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Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

QT~You poor thing! I''m so sorry! Hope they pass on their own!

Steph~Sorry you''re feeling upset. I agree with the others, really try not to let it bother you. Everyone has an opinion and while they should just keep it to themselves, most find the need to share with the pregnant lady!
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I have recently been getting the "wow, you''re getting big" and "you sure have popped" comments that make me think "okay, so I''m huge" but every woman is different and every pregnancy is different. You''re carrying a healthy little guy in there and that''s all that counts!!

All this kegel talk is cracking me up....but I guess I better get going!
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just had my 28 week appt and am measuring 28 cm so right on track! i have only gained 2 lbs in the last 4 weeks. but belly seems fine, so that''s good!

i also got my kick count card and have to fill out my birth plan. some of this stuff i totally don''t know about, like when it says ''i want pain medication''...what is that typically? it''s marked diff than epidural. also i guess they do skin to skin after birth which i have heard is good. and there is a checkbox that says ''i would like to delay newborn procedures such as bathing, measuring, exam, eye medication, vit K injection during the first hour so that i can bond with the baby''...is this ok? is it bad to delay this stuff? i wish they gave more info other than just the checkbox. so now i have to google. hahaha.

bliss lol you just love the belly pressing idea right? you will be using that, i can see it now!

drk, yay for a good appt...!
anchor, you too...!! as you reach full term i''d just start having sex all the time haha. at that point you will prob be like ''come out'' anyway.
 
Date: 11/11/2009 3:21:07 PM
Author: Mara
just had my 28 week appt and am measuring 28 cm so right on track! i have only gained 2 lbs in the last 4 weeks. but belly seems fine, so that''s good!

i also got my kick count card and have to fill out my birth plan. some of this stuff i totally don''t know about, like when it says ''i want pain medication''...what is that typically? it''s marked diff than epidural. also i guess they do skin to skin after birth which i have heard is good. and there is a checkbox that says ''i would like to delay newborn procedures such as bathing, measuring, exam, eye medication, vit K injection during the first hour so that i can bond with the baby''...is this ok? is it bad to delay this stuff? i wish they gave more info other than just the checkbox. so now i have to google. hahaha.

bliss lol you just love the belly pressing idea right? you will be using that, i can see it now!

drk, yay for a good appt...!
anchor, you too...!! as you reach full term i''d just start having sex all the time haha. at that point you will prob be like ''come out'' anyway.
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Haha, I know... But for now I''m not allowed. Meh.

As for your questions, drk and other health experts might have better input, but I think that there are other pain relief methods available than epidural. I''m not sure what they are though. Re: delaying... It''s standard to do that in my hospital, unless the baby is in distress. I don''t think they would do it systematically if it was really bad. Apparently, having skin to skin contact immediately and an attempt to feed (doesn''t have to be successful) helps with BFing later.
 
Date: 11/11/2009 11:53:53 AM
Author: Bliss
All right, ladies!!!! You know what time it is!!!
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*****KEGEL TIME!!!*****

Do 3 sets of 7, ladies!
Tighten for 3 seconds, then release for 3 seconds!

Don''t forget to take deep relaxing breaths! Ahhhhhh...

Let''s go, pretty mamas!
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ha, ha! You kill me, Bliss!
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I love your Kegel reminders. Thank you! I just finished a set at my desk.
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luvinlife, welcome!
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I hope your pregnancy goes smoothly. When you say bi-weekly ultrasounds, do you mean twice a week? Wow...that''s a hectic schedule. But it''ll be good to know what''s going on with your twins. Does mono-mono mean they share the same sac?

I don''t have an experience with the weight gain issue, but I can imagine the docs would want you to gain quite a bit. 96 lbs sounds a bit on the low side... If you start out ''underweight'' then they usually want you to gain more than average. I think if you''re carrying multiples you''re also expected to gain more. I started off slowly - 2 lbs only in the first trimester, but that increased in the second trimester. I''m now up by almost 30 lbs at 36 weeks, even though I don''t feel I look that different, or that I''m realy eating that much more.
 
Date: 11/11/2009 3:21:07 PM
Author: Mara

i also got my kick count card and have to fill out my birth plan. some of this stuff i totally don''t know about, like when it says ''i want pain medication''...what is that typically? it''s marked diff than epidural. also i guess they do skin to skin after birth which i have heard is good. and there is a checkbox that says ''i would like to delay newborn procedures such as bathing, measuring, exam, eye medication, vit K injection during the first hour so that i can bond with the baby''...is this ok? is it bad to delay this stuff? i wish they gave more info other than just the checkbox. so now i have to google. hahaha.
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There are medications that can be given through the IV to ease contractions. I can''t for the life of me remember the name of it because I was kind of out of it
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but the L&D nurse did offer it to me when my epi failed. I turned it down though.

As for the newborn procedures, yes it is ok to delay so that you have that bonding with the baby right after birth. Typically what they can do is set you up with the LC right away so that you can breastfeed (which will help with the delivery of the placenta instead of having the OB push down on your belly to deliver). It''s totally up to you. I asked to breastfeed right away but both LCs were with other moms that had just delivered so they went ahead and did all of the procedures while we waited. All of those procedures can take a good 30-45 minutes, just keep that in mind.

Skin to skin is great right after birth. You''ll be surprised that some hospitals don''t do it and you have to ask for it.
 
Well, the hospital I did my OB rotations at generally had babies put on Mum''s chest at delivery, so they could stare at each other while the placenta came out and she could get stitched up. The nurses usually had too much to do to help out with immediate breastfeeding, and really, the kid doesn''t need to eat the instant it''s born anyhow. It''s only just lost its supply of nutrients. They usually do the eye ointment and vit K shot pretty quickly after the birth, then dry the baby off and swaddle it up a bit, just so it doesn''t lose too much heat from staying wet. All the rest of that crap can wait quite a while though. I think most newborns only got their baths the next day at my regular hospital, and the full exam was also done much later on. The only time baby got whisked away for more thorough care under the heat lamps etc was if there''d been any distress, or meconium at delivery, or if Mum needed added attention.

Re pain options: Many places will offer a shot of morphine and gravol in very early labour, as they assume any effects on baby will have worn off by the time the kid arrives. The place I trained also offered shorter-acting narcotics (remifentanil or fentanyl) via patient-controlled pain pump through the IV. These were considered less ideal than an epidural, as they have more of an effect on the baby. The remi wears off within a couple minutes of stopping giving it, the fentanyl can kick around longer. I''ve sat with a patient who was progressing too fast to get an epidural or to bother setting up the patient-controlled pump, and just manually gave little boluses of the fentanyl. It worked pretty well. They''ll never give you perfect pain relief, and can make you feel nauseous. Otherwise, if they can''t give you an epidural (low platelets, bad scoliosis, patient refusal/needle phobia etc), they can be very good options. If you''ve had fentanyl, they''ll just keep a closer eye on baby for a little while after it''s born, to make sure it''s appropriately alert and breathing well. They have something they can give to the baby (or mom) to reverse the effects if they did suspect an overdose. Some places, if they have decent ventilation systems, will let you breathe a combo of laughing gas (nitrous oxide) and oxygen to get through the worst of the contractions. Not everywhere seems to offer it. And some OBs will do a pudendal block for the pushing/delivery part, which numbs the lower vagina and perineum (involves a needle through the vaginal wall on each side). I''ve only seen this done maybe 3 times in my training.

Really, it seems a little silly to make you fill out stuff like that ahead of time. They''d be better off asking if you want to aim for a "natural" birth or not, and if not, they should make an anesthesiologist available to answer any questions you have and discuss pros and cons of each option they have available.

Hope that helps!
 
Thanks guys for the info!!

This is just my ''filed birth plan'' and there are check boxes like ''I am not sure but want to be consulted during labor'' kind of thing too which I will probably check off on most of these. It also notes that you can ask for these things but there''s no guarantee since it depends on what''s happening at the time. I guess it''s like a preference list. But there''s just no additional info re things like Pain Meds or the bonding experience etc. It''s like OF COURSE I want to bond with my baby afterwards but not if delaying the shot and other things for an hour is a bad thing right?
 
Mara - One of the 10 steps to successful breastfeeding that WHO/UNICEF publishes is to help mothers initiate BFing within an hour of birth. This isn't to say that if you don't initiate BFing within an hour of birth you won't be successful at it, but just that it's the ideal situation for getting off to a good start. That's probably why they're asking you if you'd like to delay the procedures. I don't think there's any harm in delaying them - we did. Although they may have given him a vit k shot while I was holding him in that first hour or so; I can't remember anymore.

ETA - Also, to get the UNICEF/WHO Baby Friendly Hospital designation, I think that they're supposed to help mothers initiate breastfeeding within an hour of birth if the mother wants.
 
Mara: One of the medications offered I was told makes you feel like you are drunk. I definitely said no to that one...lol. I can''t remember the name of the drug though--but it''s put in your iv from what I understand.

Our hospital only asked if we wanted the baby on me as soon as he came out or if we wanted him to be wiped off first. But otherwise--they automatically leave the baby and the mother/father alone with the baby (family can come in when mom is ready) for the first hour for bonding.

That first hour went by so quickly--I can barely remember it.
 
Date: 11/11/2009 6:41:32 PM
Author: taovandel
Mara: One of the medications offered I was told makes you feel like you are drunk. I definitely said no to that one...lol. I can''t remember the name of the drug though--but it''s put in your iv from what I understand.

Our hospital only asked if we wanted the baby on me as soon as he came out or if we wanted him to be wiped off first. But otherwise--they automatically leave the baby and the mother/father alone with the baby (family can come in when mom is ready) for the first hour for bonding.

That first hour went by so quickly--I can barely remember it.
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It was probably Nubane
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I had some through my iv due to complications when I delivered my son and it did make me feel drunk and horrible. I refused a second bag and they gave me something else instead for the pain.
 
Just wanted to let you all know that my water broke while I was out at dinner with a girlfriend. She was telling me the story of when her water broke, I stood up to go to the bathroom and there was a huge gush of water. I was soaked. We are at the hospital and she should be here in the next 24 hours.
 
Date: 11/11/2009 10:33:31 PM
Author: NovemberBride
Just wanted to let you all know that my water broke while I was out at dinner with a girlfriend. She was telling me the story of when her water broke, I stood up to go to the bathroom and there was a huge gush of water. I was soaked. We are at the hospital and she should be here in the next 24 hours.
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Awwww, cute story. Best of luck!!! Wishing you all the best for a smooth L&D!!!
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You'll be holding your daughter very soon!!!
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NovemberBride, good luck! I wish you an easy and smooth delivery!
 
yay NB..!! that is so funny...what irony! lots of labor dust and can''t wait to hear the story.

thanks for the continued info re: drugs... i def dont want one that makes me feel drunk.
 
Go November!!!!!!!

Mara- A lot of this stuff they cover in the childbirth class, which is one reason to think about doing one. You do learn a lot! From my very bad memory, there are at least 2 other types of narcotics you can get (besides the epi) but there are side effects to them and most people opt not to have them. As for skin to skin- you probably want that. They handed him to me right away, then took him for a few minutes to clean him up, weigh him, etc. Then I had him and did skin to skin and let him try to BF for about an hour. The LC came right away. My poor family was going crazy waiting to see him, but it was a good hour or two before we let anyone in b/c of trying to BF. Back to the labor class- I totally understand not wanting to do it. I am glad I did b/c I learned a ton of stuff about what happens AFTER and for the first few weeks that was really helpful. If you think you are definitely going to do an epidural, then you may be ok not doing the class. But if you are thinking about going natural, I would definitely do the class. Also, there are so many things that can happen and you could be asked to make decisions to do or not do certain things and you might want to be informed enough to make those decisions. On the other hand, if you are the type to not stress and just trust the nurses and the doctor to tell you what they think you should do, then you would be fine. Just depends on what you want. I will say that I did a birth plan, no one ever looked at it, and because I had to be induced, most of what I wanted went out the window anyways. So they might make you feel better and help you decide what you want, but the birth rarely goes as planned and the birth plans tend to get ignored. Just my two cents!

Dreamer & Blen- So sorry to hear about your difficult decisions regarding your doggies. Breaks my heart. But I do understand- I hate to say it, but my dog was such my baby before I had kids, and now he's kind of second fiddle. I would have never believed that before and would have been angry if anyone tried to tell me that, but it's true. And Blen, FWIW, I think you are doing the right thing.

Is it weird that whenever Bliss commands you preggos to do Kegels, I do them too??? I can't help it, I don't even realize I'm doing it for a few seconds!!!!! Bliss you are a much welcome addition to this thread, need someone to spread sunshine and silliness amongst the nausea and aches and pains and stress that can take over this thread!

ETA: QT- Hope you are feeling better and the pain goes away SOON! No fair to have to deal with this while pregnant.

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good luck November!! hoping for a smooth labor for you!
 
November Wooohoooo!!! Best wishes for a great delivery!!! Heehee, I''m sooo excited for you
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Good luck!

I just got back from a baby shower tonight. It was perfect I got mostly things that I didn''t have yet. So it was perfect. Someone even gave me a baby wipe warmer, so this little kid can be spoiled
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Mara, I think I will opt to delay testing and have some immediate bonding time, unless there is a complication or reason they need to test right away. I mean, I hope they will at least wipe him off first though. I think they will though. I didn''t realize the testing, etc takes 30-45 mins. That seems like a long time to wait to see your new little baby!
 
Go November!!!!

We''re moving on up, Sunkist! I''m glad you got stuff you needed!!

So, we got the crib built on our day off today! I didn''t get the picture frames up, or the decal, but we have completely arranged the nursery and "dressed" the crib- everything from mattress pad, fitted sheet, the 4 in 1 sheet and the ecru mesh bumper. Yay us!

Tomorrow is our 38 week visit with growth u/s. I''m going to get another internal, too... yaaaaaaay. Also, we''re going to get a hospital tour on Friday, the lady felt sorry for me when I called in yesterday to see if they had any tours available before my due date (yes, in 11 days
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) and when she said No, she also said she''d show us personally on her own time! How cool! Let''s just cross our fingers that I don''t go into labor before then!
 
Best of luck November!!! Sending TONS of speedy delivery vibes!!!!!
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YAY NB!!! What crazy luck lol. I hope the delivery is going well!
 
Good luck NB!! I hope everything is going swimmingly!!

ChinaCat- Too funny! Also, I am in Houston. I''m sorry, I didn''t get to reply to you on the earlier page, but I will definitely be asking for your advice now that you have offered! Thank you!
 
GO NOVEMBER!!! *waves cheerleader pompoms* I hope everything is going well.
 
November--good luck girl! Hope everything goes wonderfully!


Hi preggies
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--hope everyone is doing well. I am still reading but don''t have much to contribute. Just around 10 weeks and still feeling pretty icky. Had my first midi appnt and i love her so that''s good. The care is superb (1.5 hour appnts, 6 home visits in the postpartum period, full access to an OB & all testing if needed or requested, choice of place of birth etc. all covered by public health care!) We are planning a home birth with 2 attending midwives and an assistant. I am pretty excited about this so i am just hoping for an uneventful pregnancy like the last.


Re: Kegels: DO EM! Seriously, i was really good about it last pregnancy and those muscles got so strong, but it was like instantly after the birth they died
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. It was almost as if all the work i did was erased with the pushing. However i had a very quick and intense pushing stage and an 8.8 lb baby so it was a lot of stress on the PF-muscles. I had incontinence issues for a few weeks after and things still don''t feel the same so my OB said if i hadn''t have been in such good shape in that region, the damage would have been waaay worse. so my PSA--just do the kegels. They get easier & less annoying the stronger you get!

Re: Coping with Pain: if anyone plans to go natural, i found that the bradley method really helped (i just read the books), The visualization, coupled with knowing and understanding what my body was doing (and thus not being afraid or trying to run from the pain) was key for me. I don''t think i would have been able to go drug-free if i didn''t have all that in back of my mind. Mind you, i remember cursing the books thinking they totally underestimated how bad it would be--but at least i''ll know for this time
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november - yay!! good luck!!
 
Jcrow, how are you doing?! Any new updates?!
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I love hearing your updates bc we're pretty much at the exact same place.
 
Mara
Thanks for the warm welcome. I am glad to hear your 28th week appt went well. I remember when you first announced on the boards that you were pregnant.
Steph 72276
Thanks for the dust ļ
Anchor
Thanks for the good wishes
DRK
Thank for the wishes. I am trying to pack on the weight, in a healthy way. I have always been an excellent eater and despite being a light weight, my favorite activities is eating a yummy meal. Since getting pregnant my desire to eat anything has completely left me¡K..its so strange.
However, last night I had a craving for one of my mom¡¦s yummy Spanish dishes. She made it for me and I really chowed down.
SHA
Hi! Nice to you meet you too! Yes starting next week, it ¡¥s ultrasounds 2x per week. Crazy right? (but honestly, if I had to go in daily, I would do it with a smile on my face). If this wasn¡¦t our first pregnancy, I would have a very hard time finding child care for all of my upcoming appointments!
Also, Mo/Mo means they share the same sac and same placenta.
November
 Yay¡K.hope all goes well!

And as a side note....today, I actually have a little ittty bitty baby bump...i think Im going to have to start posting some pictures....
 
Yay November!! Good luck!

Amber~Congrats on getting the crib together!

luvinlife~Welcome! Congrats on your pregnancy!

Re meds other than epi: I had something through my IV right before I got my epi because I''m terrified of needles. Totally took the edge off and made the whole thing actually easy.
 
Date: 11/12/2009 10:54:17 AM
Author: meresal
Jcrow, how are you doing?! Any new updates?!
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I love hearing your updates bc we''re pretty much at the exact same place.
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hum, no exciting updates. had another appointment monday but they just asked if i had any questions and i heard the heartbeat and i was on my way. i did schedule my next appt. that''s the big gender reveal appointment. i''m pretty nervous for some reason to find out what we''re having. i''d love to do something fun to reveal the gender but our families don''t live too close. my family is 6 hours away and his is 2-3 hours away. i thought about waiting and revealing for christmas, but i don''t know if i can hold out that long. plus i think we''ll only be visiting my family for christmas and visiting his family for thanksgiving. i sent out baby bump announcements to our immediate family to reveal our baby news. maybe i''ll design + print cards that will reveal the gender and send them out?

how are you doing?
 
LL - I had my high-risk appointment yesterday. They have a big board with baby photos on it, and there was one set of photos sent in for about 4-5 year old girls who were MoMo twins, born at 30+5 or something. They looked nice and big and healthy! If you develop twin-to-twin transfusion, at least with twice weekly ultrasounds, they''ll pick it up early and figure out the best time for laser surgery to fix it. And later, from what I gather, it''s just a matter of finding the best time for delivery for best devlopment and to reduce the risk of cord accident. Sounds like they''ve got a good plan to keep you very closely monitored. And maybe you''ll still get lucky and they''ll see a membrane in the next couple weeks. I think I remember reading somewhere that it shos up best at the 11-13 week stage?

Hope you''re holding a lovely baby already November!
 
More dust to all you pretty mamas!

*******IT''S KEGEL TIME!!!*******


Do 5 sets of 5 quick reps today, ladies!

That includes you, ChinaCat!!!

Push it!!!!
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