Ask A Grad (1/15)

[westiemom]

What's on your mind?!

[ttcbabyj]

Even though I'm kind of leery about making big purchases until we have made it to V-day; my dad has offered to buy us a travel system. I love my dad, but he can be flaky and bad with money so if he's offering now we better strike while the iron is hot. He said money is no option. I have been looking at systems from Graco, Eddie Bauer etc. I would prefer a stroller with maybe air tires, but easy steering. And I don't want a carrier that is too heavy, I have literally no upper body strength. Any suggestions.

[muscari]

What kind of pain does one experience with a ruptured ovarian cyst? And what other symptoms could one expect? I was in some serious pain last night for several hours which resembled my miso induced MC so badly I was really freaking out.. but I had no bleeding whatsoever.. Now the cyst on my left ovary had shrunken to 22mm so I doubt that is it. .. i am just trying to come up with an idea of what was going on. It was too severe top just be stretching or such. Took some tylenol and laid in bed with hot water bottles and just rode it out, felt better in the morning luckily and took it real easy today. Going in for my dating scan tomorrow morning which hopefully will ease our extremely worried selves

[nutmeg8484]

ttcbabyj we have the Graco modes travel system and I LOVE it. It doesn't have air filled wheels and it isn't the top of the line obviously, but it works great for us.

The whole seat is removable so you can use it with just the car seat clipped in to the frame. You can also use it with the actual stroller seat facing you or facing out. Which I loved when we went to Disney. We could just lay the seat flat and still watch her while she slept and what not.

I've actually looked into getting the double version for when this one gets here.

[remylove1011]

ttcbabyj we have the Ch.icco Keyf.it Bra.vo travel system and I love it. The seat is lighter compared to some and just snaps into the stroller seat with a bar that's provided.

[westiemom]

Jan 15, 2017 17:09:38 GMT -5 nutmeg8484 said:

ttcbabyj we have the Graco modes travel system and I LOVE it. It doesn't have air filled wheels and it isn't the top of the line obviously, but it works great for us.

The whole seat is removable so you can use it with just the car seat clipped in to the frame. You can also use it with the actual stroller seat facing you or facing out. Which I loved when we went to Disney. We could just lay the seat flat and still watch her while she slept and what not.

I've actually looked into getting the double version for when this one gets here.

+1!

[Deleted]

Jan 15, 2017 16:59:46 GMT -5 muscari said:

What kind of pain does one experience with a ruptured ovarian cyst? And what other symptoms could one expect? I was in some serious pain last night for several hours which resembled my miso induced MC so badly I was really freaking out.. but I had no bleeding whatsoever.. Now the cyst on my left ovary had shrunken to 22mm so I doubt that is it. .. i am just trying to come up with an idea of what was going on. It was too severe top just be stretching or such. Took some tylenol and laid in bed with hot water bottles and just rode it out, felt better in the morning luckily and took it real easy today. Going in for my dating scan tomorrow morning which hopefully will ease our extremely worried selves

when mine ruptured it hurt really bad for a few hours then was a dull ache for several days.

Fx that's all it is for you and it feels better soon.

[lilyharper]

Looooooved our Chico keyfit travel system. We got the green one. People frequently commented on liking the color. The seat is lighter weight and we still use the stroller all the time.

Same experience as @ketchup with the rupture. Except I wish they had given me morphine.

[oceanhutt]

Chico keyfit bravo le here and we love it!!!

[ampaints]

Jan 15, 2017 20:35:28 GMT -5 lilyharper said:

Looooooved our Chico keyfit travel system. We got the green one. People frequently commented on liking the color. The seat is lighter weight and we still use the stroller all the time.

We had the same one. We actually borrowed it from a friend (a very close friend that we trust implicitly). The system has been used with the babies and really held up well.

[rainbowbridge14]

Jan 15, 2017 15:17:58 GMT -5 ttcbabyj said:

Even though I'm kind of leery about making big purchases until we have made it to V-day; my dad has offered to buy us a travel system. I love my dad, but he can be flaky and bad with money so if he's offering now we better strike while the iron is hot. He said money is no option. I have been looking at systems from Graco, Eddie Bauer etc. I would prefer a stroller with maybe air tires, but easy steering. And I don't want a carrier that is too heavy, I have literally no upper body strength. Any suggestions.

One of my close friends has a Graco fastaction jogger travel system that she loves and it has inflatable tires. We have the Graco carseet that goes with it and found it easy to use. We opted to go with a BOB stroller and get an adapter for the Graco carseats. You can get a BOB travel system with the Britax seat but that one is heavier.

[muscari]

Jan 15, 2017 19:46:37 GMT -5 @ketchup said:

Jan 15, 2017 16:59:46 GMT -5 muscari said:

What kind of pain does one experience with a ruptured ovarian cyst? And what other symptoms could one expect? I was in some serious pain last night for several hours which resembled my miso induced MC so badly I was really freaking out.. but I had no bleeding whatsoever.. Now the cyst on my left ovary had shrunken to 22mm so I doubt that is it. .. i am just trying to come up with an idea of what was going on. It was too severe top just be stretching or such. Took some tylenol and laid in bed with hot water bottles and just rode it out, felt better in the morning luckily and took it real easy today. Going in for my dating scan tomorrow morning which hopefully will ease our extremely worried selves

Mine was a result of Clomid (and who knows what was going on prior to, thanks to not being monitored), so I'm not sure whether that influenced how bad it was or not, but there was no taking Tylenol and laying in bed with a hot water bottle. No, sir.

I was doubled over in excruciating pain. I knew Clomid could have been the culprit, but the pain was so bad that we were advised to go to the ER. Based on how I presented (symptoms and pain level), they thought my appendix might have burst. After morphine, some tests, and several hours of monitoring I was released, but I was advised I was lucky I didn't lose my ovary. I'm not sure the levels of severity with ruptured cysts, though. I would also imagine a person's pain tolerance has to be taken into account.

Provided the pain doesn't return,I'd just continue to take it easy tonight and give your doc a heads up in the AM at your appt. FX it is just your ovaries pissed off at you. Keep us updated!

I'm so sorry you had to go through that! How scary to have almost lost your ovary! I was relieved to see that mine had shrunken some in between my 7 and 9wk U/S, it's my only working ovary.

At first the pain was just.. bad cramps, but it got to a point where I could only sit doubled over rocking back and forth cause it hurted so much. MH said that based on symptoms and pain, if he didn't know any better he would think it was my appendix - 'cept that one already has been gone for 20 years! He was on the verge of taking me to the hospital cause he didn't at all liked what he saw with me in that much pain. I kept saying though it was a good sign I didn't have any bleeding, and it was too early in the pg anyway for drs to be able to do anything if something indeed was wrong. I really didn't want to go to the hospital. The tylenol didn't really help, but it was all I could take, and well the hot water bottles were nice cause I was shivering from the pain at times. I was very relieved to be able to sleep a couple of hours at a time, and to wake up feeling better in the morning. I'm still cramping some and I feel there's a dull achy spot around my left ovary but that may well be in my head.

Ahh thanks for listening to my rambles! Am about to leave for the hospital, and even though we won't be seeing the RE, just one of the clinical MW at the obstetric unit we for sure will be mentioning the pains and will ask for her to take another look at my left ovary.

[dancerspose]

ttcbabyj obviously not a grad here, but my mom bought our stroller/seat for us and we went with the Bri.tax B-Agile/B-Safe Elite Travel System. We wanted a travel system, and this one had some of the best safety ratings in terms of the seat. It's also the same one my brother and SIL chose (just had their baby at the end of December), and they're very happy with it. Also, FWIW, that system is considerably cheaper on Amazon than in store, but we ended up getting it from B.uy B.uy Baby during a weekend when I could get 25% off (made it a few bucks cheaper than Amazon).

[teachermomtobe]

Jan 17, 2017 9:24:42 GMT -5 dancerspose said:

ttcbabyj obviously not a grad here, but my mom bought our stroller/seat for us and we went with the Bri.tax B-Agile/B-Safe Elite Travel System. We wanted a travel system, and this one had some of the best safety ratings in terms of the seat. It's also the same one my brother and SIL chose (just had their baby at the end of December), and they're very happy with it. Also, FWIW, that system is considerably cheaper on Amazon than in store, but we ended up getting it from B.uy B.uy Baby during a weekend when I could get 25% off (made it a few bucks cheaper than Amazon).

We are registering for the same travel system and I'm glad to hear your brother and SIL like it.

[dancerspose]

Jan 17, 2017 9:37:31 GMT -5 teachermomtobe said:

Jan 17, 2017 9:24:42 GMT -5 dancerspose said:

ttcbabyj obviously not a grad here, but my mom bought our stroller/seat for us and we went with the Bri.tax B-Agile/B-Safe Elite Travel System. We wanted a travel system, and this one had some of the best safety ratings in terms of the seat. It's also the same one my brother and SIL chose (just had their baby at the end of December), and they're very happy with it. Also, FWIW, that system is considerably cheaper on Amazon than in store, but we ended up getting it from B.uy B.uy Baby during a weekend when I could get 25% off (made it a few bucks cheaper than Amazon).

We are registering for the same travel system and I'm glad to hear your brother and SIL like it.

Obviously we haven't used it yet, but I can tell you that it goes together very easily, and seems to fold up/extend easily as well.  I was impressed with how compact the stroller is folded up, but also how sturdy it is, if that makes sense. My brother and SIL told me someone stopped them on their way into a store last week to ask what system they had and where they got it etc.

[madamewaffles]

I'm going to be the voice of dissent and say I did not want a travel system. I didn't like the idea of being beholden to a brand of stroller for an infant car seat carrier that we'd be using 1 year, tops. If you are looking for lightweight car seats, I believe the Maxi Cosi is the lightest one out there, I think 8.5-9 lbs? We ended up with a Chicco Keyfit mostly because I liked how it carried, even so it's about 2 lbs heavier. Then we got the Baby Jogger City Select as a stroller and I bought a Keyfit adapter so I could attach the seat. TBH, I rarely even use the car seat/adapter in the stroller and just transfer my LO to the stroller seat because he hates being in the car seat for more than like 20 minutes, especially if there is lots to see and observe.

[MellyKnu]

Jan 17, 2017 9:24:42 GMT -5 dancerspose said:

ttcbabyj obviously not a grad here, but my mom bought our stroller/seat for us and we went with the Bri.tax B-Agile/B-Safe Elite Travel System. We wanted a travel system, and this one had some of the best safety ratings in terms of the seat. It's also the same one my brother and SIL chose (just had their baby at the end of December), and they're very happy with it. Also, FWIW, that system is considerably cheaper on Amazon than in store, but we ended up getting it from B.uy B.uy Baby during a weekend when I could get 25% off (made it a few bucks cheaper than Amazon).

We have the Britax Affinity stroller and B-Safe Elite 35 carrier. The stroller is wonderful, you can either use the infant carrier or the stroller seat that it came with, and you can use either forward or rear facing. The only comment I would make on the stroller is that I wish the storage space under the seat was bigger. The B-Safe is wonderful. The reason I didn't suggest it is because it is pretty heavy, and she said she's looking for something light. Maybe others can chime in here if it wasn't an issue for them, but I ended up transitioning to a convertible seat at four months because it was too heavy to carry her in it anymore and it was awkward to put her in it in the vehicle. But maybe I'm just a wimpy wimp. With lots of stairs in my house.

[Amelia]

Jan 17, 2017 9:24:42 GMT -5 dancerspose said:

ttcbabyj obviously not a grad here, but my mom bought our stroller/seat for us and we went with the Bri.tax B-Agile/B-Safe Elite Travel System. We wanted a travel system, and this one had some of the best safety ratings in terms of the seat. It's also the same one my brother and SIL chose (just had their baby at the end of December), and they're very happy with it. Also, FWIW, that system is considerably cheaper on Amazon than in store, but we ended up getting it from B.uy B.uy Baby during a weekend when I could get 25% off (made it a few bucks cheaper than Amazon).

We also have this travel system. I love the stroller, but I agree with MellyKnu that the under-seat storage could be bigger. The stroller is super easy to fold. The carrier is one of the heavier ones out there, which became an issue for me. I stopped using it with the stroller at around 4 months, and it is now our backup car seat for DH's car.

ETA: Oops, I see MellyKnu's stroller is the Britax Affinity. Ours is the B-Agile, but same comment applies about the storage.

[yoshijo28]

jennykat, obviously not a grad, but wanted to just give you ((hugs)). I'm on zoloft now due to anxiety. I hope someone who's been there thru delivery can give you some good advice

[bocaburger]

Jan 18, 2017 20:58:41 GMT -5 jennykat said:

I'd love to talk to anybody who had prenatal depression/anxiety. I'm on Zoloft now and would love to pick a grad's brain. I get that this is a sensitive subject, so if anyone has been there could PM me?

I didn't have prenatal issues, but I did have pre-existing anxiety and PPA. I was on Zoloft through first tri and restarted immediately after delivery. If I can be of help let me know (here or PM is fine, whatever you prefer).

You could also post over on the Mental Wellness board, there may be people over there who have specifically dealt with prenatal anxiety/depression.

[sumbeach]

Jan 18, 2017 20:58:41 GMT -5 jennykat said:

I'd love to talk to anybody who had prenatal depression/anxiety. I'm on Zoloft now and would love to pick a grad's brain. I get that this is a sensitive subject, so if anyone has been there could PM me?

I just weaned off Z for PPA & PPD,  I can try and help 

[kensie5226]

Jan 19, 2017 8:12:30 GMT -5 jennykat said:

Jan 19, 2017 7:50:21 GMT -5 bocaburger said:

I didn't have prenatal issues, but I did have pre-existing anxiety and PPA. I was on Zoloft through first tri and restarted immediately after delivery. If I can be of help let me know (here or PM is fine, whatever you prefer).

You could also post over on the Mental Wellness board, there may be people over there who have specifically dealt with prenatal anxiety/depression.

So you were not on it during 3rd Tri? I'm curious about potential S/Es in the baby (irritability, more frequent crying, "withdrawal"). I am wondering how common they are - I worry they will further my feelings of detachment.

I have a pre-existing anxiety disorder, had postpartum anxiety, and am currently on Zoloft TTCA, so I've been thinking about what I'd do in pregnancy. Holler if you want to chat.

[fightersince83]

Jan 15, 2017 15:17:58 GMT -5 ttcbabyj said:

Even though I'm kind of leery about making big purchases until we have made it to V-day; my dad has offered to buy us a travel system. I love my dad, but he can be flaky and bad with money so if he's offering now we better strike while the iron is hot. He said money is no option. I have been looking at systems from Graco, Eddie Bauer etc. I would prefer a stroller with maybe air tires, but easy steering. And I don't want a carrier that is too heavy, I have literally no upper body strength. Any suggestions.

I had the Britax B Ready and really liked it. I did NOT like the B Agile though so check the model. Steering was easy, storage was good and you could click in the infant or toddler seat. I'm not sure how our infant seat compared weight wise to other brands, but I think they're all decently heavy

[emilie]

I built my own "travel system" with the Uppababy Cruz stroller and the Chicco Keyfit 30 (using the adapter for the Cruz). The Cruz is an amazing stroller that is lightweight, has a huge basket that can hold up to 30 pounds, and the seat can face both ways and can either accommodate a 50 pound toddler or a tiny newborn when the seat is reclined flat. I found that the Keyfit was lighter, smaller, less expensive and nicer than the Uppababy car seat. If you have a small car (I have a small 4 door sedan) it is one of the only infant seats that will fit well without having to sacrifice a lot of front seat space.

One thing I did while pregnant was visit a Buy Buy Baby a few times and spent some hands on time playing with all the strollers and car seats. They have most models and their adapters out on the floor so you can try them out. Reading about gear is all well and good but actually getting your hands on things and trying them out will help you figure out what you actually want.

[Andrea]

Jan 19, 2017 11:08:48 GMT -5 sumbeach said:

Jan 18, 2017 20:58:41 GMT -5 jennykat said:

I'd love to talk to anybody who had prenatal depression/anxiety. I'm on Zoloft now and would love to pick a grad's brain. I get that this is a sensitive subject, so if anyone has been there could PM me?

I just weaned off Z for PPA & PPD,  I can try and help 

I am on Z for PPD, she keeps upping my dose every month. I am st 150mg now. Gabapentin for anxiety. Feel free to PM me jennykat.

[bocaburger]

Jan 19, 2017 8:12:30 GMT -5 jennykat said:

Jan 19, 2017 7:50:21 GMT -5 bocaburger said:

I didn't have prenatal issues, but I did have pre-existing anxiety and PPA. I was on Zoloft through first tri and restarted immediately after delivery. If I can be of help let me know (here or PM is fine, whatever you prefer).

You could also post over on the Mental Wellness board, there may be people over there who have specifically dealt with prenatal anxiety/depression.

So you were not on it during 3rd Tri? I'm curious about potential S/Es in the baby (irritability, more frequent crying, "withdrawal"). I am wondering how common they are - I worry they will further my feelings of detachment.

I was not on it during 3rd tri, but my OB did say that she would have been comfortable with it if I had needed to stay on it.