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Weekly Chat thread 9/23-9/30

2K views 43 replies 16 participants last post by  swimming-duck 
#1 ·
Is it just me or has the board been super quiet lately! Hope everyone is ok!

Please feel free to post any threads that you think would stir up some exciting conversation. :)



Do you guys want to talk about birth practices? Erythromycin/vitamin K? What to do with our placentas? What is on your list of must have items for postpartum? Where will baby sleep? What are you hoping your partner will do to support you in this birth? Will you have a doula? What are you doing to mentally and emotionally prepare?


Hmm... I guess I can start... I had declined both baby meds for my last baby, but I want her to get vit K this time around (after that evidence based birth article by rebecca dekker changed my mind about it). I'm not sure what to do with the placenta. We made placenta prints last time and then buried it under a tree we planted. But then rabbits ate my placenta tree. :(

I love to have after ease herbal tincture on hand for post birth cramping and I love earth mama angel baby bottom balm. I like to have some expressed colostrum in the fridge in case baby has a hard time latching.

We will do a lot of babywearing/ wrapping for baby's naps, and we'll have a cosleeper attached to our bed for night time (although I will probably be attached to her all night long).

I would love my husband to have a more active role in the birth process... he has always been a strong witness / bystander for me but doesn't really know how to be hands on. Depending on what size birth pool I get, I think I want him in the pool with me to help "ground me." The pool was way too big for me in labor last time. (la bassine).

I haven't decided on a doula yet... but my best friend will be there as our birth photographer and she is a trained doula as well. My friend who is a labor and delivery RN will be the midwife assistant and at least one or both of my midwives will be there. I may ask my sister in law to be there as well, as she was at my last birth and I was at hers. I feel like I will have enough support. I love doulas and know many of them, but I feel like I will have enough people in my sacred space.

as far as mental/emotional prep... I haven't done much yet! This birth is totally going to sneak up on me! I have been listening to hypnobabies stuff, but not as regularly as I should. It is really hard for me to keep negatives out because of where I work (in a hospital), but I'm trying to just soak in all the positives of birth-- what I love about feeling a baby move down and crown and be caught in my arms and feeling that soft and wet skin! Hearing that first cry... the first latch... locking our gaze for the first time! The euphoria of birth and the rush of oxytocin.


Anyone else want to share?
 
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#2 ·
My baby will get all the routine vaccines at birth-- BGC, vitamin K, hep B. I'm delivering at the public hospital and even the private doula who will be with me will not openly say not to get vaccines.

As for placenta, the hospital treats it was medical waste and nobody gets to keep theirs. Boo~

I've been rereading Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. Both of those books inspired me so much last time in my determination to have a natural birth and breastfeed. I'm almost taking for granted that I will be able to do both this time. I'm a little anxious I will have trouble with nursing, although the mothers at LLL assure me the second baby will be easier. Is this true?

Right now the plan is for baby to co-sleep with myself and dd. My dd has recently started asking to nurse at night again, so now I'm wondering how tandem nursing will be with two. I guess I just have to be ready for the fatigue! If anyone has positive stories about tandem nursing, I would love to hear them..

I get contractions with dd nurses. My abdomen gets very tight for 5-10 minutes. It used to be occasional, now it happens at every nursing session. Not sure whether or not this is normal and don't know who to ask, as all the doctors and nurses here don't recommend nursing during pregnancy. With so many transitions in dd's life this year-- new school, new home, divorce, new sister, etc., I've been relying a lot on nursing to comfort her.
@Chapsie, you describe those moments so beautifully! I'm feeling pretty anxious this time about the actual birth. I've been listening to positive birth affirmations every day to relieve the anxiety.
 
#15 ·
My baby will get all the routine vaccines at birth-- BGC, vitamin K, hep B. I'm delivering at the public hospital and even the private doula who will be with me will not openly say not to get vaccines.

As for placenta, the hospital treats it was medical waste and nobody gets to keep theirs. Boo~

I've been rereading Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. Both of those books inspired me so much last time in my determination to have a natural birth and breastfeed. I'm almost taking for granted that I will be able to do both this time. I'm a little anxious I will have trouble with nursing, although the mothers at LLL assure me the second baby will be easier. Is this true?

Right now the plan is for baby to co-sleep with myself and dd. My dd has recently started asking to nurse at night again, so now I'm wondering how tandem nursing will be with two. I guess I just have to be ready for the fatigue! If anyone has positive stories about tandem nursing, I would love to hear them..

I get contractions with dd nurses. My abdomen gets very tight for 5-10 minutes. It used to be occasional, now it happens at every nursing session. Not sure whether or not this is normal and don't know who to ask, as all the doctors and nurses here don't recommend nursing during pregnancy. With so many transitions in dd's life this year-- new school, new home, divorce, new sister, etc., I've been relying a lot on nursing to comfort her.
@Chapsie , you describe those moments so beautifully! I'm feeling pretty anxious this time about the actual birth. I've been listening to positive birth affirmations every day to relieve the anxiety.
You can choose to vaccinate, or not- doesn't matter what everyone else is saying- it is your choice, not theirs. So don't blame others mainstream choices or lack of support for your own choices- it's ok for you to choose what you want, just own the decision. Ditto the vitamin K! Every family needs to make an informed decision, and your decision may be different from mine- just own it.

Medical waste? Hospitals are selling placentas to cosmetic companies! Personally I would demand a lotus birth, then you get to keep the placenta- and you could cut it off and do what you want with it if lotus birth wasn't your thing. Bottomline, it's YOURS. The hospital that is my back-up for this birth has full page ads from local providers on their community bulletin board for placental encapsulation! Pretty far out for a hospital huh? But as it should be- -they should offer the service- IMNSHO.

My first experience as a mother with tandem nursing, outside of my own childhood- my mother tandem nursed, and she was a LLL leader so I also witnessed some other families tandeming- was so magical. Isaac had slept thru his sister's birth, but afterwards he woke up, latched onto the other side, they were both gazing into each others eyes, and he reached out and held her tiny hand. /tears of joy

Contractions while nursing are normal. They haven't started bothering me yet, but towards the end they usually surface. If I get uncomfortable I will explain to my older nursling that mama is done nursing, breasts are tired/sore, and do a little count down or sing a song that they will be done nursing at the end of as a device to help them transition off peacefully- usually works. I also tend to have oversupply at the beginning, so I really appreciate having an experienced nursing toddler who will happily relieve pressure when asked- no more hand expression in the shower required. I did struggle with positioning at first, the football hold or a similar facing backwards position, having the toddler support their own weight, and lots of pillows helped. It is typically easier to nurse your next baby, but YMMV. My sister is also a LLL leader and her first two kids had short frenulums and difficulty staying latched on correctly; she wasn't able to nurse lying down comfortably till her third was born. Hopefully you will find it easier this time- and I know you will find the strength to get through the new challenges that come up- something about babies is so inspiring in that regard!

Take what you like, leave the rest
~Alison
 
#3 · (Edited)
Wow I'm 30 weeks today! Yesterday was my sons 3rd birthday and next Sunday we are having a party for him. He is very excited about having his friends over!

We are planning another homebirth with the same Midwife that delivered our son.

Not doing any of the vaccines.

I did not last time, but I am thinking of doing my own placenta encapsulation this time, I keep being told by other mamas how great it made them feel and the benefits sound so amazing. Anyone else done their own before? Any tips? I did have a Midwife friend offer to do it for me, should I just let her do it? I also would like to do a placenta print after witching it done in that homebirth movie Birth Day that my Midwife loaned me to watch with my son.

Postpartum, I would really love to just do nothing but enjoy new baby bliss time for as long as we can together and get adjusted to being a family of 4. I would love to have friends bring over meals, so not to have to deal with cooking and my mom will be over when ever I want to help do whatever (I'm so LUCKY). My husband is planning on taking at least a few weeks off (he is a carpenter and December is slow season anyway), so that will be nice as last time he had to go right back to work. A friend gave me a few bottles of after ease herbal tincture that she had left over and after hearing about after pains being more intense the 2nd birth am grateful for those. I also have some bath herbs ready to go, for baby and mama, (and older brother I guessing too) for bath time together a few days later.

We cosleep and am just going to see how it goes with 4. We have a king size bed with a toddler bed (thats never gets used!) next to it, so there is plenty of room for us all.

I've just been thinking positive thoughts about the rest of this pregnancy and birth. There are so many things that I wanted to and make for baby, but when ever I pull out my sewing machine to make something my son wants to get involved, and I'm now finding myself just wanting to rest and sleep when ever I do have time to myself. I have been thinking about how to get my son ready for the birth and new baby. I want him there at the birth. He still nurses when ever he wants and to sleep, so I've been talking to him about sharing with the baby and how the baby will need to nurse all the time etc...

I did have a long first labor, water breaking days before, back labor, etc. before, so am really hoping this time its faster! At my next apt with the Midwife I want to talk to her about what if anything I can do in the coming last weeks to avoid back labor this time.

@girlspn - I've been nursing this whole pregnancy and have not noticed that, but it makes since since nipple stimulation helps with contractions during labor. Everyone is so different, so I would totally ask someone who is pro breastfeeding when pregnant. I have noticed that my BH contractions have started to get way more stronger and longer the past 2 weeks. Is there any LLL/ WIC people you can call and ask? Most of my friends who have had babies before said the only/main issue nursing the 2nd time was too much milk when it came in, so having our older kids nurse really might help with this :) I'm hoping.
 
#4 ·
We are planning a home birth this time around. My last two were born in a private birthing center, and while they were wonderful experiences, I really want to have this one at home. We even considered a UC, but hubby doesn't feel he's up to it. So we found a really nice, inexpensive, hands off midwife, recommended to me by my wonderful holistic chiropractor. :) we actually just saw her yesterday for my appt, and found I'm measuring about 2 weeks ahead! No worries though, she said I have tons of fluid, so babys got lots of room to move.

We got home from our vacation a couple days ago, and I feel like I need a detox. But I know detoxing while pregnant isn't good for baby. Anyone have some suggestions for something easy on me and baby? Usually I do a juice fast for a day or two. I'm thinking I might make some chicken broth and a whole bunch of soups out of it for this week. Its turning colder anyway, so the perfect time for it!

Since this is baby four, I feel completely prepared for it, mentally. Then some days I swing into, crap, I need to get clothes and make some freezer food for hubby, and get things prepared, etc. But mostly I feel prepared. No vitamin K or any other kind of vaccines, etc for us! Baby will sleep with us. We bought a bassinet for baby #1 and when we got her home she refused to sleep in it (we didn't know a thing back then!) So we stuck her between us, and they've all slept there since! DD3 still sleeps in our bed most nights. She's our most clingy cuddly girl.

I decided yesterday that I want a birth photographer this time. But I don't know how to go about finding one... any ideas? We live in a rural small town area so not a whole lot of photographers in general...

I need to write a quick short birth plan yet, outlining what we do and don't want done to baby...
 
#5 ·
I have my appointment with our doula tomorrow. We used her for our daughter's birth and it will be nice to have some continuity of care since I switched to a midwife practice when my doctor stopped delivering babies. We'll decline Hep B but do the vit K and eye goop. If it's a boy we won't circ. All this reminds me that I have to update my birth plan a bit, since last time the nurses tried to give the Hep B shot without my consent and my doctor had to intervene. She might not be on the scene immediately this time, so I want to make that part very clear in the post-partum care plan.

We're farther away from our hospital this time, which may make laboring at home a bit more anxiety inducing. We were 1/4 mile from our hospital last time, which was GREAT. Now we're more like 20-25 minutes, and I'm dreading that car ride.

We won't do anything with the placenta because I have no particular feelings about it either way and it grosses my husband out. My husband is embarrassed that his hands-on coaching style during pushing made him something of a celebrity out in the hallway with my daughter's birth, but I hope he doesn't get scared off. He felt so helpless during the actual contractions that pushing for both of us felt like something we could both control. His long sports coaching background came out LOUDLY, to say the least. ;)

My big goal for this birth mostly focuses on the postpartum period. I want a week in bed with the newbie and my toddler and I don't want anyone bothering me or to have to go anywhere. That's it. I talked it over with my husband and he's totally fine with that. I'll have a lot of support because he stays home and we'll have both sets of grandparents bringing food, etc. I just hope nothing weird happens like last time, but I'm feeling positive about things.
 
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#6 ·
Hi all! I've been MIA for a few days (really more like a week). I'm in nesting mode so I've been shopping like a mad woman. We picked up our stroller and carseat last week, in addition to the crib. Still waiting to order the two dressers and the comforter set and then we will be done with everything we are purchasing. The baby shower plans are almost pretty much finalized. The invitations proofs are back and my mom and I are deciding on the table designs. Everything is moving so fast! I got a notification yesterday that we are 90 days away from D Day. Good grief! 90 days.

I finally got around to preregistering at the hospital yesterday too so that's all set. I have my check-up and glucose test today so I guess we'll see where things go from there. All in all, I feel ok. Been dealing with some minor nausea and occasional itchiness "down there" but for the most part I'm ok.
 
#7 ·
My birth plan is pretty simple. Hubby, little sister, and my doctor will be there plus whoever the hospital "mandates." He's already made it clear that we only need the minimal amount of nurses/staff to keep my anxiety low. Little sister does photography on the side, so she will be taking photos for us during the delivery. Hubby will be catching baby Maddy, and cutting the cord. (He'll finally be able to say he did it for his own child, haha). She will be getting all her vaccines. And we can't do anything with the placenta. It's not something I've really thought about, so I'm not bothered.

Cosleeping isn't happening here. Never if you take the dogs and cats out of the bed, hubby is a horrible sleeper and would squash her. Keep in mind, we have a king sized bed. So I have a cradle in our room next to my side for the beginning, and then a smaller cradle in the living room for when I'm doing laundry or just trying to "lounge" in a different room. And obv she has her nursery.

Scary thought: last Thursday I was told I pretty much have 6ish weeks left because of her size and the low fluid amount. Tomorrow that number goes down to 5. I was really trying to keep this one in full term, but reality says otherwise. Maybe they'll change their minds on the 2nd when I go back? Ahh wishful thinking.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I have been totally MIA lately. I have been having a rough week emotionally, I haven't wanted to unload the stress. Work has been really draining on me. I have been looking for a new job for so many reasons, I feel totally unappreciated, and work much below my capabilities. I finally got a bite on a new job and was supposed to have an offer by yesterday. When I reached out to the hiring manager she stated it could be up to a month more before the position is approved. As a side note they have an accepted offer and start date for the other woman they hired. So overall that felt pretty crappy. I still might get the position, but the longer it takes the more skeptical I become. So with that stress and feeling huge and frumpy, I have not been the most pleasent person to be around.

On a positive note today I am feeling a little bit better. My DD gets done with school early today and I am picking her up for a mother daughter date. I also plan on working on the baby's quilt and baking cookies. So here's to a better day!

This is baby #3 for us so I feel like I am going into this birth fairly prepared. I will be 30 weeks on Sunday and I am ready!

This baby will get all routine shots although we did decline the eye goop last time, haven't decided this time around. I am taking pro-biotics to prevent being GBS+ this time around. I am allergic to about 5 different types of antibiotics so I decline preventitive ones during labor, If I am GBS+ and decline them I have to stay in the hopital 2 extra days which I don't want to do.

For the postpartum period I want some yummy food, ice packs, and good movies. With both of my other kids I was so sick of laying around that after the baby was born I was quick to get up and go (I was washing dishes the day I got home from the hospital with DS). Not because I had to but because it felt good to be able to move again and be 20lbs lighter.

When baby gets here he will sleep sometimes in our bed and sometimes in a crib next to our bed. I will be nursing (hopefully) so at least at first co-sleeping just make sense so I can get some sleep.

My DH will be my only support person and that is the way that I want it. I just want him to be there for me and offer support. During labor he makes me laugh and smile, I find I do best with the intimate quiet setting. The hospital will only require one RN and one Midwife in the room unless there are issues, and they only pop in and out until the end.

To prepare myself I am thinking about my positive experiences with number two and looking towards the end goal. I am focusing on all the things that can and will go right and trying to stay away from the negative what ifs. If they happen I trust that my DH and I will be able to get through it and deal with the outcomes. Right now I need to trust that my care team and my body can get through this.

Here's to a better day! Only 10ish more weeks to go!!
 
#9 ·
2nd time in one week I've typed out a long, slightly emotional thing and lost the entire thing due to some website issue. My big old sharing about my crazy birth "plan" gone. Geez it makes me just about cry. Sigh.
 
#10 ·
Welp, looks like I didn't pass my 1 hour glucose test so I will be heading back for the 3 hour test. :frown: It sucks but I want to make sure everything is ok. Not taking any chances when it comes to my pregnancy.

Other than that, everything else looks good. I got my flu shot and my TDAP shot yesterday was well. I'm between 27-28 weeks but measuring at 29 weeks :eek: Not sure how I feel about that LOL but hey, as long as we are ok, I'm good. Now let me get back to my breakfast of eggs scrambled with cheese, spinach and onions YUM!
 
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#11 ·
Hey Ladies,
I'm more of a lurker around here, but I've been having a lot of anxiety lately (I have a history of GAD) so maybe typing out what I'm excited about will help. I've been focusing so much on how much work baby #2 is going to be that I'm having a hard time being excited :(
As far as the birth goes- we'll see. I have the same midwife, but she moved to a different hospital. I'm in the same boat as LilyTiger- the last hospital was so close to our house, and this one is more like 25-30 minutes away. I'm not worried about delivering in the car, I'm more worried about being super uncomfortable on the drive. My in laws are driving down from Omaha (about a 3.5 hour drive) to stay with DD while we're in the hospital. I'm hoping the weather isn't horrible and they are able to get down in plenty of time. I was in labor for 22 hours with DD, so I'm hoping we have lots of warning this time around too. I'm not 100% on board with an intervention free birth. I love that it's an option that so many feel empowered by, but I really enjoyed my epidural :) We also will be doing all the vaccines.
After birth, I'm mostly just worried about how DD will do. My hubby is a SAHD, so we'll both be home while I'm on maternity leave. Of course, that means we won't be getting a pay check, but we'll figure something out. She'll be 22 months when this baby is born so I'm hoping she adjusts well. She currently sleeps in bed with us so I'm not really sure how that's going to work out. We have a cosleeper, but I don't want baby #2 to wake her up all night long.
I'm also worried about how nursing will work out. I tried so so hard with DD and was so devastated when it didn't work out (I have IGT diagnosed by 2 IBCLCs and my midwife). I've heard you make more milk with subsequent babies, but I literally made drops last time, I can't imagine I'm going to have a full supply this time. I've been taking alfalfa this whole pregnancy and will start taking Goat's Rue at 36 weeks, but I have still had minimal breast changes. It's so frustrating. But I'm trying to focus on the positive- I live in a time where there is a safe alternative to breast milk. I live in an area with clean water and sanitation to ensure safety. I have a friend who has offered to give me some of her breast milk since she has an oversupply. DD turned out amazing on mostly formula and this kiddo will too if that's what we have to do.
 
#12 ·
Would you be interested in trying a supplemental nursing system (SNS) filled with donor milk or formula so that your baby can still enjoy the other benefits of breastfeeding? Some women really love using these when they have IGT.

My first and second babies were 22 month apart and everything was awesome! My first adjusted very well and now my kids are so close and play so well together. My second and third are 33 months apart and that was less awesome. haha. They had a much more difficult time. In my experience, the older the child is, the more jealousy issues they can have. My third and this new baby will be 21 months apart.
 
#14 ·
I haven't been at the computer much recently, but just logged in tonight and have been enjoying catching up with everyone's lives :)

I'm 30 weeks on Monday. We started prenatal classes this week and enjoyed the first class so I'm looking forward to them (8 week course with the Childbearing Society in Vancouver). Also loving my prenatal yoga classes and feeling that it must be helping my body (and mind) prepare for birth & being a mum.

Hoping for a natural home-birth so I'm just trying to be as healthy as possible and build up my strength and stamina! The plan is just to have the midwives (one main one plus an assistant) and my husband there - I think I'll be better without an audience! I'm a bit sad as I would love for either my mum or my sister to be there too, but they're in England and won't be able to come. I don't really have a friend here that I feel close enough to to invite them along, though I would kind of like a good girlfriend to be there to support me and my husband. But I don't want to get a doula as a) we're a bit short on cash right now, and b) I don't like the idea of a random person being there. I've heard loads of stories of home-birth people having to transfer to hospital and I guess I'm a little concerned about that, but hoping that things will go smoothly and we won't need to.

Haven't really thought through postpartum stuff yet - I imagine I'll want to hibernate a little bit! But I've been thinking a little about which friends might be nice to have around during that time...

Overall I'm feeling really excited about giving birth and welcoming our baby to the world, but a little nervous about being a parent!

Thanks for all your comments - I don't post a whole lot, but I like the supportive vibe of this forum and getting a sense of how everybody else is doing.
xx
 
#17 ·
Sorry I haven't been more present on the list, kids and moving are taking almost all my time lately- I've been skipping all the threads except Galatea's updates and the weekly update.

This is my last week at home. By Tuesday we will be completely moved out- moving stuff into UHaul pods, portable storage containers- and camping. And I'll be 30 weeks! Planning to camp at the KOA here for at least the first week- I know, not "real" camping, but it's really close to the farm where I milk, the city where social services is located and the town where we like to shop and hang out the most, and will be close to the kids homeschool park days and charter school classes, has a dog park- and a pool and hot tub, and internet access. So we'll start our camping adventure off slowly. Lots of rental houses in our price range coming on to the market. We can't reserve anything till we are out, but once it's October the hunt is on in earnest. I'm hoping we'll get something we like sooner rather than later, and it will be available mid-October- first of November at the latest. The packing is up and down, one day I'm hopeful, the next day I'm desperate- but we're definitely progressing. Having a hard time as usual with simplifying meals, stopping composting, cleaning out the fridge (all I want to do is buy produce and extra butter!) and balking at how much we are spending on bread since dh hasn't been able to make bread with all the moving labor he's doing now. I'd like to write more about moving but oh wait- I'm pregnant?

Yeah, not much time being spent -being here- with this pregnancy, other than eating as well as I can, taking my vitamins, and gum care- I've had an abcess over one tooth for a few weeks, I know it can be serious, so I'm taking it seriously- it never given me pain for which I'm grateful- it's reduced in size by 2/3rds now and doesn't look inflamed, but it's still there. I'm very against antibiotics during pregnancy and that is all the help I'd get at the dentist, I do have an appointment scheduled but it is so far out I'm hoping to have this completely resolved by then. Treating that multiple times a day and rubbing my belly a few times a day is about as much communication as I'm getting with baby right now. I kept out books about moving and new siblings for the my younger kids, so I do read those to them a few times a week. I haven't been dreaming, or at least not remembering my dreams, at all. Last night I woke up realizing I'd been dreaming but couldn't remember it. Pregnant dreams can be weird and stressful, so I'm grateful not to be dealing with that right now, I've got enough IRL to stress on at the moment! Thinking of names lately, my family is not psyched about the boys name I was liking and no girls names have been settled on. Don't really feel like I can make concrete birth plans till baby is born.

But so far, feeling great this pregnancy- a little reflux at night when I eat too late, a little round ligament pain and soreness after having to separate my legs a lot- taking my boots on and off when I'm at the farm and climbing stairs, and of course, peeing all night- but it's all normal stuff, no worrisome dizzy spells or stabbing pains and not much of any edema. It's funny to me how people make different decisions about things birth and parenting related- like I would never get antibiotics, vaccines, or fast and drink or eat nutrient devoid sugar for the sake of my baby's health, but others couldn't skip those things, because it's for their baby's health! Reminds me of voting in a 2 party system. People vote different ways and have different philosophies of care, but it's all with the same goals in mind, just different visions of how to achieve those goals, based largely on differences in personality, culture, family upbringing, and information maps. So for this birth no matter where we end up living I foresee making my same old crunchy choices- no shots, no goop, no blood draws, we'll cut the cord ourselves in a time period measured in hours rather than minutes, and won't have to tie or clamp it at that point- this will God willing be our 8th homebirth and 7th unassisted birth. If we are well moved into our new place, I anticipate having a waterbirth, but we'll have to be able to manage the cost of the pool- rentals are $250 here, I could buy a new pool for that- leaning towards a stock tank if I can get one for under $100. Also hoping my MIL will come for the birth or right after- hard to predict when it will happen, I'll be happy if she comes for the first two weeks of December, she stayed 6 weeks last time because we thought it could be early and was 2 weeks late instead. She doesn't provide birth support persay- but household support and parenting support that are absolutely invaluable. My sister and her dh and 4 kids will come visit in late October, hoping we'll have a place then and she can help me get moved in- and I asked my mom to put off her and my dad visiting till after Christmas. He's got dementia and is likely to be short tempered with my younger kids if they are loud, and disoriented by the travel- when they came to visit us in Cali last, he was throwing up a couple days in a row, I think from emotional stress, not food poisoning. I want to be past my immediate postpartum when they are visiting. I'm so grateful I have family that can afford to fly around to come visit!! It would be hard not to see them at all.

Can't get over how impressed I am with the hospital here. Went to their VBAC taskforce meeting and the hospital supe, head of the clinic system that the hospital does prenatal care and birth for, head nurse on the OB floor, an OB and two midwives were there- all tuned into their feelings and needs, discussing creative solutions to the problem. Insurance company is refusing to cover the hospital unless they discontinued their VBAC program, so they had to officially stop it this spring- though all the moms delivering their are still getting told quietly that they can refuse any procedure including cesarean- and since then they've been working hard to find a solution so they can reinstate their program. It's so refreshing to have people who think birth is normal (clinic CEO was holding forth on how we should be treating births as normal events like they do in Europe, a midwife for every mother, that sort of thing!!) and who care about the cesarean rate (hospital was holding at 15%, but some years have had it even lower) and mamas birth experience. And they take poor people insurance, and lose money on their birth center every year as a result- but they keep it going because it is an important community service!! I wish every mother could access this quality of care. Oh and right before that I did finally get to meet with the midwife who teaches birth classes and does 1 on 1 childbirth coaching at the hospital, and teaches prenatal and postpartum mommy and me yoga at another hospital, and who has a homebirth practice- and she was so awesomely supportive, everything I had dared to hope! So if I -did- need some intervention or testing during this pregnancy, I'm feeling confident that I'd be going somewhere that I could find support, and not a CPS war on my hands. I wish every UC mama could access this quality of back-up care!!

~Alison
unschooling mama to 7 ages 17-3, and a new sprout emerging ~ December 2014
 
#24 ·
This is my last week at home. By Tuesday we will be completely moved out- moving stuff into UHaul pods, portable storage containers- and camping. And I'll be 30 weeks! Planning to camp at the KOA here for at least the first week- I know, not "real" camping, but it's really close to the farm where I milk, the city where social services is located and the town where we like to shop and hang out the most, and will be close to the kids homeschool park days and charter school classes, has a dog park- and a pool and hot tub, and internet access. So we'll start our camping adventure off slowly. Lots of rental houses in our price range coming on to the market. We can't reserve anything till we are out, but once it's October the hunt is on in earnest. I'm hoping we'll get something we like sooner rather than later, and it will be available mid-October- first of November at the latest. The packing is up and down, one day I'm hopeful, the next day I'm desperate- but we're definitely progressing. Having a hard time as usual with simplifying meals, stopping composting, cleaning out the fridge (all I want to do is buy produce and extra butter!) and balking at how much we are spending on bread since dh hasn't been able to make bread with all the moving labor he's doing now. I'd like to write more about moving but oh wait- I'm pregnant?

Can't get over how impressed I am with the hospital here. Went to their VBAC taskforce meeting and the hospital supe, head of the clinic system that the hospital does prenatal care and birth for, head nurse on the OB floor, an OB and two midwives were there- all tuned into their feelings and needs, discussing creative solutions to the problem. Insurance company is refusing to cover the hospital unless they discontinued their VBAC program, so they had to officially stop it this spring- though all the moms delivering their are still getting told quietly that they can refuse any procedure including cesarean- and since then they've been working hard to find a solution so they can reinstate their program. It's so refreshing to have people who think birth is normal (clinic CEO was holding forth on how we should be treating births as normal events like they do in Europe, a midwife for every mother, that sort of thing!!) and who care about the cesarean rate (hospital was holding at 15%, but some years have had it even lower) and mamas birth experience. And they take poor people insurance, and lose money on their birth center every year as a result- but they keep it going because it is an important community service!! I wish every mother could access this quality of care. Oh and right before that I did finally get to meet with the midwife who teaches birth classes and does 1 on 1 childbirth coaching at the hospital, and teaches prenatal and postpartum mommy and me yoga at another hospital, and who has a homebirth practice- and she was so awesomely supportive, everything I had dared to hope! So if I -did- need some intervention or testing during this pregnancy, I'm feeling confident that I'd be going somewhere that I could find support, and not a CPS war on my hands. I wish every UC mama could access this quality of back-up care!!

~Alison
unschooling mama to 7 ages 17-3, and a new sprout emerging ~ December 2014
I am also super impressed with your local hospital. Our hospital has the lowest cesarean rate in our area and it is like 34%. smh.

Your pregnancy symptoms sound a lot like mine. I hope this moving transition adventure goes very smoothly for you! I can't imagine having to camp out with my 7 kids while 30 weeks pregnant. Keep us updated. <3
 
#18 ·
I had a busy week with appointments and birth prep. I had my final (I hope) blood draw and GD test. Everything looks great. No GD, great iron levels, and no Rh antibodies, so I'll get the Rhogam next visit. I also got the flu shot and tdap because my asthma has been borderline uncontrolled and flu season is already kicking in in this area. Hopefully we stay healthy through the winter (and beyond).

I also met with our doula to go over basic concerns and she had great advice and strategies in case baby is big and posterior, so we'll be taking a proactive approach early on if back labor starts. I'm feeling very good about things overall. I'm still struggling with a lot of belly pulling pain, but the support belt is handling it so far. I'll probably have to upgrade to a more supportive belt next month. Otherwise, I'm feeling very optimistic and excited to meet this bean in a few months! Hoping for a peaceful last few months of pregnancy.
 
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#23 ·
I had a busy week with appointments and birth prep. I had my final (I hope) blood draw and GD test. Everything looks great. No GD, great iron levels, and no Rh antibodies, so I'll get the Rhogam next visit. I also got the flu shot and tdap because my asthma has been borderline uncontrolled and flu season is already kicking in in this area. Hopefully we stay healthy through the winter (and beyond).

I also met with our doula to go over basic concerns and she had great advice and strategies in case baby is big and posterior, so we'll be taking a proactive approach early on if back labor starts. I'm feeling very good about things overall. I'm still struggling with a lot of belly pulling pain, but the support belt is handling it so far. I'll probably have to upgrade to a more supportive belt next month. Otherwise, I'm feeling very optimistic and excited to meet this bean in a few months! Hoping for a peaceful last few months of pregnancy.
I also get horrible pulling pain every time I lay down on my side, unless my belly is resting on a pillow or bed. I am grateful, though, that I don't get any pain when standing.

I will have to try to post a belly shot soon. I stick straight out. It is unreal. My belly is pretty narrow yet, but very far out! My friend who is 37 weeks with her third has such a different belly shape-- her belly is wider than mine, and sticks out less far than mine, even though she is almost 2 months ahead of me. Ha. I love how different each woman is!

As far as flu shots go.... In my state, we are mandated as health care workers to either get the flu shot or be forced to wear a mask the entire time we are in patient care areas (which is pretty much 100% of the time) at work. Wearing a mask is awful-- even just attending a cesarean section for 45 minutes, you can get hot and light headed (from rebreathing your expired CO2) and my glasses can fog up if the mask isn't adjusted right. It is very frustrating... I can't believe that this is reality! It seems like a total human right violation and it makes me mad. I got the flu shot last year because I couldn't imagine wearing a mask from November until April (flu season is realllllllly long here!) and so much of our job as nurses is to show compassion and to relate to our patients-- hard to do when we have a stupid mask on our face. But... I have decided to not get the shot this year and to take the stupid mask. I will be out for a while this winter on "maternity leave" and I just don't personally feel comfortable getting it while pregnant. I hope there aren't any underhand/unspoken repercussions for refusing.

In other news.... I was offered that weekends-only labor and delivery job that I had applied for! I currently work in the newborn nursery on the postpartum floor but I often attend births in labor and delivery to do "baby stuff" (the state mandated vit k, erythro, ID bands, measurements, weight, etc... and helping with resuscitation as needed (we are a high risk level 3 hospital, so this is more common than I'd like), breastfeeding, etc. I am the "mean nurse" that takes babies away from moms. It is such a weird position to be in-- I have limited time and power to change things, but I try. :) Apparently, there was a big meeting with all the OB docs and nursing higher ups about our immediate skin to skin practices and everyone was complaining about it-- how it was inconvenient, it was hard to monitor the baby (the docs have the beds lifted high to do perineum repairs so it is hard for shorter nurses to visualize the baby on mom's chest), how we don't have time for it, how the babies get cold, etc etc.... and I guess my name came up several times. One doc said: "I just had a GREAT delivery with <my name> and she made it seem like no big deal! And the mom loved it!" Other nurses apparently also mentioned how I make it look so easy to do. I heard all this second hand and was like: "but it IS easy. It's a mother's RIGHT to hold her baby skin to skin immediately after birth! Why isn't everyone else doing it?????" I started implementing immediate skin to skin in my delivery room practice years ago, when it was still common for mom to be handed her baby triple or quadruple swaddled for the first time (before any of the other nurses were forced to start doing it). I don't know... after my first home birth that I attended, my mind was BLOWN and I saw that there was such a BETTER WAY for moms and babies! They need that time for initial bonding. When it doesn't happen, I feel like I am stealing such an important thing away from them. I just wish I could explain this to my coworkers in a way they can understand and appreciate. Most of the other nursery nurses are young girls who have no kids yet or are very old school and have been doing the same practice for a very long time (the baby burrito swaddle). ::sigh:: it is my constant struggle to make the hospital more mom and baby friendly. Thanks for hearing my vent!

But.... anyway.... I will be starting in L&D within the next month hopefully and finish orientation when I come back from maternity leave. My new manager seems like a great boss to work for. I asked her about taking extra time with my newborn after she is born and she said: "OF COURSE! You have to take baby bonding time. It is important for breastfeeding. Take as much time as you want." When I told her my "baby bonding leave" (which is unpaid) was denied the last 3 times by my former manager, she made a face and said: "that WILL NOT happen with me." She sounds totally awesome. :)
 
#19 ·
Yahoo I'm exactly 6 mos along today (being that I'm due in 3 mos on the 26th)! And officially beginning the 3rd trimester. :grin:

I have to admit that I've been feeling quite paranoid regarding another preterm birth. My last suddenly came at 33 weeks and there is no way to predict if this baby will arrive sooner or later than that. And my labors have been getting shorter and shorter- I'm feeling fearful of just suddenly finding myself in a fast labor at just 27 weeks or something. But I know stressing about sure doesn't help the situation any!! :p

Thanks @crunchymama27. I made it out to sound more dramatic than it was. I am too quick to turn all whiney when I lose all the TIME I spend on a post only to lose it by some bug on the site. I'm only online through my dinky little iphone, tapping away letter by letter. I'm not the sort to over share online. ;) I had typed out my thoughts surrounding my birth plan. It was long and complex and I don't feel like retyping it. :p

What a blessing to be near such a great sounding hospital! And how awesome that you're feeling so good and healthy with baby #8 ! I feel mostly great, but my varicose veins truly worsen with each pregnancy. I joke that my ankles and feet look like they got run over by a car. :p I wish you Huge Good luck with your move and finding a good rental asap!

I'm just going to post now before I lose the darn thing. :p
 
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#21 ·
I've had an interesting past couple of days. I lost part of my mucus plug, and had contractions brought on by my daughter's position. Her head is down, ready and waiting. In the meantime, apparently she is pushing down so hard on my pelvic region that it feels like labor is starting. I'm only 31 weeks tomorrow, and would like to keep her in there as long as possible. At least till week 33, for completely selfish emotional reasons. But this little girl wants out, so there isn't much I can do except relax, keep track of when she's pushing down, how long, etc etc. Her threatened early arrival is kicking hubby's butt in gear to get the last minute things done in the nursery so we can move it out of the living room.

Had my baby shower last Saturday. My biological sister took over pretty much, and made everyone look bad by bringing nearly $2,000 in gifts. She keeps saying for "her sister's first child" as if we didn't have a son, or several miscarriages late term. And somehow she turned the shower into a day about her. Still can't figure out how, but she did. We appreciate everything she bought for Maddy, but not how she went about it, if that makes sense.

I went and saw the dogs I was training at the shelter, prior to my foot injury. I just want to take them all home, even though we have our pups and cats. They just need constant love until they get adopted into their forever homes, and I'd love to be the one to foster the 6 remaining. There's very few at the shelter right now because of a huge feud between the city and shelter, so most of the dogs we had there have been put into better rescues. I'm the type of person who would reacue all the pups and kittens if I had the space.

That's all I have for now. Back to cuddling my fur children.
 
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#22 ·
Is it just me or has the board been super quiet lately! Hope everyone is ok!

Please feel free to post any threads that you think would stir up some exciting conversation. :)

Do you guys want to talk about birth practices? Erythromycin/vitamin K? What to do with our placentas? What is on your list of must have items for postpartum? Where will baby sleep? What are you hoping your partner will do to support you in this birth? Will you have a doula? What are you doing to mentally and emotionally prepare?

Anyone else want to share?
We are planning our third home birth, with the same midwife. We have a beloved doula who is dealing with a serious health problem so she will most likely not be there. She missed my last birth too, as she was out of town training other doulas. My dh and I agree that we loved the intimacy of just having our midwife there. My home birthed babies came in the middle of the night, so my older kids slept through the births. I am hoping for another middle of the night birth to make life easier. With the due date of 12/24, I'm selfishly hoping the baby comes a few days before or after Christmas. We have chosen to do Vit K and eye ointment at home. I was positive for GBS for my last 3 births, so I will take an antibiotic course a week before my due date.
We have buried the placentas of our home-birthed babies under trees in our backyard, a river birch for our son, River and a cherry tree for our daughter, Sky. The river birch is HUGE (my son is almost 8) - I love having these trees with special meaning. I haven't really considered placenta encapsulation - I did have a long talk with my midwife about it, she actually encourages eating a bit of it raw in a smoothie, if I want to try the benefits of it. Not to jinx myself, but I haven't had any degree of PPD (but if I did, I'm not opposed to psychotropic meds)
I want to hear more about the tincture for after pains! I definitely feel those more and more painfully with each baby. I am all about turning the care of my 4 kids over to dh, friends and family and babymoon in my room for at least a week. My midwife encourages it. I will have about 10 weeks off from work.
Baby will sleep in bed with me and my daughter, probably not dh! He usually finds other sleeping arrangments for several months after a new baby is born.
I like my dh to be affectionate, hug, rub, kiss me during labor, whisper words of encouragement and love and to remain calm. Its been funny to see his facial expressions in the pictures afterwards, he always seems to have a worried look on his face, but I don't remember him verbalizing any worries during those births.
I am nowhere near ready to consider the pains of labor and birth yet. There was so much denial in the first part of my pregnancy that I started taking things one day at a time and not letting myself think about the birth and baby part. I guess I better start preparing myself for that, huh?
 
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#25 ·
We have buried the placentas of our home-birthed babies under trees in our backyard, a river birch for our son, River and a cherry tree for our daughter, Sky. The river birch is HUGE (my son is almost 8) - I love having these trees with special meaning.
I want to hear more about the tincture for after pains! I definitely feel those more and more painfully with each baby. I am all about turning the care of my 4 kids over to dh, friends and family and babymoon in my room for at least a week. My midwife encourages it. I will have about 10 weeks off from work.

I like my dh to be affectionate, hug, rub, kiss me during labor, whisper words of encouragement and love and to remain calm. Its been funny to see his facial expressions in the pictures afterwards, he always seems to have a worried look on his face, but I don't remember him verbalizing any worries during those births.
I wish the rabbits hadn't eaten my placenta tree. :( River birch and cherry tree-- how special!

I found after ease herbal tincture to be very effective for me for post birth pains. My cramps were WAY worse with my second baby than with my third when I used after ease. You could also try cramp bark. I think you take a dropper full under your tongue every 15 minutes for the first few hours after birth. http://www.wishgardenherbs.com/herbal-remedies/Afterease-After-Birth-Pains-3 You can also order from radiant belly or precious arrows (home birth supply stores).

My DH also looked super concerned and very tired in all the pictures. Haha. I was working so hard and totally in labor land that I didn't notice. There is one picture that is hilarious to me-- I was in the middle of a contraction and he has his eyes closed, is yawning, and is "massaging" my shoulder by standing a few feet away and haphazardly rubbing with an outstretched hand. Oh, if men had ANY idea what we go through, haha. I also like or him to verbally affirm me by telling me I am strong and doing a good job, etc etc. I find that so encouraging when in labor.
 
#26 ·
@Chapsie, congrats on the new job! It (and your new manager) sound great! We're super lucky that our local hospital is extremely friendly to crunchy ideas, largely due to the influence of the large midwife group there. Our local birth center closed down a long time ago, which sucks, but the positive side effect was real pressure to make hospital births much more naturally friendly. They do automatic skin-to-skin, delayed cord clamping, immediately BF support, and whatever else. So that's really nice.

I'm curious about your comments about the flu shot. Do you not think it necessary to protect the vulnerable populations you work with? Do you think not requiring it wouldn't have an impact on patient outcomes? I don't know anything about it, really. With my risk factors it was a no-brainer, though I know if I didn't have asthma I definitely wouldn't get it. And the one time I wore a mask while refinishing furniture was TERRIBLE, so I definitely sympathize with not wanting to wear one full time. I'm just curious what a health professional thinks about its efficacy/necessity in a hospital setting.
 
#27 ·
Just a quick note to say that I posted in the site help forum asking how to post photos in our DDC directly from our phone. I'll let you know when I learn anything. I sooooo need to see pictures (and share my own) when our babies start arriving!!
 
#28 · (Edited)
I'm happy you got the job and that you will be able to take more leave, @Chapsie. That is a big relief.

I don't understand what is to not understand about why getting to hold your baby right away is a good thing for the moms. I suppose it is just that it is "new" and lots of people hate change. Though, I have seen people on reddit's baby bumps board who don't want to hold the baby because of the ick factor, but that's a very young and not at all crunchy group. I don't think I will be able to hold my baby unless she waits until 34 weeks, but that's ok. I've been able to do it 3 other times (#2 came so quickly that he was kinda stunned when he came out and was having some retractions, so he was in the French fry warmer for a bit.)

@badwolf092087, your sister's behavior sounds atrocious. You are being very gracious about it. I mean, I know she got you all those gifts, but it is amazing what she said. Some people.

As for the various controversial topics, I am kind of a weird case. We started out pro-vax, then we stopped completely, and we started again last year. What changed my mind back to being pro-vax was the 18 months of illness ds2 suffered before he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. It was so terrible him always falling ill, and now that his treatment medicines make him immune compromised, I just don't want him or anyone to be sick anymore. Anyway, because of having done it both ways, I can totally see why people choose either path, and I don't judge or blame in either direction. I generally avoid the whole topic because it has become so angry and ugly, as though every parent does not want what is best for their kids. I have always said, if the medical professionals would just address people's concerns in a reasonable manner, there would be a lot fewer people who don't vaccinate, but instead, most medical types just freak out and deny that spacing or delaying is also a possibility, which only scares reasonable parents away.
 
#29 ·
I've had an interesting past couple of days. I lost part of my mucus plug, and had contractions brought on by my daughter's position. Her head is down, ready and waiting. In the meantime, apparently she is pushing down so hard on my pelvic region that it feels like labor is starting. I'm only 31 weeks tomorrow, and would like to keep her in there as long as possible. At least till week 33, for completely selfish emotional reasons. But this little girl wants out, so there isn't much I can do except relax, keep track of when she's pushing down, how long, etc etc. Her threatened early arrival is kicking hubby's butt in gear to get the last minute things done in the nursery so we can move it out of the living room.

Had my baby shower last Saturday. My biological sister took over pretty much, and made everyone look bad by bringing nearly $2,000 in gifts. She keeps saying for "her sister's first child" as if we didn't have a son, or several miscarriages late term. And somehow she turned the shower into a day about her. Still can't figure out how, but she did. We appreciate everything she bought for Maddy, but not how she went about it, if that makes sense.

I went and saw the dogs I was training at the shelter, prior to my foot injury. I just want to take them all home, even though we have our pups and cats. They just need constant love until they get adopted into their forever homes, and I'd love to be the one to foster the 6 remaining. There's very few at the shelter right now because of a huge feud between the city and shelter, so most of the dogs we had there have been put into better rescues. I'm the type of person who would reacue all the pups and kittens if I had the space.

That's all I have for now. Back to cuddling my fur children.
Sorry to hear about your sisters actions. It is strange how family act during big moments of our lives - graduations, birthdays, weddings, and births. Unpredictable.

I, too, am losing part of my mucus plug. Has this only happened this week for you? Mine started in week 25 and has been occurring off and on the last two weeks (I'm now 27 weeks). Not sure what to think of it -- no additional signs of contractions or issues, so just plugging along (no pun intended -- but it is funny :) )
 
#30 ·
I feel really behind on making birthing plans. This is my first and other than having my midwife and hospital picked out, I've done nothing else.


I want to go natural, but I'm not against an epidural. I get really confused with the different sides of the different arguments about vaccines, interventions, etc.


I'm still new to this website - I had to lookup what dh, dd, and ds are. But I am enjoying reading others' posts. It's helpful to feel the community of other pregnant women.
 
#31 ·
@Chapsie - I'm also curious about your opinion of the flu shot :) I have *only* gotten the flu shot when I've been pregnant because my midwife thinks its a good idea (this is a homebirth midwife who is also suggesting eating my placenta raw in a smoothie :)) I think because of the having a newborn in winter/flu season factor ~ she also suggests getting the dtap which they are apparently giving to mamas in the hospital now after having a baby. Anyway, I haven't gotten it yet, they will have a flu shot clinic at work (public schools) in the middle of October.
 
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#32 ·
It really can be so overwhelming to research all the medical stuff that's tossed at us. There are soo many different things and each one of them with their own set of studies, statistics, and opinions.

Years ago my husband and I researched each and every single vaccine. Whew, what a research project! (We ended decided against them all) We did the same thing when we were debating whether to begin eating meat and feeding it to our children- I'd been a strict vegetarian for 14 yrs! Every test we're offered, every food ingredient, the cleansers we use, medicines we take, the toothpaste and baby lotions! It's neverending! And then on top of it all you have to worry about CPS being called on you for being so different than the mainstream if you choose a more natural path.

As for me personally, I lean strongly toward the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" mentality. We are born with amazing immune systems, I don't want to screw mine/my kids' all up with foreign substances. I don't use birth control or use any synthetic stuff on my skin. We raise all our own animal products (except butter and most cheese) because we don't trust the industrial food industry. We avoid all injections and goo and such at birth. We don't even have wireless computers or radios by our beds for fear of the rays zapping tumors into our heads!

But all that being said, I've had my wisdom teeth, appendix and gallbladder all removed, and take synthetic OTC sleep meds every night. :p And had a c-section, after which I allowed myself to be coerced into all sorts of crap being injected into my poor premie. They gave him IV antibiotics because I'd never had a GBS test.

Speaking of that, there is my own next research project- do I want this GBS test thingy? And what will the hospital force upon me if I decline it and do end up birthing there? Oy. And see that's another thing, as hardcore natural as I am in some areas, I agreed to sign up for another c/section. :eyesroll

But anyway, in other news, our dumb milk cow smacked me hard in the belly with her dumb head this morning! It gave me 2 huge contractions and left me nauseas for awhile but thankfully all has seemed fine since. I spent the entire afternoon today watching Avatar with the kids! :) We found the DVD at a thrift store the other day. It's the only movie besides Veggie Tales I watched in the theater in the last 9 yrs. lol
 
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#33 ·
Oh, and another thing I need to delve into is asthma. I'm thinking that our 17 mo old (our premie c/s baby) may have asthma. :( I know so little about it. I just need to dive in, but it's so overwhelming! When were you diagnosed @LilyTiger?
@NaturallyMo, did you ever get your GD diagnosis resolved?
 
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#34 ·
Latest update on the GD: The nurse called me that afternoon to discuss my test results. Basically my number was twice as high as the max number you are allowed. I explained to her that I ate lunch on my way there because I was told I did not have to fast prior to. She said that it wouldn't have made a difference but I beg to differ. A fish sandwich, some fries and Fruitopia drink aren't going to alter results? Right.

So instead of scheduling me for the 3 hour test, they have me scheduled to meet with a nutritionist, get a glucose monitor and be put on a diet. When I asked why I wasn't I going to be tested again to be sure of the diagnosis, she said because of my numbers they wanted to move forward. I stated that I didn't think that was right or effective but whatever, I'll go along. At this point, I can't confirm if I have GD or not because it seems they aren't even going to do the 3 hour test anytime soon. I feel like they have me all worried and panicked for what could be a false positive.

I am going to email my midwife and tell her that I want the 3 hour test before they do anything. I dont think its fair. I'm probably going to opt out of this type of testing with my next pregnancy. For someone who has only gained 7 pounds to date and has a very well-balanced (with the occasional indulgence because I am a pregnant woman with cravings) I don't think its right.

Has anyone else had GD? What was your experience like?
 
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#35 ·
Latest update on the GD: The nurse called me that afternoon to discuss my test results. Basically my number was twice as high as the max number you are allowed. I explained to her that I ate lunch on my way there because I was told I did not have to fast prior to. She said that it wouldn't have made a difference but I beg to differ. A fish sandwich, some fries and Fruitopia drink aren't going to alter results? Right.

So instead of scheduling me for the 3 hour test, they have me scheduled to meet with a nutritionist, get a glucose monitor and be put on a diet. When I asked why I wasn't I going to be tested again to be sure of the diagnosis, she said because of my numbers they wanted to move forward. I stated that I didn't think that was right or effective but whatever, I'll go along. At this point, I can't confirm if I have GD or not because it seems they aren't even going to do the 3 hour test anytime soon. I feel like they have me all worried and panicked for what could be a false positive.

I am going to email my midwife and tell her that I want the 3 hour test before they do anything. I dont think its fair. I'm probably going to opt out of this type of testing with my next pregnancy. For someone who has only gained 7 pounds to date and has a very well-balanced (with the occasional indulgence because I am a pregnant woman with cravings) I don't think its right.

Has anyone else had GD? What was your experience like?
I know that you are allowed to eat for the one hour test, but still, if you were really 260, I think it is reasonable to go right to diet and testing your sugars regularly, as unpleasant as that sounds, but I also think it reasonable to take another test first. The risks of GD are that the baby be too big, but also that the baby is less mature and does poorly after birth.
 
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