week of October 18....who's birthday is *this* week? - Page 5

[Momma2LiamandTara]

Happy Birthday Jillian!!

: :

Welcome to the world Jillian!! Congratulations Mandi!

[True Blue]

39 weeks!!

Congrats Mandi!!!!!!

Nancy, now you are going to leave me behind and have that baby aren't you??? LOL j/k I'd take it easy if you are tired; if not, go ahead and do some last minute stuff and keep yourself busy. Just be sure to lie down for a nap in a few hours if nothing has started up. As far as visitors go, gosh I let everyone come over when DS was born. But then again I lived in CA and everyone was on the East coast....but for a month straight I had overnight guests and overall I loved it bc they were so helpful!! I never had to sit around topless to nurse or anything, I just lifted my top and hooked him on. But everyone has their own comfort levels...but as a breastfeeding advocate I usually push everyone to nurse in public as much as possible! : : As for germs...just make sure everyone washes their hands well before they hold your baby, and if anyone appears to be coming down with something, feel free to ask them to come back later or keep them away from your baby. I really think most people will understand.

Go Katie Go!!!

[gottaknit]

Wow Amy, your friends and family must be much more helpful than mine. I think most people I know will offer to "help" by holding the baby so I don't have to. (If I didn't want to hold my baby, I wouldn't have gotten pregnant!)

I'm thinking of making a Post-Partum Plan listing some ground rules that I'll leave it to DH to enforce. As in, no visits more than 15-20 minutes. Anyone staying longer than 20 minutes better 1)bring a meal, or 2)start cleaning, or 3) take the dogs for a walk. Is this rude?

The breastfeeding issue is more to do with the learning curve. Once we figure things out I am more than willing to breastfeed anywhere, anytime. I look forward to stirring up trouble in public. (Although it seems unlikely it will cause much fuss here in Portland.)

But while I'm still learning, I just don't want to have to "make nice" and visit. I also don't want anyone staring at me while I fumble to get it right. And I especially don't want any unsolicited advice about bottles and formula and pacifiers... or breastfeeding, for that matter. Wow, I sound really defensive, don't I? :LOL

[Momma2LiamandTara]

Nancy- Congrats on loosing the rest of your plug. If you go before me i'll be jealous. (just teasing)

For those who are worried about nursing in public. It took me a few months to feel comfortable then once I got to that level I just nursed Liam anytime anywhere. Slings help a lot too.

Oh not to sound like an advertisement but if anyone want a maya wrap style sling my doula makes them really inexpensive and donates all the money to charity that helps young moms and kids. I can't really afford to buy a maya since I just bought a hotslings pouch so I'm getting her to make me one. If anyone is interested just let me know and i'll pass along her info. I hope I don't offend anyone by posting that info. I just wanted to share it because I know some of us are slings addicts and can't afford the cost of them. Like me!

Well 4 days and counting til the big EDD! Not much going on as far as contractions. I have to remeber to keep tkaing my EPO it really seemed to help get some contractions going.

Piglet- What are you doing to treat Sasha's jaundice. Liam had it when he was born and they had him on a phottherapy blanket at home for a good month. It took awhile for hsi jaundice to go away. Just wondering if #2 might have it if I want to go that route again. It was such a pain becuase I couldn't wake him up to nurse!

Cloth diapering question for the new mommas or all of you who have done it since birth w/ your lil ones. I like the prefold and cover option. Can you for newborns/infant size still fold the prefolds lengthwise in thirds and just palce it in the cover or are the poopy blowouts too much and you need to wrap the diaper around them more?

WEll I have to go. Happy laboring to all!

[Piglet68]

nak...

jaundice: didn't have to do anything except nurse regularly. breastmilk is best treatment. and expose baby to some daylight through window or out for walks. its very normal and my ped wasn't concerned since he was nursing so well...she said she'd have waited at least a week before interventions were discussed. i'd stand your ground and make them hold off a bit, give your milk a chance to do its thing.

cloth: i cannot get over how much pee comes ouy of such a tiny babe. my prefolds are next to useless. thank goodness for my fitteds! but as for the poops, not explosive yet (just very frequent) so a tri-folded prefold in a wrap would work fine for that.

mandi: congrats on your big, beautiful girl!!

katie: you are in my thoughts so much!!

[mirthfulmum]

: Jillian

Congratulations Mandi!!! Sounds like you had an amazing birth. I can't wait to read more.

Go Katie! Go Nancy! : Hope this is it for you two!

Oooh I am just on pins and needles here... it looks like we finally got a baby rush on! I hope all is going well for Amelia and Susan and they are snuggling their little babes right now.

Good for you for getting home so fast Christine. Great picture of Noah, he looks gorgeous!

[mirthfulmum]

I forgot I wanted to respond to Nancy's visitors question...

YOU are the mom and YOU decide what you are comfortable with. It is not unreasonable to not want to be learning to nurse while having an audience stare and possibly critique your methods. I was pretty uncomfortable nursing Alias at first. It took about 6 weeks before I really felt like the 2 of us knew what we were doing and I could nurse in public without feeling compelled to cover up.
And I am a firm believer in the policy that baby visitors in the first week or so should bring food or a willingness to help with a house hold chore. Bringing a new baby into your home is a wonderous, magical and yes, stressful event. You are not being rude by asking your friends and family to give a little helping hand as your new family discovers each other and bonds.

[bluehalo]

Congratulations Mandi!!! It sounds like your birth was so peaceful and smooth, how wonderful! Can't wait to see pictures of your new sweet one

[momadance]

9 days "over due"

Yippee on the babes! Beautiful birth stories!

Katie I hope we haven't heard from you because you are birthing

Nancy~ I loved when I passed my plug. It was the grossest thing, but so cool! I know it's exciting!

Heading to the chiro today. My arm and hands are bugging me. I'll have him do some trigger points. Maybe he know's some tricks of the trade to get me going...His massuse know's some feet rubbing tricks I may get her to show my sis.
I was so excited to know that I was dialated to 3, but now I'm on pins and needles waiting for the day Reed chooses to join us. DTD hasn't helped much, haven't had a chance to in 2 days because of company. Maybe on dh's lunch break....

Befor I hit the chiro I think we'll go out for some spicey thai food, at this point I'm into all the wives tales

Miles was born on his 9th day over due...

[Lucysmama]

Didn't have the baby yet, still contracting.... Dh stayed up with me a lot of the night and helped me thru the hardest contractions, which did require heavy concentrated breathing. I fell asleep around 5am but was woken up with contx all morning. I just got up now (11:30) and while things are slower than they were when I went to bed, I am pretty sure they will increase again with some activity. Off to the pool.

Just wanted to keep you posted! CONGRATS, MANDI and welcome, baby Jillian!

[AnnR33]

Congratulations Mandi-so happy for you Welcome Jillian

You go Katie-it'll be soon-I'm just sure of it!!!!

Mamadance- You deserve a medal mama! But the result will be so worth the wait!

Nancy-I set up rules myself-visitors allowed between noon and 5pm but they had to call first. Parents came right away but everyone else waited for about 3 days. And I told everyone they had to wash hands first which was no problem but other moms I know said they put signs on their door saying this up front which is a good idea too.
This time it will be easy to enforce since we don't know anyone here LOL
BUt you are the mom so you can make any rule you want and if anyone gets snitty about it-too bad!

Actually had a decent night's sleep for once-maybe that's a sign-ha-ya right.

Good luck everyone
Ann

[blessed2bamommie]

These are some really fast, nice births for the most part. I mean it seems like a cinch! God isn't a respecter of persons, so I get encouraged that mine will go just as swiftly.

Katie....wow....seems like your baby is on h/h way.....

Nancy the whole plug! What did it look like! :LOL I understand about the whole visitor thing.... MIL keeps saying I need to clean up b/c I'm going to have visitors. Finally I told her I'm not havin a whole bunch of folks over here worryin me.

Checkin the thread!

[kraftykathy]

Congratulations Mandi!!!! Welcome Jillian !!!!!!!!!!

Wow we really are on a roll now, YAY!!! So many babies on their way! I'm checking in several times a day, it's just so exciting.

I'm wondering, when all of the October mamas have had their babies, does anyone want to continue a Life with babe October 2004 mama club? Maybe towards the middle or end of November? I've bonded with you all, lol!

[True Blue]

Nancy -- just wanted to add that when you have visitors and need to nurse and don't feel comfy with it completely yet, it would not be rude to just go in another room alone to do it. Oh our overnight visitors were my sisters, parents, and in-laws....they were all pretty good about cleaning, cooking, etc for me so I could rest (I also got mastitis really bad when DS was a week old, and was bedridden for a few days bc of that too).

Momma2Liam -- we had all prefolds with DS as a newborn. We thought they were too big for a newborn (even an 8lber, 21 inch one) so we used sposies for about 2 weeks then prefolds. Instead of just thirds, I would fan out the back to provide more poop coverage...basically the newspaper fold but I didn't use pins or snappis or anything, just a prorap or nikky cover to hold it all in place.

[Court]

39 wks 6 days

Congratulations Mandi! and Happy Birthday Jillian! That's one of my favorite girl names! Sounds like your labor and birth couldn't have gone any more smoothly! I'm so happy for you!

Katie- still thinking about you and sending you ((((labor vibes)))! Hope this is it!

So, my mw was just here and she checked me. I was at a 3 or a little over and very stretchy. She did a gentle stretch and sweep (at my request) and now I'm at 4 cm. She said the baby had moved lower and the bag of water was bulging, so yay. It could be anytime now. I've been having pretty regular BH since last night, some painful, some not.

Kathy- we've talked about continuing the group before, so I definitely think we're planning on having it over in Life w/ a Babe. I can't imagine not having you gals to chat with.

Nancy- I'm kinda paranoid w/ cold and flu season approaching as well. I bought some of that Purell hand sanitizer to keep out and make people use. Everyone gave you really good advice about visitors, etc. Congrats on loosing your mucous plug, sounds disgusting but cool. P.S. I was the same way about learning to bf - I didn't want an audience. A good way to get people to leave your house is to say "I'm tired" and head to your bedroom and take the baby with you. That usually clears a room.

Ooh, just had a nice contraction!

Can't wait to hear from Susan and Amelia!

[Lucysmama]

Still chugging along at 8 minutes apart, but painful. I guess I could be here for a while. I am so glad I am homebirthing - if I was in the hospital, I'd have been on Pit hours ago, you know? Baby is kicking and squirming up a storm, and feels pretty low. I am so ready to meet him/her! I would gladly do this for a week if it means I get to see my babe!

I am not in any hurry now, cause I just talked to my mw and she has another mom who is in active labor. Hope she delivers before I need my MW!

Youch!!!

[gottaknit]

A good way to get people to leave your house is to say "I'm tired" and head to your bedroom and take the baby with you. That usually clears a room.

:LOL You're all right. It really is that simple. I don't know why I'm suddenly worrying about it. The only person who doesn't take a hint is my BIL, who also happens to be one of those chronic sinus-infection types who's always snorting and coughing up phlegm... eeewwww. He's in grad school and lives in student housing and is basically a big walking incubator of infectious disease. I could see him hanging around for hours wanting to hold the baby and wrestle with the dogs and eat all our food. Anyway, DH knows we can't stand each other, so maybe he'll intervene on my behalf. Please.... :

I'm so excited to hear the news from Amelia and Susan. Good birthing vibes to you, Katie! This is your day! I can feel it!

I'm off to enjoy my last Alone Day. I'm going to go for a nice long walk. Visit my neighborhood coffee shop, the library, the craft store.... It's a very pretty, sunny, crisp, fall day here.

[mirthfulmum]

Oh Katie I am soooooo excited for you! Wishing you a happy and healthy home water birth. You go momma !

[True Blue]

Court -- yay on your dilation and bulging bag!!! Hopefully we'll be reading your story very soon.

Well I think I got my last baby stuff done. Last night I made 48 wipes and about 6 more pads for myself (just 2 layers of hemp french terry serged together, that I can fold). And I trimmed the bumper to fit the cosleeper. So that should be it. Hear that baby??? We're READY!!!!

Though of course DH left this evening. They're supposed to be staying nearby but yikes! It's ok, he said he should be able to be home in about an hour if anything starts up. That should be fine, right???? Don't know what I'm worrying about though, this baby has obviously gotten very comfy and over his/her urgent desire to be born!!

[blessed2bamommie]

Katie!!!! I'm sooooooooo excited for you!

Courtney! :

Baby, I did nothing today.....besides work out and go to the store...can I get the laundry done tomorrow. : : :

eta: of *course* we need an Oct thread in life w/a babe!