mrssalvo
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Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers
- Thread starter Kaleigh
- Start date
TravelingGal
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Q, awesome birth story and I am very happy you are happy with the way it turned out.Date: 8/1/2008 10:01:01 PM
Author: Jas12
Q--great story! I luv reading birth stories--so exciting. You are a trooper. You dilated SO fast. Just imagine how #2 will go
Hope you heal up well and enjoy that beauty. Can''t wait to have u in the mommy thread!
I didn''t use half the stuff i pakced for the hospital either. Like you i was out really early (discharged 12 hrs later) but that is a good thing--isn''t it so much nicer to be at home!
Re: pitocin augmentation--in the documentary i justed watched they state that in many parts of the country 90% of births are augmented in some way (mostly pit.) from what i understand it is pressure from pharm. companies and it can be billed to insurance etc. Obviously Q was going to get to 10 cms on her own so i am sure it didn''t make much of a difference, but i find it very interesting that they wanted her to have it that late in the labor. Kinda pointless beyond the ''business'' side of it i would think.
Rest up preggies...have a great weekend
What Jas said above is my guess about the pitocin. To give you pitocin when you were zipping along like that? I find that strange too.
To the other preggos...you CAN ask to labor without an IV. They''ll say it''s a hospital requirement, but if you push, they''ll check with your doc to see if it''s OK. If you remember, I was given a 6 hour window (I had already been laboring 6 hours at home since the time was clocked from the moment my water broke) to labor as I wished. The only thing strapped to me was the fetal monitor, which I didn''t mind at all. It was only when toxemia hell broke loose that I had to get an IV because of the drugs they needed to pump into me.
It is unfortunate that natural deliveries aren''t encouraged in so many of our hospitals...probably because nurses don''t see too many of them. Wonder if Dani can put in her two cents?
Super congrats, QT! What a sweet, beautiful baby!
I think I read earlier (guilty of too much ps!) that, as a nurse, Dani prefers her patients to have an IV put in when everything is calm in case things go south fast later. Something about C-sections under duress and minutes wasted trying to get an IV in. I don''t know if that means putting an IV in right away or only near the end if a woman wants less time hooked up.
But hopefully one could turn down the actual drugs put in the IV until they were wanted! That is weird to administer augmentation drugs during the end of a fast, first labor. And so difficult to do much but trust your doctor and the hospital at that point. Labor does not seem to provide the appropriate mental and physical state to be second guessing the professionals...
I think I read earlier (guilty of too much ps!) that, as a nurse, Dani prefers her patients to have an IV put in when everything is calm in case things go south fast later. Something about C-sections under duress and minutes wasted trying to get an IV in. I don''t know if that means putting an IV in right away or only near the end if a woman wants less time hooked up.
But hopefully one could turn down the actual drugs put in the IV until they were wanted! That is weird to administer augmentation drugs during the end of a fast, first labor. And so difficult to do much but trust your doctor and the hospital at that point. Labor does not seem to provide the appropriate mental and physical state to be second guessing the professionals...
Kaleigh
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Skippy123
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Blenheim
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Independent Gal
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Blen, welcome! Have you called your O/B yet? Let us know if you have questions. As I recall, I had lots of weeeeeeird sensations the first few weeks and it was kind of scary!
Also, everyone I know, including my midwife and OB say "Stay away from 'what to expect when you're expecting'!" (the book that is). It emphasizes all the stuff that can go wrong (I bought it and regretted it!). They recommend the Mayo clinic book instead.
Also, everyone I know, including my midwife and OB say "Stay away from 'what to expect when you're expecting'!" (the book that is). It emphasizes all the stuff that can go wrong (I bought it and regretted it!). They recommend the Mayo clinic book instead.
Blenheim
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Thanks, IG! I think I posted this in the TTC thread, but the only reason that I tested early is that suddenly on 8 dpo, size 10 pants were leaving red marks around my waist. I usually wear size 8. I couldn''t figure out what else would be causing that type of bloat. I really wasn''t expecting any body changes for another month or two, so it''s a little shocking. Does anyone know of anything that helps with bloat?
I''ve emailed my midwife and she said that she can see me for the first time anytime between week 6 and 12 - whatever I prefer. I''m not sure what would be best. My mom''s visiting around week 7 from out of town. She visits so rarely that I''m not sure if she''s going to make it back here before the birth, and I think it might be nice for her to meet the midwife beforehand. But I don''t really see any other reason for going that early.
I once flipped through What to Expect When You''re Expecting in a bookstore, and saw exactly what you''re saying. I''ve borrowed the Mayo book from the library as well as the new Our Bodies Ourselves Pregnancy and Birth book and I''m reading them both right now. Thanks for the recommendation!
I''ve emailed my midwife and she said that she can see me for the first time anytime between week 6 and 12 - whatever I prefer. I''m not sure what would be best. My mom''s visiting around week 7 from out of town. She visits so rarely that I''m not sure if she''s going to make it back here before the birth, and I think it might be nice for her to meet the midwife beforehand. But I don''t really see any other reason for going that early.
I once flipped through What to Expect When You''re Expecting in a bookstore, and saw exactly what you''re saying. I''ve borrowed the Mayo book from the library as well as the new Our Bodies Ourselves Pregnancy and Birth book and I''m reading them both right now. Thanks for the recommendation!
Independent Gal
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Jen, thanks for your input! I just saw that. Much appreciated. Hopefully, mine will grow nicely, just like yours and Jackie''s!
I was just talking to my grandmother and I was telling her how crazy stroller prices are! So she said "Well, that''s what I''d like to contribute then. Pick the very best one and let me know how much it is." Awww, thanks Grammy! That will be a huge help.
I won''t start shopping for that for another few months though.
QUESTION: We don''t have a car, and we''re going to live right in the center of town for the first few months of the twins'' lives (knock wood they both make it). Do we really need car seats? We are planning to ''wear'' them home in a twin snuggly from the hospital (starts at 3lbs, so ok even for preemies), which is only a 10 minute walk from where we''ll live anyway (so I could cab, DH could walk with the babies if need be). It just seems kind of silly to have car seats with no car. But that seems to be something everyone says is the top of the list, so I''m wondering if I''m missing something, something beyond strapping them safely into a (in our case non-existent) car...
Thoughts?
I was just talking to my grandmother and I was telling her how crazy stroller prices are! So she said "Well, that''s what I''d like to contribute then. Pick the very best one and let me know how much it is." Awww, thanks Grammy! That will be a huge help.
I won''t start shopping for that for another few months though.
QUESTION: We don''t have a car, and we''re going to live right in the center of town for the first few months of the twins'' lives (knock wood they both make it). Do we really need car seats? We are planning to ''wear'' them home in a twin snuggly from the hospital (starts at 3lbs, so ok even for preemies), which is only a 10 minute walk from where we''ll live anyway (so I could cab, DH could walk with the babies if need be). It just seems kind of silly to have car seats with no car. But that seems to be something everyone says is the top of the list, so I''m wondering if I''m missing something, something beyond strapping them safely into a (in our case non-existent) car...
Thoughts?
Independent Gal
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Blenheim, here are some things to take into account with when to visit the midwife: 6 weeks is probably too early to reliably detect a heartbeat, so visiting the midwife won''t be very comforting. At 7 wks, finding a heartbeat means your chance of miscarriage drops to 10%. But if you wait till 8 wks (or close to, depending when your mom is leaving), then if everything is A-OK your chance of miscarriage goes down to 3%. So if you can wait that long, going at 8 wks will give you the most reassurance for the rest of the 1st trimester!
As for the bloat, the only thing I''m aware of is lowering your salt intake. But I think it may just be a fact of pregnant life for the most part!
Oh, one more tip that someone on here passed along to me: safefetus.com (.org?) Basically, most of the potential harm that medications and things might cause your li''l one happens in the first trimester. So you have to be most careful then. That website you plonk in the drug (even if it''s just tums or salicylic acid for your skin) and it tells you its safety rating for pregnancy. Very helpful!
As for the bloat, the only thing I''m aware of is lowering your salt intake. But I think it may just be a fact of pregnant life for the most part!
Oh, one more tip that someone on here passed along to me: safefetus.com (.org?) Basically, most of the potential harm that medications and things might cause your li''l one happens in the first trimester. So you have to be most careful then. That website you plonk in the drug (even if it''s just tums or salicylic acid for your skin) and it tells you its safety rating for pregnancy. Very helpful!
dani13
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Q- Congrats on little Meena's arrival!!! It sounds like everything went well!!!! Re: Pitocin at last minute: It was ordered by your dr., and this is not unusual. Even if patients dilate quickly, when it comes time to push, your contractions should be at least every 2-3 mins so that you are pushing regularly and effectively. You may have not been contracting that frequently, so before you started pushing, they started the Pitocin just to get the contractions to be more regular. It actually probably shortened the pushing phase for you, which is a good thing!
Just to respond to those having q's about hospitals/nurses/etc.:
Re: IV's: Cara is right. I actually prefer patients to have an IV placed (but locked up, if they want to ambulate) when they are admitted. I have been in many situations where it just takes too long to get a line in in an emergency ....those are precious minutes that dont need to be wasted getting an IV in, its really no big deal. Labor and delivery is one of those places that things can change from minute to minute....I think like this b/c I work in a major medical center, and have seen too much! Ignorance is bliss!
Re: "Why hospitals/nurses dont encourage natural deliveries"- "Natural" deliveries are encouraged at certain places (i.e birthing centers, etc). If you are interested in having a delivery with as little intervention as possible, I would advise you not to deliver at a major medical center, and to seek out other options, such as a birthing center. If your idea of "natural" means no monitoring/no IV's/no epidurals, etc., then most likely a major medical center is not going to encourage that 100%. Its not because of the nurses- its actually due to rules/regulations of that particular institution, which are regulated by the hospital board and practicing obstetricians out of that particular center. Most of the intervention is due to medical/legal liability, unfortunately. Part of our job as nurses is to make sure each patient and her baby are safe during her labor, and that means we need to adhere to protocols and rules- its just the way it is.
Just to respond to those having q's about hospitals/nurses/etc.:
Re: IV's: Cara is right. I actually prefer patients to have an IV placed (but locked up, if they want to ambulate) when they are admitted. I have been in many situations where it just takes too long to get a line in in an emergency ....those are precious minutes that dont need to be wasted getting an IV in, its really no big deal. Labor and delivery is one of those places that things can change from minute to minute....I think like this b/c I work in a major medical center, and have seen too much! Ignorance is bliss!
Re: "Why hospitals/nurses dont encourage natural deliveries"- "Natural" deliveries are encouraged at certain places (i.e birthing centers, etc). If you are interested in having a delivery with as little intervention as possible, I would advise you not to deliver at a major medical center, and to seek out other options, such as a birthing center. If your idea of "natural" means no monitoring/no IV's/no epidurals, etc., then most likely a major medical center is not going to encourage that 100%. Its not because of the nurses- its actually due to rules/regulations of that particular institution, which are regulated by the hospital board and practicing obstetricians out of that particular center. Most of the intervention is due to medical/legal liability, unfortunately. Part of our job as nurses is to make sure each patient and her baby are safe during her labor, and that means we need to adhere to protocols and rules- its just the way it is.
TravelingGal
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Dani, do hospitals even do heplocks anymore? It seems that this would work for both parties if the patient didn''t want to be fully tied down to an IV?
Thanks for the explanations Dani!
IG, how far is the hospital from you? Are you giving birth in possible cold weather? This twin snuggly thing...does it mean your DH can carry both home? Because you should not plan on carrying anything, especially with a possible c-section.
dani13
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Independent Gal
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Hi T'Gal, the hospital is about 1/2 mile from where we will be living which means about a 10 minute walk. Yes, the weather will be chilly, but I'm sure we can wrap lots of layers over them, subject to the nurses' advice. And yes, DH can carry both twins in this snuggly so that I won't have to carry anyone or anything. The snuggly's really cool! Designed specifically for carrying twins at the same time, and with the likelihood of preemies in mind, so that it's adjustable for extremely tiny babies (starting at 3lbs... I'm guessing they don't let them go home smaller than that anyway).
About whether it's safe to carry them home in the snuggli, I think I'll just ask the maternal/fetal specialist. But I wonder if you can think of anything other than getting them home that would mean we'd really need car seats?
Independent Gal
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neatfreak
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Indy I think you'll want car seats. There will be times when you want to take cabs and although many cities don't require carseats in cabs, do you REALLY want to take that risk with the babies? There are some cheap ones that can be had from Graco for like $70 each.
Not to mention the fact that it's COLD in Boston in the winter and the T doesn't go everywhere you might need to. Not to mention the fact that the T isn't exactly double stroller friendly (those things are compact!).
Not to mention the fact that it's COLD in Boston in the winter and the T doesn't go everywhere you might need to. Not to mention the fact that the T isn't exactly double stroller friendly (those things are compact!).
Independent Gal
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Hi NF, I'm not going to be in Boston! I'll be in a very small town where everything I need is within a one mile radius. I lived there for a few years once before and I pretty much never took taxis. I just walked everywhere! If a distant errand needs to be run, I'm more likely to take the bus than a cab anyway.
Honestly? I'm guessing that even if we took a 15 minute cab ride here and there - which we won't - wearing the babies, the odds of something happening are SO remote, that it would be silly to panic. I'm going to be the sort of mother who wants a realistic assessment of risk, and then doesn't panic unless the risk is more than, say, 0.1% (or 1 in 1000). I may change my mind once they are born, but somehow I don't think so!
I'm becoming increasingly convinced that I'm going to be one of those mothers that all the other mothers talk about behind their backs, because I'm going to be so much less risk averse. AKA, a bad mother? Well, I don't know.
ETA: A little research... if you drive regularly (presumably every day) your chance of getting into a car accident involving loss of life is 0.013% in a given year (or, a titch more than 1 in 1000...and that includes the MASSIVE overrepresentation of teenage drivers). So, say we take the kids in a taxi twice without carseats before we move back, settle in, buy a car and some carseats. Just for the sake of argument. The chances of something horrible happening to them are 0.000073%.
That is a teeny tiny risk. That is a risk of less than 1 in 100,000. That is a risk I would be willing to take.
Bad mommy. Bad bad mommy.
Honestly? I'm guessing that even if we took a 15 minute cab ride here and there - which we won't - wearing the babies, the odds of something happening are SO remote, that it would be silly to panic. I'm going to be the sort of mother who wants a realistic assessment of risk, and then doesn't panic unless the risk is more than, say, 0.1% (or 1 in 1000). I may change my mind once they are born, but somehow I don't think so!
I'm becoming increasingly convinced that I'm going to be one of those mothers that all the other mothers talk about behind their backs, because I'm going to be so much less risk averse. AKA, a bad mother? Well, I don't know.
ETA: A little research... if you drive regularly (presumably every day) your chance of getting into a car accident involving loss of life is 0.013% in a given year (or, a titch more than 1 in 1000...and that includes the MASSIVE overrepresentation of teenage drivers). So, say we take the kids in a taxi twice without carseats before we move back, settle in, buy a car and some carseats. Just for the sake of argument. The chances of something horrible happening to them are 0.000073%.
That is a teeny tiny risk. That is a risk of less than 1 in 100,000. That is a risk I would be willing to take.
Bad mommy. Bad bad mommy.
neatfreak
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Lol Indy, you won''t be a bad mommy! I don''t know where I got Boston from...were you going to be in Boston or something before that?
You just have to figure out what is right for you, just seems *to me* that the risk isn''t worth it even though it''s small. The risk of dying in a car crash is small for adults, but bigger for kids who get thrown around in a crash, and the risk of getting hurt is MUCH MUCH bigger than that of a fatality. Considering how risk averse I am with my damn dogs I know that for me a risk I can prevent with my children for the price of a pair of jeans is totally worth it for me!
But with a good bus system you''ll be fine. Just know that you will never be able to legally take them in a regular car without the car seats. But if you won''t ever need to, then it isn''t an issue!
You are completely right though that everyone needs to figure out what they are comfortable with and go with it!
Oh and PS: Where did you find a double snugli? Can you send me the link please?
Independent Gal
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Hey NF, you probably got the Boston thing because I'll be having to travel there now and then next year.
The link for the double snuggly is www.justmultiples.com. Then you click on 'convenient stuff' in the left hand column, then scroll down.
Those pink & blue 'time-out spots' on the same page are wacky! Makes time out look like fun... not sure that's the point?
We may end up caving on the carseats, since we'll eventually buy them anyway. I'd just reeeeeally like to stay stuff-minimalist until we're back in our own home. Probably, we'll totally avoid car rides until then, then get the carseats when it's time to head to the airport. Shouldn't be that hard for 3 or 4 months. Maybe that sounds weird to those of you who drive everyday! But nothing unusual for me.
The link for the double snuggly is www.justmultiples.com. Then you click on 'convenient stuff' in the left hand column, then scroll down.
Those pink & blue 'time-out spots' on the same page are wacky! Makes time out look like fun... not sure that's the point?
We may end up caving on the carseats, since we'll eventually buy them anyway. I'd just reeeeeally like to stay stuff-minimalist until we're back in our own home. Probably, we'll totally avoid car rides until then, then get the carseats when it's time to head to the airport. Shouldn't be that hard for 3 or 4 months. Maybe that sounds weird to those of you who drive everyday! But nothing unusual for me.
neatfreak
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Thanks for the link Indy! Doesn''t sound weird at all. I also am a minimalist and the opposite of a pack rat, but that doesn''t always jive so well with my risk averse personality! We''re going minimal on everything else, but anything to do with safety I just can''t bring myself to take a chance even though I completely realize how ridiculously small most of these risks are!
TravelingGal
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TravelingGal
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TravelingGal
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LOL Indy. If I''m going to talk about you, it''s because you seem stat obssessed. Hee hee. Go with your gut girl, you will be fine.
And talking about statistics for a second, when it comes to car safety, I''d ignore them and go as safe as possible. You do know I was rear ended (once extremely badly) TWICE during my pregnancy, right? No accidents for about 13 years before that.
snlee
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Welcome Blenheim! Would you been getting an u/s at your first appointment? If so, I''d go in at 6 or 7 weeks. You should be able to see that heartbeat then. If not, I would suggest 10 or 11 weeks, so you can hear the heartbeat with the doppler. I''d also suggest reading Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler.
Indy, sounds like you should be fine without a car seat if you plan on walking mostly. But if you plan to get a car seat later on, you might as well buy it before they are born.
Dani, thanks for chiming in! Your posts are always so informative and it''s interesting to hear your point of view.
Indy, sounds like you should be fine without a car seat if you plan on walking mostly. But if you plan to get a car seat later on, you might as well buy it before they are born.
Dani, thanks for chiming in! Your posts are always so informative and it''s interesting to hear your point of view.
qtiekiki
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Date: 8/2/2008 10:46:02 AM
Author: Dani
Q- Congrats on little Meena''s arrival!!! It sounds like everything went well!!!! Re: Pitocin at last minute: It was ordered by your dr., and this is not unusual. Even if patients dilate quickly, when it comes time to push, your contractions should be at least every 2-3 mins so that you are pushing regularly and effectively. You may have not been contracting that frequently, so before you started pushing, they started the Pitocin just to get the contractions to be more regular. It actually probably shortened the pushing phase for you, which is a good thing!
Just to respond to those having q''s about hospitals/nurses/etc.:
Re: IV''s: Cara is right. I actually prefer patients to have an IV placed (but locked up, if they want to ambulate) when they are admitted. I have been in many situations where it just takes too long to get a line in in an emergency ....those are precious minutes that dont need to be wasted getting an IV in, its really no big deal. Labor and delivery is one of those places that things can change from minute to minute....I think like this b/c I work in a major medical center, and have seen too much! Ignorance is bliss!
Thanks Dani for clarifying on pitocin at the last minute. It makes sense for me to get it. I remember the nurse was telling me after the second internal she did that I was 6 - 7 cm dilated and my contractions were still 5 mins apart. So my contractions were too infrequent for me to push. I am glad that this topic was brought up because I don''t think a lot of people know about pitocin augmentation.
And you are right about having the IV and still be ambulate. I did use the restroom a few times after I was hooked up to the IV. I just find it inconvenience and hard to push the IV pump.
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TravelingGal
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lisa1.01fvs1
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OK, I''m coming over eventhough I''m, get this, 13 days preggo!
I lived vicariously for a while over here a couple months ago but can say, for now, I''m pg.
and hoping to stay that way.
QT - baby is soooooo cute.
I already feel like a blimp.
Monday is beta #2 (#1 - 185 miu). Hope the # at least triples.
If so, then 1st US in 10-14 days to see gestational sack(s)
I''m crampy and breaking into night sweats/shivering.
Already craving vinegary, salty, garlicky, super-spicy food (gherkins, tobasco, ketsup, salsa, kimchee....)
I must smell like South East Asia, Far East and Middle East rolled into one!
I lived vicariously for a while over here a couple months ago but can say, for now, I''m pg.
and hoping to stay that way.
QT - baby is soooooo cute.
I already feel like a blimp.
Monday is beta #2 (#1 - 185 miu). Hope the # at least triples.
If so, then 1st US in 10-14 days to see gestational sack(s)
I''m crampy and breaking into night sweats/shivering.
Already craving vinegary, salty, garlicky, super-spicy food (gherkins, tobasco, ketsup, salsa, kimchee....)
I must smell like South East Asia, Far East and Middle East rolled into one!
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Engagement Ring Trends 2025: Styles Set to Shine
Engagement Ring Trends 2025: Styles Set to Shine - 01/15
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