Weekend ransoms (dec 9th)

[awick14]

mpc- my attempt at a few more threads, getting us closer to daily threads.

Today I got our car seat installed, the nursery is basically done. We just need to go through a few more things that have been given to us, mostly from MIL, and most of it is probably going to be given back to her as I don't want it. It may just make it awkward though because we are living with the ILs until next Oct.

[Chrysanthemum]

We're getting the car seat installed tmw too! I think it will be weird to drive around with it for a few more weeks without a baby and I still worry "what if?" But, then I remind myself to enjoy the next few weeks.

We also have a Childbirth Express class on Sunday!

[grover]

We're doing our childbirth class tomorrow. Typically January and February are snowier months and my doctors recommend taking it at the end of second trimester.

My MILs psychic still thinks baby girl is gonna come in February sometime, even though due date isn't til March 28. So I guess better safe by taking the class early?

Oh, and were about to be hit with a winter storm. Between 4-12 inches from Sat night through Monday morning. Half hoping for a snow day and half not since I'll be unpaid for the make up day in June.

[awick14]

Chrysanthemum- that's why I haven't installed ours until now either.

Do you think I will regret not taking childbirth classes Chrysanthemum & grover, I figure I know enough that I don't really want to pay for them. Lol. Most of my friends said that the only part of the classes they enjoyed/found helpful were the hospital tours. As I work in health care and have worked in and around the maternity ward so I don't really want a tour of the hospital.

[grover]

awick14, If we were still in our old town that was closer to the hospital where I had all my regular gyne appointments for years, I probably would have skipped the class. But since we moved, I'm now going to be at a brand new to me hospital. The hospital only tours are not offered at times H could make it, and I figured while the 8 hour class may suck tomorrow, it's another way for H and me to possibly bond over the baby.

part of me also feels I'd be more anxious without the class because I know nothing really about anything medical related. I figure by taking the class this early, if I start feeling anxious about delivery while in the class, I have time to forget about it before I actually go into labor.

[awick14]

grover, one of my friends did say that she thought it was good for her H to take because of the bonding thing as well. I think f anything he should take the course but now it's too late. Lol

Infant CPR is something I wouldn't pass on though. (But with my job I don't need to take it and DH has been a volunteer fire fighters off and on for years so he knows what he's doing so he didn't take the course either, but if he wasn't I would want him to take it.)

[grover]

awick14 infant CPR is in the babycare class. I haven't signed up for that one yet, because they want you to bring your carseat with and we won't have that til the very end of January.

[cowgirlcutie]

awick14 We passed on the childbirth class too. I felt that I had read all I needed to know, DH has 2 older children so he knew what to expect and we delivered at our small town hospital where I had visited friends who had babies there so the hospital tour was unnecessary. I wasn't surprised by anything and I had the med free delivery I wanted. I did attend some La Leche League meetings before delivery which were extremely helpful. Good luck, you're getting so close!

[mpc]

Dec 9, 2016 21:11:02 GMT -5 awick14 said:

mpc - my attempt at a few more threads, getting us closer to daily threads.

:Y:

I think we did 3 classes the first time. hospital tour, childbirth, and breastfeeding. It was nice, but I honestly don't remember if it was useful or not. I remember watching videos of these newborns rooting and finding the nipple and going to town, and breastfeeding was not like that for me, lol. It was more like begging him, please swallow, please latch, please take something. I mean, eventually it got great and easy, but not in the very beginning. The most memorable thing about our childbirth class is that my H fainted when they showed us the epidural kit and explained it. We had him go wait in the hall when they did my actual epidural. 

Tonight we're going to a local christmas parade. Should be nice, something different. 

[awick14]

mpc- I believe DH is going to be ok with labor and the epidural, but having him faint before hand would be a good warning. Lol

My pup is currently sleeping with his head on my lap. He has been extra affectionate near the end of the pregnancy for sure.

[scm1011]

I didn't take any classes beforehand (I'm very type B in general) and no regrets. I felt like a childbirth class might just make me more anxious (ignorance is bliss! lol) and that a breastfeeding class was kind of pointless without the baby to actually practice with (I did meet with LCs after which I found helpful). We did watch some infant CPR videos to brush up, but we'd both been certified more than once prior.

Tonight we're taking DS out for dinner in the neighborhood. We did last week too and he slept the whole time, but not sure we'll be so lucky this time. It makes me a little anxious that he might meltdown in public, but I don't want to stay home all the time out of fear. We're going to a loud place figuring if he's fussy the general cacophony will drown him out Fingers crossed it goes well!

[shauni27]

I cannot believe how close you guys are to delivering! It really helps me to look at you guys, and the mamas who have already delivered, to stay hopeful and positive.

Lots of queasiness the last 36 hours and on and off cramps and twinges yesterday, particularly in one spot. I hate going between assuming the worst and hoping for the best.

We also had to change our appointment to be on Tuesday am because we are supposed to get snow Monday and the drive already takes 2 hours. It is just safer to go Tuesday.

[loira]

I didn't do a childbirth class. I never got to that point with V, and then I just had to deal with everything as it came. With A I had a planned c-section so didn't feel the need, and especially didn't want to sit in a room full of women talking about labour and delivery and feel so angry and sad. I do wish I'd learned a bit more about feeding (I didn't know combo feeding was a thing) and was able to advocate better for A in the hospital when she started losing all that weight.

[awick14]

loira- I have looked into breastfeeding classes and such. Most around here recommend waiting until you come home from the hospital. (So you can work with baby.) I also will have access to a lactation consultant with the local health department, so hopefully that will help.

[loira]

awick14, for sure I think waiting until baby is here to work on breastfeeding. I agree with pps that there's only so much you can do beforehand to prepare - most of it depends on working with baby. I think I just wish I had known that it didn't have to be all BF or all FF, that I could do both. The impression I got from the nurses at the hospital was that giving her formula would hurt our bfing relationship. We probably could have gone on to do it successfully if I'd done 50/50 and worked up to EBF, but by the time her latch was fixed I was too paranoid about her weight gain so I just decided to pump and FF (which is like 3 times the work of EFF or EBF).

[awick14]

((loira)) I wish you didn't gave that experience with the nurses. I really would like to EBF but I am open to adding formula as well if needed. My OB and I talked about it and she agrees that there is no harm in supplementing in the hospital if baby and I can't get the hang of breastfeeding right away and working towards EBF. (If possible) I hope the hospital nurses don't give me a hard time if that's how things work out.

[grover]

loira awick14- I'm in the don't want to feed direct from the boob, but at willing to work at pumping and then supplementing as needed with formula boat. One of my three doctors was discouraging, but I asked the nurse who ran our childbirth class as well as the woman in charge of classes and they both seemed to feel that the nurses would pressure me. After years of feeling that my body has not been my own, I just want to go straight to bottles. Plus, H can then do night bottles since he won't be home ever during weekdays and we can easily go out and have a sitter feed her.

[awick14]

grover- I bought a double electric breast pump yesterday. I do plan on pumping if breastfeeding works for me.
I also want DH to be able to feed baby in the middle of the night. (He isn't working right now, his work is seasonal, so I should have lots of help at night.)

[loira]

grover, awick14, as much as I hated pumping, I will say that I really wish someone had told me this: you can put the pump parts in the fridge during the day so you don't have to wash them every.single.damn.time. I wish I had known. I could have saved so much time and effort. Instead I bequeath to you this information, lol.

And Grover, I totally feel you on wanting your body back. It takes such a toll, doesn't it?

[grover]

loira is it bad that I'm considering buying a second set of pump parts so that I (or really probably H) only have to wash both every other day?. I was thinking I'd just leave the first set of parts either in the fridge overnight or in a basin of soapy water.

[loira]

Dec 11, 2016 20:25:37 GMT -5 grover said:

loira is it bad that I'm considering buying a second set of pump parts so that I (or really probably H) only have to wash both every other day?. I was thinking I'd just leave the first set of parts either in the fridge overnight or in a basin of soapy water.

No, that sounds smart to me. Pumping is time consuming, and anything that saves you time is great.

[dellabear]

Dec 11, 2016 18:46:17 GMT -5 loira said:

grover , awick14 , as much as I hated pumping, I will say that I really wish someone had told me this: you can put the pump parts in the fridge during the day so you don't have to wash them every.single.damn.time. I wish I had known. I could have saved so much time and effort. Instead I bequeath to you this information, lol.

I had no idea. What a great tip! For me, pumping is the devil. I really hate it. At the beginning I rented a hospital grade pump and that made it a bit more tolerable - quicker at least.  Now I just  have my Medela swing and it is so loud and I have to pump so long to get any decent amount. So I don't. I pumped a ton at the beginning and froze it so I would have some freedom to be away from the baby. We ran out around 5 months and I just use formula now. We have started to slowly wean anyway.

so my tip is - if you want to pump, get a good quality pump, and pump a lot at the beginning while you have a lot of milk. Freeze up a nice stash. Once your supply regulates its tough to get much more than what the baby needs to take in.