January Jelly Beans 2014!

[hakunamatata]

Good luck to all of you! Not much longer for those who are waiting!

 

[hakunamatata]

Can I join,
Three days over not one sign!

Hi hon :wave:

 

[hakunamatata]

Thanks guys! A lot of cross posting. Wanted to cover my bases.

Just realized that with all my cross posting I never posted newborn pics here If you haven't seen them yet and would like to, click on my journal in my signature or check in the Facebook group.

 

[melann13]

Back from the doc. 39+3 and 0cm dilated. He said I'm 70% effaced. Baby is estimated to be about 7.5lbs and he said she's still pretty high. Why all the cramps and BH if they're not doin anything!!! Beyond lame...

 

[xx Emily xx]

Hakuna - congratulations!! Think I missed you having your little one! Will stop by your journal soon!!

Mommytobe11 - good luck with your section! Can't wait to hear about it!!

Melann - that's frustrating. I haven't had a cervix check but guess i could be in the same situation. I'm hoping to get my sweep on Tuesday which is due date so they might tell me then.

Em xxx

 

[vtjess423]

That is frustrating, melann! I would definitely feel the same way if I was getting lots of cramping and BH. Hopefully things will start moving for you soon!

For me I've only had some minor cramping and no BH that I'm aware of so I guess I wasn't too surprised when I hadn't progressed last week. I'm still only 1 cm dilated but with having a baby before...I've probably been that way forever. Two weeks ago I was 30% effaced...but last week the doctor didn't mention if that changed (wasn't my OB who was on leave last week). I'm hoping I get some better news on Friday! Fingers crossed! LOL I'm also going to find out her stance on going over due with my due date being Monday. I don't really want to be induced...but as uncomfortable as I've been lately I don't really want to go too much over due either! We'll see what she says on Friday!

 

[Delamere19]

It's all different over here as they dont really check you internally til you go over due when they offer you a sweep so you don't have a clue if anything's really happening! Frustrating.

 

[vtjess423]

I don't know if knowing is any better, Del. LOL I think it's just as frustrating when you know and aren't progressing (Like me). Sometimes I think I'd be better off not knowing because it's driving me nuts that nothing is changing. At least if I didn't know I could imagine that something is happening down there. LOL But I think both ways are equally frustrating when you are waiting to meet your little one.

 

[Delamere19]

I don't know if knowing is any better, Del. LOL I think it's just as frustrating when you know and aren't progressing (Like me). Sometimes I think I'd be better off not knowing because it's driving me nuts that nothing is changing. At least if I didn't know I could imagine that something is happening down there. LOL But I think both ways are equally frustrating when you are waiting to meet your little one.

That's true. I thought something was happening the other day but today its eased off a bit today. Still have this overwhelming feeling I won't make it to my due date this time.

 

[goldstns]

just sharing my experience...might be helpful for those waiting to meet your babies....
Hello Ladies-
Ok here was my experience, advice….
Ill start by saying I am living off LOVE right now, defiantly not energy or rest. I never thought I could love like this before. She’s perfect in every way. I get what being a mom is all about now.
Labor-
Saturday night I was saying goodbye to some of our guests that were over around 10pm. After they left I bent down to kiss my dogs goodnight as I was headed to bed. Next thing I know I had “leaked” and was wet. I knew I didn’t pee myself, it was way more wet than a little sneeze and some leaks out. So I went to the bathroom to see if I just needed to pee… nothing more came out. I went to my mom (who lives with us) and asked her if this was my water breaking and to look at the pants I was wearing to tell me if that seemed like it. She said “in my experience it is a gush, but you are a bit wet.” So with that said I thought Id go to bed and see in the morning. DH said no you are calling the doc. So we did, they said come to L&D and put on a pad so we can test it when you come in (which was great advice). So here I am telling DH I think its time and pack the car. We headed off to L&D (got there around midnight, was at 2.5-3cm and 50%). We got there and they asked for my pad. They swiped it with a qtip thing, and it turned blue ASAP, so they said yes your water broke. At that point I also knew it broke because on the drive over there I kept leaking way more.
So here I am, knowing we have 24 hrs max until she is in our arms. Doc said to put me on petocin, nurse said can we give her a few hours to walk around to jump start the contractions instead of just starting meds. Doc said yes. At that point my monitor was saying I was having little contractions on a steady rate, but I really couldn’t feel them at all. So we walked the halls, what felt like 5 miles, for about 2 hours. At about 3am my contractions actually decreased frequency so they decided to start petocin. About 30 min later the petocin kicked in and contractions got worse, I could actually feel them. I got checked and was about 4 cm and I think 60% thinned. I said to DH I “think” I want and epi. He said I’ll get you one if you say “I WANT AN EPI”, not “think”. So I decided to wait. We called doula around 4am to bring her in and she was there at 5am. When she came I was hurting, but still trying to walk the halls. Maybe 1 hr after she was there, the doc asked for the petocin to be increased… so they did and that is where hell broke out. About 5 min after they upped it I was in crying pain begging for the epi. I couldn’t move!! Right away the anistezologist arrived, but felt like forever for me, the epi was about to be administered. They said to go to the bathroom one last time, so DH basically carried me to the bathroom (apparently I bit him during one of my contractions because it hurt so bad). Then they had me sit at the end of the bed and hunch my back over like a cat and chin to chest. I was crying, shaking (scared of the epi), having contractions… all at once and couldn’t stay still. So DH, doula, and a nurse held me down. DH ended up locking his knees and with all his strength holding me down ended up asking my doula to take over for him so he could sit for a second (he claims he wasn’t going to faint but he needed to sit). Epi was in and I felt like I went from the worst pain in my life to drinking a whole bottle of wine by myself. However, my funny side came out AFTER a tiny scare. We know this because it was a calm room to a room with the doc, 2 nurses, and the anistezologist coming back. Apparently my BP plummeted really low. They had to give me ephedin (basically caffeine) a few times. Once we got that stabilized, the nurse and my DH said they have never laughed so much because of me. I asked if my “therapy” dog could come visit me. Nurse said, let me find out, is he really a trained therapy dog. I said, he’s my therapy dog, while my DH was shaking his head “no”. Then apparently DH and the doula turned on the TV and the news was on. It was showing people using snowmobiles to drag around sleds (they were talking about all the snow people have been getting). The nurse goes “those snowmobilers are going to end up in the ER.” I said “what there are snowmobiles in the ER?” Apparently the story is that I sounded like a drunken mess. The epi was the best thing EVER! It was scary and I couldn’t stop shaking. DH was scared because of how uncontrollable my shakes were, but the nurse said it is normal because of the hormones running through me. So once he knew that, he could relax too because he knew I was more relaxed. For the next 2-3 hours I was so talkative and relaxed. Since my BP issues I was scared to increase my meds. So the 2 times I wanted to increase the meds I asked the nurse if it was ok. Apparently during this time my DH said they increased my petosin to speed up the process. DH was even able to catch an hour nap. So I got to a point that I needed more meds, I asked the nurse if I could increase my meds. She said what hurts, I said horrible pressure in my butt (like I need to poop). She said the epi won’t help pressure pain so there wasn’t a point, however that usually meant I was ready to push so she was bringing in the doc to check. Doc came in and said it was time to push. They woke DH up to say it was pushing time. He said he felt so out of it, like that he slept for 5 min and was so confused when woken up, but was excited! So nurse and doula coached me on how to push, there is a technique in pushing. When pushing with the contractions you no longer have the pain of the contractions, it is weird. The hard part of pushing is the effort of pushing, but you do get to rest between contractions. I have to say make sure at minimum have 2 people with you during birth so they can help each hold a leg when pushing and the nurse can focus on the medical side of what’s going on. The hell of birth is a 100000000x worth it!
Pushing out placenta is such a weird feeling… like jello coming out down there. I had 2 1 degree tears, she sowed them up while I was snuggling Alia. Honestly I didn’t even notice what she was doing… that part was NOTHING. Holding her for the first time was unbelievable! After about 45 min of skin-to-skin (my most fav thing now!!) They did a glucose test on here (because of my GD) and she was low. So they had to hurry off with her and did a more in-depth test. She was at 30 and they wanted her at 45+. So they gave her a bit of donor milk to jump start her liver to process the glucose in her blood. After that they monitored her for 24 hours and her bloods were perfect EVERY time. So we are happy and she is healthy!
Post pregnancy- you bleed NON stop after. For me it was all over the floor when trying to pee. It was a lot for 24 hours… now its like a med-heavy period. They gave me numbing spray for when I pee … helped a lot. They also gave me ice pack for down there… helped a bit. Lastly, spray your vag with warm water when peeing… helps a ton! Take the IB profane when offered even if you don’t think you need it. Also take the stool softener when offered. I still haven’t pooped, I feel like I need to but its stuck in there. It’s not constipation meds, just softener. Feeding hurts a bit but is getting better. I think we are lucky because of my high prolactin levels I am producing SOOOO much milk and it came fast… so she is happy.
Things to make sure you have at the hospital:
Your favorite slippers!! However be ok if they get ruined.
Comfy go home outfit for you
Snacks (money for vending machine)…you will be hungry in middle of the night!
Toiletries
Go home outfit for baby
DH stuff
Car seat
Boopy… I actually used it for feeding already
…otherwise everything else was there for baby and me

Things to have ready at home that I didn’t think of:
GET MORE STOOL SOFTENER and have on hand at home (DH is going out today to get me some)
SPEND GOOD MONEY on a nice rocker/glider chair… I spent last night sleeping in it with Alia
An end table/night stand next to glider chair for water, snacks, blankets, clock, log book (Im logging her feeding/pees/poops)….supplies
A clock in babies room… to track feeding times and for how long they fed and on which boob

Alia Makayla 7 lbs 7oz 20" long...

 

[goldstns]

oh and ps... I was reading a thread about inducing your own labor... and someone suggested dates... I happen to love dates and had some in the fridge, so I ate 5 of them on Saturday afternoon... then water broke sat evening. So maybe it helped...

 

[vtjess423]

That's true. I thought something was happening the other day but today its eased off a bit today. Still have this overwhelming feeling I won't make it to my due date this time.

I've had no signs unfortunately and at this point, I'm thinking I'll go late. I'm further along with this little guy then with my older son. So I have no idea what to expect! But with him, everything pretty much happened at once, from losing my mucus plug, contractions and birth all happened in about a 9 hour time period (contraction to birth was 7). No idea when my water broke though so I'm worried about that happening again and me not knowing. But I'm trying to not let that worry me too much!

And beautiful picture, goldstns!! Alia is definitely gorgeous. And thanks for the birth story. It's funny you said the stitching for you was nothing...for me it was the opposite. I've thought the stitching was the worst part of my labor with my son. But I did't have an epidural either so that might have something to do with it. I just remember the stitching being horrible! Though the labor part was no picnic either. LOL

 

[melann13]

As far as the debate on knowing whether you're progressing at all, I should mention that I had declined cervix checks before this, so when I got checked today, the doc was explaining that it doesn't give him any idea when she'll come, I could be 0 today and have her tomorrow, but what it does help is that if I go to L&D this weekend and they find me to be 3, they'll know I'm progressing, as opposed to havin been at 3 for weeks. They'd be less likely to send me home right away. When I have my appt next week (after the due date) he said he'd be checking again to see if my body is progressing on its own, so while its very frustrating to me to be 0 right now, he said he appreciates having a baseline.

 

[vtjess423]

Well I dunno if we were "debating" but I understand and recognize your point. I'm aware that knowing what your dilation and effacement is really doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of when you go into labor. Some dilate early and others don't until they go into labor. And I believe that's the reason why they don't check in the UK - it doesn't always mean much. But it's a good point that if they do check they'll have a baseline to go against. For me, it's just different this time around. As with my older son, each time she checked starting at 36 weeks bi-weekly, I seemed to have been more dilated each time. With this one, I've had no change at all since 36ish weeks, so its just frustrating to me. I know each pregnancy is different but you can't help but compare. And I'm just so impatient to meet my 2nd little man. Some progress would at least make me feel like he'll come on his own sometime soon...even if that's not necessarily the case if that makes sense.

 

[Acorn]

goldstns- Beautiful!

Vtjess- no epi with my first and the stitching was terrible!! I remember yelling and the midwife being like “You just had a baby naturally and you’re going to complain about this part?!”
I totally understand about the cervix checks changing and making you feel like you are progressing. I was at a 3 last time at 38 weeks and came back at 39 to find it hadn’t changed. I cried on the exam table and then had her the next day, ha ha. I never thought about the whole baseline deal. Makes sense.

 

[Acorn]

Also, I didn't have much other than some period like pain before labor the last time around. Keep your head up if you haven't had any signs, it may just creep up on you!

 

[Srrme]

For the lovely ladies complaining about having no signs... I had ZERO signs before I went into labor, so there's still hope!

 

[Lucy529]

Congrats to all new mommies, my gosh there's tons of babies coming.

 

[Delamere19]

There does seem to be lots of births. Congratulations to the new mummies x

Had another uncomfortable night, lots of tightening and baby moving loads. Had to sit on the side of my bed sometimes cos it was horrible and I couldn't sleep on my left as it just felt painful. How come these things happen at night? Lol feel exhausted but have to walk my ds to nursery this afternoon. I'm finding it a real challenge getting him there and picking him up, a lot harder than I anticipated. on the plus side I'm 38 weeks today! Another week closer!

 

[xx Emily xx]

Happy 38 weeks del!! Hope baby gives you a better nights sleep tonight!!

Em xxx