Weekly Questions 3/31

thirdtimesacharm2019

@mamamias Yes on the RLP. I don’t remember it being this bad/early with my other pregnancies. 

mrosek91

This is partly question, partly rant, partly looking for validation.
I keep thinking I need a new bathrobe, and then I go to look, and all the good ones are at a minimum $80, and I think can't justify that on something I only wear a few hours a week (if that). But last night after I got out of the shower, I realized that mine was still in the laundry, and so I put on DH's and oh, my goodness that thing was comfy. Mine is some cheap terry robe that I bought almost 10 years ago, it's serviceable, but nothing special. When I put on DH's it was like putting on a cloud. (I would just steal it, but it was way too big.) Is it me, or in general are men's lounge wear more comfortable? I know whenever I'm pregnant I steal DH's t-shirts for PJs and those things are so soft.
So I need to convince myself I can splurge and buy a new one. And I need recommendations for a good one. I do sometime wear it around the house when we have company, so it needs to be appropriate for that.

aukeev

@mamamias I have it, but it isn't very severe. It's mostly when I'm trying to get comfortable in bed at night. Is there anything your doctor can do for it? 

mkrel

@mrosek91 I had my husband buy me a bathrobe for Christmas this year because I couldn't justify the price tag either.  I think it was around $90 from Macy's, but it is sooooooo soft.  

heml

@mamamias Mine was pretty severe yesterday. A warm bath and heating pad last night helped me a lot. I’ve been trying to hydrate more too because I figure that helps with everything??

Thanks for the Rex @EmilyA724!!

peachy0709

@mrosek91 - Lands End!!! You'll have to monitor the site, but when they go on sale, they usually are a steal and so comfortable!! 

wabash15

@mamamias I didn't have RLP with the twins but I sure have with my last pregnancy and this one. It seems the worst for me when I get up from sitting. 
@mrosek91 I would splurge... especially since you'll have it for a while. (though I will admit to stealing one of DH's robes since he has 2... and its amazing). 

Avrilmai

@mrosek91 sounds like you keep your robe for years, so investing in something that is quality and comfortable sounds like a good investment. 

@heml have you considered looking for men's shorts? they may be a bit longer and wont have the "pink pricing" or added cost for being labeled "maternity." I sleep in the men's boxer shorts from old navy.  

mamamias

@wabash15 @oklahomak It is severe when I get up from sitting. The doctor suggests a heating pad, tylenol and a warm bath if it is very bad. They are also recommending a maternity belt but I feel it's too early for that. 

aukeev

@mamamias You might not knock the maternity belt! A friend of mine who had a baby last year passed along a couple of them to me - the one she used early on was pretty slim and doesn't seem too bad!

wabash15

@mamamias I'm already in a maternity belt (well an elastic band... but sometimes we repeat moms need extra support)

thirdtimesacharm2019

I ordered a maternity belt a few weeks ago, but it’s a little different from the one I had last time (although it looked the same) and is only comfortable when I’m standing. Maybe I just need to break it in?

mrosek91

@mkrel @peachy0709 @wabash15 @Avrilmai Thanks ladies!!
I texted DH that I was ordering a robe from Land's End and did he need anything, and he texted back not to buy one, because he just did, and was planning on surprising me with it.
I love that man!

peachy0709

@mrosek91 - That made me genuinely happy!! What a good husband!!! 

jrm_14

In several PP articles, they talk about making padsicles. I understand why, but if you’re still bleeding & the pad is full of frozen aloe & witch hazel, I can only imagine how messy that gets. Any insight from STMs on this?

mrosek91

@jrm_14 my hospital gave out special frozen pads. They work like ice packs in first aid kits, you crack them to activate the cold, but they were the equivalent of really absorbent pads. They were amazing. If you know any moms who used your hospital, you can ask if they have them.

Allycat11

@mamamias I have been fighting RLP for a bit already and had it pretty badly with one or both of my other pregnancies.  No major tips for dealing with it, just an I feel your pain moment.

@jrm_14 I remember using padsicles after giving birth both times and it was not a mess. I cant remember the logistics but they felt like heaven with all of the swelling and soreness. Also I was a big fan of the mesh undies from the hospital and stashed a few extra pair to take home. 

cato99

@mrosek91 I gasped out loud at the plot twist of your husband buying you a robe as a surprise! What a wonderful outcome!

Beauxbaton

@jrm_14 the hospital I delivered at has these ice packs that are shaped like pads. And I think I only used them 12-24 hours after delivery. At home if I was sore I just used regular ice packs outside my pants with no towel or rag as a barrier and it worked well. I should add though that recovery wasn't hard for me with any of my deliveries. I know a lot of people (and articles) talk about having difficulty walking and pooping and I had none of that. So take my recovery advice with a grain of salt lol 

mamamias

@Allycat11 It became so bad today that standing up was pure agony. I got worried it might be something worse than RLP and called the dr's office for an appointment. Turns out they don't have anything until Monday which is when I have my regular OB appointment. So broke down and took a tylenol. Feeling better now.

Avrilmai

@mamamias I read that as some mom guilt and maybe it's not, but I just want to say, don't beat yourself up for taking a tylenol. Your pain/discomfort was real and tylenol is on every list for pregnant women. I'm glad to hear it helped. 

Beauxbaton

@mamamias look up the symptoms of Symphysis Pubic Dysfunction (SPD.) It's super common, kind of in the same area of RLP, and can make standing, lifting legs, and walking really really painful. 

thirdtimesacharm2019

@Beauxbaton OMG! I’ve never heard of that!! I think I’m somewhere between that and RLP, but we still have a lot of time to go. 

mamamias

@Beauxbaton Thank you for this info. I have never heard of this SPD before. I looked it up and the symptoms are pretty close to what I have. Will talk to my dr about some PT which might help.

aecm

I definitely had SPD with my first and am already experiencing it with this pregnancy. No advice, but it’s definitely not fun.

Twinkiedoll

My quest for maternity work pants continues.  The ones I got from Motherhood Maternity aren't great.  Anyone have any luck so far?

emqbee

@Twinkiedoll I also haven’t been thrilled with the pants from Motherhood for work. My sister took me to Target and bought me several things just because she wanted me to feel put together while preggo and knew my clothes aren’t fitting great anymore(best sister alert!) Anyways, found two pairs of black pants that are comfy and look great for work. Not sure exactly what your after, style wise but these are perfect for me. They are straight/skinny leg style. They work great for the kind of shoes I tend to wear to work, summer and winter. 
Eta: I think they had white and khaki too but I don’t wear light colors so...

Twinkiedoll

@emqbee that sounds exactly like what I'm looking for.  I only wear black or dark grey pants to work.  What brand are the pants you have?

emqbee

@Twinkiedoll their called Isabel Maternity. I think they were between 22-30$. I also bought some of their maternity shorts and I’m in love!!

purplg8r

@emqbee my target has a crap selection for maternity!! I’m jealous!

emqbee

@purplg8r don’t be too jealous! I was visiting my sister in Colorado Springs and they have a really nice shopping area. Pretty sure my Target here is going to disappoint when I go check out their selection!

Twinkiedoll

@purplg8r I'm just going to order online and hope for the best!

Beauxbaton

For those with SPD symptoms the things I have found most helpful is the butterfly stretch and an ice pack on the pubic area. One good thing is it seems to go away almost immediately after delivery based on personal experience and experience of others I've known with it.

heml

@Beauxbaton Thank you! I think that’s what I was experiencing Wednesday and Thursday. I read online crossing your legs makes it worse so I’m trying to be mindful of that at work. No crossing on Friday and didn’t have pain. 

@twinkledoll I’ve been very happy with my stitch fix boxes, great work dresses and shirts. I asked them for work approp capris in my next box 

suzycupcake

I have a full wrap around pillow and lately, it hasn’t been keeping me from rolling on my back. Not sure exactly how long being on my back is happening but it seems like a ton. 

https://www.amazon.com/PharMeDoc-Pregnancy-Maternity-Detachable-Extension/dp/B07M79KGPM/

Here is the one I got. Any suggestions?

cato99

@suzycupcake I think even with pillows it's just one of those things? And lately I've been hearing that rolling onto your back during the night occasionally isn't really a serious problem--you just don't want to, idk, spend all day splayed out on your back! I think the pillow you have is probably the best one to prevent being on your back since you're all-around supported, so you're doing all you can!

In my case, I don't know what it is this pregnancy but I'm winding up on my back ALL THE TIME in spite of my pregnancy pillows (and I'm naturally a side or stomach-down sleeper--I don't even sleep on my back when not pregnant, let alone last pregnancy). Like I'll wake up draped dramatically all over my poor ignored pregnancy pillow on my back. It's annoying and sometimes uncomfortable but I'm not overly concerned overall.

suzycupcake

Same here @cato99 re; being a side sleeper pre-pregnancy. I'm winding up on my back all of the time now too. Hmm, my husband wonders if that's the reason we wake in the middle of the night other than to use the restroom--maybe our bodies are like hey you, roll back over on your side? It's nice to hear this is happening to other Mamas too and that it's probably not something to be concerned about. 

olivemomma

Likewise constantly ending up on my back despite my u-shape pregnancy pillow and falling asleep on my sides... I even feel a little nauseous from it sometimes. I figure that’s why my body is waking me up... plus you know, all of the peeing 

purplg8r

@emqbee @Twinkiedoll well, I just fell down the rabbit hole of Old Navy & Gap maternity since they seem to be having a good sale so I feel better 😜

@suzycupcake @cato99 @olivemomma add me to another that keeps waking on my back.  I’ve tried 2 different pillows and no luck.  

suzycupcake

I have had luck with maternity jeans once it occurred to me that they have to have an actual button in order to stay up along with the side/full panel. Not sure how you ladies feel about lightly used maternity items, but Poshmark is great for finding designer maternity jeans for low prices. Last week, I made an offer on a $60 pair for $30 and the seller accepted. They don't charge your card until you hop back online to accept the order, making sure nothing is wrong with it first. That's a great feature. I do have one pair of jeans that doesn't have a button, but they stay up all of the time. They are Pink Blush, but the other pair of PBs I bought from the same seller don't stay up at all. So it has to be that an actual front button is the safest way to go.

A tape measure is highly recommended on your pre-pregnancy jeans to check the inches around the top, but always go with the measurement of around your butt to the front for hips size because that matters most. The brand size charts seem to be true. With Motherhood, their size charts are true too. It's best to read the reviews on the jeans though. If a women are saying they don't stay up, don't buy them. If there are no reviews, don't buy them. Just my two cents. 

And oooh, thanks @purplg8r for mentioning the sale. The $30 offer I made was on some Gap true skinny inset panel jeans and I'm in love with them!