weekly thread Nov. 15 - 21

[Jenelle]

Well, it's not quite the 15th yet, but I don't like to post at the very end of a week's thread... so...

Kristi, I can't help you because I never actually went into labor - I was induced. But it's very possible that at 37 weeks it could be "any day now". So best of luck getting all your stuff done to be ready!

Shalena, so glad to hear your baby is still cooking. Don't apologize for not being around - we all have a million things on our mind right now! I just wondered about you.

Whimsy, a cattle prod?! That's no fun at all. Wouldn't it be great if our husbands could just "take" the baby for a couple days so we could have a pregnancy break?

As for me...

I am 33 1/2 weeks now. So that means I have 7-9 weeks left, depending on Eli's schedule! And that means most of you have even less than that! Sometimes that sounds like a lot of time and sometimes it seems right around the corner.

The good news is that the baby's room is pretty much done. We have to finish cleaning the carpet, then arrange the furniture how we want it, hang things on the walls, and wash the baby clothes and put things away in drawers, etc. But the painting and border are finally done - yay!

I hope you all have a great week!

[Changed]

You beat me to it!! I'm good. Getting over my cold well now. I'm a little pissed off actually. I tried so hard to make a martha stewart black bottom pie and it SUCKED. BAD. Oh well, maybe next time. I'll post later when I have more time..

[cinnamonamon]

36 weeks 2 days

copied & pasted from old thread


:LOL Cattle prod... -- that's my little bean as well. My midwife has said the last few times that his hand is up near his face, so I think that's what it is -- it seems too concentrated in one place to be a loosening/preparing of the cervix (in my uneducated opinion -- since ds1 was breech/transverse & my water broke when I was completely closed & hard, I'm not really familiar with what to expect/recognize, kwim?).

Someone posted the spinningbabies.com link -- where did you find the info. on moving little bean's hand? I've read all about avoiding bad posture etc. to discourage breech, but I never saw anything about moving his hand...


I'm so excited with what we're getting done around the house -- yesterday my friend (who will be my doula -- she's just completing her training) took my ds1 to her house for the day, and dh & I were able to get the majority of our bookshelf built -- it's about 4 ft tall, & we built it into a corner -- about 8 ft on one side and 6 ft on the other! We still have to cut, stain & fit all the trim (to hide all the discrepencies -- none of the walls we built from were plumb : ) and then the shelves. It will fit most of the fabric I have and all of my books & some of my craft supplies. I will be so happy to not have to walk past 15 overflowing boxes of that stuff while in labor!

I also used Soft Scrub (not TOO toxic, right??) and washed my tub & shower walls -- that stuff is amazing! Last time I tried to clean our bathroom I had a butter knife, a toothbrush, 2 scratchy pads & 4 washclothes... This time I just used a sponge (well, I used the scratchy side occasionally) and rinsed with water... I'm so happy -- I'm going to take a long bath tonight or tomorrow -- I haven't been able to do that or even let anyone in that bathroom in months, I was so ashamed!

Well, I am bound and determined to get some sewing done tonight, even though I'm not really in the mood -- I just don't have any time left to waste, kwim?? It blows my mind that this bean could be safely born in 5 days! I'm excited, though -- so many conflicting emotions -- I'm as hormonal as a, well, a pregnant woman! :LOL

Hope you all are getting what you want/need done, and mentally/emotionally letting go of that which you cannot, so you can have a happy & peaceful birth!

[~MommyAmanda]

35 weeks 2 days

I am up because I can't fall asleep and my husbands snoring is driving me crazy! This baby is moving around like crazy. Not kicks but more like twisting. He is still posterior and I have an anterior placenta so I think he is trying to find a way to get in a better position.

I seriously need to clean my bathroom but am thinking of asking my mom to do it when she comes over to help me out for the day on Tuesday.

[mommyheidi]

37 Weeks today

I've been having progressively stronger BHX, which threw me for a loop because I hadn't a single one with my first pregnancy. I started going for longer walks in the hopes of speeding things along but all that did was wear me out! : Now I'm sort of resigned to just hanging out and being upright as much as possible. Last week my Dr. said I was 1 cm dilated so I'm curious to see what he'll say at my appointment today. I should also be finding out about the strep B test.

I'm still not sure about the sleeping arrangements - dd is still in bed with us and there is no more room. I'm not sure if we should put the crib back up (up next to the bed with that side removed) or if we should bring dd's twin bed in and put it next to ours. I want to transition her slowly so she doesn't feel kicked out, but the girl will not stay in her room all night and I need some sleep! I don't want to kick her out anyway, but I have to figure something safe out for this new babe.

Baby is moving like crazy, and is really low. I'm hoping this moves my labor along faster when it starts, but I'm not getting my hopes up. It would be nice, but at this point I suppose it's more productive to be realistic, right?!?! Hopefully this will be my week - I have felt this baby would come early since about 30 weeks.

Must have been the week for scrubbies, because I was using mine all weekend, too! Man does the house look great! Normally I use just vinegar, but that wasn't getting a lot of these stains off. Yesterday I was cleaning the grout in the shower with a toothbrush. Anyway, have a great week, ladies!

[sadean]

Technically I am 38 weeks and 1 day, but I tend to run long, so I am still thinking first week of December. But technically, I could go any day now. I feel like I am beginning to slow down, though I am still working (ugg). I have the office to myself for the rest of this week as everyone else is going to a corporate staff meeting in CA. I will be lonely, but I guess it also gives me an excuse to come in late and leave early if I want/need too. And next week is Thanksgiving, so it is a short work week My co-worker joked that I would probably pop while everyone is gone...if only I were so lucky...

I am still very anemic from what I can tell (down to 8.something hemocrit). I let the MD I have been feeling compelled to see put me on a high dose of iron (like 900% of the regular daily dose), which better work because I absolutely hate it I had about 2.5 servings of mocha mousse last night (caffine equivilent to several cups of coffee), which kept me up until all hours of the night/morning and it STILL didn't really get things moving, IYKWIM (TMI I know :LOL ).

Otherwise I feel good and am completely unprepared for a baby. I sent DH into the basement to find the baby stuff and most of it is gone. I must have given it to my sister a couple of years ago and forgot (I remember giving her some stuff, but not almost EVERYTHING). So I appear to have no infant clothes, NB sized Pro-wraps (although I do have some AIOs), or an infant car seat. All I found were some baby blankets, a sling (OTSBH), cloth nursing pads and a bath towel. I also have a swing, a Pack in Play and a sidecar, none of which I intend to use. So I guess I'd best get SHOPPING :LOL

[nikirj]

Hi everyone

I'm up early - driving my mom to the airport this morning. She was here all weekend. We had a GREAT time! She taught me how to make a bunch of my favorite foods; we spent a good portion of the weekend cooking and hanging out (the weather was crappy) and it was wonderful. She didn't even try to reorganize anything!

Anyway, no real news on the pregnancy front. Just that my mom's visit went really well, I ended up not-stressed, she bought a bunch of infant clothes for the baby , and I'm feeling pretty well prepped for baby after cleaning up for my mom's visit, getting the last bit of clothing she brought, and moving carseats around (seems to work well with 4.5yo DD in the middle - yes, they're all in real 'carseats', no boosters, but they will fit in the sedan...phew).

[Mommak]

Travel advice

HI! I am 34 weeks pregnant and new to this thread. I am trying to make a decision about some traveling this week and am looking for input. This is my first pregnancy, so I am not sure how much I can keep "going" getting so close to delivery time.

I am wanting to fly to Maryland (1 1/2 hour flight, non stop) on Wednesday and then drive my car back (that's currently in Maryland) to Indianapolis (9 hour drive) on Saturday. My husband would be driving another vehicle and we would stop halfway and stay at a hotel.

I have had a very healthy pregnancy (although right now am recovering from a head cold ) so far.

Has anyone done any lengthy roadtrips at this stage in pregnancy?

Thanks for the input!

[nikirj]

Originally Posted by Mommak

Has anyone done any lengthy roadtrips at this stage in pregnancy?

Thanks for the input!

Yes, I have.

You'll be fine. Beware an irritating tendency towards your rear falling asleep, and the need to stop every hour or so (yeah, that does mean at most rest stops - in my area anyway) and walk around for 10 min or so to head that off. Once your rear starts aching the trip won't be nearly so much fun.

If it was me I'd try to drive straight through and wipe myself out - if you're stopping for the night you should be able to take a really nice pace and not really worry. We're not THAT fragile, after all.

Also be aware that in terms of baby positioning, the seat of a car doesn't get your posture quite right (encouraging posterior positioning), so once the trip is over, you might want to make it a point to keep good posture for a while to compensate, especially if you can tell which way the baby is facing most of the time during your trip (feeling knees and elbows = not so good, feeling spine, buttocks, etc = better).

[Mommak]

Thanks, Nikirj!

Can you tell me more about feeling baby positioning? I often feel his spine or butt on either side of my navel and will feel what I think are elbows, legs on the opposite side of my body. Usually way over on my side. Sometimes I'll feel fluttering movement near my pelvis that makes me jump (often because he hits my bladder). I have been carrying low the whole time and I am a tall woman with a long torso (I'm 6' 0) so he' s probably got lots of room in there.

I'm always feeling my belly to try to imagine what position he's in. It just fascinates me!!!

[MountainLovinMama]

My due date (Dec 6th) is exactly three weeks from today! Thanks for the links on belly casting kits; I just ordered one, and now I hope it gets here before the baby does!

We will be having a doula. We did last time, and it was wonderful! Towards the very end of my pregnanc, we started questioning our decision, feeling like we were so prepared, and wanting the birth to be intimate, etc. But we were SO grateful to have a doula in what ended up being a very long, difficult labor that ended in a Csec. She made a world of difference and helped us to have a truly positive experience all the way around.

How frequent are your prenatal visits now? Mine will be two weeks apart until the birth - don't a lot of folks go every week at the end?

NeKisha, sorry to hear about your anxiety about weight gain. I hope you will find reassurance that all is well with the baby. Good luck putting on a few more pounds yourself. I am trying hard to gain a few extra pounds at the end here - I have gained between 25 and 30 pounds, but I am slender to begin with and I lost weight so quickly after dd's birth and with bfing that this time I wanted to gain a little extra so I wouldn't get too skinny right away. It is not proving to be easy! No matter how much I eat, the scale still seems to say the same thing! Your situation sounds much more extreme - I'm sure it is stressfull. Good luck.

[~MommyAmanda]

I am going every week from now on. Hopefully just a time or two!

[nannymom]

35 weeks

Hi Everyone. I love the start of a new week! Saturday marks a new week in terms of my pregnancy and I just love counting them down.

I had a MW apt. on Friday and ended up having an U/S b/c they thought they baby had flipped back up. The MW used this really old weird U/S machine that she said was only good for checking position. The baby was still laying corectly it turns out she just has a big butt! (runs in the family ). Dh was out of town so he missed it. Other then that everything seems fine.

Dh was gone most of last week and so I stayed with one of my good friends it was really nice. It was sort of a last horah before I'll never be alone again

Last week Dh and I put together everything for the nursery and I put away all my clothes and dipes. I still need to wash things that I got from garage sales, but other then that I am feeling perpared. We had our last class at the BC and on Saturday we are taking an infant CPR class and touring the hospital we would get transported to. I also turned in my birth plan and birth certifcate form so I am feeling good.

I have about a month to go before my EDD and I need to inofrm my boss that I am adding two more weeks to my maternity leave. I am just so tired at work. I really want to take the week of my due date off. Everytime I get ready to tell her she starts talking about how stressed out she is at work and then I feel like it's not a good time to bring it up. Any sugesstions?

Kristi-my prenatal visits go to every week starting next Weds.

mamack- I can't tell to much about my babies position. My stomache is huge and hard as a rock. I know I feel a butt angled away from my naval, but that's it. I've heard of some woman being able to feel every limb. Good luck on your car trip!

nickirj- I'm glad your visit with your mom went so well. That kind of thing can make a world of difference in how you're feeling.

momyheidi-My BH are getting stronger, longer, and more uncomfortable. They knock the wind out of me. I have found nopthing really helps but waiting them out.

I hope everyone has a happy week.

[Kundalini-Mama]

Since positioning is being brought up again, I will recommend the http://www.spinningbabies.com site.

cinnamonmom, I'm so bummed there isn't a lot in there about nuchal hand presentation. I've been doing some searching, but I'm not finding a lot. I have some info in my book(let) "Understanding and Teaching Optimal Foetal Positioning", but unfortunately it is too much to type out right now. If you want to PM me your phone #, I'd rather read it to you.

http://www.geocities.com/virtualbirt.../position.html (which also has a link to the book I just mentioned)
http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/m...20Malpositions
This link is incredible!! I forgot about it Anyway there is tons of stuff on there about why malpositions happen, how to fix them prenatally, how to fix them while in labor, etc, etc. And it is not geared for only plus-size moms, either. A really great site in general.

hth
Amy

Oh, a shameless plug, but I'm selling some infant stuff on The Trading Post, not much, but cheap. Some used, some almost brand new. http://www.mothering.com/discussions...19#post2245719

[michray]

35 weeks , 2 days

And am just counting down the days until this weekend, when I can deliver in the BC if I do happen to go into labor. I was planning on posting how good I am feeling again, and then I developed this nasty head/chest cold! I never go anywhere.. HOW does this happen?? DD and I are the only ones who seem to have it, and we are home all the time. Go figure!
I did quite a bit this weekend in the way of organizing and feel much better. I still have to move some things around in the girls' room to make space for Vivien's dipes and clothes, but the goal was to get things organized and put away so that Ella wouldn't constantly be pulling out things and making more mess than usual!
The bathrooms were cleaned and almost all of my sewing projects are done!! I have still a few things to buy for the BC ( post partum pads, a few more receiving blankets, snacks for labor..) and to get it all packed, but all in all, we are catching up!
Until now... and all I want to do is BREATHE and sleep!

Baby appears to have moved down some. I no longer have something shoved under my ribs all the time, but now my bladder is under constant assault! I never experienced this with Ella, cause she was up high right up until delivery. I thought subsequent babies didn't usually "drop"??

Lastly, I took an EPO capsul (with MWs ok to start with one 500mg capsul a day for now) and with my heartburn I can taste it for HOURS. Its sooooooooooo NASTY ..ICK LOL. I hope it has massive benefits, cause I had forgotten how bad my indigestion and heartburn can make things taste these last few weeks.

[kazmir]

35 Weeks!

I'm doing well, not sleeping so good still, sore and lotsa leg cramps. I need to get into a nightime routine and drink my red raspberry tea with calcium added to help alleveiate them.

I went on an ebay buying spree this weekend for dipes and got several. Its fun! I made one mistake and got large fuzi bunz that I probably wont need for a year if DS is anything like DD in size. But I'll just put them away for later. I still need prefolds and covers but am feeling better about where I'm at. I washed all my saved/handed down whites for the baby in bleach to clean them up. Now I'm gonna wait a couple more weeks and wash them again along with all the other stuff to get things ready. I am only setting up a changing table in DDs room with one drawer in it for dipes and wipes for changing. All his other clothes are going into our extra bedroom in a bureau that was empty till now. I'll just change his clothes on the bed in there. I did some cleaning, mostly organizing and moving stuff around, now I need to get my housekeeper in and have her do a good scrubing soon. My treat to me!

Any one heard from Hilary? She's due soon and no postings since the 12th...?

[cinnamonamon]

Well, my computer just ate my reply, so I'll be brief this time...

Amy - thanks for the links! I'll look them over tonight & PM you if I need to take you up on that phone call.


K...now I'm too tired to type all I had before, so I'll just and go while ds is... :LOl

[Changed]

Wow!

I'm having the strangest day. I just got home from my ultrasound with the perinatologist. It was a nice visit. She was shocked at my surity(is that a word?) of my dates because the baby is so low into my pelvis. She said it'd be a miracle if I wasn't dialating. The did a level 2 again and estimated his weight at 5 pounds 13 ounces!!!!! She said they are accurate to 15 ounces either way. So, at least 5 at most almost 7! WOW! and I'm technically only 34+3 by her wheel. I got alot of good pictures on photo paper even for his baby book. 2 of his face, 1 scrotum, 1 hand and 1 ear. My mom went with me. While waiting for my records to be released to me, we toured the birth center just for fun. It ony made my happy to not plan on visiting there. It's nice enough but all it took was them showing me the stirups and break away bed and I wanted to kiss my midwife. That, and I hate the sight of those plastic beds they have for babies. They look so comforting.. not. My blood pressure was great. The doc thought about lecturing me about the risks of homebirth for me and then looked at my chart and how well I am and skipped it. 112/72 sounds good to me. I'm up to 16 pounds on my weight. She gave me some flonase. I really needed it. I've been stuffed up for weeks now and I really think it's the cedar fever getting here early this year. Baby is head down and face to my back. They were glad about that. Everything looked totally normal as far as genetics and development goes. The placenta is anterior and positioned perfectly so she said. I can't wait!


I ordered my birth kit on the web this morning before I went. I wanted to show myself I had faith that she wouldn't give me any bad news. Weird head thing I guess. I am about to order my pool. I got everything else at wal mart for the birth.I'm going to do my belly cast tonight. I had no idea he would be this big already. I know the U/S aren't always right but i'd bet he's bigger if it's off at all. He feels very very cramped in there.


Shalena, I'm going to the PO later this afternoon. As soon as I can...



Have a wonderful day everyone!!!

[NeKisha]

36 weeks

thank you kristi for the encouraging words. i personally think my whole weight gain issue in unreal. i just dont get how its even a problem, i always thought i would gain plenty, if not too much. my mw is concerned that i might loose even more when bf, but since i will be home and not working full time, ill be able to concentrate more on eating more

right now its hard to remember, let alone actual take the time to squeeze in extra snacks. it seems like a lot of people here have desk-type jobs (correct me if im wrong ) but my job can be pretty intense. i work at a drycleaners, which is akin to working on a fast-paced assembly line. you cant have munchies sitting next to you to snack on every now and then, otherwise you get people's clothing greasy/crumb-covered/etc. anyyyyyway...

i am feeling very good, and am wondering if the baby has dropped. is 36 weeks too early? either way, i feel as though the baby is not so much in my ribs anymore and i can breathe better when i sit down. all the movement i feel is now centered around my pelvis as opposed to my diaphragm. idk, i guess i will find out this wed at my next mw apt.

i have the bassinet and the changing table all set up. the top of my dresser is the changing table, made comfy with extra recieving blankets as cushioning and a quilt from my infancy convering them. the quilt goes up the wall part way too, so the space between the wall and the dresser wont be a hazard. i made one sling out of fleece, a nice robins egg color...and one soaker, the tickleturdle.com pattern. i have so many little projects to do, so i cannot wait till friday which is my LAST DAY OF WORK!!!! :

its hard to believe i will be a sahm. my mother and dh's mother were sahm's. i hope that financially we will be able to make it work. in our current situation we will, but if we want a home (which we desperately do) i know that that will only make things much, much tighter financially. i will just have to not stress and take things as they come.

wow, to think that there are only 4 more weeks, or perhaps one if you think theres always the possiblity that i could pop early

that gets me thinking...i had the most horrific nightmare. ill share it only because i wonder if anyone else has had a dream similar. i dreamt that i had the baby squatting on the floor of a friend's living room and that the baby was very, very premature. the baby was very skinny, with unopened eyes and thin, little lips. the baby wasnt breathing so i was doing mouth-to-mouth. the baby finally started to breathe very shallow. and then my dream jumped ahead and i was sitting on this friends bed and around the corner comes a little girl (we dont know what we are having) with brown hair and eyes, about two years old. thats it, but still i was really disturbed by the whole premature babe part. it would have been worse had i not dreamt that the baby grew up. idk, but has anyone else had nightmares like these?

i also have had several dreams of trying to breastfeed and not being able to, in one the baby even died. i think these are fears that i am not expressing on the outside. they are not even fears that i think about at all, but there they are, in my dreams...

take care everyone, and happy baby growing!

[Changed]

How could this day get any better you ask? My mom and her DH just stopped back by before leaving town with a gift receipt from walmart ( I know..) for new tires for my husbands car. They said it was an early Christmas gift! He took my van back with him to work since it's rainy and his tired are bald and I guess they noticed his car and sad sad tires in the driveway. How nice is that? It made me cry. I called to tell DH and he was a bit prideful about the gift but then said "wow, everything is just working out!" I'm so thankful my family is so giving. This break will really help so much. I just had to share with someone who would understand how tight things are.