March Monkeys 2016: 21 boys and 15 girls born

[Left wonderin]

Think we have finally settled on a name.
Harvey James.
Not biblical like Isaacs but it is a name we both like, not overly popular and it just feels right x

Its lovely really lovely

 

[allforthegirl]

My baby was moving like crazy too the other night, felt like I drank a ton of coffee of something. Though we were watching a movie and it was loud so maybe he was listening to it too

ladies as long as you don't overthink what it will be like when we have our babies in our hands and how things will be we will do amazingly. Just go with the flow, I tried to do things my way with my first two and I struggled so much more. When I just went with how baby wanted things my life was so much more smooth and relaxed. Though with one of them I didn't move off the couch for two weeks straight As for sleep, you sleep when baby does, at least it is something. The 8hrs or whatever, straight you were getting before, comes in a different form..... Just enjoy their cuddles when you have them as the time really really does go way way too fast!

 

[littlelily]

Dawn, I love Harvey. Perfect name

Little new born nephew has settled a bit more today but just needs to be held - strange for him out of the womb I'm sure. This has convinced me to buy a Moby wrap to keep new baby close constantly at start.

 

[Dawnlouise30]

any suggestions on wraps Ladies?, i never used one with Isaac but think one may be beneficial this time. In preferance one that can fit me (5ft 7) size 18 pre-pregnancy and hubby who is 6 ft 4, not fat but not thin lol. I have tried to research them but it all seems quite baffling. I also need to consider that i dont have tiny newborns so one that is good for a chunky monkey will be great. Ideally i would like one i could breastfeed in too if possible.

 

[Left wonderin]

The world of wraps is sooo confusing !!! I've tried a thing called a peanut shell, then a mei tai . A ring sling too which I found hard . I think ill get a moby this time then maybe an ergo

 

[Dawnlouise30]

confusing is really not the word lol.... there are so many out there, so many styles, prices etc. I dont want to spend an absoloute fortune but equally i want something supportive and that would ideally grow with baby.

The world of wraps is sooo confusing !!! I've tried a thing called a peanut shell, then a mei tai . A ring sling too which I found hard . I think ill get a moby this time then maybe an ergo

 

[NDH]

I would recommend a size 6 woven wrap - there are a multitude of brands and fabrics, but something 100% cotton you cant go wrong with. Stretchy wraps are probably more common for newborns, but they can only be used til approximately 6 months and on your front only whereas a woven you can use from birth until kindergarten if you want and do back and hip carries as well.
A size 6 will give you the most versatility for both you and your husband in the types of carries you can use.

I also think a ring sling is a great option with a newborn and a toddler especially. It doesnt allow for completely hands free feeding, but you're just using an arm for additional support rather than weight bearing so it definitely makes life a lot easier in my experience/ Baby can be worn upright in the sling and then repositioned to a cradle hold for breastfeeding The tail can be used as a cover as well if you like to be covered.

After the first few months babies are often not as able to be comfortably worn in a ring sling for long periods of time, being just a one-shoulder carry, but they are fabulous for newborns and come into their own again for toddlers who want up and down frequently.

There are also soft structured carriers - I have only really used a Manduca which I love as it has a built in newborn seat and I can still wear my kids at 3 with it. It's not as versatile as a wrap, but a lot easier to use with a much smaller learning curve. My husband and I can both wear the Manduca (I'm 5'4 and 55kg and he's 6'4 and 115kg without too much hassle - just have to readjust the shoulder and waist straps - and he definitely prefers using it to taking the time to wrap.

If you can, I would look into slingmeets in your area and try to get along to one before the birth so you can try out a few different styles and see what you like.

 

[allforthegirl]

I have tries a couple different slings. I personally didn't like the ring sling....for me I had pressure that I couldn't get away from with the ring. I have also a little star sling, it was perfect for the first month but eventually my back started to hurt. I have even tried a soft carrier, though given it was 13 yrs ago, I didn't like it as my back hurt so bad wearing it. I know though they have changed a lot since then, but still scared to own one. I now have a three piece stretchy wrap that works better for small people like me. The one piece ones leave me with too much fabric dangling. I love my current wrap it is very comfy, and can be worn to the side as well.....i just don't remember the name of it at the moment....

Which ever one you find that you like the best will help loads. If you can try them out and talk to many! Just like NDH mentions.

 

[SilasLove]

We fell from team yellow - although I tried really hard. But found out on Christmas that we are team !

 

[Fezzle]

Yay! Another girl in this group!

 

[KalonKiki]

Congrats and welcome to team SilasLove!

I wonder how many more girlies are hiding on team right now? Surely there must be a lot of them since team is currently outnumbering us by so much.

 

[allforthegirl]

OMG ladies while I was sleeping I was getting some very strong, and painful muscle cramps that woke me up, right by my pubic bone and on the inside of my left hip bone......They felt like they were either seizing or ripping....I don't remember ever having anything this painful before I am hoping that doesn't happen any more....though I have been having a bunch of these lately....just not this painful!

Anyone else having this too?

 

[littlelily]

No, sorry all for the girl. That sounds horrible. Hope it doesn't happen again.

 

[AMP1117]

I hope every one had a wonderful Christmas! This little monkey has been kicking like crazy!

 

[Buttercup84]

Hi ladies, long time no speak! Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying the rest of the holiday season We've been out visiting and for dinner every night since xmas eve and tonight OH is working a late shift so me and the girls had pizza for dinner on the couch whilst watching Home, was so nice to just chill When it's time to put the xmas decs and tree away i'll be getting all the baby items down from the loft to sort through, in addition to what we have stashed behind the couch, and make sure we have everything we need initially. I want to set the small crib up in our room later in January so the girls get used to it being there. Can't believe i'm 31 weeks, only 2 months until my due date and 2.5 months until baby will for sure have arrived even if I go overdue again. Feels like no time at all!
Congrats Silas on team pink! Did you have the gender in the envelope for a while before you decided to find out? I've had 3 scans where I could have found out and have managed to resist asking but I think if I had it on paper I would have definitely given in!!
allforthegirl: Sounds painful! I've been getting some nasty muscular feeling pains when I roll over or stand up too quickly, feel like an old granny
Dawn, nice name choice I love Isaac and Harvey together Re wraps I tried stretchies with both girls (moby with DD1 and close caboo with DD2) but neither were keen. DD1 was never a fan of being carried in general but DD2 loved the Ergo. I carried her even in the cast until she had a bar added to it and I would do now if I wasn't pregnant (I know some ladies babywear older kids right through other pregnancies but I just haven't felt up to it) I've bought a Lillebaby to replace the Ergo and apparently you can use it from birth without an insert, though I found a moby cheap on eBay so i'm going to give that another go initially. With my tendency to have huge babies I doubt i'll get longer than a month out of a stretchy wrap so i'll just resell it once i'm done and will probably get my money back
As far as having 2 kids goes, I find i'm winging it a lot of the time if i'm totally honest! I have all these grand ideas of activities to do with them and how much will get done that day but things rarely pan out as planned. Like allforthegirl says if you just go with the flow it's a lot easier all round than worrying about doing things exactly how you want!

 

[bombshellmom]

Congrats on being team pink silas!!! Welcome to the team!!

Allforthegirl - I always feel that weird muscle cramping in my hips/pubic area. I'm not sure what it is but it does feel like something is ripping inside of me. I also suffer from random cramping or muscle spasms on my calves, and feet. Mostly at night this happens to me, never had it with my last pregnancy. So this is new to me too

 

[Left wonderin]

I had awful muscle cramping most nights with my last pg ... Used to be in agony !!! Not this one so far though .

 

[NDH]

My muscle cramps have just been in my calves. But I am in agony. The cramps get so bad my whole legs hurt for days afterwards no matter how much I stretch, massage, and soak in Epsom salts never had cramps like this with my others.

 

[allforthegirl]

I have had muscle cramping in my legs before, they are not fun either. But if I do get these pains I like to take Calcium Magnesium supplements and they work for me. I even take them when my hips get overly crampy too. I also contribute all of this nonsense due to the sheer size of my belly

 

[AMP1117]

Dear Michael- If you crowd my lungs and Mommy can't breathe I can't get oxygen. If I don't get oxygen means you don't get oxygen....thats how this works.