Jan. Mamas Dec. 19-25 - Page 2

[Human_Being]

Hi everyone....

We are going to start seeing baby annoucements anyday from you early Jan folks....

I loved seeing the belly pics. Husband is currently modifying our old wedding web page to add a place for baby stuff, so we'll probably put belly pics up there. I'll let you know. It is fun to see all your bellies and put faces (and bellies) to the names.

Kathy, I just had a mom to be who went 38 weeks last time go 41 weeks 3 days with #2. She had an appointment for a green card at 41 weeks, and worried about it the whole time she would miss it. (It takes 1 1/2 years here to get another appointment if you miss it!). She even wanted me to go with her. She kept that baby in till the appointment was over! I see that al ot, if that helps. If there is a reason not to go into labor, many don't. Last time this girl went into labor after she picked her mom up from the airport, which was the milestone she worried about in that pregnancy.

I am 34 weeks, three days....No more preterm labor, that's mostly a memory. Still getting my nice weekly work up of midwfe appt (my cervix was long and closed, it was pretty short and soft before), then accupuncture (she said I am better don't need bed rest, but still take it easy), then massage with earth-grandma friend (she's doing this weekly as a gift , and then good nurturing food form her. Finally have time to go to the chiropractor again too, which is good cause my low back kills. I love having healer friends that can give me the five star treatment for free!

Otherwise, I had a busy week with two births I attended as midwife. They were lovely and short. Baby was not liking the noises of a long pushing phase though...I am feeling mor eopen in lots of ways and after that birth i was feeling kind of done and ready to just focus on me...one more birth, which will happen this week, to go to and then I can be off work for good. Also had our big birth center holiday party Saturday night, which was fun and well attended. I just ate too much weird party food that kept me up all night...

My cousin/mom/sister planned my shower and it became a pain, they ...the timing, the who to invite, etc. Was a quite pain actually. It is the day after christmas. I hope I feel better about it as the time nears.

I am waking with horrible heartburn, I feel like I can only sleep good on an empty stomach---I end up vomiting at 3:30 am half the time. Yuk. Having a that low back pain, too, which make sme feel like a little old lady. In last week's thread you were talking about not carrying things. It does feel kinda lazy, but it is a pain to bend over, etc. If I drop something it's a double "darn", one that I dropped it, one that I gotta figure a way to get it up...

ANyway, everyone take care, enjoy having your other kids at home if this is your school week off...Heidi

[LEAW]

Brrrr! it's cold here! 5 out, with windchills to -20, and my coat doesn't close anymore!!!! We have a really old house (with really old windows!) and we never close the curtains in the living room because we like to look out... but last night it was like sitting outside, the drafts were so strong! So I closed the BIG heavy curtains and it's almost warm in here now.

It's nice to see pictures of everyone! I thought there might be a decent one of either me or belly in our gallery, but none of them are very good. Dh has taken pictures of me/belly recently so I'll try to get him to upload those instead. The ones from T'giving/shower all have boxes in front of my belly.

MW appt. today. Last week she and I agreed on a plan of attack for the gbs. Apparently the labs just do a +/- on the swab, they don't bother to check and see if any of the abx are resistant. What a waste of information to not do that! In college I had a long string of abx resistant uti, so I always made them grow and check for resistance before taking the abx. In all the medical stuff I've been reading, they suspect at least 5% resistance to penicilin, and 5-20% resistance to ampicilin. That's just too high for me, since the drug of choice at our hospital is ampi! So today we'll reswab, check urine too, and I'll be on my way.

Dh has been giving pep talks to my belly about showing up before the end of the year for tax credits. I laugh at him when he does this, and I am really hoping that this babe is late, not early. 1/3 is the Monday after New Year's, which means all of our family/friends will be going back to work after being home, dh's grandparents will be on their way to Florida for 2 months, and the family from Germany will be home as well. I really don't want to deal with all of these people and a first babe at the same time. So 1/3 or later cuts down all the people on vacation who MUST meet the baby, sends my SIL back to school during the day instead of insisting on being here, and makes my life generally happier.

Since I have to go out in the crazy cold today, I'm going to stop and get blinds for the bedrooms (ours are old icky metal ones) and we need food too. The fridge is remarkably empty. Tomorrow dh and I are meeting the backup mw - mine is going on a cruise from xmas to new year! I told her we'd be glad to go with her so she can catch this babe. But I'm sure babe will hang on for her to return, jetlagged and sunburned, to catch this babe.

Have a good one, I'm enjoying the first day of break.

Lisa

[pixiexto]

Good morning & happy Monday everyone! Am I the only one who loves the beginning of the work week? I just feel so scattered and aimless on the weekends. DH is still going strong on the last bit of his thesis, so the weekends aren't really weekends for us, if that makes any sense.

Well, I seem to be making up double time this week for my earlier posting lags!

Proudmom, I completely understand what you are saying about not being sure if you want someone else there for the birth. We are in a similar situation; DD will be around 2 1/2 when the baby comes. We have 2 midwives, one of which can act as a bit of a support to Tessa if DH is either a) involved with me or b) not here. Also, what we've decided is to have a supply of people at the ready to come and take her if that becomes necessary. We don't have any family within 2,500 miles, and since we only moved here in late August there is no one I feel close enough to that I'd want them at the birth. I think I'm a pretty private birther anyway, so the thought of more people does not = merrier to me! If it's any comfort, my midwife has attended over 1,000 births and says she has wonderful experiences with small children present. She doesn't feel that we *need* anyone specific for DD, and both herself and our other midwife are happy to give her a snuggle if she needs it. Maybe talk to your midwife about it?

Heidi, thank you so much for sharing your experiences! I have heard from many people now how powerful the will can be in determining when labor happens, and I believe baby will wait for Daddy to come home I'm glad that pre-term looks to be a thing of the past. It sounds like you are getting lots of great pampering! Sorry that you're getting the heartburn. Ugh, now is the time you want to enjoy that night of sleep, hey? Can you have something very light before bed to help soothe your tummy without it keeping you awake? Maybe even a glass of chocolate soymilk would help? (SILK tastes great!)

Lisa, are you Canadian? I notice you say -20, and I can't imagine that's F! We are transplanted Canadians ourself, and trying to adjust to a mild AL winter. Of course, this morning's temperatures of -6C/21F is helping out a LOT with that! :LOL Enjoy meeting your backup midwife tomorrow!

[LEAW]

Kathy, Oh no, not Canadian.. just stuck in Ohio in the snow belt! -20 windchill is NOT my idea of a good day to go out, especially since none of my maternity clothing fits now, and I can't zip my coat! Usually December is just 33-40, we rarely have snow for xmas, but this is one freak cold snap that is supposed to last at least through the weekend. 100 miles south of here it's just as cold, but no snow. Go figure.

It's funny, I told dh that my last day of work (last Fri.) would be the last time he'd see me in normal clothing, that I intended to wear pjs and sweats from here on out. Sadly, when I put on a pair of pants this morning, I couldn't get them to go more than 1/3 up my belly, and they wouldn't stay there. So I AM wearing a pair of red sweats that come up over my belly (oh I look so lovely!) and I'm headed out into the wild cold of the Cleveland suburbs. If I weren't carrying a hippity hop on my stomach, I might be embarrassed to go outside.

Going to leave a honey do list for dh - he'll be home for lunch after his final exam but I'll be gone by then. I really want him to dump the camera into a folder so I can play with the pics, and maybe put one up here. Came up with some great birth annc. to make too, but that really depends on baby being here for xmas, although I have been thinking about how to modify them for a new year's babe.

Lisa

[jessitron]

Kathy, I'm glad you've found some peace about your DH's trip. Did he move the interview up to the 10th? It's good that they'll fly him home if you do go into labor.

Beautiful pictures! thanks for posting, everyone. Karen, what a lovely belly.
My friend took some great pictures of my yesterday. I'll upload them in a day or two.

Lisa, have you tried wearing your husband's coat? That's what I do. It goes all the way around the belly.

Last night I wore myself out making lasagna. We have a carry-in dinner tonight (goodie) and I made an extra to freeze until the birth. How industrious.

For a Christmas present, DH bought me one of those big puffy round stuffed animals that are in carts in the middle of the malls lately. Have you guys seen those? He bought me the frog. I laugh every time I look at it, it is so funny.
He had to give it to me early because he couldn't figure out how to wrap it. What is it with men and wrapping? Another one he just taped the store bag closed, a third was gift-wrapped at the store, and the last one he put in a shoe box and had me wrap it.

Hurray for Christmas, in five more days! Is anyone else travelling? We're driving 7-8 hours on Friday to my extended family in Tennessee. It'll be worth it because they'll make a big deal out of me.

[Malama]

Happy monday morning! It's 7:30 am and I'm already feeling like it'll be a lazy day.... our fridge is deperately in need of some veggies, but the thought of dealing with the masses (well sort of, I live near a smallish town) is too icky to me. We'll see if I can brave the outdoors later.

andy- you look great. Kudos to you for going out in that cold- brrrr- and baring your belly- though I'm sure that the little one is helping keep you warm. And your Halloween costume was sooooo funny! I love the shot from the back!

re: the kids at the birth theme (which seems to be a reccuring theme for many of us!). I have been to plenty of births where there were kids/ toddlers with no extra support person. Mostly they've been perfectly fine- seriously. It depends on the kid and what they are like. I can only really recall one girl who the dad went to wake up when mom was ready to push who freaked out.... she would only have her mom come get her (in transition, out of the tub, to carry her daughter into the other room). But this was a kid who was 3 and had ONLY bonded with her mom- never had been alone with anyone else- not even dad.... so it's unusual.
You sort of have to follow your gut on this one and think about your child and what triggers him/ her.
If you have mw(s) there, who the kid is comfy with, then does it sound feasible for your kid to sit with them while the birth is happening? or for one of them to get them a drink/ food, etc...?
I've also seen that the mom will labor lightly during the day and then when the kid goes to sleep for the night, things start happening.
you just never know.

Heidi- you're STILL attending births! wow! I miss the mamas and the births and kinda offered my partner mw to come if she needs me, but she's so snesitive to putting me out. Doesn't want me to have to drive far and all that. I'd love to be there for soem fast ones though!
sorry to hear about the heartburn too!!! I'm, thankfully, getting it much more infrequently these days and I'm thrilled about it!

My dh completely freaked yesterday when I mentioned that if this baby is like my last, that it could be here in 2 1/2 weeks. OMG! He just was thinking that Jan is way far off or something.... hah! I know it's easier having them inside, than out, but I'd sure like to not have SOOOO much pelvic pressure. ack!

sorry for the tome!
Karen

[Human_Being]

You CAN get ABX sensitivity on GBS

Lisa, for your information....you normally just get postive /negative result on a b-strep test, but the midwife can ask for ABX sensitivity as well. It is available but not done routinely. You can ask for it even after the test is submitted, (like you did your appointment before you read this) because they grow out the culture for three days, so it will be at the lab.

They do sensitivity testing just like in Microbiology in college- then they'll put a few little disks of various antibiotics on the grown out culture in the petri dish and see what one makes a big enough kill circle to count as sensitive.

I do this occasionally if someone is allergic to a particular antibiotic and has strep. Just have the midwife ask for a culture and sensitivity, and indicate if there are any antibiotics classes you are allergic to, or specifically want sensitivities on.

Heidi

[3_opihi]

Ok, I have two words for you mamas...Cold Stone. Its like a little slice of heaven :LOL They just opened one here, and OMG -its fabulous. (Its an ice cream place, where you pick the flavor and they mix it up right there for you)

I am so jealous of everyone who lives in cold weather. I miss the snow so much! Its just not Christmas without it. Plus, its friggin' hot here - especially at night, and it makes it even harder to get comfy at night.

Kathy, I'm so glad things are working out, and I bet your little one hangs on until papa is there. I really believe birth has its way of working things out like that.

On children, I suppose its really an individual thing. My three year old was at home alone with me for all of my last labor, up until the last half an hour when I started barfing and HE started barfing...so my sister took that as a cue that maybe it was starting to get to be a bit much for him, and took him for a walk. I think it was a really great last kind of "him and me" bonding experience. If that makes any sense. Anyways, it was very special.

Ok, that's all I really have to say for now. I can't sit in this chair for very long or my butt falls asleep. Have a great Monday! I love seeing all your pictures.

[Malama]

Originally Posted by mamamaya

Ok, I have two words for you mamas...Cold Stone. Its like a little slice of heaven :LOL They just opened one here, and OMG -its fabulous. (Its an ice cream place, where you pick the flavor and they mix it up right there for you).

OK, I'm in shock cuz we've had a Cold Stone here for a while now (at least a year).... BEFORE you? What's up with that??? Hilo is soooooo slow usually, LOL!

I actually prefer Baskin Robbins- I think it's a comfort food thing because I went there growing up- and I still get the same flavor every time- jamoca almond fudge- now THAT'S heaven!

[fromscatteredtribe]

i can see that my opinions about children in labor are going to be really unpopular here, although like i said in real life all the midwives i meet make it clear early on that there needs to a plan of action regarding children that does not include them or the birthing couple. it's not so much that i think they can't handle it. one of the reasons we choose homebirth is because we want to participate as a family together, but i see the practical side of having extra care too. we have gone out of our way to build and sustain relationships here in our new home state (far from most of our loved ones) to ensure that we have that kind of support for this birth. although i am still not sure who i want there myself, i need several options and my plan has to get put in place soon. in a hospital birth i would never dream of asking a labor/delivery nurse to hold my child or an OB to go get her a juice box, etc. that just isn't their job. the midwives are hired to care for the birthing mother and child and when they bring an assistant they are usually there to observe the birth. i love my midwives and they are great with the kids, but i am selfish and want their attention the whole time (even if i don't NEED them to do anything for me at the time). i think it is better that my three little guys (ages 6.5, 4.5, and 2) have someone doting on them while dha nd the professionals i've hired dote on me. later we will work out the balances but birth is really emotional and intense and amazing and i want to give my full attention to the process. i don't want crowds of strangers or people who make any of us uncomfortable either, so we've spent nine months trying to build relationships. we've had to anyway because two of our kids have suffered pretty bad asthma over the years and have needed to be hospitalized. without extra support (especially during RSV season when kids can't come to the hospital) i'd always have to be alone with the sick child and not see my other children or husband.

[LEAW]

Jessi, yes, I've been threatening dh to take his coat. He has another one he can wear for a few days. So far I've taken everything else of his, so he shouldn't mind too much.

Heidi, yes I know - that's why I was so annoyed! You'd think given the frequency of resistant gbs they would do everyone! She did another culture this morning and sent it to the hosp. lab (it's faster) for the sensitivity. Sent urine as well, as that seems to be a bigger factor in the literature for infection when abx aren't used. We also have a strong family history of BAD reactions to pcn, the fun reactions that end you up in the hospital unable to breathe and packed in ice for a few days... so I haven't taken pcn since I was very small, and my MW says that's actually a big risk for me, and so they are checking to see if the other abx are going to work if I need them (fever or whatnot)...

Oooh we've had a cold stone for a loooong time.. over a year too, but I've never been. It's actually in one of the not so snobby neighborhoods, but they seem to be all over in the suburbs too!

So much for my first day of vacation - once I left for the mw this morning, it's been nonstop all day. Grocery, mall, bookstore, to mom's for cookies (mmm!) and grocery again. Ran into my favorite in-law at the second grocery, she lives in our neighborhood.. now it's time to make dinner and get off my feet.

MW today was very open to the literature I brought on hibiclens and said she'd be glad to help me use it if that's what I wanted. She also measured me w/o looking at my chart first, and freaked out a bit when the numbers didn't match last week - I guess I've dropped a good bit, as she got wide eyed looking at last week's 38 cm.

It's not bitter nasty cold here now, it warmed up to a whopping 17 today. I have a full length down coat that I'd love to be wearing, but no go, it's even smaller on my belly than my short coat.

Xmas is done, with the exception of a few small things to wrap and a gift for my brother. Not sure what to get him, but he needs household stuff, having finally moved out on his own.

Lisa

[mamabeca]

Hey now - well, it made it up to 5 here today (brrrrrrrr) - that's about -5 with the wind chill, and it was really windy today! We ARE talking Farenheit, to avoid confusion. I can only dream of being too hot to sleep... The streets are icy, the car doors iced over after we took the car in for a wash (what WAS I thinking?!?!), the dog doesn't want to poop (just a little too much exposure?!)...fairly brutal. I think this is the same cold wave that's in Ohio, too.

We aren't planning on having anyone help out with dd (but she's 6 now). We do have a fall back plan - a neighbor she loves to go to who will take her at night. If things get hairy during the day, she can go to a friend's place here in town. We, too, have no family in the vacinity. I am expecting dh to take care of the detail work with her, but she'll be pretty much in her element, and aside from the first phase of the first stage, I don't think I'll be all over the house... I tend to stay in one room and just move positions (ok, between the one room and the bathroom) and the basement downstairs is a little haven for her, with a almost all of her toys etc. With 3 midwives and a doula, there should be enough of us to go around and include her. I can only recommend that you listen to your instincts on the kid - adult ratio. You know your child(ren) best, so do what you need to to take care of their needs, too.

HB'ers, just wondering if anyone has bought candles that are NOT scented... just in case the scent becomes overwhelming... I'm not real sure on this one, so probably I should just go and get some. It's not real likely we'll use candles for anything other than mood lighting, but it I just now thought it might be good to have some on hand that aren't too stinky, kwim?

'kay, must prep dinner or the family will start to bite each other! Take care all, andy

[Malama]

scattered tribe- I don't think your opinion on the kids at birth issue is unpopular at all! When i had my 2nd son, my first was about 3.5 and he had 2 different caregivers. There was also 2 mw there and my dh. I think it was perfect for him at that age and all worked out well.

I did learn that for myself, that I don't like having a lot of people around me-hovering, looking, making noise, or anything, so it's better for ME not to have more than 1 mw or just to go with the bare minimum, in general. In my case now, my sons are 8 and 12, so they're not going to be crying for stuff while I labor- they are very self sufficient boys.

Every person/ situation/ kid (s) is different. If I had younger kids, I'd probably have another person (s) there for them, but in my case, i think (at least at this moment in time) that we'll be ok. I haven't discussed it wtih the boys yet though and ultimately what they want will be it.

[pixiexto]

scattered tribe, I have to second (third?) what others have said. Your view isn't unpopular at all! I think it just shows how you know best what works for your family, and that makes all the sense in the world. It's wonderful that you've forged such strong relationships within your new community

[LEAW]

Andy, lol, I've been putting our dog out w/o her leash because she can't stand to squat in the snow long enough to go, nevermind trying to run away to explore the neighborhood.

Children/adults thing - I think I'd prefer nobody extra around me either, but if I had other kids, I'd want them attended by someone - and that someone would have to be understanding of the fact that I didn't want to see them during labor, that I just wanted them to amuse the kids. Perhaps if we ever get to live in our entire house instead of just a portion, I'd be able to do that - labor upstairs while the kids were down, or whatnot.

Dinner is ready! Mmmm smells good!

Lisa

[Celtain]

Went to the Dr today. Got checked again, 2 cm dialated. Woo Hoo. Only 8 more to go!!!! Don't worry, I'm not kidding myself, I know the last 8 aren't going to be as painless as the first 2, LOL.

He feels HUGE. I can't imagine being pregnant for another 3 weeks. I swear he doesn't have any more room in there.

OT- DH is reading Jamberry to the kids and it is sooooooooo cute!!!!

[Azreial]

I feel like I am the only one not having dc there for the birth. I thought about it but I just didn't see it working for us for a few reasons. One of which is I just don't see how I could work on birthing with him there I just think I would be too worried about what was going on with him. The other is that he can really be such a wimp about things, just like his mama. We talked about how he will be coming to the b/c after the baby is born and he got all serious and asked "after the blood is gone right" soooo I just can't see that he would do too well.

Its cold here too but not as cold as some of you other mamas. But we got snow

I've had terrible cervix pain all evening. I feel like the little one has a finger or two jammed right about against it. Plus I have shooting pain down both of my theighs. Sorry I can't spell at all tonight and I don't care enough to even attempt to make it right.

DH and I are going to see the Rocketts tomorrow night with my mum and her bf. I'm really not looking foward to this, but mum's bf really really likes us to go to shows with him and he does so much for my family that I can't really tell him no. I just know I am going to be regretting it. I'll be up at 5:30AM for work, then I'll work all day and then a 20minute walk to meet up with them. I think we're having dinner before the show. The show doesn't have start until 7:30 I imagine its 3 hours long, so say 10:30ish it will be out and then we have an hour drive back to Gloucester. Then I have to get up at 5:30 the next morning. Oh well at least I have a short week at work.

I'm off to the bath yet again, I need to shave

[mamabeca]

Hey Az - yikes! You may just want to bail...even if dh goes along. I've done that once already. Noone seems to mind when preggo mama slips out to go home, but dh stays to enjoy the evening. I think being 8 months pregnant is a REALITY not an excuse. Well, if you brave it, I hope it's a GREAT show!!!

Leenie - I can't believe you're actually dialating already! I'm not due for another month, so maybe that's my denial, but ... WOAH! Are you ready for this!? You seem pretty pumped!

Lisa - congrats on finishing x-mas prep! I still have dh to buy for. he's getting a remote control VW bug car (you know, the little ones that zoom all over the house), and a DVD and a bunch of chocolates for his stocking, but I was hoping to find something in the tool dept., he's very handy. I just usually end up getting him a gift card, which is SO not big-box wrapable. I'm not very crafty (I've been working on the same knitting project for like 2 months and have only made about 12 lines (HA!) so far), so making stuff isn't really a win-win... well, I guess it'll come to me. Good for YOU!

Ok, I think I'm going to go shower and read in bed under the duvet. Big guy is watching the game, little girl is snoring deeply. If I stay awake it'll be my turn to walk the dog (LOL!). It has dropped to below zero w/o wind chill, so my butt is feeling like it REALLY wants to just snuggle down and read. If I had more energy I might shave some part or another of me, but bending in the shower is about as appealing as washing the ceiling! HA!

[LEAW]

Az - if you make it through dinner, maybe you can get some of that mysterious 3rd trimester illness and go home I don't know that I could handle an entire show in a seat. Maybe on my ball and with space to move!

Andy, hehe, poor dh is getting a dvd burner for his mac from me. He's terribly excited about this, even though we don't have a video camera to make any movies with, and aren't really video people and aren't planning to get one. My parents got him a leaf blower, which I think is hysterical. Our front yard is huge and has some extra large trees, and we just always rake it up. This year my dad laughed when he heard that, and got the blower.

It's not as evil cold here, it's more like normal mid-Jan. and cold, but not cold enough to cause pain in my fingers and toes. I actually did shave my legs yesterday, sort of. I can feel some bad spots I missed, but I'm not really worried about that. And not very interested in fixing it today.

We're meeting the backup mw today too, I think baby will decide if s/he likes the mw, and end up waiting until mine comes back from vacation to arrive.

Lisa

[jessitron]

Az, I heard that the Rockettes are an awesome show. It sounds exhausting, but I hope you have enough energy to enjoy it.

Lisa, my DH likes his leaf blower, although he usually switches it to suck mode and bags the leaves with it. Personally, I'd prefer he use the rake - it's quieter.
You're probably right about your baby waiting for your midwife to come back. Let us know how you feel about the backup.

My DH is getting a big knife, DVD, game, and a mandoline from me. I love that he gets excited about kitchen tools.

Andy, funny about the twelve rows in two months. I ordered a learn-to-knit kit and am really hoping it comes in time for me to work on it during the long car trip. It is supposed to be here tomorrow. Goodie.

Shaving just isn't important anymore, is it? I'm down to once a week on the pubic area and every three days or so on my legs. That would have driven me nuts a year ago.

No heartburn here, but my hips and groin are awful. Laying down is miserable, and moving after having been laying down is the worst. Last night it was bad. I called my chiropractor and am going in to see him in an hour. Maybe he can counteract whatever the baby's been doing by pressing his fist into my hip.

My midwife's husband says my baby is a boy. Apparently, he's been right hundreds of times on guessing the gender, and only wrong once or twice. He's more accurate than ultrasound. Boy, okay, DH will be happy, the rest of the family will be disappointed, but at least we can stop arguing about girl names.
Last night we met a woman named Evalene, and I love the name. DH likes Evalyn, but that looks like a typo.