Weekly thread: June 13th to 19th

[Valerie.Qc]

Hi!

Hope everyone is well!

DH installed the air conditioner yesterday - he couldn't look at my drippin miserable self anymore I've *lost* 4 pounds in 24 hours

Went in to meet the *new* midwife this afternoon. Was ok... but she had a client laboring upstairs so we were both distracted She might be a good match but I won't see her again before mid-July Next two appointments are scheduled with her partner then I'll meet a third midwife (well it will be my fifth midwife but the first two are both quitting at the end of the month )- don't know yet who

I don't need to watch TV - I have my own Soap IRL


I'm preparing myself for a free birth to keep my sanity... if someone is there, well, they'll do what I'll let them do

[MamanFrancaise]

You can do it, Valérie.

I have officially become uncomfortably pregnant. I can't sit in any position but absolutely straight. Ugh.

I have been participating in a homebirth debate on a (mainly) mainstream message board and it's stressing me out. :

Not much more to report...

[leosmama20]

Okay, well, I am having a lot of pain. Not sure if it is something or not. If it is something, I wish I would know. And if it isn't anything, I wish it would stop. Either would be fine with me. Owwwwww....

[jeanieloz]

All is well here, hot, and humid too. They are tearing up our road so there are huge dips, holes, and bumps in it now, not very comfortable to drive over!
Baby is determined to be heads up. I've tried the spinning babies web site instructions, but with this horrible pelvic pain it is so hard to get into and stay in those positions. I also had a yeast infection, not where you would think, but in the crook of my leg, between my crotch and my leg, oh my was it horrible and painful, itching, burning, ick!!! I've never had that happen before, but then again I've never been this pg in the middle of a hot humid summer in FL! How did women handle this before A/C? and heck with the humidity the AC doesn't even do much!
Cameron has been sick with a boogey nose for two weeks now, he has a pernament booger mustache, but I made him some nice cloth tissues so his nose doesn't chap.
I haven't gone out and about much, so thankfully I've not gotten any comments on my size, when are you due, what are you having, how many kids, etc... It's nice to not have to answer other people's questions about myself.
This Saturday I'm going to a women's only dinner party, it will be a nice break before the baby is here, and I look forward to it.
Hope all is well for everyone else!
Donna

[Max's Mami]

Oh some of you guys are getting so close! I still have 6 weeks to go!

I am just beyond thrilled that DH is going to be so close to home now AND with a team - and hope that it stays that way. Either that he finishes the season w/ AAA in Tucson or gets called up to the big leagues (of course, why wouldnt I wish for that ) which is in Phx and the stadium is about a 15 min. drive from our house!

I am looking at the AAA schedule and they are on the road from July 14 - 25 (in Vegas, Tacoma and Sacramento - so no where terribly far away) and then in Tucson from the July 26 - Aug. 3. I am due the 26th, sooooooo I hope this baby either comes on her due date or before the 3rd of Aug.! :LOL Think she will cooperate!?

Other than that we have been car shopping because neither of the sedans we have now will fit two car seats in the back. Haggling w/ car salesmen while my wild 2.5 year old runs around is not my idea of a fun weekend and we STILL didnt buy anything!

I think I feel much bigger than I look - at least than I look to myself in the mirror. I am not any more uncomfortable than I have been - just the pubic bone pain which gets better for a while after I see my chiro then gets bad again.

I am tired a lot of course and SICK of working but that might have been true before I got pregnant :LOL

Just looking forward to the next 6 weeks now that we will be able to take weekend road trips to visit DH and hope this baby comes while her Papi is in town! girl:

[Valerie.Qc]

I'm so happy for you Morgan! Hey! we are due about the same time... 6 weeks to go! woohoo! (I can handle 6 weeks now that I have fresher air :LOL You can be sure that one of the first thing to be installed in our new house will be the AC 12 days before we move )

Maman Française - I know I can do it... I really want to beleive it I'm a little nervous tho... we will be more than an hour away from the birth center or the hospital If I feel I have the time to get there, I will do it... but if I have even the smallest doupt (sp?) I will stay home as it will be safer to give birth alone at home than to give birth alone on the side of the road

I already told the midwifes I decline interventions that are not medically indicated

Donna, ya, humidity is not a friend when pregnant

leosmama - hope everything goes as you wish

[darsmama]

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for listening and being a shoulder the past 8 months! Some of you are going to be birthing babes here soon, so I wanted to say thanks for the support before we all get really busy with our lives!

This has been a good week this week!!!! I have made 112 cookies : oatmeal, choc chip, & white choc chip cookies..Some of the dough was frozen, but I mostly baked the cookies. Then for Dwayne's graduation, I made a huge lasagna and froze 2 small lasagnas. Today I cooked, skinned & de-boned2 chickens. Then I made a huge chicken & cheese lasagna and one for the freezer. I plan on freezing some chicken pot pies, and mashed potato bowls.
I washed all of Darlene's old baby clothes - man I've been a SLOB!
lol
Lotsa spit up stains to get out for baby Daphne.
Only 5 more weeks to go!!!!
Yay!
So who is due first?

[cciele]

Hey all,

I haven't posted for awhile, but have been trying to catch up on this board! I hear you guys regarding the pain -- ugh, I'm due on 7/27 (close to some of you!) and am feeling really big and get tired easily. And whenever I stand up I get that pubic bone pain. Blech!

Other than that though, things are going pretty normally

Darsmama--Wow I can't believe how much cooking you did! I have problems even making a simple salad for dinner :LOL

Cathy

[Pom]

My day

To the gym, Grocery store, home to make lunches, 3 loads of laundry, catch up with step mother on phone, off to the mall for ballet class, bought a present for cousin, a nursing bra for me, pick up DD, go for slice of pizza, come home, tidy, start downloading work, play Candyland, pick up flung buttons and scraps of paper cutting extravaganza, DH helps put DD to bed , he goes to gym, I start work, he comes home and makes dinner I should've made, I'm still working. 11:30 PM we are both fried, my work's not done and will have to wake up early to finish tomorrow mornign before he goes to work, my deadline hits, and then I ready DD for a shot at the doctors. No gym for me tomorrow.

I. Am. Fried.

Still need to fold laundry, finish work, tidy up crunchy floor. But not now!

Sorry for the all about me post. Just wanted to subscribe (and whine)

[NordicMamma]

It is laundry day today. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but we don't own a washing machine, and I have to trek down to the basement to use the communal machines. Down is not bad, but up again....ughhh. I should really book an evening time so that dh can carry the washing back up, but then I find myself frantically putting sheets back on the bed and folding clothes when I really just want to be asleep.

(In case you are wondering, yes, we are buying a washing machine. We seem to be having some problems with the company, my dh is stalling, and if he doesn't sort it out soon he's going to be paying the price : .)

Anyway, washing day means that I do little else, because I am so knackered by all those stairs. I'll pick up ds from daycare, got to the library and get some groceries (all within walking distance), and that will hopefully be IT!

[Pom]

oh yes. Laundry means down a hall, 2 flighs of stairs and into the communal room for us, too.

Tho it is better than when DH and I used to have to take a bus to a laundrymat. But I wa young and free then! THAT was an adventure. THIS is just plain torture.

[pellifoli]

hey all,
doing ok, last two weeks of work, only 3 days per week.

had GREAT appt with Nurse Practioner who works w/MW, it was the exact opposite of the evil appt last week w/mw student. what a difference that makes in our life, to have that calm caring support. babe is head down, but has some dropping to do, all else looks good, she had to redo group b strep cause student screwed it up, so I'll know about that next week, fingers crossed.

Friday, we picked up our new car (LOVE it, huge relief that's done), and went to a cookout w/3 other couples from our Centering childbirth class, it was so fun! I was toast by the end though.

have had the pubic/constipation pain again, all Sunday night, sometimes at same time as when baby pushing and BH, *intense*, guess it's good practice breathing through them, now having mild diarrhea which isn't fun, but much easier than the pain, and NP said was normal. napped most of yesterday and then had trouble sleeping last night...oh well.

it's so strange to me that having been so on guard and worried re: preterm labor, that IF I notice regular contractions now, THIS IS IT!! I'm ready-ish, but ok to wait. I'm hoping DH and I get some time on our own after our last days of work just to rest and be with each other. his crazy night shifts start this week.

And I ordered a sling!! should be here this week. think we're pretty well set, putting the car seat in car this week, and getting checked at fire dept.

take care everyone! I'm glad we're all doing ok, even though many of us are very uncomfortable and stressed. I have to say it again, I don't know *how* you do it, those of you who already have kids! you are amazing.

[pellifoli]

laundry

Oh, and VERY sorry about the laundry difficulties!! I hated going to laundromats, and getting a house with teeny laundry room last year has been the best. I don't ever want to take it for granted.

wish we were all near each other and you all could come over to throw your laundry in and we'd have iced herbal tea, relax and visit.

[pellifoli]

And...

I revisited my copy of Christiane Northrup's Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and re-read the pregnancy chapter, which seemed to help ground and inspire me. I had a big dream the other night of this beautiful little cove in Maine I'd visited as a child, and the wave imagery was sort of like the tsunami pictures, with tide pulling WAY out, and about to come crashing in, and I realized I just needed to relax and go with the wave when it came. guess the wave imagery I'd been reading about really hit home!

[Pom]

Nice imagery, Pelli. Did you get the Suby? Woooo!

At least we have a dishwasher now! One day, maybe I'll have both...ooooooh.


Valerie and Pelli - glad the m/w situation is working out.

Isn't it nice to see things start to fall into place for everyone??

[leosmama20]

I am glad things are going well for everyone. Okay, I could care less about labor at this point. What I really want is to get rid of this freaking sinus infection!!! Any ideas? I am pretty close to trying to find and ear/nose/throat doc since my midwife has brushed me off for the past month.

[ewe+lamb]

OK - so I need to get around to sacking my m/w - I thought she had the same thoughts as me i.e. natural birth but unfortunately her ideas seem to differ incredibly from me which has annoyed me because she said initially that she was really into natural birth and yes we'll talk about it soon - so we talked and so now I'm getting rid of her and can't find any other english speaking m/w at such short notice and can only find a doula which isn't reimbursed by the insurance so I'm having a heart attack about it all! DD not been well - snotty nose, not sleeping etc., which adds to my not sleeping.

With all this going on I don't know how I can ever keep up with most of you - and the cooking - help! I have realised that I am really very unprepared!

Baby is doing well I think it's turned around to posterior so will have to work out on that one again - it's really really really sore when the baby moves - but way way way down there - I feel as if it's going to burst out at any moment! Been binging out a bit on the ice cream which I shouldn't because of the GD, but hey - I'm nearly there! Got dr appointment this week and have found out that here in France you have to have an appointment to see the guy that does the epidural - what's that all about? - I said that I didn't want one - 'ah but just in case madame', so I'm not pleased about that - I also wish that they would call me by my name and be more friendly in general how can you give birth when someone is still calling you madame and cheering on 'poussez madame, poussez' I've already prewarned dh to stop them from doing that - I'm just having abit of a nightmare about it!

Just to make you jealous I just got a washing machine AND dishwasher - thank heavens - I'd hate to see the state of my kitchen if we hadn't done that! At least I don't have the laudry to lug up and down otherwise i don't think I would finish this post - my heart goes out to those of you who do though - we used to have to do it and I just got to the stage that I couldn't do it - not to mention how expensive it is!

Freya has been increasingly interested in my boobs - so even although she weaned a couple of months ago - she says that one is for her and the other for the baby! I wouldn't be at all surprised if she asks to start nursing again! Anyone else getting into the tandem thing?

Hey ho, nevermind I'm sure all this will seem quite trivial in a wee while :LOL .

[pellifoli]

yes, Pom, the Suby!!!
very very nice. I'm driving it today and feel v. fancy, although I have to hike across campus in the humidity to get to it!

re: sinus infection, have you tried flushing with saline spray? and what I've done in past also is boil some water, put in ceramic bowl (w/metal spoon so to absorb heat so won't crack) add essential oils of eucalyptus and lavendar, and covered my head w/towel and inhaled aromatic steam. helped a lot, but if it's a full fledged sinus infection, should you try to see a doc and get some antibiotics so you can kick it before labor? sorry your MW is blowing you off.

And I can't imagine being called 'madame' in the middle of labor!! good luck finding someone to help you, I'm sorry the midwife turned out to be not into natural cb.

[lunamegn]

Hello Beautiful Pregnant Goddesses (don't you love being called that!) ~

Still got the anxious, squirrley, wanna meet the baby thing going on but I'm really trying to just enjoy these last few weeks because despite the discomforts of being full with child (maybe overflowing with child would be a better description), I really think I'll miss being pregnant and having this time with my child. It feels so intimate, you know. Right now s/he's mine all mine, but soon everyone will be able to get their grubby paws all over her/him. Oh well...

Our apartment has freshly painted walls and steam cleaned carpets! Chris's parents came up and they accomplished the whole apartment on Saturday and then the carpets were steam cleaned yesterday. Chris's mom bought us a baby changing table and some onesies and little shirts... so cute. She also bought us some curtains for our room. What a nice woman. They even booked us a hotel for Saturday night so that I wouldn't have to breath paint fumes. Lovely. Nice king sized bed with a really comfy mattress. Oh, and I bought a pillow from Target that was designed specifically with the side sleeper in mind (aka - all second trimester and beyond pregnant women). It's so nice.

I scrubbed the bathroom last night and Chris's mom was worried that this meant the baby was coming. While I'm ready, I don't think babes is quite done cooking, still a few weeks to go. Now we bring in the cradle!

Midwife appointment went well last week. Nothing new. Next visit is the 36 weeks home visit where they come to our (very) humble abode and see where we live. Then after that it's baby time! Hope everyone is doing good. We're so close, ladies!!

[jeanieloz]

My last OB was a very nice Jamican man who chanted "C'mon, push dat bebe out!" and "What's dis bebe's name?" It was awesome, but madame....hmmmm I don't think I would like that.
Leosmama, a bad sinus infection can really hinder you, I would suggest an ENT, as soon as you can, it will be worth it. I used to have chronic sinus infections and they would come on so fast that the natural remedies really didn't do much. Vicks also has this vapor plug in thing, that might help a bit, but I would definately see a Dr.

Oh and the laundry.... I went till my oldest son was 6 before we had our own washer and dryer... I even lugged cloth diapers to the laundormat! Having a washer and dryer now is like a dream! Now if only our dishwasher and oven would cooperate and work properlly.

POM your day sounds like my days, especially last year when I worked at home editing reports, had both boys in Scouts, was a scout leader, committee member, bookkeeper for my church, and being the chef, maid, chauffer, CFO, and CEO of our own little family orginization.
Donna