April Munchkins 2013- enjoying our wonderful babies!

[doggylover]

Lily, I imagine that if they bath baby with you in the hospital they actually just use water, and don't include any sort of product, but I could be wrong on that count.

Kirstabelle I laughed so much at your enjoyment of "galactogogues"! It definitely does sound superhero-ish - I actually did wonder if Littlespy had a secret love of comics and was planning on taking loads to the hospital with her when I first read it!!!

Afm, I have the back to work blues I am sitting here, wishing children would just disappear! And I have the easiest day ever today, so I don't know what I'mcomplaining about lol! Have to phone our mortgage consultant now as our mortgage is due for renewal at the end of the month and we want to try and get a better deal on things. I hate phoning people about stuff like this

 

[lily28]

I just read in a local forum that it all depends on what ward I'm going to be placed in my hospital, there are "good" wards and "bad" ones. The bad ones are like concentration camps. The good ones have special bathrooms for the baby and provide everything, even special oil to clean the baby tush from meconium that is hard to clean. I hope I get the good room w/ the amenities. My doc is the head professor there so I guess I might get lucky in that respect... I have to bring my own baby bath towel, clothes, blanket, sheets, etc. Diapers they provide but I will bring a few along just in case.

 

[doggylover]

That's awful that there can be such a difference in wards in the same department in the same hospital. I bet they only show people round the nice wards and publicise those...and then some poor women end up in the rubbish ones. Fingers crossed that won't be you!

 

[Jenny_J]

Morning ladies, how are you all today?

 

[doggylover]

Hi Jenny I hope things are going well for you and your little girl - almost your V day now!

My belly was ROLLING at lunchtime, visibly so. So funny looking! And someone at work asked me "Are you beginning to get excited yet?" I just stared at her and said "I've been excited since I found out..."

 

[LittleSpy]

doggylover -- Ugh, I hate calling around about stuff, too. I really don't like talking on the phone at all, especially to strangers! My mom has been bugging me to try to refinance my house for like 2 years. Now I can validly use the "Well, we're going to put it on the market in a couple months so paying closing costs on a refi wouldn't make sense" excuse. I do have a pretty terrible loan rate because I bought it in 2007 which was like the very peak of the housing market bubble in the US. Oh well.

lily28 -- Here, the hospital did provide tons of baby stuff. They "bathed" Maisie about 7-8 hours after she was born (yeah, and like 2am) and they did use shampoo on her (she had a lot of hair) because, let's face it, that's some funky junk they've been marinating in for 9 months. But they really just sponged off the rest of her with water from what I remember and just held her near the sink right next to me while they were doing it. They gave me the bottle of shampoo (it was a little travel sized one). 1) I don't think soap is really necessary in the first place 2) The hospital may provide it 3) If you want something other than a big-name baby wash like Johnson & Johnson (which I know some people have concerns about), bring your own and ask the nurse to use that instead if they're using soap at all.

As far as umbilical stump care, they basically told us not to touch it unless it somehow got dirty (and it never did). They told us to just keep it very dry, and if we noticed any sign of infection, take her to the doctor. I think we were told to use rubbing alcohol on it at the base a couple times a day to help dry it up to fall off faster as well. That stupid thing hung on for 15 days!

On cloth diapers -- If you want to use them from the beginning, take them to the hospital. I won't! 1) I don't love the thought of toting a wetbag full of like 25 dirty diapers home with me 2) You gotta count those dirty and wet diapers in the early days to be sure baby is getting enough to eat and that's hard to do with cloth because it's hard to determine what a "thoroughly wet" diaper is. 3) meconium is so, so, so sticky and black. I don't love the thought of having to try to get that out of my cloth diapers. Breastmilk and even formula poo is a breeze and washes right out. 4) Unless you specifically purchased newborn diapers, they're probably going to be a little too big and they're going to rise a little too high and will possibly irritate the umbilical stump. So, those are my personal reasons. Do what you will with them.

For baby, my hospital provided everything you need except a going home outfit. Tons of diapers and wipes, soap, a couple of shirts, hats (which I recently read someone suggest can interfere with breastfeeding due to blocking smells so something to consider. Not that they have *ever* stayed on Maisie's head more than 20 seconds at a time. To this day. ), a couple of receiving blankets (they gave us lots while we were there and then allowed us to take certain ones home). If you're formula feeding, they will provide formula, too. Of course, this is all based on my experience in an urban US hospital. I'll probably bring a couple of sleepers. If Violet is like Maisie, she's going to hate being swaddled and will bust out of it very quickly. I *may* get one of those velcro swaddling blankets to try this time.
I plan to have baby skin-to-skin the whole time I'm awake but when I put her down to sleep, I want her to be and stay warm even if she won't stay swaddled.

Oh, thinking about this is making me so nervous/excited!

 

[Jenny_J]

Hi Jenny I hope things are going well for you and your little girl - almost your V day now!

My belly was ROLLING at lunchtime, visibly so. So funny looking! And someone at work asked me "Are you beginning to get excited yet?" I just stared at her and said "I've been excited since I found out..."

Yup 24 weeks next Tuesday

Got midwife appointment next Thursday, which im not looking forward to, I really dislike my midwife.

Trying to find pay slips for this maternity allowance, aarrggggggg

Awww it's awesome to see/feel isn't it? sometimes if it's a big kick she kinda makes me jump lol

 

[maybesoon]

Mommabrown, good luck with the specialist, I 'm sure everything will be ok... Many hugs.

Maybesoon, omg we were looking for you haha! Sorry about the hemorrhoids, I have them too, The days before Christmas they started and I was in pain until 2 days ago. Now they are less painful but still there and they bleed (fun!). I started using a tea tree oil soap for my butt, as I read it helps.

I have a list for the hospital bag, but I'm too lazy to fish it out of my lists right now. I'm only packing nighties with buttons in front, no pjs but I will pack a couple of t shirts and leggings for running around for paper work/leaving the hospital. I've been in the hospital for other surgeries (so I have experience of what I need there) and I was more comfy in nighties, once they had to put the little tube in the urethra that you pee through (fun) so at least a nightie is essential. Definitely pack a pair of flip flops or crocs, even if they wash the bathroom well chances are other women will be using it and maybe guests too (DHs for sure).
It is the baby hospital bag that really I'm at a loss right now as I'm not sure what the hospital provides and what doesn't. I thought the nurses take care of the belly button, but not sure, I have to ask. Do i need baby shower gel and creams??? Or do they wash the babies with their own things? Confusing!

Baby is bouncing this morning he hee, so cute! officially 25 weeks and the size of eggplant!

Thanks! I will be going & looking for some tea tree oil soap this afternoon! I have been pretty desperate & a few days ago ready to try just about anything!!! Mine are a million times less painful now but bleed really really bad even when I go pee. I have to wear a stinking pad like I'm on my monthly or something.... UGH! Oh well, the good part about having them was that for a few days I was really inactive & pretty much just laid in bed on my side or sat in a warm bath so Mason was moving, dancing, tumbling & kicking like crazy so it helped take my mind off my "pain in the rear"!!!! hehehe

 

[ukgirl23]

Hi Jenny_J!! Good Luck with the midwife on thursday I hope it goes better and they get your maternity allowance sorted out

Doggylover are you having wavy belly!?? I love Wavy belly!! Such a silly question to ask if you're excited haha.

Littlespy - I dont know what is available in hispital here that is why I am taking my own alcohol wipes for the cord stump, I know you should clean it after their first bath the day after birth with either alcohol wipes or cooled boiled water and cotton wool. I'm going for antiseptic alcohol wipes since keeping it dry is a must so the boiled water is a bit backwards.
I tend to give it a wipe every 2 day's after a bath and pat it dry gently, my kids fell off after about 4 days, no issues

I found this info online ..

Taking care of the stump

Your baby's umbilical cord stump will change from yellowish green to brown to black as it dries out and eventually falls off — usually within about two weeks after birth. In the meantime, treat the area gently:

Keep the stump clean. Parents were once instructed to swab the stump with rubbing alcohol after every diaper change. Researchers now say the stump might heal faster if left alone. If the stump becomes dirty or sticky, clean it with plain water — then dry it by holding a clean, absorbent cloth around the stump or fanning it with a piece of paper.
Keep the stump dry. Expose the stump to air to help dry out the base. Keep the front of your baby's diaper folded down to avoid covering the stump. In warm weather, dress your baby in a diaper and T-shirt to improve air circulation.
Stick with sponge baths. Sponge baths might be most practical during the healing process. When the stump falls off, you can bathe your baby in a baby tub or sink.
Let the stump fall off on its own. Resist the temptation to pull off the stump yourself, even if it's hanging on by only a thread.
Signs of infection

During the healing process, it's normal to see a little crust or dried blood near the stump. Contact your baby's doctor if your baby develops a fever or if the umbilical area:

Appears red and swollen around the cord
Continues to bleed
Oozes yellowish pus
Produces a foul-smelling discharge
If your baby has an umbilical cord infection, prompt treatment can stop the infection from spreading.

this website has pictures of cord care and is very informative

https://pregnancy.about.com/od/newbornbabies/ss/cordcare_3.htm

lily - the leggings are a great Idea for while you are between maternity and normal clothing xx

 

[ReadytoMum]

So our stroller adventure was less than successful yesterday... even though the store's website said they had one in stock, they do not! Apparently the return policy is really good and very easy though, so we're going to keep the one we picked out on the registry, and if we get it for the shower and decide we don't actually like it as much as we thought we did, we have a back-up stroller picked out as well which we *were* able to test out yesterday. It's very nice, but a little heavier than I'd like.

We got all of our furniture moved out of the office last night. We had a friend come over to help us out. We moved the desk and filing cabnet into the living room and now it looks SUPER cramped. We have too much furniture! So we're in the process now of trying to figure out how to re-arrange it all and what needs to go in order to make it look less crowded. The poor cat is beside himself. There is stuff *everywhere* right now!

 

[melissasbump]

Hi all

In relation to UK ladies, from my experience, the NHS DO have stuff you can use at the hospital but obviously prefer you to bring your own.

With regards to belly button stump, we didnt need to put anything on Hs, just kept it dry and not let the nappy rub it and it fell off, think we still have it in his memory box lol!

Feeling really rough today, im at work and have had a melt down as no one can sort out the simplest thing when it comes to organsing my life/maternity leave etc. urrghh cant wait to leave!!

 

[Mommabrown]

Melissabump sorry your having a terrible day. I hope they get your leave figured out.

I am feeling pretty good today. Baby Emmaleigh is rocking and rolling around in there. Ds said to me last night while playing with his cars "When baby Emme gets here she is going to be goegeous!" He makes me laugh.

 

[maybesoon]

Here is my bump from yesterday at 23.5 weeks....

 

[ukgirl23]

thank you for the info melissasbump

Maybesoon lovely cute bump! xx

mommabrown your ds is super sweet!!!

 

[maybesoon]

Thanks.... I feel huge & I'm worried about being too big this soon....

 

[Mommabrown]

Maybesoon your not too big!! You look lovely!

 

[maybesoon]

Thank you Mommabrown.

 

[ukgirl23]

I agree with mommabrown your bump looks lovely xx

 

[doggylover]

let's face it, that's some funky junk they've been marinating in for 9 months.

so true, and makes me feel like my baby is going to come out just grotesque! As for your house, excellent reason now not to bother sorting bits out...although soon you'll have the whole separate issue of getting it on the market! But I guess if you are moving to a house that's vacant it won't be such a big issue about when you get it sold (here, at the minute with the housing market 'lull' it's taking people 2 years to sell their houses. Not good.) in the end the woman I was phoning didn't answer...so I emailed her instead lol. Such a chicken!

Jenny I always stick my payslips anywhere I can, so good luck finding yours! I'm also not a huge fan of my midwife, but hopefully your appointments are like mine...very short!

Ukgirl I guess it was wavy belly! i really wanted to lift my dress and have a proper look, but I was in our staff room so may have raised a few eyebrows! Especially wearing my H&M maternity tights which have a see through panel at the crotch which makes them look weirdly kinky

And on reading that stump care info...why would anyone PULL THE STUMP OFF?! So gross!!

Readytomum, sorry you didn't get to try out your stroller, but hopefully after your shower when you get it it will be just as great in person! I hate it when you rearrange rooms - it always throws me off for a few days until I get used to it!

Melissa sorry about work. if it makes you feel better my colleagues were also super annoying today, and I am counting down the teaching days until I leave! (43!)

Maybesoon love the bump! it's so petite! Mason is obviously not going to be a huge baby!

Mommabrown so cute of ds! What a little sweetheart!

Nothing new with me...!

 

[maybesoon]

OH doggylover I sure hope he's not! DH & I were both mid 6lbers. I really can't stand the thought of anything much over that! My bff that has 3 girls & all 3 were 10lbs!!!!