FTM questions for STM+ 8/21

MJDsquared

Looks like our last one of these was on 8/6 and I selfishly have a question that I'll ask later.

MJDsquared

I usually avoid being the first person to post on my own post but whatever! Haha.

SO, the glucose test. I know there are sooo many different ways to go about it depending on your provider. (i.e. Some people are told to fast, some aren't, some drink it at home then go in, some have to drink in the office, etc.) But my question is...is it really as bad as I've seen some people making it out to be? I don't mean taste-wise, I mean feeling nauseous or having a headache or whatever afterwards.

Again, I'm sure it's different depending on if you had to fast or not (and there's the 1 or 3 hour versions) but I'm wondering why the nausea? It's really just that sweet? (Or maybe they hate the taste that much?) I realize it also may be related to just being pregnant, but I'm just curious based on my insane sweet tooth (which I feel like would mean the amount of sugar shouldn't make me feel sick)/lack of nausea this pregnancy whether or not it'll make me feel sick. I have no idea if I'll have to fast or what time of day my appt will be yet, I'm just curious.

katiegeminimoon

@MJDsquared I am a FTM but I had to do the glucose test at 11w (they assume shit becasue I am fat *eyeroll*) and I have to do it again this Friday. I had to fast for 2 hours and drink it there. I had the orange and it wasn't that bad, it made my throat dry but I was allowed to drink water. It did make me a little shaky, but that was it.

blueskies17

@MJDsquared I'm a FTM but I did the 1 hour glucose test on Friday (at 23w6d, still waiting on results). My appointment was in the morning and I was not required to fast before the test, but I just skipped breakfast anyway (still drank water and a little coffee). I was instructed to fast during the 1 hour between drinking the stuff and getting my blood drawn. It tasted like un-carbonated Sprite and I didn't mind the flavor at all (you might even say I liked it lol). I get really thirsty while pregnant so it was slightly uncomfortable to avoid water for an hour but nothing to complain about. I can't speak for the 3 hour test and I hope it won't come to that!

MJDsquared

@ktcakes87 @blueskies17 Thanks ladies!

blueskies17

I have a question for STM's - where did you change baby's diapers the most often- on a changing table in the nursery, or in various places around the house? 

acgonzalez22

@MJDsquared With DS, I threw up every time I tested and ended up being tested 6 times. It was awful. This time my OB allowed me to eat a protein rich breakfast up to an hour before and gave me a zofran. The office also allows you to put it over ice if you prefer. I had the orange for the 1 hour and 3 hour and its not too bad. I wasn't allowed water. I always say bring a snack and Gatorade for when you are done.

@blueskies17 I always tried to change DS on the changing table if I was home up until about 10 months, then it was anywhere really in the house. When traveling or out, I changed him in the back of the car on a portable changing pad (or laying in stroller) unless I had no other choice but to use a restroom changing table. I'm a germaphobe when it comes to my child so I avoid any public changing stations.

TigerCakes

@blueskies17 I had a changing table upstairs and the changing table attachment for the packing play downstairs so I always changed DS in one of those 2 spots and still do to this day.  I have a bad back so I hate when I have to change him somewhere that's not a changing table.

ngarciabyu

@blueskies17 I changed baby all the places except for the designated changing areas lol. I think I used a changing table with my first more, especially when getting him dressed or having to do an outfit change, I was in his room anyways. But really one of the best purchases I made was a couple of those portable/foldable changing pads. Both of my boys slept with me in my room for quite some time. I had a changing station in my room but during the middle of the night after nursing the last thing I wanted to do was stand up and change them. So I would just grab the changing pad and change him while in bed. And same with Day to day stuff. If we were in the living room playing it was easier to grab a diaper and change them right there on the floor rather than take them to a room somewhere to change them. I'm a bit lazy though lol.

failuretofly

@MJDsquared I think if I was required to fast first, I would definitely puke. I was not, and felt totally fine. 

@blueskies17 I think I've changed DS somewhere other than his change table only a handful of times, with the exception of when we were out. 

Side note from someone who learned the hard way - if you live somewhere it gets below freezing in the winter... do not leave the diaper bag in the car. You cannot clean poop up with frozen wipes!

anewadventure

@MJDsquared  ugh. ugggghhhh. i've only done the glucose test once (my last pregnancy) and it made me feel awful for THREE DAYS. i am not required to fast before-hand and ate the recommended breakfast of two eggs with a little cheese. no water during the test. i had the orange kind. i had some nausea but overall it was the headache and just general feeling of garbage that got to me. i could barely work the rest of the day. i'm not looking forward to the test this time around. 
i have no idea why it affected me this way. FX you have no problems. i know plenty of people that breeze through it (whether they pass or fail - i mean in terms of how they are affected physically by the challenge)
ETA: i passed with no problem. for what that's worth. 

@blueskies17  diaper changing was all over the place. we ended up with a basket / bin of supplies in like three different rooms. we had the "real" changing pad in the nursery, and portable style pads elsewhere. lots of changing on the floor / bed / ottoman in the living room. when they are infants they get changed so often that you're unlikely to schlep to the official nursery changing station each and every time. 

wabash15

@MJDsquared  I think it depends on the person but for me it was NBD and I kinda liked the drink... (Maybe thats an UO)
@blueskies17 we typically change on the changing pad on top of their dresser (so not a specific changing table but its our changing station) when they were little we also had a changing station on the PNP in our room which we used for nights. Some of this may be that we were initially in an apartment and now our house is a ranch so it takes 10 seconds to get to the bedroom. If I had to go up stairs I might make a changing pad/station downstairs. if we were out and about we would change where ever. 

blueskies17

@ngarciabyu that's a great idea - I'm pretty lazy myself!
@wabash15 we will probably get a dresser with a changing pad on top as well. We live in a 1 bedroom apartment so everything has to be multi-functional 

cait5413

I fasted for mine last time and then found out I didn't have to! I think my test was at 10 am or so, so after not eating, that much sugar did make me feel nauseated. I didn't think it tasted so bad at first, but it was hard to drink the whole thing. 

We changed DD on the changing pad on her dresser most of the time. In the middle of the night when she was still rooming with us, we changed her in there, but after that it's pretty much always in her room

brittyclem

Do you need to use baby specific laundry detergent or will any dye free/frangrannce free detergent work? What about fabric softener? Do you usually wash their clothes separately or with your own clothes to maximize the load? 

kaylawing

@brittyclem I didn't get baby fabric detergent. We just use an unscented and dye free detergent. I wash dd clothes desperately, but I don't think you'd have to necessarily. I'm just lazy and don't want to sort hers from mine when it's done.  

oncape100615

@brittyclem - for my first I bought and used Dreft for all her laundry and kept it separate and ever used dryer sheets. Eventually I switched to Tide "free" (in the white bottle) and the bounce "free" dryer sheets. When DS came along I just went with the tide and had no issues. I think it really depends on the sensitivity of your baby's skin. But I had no issues with the Tide since day 1.

Tennis11785

I've got to take my GD test at my next appointment, but the appointment isn't until like 3.  So they said I didn't need to fast, and I'm just gonna try and keep it really protein heavy that day....

cait5413

We use All Free & Clear (same as Dreft, but cheaper) and no dryer sheets. Everything gets washed on delicate, so I sometimes throw in some of my stuff that also needs to be washed on delicate, but usually I just wash her stuff on its own. She's a year now, so I just started using dryer sheets with her stuff. 

mdcd44127

@Tennis11785 Same here, my appointment isn't until 3:45, but my OB asked me to come in a little early to make sure the lab would still be open an hour after I drink the poison glucola. So I'm already semi-stressing about what I'm going to eat that day... I might have to set some phone alarms to remind myself to eat enough protein.

anewadventure

kaylawing said:

@brittyclem I didn't get baby fabric detergent. We just use an unscented and dye free detergent. I wash dd clothes **separately, but I don't think you'd have to necessarily. I'm just lazy and don't want to sort hers from mine when it's done.  

^^this. i still wash DS's clothes separately, and he's about to turn three. it's just easier than having to sort later and the little stuff always gets stuck inside the big stuff. i used dye-free and unscented while he was very small and then gradually switched to my regular detergent by 1 year old because that's when you get real food stains, grass stains, etc and those dye-free detergents generally don't work as well in my experience. i'm a big fan of shout (spray or gel) and stain stick as well. 

PRO TIP: get a lingerie bag or other mesh bag (they even have them at the dollar store) and make yourself put all the baby / toddler socks in it before you throw them in the wash. the extra hassle up front is SO worth it. they don't get lost, they don't get sucked down the drain, you aren't constantly searching to pair up some socks. 

flowerpower5838

DS is probably to this day changed 50/50 - half of the time on his changing table in his room and half of the time on the pack and play attachment when he was a newborn in the living room but now it's just the floor in the living room. We keep a separate stash of diaper stuff of LO downstairs - including stuff for circumcision care when he was a newbie. 

We've only used free and clear detergents with the exception of the baby detergent samples received. 

I don't think my 1 hour test is until my next appointment (I have one this week so in a month) but I don't believe I was told to fast with DS and I certainly did not. I DID fail that though...

oncape100615

As someone who had to have my washer serviced only to find out DS's socks clogging the drain - I HIGHLY recommend and second the lingerie bag. I also second the Shout spray/gel, it's a miracle worker on on my kids clothes (DS has refused/ripped of any thing resembling a bib since about 15 months)...

MJDsquared

All right, registry/stroller question. One of my friends from college and one of my only peer friends with a baby told me she really wanted to get me a BOB. I registered for a Graco travel system because I figured good enough and I didn't want to put anything crazy expensive on my registry in hopes that a lot would be bought from it, but also because we'll have to buy whatever's left and we're not rolling in dough. She asked if I was okay with secondhand, which I am. She sent me a picture last night and was like, "I got your stroller!" (she just asked me about this on Friday so she worked fast) and then she mentioned how now she just has to get an adapter for our chosen car seat.

So, my question is, should I still register for the full travel system, or should I just register for the car seat if she's getting me an adapter?

kickball7091

In terms of laundry tips, I have a kinda gross one: I had separate stain pens around solely for poop stains.  So often babies will have diaper leaks around the legs of their onesies, and I'd need to hit it with a little stain pen (like a Tide to Go stick) before washing.  Just kept it next to our changing station/hamper and never, ever, ever used it on anything else.  

elcd458

@MJDsquared  Isn't the BOB a jogging stroller? I'd think that if it is, it probably sticks out more and takes up some significant space when out and about.  If the Graco system you registered for is smaller (especially at the wheel base) you may still want it as an option when you are in crowded places, like going shopping or heading to a community event.  Not to mention most upscale strollers and jogging strollers are known to sprout wings and fly away if you ever have to leave it unattended somewhere busy. 

MJDsquared

@elcd458 Yes, it's a jogging type stroller. I think I've heard people say they find Graco strollers bulky (though the one I'm registered for had pretty good reviews overall), so I really don't know based on that. I am leaning towards just leaving the full travel system on the registry anyway, especially because I wasn't thinking about an adapter so I imagined I'd just wait until LO could sit in a stroller without an infant seat to use the BOB.

I hadn't thought about the theft angle either, that's a good point!

anewadventure

@MJDsquared  omg. what a nice friend. and she found one used? that's tough! we have a BOB and it is the best thing ever. it is certainly bulky but so worth it. we have a crappy little umbrella stroller for when the BOB is too big. when DS was an infant we used the BOB  with the adapter for the car seat and it was awesome. you will take more walks, and longer ones, if you use the BOB than with any other stroller type. it is THAT smooth. 

you can register for the travel system if you reallllly want to but i'd personally just get the adapter. we got our umbrella stroller off craigslist (there are one million of them) and you could definitely find the cheaper travel systems on craigslist as well if you decide you want it later. unless you have a super small car / trunk, i wouldn't worry about it yet. 

i wouldn't worry about theft, but i'm also not ever in the habit of leaving my stroller unattended. we've put it in "stroller parking" at zoos and such but that's not a place someone is going to walk off with your stroller, generally. when you're at the park, just keep it nearby. 

MJDsquared

@anewadventure In college (before motherhood) this friend used to go to sales at REI at like 5 a.m. to buy super discounted BOBs and resell them! Haha. Yeah, she lives in Seattle and said there are tons of used ones up there. I don't know how much adapters are but I'm wondering if I should just tell her not to worry about it and put the adapter on our registry.

We do have pretty limited trunk space. We have a Kia Soul and a Honda Civic, and unfortunately it's not in the budget to get rid of our Civic and get a bigger SUV like we want to do eventually.

YodaIsGreen

Where do you store the changing supplies around the house? I don't want to run to the changing table everytime a diaper needs changing. Do you keep a stash of supplies in multiple areas of the house?
When you are out visiting friends without kids where is the appropriate place to change and dispose of a diaper? I ask this because a few years ago we had friends over for a party. One of them changed the baby and left the stinky diaper in the trash. We did not think it was polite and the bathroom smelled for hours before we realized what the smell was from. 

blueskies17

When did you schedule to go on maternity leave before baby arrived, and when did you actually go on leave? Also, would you do anything different this time? 

blueskies17

@YodalsGreen that is so rude! My instinct (as a FTM) would be to either take the dirty diaper with me in a plastic bag to dispose elsewhere, or ask the host if there's a good place to throw it out (e.g. wrapped in plastic, in an outdoor garbage can). 

anewadventure

@MJDsquared  luckily the wheels come off and on really easily, it's a well-designed system, so that helps with putting it in the trunk. i do think you could get another system off craigslist pretty easily as long as you live near a city (i don't recall where you're at) if you want to wait and see how it goes for you. the adapter has to match your carseat so you could register for it or have her get it, just check amazon

@yodaisgreen  we definitely had multiple stashes of supplies. you can have a basket or a bin in a couple of spots, with a fold-up changing pad. as for other people's houses...just be careful about casually changing your kid anywhere the way you would in your own house. don't do it on the furniture, on a carpet, etc. and definitely either put the diaper in it's own plastic bag, which you take with you to dispose of, or ASK the host (if they have kids) what they prefer. if they don't have kids, just plan to take it with you. pee diapers aren't a big deal. 

@blueskies17  my first time i had these grand plans to work up til the second i went into labor so i could maximize my maternity leave with the baby actually here. welp. i ended up in the hospital with a huge DVT two weeks before my due date. then my son refused to come out of the comfy womb. we didn't make it home with DS until four full weeks after i had to stop working. it was not ideal. it doesn't hurt to plan to work the whole time but definitely consider some situations where your body does not cooperate - either the baby comes early, or you have complications. also broach the subject of working from home in your last few weeks if your job allows this kind of thing. often if you mention the possibility of your water breaking / going into labor at the office, your boss will quickly allow you to work from home 

flowerpower5838

@mjdsquared that is so nice of your friend! Used BOBs hold onto their value and they go fast on BSTs around here. I think there is a difference in adapters depending on the year so you may want to find out what year the stroller was manufactured before getting/registering for an adapter. As for the travel system, I wouldn't bother especially with the adapter. If you want something a little smaller, I am not sure if Graco makes one similar, but I know that Chicco makes the Keyfit caddy (basically a stroller for just the carseat to snap into) and also an umbrella stroller version that also breaks down to the caddy. 

@YodaIsGreen When we were not using the pack and play to corral a kid and his toys, that's where we kept the changing supplies in the living room. Currently, they're being stored in a little cabinet in the living room. We just keep diapers and a thing of wipes down there so just the bare essentials. Also, when at someone's house (besides either of our parents) I store poop diapers in one of those scented arm n hammer bags in my diaper bag. Pee diapers I throw away wherever, but I do try and make sure they're not just laying on the top of the trash. When in public, it all gets thrown in the trash business as usual. 

@blueskies17 I work at a desk job so I planned to work until I couldn't. On my FMLA paperwork, I just listed my due date but it's pretty understandable that it is more of an estimate than a hard date. I didn't want to take off time before because that would have taken away from time on the other end, which was more of a priority for me personally. I plan to do the same this time.

MJDsquared

@flowerpower5838 Ohhh, I wouldn't have thought of that! I think I'll probably just put the car seat and one of those strollers on my registry!

brittyclem

Thanks for all the laundry suggestions ladies! I had no idea baby socks could leave the washer and clog the hoses. I'm ordering a lingerie bag right now. 

failuretofly

@MJDsquared personally i'd just get (or register for) a standalone click-connect carseat and the adapter for the BOB and forget about the travel system. It basically is one once you get all the components anyway. I absolutely LOVE my BOB and with a graco click carseat and adapter, I could get it all set up from parking the car to rolling into the store or wherever in like 2-3 minutes. Super easy, and like PPs metioned, like butter. When DS was older last winter we took it out for a walk in the middle of a snowstorm and the sidewalks had like 6" of snow on them and I could barely tell because the BOB wheels are so big and maneuverable. as @elcd458 mentioned, it is a bit bulky, but I just chose to babywear in situations where the bulk of the stroller would have been annoying. I didn't find it any less maneuverable or more bulky than my friends City Mini. 

@YodaIsGreen I would usually change DS on the couch or floor with my own travel change pad when at others houses, then just ask where they prefer me to dispose of the diaper with a warning that it may stink, if it does. You can also get some baggies like the ones they sell for dog poo to toss the diaper in before you trash it to minimize the stink. 

@blueskies17 I went off at 38 weeks, and will probably again this time. DS was born at 39 weeks so it worked out well, plus I am an emerg nurse so my job is pretty physically demanding and it was getting difficult at the end. 

elcd458

@YodaIsGreen  Great question! I've been wondering the same thing after going on vacation with extended family a few weeks ago.  BIL and SIL were constantly whipping out the changing pad and doing their diaper duty in the middle of the living room floor right in front of the TV despite the couch full of people, other children running around, table full of people eating nearby, etc-- the kid is almost 2 too so it wasn't like the diapers were lacking content either. It seemed super rude to me but thought maybe I was overreacting. 

kaylawing

@blueskies17 I planned to work until baby and was fortunate enough to be able to.  My line of thinking was that if I was working, I would be busy and not just anxiously waiting to go into labor. I second what @anewadventure said though- there are often circumstances that may prevent moms from working the whole time and some jobs are more physically demanding than others. I am a teacher and was okay health wise to work right up to labor (I worked Friday while experiencing some very mild contractions and had baby the next day). I really wanted to save as much time as possible for after baby arrived. 

tmk0325

@MJDsquared I honestly don't even know when my glucola test is. I imagine its at one of these upcoming appointments. I should probably check. I didn't have any symptoms the first time I did it. It was like chugging a cold flat sprite.  I do recall I was right on the border though with my numbers and I didnt' have to do the 3 hour one. I should probably lay off the ice cream and sweets this time around. I swear ice cream is the main food group in my diet these days. 

As for changing tables @blueskies17 we had a pack n play with a changing table attachment that we used for the first three months of their lives. It was set up in our living room (along with all the other things) and it was super handy.  It had a little side storage thing for diapers,wipes, creams, etc. Now we have a changing pad that goes on the floor or wherever along with a little tote thing of diapers.  I pretty much change them wherever these days! This baby will go in the pack n play in our room to start, so I imagine we'll use that the majority of the time in the beginning.

Also @blueskies17, with my boys being 2 months early, I ended up taking two weeks of leave while they were in the nicu and I was recovering from the csection, went back to work for 3 weeks, and then used the remainder of my leave when they came home. I'd be flexible with your leave and kind of play it by ear. Had I made it closer to full term, I probably would of stopped working a week or two before my due date, just to give myself some time.

@brittyclem We used tide free and clear (the white bottle) for the first year of their lives.  Had no issues. I had a separate hamper for all the babies clothes and did their own loads of laundry.  Currently my boys are 14 months old and I had washed some stuff with our normal laundry detergent and they had no issues so now they are switched over to regular tide like us. I still keep their clothes separate, because it's easier to fold and sort then. 

cait5413

@YodalsGreen We kept a basket of changing supplies in our room. I think I had intended to keep one in the living room as well (maybe I did at first), but it is so close to DD's room that it wasn't a pain to take her in there to change her. I second the arm & hammer diaper bags for changes out and about. If there's no good place to throw them away, I put them in one of those bags and take them with us. When we visit my mom, I throw the diapers in her trash outside, and I change DD on the floor or in the bed in the guestroom, using the changing pad in her diaper bag. I also keep an extra stash of diapers and a few wipes in the car, just in case. We don't need them much anymore but there were a few times when DD was little that we went through a LOT of diapers in a short period and her diaper bag ended up empty.