Weekly Chat Thread - March 10th-16th « Back to Group Discussions

[chocolatechip]

I looked, but didn't see a new chat thread yet, so here's one! 

[chocolatechip]

I had a bunch of crazy dreams last night. Many of them were not-so-pleasant. But in one, I dreamt that when I went into labor, the baby just slid right out with hardly any pain. While I was lying on my side? I knew even in the dream that it was an odd experience. But it's not such a bad dream. 

And THEN, in line with my brain's regular subconscious decisions to stick random people into my dreams, I dreamt that spughy came over to my house (which was more like a tower) and made me blueberry pancakes and bacon.  Thanks spughy!! 

[eternalw]

Originally Posted by chocolatechip 

I had a bunch of crazy dreams last night. Many of them were not-so-pleasant. But in one, I dreamt that when I went into labor, the baby just slid right out with hardly any pain. While I was lying on my side? I knew even in the dream that it was an odd experience. But it's not such a bad dream. 

And THEN, in line with my brain's regular subconscious decisions to stick random people into my dreams, I dreamt that spughy came over to my house (which was more like a tower) and made me blueberry pancakes and bacon.  Thanks spughy!! 

That is so awesome. All of it. LOL

[Chapsie]

Originally Posted by chocolatechip 

I had a bunch of crazy dreams last night. Many of them were not-so-pleasant. But in one, I dreamt that when I went into labor, the baby just slid right out with hardly any pain. While I was lying on my side? I knew even in the dream that it was an odd experience. But it's not such a bad dream. 

And THEN, in line with my brain's regular subconscious decisions to stick random people into my dreams, I dreamt that spughy came over to my house (which was more like a tower) and made me blueberry pancakes and bacon.  Thanks spughy!! 

Ooh, I want Spughy to come to my house and cook for me, too.  :)  

[beautifulnm]

yumm. Blueberry pancakes and bacon sounds wonderful. Even just the bacon..

We had ds' birthday dinner last night (not so much a party, just godfather, dh and I). He was happy and carbified with his pasta and cake. He was quite protective of his "3" candle. We had a strange little waiter who told me not to go into labor at the restaurant. 

I'm home from work and feeling like I need to cook a bunch of stuff and organize a bunch of small person things. I might make some freezer meals, thinking some pulled pork and some pasta, and maybe a kulfi cake using the lactation/detox tea I bought. Already brewed some of the tea to take to the hospital and I don't know if it's the anemia or what but I felt like I needed to drink it.. right.. that.. minute. Too bad it says don't drink until after the small one comes :( 

and last but not least, having some anxiety. Regardless of going through a c-section before I am still anxious about the anesthesia and the actual section.. I have about the weakest stomach, and I start to panic when I wrap my head around what is actually going to happen. too late for hypnobabies?.. haha. 

[spughy]

Originally Posted by chocolatechip 

I had a bunch of crazy dreams last night. Many of them were not-so-pleasant. But in one, I dreamt that when I went into labor, the baby just slid right out with hardly any pain. While I was lying on my side? I knew even in the dream that it was an odd experience. But it's not such a bad dream. 

And THEN, in line with my brain's regular subconscious decisions to stick random people into my dreams, I dreamt that spughy came over to my house (which was more like a tower) and made me blueberry pancakes and bacon.  Thanks spughy!! 

LOL!  I actually make really good blueberry pancakes and bacon.  It's one of my DD's favourite breakfasts.  Maybe one day I will come to your tower (which would be super awesome if you actually had one) and make you pancakes and bacon. 

Beautifulnm - I don't think bad things happen if you drink the tea now, but it won't do anything!  Most lactation teas/herbs increase prolactin (or your sensitivity to it), but your placenta does such a good job of suppressing it that they'd just be ineffective and a waste of money.  I'm actually planning to start taking blessed thistle and fenugreek while in labour so there's a good amount in my bloodstream once the placenta and its anti-boob-juice hormones are gone.  Might do something, might not - but it's unlikely to cause problems, I think.  And it might be too late for a formal course in self-hypnosis but some visualizations of your surgery going smoothly and an easy recovery can't hurt.  Just think about it and try to relax and be positive while you do that.  Baby! You get a baby out of it!  I have to admit to some small amount of envy for a friend of mine who is having a c-section on Wednesday - she can visualize exactly when she'll meet her baby.

Gotta go - BIL is here for dinner.  Yay chicken wings!

[writermama12]

I'm sorry you're having some anxiety over your birth experience Beautifulnm. I hope you can find some resolution and something positive to hold onto when you feel that way. 

I am the most indecisive pregnant woman on earth right now. I go back and forth all day about whether to use cervical ripening gel again ( i used it with DS2 at 41+3) and if so, then when...then I feel really guilty and cancel it (in my head) then rearrange my plans, then get depressed and hate everyone...this is all in the matter of an hour or a day or a week. My mind goes in circles and sometimes I feel strong and like I can last it out and sometimes I feel like I want to beg my MW to do it tomorrow. I am 40 weeks on Wed. I feel like this pregnancy will never end. I realize that I don't trust my body. I've been ignoring BH and using moxibustion on good labor inducing points at home but I don't really think anything is going to help. I feel hopeless and really unhappily uncomfortable today. Trying to avoid falling into my pit. I've been doing pretty well dealing this week since my break down last week, but I am on the edge of okay all the time and it doesn't take much to push me over. I simply want it to end. 

[chocolatechip]

Originally Posted by spughy 

LOL!  I actually make really good blueberry pancakes and bacon.  It's one of my DD's favourite breakfasts.  Maybe one day I will come to your tower (which would be super awesome if you actually had one) and make you pancakes and bacon. 

Ha, that would be awesome! I'm totally craving pancakes and bacon now. (And I dream of having a tower one day - filled with books covering the walls and a circular staircase and little window seats scattered around and a cat or a dog and a little spot to make lots of tea... well, I dream anyway!)

beautifulnm and writermama, hugs!  

beautifulnm, maybe try sitting with the panic for a little while? Take a bit of a meditative approach? Remember that it's OKAY to feel panicky - that's just how you're feeling, and it's not a good or a bad feeling, it's just a feeling. Sometimes when I remind myself of that, and let myself really feel what I'm feeling, I can then let it go and feel okay with how things are. Does that make sense? 

writermama, sorry you've been on such a rollercoaster. It IS going to happen soon, and you WILL have a baby within the next couple weeks.  I hope you can figure out how to trust yourself!

[cabbitdancer]

beautifulnm, I may be where you are in about a week or so. The thought of a repeat cesarean scares me. It is, after all, major abdominal surgery, and I don't deal well with anesthesia, either. That said, I agree with the idea to maybe sit with the panic for a little while and accept it for what it is, but maybe try to move past it. It is okay to let yourself feel what needs to be felt.

Mmmm. Blueberry pancakes and bacon...

*hugs to writermama* Our choices as gestating moms are probably the hardest choices we will have to make. If something happens, we will have to live with that guilt for the rest of our lives. Even if nothing happens, we women have a tendency to judge each other harshly when we don't agree with one another's choices. I know I'm tired of being pregnant and the thought of having to be this uncomfortable for another three weeks is daunting, to say the least.

That said, I, too, have been given a choice. The conversation that I've been expecting finally came to be, this morning, in the OB's office. I was surprised by my OB in more than one way, both good and bad. Baby is still breech, but it was my diabetes that he chose to focus on, despite the fact that I have had excellent control and all of the testing that I have been allowing myself to be subjected to has come back with excellent results. The conversation started with him asking me what I want to do, at this point, which was awesome. It was better than I'd expected. But then, when I said I would like to ride this thing out, he told me that it is recommended that women who are diabetic not carry past 39 weeks (which would have been Sunday) because the placenta can start to shut down, sometimes without warning. However, he also told me that it was my body, my pregnancy, and my choice, at which point, I was caught between wanting to slap him for throwing the "dead baby" card at me, and kissing him for leaving it in my hands. However, now, when I think about wanting to press for my baby to choose her own birth date, I suddenly feel selfish, even though my sugars have been well-controlled, and I'm still allowing myself to be subjected to weekly BPPs and bi-weekly NSTs. I have to admit that I am tired of fighting, tired of struggling, and ready for it all to be over, but it would not be the way I would have wanted it to end.

[sunshinelove]

It sounds like a lot of us are going through some intense difficulties. I am also experiencing some anxiety--last night i was having regular contractions (they were about 5 minutes apart and were lasting at least 30 seconds) and a lot of them were in my back which hurt like a (cant say it here lol). It really seemed like this was going to be it. I laid down for awhile and the waves kept coming. I also felt waves of anxiety wash over me . I've done this before, i know it'll go well, i can sense it but the thought of it is making me really scared. The feeling of being engulfed by labor is overwhelming me. I remember it did last time, too, right before it happened and in early labor. Once i was in active labor, though, i just went with it, it was so intense that there wasnt any room for fear. Thats the only positive, i think i'll keep reminding myself of that. Its interesting how fears can get trapped in the mind when the reality is typically much less scary.

Writermama--i understand what its like to not trust your body. It sounds like you're stressing yourself out by going round and round in circles about the cervix ripening gel. Maybe go for a walk or take a bath or whatever helps clear your head and see how you feel? Yoga helps me feel more clear-headed.

Chocolatechip--mmm blueberry pancakes and bacon . I'll take some, too! It sounds like spughy needs to go to all of our houses lol.

Cabbitdancer--i can see why you'd have mixed feelings after what your doctor said. I would look into the likelihood of the placenta failing if you've been keeping your diabetes under control. It probably mostly applies to women who havent had such positive results with their tests.

[storygirlcindy]

Love to all who are experiencing tough times! For me, pregnancy definitely abides by the 90-10 rule: the first 90% took 10% of my mental effort, the last 10% is taking 90% of my mental effort to get through it. ;) Hoping that we all can make it through the next few days/weeks with our sanity intact. I just keep reminding myself - one way or another, this baby will be in my arms within the next few weeks!

To lighten the mood, I thought I'd share MY funny dream from my accidentally long nap earlier today. I decided this is what happens when pregnancy exhaustion meets pregnancy nesting urges: I had an INCREDIBLY detailed dream in which I meticulously cleaned my whole house (the dream even included details like picking individual items up off of surfaces and putting them away, and dusting) and then spent the rest of the dream with my mom arranging my daughter's beautiful dresses in her closet. (My mom and I both love to sew little girls' things so I'm guessing where that came from, since I assure you as of right now that collection of beautiful dresses ain't much.) I was worried that we didn't have enough beautiful dresses to be prepared for her birth, but my mom assured me that as long as we had 10 dresses for each of her first 5 years of life, we were prepared.  When I told my hubby about it afterward he said, "Well, I guess that's why she hasn't come yet then - better go buy 50 dresses!" ;)

I just thought it was so funny that I would have SUCH a detailed dream about cleaning and organizing clothing!

[wildmansmom]

Storygirl - that does lighten the mood!

Sorry for all of you going though anxiety.  Sending peaceful thoughts your way.

AFM, I need to stop checking my cervix because I'm still only 1-2 cm and 50% effaced, the same as I've been for days despite strong contractions every day.  Part of me keeps thinking I'm only 40+4 and I have plenty of time to dilate when real labor starts and the other part of me thinks that this is where I was stuck with DS for days also... I ended up dilating but only after using the gel in the hospital and having my water broken and starting Pitocin - maybe that's what it will take this time too?  I have an u/s and NST tomorrow at the OB and I'm going to let them check me also, maybe I'm not doing it correctly and I'll be pleasantly surprised by my progress after another day or two.

We all need to take a deep breath and just trust our bodies!

[nearlyelated]

Positive vibes to all of you who are feeling done with pregnancy.  I hope the next few days bring some resolutions and peaceful outcomes!

I totally want pancakes now!  I made some bacon pancakes a few weeks ago and they were amazing.  Just put some cooked bacon strips on to the griddle and covered in batter.  So good!  For the past two months I think I could just eat breakfast foods 3x a day.

AFM - I had an appointment for an ECV to flip the baby yesterday afternoon.  I went to L&D at 3pm and they had my robed-up and hooked up to the monitors while I waited for the doctor (about 2 hours!).  I spent the time reading Bearing Witness which is full of doula birth stories, and kept telling my baby to flip so that we didn't have to be hooked up to monitors any more!  The OB came in just before 5 and gave my belly a feel and then asked the resident where she thought the baby was (she had examined me earlier).  The resident mentioned head by my ribs and bum near my hip, which is what my ultrasound last week had confirmed, but the OB kind of smiled and said, "I think we should get the ultrasound machine in here to take a look."  So they did, and she confirmed that baby had already flipped and was in a perfect head-down anterior position.  I almost cried.  It seems like my weekend spent doing crazy things paid off.  I did the breech inversion, went swimming and did handstands, DP did moxibustion for me, I walked like an elephant, used the flashlight and cold pack, played music near the bottom of my belly, saw my chiropractor for Webster treatments and did a decent amount of visualization (DS even talked to the baby and told it to flip, too cute).  So yay for a smart baby!

I was really stuck with my planning when I found out beb was breech, but now I have my home visit booked for tomorrow, I'll get the pool on Thursday, my doula is officially on call, and I'm going to start getting all more home birth stuff together.  I'm letting baby know that after Friday they're free to arrive any time.  I'm only 38 weeks though, so I'm totally not expecting anything for another 2 or 3 weeks.  Today's my last work day too, so I'll hopefully have most things wrapped up here by the end of the day.

[chocolatechip]

nearlyelated, hooray for baby figuring out where it needed to be! Nice work, baby! 

storygirlcindy, that's an awesome dream. I think I would have been disappointed to wake up and discover I *hadn't* cleaned all those things! Your husband is hilarious. 

I'm not really feeling anxious yet about when baby will come. I think that if I make it a couple days past my due date (like I want), then I'll start getting anxious, because I really want to have it at home! So I both want it to wait, but also not to wait any longer than I'm hoping for. First few days of April would be great. I'm sure that'll work out, right? 

One of my brothers is coming into town today to visit for a couple days. He hasn't visited up here yet, so I'm excited he's coming. He also already has a list of jobs, unfortunately, since he'll be a good pair of strong arms to help move our bed and so forth.  Fortunately, he seems quite willing to help with whatever!

UNfortunately, he's not eating grains right now, so I can't get a blueberry pancake fix for at least another few days. 

[spughy]

YAY!!! Oh that's fantastic news, nearlyelated.  What a clever baby!  I am shocked and humbled by your ability to do HANDSTANDS at this point too! 

Not much going on here... lots of contractions for me last night, every 15 min for a couple of hours - but they died down as soon as I went to bed and after several nights of crappy sleep and feeling like a cold was coming on I thought a gravol was justified so I had a REALLY good sleep last night and feel much better this morning.  Baby's dropped a bunch, too.  I realized this morning that I don't have much longer to play Pregnant Fashion Barbie so I'd better enjoy wearing all my super-cute preggo outfits while I can, so part of my "be patient" plan is to dress nicely every day and appreciate the cute belly for as long as it stays!

[LightForest]

Good patient vibes during this waiting time for all you mamas still waiting to meet your babies. Having gone to 41/6 with #1, I know how it feels!

nearlyelated, this is such happy news that your baby flipped!!!

spughy, go you on the pregnant fashion barbie goal! that's a god reason that i never thought of to have some super cute maternity clothes!!!

afm: baby was born sunday morning and things really settled in right away. dd is doing well, though i can't wait till my inlaws get here next week to help give her extra attention. dh has been a saint, keeping the house clean, keeping us fed, and keeping dd happy. i'd been putting off doing laundry when i went into labor, so there was a ton of catching up to do! i'm getting a little stir crazy - want to put baby in the wrap and just get out of the house. but i get so sore if i'm on my feet for too long, so i'm trying to take it easy. it's especially frustrating because all of those pregnancy aches and pains are gone (yay), but they're just replaced by perineal healing types of pains at the moment.

oh, and we still can't decide on a name for this little guy. it's driving me mad because i'd like to send a birth announcement far and wide, but i'd like to know the name first!!! looking at him, i just can't choose, though. hmph.

[nearlyelated]

Handstands in a pool are much easier than on land! I'm not sure I can do one on land when I'm not pregnant!

chocolatechip - yay for willing labourers!

spughy - all my clothes seem to be designed for 7 months pregnant and are getting tight on my belly. There are a couple cute things that still fit though. I may have to adopt your approach!

lightforest - it's great that things are settling! Hopefully the achy pains leave soon and you can get out and about. I just got a woven wrap in the mail, I'm excited to learn more wraps this time around.

[sunshinelove]

Lightforest--my baby won't have a name until after he/she is born, either. It might take a few days but thats okay, as long as we're sure its the right name . I'm sure the right name will come to you guys soon enough!

Is anyone else having a hard time walking? I cant walk my normal speed, no matter how hard i try. This is frustrating because i'm used to basically speed walking if i want or need to. Now i feel like a little old lady hobbling down the sidewalk, complaining if DH goes too fast lol. I also get out of breath really easily!! Its ridiculous. My thighs also rub together something awful. I joked to DH today that my thighs are going to start a fire soon . Urrgghh, i dont know whether to laugh or cry...

[beautifulnm]

Aww sunshine, I think at this point doing both, even at the same time, is okay haha.

Spughy, I love the pregnant barbie doll comment as well

[wildmansmom]

Originally Posted by sunshinelove 

Lightforest--my baby won't have a name until after he/she is born, either. It might take a few days but thats okay, as long as we're sure its the right name . I'm sure the right name will come to you guys soon enough!

Is anyone else having a hard time walking? I cant walk my normal speed, no matter how hard i try. This is frustrating because i'm used to basically speed walking if i want or need to. Now i feel like a little old lady hobbling down the sidewalk, complaining if DH goes too fast lol. I also get out of breath really easily!! Its ridiculous. My thighs also rub together something awful. I joked to DH today that my thighs are going to start a fire soon . Urrgghh, i dont know whether to laugh or cry..

me too! wobbly walking and rubbing thighs are no fun! Soon enough it will be over and those thighs will start to disappear - I like to say I store the first month's worth of baby food right on my thighs.