@meggyme, you could be right on the dehydration. I know for a fact I'm not drinking enough water. I do take an iron supplement for anemia which causes constipation too. Yikes. That does make me feel a bit better and I will let my OB know tomorrow too.
Hey ladies - I am really struggling with food aversion (specifically chicken and most other meat). Any suggestions on meal ideas?? For breakfast I've been having toast, smoothie or hardboiled eggs but I am getting sick of it. I also work so lunches need to be portable (I have access to a fridge, toaster and microwave). And I haven't been cooking dinners for my family lately because nothing sounds good I'm just struggling to give this baby something nutritious when all my regular "health foods" make me want gag (grilled chicken, avocado toast, broccoli). Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
@Laurc19 Hm... For breakfast, I often have either plain yogurt or oatmeal with berries (I usually just heat up frozen blueberries), nuts, and granola.
For vegetarian lunches, I sometimes make some kind of variation on rice and beans and eat that throughout the week. Different variations are brown rice and black beans, couscous and chickpeas, farro and kidney beans, etc. I just change up the spices, vegetables, and cheese I add in depending on what I want. For example, with brown rice and black beans I'll add chili powder, cumin, onion, pepper, cheddar cheese etc. For couscous and chickpeas I'll use a lemon vinaigrette with parsley, cucumber, tomato, feta etc.
I also know when I had food aversions, I would just sneak healthy things into pasta. I'd get a higher protein whole wheat or chickpea pasta and add vegetables and whatever sauce I wanted. Soups were also great.. Minestrone, split pea, vegetable barley.
@bug_hunter thank you so much! I LOVE the rice and beans suggestions.... I am definitely going to do that. And I really like the soup idea - like make a big pot of vegetable soup for the week. This is why I needed recommendations - I was just having a mental block of something I could eat that was healthy and sounded good to me....
@Laurc19 you can also do salads for lunch with cheese, nuts, and eggs for protein- salads are easy to vary with different toppings and dressing. And another bean option is burritos.
@lelkcot yeah I've been doing salads but sometimes that doesn't sound good to me either I like the idea of a bean burrito! I wonder if I can find a good make ahead recipe - or even better, if there is a healthy pre-made frozen option haha
@Laurc19 I do burritos for lunch anytime I make a pot of beans (I like to crockpot beans for dinner, freeze some of the leftovers and use some for lunches) I’ll make a few burritos and wrap them in cling wrap and then just zapping them at work, add a little salsa, avocado and yogurt (I do plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream) and it’s a reasonable healthy lunch!
@Laurc19 Do you feel the aversion regardless of the way it's prepared? Because I realized a few days ago that it's actually the texture that keeps me away (like, my husband made minced turkey meat with peppers and I just couldn't make myself eat it), but prepared differently it is more appetizing. So you could experiment with the way it's cooked, like maybe asian style chicken with teriyaki sauce and stir-fry veggies? I found the more flavors I mix in, the higher the likelihood that I will actually eat it without forcing myself.
@mihaelams1 yes, i definitely agree on the flavors - i found i am able to have some shredded chicken if there is a lot of other stuff with it and it's covered in sauce - but lately, even that has been making me feel sick. it's like the aversion is getting worse.....
Are there any others who've had previous c-sections who feel like their scar (the deep one, internal, not external) is very painful lately at this point in pregnancy? I'll ask my OB about at my next appointment it but it's quite uncomfortable when I walk around.
@BuckeyeNut05 YES! My scar hurt a lot when I am working out or taking a long walk. I asked the midwife and she said it’s normal, just stretching scar tissue/adhesions.
It seems to stretch on the area that is getting pulled and since I started doing it daily I have been getting a lot less pain at the scar and also less RLP.
So does anyone have abdomen scars? I have some on the upper abdomen from chest tubes during surgery as an infant. The scar tissue goes deep, so the stretching is pretty uncomfortable. I asked the ob about it at my last appt if they would be any issues, and she said no. Being only 23 weeks, there's a lot more growing to do, I am concerned with possible tearing. I will talk to the other Dr at my next appt. Any ideas until then?
@Kenneylynn3 I have a big scar under my ribs from a liver resection. The surgeon advised against pregnancy for 6 months after the surgery and then told me it wouldn’t be an issue. That was almost 5 years ago. I’ve been worried it would hurt but so far it hasn’t. There is likely scar there that will need to stretch but it should happen gradually enough not to cause dangerous tearing.
[spoiler=TW in signature]
Me: 36, DH 37.
August 2014- 6w MMC
July 2015- CP
PCOS, plus some medical issues that make me high risk.
@BuckeyeNut05 I don’t have any stairs at home so I use my couch, but I wouldn’t be brave enough to try it even if I did have stairs!
@Kenneylynn3 My mom has huge scars in the shape of a cross across her whole abdomen, running through her belly button from a surgery prior to having kids. She went on to have 2 normal pregnancies without any issues around the scars. I that older scars are stronger than newer ones as well. I hope yours don’t cause you any trouble.
@Kenneylynn3 I have two scars on my stomach - one thin one across my belly button and the other a vertical, thick scar about 4" above my belly button (it's as long and as thick as my thumb). I was worried/curious to see what would happen with them during my first pregnancy.... but they didn't cause any issues. They stretched along with my belly and actually ended up looking pretty much the same as always after having my DD. I think because your belly grows over 9 months it gives them lots of time to stretch with you. Hopefully yours won't be a problem either!
Any home remedies for high fever and bad sore throat? I did take Tylenol out of last resort but don't want to make it as habit. And it's been 2 days now but still there is weakness, any electrolyte drink good during this time?
For sore throat I use Luden's throat drops and tea with honey. For fluid replenishment I like gatorades. With the fever, just make sure it doesn't get too high as it can hurt baby. I don't know the specific temp, so it might be worth a call to the doctor.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
@kandos Not trying to scare you at all, but like @meggyme said, a high fever can be a problem, as can dehydration. Please call your doc today. I hope you feel better soon! Being pregnant and sick is miserable!
@kandos I had a doula last time and will be having one this time. I’d say a lot of it depends on how much of an advocate you think you and your husband will be for yourselves. And not just regarding medical decisions, because that is not a doula’s job, but like if you think you need a suggestion of a different position to labor in to be proactive in finding a nurse and asking for help. Doulas are good for kind of maintaining the atmosphere you want while laboring and being that proactive person to suggest a different position for certain issues or going and getting ice, a yoga ball, etc so you and your husband can focus you on relaxing and birthing your baby.
Sorry this is turning into a novel, but here is my previous doula experience. Due to a situation beyond anyone’s control I went into labor when my secondary doula was already at a birth. I labored at home for awhile before we went to the hospital and the back up doula I hadn’t met before showed up. She helped me deal with some nausea due to a pinched nerve but once I had the epidural I didn’t need much besides the occasional repositioning until I started pushing. While pushing she held one of my legs so my husband could be near my head like we wanted. She also took some quick iPhone pics of the labor and afterward, which I cherish because in addition to being the only pics of our first few minutes as a family, they’re the only pics of all of us in the hospital and only ones of anything for the next 12 hours. Even though most are NSFW, I like to look at them and remember how badass the whole experience is.
We’re getting a doula this time mostly because I have a friend who is in training and doing it for the experience only. I don’t know if I would pay more than a couple hundred for one the second time since I’m not committed to going med free.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
@kandos I’d say it’s a lot to do with what you’re going for birth-wise (med-free, limited intervention, epidural etc...), how much you trust your doctor (are you going to a small practice where you’ll likely know the dr helping you deliver, or in my case I had never met any of the midwifes who helped with DS), and as @meggyme said how comfortable you and your husband are advocating for yourself. Your personality factors in too - would that support help when you’re in pain, or do you get withdrawn when you’re hurting.
I had a doula with DS, and will not be getting one this time around (med-free with DS and hoping to do the same this time). I am someone who gets very withdrawn when I’m coping with pain and I did not find the doula to be particularly helpful. She did encourage some different positions early on, but by the end the nurse and midwife were the ones encouraging me to move and see if a different position would get DS moving. I did love the pictures she got of DS immediately after birth and she got an amazing picture of DH holding DS for the first time.
I will say, my older sister had her first two with a doula who she loved. Felt she was very calming and got her through transition and she had both of those kiddos fairly quickly.
@kandos I’d say it’s a lot to do with what you’re going for birth-wise (med-free, limited intervention, epidural etc...), how much you trust your doctor (are you going to a small practice where you’ll likely know the dr helping you deliver, or in my case I had never met any of the midwifes who helped with DS), and as @meggyme said how comfortable you and your husband are advocating for yourself. Your personality factors in too - would that support help when you’re in pain, or do you get withdrawn when you’re hurting.
I agree with all this. I did not have a doula with my daughter, and I won't be having one with this baby. I had her and am planning to have this baby at a free-standing birth center with midwives. I chose this practice because I agree with their philosophy on care, that childbirth is a natural, normal process that usually does not need intervention. They are low intervention. Being outside the hospital means I can't have an epidural even if I decide I really want one. They're open to various birthing positions. You're never hooked up to an IV, etc. (I think they can do IV antibiotics for group B strep but even that is not continuously hooked up). And if I got worn out, (the main reason women wind up being transferred to a hospital from there is not a crazy emergency, but just being worn out from a long labor and needing an epidural to rest and some help getting things moving faster), one of the midwives would go with us and and stay until after the baby was born. So, I didn't and don't feel like I needed someone to help support me or advocate for me.
I do think it's very important, if at all possible, to have your baby somewhere where you're aligned with the providers on your view of birth and what you want if everything goes more or less to plan (and for most women, it should.)
@kandos I'm a ftm that doesn't plan on having a doula. This is mainly because I'm a high risk case where I will have to have extra monitoring from the get go. I know I will already be having an epidural and if things go a certain way, where my heart can't take it anymore I will end with a cs. A lot of this is out of my control and just depends on circumstance. That being said, I'm aware of all of this, open to all situations, and plan on preparing my "birth wishes" for these different outcomes. If I was planning on having a med-free birth, that would be a different story.
@Kenneylynn3 my doula recently attended a birth that was a planned csection. She said that was a situation where the mother needed support just for herself the most. It gave her someone looking out for her while her husband went with the baby so that the mother wasn’t alone and helped her have the atmosphere and comfort she wanted despite a lot of it being out of her control.
Even if you don’t want or can’t have a completely med free birth a doula can be beneficial in still helping make it a positive experience and helping you control what you can: the kind of language nurses are using, whether or not they’re asking for your consent before doing checks or procedures, the lighting, music, and general atmosphere. It could make the difference in an unpredictable birth being one that goes with the flow and something that just feels like it happens to you, which I think leads to a lot of negative feelings about the process. Any birth could benefit from a doula if the mother would benefit from the extra support and focused attention.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
I agree that having a person to support mom is important in a csection too. Because I want MH to be able to stay with the babies all the time, but I don’t want to be left alone, we are planning for extra support persons. There’s isn’t a lot in my situation I have a say in, so who is around and gets to see the babies (especially if I DONT get to see them yet) is important to me. We aren’t using a doula, but my Dad has agreed to be on call and go with us to the hospital no matter what so that I don’t end up alone worried about the babies.
[spoiler=TW in signature]
Me: 36, DH 37.
August 2014- 6w MMC
July 2015- CP
PCOS, plus some medical issues that make me high risk.
@meggyme and @3rdtime_charmed I think that is another reason why my mom will be there. She will be my extra support, because I want DW to stay with our lo if we are separated.
The woman leading baby class through the hospital suggested downloading apps to track baby's dirty diapers, feedings, sleeping schedule, etc., but she didn't recommend a particular app. I was wondering -- have any of you found an app you love?
@heytherefriend I used Baby Manager, which I think is one of the better free apps. There are lots of good ones if you're willing to pay a small fee ($4-6).
I actually tracked DS's feedings and dirty diapers on paper for the first two weeks, and for some reason I love to look back at it. Maybe because that time was such a blur and it's crazy to think he was feeding 10+ times per day!
I have a question! How far would you travel (or have you traveled) to work with a provider that you really like? I'm thinking of switching to a hospital that is an hour away from my house. It's 20 minutes from my work, so the prenatal visits would be NBD.
My first delivery was at a hospital five minutes from my house. My labor for my first was not fast (over 24 hours).
@heytherefriend I used sprout baby. There’s a free trial before you have to pay, but it was well worth it for me. I mostly used it for tracking nursing sessions, sleep, and any medication applications.
DD1: June '16 DD2: March ‘19 :::: Married since 2011 :::: USN Wife ::::
@heytherefriend I used one called “baby tracker” I really liked it and wished we had downloaded it earlier I had no idea the hospital/pediatrician asked about number of diapers, feeds, etc. we were also writing it down and it became very hard to keep track of that way.
@lindseyb918 We are using a place 30 minutes from our home but it’s a little over an hour from my work and DH work.
@lindseyb918 With my first, all prenatal appointments were 20 mins ish from work but because all of my appointments were after work, it took me over an hour to get home each evening (rush hour in Boston). I would NOT do that again, especially when appointments are more frequent. Hospital was anywhere from 35 mins to over an hour from house depending on traffic. That’s not such a big deal to me because if worse came to worse, I could always go to another /closer hospital. I had a normal long labor so the distance didn’t end up mattering.
I made sure to choose a closer provider this time and I’m really happy I did.
@lindseyb918 I’m a FTM and am using a freestanding birth center that’s is about an hour from home. I’m a little nervous about the drive there when I’m in labor, but my nerves are more related to weather than anything else (spring snow storms are pretty common here, eek!) I live in the mtns just outside of Denver, and the closest hospital where I could deliver is also about an hour away; it’s actually right across the street from the birth center so distance wasn’t really a factor in my choice. I’m sure the drive will get old when my appts get more frequent, but I love the midwives & model of care so much at my birth center that it’s been well worth it for me so far.
Question for my ST+ mom’s - how have you addressed the question of how baby gets here in an age appropriate manner? DS is 3.5 and has asked a few time how baby sister will get out of mommy’s tummy and thus far I’ve mostly evade it, just said mommy will go to the doctor and baby will be here... Any advice or experience is appreciated!
Re: Question? Need help? ***POST HERE***
For vegetarian lunches, I sometimes make some kind of variation on rice and beans and eat that throughout the week. Different variations are brown rice and black beans, couscous and chickpeas, farro and kidney beans, etc. I just change up the spices, vegetables, and cheese I add in depending on what I want. For example, with brown rice and black beans I'll add chili powder, cumin, onion, pepper, cheddar cheese etc. For couscous and chickpeas I'll use a lemon vinaigrette with parsley, cucumber, tomato, feta etc.
I also know when I had food aversions, I would just sneak healthy things into pasta. I'd get a higher protein whole wheat or chickpea pasta and add vegetables and whatever sauce I wanted. Soups were also great.. Minestrone, split pea, vegetable barley.
Something that has been really helping me is this spinning babies inversion
https://spinningbabies.com/learn-more/techniques/the-fantastic-four/forward-leaning-inversion/
It seems to stretch on the area that is getting pulled and since I started doing it daily I have been getting a lot less pain at the scar and also less RLP.
[spoiler=TW in signature]
Me: 36, DH 37.
August 2014- 6w MMC
July 2015- CP
PCOS, plus some medical issues that make me high risk.
Our rainbow babies are due 3/21!!!!!
[/spoiler]
@Kenneylynn3 My mom has huge scars in the shape of a cross across her whole abdomen, running through her belly button from a surgery prior to having kids. She went on to have 2 normal pregnancies without any issues around the scars. I that older scars are stronger than newer ones as well. I hope yours don’t cause you any trouble.
Sorry this is turning into a novel, but here is my previous doula experience. Due to a situation beyond anyone’s control I went into labor when my secondary doula was already at a birth. I labored at home for awhile before we went to the hospital and the back up doula I hadn’t met before showed up. She helped me deal with some nausea due to a pinched nerve but once I had the epidural I didn’t need much besides the occasional repositioning until I started pushing. While pushing she held one of my legs so my husband could be near my head like we wanted. She also took some quick iPhone pics of the labor and afterward, which I cherish because in addition to being the only pics of our first few minutes as a family, they’re the only pics of all of us in the hospital and only ones of anything for the next 12 hours. Even though most are NSFW, I like to look at them and remember how badass the whole experience is.
We’re getting a doula this time mostly because I have a friend who is in training and doing it for the experience only. I don’t know if I would pay more than a couple hundred for one the second time since I’m not committed to going med free.
I had a doula with DS, and will not be getting one this time around (med-free with DS and hoping to do the same this time). I am someone who gets very withdrawn when I’m coping with pain and I did not find the doula to be particularly helpful. She did encourage some different positions early on, but by the end the nurse and midwife were the ones encouraging me to move and see if a different position would get DS moving. I did love the pictures she got of DS immediately after birth and she got an amazing picture of DH holding DS for the first time.
I will say, my older sister had her first two with a doula who she loved. Felt she was very calming and got her through transition and she had both of those kiddos fairly quickly.
I do think it's very important, if at all possible, to have your baby somewhere where you're aligned with the providers on your view of birth and what you want if everything goes more or less to plan (and for most women, it should.)
Even if you don’t want or can’t have a completely med free birth a doula can be beneficial in still helping make it a positive experience and helping you control what you can: the kind of language nurses are using, whether or not they’re asking for your consent before doing checks or procedures, the lighting, music, and general atmosphere. It could make the difference in an unpredictable birth being one that goes with the flow and something that just feels like it happens to you, which I think leads to a lot of negative feelings about the process. Any birth could benefit from a doula if the mother would benefit from the extra support and focused attention.
[spoiler=TW in signature]
Me: 36, DH 37.
August 2014- 6w MMC
July 2015- CP
PCOS, plus some medical issues that make me high risk.
Our rainbow babies are due 3/21!!!!!
[/spoiler]
I actually tracked DS's feedings and dirty diapers on paper for the first two weeks, and for some reason I love to look back at it. Maybe because that time was such a blur and it's crazy to think he was feeding 10+ times per day!
My first delivery was at a hospital five minutes from my house. My labor for my first was not fast (over 24 hours).
@lindseyb918 We are using a place 30 minutes from our home but it’s a little over an hour from my work and DH work.
I made sure to choose a closer provider this time and I’m really happy I did.
I live in the mtns just outside of Denver, and the closest hospital where I could deliver is also about an hour away; it’s actually right across the street from the birth center so distance wasn’t really a factor in my choice. I’m sure the drive will get old when my appts get more frequent, but I love the midwives & model of care so much at my birth center that it’s been well worth it for me so far.