW I have been BUSY. Well actually I had 7 children all last week and then basically I am just not allowed to ever use the comp anymore. Its in the living room hooked to the living room TV. So basically between each child getting a turn I don't!

Recently I have pelvic pain and lower back pain. I also felt like I might throw up this morning. I didn't and seem to have come out of that fine. Here is hoping.  I did a short walk to the Post Office but nothing more. I didn't figure it wise to pull out my just dance moves with back pain.

So how are you feeling? Anyone that did get check dialated. (I refused.) I am GBS positive however and I guess that means I am to rinse with hibicleanse during labor. Anyone just feel in disbelief that we have come so far? OMGOSH I don't even believe is happening! Still no boys name only a girls name. No idea who baby is of course;) I kind of like Mason or Max however.

Well just checking in.

[3timesamom]

BTW congrats 8 in tugley!! Nolan was jaundice but not nearly that bad. He was 5 days over our EDD. He use to sit in his bouncer in the window so the light could help break down the biliruben for him. So not bad at all. I hope you can get some good advice on that! WOW a baby in our group!!! How exciting!

[3timesamom]

I put an ice pack on my pubic bone when I was really bad, and it felt great, but word of warning, I left it in place so long that I think the baby could feel it,  her head was right there pushed against it.  She actually started turning so hard I thought she was going to flip breech.  I removed it and all was well, but it made me wonder if you could use an ice pack on the head of a breech baby and get them to flip head down, though the tissue is thicker up top so the effect might not be the same

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^LOL with my last baby (09) the midwife suggested that I take a frozen bag of peas and stick them on the top of my belly and sit in a warm bath. So probably! I never got that desperate as he turned however. With this baby there was really no concern. Baby turned with plenty of time.

[JMJ]

8inTulgeyWood, babies are so different, so I'm really not sure how she can say that all her clients' babies regained their birth weight by a week.  10 days-2 weeks is average for a full-term baby.  Do you hear/see your baby swallowing when she nurses?  Are you getting at least 5-6 wet and at least 3-4 quarter + sized poops per day?  If so, I wouldn't worry at all.

Sh118, my almost 3-year-old has had a lot of rough days recently.  It's strange.  I go back and forth between being so impressed with how well she's handling everything and horrified with how she's not listening and has had potty regressions (she's been in panties for a year and a half).  I think she's really picking up on my stress, and she's being really mature about it in some ways, but in other ways, she's really struggling with it.  Last week was just so insane here.  I'm really not sure how we made it through.  Hopefully, things will calm down some soon as we get more ready.

3timesamom, tell me when your due date is again.  I can't believe that tomorrow is our month!  It really hit me last weekend when I hit 37 weeks that technically, it could be any time...

[3timesamom]

March 14th.

Busy today too. We made Whoopie pies for dessert and home made bread is on its way for dinner. DD will be pleased. She LOVES it. Takes all day to cook all that though. Oh well its probably one of the last meals I will be making for a while;)

Hope everyone is feeling great today. No sense feeling like yuck! I did do just dance today but it was to much. I walked to the PO and a little around town. Now we are all back home. Still working of course (doing daycare.) I hope I can just keep up the pace for a while longer. 14 days until my due date today! Tomorrow is MARCH!

[Everlong753]

Hey ladies! 

8inTulgeyWood-  Ugh, I can imagine how frustrating that must be to hear all those comments when nothing can actually be done.  I'd worry too, and not be happy about it!  I think you have some really great advice from the other ladies about the birth weight and jaundice.  I hope your sleeping improves too.  Make sure you take that extra nap, even if you think you don't need it! 

Sh118-  good luck with the painting! I hope it gets done asap so you can get some peace back before baby.  My 4 yr old has been super intense lately, I really hope it's going to pass soon!

3timesamom- sorry about the pain :( Mines just getting progressively worse but someone was nice enough to lend me a support belt.  Lets hope it works!  Hows sleeping for you?

I can't believe it's March either.  I am 37.2 weeks now and I look ginormous.  The baby doesn't feel too big, I just look like I'm going to tip over.

We just got back from our tradeshow tonight.  It was crazy, I worked way too many hours and my feet were killing me but we made it home and I'm still pregnant.  So glad for that.  17 hours in a car each way is not cool.  I don't recommend it!

Over all it was a great trip and a success. Just feeling really worn out now and ready to be done with everything and just veg out for the next 3+ weeks (not possible sadly).

Lots of "you're huge" pregnancy comments lately.   I still haven't had much of a celebratory acknowledgement for this pregnancy from anyone, and so it makes me feel like I'm just a giant balloon waiting to pop instead of being honored for pregnancy/beauty's sake.  Not sure if that makes sense but I feel like hiding out for the rest of my pregnancy now.  

Now that I am home, I feel like the baby could arrive any second.  Not that I'm in labor... but before I was really willing this little one to behave while I did the show and got home.  Now that I'm here I can feel myself on edge all of a sudden but at least I feel safe about it.  Probably sounds weird but I can't help it.  

Midwife appnt is tomorrow, I'm sure everything is going to be the same as always, I just hope I don't have high BP- it was high for a little bit there (not normal for me at all).  Anyways, good to be back.    

Edited by Everlong753 - 2/29/12 at 10:01pm

[3timesamom]

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1346680/well-march-mommies-its-march-come-chat#post_16896590

A MARCH thread for those MARCH mommas and babies!