Yeah, @Sbrown721 $50 sounds like an awful lot for a mobile. We used the aquarium that camichael mentioned, we'd hit the button as we'd lay him down at night and it would help give him some noise/stimulation as he drifted back off and now he plays with it himself as he goes to bed and as he wakes up. We also put this little giraffe stuffed animal into the crib for him, which he also loves.. helps when he's restless/rolling around and rolls into it, or he'll reach over and press it if he wants the music. The best part of the giraffe is we travel with it, it's a great little tool to throw in the packnplay to make it seem more like home/give him some noise while we're away.
Should DH and I do the regular birthing class through the hospital or should I sign up for a "special" series like hypnobirthing through our local birthing center? How critical was a birthing class for you/DH?
@mom2adoodle I think it depends completely on what type of labor you hope to have. If you're aiming for med-free, something more specialized may be the better route. I had a run-of-the-mill hospital birth with epidural and I thought the hospital birthing class was excellent in preparing DH and I for that. We went into the experience with almost no questions and feeling very comfortable with the knowledge we were armed with! That being said, I can imagine the classes vary from hospital to hospital. Mine was amazing - but maybe I just got lucky?
@mom2adoodle I agree that if you're aiming for med-fre, go with something different. We loved our Bradleh Method classes. Also great for preparing your partner to be a good coach.
@mom2adoodle while I agree you should take a specialized class if you want to go med free, hypnobirthing,etc. it might be worthwhile to also take the hospital class if you're planning on giving birth at the hospital. They will be able to tell you how they'll handle things if they don't go according to plan (and do things ever go according to plan?) and also make you more familiar with what amenities are available in their specific facility.
Ours was a one-day thing and it cost $20. It was no big thing.
@Sbrown721 we did no mobile because according to what I read, as little stimulation as possible is best for helping them go to sleep. My first was and continues to be a terrible sleeper, but I don't think a mobile would have made a difference.
if you get a while noise machine, and I know a lot of people who swear by them, get one that plugs into the wall. Those things eat batteries for breakfast.
@Shiva14 We didn't give any notice to the pediatrician. When I called to ask, they just told us to fill out her name on the hospital paperwork. A doctor from the practice magically appeared at the hospital the next day. My OB is in a giant medical network in our area, as was the pediatrician, so there was literally no paperwork to fill out. I told her I was pregnant again at our last visit, so they know in an unofficial capacity.
@geminigirl16 I'd leave it for two reasons. One, trust your OB. Two, I've heard the closer to 22 weeks for an a/s, the better, becuse baby is bigger and things are easier to see. And I believe it's true because I had my first a/s at 19.5 weeks with my daughter and we were back 4 weeks later to get the measurements of the things we couldn't see.
@mom2adoodle I agree with those saying to do the hospital class, and if you're planning on going med-free also doing the speciality class as well. The hospital class will prepare for what to expect when having a baby in that particular hospital. We did a series of classes (6 or 7 weeks), and by the end I felt right at home at the hospital, and knew how things were done giving birth there. They gave us coping techniques for labor, but nothing like you'd get in a Bradley Method or Hypnobirthing class. I'd probably go with the one day class at the hospital, if you plan to also take a speciality classes.
@geminigirl16 I'd leave it for two reasons. One, trust your OB. Two, I've heard the closer to 22 weeks for an a/s, the better, becuse baby is bigger and things are easier to see. And I believe it's true because I had my first a/s at 19.5 weeks with my daughter and we were back 4 weeks later to get the measurements of the things we couldn't see.
@mom2adoodle I agree with those saying to do the hospital class, and if you're planning on going med-free also doing the speciality class as well. The hospital class will prepare for what to expect when having a baby in that particular hospital. We did a series of classes (6 or 7 weeks), and by the end I felt right at home at the hospital, and knew how things were done giving birth there. They gave us coping techniques for labor, but nothing like you'd get in a Bradley Method or Hypnobirthing class. I'd probably go with the one day class at the hospital, if you plan to also take a speciality classes.
@BTDT mamas - My OB booked my a/s at 22.5 weeks which seems later than most everyone else. Should I ask to reschedule to earlier or is this timing OK?
Mine's at 21 which is on the later end too - as long as baby doesn't get too big, you'll be fine. I agree with @KimmySchmidt but you might still want to double check with scheduling. Some practices won't do them after 21 weeks and I know the receptionists at my practice have scheduled me for the wrong weeks a few times because they counted the weeks wrong.
We went to the birthing class at the hospital and that was it. Unfortunately there are no Bradley or Hypno classes in my area so I had to read up on the methods and kind of teach myself. Luckily the Hypno book was amazing and came with a CD. I swear by it. I plan to buy the latest edition next week.
DH is in the process of starting a new job. It will eliminate his two-hour (each way) commute allowing him to be around in the mornings and evenings every day (halleluiah!) BUT, it will require some travel here and there which will be new for us.
Any Mom's out there have husbands that travelled for work with your first LO(s)? Is it acceptable to ask the company to give him a "no-fly" period for a week or two before my due date and then for a bit after baby arrives? If so, how long would you recommend asking for after the birth? (Obviously we're fine with him going back to work, just not sure how I would handle him being gone for days at a time in the early weeks PP while I'm still recovering with a nb and toddler in tow.)
@geminigirl16- Agreed that the timing is probably ok (and maybe even better than an earlier scan) but worth checking. I had a friend who's baby was born with some congenital defects that developed after the anatomy scan. In further looking into it, some of the organs, like the kidney looked good at 19 weeks, but didn't progress much beyond that - no idea if a later scan would have caught such a thing (and the kiddo is in really great shape for what he's got going on), but I don't think it would hurt to let things develop/mature a bit - But I'd be SO impatient to get a sneak peek at my babe!
@mom2adoodle- I agree with everyone here to at least do the hospital class. I haven't looked into any methods/hypno, etc so I have no idea what it would offer you. My hospital class talked about some coping mechanisms and they were enough for me (plus what the nurse offered at the time of labor - she's a saint) to ask for 1 dose of a pain medication and nothing else throughout labor... obviously everyone is different but I wasn't 100% set on having a med-free birth, I just wanted to have the baby.. so any additional classes didn't seem to matter personally.
@JennM205- My husband's job requires very occasional travel - maybe 3-4 trips/year. He deals with trips he can't go on on a case-by-case basis and his employer obliges. I really don't know what an appropriate timeframe is for your husband to skip travel. It's really what you and your husband are comfortable with and what his employer allows. My husband declined 1 trip that was about 2 weeks before my due date with DS and then declined another trip that would have been my first week back to work.
Here's a difference between me as a FTM and now second time around. I'm sitting here on Pinterest and I see a pin that says "How to prevent pooping during labor!" FTM Anna would have pinned that pin to a private board, studied it endlessly and looked for other methods to prevent pooping. Second time mom Anna scrolls by laughing at that Pin and looking for more recipes for delicious treats instead.
It's really fun to think of how you change as you go through pregnancy, pre-baby to post-baby, and then 1st to 2nd, and time and time again.
@AnnaS930 Hahahaha. FTM Jenn would have read your post and thought, "She's okay with pooping during labor? I'd die!" STM Jenn nods head and thinks, "Amen, Sister!" Too funny.
@AnnaS930 The differences between this pregnancy and my first pregnancy are crazy. With my first I couldn't wait to feel the baby move. With this one I'm not looking forward to it because I remember all too well how uncomfortable the kicks are after the first few weeks. With my first, I didn't think of anything but the baby, with this one I rarely think about the baby. With my second I was really worried how my first would react to sharing mom. This time I'm not worried about it at all. I found parenting my second and third easier than my first. I was so worried about everything with my first, I felt like I was going to break her. But I didn't and I had more confidence in my parenting with my others.
edit because the first part of my post was missing.
@LeahKnits- That's awesome to hear. I had a lot of anxiety with my first (like seriously.. I don't want to know how many hours I spent on google looking up "normal baby poop"). I am really really hoping to take it a bit easier this time around and remind myself how amazing resilient babies are. You've given me a ray of confidence that I can approach this one with a bit more ease, I have certainly lightened up considerably in my parenting worries.. I think the 6 month mark was a huge shift for me into just taking each moment/day/phase as it comes and stop looking things up
@AnnaS930Yup. I totally googled normal baby poop and other things like that. I totally worried about my baby sleeping too much (HA!) But now, it's like The baby's poop is red? Ah, her sister probably gave her something red to eat. The baby's still asleep? Good! I hope this is a new trend. I'm a lot more laid back about labor and delivery also. With my first I was terrified so I did no research, I did take a birthing class (1 day at the hospital) but only because my mom pressured me into it. And everything was fine. With my second I had a very specific idea of how I wanted it to go and was going to write up a birth plan, but she ended up being 5 weeks early and I didn't have time. With my third I did have a birth plan and I researched things like delayed cord clamping. All those plans went out the window when the baby was very stubbornly breech at the last minute. This time I'm going with the flow. I'm not going to have a birth plan, just list of a few things that I want. Delayed cord clamping, no hep B shot (we do it later, combined with other vaccines). There was a couple other things, but I can't remember them now.
@LeahKnits- add me to the club of "is baby sleeping too much?" I seriously thought he was destined to miss out on developmental delays because he would nurse, play for maybe 20 minutes (so total awake time of about 40 minutes) and go back to sleep. My other BMB had all these great pictures of their babies and I was all "uhhh... mine's asleep?" It scared me so much. He's still a kiddo who likes his sleep - sleeps 11 hours at night and is ready for his 3 hour nap after being awake for about 3-4 hours in the morning. I am not concerned, and I hope with all that I am that this next one finds sleeping to be just as glorious!
@JennM205 My husband travels quite a bit for work. He told his employer, ideally no travel 2 weeks before due date to 4 weeks after. It didn't work out - he had to travel when she was 5 days old but just for about 2 days. It actually was ok. When she was 5 weeks old he started traveling a lot (like 5 days a week almost every week for more than 2 months, plus the occasional weekend). Since I went back to work at 6 weeks that was no fun. The LO just wasn't ready for 12 hours daycare every day. In the end, my mum came and stayed with us for eight weeks. I think it depends a lot on the job - some are more predictable than others and they can have a back-up plan in place.
@anneb644Wow, that's a tough situation to be in with such a little baby and just going back to work! That's great that your Mom was able to come help out. Hopefully your husband gets a little more down time with this LO especially since now you have an older child as well!
For us, I think DH's new employer will be pretty lenient on travel. His trips will be much more infrequent than your husbands, it seems. All in all, this job change is going to be so great for his psyche and our family (just having him around more on a day to day basis) that the travel doesn't scare me as much as it might normally... I just hope to avoid it in the first couple of weeks especially if I have driving restrictions or something like that!
Not sure why this thread isn't used more - I'm taking full advantage of you BTDT moms My parents just surprised us by telling us they will be taking the 4 of their kids and significant others and now our baby to Belize in February for a scuba diving trip! I am curious about how to handle packing...more specifically, diapers. I imagine this trip will be about a week...I cannot imagine the amount of diapers that we would need to drag along with us on top of a pnp, stroller, car seat, etc! Would it be smarter just to bank on buying diapers once we get there? I am not sure how moms usually handle this. Also, does anyone use the Amazon Dash Button for diapers? If so, do you recommend it? It looks amazing! THANK YOU!
@Sbrown721 I've never traveled out of country before so we have always just bought some diapers at our destination, BUT I have heard of great tips from friends. When you fly with your stroller/car seat etc you usually put it in a travel bag to keep it clean and protect it a little from the airlines (you can get these travel bags on Amazon or BRU) but you can also STUFF DIAPERS in the bags with the car seat and stroller. It's basically free luggage for you and the padding on the diapers protects your seat and stroller even more. Now you would have to unpack it to use the stroller and car seat, but if you can get by without one or the other for your day of travel it's a great way to pack a ton of diapers for free!
Damn I SO WISH that my first kid left me wondering if I had a baby who slept too much. That was probably the only thing I was not concerned about.
I worried my first slept too much. It sounds nice in theory, but it left me seriously concerned there was something wrong with her on top of the concern she wasn't getting enough social and physical stimulation to develop properly. And now that I know she was perfectly fine, I'm convinced this baby will never sleep ever.
@Sbrown721 - it's a lot of diapers, but February means you will have a 5 month old, and by my experience you're down to maybe 6 diapers or so a day at that point, certainly not the numbers you go through with a newborn. I think you could pack a lot the way that beachmama mentioned, and have the fallback of buying some there if necessary!
Ditto to wishing my daughter had slept too much as a newborn. But if you're not worrying about sleep, you're worrying about something else. New mom anxiety is rough.
New mom anxiety is SUPER rough, I think I've said this many times (probably too many). Some new mom anxiety is rough, but if you feel completely consumed by it... seek help. Talk to someone. I was looking for signs of post partum depression in myself and didn't realize I was being dragged down by post partum anxiety. Things got much better after I sought counseling and some medication to even myself back out. I realized after that that worrying/being anxious is normal but should not have you feeling panicked/sick all day. Take care of yourselves mama!
@jENNm205, my DH travels pretty often for work, but declined a trip that is 10 days past my due date. I told him it was up to him, because while I would love to have him here, he needs to evaluate the impact it would have on his career. I wouldn't really mind if baby was for sure here (3-4 weeks after due date), but I hate the idea of him potentially missing the birth if I'm late. After DS1, he took his first trip at 6 weeks. It was quite the transition to be on our own, but we managed
@sbrown721, I recommend buying as much as you can at the destination, as well as checking if you can rent a PNP from your hotel. That being said, I'm assuming you're going to the cayes, so your shopping options outside of Belize City will be limited, and expensive. If you're flying into the cayes, also check with the airlines, as they use small planes and are a lot more strict on total luggage weight restrictions. I've been to Belize in February, and it was a great time of year to go! I'm totally jealous.
My biggest advice if you do a mobile is to make sure it has a timer. DS1 LOVED his mobile, but it was a wind up one, and only lasted for about 2min. So imagine baby almost falling asleep, mobile stops, then you have to go back in to wind the mother effer up again. Every two minutes.
I'm trying to decide between a side by side double stroller, or front/back combo. Anyone have any experience one way or the other? DD will almost be 3 when baby comes, but I'd like to still be able to contain her!
I'm trying to decide between a side by side double stroller, or front/back combo. Anyone have any experience one way or the other? DD will almost be 3 when baby comes, but I'd like to still be able to contain her!
We love our double Bob, but mine are 18mo apart, so they really like being next to each other. While testing them, I felt like the side by side was less awkward for steering.
I'm trying to decide between a side by side double stroller, or front/back combo. Anyone have any experience one way or the other? DD will almost be 3 when baby comes, but I'd like to still be able to contain her!
I'm getting the city select. I like that it has a lot of configuration options for the seats. It's tandem, so front and back. For the places we go, I don't see a side by side being functional.
Mine will be a little shy of 2 years apart. I picture getting a side-by-side for jogging, and a front/back (possibly with a seat/stand option) for walking.
I should say: I really like gadgets/toys/equipment. I will also consider getting a bicycle tow-behind, although I'd need a bike too (my husband never learned to ride so I've never bought my own)
Re: Ask a BTDT mom
Ours was a one-day thing and it cost $20. It was no big thing.
if you get a while noise machine, and I know a lot of people who swear by them, get one that plugs into the wall. Those things eat batteries for breakfast.
@mom2adoodle I agree with those saying to do the hospital class, and if you're planning on going med-free also doing the speciality class as well. The hospital class will prepare for what to expect when having a baby in that particular hospital. We did a series of classes (6 or 7 weeks), and by the end I felt right at home at the hospital, and knew how things were done giving birth there. They gave us coping techniques for labor, but nothing like you'd get in a Bradley Method or Hypnobirthing class. I'd probably go with the one day class at the hospital, if you plan to also take a speciality classes.
Any Mom's out there have husbands that travelled for work with your first LO(s)? Is it acceptable to ask the company to give him a "no-fly" period for a week or two before my due date and then for a bit after baby arrives? If so, how long would you recommend asking for after the birth? (Obviously we're fine with him going back to work, just not sure how I would handle him being gone for days at a time in the early weeks PP while I'm still recovering with a nb and toddler in tow.)
FTM Anna would have pinned that pin to a private board, studied it endlessly and looked for other methods to prevent pooping.
Second time mom Anna scrolls by laughing at that Pin and looking for more recipes for delicious treats instead.
It's really fun to think of how you change as you go through pregnancy, pre-baby to post-baby, and then 1st to 2nd, and time and time again.
I found parenting my second and third easier than my first. I was so worried about everything with my first, I felt like I was going to break her. But I didn't and I had more confidence in my parenting with my others.
edit because the first part of my post was missing.
I'm a lot more laid back about labor and delivery also. With my first I was terrified so I did no research, I did take a birthing class (1 day at the hospital) but only because my mom pressured me into it. And everything was fine. With my second I had a very specific idea of how I wanted it to go and was going to write up a birth plan, but she ended up being 5 weeks early and I didn't have time. With my third I did have a birth plan and I researched things like delayed cord clamping. All those plans went out the window when the baby was very stubbornly breech at the last minute. This time I'm going with the flow. I'm not going to have a birth plan, just list of a few things that I want. Delayed cord clamping, no hep B shot (we do it later, combined with other vaccines). There was a couple other things, but I can't remember them now.
For us, I think DH's new employer will be pretty lenient on travel. His trips will be much more infrequent than your husbands, it seems. All in all, this job change is going to be so great for his psyche and our family (just having him around more on a day to day basis) that the travel doesn't scare me as much as it might normally... I just hope to avoid it in the first couple of weeks especially if I have driving restrictions or something like that!
Stepping down off my soapbox again! Sorry.
July: Patriotic Fails