MayJune05 Babies - Our Little Ones Are Almost 2!

[happy1nuv]

Ha... DH just rolls over when Nic cries. He's the lighter sleeper so he probably has complaints about me, but just let him try and say anything!

[jrdhbunny]

LJ- I'm tvjunkie24 over there.

Sleep/Night Wakings/Rude DHs- James has been waking up around 2 am, but only crying or babbling for about a minute. But every time it happens, I can't get back to sleep for a while because I'm waiting on pins and needles to see if he'll wake again. He's also been getting up earlier, which is fine by me (8:00 a.m., as opposed to 8:45-9:00 a.m.)! DH does wake me up- he always falls asleep in his recliner (at about 10 pm :rolleyes: ) and then comes barrelling into bed, then starts snoring like a freight train. Oh and then when he wakes up at 6 a.m., he'll blow his nose about 10 times. Grrrrr...

Hope all the sick and injured kids feel better very soon!!!

wendstress- A friend of mine was dialated 3 cm for almost a month. Hope your little one stays inside there for a while longer!

Quick Question- I know some of you have mentioned that you've done debt consolidation. Would you mind sending me a PM and let me know what company you used? There are so many out there, I'd like to get some personal recs. TIA!!

[rancherswife]

Too tired to do SO's, will catch up tomorrow...I'll just copy and paste what I typed about Landon in the Feb. 07 mommies thread to catch you up on him...sorry if stuff is not spelled right or doesn't make sense, I'm beat!

Landon is once again, sick as a dog! He's got bronchitis, yes, he just finished his Rx for the pneumonia 3 weeks ago and what do you know? The ped. has now reffered us to a pulminologist (sp?) since he does have asthma and the preventative stuff we're doing each time he gets sick, is not cutting the mustard! He's got it pretty bad, it's actually slowed him down. The pneumonia last month didn't even do that. So, it's back to up every 4 hours round the clock for his breathing treatments on the nebulizer! Ohhh...fun times...I guess this is just prepping me for the night wakings with Reece, shortly!

k, i'll catch back up tomorrow...hopefully!

[psusna]

Question for crib tent users: How the heck do you keep the dang zipper from waking up/freaking out your kid, who you just got calmed down and laid back down to sleep?! DS woke at 9:30 just screaming, like bad dream screaming. Once I got him calmed down and laid back down in the crib, I zipped the tent (which is just so stinking loud!) and meltdown city. This started an hour-long process of getting him back to bed and me finally squeezing him back in through a half-zipped tent -- then not sleeping most of the night figuring he'd try to climb out and get stuck, etc. I'm not sure why it doesn't have a nylon, quieter zipper because this is for the birds! Guess it didn't much matter b/c he was up at 5 am anyhow :rolleyes:

Sasha: How is is going with Sarah? I hope she is getting back into her sleep groove.

Ranchers: Oh girl -- I hope you can catch a break before Reece arrives. Poor Landon, I feel so bad for that little man. Here's hoping the pulmonologist can provide some help.

Wendy: Sending lots of positive vibes and great wishes for your little one to keep on baking a little while longer!

DH: Mine tries to pretend he's still asleep and just ignore DS when I can tell by his breathing patterns that he's laying there awake trying to fake me out so I get up. A few times we've had an unspoken battle of wills to see who would get up first.

[happy1nuv]

ranchers ~ Oh no! Your poor lil one just cant catch a break... if you're interested the book Disease Proof Your Child by Dr Joel Fuhrman claims to reduce childhood asthma, ear infections, etc... It's a hard diet to follow though (no dairy, lots of veggies) but it might be worth checking into... I hope he feels better soon and the pulmonologist can offer some advice and solutions!

[kimthebride]

Question for crib tent users: How the heck do you keep the dang zipper from waking up/freaking out your kid, who you just got calmed down and laid back down to sleep?!

I put DS down awake, so he hears the zipper and I guess it never really bothered him (though I do cringe, just thinking about how it would annoy me if I had to hear it each time I went to bed!).

But when I have a cranky, teething, just-put-back-down-at-2am kid I zip it closed with my finger on the 'zippy' part to mute the sound a bit and go reeeeeeeeeeal sloooooooooooow. And hold my breath, because as we all know that helps :rolleyes: .

Oh ranchers, i am so sorry! How frustrating.

Sleep
So last night DH was in Boston for work, so I left DS in his crib in my room and i slept on the foldout alone. It was Heaven! I could grunt and roll over when need be, pee without fear of waking DS and there was no alarm clock to wake me up. :) Yeah, my annoying pregnancy snot nose woke me up a bit early but it was a much more restful night than i've had in ages.
So, ya think its rude to tell DH to stay away from me, sleep with the kid because i'll be in my own room from now on? ;)


Oh - the prince is beckoning me from his castle...I mean crib tent. Must run..

[psusna]

Kim: Yea, the JMan goes down awake too so we only have the problem when there is a night waking. I was sitting there at 10:30 last night trying to figure a way to rig it so I didn't need the zipper but came up empty. I'll be trying your muted, no breathing, slow going approach for sure -- thanks! Oh, and YAY for a good night's sleep for you. Maybe you can give DH visitation rights on certain nights, like weekends when there is no alarm clock involved :)

[kimthebride]

LOL "visitation rights"!! :D

[Sasha]

Rancher - Ugh, that sucks. I hope they can come up with something more preventive for Landon.

Dreshny - I thought of you at about 5:30AM as Sarah was up and now in bed with me and squirming and kicking about. I thought, not only does she deal with nightwakings, but she also co-sleeps (well, maybe Asher isn't as squirmy as Sarah)....this girl is my hero! :p

Yesterday, Sarah napped for 2 hours at daycare...you know that has to be some sort of record for her. ;) Well I put her down for bed at 8:15 and she didn't fall asleep until 9:45 (at least she was happily playing in her crib during that whole time). Then she was up crying at 5:00, and I'm not sure exactly how much sleep either one of us got after that. So better naps means she is going to sleep terribly at night? :confused:

[Carissa]

Sleep/Night Wakings Grace wakes up sometimes mostly when she is teething or doesn't feel good, however Jonah is up a lot, Dh thinks he get's up for feedings by handing him to me and falling back to sleep. :rolleyes: gotta love it.

[cynder]

Thanks guys! My little one woke up at 5:00 am this morning.

I have nothing to complain about. You know why? This morning after his morning sippy, DS came over to me pulled at my hand and said eat. :eek: :eek: This child has NEVER said or signed eat without us asking or prompting. He's def. going through some kind of spurt because last night he ate 2 hot dogs, a whole bunch of udon noodles, strawberries, pineapples. This week he's been gobbling Quaker oatmeal packets all on his own. :eek: :eek:

Kim Oh hell to the no!! I don't think it's rude for you to sleep on our own. You are in the home stretch in a one bedroom place. I have no clue how you do it and remain sane. You are so entitled. I have a coworker who has her DH sleep in a separate bedroom b/c his snoring is too loud for her.

Ranche I hope you guys find something to make him feel better!

[Dreshny]

Sasha: I only cosleep part of the night, though it's the larger part of the night. :rolleyes: And it's mostly because I'm still night-nursing and just don't have the presence of mind to try to get him to go back to sleep another way (like I said, I have a 20-month sleep deficit.) And yeah, he kicks and squirms. When he had the cast on, he kicked me in the face with it late one night (unintentionally, obviously), and I was worried he broke my nose. But thanks, it's nice to be somebody's hero. ;)

I do find that if he naps longer than usual, he sleeps less than usual (and therefore I wake him after 2 hours, since he takes LONG naps and has an abbreviated night sleep anyway.) My theory is that they need, what, 12-14 hours of sleep per day, no more, and if the nap is longer, the nighttime sleep is shorter.

[rancherswife]

happy: I'll be ordering that book today! Thanks for the rec. As far as no dairy, that's really not an issue as far as actual milk goes. He doesn't drink it anyhow, he does love his cheese though, and loves veggies and fruit. I'm on my way over to amazon to order that right now! Thank you. :)

Thanks for all the well wishes. Still waiting to hear back from the peds. office as to when we're scheduled to see the pulmunologist. Our ped. did say he was going to put a rush on it, so we could get in before I have the baby. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

I am so freaking tired today! He actually stayed asleep while dh did his 1am. treatment, but at 5 when we were up doing it again, he decided it was a good time to start his day, and has been going like mad ever since. Which, I guess is not a bad thing, it must mean he's feeling better. I however need a nap and it's only 9:25am! I think we're in for a loong day. Good thing I don't plan on getting out of my jammies until it's time for Bunko tonight! ;)

[alienhost]

wendstress I hope your little one stays put for a while longer for you!

rancherswife Poor Landon, I hope he gets well soon and you get some answers from the specialist.

cynder 2 hot dogs plus! wow that's more than I would eat ;)

rude DH's this is cracking me up, especially "JUST A MINUTE AVERY....MOMMY IS COMING!"

My DH does the same thing. First I'm a heavy sleeper so if I don't hear DD at night DH shoves or pokes me in the side to wake me up! Then he calls out to DD "It's ok K, mama is coming". :confused: what the heck? Anyway he occasionally goes to her if I really am not getting up but 95% of the time it's me. Any why does my kid only call for "mama" in the middle of the night? She is fully capable of calling for "dada"! I'll have to work on that.

psa - Old Navy Baby/Maternity sale started today lots of stuff 25%....

[Dreshny]

Nightwakings: Hey, mine will occasionally call "Mommy!" but mostly he just yells "milk!" I think sometimes I'm just a big old nipple to him. :o

[kelseyledare]

This is my favorite as well!!

Originally Posted by diedra
"JUST A MINUTE AVERY....MOMMY IS COMING!"

[ahavnes]

Abbey picked out her own potty yesterday! :) I took her to Target to get one and didn't put her in the stroller so that she could burn a little energy. She ran right over the the Dora Potty and grabbed it off the shelf and started trying to haul it around (it's in a very big box). We'll see if she actually uses it. ;)

Sasha- Abbey's nighttime sleep suffered a little once she started taking longer naps, but it regulated after about a week or so (I think). Hang in there! :)

rancherswife- You just cannot get a break with poor Landon, can you? I hope he kicks this once and for all...soon!

[tgr68]

Hey ladies!!

I'm a mess over here. We went to church on Wednesday, and one of the parents did not inform us how sick her son was. Church was at their house, and we had plans to eat dinner with the family. Well, against DH's better judgement, we stayed.

Now, I've got the flu! Grrr!! :mad: I've been stuck in the recliner all day today for fear that if I move, I'll puke (which is practically all I did for the first 5 hours I was conscious :().

The only good thing is that DD hasn't shown any signs of being sick, so we sent to to the ILs house tonight to basically keep her away from me. I'm praying that she doesn't get sick overnight.

[happy1nuv]

tgr ~ That is TERRIBLE. How rude of those parents, and how awful that you now have it... i hope dd was able to escape it!

alicia ~ Yay on the potty. Letting Nic walk while out is now my FAVORITE way to get this kid exercise. We went to the mall earlier in the week and i parked half a mall away from the carousel. Walked to the carousel (couldn't ride it cause it was being worked on, ooops), threw a few pennies in the fountain, and walked back...Nic fell asleep in the car on the way home and Mommy got a NICE break!

[DisneyGirl]

tgr Thats horrible that they knowingly exposed everyone to their sick child and now your ill. I hope your DD doesn't get it. Just people are just so clueless and rude.

[psusna]

Tgr: Ugh. I'm so sorry. I hope DD is still feeling well, and that you are on the mend.

Cynder: That's excellent about signing eat!

DS is very happy daddy is now home -- won't let him leave his side.

[tgray99]

So I'm feeling like crappy mom of the year...Aidan turned 21 months yesterday and it occurred to me that I did not take a single picture of her while she was 20 months old. It was kind of a crazy month and we didn't really do much but still. :( Time I'll never get back.

[jmvan74]

Night wakings: Collin wakes up a few times a week, but I never go to him unless he is crying like he's in pain. He always puts himself back to sleep. Some nights he's awake, playing for an hour before he goes back to sleep. I just let him be. DH does he same. He does however, help w/ Brady. I would go insane doing it alone.

rancher: Poor Landon! I hope he feels better soon.

[rancherswife]

tgr: Gosh, that was thoughtful of those people to share the love. I hope you're feeling better and that Shylah escaped the illness!

tgray: That stinks, but thank you for reminding me to stay on top of it!

ahavnes: Good luck with the Dora potty. What a big girl Abbey is, cruising through Target on foot! I love it! :)

[tgr68]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. I'm still feeling pretty cruddy - mostly achy - but the nausea is fone!! :) I still have a very lowgrade fever, so hopefully it will be completely gone by morning!

Funny story I posted in my LJ: As I mentioned yesterday, DD spent the night with ILs. Well today, MIL took her shopping and to get her picture taken. They ran to Sears, where MIL thought she would buy Shylah some new shoes. All was going great with a cute pair of Dora shoes, until Shylah spotted some with Strawberry Shortcake! MIL said that Shylah was very firm in stating that she wanted "Strawberry Cake". LOL! MIL held both the SS and the Dora ones up, and Shylah still said quite firmly "Strawberry Cake". Well, as if MIL wasn't tickled enough at the situation, Shylah picks up the SS shoebox (which is probably a good 18"+ long) and carries it to the counter to pay while saying "Strawberry Cake" the whole time!

[tgray99]

Oy...anyone know how to get poop off of drywall? :rolleyes:

[rancherswife]

Oy...anyone know how to get poop off of drywall?


LMAO!!! I needed a good laugh tonight, how did you know? ;)

[LIZNKEITH]

LOL, tgray...have you tried a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser?

That is so cute, Naamah. How can you even argue with that cuteness?! Hope you are feeling better today!

[jmvan74]

Oy...anyone know how to get poop off of drywall? :rolleyes:
Yikes!:D No suggestions, though.

Naamah: That is such a cute story!

[tgray99]

Yeah, I plan on trying the magic eraser. The idiots that built this place didn't do anything to the dry wall but prime it. When I was trying to get the big chunks off the wall I started tearing off the paper on the drywall so I stopped. Of course she chooses to do this literally weeks before we move out. :rolleyes:

[rancherswife]

Oh tgray, sorry for the poopy situation, doesnn't sound like good times, but it did give me a good laugh last night, girl...sorry. ;)

[Chylynn]

Ugh, this weekend has not been so hot. Is anyone else going through constant fits of crying and hysteria when things are not going through DCs way? The littlest things are setting Rebecca off this past weekend and my DH and I have no idea what is going on. She is cutting her molars, she has thrown up a few times (could be from her jamming her fingers in her mouth due to teething because she does not have a fever or runny nose)...I just don't know. I am emotionally drained from this past weekend. DH and I actually talked about bringing her into the pediatricians tomorrow, but what are we going to say? Our child has gone from a perfect angel to a demon child overnight and we want you to check her out? We will sound nuts!

I am reading along, just too tired to post shoutouts. Sorry, guys.

[happy1nuv]

chylynn ~ Since these kids can't really talk well enough to communicate what hurts, I would say that is a valid reason to bring her to the peds as a just in case kind of thing, yanno? Or at least call and see if they are concerned. Although it could just be the teething... (but, if she's puking I'd call the dr just in case she's sick but not showing signs)

tgray ~ No advice, but that sucks! Hope you are able to get it clean enough...

[psusna]

tgray: That stinks! I hope that you can get it clean. Blech.

chylynn: I'm so sorry. I really don't have any advice beyond what Happy said. I hope you can get some answers and have a better day with Rebecca!

Does anyone have any Stephen Joseph backpacks or other products? I'm debating getting him a backpack for his birthday but wanted to see if anyone had advice as to fabric/"pleather" plus quality. I love the boy patterns and it would be something fun for him to take back and forth to his grandparents and on trips. TIA!

[alienhost]

Is anyone else going through constant fits of crying and hysteria when things are not going through DCs way? The littlest things are setting Rebecca off this past weekend and my DH and I have no idea what is going on.

Yes! That is happening here too. DD is normally such an even keeled kid and she has been having fits if she doesn't get what she wants or if we take something away. It's awful. I wonder if she is teething her molars too.

night wakings The other night she wouldn't go to bed until 9PM (my parents were watching her) and she usually goes without a fuss by 8 at the latest. Then that night she woke up at 2AM and I was up with her until almost 4am. Then the next day she put up a fight about her nap. Unfortunately I'm having trouble seeing into her mouth and I don't dare stick my fingers in there. Something must be bothering her.

tgr ugg, I'm sorry those rude people got you sick. Why don't sick people stay at home, where they belong! ;) I hope you are feeling better.

[Chylynn]

Well, we took DD to peds and she is fine. So, we are just going with the cutting molars thing and hoping that this is a phase that will soon pass. She seemed much better today, but then again, DH is home with us today. Who knows.

alienhost -I bet she is teething as well. Rebecca goes down at 8, but has been having wakeups in the middle of the night hysterically crying. We give her some teething gel and she goes right back to bed.

Unfortunately I'm having trouble seeing into her mouth and I don't dare stick my fingers in there.

I did this and it hurt like hell when she bit me, but I had to know what was going on in there!

tgr -Sorry you are sick.

tgray -Ugh, I feel for you. Did you get it out?

Preggos -How are you all doing? I can't believe the amount of ROs we have in this thread! :)

[Chylynn]

Oh, alienhost, I have been meaning to ask you. Did you receive the kettler trike yet? Were you able to figure out how to set up the seatbelt on it? We still have ours in the box as we are giving it to her for her second birthday, but I wanted to order the seatbelt soon if you were able to get it to work. Thanks!

[Jessiesmama]

tgr68
That is the cutest story!!! Made me smile....at work...which is very hard to do!

tgray99
Oy...anyone know how to get poop off of drywall?

I seriously fell off my chair!!!! Wasn't expecting that! I hope you were able to rectify the situation!

Chylinn
Is anyone else going through constant fits of crying and hysteria when things are not going through DCs way?
We're going through that too. All of a sudden. It's a ton of fun.

New Problem
In the last few weeks, DD has been horrendous to my mom when I'm around. My mom watches her 4 days/wk. When they're alone she's fine with mom, but if I'm there she is evil to my mom. Swatting at her, won't let my mom near her. I think it's a separation anxiety thing - where she thinks if Grandma's here, mommy must be leaving.... I'm not sure how to deal with this. I'm constantly making her apologize to my mom. Telling her that Grandma loves her and the days I'm home, reinforcing that mommy's not going anywhere today. UGH! Help!

[allyray231]

Sorry about the sleep issues. Aiden's last molar FINALLY broke through and sleep has been much better

[tgr68]

tgray~Hope you are able to get that poop off your walls. :( I can't think of anything right now that could help you out.

LIZ~Thanks! I know. I guess she attracted quite a crowd carrying the box across the store. LOL!

Chylynn~You are not alone!! DDs tempermant has been horrendous lately. So whiney...:( I'm hoping it is just teething as well because she flinched the other night as I was brushing her teeth.

Alien~Yep! Feeling much better here! Thanks!

Blah nothing really new here. Just trying to get back into the groove of things after being sick.

[ahavnes]

jessiesmama- We are going through something very similar between Abbey and DH. She loves Dada when I am not around, but treats him horribly if I'm here. I just don't get it. No advice, just sympathy! Hopefully it is only a phase. :confused:

tgray- Good luck with that poop!! :eek:

tgr68- Glad you are feeling well again.

chylynn- We have the same thing going on here with the screaming fits. However, Abbey has always been high-spirited, so this is nothing new for us. :cool:

[kimthebride]

tgray
I hope you rpoop situaton is cleared up. Yuck!
BTW: I get worst mom of the year, because I tried taking montly pics of DS for his 1st year and forgot I think 10, 11 & 12 months. Duh!!

Fits of Hysteria
DS is testing boundaries right now. For example, in the mornign I watch the Today show for news etc and then at 8am I'll turn on Sesame Street for him while I clean up, shower, and get ready for us to leave for the day. But some days he freaks out when I turn on Today, but I just say "sorry, your show is on later" and ignore him and he'll stop in a minute or two.
He has done this with a few things, but I find if I stay calm (who am I kidding? I am WAY too tired to get worked up anyhow :p ) and ignore him he'll stop really quickly.

DS also still doesn't talk (still very few words), but he understands so much. I think at times he gets really, really frustrated that he can't communicate.

jessiesmama
Oh! And your mom is awesome...I can't imagine Jessie acting like that with her, since they are so close. Hmm. Maybe you are onto something with the seperation anxiety thing?? Have you looked that up yet in particular? Or maybe if she acts out towards mom, you can "console" mom, ask if she's okay and be by her side when she does it??
I hope you figure something out soon.

Teething
We're getting 2nd row molars in. Fun fun fun fun fun with a capital F-U ;) .

Preggos
This preggo is doing okay, considering the fact I have lost the inability to breathe through my nose or see my feet. Good thing, since I haven't had a pedicure in WAY too long.
I'm due in 9 weeks. Can I get a "Holy crap" ??
BTW, if anyone knows what you actually get anything done with 2 kids, let me know. :o

tgr
That is too darn cute! I too was a fan of Strawberry Cake when I was little. :)

Question: Can Anyone Suggest A Good "Baby" Doll for DS?
I want to get him something newborn-ish so open his eyes to the fact that a new baby is coming, and there is a way to hold it, feed it, love it, etc. Didnt see anything good at target recently, so thought I'd see if you all had any suggestions.
Oh, and the less girly the better. DH is going to be less-than-thrilled as it is that I am getting Mr. T. a doll, lol.

[Carissa]

fits count us in on the whiny kids and tantrums. Grace has been so crabby lately with a running nose and all, I am thinking it's teething but if it keeps up I am taking her in. She normally is very sweet and content.

[Sasha]

Tgray - Oh yikes about the poop, but it totally made me LOL. ;) Don't feel bad about the pictures, when I do try to take some of Sarah, she generally covers her face with her hands and acts like she is taking a picture...therefore not many pictures that you can actually see her face these days!

tgr - Glad you are feeling better today.

Kim - No suggestions for you but I can't believe you are due in just 9 weeks! :eek:

Fits - Yeah, we've been going through them too. God forbid she doesn't get her way. :rolleyes: Lately if she drops her sippy while I'm driving and I can't get to it right away...oh the holy terror that follows!

[Dreshny]

Kim: We got Asher a boy doll from www.fannysplayhouseinc.com.

http://www.fannysplayhouseinc.com/images/Baby%20Bottoms%20Group.jpg

It's soft plush and anatomically correct. :D

[jmvan74]

Fits: Count us in. It is ridiculous! I usually just walk away and ignore him.

Kim: I have not figured out how to get things done w/ 2 kids, yet. Well, I have managed to keep the dishes from pyling up and I've taken both kids to Target w/ me twice. Not bad for less than 4 weeks practice!

[kimthebride]

jmvan
Darling, I was depending on you to tell me what to do. :p Ak!

dreshny
Where did you buy it? I like that its totally machine washable!

sasha
i recently found a strap you can put on any cup to keep Dc from tossing it...if I can find it I can get a link to it for you. :) May cut back on some of the holy terror while driving.

[Dreshny]

Kim: I *think* you can order through the website. I did a coop with a bunch of people, so I didn't buy it in a store, though I did see them at West Side Kids, not that that helps you much...

I need the cup strap recommendation, too!

[kimthebride]

The Cup Strap: "No Throw"
http://www.nothrow.com/
http://www.nothrow.com/default_files/image002.gif

it isn't 100% foolproof, but it usually does the job. I can't remember if I bought mine at BRU or BBB....but you can order them online.

[rancherswife]

I need to hook myself up with one of those cup holder strap thingys! Thanks kim. Landon is waaaay into throwing just about anything these days. It's great!

baby dolls: I'm headed to Target tomorrow after my OB appt. to buy a newborn cabbage patch boy for Landon for that same reason, kim. I looked for one on my last weeks trip to Target, but they were all out of the baby boys, of course. So, hopefully they'll have them tomorrow. Time's a tickin' over here! ;)

fits: Oh yes, we have our days, some days we go sans fits others it's one fit after the other. I find that if I ignore, he stops a lot faster than when I try and please him right away.

Ok girls, I've gotta get this kiddo to bed, Brett's reading him boo-ch (books) right now but it's getting to be that time.

[psusna]

Fits: Yep, we've got 'em too. They are much more infrequent now but mostly happen when he a) doesn't get his way or b) can't communicate his want/need. They have decreased a lot, though, since his verbal explosion.

BOO Snow: So DS and I are to fly to PA Friday to spend the long weekend with my parents. Problem, they are to get 18 inches of snow between now and Thursday with highs in the teens and lows below 5. Problem, my parents live 2 hours from the airport so I really don't want to be driving to and fro in potentially nasty weather. Our plan is to see how things play out by tomorrow night and then make our decision. My parents will be crushed if we postpone our trip until March. They haven't seen him since November.

[DisneyGirl]

BOO Snow:[/B] So DS and I are to fly to PA Friday to spend the long weekend with my parents. Problem, they are to get 18 inches of snow between now and Thursday with highs in the teens and lows below 5. Problem, my parents live 2 hours from the airport so I really don't want to be driving to and fro in potentially nasty weather. Our plan is to see how things play out by tomorrow night and then make our decision. My parents will be crushed if we postpone our trip until March. They haven't seen him since November.

I'm in PA and its already snowing here(lightly). I hope we don't get as much snow as they are calling for and your able to make your trip.

[christy1010]

Well I guess it has been a long time since my last post. I haven't posted since the start of the current thread. I have been following along though.

psusna and Disney Hope you don't get all the snow they are calling for. It is snowing and we are also getting freezing rain mixed in. Most of the city I live in is shut down and the worst is yet to come!

Fits This is one area I feel DD is keeping up with the rest of the kids in this thread with. They are mild fits, more like a few cries and then she will sulk, mostly when tired, she does not get her way, or when we change pace too quickly! I ignore them for the most part.

Strap I will have to look into that!

Thanks for the good thoughts, I do not have abnormal cell, but my OB felt an inflamation of the cervix. He went ahead and did a freezing of the inflamation. I go back in two weeks for a FU and then a repeat pap smear in six months!

Okay, I need some advice on a couple of issues. One DD health. She has been of the latest round of antibiotics for about two weeks, well she is coughing, wheezing, no temperature to very low like 100, and I am pretty sure she is teething, I saw two more coming in on the bottom. DH wants me to take her to the doctor. DD only started sounding stuffy last Thursday morning, and is still eating like a horse. My mother thinks I should let it run its course and try to stay away from antibiotics due to people becoming resistant to medications. I feel I am caught in the middle.

Second thing is nap times. DD is in daycare Monday-Friday. She takes a nap in the afternoon between 12:30pm and 3pm. On the weekends and on snow days like today! DH says she gets tired in the AM and is still trying to get her to go down for two naps. I say she only needs one and if we wait she would not throw such a fit about the nap.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[wendstress]

Christy... My $0.02 on your questions:

#1 - I'd say stay the course unless she gets really miserable or runs a consistent temp. We took DS to the Ped in December after he had a cold for about 2-3 weeks that he just couldn't kick. He was not really miserable, but couldn't get rid of the cough (which kept us all up for a few weeks!). The Ped said that if a cold has gone more than about 14 days, it was likely something else, or else a cold turned into an infection. You could always call the nurse? Besides, if it is just a cold, they won't give antibiotics....

#2 - Reminds me of constant squabbles with DH several months ago. I though James was ready for 1 nap, and he thought James still needed 2. Rather than constantly bicker about it, I did it my way when I was in charge of James, and he did it his way when he was in charge. Ultimately, when he saw how much better James slept when he was only doing 1, he started to concede that he thought James was finally ready for just 1 nap. It had to be *his* idea though, right?

[cynder]

Hey all, still reading just not posting much. Besides early wake up calls, things are going well here. The final incisor FINALLY broke through so now all we all left are the 2 yr molars and frankly I can wait for those to come in.

Fits DH was really skeptical of my theory of tantrums and teething but has finally agreed that I was right. Anytime, DS gets tantrum-y or whiny, I can almost always find a budding tooth. It's so maddening because it makes them into little Jeykyll/Hydes. But think about when you have a toothache and how much hurts and then think about their little teeth boring through the skin and gums. Youch!

christy1010 Trust your guts. This is the height of sick season so be wary of pediatric waiting rooms. There is not much they can do for a cold so if she's eating and sleep ok, you might want to ride it out. Is there a nurse line you could call?

As for naps, we try to mimic the daycare days on weekends and holidays. He's not an age where he understands the difference of 'special days' where he can stay up later or skip a nap. When I see him get tired in the AM on a weekend, we try and do a quiet activity like read books or look at pictures.

Strap I so needed that like 2 months ago!

[cynder]

Oh I also wanted to do my monthly PSA of washing your toddler's hands!!! There is some major norwalk and rotovirus going on in NC. They've had to shut 2 hospitals to all visitors. Hand sanitizer will not doing anything if it's norwalk so make sure that you are using good old fashioned soap and water.

[happy1nuv]

christy ~ ditto what wendstress said :)

Kim ~ Where DO you find these great things? We totally NEED one of those straps :) (thank goodness they are online though, cause I am NOT schlepping all the way to a BBB to get one)

Dolls ~ My il's got Nic a doll for christmas... it's a boy doll (not anatomically correct) but it came with a pacifier and bottle. The bottle got taken away right away cause it was making him crazy (he'd suck but nothing came out, where he'd get frustrated and angry and throw a minor fit -- regardless of the fact that he hasn't gotten a bottle in ... MONTHS?!? and was never given one religiously with the exception of his 3 month stint in daycare) ... but the baby does have a pacifier, which he'll suck on for a few...then give baby...then he'll use... its cute :) I don't think its made an impression, but he's really cute with it ... until he dumps it on its head cause he's done playing with it...

Fits ~ Yeah, we get them from time to time here... I attribute it to his TWO word vocabulary...actually, he's now saying "ya" so make that three :)

I actually called early intervention today. I really don't think there's anything wrong..I think he's just LAZY and not interested in talking...after all, theres cookie cutters (best $3.00 i ever spent to get a vat of plastic cookie cutters from the christmas tree shoppe .. they are letters/numbers/holiday shapes an d they come in 5 different colors) ... to sort, stack, etc. Balls to throw and blocks to stack... who has time for vocabulary... BUT, i figure its free for them to tell me that, and they might actually have a few suggestions on how we can make talking games more interesting... cause I think he'll be MUCH less frustrated and prone to throw fits if he can actually tell us what he wants...

[LIZNKEITH]

Christy,
I agree with Wendy...chances are whatever it is is viral and abx wouldn't help anyway. If she spikes a temp or starts wheezing, then I would call the Ped to check things out. As far as naps go, you could try a short siesta. Either that, or just try to adjust the one nap. She may be wanting to nap more because she's not feeling well.


Took DD for her first haircut Saturday:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/389365437_569fbef190_m.jpg

[alienhost]

Oh, and the less girly the better. DH is going to be less-than-thrilled as it is that I am getting Mr. T. a doll, lol.

Kim, I read this quickly and at first thought you were looking to buy DS a Mr. T doll, as in A-Team :D

I'll have to catch up later, got to finish baking cookies for a valentine party this week.

[DisneyGirl]

Kim, I read this quickly and at first thought you were looking to buy DS a Mr. T doll, as in A-Team :D



LOL

liz Caroline is so pretty.

[jrdhbunny]

psusna Hope you don't have to postpone your trip! No snow in this area of PA yet, but we're only supposed to get 6-8".

liz- What a sweet picture!

christy- I think it's difficult for DHs to accept that their babies change and grow out of things that they used to do, like take two naps- at least it's that way for my DH. I guess the only way to deal with it is for him to see that it's not working, like wendstress said.

cynder- Thanks for the PSA!! I try to be really good about washing his hands, but I'll be extra vigilant.

strap- Ooooo- good idea!

tantrums- He's been having fewer tantrums now that I can understand some of what he's asking for, but there's plenty that I still can't get. And then there's the ones that have nothing to do with communication frustration and everything to do with not getting what he wants. Oh and diaper changes are still a source of fits.

[ahavnes]

It never fails. When I wait to take Abs to the doctor, I find out that she's really sick. Yet, when I rush right in, nothing is wrong. :rolleyes: So, after listening to her cough and sneeze for a week, I finally took her to the ped today. Turns out she has a "really bad" double ear infection (ped's words) and a bunch of crap in her lungs. The doctor did a breathing treatment right in the office. Amazingly, Abbey was really really good. I think she was facinated by it. :) If she isn't better after taking Mucinex, I have to go the nebulizer route. Really hoping to avoid that.

cynder- Glad to know about the sanitizer not working on all viruses. I posted that somewhere else on CC a while back and someone said I was wrong. I knew I wasn't though. ;)

Liz- What a beauty!

psusna- I really hope for your sake and your parents' that you don't have to postpone. Damn weather!

[rancherswife]

I'm tired and grouchy (not sure why, could be that I'm nine months preggo and feel like I've been pg my whole flippin' life at this point! ;)) So I'm gonna keep this short, hopefully you can't feel my bitchiness through this post. ;)

ahavnes: I really hope for yours and Abbey's sake you can avoid the neb. it's really no fun. Although Landon has become quite accustomed to it, I still hope Abbey can avoid it, poor baby. I hope the mucinex kicks it for her and her ears start feeling better soon, too!

liz: She is a DOLL!

Had my 38 week appt. this morning, I'm now 1 freakin' cm dilated and "relatively thin" (cervix, not bod ;)). I'm really wanting to make big pregress over the next week so my body is really ready to talk induction, I think I'll shoot for the 24th if he's on call that weekend, if not the 26th, just a day before my due date. I'm all for induction, as long as the cervix is ready! :) Had no luck with the boy newborn cp kid today. Target's been out now for two weeks. I may just order online tomorrow.

Ok girls, I'll check back in tomorrow, hopefully feeling a little more chipper!

[happy1nuv]

ranchers ~ I hope you feel better and Reece decides to appear soon!

liz ~ Thats an adorable picture!

alicia ~ boo for the double ear infection! And... don't beat yourself up on the waiting and sick thing. Think of it this way...if you HAD taken her in earlier, it might not have progressed enough to be anything, so you could have just had to make TWO trips to the drs...

[psusna]

Alicia: I'm sorry :( Happy is right, though -- by waiting you saved yourself a trip! I hope the Mucinex works for Abs and she is feeling better soon!

Cynder: Great reminder. Thanks!

Liz: Oh my goodness -- Caroline is a doll!! I love her haircut.

Ranchers: Here's to a better today! Come on Reece...don't pull a Landon on Mommy!

Snow: Yesterday they seemed to be getting more sleet/ice than snow, which is good. We'll see what happened overnight and make our decision this evening. All of the schools are closed today so that's not a good sign. I've got us mostly packed and ready to go so I hope we go -- I don't want to undo everything.

So DS made his Valentine's for his classmates today and one for his girlfriend in the class behind him. We dressed him in a red shirt, blue pants, red socks and then -- DH spiked his hair :) He's so freakin cute!! Everyone was oohing and aahing over him this morning. I hope his hair holds up today so I can get a pic when I pick him up.

They had a special music day at school yesterday where this older man brought in instruments like harmonicas, fiddles, etc. Apparently Jackson was just dancing up a storm and started playing the harmonica with the guy. The kid loves music.

[Carissa]

Alicia I hope Abbey feels better!

ranchers Praying Reece decides to come soon! I know the feeling of being pregnant all your life. :)


Jonah had his 2 month appt and he is up to 12lbs! Gosh the boy is growing fast. Dh had Grace color me a picture and gave it to me from her for Valentine's day, I was surprised since he has never done anything like that before. I feel bad all I did was send him an e-card I am a bad wife but we have 4 inches of snow and ice under that and I don't feel like carting the 2 kids out.

[kimthebride]

Kim, I read this quickly and at first thought you were looking to buy DS a Mr. T doll, as in A-Team :D
I pity the fool who misreads my posts.
:cool:

Happy Valentine'sDay Ladies!!!

We have a sleet storm right now, which since i am from New England really isn't all too big a deal to me but the news stations here are FREAKING OUT over it. I just hope it dies down a bit so I can hit Target this afternoon.

Little Gym was cancelled and DH decided he doesnt want to go out there, so I am spending my day inside with my 2 boys. Its love, baby.

psusna
Any pics of this adorable get-up?

ranchers
You are entitled to a bit of cranky right now. Hang in there!

ahavnes
Murphy's Law at work...I hope Abby gets better fast.

liznkeith
Ok, totally cute!

happy1
It just caught my eye as I approached the register at BRU or BBB, and I figured why not. Which is why I cant remember which store it was, lol!

handwashing
I have to be better about this, using sinks. i am always wiping his hands down with wipes & alcohol-free hand sanitizer foam but I want him to get into the habit of using the sink....which is difficult because we have all the rooms with sinks gated off from him. So pregnant and lazy....

[rancherswife]

Happy Valentine's Day Girls!!!
I hope everyone's having a wonderful day and their dh's are pampering them in way or going to take them to a yummy din tonight! My dh informed me we'd be going to dinner at PF Chang, one of my faves., so I'm looking forward to that.

I woke up feeling a bit better this morning. Landon is doing much better, sleeping better and we're not having to wake up and give him his neb. treatment in the middle of the night, which makes me quite happy! :) In other news, I've bought my second pineapple and am planning on munching on that all day to try and get this damn cervix of mine softer! I lived on that stuff w/ Landon and I seemed to be a bit more effaced at this point with him. It can't hurt trying, right? ;) Yes, I'm done being pg, if you're wondering. :) However, on the other hand, I DO fully realize that I will have 2 babies on my hands and I'm really not sure how to handle that! eek...

[Sasha]

Happy Valentine's Day!
We don't have anything planned for tonight, which is pretty pathetic considering it is also DH's birthday. Wednesday night is just no good for a night out on the town! Plus I have to go out of town tomorrow for business, so I'd rather be able to spend time with Sarah too. So we're going to cook a nice dinner at home instead.

Kim - Awesome find on that strap! Thanks!

Alicia - Don't beat yourself up about it...I hope Abbey is feeling better soon and you don't have to go the neb route.

Liz - Adorable!

Rancher - PF Chang's....yummmm! LOL, enjoy your pineapple. ;)

Cynder - Thanks for the PSA.

[cynder]

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am headed to DS's party at daycare in awhile. I was hoping to get all crafty with valentine cards but I ran out of time. It was like me and 10,000 other people at Target last night. I figure the other parents all work so being crafty isn't high on anyone's list. I did pick up a cute bucket of valentine foam stickers for the class and when I dropped DS off, they were decorating paper bags to hold their valentines.

We got DS to say Happy Valentine's Day though I am probably the only person who understands it. :) No real plans since it's a late night for DH. We're have a babysitter on Sat so we're going out for dinner then.

iTunes iTunes is offering 4 free Sesame Street video clips this week. Even if you don't have a video ipod you can download and play it off your computer/laptop/TV if you have iTunes.

Hang in there Ranchers, Kim and Happy!!!

[kimthebride]

I have a couple questions that I hope you all can help me with....I don't feel like making a new thread and hearing random, horrible worst-case-scenarios which is why I'm coming to you!

My Questions:

1. Did anyone here have a "gentle induction", as in the OB waited until you were showing impending signs of L&D then broke your water to try and make it happen in the hospital without drug? If so, how did it go and did you end up needing drugs (like Cervadil, Pitocin) or even end up with a c/s?

2. Who here had a c/s, particularly not an emergency one? Is it and the recovery really as bad as some people say?

I really appreciate your input!!!

[psusna]

Kim: No pictures yet. I’m hopeful that the hair will hold until I get there with my camera phone this afternoon, but I think nap time may ruin the ‘do. DH is all pumped because DS was stylin’ this morning.

The PA trip is off :( I talked to my dad this morning and he was like I love and miss you both but I'm not driving in this crap two round trips to Pittsburgh (2 hours each way) to pick you up and drop you off. See you in March. I'm bummed.

ETA
Kim: I was induced. I have not heard of a gentle induction so I assume that what I had was a “forceful” induction? Mine went Cervadil (no luck after 12 hours (overnight)), broke my water (still no luck after 4 hours), very, very low dose Pitocin. My complete, full on labor time (from when they started the pit) was about 8 hours with 40 minutes of pushing. I had a vag delivery with an epi started after 2-3 hours of the pit.

[ahavnes]

Thanks for the well-wishes ladies! I am going to try the Mucinex today, so we shall see if we can avoid the dreaded nebulizer.

Happy Valentine's Day Ladies!

psusna- Oh no! I'm so sorry about your trip. That really does stink.

Kim- I wasn't really induced, but I did have a boatload of pitocin. I had my membranes stripped the day before I was due while in the office and my water broke 2 nights later. Abbey, however, decided that she didn't want to come on down. :cool: So, I had as much pitocin as they can actually administer. Seriously, the thing was turned all the way up. :eek: Truly, I wouldn't be afraid to have it again. I did have an epi, but I labored for about 4 hours w/o it while getting the pitocin (major needle fear!). Still, I was able to breathe through the contrax w/o needing Stadol or any other pain killers. The only crappy part is that it makes the contrax a lot closer together, so you don't have much recovery time. But, like I said, I'd do it again with the second child if I needed to. And I would definitely do it if I were overdue. :) Hope that helps!

[Sasha]

Kim - I had a c/s, although it was an emergency c/s - I had pushed for almost 2.5 hours, it was back labor, failure to progress, I was running a fever...lots of fun. :rolleyes: Anywho, I think that while my recovery wasn't nearly as bad as some other stories I heard, it was probably more painful than a vag. delivery. I was hooked up to so many machines and was in so much pain that I never even changed Sarah's diaper in the hospital until we were getting discharged. It hurt to walk. I have steps in my house, that was a nightmare. I moved really slowly. Plain and simple, it was abdominal surgery. Then there are things like I had to spend an hour in recovery. In the hospital, I couldn't be left alone with Sarah because I wasn't sure I could physically care for her alone. A friend of mine is having an elective c/s in May...there is absolutely no medical reason for her to have it, but she is afraid of tearing, so that's her reason. I told her about how much more difficult the recovery is from a c/s birth, how vag. births are better for the baby, but that didn't change her mind. I do hope I'm not offending you or anyone when I say this, but I can't wrap my mind around putting your body through abdominal surgery when there is no reason for it.

[usafwife]

I do hope I'm not offending you or anyone when I say this, but I can't wrap my mind around putting your body through abdominal surgery when there is no reason for it.
I would never go through adbominal surgery either. I wanted a vaginal birth so badly that I cried and refused to sign the consent form the first time. My OB went through the reasons for wanting to do it and I knew it was for the best but it still upset me. I went through several months where (and I hate to say this) I blamed my sweet princess for making me go through surgery. I was going to attempt a VBAC with Alex until my mom suffered her anuerysm and it was determined that we could have a family history of them. That's all I needed to know and even though I wanted desperately to have a vaginal birth with one of my children I wasn't going to risk my life just for it.

To me fearing that you'll tear is not a valid reason for having a scheduled c/s but to each their own. I wouldn't chose that route unless I had to. And I don't mean to offend anyone either.

I have a couple questions that I hope you all can help me with....I don't feel like making a new thread and hearing random, horrible worst-case-scenarios which is why I'm coming to you!

My Questions:

1. Did anyone here have a "gentle induction", as in the OB waited until you were showing impending signs of L&D then broke your water to try and make it happen in the hospital without drug? If so, how did it go and did you end up needing drugs (like Cervadil, Pitocin) or even end up with a c/s?

2. Who here had a c/s, particularly not an emergency one? Is it and the recovery really as bad as some people say?

I really appreciate your input!!!
Kim ~ I ended up with an emergency c/s due to DD getting stuck in the birth canal. I pushed for 3 hours and was nearly at the end when it was determined they couldn't use forceps or the vaccum to get her out. I was devastated beyond belief to think that I'd went through all of my hard work (being sick for 3 hours/nearly 4 hours during the time I was going from 3 cm to almost 7 cm, got the epi due to being exhausted from vomitting, the epi lasted at most an hour and a half then no pain relief, having pitocin, and a few other things). But in the end I decided that what was best was for DD (and myself) to be healthy so if that meant a c/s then so be it. I was just heartbroken to have went as far as I did, went through everything, only to end up with a c/s.

My recovery after Sarah's birth was not all that easy. I was exhausted (and I do mean exhausted) for wks. Part of that was because of what I'd went through during labor. The other part was that my thyroid was very out of whack (and that's putting it mildly). Walking wasn't easy and it was painful but I wouldn't say that it was worse than going through labor with no pain relief. Stairs weren't easy but I took my time and didn't go up and down them unless it was absolutely necessary. The only pain med I took was Tylenol #3 (even though my OB had prescribed Perocet I refused because it makes me very sick and asked that I be given Tylenol #3 instead. My OB agreed) and I don't remember taking any after the first day home.

Getting in and out of bed wasn't easy but after the first few times it got easier. I just took my time and made sure I had help (especially in the hospital). Make sure they have something for you to sit on in the shower. I was very weak and the nurse didn't stay with me while I took my shower (DH was not there at the time but I so wish he would have been). And the worst part was they took off the bandage while I was standing up in the bathroom. I wasn't expecting it and it was a little painful.

With my last c/s recovery has been much easier. Not sure if it was because I had been pushing/went through an entire labor or if it was because I'd had a previous c/s. Walking the first time was still hard/painful but after that it was much easier. I had staples the first time but steri stripes this time that were both removed at one wk PP. I had very little bleeding this time. By the time I came home I was just wearing a pantyliner (and that wasn't the case before). I've had no bleeding for about 2 wks now. The first time it was about 3 wks before it stopped and then it still spotted here and there. This time it was clear (not the bloody stuff) within a day of being home. I was released on day 2 this time but last time I stayed 3 days (and I could have stayed this time as well but I was wanting to get home to see my princess whom I hadn't seen in about 4 days).

Okay, this is turning out to be longer than I intended and I'm sure no one wants to read it so send me a PM and I'll finish there.

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

Update on us ~ Still sticking with BFing even though we've had a few more issues. It's definitely been easier than it was with S but it's still not as easy I'd like. Still having supply issues (or at least I believe that to be the case...DS never seems to be satisfied after nursing even after an hour. Of course the same could be true after eating formula so I'm not entirely sure what the problem is) even with the meds, drinking tons of water, eating snacks.

DS is still not really gaining much weight either. It's starting to concern me just a little. I would have thought by now (being almost 4 wks old) that he'd start gaining some. However he's gained about 4 oz since his birth. I guess maybe he takes after DH more than S did. DH took a while before he started gaining weight as well (per his grandma).

I'm also starting to wonder if the rash in his groins and thighs is an allergic reaction to either BM or formula. It seems to get better some days, then look good only to get worse again. The powder doesn't seem to really be helping much. Switching diapers didn't really have much improvement either. The only other thing I can figure out is that he isn't tolerating the formula we've used to supplement him with. Today he spit most of the 2 oz he drank back up. Having an allergy or reaction to formula actually wouldn't suprise me all that much considering DH had issues with formula as a baby as well. They went through several different formulas before they finally found one that he would tolerate/drink. We have no way of knowing if he was diagnosed as having an allergy to milk or what exact formula he was able to drink since both of his parents are deceased.

Valentine's Day ~ I made a Red Velvet cake and Valentine cupcakes yesterday. The cupcakes have been a big hit with Sarah. DH brought me home a bouquet of flowers and a single rose last night. He said the bouquet was from Sarah and the rose was from Alex. I asked what he got me and he said nothing.

[diedra1027]

Who here had a c/s, particularly not an emergency one? Is it and the recovery really as bad as some people say?I had a planned c-section due to previous uterine surgery. Because I had the previous surgery (same incision as c-section), my c/s recovery was a breeze. Recovery from the first surgery was pretty grizzly - and that was recovery without having a newborn to care for at the same time. Having said that, I personally believe that the body during pregnancy is preparing itself for trauma recovery so as long as you don't push yourself too hard - healing from a c/s is easier than a surgery (especially since you just have local anestesia for a c/s). One weird thing that I experienced as a planned c-section - since I didn't go through any labor at all, I had a HUGE adrenaline surplus. The first night in the hospital I pretty much laid there with my eyes wide open staring at the ceiling!

Not sure if it was because I had been pushing/went through an entire labor or if it was because I'd had a previous c/s.Probably a little of both :). One of my doctors told me after my first surgery that not all of the nerve endings at the incision site will be able to repair themselves. So once you are on your second incision, there will be some loss of sensation in that area which makes the healing part less painful. I remember when they were removing the staples from my c/s incision - I could totally tell where the 'lost' spots were (when I couldn't feel the staple being taken out).

[jrdhbunny]

kim- I was induced due to high blood pressure so it was not a gentle induction. They gave me cytotec (yikes!) and I progressed about 1 cm in 9 hours. Then they gave me an epidural and started pitocin at the same time (they said that if they waited any longer, they wouldn't be able to give it to me until the next shift change because they were too short staffed to monitor me). At 6 a.m. the next morning, my epi ran out and I hadn't dialated any further. My doc said that he could wait as long as I wanted as DS's heartbeat was strong, but he suspected that I wasn't going on my own and he suggested a c/s. I cried and threw a minor tantrum, but in the end I decided to go forward with the surgery. Good thing I did because the cord was around DS's neck which was why DS wasn't dropping.

My recovery was relatively easy. I took one pain pill the first day and that was it- my pain was very manageable. The worst part about it was that the first day I was very groggy and nauseous and couldn't focus on James as much as I wanted to. By the second day though, I was out of bed and moving around pretty well. Once I was home, I recovered my mobility quickly. (I lived in a fifth-floor walk-up so there was no way to avoid stairs and I never really had a problem with them, just took it very slowly.) My incision healed beautifully and it's tiny (I have no earthly idea how they pulled an 8 lb baby out of such a small area.)

Now I know there are others who had a tough time with it (my SIL for one and of course, many on these boards), but my experience was very positive. I also know that the next time around, it could be completely different. But still, if I'm blessed with another baby, I'll be scheduling an elective c-section.

[rancherswife]

kim: This is what my OB is discussing is a "gentle induction" I tend to chuckle when I hear that, because, lets be serious, what about labor is gentle? ;) Anyway, what he means for me is, assuming I'm still progressing next week, and my cervix softens a bit more ( thus eating pineapple, having sex, etc. ;)) he'll just admit me and break my water to see if that gets things going, I guess he's thinking the second time around, pit. may not be needed. We'll see. I was full on induced with Landon, w/ pitocin that had to be turned up to the MAX, like ahavnes mentioned, then he broke my water, which really got things moving. I didn't mind the pit., it just took a long time for it to start doing anything. I would not at all be against it, if that's what it took to get the contrax going this time around. It's not a good time, but I'm not sure any L&D is fun times, ya know? Maybe I'll have more experience w/ the "gentle induction" for ya shortly! ;)

[portlandbride]

kim I never posted Addison's birth story in this thread, but I did post it in the Un-medicated Births thread. Anyway, I am posting it here for you since you asked about gentle inductions. Not that mine was necessarily "gentle" but it didn't involve any drugs and I did have a drug free birth. Of course, it was at home, so not much choice about the drugs!
Sorry it is so long, but I have quite a few "interventions".

I went to my midwife appointment on the 21st like it was any other day. I knew that she wanted me to have DD#2 soon because at my last appointment there had been some protein in my urine and she had been having me check my blood pressure for the last few weeks. High blood pressure and protein in your urine are signs of pre-eclampsia which I definitely wanted to take seriously since my mother had it with me.

After I had given her a urine sample and had my blood pressure taken she says to me that she really wants me to have DD#2 within the next few days because my blood pressure is still high and there is more protein in my urine than there was last week. I say okay and ask her what we can do. She tells me she is going to come to the house the next day and insert a Foley catheter to help me dilate.

I go home and tell DH that we are having a baby soon! I call my parents to have them come up and they come the next day so they can be there for the birth and to watch DD#1.

The next day, Friday, my MW comes and prepares me for the Foley catheter insertion. It is just a balloon that is inserted into your cervix and then filled with water. It is supposed to dilate you to 4 centimeters and then fall out. It doesn’t hurt, you can’t even feel it. The problem arises when she can’t get to my cervix. It seems that my cervix is very high up and tilted so that she can not even reach it. After about 20 minutes of having her hand up me trying to grab my cervix she brings out the forceps. The whole thing is very uncomfortable but doesn’t actually hurt. Finally she is able to grab my cervix with the forceps and inserts the tubing for the Foley catheter. Because it is just the two of us I have to take a syringe and fill it up with water. Finally we are done!!

My MW tells me that this will dilate me to 4 centimeters and then fall out. The whole thing should take about 12 hours or so. She tells me she will come back the next day to strip my membranes if I have not gone into labor.

On Saturday the balloon has fallen out but I am still not in labor. My MW comes to the house to strip my membranes and check to see how dilated I am. To her surprise my cervix is still very high and tilted. I am dilated to 4 centimeters though. The problem is since my cervix is so high she can’t strip my membranes. She stretches my cervix to 7 centimeters and tells me that if I haven’t gone into labor by the next day she will come back and break my water.

After she leaves I am really concerned because I know after she breaks my water that I only have about 24 hours at home and if DD#2 is not born before then I will have to go to the hospital. DH and I went for a very long walk that night and I drank some castor oil hoping to speed things up. It did produce a few contractions but still not the real thing.

Sunday morning at 10am my MW comes back to the house to break my water. She has me sit on a birthing stool and checks me again. She can tell that I am still at 7 centimeters but my cervix is still high and tilted. Why won’t my cervix cooperate! She breaks my water which comes out in a gush and then a trickle. I am forced to wear Depends for the rest of the day because I am continuously leaking water. She tells me that if I have not had DD#2 by morning that I will have to go to the hospital but that she will let me go as long as she can. She waits around for an hour or so to see if I go into labor but I don’t.

Later on that day I decide to take a nap. I wake up around 4:30pm or so and am having some light, spread out contractions. I go back to sleep and then decide to get up around 5pm. I am still having some contractions but they don’t really hurt and are at least 10 minutes apart. Around 6:30pm we ask my parents to go get some dinner for all of us.

While they are gone my contractions really speed up and are getting more intense. DH tells me to start timing them but I have to go to the bathroom, which I know is a sign of my body cleaning itself out preparing for birth. When I finally start timing them they are pretty strong and about 3 – 4 minutes apart. My parents aren’t back yet so we call them and tell them to come home. I then call my MW and tell her she should probably come over since she lives about 45 minutes away.

When my parents get home they and DH put DD#1 to bed and I go downstairs. My contractions are becoming painful and I have to concentrate through them. I am lucky in that they usually only last 30 -45 seconds, which is manageable.

My MW gets there around 7:30pm or so and checks me. She finds my cervix still high and tilted!! But she can tell that I am in labor. I am kneeling on the floor with my hands and upper body on the futon having to concentrate every time a contraction comes. DH is busy getting the labor pool ready because we are silly and didn’t set it up earlier and my MW is getting her stuff ready. She asks me if I think she should call her assistant and I say I guess so. Just like the last time I am so normal when I am not having a contraction that people find it hard to tell how far along I am.

I then start groaning through the contractions and the labor tub is ready! I tell my MW that I think that I have to push and I get into the pool. I think she checks me again and I am almost fully dilated. She tells me to do whatever I need to do. I find that the most comfortable position is me on me knees kneeling with my hands and chest over the side. Luckily this tub is very high so this works.

It hurts this time differently than I remember it hurting last time and my MW says she thinks I have a little lip of cervix left. I try not pushing but I just can’t stop. She tells me that when the baby comes out I need to reach down between my legs and pull her up. I guess I end up pushing for about 20 minutes or so and then DD#2 comes out! I pull her out and up onto my chest. It was a really great feeling.

[allyray231]

kim I had a c/s because Aiden was breech. The recovery was not fun but once I got home from the hospital I was off pain meds and it was better.

[kimthebride]

Thanks so much for all the stories and experiences so far, ladies! Too many specifics for me to comment on, but I really appreciate each personal story. I didn't find you all until a week after DS was born, so I missed out on all your birth experiences!

I guess I should have prefaced why i was asking...

Basically, since my 1st labor came on so fast with no warning and I just made it to the hospital in time there is real concern that I may not make it to the hospital in time with this baby. Since I don't want a home birth and was a bit traumatized by the lack of 'experiencing' my 1st L&D (which I can sum as as feeling like I was in a quick car wreck, and i was the car), I really want to be at the hospital during L&D and really would like some of that epidural I hear so much about!

I am hoping since, as my OB says, my body is built for popping out babies...once things are going well on their own and the OB times things right I can be nudged along and still have a vaginal birth, in the hospital, with an epi. But I am also realistic that things don't always happen smoothly, so there is a chance i would need drugs to help dilate and even in the end could possibly need a c/s if I don't deliver within 24 hours of my water breaking. Which is why I'm asking for all those 'pieces'.

Thanks for letting me hijack...any other experiences that relate to my situation, please let me know. And of course if you'd rather PM me that's good too. :)

[christy1010]

Happy Valentine's Day to all the Mommies and Kiddos

Snow For all of those that are getting this latest round of snow, you are in my thoughts. We are still digging out and some schools in the county have closed until next week, seeing that we are supposed to have more snow on Saturday!

Thanks for the advice on DD naping on weekends and health issues for DD. I did not give Sarah a breating treatment today and she sounds a whole lot better! I am thinking it was just viral. We shall see what tomorrow brings though. Each day with a toddler just brings a whole new experience.

Kim No experience here with C/S or induction. Keeping you in my thoughts along with Ranchers, and Happy!

USA Glad to hear things are going better in some ways for you! DS might need to be switched to a soy based formula if there is a milk allergy/intolerance.

[rancherswife]

kim: YES! The epi. is quite heavenly!!! Gosh, Thomas was not messing around once he decided it was time. That's really nice too, but I can also see where you would be a bit traumatized by the whole ordeal. I've always heard the second time goes even faster...maybe you need to camp out at the hospital from about 37 weeks on girl! ;) That's crazy!

Ok...I'm off to enjoy my Chang's and I'm having them to our sauce EXTRA spicey...right...like it'll do a DAMN thing to this girls cervix! ;) My kids just really must adore my womb! :)

[tgray99]

Kim: I pushed for 2 hours and then had a c/s because Aidan just wasn't getting through my crazy off-center cervix. For me, the pain from pushing (my girl stuff was WAY red and swollen and angry) was much worse than the pain from my incision. I do wish I'd gotten up and walked more in the hospital...when I got home I got very stiff and sore and couldn't move around much. I take comfort in a pp's story about recovery from a second c/s is much easier. My OB said I was so sore because they had to be really rough on my body to get her out (she cuts a very small hole very low). Anyway, good luck. If you can, get the epi...it was FAN.FREAKING.TASTIC.

Valentine's Day: Last night Aidan and I put together her Valentines (baggies of candy with Hello Kitty cards in them) and today she had her party at day care. She brought home all sorts of candy! :D We went to Chuck E. Cheese's for dinner and she played a lot. Ryan and I are going out on Friday for a real date. :) We haven't had one of those in a long while!

[jmvan74]

Kim: My first c/s was not emergency, but it did occur after 2.5 hours of pushing. It was difficult the first few days, but I made sure to get up and moving as soon as possible and once I was home it wasn't too bad. Recovery this time has been much easier. I was off of pain meds and only on Motrin by the time I left the hospital. The biggest issue I had was that i wasn'tt supposed to lift Collin for 4 weeks. That lasted 2 weeks, but I've been fine.
ETA: I was holding and nursing each child w/ in an hour of their births.
Happy Valentine's Day!

[ahavnes]

kim- I almost forgot. If you're able to get the epi this time, get the full on epi. I got the "walking epi" (which was all they offered at hippy Stanford in SF ;)) and it was a crock. I still felt a lot and didn't experience the sweet relief that a lot of people talk about. Go all the way if you can, girl! :)

[happy1nuv]

Happy Belated Valentines!! Our internet was down yesterday (gotta love ice storms) and it was insane how many things I depend on the internet for (recipes, phone number lookups...its INSANE)

Kim... I had an emergency c since Nic was breech... I made it to the hospital at about 5 cm. They figured it out right away and gave me something to stop labor, since the OR was busy (it didn't work all that well i thought but whatever). I had the c-section at 9 am and was in the hospital for 4 nights (but that was because Nic was jaundiced...otherwise we would have been home after 3, but i wasnt leaving without my baby). Anyway, I had a spinal for the surgery. Then they gave me something for pain for 12 or 24 hours (no clue what, but it was supposed to last a long time) and then I took something else every 4 hours. Nurses told me that as long as I stayed ahead of it, it would be easier to manage (so I took the pain pills every 4 hours til i was ready to be discharged...) THen switched to motrin. Took motrin the day I got home... then stopped and was fine. Honestly, I had a REALLY easy recovery. I look back at pics now, though and I totally look like I"m on something in all the hospital pics (I thought I was soooo clear headed, aware...ummm,no). I wasn't in horrible pain...had no prob with stairs, etc. BUT.... at the hospital, I couldn't get Nic out of his bassinet. I couldn't put him back in. They make you wait a while til you can eat... I couldn't change his diaper without help. The nurses were amazed at how well I recovered, but there was still a LOT i needed help with. I couldn't bf right away, and actually didnt get to hold my baby for about 3 hours after he was born... AND this time around there are SOOO many more restrictions. Good luck with your decision!

[cynder]

KimI'll try to keep this short because you already have a lot of great stories here already...

I think I had what was an gentle induction. I was 2 going on 3 days past by due date and driving everyone nuts with "When is going to come!??!?!?!?!?!". So finally DH relented and let them strip my membranes to bring something on. Doing that actually caused my water to break so they said to head to the hospital once my contraction were 5 min apart OR to head there by 9:00 that night if contrax didn't happen. Nothing really happened. By midnight, I requested a epi because I wanted to make sure that sucker was in place before anything happened. Since nothing was happening, like a fool I asked for pitocin and we did that for the next 15 HOURS along with Cervadil. Still nothing more than 4 cm dilated and DS started climbing up!!!

After much debate and time I had a c/s which was fine though because we never thought it was going to happen so I wasn't mentally prepared and freaked out. Overall it was okay but the recovery really took 2 months for me. My body has never gone through anything like that so it was a real shock to the system. I had a lot of sensitive nerves sensations near my belly that really irritated me.

The other thing that I have to add is that I am determined and already told DH that I am NOT GETTING PITOCIN come hell or high water. I don't care how many medical degrees are in the room, that's how convicted I am about this. I have to hear a good pitocin story and I truly think that was the cause for NOT dilating and then having to have a CS. I wish I was more patient to let nature take it's freaking course. I have no data but I also believe that pitocin led to our crappy BF relationship.

Good luck with your final choice.

[happy1nuv]

Question... do you let dc play in the nursery?

Nic sleeps on a mattress on the floor, so he can come/go as he pleases. He has a basket of toys on the floor, and I moved the few crib toys we have to the outside so he can stand on the floor and play with them. His room is gated off from the hall.... but, when I do laundry, I open the gate and let him run from his room to the hall and he loves to play in there. The past few days, naptimes have been TERRIBLE. Usually, I read him a story in bed, we cuddle and he falls asleep. He used to occasionally get up, then come back. Now, he listens to the story and cuddles for maybe 2 minutes then gets up to play. He'll run back to cuddle but never stays for more than 2 minutes, and i KNOW he's ready for a nap when we go up. It's like he can't settle himself down anymore. (The toys have been out for a while...this started 3 days ago). After I can't take anymore, I pick him up and rock him and he goes right out... Now, the few things that are different in the past week or two... we've been going out a lot more in the mornings so that he falls asleep in the car, and I've been really bad at doing laundry so he hasn't really played up there at all lately. Do you think either could contribute? Or should I stop letting him play in there during laundry times (that is a recent thing like in the last month or two)?

[jrdhbunny]

happy- James is allowed to play in his room all the time. However, he's still in a crib so I think it's a different situation. He does get his "stories" and "songs" outside of the crib and I'm pretty strict with not allowing him to play with toys while I'm reading to him so he knows that playtime is over and it's time for bed. But once he's in a big boy bed, I'm sure it will be a whole new ballgame.

[kimthebride]

LMAO at all you people pushing the full-blown epi on me. ;) Ohhhhh yeaaaaaahhh....
Let's just say after experiencing completely drug-free childbirth, cursing so much my DH was blushing like a virgin bride, and almost blacking out from pain when the delivering OB did some stretching maneuver on me...I will do anything to get some of pain relief this time. DH fondly remembers the first moment DS was put on my chest...I was like "He's so beautiful! Can I PLEASE have some Motrin or something now??"

Thanks for all the experiences! I am taking notes...

[usafwife]

deirdra ~ Probably a little of both :) . One of my doctors told me after my first surgery that not all of the nerve endings at the incision site will be able to repair themselves. So once you are on your second incision, there will be some loss of sensation in that area which makes the healing part less painful. I remember when they were removing the staples from my c/s incision - I could totally tell where the 'lost' spots were (when I couldn't feel the staple being taken out).
I know everyone kept saying that recovery from their second c/s or one that was scheduled was much easier but I wasn't sure I believed them. After having gone through it (even though I did have a rough 2 wks prior to his birth and actually did go into labor with Alex) I believe them now. I do have more loss of sensation now than I had the first time but I sort of expected it and know that it goes along with any kind of surgery since nerves are cut and don't reconnect. I have nerve damge in my left arm and hand due to a fall on the ice (hence my major dislike of ice now) that pinched nerves.

christy ~ Sorry for all the winter weather. We've still got snow and ice on the ground and it's been here for over a month now. We are so ready for spring. I have my fingers crossed each day that none of the horses fall on the ice. DS' ped said that we will likely have to switch to soy...not sure what that means for us and BFing though. At least it worked out longer than it did with DD (I was lucky if that lasted 2 wks).

ranchers ~ The going faster thing with the second child was what had us most concerned with DS. The fact that I was already progressing so early and that I was fully dilated and starting to push within 8/10 hours of going into labor with her made me almost worry about being able to get to the hospital in enough time. I might not have worried about it so much if the hospital had been in town but we had a 45 minute drive (in good weather), plus had to drop DD off at a relative's house (I wasn't too keen on taking her with us unless I knew a relative would be coming to pick her up at the hospital), and pick up my mom.

Tara ~ I worried about recovery from the c/s this time. But I'm very happy to report that things are much better this time. Other than not being able to pick/carry DD. There are times when she gets a little too close to my incision (wants to sit on me, kicks my stomach in that area) and it hurts though. But I'm feeling much better now than I was at 4 wks PP with her. My mom and DH both said that I was getting around much better than I did with DD (and this was when I was in the hospital. My mom commented on it the first time I got up to walk which was about 11 pm the night he was born). DH was actually amazed at how much easier I was getting around. I even went on a walk around the hospital with him the second night (I actually think I overdid that and shouldn't have walked so far because my back was still killing me over the spinal). I'd much rather have had the epidural again as opposed to the spinal (besides the severe backache it caused it also caused me to itch majorly from the drug they used it to give pain control over the next 24 hours).

Julie ~ I'm envious that you got to hold both of your little ones within an hour of their births. With DD I wasn't even really awake during the first hour after her birth while I was being recovered. It was just me and two nurses (one was a graduate nurse who had been in the labor room with us as well) for the first hour. I didn't even get to see DH until that first hour had passed. That was the one thing I was looking forward to with this one, I was going to be able to hold my little guy while I was being recovered. Even DH and my mom got to be in the room as well (I could have two visitors at a time in the room and since they were the only ones there that day they got to stay the entire hour). However when A had all of his problems that prevented him from being able to come into the room.

happy1 ~ I was actually very surprised (as was my mom) when they brought me in a regular hospital tray the night after his birth. I couldn't believe it because after DD's birth I got only clear liquids until lunch the following day (heck it might not have been regular food until the following night's supper). I had trouble getting DD in and out of the bassinet alone too. I was too shakey that night to hold DD by myself, let alone BF her so DH gave her a bottle (of which she drank maybe an ounce - and that's when the all the talk about getting her eat started. Thankfully when her ped came in the next morning he said that she was doing fine and that he wasn't worried about her not eating and expected her to lose a little more weight due to us BFing).

DD has toys in her room and always has. We still have the crib set up (we haven't gotten around to converting it to a toddler bed just yet). DD loves to fall asleep in the car - it's always been something she's done since she was a newborn. We don't allow her to play with toys when reading to her either. She has a Pooh blanket doll (don't know really what they are called but it's got a Pooh head and then a blanket as the body that my aunt got her from the Disney store for her first Christmas) that she cuddles with and goes to sleep with each night. We do allow her to have that when reading/rocking her to sleep.

[ahavnes]

Abbey needs to sleep!! What is up with the 4am parties (attendance by both parents required) and the 10 minute naps? Seriously. TEN minutes??? :mad:

[alienhost]

OK, i've only made it to page 32, chatty girls this week!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day to all!!!

We had snow/sleet/rain Tuesday night and the driveway and sidewalks are a sheet of ice, fun stuff. When DD naps I go out there and try to chip away at it. At this rate it will be there until April! Wednesday our City's schools weren't canceled so I still went out and took DD to her art class. Surprisingly a lot of moms still went. DD made DH a valentine. DH sent roses to both DD and I (the poor delivery guy didn't make it until almost 5PM and probably nearly killed himself on the front walk) it was nice to get flowers (and DH got me some delish chocolates)!

today our playgroup had a valentine potluck lunch and cookie swap, it was a blast and I have a whole box of tasty treats!

my attempt at shoutouts through page 32:

snow/cold mamas I hope all are doing OK.

psusna I hope you can still make your trip ETA - sorry to hear you have to cancel, but I agree driving in bad weather is no fun. J's hair do sounds cute!

christy I'm glad your intial test results seemed good, I hope your follow up tells you the same. I'm sorry your DD has been so sick. I agree with what others advised you.

happy We used EI for a while, PM me if you need any more info. I think you can get some great feedback, even with just an evaluation. I think it is worth doing, just to give you peace of mind.

liznkeith what a darling picture!

ahavnes I'm sorry that Abbey is so sick. I hope she gets well soon.

ranchers I hope you are feeling better and Reece arrives soon. I can't believe your EDD is in less than 2 weeks!

Carissa It sounds like Jonah is doing great!

Cynder thanks for the handwashing PSA! and for the fact that purell might not work! Also thanks for the PSA on the Itunes!

usafwife I hope Alexander gains some weight for you, I know how stressful that can be. Hang in there.

ahavnes ugg, sorry about the 4am party time. No fun! We've been waking up too at night.

nursery play we do minimal play in there, usually if I'm upstairs doing laundry etc. Mostly it's b/c the good toys are downstairs.

I pity the fool who misreads my posts. ;) LOL

I'll have to comeback for my birthstory/c-section info for you kim.




ok...back to catching up on this thread...

[HedgeGirl]

Kim: No personal experience to share. I have also heard the term "gentle induction" being used to describe a very slow and gradual increase of pitocin (like upped it by the minimum amount every 20 mintues). I had a friend whose goal was "no pain meds" (I know this isn't your goal) but she needed to be induced and they did it this way. It gave her body a chance to adjust to contractions and allowed just enough pitocin to get things going. You can also look up Bishop's Score for things to consider for how your body might take to an induction (which should help reduce chances of needing a cesarean).

happy1nuv/Playing the nursery: DS plays in his room quite a bit, but he also sleeps in his crib too so I do think it is a different situation. Maybe ask in the transition bed thread or somewhere with older kids that have been through it.

ahavnes: I didn't know you delivered at Stanford. That's in my neck of the woods (I delivered at El Camino). I do remember you saying were used to live in SF.

Hope everyone is braving the winter weather well.

[rancherswife]

ahavnes: Interesting, Landon and Abbey must've received the same memo! Good stuff, my friend, however Brett must not have RSVP'ed to the event last night, as he either 1) pretended to sleep through it at 4am this morning or 2) was in a coma????wtf? He will be in attendance tonight, come hell or high water! I'm beat, and Landon has slept all of 20 minutes today on the way home from lunch. It's been a glorious day for us!

On a better note, the sun is out and it's in the mid to upper sixties and should stay that way for the next few days. I plan on doing some serious walking!

[happy1nuv]

aw ranchers and ahavnes ~ I feel for both of you... so NOT fun! I hope the babes sleep for you better tonight!

[allyray231]

hi guys! Trying to dig out of the snow we have here!!

[alienhost]

Oh, alienhost, I have been meaning to ask you. Did you receive the kettler trike yet? Were you able to figure out how to set up the seatbelt on it? We still have ours in the box as we are giving it to her for her second birthday, but I wanted to order the seatbelt soon if you were able to get it to work. Thanks!

Chylynn sorry, I never answered your question, I got behind. Anyway we received the trike and seatbelt but they are both in the box. I've been meaning to ask DH to assemble it and see if the seatbelt can be attached but he's been super busy. I'll see if he can do it soon and report back.

Kim - C-Section I had an emergency C-section due to pre-eclampsia, so not ideal. I went to my weekly OB appointment at 35.5 weeks and had high BP and it kept getting higher. Then my platelets were low and my liver enzymes were going downhill. I ended up with a C-Section within 12 hours of my OB appointment. For me it was "not that bad", although I have nothing to compare it to. I had no labor pains/contractions. I missed all that unpleasent stuff but had my own issues. I didn't feel the C-Section at all, I didn't even know they started. When the baby cried, I realized they had started (the doc was chatting with the nurse about baseball - I assumed they were still prepping me or something). Plus I was freezing cold in the OR. And I kept thinking they would say "you're going to feel some pressure when we take out the baby" and they never said it and I never felt it. I *think* maybe I had too much in my spinal. ;)

My recovery was hard the first few days b/c I was so sick from the pre-e. They had given me magnesium and sterroids and I felt like crap. I didn't get to leave Labor and Delivery until Thursday 3PM (C-Section was Wed at 3AM). Once I got to the maternity floor I had a hard time walking and getting out of bed for the first 12-24 hours. By Friday night/Saturday morning I felt much better. Also I do recommend taking the pain meds while in the hospital, I made the mistake of not taking them right away and the pain was pretty bad. The nurse was like "are you sure". I didn't want the meds but a few hours later the pain was horrendous and I had to ring her for the meds. But I wasn't offered any pills until late Thurs night, I think they had something in my IV while I was still down in recovery b/c I didn't feel pain while in L&D/Recovery. By the time I was discharged (Sunday noon) I actually stopped the pain meds. I was still sore but could walk OK and do stairs (although I was very slow). I'd say within 2 weeks I was doing much better and able to walk/drive/carry the baby without problems. During the two weeks I carried her but not in the bucket carrier b/c that was too heavy. DH went with me to DD's ped visits and a follow up visit with my OB for me. After the two weeks I was out and about on my own with the baby. I'm sure in some cases a vaginal delivery is easier to recover from but I didn't think it was too bad but I also think I had an extreme case with the pre-e, I think if you have a scheduled or even an emergency C after laboring it might not be as bad since I was on some crazy meds and stuff.

ETA: as happy1 mentioned I also need a lot of assistance from DH or the nurses the first several days. Wed/Thursday the nurse brought DD to me to nurse and DH or nurse had to change her (I hadn't left the bed from Tues night until Thursday afternoon). I think by Friday I was able to go to the bassinette to get her etc. I recall wheeling the bassinette to the nursery one night to drop off the milk I had pumped (I think it was Fri night). The first meal I had was Thursday night dinner (not just clear broth though, I think it was turkey and green beans), they did let me have some jello and toast Thursday around 2PM - man was I hungry since I hadn't eaten since Tuesday's lunch!

Sorry, probably more info than you bargained for!

[rancherswife]

alicia: How was your night? Ours was a lot better, I'm sure his not napping but 30 mins. yesterday had something to do w/ it. Hope Abbey had a better night too!

[happy1nuv]

Kim... Not sure if anyone mentioned it, but if you do have a c-section, they tell you not to lift anything heavier than the baby for 6-8 weeks (meaning no lifting Thomas) That's my biggest fear in a repeat c... that will SO.NOT.WORK with Nic!

[ahavnes]

We're taking Abbey to see Sesame Street Live tomorrow. Has anyone else gone? How did it go?

Totally not baby related, but who else saw Grey's last night? Were you all as happy as I was that the 2 kids in that story line ended up ok? Things with kids now totally bother me. And...Denny was looking sex-y at the end! :p I didn't think he was that hot before, but I enjoyed the eye candy last night. ;)

rancherswife- LOL about Brett not rsvp-ing to the mandatory party. :) Last night was better, but only b/c I brought her to bed with us at 12:30! :rolleyes: I just didn't have the energy to do CIO or to rock her back to sleep. No wonder she has sleep issues!

Hedge Girl- How funny! Abbey's ped was over by El Camino Hospital (that's the one in Redwood City, right?) Small world.

[HedgeGirl]

Grey's: I missed it last night but have been trying to figure out how I can watch it asap...I think I even dreamed about it last night! (I'm out of town so I don't have access to my TiVO...I know the show is available online, but I just need to find the time to watch it)

ahavnes: El Camino is actually in Mountain View. I play hockey in Redwood City though, fwiw :)

[usafwife]

Kim... Not sure if anyone mentioned it, but if you do have a c-section, they tell you not to lift anything heavier than the baby for 6-8 weeks (meaning no lifting Thomas) That's my biggest fear in a repeat c... that will SO.NOT.WORK with Nic!

I have to agree with happy1. With my first c/s I was not allowed to carry anything heavier than DD for the first 6 wks (if it continued beyond that point would be determined at my 6 wk PP check-up.

I knew going in to this c/s that would be the case again. That's one of the reasons why DD hasn't slept in her crib since DS was born. If I needed to get her out there's no way I could physically pick her up. That's another reason she goes somewhere for 4 hours each day still. It's hard because she wants me to be able to pick her up and/or carry her. I feel bad because I can't do it. I'm *could* probably pick her up now but I'm not going to chance it. There's still times when my incision stings/burns and I certainly don't want to mess anything up.

Anyone have any experience with food allergies? Did you or your child grow out of them as you got older? I have seasonal and enviromental allergies. DH still isn't fond of milk except to cook with (doesn't drink it and only uses enough on his cereal to say he's got some but that happens few and far between. He usually just eats it dry).

Tonight is DS' first full night on soy. So we shall see how it goes. Fingers are crossed that it goes fine. If not I guess we'll be going to really expensive formula.

[kphillips4]

AHAVNES - Sesame Street Live was soooo good. We saw it about 2 months ago and it was great. Another of my friends on LJ saw it a few weeks ago and her son loved it as well. It's the perfect amount of time and definitly keeps their interest!!! Have fun!!!!
Grey's - Aghhh....it was so good!!! What is going to happen....they can't let her leave...

[rancherswife]

grey's: I was shocked, I hadn't watched in a few weeks, they're not killing her off are they? This is getting as bad as my soap!

[tgray99]

rancherswife: Nah, they won't kill Meredith...her mother maybe but not Mer.

[LIZNKEITH]

Thanks all for the compliments on C's haircut. :)

Grey's
There is no way they are killing her off. No way. My Mom on the other hand, is totally convinced that they will.

Food Allergies
I'm a little confused by your question, Meri. What is it you need to know? Neither DH or I have a family history of food allergies, but C has been diagnosed with an egg allergy. Her allergist said about 95% of all pediatric cases outgrow their allergy by age 3. For that reason, we take her in annually to be retested. There are big difference between allergies and intolerences. An allergic reaction involves the immune system. The body sees the allergen as a foriegn body and and releases large amounts of histmine in order to "protect" itself. As a result, allergic reactions usually consist of rashes, hives, vomitting, diarrhea, swelling, and difficulty breathing. An Intolerence on the other hand does not invlove the immune system. If a person is lactose intolerant, it means they lack the enzyme to digest milk sugars. As a result, the effects are seen on the digestive system. Symptoms of an intolerence are gas, bloating, and constipation. From what I've read, very few babies are actually prescribed to drink soy formula. The long term effects of soy in babies is still largely unresearched and their is growing concern in the medical community that long term ingestion of soy may cause higher estrogen levels in boys (again, this is still being researched). If you haven't already, you really want to talk to your Ped about going the soy route. Many Dr.'s will suggest that you try Nutramigen first. And even then, they suggest that you should only stick with it until the baby is 3-4 months old. HTH!

[usafwife]

Liz ~ We think that his rash in his groin and thigh area (among other places) was due to an allergic reaction to the formula. We noticed it when we started giving him more formula. His ped also thinks it is an allergic reaction. We have some prescription powder that we use at each diaper change (that we got at his two wk appt) and we switched to a different brand of diapers (but didn't help with the rash at all). If he gets more formula than we usually give him (which is just really to supplement since I'm still trying to BF him) he will get hives in the rash as well.

Another thing is that he still isn't gaining any weight, which kind of concerned all of us. DH had several issues with formula and had to be put on a special one (which one we don't really know because his parents are both deceased so we can't ask them what the problem was or what he was diagnosed as having). He only has milk when it's something that I cook with (scalloped potatoes, etc) and will usually just eat cereal dry (even as a kid).

[LIZNKEITH]

I'm not trying to scare you, just be very cautious about the information the Pediatrician gives you. I'm by no means an expert on the subject, but our Ped gave us a ton of misinformation on C's allergy. She told us it was okay for C to continue to eat foods that contained egg as an ingredient since she didn't react in those instances. The Allergist on the other hand, said that was a huge no-no and that we needed to avoid anything with egg as an ingredient. A Pediatrician is like an Interal medicine Dr. for adults: their knowledge may be broad, but it is not specialized. If you truly feel that you are dealing with an allergy, I would ask for a referral to an allergist. However, as far as allergic rashes goes, since an allergen triggers a reaction in the immune system, it effects the blood stream and the rash is everywhere, usually not concentrated in one area. And unfortunately, powder will not help the situation. The only treatments for an allergic reaction are benadryl and epinephrine.

[rancherswife]

I didn't think they would get rid of her, but like I said, stranger things have been happening (like on my soap ;))! Dh said no way too!

Anyway...I'm off to jump in the shower. Brett took Landon with him today, so my mom and I are headed to get a pedi. and have a nice lunch just the two of us. Then, this evening, my friend that shares my due date is making her famous "labor inducing" eggplant from that Scalini's rest. it put her in labor w/ dc#1, but did nothing for me w/ Landon...so clearly, I'm not holding my breath...just pretty much going to enjoy the eggplant and good company! ;)

[ahavnes]

rancherswife- LOL, knowing what a comfy womb you have (;)) the eggplant will put your friend into labor again and you'll still be preggo. :) FWIW, the 27th is Scott's b-day.

[jmvan74]

rancherswife: I hope the eggplant does the trick and Reece decides to show himself! Enjoy your dinner regardless. :)

[rancherswife]

Well, I decided against the pedi. and lunch w/ my mom. Figured I could get the pedi. on Tuesday when I have a hair appt. and dr.'s appt. anyway...didn't feel like fighting the crowds on a Saturday afternoon, and instead took a two hour much needed nap. I feel ready to face the day now! ;) Now I really am going to go take a shower and get myself ready.

alicia: Well, I'm thinking Reece and Scott will probably share b-day's, that's most likely when we'll serve Reece's "eviction notice," if not that day, the day before, which is my bil's b-day, he's really pushing for that date!

[tgr68]

Kim~I know I'm a little late chiming in with your questions, but here are my answers anyway:
1) I did not have a gentle induction, but even my medicated induction (pitocin) wasn't that bad. I did end up with a emergency c/s.
2) The recovery was NOT bad at all. The worst part for me really was the normal part of epidural recovery (trying to walk around, getting out of bed, etc.). After my epidural completely wore off, the hospital gave me demoral with a dosage button, so I could give myself a dose when it was needed.

Valentine's Day~I had planned on baking cookies with DD, making cards for DH, and making a late evening romantic dinner for two; however, my grandfather passed away on Monday, so we were on the road for 6 hours to get to TX for his Thursday funeral.

Food Allergies~I had a milk allergy as a baby. I grew out of it and can eat anything now.

Anyway, I am very tired after our little trip this week, so I'm off to bed!

[tgray99]

I'm so sorry to hear about your grandfather, tgr.

[happy1nuv]

tgr ~ so sorry about your grandfather...

it seems like everyone is talking about grey's anatomy these days... am i the only one that doesn't watch??

[DisneyGirl]

it seems like everyone is talking about grey's anatomy these days... am i the only one that doesn't watch??

Nope, your not the only one.


tgr ~ so sorry about your grandfather...

[alienhost]

tgr I'm sorry about your grandfather, my thoughts are with you and your family.

Grey's LOVE the show! They won't kill of Meredith, they are just doing all this nonsense for Feb. Sweeps!

Gymbo Code anyone? I have two extra Gymboree Codes good for 20% off online through 2/25. The Baby Sale is going on through 2/19 and they also have an extra 20% off sale merchandise (not baby sale stuff) through 2/19, I think. Anyway PM me if you need one! If I don't hear anything by tonight I might post a note on the Gymbo thread.

[Carissa]

it seems like everyone is talking about grey's anatomy these days... am i the only one that doesn't watch??


I don't watch either.

Naamah so sorry to hear of your loss.

[tgr68]

Thanks everyone. His death was very expected because he's been sick for years. It's been "just a matter of time" since before Shylah was born. I'm just glad that he is no longer in pain now.

Grey's Anatomy~Nope. I've watched a few episodes, but my addiction is House!! :D

[psusna]

tgr: I'm so sorry for your loss.

Grey's: DH and I just got sucked in this year. Now we are hooked!

Not much new here. We had a great weekend with DS. He was so much fun -- just went 1million miles/hour and was a blast! I don't have work tomorrow (Pres. Day) but I have go send DS to school b/c they are starting the tile job in our kitchen/half bath/mud room/laundry room. I wish I could keep him home tomorrow but he'd freak out!

[happy1nuv]

tgr ~ Now, House is an addiction I can understand!!! ;)

The il's took us all out for dinner on Saturday (dh and i both have feb bdays, and niece was in town from ga) and Nic did AMAZING!! He was seriously the best I've ever seen him ... he sat in his booster seat at the table, played with his aquadoodle (that thing is GREAT), ate really well (I brought all his favorites..and he ate WAY more than I thought he would, so I was sooo glad that I brought a TON) ... and was a total doll the entire 2 hours we were there. AND... there was barely anything on the floor when we were done too... Can I just say how SHOCKED I was/am.... I was dreading the restaurant cause I figured dh and I would be taking turns "walking" around the strip mall... (I guess that was Nic's bday present to us... not sure that I'm eager to tempt fate again, but WOW.. SUCH a difference from eating at home!)

[Sasha]

tgr - I'm am sorry for your loss.

Happy - How great the Nic did so well! We are still in the "afraid of restaurants" mode. ;)

Grey's - I love Grey's! I would be shocked if they killed her off.

I was out of town on Thursday and Friday for work, but Sarah did great for Daddy. Now today, her daycare is closed for the holiday, so she is spending the day with my MIL. MIL thinks she is going to be able to do some leisurely President's Day shopping with Sarah this afternoon....LOL, she has no idea how little shopping Sarah will let her get done!

[usafwife]

Alex is one month old today!! I can't believe it. It went by so quickly.

Naamah ~ I'm so sorry about your grandfather's death. {{{HUGS}}} Even when you know it's coming it's not easy to go through. I'm dreading the day that we lose my dad (I know it's just a matter of time).

Grey's Anatomy ~ We started watching it this season. My aunt got my mom hooked on it when she went to visit her a few days before Thanksgiving and then we started watching. It's pretty darn addicting if you ask me.

Happy ~ So glad that the night out went so well. DD actually does pretty good when we got out to eat. She wasn't too happy yesterday but that had to do with the fact that she was sleepy. Once they brought her a crayon and something to color on she was a happy camper.

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