It's 0 here, not sure what the wind chill is but it's cold
DH is a saint who got up early to make sure our pellet stove had plenty of pellets and heated the truck up before it was time to leave for work so really my only cold part was walking from the truck into work. Our parking lot is so far away though...
Me: 33 | DH: 34 Married: October, 19, 2015 EDD 2/22/17 DS1 born on 3/2/17 EDD 3/8/20 DS2 born on 3/10/20 EDD 11/24/23 (Formerly Marriedhamstermom Feb ‘17)
Currently 13°, feels like 1°. Happy Friday, everyone!
How lovely. It's -14, feels like -28 degrees Celsius with the wind chill. I don't want to leave the house
Yep, -4 degrees F here with a windchill of -30F. I'm already tired of winter. But at least tomorrow is going to be 45 degrees and raining....? #welcometoNewEngland
Am I a weirdo for loving this weather? It's such a great excuse to do no things.
I am team winter too. I love the cold and snow, this year though I am sad because I am seeing all these powder pics from my friends and family and all I want to do is go ski in it. Or even sled in it...
Met with a doula last night! I think we are going to hire her. She explained the overall process to us, and how she helps and supports. I didn't have a list of questions or anything, because mainly I just want someone knowledgeable to be there as backup to DH. He is my rock, but he needs to be able to take a few minutes to break every now and then.
Also, this doula is a certified LC, so I'm excited about that! After the birth she stays and ensures at minimum the first latch/feeding, and then is available for LC support as much as needed.
I am curious how all the rest of you are choosing doulas if you're going with one - I am primarily concerned about being comfortable with her, over other things. I am a super modest and private person, and I don't want someone there who is going to make me feel more awkward. Although, that may just be part of it.
Oh, and she gets points for the fact that my dog liked her. He is an extremely good judge of character, and by the end of the time he sniffed her and then hopped on her lap for a rub.
@WinchesterGirl we chose our mainly because she was free, but I think she would have been the perfect fit anyway! My #1 labor fear is not pain, but interventions. My doula's attitude that I can have a wonderful birth whether I go into labor naturally, am induced, or have a CS is exactly what I need. This contrasts with my birth class instructor, also a doula, who was a little negative about interventions and my hospital in general and kind of increased my stress. She's a LC too, and that's a huge plus for me.
I think ink a lot of it is just making sure you click and get along! It sounds like you may have found your good fit.
Currently 13°, feels like 1°. Happy Friday, everyone!
How lovely. It's -14, feels like -28 degrees Celsius with the wind chill. I don't want to leave the house
Yep, -4 degrees F here with a windchill of -30F. I'm already tired of winter. But at least tomorrow is going to be 45 degrees and raining....? #welcometoNewEngland
Haha, that's pretty much how it goes here in good ol' Montreal in the winter. Within a week we get fall, beyond freezing cold, random summer day and then 20 cm snow storm. It's insane.
************* First BFP: 12/16/13 EDD: 08/23/14 Baby BOY born: 08/29/14
Can I just cry and complain here for a minute? I hate my job, like REALLY hate it. It's boring, unfulfilling, I don't understand this industry, and I dread coming to work everyday. I also drive 45 minutes one way there. I just want to quit but I know I can't. My mom keeps saying "well at least you have a job with benefits" which, yeah, I agree but it shouldn't be this soul sucking. My goal is to find another job while I'm on maternity leave, come back here and immediately give my 2 weeks. I just can't take it anymore and am so checked out. End rant.
ugh thanks ! I work for a large life insurance/financial industry. I hate this industry, don't understand it, and kinda suck at it honestly (I used to be a special ed paraprofessional). Pretty much all I do all day is process paperwork on the computer for a zillion life insurance cases. And deal with idiots not submitting stuff right. I went through 10 weeks of training and there is just sooo much to this job that I still cant get a grasp on it (and I'm not the only one). I want to apply to a million para or 1:1 aid jobs because a lot of the time they will hire you while pregnant and set a start date for afterwards. But for right now I'm am so miserable..
@WinchesterGirl - I went through a group of doulas that a friend recommended. They have 19 birth doulas but only had two left with February availability*. I met each briefly at their monthly open house and then had a phone conversation with each of them. I ended up picking the one I found easier to talk to and who'd been to more births. We have our first in home appointment scheduled for Jan. 3rd and I'm really looking forward to it.
*I'm such a procrastinator... The other two pregnant ladies at the open house were due in May and June. Sigh.
@jlellis603 It sounds like definitely time for a job change for you. If you dread it every day, there is definitely better out there! Only a few more weeks, hang in there!
Thanks @kswiger06, i took a half day from work & am currently at the hairdressers & going to get my make up done afterwards so will possibly be aw-ing myself later cause i can imagine itll be the last time ill be glamorous for a wile!
Thanks @WinchesterGirl! I'm trying to hang in there - just counting down the days until maternity leave. I think I will spend a good chunk of my day looking for a job
I'm with @Gretchypoo, we're at a balmy 22° here and I was being a big baby about taking the dog out.
In other news, my crappy little dog has taken to very gently pulling the ornaments off the tree, placing them on the floor, and then lying on them. I don't know where the joy is in lying on uncomfortable ornaments, but as long as she isn't breaking them, I don't really care that much.
@LivingLaVidaGinger That's really random and funny! I purposely bought unbreakable ornaments because I have no idea what my dog would do to the tree. All the nice, special ones go at the top.
All you people with your negative temps would laugh at what happens to Portland (OR) when it's 30 degrees and we get 3" of snow... The "storm" hit on Wednesday afternoon, and by rush hour, traffic was at a dead stop everywhere. People were abandoning their cars on the freeway. It looked like a scene from The Walking Dead. It took my BIL four hours to drive four miles, before he ran out of gas and walked the next five miles home. It took 3 hours just to cross the city on the freeway. An Uber or Lyft ride from downtown to the airport (probably 10 miles) cost $150. Schools didn't close early, and parents were still waiting for their kids' busses at midnight. (Schools closed yesterday and today.)
Streets are still covered in packed snow. Everyone in my office worked from home yesterday, and it appears most people are home today as well (I'm one of a handful of people who came in). Buy I had my H drive me to work in his 4WD truck because I didn't want to risk even a minor accident being pregnant.
To be fair, though, Portland is not equipped for any amount of snow. The city doesn't have many plows, they don't have the equipment to salt all the roads, and since we only get more than a dusting of snow occasionally, no one carries chains or even know how to drive in snow. It's kind of amusing, since it's so novel, but the city literally shuts down.
@MLRocha We just picked our doula in the last week also. We were taking an 8-week Bradley method class and had to make up a week that we missed. Our doula was the teacher of the make-up class. As soon as class was over I told my husband I want to hire her. Something about her vibe was so calming and relaxing. She also was SUPER knowledgable. And even tho we've taken this class I am sure when it's go time we will remember none of it. LOL
I haven't been the most comfortable with my doctors and I definitely have a fear of hospitals so having someone there who's been there done that is super comforting for me.
Me: 36, H: 37 FTM, 2 Furbabies married 03/17/07 lived in Houston, Austin, Los Angeles and NYC due: 2/15/17
@madamerwin that's insane! I cant believe busses weren't getting home until midnight! It is unfortunate when a "storm" hits a city that doesn't usually get snow and they just aren't equipped to handle it.
@WinchesterGirl We took a childbirth class at a local doula agency last weekend and ended up falling in love with the instructor, so our decision ended up being easier than expected. The two most important criteria for me were that our doula 1) supports an empowering birth experience for us, no matter what the ends up looking like (I am aiming for a birth that is as intervention-free as possible, but I don't want someone to make me feel bad if I end up begging for an epidural) and 2) meshes with my and my husband's personalities. We can both be extremely sarcastic, which is not everyone's cup of tea, but she totally rolled with us. For me, asking a bunch of interview-type questions wasn't that important...I think this is more of a "trust your gut" situation.
Me: 34 Husband: 35 Married: June 2007
Son Max born 1/10/17 BFP #2: 10/5/17; EDD: 6/11/18
@LivingLaVidaGinger omg plz take a pic of your pup-- that is adorable! Mine does NOT understand why I've put all these new toys on our tree and why he can't chew on them....
@madamerwin that is insane! I can't imagine just leaving my car on a highway and walking home. Although, if it snows more than twice in most cities here, they can't afford to send the plows out again. When i was in college it snowed 4x and the fourth time was 10" of snow. We were just stuck bc the city couldn't afford more plows in my little college town.
@WinchesterGirl The most important thing to me when choosing our doula, was whether we had an easy rapport. All of the doulas I spoke with were qualified and had been to a lot of births, so that was a given, but really I just wanted someone I would be cool with. I also wanted someone who would be supportive of my natural birth goal, but also not judgy about all of the possibilities, including getting an epidural if at the time I decided I needed it. I did speak with one doula who tried to dissuade me from delivering in a hospital and steered me towards a birth center instead. That was an immediate red flag for me and I cut the conversation short. Not because I think there is anything wrong with delivering in a birth center, but because that isn't what I want. And for me, the most important thing in the doula is to support whatever it is that I need/want while offering advice and guidance - but I do not want someone to try to push her preferences onto me. I figure that she will see me at my absolute worst and I just want someone with a calming and easygoing nature who I would be able to fully relax around. And as a bonus the doula we chose is also training to be a midwife so I think she has a little extra experience/skills because of that.
ETA that it is raining and with a high in the 50s and low in the 40s today in LA and that is COLD to me! I don't know how you ladies in areas with those super low temps do it!!!
ETA that it is raining and with a high in the 50s and low in the 40s today in LA and that is COLD to me! I don't know how you ladies in areas with those super low temps do it!!!
This was pretty much me this morning:
Me: 33 | DH: 34 Married: October, 19, 2015 EDD 2/22/17 DS1 born on 3/2/17 EDD 3/8/20 DS2 born on 3/10/20 EDD 11/24/23 (Formerly Marriedhamstermom Feb ‘17)
Thanks ladies for weighing in! It sounds like we are all mostly going on gut feeling in the doula department. It is an important decision, but I also don't want to overthink it.
Hi ladies! Thank you for all your kind thoughts. Getting all sniffly again...
Talked to the teacher at pickup yesterday and he had a fat list of interactions with all sorts of different kids for different activities. Felt kind of silly but still happy that I felt silly and not validated (does that make sense)?
SO arrived yesterday and is staying for 3 weeks! DD is beside herself and told SO about 200x how happy she is that he is here with us. Warmest of fuzzies
Re: Weekly Randoms (12/12)
DH is a saint who got up early to make sure our pellet stove had plenty of pellets and heated the truck up before it was time to leave for work so really my only cold part was walking from the truck into work. Our parking lot is so far away though...
Married: October, 19, 2015
EDD 2/22/17 DS1 born on 3/2/17
EDD 3/8/20 DS2 born on 3/10/20
EDD 11/24/23
(Formerly Marriedhamstermom Feb ‘17)
Yep, -4 degrees F here with a windchill of -30F. I'm already tired of winter. But at least tomorrow is going to be 45 degrees and raining....? #welcometoNewEngland
Married to my Soul Mate since 09/06/09
Also, this doula is a certified LC, so I'm excited about that! After the birth she stays and ensures at minimum the first latch/feeding, and then is available for LC support as much as needed.
I am curious how all the rest of you are choosing doulas if you're going with one - I am primarily concerned about being comfortable with her, over other things. I am a super modest and private person, and I don't want someone there who is going to make me feel more awkward. Although, that may just be part of it.
Oh, and she gets points for the fact that my dog liked her. He is an extremely good judge of character, and by the end of the time he sniffed her and then hopped on her lap for a rub.
I think ink a lot of it is just making sure you click and get along! It sounds like you may have found your good fit.
First BFP: 12/16/13
EDD: 08/23/14
Baby BOY born: 08/29/14
*I'm such a procrastinator... The other two pregnant ladies at the open house were due in May and June. Sigh.
@MLRocha I am due mid-Feb and we just interviewed her last night... so I must be a procrastinator too!
aw-ing myself later cause i can imagine itll be the last time ill be glamorous for a wile!
In other news, my crappy little dog has taken to very gently pulling the ornaments off the tree, placing them on the floor, and then lying on them. I don't know where the joy is in lying on uncomfortable ornaments, but as long as she isn't breaking them, I don't really care that much.
Married: 9/2013
Love my LEO!!
TTC #1: 9/2015
BFP: 2/1/16 MC 2/8/16 @ 5wks
BFP: 5/22/16 RAINBOW BABY
EDD: 1/30/2017 *IT'S A GIRL!!!!*
Kirsten Grace 1/20/17
I'd rather have real trees, seasons, or an ocean. And don't talk to me in July.
Streets are still covered in packed snow. Everyone in my office worked from home yesterday, and it appears most people are home today as well (I'm one of a handful of people who came in). Buy I had my H drive me to work in his 4WD truck because I didn't want to risk even a minor accident being pregnant.
To be fair, though, Portland is not equipped for any amount of snow. The city doesn't have many plows, they don't have the equipment to salt all the roads, and since we only get more than a dusting of snow occasionally, no one carries chains or even know how to drive in snow. It's kind of amusing, since it's so novel, but the city literally shuts down.
Married: 9/2013
Love my LEO!!
TTC #1: 9/2015
BFP: 2/1/16 MC 2/8/16 @ 5wks
BFP: 5/22/16 RAINBOW BABY
EDD: 1/30/2017 *IT'S A GIRL!!!!*
Kirsten Grace 1/20/17
FTM, 2 Furbabies
married 03/17/07
lived in Houston, Austin, Los Angeles and NYC
due: 2/15/17
Husband: 35
Married: June 2007
Son Max born 1/10/17
BFP #2: 10/5/17; EDD: 6/11/18
@madamerwin that is insane! I can't imagine just leaving my car on a highway and walking home. Although, if it snows more than twice in most cities here, they can't afford to send the plows out again. When i was in college it snowed 4x and the fourth time was 10" of snow. We were just stuck bc the city couldn't afford more plows in my little college town.
ETA that it is raining and with a high in the 50s and low in the 40s today in LA and that is COLD to me! I don't know how you ladies in areas with those super low temps do it!!!
Married: October, 19, 2015
EDD 2/22/17 DS1 born on 3/2/17
EDD 3/8/20 DS2 born on 3/10/20
EDD 11/24/23
(Formerly Marriedhamstermom Feb ‘17)
Talked to the teacher at pickup yesterday and he had a fat list of interactions with all sorts of different kids for different activities. Felt kind of silly but still happy that I felt silly and not validated (does that make sense)?
SO arrived yesterday and is staying for 3 weeks! DD is beside herself and told SO about 200x how happy she is that he is here with us. Warmest of fuzzies
Teaching + 36 w + constant BH contractions? No bueno.
Oh, what's that? My MIL actually invited herself over for the weekend and is arriving in an hour?
This should go well...