Weekly Chat thread July 28-August 4th - Page 3

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by lee1203

Sometimes I wish I had a window to inside so I could see what the little bugger is DOING in there.

That is SO funny! Just the other day I was saying that I wished my belly had a clear window on the front just to know what the heck this booger is doing in there!

[janasmama]

I second the nursing on the side...it definitely helps with rest and sleep. I could do it at first with my first but then had some problems so I had to be persistent about continuing to try.

Carrie, That is funny about your dream. My DH does go and do stuff though while in labor, I really don't notice it but I did ask him this time to tell me what he is doing so I know he hasnt' just disappeared. If I'm tired of him telling me what he's doing then I will tell him then that he doesn't have to check in anymore.

As far as the rest thing...I was annoyed at my DH for wanting to sleep during my first labor but in all actuality I'm glad he did b/c somebody needs to be rested to take care of mama pp. If this labor is during the night or a long one I'll be okay with him sleeping.

[hippyhabibi]

81 days to go!

I'm almost 28 weeks and feeling pretty well (knock on wood!). We finished our eco-friendly nursery this week and I am off to JoAnne's this afternoon to look for fabric for the curtains. Yesterday I had a fun shopping trip...went to eight places and had to use the ladies room seven times. Yep. It was so noteworthy that I wrote about it in my blog...

[Dahlea]

Originally Posted by Changed

The best advice I can offer new moms on breastfeeding-

Learn to nurse laying down as soon as possible. It has been the key to SLEEP and feelings emotionally healthy PP for me.

I've heard this is really hard at first if you're large breasted so I've been nervous about that.

[Changed]

Hard but totally doable. My sister tried a little but struggled with it with her first and when she finally realized how important it was she got the hang of it the first day with her second. She's wasn't wasting any time! She's a F cup or something like that. Very large breasted.

[Bayleesan]

Originally Posted by Dahlea

I've heard this is really hard at first if you're large breasted so I've been nervous about that.

It was really hard for me at first with my DD, but we got the hang of it eventually. I don't remeber how many weeks old she was, not too many, anyway I got sick and I just could not even hold myself up, so I HAD to figure it out. Nesscity is the mother of invention? Anyway, you can do it!

[pinetree]

I've found that being larger breasted is easier to nurse laying down... you dont' have to flip over to switch sides! You just tilt a little and baby can get the other nipple.

It makes it easier for night time nursing. It does take practice with the first baby you try this with but it's a life saver.

I'm excited for August. It means I'm one month closer to being full term. Now to make it through my current class and then make it through to the end of August. If I get into September then I get to avoid the NICU (unless something happens... but that's less likely then if I have a preterm birth).

I figure I'm happy with a birth anytime during September or October.

[pinetree]

Hey guys, just joining in.

[leurMaman]

Hey everyone,

I'm still here. I don't get to check in as much, but I am happy to hear that we are all doing well - and that Celeste is keeping those babies in for a while longer I have to go look up belly pics next and see how cute you mommies are.

I'm still in TX. Trial with DH (for Domestic Violence) is still ongoing, but he is starting to send messages through my sister (due to the no-contact order) that he loves and misses us - that he's willing to go to therapy AND marital counseling. I'm trying to decide now if it is wise to trust him and go back up to Seattle to have this baby with him nearby (we'd live in the house and he'd live with a friend until things are resolved better) or if I should stay in Texas and have the baby here. I'm sick of living with my parents while pregnant though! As if I didn't have enough issues before - hehehe.

I'll be 32 weeks tomorrow, and I have a long over-due prenatal appointment in the morning. I can't wait to hear how she's doing. I feel great - but sometimes wonder if I'm carrying just one baby - she moves like an army.

[janasmama]

Originally Posted by Dahlea

I've heard this is really hard at first if you're large breasted so I've been nervous about that.

I have smaller breasts and I found it difficult to get the baby latched. I had to prop her up on a pillow for the 'reach'. I really don't think it has too much to do with breast size so don't let it intimidate you. I always figure that we are used to what we are carrying around so we have a good handle on how to use them.


LeurMann - Glad to hear from you...and especially glad your H is sounding like he wants to work things out. My sister is going through marital problems and I was pondering the thought of the big 'D' word and how encompassing it is. I think some stubborn ppl take awhile to realize how huge their loss is going to be and then they can finally decide to change in order to keep what they have.

Pinetree - Welcome to the DDC. Are you prone to preterm labor? We have a couple of other mamas here who are trying to hold their babies in also... Keeping the cervix closed vibes coming all of your ways.

[celesterra]

Wow, you guys are just cruising along with this thread! Lots of names here that are new to me, so HI to you all!

Mandi, so good to hear from you. You've got so much going on, and major decisions to make late in your pregnancy. I've found a little trick in decision making to be a visualization: imagine that you're in a canoe on a river. You've got things upstream that you have to work to get to, or downstream that you can just ride on down towards. When a decision feels upstream, I've generally found that it's not the intuitive path, while "downstream" decisions are more aligned with my purpose and work out much more easily. I don't know if this idea will be helpful at all, but I thought I'd share. I wish you great peace of mind and heart, and a joyous conclusion to your pregnancy. :

Re: babies pushing outward, it's great to hear you guys talk about this. It's been going on for me for a couple of months, and some days are just so rough because the boys both get into these pushing-out sessions... it can even make me feel queasy! I find that massaging them works less now than it did before. Sometimes it even makes it hard to distinguish between contractions and baby movement! Ouch!!

AAM, so, wow, I'm going to be 31 weeks on Thursday! I can't believe it! I'm actually feeling so stable, it's hard to imagine that things really could change between now and 34 weeks. On the daily monitoring, the babies are still both looking great. I had another ultrasound today, and could see them both BREATHING. It's just miraculous. I'm so awed by their strength and resilience!

I had a very busy and fast day today. My sister sleeps here a couple times a week, and having her here last night was awesome, even though she was just reading and I was working.

I think stretch marks are coming... I can see the beginnings of them on the bottom of my belly. I'm a little disappointed - I've already made it so far without them - but then I remind myself that it's just another sign of carrying these boys closer to term, and I feel better.

I'm trying not to think about everything that is left undone. My stuff is still scattered between 2 houses, and I didn't even have a chance to get the dresser set up, never mind all the other details of setting up our room. It's a disappointment that I just keep shoving to the back of my mind, since there's absolutely nothing I can do about it. Oh, well.

OK, time to wind down for bed.

[triple07]

Mandi it is so wonderful to hear from you! You are another mama that is on my mind a lot. Im glad that things are starting to look up a little bit and I hope that everything goes wonderfully at your prenatal this morning!

AAM: Well, I slept horribly last night, and it was a night when I was NEEDING sleep. First DS didn't want to go to sleep (like not until 1 am then when I finally got him down to sleep DH was snoring so loudly I was about ready to smother him with the pillow. Finally at like almost 3 AM he turned onto his side which stopped the snoring. I was like 3/4 of the way asleep all night waking up like 5 or 6 times to pee. And now at 6:30 AM and DH still hasn't decided to get up for work and is snoring again, it looks like I am up for the rest of the day. A whole 3 - 3 1/2 hours of sleep. Yay.

And we are going in to Baltimore today to see the Pediatric Cardiac Surgeons and probably have another ultrasound (if they seriously want one per week I think I am going to start declining. We have a diagnosis and it isn't going to miracuously go away, unfortunately) I will keep you all updated on what we hear today.

[triple07]

P.S. Have any of you mamas used Bamberoo mei tais??? I have been lusting after them on thebabywearer.com but they are sooo expensive! Like I have a hard time justifying buying a used mei tai for $125+...

[Orionbelt]

Just got a call from Dr. MacLeod with the MRI results. It doesn't really sound like the MRI was able to definitively tell what it is. She went over it with the radiologist and they both think that it is BPS but we won't know for sure until the baby is born. She also said that they don't think that it is adrenal (the kidneys) but they won't know for sure until the baby is born. I asked a few questions like how ABO incompatability (which both of my kids had at birth) would affect the baby (she said just closer monitoring but it shouldn't cause a problem with the mass), I asked about having a natural delivery and labouring at home as long as I could (she said as of right now a natural delivery looks feasable but we should go to the hospital earlier, although not with the first contraction, because they would want to monitor the baby to make sure he/she is handling labour well), and I also asked how long my stay in the hospital will be (she said it will probably be a little longer because they would want to do an u/s and probably an MRI on baby to figure out what the mass is). I go back to see her on the 19 and she is going to try to set up an appointment with the pediatric surgon for that day as well. I'm not really sure why I need to see them since we still don't know what it is but she said that they will tell me more about what will happen after baby is born and what options we are looking at.

I'm kind of mad right now because I feel like I went through all of that for nothing...we don't seem to be any further ahead with this and we still don't know what it is...grrrrrr....so frustrated.

I'll be back later to catch up with everyone...my kidlets are hanging off my arms right now making it tough to type...I think a little tickle time is in order for them!

[MommaFox]

To all you mamas with a large chest: Fear Not! : I've had quite a large chest since puberty (in the freaking 4th grade, yet). Before I got pregnant with this one I was in an F cup, and they're getting bigger, yipe! Anyway, with #1son, I breastfed on my side no problem. I loved it. I'd fall asleep and when ds was full, he'd fall off and go to sleep, too.

[TaraRae82]

Mandy, it's great to hear from you! I hope you can find a solution that works best for you and your family. Take care of yourself and know you have any support you need right here.

Orionbelt, I'm so sorry to hear they couldn't give you any conclusive info. How frusterating! I hope your natural birth plans can be carried out w/o issue and that the mass isn't anything serious when your LO comes.

AAM: Nothing new I don't think today. Just my appt with the chiro this afternoon. I cannot wait for that! I have to teach a class at noon and then I'm done for the day and have the chiro appt to look forward to at 2:45.

2 of my showers have dates finally! I'm having one with my Mom's family on Aug 16 and one with DH's coworkers on Sept 7. There are still 2 others w/o dates. I really need to clean out the closet in the nursery so I'll have somewhere to PUT all of this stuff!

[kristenburgess]

Hey gals! I'll start this AAM and then try to dive back in to keeping up with everyone!

I have been so very behind. My older kids went to spend two weeks with their dad (who lives around 1000 miles away). Three days before they were set to come home to us, their dad called and said his mom (my kids' grandma) refused to drive to meet us halfway (as agreed) and refused to let him drive their van (kids' dad doesn't have his own vehicle)...

So, we ended up spending the 4th of July driving a thousand miles to get my kids. Nice thing is that we got to spend the night with my parents who live close to kids' dad.

We got kids back and started for home planning to make the drive in two days. My 3yo was obviously sick with gastro-intestinal stuff going on so we decided to try and push through to home... Got home at 4am and within 2 hours my 5yo was throwing up and could keep nothing down.

That started a week and a half of all three kids and my hubby being sick with whatever tummy bug the kids brought back. And they came back off a horrible processed food/sugar high so my 6yo and 5yo were both really really really cranky even after getting over the sickness (I swear it was like a real withdrawl!!!!).

Thankfully and by a miracle I did *not* get sick and was able to keep eating well for our growing baby.

Kids finally got better, calmed down as the sugar left their system and they got good meals again. Then we spent a couple of weeks catching up and now things are pretty much back to normal. It has been a very hard month for us though.

But like I said I have been healthy and our little "peanut" is good and healthy. I'm really wavering in my thoughts on birth right now. I enjoy our appointments with our midwife but I am going back on forth on how much I really want her there at our birth.

My hubby is painfully shy and doesn't like having people over - if we visit w/ people we almost always go out. So he's really nervous about having the midwife and her team here. I'm worried about him being preoccupied with that when I want him to be there for me. I don't really care to have the midwife there "for me" so to speak as a support person - I want DH for that...does that make sense? And I'm thinking it might just be nicer to have the baby here with just DH and then call the mw after the baby is born. I'm also really not wanting suctioning and other stuff on the baby unless vital but I think my mw does it pretty standard. I've talked to her some about the placenta but haven't brought up suctioning yet. Anyways, those are birth thoughts going on.

Oh! Also, the reason I was lying low during the 2 weeks the kids were gone was because I was redesigning my website in those two weeks. I didn't get done because of having to leave early to get them, but I have gotten most of it done and have been working bit by bit to complete it. Hopefully ok to share with the DDC - www.birth-baby.com

Ok done rambling now, I'll try to catch up with everyone else's posts this evening!

[LoveLife]

Wow, this thread just speeds right ahead of me!

Not much new is going on here. I had my midwife appointment yesterday and everything looks good. The baby is measuring 28 (I'm 27 weeks) and his heartbeat is good and strong. I did my finger prick in place of the GTT and my sugars were perfect, so no problems there. I've gained 18lbs so far, which is a bit scary- but normal. But then, any weight gain is scary and difficult for me to deal with. My iron is a bit low, so I need to work on getting that up. Otherwise- everything was great!

We ordered our nursery furniture last weekend and its supposed to be here in 8 weeks. We also had carpet installed in the nursery, guest bedroom and hallway. Most of it looks great BUT the nursery is messed up! There are actually holes in the carpet along one wall where they were pushing it under the baseboard. We were not happy. So tomorrow the guy we ordered from is coming to take a look and see if they are going to replace it or not. (You better believe they are!!!)

Other than that, its a normal week. Good luck to all the mama's dealing w/ issues. You're in my thoughts!

[myrmom]

orion I am sorry you are no further ahead then you were...I know you were really hoping the MRI would give you the information you needed in order to know what course of action to take at birth. I hope your natural labour and delivery aren't comprimised and that they are able to identify what is wrong righ after baby is born.


As for side lying while breastfeeding...it took forever before I figured it out with ds#1, probably 4 months. We had such big latch issues that it took almost 2 months before I could get him latched on first try with no crying....so I was sooo bound and determined to get side lying down pat with Rufus...and voila in the hospital, the second time I nursed him was side lying....made for a much better sleep at night. I actually was more rested with him even though he got up easily 2-3 times as much as my first.

[Mamja]

Originally Posted by MommaFox

To all you mamas with a large chest: Fear Not! : I've had quite a large chest since puberty (in the freaking 4th grade, yet). Before I got pregnant with this one I was in an F cup, and they're getting bigger, yipe! Anyway, with #1son, I breastfed on my side no problem. I loved it. I'd fall asleep and when ds was full, he'd fall off and go to sleep, too.

Thanks, good to know! I'm scared to see what size I'll be by the time the baby's out and my milk is in!