Weekly Thread ~April 16 - 22 ~ - Page 4

[rock_dr]

Originally Posted by willoLevin

I get this sometimes, too. Frustrating, isn't it?

The best middle of the night snack I know of is an ounce of cheese. (You could buy 2% milk variety?)
--willo

I sort of took this advice last night when I was up from 12:30-5:30... only my cheese snack was shredded on top of a big piece of leftover pizza. followed by dessert oh well!

I have this weird mild headache that is keeping me up.

hey does anyone have any creative mother's day gift ideas? mine has been so awesome, sewing my whole cloth diaper stash, quilts, etc... trying to think of something nice to get her. all I can think of is a nice picture frame with a 'coming soon' note in it.

[willoLevin]

rock_dr, you don't have a lot of swelling (or vision changes) going along with that headache, do you? Just in case of pre-eclampsia... Yikes!

No brilliant ideas for Mother's Day here, and I've been wracking my brains. It doesn't help that my MIL's birthday is May 7th, our wedding anniversary is May 9th, and Mother's Day is always right after (is it the 13th this year?) Too many gifts to think about. Aaaah! : For my mom, we usually just send flowers, but armloads of objects are the rule for DH's family... (Then, in June, DH's birthday is usually the same week as Father's Day, and I bet Glooby's bday lands real close, too.)

Speaking of Mom, she has decided not to drive out (Oregon to Boston) because my SIL (and nephew) decided they couldn't ride along with her. She did buy her plane tickets, though, so now I know she'll be here from June 9th to Sept 11th--over 13 weeks. Boy, I hope we get along for the whole summer! We do get a bit less tolerant over long stretches together, you know?

The contractor finished up a little bit ago, and now I guess we hit the "boring middle part" where nothing's happening. I think the electrician and the countertop guys come next, and that means scheduling in an "outside" person. Oh well. We're surviving pretty well so far. See how I feel after more than a few days.

--willo

[wombatclay]

Yay for kitchens!

I'm hoping DH will be able to work on our front bedroom this weekend. We live in an old house with 4 bedrooms...currently we're all sleeping in the "nursery" but the biggest room is the front bedroom. Since we're hoping to smoosh a toddler bed, queen sized bed, and co-sleeper into a single room for at least a month or two we sort of need to use that room! We've actually slept there (I like moving rooms every few months, some sort of genetic memory of nomadic ancestors perhaps?) a few different times...it was the first "habitable" room in the house. But it needs help.

The ceiling is a mess (lots of cracked plaster), the ceiling fixture is ugly, there is an odd ventilation problem (kitchen smells linger and linger in that one room, which makes NO sense), and some of the wiring is still uncertain. Since I'm feeling an urge to nest I need this room sixed up pronto!

I usually give my mom a gift certificate for a craft store along with a gift certificate for a half hour chair massage. She is a bit body shy and with a chair massage there is no expectation of removing clothing...and she loves to sew so she can always use 25 dollars or so at JoAnne's or Michael's or AC Moore. My two MILs (who live further away) tend to get either flowers or a package with an oversized coffee mug and some little coffees, teas, or hot cocoa packets...good ones. And some homemmade shortbread or other cookies.

[Jilian]

It sounds like everyone is nesting away This weekend DP and I are doing a major nest-a-thon and taking on a million projects around the house. DS will be away for the weekend so we're taking advantage of the free time. I'm excited. I also booked a pedicure for tomorrow afternoon : DP and my sister both bought me gift certificates for pedicures for my birthday a few weeks ago, I can't wait to get one!

[WhiteWax]

Threads are moving toooooo fast for me to keep up with it feels like! I guess I dont get on enough now!

Just wanted to share this little irritation....

A Friend of mine really wanted to throw me a baby shower. It's coming up (April 29th!!!) and My Aunt had called my mother and asked if there was something I REALLY wanted that maybe they could go in on together and get for me.

My mom kindly explained that I really wanted a bassinet and after much searching had found one that I really liked (it is a bassinet, so it rocks, but it has fold down wheels so you can wheel it around, the top part can come out of the base, it has a detachable remote control mobile, and a section folds down to make it into a co-sleeper).

My aunt then went on to say that $99 is ridiculous for something the baby will only be in for 4 or 5 months and that they should buy me a stroller because I need to be out walking!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK....... first of all, if you dont care what some one really wants... dont ask... and second, I dont have a crib, which means, no cute bumper set, or diaper stacker, or matching quilt or wall hangings to buy... no nursery to decorate, no nursery furniture to get,no rocker, no rugs, or curtains or heck I wont even have a changing table... I AM SHARING ONE ROOM WITH TWO KIDS.... and the computer!! AND one of the two dressers in this room is full of my DADS clothes!!!!!!!! If the one thing I want is a Bassinet, something that would make me happy, i would really enjoy having and maybe make this all not feel so bad....... dont you think MAYBE.... JUST MAYBE.... it's not so bad? Not such an extravegent purchase??? I sleep on a twin bed.... there really isn't enough room to have the baby in the bed with me the whole night.

I guess I'm just a bit blown away! : Part of me is able to laugh at IMO is the ridiculousness of it all.... My theory though :"If you dont really carewhat they want .... dont ask!"


thanks for listening to my rant!

[Charity]

I agree--that is ridiculous for someone to ask what you really want and would appreciate most, and then to decide that you're wrong about what you want. So, is she going to get you a stroller, or do you think your mom will be able to persuade her, gently, that a bassinet really would be helpful? (And even if it isn't helpful--even if it were totally frivolous--I still think you have the right to say, this is the thing I'd love to have, when someone asks.) Good that you can see the funny side, too!

[wombatclay]

WhiteWax- Bleh. What a dork. Maybe your mom could sort of suggest a gift card instead of the gift? That way you'd have the option of getting what you really want even if this other woman thinks it's crazy? Still, I agree, if you don't want to know...don't ask! Or don't ask in a "let's all get what she wants" way if you're just curious and don't really intend to then spend the money on that.

My own mini rant for this pregnancy...why, oh why, do people say "Gee! You don't look pregnant from behind!". What!?!?! Why would I look pregnant from behind? And yet so many people have told me this. Including a few yesterday which is why it's at the top of my mind.

Now, I do sit at a very high reference desk all day and the computer adds to the visual screen...so very often people who only see me at the desk don't realize I'm pregnant till I stand up and walk around the desk. So at least their "oh my gods you're pregnant!" comments are at least reasonable and kind of funny. But the other one just doesn't make sense to me...and isn't it really just the same as saying "wow! your butt isn't nearly as fat as the rest of you!"?

[willoLevin]

I get a lot of comments at the bookstore where I work a few hours per week. Kind of like Wombat describes, you don't really see my belly from most of the store, just if I come out to help someone, or when the customer steps right up to the counter.

It has gotten to the point where everyone assumes I'm REALLY close to having the baby (I've gained 29 pounds already), and I'm getting tired of saying the baby's due in June. Oh well.

DH took DS to a birthday party this morning, and I'm taking him to another one this afternoon. I'm tired already! (DH knows the father at the morning party, though, so he had a strong preference for taking that "shift". )

My new dishwasher was delivered today, so yet another step forward toward having a working kitchen again. I jinxed myself by writing the other day that I usually take one Tums per day, or else all the takeout food and "quick snack" meals are catching up to me--I had to take a Tums in the middle of last night, plus three more already today. Yikes. I simply have not found a solid pattern for what triggers/resolves my heartburn this time, except that vitamins and liquids both make it worse. :

--willo

[Jilian]

Whitewax: How annoying! I agree, if she did not want to know what you wanted then she should not have asked. I hate when people tell me what I'm supposed to need for a baby. HELLO, I've done it before - thanks anway! :

I'm getting the comments too, but not the nice ones. I usually get looks of shock when I tell people I have 6 more weeks to go, then the comments about how huge I am. So I've decided that from now on, whenever a stranger asks when I'm due, I will say "tomorrow" with a smile. That should shut them up

Yesterday in Target and older woman told me that my stomach sticks out so far that there is no way I can grow anymore, she thought I was overdue. I guess she felt bad afterward because she found me in the parking lot and came back over to tell me she thinks I'm glowing. I'm getting grumpy about all of the comments. The last thing a big, overstretched, uncomfortable, pregnant woman wants to hear is how big she looks - or how she'll never make it to 40 weeks (especially after dealing with PTL. I WANT those 40 weeks dammit!).

[WhiteWax]

Originally Posted by wombatclay

...why, oh why, do people say "Gee! You don't look pregnant from behind!".

...just doesn't make sense to me...and isn't it really just the same as saying "wow! your butt isn't nearly as fat as the rest of you!"?

but even if it IS what they are saying... aren't you glad to know that your butt hasn't gotten that big????

And I must admit I saw a very slender woman at the mall one day who, from behind, still had the curves of her waist and was NOT WADDELING!!! And when she turned around... ::BAM!!!!:: Big ol' baby belly! It was very cute, I didn't say anything to her but I remember thinking that she did not look even the slightest bit pregnant from behind.

My mom has been telling me that I look like I'm ready to pop since about 6 months! And when I told people June they looked at me like I was HUGE and stupid!!! They dont ask so much anymore but I dont think any one realizes how soon June is!!!! Especially those of us due in early June. I tell them the end of May.... or "a few more weeks"

Although saying "Tomorrow" sounds like a good idea... but I'm always afraid I'll see the same people in a month!

[Marvelleaux]

Getting the "huge" comments as well--too grumpy and apathetic to care at this point...

Little Wattlet has taken to experimenting with variants of the vertex position lately, one of which I'm highly opposed to. I'll be waddling along or lying down and suddenly I'll get this terrible ache in my middle back that is damn near unbearable. I've discovered that if I flat on my back and sort of jiggle my belly a little I can solve the problem pretty quickly which is a blessing since I can't breathe while on my back.

On a good note, the weather here has remained delightfully crisp so I haven't swollen up like a frighted toad yet. If I'm lucky the weather will remain constant until my baby shower next Saturday and I'll be able to wear the last pair of pants that fit me. After that, I've declared I will no longer wear anything but mens XL cotton pajamas.

Getting closer...

Anyone else's bodies starting to experiment with cervical contractions (not PTL)? A couple of times a day I'll get a series of two or three BH's that definately feel period-like. Not the kind that cause terrible pain, but the low, persistant dull achy kind that are primarily responsible for menstrual bitchiness :. This sounds like a complaint but it's not--I'm excited by the new signs that indicate pregnancy is progressing and my body seems to know what it's supposed to do.

I can't believe my due date is only six weeks away!

[willoLevin]

Marveleaux-- Yes, I have a few of those menstrual type aches. I get them after I take RRL or alfalfa. Hmm... But never more than a few in an hour, so it is okay, according to the MW.

Yesterday, I took a brief rest before attending that afternoon birthday party, and, when I woke up, my belly felt... odd. I am really hoping this is Glooby trying to turn from breech, because it just felt like all this pressure way up at the TOP of my uterus and everything empty at the bottom, like the baby had balled up real high. I had it again (but not quite so strongly) this morning when I woke up. Here's hoping Glooby is listening to my advice to turn around! (I did do the ice pack on the top of the belly thing yesterday, and spent some time sharply inclined, so it would make sense for the baby to shift. )

FINALLY got a full night's sleep last night. (No, I still got up once to pee, but I got to sleep from about 9 pm - 7 am instead of having various family and house issues wake me up in the middle of the night and/or early morning. I'm feeling much better for it! (I need 9 hours to feel great normally, and 10 hours per night when pg!)

--willo

[willoLevin]

Since some of you expressed an interest, here's a link to pictures of my kitchen (in progress.)

http://s145.photobucket.com/albums/r...in%20progress/

--willo

[Jilian]

I'm having the period-like cramps here too, but not too many contractions I've stopped drinking RRL tea, but my MW said that in 2 more weeks I can "open the flood gates" with the tea. I'm gonna make a gigantic pitcher of iced RRL and earth mama angel baby third trimester tea and see what happens.

I cannot believe that in as little as TWO weeks some of us will be cleared for delivery. Does that scare anyone else? I really cannot wait to see what our sweet little babies look like and hear all of the great birth stories. I'm getting misty-eyed just thinking about it.

Is anyone else emotional for no apparent reason? I've never been the emotional type but just thinking of having a baby in a month or so makes me cry. I've been on the verge of tears for days now for no reason at all I think I'm having some weird kind of pregnancy hormone surge.

[momtokay]

Originally Posted by Jilian

I've stopped drinking RRL tea, but my MW said that in 2 more weeks I can "open the flood gates" with the tea. I'm gonna make a gigantic pitcher of iced RRL and earth mama angel baby third trimester tea and see what happens.

Can someone tell me more about RRL tea? What do I need to get? How do I make it? And when should someone prone to preterm labor start drinking it? I've held off starting any pregnancy tea as I don't want anything that's going to cause more ctx, but I'd love to start when I can in hopes of it helping labor along when the time comes.

FWIW, I've been having lots of cramping too, but fewer contractions than I was having which is good because the ones I'm having come with a ton of cervical pressure now that baby is no longer spending most of her days transverse.

And no, I can't belive some of us could go in 2 more weeks!! Luckily I'm due mid-June so I better have at least 4 weeks to go!

TIA!

[WhiteWax]

I was going to ask the same question about the RRL tea! I know it's Red Raspberry Leaf tea but other than that I dont know... I remember every one talking about it at the begining of our DDC and I remember thinking it was so far off that it didn't matter

Also... the emotional thing.... holy bonkers I'm with you!!! Mines worse though I think... a bit more PMSy where I will be SUPER crabby and then if any one raises their voice at all I feel like they are yelling at me and I burst into tears! It happened last night infact... my mom looked at my cock-eyed.... I sat down in a chair and she said "If you dont feel well, why dont you go to bed" it made me cry so I holed up in my room for an hour and came back out feeling much better and had a little chat with her with out any tears.

Oh, and Willow... that fridge is awesome!!! lol

[sylvi76]

Yes, I feel emotional when I look around the house and feel like I have no energy to tidy up AGAIN or when there is a pile of dishes. But as soon as the work is done and my house looks nice and neat then I feel all happy again.

Just got out dd's infant clothes, the 0-3 months sizes and washed it. Emptied a few drawers in dd's dresser, her and the new baby will be sharing a dresser, and going thru all those teeny tiny clothes and gowns and hats made me feel very sappy and mushy. I was remembering how fast those first few months go by.

I drink RRL tea most days and I notice for sure that I have immediate BH contrax after drinking it. I steep it with cumin seeds and let it get cold before I drink it. I totally love it and will soon be increasing to 5 cups a day. Now it's maybe 2-3 cups.

34 weeks tomorrow! Wooo Hooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jilian]

You can get RRL tea at a health foods store, traditional medicinals makes it. Or you can buy the herbs and make it yourself. It's supposed to help tone your uterus and maybe help you have a shorter labor. Some people swear by it, there is a whole RRL tribe in the main pregnancy forum that is a million pages long. I just really like the taste of it, but it can stimulate your uterus and cause some mild contractions so I stopped drinking it for now - only because I am dealing with PTL. Otherwise, most Midwives suggest drinking it regularly through the third trimester.

[Shell_Ell]

I drink close to quart of RRL tea a day at times, but I have heard conflicting things about whether it causes issues with contractions or not. I think it depends on the person. I don't think it does for me, in fact I think it actually helps calm my uterus a bit. My midwife knows how much of it I drink and didn't see a problem with it, even with my "irritable' uterus (I hate calling it that. LOL)

I brew my own with nettles (heavy on the nettles because I have vulvar varicosities and it's the only thing that helps) spearmint, and alfalfa. I'd say it's about 75% RRL leaves, 20% nettles and 5% of the other stuff. I steep it in a glass jar about an hour, strain it, chill it in the fridge and I drink it cold. I have been drinking a cup a day or so since around 20 weeks, and went up to 3-4 cups per day when I entered the third trimester. Some days it's a little less. Lately I'm getting a little tired of it. But I feel so much healthier when drinking it. It's not just good for the uterus, it's full of so many good things!

[willoLevin]

Emotional? Um, yeah, kind of. And I'm seeing suddenly that I have more in common with my OCD mom than I sometimes admit. I was really feeling down/depressed this morning, and I realized it is because my house is torn up and there is no action on the weekend. When it is changing, I don't feel the anxiety. But when it is quiet, I start to fret/obsess over it. So we went outside to put in a few seedlings that have been desperate to get into real dirt (but our weather! Arg!), and then I got all activated and tried to get DH to help me clean out the garage. (He got a little upset with me as he had other plans for the afternoon.) The cleaning is absolutely, completely a coping mechanism for my anxiety--sounds just like Mom!

I'm normally more on the messy side, no doubt a lame lingering rebellion from my immaculate childhood. When I came inside and thought about it, I realized that I wanted to "fix" the garage to cope with my fears that things will go wrong (delays, costs, etc.) with my kitchen.

So, yes, I think I am less reasonable than I should be, more demanding of my poor, overworked DH, and also more emotional. Unfortunately, my big emotional outbursts tend to be angry instead of weepy. Oh sigh.

And now about RRL tea. I mostly ascribe to the "1 cup per day in the 1st trimester; 2 cups per day in the 2nd trimester; 3 cups per day in the 3rd trimester" philosophy. Except I don't like the taste of the tea, so I usually take the capsules. I do want to add that Shell_Ell's recipe is very nearly the "magical breastmilk formula" that has been talked about a lot lately on my breastfeeding problem support group. Basically, a combo of RRL, alfalfa and nettles (possibly with red clover added, but not during pg!) is also supposed to help women who had low supply with previous babies. That is why I am persevering with the RRL and alfalfa, even though I notice minor cramps/contractions after I take them.

--willo