2014 April Rainbows

[Karinama98]

Lisa - glad to know you're feeling better. And seeing your pictures with DD got me teary eyed. You look so happy. I'm glad to also hear that your fiancé has been a huge help and support during all of this. The picture of them sleeping next to each other is definitely a precious sight.

Kasey - we had our prenatal class a few weekends back and it was exciting but overwhelming at the same time. I could feel my anxiety rising as it went on and had to breath to get myself to calm down. It was more because things are now at a point where things are real in knowing she could come any time. I also think with them showing what 10 cm looks like for dilation freaked me out a bit lol. But we were just excited to see the labor/delivery rooms and the recovery rooms. Wish the recovery rooms were as nice as the labor rooms. A total "hotel" room in every way, in which I'm going to be enjoying the whirlpool during labor to the fullest.

 

[vietmamsie]

We are also in prep mode (guess we have been for some time, but now it just feels very real!). We watched a few birth videos on youtube and have been working on breathing. Despite not getting to take birthing classes and having everything fall through with our doula, I feel like we are as ready as we can be. Just waiting...

In the mean time I am keeping up with laundry as with only a few outfit options these days, I will need everything that fits for our 4 day hospital stay! And making little piles of things here and there so we can pack quickly when the time comes.

 

[Karinama98]

Vietmamsie - We did our bag on Thursday, and I told DH I wasn't too thrilled with the shirt options to put in it, so he kept telling me to use my maternity shirts. They're all used for work at the moment, so I feel you in terms of not having too many options. But I let him picked out the outfits for her to potentially come home in, so he was excited about that.

 

[ebonymama]

wow,
things are coming along nicely...

congrats to lisa on your DD..EE....

huge kudos to your OH as well for b n so supportive......

well lindsay u and i are in the same boat.....i to, am gonna be induced around the last week in march.....due to high blood pressure....

praying for a safe landing......

how are the rest of u ladies......

i think our babies gonna be a few days apart....
i am so thrilled to be apart of it all and thankful to GOD for blessing me and helping me make it this far.....

gonna keep yall posted...

yall keep good until

 

[IcePrincess]

This is so exciting! Who is going to be next?!?
Lisa the pic are so cute! Congrats again!

 

[Lisa85]

Looks like everyone is in final preparations for their LO's. It really is amazing to have them in your arms.

We are exclusively breastfeeding now and my lord its painful!! my nipples are in agony. Cant wait till they toughen up a bit and life will be awesome. She is such a great baby. She barely cries and is soooo cute!!
I am very tired but i think i have it pretty good with her.
Im getting baby blues and sundown which is really hard... i just loose it and balls my eyes out and everything feels hopeless but i know its just hormones coz everything is great with us. Hopefully it will pass soon. I was better last night coz i knew it was coming so i tried everything i could think of to keep it at bay and i didn't cry.

Cant wait for all of you to have your LO's now!! Bring on the babies!!

 

[Lisa85]

Milk Drunk!!

 

[vietmamsie]

Lisa - She is so sweet! Glad BF is going so well... hope those nipples toughen up! Have you tried nipple balm or cream? I have some organic edible nipple balm stashed in preparation for some sore nips! The hormonal issues should pass as everything settles down - I have heard about a month or so.

Keep up the good work - she seems like a very happy baby! You must be doing something right!!

 

[Lisa85]

Omg cluster feeding with agony nipples!! I don't know how to continue. I don't want to give up but this is getting unbearable.
Make sure you get latches right from the start ladies so you can try avoid your nipples getting this bad!

 

[Brieanna]

Beautiful milk drunk pics! If I wasn't already about to burst I would get broody just seeing the pics of a newborn, lol!

Oh no about painful nipples. It can be a horrible cycle, having painful nipples but not being able to let them heal because of cluster feeding! Have you looked at the breastfeeding section of bnb? It has lots of good tips/advice. I will admit the early day/weeks of bfing sucked, but once we got the hang of it, it was totally worth it.

For painful nipples, other than lanolin, they have these cold gel soothing things that might help. https://www.lansinoh.com/products/soothies-by-lansinoh-gel-pads

 

[ebonymama]

hey ladies,
i trust thing are ok with everyone...

got through week 35 appointment and got week 36 appointment 2morrow

got one more appointment next week at week 37 then after that is induction time

now today is me last day at work.....so i might not come on as regular.....so remember me in your prayers....

either me or me sis gonna come on and update....


be bless ladies

congrats again lisa.....

remember cherish every moment with DD.....and don't let the baby blues get to ya.....

 

[Kasey84]

Ebony- Looks like you'll have your little one pretty soon! Keep us posted

Lisa- Sorry your having a hard time with breast feeding. I've heard the first 4-6 weeks are toughest. Sounds like your doing the very best you can, so be proud whatever the outcome

Saw my OB again today. Baby is still head down and according to the dr in a good position. Had the GBS screening too and I'll get those results next week.

I've got my hospital bag packed mostly. Clothes and things for the baby, along with pjs, slippers, socks, underwear and toiletries for me. I also have a limited wardrobe, so outfits for me will have to be packed at the last minute.

Can't wait to hear news of the next baby!!

 

[Karinama98]

Lisa - glad to see she's a well adjusted baby to our world. Sorry to hear about the soreness issue. I know I have my nipple cream ready for the hospital when I go to prepare. I'm going to be using a pump vs letting her feed that way just because my nipples are extremely sensitive as it is (even before pregnancy). And I know once we have our LO I'm going to be really concerned about post partum depression and sadness. With everything I've gone through, I'm already seeing it hit occasionally on weekends when I have nothing to do.

AFM: Today was my 36 week appointment, and it's also our one year anniversary of losing our LO. Been a mixture of emotions for sure. My OB checked and noticed I'm about 1 cm dilated already and am starting to have cervical thinning. Little girl today has been extremely mobile in her little home today - haven't seen my stomach dance so much.

But after I left the doctor's office I had a mini crying moment in my car as I drove to work. I'm scared for multiple reasons. Starting to go through the emotions of "This is really going to happen." "I'm not ready to give up my life yet the way I've been living." "I'm concerned about her being healthy when she's born." and then thoughts about why we lost our LO back a year ago. DH was thinking about our loss today too, but didn't want to bring it up to me unless I did first. We both struggle with it at times still.

 

[vietmamsie]

Karina - I think those thoughts are totally normal. We have all had a rough time getting to where we are today so it is only natural for us to refect back and feel sad about what didn't happen and question why things are going so well now. Fear is natural - fear of painful child birth, fear of the future, fear of how our lives are going to change. In the last month I have had several very negative thoughts about having a baby now - worried that my relationship with my husband will change, that maybe I pushed us into something we weren't ready for (I was much more a baby train supporter than DH) and how I will adjust to being a mom. These thoughts are totally natural. The important thing is that MORE often you think about how much richer your life will be with your LO and how much hard work and love you are ready to put into taking care of and raising your baby. If I start to feel depressed, I just think about how much I love this little bean NOW, and how much more that love will grow once he/she is on the outside with me!

Ebony - Another baby on it's way! So crazy to think that one month from now ALL of us will have had our Little Ones!

Lisa - sorry about the sore nipples! Try to stick it out... BFing is so worth it in the end, you just have to get through this tough point. Obviously I haven't used this yet, buy I bought this natural edible cram that I have heard great things about - no need to wash off before the baby feeds again! Maybe you can find it where you are or order online?

https://buybamboobies.com/shop/boob-ease-natural-nipple-balm-100-organic/

Kasey - I feel like a laundry nut... I am washing clothes every day in preparation for packing things that actually fit in my hospital bag. It has become a joke around here - "Worn today, clean tomorrow!" But with only a few options, most of which are PJs, I am going to need everything that fits for those 4 days!

AFM, Last night I woke up having a really bad contraction. DH had to help me out of bed and to the bathroom where I was finally able to stop freaking out and move through the second one/do some breathing. After 2 contractions, I got back into bed, just sat there waiting for more, but they never came. Have another doctors appointment today so I will be sure to bring it up with him. Hoping its a good sign that things are opening up and getting moving. I am glad I am getting a few practice contractions here and there, but I am ready for the main event!

 

[vietmamsie]

Hey guys - not so good news from my appointment today. Copied from the email I send out to the family this evening:

As usual, the baby is measuring a bit ahead. The head is at 39 weeks, the legs at 38 weeks, and the body at 38 weeks. This little guy had grown 450 grams since our last appointment - 3.45 kgs total!

And then the bad news came - my body has continued to make fluid for my uterus, causing it to continue to grow. I am now at 24cm of fluid, which is not good. Basically with this much fluid, the baby is totally free to move around and change positions at will. This makes natural delivery a bit tricky. Also, with all the water in there, the baby will never be able to drop and fully engage in my pelvis, no matter how much walking I do. With all this terrible news I started crying. I am very worried for my little friend and also for me because carrying such a big belly is very taxing.

We were asked to head up to labor and delivery for fetal monitoring. It was supposed to take about 40 minutes, but were were there for almost two hours. It was never ending! By the end of it I was sore, uncomfortable and in tears. Just sitting there with the straps around my middle listening to the heartbeat and worrying that something might be wrong. Finally we went down to see Dr. Hung again and he was impressed that I had had a few contractions during the session. While they are light at this point, they are happening! The baby seemed to be doing just fine and doesn't seem to be stressed in there, which is good. However, we were advised that due to size and amount of fluids we need to get things moving. Dr. Hung is hoping that I will have this baby before our next scheduled appointment (next thursday)!!! We are on strict orders to do everything in our power to get this little one MOVING!
We headed straight to acupuncture with Dr. Kim (my old acupuncturist) and got acu and cupping done. I will return in a few days if things are still at a stand still. He is totally on the same page as us and has hope that he will be able to coax the baby out! Whether or not it helped the baby, I don't know, but it sure calmed me down about the whole thing. After that we went to a Korean BBQ and had tons of spicy kimchi! What a day! We had totally expected to be home by 3:00, but didn't get here until 8:00! Now I am sipping Raspberry leaf tea and munching on dates and we have a few other sure fire doctor recommended methods of inducing labor that we'll do tonight!

Basically what the plan is, is for me to go into labor, get to the hospital between 3-4 cm, then have my water broken so that the baby can finally fall down into my cervix. Hopefully this all goes as planned and we can still have a natural child birth. Keeping positive and staying hopeful about everything. But keeping in mind that now that we are facing some medical problems, the ultimate goal is to have a healthy baby in our arms, no matter how it actually gets there.

 

[Kasey84]

Karina- I'm thinking of you The anniversary of loss is always hard, especially with everything else you've had to cope with lately. You are a very strong person...never forget that!

I'm having a lot of the same fears/feelings you mentioned about baby's arrival. Worried about complications during delivery, about being a good parent, about how our lives will change. I'm even already worrying about going back to work after maternity leave and finding good child care! On top of that, my oh gets home next week after a 5 week work rotation up north and he's likely starting a new job here at home. This is great, as it means no more going away for work, however the job is an hour drive from our house and I'm terrified that he'll be at work when I go into labor! And since it's a new job, there will be less flexibility to take time off with me once the baby is born. I think these fears are completely normal and just the start of parenthood!

Vietmamsie- I'm sorry you didn't get the news you were hoping for at your apt. It sounds like you're in good hands though and I'm glad your staying positive. I hope some of the tips you've been given to induce labor works! Your little one could be here before you know it Keep us posted and if you don't mind sharing what are some of the tips your were given? I may need some good tips if I end up going overdue!

 

[Lindsay109]

It's so exciting that we're in the final stages now... hard to believe in a few weeks all of the babies will be here I too, have had a lot of the same fears recently about having the baby - I think it is a normal stage to go through, things are seeming much more real now. Just trying to refocus on the positive when I start to worry.

Lisa, Elana is beautiful! I love the milk drunk photo Sorry you're struggling with breastfeeding, I hear that the first few weeks are the worst. I have also bought the same nipple balm as vietmamsie linked.... I've heard it's quite good and you don't have to worry about washing it off before the baby feeds again. You'll be old hat at this by the time the rest of our babies come and we'll all be coming to you for advice

Ebony, good luck with your induction and I look forward to hearing about your little one's arrival!!

Kasey, glad to hear baby is head down, hopefully the GBS screening will come back negative too. Good for you with the hospital bag, I'm still working on ours. I think my clothes will be going in last minute as well... I have quite a limited wardrobe as well.

Karina, sending some hugs on the anniversary of losing your LO Those days are hard. Glad to hear that it sounds like your body is preparing well for the arrival of this LO though.

Viemamsie, sorry to hear you didn't get the news you were hoping for at your appointment. It sounds like you are in very good hands though, and the fact that you're having contractions is a very good sign, I hope you can get something going naturally before next week! Yes, if you have any good tips, please share. I've got an induction date now so am trying everything I can do get baby moving.

AFM, OB booked induction for May 29 (as long as the hospital is not too busy). I started acupuncture this week to help get my cervix ready, and will be going a couple more times next week to try and get my body prepared (and if baby decides to come on his own before then, I will be very happy ). Will be all finished work tomorrow which I'm also quite excited about, and looking forward to potentially having a week to relax and sort things out around the house. Hopefully we'll get good news on monday that DH's leg is better and he'll be off crutches (and able to drive!!) by the time baby arrives.

 

[vietmamsie]

Lindsay - I sure hope you meant MARCH 29th!!! Otherwise I would pity you!!!

Kasey - These thoughts are natural. I have them too. After being relatively stress free this pregnancy, this last bit has thrown me for a loop - lots of fears and worries have been resurfacing that I haven't really had since the early week in August/September.

Oh, forgot to mention that I got my GBS retest results back - despite actually putting crushed garlic up my woo-woo for two weeks, I still came back positive! My DH laughed at me.

Here are some the natural methods we are using:
eating dates
drinking 4 cups of raspberry leaf tea daily
nipple stimulation (lots of different ways to do this... both me and DH are doing it. I think we will do two 30 minute sessions a day. You stimulate for a few minutes, then break, and go to the next one, then go back. You tube it, lots of information out there!)
Sex - the important thing here is for DH to come up near my cervix and for me to let the sperm soak there for a while (feels like TTC all over again!) Sperm has some acid in it that softens the cervix, preparing it to open. As DTD isn't that comfortable for either of us, we do foreplay then he just puts it in at the end - sort of like the opposite of the pull out method?!?
Acupuncture
Acupressure - this one we are doing at home on our own. There are a few different you tube videos that show different points to try.

We have been having sex more often for about a week now, drinking the tea for 2 weeks, and just started the whole nipple thing. Plus I did my first round of acu and cupping yesterday with my favorite acupuncturist in HCMC (and the best by far! When we started TTC, I hadn't gotten my period for months after BCP, I did two back to back sessions with him, and got my period the next day! Miracle worker! He did amazing work for both my DH and me!) I will say that today I feel really crampy - hopefully a good sign!!

 

[Lisa85]

Everything is getting exciting here now!! Everyone is nearly ready for babies. I'm up in the middle of the night dealing with cluster feeds and letting my OH sleep through without getting up to help me. A midwife told me today that it's important for the boys to get back to sleeping through because they don't have the hormones to deal with the odd sleeping patterns like we ladies do.
I've been seeing a lactation consultant about the pain which is helping. My biggest tip to everyone so far is don't let breast feeding hurt you. I've let my nipples get really bad because I thought they just need to toughen up but it is possible to get them to latch almost pain free even when they are this sore. So please make sure if Bubs is hurting you that you unlatch and try again. Don't let's those nips get as bad as mine and you will be great. I've been using Lansinoh cream and multi mums compresses. I like them both and both don't need to be washed off.

I'll read through everyone's post a bit better and respond when I get a chance. So tired right now.

Vietmamsie, I hope your Bubs arrives soon and as naturally as possible. Good luck!!

 

[hope4rainbow]

I don't have a lot of time, my 9 day old and I snuggle most the day! Ian is here!! We had a vaginal birth (with an epidural) and breast feeding is going well. We had a few issues in the beginning with latching, but the lactation consultant in the hospital was wonderful and the fact that my husband went to a breast feeding class with me and knows so much about it has been amazing. He'll remind me that we don't have a good latch and help me try again, love him! We are cloth diapering and LOVE it. I can't believe how much my heart has grown and how much love I have for him. You're in the best experience life has to offer, ladies!!!

Congrats Lisa, she's beautiful!

My DH has requested to not have pictures of Ian on the internet, but this one of his first cloth diaper in the hospital!

7lb 5oz
20 inches long