Hellobee Boards

@pwnstar: Lol. Love your sense of humor. I'm glad your NST went well. Oh, these busy babies. I'm shocked my dr found a heartbeat so fast today. She never stops moving. I'm sorry he's still breech -- your zen attitude is inspiring.

@MrsSCB: Thank you. Lucky re your new leave policy!

MRSWHIT1 (Born 7/15) - 0 Months, 4 Days
July 24: Thismustbetheplace (#2) - 38 w, 5 d
July 25: APRILFOOL (#2) - 38 w, 4 d
July 26: Umberto (#1 ) - 38 w, 3 d
July 28: TeawithPaloma (#2) - 38 w, 1 d
July 30: dcw6411 (#3 ) - 37 w, 6 d
July 30: pregnantbee (#2 ) - 37 w, 6 d
Mossyslane (#2 born 7/13) - 0 Months, 2 Days
AANDMKLOVER (#3 Wes born 7/12) - 0 Months, 3 Days
August 1: MrsBeluga (#2 ) - 37 w, 4 d
Coffeemom (#2 born 7/12) - 0 Months, 3 Days
August 8: mrschickpea (#1 ) - 36 w, 4 d
August 11: silva (#2 ) - 36 w, 1 d
August 11: coopsmama (#3 ) - 36 w, 1 d
August 13: glitter (#2 ) - 35 w, 6 d
August 16: oldpuebloJenn (#2 ) - 35 w, 3 d
August 16: MrsSCB (#1 ) - 35 w, 3 d
August 16: T.H.O.U. (#3 ) - 35 w, 3 d
August 17: KOALAHUGZ (#2 ) - 35 w, 2 d
August 18: pwnstar (#2 ) - 35 w, 1 d
August 19: stratosphere (#2 C/S 8/16) - 35 w, 0 d
August 20: jojogirl (#2 ) - 35 w, 1 d
August 22: shootingstar (#2 C/S 8/16) - 34 w, 4 d
August 24: agold (#1 ) - 34 w, 2 d
August 25: LCTBQE (#1 ) - 34 w, 1 d
August 28: mrskerch (#1 ) - 33 w, 5 d
August 29: clairhuxtable (#2 ) - 33 w, 4 d
August 30: pirouette (#2 ) - 33 w, 3 d

@T.H.O.U.: Thanks for updating the list. Thought mrswhit1's girl was born 7/11?

@OldpuebloJenn: Oh no! But isn't it awesome? I just bought more chips bc I have too much dip. Lol.

@OldpuebloJenn: Haha! Glad you're enjoying

@AprilFool: oooooooooh, wiiiiiiiine. How I miss it so!

@AprilFool: No judgment here!

@AprilFool: Rock on!

@AprilFool: my mom's doctor told her to drink a glass of wine to help her relax/sleep in the last few weeks. I definitely stole a few sips of my husband's when we were out tonight

@MrsSCB: I remember having a 1/2 glass of red wine the night I went into labor with my son

@MrsSCB: wine has been in my evening rotation for a while. If I'm not going to have ice cream, I have a small glass of wine!

Thank you all so, so, so much for your support and well wishes during and after my labor!

A few thoughts from the other side...
Now that I'm home and my baby is approaching four days old and while I'm still very much between worlds--my hospital bracelets are weirdly still on and of course my belly is still a bit round, I wanted to jot down a couple of things on my mind here...Mainly, I just want to encourage those of you for whom pregnancy is getting old that the very, very best is to come. I think I was more of a pregnancy person with my first baby (now four years old) but this time it was really rough on me. While feeling grateful that everything was going well in the larger sense, the symptoms just really got me down this time and by the end when I was dealing with high blood pressure and feeling nervous and awful from that, I started to feel claustrophobic in my own body. So many people would tell me, "It's going to be harder once the baby is out! Just enjoy the peace!" but let me tell you, it is SO WONDERFUL to have the baby here with me and to not be pregnant anymore. I had forgotten how blissful it is to lift your tiny baby up out of their little swaddle blanket and drink in their smell and hold them so close and watch their faces and arms and legs learn how to move. It is so, so, so much fun. And, of course there are parts that are so hard, but honestly, for me this time, so much is easier than at the end of the pregnancy--eating, sleeping (yes, I'm actually sleeping better since my baby has been born!), breathing, etc.! You all are so close to holding your babies and it is worth it all.

A couple of things while they're still fresh from my hospital experience:
Someone had told me to bring the Always Infinity overnight pads instead of depending on the hospital ones, and that was such awesome advice. They are thinner and better and just so much less bulky-diaper feeling/looking when I was wearing yoga pants or whatever.

The Medela nursing tanks from Target that I got have been so wonderful. I just wore those w/yoga pants or capris and then like a wrap on my days in the hospital and that was perfect.

It was *SO* wonderful to have really nice travel toiletries in the hospital--it felt so nice to have good shower gel and lovely shampoo and all after labor. The nurse actually advised me to wait 24 hours to shower so I would still smell like amniotic fluid for the baby, but I just didn't have that in me, so after 8 hours, my baby was smelling oil of olay white strawberries;)

In terms of labor, I was induced (as I was with my now four year old), but had a much tougher go of it this time. I had a blissful epidural with my first delivery and this time the midwife overseeing the birth, (who was a per diem worker who does one shift a month and so not with practice I've been going to) whom I didn't meet until I was already in early labor, was not into pain management and she stalled and stalled on me getting an epidural. I didn't cope with the pitocin pain well at all (understatement of the world) and even though my husband and my nurse and I were doing our best to advocate for my epidural, I really wish I had been more ABSOLUTELY CLEAR with everyone right from the beginning that that was my plan, instead of being slightly
"we'll see" about it before I was experiencing the extreme pain since it took so long to get things moving. By the time the epidural was ready, (we didn't know it until then since she didn't check me until after the placement), I was already 10 cm! The epidural only took on one side and so the anesthesiologist added lidocaine to the epidural and, evidently a drop of it escaped into my bloodstream and made my top half start to go numb for a very scary few minutes before they turned off the entire epidural, which soon started to wear off, and then checked me and realized it was time to start pushing. It all worked out and the more traumatic details are fading, but my advice is if you want pain management, go over the top to be explicit about that ahead of time, and if I were in that state again, I would specify 'no lidocaine' because that feeling of my face going numb while trying to have a baby was petrifying.

Also, if you are induced, EAT SO MUCH FOOD beforehand. I wasn't that hungry on the first morning of my induction and so just had some eggs and those wore off so early into the process, leaving me eating like 6 tubs of strawberry hospital jello for strength.

My little dumpling is waking up from a nap, so I'm signing off, but just wanted to take the time to encourage all of you--the best is still to come. It is right around the corner!

@mossyslane: thanks so much for writing this, I really enjoyed it. I remember feeling SO much better afar my daughter was born. The sleep deprivation was way easier for me to deal with than the fatigue of pregnancy. It's a good reminder that the end is near, and I have so much to look forward to.

I'm still feeling a bit anxious about position, too @AprilFool. My daughter was posterior and this baby really seems to want to spin that way. yoga and the massage got it closest to anterior that it's been, but last night it was back to that occipital transverse position that makes me nervous. For what it's worth, everyone I've talked to about my anxiety (Doctor, friend who is a home birth midwife, yoga teacher, massage therapist....) says that you don't have your first labor again. And that second time labors are faster, even if they are posterior. Pushing might be longer but it's not going to just be a repeat of the first time.

@OldpuebloJenn: @AprilFool: Thanks for your input

@mossyslane: I loved reading this, thank you Now to get myself some of those tanks.

Question for non first-timers -- if you wore yoga/stretchy pants after the baby came did you wear maternity ones? Or just size up in regular? I told my husband I was planning to live in the couple of soft nightgowns I bought, but then he was like, "so are you just going to wear a nightgown to those inpatient group breastfeeding classes they have?" I totally forgot about those...I think I need some real clothes, too, lol.

@MrsSCB: I read somewhere to pack things that fit at about 6 months pregnant, which sounds about right. I preferred a looser fit than yoga pants, especially with the giant pads and mesh undies.... I got a pair of jogger style lounge pants from gap that I'm bringing. comfy sweat pants would be good too. I have a pair of semi-fitted yoga pants that are looser than others that I'm bringing, too.
I'm not a big nightgown person, and I really didn't get checked too often (but I had a straightforward delivery with only one or two stitches- so I guess that could be different for other people?).

@MrsSCB: The way I'm shaped I can still wear non maternity stretchy waistband shorts and yoga pants (riding below my belly button), so that's what I'm bringing. But the 6m rule of thumb is good too.

@pregnantbee: A couple days ago we moved DS's FF seat so he's behind the driver. I don't fit comfortably driving with a rear facing seat behind me, so the bucket has to go behind the passenger seat in my car.

@pregnantbee: Well I'm just under 5'8 and all of my height is in my legs. Seriously, they're longer than DH's, who's 5'11. Plus I'm claustrophobic and like to sit far back. DH actually has a teeny tiny car and he's going to have the bucket seat behind him.

@Silva: I agree. Looser fitting pants are the way to go, especially while at the hospital. I am planning on buying some new ones today, actually. It's one of the last items I needed for my hospital bag.

@mossyslane: I loved reading your thoughts and found them insightful. I am so glad you are both doing well and that you are enjoying the amazing newborn moments.

@pregnantbee: @ShootingStar: I feel like this is one of those things that just differs person to person and car by car. We have a rear facing convertible in our Honda Odyssey behind the driver (and will probably end up switching and putting our infant bucket there) and DH and I are 6'2" and 5'10" respectively and it fits quite comfortably for both of us!