@flockofmoosen3 no! We don't have a Target in my area, I bought these in Indiana when I was there, and the surprise by Stride Rite were so awesome and I was so stoked they existed, especialy since we are getting a Target this year. It saddens me to hear they won't have those anymore!
@zande2016 I just bought those shoes @hillbillywife suggested! DS likes them and I think they’ll do well. We spend a lot of time at the beach in the summer, I’ll usually put him in crocs if he’ll get wet, but those shoes look like they’ll dry just fine too.
Looking for some reassurance... I slipped on my steps about two hours ago and thankfully twisted to land on my butt. When I called in the on call said if I'm not spotting, cramping, or noticing decreased movement, I don't *need* to go to L&D but I want to come in to be monitered I can. I'm at home and trying not to second guess myself or feel guilty that I'm not going in just in case... She did 10 kicks in 8 minutes after the fall, no cramping beyond Braxton Hicks, no spotting, I don't think (though, waaaaay TMI, I have some weird hemhorrid issues; the staining is further back from where my normal discharge is and I haven't noticed any spotting while wiping).
My husband says everything is fine and we shouldn't spend all that money just to go to an NST. I'm a worrywart so I'm trying to be cool but...
@texasmainer I wouldn’t go in. She’s moving, you’re not cramping or bleeding. So other than a sore butt there isn’t anything concerning going on. Baby is pretty safe inside her water balloon.
I'll throw in my 2 cents on shoes. For brand new walkers, I found that the Target Stride Rite shoes were WAY less flexible and "new walker" friendly than the real Stride Rite shoes. I waited for sales and bought her the real thing through their website (good return policy too).
Sandals - I buy DD a pair of Salt Water Sandals each summer. They are real leather but safe to go in water, so they worked great for splash pads, beach, etc. Plus they have a ton of cute colors and styles.
I love the Native shoes. They are not sandals though. Both my 3yo and 19mo love them. They are their go-to shoes for everything. DS loves to play in dirt/mud, so they are an easy wash off. He also has sweaty feet, and they are breathable shoes. They are also waterproof. Sometimes they can get a little expensive, but a few times a year, someone has on them on sale (Amazon, Dick's Sporting, Nordstrom, etc.) DD is outgrowing hers, so I'm looking for a new pair.
With GBS tests coming up.... does anyone have experience with either testing positive and declining antibiotics OR declining antibiotics unless there's a risk factor such as fever/PROM during labor?
@ckmb_knottie I was negative my last pregnancy, but I wouldn’t have declined the antibiotics during labor if I had tested positive. It’s a small thing to do to try and prevent the baby from getting an infection.
@ckmb_knottie I was unknown since I had PPROM at 33 weeks last time and I’ve had three GBS UTIs this pregnancy so I’m considered colonized.
As a pediatric nurse whos cared for GBS sepsis and meningitis babies....don’t decline. The risks of GBS to a newborn far, far outweigh the minimal risks of a couple doses of antibiotics in labour.
@comealongponds I really appreciate your perspective as a pediatric nurse! One of the Facebook groups I'm apart of a lot of women decline the antibiotics by default because they decline the test. I wonder if they saw what might happen with the babies if they would reconsider.
That being said, a lot of the women who choose to do the antibiotics in that group also have a good probiotic on hand for them and the baby (not sure when the baby gets it) for "gut healing" due to taking the antibiotic. No idea if that really helps, but they all seem to think it does, and could be an option instead of a hard decline of the antibiotics and/or test?
Declining antibiotics for known GBS is a HARD NO for me. Your baby could end up with meningitis, why would you take that risk when antibiotics is not risky? Sure, you might have some gut issues after, but I'd take that over meningitis any day.
@smashjam If I were GBS + and knew I was going to need the antibiotics, I'd ask my midwife about starting probiotics before labor..and continuing after. No clue if starting before would even make a difference, but worth asking I think. L&D throws your digestion off as it is, and having good gut health not only helps you, but helps the baby if you're breastfeeding as well. It's also another one of those things where I've never heard of probiotics hurting, and can help, so why not. Like I said I'd check with the midwife first though, maybe there's some risk I'm not aware of.
We also gave my son probiotics for gas/reflux when he was a baby and it made such a difference for him.
There are many arguments both ways but just a particularly interesting thing since midwives/home births don't do GBS screening and many other countries don't either. Anyway I've read the Evidence Based Birth report on it and just looking for thoughts from anyone who's not had the antibiotics or delayed them & why.
@zande2016 all of my Drs have actually suggested probiotics during pregnancy as well as fermented foods etc and it's my understanding that it could lower your risk of testing positive in the first place
@ckmb_knottie interesting! why did I think fermented foods was a no no? I try to eat yogurt every day, and will likely incorporate probiotics closer to DD. Last time my digestion was so out of wack after giving birth, and I think that threw both my son and I off. BTW, I use a midwife group that delivers at both a free standing birth center and a hospital, and they do GBS screening with IV antibiotics if positive, both in the birth center and hospital. I've also heard of homebirth midwives that do it in my area, though maybe that's not the case nationwide.
@zande2016 I've been totally obsessed with Kefir fermented milk for the past like 6 months so I had to check with my Dr maybe it's coincidentally helped and I won't need to worry about this at all
I know of a couple of people who delivered at home or birth centers and were offered very similar tests as doctors delivering in hospitals. Not sure if it's the case for all of them. EBB is a great resource for sure.
I think it may be an older guideline to avoid fermented foods, although it depends on maybe the source?I definitely avoided brewed kombicha and opted for bottled for example. I'm not big on them and I'm not taking a probiotic yet but it will be good to start closer to birth.
I think when it comes to avoiding fermented foods, you really should know your source. Screwing up the process can make you ill, I would guess, and that would make it a possibility that it could hurt you or the baby. Someone else asked about Kombucha, and while I think its fine to drink the stuff sold in restaurants and in bottles, buying it homemade from a farmer's market or a friend might be something to steer clear of? That would just be my guess!
@ckmb_knottie I tested positive for GBS with DD and received IV Penicillin every 4(?) hours during my induction. It sucked bc it burned but there was also ZERO question in my mind that I would received the antibiotics. Even with antibiotics, there is a risk for lung infection in the newborn and I was cautioned to watch for signs for months. IMO, the risks to my child far outweighed the minimal discomfort I had to endure to assure the safest possible outcome for them. I cannot even imagine NOT getting the antibiotics KNOWING I was GBS+ and how ruined I would be emotionally if my child became sick bc of that.
Child in hospital fighting to survive vs possible maternal GI upset and painful IV = baby always wins. Period.
With DS i tested positive early in my pregnancy through UTI test. I was never retested but did get antibiotics with my c section. I won’t be tested for a few more weeks so we’ll see. Does it even matter with c section? I mean your still getting antibiotics anyways.
I haven't tested positive to date, but if I did I would have to ask about the type of antibiotics used. My husband had a life changing adverse reaction to Cipro prescribed years ago and we've avoided the entire class of antibiotics (fluoroquinolones) ever since in case the kids inherited his allergy. There's no way we'd let the kids go through what he did, or worse. Antibiotics aren't risk free, but in the case of a positive gbs test I would get the treatment they offer to protect the baby.
@wildtot yeah they use an antibiotic anyway before the c section begins so you wouldn't have had an additional one. @flockofmoosen3 it's usually penicillin but I'm not sure what they'd give if you have an allergy. My husband is allergic to penicillin actually so that's a good point about asking.
@ckmb_knottie my mom is allergic to most antibiotics (amoxicillin, penicillin, anything in that family) i honestly don’t know what her alternative is but there is something. Definitely good to bring up!
@wildtot That's exactly what my OB said last week. I have a c section scheduled and will still be tested for GBS but won't receive antibiotics specifically for that, even if I test positive. He said I will still get antibiotics per c section protocols though. If I happen to go into labor on my own and have a VBAC, I would get penicillin (if I test + this go around).
I haven't had Gbs, but I am allergic to penicillin. I am usually prescribed cephalexin when penicillin is called for. Not sure if that is what they would do for gbs or not. @ckmb_knottie@wildtot@flockofmoosen3
You answered a question I was going to ask out of curiousity the other day @TalesOfASocialIntrovert...how many mommas that have a repeat C scheduled will VBAC if they go into labor before their c-section? Just wondering! My cousin went into labor before her c-section but it hadn't been very long since she'd given birth, less than 18 months, so she went with the C-section anyway due to the higher risk of uterine rupture, I think?
@SmashJam i think it depends on how dilated i am. I’m leaning towards a repeat c section due to the risks and possibly making my back worse. Having to go through back labor with my existing back issues is not what I want.
@TalesOfASocialIntrovert if you have to have abx again, ask your nurse to dilute them and run them slower. A lot of IV abx can burn when they’re going in but diluting and slowing them down can make it more comfortable!
@SmashJam There are numerous factors that I would need in place to consider a VBAC. With DD, I was induced at 37.5 for early pre-e and was not dilated at all on my own. I labored for 36 hours on pitocin and never progressed beyond 5cm. My epidural wore off just after DD came out. I wasn't put under general anesthesia (thankfully!) as they were able to control my pain quickly and rebolus epidural meds but I certainly don't want a repeat of that again! So for me, I'd consider a VBAC if I'm beginning to dilate and efface on my own. Also, if this dude isn't measuring too large (I've been told I have a small pelvic arch). My OB isn't concerned about repeat c section vs VBAC even though my last c section was less than 1 year ago for DD. I really missed the immediate skin to skin with DD and for a while, it seemed surreal that she was even mine since the first moment I met her, she was already clean and wrapped in a blanket.
@comealongponds Thanks for the tip! I had 5 different meds going into the same IV site last time (insulin, dextrose, LRS, Penicillin, and ???, well I don't remember anymore). Would the LRS not act the same as diluting it?
@TalesOfASocialIntrovert it does to an extent but sometimes further diluting the med itself can help! If you have discomfort, I’d ask for it to be run a bit slower to start with and if that doesn’t work well enough on its own, ask them to dilute it more next time!
How do you get to the point where you're comfortable leaving your kid with a babysitter/nanny? We hired a college student for once a week, and today is her third day/3rd week. The first time, she spent half the day with my mom there shadowing/learning. The second time last week, my son seemed perfectly fine and happy when we got home, BUT we were kind of freaked out to see that his same cup of morning milk was sitting on the coffee table and no matter how much we looked, we couldn't find another cup anywhere that would indicate she had given him any water all day. My husband said he'd talk to her about it today. She's young (just finished Freshman year) but has been babysitting since she was like 13 and had 3 really good references who raved about her. Also, we live in a really small town and her dad just happens to be the veteran cop for our town, so that made us feel like she was trustworthy. But I am gone when she arrives in the morning and usually she is gone before I get home, so I just haven't had a chance to really see her interact with my son and I can't quiet these paranoid what if feelings. Like what if she's mean to him and he can't communicate it to us? I have no real reason to think this, but I just can't help it. My husband texted me that she got there and he took the dog out and our son was crying inside. He never does that when my mom comes. But then again she's his grandma and has been taking care of him since he was 6 weeks old. And he used to do the same thing when we left him at daycare. I just don't know what to do to convince myself that he's safe with her. Has anyone done a nanny cam? I feel like that's so extreme but I don't know what else to do.
@zande2016 can you put together his meals, drinks, and snacks before you leave? That helps me understand what DS is eating and drinking. Our sitter let’s the milk go to waste if he doesn’t finish it (i hate it) but it’s not a lot so i don’t say anything. Since he only sees her once a week could the crying be he’s just not use to her yet? It can take time especially if it’s not consecutive days. It may take time to find her rhythm and toddlers will be toddlers too. If your concerned maybe something that lets you hear audio if camera is too weird. Regarding water i think it’s good to just ask her how much he’s drinking or keep an eye on his diaper usage. You can throw in a little lie about the doctor asking. I believe that if something were really wrong they would somehow still try to communicate it by shying away or crying out of nowhere when he saw her.
@wildtot we do tell her what to feed him for lunch, and she knows he gets a snack between his meals and what the snack options are. But I also know I told her he gets milk with meals and water should always be available to him any other time, so I was so confused when that water thing happened last week. I keep telling myself he may have had a water cup and hidden it somewhere, since he does that, but we couldn't find it in any of his usual hiding spots. At least since he didn't finish his milk I can assume he wasn't that thirsty that day. Logically I think he cried because he doesn't know her that well, and I know since he only sees her once a week it will take time for him to remember her, but the paranoid anxious mommy part of my brain isn't that logical. I think I need to go into work later next Thursday so I can be there when she gets there and observe for myself how he reacts to her. Not that I don't trust my husband, but he can be oblivious and doesn't have that red flag radar detection that I have. He also was SUPER clingy last week after being with her, and I am trying not to read too much into it since he's been clingy with me in general lately. The worst part is, she's going back to college in August and we'll need to find someone new and go through the building trust process all over again.
@zande2016 no really great advice for you - DH still isn't comfortable leaving DD with nonfamily. I have the same struggles with MIL though and wondering if DD is getting enough water or eating too much junk...but since it's one day a week I just kid of rolled with it
BTW - also allergic to penicillin/amoxicillin - I typically take azithromycin (z-pack) or related antibiotic - also sulpher pills.
@zande2016 it's really hard to find someone you trust with your kid, and even to this day I worry about family and non-family babysitters because you just never know. However, for our nanny, I used to write her a full sheet of notes about what was new with DD that week, what kinds of food to feed her that day or not feed her, reminders about giving her water/milk/etc, suggestions for activities to do with her that day, and whatever else I could think of. Since I was never there to see her in the morning or afternoon (DH was the hand-off person), this was how I communicated with her. She would write back on the same piece of paper what DD ate/drank, how many diapers she changed, DD's naps, and if they went anywhere out of the house, where they went (she would also text me per my request). I also didn't allow her to take DD anywhere in a car for several months in the beginning.
@flockofmoosen3 yeah I am also struggling with whether to let her drive him. Her driving record is clean, and like I said her dad is a cop and she learned how to drive from him, but still...she's young. If anything they'd be going to the local playground 3 minutes away, or the farm that's 5 minutes away, but you never know. On the one hand I want him to get out of the house and have fun, but it's really hard to trust someone else driving your kid.
@zande2016 my one concern with her driving him would be that even though her driving record is clean doesn't mean it's due to safe driving. I got a 77 in a 55 speeding ticket when I was 18 that never touched my record because my uncle was an A.D.A. and got it dismissed in exchange for me taking a defensive driving class. So with her dad being a cop she probably wouldn't have anything on her record unless it was really serious, like an accident.
Also I'd be paranoid about her taking him to a park and him wandering off or her not paying close enough attention but I'm also a crazy paranoid person. I probably would feel the same way about DH taking LO to the park honestly
Re: Ask a STM- May Edition
My husband says everything is fine and we shouldn't spend all that money just to go to an NST. I'm a worrywart so I'm trying to be cool but...
Sandals - I buy DD a pair of Salt Water Sandals each summer. They are real leather but safe to go in water, so they worked great for splash pads, beach, etc. Plus they have a ton of cute colors and styles.
As a pediatric nurse whos cared for GBS sepsis and meningitis babies....don’t decline. The risks of GBS to a newborn far, far outweigh the minimal risks of a couple doses of antibiotics in labour.
That being said, a lot of the women who choose to do the antibiotics in that group also have a good probiotic on hand for them and the baby (not sure when the baby gets it) for "gut healing" due to taking the antibiotic. No idea if that really helps, but they all seem to think it does, and could be an option instead of a hard decline of the antibiotics and/or test?
@smashjam If I were GBS + and knew I was going to need the antibiotics, I'd ask my midwife about starting probiotics before labor..and continuing after. No clue if starting before would even make a difference, but worth asking I think. L&D throws your digestion off as it is, and having good gut health not only helps you, but helps the baby if you're breastfeeding as well. It's also another one of those things where I've never heard of probiotics hurting, and can help, so why not. Like I said I'd check with the midwife first though, maybe there's some risk I'm not aware of.
We also gave my son probiotics for gas/reflux when he was a baby and it made such a difference for him.
I think it may be an older guideline to avoid fermented foods, although it depends on maybe the source?I definitely avoided brewed kombicha and opted for bottled for example. I'm not big on them and I'm not taking a probiotic yet but it will be good to start closer to birth.
Child in hospital fighting to survive vs possible maternal GI upset and painful IV = baby always wins. Period.
@flockofmoosen3 it's usually penicillin but I'm not sure what they'd give if you have an allergy. My husband is allergic to penicillin actually so that's a good point about asking.
@ckmb_knottie @wildtot @flockofmoosen3
Just a question to satisfy curiousity!
@comealongponds Thanks for the tip! I had 5 different meds going into the same IV site last time (insulin, dextrose, LRS, Penicillin, and ???, well I don't remember anymore). Would the LRS not act the same as diluting it?
ETA the fifth med was Pitocin
BTW - also allergic to penicillin/amoxicillin - I typically take azithromycin (z-pack) or related antibiotic - also sulpher pills.
Also I'd be paranoid about her taking him to a park and him wandering off or her not paying close enough attention but I'm also a crazy paranoid person. I probably would feel the same way about DH taking LO to the park honestly