We finally washed and put away Peanut's clothes, swaddle blankets, burp clothes, you name it.
Can I just say...how freaking nice they all smell thanks to this wonderful baby laundry detergent DREFT? Where have you been all my life? I want to sleep on pile of Peanut's things tonight. Omg, and I don't even think it's scented. Just smells like baby galore. Ahh, the little things in life. I want to wash my stuff with Dreft. Wait, what's stopping me? Winning!
That reminds me! Does everyone use a different laundry detergent to wash baby clothes than regular detergent like Tide? I've been meaning to ask this. I just had my shower so I have little clothes to wash!
Nope! There's absolutely no reason to use any special baby detergent - you may just want to make sure it's scent and dye free. We use ALL free & clear for DH because he sometimes has sensitivities to things, so we just continued to use the same thing. We never had to do separate loads of laundry or pay the up-price for things labeled as "baby" detergent.
That reminds me! Does everyone use a different laundry detergent to wash baby clothes than regular detergent like Tide? I've been meaning to ask this. I just had my shower so I have little clothes to wash!
I've been using all free and clear. I think the recommendation is unscented detergent so babies don't have an allergic reaction, but from what I've read, Dreft is kind of expensive and all free and clear works just as well
Married May 2014 DD born August 2016 Baby #2 due December 2017
That's awesome @Lynnlove28 We need to do the same with ours, but she just loves the darn thing so much. She is only using it to sleep at night, but it keeps leaving a paci rash on her face. Today she looked at me and said "mama, don't throw pacis away." So, she knows getting rid of them are on our minds. Hope it keeps going well for you!!
@texasmama2014 did you feel the need to wash all the toys/ stuffed animals and even play mats prior to baby using them? As a FTM I'm not sure what needs to be washed before baby comes
@texasmama2014 did you feel the need to wash all the toys/ stuffed animals and even play mats prior to baby using them? As a FTM I'm not sure what needs to be washed before baby comes
Not stuffed animals, I'm not even sure how you'd do that without ruining them. But I did do play mats and blankets. Once I fish out all the play mats and infant toys in a few months I'll probably just wash anything that's fabric and Lysol down all the plastic stuff, but only because it's been living in the basement.
@Katm89 I went crazy as a first time mom. Everything got washed, sanitized, boiled before it touched baby or baby used it. I ended up ruining several baby toys because of my OCD sterilization process last time. This time around I'm like, "Eh, germs build immunity." Wash fabric that you can and give everything else a good wipe down. Save your sanity!!
I love Dreft... We stopped using it after about 6? months maybe, but I washed all out clothes in them. It just smells so gooooood...
Yes. This totally validates my desire to wash our clothes using Dreft. We got some from the shower and as mentioned before, I fell in love with it after doing our first load of baby things using Dreft. I agree that you probably don't need to use separate baby detergent but it's an option.
@Katm89 I washed things before wearing for like 3 months, then stopped. I washed all the blankets and sheets tho. Not toys and playmats. I washed all hard toys, bottles, and pacifiers tho...(not in dreft!)
@Katm89 I did also sterilize all bottles and pacifiers, just in boiling water, the dishwasher or the sterilizer boxes that they come with. We continued to sterilize those types of things, even to this day for the stuff we still use like pacis. Glass or melamine stuff I don't bother, I just wash that stuff with regular dishes, but anything plastic or rubbery, yes. Pacifiers gross me out, I can't wait to fully get rid of them...we're working on it!
I actually just had to wash a stuffed animal (cousin's kid took it from the gifts at the my shower and returned it all sticky). I got one of those mesh laundry bags and washed it on delicate with very little detergent then air dried it. It ended up working great, just had to fluff the "fur" back up.
@texasmama2014 did you feel the need to wash all the toys/ stuffed animals and even play mats prior to baby using them? As a FTM I'm not sure what needs to be washed before baby comes
We washed all that stuff. Maybe we were paranoid but so much goes into the babies' mouths. We still wash stuff that goes in his mouth (like instruments, etc) before giving it to him and he's almost 3. We bought the Teddy Needs a Bath bag and that's how we wash stuffed animals.
@katm89 I know exactly what you mean. We're in the same boat - I am working on my MBA, working full time and getting tuition reimbursement. My husband has actually been offered positions making double or triple what he can in our area, and since he isn't working at all right now that is pretty tempting...
But my family, my school and my job is all here. But because I am devoting so much time to things like school and work, I miss out on other things I want to do!
@cal031686 I've only been washing the things I know we'll use right away. I know mom wisdom says the last thing I will want to do when he gets here is laundry, but I honestly have no idea if he'll be here early and we'll actually use those newborn clothes, or if he'll go to term and start out in 3-6m like my husband did. DH was 24 inches at birth and little guy is heading that same way. Tall baby!
I hate stuffed animals with a passion. We have a ton due to DHs family, 90% of presents they've given her have been stuffed animals and right now she couldn't care less about them. They just clutter up her bedroom.
My random this morning: I was just going through my list of recorded shows I need to catch up on and either DH has a new obsession with The Price is Right or DD got ahold of our remote. There are 15 unwatched episodes.
16 credits if I remember correctly, on a 60 credit program. So a little more than a year, since I've only been taking 4 credits a term, but going year round. I'm planning on starting up again in September, I took this past term off. I figure I will be on Maternity leave almost the entire term, and my school will allow me to remote into class the first month or so, so I will likely be grateful for the adult contact at that point, lol.
For those who decided to read the story, here are my 2 cents. Ultimately I do feel for the fact that she had a bad experience (including inadequate anesthesia) and that her baby ended up in the NICU - I sincerely hope they both recover quickly. On another note, I have SO many issues with what she portrays in her story. It seems she was so wrapped up in what she wanted from her birth experience; she completely lost sight of what was safe for her baby and the reasons for these international recommendations. I'm not an OB or an anesthesiologist but I do have enough training to know that many of her conceived notions about the medical interventions she wanted were NOT appropriate (i.e. breech delivery, wanting steroids and/or tocolysis medications when already in active labor, possibly delaying the IV, the positioning for the spinal anesthesia, etc.) She was clearly willing to push these ideas to the point of the physician telling her that they would not participate in her delivery and she would have to leave the hospital. I have a feeling this experience was just as much of a nightmare for the providers as it was for the patient!!!
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(00)02840-3/fulltext Findings for term breech delivery from the above study: "Data were received for 2083 women. Of the 1041 women assigned planned caesarean section, 941 (90·4%) were delivered by caesarean section. Of the 1042 women assigned planned vaginal birth, 591 (56·7%) delivered vaginally. Perinatal mortality, neonatal mortality, or serious neonatal morbidity was significantly lower for the planned caesarean section group than for the planned vaginal birth group (17 of 1039 [1·6%] vs 52 of 1039 [5·0%]; relative risk 0·33 [95% CI 0·19–0·56]; p<0·0001). There were no differences between groups in terms of maternal mortality or serious maternal morbidity (41 of 1041 [3·9%] vs 33 of 1042 [3·2%]; 1·24 [0·79–1·95]; p=0·35)."
Most at it sounds standard but obviously something should have been done to address the fact that she could feel things. My OB asked similar questions during the procedure but I literally felt nothing. I don't think she (my OB) would proceed with anything until she knew the spinal was working but you never know. Maybe her doctor was aware something was up with the baby and needed to push ahead.
I think it serves as a good reminder to make sure you and your doctor are on the same page way before your due date and that you trust them! Labor can be super unpredictable so having open communication is key!
So I was planning on making "padsicles" for post-partum. But can any STM's help me understand... how do those work when you also need a pad for bleeding? Aren't the padsicles saturated with all the aloe and whatnot that you put on them?
@Snaps816 - I can't speak from first-person experience as I'm a FTM, but 3 of my friends who recently had babies went all out and made all these "pad-sicles" for themselves and not one of them used one... ever. Apparently the hospital(s) they delivered at sent them home with chill packs (like an ice-pack for your lady bits), that was sufficient enough. All 3 said they didn't need to use it past 1 or 2 days at home.
I spent about 3 days out of the hospital without using padsicles, but was so sore I thought I might as well try them. It was like heaven and I just used frozen water in mine. This time I'm going all out with the witch hazel and what not (I just put tucks pads over the padsicles before). I didn't have any issues with the pads not soaking up the blood, but I only wore them until they defrosted then changed to a regular pad in between using them. I just made sure to not over soak them so they were cold, but had more room to absorb.
Im jealous of those that weren't sore after 2 days. I was miserable for a week and still sore the second. I might have even still used a couple pads the third week. I also had bad swelling and a tear, so maybe that makes a difference.
@snaps816 I never made the padsicles but I kind of wish I had. I had 3rd degree tears and 21 stitches. The hospital did send me home with a few of the mondo pads that you shake up and they get cold. I could have used a few more but overall I was ok just using the giant overnight maxi pads and spraying a LOT of Dermoplast down there. (We did have to go to Walgreens to buy another can of Dermoplast.)
All that to say, if you don't tear too badly (most people don't tear as badly as I did - 9 lb baby) you probably don't need the padsicles.
BritMC18 As with almost everything in pregnancy, I hear women say one thing, but then a bunch of other women say the opposite! So I think I will make one batch just in case. I don't want to be suffering in pain and wishing I could try some... or trying to direct DH to buy all the stuff and make them for me.
If you have time to make them, go for it. I had a 2nd degree tear (really don't know how bad that is, I never looked), and was fine without them. The hospital sent me home with the cooling packs and a bunch of dermoplast. I sprayed it on pretty liberally and quite frequently.
I'm sure they feel great, but don't panic too much if you don't end up with time to make them in advance.
I will say one of the very few perks of having a RCS is not having to worry about my vagina tearing. I'm trying to find a bright side to not being able to attempt a VBAC.
@Lynnlove28 that sounds like enough of a bright side to me! I figure, I already have the c/s scar, why not keep my lady bits in tact and risk a scar or other not-so-fun things I hear from women who have had vaginal births
@SkiChic626 and @Lynnlove28 is it bad that I'm not worried about tearing? I figure I can't see it ... plus... vagina's aren't that pretty to begin with... Also my sister had 3rd degree tears and she said that with all the stitching she felt like a virgin again lol which is not my goal... but I figure no one is going to be staring at it
I also made the padcicles and didn't use them. The hospital gave me a bunch of the ice pack/pads and by the time I was done with those (probably about day 4) I didn't feel super sore or swollen anymore. I believe I had about 3-4 stitches, so nothing extreme. I suppose if you tear more intensely, they may be worthwhile. I did use tucks witch hazel pads religiously though, and they were super soothing.
I didn't use the padsicles right away, but after a few days when the stitches started to itch I needed them. I don't think you need a huge supply, but it was nice for me to have something to numb the area a bit.
Vent: My boss forgot my due date and told someone that i'm only taking 6 weeks... um I told him 12... in writing... and he told my coworker "she changed her mind" ( from 16 weeks to 12 lol) Is there anything I should be doing to prepare my boss for my absence? I'm support for the office staff... there really isn't anything I need to pack to show someone how to cover for me... because most likely no one is going to have access to my restricted files... and the other office staff are going to just ask the person to do things they can't handle.
This may be my age or that I grew up fairly sheltered but will someone please enlighten me on what "fisting" is? I was lurking either the June or July board and they were talking about sex. One poster said "I worry that PP fisting will never be the same." PP meaning post partum.
@Snaps816 - I can't speak from first-person experience as I'm a FTM, but 3 of my friends who recently had babies went all out and made all these "pad-sicles" for themselves and not one of them used one... ever. Apparently the hospital(s) they delivered at sent them home with chill packs (like an ice-pack for your lady bits), that was sufficient enough. All 3 said they didn't need to use it past 1 or 2 days at home.
So, I'm not even going to bother.
I loved padsicles. They were so soothing. I used witch hazel on my and froze it and then once it cooled I would change it for a regular dry one. It still absorbed, because after a day or so its not as if its flowing like a heavy period its more light I guess?
I definitely made too many last time tho. I will maybe make 5 or 6 and then make more if I think I need them. I was grateful they existed. Tucks and the cooling spray were also great.
@SkiChic626 and @Lynnlove28 is it bad that I'm not worried about tearing? I figure I can't see it ... plus... vagina's aren't that pretty to begin with... Also my sister had 3rd degree tears and she said that with all the stitching she felt like a virgin again lol which is not my goal... but I figure no one is going to be staring at it
I wouldn't know! I just figure that I already have my c-section scar, why risk having another somewhere else. I didn't necessarily want a c-section with DD, but that's how it turned out. I'm sure there are LOTS of women who don't have tearing issues, but of course you only ever hear about the scary stories. Honestly, what freaks me out more than tearing is the peeing thing. A co-worker who is in a running group was telling me that ALL of the other women in her group have to wear thick pads or adult diapers when they run because they all pee their pants! She's the only one who doesn't - she had 3 c-sections, no vaginal deliveries.
jamiesc58 What do you imagine it to be? Whatever you're envisioning, you're probably right....lol
@jamiesc58 I looked it up on urban dictionary and it's literally what it sounds like but I guess it's a gay thing? I wonder if the poster typo'd "f*cking"?
Re: Randoms 6/20-6/26
Baby #2 due 8/11/2016
Married May 2014
DD born August 2016
Baby #2 due December 2017
Baby #2 due 8/11/2016
This time around I'm like, "Eh, germs build immunity." Wash fabric that you can and give everything else a good wipe down. Save your sanity!!
Baby #2 due 8/11/2016
@katm89 I know exactly what you mean. We're in the same boat - I am working on my MBA, working full time and getting tuition reimbursement. My husband has actually been offered positions making double or triple what he can in our area, and since he isn't working at all right now that is pretty tempting...
But my family, my school and my job is all here. But because I am devoting so much time to things like school and work, I miss out on other things I want to do!
@cal031686 I've only been washing the things I know we'll use right away. I know mom wisdom says the last thing I will want to do when he gets here is laundry, but I honestly have no idea if he'll be here early and we'll actually use those newborn clothes, or if he'll go to term and start out in 3-6m like my husband did. DH was 24 inches at birth and little guy is heading that same way. Tall baby!
My random this morning: I was just going through my list of recorded shows I need to catch up on and either DH has a new obsession with The Price is Right or DD got ahold of our remote. There are 15 unwatched episodes.
16 credits if I remember correctly, on a 60 credit program. So a little more than a year, since I've only been taking 4 credits a term, but going year round. I'm planning on starting up again in September, I took this past term off. I figure I will be on Maternity leave almost the entire term, and my school will allow me to remote into class the first month or so, so I will likely be grateful for the adult contact at that point, lol.
https://findingbalancewellness.blogspot.com/2016/06/my-hellish-birth-story-warning-graphic.html
For those who decided to read the story, here are my 2 cents. Ultimately I do feel for the fact that she had a bad experience (including inadequate anesthesia) and that her baby ended up in the NICU - I sincerely hope they both recover quickly. On another note, I have SO many issues with what she portrays in her story. It seems she was so wrapped up in what she wanted from her birth experience; she completely lost sight of what was safe for her baby and the reasons for these international recommendations. I'm not an OB or an anesthesiologist but I do have enough training to know that many of her conceived notions about the medical interventions she wanted were NOT appropriate (i.e. breech delivery, wanting steroids and/or tocolysis medications when already in active labor, possibly delaying the IV, the positioning for the spinal anesthesia, etc.) She was clearly willing to push these ideas to the point of the physician telling her that they would not participate in her delivery and she would have to leave the hospital. I have a feeling this experience was just as much of a nightmare for the providers as it was for the patient!!!
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(00)02840-3/fulltext
Findings for term breech delivery from the above study:
"Data were received for 2083 women. Of the 1041 women assigned planned caesarean section, 941 (90·4%) were delivered by caesarean section. Of the 1042 women assigned planned vaginal birth, 591 (56·7%) delivered vaginally. Perinatal mortality, neonatal mortality, or serious neonatal morbidity was significantly lower for the planned caesarean section group than for the planned vaginal birth group (17 of 1039 [1·6%] vs 52 of 1039 [5·0%]; relative risk 0·33 [95% CI 0·19–0·56]; p<0·0001). There were no differences between groups in terms of maternal mortality or serious maternal morbidity (41 of 1041 [3·9%] vs 33 of 1042 [3·2%]; 1·24 [0·79–1·95]; p=0·35)."
https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(12)00329-8/pdf
And newer OB's are less likely to be trained in breech deliveries with the above recommended change in practice.
She mentioned feel free to share or whatever.
Most at it sounds standard but obviously something should have been done to address the fact that she could feel things. My OB asked similar questions during the procedure but I literally felt nothing. I don't think she (my OB) would proceed with anything until she knew the spinal was working but you never know. Maybe her doctor was aware something was up with the baby and needed to push ahead.
I think it serves as a good reminder to make sure you and your doctor are on the same page way before your due date and that you trust them! Labor can be super unpredictable so having open communication is key!
Baby #2: Emmeline Grey - August 2016
Baby #3: BFP 9/7/18 | EDD 05/24/19
So, I'm not even going to bother.
Im jealous of those that weren't sore after 2 days. I was miserable for a week and still sore the second. I might have even still used a couple pads the third week. I also had bad swelling and a tear, so maybe that makes a difference.
All that to say, if you don't tear too badly (most people don't tear as badly as I did - 9 lb baby) you probably don't need the padsicles.
I'm sure they feel great, but don't panic too much if you don't end up with time to make them in advance.
Baby #2 due 8/11/2016
I definitely made too many last time tho. I will maybe make 5 or 6 and then make more if I think I need them. I was grateful they existed. Tucks and the cooling spray were also great.
jamiesc58 What do you imagine it to be? Whatever you're envisioning, you're probably right....lol
Baby #2 due 8/11/2016