Post by silvermelody on Dec 23, 2016 0:49:31 GMT -5
Hello pregnant ladies! Here is your one-stop shop to ask 'stupid' questions. Let the second+ timers help you out and feel free to share any useful links, videos etc that you find as you go.
I feel really dumb asking this, but how do you make sure the baby is warm enough, but not too warm. Common sense based on how you feel? I'm thinking of how to dress her for bed.
Post by thelittleredm on Dec 23, 2016 10:18:50 GMT -5
jennykat, BH (in general) are not painful. It feels like your stomach is going from soft like a beach ball to hard like a basketball. They make it more difficult to breathe for me, at least. It's definitely not a cramping feeling and stays in the front of your body. Real contractions you will normally feel wrap all the way to your lower back and there can be cramping involved. Real contractions take over everything. And they hurt 95% of the time (obviously, that percentage is probably not accurate). Now, I've had BH that lasted long enough to go from uncomfortable to borderline painful depending on what I'm doing and they get more on the almost painful side the closer it gets to go time.
icedtea, I find that if I'm ever questioning if baby is warm, I just stick them in a nice footie jammie. The fleece ones. They'll warm up and shouldn't overheat unless it's hot. But they give the same signals we do when we're not quite warm enough; skin gets cold looking, they may be fussy, etc.
Another question: so I just had to make my payment to my OB for baby delivery. All that's left is the actual hospital costs. About how much did it cost when your babies were born?
It depends on your insurance and coverage. Be careful about the prepayment- you may owe more or you may owe less (depends on delivery method/deductibles/etc.)
With DS1, I had a $750 deductible and 10% coinsurance. Delivery/postpartum for me alone was $2k. The bills to the insurance were around $16k. DS1 had his own bills as well but they waited too long to stop fat fingering the insurance info so the claim was denied and the hospital had to eat the bill. That bill was another $11k. None of this includes what I had to pay the prior year (Jan 15 baby) for my prenatal screens and ultrasounds, which was another $2k out of pocket with the same insurance plan
With this one, I'll pay a flat $300 fee for the hospital stay.
Post by thelittleredm on Dec 23, 2016 10:29:48 GMT -5
jennykat , I'm zero help here. H was in the Army so I had no OOP costs. I talked this over with my dad and he said I could be paying up to 4k OOP this time around but we'll see.
jennykat, BH (in general) are not painful. It feels like your stomach is going from soft like a beach ball to hard like a basketball. They make it more difficult to breathe for me, at least. It's definitely not a cramping feeling and stays in the front of your body. Real contractions you will normally feel wrap all the way to your lower back and there can be cramping involved. Real contractions take over everything. And they hurt 95% of the time (obviously, that percentage is probably not accurate). Now, I've had BH that lasted long enough to go from uncomfortable to borderline painful depending on what I'm doing and they get more on the almost painful side the closer it gets to go time.
icedtea, I find that if I'm ever questioning if baby is warm, I just stick them in a nice footie jammie. The fleece ones. They'll warm up and shouldn't overheat unless it's hot. But they give the same signals we do when we're not quite warm enough; skin gets cold looking, they may be fussy, etc.
Hmm. My BH always felt like cramps, even when I was having them picked up on the monitors.
We couldn't use the skin being/looking cold as an indicator for actually being cold since he's hypothyroid.
I have insurance. My OB and the hospital she delivers for are both covered. But in Houston, I pay the two places separate instead of combined. I'm just trying to get an idea of the remaining, and those numbers aren't too bad. Not cheap, but less than all our IF stuff!
Yep, that's the normal way to do it (the Ob and hospital bills separate). My OBs office wanted me to pay up front before delivery (which I fought them on) and ended up being incorrect in what I owed them due to insurance negotiations and deductible being owed
Post by thelittleredm on Dec 23, 2016 11:44:10 GMT -5
W, Mine definitely affect my butt but aren't solely there. But every mom is different and given how far along you are, I'd call the nurse line just to see what they say.
Post by silvermelody on Dec 23, 2016 13:41:38 GMT -5
For costs: I have a $500 in-patient copay and that's it. I never saw an itemized bill for DS. I know I'm lucky in this regard but I pay quite a lot for my insurance.
Keeping baby warm: one extra layer then what you are wearing is what I also heard. Footie jammies and long sleeve onesies with leggings will be my friends with a winter baby this time. I prefer zip jammies because snaps are a pain when you're exhausted.
For nursing twins definitely find a LC ahead of time so that you can have her 'on call' with questions. Join your local La Leche League and see if your area has a Badass Breastfeeders group on Facebook. They may know of local resources for you.
I did not have butt contractions, but my back labor started right before we decided to stop the induction and go c-section.
BH for me feel like I have a basketball in my belly. There is also one spot at the top of my belly, under my boobs, that will be sore when I have them. That's my sign to slow down and get some water.
Costs: With V we had 80/20 insurance with a deductible of 1600. We paid a flat rate to the midwife of 1200, and ended up getting a part refund due to csection. We payed about 3k to the hospital, and around another thousand between the surgeon, anesthesia and one other separate. V's bill was just over a thousand as well.
Cold: V was born in February and lived in footed pajamas until spring. We would wrap him in blankets during the day if it got chilly, and then he was swaddled on top of the jammies at night.
BH: my BH are more of a painless tightening of my bump, but some feel like pressure and discomfort all over my bump and pelvic area and into my butt and lower back. Those are mostly when I've been over exerting myself.
I feel like this is a dumb question, but what is considered a firm mattress? We got the sealy posturpedic mattress for the crib then put two sets of mattress pads and sheets on since a lot of people have told us it's helpful for middle of the night blowouts instead of having to completely remake the bed MOTN. But now I'm worried the two mattress pads have made it too squishy, am I just over thinking this?
I personally think most mattresses are fine as long as they aren't too old/used. We only ever used a sheet when DS was a baby and I had no problems dealing with MOTN blowouts and leaks. Only removing one thing was easier than multiple items and mattresses clean up easy. So, personally, I think it's overkill to use that many sheets and pads. But that doesn't mean it won't work just fine for you! Just not my style. To test depth, just imagine your baby laying with one cheek down on the sheets; does it seem like the fabric may come up and block the nose or mouth? Obviously, touching one side of the mouth is not a particularly huge deal because its mouth will rest against the sheet anyway, but hopefully you get what I mean. You can always test with a doll or stuffed animal pressed a little against the sheet to test depth, too, if you don't trust just your hand.
Post by mustloveerica on Dec 27, 2016 12:39:25 GMT -5
So we went and saw the first daycare on our list today. I feel like my mind went completely blank on what to ask. I forgot to ask about sick policy so I'll have to call them about that one. I asked about feeding breastmilk and formula/who provides what/do babies eat on a schedule or on demand/etc, diapers who provides what, daily schedule, vaccination requirements and allergy restrictions, how many babies are in one room, etc. I obviously can't be trusted to take a huge list of questions with me. So tell me if I missed any other major points besides sick policy. We're looking at a few more this week so I want to be more prepared than I was today.
So we went and saw the first daycare on our list today. I feel like my mind went completely blank on what to ask. I forgot to ask about sick policy so I'll have to call them about that one. I asked about feeding breastmilk and formula/who provides what/do babies eat on a schedule or on demand/etc, diapers who provides what, daily schedule, vaccination requirements and allergy restrictions, how many babies are in one room, etc. I obviously can't be trusted to take a huge list of questions with me. So tell me if I missed any other major points besides sick policy. We're looking at a few more this week so I want to be more prepared than I was today.
Having worked in daycare centers before, I would also want to know adult-to-child ratio (in addition to number of kids per room), is there an online video feed/can you drop in any time, and what their emergency procedures are (including first aid and training, fire, hurricane, etc). Those were the things I remember getting asked when parents would do walk throughs
She did give us the ratio and said that parents are welcome to drop in anytime. So those were covered. It I definitely didn't ask about emergency procedures. Thanks!
I feel like this is a dumb question, but what is considered a firm mattress? We got the sealy posturpedic mattress for the crib then put two sets of mattress pads and sheets on since a lot of people have told us it's helpful for middle of the night blowouts instead of having to completely remake the bed MOTN. But now I'm worried the two mattress pads have made it too squishy, am I just over thinking this?
We do two sets of sheet/mattress protector and it's still pretty firm. It's a hell of a lot easier to just pull the two wet layers off MOTN than having to remake it, like you said.
I feel like this is a dumb question, but what is considered a firm mattress? We got the sealy posturpedic mattress for the crib then put two sets of mattress pads and sheets on since a lot of people have told us it's helpful for middle of the night blowouts instead of having to completely remake the bed MOTN. But now I'm worried the two mattress pads have made it too squishy, am I just over thinking this?
We do two sets of sheet/mattress protector and it's still pretty firm. It's a hell of a lot easier to just pull the two wet layers off MOTN than having to remake it, like you said.
ugaqueencity - R isn't sleeping in his crib yet, but he has done one crib nap (he was around 2 months old) and we have the same set up - mattress, waterproof pad, sheet, waterproof pad, sheet. The firmness was absolutely fine with the 4 layers on top of the mattress.
How did I not know couldn't have blue cheese? I've been eating salad with blue cheese dressing a couple times a week for a month. I didn't think about it being a soft cheese. Agh!!! The reason is the risk of listeria right? If I feel fine today I'm in the clear ?
You're fine if it's pasteurized. And 99.9% are, so enjoy.
How did I not know couldn't have blue cheese? I've been eating salad with blue cheese dressing a couple times a week for a month. I didn't think about it being a soft cheese. Agh!!! The reason is the risk of listeria right? If I feel fine today I'm in the clear ?
You're fine if it's pasteurized. And 99.9% are, so enjoy.
@xamountofwords - ^WSS
Most blue cheese in the States is pasteurized. I ate blue cheese on burgers and gorgonzola crumbles on salads my whole pregnancy. My OB said it was fine as long as it's pasteurized.
So we went and saw the first daycare on our list today. I feel like my mind went completely blank on what to ask. I forgot to ask about sick policy so I'll have to call them about that one. I asked about feeding breastmilk and formula/who provides what/do babies eat on a schedule or on demand/etc, diapers who provides what, daily schedule, vaccination requirements and allergy restrictions, how many babies are in one room, etc. I obviously can't be trusted to take a huge list of questions with me. So tell me if I missed any other major points besides sick policy. We're looking at a few more this week so I want to be more prepared than I was today.
Also ask what days they are closed during the year. We were just surprised a few weeks ago when we learned that our daycare is closed the week between Christmas and New Year's.
just wanted to add my 2 cents about PJs. i know the common preference is for zippers (vs. snaps), but i actually preferred snaps. the zippered ones mean you have to totally unzip the PJs, exposing their little chests to colder air, whereas you can just unsnap the crotch down with the snap ones. totally UO, but there it is! now that we're no longer doing MOTN diaper changes, zippers are way better.
just wanted to add my 2 cents about PJs. i know the common preference is for zippers (vs. snaps), but i actually preferred snaps. the zippered ones mean you have to totally unzip the PJs, exposing their little chests to colder air, whereas you can just unsnap the crotch down with the snap ones. totally UO, but there it is! now that we're no longer doing MOTN diaper changes, zippers are way better.
I thought I'd love zippers more, but +1 to this. Zippers are easier except for diaper changes when snaps are awesome.
just wanted to add my 2 cents about PJs. i know the common preference is for zippers (vs. snaps), but i actually preferred snaps. the zippered ones mean you have to totally unzip the PJs, exposing their little chests to colder air, whereas you can just unsnap the crotch down with the snap ones. totally UO, but there it is! now that we're no longer doing MOTN diaper changes, zippers are way better.
I think I'm a weirdo here. I hated both. We used sleep gowns until 9ish months when DS1 outgrew them and then jumped to two piece pjs with a onesie underneath.
However, my kid did, and still does, live in onesies. Like, he comes home from daycare once a week without pants on because he refused to let them put them back on him after a diaper change..
just wanted to add my 2 cents about PJs. i know the common preference is for zippers (vs. snaps), but i actually preferred snaps. the zippered ones mean you have to totally unzip the PJs, exposing their little chests to colder air, whereas you can just unsnap the crotch down with the snap ones. totally UO, but there it is! now that we're no longer doing MOTN diaper changes, zippers are way better.
I thought I'd love zippers more, but +1 to this. Zippers are easier except for diaper changes when snaps are awesome.
How did I not know couldn't have blue cheese? I've been eating salad with blue cheese dressing a couple times a week for a month. I didn't think about it being a soft cheese. Agh!!! The reason is the risk of listeria right? If I feel fine today I'm in the clear ?
You are fine. Most of the blue cheese in supermarkets is pasteurized.
just wanted to add my 2 cents about PJs. i know the common preference is for zippers (vs. snaps), but i actually preferred snaps. the zippered ones mean you have to totally unzip the PJs, exposing their little chests to colder air, whereas you can just unsnap the crotch down with the snap ones. totally UO, but there it is! now that we're no longer doing MOTN diaper changes, zippers are way better.
I thought I'd love zippers more, but +1 to this. Zippers are easier except for diaper changes when snaps are awesome.
A friend sent me a link to some Target zipper pjs that have the zippers at the bottom, so you don't have to deal with taking off the whole thing. I want to get a zillion.
I thought I'd love zippers more, but +1 to this. Zippers are easier except for diaper changes when snaps are awesome.
A friend sent me a link to some Target zipper pjs that have the zippers at the bottom, so you don't have to deal with taking off the whole thing. I want to get a zillion.
Best of both worlds! We're close to having to size up on footed onesies and we don't have much in the next size up yet so I'll have to look into those.
Post by silvermelody on Dec 29, 2016 22:29:20 GMT -5
I started out preferring snaps because of the cold thing but I got so frustrated trying to snap them MOTN that we switched to zips. Though we'll probably use the gowns a lot this time. I could change and rezip my kid much faster than change and snap.
A friend sent me a link to some Target zipper pjs that have the zippers at the bottom, so you don't have to deal with taking off the whole thing. I want to get a zillion.
Best of both worlds! We're close to having to size up on footed onesies and we don't have much in the next size up yet so I'll have to look into those.
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