Can someone who has done this before recommend what dads should do to help during labor? My husband keeps asking me what I will want and I just don't know cuz I've never done this before!
Did any btdt moms use a cover of any sort for their carseat? It seems like there are a billion out there but are they useful? I just ordered a milk snob and now I wonder if I will actually use it. Edit: I should specify that the cover would be used while hauling baby out and about, not while in the car driving.
Any mommas who were induced, what was that like? Just from what I've read, the manual ways of inducing sound kind of painful, and I've read too many different things about the drugs they use to know what's true and what's not. It's sounding like at this point I may have to be induced at 38 weeks.
@theshannondeeWe had a JJ Cole car seat canopy and we used it pretty constantly. You never know when the sun will be in just the wrong direction and shine directly in baby's eyes. It was also a way to give the baby a private place to nap when we were out and about (keeps overly handsy strangers from pinching them in the grocery store). The way the elastic around the bottom stretches to fit any seat is pretty amazing. We also got the brica comfort canopy below which theoretically would have been great for keeping both bugs and sun off of DS at a park or something. But we didn't get out as much as we should have I guess! It was definitely not an everyday cover. sorry about the big images. Edited to add tag.
We didn't take any classes. The hospital where I delivered DD had classes in the early evening (still during work hours) or in the morning (during work hours). I felt it wasn't worth it, as I knew all of the terms and everything anyway (and since I knew that nurses will walk you through everything while you are actually going through it). The only other choice was weekends, and I was not giving up my weekends during the only sunny weeks of the year, to sit in a building. My husband had rarely held a baby, and had never change a diaper, and he was all hands on deck as soon as she was born, without taking any prep classes (I couldn't even really help him because I had a CS after 28 hours of labor, so he was pretty much on his own and figured it out).
@schaze I was a little overdue, went to an appointment (biophysical profile) and they told me I was contracting. I couldn't really feel it until I watched the monitor. They did a quick ultrasound to look at baby's measurements, said the baby was huge, and then sent me to the hospital to be induced. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat at the hospital so I made DH take me to Subway across the street for lunch first. While there, the MFM doctor that gave me the u/s came in and he just laughed and said, "I get it, I'd do the same thing". It was funny. (I also laughed hysterically at the baby "being huge" comment b/c I had been told my whole pregnancy that I was carrying small, my husband was insistent I wasn't eating enough, etc. Our daughter didn't end up being huge. She was a respectable 7 lbs 11 oz. I don't trust u/s baby measurements. They can be off by a lot)
I was induced with Cervadil. It's a medication inserted vaginally. Insertion didn't hurt. When I went pee, I had to pee into a little bowl thingy that was inserted to the toilet. The only reason for that was to see if the Cervadil exited my body (it didn't). The induction was pretty uneventful at first. So DH and I were just at the hospital, watching Ellen, calling family, etc.
My contractions eventually manifested in horrible back labor. I tried to breathe through them as much as possible. DH described my facial expression as "you just smelled the worst fart in your life"- gotta love husbands. I tried to get DH to apply counterpressure to my back but it just didn't help at all. I found everything annoying and eventually asked for an epidural. However, the anesthesiologist was occupied with more emergent cases so he didn't come to my room FOR AN HOUR. I think I checked into the hospital around 1:00 in the afternoon and our daughter was born at 5:50am.
Since this is my 2nd pregnancy (which they say go quicker), I plan to ask for an epidural sooner. I don't know what the magic time will be. I just hope not to be one of those women that are unmedicated by no choice of their own!
ETA: the doctor did eventually break my water. That wasn't painful but it was just weird to feel that wetness. The nurses just had me lift my bum up so they could change the pad underneath me. Labor is so glamorous! Also, I was only given a little bit of Pitocin after delivery to help contract my uterus back to normal. My concern with induction was the "cascade of interventions" but I was able to feel contractions and push effectively so my labor went pretty well. I'd do it that way again. We'll see if I go into labor on my own or not.
Can someone who has done this before recommend what dads should do to help during labor? My husband keeps asking me what I will want and I just don't know cuz I've never done this before!
"Whatever I want you to in the moment!" Kindof kidding. My husband fed me ice chips (that's all I was allowed) and fielded texts/calls thanks to MIL not respecting our wishes and announcing I was in labor. He rubbed my back while pushing since the nurses had my legs. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he's very go with the flow.
Any mommas who were induced, what was that like? Just from what I've read, the manual ways of inducing sound kind of painful, and I've read too many different things about the drugs they use to know what's true and what's not. It's sounding like at this point I may have to be induced at 38 weeks..
At my last OB appointment, she stripped my membranes. It didn't really hurt any more than a normal cervical check. At the hospital two days later, I was given pitocin. I don't have any other labor to compare it to, but it was tolerable for a long time. My OB broke my water. Again, not painful but felt weird. I did get an epidural because that was always my plan. I wanted to make sure I got it before I reached "the point of no return".
Can someone who has done this before recommend what dads should do to help during labor? My husband keeps asking me what I will want and I just don't know cuz I've never done this before!
Considering we didn't take any Lamaze classes or any type of coaching classes, my husband really stepped up to the plate. I think the best thing he did for me, was just being by my side when things got difficult. He held my hand, made me look in his eyes and breathed with me. I felt so much better with his love and support. I didn't need anybody else. It was his encouragement and love and that shined through that made me want to try harder and get through it. So cheesy, I know, but its something I still look back on and appreciate.
With that said, that was all at the hospital, more towards the end of my laboring. When I was at home, I preferred to be left alone and kind of dealt with it on my own (and let him sleep).
Can someone who has done this before recommend what dads should do to help during labor? My husband keeps asking me what I will want and I just don't know cuz I've never done this before!
The most important thing for me was for him to know our birth plan and be my advocate. He asked the doctor and nurses questions and told them when I needed things so I didn't have to talk to them and could just focus on my job. If there are certain things ou definitely do or don't want (that are within your control—things can always change), make sure DH gets that clearly and can speak up for you. DH also snuck me some snacks when the nurses weren't around. Some women like back and shoulder rubs during labor or hand holding. I personally didn't want anyone to touch me. DH also monitored my contractions and told me when the worst part was over and warned me when the next one was about to hit.
Did any btdt moms use a cover of any sort for their carseat? It seems like there are a billion out there but are they useful? I just ordered a milk snob and now I wonder if I will actually use it. Edit: I should specify that the cover would be used while hauling baby out and about, not while in the car driving.
In the summer I just threw an A&A blanket over the top for sun protection. In the winter, they're pretty necessary unless you bundle baby up in thick blankets since thick coats are not safe in the car seat. We had a winter one that stretched around the seat and was wooly inside. When it was really cold, we'd add a blanket too.
Any mommas who were induced, what was that like? Just from what I've read, the manual ways of inducing sound kind of painful, and I've read too many different things about the drugs they use to know what's true and what's not. It's sounding like at this point I may have to be induced at 38 weeks.
I have only labored once and I was induced with just a low dose of pitocin since I was slightly dilated. I can't compare it to normal labor, but have been told the contractions are supposedly much worse with pitocin. I was in labor for 8.5 hours and didn't get an epidural. The first 8 hours I found tolerable (yes, painful). The last half hour was miserable, but I went from 6 cm to baby being born, so thankfully it was quick. I wouldn't have wanted to do it differently. (Unless I could go into labor naturally of course!)
Did any btdt moms use a cover of any sort for their carseat? It seems like there are a billion out there but are they useful? I just ordered a milk snob and now I wonder if I will actually use it. Edit: I should specify that the cover would be used while hauling baby out and about, not while in the car driving.
We had one like the one in the first picture that @betheliz posted. I never took it out of the package. We ended up just throwing a A&A swaddle blanket over it, when need be, and then putting the swaddle on DD when we didn't need it covered.
I do live in an area where it is windy/raining for 9 months out of the year, so we are buying a carseat with the cover built in, since the baby was going to be a newborn during the summer months....it will help with shading as well. We mostly just need the cover for going from car to building, as it isn't like we go out for walks in the pouring rain or anything. It tucks right into the canopy when not in use, so it will be out of the way....
My induction was pretty complicated as I was not effaced or dialated at all. I had a double balloon inserted (one inside cervix one out side that squished my cervix and opened it to 4 cm) it was done at 3pm on the Monday and I was finally 4 cm by Tuesday at 10am. I had to stay the night for monitoring although many women with only the single balloon are allowed to go home until it falls out. It was fairly painful insertion and I did need a morphine and gravol shot at night to help my sleep. Then my water was broken at 10 am, nothing happened (contractions did not start) so at 11am I was started on pitocin and my dose was fairly high. And they continued to increase it to speed things along... You know because my baby was on a timer... By 2pm I couldn't handle it and screamed for an epidural. She was born by 4:54 pm that night. I think the only thing I didn't have was the cervidil as an induction method. (I had been rimmed twice in the passed two weeks and nothing)
@PhoebeJune1984 Ahhhh now I remember, you liked the Nuna Pippa too! Hey have you seen the new version yet in our area? Maybe you haven't looked yet...My Nordstrom only had the old one with the four big stickers. Is that the color you want?! Its fun!
@theshannondee I haven't even checked to see if they have them in yet. When I talked to them, they said most likely spring time, and spring just started....and I am not really in a rush to run out and get it (we have another seat to use if baby happens to come months early...but I doubt that will happen). I am getting a new car in May/June, so I will go and see if they have the new ones yet, after I get the new car. I am actually going to get the black one!
For those that were nervous/scared/fearful about labor, did you ever get past that prior to it happening? My emotions range from excited, to nervous to anxious to fear. I know its completely normal, but I'm wondering if at some point I'll be past the fear.
For those that were nervous/scared/fearful about labor, did you ever get past that prior to it happening? My emotions range from excited, to nervous to anxious to fear. I know its completely normal, but I'm wondering if at some point I'll be past the fear.
I was really nervous. Which is completely normal to have some sort of nerves/fear, because its not like we have ever been in the situation before. There are so many "what if's" that were going through my head...from "what if my water breaks in the store?", "what if I don't know that I am in labor?" or "what if I hemorrhage and they cannot do anything to stop it?" and everything else under the sun. Come delivery day, I was a little nervous but was so ready to be done and meet this little person that I had been waiting for, that the nerves and stuff weren't as high. After I was induced and in labor for awhile, the nerves were gone and I was just focused on what was happening in the moment. Now, with this pregnancy, I am nervous because of the fact that I am going in for a RCS and I remember what it was like last time. But I have to keep reminding myself that many of my friends have had two c-sections and have said that the second was much easier than the first...so I just try to focus on that, and being excited to see what this baby looks like.
For those that were nervous/scared/fearful about labor, did you ever get past that prior to it happening? My emotions range from excited, to nervous to anxious to fear. I know its completely normal, but I'm wondering if at some point I'll be past the fear.
I was really nervous. Which is completely normal to have some sort of nerves/fear, because its not like we have ever been in the situation before. There are so many "what if's" that were going through my head...from "what if my water breaks in the store?", "what if I don't know that I am in labor?" or "what if I hemorrhage and they cannot do anything to stop it?" and everything else under the sun. Come delivery day, I was a little nervous but was so ready to be done and meet this little person that I had been waiting for, that the nerves and stuff weren't as high. After I was induced and in labor for awhile, the nerves were gone and I was just focused on what was happening in the moment. Now, with this pregnancy, I am nervous because of the fact that I am going in for a RCS and I remember what it was like last time. But I have to keep reminding myself that many of my friends have had two c-sections and have said that the second was much easier than the first...so I just try to focus on that, and being excited to see what this baby looks like.
Thanks! This makes a lot of sense and makes me feel better. I was having a hard time figuring out what I am actually fearful of, but DH and I had a long talk last night. I realized that while I'm really hoping to not have an epidural he was feeling nervous about having to "push" me through that and his own emotional reaction to seeing me in that kind of pain. I was interpreting his emotions as being unsupportive of my desires and that was a big part of my fear (could I do it without him being totally on board). We were able to talk through some of that and I'm feeling better today.
Looking for advice about what I can expect in the first 3 months PP. I know that every situation and baby is different but I want to get somewhat of an idea. I will be on maternity leave for 12 weeks, so I'm expecting that could last from early July until mid/late October depending on when baby decides to arrive. DH and I love to travel and he is already itching to plan something for the summer and/or fall. We usually try to go to another city for a Patriots away game for a long weekend. I personally think it is a terrible idea to take a < 3 month old newborn to a loud football game. I'm not opposed to the idea of traveling in the first 3 months but I think we should leave ourselves as flexible as possible so if baby is colicky, has frequent feedings, nap times, etc, we can accommodate. I was thinking of a long weekend in Portland, ME or Portsmouth, NH (we live near Boston). Something about an hour or two drive.
Of course I could be the unreasonable one here since I've never done this before. Any ideas from BTDT moms? When did you take your first out of town trip and what kind of things were you able to do with a newborn? I figure once I go back to work I may not be able to get any time off for awhile, so I want to take advantage of maternity leave if I can.
DD was colicky and we love to travel. We stayed in Chicago for a long weekend (about a 45 minute drive for us) when she was 3 months. DH kept asking me for times I thought we would do stuff and what we should do the last night. I kept telling him that we would have to be flexible and I just had a loose idea of the kinds of things I wanted to do but DD would dictate the schedule. Our last day we checked out about 2. I looked at DH and asked if he really wanted to do something else before we went home. He very quickly agreed he was exhausted and we packed up the car. There were some nice memories in there, but still going through the colicky phase, I would say it was not worth it and I would rather have waited. I remember wanting to get lunch and walking up and down the block with her screaming in the stroller for about 45 minutes trying to get her to fall asleep. She slept about 30 minutes so I had time to scarf down my food barely, fully expecting a quick exit. Woke up at full scream and I ran her to the bathroom to nurse her (not ashamed of nursing, but trying to keep the screaming away from everyone else enjoying their meal) while DH grabbed the check. This was how most of our outings went for several months and I found it pretty stressful. Depends on how confident you are with babies and with other people staring at you too I suppose. Colic in general made me feel like I was failing as a mom and I was already on the edge of panic at most times, plus I hate being the center of attention.
Thank you @whataboutscience! I am similar to you in that I don't like being the center of attention or "bothering" other people with my screaming baby. One of the reasons I think Portland might be a good idea is that it could be planned last minute if we end up having an "easy baby" or skipped entirely if the first 3 months are tougher than we imagine. Other people have also suggested going to the Dominican Republic or to Miami (3hr flight) which would take a lot more money and logistics planning which I don't think we'll be ready for.
@sboston06 we had the opposite experience from PPs with DD. When she was three months old we traveled for BIL's wedding. Baby girl was a dream on the way, slept decently at the hotel (for a three month old), and was pretty flexible with us. We might not be the rule and be the exception instead, but we took DD with us everywhere we went: out to eat, grocery shopping, visiting friends/family, hunting trips, etc. every child is different. I have no preconceived notions that this baby will be like DD. We'll just have to see how she is and adjust accordingly.
We had to take DS to a funeral about 6-7 hours away when he was 5 months old. The car ride was mostly fine except for the stops needed to change him, etc. We brought his rock and play, and he did great in the hotel. It all depends on that baby, really. This one I would like to take to the zoo etc. with DS on a weekend trip at about 3 months old, which is only a 3 hour trip.
@sboston06 we had the opposite experience from PPs with DD. When she was three months old we traveled for BIL's wedding. Baby girl was a dream on the way, slept decently at the hotel (for a three month old), and was pretty flexible with us. We might not be the rule and be the exception instead, but we took DD with us everywhere we went: out to eat, grocery shopping, visiting friends/family, hunting trips, etc. every child is different. I have no preconceived notions that this baby will be like DD. We'll just have to see how she is and adjust accordingly.
Thats how we are with DD. We have always just taken her places with us and never made a big deal out of it, and she has always been really flexible. But we were also the type that were never like "lets get this baby on a schedule!" or "the baby needs to be in the crib sleeping at exactly 7!" I guess we kind of figured that if we made a big deal out of doing things out of the norm, then we would either make ourselves fearful of ever doing it, or we would stress ourselves out so much that none of the trip/event would go over well and be miserable. Sure things came up here and there, but we just always rolled with the flow, and it wasn't that big of a deal. Our plan is to do things the same, and see how they go this time around, but our first trip with this baby is when baby is between 2-4 weeks old.
@PugLoveBug I don't want to scare you or downplay what you experienced, but I think that's pretty normal for most babies to scream a few hours at night. Most everyone I know with babies has experienced this almost reliably at a certain time every night. I have no doubt it is very distressing for everyone involved still. Ours pretty much screamed if she was not asleep or nursing. And she only slept an average of 9 hours a day. I logged it meticulously afraid she was doing permanent damage.
I have a question about what to pack in a diaper bag for a newborn. We are going to have to take the baby out to the pediatrician's two days after he is born (if everything goes well and we have a home birth). I'm curious what BTDT moms recommend having stocked in the diaper bag for the first few weeks. I assume after that we'll have gotten to know the baby's needs and can pack more specifically for him, but at two days I don't think I'll have a clue and will want the bag to be packed in advance of going into labor.
@sboston06 we had the opposite experience from PPs with DD. When she was three months old we traveled for BIL's wedding. Baby girl was a dream on the way, slept decently at the hotel (for a three month old), and was pretty flexible with us. We might not be the rule and be the exception instead, but we took DD with us everywhere we went: out to eat, grocery shopping, visiting friends/family, hunting trips, etc. every child is different. I have no preconceived notions that this baby will be like DD. We'll just have to see how she is and adjust accordingly.
Thats how we are with DD. We have always just taken her places with us and never made a big deal out of it, and she has always been really flexible. But we were also the type that were never like "lets get this baby on a schedule!" or "the baby needs to be in the crib sleeping at exactly 7!" I guess we kind of figured that if we made a big deal out of doing things out of the norm, then we would either make ourselves fearful of ever doing it, or we would stress ourselves out so much that none of the trip/event would go over well and be miserable. Sure things came up here and there, but we just always rolled with the flow, and it wasn't that big of a deal. Our plan is to do things the same, and see how they go this time around, but our first trip with this baby is when baby is between 2-4 weeks old.
I didn't think about this at the time but that's true for us as well. We never pushed a schedule. She nursed on demand, slept when she was tired, etc. Everyone around us told us we needed to get her on a schedule but we never really did until recently and her current schedule is based more on when she usually gets tired. That might have something to do with why she's flexible.
@elenabrent i second packing at least one swaddle/baby blanket in your bag. when we went to that first pedi appointment, we had to take the baby's clothes off for the examination and the nurse seemed kind of horrified that i didn't have a blanket to keep him warm while we waited for the doctor. #firstmomfail
also, I agree that you will need A LOT of cloths for cleaning up spit up. 2-3 sounds good!
@elenabrent If you're BFing, a nursing cover or blanket if you choose to use one, nipple cream, extra nursing pads if your milk is in already. I think on day 3 my milk came in and at the beginning the leaked like crazy! I second the two extra outfits. DD had ugly reflux and terrible blowouts. We used to count on needing at least one change of clothes. I also carried an extra baby comb because DD had a lot of hair and I obsess over keeping it neat and sanitizer wipes for changing tables or after a diaper change if you don't have a sink available.
@PugLoveBug I don't want to scare you or downplay what you experienced, but I think that's pretty normal for most babies to scream a few hours at night. Most everyone I know with babies has experienced this almost reliably at a certain time every night. I have no doubt it is very distressing for everyone involved still. Ours pretty much screamed if she was not asleep or nursing. And she only slept an average of 9 hours a day. I logged it meticulously afraid she was doing permanent damage.
I was going to say the same thing. My DD would scream a few hours at night, and there was nothing we could do to calm her. Same with all of my friends kids. However, my cousin, and one of my nanny kids, were colicky. There is a HUGE difference......when they are screaming pretty much all day/night, and you are trying just to keep yourself from jumping out the second story window. My boss had it a tiny bit easier, as I was still working during her maternity leave, so between her, her husband, and I....we were on rotating shifts just to deal with the baby who was screaming all day. The only time he wasn't screaming like he was being stabbed.....was for two 45-60min naps a day (if we managed to get him to nap), and off and on for 7 hours at night. He was never content or relaxed, he was always red faced and screaming. My boss always felt bad for saying it, but one day she said "Now I know how someone could get to the point where they wanted to shake their baby...." When DD was born and she would scream for 1-3 hours every night, my husband totally thought that she was colicky and I was just sitting back, thankful that she wasn't REALLY colicky and it was just a witching hour.
@PhoebeJune1984 I'm so lucky DH got a 12 week leave. Before DD was born, I thought it would bug me having him around the house so much. Turns out I cried when he finally had to go back to work. If I was home alone with her, I am quite certain I would have had debilitating PPD.
@whataboutscience My boss ended up taking a longer maternity leave, just because she was so worried about me having a 2.5 year old, colicky 3 month old, and a 1 month old (her nephew). Somehow, her SIL managed to get a longer maternity leave as well, so I ended up getting the babies when they were 5mo and 3mo. But I was there from the time he was born, until I was left with him full days at 5mo, and it was ROUGH. There were times she would call and say "You haven't jumped out of the second story window have you?!" Between the three of us, we all knew that if whoever had him said "I need some help!" or "You better come home..." that person meant "Come and get this baby ASAP....before I freak the f*ck out and lose my mind!" We also had the saying "Never shake a baby, always shake an adult." Which pretty much meant, "If you are about to shake baby B, hold off and wait until the next adult you see....and shake the sh*t out of that adult" because that adult could at least defend his/herself. After one day of 8 hours of screaming, she came home and I was like "I want to shake the sh*t out of you right now!!!" passed him off, grabbed my stuff, and went home. HAHA
I have a question about what to pack in a diaper bag for a newborn. We are going to have to take the baby out to the pediatrician's two days after he is born (if everything goes well and we have a home birth). I'm curious what BTDT moms recommend having stocked in the diaper bag for the first few weeks. I assume after that we'll have gotten to know the baby's needs and can pack more specifically for him, but at two days I don't think I'll have a clue and will want the bag to be packed in advance of going into labor.
In addition to what PP have said, don't forget about bringing personal items for you. The peri water bottle you'll get to use when you go to the bathroom, pads, tucks pads to line your pad with, and the delightful numbing/antiseptic spray. At 2 days post partum these items will still be very crucial to your going to the bathroom routine.
At what point do you pack a hospital bag? I know there will be some things I can't pack ahead and have to throw in at the last minute (phone charger, hair brush, etc), but otherwise when do I pack? I was thinking sometime in the early-30s but is that too soon? Too late?
@megstervt our midwife asks that at 36 weeks we have the carseat installed and the hospital bag packed.
That is about what my OB said as well. When I was in the hospital, we were talking with one of the nurses and she laughed and said "You would be amazed at how many people come in here past 36 weeks, and their husbands have to run out and buy a carseat, and then they bring it into the hospital in the box....and are trying to figure out what to do with it, how to install it, and everything else under the sun." Obviously, if you go into labor before 36 weeks and don't have it installed, its not like you were expecting to go into labor at 36 (or less) weeks. Having someone run you some clothes and a few other things into the hospital is one thing, but the carseat is completely different. But she said that at least several times a month, they have a mom that is 38+ weeks coming in to deliver and they don't have a carseat even purchased yet.
@megstervt - I was reading on the May & June boards recently and many of them have theirs already packed in the early 30's. I don't think it hurts necessarily to have one packed and in the car, especially if you're having multiples or have had some complications. My hospital is about 15 minutes from home, but I'm a planner so I will probably pack one in early May after my first shower (when I actually have some baby stuff to put in it).
thanks guys! @sboston06 I'm a planner and close to the hospital too and (at this point) no reason to think ill go early. Just like to be prepared! As for the car seat my mom bought that as my shower gift which is happening next weekend. One base will be installed in DHs truck in May. We're planning on a new car for me in June so I likely won't install a base until after that, but we will at least own it and have 1 base installed by May.
We're going to Asheville my 35th week, so we're going to have a bag packed and the carseat in the car (it'll be a rental, so probably just in the trunk and not installed), just in case. I'm really hoping I don't go into PTL while I'm on vacation in the mountains, but I'd rather have what I need than have to buy it all again out there.
I started packing my hospital bag this weekend. Mostly because I fear my husband will be responsible for collecting the specific items I want from around the house. I would be setting him up to fail. Our carseat is in the living room. Just sitting there.
Re: Ask a BTDT mom questions about birth/recovery/breastfeeding
Edit: I should specify that the cover would be used while hauling baby out and about, not while in the car driving.
We also got the brica comfort canopy below which theoretically would have been great for keeping both bugs and sun off of DS at a park or something. But we didn't get out as much as we should have I guess! It was definitely not an everyday cover.
sorry about the big images. Edited to add tag.
@schaze I was a little overdue, went to an appointment (biophysical profile) and they told me I was contracting. I couldn't really feel it until I watched the monitor. They did a quick ultrasound to look at baby's measurements, said the baby was huge, and then sent me to the hospital to be induced. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat at the hospital so I made DH take me to Subway across the street for lunch first. While there, the MFM doctor that gave me the u/s came in and he just laughed and said, "I get it, I'd do the same thing". It was funny. (I also laughed hysterically at the baby "being huge" comment b/c I had been told my whole pregnancy that I was carrying small, my husband was insistent I wasn't eating enough, etc. Our daughter didn't end up being huge. She was a respectable 7 lbs 11 oz. I don't trust u/s baby measurements. They can be off by a lot)
I was induced with Cervadil. It's a medication inserted vaginally. Insertion didn't hurt. When I went pee, I had to pee into a little bowl thingy that was inserted to the toilet. The only reason for that was to see if the Cervadil exited my body (it didn't). The induction was pretty uneventful at first. So DH and I were just at the hospital, watching Ellen, calling family, etc.
My contractions eventually manifested in horrible back labor. I tried to breathe through them as much as possible. DH described my facial expression as "you just smelled the worst fart in your life"- gotta love husbands. I tried to get DH to apply counterpressure to my back but it just didn't help at all. I found everything annoying and eventually asked for an epidural. However, the anesthesiologist was occupied with more emergent cases so he didn't come to my room FOR AN HOUR. I think I checked into the hospital around 1:00 in the afternoon and our daughter was born at 5:50am.
Since this is my 2nd pregnancy (which they say go quicker), I plan to ask for an epidural sooner. I don't know what the magic time will be. I just hope not to be one of those women that are unmedicated by no choice of their own!
ETA: the doctor did eventually break my water. That wasn't painful but it was just weird to feel that wetness. The nurses just had me lift my bum up so they could change the pad underneath me. Labor is so glamorous! Also, I was only given a little bit of Pitocin after delivery to help contract my uterus back to normal. My concern with induction was the "cascade of interventions" but I was able to feel contractions and push effectively so my labor went pretty well. I'd do it that way again. We'll see if I go into labor on my own or not.
Kindof kidding. My husband fed me ice chips (that's all I was allowed) and fielded texts/calls thanks to MIL not respecting our wishes and announcing I was in labor. He rubbed my back while pushing since the nurses had my legs. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he's very go with the flow.
At my last OB appointment, she stripped my membranes. It didn't really hurt any more than a normal cervical check. At the hospital two days later, I was given pitocin. I don't have any other labor to compare it to, but it was tolerable for a long time. My OB broke my water. Again, not painful but felt weird. I did get an epidural because that was always my plan. I wanted to make sure I got it before I reached "the point of no return".
With that said, that was all at the hospital, more towards the end of my laboring. When I was at home, I preferred to be left alone and kind of dealt with it on my own (and let him sleep).
In the summer I just threw an A&A blanket over the top for sun protection. In the winter, they're pretty necessary unless you bundle baby up in thick blankets since thick coats are not safe in the car seat. We had a winter one that stretched around the seat and was wooly inside. When it was really cold, we'd add a blanket too.
I have only labored once and I was induced with just a low dose of pitocin since I was slightly dilated. I can't compare it to normal labor, but have been told the contractions are supposedly much worse with pitocin. I was in labor for 8.5 hours and didn't get an epidural. The first 8 hours I found tolerable (yes, painful). The last half hour was miserable, but I went from 6 cm to baby being born, so thankfully it was quick. I wouldn't have wanted to do it differently. (Unless I could go into labor naturally of course!)
I do live in an area where it is windy/raining for 9 months out of the year, so we are buying a carseat with the cover built in, since the baby was going to be a newborn during the summer months....it will help with shading as well. We mostly just need the cover for going from car to building, as it isn't like we go out for walks in the pouring rain or anything. It tucks right into the canopy when not in use, so it will be out of the way....
Married: October 2014
TTC #1 since September 2015
Thanks! This makes a lot of sense and makes me feel better. I was having a hard time figuring out what I am actually fearful of, but DH and I had a long talk last night. I realized that while I'm really hoping to not have an epidural he was feeling nervous about having to "push" me through that and his own emotional reaction to seeing me in that kind of pain. I was interpreting his emotions as being unsupportive of my desires and that was a big part of my fear (could I do it without him being totally on board). We were able to talk through some of that and I'm feeling better today.
Married: October 2014
TTC #1 since September 2015
Of course I could be the unreasonable one here since I've never done this before. Any ideas from BTDT moms? When did you take your first out of town trip and what kind of things were you able to do with a newborn? I figure once I go back to work I may not be able to get any time off for awhile, so I want to take advantage of maternity leave if I can.
edited: autocorrect
every child is different. I have no preconceived notions that this baby will be like DD. We'll just have to see how she is and adjust accordingly.
also, I agree that you will need A LOT of cloths for cleaning up spit up. 2-3 sounds good!
Married: October 2014
TTC #1 since September 2015
Married: October 2014
TTC #1 since September 2015