★ October & November 2020 Hedgehogs ★

[Flueky88]

Joanna glad you guys are well. How was the jaundice and his weight? That first 4 hr stretch of sleep is the best isn't it.

Jelly that's so exciting to be cleared for a home birth. I semi want one but not offered here anyways.

Azure sorry it's unknown if baby is breech. Hoping he is head down for you. As for ECV, I've never experienced it. I think baby girl is head down but if she isn't I'd have to research a bit to make a decision. Were they able to work you in sooner??

Co beautiful bump pic. I hope that you have a smooth induction, delivery tomorrow. I'm so excited for the next baby in the thread

Fern, yay for maternity leave. I'm feeling a bit jealous but I know I want all my leave with baby. It's hard enough leaving tgem at 16 weeks old so I prefer not to leave them any sooner. Also work has gotten hectic so that's definitely not fun.


AFM 36 weeks tomorrow. Hoping to make it to 38 weeks. Baby E has dropped though and having more discharge that isn't BV or yeast. So not sure if she might come sooner. I'm just going to count each week as a victory. I have my 36 week appt on Monday and will hage gbs test done. I plan to ask baby's position and a cervix check. I also am going to ask for a travel restriction from work so they don't have me travel iver an hour from the hospital. If my labors were longer wouldn't be a big deal but I'm estimating about a 90 minute labor. My labor times have been 6hr with dd1 and then 3 hr with dd2. I know that I'm not guaranteed another fast one but I do think I should be prepared for that reality and being 90 minutes from the hospital this late is ridiculous to me. Sorry for the rant. Oh the OB I see on Monday is one that delivered dd1 so I'm looking forward to seeing him, he's my favorite OB there.

As for closing no updates on it being different than 10/30. 2 weeks ago the loan officer was confident it would be sooner but now I'm not too sure.

 

[Fern81]

Co_foster good luck for tomorrow, I hope everything goes smoothly!! Will be thinking of you all day!

Azure hope your baby isn’t breach.

Jelly so cool that you’re getting everything set up for your home birth! I hope it’s a dream come true

Joanna nice to hear that you’re both doing well and that you’re feeling great

Flueky I really do hope your labour is short but not too rushed and unexpected or eventful.

I can’t wait to read more birth stories!

Afm well I’m resting wayyy more than nesting! There are lots still to do that won’t be urgently needed the minute after birth so I’m completely unmotivated. I try to clean/pack/sort a bit each day but after 30 minutes I’m exhausted and just want to lie down and watch one born every minute lol. Plus the minute the house is clean my toddler and husband come home and make a huge mess again. I’m much more “meh” this time round, I’m just glad I had some energy in September to get the most urgent things done.

I was admitted to hospital AGAIN yesterday for pain and I feel like they over treated me... the pain wasn’t too bad just weird (felt like a burning knitting needle stabbing into my upper right belly) with zero contractions but I got a morphine injection, iv, etc. As a result I’m so groggy today (after yet again nobody could tell me what was wrong) that I couldn’t attend my son’s swimming lesson... who knows how many Saturdays I have left to wake up only me and ds and that I can just up and go to his swimming with him! I’m quite upset that I missed out on this time with him. I’m sure they had good reason for treating me though despite me being emotional about it... baby A was quite tachycardic last night so that’s probably why I got a lot of meds & bloodwork. Anyway he’s staying put for now and the plan is that I’m still going to see my dr at 39 weeks again to re-evaluate vb vs cs.

Phew, long post!

 

[AzureOrchid]

That's good news about your baby's size, jellybean! So exciting for your home birth!!

Thanks, Joanna. I do wonder if there's a reason why he is breech and if EV might exacerbate the issue. Glad to hear you got some sleep and everything is going well

Thanks, Flueky. Sadly, still waiting so may have to stick with the original appointment on Tuesday if they don't have any cancellations on Monday. I've been researching like crazy but not sure if that's doing more harm than good lol! Wow that's a short labor time. Definitely makes sense to be prepared for another quick one. Hopefully work cooperates for you and fingers crossed they get their butts moving on the loan!

I hear you on the resting, Fern! I've been in a bit of a lazy mode this week. Slowly prepping the things we absolutely need but not jumping up to keep unpacking or doing things that aren't necessary in the short term. Yikes, that sounds like quite the treatment for you but hopefully you're feeling better, albeit groggy. Sorry you couldn't go for your son's swimming lesson but you need to take care of you and I'm sure there will be plenty more opportunities

 

[co_fostermom]

Just a quick check in because I probably won't be here for the next few days but today is THE DAY! Being induced at 7pm tonight but they could call me in earlier. We shall see. Either way, I'm feeling ALL. the. things.

Will probably stay off the internet the rest of the day. Too much negativity in my newsfeed, etc. and even though I love this group, being on the internet at all will tempt me to scroll Facebook.

Co_mama out!

 

[CC94]

Good call staying offline, best wishes for you and babe, can’t wait for your update!!!!

 

[AzureOrchid]

Ahhhh that's so exciting CO!!! I hope everything went well and the two of you are doing great Looking forward to your update!

 

[Flueky88]

Fern my nesting energy is gone. I've reached the point where I feel like a beached whale lol I'm also looking forward to more birth stories

Azure sorry it looks like you aren't being seen until Tuesday. Stinks when you feel anxious. I'm such a planner so being in limbo is torture lol

Co hope you are doing well and so is baby boy. I look forward to reading your birth story mama!

AFM Thinking baby might become an October baby. In any case I don't think I'll go before my due date, never made it that far (was a 3 days from edd with dd2). I'm 2cm dilated, 70% effaced, head is low and could be felt during exam.

OB had no problems writing a note to my work to place a travel restriction. Have a few things left to do but aren't urgent. Will try to get tgem done in next couple days. Alao, thinking I might get a pedicure tomorrow so I make sure I get my pampering in before it's too late.

 

[victorial8]

Hi everyone . Congrats on all these fantastic baby announcements I hope you and bubbas are all doing well.

as for you lovely ladies that are still pregnant, I hope you are coping well and not feeling too sore. It’s getting so close to us all having our babies so soon.

As for us, after 6 weeks in Neonatal, my little Leo got to come home and meet his big sister . He has done so well to get home so early. We were told to focus on him coming home at his due date but he came home when he would have been 35+3. He is now up to 5lb 2oz and is feeding like a champ. So so proud of him.

 

[AzureOrchid]

Wow, Flueky, you may not be far off, how exciting! Definitely good news that you got the note from your doctor, too, that should be a relief

That's fantastic news, victoria!! Must feel great to be home with him now. Hope his big sister is happy to see her baby brother!

 

[Fern81]

Co_foster thinking of you!

Flueky I bet you’re next! That sounds promising. Good thing that you got a travel restriction, try to rest up!

Azure good luck with your appointment today, I hope baby is head down. Keep us updated.

Congrats on taking Leo home Victoria! So glad that he’s doing so well, what a champ!

38 weeks over here, tired, sore and anxious! I wish I had more energy. It feels like no matter how much I clean, nothing gets properly cleaned and definitely doesn’t stay clean until the next morning
Since yesterday I’ve been thinking more about opting for a cs as I’m getting more anxious about my body falling apart during birth, but when I imagine the pain after cs I don’t think I’ll be able to cope with it! I remember feeling very anxious before ds1 was born too, but not about the birth. I suppose anxiety is part of the package but it’s difficult, I keep overthinking everything. This was a stressful year for sure, I hope that after A is born we can all settle in and settle down!

 

[Flueky88]

Victoria so happy baby boy is home especially sooner than they'd predicted

Azure thinking of you today and hoping baby is head down

Fern, I could be but I did stay at the same for 2 weeks with dd2 so never know. I do think end of October or early November baby is most likely for me.

Sorry about the constant cleaning. I can definitely relate to this. DH is picking up the slack more now though so blessed with that. With your 1st cs was it a scheduled one? I've heard the pain and recovery are less with a scheduled one than an unplanned/emergency cs. Do you think you could discuss your fears at your next appt with the OB?

Anyways best be getting ready for work now.

 

[Fern81]

Victoria so happy baby boy is home especially sooner than they'd predicted

Azure thinking of you today and hoping baby is head down

Fern, I could be but I did stay at the same for 2 weeks with dd2 so never know. I do think end of October or early November baby is most likely for me.

Sorry about the constant cleaning. I can definitely relate to this. DH is picking up the slack more now though so blessed with that. With your 1st cs was it a scheduled one? I've heard the pain and recovery are less with a scheduled one than an unplanned/emergency cs. Do you think you could discuss your fears at your next appt with the OB?

Anyways best be getting ready for work now.

No my first was an induction with epidural and vb. I did tear quite a bit but it was an easy recovery. I’ve had abdominal surgery before which I really struggled to recover from though that’s why I’m so scared of a cs!

 

[AzureOrchid]

Aww Fern, that sounds frustrating with the cleaning I also completely get the anxiety with the birthing options. Since the whole breech thing came into play last week I've been back and forth on which one would be better and it's tough! Hope you can come to a conclusion and feel good about it.

Had the ultrasound this morning and he's definitely breech! He has been enjoying using my lungs as pillows lately as he takes up as much space as he can with his legs down. It was neat seeing the measurements, albeit a little scary. His belly measures on track at 37 and a half weeks but his head is already measuring 40 weeks! They estimate his weight at about 7.5 lbs right now.

The technician was really nice but still didn't disclose everything as she went along. It does look like everything is a-ok with him as far as organs, cord and fluid levels. He was even making little kissy faces as we took some side profile pics

I see my OB tomorrow and I guess we'll go from there. Really curious to see what next steps look like. I also wonder if he's breech because his head is so darn big and maybe things are too cramped for him to be head down? Nevermind the thoughts of his head continuing to grow and coming out naturally if he does flip!

 

[AzureOrchid]

Met with my OB today and things are starting to happen pretty quickly. We're going to give an external version a try on Monday afternoon but he's not very confident that it'll work. He does say the biggest risk is we wind up delivering the baby somehow that day but he'll be 38+1 then so should be more than fine. Otherwise, some very low risks with cord issues but would just result in emergency c-section anyways.

I'm also now tentatively scheduled for a c-section on November 1st at 39w.

Really wish my fiance could accompany me to the appointment today so he could ask questions as I'm just broken telephone trying to reassure him it'll be OK. Although, at the same time, I'm still not sure how I personally feel about the EV! I've read both success and failure stories about it but aside from a sore bump it doesn't seem anyone was worse for wear after it. I guess I just worry there simply isn't enough room for him to move and that we wind up stressing him out for no reason. Fiance is concerned that we might cause him physical harm with the pushing/prodding (he possibly suffered some vision issues due to forceps when he was delivered, so that's where that comes from.)

If he does wind up being delivered on Monday, we still have so much left to get done. Our previous house closes on the Tuesday and we still need to get things out of that place and into here, and clean it up for the new owner. Plus we need to get the car seat setup and seriously decide on names! Ugh!! I know that he has been in denial that the baby could come early but this is happening now and we need to get everything together. I finally got the last of what I needed and packed up the hospital bags (robes, mommy and baby diapers take up way too much space) the other night.

We also can't move out the EV appointment because my OB is only at the hospital on the 26th and then again on the 1st to do it. So, unless we went with a different doctor, those are the only choices. And he seemed pretty set on having the CS on week 39 so I don't think we're going to prolong into week 40. Given the size of this bugger, I don't think I want to wait another week, anyways!

So exciting and stressful at the same time lol!

Hope all you ladies are doing well.

 

[Fern81]

Wow Azure that is a tough choice! Have you definitely decided on the EV?

 

[AzureOrchid]

We are leaning more towards going through with it on Monday than not. After sitting down and talking it through with my fiance, we came up with some additional questions/concerns so I've sent those off to my OB and hope he'll get back to me soon (likely tomorrow as he is on call at the hospital today.) Overall, it's super low risk, they'll monitor the whole time and we can always call it off at any point during the procedure.

Struggling with the idea of putting him through any sort of distress for such low odds of success, though. I'm completely OK with the idea of c-section if he's breech and think it's more social/family pressure to try for the vaginal birth but it just seems selfish. If he's comfy where he is and we can deliver him safely then maybe it's not worth trying to force him head down. At the same time, if we don't try I'll always wonder what if!

 

[Pineberry]

Ahh have absolutely not had the time or energy to keep up here. so sorry ladies! Just a quick update as bubba is gonna wake up from his nap soon. @Joannaxoxo lovely photo of the two of you. You look great and Connor is just gorgeous. @co_fostermom - I hope everything goes well, so exciting!! Thinking of you and can't wait to see your baby boy!

Today marks 4 weeks with my little one! Those first few weeks with a newborn are MUCH harder than I anticipated. There were times I would wonder why anyone would have more than 1 child lol. Times I would be crying hysterically because bubba was feeding for 1+ hour straight & I just wanted to eat my dinner in peace. Or because he was feeding for the 5th time in a span of 2 hours, leaving me unable to do anything at all.


It's gotten better for sure but there are still days that are soo hard. Like, yesterday he simply refused to sleep despite us trying EVERYTHING. He was up for almost 5 hours straight. Also, recently he's started to cry and get upset while on the breast (only in the evenings), which is frustrating and confusing.


Needless to say I am exhausted! I do get a bit of sleep at night if I take bub to bed with me and do side-lying feeding (this doesn't always work tho- sometimes he won't latch properly when lying on my side). Also, my SO is able to take over a few feedings a day since I pump, and he also gets 1 bottle of formula every day. SO has started to work again (from home) so we have had to re-adjust our rhythm a little bit. I have baby all night and then daddy will take over in the mornings till around lunch time so I can get uninterrupted rest.


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Love him SOOO much though, completely obsessed with my little boy. Can't wait for him to be a few months older and need less feedings / sleep more / start interacting with us. I'm glad I've felt so bonded with him right off the bat, I can imagine those first few weeks would be even harder if I didn't. Plus, those little snuggles are the best thing in the world - love having him sleep on my chest, memories I'll cherish all my life for sure.

 

[AzureOrchid]

Awww Pine, he's such a cutie!! Sorry it has been so exhausting but sounds like it's definitely all worth it Those snuggles sound amazing!! Glad to hear you're both doing well, even if exhausted and frustrated at times.

 

[Fern81]

Good luck then Azure! Sounds like you are calm either way. Just a few more sleeps and then your baby will be here regardless!

What a cutie Pineberry, wow that sounds exhausting though! I never had that with ds 1, he ate every 3-4 hrs (formula) and slept in between and didn’t really fuss when he was awake. The newborn stage was super easy for me but age 1-2 was very hard. Of course now everyone tells me I can’t possibly expect A to be an “easy” baby as well which has me kinda nervous tbh! It’s nice to hear that despite being so sleep deprived and having almost no time to yourself you’re still bonding with him and enjoying it. Hope things continue to get better!

 

[Pineberry]

That sounds like a dream Fern! tbh I wouldnt even say that my little dude is difficult per se - he mostly only ever cries when he is hungry - its just that he has a giant appetite lol! But we´re at every 2 hours with feedings right now, so thats progress from what it was before. And getting him to sleep can be hard. But other than that hes a sweetheart