Weekly Thread March 26 - April 1 - Page 3

[todavia]

I PASSED MY EXAM!

yay, no thesis. it's a huge relief...thanks to all for the positive thoughts.

torio - i'm sorry to hear that the z-pack did you wrong and you had to go throught the whole cold again anyway. i usually never take AB but i was feeling desperate. hopefully it will work well enough to kick the sinus infection. at least i am feeling much better for now.

jilian- an all-nighter at this point is unimaginable...you are amazing. what a lucky lady your client was. get some rest mama!

[willoLevin]

Originally Posted by violetisadora

I PASSED MY EXAM!

Congrats.

I guess it is less impressive to announce that I passed my 1 hour glucose tolerance test.

I did call them last night, and the GTT results were in, but not the CBC results so I could find out about my iron. : Not that I can do anymore than I've done, but I think I am ready to just find out what my "fate" will be.

They tell me that there are tubs in (all of? some of?) the LDR rooms at the hospital, and that water births are allowed (unlike my last hospital), but I still don't get why they have to move the babies into another room to weigh them instead of just wheeling a scale into the LDR room like I've seen some hospitals do on "Birth Day".

I *HATED* the part when they took my baby (and DH went with him) last time. It was a couple of hours after the birth (following nursing, bonding,etc.), so my doula had gone home. I didn't "need" a nurse anymore. My mother was still en route from Oregon. So I was suddenly left all alone in the stupid LDR room with nothing to do and no one to talk to! Sudden crashing halt let-down moment, let me tell you.

If I do end up in the hospital, I will ask the doula to stay until the baby is RETURNED to me, or else I will make sure my mom or SOMEONE has arrived before I let her go. At the very least, I'll have someone find my book!

I am not really too worried about hospital vs. birth center this time, actually. I just don't get why this separation still occurs. It seems pretty unnecessary. I don't suppose you can refuse to have your baby WEIGHED?!?

--willo

[saratchka]

Originally Posted by wombatclay

There's actually an episode of Good Eats all about mac n' cheese...and Alton Brown (the chef dude...for those not familiar with this cooking show, he's trained as both an actor and a professional chef. And he's totally off the wall wacky!) goes through this whole long process of making "real" mac n' cheese only to have the young cousin demand the "orange stuff". So Alton shows how to make a version that beats the box all black and blue (but still looks nuclear). The recipe is online at http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._18423,00.html and there is another recipe for the "baked" version at http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._18422,00.html

Both contain dairy and/or egg but no meat or pork products...

Alton Brown is my personal hero! No, really, I do love his show, though. Very interesting stuff. I love being told why things work, not just what to do in the kitchen.

[Marvelleaux]

Oh man! I wish I could eat mac & cheese but pasta gives me TERRIBLE heartburn! You ladies are EVIL!

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by willoLevin

I am not really too worried about hospital vs. birth center this time, actually. I just don't get why this separation still occurs. It seems pretty unnecessary. I don't suppose you can refuse to have your baby WEIGHED?!?

--willo

There is NO need for seperation, that annoys me too. I have a line in my own birth plan that says "No non-emergency medical procedures to take place within the first hour" I've also mentioned that I want all assessments and APGARs done while the baby is on my chest. There is no reason they cannot look the baby over while it is sitting on mom's chest, the baby warmer is completely unnecessary unless baby is having serious temp issues.

The bath is something they like to do ASAP because nurses have to wear gloves as long as baby is covered in fluids. But let them wear their gloves! Nothing screws up baby's temp like a bath right after birth. Bonding is more important than a silly bath. You can refuse it.

This is a hot topic for me. Birth is stressful for mom and baby, I don't get why people can't just let mom and baby rest together for a little while after and bond. I think it's a liability thing, they want to catch any problems right away to cover their butts.

[brookibabe]

My "due date" has officially been bumped up into May. We were toying around with end of May, first of June (I was kind of hoping for June), but my midwife said we better go with May - maybe to be prepared. So I pretty much skipped a week. Now I am 31 weeks instead of 30. Kind of hit me hard - 2 months left!!!
I can't wait to meet my lil' baby, but really I can't wait to be able to bend over again.

[todavia]

Originally Posted by willoLevin

Congrats.

I guess it is less impressive to announce that I passed my 1 hour glucose tolerance test.

i'm very impressed those things are tricky.

Originally Posted by brookibabe

My "due date" has officially been bumped up into May. Kind of hit me hard - 2 months left!!!

welcome to the may/june cusp! it's funny because even though i know that "due dates" are really just rough estimations it still does make a difference psychologically. i've really tried to not focus on any dates and just say "sometime in may or june" but you should see peoples faces when i give that answer. Huh?

[goodwin]

i am a cusper as well. at first it was june 2nd, june 1st, then bumped to may 25th..

my MIL keeps asking if they can be any more specific and DH has to tell her it is all fairly up in the air.. funny considering she has had three herself!

[saratchka]

I hate to give people an actual date when they ask when I'm due. I remember how annoying everyones questions got when we got close to DD's due date and then how much worse it got after her due date. She was ten days late and people were really wigging out! This time I started out by saying, "late May or early June" when people asked, but then decided I should stack the deck in my favor a little more. Now I just say "early to mid June." My official date is June 4, so I figure the kid will almost certainly be out of my belly before "mid June" has passed.

I'm still a little afraid that this one will arrive on DD's birthday, though. (5/28 - exactly one week before this babe's EDD) It just seems like that would be awkward. But I must say that I loved having a baby at this time of year with DD, and it doesn't stink that all my maternity and baby clothes are seasonally appropriate.

[jstar]

i fear this babe will be born on ds's birthday (may 26) but someone told me their little brother was born on their birthday and it was the best present ever. plus isaac will only be turning 3 so he isn't overly attached to the birthday concept. i think as they got older it would be nice if they didn't share the day though.

isaac was due may 15 and my dh's bday is may 14. he was pretty clear that he didn't want to share his bday. that is sort of a risk again. it would be pretty early but not out of the realm of possibility!!

i tell people 'end of may/early june.' mine is may 30. and it is nice i also have all the same seasonal maternity clothes. the baby's clothes will also be on the same seasons. handy!


isaac was born at a hospital (and we are going to the same one for this birth). he was put on my chest for a while after birth. i don't remember them doing the apgars so i think they were done on my chest. he was weighed in the room. and wrapped in a blanket and passed to dh and my mom while i was getting stiches. maybe they did the apgars when he was weighed. i have no idea....i was just feeling happy he was out! he was born at 9pm and they didn't take him away to be bathed until midnight when i wanted to try and sleep. then they wheeled him back in and i took him in bed. i still remember perfectly looking at him. he was swaddled in a blanket and just wide-eyed looking around the room taking it all in. so calm and interested. awwwwwwww!!!

the nurses were also really smart (i thought) because they put a little hat on him before he was bathed which he wore for a while and they said dh should take that home and let our dog smell it before we brought baby home. i think we will do that again.

i love the annie's mac and cheese. so much that now i think kraft tastes wierd. i also love the martha stewart real mac recipie. mmmmmmmmm.

[vannienicole]

**

[willoLevin]

Just to clarify about my first hospital birth, I did have a couple of hours before "they" took DS for weighing. He nursed. We cuddled. There was much rejoicing. It's because it was so long that the doula went home.

Part of our problem was that we had him on the busiest day anyone could remember in that maternity ward! One woman had to be housed on a different floor it was so busy. I got stuck in a double room because it was so busy. (They have to use their double rooms about twice per year--lucky me! : )

So maybe I waited in the LDR room longer than usual before being given a post-partum room? My alone time wouldn't have sucked if I'd been in "my own" room where I could've showered and changed clothes while I waited! It was the part where I was just... stuck in a bed, with no book, no tv remote control, no baby, no husband, and SO MANY FEELINGS. I didn't even have my purse to play a game on my PDA.

--willo

[herbmama3-7]

Jumping in a little late here, I have been soooooooo sick: : It all started 2 1/2 weeks ago with a cold that turned into a a sinus infection that led to a double ear infection. Got antibiotics for that, then on the last day of those I got a little cough, that turned into a big huge flu-like illness: I had a very high fever, threw up all night, and couldn't keep any fluids down! Had DH take me to the ER to get IV fluids and got rehydrated, menwhile my temp was spiking at 103.5 and as you know it is very dangerous to go that high while pregnant. I was sooo worried, kept taking tylenol to keep it down, and praise God it stayed down on its own after the 3rd dose! So now I am still fighting this yuck: but I don't have a fever anymore. Ds caught the same thing, and now has an ear infection: I just can't seem to escape this stuff. I have no apetite, but am forcing myself to eat, I just want to feel normal again, as normal as I can while being pregnant that is. So I have completely lost track of MDC, I miss it, and I swear I will have happier news next time I log in!! I realize that many of us are dealing with health stuff, really take care of yourself ladies, fighting an illness and supporting a growing baby is not fun at all.

[willoLevin]

Originally Posted by herbmama3-7

Jumping in a little late here, I have been soooooooo sick: : It all started 2 1/2 weeks ago with a cold that turned into a a sinus infection that led to a double ear infection. ..., that turned into a big huge flu-like illness: I had a very high fever, threw up all night, and couldn't keep any fluids down!

Oh, you poor thing! Suddenly, my four weeks of colds and sinus infections in February seem so trivial.

Have you tried acupuncture? My MIL is a homeopath (and lives half a mile away--kind of an "Everyone Loves Raymond" situation *ahem*), and I've got access to all kind of wonderful complementary practitioners, but nothing has helped me as quickly and effectively as acupuncture, though it was only the second practitioner I tried that I really "clicked" with.

Take care of yourself and your little one!

--willo

[willoLevin]

Originally Posted by vannienicole

Hello world I am back!
I have some massive jet lag. ...The trip went well. ...It was so exciting to see my sister and dad after getting off the plane. ...So, there's my long update (SORRY!). I might be coming down with a sinus infection. That sucks ecause I haven't gotten set up with a doctor here, or switched my insurance back to the states. I still have it, it's just a hassle if I have to use it at this point.

Vanessa-- So happy you made it safely, and with relatively few problems. Long trips can be so hard, even when we aren't oversized, hormonal, and exhausted! Enjoy your family "reunion". For your sinus problem, if you want to try to clear it yourself before you can get to the doctor, may I recommend avoiding ALL dairy and trying a saline rinse? It feels crazy to shoot water up your nose, but it can help clear the crud. My doctor suggested Simply Saline brand to me because it is ready to use and has no preservatives. I buy it at Walgreens or CVS.

--willo

[vannienicole]

**

[WhiteWax]

Glad your back safe and sound Vanessa

[Shell_Ell]

Originally Posted by Jilian

Bonding is more important than a silly bath. You can refuse it.

And put it on your birth plan! I didn't even think to put it on mine... or tell my DH. We had a hospital transfer and then DS had issues with breathing after his birth. They took him to the nursery to be monitored, DH was with. He was down there for an hour plus... and they gave him a BATH! I was furious! Here I was, sitting alone in my hospital room desperately wanting to hold/nurse my baby, and they were giving him a freaking bath. I still haven't made a birth plan in case of transfer, but that's definately something I'm going to list on there. No bath unless I ask for one.

Originally Posted by saratchka

I hate to give people an actual date when they ask when I'm due.

Ugh, me too! I always say "June" or "Sometime in June" because my EDD is 6/15, and I think two weeks either way is a pretty safe bet. Unfortunately people STILL badger me for an actual date. Then I say "June 15 is 40 weeks, and of course I can go a few weeks either way" Most of the people who've asked this are women who've had babies, too. So you'd think they would realize there's no expiration date on these babies.

[wombatclay]

violetisadora - Huzzah! Congrats!

Due dates: it's funny but I'm actually having a hard time with this myself. People aren't asking, that's not it, it's more like I'm losing patience. According to the two u/s I had (very early on when u/s dating is accurate to within a day or so due to the rapid and specific changes in fetal development going on then) my due date is June 11th. According to LMP (which is what my care provider uses) my due date is June 8th. And according to my own numbers (there's really only one possible conception opportunity) I'm due June 4th.

So I sort of just picked June 8th as a middle of the road option with June 11th in the back of my mind as "more likely". Expecially since I went 42+ weeks with dd.

But just like when you set the clock a little fast so you get places on time...my brain is now compensating for the difference! So for example I'm telling myself I an 30 weeks today. But my brain chimes in "well, you're actually more like 30 weeks and three days". And from there it's not hard to slip into the memory of my care provider's off handed comment about "lots of second time mamas go a bit earlier...37 or 38 weeks wouldn't worry us".

Argh!

Babe will arrive when babe arrives of course, but this constant back and forthing is driving me nutty!

[jstar]

i wasn't left alone in my hospital room so i could see how that would be really anticlimatic. everyone left dh and i in there around midnight and i was soooo ready to crash out.


i hope the sinus infection isn't too major. that sounds like a drag along with jet lag :