*~ Weekly Thread February 10 - 16 *~

[Jilian]

Another week has passed, can you believe we'll be entering our third trimesters soon? I keep thinking I have all the time in the world but now I'm coming up on 16 weeks to go. Wow, time is going by fast!

How is everyone doing this week? I've been really busy, my sister's baby is in the NICU, he was born this past Monday. He's doing well and should be coming home Monday or Tuesday. He was breathing really fast after birth, I think they induced her too early, he wasn't ready to be born yet

[Shell_Ell]

Responding to minimoose from last week's thread:

I'm sorry you're feeling so crappy. One thing: I often find that when I'm craving sweets, I'm really thirsty. Could you be slightly dehydrated?

Definately a possibility! I've gotten sick a few times in the last couple of days (from m/s.. bah) and now DS is sick, so I haven't been paying as much attention.

I have started to think about birthing supplies lately and I think we're going to start slowly accumulating stuff. I already know I'll be getting extra sheets and towels from my mom... she goes to an annual church rummage sale and they always have that stuff there.

I also bought a few little bitty baby clothes this past week.

[Shell_Ell]

Jilian, healing vibes for your nephew... it's such a shame when that happens. Full term doesn't always mean "ready to be born" does it?

[sally Z]

hey all
Jillian funny enough for me this pregnancy has felt really long, it was the same with dd. Sorry to hear about your nephew.

Shell i have to resist the urge to buy stuff as we are moving and dh will kill me if there is any more stuff to move. But once we are in the UK i am going on a blue shopping spree

Movers come to get our shipping on Monday and i am still not finished packing :

[mataji4]

I think this is my only pregnancy that I haven't moved! I feel for you, Sally- it's a lot of work, especially overseas!

Jillian, it is so hard, isn't it, when you are helping out a friend or family member with a birth when you aren't feeling great about the choices made, and then you have to sit by and be supportive during hard outcomes? Good for you for continuing to be supportive, but it's stressful!

I had a lovely night last night reading, eating, and then I messed around with my fetoscope. I had only heard my placenta before, but last night I heard a fast, loud, clear heartbeat! I was so excited that I did several counts, and listened probably for 10 minutes! The baby was kicking and squirming a bunch too so it was just exciting. When I told my husband this morning, he was so unresponsive, I might has well told him I stepped on an ant or something. Bah humbug, men.

I'm still feeling some sensitivity in the morning, like weakness. I am eating more, though, and overall I'm feeling better than last week.

Yes, thinking of the birth too, and that time is starting to fly by. I had to double check last night about how many weeks I was. I thought I was 24, but that sounded so far along! I guess I am far along! The end is in sight. Now I'm having all these visions of the birth, of the baby born into my hands, of getting to meet the baby!!!! and this being my last baby to birth, it feels different going into it.

[Jilian]

I still can't pick up a heartbeat with my fetoscope, but it is fun to listen to the kicks and movements going on in there! I've been listening every night before bed.

[willoLevin]

I'm doing pretty well, but my nose is still so stuffed up that it bothers me when I sleep. I rarely catch colds, and they certainly never linger like this one has. Feh! The new humidifier was *SUCH* a relief last night, but I'm ready for my head to really clear.

I was kind of bummed about gaining 7 pounds in one month at the last appt, so I've been trying to watch what I eat and make sure I'm actually hungry. I find, though, that a couple of times the past few days, I've been feeling positively ill with depletion using this strategy. Don't think I'm starving myself--far from it!--but I'm not sure I can even be moderate. It seems that if I wait to eat until I am hungry, I am actually hungry enough to be sick.

I did have the best sandwich today, though. The fridge is full of leftovers, so I was making a sandwich with a chicken cutlet. I used leftover refried beans as a sandwich spread with the chicken, and it was SO GOOD.

--willo

[wombatclay]

We're still riding the health and real estate roller coaster here...the doctors have gone back to a "maybe it's a bunch of little strokes" instead of "maybe it's early onset alzheimer's" in terms of my father's health. So that is actually good news! A stroke doesn't mean you're going to get worse after all, and it would mean we could plan for my dad's condition to stay more constant over time. But my parents still need to move, it could still be a form of dementia, and it's taking a huge toll on everyone.

On the roller coaster o' real estate our current home was appraised on Thursday but we haven't heard from the bank yet. The current goal is to refi the house (rolling all our credit cards into the refi), then sell the house and buy a smaller place outside of town. We've found the PERFECT place and really want to make an offer soon...so Monday is going to be a busy day in terms of calling banks and brokers and agents and...well...all that.

And we found out that according to at least a My belly is huge, my weight is on track, and we have enough home repair projects that need to be finished ASAP to keep me out of trouble for a while! DH is doing most of the work, but that leaves me with my big ol belly and a very active toddler and I'm not sure "my" part of the deal is any less draining than his! After 8-9 hours of Laia bouncing round the house (still too cold to go out) I'm ready to sleep the sleep of the just.

I have an interview with a VBAC experienced doula on Tuesday, and another interview on Wednesday (it was supposed to be today, but she had a long birth last night and was wiped out). It's funny....these two doulas are actually partners so they back each other up! And they co-teach a birth class at the yoga studio right next door to my house. So they've been peeking in the living room window for months! Hope I like them....they're really the only ones who have VBAC experience and are also just about the only ones currently available for June.

[WhiteWax]

Wombat the same thing happened with my Poppop where they thought it was dementia and he was really having mini strokes. I hope every thing turns out for the best... it's all so hard either which way.

SallyGood luck on packing up!!!! those last few boxes always seem to be the worst.

I'm doing ok over here except that gosh darn Ligment pain that you were all talking about a while back... I think I missed out on that thread because I really didn't know what every one meant... but HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sitting too long and then stretching out (like going to bed) and trying to roll over in bed is EXCRUCIATING!!!! Tears come to my eyes and every night DP asks me whats wrong. The pain is right where your legs connect to your body and it hurts soooo much....

any one know what I could do about it or to help it??? excercises? a band? something? anything???? Hot pack? cold pack? PLEASE.... I'm hoping some one has an answer!!!

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by WhiteWax

any one know what I could do about it or to help it??? excercises? a band? something? anything???? Hot pack? cold pack? PLEASE.... I'm hoping some one has an answer!!!

A rice pack!! If you don't sew, just take a large tube sock (men's socks work best) and fill it with rice (not instant rice) then tie a tight knot in the top. Heat it in a microwave for about a minute and then put it on the spot that hurts most. If you sew, you can make a cute little pouch for your rice.

You can also add some essential oils for scent, but not too much. I use lavendar to get rid of the white rice scent. These things are WONDERFUL! I use them on my moms during labor and they love them. I've used it on my back a few times too.

[WhiteWax]

great thanks! I will try this! Do you add the oils right to the rice or to the material?

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by WhiteWax

great thanks! I will try this! Do you add the oils right to the rice or to the material?

I mix the oild right in with the rice before I pour the rice in.

[loriu]

cankles, weight gain, and kicking--oh my!

hi all,
this week was big for us. as posted, we found out we're having a girl. i have totally settled into the idea and am excited to raise a little dramatic powerhouse feminist. she has been kicking up a storm, but i still only feel it when i am still. like right now. or when i sleep--i actually woke up a couple of times last night from it. i love it, but i'm anxious for my husband to feel it, too. i think it will make it more real for him.

i had a crazy busy day at school on wednesday and was teaching/on my feet all day, then went out to dinner with a girlfriend. came home to take off my socks and had NO ankles--cankles (calf/ankles) already! i thought this happened later in the pregnancy, when i was bigger and the weather wasn't freezing...but nope. there they were, in all their glory. ugh. pretty gross. got in the tub and massaged them. no pain, just icky!

willo--as for weight gain, um, i gained 14 lbs in the last 5 weeks. my midwife was like, "well, you've been eating!" i had only gained 4 lbs at 15 weeks, and now i've gained 18. the "months of white foods" (as my midwives call it) have seeped into life after the first tri, and my body is responding. so, i'm not dieting, but i'm trying to eat more protein when i'm hungry and not carb-y snacks. they are very much not weight nazis, but she was just honest and said that i'd be super uncomfortable carrying extra weight at 40+ weeks and after in the summer. no wonder none of my clothes fit and i used all my xmas gift cards this weekend at gap and target getting maternity clothes...

otherwise feeling good. very distracted, and nesty, but good.

[Neve]

Originally Posted by willoLevin

I'm doing pretty well, but my nose is still so stuffed up that it bothers me when I sleep. I rarely catch colds, and they certainly never linger like this one has. Feh! The new humidifier was *SUCH* a relief last night, but I'm ready for my head to really clear.

I was kind of bummed about gaining 7 pounds in one month at the last appt, so I've been trying to watch what I eat and make sure I'm actually hungry. I find, though, that a couple of times the past few days, I've been feeling positively ill with depletion using this strategy. Don't think I'm starving myself--far from it!--but I'm not sure I can even be moderate. It seems that if I wait to eat until I am hungry, I am actually hungry enough to be sick.

Willo: YOu sound just like me! I gained 7 pounds too between appointments--which was very disappointing since I had only gained 8 total (actually it's more than 8...because I think I gained about 12 pounds in my first month...ahem, but the doc officially weighed me in after that). Oh well...but those brownies are sooooo much better than celery sticks!! Yeah, I'm ready to not be stuffed up too.

I can't believe how much I'm showing suddenly! My husband thinks it's so cute...thank goodness. But feeling pretty good overall.

Oh--trying to decide between natural birth and the other options out there. I'm reading an amazing book called Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and I'm definitely leaning toward natural now. I like how she normalizes the process and makes me feel like it will be powerful. Most of you on this forum seem to be on your second, third pregnancies, but this is my first...what do you all think of the process????

[Shell_Ell]

I had a doula event I presented at today... went well.

DS still has a fever. No idea what from.

I got some bulk RRL tea today and brewed a bunch. I need to get something else to add to it to make it taste better if I'm going to be drinking this stuff a few times a day. lol

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by Neve

Oh--trying to decide between natural birth and the other options out there. I'm reading an amazing book called Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and I'm definitely leaning toward natural now. I like how she normalizes the process and makes me feel like it will be powerful. Most of you on this forum seem to be on your second, third pregnancies, but this is my first...what do you all think of the process????

I'm a HUGE supporter of natural childbirth. My son was born without medication or interventions in a hospital 4 years ago and it was really empowering and life changing. I've gone on to become a doula because of it, and now I help other moms experience what I got to experience. I highly reccomend at least trying to minimize interventions.

[Cygnet09]

Jilian - Sorry to hear about your sister. Is your nephew coming home tomorrow?

Sorry to hear some of you are battling colds - I managed to escape one this time round.

Still mostly bedridden after my fall a little over a week ago. : I am able to get out of bed and pee without help (finally), but I am so behind in school - I missed three exams and will probably miss a total of two+ weeks of school. I feel so depressed about it - mostly because I will have to wait a year before I can continue and I'm still going back and forth about whether to continue or not. The last year has been miserable, and since it's a four year program I would have another 2.5 years to go before finishing. DH's mindset is that we should slog through the unpleasant stuff for the reward at the end.That sounds wonderfully logical and all, but that's such a long time with two (and then three) little ones. I don't know! I just wanna .

The babe, on the other hand, is doing very well! Lots of kicking and rolling, enough to make my belly jump. Poor DH hasn't been able to catch it yet. Soon! We will probably have a second U/S in a few weeks just to be sure all is well after my accident.

As for natural birth and other options, the best decision I ever made was deciding that I wanted to do what empowered me the most. I wanted to feel as though I had made an educated and well-researched decision. Many situations involving doctors tends to create a situation of dis-empowerment. Only you can decide what you feel will work best for you - and while I chose a natural homebirth, I still didn't quite have the birth I wanted with my first. (I did with my second) It's a learning process. Just read a lot and see what makes the most sense to you. It can be a scary decision, especially the first time. Ina May is awesome.Henci Goer has an excellent book that explains OB procedures and why many of them are unnecessary at best. Good luck!

[willoLevin]

Ah! Finally, I slept from 10 pm until 5 am without being woken up by my cold symptoms. I wish I could've gotten back to sleep, but I still feel better than I have in DAYS. And, (TMI here), when I blew my nose first thing, there was no goo! Hurrah! I may finally be kicking this stupid cold.

Neve, Cygnet made an important point about your own empowerment. I believe that a huge part of my almost totally positive birth experience (no drugs, in hospital, vacuum extraction+episiotomy required by circumstances) was because I knew what I thought I wanted (natural!), but I came to it very relaxed and open to allowing myself to request WHATEVER WOULD WORK FOR ME in the moment. As it happened, my relaxation techniques (practiced for months) worked well, and it never even occurred to me to ask for drugs.

On the flip side of that, nursing was so hard for us in the beginning (first several MONTHS, not just weeks) that it was almost unbearable. I think I came to breastfeeding with a much more rigid mindset, and I think that hurt me. Now, I'm still planning to try incredibly hard to nurse exclusively with this baby, but I also plan to research all my options, have backup and coping strategies, and be prepared to do what I must to avoid the total horror that was our nighttime experience in the winter of 2003-04!

And, like I always tell first time moms right off the bat:
HIRE A DOULA! It's the best money you can spend if you want to maximize the odds of having the birth you really want.

(And I'm not a doula myself like so many of the others around here who recommend them. As if anyone would take that job for financial reasons. )

--willo

[mommamin]

Originally Posted by Jilian

Another week has passed, can you believe we'll be entering our third trimesters soon? I keep thinking I have all the time in the world but now I'm coming up on 16 weeks to go. Wow, time is going by fast!

How is everyone doing this week? I've been really busy, my sister's baby is in the NICU, he was born this past Monday. He's doing well and should be coming home Monday or Tuesday. He was breathing really fast after birth, I think they induced her too early, he wasn't ready to be born yet

How is your sister's baby doing? I hope he comes home soon!

[mommamin]

Originally Posted by wombatclay

We're still riding the health and real estate roller coaster here...the doctors have gone back to a "maybe it's a bunch of little strokes" instead of "maybe it's early onset alzheimer's" in terms of my father's health. So that is actually good news! A stroke doesn't mean you're going to get worse after all, and it would mean we could plan for my dad's condition to stay more constant over time. But my parents still need to move, it could still be a form of dementia, and it's taking a huge toll on everyone.

On the roller coaster o' real estate our current home was appraised on Thursday but we haven't heard from the bank yet. The current goal is to refi the house (rolling all our credit cards into the refi), then sell the house and buy a smaller place outside of town. We've found the PERFECT place and really want to make an offer soon...so Monday is going to be a busy day in terms of calling banks and brokers and agents and...well...all that.

And we found out that according to at least a My belly is huge, my weight is on track, and we have enough home repair projects that need to be finished ASAP to keep me out of trouble for a while! DH is doing most of the work, but that leaves me with my big ol belly and a very active toddler and I'm not sure "my" part of the deal is any less draining than his! After 8-9 hours of Laia bouncing round the house (still too cold to go out) I'm ready to sleep the sleep of the just.

I have an interview with a VBAC experienced doula on Tuesday, and another interview on Wednesday (it was supposed to be today, but she had a long birth last night and was wiped out). It's funny....these two doulas are actually partners so they back each other up! And they co-teach a birth class at the yoga studio right next door to my house. So they've been peeking in the living room window for months! Hope I like them....they're really the only ones who have VBAC experience and are also just about the only ones currently available for June.

Sorry to hear about your pop-pop

Good Luck with the banking aspect of your move!!! It is tiresome!