Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[MonkeyPie]

Thank you very much fiery and ChinaCat! All that info helps a lot.

I''m not worried about going to formula if I absolutely must - either because I am not producing or the baby is just not getting it properly from me - I would just prefer very much to BF. If it doesn''t work out, no skin off my nose! But I''d like to give it the old college try. If it means I am uncomfortable for awhile, then so be it, I was just trying to avoid it lol.

 

[MonkeyPie]

jcrow, that sucks, I''m sorry

A lot of women fail the 1 hour though, and go on to pass the 3 hour. So hopefully that happens for you!

 

[snlee]

Date: 2/4/2010 4:35:59 PM
Author: jcrow
ugh. just got a call back from my doc. i failed the 1 hour glucose testing

and i''m anemic.

That sucks. Sorry to hear. I failed the 1 hour but passed the 3 hour with flying colors. Hope that happens to you too!

 

[ChinaCat]

Jcrow- Sorry about the glucose test.

As for the anemia, I was too and I just had to take extra iron supplements. Just to let you know, sometimes these can cause constipation, so try to get the slow release ones. Also, ask your doc what you can take if that happens. I think I took Colace. Hopefully this WON''T be an issue for you, but just look out for it.

 

[jcrow]

Date: 2/4/2010 5:06:55 PM
Author: ChinaCat
Jcrow- Sorry about the glucose test.

As for the anemia, I was too and I just had to take extra iron supplements. Just to let you know, sometimes these can cause constipation, so try to get the slow release ones. Also, ask your doc what you can take if that happens. I think I took Colace. Hopefully this WON''T be an issue for you, but just look out for it.

good to know about the slow release ones. i''ll look into that.

sigh, i''m so bummed.

 

[So Excited]

FYI: The hospital that I delivered our daughter at provided these for me, but we have since moved and not all hospitals provide the "extra amenity"

THESE ARE AWESOME!!! I am actually asking my delivering hospital if they provide them for free as their "supplied pads" and if they don''t I will be purchasing them on my own and bringing them with FOR SURE!!! I had to have an episiotomy the first time and with all of the other "commotion" that went on down there these were AWESOME!!!!

I recommend the cold pack, not so sure what the warms pack perks are, but I definately wanted to "expose" this info for all who are interested



• HMS Peri-Pack''s co-polymer pouch is softer and less abrading than any other perineal pack.

• HMS Peri-Packs do not have to be wet to transmit cold or heat to the patient.

• HMS Peri-Packs are circular wrapped with a highly absorbent non-woven material which wicks fluid flow around the pack to a high quality maternity pad.

Peri-Cold and Peri-Warm
Peri-packs are constructed as a pouch within a pouch. By squeezing as directed and rupturing the inner pouch, liquid and chemicals mix causing an immediate temperature change. Peri-Cold reaches the perineum gradually and comfortably, providing 20 to 40 minutes of therapeutic cold while Peri-Warm will provide approximately 115 degrees of therapeutic heat lasting 20 minutes or longer.

 

[So Excited]

I''ll try that pic one more time....

 

[lovelylulu]

jcrow - I hope that you have no trouble with the 3hr test, but man 3hrs. bring plenty of reading material!

 

[Mara]

thanks for all the advice & tips on the bf''ing, moms...i will def be stopping over the newborn thread to ask Q''s soon i am sure. i am just happy right now, because i just pumped and i got some milk yay! baby steps. haha.

re: pumping...i have 2 friends who are exclusively pumping and they actually prefer it to boob. thankfully, there really is no right or wrong it seems.

fiery, i don''t know why they recommended supplementing to us, when it sounds like your hospital didn''t. diff hospitals have diff recommendations i guess. i do know our ped dr was REALLY conservative... two NP''s we saw yesterday at newborn club have said ''well actually his levels were not THAT bad'' etc so the ped might have just been overly worried...also because of my family history (all of us girls had jaundice when we were little) i think he just didn''t want him to worsen and end up having to transfuse. even though he might have been OVERLY conserv...honestly we don''t mind because we felt like better safe than sorry. the one thing we were so sad about was that our poor little boy kept having to get his feet pricked for blood. he HATED it.

jcrow, sorry to hear that you failed the 1hour, but you might be fine on the 3 hour... my coworker failed 1hr but passed on 3.

QT btw i meant to say you look so great after delivery, lady!! i was like damn...did she even do anything? hehee. i was def not that perky hehe. and jaron is adorable!

burk...hope your appt went well!! can''t wait to hear your news.

 

[Pandora II]

Congrats to QT, RPS and Mara on your baby boys and welcome Jaron, Ben & Julian!

Congrats Lulu on Team Pink - baby girls are great fun.

Ditto to Fiery and DD on everything!

When my nipples had turned black and were bleeding I did find pumping alternate days helped them to heal. I had a great latch and Daisy had a strong suck but my milk didn't come in for nearly 3 weeks and her trying so hard was what wrecked them - so getting the latch correct doesn't always mean that it won't hurt.

Pumping is a bore and I haven't used one now in 3-4 months or so as it's easier to just stick boob in mouth.

Formula is something I never thought I'd use, but it helped my sanity when I was desperate with a screaming hungry baby and raw nipples that I couldn't put in her mouth without crying. I used it on and off for nearly five weeks and since then only in emergencies when she's with DH and starving.


Mer - I never thought I would want Daisy put anywhere near me till she'd had a good bath - now it's one of the things I'm sad I didn't experience. That said, they don't do eyedrops in the UK and my hospital don't bath the baby until at least 24 hours after birth, they just towel them off. The smell on their hands from the amniotic fluid apparently smells the same as your milk and helps them find the breast, plus the vernix is a fantastic moisturiser and helps protect their skin. Daisy didn't get a bath for the first 3 days and I don't remember her smelling anything other than lovely and baby-like.

JCrow - Please make sure to get your anaemia fixed even if the tablets make you feel icky or constipated. One of the reasons that I very nearly died having Daisy was because I was so anaemic - my haemoglobin was 8.3 when I was tested during labour and was 6 by the time I was admitted to ICU.

It thins your blood and makes it much more likely that you will haemmorhage and if you do, it will be a lot more serious. I ended up having 5 blood transfusions to get my levels up and they are still testing me now.

Don't want to make anyone worry, but it was something I was never told about - or even read about - I only found out that it was dangerous when one of the surgeons came and shouted at me in the ICU about it. I thought it just made you feel tired...

So Excited - those products look incredible. If I ever have another kid, I will be packing some of those and one of those memory foam rings. They gave me morphine the first few days for the pain from my episiotomy and boy did I know about it when it wore off, it was worse than labour - that said I had a mediolateral one that was very extensive due to the forceps and needed an hour of stitching. I couldn't sit down properly for nearly 2 weeks and rolled up towels were not that effective.

 

[mtjoya]

Hello, Ladies

Okay, just came back from my doctor''s appt! He checked me out and said that I am 3 cm! He said anytime soon. Hours...days...but he will be surprised if I make it to the next appt. (Thursday) and still preg! I am def s***ing bricks over here. Excuse my potty mouth but that''s how I feel! I feel very sore down there and can barely walk. I am trying to walk around. This girl is eager to pop out!

Burk-Hopefully your appt. went awesome!

Jcrow-Re: Glucose test- I barely failed the 1 hour then took the nasty 3 hour one and passed! Don''t worry you will be okay!

 

[E B]

I thought I'd already commented, but apparently not! HUGE congratulations to both QT and Mara!

Welcome to the world, Jaron and Julian!

jcrow- I'm so sorry. No advice on the anemia, but I wish you the best of luck passing the 3 hour!

mtjoya- How exciting! It's time, baby joya. Come on out!

 

[Burk]

Jcrow~Sorry about the glucose test!

mtjoya~Yay for 3 cm!! Hope you have your little girl in your arms soon.

As for me, I''m only dilated 1cm.

OB stripped my membranes and told me to "jump your husband tonight"

he he...I love my doctor! My mom just brought me more pineapple and I went to the mall and walked so hopefully something will get things going. Doctor had me schedule my next appt for next Tuesday and said if I haven''t had baby by then we''ll schedule my induction for either Thursday or Friday. So, at least I know there is an end date so I am at least excited about that!

Ginger~Where are you?

 

[mtjoya]

Burk-Kewl! I am happy for you! Don''t worry, more "opening door" dust for you! Walking does help! I tried to walk alot and it opened me up a bit! Jump your hubby tonite! Yay! lol...

Ginger-I know! Where are you!?!? Hopefully having your bebe! Yay!

 

[puffy]

burk as you said, at least there is an end date. with noah, i was barely at 1cm the day of my appt and my doc said, we''ll def see you next week. and i went into labor a few days later. hoping things get going for you.

 

[Blenheim]

Mara - congrats again! Julian is just adorable (those cheeks!), and I love his name.

QT - thanks for posting your L&D story too - that''s amazing that you kind of laughed him out.

Look forward to seeing all of the new mamas on the other thread!

Exclusive pumping - I pumped because I was working, but it''s a bit of a PITA and would be even more so if I were the one feeding him the bottles. BFing had a learning curve for both of us and I also had a pretty painful first week (painful latch, mastitis and bleeding nipples), but when I stuck with it, it became pretty easy - just put baby to boob. That''s it. But with pumping, I had to haul around the pump, wash my hands, set it up, take the time to pump (and the baby is more efficient at getting me to let down, and getting milk out) and then there''s washing the bottles and the pump parts. Then someone has to feed the baby... it is a lot of work. Unlike BFing, you also can''t pump super discretely in public. One of my friends once tried to do it in a public bathroom just so that she had somewhere to do it, and the other women in there were all talking trying to figure out what the noise was. I once hand expressed in a bathroom, which sidestepped the sound issue, but then I had some people I knew come in, figure out it was me, and talk about how I must be pooping if I was taking so long. Embarassing! I understand why some women do choose to exclusively pump, but it would be very hard.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 2/4/2010 3:16:15 PM
Author: fiery

Date: 2/4/2010 10:58:41 AM
Author: MonkeyPie
RPS, if you pump only, does it make it harder for your milk to come in than if you actually nurse? I am BENT on nursing, but I know it''s really hard and I don''t want to give up when it hurts really bad, so I thought maybe I could (almost) exclusively pump. Is that a bad idea?

Exclusively pumping is, IMVVVHO (very, very, very honest), sooo demanding. It is a lot easier to just nurse.

Some take-aways that I had during my breast feeding experience if you ladies don''t mind:

-Nipples heal fast. If you find in those first few days that your nipples are sore and you can''t take the pain, stop and pump. Within a few hours they should heal. My nipples were bleeding and looked horrible but it only took about 12 hours to get back to ''normal'' and not hurt anymore. The pump helped a lot. ETA: Wanted to add that you do NOT have to pump to get your nipples to heal. If you see a LC and they help you with your latch, your nipples can heal while the baby is latching. But there was no way in heck that I was going to continue to nurse when my nipples felt like they had been run over by a truck. No.stinkin.way.

-Nursing shouldn''t hurt. If it does hurt, see your LC. If your LC sucks, find a better one. Something as simple as lifting the baby''s head just a few more inches can make a world of difference in terms of latching. And sometimes you can go a long time thinking that it hurts because it''s supposed to and when you finally get help, you realize its something more serious like mastitis or a tongue-tied baby. By the time you have your baby, the embarrassement of pulling out your boob in front of a stranger and saying ''please fix this'' goes away so don''t hesitate to visit the LCs

.

-I mentioned before that there is a 2 day wakeful where all they want to do is be on the boob. I remember that evening and shudder because all she did was cry and nothing made her feel better but my boob. The nurses kept coming in (because the lady next to us was complaining

) and suggested we supplement but I was really stubborn and kept her on all.night.long. My milk came in at the end of day 3 and I really believe it was due to the 12 hour boobfest.

-Don''t think that comfort sucking creates a bad habit, especially in months 1 through 3. Robbie and I talked about this before on another forum. If we weren''t in a rush to do something, we''d let our LOs hang out at the breast. All of that comfort sucking helps your body to produce more.

And I think my most important take-away:

-Formula is NOT poison. If you find that you are really unhappy, things aren''t going well, and you''d feel much happier supplementing or even going to full time FF then do it without an ounce (pun intended

) of guilt. Those baby hormones hit you like a ton of bricks and adding in the guilt of doing what you feel is right for you will only make those feelings worse.

Ditto all of this.

And the MOST important thing to ALWAYS remember in those early weeks. IT WILL GET BETTER Everything. Eventually your nipples will become as large as saucers and lose all sensation and then nursing is just super easy

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 2/4/2010 4:35:59 PM
Author: jcrow
ugh. just got a call back from my doc. i failed the 1 hour glucose testing

and i'm anemic.

I failed the one hour test. Passed the 3 hour with flying colors, as did a bunch of other PSers. About 25% of women fail the first test, and only about 10% of those women actually have GD, so there is a *very* high false positive rate. Don`t worry til you take the othr test.

Did you know, though, that failing the first screen is associated with larger birthweight babies?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 2/4/2010 6:16:35 PM
Author: Mara

re: pumping...i have 2 friends who are exclusively pumping and they actually prefer it to boob. thankfully, there really is no right or wrong it seems.

I have friend who did this. For her, being tied to the baby all the time was too difficult. It felt like too much of a demand and she felt too drained by it. So she pumped for 6 months. But it was hard too. I think if she didn''t feel guilty she would have just used formula. She probably should have.

 

[KimberlyH]

JCrow, as you may know, I have gestational diabetes. As tragic as it sounds, and as much as I hope you aren''t in my club, which is quite possible, it is definitely manageable. Don''t get upset until you get the results, lots of people fail the one hour and pass the three hour with no issues. Hang in there, and if the time comes that you need to commiserate, you''ve got my ears and (limited) experience.

Mara, great name. I work with a kiddo named Julian that I adore. He''s a fireball, lots of fun.

Breastfeeding: One thing I liked about class is that the instructor was not insistent that breast not pumping is the only way to go. I will likely only pump sometimes, but I don''t want anyone telling me what I can and should do; I, like everyone else, need to do what is best/works for my family, not what some woman who teaches a class says I should.

Uneventful 34 wk appt. My OB is out of town, met with some other stand in who didn''t have much to share, except the baby is no longer in cradle postion, she''s up and down. Interesting. I wonder which part is up and which part is down!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I''m so frustrated right now. I have a friend of a friend (K) who I strongly believe has an eating disorder and she''s pregnant. My friend (L) is in complete denial about this. As you know, I''m the type who will speak my mind, especially with something like this. I''m going to see K in March at L''s baby shower, and I''m concerned that I''m not going to be able to keep my mouth shut, even though something definitely needs to be said. Please see below for an account and let me know your thoughts.

L:
So I was talking to K today and apparently her belly is measuring below the range of where she should be right now – she told me her doctor in the beginning told her she should only gain 20 pounds which I have trouble believing – they usually say if your over an average weight to start with, you’ll probably gain about 30 pounds… The doctor told me I’d gain between 25 and 30 pounds and Kim is smaller than me, I can’t imagine them telling her she’d gain less… someone isn’t telling the truth…

Me:
I''m not sure how to respond to this. I''m so angry right now I''m afraid I''m going to say something that''s really not nice. I know you know I dislike her immensely and it makes me sad. I don''t like putting you in that position because i know you''re good friends with both of us. I literally just lost ANY speck of respect I had for that girl.

L:
I know you want to hate K and part of me wants to hate her right now too but honestly, I think she was telling me because I think she is scared – I mean, she says some pretty dumb sh*t – not going to lie but I don’t know why she would say it if she didn’t have a problem… K has always had issues with eating (or I should say not eating)… when I used to live with her, I had to make sure she ate… I just hope that the baby is okay and I can’t encourage her behavior but I think she tells me this stuff because she has trouble controlling it… I guess I tell you because it’s a fine line with her that I balance on – trying to be there for her but not trying to lecture her – it’s just good to hear from someone else once in a while that it’s not me, it is her that’s crazy LOL

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Me:
No, it''s not you, it''s clear she has a problem. Maybe you should suggest that she see an ED specialist during her pregnancy to help work through some of her anxiety? I mean, this beyond an issue of K, this is her baby she''s affecting. Because of her behavior her child''s health and well being (not to mention her own) could be irrevocably affected. I mean, she could lose the baby because of this. Have you talked to Matt about it? That could be another approach.

L:
Well – I think the fit will hit the shan because they have her coming in next week for an ultrasound because of what’s going on – so I think that will knock some sense into her… as far as talking to Matt, there isn’t much point – Matt is half the problem – he likes his women skinny…

Me:um, no, he likes his women to look like prepubescent boys!

L:
It sounds weird but K knows she is supposed to be gaining weight – we are quite similar when it comes to our outlook on weight – like both of us have a fear of being overweight and are fiercely competitive with ourselves – the difference is, she gets carried away and I know when to stop… Like I remember when I first started to loose weight and I’d get to a new plateau and think to myself, I’m happy with how I weigh, I don’t have to do a lot to maintain and I feel good and then I’d loose a little more and hit the next plateau and think again, this is nice, I feel good… but then there was a point when I hit a weight and thought to myself I honestly don’t think I can loose more without looking and feeling sick and I NEED to actually gain weight… The difference between K and I is that when K looses weight, she doesn’t stop – like she doesn’t stop at a weight and feel comfortable at it – she just thinks, I can loose more and she doesn’t have a real eating disorder per say because she will eat – just less and she’ll work out – just more but in her head she competes with herself… like right now, she is probably thinking “most women gain 30 pounds but I can gain 20 and everything will be fine” where I’ve basically thrown caution to the wind and am like “if I’m hungry, I will eat and try to at least eat healthy options so I don’t gain 40 pounds” --- but it’s hard for people that don’t know her to understand her and it’s hard to be her friend and say “K you have to eat more” when you see her eat and know that at least she is or if you say “K, you have to work out less” when she’ll provide proof that every book says working out during pregnancy is good for you…

Me: I''m sorry, but the inability to make that judgment call IS her eating disorder. They come in all shapes and forms, not just the basic anorexia/bulimia, and the fact that she''s doing this now while she''s pregnant just backs that up. I''ve had friends with EDs and I''ve flirted with them myself. Every person was different. I''m willing to bet if you sent what you wrote below to a psychologist they''d tell you she had an ED. We can agree to disagree here.


ARGH! Drives me up the wall!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Dang, HH, that sucks

At least she DOES eat, at least a little bit, and the baby will just take what he/she needs (remember Freke telling us about that awhile back?). But I bet her baby comes out way small...which is equally dangerous.

I don''t get the obsession with weight when you''re pregnant. I''ve been lucky not to gain much, but then I was overweight to begin with. And I haven''t changed my eating habits except I drink a lot less soda and sushi, heh. You''re SUPPOSED to gain weight, it''s ok to do it for your baby! I guess because I didn''t start out smaller that I don''t see it, because I hadn''t worked really hard to get the figure I wanted - I can see how that would be devastating, to essentially lose everything you worked so hard to gain. But your baby will love you for it

 

[KimberlyH]

HH, that would be quite frustrating. As someone who worked very hard to lose a significant amount of weight and maintain that loss for 7 years pregnancy weight gain is something I was concerned about. I''ve watched my backside expand and been called "tubby" and "chubby" by well-meaning friends and co-workers and I can''t imagine attempting to not gain weight. It''s just part of the deal. I hope someone is able to talk some sense into her.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 2/5/2010 9:31:10 AM
Author: KimberlyH
HH, that would be quite frustrating. As someone who worked very hard to lose a significant amount of weight and maintain that loss for 7 years pregnancy weight gain is something I was concerned about. I''ve watched my backside expand and been called ''tubby'' and ''chubby'' by well-meaning friends and co-workers and I can''t imagine attempting to not gain weight. It''s just part of the deal. I hope someone is able to talk some sense into her.

I don''t get why anyone would think it''s ok to call a PG woman "tubby"! Oohh I am so offended for those of you that have had people do this. Gah, I''d be so annoyed if it happened to me.

 

[meresal]

Date: 2/5/2010 10:05:22 AM
Author: MonkeyPie

Date: 2/5/2010 9:31:10 AM
Author: KimberlyH
HH, that would be quite frustrating. As someone who worked very hard to lose a significant amount of weight and maintain that loss for 7 years pregnancy weight gain is something I was concerned about. I've watched my backside expand and been called 'tubby' and 'chubby' by well-meaning friends and co-workers and I can't imagine attempting to not gain weight. It's just part of the deal. I hope someone is able to talk some sense into her.

I don't get why anyone would think it's ok to call a PG woman 'tubby'! Oohh I am so offended for those of you that have had people do this. Gah, I'd be so annoyed if it happened to me.

Anytime someone makes a comment I immediately reply... "Ohh, because I'm FAT?!"

I

making people feel uncomfortable when they insinuate something about my weight and/or eating because I am preggo. They get this deer in the headlights look! So classic! It beats the heck out of getting mad, and I even get to walk away laughing.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 2/5/2010 10:08:26 AM
Author: meresal

Date: 2/5/2010 10:05:22 AM

Author: MonkeyPie

Date: 2/5/2010 9:31:10 AM

Author: KimberlyH

HH, that would be quite frustrating. As someone who worked very hard to lose a significant amount of weight and maintain that loss for 7 years pregnancy weight gain is something I was concerned about. I''ve watched my backside expand and been called ''tubby'' and ''chubby'' by well-meaning friends and co-workers and I can''t imagine attempting to not gain weight. It''s just part of the deal. I hope someone is able to talk some sense into her.

I don''t get why anyone would think it''s ok to call a PG woman ''tubby''! Oohh I am so offended for those of you that have had people do this. Gah, I''d be so annoyed if it happened to me.

Anytime someone makes a comment I immediately reply... ''Ohh, because I''m FAT?!''

I

making people feel uncomfortable when they insinuate something about my weight and/or eating because I am preggo. They get this deer in the headlights look! So classic! It beats the heck out of getting mad, and I even get to walk away laughing.

LOL that is awesome!!

 

[mtjoya]

Good Morning, Ladies!

Okay, I have been having these nasty contractions ALL night and I tried timing them but they were irregular and lasted 30-45 seconds. I am going to call the doctor in a bit to see what he wants me to do and then I will keep you posted. I am nervous, anxious and scared all at once. I can''t wait to meet my baby girl! Please send me a lot of dust my way for a safe, healthy and fast delivery! Thank you ladies for being there for me! I appreciate it!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 2/5/2010 10:18:58 AM
Author: mtjoya
Good Morning, Ladies!

Okay, I have been having these nasty contractions ALL night and I tried timing them but they were irregular and lasted 30-45 seconds. I am going to call the doctor in a bit to see what he wants me to do and then I will keep you posted. I am nervous, anxious and scared all at once. I can''t wait to meet my baby girl! Please send me a lot of dust my way for a safe, healthy and fast delivery! Thank you ladies for being there for me! I appreciate it!

YAY! Sounds like you''re gearing up!

 

[meresal]

Date: 2/5/2010 10:18:58 AM
Author: mtjoya
Good Morning, Ladies!

Okay, I have been having these nasty contractions ALL night and I tried timing them but they were irregular and lasted 30-45 seconds. I am going to call the doctor in a bit to see what he wants me to do and then I will keep you posted. I am nervous, anxious and scared all at once. I can''t wait to meet my baby girl! Please send me a lot of dust my way for a safe, healthy and fast delivery! Thank you ladies for being there for me! I appreciate it!

I hope this is it for you!!! **Dust, Dust, Dust**