Anyone heard of seeing a chiropractor to get hips aligned for easier labor? Thoughts and opinions? A lady mentioned to me yesterday she had done so for her last child and recommended it.
Are gliders that are not fully upholstered - so the moving mechanism at the bottom is exposed - generally okay once the baby's a toddler and getting into everything, or do you inevitably wind up with smashed or broken fingers? We were going to get a glider that's fully upholstered to avoid that, but the cost is looking like hundreds beyond our budget for a chair & ottoman...
Are gliders that are not fully upholstered - so the moving mechanism at the bottom is exposed - generally okay once the baby's a toddler and getting into everything, or do you inevitably wind up with smashed or broken fingers? We were going to get a glider that's fully upholstered to avoid that, but the cost is looking like hundreds beyond our budget for a chair & ottoman...
Depends on the kid. My son is 2 and has never had smashed fingers, but I imagine other kids who are more adventurous might not fare as well. I will say I can't imagine how he could break his fingers unless someone was rocking on it, and then we are obviously there to stop him. I'm sure some kids have managed to do ur, though, lol.
i like the mesh panties. never used depends. never made a padsicle. personally my recovery was not all that painful. What i did was line my mesh panty with a very thick pad, lines the pad with witch hazel wipes, and every other change or so I used the epi foam. i also enjoyed the little squirt bottle with the warm water after using the bathroom.
Anyone heard of seeing a chiropractor to get hips aligned for easier labor? Thoughts and opinions? A lady mentioned to me yesterday she had done so for her last child and recommended it.
Yes! I highly recommend it to everyone. I didn't use one with my first and went regularly with my second. My experience was night and day different. With my first I was uncomfortable, in pain, having trouble sleeping, back and pelvis issues, and my labor was LONG, baby was positioned wrong, I had horrible back labor and pushed for 2.5 hours before she came out. With my second, after regular chiropractic throughout the third trimester, I went ten days later than with my first, yet I was So much more comfortable, sleeping great, no back or hip pain, very easy 4 hour labor with barely any pushing, baby perfectly positioned, super easy recovery. I would never do a pregnancy without chiropractic again. I have been going 1-2x/week since early in the second trimester, and at 34 weeks, I still feel great and I'm sleeping great and baby is in a great position. Can't recommend it enough. There are so many issues in pregnancy and labor that can be circumvented by proper alignment.
Can we talk post partum? What are you opinions on things like mesh panties, depends, padsicles? How the heck do you make a padsicle? Any other tips?
Mesh panties or depends are both fine, I never found I needed them past maybe the first day though, I was wearing regular underwear (albeit, not my favorite pairs, mostly black ones) by day two with no problems. I've never used padsicles, but they're popular if you have swelling or tearing issues - just get the pad wet and put in the freezer then use like an ice pack. You can also use newborn size diapers for this.
I would say, wait to see what your recovery is going to be like - I didn't need any of the extra stuff. I used the peri bottle for a few days, regular pads, and some witch hazel pads, but really didn't need much on top of that. I had easy births without tearing, though. If you have a rougher time, you might need more stuff. Just know what options are out there and where to buy (most stuff you can get on Amazon or at a pharmacy pretty easily) so if you need something you can grab it.
Can we talk post partum? What are you opinions on things like mesh panties, depends, padsicles? How the heck do you make a padsicle? Any other tips?
1. Mesh panties are the most uncomfortable thing ever. I just bought a big pack of granny panties a size up and will toss them 2. I never made a padsicle: I just rested a lot, rinsed with a peribottle, and used witch hazel. But many women swear by them. Take a pad, soak in witch hazel, and freeze.
My random thoughts about my body after my son was born:
No visitors at all for like a week. (if mom or someone is coming to cook or do laundry that doesn't count) They will want to hold your baby, making you crazy, and expect you to entertain them. I felt most comfortable walking around in a nursing sleep bra, an open cardigan, and yoga pants for days--my son had lost a lot of weight, and I was spending what felt like an absurd amount of time nursing. (Looking back I realize it was totally a normal amount of time. Newborns will nurse for something like 45 minutes every 2 hours, and you count from the beginning of the feed not the end. The nurses were telling me that it should be 10 minutes on each side every 3 hours, which made me feel like something was wrong when it wasn't.) Also if you nurse you will be starving all the time and feel like you are dying of thirst when your milk let's down, lol.
Make sure you get a shower every day. Your only job (at least as a ftm) should be keeping yourself and baby clean, rested, and fed. For like a month. Every single other thing can wait or be taken care of by someone else. Plus it feels so nice to bend at the waist again and just let the shower do its thing rinsing your nethers.
The hormones are super crazy after birth. You might sweat, feel anxiety, cry over everything, leak all over the place, etc. I would wake up and frantically search the covers and sheets for my son, who was fussing quietly in his crib NEXT to the bed! Expect weird, and if you ever feel nervous about how you feel let your significant other or doctor know.
TMI? Don't look at your vagina in a mirror. Mine was like a gaping maw, lol. I was so scared it was never going to go back to normal, lol. Spoiler alert: it did!
Have people available to drive you around for a couple of days just in case. My abs were so tired and driving was legit too hard.
Sleep when the baby sleeps is not just an annoying thing people say. If your baby has day and night reversed (and let's face it, after a couple of weeks don't they all?) then so should you! If your baby sleeps all morning, sleep all morning. If your baby is content in their bassinet awake, grab a 15/20 minute nap until they start to get upset. Sleep is gold. You will have to get back to your normal routine eventually, so take advantage of any help people offer those weeks.
I didn't bleed as much as I expected. I mean, the first 48 hours was a LOT. But really after that it was like a period and I could wear overnight pads, and after about a week it was all light and brown. My m8dwife says this is because I was nursing, but I don't really know for sure. I wouldn't buy weeks of depends or anything, if you go that route, enough for a couple of days max.
@RunBooRun I didn't really bother with the mesh panties much either. Soooo many people swear by them though so I thought something was wrong with me for not liking them that much. I bought a couple packs of granny panties and those were so much more comfortable. I also bought some overnight sanitary pads instead of wearing Depends. The pads that were given to me at the hospital were so uncomfortable since they're thick as a mattress. I had a second degree tear so I swore by the peri bottle after peeing. The warm water was nice on the nether regions! The witch hazel pads also came in handy, although I'll admit that it felt weird at first since they're wet.
As far as other post partum tips, what @longliveregina said was spot on so I won't repeat what she said, but I'll also add to make sure you speak up and let your husband/sig fig other know what you need. My husband's father was never in his life and I stupidly assumed that because of that, he would be super hands on and helpful. Not the case in the slightest. Men have different instincts and they don't think the same way we do when it comes to childcare. They're actually pretty clueless and I resented my husband so much in the beginning because I felt like he just didn't get it. Which he didn't because I never said anything. If you need help, don't ask for it, tell him what you need. If you feel like you're losing your mind and need a break, tell him. Don't give him an option, just hand him the baby and say you're going on a walk, taking a nap, whatever. As women we always feel like we end up doing everything and sometimes we even feel guilty for needing time away from baby. It's great for your sanity though so make sure your other half helps!
@RunBooRun great questions!! I take a couple extra pairs of mesh panties (more like booty shorts) from the hospital and wear them for a day or two more once home. I suggest making a "recovery basket" and putting it on the back of your most used toilets. The hospital will hopefully supply you with enough for one basket so don't go crazy buying stuff but here's what I had/have in mine: witch hazel pads, dermoplast (only available from the hospital so get extra.. I searched high and low at stores for the blue can to no avail last pregnancy) pads, squirt water bottle from hospital, extra mesh panties and breakable ice pads (crack in half to initiate cold) and hemorrhoid cream.
They teach you a little routine (at least they did me), dab clean, rinse with warm water squirt bottle, apply witch hazel pads on top of new pad and spray yourself with the dermoplast. That routine Every. Single. Time.
Last pregnancy I prepared 10 pads with Aloe Vera gel and witch hazel and put them in the freezer. I DO NOT suggest using gel-huge mess and no relief. Cold does however feel fantastic, so putting soaked witch hazel pads might be a good idea. I usually just go for ice packs.
Then next to bed or couch you'll want to keep a supply of snacks and water. And phone charger
I totally agree with everyone else. Only thing I'd add on postpartum recovery is that I liked the thin pads after the first day or two (always brand) Also I had the dermoplast spray and the witch hazel pads in every bathroom and used them every time I went for at least 3-4 weeks. I also used Motrin every 6 hours. Had second degree tear so those things helped me a lot.
Question- how prepared is everyone at this point? STM here and I haven't bought any diapers or gone through and washed and organized any newborn clothes or any of that yet? Normal?
@disneybaby84 Angel of Mine is the Dollar Tree brand. I received several items with that brand on them from someone at my baby shower so I looked it up.
Me: 24 DH: 27 High School Sweethearts: 10/13/06 Married: 10/13/13 Baby #1 EDD: 3/20/17
@Ivorytower2 I only have a few weeks left and only have one box of newborn diapers and one box of size 1. I have the clothes ready but I have a bajillion other things (like clean and install car seat, sanitize whole house, make recovery baskets) still on my to do list. so..I may have different things ready but not nearly close to done!
@Ivorytower2. I have a couple boxes of size 1 tucked up in a closet, but no NB And yet to wash because I'm waiting to see if this babe skips NB sizes before I buy more diapers or wash clothes.
I really am not feeling a need to do much. I have things I'd like to do still-cleaning, meal prep, organization... etc.
ANd DH installed the car seat today, so thats all i really had left on "must do" list.
@Ivorytower2 I feel so massively unprepared! That's mostly because we're moving though. We're set to move in 3 weeks, so the crib that my parents ordered is still in the giant box in the garage and all of my son's old clothes are still in storage bins. I'm not getting a dresser until we move, so when we get that I'll go through the 0-3 month bin and get all of the gender neutral clothes since we're team green. Thankfully they don't need to be washed. All we have at this point is the pack n play ready just in case baby makes an early arrival. My husband ordered a box of size 1 diapers and we'll just take as many packs of newborn size diapers that we can from the hospital. Other than those few things we have absolutely nothing ready!
Postpartum re/icepacks. They had some in the hospital for me to use. My Nurse said you don't need to make your own at home- that icing doesn't help healing after the first couple days. So-may feel good/bring relief , but not to worry about making my own.
like everyone else has said-the crazy part was the hospital bleeding. At home was just like a period.
I bought a box of size one diapers but it was honestly just to get a 15 dollar gift card. I have washed a majority of her clothes mainly to see what I had and since they shrink so much that first wash I want to have a visual idea of how big the outfit really is so that I don't wait too long to use it. 90 percent of the clothes I buy are clearance so I can't return them anyway
Many questions from me today, but has anyone used the Dock a Tot? My daughter has never been a good sleeper- she slept in rock and play for first 5 months. Wondering if I should try the dock a dot this time? It's so expensive and I can stop buying expensive shit. Help me!!
@Ivorytower2 i haven't used it but i've already promised myself that if DD is as bad of a sleeper as DS was that i would splurge on the dock a tot. it gets great reviews from what I have seen and I CANNOT do another 9 months of no sleep, especially with a toddler to take care of this go around. Maybe wait it out and see how LO is with sleep and if you need it then get it?
@Gators&BoSox that sounds like a good plan. What are you planning to have the new baby in initially? The rock and play helped tremendously with DD in the beggining until she hit the 4 month regression, but I also don't want to make the same mistakes and I wonder if that ultimately made her sleep worse!
@Ivorytower2 i got a cheaper bassinet. i was going to get the rock n play bc i've heard it works pretty well but i've also heard baby isn't supposed to sleep the night in it and like you i don't want to ultimately jack up her sleeping more. i have a wombie that i am going to try though and if she likes that i will also splurge for a couple more, especially if it keeps me from needing the dock a tot
@Ivorytower2 I'm with you on buying expensive crap! I bought the dock a tot and the Ollie swaddle in hopes of fantastic sleep this go around. I'll have to let you know if it's worth it haha
@disneybaby84 no personal experience, my doula and Hypnobirthing instructor both highly recommend chiropractic adjustments because I'm breech, but my OB said she didn't recommend them.
@disneybaby84 I've ben seeing one every 2/3 weeks most of this pregnancy just to help with general back pain and it's been great. I can see it helping prepare for labor, too. Thankful mine hasn't been like @rw3190's asking me to come in multiple times a week; it's been more of a, "when you're in enough pain you want to come in, give us a call."
Alex married to M since 6.13.09 T - 3.3.14 A - 2.24.17
@RunBooRun Padsicles are amazing!! I made them with my son... always ultra thin overnights, 1/4c of witch hazel.. open pad put keep attached to liner and pour witch hazel on then freeze. I used them after a sitz bath and a shower for about a week. Definitely helped with healing of my tear.
I didn't use mesh underwear besides in the hospital.
For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 1 Samuel 1:27 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then next to bed or couch you'll want to keep a supply of snacks and water. And phone charger
A million times yes. Especially if you are nursing. Holy moley nursing is like magic but can be so boring. (it feels like blasphemy to say that)
I did take all the giant pads from the hospital. Not for me...lol, that's what overnight max is with wings are for. For baby! I used them as diaper changing pads, lol.
@Ivorytower2 i got a cheaper bassinet. i was going to get the rock n play bc i've heard it works pretty well but i've also heard baby isn't supposed to sleep the night in it and like you i don't want to ultimately jack up her sleeping more. i have a wombie that i am going to try though and if she likes that i will also splurge for a couple more, especially if it keeps me from needing the dock a tot
Really? My son's pediatrician said they are fine for sleeping. Now you've got me nervous, lol. My son would only sleep with me or in a rock n play for the longest time! Do you have a link or anything I can read about it?
@disneybaby84 I've ben seeing one every 2/3 weeks most of this pregnancy just to help with general back pain and it's been great. I can see it helping prepare for labor, too. Thankful mine hasn't been like @rw3190's asking me to come in multiple times a week; it's been more of a, "when you're in enough pain you want to come in, give us a call."
This is what I've been doing too! It has been very helpful!
Then next to bed or couch you'll want to keep a supply of snacks and water. And phone charger
A million times yes. Especially if you are nursing. Holy moley nursing is like magic but can be so boring. (it feels like blasphemy to say that)
I played SO much candy crush. Haha. I'm gonna miss the chill phone and/or Netflix nursing time with this second one! If only I realized how easy it was with only one kid. Hah
Thanks! How interesting! I actually buy into a lot of that. After all its one of the reasons why I didn't really ever use our infant seat as a carrier...I always just left the seat in the car and wore him or out him in the pram. I am a big believer that floor play allows kids to turn their heads and look around, just as effectively rounding the head as tummy time. It makes sense that flat sleeping would be the same (since tummy sleeping us a no no).
It seems like moderation is key here. Nap and mommy showering time? No problem. Long segments of the day? More of an issue.
@longliveregina My toddler slept in his rock n play for 6 months and he had no issue. I think the problem comes when people use the rock n play exclusively all day every day. Like you said, moderation is key. Considering my son wasn't sleeping through the night at 6 moths, he wasn't in the rock n play for 12 hours every night. He was up at least twice a night so I think that also played a part in him being fine in it.
@Gators&BoSox @longliveregina that's a really interesting article. We used the rnp only at night with DS for the first few months. We never had any issues with motor skills or anything (he was sitting up unassisted at four months.) I was just sure that during the day he got a lot of tummy time and such. I think, like any product, it depends on how you use it. Some babies will respond different than others.
Alex married to M since 6.13.09 T - 3.3.14 A - 2.24.17
i just want to throw out there that i'm not judging anyone that has used the rock n play for sleep. i just was between that and a standard bassinet and wanted to compare.
Thanks! How interesting! I actually buy into a lot of that. After all its one of the reasons why I didn't really ever use our infant seat as a carrier...I always just left the seat in the car and wore him or out him in the pram. I am a big believer that floor play allows kids to turn their heads and look around, just as effectively rounding the head as tummy time. It makes sense that flat sleeping would be the same (since tummy sleeping us a no no).
It seems like moderation is key here. Nap and mommy showering time? No problem. Long segments of the day? More of an issue.
We used it for my DD to sleep in and never had a problem. I think they can develop a flat head regardless of where they sleep, since they sleep on their backs. I agree with you though, awake time should be spent with tummy time or being held!
We never had any issue with the rock and play and flat head issues either, but my daughter also never slept through the night. I know there are also some arguments that it can be a big help with reflux babies.
disneybaby84
member
Re: Ask a STM week 2/6
Yes I was going a bit ago bc I was in a lot of pain
I stopped bc my copay is $40/visit and they wanted to see me 3x a week
Samantha - 4/5/2017
#2 3/2015
#3 3/2017
#4 10/2019
Mesh panties or depends are both fine, I never found I needed them past maybe the first day though, I was wearing regular underwear (albeit, not my favorite pairs, mostly black ones) by day two with no problems. I've never used padsicles, but they're popular if you have swelling or tearing issues - just get the pad wet and put in the freezer then use like an ice pack. You can also use newborn size diapers for this.
I would say, wait to see what your recovery is going to be like - I didn't need any of the extra stuff. I used the peri bottle for a few days, regular pads, and some witch hazel pads, but really didn't need much on top of that. I had easy births without tearing, though. If you have a rougher time, you might need more stuff. Just know what options are out there and where to buy (most stuff you can get on Amazon or at a pharmacy pretty easily) so if you need something you can grab it.
#2 3/2015
#3 3/2017
#4 10/2019
2. I never made a padsicle: I just rested a lot, rinsed with a peribottle, and used witch hazel. But many women swear by them. Take a pad, soak in witch hazel, and freeze.
My random thoughts about my body after my son was born:
No visitors at all for like a week. (if mom or someone is coming to cook or do laundry that doesn't count) They will want to hold your baby, making you crazy, and expect you to entertain them. I felt most comfortable walking around in a nursing sleep bra, an open cardigan, and yoga pants for days--my son had lost a lot of weight, and I was spending what felt like an absurd amount of time nursing. (Looking back I realize it was totally a normal amount of time. Newborns will nurse for something like 45 minutes every 2 hours, and you count from the beginning of the feed not the end. The nurses were telling me that it should be 10 minutes on each side every 3 hours, which made me feel like something was wrong when it wasn't.) Also if you nurse you will be starving all the time and feel like you are dying of thirst when your milk let's down, lol.
Make sure you get a shower every day. Your only job (at least as a ftm) should be keeping yourself and baby clean, rested, and fed. For like a month. Every single other thing can wait or be taken care of by someone else. Plus it feels so nice to bend at the waist again and just let the shower do its thing rinsing your nethers.
The hormones are super crazy after birth. You might sweat, feel anxiety, cry over everything, leak all over the place, etc. I would wake up and frantically search the covers and sheets for my son, who was fussing quietly in his crib NEXT to the bed! Expect weird, and if you ever feel nervous about how you feel let your significant other or doctor know.
TMI? Don't look at your vagina in a mirror. Mine was like a gaping maw, lol. I was so scared it was never going to go back to normal, lol. Spoiler alert: it did!
Have people available to drive you around for a couple of days just in case. My abs were so tired and driving was legit too hard.
Sleep when the baby sleeps is not just an annoying thing people say. If your baby has day and night reversed (and let's face it, after a couple of weeks don't they all?) then so should you! If your baby sleeps all morning, sleep all morning. If your baby is content in their bassinet awake, grab a 15/20 minute nap until they start to get upset. Sleep is gold. You will have to get back to your normal routine eventually, so take advantage of any help people offer those weeks.
I didn't bleed as much as I expected. I mean, the first 48 hours was a LOT. But really after that it was like a period and I could wear overnight pads, and after about a week it was all light and brown. My m8dwife says this is because I was nursing, but I don't really know for sure. I wouldn't buy weeks of depends or anything, if you go that route, enough for a couple of days max.
As far as other post partum tips, what @longliveregina said was spot on so I won't repeat what she said, but I'll also add to make sure you speak up and let your husband/sig fig other know what you need. My husband's father was never in his life and I stupidly assumed that because of that, he would be super hands on and helpful. Not the case in the slightest. Men have different instincts and they don't think the same way we do when it comes to childcare. They're actually pretty clueless and I resented my husband so much in the beginning because I felt like he just didn't get it. Which he didn't because I never said anything. If you need help, don't ask for it, tell him what you need. If you feel like you're losing your mind and need a break, tell him. Don't give him an option, just hand him the baby and say you're going on a walk, taking a nap, whatever. As women we always feel like we end up doing everything and sometimes we even feel guilty for needing time away from baby. It's great for your sanity though so make sure your other half helps!
They teach you a little routine (at least they did me), dab clean, rinse with warm water squirt bottle, apply witch hazel pads on top of new pad and spray yourself with the dermoplast. That routine Every. Single. Time.
Last pregnancy I prepared 10 pads with Aloe Vera gel and witch hazel and put them in the freezer. I DO NOT suggest using gel-huge mess and no relief. Cold does however feel fantastic, so putting soaked witch hazel pads might be a good idea. I usually just go for ice packs.
Then next to bed or couch you'll want to keep a supply of snacks and water. And phone charger
Yes @c25 exactly!!
High School Sweethearts: 10/13/06
Married: 10/13/13
Baby #1 EDD: 3/20/17
I really am not feeling a need to do much. I have things I'd like to do still-cleaning, meal prep, organization... etc.
ANd DH installed the car seat today, so thats all i really had left on "must do" list.
like everyone else has said-the crazy part was the hospital bleeding. At home was just like a period.
Married: 07/04/13
BFP #1: 8/14/14, Baby Girl born 4/16/15
BFP #2: 6/21/16, Baby Girl born 2/11/17
BFP #3: 1/26/19, EDD 10/8/19
Fur Babies: 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (Piper and Mia)
married to M since 6.13.09
T - 3.3.14
A - 2.24.17
I didn't use mesh underwear besides in the hospital.
1 Samuel 1:27
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I did take all the giant pads from the hospital. Not for me...lol, that's what overnight max is with wings are for. For baby! I used them as diaper changing pads, lol.
Me: 26 Hubs: 28
Married: 6/6/15
Baby Girl: 3/22/2017
It seems like moderation is key here. Nap and mommy showering time? No problem. Long segments of the day? More of an issue.
I think, like any product, it depends on how you use it. Some babies will respond different than others.
married to M since 6.13.09
T - 3.3.14
A - 2.24.17