equinox mamas - sept/oct - end of aug (aug 24-31)

[mamarsupial]

:grouphug LABOR BUDDIES :grouphug

1. apple (Jamie), #1 Sept 14, Hospital w/ CNM
akirasmama (laurie) - #2 Sept 4
mamapenelope #4- October, #4, Home
1stTimeMummytoLore (Kate) - Sept 22 #1, Birth Center w/ CNM

2.. BellaMay - Oct 25
Emma - Sept 12, #2, Hospital
jennifer (sabin) - Oct
Amywillo (Amy) - Sept 26, #2

3.. mahdokht - Sept 28th, home w/ midwife
halah (jennifer) Oct 25, #2, homebirth
lactationmom - Sept 3, home, midwife
Rikki - October 17, #5, 'home' ;)

4. Lisa_Lynn (Lisa) - Sept 17, #1, Home, Boy
Anmarie - Sept 4, #2 Home/h2o
Michelle (Mommy Stormraven) - Sept 17, #3 (#2 w/ dh) Home water birth
weesej (jen) - #4, Oct, homebirth w/ midwife

5. Ravin - Sept 20, #1, Home
Eman'smom - #2 mid Sept
Carolyn - mid-Sept (Sept 10), #3, Home
kerikadi (keri) - Oct 28 - homebirth

6, Sagira - Sept 21, #1, Birth Center
hikaru - oct 14th, #2 birthing clinic (doc/midwives)
Louise - late Oct #4 - uc
Mamma Kathryns - girl, Sept 19

7. seven_lux - #1, sept 25, hospital
CTMOMOF2 (Tracey) - Sept 5, #2 girl, Hospital, OB
Aspen - Oct 8
dallaschildren - Sept 18 - boy, c-sect

8. anabean (Ana), Sept 25, hospital w/ cnm, 2 doulas
mamarsupial (autumn), Oct 4, #2, hospital w/ cnm & doula
cobluegirl (rachael) - Sept 9,#3 hospital
shanetedissac (shane) - Sept 24, #3, Home

9. grandmasgirl - Oct 27, boy, birth center
Mamaley - Sept 30, #2, birth cent
Czen - Oct 26 #3, home w/ midwife & doula
Nik's Mommy (christine) - oct 1


10. jazzpurr88 - 10/14/03 with #1
cllovato - 9/28/03 with #2. labor at home, birth at hospital w/ cnm/ob
petitemama (laurie) - 9/3 #5 homebirth w/ midwife

[mamarsupial]

hey all. fast post here, since we need to get to the coop this morning.

TWO nude models?? - mamapenelope! me too! hee hee. i found it to be a liberating experience. okay, who else??? hee hee.

showers - two of my close friends (one long time friend, and then my doula, who is also a close friend) are having an all family party/picnic/potluck thing for us at the beginning of sept. no gifts or anything, just a get together.

what am i missing? well, better get going. hope everyone is having a great weekend!

[CTMOMOF2]

Good Morning all... Thanks for the new thread Mamarsupial!

I'm starting today with a new, optimistic, happy attitude!
Yesterday i was MISERABLE! Couldn't find a thing in the world to make me happy!! Sooooo tired of being preg, and big, and hot, and uncomfortable!!!!!!!!! I was so bored, but couldn't think of anything to do! I went for a walk, went for a drive, had spicy food the night before, have been taking the Blue Cohosh, nipple stimulation, orgaz..., squatting, tailor sitting, nothing is getting her going! I did have a couple of contractions, but nothing to even write about! :inthet So.....

Today I'm just going to turn over a new leaf and say, She's coming, she'll be here when she gets here, and I'm just going to be patient!! So here's sending a positive, happy vibe out to everyone for the rest of today, and I hope i can stay happy & positive too!!

I even did some housework today!! DH almost fell over! haha!:thumb

[mamarsupial]

ct - yea for a good attitude. i could use some more myself too! :) okay, here's a quote for the day for all of us:

"i dig being a mother..." - w. goldberg

[ladylee]

My mantra: Keep your eyes on the prize.

We also took some "nudes"--great things, digital cameras! I love how they came out.

I turn 39 this week--and what a great thing it is to be hugely pregnant on your 39th birthday. I'm not being sarcastic!

[mamaley]

I turn 39 this week--and what a great thing it is to be hugely pregnant on your 39th birthday. I'm not being sarcastic!
Today I'm just going to turn over a new leaf and say, She's coming, she'll be here when she gets here, and I'm just going to be patient!! So here's sending a positive, happy vibe out to everyone for the rest of today, and I hope i can stay happy & positive too!!

Thanks for sharing these! I'm in a similar place--although not as far along as either of you (almost 35 weeks), so I'm sure I'll cycle a few times...lol. But lately i've been feeling so huge, tired, etc, and just wondering how fast this next month will go. Then yesterday my husband says "just enjoy it. it might be the last time, and our lives will change so much after the baby is here" which really struck a cord. So yesterday I cleaned a bunch, and need to do more today, and I'm going to take some belly pics with ds, assuming he'll cooperate (he wouldn't yesterday). I've just been feeling better. Still can't fit into my clothes, lol, but who cares?

[Shanghaimum]

Hi everyone
How is everyone feeling today? I feel better than yesterday - I think it is because it has cooled off a bit - we have gone from 37 degrees to 22 degrees!!! Much more pleasant.

I had a prenatal on Friday that was quite stressful. My doctor was examining me (doing an internal) and started to look really worried. I had to go have an xray immediately - she was feeling me and was concerned she was feeling foot rather than head!!!
It was super stressful - fortunately the xray showed the head was down.

I am trying, like ctmomof2 and others, to just relax and take it one day at a time... I know baby will come when he/she is ready. .....

But... I still hope it is not too far in the future...

Hugs to all,

Emma

[FreeRangeMama]

I have been kept awake for the last few nights by lots of painful contractions, but as usual they are going nowhere. Now today I have come down with the cold ds has been fighting all week :( Hopefully I won't get too sick.

It is cooling down here too. I haven't minded the heat too much even though we have no A/C or anything, but dreaded the thought of giving birth in this hot, hot house. Now the temperature has gone down and this baby will definately be a Virgo I am ready to give birth LOL (I wasn't really looking forward to living with 3 fire signs, life is crazy enough with 2). Dh would like me to hurry up and go into labour because he has a long week ahead of him. He would love to be able to take a few days off between now and next weekend. I am between 38 and 39 weeks, so I guess its bound to happen sooner or later! I am becoming more patient again, so hopefully that is a good sign :)

Laurie

[mamaley]

I can't believe it's going to be so soon for some of us! That's exciting. Akirasmom, keep us posted. :)

If I go into labor after this Tuesday, I can have the baby at the birthing center! :banana I'm packing my bag, even though I know it's pretty early. With 6 lb 3 oz ds, none of the clothes we took to the hospital were small enough for him. Are you all taking 0-3 month clothes for your new babies to the hospital/birthing center (or plan to use them if at home), or are you taking preemie stuff? I think I'm going to brave babies r us (gulp!) today and get more recieving blankets, preemie tees and little socks.

[cobluegirl]

Oh I actually found this thread before we were past 1 page..hehe....

Still sleeping good but man did I have bad muscles cramps this morning...in my thigh...major painful and still sore from them...I didn't get them there with the last two pregs...tis weird.

Am relaxed about birth and when it happens thus far but am starting to get antzy....next Sunday would be 10 days early for me...dd was 10 early...and dh worked 81 hrs last week and two weekends in a row and will probably have to work next weekend too...I am getting worn out...and tired of not seeing my hubby...the kids miss him too. The pay check will be nice...hopefully pay off some bills.. ...that is how I have to look at it..lol He got to come home early today and is now sleeping in teh chair..poor guy is worn out.

[CTMOMOF2]

cobluegirl -- try eating bananas or cantalope (that's what i've heard for leg cramps...) And, NEVER point your toes!

I sooo look forward to checking my computer every hour or so to see who's been on, and what everyone's day is going like! I feel like i know you all personally! What happens after we have our babies, i guess there are other threads to go to for that... But who will have the time?

Anyway, i had a good day, i kept it positive, we went walking and stuff and really enjoyed the beautiful day that we had and Sex and The City is on tonight, so i'm siked for that!

I actually made it through another day, so i guess that's the only way, one day at a time!!

I hope the rest of you had good days too!!!

[mamaley]

Originally posted by CTMOMOF2
I feel like i know you all personally! What happens after we have our babies, i guess there are other threads to go to for that... But who will have the time?


That's what the Sept/Oct 03 babies threads will be for! :D

[Anmarie]

I'm trying to relax and let nature take its course as well, BUT - tonight would be so perfect!!! I wish wish wish it happens tonight. My parents have taken dd for the night so it would be just dh & me and the midwives. And it looks like a storm might be rolling in, and I would LOVE to give birth during a storm.

I have absolutely nothing to indicate that labor could be soon, other then I keep having to, um, visit the throne room.

So anyway, since dd is gone, dh and I spent the afternoon trying to induce labor the old-fashioned way. Even if it doesn't work, its nice to have such a relaxing afternoon.

Ravin - I know you've been complaining of horrible hip/pelvis pain. I was too, until last night. Amazingly, I was taking a bath, leaning forward (legs outstretched and straining) to reach the faucet to adjust the water temp, when, POP, something happened and my hips cracked. I have been pain free ever since! Today it was wonderful not to wince getting dressed and I feel great. Anyway, maybe you could see if you could get your hips to crack the same way??

Anyway, we're off to have dinner with friends - yeah! Maybe the last kid-free night for awhile - I hope!

[BellaMay]

Hope everyone is doing well.
The weather is definitely having an effect on my mood, last night I had the fan on like normal and was COLD, cuddled up under the blanket and sheet...it was heavenly. I like 18 degrees much better than 31, feel like I've just woken up from a bad, hazy, sweat-filled dream.

Went for a wonderful walk with my DH today along the river valley, did pretty well for the sloth that I thought I was, kept up.
I have been having some sharp pains in my lower back, on the right side. Really intermittent. Does anyone know what the heck that's about? It doesn't feel like a pulled muscle, just a sharp quick pain.

Otherwise, for 31 weeks, I think I'm doing pretty well.

It's great to hear all these mamas are closing in on their due dates, gives me hope that one day even I will have a babe in arms.:D

[Viola]

I've been remarkably free of hip and pelvic pain, but today I had that painful groin that I assume is the pubic symphisis pain--I don't really know. I ended up going in the pool for awhile and I swam some laps. For some reason my darn knee started hurting the other day. My husband told me I should give up my walking, but I figure I'll just take a break now and then and do more swimming.

[plum]

Oh it's so nice to be home. Had a weekend trip and it was so fun. I bought a Kissaluv size 0, a Boppy and Dh bought this little wooden baby rattle that the baby won't be able to play with for at least six months.

I am at thirty-seven weeks now. All I wanted was to not have the baby until I came home. Now I am so excited! I am not nervous at all. I somehow got even bigger over the weekend, so I feel like it has to be within the next couple of weeks because I don't think I can get much bigger and my stomach is so low now.

Today I am sore, though. Eight hours in the car!

[FreeRangeMama]

I've been having lots of persistant lower back pain and abdominal cramping. I've been in constant pain for about 30 min. I think I will have a nice hot bath and try not to get my hopes up (again!). I have been pestering dh to help me get labour started with a little lovin':love but he's "too tired" tonight. Ah well, I lasted 42 weeks last time so I guess I shouldn't be complaining about being 'only' 38.5 weeks. Either way I doubt I'll be getting much sleep again tonight. Between my restless nurs-a-holic ds, joint and ligament pain, countless pee breaks, and stop-and-start contractions I can't remember the last time I had 2 consecutive hours of sleep. At least I'm prepared for life with a newborn (should I ever actually give birth).

Hope everyone else is having a good night!

Laurie

[ladylee]

It's good to hear everyone is settling in to a relaxation routine-I think it's time for me to do same :LOL! Yesterday I went on a 2.5 mile mountain hike and swam a lot--I can barely walk today. And last night I was woken up with various aches and pains, not to mention hot flashes. It's so sneaky-while I'm doing the physical activity I feel great, but afterward LOOK OUT! So I rented some flicks & I'm on the couch today.

Amywillo-I cannot wait to get into the pool-it's so great to be weightless and take all the strain off my legs, back, etc. for a little while!

I am not nervous at all.-Apple

Isn't that a great feeling? At some point last week a wave of tranquility swept over me & I feel no annoying little anxieties about anything. Yesterday I talked to my father and after I got off the phone I felt even calmer, somehow.

[plum]

The calmness is a really cool feeling. I was nervous for so long and always thinking about other things we needed and other ways to prepare, but after this weekend, that's all gone and I just feel happy. If the baby comes soon, that would be nice, but I also don't mind if it is a couple of more weeks.

Dh has calmed down, too. I told him that no matter how much he prepares, he's still never going to feel ready so he should just relax. We might paint our bedroom this week, just because.

But I still get sooo sore. Does that go away right away (the aching joints)? I have to hobble to the bathroom at night. We walked around at a fair for three hours and after we got to the car and I drove us to the hotel, I could barely get out of the car.

[cobluegirl]

Well it is Monday morning and dh got to come home early yesterday....It was nice to see him....(as he worked 82 hrs last week) I mowed the yard....but no labor..hehe..
I was up all night with Lorna, she had hurt her arm at papa's and she was weepy..i finally put her in bed with us...got a little sleep...She likes to sleep right next to you with her feet in your back. She seems to be better this morning which I am thankful for. I gave her some arnica around 2:30am. Seems to have worked. It rained last night and it is gloomy this morning..I am loving it. My muscles are still sore...am ready to not be any more...lol Dh has to work all week again and most likely through the weekend so hopefully if I go into labor I will be able to get a hold of him....
well I think I have rambled enough...lol

[mamaley]

At the risk of asking for TMI, can someone tell me what it looks like when you loose your mucous plug? I don't think I did with ds, although I remember my discharge just got more mucousy for a few days and I had assumed that was it.

[cobluegirl]

double posted

[cobluegirl]

I lost mine with my first and it was a glob of mucous(about the size of a nickle) kind of stained with pink or red (blood)....but I think it can look different for different people. I was really mucousy with dd before birth. Had to wear a panty liner because I was always wet....

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

Jamie, Laurie and mamapenelope- I hope all is going well!! Laurie- I know you must be getting excited, etc. since your due date is so soon! I know I'm at 36 weeks and I feel like I'm ready for this baby to arrive!

I have been doing yoga a lot more now- trying to purge myself of any and all negative thinking about being "late" or being induced or having a c-section. DH is so nonchalantly positive that his calm presence is very soothing also. Of course, right now we are kinda play-fighting over when the baby should come. I told him I'm ready for her whenever. He talks to her and tells her to please wait about 2 more weeks or so. I keep having dreams that she makes her grand entrance about a week early, so who knows!??!!

I'm in a pretty good mood actually, but that doesn't stop me from randomly about once a week, just bursting into tears. And always in the stupidest places- the grocerey store, church, and most recently at an office BBQ last Friday night. DH is like, what's wrong, hon? Wanna talk about it? and I have no idea why I'm crying so I can't really explain it to him.

I keep looking around our apartment, making a mental list of everything that needs to be cleaned and then sitting on the couch waiting for my "nesting" to kick in and not getting anything accomplished. Oh well! What's this fly lady thing people were talking about?

2 things other people mentioned:
blood pressure issues: my mother is a nurse and she came with me to my last appointment to meet my midwife because she's going to kinda be like a doula for us and when they took my BP at first it was kinda crazy and I was worried, but then my mom asked them to take it again and she told me not to cross my ankles when I was sitting down, but to put my feet flat on the floor. And sure enough- my BP was good. So make sure you don't cross your ankles when they take you BP!

hands swelling: I'm having this problem off and on-- whenever they start to get stiff and/or swollen, I take some lotion and give myself a good relaxing 15 minute hand massage and PRESTO! the swelling usually goes down or away completely.

More later,
Kate
(who is getting tired of lugging around 40 extra lbs.)
EDD 22 Sept 03

[Mommiska]

Sounds like lots of people are almost there! I had a midwife appointment, and on-call cover for my home birth will start on September 6 (I have an 'official' due date of September 14, but I think I'm due the 10th, so a bit earlier).

It's a bit of a bummer, but I've never been early, so I'm pretty sure it will be alright. But I guess I won't be joining in with any of the 'trying to get labour started' ideas until after the 6th!

Jamie - the soreness really does go away amazingly quickly once your baby has arrived. I'm the same way...hobble to the bathroom in the middle of the night, that kind of thing. But once you are no longer carrying the baby, things seem to go right back to normal (at least as far as soreness goes...)...

Wonder who will be next to have their baby? :D

[shanetedissac]

Hello!

Doing pretty well today. DH is back to work, teacher, and me and the kids are getting back into a rhythym without him here. It takes a little while seeing that he's home for three months. :) This year will be better though because he will be getting home earlier than last year (4:30pm vs 6pm). I look forward to him cooking dinner :D Baby is moving about and it is much more noticable. Baby had hickups last night, first time that I've trully felt them and noticed them. Tried to check my cervix this am but could not reach, maybe standing is not the best position.

Re size of baby clothes were are going to use: Seeing that the mw's are already guessing this baby is over 6lbs and I'm 36wks I don't think we will get too much use out of the 0-3 size. Most likely this baby will be wearing anything from 0-3 to 6 months. I've pilled up all of these sizes into one large container so will just pull out whatever. It will be interesting though to see how the clothes fit compared to the babies brothers seeing that they were born in the late winter/early spring. Totally different time of year.

Re mucous plus: I did not notice it with either of my boys. I do get increased secretion at the end of pg, like I've started to now. No noticable glob. I think that you know that it is the plug by have blood tinged coloring. But as said before, everyone is different.

Re Flylady: It's a cleaning routine per say. www.flylady.com I have found it help full to get into a routine. I like to read how others are doing it and how it goes for them. Worth a check out.

Take care~

[mamarsupial]

bp - yea, mine went down too after i sat for a second. it only freaked me out because i had pih with dd and i don't want that battle all over again, especially since things have been going so smoothly this time. we have our follow up appt wednesday morning.

:shake CALGON TAKE ME AWAY! my morning was a total downer. a huge charlie horse in my left calf woke me up. took nearly 10 minutes to get it calmed down, and now i can barely walk. dd woke up and almost immediately started having tantrums. remember how the bedframe we ordered was all smashed up? well, our mattress is on the floor...and this morning the dog puked on the bedspread (half on the bed, half on the floor), then later on threw up on the bed. luckily, we had already put on the waterproof mattress pad in case my water breaks. at this point, i had a headache. i took some tylenol and made a big nalgene full of emergen-c drink and ate a couple bananas. tried to get dd to watch a movie on the laptop in bed (threw a blanket over the mattress pad since its too hard for me to make the bed, since its on the floor). she watched part of a movie, then started jumping all over me. then she chucked the half full nalgene at the laptop. so, no more movies for us. carried her downstairs worried the whole time my leg would seize up and we would both go crashing down the steps. she didn't want to be carried and was screaming 'i am NOT a tiny baby! i am a BIG GIRL!' i let her have her full on tantrum after that...after which she called down a lot. now she's curled up in her 'nest' watching 'fantasia' and drinking milk. maybe she'll even nap today? oh, and my mom isn't coming down until tomorrow - if at all. i feel like i just can't depend on her at all...which is a whole other stress. okay, venting over!

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

my mom kinda frustreated me too this week. She's supose to come to the birth and act kind of as a doula for DH and me. But she and my dad decided at the last minute to go to Texas for his high school reunion and to visit her brother. They leave this week and they get back around the 7th or 8th. So she tells me- Just don't have the baby while I'm gone.

Gee, Okay sure.

Urg!

Kate

[mamarsupial]

:hugs kate - i hear ya! sometimes i wish t here were a surrogate mom service where you could get a great, ap grandma type to come over, help around the house, and tell you stories about birthing over bricks like in 'the red tent'. oh well. maybe in another life time!

[sagira]

How are you all doing? I haven't communicated with you specifically yet, so here's my chance. I'm currently at 37 weeks and making sure everything is taken care of before the birth. I'm having my baby boy at a birth center two hours away from where I live and with a wonderful, experienced midwife.

My belly feels really hard and I can feel every movement (great!)but it's not really that big. I do feel a lot of pressure on my bladder sometimes and my mw said that my baby is already in position and quite low in my pelvis. It's such an exciting time! :D

Mamma Kathryns, where and how are you planning to have your baby?

Louise, I would LOVE to hear about your uc! Even though I'm very sociable and too much of a coward to do it, it fascinates me and I applaud you! :clap

Hikaru, hope everything's going well with you as well.

We don't have much longer now! Good luck everyone :)

[CTMOMOF2]

Hey All...

Mucus Plug - with AJ, i lost it after labor began, it was like a handfull of Vasoline with a little blood in it too... Gross!!

My Dr. visit today - So we got a new OB in with my two doctors and i had to see her today... i love my 2 male drs and this is a female! not happy about that, but she was very nice, and i did like her. I decided that even though i didn't want to have any, i did have an internal today, i wanted to see if she could press around on the cervix to get labor started or something, but the bad news is that i was -2 station and less than 50% efaced!! But as we all know, that could mean nothing and i could go into labor tonight! I don't base too much on an internal, but i was really hoping she was going to say "Oh, you are +1 and 100%!" No such luck! Oh well... maybe it will help carry me a few more days that she's just not ready yet...

Also - does anyone know where on a website they describe what Station is and Efacement, i have a girlfriend that doesn't know (never took a class or read anything when she was PG) and i wanted to email the site to her... If anyone knows of one... I could just show her my bradley book if not...

Good Luck to anyone starting contractions... Lets get these baby's out!! (trying to start a rally!!) hee hee

[shanetedissac]

Hello!

I mentioned last time that I felt hickups last night. Well, now I'm feeling them a whole bunch. I was a little worried this early afternoon because the thumps were coming from the top. Having more stronger braxton hicks. The kind that I notice but can ignore. KWIM?

Here is some information about AROM (artifical rupture of membranes) that I though was interesting. Some I knew but most I did not.

Advantages to Keeping the Bag of Waters Intact
-by Leilah McCracken, based on an article by midwife Gail Hart
It's best not to do artificial rupture of the membranes (AROM) as a method of labor induction because:
• an intact bag allows for free movement of the baby: better likelihood of rotation (perhaps less likelihood of malpresentations like OP)
• an intact bag offers protection against infection
• an intact bag acts as a preventive against cord prolapse
• an intact bag protects the baby- and the cord- from the compression of labor
• when the bag is intact there is less stress on the baby: a baby can handle the stress of labor far better than one without that cushion of water
• the cord and even the placenta itself recover better from the squeeze of contractions (amniotomy is sometimes routinely done because it is thought to be "harmless', and then amniofusion- putting water back into the uterus- becomes necessary to relieve cord compression and improve the fetal heart tones- this is not safe)
• if there is meconium in the waters, there should be lots of fluid in order to naturally dilute it; if the waters are ruptured, the fluid becomes thicker and often more meconium stained than before
• an intact bag gives mom time to finish dilating and the baby can handle a longer labor shoulder dystocia is may be less common if AROM isn't done- the extra body of fluid might allow more movement and lubrication which might help avoid malrotation of shoulders
• an intact bag is more respectful to the baby- why introduce fingers and hooks into her environment?- this can be considered a violent act.

[cobluegirl]

I totally agree Shane. My first birth was a nightmare and I believe it all started because they ruptured my BOW. It rushed T into the canal at an awkard angle and he was stuck with his hand up by his head..I pushed for an hour and half and he didn't budge..( I also didn't have the urge to push..the doc was making me and I didn't know any better)...the whole thing was rushed by the stupid doc and then they pulled Tristan out with the vacuum extractor and let him lay on the table screaming for 1.5 hrs. I was hemoragging because the stupid doc pulled my placenta. And that all started with my water being broken. Oh if I knew then what I know now. My poor baby.....

[Viola]

Originally posted by Apple
Oh it's so nice to be home. Had a weekend trip and it was so fun. I bought a Kissaluv size 0

Awww, I want one! I have a bunch of Kissaluvs, but I found the size 1's worked practically until my daughter was potty trained. I have a few newborn diapers and a friend is going to lend me some more, so I didn't go out and buy anymore.

[Viola]

Originally posted by Apple

But I still get sooo sore. Does that go away right away (the aching joints)? I have to hobble to the bathroom at night. We walked around at a fair for three hours and after we got to the car and I drove us to the hotel, I could barely get out of the car.

I think that does go away right away, but I'm not sure. I honestly don't remember having much pain at all in my first pregnancy, other than pelvic heaviness and stretching at the end, and really bad carpal tunnel. The carpal tunnel took a little while to go away, but it turned into tendonitis which lasted for several months. I remember wearing my wrist braces and having a hard time picking up and holding my daughter in certain positions. My hands always feel asleep while I was nursing her. I seem to be avoiding the carpal tunnel this time around, so I'm hoping I won't get the tendonitis.

My soreness comes and goes--I feel pretty good today. When I wake up to pee in the middle of the night is when I feel it the most.

[mamaley]

Shane--Lately I've been feeling this rhythmatic thumping that I think are the hiccups, but some of mine have been from the top too! And I know she's head down, and I don't think she's kicking. :confused: Sometimes I can't tell where they're coming from. Does that sound like what you've been experiencing? My son always got the hiccups, but they were always down low, I could tell where they were coming from, and these seem a little different although it's definitely possible that I just don't remember!

I got some Kissaluv 0s and they are cute. I still need to get her some covers. I never attempted cloth diapering with ds and I'm getting a little nervous about all the laundry, but I really hope we like it. Our families are going to think we're nuts...what else is new...

ETA Thanks Shane for the information. They broke my water way too early with ds...lately I have been feeling so guilty for not educating myself more about my birth last time, and for a lot of things that happened during that birth that I probably could have prevented if I just would have known more--things that affected my son and I. I mean, at the time we were fine and healthy, and it wasn't until fairly recently that I realized that things should have been different, and that they could have been. I was so stupid.

[shanetedissac]

Oh, Rachel! I'm so sorry that you had to have an experience like that! :( It sounds like you have become empowering for your self this time. :)


Originally posted by cobluegirl
I totally agree Shane. My first birth was a nightmare and I believe it all started because they ruptured my BOW. It rushed T into the canal at an awkard angle and he was stuck with his hand up by his head..I pushed for an hour and half and he didn't budge..( I also didn't have the urge to push..the doc was making me and I didn't know any better)...the whole thing was rushed by the stupid doc and then they pulled Tristan out with the vacuum extractor and let him lay on the table screaming for 1.5 hrs. I was hemoragging because the stupid doc pulled my placenta. And that all started with my water being broken. Oh if I knew then what I know now. My poor baby.....

[shanetedissac]

You were not stupid! Your care provider's are the ones that have the responsibility to give you informed consent. If they did not provide you with the information that you know now then it is their fault not yours. You had to suffer their actions. Please, please do not put the burden on yourself. Take your information that you know now and use it for your current situation. Remember that this is your body, your baby and your birth. {{{hugs!}}}}

On the other note. Yes, the rythmic feeling I was having above is a lot like you described. Did you ever figure out what it was? I have not had it again today. Maybe the child has a tune in its head and is tapping its toes.

Originally posted by mamaley
Shane--Lately I've been feeling this rhythmatic thumping that I think are the hiccups, but some of mine have been from the top too! And I know she's head down, and I don't think she's kicking. :confused: Sometimes I can't tell where they're coming from. Does that sound like what you've been experiencing? My son always got the hiccups, but they were always down low, I could tell where they were coming from, and these seem a little different although it's definitely possible that I just don't remember!

I got some Kissaluv 0s and they are cute. I still need to get her some covers. I never attempted cloth diapering with ds and I'm getting a little nervous about all the laundry, but I really hope we like it. Our families are going to think we're nuts...what else is new...

ETA Thanks Shane for the information. They broke my water way too early with ds...lately I have been feeling so guilty for not educating myself more about my birth last time, and for a lot of things that happened during that birth that I probably could have prevented if I just would have known more--things that affected my son and I. I mean, at the time we were fine and healthy, and it wasn't until fairly recently that I realized that things should have been different, and that they could have been. I was so stupid.

[mamaley]

Shane--thanks for your words. I keep telling myself all those things, but today I was looking at newborn pictures of my son and in one he was laying down naked getting cleaned up, right after he was born, crying, and I remember thinking "shouldn't I get to hold him longer?". When he was born, I held him, and did not want to let him go. My ob said "we need to cut the cord". I said ok, and held on to my baby. Then she said "we NEED TO CUT IT NOW!" and took him from me...I actually apologized, at the time I thought something horrible must happen if we wait to cut it. Of course, i know differently now...there's a hundred things just like that, and I just need to use that experience and do differently with this experience. I know better now, and it has really empowered me. I think it has empowered my husband too...he has a lot of issues with the birth, especially my episotomy, which he tried to stop here from doing.

Originally posted by shanetedissac
Maybe the child has a tune in its head and is tapping its toes.
This is what it's like exactly! I said this to my husband, actually!

[CTMOMOF2]

Mamaley - I completely relate w/what you have to say, and I WAS informed, with Bradley classes and all, but I still wish i had been stronger at the time, and if i could go back, there's so many things like you mentioned that i would have fought more about...

One example... and it is right on my video!... I ask the nurse to help me pull my gown down so i can try to get AJ to latch, and she said, "No, it's more important he stay warm" so i try to pull my gown down myself, and am lying FLAT on my back (since they are trying to stich me up and all that, and am trying to turn the baby face down to try to latch on... meanwhile, 1st time mom, never nursed before... and i gave up immediately...

but luckily, he did latch on later after i got him back after they took him to the nursery to "clean" him and whatever else they say they have to do for 4 hours!!!!!!!!!! I buzzed my thing like 20 times, saying, Where's my baby??? Can i please have him back now???

Stuff like that... i remember missing him, only for that short time, i couldn't remember what he looked like, and wanted to look at him again, but they just took their own sweet time!

Question to those having hospital birth -- do they have to do this hearing test in the nursery hooked up to something? Or is it a mobile type thing that i can insist that baby girl stays with me?? I didn't get a chance to ask at the hospital tour... if anyone is familiar with that hearing test they do, please let me know!

[cobluegirl]

I think you guys are feeling hicups. Just from the head and the butt...I know I do with this one.

As far as tonight goes...have had contractions on and off all day..not real ones I don't think but am feeling really funny, disconnected and totally unprepared tonight so am thinking that maybe tonight is the night...I guess tomorrow shall tell..hehe

[Ravin]

They can bring the equipment for the hearing test to you. Really, there's no reason to take the baby to the nursery at all. I for one intend to insist that it all be done in my presence.

I'm feeling a lot better about my impending birth after meeting my new OB! :banana

He's awesome, totally 180 turnaround from the attitude of the other OB's I've dealt with this pregnancy! He went over all my records with me (with us sitting on a level together with me in a chair next to him instead of up on the examining table), we discussed what I wanted for my birth, hospital policies we can't get around, and his role (his words: I'm the expert, you're the boss.) I'm so delighted with him, it's fantastic!

I also got my diapers today, that my mom bought for me from Babies in the Sun! Yay! :laundry I couldn't wait to wash them over and over so they get all soft and quilty (prefolds). then I can practice on a doll and get the hang of the snappis (the newborn wraps were the only thing not in the order).

I also went out and bought some cleaning supplies today, and walked around Lowe's doing window shopping for stuff to build bookshelves, so I got some exercise. I've found that if I'm walking around I'm okay, as long as I'm moving...it's when I sit still then have to start moving again that I hurt, and at night. My feet also don't seem to swell as much if I don't sit down too much during the day. I guess my natural state while pregnant is in motion, lol!

I don't think I'm going to try popping my hips, though if it happened by accident I wouldn't complain. I do wish I could find a way to stretch the muscles on the sides of my thighs. The only stretch exercises I could think of to do that would be inadvisable given how clumsy and awkward I am at this point. And I so hate going swimming with no bathing suit (at the apartment pool, if I had my own I'd go swimming in the altogether, lol!), just shorts and yoga top, I've only done it once because I feel self conscious about it even though the water felt SO good. Also I get bored if I go by myself and DH doesn't have a suit either or even shorts.

I've still been getting weepy at wierd times. Like today I got back from Lowe's and started cleaning the upstairs bathroom. I realized when I went to use it that the dustpan I'd bought was cracked. So I started crying, threw myself onto the bed, and berated myself for being so stupid as to buy a cracked dustpan. Balled and cursed at my fate for about five minutes, then got up and went back to Lowe's, which meant getting back in the car in the 105F (40C for you Canadians) heat and driving with no AC up the street to Lowe's (which was why I went to Lowe's, it's closer than Wal-Mart or Target to my apartment).

So even a good day is not without it's :crying

Just a few more weeks, and we'll all have a wholly different set of problems, eh?

[Mommiska]

Gosh - I feel so fortunate with my (hospital) birth experiences in the UK. No one ever took my baby away from me here. And I had fairly hands-off midwives who let my labour run its own course (helped by the fact that with dd2 I arrived at the hospital 10 minutes before she was born).:D

I was wondering - does anyone know anything about waiting to cut the cord? I spoke with my midwife, and they are fine to wait, although they prefer to go ahead and cut it if it hasn't stopped pulsing after an hour/you haven't delivered the placenta. Does anyone know anything about this? That sounds OK to me - I just don't want them rushing to cut the cord in the first couple of minutes.

Anyone know if there are reasons to continue to wait after an hour?

My baby is very low this morning, but it sometimes does that after a night's sleep, then seems to creep up higher as the day goes on. Anyone else's babe do that as well?

[CTMOMOF2]

Carolyn - I think my baby does the same thing, each morning i wake up and say, "Hey! Where'd you go..." thinking oh, great she's moved down, but by day's end, she's back up in my chest again!! Weird!!

[mamarsupial]

hey all,

fast thought on the rhythmic stuff. i had TONS of hicups with dd...and almost as many with this one. there have been hickups in my hips for the last couple weeks. babe went head down a while ago and has stayed that way.

the OTHER kind of rythmic thing is sort of a pulsing - and THAT i think is thumb sucking...or sucking of some sort to get ready for nursing. they are born with a strong urge to suck for breastfeeding, and they start practiciing in utero.

the only way i can describe the difference is that one is almost like a flicking feeling (the hicups) and the other is like a pulsing. make sense?

[Shanghaimum]

Good morning everyone

I had a hellish night last night... last evening around 7 I did something to my lower back/right hip and I haven't been able to walk since... my dh had to carry me to bed and back and forth to the bathroom all nigth.. finally I took two tylenol and managed to sleep a bit. I am going to see if I can get into chiropractor today ... the problem is that dh is at work, I don't have the car, and my babysitter is away..... I have never experienced anything like this - I feel like a cripple.

I was reading others hospital experiences... the actual birth of my son was a nightmare (posterior presentation, long labour, hand up beside his head, massive episiotomy and vacuum extraction), BUT as soon as he was born, he never left my side. The first thing the doctor did was place him on my bare tummy and let him latch. After about 20 minutes, they weighed him, but it was done about two feet away from me. He stayed with me until we left the hospital. The morning after he was born, my dh took him down the hall to learn how to bathe him - other than that, we were never seperated.


Emma

[mamaley]

Ravin--so glad you found a good OB!!
Mamarsupial--I experience both the pulsating (down low some where) and the flicking feeling (up higher). I just love that I'm probably feeling her suck her thumb! That's incredible--I never knew that!

Emma's post reminded me to say that my complaints about my birth have a lot more to do with my specific OB (ex now!) than with the hospital. I was actually pretty pleased with the hospital, although I think if I knew what I was doing it would have been even better. My ob was just horrible though--dh said that after our birth he heard she had a 70% episiotomy rate. You think I would have asked that, and maybe I did, but I swear I didn't question anything back then.

This morning I think I experienced my first foot-in-the-ribs sensation of either of my pregnancies. Boy, that was NOT comfy! It hurt to breathe, but then it went away when I stood up. I guess she's getting long! :) Actually, i'm so short with no torso, so i'm suprised it hasn't happened before.

[mamaley]

Cobluegirl, what's up this morning?

[cobluegirl]

I am here and nothign happened....lol I just I over did it yesterday and then panicked. We even tried sex and it didn't work so must not be time yet. Poor dh didn't want to get up and go to work this morning. He is so tired. On day 17 today. I think he was looking forward to taking a few days off. I am feeling a little better this morning but am really tired. I moved a bunch of boxes from the shed yesterday and think I just over did my muscles. Oh well....next time..hehe

I have noticed some movements in utero perhaps is the baby kneading. I can't remember which baby did this but I often wonder if this certian movement that I feel is that....

All three babies had hicups a lot. I love them.

[Nik's Mommy]

My ds had the hiccups alot!!! This one has only recently started to have hiccups. The baby's movement has really slowed down over the last couple of weeks. It hasn't stopped.... just really slowed down. Sort of has me paranoid..... but I should know better.
I've been having lots of contractions - both painful and no pain "tightening" contractions. I don't remember having any with ds..... but it seems I have 5 - 10 a day. Sometimes I'll have 3 in an hour and then they just go away. It is sort of unsettling.

I had a discussion/disagreement with my mom yesterday. I'm 35 weeks and I have my doc appt today. She thinks I should ask for an internal, cause she thinks I'm probably dilated, with all the contractions I've been having. I disagreed about the internal for a couple of reasons. One, I don't want to have one. Second, I don't want to know if I've dilated or not. If I am, they'll probably put me on best rest..... and I don't think there is a valid reason for that. (Besides I have too much to do to be on bedrest!!!) I know more than one person (my mom included) who found out they were dilated to 3 cm around 34-36 weeks, got stuck on bedrest, and then didn't deliver till 41+ weeks. No thank you!! From someone who has been on bedrest, it sucks! Don't want to do that again!! If the baby is born today - even at 35 weeks, I think he/she would be fine. The baby may not be 8 1/2 pounds like my ds was, but should be fine, none the less. I don't think the dilation information is really needed at this point. Maybe I'm wrong, but that is what I think. Mom did eventually agree with me, when I explained it the way I did.

So...... who will be the next one to deliver? Any bets?

:hippie

[ladylee]

Alena hiccups every day at the same time-it's pretty wild.

And I'm going to print up a t-shirt that says:

My due date is 9/19 and I feel fine, thanks!

[shanetedissac]

Originally posted by Carolyn

I was wondering - does anyone know anything about waiting to cut the cord? I spoke with my midwife, and they are fine to wait, although they prefer to go ahead and cut it if it hasn't stopped pulsing after an hour/you haven't delivered the placenta. Does anyone know anything about this? That sounds OK to me - I just don't want them rushing to cut the cord in the first couple of minutes.

Anyone know if there are reasons to continue to wait after an hour?



Here is a Midwifery today newsletter that address the umbilical cord: http://www.midwiferytoday.com/enews/enews0343.asp#main

And here is the question of when to cut the cord and answers from different people:

Q: When should the infant's cord be cut, before or after the infant is breathing well on its own? Why?
- D. Young
A: I was taught that the cord should be cut after breathing is established because the cord may be the only source of oxygen the baby is getting. However, if after the first minute more resuscitation measures are needed, the cord should be cut and oxygen and bag and mask be initiated.
But a few years later there was a horrible shoulder dystocia in the hospital where I was trained. The perinatologists were involved and after a 13 minute dystocia the head was pushed back in and a cesarean was performed. The mother and baby both did well. The perinatologists later sent a memo stating they believe one reason the babe survived such a long dystocia was because they had not cut the cord early and babe was still getting oxygen from the cord.
- M.S.
A: Cutting the cord is the last thing I worry about! Obviously, making sure the baby is OK is the first priority. The second priority is blood loss to the mom. When all else is well and good, I finally get around to cutting the cord. But there is an exception to every rule. If twins share a placenta, or if it is unknown whether they share a placenta, I would at least clamp the cord of the first twin immediately to avoid twin-to-twin transfusion. If all is not going well, once the cord is flaccid it's of no further use to the baby, so I would cut it to better deal with the baby--i.e. take it to a warmer spot, put it on a firmer surface, transport to hospital, etc. But while the cord is still attached it can be used to help resuscitation efforts. One of the steps of neonatal (and some adult, for that matter) resuscitation is to give a fluid bolus. What quicker, easier way than to give baby all its own blood back by simply holding the baby below the placenta and let it all drain in! (Caution: in a healthy baby giving all that blood can cause polycythemia and jaundice just as holding the baby up above the placenta can cause anemia. If there is delayed cord cutting, they normally fare better if the two are kept level.)
- T.W.
A: If the cord is not cut until it has ceased pulsating, the baby can receive up to 20% more circulating blood volume which is obviously of benefit to the newborn, especially if it is preterm. Studies have shown it has beneficial outcomes for the preterm, especially if the baby is laid on the abdomen and not higher than the placental position in the uterus. Laying the baby higher than the uterus until the cord has been clamped may result in blood flowing from the baby back to the placental site, draining much needed fetal circulating volume and producing backflow to the uterus.
Studies have also shown that not immediately clamping the cord enables the physiological compaction and compression of the placenta to be completed and if it is clamped too early, it produces counter-pressures that impede the physiological processes.
Although all women are at risk of placental-fetal transfusion, if the third stage is not "managed" effectively, those that are rhesus negative are more at risk if the cord is not clamped quickly (this depends on the time lapse involved and the baby's position--higher or lower than the placental position. If the baby is higher, there is less risk of placental-fetal transmission than if the baby is lower.) If there are large amounts of fetal blood cells in the maternal circulation from the placenta, then it may cause haemolysis of fetal blood cells in future pregnancies. (Sweet 1998)
Not cutting the "lifeline" too soon obviously has its benefits for the baby who is slow to start respirations. Until the cord has ceased pulsating it is still receiving much-needed oxygen via the umbilical cord. Unfortunately, many professionals are reluctant to allow this as there is a rush to give oxygen via facial mask on the resuscitaire rather than bring the oxygen to the baby if needed, still allowing it to receive the vital blood from the cord. Obviously if the baby is in real need of help after the birth, then relying upon the physiological processes are not enough, and the cord should be cut and clamped as soon as possible.
If the birth has been normal and the baby is not compromised in any way, cutting the cord after it has ceased pulsating is a gentler way and more physiologically natural way of welcoming the baby into the world.
- Helen H.
UK
A: I do not cut the cord until the placenta has been expelled. It has proved to prevent any trouble from occurring!
- T.S.
A: In the Lotus Birth practice, the cord is never cut. Baby, mother and placenta are "enthroned" in bed with the placenta coated in ground rosemary. The placenta and cord dry up, and the baby kicks or pushes away the cord, disconnecting it from him/herself between the 3rd and 5th day. I learned of this in the wonderful "Sacred Birthing" seminar presented by Sandy Karll and David Lewis. They had series of photos of a few Lotus Births. Sandy and David spoke of the protective functions of the placenta. They had an adult-sized mock-up of an umbilical cord made of stuffed cotton; it's proportionally quite large.
- Anon.

[mamaley]

Ladylee, my son had the hiccups every day at the same time too--always around 11:30 am. :)

[CTMOMOF2]

Nik's Mom - I agree with you about the internals... i think they are unneccessary... i decided to have one yesterday... and i'm more aggrivated than anything since it came out i was -2 and less than 50%... even though i know in my heart of hearts that means nothing, especially on a second birth... I wish i didn't have it at all!! I think if your baby is born at 35 weeks becasue he/she is ready, then he/she will be fine too!!

Also, I'll volunteer to be first!! :D

Ladylee -- can you have one made up for me too! Mine would read "i'm due 9/5/2003 and i'm hot and miserable, thank you!"
Thanks!

AJ had the hiccups all the time, like hourly i think!! This baby didn't start hiccuping until about 2 weeks ago, but does get them like at least once a day...

I don't remember who said it, but i also don't feel this baby move very much anymore! I was really worried until i went to the dr. yesterday... i mean, "they say" you are supposed to feel her move like 10 times every 30-90 mins? I think i feel her move like 10 times for the entire day! I think she is just out of room... fine w/me... maybe she'll move out!! haha

[sagira]

Emma, I hope you feel a lot better now. It must be really frustrating :hug

Hiccups -- My baby boy has had the hiccups too! Last night he was at it for a long time, and dh felt really sorry for him. Yeah, I think when it's like a flicking sensation, rhythmically, it's definitely the hiccups.

Cord cutting -- My mw told me she would cut the cord only when it stops pulsating. That's what I wanted anyway.

I feel a "sensation" (not painful) in my lower vaginal area. It sort of feels like a shooting muscle-type, dull ache. Does anybody understand this?

One of the mw's students told me that is probably my cervix is slowly getting to work. I'm at 37 weeks, so it's quite possible.
This is my first baby, so I'm clueless about how actual labor feels like. I was also going to have a cervical check-up but decided against it after reading CTMOMOF2's post. Thanks!

I'm sooooo excited! :bouncy :love I can't think about anything else but having my baby! :throb Dh heard his heartbeat the other day :heartbeat -- my belly's so hard it feels he can come any day now! :belly :banana

[sagira]

Emma, I hope you feel a lot better now. It must be really frustrating :hug

Hiccups -- My baby boy has had the hiccups too! Last night he was at it for a long time, and dh felt really sorry for him. Yeah, I think when it's like a flicking sensation, rhythmically, it's definitely the hiccups.

Cord cutting -- My mw told me she would cut the cord only when it stops pulsating. That's what I wanted anyway.

I feel a "sensation" (not painful) in my lower vaginal area. It sort of feels like a shooting muscle-type, dull ache. Does anybody understand this?

One of the mw's students told me that is probably my cervix is slowly getting to work. I'm at 37 weeks, so it's quite possible.
This is my first baby, so I'm clueless about how actual labor feels like. I was also going to have a cervical check-up but decided against it after reading CTMOMOF2's post. Thanks!

I'm sooooo excited! :bouncy :love I can't think about anything else but having my baby! :throb Dh heard his heartbeat the other day :heartbeat -- my belly's so hard it feels he can come any day now! :belly :banana

[sagira]

Oops.. double post :blush :o

[Shanghaimum]

Thanks Sagira - my Dh is coming home from work early and I am going to the chiropractor - I hope it helps - I still can't walk...


Emma

[mamarsupial]

hey mamas...

emma - ow ow. hope the visit to the chiro helps. that sounds painful.

SEPARATION - this is currently a sore topic with me. dd and i have been apart very little. she spent her first night away after her second birthday (and after she had self weaned). she did great; i was a wreck. well, now my mom wants to bring her back home with her for a night or two to give dh and i some time to get the house ready (its currently a disaster). my mom can't stay down here, since her dog is sick and her back yard is being landscaped...not reasons that i can accept easily, but hey...she has her own life. anyway, she wants to bring e home tomorrow...almost 3 hours away. i honestly think dd would do just fine. my mom is always saying that dd has 'such deep roots' and how amazed she is that she never asks for her mama the few times my mom has watched her...and i think its becuase she's never HAD to ask...mama has always been there! anyway, even though i think dd would be fine, i think i might be a wreck. then again, maybe its time to try something like this under controlled circumstances. what do you all think?

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

Had an appointment with my midwife today. In a very humorous way, she gave me "permission" to go into labor anytime I want to now. That was kinda fun. She also gave me some good advice on when to call her and when to head to the hospital. And she even talked me out of the internal exam. I was on the fence about whether I wanted one or not after all the things I was reading here, and after thinking about it, but she told me not to worry about it because no matter what the results would be, it wouldn't give me any indication of when things were really going to kick off- so I just shouldn't stress over it. She made me feel a lot better. I've been getting more impatient and uncomfortable with every passing day.

She talked a little bit about cutting the cord also. She said she likes to wait a bit until the baby is obviously breathing just fine and until it stops pulsing so the baby gets that last bit of blood.

My little one moves ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME!! And at this point it's gone from "oh how cute" to OOOOWWWWW! But I take that as a good sign that she's healthy so I'll deal. I am just uncomfortable and hot and it puts me in kinda a stinky mood, but I'm trying to stay cheerful.

And thanks for the FLYLady info-- looking through her website seems to have triggered my nesting instinct and I'm finally getting some stuff done around the house!

Good luck to all of you-- I know all of you who's EDDs are earlier than mine are even more ready to go.

Sending happy, healthy birth vibes-
Kate
ready to watch the little one kick instead of just feel it
EDD 22 SEPT 03

[CTMOMOF2]

Hi Mamarsupial -- I think she'll be just fine, but you will be the one who has a hard time with it... Knowing that she's just with your mom should make you feel better! It could be something horrible like you had to return to work.. and leave her with strangers!!! God-forbid!! You'll probably really appreciate the time you had to get things done once she returns, safe into your arms!!!

[CTMOMOF2]

I was thinking, what if i started pumping every day, a couple of times a day? I haven't nursed in 2 years, but i figure, maybe the pumping would start labor and i could just store the milk in the freezer until she comes out????

Could this cause problems?? Or, could it just cause me to have engorgement and other breast issues and she'll just stay put for God-knows how long?

On the other hand, if other moms nurse right through the pregnancy and they don't always go early... how come???

Just some new thoughts... i know like i'm starting to sound desparate!!!

[Mommiska]

Thanks, Shanetedissac et al for the info on cord cutting. After reading that, I feel OK about our plan (essentially, waiting for the cord to stop pulsing, but if it takes longer than an hour, to go ahead and cut it).

CTmomto2 - don't know about the pumping. I was on time with dd1, and 12 days late with dd1 (even though still nursing dd1), so...

I remember the nursing set off contractions a couple of times, right at the end of my last pregnancy, but that was it...and nothing that ever amounted to anything.

I really haven't had any contractions at all, I don't think. Some BH (maybe) - I occasionally feel my tummy, and it feels hard. But I was like this with both of my previous pregnancies (no real contractions to speak of until I finally went into labour), so I guess that doesn't mean much...

Anyone else taking raspberry leaf tea capsules? I've been taking 1 capsule (400 mg) a day - can I take more, does anyone know? I take the capsules because I can't stand the taste of the tea...

[Anmarie]

CTMom - I thought about pumping to stimulate labor too, but then what about the colostrum? Would pumping bring in your milk, thereby making it (the colostrum) not available for the baby?

I saw my midwife today. I am 2 cm, 50% effaced, with a very soft cervix. She estimates that I'll probably go right around my due date (Sept 4).

I hadn't planned on having an internal, but am glad I did. Nice to know SOMETHING is happening!

[cobluegirl]

Caroylyn, I am taking the capsules too. I lost interest a long time ago. I can't drink hot tea when it is hot outside and didn't like it much as ice tea. The bottle I have says take 2 capsules 2 times daily, so a total of 4, and they are 480mg each. So I think you can take more then what you are taking. I have even taken mine all 4 at once a couple of times because otherwise I forget.

I haven't had anything happen all day but am definintely feeling like my body is getting ready. (of course this may all be in my head and be anticpation)..watch it will be tomorrow since dad had a funeral to attend and I may need him to watch the kids. If I can get a hold of dh won't be an issue..mom will watch the kids but if I have to head to the hosp ahead of when dh can get home then mom has to come with me.

So...you ladies that have had more then 3 or more kids...does the length of your first and second labors have anything to do with your 3rd or 4th..???? does that make any sense...I was in labor for a whole 3.25 hrs with dd and I don't want to have this child in the car but don't want to go to the hosp without dh either. It could take him over an hour to get home. I wish I knew how this was going to start. DS I had contractions to start off labor...with dd my water broke...contractions started 45 mins later.


Rachael (who is so wishing this was a homebirth, then it wouldn't matter if dh was home or not or where the kids were....I know I know..I am whining....hehe..if I have to go to the hosp without dh there is no way he will tell me I can't have a homebirth with the next one if there is one..hehe)

[CTMOMOF2]

Anmarie - i had the same concern about the colostrum too...

does anyone have any thoughts on that??

[FreeRangeMama]

I don't think that your milk would come in early, I think the hormones associated with birth would have to trigger something.....can't say for sure though. I am nursing ds even though I lost my supply early on in the pregnancy. Colostrum returned about 2 months ago and it has not changed to milk even though he nurses several times a night (sometimes ALL night). Nursing has triggered many contractions, but nothing substantial or long lasting.
Nursing, like pumping and all other methods of natural labour induction, will not trigger labour until your body is ready. The contractions are good for getting your body prepared though, so it wouldn't be a total loss :)

Laurie

[Viola]

From everything I've heard and read, your milk will not come in because you pump or nurse in pregnancy. In my first pregnancy, I didn't have any colostrum until my daughter showed up, but now I've been able to manually express it for awhile. So basically just seconding what Laurie has to say.

On another topic, man, have I ever been hungry today. I feel like I am eating too much, but I feel so hungry. Anyone else?

[Viola]

Emma, sorry to hear about your bad pain. I hope you were able to get an adjustment!

I have a lot of unresolved feelings stemming from the hospital birth I am going to have. The hospital has a mandatory in-nursery observation period that can't be waived away by a doctor's order. My husband can accompany the baby to the nursery, but I cannot. Apparently while they are "cleaning up the mom" they take the baby away. I am very upset about this. I'm upset about a lot of things. I need to talk to my OB and visit the hospital to see what is up. I've heard the mandatory observation period can take anywhere from an hour to 3 hours.

Apparently my only option is to leave AMA. I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point.

[CTMOMOF2]

Amy - YES with the hungar thing! Yesterday i was sooo hungary! I mean, i wake up hungary everyday, but yesterday i was sooo especially hungary!! I think that baby is trying to get every last bit before she comes out!!

And I can relate about the hospital nursery situation! I don't know why i am such the outcast around these parts... I don't want them to take my baby away for 2 hours+ to do a hearing test and "clean" her... like she is dirty or something... I don't want to be a royal pain in the ass to them either, but it is hospital policy and I am using thier hospital... I wish they could just do the hearing test in my room!

Slept really good last night for the first time in a LONG time!! I think it was like 11pm to 7:45am!! Taht's a long stretch w/out peeing or anything!

[halah]

Well it looks like a lot of you moms are in the final stretch of things and just waiting for labor to happen....I still have 6 or 7 weeks to go! Good luck to all of you approaching the threshold.

I think I managed to have a mild case of heat stroke yesterday. I took my ds to the community pool and after a while felt like my head was boiling off, my aunt said my face was bright red. The water was heated but I was getting chills. I didn't think much of it but we went back to my aunt's house after about 1.5 hours and while getting changed I felt worse and worse, like I might pass out. I told my aunt I needed to lie down for a few minutes before we could go to the store. Well needless to say I never got to the store, I lay on the couch with 101 fever and chills for the rest of the afternoon. I kept drinking ice water and eventually took some Tylenol and the fever went down, and I was able to go home. I felt like a limp washrag after that and went to bed early. I feel pretty OK this morning but...poolside at noon in August in Florida=never again!

Emma--I feel for you. Last pg whenever I had a BH contrax a muscle would seize up in my groin and I wasn't able to walk...not fun. This time I have been having lots of pelvis pain and nothing much has helped except staying mobile. Yesterday my stomach muscles were stretched out so much I was in total agony...luckily the Tylenol I took for the fever addressed a few of my aches and pains as well. Yesterday was pretty crummy all round, actually...Oh well.

Amywillo--that hospital policy is one of the more ridiculous I've heard of. If they are taking your baby away while they are cleaning you up for an hour or more, that's prime bonding/alert time you're both missing out on! And you say that they will not let you opt out? I would just dig my heels in man, and tell them they can have the baby when they've pried him physically out of your (and your husband's) arms! Silly hospital. What is AMA by the way?

[plum]

Oh I am so hungry. Last night I got up four times to pee (the worst is when I get up and look at the clock and I've only been asleep an hour) and even though I'd had something to eat before bed, I still came down around three to eat (mmm pizza). I'd still be sleeping now, but I was too hungry to stay in bed.

I had a contraction yesterday. It was very interesting. It hurt, but not like I expected.

I also had the weirdest dreams last night. In one, my husband let one of his coworkers and his wife move in and the guy was totally mean to both of us and when I'd get mad and yell at him, Dh would get mad at me about it. "Honey, can you just learn to get along with him, please?" The guy wanted the car, but I needed it and I told Dh he needed to choose between us and he said "Well, I don't have to work with you" and chose the other guy. He let him take the car and I had to walk home from an appointment.

[mamaley]

Let's all send some good thoughts out to Weesej, an Oct mama...says on another thread that she thinks her water broke and she hasn't posted in a while.

[shanetedissac]

Originally posted by Amywillo

I have a lot of unresolved feelings stemming from the hospital birth I am going to have. The hospital has a mandatory in-nursery observation period that can't be waived away by a doctor's order. My husband can accompany the baby to the nursery, but I cannot. Apparently while they are "cleaning up the mom" they take the baby away. I am very upset about this. I'm upset about a lot of things. I need to talk to my OB and visit the hospital to see what is up. I've heard the mandatory observation period can take anywhere from an hour to 3 hours.

Apparently my only option is to leave AMA. I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point.

Definetly go in a speak with the hospital. Rememeber to plan ahead what you are going to say so you come across as informed, but be very firm with what you want. No hospital can forcefully take your baby from you! If you want baby to stay with you, you do what you need to do to make that happen. No one should be put in your situation but I know there are probably many other women who do.

Remember: your body, your baby, your birth!

[mamarsupial]

:belly prenatal this morning. bp was FINE. whew. i was so nervous about it i almost barfed before we left for the clinic. it was up last week, and i had some swelling, but this was post-state-fair and the midwife was not worried...but i sure was! anyway, having an easy, simple, problem free prenatal was just what i needed. oh, and the midwife we saw today thinks its a GIRL. and he also thought the baby was not huge, as some of the others had thought (and yes, i saw a male midwife today - he's actually one of our favorites!)

my mom put e to bed last night and it went really well. so, they are going back to grandma's house together. i'll miss her more than i can say, but i think she's ready (even if i feel like i'm not - plus, no matter when we do it, will it ever be easy? no way...so, might as well try now). its just a couple nights, right?

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

AMYWILLO--
There's no reason why they should have to take your baby away from you for that long. Have you put together your birth plan yet? I made sure to put into my birth plan that we would like all necessary procedures to be done in our room with both parents present. We made sure our pediatrician and our midwife endorsed us and then we talked with the hospital. At first they were resistant- but we explained to them that we knew there was no reason to take the baby as long as she's okay and that we knew what the normal procedures were and that we also knew they could in fact be done in our room. We also talked to a couple of different nurses to feel out which ones were supportive of our birth plan, which ones had no issues and which ones we might have problems with during our birth. I agree that you should remain calm, firm and professional with them-- if they see that you know pretty much just as much as you do about the subject, they have a tendancy to back off because they know you can handle things yourself and wont need them to babysit you through every little step of your stay with them like 98% of their patients.

I hear ya'll on the strange dreams and the peeing all night.

All those who are ready to have these babies, please say "AYE"!!!
:wave

Kate-
who is just plain fat, hot and uncomfortable
(come on baby- I'm ready for ya!)

[anabean]

hi everyone,

wow, it's been a few days. i've been spending less time on the computer lately. got the second electric bill at our new place.:eek $115!!! i couldn't believe it. so we're limiting our computer time, among other things. *sigh*

i have no major news other than my last day of work will be next thursday, 9/4. :banana

I spent a lot of time finding out about disability insurance this week, and after being thoroughly disgusted at how it all works (turns out, since i have so much sick time accumulated, i won't get the full 6 weeks i've been PAYING into for 6 years. :angry, so i'll get 6 weeks after she's born, and whatever vacation time i have to use, which is about 5 other weeks), disability insurance is a SCAM. i hate the way this country works, it makes no sense whatsoever, and it makes me irate. *takes deep breath*

ok, it feels good to let it out. the good news is that since it doesn't make sense for me to save up all mi sick time for after the birth, i'm able to leave early. so my last day is 9/4. i'm really looking forward to it, though i'm so sad i won't get the 3.5 months after the baby... :crying i hope i'll be able to enjoy the time before anyway. we'll see.

i'm 36 weeks today and feeling pretty crummy. all achey and sore, and i'm so slow. sleeping is a challenge and i just ca't wait for things to start happening. only 4 more weeks... i really hope she decides to show a bit early. that'd be ideal. i feel you on the hunger thing. i'm hungry all the time, but i get full so quickly, which makes me think the baby hasn't dropped yet... :confused:

my dad is coming to see me (and the babe) from argentina on 9/17, which is great, since i ahven't seen him in over 2 years. I can't wait. he'll stay for about a month, so it'll be great to have him around after the baby is born. he's planning on cooking for me. :love

i can't wait till we start hearing about births on this thread... that'll mean that i'll be closer!

it's always great to come here and read your posts! :hug

[ladylee]

I'm feeling quite a bit of discomfort today (bh cx w/the slightest movement, one foot is swollen, various aches and pains, a sleepless night last night) but I'm not ready to birth yet! Just taking one day at a time, and taking it slowly. Oh, and the return of m/s-has anyone else been experiencing this? I hope not-it's even less fun when hugely pregnant! I also had a check yesterday-BP also good and I was also happy because it wasn't last time. Babe still up high, no action with the cervix.

Amywillo-I hope your requests are followed-do you have a patient liason at your hospital? Try calling the main number and asking. I've been resolving a lot of issues through ours-they're very willing to help.

mamarsupial-glad it went well last night-I'm sure everything will be fine. My 3.5 yo dd is also very attached, and we've been preparing her for my absence. My mother will come two days before the birth, and hopefully dd will feel comfortable with her while dh and I are gone. I understand how you're feeling--being away from dd and thinking she will miss me is very hard.

[Nik's Mommy]

I'm another one who had a prenatal yesterday, and everything went well. Everything but the 1.5 hour wait I had for my doctor. :angry I tried to be patient. I realize that there are sometimes situations that cause that - like other women delivering during the day..... but I was late for picking up my ds at daycare, and that really stresses me out. He expects me at 4pm, not 5:30pm!!! I was sitting in the examination room taking deep breaths. I didn't want my blood pressure to be "artificially" elevated. When the doc did finally come in she was apologizing. She is so good, and the events that caused the lateness were out of her control. Luckily, my blood pressure wasn't high. :banana (I had dangerously high blood pressure with ds - I'm sooooo happy that isn't happening this time.) I told her I was having some major contractions over the last week. She said "great - maybe you'll have the baby earlier!!". I told her not to get my hopes up. :p

My biggest worry was that I would still be allowed to deliver at the hospital I want before 37 weeks. The hospital that takes all the "high risk/preterm" births in our city is HORRIBLE!!!! I have heard nothing but horror stories about how women and babies were treated there. (A shining example: My co-worker was forced to deliver there at 34.5 weeks. They wouldn't let her see her baby in the NICU because she didn't have any slippers to wear. Since the delivery was early, she didn't have her bag packed to take with her. She had to wait a day to see her baby because her dh had to come back with slippers. They wouldn't even lend her the little "surgery booties"!! And there are many more similar stories.) I was a bit worried about it, cause I have this feeling I may go earlier than later. My doc told me that I'm safe and can deliver at my hospital with no problem. She would make sure of it. :D I am really having a LOT of contractions - both painful and non-painful tightenings. I don't remember having any with ds, until 2 or 3 days before I delivered. (I delivered him at 40w3d.) (Now watch - with all this anticipation of going early, this babe will be a 42 weeker!!)

Dh is going to his parents for the weekend to help with harvest. I have mixed feelings about that. I don't like that he will be 3 hours away.....in case something happens..... but his parents really need his help, and I know they will be helping us a lot in the next few months..... so I better just "suck it up". The thing that bothers me, is my parents would never have even asked, knowing the situation we are in (me 35+ weeks and contracting everyday). His parents sort of don't think about that kind of thing - especially around harvest. But I guess I can sort of understand that. But I guess it still bothers me. :confused:

I'm really starting to feel crappy. Not sleeping.... crampy.... peeing all the time.....just miserable. Oh well... I know it could be worse - at least I don't have PUPPS this time!!!! It's just a little disheartening to think I could still have to wait 7 more weeks to meet my baby. Oh well.... it will come.

I'm anxiously waiting to see who delivers next. Keep us posted mammas!! (Like that will be a problem - we are way too vocal in this group!!!:D )

[ladylee]

And how is everyone feeling emotionally? Many things surfaced for me today and I succombed to the feelings. Primarily emotions about change--knowing that the symbiotic relationship I have w/dd will be different (although that's ok) and things I'm feeling about the birth. But I'm glad they're coming up now-I feel like anything acknowledged and processed now stands less of a chance of turning into baby blues later on...

[mamarsupial]

nik's - i had high bp AND pupps with dd. i wonder if the two are related? i've been using aveno stuff since the second trimester to keep my skin happy and keep the pupps away. man, was that awful! sorry about the long wait at your prenatal!

ana - cool about your dad visiting; not cool about the insurance/leave stuff. :hug

ladylee - thanks for your encouragement. i hope things go well. it will be good practice for both me, e, and my mom for when we're at the hospital (not that we plan to stay very long).

BODY: my body feels okay today, but some days i am so sore. the pain from the leg cramp from the other day still lingers. my ribs really hurt this morning...although the new mattress seems to be helping.

EMOTIONS: well, today i am emotional, since my sweet smelling, soft, warm, bundle of love that is my daughter is on the road with my mom. :crying my heart strings are being stretched more than they ever have before. i have to count my blessings thought, right? she's excited to go...it will give dh and i some time as a couple and to get our home ready for this new baby...it will give me time to really THINK about this new baby too...and hey, i have a great prenatal this morning (after feeling sick i was so nervous that my bp would be up again).

this afternoon i've been working on some essential oil blends for labor. the bathroom smells amazing now - lavender, clary sage, rose otto, jasmine, etc. its helping calm my nerves with dd gone. i wish i could bottle how she smells. i miss her! :crying

[Viola]

Halah, that heatstroke sounds pretty scary! I hope you are doing better now. Oh, and AMA means against medical advice. I'm really confused because I hear conflicting things from various sources, so I need to go to the main source. The one friend who told me that the policy is not optional had an unassisted homebirth. Her sister did hypnobirthing in the hospital and tried to avoid having the baby taken to the nursery, but they just wouldn't bend on the policy for liability reasons. I was thinking I could just waive the things I didn't want, but now I'm thinking it won't be that easy. But then someone else told me that if my OB goes along with things, the hospital should, so I don't really know.

I haven't written a birth plan and hadn't planned on it because after reading Birthing From Within, I liked what the author said about needing to be able to advocate for yourself in the moment, or something like that. I don't quite remember now. But I'm thinking a basic birthplan is probably necessary. I mean, I am just assuming that since I didn't have an episiotomy last time and never thought to say that I didn't want one (I didn't, but I wasn't even thinking about it at the time I was pushing the baby out), that they aren't routine and I won't have one. My sister didn't have episiotomies with her last three who were born in the early 90's. Yet I haven't talked about it with my doctor and who knows, I could just be there with my legs open and he might just go ahead and do it. I don't know what is routine to some people and not to others.

The sad thing is I can't remember if there was a mandatory observation period on my last hospital or not. I do remember that once I was in my room, they took the baby to the nursery for a little while, but now I don't even remember why. It didn't bother me at the time, but now I don't want that. I want the early bonding, and I do feel like it took me a long time to bond with my daughter. By long time I mean months, but that could have been more my issue than what went on with her. I just don't know.

As far as for the emotions, Ladylee, I am only now beginning to deal with this. I've been pretty positive this whole pregnancy and looking forward to the change, but lately I've been feeling so ambivalent. Like I'm not as excited at this point as I was at this point in my first pregnancy. I'm wondering if part of it is the whole changing the dynamic between me and my firstborn, or if it still related to the birthing uncertainties. In general, I'm looking forward to things changing because I think it will be good for my older one. But I'm also worried that she will become resentful of not having my full attention. She's been very needy lately, and it is hard to deal with. I have to walk her to the bathroom even though it is just down the hall, I have to turn on the light before she goes in, wait outside while she does her business and then go back in and wipe her. Even after that I have to pull her pants up for her. She was 4 in May, for heaven's sake, can't she do some of this on her own? Maybe she is having some of her own concerns. :) I'm trying to indulge her a bit for the moment while discussing things to see what is going on.

[CTMOMOF2]

Amy - that is an interesting thought you bring up in your last paragraph... I think that i'm having some similar feelings. Dont' get me wrong, i'm extatic about my baby girl coming, but there is something that is holding me back a bit from being as happy or excited as i think i should be! I Really am worried that my relationship with AJ will change... it has been me and him against the world for 3 years, and now there will be an intruder! I don't think he is looking at it that way, but in a way, i feel that way. I know that everyone says that your love just grows, but i find it very hard to believe that i could ever love someone the way i love him! In my mind, i know i will, but i keep trying to convince my heart of that!

I don't want him to grow up faster, and wish i had waited a little longer to have another baby, but he is sooooo independent and helpful and polite and excited about his baby sister, that he is just growing up right in front of me!! He's only going to be 3 in two weeks, but i feel like he's going off to college!

Only today, and maybe yesterday i've noticed something funny about him... i have this little girl (12) that lives up the street that i've hired to come and play w/him for 2 hours 2 times a week for the past 2 months... He LOVES her, and I LOVE her too, i can get some housework done, or short spurts to the grocery store, etc... He always says, When's Mia Coming??? :) but today, he didn't want anything to do with her... even though he was asking up until she got there when she was coming to play! He was hanging all over me, climbing under my legs as i tried to be at my computer, wanted to sit in the bathroom while i was showering (which usually he does shower with me, but i had already gotten him dressed for Mia to come & play), so i sent Mia home an hour early, and he was happy to see her go... this was the first time!

I felt bad for Mia, she must be wondering if it was something that she did wrong... but i know it isn't... I think he's starting to worry that i'm shoving him out so baby sister can come... :crying

Every morning he says, "Mommy, are you happy? Happy baby sister coming soon??" I say, yes, but i'm happy because you are such a good boy!! And I love you... This is a daily routine he's been saying for a month now... But the other day, i said, maybe she'll come today, or tomorrow, and we've been telling her together, to come out and play with us... maybe he's starting to get the reality of it all??????????????

[shanetedissac]

Hello!

Emotions: I've been a little more short tempered with the kids lately. Oh, and especially with my dh. I just get tired of saying the same things over and over again. KWIM? Then I think that 'what am I going to do when I'm in labor or after birth'. We won't have the same support we had last time. It just worked out well that a friend of ours was visiting for spring break and I gave birth the day after she arrived and she was there the whole week after birth. Could not beat that. Also, my dh was home on vacation for spring break. Everything just worked out so well. If I had one want it would be a repeat like that one. :)

Physical feelings: Today was a good day for hip stiffness. I have walked on the treadmill (ac pumping right next to me) the past two days for 20 minutes then doing pelvic tilts and stretching. I've been motivated to walk more because on the treadmill I can read. I've been reading 'Birthing From Within' and am up to the chapter on pain management techniques.

Other than that I've been busy trying to finish up a correstpondance course. DH is at the gym with the boys so the house is nice a quite. I hope that I sleep well tonight. That always makes the day better!

[mamarsupial]

PUSHING AWAY OUR BABIES -> yea, i feel that way too. i've lost my temper with dd 4 times now, all within the last couple months. its one of the reasons i thought it would be good for her to go with my mom, so that i'll be refreshed when i see her again. being less tolerant of my beloved child reminds me of a story i was told by a bear expert. we got to visit a black bear den this past winter...long story. anyway, dave the bear guy told me a story about seeing a mama bear with two cubs. the cubs were playing, checking in with mom to nurse, playing, etc. it was idealic. then a male approached. it was mating season. the mama bear looked at the male, the cubs, the male, then turned to the cubs and charged them...scaring them both away. dave said this is normal behavior in bears. when i've lost my temper with dd, i've remembered this story and its made me feel like maybe that's what i'm doing...on some primal level, telling her she can't depend on me like she used to (not that she can't at all, but that things are changing). i'm not saying i'm okay with it either way, it just is something i've thought about.

me and my name polls - here's another one! (http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=83184)

[Mommiska]

Thanks, Rachel, for the info on the raspberry leaf tea capsules. I think maybe I will start taking 2 a day for the next week and a half, then up it once my midwives are on-call for a home birth.

I really don't want to go before then, because then I have to go to the hospital. :(

It's funny that everyone is talking about feeling emotional, as I've been feeling that way myself. I've also been less patient with the girls, which is something I'm working on (it's not their fault mommy is hormonal!).

But I've been sitting here wanting to cry this evening. At bedtime, dd1 wanted to tell me what she'd done at nursery today (I work on a Wednesday). She then said she'd played. I asked if she'd played with her friends, and she said no - just with the toys. That she hadn't wanted to play with her friends and was happy playing on her own.

She didn't sound upset about it at all, but now I worry that she isn't enjoying nursery (although she always wants to go), etc., etc. Her best friend at nursery wasn't there today, which may be part of it, but still....

I think my reaction must be hormonal, but it does bring home to you how much you want for your children to be happy, you know?

And pretty soon there will be one more to love/worry about/etc.

This must be pregnancy hormones, right?

[StarMama]

I think I've just seriously started feeling those "crazy" pregnant emotions. I mean I've felt them before, but was always able to just breathe for a minute so I didn't cry, or snap at someone. But lately its not happening. Probably a combination of being tired from the move, and feeling all strained since I HATE being in messy/unorganized rooms... I've snapped/yelled at Dh a few times (but it WAS for things he actually did... never EVER tell a tired, crying, mad 37 week pregnant woman "yeah, yeah, yeah" when she's trying to explain to you WHY she's upset with you... baaad idea) when most of the time I can just breathe and calmly speak to him...

Thank goodness the apt is slowly coming together. The baby's room is done enough to use it, all the clothes are washed and up to 6 months of clothing is in his drawers, and older stuff is packed. The changing table is full of pretty cloth dipes (well one shelf, the 2nd shelf is filled with disposibles, because no one believes I'll use cloth, don't all of my friends/family know that I'm stubborn and now there is NO way I won't use cloth? :LOL). Its still a mess in here, but at least now its regulated to areas we don't need to walk... Hopefully Dh gets our beautiful bed all the way together tonight, I *need* one room that isn't thrashed to enjoy...

[Viola]

Originally posted by shanetedissac

Physical feelings: Today was a good day for hip stiffness. I have walked on the treadmill (ac pumping right next to me) the past two days for 20 minutes then doing pelvic tilts and stretching. I've been motivated to walk more because on the treadmill I can read. I've been reading 'Birthing From Within' and am up to the chapter on pain management techniques.

Cool, I started re-reading that, but I have to read more on the pain management techniques. I was practicing them for awhile, but I kind of gave up. :( I have been walking outside instead of on my treadmill lately, not sure why. Just the last time I was on the treadmill it felt so hard. I guess I should just lower the speed, and increase the incline. It seems like even with a nice strolling pace, I really feel it in my pelvis. I have a fan blowing right on me while I walk, though, which is nice.

Yesterday I took my daughter with me on the walk and we played tag for part of the walk, so I was really going fast for a little while, trying to chase her. Then she got tired and I had to hold her hand. Man, that put a kink in my back, because I felt like I was being pulled down; she was really lagging. Then she wanted me to carry her for awhile, so I did. I'm trying not to push her away, but once I started up a little slope I had to put her down. The walk ended up taking 41 minutes as opposed to 34 the night before, so I guess she slowed me down afterall, but I felt the exertion nevertheless. Then tonight I didn't take a walk. I'm just too tired. I did go in the pool for awhile though.

I will say that my daughter is much more aware of pregnancy and the baby coming this time than she was last year. I was only pregnant for 11 weeks, but she kept denying I was pregnant and didn't want to hear about it. I thought that would change as I got bigger, but we never got to that point. But this time, right away, she seemed to get that I was having a baby.

[Eman'smom]

Prenatal today, bp back to great:D After last weeks "high normal" that is a great news.

I'm also GBS negative that was such a relief.

I only have 3 weeks left and my body just doesn't feel ready I'm so achy I can't stand it, and if I can get 1 hour of sleep at a time it's good, between the hips, back, bladder, and calfs I get no peace but I have no nesting going on. Maybe I'm in denial that in a few weeks we will have two children.

[plum]

That reminds me, my GBS came back negative too.

Today Dh and I went to the grocery store. On our way out, I ran into my cousin who had a baby two months ago. This is the first time I have seen her baby and he was so cute! Dh and I melted. He was in his car seat and I leaned over and was touching his hair and he was giving me dirty looks but he was so incredibly cute and now I'm even more excited (didn't think it was possible) for my baby.

[Ravin]

The mother bear will chase the cubs away to protect them from the male. They don't get chased off for good until it's time to go find someplace to hibernate towards the end of their second or third year, when Mama's expecting a new cub or two to be born during the winter.

My sleeping is completely erratic. I pretty much just sleep when I'm tired, and since DH has been walking around like a low-power zombie the past couple of days, just looking at him makes ME tired too, lol! I've also been getting up when I wake up, even when it's some unholy early morning hour, then just going back to bed a few hours later for a morning nap when I get tired again--often it's when I'd still be sleeping if I could when I go back to bed.

:zzz

I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight, I'm tired! The last couple of days I was out and about all day, not wanting to sit still for long or be in the house, and now today I'm just zonked, but my hips aren't giving me as much trouble, so tomorrow I'm getting out again, keeping moving does me good!

I went to town on my upstairs bathroom, got it all cleaned up before BIL's girlfriend came for her visit (she's staying the next couple of weeks). I don't even use the sink up there, but I cleaned the whole place top to bottom, gave myself a backache scrubbing the tub, etc. And this morning I look and there's huge toothpaste dribbles staining the sink. :angry
Wish I hadn't bothered! Didn't get a thank you for cleaning, even though they KNOW I don't use the sink area up there, and as of my cleaning it had been cleaned exactly TWICE since I moved in in May--either Josh or David cleaned it up once about three weeks ago. :rolleyes:

So I'm a bit touchy. And I'm rambling. All you ladies have a good night!

Oh yeah, and:

AYE!

[CTMOMOF2]

Insomnia! I've been up since 5:15 am... woken up by VAST hungar!!! I had to get up and eat something... isn't this weird?? I had two bowls of cheerios!!! I can't explain how hungary i was! It has been this way for this will be the 3rd day!! Maybe baby girl is trying to fatten up for the homecoming???

I hope the labor starts today!!! I'm soo ready, nested like a nut yesterday!!! I think i cleaned things i hadn't looked at in years!! RE-organized drawers, shopped, you name it, i did it!!

I'm going to try to go back to bed now, but we all know that will probably be a lost cause!!

[halah]

I've been lying in bed awake since 3:30 am...finally gave up and came out here. I have got so much going on in my brain. I found out my best mama friend is moving away, possibly on my son's 3rd birthday a month from now. :( so I have to move my Blessingway up to this month because there's no way I can imagine not having her there. So now I'm mulling the whole ceremony over, what date will work for my friends' schedules, where to have it, what should I wear, what food to make, etc.

Then I think about silly ephemera, thinking about the best way to plan and print the birth announcements, wondering who develops good black and white prints, then the baby moves and gets hiccups and I start crying thinking about how beautiful the darkness and the silence of the moment is, my husband and son asleep and dreaming, me and the new baby awake and communicating silently.

Then I think about my other friend who has been on the road for a year and has just bought a house back in town, and announced that she is heavily pregnant and due within 2 weeks of me.:love So I'm losing one good friend and getting another one back, with baby bonus. So I'm happy/sad, and my head is full of sound and emotions.

[CTMOMOF2]

Oh man!! I just typed a whole page and it disappeared!!!

Well, i tried to go back to sleep, but it was a lost cause...

Good news halah about your friend coming back to town, that should help yo keep your mind off of your time to wait for babe for a little while!

Good morning to everyone... it is supposed to be a beautiful day here in Connecticut, so i hope you all have a nice weather day too! I'm going to a picinic so that should help me kill some time!

[ladylee]

I don't have insomnia. I would sleep perfectly well if my body would be more cooperative. I only have two options for sleeping positions--on my left side, or my right side. If I sleep on my left side, I get dead arm, and that wakes me up. So then I roll to my right side, which strains my back and groin & then puts just enough pressure on my vena cava to be uncomfortable. And yes, at about that time the baby starts hiccuping (I don't remember #1 ever hiccuping!)

halah-it's interesting how being pregnant heightens one's feelings of connection with friends. I got an invitation to a friend's wedding yesterday and it brought back all of the memories of our time together. There's nothing more I'd like to do than to share her day--unfortunately it's too close to the birth.

Back to the hiccuping baby--is this something to be concerned about if it happens A LOT?

[CTMOMOF2]

AJ hiccuped all the time, like hourly for the whole last trimester... he came out just fine!

This one does sometimes, maybe once a day for a few mins...

[mamaley]

I couldn't sleep last night either--should have gotten on here! Woke up at 3:30 and didn't go back to sleep till about 5. My head was buzzing with thoughts and worries, particularly about the cleanness of our house. Not that it's horrible, but it could be a ton better. I feel like I should be cleaning all the time...I typically pretty messy so I guess it's nesting, which at first was amusing but now it's kind of driving me crazy, especially since I'm sure I'll be feeling this way until I give birth at 43 weeks. Then I started worrying about being able to keep up with laundry with cloth diapers, and then I started worrying about the baby's health, and then back again to if the house is clean enough for her. My sweet dh woke up and we laid down in the other room and I talked to him about all my worries, and he told me that he'd get up this morning and mop the kitchen, which he did before he went to work. :love And he said some great things to me to help me gain confidence that things truly are ok. These hormones are making me feel like a nut though.

[shanetedissac]

My midwife just left and the appointment went well. Baby is still quessed to be under 7lbs, positioned in the same fashion (back to right, butt up, head down). I'm measureing 37+, baby's hr is great and there is lots of movement. We talked about getting a precip kit set up this week (my last birth was extreemly quick at the end) and she wants something in the house beforehand. Decided not to use chux pads (could not find any) and will use towels, I don't really care about the wash. Need to find my heating pad to heat up towells and the baby's first hat. I put a note next to our thermistat to have it turned up to 80 degrees for baby. My dh won't like that but bummer :p I have a painters drop cloth that we can spread around if I'm leaking stuff during labor. I'm hoping that this time my body will be as clean as it was last time. I have very little bleeding, almost non existant. So we are pretty much ready for baby anytime now. I'm ready!

After the mw left the boys were playing outside and I was helping Issac (ds2) with his trike and he ended up pointing himself down the driveway and I had to sprint (imagin that!) after him to try to stop him. He was going much faster than I could run and luckly ended up tipping the trike over to stop. Thank goodness. We have a long driveway but it is all down hill to the street that is narrow and people do not drive slow.:rolleyes: So a little freak out moment. Issac is fine though. He started crying because he was scared and also because he wanted me to push him back up the driveway on his trike. I don't think so!

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

I've got the emotional thing going on too right now, but it's kind of perplexing me. I feel like there's two of me. The emotional me and the rational me-- and they don't really get along very well. My poor DH has a 160 mile round trip commute to work and back right now just so we can both live under the same roof (for the first time in 2 years of marriage) and so I know that this is exhausting him. So he comes home at night and he's tired and not very talkative. That and he just got back from Iraq about 2 months ago and wants to have sex all the time. So the emotional me is kinda frustrated because while sex is still good- I'm just not up for it every darn day right now- and there's a zillion things I want to talk to him about, but everytime I start trying to talk to him, he either starts falling asleep or he starting nuzzling me and feeling me up. Both of which make me feel like he's not listening to me at all. But the rational me keeps trying to explain to myself why he's being like this and that I should be understanding.

We went to the local API meeting last night. I really enjoyed it and we met some really nice people. DH met a couple of people he liked, but he wasn't too comfortable with some things, like the kids running around everywhere during the meeting (lots of 2 year old boys) and I guess he was really suprised when one woman was breastfeeding her 3 year old daughter. He's fairly open minded, but I tried to get him to talk about what he liked and didn't like and he just kept saying-- "I just don't see us getting too 'attached' if you know what I mean." I told him I didn't and asked him to explain and he just didn't. I tried to go over some of the "ideals" of AP according to API-- like that weaning should be a mutual process between mother and child and that can TOTALLY vary between families and that if he's not comfortable with having her in the same bed with us, the bassinette we have set up right next to the bed still allows us to reap most all of the benefits of co-sleeping. I was also trying to tell him that one of the great things about AP is that you can accept whichever tenants you and your child are comfortable with and not worry about the others if they don't work for your family. Again-- emotional me just felt like he wasn't really listening.

Maybe I'm being super touchy. Who knows.

Thanks for letting me vent a little-
hot, fat, uncomfortable Kate

[mamarsupial]

1stTimeMummytoLore - hee hee. i'm a co-leader of the local API...and our meetings are pretty crazy too. kids are always welcome, but that can lead to a lot of noise. API advocates for breasfeeding...but it also advocates for finding what works for YOUR family. parenting is not a one size fits all deal. its also not a checklist of parenting...where if you don't have every box checked you're NOT attached. there are many reasons some of the 'ideals' don't work out for folks. if extended nursing doesn't work for you, that doesn't mean you're NOT attached! same goes for co-sleeping. this is your first...so who knows what will work and what won't. when i was pregnant with dd i said i would NEVER co-sleep...and i would nurse to 1 year. now look at me! i'm an api leader, just bought a king sized bed so we can all sleep together, and am still sad that dd weaned herself at 2 years. i would have NEVER guessed that's how things would be when i was newly pg with dd. just goes to show that you don't know what you'll do until you're doing it...and that goes for our dh's too! keeping an open mind, listening to your heart, and listening to your child, are the only things i know work for every parent...the rest of it is just so many details...

[CTMOMOF2]

mamarsupial -- good response!
You really do change your mind about a million times after you have your baby!!! Nothing is EVER as you thought it would be!

[shanetedissac]

I think back to when I was first pg with ds1. Good lord how ignorant I was. Did not know 99% of what I have learned from many women (like yourselves) over the past five years. It's amazing the person that you become after having children. So you 1st timers out there, don't be suprised in a few years you are nothing like you were now. :D I love who I have become. I'm so much more mellow, resisten to stress, and just let things come as they come. Life is so much easier when you don't fight it. Yes, I still have those same stubborn personality traits that I've always had but I don't let them get in my way as much. KWIM?

Boys are in the next room having their 'rest'. Issac sleeps but Theodore usually gets up after 10-15minutes (with my permission). He has napped a few times this week due to a cold. It's quite now so I'm guessing Issac has fallen asleep. :) Oh, and on a lighter note: Issac was forging through the pantry to find food (without permission) and got into the food coloring. He took it out of the box, opened each container and DRANK IT! Goodness, he came in and I was like what did you eat? I think he thought it was candy. I called dh and he thought it was funny (that's why I called, I thought he would like to hear that). The things are kids will get into. :rolleyes:

[1stTimeMummytoLore]

Thanks-- I feel a little better actually.
mamarsupial- I took your respose and copied and pasted it into an email to my husband at work so he could read it-- with a little explanation to him that I had been venting a little.

He called to say that he liked what it said too and that he was just a little overwhelmed last night, but that he wants us to go again and wants us to keep exploring AP. That made me very happy!

I am going home from work early today and straight to the pool. This heat is just killing me. Our heat index is out of control here. Can someone please let Mother Nature know that it's almost September and it's supose to be cooling down???? Good thing I haven't wasted a ton of money on fall/winter style maternity clothes. These days I hang out at home in my birthday suit because otherwise I'm just too...... that's right, you guessed it-- hot, fat and unconfortable. Poor DH is walking around the house in sweatpants