The First April Thread - Page 3

[jessikate]

I haven't read most of the thread, but I just wanted to pop in and say that tonight might be the night for me... I'm feeling like I need to get up and nest NOW...

I'll update when I can!

[heket]

Originally Posted by wasabi

I have another online friend who is really big on knowing what position her baby is in and mine never mention it. Is it really that big of a deal? Mine is on a different side almost every single week. I have been thinking of trying a chiro though because my back pain is getting so bad and is so localized I'm thinking it might be due to a problem with my back or hips.

It probably varies. I know that my MW's concern is that the baby might be delivered posterior -- not impossible, but if we can make it an easier birth on both of us, KWIM? Plus, I haven't been the best exerciser and the chairs at my work don't promote an upright posture (nor do the bucket seats in my car or the seats on my commuting train.... ) Also, I've been having a lot of ligament pain on my left side, which she thinks my be from carrying dd. She suggested that I do more pelvic rocking too. Right now, it's all preventative measures, and I'm all for anything to make this birth much smoother than dd's...

Thanks Q. Last time this happened, I was 7 months pregnant with dd. Only I was working full time, so it was much easier to make ends meet. I happen to be the one with a greater bread winning potential, but I really wanted to spend some time at home with dd. That's why I took the part time position. But at times like this, I wonder if I just should've sucked up and went back to full time...

[wasabi]

I understand the concern I guess I've just had back labor for at least part of all three of my previous deliveries but they always turn at some point. Of course my babies never drop until I'm pushing so maybe that's part of it. They can get in the perfect position and be somewhere else in 30 seconds. :LOL

Good luck Jess!

[Boof]

My squirmy little Sprout moves from left to right a couple times a day! Last week my MW couldn't figure out which side baby was on until she found the heartbeat on the right. Sneaky baby!

So when does the second April thread start? lol

xoxoxo

Beth

[J-Max]

I haven't posted on this thread yet, we are just a little busy .

The biggest news is that Zanymom is in labor!!!! She posted in our local thread in FYT. She went in around 3 this morning.

I hope your babies all come soon (or not!) What ever you want. I totally understand not being ready for the baby to come, maybe it is a 3rd baby thing?

I am sorry for those of you with sick little ones, I hope they get well soon. We have a really bad cold going on here. Me and both little ones have an awefull cold. Abby (6 year old) is on spring break and does not have this cold, so she went to my parent's house for a few days. It is much easier to deal with 2 sick babies that just want to be held with out the healthy child that needs attention and wants to do something other than sit on the couch

In other baby news, my registered (pampered) show cattle are getting ready to calve! We moved most of the cows up by the house last week and will move the rest of them up here tonight. I am really glad that Lillian is a month old instead of a few days, since I really need to be able to help.

Sorry this is so long! I send happy easy birth vibes to those that are ready!

[proudmamanow]

Hi everyone! Fun that we're getting so chatty...we are definitely getting near the end. I'm now at 38w6d, 39 weeks tomorrow. I am feeling pretty ready (although I still haven't done our taxes : ) I just got back from a lovely visit with my sister in Montreal yesterday, it was great to just hang out together & chat. She is heading off to grad school in Mass. in June, so we don't have too much time left to hang out . It was great to do a day trip, I just don't really feel comfortable being away overnight right now.

We had our homevisit on Monday with the mw, which overall went very well. It's great to have 'our' mw back...I really like her and she has reccommended that I start EPO so I'm doing that as a suppository & RRL. Anyone have any EPO experience? I'm not sure whether to put the whole capsule in, or to prick it, or to put more than one....???

Also, my bp was up for the first time ever this pg, which I found a bit distressing, but the mw says that given I'm already off work, I just need to keep taking it easy, she wasn't at all concerned, and since I feel completely Ok otherwise & the baby is moving just as much, I'm not too concerned (just a bit). She said the baby is on the left side (we keep thinking the baby is moving...) and that s/he is a bit more posterior than would be ideal, so I also think I will be trying to sit a bit less on our super reclining couch & more on the birthing ball!

Miz-thanks for the supportive words for dw, she really needs them right now. Her mentor teacher is being very difficult and insisting that she come back after the baby comes even though she's already taught WAY more than required for her practicum.

Rainbow: thanks for the belly compliments

Jessmcg -thanks for letting us know that Zanymom is in labour, cool! sending her great birthing vibes. Hope your family gets better & the calving of your cows goes well too!

Wasabi and Boof-yeah our baby has been moving around too, which is why I'm not too concerned that baby is a bit posterior.

Heket that sucks about the job stress for your dh, what bad timing! I hope something works out quickly that is ideal for all of you!

Qerratsmom on the prelabour activity.... I hope everyone gets there on time when it's the real thing....

Seren hope you both feel better soon!

FreeRange I love the image of you and your boys at the beach I think I will try to convince dw to go for a walk on the beach tonight, if it's warm enough....

Jessikate!! how exciting to you and great birthing vibes....look fwd to hearing your news!

:

[seren]

WAH!!!!!!!!!!! Know what is in my top 3 things I hate the most? Being puked on. And right now I can't even begin to imagine what the other two are. Except maybe the smell of thrown up cereal. I just wanna go back to bed and restart the day differently. So Sam was absolutely fine yesterday and he's sick again today. *sigh*

I saw the evil midwife yesterday. I've been seeing her the last two or three weeks and it's been ok. Last time I lost 3 lbs in one week and she said that was great, my sugars were great, etc. Well, yesterday I gained 3 lbs. And all of a sudden my fasting sugars are too high. They are under what Anita (the other midwife) said for them to be under and are the exact same as last weeks. She wants them under 90, Anita says under 105. She even was talking about insulin. I came home and told dh that I refuse to start taking insulin. If my sugars changed and were too high, then I would take it, but just because I gained weight (I am 34 weeks pregnant afterall) and now my sugars aren't good enough. I just won't do it. I think it's stupid. I don't see a risk to my baby since they are the same they have been. I guess I'm just cranky.

[wasabi]

Yuck Serenity. I hate it when one midwife makes you so comfortable and the other acts like you're in bad shape. It's like whiplash. Happened all the time with my last pg over the baby's size. I'd even measure smaller with my favorite midwife.

Jesse I started EPO vaginally at 37 weeks and added fish oil orally at 38 weeks. I just put the capsules in at bedtime. They melt very quickly so I don't think you really need to prick them. FWIW I dropped one and rinsed it off prior to insertly and made it mushier than normal and I don't think I really managed to get it in very far. So from my experience it seems better to not prick them. I'm inserting three 1000mg capsules and taking 3 1000mg capsules in the morning. I only took it orally with DD I think about 1500mg a day starting at 36 weeks and I don't think it really did anything or at least nothing that the exams were picking up. I've refused all exams so far so I have no idea what's going on in there. In my dreams I'm totally effaced and there's nothing to disprove that. :LOL

[proudmamanow]

thanks wasabi --the caps seem to melting ok (though I'd only been doing one, maybe I'll up that). I'm also not having any exams since they don't seem to give any useful info.

Oh and I forgot to mention I'm GBS neg. so I'm really pleased about that.

Seren how awful to be getting all that stress...just what you need right now : Good for you for refusing the insulin!

[wasabi]

Waiting for the GBS swab was why I waited until 37 weeks. Didn't want to risk putting anything in there until I got the all clear. Yay for being negative!

[speedknitter]

Hi everyone!
This is getting exciting!!!!

Last night had my first real "get this baby outta me now" experience. I have been feeling so good, just little stuff, but last night at 4 am I woke up with hearburn, some mild BH contractions, ribs hurting and a VERY awake baby with the hiccups and the wiggles

38 weeks tomorrow! Just have to hold out through the weekend so DH can make it to a race that he really wants to do. I am going to tag along for the day, the track is only about an hour away so think it should be OK, and there's always an ambulance at the racetrack anyway just in case. Who knows, Penelope Pitstop could be born at Turn 2 at Sears Point Raceway!!!

I have definitely been nesting both at work and at home...finally getting my office at work set up to be able to have a little one here with me, and also setting up computer and login stuff so I can work from home, too. I traded my old Mazda 323 GTX for an Audi Station Wagon.

Take care everyone!!!

Susn

[Rainbow]

Can I ask why midwives are suggesting EPO? I know it is natural, but isn't our body made to do this without intervention? I can see if I went over... but I"d be suprised if she suggested it just for the sake of doing it... you know?

[proudmamanow]

Rainbow: Actually, I wasn't clear--I suggested EPO in a conversation we were having about getting ready, in the context of how often first time moms go late (and my mom was VERY late with me), and she agreed that it was something I could try. I tend to see it as akin to meditating, drinking RRL, more of a support what the body's already doing/toning thing than an induction intervention, kwim? But I can see how it could be seen as an intervention too....I was surprised though that she mentioned stretch & sweep of membranes too, as she has been totally hands off up until now. I said no, and she didn't push it in the slightest...but that is something that I would see as an intervention & I was surprised.

Susan -your weekend plans sound like fun! I think an hour away is fine at this point!

I had some weird emotional swings yesterday and some sudden lower back pain.... but nothing else and it seems to be gone now....just my body slowly getting ready, I figure. (I'm 39w today!)

[heket]

Originally Posted by Rainbow

Can I ask why midwives are suggesting EPO? I know it is natural, but isn't our body made to do this without intervention? I can see if I went over... but I"d be suprised if she suggested it just for the sake of doing it... you know?

This is my understanding... With dd, I had a doula who suggested using EPO orally and vaginally. The idea being that it's not something that works quickly, it's a gradual, over time process. So if you went over, starting at 41 weeks isn't going to do as much for you as having started earlier.

My current MW also suggested it orally, starting at 37 weeks. I was happy to do this because I *HATE* fish oil (I was actually taking flax oil pills, but it's still alittle different.)

Oh, and that EPO is a really good combatant for pp depression. That may be another reason so many MWs recommend it -- not just to prep our bodies for birth but for after birth as well.

Anyone, please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of this!

Now the sweeping of the membranes... As someone who had this done without her knowledge or consent the first time, it's not something I'd recommend unless you're past due and/ or really want the baby out. (Long story short, my CNM with dd was doing a routine vaginal exam and then proceeded to strip my membranes without telling me. Why didn't I stop her? Honestly, I didn't know that's what she was doing, but it was very painful. No one told me or prepped me for anything like that. So when I told my doula what happened, she explained it to me. This is one of the reasons I've opted for HB this time.)

Seren: I'm sorry you're having up and down MW problems. I hope they start working together so you don't keep getting jerked around.

speedknitter: Also being in CA, it would be funny to learn on the news about a pregnant woman giving birth at the race track! Have fun, it sounds really exciting.

wan2bemama: Great news about the GBS test! I really wanted to decline mine, but after I talked to my hmo CNM about it and learning the hospital's policy, I did it. If I didn't, they would still hook me up to antibiotics. So in case of a transfer, I thought it'd be better to have it in my records that I was negative rather than have yet another fight with them about something I'll want to decline/ waiver. Happy week 39! Enjoy this time -- you're really going to look back on it later. Especially if you go on to have #2, 3, 4....

[Stream]

Houston, we have progress

When I got up at 11 last night to pee (wasn't asleep yet, but the lights were off), I had some pink show. Continued all night and somewhere in there my body also did the whole clean-out-the-bowels routine. I've had some contrax every now and then, but nothing even close to regular-- basically just strong BHs. But I should be going into labor in the next day or two. YAY!

[proudmamanow]

yay Stream! how exciting!
All the best for a wonderful homebirth & looking forward to hearing your news.


I thought maybe I was in labour in the middle of the night last night, but those were just warm up cramps and cervical pains...baby is definitely moving down, but I'm not having much if any bh activity today.

Experienced mamas, I seem to be getting this 'carrying a bowling ball with my cervix' feeling a lot right now, gets a bit better at times, then worse, it's often bad when I'm lying down....have you experienced this? I know it's totally normal...I just kind of wondered if it means anything in terms of baby dropping, etc. I know, it probably doesn't mean anything...just wondering! :

[wasabi]

I've given up ever figuring out if I've dropped or not. :LOL I'll think she looks really low and I feel lots of pressure and then she'll look really high again. I surrender.

My reasons for EPO are the same as Nissa's. It does not hurt. It has good stuff for your hormonal balance. It will not make you go into labor. I do think it can help things go more smoothly once you are in labor if your cervix is already nice and ripe. I am already a slow laborer so I'll take any help I can get. I also don't think of it as any different than having sex just because I want to get semen on my cervix.

[heket]

Originally Posted by Stream

When I got up at 11 last night to pee (wasn't asleep yet, but the lights were off), I had some pink show. Continued all night and somewhere in there my body also did the whole clean-out-the-bowels routine. I've had some contrax every now and then, but nothing even close to regular-- basically just strong BHs. But I should be going into labor in the next day or two. YAY!

Ooo, are we in a race, Stream? I started some minor ones around 4:30am this morning. Now we're around 45 sec. long, 5 minutes apart. Friends have been around all day helping us prep since we still had some items left to get and need to prep the house! But it looks like all is well. I still have some time, so I don't think anything will really happen until this evening. Gonna go try and lay down to relax some while dd is napping.

[Qerratsmom]

Just wanted to update quickly that Eileen Dawn Marr'ak arrived at 10:04 pm on Wednesday April 6! She weighed 7 lb and 12 oz! things went really really well, just got home. More later!

[speedknitter]

Originally Posted by Qerratsmom

Just wanted to update quickly that Eileen Dawn Marr'ak arrived at 10:04 pm on Wednesday April 6! She weighed 7 lb and 12 oz! things went really really well, just got home. More later!

Wow! Congrats!!!

Looks like we are "dropping" like flies! Sorry :
Have a great weekend everyone!

Susan