Weekly Thread *~May 7th - May 13th~* - Page 2

[Jilian]

K's mama: Nice to have you join the weekly threads! My MW doesn't do internal exams unless I ask, she's a HB MW. But I must admit that I kind of want one. I know they don't mean a thing but I'm just so curious. I can check my own cervix but I sort of want a professional opinion. I'm sure you can refuse them if you want. I think it's awesome that you didn't do any with your first.

I'm getting anxious now. I'm not sure if I should start doing things to get ready for labor or not. I have a bottle of EPO capsules my sis left here last week and I'm not sure if I should take them or not. I am gonna drink one cup of RRL tonight. I'm not sure if I should give my body a gentle nudge or if I should wait until I'm 37 full weeks. Part of me wants to go into labor and part of me isn't ready to stop being pregnant yet.

[wombatclay]

Well, I had the GBS swab today, but that's not really a VE...it's just a Qtip style swab wiped along the vaginal and anal openings. I think some practices do an internal exam closer to 40 weeks to see if there is any change in he cervix? Not that that really tells you much, but I think some mamas like to know if/how much they have dilated. If you don't want one though I can't imagine they'd be upset!

I'm a bit on the fence about VE...mostly I don't want any till I feel the need to push, but in reality I sort of want to know if things are "changing" and I've never been good at self exams.

[jbobys]

Hi! (pathetic wave from the couch)...Im new here

Im so tired and gross and just want to whine all the time. : So, excuse me if Im not all smiles at the moment.

Im due sometime between June 20-July 2, depending on who you ask...I was still nursing and dont have a LMP to go by. So, my birthing window is pretty huge, and Ill go with whatever works I STILL have horrible morning noon and night sickness, which just sucks...my tummy has been upside down for the past week, too. I think my little gymnist is finally upside down and is causing alot of the issues..BLAH! Im not getting too excited about head down yet, I dont want to jinx anything! On Thursday I have another ultra sound (at 20 weeks one of his kidneys had fluid and was enlarged, 4 weeks ago it had fixed itself, but they want to follow him and make sure all is cool), so Ill be able to deffinatly find out how hes lying! Im super nervous~ both my other kids were head down from day one, so this is new.

My mind is SOOO far gone, I keep saying the wrong words~ and not even noticing. I cant remember anything, either.

OK, enough whining, Ill come back when im not so :

[Shell_Ell]

Vaginal exams: My midwife generally does not do them unless a mother really, really wants them or there's a good reason for them. I had one at 31w6d because I had checked myself and noticed change, so she did it to compare. That was almost 3 weeks ago and I was 1-2 cm and 50-60%. I haven't checked since.

They sort of worked against me with my last pregnancy. I got a little obsessed about "progress" and it also put more pressure on me in labor, too. The clock did too. So my main thing with this labor will be avoiding exams and avoiding the clock.

I don't think I'll be having any more though because I don't want to get discouraged if I don't see change, or worked up if I see a lot of change. I don't really want them in labor, either, except possibly to confirm full dilation when I start to push. I found that knowing I was "stuck" at 2-3 cm for 10 hours or something was hard on me with my first labor. If I hadn't known that I was "stuck" I wonder if I would have gotten as upset and frustrated about how slow things were going.

I'll admit there's a teensy bit of curiousity there, but I think just going with the flow and not knowing the exact numbers might help me stay more positive. Just my opinion.

GBS swab: Those of you who are doing them, are you swabing yourself? My midwife has those clients who choose to have one swab themselves. Just wondering if anyone else had a midwife/OB in this camp. I'll be having mine next week at my homevisit.

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by Shell_Ell

GBS swab: Those of you who are doing them, are you swabing yourself? My midwife has those clients who choose to have one swab themselves. Just wondering if anyone else had a midwife/OB in this camp. I'll be having mine next week at my homevisit.

My MW had my swab myself at the home visit last week. When I was preg with DS, and seeing a hospital MW she did the swab on me. I prefer swabbing myself because it didn't hurt at all this time around.

[rock_dr]

is anyone not doing the GBS? My mw doesn't push it so I declined. Am having second thoughts...

another question: what post-natal vitamins are you all planning to use? I have about 2 weeks left on my prenatals and am considering switching over to something else rather than buying a whole new supply.

oh and HI, since I haven't checked in in awhile

hello to the newcomers!
Congrats Jilian on your wedding (your last belly pic is gorgeous!).

All's well here. Will be 37 weeks on Saturday, then I have the green light for the birth center. DH is in Alaska starting tomorrow so nothing better happen! Baby is veerrryy low and I have alot of BH. But I don't feel like I'm gonna have a baby yet. Plus we haven't decided on names...

[willoLevin]

I'm up, which stinks. I got out of bed around 3:20 am when I started coughing again. The good news is that I got some sleep up until that time, and I don't think I bothered DH all night like the night(s) before...

Actually, I'm not coughing much now that I'm up. I did when I tried going back to bed half an hour ago, though. I just can't keep torturing DH, and the doctor says sleep is the ONLY thing that is going to kick this stupid virus. : The poor man has to go to work tomorrow, whereas I, at least, have the option of napping like I did today.

Wombat-- Now that you are on disability, will you be able to rest, or will you have your DD with you 24/7? I did really well today with two short naps, but I know that wouldn't have happened without my MIL taking DS for part of the morning. (I fell asleep with DS for his afternoon nap. He LOVES that, actually, so I get health "points" plus bonding "points". )

How amazing is it that our first June baby arrived, huh?

It really does scare the pants off of me, though! Thank God I'm due toward the end of June. Sheesh! I'm not ready, and, frankly, I can't imagine going through labor with this freakin' cough and sore throat!!!

I'm telling the baby to stay in until at least June, when I'll be 37 weeks. Mom gets here June 9th, so I'm really hoping s/he stays in until at least June 7th...

--willo

[BellaLuv]

Hi,
I thought I would check in here, though I haven't posted anything for at least 4 months. We have been busy house hunting, then moving into a new house. It's been about a month now, and by next week all the home improvements should be done! I so want to start nesting, but it's virtually impossible with all the tools, equipment, and dust lying around. Also, the house is being painted next week, so it would be pretty useless to completely organize all the dressers, bookcases, etc., only to have to move them (now full) in a couple days.

Sounds like everyone is doing well, with the exception of the couple members with flu/colds! So sorry! Luckily, once my morning sickness was over, I have been fine; although I had a raging headache the other day, and I think it was due to the fumes from our new flooring combined with close to 100 degree weather.

I switched to a midwife for care somewhere around my 20th week and we are having a homebirth. Went to the store yesterday and got most of the supplies, so at least I got to act on some of that nesting instinct! Anyone else having a homebirth? Anyone else getting a little scared about it? Sometimes I get a small bh contraction, or maybe a gas pain, or I just get up the wrong way, and I think "ouch!", and then I think, "if you can't handle that twinge of pain, you are in BIG trouble!" DH and I started a Bradley class a couple weeks ago, but I am due in the middle of the session, so luckily the instructor will meet with us one on one to go over some important techniques.

If I don't post again until the baby gets here, happy birthing vibes to all of you! I'll be lurking everyday to see what's going on...

[momtokay]

my midwife usually has the pg moms do their own gbs swab, but when i told her that i had lost my mucous plug she wanted to do a cervix check and went ahead and did the gbs test at the same time.

as for a homebirth, i'm still undecided. i'd like to birth a home this time, but dh is really worried about the carpeting or bed or something getting ruined. sigh. we're still working on it and our other option (assuming i make it to 37 weeks) is a lovely birth center that's only about a 8 minute drive away so i don't feel like i need to fight too hard. i just remember how i didn't like having to get up, dressed, bundle the baby up and drive home a few hours after the birth of dd2 and it really appeals to me to just stay in bed this time and to send everyone else home instead. good things my midwives are flexible and haven't made me fully decide yet.

[Marvelleaux]

Originally Posted by momtokay

...I'd like to birth a home this time, but dh is really worried about the carpeting or bed or something getting ruined...

Boy will he be in for a big surprise when he sees what a KID is gonna do to the carpet and the furniture ...

[willoLevin]

Was so addled when I posted at 5 am, I forgot to mention today is our 6th wedding anniversary.

Of course, DH and I are both sick and miserable, so it'll likely be one where we take advantage of my in-laws babysitting to both TAKE A NAP!

Plasterers should be arriving any minute now to do the kitchen ceiling and walls. That's kind of exciting--I expect it to look much more like a room than an open hole after that. When the counters go in next Monday, it'll really be coming together. Imagine, by this time next week, I should even have a SINK again! Woo hoo!

As soon as I've let those guys in to get started, I'm going back to BED!

I watched some Birth Day on Discovery Health Channel at 3 (or so) this morning. Babies are little and cute. That's nice. Even though I've already done this before, and I've seen SOOO many births on tv, I *STILL* don't really believe the wiggler in my stomach is actually going to exit through my birth canal any time soon... or ever, really!

--willo

[jstar]

my ob did a swab for gbs....just a light wiping 'down the crack' with a big qtip. it didn't hurt at all....and was thankfully negative. phew.

happy anniversary willo!

[Ks Mama]

Congrats!

Originally Posted by willoLevin

Was so addled when I posted at 5 am, I forgot to mention today is our 6th wedding anniversary.

Congratulations Willo!

[wombatclay]

Wow! A June DDC babe! Ack!

We're going to have to start one of those stickies with birth info (the one in the May DDC is nice since it also includes the guess date for the babe so people can see how "early", or not, the babe is!).

So many different topics since yesterday!

Willo- I wish I had the chance to nap, but unfortunatly the real upshot of being on disability is that not only do I get light headed if I try to move to fast (thanks to the elevated bp) but I have dd 24/7 AND my dad in the afternoons. DH is picking up the perscriptions I got yesterday though and I'm counting on getting some sleep tonight. Last night the coughing was horrible...more or less non-stop till I retched...but it wasn't as hard "emotionally" since I knew I didn't have to go to work in the morning. Not that being massively sleep deprived (the longest chunk of sleep I've had in the last 11 days has been under two hours, and mostly I haven't gotten more than 30-40 minutes at a time) is a good place to be in terms of taking care of a 2yo, but it was a real blessing to know I didn't need to try and "tough it out" at the reference desk during exam insanity too!

Despite the coughing though I really feel like this cold is shifting...so maybe it's almost done?

GBS- my last care provider let you swab yourself and my current provider will as well. But I actually had her do it when I was in the office the other day since I didn't want to get up off the comfy comfy exam table. Pathetic, I know, but the swabbing wasn't uncomfy (she's the only OB I know who can do a full VE and pap smear without causing any discomfort, so I wasn't worried about a qtip). But it's nice to have the option and it's not a "tough" collection process to do yourself.

I got the swab (I was negative last time) because I feel it's important info to have. Yes, a clean swab doesn't mean you wont be infected at the birth, and vice versa, but this is one of those tests that doesn't seem to have a real "down side" for me. It's information I'd like to have, it doesn't put the babe at risk, the collection process doesn't hurt, and if the test came back positive I would treat with a variety of natural options before re-testing. If I was still positive I'd then go with the abx during birth.

But other mamas have other feelings about testing and abx, and right now I'm not a glowing example of a stunning immune system.

Yay for babies, yay for kitchens, yay for health, and yay for us!

[willoLevin]

Today I'm having more of those "big baby movements"/strong-crampy BH ctx like I did a few weeks ago.

Now, that time, I think the baby was flipping from breech. If so, I can't even guess what position the little critter is in now. : Basically, I now feel like I've got some feet (I hope!) jammed into my stomach (literally--the part where food would like to go) and a huge lump right up high and in front.

--willo

[PatchChild]

Quiet but hot day around here. Somehow, it just wasn't a fair day. It's my birthday and DH had the day off while I had to go to work. Not fair at all.

[wombatclay]

maybe not fair but...HAPPY BIRTHDAY PatchChild! I hope your evening is better and that this year ahead of you will be full of fun and happiness!

I think the weather has gone nuts around here. Usually we have a long cold/wet spring followed by a sort but very humid and hot summer then a nice fall season and a long cold winter. This winter though things went back and forth and upside down with temps ranging anywhere from -20 to +60. And the "spring weather" has been even more bizarre...we were in the 60s, then we had a blizzard with several feet of snow, then back into the 50s (which is the normal temp range). But yesterday and today it's been in the 80s. In MAY!?!?!?! It's totally bizarre and I have no clue what to plan for in the next few weeks.

my dd was born in April and we had snow. I figured a June babe wouldn't need a snow bunting, but I really wasn't expecting 80 degree weather in May either.

[Marvelleaux]

Happy birthday PatchChild!
Happy Annivarsary Willo!

Had a midwife's appointment today and I'm measuring 39 weeks!

I asked her if she still thought I was going to be overdue (on account of it being my first) and she said: "for your sake, I hope not!" We laughed our butts off at that This baby is big and I'm not, so my level of comfort has plummeted significantly over the past week and every day I have a fun new challenge.

I probably won't be posting much after this. Sitting cuts off the circulation to my legs and so I can't hang at the computer for long, but I wanted to tell you all that I'll be lurking a lot to see how ya'll are holding up!

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by momtokay

i'd like to birth a home this time, but dh is really worried about the carpeting or bed or something getting ruined. sigh.

Peroxide removes blood and it really does work - I've used it with success many times before. You can also get a bunch of chux pads and some tarps and old blankets and comforters. Don't let the mess get in the way of having the birth experience you want!

Happy birthday PatchChild, I hope you had a wonderful day! :
Happy Anniversary Willo and Willo's DH!

I'm still in shock that it is time for all of us to start having babies soon. Now that our first baby was born (like how I say "our"? ) it is starting to feel more real. I have everything but I'm not sure I feel "ready". It seems surreal.

[Marvelleaux]

Started loosing globs of mucus plug last night. I didn't realize it would be so gross!