Due Nov/Dec 2002 (part 4)

[lilyka]

Hello everyone! Just wanted to check in and see how everyone was doing. Even the last of due in Dec have reached the home stretch, the blessed third trimester. Is anyone as anxious as me to have that little bundle in thier arms intead of thier middles? I can hardly wait. I am so excited about meeting my baby. Dec just can't get here fast enough.

How is every one feeling. I am huge and stretched to the limit. I don't know how it is possible that i will grow more (and thi is my third time. you would think I would be used to it by now). I am hungry all the time and nothing sounds good. Morning sickness is back too. Sounds a wee bit like my first trimester.

it is so nice to feel baby bean kicking all over the place. It is so comforting to have those semi daily check ins.

[XmasEve]

I'm so happy to hear that I'm not the only one with 3rd trimester morning sickness! (Not that I'm happy you have it, Lilyka, just that I'M not the ONLY one.) Big is definitely the word, but at least the doctor has stopped talking twins now that baby is big enough to palpate. Is it a tragedy or comedy that doctors these days are so helpless without ultrasound?

DH and I were talking last night about how this is the first year we're both REALLY looking forward to Christmas! We'll see if he can talk me into going to church.

[sassytapped]

I'm due middle to end of November and am continually being asked if I am carrying twins! Just 1 big baby (dh was12#, my momwas 10#, dadwas 11# --nobody less than 9# anywhere in the family:rolleyes: ) I still feel great, but ankles are getting puffy at the end of the day. Dd thinks my big belly is a great seat (why not since my lap is getting too small:p ) but she grumbles when the baby kicks her while she's nursing. Dh jokes that they are already fighting. Sleeping is becoming a bit of a problem, between dd waking 2x/night (not bad really) and me having to pee 2-3 x/night, but I'm enjoying this time and getting so excited to meet this little pumpkin who likes to have his/her feet in my ribs to stretch. I'm getting antsy to have everything in order and getting the urge to make little cuties for th new baby -- and I'm NOT the crafty type. I'm looking forward to x-mas too, and to sending out the pictures in the cards. I hope all goes well for everyone.

[smaug]

Hi ladies! I am in my 7th month, and today is about the second day I haven't been nauseated!!!! I was so anxious to have this baby so I wouldn't be sick anymore. Now if the nausea is over, I am excited about these last coupla months! I know what you all are saying about wanting to hold this little one, though. With my son, I couldn't imagine the reality of having him outside of me. Now I know how amazing it will be and can't wait. At the same time, this is probably my last pregnancy, so I am kinda sad too. :(

this is a thought from the other thread,lilyka, but I think Beck is the coolest name. My dh and I are huge fans of the musician Beck, so I could not use it myself. Wouldn't want everyone to know what a freak I am. Loyal is great for the middle name. Who cares if there is already a cousin. But I think Beck sounds good with a two-syllable "L" name. Landon, Larson, Lewis, etc. Unless your last name starts with "O":LOL It is always nice to name after a relative. If you liked them!!

[lilyka]

Smaug - where do you think Dh got beck from? :rolleyes: We might just go with Loyal because heck, grampa great is by far the coolest person in our family and deserves a double portion of honor. i agreed to Beck, despite its orgin because I could live with it better than I could live with the other names my dh would agree to (well he didn't agree to anything really he said it will be this or this :rolleyes: ) and since he got beck I get to pick the girl name which is Ava Esther (i think :) )and we have a really good chance of having a girl one "maybe" ultrasound and in another thread it said if your first two are the same sex you have a 93% chance of having a third the same sex.

I am glad I am not the only one starting to nest. i have to pace myself (I allow one baby project a day) so i don't run out of things before the baby comes. So far this week we went to the Friendship Factory ( a store where you fluff, stuff and accesorize your own doll) and the girls made a stuffed animal for the baby, I have scrubbed and assembled the carseat. made fleece/terry diaper liners and started thinking about a quilt. This afternoon I am going to start organizing and sorting clothes. I still have three months worth of time to pass. Perhaps I should make some complicated fitted diapers. That will take up some time.

[crzymommy]

Due Dec 22! I feel, and am HUGE. I keep scaring people when they ask when I'm due. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is big. LOL.

I'm nesting like a maniac. Made about 3 dozen diapers and 6 covers so far. Made dh move the furniture all around the house, and I have an actual list of sewing projects. I haven't started to go through baby clothes yet, but I am finding it hard not to.

Anyone else having Braxton Hicks contractions? I tend to have them in the afternoons especially if I am tired. I had them first time around too, but I don't know if they were this early.

Amy

[lilyka]

I have been having braxton hicks contractions since I was 8 weeks. I am not going to believe I am in real labor until the baby is amonth old :D

[tea olive]

at the grocery yesterday a man asked me if i was having twins.....i have also have plentiful braxton-hicks, i think on standard care i'd be on bedrest. basically i'm just really wimpier than i would like.....i'm looking for gauze to get ready for a belly cast, am starting to envision reality of having three children, etc etc

[XmasEve]

It started that I just got Braxton Hicks when I mopped. Now it's when I sweep as well. As soon as they start happening when I vacuum, I'm out of a job! (I'm a house cleaner.) At least then I'll have time to start nesting.

This is my first, so I'm actually not anxious to have my baby in my arms-- I just keeping thinking how much I'm going to miss being pregnant! Crazy, huh?

-M

[Vixenmama]

I just feel so darn crappy today I have to vent. I haven't had much uncomfortableness at all (well except for the non-stop ms from weeks 6-15) but i'm just hitting the 7th month mark and and feeling huge and unwieldly. I just called dh at work to whine a little and he was soooo unhelpful (you know, 'you're not fat, you're pregnant" and that type of thing)! LOL!

Today I got really mad at myself because I guess I'm not one of those pregnant woman whose shape doesn't change except for a nice, tasteful basketball-my body is like 'hey, let's get biiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggg! I marvel incredulously at my maternity pants every morning that my but IS actually that big. Why do I need a big but to be pregnant? Oh, and can we talk lumpy, bumpy legs? What the hell is that for and why doesn't every pregnant woman get it--what makes me so blessed.

I was actually bitter last week in our birthing class when a cute woman came in about 30 weeks or so, wearing the sweetest little hippie maternity top with elastic around the bust and NO BRA. I can't really go without a bra even when not pregnant, but I dare not even sleep without one now. In the last 7 months my breasts have turned into the those of an Eastern European grandmother who exclusively breastfed each of her 15 children until they were 3.

I've been eating very, very well. Lots of fresh veggies, protein, fruit, yogurt, whole grains--I don't get it. I do have sugar occasionally, but junk food isn't a part of my diet. I've been going to one prenatal yoga class per week and I've just bought a pny dvd and started doing it in the morning before work. When I went for a walk at lunchtime today I scared myself when I saw my profile in the department store windows as I walked by---not a tasteful basketball--well maybe that's how you could describe each but cheek.


Anyway, I have to have some sort of attitude adjustment fast because I have 10-12 weeks to go and I know I have nowhere to go but out.



all the best,
Victoria
:baby #1 edd 12/04/02

[J&G's mom]

Hey all. I am due Dec. 20-28 depending on whose due date system you use. I really do not want to have this baby on Christmas day! I am already bummed enough that none of my kids get to have summer birthdays (Sept 30, Feb 10, Dec ?) I always loved having my bday parties at parks in the summer, oh well.
I too am huge, although I am fairly overweight to begin with so people have finally just started being confident enough to say something...is she just getting fatter or is she pregnant? Although I think all the weight has gone into my tummy these last two pregnancies so that's good. But I too get the "are you having twins?", and "WHEN are you due? Are you sure?" comments through every pregnancy. Oh well.
I posted before about my blood sugar being high and after we changed my diet we have brought that down and everyday it seems to get a little easier to stay away from the sweets. It's only three months right? Not that I don't plan to cheat a little, my sons bday party is on Sunday and if I am going to spend all morning baking, frosting, and decorating a cake you better believe I am damn well going to eat a piece!
I also have had some odd vaginal infections and while we did get rid of one of them by resorting to antibiotics, one stayed (Staph) and I have since caught Group B Strep. So I get to see a naturalopath tomorrow and see what she can do about it, otherwise it is back to antibiotics, yippee.
The thing that seems so unfair is that this has been the pregnancy where I have felt the best physically. No symptions of the infections since like week 11 when I thought I had yeast, no real backaches, nothing. But my body is doing the worst. Even my midwives say they are suprised how healthy my body, tissues and skin look considering all that my body has been going through.
The baby has been kicking through this whole message....I love it. This one is so active!! Hope everyone else is doing well, and just think how many posts of births there will be come December.
:)

J&G's mom

[tea olive]

for my last pregnancy i was due a week before christmas, i saw it as an opportunity to relax and enjoy the holiday, no one expected any fancy stuff from me and families tend to have vacation days to help out around that time. i will warn y'all that it is a strange thing to be be overdue and christmas come and go, and then an entire new year appear. they are just days like any other days but at that time it will make people extra antsy if the baby is not ready to come yet.

victoria, the woman with no bra, the tiniest breasts, will have sorer arms, a crick in her neck and have to maneuver more in the bed to get those breasts to her baby than you will. you will be able to lie flat or on your stomach, anyway you want and the baby will be able to nurse. hope that makes you feel better. the reason your butt gets so big is so your back doesn't cave in from all the weight. i am short and have a regular sized body and i gain at least 50 pounds (this is my 3rd) everytime, i was astonished to find i had gained 17 pounds in the last two months (and no i am not a diabletic type). i am exuding tons of heat and i always need new maternity clothes around now so i don't get aggravated with how i look. one nice dress is enough to get you by. feel proud of your body, it has amazing powers. you are making a whole person!

for those of you with tiny breasts, and everyone in general, i highly recommend a good sling for after the first few weeks to get mobility. i am fanatical about the sling.

greenfaeriedog, i always get sentimental about being pregnant. enjoy this very special time being alone with your secret friend. go out as much as you can to really quiet places and really loud places, everywhere. take long baths and try to appreciate that you are getting more sleep now even though if you are like me you have to get up to pee every hour. everyone that has offered to help you, use your pregnant charisma and get it in writing so you will call them when you really need it, or ask them to bring you a meal the first few weeks.

[lilyka]

If your butt didn't get bigger and your legs sturdier, the weight suddenly sticking out oin front of you would cause you to fall on your face. That would be embarrassing. :o

i have been feeing pretty crappy. Throughout my preg. i have had bacterial vaginosis (why does that sound just a million times yuckier than a yeast infection? It is basically the same thing except bacterial instead of fungal) and pretty much ignored it but now that Iam getting toward the end I will have to do something about it as it increases the risk of preterm labor. Don't want to go there again. Also I have a stomache virus or somthing on top of my returning mornng sickness, my hips really really hurt (does anyone know what is up with this?) so it hurts to lay on my side, stand or sit for too long. I need a recliner to park my big ole butt in.

I can't wait to have this baby.

[Vixenmama]

thanks for the kind words ladies...

I know the big butt theory, but it seems like there are some gals who are just immune to it---alas, I am not one. When I called dh yesterday and started ranting about my butt, he said "well, all that padding protects your coccyx (which he mispronounced)". Anyway, I felt sorry for him---he just wanted to say something to make me feel better.

I got up early this morning so I could walk to the train instead of taking the bus, this is about a mile and a half or so and it took 30 minutes, but by the time I got to work I felt great. I realized I need to keep moving, and the prenatal yoga dvd's/classes are just not cutting it.

J&G's mom, good job with the sweets, I made a pan of brownies the other night which usually sits on the counter until dh and I pick them to death (about 4 days). Anyway, I cut them into tiny pieces, wrapped them in wax paper and froze them in a rubbermaid container. What a concept. Now we have to defrost a portion (which is now much smaller) if we want to eat one! Somehow, this also seemed like a triumph.

Casina, good thoughts about the breasts--truthfully, I never thought of it like that, we hope to co-sleep so I do plan on nursing through the night. I am generating tons of heat too--I usually need pajamas, but now I sleep in the buff (except for the ubiquitous bra of course). That was a really beautiful post about 'being alone with your secret friend'. When are you due?

Lilyka,
So sorry about your 'conditions'. As for hips, two things I can think of:

do you have a nice firm pillow to prop between your knees when you sleep? I invested in a really nice one, round, over five feet long and very firm and my hips have felt great ever since (I have wider hips though--are yours narrow?) and
I practice squatting quite a bit and I think this helps. I have a couple of low stools I squat on and it is really a comfortable way to sit and opens and stretches the hips (one of my favorite squatting seats is a 'cat tuffet' I bought from marthastewart.com for $18--it was marked down from $40--after I paid $18 it was marked down again to $10. I just checked the website and it looks like they're all gone. My cat sat on it a few times then went back to her basket:kitty--maybe Martha should re-purpose them as 'birth tuffets'--she could probably raise the price to $80!!)


all the best,
Victoria
:baby#1 edd 12/04/02

[XmasEve]

I feel like a bad mom already. I'm angry at my baby for going breech again. I'm not worried about delivering breech, but I'm soooo sick of my bladder and colon being used as kick balls. DH promises to deliver a stern lecture to my belly when he gets home from work. I feel awful for taking all this wonderful baby movement for granted, but OWW!

BTW, should I count myself as doubly cursed because I'm still a B cup in bra size, but am pushing XL in panty size? :raz

Meg

[lilyka]

>>"I have wider hips though--are yours narrow?"<<

:rotflmao :rotflmao :rotflmao :rotflmao :rotflmao :rotflmao

Not hardly!! I thought nice wide birthing hips were supposed to make things easier though? I spent the rest of the day sleeping on the couch and more or less ignoring my children. They were more or less angles about it. I should make them treats tomarrowl.

[mcimom]

lilyka, oh I'm glad someone else is "ignoring" their other kids every now and then. I feel like I've had so much energy up to this point w/my two toddlers and every time we go out, people will comment about it, but now...ugh. I can't believe I still have 8 more weeks! I'm so abusing the television. I've got to stop! Gosh knows we'll be parked in front of it come nursing season. oh well.

I gained 65 w/my first pg, 55 w/my second and I think I'm on target for 45 this time. Is it sick that I'm thrilled about that number? Isn't the top of the average supposed to be 35? Well, maybe I'll make that next time (if there is one!)

And though I can't believe it's still 8 more weeks, I'm so happy to have this baby inside of me where I can take care of it, feed it, change it, etc. all w/out lifting a finger. I'll be happy to go two weeks overdue so that I can keep enjoying the low maintenance. Being pregnant isn't always easy or fun and I feel like a moose, but I'll just be fat once she's out of me and then I'll have to start working at caring for her - changing diapers, BFing 24/7 - oh am I really ready for that again? Though I can't wait to see her! and I can't wait to have my 3 girls.

I still so enjoy the time of just the two of us though. No one else really knows when Isabel moves - it's just a special thing for me. If I want to share her I can, but I don't have to yet and that's so nice.

[lilyka]

I am a control freak so being preg is really a hard thing for me because I more or less have no control. I love it once the baby is outside and I can know for sure she is being taken care of properly and that she is well. Also it is so much work right now just to get off my butt and waddle up the stairs. Getting out of the car is especially bad. i still have 12 (probably more like 14)weeks :eek It wil never end. I am sure of it.

[smaug]

I get Fit Pregnancy magazine, but recently the have had some bad, bad stuff in there that I refuse to believe. First, the have a little side note that says gaining more than the "recommended" 30-35 lbs. during pregnancy increased risks of breast cancer 40%!!! How the heck can someone come up with that!? Also, and this really burns me, another side note entitled "the kindest cut" (or something stupid like that) says circumsizing your boy will be beneficial to future women in his life b/c of some std that is more likely to occur in intact men!!!!:angry I want to write a letter, but my grammer is not so good. I will try though. I want to say something like, raising my son with respect for HIMSELF and his partner(s) will do more good than circumsizing! That comment in the magazine implies my intact son is going to be sleeping with women (who give it tho him first before he can give it away!!!!) in some sort of unprotected way or something. They are making judgements about my boy's moral decisions when he is a newborn!? To circumsize in order to "spare" some sex partner a disease that my son may never even get!? OOOOH, ANYONE ELSE THINK THIS SOUNDS LIKE BS???? Well, maybe I shouldn't go getting all us pregnant women wound up right now. But with all the weight gain talk, I thought you would like to know some bad info that is starting to circulate out there. I gained 42 lbs. with my son and didn't feel concerned at all. And I was told breastfeeding decreased my cancer chances. I am choosing not to believe their statistic. Any other thoughts????

[tea olive]

yes, i have to be careful of any poison with these hormones.....a shame, i enjoyed fit pregnancy my first time around, if only just to see pictures of actually pregnant women even though they were models. my understanding of breast cancer is that nursing women are less likely or not at all likely to get it, women who have had babies that don't nurse are most likely to get it, not sure where the women that don't have kids stand in this.

it's my opinion that the weight gain thing is really an average. somewhere there are women seriously fretting over not gaining enough and their doctors are giving them a hard time. it also seems to me that in general vegetarian/vegans tend to gain more, though i am omnivorous myself. leave me alone, i'm soaking up a hurricane.

i'm due nov 18. ds1 was two weeks early, ds2 was three weeks late. so i'm doing my best to not look at a calendar. at least i'm fairly sure that i'll have the baby this year!

now i'm wondering if i have vaginosis.....

meg, my baby is posterior and when i asked my midwife about what she thought, i expected some positions and exercises but she told me women who are busy busy need to spend more time with the baby and talk to them about turning around. i'm passing the advice along even though i have not been able to practice it, i spent the day furious with my kids and then recovering from that.

i reminded my husband yesterday that he needs to stay home for at least a week, he always plans to and then we go through a money /job crisis (he has been home for four months with an injured back already).

for those of you having the first baby, i feel i should tell you to get everything you can in order for after the baby comes. expect that you will only go from the bed to the bathroom for at least two days. yes, you will have a great birth and you will feel fantastic but your body needs to recover. after a natural birth i feel euphoric and ecstatic and try to do too much and prove what a woman i am and then i come crashing down after i've chased everyone away. take care of yourself, happy kids need healthy mammas. for me, i need the option of staying in bed for a week.

not everyone feels this way after birth but you should do what you can now to make things easier for you then. not only will you be sore, losing blood and learning to nurse, having a new baby is like having a new job, falling in love, and a new roomate at the same time, with a bed wet from the baby or your milk. even if your baby sleeps like a dream you may not because you just want to stare at them. i have the dilemma where i need people to help and stop by to give me food, take out trash and do laundry but i will get overwhelmed and stimulated if they hang out and visit and think i feel good when i should be doing nothing. so think about what you need. for my first baby i had no family around and all my friends didn't have kids yet. one of my little ideas is to one day start a non profit organization where all mammas with new babies get home doulas for free for a month. anyone is welcome to steal this idea.
i'm thinking about borrowing a dorm fridge to put by the bed, nursing makes you thirsty and hungry. ask for some frozen homemade meals at the baby shower ( i guess at #3 i won't be getting one of those), get a sign up sheet together for grocery runs and cleanup or just to call and check on you.

i think this is by far my longest post ever, i really wish someone had told me this before i was a mamma, and even reminded me before the second time. i guess i'm reminding myself to do these things as well. one more thing, after two weeks the baby will start to show their personality which means crying for more than food and clean butt.....you will still want some kind of help after then if you can get it, at least just to have adult company. have i forgotten about dh? no, i have a wonderful dh but they will be going through the same stress you are and also lacking sleep and freaked out about responsibility of money etc etc so enlist all the outside help you can. it will help you recover faster, it will get your milk flowing, your baby will cry less if you feel great.

[Cygnet09]

DD2 is due 12/8 and I am very sick of the "Oh, you still have a loong way to go!" comments. And said so cheerily, too. :cuss

It's definitely harder with a toddler in tow! I miss my baths! Sciatica is here in full force and I'm tired of having to hoist myself up off the ground all the time. I didn't realize just how often I would either be on the floor or picking stuff up off the floor with a two-year old.

Hey smaug, I saw that, too. I don't remember being too pissed off by what I read in that mag when PG with #1, but this time I haven't been too pleased. I was mad about the "kindest cut" snippet, too. Especially since a good friend of mine is also PG and gets the mag - not sure how she feels on the circ issue, but this isn't helping.

As for the gaining weight and breast cancer link, all I can do is nurse nurse nurse. I have been nursing steadily since DD was born over two years ago and will continue for another 3+ years, at least. I gained 60+ with my first and will probably be between 45 and 55 this time around, too. And while DD was big (9#), she was big everywhere, not just short and chunky! (Like me) So I don't feel like she gained more than she should have in utero while I chowed down. IA, it's just an average. I just wish I was more average sometimes!

[XmasEve]

Well, babe showed me. "If you don't like my kicking, then I'll just stop!" :eek After a morning of going without (very unusual), I broke down in tears and the baby took pity on me and is back to kicking up a storm, here, there, and everywhere! And I love it! Okay, sometimes I have to remind myself that I love it, but then I try to communicate that loving feeling to my belly. :love

Circumcision scares me, just the idea. But maybe I'm just lucky to have grown up in a family that doesn't do that. DH is circed, but he's totally happy to leave any sons we have intact.

My three biggest concerns at this point:
1.) GBS
2.) Vitamin K
(still can't make up my mind on these)
3.) Who's going to take care of me and my house, etc. when I'm taking care of the baby? I'm very much a control freak in that regard.

[smaug]

greenfaeriedog, are you going to have any help when your baby is born? Luckily, I am a slob so I don't worry so much about the house. I did find, though, that I had a hard time eating right because of fatigue and incredible sugar cravings! And it was Christmas time and my dh kept bringing home goodies that his students made for him!! If you can, just camp out on your bed/couch wherever you will be comfortable , stay in your p.j.'s and have lots of water and good food on hand. It may have been b/c of my bad tear, but my midwives told me NOT to vacuum for several weeks. That was hard because I really like to vacuum, seriously.:) Don't expect to get anything "superfluous" done the first couple of months. All you need to do is keep you and your baby fed and in clean undies!!!! If you manage to do anything else, don't wear yourself out. Nursing takes a lot of energy.

I am not very knowledgable about vit. k. Why might one avoid it? I am going to decline the eye stuff b/c I am quite positive I have never had gonorrhea. I am having pain in my groin. Sometimes I can hardly roll myself over in bed!! Maybe it is the loosening of the joints? I haven't done enough squatting? Anyone know? Is anyone here birthing in a hospital? If so, have you done a tour, and if so, any concerns???

[Chloe]

Smaug- Green faeriedog- Vita K is for blood clotting- and if you are not planning to circumcise it's really not necessary. There is a rare disease that babies can get- something to do with blood not clotting... It's best to research, then you can make the decision. I am still undecided about the K even though I am not having this baby circumcised. There have been some claims that the K shot can lead to childhood leukemia. I just went on www.google.com and did a search for Vitamin K. The eye ointment is unnecessary if you don't have gonorhea or chlamydia, or Group B strep. Sounds like you've done some homework!!!
Also, taking alfafa helps supplement you with vitamin K and iron!

I don't know if you are planning on breastfeeding, but there are claims that it does decrease your chances of breast cancer. I don't know if it's true, but hopefully it is! Again, if you take alfafa and breastfeed, you are giving the baby vita k and all the other nutrients and immunities!

And yes- the claim that the magazine you quoted about circumcision was ridiculous!!! Go for it- write em a letter! Have someone proofread it if you think you're grammar's bad- but it didn't sound horrible to me!

Francine

[Chloe]

I am almost 33 weeks, and I can't wait to have this baby, though I am nervous about #2! Not the labor, just the extra care, and plus having a toddler- he'll be 21 months when the baby is born.

I can't wait to nurse again!!!:love

I feel pretty good, except for the occasional sciatic nerve pain, and tiredness. Getting up to pee 2-4 times a night...I am still convinced it's not just the baby and evrything pressing on your bladder- it's preparation for when the baby comes, and you have to get up in the night for the baby! :LOL
I forgot how tiring it is!!!!

For those 1st timers- enjoy this time to yourself now! Actually, when you have that baby, you won't mind getting up....it doesn't last forever...I just enjoyed the times of nursing in the night, because I knew it wouldn't last forever, and it was so sweet to watch my baby drift back to sleep as he nursed! And it was our special time...I felt so tired, yet wonderful at the same time.

And it did come to an end...he sleeps through the night, and he stopped nursing at 16 months. And he is an on-the-go kid!!!! So ENJOY every second you can hold your newborn. It goes by sooooooo quickly.

Getting in and out of the car can be hard too!

[XmasEve]

Smaug, I also have a fondness for vacumming. ;) Maybe it's because I've always had lots of pets and seem to spend so much time on the floor with them... But dusting never even occurs to me! :wink

I'm teaching DH about laundry now, and involving him more in food prep. But I can't be the only one with a DH who tries hard to help but you always end up cleaning up after them? The worst case was in my first trimester when he had to wash the dog for me. He didn't even use soap! I have no proof, but sometimes I think he makes the same mistake when doing the dishes. :gross

[tea olive]

if i remember correctly the vernix that will be on the baby when born is full of vitamin k and if you rub it in you will have satisfied the vitamin k issue. of course this is easier said than done, the hospital had a burning desire to bathe my 1st ds before i could work it in or complain that they were taking him out of the room (i had no idea i needed to request no bath). for 2nd ds he was late and had no coating, in fact he seemed ridiculously clean plus i didn't bathe him till much later, i assume he absorbed it already.

i just finished baby catcher by peggy vincent, everyone should read it, it is chock full of birth stories, i couldn't put it down, a vibrant, loving account.

i just went through a bunch of babyclothes given to us and i have no affinity with the boy clothing whatsoever so i guess this is another sign i am carrying a girl. ruby mae or stella mae, my dss are named reed and clay. for a boy i'm thinking griffin or willow, dh likes moss. i just realized why willow always gets booted, our last name is williams!

my main problem when 2nd was born and 1st was 2.5 was safety, it was weird to leave the baby unattended to help 1st. and 1st learned quickly that acting menacingly towards the baby earned lots of attention, or could get away with destruction because i was stuck on the couch nursing. this is why i learned to nurse with the baby in a sling and go about my business with 1st. i was able to do some dishes and cook with baby, 1st felt much less jealous cos i wasn't focusing all my attention on baby physically and mentally, and 2nd has really benefited.....i could go on forever about the sling.

my dh is big help but he does not always wash the outside of a pot and i have given up on making it clear it is necessary since he is great with so many other things. meg, i'm still learning to give up control, it is a hard lesson for me i have been taught by a master control freak.....at my mom's house we still throw away the trash wrong, according to her. i have to say to myself over and over, if you want help, it will be their way of help. you must relinquish control. and you must believe that others are trying to do their best or they wouldn't be helping. i've learned this the hard way which means my husband talking about going on strike! postpartum my mom will give gobs of annoying unsolicited advice and half the food she brings will be inedible and give us more work. but some of the things she does we will be grateful for, though i am already dreading the potions.....

[lilyka]

Hey how is everyone doing? I am OK. I didn't gain more than a pund or two in the first 2 trimesters of this preg. Now in the last 7 weeks I have gained darn near 20. Is this normal? My midwife is so sweet and all she says is "well total it is not so much at all. You really right on track". Which is all well and good, but come on we are talking a rate of 2 1/2 pounds per week. I am feeling yucky because my skin just can't expand that fast. Also I am a little worried about suddenly gaining so much so fast. I mean if I had been going this strong from the start it wouldn't even phase me but to just suddenly start packing on the pounds is a little concerning. Is this a sign that something might be wrong?

On the up side my baby turned from transverse (being a woman of width this seems to be the prefered position for my youngins in the womb) to an up and down position. Be it head or butt down I am not sure. DD was finally able to feel either the head or butt (which ever is up) and was totally amazed. she fell on the floor in a fit of laughter. Very cute bonding moment.

[tea olive]

a few weeks ago i realized i had gained 17 pounds in two months, i'm fairly sure i will beat my other two total pregnancy weights though i look better, less giant this time. this happenned my last pregnancy as well, partially cos i lost weight and hardly gained the first trimester cos my milk production was shutting down. for me it is nursing that keeps me fat, not pregnancy. hope this makes you feel better, i guess since this has happenned to me before i am not worried.

i am nesting like crazy, doing home repair and such, buying supplies, trying to get anything done that i'd want done within the year
i have a bad tooth i've been ignoring, hoping i could wait till after pg but it looks like i'm going to do something about it, the pain made me useless for a day already....

i can't seem to talk this baby into being anterior. so stubborn!

[bluevervain]

Can I just say how much I love you all?

I've been involved in midwifery for several years and people think that I must have it all under control...let me tell you that I'm experiencing stuff that no mama had ever mentioned to me and now my mom is saying "oh, yeah, that happened to me, too".

I can empathize with greenfaeriedog about the baby not moving...the peanut decided that s/he wasn't going to wake at the usual time and s/he scared the hell out of me. I've been off sweets but after poking on my belly and talking to her/him, I ate a chocolate donut to get some serious sugar in my system...it worked...then it took a long while to calm down.

On vitamin K...I believe that nature wouldn't make all newborns low in K without a reason. To that end, the only time I'd actually recommend it to a client is when the birth was traumatic and/or the baby had a lot of bruising/swelling/caput. There is a theory (unproven) that deliberately adding K might cause small strokes in newborns. I don't think circumcision is okay (for me it's a human rights issue...they wouldn't circ an adult male without permission, so why on earth is it okay to do a baby...it's his body, right?) but if you choose to do so, I'd really consider vit k (as it's surgury/trauma).

I've gained about 15 lbs total and people are just starting to really notice that I'm pregnant (I guess they just thought I was fat before!) and now I'm starting to get the "wow, have you gotten big!" comments. People just don't think about what they say to pg ladies!

I always tell my clients to set visiting hours for people who want to come over after the birth. I also suggest that they leave a message on the answering maching and hang a note on the door letting people know when visiting hours are and what the current stats are (mom and babe are fine, and resting). I encourage new mom's to really use that baby lure to get people to bring meals or do dishes or laundry...people want to help, please let them!

Personally, I feel good, but I'm not getting enough sleep...up too often to pee and my brain won't shut off sometimes. I still have a bit of ligament pain, but my chiropractor has helped a lot. I swear by the pillow between the knees trick...my husband sez that I'm crowding him out of the bed.

Thank you so much, all of you, for all of your posts: you're the best!

love,
Christina

PS anyone else emotionally mushy????

[XmasEve]

I'm doing pelvic tilts like crazy to keep baby vertex, and it seems to be doing the trick. I'm not as concerned about anterior postioning- yet. Of course this baby just likes to move move move. I can only wear overalls now because otherwise the baby spends all day kicking at the waist band on my pants. This baby must have inherited its father's size and mother's activity level.

And I guess I really am big. We went to our first childbirth class and I'm the last to be due and the biggest-bellied one there. We're not sure we're going to continue with the class. I never wanted to, but went for DH, and DH was surprised that they just went over all the things I've been teaching him for months. And it doesn't fit our schedules. And we're don't like the other couples. Well, that's not really fair, but it's our first impression of them. There are two other couples: one woman does nothing but talk about how much it's going to hurt, and the other keeps popping in with questions like "will the dr. let me, will the dr. make me." Definitely not attitudes we want to surround ourselves with.

Oh, but I wish I could get more sleep as well!! Exhausted all day, but as soon as my head hits the pillow it's insomnia time.

[spyiispy]

Hey guys.....I'm Lisa, age 27, living in Seattle with a 20 month old little boy (Indiana James). Chloe...he'll be 23 months when our little girl is born and I'm feeling as nervous as you sound. I also can't wait to nurse again. Indy self-weaned around 17-18 months and it was harder on me than it was on him! He made a funny face a couple of times when he nursed and then didn't seem very interested after that. It seems like the taste of my milk changed or something. I was hoping to tandem nurse, but he had other ideas. Christina...this is your first baby?? How very exciting? Are you planning a home birth? Birth center? Hospital? Indy was born with a CNM attending at a hospital. Unfortunately, in Pennsylvania, my options on where he was to be delivered were limited. To use my insurance, I had to use a CNM. The only ones around delivered in hospitals. Now I live in Seattle and am planning a waterbirth at a freestanding birth center. I'd deliver at home in a second, but we don't have one of those fantastic jacuzzi tubs. When I was having Indy...I was fortunate enough to have one in my room and almost had him in the tub.

We're planning on naming her Esme Anna-Rose. I worry about giving her the same amount of love and attention that we give Indiana. That's silly, isn't it?? I have no idea how much weight I've gained. My midwives don't routinely weigh people...and with Indy I only gained 10 pounds (well, 13, but lost 3 in the last month). My CNM was initially concerned about the low weight gain, but he was 7 pounds, 9 ounces. This pregnancy, the weight gain is much the same (I'm assuming)......but, I feel like she's already bigger than Indy cuz I'm having trouble breathing when sitting. Alrighty.....hope everyone is having a great weekend. We're headed up to a coast town to check out a local artist tomorrow....road trip!!!!

Take care all.....Lisa

[tea olive]

yes, i am mushy! i finally got all the baby clothes out and was petting them.

lisa, are you worried that esme won't get enough attention because you've been focused on indiana? i dunno about the rest of y'all, but i worried about that and the opposite happenned, mother nature made sure i fell in love with 2nd ds, and only now am i feeling like my body is comfortable with 1st ds. ahh, having a second will enhance your knowledge of the first, it is hard to imagine that genetics can produce a different child altogether.

i am poking out alot, third baby is making new stretch marks of course, the twin comments are getting stale, i've run out of things to wear and wish i could just run around in my underwear, the weather is still too hot for me here and i am mostly ok with the air conditioning but i wish i could turn it colder but everyone else starts to freeze, and complain.

greenfaeriedog, you've articulated it perfectly how the days are for me, exhausted..... then insomnia time.

i have another baby riding low, my legs go numb if i stand still for more than a few minutes. bleah. i keep telling myself, it's easier to take care of the baby inside its easier to take care of the baby inside.

i'm trying to round up a crew to help me do my first belly cast, i'm starting to wonder if i should cross my breasts with my arms.... my husband doesn't seem too keen on displaying a life size mold with droopy giant breasts on the wall to see all the time, i don't think he minds the belly part. i guess i would choose some modesty in order to be able to hang the thing up. i've seen some pictures of casts that seem clothed, but that's not for me. i'm not sure what the problem is, sometimes it feels like everyone has seen my breasts for the past four years already with nursing!

i am nesting like crazy, home improvements have skyrocketed.

[XmasEve]

That's it, I'm going on maternity leave! Crazy me, I had entertained notions of continuing my pre-pregnancy activity level right up until the end, but I have to concede. I'm working as the housekeeper of a bed and breakfast. Today I made all the beds in the house, went to check the laundry, and realized that I'd made every single bed WITHOUT a fitted sheet. :bang

Does anyone else have an infamous pregnancy brain moment?

[lilyka]

Woo-hoo, I can't believe how much better I feel now that this baby has turned (from transverse to up and down). I can sit and then stand back up, my hips don't hurt at all and before they hurt so bad I could not walk. I can sleep (of course now I am up every two hours to pee but that is oK because I can walk again :) ). The kicking doesn't bother me much anymore. Just so much better. I might actually make it 11 more weeks without a breakdown :).

i suppose I should sign up for abirth class. i don't need to learn how to do all the silly breathing stuff again but since i will be delivering in the hospital it would be worth the $20 to find out what the atmosphere is like. Everyone I have talked to said my MW does an excellent job of buffering me from the environment though. Even the oB nurse who gave me the tour said "Oh, well if you are using Lisa you'll get whatever you want" That was reassuring. I am feeling better about going to the hospital. it is only for a few hours, it is only for a few hours, Dang!! I still haven't found a ped with privledges at my hospital. What a pain. It took till dd was 12 months old before I finally found a ped I liked and now he is perfect and doesn't have privledges at my hospital. I can't believe I spaced that. I have the diapers in the wash as we speak, the babies room (space) is set up for some comfy little-sisiter-in-my-face-free time. That is my biggest worry this time around. That lily (2 1/2 years old) won't give this poor child a momet of peace. Madeline will do fine. She has done this before and is 6 so she will actually be quite helpful but Lily can spot a baby a mile away and makes sure to get in his face if it is at all possible. :rolleyes: It is all very loving and sweet but enough already.

[spyiispy]

Thanks, casina....it helps to hear that my silly worries are unfounded. I have an idea for your belly cast. Why don't you put your hands over your breast...ya know, give the ole girls a little "help" ;) If your hubby or friends use a little smaller strips when going over this area....they can get a decent semblence of your hands. I've seen this pose done in belly cast and it looks great. Greenfaeriedog.....how awful....you had to redo ALL the beds?? I feel bad writing this...but I don't really have any complaints (as of yet). I signed up for a free pregnancy massage at one of the schools here in Seattle. It was incredible. My midwife suggested I call my insurance company and see if they will pay for prenatal massage. If they do....she'll write me a script in a heartbeat. I recommend it to y'all very highly. Anyway....I should run......

What are the names you guys are considering?? Where is everyone giving birth? Lilyka......I hope you find a good ped. I know how difficult that can be. I take Indy to a naturopath who practices in the same birth center where I will be delivering. She's also a licensed midwife. I had a friend who had a VERY tough time finding a pediatrician, once she would tell the dr. that her children are not (and would not be) vaxed. One lady doc actually told her that she was not comfortable even having her in her office. Can you believe that!!

gotta run.....get my munchkin to bed!

Lisa

[tea olive]

i'm having my first homebirth and thrilled to be making decisions about what i want, not what i don't want. i have to take the baby to the pediatrician within a few days of birth, lilyka maybe you can have someone on staff clear you to leave, you shouldnt have to be committed to that doctor.

my brain has been long gone.....

[lilyka]

The thing that irritates me is that we have a great ped. We love him. He is a nice guy, tolerant of my "wierd" descissions, respects my chidren and thier bodies, uses the least invasive route. He is great. Only problem, he doesn't have privledges at hospital A which usually is fine because we hate hospital A as much as he does. If our children were laying boody and lifeless on the doorstep of hospital A we would scoop them and crawl on our hands and knees to hospital S. The only thing is our midwife only has prvledges at hospital A. SUCKY! And she is absolutely the only person I would dare walk through the doors of any hospital with. So I dopn't need a great ped. Just one to give her the once over and say "you free to go" The thing is we want to go really quickly while avoiding unessecary stuff like eye goo and vit. K so we have to find one who will sign us out quickly without that stuff. After that we will never see them again. My ped would do that. My back up ped would do that. But he doesn't have privledges at hospital A eiter. Hospital A really sucks. I should just send my girls to grandmas house one day and make phone calls all day. i hate being on the phone. That is the delima and it is nearly impoossible to do with the girlies around but I am running out of time.

[tea olive]

your situation does suck, does your ped or backup ped know have anyone they know, other peds with privileges? maybe if you have a good talk with your ped like making an appointment he would have some ideas, if he could see you face to face he's understand how important this is amd maybe could pull a favor somewhere.

i had a root canal today.

[crzymommy]

>>>>What are the names you guys are considering?? Where is everyone giving birth? <<<<<

Names? You mean I have to pick a name? Ahhhhhhh! We are having a boy this time, and we have no boy name picked out. I have a list but now I don't like any of the names on it. Anyone have any ideas for boy names? Not too common. Kind of manly.

Last time I was pg we didn't have a boy's name either. Good thing we had a girl. (We didn't know, we jus could not decide on a boy's name)

I am having a hospital birth with an OB attending. BUT I have a doula this time around YAHOO!

Amy

[abranger]

We are having a girl Georgia Rose. That was our only girls name but for boys we liked Walter, Noah, Nate and Jacob (beware of Jacob it just overtook Michael for the #1 boys name and Michael was there for 25 years!)

Still debating either in a Hospital with a midwife I LOVE and being totally covered by insurance. Or at home with a new midwife and pay out of pocket......better decide soon due Dec 15


Amy

[smaug]

We are birthing at home as long as possible, then "finishing up" at a very progressive hospital with two midwives. I am really hoping for a waterbirth there in the jacuzzzi, but trying to not get too attached to the idea in case I can't for some reason. This is going to sound kinda lame, but I am really looking forward to the excellent room service in postpartum recovery!!! We had our son there, and I would always get two juices at one time! Whenever I wanted it!! And sandwiches in between meals!! And they always gave my dh his own meals too!!:D It was like staying in a nice hotel or something. Not sure though, since I have never stayed anywhere that nice!!! Maybe they treated us so well because our son was in the NICU. But I think it is the norm there. Apparently it is where the "bluebloods" of Baltimore used to go to give birth! Lucky me!!

We are naming our son Julian Elijah. I always though it was kinda weird to know the sex AND have s/he named before the birth. But here I am doing both this time. I feel more bonded to this one already. I think knowing the sex helped. Is that weird?:confused:

Anyone else hoping for a waterbirth? I also want to pull baby up onto my chest myself. And I kinda hope dh decides not to cut the cord( he isn't sure yet if he wants to) so that I can do that too!!!!

[BabygirldueNov25th]

We are having a girl, Megan Josephine. Our boy name pick was Nolan Joshua, and I love it so much that I think I'll keep it around for next time.
We are giving birth at a birth center with a midwife. Plan to labor in the jacuzzi, but give birth on a bed or stool. We switched to the birth center at 30 weeks, with wonderful support from both sets of parents. Plan to have my hubby, mom and aunt in the room when I deliver. Hubby wants to help as much as possible to deliver baby.
We only have two Lamaze classes left. I read so much and watched so many episodes of "A Baby Story" on TLC and "Birth Day" on Discovery Health channel that I really didn't learn anything at Lamaze. Does anyone think the same thing? I even already had the breathing technique down because I have a problem with rapid heart beat, and I use breathing to slow it down if necessary.
We are getting really excited. I have been "nesting" the whole pregnancy!

Good luck everyone!
Jenni from Ohio:fairy

[lilyka]

I took the hospital class with my first one and didn't learn anything I needed for coping with pain etc. . .but it did prepare for the hospital environment and there were somehting I was able to wisely refuse because my instructor (who is now a god friend of mine) was so smooth at enlighting us while still following hospital guidelines.

For example: she took out the iinternal fetal monitor and twisted it into her finger and described how they do this to the baby's head. As if that wasn't enough she then passed it around so we could all get a good "feel" for the coor screw part. Well there was no way they were putting that thing in my baby's head. Also, so that "we would be ready for the epidural" she gave us a copy of the release blown upo 50xs so that we could read the small print and have it signed before we got there. So there in 4 inch letters were the possible side effects of "heart attack, parallases (sp?), sudden death and fetal death" ya know, just so we would be prepared to sign it ;) .

Any way if you are having a hospital birth definitely take the hospital classes. It will clue you in to what you need to worry about and what you may be over stressing out on. Otherwise they are more or less useless.

About my ped - Good grief, it never occured to me to ask my Dr. to reccomend something. I asked our back up Dr. and he refered me to some people but when it comes right down to it I don't really know what his philospophies are. He does whatever we want because he is a friend of ours but he may have a whole different view point so I didn't give his recommendations much weight.

[XmasEve]

Lilyka, that does sound like a good class to take. I just don't think my class is like that... And $20?! Is that because you're just taking a refresher course? Our cost would be $70. Pretty steep for us, especially right now. The second class is tomorrow, so I guess we'll have to decide by then if we're going or not. I told DH it was his decision. I think he wants to go, but knows that I don't, so he doesn't want to "make" me, and so is still undecided. I wish I could be more supportive of him right now, but it's just not in me on this issue. I think subconciously I'm hoping we won't go. Welcome to our little passive-submissive relationship!

Does anyone have any tricks for dealing with annoying Braxton Hicks? I know mine are just really bad right now because I'm under a lot of stress, but it's all stress that I can't avoid. I'm torn between having a good cry or not. I know I'd feel better after, but don't know if that's worth feeling so hopeless during, ya know?

Love this thread! :grouphug

[lilyka]

It was $29 because we are in the midwest. It was also 6 years ago. We will probably take the refresher just so we can spend some time felling comfortable in the hospital. And hey, anything that involves a babysitter qualifies as a date these days :)

You know, if DH wants to do I think maybe you should. If it does nothing more than help feel a part of things then its still worth the money.

As for the braxton hicks contractions, mine are annoying, painful and frequent (Although now that I think about it now that the bean has turned they aren't nearly as bad - she must have been laying in a really contourted position). If it stress relax, think of it as a good time to practice breathing, relaxation whatever you think you'll use for the real event. Also lay down and drink fluids.

[tea olive]

i think my braxtonhicks are better when i'm dutifully drinking raspberry leaf tea.

my 21month ds had four teeth pulled today, it was for me more terrifying than any feelings i have about birth. and he's doing fine, it's just me.

i agree about getting dh's involvement, if the class is too yuckky, can you do something crazy like hire a doula for an appointment to talk him through the process? most people have no idea how to help a birthing woman including women who have done it, and have no idea what to expect, having information usually makes people feel a little more confident. maybe you can tape a few baby story's for him and watch them together, or get him baby catcher by peggy vincent.

[XmasEve]

Well, I talked to the instructor and she's very understanding so she'll only charge us $20 and we can take all the classes. We went to the second one last night. I think this class will be good for us. One concern I had had was that DH would come away from the class with the impression that the hospital was the utmost authority, forget everything I had read and learned on my own. But it's actually opened a good dialogue for us and we're finding ourselves on the same page more and more. Now to just deal with the panic attacks that precede every class... I really hate hospitals. Thanks all, for your help, it's much appreciated!

I think the BH contrax were stress. Lots of stress! Our bathroom was under repair for the last week. I wouldn't wish being 7-8 months pregnant and not having an accessible bathroom on my enemy!

Casina, your poor boy! I hope he's feeling great by now.

[Quaniliaz]

Just want to introduce myself - and stop being creepy spy-girl. :sinister Anyways, my name is Marisa and I am due 11/22 with my first babe. My bf and I are planning a homebirth with a couple of wonderful midwives here in Minnesota. We're taking Bradley classes, and I'm having a hard time consuming 100g of protein a day - but other than that, all is going well!

It's nice to find some like-minded pregnant people!!

Marisa
edd 11-22

[feather]

Welcome to the boards Marisa. I am due Nov. 29, although it is quite unlikely I will make it that far. I just need to make it to term! I am having a homebirth as well. I am so excited about it, and really cannot wait to see my new boy!

I have been meaning to stop in on this thread and say hello. I was in on it all in the beginning, right before I became DEATHLY ILL with nausea and all that. Boy was it a rough time..........

So, hi everyone again, I have been spying also - mainly because I am not usually coherent enough to post anything by the time I can get on the computer when dd goes to sleep!

Anyone want to take bets on how early I will go??? Dd was 17 days early and NOONE believed me when I said I KNEW she was coming any day. Unfortunately, I am starting to feel *that way* again, and it is WAY too soon for me to have any kind of homebirth.
So please send me non-contractional vibes!!! I have been braxton hixxing all night, and I haven't had ANY all throughout my pg. What is up with that I wonder.

Jenn

[tea olive]

feather, do you have short cycles? i have a friend that cooks babies early, they come at 36 weeks

[feather]

Casina,
No, actually, my cycles have always been every 45 days, or sometimes I would even skip a month, due to cysts on my ovaries. The cysts did saposedly go away after my first pg, and cycles didn't return til dd was almost 18 months. When they did return they were different, but I cannot figure out if they were normal or not. My body just does NOT ever do what the normal would be, I swear it never fails............
I suppose I should get on the ball and order those newborn diapers- fast.
Jenn

[XmasEve]

:angry I had an awful Dr.'s appointment today. I thought things were starting to look up, that I had a Dr. that respected my wishes. One of them was that I wanted to use the fetoscope instead of the doppler. I brought this up 3 appointments ago. At the time I was seeing another Dr., and he was very unhappy about it, practically ridiculed me about it, but finally gave in and quickly found the heartbeat. Still, we decided to see another Dr. instead of going back to him. This other Dr. respected my decision, and used the fetoscope without argument. But she wasn't trained with it and it was difficult for her to use, it took her much longer to find the heartbeat. At last month's appointment DH and I don't think she even really heard it, but we were fine with that-- babe was kicking up a storm so obviously fine. This month she said she wasn't comfortable using the fetoscope, could she please use the doppler. I really appreciate the way she brought it up. You could tell she'd done a lot of thought on it. She said she'd never used the fetoscope and she wasn't comfortable not being able to hear the heartbeat well. We discussed it back and forth and finally I agreed. Used the doppler, heard the heartbeat, and that was that. But I feel awful. I totally respect others' decisions to use the doppler, but I'm not comfortable with it. Do I think I've done my baby harm? No. But I don't think my baby likes the doppler (always swam away from it when it could), so I promised it that I wouldn't unless I felt there was a problem or was in labor. Neither of which happened today. I feel like I've broken a promise to my child. Not to mention how unhappy I am with my medical "choices." A Dr. who was trained with a fetoscope but is a complete jerk, or a Dr. who tries to be understanding but has no training in the type of non-invasive obstetrical care I want. I know I have to go back for another appointment in 2 weeks, but I find myself stalling on making the appointment because I don't want to do that again!! :crying Thanks for letting me vent.

Feather, is that you of the stinky and shaved cats? :wave

Jenni, my name's Meghan. As a baby I went by Meggy or Hannah. I thought about naming my baby after me, but don't think DH would go for anything so egotistical.

[tea olive]

well, jenn, i'll send you some delaying vibes. my previous midwife (who happenned to move to connecticut) told me that for the second pg some women tended to go closer to term if they were early before, their bodies are more adept at the process.

meghan, sorry to hear you are disappointed and frustrated with your care. at least you aren't dealing with the jerk anymore. i do want to say that alot will depend on the hospital you are birthing at, the nurses general rules and standards in the ob unit will be what you deal with, more so than the actual doctor. talk with those if you can find that have birthed there before so you know what to expect, and so if you have battles to do you can choose the ones that matter the most.

i have friends that had what they considered wonderful births, and those who are still angry at the system years later. i believe that in the end the babies are not affected as much as the woman's psyche, birthing is such a sensitive time for women. no matter what happens we all have to jump off the cliff to endure the labor, and losing control in this world is a scary thought indeed. but we are strong women making healthy babies, we will be okay. one of the biggest lessons for me is that to be the best mamma is not about what i do directly for the child, it is by being the best person i can be and being a shining example. i do what i can to feel right, and when i hit the limit, i have to give in and let life carry me.

[APinUAE]

Hi, just wanted to say how glad I am to find you guys. I have been occasionally reading posts at a mainstream discussion list but couldn't take it anymore. The whole "breastfeeding is yucky" and I an scheduled for my c-section on such and such date (for no reason) has become too much.
This is to be my 4th birth and it's another boy (currently have 3). We had 2 ultrasounds for this one which was different from the others where we had none. Reason is we lost the last baby at 18 weeks and so needed early reassurance that all was OK. It is strange knowing the gender but our other boys have really jumped into being positive about this baby since they found out it was a boy.
I am nervous about the delivery. We are living in a country where homebirth is very illegal and we have only one hospital available. It's right next door to me so that's good. But they deliver about 1,000 babies a month there so it's a bit of an assembly line! The midwives are mostly British and some South African which is good. They use beanbags, birthing balls, aromatherapy etc. But the doctors are Indian and really into yanking babies out. If all goes well though I won't need to have a doctor present and it will just be the midwife, me and hubbie.
Guess it will be another cross cultural experience for us all:)

I've also been experiencing braxton-hicks. Baby is head down and very low. I've been told to take it easy as doctor thinks he's wanting to get out! I hope not as I'm not due until mid december. The others were all 42 weeks so hopefully he'll continue the trend.

Any other "older" mothers out there? I'm 39 and don't feel older just get tired of reading about my age being a worry!

[lilyka]

don't get too excited about having your second baby early just because your first one was. you may be in for a seriously agonizing wait. My first was 6 weeks early and we held our breath untill I hit 35 weeks. We really thought once we got to the safe zone we could go any time. Any time... seven weeks later and 3 false yet totally convincing labors later we finally had dd#2 two weeks late after an induction. Not that it was a big deal that she was late but we since really expected her early those seven weeks dragged on forever. This time I have no expectations. I am due on Christmas day so I will probably go right on my due date since I can't think of a worse time to go :) What with hirdes of family around and no way to hide the fact that I am in labor there would be a whole parade of people who want to see the new baby. If she came a few days early I would be constantly in search for a private place to nurse (not for being discreet but for some freaking peace and quiet) and running from everyone who insists on holding the new baby. Either that or we will be the first newborn of the year -whoopee- an honor created to distract a person from the fact that they just barely missed thier tax-deduction and credit for the previous year. We really should have planned this preg.

[spyiispy]

Lilyka.....

How about a sending out babymoon announcements before your little one is born? Letting everyone know that after the baby is born....you and your hubby are going to take a few days (or whatever) to bond as a family and get your "druthers" up before the herds of family descend upon you. I wouldn't advise using these words exactly....but you get the idea :)

Hey....its doable. You may step on a few toes, but ultimately, I think keeping your sanity would be worth it!

Good luck!

Lisa

[spyiispy]

Any chance of you "accidentally" delivering at home, unassisted? Congrats on your fourth boy! I'm terribly sorry about your loss at 18 wks. I totally understand where you're coming from about your frustration with the mainstream mamas. I am a member of a group that got together because of our similar due dates (with ds #1). I am really wanting to unsub because I have NOTHING in common with these women....and its terribly frustrating to be asked advice and then have it disregarded, because their "dr. told them to do this, etc, etc." So glad to have found Mothering.com and this thread :)

Lisa in Seattle

PS...How old are your boys?

[APinUAE]

Hi Lisa,
Aren't those groups awful? You are so often made to feel that you are this raving lunatic! And when you back everything up with stats and research they STILL don't get it. Oh well time to move on.

My boys are 15, 13 and 7. I can't believe I have 2 teens already. Time just seems to fly. It's going to be interesting to see how they deal with their little brother. I've found all the advice and books are targeted for little ones and nothing on helping teens adapt. I was 13 and then 15 when my mom had babies so I "hope" I can remember enough to help my own boys.

I am close to delivering at home but dh is nervous about it. He was ready for a homebirth in the US but we didn't get that far. But we'll see -- heck if I labor here long enough I sure am not going to want to walk next door while in transition:)

Thanks for the welcome

[spyiispy]

I unsubscribed from my mainstream mama's list. Oh, the sense of relief I feel. My reasons were not just due to the lack of a "sense of belonging" but also; DH and I have begun to look at our priorities, where we choose to spend our time and my list was taking wayyy too much of my time and it was not something I valued highly. So..it had to go! Next to go....the TV!!!

Lisa

[Vixenmama]

You can conquer the tv. We stopped watching inadvertently about 2 months ago....we just hadn't watched in awhile, and when we realized it we decided to just not turn it on. One thing led to another and my dh convinced me to sell the one we had in the bedroom (since we haven't been watching it) and now it's gone. We did watch a dvd the other night, but still haven't sat down and vegged in front of the boob tube! It can be done!


all the best,
Victoria


:baby #1 edd 12/04/02

[feather]

greenfaeriedog~
Yes it is I with the stinky butt cat and the other that looks slightly as if she was eaten by a blender! Everyone is knot-free and stench-free now, thank goodness! LOL LOL.

Casina ~ My midwife is new to CT. Wonder if it is the same person.....is she Indian? Can't remember where she said she just recently moved from. Oh how I love my midwife! Thanx for the delaying vibes.

Lilyka - well it is SORT of good to hear what you are saying about not assuming I will go early this time. I really would like to make it close to my due date. I feel the longer that they are in there the better for them(except past due date of course) My first dd really wasn't done cooking in there. She could have used those three weeks more I felt.

Talk with you all soon ~


Jenn

[spyiispy]

Thanks Victoria! One question, though.....I like Indy being able to watch Sesame Street or other programs, videos, DVDs, etc. He doesn't do it often, but I do feel like there are a few decent programs for kids out there.

How could we keep the television only for these purposes? Would it be possible? I definitely do NOT want it in his bedroom; but I don't want it in the living room (as it is now). Any ideas?

Thanks! Lisa

[APinUAE]

I've gone thru phases where I've been panicked because I think the kids are watching too much TV. Then there are other times when I realize they have barely seen anything for days. DH is TV crazy and over the last 20 years has budged on many things (almost becoming vegetarian, way more liberal, etc.) but TV is one thing he won't give up. We do regulate it though for the kids and I refuse to let them have TVs in their bedrooms as I saw my 3 younger sibs just disappear to their individual rooms every time they were home.

I've had friends who put the TV in a cupboard and just wheeled it out occasionally. Or in the dining room -- somewhere that it's not the main focus of the room and you have to actually go to it rather than just have it immediately available. What about in or near the kitchen. You would be nearby when he's watching but also it would give you some free time if he's watching sesame st.

[Vixenmama]

Ours is in our living room, we just don't turn it on. I wish we had a spare closet to hide it in or a nice armoire, then we could shut the doors on it. Sometimes I keep a nice piece of fabric draped over it. This works really well for some reason---sort of like out of site, out of mind. When it's covered up you subconsciously think "unavailable". You could also keep it unplugged, and if it's on it's own cart, wheel it into a place that hasn't much traffic.

A good friend of mine with a huge lovely house and two children (who are now 15 and 10) just refused to have more than one, and that one was a tiny 13". They kept it in their bedroom and occasionally they would carry it downstairs and the whole family would watch something together or a movie (it had one of those built in vcr's). The kids could watch it in her room occasionally, but she could always monitor what they were watching and for how long since it was in her bedroom. I think her kids watch a little more now than when they were little, but this worked just great for them and the kids are not at all attached to the tv.



all the best,
Victoria

:baby #1 edd 12/04/02

[aimeemac]

Hi, hope you are all doing well. I am due Dec. 23, I'm 31 weeks. I have had Braxton Hicks contractions recently. At my appt. today my doctor checked my cervix and turns out I am 1 centimeter dilated. This isn't my first pregnancy, so the doctor thought that I may just be dilating a little early. I was put on the fetal/contraction monitor and the contractions aren't all that strong. Just wondering if anyone else has encountered this?
Any advice/info is appreciated. Thanks......Aimee

[tea olive]

no, you are not dilating early, from what i have heard from talking to others and from my own experience, it is no big deal to be one or two cm open in the last few months but more and more doctors are doing internal exams early and being cautious. for the last pg i was 2 cm for the last 12 weeks, the only way i knew this was because i'm required to have doctor backup for a midwife and they checked. it is more important that you are not effaced in any way, that everything is nice and thick in there.

also i have been having braxton hicks for forever, since the fourth month i think if you can settle them down by taking a bath or laying down it is not a big deal, how many are you having an hour? braxton hicks tone your muscles to keep the baby up and get muscles ready for labor, it is part of your body dealing with pregnancy, i have more braxton hicks each pregnancy probably because my body needs them.

i am not a professional, these are just my opinions, i think it is important to feel confident about what your body is doing, unfortunately medical school does not train doctors to feel this way about our bodies.

[feather]

I walked around 4 cm dialated 2-3 weeks before I had dd. She was 17 days early, but still, I wasn't in any horrible pain. I didn't realize it was normal to be that dialated and still not be in any pain.
Jenn

[tea olive]

jenn, i'm glad to hear that there was no intervention with the dilation, i talked to a lady today that told me a depressing doctor story on that vein.....no, my "old" midwife is not indian.....so recently i have become more useless than ever and have a hard time remembering what day it is or what i am supposed to be doing as soon as i leave a room. but my baby is anterior, yay!

i'm doing a belly cast this sunday, and my potluck group chipped in for me to have a massage this friday, my first professional massage. i'm really going to miss being pregnant, the hormones are happy drugs for me.

happy and oblivious so much that i have some denial issues, my boys are more clingy than ever, i have not emotionally and get to bed weaned my 21 month old, he is nutritionally weaned for the most part. i have never really considered tandem nursing before, but i guess i will just see what happens.

and the tv.....i believe that foremost in parenting you cannot teach skills you don't have...leading by example and action is the only surefire tactic that works around here. which means that the tv is still here! but we are mindful and forgiving of ourselves. we have almost got it to only movies and videos, and they have to be intentionally watched and we acquire very few new ones. whenever pbs kids starts getting watched and addictive i alter the antenna so that it is unwatchable. a hard nut to crack is my little one addicted to po and the teletubbies, and he can completely control the vcr and tv, he will be comforted and sit with dh instead of nursing, and i have mixed feelings about the whole darned thing.

[aimeemac]

Hi Casina and Feather.......thanks for your info. Yeah, my doctor thought that it was okay to be 1 cm dilated as long as I can keep my Braxton Hicks to 4 per hour. She thinks that I am dilated because I have given birth before....18 months ago. Some days I have contractions, others I do not. I think for me it is psychological....the mind/body interaction. Thanks for your help.....Aimee

[spyiispy]

Hey all.....Seattlite mama checkin' in. I'm about 33 1/2 weeks now (due 12/09/02). I'm having tons of Braxton Hicks also. My stomach is pretty much always rock hard. When I bend down (which is alot, considering I also have a 21 month old).....and straighten up, I immediately have a contraction; when my bladder is full, I have contractions; it is seriously all day long. I don't remember having this many BHs with #1, but I could've forgotten.

A somewhat scary incident happened two weekends ago. We were hiking with some friends on Mt. Rainier and my little guy, Indiana, started running towards the edge. He wouldn't have tumbled far.....just onto some cushy meadow grass...but still, it gave me a scare. I ran towards him, tripped over a rope and went flying...landing smack on my belly. It knocked the wind out of me and DH was freaking out. If we would've had cell service up on the mountain, he would've made me call the midwife right then and there. The baby moved shortly after I got my wind back and was moving normally the rest of the day, so I wasn't worried. I did end up calling the midwife later....and she called back while I was out. DH got to talk to her and she reassured him that the uterus is a wonderfully designed little cocoon....very strong and protective and that you'd have to almost fall directly onto a sharp, pointy object to do any damage. Hearing it from her reassured him much better than I seemed to do.

For all those who have offered suggestions/empathy about our television situation, thank you :) We've decided to keep it.....but put it in the guest bedroom, where Indy will still be able to watch Sesame Street and his videos and we can watch Monday Night Football. oes anyone else have suggestions to offer towards simplifying our lives?? We do have cell phones (don't think we'll be getting rid of them anytime soon). Casina......I wish my little guy was still nursing. He self-weaned around 18 months. He made a funny face after latching on a couple times (I guess the taste of my milk had changed)....and then lost interest. It was MUCH harder on me than him. I had been looking forward to tandem nursing. Casina, does your youngest understand there's a new baby coming?? Indy has no clue and there really doesn't seem to be any good way of preparing a toddler that young.

Well, I should run...take care all. Check in when ya can....

Lisa

[tea olive]

no, my younger ds does not know a baby is coming but i think he very much know that something is changing, both my boys have become desperately glued to me. my 2nd ds screams if i hold or touch my older, and gets ansty about me touching my husband, i am beginning to remember that this is part of becoming a two year old.....and i'm not exactly looking forward to it, and i thought three was even harder than the terrible twos.

i actually envy you about the self weaning at this point, though i remember how devastated i felt when the milk production disappeared. i do strongly feel i should warn y'all that when i bore the second my first was 2.5, and i was shocked at how much of my time was spent protecting the baby from attention getting harm, as well as protecting the older one from his own jealous feelings and unintentional brutal actions. which is why i was glad to learn to use the sling, i think this is the tenth time i've mentioned it. my older one would sometimes even forget that there was a sentient creature needing my attention because he was quietly nursing in the sling (by three months i could nurse and wash dishes-very slowly and carefully at first)

i have more than four braxton hicks an hour, the first time i decided i should be counting i had 8 in a row in twenty minutes while i was doing dishes, but when i peed and layed down they went away. i think that being able to slow them yourself is what counts, not the number. and since this is your second baby aimee, maybe you know what real contractions feel like? :)

[tea olive]

no, my younger ds does not know a baby is coming but i think he very much know that something is changing, both my boys have become desperately glued to me. my 2nd ds screams if i hold or touch my older, and gets ansty about me touching my husband, i am beginning to remember that this is part of becoming a two year old.....and i'm not exactly looking forward to it, and i thought three was even harder than the terrible twos.

i actually envy you about the self weaning at this point, though i remember how devastated i felt when the milk production disappeared. i do strongly feel i should warn y'all that when i bore the second my first was 2.5, and i was shocked at how much of my time was spent protecting the baby from attention getting harm, as well as protecting the older one from his own jealous feelings and unintentional brutal actions. which is why i was glad to learn to use the sling, i think this is the tenth time i've mentioned it. my older one would sometimes even forget that there was a sentient creature needing my attention because he was quietly nursing in the sling (by three months i could nurse and wash dishes-very slowly and carefully at first)

i have more than four braxton hicks an hour, the first time i decided i should be counting i had 8 in a row in twenty minutes while i was doing dishes, but when i peed and layed down they went away. i think that being able to slow them yourself is what counts, not the number. and since this is your second baby aimee, maybe you know what real contractions feel like? :)

[aimeemac]

Yeah, the Braxton Hicks are a different feel than "real" labor contractions. When I have braxton hicks I usually lay down and drink some water, then I feel better. Does anyone know if Red Raspberry leaf tea is helpful in preventing pre-term labor? Would write more, but I am mighty uncomfortable sitting here. Thank you all for the great info.
Aimee

[tea olive]

i dunno specifically about preterm labor, but the tea is really great for us pg ladies especially in the last six weeks i would consider it a must. my main problem with it is my dh drinking it down, i get the loose leaf cut at the health food store/coop, brew it strong and drink it iced. anytime i have missed drinking it for more than two days my mood has gone down, not to mention all the benefits to uterune muscles and such.

[smaug]

Well ladies, not much longer !! Is anyone due at the end of December? I decided to let my midwife check me at my last appt (36 weeks) and I am 3 cm dilated and 30% effaced. I know I could be like this for weeks, but I am hoping so much that I don't go post-term again. She estimated the weight at 7lbs. already!!!
Also, she said that the contractions indicating labor wouldn't necessarily be painful. Just regular and with downward pressure. I didn't realize that. Here I am having all these contractions that I classify as braxton hicks and when the day comes, those could be "real" ones. Glad she mentioned that!!:D
How is the nesting coming with you all? We are in the middle of our basement being finished and right now there is dust and powder and yucky stuff all over. A nightmare for me because I have obsessive compulseve disorder, and just horrendous to be nesting as well!!!:crap I just want everything in order . Not just for the baby, but also for the coming winter. What have you all done, and what do you have left? I haven't washed any baby clothes. But I did get a couple new and comfy nursing bras. Something I didn't do last time. But I ended up really wanting to splurge on that this time.

Anyone have a planned hospital birth before? What did you bring for the baby? Do you bring clothes and diapers?

Hope everyone is feeling good ! ;)

[ekblad9]

I haven't checked in for a while. I'm feeling pretty good but ready to be done with this. We are trying to sell our house and showing it in my condition is not easy. I clean and clean and the kids destroy it in five minutes.

We are having a hospital birth with a midwife and a doula. I'm excited about the doula. I've never had one before. She's wonderful and will save us from spending hours at the hospital. The kids are coming with us to the birth. The boys and my youngest will wait in the waiting room but my 6 yo daughter wants to come in with me. That's fine with me. I'm hoping to be able to stay home until I'm at least at a 7 or 8.

Right now the baby is face up and in a diagonal direction. That's not good. Hopefully he'll change direction soon!

Take care everyone!:hippie

[lilyka]

AHHH, how much longer must this go on. Well about 6-10 weeks but does it have to feel like an eternity!!!!!! My dh is determined to wait untill after the new year so we will have our deductible met at the start of the year. Gee honey, thanks for thinking about ME!:rolleyes: ( I am due Dec. 25) I am so sick of being pregnant. I know I shouldn't complain, that there are thousands of women who would trade places with me in a minute but I really don't enjoy this. i think I must be the only person on the planet who would rather spend six months in labor than be pregnant. I find labopr quite enjoyable. It is like seeing the finish line at the end of a marathon. Woo-hoo, done!!!

I drove to TX last week. What a stupid idea. 14 hours in a car with a 5 and 2 year old to spend a week with my mother. What was I thinking. Nothing about that seems pleasent. And it wasn't. It sucked. The whole 5 days. By the time I got home I was having painful frequent contractions. They have mostly stopped now. I am still a little worried about them. I hate overreacting about stuff but on the other hand I did completely miss preterm labor with dd#1 and we knew it would happen sooner or later and were just waiting for it. So I am clueless more or less. My midwife offered to check and see if the contractions were doing anything but I opted not to. (she didn't care either way). Would you be checked? Am I being to laid back and ignoring stuff? I generally walk a very fine line between not being overly concerned and not being a complete hypocondriac freak.

And oh, we got an early witner this tear. There is snow and ice everywhere - perfect for the amazing large women who can't see where she is stepping and wouldn't be able to get up if she fell. Perhaps I should get one of those "Help I've fallen and can't get up things." he he! :p The biggest problem by far though is that I can't zip my coat. Did any of you buy a maternity coat? None of my previous preg required a coat when I was at the peak of gestation. I was either done with a coat by the time I really started getting big or had had the baby by the time it started getting cold. I can't really justify spending $75 on a coat I will wear for a few weeks. Any suggestions for staying warm. If I just stay home I will go crazy counting the minutes untill this baby comes out.

So how is everyone else doing :D . I know I am gonna get really bummed when january rolls around an I am the only one still preg. but hey good luck to all of you. Are your ready? I still have a few things to do befoe the baby gets here. For instance this desk really needs to not be here. and the changing table needs to be fixed and painted. Is it OK to paint a little whilke preg? I guess I painted the whole freaking house when I was preg. with Lily but now i worry.
Go figure.

Thanks. as always, for letting me vent a little. I am feeling much better. Gotta run. time for trick or treating.

[tea olive]

i'm feeling weird, too. my dh has had a serious back problem since beginning may, now he does very light work for ten hours so we can keep the workers comp, which we barely survive on, i went and got food stamps last month, and the checks are always late and make him crazy, there's been talk about me going to get a job when the baby comes out which is a terrifying option to my senses, though i know that i may really have to do it. i feel emotionally responsible for dh and my two boys, which i know is overdoing it. fortunately i have managed to turn this baby around to anterior after being posterior the whole time, i'm due nov 18. my midwife told me i needed to spend time with the baby and talk to it about turning around and it really worked! i had been trying to physically get the baby to move with no success, my other two were both posterior and i never made such a big connection with them before they came.

my legs go numb with sharp pins and needles most of the time now, i am fully dropped and then some. so i'm getting pretty useless. the nesting instinct has faded a little, the hurry hurry hurry voice is less loud. i spent the last week pampering myself, did a belly cast, did a henna tattoo, my new friends bought me a massage, so i feel good that i have spent time with myself before the baby comes. i've even bought coffee in case the midwives need it and had to cancel a major flooring/toilet project for the bathroom because one night this week i had light but real contractions.....where did they go??? the hundreds of things i wanted to get done like clearing piles of junk and closets...aren't going to get done. that's okay, i've been spending more time with the boys anyway.

i'm trying not to let the insomnia and unsleeping aggravate me, lately i just pass out for an hour at any time with no harm done aside from being alarmed when i wake up that i'm drooling and what everyone is doing. so i guess i'm getting rest one way or another. and i am force feeding myself, i really crave foods but don't actually want to eat much. even this haagendasz next to me that i have been dreaming about for weeks!

maybe something not quite a coat would work, like a poncho or cloak, something you could justify by being able to snuggle a baby underneath as well.

[ekblad9]

I woke up the other night on my back. When I tried to roll back to my left side I realized that the whole right side of my body was numb. Including my neck and that side of my head. I couldn't even blink my eye. Has anyone else expreinced this? It freaked me out. It lasted for a while (well, like ten minutes but it seemed like forever!). Anyway, I've never experienced that before. I've had my hands, arms, legs, feet fall asleep but to feel totally paralyzed on that side was weird.

[lilyka]

That is concerning. I would have totally freaked out. HAve you talked to your MW about it? I would deffinitely see what she thinks.

Gees this weekend sucked. I have been really weepy for a few days but didn't think anything about it. Saturday morning I woke up feeling "wrong". The feeling is hard to explain but it started with being wide awake by 6:30am. So very not normal for me. Also very weepy and crabby. Within two hours I seriously thought I was going into trasition and my dh still wasn't home from the gym (our car was on it's last fume when he left and so he had to stop for gas :rolleyes: )It took almost two hours to get me admitted into the hospital (no insurance cards - we got them the day before and hadn't put them in out wallets yet, computer broke, and everything was slow) All they could tell me is that I was having strong contractions (really!!! you don't say. In the mean time I am reconsidering my vow not to get an epidural I am in so much pain) Finally my midwife shows up and assures me nothing is happening with my cervix and it is probably just a kidney infection or kidney stones (lovely) but since I wasn't officially admitted they still refused to run my lab work (witch was on ice by now). Fortunately people don't argue with my MW and she started an IV to stop the contractions and took the lab work down herself. Seceral hours later the preliminary lab work came back that I did indeed have a UTI and 30 minutes later I had the perscription and felt 95% improved with in 20 minutes of taking it. (I respond very well to antibiotics). The thing is, I knew from the time I peed in the cup (5 minutes after walking through the door) what the problem was but it took 4 hours to get something that made me feel better. That just isn't right. Oh well at least it wasn't preterm labor or kidney stones. I really was terrified at the prospect of having to the NICU thing again. Nothing sucks worse than leaving the hospital without your baby. I was surprised at how quick the UTI showed up. I swear, besides weepiness and a headache, I had no syptoms untill my back started hurting. This is the second one in this pregnancy :angry and I totally blew off the first one untillit totally sucked and swore I wouldn't let it happen again and then this time it freaking ninja attacks me. Out of the blue I am completely knocked out.

On the up side temperatures should return to normal by the end of the week - high 50's and 60's- and my coat delima will be solved. :D Yippee :D

And my question of the day. Bean keeps sticking her foot out just above my belly button. It is just to much temptation to resist giving a little love squeeze. Do you think that is mean. She keeps doing it so she must not hate it but it just sorta feels wrong to grab them like that KWIM. none the less I love that we can interact in a physical way before s/he is born.


Hey has anyone had thier baby yet? I know I could go to birth announcements but you gotta tell here too.

[ekblad9]

I went to the MW today. She said that the baby was probably just laying on a nerve or something. It hasn't happened the last couple of nights so I guess I'm OK. I wouldn't let her check me today. I don't even want to know if I'm dialated. I usually dialate and efface really early and knowing makes the last weeks so much longer. I've never been more than three days early and I've been five days late twice. I just can't handle the "any day" sayings! I'm trying to be patiant this time.

My baby puts his foot out right by my belly button too. I will usually touch it or push it back in (if it's bothering me). I don't think it's mean at all. It probably makes them happy. I know it's crowded in there too!

Sorry about your weekend! What a mess. UTI's are no good! I get them alot when I'm pregnant. I also tend to get kidney stones which (knock on wood) I've managed to avoid this time.

Well, I'm off to read my new Mothering! Take care everyone!

[lilyka]

The thing that helped me most during my unbearable wait was that one day a church a friend came up to me and asked "So did you catch that basketball game last night" I don't do sports but he was trying so hard to not mention the fact that I was "still pregnant". It was very sweet. I just looked at him and we both started laughing hysterically.

[tea olive]

i've been entertained by my belly cast, it is an interesting form of self love, massaging plaster onto a form of your body and thinking about how to make it beautiful. i highly recommend getting one.

i have a hundred tasks that won't be done before the baby is here so that i won't feel so much like waiting. i guess having gone right past 43 weeks last time i am expecting it can't go for as long this time, and am trying to enjoy the family of four for now. though i am weary and getting slow.

the baby resting on your nerve doesn't sound like a concerning thing, though i have never experienced that much paralyzation. for the past few weeks my legs have been partially numb or pins and needles most of the time now, i am strangely used to it by now. i find the peeing more irritating than anything else, topped by blowing my nose forever the past few days, probably from unearthing closets.

i think it is great you are squeezing her foot,
this is the first preg for me, after two already, that i really understand that an actual baby is coming out of me so i do that kind of stuff too.

i saw my backup doctor today, legally required for homebirth, and had a good talk with my dh about having the kids witness the birth.

[BabygirldueNov25th]

I only have 3 weeks left until my EDD, and I am so anxious. Went to my midwife yesterday, and the baby is in the correct possition for birth (LOA) so I am hoping she'll stay that way. She sticks her butt out all the time, and I think it's so cute!
I can't wait to see her!

So, what physical appearance traits are you hoping your baby will get from you and your husband?

I hope she gets my hubby's eyes (they are really big and blue with gold rings around the pupils), but my vision. Both of us have full lips, so either or, but both of us have bigger noses, so I hope she gets my mom's or brother's nose. I hope she gets the bottom half of my mom's side of the family, and the top half of my dad's, so that she'll be evenly proportioned. I also hope my hubby's teeth because they've always been perfect with no orthodontic work needed.

[lilyka]

I can't imagine this baby looking any different than my other two -who are jusat about identical except for thier noses. DH and I look a lot alike so its not like there is a whole lot of variation in the old gene pool. dd#1 has dh eye color (pale blue) and dd#2 has mine (dark blue). In the end they look more like my MIL and SIL than me or DH. The resemblence is amazing.

[spyiispy]

Hello all! Boy, everyone's had an eventful couple weeks. Here are my wishes for no more UTIs, no more waking up numb, no more insomnia, etc, etc. Casina....I'd love to have henna tattoo done on my belly.......where'd you have it done (or did you do it yourself)??

Well....I know its silly....but I'm hoping for a green-eyed, curly-haired redheaded little girl. Does anyone have redheaded little ones? Did they have obviously red hair from birth?

Tonight........I have another pregnancy massage...ahhhhhh. I have to drive about 40 miles for it, but the best part is...its FREE! A massage school here in the area has been doing a workshop on pregnancy massage and they needed "guinea pigs" to do their final exams on. I had one of these about a month and a half ago and got a fabulous masseuse! She was a doula, already had her own massage business and was just specializing in pregnancy massage. Oh, it was fabulous. I'll let y'all know how it goes.....

I wanted to ask.......how many of you are having traditional "showers," how many are doing a sort of blessingway.....or are you celebrating this birth in some other way?? I'd love to hear all your ideas.

Another thing.....on my list of things to bring to the birth center was "FOOD....for labor (and for your midwives if you're feeling nice!). I definitely want to bring something for all in attendance to eat. I was thinking about making some yummy honey-whole wheat bread and a big pot of chicken noodle soup with matzo balls.

These next two months are be absolutely crazy. We're doing Thanksgiving at our house; as its 3 1/2 hours to MIL's house. Two Thanksgivings ago, I was about 7 1/2 months pregnant with Indy and we went to Thanksgiving there......on the way back, we got stuck in a snowstorm going over a mountain pass and it took us 11 hours to get home.

Alrighty all..

Lisa

[mamarosa]

I am due on the 14th of Nov. My son was late, but I doubt this one will be. If it is, it will surely be drawn out by the full moon on the 19th. In any case, I'm counting on it not being too early, as dh has an art opening on the 8th about a two hours drive frim here, and I want to go. My mom said yesterday that I seem to be 'getting a kick out of doing everything right up until the last minute'. I thought, whose getting a kick out of it? Do I have a choice?! I volunteer with two non-profit societies, and October was pinacle months for them. I couldn't just not be around suddenly.
Anyway. I'm getting a novel out of the library tomorrow. It is almost time to let go.

As for the question about blessing ways... I had one with my son, but no one has offered to have one with this pg. I have a friend that keeps asking me, 'Are you going to have a shower or blessing way or anything?' I just shrug. Is it me that is supposed to plan these. I don't think so. I don't mind not having one, but I am a little hurt that the friend who keeps asking doesn't just do one for me. If she wouldn't ask, I wouldn't notice it missing. I don't really need anything, and I feel mentally/emotionally prepared.
But it sure was nice the first time.

[ekblad9]

My best friend gave me a shower this time. It was a surprise and it made me feel so good. There were just a few people there but it was perfect. My true friends. She invited about 10 people and one of them had the nerve to say that I shouldn't get anything with my fifth baby. Whatever. I don't care. Obviously not a real friend!

I pack my days until the baby is born too. There really isn't a choice. I can't shut down for three weeks before the baby, then they're late, then you have to have a couple of weeks to feel better. That would be like 6 wks out of my life. I don't have time for that. Besides, being busy passes the time.

[tea olive]

lisa, i did the henna tattoo myself, i bought a kit and used a mirror to get the lower area and sometimes just pulled up on my belly a little. i practiced on my husband first. i have really enjoyed it though the idea seemed silly to me a few months ago.

i guess i have showering myself this time, really enjoying myself as much as possible.

[smaug]

lilyka, I hope you are feeling better. i know what you mean about leaving without your baby. my son had severe meconium aspiration and was in hospital for 2 weeks. i think the worst thing was being told we couldn't pick him up, touch him, or even talk to him!!! everything "agitated" him and he would try to pull out the oxygen tubes in his throat and end up being sedated. but that was then. i am counting on a "normal" birth this time. i need it to heal. i only wish my son could re-experience a happy birth. if that makes any sense!

does anyone know just how evening primrose oil works? I was 30% effaced and 2-3 cm a little over a week ago. I thought that meant my cervix was doing all right. But my midwife suggested e.p.o. to help out. I took it orally last night and got severe gas and had diarrhea. My first pregnancy I had problems orally and took it vaginally. Still went to 42 weeks, though. I won't do anything else (cohash, castor oil)I don't want to go post-term, I am so afraid of the meconium again, even though I believe the castor oil caused the problems the first time.

for those of you with kids already, do they get real clingy to you in the end of your pregnancy? my boy is like, obsessed with me. I think it is him sensing the baby will be here soon. do they stay like this after the birth , too? he won't let daddy do anything for him. he only wants mama to do everything. and I really need dh to take over some of that stuff after the birth.

there is a thread with belly pictures. has anyone here submitted on there? take care everyone!:love

[BabygirldueNov25th]

Just curious........

I had a non-tradional shower last month. I planned the whole thing myself because no one could afford to throw me one, and I really wanted to have one. I know that's probably selfish, but I knew people wanted to come to one so.....
I did have help with the food from my mom, aunt, and mother-in-law. About 30 out of the 70 people I invited showed up. It was really fun because I invited men and women, and the men really liked the games (oddly enough). My hubby also had fun opening gifts with me. The whole thing was for the both of us, and the invitations even had "Jenni and Dan's Baby Shower" on it. True, I am giving birth to her, but it's our baby.....why not celebrate us as parents?!

[tea olive]

evening primrose oil helps with production of progesterone, it is benign in comparison to senna tea and icky castor. i'm surprised it caused stomach upset, i never had problems with it but that's all i know. when is your due date smaug?

[tea olive]

and yeah, my kids are leeches.

[ekblad9]

My kids are kind of steering clear of me. I guess b/c I'm super crabby and obsessed with cleanliness right now. Even my normally "attached at the hip (when I used to have a hip)" toddler has kind of backed off. She still demands her nursies every hour but that's about it.

I think I'm going to try the Evening Primrose Oil. Are you taking it in a pill form?

[smaug]

I have the gel capsules. Last pregnancy I got a "heavy" feeling in my stomach when I took them. I also don't tolerate flax seed oil. Maybe my body just doesn't like oil!!!
This baby is due on Nov.25th. casina, your belly pics are beautiful! and your boys! how old are they?

We are in the process of trying to finish our basement to have a family room. We have long since run out of money, and now have a leak from our water heater, ruining some drywall. There is white powder from the spackalding(sp?) all over the floor and everything else. We can't afford carpet (thought it would be $400 but it is $1100) and we have all this stuff upstairs that was to go in the basement. So, the way I figure it, the baby should come out now. So we can be absolutely unprepared!!:rolleyes:

is anyone having a homebirth? waterbirth? we are hoping to have a waterbirth in the hospital. anyone done that before?

take care, ladies!

:) :) :) :) :) :p :p :love

[tea olive]

here's the pics, this is my first time posting fotos, the computer is new this year!

http://community.webshots.com/user/casina102

my boys are reed turned 4 in august, clay will be 2 in january.

well if i was in maryland i could help you do the carpet if someone could move it around, i've done it several times now we always use remnants and it never is over 300 for all supplies, and that was a fancy berber in an oversized room. sh-t. maybe i shouldn't have told you that.
last week i canceled doing a crazy much needed bathroom floor project, it was starting to make me ill cos for some reason it takes more energy to get things together to tell other people to do it.

i love water but waterbirth has never happened, i expect to enjoy my old deep bathtub at least, we were going to use the pool but it was getting complicated, my dh was nervous about having it, my boys would jump in it and that would make him nervous, what if we couldn't get it set up in time...

if anyone wants some contractions and aches, clay (see picture) will gnaw on you! i'm just glad i know that this baby will be born this year with a due date nov 18.

[spyiispy]

I've just been reading back over all our posts from the past month and wanted to respond to a few.....

Hey Casina....awesome pix! You did a fabulous job on the mendhi tattoo. Wanna come to Seattle and do one for me? So....any feeling as to whether you'll have a Ruby Mae or a Moss joining you?? I wanted to ask how your DH is doing with his bad back? We are on the WIC program (see vent later), as DH has been laid off for awhile. While the milk/eggs/cheese does help out, it is almost not worth the hassle. You mentioned you had read Peggy Vincent's "Babycatcher"--I'm headed out to get that book tomorrow. Have you read Peggy Armstrong's "A Midwife's Story?" It is an awesome book about a midwife who does her initial training in Scotland, then becomes a midwife in rural Lancaster County with the Amish. The portrayal of this simplistic, communal-living people is honest and touching. I completely related, as I grew up near Lancaster County, among the Amish. The birth stories are great and her description about the one stillborn birth she attended was beautiful written and gave me chills.

Alis.....I just realized you have a daughter close to my son's age (he'll be two January 29th). I'm due 12/9 with our first little girl. I really like your little girls' names. Are you planning on calling your newest one Oliva Rose, as in one name...or is it going to be just "Olivia?" Our new arrival's middle name will be Anna-Rose. Something timeless about those two names, isn't there?

greenfaeriedog......How are you coming on your decisions concerning the GBS and Vitamin K. I think Chloe and Christina had some excellent info and advice and here's where I stand: Our new baby will not be getting anything foreign introduced onto or into her body at birth, UNLESS a medical emergency would dictate it necessary. You were also talking about doing your pelvic tilts....still doing them??? Ya know what's great for your pelvic area and to make you feel rather fabulous in general is belly dancing. Grab a video at the library and go for it!

lilyka....."woman of width" LOL....I missed that til I reread your posts and it made me laugh. Are you still with us? Haven't read your birth announcement yet, so I assume the answer is "yes." How are you feeling coming down the home stretch? Have you figured out your hospital/ped dilemma? I sure hope so....I remember how uneasy I was about having Indy in the hospital. It definitely impeded my enjoyment of the whole thing. What's the latest??

smaug....Again, your comment about making sure you and the baby have clean undies made me laugh too! Clean undies are starting to be a scarcity