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Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

Hi, ladies! :wavey: Just popping in to share a picture and our (quick) birth story.

So...I went to the doctor on Thursday night. She said I was a good 4-5 cm dilated and probably wouldn't make it to my next appointment. Like Mara said, I was a bit confused. I thought 4-5 cm was IN LABOR! Anyway, I stopped by my brother's house on the way home and we chatted for a while. My mother was having a party at her house this weekend and sent me a text to see which day I preferred and I joked that it didn't matter to me because I plan to give birth before the weekend. :bigsmile: I got home around 8 or so and ate some dinner and watched the Phillies game with DH. At about 9 what felt like my normal BH contrax started but they seemed pretty frequent. I started timing them...wishful thinking I thought. They were anywhere from 5-9 minutes apart and definitely not painful. I didn't have to shift positions or breath carefully to tolerate them. We finished watching the Phillies and I took a bath to settle the contrax and planned to go to bed. When I got out of the bath I noticed they were a little more intense. It was around 11 and I told DH that I thought I might really be in labor! :appl: He got out of bed and started timing the contrax. They were 4-5 minutes apart and 1-2 minutes long so we called the doctor. He told us to come in to OB triage. We arrived at about midnight and by this time, I was pretty uncomfortable but able to tolerate the contrax. They gave me an IV and the pain of that was far worse than the contractions. I'm such a bad stick so I knew to expect it but that didn't make it hurt any less. They checked my cervix and I was 6-7 cm dilated. They asked if I wanted the epidural and I said I was still able to tolerate the contractions. At that point they said to let them know soon if I wanted it because they thought things were going to move quickly. They moved me into a delivery room and started monitoring me. The nurse popped in one more time to see if I wanted the epidural and I was still unsure. Just after that Nolan shifted so that I had horrible pain in my right hip with each contraction. At the same time, I began shivering uncontrollably which made relaxing and breathing during the contractions nearly impossible. The next contraction I sent DH out to request the epidural. The anesthesiologist arrived super fast and had it in in less than 10 minutes. They laid me on my back which was one of the reasons I didn't want the epidural in the first place. The next contraction was awful and I looked at the nurse who told me not to give up on the epidural yet but it's possible I progressed too quickly for it to work. The next contraction, I felt TONS of pressure so they checked me and I was 10 cm! They warned me that the epidural probably wouldn't work and they were right! Ouch!!! At this point, they broke my water after being sure the doc could make it in time. The doctor came in and we started to push. As far as pain was concerned, I really only thought about the contractions but the crowning and ultimate delivery were pretty tough. It was definitely hard to relax in between contractions with (sorry for the TMI) your babies head in your crotch! Anyway, from the time they broke my water to Nolan's birth was about 20 minutes. I cannot describe the relief I felt physically and emotionally when he finally arrived at 1:58am!

The nursing staff and my doctor were amazing. They asked my permission to do everything which I really appreciated. My L&D nurse was just the right combination of soft and in-charge. Since Nolan vitals were all good, they allowed us some alone time right away. I felt so lucky! Nolan nursed within an hour of birth.

DH was a bit traumatized seeing me in so much pain. He said it just didn't feel *right* and he couldn't believe people decide to do this over and over. :o

We're home now and things are going pretty well. Most importantly, Nolan is nursing like a champ! My Fs thank him every time he provides some relief from their current rock hard state. :naughty:

Ok...I've rambled enough. Here's a pic of our handsome little man.

NolanBW.jpg
 
He's so handsome Pupp! Congratulations again.
 
What a cutie! And what an amazing story Pupp! I can't believe you did it without an epidural!!! If you don't mind me asking, why were you wavering on it? You mentioned not wanting to be on your back, but I don't understand what you mean.

Congrats!!!! :appl: :appl: :appl:
 
Nolan is gorgeous!!! :appl: So glad to hear he's being such a good boy already!

Love your short birth story! I want a birth story just like yours!! :bigsmile: :halo: :rodent: :wavey:
 
Nolan is gorgeous! Look at that little face :love: Congrats Puppmom!!

HH-Not that I need to remind you of this but it's really common for both husband and wife to not really be into the hanky panky while preggo. I had the urge, mainly because I felt like I should be doing something but I was kind of glad that we didn't.

Lanie-Not pupp, but being on your back during labor SUCKS. Actually, laying down period sucks while going through contractions.
 
Thanks Fiery

Laying on your back is the worst position to labor in. We're designed to deliver with the help of gravity so being horizontal negates that. This is why you're supposed to walk around as much as possible in the early stages of labor, it helps the LO move lower and engage and also helps you dilate faster. Laboring (pushing) while squatting is another good technique because it helps you focus your energy into bearing down while allowing gravity to help as well.

Laying on your back for long periods of time can also pinch the veins that run from your torso to your legs, which can cause problems for both you and the baby. Unfortunately when you have a standard epi it affects your legs. You can't feel them, so you can't really stand or move around. You're stuck laying in bed on your back, or sometimes on your side if you're lucky.
 
Lanie, in addition to what HH and Fiery said about it not exactly being the most natural position to deliver in (and I found that the contractions felt way worse like that), I had total anxiety about being stuck in bed. I just didn't want that trapped feeling, KWIM? I tried not to stress too much about it beforehand because I figured the pain would either be bad enough to overcome the anxiety or not. In the end, I didn't have a choice which is not something I thought about ahead of time. But I'm grateful that the reason I didn't have a choice was a quick labor. I don't think I could have done that for any length of time.

While things are fresh I wanted to pass along some things that helped me during labor and after. When my contractions were bad, being on all fours felt the most comfortable. It's probably not the same for everyone but being on my bum or back was not pleasant. The absolute BEST feeling after delivery was getting a shower and putting on my own clothes. I seriously cannot explain how much better I felt after that. And last, just about every visitor brought me food from the *outside* - I don't know why but that made me SO happy!

ETA - thanks everyone for the congrats and compliments. We're totally in love! :love:
 
PM - CONGRATULATIONS to you and Mr. PM!!! Nolan is absolutely precious!!!! :appl: :appl: :appl:

Hou - Welcome to Team Pink!!! (remember, I'm playing on both teams) :cheeky:

HH, Lanie and Snlee - I'm right there with you that department. Since was spotting almost my entire 1st trimester (which scared the bejesus out of both of us considering last summer's miscarriage) we obstained. Tried again after weeks of no spotting 2nd trimester and the next morning - BAM - spotting!!! I called my Dr. and stayed home from work that day - we were so freaked out. Not to mention, I was reading a story on the internet (I know, shame on me) about how a pregnant woman carrying twins lost them both the day after having intercourse with her husband at 20 weeks. She just went into preterm labor and that was it. She was devastated!

Now, we're just to scared, but whoever said there are other things you can do are right about that one! :naughty:
 
I never knew any of this about lying on your back! All of the episodes of Baby Story and all of those other things, they are on their backs if they aren't in a tub (from the ones I've seen). I've heard of squatting or being on all fours, but I don't think that's "me" at all. I guess I'll be relegated to my back with my epi then!
 
pupp, Nolan is SO cute!!! Awwwww.

Doing the deed: TMI but DH has been chasing me around the house the entire pregnancy. :cheeky: We were like bunnies in the first tri, lol. However, I'm just nervous now that I'm getting bigger--I don't want to do *anything* to trigger pre-term labor, so I have cut him off. I've read that touching nipples can trigger contrax. Yikes.

Lanie, you should check out the documentary "The Business of Being Born." It's absolutely true that lying on your back while laboring is the worst possible position. It's like trying to push the baby out uphill! :eek: Squatting is the most natural as gravity helps get the baby out.
 
Lanie said:
I never knew any of this about lying on your back! All of the episodes of Baby Story and all of those other things, they are on their backs if they aren't in a tub (from the ones I've seen). I've heard of squatting or being on all fours, but I don't think that's "me" at all. I guess I'll be relegated to my back with my epi then!
Click to expand...

Lanie-I had an epidural when I couldn't take the contractions anymore and was very tired. I was not allowed to sit or walk prior to getting the epi for a variety of reasons which made everything a lot more painful. When I had the epi, I could be on my back (well on my side since DD was sunny side up) since I didn't feel anything anyway. The only time the contractions were somewhat manageable (although not painless) was when I sat up to receive the epidural. I felt so much relief. Walking, rocking, sitting, squatting, being on the ball, etc. all help relieve pain that's why a lot of women do it.
 
I completely understand that lots of women use the bouncing balls, walk around, get on all fours, etc. but I guess what I didn't think about was that once you get the epidural, you are on your back for the rest of the time. I guess I never really thought about your legs being "dead" even though I always knew that's what happens to them. I also can completely see that fighting gravity horizontally is not what nature intended. Maybe I was reading into it too much, but it sounded to me that y'all were saying that being on your back = bad and unnatural. And I don't see it that way when you want an epi and you really have no other choice.
 
Oh I see now Lanie ::) No, being on back = bad because the pain sucks!! haha And yes, your legs are dead but you know what...it doesn't matter if you take the time to sleep which is what I did (with occasional wakeups to let the nurse know I loved her) :naughty:
 
My pain was horrible regardless of what position I was in since my water had been broken for so long --it was only when I had the epi that it gave me relief and I was on my back from that point on but I didn't care since I couldn't feel anything, which was totally fine with me! I didn't want to get the epi when we checked in for the same reasons the ladies mentioned aka you pretty much are stuck on your back until birth BUT I got over that really quickly as the little IV meds didn't do jack for me but make me HIGH as a kite. Also once you get the epi you get a catheter because you can't get up to pee, etc. That was the part that I didn't like the thought of--but again I didn't feel the cath. And then umm when a watermelon comes out your crotch, the last thing you care about is a cath! It's almost comical how priorities change from minute to minute. :lol:

Pupp great story and GO YOU without an EPI! I didn't realize you could be at 10cm with water still intact, wowsa! And Nolan is sooooo cute...!!! Dollface.
 
pupp- awww...ditto on the dollface -- look at those lips! and seriously, GO YOU on the no epi. i had back contractions the whole time that were just KILLER. it did feel better when i was up and walking, but they still made me stop to focus on getting through them. on my back it was the pain was so bad it was literally lifting me off the bed. luckily the anesthesiologist did an AWESOME job on my epidural and i was pretty pain free, but could still feel the contractions, which helped a LOT when pushing. i cannot imagine doing it without. much props! :appl:

h-town gals - so i'm working over at methodist this month and was thinking about our "convo" re: comparing the 2 hospitals. st. lukes is prob only a good 5-10 min closer to TCH vs methodist depending on the elevators etc... TCH and ST lukes share some of the same building. methodist is on the other side of st lukes and is connected by a basement tunnel. so you would have to travel through stl to get to TCH. is 5-10 min much of a diff? if you're baby is in trouble it's the whole world y'kwim? that's how i thought of it. HOWEVER, i prob trust the adult docs over at methodist more. so if I were in trouble, the docs i'd chose to take care of me are at methodist. that's my take on it.

and what i mean by cushier at methodist is slightly bigger rooms, more carpeting, a fancy lobby, better cafeteria, nicer ambient lighting. that kind of stuff.

i don't recall what methodist has in their private rooms, but stl has a couch that pulls out to be a twin bed for the hubby. i'll see if i can check it out tomorrow and report back :bigsmile:
 
Lanie said:
I completely understand that lots of women use the bouncing balls, walk around, get on all fours, etc. but I guess what I didn't think about was that once you get the epidural, you are on your back for the rest of the time. I guess I never really thought about your legs being "dead" even though I always knew that's what happens to them. I also can completely see that fighting gravity horizontally is not what nature intended. Maybe I was reading into it too much, but it sounded to me that y'all were saying that being on your back = bad and unnatural. And I don't see it that way when you want an epi and you really have no other choice.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean to say it was bad or unnatural, obviously it's necessary in certain situations. I just mean to say it's not the ideal position to be in for a quick and lesser pain delivery. But everyone is different. You'll figure out what works for you when the time comes. I'm still trying to do that now.
 
Thanks everyone for replying to my question about when I should feel the baby. For the most part, I am not reading any pregnancy related information on-line except for here, so I really rely on you ladies, and you never let me down. Aww! ::)

Kunzite, Waiting for the anatomy scan is hard, isn't it?! And, yes, boy names are so difficult. You still aren't going to find out though, right? Or, am I confusing you with someone else?

Oh, and re: boy names, someone mentioned Hudson as a boy name. My husband has been pushing this name for about a week, after I suggested Hutton. But, it's not going to be it as it is not ideal with our last name. What does everyone think of the name Emerson for a boy? DH suggested it, which surprised me, since he usually likes more traditional names. I think it's a maybe, but not really sure. Can't wait for that anatomy scan to simplify things for us. We have been fairly set on a girl name for a while.

Catching up a bit . . .

Allie, I really like your crib bedding. I like those ties, especially! Reminds me of something I saw at Restoration Hardware recently.

snlee, Hope you are doing well. Please update us when you can.

Geri, You look great! Happy you're here!!

HMG, I actually go to a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist for my ultrasounds because I am considered high risk due to my age. I didn't see a thing about a Jack or Jill test on their website or any paperwork from there. I'll ask if I remember next time I'm there. Everyone is usually pretty chatty with me, especially since my LO is very active during ultrasounds and it takes a while for him (?) to cooperate!! Happy to hear your nausea is subsiding. And, yay for the Indie! I'm convinced too. So many of us are planning to get one, too bad we can't get a group deal! :$$):

Icekid, A space-themed nursery sounds awesome!! Sounds like a good idea to keep baby name a secret for now. I've already been openly discussing names with anyone who will listen. :Up_to_something:

**************

17weeks!

I started having back pain recently, and it is disconcerting. It was really only Sunday night after going for a walk. I definitely think my hips have moved back slightly. I've also been having some weird sleep things -- having a hard time falling asleep, which never ever ever happens. I usually fall asleep within 10 seconds of my head hitting the pillow! And, waking up throughout the night.

I've also been having some chest pains, which I have had in the past, and which I attribute to anxiety. Usually some deep breathing resolves it pretty quickly. I will mention it to my DR next week.

Other than that, things have been pretty boring pregnancy-wise these days, which is a good thing, so I just keep anticipating the anatomy scan and feeling first movements.

Hope everyone is doing well!
 
HH and Fiery -- thanks for clarifying! Like I said, I was probably reading into it too much, and I have a way of not getting my point across, especially in written words.

LV -- when is your anatomy scan? Do you have a gut feeling that it is a boy, or are you just running through options of names bc Murphy's Law dictates that when you have the perfect name for a girl, you end up with a boy? That's what happened to us, but I'm still thrilled to have a little boy! I love the name Hudson! That's really cute. And Emerson is super cute too. Boy names are HARD. I'm going to shut up in real life about asking opinions of boy names...I threw one out last night, Henry, and my friend said when she toured daycares, every boy in there was named Henry. It turned me off right then and there, plus for some weird reason, I put too much value on what others think. Our last name is one syllable, and ends in an S, so that kind of limits us. We can't do James, Charles, Miles, etc.

GingerB -- I keep forgetting you are in H town! That would be LOVELY if you came back with a report. I looked up online and the tours are 1-2 hours, and I don't know if I want to go through all of that just to decide if the rooms are better, bc that's really all you can judge from a tour. Of course they are going to tell you that they have state of the art this, and their docs are the best, etc. I think i'm leaning more towards Methodist now!
 
Lanie, My anatomy scan is Thursday of next week!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a DR's appointment the day before too, though I wish I had it sooner . . . I'd love to hear the heartbeat right about now.

I do not have a gut feeling either way re: gender. We just like to talk names at this point. We usually never agree, but agreed on a girl name fairly early. I suspect I might change my mind, but then we may never agree again. Haha. And, yes, I have found that everyone has an opinion on names. A lot of the people I work with are significantly older than me, and well, they like tradition. I mentioned the name Willow to a woman at work, and she gave me such a look of pure disgust! It was hysterical. I laughed, loudly! All in good fun, I suppose, since I wasn't really committed to the name. BTW, Miles is a super-cute boy name, too bad it won't work!
 
Haha! That's funny about Willow. It's hard not to have an opinion! I guess if someone came up to me and said they were naming their son Mortimer, I would try to smile, but it would be hard! ***Sorry if anyone is thinking of naming their child Mortimer...it's a lovely name*** One of my closest friends named her little girl Ruby, which I think is adorable, and she gets some funny looks too. Naming a person is such a commitment!
 
Pupp- Nolan is adorable! Congrats!

Methodist- In my room they have this sort of couch/bed that becomes like a twin bed for DH. They also had a big comfy rocker. Not sure how comfy the bed thing was for DH. I can ask. Interesting Ginger about the adult docs at Methodist. I probably wouldn't make my pick so much on the cushiness of the rooms. Like I said, Methodist was supposedly "cushy" but I didn't notice or enjoy any of that. I barely ate, though I wanted to, and the food was fine. I would make my decision based on proximity to TCH versus better adult docs at Methodist.

Lanie- Even my nurse told me that they know that laboring on your back is the most painful AND the least effective. But I had to get induced, and when you are induced, or after you get an epi, they have to monitor you and baby consistently and not intermittently. And they can't do that unless you are lying down. It sucks to have to be on your back when laboring. BUT if you get an epi, then you won't feel them and then you're all good. ;))
 
FYI - I got this email from the company I got my nursing cover from, in case anyone is interested. I never used it for nursing, but use it all the time as a pumping coverup when we have visitors, are out visiting family, or when pumping in the car on the way to/from work.



"This week (August 1st - 7th) is World Breastfeeding Week and we wanted to show our support for breastfeeding so we are running a promotion where you can get any of our nursing covers (regular price $32) free! The code is "Breastfeeding". If you're not currently nursing, this is your chance to stock up on great baby shower and Holiday gifts and a great promo code to pass along to your expecting friends - (they will thank you)!
Once you get to www.uddercovers.com, click on "Shop Now" and select the cover you would like. Type Breastfeeding into the promo code box and it will bring your product total to $0. All you pay is the shipping fees. You can use the code more than once - you just have to open a new browser window to do so.
You can also use this promo code to get a 3 piece gift set for only $5!"
 
Lanie said:
HH and Fiery -- thanks for clarifying! Like I said, I was probably reading into it too much, and I have a way of not getting my point across, especially in written words.

LV -- when is your anatomy scan? Do you have a gut feeling that it is a boy, or are you just running through options of names bc Murphy's Law dictates that when you have the perfect name for a girl, you end up with a boy? That's what happened to us, but I'm still thrilled to have a little boy! I love the name Hudson! That's really cute. And Emerson is super cute too. Boy names are HARD. I'm going to shut up in real life about asking opinions of boy names...I threw one out last night, Henry, and my friend said when she toured daycares, every boy in there was named Henry. It turned me off right then and there, plus for some weird reason, I put too much value on what others think. Our last name is one syllable, and ends in an S, so that kind of limits us. We can't do James, Charles, Miles, etc.
Click to expand...

Omg, that is too funny about the daycare thing. I toured a couple days cares here in DC and at one place, in a class of 8 infants, 4 were named Henry. I would totally avoid it to for that very reason **Disclaimer: of course if anyone is naming thier boy Henry, I think it's adorable, but I just can't handle all my kids friends being named the same thing**
 
I like Emerson and Hutton and I'm particularly fond of the name Hudson :Up_to_something: I actually LOVE Emerson for a girl's name...
 
HH, Haha, it took me a while before I made the connection to your name here. I like Emerson for a girl name too. Hmmm, maybe it would work as a middle name with the name we already have picked out. Eh, probably not.
 
*lurker with a comment*
LV: Emerson is a traditional old family name in my family. My mom sooooo wanted a boy to name Emerson Leo or Emerson Robert. Since there were no boys, my aunt named her daughter Emma, but this was waaaaay before it became very popular.

And I have friends naming their son due in October Henry.
 
Love Henry, yes it's becoming more popular, but it's such a classic, strong name it will endure.

I know FIVE Hudson's born in the last year. FIVE! That's a lot!

I really like Emerson, but seems like it's being co-opted as a girl's name.

Love Emerson Leo, btw!!!!

ETA: Though seems like most girl Emersons go by "Emmy" so at least the boy version is the full "Emerson".
 
drk said:
FYI - I got this email from the company I got my nursing cover from, in case anyone is interested. I never used it for nursing, but use it all the time as a pumping coverup when we have visitors, are out visiting family, or when pumping in the car on the way to/from work.



"This week (August 1st - 7th) is World Breastfeeding Week and we wanted to show our support for breastfeeding so we are running a promotion where you can get any of our nursing covers (regular price $32) free! The code is "Breastfeeding". If you're not currently nursing, this is your chance to stock up on great baby shower and Holiday gifts and a great promo code to pass along to your expecting friends - (they will thank you)!
Once you get to www.uddercovers.com, click on "Shop Now" and select the cover you would like. Type Breastfeeding into the promo code box and it will bring your product total to $0. All you pay is the shipping fees. You can use the code more than once - you just have to open a new browser window to do so.
You can also use this promo code to get a 3 piece gift set for only $5!"
Click to expand...


Oh my stars...you pump in the car?!? If I can manage that, it would be such a time saver! I can barely chew gum and drive! The link isn't working for me for some reason...but thanks for the heads up!
 
dcgator said:
Omg, that is too funny about the daycare thing. I toured a couple days cares here in DC and at one place, in a class of 8 infants, 4 were named Henry. I would totally avoid it to for that very reason **Disclaimer: of course if anyone is naming thier boy Henry, I think it's adorable, but I just can't handle all my kids friends being named the same thing**
Click to expand...

:o

Oh no! I knew my son's name wasn't uncommon, but 4/8? Seriously? That's crazy!
 
FIVE HUDSONS? WOW, that is CRAZY! And, we thought we were being original?!!?

I had no idea Emerson was so popular either. I'll have to start looking at those lists. It's a great family name, Charbie!
 
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