Weekly Questions (1/15)

MoonOverGoldsboro

@krashke You've gotten lots of good sleeping advice already, but just want to second @sunshineandwhiskey's note that your body will know when back sleeping doesn't work--you will wake up because you are uncomfortable. So don't stress if you wake up on your back, and you don't need to do anything crazy to, like, try and pin yourself on your left side. As time went on, I personally found the left side to be most comfortable for me, but I'd switch liberally to my right whenever I got sore or uncomfy from being on my left.

I also never got a pregnancy pillow. Just used a regular body pillow or two regular pillows (one hugged between my arms, one between my legs). 

krash_

@doxiemoxie212 from what I’ve gathered yes and no. Yes but I think only in regards to meat/animal products. For example, what I read about cheese is that the rennet that is used from the enzymes in an animas stomach are not Halal but vegetarian cheese that uses plant based rennet is ok. 

izza2

@krashke -
I'm more comfortable sleeping on my right side than my left side. I continue to fall asleep on my right side, and probably will for the duration of the pregnancy, unless left-side-sleeping suddenly becomes more comfortable. I usually wake up on my left side in the middle of the night, but I can't fall asleep on that side unless I'm already halfway to passing out.
Some doctors say left-side-sleeping gives your uterus/baby better blood flow, but others say that either side is okay. Your baby is going to get blood and oxygen regardless of what side you're sleeping on, so please don't make yourself uncomfortable just because people say you "have to" sleep on your left side. As long as you're comfortable, you're not going numb, and you're not squishing baby (aka, sleeping on your belly!) - you're fine.
As far as pillows - I'm cheap, and would rather spend money on another pillow to go between my legs/under a hip/etc. and see if that works before spending money on a pregnancy pillow. A U-shaped pillow should do the trick, but as another PP said, it seems like it'd be a lot of hassle to flip over in the middle of the night or while falling asleep. I toss and turn a lot, and having one pillow for between my legs or to prop my knee on if I'm sleeping on my side with one knee bent is a lot easier than having to flip a whole body pillow.


Re: halal -- Vegetarian food is halal as long as it doesn't contain any alcohol, which I doubt you'd bring that to share. Trail mix should be fine. It doesn't have to be prepared in a halal kitchen, it just can't contain certain ingredients (i.e.: definitely no pork, animal fats, alcohol, etc.).

I found this site, which gives some ideas for halal foods (haram is forbidden, when you're reading through it):
https://www.gfs.com/en-us/ideas/eating-according-religious-practices-kosher-and-halal

amys614

@krashke I thought halal referred to the way which the animal is butchered. So if thr product comes from an animal which is not, I am not sure if it applies. I work with quite a few Muslim people and whenever we order pizza, they do eat the veggie pizza.  I have a really good relationship with one man and woman in particular. I can ask them today when I go into work. 

ramblebee

Just in case... If you check the marketplace on FB or some local mom groups you might be able to find new pregnancy pillows that people got as gifts or duplicates. I got a NWT u-shaped with cover for $20 and it has been nice.

jsl82

Yay for good results @amys614!

@krashke for the drapes- we have long ones in DD room and in our kitchen (for our sliding door).  The ones in the kitchen were near her exersaucer and she pulled on them constantly.  We would just move them so they were looped around the door handle and our of her reach.  In her room, so has started pulling a little, but they are room darkening shades, and so heavier (which I think makes them less fun for her to play with).  If she starts pulling again I will have to have curtain tie backs added to her room, so I can pull them out of her reach when she is awake, and close them at bed time.

For Halal I believe that @doxiemoxie212 is right and it's not just a matter of what type of food but how it is prepared.  I know the great place by my office has Halal printed somewhere on the menu, so I would think foods like hummus for a protein snack would be safe.  

@pupsicle23 by 2 you should be able to go strait into a full bed.  We finally started looking at nursery decor and I'm 99% sure I'm reusing DD's crib for #2 (the color is right and we already have it).  She will be 17th months when DS is born, so I'm probably going to go to a toddle bed around 16 months or 18 months with her- but will be taking her to the store to pick out a bed.  Hoping that gets her excited.  I think anything you do to include her in the bed transition will help it go much smoother- but I haven't done it yet FWIW.   

LaceyBee522

@krashke I have the U-shaped pregnancy pillow. I haven't been using it, though because I think I'm too tall for it (I'm also 5'9). I start out comfy, but by the middle of the night, I'm all squished up because I can't put my head on it and my knee on top of the end. Maybe I'm using it wrong...I don't know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

marcus7676

@krashke I use a C shaped pregnancy pillow (one of the snoogles).  We have a queen bed and it lives in the middle of us.  It takes up a lot of room, but I wouldn't be able to sleep without it (not like I sleep great with it).  I occassionally end up on my back, but I try to stay on my left side which is supposed to be the best.  I bought, tried, and returned a pillow to Amazon last time (a small one) - - if you can find a place where you can return a pillow it doesn't hurt to try.  Or, do you have any friends you could borrow one from?  

mytinc

As far as pregnancy pillows go, I have this one, which is a J shape.  I don't use it at all like the pictures show though, I think it would be weird to use one as a pillow for my head and my side.  I use my own regular pillow under my head, and then have this one between DH and I with the J shape pointed down and between my ankles if that makes sense.  Then, on my other side I have a spare pillow to put between my legs if I roll onto my right side.  I found it was easier to move a regular pillow out of the way when waking up to pee or respond to a kid.  I never move my pregnancy pillow, just shift my legs around it as I roll around.

ffw0617

The pregnancy pillow is helping a lot but my hips are starting to hurt so I switch sides (left to right) a couple times a night. I’m learning I can’t spend excessive time in bed so I spend more time on the couch sitting up. The further along the longer the interruptions in the middle of the night. 

amys614

@krashke coming through with a really gray answer for you. *sorry* Muslim eating rules are so very complicated.  He said that most of them will eat cheese. Some thing about the rennet/enzyme sometimes being from a pig that some may worry about. He pointed me to some really interesting resources just because I found it intriguing myself, but pretty much that besides meat and alcohol, if you have no obvious reason to doubt, then you don't. 

"In short, all kinds of food with the exception of meat, fat, and their extracts are permissible for a Muslim, even if he doubts that it might contain something which is forbidden for him to eat or doubts that its cook —whosoever he may be— had touched it with wetness." 

Obviously you don't know these people very well to know what they are ok with, so I'm sure you will decide on something else, but just wanted to report back. With that being said, technically bagels and v8 juice aren't halal either, so I don't know. 

I'm sure the people in your class will appreciate your consideration and effort on respecting their beliefs and trying. 

helenbz

Meat products that are Halal will indicate that on the packaging. In the UK many stores will advertise Halal products but I haven’t seen that much here in the US...otherwise, it’s safe to eat vegetarian and agree with other suggestions like hummus and veggies. Nuts are good too. 

Its lovely that you are being considerate of their needs. 

I have a question. 

I went to get my bikini wax today - second since being pregnant. I didn’t tell her I was pregnant the first time because this is a small town and I didn’t want people to find out. I did this time and she said not to use the pfb roll on I use to avoid in grown hair. I’ve used if a few times during my pregnancy already (eek - lesson learned, just tell them next time). From what I read it’s due to the salicylic acid. I have a lotion with that too but haven’t used it during pregnancy. Should I be worried?? Are you all avoiding certain skin products too? I didn’t even think about this!! 

(Edit to add - apparently pregnancy makes your skin WAY more sensitive to waxing and I do not recommend. This will likely be my last one until after the baby!)  

elsie42

@helenbz It's generally recommended to avoid salicylic acid products during pregnancy but it's not something to freak out about if you have been using it. The recommendation is because salicylic acid is a form of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). Because aspirin in oral form is not recommended during pregnancy they also extend that to topical forms - HOWEVER - obviously your body doesn't absorb it in the same way or amounts when used topically as it does when taken orally. Basically the recommendation is a precaution but anything that you're using that's OTC will probably not have a high enough concentration of SA to even worry. 

TLDR don't use it anymore but don't worry about the fact that you already did. 

krash_

@helenbz I agree with @elsie42 except for the fact that I still use it. There really isn't much in OTC products and your skin would only absorb a tiny fraction of it. I haven't changed any of my skin care or beauty products and when I went to my first appointment my dr said I didn't need to. I think it's only prescription acne medications that you would want to talk to your dr about. 

doxiemoxie212

Guys on the same vein as bikini waxes, has anyone asked their OB about laser hair removal? I did it before our wedding and it’s amazing bc the hair just literally didn’t grow back for a year (and now almost 5 years later it’s much more sparse). I get terrible ingrown hairs, but I keep thinking about what if I need stitches? I doubt I’d want to deal with that with 1) hair, 2) hair growing back from shaving, 3) hair growing back from waxing. Really I also just want an excuse to get it done again lol. It takes a few treatments so I’d have to start soon...

becca_123

@doxiemoxie212 I was interested in laser hair removal too but decided to wait.  I can't remember the source (one of my pregnancy books, I think) but I believe it said while it was safe, it's pointless to do it because of hormones and hair growth through pregnancy.  What you might eliminate now will not cover what might randomly grow in the next few months, so it truly won't cover everything.  

jsl82

Jumping on the hair removal bandwagon... do any of the S+TMs with previous summer babies remember if it was difficult to shave their legs during the 3rd trimester.  I know I'm quickly quickly losing any gracefulness when it comes to bending over, so I'm not sure how clean my leg hair removal will be come Memorial Day Weekend. Just wondering if there were any tips to help with skirt/short/dress weather or if maxis are just the way to go.

lisa2589

@jsl82 my first was July so it got pretty warm that last month. I really only ever wear capri length things in the summer and shaving my lower legs as often as necessary was still pretty do-able. You may have to sit on the edge of balance is an issue. I could shave my upper legs as well, just not easily, so that only happened enough to keep things from getting too wild. 
I will echo @helenbz- waxing is off my to do list. I had my first brazilian wax ever (shaving is usually just fine for me) at 38 weeks and the gal did warn me that it probably wasn’t the best time to try it, but I just really wanted something low maintenance for the next few weeks... wow! Sorry not sorry, won’t be happening again.  I will take DH up on his offer to help me with things when I get to that point again.

doxiemoxie212

@lisa2589 I am one of those terrible people who tells people Brazilian waxes don't hurt -- because I don't think they do! But I have been told by many people that I am, in fact, wrong. 

dinodna3

@jsl82 I had no trouble shaving my
legs with either prior pregnancies. My balance is prettty good, so I never had an issue standing on one leg to shave. 

sunshineandwhiskey

@jsl82 DD is a July babe and you bet the day before my c section I shaved everything nicely haha. I just did the “feel as I go” method *shrugs*

krash_

So I know MH is going to get really familiar with my body at some point but are y'all having YH's help shave the lady bits? I'm not sure I want to get that familiar with MH. 

izza2

I didn't think getting a brazilian was too bad.
If I could afford it, I'd go regularly to have it all waxed off.

I also plan to either have H shave my legs if I need him to, or at least have him help put some Nair on my legs for easier removal. Even if it doesn't get all the hair, it'll be worth it.

rnielsen321

+1 on the wait for laser train. I had it done YEARS ago and it is way more sparse than previous and will be going back for bikini, and possibly underarm, probably wait a year after babe. I love laser! Esp on the bikini!

As for leg shaving, I was Maxi dress/skirt, with like a once a week leg shave to wear shorter dresses. As a plus size Mama who was due in Oct, that was about all I had time and patience for. 

doxiemoxie212

@krashke is shaving the lady bits particularly familiar? I mean, yes, DH has shaved mine before pregnancy even, and I have shaved his. But I also had a boyfriend in high school that I never even have sex of any kind with, and he shaved my lady bits once lol. 

krash_

@doxiemoxie212 For me it would be quite intimate I think. We like to keep a safe distance for some things. 

ETA also not sure I would trust him to not cut me lol 

lisa2589

@krashke that is exactly how I felt for my first pregnancy! It felt like waaaay too much for me. This time around I’m way less traumatized by the thought. Like @sunshineandwhiskey said I will probably feel as I go to get most of it done and then ask him for a once over. 

I probably wouldn’t ask if he hadn’t offered first? 

He did watch DD come out of there in all it’s glory, so *shrugs*...

MoonOverGoldsboro

@helenbz There is no research to indicate OTC topical salicylic acid is dangerous in pregnancy. I still use it, and you can, too, if you decide you want to. 

Two good overviews of skincare products in general, for anyone who might be wondering:
https://www.infantrisk.com/content/overview-safety-skin-care-products-during-pregnancy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114665/ 

lisa2589

As a healthcare professional I must also add that absolutely no one cares about the hair removal situation while you’re in the hospital for labor or otherwise. For myself and probably most of you others it’s just a personal preference thing 

izza2

^WSS.

I'm so used to seeing older men and women who are au naturale because they can't have their hair removed anymore, or just don't care. I don't bat an eye at hair, no hair, trimmed, patterns, etc.
Also, please don't worry about any smells. I've smelled some pretty incredible things in my time in health care, and if you have relatively good hygiene, I can guarantee no one will notice a bit of a stank, even if you think it's obvious. Plus, they should be wearing a mask, so...


H has offered more than once to shave me. I've told him every time that if he wants to, he's more than welcome. He's too much of a chicken to actually do it, though.
But I'm hoping that come closer to my EDD, he gets over that or gets sick of me pushing and just goes for it.

RatParade

There's no way I'm letting MH near my lady parts with a razor.  If I can't do it myself, it's not getting done.

katie121209

I’ve been sick and a little absent on the boards the past two weeks but had or 20 week ultrasound today. Baby is doing great but I have a partial placenta previa currently on pelvic rest and no big activity. I did not have this with my first pregnancy. Anyone else in this situation? We have a repeat ultrasound in 4 weeks with hopes that the placenta will move up. I feel like when my pGal anxiety has gone done that now there’s another thing to be anxious about   

sunshineandwhiskey

RatParade said:

There's no way I'm letting MH near my lady parts with a razor.  If I can't do it myself, it's not getting done.

This. 

dinodna3

I bought one of those razors with the electric bikini trimmer on it. Worked great when you can’t see anything down there but still want to trim. 

https://www.target.com/p/schick-174-hydro-silk-women-s-trimstyle-174-razor-handle-plus-1-razor-refill/-/A-16792969?sid=1131S&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Health+Beauty+Shopping_Brand&adgroup=SC_Health+Beauty&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=9012122&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5_SWsong2AIVBZJpCh109AL_EAQYAiABEgKqA_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

catlady1215

@jsl82 I was getting pretty big by end of summer with DS. I managed leg shaving pretty good. Just propped up the leg. I'm a quick shaver though. No need for cream etc. just whip the razor around pretty quick. I am concerned this time though. Cause standing on one leg is already iffy cause of my hip pains. I don't feel stable.

@krashke I'm not comfortable with letting DH help at all. Last time I just felt around and did the best I can. So it'll be the same, ehh.

krash_

@katie121209 Hope you are feeling better. Sorry to hear about the placenta previa I think it was @marcus7676 that recently mentioned she had one too. Hopefully it will shift up as you grow. 

LaceyBee522

I got this electric razor at Bliss Spa a million years ago and haven't waxed since. It leaves a little stubble, but nothing terrible and I get zero irritation. I was always fighting ingrown hairs after my waxes and it was awful. I'm thinking I can just use the "feel as I go" method when my belly gets too big to see my hoo-ha.

ffw0617

Its been about a month since I could see mine. I don't shave it much because it doesn't grow as frequently since I hit second tri. I would NOT let MH shave me, ew. I don't trust him, the moment he nicks me its over. Also we are both very pro waxing. If I shave DH's typical response is why did you shave, now you have to wait before you can wax. It's the money that has reduced my waxing frequency since the wedding (I think I've been twice since Aug '16), I've tried other places that are cheaper and I cannot stand it. The place I go is $50, once I add tip its just so hard to justify going every month when razors are $2 and you're trying to save money. 

silvergreen

@katie121209 Hang in there. I know of someone who dealt with the same thing and she and her daughter were just fine.

lisa2589

@katie121209 I feel like since it’s a only a partial previa there's still a fighting chance of it moving free of the cervix before the end of your pregnancy. Mine is only 3cm from the os but my OB explained that as the uterus stretches it will continue to move further away. Maybe try a search on the high risk pregnancy board to see if anyone has posted their experience? Fingers crossed for you!