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Helanna
Feb 1, 2007

Panne posted:

Depends on where you are. You're in Ireland if I remember correctly? I don't know how it is there, but I'm sure your doctor knows :) In Norway where I am it's not done unless there's a reason to suspect you have it so I had never heard of it before reading this thread.


Yep in Ireland. My doc was pretty useless though, told me I could keep taking amitryptaline and tramadol during pregnancy, and that I won't need a flu shot :P I suspect an ob will know for sure though!

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Compo
Mar 30, 2007

Cats have been killed for less.

MarshallX posted:

Anyone have any tips for mucus in our 3 week old's eye? We've been massaging the (where we think) tearduct is at every change and wiping away the mucus. The white of his eye is not red so we don't think it's an infection.

Mo had a blocked tear duct for several months. She'd have crusty stuff around her eye several times a day. Eventually it cleared up on its own without much massaging.

Janelle
Apr 5, 2004
Both of my kids had blocked tear ducts. One was unblocked by a dr and the other cleared up on its own.

Question: At what week did you all start dilating? I'm at 33w and have already been feeling the painful contractions down there. And before someone asks, it's not Braxton-Hicks. My BH contractions I feel higher and there is no pain, just a tightening. The real contractions are painful enough to wake me up at night and feel like intense cramping.

Fire In The Disco
Oct 4, 2007
I cannot change the gender of my unborn child and shouldn't waste my time or energy pretending he won't exist
It's not uncommon to start dilating early, especially if this isn't your first baby. I remember my sister walked around for like 3 weeks at 5 cm with her second. And even though she was my first, I was at 4 cm for at least two weeks before Cecilia was born.

bamzilla
Jan 13, 2005

All butt since 2012.


I was dilated 2 and a half cm at around 38 weeks (same time I lost my mucus plug) and 1 and a half around 36 weeks. I had her 4 days shy of her due date.

Low Percent Lunge
Jan 29, 2007



My wife is 11 weeks today. Yesterday she had a ultrasound and it looked like the fetus was a hamster running in a wheel. I kinda expected it to be almost still and not much more, but there was a constant flurry of pumping arms and legs :psyduck:

We had a second scan about 15 minutes later (they forgot to print a copy for us to keep the first time) and it was completely still this time, apart from the heartbeat.

Our obstetrician was overwhelmingly positive and basically said everything was perfect so we're looking forward to telling our mothers in a week on mother's day. It's the first grandchild and great grandchild on my side.

peanut
Sep 9, 2007


Janelle posted:

Question: At what week did you all start dilating? I'm at 33w and have already been feeling the painful contractions down there. And before someone asks, it's not Braxton-Hicks. My BH contractions I feel higher and there is no pain, just a tightening. The real contractions are painful enough to wake me up at night and feel like intense cramping.

I felt long tightness sometimes from around 25 weeks. had a scan at 32 weeks that showed Bug was dropping low. They hooked up a monitor ("non-stress test") and confirmed early contractions. They put me in the hospital on an IV drip for 2 weeks, then released me with the same medicine in pills. Bug was born 3 days after my medicine ran out. She was too small and spent 2 weeks in the NICU.
My friend went into labor while her IV was still in D:

The kid might just be punching you in the crotch, but please take it seriously. Go get a monitor test.

zombie duck v2.0
Apr 4, 2006

"Don't forget taking your skin off, because pink works. It's sophisticated and sexy, stands out as springs hottest color."

Fire In The Disco posted:

It's not uncommon to start dilating early, especially if this isn't your first baby. I remember my sister walked around for like 3 weeks at 5 cm with her second. And even though she was my first, I was at 4 cm for at least two weeks before Cecilia was born.

Lucky thing!

Janelle, I guess I would be an exception to most pregnancies, I was almost 42 weeks before I dilated, and I only dilated 1 cm on my own, and I was in for an induction. But to be honest, most of the people I know in real life who have had children were dilating weeks before their due date, even with their first pregnancy.

Janelle
Apr 5, 2004
Thanks for the replies. This pregnancy has been so different from my other 2 that I have no clue what is going on. I see my dr early next week so I'll have her check.

Missa
Dec 10, 2006
Your stupidity frightens me, but then again, I hit myself in the face with a wiimote once.
I didn't dilate with either child until the day I went into labor. Which was, with both, on my own, no pitocin. I was pretty certain I was going to be induced with my second, but the day before I was to schedule my induction, I had baby. My first was a week before my due date, my second was a few days after.
And, I had labors that lasted less than 12 hours from pre labor to baby. Every woman experiences pregnancy differently, so, if you are even slightly worried-talk to your doctor.

Missa fucked around with this message at 21:16 on Apr 29, 2011

LuckyDaemon
Jan 14, 2006

Lower your standards.
This means dating fat girls because you can't do better.
Whoa, I didn't know it was so common to dilate weeks before your due date. I'm 36 weeks and have some mean BH contractions very often. They don't hurt, they're just intense and occasionally I feel a little stretch in my cervix.

My CNM says that I don't need to worry about them unless they get painful--but if you dilate early is it safe to continue having sex? She doesn't bother with cervical checks during pregnancy unless there's a problem or if we have to consider an induction, but I'd hate to be a few cm open and having something up there. I mean, I know the bag of waters keeps baby safe, but my sister walked around with a slow amniotic leak without realizing it for weeks so what if, what if? :ohdear:

I have an irrational fear of infection as someone I know lost their baby to chorioamnionitis. I'm normally very evidence-based but this issue freaks me out!

Kubricize
Apr 29, 2010

LuckyDaemon posted:

Whoa, I didn't know it was so common to dilate weeks before your due date. I'm 36 weeks and have some mean BH contractions very often. They don't hurt, they're just intense and occasionally I feel a little stretch in my cervix.

My CNM says that I don't need to worry about them unless they get painful--but if you dilate early is it safe to continue having sex? She doesn't bother with cervical checks during pregnancy unless there's a problem or if we have to consider an induction, but I'd hate to be a few cm open and having something up there. I mean, I know the bag of waters keeps baby safe, but my sister walked around with a slow amniotic leak without realizing it for weeks so what if, what if? :ohdear:

I have an irrational fear of infection as someone I know lost their baby to chorioamnionitis. I'm normally very evidence-based but this issue freaks me out!

I dialated early and had sex up till I had Erin, and it was fine. My midwife checked after finding out I was at 3 cm since 35 weeks and nothing happened. Which was good because the last month I was loving insatiable sex wise.

ChloroformSeduction
Sep 3, 2006

THERE'S NO CURE FOR BEING A CUNT, SO PLEASE KEEP REMINDING ME TO SHUT THE FUCK UP

foxatee posted:

I didn't know this was a possibility.

This is basically what we're doing now: As of last night, my milk finally started coming in (exciting!). Before that, we were using the pump to at least get some stimulation and produce colostrum. I had very little progress, but knew not to expect much to come out. What did come out we fed to Peanut using a syringe (a suggestion given by one of the nurses). When that petered out, we switched to formula. But again, my milk has now come in, so we've stopped giving her formula and are feeding her exclusively breast milk. I'm not working right now, and don't plan on going back to school until June/July. I hope nothing changes too much when this happens.

Good googly moogly, my boobs hurt.

Ugh, yeah, boobs hurt a lot at first. It seems like supplementing with formula worked for you, which is good. The hospital I delivered at gets some of their funding from being able to say that a certain percentage of their mothers leave exclusively breastfeeding, so while I wasn't producing enough, the nurses kept telling me that it was totally normal for babies to be screaming nonstop and so dehydrated that their lips cracked open and bled. I discharged myself early, which forced them to get me a paediatrician who recommended adding some formula or donor milk. (A bit more to this story, but we're filing a formal complaint against the hospital, and my doctor has already written up my nurses.)/rant

Anyway, supplementing made life a 1000x easier, and took the stress off until we got our breastfeeding thing going. Like other people have said in this thread before, if you stick with it, generally it gets easier. Now we sometimes have problems feeding him from a bottle, though he will take it better from someone other than me if I'm not around.

In other news, we turned 3 months a few days ago. Off to parenting thread!

Only registered members can see post attachments!

Ana Lucia Cortez
Mar 22, 2008

So I'd been feeling a bit "off" for the past couple weeks. I missed my period but didn't think much of it because my cycles have been unpredictable lately. But for the past two days I felt nauseated all day long so I went and bought a pregnancy test last night. Positive!

This comes as a complete surprise, but a happy one! This will be our second child. We're nervous but very excited.

However, I'm feeling very paranoid because this past month I've been partying more than usual. Alcohol consumption has averaged 2-3 fruit coolers most nights, with at least one occasion where I got full-fledged drunk. I've smoked weed & cigarettes here and there. But the worst part is that I took MDMA about two weeks ago. :ohdear: Fortunately it was pure MDMA, not mixed with speed or anything. But still, the timing couldn't be worse.

I know the first trimester is the most delicate, and now I'm torturing myself mulling over these awful choices that I made. Of course, we weren't planning this AT ALL and we used protection so I really had no idea. I still feel like poo poo, though.

My last period started in mid-March, so I suppose that would place me at six weeks? I'm going to buy another pregnancy test to confirm before I make a doctor's appointment, but I already know.

Please tell me I'm not the only mother here who partied before realizing they were pregnant. :(

ChloroformSeduction
Sep 3, 2006

THERE'S NO CURE FOR BEING A CUNT, SO PLEASE KEEP REMINDING ME TO SHUT THE FUCK UP

Ana Lucia Cortez posted:

Please tell me I'm not the only mother here who partied before realizing they were pregnant. :(

It's pretty common - I friend of mine went on an all-out bender one weekend before we knew she was pregnant, I had drinks, muscle relaxers and a horse land on me before I knew I was pregnant (um, not in that order or at the same time!) Check with your doctor about it, but it should be ok.

LuckyDaemon
Jan 14, 2006

Lower your standards.
This means dating fat girls because you can't do better.
Yes, it's extraordinarily common. Worrying about it is not going to help any. Lots of women don't know that they are pregnant until a month or two in, and continue their normal lifestyles. I remember a night of blindingly drunk karaoke last year--it would have been about 3 weeks post conception. The rest of the time was my normal consumption of 2-3 drinks on Friday afternoons and a beer here and there the rest of the week, all the way up to about 6 weeks post conception (irregular periods here as well). I stopped after I found out, but everything is fine in the tests so far and I'm optimistic. When I told my CNM she said not to worry--that it was highly unlikely to do any harm.

The baby is nourished by a yolk sac for the first few weeks before the placenta forms.

Despite the scare tactics, the literature is consistent that it takes a lot of alcohol (a LOT) to cause problems. No FAS or FAE has been reported with moderate consumption. I'm not saying to go drink that you know, but I am definitely saying that the whole risk is grossly overblown and just an example of the crazy pregnancy paternalism you'll encounter in the next 9 months. All of this "one drink will make your baby retarded" stuff is pretty unique to this country!

So, I really wouldn't worry about 2-3 wine coolers a day and an episode of drunkeness. I don't know anything about MDMA but I do know that stressing out about it now is not going to be good for you or the baby's well being.

And, congratulations :)

bilabial trill
Dec 25, 2008

not just a B

LuckyDaemon posted:

All of this "one drink will make your baby retarded" stuff is pretty unique to this country!


Not really, the recommendation over here too is no alcohol during pregnancy. I don't see it as paternalistic, it's mostly due to the fact that while most of the time the baby is ok, it isn't really known exactly how much alcohol can damage the fetus.

LuckyDaemon
Jan 14, 2006

Lower your standards.
This means dating fat girls because you can't do better.
Are you in the UK? Your NHS recommendations used to be no more than a half pint of beer a day, but they were changed in 2007 to complete abstinence like ours. Not because of any new research, but because there's a concern that women don't know what one drink looks like. I find that paternalistic--essentially that women are too stupid to not go nuts with the booze, so let's scare them into complete abstinence. Of course, the problem is that alcoholics aren't going to follow these guidelines anyway, and the result is stressing out the mothers whose habits wouldn't cause complications in the first place!

I get really angry when I see scare tactics about lots of pregnancy things, though--caffeine, many OTC medications, medium-rare steaks, tuna, sashimi, soft cheeses (pasteurized), etc. Not anyone has the time and resources and know-how to comb through all the literature and see the evidence firsthand, so many depend on third parties to say what's safe or not. And when they decide on blanket-bans rather than actually educating about the real risks (because we're clearly too stupid for risk/benefit analysis), it results in a lot of stressed and guilty pregnant women for no reason at all.

For every post that reads "I ate a carbonara and it was made with raw eggs...is my baby going to die?" or "I had a bite of cake and it was soaked in Frangelico will it cause brain damage?" I want to simultaneously give her a hug and punch some hysterical fear-monger in the face.

Sorry, evidence-based health care is a really passionate topic for me :blush: I don't wish to derail. This article kind of sums up my thoughts on the issue. And Panic-Free Pregnancy is a great book that I think all first time moms should have!

That said, I don't drink because I've had either nausea or near constant heartburn throughout my pregnancy, (though I always sneak a sip from whatever my husband's having). But after looking at all the research myself I certainly wouldn't glare at preggos with a glass of wine!

chknflvrdramen
Sep 11, 2007
Making the world a better place... with cookies!

Panne posted:

Not really, the recommendation over here too is no alcohol during pregnancy. I don't see it as paternalistic, it's mostly due to the fact that while most of the time the baby is ok, it isn't really known exactly how much alcohol can damage the fetus.

That and there are some really dumb women who, if you tell them "One drink a day is safe" etc will have one of those giant fishbowl margaritas every day and then sue the doctor when their baby has FAS. EDIT: Lucky, notice I said SOME really dumb women. It's kind of like pseudoephedrine being behind the counter only because some people are druggies and used it to make meth. Whole population suffering for the stupidity of a few.

chknflvrdramen fucked around with this message at 23:23 on May 1, 2011

hookerbot 5000
Dec 21, 2009
My sister in law is a doctor and when we were both pregnant she mentioned that the reason there is the 'blanket ban' on alcohol during pregnancy is because there is no ethical way to discover the safe level of alcohol that can be drunk during pregnancy the health board has to recommend none. There can't really be proper research on the subject because the doctors would have to monitor how much the pregnant mother drinks and then if the baby comes out hosed then say 'Aha, we found our limit'. I realise this is a very simplified way to describe doing research but I think that was the crux of the argument.

She continued to drink alcohol occasionally during her pregnancy, no more than a unit or two a week I would think, and the baby is fine.

VorpalBunny
May 1, 2009

Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog
It's the same thing with diving and pregnancy. I was two dives away from finishing my Advanced Open Water certification when I found out I was pregnant. I asked if we could just do the dives above 35 feet, but they refused.

It's another one of those "the only way to test is to put unborn babies at risk so we just say no diving" situations. It's pretty frustrating, it's been over a year since I had to pause my certification, and I don't even know when I can do it again since I am breastfeeding and can't really be away from my kid for more than 2 hours at a time.

In all, it's really not that important and my baby was healthy, but I wish there was a way to clarify the risks.

AlistairCookie
Apr 1, 2010

I am a Dinosaur
Have another link

I drank a beer or small glass of wine occasionally with both my pregnancies. No worries here...

bamzilla
Jan 13, 2005

All butt since 2012.


I think in most situations it's because tons of people don't know how to do anything in moderation or less than so that's why there's the blanket "just don't do it" statement.

Ana Lucia Cortez
Mar 22, 2008

Thanks for all the replies, everyone! I'm really starting to chill out. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for Friday so I'll ask her a few questions. I've never been to this doctor before, so is it really okay for me to tell her about the ecstasy? I don't want her getting the impression that I'm some kind of drug addict. I've read some posts in this thread about CPS getting involved when drug usage was revealed.

Also, I haven't yet bought a second pregnancy test. Is it really necessary or should I just wait to go the doctor? Is the 99% accuracy thing true?

Ana Lucia Cortez fucked around with this message at 18:24 on May 2, 2011

chknflvrdramen
Sep 11, 2007
Making the world a better place... with cookies!

Ana Lucia Cortez posted:

Also, I haven't yet bought a second pregnancy test. Is it really necessary or should I just wait to go the doctor? Is the 99% accuracy thing true?

No, it's not necessary. Just go to the doctor. The 99% accuracy thing is true. The only way to get a false positive is if you were on hormone treatments (not birth control).

vanessa
May 21, 2006

CAUTION: This pussy is ferocious.
What did you gals do when your breasts started getting bigger? Did they keep growing all through the rest of your pregnancy? I'm at week 7 and my pre-pregnancy bras are starting to get tight (could probably wait a bit before I absolutely need to get some bigger bras) and I don't want to go out and buy a bajillion new bras if my breasts are still going to grow. I only wear my bras once before tossing them in the wash because I walk a lot and get sweaty, but I might be okay with getting a few bras and wearing them two days before washing if I knew that I'd need more bras before too long.

Also, did just your cup size change, or did you wind up changing band sizes as well?

bamzilla
Jan 13, 2005

All butt since 2012.


vanessa posted:

What did you gals do when your breasts started getting bigger? Did they keep growing all through the rest of your pregnancy? I'm at week 7 and my pre-pregnancy bras are starting to get tight (could probably wait a bit before I absolutely need to get some bigger bras) and I don't want to go out and buy a bajillion new bras if my breasts are still going to grow. I only wear my bras once before tossing them in the wash because I walk a lot and get sweaty, but I might be okay with getting a few bras and wearing them two days before washing if I knew that I'd need more bras before too long.

Also, did just your cup size change, or did you wind up changing band sizes as well?

Sports bras are great for this until you'll know your cup size.

Exelsior
Aug 4, 2007

vanessa posted:

What did you gals do when your breasts started getting bigger? Did they keep growing all through the rest of your pregnancy? I'm at week 7 and my pre-pregnancy bras are starting to get tight (could probably wait a bit before I absolutely need to get some bigger bras) and I don't want to go out and buy a bajillion new bras if my breasts are still going to grow. I only wear my bras once before tossing them in the wash because I walk a lot and get sweaty, but I might be okay with getting a few bras and wearing them two days before washing if I knew that I'd need more bras before too long.

Also, did just your cup size change, or did you wind up changing band sizes as well?

Both my cup and band size changed. My band size didn't change until later on in the pregnancy. I was an 8 prepregnancy, went up to a 12 during 3rd tri and am now a 10 5 months post partum.

LuckyDaemon
Jan 14, 2006

Lower your standards.
This means dating fat girls because you can't do better.
I was up two cup sizes at about 3-4 months. I was afraid I would keep growing at that rate but it stopped entirely after that. Don't worry about your band size--those extenders work great if you need them. For now I'd hold off stocking up, though! Maybe one really comfortable one that you can hand-wash and hang to dry so you're not doing a load of laundry every day.

I wish I had thought about sports bras-great idea!

Speaking of bras, underwires are really uncomfortable in late pregnancy but D cups need that kind of support. I never figured out a solution to that :(

Fire In The Disco
Oct 4, 2007
I cannot change the gender of my unborn child and shouldn't waste my time or energy pretending he won't exist
I find that the Bravado BodySilk nursing bras offer plenty of support for my DDD/F cups, and they are underwire free. They also come in S, M, L, etc sizes, and there's a little wiggle room in each size, so going up another cup size doesn't mean getting rid of the bra.

Tatiana
Jan 29, 2001
Forum Veteran
Also, no matter what they tell you, don't buy a fancy nursing bra until your milk comes in :smith:
Sport bras and non structured cups are the way to go, like the other ladies have said.

I started with C cups, went up to DD during my pregnancy, and now I'm wearing E/F and half my bras don't even loving fit and I get that terrible boob spillage if I have any milk whatsoever.

foxatee
Feb 27, 2010

That foxatee is always making a Piggles out of herself.
Well, Peanut is still having problems latching onto these tiny nips of mine, so I took the advice of my LC and started using a nipple shield. So far this has been a wonderful solution. We've had three successful feedings.:) I know some don't really consider this to be a great substitution, but I'm happy with the decision. So long as she's getting what she needs, it's all good.

Question: I hear two different things-- let her finish one side, then switch, or feed for 15 to 20 minutes on each breast. Which is it? I'm so confused.

Fire In The Disco
Oct 4, 2007
I cannot change the gender of my unborn child and shouldn't waste my time or energy pretending he won't exist
I've heard great things about nipple shields for those who need them, including people who use them up through the first 3, 4, even 5 months before weaning off of them.

How is your supply? Do you overproduce? Underproduce? For the most part, leaving on one side is preferable because the fattier, more filling, more nutrient rich hindmilk is "behind" the waterier foremilk. There are a few exceptions to staying on one side, like if you don't produce much milk and the baby is fussing for more, and you know more isn't flowing.

sheri
Dec 30, 2002

I have my normal yearly girl checkup in the near future. My husband and I planning on starting to try to have children about a year after when I will see my doctor. Is it too early to inform her that we're planning to start trying in a year? What sort of questions should I ask to make sure that her idea of pregnancy and delivery mesh somewhat well with mine (as natural as possible, little intervention, etc).

Should I not worry about it yet? I am generally very healthy, so this will probably be the last time I see her between now and when we start trying to have kids.

Fire In The Disco
Oct 4, 2007
I cannot change the gender of my unborn child and shouldn't waste my time or energy pretending he won't exist
I would talk to her about it. She might suggest some stuff to do over the course of the next year, including starting on prenatals. Ironic story- we had a pre-conception appointment set up with my OB/Gyn, and had to make it like 4-6 weeks in advance, because they're longer appointments and she was all booked up. About 2 weeks before the appointment, I got a positive pee stick test. So my pre-conception turned into a regular OB visit. She called us overachievers. :3:

deviledseraphim
Jan 22, 2002
me gusta besar el pollo desnudo!!
I drank a fair amount and smoked (cigarettes mostly but pot too I think) my first month of pregnancy because I had an oops baby. He's totally healthy. Just make the right decisions from now on out and you should be good!

foxatee
Feb 27, 2010

That foxatee is always making a Piggles out of herself.

Fire In The Disco posted:

I've heard great things about nipple shields for those who need them, including people who use them up through the first 3, 4, even 5 months before weaning off of them.

How is your supply? Do you overproduce? Underproduce? For the most part, leaving on one side is preferable because the fattier, more filling, more nutrient rich hindmilk is "behind" the waterier foremilk. There are a few exceptions to staying on one side, like if you don't produce much milk and the baby is fussing for more, and you know more isn't flowing.

I guess I have a good supply. At least, I'm told I do (about five to six ounces when I pump, anyway). Although last night Peanut managed to suck me dry. That ended up being a little painful and I didn't realize she was just suckling at first. I hope that doesn't happen again. She was pretty frustrated with me two hours later and I had to give her a bottle. :(

I need to find some way to soothe my aching nipples. I'll have to ask my LC about it, but holy crap it can really hurt when the little one is nursing. I get little sharp pains afterward which make me worry about thrush. Fortunately, the pain is only annoying and not unbearable. I do still check Peanut's mouth for any signs of infection (the pediatrician saw nothing) just to be on the safe side.

Fire In The Disco
Oct 4, 2007
I cannot change the gender of my unborn child and shouldn't waste my time or energy pretending he won't exist
Let them air dry and apply lanolin. Cooling packs can help a lot too; there are gel ones that are made to go in the fridge and then you just tuck one into your bra.

deviledseraphim
Jan 22, 2002
me gusta besar el pollo desnudo!!
I used a nipple shield for a few weeks. It saved our nursing relationship (he couldn't latch w/o it at first) and wasn't difficult to wean to wean him off when I was ready.

I'm sorry the pain is so bad. :( Nursing can really be a pain in the rear end at first, but it's definitely short term hard work, long term laziness!

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peanut
Sep 9, 2007


My nurses said 15 minutes a side. And to start on the side with the lower supply.

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