Postpartum girdles were mentioned on the weight loss after baby thread but I don't care about the weight loss side of them. Did anyone think they helped with, well whatever it is they are supposed to help with besides weight loss?
I've read different things on them, they're meant to also help your stomach muscles return to normal but some say the opposite ends up happening because you're not actually strengthening your muscles, just holding them together while the girdle is on and makes it worse when it's off...
I've been reading up on the benefits of delayed baths for the LO and am considering delaying it 24 hours. My only concern is having the baby be "icky" for 24 hours. Had anyone done this?
We did; the hospital promoted it. Baby won't be too icky.
"The cleaning, the scrubbing will wait til tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
@kellz14@Cosmic+Love What's the reasoning for delaying? I've never heard of that and I took a Bradley method course that I feel like would have mentioned something about it as it talked about a lot of options with newborn procedures. I think it would gross me out as I'm a neat freak and very easily queasy, but I didn't think I could stomach holding DD before a bath when she was born and surprised myself by not caring at all.
@whataboutscience There's a bunch of different reasons, and apparently now it is a recommended practice of the WHO. They say you can gently wipe off the extra fluids/blood but should leave the vernix in tact.. The waxy layer on top of the skin. A few reasons are that it gives the baby more time for their body temperature to stabilize - Newborns don't regulate their body temperature that well so going from womb -> air -> bath shortly thereafter can be traumatic for body temperature regulation. Also having a bath very soon can induce stress on the baby - which causes their blood sugar to crash - and can make breastfeeding more difficult. And apparently - Also the vernix has antimicrobial properties and also keeps the skin moisturized, which can lead to less skin issues early on. Those are just some things I read - but there's a tons of both blogs/websites and medical journal articles discussing it.
Postpartum girdles were mentioned on the weight loss after baby thread but I don't care about the weight loss side of them. Did anyone think they helped with, well whatever it is they are supposed to help with besides weight loss?
I've read different things on them, they're meant to also help your stomach muscles return to normal but some say the opposite ends up happening because you're not actually strengthening your muscles, just holding them together while the girdle is on and makes it worse when it's off...
I am getting one. With my first, I had diastasis recti and a c-section. The only thing that made it feel better, was having pressure on it. Constantly pushing a pillow on it was a pain, unless I was just sitting around...then it was no big deal. But it would be nice to have something that is giving me a little bit more support while I am recovering. Even though my OB said that my ab gap was wide enough that I would need surgery to fix it (another OB said the same), I did manage to close it almost completely two years ago. I didn't keep up the exercises though, so I am anticipating that it is going to separate again, and I am going to have a RCS....so I will be kind of in the same boat that I was the last time around. I am not using it for weight loss, but for additional support during the first week or so.
So I am thinking about attempting a natural birth, however my biggest fear is reaching the point where its too late to get an epidural, but then the pain becomes unbearable...for those who have had a natural birth, what are your thoughts on this?
@slorbets I think every woman is different and some would never choose a natural birth if given the choice, but for others it is manageable. I guess some questions I would ask are why do you want a natural birth and what do you mean by unbearable? Millions of women have had natural births and very few have PTSD from the pain itself as far as I know. It will likely be very painful (although I have met a rare few who don't think it is), but your body is built for labor and the pain itself has no lasting effects once you're holding your baby. If you are truly fearful of the pain though, you may want to evaluate your reasons for attempting a natural birth and decide how important it is to you.
I had a pitocin induced labor (11 days past due date) with no epidural or other pain meds. I personally have no fear of pain and thought the first 8 hours of labor were manageable and the last 30 minutes were miserable, but worth every second. I would say I have a pretty high pain tolerance though. After delivery, I was able to get up and go to the bathroom and clean up. I had control of my body. I had no possible side effects from an epidural. I hate the thought of needles and never considered letting one enter my spine of all places.
Hope that helps. Maybe making a pros and cons list of a natural birth would help you decide more what you want to do. If you really think you want to go natural, I recommend taking a class on it or at least reading a few books. Epidurals are so readily available that it is difficult for a lot of women to turn them away if not well prepared for the demands of labor.
So I am thinking about attempting a natural birth, however my biggest fear is reaching the point where its too late to get an epidural, but then the pain becomes unbearable...for those who have had a natural birth, what are your thoughts on this?
This is what sorta convinced me to in the very least start to prepare for a natural childbirth... Epidurals don't always work, wear off, or you dilate so quickly that there's not enough time anyway... I say if your interested in to either read some natural childbirth technique books or perhaps sign up for a class to prep...
(Im reading Hypnobirthing and am going to order the HypnoBabies course after my next OB appointment)
So I am thinking about attempting a natural birth, however my biggest fear is reaching the point where its too late to get an epidural, but then the pain becomes unbearable...for those who have had a natural birth, what are your thoughts on this?
I fully went into my first birth saying I'd have an epidural. I progressed far too fast and there wasn't time. I am so incredibly thankful for that experience. It showed me that our bodies were made to birth babies and to handle the pain. It showed me as a woman what I'm capable of doing. It's an incredible and beautiful thing. I now, can't imagine having anything other than a natural birth. The only point when I truly wanted to quit was at transition. It was intense physically and raw emotionally. But just like with any contraction while laboring, you just take it one breath at a time. I recommend reading up on natural birth, epidural statistics, pain management techniques (breathing, birthing ball, hydrotherapy, etc) having a really strong support system that knows your wishes, and if you can, hire a doula.
Natural child birth is just as much mental as physical. At the end of the day, if it ends up being too much for you, and you want an epidural, a healthy baby and mama is all of our end goal. So whatever route you take, there is no shame in it at all. Just know that if you want a natural birth, you absolutely can have one!
@LDSJM123 You weren't the only one. It's just insulting to other Mamas who did their best during labor and were not able, for whatever reason, to have that unmedicated birth. Or even still, mothers who did not WANT that unmedicated birth. Either way, baby came out and that's what is natural.
I am getting one. With my first, I had diastasis recti and a c-section. The only thing that made it feel better, was having pressure on it. Constantly pushing a pillow on it was a pain, unless I was just sitting around...then it was no big deal. But it would be nice to have something that is giving me a little bit more support while I am recovering. Even though my OB said that my ab gap was wide enough that I would need surgery to fix it (another OB said the same), I did manage to close it almost completely two years ago. I didn't keep up the exercises though, so I am anticipating that it is going to separate again, and I am going to have a RCS....so I will be kind of in the same boat that I was the last time around. I am not using it for weight loss, but for additional support during the first week or so.
@PhoebeJune1984 did you know you had diastasis recti before birth or did you find out while you were recovering from the c-section? I never really felt like I needed a binder or anything after my first c-section but I was wondering now if I wouldn't realize until too late that I wished I had one.
I am getting one. With my first, I had diastasis recti and a c-section. The only thing that made it feel better, was having pressure on it. Constantly pushing a pillow on it was a pain, unless I was just sitting around...then it was no big deal. But it would be nice to have something that is giving me a little bit more support while I am recovering. Even though my OB said that my ab gap was wide enough that I would need surgery to fix it (another OB said the same), I did manage to close it almost completely two years ago. I didn't keep up the exercises though, so I am anticipating that it is going to separate again, and I am going to have a RCS....so I will be kind of in the same boat that I was the last time around. I am not using it for weight loss, but for additional support during the first week or so.
@PhoebeJune1984 did you know you had diastasis recti before birth or did you find out while you were recovering from the c-section? I never really felt like I needed a binder or anything after my first c-section but I was wondering now if I wouldn't realize until too late that I wished I had one.
After. My stomach was hard when I was pregnant, so I didn't feel it until after I had DD and everything was loose and saggy. I had a 1.5 (or so) inch gap between my ab muscles....and you could totally feel it, because it was deep...like the Grand Canyon. HAHA!
@ButterMyBiscuit It's unfortunate that some women insinuate that they are more of a woman or a better mother, etc. because they were able to have an unmedicated labor. I was induced because I felt that was best for my baby given the risks of continuing to be pregnant. I would say that my labor wasn't completely natural because of the drugs used, even though, yes many aspects were natural. It was just as beautiful and special as an unmedicated birth. Natural was not meant to be offensive, just to mean that it did not occur naturally or without intervention. Women should be able to choose a birth plan that makes them comfortable. Healthy mom and baby is all that matters. Oftentimes that means the birth plan goes out the window anyway.
Any second time Moms have an opinion on the attached info graph birthplan? I found it online at mamanatural.com and was wondering if you think doctors/midwives/nurses would respond positively or negatively. Personally I like visual things but I know everyone is different. You can edit it to delete/add items.
@hreed7289 I have a feeling they might find it insulting, maybe better to ask someone in the medical profession though. I highly recommend reading Natural Hospital Birth. A lot of doctors would take a list of don't do this, this, this, etc. to mean that you don't trust them to do what's best for you.
I'd have to look up our exact wording, but our birth plan was about 3 sentences that went something like this: Thank you so much for your help and support on this important day. Our hope is to have as a natural a birth as possible with few medical interventions. Before performing any procedures, please discuss them with us so that we can ask questions and understand our options. Thank you.
My nurse was incredibly supportive and told me it was the best birth plan she'd ever seen. Sometimes things you don't want should be done for the health of you or your baby and it was important for us to make the hospital staff feel they were part of our team in case we did run into problems. I did get induced and needed an IV (approaching 2 weeks past due), but otherwise they let things go the way I wanted during delivery.
Feel free! I believe it mostly came from the book I mentioned. We spent a long time trying to perfect the wording, so I'll have to find our old one soon because we really liked it. We also gave it to the nurse with a box of chocolate, which she expressed her appreciation for repeatedly. It was a thank you for the work she was about to do for us. That tip came from my Bradley coach.
I think this might be silly, but anything special I need to know about washing LOs clothes? We typically line dry, so i guess I'm more concerned with washing (special detergent, wash separately...)
I think this might be silly, but anything special I need to know about washing LOs clothes? We typically line dry, so i guess I'm more concerned with washing (special detergent, wash separately...)
You don't need any special detergent, just something that is "free & clear". Tons of different companies make free & clear versions: All, Tide, Method, Cheer, Seventh Generation, etc. We wash all of our clothing with free & clear, and don't use dryer sheets....so we don't bother separating anything.
@whataboutscience I love the idea of bringing in a gift for the nurses!
Ironic you mention nurse gifts, I just decided on ours. We are doing tumblers filled with goodies for the labor and delivery nurses and a breakfast/snack basket for our postpartum nurses. I'll have granola bars, oatmeal packs, coffees, bottled water, basically anything breakfasty that I can put together around 36 weeks that'll stay good. Something similar to these.
Any STMs have experience with a Petunia Picklebottom diaper bag? I really like the styles offered, but want to know if it's worth it before I put up the cash to pay for one. Thanks!!
@hreed7289 I actually don't see anything wrong with it... I find it strange that a medical profession would take offense to someone being informed about their birth and have a n idea about how they would like things to proceed.
Any STMs have experience with a Petunia Picklebottom diaper bag? I really like the styles offered, but want to know if it's worth it before I put up the cash to pay for one. Thanks!!
I used the boxy style one with my old nanny kid. I have a sashay satchel one that I use for a bit as a diaper bag and then ended up using it more for my laptop and bringing things to/from work. I think that it really depends on your style, how much you want to spend, and such. The boxy one was more comfortable to wear as a backpack. The satchel one came with backpack straps, but was more comfortable to carry in my hands or putting the hand straps on my shoulder. If you add yourself to their website mailing list, they will send emails when they have their good sales!
@jlmartinez517 They hold up really well and have some cute patterns, but I don't know if I would get one to use only as a diaper bag. With DD, I used a JJ Cole diaper bag that went across my shoulders (but also had handles), and I ended up keeping it for using when I had to pack a lot of stuff.....since it held a lot. Even though I have the PPB satchel, the opening is small and it since I am going to be doing more baby wearing, I am going with a Fisher Price FastFinder this time around...since it is just a solid black backpack and my husband can wear that while I wear the baby.
Any STMs have experience with a Petunia Picklebottom diaper bag? I really like the styles offered, but want to know if it's worth it before I put up the cash to pay for one. Thanks!!
I bought one with my first and LOVED IT! I didn't feel like a had to lug a mom bag around. Splurged for the cake one I coveted this time!
I had one. It was pretty, but I stopped using it after my daughter was a little older and opted for a plain tote instead. The opening was small so it was hard to get things out one-handed. Also I got tired of the pattern. I'll probably use it again for a bit!
Nordstrom Rack usually has a few styles. You can buy online
@megstervt Some babies have sensitive skin, but not all do. We have always used regular detergent and dryer sheets from day one with no issue. I figured if DD had a problem, we could switch, but I was sure my mom never used special detergent for me, so I took a chance. Does that make me sound terrible? I guess that was my thought process anyway.
Sounds a little weird if you haven't been there, but if you breastfeed, you may have breast squirtage after your milk comes in. My husband was terrified that he might get "that icky stuff" on him and was afraid to touch the upper half of my body for fear of getting hit in the face. It was funny after I threatened to spray him every time he made me mad. It may be uncomfortable or temporarily hurt when the milk drops.
On the bleeding issue, I think I had moderately heavy bleeding for about 10 days after DS was born. I used the super jumbo maxi pads and felt like I wore a diaper. It wasn't that bad. On a semi-similar note, make sure you are discharged on a stool softener if you have a vaginal delivery. My midwife was horrible and I left on Percocet (can cause constipation), a prenatal vitamin with iron, another iron supplement (but never said anything about anemia) and a second degree tear. It hurt very badly.
@klaulis Absolutly agree on the stool softener! It's worth having a bottle at home. They gave them to me at the hospital but didn't send me home with any.
Daycare question here for anyone who can help or is dealing with the same thing... We're doing a meet and greet with our top choice next week. What are some intelligent questions to ask? Some background: It's a home based daycare a block from my school (job) and she only watches our district's teacher's kiddos. She is an ex-teacher herself. She comes HIGHLY recommended from several co-workers so I've already touched base with other clients. I know her cost, schedule, and work history. He won't be starting with her until he is 6 months old. What else are important things to ask never having done this?
So I am thinking about attempting a natural birth, however my biggest fear is reaching the point where its too late to get an epidural, but then the pain becomes unbearable...for those who have had a natural birth, what are your thoughts on this?
@slorbets I didn't have an unmedicated birth so I wasn't sure if I should respond, but I figured I'd share my point of view. I went into it hoping to use as few medications as possible, but I planned to wing it and just ask for whatever I needed. I don't have regrets because my primary goal was not to feel guilty if I needed meds/epidural, and with my personal birth experience (induction, back labour, baby got stuck and went into distress, resulted in a c-section) I would not have been able to have an unmedicated birth anyways. That said, I would advise anyone who HOPES for an unmedicated birth to do more preparation than I did for pain management methods and mental/emotional coping strategies.
In terms of worrying about reaching the point where it's too late for an epidural, this is anecdotal but from what I've heard from friends who had unmedicated or medicated but no epidural births, many of them reached a point where they thought they wanted an epidural but were told it was too late, and they all said at that point you just power through. None of them regretted not getting an epidural after the fact.
Sounds a little weird if you haven't been there, but if you breastfeed, you may have breast squirtage after your milk comes in. My husband was terrified that he might get "that icky stuff" on him and was afraid to touch the upper half of my body for fear of getting hit in the face. It was funny after I threatened to spray him every time he made me mad. It may be uncomfortable or temporarily hurt when the milk drops.
On the bleeding issue, I think I had moderately heavy bleeding for about 10 days after DS was born. I used the super jumbo maxi pads and felt like I wore a diaper. It wasn't that bad. On a semi-similar note, make sure you are discharged on a stool softener if you have a vaginal delivery. My midwife was horrible and I left on Percocet (can cause constipation), a prenatal vitamin with iron, another iron supplement (but never said anything about anemia) and a second degree tear. It hurt very badly.
Make sure you get a stool softener regardless of your birth method, not just a vaginal delivery. Many pain management meds have constipating effects, take the stool softener! And if your doctor doesn't order one, ask for it.
Daycare question here for anyone who can help or is dealing with the same thing... We're doing a meet and greet with our top choice next week. What are some intelligent questions to ask? Some background: It's a home based daycare a block from my school (job) and she only watches our district's teacher's kiddos. She is an ex-teacher herself. She comes HIGHLY recommended from several co-workers so I've already touched base with other clients. I know her cost, schedule, and work history. He won't be starting with her until he is 6 months old. What else are important things to ask never having done this?
I also use a home daycare. Some things I wanted to know were - Does anyone in the home smoke? Do you have pets? Do you ever take the kids anywhere? Some take kids on errands, so you'd want to know that ahead of time. What is your sick child policy? Are you licensed? What's the maximum number of children you will take? Are there any other adults who will be around the children while they are in her care? Are there any days you are closed? (Holiday/vacation days) May not be an issue since she watches all teachers' kids.
Sounds a little weird if you haven't been there, but if you breastfeed, you may have breast squirtage after your milk comes in. My husband was terrified that he might get "that icky stuff" on him and was afraid to touch the upper half of my body for fear of getting hit in the face. It was funny after I threatened to spray him every time he made me mad. It may be uncomfortable or temporarily hurt when the milk drops.
On the bleeding issue, I think I had moderately heavy bleeding for about 10 days after DS was born. I used the super jumbo maxi pads and felt like I wore a diaper. It wasn't that bad. On a semi-similar note, make sure you are discharged on a stool softener if you have a vaginal delivery. My midwife was horrible and I left on Percocet (can cause constipation), a prenatal vitamin with iron, another iron supplement (but never said anything about anemia) and a second degree tear. It hurt very badly.
Make sure you get a stool softener regardless of your birth method, not just a vaginal delivery. Many pain management meds have constipating effects, take the stool softener! And if your doctor doesn't order one, ask for it.
This! I had a c-section and the stool softeners were the greatest things ever when being on pain medication.
@whataboutscience Took your advice and asked a friend of a friend who is a L&D nurse. This was her reply, just incase you are curious! @LDSJM123Also asked her about nurse gifts!
"So the main thing I would say to you would be the more flexible and open minded you are, the better. Obviously you don't need a formal birth plan to have a low intervention birth but I think it's a good idea for you and your husband to discuss what you want and don't want so he's aware. I'm not sure how the hospital is where you're delivering, but all of the things on what you sent me, my hospital already does and it's pretty standard everywhere you go these days. More and more hospitals are becoming "baby friendly" so just ask your OB what the standard practices are on the labor and delivery unit where you will be delivering and go from there. Honestly and unfortunately, birth plans are still not received very well by most (not going to lie, I love reading a good birth plan lol) because some people just have totally unrealistic expectations and when they come in with a 3 page super rigid birth plan, they end up with the stat c section. I'm not sure why it is that way but I've seen it more than once. It doesn't look like you're being unrealistic at all but like I said, keep an open mind and don't believe everything you read on the Internet. Research and read all you can - the birth partner is a great book for you and your support people and labor and gives some good, accurate information. A lot of things on the Internet can be scary and not 100% accurate. The only other thing I would highly recommend and I don't know if it was addressed in your birth plan but it would be to let them put in a saline locked IV. And IV is crucial to have in labor because your baby can have changes in the heart rate that can often be resolved quickly with some IV fluid and it just cuts off 3 extra minutes of us being able to resuscitate your baby, if needed. The IV doesn't have to be hooked to anything, but it's always there if we need it in case of fetal distress or if you have any excessive bleeding. Nurse Gifts: A basket is a great idea! We love anything and everything so whatever you feel is appropriate will be perfect"
Re: Ask a BTDT mom questions about birth/recovery/breastfeeding
I had a pitocin induced labor (11 days past due date) with no epidural or other pain meds. I personally have no fear of pain and thought the first 8 hours of labor were manageable and the last 30 minutes were miserable, but worth every second. I would say I have a pretty high pain tolerance though. After delivery, I was able to get up and go to the bathroom and clean up. I had control of my body. I had no possible side effects from an epidural. I hate the thought of needles and never considered letting one enter my spine of all places.
Hope that helps. Maybe making a pros and cons list of a natural birth would help you decide more what you want to do. If you really think you want to go natural, I recommend taking a class on it or at least reading a few books. Epidurals are so readily available that it is difficult for a lot of women to turn them away if not well prepared for the demands of labor.
(Im reading Hypnobirthing and am going to order the HypnoBabies course after my next OB appointment)
Natural child birth is just as much mental as physical. At the end of the day, if it ends up being too much for you, and you want an epidural, a healthy baby and mama is all of our end goal. So whatever route you take, there is no shame in it at all. Just know that if you want a natural birth, you absolutely can have one!
@PhoebeJune1984 did you know you had diastasis recti before birth or did you find out while you were recovering from the c-section? I never really felt like I needed a binder or anything after my first c-section but I was wondering now if I wouldn't realize until too late that I wished I had one.
I'd have to look up our exact wording, but our birth plan was about 3 sentences that went something like this: Thank you so much for your help and support on this important day. Our hope is to have as a natural a birth as possible with few medical interventions. Before performing any procedures, please discuss them with us so that we can ask questions and understand our options. Thank you.
My nurse was incredibly supportive and told me it was the best birth plan she'd ever seen. Sometimes things you don't want should be done for the health of you or your baby and it was important for us to make the hospital staff feel they were part of our team in case we did run into problems. I did get induced and needed an IV (approaching 2 weeks past due), but otherwise they let things go the way I wanted during delivery.
Married: October 2014
TTC #1 since September 2015
Nordstrom Rack usually has a few styles. You can buy online
On the bleeding issue, I think I had moderately heavy bleeding for about 10 days after DS was born. I used the super jumbo maxi pads and felt like I wore a diaper. It wasn't that bad. On a semi-similar note, make sure you are discharged on a stool softener if you have a vaginal delivery. My midwife was horrible and I left on Percocet (can cause constipation), a prenatal vitamin with iron, another iron supplement (but never said anything about anemia) and a second degree tear. It hurt very badly.
We're doing a meet and greet with our top choice next week. What are some intelligent questions to ask? Some background: It's a home based daycare a block from my school (job) and she only watches our district's teacher's kiddos. She is an ex-teacher herself. She comes HIGHLY recommended from several co-workers so I've already touched base with other clients. I know her cost, schedule, and work history. He won't be starting with her until he is 6 months old. What else are important things to ask never having done this?
In terms of worrying about reaching the point where it's too late for an epidural, this is anecdotal but from what I've heard from friends who had unmedicated or medicated but no epidural births, many of them reached a point where they thought they wanted an epidural but were told it was too late, and they all said at that point you just power through. None of them regretted not getting an epidural after the fact.
Does anyone in the home smoke?
Do you have pets?
Do you ever take the kids anywhere? Some take kids on errands, so you'd want to know that ahead of time.
What is your sick child policy?
Are you licensed? What's the maximum number of children you will take?
Are there any other adults who will be around the children while they are in her care?
Are there any days you are closed? (Holiday/vacation days) May not be an issue since she watches all teachers' kids.
"So the main thing I would say to you would be the more flexible and open minded you are, the better. Obviously you don't need a formal birth plan to have a low intervention birth but I think it's a good idea for you and your husband to discuss what you want and don't want so he's aware. I'm not sure how the hospital is where you're delivering, but all of the things on what you sent me, my hospital already does and it's pretty standard everywhere you go these days. More and more hospitals are becoming "baby friendly" so just ask your OB what the standard practices are on the labor and delivery unit where you will be delivering and go from there. Honestly and unfortunately, birth plans are still not received very well by most (not going to lie, I love reading a good birth plan lol) because some people just have totally unrealistic expectations and when they come in with a 3 page super rigid birth plan, they end up with the stat c section. I'm not sure why it is that way but I've seen it more than once. It doesn't look like you're being unrealistic at all but like I said, keep an open mind and don't believe everything you read on the Internet. Research and read all you can - the birth partner is a great book for you and your support people and labor and gives some good, accurate information. A lot of things on the Internet can be scary and not 100% accurate. The only other thing I would highly recommend and I don't know if it was addressed in your birth plan but it would be to let them put in a saline locked IV. And IV is crucial to have in labor because your baby can have changes in the heart rate that can often be resolved quickly with some IV fluid and it just cuts off 3 extra minutes of us being able to resuscitate your baby, if needed. The IV doesn't have to be hooked to anything, but it's always there if we need it in case of fetal distress or if you have any excessive bleeding. Nurse Gifts: A basket is a great idea! We love anything and everything so whatever you feel is appropriate will be perfect"