May Mamas...End of April - Page 2

[theelves]

MCSARAHB......Did these cramps you had feel real severe, real low, like just above the pubic line?? That is what I had this past weekend while camping. I thought I just needed to go to the bathroom. By the time I walked over to the building, I was doubled over with pain! It sure scared me a bit! I was wondering how I could get help, I was far from my family! After sitting on the potty a little while, it went away. After I got back I took some Maalox, thinking maybe it was gas. It hasn't happened again like that, but that was scarey! You think that was a BH?
Today i feel SO SLUGGISH! I can barely walk when I have to. I feel like I swallowed a bowling ball! I am ok as long as I am sitting or laying. But forget walking! And I still have 5 weeks to go!!! I hope this is just an "off day", and I will return to "normal" tomarrow! This sux!:
I was wondering if I should start doing a walking program now? I have not been exercising regularly this whole time...with the problem of my knee and all. But now I am considering doing some walking, not a lot. Do yall think this would do any good this far along, or am I wasting my time?.......hugs...Elfmamma

[kids'ncows]

Welcome Renae!

Elfmama - I thought you were going to lay off the excitement! My experience with bh is that they are not severe, although with this one if the baby is in a certain position they can cause me to need to seek a bathroom! Were you dehydrated? That can cause premature labor. My SIL had a case of that with one of hers around 5 or 6 weeks early. (She was on a car trip and trying to avoid the restroom.) I would guess that walking would be OK, but you probably ought to double check. I don't want to eat much now and what I do want doesn't have much protein so I've been sluggish, too. I sure notice a difference on the days that I start out with 2 or 3 eggs, take my vitamins and keep up the water - too bad I don't want to!

Owen&mama, glad you checked in!

No new news here.

OK, I need to get back to work! Everybody take care of yourselves and your little ones.

[mcsarahb]

Good afternoon-

jakobsmami, funny you said that about LLL - I just went to my first meeting this morning., You're right; it was great. Lots of like-minded mamas and good info. The leader was good and went out of her way to get people to talk about early bfing issues just for my benefit (I was the only pg mama there this time). I know most of the stuff from reading, being a doula, etc. but of course it will be different when it's actually happening to me! I'm glad to have such a great resource of mamas who have BTDT, and are local!

Elfmama, the feelings I was talking about are not gas or other intestinal pain; they are definitely contractions. They're not super painful, just uncomfortable and low, I think where my cervix is. My mw said that ones like that that feel like menstrual cramps usually mean that the cervix is "ripening." (My dh hates that word for it...he says it makes him think of a piece of rotten fruit:LOL ).

Although I DO have plenty of gas pain...:LOL ...but I can tell the difference. Sorry you had such an experience. Hope that doesn't happen anymore. I agree, maybe you were dehydrated.

Off to my mw appointment!

Sarah

[Mama Faery]

kanpope--thank you for the link to the thread! It was just what I was looking for. I felt a little lame not knowing some of the acronyms!
I figured the dh, dd, ds were SOMETHING to do with immediate family (like, "darling husband", etc). I also wouldn't have gotten the one for La Leche League--I would have just spelled it out! Hehe.

But now, I think I am cool.
(I got the smilies down! Heck yea!)

Obviously I just posted. No new stuff here. My back still hurts when I sit here at the computer so I guess I will go rot my brain at the teevee with my husband. Blah.
Oh, about LLL--I was supposed to go to my first meeting last Thursday, but I totally forgot because I didn't write it down and there was some discrepancy with where it was going to be held and I thought the leader was going to call me, and it was my last day of work on top of that. *sigh* I was sad I missed it, it would have been my first.
I will try to make it to the one in May (they're the third Thursday of the month where I am) but I may be busy with the new babe by then!
I WILL make it to one, oh yes I will.
Ow, back. Gotta run.

-Renae

[Ahimsa]

I had a midwife apointment Friday. I am 1cm dialated and a little bit effaced. I am exited. My fiance is coming home next week, after being gone for two months. I cannot wait! I've been feeling good except for being a bit puffy these past few days. Hopefully, it's nothing. Baby hasn't engaged yet. Maybe he's waiting for daddy to get home. I have been really tired and lazy. I can't seem to get off my butt and take a walk. I have managed to do my yoga a few times a week. I wish I could motivate myself to walk. I know it would make a big difference. Besides that I've been getting everything ready for my homebirth.

Ahimsa

[Marco Esquandolas]

Hey hey May mamas! Welcome aboard, Renae.

I'm feeling really good tonight...just got a two day dosage of unseasonably warm spring weather in *gasp* the spring!! I feel so rejuvinated....much needed after all the bh contrax and pelvic pains I've been experiencing of late.

Had a good appt last night-all vitals in check and bp was down-WOO HOO!! I've put on 41 lbs this pg so I'm right on w/what I gained with ds#2 (Ian). I am at weekly appts from here on out and scheduled the remainder of my appts last night too.

I'm feeling more ready for the baby to get here-I've been nesting a bit and now all the layette clothing is washed and put away, the last of the diapers and covers are purchased and here, ready to go, and I just got both a maya wrap sling and pouch. Dh is ready too and he's convinced the baby will come in early May. I still won't let myself get excited b/c only time will tell and no matter what, I'm gonna have this baby in my arms "soon".

Well, Ricky's 5th birthday is tomorrow so I better close and get wrapping his gifts.

Keep on keepin on, mamas! Should we start wagering bets on who we think is gonna go first?!

[mittendrin]

merpk, thanks for clearing that up for me.

renae, i had a hard time with all the abbreviations at first. go and check out the diapering board,:LOL you'll go crazy...:LOL

on the vaginal exams: my mw's usually don't check until at least 38 weeks, but i'm thinking about not having any at all. any other mamas here who say "no" entirely and wait until they go in labor?

my is hurting a lot lately when i sit down for a bit longer. i can barely make it through dinner and checking my mails and posting a bit is a big challenge these days. but i'm thankful i don't have those excruciating backpains like i had them with ds.

[Defenestrator]

Originally posted by jakobsmami
on the vaginal exams: my mw's usually don't check until at least 38 weeks, but i'm thinking about not having any at all. any other mamas here who say "no" entirely and wait until they go in labor?

None for me! Just isn't a standard part of the practice for my midwives. It is entirely possible I might make it all the way through the birth without one as well. Sometimes they will do an early labor check to gather info that helps them tell whether or not to call in the apprentice and second midwife, but I have a history of fast births, so if I look like I am in labor, they will probably all just show up.

Prenatal vaginal exams can be so misleading. I have known women who remained at 6cm for weeks, and women who were 0% effaced and not dilated who had their babies 36 hours after the appointment. There are times when they can be useful, but my provider would have to give me some pretty good reasons for doing them before I would consent.


I had my first of my weekly prenatals yesterday. Everything is fine, except my bp, which is creeping up, but it did that last pregnancy as well and never got too high. I have no swelling or other pre-e symptoms, though, so I am not too worried.

My house is still a total disaster. In my nesting efforts, I have torn everything up and have several projects running at the same time. My four-year-old has been showing signs of new-baby-worry-stress, including a bit of potty training regression, so I am trying to soothe him a little bit.

Dh and I have a date this Friday, when my mom is taking my ds overnight. I am so looking forward to being alone for 18 hours or so. We are broke, so we will probably not do anything too extravagant, but dinner, movie, sex, sleep, sleeping in . . . it's all good enough for me!

Take care everybody. I hope we hear some birth stories soon!

[KKmama]

Welcome, Renae! Ahimsa, are you new, too?

I did the GBS because I figured it would be better to know, I could always refuse interventions, and odds were likely that I was -. The gamble paid off (I'm -).

Hugs to you, Pottermama. I really hope your BP stays as low as possible!

More and more BH here, which makes me feel positive...

Sarah, did you get checked?

Maybe owen&mama will go first...

Elfmama, take it easy! Would it be possible to swim instead of walking? I wouldn't want to exacerbate the knee thing... I'm sorry it's still bugging you. It's been months since you fell, hasn't it?

I agree on going to LLL meetings *now*. I wish I had done it when I was pg with ds... I was so busy (and grumpy), but it would have been a good thing.

I'm still eating pretty darned healthy, but I can't squeeze as much in. Sometimes protein is a chore.

I've decided that I'm not going to have any internals unless there is a good reason to do it... I don't see that there's any huge benefit to them, and I'm pretty sure I won't accidentally go into labor and have the baby without noticing. If I get really curious, I'll have dh wash his hands really well and check me. I'm less worried about his flora than what might be floating around the drs. office or hospital.

[KKmama]

I'm wondering if we want to do some sort of check-in or something as May approaches (with regard to the roll call list)... It seems like we have a lot of people listed who are sort of MIA or lurking or whatever... I just don't want to wonder if so and so ever had her baby.

What do you think about putting an asterisk next to the people who have been actively posting (well, around sometime in the last couple of months)? I'd be open to other ideas, too (or doing nothing at all).

Anyone?

[shalom]

38 weeks today and starting to feel READY for this baby to be born!!!

I feel so silly asking this, being my third and all... but both my babes were born in December and I am totally lost as to what kinds of clothes this spring baby will need!:

How long does a newborn wear long sleeves, 'sleepers', etc. in warm (MN) weather? When do they start needing short sleeves, shorts, etc? I'm way to picky about clothes and I hope I have enough???

Can some of you enlighten me- or sorta list your "layette" contents?

Thanks and many BH blessings to all

[fiddlefern]

Hey, everyone

I must have lurked too long, because I've stopped getting e-mail notifications.

So hello again- I'm here- just been too Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz to bother typing messages most of the time.

peace!

fiddlefern

[fiddlefern]

BH ? ? ?

Oh, and I've got a question-

I think I've been experiencing what Theelves described.

I get these REALLY strong sensations of discomfort (OK- I'll say it- pain) around my cervix.

What it FEELS like to me is that baby is pushing his head down really firmly on my cervix, which of course isn't open, and it hurts like heck. It lasts for a few seconds at a time, and occurs every minute or two for about 10 minutes, once or twice a week for the past 2 weeks or so.

I don't really think it feels like BH. Of course, I've only had about 3 of those in my entire pregnancy so far. BH felt more like my whole womb was tightening into a smaller ball, and they didn't really hurt.

This doesn't feel like a big muscle contracting- it feels like a localized, intense, low, pain.

At my last appt, I asked one of my midwives (of couse it was one of the males, so he's never actually experienced this) if it could just be head-ramming on the cervix rather than BH, and he said yes.

What do ya'll think?

[Marco Esquandolas]

Shalom-My oldest (5 TODAY! ) was a spring baby and I had a bunch of short sleeved onesies for him for under his clothes and then the sleeper sack jammies and full length ones too (long sleeves and some with feet in them). I guess I had about 4-5 sleepers and about as many pj's. It is still chilly here in PA in April and May (ave temp is around 60's for a daily high). He wore those in the 0-3 and 3-6 mos size and by the summer (Junish) I had him in little shorts sets w/short sleeves that were 3-6 and some 6-9. He had a couple of light weight hoodies too and maybe one or two pairs of lightweight pants for just in case. He used those little infant hats too, and definitely needed socks in the spring. When my boys were really little, I didn't usually put them in outfits unless we were going out. I just kept them in pj's and sleepers and most of those seem to come with long sleeves anyway. For this baby, I've got leftovers from both boys (read-too much crap!) so that's about double the numbers of sleeper sack thingys and long pj's and tons of onesies. I've also got a bunch of undershirt t-shirts for the summer for baby to wear with just a diaper and cover or soaker shorts. I'll have some little short sets too. HTH!

Fiddlefern-So far as I know, once the baby starts going head down, you'll get those pelvic pains (and butt ones too). Some are sharp and stabbing and some can be sorta crampy and they are worse once the baby's head is engaged. From what I can tell, it is a combo of the baby running out of room and pushing (mashing!) you down there and its big head trying to settle btwn your pelvic bones. This is actually a good indication that baby is indeed head down and that he/she will be able to fit for your pelvis for nat vag delivery, if that helps you deal with the pains. One cool thing for me is that our baby will actually turn its head to hear dh talk. Yeah, it brings on some serious pains, but it is sooooo cool to know that's what is going on, and a relief to know this one is head down.

About bh's, I've always had 3 distinct types of bh's: ones that feel like menstrual cramps, ones that start at the bottom of my uterus and tighten me up then radiate up and out like to my legs, and then the ones that start in my back and radiate around and out to the front. My bh's have gotten more painful and pronounced with each pg and my pelvic pains are definitely the worst (just more frequent, I think) w/this baby. I've already had some rough days but I figure if the practice contrax are this painful then it is good practice for my hypno scripts and less my body will have to do once I'm in labor.

[PattyCakes]

Hey May Mamas! I'm still here too!
35 weeks now. I start my weekly appts next Monday and get the GBS test next week as well. I'm not too worried about it - whether it's +/-'ve. We'll manage.

I'm so, so, so looking forward to being done work. 7 more work days! Whohoo. I've been saving my nesting (the baby's stuff in particular) until I'm done work and I can't WAIT to get my hands on that. heehee.

As for food - I'm borderline GD so I still have to be careful. I'm. So. Sick. Of. Eggs. I eat them pretty much every day for breakfast - cos it's easy protein - but man, am I getting sick of them. I'm dying to just scarf down a huge plate of pasta. BUT... I'm trying to still be good for a while to keep our (me and babe) weight's normalized and to stay healthy. I'm having a hard time with swelling though (esp since it's been warm here) despite drinking lots and lots of water.

I've had a few random contractions/cramps - but nothing too serious. I have been getting twinges in my cervix (that are definitely not babe poking around) so I think that my body is starting to think about getting ready. I'm due the 25th of May, but I think I'm going to go the weekend before. (just my gut talkin' here).

As for layette - I've got a PILE of onesies and bunch of cotton sleepers - various thicknesses for the changeable spring weather here in the NEast. I have a few cotton gowns as well. I also have a few warmer outfits incase it gets really chilly - but really I have so many blankets that we can always just cover babe up with that and be fine.

The piece de resistance though is an adorable apple hat (It's red with a little stem and leaf at the top) that my best friend knitted for me. Of all the things I have, I can't WAIT to put that on my babe.

Stay well Mama's and Babes!

[scbegonias]

wow, it sounds like we're all getting ready!

elfmama and fiddlefern, i'm with you on the pelvic pain. definitely not bh for me...i've had those forever, and even when they're crampy like phishmama described, its different. my pelvic pain is exacerbated by sitting at my desk. by friday of last week there was no way i was walking...i spent the night on the couch, and trotting to the bathroom was a nightmare. at one point during the week i told my dh that i wished i could ride my bike from room to room...so much more comfortable than walking. anywho, saturday morning i was up and running...and between that and a busy sunday i figured out that movement keeps me sane and pain-free. yes, i was exhausted at the end of the day, but i slept well. being at work now is frustrating b/c i'm not totally invested in it intellectually (baby on the brain) and b/c sitting here gives me pain. yesterday i took a rest on my left side on the hardwood floor...not ideal, but it helped (in addition to my three 15 minute walks).

otherwise, i'm 35 weeks now. my mw does not do internals until 40 weeks...when they offer them (not required). i'll continue to go in every two weeks until 40 weeks...and then the real wait begins.

as for layette, i've got a bunch of onesies, a few cotton gowns, and tons of blankets (i've been making them forever). dh keeps saying how he can't wait to keep the house cool...he's in for a shock b/c babe and i will not tolerate that!

be well, mamas!

[Mere]

Hi everyone - I haven't posted in a while....I'm one of those negligent lurkers I guess! KKMama, re: keeping track of active posters/lurkers, I think doign a check-in is a good idea! Also, what about starting a separate thread for those who have had babies and want to post announcements/stories/pictures? I know I enjoy looking at the 'other months' and reading about their births, but it would be much easier if I didn't have to sift through all the other posts. Of course I realize there is the Birth Stories forum too, but this one could be just for May babies.

It sounds like we're all getting close! I'm not technically due until mid-May, but I'm 36 weeks now and I feel like my body is really ready. This scares me a bit, because as anxious as I am to meet the baby, I'd prefer for him to stay in utero until at least 38 weeks. My midwife said 36-38 weekers are notoriously bad nursers (can't stay awake, poor suck/swallow coordination), and after having had one child with bad colic, I'd just as soon have this one incubate for a while longer to make sure his digestive system is fully developed and on board.

Anyways, all day yesterday and so far today I've been feeling really crampy...I assume this means something is happening in my cervical area. Also tons of BH of all different types. My breasts are feeling super full, my lower back is achey, and the baby has really dropped; people have commented on it, and I have to pee ALL THE TIME (7-8 times the past couple of nights - ugh). All these things are telling me that the baby is ready to go, so I'm just hoping he'll hang in there for another week and a half!

I go in tomorrow for my GBS test, and thus begins the first of my weekly appointments...fun fun.

[scbegonias]

KKmama, I too like the idea of a roll call of sorts. (Did I use the right role/roll there?)

I also like the idea of a birth stories/baby thread after.

[mcsarahb]

Hi-

Lots of May mama activity all of a sudden! I think we are all feeling like these babes are coming soon. I feel like it could be any day now for me! One of my mws said yesterday that this weekend would be "a good weekend for a baby..." !!

I did get an internal, I know it's silly, but I really wanted to know. I am 50% effaced, anterior cervix, 1 cm, 0 station, for what it's worth : . And lots of bloody show. Blech. Sorry if TMI. Still having tons of those down low BH. In response to the previous posts, maybe they're not really BH, but they do include a tightening sensation, and feel like something's contracting, so that's just what I've been calling them.

So DH is now in super nesting mode, now that I'm done with that and just plain exhausted. He really got into it last night, putting up the shelves in the baby "corner" finally, cleaning, whistling baby lullabies, etc. :LOL He's unofficially free from major work duties from now on. Not that he wouldn't have been able to leave work before now in case of labor, but now his deadlines are all past and he's feeling more ready to focus on the babe. Makes me feel better. And he can spend more time at home, only going in to work now about half a day. I feel so lucky that he works for himself!

Glad to see some new people, and some MIA May mamas back in the loop. I'm excited to start seeing some birth announcements!

Sarah

[Sarah'sMama]

Lets talk feet and phone calls....

I'm 39w1d as of right now, and the phone calls have begun...."so how are you doing/feeling? Think the baby is coming soon?" Um, she was born last week, did someone forget to tell you? :LOL I get annoyed. And I feel bad complaining about it, since they are all people I love, and only are concerned about me and the baby. I'm not sure how to respond "I feel larger than life" would be a start!


Feet....are anyone elses as fat and ugly as mine??? I get a kick out of taking off my socks every night to see how big of a sock line I have. They are like sausages, I swear! One day I was walking in my kitchen, and my feet were sore on the top. It didn't dawn on me until later that it was because my feet are swollen, and the skin is stretching! :LOL : The joys of pregnancy!

Sarah-I'm thinking you're gonna be first! Bloody show and all. I didn't have bloody show until the day before my first dd was born.

I have my checkup tomorrow. I'm really hoping I go into labor on my own Monday or Tuesday. I really don't want to go too much past my due date, because I really don't want to go down the induction road. Dh is workingn this weekend, so he'll have the next weekend off, so I'm hopeful that the baby will cooperate, since he works just about every other weekend.

I like the roll call idea. Maybe just start a new thread for everyone to post their info on and be accounted for?



I got the cutest little spring jacket in the mail for the baby today. I realized the other day that I had no spring jacket, so of course, had to do some online shopping!

Other than that, just getting anxious. Feeling like a ticking time bomb these days.

Take care mamas!