March/April Thread #3

[Colesmom]

gosh-not much time.

Andrea-I'll check your address on my email and send again.  Jo and Hannah had issues to because things got messed up with my cutting and pasting.  The end of Jo's address ended up at the start of Hannahs.
Also, don't know why I'm having luck extending now.  I go in at the first peep before he gets too worked up.  He is ALWAYS standing and I know he won't get down by himself even though he knows how.  I do one or two pupds and then use my new technique of hand on hip/light bum pat and hand holding.  I just hope the handholding doesn't become a prop.

Hugs to those having night issues-Ankie, Nikki, Jo and Hayley come to mind.

Bec-so sad about your grandma.  I'm interested to see how it turns out.  Hopefully you can gain her some peace with a small memorial.

Richelle-will PM you.  Hoping you'll check in while you're gone.  Not sure I gave you my phone number for when you're in town.

Our night went like this:

down at 5:50
woke at 8:50, down in 5 minutes with tylenol/anbesol
woke at 9:35, down in 5 minutes
woke at 11:40, pupd for 50 minutes.  I was waiting for his tylenol window and his feed window.  I had said 8 hours, being 1:30 but he's never gone longer than 7.  The difference from other nights is that he wasn't playing.  He would cry and try to settle, on and off, on and off.  That made me think he was hungry.  I gave tylenol 15 minutes early and tried 10 more minutes of settling.  nope.  fed one boob at 12:45, settled by 1:15.
woke at 2:40, settled by 3:00
woke at 5:00, fed one boob and slept until 6:20!  Yay for the last bit!!  I was certain he wasn't going back down because he was babbling to himself but I just hightailed it outta there hoping he'd settle himself and he did.

SO, I fed him.  Drats.  Andrea-did Taylor have extended wakings like that or just short ones?  I was totally expecting the battle to be at 9 or 10 pm when he typically feeds.  I would have done pupd for 2 hours at that point knowing he wasn't hungry.  I hate doubting myself.  I don't know his cries as well as you know Taylors :oops:

Extended his nap again this morning but didn't stay long enough and he came awake again 7 minutes later and wouldn't go back down.

my labour story:

in labour 4:30pm two days after due date, it was Tuesday.  Had very uncomfortable BM and thought "boy-this little guy is putting some pressure on me" and low and behold there was my mucous plug (sorry if TMI but it IS a labour story after all).  two hours in I'm VERY uncomfortable, contractions are anywhere from 3-11 minutes apart and 30sec-1:30 long :shock:  They were all over the board.  DH was home thankfully-STUDYING LOL-he had an exam on Saturday.  He wanted to stay home since our instructor had said we'd be more comfortable at home.  I said yes, but WHO is comfortable.  The last thing my doc told me was, " I know they say to come if your water breaks and all sorts of other reasons (can't remember them now) BUT if you cannot bear the pain then come in".  That was me.  We left after 3 hours at home.  Got there 4 hours in and I was 4cm.  Had the epidural by 5 hours (9:30pm) and all was good.  Checked at 11:30 pm and 2am-no change.  Got an oxytocin drip.  Was expecting to be about 6-7 by 6am.  I was 10cm by 6 am.  PHEW.  If not they were thinking of doing a C.  Waited a couple of hours for him to drop, turn a bit.  Sample push at 8.  Good push, but still room to drop and turn.  Starting pushing for good at 10:30, out by 12:12.  Third degree tear.  I watched the whole thing in a mirror-very cool as it motivated me to push.  DH was there the whole time-except for a couple minutes when he got queasy near the end.  He nearly missed it!  They had to run into the hall to get him.  I had to hold off pushing while I saw Cole's head all squished and wrinkly ready to come out :shock:
Very healthy, apgar of 9.8. Of 5 couples at our prenatal reunion I was the only one with an unassisted birth.  Counting myself lucky.

okay, time for lunch, he's eating an electrical cord :shock:

[M&M'sMom]

oooh oooh stories!!!!

I was exactly 36 weeks preggo (to the day!). I had been off bedrest for 2 weeks, so I thought they would have come a lot sooner...

Went to bed friday night, woke up at 1am (sorry for the TMI in advance) had the craps... on and off the toilet until 3am...
DH asked me if I was in labour
I said "Yup"
"how far apart are contractions"
"3 min"
"dear god ,Jod we have to go!"
"But I have to shower!"
"HURRY UP THEN"
I showered , shaved the legs, did my hair (pausing the blow drying for every contraction), then did my make-up..
In the van we blew 3 red lights...
Showed up I was 5 cm and feeling okay
Called the epideral lady ( I cannot spell it!!!)
By the time she got there (10 min) I was already 8cm (water broke at home on toilet)
When epidural kicked in I was 10cm and off to the OR.
5 contractions, there was Maisie (1 push)
Next contraction (5mins later) there was Makaylee...

IT WAS AWESOME!!

jod

[mickymuscles]

delivery stories!!!  how fun!!  :shock:  :roll:   Everyone's sounds so painful so far!!   :lol:   My DH can't believe I can't remember the pain already!!  I know it was painful, I just can't remember the actual pain.

5 days overdue and was being induced.  They put the gel on my cervix Monday AM.  The gel caused my uterus to become irritable and not contract properly.  Monday PM sometime they decided the gel needed to comeout. They were afraid that with these useless contractions that my uterus would become overtired (not me tho :roll: ) So they had to wipe it off my cervix!!! :shock:  :shock:  HOLY HANNAH!!!!!!!!  That pain I do remember!!  Imagine someone shoving their fist up your crotch with a fist full of gauze!!!  YOIYYYYY!!!  They might as well have lit me on fire!  The wonky contractions were also causing my blood pressure to drop and Jacksons heart rate to drop.  So they started to pump serious IV fluids into me.  7Liters within 8 hours!!!!  :shock: Tuesday at 7 am they started the drip.  Then the real contractions finally started.  By 11am I was at 5 cm and got an epidural.  I think DH just about needed one too.  He was looking a little green already!    Then by 1 pm I was 8 cm.  At 7 pm I still was 8 cm.  Jack was sunny side up and was not progressing anymore and his heart rate was making alot of really bad dips.  So off to have a C-section.  They had to use forceps to get his gigantic head out of the birth canal.  By 8 pm we had a beautiful 7lbs 1 oz 19inches Jackson.  So 37 hours of labor and an extra 7 Liters of fluid added to my legs...I had  cankles!!!!  But I've forgotten the actual feeling of pain......Makes me want another!! 

[Colesmom]

Andrea-somehow missed you altogether :oops:   I have pm'd and emailed you.  Just need your last name and I'll send out version three of the list to everyone.

[Colesmom]

okay, one more post before I get lunch:

RANT: just got Cole's birth certificate in the mail.  It's paper.  It says that lamination or other "alteration" voids the certificate.  Well-why do they not issue some sort of plastic sleeve/protector for such an important document then?  Because they'll get ruined easier and you'll have to pay for another, that's why :evil:  :twisted:  :roll:   Sheesh, I'd even pay more to have something come with it...now I have to go out and search for something.

okay, a minor thing, but it was irking me.

[sophieandhannah]

This is  fun to read all of the labor stories.  Jody yours was funny, make up, blow dried hair?!...and with twins too!
Well, I was really wanting to do things naturally.  I think we were chatting one night about how my birth class was geared towards natural childbirth?  We had a doula and a midwife.   We had our bag of "tricks" massage stuff, music, pictures, etc, etc, etc,.....We had a birth ball too. We had talked and practiced for hours how we would deal with the pain..how Mike and the doula would coach me through it...   
I was due on the Saturday after my last day of school.  Sunday night at about 5pm very light contractions started while dh and I were in the car.  We stopped, rented a few movies then went home.  By around 8pm my contractions were regular...I can't remember the intervals, but not close enough together to go to the hospital.  So, we watched movie after movie with me going through contractions, either with dh or on the birth ball.  They were intense, but I was managing.  At about 5 in the morning, we both slept for about an hour.  Around 9am I called the midwife and she told me I could come in to the office and they would check to see how far I was.  The contractions were still regular but not getting any closer together.  I really did not want to get in the car at all if I was going to be sent home.  I couldn't imagine having contractions in the car....I sat in back on my knees. No seatbelt!!
So we went in, they checked and I was 7cm!!  So they were like, uh, you need to head over to the hospital.   Mike and I were all excited.  We were basically high fiving each other like "We did it!" ...we were so proud...I was so proud for staying at home for so long.
Well, then labor really started!  After getting settled, the nurse broke my water.  I got in the bathtub to try to get some relief.  It was now about 2pm.  I was still only 7cm.  I had not changed since I arrived.  I was totally exhausted and I had come to the end of my ability to handle to pain.  I was shaking like a leaf etc, etc.  They gave me something for the pain, shots in the arms...don't remember what it was...I was so worried that it would harm Sophie, but I couldn't deal otherwise.  I slept for about an hour(with dh in the hosp. bed with me...it was soooo nice) then around 4pm, they checked me and I was still only 7. Argh!
So they wanted to start pitocyn sp? at which point I said I want an epidural, which I got, quite quickly thank goodness.  Then around 7pm I was finally fully dialated, I pushed for about an hour and out popped Sophie 8lbs, 12oz. At about 8:30pm....bad mommy can't remember the exact time right now.
Sorry so long. 
So, a couple of questions for you ladies, first, what kind of socks do your los wear??  I seem to not be able to find a good pair of socks, ones that fit but don't cut off the circulation in her little chubby ankles
Woops, can't remember the other one.
Got the list Traci.  Thank you so much.
Is anyone going to chat tonight?
Hannah

[sophieandhannah]

Micky, what are cankles?

[Arwyn's mom]

Ah.... the delivery... after a picture perfect pregnancy & planning for an unassisted drug-free birth... I had a nightmare of a delivery.

I had been already 3 cm diatated for a month. I was 2 days overdue. My water broke at 3 am... I tell DH... who rolls over and goes back to sleep I say, "No honey... I need to go to the hospital, I think." So... I phone the on-call OBGYN and he says if I don't feel the baby in 15 minutes, come to the hospital because I am Group B Strep positive. So... of course, no kicks or anything, so we go.

Strapped to an external monitor as soon as I was admitted.... induced at 9 am... They wanted to do it at 8 am and I begged them not to and to let me walk around to see if I could induce labour that way. Anyhow... the oxytocin drip was being administered at half the rate as normal because I told them I don't take any western medications and have not so much as had an aspirin for about 10 years. Well... within 2 hours, I was in active labour... 4 hours later, 6 cm dialated, epidural administered... 8 hours later, 8 cm dialated... 13 hours later, 8 cm still... failure to progress... oxy turned off, emergency c-section as Arwyn's heartrate was increasing fast.

During the c-section... lost 5 units of my 11 units of blood... I shook throughout the entire surgery like I were a drug addict going through withdrawal BUT, I remember James bringing Arwyn over to me and kissing her. Apparently, they took my uterus out of my body  :shock: because it was bleeding so much (they put it back). Anyhow... good thing there is no prize for how she came out (as my childbirth educator said) and that she is healthy and thriving. So... weighing 8lb 9oz, 9 on her Apgar... Arwyn is in the house!

Judy... that is so cool that they let you pull Zoe out!!!

Some of you have mentioned no remembering the pain. I can't remember the pain either. Isn't nature so kind? Otherwise, there would be no second children!

Well... gotta go... Arwyn has just extended her morning nap all by herself :shock:  I heard a cry at 45 minutes but then silence and then another cry & more silence so... fingers are crossed for another 45 minutes.

We had a terrible night but I only fed her once. I had to hold her to settle her though. The elevated mattress wasn't helping. She just couldn't stay asleep. We slept together on the futon, sometimes lying down, most of the time sitting up. Funny how your body gets used to the change in sleep pattern... I feel much better rested today, even though I spent most of the night sitting up again.

[Arwyn's mom]

Hannah & Traci... we posted at the same time!

Traci... in BC, the birth certificate is paper too! Mine is laminated... Arwyn's is not. Hers came with this cheap weird paper sleeve... it reminds me of the kind you stick your bank card in. Maybe ask your bank if they have one? I know it is better to get the clear kind but if it is just to store it at home, perhaps that is an option?

Hannah... we wear triple roll socks and unroll them so they pull up to her knees  :shock: Grampa like... but it works!

Gotta go... baby awake!

[mickymuscles]

hannah....cankles is from the movie with Jack Black and Gwenyth Paltrow.  Where all he sees is a beautiful girl but everyone else sees a giagantic overweight lady.  anyways, she had cankles....where you have no ankles your legs are so fat your calf just attaches to your foot! :shock:     I was literally the Michelin man!!  If you had stuck a pin in me I probably would have ooozed and oozed! :shock:

Traci our birth certificate is paper too.  I don't know where I got it but I put it in a plastic sleeve...the kind you would put a bus pass in. KWIM???

[sophieandhannah]

ROTFLMAO Micky!!

I haven't received Sophie's bc yet??? Hmmm...I wonder if it takes longer here?  Any US mom's have birth certs yet?

Ankie what brand are the triple roll grandpa socks? hee hee grandpa socks.

Hannah

[M&M'sMom]

OMG Cankles Micky!!! you are too funny... I said to Dh I had tree stumps as legs. I was so concerned I asked the nurse if it was normal- her snarky reply was "where else is all the fluid going to go?"....I had next to zero swelling all pregnancy so you can imagine how surprized I was when overnight my calves turned into 50 pound butterball turkeys.

Hannah- I did the hair and make up full well knowing this was going to be a great photo op that would last a life time. I am so not afraid to frame the picks of me holding the girls for the first time. Besides the fact that the epidural made one of my eyes swell shut a little (I look hilarious in that matter), not a bad pic!

Jod

[Colesmom]

I have Carter's socks from the US.  They stay on pretty good but do leave marks on his legs and he's skinny.  I have a pair from H&M but they are too thin for winter.  Maybe I'll pick up some of the roll up kind, I've seen them at the Gap.

Thanks for the notes on the plastic sleeves.  Maybe I do have something upstairs from the bank, or I'll see if I can find one at the mall :roll:

Jody-LOL at blowdrying your hair.

Judy- I was hoping they'd put Cole right onto my chest before cleaning him up...suppose I should have mentioned it.  Very cool they let you pull Zoe out.

Micky-after being on the oxytocin/IV drip all night I had cankles too.  I was soooo huge.

I might pop into chat for a bit, but I should try and sleep while Cole is sleeping.  We'll see.

[M&M'sMom]

not the best angle but I love how BIG my belly looks.....
me in labour... just waiting for the epidural to fully kick in.. la dee dahh, enjoying my delicious cup of ice. It was like a fine wine that hospital ice!

[albertasweetpea]

Jody - can you post the picture of you holding the girls when they are first born??

Traci - when I got Molly's birth certificate mailed, they included a skinny plastic sleeve with it. That is so stupid about not being able to laminate it. I also found out that if you have the small sized certificate, it is not acceptable for identification when you are travelling. For the adult, not the child. So if you have a small one, they tell you to get a large one. Least that's what the lady out here at our registration office told me.  :evil:  Is it you that is doing up the Christmas Card address list?? Can you include me and send me a copy if I pm you my address??

Micky - LMAO at your "cankles". With Mason I had severe pre-eclampsia and was pregnant through the summer so I can totally relate!!  :shock:

Hannah - I found the "George" brand of socks from Walmart work wonders. They are not too short and they actually stay on with all the kicking Molly does. They are fairly reasonably priced too.