Expecting #1 positive thinking buddies, sticking together!

[sweetbliss89]

Maggz - I am going to cloth diaper! I still need to get a sprayer as well but I think a friend was going to give me her's since her kids are out of diapers now. That's great that you got so much stuff at your shower! The end is getting so close! That's so sweet of you to give that girl a diaper bag!

Karen - Let us know how the appointment goes!

Dini - This is the taco pasta recipe: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/beef/ziti-noodles-and-taco-sauce.html
I'm not sure what ketones are either but that's great that your BP has been good and your blood sugar too! I've been having some swelling too, I just elevate my legs and try to bear with it :/ sorry you're having to deal with all of that though!


I ordered little miss' coming home outfit today! DH finally picked one out online last night. They didn't have it in store at carter's today so I had to order it online but I did get the rest of the stuff she'll need for up to 6 months haha. Carter's is a dangerous store for me. I made a list and the only things we still need are: diaper sprayer, ULMA reusable breastpads, bins for the closet, the little healthcare kit, gripe water/gas drops just in case, 2 packs of prefolds for the cloth diapers, and maybe an infant insert for the ergo but I'm sure I can find that used locally.

 

[Dini]

Thanks for the recipe! It looks yummy, DH may even eat it. I think I have all the ingredients so it may be dinner tomorrow!

I've never been to a carter's store but I can only imagine!

 

[sweetbliss89]

Oh Dini, they are SO dangerous. You can shop online through them too. I always have 20% off $40 coupons if you want one

 

[lacanadienne]

sweet, I just am working off a list we got in our prenatal class for the "hospital bag". And no, I'm not on the Facebook group. Perhaps should join. Basically here is the list:

baby: diapers, 2 outfits for home for baby, receiving blankets
mom: labor clothes, overnight pads, quick energy foods, lip balm, extra pillows, water bottle, toiletries including hair ties, slippers, pajamas, clothes for after birth that you can easily nurse in (about size you were at 6 months pregnant), comfortable bra, nursing pads, lanolin, health card,
dad: cell phone and charger, massage oils/lotions, comfort tools, music, camera, money for food/parking, extra clothes, swimsuit (if laboring in water), food

maggz, that's sweet of you to want to help someone else out. Sounds like you'll have most of what you need. I'm also planning on using cloth diapers, but we'll probably use disposables for the first few days. Don't really feel like dealing with meconium in cloth. Don't have the diaper sprayer yet or the cloth wipes, but they're coming.

Dini, not sure what ketones are either, but good news about the blood sugar levels. Take care of yourself - you don't want too much swelling.

Karen, you're almost done! That's great! I have 14 days of work left. Ending right before March break.

 

[maggz]

lacanadienne we're planning on using disposables for the first few days too, for exactly that reason. How many do you think we will need? I saw some Charlie Banana value packs at babies r us for $119 with 6 one-size diapers and 12 inserts, but then on Amazon a couple of not name brand ones the same kind of bundle for $35 and $45! They have great reviews on Amazon so I'm very torn.
We'll need at least 20 diapers, right?

Sweet how awesome to be so ready I'm gonna still wait on the shower this Saturday to make a finalized list of what we still need - like how many onesies in each size and all that. What all do you have in terms of clothing?
Most of the clothes we have are cutesie outfit types and I'm thinking about getting the rest of the essentials at Carter's - I have a 40% off coupon for there And yes, it is a DANGEROUS store!! Haha. We actually have a Carter's outlet store right by us so that's even worse :doh: They're stuff is just too cute.

Dini what about you? You have all the big stuff, what about clothing wise?

I have such a hard time realizing how much we need for that little man.

 

[Karen916]

Thanks for sharing your list, lacanadienne! That will be helpful! I think I'm going to start putting together my bag this weekend. And 2 weeks, not bad at all! Stopping before March Break sounds like a great idea.

Dini, sorry about the hand numbness and leg swelling! Is there anything that helps you for that? Sorry, don't know about ketones.

My appointment went fine. When I went in, the nurse told me to undress from the waist down and wait under the sheet. I wasn't too surprised.. but then when there was a knock on the door, my OB did not walk in - it was a male medical student! I was like Ummmmmm... lol. But he was very nice. He informed me he wouldn't be doing the test, but was just going to ask me some questions. He was very thorough and gave me some good info. Then my regular doctor came in and did the swab. It felt rather uncomfortable, but at least it's done. I'll find out my results next week. I thought she might check for dilation, but she didn't. I'll ask about that next week. I do know they measured my uterus or fundal height and it was 36cm, which they said is what it should be, I think? So I guess that's good?

 

[sweetbliss89]

Lacanadienne - Yes join the FB group! Do you need the link? Your list is good! You reminded me that I need to throw some extra hair ties in my bag and I think I'll get a bag of trail mix. I bought candies I can suck on but trail mix is always a great energy food for me and hopefully they won't mind if I have a handful or two of that here and there while laboring. What energy foods are you planning on taking?

Maggz - I do believe 20 diapers is the rule of thumb for one baby but you'll probably be doing wash every day or every other with that many depending on how many he goes through. I think you'll be okay with 20 though as long as you keep up on wash. I'll have to count how many newborn cloth diapers I have and let you know. And honestly, as far as brands, it is all going to depend on how your baby is shaped and what fits him best. I got a few diapers in a few different brands so I can try them out and see what fits her best. Maybe get 3 or 4 different brands if you can?
I forgot you have another shower coming up, yayyy! Most of the clothes we have for her and all the ones I've bought are the more practical outfits, still cute but practical. Like, lots of just simple onesies, they're from Carters so they're adorable but it'll be easy to just have her in them around the house and then I got a few pairs of pants that go with them in case we're going out. Then I bought a bunch of the romper/crawlers... I can show you a picture if you aren't sure what I'm talking about. They're light weight and will be great for the summer time, are adorable, but will be easy as well lol. I tried to stick to things that were 1 piece or 1 piece and a pair of bloomers. I don't want to worry about having to keep matching pieces of an outfit all together. Oh and lots of sleeper sacks that are elastic at the bottom for easy night time diaper changes and lots of the little footed sleepers. Post what you end up getting from Carters! Their boy stuff is SO cute!

Karen - Oh boy, I would of been a little alarmed when the med student walked in too haha. Glad he wasn't the one who did the test though! I'm really not looking forward to that test.... glad it is over with for you though! Happy 36 weeks tomorrow!


The crib stuff I ordered last week will be here today, can't wait to get that all set up! Nothing new though, just having a hard time sleeping lately but I know that's just my body preparing me for when baby girl is here. I did have a bizarre dream last night that when I was in labor the doctor had his dogs there... I don't know if he even has dogs hahaha. Then my husband wanted to go get our dogs to be there.... was really weird!

 

[Dini]

Maggz, I don't have that much big stuff, just his crib, changing table, stroller and car seat. I am being given a video baby monitor and cradle as well. I will need the play yard and swing and sleeper for sure and doubt I'll get those at my shower. No one has bought a thing from our registry yet and my shower is saturday as well.

Clothing wise we just have some onsies and some adorable carters body suits and some sleep sacks. We literally haven't bought a thing yet except the travel system we are still waiting on the shower.

I'd still like to try to cloth diaper but I just don't know if I can manage it. I was thinking of trying gdiapers but have read some not so good reviews along with good ones.

Sweet that's exciting about the crib stuff!!

Karen, glad you got that test over with. I expect mine will be at the appt after next around the same week as you are in.

DH is hoping to get the crib put together Thursday, I'm excited about that! I still have some cleaning up in the nursery to do and want to paint the dresser knobs. I guess we still have a ton to do lol.

 

[maggz]

wow lacanadienne I totally scrolled past that list! Great one And yes, join the fb group!

sweet yeah that's what I figured that we should get some different brands to try out. Yeah show me a pic of the rompers lol I'm not sure what you mean. I googled it and it came up with onesies but also the short-suits if you know what I mean. We def need more sleepers, either zippered or the elastic bottom ones.

Dini sounds like you're pretty set! At least to bring him home and get him to sleep haha You should try a second hand store for the pack n play and the swing/bouncer. We got a great pack n play for half price at one of those stores.
Do you plan to have the baby nap in their crib during the day at all? Someone in another group mentioned it and I though maybe it was a good idea to get them used to the crib? Or maybe it doesn't matter. I know he's gonna be in our room for at least 6 months, probably a year, so maybe the crib won't matter for a while.

Bear with me Dini, I copied what I posted in our April group I just didn't feel like writing it all up again lol...
We got some bad news today... DH will be going out to sea a couple of days before my due date and they're supposed to be out for 2-3 weeks. So it's almost guaranteed that he will miss a part if not the whole birthing process. They will give me an emergency email address, from what I can understand, so I can let him know when I go into labor, and they will medivac him off the ship. That's not a huge comfort though as we have no idea where the ship will be, and I also don't know if they'll actually fly him to the hospital or just to base and then he would have to drive back.
I'm still hoping they'll change their plans (which they do all the time, but it's more unlikely the closer it gets) or that something on the ship breaks so they can't go!
And IF he still has to go, that means I need someone to at least drive me to the hospital and even stay with me there. I know MIL would be happy to, and his cousin's wife probably too, and then I have one semi-close friend that I could ask. But I don't WANT any of them there... I thought about the hypnobirthing instructor who is also a doula, but I'm just not sure we can afford it.
Ahh!

Anyways, gonna go get ready for our hospital tour. See ya ladies

 

[lacanadienne]

maggz, they say to plan for about 10-12 diapers per day, so it really depends on how much you want to be washing. I know some people do it part-time, and some people don't like to be washing too often, but I figure I'll want to wash pretty often just to keep odors down.

Sorry about the bad news. Maybe your little man will show up early so that his daddy can be there? Or maybe the plans will change, as you said. But I guess you'll have to come up with a plan B you're comfortable with. I've heard sometimes there are some doulas who aren't necessarily certified, but that will help for free while they get their hours in. Maybe you can look into that?

Karen, that would have been a bit alarming - lol - I don't know how I would have reacted. All of the midwives I deal with are women. My midwife only does that test at 37 weeks because she said the bacteria has a 5-week life cycle, so if for some reason I ended up making it to 42 weeks, she'd have to retest. And yes, sounds like you're right on the average for fundal height.

sweet, yes, I need the link to the Facebook group. If someone can PM me it, that would be great. The doula teaching the course recommended honey sticks (like solid honey), but I'm not sure on those. Probably some fruit bars, maybe a little bit of dark chocolate, and some kind of juice. Trail mix isn't a bad idea either. Sounds like you're ultra-organized!

Dini, you always have the option of trying cloth part-time. Babies don't need a ton of big stuff at the very beginning - it'll sort itself out.

 

[sweetbliss89]

Dini - I hope your DH is able to get the crib together on Thursday!

Maggz - These are the rompers I was talking about: https://www.carters.com/carters-bab...der&start=12&cgid=carters-baby-boy-one-pieces

Sooo sorry about the bad news! There is still time for those plans to change though, try to not worry too much. I know it's hard. Do you know if your mom went into labor early with you or any of your siblings? Maybe you'll have him just a few days early and DH won't have to leave at all. Wish I could be there to help you! I'm here if you want to message me just to vent, I completely get how hard it is with their jobs. Do you know your husband's unit family readiness officer? They're usually really nice and it's part of their job to be there for you when your husband is away. I bet she could drive you to the hospital and wait with you until he got there. She'd also be the person who would be in contact with the command and so she'd have up to date information on where he is/how long until he'd be there.
Let us know how your hospital tour goes and if you learn anything worth sharing!

Lacanadienne - This is the link to the FB group, let me know if it doesn't work for you: https://www.facebook.com/groups/784015418322993/

Good idea on the chocolate. I think I'll do a few fiber one bars too. And I'm just a bit too organized at times... we're pretty sure I'm slightly OCD lol. If things aren't in order then I feel out of control and I think that if things for labor aren't in order and ready to go then I'll feel frantic like we're forgetting something, I hate forgetting things lol. What kind of cloth diapers were you planning on using? I'm so glad there are others wanting to try cloth!

 

[lacanadienne]

The link doesn't work for me. Maybe because it's a private group?

 

[sweetbliss89]

Oh yeah, I have to invite you by email. Can you PM me your email that you use for FB?

 

[Dini]

I think i may try cloth part time. And I would like to join the fb group as well. I'll pm you sweet!

Maggz, I wanted a doula as well but they are so expensive! I'm praying the plans change for your DH!

 

[SanJan]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for no reply from my side for quite some time. As you can see from the signature, we lost our dear daughter Ananya on 29th January in just two days after a series of struggles. I wanted to write a proper reply for quite some time but it's just too much to go through right now. I know it's already been a month but it's still a heart wrenching pain everyday and we are still trying to get over this huge loss. Pls keep us in your prayers

Thanks girls for the support throughout our struggles and hopefully, I'll be back here to see your awesome baby pics in a month or soo.

I wanted to write a lot but it just doesn't seem possible to overcome the grief. Just attaching a picture of her when she was born on 27th Jan.

 

[MolGold]

Oh No Sanjan You and your family was always in my thoughts. I'll pray for you and your DH to get through this hard time together This is the worst news possible. Please take your time to grieve...

I came in here today after ages, what with so many things going on. I haven't peeked in my journal as yet, though to check what is going on here. Sad to come back to Sanjans news. I was so crossing my fingers for a good outcome.

Work has been crazy since I leave in 5 weeks Also I was diagnosed as borderline GD which is keeping me on my toes with fortnightly checkups. The upside was that I got to take an extra scan, and saw LO again DH missed the 20 week scan so it was extra special!

I hope to put in a detailed reply later. I hope the rest of you are well! I see you guys have a lot sorted. Hopefully my insurance will be sorted and hospital chosen this weekend. I will update here then!

XX

 

[Karen916]

Oh, SanJan, I am so incredibly sorry. My heart goes out to you, and you are all in my prayers. Much love to you.

 

[maggz]

SanJan I am so sorry for your loss Me and your baby girl share a birthday!
I can't imagine your heartache right now all I can say is you and your DH are in my thoughts.

 

[lacanadienne]

So sorry about your news, SanJan. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[klink]

I am so so terribly sorry for your loss SanJan She is so beautiful! I'm keeping you in my thoughts! x