@starphish18 when my dad was in the ICU he had a fantastic nurse. I bought her a commercially packaged box of chocolates as a thank you. That way if she wasn't comfortable eating them or couldn't keep them she could easily still give them away. We accept treats from patients all the time, but I don't know how different it is in a hospital setting.
530 I was discharged. I stayed at 1 cm with no contractions. It was the first time I really felt ones. With ds they were all in my butt but then didn't really feel them. It was an interesting experience. I was worried I'd be the girl that cried labor but they treated me with concern and respect.
@yiggle09 I'm glad everything checked out okay and the contractions stayed away! And that they treated you well. I feel you on having felt them like that now. I had back labor with DD only after my water broke. It's a whole different ball game this time around. Any tips/suggestions on what to watch for?
@starphish18 speaking for my unit we love food lol. We often get snacks such as baked goods, sometimes baskets of fruit, occasionally people order pizza or drop off donuts. Totally not a requirement by any means or even an expectation, but it's always nice when it happens. If you want to recognize just a couple special nurses that took care of you I've had patients make a little goodie bag with hand sanitizer, a pack of gum/mints, lotion, a $5 coffee gift card, thank you note, etc. Some hospitals also have programs where you can recognize staff members who were great (ours gives little appliqués to put on your badge when patients recognize your care, you later turn in the appliqués for different colored badges). You can always ask your nurses/doctors or on a tour if your hospital does anything like that.
@starphish18 piggybacking onto what @MrsFreeman2010 said, as a nurse, goodies basically are always appreciated and devoured quickly on my unit. Commercially bought/prepared items are definitely better than home-baked. You never know what someone's house/kitchen may look like so we often end up not eating home made goods. If you have any truly exceptional nurses ask the hospital what type of recognition program they use. Our hospital has recent begun to use "daisy awards" which is actually a national program used to recognize exceptional nursing care. It's hard to imagine that any hospital wouldn't have SOMETHING in place to formally recognize good care.
Ditto to what @ShadeofGreen816 said to. We See's Candy on our unit (Chocolate Store Chain). But anything store-bought would be devoured. We also have a Daisy Award program or Star program to recognize any member of the healthcare team.
Since I worked at the hospital I delivered at last time and had some EXCELLENT HCW's on, we ordered pizza for the unit. Everyone was super appreciative. Plus, having happy and fed staff around was great.
@bacorrea and @hp_momma Oh man, what would we do without Daniel Tiger?! Love that show. I seriously start singing the clean up song and DS starts picking up!
Question for STM+: did your DH wake up with you for middle of the night breastfeedings? If you bottle fed did you take turns?
I breastfed, but she never got enough. So then he gave her formula while I pumped what I could. This went on for 2 months. Then we switched off with bottles once she was exclusively ff.
May Siggy Challenge: Labor Memes
Me:31 DH:32 Married 11/06/10 DD: Born 8/23/13 (clomid+ovidrel+IUI) BFP 9/9/16 EDD 5/19/17
Question for STM+: did your DH wake up with you for middle of the night breastfeedings? If you bottle fed did you take turns?
After he went back to work from paternity leave, no, because I am a SAHM and DH gets up at 4am everyday and doesn't come home until 8pm. For us, it was more important that he got sleep so he could do his job. He comes home for a hour or two around 6-7 and he helped then. He did get up during his 10 days of paternity leave and he would get up on the weekends though. We also had a unique situation that he deployed when DD was 3 months. Also this sounds terrible, but DD was a very needy baby and only wanted me. If I would get someone to hold her while I went to the bathroom she would lose it. I had to be in her sight at all times.
With my first, I exclusively pumped and DS1 insisted on being held 24/7, so DH got up to help a lot. With DS2, once we got bf under control, I let him sleep since he was on DS1 duty. We tried to avoid changing diapers at night unless there was a poop. I'm pretty sure he mostly handled it if there was.
Feb 2012: DS1 born 40w2d, 7 lb 11 oz, 20" May 2014: DS2 born 40w3d, 10 lb, 23"
With my first, I exclusively pumped and DS1 insisted on being held 24/7, so DH got up to help a lot. With DS2, once we got bf under control, I let him sleep since he was on DS1 duty. We tried to avoid changing diapers at night unless there was a poop. I'm pretty sure he mostly handled it if there was.
What? My DD would have had a terrible rash if we didn't change her all night. Plus most babies hate being wet and will cry because of it.
Question for STM+: did your DH wake up with you for middle of the night breastfeedings? If you bottle fed did you take turns?
There was just a whole thread on this. I can't remember which one thousand. Maybe last weeks randoms? Everyone kind of posted what they did in the past and their plans for this baby.
With my first, I exclusively pumped and DS1 insisted on being held 24/7, so DH got up to help a lot. With DS2, once we got bf under control, I let him sleep since he was on DS1 duty. We tried to avoid changing diapers at night unless there was a poop. I'm pretty sure he mostly handled it if there was.
What? My DD would have had a terrible rash if we didn't change her all night. Plus most babies hate being wet and will cry because of it.
I was just thinking about this. I remember doing a change then feeding when my son woke up as a newborn (I think it was that order?) but then at some point I think I dropped the changes every time because he was up like every 60-90 minutes until maybe like 4-6 months? At some point we just did feedings...
I have no idea why I can not remember this at all and I am weirdly paranoid somehow doing things wrong at wakeups perpetuated his crappy sleep.
Can someone clearheaded remind me what the hell we do with them and at what age we get a break? I am so embarrassed I forgot.
@WombThereItIs in the beginning it was basically, change, feed, burp, change, sleep, repeat. Especially if there is a concern about weight and you're having to wake them up every two hours. I think once you no longer have to wake them up and then everything is stretched out a bit longer?
@wombthereitis with my first I changed his diaper every time he woke up during the night. I tried to do this as quickly as possible and in the dim light, then I would feed him and then try to get him back to bed. He was a terrible sleeper from the beginning so I changed his diaper just incase it was bothering him and causing him to loose sleep. I also wanted him to be fully awake to get a full feeding. It sounds like all babies are different, I didn't get a break until 6 months when I did sleep training. My child was not the type that ate and then fell right back asleep.
@starphish18 - with DS, I was in L&D for almost 24 hours. The nurse I started with stayed with me most of the time, and she was amazing. We chatted a lot and in the course of talking, she mentioned how a lot of people brought cookies and whatnot up, but she had celiac's disease and couldn't eat most of what was brought. I hadn't really planned on getting anything, but she really was amazing. I ended up asking my dad to run out and buy a big fruit tray, just as a thank you for everything she did. We're planning on playing this visit by ear, but we will probably have someone grab some kind of goodie tray, just to say thanks. Those nurses work hard!!
@WombThereItIs - we get a break at some point? J/k. For us, it was ditto on the early days of change, feed, burp, change, sleep, repeat. Right around 3 months, we started to skip the late night (10-11pm) diaper change, and we'd check to see if he really needed to be changed or was just slightly damp. Then, when he was up again around 2-3 AM, I'd change him. After a couple of months of that, if his diaper wasn't really full, we stopped changing him.
Are most of you ladies preregistered at your hospitals? I just called and mine doesn't do that. I delivered there last time and I remember how annoyed I was that I had to sit in the lobby and fill out paperwork while I was in active labor.
@WombThereItIs , I have a black hole in my memory for this period in time, too. I THINK we did this basic routine for the first 2 months: wake, change, feed, swaddle, sleep. And then after 2 months, we would drop the change if his diaper seemed to be ok. He wasn't the type of baby to get bent out of shape if his diaper was wet, though.
It is funny how quickly we forget. I remember when DS was brand new, people telling me "these days will fly by and you won't remember these bad nights" and I thought they were crazy...sure enough, I'm now just remembering that there was a lot of sleep deprivation and discomfort, but the specifics are really murky. Here's hoping this newborn phase will soon be a distant, foggy memory...
Thanks, guys. I think @ChristinaWild hit the nail on the head about changing every time and then eventually changing every other time. That sounds familiar. I am also now remembering the ominous mid feed poop that broke up the magical nurse to sleep game.
<pause to belt out It's All Coming Back to Me Now by Celine Dion>
@lrwardrop I will do a preregistration either at my 32 or 34 I think. It is kind of silly for me though since I am going to deliver where I am seen and they are on the same electronic records system so really I just prefill out the birth certificate, get baby set to be assigned a doctor (military stuff), and I think I signed some papers about advance directives and DNRish type questions?
@lrwardrop - that does sound silly! I had to preregister online around 20 weeks, and then before 30 weeks I had to make sure I went to the hospital to sign paperwork and give them "official" permission to submit a pre-approval claim to insurance. They've already asked me to pre-pay! This hospital wants their money! LOL
Are most of you ladies preregistered at your hospitals? I just called and mine doesn't do that. I delivered there last time and I remember how annoyed I was that I had to sit in the lobby and fill out paperwork while I was in active labor.
I plan to pre-register. It saved so much time with DS, which was a fast and intense labor. At my hospital, I think you have to deliver within 30 days so you don't want to do it too early. Otherwise, you may have to do it again.
I have preregistration paperwork as well that I'll turn in at our first class I believe. If not then I would take it to the epidural consultation in late April. My dr gave me the paperwork at my 26 appointment I think it was along with the circumcision paperwork and payment info.
Side note: called off work today. The move really got to me! My feet were/are horribly swollen and my back is killing me, more than usual. So I figured why not?! I can unpack a little and then rest and repeat. H called in too haha
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." ~Charlie Chaplin
@lrwardrop I will do a preregistration either at my 32 or 34 I think. It is kind of silly for me though since I am going to deliver where I am seen and they are on the same electronic records system so really I just prefill out the birth certificate, get baby set to be assigned a doctor (military stuff), and I think I signed some papers about advance directives and DNRish type questions?
Yes I thought it was pretty pointless when I pre-registered last week... like don't you all have this stuff already? They just basically asked if I had additional insurance, religious preference, emergency contact, and if I had an advance directive. Other than that I didn't prefill a birth certificate or assign baby a doctor.
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
@hp_momma Interesting. The birth certificate stuff was nice because they brought by my prefilled one when I was in the mother baby unit and I just double checked spelling and they submitted it to state vital records. So much easier when you are exhausted! The PCM assigning was a bit hazier, I think it was do you prefer a pediatrician or family medicine and do you want baby to have the same PCM as you if possible?
Basically i went to make sure they get the kid in DEERS and don;t screw that part up!
@hp_momma Interesting. The birth certificate stuff was nice because they brought by my prefilled one when I was in the mother baby unit and I just double checked spelling and they submitted it to state vital records. So much easier when you are exhausted! The PCM assigning was a bit hazier, I think it was do you prefer a pediatrician or family medicine and do you want baby to have the same PCM as you if possible?
Basically i went to make sure they get the kid in DEERS and don;t screw that part up!
Right?! DEERS is my number one concern. Can you just make sure my kid is enrolled?!
Maybe the birth certificate is going to come pre-filled with my information on it and I just need to fill in the name? I guess we will find out!
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
It's Tuesday and I'm already 3 pages behind! I've been majorly MIA since we moved into our new house on Sunday! I took yesterday off work to stay him and unpack/organize. DS loves his new room and is generally thrilled with the house- it has tons more space for him to toddle around. I literally did not sit down at all all day Sunday and yesterday unless I was driving...and it was a terrible idea. Anyone else get really frustrated by physical limitations? I'm so slow/easily tired and I have so much stuff that I want to do!
I read through all of the posts, but am feeling way too lazy to try to tag, so I'll comment on what I can remember reading/what I have thoughts on
Sorry to those going through rough toddler/threenager phases! DS is a baby-toddler (16 months), so I'm sure I'll have to deal with that at some point- I'm really loving his current age though. He's so interested in exploring EVERYTHING and is usually pretty well behaved, but it's already very obvious that he has both of his parents' stubbornness/strong will, which I'm actually pretty pleased with- though I know it will likely lead to some tough times ahead.
Re: diaper changes- we did the change, feed, burp, change again only if poop (which there usually was, apparently eating makes babies poop), sleep. There were weight concerns, so we had to wake him every 2 hours to eat in the beginning, so he never went long between diaper changes.
I preregistered pretty early last time, but haven't yet (31+4). I'm definitely going to ask at my appt on Friday- I like having as much done ahead of time as possible. I already packed my hospital bag as we were packing for the move because I was paranoid that everything would get scattered during the moving process!
Fur daughter: 02/2011 Human sons: 11/2015 & 05/2017 *formerly kayemjay*
@jayandaplus DH would go get the the kids and I would feed them, then he would change them and put them back in their beds. When I was pumping I would get set up, he would warm up milk, and we each got a baby. We kept the kids on a 3 hour schedule so generally we would wake up via alarm and go and get them so usually we weren't frantic with screaming babies.
I feel like its been well covered but re: diaper changes. We changed DD before every feeding. She would not sleep if she was wet, so it ended up just working better for us to always change her first thing when she would wake up.
Re: preregistration, the hospital we will be delivering at has an online form to fill out. With DD I don't remember having to fill out any paperwork when i first got there while in labor because it was all covered on the pre-registration form. IT was actually really nice, so we'll be doing that again. They just verified everything verbally while they were getting me all hooked up to stuff.
DH handled most non-bfing middle of the night duties. I think we followed the change, swaddle, eat, sleep schedule for a bit and then dropped changes unless DD's diaper was super full. One other semi-related "fun" mention, DD was breastfed and from about months 2-6 (when we started food), she only pooped once every 7-10 days. She wasn't constipated and those poos were normal. It was fantastic.
Re: Randoms and Questions 3.27 - 3.31
@Jens_Hoes sorry about the job
May17 Siggy Challenge
Labor
Married: October 2014
Began TTC: April 2015
BFP #1: 9/18/15. EDD 5/18/16. MC 10/26/15. (9w)
BFP #2: 2/27/16. EDD 11/7/16. MC/D&E 4/20/16 (11w)
BFP #3: 9/22/16. EDD 5/29/17. DS born 4/24/17
BFP #4: 5/20/18. EDD 1/23/19.
If you have any truly exceptional nurses ask the hospital what type of recognition program they use. Our hospital has recent begun to use "daisy awards" which is actually a national program used to recognize exceptional nursing care. It's hard to imagine that any hospital wouldn't have SOMETHING in place to formally recognize good care.
Since I worked at the hospital I delivered at last time and had some EXCELLENT HCW's on, we ordered pizza for the unit. Everyone was super appreciative. Plus, having happy and fed staff around was great.
DS1 7/24/15
DS2 5/7/17
DS1 7/24/15
DS2 5/7/17
DS1 7/24/15
DS2 5/7/17
Me:31 DH:32 Married 11/06/10
DD: Born 8/23/13 (clomid+ovidrel+IUI)
BFP 9/9/16 EDD 5/19/17
sigh, I hope this baby is easier. Haha
May 2014: DS2 born 40w3d, 10 lb, 23"
Due May 2017 with DD1!
https://redtri.com/new-study-reveals-moms-need-a-full-year-for-recovery-after-giving-birth/?utm_source=purewow.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubexchange_facebook
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." ~Charlie Chaplin
I have no idea why I can not remember this at all and I am weirdly paranoid somehow doing things wrong at wakeups perpetuated his crappy sleep.
Can someone clearheaded remind me what the hell we do with them and at what age we get a break? I am so embarrassed I forgot.
May '17 labor memes
@wombthereitis with my first I changed his diaper every time he woke up during the night. I tried to do this as quickly as possible and in the dim light, then I would feed him and then try to get him back to bed. He was a terrible sleeper from the beginning so I changed his diaper just incase it was bothering him and causing him to loose sleep. I also wanted him to be fully awake to get a full feeding. It sounds like all babies are different, I didn't get a break until 6 months when I did sleep training. My child was not the type that ate and then fell right back asleep.
Married:09/14/13
Baby 2 - Due: 5/4/17
Married:09/14/13
Baby 2 - Due: 5/4/17
It is funny how quickly we forget. I remember when DS was brand new, people telling me "these days will fly by and you won't remember these bad nights" and I thought they were crazy...sure enough, I'm now just remembering that there was a lot of sleep deprivation and discomfort, but the specifics are really murky. Here's hoping this newborn phase will soon be a distant, foggy memory...
<pause to belt out It's All Coming Back to Me Now by Celine Dion>
@lrwardrop I will do a preregistration either at my 32 or 34 I think. It is kind of silly for me though since I am going to deliver where I am seen and they are on the same electronic records system so really I just prefill out the birth certificate, get baby set to be assigned a doctor (military stuff), and I think I signed some papers about advance directives and DNRish type questions?
May '17 labor memes
Married:09/14/13
Baby 2 - Due: 5/4/17
Side note: called off work today. The move really got to me! My feet were/are horribly swollen and my back is killing me, more than usual. So I figured why not?! I can unpack a little and then rest and repeat. H called in too haha
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." ~Charlie Chaplin
They just basically asked if I had additional insurance, religious preference, emergency contact, and if I had an advance directive. Other than that I didn't prefill a birth certificate or assign baby a doctor.
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
Basically i went to make sure they get the kid in DEERS and don;t screw that part up!
May '17 labor memes
Maybe the birth certificate is going to come pre-filled with my information on it and I just need to fill in the name? I guess we will find out!
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
I read through all of the posts, but am feeling way too lazy to try to tag, so I'll comment on what I can remember reading/what I have thoughts on
Sorry to those going through rough toddler/threenager phases! DS is a baby-toddler (16 months), so I'm sure I'll have to deal with that at some point- I'm really loving his current age though. He's so interested in exploring EVERYTHING and is usually pretty well behaved, but it's already very obvious that he has both of his parents' stubbornness/strong will, which I'm actually pretty pleased with- though I know it will likely lead to some tough times ahead.
Re: diaper changes- we did the change, feed, burp, change again only if poop (which there usually was, apparently eating makes babies poop), sleep. There were weight concerns, so we had to wake him every 2 hours to eat in the beginning, so he never went long between diaper changes.
I preregistered pretty early last time, but haven't yet (31+4). I'm definitely going to ask at my appt on Friday- I like having as much done ahead of time as possible. I already packed my hospital bag as we were packing for the move because I was paranoid that everything would get scattered during the moving process!
Human sons: 11/2015 & 05/2017
*formerly kayemjay*
1/7/2015 Twins born @ 34 weeks
Re: preregistration, the hospital we will be delivering at has an online form to fill out. With DD I don't remember having to fill out any paperwork when i first got there while in labor because it was all covered on the pre-registration form. IT was actually really nice, so we'll be doing that again. They just verified everything verbally while they were getting me all hooked up to stuff.
May17 Siggy Challenge
Labor
I love having STM+ around to give good anecdotal advice/experiences.
@Yiggle09 They're doing mine before 35 weeks.
Also, I'm getting TDaP again before 36 (?) weeks to help immunize baby.