Jan. Mamas Nov. 28-Dec.4 - Page 2

[jessitron]

Ethan is a great name.

Azreial, that is too bad about the shower. Maybe you will get some baby things for Christmas?

Today the nursery floors are being sanded. By the end of the week they should be beautiful, matching the rest of the house. Hurray!
DH was great and cleaned out the whole room before I even came home from work last night. He's also been up and down, up and down with the laundry, as I give him loads of new baby clothes and new diapers. And last night he cooked me a great dinner, with stuffed cod (the deli stuffed it, but he cooked it) and avocado and salsa, and spinach with mushrooms. Yummmm!

Andy, yes on the 10 hrs per night. I'm moving between the bed and the recliner now; the recliner was moved to the bedroom because I refuse to sleep away from DH. Sleeping is so hard that it makes the daytime rough.

[mamabeca]

Good morning all! Dh and I are off to see our midwives. We sent Dd on the bus to school as per usual, so it's just the two of us going, which is really kind of nice. I think that they need to get to know him more, because they are going to need to help him...a LOT! He is not a natural at the birth partner thing...kwim?!

Maybe I was thinking too much about Jessi, but I had such a terrible sleep last night! Up too many times, couldn't get comfortable, maybe I should move the glider into our room! The good thing is that he really doesn't wake up, even if I turn on my bedside light to read or watch TV. He just snores right through it all. I got lucky there. Bad news is he's tough to wake up at all and I may be giving birth in the middle of the night by myself! Yikes...

Hope everyone enjoys a piece of today especially for themselves! We DO deserve a few moments of meditation on how wonderful it is to be the bringer of life into the Universe.

[mamabeca]

PS - Jessi - I do suggest a couple of things for the home birth. Some kind of something to use for support, like a big "husband" pillow (the kind that are stuffed to the max and quite firm), a birth ball, birth stool, etc. Any would work. You have a bunch of things already in the home that will be useful to try and see how they feel in the moment, your stair rail and stairs, tub/shower, bed, chairs, etc. Changing positions a lot as needed for comfort and getting that little baby down the shoot is really important.

Second, I use a flannel backed tablecloth that I get at the craft/fabric store by the yard. It's a LOT less 'crinkly' than say a shower curtain or plastic drop cloth, which makes using it a lot friendlier. You use the flannel side up, which means you're not sitting right on plastic. The plastic on the other side will keep everything from getting on your carpets or bed or wherever you are.

third, I made myself a sitz pillow, which is a largish round donut shaped pillow. After the birth I was really sore and it was nice to get the pressure off that perineum area when I was in the glider or at the kitchen table. Just used it for a week or so, but whew! was I glad. Not all birthings leave you so sore, though...

Lastly, get a set of extra prefolds. They are extremely useful - very absorbant, wash well, can be used for towels, peepee protectors (especially for boys!), spit-up cloths, kitchen wipes, etc. They are lint free, and so can later be used for mirrors/windows/car rags. You can even cut them up and use them for cloth baby wipes (although many recommend that you re-sew the edges to keep them from fraying apart)! Anyway, one packet of 12 was VERY useful for us.

I hope this helps! Your MW should have a list for you of everything else they'll want to have on hand that isn't in their packet. I'm getting really excited! Our home visit is this month, the first time they'll see our place. I really hope to get the painting in the baby's room done by then!!! Still working on that! Your baby room sounds absolutely wonderful! I would love to see pics when you get time. Gotta grab some food and scoot! Andy

[Malama]

mamabeca, I was thinking about that flannel backed table cloth stuff- I've read about people online using it and wanna check it out. Is it wide? Did you sew together long strips to voer your bed?
We always have moms get this crinkly plastic in their birth kits- makes it hard for the sheets to stay on and then it's just so ICKY!. I didn't really spend any time in my bed in my last 2 births, but you never know.... I'm so much older now. might need to lie down more, LOL!

I'll look for it when i go to town tomorrow. Thanks for the reminder. Haven't been collecting birth supplies at all..... been too busy= not that i need a whole lot anyways.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Karen

[mamabeca]

Hi Karen - the stuff we have here is really wide, like a yrd or more. So I just get one long piece, about 2 or 2.5 yds. (6+ft.) long. It can be cut later quite easily. today I purchased a few more items on the list - the comfry for frozen comfry packs, clean oil etc. It must be SO nice to not actually wonder what you need! I do envy that...

[jessitron]

Wow, thanks for all the tips! The tablecloth idea is a great one. I even have a few cheap ones that I could put on the rug. For the donut pillow - will a boppy or nursing pillow work? I have two boppies and a My Brest Friend already, plus a u-shaped neck pillow for car trips (it buttons to make a circle, too).

Birth ball, check. Lots of prefolds, check. Husband pillow... again I'm regretting getting rid of the three-foot-high stuffed Pikachu. Never thought I'd find a use for that, but since getting pregnant, I've missed it.

[3_opihi]

Hi everybody!

I'm glad everybody seems to be doing well I'm doing pretty good too. My appetite seems to have waned a bit, and I'm actually feeling a bit nauseas. I also seem to have a touch of insomnia. I'm not really *super* uncomfortable at night or anything, so thats not it. Well...No more so than an 8 month pregnant lady sleeping with a 5yo, a 2yo and a cat would be...But I just seem to be only to get into some sort of half sleep and then I'm wide awake by about 5:30 in the morning. But other than that I feel great. Haven't had any contractions in about three days, and I got a few little onesies and stuff for the baby this weekend (we don't need much in the way of clothes here), so I think I'm good to go.

I've been having a really hard time coming up with a name. Maybe you guys could help me? So far, my husband (well, kind of ex, but we're still friends) wants to give a Japanese name. He likes Ayumi Makana, or Karumi. I like Ayumi, but only if we can spell it Ayumei. I really wanted to name the baby Mei. Also, I have no idea what Ayumi means, so that is kind of bothering me...Makana means "the wind", btw.

My name choices are Einin, which means "little bird", or Keeva, meaning "gentle spirit" They are gaelic names. Or else I would love to give the baby a flower name, or name it after some sort of bird, but I can't think of any good ones...Please help, :LOL

[jessitron]

Ooh, I love the "little bird" name, Einin. Ayumi is pretty too but makes me think of anime. Is in KOR (Orange Road)? One of the popular Japanese animation series has Ayumi as a main character.
Is it babycenter where you can search names by meaning? You can type in "bird."

[Malama]

I like Ayumei, more than the other spelling- i also really like Keeva (but maybe cuz it sounds a lot like my last name!). Flower names are beautiful too.... I like Lily and well there are a ton of beautiful Hawaiian flower names. tons really.

BTW, makana is gift, and makani is wind.

We have a girl's name picked out (of course, for the 3rd time and will probably have another boy) and can't find a boys one.... it took us while to name both of our sons, while those girly names just sat there ready. oh well.

I've been furious cleanign all morning and my pelvis feels horrible.... i think i need to lay down with a book and ignore the world!

[Azreial]

Thanks for your kind words about the shower guys. I don't know why I am so hung up on it but I really am. I think it is because with ds people weren't very happy (i was 18, living at home, and df was/is a loser). My mum was very upset and I wasn't even going to get a shower until she was pushed into it. My shower ended up being on my due due : I wasn't much fun. My dad's family came and they were supportive and brought some nice gifts but since I did not think I was getting a shower and with it being so late it was already stuff that I had. They were all upset because my mum really messed the whole thing up.
So this time, I figured things would be different. This is the first grandchild for DH's family, he keeps telling me how excited everyone is. DH makes very little money, so I am the "breadwinner" We are planning on my being out of work for 6-7 months which means dh is going to have to get a 2nd or maybe even 3rd job so there just isn't going to be any extra money. His family all knows this. Then his mum, I guess, has been talking about having a shower in December since July but nothing has been said about it a quite awhile. MIL does not like me very much, or at least she didn't. I thought things were getting better for a few months but she's gone back to almost pretending I'm not there when we visit.
Then and I feel really petty complaining about this but my sister just had a baby in June. Her bf is abusive, she refuses to work full time, is always complaining to my mum that she has no money but she within the last six months has bought a brand new laptop, tv, stereo, and kitchen set. She also has money to buy endless toys for her older ds, spend 90+ a month on cable, and they always have money for partying. My mum and her bf pay for most of my sisters clothes, everything for her car (including gas and car washes) and buy quite a bit for food for her house. They they bought way more clothes then the baby could have ever worn, all of her maternity clothes, toys, they got her the crib, a carrier and lots of diapers. BUT I am supposed to feel bad for HER! "She needs our help" is what my mother always says. Never mind that I work full time, with a 1hr45min commute EACH way, the state doesn't pay for my child care, and yes my mother does pay for my car and insurance (I couldn't afford to drive otherwise) but she doesn't help me otherwise. I know I really should be used to these things by now but it really hurts when I know how much she got for ds2 for my mum and her boyfriend and I have gotten nothing

I'm sorry for the vent mammas, I've just been so emotional lately

[Pam_and_Abigail]

Great tip about the tablecloths! I've got a few!
My mw is recommedning absorbent disposable pads, and I'm wondering if anyone uses any kind of cloth alternative, or do yo`u pretty much need the disposable ones (obviously we've been giving birth without them for thousands of years, but what have people's experiences been?)

[Azreial]

Originally Posted by mamamaya

My name choices are Einin, which means "little bird", or Keeva, meaning "gentle spirit" They are gaelic names. Or else I would love to give the baby a flower name, or name it after some sort of bird, but I can't think of any good ones...Please help, :LOL

I Keeva. Its so beautiful and differnet but not difficult if you kwim

[Malama]

Azreial!
Complain all you want here! I think many families have that kind of un-even treatment with their kids. My dh's parents have spoiled his siblings way more than him- he resents it too. but then at the same time, i think he's better off doing his own thing w/o being as dependent on them.
I think part of the problem with having showers/blessingways now is that everyone gets so busy with holidays. It's a crazy time of year, and just when things start to slow down, well start having our babies.

Pam and Abigail. re: not-disposable pads. Birth is messy and chux pads (the throwaway kind) are certainly not NEEDED. but they make life a lot easier. When you're in labor, and leaking fluids, blood, whatever, it's very nice to have a large stash of something to change underneath you. Those pads can be annoying, but in messy birth, they are so easy to deal with. And then the clean-up for your birth is fast and simple. I think if i were gonna use reusable pads, I'd want to have a whole bunch so that i could always have a clean/ dry place to be.... that's just my .02
oh, but if you have a waterbirth? clean up is the easiest (just have a lot of towels on hand!)!

[3_opihi]

BTW, makana is gift, and makani is wind

oops! I always get those mixed up. See, thats why I need help! I'm leaning towards Keeva, which is actually spelled Caiomhe (but thats way too confusing) because my other two guys have K names...

I was looking around on the web, and I think I found a couple more cute ones. We'll just have to wait and see...

[Human_Being]

Originally Posted by Pam_and_Abigail

Great tip about the tablecloths! I've got a few!
My mw is recommedning absorbent disposable pads, and I'm wondering if anyone uses any kind of cloth alternative, or do yo`u pretty much need the disposable ones (obviously we've been giving birth without them for thousands of years, but what have people's experiences been?)

If you really want something reusable, just use lots of towels instead, but have LOTS on hand. And have lots of bottles of hydrogen peroxide, becasue it gets blood out the best. Tell your midwife your plan ahead of time. The hospital uses washable pads, they can be purchased from cascade
http://www.1cascade.com/professional...cts/underpads/
afterwards these could be good lap pads, or maybe good for a few other things.

I agreed waterbirth makes for the eaasiest cleanup!

A few disposable pads are so handy though. I'll be using those, but you do have these ooptions...Heidi

[3_opihi]

Azreial, I'm sorry about your fam. That really is a bummer

[3_opihi]

I had a waterbirth, but for the bed thing...we just used old sheets folded in thirds lengthwise, and then tucked under the mattress across the bed. Its how they used to do it in hospitals in the old days, from what I hear. Doesn't work unless you have lots of old sheets though.

[Delfina]

Azreial- I am so sorry you have to go through that trauma with your family! I know it must be hard, especially with all of the other emotions we experience throughout our pregnancies!!

Mamamaya - I like Keeva!!

[mamabeca]

Hey now - Az - woah. I kwym about the family thing. It's somehow just totally not fair, and yet there is just nothing you, personally, can do about it. It's same with dh over here. His parents have funded his two brothers for YEARS (like more than 20), including paying bills, spending money, paying for their kids etc. and never a thought to paying back. My dh has never taken anything but a few wedding gifts from them. They are, however, warm and generally very generous with themselves, so we don't complain. His Dad died a few months before dd was born. Now that we're sort of at that place with #2, I'm pretty worried about losing his mom (she IS 85, so it wouldn't shock anyone, but still...). At some point it's about something more than what they did or didn't DO for you, but what they've left you with. Try to detach a little bit more, so that it doesn't feel so personal. They're not telling you that you don't matter, that your job is inconsequential, or that you don't work hard enough. They're not saying that you aren't important to the family or that they don't love you. Know that they are probably really relieved that not EVERYONE in their family is completely dependent upon them, and they must feel a sense of "why can't they be more like this one?!", although if you are harbouring some illwill they will probably pick up on that, too. It is so hard to be the 'grown-up' around our parents, who we honestly believe should be grown-up, but you may have to pull it off for the babe and for your own sense of okayness, which seems to be suffering.

I have been really super emotional recently too. Crying over the littlest things and tears springing up at really weird moments. I guess in the end, it's important that your kids have a good relationship with your parents and in-laws, and that can't happen if you're unforgiving of their weaknesses. I hope any of this resonates...it's all stuff I've had to cope with too. And probably a zillion other moms out there!

I love the name Keeva too, it reminds me of Kiva which is a sacred ceremonial house in the Hopi/Navajo tradition. Round, very cool. Also I double the vote for disposable pads during the birth. The process in-hospital may not be perfect, but they do have the clean up part in fine tune. Although washable is so nice, you've then got a TON of laundry to do after you have your babe, and that's not a very appealing thing to have to look forward to... Ok, gotta go. Hang in there all! My leg cramps are a little better with the Mag Phos. Also switched Ca. supplement to one with more Mg. in it. I'm heading off to a 3 mile walk in a little bit, so we'll see... andy

[rubysmomjess]

Hi y'all!
Sounds like everyone is doing ok...
Azreial-I'm sorry about your baby shower. If you lived near me I would throw you one. We're not having one this time 'cause most of our friends are childless and only give toys and less than usefull stuff anyway.

I have been super emotional, too. although that pretty much been a constant through the whole pregnancy :LOL

I'm kind of not liking my midwife right now. When we interviewed her she sounded so hands off. Now she's testing my glucose levels every week and when I mentioned I was itchy she said maybe I should take another supplement just in case its a sign my liver is over taxed. Just what I want another pill... Plus it's now winter here and the air has been pretty cold and very dry, makes sense why I would be itchy, huh? My dh loves her...and I guess I"m too tired to change at this point. I just want to have my baby and have everybody leave me alone. It would be nice if the baby came before the midwives got there and then they could come in and help with clean up and making sure everyone is ok. Pam_and _abigail I think I am starting to really understand why you want to UC. It's not a desire to be crunchy it's more just to be allowed to trust my body and let things go naturally. Nobody checking on me and getting worried something's wrong.

I'll stop venting now ...wanna hear something cute? Dd made me "chocolate cookies" with the garlic press while I was making dinner last night