Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Go Monnie, Go! I'm so excited to hear your update. Hope you're holding your baby girl by now!

Re: epidurals... If I was delivering in a hospital there's a HUGE chance I'd get one. I'm delivering in a birth center, however... and there are no drug pain relief options. I will have a birth tub, shower, and herbal baths, which the center uses as coping tools. I've encountered a ton of negativity and a few mothers who asked, quite bluntly, "Are you f-ing insane?" As women, it doesn't matter what we choose- we often face criticism every step of the way. I'm so, so glad I don't know about the pain ahead, and I don't want to know much about it. I'm learning coping strategies through my midwives and feel motivated for an intervention-free birth. If an emergency arises, there's no doubt that I'll high-tail it to the hospital and seek some pain relieving medication. I don't think I'm particularly strong or that I have a high pain tolerance, but I'm gonna give this a go. Hopefully I won't be scarred for life!

Missy: That whole situation sounds so, so stressful! I hope you're trying to relax in between all the appointments. The end is oh so near!

BB: Welcome to you! Congrats on your pregnancy!

 

[Kunzite]

Kunzite - I'll be 38 weeks tomorrow. I've only gotten high bp readings at the office, never in the hospital. So, I'm just hanging on over here waiting for something to happen! I've been reading a little online and people who aren't dilated or effaced at all seem to progress really slowly when it comes to inductions and sometimes leads to c-sections since the process continues on for so long. Not sure how true/accurate that is.

From everything I know that's totally true. I saw a 16 and Pregnant a few days ago where the girl had an elective induction because she was "tired of being pregnant", they immediately broke her water, and then told her that she'd have to have a c-section for failure to progress after only 10 hours!! I was livid at her doctor Earlier in the episode the same doctor chastised her for gaining 15 pounds when she was well into her third tri! I know that was sort of a tangent but I'm still stewing over it!

BB - welcome!

PPM - I'm curious if you can use the baths if your water is broken. I've always assumed not for risk of infection but I've never asked I guess people have water births so it must be okay. Hmmmm. It sounds like it would really help. I think part of why my labor without an epi was so hard is because I had other complications so couldn't do the bath, walk around, yoga ball, etc. My only means of coping was to stare at the ceiling and wish the pain away (which surprisingly didn't work ).

 

[bobbin]

Good luck Monnie!

Re the Epi question:

When I was pregnant I really did not want to have an epidural or pethidine during labour, for various reasons. When I said that to other women they all told me that I was crazy essentially and I would change my mind once I was in labour. Those comments really annoyed me as it seemed to me that these women were just trying to justify their own choices - as though they felt threatened by me choosing not to have one - that it would make them seem weak or something? I really didn't like it as I wasn't judging them on their choices.

Well, I ended up having an epidural and I am really struggling not to say "Oh you will need an epidural!" It is absolutely me needing to justify that I did NEED the epidural, rather than wussing out. I am not going to say it to you all though So if someone does make comments like this to you, I think we should try to remember that it is their bad feelings about their own experience rather than being judgemental of you.

Whether you have an epidural or not will depend on not only your attitude towards epidurals or labour, but your individual birth experiences and your caregivers.

In my case, I had my epidural after 15 hours of active labour and an extra 24 hours of pre-labour before that! My contractions were coming at less than a minute apart and I wasn't progressing very well. I had reached the point where I was no longer coping. It was absolutely the right decision for me. Within an hour of the epidural I had relaxed and progressed from 6cm to 10cm. I think the fact that I had reached the point of being able to cope had got me so stressed, exhausted and worked up that I had stopped progressing. My Dh was very supportive of me having a natural birth without any drugs. He told me afterwards that he was really relieved that I chose to have an epidural as I wasn't coping.

I do think that the interventions that I was given led to me needing the epidural - I was given syntocin as my contractions had slowed down. Looking back I really didn't want it (just before it was given to me I felt really scared and had to call my mum!), but I felt a bit pressured into it. The syntocin is known to bring on more painful and frequent contractions. I had coped with regular painful contractions all night and most of the day without drugs but once the syntocin contractions kicked in, I couldn't cope. I think my next baby I will go with a birth centre.

I would like to say that one of the reasons I didn't want an epidural was because I was scared of some of the things that came along with it. I didn't want to be confined to the bed, I was scared of having a catheter put in and I was scared of having a needle put in my spine! Well, once the pain had gone away, all I wanted to do was rest in the bed, and with the pain gone, I didn't mind being confined to the bed and at that point I couldn't care less about having a catheter! If you are scared of either of those two effects, seriously, don't be. By the time you feel you need an epidural you won't care! The anaesthetist doing the epidural was actually one of the hardest parts of l&d though. You need to stay absolutely still, but you can still feel all your contractions, and staying still whilst you are having a contraction is really difficult. I had to just continually suck on the gas to get really high and ignore the fact that I was getting dizzy.

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

Hi Ladies – catching up on the thread and wanted to add my 2 cents on the epidural discussion (and a few other things) – but first, CONGRATS MONNIE! Hope it is going well for you!


When pregnant with my first, I was 100% planning to have a natural birth. In fact, I was set on having a water birth in my bathroom surrounded by soft music and soy candles. I wanted an organic, natural experience and was positive I could do it.
Well, plans changed when my water broke a week early, my labor didn’t progress and I needed to go to the hospital. They ended up giving me pitocin (which worked like a charm!). By 5 cm dilated, I couldn’t take the pain anymore and was more than happy to have an epidural (relief!). After the epi, I was able to rest and even took a nap. When I woke up, I was close to 9 cm and they lowered my epi dosage so I could feel “some” pain and prepare my body to eventually push. The experience was not what I originally planned, but it worked out for the baby and me.

This time around, there’s no plan for a natural birth. I am completely OK with having a hospital birth and taking the actions needed (pitocin, epi) to keep the process as smooth as possible. Guilt-free.

This time around, I’ve also come to terms with other things, such as breasfeeding. Last pregnancy, I was absolutely, without a doubt, breastfeeding my baby. After giving birth, I tried for weeks to get him to latch, when that didn’t work, I took to pumping. After the 3rd week or so, I came down with a severe case of mastitis, but was unaware it was an infection so left it untreated. It ended up turning into a severe blood infection (sepsis) and I was hospitalized for a week on IV medication. I decided then and there that I was done trying to breastfeed/pump and needed to be healthy and happy for my baby and went to formula. My son was formula fed the first year of his life and is now a healthy, happy 2.5 year old, and that's what most important to me.

I have a completely different outlook this pregnancy, as I am okay with doing whatever I need to do to get through labor/delivery (and after) as a happy, healthy, sane mother – without the guilt that can be associated with those decisions.

I commend each and every one of you who have a plan and stick to it. Sometimes it’s not easy, but it’s definitely worth pursuing. We all have great intentions as moms (both new and BTDT), but sometimes things just happen differently and it’s okay. The worst emotion we tend to deal with is guilt, and that’s the last thing our babies need.

Best of luck ladies!!


Sugarpie

35wks w/baby #2

 

[Prana]

Go Monnie, Go! I'm so excited to hear your update. Hope you're holding your baby girl by now!

Re: epidurals... If I was delivering in a hospital there's a HUGE chance I'd get one. I'm delivering in a birth center, however... and there are no drug pain relief options. I will have a birth tub, shower, and herbal baths, which the center uses as coping tools. I've encountered a ton of negativity and a few mothers who asked, quite bluntly, "Are you f-ing insane?" As women, it doesn't matter what we choose- we often face criticism every step of the way. I'm so, so glad I don't know about the pain ahead, and I don't want to know much about it. I'm learning coping strategies through my midwives and feel motivated for an intervention-free birth. If an emergency arises, there's no doubt that I'll high-tail it to the hospital and seek some pain relieving medication. I don't think I'm particularly strong or that I have a high pain tolerance, but I'm gonna give this a go. Hopefully I won't be scarred for life!

Missy: That whole situation sounds so, so stressful! I hope you're trying to relax in between all the appointments. The end is oh so near!

BB: Welcome to you! Congrats on your pregnancy!

PilsnPinkysMom- I just wanted to say...I am SO JEALOUS that you are giving birth in a birthing center! That would be my ultimate labor experience. But the closest one to us is 1.5 hours away, so I'm not sure it's the most convenient option. I would love to give birth at home too, but I'm too afraid of something going wrong and not being able to get to help quick enough.

I hope all of you ladies have wonderful, peaceful labors, no matter which methods you choose!

 

[monarch64]

Alexandra Celeste was born at 10:12 pm last night, weighs 7 lbs, 9 oz and is 20" long with a full head of dark hair and the longest eyelashes I have ever seen on a bebe! Pics and story soon, we had a long labor but all went well.

 

[Missy0483]

Yay Monnie! I love her name! Congrats!!! I'm sure she is BEAUTIFUL!

And this pretty much scares me and excites me because we were due pretty close together and that means this will be me soon!!! Holy crap! One of my cousins is flying in from Florida for a visit on June 6th and he told me the pressure is on. Haha, thanks for that!

-38 weeks today

 

[S&I]

Congrats Monnie!!!
Can't wait to hear your birth story and to see pics of Baby Alexandra (love her name)!

Missy, hope you're doing well. Not much longer for you!

 

[dani13]

Congratulations, Monnie!!! I hope you and baby are doing great!!!

 

[mayerling]

Congrats, Monarch!

 

[junebug17]

Congratulations to you and your dh Monarch, I'm really happy and excited for you!!!!

 

[choro72]

Congratulations Monnie!! Rest well!

Oh China~~~~~~, how are you?

 

[amc80]

Congrats monarch!! Can't wait to see pics and hear the story!

 

[PetitiePoire]

Congrats Monarch!!! I am looking forward to hearing your birth story!

I should take a look at the pregnant and waiting list and see who's next! Missy and China are super close, right? Who else?

AFM- 35w5d! Just over 4 weeks left for me. Like Missy, the thought of me actually getting closer to giving birth is scary!

ETA- just looked at the list and there are about 8 head of me now, so I can breathe! Lots of PSbabies coming soon!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Welcome to the world, Alexandra! Many congrats to you, Monnie, and your DH! I'm sure you two are over the moon in love with your little girl

 

[lizzyann]

Congratulations Monarch! Love her name! Hope you are enjoying every minute!

 

[megumic]

Congrats monarch! Hope you're feeling well and enjoying your daughter! Look forward to pics too!

 

[meresal]

Congratulations Monarch!

 

[bobbin]

Congratulations Monarch!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Monarch, big congratulations! Glad to hear she arrived safely, and I hope you are both doing well. Can't wait to hear more about it! Enjoy!

Let the baby boom begin!

 

[MuffDog]

Congratulations Monarch!! Gorgeous name

 

[vintagelover229]

Congratulations to Mr & Mrs. Monarch! Such a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl-I can't wait to see pictures!

I'm sorry that I've been MIA-I get a bit overwhelmed to respond individually but everyone is in my thoughts and prayers and I hope and pray that everyone is progressing smoothly.



I was supposed to have a midwife appt last week and my husband took the day off work to take me. I forgot to call before going and she was at a birth and so I didn't get to see her. Which stinks bc I had a yeast infection (sorry for the TMI) at the last one when she did my exam but it hadn't traveled down yet and so I had no symptoms. It took 2 weeks to get the the health food store (by that time I did have symptoms-stunk to be me since I should have done something sooner) and got help from the store lady to get probiotics. The ones my midwife wanted I had to add to capsules and the lady told me these already where in capsules and were the same thing. 10 day supply cost a good chunk of change and then I find out when it didn't go away that that kind needs 30 days (so almost 100.00 since I would have needed 3 bottles) but I only used the 10 day supply. I'm feeling better now so i'm not sure since I cut back on my yogurt consumption if it cleared up on its own or not. My midwife tried to reschedule but we only have 1 car and I'm 40 minutes away from the midwife and my husband commutes to work (1 hr away) and the only ride I can get is a friend who has to drive 20 minutes to get me and 40 minutes to get to the appt. and then 40 minutes back home and 20 minutes back home for her. So I have a hard time asking (even though I do give her gas money) when it's such a hassle. I'm not sure when I'll get to see her but I'm trying to reschedule for right before our trip-meaning I missed my 5 month check up if I have to wait another 2.5/3 weeks to get there. But that's really all I can do at this point unless I ask my gf to do it-which I hate to do.

I can feel the baby on a daily basis now-I'm 21w1d and the baby is really active. My husband has felt the baby as well-although it's very light since it's still pretty early. I'm looking forward to our BC trip in a few weeks and we've been very busy. I spent 12 hours making cake pops for a buck and doe and it was exhausting. I was up for 20 hrs on Saturday and after going to be at 4am had to be up by 9am for breakfast. I'm all caught up on my sleep now though and it was very successful.


I am still getting sick every once in a while but it's not as bad as it used to be.

I hope everyone is doing well and I'll try to check in more.

Here is an updated bump progress pictures. Started at 108 and am at 120-so 12lb gain so far.

 

[stephbolt]

Hello ladies! Let me see if I can catch up a bit!

I missed the epidural discussion but my goal is as few interventions as possible during birth. I do think there's a mental aspect to it in that if you go in thinking/knowing you want the epi, you probably will have a harder time managing the pain because you will be waiting for the relief. But even with that, everyone has a different labor, and I'm open to the interventions my midwives think are best for my particular situation, they have said there are situations where a patient is exhausted/not managing the pain well where an epi can be the factor that lets them get the rest and relaxation they need to get through the end of labor vs. needing a csection. We picked this midwife group as our care providers because we felt good with their philosophy of intervention and that they aren't going to push things on us or hold us to a strict timeline, so hopefully we'll get the birth we want, but if not we will be able to trust that any intervention we had was necessary.

Kunzite so glad your boys are still baking and wow to having an end date in sight!

missrachel, I think I was 21 or 22 weeks the first time I was sure it was the baby moving, DH was able to feel around then as well. I have an anterior placenta so it really muffled a lot of the early movement.

Missy, glad you are still baking away too! Sorry about your hospital visits but better safe than sorry!

Monnie, welcome to Alexandra! Hope you are recovering well!

PetitePoire, don't get too comfy, there are a ton of us due within a week or so of one another so who knows when the babies will actually arrive!

AFM, I'm 36w4d today. Holy crap, how did I get this close to full term? I'm having a really hard time coming to grips with leaving work for 12 weeks, even though I've trained my replacement I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself to wrap up various projects. I need to just accept that I'll get done what I get done, and the rest will wait. My boss agrees so really it's all me pressuring myself. I'm feeling the same push to get stuff done around the house. The nursery is very close to done, just need to get some artwork up on the walls. I'm waiting on one more order of cloth diapers so I can get those washed and prepped and then baby girl is free to arrive! I also spent Saturday morning stocking our freezer with meals.

My midwife confirmed last week that baby has dropped and I've been having tons of Braxton Hicks, some of which are becoming quite uncomfortable! I started swelling up a few weeks ago and now can't get on any rings or shoes, had to have my mom send me a few pairs of larger shoes to wear to work. But BP and urine are fine so it's just the heat plus the end of pregnancy. I can not wait to have this kid out of me!!

Hope everyone else is doing well!

 

[amc80]

We had 3D ultrasound attempt #2 on Saturday. Baby is still breach (well, sort of half way between breach and transverse). His legs were folded a bit (so no longer in front of his face), but he absolutely insisted on covering his face with his hand. We get one more try, so we'll be going back in 3 weeks. As it turns out, I'm sort of glad we've been able to break the appointment up...3 sessions of 7-10 minutes sits with me better than one 30 minute session. Oh! And the tech did say that while the baby is big, the reason I'm probably feeling so huge is I have a lot of fluid. Not a concerning amount, but definitely more than enough.

Ok, time to get personal. Are any of you still able to get in your "adult time"? We try...but since you can't lay on your back or your stomach, it makes it a bit difficult. Plus everything down there feels so swollen...and as dry as the sahara. I know the dryness thing can be remedied, but the swollen thing, well, not so much. I really don't want to throw in the towel because that means it would be, what, October? before we'd be able to give it a go again.

A few times in the past week I've had what feel like AF cramps. They are only way down in the lower abdomen. And they are only at night...I usually feel them after getting up to pee at some ungodly hour. I'm pretty sure they aren't BH or any other type of contraction, just based on what I've read. Could it just be growing/stretching pains?

Here's the best pic from Saturday- such a cute little guy!

 

[lizzyann]

Great pic of your little man AMC! So cute!

 

[PetitiePoire]

Stephbolt- you're getting so close! 4 days more than me seems like a few weeks. Haha. I'm so ready for baby to be full term and be here! Now I'm going to be in secret competition with you as to who goes first! I Am a tad jealous you've been having uncomfortable BH. How silly is that? I keep waiting for them, but nothing feels terrible. I hope they come soon!

AMC- what a cute 3D pic! Even with hands up you still got a good view. So sweet. I've been having some odd cramping recently. My stomach doesn't get tight, so I don't think it's BH. Who knows? I hope Im not growing though!


AFM- 36 weeks today!!!

 

[MuffDog]

Stephbolt! Thanks for the update - I have been wondering about you since we have the same DD. I'm with you on the swelling though. It is brutal!! I'd post a pic of my feet but I think you would all die if you saw them.

I had my shower this past weekend and it was great!! The dress I ordered to wear didn't come though in time (go figure) so I had to go with option two. Ah well.

It was a clothing shower so the little guy is going to be one well-dressed bub!

Also - speaking of swelling - I had to go buy shoes in a size TEN (i'm usually 8.5) so that they'd fit. Gah. They are actually better today (again, go figure) and the doctor is not concerned.

36w4d is crazy. I can't believe it is happening so soon. I feel ready and not ready at the same time!

I know it isn't Wed but here is my pic (I try to get them after my doctor appointment):

 

[katamari]

Hi All! Dropping in here after a few week hiatus from the JBP thread. I'll enter with a me-centric post but will soon be posting as a contributing member of the thread. PROMISE!

I am 22w4d into my first pregnancy. We ended up having the "big" ultrasound this week, and everything looks great! We had a bit of a scare at 19 weeks that had me in L&D, but all ended up being fine (just an infection that never affected the fetus). You can guess, then, that it was a such a relief to get the green light from this ultrasound. The only issue is that our little bubs was firmly setting on its legs and refused to give us the money shot. Now DH and I have to decide if we want to officially join Team Green post-hoc or pay for the additional scan to learn the sex. I would be perfectly fine being Team Green, but DH and I are so far away from the same page in terms of naming that I am not even sure we are in the same library. Only having to agree on one name would be the biggest incentive, and getting to see the bubs again would be nice.

Other than that, in the last month or so, we bought a house (big excitement!) and are dealing with all closing issues. And, my job has been brutal with a capital B. The good news on that front is that I get to work from home until January now, which is a bit surreal. My replacement takes over my office in two weeks, so I will have no guilt working from my home office until I am due.

I'll jump in as a meaningful contributor to the thread this week. Probably no bump pic just yet, as I am not really showing (long torso + really deep belly button = a two big flat tires instead of a proper bump), but hopefully soon. . .



Congrats to the Monarchs! I hope you are enjoying your new baby!

AMC, what a great shot of your baby!

 

[mayerling]

Katamari, welcome!

Muff, you're getting so close! And that's a great pic!

Amc, that's a great shot of the baby. Unfortunately at our scan today all the pics were horrible. As for adult time, I'm quite happy to say that DH and I still manage to get some alone time about twice a week despite the logistical difficulties caused by the bump.

Steph, you're getting so close too! I can't wait for the next round of PS babies!

China, any news yet?

Vintage, there's definitely a bump there.

AFM, I had my growth scan today. Baby is 2.345kg and everything looks normal. Unfortunately, even though they took a ton of pictures, the pictures look horrible - you can't even tell that it's a baby He's already head down and since I have an anterior placenta, the one time they tried to get a head shot, he was hiding behind the placenta so we can only see half his face. His eyes were open though! His spine is on the left which is a good position for labour according to what we were told at our antenatal classes. In the end they didn't measure my cervix because at 34 weeks they're no longer worried about a preterm delivery. On Friday we have an OB appointment. I don't know what they'll do but it'll give me a chance to discuss my pelvic pain - which has eased up though.
Oh, does anyone have a comprehensive list of what to put in the hospital bag, and at which point did you prepare your hospital bag?

Anyway, happy hump day bump day! Here's me at 34 weeks:

 

[amc80]

Welcome Katamari!

Bump day hump day!