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VorpalBunny
May 1, 2009

Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog
It's funny, when I had my son a year ago I stopped after step 4 and just went ahead with the C-section. I was sad I didn't get the natural birth I was hoping for, but those complications scare the hell out of me. I am so glad you and the baby are doing well!

Yay for November babies!

EDIT: top of the page - have a photo of a November baby!

VorpalBunny fucked around with this message at 23:14 on Nov 20, 2011

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Bahunter22
Jul 3, 2010

The Young Marge posted:

Congrats, MoCookies! Look at those wide-open eyes!

I wanted to report that I also had my little dude, on November 9th! The great news is that he is very strong and healthy and awesome. Unfortunately, I had a very rough labor and delivery which did not work out anything like I'd planned. This involved:

- Hospital birth instead of birth center (went in for non-stress tests at 41 weeks + 1 day and amniotic fluid was was low)
- Induction instead of natural
- 24 hours of Cervadil
- 7 hours of Pitocin, but no cervical change
- Waters broken by my midwife
- Being hooked up to an IV, contraction monitor and fetal heart monitor the entire time I labored
- 9 hours of crazy Pitocin-fueled superlabor, then 45 minutes of pushing
- Episiotomy
- Hemorrhaging and bleeding out
- Suffered a rare complication during childbirth and separated my pelvic ring
- 5 days total of hospital stay (9am Monday the 7th - 8pm Friday the 11th)
- Unable to stand or walk for several days, gradually progressing from bedridden to wheelchair to using a walker, which I was finally able to do at 6 days postpartum and am still using now. Full recovery time was quoted at 3 months but upgraded to 1 month a few days ago after a doc visit
- Baby wasn't gaining weight, probably because of low milk production due to my pain and physical condition, and the fact that he's big and just needed more. Had to supplement with a little formula and now he's doing fine
- Breastfeeding extremely painful, nipples sore and cracked probably due to bad latching. Have been pumping milk while they heal. Lactation appointment tomorrow

BUT HEY, healthy baby, amirite? LOL. Despite the induction, I still had no pain meds or epidural, and all my postpartum requests were followed to the letter.

I just can't wait to be able to carry him around. :( It sucks to awkwardly care for him from the couch, although I'm more mobile every day, the pain is subsiding and I have come up with a lot of creative solutions. He's really cute, wonderfully calm and seems very smart (sorry, I'm not allowed to post pics). November 9th, 2011, 6:39AM, 9 pounds 11 ounces, 22 inches in length.

Congrats! Glad everyone is doing better! Good Christ that story made me hurt for you.

Beichan
Feb 17, 2007

pugs, pugs everywhere
Oh god, the phrase 'separated my pelvic ring' just made me shudder. I'm glad you're recovering faster than they expected and so sorry you went through that.

peanut
Sep 9, 2007


If any of you are having what you think are Braxton-Hicks, but they seem to be lasting for a long time, even if you lay down, get your doctor to do a "Non-Stress Test" (contractions monitor) on you. What I was told by the internet was BH was actually pre-term labor and the only thing that got it under control was IV drugs and a hospital stay. Bug was still born too early, and I have a friend who went into labor even with her IV still in. Take it seriously!

Chicken McNobody
Aug 7, 2009
(This might be more of a PI situation, but there seems to be a lot of overlap in this thread's posters and PI folks, so...)

I would expect a dog to somehow know I was pregnant, and to act differently, but somehow I never expected my derpy-rear end cats would.

I have 3 cats: 3-year-old brothers Blackfoot and Carlin and 1-year-old Hachi. Hachi seems to be acting normally: hating everyone except Carlin. (Unless you're pooping. I guess she knows that in that situation you won't be making any sudden moves and she feels safe enough to come purr and get a few brief head-pets.) Blackfoot was always the cuddliest of the three, and in the last few months he has gotten even more loving; he likes to curl up around me on the couch and put an ear to my belly and extend a paw over it like he's giving it a big hug. :3:

Carlin is a different story. He is usually not super-cuddly, but not standoffish either; a good catte. In the last few months, though, he has become super annoyingly clingy and needy. I can't get up and walk anywhere in the house without him attaching himself to my ankle and coming with me. Not just walking alongside; he must be actually touching my ankle as we walk. Sometimes he figure-eights. You can see how this is a problem, as my balance is bad already! Also, I can't open any doors without him needing to run in and check out the closed-up room. (This is mainly a problem because several of these closed rooms are in an in-between stage in their renovation and we don't want him hurting himself in there.) He especially must do this in the bathroom. You cannot enter the bathroom until Carlin has dashed in. And it's a small bathroom, so he's a tripping hazard there. He simply must be underfoot ALL OF THE TIME. And he is a lot more vocal than usual; he has periods in the evening where he just meows for like an hour. Apart from all that, he just seems way more neurotic than usual, and mostly unable to relax unless we're not home or my husband is sitting on the couch so he can rest in his lap.

I don't know what to do to comfort him, or to get him to quit trying to trip me. :( Anyone have experience with this? Training with treats doesn't really work, he has never liked any treat we've tried.

The Young Marge: :stare: Good god woman I want to bring you a casserole and a pack of witch-hazel pads. You are some kind of superwoman.

dreamcatcherkwe
Apr 14, 2005
Dreamcatcher
Some of my cats were crazy attracted to me during my pregnancies but they backed off after the baby was born. ;) So it won't last forever is my advice, I guess.

Tesla Insanely Coil
Jul 23, 2006

Ask me why I'm not squatting.
I have a cat that's more affectionate. I carry him around more - not because he's underfoot but because he likes it. You could carry Carlin around and he wouldn't be underfoot! (I know this wouldn't be possible all the time.) Other half-joking ideas: feed him lots so he is in a food-coma or carry something like a rattle that will scare him off. I got some balloons at my last baby shower and my other cat is deathly afraid of them.

FretforyourLatte
Sep 16, 2010

Put you in my oven!
My cats are madly in love with me now and cannot be satisfied with just sitting in my lap, oh no, they must keep trying to stand ON my belly. I won't let them do it because they're loving heavy and anyhow then they always start kneading and pretty much all my new maternity shirts have a little hole on the belly now due to these assholes. So I have to shoo them away and they look at me like I just murdered their best friend. Sorry cats, if you could just sit nicely in my lap I'd be happy to pet you all day, quit trying to loving stand on me and claw me up! Jerks. :catstare:

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
One of my cats needed to sleep on my belly every time I was in a vaguely prone position throughout my pregnancy. I mostly just put up with it.

Chicken McNobody
Aug 7, 2009

FretforyourLatte posted:

My cats are madly in love with me now and cannot be satisfied with just sitting in my lap, oh no, they must keep trying to stand ON my belly. I won't let them do it because they're loving heavy and anyhow then they always start kneading and pretty much all my new maternity shirts have a little hole on the belly now due to these assholes. So I have to shoo them away and they look at me like I just murdered their best friend. Sorry cats, if you could just sit nicely in my lap I'd be happy to pet you all day, quit trying to loving stand on me and claw me up! Jerks. :catstare:

The downside of Blackfoot resting his paw protectively over my belly is that it usually ends up right on my areola and if anyone pets or scares him or he has a happy dream the claws come out :cry:

Tesla Insanely Coil posted:

You could carry Carlin around and he wouldn't be underfoot!

He hates being carried. So I'll try it! :v:

Bodnoirbabe
Apr 30, 2007

My cats still ignore me. I feel like I'm missing out on some good cat loving. Stupid little jerks! At least my dog loves me!

Twatty Seahag
Dec 30, 2007
I had a cat that demanded to sit on my bump. He doesn't give a gently caress about the baby.

Twatty Seahag fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Nov 22, 2011

GoreJess
Aug 4, 2004

pretty in pink

Chicken McNobody posted:

And he is a lot more vocal than usual; he has periods in the evening where he just meows for like an hour. Apart from all that, he just seems way more neurotic than usual, and mostly unable to relax unless we're not home or my husband is sitting on the couch so he can rest in his lap.

I don't know what to do to comfort him, or to get him to quit trying to trip me. :( Anyone have experience with this? Training with treats doesn't really work, he has never liked any treat we've tried.


I don't have personal experience with this, but I know that if you asked in PI we'd direct you towards Feliway plugins. They release pheromones that help stressed cats chill out. You can get them for a decent price on Amazon, so it's worth a shot.

Lyz
May 22, 2007

I AM A GIRL ON WOW GIVE ME ITAMS
Anyone have any recommendations for a good carrier to wear around the house? The kiddo still wants to be attached to people all the time, and I'm going stir crazy... any time I try to put him down in a swing, a Boppy, or his Pack n Play I get about 10 minutes before he wakes up crying and wants the boob for comfort. Pacifiers are usually rejected, though sometimes they net me another 10 minutes.

So in the interest of being something more than a baby couch all day, what's a good sling or carrier I can use to do some hands free nursing and some chores around the house? I have two front carriers but want something without all the straps and buckles.

Kiddo is one month old tomorrow! I will post pics, promise.

dreamcatcherkwe
Apr 14, 2005
Dreamcatcher
Best carrier for me when the baby was little was the Sleepy Wrap. (I guess they have changed their name to Boba for whatever reason): http://store.bobafamily.com/baby-wrap/

Bahunter22
Jul 3, 2010

Chicken McNobody posted:

(This might be more of a PI situation, but there seems to be a lot of overlap in this thread's posters and PI folks, so...)

I would expect a dog to somehow know I was pregnant, and to act differently, but somehow I never expected my derpy-rear end cats would.

I have 3 cats: 3-year-old brothers Blackfoot and Carlin and 1-year-old Hachi. Hachi seems to be acting normally: hating everyone except Carlin. (Unless you're pooping. I guess she knows that in that situation you won't be making any sudden moves and she feels safe enough to come purr and get a few brief head-pets.) Blackfoot was always the cuddliest of the three, and in the last few months he has gotten even more loving; he likes to curl up around me on the couch and put an ear to my belly and extend a paw over it like he's giving it a big hug. :3:

Carlin is a different story. He is usually not super-cuddly, but not standoffish either; a good catte. In the last few months, though, he has become super annoyingly clingy and needy. I can't get up and walk anywhere in the house without him attaching himself to my ankle and coming with me. Not just walking alongside; he must be actually touching my ankle as we walk. Sometimes he figure-eights. You can see how this is a problem, as my balance is bad already! Also, I can't open any doors without him needing to run in and check out the closed-up room. (This is mainly a problem because several of these closed rooms are in an in-between stage in their renovation and we don't want him hurting himself in there.) He especially must do this in the bathroom. You cannot enter the bathroom until Carlin has dashed in. And it's a small bathroom, so he's a tripping hazard there. He simply must be underfoot ALL OF THE TIME. And he is a lot more vocal than usual; he has periods in the evening where he just meows for like an hour. Apart from all that, he just seems way more neurotic than usual, and mostly unable to relax unless we're not home or my husband is sitting on the couch so he can rest in his lap.

I don't know what to do to comfort him, or to get him to quit trying to trip me. :( Anyone have experience with this? Training with treats doesn't really work, he has never liked any treat we've tried.


I'm in the same situation. My Spawn of Satan cat has to be sleeping between me and the world all of the time if anyone has come to the house at all. Then both SoS and my Mentally Unstable cat have to sleep on my belly as I'm sleeping. SoS has even gone as far as to lie on my belly and wake me up by clawing at my boobs because she's relaxed and decided she wants to soften them. Seriously, WTF cats? Its a new development since I've been pregnant and MU has to be all up in my poo poo, not just in my lap. They both have to be rubbing and loving on me all the time. SoS is fine for the most part other than being protective, but MU has some serious issues with crying for hours and I'm about to lose my drat marbles. I've tried Feliway but honestly I think it might be to the point where she needs to be medicated to help her cope for the next few months.

Amykinz
May 6, 2007
So, Emily Rose made her grand entrance on saturday, November 19th, 3 days before MY birthday. 38 weeks along, and she is only 5lbs 15oz. She's doing well, and I'm doing great.

I feel kinda bad talking about my labor after The Young Marge's, but that's what this thread is for, I guess.

Water broke at 3:30am (felt a 'snap', and nothing happened for 30 minutes or so until there was a dribble when I tried to go pee), woke the husband up at 4, he showered and we took our sweet rear end time getting to the hospital. (First baby, this is gonna be a long day, right?)

Hospital at 6, in the room and on the monitor at 6:30am, internal check shows 3cm and 90% effaced, whatever, get out the knitting and board games. The nurse gets us breakfast trays and we eat, then get set to walk around and "get this labor moving".

As I'm getting ready to walk out the door of the room, a contraction hits and I get a wave a nausea. I didn't want to leave the room and puke on myself, so I send my husband down to the car to get a book for me, and start walking around the room. He gets back, and the next contraction makes me puke in the bathroom sink. After the puking, each contraction is hell. I haven't had any drugs to this point. The nurse comes in, I wanted drugs, and she says she'll get me checked out.

They put me on an IV, midwife checks me at 9:30ish and I'm at 7cm! Then they proceed to drag rear end around for nearly an hour before giving me my goddamn Fentanyl. This only took the edge off the contractions, but they were bareable again. Somewhere around 11 or so I get the very sudden urge of pushing while the contraction happens and the drugs have already worn off. The nurse checks me, and the baby is "right there". She hauls rear end off to get the midwife and everyone, and Emily was born shortly afterward, at 11:24am. I have a first degree tear with some stitches, but doing alright.

My only issue so far is worrying about breastfeeding. I'm scared she's not getting enough, she isn't latching onto one side because the nipple is wonky, etc, but we have her ped's appointment tomorrow, so that should help my fears. I'll post a picture as soon as I get back onto my own computer.

Beichan
Feb 17, 2007

pugs, pugs everywhere
My cat Hermes was very very attached to my pregnant belly and he's still very very attached to my son over 2 years later :3:

yawnie
Jul 29, 2003
lollerz.
Chiming in to the November babies to announce that River Alexander arrived on 11/10/11 at 12:39am, weighing 9lbs 1oz and 20.5 inches long. I was a week overdue and my OB called to schedule an induction for me, and not 5 minutes after I hung up the phone, my water broke. Seems River wanted to come on his own terms. I had a 14 hour natural labor with no meds at all except for my IV fluids, so I'm really happy with how it all turned out - I went into it knowing you can't really plan a birth because it will go however it goes, but we ended up getting everything on our birth plan anyways. I ended up with 2nd degree tears and a fragmented placenta, but my OB handled both very efficiently so I was able to recover quickly.

We had some issues with breastfeeding starting out and he lost a bit of weight which freaked me out, but we eventually got the hang of it and now I'm just waiting for my nipples to heal so that initial latch isn't so painful. This may be crossing over into TMI territory, but whatever (excellent stalking material for my SASS santa!) - For those of you who had to have stitches, how long before you noticed things going back to normal in the vag region? My swelling has gone down almost completely, but I still experience a lot of irritation from the stitches. I'm wondering if that's fairly normal at this point or if maybe I should call my doc - I've never had stitches anywhere before, so I'm kind of clueless how long it takes for something like that to heal.

tiananman
Feb 6, 2005
Non-Headkins Splatoma

yawnie posted:

We had some issues with breastfeeding starting out and he lost a bit of weight which freaked me out, but we eventually got the hang of it and now I'm just waiting for my nipples to heal so that initial latch isn't so painful. This may be crossing over into TMI territory, but whatever (excellent stalking material for my SASS santa!) - For those of you who had to have stitches, how long before you noticed things going back to normal in the vag region? My swelling has gone down almost completely, but I still experience a lot of irritation from the stitches. I'm wondering if that's fairly normal at this point or if maybe I should call my doc - I've never had stitches anywhere before, so I'm kind of clueless how long it takes for something like that to heal.

I know it's probably been mentioned a thousand times, but definitely get in touch with your delivery center's lactation consultant, or any lactation consultant. My wife had extremely painful breastfeeding sessions and it was entirely due to her positioning. Our LC was a miracle worker. Even though our son was getting plenty of nutrition, it was unpleasant to feed him, and without the LC we probably wouldn't have stuck with breastfeeding. She actually said that breastfeeding those first few weeks was MORE painful than childbirth. Yeesh. She had an easy delivery but still.

He's almost 7 months old now and he's still in the 99 percentile for weight, so it worked out...

As for the stitches, I know my wife was uncomfortable for at least a month, and not entirely back to normal for a little over 2 months. Just give it time. She went through quite a few cans of the dermoplast spray. I think irritation is normal, but as long as you're not getting any crazy discharge or foul odor, you should be okay.

You're through the looking glass of TMI after childbirth as I'm sure you know. You can't go back...

yawnie
Jul 29, 2003
lollerz.

tiananman posted:

I know it's probably been mentioned a thousand times, but definitely get in touch with your delivery center's lactation consultant, or any lactation consultant. My wife had extremely painful breastfeeding sessions and it was entirely due to her positioning. Our LC was a miracle worker. Even though our son was getting plenty of nutrition, it was unpleasant to feed him, and without the LC we probably wouldn't have stuck with breastfeeding. She actually said that breastfeeding those first few weeks was MORE painful than childbirth. Yeesh. She had an easy delivery but still.

I did meet with the lactation consultant twice in the hospital, the problem was more about him being lazy and latching really shallow, as well as one of my nipples being flat so for a few days he nursed exclusively from one side while I pumped from the other. The side he was exclusively nursing on took quite a beating and it's only just now getting a chance to heal now that he has figured out how to latch properly on both breasts. I have a number for another LC but I don't really want to spend her $150 fee when I feel like we've got it under control now, but I will definitely call her if I feel like we start to backtrack - Breastfeeding is a big goal so I want every chance of it working for us. I appreciate the advice, though I'm sorry your wife had such a rough time. It's frustrating that something so natural is so difficult to learn.

tiananman posted:

You're through the looking glass of TMI after childbirth as I'm sure you know. You can't go back...

Well yeah, but still, I don't assume the internet wants to hear about my vagina ;)

Bodnoirbabe
Apr 30, 2007

Congrats to the new mothers!

It seems a lot of the mothers here all try to go with a natural childbirth. I'm curious as to why. The thought hasn't even crossed my mind. I'm a big baby when it comes to pain, so it's always been in my mind that I'm going to get an epidural.

Why didn't you guys?

Has anyone in here opted to get the epidural and not tried for natural. I don't want to compare myself to you guys, but I feel kind of like a wuss for not wanting to go natural.

Beichan
Feb 17, 2007

pugs, pugs everywhere

Bodnoirbabe posted:

Congrats to the new mothers!

It seems a lot of the mothers here all try to go with a natural childbirth. I'm curious as to why. The thought hasn't even crossed my mind. I'm a big baby when it comes to pain, so it's always been in my mind that I'm going to get an epidural.

Why didn't you guys?

Has anyone in here opted to get the epidural and not tried for natural. I don't want to compare myself to you guys, but I feel kind of like a wuss for not wanting to go natural.

Don't feel like a wuss! Everyone's pain tolerance is different. It's not a contest. I have a very high normal pain tolerance, and I wanted a natural childbirth to get the full experience and to avoid drug exposure to the baby, but after going 2 days with no sleep and contractions every couple minutes, my pain tolerance was absolutely shot and the doctors were getting worried I'd be too tired to push when the time came and I'd end up needing a section, so in the stressed end-of-my-rope frame of mind I was in I said okay and got the epidural after all so I could sleep for a couple hours. Once I relaxed and fell asleep, I finished dilating and he came out 2 hours later. I might have wished afterwards it went differently, but you know what...he's 2 now. It doesn't matter anymore. If you want the epidural, don't feel like it makes you a wuss or that it's the wrong choice.

Tesla Insanely Coil
Jul 23, 2006

Ask me why I'm not squatting.

Bodnoirbabe posted:

Congrats to the new mothers!

It seems a lot of the mothers here all try to go with a natural childbirth. I'm curious as to why. The thought hasn't even crossed my mind. I'm a big baby when it comes to pain, so it's always been in my mind that I'm going to get an epidural.

Why didn't you guys?

Has anyone in here opted to get the epidural and not tried for natural. I don't want to compare myself to you guys, but I feel kind of like a wuss for not wanting to go natural.

I'm glad you asked! Here is an essay on why I am planning to not get an epidural...

First off, I don't think you're a wuss for wanting to avoid pain. Avoiding pain is a very natural response.

I think there might be more people in this thread going for natural birth because if you're the type of person who would be involved in this thread, then you're the type of person who is more likely to research things instead of automatically going the common route. I think we've also been able to share alternative methods with each other that aren't suggested in real life too often, such as the Bradley method or Hypnobabies. For myself, I was planning to get an epidural but now I've read more about labor and delivery and I want to try my best to not use any medication including pitocin. Of course if there is any fetal distress I'll do what the doctor says and if I'm experiencing out of the ordinary pain (back labor, posterior position, etc) I'll probably use pain medication.

Reasons why I want a non-medicated birth:
-Even a "walking epidural" will confine me to bed, and being able to change positions, get in a hot bath, and generally be in control are all important to me.
-Feeling pain and adjusting your position, etc is part of helping the baby come out smoothly.
-Natural flow of hormones helps mom and baby adjust.
-I can only breastfeed for 3 months so I want to decrease the chance that things will affect my milk supply, and there's some evidence that drugs interfere.
-I want to be "back to normal" as soon as possible and that seems less likely with an epidural.
-I'm going to experience some level of pain no matter what.

None of these reasons alone were enough to convince me but taken together they are enough to make me try! But I can easily see someone doing the same research and then deciding they are definitely getting an epidural.

I also think that there is too much medical intervention sometimes (partially based on personal experience - getting an unnecessary surgery). For instance, at my lamaze class this evening I learned that there isn't a real medical reason to have your waters broken - the baby can come down the vaginal canal still in his amniotic fluid. Some doctors think breaking your water can make everything go faster but that only happens half the time according to my instructor.

bilabial trill
Dec 25, 2008

not just a B

Tesla Insanely Coil posted:



-Natural flow of hormones helps mom and baby adjust.


does an epidural interfere with the "flow of hormones"? What does this mean?

hookerbot 5000
Dec 21, 2009

Bodnoirbabe posted:

Congrats to the new mothers!

It seems a lot of the mothers here all try to go with a natural childbirth. I'm curious as to why. The thought hasn't even crossed my mind. I'm a big baby when it comes to pain, so it's always been in my mind that I'm going to get an epidural.

Why didn't you guys?

Has anyone in here opted to get the epidural and not tried for natural. I don't want to compare myself to you guys, but I feel kind of like a wuss for not wanting to go natural.

I am a massive wuss too, but I'm more scared of epidurals than I am of childbirth. The first time I had heard of one it was when a girl I knew had a baby, and the epidural went wrong so she was paralysed for 3 days. I know that's pretty rare and unlikely but it's the connection in my head - epidural = bad stuff. Also I am one of the lucky ones and babies just pop out with no real hassle.

FretforyourLatte
Sep 16, 2010

Put you in my oven!

Bodnoirbabe posted:

Congrats to the new mothers!

It seems a lot of the mothers here all try to go with a natural childbirth. I'm curious as to why. The thought hasn't even crossed my mind. I'm a big baby when it comes to pain, so it's always been in my mind that I'm going to get an epidural.

Why didn't you guys?

Has anyone in here opted to get the epidural and not tried for natural. I don't want to compare myself to you guys, but I feel kind of like a wuss for not wanting to go natural.

I got the epidural with my first and will do so again with this one. All respect to you brave mommas but I am not interested in the least in feeling the pain of childbirth.

Hormonal bitching incoming ITT:

So, does anyone have advice on dealing with a neglected and frustrated husband? Or, at least he thinks he is. Granted, we are having a LOT less sex than we normally would, this pregnancy has just killed my sex drive. Normal for us is usually roundabout 4x a week, lately we're down to like a week and a half between. It's not like I'm shooting him down, though -- he isn't even TRYING. He's gotten spoiled throughout our marriage by my high sex drive - the vast majority of the time when we have sex, I initiate it, so he's gotten into this mindset that if I am not actively climbing on his dick, I must be staunchly opposed to it, which just isn't the case. I've told him this repeatedly, that I can get in the mood, but I just need a little more help than I normally would, and go easy on me because with the increased blood flow down there sometimes things just aren't very comfortable. Obviously it's also tough to find a good position where I can breathe and my legs don't cramp and so on. So I can understand his point that things aren't the way they usually are, but that doesn't mean we can't have sex, he just needs to put a little more effort in. Or, really, any effort at all...He says that I make it impossible for him to try, by turning over to the only position I can lay comfortably, which is the dumbest thing I ever heard, we're still laying next to each other same as ever, it's not like there's a loving wall up or something. And it's not that he's turned off by me being pregnant, so he says anyway, he's extremely frustrated and wants to have sex but since I'M not seeking it out, he thinks I'm completely unwilling and doesn't want to pressure me or some poo poo. You know, it's not pressuring me to try to make out with me and see where it goes or something. But he's not doing anything, and I could honestly care less if we have sex right now except for worrying about his needs, and if nobody is trying to jump my bones I'm perfectly content to go the gently caress to sleep at night. I guess I should just fake it and get up on him anyway? I don't know. :sigh:

basx
Aug 16, 2004

Sassy old man!

Twatty Seahag posted:

I had a cat that demanded to sit on my bump. He doesn't give a gently caress about the baby.



That's no cat, that's a goddamned puma.

(stuck in the waiting room while Dr. Feelgood puts the spinal tap in my wife. Nine months of lurking in this thread are about to come to a tiny, crowning head.)

Tesla Insanely Coil
Jul 23, 2006

Ask me why I'm not squatting.

Panne posted:

does an epidural interfere with the "flow of hormones"? What does this mean?

I can't find the original article I read (which was better) but I found this one, which links to various studies:
http://chriskresser.com/natural-childbirth-v-epidural-side-effects-and-risks

quote:

Epidurals have significant impacts on all hormones of labor [...]

They inhibit beta-endorphin production, which in turn shuts down the shift in consciousness (“going to another planet”) that characterizes undisturbed birth.

Epidurals reduce oxytocin production or keep it from rising during labor. They also blunt the oxytocin peak that would otherwise occur at the time of birth because the stretching receptors of a woman’s lower vagina (which trigger the peak) are numbed.

[...]

Epidurals have also been shown to inhibit catecholamine (CA) production. Remember that CA can slow or stop labor in the early stages, but it promotes the fetus ejection reflex in the second stage of labor. Thus inhibiting CA production may make delivery more difficult.

Epidurals limit release of prostaglandin F2 alpha, a lipid compound that stimulates uterine contractions and is thought to be involved with the initiation of labor. Prostaglandin F2 alpha levels should naturally rise during an undisturbed labor. However, in one study women with epidurals experienced a decrease in PGF2 alpha and a consequent increase in labor times from 4.7 to 7.8 hours.

dreamcatcherkwe
Apr 14, 2005
Dreamcatcher

FretforyourLatte posted:

So, does anyone have advice on dealing with a neglected and frustrated husband? Or, at least he thinks he is. Granted, we are having a LOT less sex than we normally would, this pregnancy has just killed my sex drive. Normal for us is usually roundabout 4x a week, lately we're down to like a week and a half between. It's not like I'm shooting him down, though -- he isn't even TRYING. He's gotten spoiled throughout our marriage by my high sex drive - the vast majority of the time when we have sex, I initiate it, so he's gotten into this mindset that if I am not actively climbing on his dick, I must be staunchly opposed to it, which just isn't the case. I've told him this repeatedly, that I can get in the mood, but I just need a little more help than I normally would, and go easy on me because with the increased blood flow down there sometimes things just aren't very comfortable. Obviously it's also tough to find a good position where I can breathe and my legs don't cramp and so on. So I can understand his point that things aren't the way they usually are, but that doesn't mean we can't have sex, he just needs to put a little more effort in. Or, really, any effort at all...He says that I make it impossible for him to try, by turning over to the only position I can lay comfortably, which is the dumbest thing I ever heard, we're still laying next to each other same as ever, it's not like there's a loving wall up or something. And it's not that he's turned off by me being pregnant, so he says anyway, he's extremely frustrated and wants to have sex but since I'M not seeking it out, he thinks I'm completely unwilling and doesn't want to pressure me or some poo poo. You know, it's not pressuring me to try to make out with me and see where it goes or something. But he's not doing anything, and I could honestly care less if we have sex right now except for worrying about his needs, and if nobody is trying to jump my bones I'm perfectly content to go the gently caress to sleep at night. I guess I should just fake it and get up on him anyway? I don't know. :sigh:

I wouldn't fake it. He can put some effort in too. If he wants to sit and feel sad for himself that his wife isn't putting the moves on him constantly, he gets no love. I don't feel sorry for him.

Lyz
May 22, 2007

I AM A GIRL ON WOW GIVE ME ITAMS

Bodnoirbabe posted:

Has anyone in here opted to get the epidural and not tried for natural. I don't want to compare myself to you guys, but I feel kind of like a wuss for not wanting to go natural.

I held out as long as I could, I wanted to have as little meds in me as possible mostly because I believe in not overusing medications in general. But because I hadn't slept in nearly 48 hours and was exhausted and dehydrated and was horribly tense I ended up getting pain meds just to help me relax and speed the dilation along. Then the contractions got so intense it just wasn't worth trying to tough it out anymore, especially because no one could tell me how much longer this thing would go on. At that point I had to decide... was it worth getting stressed out and being in agonizing pain for an unknown amount of time, or should I get the epidural, which might prolong the labor but would allow me time to rest.

I lucked out and got a really good placement though, I could still feel the contractions so pushing was no problem. But now instead of being all tense and stressed over every one, I could just lie there and not fight them and let them do their thing.

So yeah, my plan was to hold out as long as I could, but get the meds if I was just going out of my mind with pain... because avoiding the small chance of complications with an epidural really wasn't worth making my kid's birth an agonizing, stressful experience.

Edit: And FretforyourLatte, I feel your pain. It's been four weeks and my husband keeps trying to wake me up down there to get me interested in fooling around, but it's just not happening. Sex is seriously the last thing I want right now. I told my husband if he wants to give me pleasure, give me eight hours of sleep. XD

Lyz fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Nov 22, 2011

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

Tesla Insanely Coil posted:

-I can only breastfeed for 3 months so I want to decrease the chance that things will affect my milk supply, and there's some evidence that drugs interfere.

You've probably talked about this already, but what is going on that you'll have to stop breastfeeding? Will you be able to pump, or will it be no breastmilk at all? Sorry to get all personal, I am genuinely curious. :)

For me, the biggest reasons I wanted a natural birth were that I wanted to be up and around after birth as quickly as possible, I wanted to be able to move and change positions during labor, and I wanted to labor on my own terms, e.g. let it start and progress naturally, as my body and baby dictated.

Tesla Insanely Coil
Jul 23, 2006

Ask me why I'm not squatting.

Fire In The Disco posted:

You've probably talked about this already, but what is going on that you'll have to stop breastfeeding? Will you be able to pump, or will it be no breastmilk at all? Sorry to get all personal, I am genuinely curious. :)

For me, the biggest reasons I wanted a natural birth were that I wanted to be up and around after birth as quickly as possible, I wanted to be able to move and change positions during labor, and I wanted to labor on my own terms, e.g. let it start and progress naturally, as my body and baby dictated.

I don't think I've mentioned breastfeeding plans but maybe I've mentioned that I'm in engineering school. I'm taking online classes for Winter term so I'll breastfeed then, but my schedule is going to be too complicated during Spring term to worry about fitting in pumping.

opie
Nov 28, 2000
Check out my TFLC Excuse Log!
My birth plan was to have as many pain killers as they would give me. I wasn't so interested in experiencing the birth, and just wanted the baby out. I was in a lot of back pain, and the epidural made it so I could finally sleep for a couple of hours. I ended up with a c-section for reasons that might have been related to the epidural and pain killers or the way the baby was positioned - I don't really know.

With my second, instead of trying for a vbac I just had a scheduled c-section four days before my due date. It was so much easier than the first and I have no regrets. A lot of times it feels like people are so opposed to c-sections unless there's the threat of death or something, but I was never that interested in the actual birth as long as everyone was healthy and happy. And in my opinion my kids couldn't be more of either.

The Young Marge
Jul 19, 2006

but no one can talk to a horse, of course.
I wanted to be up and about as soon as possible after birth, too. :( That was one of my main reasons for not wanting an epidural, and I stuck to it despite the induction. If not for my injury, that probably would have worked out. The other reason was so that the baby wouldn't be "drugged up," and that DID work out. He was extremely alert and awesome immediately after birth. I planned for a natural approach at the birth center because I wanted to avoid the entire hospital experience in general. And I wanted to avoid the "intervention spiral" that often takes place in standard hospital settings and can lead to a c-section.

All things considered, I wonder I might have been better off with a C after all. The healing time would have been similar in length, but I probably at least would have been more mobile. Nobody could have predicted what happened to me, though. And I can't really decide if my decision to go pain med-free despite the induction was a good one or not. It really was extremely painful and intense. I guess all I can do is hope the next one goes naturally, with no induction. I did get a sense of what normal labor might feel like at one point - I had changed position, and somehow the IV got cut off. The contractions were still intense, but much easier to handle. That went on for maybe two hours before they realized what had happened and hooked the damned Pitocin back up, then it got crazy again. But yeah, if that WAS natural labor, it was much, much more doable than the Pitocin kind, and I feel I'd be able to handle it with no drugs again.

yawnie
Jul 29, 2003
lollerz.
There are dozens of arguments on either side of epidural vs no epidural, so for me it wasn't "oh no the epidural is the devil and will kill my baby", it was honestly just a personal goal to have a natural birth - I wanted to see how my body handled labor with zero medications, which is why I tried to hold off on induction for as long as my OB would let me. I didn't pitch a fit when he wanted to schedule it, as I was already a week overdue and I trusted him, but it was a huge relief to go into labor naturally and then get to watch as my body handled childbirth magnificently and popped out a baby with no outside help. I also didn't like the idea of lots of medications, I barely even take Tylenol and I had never been admitted to the hospital or had an IV or anything, so I wanted to limit the amount of medical stuff that was done to me as much as possible. And being able to walk around, lean on my husband for support, rock in the rocking chair, etc. as well as being mobile directly after delivery were nice perks as well.

Here are a couple of pictures from our labor & delivery and a cute baby pic or two:











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

Tesla Insanely Coil posted:

I don't think I've mentioned breastfeeding plans but maybe I've mentioned that I'm in engineering school. I'm taking online classes for Winter term so I'll breastfeed then, but my schedule is going to be too complicated during Spring term to worry about fitting in pumping.

You might find that the relationship is really special to you and that you don't want to give it up, in which case, I bet you can get a lot of good support here on how to make it work. Also, I know of at least one person whose job isn't conducive to pumping, so her baby ended up reverse cycling, meaning that she had hardly any milk during the day, and nursed a ton at night to make up for it. Hopefully no matter what happens, it works out for you and you're happy with the result. :)

Low Percent Lunge
Jan 29, 2007



yawnie posted:


Oh my god.

My wife is actually due today, I think I am going to cry when our daughter is born

deviledseraphim
Jan 22, 2002
me gusta besar el pollo desnudo!!

Whitey Ford posted:

Oh my god.

My wife is actually due today, I think I am going to cry when our daughter is born

My fiance did. :) It's a pretty emotional moment. (I didn't, but the first thing I did after he came out was throw up so I was a little preoccupied)

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Twatty Seahag
Dec 30, 2007
My husband and I agree that the moment of our daughter's birth was one of the most amazing of our lives. I have never been more in love with him than when I saw his expression holding her for the first time. :)

I got an epidural from the moment I was admitted and told I could have one. I was 4cm and was told it could be 2 hours before the anesthesiologist got down there, and I didn't want to gently caress with that timing. I planned to "wait and see" but I had back labor and had no interest in toughing it out. It went well for me and I have no regrets.

My epidural didn't actually work the way I wanted it to. They will usually have you turn from one side to the other so gravity distributes the medicine, but every time I turned to my right the baby's heart rate went down so I had to stay on my back. It was really weird to have one side completely numb (which is NOT what I wanted) and one side fully aware feeling everything. I could tell when I needed to push and the epidural kept me from feeling much pain when I delivered. I couldn't pee for like 3 hours afterward though, which sucked. I had to keep asking them to cath me.

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