Although I am a STM, I have a question for you veteran moms.
As the first trimester comes to an end and all the typical first tri symptoms start to fade away (yay!), I suddenly started to remember all of the weird 2nd Tri symptoms from my last pregnancy. The weirdest one being frequent nose bleeds! I had never had a nose bleed in my life before my first pregnancy and all of a sudden I was getting them once a week. I read up on it and found that it's not too uncommon in pregnancy due to increased blood supply but it was still alarming at first because it wasn't one if the usual symptoms you here about.
So my question is, did any of you moms get any weird, atypical symptoms with your previous pregnancies?
Not sure if it is common or not, but leg cramps! 2nd pregnancy I had them all the time and would wake up in the middle of the night with them. I hope that doesn't happen as frequently this time.
Not sure if it is common or not, but leg cramps! 2nd pregnancy I had them all the time and would wake up in the middle of the night with them. I hope that doesn't happen as frequently this time.
Yes, I had these too! I was always waking my husband up in the middle of the night to help me deal with them! Haha
Not sure if it is common or not, but leg cramps! 2nd pregnancy I had them all the time and would wake up in the middle of the night with them. I hope that doesn't happen as frequently this time.
Yes, I had these too! I was always waking my husband up in the middle of the night to help me deal with them! Haha
Probably good practice for waking him up to help once the baby arrives!!
Okay, I have a question regarding car seats/strollers. Would you ladies suggest a travel system, or separate car seat & stroller frame with a second stroller for when baby gets older? What worked best for you previously?
Not sure if it is common or not, but leg cramps! 2nd pregnancy I had them all the time and would wake up in the middle of the night with them. I hope that doesn't happen as frequently this time.
Yes, I had these too! I was always waking my husband up in the middle of the night to help me deal with them! Haha
Probably good practice for waking him up to help once the baby arrives!!
Okay, I have a question regarding car seats/strollers. Would you ladies suggest a travel system, or separate car seat & stroller frame with a second stroller for when baby gets older? What worked best for you previously?
I think it was! Although he would probably tell you that he could've used the extra sleep while he could still get it lol
I have no experience with option #2, but a travel system has worked wonderfully for us with DD. I would think it would be less expensive, too.
Okay, I have a question regarding car seats/strollers. Would you ladies suggest a travel system, or separate car seat & stroller frame with a second stroller for when baby gets older? What worked best for you previously?
We had a travel system (infant carrier functioned as a carseat or could be clipped into the stroller). It was nice that when he outgrew the infant carrier we could just put him in the regular stroller seat. We also got a cheapie umbrella stroller which was great for things like rolling him through the airport because we didn't care if it got broken on the plane.
We went with a regular nice stroller and an umbrella stroller. My regular stroller was compatible with infant seats from the same brand but we never used one, we just went straight to the rear facing convertible seat. I made sure to have one that would work though had we needed to go back to the drawing board and get an infant seat.
@LJ623 I was given the advice not to buy a travel system. I did it anyway. That stroller sits in my garage unused. We used a snap n go when baby was little. When she was older, we used/use an umbrella stroller. The biggest reason is that, the snap n go and umbrella stroller weigh 7 lbs. The travel system stroller weighs 27.
@LJ623 We have a travel system and loved it. It was so nice to pop the car seat out and into the stroller. Now that DS is older, we either use the stroller as is or put him in the jogging stroller. Our stroller isn't heavy and is easily opened one handed. I would suggest test driving both regular strollers and travel systems at a baby store (we went to Baby's R Us). Even if you're not going to register there, it's a great way to see what you actually like and how maneuverable they are. We ended up registering for our current stroller because we loved the "test drive".
@LJ623 we used a Britax infant seat and a baby jogger city mini gt. We just bought the adapter and it snapped on very easily. I love our stroller although we don't use it a ton now (DD is 20 months and likes to run). And I preferred babywearing most of the time, but it works great for the zoo or long walks.
We got a travel system and it worked great, it was also an inexpensive Safety 1st one so I was able to get an exact duplicate stroller from someone else brand new for $30 and I kept one in each car. I won't ever buy the expensive strollers because I find them so bulky and they usually don't even come with the convenient options of a parent tray which I always use. We just recently got an umbrella stroller but I don't find it a necessity and the travel system stroller is way easier to push and has more storage. I also loved being able to pop the infant seat on it, such an easy way to move baby when sleeping etc.
Not sure if it is common or not, but leg cramps! 2nd pregnancy I had them all the time and would wake up in the middle of the night with them. I hope that doesn't happen as frequently this time.
Yes, I had these too! I was always waking my husband up in the middle of the night to help me deal with them! Haha
i had these with both of my pregnancies. I told my doctor about them and she said I should drink more calcium BUT she also said that if you feel one coming on, if you stand up right away and put your weight on that leg, it will go away immediately. Y'all this seriously worked every single time. It was kinda a pain to have to stand up when I was in the middle of sleeping but it was SO worth not having to writhe in pain for what seemed like 5 min. Also I will add that upping my calcium did not make them go away for me.
@LJ623, Travel systems are great. But if you have a specific stroller in mind that you like see if it has an adapter for infant seats. With my first I had a travel system (Graco) with my second I got the Babby Jogger City Select, and that has an adapter piece that fits with the Graco infant car seat. A lot of strollers have an adapter to fit different manufacturers infant seats.
I got a Graco travel system (and matching pack 'n' play, score!).
what a waste of money. I guess it's usefulness depends on where you use it. The wheels are really only good for mall floors and the like. Anything slightly rough is a rocky ride for your baby, anything with gravel is problematic. While shopping, I preferred to baby wear (shout out to Tula and now Tula Toddler) so I just don't use it because I got something better.
i ended up splurging on a nice jogging stroller with front swivel wheel, hand brake and park break (Mountain Buggy Terrain) with all the bells and whistles, even got an attachment to use our infant car seat on top. Much more suitable for my needs.
I got a Graco travel system (and matching pack 'n' play, score!).
what a waste of money. I guess it's usefulness depends on where you use it. The wheels are really only good for mall floors and the like. Anything slightly rough is a rocky ride for your baby, anything with gravel is problematic. While shopping, I preferred to baby wear (shout out to Tula and now Tula Toddler) so I just don't use it because I got something better.
i ended up splurging on a nice jogging stroller with front swivel wheel, hand brake and park break (Mountain Buggy Terrain) with all the bells and whistles, even got an attachment to use our infant car seat on top. Much more suitable for my needs.
Much as I love my travel system, I'll second this. The roughest terrain I go on is the sidewalk and my stroller (also a Graco) does great on that but I don't think it would do very well on a hiking trail or something like that.
This is definitely my favorite post every week. I always learn great stuff! Any recommendations on the best place(s) to register? DH wants me to ask what are the most helpful things your SO has done to help you throughout your pregnancy? (Ha - how cute)
@kelseyh62 I love target, they are great when it comes to exchanges and returns. BRU is overpriced and kinda basic imo. If you don't mind the prices, Buy Buy Baby has great selections.
One practical thing DH has always done is take care of all of my insurance and hospital paperwork, orders the birth certificate, files the new ss card and Dr info. It was a huge relief to not have to worry about those things especially when I couldn't even go to the bathroom without help yet.
Just sweet stuff though, he always washes dishes when I'm pregnant or taking care of a newborn. And when I'm pregnant, it makes me so emotional lol. I have had multiple cries over coming across an empty sink and full cabinets.
I LOVED our snap n go. The travel systems are so bulky and heavy in comparison. The snap n go folds up really small and is really light weight. It has a huge basket for storing stuff and easily fit through the metal detector at the airport too. I got ours used for $5 at a consignment sale which I think was the best $5 I've ever spent. I spent our stroller budget on a baby jogger city mini GT which I also love, but we didn't really use it much until she outgrew the bucket seat. Bonus with that is our city mini got way less use and will be in great shape for baby #2.
I have used our travel system constantly and DD is 2! Love the space in the bottom for a cooler, shopping bags, blankets, etc. and I loved how ours reclined back so she could lay flat and nap on walks after 7-8 months. I traveled alone a lot with her and it was easy to pop open and closed in the airports one-handed. We have the Britax and I will probably buy the double stroller this time around, although I'm not sure if I want something side by side or front and back.
Married 9/18/10 TTC 1/1/12 BFP #1 12/13/12 MMC Confirmed 1/30/13 BFP #2 6/17/13, (Clomid+Ovidrel) CP Confirmed 6/26/13 BFP #3 8/14/2013 (Letrozole+IUI) Charlie Grace born 5/2/2014
This is definitely you favorite post every week. I always learn great stuff! Any recommendations on the best place(s) to register? DH wants me to ask what are the most helpful things your SO has done to help you throughout your pregnancy? (Ha - how cute)
Favorite place to register - definitely Amazon. Super convenient, typically reasonable prices and a great selection, and no annoying sales people. I would NOT recommend Buy Buy Baby/Bed Bath and Beyond. I didn't register there for my baby stuff but I did register there for my wedding (which is why I didn't register for baby stuff there). It was awful. In my opinion, they're ridiculously overpriced, and whenever I went in to register (I made multiple trips), they made a sales associate follow us around. The sales associates were always very pushy, to the point of actually being rude, and made the experience miserable. I registered for so much stuff that I didn't actually need based on the advice from them that "you never know if you'll need it and this will be something that you'll find really helpful!", much of which is sitting collecting dust now. With the wedding, I should've known to stand my ground because I know myself and DH well enough that I should've known that we'd never use, for example, a cheese board. But had I registered there for DD, I guarantee the same thing would've happened and I would've had even more useless junk because as a FTM I had no clue what I would or wouldn't need. Amazon has guides, which, along with my mom's feedback, I found very helpful. But BBB, I'm confident, would not have been.
Most helpful thing DH did - EXTREMELY patient with my mood swings, which last time, looking back, were pretty awful. Like, I'm embarrassed now about how bad they were. I'm trying to maintain more control over them this time. Also, I'm not allowed to lift anything that he deems too heavy. At times this is really annoying, but I know that I would definitely try to lift things I shouldn't if he weren't so strict, so I try to listen to him - he's just concerned about my well being! And another is that he's always happy to go out and get whatever I'm craving. I didn't have very many cravings last time, but once he got me cheese fries at 10pm. It was heavenly. And you didn't ask this, but since we're talking about awesome things DH does, after DD was born he really stepped up to truly be my partner in parenting. He works during the day and when he comes home, we pretty much evenly split everything with her. When she was first born we'd take shifts in the night to stay up with her so we both get some sleep, and even now, when she wakes up to eat, he always brings her to me and takes her back to her crib since by default I'm the one feeding her. He's seriously the best dad and husband!
I would recommend Amazon for registry too. You can find lists of recommended products or ask family/friends who've had babies for their suggestions. It makes receiving and returning gifts so easy.
As as far as what your husband can do, I think the most important things for me were when I got home. I needed someone to make sure bills were paid without me asking about it or thinking about it because you don't have time to think. I also needed the daily stuff done, dishes, laundry, meals. I basically needed my husband to turn into me without complaining about it for around a month or two.
@kelseyh62. Register everywhere. You will get free swag bags at most places which contain bottles, pacifiers, and samples. My main place to register was buy buy baby...because...20% of coupons.
We registered at Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby. Both were fine with no problems. My only registry-related advice would be to not register for any clothes. They change their clothing stock regularly, so chances are that by the time people are buying from your registry, all the clothing you had selected will no longer be available. Also, people are going to buy you clothes no matter what, and they are going to buy the clothing THEY like, rather than the clothing YOU like. It's impossible to resist buying baby clothes. No one can do it.
As for husband help: one thing I found very helpful was having him do things when the nesting instinct kicks in. I was huge and unable to perform a lot of the tasks I deemed essential to complete before baby. Having an able-bodied husband around to clean baseboards/crown moldings/whatever other insanity you will come up with is awesome.
I love my travel system. Definitely check them out in a store and make sure they're easy to fold one handed and operate! I have the chicco key fit 30 system and am very happy with it. I had an umbrella stroller bc everyone said it would be easier, but I ended up giving it to my mom because I don't need it.
For baby registry, I went with babies r us and target. BRU price matches (even amazon) and they take bed bath and beyond coupons. I put a little note on my shower invite to let guests know that. If you don't want clothes, wait until your shower to reveal the gender. That's what I did and I received a few gender neutral sleepers, but no other clothes. I just really wanted to buy clothes myself and that was the only way I could think of to stop people from buying them.
Regardless of where you register, check out Lucie's List for sure. It was SO helpful with making decisions on items when I really didn't have much of a clue.
Married 9/18/10 TTC 1/1/12 BFP #1 12/13/12 MMC Confirmed 1/30/13 BFP #2 6/17/13, (Clomid+Ovidrel) CP Confirmed 6/26/13 BFP #3 8/14/2013 (Letrozole+IUI) Charlie Grace born 5/2/2014
This will seem like a crazy question...but were you able to orgasm much faster and easier later in pregnancy? A friend of mine said later in her pregnancy she could orgasm within a minute or two, and she often had real orgasm dreams. I'm hoping this is a common symptom, and if you consider the science behind it all, it would make sense...
@sweetyjenj I can't remember if it was faster or not, but I do remember getting much hornier as pregnancy progressed. I do remember that as you get bigger you have to get a little more creative with positions. Lol.
Registering: We registered at BRU and Amazon. One of the main reasons we registered at BRU is so that there was a brick and mortar store people could shop at if they wanted to go into an actual store. This is something you might want to consider depending on who would be purchasing items for you. Both places offered completion discounts for closing out your registry (you can add or remove items up until you close out so you can always remove things that you decide you don't need). This time I'm making an Amazon registry, mostly so we can get a completion discount - I'm not expecting a shower.
This will seem like a crazy question...but were you able to orgasm much faster and easier later in pregnancy? A friend of mine said later in her pregnancy she could orgasm within a minute or two, and she often had real orgasm dreams. I'm hoping this is a common symptom, and if you consider the science behind it all, it would make sense...
@LJ623, Travel systems are great. But if you have a specific stroller in mind that you like see if it has an adapter for infant seats. With my first I had a travel system (Graco) with my second I got the Babby Jogger City Select, and that has an adapter piece that fits with the Graco infant car seat. A lot of strollers have an adapter to fit different manufacturers infant seats.
JLJ2012, how have you liked your City Select? That is our top choice right now as I like the flexibility to make it a double should we be so blessed to continue our family after this first baby (and if I can mentally block out the joys of these first few weeks of nausea to get to the point of having a second!). Some people have said "shop for now," but I don't want to wind up dropping the bucks on a second stroller in a few years if we can just invest in one with flexible options now. The Uppa Baby Vista was tempting too because their bassinet can be used to sleep overnight (figured that might be useful for traveling) but I can't justify the upfront price just for that feature. While the "grand" total winds up being similar when you add on all the extras to the City Select that are included with the Vista, I like that we can register for all the City Select extras separately instead of one huge cost upfront as with the Vista. Thanks for any insight/feedback on your experience with the City Select!
@emcollins3, I do love it! It is an excellent stroller as a single, too. Very sturdy and will last well. I choose that when we had our second because of how long the bigger kids can sit in the seats. Some other doubles are smaller, which was fine when my oldest was 2, But I wanted him to have the option of sitting comfortably for awhile. At 3.5 he still fits fine when he needs to ride. And so many configurations! If you have a Buy Buy Baby anywhere near you go try it out in person. That is the only store I know of that has just about every stroller there on the floor for you to try out.
@sweetyjenj yes ma'am. IRL and in dreamland, quicker and stronger. It was super helpful towards the end when we were trying to encourage labor but it was the buttcrack of summer and too hot for that nonsense!
@sweetyjenj I found the opposite to be true...it was such a pain and uncomfortable to find good positions and I was so big, feeling unsexy, and exhausted that I would just do it to encourage DH and be a good wife! Rarely did I O near the end of either of my pregnancies Early on, yes! I'm taking full advantage before the baby "gets in the way!"
Thanks for all the great responses! I am having an official FTM geek out moment and started my own google doc to memorialize these tips and refer back to them going forward. I didn't know so many of these things and love hearing them!!!
Regardless of where you register, check out Lucie's List for sure. It was SO helpful with making decisions on items when I really didn't have much of a clue.
This is so right up my alley - thank you!! @Heeb918
ETA: ohmahgawwddd I just got an email from the Lucie's List site with an AWESOME google doc FILLED with amazing recommendations with baby essentials and everything. I'm so excited right now, I. can't. even!
Lucie's list is awesome. I also recommend the book Baby Bargains (the real book, not the e-book). It will help you organize your thoughts and kind of go through the different categories of baby gear. It outlines all the choices and discusses what paying a little extra will get you, where it's practical to pay more and where it's not. It was like my Bible for registering last time.
@LJ623, Travel systems are great. But if you have a specific stroller in mind that you like see if it has an adapter for infant seats. With my first I had a travel system (Graco) with my second I got the Babby Jogger City Select, and that has an adapter piece that fits with the Graco infant car seat. A lot of strollers have an adapter to fit different manufacturers infant seats.
JLJ2012, how have you liked your City Select? That is our top choice right now as I like the flexibility to make it a double should we be so blessed to continue our family after this first baby (and if I can mentally block out the joys of these first few weeks of nausea to get to the point of having a second!). Some people have said "shop for now," but I don't want to wind up dropping the bucks on a second stroller in a few years if we can just invest in one with flexible options now. The Uppa Baby Vista was tempting too because their bassinet can be used to sleep overnight (figured that might be useful for traveling) but I can't justify the upfront price just for that feature. While the "grand" total winds up being similar when you add on all the extras to the City Select that are included with the Vista, I like that we can register for all the City Select extras separately instead of one huge cost upfront as with the Vista. Thanks for any insight/feedback on your experience with the City Select!
@emcollins3 we have the Uppa Baby Vista and I love it so much! I bought the carseat adapter to attach the chicco. LO never slept in the bassinet but I could see how that could be helpful. DD will be 4 when baby arrives so we bought her the piggyback board.
Re: Ask a STM+ Week of 6/20
As the first trimester comes to an end and all the typical first tri symptoms start to fade away (yay!), I suddenly started to remember all of the weird 2nd Tri symptoms from my last pregnancy. The weirdest one being frequent nose bleeds! I had never had a nose bleed in my life before my first pregnancy and all of a sudden I was getting them once a week. I read up on it and found that it's not too uncommon in pregnancy due to increased blood supply but it was still alarming at first because it wasn't one if the usual symptoms you here about.
So my question is, did any of you moms get any weird, atypical symptoms with your previous pregnancies?
DS2: 11/5/14
Okay, I have a question regarding car seats/strollers. Would you ladies suggest a travel system, or separate car seat & stroller frame with a second stroller for when baby gets older? What worked best for you previously?
BFP: 1/31/15; MMC: 3/31/15
BFP: 4/26/16; Baby Girl Born: 1/3/17
BFP: 10/1/21; EDD: 6/10/22
I have no experience with option #2, but a travel system has worked wonderfully for us with DD. I would think it would be less expensive, too.
Jan17 Sept Sig: Pumpkin Spice gone too far
Due 1/21/17
DS2: 11/5/14
what a waste of money. I guess it's usefulness depends on where you use it. The wheels are really only good for mall floors and the like. Anything slightly rough is a rocky ride for your baby, anything with gravel is problematic. While shopping, I preferred to baby wear (shout out to Tula and now Tula Toddler) so I just don't use it because I got something better.
i ended up splurging on a nice jogging stroller with front swivel wheel, hand brake and park break (Mountain Buggy Terrain) with all the bells and whistles, even got an attachment to use our infant car seat on top. Much more suitable for my needs.
edited: type-o
One practical thing DH has always done is take care of all of my insurance and hospital paperwork, orders the birth certificate, files the new ss card and Dr info. It was a huge relief to not have to worry about those things especially when I couldn't even go to the bathroom without help yet.
Just sweet stuff though, he always washes dishes when I'm pregnant or taking care of a newborn. And when I'm pregnant, it makes me so emotional lol. I have had multiple cries over coming across an empty sink and full cabinets.
Married 9/18/10
TTC 1/1/12
BFP #1 12/13/12 MMC Confirmed 1/30/13
BFP #2 6/17/13, (Clomid+Ovidrel) CP Confirmed 6/26/13
BFP #3 8/14/2013 (Letrozole+IUI) Charlie Grace born 5/2/2014
Laparoscopic surgery 8/15 to remove misplaced IUD
BFP #4, #5, #6 (Letrozole+IUI)all MMC, BFP #7 EDD 1/3/2017
Most helpful thing DH did - EXTREMELY patient with my mood swings, which last time, looking back, were pretty awful. Like, I'm embarrassed now about how bad they were. I'm trying to maintain more control over them this time. Also, I'm not allowed to lift anything that he deems too heavy. At times this is really annoying, but I know that I would definitely try to lift things I shouldn't if he weren't so strict, so I try to listen to him - he's just concerned about my well being! And another is that he's always happy to go out and get whatever I'm craving. I didn't have very many cravings last time, but once he got me cheese fries at 10pm. It was heavenly.
And you didn't ask this, but since we're talking about awesome things DH does, after DD was born he really stepped up to truly be my partner in parenting. He works during the day and when he comes home, we pretty much evenly split everything with her. When she was first born we'd take shifts in the night to stay up with her so we both get some sleep, and even now, when she wakes up to eat, he always brings her to me and takes her back to her crib since by default I'm the one feeding her. He's seriously the best dad and husband!
As as far as what your husband can do, I think the most important things for me were when I got home. I needed someone to make sure bills were paid without me asking about it or thinking about it because you don't have time to think. I also needed the daily stuff done, dishes, laundry, meals. I basically needed my husband to turn into me without complaining about it for around a month or two.
As for husband help: one thing I found very helpful was having him do things when the nesting instinct kicks in. I was huge and unable to perform a lot of the tasks I deemed essential to complete before baby. Having an able-bodied husband around to clean baseboards/crown moldings/whatever other insanity you will come up with is awesome.
Jan17 Sept Sig: Pumpkin Spice gone too far
For baby registry, I went with babies r us and target. BRU price matches (even amazon) and they take bed bath and beyond coupons. I put a little note on my shower invite to let guests know that. If you don't want clothes, wait until your shower to reveal the gender. That's what I did and I received a few gender neutral sleepers, but no other clothes. I just really wanted to buy clothes myself and that was the only way I could think of to stop people from buying them.
Married 9/18/10
TTC 1/1/12
BFP #1 12/13/12 MMC Confirmed 1/30/13
BFP #2 6/17/13, (Clomid+Ovidrel) CP Confirmed 6/26/13
BFP #3 8/14/2013 (Letrozole+IUI) Charlie Grace born 5/2/2014
Laparoscopic surgery 8/15 to remove misplaced IUD
BFP #4, #5, #6 (Letrozole+IUI)all MMC, BFP #7 EDD 1/3/2017
ETA: mobile deleted last sentence
Married: 8/11/2007
DD: Born 2/3/17
BFP#2: 5/3, EDD 1/10/19
@emcollins3, I do love it! It is an excellent stroller as a single, too. Very sturdy and will last well. I choose that when we had our second because of how long the bigger kids can sit in the seats. Some other doubles are smaller, which was fine when my oldest was 2, But I wanted him to have the option of sitting comfortably for awhile. At 3.5 he still fits fine when he needs to ride. And so many configurations! If you have a Buy Buy Baby anywhere near you go try it out in person. That is the only store I know of that has just about every stroller there on the floor for you to try out.
DS2: 11/5/14
Early on, yes! I'm taking full advantage before the baby "gets in the way!"
ETA: ohmahgawwddd I just got an email from the Lucie's List site with an AWESOME google doc FILLED with amazing recommendations with baby essentials and everything. I'm so excited right now, I. can't. even!