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Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

baby monster

Ideal_Rock
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So you have to buy something that converts the pouches into a usable container, i.e. a bottle.

It's great if this kiinde system works for someone. I don't understand buying single use pouches and throwing them out because they can't be washed like bottles. I'm still using bottles bought for my first child so it's a one time investment instead of buying more pouches.
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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baby monster|1472218962|4070222 said:
So you have to buy something that converts the pouches into a usable container, i.e. a bottle.

It's great if this kiinde system works for someone. I don't understand buying single use pouches and throwing them out because they can't be washed like bottles. I'm still using bottles bought for my first child so it's a one time investment instead of buying more pouches.

All you do with the kiinde bags is pop a nipple onto them, they kit is pretty cheap and comes with whatever you need. It made it easier for daycare (my mother) since there were only nipples to wash, no full bottle with separate parts. I would freeze my milk in the bags and then she would just thaw and feed. depending on what your needs are they can save a lot of time. I would always buy the bags on promo so they never cost any more than the regular milk freezer bags. They are also much easier to pour into because of the screw on top, I never spilled any milk transferring with these bags, they never fell over. I only had issues trying to pump into them. I plan on using them again. I do use bottles at home though, these are only for daycare for me.
 

evergreen

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Hmm, great feedback about the Kiinde system. The big draw for me is being able to pump into tiny convenience containers at work -- if I pump 3-4x during a 14-hour day, say, that ends up being a LOT of bottles to keep in a cooler or fridge, not to mention the bulk of the pump & other accoutrements. (Yes, definitely refrigerate in between & wash pump parts daily when home!) I guess I could combine partial bottles of refrigerated milk from the same day to consolidate, but... this just sounds easier.

Weighing to label with accurate volume before freezing sounds feasible... even if eventually we end up thawing two bags to combine into a single bottle for feeding. I've heard mixed feelings on the Kiinde bottle itself, mostly once the kid is old enough to try and hold a bottle (and probably by that point big enough to want more than one breast's worth of milk at a meal!) so I'm mostly thinking of it as a big convenience for pumping at work & storage, fewer parts to wash. I hear you never know what kind of bottle your baby's going to take to, so I'm not heavily investing in any single bottle system til we find what works.
 

amc80

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evergreen said:
Hmm, great feedback about the Kiinde system. The big draw for me is being able to pump into tiny convenience containers at work -- if I pump 3-4x during a 14-hour day, say, that ends up being a LOT of bottles to keep in a cooler or fridge, not to mention the bulk of the pump & other accoutrements. (Yes, definitely refrigerate in between & wash pump parts daily when home!) I guess I could combine partial bottles of refrigerated milk from the same day to consolidate, but... this just sounds easier. Weighing to label with accurate volume before freezing sounds feasible... even if eventually we end up thawing two bags to combine into a single bottle for feeding. I've heard mixed feelings on the Kiinde bottle itself, mostly once the kid is old enough to try and hold a bottle (and probably by that point big enough to want more than one breast's worth of milk at a meal!) so I'm mostly thinking of it as a big convenience for pumping at work & storage, fewer parts to wash. I hear you never know what kind of bottle your baby's going to take to, so I'm not heavily investing in any single bottle system til we find what works.

There are adapters that allow you to use just about any nipple. I used it with Avent nipples with no issues. I could definitely see it being useful for work. I always just pumped into my pump's bottles and poured that into a normal milk bag, which is what I'll do this time as well.
 

ladyciel

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Woot! Insurance pays 100% for the Spectra S2 and it was an $80 upgrade to get the S1. I went with the S1 to get the battery, because while it might weigh more, the last thing I wanted was to regret NOT getting it when I inevitably found myself desperately needing to pump and unable to find a plug. They're currently on Amazon for about $120 (S2) and $240 (S1), so I was happy to hear the upgrade fee wasn't as high as it could have been. Ships for free and should get here in a few days. :appl:
 

ladyciel

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Ok, so my pump came yesterday (really fast shipping!), and I have a TMI type question for the BTDT mammas. How much did your nipple size change from early third trimester through actually nursing/pumping regularly? Right now I think the 24mm flanges are probably too big for me. It is tempting to go ahead and order the medela/maymom parts to have the 21mm (and maybe pumpin' pals) on hand in case I do need smaller, but I fear I'm probably getting too ahead of the game.

The Spectra S1 is whisper quiet once the tubing is all connected (awesome), and while it is slightly bulky it doesn't seem heavy at all thrown in a shoulder bag. I'm hoping I don't actually have to do much pumping at home after I go back to work, in which case I might just leave the pump at work and transport just the tubing, flanges, bottles etc, for sterilizing in the evenings. I'll get a manual pump to keep at home/in my bag for backup regardless, so I wouldn't be high and dry if I randomly needed to pump outside of work.
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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Ladyciel you really won't know until you do it. When you pump your nipples will get bigger as they are sucked into the tube (sorry if it sounds off-putting), that's when you'll know if the flanges are a good fit. You basically want your nipples (not areola, just nipple) to be just not touching the inside of the flanges, with free movement, no rubbing. If you're able to pump without much discomfort, your fit is good.
 

ladyciel

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Thanks, AHL. I've read and watched videos and think I've gotten a decent idea of what a good fit is, how your nipple size can swell during pumping, that fit also depends on tissue elasticity, etc. I was just looking at Medela's size chart that says what size to try first based on the diameter at the base of your nipple. From their chart, unless my nipples get a lot bigger between now and pumping, their suggestion would be I try the 21mm and test how that fits while pumping. My pump came with the 24mm and 28mm spectra flanges, so I think I should have something that fits if I get a bit larger or swell. If I don't, though, then by the size chart and just holding them up I think the ones I have could be painfully too large (sucking in a bunch of areola). That's why I was wondering how common it is for nipple diameter to change between now and actually pumping.

I'm not super impressed with the bottles that came with the Spectra - the threads don't feel secure until the last little turn. As a result it seems like it could be too easy to knock the bottle loose from the connectors. Do you use the Medela (or maybe Maymom?) bottles with your pumpin' pals?
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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I use the medela bottles with the maymom adapter and pumpin pals, I've never had a medela bottle come loose. The normal pumping bottles hold 5oz but you might also want a set of 8oz bottles as sometimes you might pump that much (or more than 5oz anyway). My morning pumps were like that once I cut out middle of the night pumps (but I was also EPing).
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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This just reminded me of the issue I ran into using the spectra with the kiinde or just the spectra bottles with the pump, another reason I switched to using the medela parts, the threading will come loose. I had it come loose with the kiinde AND with the spectra (or avent, any wide neck bottle). This was the response from their (kiinde) customer service when I complained. It's a known issue. FWIW, I NEVER sterilized any of my things or put them in a dishwasher, so that was NOT the issue at all. They just come loose. Once I adapted the pump and switched to medela, no issues.

This is from them:

That's the part you probably already knew.
The threading issue is a very frustrating one, and one that Spectra is well aware of. We have discussed the issue with them at great length, and they are even aware that their own bottles tend to sometimes wiggle loose and fall off. It is just the nature of the coarse thread design they have chosen.
That said, this issue does not always occur! That's why we bothered to create the adapter for use with this pump. In most cases, it works. We (and Spectra) have found that very exposure of the pump parts (breast shields) and adapters to high temperatures (steam sterilizing, or in some cases the dishwasher) makes the problem much worse. If you would like, we can send you another pair of our Avent adapters that you can try using without sterilizing (just wash with soap and water).
Please let me know your mailing address if you'd like me to send you another pair. Remember to tighten them into the pump VERY tightly!

Thanks,
John
 

baby monster

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LC, in my experience nips do get bigger/wider with bfing. Before I bf'ed and pumped for my first, they were much smaller. They sort of retracted between pgs but now seem even wider as I'm bfing and pumping for my second. I don't think there's a way to know until you start bfing.
 

ladyciel

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Thanks, BabyM.

AHL, do you have the two-piece medela connectors (the ones sold to make it easy to change/choose your flange size) for your bottles, so the pumpin pals push straight into the connector instead of the Medela flange/funnel, or do you shove the pumpin pals into the funnels of the medela flanges? Or, maybe there is another combo/option I'm not aware of? I can see pros and cons of both approaches, but I'm curious what is working for you.
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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ladyciel|1473093887|4073395 said:
Thanks, BabyM.

AHL, do you have the two-piece medela connectors (the ones sold to make it easy to change/choose your flange size) for your bottles, so the pumpin pals push straight into the connector instead of the Medela flange/funnel, or do you shove the pumpin pals into the funnels of the medela flanges? Or, maybe there is another combo/option I'm not aware of? I can see pros and cons of both approaches, but I'm curious what is working for you.

Two piece, it's never been an issue and I find it easier to clean. https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Breast-Drying-Detail-Brushes/dp/B01465ZDOM This was a lifesaver to clean the medela parts. The long one can fit down into the narrow spots quite well and the bigger one does a great job at cleaning bottle nipples and the flanges themselves. Also, Dapple soap. Breastmilk fat does not like to wash off and I found Dapple to be the least expensive easy to get option that actually works. I saved up all of my $5 off $15 coupons for BBB and bought almost everything there at the best prices. If you don't have one just know that BRU will price match anything from amazon as long as it's sold and fulfilled by amazon. I purchased a lot this way as well. The OXO bottle brush is also a favorite.
 

ladyciel

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Awesome. Thanks for the tip on the brush/rack set, that looks pretty handy. I have another set of oxo cleaning brushes that could probably get to all the nooks and crannies, but they're not really compact or portable (and also get used for things that probably shouldn't get mixed with breast pump stuff...).
 

ladyciel

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It's been a couple of weeks of quiet in here... how is everyone doing?

I've gained a ridiculous amount of weight (10-15lbs) over the last 3 weeks, but my doc doesn't seem concerned and keeps telling me to not stress about the scale. I'm 32 weeks tomorrow and up 37lbs overall. I'm not stressing about it, really.... just mystified at how I can suddenly start gaining 4lbs a week doing/eating nearly exactly the same as I have been for ages. :eh: My heartburn is out of control, I caught a lovely cold last week (pulled a muscle in my belly coughing...ouchie), but otherwise I'm just plugging along. My in-laws threw us a shower this past weekend, and it was lovely and left us feeling spoiled rotten. We announced the baby's middle name (my SIL's first name) while the extended family was gathered before the shower, and that was fun. SIL was shocked/touched and MIL burst into happy tears.
 

evergreen

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Heh, quiet indeed, have been mulling over how much whining is too much. ;-) I'm up about 30lbs at 33+1 and I groan every time I roll over in bed, get up from a sitting position (not to mention the creepy abdominal muscle separation I'm trying not to worry too much about), stand up from a squat, etc. I also feel like I gain weight in spurts -- uncomfortably tight abdomen for a bit, then it eases up, then a week or two later tight again!

The heartburn has been a real bummer -- not so much burning, for me, but definitely burping & a little regurgitation which is (1) unpleasant and (2) alarming for an airway management professional... explaining why all pregnant women are treated as a full stomach from an anesthesia perspective, no matter how long it's been since you ate. :) stupid incompetent lower esophageal sphincter... Hopefully you can treat it with e.g. Tums, LC, or something to stay more comfortable! The calcium in Tums is probably a good thing as long as you aren't eating them by the fistful, I've been meaning to get some.

I got a followup ultrasound last week (mild bilateral renal pelvis enlargement on the 2nd tri u/s, which hadn't really changed on this u/s so he'll get a kidney ultrasound after birth, no biggie & seen in 2-3% of totally normal baby boys, usually resolves with time) which was kinda fun. Except the slightly distressing news that he's grown from 30th %ile at 2nd tri to 60th %ile overall and 96%ile head!!! Said head is pointing down, and putting pressure on my bladder & cervix (could he have descended already?), so everything has gotten a good bit less comfortable over the last couple of weeks... and yet, I keep waking up from rib pain since he's trying to stretch & bend stuff up there, too, when I lie down. Also, SO ACTIVE AT NIGHT. Between having 4 positions that "work" -- full lateral on L and R, and partial lateral on L and R, since supine doesn't feel good any more & 3/4 prone is no longer possible! -- and a kid that won't settle, and gradually developing some sort of pain (rib, or round ligament, or who even really knows what's hurting but it IS) with any position, I guess this is the 3rd trimester sleep deprivation that "gets you ready" for what's to come. I may have had a little cry this morning about my interrupted sleep and merciless alarm. Blame the hormones.

We went on a lovely babymoon this past weekend, just a few hours' drive away. My shower is Oct 1st & my friend is holding it at my house so I am trying to have the baby room at least partially put together so there's something to admire for the guests! (Not to mention, it makes me happy to look in & see the most organized and thoughtfully-decorated room in our house! :) ) How's the decorating going for all of you? Hopefully I'll have some photos to share in the next few days. :)

imag2188.jpg
Meanwhile, 33+1. I think I *look* genteely & cutely pregnant, but goodness knows, I feel enormous and cumbersome.
 

evergreen

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Also:

1. I am tired of dirtying shirts by dropping things on my belly. Bits of food etc used to land on jeans and blend in, as only stuff-on-jeans can, but now I see it on my stomach and I'm sad. :(sad

2. Got my flu shot 2 hours ago. Arm aching already. That means 50% fewer sleeping positions tonight. ;(

I promise I'm usually coping better than today. :) Sending myself to bed early for sure.
 

ladyciel

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Evergreen, I feel your pain (quite literally), but I made myself a snoogle-ish body pillow and it has made a HUGE difference in my ability to sleep. I'm comfortable enough that I usually don't wake up needing to change position until I also need to use the bathroom. In those cases, I extricate myself from the pillow, go pee, and then flip the pillow over as I get back into bed so I can get some time in on the other shoulder. I think the reason it helps more than just stuffing pillows around me on all sides is that it anchors in place really well, allowing me to shift my weight toward the front or back subtly with plenty of support in every direction. In contrast, I start aching the second I lay down without the pillow, and with extra pillows tucked here there and everywhere it takes forever to get even half as comfortable. It's really a night and day difference. I don't know if you are handy with a sewing machine, but I used this free pattern: https://mammacandoit.com/products/pregnancy-pillow-pattern
If I didn't sew but had any clue how much this thing helped, I'd go spend the money to buy something similar in a heartbeat. Completely worth it. The optional half-moon belly support pillow is small, but it also makes a world of difference. If you make one, don't skip that piece!

My heartburn has been bad for quite a while, to the point it outpaced Tums weeks ago. My doc has me on Pepcid twice a day, plus Tums for when it breaks through. She said there's a good chance I'll find I have to move past the Pepcid, too, though I can't remember which of the other OTCs she wrote down for me as the next to try. My 28wk blood work came back as very mildly anemic, so I'm also now taking extra Fe on top of my diet and prenatal. I suspect it's from all the antacids - my understanding is they can screw up absorption of things like iron. But, the pain and discomfort from the reflux is too much to put up with, not to mention the damage it would do if left unchecked, so here I am popping close to 10 pills a day between the thyroid, prenatal and other supplements needed due to some food allergies/restrictions, iron, colace (to head off problems from the iron), and antacids.

I got my TDaP at my last appointment, and I'm scheduled to get the flu shot later this week. That said, I'm still getting over the cold I caught last week, so I might postpone it until I'm feeling better.

ETA: We should buy stock in stain pre-treatment sprays. I celebrate any time I manage to eat something and NOT drop it on my shirt. If it doesn't hit the boobs, it lands on the belly. Oh, and the water spots every time I wash my hands - even when I haven't spilled on myself, it looks like I have.
 

evergreen

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I'm also on Fe supplementation, I thought my hemoglobin was pretty darn good for a pregnant woman (physiologic anemia of pregnancy, etc) but my OB suggested it, I resisted, and -- heh -- then I started to develop pica symptoms. Like, ice-chewing cravings and deeply breathing in the delicious smell of dirt when I walk past the construction near the building where I work. So I started taking the Fe. :) She'd recommended "iron chelate" as a relatively easy-to-absorb formulation and I've been taking it for a week or two without any change in my GI habits... or the symptoms, but that supposedly takes months to resolve. FYI, I can't find the reference right now but recently the medical world was gratified to find that Colace is singularly useless for constipation and should be relegated to the halls of snake oil. If it works for you, it's probably harmless, but if you're underwhelmed (or the Colace burps get to you), most people would say Miralax will be more effective.

I'll definitely think about making one of those pillows -- I do have the sewing skills and the pillows-tucked-around (even body pillow!) have not been keeping up. Downloaded the pattern & hoping to get to it this weekend! Do you use other pillows under your maternity pillow to sleep at a slight angle to help the heartburn? (I'm currently doing 3 pillows under my head/shoulders, a body pillow along one side, and a foam wedge along the other side since two body pillows starts to displace DH a little too much :) ).
 

ladyciel

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I do find the colace works as a softener for me. I haven't tried it to relieve constipation that has already taken hold, but both after my surgery last year and now I've been able to tell a difference. It's not as strong an effect as the miralax, but I think right now the miralax would be too much at the full dose. I'm taking SlowFe, which is the brand my doc suggested. I think I could probably get by without the colace, but it's keeping things on the slightly soft side, which I think is probably a good place to be as I enter the final weeks. I've been noticing hints of the bulk symptoms/discomfort I used to get before my myomectomy last year, likely the result of baby getting bigger and the fibroids sitting down low to further crowd things. I'm afraid that I could end up in some severe discomfort when she (hopefully) drops, but that would still be better than discovering it's so crowded that she CAN'T drop.

Depending on how bad my heartburn has been on a given day, I do sometimes use extra pillows under my head and shoulders. I sort of build a ramp of pillows starting chest level and then put the maternity pillow on top of that. It works pretty well, actually. I sleep facing the body pillow part of the maternity pillow, and I pull the "tail" end between my legs and around back until it hugs my butt/hips. The result is the little belly pillow add-on keeps my middle happy, the body pillow portion supports my top arm/shoulder to keep me from collapsing too much weight forward onto my bottom arm (so it doesn't fall asleep or ache like it did before), the U-shaped head/neck pillow lets me roll my head and shoulders towards/away my face as feels comfy at any given moment, and the tail supports my bottom half both front and back so I can roll my hips forward or back to shift my weight around. I think overall it opens up a lot of subtle position changes/combinations I can adjust in my sleep, vs moving, losing a pillow, and eventually waking up because something went unsupported and hurts. I hope it works just as well for you if you give it a try!
 

ladyciel

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I had my 32wk checkup this morning. Belly is measuring ahead at 35wks (I'm not surprised), everything else looks good. I get another US when I go back in 2 weeks. They want to check growth as well as see how baby girl and the fibroids are positioned.
 

evergreen

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Well, I downloaded the pattern for the curly maternity pillow and everything, but then chickened out -- it would take me hours plus at least $20-30 in materials -- and worked on the baby room instead, ordered the pillow next-day from Amazon for only $50 which was totally worth it. :D I might make the belly-pillow supplement, though, because having some support under there really helps. I think it has made positioning myself easier & more comfortable than the body pillow I was using before!! Thanks for the endorsement, LC. :)

New problem is that little dude has decided he HATES it when I lie on my right side. As soon as I roll over that way, it wakes him up, he shifts around unmercifully and then starts kicking my liver until I reposition. This has happened several times a night for the past few nights. Super rude.
 

ladyciel

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Evergreen, I'm glad the pillow is proving helpful for you! I completely recommend the little belly pillow - making that to add to the store-bought pillow sounds like a great way to get exactly what you need for just a little bit of effort and fabric. Really, you could just make the little half-moon pillow. Then, instead of the fancy case with the velcro/snaps, you could just attach some ties made from scrap fabric directly to the pillow. Tie it on to the big pillow, and you'd be all set.

Oh dear, sounds like the little guy knows what he likes! I'm having trouble sleeping, too, but it isn't because little girl is being a pain. Instead, my reflux has gone off the charts over the last week. At its worst, when the meds just aren't touching it, I repeatedly wake up in a panic, needing to sit upright as fast as possible to keep from vomiting. I think next time it happens I'm going to move to the nursery to try sleeping in the recliner. I can only prop myself up so far with pillows before I just can't get comfortable, so I'm hoping the recliner might be better.

We're taking a 4 week Lamaze class through the hospital and had the first session earlier this week. We like the instructor, and it's clear that the focus has shifted more toward education, support techniques, relaxation, etc, rather than "weird puffy breathing". As she put it, "I'm not going to teach you how to hyperventilate". So far she hasn't taught anything I don't already know from my own reading (first class focused on anatomy and what happens during labor), but I think it it is going to be good for DH and I to do together - especially since we are getting to learn and practice a bunch of support and relaxation techniques. Is anybody else taking any classes? We also took a breastfeeding and a newborn care class.
 

baby monster

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LC, we took a class with a former L&D nurse before our first kid. I thought it was helpful but DH pretty much spaced out for most of it. It was broken down into 4 sessions - labor, pp care, newborn care and something else. She went over different techniques like bradley, lamaze, etc but I didn't get to use any of the support and relaxation ones because my labors ended up being fast and furious so whatever works for you to maintain focus during excruciating pain is the way to go. Are you considering going med-free or not?
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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We took a 4 week Bradley class, it got me through 18 hours of labor before I eventually caved and got my epidural. More importantly, it really made DH comfortable in being my support person through labor and delivery. He was calm and not panicked and was genuinely able to support me through labor. It was worth it for us. We did not take newborn care since I was pretty well versed from my twin brothers and we just did lots of reading in the early days.
 

ladyciel

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Well, I am praying we will get to attend the rest of our classes. I'm lying in the high risk unit, admitted today for threatened preterm labor. The meds have subdued the contractions a lot, but not completely. We got here a bit after noon after I woke up this morning with contractions every 2-10 minutes that wouldn't stop no matter what I did. I was a fingertip dilated when they finally first checked me after a while on the monitor and then 1 cm an hour or two later. They're keeping me for a minimum of 24 hrs, and they gave me the steroids to help baby girl's lungs just in case. Crossing our fingers my uterus calms down and stays that way. On the upside, she turned head down in the last couple of days, so we aren't an automatic C/S if labor persists. 33 weeks and 4 days.
 

NewEnglandLady

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LC, thinking of you today! Hope your contractions subsided, but if not then I hope you and baby are both doing well today!!
 

evergreen

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Oh, LC, I hope things have settled down for you! Yikes, how scary, though 33+4 + steroids is a good place to be if you have to deliver preterm -- outcomes are really good. Thinking of you and baby girl. But yay for head-down!

Re: classes (oh man, seems so insignificant to chat about this now but I will forge ahead under the presumption that mom & babe are well! :| ), DH and I took an infant CPR/first aid class which I found really helpful despite being (too!) well-versed in adult CPR. My most useful thing was Heimlich/back blows for choking. DH took to it much better than I thought he would, but Lamaze/Bradley will never go over w/ him. ;-) Otherwise I'm reading voraciously, especially about the breastfeeding thing.

(Funny (?) story: I was practicing the infant backblow hold on my cat, who was tolerating it but not exactly enjoying, when DH made a sudden movement or loud noise or something & scared her, so she pushed off my belly with her back claws in freaked-out-cat fashion, so I got some scratches... which I was fine with, healing well, until I realized ONE OF THEM IS NOW A STRETCH MARK, my only pregnancy stretch mark, all curved weird right up front & center on my belly, from healing under tension! Curses!!! But whatever, it has good company from my adolescent-rear-end stretch marks. Bikini model was never going to be my backup career.)

Dust, dust, dust, LC. I hope everything is OK.
 

ladyciel

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Thanks for the well-wishes, ladies. I'm still pregnant (yay) and still in the hospital (boo). Nothing more exciting happening, but they're treating me with an abundance of caution and keeping me (hopefully just) one more night. I've been on intermittent monitoring, hour sessions 3-4 times a day, since mid-day Sunday. Before that it was constant, and it definitely helped me make up my mind that if I have my way I DO NOT want to be strapped to one for the entirety of labor. It's suffocating.

I got lucky and my regular doc was on call on Saturday when I called the after-hours line, so she is who made the call for me to head to the hospital, saw me in triage, and saw me on rounds Sunday morning. I continued to have contractions most of Saturday night and regularly early Sunday morning (at which point the monitor was picking them up every 2-3 min, though I wasn't feeling every single one). They finally tapered off to just a few isolated random ones for the rest of yesterday and last night, and we hoped I'd go home today. Buuut, I got another burst of contractions this morning, including some stronger ones, and there was a dip in baby's HR during my morning session on the monitor. The consensus is that it was probably nothing, but they can't ignore it completely, regardless of how awesome her HR has otherwise been. That got us trapped here for another night to continue the intermittent monitoring. They checked me again this morning after the HR dip (since it can be a sign of cervical changes, apparently), but I was still high, long and 1cm dilated. So, the good news is that while my uterus is irritable, the contractions haven't been productive since they started me on Procardia on Saturday. There is some disagreement across the different docs I've seen as to whether I should continue the Procardia after I head home. My main doc said there's no evidence that it helps beyond 48 hrs (it can slow preterm labor, but it can't stop it if it's determined to happen), and the more old school guy said he tends to think if it could maybe help, and doesn't hurt, then why not keep taking it. A third doctor is on call tomorrow, somebody I've seen a few times before, and I'm curious what his take will be. If they send me home with the procardia, I'll probably fill the prescription and then talk to my main doc again at my appt this Friday. I'm trying to stay optimistic that we're going to make it to that appointment.

As for classes, I'm currently missing our 2nd Lamaze class, and my trooper of a DH is there without me to learn what he can for us. Evergreen, we've been looking for a baby CPR class, but we haven't found one so far that has fit our schedules. We'll get to one eventually, though. I read up on Bradley and decided that it was SO "we are the best and only way to have the perfect birth" that I doubted *I* could stomach it, let alone DH. The Lamaze class through the hospital is much more about the basics of labor, what to expect, and how to cope (mom) and support (dad). The teacher opened up by saying she was not going to teach us weird puffy breathing or how to hyperventilate, but we will be covering relaxation techniques, different positions you can use to assist labor, etc. DH wasn't super thrilled about going when we first signed up, but he also appreciated that he didn't want to go in blind and feel helpless at my side. The other thing is that he absorbs things much better in a class environment than from a book.
 

evergreen

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 18, 2012
Messages
828
Thanks for the update - relieved that you're in good hands and everything's looking OK so far for you and little girl. More thoughts and dust coming your way!!
 
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