PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Sha]

Just popping in to say a quick hi!

Hope everybody is having a good day so far.

Mandy and Fiery - sorry to hear about the MIL and sleep troubles.

Ginger - happy to hear it''s not cancer! Sorry about the abcess, though.

 

[steph72276]

Good morning! We are having a great day here. Just went for a nice walk/jog with E in his new stroller, I love it! I put it together myself yesterday...Adam was super proud (I didn''t mention that it didn''t even require tools!). I think it is perfect for what I need it for. A''s school next year is a 10 min. walk from my house all on sidewalk, so it will be great to walk him instead of going through the carpool line. So thanks to Mara and Mandi for the suggestion! I''m doing a lot of Spring cleaning/organizing around here, so I might not be on lots this week, so I hope everyone has a great week!


Layney, thank you...I do luv his fat baby cheeks! Glad O is doing better.

Fiery, S look so grown up in her little chair. She''s adorable!

Tao, your E is so cute with his dad!

Mara, we have a PBK bumper too and E scoots way up to the top corner, so we had to remove it. I thought about putting it back on every morning, but realized that made me a nutso!

Sabine, yea for entertaining J while getting exercise. Andrew used to jump on my back and laugh while I did yoga, didn''t get much done that way!

MTJ, glad things are better for J and that you got to go home. Hugs!

TGal, LOL at the mental institution look. Pretty soon it will be time for a big girl bed though and you can get a really cute one!

Amber, think I told you before, but LOVE the new haircut! I really need mine cut short for the summer. I''m sure you''re loving it!

Vesper, lots of labor vibes!

Anchor, sorry about the feeding issue.

Kimi, sorry for the sleep and feeding issues. Hope it all gets worked out soon! These first few months are the hardest, but it does get easier.

Ginger, thank goodness for no cancer. I hope you feel better soon and hope the nanny issue also gets straightened out so you can breath a little easier. Thinking of you!

Mandi, LOL at hating their loveys!

Pandora, super cute pic of Miss D with her watermelon! Yummy, that sounds good...the boys are trying to grow one in our garden, but who knows if it will turn out or not.

PG, oh no for getting peed on...that''s a constant worry with a boy b/c it goes all over...I''ve learned to be really quick! Yea for oatmeal!

LL, LOL at the fauxhawk...too cute!

Viz, glad you guys are starting to get a few hours of sleep. I need to go get a sling..what kind do you have?

CC, Oh no for a fever, poor baby!

MP, sounds like you and baby are doing well. Yea for 4 hour chunks!!!

Hi, Charbie luvinlife, Blen, QT, Dreamer, Ilovecarats, DRK, CDT, Sha, Bella and anyone else I might have missed!

 

[fieryred33143]

Anchor-glad you got a plan from your pedi! Sounds like it''s a good one too.

Ginger-ok you are my new bfing hero! And I just want to send you some big hugs. With regards to the bfing, you do whatever it is that makes you feel happy whether that''s feeding from one side, both sides, or no sides at all. As for the childcare, I''m so sorry to hear about the troubles. If only we could all go back to work without having to worry about the childcare situation

. Hopefully you find someone that you love. Can DH take a week off from work to give you some more time to search for someone?

Viz-***Reassurance*** lol. Babies do weird things. Hand flapping out of excitement is one of them and he''ll most likely continue to do it until he learns (or gets interested in) how to do something else to signal his excitement like clap, point, or scream. As I mentioned before, Sophia did the same thing. She would put both arms up in the air and start flapping out of excitement, being happy, or being upset. Pretty much whenever she wanted to show some sort of emotion. Now it''s replaced by other signs. Like when she''s excited, she points, squeals, and looks up to show me what she finds so interesting. When she''s happy about something, she claps and when she''s upset or doesn''t want something she shakes her head ''no.'' Hand flapping can be a sign of autism but it''s not by itself. And from my understanding, because I also consulted Dr. Google when I was worried about it too

, the hand flapping is usually something they do all the time as if they aren''t interested in doing anything else but sit there and flap their arms mostly because autistic children like things done in repetition. It''s not something that is done only in excitement.

I also think the reason why they don''t usually screen for or diagnose autism in babies is because much of that behavior is normal and the clearer signs don''t come until a much older age.

 

[taovandel]

Quick stop by..

Mandy..Evan is a tummy sleeper...I find that he will wake up because he can''t get back into his comfy spot...now that I know his spot in the crib, I just pull him over to it. I wouldn''t flip him back over..or I would do like Fiery did...put him down already on his belly...

 

[vizsla]

FIERY!!! i heart you!
thank you gonna copy and paste your reply in an email to DH

 

[Mandarine]

Oh Ginger...I'm so sorry you are feeling down. But CONGRATS that it's not cancer!. I am sure this is just very hard for you, but just know that the MOST important thing for the LO is that mommy is ok...and you will be ok and get through this. We're here if you need to vent (and OMG what is wrong with some family members!!!??)

Fiery and Viz Thank you!!! I like the idea of starting him out in his tummy to see what he does!!!. I think once he figures out that it's OK to sleep on his tummy then he'll go back to normal.. (I hope so anyway!).

Steph yay for the new stroller!!! Saw the pic and I love it! It's just such a cute stroller!!!!!

Re: jogging Just went out for a jog myself (solo) and I REALLY need to make the time to have a more consistent routine. Every time I run I realize how much I miss it.

Anchor I'm late to chiming in on the formula stuff, but we never sterilized. I pop all the bottles in the dishwasher and sue a free/clear dishwashing soap. I also never warmed bottles, they get their formula at room temperature.

MP Maybe you'll skip the end of the babymoon! I hope so!!! Sounds like he's doing great!


Amber lol...you just crack me up.

China sorry about O's fever

Hope he's better today!!!. Some of the girls on my twin group said Motrin worked better for them than tylenol...

Mara It's hard to know when the right-right time is. Because well, inevitable one is ready before the other one....but I have to put them both down at the same time or else they would really be all over the place in terms of schedule!. If anything I think we might be putting them down too soon?. I'm not sure. I have tried both ways (letting them stay up a bit longer to get more tired, or putting them down earlier) and it really seems like it's just luck sometimes. Today Alex didn't even make a peep for his first nap. I don't know...my babies are just a little nutso!

Viz, re: hand flapping You crazy woman you. ALL babies do this! At least all babies I have met!. When Lucas gets happy I swear he's going to start flapping up in the air. He goes so fast he can't be far from flying away!!!!. C is just happy! (or upset...but my guys mostly do it when they're happy!).


ETA: Tao, thanks!!! I like that idea. Let's see what Lucas does for his next nap....right now they're out napping in the stroller with the babysitter. They always go for a walk with her and I know they should probably just nap in their cribs, but it's good for them to be outside too...and this way I get some real quiet time in the house!

 

[anchor31]

MP - Glad to see you posting! M sounds like quite the alert baby, can''t wait to see more pics.

Ginger - I''m so relieved it''s not cancer!!! It really sucks that it''s causing so much BFing issues though, after all your hard work.

And WTH is wrong with people?! I''m sorry, but telling you that you are abusing/starving/killing your child is never ok and such things are not said out of love. The people who say those things are the abusive ones.

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 4/27/2010 11:30:50 AM
Author: vizsla
FIERY!!! i heart you!
thank you gonna copy and paste your reply in an email to DH

You can tell him that I''m taking a poll on another mommy site and so far out of 65 moms, 44 said their babies are doing this now, 12 say they did at one point but are now doing other things, and the rest are lying (j/k about that last part).

lolololol!

 

[Mara]

ginger, yay for no cancer but boo on everything else!! you poor thing. i wish RPS was here to offer some advice but i thought she told me in some previous post that if i just fed J off of one boob and let the other dry up that my supply would adjust, meaning that i thought that the one boob i did feed him off of would produce enough to cover both? it''s not ideal at all, your boobs would be lopsided too hehee...but maybe you can google it OR ask an LC at your hospital? because that might be a way to let the bb dry up and still hopefully get enough. also, i think you are EBF right? but mixed feeding really is pretty cool...i produce what i can for J and then the formula makes up the rest. i am never stressed about supply and he is happy to eat as much as he wants. win win...anyway just a suggestion in case things get really rough. and you are so right about perspective. btw...can i just say you are amazing to produce 40oz in one day!! i know i never quite got aggressive with upping J''s bb feeding/increasing supply because we were doing mixed and i was fine with it but i produce only about ~20oz. my gf''s 5 month old eats 45oz in one day and i was like omg we could never keep up with J that way.

mp, glad to see you guys are doing ok! J slept in 3-4 hour stretches almost from day one and we just let him. he was back to birth weight within 4 days anyway. also so funny but he was crazy alert super early too. and he has stayed th5t way. when i see other babies his age they seem like playdough, its so funny, and he is like super squirmy, kicking, flaily, verbal, interested in the world. he sleeps great at night but hates napping during the day and has done that since almost week 4. so i just try to get 2 one hour naps out of him during the day and make sure he gets his long stretches at night. when he was born they brought him up and put him on me and the first thing he did was hold his head up and look at us. he only has gotten stronger, it''s pretty funny...get ready to try to contain M !!

viz, re hand flailing, awww... i am sure it''s nothing. i tend to agree with fiery..and not to freak you out but i try to remind myself that typically they don''t diagnose autism so early...babies are just crazy with their limbs regardless! J is the same way. and for a little while i was a little freaked out, also because if we went to caress his head with our hand or kiss him he''d shy away...but now i can pet his head and give him kisses and he is totally fine.

steph, yay for the stroller! so glad you guys like it. i am still in major love with ours. and lol i thought about that for the bumper too and then thought ''ok crazy mom''...hehee. so its in the closet for now and i am so glad i moved it because every night J travels all over the crib. he has just started turning himself 360 degrees. it cracks me up! the kid is a magician.

pg...so funny on a prev page you said that C is 13lbs and you called her your big girl at 6 months...i had to laugh because my friend''s 5 month old is almost 17lbs. she has mega rolls!!! hehee. she is my new ''100%''.

cc...i am freaked about mastitis, i am amazed i havent gotten it yet (knock on wood) since almost everyone i know has had it at least once. it will prob hit me when i am weaning.

mand... yeah i hear you re the naps being hit or miss, it''s the same way over here. sometimes its so easy and other times it''s just not happening.

i know i missed a lot of people, sorry, i am kind of tired today. G has been sick the last few days so we are switching off sleeping on the couch so that the other can get rest and not get sick. i was doing pretty well but this morning after my couch night i went into the bedroom to sleep after he left for work and i started getting scratchy throat and stuffed nose. it could be allergies too as they are so bad right now here, but i don''t know. and i am so paranoid about getting sick before Maui AND getting J sick and then handing him off to my MOM for 4 days. which would totally stress me out. ugh. so i am taking airborne and vit C and all that to try to fight it...but J was kind of restless last nite so i didn''t get quite as much sleep as usual and i feel it today. viz i have no idea how you manage on so little sleep with so many wakeups. i am just junk if i don''t get sleep.

anyway i just pumped and he just went down after his morning bottle so i am going to try to grab another hour before someone wakes up.

 

[ChinaCat]

GINGER- Wow. First and most importantly, the good news is that it''s NOT cancer. Let''s celebrate that for a moment. Second, can''t believe anyone would say that to a new mom. Third, on the BF thing, why don''t you take a break from deciding for a day or so and see how you feel about it. I totally get not wanting to give up, but OTOH, sometimes things are out of our control. You are an AMAZING mom for pushing through despite being told you couldn''t BF (and btw, the size of your IBT has nothing to do with it, that''s ridiculous). But IF you need to stop due to health issues and work, A WILL be fine, in fact he will be GREAT. Formula may not be your first choice, but it''s a CHOICE and A will be just as loved with formula as with BM. Third, on the childcare thing, I may have a lead for you. I will send you a message in a bit.

Interesting that it''s "un-PC" to tell a new mom to stop BF, but it''s ok to schedule you such that BF/pumping is impossible while at work. Pretty big disconnect there.

Mandarine- When they learn new tricks, they practice them in their sleep and often this wakes them up. It usually only lasted a few days with O. Just when I thought I was going to pull my hair out and pulled out the CIO books, he would go back to STTN. Sucks that the boys may not do it at the same time, but know that it''s NOT permanent! And O has been a belly sleeper since he was unswaddled and started rolling over- like 4.5 or 5 months? My pedi said as long as they can roll over on their own and have good head control, if they roll onto their bellies, let them. I put O down on his back but he NEVER stays there. Oh and on the Tylenol thing, we do give him Motrin as well, but my pedi said Tylenol is better for fever, FWIW.

Ok, quickly:

Lactation Rooms- Apparently in the health care reform there is some requirement that all companies that have a certain amount of employees have to provide a lactation room and it can''t be a bathroom. Here is a link discussing it:
http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Lactation-Rooms-Provided-For-New-Moms/6ZuMAWGO30KyVZPp5FYdSQ.cspx

Rubber Ducky Tubs- Pandora and whoever else was asking, I found one on Amazon. Fiery, Lysser- Is this the same one?
http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-White-Hot-Inflatable-Duck/dp/B000066665/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1Z9S66ADP2ZRD&colid=17RWG8VQA5DXM

O is much better now, fever broke yesterday and he is his happy self and slept all night last night. Of course he did since my DH said he''d get up with him. Oh well, just happy he''s sleeping again! And yes, I know one night of getting up isn''t that bad, but with my work schedule it''s miserable. Again VIZ you are my hero and super-mom for being able to work and not sleep.

Ok so my mini-confession is that I keep singing "Rude Boy" to O. Sometimes I run out of kiddie songs and just sing whatever is in my head. Normally it''s appropriate (Willie Nelson, Grateful Dead, Madonna, anything I know all the words to). But lately it''s Rude Boy. And something about singing "Come on rude rude boy, can you get it up?" feels slightly inappropriate to sing to my son.

But he loves when I sing the "giddy-up giddy-up giddy-up now" part.

Ok, going to try and attach a few pics. All I have is ones from my blackberry, so not great quality. Let''s see if that works.

 

[ChinaCat]

Ok here''s one of O in the bath. The only time he is quiet and "zones" out.

 

[ChinaCat]

In his new hat I had to buy b/c I went to the park with a friend and her son had a hat AND sunscreen and I had neither. Bad mom.

 

[ChinaCat]

His new fave thing, going up and down stairs. Headfirst if we''d let him. (We don''t).

 

[ChinaCat]

And last one. My current fave pic of O, chilling in his stroller, feet up.

 

[lovelylulu]

love all of the cuteness on this thread

quick question moms - I still have a while yet before I'm due, however, I'm thinking more about it and I was wondering if you wanted to pass along the one thing (or things) that you wished you knew before going into labor?

many thanks

 

[vizsla]

Date: 4/27/2010 11:57:56 AM
Author: fiery

Date: 4/27/2010 11:30:50 AM

Author: vizsla

FIERY!!! i heart you!

thank you gonna copy and paste your reply in an email to DH

You can tell him that I'm taking a poll on another mommy site and so far out of 65 moms, 44 said their babies are doing this now, 12 say they did at one point but are now doing other things, and the rest are lying (j/k about that last part).


lolololol!

hahahahaha! done and DONE!
every day when i check the computer history yes, i want to know what DH has been surfing thru ..
(it's mostly bikes and weird construction materials) buuuuut for the past few days "the 'a' word" has been peppered in his history... he started making me a doubter.... hahahaha fiery... heart you even more

mara - where are you staying in maui? my uncle lives there and our family tries to go as much as possible.. kinda hard being on the east coast, but we've made it a priority to have our family reunions there i love it there!!

cc - i totally missed that O had a fever... sick babies are the worst.. so hard to go to work and leave them.. particularly when they are extra clingy when they are sick. glad he is feeling better!!! hahahaha about the music... C ONLY reacts happily when we play 'adult' music.. in fact his favorite band (no joke) is 'my morning jacket'.. he loves himself some jim james. must be his voice. i like playing 'real' music for him anyway.. i thought something about the complex music structures help build synapses or something... i'm probably totally making that up.
re: getting up.. yeah, his frequent night wakings is A numero uno reason why he sleeps with us.. as much as he is up i couldn't fathom actually getting out of bed and making a bottle and feeding him or getting out of bed to comfort him. i can do most tasks half asleep now - which helps, but about 3 nights out of 7 when i get up at.. say... 2 or something... my brain just starts racing and i can't go back to sleep... i have C induced insomnia...

oh re: motrin.. unsolicited PSA coming your way:....ibuprofen has been shown to cause stomach and bowels bleeding and/or cause/exacerbate colitis. i know the dosage is very low for babies but this disease hits home for me so i feel like i should just give my little unsolicited PSA about how no bueno ibuprofen is for adults (and babies)

ETA: CC-- I LOVE ME SOME O!!! i want those lips! he is a serious heartbreaker..

 

[so cal girl]

Date: 4/27/2010 9:54:05 AM
Author: Mandarine
Well...so does anyone have belly sleepers? did it take them a while to figure out THAT was what they wanted to do?

I think China hit the nail on the head. Lucas learned this new trick (rolling on his belly) and now he can''t sleep due to his new super skill.

Last night we put them down (I had my DH put Lucas down and had him be the one checking. The boys know I''m weak. They know dad is not

Anyway, after a bit of crying (like 15 minutes), he got quiet. We went to check and he was sleeping on his tummy!!!. He woke up like 15 minutes later, cried, DH turned him over and he fell sleep. Until 5 am. Then he started rolling, crying, etc...

Then this morning for naps, I put him in the PNP in my room. After like 15 minutes of fussing (not really crying), he got quiet, I went in and he was sleep in his tummy again.

I went for a run and the babysitter told me he only slept like 20 minutes (normal for him), but woke up crying in his tummy and obviously still tired.

So I think he REALLY just wants to sleep on his tummy, but when he wakes up and realizes he''s on his tummy, then it freaks him out. So maybe he just needs a few times to get used to it?. So I''m not rolling him over (because I know he knows hot to roll belly to back)...and I''m letting him cry until he finds a comfy position (unless of course he is stuck on the crib!). I should get the breathable bumpers in the mail this week...so that will give me peace of min...

Alex went down easy last night and this morning...I think he was just off yesterday due to his brother crying.

Thank you all for your comments. I know that these things just happen...it''s just hard when you have two to figure out what to do so you don''t mess up the other babies habits you know?. Like poor Alex, he was so tired last night and his brother kept crying...and this morning he got woken up at 5am because his brother just HAD to roll!. Hopefully after a few days Lucas figures things out and if he''s a belly sleeper then so be it! he''s old enough where I don''t think it''s a problem..

Mandy - E had the same problem when he first started rolling over. He would roll over the second we put him down and then get pissed off that he was on his tummy. After a couple of times of just leaving him like that until he fell asleep, I think he realized that he likes it. He now ONLY sleeps on his tummy. That is, when he sleeps

For the last month almost he has been waking up at least once a night, sometimes twice. Nothing will settle him down, and we end up having to bring him in bed with us. He is just starting to get over his cold, and I am still waiting for his first tooth to come in, but I don''t know how much longer I can handle this. He will be 7 months old this week. I never thought that we would still be having this struggle at 7 months. Especially since he STTN for a while from 4-5 months. Okay, whine over.

Ginger - I''m so glad it''s not cancer. The rest of it sucks, but nearly as much as cancer would suck. I am so sorry you may have to let the milk dry up in the one breast. Whatever you decide, you have done an amazing job so far. I can''t believe that people say those sort of things to mothers. It just makes me so angry!

China - Super cute pics!

We just got E''s 6 month pics. They are fantastic! We are doing a baby''s first year package with my wedding photographer, so we did newborn, 6 months, and then he will have another set at 1 year. It was expensive, but I am really happy we decided to do them. If you are my friend on FB, I put a link to the video of some of the pics there.

Also, today before I left for work, E started clapping his hands. It was the cutest freakin'' thing! I would clap at him and he would smile and start banging his hands together. God, I love that kid. I just wish he would sleep!

 

[vizsla]

so cal i was juuuuuust thinking about you...
sorry E is regressing... C is always a bear when he has a ear infection.. i know you said he was just getting over a cold... just something that can throw off sleeping.

it''s hard, for sure - but i keep trying to tell myself that C''s not going to even want me in his room in 10 or 13 years so the fact that he wants to sleep with me now is A-OK

((hugs))

 

[fieryred33143]

China-Love the pictures of O

. He''s such a boy. I have no way else to explain it. He looks like a little boy in his stroller hanging out with his feet up. Love it!

Socal-Will you share some of E''s pics

. Sorry about the sleep regression. Hopefully it''ll pass soon!

Viz-144, 118 said yes

.

Lulu-Congrats again on the pregnancy and yay for another team pink soon to join! We have lots of boys here

Not sure what you are looking for exactly. Do you want some labor signs or just general notes?

These are some of the things I wish I knew in no particular order, just as they pop into my head:

-Speak up. I didn''t talk much during my labor and just kind of went with the flow. I wish I had asked questions like why can''t I sit up in bed (to ease the contractions), why do I have to stay here (as opposed to laboring a little more at home), why am I being induced, etc. I was just so overwhelmed.

-If you are not planning for an epidural, make sure that a) your hospital allows you to walk around with little monitoring and b) your labor nurse understands that''s what you want to do. Going through contractions while strapped on to a bed is SO painful. When I was given pitocin, they made me lay down. The only time I felt like the contractions were manageable was when I sat down to get the epidural. At that point I thought, hey getting through that one wasn''t so bad. If only they let me at least sit while I was there.

-I know this is probably not something people discuss but if you ARE planning on getting an epidural, get it right away and SLEEP. Don''t watch TV. Don''t play video games. Don''t chat. SLEEP! LOL (totally just my experience though

)

-I wish I knew how drugged out epidurals make you feel. Some people have a great experience with it and while mine wiped away all the pain (

), I could not focus on anything. I don''t know if it was because I was awake for 30 hours before getting the epi. All I know is that I felt really, really out of it. I slept in between pushing, slept while my OB pushed on my belly to deliver the placenta, and then was in a fog until a few hours after labor.

-Speaking of being out of it, make sure someone is on camera duty!! The first few moments with LO is beautiful but overwhelming. With DD I remember looking at her face while everyone else, including FI, was a complete blur. I didn''t think to tell FI to snap photos, he was in a fog looking at DD as well so he didn''t think about it while in the moment. He didn''t take photos until they took DD to do all of their newborn procedures. I really wish someone had captured that moment when they placed DD in my arms, even if it would have been a photo for my eyes only. The image is forever burned into my memory though

. And make sure someone is taking notes!

-Also, not really labor related but once you hit 36 weeks slow down. If things aren''t done around the house or the nursery isn''t totally complete, don''t stress it. Take that time to just relax, sleep (as much as you can in 3rd tri), have some alone time with DH (dinners, movies, walks, etc). All that other stuff will get done and as long as the important stuff is done (i.e. the house isn''t falling apart and the baby has a place to sleep) everything else is just nice-to-have.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Lulu, I have to say a BIG ditto to everything fiery said - don''t be afraid to make demands, it IS your body after all and only you know what is happening to it despite how much the doctors think they know the correct course. I kept asking for a c-section for the last 4 or 5 hours of my labor and they kept trying to evade the topic until I was screaming. Also, ask if they have a protocol - meaning they have to try a certain amount of things before they will give an epi, let you walk, give you a c-section, ect. My hospital did, and they had to literally try every possible route before a c-section. That was the bane of my existence at the time, let me tell you.

Ginger, I''m so glad it''s not cancer, but ouch on the abcess

That just sounds painful. Would it be possible to let that bb dry up and then try again with it once the infection is cleared?

 

[so cal girl]

Thanks for thinking of me viz! I seriously am in awe of how you have dealt with C''s sleeping. I get so cranky after E wakes up even twice a night. I am hoping he gets better after this cold goes away. I was seriously in tears this morning because he was just screaming and I have no idea how to get him to stop. It makes me feel like such a bad mom

Okay fiery, just for you, here is a link to some of E''s pics.
Eli at 6 months

 

[steph72276]

Not to be an enabler, but Gymbucks start today. I''m going shopping for some shorts for A because he''s grown so much he can''t wear his from the fall. I''m sure E will get a few things too

 

[Mara]

lulu things i wish i knew, regarding labor and delivery i suppose and the days in the hospital...!

ditto fiery re: having someone take photos. you and DH are not going to be thinking about that in the first few minutes at all. thankfully i had G get the camera and take some photos once they started the newborn procedures but for the first 15-30 min when he was on my chest and we were cooing to him would have been wonderful for the memory book.

ditto also re: how out of it the epi makes you feel. sure it takes the pain away but it took EVERY other sense of feeling too AND all the drugs in general (i had IV drugs too) plus the adrenaline and your own hormones raging just made me feel really out of it, sick to my stomach (nausea), headachey etc. i just did not feel right, it''s not like i got the epi was like ''oh great lets play some cards and watch some TV''...i was just laying there in this strage stupor haha.

for me also how quickly the time passes in the hospital is surreal. it''s like you are in a time warp... we entered at i think 3pm and birthed at 2am and it felt SO incredibly fast even though it was just shy of 12 hours. i always thought ''holy crap so and so was in labor for 24 hours'' but with everything going on you are just so overwhelmed by it all.

one other thing is how much the nurses and everyone will be checking on you both during labor and after birth. it was hard to get any sleep at all because they''d be in there checking me every hour during labor and then after birth they have to come in and check you all the time (w/vag birth anyway) to make sure you are not bleeding too much, that the uterus is tightening and contracting as it should etc. i had like 5 doctors in there in the first 12 hours all checking me repeatedly then the nurses would too. and it was their protocol, having people check and double check.

don''t be afraid to ask questions...both during labor and after birth too. the nurses may not think to tell you what they are doing and why because they do it 100 times a day for everyone but it''s your body so if you have a question, ask it.

i didn''t know just how involved my husband would be with the birth. when it was time to push the nurse just told him to grab a leg. it wasn''t like ''oh how do you want to be involved, just verbal coach or...''...it was ''get the leg and lets go''. i am glad that he didn''t have an issue with it nor did i, but some guys may not want to be front and center to all the action, hehee. so i would ask about that if you want to know what their protocols are for getting hubs involved AND if they intend to have someone else help you and he doesn''t want to then maybe a mom or something.

one other thing for us..and it may depend on hospital but the Dr who delivered J didn''t even come in until almost the end. the nurses got us most of the way there and then they get the Dr. this is why i''m glad i didn''t really care that my OB wouldn''t be delivering me because she really only would have been there for the last 15 min anyway.

above all, try to relax. i know it''s easier said than done, trust me but your body WILL do its job one way or another and the baby will be there before you know it. i almost wish i could replay it all in my mind because it all seems so surreal now.

_____

CC i love the pic of O in the tub lol!! J is like a flapping little duck in his...calm? no way!

so i slept 2 more hours and could have slept more but J was waking up so i figured i''d eat and get ready for him to b eup. well he went back to sleep. thanks boy! hehee.

when i stuck his paci in though i thought he seemed a wee bit congested. i am really hoping he is not sick.

 

[lovelylulu]

a huge thank you for the responses to my pretty vague and open-ended question. This is exactly the kind of stuff that I was hoping for - the things that might not be so frequently discussed and that you might realize only after it''s all over. I am taking notes

 

[Sha]

lulu - ditto about taking photos! I wish I had taken some pre-delivery/labour shots and some when my baby was born - but we just didn''t think of it.

Make sure you gets LOTS of sleep and rest in the week leading up to your due date, because it''ll be in short supply afterwards! Pretty much from labour onwards. It''s difficult to get sleep in the hospital as the nurses really do check you a lot. I would also suggest doing a general pampering in the weeks leading up to your delivery....maybe a facial or foot & body massage etc.

 

[TravelingGal]

Just stopping by to say to Ginger: I am so glad it''s not cancer, and wanted to give you hugs for all you are going through.

 

[anchor31]

lulu - The advice I would give you according to my own experience is to trust your instincts. The triage nurse wanted to send me home because my contractions were not getting closer than 5 minutes apart, but I knew it in my gut that I was in fact in active labour. My contractions never got closer together, as a matter of fact, and if I''d done what she wanted, I''d have given birth at home unassisted!

Also, go with the flow, and don''t get too disappointed if things don''t go the way you would have liked. Don''t let doctors or nurses pressure you into anything, and don''t be afraid to make demands (ie: you don''t want to use stirrups/want to be in an upright position to push? Speak up!). It''s your body, your labour.

One thing I wish I''d known was to ask more questions during my stay after the birth. It seems like it''s never the same nurse who comes to check up on you and the LO, it gets confusing and sometime you only get half the info. Also, if you plan on BFing... if you can stay in the hospital until after your milk comes in, do it. Otherwise, make sure someone comes to your house to help you with it 2 days or so after you''ve been sent home. They like to tell you it''s easy and pain-free, but not a lot of people here would agree!

 

[curlygirl]

ginger, just jumping in as well to say I''m relieved that it''s not cancer. Sorry for all the other stuff you''re going through. Hang in there.

lulu, you got lots of great advice here! I agree with sleeping/resting after you get the epidural. Also, DH and I are kind of wimpy so he already knew he would not be cutting the umbilical cord and I asked for them to show me the baby but then clean her before giving her to me--personal choice but something to keep in mind! I''ll also mention sending the baby to the nursery at night so you can try to get some sleep.

 

[snlee]

Date: 4/27/2010 4:37:27 PM
Author: curlygirl
ginger, just jumping in as well to say I''m relieved that it''s not cancer. Sorry for all the other stuff you''re going through. Hang in there.

Ditto. Hugs.

 

[Blenheim]

Just got home from work and G wants to play, so all I'm going to post is this-

VIZ - What did the abcess feel like? I still have the clogged ducts and it's been a week now. Jack Newman says they should normally resolve w/in 24-48 hours. I went to the doc today who told me that they're plugged ducts, but she couldn't answer any of my questions about why they're still there with a full week of home treatment or how to get them to go away so I don't feel 100% confident in her. I haven't been heating/icing at work b/c I'm in a cubicle and feel exposed, but maybe I need to suck it up. Coworker next to me was talking loudly on the phone today about all of the symptoms of her yeast infection, so I'll still be less ridic than her, right??'
Any other ideas??!

ETA- She told me that if it were an abcess then my skin would be really red and hot, which it's not. Was this your experience? Anything I should look out for, based on what you went through?