SQS (4/26 edition)

[ladymouse]

Apr 26, 2015 15:35:02 GMT -5 fatmilkisdelish said:

@demanda88 I'm with you on these questions...
Mine is, when the baby wakes up to eat in the middle of the night, will they always have a poopy diaper? If they do, (or mostly do) then I have just lost the desire to use the co-sleeper ....because if I'm going to have to physically remove myself from bed to change a diaper in addition to feeding, why not save husband's sleep and start baby out in the nursery from day 1?

Not often.  DS ate every 2 hours or more at first (uuuuuuuuuuuungh), and had ~10 diapers a day, only one or two of which would be dirty.  Also, in my experience, it's easier to keep the baby quiet (as in not disrupt anyone else's sleep) if you are right there.

[missk0411]

Apr 26, 2015 15:51:08 GMT -5 @demanda88 said:

Apr 26, 2015 15:35:02 GMT -5 fatmilkisdelish said:

@demanda88 I'm with you on these questions...
Mine is, when the baby wakes up to eat in the middle of the night, will they always have a poopy diaper? If they do, (or mostly do) then I have just lost the desire to use the co-sleeper ....because if I'm going to have to physically remove myself from bed to change a diaper in addition to feeding, why not save husband's sleep and start baby out in the nursery from day 1?

Adding onto this..you don't have to change a diaper if it's just wet, at night right?

Your call.  Some people say, Yes, absolutely.  Honestly, we didn't.  If LO is getting diaper rash or something, then of course you would.  However, if you are nursing, it is sometimes helpful to change a diaper, especially in the early weeks, in between sides because it helps wake LO up a little to get him or her to nurse off the other breast.

ETA:  Some if it will depend on how often LO is up and how wet they seem.  If s/he is up ever 1.5-2 hours, and is very lightly wet, that's when I'd skip.  If it had been 4-5 hours, we would.  But you'll figure out what makes sense.

[ladymouse]

Apr 26, 2015 13:24:16 GMT -5 daydreamernyc said:

I just read a few of the responses to DH as an explanation as to why I'm so tired.

My question is, if you are going epidural free, does that still mean that you need an IV? (Will still be at a hospital and not a birthing center).

If you don't get an epidural and you need an emergency c section, do they then knock you out completely?

Epidurals are in the spine.  IVs are for hydration, motrin, pitocin, etc.  Not sure why one would be needed for the other?  My hospital does an IV lock as standard practice, and it didn't seem a worthwhile hill to die on, so to speak.  However, I will ask that it be done on the back of my hand this time.  The baby's head laid on the inside-of-the-wrist IV in many positions, and that was irritating as hell. 

[ladymouse]

Apr 26, 2015 15:51:08 GMT -5 @demanda88 said:

Apr 26, 2015 15:35:02 GMT -5 fatmilkisdelish said:

@demanda88 I'm with you on these questions...
Mine is, when the baby wakes up to eat in the middle of the night, will they always have a poopy diaper? If they do, (or mostly do) then I have just lost the desire to use the co-sleeper ....because if I'm going to have to physically remove myself from bed to change a diaper in addition to feeding, why not save husband's sleep and start baby out in the nursery from day 1?

Adding onto this..you don't have to change a diaper if it's just wet, at night right?

...highly advise changing them.  Rashes are a (literal) pain in the butt.

[gigi3126]

Apr 26, 2015 12:20:12 GMT -5 @jimbobcooter said:

I never used a sheet in the PnP before. I just usually lay a receiving blanket on the bottom to make it less sweaty. We also only used it for traveling.


Mine: Not a question so much as I want group commiseration and hair pats. Somebody, anybody tell me that you are now so exhausted all the time that you absolutely, positively can barely function. Seriously if I have two hours of stuff to do that's it. Then I'm wiped out, in pain, achy, wanting to cry. 5-7 more weeks of this seems like torture. I cannot wait to only be tired because I'm up at night with baby.

I have to take breaks between showering, getting dressed, and "doing" my hair. It's pathetic.

[cnumbers]

My question is about due dates. When your near your due date or on your due date is it best to stay near home or try and not to leave the house to much to avoid potentional water breaking in public. I'm hoping to go on my due date but the chances of it happening are unlikely. It is also my anniversary 2nd of June so I was hoping to go for a nice meal & it's my birthday 6th of June so if I go overdue I would like to leave the house to see friends/relatives & have a small celebration but I'm curious if I shouldn't venture too far from home.

[megeliz1]

Apr 26, 2015 15:36:10 GMT -5 mcp6286 said:

STMs, feelings about car seat canopies? Got a coupon for a free one but shipping is $15. Worth it?

We really liked outs for the first few months. It made it dark and quiet in DD's car seat when we would go out to eat or whatever and she fell asleep.

[tiffbot]

Wow, so glad for the info on the spinal. It was something that hadn't crossed my mind last time, and when things happened in a rush and they weren't getting the anaestesiologist to me, and I was so close to delivery, I actually somehow had the thought of 'holy crap what if something goes wrong what is going to happen' in between pushes, or late contractions I can't remember.

We do not have a car seat canopy, used a swaddle blanket.

Burping depends on your baby. I remember DS spitting up quite a bit in the beginning, don't remember when burping him became less frequent.

We have a first year baby book and Ive also decided to make a photo book (via Picaboo) each year for each kid. I like the memories and I remember it being fun as a kid to look back at my own.

Again, I don't remember the age, but newborn stage we changed DS every time. We began bedsharing around 2.5 months and I think all night diaper changes reduced greatly at that time because we were finally all getting longer sleep stretches.

[cwatmack]

Apr 26, 2015 15:36:10 GMT -5 mcp6286 said:

STMs, feelings about car seat canopies? Got a coupon for a free one but shipping is $15. Worth it?

mcp6286 if you add it to your cart and do everything except pay and wait a day or two they send a coupon for cheaper shipping, I think maybe $5 extra off? I was contemplating getting one because it was so cheap, but still haven't pulled the trigger.

[wegrowsheep]

Apr 26, 2015 15:59:23 GMT -5 ladymouse said:

Apr 26, 2015 13:24:16 GMT -5 daydreamernyc said:

I just read a few of the responses to DH as an explanation as to why I'm so tired.

My question is, if you are going epidural free, does that still mean that you need an IV? (Will still be at a hospital and not a birthing center).

If you don't get an epidural and you need an emergency c section, do they then knock you out completely?

Epidurals are in the spine.  IVs are for hydration, motrin, pitocin, etc.  Not sure why one would be needed for the other?  My hospital does an IV lock as standard practice, and it didn't seem a worthwhile hill to die on, so to speak.  However, I will ask that it be done on the back of my hand this time.  The baby's head laid on the inside-of-the-wrist IV in many positions, and that was irritating as hell. 

After I had my first LO, the IV was used immediately to give me pitocin because my uterus wasn't contracting to stop the bleeding. Given the choice between the IV and the chance of an emergency hysterectomy, the IV lock is an easy choice. And yes, back of the hand is a legit request.

[tiffbot]

Apr 26, 2015 16:05:49 GMT -5 cnumbers said:

My question is about due dates. When your near your due date or on your due date is it best to stay near home or try and not to leave the house to much to avoid potentional water breaking in public. I'm hoping to go on my due date but the chances of it happening are unlikely. It is also my anniversary 2nd of June so I was hoping to go for a nice meal & it's my birthday 6th of June so if I go overdue I would like to leave the house to see friends/relatives & have a small celebration but I'm curious if I shouldn't venture too far from home.

For me, it's not the how pregnant I am or worried about going into labour in public, it's how close I am to my hospital. We already live an hour away from the city so I'm honestly just as comfortable making plans to be there running errands/visiting friends whatnot, as being here since I'll have to travel from here haha. However, my only other pregnancy I delivered nearly 7 weeks early so I'm not sure how I'll actually feel closer to the date

[cnumbers]

Apr 26, 2015 15:38:32 GMT -5 budders said:

Have people done/do you plan on keeping baby books or calendars? I hadn't really thought about it until today, but my parents kept a pretty detailed one for me during my first year, and it's fun to look back at it to see when I achieved certain milestones.

I considered keeping a journal at the beginning but never got around to buying one - it's a bit late now seeing as I'm almost at the end . I don't know if it's the same in the U.S. I imagine you have something similar.. My hospital notes that I have to take with me to every appointment I would like to keep those as it was given to me at the start and charts everything thus far. I have a feeling they take them off of you once baby is born, if they do I may consider buying a journal and filing it out using some of the info from the notes, I have a momento box that I keep in the top of my wardrobe that holds birthday cards & things that people have given to me that I treasure, so it would be nice to have a few baby related items in there too.

[cnumbers]

Apr 26, 2015 16:16:14 GMT -5 tiffbot said:

Apr 26, 2015 16:05:49 GMT -5 cnumbers said:

My question is about due dates. When your near your due date or on your due date is it best to stay near home or try and not to leave the house to much to avoid potentional water breaking in public. I'm hoping to go on my due date but the chances of it happening are unlikely. It is also my anniversary 2nd of June so I was hoping to go for a nice meal & it's my birthday 6th of June so if I go overdue I would like to leave the house to see friends/relatives & have a small celebration but I'm curious if I shouldn't venture too far from home.

For me, it's not the how pregnant I am or worried about going into labour in public, it's how close I am to my hospital. We already live an hour away from the city so I'm honestly just as comfortable making plans to be there running errands/visiting friends whatnot, as being here since I'll have to travel from here haha. However, my only other pregnancy I delivered nearly 7 weeks early so I'm not sure how I'll actually feel closer to the date

7 weeks! Wow I have 6 weeks left! I think I would panic so much if I went now, well done you! Lucky we are quite close to our hospital. As a FTM I just imagine that Hollywood gush in the middle of the shopping centre or something

[laurenlou83]

I'm on mobile and suck at tagging but...
Car seat canopy I've heard don't waste the $$. A receiving blanket will do the exact same thing.
I don't plan on taking road trips near my EDD, but I will still venture out of the house. Having my water break in public would suck, but I'm not going to sit home waiting for it to happen either!
Amen on the exhaustion! I hit 32 weeks and BAM! I'm out. Can't breathe, acid reflux, exhaustion, cramps/BHs, backache. FU 3rd tri.

[cnumbers]

Apr 26, 2015 16:12:21 GMT -5 michyme123 said:

Apr 26, 2015 16:05:49 GMT -5 cnumbers said:

My question is about due dates. When your near your due date or on your due date is it best to stay near home or try and not to leave the house to much to avoid potentional water breaking in public. I'm hoping to go on my due date but the chances of it happening are unlikely. It is also my anniversary 2nd of June so I was hoping to go for a nice meal & it's my birthday 6th of June so if I go overdue I would like to leave the house to see friends/relatives & have a small celebration but I'm curious if I shouldn't venture too far from home.

I still went out. I carried a few heavy duty pads with me incase my water decided to break while I was out. I would never go out of town or anything when over due, but the usual mall or whatever is fine. It was actually pretty funny seeing people's reaction to my due date "aww, when are you due?!" ..." 8 days ago" lol

Eta: mine ended up breaking on its own at the hospital. I hope for the same because omg I was not prepared for how much came out. And to be honest I thought it would just be a couple gushes...ummmm nope it basically keeps coming out until baby comes out. It was the weirdest feeling that's for sure

I imagine the reactions would be funny! I bet they just go 'oh.. Erm that's nice' or don't know what to say! Yes it's something I hope for too. I'm hoping I get admitted at like 4-5cm dilated and it breaks in the labour room. I will just have to wait and see, although I have to go for GD screening again as at my last appointment my sugar was up again after being normal for a few months. Midwife said if it is GD I may have to be induced.. Which I do not want . 

[Deleted]

Apr 26, 2015 14:46:51 GMT -5 @demanda88 said:

When you burp a baby after feeding, do you just keep going until they actually burp? Or do you only do it for a certain amount of time?

These are the things that worry me...the simplest of all questions

I think it'd ok initially to burp them just gently pat them on the back until they burp. Maybe for up to a minute each time. Then down the road you will get the hang if they are a big burper or not much at all. For night wakings I burped for a shorter time then a minute because I felt like the long pats would wake him up to much.

[Deleted]

Apr 26, 2015 15:59:15 GMT -5 missk0411 said:

Apr 26, 2015 15:51:08 GMT -5 @demanda88 said:

Adding onto this..you don't have to change a diaper if it's just wet, at night right?

Your call.  Some people say, Yes, absolutely.  Honestly, we didn't.  If LO is getting diaper rash or something, then of course you would.  However, if you are nursing, it is sometimes helpful to change a diaper, especially in the early weeks, in between sides because it helps wake LO up a little to get him or her to nurse off the other breast.

ETA:  Some if it will depend on how often LO is up and how wet they seem.  If s/he is up ever 1.5-2 hours, and is very lightly wet, that's when I'd skip.  If it had been 4-5 hours, we would.  But you'll figure out what makes sense.

+1 to not changing a wet diaper at night only when there is poop. We used pampers 12 hour protection and it never caused a rash. I agree if it's been 4-5 hours I might depending on how wet it looks. But in general no

[Deleted]

I'll be sticking close to home after 37 weeks, not because I'm worried about my water breaking in public (I'll start wearing a larger pad), but because I'll have no energy to go anywhere anyway and don't want to be too far from the hospital or my doula. And this especially sucks because we just realized that we have DS with us for six straight days with no day camp or school from 37-38 weeks and will have to come up with some plan to entertain him, that doesn't involve me doing much. Usually, with six days, we'd take a road trip somewhere but not this time. Sad panda.

I did a baby book with DS and will do one with this one too.

[dogmama22]

Apr 26, 2015 15:36:10 GMT -5 mcp6286 said:

STMs, feelings about car seat canopies? Got a coupon for a free one but shipping is $15. Worth it?

FTM as well, but I did order one. Helpful hint: put it in your cart, enter your email and then leave it overnight. They'll email you a coupon for discounted shipping as well in the next day or two.

[Deleted]

Ok, I have a SS question based on the fact that I was induced and had an epi the entire labor with DS but want to go med free this time.

So when you are moving around in labor, whether still at home or in the hospital do you wear underwear? And especially this question after your water breaks. Do you wear some with a pad or just go free and let it drip everywhere?

[Deleted]

I did a baby book for DS that tracks milestones, has pictures in it of first bath, first meal. I kept every doctors summary too that shows his weight/height etc. But I'm sentimental like that.

The best thing that I just received from my parents was an entire book of our family tree and notes about extended family for the past 200 years. I was blown away by it. DH has one too that his mom made for him recently.

I'm looking forward to handing those down to my kids some day.

[dogmama22]

Apr 26, 2015 15:35:02 GMT -5 fatmilkisdelish said:

@demanda88 I'm with you on these questions...
Mine is, when the baby wakes up to eat in the middle of the night, will they always have a poopy diaper? If they do, (or mostly do) then I have just lost the desire to use the co-sleeper ....because if I'm going to have to physically remove myself from bed to change a diaper in addition to feeding, why not save husband's sleep and start baby out in the nursery from day 1?

Keep in mind that there are other benefits to room sharing besides just convenience. They're actually finding it reduces the risks of SIDS because when babies can hear their parents breathing, they sync their breathing with them. They're thinking there are some other driving forces behind this as well that are starting to be researched.

[lalamomma]

I hate IVs because of the weird sensation when they go in your skin and move just a little when you move or flex the skin. So gross! I'll request it on the back of my hand again because I hate it on the wrist the most. Thankfully I have great veins and if you miss mine, I question why because they are hard to miss.

My friend had a nice car seat cover she got as a gift but with summer babies I wouldn't want anything heavy. Im planning to use a Muslin blanket when necessary.

I won't stay in close to my due date but I would maybe wear a bigger pad and keep towels in the car

For an epidural:

The doctor injects medicine just outside of the sac of fluid around your spinal cord. This is called the epidural space.
The medicine numbs, or blocks feeling in a certain part of your body so that you cannot feel pain. The medicine begins to take effect in about 10 to 20 minutes. It works well for longer procedures.
A small (catheter) is often left in place. You can receive more medicine through the catheter to help control your pain during or after your procedure.

For a spinal:

The doctor injects medicine into the fluid in your spinal cord. This is usually done only once, so you will not need to have a catheter placed.
The medicine begins to take effect right away. It works well for shorter and simpler procedures.

I learned this from a friend who is a nurse anesthesiologist but got that from a website so I didn't have to type it LOL.

[daydreamernyc]

Apr 26, 2015 14:59:24 GMT -5 @bubbs119 said:

Apr 26, 2015 13:24:16 GMT -5 daydreamernyc said:

I just read a few of the responses to DH as an explanation as to why I'm so tired.

My question is, if you are going epidural free, does that still mean that you need an IV? (Will still be at a hospital and not a birthing center).

If you don't get an epidural and you need an emergency c section, do they then knock you out completely?

You aren't necessarily required to have an IV. However, it will depend heavily on the circumstances of your labor.

Just curious when you say you've always had trouble with them, what does this mean? Do they have a hard time finding a vein? If this is indeed the case and they begin to recommend that you need an IV for whatever reason, I wouldn't refuse so quickly. Perhaps make your wishes known initially and that way they only suggest it when needed. 

Trust me when I say that the last thing you want is for the team to be struggling to find and IV in the case of an emergency when you are already a difficult stick to begin with. Obviously, worst case scenario. 

That's just my POV as a nurse and something to think about. 

@bubbs119, that is a really good point. The trouble is that my veins are small and hard to find. The last time they tried both arms and then moved to one hand and then the other. I'm also horrible with needles so with the difficulty it just freaks me out (I've fainted in the past).

But your point is good, definitely do not want to do anything that compromises me and baby getting the best care. Thank you! 

[Deleted]

Apr 26, 2015 16:57:13 GMT -5 dogmama22 said:

Apr 26, 2015 15:35:02 GMT -5 fatmilkisdelish said:

@demanda88 I'm with you on these questions...
Mine is, when the baby wakes up to eat in the middle of the night, will they always have a poopy diaper? If they do, (or mostly do) then I have just lost the desire to use the co-sleeper ....because if I'm going to have to physically remove myself from bed to change a diaper in addition to feeding, why not save husband's sleep and start baby out in the nursery from day 1?

Keep in mind that there are other benefits to room sharing besides just convenience. They're actually finding it reduces the risks of SIDS because when babies can hear their parents breathing, they sync their breathing with them. They're thinking there are some other driving forces behind this as well that are starting to be researched.

And also fatmilkisdelish just keep a grocery bag in the room to put the diapers in during the night.   They aren't going to smell so bad so fast that you can't just throw them out in the morning.  I always just changed DS's diapers right there on the bed, on a changing pad during the night and then went back to sleep. No need to get out of bed. 

[Deleted]

Apr 26, 2015 16:57:13 GMT -5 dogmama22 said:

Apr 26, 2015 15:35:02 GMT -5 fatmilkisdelish said:

@demanda88 I'm with you on these questions...
Mine is, when the baby wakes up to eat in the middle of the night, will they always have a poopy diaper? If they do, (or mostly do) then I have just lost the desire to use the co-sleeper ....because if I'm going to have to physically remove myself from bed to change a diaper in addition to feeding, why not save husband's sleep and start baby out in the nursery from day 1?

Keep in mind that there are other benefits to room sharing besides just convenience. They're actually finding it reduces the risks of SIDS because when babies can hear their parents breathing, they sync their breathing with them. They're thinking there are some other driving forces behind this as well that are starting to be researched.

I was just going to write the same thing. Our pedi office tells you in every newborn visit that you need to have baby in room with you either in crib/bassinet next to bed or in a cosleeper due to SIDS for the first 4 months. We ended up moving DS to his own room I think at 3.5 months since he started rolling over anyway and being able to roll back by himself. So that was the reassurance we needed.

[Widget123]

A lot of interesting questions.

@demanda88 I prefer to rub the back vs. pat to burp. And only for a period of time, I'm not going to keep rubbing / patting for a long time, it's either going to happen or it's not.

Also if a diaper is wet and the child is awake I'm going to change it. If the child is asleep with a pee diaper I don't care. I absolutely want to avoid my child sleeping in poop.

budders baby books are hard to keep up with or at least they are for me. I usually do a couple of months at a time, but since all of my pics are electronic I know when I took them so periodic updates haven't been a big deal. I didn't do the monthly pics with onesie stickers with DD but I decided that I'm going to do them this time. I'm also going to do a stuffed animal for comparison each month. This will be in addition to holiday or milestone pics.

mcp6286 I've also heard bad things about car seat canopies and plan to use Aden & Anais swaddle blankets instead as I did with DD.

cnumbers I live about an hour away from the hospital I'm delivering at because my OBs are closer to my job so I'm pretty much going to be up to an hour plus away from the hospital at all times up to delivery and I'm not stressing it. And I could care less if my water breaks in public, which I consider a big gush in public unlikely anyway.

fatmilkisdelish no, there won't always be a poopy diaper, and baby poop doesn't stink that bad until they start solid foods.  So I like @jimbobcooter 's idea to throw it in a grocery bag.  Personally when I wake up for the baby I have to use the bathroom, so walking around a little bit in the middle of the night is no big deal and my reasons for keeping the baby in our room are more me being an overprotective parent than for convenience reasons anyway.

[daydreamernyc]

Apr 26, 2015 16:16:10 GMT -5 wegrowsheep said:

Apr 26, 2015 15:59:23 GMT -5 ladymouse said:

Epidurals are in the spine.  IVs are for hydration, motrin, pitocin, etc.  Not sure why one would be needed for the other?  My hospital does an IV lock as standard practice, and it didn't seem a worthwhile hill to die on, so to speak.  However, I will ask that it be done on the back of my hand this time.  The baby's head laid on the inside-of-the-wrist IV in many positions, and that was irritating as hell. 

After I had my first LO, the IV was used immediately to give me pitocin because my uterus wasn't contracting to stop the bleeding. Given the choice between the IV and the chance of an emergency hysterectomy, the IV lock is an easy choice. And yes, back of the hand is a legit request.

wegrowsheep, thank you, another great point!  Hadn't thought about still having issues after the baby is out so to speak!  

[tiffbot]

Apr 26, 2015 16:51:35 GMT -5 @jimbobcooter said:

Ok, I have a SS question based on the fact that I was induced and had an epi the entire labor with DS but want to go med free this time.

So when you are moving around in labor, whether still at home or in the hospital do you wear underwear? And especially this question after your water breaks. Do you wear some with a pad or just go free and let it drip everywhere?

I got started on the big ol hospital mesh underwear right when I was admitted as my water began leaking at home and it was a continuous slow leak. I actually remember standing by my bed while they were getting me settled and I was like 'ummm, sorry for the mess on the floor' and the nurse felt so bad because she didn't realize I didn't have a stock of underwear yet.

[tatersalad]

Apr 26, 2015 16:51:35 GMT -5 @jimbobcooter said:

Ok, I have a SS question based on the fact that I was induced and had an epi the entire labor with DS but want to go med free this time.

So when you are moving around in labor, whether still at home or in the hospital do you wear underwear? And especially this question after your water breaks. Do you wear some with a pad or just go free and let it drip everywhere?

My water broke at home, and it wasn't a big gush, it was a bit of a KY Jelly consistency, and continued as a slow leak. I called my doc, who confirmed it was indeed amniotic fluid, put on a pair of trusty Depends, walked the dog and gussied myself up for the hospital. While I waited in agony for my epidural I walked up and down the hallway in either mesh panties and pad or another pair of Depends cussing like a fool in an effort to get through contractions.