@gretchypoo I'm curious what the benefits of the tea are? My acupuncturist gave me some in a bag of goodies for Christmas and I was going to ask her this week at my appt about that tea. But curious if anyone had had good experiences with it? It is the traditional medicinals brand.
It is supposed to strengthen your uterus. People say it makes your contractions work better, reduces the time you are in labor and reduces pain in labor. There are conflicting studies about whether or not it actually works and if there are effects on baby after being born (some rats went into puberty faster) but 63% of midwives recommend using RRLT and the vast majority of research shows there are no negative side effects.
There are a lot of articles that talk about the results. My midwife recommended using it and I've started drinking 3 cups a day (the recommended dosage) -- I will probably end up being induced and I would like my uterus to be prepared for that chaos!
You can read a lot of articles by searching it on google and, just like everything else, opinions will be split about whether it does anything or not. It's supposed to help tone the uterus to help with labor. I'm trying it as well as evening primrose oil capsules (and walking and sex) because I'll be induced in 3 weeks if she doesn't come before then, and even if I have to be induced I'm hoping it will help labor be more productive.
This has I'm sure been asked, and probably by me, but has anyone else had a LEEP done? I mentioned it at my very first OB appointment to confirm pregnancy and the nurse then said that it potentially effect how quickly or slowly I dilate. I have asked a few more times about it and every time I'm met with "oh you just never know". Does anyone have any experience or has their OB told them anything different? I'm afraid I like wont dilate or I won't for a long time and then BAM I'm at like 8cm.
Full of questions today, probably sparked by my panic of "baby is soon!". I KNOW this was talked about but for the life of me can't find it on the search. I'm trying to get my Amazon subscribe and save set up for diapers but I have no idea what size to subscribe to first. What size will baby be in the longest? My thought was subscribe to size 1 because he'll be in those a while and just buy NB as we need them. But should I bank on needing the most of size 1? Or will it be size 2? I'm panicking...slightly haha.
This has I'm sure been asked, and probably by me, but has anyone else had a LEEP done? I mentioned it at my very first OB appointment to confirm pregnancy and the nurse then said that it potentially effect how quickly or slowly I dilate. I have asked a few more times about it and every time I'm met with "oh you just never know". Does anyone have any experience or has their OB told them anything different? I'm afraid I like wont dilate or I won't for a long time and then BAM I'm at like 8cm.
I had a LEEP before. At my appointment that day I had no dilated at all. I got to the hospital at like 2cm, and when they checked me about 20 minutes later I was at 9. They said the reasoning was because of my LEEP and the scar tissue there. Which scares me that it will be even faster next time!!
@Starfish113 ah that is terrifying! I live 45 minutes from the hospital and am a FTM so I don't even know if I'll know when I'm in labor and when the best time to call is. I want to labor at home as long as I can but i'm terrified i'll be like you were and BAM 7cm progress in 20 minutes haha
@Starfish113 ah that is terrifying! I live 45 minutes from the hospital and am a FTM so I don't even know if I'll know when I'm in labor and when the best time to call is. I want to labor at home as long as I can but i'm terrified i'll be like you were and BAM 7cm progress in 20 minutes haha
Last time I didn't have any contractions until it was actual labor. Unfortunately, they started at 3 minutes apart so I had to go straight to the hospital... but hopefully it will be the same for you so you'll know when it's time!!
@MommaBean I've been using an app called Breast Baby to track pumping. It's been great to far. It has a timer for pumping each side and you can start individually or at the same time depending on if you pump one at a time or both together. It allows you to track ounces pumped and has an alarm function to remind you when to pump. It has the same functions for feeding, as well as logs for diapers, bath, and sleep. It shows daily totals, as well as PDF to show your pedi.
@jlellis603 we were in 2s a lot longer than 1s. We had maybe two boxes of ones?
Ohh good I figured 2s might be the longest stretch so that's reassuring. I don't know if NB will even be much of a thing or not. I just don't know where to start haha
Im sure this has probably been asked before but for anyone who laboured in a birthing pool, what did you wear in the pool? & if not in the pool, when pushing? Whats practical? Im out getting the last of my bits & pieces and intending to pack my hospital bag this evening & want to make sure im comfortable but also practical with what i pack.
@jlellis603 DD was only in newborns for about a week. This obviously varies a lot from kid to kid, but I'd reccomend not getting many/if any newborns ((snag packs from the hospital!!)) and if you need to run to the store for a pack more, then NBD.
And/or: There are some stores that will swap unopened packs for a bigger size - so if you really want to have some on hand incase--just make sure the store you buy them from will exchange!
Im sure this has probably been asked before but for anyone who laboured in a birthing pool, what did you wear in the pool? & if not in the pool, when pushing? Whats practical? Im out getting the last of my bits & pieces and intending to pack my hospital bag this evening & want to make sure im comfortable but also practical with what i pack.
Packed a sports bra, but ended up Naked. Once I was in labor I didn't care one bit about clothes. packed a loose sports/nursing bra this time again-if I have time and think of it I'll put it on.
thanks @kjd291 I kind of figured that'd be the case. But, like you said, every kid is different. I like lists and plans and knowing things ahead of time so all these what-ifs and maybes are giving me anxiety haha
@Janefelicity my .02 from doing this literally yesterday is that I wore a sports bra and nothing on the bottom but I literally did not care at all at that point. My entire office could have waltzed through and I probably wouldn't have noticed. I'm a generally modest person and worried a lot about this beforehand but in the moment it was the last thing I cared about.
@Janefelicity I wore a sports-type nursing bra and a hospital gown. The gown was probably up past my belly during labor - I don't even know. I remember getting the impression that staff thought it was weird that I wore a bra, but my boobs are enormous and I'm not comfortable with them completely unrestrained!
@Janefelicity Never done this before, but speaking as someone who's been doing a lot of swimming lately, I fucking hate wrestling out of a wet bathing suit these days. I imagine contractions will make that sensation 1000x worse. So I'm not packing anything for the bath/shower. I'm going naked. Packed my husband a bathing suit in case I want him in the shower with me, because he won't be labouring and will likely want it, but I figure my midwife and doula have seen it all before and that I will not care at that point.
@Janefelicity FTM here so take this with a grain of salt, but I packed a sportsbra for the tub/labor but got one that unzips in the front for skin to skin. My Bradley instructor said to avoid traditional sports bras bc you may have to have it cut off you for exactly the reason @poetryandoceans just said.
I'm packing an old sports bra that's loose if I need to shove it out of the way and that I don't care about losing if it needs to be cut off. I don't really see it interfering with skin to skin but I'm IBTC and so a lot of my sports bras are light on coverage. It'll be harder for me to relax with my boobs out, just the way I am.
Question - for STM's thinking back on previous labor, did you notice your mood changing before you went into labor? I read something about pre-labor "symptoms" and one thing it said was that your mood shifts, for some women good and some bad. I noticed yesterday and today I'm more grumpy (read: bitchy and short) but that may be from just being tired and uncomfortable.
Thanks for the responses ladies, im not sure how comfortable id be being completely naked infront of random strangers (ie midwives, docs etc) so will have a think about what my options are, although it may be that once everything kicks off all modesty goes out the window! Lol
@becbec28 I tried to think most of today, if I ever had noticeable mood changes, before labor. I really don't remember, but that was a long time ago for me. I have been different lately though. I've been a lot more grumpy and weepy. I personally think mine is just from being so uncomfortable all the time. BUT someone here in this bmb had mentioned to me that they have a sense of calm lately. And they mentioned it a few days ago, so maybe what you read is accurate for some women?
@purplewriter Mine was a trickle with a tiny bit of bleeding. The light spotting was the impetus for me to call in to my doc. I (and the on-call nurse) thought the light trickle was possibly just urine since it was so light. Unfortunately, not the case. It was PPROM. I continued to have a very light trickle the entire 17 days while in the hospital waiting to hit the 34 week mark.
On a non-labour related note: how necessary is it to have a baby monitor right away? We live in a wee two bedroom apartment. The living room kitchen dining room are open concept. Our bedroom is visible from the kitchen. Baby will be sleeping in our bedroom for the first while. As a FTM am I underestimating the power of a good baby monitor?
On a non-labour related note: how necessary is it to have a baby monitor right away? We live in a wee two bedroom apartment. The living room kitchen dining room are open concept. Our bedroom is visible from the kitchen. Baby will be sleeping in our bedroom for the first while. As a FTM am I underestimating the power of a good baby monitor?
I personally never use mine. Our smaller house is very old and echoey-and can hear everything, but I did get one incase I wanted to run outside or for when my DH is home alone and isn't as observant
On a non-labour related note: how necessary is it to have a baby monitor right away? We live in a wee two bedroom apartment. The living room kitchen dining room are open concept. Our bedroom is visible from the kitchen. Baby will be sleeping in our bedroom for the first while. As a FTM am I underestimating the power of a good baby monitor?
In your situation you probably dont really need one if you're going to be able to hear her/him anyway. When we first had our daughter, we had a two story but we moved into the smaller bedroom upstairs so we could be close to her. The rooms were so close I'd leave the monitor on but had the sound turned off. Basically I'd just use it so I could look at her without having to walk in the room and potentially disturb her. During naps we'd be downstairs so it came in handy more.
@floatingelephy i wouldnt say so in your case. We just got ours last week as the baby will be upstairs sometimes when we are downstairs & for my parents house when we're there. We used to live in a 2 bed appartment and i wouldnt have felt it was necessary there.
@floatingelephy we were wondering the same thing. We had one on the registry just because we knew we'd need one eventually. We got it for Christmas. We are glad we have it now though since we will need it at the lake house this summer and if we want to take the dog out back to play. I would say good to have on hand but not wicked necessary right away.
@floatingelephy we were wondering the same thing. We had one on the registry just because we knew we'd need one eventually. We got it for Christmas. We are glad we have it now though since we will need it at the lake house this summer and if we want to take the dog out back to play. I would say good to have on hand but not wicked necessary right away.
Yeah it's nice to have when you go away with the baby too. We still take it for our 2 year old when we go away.
On a non-labour related note: how necessary is it to have a baby monitor right away? We live in a wee two bedroom apartment. The living room kitchen dining room are open concept. Our bedroom is visible from the kitchen. Baby will be sleeping in our bedroom for the first while. As a FTM am I underestimating the power of a good baby monitor?
I found mine necessary but only once she wasn't sleeping in our room anymore, and we live in a smallish apartment as well. I just need to be able to see if she is asleep/ awake/ what she's doing lol. We still use it every night and she is 3.
Thanks, ladies! I'm glad I asked. I think we'll get one eventually, because it seems to be useful for many scenarios other than obvious ones (obvious is all my brain can manage at the moment). But we'll maybe wait a bit before throwing down more money...
So this is a question for after the birth. How long did you wait before you took your newborn to a public place? I've read that especially during winter/early spring months that doctors recommend waiting 6-8 weeks. Did you wait that long?
I'm asking b/c we just got the date of DH's grandma's 80th b'day celebration and it's April 2nd. Our baby won't yet be 6 weeks if he's born on or after his due date. Since we only have DH's family around and they are all going to be at this celebration there isn't anyone to watch the baby so I'd probably stay home with the baby if he's not allowed to be out in public yet. I also don't want him passed around in public which I feel like if we do go is what will happen if we go or DH and I will just have to grow backbones and say nope he's not getting touched and let small groups come visit our house to see him at another time if they want to.
Me: 33 | DH: 34 Married: October, 19, 2015 EDD 2/22/17 DS1 born on 3/2/17 EDD 3/8/20 DS2 born on 3/10/20 EDD 11/24/23 (Formerly Marriedhamstermom Feb ‘17)
@marriedhamstermom It will all come down to what you're comfortable with but just consider this... People on their 2nd, 3rd,4th etc baby have to go out in public much earlier than 6 weeks because of their other kids activities and such. If it was me, I would go but wear him or keep him in the car seat. It encourages less touching.
I think you might find that you'll be itching to go places by that time.
@marriedhamstermom I cannot even imagine staying home for 6 weeks. With both kids we were out less than a week after birth. Church, target, ikea, etc. I just used caution. Kept baby covered in car seat. Put 2nd baby in a carrier a lot. Dh was deployed when #2 was born, so I really had no other options then going out so I could grocery shop, take toddler to the park so we didn't all go insane etc. carrier or car seat Will keep people from touching, or only touching their feet because people won't try to touch right by your boobs. Lol. This baby will probably be out right away. We have two other kids, one of which goes to school and life will have to go on. But really I even let people hold number two as long as I knew they weren't sick and used hand sanitizer.
Re: Ask a STM December edition
There are a lot of articles that talk about the results. My midwife recommended using it and I've started drinking 3 cups a day (the recommended dosage) -- I will probably end up being induced and I would like my uterus to be prepared for that chaos!
Here is a good review of the (limited) science: https://thepregnantscientist.com/tag/raspberry-leaf-tea/
Another good article with recipes: https://www.mamanatural.com/red-raspberry-leaf-tea/
I got traditional medicinal brand as well off amazon and it came in yesterday, so I had a cup last night.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008FOLQRE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
You can read a lot of articles by searching it on google and, just like everything else, opinions will be split about whether it does anything or not. It's supposed to help tone the uterus to help with labor. I'm trying it as well as evening primrose oil capsules (and walking and sex) because I'll be induced in 3 weeks if she doesn't come before then, and even if I have to be induced I'm hoping it will help labor be more productive.
Married: 9/2013
Love my LEO!!
TTC #1: 9/2015
BFP: 2/1/16 MC 2/8/16 @ 5wks
BFP: 5/22/16 RAINBOW BABY
EDD: 1/30/2017 *IT'S A GIRL!!!!*
Kirsten Grace 1/20/17
Ohh good I figured 2s might be the longest stretch so that's reassuring. I don't know if NB will even be much of a thing or not. I just don't know where to start haha
And/or: There are some stores that will swap unopened packs for a bigger size - so if you really want to have some on hand incase--just make sure the store you buy them from will exchange!
Married: 9/2013
Love my LEO!!
TTC #1: 9/2015
BFP: 2/1/16 MC 2/8/16 @ 5wks
BFP: 5/22/16 RAINBOW BABY
EDD: 1/30/2017 *IT'S A GIRL!!!!*
Kirsten Grace 1/20/17
I had both. 2 nights of "slow trickle" (about a cup or 250 ml each time), and then the final was a huge gush.
Me: 37 - H: 39
TTC#1: 01/2016
BFP: 06/18/2016 - EDD: 02/20/2017 - Born: 01/27/2017
I'm asking b/c we just got the date of DH's grandma's 80th b'day celebration and it's April 2nd. Our baby won't yet be 6 weeks if he's born on or after his due date. Since we only have DH's family around and they are all going to be at this celebration there isn't anyone to watch the baby so I'd probably stay home with the baby if he's not allowed to be out in public yet. I also don't want him passed around in public which I feel like if we do go is what will happen if we go or DH and I will just have to grow backbones and say nope he's not getting touched and let small groups come visit our house to see him at another time if they want to.
Married: October, 19, 2015
EDD 2/22/17
EDD 3/8/20
EDD 11/24/23
(Formerly Marriedhamstermom Feb ‘17)
I think you might find that you'll be itching to go places by that time.