Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Lanie]

Yay Noel!!! Such a beautiful little baby! Glad you are on the other side now and it's all over! Congrats to the three of you!

 

[Mara]

lol noel your post made me laugh esp at the part about being constipated since you can't really push. i was the same way... i figured welp it will come out when it absolutely has to... and of course it did eventually. hehee. and i was going to say what fiery said about the epi being different (or maybe just weaker?). when i had my epi i didn't feel any pain or the urge to push or poo or anything. apparently i was very good at pushing (i think it's kind of like ab exercises which i am very good at, haha) which cracked me up because i couldn't FEEL anything! and this might be TMI but for a few months after the birth i def felt like going number 2 was a bit more urgent than before while my muscles kind of got back to normal--i didn't feel like i could hold it in very well. but now..10mo later things feel 99.9% normal.

and CONGRATS. skye is beautiful!!! you did great.

 

[somethingshiny]

Oh, Noel, so many congratulations to you and your family! Just seeing Skye's picture brought a little tear. She's splendidly beautiful! Well done, Mama! I laughed about the post partum poo too. With having a c-section, I was certain if I pushed my guts would pop right out and land on the floor! That's what they don't warn you about!

RT~ Good luck. I get migraines but luckily they went away completely while I was pregnant. Hope you can get rid of yours!

 

[Dreamer_D]

My epi was like Noels, I could clearly feel the urge tp push and was really glad of that becuase I knew when to do it and how to do it.

Noel Congrats! She is lovely. And hee hee at the warning before your story, that was not scary at all Also, stool softeners Best friend in the weeks about vaginal birth. And also, get a little squeeze bottle and fill it with warm water and spray it on yourself when you pee/poo. Totally helps ease the pain of urine etc on your stitches.

 

[geri]

Noel - Congratulations!! Skye is divine - what a cutie. Glad you are enjoying your little one and best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Laila- You are so close too. Best luck for the next few days or so!!

 

[Pandora II]

Congratulations Noel! She's beautiful!

Fiery - I had to push on my back as I was hooked up to a gazillion drips and monitors. Even though I turned my epi down I had no urge to push, but that was because she was stuck so far up. I was in charge of how strong the epi was with a push button thing, but had no pain at all - and the episiotomy and forceps were done under epi so I think it depends how strong it is.

They do have a nasty habit in some hospitals here of doing stitches with no local anaesthetic - my father goes nuts if he hears his patients have been subjected to that and told all of us to be sure to check the policy with our hospital and insist on them using anaesthetic before sewing anything up.

 

[HOUMedGal]

Noel!! Skye is gorgeous, and I love her name! Beautiful. So glad to hear that momma and baby are doing well. Now she's here and you don't have to worry about making decisions re: what's best for her in-utero, you can just make decisions based on what's best for both of you for the future, which is great. Enjoy your little lovebug!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Noel,

She is absolutely perfect! I her name too! Congratulations!!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who shared supportive comments re: my family issues. I'm sorry to hear that there are others with difficult family situations as well. I'm feeling a good deal better about things now. Time and distance helps . . .

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Noel: Congratulations! Skye is beautiful and perfect!

Not much going on with me these days. I have my first weekly NST and ultrasound tomorrow morning and I'm nervous/excited about that. I really, really want her to bake as long as possible even though my son was born at 36 weeks and was perfectly healthy. We picked up some formula and some overnight things for me for the hospital today and that makes it more real. We're going to install the infant seat in my car this week too.

 

[Mara]

more TMI-- ditto the stool softeners, my hospital sent me home with a bottle... totally recommend.

also in the US they send you home with this little bottle of spray stuff which you can use to topically numb the area down there. the first few days the water bottle, softeners, ice packs and numbing spray were like a post-birth cocktail from heaven.

 

[Lanie]

Thank you for the tips Mara...THESE are the things I'm wanting to know about. None of my gf's in real life would admit to any of this! Do you mean hot water bottle, or the water bottle they were saying to use to rinse your stitches?

By the way, I was thinking of you this morning... How is your Brazilian blowout these days? Is your hair back to normal or can you still tell you got it? I'm still thinking about getting one.

 

[dcgator]

Re: introducing my daughter

Skye Penelope was born Wed 8 Dec 2010 at 4:53 pm. she weighs 3545 grams (7.8 lbs) and is 49 cm (19.3 inches).

she loves to sleep (easily sleeps through from feeding to feeding), doesn't always like to finish her bottle (prefers to sleep), and makes the cutest sounds in her sleep. so far hasn't cried much at all. but that's just the 1st day of her life.

Noel - She is ABSOLUTELY beautiful. What a perfect little princess . I also like the name very much, it seems very fitting for her. I'm sorry about the pain and stiches, but hopefully that will all be a distant memory soon, especially when you get to go home with your little girl. Congrats again!

 

[Laila619]

Happy Friday everyone!

We have progress! Last night after dinner I was lying down on the couch and I started feeling really crampy. It felt like really strong AF cramps. Since late last nigt, I've been having contractions on and off every 10-15 minutes or so. Also, TMI but had a bit of 'bloody show.' I think this is it! DH and I are just puttering around the house now, timing the contractions. My midwife doesn't do internals until 40 + weeks, so I have no idea how dilated I am or anything like that. I may end up having a punctual arrival after all!

 

[dcgator]

Hi dcgator - I definitely don't mean to imply that beta testing is a waste of time of $$ for those undergoing ART or other investigations.

What I was trying to explain to Deelight was that is isn't a standard procedure for normal pregnancies. She is in Australia which has a similar health system to our in the UK. Resources here are limited as everything is paid for by the state aka the taxpayer and so testing is rationed to those with a need rather than available to all.

On the whole we are offered 1 scan at 20 weeks and in some places the NT scan at 12 weeks and that is pretty much it unless there is a qualifying need for more tests. I know when I was on the preggo board it seemed like everyone was getting a gazillion more tests/scans/betas etc that I wasn't despite being a high-risk pregnancy and being under an OB rather than my GP, and I worried that I should be getting more!

Hope that explains!

Hi Pandora - That makes more sense, I can see where you are coming from. That's a bummer for you all about not getting a scan until 20 weeks though. I think that would feel like an eternity!

 

[dcgator]

Happy Friday everyone!

We have progress! Last night after dinner I was lying down on the couch and I started feeling really crampy. It felt like really strong AF cramps. Since late last nigt, I've been having contractions on and off every 10-15 minutes or so. Also, TMI but had a bit of 'bloody show.' I think this is it! DH and I are just puttering around the house now, timing the contractions. My midwife doesn't do internals until 40 + weeks, so I have no idea how dilated I am or anything like that. I may end up having a punctual arrival after all!

Laili - Lots of labor dust sweetie! I hope that your little one comes soon, and we can't wait to meet them

 

[Loves Vintage]

So exciting Laila!!!!!!!!!!! Please keep us posted if you can!!! Good Luck!!!!

 

[Lanie]

YAY LAILA!!!!!!! GO BABY GO!!!!!!!

Put me down for a boy, by the way. I keep hearing comments from people about my belly and people saying "You definitely look like you are carrying a boy since it's so basketball shaped". You, my dear, have a perfectly round belly, so it must be a boy! You must be so thrilled and excited!!! Remind me -- are you off already for mat leave, or did you end up taking the day off bc of the new developments?

SO EXCITING!!!

 

[charbie]

Yay Laila! Im guessing GIRL.

 

[Mara]

Thank you for the tips Mara...THESE are the things I'm wanting to know about. None of my gf's in real life would admit to any of this! Do you mean hot water bottle, or the water bottle they were saying to use to rinse your stitches?

By the way, I was thinking of you this morning... How is your Brazilian blowout these days? Is your hair back to normal or can you still tell you got it? I'm still thinking about getting one.

LOL I know no one tells you these things in RL. The water bottle they give you to rinse things off. It's basically just like a plastic water bottle with a nozzle on top...not like a windex sprayer but with a round hole... trying to think of an analogy here, like you would use to drop pancake batter or drizzle caramel on your coffee. They just put warm water in it and you spray it up (at an angle so you're not washing things IN) and it helps keep things clean since you can't really use TP in the beginning down there.

And this numbing spray stuff, it starts with a D. I don't know the name though. but the hospital should know!

I actually just got my 2nd blowout this last wkd. My first one lasted about 4mo ... and it prob would have been fine til 5mo. After the first 3 months it def was getting more wavy. The first 2-3mo I could just air dry and it'd be very lightly wavy, no frizz. The last month I blow dried it (not even with a brush or anything just air dry blow dry) and it would be lightly wavy, just a little frizz. My hair is really curly though so I love just air drying it to a lite wave... I can then flat iron or curl it if I want but I usually don't do that all the time... I love the lite wave with no frizz!

So hopefully if I get them 3x a year it minimizes the damage to the hair and also my wallet! HA! Also--you should wait til you have the baby and are done breastfeeding before you do it because it has not been tested on pregnant or bf'ing women and it does contain some formaldehyde so you don't want that going into your system at all (nor do you want to breathe it while you are preg/bf'ing etc). But honestly I love it!!!

Oh and PSA...after you have the baby and hormones start to return to normal your hair will start falling out. So now 10mo pp I have 2 inch baby hairs growing in everywhere, HORRIBLE look... which is why I opted to get the blowout again at 4mo instead of waiting til 5 or 6mo ... I needed these hairs straightened STAT. It's much better now and less frizz halo because the baby hairs growing in were curly-ish.

 

[Bliss]

NOEL!!! Congratulations!

Skye is gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope you are feeling better and sending you lots of hugs!

What a love of a child!

Laila - GOOD LUCK! CONGRATS to you, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, this is so exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mara - darn, I was hoping to keep my preggo hair! Wah! I hope the hospital gives me a water bottle - you never know what they'll give you so did you buy all the little things like numbing spray and etc. in case?

 

[Mara]

Bliss ... nope pretty much everyone said the hospital would give me what I needed, but if not I would have sent my Mom out to get some supplies. I think also you can prob ask the hospital ahead of time if you really want to make sure-- what the supply you with.

 

[somethingshiny]

Laila~ Wahoo, Good luck and lots of dust!!


RE: basketball belly. With Lily, I was very basketball, with JT I was very spare tire shaped.

 

[Mrs]

Congrats Noel! What a beautiful little girl Skye is!! Hoping you get healthy soon so that you can fully enjoy motherhood!

Good luck Laila!

 

[princessplease]

RT- That it did, lol!!!! I hope your appointment went well!

Noel- CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your daughter is adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!

Laila- Lots of labor dust!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[natalina]

Laila- good luck!

Noel- Skye is beautiful and her name is so pretty! What a labor story! I pushed on my back, too, for three hours and sixteen minutes! You're right- it is exhausting! I couldn't feel much of anything pain wise though, so it was just hard work. So sorry yours was a bit traumatic! But she's so worth it!!! What a gorgeous girl! Ditto everyone on the stool softeners and water bottles. I had the spray stuff Mara is talking about too and it was pretty nice. Just so happy for you that she is here safe and sound!

 

[turtledazzle]

And this numbing spray stuff, it starts with a D. I don't know the name though. but the hospital should know!

Dermoplast!!!!! Blue can. Great stuff. I didn't get any from my hospital, though.

ETA: I also used a lot of tucks pads, and asked for extra epifoam.

 

[random_thought]

So...
I have to get physical therapy once a week now because my hip joints are clashing with my pelvis and it's just going to get worse until that baby gets out of there. I have to go back for another check up for my headaches in a month but was given percocet to tide me over for now. Oh and the hospital was supposed to fax over a lot of my information for my insurance and FORGOT so it expired so now I have to hold their f-ing hand while we go through the process for the THIRD time on monday morning at my appointment. I'm so f-ing annoyed right now.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Thank you for the tips Mara...THESE are the things I'm wanting to know about. None of my gf's in real life would admit to any of this! Do you mean hot water bottle, or the water bottle they were saying to use to rinse your stitches?

By the way, I was thinking of you this morning... How is your Brazilian blowout these days? Is your hair back to normal or can you still tell you got it? I'm still thinking about getting one.

LOL I know no one tells you these things in RL. The water bottle they give you to rinse things off. It's basically just like a plastic water bottle with a nozzle on top...not like a windex sprayer but with a round hole... trying to think of an analogy here, like you would use to drop pancake batter or drizzle caramel on your coffee. They just put warm water in it and you spray it up (at an angle so you're not washing things IN) and it helps keep things clean since you can't really use TP in the beginning down there.

You can also just keep a regular bottle by the toilet, like an empty Evian bottle or whatever, and fill it with warm water from the tap. When you tinkle, the pee really really stings the stitches if you have any, and so pouring the water on yourself as you pee really helps dilute it and it feels really good. It you sort of put the opening of the water bottle by the top of the inner lips of the vajayjay and pour it works fine. Or go to an art supply store and pick up a paint bottle! Like the type of squeeze bottle kids paint comes in! That works really well.

 

[random_thought]

I did some research and found that the official name for what I have is Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction. Anyone had any experience with this? Doc says it will just get worse and worse :-\