Hellobee Boards

@Ms. RV: November 4 is going to be here in no time! So excited for you!

How is everyone doing and feeling? What are you currently working on/focusing on/thinking about regarding baby and pregnancy?

I am thinking the next two months are going to FLY by. We have a big party on Saturday, and then on Sunday DH and I leave for a shortish trip to Mexico! When we come back, it will be full-swing fall/halloween mode with the kiddos, which is my FAVORITE time of year.

I am feeling pretty good, but man, my pelvis is SO SORE. I actually took a whole week off of the gym because I was feeling so achy and sluggish, but hoping to hop back into my routine today.

I can't believe due date is 8 weeks away! My #2 and #3 babies came at 38 and 37 weeks, but I am trying REALLY HARD not to plan on this one being early, because who knows. I could end up going post date this time!

Is anybody planning to freeze food/freezing food for when the baby comes? DH made a big batch of chili tonight and I thought about freezing some of the leftovers, but I feel like we would forget about them... 🤔

@karenbme: I hate leftovers and reheated frozen meals 🤣 Chili probably wouldn’t be bad, but I’ve never had trouble getting something quick and easy prepped for dinner. I really like cooking though, so I’m probably an outlier!

Today I got out all the gender neutral clothing and washed it, and we’re also hoping to pull out most of the baby gear this weekend. It’s feeling real!

@bees_knees: We are also doing renovations that sound fairly similar: 1840 house, converting bath to laundry and adding a new bath in part of a bedroom, putting in a hallway to connect two disconnected parts of the house (which will go through part of what used to be a bathroom that also needs to be redone...), adding insulation and doing some hvac changes to get rid of electric baseboard heat, ripping out the 120 year old sewage pipes, and tearing up carpeting and refinishing the wood underneath... We also discovered the attic floor was way under-framed and sagging, so had to fix that ( ugh, $$$). But my DH and I are not handy, especially when it comes to the intricacies of an old house, so are outsourcing the construction. I did spend a lot of time on the design, which I didn't want to outsource, and that has been fun. We moved from a one bedroom condo, and some of our very limited furniture in the condo wasn't even worth moving. The biggest thing I'd like to have done before the baby comes is actually the furniture I've picked out for the living room (right now we are making do with some ancient stuff the previous residents left behind because even the thrift shop wouldn't give them money for it ). With all the time I'm going to spend bf during a winter mat leave I really want to spend curled up in a comfty chair next to the fireplace... Your relaxed attitude in inspiring - I just want it done before the baby is here! (but probably won't happen )

@LemonJack: yessss, we had given away all our baby boy clothes, so went and retrieved them from my friend (along with a TON of additional clothes she had acquired), washed them and put them away and suddenly it was like, ok, we're having a baby pretty soon!

@bees_knees: wow, sounds like a lot of exciting stuff to be working on ! congrats on the new house!

@periwinklebee: ha, i am not renovating, but have been lobbying DH to replace his sofa (which is our main one) for literally years. i don't like it for many reasons, so now i'm determined to purchase a long coveted comfy cozy couch because if i'm going to be sitting on it BFing for hours on end i want it to be one i like

@karenbme: my practice does a 36 week US as standard, and it's nice! it's been a while since the last US for sure! do they just check head down status when you go into labor? also, we have frozen a few things in the past and it was nice but not critical--it didn't feel like it was a major improvement over our standard fast meal, and honestly sometimes it felt a little less appetizing. but on the other hand we're in a major city and don't have a problem getting food delivered like 2-3x a week during the first few weeks

@nwm: They feel for the baby's position at each appointment and when I go into labor, and if anyone thinks she's not head down from 32 weeks on or the growth is off track, they'll do a 36 week us, but we've been head down since 28 weeks and growth is right on, so we're probably not going to have one.

@periwinklebee: Yes to the winter baby in NE/making your home as cozy as possible, because you're going to be inside and it's going to be dark 16 hours a day. We splurged on our nursery chair and have are stocking up on fire wood in the name of being inside all of the time once baby arrives. I've also been pushing DH on finishing finishing the laundry room--it's all framed/drywalled, but needs paint/flooring and shelves hung, all of which we have in boxes on the unfinished side of the basement--for the same reason. We're going to be spending a ton of time in there so why not make it nice???

Hi all. I have been reading along but not really having the energy to respond Had to do the Edinburgh scale at my appt today as a baseline and I am already scoring as if I have bad PPD. Eek. The doc offered a cervix check but I declined because finding out that I am already starting to dilate/efface would just make me panic more!!!

I am so impressed by living in a house while pregnant and doing major renovations. Or even when you aren't pregnant That is so much more patience than I will ever have!

I informed OH that this weekend we are getting the bedroom ready for M because next Friday I will be 37 weeks which means if I gave birth there wouldn't be a NICU stay . And installing the car seats/making sure I can fit three across!

This pregnancy has gone by sooooo fast.

@Ms. RV: same sentiments--i'm sorry to hear you are feeling so low, i hope you are finding a way to take care of yourself a bit. i'm hitting the point at work where we're scheduling out far enough that i have to acknowledge that i'm going to have to back away from my cases and not take on things i would normally do and let other people do my work and i kind of hate it. trying to retain as much perspective as possible but it can be hard in the moment. sending

@karenbme: we are not doing much by way of nursery because the baby will be in our master bed for probably the first 6 months, or longer, until he's sleeping ok, before we move him into DS's room. We haven't wanted to disrupt DS's room too much in anticipation (plus there won't be a ton to do other than move a few things around and rebuild his crib). But I found a used stand for our stroller bassinet, which we're using for overnight sleep while little guy is in our room, and picked that up Friday. Plus just last night I placed our registry completion order, most of which is just stuff I could get a discount on that we already use like wipes, diaper cream, baby wash etc. But still helps to feel pretty ready! Sounds like you guys have gotten a lot done! Share pictures of the mural, that sounds amazing : ) I also feel like giving yourself permission to just buy a mobile at this stage make a lot of sense. Can you repurpose the one piece you did make into something to hang on the wall/on the window or something like that? (Or you can always treat it as a mat leave project because in my experience it's a few weeks to months before they're actually able to notice the mobiles much.)

@karenbme: our nursery still has nasty old carpet and overflow boxes from when we moved 🤣 She’ll be sleeping in our room for the first 9-12 months anyways, so...it will get done eventually. Focusing on the rest of our remodel first

He called back an hour and a half later and said "Oh crap are you in labor?" didn't realize he left his phone in the truck 🙄 I wanted to say "Nope. Baby is out you missed it" but I thought of it too late.

@Ms. RV: Holy smokes, I would have been so irritated too! Men just...don't get it or something. I don't know.

I got a raging headache over the weekend, which landed me in L&D for monitoring/BP checks. Everything is totally fine and normal, which I figured, but better to be safe right?! I *still* have a headache (going on 4 days now). I'm starting to wonder if it's my sinuses? I didn't have a cold at all though, so unlikely. I've taken a couple of doses of Sudafed anyways.

The more likely cause is stress/lack of sleep DH spent the weekend demoing, so our kitchen/dining/laundry is ripped apart right now. Contractors started today! Our cabinets should arrive Nov 20th or so....hoping they can be installed before baby girl arrives (officially due date is Dec 2, but I'm shooting for Nov 29 haha)

@bees_knees: You’re right, Bernadette “Berdie” Cassandra came at 12:06am on Friday, 10/25 at exactly 35 weeks, 1 week after breaking my water. She needed respiratory support at birth so went to NICU, but graduated from her CPAP within 12 hours (took it out herself at some point and did fine so the docs went with it). She did have a few mild apneas, which are expected at her GA, and was in NICU for monitoring until this afternoon when we moved to the transitional suite, which is still technically NICU but more peaceful and with more parental care so that when the babies go home mom and dad know what to do. I’ll type up a birth story when I can, but in the short term the thing that sticks with me is that even though we’re in NICU, according to the NICU doctor on rounds this morning, “her alarms just aren’t that alarming.” Plus it helps to know it’s a phase that most babies grow out of by the end of week 35 (Friday).

@karenbme: congratulations!!!! welcome berdie!!! so glad you have moved into the transitional suite and hope you've been able to enjoy lots of snuggles.

Anybody whose had a winter baby before, what clothing do you put them in when they’re sleeping? My first two were both summer babies, so I’m feeling a little clueless. I have some Swaddle pods which worked super well with my second, but the fabric is really thin. I also have a Love to Dream Swaddle Up, as well as two 0-3 month swaddle sleep sacks, one of which is fleece. It’ll be cold at night here, so I want baby to be warm, but not overheated.

35.5 weeks! Can hardly believe it. My number 3 came at 37 weeks, but I kind of *felt* that she was going to be early, just the way my body felt. I’m definitely not feeling that way this time around and don’t feel like a baby is coming in the next two weeks. I’m guessing....nov 20, maybe?

My pelvic pain has subsided and I’m actually able to walk again which is nice. My sister threw me a lovely sprinkle two weekends ago and I’m just feeling ready and excited.

My BP was up at my appointment last week (I have a history of Pre-E) so I’m monitoring every day. My numbers are kind of right at the threshold where she’d start medicating me. I just don’t want to be induced! Been there, done that, don’t want to do it again. Anyone else have BP numbers going up?

Bump pic—we haven’t been doing those in here! Anyone else want to share?

@LemonJack: It’s cold enough here now that we’ve got the furnace on so the house is at the temp it will be at all winter (68). Usually we would drop it at night, but decided not to this year. Baby girl slept in layers last night—onesie, cotton swaddler, hospital blanket swaddle—and seemed comfortable. I asked the NICU nurse during discharge about temperature this winter and his response was layers and blankets. We’ve had her in a fleece sleeper all day today and it’s borderline not enough. Her body is warm, but her fingers and toes are kind of chilly.

In the waiting room waiting to go back for my induction

@Ms. RV: Congratulations! I hope the induction went well, and you’re happily snuggling your LO by now!!

@nwm: We’re doing alright. Berdie has been very sleepy overall which isn’t that surprising for a preemie, but today she wanted to eat every two hours on the nose. I’m hoping my supply catches up to her soon, because it felt today like there was no way I was making enough for her.