Today I am 28+3. This is the day in my pregnancy that my daughter was born. I am simultaneously over the moon that we are making it past that point, and losing my crap. I feel like a squirrel debating whether or not to cross the road. Laugh/cry, dance/twitch, ice cream/chocolate...
Natural M/C 03.26.2012 at 10w2d Charlotte born at 28w3d due to severe IUGR on 12.24.2012 Merry Christmas! Missed M/C discovered 12.22.2014 at 8w1d measuring 6w3d 2015 was a year to test strength of both body and character, but it led us to this... BFP 01.26.2016 EDD 9.30.2016
@jas1982 I'm thinking ice cream for celebratory, chocolate for medicinal purposes. Either way, both required food groups are making it into may day!
Natural M/C 03.26.2012 at 10w2d Charlotte born at 28w3d due to severe IUGR on 12.24.2012 Merry Christmas! Missed M/C discovered 12.22.2014 at 8w1d measuring 6w3d 2015 was a year to test strength of both body and character, but it led us to this... BFP 01.26.2016 EDD 9.30.2016
We just had our four hour childbirth class proctored by a doula. She realllly empathized natural methods of birthing (including having sex during early labor...). I asked her about childbirth pain on a scale of 1 - 10, if it would be a 15...and she said no, it's totally bearable. However, I am wary as she appeared super granola - Caucasian with dreadlocks and forearm henna tattoos. Now I'm like fffff do I want the epidural or not?!
My contractions were totally NOT bearable. But you know, everyone has a level of pain they can handle. I actually think my tolerance for pain is pretty high but I ended up getting an epidural.
I think the most important part of labor is being present in your mind and body and just focusing on what's best for you and baby. You never know what will happen during labor and regardless of how you birth, we always get the most special gift at the end
ps. Sex during early labor, no thanks. I'll try and get my nookie in before my water breaks
We just had our four hour childbirth class proctored by a doula. She realllly empathized natural methods of birthing (including having sex during early labor...). I asked her about childbirth pain on a scale of 1 - 10, if it would be a 15...and she said no, it's totally bearable. However, I am wary as she appeared super granola - Caucasian with dreadlocks and forearm henna tattoos. Now I'm like fffff do I want the epidural or not?!
Ditto that it's different for everyone. Contractions were manageable for me until I hit transition and then I started debating whether my no-epidural plan was worth it. But I powered through without the epidural and am glad I did.
If you're hope is to go without an epidural, definitely look into relaxation techniques to help get you through the pain. And if you change your mind, then no harm.
I think a lot of people can agree that whether you go with or without an epidural, the pain is an afterthought once your baby is in your arms. There's a reason people decide to have second/third/fourth babies, despite painful deliveries.
Hello all! Agreed that the traffic is picking up on weekends - I usually have time to read through posts but rarely respond.. then here I am Monday morning with nothing to say but talk about myself.
@JennM205 - my husband picked up Emmett at daycare Friday and said he had taken a fall on the playground and nose was "scratched up good" ... I got hot and nearly cried. Bright red scraped up nose from the tip all the way up. They told him he faceplanted and face was covered in dirt, so they cleaned him up and consoled him. While my husband told me the story, Emmett kept pointing to his nose and nodding and saying "Ouchie, Ouchie mama" It was a huge struggle not to cry. You never want to see your baby get hurt.. glad she's ok!!!
We had a rainy weekend (first in a long time). Saturday we went to the indoor toddler gym (love that place) and went to Toys R Us in the afternoon to get E a little table and chairs to color at. Guys... he colored for probably 2+ hours on Saturday evening, and sat at that table for a living room picnic lunch yesterday and colored for multiple hours throughout the day. Best $50 I've ever spent. We picked one out with 4 little chairs.. I can't wait for a year from now when I have 2 little dudes parked at that table.. unreal.
We just had our four hour childbirth class proctored by a doula. She realllly empathized natural methods of birthing (including having sex during early labor...). I asked her about childbirth pain on a scale of 1 - 10, if it would be a 15...and she said no, it's totally bearable. However, I am wary as she appeared super granola - Caucasian with dreadlocks and forearm henna tattoos. Now I'm like fffff do I want the epidural or not?!
LOL to the bolded. That is hilarious.
Certainly contractions are "bearable". If they weren't, then how would women have given birth for hundreds of thousands of years? I think it's great that she had such an encouraging attitude. You may feel at some point like some awful damage is being done to your body, but it isn't, and you will get through it, with or without the epidural.
I did end up with an epidural, but I waited 30 hours before I did. I will say that the level of pain has a lot to do with your environment, the people around you, and the context that you are able to manage it in. I was able to manage SO MUCH better at home. When we got to the hospital it felt like I wasn't even allowed to labor at all. l had the nurses checking my cervix, hooking me up to monitors/IVs, forcing me to lay down for the monitors/checks, and the doctor trying to break my water.
@frogdog06 - everyone's experience is so different (and I'm trying to remind myself that although I've done it before, every labor is completely different - AHH!). For me, contractions were totally bearable unless I was on my back so I just kept on moving around until I was fully dilated and ready to push. I always thought I'd get an epidural but didn't end up asking for one/needing one when the time came.
We had a busy weekend. Saturday, DH and I went to SIL's father's funeral. It was four hours away, so that was pretty much our whole day. Thankfully, my ILs watched McKenna, so she didn't have to go along.
Sunday, DH finally stained our deck (I helped during McKenna's nap, but overall, that didn't contribute a ton). It should have been done 3 years ago when we moved into the house, but we let it go. The cleaner and stain has been sitting in our garage for 2 months waiting for it to get done. But it looks great now, and I'm happy it's done!
Also, I hadn't planned on doing this until later after the baby is born, but we've decided to buy McKenna a potty. She's showing signs of interest (trying to sit on the potty, telling me she pooped, and trying to take her pants off for diaper changes). I'm not going to stress or push it with a newborn coming soon, but I want to start introducing the concept to her, and let her get comfortable and explore using a potty while she seems interested.
@frogdog06 I agree contractions weren't a 15 on a scale of 10, but they were a 9 or 10 to me. As everyone else has said, we all have different pain tolerances and experiences. For me, mine were harder to handle from the get go because they were one on top of the other, and I wasn't getting much time to recover in between. Every now and again, I'd get some that were more like two or three minutes apart, and they were much more doable than the ones that were pretty much back to back.
Guys! The first few things have been bought off my registry! Woot Woot!
I freaking stalk mine to make sure nothing goes out of stock or discontinued (like 10 items did on my BBB registry) anddd lets be real, just because I like to lol
@Megan324 I stalk mine too! Things keep being discontinued but there's no way for me to remove them at that point. But then a few weeks later they'll come back on the registry. So annoying!!
To everyone handling little ones that get hurt....ugh! It's the worst. Your heart really does walk around on the outside once you have kids!! Whether the kids get hurt, they're scared of something or someone has hurt their feelings, it's impossible to not go into mama bear mode and, at the same time, want to cry with them. I think it's really the hardest part of having kids.
On a different note, I'm finally just about over this headache, thank goodness! For three days I was in one of three places - my bed, the bathtub or the recliner. That's it. Between the headache, ridiculous blood sugars and not being able to get comfortable no matter what I did (thanks lower back pain!), this weekend was just rough. I have to say though, DH and the kids were so amazing. I keep apologizing to DH because I feel absolutely useless anymore and what does he keep telling me? "You have the most important and hardest job of all of us. Take it easy and do what you need to do to keep those babies cooking as long as they need to." I love that man! And the kids were just awesome. They knew I didn't feel good and that I wasn't up to doing anything so they completely entertained themselves, made sure I was ok and were absolutely wonderful. I've really lucked out with those three!!
To everyone handling little ones that get hurt....ugh! It's the worst. Your heart really does walk around on the outside once you have kids!! Whether the kids get hurt, they're scared of something or someone has hurt their feelings, it's impossible to not go into mama bear mode and, at the same time, want to cry with them. I think it's really the hardest part of having kids.
Oh goodness.. isn't that the truth?? My niece dropped her ice cream cone last weekend when we were all together and when she looked up with tears filling her eyes, I nearly cried myself and started yelling "It's ok Harper! Auntie is getting you another right now.. no need to be upset!" Like seriously, a dropped ice cream broke my heart? I scooped ice cream for years, I used to roll my eyes at those snot-nosed brats that would drop their cones after I suggested they get a dish on the side. Somewhere over the years this grinch's heart grew...
@frogdog06 I, too, got a little chuckle out of the last two sentences of your post. I agree with PPs - there's no harm in making a decision when the time comes and you have a point of reference (in terms of pain) to base your thoughts on!
@camichael84 Yay for your deck getting stained - we did ours last summer and it took us 7 weeks (weekends only). We have a huge deck and it had never been stained before, despite being at least a decade old. It sucked up that stain like nobody's business. So I feel you on how huge of an accomplishment that is - I bet it looks amazing!! Also, I hope Saturday went as well as could be expected for you and that your SIL / her family are also doing as well as could be expected.
@UnwritteN12 Yes! It's so hard to see our children hurting, both physically and emotionally! I'm happy to hear you're starting to feel better and that your DH and kiddos were good to you over the weekend. They sound like a really great bunch.
For those ladies who have given birth without an epidural before - what was the difference in pain level between contractions and actually pushing baby out? When I had DD, I took the "wait and see" approach regarding pain management. The pain of contractions wasn't awful for me - much better than I expected - and I was managing them well. But then I started to panic that if I passed the "no looking back" point that actually delivering her would be so, so, so much more painful than just managing the contractions so I went ahead with the epidural (but made it to 8 cm before that).
What are your thoughts? If I can make it through contractions this time like I did last time, is the pain of pushing/delivering manageable? Or is it significantly different / worse?
My daughter gets hurt all. the. time. I sign incident reports at school constantly. Yesterday, we were hanging out at her best friend's house. The kids were inside and the parents were outside. She comes running out to me in tears with blood on her mouth and the side of her face scraped. A hug and a wet cloth to her face and she was fine five minutes later and ran off to play. Maybe because I deal with it so often or because apparently Reese is tough, but I've learned to let it roll off my back. It sucks seeing our kids in pain but they're generally resilient and bounce back quickly.
@JennM205 - for me, the pushing/delivery was less painful than the contractions.. or it was a different kind of pain, because it was go time. Adrenaline pumping and I was able to DO something about the pain. Contraction and PUUUUUUUUUUUUSH. No time to think about when the contraction would ebb away, I had a job to do during. I really thought I had pushed for about 5 minutes when my son arrived.. it was closer to 25 minutes. There was some burning during the early pushes but really nothing (for me) compared to the huge contractions that came a couple hours before that (the ones that brought me to 10cm)
@camichael84 I bought DD a small seat for our toilet this weekend too! She's not ready yet, but she's been telling me when she's peed in her diaper and then asking to sit on the potty. I have to say, there is nothing cuter than an almost 2 year old with chubby thighs, sitting on the potty in just her t shirt, swinging her little feet. So freaking cute!!
@lovelylauren86 - oh no! I hope his symptoms are minimal and he recovers quickly. We had 3 local moms opt out of coming to our BabyQ last week because their littles had HFM, along with another 1 or 2 I've seen on these boards. Seems to be going around.. such a nasty bug!
@JennM205 I didn't go epi free, so take this as you will, but my epi either wore off or didn't go down very far into my pelvic area. I can't be sure I felt everything when pushing/delivering, but I know I felt a lot. I could even feel my water leaking with each contraction. (And every stitch afterwards... the OB that delivered DD waited until she was 98% done stitching to ask if I could feel it and offer pain relief.) It did hurt, but wasn't nearly as bad as the contractions I did endure. Like Anna said, there was a job to do and my body really wanted to do it, so there wasn't much thought other than to push. Getting her head out burned, but was also a relief. Her shoulders were the part I didn't think I was going to be able to do, but I did and it was over very quickly. I also agree pushing seemed to go by much quicker than what it actually did. I pushed for an hour, and it felt more like 20 minutes.
I also went on my registry this weekend because I wanted to make sure the items I put we're still available. It was only two days after my sister sent invitations and already 10 items were bought. It was so exciting!
@Megan324 Ya BRU says its "not available" but you can't even click the item to do anything about it - very annoying!
ETA: LOLOL im so dumb - its because I was only looking up the registry online instead of signing in.
@Thscary so exciting! My invites have been out for a month but this last weekend was the first activity our registry had. And our shower is this weekend. I guess I have procrastinating friends Someone did buy our $200 sheet set that we put on just for funsies so that was really exciting! I didn't expect anyone to buy it and we probably wouldn't have even with the completion discount. I can't wait to see who got it for us!
@lovelylauren86 - oh no! I hope his symptoms are minimal and he recovers quickly. We had 3 local moms opt out of coming to our BabyQ last week because their littles had HFM, along with another 1 or 2 I've seen on these boards. Seems to be going around.. such a nasty bug!
This is seriously the first time he's been actually sick! He's never even had antibiotics. I'm kind of lost
@lovelylauren86 - oh no! I hope his symptoms are minimal and he recovers quickly. We had 3 local moms opt out of coming to our BabyQ last week because their littles had HFM, along with another 1 or 2 I've seen on these boards. Seems to be going around.. such a nasty bug!
This is seriously the first time he's been actually sick! He's never even had antibiotics. I'm kind of lost
Take it from a mama who endured 5+ ear infections with my little guy in his first year - babies/toddlers are amazingly resilient. He'll be bouncing back before you know it, just try to help keep him comfortable and consider tossing out some of your rules in terms of snuggle/TV time while he heals up!
My husband is off today while little one is at daycare (happens once a week.. lucky bastard). He just texted me "step 1 complete" and sent a picture of our 2 bay garage with NOTHING in it. As in, he has emptied all hooks, shelves, etc. This is not what I expected when he said that cleaning/reorganizing the garage was on his list to do today.
My husband is nesting you guys. The garage is my last concern, but at least he's being productive. And with the number of strollers I currently own (2 singles, 2 doubles, a push trike and a wagon) I'll welcome this activity if it gives us better space to store those items...
@Megan324 Ya BRU says its "not available" but you can't even click the item to do anything about it - very annoying!
ETA: LOLOL im so dumb - its because I was only looking up the registry online instead of signing in.
@Thscary so exciting! My invites have been out for a month but this last weekend was the first activity our registry had. And our shower is this weekend. I guess I have procrastinating friends Someone did buy our $200 sheet set that we put on just for funsies so that was really exciting! I didn't expect anyone to buy it and we probably wouldn't have even with the completion discount. I can't wait to see who got it for us!
H was throwing DD up in the air last night and her face while she was in the air, right before she died laughing each time, was freaking sheer terror. And then she would laugh so hard. In turn, I laughed really hard and very, very nearly peed myself. That's never happened before. I had to concentrate while I laughed.
H was throwing DD up in the air last night and her face while she was in the air, right before she died laughing each time, was freaking sheer terror. And then she would laugh so hard. In turn, I laughed really hard and very, very nearly peed myself. That's never happened before. I had to concentrate while I laughed.
This is so adorable. It takes E a good 4-5 tosses before he goes from unsure/scared to pure joy. I have to tell others watching "just give him a few.. he'll love it". This far along in pregnancy, by the time he's loving it and yelling "MORE MORE!" is about the time that I can no longer throw 25 pounds in the air. Wah.
This conversation just occurred: "Anna!! How ARE you? When's your due date again?" "September 6! Thank you!" "You still have a ways to go!" (Said with a shocked look) "Well.. 8 weeks!" "You look like you're about to burst any second!" "Hopefully I won't!" (Still said with a huge smile) ... awkward pause... "Well it's just because you're SO tiny!!"
HA! Nice try woman.. too late to save yourself now! Waddled back to my desk shaking my head.
Re: July Randoms Thread
Charlotte born at 28w3d due to severe IUGR on 12.24.2012 Merry Christmas!
Missed M/C discovered 12.22.2014 at 8w1d measuring 6w3d
2015 was a year to test strength of both body and character, but it led us to this... BFP 01.26.2016 EDD 9.30.2016
Charlotte born at 28w3d due to severe IUGR on 12.24.2012 Merry Christmas!
Missed M/C discovered 12.22.2014 at 8w1d measuring 6w3d
2015 was a year to test strength of both body and character, but it led us to this... BFP 01.26.2016 EDD 9.30.2016
I think the most important part of labor is being present in your mind and body and just focusing on what's best for you and baby. You never know what will happen during labor and regardless of how you birth, we always get the most special gift at the end
ps. Sex during early labor, no thanks. I'll try and get my nookie in before my water breaks
DD #1 3/26/13
Mo/Mo twins MMC 3/31/14
DD #2 3/31/15
DD #3 8/25/16
Ditto that it's different for everyone. Contractions were manageable for me until I hit transition and then I started debating whether my no-epidural plan was worth it. But I powered through without the epidural and am glad I did.
If you're hope is to go without an epidural, definitely look into relaxation techniques to help get you through the pain. And if you change your mind, then no harm.
I think a lot of people can agree that whether you go with or without an epidural, the pain is an afterthought once your baby is in your arms. There's a reason people decide to have second/third/fourth babies, despite painful deliveries.
@JennM205 - my husband picked up Emmett at daycare Friday and said he had taken a fall on the playground and nose was "scratched up good" ... I got hot and nearly cried. Bright red scraped up nose from the tip all the way up. They told him he faceplanted and face was covered in dirt, so they cleaned him up and consoled him. While my husband told me the story, Emmett kept pointing to his nose and nodding and saying "Ouchie, Ouchie mama" It was a huge struggle not to cry. You never want to see your baby get hurt.. glad she's ok!!!
Certainly contractions are "bearable". If they weren't, then how would women have given birth for hundreds of thousands of years? I think it's great that she had such an encouraging attitude. You may feel at some point like some awful damage is being done to your body, but it isn't, and you will get through it, with or without the epidural.
I did end up with an epidural, but I waited 30 hours before I did. I will say that the level of pain has a lot to do with your environment, the people around you, and the context that you are able to manage it in. I was able to manage SO MUCH better at home. When we got to the hospital it felt like I wasn't even allowed to labor at all. l had the nurses checking my cervix, hooking me up to monitors/IVs, forcing me to lay down for the monitors/checks, and the doctor trying to break my water.
Sunday, DH finally stained our deck (I helped during McKenna's nap, but overall, that didn't contribute a ton). It should have been done 3 years ago when we moved into the house, but we let it go. The cleaner and stain has been sitting in our garage for 2 months waiting for it to get done. But it looks great now, and I'm happy it's done!
Also, I hadn't planned on doing this until later after the baby is born, but we've decided to buy McKenna a potty. She's showing signs of interest (trying to sit on the potty, telling me she pooped, and trying to take her pants off for diaper changes). I'm not going to stress or push it with a newborn coming soon, but I want to start introducing the concept to her, and let her get comfortable and explore using a potty while she seems interested.
I freaking stalk mine to make sure nothing goes out of stock or discontinued (like 10 items did on my BBB registry)
anddd lets be real, just because I like to lol
On a different note, I'm finally just about over this headache, thank goodness! For three days I was in one of three places - my bed, the bathtub or the recliner. That's it. Between the headache, ridiculous blood sugars and not being able to get comfortable no matter what I did (thanks lower back pain!), this weekend was just rough. I have to say though, DH and the kids were so amazing. I keep apologizing to DH because I feel absolutely useless anymore and what does he keep telling me? "You have the most important and hardest job of all of us. Take it easy and do what you need to do to keep those babies cooking as long as they need to." I love that man! And the kids were just awesome. They knew I didn't feel good and that I wasn't up to doing anything so they completely entertained themselves, made sure I was ok and were absolutely wonderful. I've really lucked out with those three!!
@camichael84 Yay for your deck getting stained - we did ours last summer and it took us 7 weeks (weekends only). We have a huge deck and it had never been stained before, despite being at least a decade old. It sucked up that stain like nobody's business. So I feel you on how huge of an accomplishment that is - I bet it looks amazing!! Also, I hope Saturday went as well as could be expected for you and that your SIL / her family are also doing as well as could be expected.
@UnwritteN12 Yes! It's so hard to see our children hurting, both physically and emotionally! I'm happy to hear you're starting to feel better and that your DH and kiddos were good to you over the weekend. They sound like a really great bunch.
For those ladies who have given birth without an epidural before - what was the difference in pain level between contractions and actually pushing baby out? When I had DD, I took the "wait and see" approach regarding pain management. The pain of contractions wasn't awful for me - much better than I expected - and I was managing them well. But then I started to panic that if I passed the "no looking back" point that actually delivering her would be so, so, so much more painful than just managing the contractions so I went ahead with the epidural (but made it to 8 cm before that).
What are your thoughts? If I can make it through contractions this time like I did last time, is the pain of pushing/delivering manageable? Or is it significantly different / worse?
ETA: LOLOL im so dumb - its because I was only looking up the registry online instead of signing in.
@Thscary so exciting! My invites have been out for a month but this last weekend was the first activity our registry had. And our shower is this weekend. I guess I have procrastinating friends
My husband is nesting you guys. The garage is my last concern, but at least he's being productive. And with the number of strollers I currently own (2 singles, 2 doubles, a push trike and a wagon) I'll welcome this activity if it gives us better space to store those items...
and oh hey at the sheet set! That is exciting
"Anna!! How ARE you? When's your due date again?"
"September 6! Thank you!"
"You still have a ways to go!" (Said with a shocked look)
"Well.. 8 weeks!"
"You look like you're about to burst any second!"
"Hopefully I won't!" (Still said with a huge smile)
... awkward pause...
"Well it's just because you're SO tiny!!"
HA! Nice try woman.. too late to save yourself now! Waddled back to my desk shaking my head.