February Valentines 2012 - We have our first Valentines!

[tiggertea]

I just want to whisper some words of encouragement swan... you WILL find a way. It really is amazing how you can manage sometimes. On paper, there was no way we could afford me being a SAHM but I said "stuff it, I wan ttime with my baby" and did it anyway (reckless maybe!) and it's turned out just fine for us. I now work a couple of evenings a week because I missed the work environment a little, but my "baby" was almost 2 when I made that step!

 

[Guppy051708]

^ so INCREDIBLY true. Every yr, about this time of yr, in fact, on paper we should be going in the hole...not meeting all of our bills...i have NO idea how, but somehow we managed when on paper we should have been up the shit crick without a paddle lol.


with that said, i understand your concern. I can't bring myself to leave any of my children...and plus, financially speaking, it would be more expensive for me to get a job, pay child care, purchase a car (we are only a one car family), we did the math once and i would only be brining home like $20 per month after all of the expenses...SO not worth it!

I hope something works out for you and having insurance.
TBH, since we are not *planning* on having anymore babies for a few yrs, after 2012, so starting 2013, then we are going to opt out of insurance. A lot of times medical providers will cut you a pretty large break when they know you are without insurance. And then if you ever need surgery or something major happens, hospitals have the financial help thing (its not like medicaid or anything like that), but basically you income qualify (and the limit is actually pretty high), then they will either erase most of your medical debt or they will cut it down significantly. One time we had to do that for DHs ER bill (we have been without quite a few times), and the hospital program paid the entire bill. ...so although it can be quite scary being without insurance, there are a lot of ways around having to forefit so much money when something does happen. With that said, we are keeping ours until end of 2012 just because i wouldn't want to pay out of pocket for a birth and whatnot. Also, you can do payment plans. We throw about $10 every month to my plan, DH throws about $5 to his, and then i pay $15 per month for DSs doctor. We owe about $2000 but the nice thing is medical bills do not count towards your credit nor do they stack interest, so basically pay them what you can afford and it will make them happy lol


Ps, just saw your response about the baby legs, i want mine here like NOW! haha

 

[swanxxsong]

Thanks for the encouragement Tiggertea! I'm nervous, but I am convinced I will somehow make it work for me. Hubby works a FT job and a PT evening job a few nights a week, but he agrees that me staying home is best for the family in many ways. I know that with me home to prepare meals, we won't be tempted to eat on the fly, so that's one BIG spend that we'll diminish. And I am pretty thrifty. Insurance is the big deal-breaking, since I'm the one providing it for our family. That's the part that makes me most anxious.

 

[swanxxsong]

Whoops, posted just behind Guppy!

Opting out of insurance - will the kids be covered under something then? Or how does that work? I'm curious!

And yeah, after paying child care, my upped insurance cost of cutting back to PT, the extra gas to drive separate (we carpool together now), etc. it wouldn't break even for me to work here. Obnoxious!

 

[Guppy051708]

So our children will probably be without insurance as well. I was so pissed, pardon my french, but last yr i tried to get Isaiah signed up for New Hampshire Healthy Kids (it's not medicaid but it is govt funding and basically you can have a pretty decent income and your kids will qualify....its pretty much Pennsylvanias "CHIP"). Well we got denied on account of we make $5 too much over the montly allowence I was beyond pissed, but point is, you could try something like that (i think in PA its called CHIP, its not the same as medicaid but it is govt funded). Theres a good chance you'll qualify (well i dont know your income, but like i said you can make a decent amount).Then at least your child would be covered. And if you dont qualify the same would apply for your child as would for you (about the hospital bills and the doctors charging less since your kid would be without and the payment plans)

 

[swanxxsong]

Good information to know, thank you! I need to drive home and prepare dinner, but I'll be back later - after doing so much-needed research! (and a workout, etc. etc.)

 

[Guppy051708]

NP
Have a great evening!

 

[leigh5tom]

Knock knock can I join you all? I'm due 3rd February xxxxxxx

 

[Guppy051708]

*opens door* Welcome leigh5tom :wave:

 

[TeQuiero]

On the SAHM point, it can be a little difficult, but at the same time you do save a lot of money on daycare. Most decent daycares in my area are well over $100 a week per child!! I would not even make enough to cover 1/2 of the cost of daycare, I was only making $450 every 2 weeks. But, as of right now I am in school, and I will be finishing about months after the baby gets here, and I am thrilled that I can do medical billing at home! It might be an idea for some of the ladies to look into, it might be a little costly to get a regular certification (about $300), but you can look forward to doing this at home while your babies are playing and napping!!

On BF, when I first went into it with Grant, at 15, I did not have any reading into it, I just knew that I wanted to do it! I was lucky that the hospital I delivered at has nursing/lactation consultants there to help support your journey into BF!! I went through it as almost completely blind, but I caught on quite rapidly, thanks to having a great family that supported me through the tougher times. I love being able to bond with my babies. AND I feel that it is really a lazy way to feed the baby (even though it takes work) but, we don't have to warm/make bottles, don't have to clean them, and I have actually fallen asleep while nursing (not for long, but I did)!!!

 

[TeQuiero]

Welcome to group, leigh5tom!! Hope you like to chat, because we certainly do!!!

 

[Guppy051708]

^ heck yes! lol

 

[geogem]

right quick question, managed to borrow a doppler from a friend today and listen to LO's hb. what is the old wives tale about the heartrate and gender?

what does 150bpm tell me?

just curious!

 

[Junebugs]

WOW... some days i really can't keep up with you ladies!!! ANyways...

Thanks for all the books for BF Guppy! I am so determained to do it and i want to get as much information as i can about it B4 hand...

Geogem- I don't think i really means much but i think if it is under 140 it should be a boy and over is girl.. although mine was always around 145-155 and i'm having a boy

 

[Guppy051708]

geogem, the old wives tale says that if the HB is higher than 140bpm baby is and 140 or lower baby is

interestingly enough, this was true with Isaiah, but not true with elliot.

No problem JuneBugs! just remember, at the end of the day you were created to BF, so your instincts will tell you how to do it. That doesn't mean issues dont arise, but it means that you have that extra "help" from within...even i managed to BF DS for 5 months despite the fact that i have Insufficient Glandular Tissue (IGT) which directly caused chronic low milk supply. For 2 months straight i would nurse around the clock, then pump for 20 minutes on both side day in and day out, including nights! (in hopes of increasing my supply), then give baby the pumped stuff, then give him the formula (its was truly medically necessary as i only created about 4oz every 24 hours, on a good day). Anyways, i used an SNS device (tubes that you tape to your breasts and baby feeds off the tube and the nipple at the same time). I ate every helpful food imaginable, i drank tons of water, eliminated the bad dieruetics (like caffine), took blessed thislte, fenugreek, and mothers milk tea. I even got blood work and was prescribed Domperidone (side effect of the drug is lactaction, but its for babys with acid reflux). Anways, this was my life until my son self weaned (it was an easy choice for him). But my point is, if i stuck with it, still went through the normal stages of sore nips, etc (which actually isn't normal, lol but is common), etc, then you can do it too you just have to put your mind to it, seek out the help when you need it, and remember that this is all natural

 

[Junebugs]

geogem, the old wives tale says that if the HB is higher than 140bpm baby is and 140 or lower baby is

interestingly enough, this was true with Isaiah, but not true with elliot.

No problem JuneBugs! just remember, at the end of the day you were created to BF, so your instincts will tell you how to do it. That doesn't mean issues dont arise, but it means that you have that extra "help" from within...even i managed to BF DS for 5 months despite the fact that i have Insufficient Glandular Tissue (IGT) which directly caused chronic low milk supply. For 2 months straight i would nurse around the clock, then pump for 20 minutes on both side day in and day out, including nights! (in hopes of increasing my supply), then give baby the pumped stuff, then give him the formula (its was truly medically necessary as i only created about 4oz every 24 hours, on a good day). Anyways, i used an SNS device (tubes that you tape to your breasts and baby feeds off the tube and the nipple at the same time). I ate every helpful food imaginable, i drank tons of water, eliminated the bad dieruetics (like caffine), took blessed thislte, fenugreek, and mothers milk tea. I even got blood work and was prescribed Domperidone (side effect of the drug is lactaction, but its for babys with acid reflux). Anways, this was my life until my son self weaned (it was an easy choice for him). But my point is, if i stuck with it, still went through the normal stages of sore nips, etc (which actually isn't normal, lol but is common), etc, then you can do it too you just have to put your mind to it, seek out the help when you need it, and remember that this is all natural

Thanks hun!!! I seem to be getting alot of "it's natural " which is really making me feel sooooo much better!! I have been starting to feel so overwhelmed lately thinking that i might not know enough and that i am going to be lost when i have the baby. All of you are really helping me feel like i am going to be ok.. it's not like i don't know anthing.. i have read some and i feel that i am not clueless but i just didn't know if it is enough??

It seem like everything with this pregnancy and labor I am NOT scared about but i seem to be most scared about afterwards and mainly about breast feeding because i have heard so many stories about how hard it is....

 

[leigh5tom]

Thanks ladies! Ohhh yes a good old natter never hurt anyone hehe hope everyone's okay anyway! xxxxxxx

 

[JohnsPrincess]

okay, the following books i have read, they are great books, and i know the are reputible because they were a requirment reading for me to become a child birth educator as well as a DONA Doula

1.) The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International. Get the most updated one for the best info

2.) Breastfeeding Made Simple (Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers) by Nancy Mohrbacher and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett.

The next book i will offer you was not on the required list but i thought it was an easy read, down to earth (sort of commical) and very informative book

3.) Breastfeeding Sucks (What to Do When Your Mammaries Make You Miserable) its actually a great book lol. its by Joanne Kimes


One last thing, i HIGHLY recommend any of you that are thinking of BFing (even if you havn't made your mind up yet, or are unsure if you want to BF or FF) BE SURE TO ATTEND ONE (OR MORE) LA LECHE LEAGUE (LLL) MEETINGS IN YOUR AREA!!! It is seriously one of the best things you can do and pregnant women are welcome! Here is their site, you can probably find your local LLL there

https://www.llli.org/webus.html

Thanks for the link! I know I'll be BFing (so long as all goes well!) but I think I'd enjoy going! I've heard only good things about LLL.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

My nurse said Tums are fine - and a good source of calcium! So I've been taking them as needed, but sticking to the guidelines on the back on the bottle.

La Leche League provides lots of helpful insight on BF, but there's not one very local to me, so I'm just using the info my sister has given to me. lol. May also take a free course or two, since they're all over the place at various clinics here. Just to better prepare myself.

I want my BabyLegs to ship. My payment is still 'processing' but according to FB, that's not an issue and they should process them all today and ship all by Friday? I hope so! I'm impatient!

Work has sucked royally today. Ugh.

I want my BabyLegs to ship, too!!!!!!

 

[JohnsPrincess]

usually they are cool with showing up late i would just call your local LLL Leader

Sorry you had a sucky day No fun!
Yes the class will def. help. Even though i have a very rare issue and only make less than 10% of the babys milk, im still glad i went. Plus by the time you leave the hospital you will be a pro at BFing But if you still have questions most hospitals have lactaction consultants, and of course there is wic. You can go the the LCs at the hospital even if you didn't deliver there.


Elliots room is all painted! My mom is giving me my nephews crib but she is back home in PA, so i wont be getting that for a while, but once the paint is dryed completly, im going to add the curtains and everything
(The green tape is still on the outlets in some of the pics ) The paint is still tacky so it might look funny in the pics and the lightening is strange. The colors are tan, burgundy, and choc. brown Dont mind all of the crap

The room looks great!! You did a wonderful job!