Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Skippy123]

Date: 4/11/2008 10:37:35 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Oh TGal,
I am tearing up reading your post. What a special moment your dad had with his beautiful grandaughter!! That''s so precious and sweet. I admire you. You have such an amazing inner strength. HUGS to you!! Sending my prayers to you, your Dad, your Mom and the entire T family.

I feel completely the same way as Lisa, every single word she wrote ditto. (((((Hugs)))))) to you Tgal; that is so beautiful her little hand was holding your dear dad''s finger.


Jas12, your story is amazing!!! Can''t wait to see pics!!

 

[katebar]

Tgal what an absolutely awe inspiring moment for your Dad and Amelia. Thinking of you and your family at this time.
MrsS Jake is gorgeous and your girls ar just too precious they look so proud to be BIG sisters.
Jas12 well done you did amazing

.

 

[Jas12]

Tgal--that is wonderful about you Dad, made me cry--isn''t it amazing how in awe family members can be? My grandmother got teary when i brought cohen over to see her today--it was so neat.




a quick pic or two--i am crazy not sleeping right now--monster will be up all night i am sure

 

[Jas12]

A newborn smile (well, at least i''ll pretend it was

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 4/11/2008 10:47:20 PM
Author: Jas12
A newborn smile (well, at least i'll pretend it was

Jas, Cohen is beautiful!!! Congrats

Ahhh, what a proud poppa, sweet pic!!!

 

[Jas12]

With daddy--few hours old

 

[Jas12]

chillin...

 

[diamondfan]

Larissa? Lauren? Laurel?

Mrs. S, your little Jake is going to be quite spoiled by his cute big sisters!!!

Congrats to Jas, what a precious little man! You did so well.

Bless all the little PS'ers being born these last days!

 

[Kaleigh]

Jas12,
Cohen is soooooo cute!! I loved reading your birthing story. You are one strong gal.

Your DH looks like one proud Daddy!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Awww, how fun to see the new baby boys today! Jake and Cohen are adorable!

 

[snlee]

TGal, I am teary eyed too. What a special moment! Lots of hugs to you!

Jas12, what a birth story! I am in awe of you! You should be so proud of yourself giving birth without painkillers! Cohen is a cutie. The picture of your DH holding your son in adorable!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Thanks for sharing your birth stories Ladies! Labor is so much work

but so interesting how different it is for everyone.

TGal, that sounds like a beautiful moment (Amelia holding your dad''s hand)

Okay, just a drive by on my way out of town. I can''t believe I am leaving my baby!

But it will be fun. Tessa gained 2 lbs 3 oz this month so the doctor is VERY pleased. Back up to 25% on weight. DH gave me a beautiful card with the cash for my PP. I knew he couldn''t have ordered it! BK factory is down this week but will order soon. I gotta go nurse one last time. I''ll be thinking of all of you!

Until Wednesday....don''t miss me too much

 

[TravelingGal]

Aw, sorry...didn''t mean to get everyone teary eyed! Life happens...we just do our best and move on, ya know what I mean?

Tacori, woo hoo on the weight? Where you going? Did I miss something? I thought I read through every post on this thread pretty carefully, but maybe my mind is not processing things well...

oh, and btw...the BFing is not going well. I just ain''t got no milk! But I keep drinking mother''s milk tea, taking fenugreek and pumping pumping pumping. At least I know if it doesn''t happen, I''ve done my very best. I''ve noticed a difference in the way TTot latches on...not as good as it was before she starting doing the SMS (she doesn''t take as much into her mouth) but I keep trying so she doesn''t forget mama''s boobs!

Jas, Cohen is so adorable. In that first picture, he reminds me a lot of TTot...maybe you got the full white Canadian version of my kid? Hehehe. Love the pic of DH and Cohen. Aren''t those pics of dad and kid the best?

Yeah, apparently it gets harder. TTot only cries when something''s up and I can read her pretty well. She hasn''t confounded me yet. But as they develop personalities and learn to manipulate, I figure things get more frustrating. That''s even though I am sleep deprived, I am totally ENJOYING this time in her life. Plus I totally dig how little she is...so easy to hold her. I wish she''d stay this small for a long time!

TGuy let me sleep for 5 hours tonight! Woo hoo. I feel so good right now. I got night shift starting from 1:30 am and have to feed the beast shortly. I don''t mind staying up through the night when I feel refreshed like this. I''ve been trying to get her to stay awake for a shift during the day, as it seems to help her sleep at night. Yesterday she was wide awake from 1am to 6 am and I thought I was going to pass out!

 

[dani13]

Mrssalvo- Your story was great! Im sorry your epi didnt work for you towards the end. That just stinks. Jake is such a cutie....and the girls- OMG! You have the most adorable family!! Congrats again!!

Jas- Loved reading Cohen's birth story. You are one strong chickie!

Congrats to you and your hubby! Cohen is adorable!

Tgal- Im sorry to hear about your mom. Sending *get well* vibes her way. I hope things get alot better soon. *Hugs*.

 

[jas]

Jas12 -- what a remarkable birth story! I re-read it this morning and am amazed. Of course, what a sweet prize at the end. Love the pictures of little Cohen.

TGal -- sounds like things are going well for you and TGuy and the little one. You sound like such a great mom already. I hope things are better with your family!

Tacori -- OMG, I haven''t commented on your new avatar. Excellent! What a cutie! Have a great trip -- SLEEP!

I''m now just anxiously awaiting baby movement. Can''t wait.

We''re redoing our kitchen and master bath this next week...I am sure I''m going to be flipping out with all the hubbub and the inability to do anything in the kitchen for about a month. Hello take out burritos!

 

[sasa]

All your ladies birth stories are amazing, and so different. I got teary each time I read a birth story.

Tgal, what a beautiful moment for your dad and Amelia.

Mrs.S. Jake is so cute~

Jas12, the pix of Cohen smiling just melt my heart, and the pix of your DH and him...so precious.

Ok..I have a question. Any you ladies us Born Free glass bottle? I used both plastic and glass bottle from Born Free with Avent
bottle warmer...so far the warmer had broke two glass bottle.

We now call the bottle warmer the "bottle eater".

 

[Jas12]

Hi guys

Rough nite--i had my first post-partum tears this am--DH is sick and was throwing up all night so i had no help and i am so scared cohen will get sick too he was very fussy too--they are both sleeping now so hopefully they are okay.
He might have just ate something funny, but there is a 24 tummy bug going around apparetnly

I think i have slept maybe 6 hours in 4 days--i am about to hit the wall so any words of wisdom I would welcome right now.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/12/2008 12:40:17 PM
Author: Jas12
Hi guys

Rough nite--i had my first post-partum tears this am--DH is sick and was throwing up all night so i had no help and i am so scared cohen will get sick too he was very fussy too--they are both sleeping now so hopefully they are okay.
He might have just ate something funny, but there is a 24 tummy bug going around apparetnly

I think i have slept maybe 6 hours in 4 days--i am about to hit the wall so any words of wisdom I would welcome right now.

I know how you feel. That''s about the amount of sleep I had in my first 4 days too and then I hit that horrible wall on Thursday night where TTot cried for nearly 12 hours straight due to hunger. I''m honestly surprised I didn''t cry with her.

First of all Jas, if they are sleeping, you should log off the computer and get some sleep too. Your mind is like cotton now and you need to clear it and feel better yourself.

As for hubby, quarantine him for a bit. Is there anyone who can come and help out for a few hours so you can get rest (as well as help take care of your hubby if he needs anything?) Also, I know you are breast feeding, but I''m wondering if you can get an SNS feeder somehow. That way someone can help you feed Cohen and you can get a little break. It does wonders. Also, the lactation nurse told me that if you give the baby a bottle nipple, it won''t derail things right away. You have to do what you have to do to get a break. That is key.

Hoping you are feeling better soon. Gotta go feed the beast again...

 

[divergrrl]

Jas Sweetie: hugs hugs hugs to you..I''m so sorry for the baby blues tears...its totally normal....here''s what helped me...have someone (a family member) come over and take the baby between feeds so you can sleep...and GO SLEEP. Get help every day, just surrender, this is not the time to be superwoman. Dishes can sit, etc...best scenario is a family member or friend who can stay with you who will clean & let you take a shower & get a few naps in.

Oh, and take a shower. it feels good to get clean & a good cry in a hot steamy shower helps. And this too shall pass. Its just your hormones going ping pong on you and they will level out soon...

Above all, sleep when the baby sleeps. I did that this time with Delaney, and as hard as it was, OMG...does it make all the difference when you are getting up to feed a baby every 3 hours. Just screw anything else....sleep when that baby sleeps! You WILL feel better.

And what an adorabe family. Cohen is so handsome, but not surprising, you & your DH are just gorgeous! I have some video of D doing that baby smile too....its sweet..


Mrs. S: Oh...Jake....what a sweet baby boy! I have a theory that all Jakes are handsome, and yours is keeping his end of the deal! I''m not surprised your labor was so quick (incentive to the 1st time mommies who had a rough patch on 1st labor) your daughters look so angelic holding him. Its very sweet.

Big news! Delaney can SIT UP now! Whooo hooo!! buh bye stupid infant car seat. I''m installing her "real" ones today. That dumb carseat carrier has made my back a wreck..its too heavy now that she weighs 500lbs. And I still love my sling/hip carrier (so tiny it fits in my diaper bag) so I can put her in that when I need an extra set of hands--or just pop her in the MacLaren.

 

[Skippy123]

Woooo hooooo Delaney!!!

Wow, Diver she is adorable; look at how proud she is . . . what a little darling! It looks like she is saying "look at me Mommy!!!" How old is she now? She is getting so big; I love seeing all these cutie pies. hehe

 

[snlee]

Tacori, have a great time in Mexico! (I think that's where you said you're going?) Good news on Tessa's weight gain!

Diver, yay for Delaney! That picture of her is precious! She looks so proud of herself!

Jas12, hugs to you. Hang in there. Sounds like you got some good advice from TGal and Diver. I hope you get some rest.

I hope I'm not jinxing myself but I think my 1st tri m/s and tiredness is gone! Yesterday I had so much energy. Ahhhh...it feels so good. I hope it lasts! I'm so happy since I've been feeling extreme fatigue for the last 6 weeks. Monday is 13 weeks and my NT scan. I will probably tell my boss and co-workers next week too. Exciting!

 

[Kay]

Burk, sorry to hear Tayva is still sick. That has to be hard on you and your DH.

MrsS, sorry your epi wore off! Sounds like it was a fast birth. It’s great you had no tearing or stitches. Had you been doing the massage techniques, or was it more likely that you didn’t tear because it wasn’t your first vag birth? Jake is an adorable little man. I just love the picture of him with his sisters – so precious!

Jas12, that is one heck of a birthing story. I am so impressed you made it through all that with no painkillers – I would have been begging for drugs. I’m sorry your OB was such a jerk. That’s great that BFing is coming so easily for you and Cohen. Cohen is so cute. That picture of him with his daddy is so adorable – he looks so tiny next to Charlie. Sorry to hear DH is sick and you are worn out. Rest whenever you can and don’t worry about the house.

Tgal, I am so sorry to hear what you are going through with your parents. I am so glad you were able to take Amelia to meet her granddad. The image of her holding his finger made me want to cry – that is so precious.

Tacori, congrats on Tessa’s weight gain.

Jas, good luck with the kitchen and bath remodel. I remember going through that a few years ago. We had the fridge and microwave in the living room, so we could do some very basic food prep, but it was mostly take out. I remember washing dishes off in the bathtub.

Diver, Delaney is precious. Congrats on her sitting up by herself – she is getting to be a big girl.

Snlee, glad to hear you are feeling better. My nausea just tapered off all of a sudden between 12 and 13 weeks. I am still tired a lot, but not as bad as before. Weeks 6-12 were rough.

 

[TravelingGal]

snlee, I think you are out of the woods. M/S is funny...one day you wake up and you are fine again. I guess the placenta has leveled everything off in your body and all should be good. I remember when I woke up feeling great and never looked back. Welcome to the honeymoon trimester!!!

 

[Kay]

Date: 4/11/2008 1:41:57 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Morning ladies!

Thanks all again for your lovely compliments about Amelia. She''s blushing. (Actually she is probably red from breastfeeding...her face looks like she has a red mustache/beard when she''s done!)

Little booger (I''ve decided that''s a more fitting name than TTot or Amelia) was up a bit last night because she slept ALL day yesterday. I just knew that was going to happen. Boy am I sleep deprived but got a couple of hours this morning so I feel much better. Before I had the little booger, I don''t think I could have survived on this little sleep, but now I am just amazed.

Kay, as curlygirl said, the amnio is probably a 2 out of 10 on the scale for pain/discomfort and a full 10 out of 10 for mental ICK factor. It truly is not bad at all. Just relax. You''ll feel maybe some cramping when they pull the needle out, but if you are relaxed like Curlygirl, the discomfort should be minimal. I didn''t expect the cramping at all, so I tensed up, making it worse.

Curlygirl, so glad your amnio went well! (Did I say that already? I think I''m delirious...)

Jen and Kay, love the u/s pics! Kay, I have one of TTot that is nearly IDENTICAL to the one of your baby. Trippy!

That''s funny that you have almost the same u/s pic. I am going to have to try to relax, but I always tense up (and occasionally pass out) when the techs draw blood, and the amnio seems worse. I am glad to hear it is not really that bad. I told DH he has to go, primarily to hold my hand and distract me.

 

[mrssalvo]

jas12- you''re my hero. seriously I don''t know how you did it. the 45 min. i had with a worn off epi were bad enough i just can''t imagine for a second going through what you did. Cohen is such a doll and I love the name. love the pics too and Charlie looks so sweet holding your little guy. i agree with the other gals that you really do need to try and get some sleep anyway you can. sleeping when cohen does is the best advice.

tgal, sorry your milk is not coming in what a bummer. sending flow vibes your way. that story of Amelia and your dad brought tears to my eyes too. that is so sweet and special.

tacori, have a fun trip and yay for your PP gift from your DH. I can''t wait for you to get it!

snlee- yay for no more m/s and welcome to the wonderful second trimester.

Diver- D is just a charmer for sure and that''s wonderful she''s sitting up. you''ll find your second will do things a lot faster than your first. she''s got a big brother she''s going to try and catch up with.


things are going pretty great with jake so far. although jake is up at night to nurse, he goes back to sleep and so do i so i don''t feel too deprived just yet. i think i''m so used to being up every 2 hours prior to having him that it''s really no different. My milk came in an almost choked him the first time he tried to nurse but now he''s got the hang of it and doesn''t waste anytime. It is very different having a little boy. i never had to worry about pee-pee flying across the room with my girls. so far, he''s squirted a couple of times and managed to get himself and his big sister who was helping wet. Today he shot off another little squirt when I was changing him and Lily looked at me and said "well, his squirter definitely works." so that is now what we will affectionately call that little part making him male

 

[pavelover]

Hi all you new mommies! I just wanted to say congratulations to Mrs. Salvo, TGal, Jas12, Lili, and wow your stories are all really amazing!!! I am able to learn so much from this thread and I feel like I really get to see real life- not all textbook and also a real glimpse into how much work it is. Keep up the great work and please keep writing!!

P.S. I can't believe I forgot to say how cute all the babies are!!!! It makes my botb so much worse. lol.

 

[ellaila]

Ha ha, yep MrsS, it's quite different changing a squirter than a girl, eh?

We haven't gotten hit too many times, but it's always a shock (and a laugh) when the fountain goes off! So happy that everything seems to be going well for you guys. You're such an old pro at this so I'm not surprised!

Jas, Cohen is a doll!!! What a sweetie pie. Sorry to hear you had such a rough night -- the first few days/weeks are rough anyway but add a sick hubby into the mix, and yikes. I echo what everyone else says about finding some way to get sleep. I know just how hard it is to tear yourself away from that newborn little bebe, but a miserable mommy doesn't do baby any good. A hot shower and a nap will do you a world of good. And unfortunately, there's not much you can do about the baby blues other than to recognize that that's what's going on and to make sure that if it gets any worse that you take care of it ASAP. It sounds like Charlie is a wonderful husband and daddy so I'm sure that once he's feeling better (whcih I hope he is!), he'll let you get some well-deserved rest!

TGal, your story about your Dad and Amelia is so touching and sounds like it was a moment (or 40) that will always stick with you, which is really lovely. How's the little miss doing now? Are you seeing her plump up yet? Sorry to hear that the BFing isn't working out. All you can do is try and hope that it works out, and it sounds like you're doing all you can. Has the maple smell hit you yet from the fenugreek? Ugh. I felt like I smelled like the floor of an IHOP for weeks. If you're interested, I can tell you some of the other things I tried to increase my supply as well. They DID work for me for a few days, but I really think that in my case the milk just wasn't even there to be increased. Hopefully yours is and is just being a slowpoke. Maybe you need to try Jas's writing-in-the-sand trick? COME OUT MILK!

Diver, oh that Delaney! She looks like she'd just light up any room that she goes into -- just a little ball of happiness that one is! Congrats on the latest milestone, whoo hoo!

snlee, congrats on the end of m/s!! Here's to you getting to enjoy the pregnancy now I hope!

Curly, another fan of Lucy here! I think it's adorable and sounds so cute with Lily.

Tacori, we shall miss you! Enjoy and have a margarita for me, por favor!

Burk, how's Ms. Tayva feeling?

Jas, I hope you feel the babies soon! For me, that's when the whole thing really clicked. I never had any m/s so other than the growing belly, I didn't feel super pregnant until I started getting kicked. It's awesome.

New mommies -- any thoughts on what you're going to do for your first mother's day? I set up an email acct. from the babies and have been emailing Daddy with some gift ideas

How's everyone else doing? There are so many preggos here now I can't even keep track anymore! I *heart* this thread and all the mommies and mommies-to-be!

 

[TravelingGal]

Ella, I am about to run off and take a nap (TGuy is taking over the next feeding shift), but I''d love to hear what worked for you for BFing. I just had a beer...my first complete alcoholic beverage since I gave birth. So I''ll try anything once!

More later..........

 

[Burk]

Jas~Cohen is absolutely adorable! Thanks for sharing your birth story. You''re my hero! I had many a breakdown the first couple weeks home with Tayva....it''s those darn horomones! I echo what everyone else said. Sending some sleepy vibes your way. And I hope your DH gets to feeling better soon!

Tgal~So sorry to hear about your parents. Sounds like you had a very special visit with your dad. That''s awesome that he was able to have some time with Amelia. As for the breastfeeding issues: I wish I had advice. I had no issue with supply...just with what my supply did to my little one. I will say that we supplimented with a bottle the first day home when my milk hadn''t come in yet so that she was nurished and she went right back to the breast once my milk came in. I was soooo stressed she wouldn''t, but they figure it out.

Tacori~hope you have a fabulous vacation!! I wish I was somewhere warm. And yea Tessa for the weight gain!!!

Diver~Delaney is, as usual, adorable!! Hurray for sitting up!

Kay, I''m terrible with blood draws too. It took three nurses and 4 tries to get my IV in when I had Tayva...I was sweating so bad!

I''m sure you''ll do great!

Tayva is doing a little better. They started her on another round of antibiotics Thursday when we took her in. We can at least hear it breaking up now when she coughs. She is in pretty good spirits when awake but really struggles to eat and sleep. I feel so bad for her. Doctor thinks we may struggle with this for a while because he thinks she has allergies that are causing her to get sick. DH and I are struggling with this because we hate seeing her sick and it just feels like it has taken a long time for her to work through this. We''re no doctors but wonder if ours should have been more aggressive?? We''re considering switching peds.....we don''t want to be crazy overprotective parents....but this is our kid!! Any advice?

I gotta run...DH is getting impatient and already started the movie!!

 

[ellaila]

Jackie, I don't know if you got it yet, but When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads has a good chapter on how much weight you should gain for your body frame. I remember being blown away when it said that someone my size (I was techincally underweight when I got pregnant) should put on 55-60 lbs ... fast forward 9 months, and I had put on exactly that amount and had two perfect little healthy babies.

It's hard watching the numbers go up on the scale, but vanity has to take a backseat to the babies' health. You're a smart cookie (mmm, cookies) and I know you know this, but after what your Mom said, I think it needs to be reinforced that gaining the proper amount of weight is NECESSARY. I'd rather have extra weight on my arse than have my babies be in the NICU, thank you very much!

TGal, oh where to begin! Here are a few good sites: http://www.mobimotherhood.org/MM/article-diet.aspx and http://lowmilksupply.org/ and http://kellymom.com/. (By the way, one of my new favorite words is "galactagogue" -- sounds like some space creature with lots of boobs.) Obviously, you know pumping is important. As for other things, I first tried fenugreek, but that didn't do anything for me. My doctor gave me a prescription for reglan, which I do think helped. There are supposedly links between reglan and PPD though, so be careful if you try it. It was fine for me. There's another prescription called domperidone, but that one is harder to get in the US. I also made barley water and drank that. I can't remember the exact measurements, but I think it was 1/2 cup (or 1 cup?) of pearl barley to 3 quarts of water, simmered for two hours (?) until it gets pink and slimy (seriously). It's not as gross as it sounds. I'll try to find my recipe and will post it later. I also took Goat's Rue four times a day and made a tea of fennel seeds and dill seeds. You can sweeten the barley water and tea with sweeteners, which make them taste OK. (I actually liked the fennel/dill one, and now when I smell the seeds in my spice cabinet I actually get a little sad because the smell reminds me of nursing.) So when I was really in the heart of my "this will work, dammit!" phase, I was taking reglan and goat's rue each 4x a day, drinking 3 cups of barley water, 3 cups of fennel seed/dill seed tea, and pumping 5-6x a day -- but I really think I'm not a typical case AT ALL. From what I've read, low supplies are pretty rare.

I never did try beer though

Oh, also supposedly oats/oatmeal helps (hot oatmeal or even Honey Bunches of Oats). And you should avoid peppermint and cinnamon and sage. That's all I can remember for now. I found out about the barley water and fennel/dill teas at my local health food store, so if you've got one nearby, check it out - they may be able to help! Also definitely make an appt. to have a lactation consultant come to your house if you can (my insurance reimbursed me for $75/visit for up to five visits, so def. check with yours!). They are really helpful!!

ETA: to go back to weight gain, I know that everyone is different and that some people just don't put on a lot of weight -- and I think that's fine if that's how their body naturally handles pregnancy. But to intentionally watch your weight and make sure you limit yourself to a certain amount is dangerous IMO. Dieting is dieting and pregnancy is pregnancy, and the two don't coexist in my world