Ask a BTDT: Newborn 101

AmMcc12

Thanks ladies. Tightness is on the outside. I'm pretty sure I still haven't had any BH which concerns me as well but oh well. Those are the better descriptions of BH I've heard though everyone else I ask says it's just like intense period cramps

JennM205

@AmMcc12 Don't worry about not having had BH - you're not missing anything fun! With DD, I had no contractions until the very last couple of weeks - nevertheless, she was born at 38w6d and labor was fast and "textbook" despite not having had many practice contractions. Not saying my experience will be yours...just an example!

AmMcc12

@JennM205 that helps though. I have this fear that no "practice contractions" means there is something wrong

noelani42

@AmMcc12 I had zero BH contractions with my daughter...I didn't start feeling contractions until 3 days before I went into active labor

camichael84

@AmMcc12 Try not to worry. I never felt a contraction at all with my first until after my water broke. All was good and delivery was quick (no pitocin needed at all).

AmMcc12

Thank you ladies!!

KimmySchmidt

Sarafuss said:

@AmMcc12 I wouldn't say BH feel like period cramps.  If your belly gets tight and you have cramps at the same time that sounds like real contractions to me.  But you really just need to be concerned if they feel like they have a definite beginning and end to them and you can time them.  If your belly is tight and uncomfortable (not coming and going in waves) for a long period of time put your feet up and drink lots of water.

Braxton hicks can absolutely feel like period cramps.

PSUBecky23

AmMcc12 said:

Thanks ladies. Tightness is on the outside. I'm pretty sure I still haven't had any BH which concerns me as well but oh well. Those are the better descriptions of BH I've heard though everyone else I ask says it's just like intense period cramps

Not a single contraction, BH or real, until the day I had my daughter and she was born at 38w2d. So no worries!

AnnaS930

Had my kiddo at 41+3, and never noticed a contraction (BH or real) until I woke up in labor. He was born within 12 hours without any issues.  I feel a lot more this time, but I wonder if I'm really having more or just more in tune?  Who knows!

Sarafuss

KimmySchmidt said:

Sarafuss said:

@AmMcc12 I wouldn't say BH feel like period cramps.  If your belly gets tight and you have cramps at the same time that sounds like real contractions to me.  But you really just need to be concerned if they feel like they have a definite beginning and end to them and you can time them.  If your belly is tight and uncomfortable (not coming and going in waves) for a long period of time put your feet up and drink lots of water.

Braxton hicks can absolutely feel like period cramps.

I was just saying how I would describe them.  But ok.

Shiva14

Sarafuss said:

KimmySchmidt said:

Sarafuss said:

@AmMcc12 I wouldn't say BH feel like period cramps.  If your belly gets tight and you have cramps at the same time that sounds like real contractions to me.  But you really just need to be concerned if they feel like they have a definite beginning and end to them and you can time them.  If your belly is tight and uncomfortable (not coming and going in waves) for a long period of time put your feet up and drink lots of water.

Braxton hicks can absolutely feel like period cramps.

I was just saying how I would describe them.  But ok.

Yeah as a loose general, they shouldn't be painful (my period cramps are awful and definitely painful). I agree with @Sarafuss in that they feel like an extreme tightening. Not comfortable but also not painful. If they start to feel painful I would time them. 

That being said, they can feel different for some people and period cramps can feel different also. For ME however they definitely do not feel like period cramps, my real contractions do though.

Edited because autocorrect scrambled my words

KimmySchmidt

Sarafuss said:

KimmySchmidt said:

Sarafuss said:

@AmMcc12 I wouldn't say BH feel like period cramps.  If your belly gets tight and you have cramps at the same time that sounds like real contractions to me.  But you really just need to be concerned if they feel like they have a definite beginning and end to them and you can time them.  If your belly is tight and uncomfortable (not coming and going in waves) for a long period of time put your feet up and drink lots of water.

Braxton hicks can absolutely feel like period cramps.

I was just saying how I would describe them.  But ok.

But ok, what you actually did say was, "I wouldn't say BH feel like period cramps."

My BH, and then ultimately my actual contractions, started out feeling like period cramps. I just don't want anyone to discount what feels like cramps as nothing, when, though it could be nothing, it could also be BH.

Sarafuss

KimmySchmidt said:

Sarafuss said:

KimmySchmidt said:

Sarafuss said:

@AmMcc12 I wouldn't say BH feel like period cramps.  If your belly gets tight and you have cramps at the same time that sounds like real contractions to me.  But you really just need to be concerned if they feel like they have a definite beginning and end to them and you can time them.  If your belly is tight and uncomfortable (not coming and going in waves) for a long period of time put your feet up and drink lots of water.

Braxton hicks can absolutely feel like period cramps.

I was just saying how I would describe them.  But ok.

But ok, what you actually did say was, "I wouldn't say BH feel like period cramps."

My BH, and then ultimately my actual contractions, started out feeling like period cramps. I just don't want anyone to discount what feels like cramps as nothing, when, though it could be nothing, it could also be BH.

Right.  Maybe my exact words weren't clear enough.  I said "I wouldn't say..." and by that I meant my personal experience.  It just rubbed me the wrong way that you quoted me (rather than just replying to the post and giving your experience with BH) and said that they absolutely can feel like period cramps.  Which okay, if for you, they felt like period cramps that's fine.  I didn't say "They absolutely never feel like period cramps for anyone".  I realize everyone is different and experience different things.

ETA:  And I had the same intention as the bolded above.  I didn't want someone to discount period like cramps as BH (i.e. not a big deal) when they might be contractions and need to call the OB.

mrsvoorhees-2

@AmMcc12 I never had BH last time either! I've had a lot this time but I think that has to do with my uterus having BTDT. Not a concern at all to not have them though!!

AmMcc12

I am hearing that you need to have a humidifier in baby's room. Is this really necessary??

abberson

@AmMcc12 It depends on the weather and your baby. We didn't use one for my first (though we got one as a shower gift). This time might be different, since the winter can be really dry around here.

KimmySchmidt

AmMcc12 said:

I am hearing that you need to have a humidifier in baby's room. Is this really necessary??

We use it when it is really dry in the winter (we do not have a whole house humidifier) and also when LO has a stuffy nose

AmMcc12

Thanks ladies. We probably wouldn't need one then in the PNW it's pretty wet

AnnaS930

@AmMcc12 - we used ours during the winter because our house gets incredibly dry with the heat running all the time (we have baseboard heat.. so hot water running through which should be one of the less-drying options, but doesn't help).  Our son had a million colds/ear infections in the first year so we'd run it especially when he was congested.  Hard to say if you'd need one or not.. but really, unless it's the middle of the night it's easy enough to run out and buy one when needed.

estephenson13

@AmMcc12 I agree with PP, it's something we had on our registry with DD but wasn't going to sweat it if we didn't end up receiving one. 

Shiva14

So I can't remember how many NB diapers we went through last time. I know this will vary based on the baby's size, so I'm just looking for a general expectation. DS was 8 lbs so I'm assuming this LO will be similar to that and I have bought 240 NB diapers (not counting what we'll grab from the hospital). That should be enough for three ish weeks plus a few days. Should I stop buying them now and start getting more size 1s?

KimmySchmidt

@Shiva14 all I bought were a few small packs of different brands of newborn and size 1 in case what I use with LO1 does not fit the same for LO2. 

Shiva14

KimmySchmidt said:

@Shiva14 all I bought were a few small packs of different brands of newborn and size 1 in case what I use with LO1 does not fit the same for LO2. 

See this is probably the smart thing to do. We love pampers for DS so that's what I got and just assumed they would fit LO (which might not be the case at all). I figure worst case scenario I'll go to Target and see if they'll let me exchange for a different brand...

jlmwood

I have two packs of Pampers and a pack of Babyganics. Pampers were the best for my oldest,  but since we use Babyganics for everthing else, I thought I'd try them too.