@emmeline714 How scary! Glad you and baby girl are doing fine now!
@Curls218 No a/c right now sounds miserable, and I feel for your DS. Hope both are back are up and running soon!
@Bookhousegirl I'm maybe 40% unpacked... It's going slow. There are still a lot of little projects we're tackling first. Like, none of closets aside from the master have hanging rods (and those were all installed too far back so I had to redo them) and our built-ins need the shelves actually put in. I'm working on this house while DH finishes clearing out the rental. Hope you're making more progress than I am!
Last night my dog actually laid on my lap and fell asleep there when we were in bed. My dog does not cuddle like that. He's always slept by my feet. I wonder if he sensed a change in my hormones? He did know I was pregnant before I did! Oh the excitement and unknown of these last few weeks!
One of my friends who couldn't make our shower this next Saturday stopped over to visit and drop off a gift. She brought her seven month old little guy and it was so fun to get some baby snuggles in.
I was holding her son in my lap and all of a sudden he grabs my boob. I laughed and then almost died when he put his mouth on it. He did it two more times and then fussed. My friend was like, what the heck he has never done that to anyone else. Turns out he wanted to be nursed and she ended up feeding him. Ha! We figured maybe he was picking up on my hormones.
*TW Spoiler*
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks. 10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery 11/2/17 Twin A & B born 11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU Benched 6 months BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
We got some pretty crappy news today. Our 7 year old dog has calcification along her entire spine from her ribs to her tail. The vet thinks, with physical therapy, she only has 6-12 months left. I'm crushed! We got her a few weeks before we got married. She's our first baby.
Here she is today after we got her calmed down with lots of meds.
@ashleybaker712 How heartbreaking! So sorry about your doggie. Ours is our first "baby" too and I can't even imagine! Sending you lots of hugs and prayers.
*TW Spoiler*
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks. 10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery 11/2/17 Twin A & B born 11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU Benched 6 months BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
Thanks everyone, it was a scary thing and being a FTM I was in tears all I could think of was omg I don't have crib set up and I still don't have hospital bag ready, I have been taking it easy for now and I am just relaxing as that's all I can do. I do need to get things ready though and I am going to not over due it this month so baby girl can keep cooking.
All is well! Had a crazy stupid busy week at work and now I'm in Virginia for my sister's bachelorette and wedding shower. Trying to get some relaxation in.
@ashleybaker712 I am so sorry about your pup. It's always heartbreaking to even think about losing a fur baby. Hopefully she proves the vet wrong and hangs in there comfortably for longer!
Thank you, @Katienu, @lynnlove, @midwestbaby, and @kristynmac! DH is ready to start planning what we can do for her and how we can help her. I'm stuck in the crying/denial stage. I just keep thinking this LO won't know her and DS may not rememeber her.
I started having contractions on and off yesterday all during work and then went to get my step son I was 20mins away from home when I had to pull over because they got so intense I started running out of breath and felt nauseous and started getting light headed than a cop pulled up asked me if I was OK I told him no and paramedics came and took me to the hospital I was having contractions every 3mins on the way there to hospital and then they took me to monitor baby and they had to give me some shot to slow down my contractions after seeing I dilated 1cm and kept tracking me I was in tears because I am not ready and all I could think off was God help me because Idk what is going to happen and this is my first baby please help me that's all I can think off and I have step son with me until my mom came and got him then I got mad because my mom starts to call my cousin and his girlfriend after I told her I don't want anyone there was frustrated and scared but I had to calm down because that could trigger to something not so good, and they came by and then doctor said contractions were slowing down and they checked to see if my water broke but everything was good I got an IV and they watched me and then told me your good to go since I only had one contraction after shot kicked in. I am home but need to take it easy so this baby can keep cooking longer.
@emmeline714 I had a similar event at 32w, two weeks ago. I had to stay a couple days but they didn't give me any meds to stop the contractions. They finally quit on their own with bedrest and fluids. I dilated to 2cm and effaced 60%. I'm now on lite duty at work and modified bedrest at home. I also got steroid shots for the LO's lungs incase she comes early did they not give you steroids?
Expecting baby #1 August 2016
Already have three furbabies- Blake, Sydney, and Chester
@ashleybaker712 I'm so sorry to hear that. It must be so unexpected and hard. I hope the physical therapy helps with her comfort in her remaining time.
@ashleybaker712 I'm so sorry, it's so emotional to get news like that. My parents are going to have to put down our family dog within the next month or two and I could cry everytime I think about it, especially because DS loves him so much.
@Mfuller76 oh man, that sounds like a lot of work!! We're plugging along, but with DH going back to work on Monday, our progress will most certainly slow down significantly.
I'm really struggling with the decision for a med free birth vs medicated birth. When I first became pregnant I thought I would prefer med free, then as time went on I decided to just get an epidural but, now I'm rethinking that decision and my instincts are saying med free. I feel very emotional/scared/unsure of how to proceed and that is not my normal character so it's making things even more difficult to process. How did everyone decide the path they are taking? Any advice is welcomed.
Ok I have another question - I want to stock up on diapers now but how do you know which sizes to buy and how many of each size?! I was at target all set to go crazy then started second guessing how many of each size I need.
@Mrsrundell I had the same problem! The good news is Target will exchange them for you (without a receipt) if your LO grows out of a size and you have leftover boxes. I think online there's a weight chart to explain the different sizes - that may help a little.
@mrsrundell I was told to assume a diaper change every 2 hours during the day, and maybe an extra here and there - overnights can be left a little longer, maybe up to 4 hours. Once they are sleeping through the night, that drops to 6-8 per day. I was told to assume we'd need the smaller sizes for 1-2 months (we're doing cloth, but this may help your guesstimating) then they would start fitting into my one sizes. We assumed we'd need 30-40 diapers in cloth, assuming wash every third day to every other, and bought a bunch of different kinds. We have enough of each kind to do at least one full day, so if we hate everything but "xyz" brand, we can just do wash every night until we buy more of those - especially since I can resell my cloth diapers, it's less of a commitment to buy a variety - we don't have to use em up, even if we hated them! The disposables may be the same -I've heard people can swear by ONE brand and everything else is terrible.
Here is a chart I found:
First 4 Months Newborn Size: 2-3 packs (not really needed most can go straight to size 1) Size 1: 840 diapers needed to get to 12 lbs = 16-20 jumbo packs Size 2: 560 diapers needed to get to 16 lbs = 13-15 jumbo packs
5 months to 12 months Growth slows to 1 lb every 3 weeks on average Diaper Changes on average 6 per day Size 3: 1512 diapers needed to get to 28 lbs = 56-62 jumbo packs
@Mrsrundell With DD I went in thinking I would try med free and if I got to the point where I wanted an epidural I wouldn't beat myself up about it. I'm terrified of needles so I knew if I was in enough pain to want an epidural then I would NEED it. I did end up getting one when contractions became unbearable. I wouldn't have made it another 10 hours without. I'm thinking of going in with the same mindset this time, but I'm guessing I'll end up getting one again. If I can make it without, good for me, if not I'm not going to be disappointed. I have a very laid back birth plan
@Mrsrundell I had the same mindset as @ginger819. I would try to go med free but if I couldn't handle it then no big deal and do what was needed for you and baby. When I got to my room, the nurses started asking about pain meds and other "birth plan" stances. I told them that I wanted to avoid pain meds as much as possible and to not bring them up or ask me about them. That IF I asked about them and/or an epidural I had reached my limit and discussion was open. I did end up getting an epidural after back to back contractions for everal hours and me not progressing. I was very impressed with my nurse that she reminded me I wanted to go med free once I started asking and double confirmed before making a call to the anesthesiologist. Once I got the epidural my body could relax and I went from 2cm to 10 in less than 30 minutes.
I'm really struggling with the decision for a med free birth vs medicated birth. When I first became pregnant I thought I would prefer med free, then as time went on I decided to just get an epidural but, now I'm rethinking that decision and my instincts are saying med free. I feel very emotional/scared/unsure of how to proceed and that is not my normal character so it's making things even more difficult to process. How did everyone decide the path they are taking? Any advice is welcomed.
I am not opposed to epidural, but I am also not planning on getting one as soon as I am admitted. As a FTM, I really don't know what it will be like, and every labor is different. I'd rather go in with an open mind, get the epidural if I need it, not get it if I don't, and be happy either way as long as baby arrives healthy. My reluctance to get the epidural ASAP is mostly because I want to be able to walk around and change positions to hopefully let gravity help with baby's descent. But, if the pain is really bad or labor goes on for a long time, I'll get the epidural and not feel bad about it. DH hopes I get it, I think, because he doesn't want to watch me be in pain! You don't really have to make a firm decision now.
Married May 2014 DD born August 2016 Baby #2 due December 2017
@Mrsrundell... just go into it with no expectations. Take it a minute at a time, and make the decision when you get there. There's no need to decide now, you have no idea how your labor will go or how you will handle it. You also don't want to be set on being med free, only to feel like you're letting yourself down if you decide to get an epidural.
@ashleybaker712 I'm so sorry! As members of our families, it's so hard when our pets are suffering. Make a bucket list and love on your dog every chance you get. Focus on making more happy memories to look back on.
@mrsrundell I agree with what the others ladies have said. I went in with an open mind for DD. I'm very much the type of person who needs to experience something before I make a decision, so I wanted to feel contractions and decide from there. I went 13 hours without but my body completely stalled out and I was exhausted, so I ended up getting an epidural then and DD arrived in 4 hours. I absolutely don't regret that choice.
This go round I will take the same approach. I will go for as long as I can. If labor is fast then I may be good without.
If you are ok going in without a definite decision than give that a try. Everyone is different and I know some people have a very specific way they want to labor.
@Mrsrundell I also went in with the idea that I would avoid for as long as possible. By my second hour of labor (not even at the hospital yet), I changed my mind. I realized I have an incredibly low pain tolerance, and I wasn't mentally prepared to handle that level of intense pain. I think it's also very dependent on your reasons for not wanting it. Even before I had an epidural, I wasn't able to move around due to needing antibiotics (group B strep), so that wasn't a factor for me. I also don't have any strong inclinations about wanting to experience labor without interference, so that also didn't motivate me to avoid an epidural. I think it is just an incredibly personal decision, one that you have to make somewhat in the moment.
We are getting a new sliding door installed Friday as well as new kitchen floor the following Monday. The floor around the door is soft so DH needs to replace it this weekend before they can install the other stuff. So of course he would come down with a man flu last night, right? It's like how when it's time to do the dishes or something like that they suddenly have to poop; tell me mine's not the only one? Any way I talked to him this morning about how even though he didn't feel well and I'm sorry, he still has to do what he needs to do like a big boy. And he said yeah, I know, I will. But I've had to keep nagging him all day and he didn't get started until like 4:30 so he's still at it right now instead of being able to go to bed early. Smh I told him he's gonna have to suck it up a little more because there is a lot of last minute stuff to do and I'm at a point where I can barely do anything so I'm gonna be needing a lot from him starting now until I've recovered from labor. He has the best of intentions but is lacking in the willpower department. Also this means that the AC has been off for hours and we have a giant hole in our house letting in all the hot, humid air and bugs. I'm dying!
@Mrsrundell I've had the same back and forth, but in reverse. Originally, I was like $&@# yeah, epidural! But after our childbirth class where the doula talking about epidural a possibly slowing things down, and being stuck lying in a bed for so long, I started to swing towards med-free. I've done some research, just finished reading Hypnobirthing and been practicing relaxation/visualization. Ultimately though, we've had so much going on that I don't feel prepared, so... Pretty much ditto what others have said. I'll go med-free for as long as I can and if I decide to get the epidural, that's OK too.
@Car0liiine, you are not alone!! Almost anytime something needs done or there is a plan to finish something Hubby has an excuse, illness, headache, body hurts, etc! It is BEYONG FRUSTRATING!!! I just want to tell him to put on his big boy pants and f-ing deal!! Hello I could pop at any minute now and I still work laps around him!!!
@Mrsrundell I also went in with the idea that I would avoid for as long as possible. By my second hour of labor (not even at the hospital yet), I changed my mind. I realized I have an incredibly low pain tolerance, and I wasn't mentally prepared to handle that level of intense pain. I think it's also very dependent on your reasons for not wanting it. Even before I had an epidural, I wasn't able to move around due to needing antibiotics (group B strep), so that wasn't a factor for me. I also don't have any strong inclinations about wanting to experience labor without interference, so that also didn't motivate me to avoid an epidural. I think it is just an incredibly personal decision, one that you have to make somewhat in the moment.
This is exactly how I imagine I will be.
*TW Spoiler*
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks. 10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery 11/2/17 Twin A & B born 11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU Benched 6 months BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
I decided to go med-free with dd1 very early on. I didn't give myself another option and I definitely think that made the difference. I did take Bradley classes to prepare myself and really focused on relaxation while in labor. I was also group b strep positive but was able to walk and move around when not getting meds. Being able to move around through labor definitely helped me. With as long as my labor was I couldn't imagine being tied to a bed. I would have gone crazy!
Thank you everyone for all of your experiences and input - I know whatever happens is gods plan and the right decision. there are just so many emotions involved with laboring and becoming a FTM! Love all you ladies.
@ashleybaker712 Im so sorry about your pup!! That is just too much - snuggle that cutie for all of us tonight!
@car0liiine hah omg you are not alone - it's a loooong running joke in our family that anytime hard labor (yard work, house cleaning, packing/moving) is involved my DH will be plopped on the john with "tummy issues" haha phone in hand of course
Random question - has anyone come across modern, yet still affordable, brands for baby clothes? I'm not a fan of characters or pastels, and am having a difficult time finding simple baby clothes that aren't just white. With my son we were able to find things with stripes and solid colors, but now that we're having a girl this is much more challenging. We can reuse a lot of my sons baby clothes bc they were so nuetral, but i was hoping to get a few new things for the baby....
Re: Randoms 7/4-7/10
@lynnlove28 glad it is back on! That would have been a long night.
I am so scared our ac is on its way out. I'm going to try and get the tune up guy out here today... It has been dropping non-stop.
@Curls218 No a/c right now sounds miserable, and I feel for your DS. Hope both are back are up and running soon!
@Bookhousegirl I'm maybe 40% unpacked... It's going slow. There are still a lot of little projects we're tackling first. Like, none of closets aside from the master have hanging rods (and those were all installed too far back so I had to redo them) and our built-ins need the shelves actually put in. I'm working on this house while DH finishes clearing out the rental. Hope you're making more progress than I am!
I was holding her son in my lap and all of a sudden he grabs my boob. I laughed and then almost died when he put his mouth on it. He did it two more times and then fussed. My friend was like, what the heck he has never done that to anyone else. Turns out he wanted to be nursed and she ended up feeding him. Ha! We figured maybe he was picking up on my hormones.
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks.
10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery
11/2/17 Twin A & B born
11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
Benched 6 months
BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO
BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
Here she is today after we got her calmed down with lots of meds.
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks.
10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery
11/2/17 Twin A & B born
11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
Benched 6 months
BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO
BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
@Mfuller76 oh man, that sounds like a lot of work!! We're plugging along, but with DH going back to work on Monday, our progress will most certainly slow down significantly.
Here is a chart I found:
First 4 Months
Newborn Size: 2-3 packs (not really needed most can go straight to size 1)
Size 1: 840 diapers needed to get to 12 lbs = 16-20 jumbo packs
Size 2: 560 diapers needed to get to 16 lbs = 13-15 jumbo packs
5 months to 12 months
Growth slows to 1 lb every 3 weeks on average
Diaper Changes on average 6 per day
Size 3: 1512 diapers needed to get to 28 lbs = 56-62 jumbo packs
Total Diapers needed in the first year: 2,912
Married May 2014
DD born August 2016
Baby #2 due December 2017
This go round I will take the same approach. I will go for as long as I can. If labor is fast then I may be good without.
If you are ok going in without a definite decision than give that a try. Everyone is different and I know some people have a very specific way they want to labor.
So of course he would come down with a man flu last night, right? It's like how when it's time to do the dishes or something like that they suddenly have to poop; tell me mine's not the only one?
Any way I talked to him this morning about how even though he didn't feel well and I'm sorry, he still has to do what he needs to do like a big boy. And he said yeah, I know, I will. But I've had to keep nagging him all day and he didn't get started until like 4:30 so he's still at it right now instead of being able to go to bed early. Smh I told him he's gonna have to suck it up a little more because there is a lot of last minute stuff to do and I'm at a point where I can barely do anything so I'm gonna be needing a lot from him starting now until I've recovered from labor. He has the best of intentions but is lacking in the willpower department.
Also this means that the AC has been off for hours and we have a giant hole in our house letting in all the hot, humid air and bugs. I'm dying!
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks.
10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery
11/2/17 Twin A & B born
11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
Benched 6 months
BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO
BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
@ashleybaker712 Im so sorry about your pup!! That is just too much - snuggle that cutie for all of us tonight!
@car0liiine hah omg you are not alone - it's a loooong running joke in our family that anytime hard labor (yard work, house cleaning, packing/moving) is involved my DH will be plopped on the john with "tummy issues" haha phone in hand of course