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Dandy Shrew posted:How many of you did the epidural? I was planning on just using the oxygen and trying to go natural, because the only way I can effectively deal with pain is to be able to move around, but keeping options open. I'm not even sure exactly WHAT I'm scared of, just general birthing anxiety, I suppose. Thank you all, though, for your level headed responses I did. I had planned to go as natural as possible, but after two days of irregular contractions and no sleep, and then getting bumped along by Pictocin it was the best drat part of the birth. I had to get a cath because apparently my bladder was full to bursting and it was giving me leg pain, but after that they wrapped me in warm blankets and I slept until it was pushing time. My whole philosophy was tough it out as best as I could, but use the pain-blockers if it got too much. I could have maybe done without if I hadn't gone into the whole thing exhausted and dehydrated and just worn out. I had a really good epidural though, it calmed down my psychotic Pictocin contractions and let me sleep but still left me enough sensation to push Chris out no problem.
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Jan 8, 2013 02:09
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sheri posted:Ok, I want to start by saying I'm fully aware that I sound like a mostly crazy person, but I'm going to ask anyway. I doubt you'll be in any danger but even at 20 weeks I would not have wanted to spend 30 hours traveling. That sounds like hell on earth, honestly. YMMV, but I've had difficulty sleeping comfortably in my own bed since the second trimester, can't imagine it'd be any easier on a train. Good luck.
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Jan 8, 2013 02:23
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Dandy Shrew posted:How many of you did the epidural? I was planning on just using the oxygen and trying to go natural, because the only way I can effectively deal with pain is to be able to move around, but keeping options open. I'm not even sure exactly WHAT I'm scared of, just general birthing anxiety, I suppose. Thank you all, though, for your level headed responses I did the epidural and I would do it again in heartbeat. I had a very fast labor, and contractions came so quickly and close together I never really got a chance to relax between. I waited about an hour and had them do it and everything was great afterwards. I was very lucky, had ZERO pain after the epidural, pushed for maybe 10 minutes and had no tearing. I got up and took a shower as soon as they took him to get checked out and really could have just gone home then if they let me. The best part about the epidural was that I was not exhausted for that first night, he came at 6 P.M and I was able to deal with him all night without being completely tired and overwhelmed. Our hospital had birthing suites where your baby is in the room with you the entire time so you are kind of "on duty" from the second the baby comes and I don't know how well I would have done after hours of exhausting labor.
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Jan 8, 2013 03:13
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nah.
Lullabee fucked around with this message at 23:54 on Mar 21, 2017 |
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Jan 8, 2013 03:14
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I hardly gained any weight for the longest time and I felt so guilty because of it. I was measuring small and had to have another ultrasound done to make sure the baby was growing okay, but still my midwife and the nutritionist kept congratulating me on how little weight I'd gained. When I'd tell them I was worried about how little weight I'd gained they'd just shrugged it off and told me to keep up the good work. Now I'm due in less than a week and everyone tells me I tiny I am but that it's a good thing. No one has been judgmental to me about my weight at all.
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Jan 8, 2013 03:24
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I just had my first OB appointment, and seeing the baby kick and wiggle was amazing, but the OB's advice about labor was pretty scary. Because of a medical condition I have, he said I'm "not a good candidate" for an epidural, and also that I should have a scheduled/induced birth. He seemed to think my best option was a scheduled c-section under general anesthesia. Obviously the most important thing is that the baby and I come out of this healthy and alive. But I'm feeling really sad about the idea of not even being conscious for my child's birth, and not being able to hold or meet him/her until later when I wake up. I'm still holding out hope that it won't have to be that way; I know other people with my condition have had epidurals, so it may still be possible for me. But has anybody here had a birth under general anesthesia, or known anyone who has? I didn't even realize it was an option until today.
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Jan 8, 2013 03:25
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Yeah the needle in the spine terrified me too! I was also afraid I wouldn't be able to sit still through the contractions to get the epidural safely. It really wasn't that bad. I felt a little "pop" I guess and some pressure. The worst part was not being able to move my legs for a few hours after the birth. I hated that sensation. I was also really afraid of getting a catheter. That wasn't too bad either but not the most pleasant experience.
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Jan 8, 2013 03:26
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Seven for a Secret posted:I just had my first OB appointment, and seeing the baby kick and wiggle was amazing, but the OB's advice about labor was pretty scary. Because of a medical condition I have, he said I'm "not a good candidate" for an epidural, and also that I should have a scheduled/induced birth. He seemed to think my best option was a scheduled c-section under general anesthesia. What condition do you have? Someone else here may have experienced the same thing.
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Jan 8, 2013 03:28
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Seven for a Secret posted:I just had my first OB appointment, and seeing the baby kick and wiggle was amazing, but the OB's advice about labor was pretty scary. Because of a medical condition I have, he said I'm "not a good candidate" for an epidural, and also that I should have a scheduled/induced birth. He seemed to think my best option was a scheduled c-section under general anesthesia. If you're uncomfortable with your OB's advice you can always get a second opinion.
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Jan 8, 2013 03:29
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Maybe it's that condition where you punch doctors for no reason because you're a special snowflake. I think someone in here had that one! (But seriously, Seven, it does sound really odd that he specifically requires general anesthesia.)
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Jan 8, 2013 03:48
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Ben Davis posted:What condition do you have? Someone else here may have experienced the same thing. dreamcatcherkwe posted:If you're uncomfortable with your OB's advice you can always get a second opinion.
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Jan 8, 2013 04:11
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Wow. I would never go through a birth with pitocin and no epidural again. Inducing a birth without the possibility of an epidural sounds like really bad advice. Does that also mean if you have a c section they have to put you under instead of just having a local?
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Jan 8, 2013 04:29
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What about signing up for a long intensive course to prepare you for natural childbirth without anesthesia? Like Bradley classes? My wife decided to try and go natural. They induced and she did ok for 22 hours or so. Then they broke her water and it was really bad for an hour and she asked for the epidural. Then 3 hours later the baby came out in 4 or 5 pushes. YAY BABY!!!!!! He's 11 weeks tomorrow and I've already forgotten about crawling into the corner and crying (not literally) during the labor. Had she gone into labor naturally and not been induced due to being overdue I think she would've made it with no epidural. The breaking of water tripled the amount of pain each contraction it seemed. Before then she was handling them like a champ.
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Jan 8, 2013 04:36
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Lullabee posted:To the ladies who barely gained (or even lost) weight - how do you deal with people? I'm at prepregnancy weight, little mans healthy and measuring on time, so my doctor isn't concerned, but I swear between the nurses, social worker and nutritionist, they all look at me like I'm somehow starving my kid. I know I'm not - I eat regularly and healthy, thanks to my GD. It just makes me feel like crap every time I say my weight or how far along I am, because I get this one eyebrow raised 'uh uh' look when I say he's healthy. I've gained just under 20 pounds, at 34 weeks. Literally no one aside from my doctor has commented on my weight other than to say I look great or carry it all in my belly or whatever. You don't have to gain a crazy amount of weight to have a perfectly normal, healthy pregnancy. My doctor is pleased than I haven't gained like crazy.
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Jan 8, 2013 05:06
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I'm still pretty early on...16 weeks, but still not back up to my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm glad I've gained a few pounds back from being so sick though. I'm finally starting to feel a bit better. Not 100%, but no where near as bad as I was! yay! I hope at some point I'm well enough to go out and enjoy a nice meal with my husband before the baby comes. My diet is still so limited and I get so wishy-washy about what tastes good to me.
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Jan 8, 2013 05:24
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I'm pretty small, and I only gained 17 pounds during my pregnancy, and my daughter was a perfectly healthy 7.5 lbs when she was born. People just feel that they have to comment on your appearance when you're pregnant. I got "you're so tiny" all the time, and it got a bit tiring, but I just kept repeating, "well I'm on track according to my doctor," over and over. I live in an area with a lot of Asian people, and it was just the opposite with them; I got "are you sure you want to eat that?" from elderly Asian women, and my awesome local Starbucks barista told me my baby was huge when I went in a couple of days after my daughter was born. You just can't win! If you're happy with how things are going, just let it roll off you.
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Jan 8, 2013 05:46
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My wife is currently at 30 weeks and weighs exactly the same as her pre-pregnancy weight. The doctor has told her that it is perfectly fine, as she was a little overweight before getting pregnant. It does frustrate her a little bit when people comment on the lack of weight gain, but now that she is showing quite a bit, it tends to be a moot point with people. The baby is actually in the 85th percentile in size as well, so the baby seems to be growing quite well, even with her lack of extra weight.
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Jan 8, 2013 06:05
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I'm actually kind of surprised that people would be upset at someone not gaining enough weight (obviously, this is different if you have ED or whatnot), just because everything I've read is that most people gain too much weight, which can cause its own problems. I gained way too much my first time around, so I'm being pretty careful this time about what I eat.
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Jan 8, 2013 06:27
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nah.
Lullabee fucked around with this message at 23:54 on Mar 21, 2017 |
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Jan 8, 2013 06:32
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Well, I'm a Dad now. I'm surprised how much I like the dude, I wasn't so sure I would be into having a baby but right away I'm thinking he's really neato. Named him Alistair. He was 8lb 9oz, 53cm. Born 7:22pm January 5th. He was due January 22 so its probably good he didn't stick around the whole time or he would have been 11lbs or something. Everything progressed really fast but then she couldn't make progress when she started pushing so out came the forceps 2 hours and lots of sweat later. His left side of his face was swollen with a small bruise on the right side. But its all evening out today and lookin swell.  
SmokeyXIII fucked around with this message at 12:12 on Jan 8, 2013 |
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Jan 8, 2013 10:46
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SmokeyXIII posted:Well, I'm a Dad now. I'm surprised how much I like the dude, I wasn't so sure I would be into having a baby but right away I'm thinking he's really neato. Named him Alistair. He was 8lb 9oz, 53cm. Born 7:22pm January 5th. He was due January 22 so its probably good he didn't stick around the whole time or he would have been 11lbs or something. Everything progressed really fast but then she couldn't make progress when she started pushing so out came the forceps 2 hours and lots of sweat later. His left side of his face was swollen with a small bruise on the right side. But its all evening out today and lookin swell. Congratulations! 
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Jan 8, 2013 13:02
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So with the discussion of birthing I wondered if anyone had tried HypnoBirthing? My wife & I were looking into it and the midwife we spoke to said she found a lot of people who'd been on it really found it helpful. I notice a few people saying they're worried about pain etc. of giving birth and the few chapters I've read so far in the book my wife picked yesterday talk about removing that fear as it tends to cause more tension during childbirth which results in more pain etc. We're just coming up to 28 weeks now so need to get on a course fairly soon I think, but wanted some feedback first if anyone had any.
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Jan 8, 2013 13:04
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poshphil posted:So with the discussion of birthing I wondered if anyone had tried HypnoBirthing? My wife & I were looking into it and the midwife we spoke to said she found a lot of people who'd been on it really found it helpful. Do you mind if I jump in, too? I'm currently 10 weeks pregnant and am terrified at the thought of an epidural. I'm looking into Bradley Method classes, but they're expensive! Has anyone tried them? Do they work? How do they compare to the Hypno-babies courses? Thanks!
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Jan 8, 2013 13:50
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SmokeyXIII posted:Well, I'm a Dad now. Awww, congrats! 
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Jan 8, 2013 16:51
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Just got home from appointment #1. There might be 2 in there. HOLY poo poo. We will know for sure on Friday so I'll be here panicking until then. Wish me luck either way!
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Jan 8, 2013 17:43
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MockTurtle posted:Just got home from appointment #1. There might be 2 in there. HOLY poo poo. We will know for sure on Friday so I'll be here panicking until then. Wish me luck either way! Did you have an ultrasound or what made them get to that conclusion? I know there have been goon twins before, so there are people here
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Jan 8, 2013 17:55
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sheri posted:Did you have an ultrasound or what made them get to that conclusion? They did the belly ultrasound not expecting to really see anything groundbreaking and he said that there were two fluid sacs. As he was starting it he asked if either of our families had twins before and I was just like OH HELL TO THE NO. The in-depth ultrasound on Friday will reveal the truth more clearly and he said don't think anything is official yet until it's really official. It would be a pretty awesome experience I guess but I don't even know what to do with one baby at this point let alone more than that!
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Jan 8, 2013 18:10
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Well! Two sacs means it is very likely there are two little ones in there!
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Jan 8, 2013 18:47
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I can't even imagine how I'd react to such news. Thank you all who put up with my hemming and hawing over daycare. I am currently sitting at Panera bread enjoying the most relaxed lunch I've had in I-don't-know-how-long. Spent a couple hours this morning helping a friend look at real estate, and I think next I'll wander through Home Depot AND Lowe's! Then I'll slowly make my way home and maybe wash some dishes, clean the house up a bit, do some vacuuming...I forgot what this was like.  I hope Eve is doing well. She had a little bit of a rough start this morning. She got up early so I was ready to go earlier than expected, which is fine, so I gave her breakfast, got her all ready to go, took her down there and dropped her off, then went home for a nice slow shower. However, while I was in the shower, apparently the daycare called because I had forgotten to bring any wipes or bottles! Eve always takes a few ounces before she goes down for a nap, and it was almost time for that when I dropped her off. I got everything together and raced down there, and there's my poor kiddo crying because she just wants to sleeeeep but first she needs to eeeeaaat...It was just a silly mistake, and she was totally fine once we had it all resolved, but I'm still annoyed that I started her stay off like that. Oh well, maybe we'll do better tomorrow! In the mean time, daddy is doing SO WELL.
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Jan 8, 2013 19:40
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nah.
Lullabee fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Mar 21, 2017 |
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Jan 8, 2013 20:23
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Any parents have advice or reassuring words for a new momma about to go back to work?
frenchnewwave fucked around with this message at 13:55 on Jan 9, 2013 |
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Jan 8, 2013 21:00
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ChloroformSeduction posted:I'm actually kind of surprised that people would be upset at someone not gaining enough weight (obviously, this is different if you have ED or whatnot), just because everything I've read is that most people gain too much weight, which can cause its own problems. I gained way too much my first time around, so I'm being pretty careful this time about what I eat. I think it really depends on what you weighed before. I was low end of normal - underweight and proceeded to lose weight in the first trimester, so me gaining weight has been more of an issue than it would be for most women. I didn't start regaining any of it until ~13 weeks or so and didn't get back to my prepregnancy weight until around 20 weeks. If I'd taken much longer to start gaining my doc would have been concerned (at my 12 week appt I was told I needed to be gaining by the next appointment or we'd have to have a talk about it). If I were to go through the pregnancy without gaining, it would be cause for concern because it would make me underweight to a scary degree. On the other hand, if you are even in the middle range of normal weight for your height it's not really an issue if you gain little to nothing. And regardless you should just tell people that your doctor is keeping and eye on it and to butt out if they are giving you crap about your weight gain. Greycious: It's great you are starting to feel a bit better. It seems like it took forever before I felt like a semi-normal human being again but around 22 weeks I was finally able to stop my anti-nausea meds and now I'm 24 weeks and feel mostly normal as far as food/eating goes. So there is still hope!
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Jan 8, 2013 22:07
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Bad Munki posted:Thank you all who put up with my hemming and hawing over daycare. I am currently sitting at Panera bread enjoying the most relaxed lunch I've had in I-don't-know-how-long. Spent a couple hours this morning helping a friend look at real estate, and I think next I'll wander through Home Depot AND Lowe's! Then I'll slowly make my way home and maybe wash some dishes, clean the house up a bit, do some vacuuming...I forgot what this was like. I am so jealous. I need a job. =X
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Jan 8, 2013 22:50
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I would have cried in the worst way if there were two blobs on my first ultrasound. First thing we asked was "Is there a heartbeat? Followed very quickly by "Just one, right?"
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Jan 8, 2013 22:55
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Mom's going to be so happy when she gets home, this house is cleeeaaan. Hey, this came up somehow in...I think the PYF Creepy Pictures thread? Anyhow, I thought maybe people here would find it interesting. It's lullaby covers of all sorts of artists, everything from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin to Radiohead to Bob Marley to Elvis to Tool to Bon Jovi to U2 to AC/DC...the list goes on. It's really quite something! http://www.amazon.com/Rockabye-Baby!/e/B002XHINJI/works/ref=ntt_mus_teaser
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Jan 8, 2013 22:55
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Stephen is now four months old, which I can't believe. He weighs almost 16lbs and is 26" long. His doctor can't get over how long he is. He can fit into size 12mo clothes. -_- I feel like I only had a baby for a week and now I have a toddler, lol. He's becoming very chatty and loves to babble. He also smiles at everything and can laugh a lot. He holds his head up well and is trying to roll over. He's starting to grab at things, too. He sleeps through the night really well. He'll go to bed around 8 or 9 and wake up at 4 or 5 for a bottle and a change, and then he'll sleep for another hour before getting up entirely. He was also great today, and allowed me to shower, work out, throw something in the crock pot and do a load of laundry without fussing (usually if he can't see me, he starts crying but he's been getting better about that). As for me, I've lost half of the weight that I gained while pregnant. I've gotten to see my step-daughter, which is awesome because my husband has been dying to see her. She was upset about him deploying next month, but she understands. And she ADORES her baby brother! She changed him, held him, couldn't get enough of him. As soon as she got back home, she was texting me, asking me how he was and what he was doing. She can't wait to visit me in the summer, when she's off from school. My in-laws have been wonderful about everything, and Joe and I are going to try to get some alone-time when he gets back. My own mom, however... Well, she keeps telling me that she'll fly out soon to visit. But she keeps getting and then quitting jobs, then saying she's going on disability, then saying she'll fly out with her tax returns, and now she's saying she's moving to North Carolina (wtf?). So basically, unless I fly myself and the baby over to PA, she'll never meet him. It frustrates me because she keeps buying him things and sending them to us, like a $200 Walmart gift card. Forget the gift card, put it towards a plane ticket to meet your grandson! Sorry, it just hurts that she hasn't met him yet. :-/ Anyway, here's a picture of my HUGE 4 month old wonder. 
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Jan 8, 2013 22:59
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Wow CravingSolace, he has so much hair!
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Jan 8, 2013 23:13
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Chickalicious posted:I would have cried in the worst way if there were two blobs on my first ultrasound. First thing we asked was "Is there a heartbeat? Followed very quickly by "Just one, right?" It still hasn't quite sunk in yet. But there isn't much anyone can do about it so I suppose I just need to buck up and get over it. No sense in getting upset! (Plus I am still banking on the "real" ultrasound possibly revealing something different)
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Jan 9, 2013 00:58
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CravingSolace posted:Stephen is now four months old, which I can't believe. He weighs almost 16lbs and is 26" long. His doctor can't get over how long he is. I think I have a freak baby. He's going to be 7 weeks on Friday and during tummy time he can already hold his head up all the way to look around and he can roll stomach to back. Edit: Argh. I'm suppose to go back to work at the end of the month and I found out my team is already crunching and working weekends. Freaking great thing to come back to. Alterian fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Jan 9, 2013 |
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Jan 9, 2013 01:13
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Hdip posted:What about signing up for a long intensive course to prepare you for natural childbirth without anesthesia? Like Bradley classes? We went into it planning on an epidural. And then the anesthesiologist explained, shortly after check-in, that my wife's scoliosis and other back issues made an epidural "very risky." Oh boy. That was around 2 a.m. Our particular Benjamin arrived at 6:40 p.m., including 3-4 hours of pushing. Much later we found out that Ben was 99th percentile for head circumference at birth. The nurses kept saying things like "oh good for you deciding to go natural" and looking around for our birth plan, soothing music CDs, doula, etc. No. One also commented that we were the only natural birth all night -- and it was true, the entire delivery area was dead silent out of every room excepting my screaming wife. We did a painkiller for a few hours, that helped. Benjamin helped by having a super-steady heartbeat, which meant that the nurses let my wife unstrap from the heart monitor at intervals so she could stand up and walk around. Most people seem to agree that laboring standing up is the way to go. But it was all worth it in the end, because our 'painful birth' story is way more hardcore then almost anyone else's, and we can lord it over other Moms for the rest of our lives! Also Benjamin is okay I guess.
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