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Is it awful that i'm skipping on the childbirth classes? its like $95 and on a weekend thats not a great fit. I do plan on doing the hospital tour and breastfeeding class. but i feel like i'm open doing an epidural and i dont want to go in having these expectations just to be disappointed if it doesnt go the way i planned for. (i'm definitely the type that would be)
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@Chillybear: I feel the same way. It's $110 and all day Sat and Sunday. I think it would make me more anxious or annoyed hearing other people's unpreparedness. Is that a word? I'm going medicated so I think I'm going to do prenatal yoga and a tour then call it day.
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@Chillybear: @ladybee: I don't think it's awful at all!
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@CHILLYBEAR: I think you should do what you're comfortable with! I am signed up for a 6-week birthing class that is centered around "comfort measures" aka natural birth. I am like you though - I am open to an epidural. I just think that this class will hopefully provide me with some different ways of coping with the pain. I am not stuck on having a non-medicated birth. I am also taking a breastfeeding & pumping class, infant safety class and doing a hospital tour. Luckily, all these classes are not as expensive as the one in your neck of the woods! I think for all of my classes including an infant massage class, I'm coming in around $120.
@LADYBEE: I am currently enrolled in a weekly prenatal class - I think it's great and would highly recommend it to others. Lots of relaxation techniques plus strengthening the pelvic floor! Helps me not miss my hatha and ashtanga yoga classes
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I think you ladies should do exactly what you want regarding childbirth classes! We are taking a 5-week class that is focused on natural birth because I really want to avoid the epidural (though I will not beat myself up if I get one). It's $250! But I think it will help DH most of all - he is the kind that likes to be prepared. We are also having a doula which is going to run us another $500. This isn't cheap!
I'm on the fence about a breastfeeding class. I'm going to see how comprehensive the breastfeeding portion of our childbirth class is, and then go from there. I do plan to meet with an IBCLC after the baby is born just to make sure everything is going smoothly.
Is anyone doing a CPR class? There's a free one at the local children's hospital so we're going to go.
Oh and I agree with @mrs. mochi: Prenatal yoga is great. I'm not in great shape so it kicked my ass but I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how many I am going to make it to because my schedule always conflicts!
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@daniellemybelle: We are both taking infant and child CPR classes and I've asked my parents to take it if they want to keep him over night alone. My parents live in a small country town where it takes 20 minutes for an ambulance to get to your house. If they aren't prepared our child could be dead in 20 minutes. My in laws live here and my MIL is a nurse so I'm not worried about them. 911 has a normal response time in the suburbs.
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I'm going to register today (I think) and I already feel super overwhelmed! How did you guys know how many halo sleepers, bottles, and things like that to ask for?
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@ladybee: I actually didn't register for any clothing. Of course, I haven't been back to register since the first time either. Hmm I should probably work on that.
Also, I'm definitely thinking about paying for my parents to take infant CPR (as well as myself, my husband is certified). My inlaws live five hours away so they won't be taking her overnight for a long time, and I'm not comfortable with her being in a house with so much smoke anyway.
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So, we had our big ultrasound today. Everything looked great! Here is a pic of our little girl!
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@Jennimac: SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Gorgeoussssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!! How was baby girl doing? Active or mellow? Tell all! So happy it went well
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@Jennimac: Aww, sweet baby!!!
@ladybee: That's a good idea to have your parents take it. Our class is free, so I am going to ask mine to as well!
As far as registering, the only clothes I registered for 5-packs plain white Carter's onesies in every size up to 18 months, both long sleeve and short sleeve.
I registered for a few different sleepsacks/swaddles - 2 Woombies in 2 sizes (4 total), 2 Halo sleepsacks, 2 Miracle Blankets, and a set of Aden + Anais swaddle blankets. I figure one & a spare of each is enough to figure out what works for our LO.
Bottles - Since I am planning to breastfeed, I don't want to have a house full of bottles tempting me right at first! We registered for both the Dr. Brown & Tommee Tippee starter kits and we'll see which one LO likes best before stocking up.
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@Jennimac: Gorgeous pics! What a cutie
And yes, do share details!
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@Jennimac: YAY! so excited for you!
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@ladybee: i did the same thing as @daniellemybelle: and just registered for basic onsies and a few swaddles
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@Jennimac: Aww, Congratulations! So happy for you!
@ladybee: I'm going to ask my skilled sister-in-law that very same question about how much to register for this weekend. I'll get back to you. Hopefully you get an answer before this weekend, tho.
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What's supposed to happen in the 24 week appointment? My doctor cut mine short because right after she measured my fundal height and listened to the heartbeat, her pager went off. So I have to email her my questions.
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@Jennimac: Aww, what a sweet picture! I'm glad she's doing well!
@corilyns: All that happened at my 23 week appointment was measuring the fundal height, heartbeat, and then asking questions. She talked to me about my glucose screening at my 27 week appointment and what I can/can't do regarding drinking (they don't even want me to have water!).
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Sorry to delay the details everyone! We ended up having a movie date afternoon.
We went to our appointment this morning and I was stressing. Last time we went to this appointment we found out that there was no heartbeat, etc. I knew that wouldn't happen today because LO had been kicking all morning. I even moved DH's elbow over to my stomach this morning and he could feel her kicking him.
We got there and it was the same girl I had the last bad appointment. Luckily, this one was great! LO was moving all over the place! The tech had trouble getting measurements sometimes because she wouldn't stay still. We got to hear the heartbeat for the first time! My dr usually doesn't use the doppler until later on, so that was great. She was having trouble, again, because she wouldn't stay still. LO was measuring a week ahead on everything. Right now she is breech, but I"m not worried about that. I found out that I have a posterior placenta, which accounts for the early kicks and no problems being able to feel them. The cord looked great and the placenta looked fine.
My dr is having come back in 4 weeks, which is the first time this whole pregnancy that I will wait 4 weeks in between appointments. I'll do one more at 30 wks, then I start going every 2 weeks until I"m 36 weeks and then, I go weekly. I kind of freaked out when he told me that. I can't believe it!
Sorry this is a novel! I am now going to start my registry list. I haven't really been thinking that I should or could, but now it's starting to feel really, really real.
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@Jennimac: I'm so glad you had a great appointment!
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@Jennimac: yay! So happy for you and your clearly healthy and happy baby girl!!!
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@Jennimac: I am so thrilled for you! Thanks for sharing the deets.
@evansjamie: forgot to mention that I took my glucose test yesterday. I found the formula to be surprisingly tasty. Like an Icee but minus the ice. My Dr. did have time to tell me that she thinks I'm the only person who thinks so. But By the end of it, I was psycho with thirst.
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@Jennimac: thank you for the update! I've been rooting for you and your little girl! Enjoy your list making!
@corilyns: I am not looking forward to a 12 hour fast and no water. The drink I think I can handle, but I'm afraid I'll feel like crap and have to go to work afterward. I'm hoping my husband can come with me to this appointment in case I feel bad after the test.
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Today, I was checking out at the pet store when the cashier asked me if this was my second child, since I'm so big.
Ugh.
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@evansjamie: oh hell no! This *is* my second kid and I would still want to smack anyone who said that! Ughhhh, some people.
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@Mrs. Yoyo: I'm just glad I didn't burst into tears! I felt really good about myself and my outfit, but she made me want to put on a parka and hide. I just told her I have a short torso and there's nowhere for her to go buy out.
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@evansjamie: People can be so rude! Whether you're big, small or in the middle the only thing people should say is 'you look beautiful and healthy' and nothing more!
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@evansjamie: what?!?!?!!!!! You look beautiful!!!! Whenever people ask me something along that line I tell them our story and that makes them shut up. People should learn to stop asking stupid questions!!!!
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@Sadieloo: @Jennimac: Thank you ladies. I just don't understand why people think they can lose their filter and say whatever they want to pregnant women.
I hope everyone is having a good weekend!
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@evansjamie: wow, some people just don't think! You look great!!!
Totally random but I just saw the baby try to punch through my stomach... It's been really cool to feel it but this is the first time I've seen the kick/hit actually happen... Multiple times too, baby was having a party.
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So, I just had 'the talk' with my boss. I hadn't planned on having this talk until early July and was not prepared for it in the way that I wanted to be. I will not be allowed to work remotely regularly (something I had been hoping for, as it would allow for a full-time schedule but time at home), and she's not sure that part-time would work in our department (something that I wasn't pushing for anyway).
I think my husband and I will need to seriously consider whether or not I plan to quit my job right before my maternity leave and find something after three months, or if I should continue to work here, come back in three months and then job hunt while I continue working. Staying home indefinitely isn't really an option; it would be doable, but money would be tight.
From the impression I've been getting over the past few weeks, I'm beginning to feel "mommy-tracked." I understand that I have made a few editing errors, and I feel wholly responsible and am striving to be better. However, the constant reminders, always bringing it up, "how can we fix this," "do we need to give parts of your job away," the constant questions of "will you be back," and now this with my schedule has me seriously considering whether or not I should stay with the company. I am also starting to think that it will negatively impact my job if I'm not able to attend every evening event if I can't find a babysitter or if my husband can't take over, as he has to travel for his job.
Whew. Rant over.
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@ladybee: We didn't start using sleepsacks till LO was out of swaddles, which was around 3-4 months. For those first few months, we had two or three swaddles that we alternated, and we really liked the ones with velcro since they seemed to be most idiot-proof. We have the Aden and Anais blankets, but I didn't like them for swaddling- I thought it was hard to get it tight enough that LO didn't break through. We also had a Miracle blanket but I thought it was a pain in the butt and too much fabric.
For bottles, we had like four different kinds (despite the fact that I was also breastfeeding), and the only ones we've ever used/needed were the Medela bottles (the ones that come with the pump) and Nuk brand slow-flow nipples (at first), followed by the regular Medela nipples when LO was older. Our lactation consultant had me pumping from the very beginning to establish a good supply and freezer stash, and giving LO one bottle of pumped milk a day to get him used to it and give me a break. She recommended the Nuk nipples, which I liked, except for the fact that they don't come with caps. We had a bunch of Dr. Brown's and Playtex bottles that we never ever used, which was nice because the Medela stuff was all compatible with the pump and easy to clean.
ETA: If I had to do it over, I'd start with the bottles that came with my pump, and then only get extra ones if it seemed like LO was having problems with excessive gas or something.
Re: registry, one thing that we didn't register for but use all the time was a travel diaper change kit (basically a changing pad with pockets for a couple of diapers and some wipes)- DH never wanted to carry around a full diaper bag, so this is what he keeps in the car or shoved into whatever other bag he's carrying. Also Butt Paste- it's not compatible with cloth diapers if you're using those, but we use it all the time with LO's disposables and he's never had more that the most superficial case of diaper rash. If you are cloth diapering, I really like Kissaluv's Diaper Lotion Potion since it's a spray that didn't require me to actually touch LO's butt or get stuff all over my hands. Also, if you plan on using a pacifier at some point, pacifier tethers are good things to have so that when LO spits it out, it doesn't land on the floor of the metro or something. And they seemed dumb to me at first, but I liked having a separate little "pacifier pod" to hang off the side of the diaper bag so I could always get to an extra pacifier without having to rummage through the whole bag. -
@evansjamie: This is a tough one. Good luck making your decision. I definitely get the fear of being "mommytracked." I worry about it at my job. But think about it this way -- you need some flexibility and a work environment that supports you being a good employee AND having a family. In a sense, they are letting you know where they stand. I'm just sorry you have to go through this. Just wondering -- has anyone else had a baby recently there?
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@corilyns: Two women have had babies in the past two years, neither of whom are in my department or answer to my immediate supervisor. One came back three days a week, and the other came back at 15 hours a week.
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@evansjamie: So sorry you are dealing with this. I totally feel your pain (my situation is slightly different in that I have a very flexible job, but zero maternity leave)! So stressful on top of everything else you have to deal with.
Does your supervisor have any kids? I'm always surprised when people lack understanding or compassion for women - and men - who want to provide the best for their family.
Anyhow, I'm guessing you've already done this, but have you taken a look at your company's policies? I wonder if your boss is someone you could have a really candid conversation with (I'm a firm believer in you never get what you want unless you ask)? For example, how much you love the company appreciate your job and the opportunities you've had, how you want to continue working for her, contribute to and grow the company, and then of course what you want from them. Maybe she is just concerned that you will completely check out once the baby comes and a conversation addressing any of her concerns could be helpful. Another piece of unsolicited advice that my supervisor gave me - you could you suggest that you WFH or work an abbreviated schedule as a trial and if it isn't working in 3 months than you revisit it.
Good luck with everything! My husband and I are trying to figure out to do with maternity leave as well. Like I said, I don't get any paid maternity leave, but work full time from home. It normally wouldn't be a huge deal but we are closing on a house in August and are burning through cash! All good problems to have
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@Sadieloo: thanks for the post! In response to your questions, my boss is 74. Her sons are grown and gone. I work for a privately-funded non-profit organization, and our policy manual doesn't have anything regarding flexibility of schedules. When I talked to our HR person, he told me that this is something that I will have to work out with my supervisor. I was hoping that since the other two ladies were allowed a flexible schedule that I would be to, but they report to different people. I had planned to set up a meeting with her in July after our busy season, which would have given me the opportunity to really propose some situations for after my maternity leave. However, she asked me this morning out of the blue, and when I mentioned working remotely, she shut me down. I am still planning on setting up another meeting, where I can present several scenarios and also feel out how things would be once I came back.
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@evansjamie: Sigh. So disappointing that #1 she isn't being flexible and understanding and #2 US orgs are SOOO behind with family leave! I really hope your boss was having a bad day and was really reflecting on how valuable you are and thus why she can't lose you! I'd be curious as to why she is so against working from home. I also feel like because others have been allowed some flexibility, they have to offer you the same benefits. All this is to say, I hope it all works out in your favor!!! Fingers crossed!
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Last night I videotaped LO kicking my belly so hard, it jumped!!!!!
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@Jennimac: Ahhhh how awesome! I am waiting for that!
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@evansjamie: it's the coolest thing ever!!!!!
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@Jennimac: so cool! Isn't it crazy what a little peanut can do in your belly. It's just amazing!
Ugh.
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