Dumb Questions

PinkLillyLover

Found this:

https://www.lalecheleague.org/nb/nbsepoct08p44.html

ziggy903

BlueDot818 said:

This question is for any STMs or even F14 moms with their LO at home...

I plan to BF, and I know it's normal for baby to lose some weigh in the first days... How do you weigh you baby to make sure he is getting enough milk? This seems dumb to ask bc to weigh a baby I would assume to use a scale... But I don't have a scale, or a specific baby one... Should I?

As far as I know (and someone can correct me on this) you'll track wet/dirty diapers and your pedi will weigh LO. You'll be seeing a lot of your pedi in the beginning.

ETA: we do weighted feeds in the nicu (because they need to make sure he's gaining at a certain rate. He has to get a certain amount of milk at each feeding because it's not like at home when I can nurse again in an hour) but with a full term baby you don't have to worry as much about it! Baby will let you know when he's hungry

Winnieella

BlueDot818 said:

This question is for any STMs or even F14 moms with their LO at home... I plan to BF, and I know it's normal for baby to lose some weigh in the first days... How do you weigh you baby to make sure he is getting enough milk? This seems dumb to ask bc to weigh a baby I would assume to use a scale... But I don't have a scale, or a specific baby one... Should I?

Once we left the NICU and came home, we have been keeping track of his wet/poopey diapers. We have also been seeing out Pedi a lot. so we have his weight taken there, as well as seeing the IBCLC in my area. She does weighted feedings and a breast feeding support group where they weigh your baby. 

MissDemeanor

I'm planning on a home birth, and already have the medical supplies, etc sorted out. I've also got the birthing tub, in case I'm in the mood for that. And yesterday I made a list of foods and drinks, and how I like them. But I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for other items I want to have close at hand, or things that will make it more comfortable? I don't want to start shouting "Get me a ______ " at my boyfriend in the middle of the action, if I can help it. I want things to be homey, but I just can't even picture what I'll need/want.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

ras26

WildFlower26 said:

@BlueDot818 - With DD we were told that they like to see LO at 2 days, 2 weeks, and 2 months.  So long as your weight checks are healthy within those standard appointments, I believe you are generally okay.  On the other hand, I assume that if there were concerns, your pediatrician would schedule another appointment sooner.  I also had one appointment with the LC at my OB's practice where we did one weighted feeding.  At that appointment they weighed LO before she feed, and then again after on a baby scale.  They are so tiny, that one good feeding, or one big bowl movement changes their weight.  This sounds silly, but milk will be everywhere!  You will know.

@Bluedot818 What Wildflower said.  You keep track of wet/poopy diapers, but also at some point in the first week home you take them back into the pedi, and if they aren't gaining back their weight, they may make you come in more frequently for a weight check.  We had BF issues and were in there a lot in the first couple of weeks for weight checks until we got it figured out.  It's kind of a blur, but I wrote it all down in DD's baby book. 

PeachLove25

I had my breast feeding class last night with a LICENSED LC .

They said ped should see baby 2 days after leaving hospital, then three days after that, and a week later. So lots of visits in the beginning (assuming you have few/no complications and go home without NICU, etc.).

Tracking wet diapers in between appointments, as PP's have mentioned. No special scales needed.

Audsx

BlueDot818 said:

This question is for any STMs or even F14 moms with their LO at home...

I plan to BF, and I know it's normal for baby to lose some weigh in the first days... How do you weigh you baby to make sure he is getting enough milk? This seems dumb to ask bc to weigh a baby I would assume to use a scale... But I don't have a scale, or a specific baby one... Should I?

I asked this question at my antenatal course and they said there's no need to weigh baby but like pp said u keep track of their nappies. What goes in must come out!!!

magentawarped

Beachbumm2214 said:

Should I buy any baby powder? Do people really use it?

Most pedis discourage using it now. If you do use it, keep it away from their face because they can breathe it in and it sticks in their lungs and cause breathing problems. I have a container of it that I think I only used on DD twice when she was a little older. You definitely don't "need" it.

christen_z1

golfergirl08 said:

magentawarped said:

Should I buy any baby powder? Do people really use it?

Most pedis discourage using it now. If you do use it, keep it away from their face because they can breathe it in and it sticks in their lungs and cause breathing problems. I have a container of it that I think I only used on DD twice when she was a little older. You definitely don't "need" it.

At our newborn care class the other night the teacher highly discouraged use of talcum powder. For the same reasons PPs stated. She actually said you could use corn starch-based powders because they are heavier, but we are just planning on using Butt Paste.

I agree with PPs. We use A&D for diaper rash.

iwubrory

We never used powder either. Desitin was our go to. Sometimes we used Boudreaux's just because it was gifted to us and it worked well too. It gets really soft really quickly. I preferred the consistency of Desitin.

boogerbearoriginal

Scottnsaranhenri said:

Here's a random question that popped into my head today. I'm 38w&5d. Every night i'm getting back aches, cramping etc. So I feel like its getting close and I'm doing the normal things to hopefully tip my body over the edge. (& by normal I mean walking, sex & spicy food). So someone, who I'm ignoring, told me to make friends with my breast pump. Its my understanding that, yes, nipple stimulation can cause contractions, but they can be very strong and cause fetal distress. However, what do mom's who are nursing through pregnancy do? Has anyone ever been told to stop nursing because 'nipple stimulation' might cause contractions? Its just one of those weird random questions that I wonder about.

It's a case-by-case basis, if your pregnancy is otherwise healthy/uncomplicated there's no need to stop nursing but if you're having issues it can sometimes be recommended.  I'm still nursing my toddler and it doesn't cause contractions every time. It does sometimes but nothing painful or timeable and that's a recent development, AND I have a lot of BH contractions all day at work when he's no where around so it could just be coincidence since I have them with/without nursing. I've actually found needing to pee causing more BH than anything else lol.

Basically, nipple stimulation is like all other "natural induction" methods that will only work if you're otherwise ready to go into labor.

mdr619

BlueDot818 said:

Ok I think I've had the most dumb questions lately... This one takes the cake I bet... So I haven't had any contractions that I can feel. I've had that, my whole uterus is hard right now feeling, but they aren't regular and there is no pain with them. 

So my question is, I will know when I'm in real labor right? Real contractions will be pretty obvious and I'll just know what's happening? I'm only 36w2d so hopefully I have another few weeks...

Also one more... do animals have a 6th sense that labor is near? Not that it means I will go into labor tomorrow, but the last few days my dog has not wanted to leave my side, she cries if she can't lay next to me... She is always cuddly, but usually chooses DH in the evenings at least and still is ignoring him to lay with me on the couch...

I totally see where you're coming from on this.  I've had cramping and back pain that is constant and doesn't come and go.  Every time it makes me wonder if labor could be starting (my doc has assured me it'll be soon, 90% 2 1/2cm).  I just have to keep reminding myself that I *WILL* know real contractions when they happen. 

Akrani

Beachbumm2214 said:

@bluedot818 sometimes my stomach feels hard as well, But I never feel contractions. FTM here so I have no answer but I'm the same way. I also get period like cramps at night that usually go away after I pee. Im a believer that pets have a sixth sence so id say it's possible! My next dumb question is will I be able to see when the baby drops? My bump shape looks different today and my pelvic bone hurts like crazy. I had the same pain last week after being on my feet all day. It's back and I swear I look different.

This! FTM who has had BH (aka the belly 'o steel) continuously & been feeling a lot of lower abdominal pressure lately. Assuming that means LO is dropping but Dr. said this doesn't happen for everyone. I'm also concerned that I won't know when it's GO time although I've been assured that it's one of those "you'll just know" situations. Also told that if the pain starts in your back and moves to the front, that's a real contraction vs. the abdominal tightening with BH. 

Akrani

DisneyPeanut I heard the same thing about drinking lots of water. I guess BH can be brought on by dehydration so assuming that's where that advice came from. I haven't heard about taking a bath or shower BUT that reminds me of another dumb question...

I was planning to walk around, shower, etc at the hospital once we're checked into L&D to help labor progress and avoid getting an epidural for as long as possible (no clue how long that'll last). Just found out I have Group B Strep so will need to be hooked up to antibiotics. Is it still possible to do these things with an IV in or does this mean I'll pretty much be bed bound? 

Akrani

BlueDot818 no antibiotics yet. All I was told is that in order to avoid passing it to the baby, they'd have to hook me up to an IV so to let them know when I check into Triage. But you're right, I'll be 38 wks soon so maybe they don't think taking them now would guarantee I have enough time before delivery? 

mdr619

adinashoshana said:

My Midwife said it was taking a warm bath/shower, lying down on your left side, eating something, drinking water, and walking. All of those should ease BH but would NOT ease real contractions. Sometimes I swear that it takes so long for a particularly intense BH session to end...I start thinking it is a real contraction. But they do always eventually go away.

All of this.

MormonMrs1218

They can put a shield over your IV. As long as you are careful, there shouldn't be a problem. Good luck!

slwprincess

adinashoshana said:

Two dumb questions:

1. In prep for a vaginal delivery, is there a point that someone comes in to shave you if you are otherwise not all cleaned up down there? When they do, is it just over the perineum?

2. Once lo is out and can be put on your chest, when did your doc delivery the placenta? I'm picturing the immediate skin to skin...but then the continuous contractions and the doc still having you labor it out. 

I don't think they shave you unless you have a c/s

slwprincess

blscholl1645 said:

adinashoshana said:

@slwprincess That is what I thought...but I was curious because if you need to have an episiotomy or if you tear and need stitches, wouldn't any stray hairs be in the way? Again, this is why it's a "dumb" question  

Sooo along these lines, if you need stitches, do they numb you?

I've only had a c/s so I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that they don't shave you for a tear or episiotomy (unless it was really obstructing their view, maybe??).  I also thought that they used a local anesthetic for the stitches.  Just a shot of novacaine or whatever.  I'm sure you wouldn't even notice any of it though.

mdr619

DreamingBabies said:

I'm going to attempt to answer some if these since I just had LO. - I was able to have a battery powered IV pump so I walked the halls while getting antibiotics for GBS (and simultaneously while getting pitocin and fluids). They gave me the antibiotics every four hours. - in addition to above, my hospital had wireless fetal monitors, so they were able to continuously monitor LO while I was able to move and change positions. They were awesome, I recommend seeing if your hospital has them. - I was really worried about not knowing BH from real contractions, but I assure you that if you are talking and laughing through your contractions they aren't the real deal. Although I was induced, the contractions were different than BH. I had to really breath through them. - no shaving was needed - the placenta was delivered with LO on my chest. A doctor was pressing on my uterus, but I was too distracted to even notice pain - I had a second degree tear, so I have stitches. Again this was fine while LO and I were having skin to skin. Aside from noticing some minor stinging, I wasn't really aware of what was going on down there. You will all be great with your deliveries!

How was it later after the epidural wore off?  I am really worried about the post-delivery pain in the following days (weeks?).

slwprincess

golfergirl08 said:

Here is a potentially dumb question, and one that doesn't even make a difference now because we are all probably past this point. Do they ever do another glucose test later in the pregnancy? I went in for a perinatal ultrasound today because of my high fluid number, and LO was measuring big (already 8 lb 6 oz) at 37 weeks 1 day. My ultrasound tech asked if I had been screened for GD, because high fluid and a big baby are both symptoms/signs. 

I passed my 1 hr and didn't have to take the 3 hr. This would have been covered with the first test, right? I have never heard of anyone having to take this again later in the pregnancy.

Yes, they will occasionally do another screening later in the pregnancy (although probably not this late) if the doctor has concerns.  But if you passed the 1 hour, you really are probably good to go. My doc offered to let me retake the 3 hr test b/c we think I got a false positive based on the meds I was taking at the time for pneumonia.  I hate that test and would rather prick my fingers and follow the GD diet then endure it again so I passed on it.

PeachLove25

Perhaps I'm a huge wimp... Or maybe I'm having a reaction... But my arm where I got my Tdap today is so sore I can barely lift it. It didn't hurt at all to get the shot.... But I'm almost in tears now! Did anyone else have a lot of pain? I called the on-call doctor just to make sure, but he's delivering a baby and hasn't called back. I'm sure it's fine and I'm a wimp... But as a child I had a reaction to pertussis so I wanted to double check. (They said this vaccine is different.).

Anyone? TDap suck?

mdr619

PeachLove25 said:

Perhaps I'm a huge wimp... Or maybe I'm having a reaction... But my arm where I got my Tdap today is so sore I can barely lift it. It didn't hurt at all to get the shot.... But I'm almost in tears now! Did anyone else have a lot of pain? I called the on-call doctor just to make sure, but he's delivering a baby and hasn't called back. I'm sure it's fine and I'm a wimp... But as a child I had a reaction to pertussis so I wanted to double check. (They said this vaccine is different.).

Anyone? TDap suck?

Yup, my arm was really sore for days after.

slwprincess

mdr619 said:

PeachLove25 said:

Perhaps I'm a huge wimp... Or maybe I'm having a reaction... But my arm where I got my Tdap today is so sore I can barely lift it. It didn't hurt at all to get the shot.... But I'm almost in tears now! Did anyone else have a lot of pain? I called the on-call doctor just to make sure, but he's delivering a baby and hasn't called back. I'm sure it's fine and I'm a wimp... But as a child I had a reaction to pertussis so I wanted to double check. (They said this vaccine is different.).

Anyone? TDap suck?

Yup, my arm was really sore for days after.

My doc warned me that this one tends to leave you really sore. Don't baby it... Move it around- it hurts but it helps. Tylenol is a good idea too.

boogerbearoriginal

Re: shaving/placenta:

They don't shave you, you will deliver the placenta within 30mins of baby but honestly, you'll be so busy with LO and overwhelmed with the flood of emotions (and hormones) most women barely notice it going on (placenta/stitches/etc).

Re: difference in contractions:

I hate to sound condescending or flippant, but basically you'll know. For starters, they will hurt a helluva lot more and also, nothing you do will help - so if walking/resting/water/etc makes your BH go away or ease up that won't happen in real labor.  Even if you're having regular timeable contractions, but not sure, you'll reach a point where you won't want to or even be able to talk/anything during them. When you are unable to distract yourself from them, and your instinct is to go to the hospital that's go time.

Re: GBS+/antibiotics.

I am GBS+ again, was with #1, and it's pretty unexciting lol. They will give you a 30min dose of antibiotics in an IV drip. My Drs are fine with a hep lock if labor is going well and I want off the IV in between. They typically prefer 2 doses ~4hrs apart, but one is minimum my Dr wants before delivery to avoid automatically keeping LO longer for observation. Basically it's a risk, and potentially fatal if LO gets an infection but antibiotics reduce that risk dramatically.  From CDC risks of infecting LO are 1 in 200 if antibiotics are not given,1 in 4000 if antibiotics are given.

It's worth talking with your Dr about how they'd like to proceed if you don't want a continuous IV drip. I didn't like the IV simply because it made me have to get up and pee a lot lol. Since I wasn't on an Epi peeing more meant I was distracted from my breathing and made managing labor a bit more cumbersome because of me actually preferring to sit in bed while laboring (all those natural birth books lied lol walking was the devil during labor).  

PeachLove25

Update: Leave it to me to have a TDap reaction. Fever of 101 and hot/cold sweats. This is what happened to me as a child with DPT but my doctor said it's rare as an adult. Staying hydrated and baby looks good.

kklimas

PeachLove25 said:

Update: Leave it to me to have a TDap reaction. Fever of 101 and hot/cold sweats. This is what happened to me as a child with DPT but my doctor said it's rare as an adult. Staying hydrated and baby looks good.

Oh no! How long do they expect your reaction to last?
Hope you feel better soon!

MissDemeanor

Dumb pad Q: I'm currently using liners to catch whatever needs catching. Wondering when/if I should switch to a heavier pad, in case my water breaks in public? I've heard it's usually a trickle, not a burst, but I don't really want to trickle while I'm in Target. I'm 38w 3d

sprashley

When my water broke with my first, we were out shopping and it was a trickle. We went home and I bent down then a small 'pop' and a gush. So yes for me it def started with a trickle, thankfully!!

PeachLove25

Not joking I think of that each time I take a bath!!! I'm assuming it would continue to leak after you get out. Yikes!!

sprashley

Based on my past experience with water breakage, I think you would know if you do.  With that said, last night when I was in the tub I snizzed (right, that's what it's called?!) and I wondered.... just for a second... what had happened! No worries, I took a shower after said bath!! 

Winnieella

When my water broke it was a gush, followed by a trickle. It wasn't a lot, so I thought I peed myself at first, but then when ever I moved more came gushing out. I hope that helps answer the water breaking questions.

boogerbearoriginal

BlueDot818 said:

This particular dumb question has to do with sex and lady parts. Stop now if you think it will be TMI (I promise it's not that bad though...)

So DH and I had sex yesterday for the first time in a while. Holy hell did it hurt! Anyone else in the same boat? (Kinda nervous for my cervix check today... and more so than I was about labor...)

Second question... DH mentioned that my lady parts looked different... They have felt swollen for a while now... I didn't realize he would notice a difference in appearance though... is this normal? And is this what that random poster was meaning when her junk "didn't look flat and cute" anymore lol!

It's normal for everything to be a bit more swollen and sensitive, however you may want to mention it to your Dr because it could be a yeast or bacterial infection if sex was abnormally painful.

H doesn't examine that area too closely this late in the game lol, I think it's an ignorance is bliss type of situation for both of us. 

courtls22

BlueDot818 said:

This particular dumb question has to do with sex and lady parts. Stop now if you think it will be TMI (I promise it's not that bad though...)

So DH and I had sex yesterday for the first time in a while. Holy hell did it hurt! Anyone else in the same boat? (Kinda nervous for my cervix check today... and more so than I was about labor...)

Second question... DH mentioned that my lady parts looked different... They have felt swollen for a while now... I didn't realize he would notice a difference in appearance though... is this normal? And is this what that random poster was meaning when her junk "didn't look flat and cute" anymore lol!

I'm no help for first question but the second is normal.  I have felt but also looked swollen for awhile now.  When I first saw it, I was like OMG what is wrong? But trust me, I've asked/researched and it is completely normal.  It has to do with the extra blood we have during pregnancy (or something like that.)

iwubrory

@BlueDot818  The few times that I've had sex recently haven't really been that painful, so I can't help you with that.

When I was pregnant with DS my lady bits were swollen off and on a lot. It hasn't happened this time around (yay!). Anyway, things definitely looked different down there....enlarged I guess is the way to put it, for me anyway. I think that's pretty normal.

iwubrory

I have an NBR dumb question that I really don't want to make a new post for. When I use TB's search feature, it appears to be setup so that when I search I will only be searching through F14's threads, yet the results I get are from all of TB's boards. Does anyone else have this problem? Any ideas on how to fix it? For example, when I searched for this thread I got M14's dumb questions thread and a whole bunch of other mentions of "dumb question" but not this thread. This has been going on for a really long time. Sometimes I  feel bad when people jump on people telling them to use the search feature to find threads on previously discussed topics because trying that definitely wouldn't work for me.

boogerbearoriginal

Re: search feature - it's always sucked balls and the "new and improved" site changes didn't fix that at all.  Far as I know it's just a crappy system.

slwprincess

Booger+Bear said:

Re: search feature - it's always sucked balls and the "new and improved" site changes didn't fix that at all.  Far as I know it's just a crappy system.

Thank you!  I totally agree.  I have way more luck using Google with a search like this:

thebump.com feb14 dumb questions

Of course, if the post didn't really have a clear title in it, then it's much more hit/miss.

JessWhatINeeded

Yep, my TDaP (and my husbands) were sore for 5-7 days after. I couldn't lay on my right side because it hurt.