Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[sunkist]

hehe, Yay for push present suggestions, November

I think buying a house was the push present for me!

I agree a tennis bracelet would be a great push present though! I''m so glad that you are all ready and just waiting for bebe to arrive. And I hope you have progress at your appt tomorrow. Who knows, maybe they''ll send you to the hospital!

I am making a list of things I need to get done this week, like pack my hospital bag, finishing putting up wall hangings in the new house, and buy necessities for me... which leads me to another question-

I already have disposable breast pads, but what about pads for down below?? I think I remember moms just saying to get the biggest pads you can find?? Is that right? Is there a good brand?

 

[sunkist]

Oh Amber, you have me laughing here

but I''m so sorry about your crib! I hope you find your camera!! I got mine all charged up this weekend. Oh, and I don''t have my carseat installed properly either. It''s sitting in my car though. For the life of me, I can''t figure out the LATCH system. Maybe I can find a video. It seems like there are too many straps.

I was at my mom''s house last night asking all these last minute questions about what the baby is supposed to wear- short sleeve onesies underneath his longer onepiece outfits? I feel so unprepared even though I always thought I knew how to take care of babies.

 

[AmberWaves]

Sunkist: I asked my friend who recently had a baby, and she bought herself depends. I was like, DEPENDS? Then she said she never used them, just used the super heavy nighttime sized maxi-pads. I haven't worn a maxi-pad in EONS. I think I got Kotex super heavy nighttime ones.

ETA: Sunkist, I'm with you on dressing the babies. Especially with the weird weather we're having! I was telling my MIL that I wasn't sure what to bring because a.) not quite sure how big she'll be (DH never fit in NB clothes) b.) not sure what kind of weather to prepare for. So we're bringing two fleece footies in case of cool weather, in NB and 0-3 mos sizes, and I'm going to pick out a little pant suit that she can pair with onesies if it's hotter weather. When I told my MIL she was like, "Well, someone will bring you something for her to wear home! I did it with your SIL!" Yeah, that's NICE, but I'm not saying we don't HAVE anything, I'm saying I don't KNOW what to put her in. So basically, this is OUR BABY, stop trying to clothe her!

 

[ChinaCat]

Re: pads. I know, I went to Target before baby was born and just stared at all of the options. I haven''t used any in years. The hospital should give you some huge military-issue mumbo jumbo pads that you will be grateful to have. Steal all you can and bring them home with you! Then I think I bought a box of super dupers, then mediums, then liners. I think I wore them for maybe 2 weeks? I didn''t really need them at the end, but wore them to bed just in case. Also, if you have a vaginal birth and have any sort of tearing or hemmroids (sp?) then you will want the pads so that you can put ice packs and/or Tucks pads in them. The hospital gave me these large maxi pad looking bags that had ice in them and you basically broke the ice inside to release the cold. Seems creepy but it really helped. Also, Tucks pads are little round cotton pads soaked in witch hazel. Again, definitely glad to have those. But you can wait and see if you need them, the hospital should give you enough to take home for the first few days and then you can send someone to the drugstore if need be. Ah, the joy of childbirth. I just remember thinking, you''ve got to be kidding me! First you endure pregnancy, then you go through the pain/exhaustion of childbirth, and then you get to deal with diaper sized maxi pads and such. There is no dignity left.

BUT those darn little babies smell so sweet and the first time they actually smile at you, well, it''s a cliche, but it''s sooo worth it. I look at my little guy and I''m like we MADE him! How scary/freaky/awesome/crazy is that!?! We made this little person and he''s only here b/c of us. So cool.

Clothes- I didn''t even think about all of that, but my mom was all into what he wore home. Umm, I live 5 minutes from the hospital, so he wore those clothes not very long. They will probably still be swaddled or at least wrapped in blankets, so I would layer. Honestly, if it were up to me he just would have worn a onesie home. But my mom bought him this cute gown/sack with matching hat so he wore that. Nevermind that it was August in Texas and was a million degrees out! I would say bring something in a few sizes b/c you just don''t know what will fit. My guy was little so even the NB sizes were huge on him. I had no idea about any of this, but you figure it out pretty quickly. I will say that they are concerned about keeping baby warm those first few days and since it''s colder now, definitely layer and get a hat or something.

 

[Burk]

Hello ladies! No way I''ll be able to catch up with everyone, but wanted to pop in and say hi.

Steph~I commented in the nursery thread, too, but it looks great...and made me realize we need to get going!!

Amber, November and Sunkist~Sooo close for all of you! I''ll be checking in for good news. Good luck!!

Re puking during labor: I got very naseous at one point of labor and told my nurse and she quickly put something in my IV and I felt like a new woman within minutes. No puking for me. What did bother me (like PG) was how much stuff came out after they broke the water. It wasn''t the initial amount that came out, it was when I got up to pee a while later and as I walked to the restroom, more fluids "fell" out of me than I thought possible!! I guess I should just feel relieved I was in the hospital and they broke my water because had that come out of me on it''s own in public I probably would have been mortified!

 

[taovandel]

Pads: this is what my hospital gave me to wear in recovery: undies, a huggggggeeee pad, a smaller but still large pad, tucks, and a numbing spray. After i went home, I wore heavy duty kotex pads that I bought at BRU. The hospital gave us enough to last about 3 days after we got home.

Also, talking about giving birth taking away any privcy/dignities: I had to show the nurse I was able to walk to to toilet, sit down on toilet and stand up frpm toilet. I didnt have to actually pee in front of her or use the squirt bottle, thankfully!!!

 

[Mara]

oh my gosh so last nite the kid decided he was a star soccer player and decided to shimmy all over the belly making goals, just as i was trying to get to sleep. he was moving all over, kicking, stretching, pushing. my muscles/tendons on either side were hurting, i was having funny pains down low, weird sensations of fullness and pressure, and then all these crazy kicks and movements. i couldn't get comfortable, at times it was almost painful, and kept waking up. i hope it's not the beginning of the end for my uninterrupted sleep and just a fluke. i have no idea what got him all worked up! this morning he is already up and at em again moving around and kicking/elbowing the belly. well at least i know he's still doing ok.

on a fun note, my grandma bought our organic mattress so once it arrives i can finish the nursery. i posted some 'in progress' pics in the nursery thread.

burk, so glad you checked in!!! how is vball? are you still playing?

november, the push present sounds great. greg said he'd combo birthday, xmas and pp if i wanted something big but i don't even know that i do. actually i would like something for the nugget to give to his future life-mate, but i don't want to get something i won't wear in the meantime. my mind is just not on jewelry though!

amber, yay for the diaper bag... baby steps hehee. are you seriously going to wait for the crib?? i'd be like OOPs sorry we did it ourselves.

you know, cuz the BABY IS COMING.

 

[AmberWaves]

Mara, yay for your mattress! Yeah, tomorrow we both have Vet''s day off, so we''re going to tie up all the loose ends. I''m just going to have him attempt it himself, and if it doesn''t work, we have something we can use against her for the rest of her life. "Yeah, we had to borrow a bassinet because Auntie L couldn''t make time to help us put the crib together."

We finally got the prints from Etsy, and I framed them, now we just need nails. Seriously. NAILS. God. After we do laundry, and pack our bags (also put up the wall decal) we should be almost ready. We also need the car seat installed.

I can''t believe I''m 12 days away from my due date. Where has the time gone?

 

[Burk]

Mara~Sounds like our little guys are very similar...Kade is constantly trying to do what feels like acrobatics. Tayva was the same way (crazy). I never had to do "kick counts" because she was always on the move. Thanks for asking about volleyball. Our season ended last Wednesday so I haven't played for a whole week. Probably for the best because my belly was really starting to get in the way. I've gone back to walking which has worked out well since the weather has actually been nice! Where did you end up getting your crib mattress from? I still need to order one.....

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 11/10/2009 7:00:21 AM
Author: taovandel
Pads: this is what my hospital gave me to wear in recovery: undies, a huggggggeeee pad, a smaller but still large pad, tucks, and a numbing spray. After i went home, I wore heavy duty kotex pads that I bought at BRU. The hospital gave us enough to last about 3 days after we got home.

Also, talking about giving birth taking away any privcy/dignities: I had to show the nurse I was able to walk to to toilet, sit down on toilet and stand up frpm toilet. I didnt have to actually pee in front of her or use the squirt bottle, thankfully!!!

I peed in front of her. I walked to the restroom with her, peed while she filled up the peri bottle, she put on the mesh panties for me with the pads, and helped me get them up.

She was also the one that had done all of my internals all day since 2am, cleaned me up after my doctor broke my water, held me down when I got my epi (twice), inserted the catheter, saw me puke my brains out, and then helped me push until the very last moment when the on call OB came in. I figured, at that point what was a little pee going to do? LOL

 

[NovemberBride]

Amber, yay for making progress, sounds like you are almost ready. I would definitely be building the crib myself at this point- it''s not rocket science, why would you need someone specific to do it?

Sunkist, sounds like things are moving along for you. Have you settled on a name yet?

I had my 39 week appt today - 90% effaced, but still 0 dilated. I didn''t get to see my regular doctor this week and this doctor mentioned he wouldn''t recommend inducing until the week after Thanksgiving. I was not too happy about that, I will be 42 weeks at that point, which is the absolute latest they let you go. I am hoping she''ll come on her own before then, but if not I am going to ask my regular doctor about inducing the week before Thanksgiving when I am 41 weeks. I am not dying to be induced, but I am also not one of those people who''s willing to wait until the very last minute either. 41 weeks seems like a good compromise to me. When the dr. said after Thanksgiving, DH got very scared - I don''t think he wants to deal with me pregnant for another 3 weeks. I don''t blame him, because I sure as heck don''t want to be pregnant another 3 weeks - the thought actually almost makes me want to cry. Also, not that this is a good reason to induce, but my youngest brother is in college in Colorado and he is flying here for t-day to see his niece. He is so excited to be an uncle and I haven''t seen him since I have been pregnant. I know he''ll be really disappointed if she isn''t here because he won''t be able to come home again for a while.

 

[steph72276]

[/quote]

I peed in front of her. I walked to the restroom with her, peed while she filled up the peri bottle, she put on the mesh panties for me with the pads, and helped me get them up.


She was also the one that had done all of my internals all day since 2am, cleaned me up after my doctor broke my water, held me down when I got my epi (twice), inserted the catheter, saw me puke my brains out, and then helped me push until the very last moment when the on call OB came in. I figured, at that point what was a little pee going to do? LOL[/quote]


Fiery, the above is what makes me say thank GOD for nurses! They do so much!

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 11/10/2009 12:37:16 PM
Author: steph72276

I peed in front of her. I walked to the restroom with her, peed while she filled up the peri bottle, she put on the mesh panties for me with the pads, and helped me get them up.


She was also the one that had done all of my internals all day since 2am, cleaned me up after my doctor broke my water, held me down when I got my epi (twice), inserted the catheter, saw me puke my brains out, and then helped me push until the very last moment when the on call OB came in. I figured, at that point what was a little pee going to do? LOL[/quote]


Fiery, the above is what makes me say thank GOD for nurses! They do so much![/quote]
Amen Steph. I sent her a little thank you card afterwards because she was just so amazing. What''s funny is that when I found out I was staying to have DD, I asked if my OB was on call. When she said no, I was so bummed and she said "don''t worry, the most important person in this entire hospital as far as you are concerned is me." She was so right

 

[Mara]

so my mom told me she went to see a psychic last nite (she loves this stuff) and the lady said the baby would be early.

my mom has seen this lady before and she''s pretty good, so we''ll SEE.

lol burk, our guys could be a soccer pair!

 

[AmberWaves]

November, I''m surprised they''d have you go 42 weeks, my doc would never let me go that far. I guess they''ll monitor your placenta and make you take non-stress tests if there is no progress then! I hope you start progressing soon!

I''m feeling pretty crappy today. Kind of sneezy and tired, a little achy in the arms/shoulders. Then again, she did keep me up last night with her foot in the rib hijinks. I swear, she is playing the bone xylophone in there with my ribs and her feet. She''s still doing it now! It''s a funny sensation until you''re trying to go to sleep and there is no way she''ll let up for you.

 

[taovandel]

I agree about the nurses. Mine were life savers, seriously. They are the ones who do all the hard work and get no credit for it!

 

[Bliss]

Heehee. I am loving all the belly bumps!
All you ladies who say you feel huge - you are actually very tiny to my eyes! I wish I could look like you do when I''m farther along!!! The belly bumps are soooo cute!!!! You are all in such great shape, too!!!!!

On another topic, we should have periodic Kegel reminders on PS!

*****KEGEL REMINDER*****
Do 3 sets of 10, ladies!!!!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 11/10/2009 3:07:36 PM
Author: Bliss
On another topic, we should have periodic Kegel reminders on PS!

*****KEGEL REMINDER*****

Do 3 sets of 10, ladies!!!!

LOL that made me have to pee!

 

[jcrow]

Date: 11/10/2009 3:27:40 PM
Author: MonkeyPie

Date: 11/10/2009 3:07:36 PM

Author: Bliss

On another topic, we should have periodic Kegel reminders on PS!


*****KEGEL REMINDER*****


Do 3 sets of 10, ladies!!!!

LOL that made me have to pee!

i totally was going to type the same thing!

 

[sunkist]

Date: 11/10/2009 3:07:36 PM
Author: Bliss
Heehee. I am loving all the belly bumps!

All you ladies who say you feel huge - you are actually very tiny to my eyes! I wish I could look like you do when I''m farther along!!! The belly bumps are soooo cute!!!! You are all in such great shape, too!!!!!


On another topic, we should have periodic Kegel reminders on PS!


*****KEGEL REMINDER*****

Do 3 sets of 10, ladies!!!!

Oh my gosh, Thank you Bliss!! I''m supposed to be doing these and I always forget!! hahahaha, I love your idea

 

[Bliss]

Hahahahaha! So true.

The good thing is, although it makes us *feel* like we have to pee...
If we do them, we won't actually PEE when we LOL! (Hopefully!)

Sunkist! I always forget, too. Maybe we should do daily reminders...and mix it up with different numbers of reps and sets!

ROFL.

I was just thinking, across the US... PS women will be doing random sets of Kegels at their desks in unison!
One...two...three...

Awesome!

 

[meresal]

Done!

(tmi)

How often are you supposed to do these sets daily?

 

[sunkist]

November, a week AFTER Thanksgiving?? Maybe you could ask your doc to strip your membranes once your due date comes around?? It seems like my doc likes to do that. I''m sure you''ll deliver before you get to 42 weeks though!!

Amber, can you poke her back? I don''t think I get pokes in the ribs, so I don''t know if you can push back on her when she does that. I just get him stretching out as far as he can out my side. Last night I think he was playing punching bag with my bladder and this was after we had just eaten dinner out and I had had 5 glasses of water. I could not wait to get home!

November, we have NOT settled on a name yet.

DH keeps suggesting names like Donald and Stanley.

I don''t like those names. i THINK he''s still teasing me, because we can never have a really serious conversation about names. It''s easier to think of names that you DON''T like

I want it to be Graham. We probably won''t decide on a name until we meet him.

 

[lili]

November--
90% efface is progress.
Who knows, you may go on your way in the next couple of days.
I was long and a finger tip dilated when I went in for me 39 wk checkup.
I was convinced that I would have to go over my EDD and be induced.
My dr wouldn''t talk about induction until 10 days over the EDD and because my EDD was 2-3 days behind, that would mean I''ll be close to 42wks.
My water broke 3 days after my exam and I delivered at 39wk5day.

My dr didn''t do the membrane sweep at my checkup because I was GBS positive.
Normally, they''d do it at 39 wks to help things along.

 

[lili]

Date: 11/10/2009 12:54:33 PM
Author: Mara
so my mom told me she went to see a psychic last nite (she loves this stuff) and the lady said the baby would be early.

my mom has seen this lady before and she''s pretty good, so we''ll SEE.

lol burk, our guys could be a soccer pair!

How early did the psychic say?

 

[lili]

Date: 11/10/2009 12:06:25 PM
Author: Burk
Mara~Sounds like our little guys are very similar...Kade is constantly trying to do what feels like acrobatics. Tayva was the same way (crazy). I never had to do ''kick counts'' because she was always on the move. Thanks for asking about volleyball. Our season ended last Wednesday so I haven''t played for a whole week. Probably for the best because my belly was really starting to get in the way. I''ve gone back to walking which has worked out well since the weather has actually been nice! Where did you end up getting your crib mattress from? I still need to order one.....

Yea, I''m always curious if in utero activity is reflective to how they''ll be outside.
I know it is true for my DD. She was crazy active when I was carrying her too.
So much so that I''d be worry if I don''t feel her move within the hour.

 

[Bliss]

This is for you, meresal! I also wondered how many we should be doing!

This article says 15 MINUTES OF KEGELS A DAY????? OMG!
It says to start out SLOWLY with 5 minutes of Kegels!

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

What are the Benefits of Kegels?
Though people often say "no pain, no gain," Kegel exercises offer maximum benefits yet require minimum effort. The benefits of doing kegels during pregnancy are seemingly endless. They can help to:

* make pushing easier during labor
* tone stretched out vaginal muscles
* heal episiotomy wounds
* relieve postpartum incontinence

However, benefits of kegels aren't just limited to pregnancy. Regularly practicing kegel exercises can also help to:

* improve your orgasms
* minimize the chances of developing hemorrhoids
* help you avoid incontinence later in life

Men who practice kegels will also likely find they have better erections as kegels encourages increased blood flow to the genitals.

How to Start Your Kegels
Before you can become a kegel master, you first need to locate your pelvic floor muscles. It is important to make sure that you are exercising the right muscles, or you could cause more damage than good. Your health care provider can help you to find your pelvic floor muscles if you are having difficulty.

There are two ways to locate you pelvic floor muscles:

1. Sit on the toilet and try to stop the flow of your urine. If you can, then you are squeezing the pelvic floor muscles.
2. Lie down on the floor and put your finger inside your vagina. Squeeze as if you were trying to stop urination. If you feel tightness around your finger, then you have located yourpelvic floor muscles.

Performing a Kegel
Performing a kegel exercise is actually really easy. Once you have located your pelvic floor muscles, just squeeze. Hold this contraction for a count of three and then release. Relax for a count of three before continuing. Be sure not to squeeze your buttocks, legs, or stomach muscles. This will not help to strengthen your pelvic floor and could actually add more pressure to yourpelvic muscles.

Becoming a Kegel Master
With regular practice, you will find that you can become a kegel master in no time flat. It is recommended that you start off slow: practice for five minutes a day, for a few days until you are ready to increase your repetitions. Gradually increase yourkegel exercises until you can do 15 minutes of kegels every day.

Do Them Anywhere!
The best part of kegel exercises is that you can do them anywhere. Whether you are in the shower, watching a movie, or sitting in front of a computer screen at work,kegels can be there with you. Don't forget to keep up with your kegels after your baby is born too they are a great part of a long-term fitness program.

 

[meresal]

This article says 15 MINUTES OF KEGELS A DAY????? OMG!
It says to start out SLOWLY with 5 minutes of Kegels!


WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?! I lost my breath just doing those 3 sets, and nearly lost control from laughter. I would be commited.

At this point, laughing during kegals WILL cause me to pee in my pants. I'll take my chances.

 

[Bliss]

Date: 11/10/2009 4:52:46 PM
Author: meresal
This article says 15 MINUTES OF KEGELS A DAY????? OMG!

It says to start out SLOWLY with 5 minutes of Kegels!



WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?! I lost my breath just doing those 3 sets, and nearly lost control from laughter. I would be commited.


At this point, laughing during kegals WILL cause me to pee in my pants. I'll take my chances.

Kekekeke... I know. I guess they say, no pain no gain! Or, no pee no gain.

I think 3 sets of 10 a day is pleeeeenty!

Can you imagine what our faces look like while doing these kegels at work?
Kind of zoned out...then tense...and giggly. Hey, according to the article, if we are consistent we can earn the title of Kegel Master! We can have t-shirts made....NOT!!!

 

[Mara]

i never quite figured out the kegel thing and i don''t know that i am interested in trying their #2. hahaha.

lili the gal didn''t say ... the convo was ''my daughter is due end of jan'' and the gal said ''oh i see him coming earlier than that''.... i assume not too early or else maybe she would have said more? who knows! but my mom is convinced he will be a week or two early anyway, and has been since the beginning, so of course she feels validated. my sister is going to be on vacation with friends from jan 17-21 i think, so now mom is convinced he will come while she is gone and miss it. hahaha.