@relizabethp@shortstack930 probably can speak to this better but I think epic is like the software program. I’m not Kaiser but I know our hospital system uses epic too. So I would think if something is attached to epic that it would just be in your regular portal, based on how I’ve heard “epic” used at my doctors office.
@mcclanna have you tried a neti pot? I never used one until I had a cold when I was pregnant with DD and it really helped. I know there is a certain Sudafed I was allowed to take, but my OB and the pharmacist didn’t agree on which one it was so it made me scared to take anything
@bows22 I believe it takes 8 years for every cell in your body to renew, so it doesn’t seem entirely too weird for stretch marks to go away with time. That’s pretty quick!
@mcclanna I would suggest a NeilMed sinus rinse bottle with distilled water and their salt packets. I cannot stress to use distilled water enough, regardless of it you end up using the Neti Pot or sinus rinse bottle. Neutral water with sterilized, medical-specific salt is the healthiest for your sinuses. Regular water will mess up your balance and cause more issues even if you have great water - you don’t want minerals or chlorine in your sinuses. It hurts and will make them very upset. In a pinch, I’ll use city water if it’s GOOD city water, but distilled water is super cheap.
It has enough pressure to get the water into all of your sinuses (upper and lower) and it’s gross and takes a little getting used to, but the relief is immense. If you have access, it is the single best sinus helper. I have chronic sinusitis and allergies and my husband has had five (I think) sinus surgeries, so I know more than I would prefer to 😂 here is the set. It is available in most, if not all, stores and pharmacies. Sweden doesn’t have it so I’ve come to really appreciate it. You can rinse 2-4 times per day and you can do more than one fill per time if you really want to clean out your head.
Also, you can put a squirt of Afrin in it to really open up your sinuses, just according to regular usage recommendations for Afrin. My doctors all agreed it is fine to use like normal if your body doesn’t react poorly, like getting a nose bleed because you’re more sensitive than normal.
Either way, make sure you have plenty of tissues after you rinse!!! We both rinse our sinuses twice a day, every day, and I believe it has been key to my head’s health. I also use one of those plain saline sprayers throughout the day to keep moisture in there and it helps keep my sinuses open while I teach. We get them from Costco but they look like this and are also on Amazon.
@relizabethp@bows22@krysnicole1022 I’m not on Kaiser but EPIC is an electronic information storage and communications system used by a great number of healthcare institutions. You should be able to access your health information, test results, bills, appointments, and messages through an app called MyChart where you set up an account. OK it looks like your app will be “Kaiser Permanente” or you can sign in through their own website (see link below). I know EPIC both through tutoring a lot of nursing students’ college essays and through my own experience as a patient. It autopopulates with your information because you provide your own specific information like social security and birth date, and it’s really awesome. I have it through Salem Health and Legacy Health since I see providers in both, and I can sign in to each of them through the same app. Check the app store for your device for Kaiser Permanente and you should be able to get set up, or you can access it from here as well: https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/consumer-sign-on#/signon If you don’t have an account, register for one and EPIC should absolutely autopopulate the account with your information. You will need your Kaiser Permanente ID card.
I feel like somewhere at some point someone talked about the Nosefrida and/or alternatives, but I can't find it. What's your favorite tool for clogged baby/toddler noses?
@pangolindrome Yes, I think I recommended the nosefrida somewhere. Definitely recommend. Another product-free option is doing "the mother's kiss", where you close one of their nostrils and blow into their mouth. Very effective, absolutely disgusting. Helpful if you're in a fix.
My little guy never liked the nose frida, and I was always to scared to suck hard so I never got much out for boogers anyways! We bought the Oogiebear nose thing and really liked it.
@relizabethp Epic is a hospital charting system and like @pangolindrome said, an electronic medical record. It sounds like your results were just filed in the Epic charting system.
TTC History
Me: 35 DH: 34 Married 07/2012 DD born 07/2014 DD2 born 10/2018 DS born 10/2022
IF history: TTC #2 since January 2016 June-Aug 2017: 3 IUIs w/Clomid = BFN Sept 2017: Dx w/Endometriosis Oct 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN Nov 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN Dec 2017: pre-IVF testing Jan-Feb 2018: IVF--17 eggs retrieved, 13 fertilized, 9 frozen and 1 transferred on 2/10 = BFP on 2/19!!! EDD 10/29/2018 FET Oct 2021: BFP on 10/31! MC at 5 weeks FET Feb 2022: BFP on 2/15! EDD 10/29/22
When did you all “feel” pregnant??? 18/5 today and barely any flutters/gas. Still don’t know which it is. And my anxiety of course is going crazy as I won’t get to see baby again until the 23rd….I hate this uncertainty.
@jilliboo TBH kinda last week, but mostly this week. FTM, 21+1 today, anterior placenta. I've been feeling her in the morning and sometimes other times of day this week only, and previous week it's been once, maybe twice per week since... idk... week 18 maybe.
@jilliboo I think that when you go for an ultrasound the tech doesn't usually say anything if you have a posterior placenta, but will often let you know if you have an anterior placenta (attaches to the front wall) because you typically feel less movement from baby with anterior.
I'm 16+4 today and haven't felt anything yet, but I'm starting to show, so I'm calming my anxiety by looking at the size of my tummy each week! With my son I didn't feel anything until 20- 22 weeks, and I specifically asked and was told I had a posterior placenta. It is VERY normal not to feel anything until after 20 weeks, especially for a FTM.
@jilliboo Like others said, I was told. I was told at my first-trimester scan, and it was probably so I wouldn't expect to feel anything until halfway or later.
I had a bunch of scans early on because of bleeding. I kind of just assumed I would be going 4/4 on anterior placentas so I wasn't really shocked. My bigger concern would have been the placenta implanting near my scar tissue from previous Cs so I was actively rooting for a top side implantation.
I had a bunch of scans early as well for bleeding @krysnicole1022. So I guess I have a posterior? I’ll ask at next ultrasound. I’m just curious. And thanks ladies. I just need to feel him for my piece of mind.
FTM, and I fully intend to breastfeed (or at least pump if that works out better for us). Does anyone pump prior to pregnancy to get an early supply started or get the milk ready and flowing before baby gets here?
@stephers_ Nope. I don't think it works that way. Milk won't come in until the baby is born and even then it takes a few days. babies are totally fine on colostrum for a few days.
@stephers_ you can save colostrum ahead of time, but biologically baby nursing on you tells your body what baby needs. They need colostrum in the first couple of days and at that point their stomach is teeny tiny. Your actual milk comes in when baby is ready for it, and baby's nursing informs your supply. Pumping in addition to nursing can sometimes lead to oversupply and engorgement in those early weeks.
Speaking of nursing… has anyone breastfed with smaller nipples? During my first pregnancy, my nipples got HUGE. TW, I lost that baby early on. Years later I got pregnant with my son, but my nipples stayed close to the same size. This made nursing really difficult. I went to a bunch of LC’s, but they said it was fine. I guarantee it wasn’t fine, my poor little guy had a hard time latching, especially because he had a bit of a posterior tongue tie. I ended up pumping and giving him a bottle a lot, but nursing from me was just so much easier! Tips on how to help you get ready for nursing with smaller nipples? Thanks ladies!
@kat_vegan87 I have had some friends use nipple shields for smaller/inverted nipples. Tongue ties do make nursing so much harder. I don't think nipple/areola size negatively affects nursing but improper latch absolutely will. Most of my friends that used nipple shields did so because their child has tongue ties that were diagnosed late or they opted to work through instead of having them fixed. That or their nipple didn't peak up making latching nearly impossible.
I asked a friend who had similar issues (tongue tie and inverted/small nipple) and she said that all the issues she had with her first were not an issue with her second who didn't have a tongue tie. She didn't even need the shield.
Ok. So really random question, but has anyone had their pubic hair hold on to moisture and make their underpants more wet than normal? Or is this just a me thing and I need to trim more often???
@krysnicole1022- I’m so happy to hear that! I used the nipple shield almost the whole time on my left side and it was pretty annoying. I also just recently found out from my doula that the nipple shield should only be used for a little while.
@jilliboo -My underwear has been just so wet in general. I love my Brazilian waxes so I’m not sure about hair sticking, I strongly recommend Brazilians! Lol
@jilliboo I've noticed a distinct rise in discharge and general moisture, like to the point where I asked what a normal level was at my last appointment lol. As we get into summer I can only imagine it will get worse
This is kind of a pivot, but is anyone keeping track of good memorial day sales for baby essentials? There are a few things on our registry that I know if I saw it on sale I would rather just grab it than wait.
Question(s): I haven't had a fetal echo and have only had ultrasounds, no doppler, so I haven't heard the heartbeat but I have seen it. Is that weird or do those two things happen under special circumstances?
@jilliboo I have been waxing since like... 2012 or 2013, so I couldn't say. If I go more than four weeks between, I get stinky. I had to start doing my own brazilians as of the pandemic and yesterday, I realized I'll have to go to a salon again for the first time in 2.5 years. LOL. However, I did get itchy because I was sleeping with underwear on - it's been a sensory thing as of pregnancy - so I had to ditch them for a few days and it felt better. Maybe that could help?
@jilliboo same! Def a bit more moisture, but mostly mine is discharge. Like holy cow so much discharge. I noticed an odor after getting pregnant, so I started using a panty liner or two every day. It cuts down a lot of the moisture and it keeps the odor minimal. I never waxed, I used to just trim a bikini line (that I now trim blind in the shower cause belly). It's manageable with the liners for me personally.
@mcclanna girl, I feel this on a spiritual level. I have horrible constipation. Start your day with 6-8oz of warm prune juice. It’s gross, but I swear by it. Then have your coffee and go about your day. I add spinach to any smoothie and usually have that for dessert. Thankfully this has been helping me be somewhat regular, they aren’t nice and smooth, but I can at least poop at least once a day.
@mcclanna SAME!!!!!! Its been maybe 4 weeks for me and ive tried everything!!!! The stool softeners seem to work, but I haven't been able to find a good balance and it seems to go one extreme or the other 😭
Re: The Great Big Question Thread!
@mcclanna I would suggest a NeilMed sinus rinse bottle with distilled water and their salt packets. I cannot stress to use distilled water enough, regardless of it you end up using the Neti Pot or sinus rinse bottle. Neutral water with sterilized, medical-specific salt is the healthiest for your sinuses. Regular water will mess up your balance and cause more issues even if you have great water - you don’t want minerals or chlorine in your sinuses. It hurts and will make them very upset. In a pinch, I’ll use city water if it’s GOOD city water, but distilled water is super cheap.
We both rinse our sinuses twice a day, every day, and I believe it has been key to my head’s health. I also use one of those plain saline sprayers throughout the day to keep moisture in there and it helps keep my sinuses open while I teach. We get them from Costco but they look like this and are also on Amazon.
@relizabethp @bows22 @krysnicole1022 I’m not on Kaiser but EPIC is an electronic information storage and communications system used by a great number of healthcare institutions. You should be able to access your health information, test results, bills, appointments, and messages through an app called MyChart where you set up an account. OK it looks like your app will be “Kaiser Permanente” or you can sign in through their own website (see link below). I know EPIC both through tutoring a lot of nursing students’ college essays and through my own experience as a patient.
It autopopulates with your information because you provide your own specific information like social security and birth date, and it’s really awesome. I have it through Salem Health and Legacy Health since I see providers in both, and I can sign in to each of them through the same app.
Check the app store for your device for Kaiser Permanente and you should be able to get set up, or you can access it from here as well: https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/consumer-sign-on#/signon
If you don’t have an account, register for one and EPIC should absolutely autopopulate the account with your information. You will need your Kaiser Permanente ID card.
Married 07/2012
DD born 07/2014
DD2 born 10/2018
DS born 10/2022
IF history:
TTC #2 since January 2016
June-Aug 2017: 3 IUIs w/Clomid = BFN
Sept 2017: Dx w/Endometriosis
Oct 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN
Nov 2017: IUI w/Letrozole = BFN
Dec 2017: pre-IVF testing
Jan-Feb 2018: IVF--17 eggs retrieved, 13 fertilized, 9 frozen and 1 transferred on 2/10 = BFP on 2/19!!! EDD 10/29/2018
FET Oct 2021: BFP on 10/31! MC at 5 weeks
FET Feb 2022: BFP on 2/15! EDD 10/29/22
I'm 16+4 today and haven't felt anything yet, but I'm starting to show, so I'm calming my anxiety by looking at the size of my tummy each week! With my son I didn't feel anything until 20- 22 weeks, and I specifically asked and was told I had a posterior placenta. It is VERY normal not to feel anything until after 20 weeks, especially for a FTM.
This is kind of a pivot, but is anyone keeping track of good memorial day sales for baby essentials? There are a few things on our registry that I know if I saw it on sale I would rather just grab it than wait.
I drink 64+ oz of water daily. I drink caffeine daily. I eat salads and yogurt. I have been taking stool softeners for 3 days. Nothing.