Weekly Questions 2/26 - 3/4

zande2016

Post em here! 

(sorry, not technologically advanced enough for gifing) 

zande2016

Posted selfishly because I have a question for any STM+ who have had gestational diabetes (or just other moms w/ diabetes). I am really nervous about traveling next week! I have only been monitoring my blood sugar for about a week now, I don't see the MFM until next Monday, and I can't seem to get an appointment with the dietician they want me to see because I've called 4 times and every time they say they can't make me an appointment and take my info to call me back. So, I'm sort of just doing my own research and trying to do this on my own and winging it, but I don't know how to plan for this trip. Next Wednesday I fly to California, which is the other side of the country for me, for a work trip. It's a conference that takes place Thurs - Sunday and each day is 8 hours of seminars/lectures. It's on a resort/golf course so I don't know about having time to leave the hotel for breakfast every morning, and of course hotel breakfasts get expensive (my company is really cheap and will give me some cash to cover meals but it won't be much). I know there will be continental stuff at the conference but in my experience it's muffins and other carb-y stuff. Then for lunch they usually supply a boxed lunch - yeah, it's usually sandwiches, which is just great for a pregnant lady. Not much time on breaks to really go off and get lunch. Then there's snacks...I will call the hotel and see if I can get a fridge in the room, but all my snacks have been yogurt and cheese type things, and I am not sure what kinds of protein snacks I can bring  that don't need refrigeration. I am also nervous about a 6 hour flight and what snacks I should pack for that that won't need refrigeration. And of course there's the whole testing my blood sugar thing while traveling/during a conference. I don't really feel comfortable doing it during a lecture or out in the open, wondering what others do in public. 

Any ideas, tips, advice, etc. on snacks, testing, and traveling appreciated!! 

cseley321

Hey STM's, I need some opinions.... anyone used both a diaper genie and Ubbi diaper pail and have any feedback on how they stack up? I had a diaper genie and it stunk soooo bad before I eventually got rid of ut, BUT I bought it second hand and after reading up on it, most people are saying they are only really good for a year or so of heavy use.

Anyway, I was dead set on the Ubbi pail, but apparently they have issues with mold and rust so now I am wavering again.

wildtot

@cseley321 we have the munchkin arm and hammer one and i hat it. It smells every time i open it. I want got get an actual genie because we have the cat version and love it. 

hillbillywife

@cseley321 I don’t know much about the Ubbi pail, but we did have a stainless steel trashcan before (as well as plastic trash cans and a munchkin diaper champ now). The steel did rust and hold stinky smells as much as the plastic ones did. 

Reminds me I need to tear our diaper pail apart and clean it/ bleach it. It’s gross. 

cseley321

@wildtot yeah the genie was great at first, but I think it was an older one and past its prime when I got it. I mainly only used it for pee diapers because otherwise the poop smell overpowered the genie. No amount of cleaning would fix that smell, lol.

michelle_bird

We have the munchkin one and it just started to smell in the last few months, so I think the 1-1.5 year thing is accurate.  We actually talked about that in church yesterday - it's like the plastic absorbs the smell and you can't get rid of it.

comealongponds

@cseley321the Ubbi is *amazing*! I’ve had mine for a year, no mould or rust issues. As long as it’s closed, you can’t smell a thing. I also love that I can just use my regular kitchen garbage bags so I never run out.

zande2016

The diaper genie worked great for us until we hit toddler poop. His poops when exclusively breast fed really didn't smell, now we have to empty the diaper genie every day or two at the most. I don't notice it smelling unless I open the lid though, so I still think it contains it pretty well unless/until the lid is open. Interested to hear if any work a lot better for the toddler stage. 

cseley321

@comealongponds awesome. Were you able to store poop diapers in it as well at least until the end of the day? I was having to run the poop diapers outside after each poop. I got used to it, but it was still a pita

powellgirl

I’ve been using my diaper genie for over two years and have no problems with it smelling unless it’s getting full and the lid won’t close all the way. I typically keep a charcoal odor absorber hanging above it so that may help. 

@zande2016 I’d love to help you out and give you an answer to your question, but I have absolutely no experience with gd. 

zande2016

No worries @powellgirl I know most of us won't even be taking the test for another month or more so I am sure I'll be one of the only ones on the board dealing with it for a while (and hopefully at all!) 

comealongponds

@cseley321 totally! Two solids eatin, bean loving toddlers and I empty it every other day. It stinks when you open it (obvi) but closed you can’t smell it at all. I bleach the whole thing once a month or so. 

mamabird18

I have the munchkin pail and it's THE WORST. It was great for a year! Now it stinks the room up terribly.

 I have heard amazing things about Ubbi (plus you don't need the expensive refill bags) and I'm totally buying one! Some of the colors are $20 off on amazon right now. Yay!

runsomewhere

I have the Munchkin Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail. We loved it when DD was a baby and we changed her diapers at every little drop of pee. It was also totally fine for breastfed and formula poop. I would even say I like it and I will use it again. No issues with smell.

I cannot however imagine putting in solid fed sh*t in there. I think poop just isn't intended for in home storage it will stink, no matter how fancy the diaper disposal contraption. 

babygagnon2018

We didn't register for a diaper geenie, all my friends who have multiple kids say they didn't use it.  Hmmmm now I am second guessing getting one.

acunamatada

I have the arm&hammer diaper genie. Idk having a diaper pail was more hassle than just taking the garbage out regularly like we do anyways. I will say when we did use it i had zero issues with smell, but bf poop doesn’t smell. 

ashbub714

@babygagnon2018 I’m with you. I had heard so many times that diaper pails are a waste of money so don’t bother. Now I’m wondering if I should rethink that. 

Kenya715

We have the Ubbi and it's been awesome for us. When closed, you don't smell anything, and ours is right next to our rocker that I'm in all the time. We bought a box of the bags and they are still going strong (it's been over a year). I love it so much, I'll be getting another one for this LO so we can have one in each bedroom. 

cseley321

Thanks ladies. I'm going to go with the Ubbi this time I think!

gingerbride26

@cseley321 - thank you for bringing this up!!  I was literally just this weekend thinking our diaper genie was starting to stink when empty and open! Glad it's not just me. It's ok when closed but if there's a fairly smelly load in there even closed it's not great.  I really wanted the one that twists and untwists the bag with each use, but this clamp one is what we were gifted and have used for almost 2 years.

I will share one thing that has been a lifesaver for me - Amazon subscribe and save - we get a 3 pack of liners every 3 months and never run out.  I also found this was the cheapest way for us to get diapers and formula and it just shows up at our door once a month...I also get my coffee this way to make sure the caffeine keeps flowing ;-)

tarheelgirl8

babygagnon2018 said:

We didn't register for a diaper geenie, all my friends who have multiple kids say they didn't use it.  Hmmmm now I am second guessing getting one.

We never used one with DD, and won’t this time around either.  We were actually given a hand me down diaper genie, but it just seemed like a hassle.  We tied a plastic grocery bag to the side of the pack and play downstairs, and had a small trash can in her room.  Then we just took them out daily.  No big deal.  

That said, our trash can is literally right outside our back door.  If we lived in an apartment or something, I could see the use.  

canucklehead123

Hi all, my apologies if this has been asked before or if there has been a product spotlight - my search function is not being very helpful today!  

Wondering if anybody can explain the pros/cons of a single breast pump vs. a double breast pump?  I want the double because well, it seems easier, but the one I am lusting after is a little pricey - the single pump is more affordable.  I am extremely lucky to have a 17 month maternity leave so I won't need to pump at work...is it worth buying the double pump, or do you think a single pump would be fine?

zande2016

@canucklehead123 does your insurance cover anything towards it? I am guessing from your username you maybe live in Canada, so I have no clue how it works there, but for me I get a free double electric breastpump and can choose from several kinds. If that's not an option, I would say a single is likely fine if you are going to exclusively breastfeed and just pump for back up so you can go out and someone can feed a bottle occasionally. However, you reallllly never know, your baby could have trouble latching in which case you really need to pump right away to bring your milk in, and you'll want a double for that. Not just for time saving, but the double stimulation will give you a better supply I believe. Then if your baby is never able to latch and you end up exclusively pumping, you're seriously going to want a double because that's already a lot of work. So there are a lot of unknowns, you very well may never need to pump until baby is 4-6 weeks old and you feel like going out for a date night, but I wouldn't rely on that. Maybe wait until baby is born and see how the latching is, and if it's a problem, you could rent from the hospital until you buy a double, and if no issues, you can buy the single. 

morethanamama

I am thinking about doing without the Ubbi or the genie. I love my kitchen trashcan and it rarely stinks. I'm wondering if using scented bags+sticking essential oil pouches under the lid might do the trick? We have a balcony in that room so I'm thinking when we get to when he is on solids and poop smells more we'll move the trashcan on the balcony. Am I being an inexperienced FTM here? Lol

canucklehead123

@zande2016 thanks for the advice, I never considered the latching problems!  Alas, insurance does not cover breast pumps for me, but definitely will wait until baby comes to see how much pumping I will need to do (or perhaps hold breath for double pump as gift lol). 

SmashJam

@canucklehead123 something I hated about the double pump is having to hold it on with both hands (or buy and wear the same bra every. single. day. that would hold it in place for you. I only made it like, 3 weeks into breastfeeding before throwing in the towel so maybe it would have been easier eventually but in order to have one free hand I would often do one boob at a time so I could hold a remote or read or just not have both hands on my boobs. I also heard after the fact same as @zande2016 that doing two at a time would have given me better supply, however.

zande2016

@smashjam they make hands free pumping bras that you just put on while pumping, then take off. It's super easy. I wore regular nursing bras to work and when it was time to pump I would unclasp and pull down, put the pumping bra on over it, and then take off after. I can't even imagine pumping without a hands free bra, I used to sit at my desk at work and continue working while I pumped. 

wildtot

You can get a regular sports bra and cut holes in them for the pumps. Works just as good and cheaper.

supersara2

@zande2016 Type 2 here. Nuts are great snacks that don't need refrigeration. Popcorn is good too, as long as portions are controlled. Apples and PB or whole grain crackers (keeping portions in mind) and PB also work. You can probably find something in the snack aisle and just check the total carbs. Hopefully the hotel can provide a fridge for you, though.

As for breakfast, check to see what the hotel means by "continental" breakfast. Maybe there is some sort of market close by the hotel where you can pick up something for breakfast.

Are you checking after every meal, or just certain ones? Try to test during breaks if they work in your testing schedule. If you need to test during a lecture, you can always excuse yourself and go to a private-enough corner somewhere in the hotel. I've never felt comfortable checking it in public either, though I've recently started doing it at my desk at work.

SmashJam

@zande2016 oh i didn't realize they were so easy to take off and on! I tried the sports bra with the holes trick and that would have been hard in a public space (at work) to get off and on without having to take everything else off as well!

zande2016

@supersara2 great suggestions thanks! I am feeling a little better since I managed to finally make the dietician appointment for the day before my trip. I found out that my room is supposed to have a fridge in it so I am hoping that turns out to be true, and maybe l'll have time to run back to the room for snacks. Still not sure about breakfast, I guess I could buy premade hard boiled eggs to keep in the fridge but that seems a little sketchy. Also my flight is 6 and a half hours so I guess I'll just test in the bathroom. Right now I'm testing fasting and an hour after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I also have to share a room with a coworker who I don't know that well, so that kind of sucks for testing. 

morethanamama

@zande2016 not sure I already said this but a lot of hotels here in California offer pretty good breakfast options. I've seen plain yogurt and hard boiled eggs on most buffets. Getting to a grocery store for some snacks could be a solution if you have a fridge. Will you be in Los Angeles?

KatyF0813

@canucklehead123 do you have a health spending account?  My insurance doesn't cover a pump, but with a prescription I was able to put it on my health spending aaccount.  If that's the case for you and you decide you want a double be sure your doctor writes a prescription for a double.

zande2016

@SmashJam this was my favorite, I found it super easy and comfortable. Only downside was if I was pumping at night before bed and wasn't wearing a bra there would be nothing to clip it to, in which case I would wear my other one that's just strapless. I alternated between those two for the whole year I pumped. 

https://www.amazon.com/Bravado-Designs-Hands-free-Nursing-Accessory/dp/B01MU2YFD4

supersara2

@zande2016 Good news so far! Glad you were able to get an appointment soon; that'll be super helpful. There are some yogurts that don't have a tremendous amount of sugar, and premade hard-boiled eggs should be fine. Good luck!! It'll be fine.

zande2016

@kissableviv I checked out the breakfast menu and they do have good options, it's just expensive. My first choice would be room service but of course that's even worse. I'll be in Monterey, and the hotel isn't in walking distance of anything (it's on a big golf course as far as I can tell). I will have a car though so depending on the parking situation (valet vs self park) I might be able to leave the hotel each morning for breakfast. 

canucklehead123

@KatyF0813 BRILLIANT!! Never thought of the HSA!  I was too busy rooting around in the 'covered medical equipment' section of our benefits package. Thank you for saving me some cash just now! 

zande2016

@supersara2 I think I've just been so overwhelmed because I was given the monitor and supplies a week ago and not given any guidance about my diet, so I've just been winging it. I'm sure I'll feel better after I have actual guidelines to follow. I just hope they give me time to figure it all out and control with diet before putting me on meds. 

js8812

@zande2016 will you have a fridge in your room?  I'd just stop at a grocery store on my way to the hotel.  Good luck!  I don't have GD, but have been at a ton of work functions where the only food is a cold meat boxed lunch.

js8812

I didn't use a diaper pail for my first and won't with this one either.  For the first 6 months (BF baby), I just used the regular trash can because both the #1's and #2 didn't stink.  Once solids were introduced I would put the #2 diaper in a plastic baggie in the garbage.