November 06 Mommies ~ The Babies are Arriving!!!

[Rancid13]

Neenbean~ Thanks for the advice! My coworkers are convinced my doc wants to do an induction for her own sake/schedule. You know, like to avoid getting a call in the middle of the night (or middle of Thanksgiving dinner), considering that my bp is only borderline high and I have NO other 'symptoms'. But I must admit, the more I think about the possibility of being induced, the more it appeals to the planner in me. Just the thought of knowing when I'll be heading to the hospital to get L&D started rather than being taken by total surprise (I hate surprises!!) and being able to plan out a fun "last meal" to eat en route. But another part of me wants this baby to come out on his own schedule, assuming it's safe for him to do so (ie: no pre-e or PIH symptoms, fetal distress, etc.).

[lml41981]

Congratulations to BethIrish!!! :D :D :D

The rest, I'll leave for her to announce. ;)

[EJH]

Just popping in to say congrats to Beth :D .

[kadee_29]

Here is a picture of Matthew. One of the rare times that he is awake and not screaming. I have a few others in my LJ and a bazillion more to upload.

http://static.flickr.com/104/293276057_ae2117f1a4.jpg?v=0

[Lizzie Beth]

Ellidew & Kadee, Miles and Matthew are adorable. Now I want a boy, too!!! (But then that means I have to do all this crap again....I'll think about that LATER...)

Rancid - I'm sorry to hear about your feeling pushed into an induction, but it sounds like you're really giving your options a lot of consideration... If I don't go this weekend, I'm probably going to be induced early next week, even though my due date isn't until the 21st. But I have the benefit of prior experience to know that my plumbing just doesn't accomodate a large baby, (DD was 6 lbs even, and even with a major episiotomy, we just barely got her out before they were going to do a C) and I don't want to push it so far that I have to get a c-section. My DH really thought that the induction idea is strange or somehow just more convenient for me and the Dr., but I think it's just his knee-jerk reaction. The more he realizes a C-sec is a definite possiblity, the more he goes for the induction idea. Which is completely irrelevant to your situation.. :rolleyes:

I'd not worry too much about the coworker opinions, everybody loves to slam on doctors and scheduled inductions and c-sections these days. And pregnant women drinking caffeine, and gasp! eating deli meat.. For me, I am extremely comfortable with my Dr. and relying on her judgment and experience. But when I ask her a question, she gives me a thoughtful, balanced answer and doesn't rush me at all. And she seems to respect my judgment, too. So if it were me, I'd wait for the labs to come out, talk induction with the Dr. and ask if she has any reasons other than the BP that make her lean toward induction. If she seemed hurried or evasive, I'd second-guess her. And what's the deal with the due date change, anyway. Any possibility that could be off?


Neen-
Wait, we are required to have another HIV test at 36 weeks in NY???? Do they think all pregnant ladies are out street walking? How come my doc didn't mention this?! I guess she knows they will do it anyway on surgery day, so why bother, I guess.

Well, I guess some of them apparently are. Or their husbands are getting it at home and elsewhere... And do YOU sterilize your crack needles every time you borrow them from somebody else?? ;) (But my reaction was exactly the same...) My Dr. told me that if they didn't take the HIV test from me at 36 weeks, they'd have to do an additional test on the baby... It's evidently a brand spankin' new law.. You'd think there'd be a big announcement in the baby-doctor newsletter, but you'd be surprised. I'm an assistant DA and they changed a law recently about expiration dates on restraining orders, (something we do every.single.day.) and none of us heard anything about it until 2 months later.

I am nesting like a crazy woman. I've gotten more done at home in the past week than in the last three years combined. I got up with my DH at 5:30am for work and made him a sandwich. (This is something I do NOT ever do...I offered to make him breakfast, but he declined - I think he saw it as having greta potential as one of the seven signs of the apocalypse) I have a list of errands to run today like you wouldn't believe, but I like it so much more than last time, when all I did was lay on the couch and be freaked out that I was going to be a mommy soon. And feeling every twinge and cramp. Hopefully today I am going to try this: www.ssbethpageny.com so that we might eat after the baby comes. Drives me nuts that everyone sends cute frilly worthless baby clothes. What happened to the time-honored tradition of feeding us????

[Peaches]

Holy babies Batman!!!!

Congrats Kyrsten and welcome Carolina

Congrats Mimieliza and welcome Miranda

Congrats ppwgal and welcome Spencer

Congrats Sinclair and welcome Corbin

Congrats ellidew and welcome Miles

Congrats brio and welcome Megan

Congrats Rubbersoul and welcome Ian (glad your DH made it in time for the birth)

Congrats Mayham and welcome Maya

Congrats Euphorhea and welcome Layla

So many babies and we are only 11 days into November! How wonderful!

Now for another pathetic attempt at SOs

Lilla Sorry there doesn't seem to be any progress for you...thinking positive labor vibes for you!

Catgirl You must be heartbroken at having to be induced. I'm sure it will be worth it in the end. It's something I have thought about, you know, what if my birth doesn't go the way I am planning, I just don't want to feel down about it but I know I will.

Sare Gosh, kidney stones and all the pain you are experiencing. You would think the Dr's would have some better ideas about helping you out?!?! I hope you get some kind of relief SOON.

Neenbean How scary to be told you have a calcifying placenta! Although it sounds like everything is going to be fine I would be freaked out if I was just told that and then that was it!

Scarlett Sorry to hear about the strep...I was never tested for it wonder if I should ask about that?

Rancid Yay for being full term. Sorry that you are feeling pressure to be induced. I can totally relate. I really don't want to be induced as it would mean giving birth in the hospital and not the birthcenter we've been attending since day 1.

Lisariv I just finished work as well. It's great to be finally done huh?

Lizzebeth That super suppers thing sounds like a great idea. Last weekend my mom helped me to make and freeze a BUNCH of meals so we don't have to think about food after the baby gets here ;)

__________________________________________________ _________

I have finally finished work, hallelujah! They surprised me on my last day with a bunch of gifts for the baby and some gift certificates for both of us as well. I also think this cold is finally on its way out, thank goodness!

I will hopefully have more time to keep caught up with this thread. We have the nursery mostly together. We spent alot of last weekend buying the last things we needed.

I also got the TENS machine that I rented to help with labor. So now I guess I am officially ready for this baby to make its appearance.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I'm sure we'll see some more babies soon :D

[scarlett74]

Ellidew, Ppwgal, Kadee, your babies are so cute!!

Peaches, here is a routine in all the cities doing the vaginal test for strep B at 36 weeks. And in the 30% of the times it's positive, like mine...
I don't know if you should ask for it. If the baby takes strep B during vaginal delivery could have risk of some infections.

[Rancid13]

Ppwgal~ I fully enjoyed reading your birth story, thanks so much for sharing it!!

Katnbug~ Wow, little Hilary sure is growing isn’t she! Sounds like she’s doing incredibly well. Here’s hoping her bb heals up sooner rather than later.

Ellidew~ That is an adorable picture of Miles!! I’m glad to hear that you are both adjusting well, and yay for a healthy baby boy!:D

Kadee~ Matthew is precious!!:D

LizzieBeth~ Thanks for the words of assurance! I just think my ob is/was being a bit overly cautious on the whole borderline high bp thing. Read my updated below for more info. I think the due date changed sometime after my first u/s, something to do about the baby’s measurements or size? Although how far along I am is still based on my LMP, therefore on Nov 30 I will be at 40w…and my belly is measuring now at a week ahead (last appt it was 2 weeks ahead, all appts before it was right on). All I know is that baby will be here sometime late Nov/early Dec…and that’s good enough for me!:)

Peaches~ Yay for being done with work!! Sounds like you’re doing great and getting everything ready for the arrival of your little one.



So, I fully blame my ob and her office for causing my high bp readings at my ob appts. :rolleyes:

I had my 2nd NST of the week yesterday at the hospital, and my bp was a record low of 110/45. I was shocked but pleasantly surprised. As I was exiting the elevator on the ground level, who should be about to get in but my ob?! She asked me how the appt went, I shared with her the low low bp (and mentioned that everything else looks good too) and she was shocked. :D I told her that she stressed me out, that was the only explanation.

I mean, if my bp is fine at the hospital when I get it read twice a week, fine at home when I test it twice a day, and fine the 3-4 times I've been to a walk-in facility in the last few months to get my itchy skin diagnosed & treated (and those were stressful days!), and high only at my (until now) monthly or every other week ob appts...what other explanation is there?!

I still show NO other "symptoms" of PIH that my doc keeps talking about and she mentioned again that she would put a call in to the hospital for my appt on Tuesday so I could get the bloodwork done. How much you wanna bet it comes back NORMAL? ;) I have a feeling that induction is not in my near future. Unless of course things take a change for the worse and my bp gets and stays high or I exhibit any other PIH or pre-e symptoms. Then I would have no issues with being induced...

[BethIrish]

Hi ladies!

Just popping in to say we're home!!

Patrick Robert was born on Thursday 11/9 at 5:38pm!! He was 7lbs 6oz and 20 3/4 inches long. Needless to say, we're in love:)

My water broke at about 3 o'clock that AM and we were at the hospital by 5am :) Labor and delivery weren't awful...I'll write more later.

Hope everyone is doing well!

[Ilovemygeek]

Just a quick post to say that Daria Lynn arrived on 11/8 at 6:40pm. She is 7lbs 7oz, 20 inches long and absolutely beautiful! I will post my story and pictures later.

[kadee_29]

Congrats BethIrish and Ilovemygeek and Welcome Patrick and Daria!!!!

[bijouparvin]

CONGRATULATIONS, BETHIRISH AND ILOVEMYGEEK AND WELCOME, PATRICK AND DARIA!!

Sheesh! It's raining babies in here!!

No news here. At my appointment on Thursday, they estimated baby's weight at around 7 lbs. Nice and average. Who knows how accurate that is, though. Everything else was normal, status quo. I'm feeling a little more irritable and fatigued if I do too much but aside from that, nothing to indicate that a human is about to emerge from my body. :rolleyes: I'm starting to think that I might end up being that final "pop!". My guess is for a Thanksgiving baby (11/23) which would only make her about six days late (I was 11 days overdue myself). Who wants to be my turkey-baby buddy?

[RubberSoul]

Congratulations BethIrish! Welcome Patrick!!!
Congratulations Ilovemygeek! Welcome Daria!!!
kadee- Matthew is sooo cute!

[lisainpink]

Bijou We share a due date- and a lack of goings on:rolleyes: .
I'll be the turkey day popper with you!

Congrats BethIrish and Ilovemygeek!!!

[bijouparvin]

Bijou We share a due date- and a lack of goings on:rolleyes: .
I'll be the turkey day popper with you!



Yay! Thanks!! ;)

[Rancid13]

Whoohoo, more babies!!


Congratulations BethIrish!! Welcome, little Patrick!!!


Congratulations Ilovemygeek!! Welcome little Daria!!!



I can't wait to hear more about your precious little bundles of joy!!!! :D


Bijouparvin~ Don't worry, you won't be last!! If I have my way I won't end up "needing" to be induced (according to my ob) and my little guy won't get here till the week after TG Day. :D

[Lizzie Beth]

Congratulations BethIrish and Ilovemygeek & welcome Patrick and Daria!!!!

Well, I'm about done with my monster to-do list... I never thought I would get this far on it, but I have pleasantly surprised myself, for once. My mom is coming up today, so it will be great to have her around, and Susie will love hanging out with Nana..

Speaking of, Susie woke up this morning at 4am, screaming her lungs out.. I guess it's growing pains or late teething..she never does this. So we let her climb into bed with us, and she chattered nonstop. I kept telling her ssshhh, Mommy and Daddy want to sleep...so eventually she got quiet, and when the cats started meowing for breakfast, Susie kept saying "Sssssshhhhh!!!!"

[acrane]

Wow - lots of babies! :D
Congrats to Rubbersoul and welcome Ian!
Congrats to Mayham and welcome Maya!
Congrats to Euphorhea and welcome Layla!
Congrats to BethIrish and welcome Patrick!
Congrats to Ilovemygeek and welcome Daria!

And the pictures prove that this group of mamas made very cute babies! :)

Still here and pregnant and very, very tired. zzzzzzz I have an appointment tomorrow, so we'll see if any progress has been made or if I'll actually get an induction date. This baby has to be at least as big as ds #1 was (8lb8oz) and that was kind of the point of inducing, to avoid that. So, we'll see and I'll be back to update if there's any news. I did get a pedicure yesterday, the first one since before my wedding 4+ years ago, so that was a nice treat. Now if I could only sleep at night, I'd be golden! :rolleyes:

[Toonces]

Just got home and nak (nursing at keyboard).

I am so pleased to announce that Devin Patrick was born on Fri., 11/10, at 10:40pm. He weighed a whopping 8 lbs. 11 oz. and is 21" long. I didn't understand how I'd be able to love another baby, but I am so incredibly in love with this little guy. He is so precious. More good news... the induction was a success (delivered vaginally - last 2 hours or so were incredibly painful) AND he latched on shortly after birth (took DD 4-5 days). two screaming kids now. bbl w/ story. gotta catch up from p. 73.

[bijouparvin]

CONGRATULATIONS, CATGIRL. WELCOME, DEVIN!!

Happy to hear that the delivery was uncomplicated (if painful at the end) and that he's got a good latch already. Welcome home. :)

[Ilovemygeek]

On Tuesday, I had an appointment with my OB and she told me I was 3cm dilated and 70% effaced. We went ahead and scheduled my induction for Sunday, Nov 12 because it was close to my due date and she was on call for her group that day.
Around midnight that night, I woke up after being asleep about 30 minutes to contractions that were stronger than any I had experienced before. Not unbearable, just stronger. They were coming and going about every 8 minutes. I walked around the house for a while and when I noticed I was spotting, I decided to take a shower, shave my legs (something that had not been done in a while :o ), and tell DH to start getting our things together to head to the hospital. Even though my contractions were getting stronger, they were still about 6-8 minutes apart. I was not sure if this was actually "it" but something was different and I wanted to be checked.
We got to the hospital and checked into OB triage about 3am and they hooked me up to all the monitors and did an internal. No change from my appointment the morning before, but since I was having good contractions they had me walk around for an hour and checked my progress again. At this point my contractions were really starting to hurt, so I was sure that I was dilating, but no such luck. The nurse left the room to call my Dr. to see if they should discharge me or keep me a little longer and I started crying at the thought of being sent home. I was in too much pain to try to sleep and the thought of enduring this at home for an indefinite period of time was a little too much for me to handle at this point. The nurse came back and said that they were going to keep me and that I would be having a baby today. My Dr was on call for her group that day and she agreed to break my water so I could stay. I was thrilled because my Dr's group is rather large and the odds of me going into labor on the day she was on call was unlikely, that is why we had scheduled my induction for the day that she was on call closest to my due date.
It was about 7:30am when they took me to the Labor and Delivery room and as soon as I laid down in the bed, I felt a pop and a huge gush. My water broke on its own! I was so happy because now I knew I was going to give birth without having to be induced. The nurse did an internal and I had dilated to 4cm so I told her it was epidural time. My contractions started coming hard and fast as soon as my water broke and I have never experienced such intense pain in my entire life! The nurse was awesome and called the anesthesiologist as soon as I asked for my epidural, so I only waited about 20 minutes before he came in. He had a hard time placing the epidural because apparently the spaces between the discs in my spine are abnormally small (I am fairly petite), but after he got it in it was pure bliss. My DH and I slept while we had the chance, only being interrupted by the occasional internal exam. I was dilated 1cm an hour, so about 2pm they told me I would be pushing soon.
I started pushing with the thought that this would be over quickly and I would be holding my baby soon. Wrong! I pushed for an hour with some progress, but not as much as they would have liked. It turns out, that Daria was face up instead of face down and I was having trouble getting her through my pelvis. They tried several positioning techniques to try to turn her. During that time, my epidural stopped working and I could feel everything. I could not believe the pain. The nurse gave me more medication in the epidural, but it took about 30 minutes to take effect.
At this point, even with the epidural, I was feeling an enormous amount of pressure on my pelvis and I could feel my vagina and perineum stretching. Daria still had not turned, but they decided to have me start pushing again anyway. I pushed for almost 2 hours before Daria was born. She weighed in at 7lbs 7oz and 21 inches long.
She was still face up when she came out and as a result, she had a major cone head, bruising, and a skin tear on her scalp from the trauma. I ended up with a 4th degree tear :eek: that includes multiple tears in my vagina, my entire perineum, and lacerations all the way into the muscle in my rectum. Later my Dr told me that she almost made the call to do a C-section, but she could see I was determined to get that baby out and would not give up, so she let me continue.
Even though I can't even sit or pee right now (I won't even talk about pooping) without a fair amount of pain, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Daria is so amazing and watching DH with her makes me love him more. The only problem we have had is with nursing. She did great the first day and after that, she refuses to latch, so we are going to rent a pump today and see how that goes. We have been supplementing with formula, but I would prefer that she take breast milk, even if it is from a bottle.
Thank you all for the well wishes and congratulations to everyone who has given birth so far.

[bijouparvin]

Wow, thank you for sharing that amazing story, ilovemygeek! Despite being torn up, you sound ecstatic. :)

[Toonces]

will catch up w/ everyone soon. nak again and in pain from a poor latch. both nips bleeding. going to see an lc tomorrow. here's parts 1 & 2 of birth story that i typed earlier. i've only had 3 hrs of sleep since thurs. will catch up on so's and other births next week.

-----------------

I found out at my 40 week OB appt. that my amniotic fluid level scored a 29. It’s supposed to be under 24, so 29 is quite high. It put Devin at risk of having the cord wrapped around his neck. My OB consulted with a high risk OB, and they recommended an induction. I wasn’t happy about this because I wanted Devin to come in his own time, but it was best for him. My OB asked me to get to the hospital between 6:30-7:00pm that evening.

DH and DD dropped me off at the hospital at 6:30pm on Thurs., 11/9. I went up to the L&D floor and they told me that it’d be an hour before they had a bed available. I went into the waiting room and watched Entertainment Tonight and Survivor. :) At 8:00pm I checked back with L&D and they told me it’d be another 2 hours!! I went back to the waiting room, but only had to wait one more hour. They had a room ready for me at 9:00pm. It ended up being the same room where I delivered DD! :)

I waited in the room until after 10pm, when one of the night nurses came in and inserted the Cervadil. I had to leave it in for 12 hours, so they told me it’d be taken out at 10:30am the next morning. They said that it might start some contractions. I did have contractions overnight, but nothing big.

At 10:30am on 11/10, they removed the Cervadil and did an internal. I was 50% effaced, still only 1cm, and still very posterior. :( So they started the Pitocin at 10:35am. I started having regular contractions that hurt more when I was lying in bed, so I walked around the room (couldn’t leave b/c they had to use the fetal monitor to watch Devin’s heartrate since I was on Pitocin). My doula showed up at 1:15pm and helped me use an exercise ball and suggested things that would get labor moving. DH arrived at 4:00pm.

The rest of some of this is somewhat a blur. My doula is writing a detailed birth story for me since I became kind of out of it. The OB who delivered DD, was on call. She came in and broke my water around 5:30pm-6:00pm. After my water was broken, the contractions became very regular and much stronger. When My OB broke my water I was 3cm, but my cervix was still very posterior.

My doula helped me greatly when the contractions became too strong to talk through. She told me to make the contraction work by accepting it. She said “Don’t waste this one by tensing up”. That helped me so much. When I thought that relaxing would make the contraction work and help dilate me, it kind of forced me to relax through it. When I relaxed through them, they were tolerable. At some point in the evening they started getting bad to the point that I was crying because I just wanted the contrax to end. They weren’t necessarily unbearably painful, but I was tired and wanted to meet Devin. They did an internal then and I was 6-7cm.

[Toonces]

Within maybe one hour of that they started getting really bad and I was having an impossible time relaxing. They were 1 minute apart and so strong that I was constantly tense, dreading the next contraction. They did an internal then and I was 8.5cm. When I found that out, I very quickly asked for Nubain. That’s more of a muscle relaxant than a pain reliever, but I needed something to take the edge off, and knew I was in the Transition phase which was the most painful. The Nubain took effect immediately. I was able to relax in between contrax, but during them I was in a great deal of pain. I told them I wanted to push and I didn’t care how dilated I was. One of the nurses told me to lie on my back and she tried to open my cervix more so that I’d get to 10cm and could push. When I was having a contraction, she did an internal and swept my cervix, trying to open it. That worked!

I went from 8.5cm to 10cm in 40 minutes and was thankfully done with the Transition phase. Unfortunately pushing did not alleviate the pain that I remember it alleviating with DD. I wasn’t pleased with the job I was doing, felt I should have been more productive, and was still in an immense amount of pain. After pushing through 3-4 contractions, I was fed up and gave the next push my all. I remember my OB standing at my feet with her hands on her hips, watching me push to see how I was progressing. On that particular push I pushed so hard that I felt Devin turn, twist, drop and his head came shooting out into the birth canal! I saw My OB’s face go frantic and she started yelling for her scrubs immediately. Everyone in the room was running around because the next time I pushed, he was coming out! Sure enough, the next contraction came on, I pushed three times through it and out popped Devin. It was the best feeling in the world.

I forgot to mention that when My OB broke my water, it was tinged yellowish-brown, meaning Devin had a bowel movement in utero. That was dangerous because newborn meconium can be ingested upon delivery, go to his lungs, harden like tar and cause infant death within 3 months. Because of that the NICU team was there, grabbed him when he came out and started to suction his nose and mouth and stuck tubes down his throat into his stomach to suction out the meconium. They got everything out and he’s perfectly fine now – thank God!

Post-partum my OB collected Devin’s cord blood for private banking and stitched me up – not pleasant since I hadn’t had an epidural. I needed quite a few locals because I had an episiotomy and 3rd degree tears.

Even with all of that I’m in very little discomfort now. I’m sore, but it’s definitely tolerable. Devin was worth every moment of it. He’s the most precious little miracle and we’re completely in love with him.

[tray622]

sorry... lurker popping in...

catgirl I am so happy for you and glad everything went as well as they could have :) CONGRATS to you, hubby, and Miss C on the new addition!!

[RubberSoul]

Congratulations Catgirl! Welcome Devin!!!- Thanks for sharing your birth story. I hope you have a speedy recovery and it is great that Devin is doing well.

[Sare79]

Welcome to all the new babies and Congratulations mommies!

I'm just checking in. I'm 39 weeks now and just waiting on my baby. Everything is looking normal and a looooong way away, but I am getting a bit more patient than I have been in recent weeks. I go again on Wednesday for another appointment.

[neenbean]

WOW! Congrats on all the babies!!! Thanks so much for sharing your birth stories.

I am still here and pregnant. We installed the infant carrier into the car, next to DD's new booster seat. I am "test driving" my double MacLaren Twin Techno stroller tomorrow while shopping with friends. Should be interesting to see how it goes. ;)

Baby is still very high up but moving enough not to worry me. Thank goodness! I cannot believe I will be having a c-section a week from tomorrow. :eek: Time has flown, but I am thankful as I am done being pregnant. I want to be selfish and do things my body will not/ cannot do right now- like run, crunches, drink alcohol- stuff I never missed while pregnant with DD. I am thankful all has gone well during this pregnancy and I am soooo grateful not to be on BEDREST this time!!!!

Hope all are well and those that are ready for labor have it come on swiftly and with little pain ASAP! I am patiently awaiting 11/20. :)

[RubberSoul]

Just wanted to share a super cute picture my Dad took of Ian today.

http://static.flickr.com/116/295963672_e2dbbc9006.jpg?v=0

I can't wait to hear more birth stories. I am sending labor vibes to all the ladies still waiting on their babies!

[Rancid13]

Congratulations, Catgirl!! Welcome Devin!!! :D :D :D

I can't wait to read your and Ilovemygeek's birth stories when I have a few minutes later on!!:D

[Lilla]

CONGRATULATIONS CATGIRL!!! I'm so happy to hear that the induction went better than expected!


Just checking in quickly. No news on my end. I have a doc appt this morning along with my NST and fluid level check. PLEASE cross your fingers for me that I'm at least at 2cm today.....at least that way she can try to sweep my membranes again. *sigh*

I seriously feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever. But the one thing that is keeping me going this week is the fact that one way or another, this little girl WILL be making an appearance this week. Either I'll go on my own, or I'll be induced at some point because doc won't let me go longer than 2 weeks overdue.

[kadee_29]

Congrats catgirl and Welcome Devin!!!

[lilo]

Wow, so much activity over the weekend!

Ellidew: Miles is so adorable!

Rancid: Glad to hear that your bp went down after your doctor visit and hopefully you won’t need to be induced. I’m like you, a planner type person and would love to be able to know exactly when I’ll go into labor, etc. but on the other hand, it would be nice to let nature takes its’ course too. Hang in there!

BethIrish: Congrats on your baby boy!

Kadee: That picture of Matthew is adorable. I can’t get over how huge that pacifier is too!

Lizzie Beth: Too funny about your nesting instincts kicking in full force. It’s such a great feeling to cross things off your list though, isn’t it?

Peaches: Congrats on being done with work! What is a TENS machine?

Ilovemygeek: Congrats on your baby girl!

bijouparvin: I will be another turkey baby-buddy too! I doubt this baby is going to arrive early so I will be happy if he arrives around turkey day.

arcane: good luck with scheduling an induction date. I have a feeling that I’ll have a big baby too. Yikes.

catgirl: Congrats on your baby boy!

Sare: Hang in there!

neenbean: How exciting about meeting your little one a week from today! And I hear ya on wanting to be able to do things with your body that you can’t do now. I can’t wait to start running again and wear normal clothing!

RubberSoul: What a cute picture of Ian. He’s getting so big already!

Lilla: Good luck at your appt.! I’m so glad the end is in sight for you this week.



I'm still here and still very pregnant. I sound like a broken record. ;) Had my 38 week appt. this morning and that went well. Our weekend was very productive and busy so I guess my nesting instincts have been in full force lately. Of course my DH did most of the actual work but hey, I made the list. :D

The nursery is now 100% completed and it came out great. I'll take pics sometime soon. The house is clean top to bottom so the baby can arrive any time now. Not that I think he actually will but a girl can keep hoping.

I'm feeling okay although I have many moments of "I can't believe people do this more than once!" and "When is this going to be over!". I'm definitely having to get up more often in the middle of the night to pee now but luckily I go back to sleep really easily so that's good. This morning I'm in a better mood although I still wish I would some kind of sign that labor is coming soon but nope, nothing!

Friday is my last day of work so at least I have that to look forward to!

[acrane]

Congrats catgirl and welcome Devin!! :D

Cross-posted from my LJ:
My 38 week appointment was today and guess what? If I don't go before (unlikely), Matthew will be born on 11/20/06 - next Monday!!! Yahoo!!!!!! I haven't dilated any more since last week or lost more mucus plug or had contractions, so that's why we're thinking I probably won't go into labor before next Monday. My doctor said this way we'll be home by Thanksgiving and dh and I can make arrangements to care for Andrew. I have to be at the hospital at 5am, and she thinks I'll have the baby around lunchtime! I hope so. No sleep, heartburn, heavy, heavy belly, etc. are really taking their toll, and I am so ready for Matthew to be on the outside versus the inside! :)

[scarlett74]

Congratulations Catgirl!! Welcome Devin!!
Congratulations BethIrish!! Welcome Patrick!!
Congratulations Ilovemygeek!! Welcome Daria!!

How many babies!!! :)

Rubbersoul, Ian is so cute...!

I was a little worried this morning because the baby didn't move from 7am to 1.30 pm, then he kicked a little but less than the others days.
I know that now there is less room for movements, but I would really wish to delivery so I could stop worrying...
The doctor said to phone him 3-4 days before the EDD to fix a visit directly at the hospital. He really wants to wait till the end!

[Peaches]

Congrats Catgirl & welcome Devin!!!!
Congrats BethIrish & welcome Patrick!!!!
Congrats Ilovemygeek & welcome Daria!!!!

Boy! they are coming thick and fast now :)

Lilo TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. It is a unit that sends little electric pluses (that you control) to sticky pads you place on your back. It is supposed to help stimulate your body to produce more natural endorphins and help in the early to mid stage of labor. They are used by chiropractors in the States and are routinely used by women in labor here in the UK. My midwife suggested I give it a try. I figured I would give it a shot especially as there are no side effects and I can easily stop it if I don't like it.

[Rancid13]

Ilovemygeek~ That was a fantastic birth story! Besides you being all torn up from the delivery, it sounds like it totally ended up being worth it to have your little angel Daria!:)

Catgirl~ Incredible birth story! That’s crazy that the monster push made Devin’s head start coming out! Sounds like that startled the ob into action, LOL!! Glad to hear they had the NICU team there to handle the suction and everything is ok!!:)

Neenbean~ How exciting knowing that your little one will be here in 1 week!! Assuming of course that baby doesn’t decide to make a surprise appearance before then!! Here’s hoping this next week flies by for you!!:D

Rubbersoul~ Adorable picture of Ian!!:)

Lilla~ I’m sending dilation vibes your way!! Keeping my fingers crossed that baby decides to come out VERY soon!!

Lilo~ Thanks for the words of assurance! I’m all for induction like I said, if it’s a medical necessity or if I’m overdue, but I’m not seeing a point in being induced if I only have borderline high bp at 4 ob appts in the last 2 months. Compare that to 16 hospital visits in the same time period with good bp, and 120 at-home tests also in the same time period with good bp results. 4 borderline high bp readings out of 140 does not warrant a “medical necessity” for inducing, IMO. I’m having my bloodwork done tomorrow, and the results will not lie. I just know that they’ll be normal. ;) Whoo for Friday being your last day at work!

Acrane~ Whoohoo for Matthew being here in 1 week (or sooner if he decides to surprise you early!)!! How exciting!!!

Scarlett~ Have you done any kick counts?? I know that there are some times of day where my little guy doesn’t move nearly as much as he does others, I just assume he tires himself out during the times he is moving b/c he moves around so much it’s crazy. His usual 'high movement' time is just as I'm lying down to go to sleep...it's like that wakes him right up and gets him going (and of course I'm exhausted and wanting to sleep).:rolleyes:


Nothing much going on here, I've been so tired the last few weeks that I've been using the weekends to take nice long naps in the afternoon which has been nice. I've also been nice and sore, especially in my hips/pelvis area. My heat pad and big hand-held massager have been getting a lot of use lately, I'm so glad we have them on hand!! We have our last class tomorrow night, it's the baby saver class and tomorrow afternoon I also get my bloodwork drawn at my NST appt for a second PIH blood test (I like to call it the PITA blood test) which I'm fairly certain will come back with normal results (as it did before)...

This is my last full week of work, with next week being a short week b/c of the Thanksgiving holiday. I'll see at the end of this week how I'm feeling so I can decide if I'm coming in next week at all, or maybe doing 1/2 days Mon-Weds and that's it! Maternity leave!! I'm just really hoping that I'm NOT in the hospital ON TG day b/c it's my favorite holiday and I really enjoy spending the day with family eating lots of good food! And I'm looking forward to preparing a couple of yummy dishes to take to my mom's that day also. I'll be 39w exactly on TG day so here's hoping baby waits till at least the day after that to make an appearance if he's here early (or at least a few days prior to TG day!).

[Franni]

Just a quickie - Sydney Elyce was born on November 9 at 12:29 PM.

I'll be back with an update. I am having bf issues AGAIN.....I can't believe it.

[lilo]

Congrats Franni!

[Lilla]

CONGRATULATIONS FRANNI!!!


Just a quick update after my doc appt. Good news and bad. Good is that we passed the NST and fluid level check with flying colors. Bad news is that there has been no cervix change. So, unless baby girl decides to come on her own, I go in Thursday afternoon for my Cervadil, spend the night in the hospital and then start Pitocin 12 hours after the Cervadil.

[Rancid13]

Congratulations, Franni!! Welcome, Sydney!! I can't wait to hear more!! :) :D :D


Yay, more babies!!



Lilla~ Doh!! Glad to hear you passed the NST w/flying colors but bummer that no change w/your cervix. At least Thursday is only a few more days away. I have a feeling it'll be worth the wait!! ;)

[bijouparvin]

CONGRATULATIONS, FRANNI AND WELCOME, SYDNEY!!!


Y'all, what's up with me? This morning I woke up at 8am, took a bath, watched an hour of Baby Story from 9 to 10 and cried my eyes out. Then, I went back to sleep and didn't wake up until 4! :eek: Maybe I'm just trying to help the time pass more quickly by sleeping it away? Maybe I'm trying to stock up on sleep in advance since I know it won't be like this in a week or so? Maybe I'm a lazy bum?

I've managed to get myself dressed and I'm going to head to BuyBuyBaby to exchange some duplicate presents. Might get a peanut butter/oreo milkshake from Cold Stone on the way. At least I will have left the house and accomplished SOMETHING, right? :rolleyes:

[Rancid13]

Y'all, what's up with me? This morning I woke up at 8am, took a bath, watched an hour of Baby Story from 9 to 10 and cried my eyes out. Then, I went back to sleep and didn't wake up until 4! :eek: Maybe I'm just trying to help the time pass more quickly by sleeping it away? Maybe I'm trying to stock up on sleep in advance since I know it won't be like this in a week or so? Maybe I'm a lazy bum?


Same thing that's wrong with me perhaps? :) I've taken to watching Tivoed episodes of Taking Home Baby in the evenings after work (5 or 6pm) and proceed to cry my eyes out for each one. Sometimes I'll fall asleep shortly after and not wake up until 9 or 10pm, realizing that I need to eat dinner already. My last 2 weekends have comprised of me sleeping in until 9am, eating breakfast, watching tv, and falling asleep from 12-5/6pm.

[katnbug]

Congrats Catgirl & welcome Devin!!!!
Congrats BethIrish & welcome Patrick!!!!
Congrats Ilovemygeek & welcome Daria!!!!
Congrats Franni & welcome Sydney!!!!

Thanks for the birth stories catgirl & ilovemygeek! You both did so well!! :) I don't envy your 3rd & 4th degree tears.. you two are my heroes! ;)

[acrane]

Congratulations Franni and welcome Sydney!! :D

[neenbean]

Congratulations Franni!!!


Just wanted to report that I (heart) my MacLaren Twin Techno stroller!

I pushed it today while shopping with my DD and my friend's DS in tow. Besides taking one another's toys and snacks, it worked out REALLY well!!! Only one store gave us road obstacles (Thanks Children's Place), otherwise it manuvered like a champ! Now, let's see how well it works with an infant! I am patiently waiting after Thanksgiving to give it a whirl. :)

[Sinclair319]

I'm a good 15+ pages behind, but wanted to drop off Corbin's birth story and a picture of my little guy. We've had some ups and downs with nursing (I have so much milk he's having trouble latching, so we're using a nipple shield which he now really likes and doesn't want to go without it). He's so worth it though!

Corbin's birth story (FYI C=DH)
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
One of my best friends from college was due 2 days before me with a little girl. She had her October 24th and was in town so I could see her. It was also my friend’s 30th bday. The past couple of days I’d been having more Braxton Hicks than usual. I’d noticed a few times where I had uncomfortable cramps throughout the day. At dinner I had to excuse myself to go to the bathroom because I was so uncomfortable—I thought it was because I was wearing maternity jeans that had become too tight. After dinner we came back to my house to hang out. As we were driving home I said, “I’m going to change when we get home, these pants are killing me.” As soon as we got home, I put on warm up pants and a sweatshirt, but didn’t feel much more comfortable. We were hanging out—getting to see her baby and I had to go to the bathroom (diarrhea). I told my friend, “I must have ate something bad, my stomach isn’t feeling good.” I told her I was having really strong cramps. She finally said, “Uh, those sound like what my contractions were, maybe we should time them.” At this point (9 pm) they were about 10 minutes apart. She was getting ready to leave, so I called C, who was at church playing basketball. I told him, “I’m having some really bad cramps and Jill is getting ready to leave. Can you come home?” C got home around 9:30 and we timed the contractions—they were about 5 minutes apart at this point. We called L&D about 10:30 to say I’d been having contractions lasting a minute to 1:15 every 5 minutes for an hour. At this point I couldn’t walk or talk through the contractions. The nurse suggested taking a warm bath, if it was false labor the contractions would stop. She said to call back in an hour either way. The bath made me miserable—I liked standing and leaning over during the contractions and sitting was really painful. I’d also thrown up a couple of times during contractions. I called L&D again about 11:45 to say the contractions had stayed every 4-5 minutes even after the bath. They gave me the option of coming in at this point. I remember telling C it was time to go and he said, “Do we need to take anything?” I made the mistake of calling them “cramps” rather than “contractions” (I didn’t know that’s what they were) and I think he thought we’d get sent home. I was surprised that the contractions were mostly in my lower stomach—I thought my whole belly would get hard and I’d feel them high up. Thankfully only a couple went around to my back. We got everything together, got in the car and started to the hospital.

Thursday, November 2, 2006
We got to the hospital about 12:30—I walked from the parking lot to the ER (about 100 yards) rather than being dropped off. Then we were escorted to L&D (again, I walked, it was better than sitting in a wheel chair). We left everything (camera, overnight bag etc) in the car just in case we got sent home. We got checked in and Aimee (my awesome night nurse) said I was 3 cm and 100%. I was really worried they’d say I was still only 1 cm and send us home. They monitored the contractions and his heart beat for about 20 minutes, then she suggested I try walking for an hour to try and get my body to progress. We walked for about 20 minutes and during a really bad contraction I threw up in the hallway. I told C to go get the nurse—she came running around the corner and said, “Why don’t we get you in a bed, we’re not sending you home.” This was about 2 am. They had lots of problems finding a vein to start an IV (this was unusual, normally my veins are easy to find). The vein they did find kept rolling, so they had to start a vein in my left wrist. Aimee said they would get me something for the pain. About 3 am the anesthesiologist came in to start my epidural. I had 2 numbing shots, then he inserted the needle and within a few minutes I couldn’t feel the contractions or my legs. Unfortunately I was still pretty nauseous which kept me up the whole night. C called both of our parents around 3:30 am. Once my parents got there, he went down to get our stuff out of the car. At this point my legs were dead weight and they had to roll me from side to side every hour. A nurse midwife came in about 5:30, said I was 4-5 cm and broke my water hoping to get my labor moving along. At about 7:30, I still hadn’t progressed, so they started pitocin. This started causing his heart to decelerate, so they had to stop the pitocin for awhile. They finally gave me some anti-nausea medicine around 9:30 am, which enabled me to sleep until about 11:30. At that point my epidural had started to wear off, so they gave me a little more which seemed to help the contractions, but I could still move my legs. My day nurse, Tina, (who worked with my mom when she was an L&D nurse years ago) was wonderful! I told Tina I could move my legs and feel the contractions. She said they could call someone from anesthesia, which could take 30-45 minutes, or I could start and push and maybe be done by the time they’d get here. Figured since I was in pain anyway, I might as well push. I started pushing at 12:50 pm. I was surprised at how much I screamed at the end of each push. I kept crying saying, “Just get him out! I can’t do this anymore.” C was a wonderful coach, but I tending to focus more on Tina. I did use the mirror a few times to see his head, but I mostly kept my eyes shut. Corbin Sinclair was born at 1:34 pm. I remember being surprised how warm and slimy he was when the laid him on my stomach. He cried for just a few seconds, then opened his big eyes and looked at me. I kept crying saying, “He’s here! He’s here!” My OB took care of the after birth (and I only needed 1 stitch!), and then C went and brought our parents in for a sneak peek. I was able to nurse, and then we were moved to our other room. It was an amazing experience and I’m still in awe that my body was able to create, nurture and give life to this amazing little person who has stolen my heart.

Corbin Sinclair
11/2/06, 1:34 pm
8 pounds, 22 inches


http://static.flickr.com/112/293133492_360dae6d62_m.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/122/293133494_8fbd46767f_m.jpg

[Lizzie Beth]

Congratulations, Catgirl & Franni & Welcome Devin & Sydney!!!

Well, I'm in the warm-up circle.... I'm waiting on my Dr. to call me back to tell me when to go to the hospital... We're going to start with the induction thing tonight...I leave in about 45 minutes... :eek:

Holy crap. I hope this goes better than I think it will....

[neenbean]

Thanks for sharing your story Sinclair!!! Happy (Belated) Anniversary!!!

Good luck with your induction Lizzie Beth!!!

[bijouparvin]

Awesome birth story, Sinclair! Thank you so much for sharing. And he is adorable! You're right about those big eyes. :)

Good luck, LizzieBeth! Sending positive labor vibes your way. Can't wait to hear all about it!!

[scarlett74]

CONGRATULATIONS FRANNI! WELCOME SYDNEY!
Good luck, Lizzie Beth!
Sinclair, Corbin is very cute! I loved your birth story!

Rancid, yes I paid attention and counted his movements, today he kicked me some times.
Anyway today my blood pressure was higher, so this afternoon I'll call the doctor to ask if it's better to make a visit this week. So I'll be sure that everything is all right.

[Toonces]

nak - no caps.

congrats bethirish & welcome patrick!
congrats ilovemygeek & welcome daria!
congrats franni & welcome sydney!
best of luck to you lizzie beth!
sinclair ~ ty for sharing your birth story. corbin is adorable. “Just get him out! I can’t do this anymore.” i sooooo hear you on this one. i uttered that quite a few times myself. :)

Thanks for the birth stories catgirl & ilovemygeek! You both did so well!! :) I don't envy your 3rd & 4th degree tears.. you two are my heroes! ;)

awwww...! that's nice of you. it really isn't that bad now. i've heard that 4th degree tears are hellacious though. there was a new mom on the floor when i was there who had 4th degree tears, ended up in the e/r after labor and is now on bedrest! :eek:

having bf'ing probs again. i know i'll figure it out and this will pass, but i'd forgotten the pain of a poor latch. ooowwweeeee! i don't think there's any way i can catch up w/ the posts i missed. i'm sorry! i'll be reading along but not posting as much. looking forward to reading more birth stories.

[Rancid13]

Sinclair~ Awesome birth story! Thanks so much for sharing it!! What a little cutie Corbin is!! :D

LizzieBeth~ I'm thinking of you today! I hope all goes well with your induction and L&D!!


Rancid, yes I paid attention and counted his movements, today he kicked me some times.
Anyway today my blood pressure was higher, so this afternoon I'll call the doctor to ask if it's better to make a visit this week. So I'll be sure that everything is all right.

That's good to hear you got some movements. Good for you on calling the doc, they'll know what to do to make sure your little one is doing ok in there. :)

I know there's less room in there for the baby to move around, but from what I've been told the movements shouldn't decrease much, but they may have less "gusto" than they did before where they could really wind up and give a good hit or kick in there. I get a lot of odd 'body parts' movements, like an arm or leg or butt moving around and poking out of my belly, not so many "kicks" though.

[katnbug]

Good luck lizzie beth! Speedy delivery vibes!!

Sinclair- Thanks for telling your birth story! :) Corbin is a cutie!

[Peaches]

Congrats Franni & welcome Sydney!

Good luck Lizzie Beth!

Great birth story Sinclair, thanks for taking the time to post it.

Sorry to hear about the bf probs catgirl I hope they sort themselves out pronto.

I hope that you get some reassurance from your doctor Scarlett

neenbean glad to hear the stroller is working out for you!

bijouparvin sleep = good ;) I am just taking it when it comes (even if it is in the middle of the day!)

Rancid Yay for your last full week at work! I know what you mean about not wanting the baby to come on Thanksgiving. I prefer TG over Christmas. I think I worked out that anywhere from the 22nd through to the 28th can be a TG at some point?!? I can't remember...oh, and my DH's birthday is the 29th so we are hoping to avoid a large chunk of late November :) Saying that I'm sure we'll end up right in the middle of it all!
_____________________________

Nesting is in full swing. Today was cleaning out the fridge, taking the recycling to the center and laundry. Tomorrow is upstairs bathroom and possibly vacuuming, if I feel up to it.

[Rancid13]

Rancid Yay for your last full week at work! I know what you mean about not wanting the baby to come on Thanksgiving. I prefer TG over Christmas. I think I worked out that anywhere from the 22nd through to the 28th can be a TG at some point?!? I can't remember...oh, and my DH's birthday is the 29th so we are hoping to avoid a large chunk of late November :) Saying that I'm sure we'll end up right in the middle of it all!

Oh, I'd be fine if his birthday ended up being on Thanksgiving sometime in the future, I just don't want him to be born this TG. I want to enjoy this holiday without having to be in a hospital. ;) And ITA with you on the 'rather it be TG than Christmas' thing, my BIL's bday is Christmas day. I know I wouldn't want a bday falling on a major holiday, particularly if that holiday fell on the same day every year, unlike TG or Easter. :)

[lilo]

Thanks for sharing your great birth story Sinclair! Corbin is adorable.

Good luck Lizzie Beth! I hope your induction goes well.

Movement at this stage of pregnancy: Just wanted to add a little additional reassurance about the slowdown of movement for those of us who are still pregnant. Like Rancid, I don't get many kicks any more since I think he has run out of room. I get a lot more body parts moving around (mostly his little butt or his elbow) and some days are definitely more subtle than others, to the point that's it's nervewrecking! A few days ago, he was soooo quiet that I started to worry but by the afternoon, he was moving around a ton again. Thankfully he's very quiet at night when I'm asleep so it doesn't wake me up.


Nothing new with me. I slept like a log last night, which was great but am still having issues with going to the bathroom (sorry if TMI!!), which is super frustrating. I have tried everything under the sun, including upping my fiber, etc. and it just sucks. I know it's due to pregnancy and will get better once I deliver but in the meantime, it puts me in such a bad mood. Ugh. I'm thankful that this wasn't a problem until recently but it still doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

I definitely feel large now too and am getting more and more looks at work like, "should you really be here?" and the ever common comment of, "must be almost time, right?" Luckily, it is almost time but the comment is annoying nonetheless. Geesh, can you tell I've been crabby lately? :D

I just want to be done with work and done with being pregnant. I'm tired of walking like an 80 year old woman, feeling like I could fall asleep at any second and tired of all the aches and pains. I'm grateful to have gotten this far in my pregnancy but I'm ready to meet this little boy. I really wonder if there are really women who enjoy their pregnancy at this late of the game? I am trying to be as positive as possible and rationally I know that the end is near but it feels like the days go on forever now.

Thanks for letting me vent. :)

[Rancid13]

Lilo~ I started having bathroom issues recently too, and my solution was to take flax seed oil capsules, 2 a day (they're big!). It doesn't matter how much fiber I eat (I LIVE on raisin bran for dinner, 7g of fiber per serving and I have a heaping bowlful AND I eat dark green salads for lunch plus whole wheat pasta/bread/waffles whenever I can!), if I forget to take my flax seed oil one day you can bet I'll be having bathroom troubles as a result. Plus the flax seed oil is a fatty acid, which is highly recommended for pg women (like the fish oil/omega-3's).

[lisainpink]

WELL- I have had an eventful day.
I woke up with a few mild contractions at 4 a.m. When I went to the bathroom- I had some burning and couldn't really empty my bladder. I figured I didn't drink enough water yesterday- so I focused on drinking lots of water before my 40 week appointment at 1:00 (couple a days early.) I ended up drinking 64 oz. of water- and still had a ton of white blood cells in my urine.:eek: My OB said I have a nice little UTI- then he goes to check my cervix- and I am 3+ cm dilated. He asked how the contractions feel- and I told him I haven't had many and that none were really painful. He told me I was having one right then- and that I was in labor.:eek: Long story short- I was told to be at the hospital no later than 12:15 tonight- or immediately if my water breaks. He wrote me an antibiotic to get started on for the UTI too. Sorry Bijou. Looks like I'll have a baby tonight or Wednesday- not TG. I'm suddenly very scared.
Welcome to all the new babies.

[Rancid13]

Lisainpink~ Wow! You're definitely in my thoughts today and will continue to be thru tomororw!!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that all goes well & smoothly for you, and baby gets here healthy!!!:D :D

[bijouparvin]

lisainpink - Don't be scared - you'll be fine! And don't worry about not being my turkey buddy. Surely someone will step up. ;) Wishing you an easy, peaceful labor and delivery. Report back soon!!

[Toonces]

lisainpink ~ congrats! sending you speedy labor vibes. :)

lilla ~ i'm brain dead these days... i think you said you were being induced last night... ?? anyway, thinking of you today and hope you're doing well.

[lilo]

Rancid: At this point, I am willing to try anything! Where can you buy the flax seed oil capsules? At CVS? When do you take them, at night or in the morning? Do they work pretty quickly? Sorry, if these are too many questions.

[Rancid13]

Rancid: At this point, I am willing to try anything! Where can you buy the flax seed oil capsules? At CVS? When do you take them, at night or in the morning? Do they work pretty quickly? Sorry, if these are too many questions.

I got mine at the grocery store, you can find them at just about any grocery or drugstore in the vitamins aisle or likely at GNC or health food related stores. I take one in the am, and one in the evening. They work pretty quickly, if you take one before you go to bed you'll likely have a movement the next morning shortly after waking up (sorry if TMI). And they don't have any weird aftertaste, since the ones I got are gel capsules. :)

[lilo]

I take one at night, and one in the evening.

I'm confused. :confused: Do you mean, one at night and one in the morning? Sorry to turn this into a bathroom discussion!

[neenbean]

WOW! Lisainpink! So glad to hear your contractions have been so mild you did not even know you were in labor!!! Good luck tonight. :)

[katnbug]

Good luck lisainpink!

[Sare79]

I had a bit of a tumultuous afternoon yesterday. We went to my SIL's to pick up the baby stuff they are lending/giving us, and there was a huge accident going home, so we took a different way that still took a really long time. I had been feeling a bit off all day- gassy and my tummy was sore, as if my pants were too tight. I was having contractions, but really started noticing that they were fairly close at about 2:00. Between 2:00 and 4:00 I was having 45 second contractions between 7 and 10 minutes apart. I was trying not to get too excited because this has happened before but not for as long or nearly as strong.
When we got home, I decided to go for a walk to see if they would change at all and they got so intense that I had to come home. I came inside and laid down for a bit, thinking that this was going to be it and I needed to get some rest. And then, they slowed down and stopped completely by 6:00.
Boo.
I just wonder how am I actually going to know if "this is it." I was pretty damn sure today, it felt like intense pain, cramps, Carys felt lower...
This is just so frustrating. I hate all these false alarms.

[Rancid13]

I'm confused. :confused: Do you mean, one at night and one in the morning? Sorry to turn this into a bathroom discussion!

Sorry! Yeah, that's what I meant!!:o

[Rancid13]

Quick update...I had my first NST appt of the week yesterday and it turned out my ob forgot to call in the order for my PIH blood draw. So while I was all hooked up to the monitors the nurses were running around trying to get her on the phone to get the order from her, and also trying to get ahold of a blood draw lab tech to see if they could get one to come up to our floor if they got the order. Everything looked ok at the NST, no protein in my urine, baby's hb and movements look good, no real contractions on my part, fluid levels look normal. My bp unfortunately was a bit higher than I would've liked it to be, at 147/70 but the nurse didn't stress about it.

Finally got the order for the blood draw and got that done. Was told I would have to wait around for an hour till they got the results b/c if they came back abnormal I would need to be admitted to L&D asap. By this time it was after 5:30pm and DH and I had a class about 15 min. away that we needed to be at by 7pm, and had to get dinner somewhere on the way. Finally got the ok to leave, as I promised to come back right away if they got abnormal results and called me. Never got a call though, so right now I'm thinking that no news = good news because if it's that dire of a situation that I be admitted to L&D then they would get ahold of me asap.

Got dinner, made it to our baby saver class a few minutes late and I was so tired and uncomfortable and my feet were swelling that I decided to go home at the halfway point, and DH stayed on to learn about baby cpr (we had taken separate cars).

So keep your fingers crossed that if I hear back from the lab folks or my ob today, that the results from the draw are normal!!:)

[Peaches]

Good luck Lisainpink!!!!!!

Lilo Sorry you are experiencing bathroom problems. I feel for you. Although I am not getting it so bad now I do remember earlier on in the pregnancy not being "regular" really made me feel crappy physically. My mood also suffered. Hope the flax seed oil helps.

I just wonder how am I actually going to know if "this is it."

Sare This is exactly how I feel. Today I got pains in my right side. I had to sit down to make them go away, I kept thinking "ok, is this it?!?" It didn't help that I was with my mother and she kept asking if we should go to the birth center. Now I'm home and feel fine so I guess that wasn't it :rolleyes: Although your experience sounds much more promising and, I'll bet, more of a let down when it didn't pan out.


Rancid Hope your results come back normal!

[Sare79]

Peaches- Thanks. It can be so frustrating not knowing. You're hyper-aware that something doesn't feel normal, but you don't want to jump to conclusions.

We had our OB appointment this morning and my doctor was in a smart-ass mood. He was joking around with us at the start and when I asked him questions about what I could do about various things like how itchy I am or the internals being super painful, he just said "Have your baby." I shot him a dirty look and asked if he could do anything about that. Of course, there isn't. I told him about yesterday and he said it's a good sign that I had that, and it shouldn't be too much longer.

[lilo]

Where is everyone? Off having their babies? ;) :D

Sare: That's great news from the doctor that it shouldn't be that much longer! Hopefully he's right.

Peaches: Yes, the flaxseed oil capsules helped a lot so today I'm in a much better mood. Ah, the many joys of pregnancy. I won't miss them. ;)

Rancid: I'm a firm believer that no news is good news so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.



I'm so glad the week is halfway over! I'm feeling better today than yesterday but I still feel sore in my lower abdomen area, especially on the right side. Weird. I think I might've slept on my right side for too long last night but who knows.

I can't believe we're halfway through November already! I must admit, this month is really flying by. I can't wrap my head around the fact that next week is Thanksgiving and then Christmas! So exciting for all of us.

QOTD: Is anyone else sending out holiday birth announcements? Since our baby is due towards the end of November, I thought that we might as well combine our holiday cards with the birth announcement. Originally I thought my DH could design them since he's good at that sort of thing and it would save us $$$$ but I don't know if he'll have the time. I don't want to spend too much $$ on them since we'll be sending out quite a few. Is anyone making their own?

[kadee_29]

I don't have too much time for SO's but I just wanted everyone to know that I am reading along and thinking about y'all.

I had to take Matthew back to the drs yesterday because his belly button isn't healing the way it should and we are having some bf'ing issues but that's nothing new. :rolleyes: The dr said his belly is still healing from being cut and the veins are still trying to close. They are going to check it again at his appt on the 6th. He also said that he has gained over a pound since his checkup 13 days ago. Seems Matthew wants to be fed all the time so on top of bf'ing he is getting a 3oz bottle of formula at each feed. Obviously he is getting enough from me or he wouldn't have had the weight gain but he cries to be fed constantly so the dr wants to add formula to the mix for a little while. Hopefully he calms down on this feeding thing soon so we can get some sleep.

[nic]

Hi All!

I'm trying my best to catch up but I haven't been on-line in so long I don't think I'll ever be able to read everything.

Congratulations to everyone who's had their babies.

We took Christian for his 0ne month appt. today and he's already 9 lbs, which is crazy since we was 6 lbs at birth. Everything is going great with us and the time is flying.

For those of you still waiting-get your rest!

[roberta]

pak

another one with a doctor's appointment today. Daddy apparently gave Wes a head cold. Wes weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces today- up a pound in 10 days! I think we are going to retire the preemie clothes tomorrow and try some of the nb and 0-3 month stuff. My mom is here visiting and is baby sitting tonight while we go out to dinner for our anniversary.

hugs to the mommies still waiting. your babies will be here very very soon - they just need to be fully "cooked". Get your sleep while you can!

[ellidew]

Get your sleep while you can!

Seriously, store away as much as you can! I had no idea it was going to be so hard to function with such little sleep.

Good luck to all the mommies in waiting. I've been reading along and keeping up with everyone but there just isn't enough time in the day to do anything but tend to the baby. I only have a little free time now b/c dh is home (thank goodness! lol.)

Can't wait to hear about all the new arrivals.

[CityGirl]

I've been meaning to get back here to annouce the birth of Finn! He was early, born November 7th after a 45 hour labor and delivery. It was quite a long road and had had to stay in the hospital for three days due to a suspected blood infections. Turns out he is just fine and we are all home now doing well.

Hope to have time to catch up with everyone soon!

[bijouparvin]

CONGRATULATIONS, CITYGIRL AND WELCOME, FINN!!

I can't wait to hear if your labor went as planned. Check back in when you can!

[scarlett74]

WELCOME FINN! CONGRATULATIONS CITYGIRL!

Rancid, Lisainpink, Sare good luck!

Today my blood pressure was higher (148/93 and then 129/95!!) so the doctor wanted me to go tomorrow morning at the hospital for a control. But he'll be very busy tomorrow so he said that if the baby is moving I'll have to go Saturday morning.
Now the baby is in effect moving a lot again, yesterday night and this morning I had his feet and elbows everywere (it hurts!) so I'll wait till Saturday.
Then we'll see: maybe I'll have to deliver a few days before...
:eek:

[Rancid13]

Congratulations, Citygirl!! Welcome, Finn!! :D I'm happy to hear that he's doing fine now and is home with you.



Rancid, Lisainpink, Sare good luck!


Thanks! Good luck to you too! Sorry to hear about your high bp, hopefully everything will turn out to be ok. :)

Ellidew~ Thanks for the good luck wishes! I do wish my body would cooperate with me and allow me to sleep while I still can.:rolleyes: At least I'm able to nap on weekends even if I have a tough time getting to sleep on weeknights.

Roberta~ Glad to hear that Wes is doing well!! Sounds like the little guy's a-growin'!!

Nic~ That's great Christian's doing so well and gaining weight! Must be one healthy boy!!

Kadee~ Maybe Matthew's having a growth spurt and that's why he's needing to be constantly eating?? Hope his bellybutton heals up soon.


Still no word from the hospital or my doc about the PIH blood draw results, so I'll continue assuming that no news = good news unless I hear otherwise, which may not be until tomorrow afternoon's ob appt. :)

[Peaches]

Congrats CityGirl and welcome to Finn!

Yikes! 45 hrs of labor and three days in the hospital!!! Glad to hear you're home now.

Sare Sometimes Drs just don't know when to keep comments to themselves! Although I'm glad he thinks it's looking like sooner rather than later.

Lilo I had pain in my right side yesterday as well...I just put it down to my scrubbing out the bathtub. QOTD I think we'll just include a picture or something in the Christmas/Holiday cards we send out. That's about as much effort as I can think about for now! :)

Kadee I'm no expert but Matthew's weight gain seems pretty healthy...I wonder if it is a growth spurt like Rancid suggested? Hope his belly button clears up.

nic Wow, 9lbs that's great!

roberta The first clothing milestone...Way to go Wes! Enjoy your anniversary dinner.

scarlett Sorry to hear the BP is still high, but glad to hear the baby is still moving around in there. I agree, the kicks and elbows are getting more painful! Hope you get the news you want on Saturday.

Rancid I would guess that no news = good news as far as the results. Good luck for tomorrow's apt.

__________________________________________

Well, early this morning (the 16th for us) I lost my mucus plug. I have been having (sorry if TMI) some loose stools today along with some contractions (I think). Not sure if they are Braxton Hicks, they don't come regularly so I'm not sure if it isn't just my stomach getting crampy from the loose stools.

Anyway, I guess it is just a matter of time now. I looked up the average time for labor after loosing the plug and it seems to be anywhere from the same day, to a couple weeks!

A couple of ladies from my childbirth class have already had their babies (one of whom was due two days before me).

[scarlett74]

Peaches, good luck! I hope that losing the mucus plug will be sign of an early delivery!

[Rancid13]

Good luck, Peaches!! Here's hoping that today's 'events' mean that things are happening for you!:)

[lilo]

Congrats CityGirl! And to echo everyone else's sentiments, wow, 45 hours of labor! That's amazing. I'm glad to hear that everyone is doing well now. :) Finn is such a cute name.

Peaches: That's great about losing your plug. I hope this is it for you! Keep us posted.

Ellidew: If only I could store up my sleep since I know it will be a distant memory in the near future. I don't function well either with little sleep but I hope you are following the mantra, "Sleep when the baby sleeps!"

Rancid: I hope your appt. tomorrow afternoon brings good news.

Thanks for all the well wishes from all the new mommies. I am definitely trying to get as much rest as I can although I'm sure it will still be tough when the baby is finally here.

Still no sign of impending labor for me but that's fine. I'm trying to enjoy getting tons of sleep these days and since tomorrow is my last day of work, I can really relax from this point forward. Not to say that I'm not 110% ready for this baby to make his arrival but I know that there is an end in sight, no matter what.

I'm really looking to my next doctor's appt. since it'll be my first internal and I'm curious at this point to see if I'm dilated at all.

[Sare79]

Thanks scarlett! I hope it goes well for you too.

Good luck Peaches! I lost my plug last week and have been having the same thing happening with the loose stools. Hopefully it means we'll have our babies soon!

Good luck on your first internal, lilo!

I'm with you on the no news = good news, Rancid.

A funny little story from yesterday- I was doing some stuff in the baby's room and I noticed a little puddle where I was standing, and my first reaction was to pull down my pants to see if my water broke. Nope, my water bottle that was resting on the crib tipped over and the lid wasn't on as tight as I thought. Anxious, anyone?

The other thing I noticed is that my contractions get a bit more intense when I am in the car so I went for a drive today and they did intensify, so I'm hoping this goes on and the trend continues so that we can have this baby. Joel starts his leave on Sunday, so it would be really nice to have the baby this weekend so he gets his full two weeks with the baby. :)

[Rancid13]

A funny little story from yesterday- I was doing some stuff in the baby's room and I noticed a little puddle where I was standing, and my first reaction was to pull down my pants to see if my water broke. Nope, my water bottle that was resting on the crib tipped over and the lid wasn't on as tight as I thought. Anxious, anyone?



DOH!! :o I got excited for you as I was reading that, darned water bottle!! I'm sending you labor vibes, I know how ready you are for Carys to make an appearance. :)

[Lizzie Beth]

Katherine Marie is here!!!!

Induction went extremely well, although 23 hours total from Cervadil to baby. She arrived on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 10:33pm - 7lbs, 10 ozs!!!

Cord was wrapped around her neck, Dr. anticipated that might be why things were taking so long, but she was totally okay, Apgar 9/9.

She has platinum blonde hair and is totally gorgeous. Susannah seems to approve of her so far.. She visited yesterday in the hospital, and fed her a bottle today after we came home. Susie also got her first baby doll at the hospital, so Katie has to wait her turn on all the baby contraptions until Susannah's baby doll has had a turn..

Everyone is in love so far...

Back later to catch up on the thread, but I know if I don't post now, someone's bound to interrupt....

[Rancid13]

CONGRATULATIONS, LizzieBeth!! Welcome to Katherine!!! I'm so happy to hear that she arrived healthy with a stellar APGAR to boot!! Can't wait to hear more!!

[Lizzie Beth]

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r45/es_walker/IMG_4152.jpg
The finish line...

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r45/es_walker/IMG_4173.jpg
My girls..

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r45/es_walker/IMG_4180.jpg
Susannah got a baby doll when she came to the hospital, so now she's a mommy, too!

[neenbean]

CONGRATULATIONS CITYGIRL!!! Welcome Finn!!! I had been thinking about you and hoping all went well with your home birth plans. My sister and I were both born at home. :)

CONGRATULATIONS LIZZIEBETH!!! Welcome Katherine!!! Love the name! (DD is Catherine. ;))




Not much new to report. Tuesday I went to the gym and did a minimal elliptical workout and bounced on the exercise ball and did pelvic thrusts. It seemed to get baby to move back into position and is no longer breech!!! So, if I go into labor on my own before Monday, I will attempt a VBAC. :) My OB seems to think my water will break on Sunday night. Here's to hoping! She did not do an internal, so I have no idea if I am dilated, but I doubt there has been progress. However, she did an u/s because I was having low movement AGAIN. Baby is doing great, just mellow. This kid is already giving me anxiety. :rolleyes:

DH is finally home from his last trip for work!!! I am so thankful because it was just nerve wracking thinking about how to get him home if I went into labor. Ugh. Anyway, we have some plans this weekend, but nothing too exciting- taking DD to the zoo, laundry, making DH clean the bathrooms and getting the carseats checked. Fun, huh?

Tomorrow, I will meet my Walking Club tomorrow for my final walk this calendar year. :) I just cannot believe I will be the mother of TWO children by this time on Monday!@!!*%$^#@!:eek:

[ButterflyJen]

HI all - I'm so excited to announce that Lilla had her baby girl! Yesterday (November 15th) at 5:30 PM. I don't know if she's announced her name yet, so I'll let her do that. ;)

Baby girl was 8 lbs, 10 oz, and 20-3/4" long. Healthy and beautiful, says her proud mama, and her daddy is absolutely in love. :) All went well overall and she was just happy to avoid induction (which would have been today at 3PM)!

Congratulations to her, and to all of the November mamas!

[Rancid13]

Thanks for the post, ButterflyJen!

Congratulations Lilla!! Welcome, baby girl!! Can't wait to hear more about her!!:D :D :D

[lilo]

Congrats Lizzie Beth and Lilla!!


Today is my last day of work!!!!! Woohoo! I am super excited about this and still can't believe that I'm due next Friday. No big plans for the weekend although we may go out to dinner to celebrate my being done with work but we'll see how I feel.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[RubberSoul]

congratulations CityGirl!!! Welcome Finn!!!
Congratulations Lizzie Beth!!! Welcome Katherine!!!
Congratulations Lilla!!! Welcome baby girl!!!

I hope to hear about more arrivals soon!

Anyone know if mermccau has had her baby? Not too long ago she mentioned being induced. I think that was supposed to happen last weekend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ian had his 2 week check-up yesterday. He is up to 6lbs, 12oz! He gained 11oz in about 7 days! It was great to hear that he is growing so well. As a first time Mom I was wondering if he was getting everything he needed from me. BF'ing is going pretty good. We have some latch issues in the middle of the night for some reason. That's the worst time to have them too. Hopefully we can work it out soon so I can get some sleep!

I am happy to hear all the other babies are doing well!

[Rancid13]

LizzieBeth~ Adorable pictures!!! Awwww! Such a cute little family! I love that pic of DD “practicing” with her own baby doll!!

Neenbean~ Good job on the exercises to get baby back into position! Here’s hoping the kid stays just like that for the next few days. That’s fantastic your DH is back from traveling, it must be a load of your mind knowing he’ll be around when you go into labor.:)

Lilo~ Whoohoo for today being your last day at work!! This is my last full week @ work, I may only work partial days next week as it’s a holiday week anyhow (depending on how I’m feeling of course) then I’m done till sometime in early 2007.

Rubbersoul~ It’s great to hear that Ian’s growing so well!! Sounds like one healthy boy you got there! Yay for BFing starting to work out for you guys!




38 week belly shots from last night!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/38w002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/38w004.jpg

Compared to last week:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/37w006.jpg

Not much difference in size, IMO. But I do feel like he's yet even lower, as evidenced by my underwear being pushed down in the front by my belly even more than I recall it being pushed down last week. :o

I have my 38w ob appt early this afternoon (at which I'm sure to find out results from the PIH blood draw that are normal, LOL) and my 2nd NST of the week at the hospital even later in the afternoon. Other than the usual complaints of itchiness and some minor aches/pains nothing much is going on in my sector. :)

[scarlett74]

Lizzie Beth, congratulations!
Your Katherine is beautiful and you have a wonderful family!!!
How sweet is Susannah with her doll... :)

Congratulations to Lilla, too!

Today my blood pressure was still high (140/90), let's see what will happen tomorrow at the visit...
Good luck to everyone!

[mrstim]

August '06 mommy stopping in to let ya'll know that LisainPink had her sweet little man on Wednesday, 11/15. He's healthy and SO SO cute! I went yesterday to the hospital to check on them and he's gorgeous - the fullest head of black hair I've ever seen on a baby!! I'll let her announce all the details, but just wanted to let you all know that he's here!!

I will say this: I'm totally jealous - Lisa only pushed TWICE!! Congrats to all!!

[Rancid13]

Thanks for the post, MrsTim!

Congratulations Lisainpink!! I can't wait to hear more about your little guy!!!:D :D :D

Now I'm jealous too! Only 2 pushes?!:eek: :p

[Toonces]

Congratulations CityGirl and welcome Finn! 45 hours of labor?! Looking forward to reading your birth story. I'm glad you & Finn are doing well.
Congratulations Lizzie Beth and welcome Katherine! You have a beautiful family!
Congratulations Lilla and welcome baby girl! I'm so glad you didn't need to be induced!
Congratulations Lisainpink and welcome baby boy! Only two pushes?! You rock!

Rancid ~ It totally looks to me like you've dropped!! :eek: I couldn't see it in other weeks' comparisons, but definitely see it now.

RubberSoul ~ I hope your BFing issues improve (I saw your post back to me in the BFing thread). Hopefully we can both find some relief soon. Like you, I have the most difficult latch times in the middle of the night. So yesterday during the day was great, but last night was painful again. From what I remember, it does get better... just takes a few weeks.

neenbean ~ I'm glad your DH is done with his traveling. That's gotta be a big relief!

Speedy L&D vibes to those mommies who are still waiting for their little butterballs!!

Devin had his first WBV yesterday. At birth he weighed 8lbs 11oz, at discharge he weighed 8lbs 3oz, and yesterday at only 6 days old he weighed 8lbs 8oz! His Ped said he'd expect that much of a wt gain in 2 weeks, not in one. Let's just say this time around I have A LOT more breastmilk and Devin is quite the little fanatic about it. A lady in the waiting room asked how old he was, I told her and she said, "Wow! I would've thought that he was one month, not one week!" He seems so tiny to me compared to my 2 yr old DD, but I guess he is a healthy size for a newborn. :)

[Toonces]

Forgot to mention funny L&D story... I was toilet paper checking obsessed the weeks leading up to my delivery and was soooo hoping to lose my mucous plug (remember all my questions??). :) Well when I was in labor I kept having to go to the bathroom and I was still checking the tp (habit I guess). One time when I checked, there it was - the MP! I was so excited that I called DH & my doula into the bathroom and said, "I lost my mucous plug!!!" They were like, "Duh, you are in labor." :p :)

[Sare79]

Threadmistresses- if anyone would like me to update the thread with all the new babies, I would be happy to. I know you are all busy with your little ones, but I have time to spare while I wait for mine to come along. PM me if you want me to do this.

[bijouparvin]

CONGRATULATIONS, LIZZIEBETH, LILLA, AND LISAINPINK AND WELCOME, KATHERINE AND BABY GIRL AND BOY!!! Can't wait to see (more) pics, learn (more) names and hear birth stories.

So, it's my due date and still no baby BUT...

I went to the midwife today and she gave me a (rigorous and painful) internal, to find that I am 3cm dilated!! She didn't mention a percentage of effacement but she said that I was "nice and soft". I guess my cervix was posterior so she was moving it forward and that's part of what hurt. Also, she said she was trying to stretch me out a little bit more since at 3cm, she could get her fingers in there to do some stretchin'. Youch, though!

I've been crampy all day but I think that's just a result of being man-handled. I've also had some contrax, but none really painful. My plan for tonight is to take a nice long walk with hubby, eat pizza (DH's dad was a doctor and said this always worked well), maybe see a movie (my mom went into labor during Allegro Non Troppo), and then jump his bones. My CNM said that as dilated as I am, getting busy is the best thing I can do to hurry things along. She also said that she would be surprised if I make it to my next appointment on Wednesday. :) I'm getting excited!!!

P.S. Here, here (hear, hear?), Sare! That would be awesome. I've been trying to do the math of how many babies are here and how many are left, but I'm too PG to figure it out. :rolleyes:

[Lilla]

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone! We are now at home and I'm up trying to keep my little girl down for more than an hour at a time. :)

I'll write and post the birth story later, but just wanted to fill you in on the name - our little girl is Kathleen Christina. We'll call her Kate for short and her middle name is in honor of her grandmother who passed away this summer. I'm doing well, Kate is doing well. BFing is going ok - now just waiting on my milk to come in. I'm just so very thankful that Kate decided to come on her own instead of having to be induced. As it was, I came thisclose to having a c-section anyway! :rolleyes: Will fill you in on those details later, but I was able to have her vaginally after an hour and a half of pushing. Man that was some hard work!! ;)

CONGRATULATIONS to all the newest mommies on this thread and GOOD LUCK to those mommies still in waiting.....it's worth the wait, trust me!

[Rancid13]

Catgirl~ He certainly feels lower!! Things are getting more uncomfortable with each passing day. I can’t believe he’ll be here soon!! It’s great that Devin is doing so well BFing and with gaining weight!! Sounds like a very healthy little guy you’ve got there! That’s too funny about you still checking the tp at the hospital, LOL!! I’d probably be the same way though.:o

Sare~ That’s awesome of you to offer update the thread. My attention span has dissipated lately so I’d have a tough time keeping everything straight, LOL.

Bijouparvin~ You’re getting so close!! I’m hoping that the walk, pizza, and DTD will help get labor jump-started for you this weekend!! I’m sending labor vibes your way!!:)

Lilla~ It’s great to hear from you! I love the name, it’s beautiful!! I can’t wait to hear more about little Kate!!:D


~~~~~~~~~~
I had my 38w ob appointment earlier this afternoon. All went well. My doctor went over the results from my PIH blood tests and it turns out that everything is indeed normal, just as I thought it would be. She said the numbers that came back weren't just normal, they were stellar. I was beaming. :) She made a copy of the paperwork so DH and I could gloat over the fact that we were right in our prediction that all would be normal. No more talk of inducing, yay!!

I also got an internal done to check for dilation, and it was incredibly uncomfortable for me. A LOT moreso than the regular yearly internal gyno exams. After the fact, my doc mentioned that she had stripped my membranes (ouch!) to maybe get things moving along, that I'm closed up tight but that my cervix is very soft, which she said was very good. Unfortunately as a result of the internal I've been crampy ever since, my lower back has been killing me and I've been bleeding as well. I physically feel like I just started my period or something. Ick!

My next ob appointment is next Tuesday due to the Thanksgiving holiday next week. She didn't want to wait until the following Friday, at which point I'd be just over 40w along (if I'm still pregnant of course) just in case.

She also must have taken too seriously my comment last week about how she stressed me out and therefore gets high bp readings from me; she asked me if I would feel more comfortable having another ob instead of her handle the labor & delivery....DH and I assured the doc that it wasn't necessarily her specifically that stressed me out, it was the ob office in general and having to wait 30-45 minutes in the waiting room to be seen that had the most impact on my stress levels and therefore bp levels.

And all was well at my NST too...very uneventful but nonetheless reassuring. :)

Next ob appt: Nov 21

[neenbean]

Congratulations Lilla!!! Welcome baby girl!
Congratulations Lisainpink!!! Welcome baby boy!

So glad to hear all went at your appt Rancid! I am so glad your doc is being understanding.

bijouparvin~ 3cm already?! That is a big progression! Good luck!

Sare~ thank you for offering to update us! I wish I could give you the password, but I am not in the know. ;)

Catgirl~ it is a relief. DH has been gone so much of this pregnancy, it definitely explains why I have been so anxcious and cranky. :o I am just thrilled we will meet this little one on Monday!




Not much to report from me. I had a mani, pedi and eyebrow wax yesterday and feel so much better! Today we are going to the zoo. Hopefully it won't be too crazy.

DH is getting on my every last nerve, despite the fact that he is trying to be super helpful. :o I hate that I am so dang cranky! For all you new moms who dealt with this, did it disappear after the baby was born??? I never remember being this easily annoyed when pregnant with DD. It is so frustrating that everything can potentially set me off. Ugh.

[acrane]

Hooray, more babies!! :D

Congratulations CityGirl and welcome to Finn!
Congratulations Lizzie Beth and welcome to Katherine!
Congratulations Lilla and welcome to your baby girl!
Congratulations Lisainpink and welcome to your baby boy!

My parents are arriving today and s-i-l is arriving tomorrow since we have an induction day set (Monday), and I don't think I'm going to go on my own before then. Everyone will be gone by Thanksgiving though, which is actually a good thing as dh and I are looking forward to a quiet holiday with our oldest son, dog and new bundle of fun! If I don't get back here before I go into the hospital, I hope you all have a great weekend and I'll update soon. :)

[scarlett74]

UPDATE
Today I had the visit. The baby was ok but my blood pressure was higher and higer (130/100 at 11 and 160/100 at 12!!!!)
The doctor stripped my membranes to make the delivery quicker, then he said he wanted me to stay at the hospital to be sure, to
control baby two times a day and to heal pressure.
If the baby won't be here till Monday I'll have an induction.
I had the time to come back at home, have my last meal, collect my things and then at 4 pm I'll be in the hospital...
It means that my next news will be with the baby...

Good luck to all the November mummmies still waiting!!

[Toonces]

Cranky at DH ~ My crankiness toward DH, from a hormonal perspective, disappeared after I had Devin. However, one week later I'm finding that I'm snapping at DH b/c I'm tired. Devin is a very good sleeper (thank goodness!), but he of course wakes up every 1.5-2 hours to eat so I'm exhausted.

scarlett74 ~ Best of luck to you!! Hoping that the membrane stripping worked and that you won't have to be induced. Can't wait to hear back about your little one!! :)

acrane ~ Best of luck to you on Monday!! How exciting! Can't wait to hear back from you. :)

Rancid ~ Sorry about the uncomfy internal. Mine got very uncomfortable toward the end, too. I later found out that was b/c my cervix was very posterior. It felt like they were digging to China back there, even during labor b/c it took forever for my cervix to move forward. Glad your PIH results were normal!!

bijou ~ I hope some of your natural induction methods get things going for you. If not, at least you'll be having some fun. ;)

Lilla ~ Kathleen Christina is a beautiful name. Can't wait to read your birth story!

DD showed her first official signs of jealousy last night. We co-sleep and Devin woke up to nurse. So far DD hasn't woken up until last night. She started screaming and crying for me to hold her. :( I felt awful that I couldn't give her my full attn. I eventually put Devin in a football hold to feed him and held DD on the other side of my lap. After I can drive again and lift more than 10 lbs., I'm going to schedule some special outings with her.

[Tonysweetie]

Just popping in to wish the rest of the ladies waiting for babies that I hope you have very easy and quick deliverys!!! God Bless!

[kadee_29]

Quick post for those wanting to keep count ....

We are up to 22 out of 36 babies total. I will be back later to update the first page.

[neenbean]

Just dropping in to say hello. We will be admitted to the hospital in 11 hours for my c-section, and hope to meet our daughter or son in about 12.5 hours. :) We re-installed the infant carrier, bought all of our family Chirstmas presents, went grocery shopping, bought the "bundle ME" cover for the infant carrier, spot treated the rugs, vaccuumed the house, did some laundry and are now semi-ready to meet baby.

I just wish DD was not acting quite so difficult the past couple of days?!?!?!? She has been hitting and cranky and just downright ornary. Ugh. Dh and I are both annoyed, but whatever, her whole world is going to be flipped upside down tomorrow, poor thing. My friend has a day of fun planned for her, so that is nice and my mom will be here the rest of the week to entertain her. DD totally knows life is changing, but I am not she sure really "gets" that when we say "baby is coming tomorrow" and that I will be in the hospital all week, etc. what that means... Oh well. I am just happy to know we have wonderful people watching her this week! :)

[mayham]

I've been trying to at least read along, but posting has been tough lately. I'm not sure there's any way I can catch up on shout outs, so I wanted to throw out a huge congratulations to all of the new moms and babies!!!

neenbean - Good luck tomorrow!! You sound very ready for the new baby... I wish I had time to get my act together before our baby came!

scarlett74 - Good luck! I hope you're already a mommy, but if not yet, it sounds like tomorrow is your day!

acrane - Good luck with your induction tomorrow!!!

Rancid13 - Sorry the internal was so uncomfortable. Your little one will be here before you know it, hang in there!

I'll be back soon with my birth story, I promise! In the meantime, here's a picture of my little one. I'll likely take it down after a few days since I don't tend to post pics online, so please don't post this to the first page. Thanks!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/lamki/lamki-1.jpg

[Lizzie Beth]

Congratulations, Citygirl & Lilla, Welcome Finn & Kathleen!!

And Congratulations Lisainpink and welcome babyinpink!!

Good luck, Scarlett and Neen! Hope you've already crossed the finish line by now and everything went well..

As for me, I am mighty glad we are all done and can enjoy Thanksgiving with my stomach in its proper place! Sorry to those who are still muddling through - I had to muddle through Christmas 2 years ago..could hardly eat and Susannah was born eight hours later. As I can still justify it w/ breastfeeding, I plan to stuff myself silly.

Everything is going great here so far. Daddy has really stepped up and is Susannah's hero. He took her to the aquarium last Friday as a treat (it was the day after we got home) and I'm not sure who had more fun.. Then yesterday he took her to a christening party and they had a blast, lots of kids Susie's age... So Daddy and Susie have quite the social calendar. She's in daycare today, so hopefully I have a quiet day ahead and can catch up on some things.

So far it's been smooth between Susannah and Katie. Susie's very interested in the baby, wants to touch and hold the baby briefly before she loses interest. No aggression whatsoever...yet. Susie has been waking up at night, I guess that's how her anxiety over the life changes has been manifesting itself. She's also been in the middle of transitioning into the big girl room and big girl bed (it's been about a month now) and so that's a big change, too. Sometimes she calls for Daddy, sometimes for me, and we try to get the appropriate person there, if possible. :rolleyes:

As for Katie, she has been really easy. As long as you feed her as much as she wants it, when she wants it, keep her burped and her diaper relatively clean, she is a happy camper. She likes to sleep all day and then get busy at night, but that's good for us as it is less competition with Susannah. I can't believe how much easier the newborn thing seems now, but next to the two-year-old thing, it's cake. Plus we already figured out most of what we had to know last time, so our learning curve is mostly in the two-year-old category.

My big test will come when Daddy goes back to work, but that's not until December 9, so I'm going to worry about that around December 8th or so. ;)

Good luck to everybody still waiting....and happy parenting to everybody who's had their arrival already....

[lilo]

Just got back from my 39 week appt. and unfortunately, it was not what I was hoping for. I had my first internal, which surprisingly wasn't painful but more uncomfortable, and it turns out that my cervix is soft and flat (I think that's what term he used) but completely closed at this point. Ugh!!!! I was really, really hoping that I would be somewhat dilated and could set up an induction date for THIS week. But nope, looks like I'll have to go into labor on my own or I'll be induced next Wednesday. At least I have that to look forward to, if nothing else. On a positive note, the baby's heartbeat sounded great and my BP was very good as well. He is still movin' and groovin' a ton so I can't complain. The doctor also said that he is in a great position and his head is pretty far down, which is probably why I'm so uncomfortable these days!

Last night I started getting some early or pre-labor contractions every 15 to 20 minutes apart that were somewhat painful and lasted about 30to 60 seconds. They were definitely more intense than the previous B-H contractions since I had to breathe my way through them and get up and move around until the contraction passed. So at least my body is doing something although who knows how long this could take. They've tapered off somewhat today but still come everyone once in a while but they're manageable at this point.

I'm glad I'm home this week so I can just relax since I have a feeling that my discomfort is going to get worse. I just hope I don't go stir crazy or get too anxious for labor to start! I rented a bunch of movies, bought some magazine and hopefully will be able to cook some dishes that we can freeze this week.

If I don't go into labor on my own this week, my next appt. will be Monday, 11/27/

Good luck acrane, neenbean and scarlett!

Sounds like everything is going great Lizzie Beth! That's great that Susannah is getting along with Katie and your DH is being such a big help.

What a darling picture mayham! So precious.

[Rancid13]

Neenbean~ Glad to hear you got all pampered up with your pedi and mani! I’ll be thinking about you today! :D

Acrane~ How exciting you’ll be meeting your little guy today! That’s great that you guys will get to enjoy the holiday with just your new little family, minus all the added distraction/drama from your families. I’m thinking about you today too!!:D

Scarlett~ I’m thinking about you and your little boy!! Hoping the weekend went well, and wondering if he’s made his arrival yet!!:)

Catgirl~ Sorry to hear DD’s developed a sudden case of jealousy over Devin’s arrival. Hopefully she’ll soon realize that you don’t love her any less just because you have a new little guy in the house, but that your attention is sort of diverted more often to the more helpless kid for the time being.

Mayham~ Adorable picture! Can’t wait to hear all about your birth story. :)

LizzieBeth~ I’m happy to hear that things are going so smoothly between your DD’s. It’s great that S is so interested in the baby. I love your justification for stuffing yourself silly come TG day, LOL!:p

Lilo~ Sorry to hear your appt didn’t go as you’d hoped. I’m sending some labor dust your way, hopefully things will start progressing for you this week so you don’t have to wait to be induced next week.:)

~~~~~~~~

Still here, still very pregnant. I'm thinking I'm gonna make it at least through Thanksgiving, which I'm very happy about. It's my favorite holiday and I wasn't wanting to miss it to have to be in the hospital, KWIM? I have been eating some very spicy Chinese food (kung pao chicken anyone?) about every other day, which has done little else than majorly clear my sinuses, and have been trying to walk more often than I have been, which is tough now that my feet are getting swollen earlier and earlier in the day.

Other than that, my next ob appt is tomorrow so we'll see if anything's happened since Friday's internal/membrane stripping...I'd like to meet this little guy already but right now I'm in no rush for some reason. This is my last (partial) week at work, I can't wait to be off on Weds and not have to come back until sometime late Jan/early Feb, whooho!!

[Oakley]

Hi! I'm coming in to post an update on neenbean! She just called me and sounds GREAT!

Neenbean, her husband, and their daughter welcomed a new baby girl, Lauren Elizabeth, into the world at 11:30 this morning. :D

[Lizzie Beth]

Yaaaayyyy!! Congratulations, Neen, and welcome Lauren!!!

[Rancid13]

Thanks for the post, Oakley!

Congratulations Neenbean!! Welcome Lauren!! I can't wait to hear all about her!!!

[ausi2b]

I apologize for being such a slacker on this thread. I read along, but barely have the energy to post anymore (who knows if any of y'all even remember me!!)

First of all - CONGRATULATIONS to all of the new mommas and babies! I have loved reading the birth stories and seeing all of the pictures. I cannot wait to see what my little one will look like ... which leads me to ...

STILL PREGNANT OVER HERE! Due date is this Friday, but similar to you Lilo, I'm not making any progress. I've had some pretty consistent (and painful!) contractions for a few weeks but no dilation, no effacement, nothing. It has been extremely frustrating. I go back to the doctor on Wednesday this week, and Monday of next week and I have been scheduled to go to the hospital Tuesday evening (of next week) to start Cervadil for 12 hours and then get induced the morning of Wednesday 11/29. The OB thinks that this is a big baby (measuring 8.5 lbs LAST week) and since I'm super little and petite, the doctor is concerned that the baby is too big to fit through my pelvis so he has more than a few times mentioned a c/section. I'm ok with it (not thrilled) but I'm ready to have this baby HERE!

Hope you all are doing well. There aren't many of us left - so I hope I can keep up with you in the last homestretch!! :)

[Sare79]

I'm here and still pregnant.
I've been having contractions and false labour for the last couple of days and tomorrow is my due date. We started doing some Christmas shopping yesterday and that seemed to work, so we did a bit more today. I have the feeling that it won't be so easy to Christmas shop once I have a newborn in tow, so if I can get the majority done now, I am happy.
My pelvis si so sore and I can feel her being lower as each day goes on.
Good luck to everyone still hanging in there!

[lilo]

I just lost some or all of my plug!! Yay! I know that doesn't necessarily mean that labor is imminent but it's the little things these days to put me in a better mood. So thank you rancid for the labor dust! Maybe it's working. ha! :)

ausi2b: Good to see you over here. Sorry to hear that you're in the same boat as me in terms of little to no progress. I hope your appt. on Wed. brings better news. I've only been experiencing painful contractions since yesterday so I can only imagine how you're feeling too. How funny that we're both scheduled to be induced next Wednesday. Hopefully we'll both go into labor on our own before then!

Rancid: Good luck with your appt. tomorrow! Hopefully the membranes stripping helped some.

Sare: I hear ya on a sore pelvis. I can't believe how low my baby boy is now although he just doesn't seem to want to leave anytime soon!

Has anyone heard from bijouravin???

Question: Has anyone else been experiencing pain radiating down your thighs when you get a contraction? Weirdly enough, I feel a lot of pain on the top of my thighs sometimes when a contraction comes by. Sometimes it's more painful than others but boy, it is not pleasant.

[Rancid13]

Sare~ I'm sending some labor dust your way too chickie!! You're right about it being tougher doing Christmas shopping with a newborn; I'm planning on doing most, if not all, of my Christmas shopping online this year as a result. :)

I just lost some or all of my plug!! Yay! I know that doesn't necessarily mean that labor is imminent but it's the little things these days to put me in a better mood. So thank you rancid for the labor dust! Maybe it's working. ha! :)

Whoohoo!! It's working, it's working!! You can send some my way on Friday+. :D


Has anyone heard from bijouravin???

I just checked out her previous posts, and according to a post she made earlier this morning she's still pg and anxiously awaiting the arrival of her baby girl. :) I'm now sending labor dust her way too!!!

[lilo]

Whoohoo!! It's working, it's working!! You can send some my way on Friday+. :D

I definitely will!

[Sare79]

Thanks Rancid! I'll take what I can get!

[Calla Lilly]

Seems like there are very few of us still here who are pregnant! Congratulations to all of the new moms and welcome to all of the babies!

I had my 39 week appointment today and also scheduled my induction for the 29th (seems to be a popular day!). I am 3 cm dilated, 90% effaced and the baby is between 0 to -1 station...but I think I will go past my due date (which is Thanksgiving). I plan on working tomorrow, but I might stop after that...

Hope everyone is doing well!

[Calla Lilly]

Am I the only one who hasn't knowingly felt a contraction???

[Rancid13]

Am I the only one who hasn't knowingly felt a contraction???

No, you're not the only one. I haven't either. I was just asking my mom the other day what a BH feels like and what a regular contraction feels like so if I feel anything, I can identify what it is. I haven't felt anything yet other than some random aches and pains from the baby moving in an odd direction and hitting a nerve.

[bijouparvin]

Hi! Still here. I've had on and off contrax Friday, Sat AM, and last night but they subside after a little while. As much as I'm anxious to meet this little one, I am forcing myself to be patient. She's still plenty active in there so I know she's doing okay. I want to avoid a chemical induction if at all possible, so as long as all is well, I'll keep on keepin' on.

Our numbers are definitely dwindling in here, aren't they? Not sure who's going next, but I can pretty much guarantee it's not going to be me, unless something suddenly changes. For those of you getting induced on 11/29, chances are good you'll have 11/30 babies and THAT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!! It's an awesome day to have your b-day because it usually falls over Thanksgiving weekend but is never actually ON Thanksgiving. Your babies will be happy about it, promise!

Good luck, everyone!

ETA: Thanks, Rancid, for the labor dust. I'll take it!!

[acrane]

Quick fly-by to say Matthew Charles was born today (11/20/06) at 2:19pm weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces and 19 1/2 inches in length. Birth story and pictures ASAP! :D

[Lizzie Beth]

Congratulations, Archane!!! Welcome Matthew! That's some fast posting, girl!

Sare - Hi to my due date buddy!! You really are hangin' tough! Christmas shopping + I know how much pain you've been in.... Me, I stick with the internet. Just bought more nursing bras over on Figleaves.com. Yay!! No dressing rooms for me! I hear you on the pelvic pain. I had Katie a week ago, and my pelvis still nags at me, although not nearly as bad as before I had her. I've had fleeting worries about bone cancer, it hurts that much...

BTW, breastfeeding is going great this time - I had posted before about lactation consultants and LLL... It started out exactly the same as before - fine in the hospital, but once my milk came in on Friday night, it was awful...just the same as before, and I managed to get cracked and bleeding nipples on both sides in a hurry. Thankfully I had my lactation consultant home visit scheduled for the next morning. She was awesome!! Since then my nipples have been healing really well and Katie is really enjoying chowing down. I still supplement quite a bit - Katie's got a killer appetite - but she's getting a good 4 or more feedings from me a day, and that's progress. Hopefully once my nipples heal and my supply catches up with her demand, I'll be able to get my percentage up, but even if not, I'm happy with what we've got so far, and I feel so much more positive about the BFing experience this time that the $$ was worth it. She also gave me some paperwork to submit to my insurance company to see if they'll cover it. Which would be nice, but even if they don't, it was definitely worth it...

[Sare79]

Congratulations Acrane!

It's just after 3 here and I cannot sleep. I had more false labour last night, although, I only know that now. My contractions started at about 7:00 and by 11:00, they progressed from 10 minutes apart and 30 seconds long to almost 4 minutes apart and about a minute. I laid down to get some sleep at about 12:00 after consistently having them at 4 minutes apart and fell asleep right away, and woke up at 3:00 and nothing is happening anymore.
I don't know if I have mentioned but we live about 3 blocks from the hospital which is why I don't end up calling them or my doctor or going in. I just don't want to waste my time if I am going to be sent home. Also, my doctor and I agreed that unless something out of the ordinary happened, I wouldn't go to the hospital until the contractions were about 3-4 minutes, super intense and lasting a minute.
I haven't had the bloody show at all or seen any more of my mucous plug for about 10 days. I keep thinking something has to show soon.

I'm sorry for being so miserable- these false alarms are very misleading and they really get my hopes up. I feel like I would be less miserable if I wasn't seeing any progress and just plugging along waiting, but because I keep getting these tastes of it, and then they get stronger and closer that something really is happening.

[kadee_29]

Congrats neenbean and acrane!!!!

Welcome Lauren and Matthew!!!!

[ausi2b]

Congratulations ACrane!

Sare - I totally feel you on the feeling let-down. I swear I'm going to have this baby on the highway because I feel like I just don't trust these contractions to ever be the real thing!

Lilo - That is crazy we'll be induced on the same day. I remember we live in the same area, but I forget if we're deilvering at the same hospital. Wouldn't that be crazy??

Christmas shopping - I went to the mall over the weekend and got the STRANGEST looks. I swear most people thought I was going to have my water break in the store. I'm a huge shopper - but it made me feel super uncomfortable, so we didn't stay long. I'm so ultra-prepared for this baby that its ridiculous so I thought holiday shopping would be me something to do, but now that seems out, so I'm focusing on Thanksgiving dinner. All of our family lives out of town, so we're doing a pre-made dinner, but I'm thinking of making a few sides and desserts myself. I figure that if I really plan and buy all of the ingredients, Murphy's Law will kick in and I'll deliver before then (wishful thinking?)

Pelvis hurting - I swear yesterday and today I feel like I have a 350 lb. weight hanging from my belly, rear-end, and hoo-hah. I've managed to avoid waddling for 40 weeks now, but I can't help it anymore, I'm just so uncomfortable!

[Rancid13]

CallaLily~ Yay for having an induction scheduled! But you never know, you may progress more in the next week before the induction and go into labor on your own. ;)

Bijouparvin~ Sorry to hear you’re still anxiously awaiting the arrival of your little girl, but at least it’s reassuring to know that she’s still moving around and doing well in there. Here’s hoping she doesn’t wait too much longer!!;)

Acrane~ Congratulations!!! Welcome, Matthew!!!!

LizzieBeth~ That’s great you got an LC to come over and help with the BFing, I’m glad to hear it’s going better now!:D

Sare~ Sorry to hear about all the false alarms! I hope Carys makes up her mind already and decides to make her appearance!:)


39 week appt~ Well I had what could technically be called my 39w appt this morning (even though I don’t “turn” 39w until Thurs) and a quick internal revealed that I am now 1cm dilated and baby is at a station -3. Hey, it's 1cm more than I was on Friday!! He’s lower than last week, as my belly measured 38cm as opposed to 39cm on Friday, but still not low enough. :)

I called my mom after my appt (as I do every week) and she asked me if I told the doctor about our “family history”. Apparently both she and my grandma (accounting for 7 total children) have histories of VERY fast labors/deliveries; we’re talking about going from being 1-2cm dilated to pushing in a matter of hours. So you never know! I might stay at 1cm dilated for 2-3 more weeks, or I could be like my mom/grandma and progress very quickly from here. No membrane stripping today. I saw my doc's physicians asst since my doc was in an emergency c-section (although I did pass her in the hall on my way out).

[bijouparvin]

CONGRATULATIONS, NEENBEAN AND ACRANE AND WELCOME, LAUREN AND MATTHEW!!

Hmmmmmmmmmmm... Well, I've been contracting every six or seven minutes for the past few hours. Nice, strong ones but nothing I can't talk through or that forces me to breathe funny. Because I've had regular contrax twice before, I'm not putting too much stock in these unless/until they are closer together and stronger. I think I'm going to hop in the bath and see if they subside or not.

sare - I'm so with you on being disappointed when the contrax stop. I think you're right that it would be easier to have not felt any labor-like symptoms at all than to have them come and go.

rancid - Congrats on your 1cm! Progress is progress, girl. :)

ausi2b - This:

I swear yesterday and today I feel like I have a 350 lb. weight hanging from my belly, rear-end, and hoo-hah.

had me giggling. So true!!

lizziebeth - So great to hear that BFing is working out well. Wouldn't that be awesome if insurance covered it? That would make my year.

[Rancid13]

Sending some labor dust your way, Bijouparvin!! And keeping my fingers crossed for you!!! :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
:eek: :eek: :eek:
I was at the hospital this afternoon for my NST and apparently my ob had been concerned about my bp this morning at my appt (150/90), so she had the NST nurse call her to report my bp after it had been taken. Of course my bp was lower at 134/65 as it usually is at the NST, and I could hear the nurse outside the room having a long conversation with my ob about how she felt I was NOT at risk for PIH based on the records there at the hospital (fluid levels being normal, passing my PIH blood tests w/flying colors, no symptoms of PIH, great fetal movement and uterine activity, etc). The nurse was going on and on about how human error could have been miscalculating my bp at my ob appts, as the hospital's bp machines are all mechanized (ie: the machine does all the work, there's not someone counting out my pulse beats, etc) so there's really no margin of error at my NSTs and my bp has been fantastic at all 15 or 16 of my appts there so far.

So we get the ultrasound done and I LOVE the nurse I saw, I'd never been seen by this one before. She was super nice and super talkative so we got to get a good long look at the baby. He was sucking his hand, and trying to pull his foot up to his face and moving all over. She said he was a good size, which is not typical of the baby of someone with PIH so she was very sure that I didn't have it based on all the evidence. I did talk to my ob by phone while at the hospital and she wants me to do another blood test at my next NST on Friday morning, which isn't a problem. She was also going to consult a perinatologist (sp??) to get a second opinion on the whole blood pressure situation. I left the hospital and stopped by DH's work to let him know how everything went.

We were sitting and chatting when my cell phone went off and it was my ob. The perinatologist is on her side, erring on the side of caution and here's the plan:

I'll get my blood drawn at my NST on Friday. If the results come up abnormal, I will be admitted to labor & delivery at the hospital and induced that day.

If the results come up normal, my ob will compromise with me on the induction date, letting me get to 39.5w. She thinks that he's going to arrive on his own before then, and will admit & induce me on Monday morning if I don't go into labor prior to that.

So that's that!!! For some reason, she has a very strong feeling that this little guy is going to come on his own before Monday's check-in to the hospital (assuming my blood test is normal of course). I'm still in shock!:eek::eek:

[acrane]

Quick post - hang in there mommies who are waiting - your beautiful babies will be here very soon! And happy early Thanksgiving everyone!

Birth story copied from my LJ entry dated 11/21/06:
Monday, 11/20/06
I couldn't really sleep Sunday night - a mix of excitement and almost being overtired and nervousness. Finally 4am rolled around so I made myself a cup of coffee, got dressed and got dh up about 4:25am so we could get to the hospital by our 5am appointment time. S-i-l arrived on Sunday so she was home with Andrew and Lex. We got to the hospital on time, checked in and were asked to sit in the waiting room. Two hours later we finally got a room! We understand having to wait but when we watched pregnant lady after pregnant lady come in after us and get a room before us, we were getting pissed! When we asked why it was taking so long, they told us there were so many scheduled inductions and c-sections for Monday that they didn't have any more nurses. Not sure I believe that as we watched people come in at 6:30am and get taken back who were not in active labor. But, as soon as we were taken to a delivery room, we let it go and decided to focus on the rest of the day.
Our first nurse got me settled in and asked the million and one questions including whether or not I wanted (TMI) an enema. I've never had one before and she told me the pros and cons, so I decided to get one. It was a miserable 20 minutes or so as my body cleansed itself out but it worked - no pooping while pushing or anything like that! I was really interested in getting it so after the birth I wouldn't be dreading trying to poop and dealing with the soreness down there and all that. I'm sure you are all very glad you know this now. :)
8am - my first internal exam at the hospital and the nurse asked how the contractions were. I told her I didn't think I was having any and she said I was almost at 5cm! Woo-hoo! She had trouble getting the IV and needles for drawing blood in my veins so I have some nice bruises today, but she finally got the Pitocin and fluids going so all was good. This was going to be fast...so we thought.
8:45am - my parents arrive while dh had gone home to check on s-i-l and Andrew. It was a little weird to have them there as my parents and here I was waiting to become a parent again. My OB arrived about 5 minutes later and checked me again (my parents left the room), including breaking my water and doing something in there that hurt so much I couldn't help but cry. I had tears rolling down my cheeks and felt stupid but I couldn't help it. I don't know if she was stripping my membranes or what but youch! She said I was 5cm, 50% effaced and -2 station. She still thought I would probably deliver fairly quickly and suggested I think about getting the epidural if I wanted to get it. I knew it was something I wanted so about 9:30am I got it. Wasn't bad at all and the dose was stronger than what I got with Andrew or something because I was completely numb from the waist down. It was actually too much in my opinion but it worked - I felt no pain! S-i-l and Andrew arrived and we all hung out in the delivery room for a while just waiting for the Pitocin to work. One nurse lowered the head of my bed when inserting the catheter and for some reason, it made me start to feel really sick (laying almost flat). I hadn't eaten since 7pm the night before and was tired so I thought that might be it. But being in the position of almost lying down also slowed down contractions, so that was frustrating.
11:45am - another internal - still 5 cm. :( The head of my bed is raised and I immediately feel better and the contractions start up again. I guess being flat didn't agree with me.
12:35pm - we're on our third nurse of the day by now and have been lucky as they've all been great. Matthew was having some small dips in his heart rate so my OB (who was at a nearby hospital waiting to deliver another patient), wanted me put on an oxygen mask. Nobody was worried - just a precaution I guess.
1pm - the nurse checked me and I was at 6cm, 70% effaced and -1 station. At least there was some progress! The waiting was harder than I anticipated. Maybe because I felt like my parents, s-i-l and Andrew needed to be entertained or not bored or something. Here I was hooked up to machines and trying to be a good host! Finally they all left to get lunch and while they were gone, things got interesting.
2pm - the nurse did another internal and I was at 7cm but she was concerned that Matthew wasn't handling labor well. She had me lay on one side and then the other. A few minutes later she put in an internal monitor and then got really anxious. She called the nurse's station for help and requested my OB be paged right away as I was going to deliver any minute. :eek: She was acting in such a rush that it scared me and I started to cry. About four nurses came swarming in and one gave me a shot in my thigh of terbutaline to stop the contractions. Talk about scary! I was really worried that something was wrong and I'd need a c-section or something was wrong with Matthew. Happily though, that was not the case. My epidural had pretty much worn off on my left side but my right side was still really numb - it was weird! The nurse apologized for upsetting me and told me everything would be ok.
2:15pm - my OB arrived from the other hospital, put on her gown, gloves and mask and I got into position to push. Literally, three pushes later, Matthew was born! He made his appearance at 2:19pm crying loudly and quite angry at what he had just been through. :) I couldn't believe how fast he came out. I pushed for an hour with Andrew and thought that was pretty good. I did have a second degree tear, but compared to Andrew's birth where the vacuum was used, my epidural had worn off and an episiotomy made, this little tear and super quick delivery was nothing! I'm still in shock at how "easy" it was. And he's a little peanut! He was 7lbs, 7oz (Andrew was 8lbs, 8oz) and 19 1/2 inches (Andrew was 20 inches). He doesn't really look like any of us yet but that may change in a few days. He has a small 'skin tag' on his cheek but our pediatrician (he came by around 7pm to check on him) said it wasn't anything to worry about.

Andrew was great all day - he's such a wonderful boy. He really likes his FP digital camera and I'll post pictures once I get home. Matthew is really good at latching so bf might actually work this time around! He's such a sweet little guy and I look forward to welcoming him into our family and getting to know him. I'd love to go home today (Tuesday, 11/21) but I think we might be here until tomorrow. I must say, except for the long initial wait, the time in the hospital has been great - wonderful nurses, great care, etc. I feel totally fine, ok a little sore down there, but overall I feel so great compared to last time. It almost makes me think I could do this one more time. Almost. ;)

[Luckybwaygirl]

Bijouparvin's water broke last night!
Baby arrival is imminent.
Send happy labor thoughts.

More news when I get it!!

[Peaches]

Hi guys,

Just a quick update that Milo Morris was born on November 18th 2006 at 9:21 in the morning. After about 40 hours of labor.

I will be back to tell more. We are absolutely in love with our little man! :D

Here is a pic for the front page:

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k138/thearcks/DSC02096.jpg

[Toonces]

Congratulations neenbean and welcome Lauren!

Congratulations acrane and welcome Matthew!

Congratulations Peaches & welcome Milo!

So cool to see all of these new precious babies!!

Rancid ~ Yay!!!!! I'm so happy that you'll be meeting your little guy on Monday. Can you believe it's less than one week away?!

Sending Bijouparvin speedy L&D vibes!

Not much new to report here. I had forgotten how much newborns nurse. I feel like that's all I do all day long. Off to do some online Christmas shopping while DH has DD at Gymboree!

I hope everyone has a very happy Thanksgiving! Maybe some little turkeys will arrive tomorrow. :) Hang in there to all the mommies who are still waiting!

[Luckybwaygirl]

Just heard from Bijouparvin!

She gave birth to Miss MOLLY JUNE at 8:48am this morning.

8 pounds, 11oz/20 inches long
A head full of ashy blonde hair.

We aren't certain yet if our favorite professional singer begat a soprano or an alto -- Molly was birthed in a whirlpool and she's a little waterlogged right now, but very healthy and happy. I am sure she'll be practicing her "belt voice" in no time at all!

Proud mama is in high spirits -- she sounds great. :D

[Rancid13]

Acrane~ Wonderful birth story!! Thanks so much for sharing it with us!! :)

Luckybwaygirl~ Thanks for the update on Bijouparvin! She’s in my thoughts today! Here’s hoping for a fast and safe labor & delivery!!

Peaches~ Congratulations!!! Welcome, Milo!! He’s just precious!!!! I can’t wait to hear more!:D

Edited to add:


Congratulations Bijouparvin! Welcome Molly! I can't wait to hear all about her!!! :D :D

[Toonces]

Congratulations Bijouparvin and welcome to Molly June! What a beautiful name!

[Franni]

OMG...I am so hopelessly behind that it'll take me days to catch up.

Just wanted to drop by and send a hearty congratulations to all the new moms.

This birth turned out to be a little more eventful that I would prefer. It included an inadvertent "natural" childbirth (no pain meds), a super-sleepy baby, a hospital stay for baby sydney and dealing with a jealous toddler.

For those interested in reading all about it, it up on my blog - http://thefamilyc.blogspot.com

Now to start reading backwards.....

[RubberSoul]

Congratulations bijouparvin!! Welcome Molly!
Congratulations neenbean!! Welcome Lauren!
Congratulations acrane!! Wecome Matthew!
Congratulations Peaches!! Welcome Milo!

I hope I haven't missed anyone. If I have Congratulations!

catgirl- I feel like I have a baby constantly attached to my boob too. Ian was going 3 hours between feedings, but has gone back to 2 hours in between. I think he might be hitting a bit of a growth spurt.

Rancid- Wow! Not much longer and you will be meeting your little one! I hope you get to go into labor on your own. It seems like a lot of people go into labor just prior to them being induced. Enjoy your turkey day :).

acrane- thanks for sharing your birth story! I have a second degree tear too. For me, it took about 2 weeks before the soreness went away completely. I hope you heal quickly!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Things are going well here. I am still getting used to waking up at night to BF and we have some issues some nights with Ian's latch. It can be very frustrating when I am tired and he doesn't want to latch on properly. At night is when I think that giving a bottle would be so much easier, but I know that isn't necessarily true. I ordered a breast pump and will start pumping when I get it. We are going to introduce a bottle next week since Ian will be a month old. The Ped suggested that we start when he was 4 weeks old. I hope that it doesn't cause us to have more latch issues. I am hoping to BF/pump until he is 6 months old. For now I am just looking at one week at a time.

Question- Has anyone else's DC had silver nitrate put in their belly button? Ian had this done because his cord fell off, but it wasn't healed underneath. Now the area around his belly button is discolored - like a grey color. Did this happen to your DC and how long before it goes away?

I hope everyone has a happy thanksgiving!

[roberta]

pak again so sorry i can not post more. I am reading along.

hang in there still-pg-mommas-to-be. your babies are growing strong.

congrats to the new mommies and welcome to the babies!

rubbersoul Wes had silver nitrate put on his belly button at his ped appointment on 11/6. He had the gray marks around his belly button. They go away but 2 weeks later he still has two very small gray specks. freaked me out too, I thought something was wrong!

happy thanksgiving! enjoy the day with your family and your new addition.

[Toonces]

Aaawww.... I'm actually baby free at the moment! DD is napping and DH has DS. It's amazing how free I feel right now!

Franni ~ I was thinking about you today and wondering how you're doing. I read your BFing issue in the BFing thread (I had an issue, too) and I know you were worried about PPD. I'll read your blog after this. I hope you're hanging in there!!

RubberSoul ~ Sometimes DS goes 3 hours at night, but for the most part he nurses every 1.5-2 hours. At least I'm not sore anymore. Are you still sore or getting better? Did the lipstick contour thing go away? It really does get easier. I remember with DD being so depressed b/c all I did was nurse for hours on end, but that changed before I knew it.

Silver nitrate ~ DD had this b/c hers fell off early and was bleeding a lot. The gray stuff lasted for a couple of weeks. DS just lost his cord stump yesterday. DH picked him up and heard a little plop on the floor and looked and there was the cord stump! He just had a little dried blood on the inside edge of his diaper, so I think his is okay. I was kind of sad, in a weird way, that it's gone now... his last little connection to me. :(

[mimieliza]

I'm still here... Miranda does not sleep (at night). The most I get in a stretch is 2 hours. We're co-sleeping, which I thought meant I would get all sorts of sleep, but it's not working out that way. She won't sleep AT ALL anywhere else, though, so we're sticking with co-sleeping for now.

BFing is still painful from time to time (especially at night), which is frustrating and discouraging. The good news is, I think she's gaining lots of weight - she's fitting into things that were huge on her, and I can see a difference in her chubby cheeks and round belly. :)

She also will not be put down during the day. I have her in the Mei Tai right now. I'm feeling a little burned out, and really, really glad that DH has a four-day weekend coming up!

[katnbug]

Congratulations bijouparvin!! Welcome Molly!
Congratulations neenbean!! Welcome Lauren!
Congratulations acrane!! Wecome Matthew!
Congratulations Peaches!! Welcome Milo!

Congratulations to anyone else I missed.. I know there have been a ton of births since I was last on here!!
**************************

We took a short trip down to central Illinois to visit DH's family. We got to meet his sisters little girl who was born 11 days after Hilary. :) She has a FULL head of hair and is just adorable. It will be so fun to see them grow up together.

Other than that - Hilary had a rough night last night. She slept so much yesterday evening that she was wide awake from 11pm until 2am. DH offered to take her in the family room so I could sleep... I let him, of course, but I don't think he was too happy about it. :( We seem to be having a silent feud about who needs sleep more. DH needs to be sharp for work. I need to be well rested in order to take care of these kids all day long. There's no easy answer unfortunately. I keep reminding myself that someday everyone will be able to get a full nights sleep again...someday....

Today was also my first trip to the grocery store with both kids! I didn't know how I was going to do it with two... but it was just a quick in and out trip for a few items, so I let DS walk beside the cart (he actually pushed it the whole time) and put DD's car seat inside the cart. A successful trip - though I won't be trying a full shopping trip any time soon. ;)

Everyone have a great Turkey Day!!

[RubberSoul]

catgirl- The lipstick contour has gone away :). I have been using the hold that the LC told you to do and that has been working well. I still get it if I try and do the football hold on that side, so I just don't hold him in that position very often. I am still having some issues with soreness, but I think that is from our latch issues at night. I think part of that can be attributed to the fact that I am so out of it when he first latches on that I am not latching him on properly. I am not really sure what to do about that. I can't make myself be more awake at 3am. Has everything resolved for you?

Silver Nitrate- Thanks for the responses about the silver nitrate. Good to know that the discoloration is normal. However, I noticed something else tonight. I gave Ian his first real bath this evening and noticed that his belly button has a lot of dried blood in it. At first I thought it was just the silver nitrate, but when I went to wash around his belly it started bleeding. So, his belly button still hasn't healed. The Ped put the silver nitrate on at his appt. last Thursday. It doesn't smell funny or anything so I don't think it is infected. I guess I will just call the Ped on Friday and ask them about it. Anyone else have all these belly button issues?

[Sare79]

So I just got back from the Obstetrician. He did yet another internal and it turns out I'm not dilated much at all. We were going to strip my membranes but he wasn't able to because I'm not dilated or effaced enough. If I don't have Carys before next week (and I don't really feel like I will) then we have our induction scheduled for December 1st, which means she could be born that day or the 2nd.

I am feeling really crampy and have been spotting a bit since the internal was a bit more invasive than normal.

I have to say I am really frustrated and disappointed but trying to cheer myself up with silly pleasures like Indian Food, gummy candy and Chick-Lit novels.

This pregnancy has felt endless to me and although I know that I will have the best reward in the end, I am feeling extremely resentful, which I wish I wasn't. It's not her fault, it's not my fault, it's not the OBs fault, it's just a fact of nature. I get that having her in my life and out of my body for a few days more over the span of her whole life is not really going to matter in the long run, but I can't help but feel frustrated.

[Lizzie Beth]

Hey, Sare - God, I would just be pounding my head against the wall right now, I would be so frustrated. And I can say that with confidence since we had the exact same due date.. Anyway, I'm sure that statement makes you feel soooooo much better. :rolleyes: But you are definitely entitled to feel resentful, even if there's nobody to blame it on. I'm glad to hear you're indulging yourself, at the very least. On the plus side, I can tell you that my induction went REALLY really well, even though it was about 3x longer than my 1st labor, it was sooo much better because I was able to make sure I got pain meds on time.

Congratulations, Bijouparvin and Peaches...Welcome Molly Jane and Milo!!!

Rubbersoul- I had that lipstick countour thing with both now, and it about killed me. For some reason I was under the impression that I could only do the football hold because of large breasts, but my LC helped me on my cross-cradle hold, and it's so much better. Not to mention the fact that as the baby gets bigger, the football hold jams their feet up into the couch or whatever you're sitting on. I hear you on latching at 3am. I haven't started doing it until just recently for just that reason. I got my nipples pretty well damaged before my LC came and am just getting them healed up...I'm afraid to damage them any further because of a crappy 3am latch. (I supplemented w/ a bottle instead) But a few nights ago, I started with the latching at 3am...

My trick is a coca-cola and Grey's Anatomy. I have so many back episodes DVR'ed that I need to watch, and it's a nice treat to watch that at 3am instead of infomercials.. Not to mention that at 3am, my husband doesn't interrupt me. I don't know why he always feels the need to start having in-depth conversations with me when I'm watching that show. He never wants to have them at any other time... :rolleyes: I LOVE DVR!!! I actually found a great movie this morning, but I didn't want to stay up and watch the rest of it, so I recorded it and I'll watch some more during the next 3am session.

Happy Thanksgiving, NOVEMBER MOMMIES - We've certainly earned it!!!!

[katnbug]

Sare- Ugh. That stinks that they couldn't strip your membranes. I know it's got to seem like your pregnancy will never end, but Carys has got to come out sometime!!! ;) Enjoy your comfort food in the meantime.

[roberta]

Sare, sorry you are feeling so aweful. It is doubly hard because a) you are so freakin uncomfortable and b) you want to meet your little girl. thinking of you and the other mommas waiting on their babes.

Lizzie beth- oh, how I love my DVR for middle of the night feedings. I have been recording reruns of Scrubs and I think I am going to start taping Fraser. I also watch Grey's every week. And Brothers and Sisters, sometimes The Daily Show and Colbert Report. I used it to catch up on Project Runway and Top Chef. Can you tell I have been up at lot at night? So there are some more recording ideas for you.

[Toonces]

mimieliza ~ I'm in the "soreness when BFing at night" club, too. I think I'm just too tired to bother with getting DH latched on correctly. My DD was like Miranda in that she didn't want to ever be put down. It's great that you have a Mei Tai!! Enjoy your weekend. :)

Kat ~ You are so brave! I can't even imagine the day that I'll attempt a shopping trip with both kids, esp to the grocery store! I'm still wondering how I'm going to get DD down for a nap when DH goes back to work. I'm sorry you guys are having sleep issues. DH & I don't get along very well in the middle of the night either (I feed and he changes poopy diapers). When does G take his naps? We should try to get together and be tired together during the day. :)

RubberSoul ~ I'm so glad the latch suggestions I posted are working out for you! I'm having an easier time, too. Like you though, I can't do the football hold on my "bad" side. Maybe when they're older and their mouths are bigger it'll be easier for us. I'm just glad that lipstick thing is gone!! I'm also having trouble with latches in the middle of the night. Sometimes he'll latch on when we're both lying down, but other times that latch is poor, too. I like the DVR idea that other mommies have posted! :)

Sare ~ I'm sorry you're having such a rough time. The waiting really is so hard, esp when you're past your due date. I hope you're able to have a peaceful Thanksgiving.

Lizzie Beth & Roberta ~ I love your DVR suggestions! We don't have a DVR in our bedroom, but DH & I have been talking about picking one up. Now I have a really good reason for it! I'm so behind on "Lost"... maybe I'll be able to catch the reruns on DVR and then watch it all.night.long with my little nurse-a-holic. I also like the Coke idea. That sounds good right now as a matter of fact!

Not a lot new here. Devin is a pretty good sleeper (knock on wood), but does like to nurse a lot. I've been feeling very tied down to the couch and very tired from the middle of the night feedings. I shouldn't complain though... I'd rather nurse a hungry baby than try to console a crying one in the middle of the night. DD seems to be handling things better, too. DH goes back into the office on Monday after 1 week of vacation and 1 week working from home. Wish me luck for next week!

[Rancid13]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Nothing much going on here, pregnancy-wise. Baked 2 loaves of zucchini bread, 1 loaf of pumpkin walnut bread and an applesauce spice cake last night and am prepping sweet potatoes for a sweet potato casserole and will also make a cornbread sausage stuffing when that's done.

I've just been feeling the usual aches and pains of late pregnancy, nice soreness and all that. We have T-Day 'lunch' at my mom's in a few hours, then we'll likely head to the IL's for T-Day 'dinner'. I can say that I'm very much looking forward to good food and good times. My stomach's like a bottomless pit these days. ;)

Tomorrow morning is my NST and blood test, here's hoping the results are normal so I can make it through the weekend with this little guy cooking still!! :D

[lilo]

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and congrats to all the new mommies since I've been gone!

I'm happy to tell everyone that after 15 hours of labor, including 5 hours of pushing, Gavin was born on Tuesday, November 22nd!!! He weighs 7lbs 4 oz. and is absolutely beautiful. We just got home today. We are totally over the moon about him and are so happy that he is here although I am very, very tired.

I am trying to follow the "sleep when the baby sleeps" so I will cut this short right now. Breastfeeding is going great for us so I'm very happy about that.

Good luck to everyone else still waiting for their babies and as everyone else said before, it is well worth the wait and in my case, the long long long labor and pain.

I will check in when I can!

[mayham]

lilo - Congratulations and welcome GAVIN!!!! Sorry your labor was so long, but like you said, it's well worth the effort!

Rancid13 - Good luck with your NST and blood test tomorrow. Hope your little one stays cooking through the weekend!

catgirl1007 - I know how you feel about being tied to the couch and just exhausted from the middle of the night feedings. I know what you mean about not wanting to complain, as hard as it might be sometimes, it's so worth it to be able to go through this. My DH went back to work this week, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Good luck!

Sare79 - Sorry this last stretch is feeling endless for you. I know it's no consolation, but I feel like I missed out on the last 3.5 weeks of my pregnancy, mostly because we weren't as ready as I wanted to be when she was born. Hang in there, Carys will be here soon!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

[Franni]

catgirl & Lizziebeth I feel shackled to the couch. Thankfully, DD doesn't mind the lying-down position for nursing. That's given me at least snippets of sleep.

What's horrible is that when I am trying to breastfeed, I would get sooooo sleepy. I am literally nodding off. To top it off, DD is such a sleepy baby that I have to wake her often to make sure she has eaten enough.

Sare & Rancid Good luck and cross my fingers for both of you.

[Toonces]

lilo ~ Congratulations & welcome Gavin!!

Rancid ~ Good luck at your appt today!

mayham ~ I'm glad your week went well with your DH being back at work. I'm hoping mine will, too. :)

Franni ~ What have you been doing with DD1 when you're nursing DD2? That's been one of my biggest challenges. Glad DD2 will nurse lying down - that helps a lot.

[bijouparvin]

I will write a detailed birth story soon, but here are the main deets...


Those contrax I had on Tues were indeed early labor
Once my water broke @1:30am, the contrax got really intense and I started puking after almost every one.
The doula came over @ 5am and we left for the hospital shortly before 6am.
Once we got to the hospital, they put me on an IV of fluids b/c I was dehydrated from all the puking.
Despite the IV, I was still able to do the unmedicated H2O birth we planned.
Got into the water around 8am for pushing and she came out at 8:48.
Her shoulder got stuck and caused a mild hubub but all turned out well in the end.


She's nursing and sleeping and filling diapers and all that fun stuff. She only cries when she needs something and it sounds like, "Lah!" (like the beginning of 'ladder'). We are, all three of us, completely smitten with one another right now.

Here is a SLIDESHOW (http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/bijoudiva/Molly/?action=view&current=1164408474.pbw). I'll post a pic for the front page separately when we've got one uploaded the right size.

Thanks for the congrats and welcome to the babies that arrived in the last few days!!

[Toonces]

bijouparvin ~ Molly is beautiful! What gorgeous pics... they brought tears to my eyes. :)

[Sare79]

Molly is gorgeous! Congratulations bijou!

[Rancid13]

I had my NST this morning at the hospital and also had my blood drawn for yet another set of PIH labs. My bp was again amazingly low, at 109/55 and it was taken AFTER my blood was drawn. If anything gets me stressed out or worked up, it's having to face a needle. Unfortunately this blood draw really hurt during and after, the last few I'd had either I didn't feel or I barely felt anything. I didn't like the lab tech guy who drew it this time, the pain made me cry. :(

But at least the test results came back astoundingly normal...

Anyhow, it was really nice for me and DH to get to talk to the fetal diagnostics nurses about the whole induction thing, and get their takes on the situation. All of the ones I've talked to thinks that my ob's "decision" is utterly ridiculous. One of the nurses (who also works on the L&D floor) even said that if we go to check in on Monday morning and the nurses in L&D look at my charts/NST records they'll laugh and possibly even turn me away due to extreme lack of evidence of PIH, depending on how busy L&D is that day.

Things to make note of:

*I've only had high blood pressure readings AT my ob office, never anywhere else
*I've had low blood pressure at most of my at home readings
*I've had low blood pressure at ALL of my NST/hospital visits
*I've never had protein in my urine
*I've never had any of the swelling, blurry vision, pain under the right boob, or headaches that are sypmtoms of PIH
*There has never been a problem with my fluid level-it's always been perfect
*I've been told that the baby is a "good size" because babies in women w/PIH tend to be smaller and/or underdeveloped almost all of the time
*I've now had 3 PIH blood labs done and every single one of them is not only normal, but perfect #'s
*All of the baby's movements and heartbeat readings have been in a perfect range, this is definitely not a baby in distress

So after a looooong chat with 2 of the NST nurses, hubby and I left the hospital talking about getting in touch with my doctor and letting her know that this whole induction-prior-to-my-due-date thing is something we're no longer agreeing blindly to. Like one of the nurses mentioned, it's my body and my baby and ultimately the decision is mine as to what is done. We're not seeing any type of a medical necessity warranting this induction, and I honestly don't see any reason why we can't wait till Thursday (my due date) or Friday to induce if the baby hasn't shown up by then. I'm also going to suggest to my ob that she have another ob get in touch with me after going over all my records and NST histories, blood lab results, etc and let me know what they honestly believe in their heart as far as how to proceed.

Yeah believe me, I'm done being pregnant and ready to get this little guy out, but I'm also not so anxious to get him out that we do so before he may be ready to come out, especially if there's no good reason to get him out earlier than the 40-week point. So that's it for now, hopefully my next post will be an update after my conversation with my ob...

Also, some 39-week belly shots taken yesterday post-feast. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/39w002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/39w004.jpg Compared to last week:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/38w004.jpg

[Sare79]

Good for you, Rancid, for making that decision. I hope that things go well for you. By the way, you are looking great!

[Toonces]

Rancid ~ I think you and your DH are making the right decision, based on all of the facts you stated. It's interesting that your BP has only been high at your OB's office. Do you think it's nerves or their machines? You're looking really good!!

[katnbug]

Rancid- That's great that you are making the decision based on the facts you've drawn up! No dr. should ever push you into anything you're not 100% comfortable with.

bijou- What a beautiful baby you have!! Those pictures were precious.

catgirl- When does your DH go back to work? That's great that he's been home to help. Grayson naps around 1:30-3:00 usually. Sometimes he gets a later start & then he'll nap until 4:00. :)
****************************************

I'm afraid Hilary is losing her hair. :( She's definitely receeding. Same thing happened to DS - born with a good head of hair, but he was almost bald in his 6mo. pictures. Oh well. Nothing I can do about it I guess.

DH and I got to go out last night to a mini reunion with some of my grade school friends. Lots of fun... though I don't think my parents (aka - the babysitters) appreciated the fact that we didn't get home until 1:30am!
We actually get to go out again tonight without the kids!!! A wine tasting party at DH's friends house... this time my sister and BIL are babysitting though!

[Rancid13]

Sare~ Thanks! I feel really good about the decision DH and I have made about not going through with the induction just because my doc wants me to (with no good reason, I might add).

Catgirl and Katnbug~ Thanks! I think it's just my ob office. One of the nurses at my NST/fetal diagnostics mentioned that she'd think it was odd if anyone came in from that particular ob office with low/good bp because of the way they do it compared to the hospital's method. You sit and wait for 30-45 min before being called back to the room, get sat down and bp taken immediately, and you instinctively know that it's going to be another 20-30 minutes before your doc herself comes in to see you. AND the bp is done by a nurse who calculates your pulse rate, etc, whereas at the hospital the bp machine is all mechanized and the computer has a 0% margin of error in calculating accurate bp. The nurse said it's called "white coat syndrome" which I've heard of before, and she said it really exists...

She also said that subconsiously I know I've had high bp at my ob's office before and that kind of plants a seed for my next reading, almost guaranteeing that it will be high, and at the hospital since I've had such a long history of low bp readings there that it also registers in my subconscious and pretty much guarantees a low bp reading. This would explain my low bp reading from yesterday which was taken after my blood draw while I was still in tears (it hurt!!), and I thought for sure it would be high b/c I stress out a LOT over needles.

Update:

My induction (for Monday) has been cancelled...:D

Unfortunately I only was able to get in contact with the on-call ob in my doc's practice, but after explaining my situation to her and chatting for a few minutes, she agreed to cancel the appt for my induction on Monday. I'm to call my ob first thing Monday morning to see about coming in to be seen by her or a physician's asst that day to make sure all is looking ok...

I feel really really good about this. The more I thought about it and talked things over with hubby, the more uncomfortable I got about going into the hospital Monday for an induction that I don't feel is necessary for either me or the baby. And believe me, I absolutely feel like I'm doing what's right regardless of what my doctor says/thinks...

[Sare79]

I just wanted to bring attention to this thread. (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26916)

It is about the idea of splitting up the 0-18 months forum. If you have any opinions on it, it might be a good idea to weigh in on it. Because it is on the Boards forum questions, it probably won't get a ton of traffic but before they do anything different, Katy wants to get more input.

[RubberSoul]

Congratulations Lilo!! Welcome Gavin!
Congratulations bijouparvin!! Welcome Molly!- She is beautiful, I love the pictures!

Rancid- I am happy the you and your DH are doing what you feel is best. You know what is best for you and your little one.

Lizzie Beth- thanks for sharing the ideas for the 3am feedings. So, do you just go ahead and wake up completely to feed? I guess so if you drink a coke. I have been trying to stay in bed and not wake up all the way so I can go back to sleep as soon as he is done. I am finding that to be kind of pointless now though because it takes him at least 30 to 45 minutes to eat so by the end I am pretty awake anyway. I get so bored just sitting there watching the minutes go by. I guess I should start watching tv or something to make the time go by faster. The middle of the night feedings are what makes me want to give up BF'ing. I have no problems during the day, but I dread the nights. Does it get better/easier?

katnbug- Yay for a night out w/out the kids! I will be leaving Ian for the first time in a few weeks. DH and I will be attending my company holiday party. I am nervous about it, but looking forward to it at the same time. Was it hard to leave your DS for the first time after he was born?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got my breast pump yesterday and got it all sterilized today. I am going to make my first attempt at pumping tomorrow. Hopefully all goes well. I wish it came with an instructional video. If I saw one being operated I would feel better about using it for the first time. I feel kinda dumb because it seems like it should be so simple, but it seems kinda complicated at the same time. Maybe I am just so sleep deprived I am making it out to be harder than it is. Wish me luck.

[Ilovemygeek]

Was anyone else told not to take their baby in public (the mall, grocery store, etc.) for 2 months by their pediatrician? I know all the winter viruses are starting to show up, but I cannot take being on house arrest for 2 months. I have taken DD to Target and Babies r' Us and just kept her in my sling so no strangers would get too close, but I have definitely limited my time in public. We have had a ton of visitors though, so that has kept me from going stir-crazy. How is everyone else coping with this?

[RubberSoul]

Ilovemygeek- Our Ped. told us the same thing. When we go out in public places we keep DS covered well so that strangers can't get near him. I think it is pretty unrealistic to not go anywhere for 2 months. I would lose my mind. Our Ped. also told us to limit visitors especially if the visitors had toddlers/small children. That has caused us to not go to family gatherings which really sucks because everyone wants to meet our little boy. I figure it is worth it in the end to keep DS healthy.

[brio96]

Ilovemygeed I've had to take DD #2 out in public because there is no way that we (DD #1 and I) could possibly stay home and stay sane. What I've tried to do is just keep her close (either in the sling or in her car seat) and definitely not let other people handle her. I don't remember my pediatrician saying something specific about a 2 month "rule" but the general message I get from them is to make sure that anyone that does touch her has clean hands and isn't sick.

Rubbersoul Yes, the middle of the night feedings do get better because eventually they stop all together. :D DD #1 stopped waking to feed in the middle of the night somewhere around 8-9 weeks and I'm hoping for the same with Megan as I'm starting to get a little nuts from the sleep deprivation. I'm so envious of those that can actually "sleep when the baby sleeps" during the day and I wish I had done more of that when DD #1 was a newborn instead of feeling like I had to get a ton of stuff done. Once you start pumping, will your DH do some of the feedings to give you extra time to sleep?

I'm not sure how we're doing over here. Some moments it's really good and other moments I cry uncontrollably..convinced that I just can't handle it anymore. I'm pretty sure I have PPD (which I didn't have with DD#1) due to the stress of our current situation and it's making things a lot harder than they need to be. Trying to readjust to a newborns way of doing things (as opposed to a toddler) has taken a lot of patience and it seems like I'm using up any patience I have at all with Megan as I find I'm so unbelievably short with DD#1 (Sarah...not quite sure why I keep calling her DD#1) and I feel horrible about the tone of voice I take with her sometimes. I know that eventually it's all going to be okay, but I'm just not sure how long that's going to take and what my world is going to look like at the other end.

[mimieliza]

Rubbersoul-
The middle of the night feedings are what makes me want to give up BF'ing. I have no problems during the day, but I dread the nights. Does it get better/easier?

I'm having the same problem. :( Especially because she always has her fussy time from about 9:00-11:00 or so, so DH and I are both EXHAUSTED by the time we go to bed. And then I nurse every two hours all. night. long. And nursing still hurts (esp. if I try to nurse in bed and am too tired/lazy to latch her on correctly).

It just has to get better, right?


Ilovemygeek - My ped didn't say anything. I've had her out and about since she was a week old. We sling a lot, so she's very protected. I don't like going to social events where everyone wants to play "pass the baby," though, and they act like I'm hogging her by keeping her in the sling.

Sare - Thanks for drawing our attention to that thread. I read through and posted my thoughts.

Rancid - Good for you. I haven't posted my birth story here yet (because it's practically a novel), but I can just say from experience that an induction when your body isn't ready has a good chance of not working. I never got past 2 cm after 16 hours of labor. If you don't truly need to be induced, it's certainly worth waiting.

[Rancid13]

Rancid - Good for you. I haven't posted my birth story here yet (because it's practically a novel), but I can just say from experience that an induction when your body isn't ready has a good chance of not working. I never got past 2 cm after 16 hours of labor. If you don't truly need to be induced, it's certainly worth waiting.

That was another of my concerns. If my body isn't ready and the induction just blasts it from nothing to full-on labor in a matter of hours without the gradual buildup if it were allowed to occur naturally, that can't be good!:( Here's hoping things get to progress as naturally as possible, unless something unforseen happens that warrants an induction or c/s.

[Sare79]

I totally understand in your situation, Rancid, but I wonder about my own. I will be getting induced 10 days past my due date, as long as I don't give birth on my own before then and it seems that by my doctor's accounts, there is a pretty good chance that I will have to be induced.
Do you think it is better to just let it go longer? What if my body (and my baby) is just not ready at 10 days past the due date? Are my chances higher of getting a C-section?

[Toonces]

Kat ~ DH goes back to work on Monday. I'm going to BFing group Monday morning and then home to get DD down for her nap. You are so lucky that Grayson naps so long! I'm lucky to get 1-1.5 hours out of DD. :rolleyes:

RubberSoul ~ What kind of pump did you get? I have the Medela PISA and the thing I learned the hard way the first time around is there are different cone sizes depending on how big your nipples are. I had the smaller size and was in a lot of pain b/c it was sucking my nipple into the cone - ouch! I ended up getting the largest size and that was much better.

Middle of the night feedings ~ These are hard. So are the all day long nursing marathons, but it does get A LOT better. The first 8-12 weeks are the hardest, honestly. I'm so glad I stuck it out with DD and knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel is making it easier on me this time around with DS. There are phases with everything baby related and just when you think you can't get through something, that phase ends and another one begins.

Baby in public ~ DD's 1st Ped told us that. We switched Peds with her when she was 3-4 months old. Our current Ped didn't say anything like that re DS. I'm taking DD to art class at Gymboree on Thurs., so DS will be exposed then (I'll wear him in a sling). I'm not too worried about it b/c DD is going to be getting him all germy anyway. I am somewhat of a germ-a-phobe, but not nearly as much as I was with DD.

brio ~ I've been really short with DD too and hating myself for it. I read on another mssg board that the first few months with both kids is really hard. You could have a really bad case of baby blues. I had that with DD - crying 8-10 times/day. For some reason I don't have it this time around. Did you have baby blues with Sarah?

Sare ~ I think if you're 10 days past your due date and are induced, you have a very good chance for a vaginal delivery. With both of my kids I was induced at 40 weeks and delivered both vaginally (DD = 16 hours of labor; DS = 12 hours of labor). I think the risk of c-section is higher when you're 1-2 weeks before your due date.

If my body isn't ready and the induction just blasts it from nothing to full-on labor in a matter of hours without the gradual buildup if it were allowed to occur naturally, that can't be good!

Rancid ~ That's exactly what happened to me with DD and it was awful. When I was induced this time they gave me Pitocin much more gradually and after my water was broken and I was contracting good on my own, they completely cut off the Pitocin. That made a world of difference! ITA with you re inductions though... it's much better to let your body do what is natural, unless of course there's a medical reason for it which unfortunately I seem to have happen. :rolleyes:

[RubberSoul]

brio- I can't imagine having a toddler and a newborn at the same time. I am sure you are doing the best you can, so try not to be too hard on yourself. Are you going to talk to your OB about meds to help with the PPD or maybe see a therapist? Do whatever you need to do to help you through the rough patch. More than anything, know that you have lots of support here. Thanks for the words of wisdom about the middle of the night feedings. I am just trying to take it one night at a time and keep telling myself that it is all worth it. Yes, I do plan to have DH take over a night feeding once we start introducing a bottle. I can't wait to have more than 2 hours of sleep in a row!

Sare- You might want to find out what your Bishop's score is prior to going the induction route. My Doula told me that a first time mother needs to have a score of a 9 or higher for the induction to be successful. The Bishop scale assigns numbers to things like dilation, effacement, position of cervix. Here is a website (http://www.mother-care.ca/bishop.htm) about it.

catgirl- I got the Medela PISA. I pumped this morning and used the cones that came with the pump. I am not sure if they are the right size for me or not. Is your nipple not supposed to be sucked into the cone thing. My nipples were quite elongated and large when I was done. It was slightly uncomfortable, but I am not sure if that is because my nipples are still a little sore or the cones are too small. The other thing I couldn't figure out is where I should start out with the vacuum and speed settings. I never thought pumping could be so complicated :).

mimieliza- DS just loves to wake up and stay wide awake for about 2 hours around 11pm every night. It seems like he knows when I walk upstairs to lay down - his eyes pop open. Doesn't matter if I just nursed him to sleep either. As soon as I lay down in bed he is awake and ready to play. I hope you can get some rest soon.

[Toonces]

RubberSoul ~ Your nipple is supposed to get sucked in, but not to the point that it's rubbing and becoming sore. It's hard to explain... my nipple and part of the aereola was getting sucked into the original sized cone and causing it to rub and make friction. I read on BabyCenter.com (their store) that the original cone is for quarter sized nipples & the size L that I got is for half dollar sized nipples. Since my formerly nickle sized nipples have grown through two pregnancies :rolleyes: I had to go with the size L. I don't think I noticed the friction until after a few pumping sessions, so if you start to get too sore, you might want to get a larger cone size. Regarding the suction setting... I'd start of as low as you can tolerate and move up from there. I've only pumped a few times since DS was born (b/c of the lipstick contour problem) and I had it turned maybe 1/4 of the way up. I remember with DD that I eventually had it around 3/4, but not full blast. HTH! :)

[brio96]

nak

i wasn't going to explore the option of meds at my 2 week visit because i figured these feelings would go away (or at least i would stop crying everyday) but after this weekend i'm going to call my ob tomorrow and see what can be done. i'd love to combine therapy w/meds but am not sure if i can schedule that.

i had baby blues w/sarah but they went away right around 2-3 weeks. this time i feel like it isn't getting better as time goes by. plus, it feels different to me & i meet more of the criteria for ppd as i do more research about it.

thanks so much for the support!

i also wanted to second sticking w/BF through these first 6-10 weeks b/c it does get easier w/time, i found it helpful to continually set small goals for myself (get to 6 weeks and kept building month by month after that) and was able to do it for a year which was 6 months longer than i had planned on doing it.

[scarlett74]

OUR BEAUTIFUL BABY BOY, FRANCESCO, IS HERE!!
He was born on the 22nd of November at 12.08 am.
http://rossy.zoto.com/img/45/c9c2d70139a0dee3c828cc182be410e4.jpg
We came back from the hospital only today.

[Rancid13]

Do you think it is better to just let it go longer? What if my body (and my baby) is just not ready at 10 days past the due date? Are my chances higher of getting a C-section?

That's a tough call...FYI, I would be totally up for being induced should I go past my due date by more than a few days. IMO that's a different story & situation than being induced prior to reaching the 40w point. I don't know if she was trying to scare me out of the pre-due-date induction, but one of the nurses I was talking to said that c/s were more likely if Pitocin was administered and your body wasn't ready to go into labor yet, or wasn't progressing the way it should. That being said, there have been many ladies even here on the Nov mommies thread who have been induced and didn't have to have a c/s. A friend of mine who was due Nov 3 went 2 weeks past her due date and was administered 3 rounds of Pitocin over a 24-hr period before anything started progressing but she was also able to have a natural birth at the end of it all.:)



Congratulations, Scarlett!! Welcome, Francesco!!! He's adorable!!!

[mimieliza]

Sare ~ I think if you're 10 days past your due date and are induced, you have a very good chance for a vaginal delivery.
Oh, I agree. I don't mean to scare anyone with my experience. I was only 38 weeks, 50% effaced and a fingertip dilated when I was induced. Plus, baby was posterior, which we didn't find out until my OB did an u/s during labor to determine why my progress was so slow.

Congratulations, Scarlett! Welcome, Baby Francesco! :D

[Toonces]

brio ~ I think it's smart of you to be researching PPD and talking with your OB. Let us know how it goes. I'm honestly surprised that I don't have PPD given my sadness over this being my last pregnancy. Have you also checked out the CC PPD thread?

Congratulations Scarlett & welcome Francesco! What a gorgeous head of hair he has!!

[Lizzie Beth]

So, do you just go ahead and wake up completely to feed?

Rubbersoul- Yeah, I do. I give Katie a shot at 20 min on each side, so that's a good 40 minutes, not counting a possible diaper change in between. I do find that as I'm feeding, there must be some kind of hormone that kicks in that makes me sleepy, too. And a lot of times, if Katie finishes her snack early and drops off, I'll take a hot shower to help me get to sleep. But I don't have any problem falling asleep immediately after drinking a coke - in fact, I think a little caffeine helps me sleep more soundly, but I know it doesn't have the same effect on everyone.

But if I try to feed her in bed and keep the drowsiness going, I just keep nodding off every thirty seconds or so and it seems to take forever. I'd love to nurse lying down, but I have big boobs and I need to support them for Katie to eat properly (and to keep me from getting injured), so feeding while lying down is out for me. Also, Katie sometimes gets sleepy, too, and does a halfhearted latch, so I need to get her good and awake...if she just snacks, then we're up again in an hour, and I certainly don't need that. So the noise and lights of the TV and me talking to her helps us out a bit with that. Once she gets enough stomach capacity to carry her through the night, I won't encourage our pajama parties by talking to her in the middle of the night, but for now, it's a good thing.

The middle of the night feedings are what makes me want to give up BF'ing. I have no problems during the day, but I dread the nights. Does it get better/easier?

This I can't really say, because I didn't make it past eight weeks last time. I didn't get an LC last time, and I just kept getting injured and re-injured. By the time it occurred to me to get one, I decided that Susannah's latch was permanently compromised and gave up. Now, I'm not so sure that was true, but I was so ready to be done. This time has been much better. It started out the same, but my nipples have healed up completely, and although I'm still sore and sleepy (but I would be sleepy w/ the bottle feeding in the middle of the night, too....) I think I can soldier on for quite some time.

I Love My Geek - I think my ped said 6 weeks when I had my first daughter... But it sounds like you're taking good precautions, so I don't see why not. If it helps you get into a better frame of mind, it makes you a better mommy, and that's a good thing. Plus your location says Arizona, so it sounds like some time in the stroller outside wouldn't be out of the question, either. I've heard from other mommies just to try to keep people from touching baby's hands and face, and that really suffices, also. As long as there's no raging flu going around your town, I think you're okay. As for me, I have a toddler who does daycare twice a week, given all the germs she must be bringing home, I've taken us off house arrest already. :rolleyes:

Catgirl - Holy Crap! Your nipple isn't supposed to chafe inside the cone thingy?? I am so ordering the larger cone thingies. Makes me feel a bit like Madonna, but who cares? ;) It's funny, I assumed from all those breastfeeding pictures I saw that everyone had giant aereolas, so it seemed to me that the pumps would come w/ cones that were geared to fit those big 'ol aereolas. Who the hell still has quarter-size nipples??? I did before I got started with all these children, but not now!!!

Brio - hey, babe! I would definitely see somebody... I have plain 'ol garden-variety depression...or I had it...before I went to the head doctor and got it straightened out. I absolutely tanked last fall and was a complete head case, panic attacks, racing heart, night sweats, achy everywhere, can't-do-anything-but-stare-out-the-window freaking zombie. I felt it coming on and ignored the heck out of it until I couldn't take it anymore. I went to the psychiatrist, got the meds, and the psychologist - have been seeing her now for over a year - and life is beautiful. I've learned it's a lot about brain chemistry, and you can't help that all by yourself.

As for Sarah, she will be okay if you're okay. So that's why you've got to get yourself to the doctor... As for using up all your patience on Megan... I don't use up all my patience on Katie.. Sometimes I fuss at her (in a nice voice) about "Hey, kid, do you think you could let Mommy do SOMETHING ELSE other than NURSE today????" And I say to Susannah - "What a pain, Katie wants to eat AGAIN. Hey, wanna watch some cartoons while we get Katie fed???" Which always goes over big.

And I still have Susannah in daycare two full days a week, plus in-laws who usually keep her one night of the weekend (and thus most of the day before and the day after...;) ) and Alex has not yet gone back to work, although I'm sending him back early because his perfection-ass self is driving me nuts. He caught me having left one empty bottle by the computer and went ape, especially since we had to throw out a sippy cup (one that HE left tangled up in Susannah's bedsheets) that had grown unusable due to stinky old milk. I looked him straight in the eye and said "Bottles are $4.99 plus tax. Starting this shit with me will cost you a hell of a lot more than that." :mad:

Wow, I really curse a lot don't I? I guess it's really better if I do it here instead of in front of the kids, though...:o

Anyway, I'm lucky in that Susannah is a big daddy's girl. I'm really letting him take the reins with Susannah just now, and he's doing a great job. He's getting adventurous about taking her out, and they've been out on 2 major day outings together and have had a grand time. It distracts them both. He's been doing bathtime and bedtime with her since I got too pregnant to do it myself, and he's kept doing it even after Katie was born. He tends to get a little startled when he sees Susannah regressing - she's taken to using a pacifier and trying out the bottle again. Since Susannah spit out the pacifier at 3 mos. old, she has NEVER asked for a paci. That horrified DH just a bit when she jammed one in her mouth Tuesday night and has been messing around with one ever since. Or when she wants to try the remnants of Katie's bottle. He and my in-laws try to make fun of her about it, but I figure (and my ped agrees) she's entitled to some regression for the next few months or so. So I have not made these things taboo, and I offer it to her. She'll tire of it eventually, and we won't have had all these nasty battles over something that really doesn't matter.

[Toonces]

Who the hell still has quarter-size nipples??? I did before I got started with all these children, but not now!!!


LOL! Yeah, I was surprised "half dollar" was as big as the cone thing got. I'm so hoping that my nipples go back to a more regular size after I'm done nursing. I'd hate to have saggy B (or A!) cup boobs with gi-normous nips!

Next baby...? So after all my whining and crying about this being my last baby, I'm actually considering baby #3! :o :eek: We wouldn't start trying until one year from now, I'll be 38 then, so there's a good chance that I'd be 39 when DC3 is born. Then there are all of my complications and my medical issues that have caused me to be induced with the 1st two. So, yeah, I'm crazy. I'm going to talk to my OB about all of this at my annual exam in Jan. or Feb. I must be a glutton for punishment.

[Sare79]

Thanks for the website info, RubberSoul. I think what worries me a little is that when I looked at the site, I am still only rating a 2 or a 3. And that's at 41 weeks! I feel like I have gone through so many ups and downs with thinking I was about to have a c-section 5 weeks ago and coming to terms with it, then finding out that I could go full term, then finding out that I am not making any progress at 40 weeks and it sounds like I will be induced. They won't let me go past Friday for the induction, but that could still mean having the baby on the 2nd or 3rd depending on how it all goes.

Sorry to be so whiny. :)

[lisariv]

Hi Everyone! Just a quick fly by post to let you know that Andrew Jacob has arrived! Here are our updated stats. I'll try to come back and post when I get a chance and after I catch up on this thread!

Username: lisariv
Me: Lisa, 30
DH: 30
Married: 4/28/2001
DC: Andrew Jacob
EDD: 11/14/06
ADD: 11/13/06
Weight and Length: 9 lbs 2 oz, 21 1/4 in
Other children: DD 6/12/04

[kadee_29]

Quick post to say congrats to the new mommies.

I am taking Matthew back to the dr today. I think he has colic. He has got the worst heart-wrenching screams for a good portion of the day until really late at night. Which is the reason I can't get to updates as often as I would like. I did get the first page updated up to neenbean so those of you who have had your babies or done updates after that please be patient. I will get to them soon. For the rest of you please double check and make sure that I have your stats correct. There were some stats that weren't posted so I couldn't add them but if you want them added just let me know.

I hope everyone else is doing well and that nobody else has to go through this.

[RubberSoul]

Congratulations Scarlett! Welcome Francesco!
Congratulations lisariv! Welcome Andrew!

Sare- I can certainly understand why you are frustrated and you have every right to be! Try to stay positive. You never know when your body is going to kick into the labor gear. If you do have to be induced, I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible.

catgirl- I don't know how you can be thinking about a 3rd baby right after having #2. I am in survival mode right now and can't even fathom having more than one child to care for right now. I have huge amounts of admiration for all you ladies that have toddlers and a newborn to take care of.

Lizzie Beth- I wish I could nurse lying down too. I am in the large boob boat too and it just isn't possible. I was having problems staying awake nursing in bed. I have started getting up, coming downstairs, and watching tv. The night before last that worked well. DS ate pretty good and then slept for longer stretches. Last night was a disaster though. He just wouldn't sleep for longer than an hour. I am a zombie today. Hopefully, this won't continue for much longer.

kadee- I am sorry to hear that Matthew has colic. I hope it doesn't last too long.

[Toonces]

Sare ~ I scored low on the Bishop's scale, too. My doula sent me a web site to it the day before I was induced and I had Devin vaginally. I'm hoping you go on your own before you have to go the induction route.

Kadee ~ Are you BFing Matthew? DD was super colicky from a dairy intolerance. She got much better after I cut dairy out of my diet. He could also be reacting to dairy or soy in formula. I hope his Ped can help out. I know how hard it is to have a colicky baby.

Congratulations lisariv & welcome Andrew!!

[Franni]

Congrats, Lisariv and welcome Andrew
Congratulations Scarlett and Francesco

kadee I hope the doctor can give you some answers.

lizziebeth My nipples started to grow from quarter-size to ....I can't even tell you anymore. I don't think they make coins this big. Hmmm....come to think of it, I am starting to feel more pain now on my pump than I used to with #1. I am wondering if I should be getting an "upgrade".

catgirl Not that I am gunning for #3, but looking at my DDs today, I get a little teary eyed that these little girls are it for me. #2 is still the smallest little thing and I am already feeling like a part of me is going to be lost soon. So I understand....HOWEVER I do have a few friends who told me that #3 is the invisible threshold. Something changes with #3. Family dynamics, ease of travel, etc. But still....

brio Please get help. I have written about this a couple of months ago about how I just tried to plow through it all on my own with my first baby. In the end, it just deprived my little one of a happy, engaged mom. Looking back, I wished I could have given her more.

Whine ahead my DD has finally regained her birthweight and then some. So the doctor has finally given me to go-ahead to let her feed on demand. For the last 2 weeks, I have been waking her for feedings every 2 hours, feedings that would take an hour because she was still so sleepy. BAD NEWS...DD is still jaundiced, so the ped now suspects she has breastmilk jaundice. That means that as long as she is on the juice, she will always be yellow. I don't know much about this yet, but I will hightail it over the bf thread after this. I want to whine about how annoying this all is considering that I think we finally have the breastfeeding thing licked. She latches well. I have a good supply for her and then some. Now for the next week, I will have to pump to keep my supply while we put her on formula. All of a sudden I hate to pump. I was an exclusive pumper for DD#1, but DD#2 has shown me that the baby is so much better than the pump (for obvious reasons) but also because they are better able to remove the milk than any pump I have ever used and I have used all kinds including the hospital grade. I just can't believe that now that I am finally doing so well, I have to stop....that's it. WHINE over.

[Rancid13]

Congratulations Lisariv! Welcome, Andrew!! :D

Sare~ I did the Bishops scale thing and I only rate in at a 3 or 4 as well, based on the info that I do know from my ob appt last week. My next one is tomorrow, we'll see if I've made any progress since last week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that something happens with you before Friday! :)

[Lizzie Beth]

Congratulations Scarlett & lisariv!!! Welcome Francesco & Andrew!!!

catgirl - I know what you mean about #3... Although I don't want to be PG again anytime soon...having been pregnant 20 out of the last 33 months, I am TIRED of doing the pregnancy thing... But I am already thinking about the possibilities of #3 & #4.. I must be crazy. But I'd like to have a boy at some point, and it would be neat if he had a brother, too.. Four is the absolute limit, though. (In Monty Python voice -) Five is right out.

Sare and Rancid - I have no idea where I'd have scored on the Bishop thingy, but I know I was only a fingertip dialated; Dr. couldn't even strip my membranes, although the cervix was really soft and she could feel the baby's head.. Effacement I couldn't even say. My induction was swell, though! It went so much better than my natural delivery, although it was significantly longer. I was actually swapping gossip with the Dr., OB nurse and DH in between pushing. And I had been so apprehensive about induction - I'd heard all the same things you guys have. I'm not saying induction is super for everybody, but my experience was so much better than what I've heard elsewhere. The most painful bit was when they broke my water and put an internal monitor in (for some reason the monitors directly on my belly never seem to work right) after that, it was cake. No, really. ;)


kadee - I'm so sorry to hear about Matthew's colic. I was a colicky baby, too, anytime my parents discuss anything about my first year of life, they roll their eyes automatically. But I finally got on the right formula, and they said it was like Jekyll & Hyde. Keep tinkering until you find whatever works!!

Rubbersoul- Yeah, Katie hasn't been too consistent on how long she sleeps at night, too.. Some nights are great...others I've been watching one hell of a lot of Friday Night Lights. (I grew up in a town like that, I like the series a lot so far.) I meant to tell you, too, some nights after she goes back down, if I'm really keyed up, I'll take a hot shower, moisturize really well and dab on some perfume or body spray. For some reason it helps me sleep better. And as for Katie, if she's still awake after 20 minutes on each side, I'll give her an extra top-off of 2 ozs. formula or pumped milk - depending on my inventory - just to try to fill her tummy up for an extra hour or two of sleep. I use the Avent bottles, and we've had no nipple confusion whatsoever.

Franni - what is breastmilk jaundice?? What a PITA. Can you switch up at all between formula and breastfeeding next week? It would sure suck to lose her awesome little latch... (ooh, I made a funny...it would suck to lose that latch..) Okay, yes I'm an idiot. :rolleyes:

[Lizzie Beth]

Hey, catgirl, how did you order the larger size cone thingies?? I went to the Medela website, but I didn't see a way to order them off the website..

[Toonces]

nak... will do so's later

lizzie beth ~ i got my honkin' cones :) from the babycenter.com web site, click here (http://store.babycenter.com/product/personal+fit+breast+shield+system+-+extra-large.do?search=basic&keyword=medela&sortby=shortdesc&asc=true&page=2). you'll need to order new connectors too b/c the size is different. i don't see those on their web site right now, but i got them there, too.

eta: i found them after all - here (http://store.babycenter.com/product/connectors+for+breastshields.do?search=basic&keyword=connector&sortby=shortdesc&asc=true&page=1)

[mayham]

Cross posted from my journal:

Okay, I figured since I finally passed my due date this weekend, what better time to finally post my birth story?

My water broke in the middle of the night. Since I had my first internal exam the day before and had been having cramping and spotting, I thought this may have been some of that weirdness. So... I went back to sleep. Until it happened again, then I figured I should at least call the dr. They transferred me to L&D at the hospital, and they told me to come in, and that I should eat before I came, because they wouldn't let me eat once I was there.

So, I was walking around the house, eating a bagel, and tossing things into a bag. I was waiting for Nov 1 to hit before I packed my hospital bag. Well, I did pack it that day, but I was NOT expecting to go to the hospital that day! While I did this, DH installed the car seat in the car!

We made it to the hospital around 6:30 a.m. I really thought this was a false alarm of some sort, so I was packed for work and ready to go into work after checking into the hospital. Well, that didn't happen! THey did 2 tests to check to see if it really was my water breaking, which it was. And then they said they would induce with Pitocin, which I wasn't a fan of, but they weren't going to let me go home to see if I would go into labor myself, since i hadn't had any contractions I could feel yet.

The good news is, my doctor was on call that day, so she delivered me, which was really nice to not have to get used to another doctor. I got the Pitocin around 9:30, and then things were okay for most of the morning. In the early afternoon, the contractions were getting to be really painful, so I got the epi around 3ish. I was SO much happier after that.

By around 5, I was fully dilated and effaced. They wanted to wait before I started pushing, so I didn't start pushing until around 7, and went for about an hour. My OB was doing a c/s, so they wanted me to hold off on pushing until she was out of that. The nurse really thought I would go quickly. So around 8 the pushing started again... but it wasn't fast... and after a while I was getting SO tired with all of the pushing. Thankfully I at least delivered that day, and our baby girl was born a half hour before the end of the day. The funny thing is, the nurse we had first thing in the morning was BACK ON DUTY when I finally delivered! I loved all of the nurses, which is good because we were there through MANY shift changes.

I hope it is true that you forget the bad parts of labor and delivery! We're lucky our beautiful baby girl is here and healthy :)

[Rancid13]

LizzieBeth~ Thanks for the words of reassurance with regards to inducing! It's great being able to hear the good along with the bad stories about inductions...from what I've heard, the vast majority of them end up going pretty well. :)

Mayham~ Fantastic birth story! Thanks so much for sharing it with us!!:D

[ausi2b]

Congratulations to all of the new babies! 3 am here and I am awake!

Went to the doctor today. Turns out I have the PUPP rash all over my belly (I so feel your pain now Rancid) and he said that is reason enough to deliver me and gave me so much sympathy (which was so nice to hear - especially since my OB is a man!) We discussed the plan of action and how we both really think this will end up being a c-section baby as I had NOT been progressing on my own, baby was late, size of the baby, size of me, etc. Then we did the internal exam and the doctor's eyes got really big and he said "Well - I may just have to eat my words here - you are 50% effaced!!" I'm not dilated, and I still really feel I'll end up getting a c/s but I feel good that my body is at least starting to do what it is supposed to do. So here's my plan of action.

Tuesday 7:15 pm - check into L/D, start the cervadil.
Wednesday 6 am - Start pitocin
Wednesday 7 am - Break my waters
Wednesday 2-4 pm - Decide if the induction is working or not, if I want to try longer I can, otherwise, we go to c-section.

The best part is the doctor told me that once I'm on the pitocin - I don't have to wait until I am 4cm for an epidural. That is what I was most afraid of, pitocin induced contractions without medication at all for hours. Is it wrong that I'm this excited for an epidural? After weeks of contractions and now this miserable itchy rash, I'm so looking forward to some relief!

Good luck to those of you still hanging in there! Can't wait to check in with y'all soon and give you an update! :)

[lilo]

Hi everyone!

First, congrats to all the recent new mommies!!

I am so far behind that I'm not even going to attempt to do individual SO's. Plus I only have a few minutes before feeding the little one once again. I'm sure everyone here can understand.

I did catch up on everyone's news and I have to say how COMFORTING it is that we are going through many of the same things and that it's normal and tough on everyone.

As I mentioned in a previous post, breastfeeding is going great for us but the middle of the night feedings are really really tough but somehow I manage through them. Last night every time I woke up (I wake DS up every 2 hours too), my body just screams "noooo, please don't get up yet!" but he's pretty efficient eater so he's usually back down in 45 to 1 hour from when we start. Sometimes I stretch it to every 2 1/2 hours just to get a tiny bit more of sleep. I also start my 'catnaps' pretty early in the evening so it's a bit easier and I don't 'get up' for the day until about 9 or 10am depending on his feeding time. Luckily I've been able to do the night feedings in bed so I go back to sleep pretty easily too but I still have some major under eye circles going on.

How is everyone's recovery going in general? Mine is going well but slow. My DH took off this week (thank god!) so we've been going for short daily walks with DS but wow, do I walk slow and it's only for 20 minutes or so. But I'm trying to get my strength back up slowly.

Let's see what else. Oh! Franni: that is so interesting about what your Ped. said about the breastmilk jaundice thing. I hope I don't have that too. DS was a bit jaundice when we left the hospital and I just got him back to his birthweight. BUT I keep looking at his face and he does seem to still be a bit yellow too so I'm definitely going to bring that up at my next Ped. appt. but I would hate to have to use formula too. Good luck with that and let us know how long you have to do it for.

Okay, it's about time to feed my little monkey again but I will try to check in later. Here is a quick pic but PLEASE don't post this picture on the front page because I'm going to take it down later today:

[Rancid13]

Still here, still pregnant.

Had my ob appt this morning, still have not made any progression from last week's internal. There was 1+ protein in my urine, so doc made me get another set of PIH labs (still waiting to hear the results of that). At my NST this afternoon there was no protein in my urine and everything is looking good. We're going to go ahead with a scheduled induction on Friday Dec 1 beginning around 7am; I wanted to wait until after my initial due date (Nov 30) and that sounded like a very good compromise to me. :) So unless this guy decides to come between now and then, it looks like we'll be having a December baby after all! :)

[lilo]

good luck Rancid! Can't wait to hear about your baby's arrival. :)

[Sare79]

We just got back from seeing the OB, and there has been no change- still not enough to stretch my cervix or strip the membranes. No change in effacement either. And, apparently she's not engaged either.
So, I will be getting induced on Friday. The office will call and let me know the time I have to go in to the hospital. If I haven't heard by Friday morning, I have to call the OB and they will take me in that day. So, we should meet Carys by the end of the weekend. I have a feeling that Carys will not be progressing much on her own, based on the little progress we have made this past month, and I have the feeling I will need a c-section. I plan to discuss this with the doctor if we have no advancements after about 6 hours, since I would prefer to have the c-section rather than go through labour, have lots of problems and then have an emergency c-section. This may be a contreversial opinion, but I have to say that i do not want to be in labour for a couple of days after waiting this long. She's probably getting quite big in there, and I really don't feel the need to be a hero.

[Sinclair319]

Another mama who finally graduated from the breastfeeding train to hell. We THANKFULLY have a free breast feeding clinic at the hospital with LC's otherwise we wouldn't have gotten through it and I would have given in by now. To make a long story short--Corbin was slightly tongue tied (the bottom of his tongue is more attached to the floor of his mouth than a normal baby's. It's hereditary--DH's is mostly attached) which prevented him from getting a good latch. He started losing weight pretty rapidly so we had his tongue clipped a week and a half ago and it made a TOTAL difference. I'm so glad that I stuck it out with BF! He eats about every 3 hours now and I pump after feeding him during the day so I can get a supply for when I go back to work.

Like lilo my body also screams "No, you can't get up!" during the night feedings. It seems like the 10 pm feeding and the 4 am feeding are the worst. The 1 am feeding wasn't too bad. For a while he wouldn't go back to sleep after the 4 am feeding, he just wanted to be held and entertained, but, knock on wood, he's been better about that the past couple of nights.

I'm in denial that my baby is almost a month old--I just want time to slow down so I can enjoy all my snuggle time with my little one!

[katnbug]

Congratulations Scarlett & lisariv!!! Welcome Francesco & Andrew!!!

Sare & Rancid- Good luck Friday if it comes down to inductions! Sare- I can't believe how long Carys is hangin on!! You already are a hero. ;)
******************************************

A rare moment when both children are napping at the same time!!! :eek:

rant #1- I'm noticing DD is getting into the cycle that DS was in at this age... when she is awake, she needs to be held constantly or she will cry/scream/throw a fit! I'm not happy that she has started doing this. I don't have enough time in the day to get things done without having to hold my baby all day. I'm ashamed to say that I look forward to her naps so I have some free hands! DS is pretty neglected these days too because of it. I feel awful when he's on the floor playing and says "mama, want to play cars?" and I can't because I can't put his sister down!

rant #2- DD has decided that her fussy time is between 6pm and 10pm. She is wide awake (thus needing to be held) and she cries most of the time even if we are holding her. Of course, DH is just getting home from work. We're trying to eat dinner (if I can get anything made). And it's the only time DH and I actually see eachother all day. By the time one of us gets DS to bed, the other is ready to pull their hair out from trying to soothe DD. It's funny how you forget about these things when planning to have another baby!!

[neenbean]

to be x-posted in my LJ:

11/20~ the night before DH and had a leisurely evening and looked at eachother in awe that we would be meeting our DC the next day. It was such a difference from the birth of DD#1- 3 day failed induction, led to an emergency c/s.

8AM- friend arrives at our house to pick up DD
8:40- we depart for the hospital
9:05 check in at L & D, get sent to recovery room for blood work and a bazillion questions and paperwork from nurses, anesthesiologist and OB residents.
11:15 my OB finally shows up (an hour late) and I get to walk into the OR, DH followed after my spinal had been completed.
11:35 Lauren Elizabeth made her way into the world, screaming her head off.
11:36 OB asks me to say about 3 times that I definitely want my tubes tied and that she is not wanting to do it. DH and I reasure her that we are happy with our decision and she finally submits.
12:15 I am wheeled back to recovery and DD#2 follows to be fed. She is an instant BFing champ and immediately latches on! :)

The rest is kinda foggy, but I know I was up walking around my room by 4 or 5PM that afternoon and was so bored, I was walking laps around the Mother/Child by 9PM. :eek: I am totally shocked that I felt so good and capable of moving. With DD, it was at least 12 hours before they allowed me to stand up.

We had a nice, slow stream of visitors over the 2 days that I chose to stay at the hospital and we went home by Wednesday evening. I can honestly say I am glad I only stayed 2 nights, but it was so nice to have the nurses cup-feed DD so I could STTN! :)

Since coming home, we have discovered DD#2 has a high pallet and is pulling my nipple too high for my comfort to the roof of her mouth. BFing is difficult and painful, but we are working on it. Thankfully, my milk came in strong while still at the hospital, so my supply has been great from the beginning! I am pumping regularly to ease my nipples and only actually BFing every other feeding. We introduced formula a couple nights ago when myt nipples where bleeding and I could not stop crying from the pain of her latch. We are doing about 4 ozs/ day right now and I am very comfortable with that! We were in for a weight check on Monday and DD was 2 ozs away from her birthweight (7lbs, 14ozs) on an empty stomach, so I am certain she is completely back up to her birthweight by now! I am working with a LC and plan to meet her again on Friday, possibly next week. She has shown me better positions for dealing with a high pallet, but it is not really helping much. We now believe DD#1 has the same issue and would explain my 6 months of painful BFing last time. Ugh.

Anyway, I need to go pay attention to my DH who is feeding DD#2 and just put DD#1 to bed. I am married to a total sweetheart. :D

[neenbean]

now nak, ugh.

oh! to comment on breast milk jaundice, DD#2 has it, too. :( my doc mentioned that because we are supplimenting (2-4 ozs/day) that there is nothing to worry about, DD's case is not bad at all, so I guess that s why.

[Rancid13]

Just checking in real quick. Nothing much going on here, except having reached the 40w point. :D I'll be back later to catch up some more...

[Toonces]

nak... this is all i do lately

congrats on reaching the big 4-0, rancid! :)

[ellidew]

Congrats Rancid! That's awesome. anytime now!!

[Sare79]

I got a call from the hospital this morning and I have my induction time! I go tomorrow morning at 8:15 to be induced, so hopefully by Saturday I will have my baby!
I'm not going to pretend, this is the best news I have heard in a long time. My doctor thinks it may lead to a c-section anyways due to other things and so if, after two doses of Cervadil, there isn't much progress, we will be going ahead with that.
It has been 275 days (can you tell I have too much time on my hands?) since I found out I was pregnant and I feel ready. According to the doctor I will be 41w4d, but according to my own calculations of when I was ovulating and cycle length, I will be 42w3d. I suppose I got my own calculations in my head so I do feel like I am 2 weeks overdue instead of 1. I know, patience is a virtue, but haven't I been patient enough? :)

My friend Sarah (maplekitty) will be coming in to update on my progress and when Carys is born.

Good luck to the rest of you still waiting!

[Toonces]

nak... yes, again

sare ~ speedy l&d vibes to you! i'm very excited for you!! can't wait to read the good news.

[katnbug]

Good luck Sare!

Congrats on reaching 40 weeks Rancid!

neenbean- Our OB's must be related - mine also made sure to get a definite YES before she went ahead with the tubal!! I wonder if anyone changes their mind at that point????
I was also surprised how quickly I was up and walking around my room after my 2nd c/s. It all seemed to go much easier than the first. Of course, I was not allowed to get out of bed with #1 for 2 days due to my bp still being extremely high.
Good luck with your bf issues. I hope the LC can help. :)
******************

We went to the pediatrician again today with DD because of her umbilical cord/belly button issues. We were out to lunch and I went to the bathroom to change her and noticed that it was bleeding. It has still not fully healed from the cauterization that her ped did at her 1 month appt. :( Dr. seemed to think that the bleeding was just because it was rubbing on her car seat buckle or something & didn't want to cauterize again. I'm just supposed to put alcohol on it 4 times a day to try and dry it out. I just wish it would heal already!

[Franni]

sinclair congratulations on graduating from breastfeeding hell. I am hoping that this is it for us also.

Breastmilk jaundice DD#2 has it and I am told that there is no reason to stop breastfeeding because of it. I will now resume and my nipples are very happy. The girls didn't like being in that pump anymore.

Rancid It won't be long now. How are you feeling?

Question to repeat offenders who are breastfeeding How do you balance breastfeeding baby and spending time with your other kid? I have been feeling so immensely guilty that it sometimes take dd#2 a while (an hour) to eat. That whole time, DD#1 just hangs around, waiting. I read to her and try to get her to do activities around me, but there are times when she wants to hug, do hide and seek or have me chase her. How do you try to engage DD#1?

[Rancid13]

Rancid It won't be long now. How are you feeling?


I know!! I can't believe in 13 hours I'll be checking into the hospital!! :eek: I'm feeling pretty good, though a bit tired (thank goodness for naps!) and hungry. I'm trying to eat as much as I can today b/c all they'll let me eat tomorrow before I come in is a light meal (toast, cereal, juice) and I'm ALWAYS hungry so I know I'll be starving by midday tomorrow.:(

[ellidew]

Good luck Rancid and Sare.

Sare- My induction ended in a c-section after cervadil, and pitocin then progressing to 10 cm pretty quickly. I pushed for 1.5 hours with a failed epidural and there was no progress with the baby's head coming out of my pelvis. Turns out my pelvis is turned inward and i'll never be able to deliver a baby vaginally. It honestly was the most sad news i'd ever heard but all worked out in the end. Miles is 4 weeks old tomorrow. I guess what i'm getting at is that you never know how l&d will go. Don't get too discouraged just yet. Though you sound pretty good about the possiblity of a c-section. I wish i'd considered the possiblity ahead of time and maybe that would've prevented the pre-c-section meltdown complete with panic attack minutes before the surgery.

[Rancid13]

Ausi~ I hope everything went well with your induction! Can’t wait to hear back how it all went!!

Lilo~Thanks for the well wishings!!

Sare~ I’ve been thinking about you! That’s so exciting you have a time set for the induction and I hope it all goes well for you!! I’ll be doing the same thing at about the same time so I’ll definitely be thinking of you too!!

Neenbean~ Thanks for sharing your birth story!! I really enjoyed reading it.:)



My last belly shots!! 40w...:eek:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/40w001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/40w003.jpgCompared to last week:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/39w004.jpg

[Sare79]

Good Luck Rancid!

Thanks for sharing, ellidew. :)

[Lizzie Beth]

Good Luck tomorrow, Rancid & Sare!!!! Will be thinking about you both...

Yeah, I'm on the BF'ing train, too, still sore but am no longer bleeding or cracked or anything... Eh, any way you slice it, it's better than last time.

Franni - TV. Susannah is a TV fiend. I know it's not good and all, but it sends her into an I-don't-care-about-anything-other-than-the-pretty-screen trance and I refuse to feel guilty about it. We DVR her faves and she gets to pick what she'd like to watch next. Which is also in line with my program of helping her feel understood by letting her make some of her own decisions...she's so ridiculously happy every time she gets exactly what she asked for - her language skills (at 23 months) are really just now improving to the point where we understand her about 75% of the time...it's cut down on the tantrums quite a bit. I'll let her hug if she wants to, or cuddle up close w/ me and Katie. She likes to pat Katie's hair and identify Katie's body parts (nose, ear, belly, feet) and so on.. And I make a big show of what a drag the baby can be...."oh, darn, Katie is hungry AGAIN! Shoot, we have to feed the baby again... What a bummer.." That way I can share in her frustration over how long it all takes and she feels somewhat validated and we shoulder the burden together rather than conflict. I mean, you can't rationalize with an almost-2-year-old that the baby DOES need to eat. And it is, frankly, a bummer to have to be tied to one spot for 40 minutes.

At any rate, I do limit BF'ing to 20 minutes on each side, max. If Katie wants more, we do a couple ounces of formula or EBM.. This is as much to protect my nipples and her milk supply as anything else. But there is the collateral benefit that I can time things and tell Susannah that when X show is over, we will do Y. And that way it's not "when the baby is done, then it's your turn" (translation - you come in second)

I also left Katie w/ DH the other day and took Susie to the playground for a couple of hours, just me and her. (This was promised the night before, which helped end a complete meltdown at dinner...Poor kid, seems like every time she sees me, Katie is attached to my chest - she really brightened up right away at the prospect of having Mommy all to herself for a little while) I plan to do this more; I'll leave Katie w/ DH or the in-laws. I also need to get on the stick about getting Susannah enrolled in swimming lessons. I thought that might be fun for us to do while I'm on maternity leave..

[Toonces]

Franni, when I nurse DS, DD either watches TV (I'm not thrilled with this option, but she loves Dora and a few educational programs - I figure it won't hurt her), or she nurses her baby dolls, I ask her to build me towers out of Legos or pegs, play house with her Little People, play with her Little People train set, "cook" me something in her kitchen, talk with Grandma on the phone, and today it's "look outside at the snow!" I hear ya' though... talk about Mommy guilt!!

Good luck to the mommies who will meet their little bundles of joy this weekend!! Can't wait to hear back from all of you.

Off to spend some time with DD while DS enjoys his buzzy chair. If only we had 8 arms, huh?

[Rancid13]

Still here! And still quite pregnant. We've been calling the hospital as instructed since 5am and they haven't had any beds available yet.

Apparently a lot of women are in active labor today, so the people needing inductions have been pushed to the bottom of the barrel.:rolleyes:

We've been told to come in at 12 noon, so we'll see how that goes. At least we got more sleep than we otherwise would have if we'd had to be there at 7am like originally scheduled.:)

[Rancid13]

I forgot to mention...

Polydactylcat over in the Dec 2006 Mommies thread started a Winter Mommies 2006 community over in LJ. This way we can post often sensitive things like pictures of our little ones and stuff that we might otherwise not feel comfortable about posting in a public forum like CC.

Here's the link:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/join.bml?comm=cc_winter_2006

[Toonces]

holding sleeping baby... no caps.

dumb question re lj ~ i can see mssgs in that lj link even though i haven't been approved as a friend. how do we make mssgs and pictures not viewable to any joe schmo who clicks on that link. i'd love to share pics of my kiddos w/ you guys!

[Rancid13]

I've never posted as part of a community before, but I'm pretty sure when you make a post like a regular entry, you select the security setting to 'friends' so only those in that group can view it??

[Franni]

also holding baby....

lj i think if u are not a member, u will not see messages. i think it is the nature of the group setup. i am a member ofapiblic forum and those posts show up automatically, butfor the members/friendsonly sites, i have to be approved & signed in to view.

btw, rAncid thx for the lj link.

[Toonces]

cool - thank you both!

[acrane]

Good luck Rancid and Sare! Can't wait to hear the good news! :)

[RubberSoul]

Good Luck Rancid and Sare! I can't wait to hear about your little ones!

I have an odd question. Does BF'ing cause you to be incredibly gassy? I have had the worst gas since DS was born - even worse than during pregnancy. I can't figure out what is causing it since I am not eating really gassy foods. The only thing I could think of was the BF'ing.

BF'ing is getting better. The night feedings are going much better now that I am getting up and watching tv while feeding DS. I think waking up completely has helped me get him latched on better and get him to eat a full meal instead of snack. That means I get longer stretches of sleep :).

Is there anyone else besides Sare and Rancid that are still waiting on their babies?

[brio96]

I have an odd question. Does BF'ing cause you to be incredibly gassy? I have had the worst gas since DS was born - even worse than during pregnancy. I can't figure out what is causing it since I am not eating really gassy foods. The only thing I could think of was the BF'ing.

rubbersoul It does for me (although I get more burpy than gassy but it's kind of the same thing). With Sarah, I actually asked my dr if nursing made you more gassy and she kind of looked at me strange. When I stopped nursing Sarah, the burping went away (for the most part) but then came back when I got pregnant with Megan. I hate it but nothing in my diet really seems to affect it so I wonder if it's holdover pregnancy hormones that stick around.

Nap time is a tough time in our house (with Megan at least) and I can't get a grasp on what she's doing in terms of sleep. Her night sleeping is awesome right now and she'll take a decent mid day nap but the morning nap and evening one she has to be held or in a swing. Since the mid day one is the one that winds up sticking around for a while, I'm trying to not stress out about the other two but it's hard some days when she's wailing and Sarah needs my attention.

Nursing #2 while dealing with #1 I've tried like mad to coordinate their schedules so that I can avoid this as much as possible, but so far no luck. Sarah gets to watch tv in the morning if I'm feeding Megan (around 10am) and then we just kind of play it by ear for the evening feeding (it helps if DH is home). I'm trying so hard not to tell Sarah "You have to wait until I'm done" but the reality is that she DOES have to wait until I either finish or successfully learn to feeding while walking around. It's a tough situation and one that has left us all in tears somedays.

Off to feed...hope Sare and Rancid have their babies soon!!

[ellidew]

Anyone know how Rancid, Sare, and their little ones are?

I'll have to figure out that lj community... is anyone going to start a cc community? I suck at lj. Maybe we could have a cc community too? I'd start it but until i get back to work in Jan i wont have time to update it... lol, i think it's funny that i'll have free time at work yet i'm on a 2 month absence from the office and don't have a lick of extra time!

[Toonces]

BFing/gassiness ~ I've experienced more gassiness but I chalked it up to post-partum stuff. I never thought of the BFing link.

Brio ~ Would Megan sleep in a carrier/pouch/sling? Right now I'm wearing Devin in an Ergo Carrier (http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/?aw1) with an infant insert. It's awesome b/c both of my hands are free. I used it with DD, but when she was older. I wish I would have had one for her as a newborn b/c she'd only nap in arms (did that until she was 22 months old!!!!) I also ordered a Hug-a-Bub (http://www.cottoncradles.com/hugabub.htm) today (DH would KILL me if he knew... I have a carrier and diaper bag obsession). :o He'll sleep in bed when we put him down at night and is in a deep sleep, but not during the day quite yet. I don't plan on letting him nap in arms for 22 months though!

Headaches anyone? I've had these horrific headaches for a little over one week. I did some research and found that post-partum headaches are somewhat common b/c of drop in estrogen and progesterone. Is anyone else experiencing these? Their borderline migraine bad.

I think ausi2b and acrane are still expecting their litte ones, too. I could have missed something though... my brain isn't functioning very well these days. Can't wait to hear from everyone!

[Sare79]

Hi girls!
In brief: I have had 3 rounds of prostoglandin to induce me and I am still not progressing much. I am not dilated, but my cervix is ripe. I go back to the hospital in a couple of hours for either round 4 or some pitocin- the OB will decided when he sees me. I haven't had any contractions to speak of.

There's more details in my journal, and my friend will definitely update when we actually have something happen.

[acrane]

Actually, Matthew was born on 11/20 (post #880), but I know it is hard to keep up with all the exciting news! :)

Belated congratulations Scarlett & lisariv! Welcome to Francesco & Andrew!

Can't wait to hear more updates Sare and Rancid!! :D

[Toonces]

nak

good luck, sare. the prostgladin (cervadil) did nada for me too, but the pitocin and eventually breaking my water really got things going.

oops... sorry acrane! :o or maybe double congrats! :)

[neenbean]

I am also experiencing the gasiness since giving birth- I had VERY little while pregnant. I am curious if it is related to BFing...Hmm? I did not have this "problem" while BFing DD#1, though. :confused: I really want to take something for it, or something, becuase I am so repulsed! :eek: The gas pains are awful, but I am stinky, too. It is bad! :p I am not eating any differently than I have for the last couple years, either. Yuck. Any suggestions????

So, I am freaking out becuase I am HATING BFing.:( I didn't love it with DD#1 either, but I just tried not to think about it. However, the older DD#2 gets, the more I am envying those who are confident and comfortable just formula feeding. :( I am still pumping (more often than last week) and BFing probably 2-3 times/day, sometimes less. It annoys me, but I have tremendous guilt about just FFing. We began supplimenting DD#1 at one month, DD#2 got Enfamil at just about 1 week. I am tempted to shut the girls down and just FF, but am so filled with guilt that I am not giving my daughters equal treatment.

Thank you for letting me vent!

Good luck SARE and RANCID with your inductions!!! I hope all goes well.:)

[stevesbabygirl]

Hey everyone, just wanted to update you on rancid right now!

She texted me this morning at around 7:30 after being on Pitocin for 17 hours. Her doctor broke her water at that point because she was only 1cm dilated. At 8:45, she was at 2cm. At 10:45, she was about 3-4cm and was having a hard time with the contractions, so she got her epidural, and now she's taking a nap!

It's now most 6pm, and she is only 5cm dilated. Her nurse is upping her Pitocin, but if things don't get moving soon, it looks like she's heading for a c-section. She's been in labor for 28 hours at this point.

[stevesbabygirl]

She's going in for a c-section now, I'll update when I get more details!

[stevesbabygirl]

He's here! 7lb8oz and 19 inches long! I don't have the time he was born though.

Congrats Jennifer and DH!

[Toonces]

Yay! Congratulations Rancid!!!!! Can't wait to hear more.

Sare ~ hope you're doing well!

[kadee_29]

Thanks for the update Heather.

Congrats rancid!!!!!!!

I am going to attempt to update the thread later today so if anyone needs their stats changed let me know.

[Toonces]

kadee ~ How is Matthew doing?

[maplekitty]

update for Sare79

Carys Kendra has arrived!!!!!

She was born at 5:26am, December 3rd, weighing in at 7lbs 3 oz (they don't know her length)

Sarah was given pitocin at 5pm, and said that by midnight there was no progress. She was having contractions and was given an epidural and told to take a nap. She woke up and was fully dilated and ready to push. 45 mins of pushing and little Carys was born!!
Sare will gives us all the wonderful details when she gets home!

I'm going to go visit this afternoon and I'll take lots of pics!!

[RubberSoul]

holding sleeping baby...

congratulations Sare and Rancid!!! I can't wait to hear about your little ones!

[Toonces]

Congratulations Sare & welcome Carys! After all you went through with your pregnancy, I'm glad your L&D went smoothly!!

[ellidew]

Congratulations Rancid and Sare! I'm so excited for both of you! Good luck with everything!

[stevesbabygirl]

Official word from Jennifer:

Tyler Kekoa M. was born December 2nd at 8:29pm via c-section. He weighs 7lbs 8oz, 19 inches long and scored an 8-9 on the Apgar.

[mimieliza]

Congrats, Rancid! Welcome, baby Tyler!

Congrats, Sare! Welcome, baby Carys!


stevesbabygirl - I remember you from the LIW thread - congratulations, I'm so happy to see from your sig that you're pg! :)

[bijouparvin]

I've managed to put Molly down in the PNP by herself for the first time, so I'm sneaking away (with monitor in hand) to say

CONGRATULATIONS, RANCID AND SARE AND WELCOME, TYLER AND CARYS!!

So is that everyone? Any other mommas out there still waiting?

And here's a Molly pic for the front page:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/bijoudiva/Molly/Second%20Week/MollyCrop.jpg

[stevesbabygirl]

Thank you Michelle :D! And congratulations to you on your new little bundle!