Also regarding pump sanitization - are you supposed to sanitize it after every use or just every day? And how do/did BTDT moms handle cleaning their pumps when at work or out and about? Our work kitchen sink is nasty and I generally refuse use the shared dishes in favor of paper plates and what not just because it's so dirty.
@geminigirl16 - I was fairly lazy about sanitizing things. I only bothered with boiling everything before first use. Than I used the steam bags 1-2 times per week. Washing is enough work that I didn't worry about sanitizing. We did wash in the dishwasher with a hot setting for heat. Get a basket for small bottle parts - they are pretty cheap and incredibly helpful. And yes the sanitizing bags can be reused. There is a spot on them for you to mark how many times you have used it.
@Jabreen - I only knew my baby was sunny-side up after having an ultrasound last week. But a couple days after the ultrasound I felt a lot of movement - like the baby was twisting. And since then my back pain is only a fraction of what it was - sunny-side up can cause a lot more back pain. I am not sure how well the OB can tell from feeling around. She did feel around for the head at my appointment this morning and I told her about the movement and decreased back pain. She said that she would agree that the baby has probably twisted and is in good position for delivery.
If you are worried about a sunny-side up baby, I think doing exercises on your hands and knees are recommended - such as the yoga cat stretch. I was doing that a lot more frequently to try and alleviate back pain and baby girl cooperating. I also have heard that being in a reclined position (like in a Lazy-boy chair) is unfavorable to getting the baby to rotate into the correct position.
@PoodleDoodleOoo - between pump sessions at work I didn't really clean my pump parts. I just wiped them off with a clean, dry, towel, put them in a ziplock bag, and put them in the fridge with the milk I had pumped.
@PoodleDoodleOoo one of the best things I learned while pumping was to put your pump parts into the fridge with your milk between each pump. That way you won't have to wash them at work. Then at the end of the day, take them home and wash them in hot water for the next day. I never sanitized mine...partly lazy and partly just didn't like the idea of putting those plastic parts into my microwave. I could've boiled them but never did. I just let them soak for a bit in really hot water. You will need to soak them when you clean, milk is really oily. Or at least mine was....I swear I only make cream. Haha
@poodledoodleoo no need to wash pump parts after every use - just stick them in the fridge and wash them when you get home. I put mine in a small wet bag in between uses.
As for sanitizing pump parts, bottles, pacifiers, etc - I never sanitized. Washing with warm soapy water was enough for me. But I'm not much of a germaphobe.
@jabreen I was told our baby was sunny side up and it explained why I was feeling/seeing the movements that I was. We would be able to feel long limbs then a bulb at the end along my stomach. If the baby was anterior, his legs would have been along the inside and we would have really only felt bigger bulges like back/bum. But his legs were along my stomach so we felt/saw a lot more. Does that make sense?
@PoodleDoodleOoo one of the best things I learned while pumping was to put your pump parts into the fridge with your milk between each pump. That way you won't have to wash them at work. Then at the end of the day, take them home and wash them in hot water for the next day. I never sanitized mine...partly lazy and partly just didn't like the idea of putting those plastic parts into my microwave. I could've boiled them but never did. I just let them soak for a bit in really hot water. You will need to soak them when you clean, milk is really oily. Or at least mine was....I swear I only make cream. Haha
Now I know where those amazing little rolls came from on DD1. She is so darn squeezable!
@jabreen This is just me, but I don't think boiling your pump parts once a week is necessary. I had some of the steam bags you mentioned, but never ended up using them. Hot water and soap did the trick to get everything properly cleaned. However, I'm a person that never boiled anything. I will say regarding boiling pump parts, I'd check with a LC or someone about how they'll hold up through being boiled. The effectiveness of a pump relies on the parts being in good condition. I had to replace valves, membranes, and tubing throughout my year of bf'ing.
@PoodleDoodleOoo Regarding cleaning pump while out, I'd just leave it until I could clean it. I had enough spare parts that if I needed to do multiple pumps while out, I was covered. I didn't work, though. I know some working moms just rinse the pump parts, refrigerate them, then reuse them, though!
I believe if they don't get at least 2 heart rate accelerations in a specific time frame, they told me it was 20 minutes? And they want to see those accelerations associated with movement. The concept behind the NST is that it shows that enough oxygen is being delivered for fetal activity and heart rate to be within normal ranges.
Re NSTs: my OB's practice makes you stay hooked up for at least 20 minutes, but will let you go longer if baby isn't co-operating and won't move. I've had some last over half an hour. And DD1 (who was never much of a mover) always had to be buzzed with the buzzer to get moving!
Re NSTs: my OB's practice makes you stay hooked up for at least 20 minutes, but will let you go longer if baby isn't co-operating and won't move. I've had some last over half an hour. And DD1 (who was never much of a mover) always had to be buzzed with the buzzer to get moving!
I went into one a few weeks ago because of decreased movement and after about 30 mins they had to buzz her too. She then proceeded to consistently swim away from the monitor for the rest of the NST. I think she was pissed so @RG1 if your baby doesn't show accelerations (might be lazy or in deep sleep), they'll just try different positions and then a buzzer near the head.
Wish I could lend you some of my BH's. My sisters said they never got them. I get them all. The. Time. Like now, I had to wake up to drink water because, heaven forbid, I slept five hours and my uterus was parched. I drink probably 5L of water during the day, it's exhausting.
@geminigirl16 I feel like this has been pretty well addressed, but I did what the other ladies did in terms of keeping parts in the fridge between sessions, then washing at night....I used the Medela steam bags to sanitize before first use and once a week after and they work great...much less of a PITA
Any recs for comfy postpartum yoga pants? My only pair are 8 years old and paint spattered. I figure I should get A back up pair. I'm having a CS so bonus for not hitting right at the incision line.
@abberson I LOVE the Target brand yoga pants. They are $14.99 and so so comfy. I have had 4 pairs of them for at least 3 years and I wear them all the time. I just bought another new pair for postpartum.
@abberson I got a few pairs from Costco, they're super comfy and actually come up over my bump which is nice in case I have a CS. I also have a few pairs of Lulu lemon's, but they come down lower.
Sorry to bring it back to breast pumps, but mine is in the box, in the hospital bag, where it's been since it came in the mail. Do I need to do anything with it before I go to the hospital (clean it, get other accessories)? I realize this may be a dumb question, but FTM here.
@mrsl0429 If you plan on using your pump in the hospital, I would definitely wash it up per the instructions. (Most (all?) brands recommend boiling/sanitizing the parts before the first use.) You shouldn't need any accessories for basic use, though you may want to purchase backup flanges/membranes/a tote bag later on. That being said, you may not need your pump in the hospital at all (meaning sanitation could wait until after you're home). I haven't cleaned mine and don't plan on bringing it to the hospital. If I need a pump for some reason, I will use one of the hospital's...but with DD, I didn't even need my pump until she was 2-3 weeks old (and only then because we were trying to get her to try a bottle).
Victoria's secret makes nice yoga pants though a bit pricy. I like ones that have a fold over waist which might be ideal for a c section, you could fold it all the way up and is almost like a looser panel maternity pant or way down and be nowhere near incision...
Has anyone has low vitamin B12 in pregnancy? I had some blood work done before my appointment next week and my B12 was low, so my midwife suggested I take a supplement, but she didn't tell me the dose to take. I'm already taking the recommended 2.6 mcg via my prenatal vitamins.
Has anyone has low vitamin B12 in pregnancy? I had some blood work done before my appointment next week and my B12 was low, so my midwife suggested I take a supplement, but she didn't tell me the dose to take. I'm already taking the recommended 2.6 mcg via my prenatal vitamins.
I've had low since before and I take 1500 mg per day
Has anyone has low vitamin B12 in pregnancy? I had some blood work done before my appointment next week and my B12 was low, so my midwife suggested I take a supplement, but she didn't tell me the dose to take. I'm already taking the recommended 2.6 mcg via my prenatal vitamins.
I've had low since before and I take 1500 mg per day
Has anyone has low vitamin B12 in pregnancy? I had some blood work done before my appointment next week and my B12 was low, so my midwife suggested I take a supplement, but she didn't tell me the dose to take. I'm already taking the recommended 2.6 mcg via my prenatal vitamins.
I've had low since before and I take 1500 mg per day
@MrsVoorhees Yes...I had two small tears with my first and then nothing with my second. I wanted to hug my doctor. The last push, he had me do a little "grunt" instead of a full blown push and I swear that kept me from tearing again. Maybe not, but I like to believe it. Now if I can make it this time without tearing again, I'll be a very happy mama!
@LizC216 good deal!! My doctor thinks the only reason I tore last time was because DD was sunny-side up. So hopefully this one is face down and no tearing!!
Thoughts on the massage to prevent tearing? It worked for my sister but I have read that sometimes it leads to so much swelling that it is potentially counter-productive... ?
I cannot find the blue Dermoplast! I've only found red (anti-bacterial). Is the red ok to use or should I keep on searching? Where did you find the blue?
I cannot find the blue Dermoplast! I've only found red (anti-bacterial). Is the red ok to use or should I keep on searching? Where did you find the blue?
You can by the blue one on amazon. Everyone says the red one burns. I'd go with the blue one!
I cannot find the blue Dermoplast! I've only found red (anti-bacterial). Is the red ok to use or should I keep on searching? Where did you find the blue?
I wouldn't want to put anything anti-bacterial on my vagina. There is a lot of good bacteria down there that help keep yeast infections at bay.
Re: Quick questions August
@Jabreen - I only knew my baby was sunny-side up after having an ultrasound last week. But a couple days after the ultrasound I felt a lot of movement - like the baby was twisting. And since then my back pain is only a fraction of what it was - sunny-side up can cause a lot more back pain. I am not sure how well the OB can tell from feeling around. She did feel around for the head at my appointment this morning and I told her about the movement and decreased back pain. She said that she would agree that the baby has probably twisted and is in good position for delivery.
If you are worried about a sunny-side up baby, I think doing exercises on your hands and knees are recommended - such as the yoga cat stretch. I was doing that a lot more frequently to try and alleviate back pain and baby girl cooperating. I also have heard that being in a reclined position (like in a Lazy-boy chair) is unfavorable to getting the baby to rotate into the correct position.
@poodledoodleoo no need to wash pump parts after every use - just stick them in the fridge and wash them when you get home. I put mine in a small wet bag in between uses.
As for sanitizing pump parts, bottles, pacifiers, etc - I never sanitized. Washing with warm soapy water was enough for me. But I'm not much of a germaphobe.
@PoodleDoodleOoo Regarding cleaning pump while out, I'd just leave it until I could clean it. I had enough spare parts that if I needed to do multiple pumps while out, I was covered. I didn't work, though. I know some working moms just rinse the pump parts, refrigerate them, then reuse them, though!
I know you had a NST today-- I'm guessing that baby didn't "pass"? Are they doing a BPP next?
BFP: 8/11/18 Due: 4/26/18