Christmas (December) Babies 2018!

[jessicaftl]

StarGazer - LOL quickies can still be fun though! I'm glad you got a new fridge, albeit with the hassle of needing a new door. As for fireworks, we live like half a block from our local park (our town is very small, less than 2k population) so dh took the two boys down to see the fireworks. My younger son was too tired to stay, but they were able to see some from our driveway, even though trees at the end of the road obscured a bunch of it. Oregon is very strict with their firework laws, so the most we can buy are the really small ones, can't even do firecrackers lol. Wildfires are also a huge issue around here so that's a big reason why. As for your birth plan, since you're a ftm I would suggest going in with an open mind. When you're getting close to active labor the pain can get really intense. I would definitely suggest taking a birthing class or reading some books or something to prepare yourself. Admittedly I only went to a birthing class when I was pregnant with my first, dh and I had a good chuckle about the other mom's and their partners there because they were all so awkward about it. Breathing exercises helped a lot though. I think the best thing that prepared me was staying physically active during my pregnancy and drinking raspberry leaf tea during those last few weeks religiously. Everyone will have their own tips/tricks though. Post Partum recovery is the worst of it all for me, especially if you end up with piles -.-

afm - 19 weeks today (woohoo). I'll likely upload a bump pic to the facebook page, maybe I will here too. I've been so hungry lately, and I'm about 2/3 done crocheting my baby blanket. It's going to be huge, at least four feet side and about seven feet long. I try to make them big enough so that dh can also snuggle with the little ones under them. Finally bought some more maternity clothes, so I am happy I'll finally have stuff that fits properly.

 

[StarGazerRose]

Jess -- I'm trying to keep as open mind as possible, cause I know anything can happen. And as many birth stories I've read.... ANY THING CAN HAPPEN .... and none of what I want or how I want it will occur. So I'm trying my best to just let it come as it comes. (Looking up random pains, just to make sure that i'm not hallucinating them) And I know anything unbearable needs to be addressed with a doctor.

From what I remember (since I never buy them...) here in NC we can't "buy" the really high air ones, but you can "buy" them in SC. I don't think residential areas are even allowed to shoot off anything that really goes in the air.
Most people around here buy ones that just make a bunch of noise, and might lift a few feet in the air.
I can understand that in OR they don't want to spark fires...those things are crazy! Especially if it's super dry.

I've heard that proper breathing is Super important, and Kegels too. (I'm trying to remember to do Kegels, but it's not a normal thing to focus on so i often forget). I think i'll look into things further down the road. But I can't even figure out when I'd have time to take the classes. Since work is 8-5+2hrs and Saturdays are at least 5-8 hour days. ....But things will change the further along I am. I might see if the doc or nurse can suggest places for me to go.


Please post a pic here, I'm never on FB..... I need to find a picture where i don't look like a train wreck and post mine. I look fluffy, but I have a little bump I think.

 

[bdb84]

Star- I think I'm most like your DH. I get all excited when DH's hand is on my thigh, too I admittedly have the higher drive, though. He's often so run down after work because he works out in this heat for 12+ hours a day.

Jessica- Happy 19 weeks!! It's so hard to believe we are so close to the halfway point already.

AFM- Nothing exciting going on here. I don't know if I mentioned it earlier this week or not but my older two kiddos are gone on vacation with their paternal grandparents and I have been so dang bored this week! I thought I'd welcome the silence, but I actually miss the chaos. They'll be home on Sunday, thankfully. And then apparently will be going on another vacation (this time with their dad) on the 21st. My kids are having a more exciting summer than I am.

Oh, Star! Regarding the epidural. It is true that it can take a while for it to wear off, so if you do end up wanting one, just ask the nurse to turn it off shortly before you begin pushing. For me, not only does it help me with my pushing when I can feel a little bit of something, BUT I've never had long recovery times afterward waiting for it to wear off. I think the longest has been one hour which is exactly the amount of time I am given with the baby before s/he is taken to the nursery for her bath and such.

Just an idea

 

[StarGazerRose]

bdb -- Oh I can get just as excited too. If i don't have time to "think" about it, I think i'd be better. First thing that pops in my head is I don't wanna be shaken around -- not that we are that "wild" anyway...
Hubby is normally tired when he gets home too, but if I make a motion at all.... "You started it" kinda thing is a constant statement for the rest of the night, until fulfilled.

Thanks for tip! I wasn't aware that it could be "turned off"! #learnedsomethingnew

I miss vacations.... I haven't had one in forever
The last vacation I took was after I lost my job. We'd already planned it, it just happened to be the week after they let us go. It was a decent vacation, but dreaded going home.
Then when I "finally" got benefits again, they were taken away within a few months cause they didn't need me anymore. So ..... now I'm expecting and I don't have benefits (yet) and won't be able to take vacation until Little Bit is older.

 

[bdb84]

Yes, the epidural is inserted and it's like a drip/pump. You can push a button if you feel like you need a little more here and there (but there is a shut off where you can no longer "get more" for a period of time). Then you just request that the drip be shut off once you get to 10cm and everyone is bustling about preparing the room before the OB comes in.

ETA- it also depends on how fast your labor is progressing. For me, I tend to go from 7-10cm within mere minutes of each other, so with my last delivery I requested the drip to be turned off when I got to about 7 or 8. That way the epidural had time to weaken.

 

[Buttercupbabi]

Oooh ladies can i join the facebook group?
How do I do it?xx

 

[jessicaftl]

I can add that when I had the epidural, they warned me I couldn't have it after a certain point, plus I'd already had to wait an hour for the anesthesiologist because there was only one and he was in another surgery. After birth tends to go by fast, you deliver the placenta and if stitches are needed they'll do that. Bdb is correct, it gets very busy right at the end, nurses come and go, OB is there and you feel like death lol. When I did have the epidural I had to push for 45 minutes because I was lacking the sensation, so the advice to turn it off early is probably a good one! You'll always hear horror stories on the net but generally it isn't as bad as it sounds.
My dh and I have both very excitable sex drives and it is difficult because we have kids around us all the time, lol. We often have to sneak about like teenagers, it is kind of funny.
As for kegels, I've always done them because they actually make sex better for both of us as well, so I've learned to get in the habit of doing them. They'll help a lot too with incontinence that can become common in third trimester.
I can't believe we're almost halfway! I'm excitedly ordering my ice cream cake tonight and I haven't decided if I want mint ice cream or red velvet with birthday cake ice cream, lol. DH tells me get what I want and not for him, he'll eat it anyway.
I've already had a frustrating morning, spent half an hour looking for my phone somewhere in the house, my heart was racing and I had to sit down to relax. I did manage to get a couple pics, which I'll try to upload to photo bucket when I get on my computer next.

 

[jessicaftl]

Oooh ladies can i join the facebook group?
How do I do it?xx

send me a private message with your email and I'll add you that way

 

[Buttercupbabi]

Oooh ladies can i join the facebook group?
How do I do it?xx

send me a private message with your email and I'll add you that way

Thanks Jess, I've sent you a message xx

 

[StarGazerRose]

...OB is there and you feel like death lol.

Well, that's encouraging

Nah OMG I'm so glad i'm in this group with you ladies! So helpful!

Yup nearly half way!!!
This morning I forgot it was Friday (since i was at home for two days, to come back to the office)... I was like oh yeah, I'm 17 weeks ... and then... nope still 16, LOL. But chances of miscarriage just went to 1% since i'm almost 17 weeks!

 

[StarGazerRose]

OH My mom bought this super awesome booster chair thing. Target was going to discontinue it, so I had her buy it!
It's a swivel/tilt that converts from a baby seat with a tray into a booster seat for a toddler (when you take everything off)
It just hooks onto a regular dining chair. So I don't have to accommodate another "seat" at the table.

2nd thing off my list!

 

[jessicaftl]

StarGazer- instead of high chairs we just buy those booster seat/trays and a cheap folding chair lol. Works great and is a looot cheaper than a high chair. I don't even have a crib, I had one with my first and it just was a hassle. We had a pack and play with our second/third but ended up just using it for timeout since the little ones co-sleep with us in different beds. Plus they're older, so I'll be co-sleeping with the next one as well, soooo much easier for us.

 

[jessicaftl]

I usually feel okay with things mostly after 24 weeks because it is viability week, so if for some reason you go into labor there's a very high chance your baby will survive. My ticker says baby is the size of a sweet potato now, .

I've had one of those mornings already. Had to put my oldest in timeout, youngest was naked when I went out back to water my berries and she pooped on the floor (lol) and my middle was playing with my brand new gaming controller cord. Of course I sat down after cleaning it all up, to eat my eggs and they all beg for bites, I ended up only getting half of it. My stomach is already growling again. DH bought more oats than I needed so I'm going to make him cookies this morning!

https://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg576/jessicaftl99/36729715_10155297621151580_8858941944370298880_o_zpswsb9b6vk.jpg

 

[StarGazerRose]

This is the booster my mom bought:

Spoiler

you can see the page here: Target Booster Feeding Chair

So freaking cute with the bear (neutral enough, but kid probably won't care as much as me)

A BUMP!!!! So cute! My belly looks like all my organs pushing out and a little pooch at the bottom. (that's why i keep saying i'm fluffy)

Oh my ... what an eventful morning. I'm not exactly sure how i'd handle all that, but i'm sure it's something that comes with the territory.

 

[jessicaftl]

It looks like a fancier version of what I use, lol. I buy the cheapest one, honestly it is so easy to clean, I think it was $50? And with the little ones you get used to it. I do let my little ones run around often with just their diapers on, and they usually tell me before they need to pee so I can put one on (not ready for the training yet though). She did stand at the back door for awhile, probably was trying to tell me then. It was my own fault for not going to her at that moment, but either way I don't usually mind cleaning up the mess. As for my oldest, he's at that age where he has pre-teen attitude and tries to boss his brother and sister around, so I put my foot down immediately.
And thanks! I took a few bump pics, the best ones I took were in the bathroom but I didn't realize the toilet was there so I decided to pick one of the ones I took in the bedroom instead

 

[StarGazerRose]

Random, but I just found out my SIL is pregnant again too! (Like while on vacation she bought a test ) Family is growing

That chair is a little bells-and-whistles for me, but I reallllly liked the one I found for my friend years ago and was like, I'm getting one too! They added the swivel feature, but i LOVE that it's transitional (honestly my favorite part)

Oh I'd probably do the diaper only thing for a while, idk how long though.

I take my pictures in our hall way with a mirror. So you see my linen door and i try not to get the bathroom in the picture either. I probably would do better taking it the opposite direction, but eh... I have a few belly pictures from the other day and never put them in my app. (mostly cause my app is slow and is a pain to use)

 

[jessicaftl]

I only have like one mirror hanging and it is in the bathroom. Despite having bought our house two years ago we are still sorting things and organizing our place. Most of our stuff was stored and got ruined by mice and weather from where it was. And our house is pretty small, but luckily we are about done with all the getting things where they go. It helped to get that last wall down so now we can fit our other bed in that room when we need to. Everyone has their preferences in baby gear but honestly I enjoy being minimalistic (ie cheap). I wish I could say how much money I've saved doing cloth diapers, but they're worth it. I think I'll have to buy some more small ones when this one comes because I got rid of my first set. That chair does look good, very easy to clean. I also bought an old fashioned hand crank baby food grinder, I hardly used it, but it works great since I never bought the premade stuff. All that stuff gets expensive fast. My kids generally eat what I do, my three year old is picky but my almost two year old is okay eating mostly anything so far.

 

[Sushai]

Markswife I really hope you make it to term this time around or atleast close to. I worry about nicu stays with the twins, I can’t imagine it with such a tiny premmie.

Bdb funny thing about the leg cramps and being on top. That’s the only position I can manage right now, sorry for the tmi but everything is so swollen and sore I can’t handle other positions.

Jessica I tend to get anxious about labour once the excitement about finding out about being pregnant calms down, which is pretty much a few hours later lol. Just imagining those pains makes me want to hyperventilate lol. Happy 19 weeks, woooo almost halfway! Beautiful bump by the way.
I too will send you a private pm for the fb group, I still haven’t joined lol.

Stargazer glad to hear you finally got your fridge. I can’t imagine going without one. Also your plan to go with the flow is a great plan when it comes to labour, I didn’t have any set plans or ideas for my first and just went along with things and things worked out pretty well. I did the same with my other two and managed to have relatively quick easy births.

Afm, I’ve caught a head cold and I’m hating it. Being sick whilst pregnant is the worst. I’m just glad the kids are on school holidays so I’m not doing the whole mad school dash in the mornings.

 

[jessicaftl]

Sushai - oooh yuck, sorry you're sick! I had one during first tri and it was the pits. Couldn't breathe, couldn't sleep.... ugh. I was so anxious just like you're talking about like immediately after, about it all. Thank you about my bump, I've been feeling movement a bit more than usual today so I am a bit excited. Hoping I can feel on the outside soon enough! I hope you feel better soon!!

afm ugh, rich food last night made my tummy a bit upset but I'm okay now, just reaaaaly hungry again. I'm not even sure what to do about it at this point, except eat. I don't want to load up on carbs, but avocado or peanut butter in mass quantities doesn't sound as tasty as a piece of toast with a little of something on it. I'm sure I'll figure it all out soon enough. I hope everyone has a fun weekend. It's looking to be in the 90's here next week, and I got some new maternity clothes. Yay for a/c!

 

[Buttercupbabi]

Morning ladies!
How is everyone feeling? Hope you all had a good weekend!
Cannot believe it is Monday again, I dont know about you guys but I feel this pregnancy is going pretty quickly! Be December before we even know it...

AFM, not much to report really. Heatwave in the UK is still happening, its pretty unbearable at times and the fans dont do a great deal ha!
Still no movements really but my belly is popping out more. Got weird peach and nectarine cravings! I think its the juice and sugar from them...

We've agreed on our top 3 girl names which makes me happy but we have ZILCH, NADA, Nothing for a boys! Boy names are so hard