Weekly Thread Dec. 13-19 - Page 2

[cinnamonamon]

Jenelle, I'm no expert, but I believe that the optimal positioning is for baby's butt to be on your upper left side and his feet kicking you most often in about the middle of your right side. My midwife suggests lots of hands & knees, not leaning back & laying on left side as opposed to right side whenever possible.

I'm feeling a bit better this evening, I think that it's just that I'm so sore in the mornings, and dwelling on all the sleep I DIDN'T get, kwim? I managed to get everything on my "list" done, except I didn't take a walk, & I couldn't talk myself into a bra :LOL so I settled on a tank top w/ a bra-lette thingie. My girlfriend came over, though, so I tidied my house before that, and she brought her serger over, so I've been serging my new cloth tp and the rest of my mama pads...my dh thinks I've gone around the bend. :LOL I'm also going to make a couple pair of those fleece shorts/underwear for wearing with pads post partum (don't know if that was discussed here or on another thread...).

Anywho, back to serging (ooohhh... it's sooooo fast! ) while I'm in the mood. Hope everyone is feeling better this evening & that SOMEONE is in labor since I'm not!

[nannymom]

39 weeks and 3 days but who's counting...

First of all to everyone who is sick or has sick kids I hope everyone is better soon.

To everyone who has had babies that I might not have congratulated congratulations

Well, I am on maternity leave but i am at work. My bosses father fell off of his roof and I offered to come in tonight and stay with the kids so she could be with him in the hospital. It gives me a little break from my sister, her kids, and my DH. It is also so good to snuggle up to the kids I watch.

I am extremley uncomfortable and depressed. I have been waking up every night at 3:30 and laying in bed untill 5:30. Everyday that I wake up still pregnant I allow myself to cry into DH's chest for five minutes then I force myself to buck up and let it go. It sounds crazy but I don't think I am ever going to have this baby. I will be the only women still here and I will be the only women in the history of the world to carry her baby forever . I just can not even beleive I still have three days untill my due date and even that is just an arbitrary number. I am so cranky and moody and I just want to cry all the time. I feel so irrational. I will actually say to myself "Emily you will never go into labor so just stop thinking about it". Urgh! PLus I want people to stop guessing when I'll have the baby, stop saying oh your due date doesn't mean anything, or you look you are about to pop ( I really hate that expression). Yesterday at lunch my Mom informed me i could technically be pregnant for over 18 more days! My eyes actually welled up with tears and I just said what is wrong with you? I am so sorry for the rant but man it feels good to let it out to you guys.

To anyone actually over due my deepest sympathys and strongest wishes for labor!

[nikirj]

Thanks for the good wishes, guys. But...my DS now has pneumonia, a double ear infection, and is absolutely miserable. Thereby making me absolutely miserable. And totally worried still. He's not acting at all like himself, really, he isn't doing ANYTHING, isn't wanting to eat, doesn't particularly want to drink, has to be forced to take medicine. At least the doctor we saw today - someone we'd never seen before - was really good with him. That visit could have been really scary, especially with the chest x-ray and all.

DD has recovered. She went back to school today. DH took her there, I forgot about the logistics-problem to ensue and ended up slinging almost-40-lb DS on my back (which was surprisingly comfortable...) and walking to pick her up from school (DS just didn't have it in him to walk, even though it's only half a mile or so, which is nothing for him).

Oh! And further fun today! Our car has funky locks that sometimes don't work right (takes several tries to unlock the car) and sometimes lock spontaneously - well, I opened my door, threw my bag in the car, opened DS's door, closed mine...and the car locked. So yes, I ended up crawling my big 'ole pregnant self over the seats into the driver's seat (once I could reach the power locks, I figured I might as well just seat myself). We don't have an SUV or some hugemongous truck - we've got an 'elderly' Maxima, very little space. It was quite the trick. If anyone was watching, it must have been quite a show.

Ooooh, and I got a call today from my midwife saying she was doing a house visit really close to me tomorrow - like just over a mile away - and wanted to know if I minded moving our appointment to my house. Which would normally be wonderful, except that after nearly 2 weeks of sick kids and about 4 days of really-sick-needs-constant-attention DS, the house is in RUINS! I mean, DANG, she saw it last week how it usually is, which was bad enough, but this is ridiculous right now.

[whimsy]

Thursday's the day!

My c/s is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 7:30 am. At first I was disappointed to have another c/s, but I'm not now. I really researched and talked to my doctor and he is doing everything possible to make it a good birth experience and not just a surgical procedure. (His wife had 5 c/s so he's been on the other side)

He even went so far as to say that if I went into labor when he wasn't on call, he'd come in to do the c/s so I could have what I wanted.

I'm going to have the separation of my abdominal muscles repaired during the c/s. I'm pretty excited about that! I hope it helps with my posture and back pain.

Well, off to finish packing and getting ready.......

[shalena]

Hi ladies

Julian is doing great and seems to be thriving. I am so lucky to have a baby with such good nursing habits, his latch is usually perfect. My milk came in today, so I am dealing with a little soreness. I got out of the shower earlier and leaned over and it was like I turned the tap for my breasts on. Milk started pouring out onto the floor. :LOL I wasn't expecting that!

I'm doing well, and am feeling pretty good. My pelvic floor is sore as I'm dealing with a tear but I assume within the next few days most of the pain will be gone.

Julian sleeps pretty well, so far usually in the early evening for a few hours and then again from around 4:30-10 or later.
I don't really have much to say I just wanted to check in. Congrats to all you mommas with new babes!

Julian is hungry, so off I go.

[cinnamonamon]

Hey ladies:

This labor thing is HARD! Um, I know -- duh, but wow. Please nobody remind me it's going to get worse, k? I've been up since 7:30am and am getting pretty tired, but when I lay down the contractions are REALLY painful, & I don't usually get enough warning to move right beforehand. So I thought I'd come visit you all and say hi.

I can't believe I'm going to have a tiny baby soon! Hugs to you all -- and especially you, Niki -- I'm so sorry your ds is going through all that!

[Jessviola]

Carolynn
I hope you're holding your baby by now!!!

[Past_VNE]

I'm soooo excited for all of you with babies or in labor....and feeling so sorry for myself, like nannymom. DH and I feel like the baby's never going to come. I'm so ready for it and can't bear the thought of being pregnant for the normal 40 wks and 8 days for the first baby. I wanna go into labor NOWWWWWWWW!!!!......Wah...........

(okay...current pitiful attempt over.)

[EnviroBecca]

I am doing well, except that I lost my pants!!! : I am down to 2 pairs that fit (that don't have to be pushed so far down in front that they feel like they'll fall off at any second) and the navy ones, the nicer-looking ones, have vanished! They are not on the shelf where pants go. They are not in any of the laundry bags, which I fully emptied and strewed across the floor to make sure. They are not in the washing machine. They are not on the clothesline. They are not on the bedroom floor. :

Now I will have to wear purple pants for the entire rest of my pregnancy, except for the occasional day when I wash the purple pants and wear uncomfortable pants. (It is too cold for dresses here.) While this may help me visualize myself as a healthy eggplant, it's going to be annoying.

Oh, and my new waterproof bed pad fell apart when pre-washed (see thread under Family Bed) :, and last night I realized just how far from a nice nest our nursery is at this point--we have GOT to move the furniture this weekend! But the fact that these things are not sending me into sobbing despair must mean that my time is not yet near.

Nannymom and Jaclyn, it sounds like you will get there before I do!
Nikirj, I hope your baby hangs in there until your son is feeling better!

[Jenelle]

38 weeks 1 day

I just got on the site and see how many people have posted about having their babies - congrats to all!!!

I have been having so many computer problems lately, that I've hardly been able to get on and then when I do it is so slow that I can't reply to anything. : So while my computer is actually having a somewhat-good moment I wanted to post on this thread first!

I feel like there's so many things I've wanted to say over the last several days but now that I have the chance I've forgotten them!

Today I had a dr. appt. and I am still 1 cm. and "very soft". So... whatever that means (it actually means nothing at all, we know). I was in a foul mood leaving there because I was hoping for something closer to "OMG you're about to go into labor"... but I've decided now to just enjoy each day I have before the beautiful chaos comes. I don't want to be a total crank with my son each day - just because I can't wait to meet our new son - because we all know when the new one comes the older one is going to have enough of a transition to make. *sigh.*

Niki, sounds like you're really going through a lot.

Shalena, so glad to hear that things are going smoothly after all you had to go through to get to this point!

Envirobecca, I am with you on the wardrobe problems. I have ONE pair of "comfy" pants to wear around the house/to bed. I have TWO nightgowns that are comfortable, but one of them is a summer one so I freeze my a$$ off in it and the other one is a plaid flannel that really makes me look like an old woman. I've outgrown my cutest shirts - they're too short/tight. Jeans are either horribly uncomfortable or the low-rise ones that I have to "hike up" all day long.

On a good note, I have my Christmas shopping & wrapping all done, and packages mailed to the various relatives around the country. What a load off my mind... now I can go clean all the wrapping paper, bows, etc. off my dining room table and maybe we can actually eat at it!

[Lula's Mom]

ahhh, I feel for you ladies who are still pregnant and want your babies now. I promise it will happen soon.

Becca, you had me :LOL I read your post out loud to my mom. Healthy eggplant....

Niki, is your son any better? You must be so worried.

Marcos is a pumpkin. I want to eat him. He has a cleft chin and a freaking dimple in his cheek when he smiles- I swear it was put there to break my heart into a million pieces. He's nursing well, but he sleeps a lot during the day and then seems to be gassy at night, which makes him uncomfortable. And when he's uncomfortable, nobody's comfortable, you know?

I'm having a little trouble transitioning- I almost visited "I'm Pregnant", when I should be checking out "Life With a Babe"!

[nikirj]

My son seems a lot better. His cough is still there but after a couple of days of antibiotics, he isn't struggling for breath anymore and is sleeping much better. He seems a lot more like himself now, if crabbier, sleepier, and in general not up to par. At least he's talking to me again and walking around, and tormenting his sister. For a while there all I got out of him were weak yes/no answers and he didn't want to get off the sofa.

I'm a bit sick. I don't feel as bad as I imagine the kids felt and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get better from here.

And as if life wasn't fun enough, I tripped over a box last night and couldn't easily get my balance - I ended up injuring something in my hip (pulling a ligament or something). A trip to the physical therapist resolved a lot of the issues (seems my hips were pulled WAY out of line) but I'm still stiff and not walking so easy.

I feel like labor is an anytime-now proposition for me. I'm hoping to get through tomorrow without going into labor, we'll see where we go from there I suppose.

[nannymom]

39 weeks and 6 days

I don't have much to report but I am at work where I have DSL so I feel like I must post.

Nikijr- I am so sorry that your DS is so sick. I hope everyone is doing better in your household. you are having a sucktastic time.

past_VNE-

Tommarow is my due date and I am so certain I will not have this baby that not only am I at work today, but I am going to work half days on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday I have an apt. at the birth center and I just know I am going and it is so depressing. However, giving up on the baby actually coming out has helped my attitude improve by about 50%

Good luck and strong labor vibes to everyone still waiting.

[lauren]

Nannymom, I want you to know that just before I went into labor I had reached this resigned state of mind that the baby was never going to come out (i mean, really, i really did think this). So maybe it is therapeutic and helpful to come to this conclusion?....

Jenelle, if it makes you feel better, I have no Christmas shopping or wrapping done because I felt too awful while pregnant and overdue, and now it is impossible because I'm recovering from birth and didn't have the foresight to figure this out!! I'm not feeling well enough even to send my dh out shopping. At least my mom has sent some presents for the kids so if the big festivities get postponed, there will be something under the tree.....

Smiles and hugs to all of you.

[mamamoo]

nannymom...I felt the same way, I finally started telling everyone that the baby wasn't going to come out...ever! I went into labor the next morning. :LOL Good luck, I know the waiting is so hard.

Lauren I hear you on the christmas stuff...i wasn't very overdue or anything, but I just didn't have the energy or brain capacity the last few weeks I was pregnant to go shopping, and now with four kids?! Forget about it!! LOL We don't really have the $$ for it this year anyway...I was lucky enough to have some wonderful MDC mamas send us some stuff, so we will have a few gifts for each of teh kids, and I just got a card from my gma today with $60 in it so we are going to go get a tree sometime tomorrow. Yay!!

Hope all of the mamas still waiting get to meet their babies soon...I am so in love with my sweet dd, as are the kids and dh. She is so calm and sleeps a ton!! It's amazing.

[shalena]

Don't fret mommas, your babies will come soon!

Niki - I'm so glad to hear your son is getting better, get some rest and feel better too.

We've had some trouble usually around 3am-6am with Julian crying. I can't do anything to comfort him, and I feel terrible. Its like a little alarm going off inside my heart and it makes me feel so bad that I can't make him feel better. Its only happened twice now, last night and his second night home. I am wondering if it is something that I have been eating. Yesterday I had broccoli with dinner, and am wondering if that could have been it? I'm not sure about these things yet. :
There are other things that I just don't know about - like burping...I can try and try and am not able to get anything out of him. I've read my Dr Sears baby book on the different ways to do it, and neither seems to work for us. Eventually he'll let out a good loud fart though. Also, his umbilical cord, I can't keep it out of the diaper. :/ I've folded them down, but when I go to change him the diaper has either moved up over it, or has been pushing up on the bottom of it and irritating it. Is it supposed to bleed a little? It doesn't alot, but i've noticed a tiny bit every so often on the top of his diaper.
I'm so new at all of this.
At night he sleeps on his side sort of tucked up against me, it is so sweet and makes it easy to nurse. Whenever he wants it, he just nuzzles up against me and I wake up and feed him.
He nurses alot, probably twice an hour during the day or more, and has a perfect latch. I am so lucky.

Anyhow, just wanted to check in. I just made a big order for cloth diaper covers and can't wait until they arrive. Our diaper service starts thursday, and seriously, I can not wait to get him out of these disposables. I hate them. :

My shower swap gift still hasn't arrived. I've decided the mailman's probably stolen it.

[lauren]

Shalena- my firstborn had these kinds of issues and he was a boy. He nursed a lot in small increments and had major problems with gas in the middle of the night. I did try a lot of food elimination, and frankly can't remember anymore if it helped or not (he's almost 10 now!) because babies change so frequently that one doesn't know if you finally hit on the answer, or if something in their systems just suddenly matured. I do know it eventually resolved, and my dh and I took turns trying to console him. At times he wouldnt' nurse because that seemed to make him feel worse. Try different things. My dd loved bouncing on a big birth ball to help her feel better. Some like rocking, some swaying, some singing. There is also a gas discharge technique I picked up somewhere where you lay baby on his back and make his legs do bicycles and then gently press legs up toward his tummy (w/ knees bent). This used to relieve a lot of gas in my ds, but I think it was when he was a little older and had some meat on his bones. Can you go to a La Leche meeting to connect with other moms on some of this? Also post on Life w a Newborn or the nursing GEtting Started forums. I realize it is heartbreaking not to be able to soothe your baby!

Eliza is having the same problem with the diapers. The newborns are too small and the next size is rubbing on the cord. There has been a teeny bit of blood but as I recall this is not a big deal. I am waiting til I feel better to start the cloth because my dh is doing so much and I am not able to help at all. Don't want to add that bit of laundry to it all yet!

[Jessviola]

Shalena,

He sounds alot like my dd was. We'd be up all night trying everything to soothe her, but nothing worked consistently. She never burped or spit up either. It's a big blur now and I honestly don't remember when or how it stopped, but it did at some point.

As for the diaper rubbing the stump, I think it's normal to have a little blood on the diaper while it's still drying out. This was happening with ds and the dr said it's nothing to worry about.

[Jenelle]

Shalena, as long as he seems to be comfortable - don't stress out about the burping. With nursing they don't get so much air as with bottles, and some babies just don't burp or burp on their own eventually if they need to. Best of luck!

[cinnamonamon]

nak

ds2 - aiden stuart is here

light labor wed @ 7:30am, turned regular/more painful around 5:30pm

progressed slowly until 2:45 am on friday morning -- at that point was at 7cm, -1 or 0 station as had a bulging bag of waters in the way. m/w recommended breaking & i agreed.

checked me an hour or two later & discovered that baby was pointing head toward scar instead of down. at 8amish no change from that really (also i had gone backwards to -3 and a "floppy" 1 or 2 -- hard to tell as cervix had moved up behind ds's head). almost gave up, but m/w & her backup m/w had idea to have me do 2 contrax in each of 4 positions while "wiggling" to encourage ds to slide up, then down & in place.

that worked some, so we went back to keeping my contrax intense (owwwwww) to "get to work". then found out head now aimed toward pubic bone. at 7:15 pm, no change ( -1 station & dialated back to almost 6) -- head still almost stuck.

decided to go for c/s. baby born 10:37pm friday. staff thought i was crazy, but was nice to me. aiden had funny shaped cone cause of wierd position -- and not little like ds1 (6 lbs. 18 in. 1 wk early). ds2: 8lbs 4oz, 20 1/2 in. & 1 wk late!

home from hospital, feeling ok, except forgot to get pain meds, so dh is out w/ ds1 getting them...it hurts when they wear off!!

hugs to all, will have more chatty post when feeling better -- oh ds2 nurses great, except that he never wants to wake to nurse. got pic of both tandem nursing