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MissAndy posted:Hello! I am 16 weeks pregnant today, and just finished reading this entire thread. This is pretty much the only place I have been able to find good information.  As well, I have multiple sclerosis and arthritis (double whammy on the autoimmune, yay), and my doctor just told me basically to keep on keeping on, let her know if I had an attack of either, and that everything would probably be pretty much OK during the pregnancy but would most likely go all to hell after birth. Not the most comforting thing, but pleasantly truthful
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Apr 18, 2012 18:17
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netally posted:So my baby has reached 6 weeks today, and I would love to get into some sort of routine with him. I am trying to teach him the difference between night and day in the hopes that he will start sleeping for longer at night. What people keep telling me is that when he wakes in the night, I shouldn't change his nappy unless absolutely necessary. I agree, in theory, because nappy changes wake him right up and it's hard to settle him once he's felt the cold air on his bits. But after a couple of nights of leaving them, I have noticed his nappies in the morning are absolutely soaked through. It doesn't seem to bother him, but surely laying in his own urine all night is bad for his skin? I feel terrible for leaving him in a mess. My baby also reached 6 weeks today, and I have to change his diaper when we do a nighttime feeding because he likes to save up his big poops for during the night. If I don't change him at the same time as the feeding, he starts crying again half an hour after I put him back to sleep. I leave him swaddled while I get everything ready on the changer so that all I have to do is take diaper off, clean up poop, put new diaper on. If I'm lucky/fast enough, he's still drowsy when I pull his onesie back down. Then he goes back into a swaddle, I feed him and he's ready to go back to sleep when we're done. What does he sleep in? If you aren't using them already, I highly recommend the Halo swaddle sleep sacks. The zipper goes from neck to feet, so for diaper changes I just have to zip up enough to pull his bottom out, so he stays warm and cozy.
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Apr 18, 2012 18:47
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MissAndy posted:Is this normal? I was kind of hoping for a brief session of "Hey, do these things but not these things, because they aren't safe", or at least a sheet of paper with some do's and do not's on it. Sounds like all my doctors appointments  Seen several different doctors and midwives and in general given very little information. This forum has been way more useful, and the couple of pregnancy books I picked up.
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Apr 18, 2012 19:32
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Helanna posted:Sounds like all my doctors appointments Same here. They did give me a handy sheet that listed which medications they consider safe during pregnancy broken down by category like "Pain relief, allergies, constipation, etc." But nothing was ever said about what not to eat or drink, or activity restrictions. I assumed that maybe since my first meeting was with my regular gynecologist, he knows me well enough to know that I've already done my homework, but who knows, maybe that's just the way it's done nowadays.
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Apr 18, 2012 19:51
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It varies by practice.
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Apr 18, 2012 19:57
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Just want to say that as the husband, our childbirth class was really helpful for me. One of the key things for me was that we watched a video of labor and delivery, and that was big for me--my idea of the process was heavily influenced by Hollywood, which is very not realistic. It also gave me a bit more understanding of what's going on with my wife's body. We did pay for ours, but it was a mild amount (no more than 50$), and was well worth it. To be fair, though, we're at 33 weeks. We'll see how much it really ends up having to do with the actual process!
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Apr 18, 2012 20:24
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MissAndy posted:I had a question about my doctor. I had my first appointment at 12 weeks, and I was pretty surprised how little they told me. They did a physical exam, had me pee in a cup, took some blood, asked me if I wanted extra testing done (for what? No idea), let me listen to the heartbeat after I bugged them about it, and shoved me out the door. Is this normal? I was kind of hoping for a brief session of "Hey, do these things but not these things, because they aren't safe", or at least a sheet of paper with some do's and do not's on it. It is a rotating practice, so I am hoping it was just that doctor. I do have my second appointment today, but thus far the only advice I have had is from my MIL and it has been pretty poor. Do you live in a region where pregnant women tend to be in marginal circumstances? I definitely got the impression at my OB/GYN office that a lot of their energy goes into (usually) young women who might be doing drugs or have limited finances. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I do think that when one of their patients seemed "okay" for lack of a better word, they tended to be fairly casual.
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Apr 18, 2012 21:02
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There were some questions earlier about antihistamines and stuff during pregnancy - a really good site is motherisk.org, and they also have hotlines that you can call to speak to someone. You can generally pop a drug/supplement/medical condition into the search and get whatever the latest and greatest on it is. Poison Cake posted:Do you live in a region where pregnant women tend to be in marginal circumstances? I definitely got the impression at my OB/GYN office that a lot of their energy goes into (usually) young women who might be doing drugs or have limited finances. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I do think that when one of their patients seemed "okay" for lack of a better word, they tended to be fairly casual. This could be it too. My friend was going to a practice which also dealt with a lot of disadvantaged mothers, so they were kind of laid back with her being as she was over 16, not addicted to anything or having any communicable diseases. They might just assume you can kind of figure it out on your own if you seem relatively educated and on the ball.
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Apr 18, 2012 22:31
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My ob gave us a free book they had compiled together about pregnancy, a lot of free trials of different prenatal vitamins, a big list of do's and don'ts for medications and foods, and a little organizer for keeping pictures, appointment cards, etc. Its in a pretty high end yuppie suburb though. I don't live close to it. Its about a 20 minute to half hour drive from my house, but its close to where I work. Its across the street from the birth center I want to use too. There's nowhere really close to our house that I want to use. This one is a reasonable compromise. Its also close to my husband's work too. The other place we were looking at would be an hour or more drive for him to get to if he needed to meet me there for an emergency or something. Next visit they're going to tell me how much my insurance is going to cover. I'm not looking forward to that. I hate my insurance so much.
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Apr 18, 2012 23:08
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Alterian posted:Next visit they're going to tell me how much my insurance is going to cover. I'm not looking forward to that. I hate my insurance so much. We went through the first 5 months without insurance, paying everything ourselves, and  ! I am so grateful we got insurance in time to cover the hospital stay and C-section, because that bill came to $28,000+. Our portion was $250!
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Apr 18, 2012 23:24
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VorpalBunny posted:We went through the first 5 months without insurance, paying everything ourselves, and Jesus. I have no idea how anyone without insurance manages to have a baby here in the US.
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Apr 18, 2012 23:43
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Mnemosyne posted:Jesus. I have no idea how anyone without insurance manages to have a baby here in the US. We were in that terrible gap between government assistance and being able to afford it ourselves. We are squarely in the middle-class, with a working dad and a stay-at-home mom (and now one kid), making about average income for our county. We made too much for assistance but not enough to afford the bills on our own. There is also the sad fact that once you get pregnant it is nearly impossible to upgrade/switch/start insurance, based on it being a pre-existing condition.
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Apr 19, 2012 00:13
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netally posted:Ha, I have never heard of a wipe warmer. They look awesome! When my kid was that age, I would always feed from one side, then change him, then feed him from the other side. I did the same thing if we used a bottle (I had to pump for a while) - just give him half, then do the diaper change, then the other half. Sometimes he would fall asleep on the bottle/boob, other times he'd need some rocking to settle to sleep. I tried to give it enough time to make sure he was in a pretty deep sleep before transitioning him to his crib. These days we just put him in a good nighttime diaper (cloth pocket diaper with wicking fleece next to his skin and extra stuffing) and don't do the middle of the night change. He also doesn't need the rocking after his feed; he just sleep-nurses and settles right back to sleep. It's awesome and doesn't take long at all. We worked on differentiating day from night from the stat, and it was/is awesome. Maybe we got lucky, but he caught on quickly and started going right back to sleep after being tended to from an early age. A nightlight is really handy, that way you can keep the lights really low while you tend to the baby. We just follow a "business only" nighttime plan - no talking or singing or playing with the baby, just tend to his needs efficiently and evacuate the premises.
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Apr 19, 2012 00:34
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VorpalBunny posted:We were in that terrible gap between government assistance and being able to afford it ourselves. We are squarely in the middle-class, with a working dad and a stay-at-home mom (and now one kid), making about average income for our county. We made too much for assistance but not enough to afford the bills on our own. We are going to see if my husband's military Tricare will take us. I think they were OK with the idea, he said he talked to them for an hour earlier. We are ditching his work's insurance because at 185/month we have a 5K out of pocket, with egregious prices for some medications (like my MS medication.. holy mother of god - 900 bucks a month). Hospital copay is 500 dollars to get in the door. TriCare is 181 a month with a 1000 out of pocket and 100% coverage. And even my crazy MS medication is 25 dollars. Hospital stay? 25 bucks the first day, 19 after that.
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Apr 19, 2012 00:35
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MissAndy posted:The other question I have is is there anyone with experience being pregnant while having a chronic illness? I have Crohn's disease that pretty much refuses to go into remission, and the only thing my doctor said about that was "You probably shouldn't flair, so try not to." Yeah, thanks for that. Anyway, maybe talk to your GI, see what they think would be best for the level of activity you experience from Crohn's. Maybe things will calm down for you! Edit: unless it was the GI who said " try not to flare," in which case gently caress him and maybe look for a second opinion if you can? right to bear karma fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Apr 19, 2012 |
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Apr 19, 2012 03:32
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How do you transition a baby from only being able to sleep for long stretches while being held to sleeping in a crib? We've got it so that he'll sleep on a pillow in our lap without us cradling him, but I don't want to put him on the pillow into the crib, for obvious reasons. Help!
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Apr 19, 2012 04:03
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Do you have a vibrating rocker? You could transition into that, then no vibration, then crib. I like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Deluxe-Infant-Toddler-Rocker/dp/B003G2YURS which has a bassinet mode.
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Apr 19, 2012 06:13
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Bodnoirbabe posted:How do you transition a baby from only being able to sleep for long stretches while being held to sleeping in a crib? We've got it so that he'll sleep on a pillow in our lap without us cradling him, but I don't want to put him on the pillow into the crib, for obvious reasons. Hot water bottle to warm up the crib a little? Noone likes to go from a nice warm and cosy place to a cold one.
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Apr 19, 2012 09:44
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Well it begins. I got my bill from my ob for my first visit at 8 weeks for $1500. It looks like my insurance isn't covering any of it? What the hell. I'm already fighting the insurance for denying coverage of an ER vist in January for a kidney stone (they were trying to say it wasn't an emergency  ) What a world of fun this is going to be.
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Apr 23, 2012 23:43
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Alterian posted:Well it begins. I got my bill from my ob for my first visit at 8 weeks for $1500. It looks like my insurance isn't covering any of it? What the hell. I'm already fighting the insurance for denying coverage of an ER vist in January for a kidney stone (they were trying to say it wasn't an emergency Aside from the insurance issue, $1,500 for one visit? What the hell did they do to you that was worth over $1,000?
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Apr 23, 2012 23:54
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It was blood work, ultrasound, and talking to a midwife so who knows. I can semi believe the number. If I go get blood work from my endocrinologist, it would cost about $700 or more and the visit would be about $50 just to talk to the Physicians Assistant in person. Thankfully they're nice and they bill me as "uninsured" so I pay $25 for the blood work and I talk to the PA about my results over e-mail. I wonder if it would be too late to switch to my husband's insurance. Its a lot more expensive per month, but if they were actually going to cover poo poo, it might be worth it. Looks like I'll be making a bunch of calls tomorrow / talking to our HR woman. I really can't afford 15k+ out of pocket just to see a doctor during my pregnancy. I guess I'll have to go give birth in the woods like an animal 
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Apr 24, 2012 00:23
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Alterian posted:It was blood work, ultrasound, and talking to a midwife so who knows. I can semi believe the number. If I go get blood work from my endocrinologist, it would cost about $700 or more and the visit would be about $50 just to talk to the Physicians Assistant in person. Thankfully they're nice and they bill me as "uninsured" so I pay $25 for the blood work and I talk to the PA about my results over e-mail. Are you in the US? Is your husband's insurance through his job? If so, then you don't have to worry about the whole "pre-existing condition" thing since the group health insurance plans can't discriminate based on that. We changed insurance plans a few months after I found out I was pregnant because I wanted to make sure we had the best insurance we had access to. Before that, we had an HMO, and I didn't want to end up stuck with massive bills because somewhere along the way someone didn't get the referral paperwork that they should have gotten. My husband griped about the extra cost for the insurance at first, but then two months after switching, he ended up in the ER and needed emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder. Total cost to us was $25. Now he's really glad we switched, but I'm sure the insurance company hates us.
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Apr 24, 2012 00:31
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Mnemosyne posted:Are you in the US? Is your husband's insurance through his job? If so, then you don't have to worry about the whole "pre-existing condition" thing since the group health insurance plans can't discriminate based on that. This isn't quite true yet! I was laid off for a while and didn't have health insurance. I got health insurance again last July. While I was on my new health insurance, I found out I had Graves Disease. Completely new so its cool and they cover it. The company I work for decides to change insurance companies in November. Since I wasn't covered for an entire year previously, they won't cover anything having to do with my Graves Disease until the coming July. That's why I have a special deal with my endo. Like I said though, this insurance company is a piece of poo poo. After my calls tomorrow, I might look into switching if it comes back really horrible.
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Apr 24, 2012 00:55
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Isn't there a way to log on to your insurance site and see what the costs of things are going to be? I know we're able to do that with the labor, at least. Also, I guess this is common sense, but make sure your OB is in network.
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Apr 24, 2012 01:08
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I just checked and the ob and the birth center I want to use is both in network. I logged in and looked at all my claims and my visit was approved and my part of the payment is only suppose to be $141. So something's going on. Guess I'll find out tomorrow. I feel a little better now though. Hopefully its just a mix up. Money and insurance really stress me out. Whenever it seems like I'm getting ahead, something always happens.
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Apr 24, 2012 01:27
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Alterian posted:Money and insurance really stress me out. Whenever it seems like I'm getting ahead, something always happens. We were getting bills from the hospital over a year after my son's birth. Thank goodness it was all covered by insurance, because those kinds of unexpected charges would have driven me nuts!
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Apr 24, 2012 01:34
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Hey I'm selling a Medela breast pump in SA-Mart : http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3480989
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Apr 24, 2012 15:00
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Has anyone here heard about the 90 Minute Sleep Schedule for babies? Have you used it? Was it successful? My neighbor just told me about it and seems like something I'd like to try.
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Apr 24, 2012 21:10
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ease posted:Hey I'm selling a Medela breast pump in SA-Mart : http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3480989 Those aren't really meant to be multiple user pumps since milk can back up into the motor, which could technically be a safety hazard to a future user. Only the Symphony and the Lactina are certified as multiple-user pumps.
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Apr 25, 2012 02:53
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Oh, well that's unfortunate.
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Apr 25, 2012 02:57
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New goon baby incoming! We're 12 weeks along and now that it's sinking in I'd like to know if anyone could suggest a dad book? Is there the equivalent for men to the what to expect when expecting book? Also I've read about 30 pages of the thread and really appreciate reading the stories so far. Thanks!
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Apr 25, 2012 06:49
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MasterControl posted:New goon baby incoming! We're 12 It's not the equivalent of "What to Expect" (which a lot of people really hate anyway), but our friends gave us a book called "Show Dad How," which we both really enjoyed. It's a little more entertainment and a little less educational, but it still had some good stuff in it (especially projects and activities to do with your kid once they get a little bigger).
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Apr 25, 2012 07:11
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skeetied posted:Those aren't really meant to be multiple user pumps since milk can back up into the motor, which could technically be a safety hazard to a future user. Only the Symphony and the Lactina are certified as multiple-user pumps. I thought the Medela ones were okay as long as you bought new tubes etc? I heard they're rented out by hospitals pretty regularly, which means multiple users. Bought a second hand one myself as I intended to be going back to work full time after my maternity leave, though now it looks like I won't need it since I took voluntary redundancy instead 
Helanna fucked around with this message at 09:51 on Apr 25, 2012 |
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Apr 25, 2012 09:47
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Helanna posted:I thought the Medela ones were okay as long as you bought new tubes etc? I heard they're rented out by hospitals pretty regularly, which means multiple users. Medela makes two pumps that are used in hospitals and certified for multiple users: the Symphony and the Lactina. These pumps have closed systems that don't allow any milk to touch the motor, so as long as you get new tubes, you're good to go. Their consumer grade pumps are not. You can read more about it here: http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/tips-and-solutions/14/can-i-buy-or-borrow-a-pre-owned-breastpump
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Apr 25, 2012 13:03
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MasterControl posted:New goon baby incoming! We're 12 My husband really enjoyed this book: http://www.amazon.com/Be-Prepared-Practical-Handbook-Dads/dp/0743251547/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335361207&sr=8-2
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Apr 25, 2012 14:40
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MasterControl posted:New goon baby incoming! We're 12
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Apr 25, 2012 14:57
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MasterControl posted:New goon baby incoming! We're 12 Congrats! My husband has this one http://www.amazon.com/The-Expectant-Father-Dads---Be/dp/0789210797/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335363564&sr=8-1 and likes it.
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Apr 25, 2012 15:21
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My wife had her 20 week ultrasound yesterday morning, and it's a boy! Really excited about that. I personally didn't care boy or girl, just want to make sure the kid comes out healthy. On that note, I noticed the ultrasound tech typing in "EIF" in one of the pictures and while they couldn't talk about their findings with us, I looked it up and we got a call from the doctor confirming they saw small deposits of calcium in one of the heart chambers. Anyone find an EIF (Echogenic Intracardiac Focus) in their 20 week ultrasound? They said we could do some tests (we are going to avoid any amino based ones) including a triple blood test on my wife to see if there are any potential impacts. Apparently this is commonly found in Asian genes (we are both Asian), and a lot of people online have said this is a common finding and babies typically have a clean bill of health by the third trimester. I love that our hospital has been telling us everything (Kaiser), but man I wish they didn't tell us everything. It's just going to make me worry like hell for the next three months.
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Apr 25, 2012 18:08
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Cathis posted:My husband bought http://www.amazon.com/Dads-Pregnant-Too-Expectant-expectant/dp/1402211333 and reads parts of it out loud in the evenings. It's a book and at the very least it's made him think about stuff we hadn't gotten around to discussing yet! Thanks for the book suggestions, I'll check them out!
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Apr 26, 2012 05:57
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I have reached the point where my pre-pregnancy pants are all just very uncomfortable now. Yoga pants are, however, comfy (though not something I would go out in public in). I am going to try one of those belly band thingys to see if I can get away with my un-zippable jeans in them.. (do they work like that? I have NO IDEA). I don't really want to buy new clothes yet. 12 weeks on Sunday. Today's my checkup, I am hoping to get a couple pics to send to my grandparents. Tomorrow's my nuchal translucency test, and if all goes well tomorrow then Sunday I can tell my mom on her birthday that she's going to be a grandma. And ruin her vacation plans for the year (she and my dad are going on some cruise from Oct 30 to Dec 15 to Australia and New Zealand.... well, we'll see, haha.)
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Apr 26, 2012 16:21
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