Weekly Randoms! June 8-14th

[chocolate]

Jun 8, 2015 16:49:17 GMT -5 bee said:

I'm thinking of going med free this round only because I've heard so many things about the epidural lessening your chances of a VBAC. If I'm reading the wrong things someone PLEASE educate me. I would rather look like a dummy now than in February.

I have done some reading, not extensive research so take this with a grain of salt. But I think the deal is that epidurals for some cases can stall or slow the progression of labor, so that could pose a problem and maybe lead to a c-section.

[bee]

Jun 8, 2015 18:41:11 GMT -5 chocolate said:

Jun 8, 2015 16:49:17 GMT -5 bee said:

I'm thinking of going med free this round only because I've heard so many things about the epidural lessening your chances of a VBAC. If I'm reading the wrong things someone PLEASE educate me. I would rather look like a dummy now than in February.

I have done some reading, not extensive research so take this with a grain of salt. But I think the deal is that epidurals for some cases can stall or slow the progression of labor, so that could pose a problem and maybe lead to a c-section.

Maybe that's what I've been reading. I really have no clue. I have it on my list to talk to my dr about next week.

[mishy2010]

Jun 8, 2015 18:41:11 GMT -5 chocolate said:

Jun 8, 2015 16:49:17 GMT -5 bee said:

I'm thinking of going med free this round only because I've heard so many things about the epidural lessening your chances of a VBAC. If I'm reading the wrong things someone PLEASE educate me. I would rather look like a dummy now than in February.

I have done some reading, not extensive research so take this with a grain of salt. But I think the deal is that epidurals for some cases can stall or slow the progression of labor, so that could pose a problem and maybe lead to a c-section.

Yeah that's the thought process I have heard from VBAC advocates.
My own anecdotal evidence is this: After stalling at 4 for almost a whole day I jumped to 9 in two hours after my epidural.
Educate yourself as much as you can then do what feels right when the time comes. bee I agree that talking to your doctor will help you figure out a good game plan

[musicalsilver]

Jun 8, 2015 18:22:44 GMT -5 tkford216 said:

So, I get home today and there are two things in the mail. First, I apparently finally reached enough stars to get the Starbucks Gold card. (Now that I have to limit my coffee intake.) Second, I got a Kohl's flyer... with a 30% off sticker. (After just buying 5 shirts online this afternoon.)

Call customer service and see if they'll apply it retroactively. I did this with an online order once and told them I'd cancel the order and just redo it if they couldn't. Worked out for me, so it's at least with a try!

[musicalsilver]

Jun 8, 2015 19:13:37 GMT -5 mishy2010 said:

Educate yourself as much as you can then do what feels right when the time comes.

Best advice for pretty much this whole process, and most of life. Make well-informed decisions and consult professionals where appropriate!

[tkford216]

Jun 8, 2015 19:19:11 GMT -5 musicalsilver said:

Jun 8, 2015 18:22:44 GMT -5 tkford216 said:

So, I get home today and there are two things in the mail. First, I apparently finally reached enough stars to get the Starbucks Gold card. (Now that I have to limit my coffee intake.) Second, I got a Kohl's flyer... with a 30% off sticker. (After just buying 5 shirts online this afternoon.)

Call customer service and see if they'll apply it retroactively. I did this with an online order once and told them I'd cancel the order and just redo it if they couldn't. Worked out for me, so it's at least with a try!

The coupon doesn't start until the weekend. It's fine. I'll just use it as an excuse to do more shopping.

[mishy2010]

Who's watching team USA?? This game is not helping my anxiety issues right now.

[kelle017]

Jun 8, 2015 10:22:42 GMT -5 tkford216 said:

rivers and roads, the only folks I've seen getting blood drawn (myself included) are those with loss history; it's to make sure hcg is doubling properly (aka, viable pregnancy). 

Yep.  I had two c/p's prior to dd so I had them down with her and this baby. 

[kelle017]

Jun 8, 2015 12:12:03 GMT -5 musicalsilver said:

This pinterest hole of second child pregnancy announcements is giving me all the feels.

Especially the sad-faced toddlers getting eviction notices in their cribs. I'm getting all misty-eyed.

I was perusing instagram last night for ideas.  I want to do something fun this time!

With dd I just shared a link to a blog post and said something about how after 2 losses I wasn't sure I'd get to this point but today I'm 13 weeks.  

[kelle017]

Also in regardless to epidurals I didn't want to have one initially but I got to a 5 and just couldn't handle it anymore. I had a few rounds of stahdol which helped but it wore off.

I was still able to dialate to a 10 but dd was stuck so I ended up with a c-section anyway.

[kelle017]

I told my sister last week, and H told her husband. BIL told his dad. Who told his son (brother in laws brother), and probably his wife.

We are really close with my sisters in laws- H works with them and we hang out with them often - and they would have known this week because H is coming to my ultrasound so he needed the time off work, but I still want to wait until telling the rest of siblings/family.

Last time I had the ultrasound at 6 weeks and then 8 so if I have another at 8 and it goes well I would tell then. I think...

[musicalsilver]

Jun 8, 2015 20:25:56 GMT -5 kelle017 said:

Also in regardless to epidurals I didn't want to have one initially but I got to a 5 and just couldn't handle it anymore. I had a few rounds of stahdol which helped but it wore off.

I was still able to dialate to a 10 but dd was stuck so I ended up with a c-section anyway.

I was very willing to play it by ear ... totally dependent on how I reacted to the pain.  I don't think anybody really knows how they'll deal with the pain until they're right in the middle of it.  Pretty much why I didn't have a formal birth plan/any birth plan.  All the nurses kept asking me about one, and I'm not sure they quite knew what to do with me when I said I was playing it by ear ;-)  If the pain had been much worse/my labor much longer, I probably would have gone for the drugs.

[lvlyldybmp]

So today my SIL rubbed my belly (read fat) after we told her... and I feel like...

[EatsRitz]

Jun 8, 2015 18:41:11 GMT -5 chocolate said:

Jun 8, 2015 16:49:17 GMT -5 bee said:

I'm thinking of going med free this round only because I've heard so many things about the epidural lessening your chances of a VBAC. If I'm reading the wrong things someone PLEASE educate me. I would rather look like a dummy now than in February.

I have done some reading, not extensive research so take this with a grain of salt. But I think the deal is that epidurals for some cases can stall or slow the progression of labor, so that could pose a problem and maybe lead to a c-section.

I think epidurals can stall labor when they're administered too early, like only dilated a couple of centimeters and not really in active labor. Anecdotally, with my first labor, I went 16 hours without an epi and was stuck at 7 for 6 hours before I finally got the epidural. I slept for a couple of hours and was complete by the time I woke up. So in my case, the epi helped me relax enough to finally finish dilating.

My second labor was an induction with an epidural at 4cm and it was SO.MUCH.BETTER.

[EatsRitz]

Jun 8, 2015 16:48:43 GMT -5 musicalsilver said:

Jun 8, 2015 15:27:46 GMT -5 EatsRitz said:

Those of you thinking about going without an epidural should be heavily researching birthing classes, especially Bradley method. Med-free labor and delivery is generally not something you can just willpower your way through and requires a lot of preparation.

It's also a very individual thing though - I read a number of the books out there on various med-free birthing options and none of them really appealled to me. I did my own thing and made it through without drugs.

I guess the point is just prepare and research as much as possible (like you did) because labor usually isn't something people can just tough it out, ya know? 

[alpies]

Jun 8, 2015 19:13:37 GMT -5 mishy2010 said:

Jun 8, 2015 18:41:11 GMT -5 chocolate said:

I have done some reading, not extensive research so take this with a grain of salt. But I think the deal is that epidurals for some cases can stall or slow the progression of labor, so that could pose a problem and maybe lead to a c-section.

Yeah that's the thought process I have heard from VBAC advocates.
My own anecdotal evidence is this: After stalling at 4 for almost a whole day I jumped to 9 in two hours after my epidural.
Educate yourself as much as you can then do what feels right when the time comes. bee I agree that talking to your doctor will help you figure out a good game plan

I see this scenario play out a lot more often than I see epidurals slow things down. I think that slowing down labor or not being able to feel the urge to push is a common misconception about epidurals, but anecdotally, I see women relax and maybe even sleep after hours of hard labor and then feel much more prepared to push when the time comes. The epidural will also give you the opportunity painlessly to "labor down" - progress once dilation is complete without actively pushing - which can greatly reduce the amount of time you actually spend pushing.

I can't speak specifically in regards to VBACs though, because my hospital doesn't do them.

[kellybenelly83]

I just ate 2 hard boiled eggs, and a peice of toast with butter and I could easily eat another helping. DH is taking this hunger to be good news. (after I ate a huge plate of stir fry and then all the leftover tostitos and salsa we had last night)
I brought a ton of snacks to work today (healthy ones!) so lets hope it lasts me the day! lol. I think I'm going to have to go to the grocery store tonight and pick up a few things.

[kh59]

Jun 8, 2015 13:22:12 GMT -5 @katerli said:

Oh and I will probably reach out to the midwife I want to use in the next week as we are planning on a home birth. I have to make sure I get on the books with her.
Is anyone else planning on a home birth or hiring a midwife?

I am!  I'm meeting the midwife tomorrow for the first time.  We used a midwife for our first which I loved, but went to the hospital, which I didn't love.

[bee]

Jun 9, 2015 7:42:20 GMT -5 kellybenelly83 said:

I just ate 2 hard boiled eggs, and a peice of toast with butter and I could easily eat another helping. DH is taking this hunger to be good news. (after I ate a huge plate of stir fry and then all the leftover tostitos and salsa we had last night)
I brought a ton of snacks to work today (healthy ones!) so lets hope it lasts me the day! lol. I think I'm going to have to go to the grocery store tonight and pick up a few things.

Seriously. So. Hungry.

[kellybenelly83]

Jun 9, 2015 8:18:27 GMT -5 @katerli said:

I feel like a crazy person. I am 12dpo and still only getting faint positives, plus no symptoms and its freaking me out. I just have to tell myself I am only 12dpo. At least I go for a blood draw at 10 today.

symptoms its pretty much a bit early for. you will have to rely on your blood tests for results. FX for doubling betas.

[EatsRitz]

Jun 9, 2015 8:18:27 GMT -5 @katerli said:

I feel like a crazy person. I am 12dpo and still only getting faint positives, plus no symptoms and its freaking me out. I just have to tell myself I am only 12dpo. At least I go for a blood draw at 10 today.

It's still very early for symptoms. I'm 4w, 5d today and still not feeling much of anything. And any symptoms I do have could probably be chalked up to something else or I'm just imagining things because I'm pregnant.

[krl52014]

I'm so excited to be joining a new board and going on another pregnancy journey! I'm excited to meet new women. I can't believe I'm pregnant again I'm still very active on the May '14 board and there are some other great women TTC over there. I'm hoping they can join this board

[krl52014]

Jun 9, 2015 8:43:19 GMT -5 @katerli said:

Thanks ladies. I think just struggling with losses I am just freaked out.

Fx for you! Each pregnancy is different. I can understand your worry though

[tkford216]

Jun 9, 2015 8:18:27 GMT -5 @katerli said:

I feel like a crazy person. I am 12dpo and still only getting faint positives, plus no symptoms and its freaking me out. I just have to tell myself I am only 12dpo. At least I go for a blood draw at 10 today.

Yes, as others have said, try to remember that while some women get symptoms early on, it's more common to not feel anything yet. I know it's hard to stay positive. 12dpo is still pretty early though. I assume the blood draw is to check beta doubling? I've got FX for good numbers for you!

[rivers and roads]

@katerli, 12dpo is still early enough that a faint positive shouldn't cause too much worry. Fx your betas are good today and can put your mind at ease. Keep us updated!

[britterrss]

K ladies got some results back and nurse said they were very good.

HCG - 78
Progesterone 32.2

I think I'm 13-16 DPO, so that HCG is ok right? She said it looks like I "just missed my period" with that number... I go back tomorrow for the second beta and to check my TSH as I'm on levothyroxine.

[kelle017]

Jun 9, 2015 10:23:09 GMT -5 britterrss said:

K ladies got some results back and nurse said they were very good.

HCG - 78
Progesterone 32.2

I think I'm 13-16 DPO, so that HCG is ok right? She said it looks like I "just missed my period" with that number... I go back tomorrow for the second beta and to check my TSH as I'm on levothyroxine.

With dd my 13dpo number was 32 and this baby 13dpo was 235 I think so those numbers look good in my non expert opinion.

[tkford216]

Jun 9, 2015 10:23:09 GMT -5 britterrss said:

K ladies got some results back and nurse said they were very good.

HCG - 78
Progesterone 32.2

I think I'm 13-16 DPO, so that HCG is ok right? She said it looks like I "just missed my period" with that number... I go back tomorrow for the second beta and to check my TSH as I'm on levothyroxine.

Those look great to me! Yay for good numbers!

[tkford216]

Alright, I got my first appointment set up: June 30. It's supposed to be an 8-week appointment, and I'm 8 weeks as of July 5, but she gave me the choice of either June 30 or July 7. Duh, I'll take the earlier one please!

[kellybenelly83]

yay tkford216!

I get my appointments booked after my u/s monday. She wants to make sure when my Dr wants to see me again before booking me in. I am guessing if all is well it will be week 12 which will be end July/beginning Aug.

My BFF knows, shes super excited that I'll be "cute fat" in her words in my bridesmaid dress for her wedding at the end of August...lol