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Alterian posted:Also, if your wife is unaware, its a trans-vaginal ultrasound so be prepared for that! I was fully prepared for the dildo cam at our first appointment, but they were able to do the measurements with the standard ultrasound. So you might not have to deal with the awkwardness.
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Aug 6, 2012 02:05
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Acrolos posted:My wife and I are going in for our first appointment tomorrow, which we think will be at 8 weeks (she has odd menstrual cycles, so doesn't remember the exact date to calculate things on). What can we expect for this first appointment? I was 10 weeks at my first appointment, and they didn't do a blood test, a sonogram, or listen to the heartbeat. I see a midwife though, so she might be more relaxed about doing those things than an OB would. I also came in with a confirmation of pregnancy from Planned Parenthood. I didn't get any peace of mind that things were OK, but even if she'd done all those things I don't think it would have reassured me because I could still have ended up losing it the next week. She asked my husband and I all sorts of questions about our and our family's medical backgrounds and my lifestyle, did a pelvic exam, had me pee in a cup, and did a few STD tests. Then we got to schedule an appointment for a sonogram with the perinatologist in the practice, who didn't have an opening until two weeks later.
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Aug 6, 2012 02:29
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I never had a trans-vaginal ultrasound and my first ultrasound wasn't until around 12 weeks (just when I could schedule it). They pretty much just did the pelvic and a few tests at my first visit, and I was about 8 weeks. It was mostly informational...giving me stuff on nutrition, testing options, asking about family history etc. My doctor seemed to have some kind of idea of gestation based on my pelvic, since I was on the pill I wasn't really sure of a date either.
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Aug 6, 2012 03:16
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My very first visit was just a chat with a nurse to do a patient history and a pee test along with blood draws. I think that was right around 6 weeks. Then at 8 weeks, I actually saw the OB and they used the old dildocam to see the fetus and check for a heartbeat. That was just the policy of my particular office and as you can see by all the different responses, this varies a great deal.
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Aug 6, 2012 03:41
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nah.
Lullabee fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Mar 21, 2017 |
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Aug 6, 2012 03:41
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Huge thank you to Bamzilla & Chickalicious!!! I called my insurance company this morning & as long as I get a breast pump through my hospital, it's completely covered as a preventive service!!!!!! They said a manual, electric or hospital-grade electric is 100% covered & since my hospital uses the Medela, I know what accessories to get now. 
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Aug 6, 2012 16:42
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This is supposed to be my last week at work (I'm 37 weeks tomorrow) but my boss is "hinting" I could pick up a few shorter shifts next week. I could use the money but I don't really want to. Everyone I work with worked until they went into labor, one woman's water actually broke at work, so I feel like I'm wimping out or something. I'm doing fine physically, I'm just super tired. What have you all done?
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Aug 6, 2012 17:00
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I stopped working at that point and also scaled back on working out because I felt so tired all of the time. I figured my body was trying to tell me that it was time to start resting more.
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Aug 6, 2012 17:36
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Granted, my son was born two weeks early, but my wife was working right up to the end. She was supposed to go into work the day after he was born (since the day he was born was an observed holiday). She didn't have some of the worse effects, however. She had one swollen foot, and it would go away if rested properly overnight. She didn't have much with regard to contractions before he was born or anything. Had she taken the last month off before he was born, I wouldn't have argued it in the slightest. More rest is better, so long as you get your necessary exercise in, if you ask me.
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Aug 6, 2012 18:57
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rangergirl posted:This is supposed to be my last week at work (I'm 37 weeks tomorrow) but my boss is "hinting" I could pick up a few shorter shifts next week. I could use the money but I don't really want to. Everyone I work with worked until they went into labor, one woman's water actually broke at work, so I feel like I'm wimping out or something. I'm doing fine physically, I'm just super tired. You would not be wimping out! Don't worry about what other women at your office have done, you do what is best for you and your family. I started my maternity leave at week 39, because frankly, I wanted to have that little bit to time to enjoy what remained of my child-free life (go to museums and movies, stay up late playing video games, eat at nice restaurants, etc) and get to enjoy my pregnancy (nice long, slow walks in the park, trips to the ice cream shop, sleeping in and taking lots of naps) without having to wake up early every day and go to work. It was great and I don't regret it one bit! [edit] Our little guy was born at week 41, so I had two weeks of "vacation" if you will. I did not work up until delivery day, and provided we are financially able to, I plan on doing the same with any other pregnancies. Crazy Old Clarice fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Aug 6, 2012 |
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Aug 6, 2012 20:57
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rangergirl posted:This is supposed to be my last week at work (I'm 37 weeks tomorrow) but my boss is "hinting" I could pick up a few shorter shifts next week. I could use the money but I don't really want to. Everyone I work with worked until they went into labor, one woman's water actually broke at work, so I feel like I'm wimping out or something. I'm doing fine physically, I'm just super tired. I felt the same way as you, that I'd be wimping out if I quit working before I went into labor. I work with a girl who worked 12 hour shifts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, then had her baby on that Tuesday. I felt like if I didn't do the same I'd be a wimp. I ended up stopping at week 39. I went into labor 4 days later so I didn't end up having much time off but I would definitely do the same thing again. Honestly, I might stop working earlier next time. Having a new baby is even more exhausting than I thought it would be and I almost wish I had intentionally rested a bit more before he was born, even if I couldn't get comfortable and was getting up every hour to pee. I had a very uncomplicated pregnancy but work was still hard at the end. Stop working when you want to stop and don't let anyone make you feel bad about it.
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Aug 6, 2012 21:49
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Update: We went to our 8 week appointment and they did perform the trans-vaginal ultrasound. Everything looked great, and we heard a heartbeat of 176. I am notoriously emotionless (externally at least) when it comes to big events, but I am man enough to admit that I cried when I heard the heartbeat. Still a long way to go, but today definitely made me feel better about things.
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Aug 7, 2012 00:40
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rangergirl posted:This is supposed to be my last week at work (I'm 37 weeks tomorrow) but my boss is "hinting" I could pick up a few shorter shifts next week. I could use the money but I don't really want to. Everyone I work with worked until they went into labor, one woman's water actually broke at work, so I feel like I'm wimping out or something. I'm doing fine physically, I'm just super tired. I worked up to my due date, and then worked the next week after the kiddo showed no signs of budging from his comfy home - but I had a very uneventful pregnancy and the job was basically sitting at a desk all day. Finally I had an appointment at five days overdue to discuss induction... went to work, told them I was at 2cm and feeling crampy and my supervisor told me to GTFO. I did cause some drama by helping to pack boxes in the warehouse when I was at 38 weeks, cause the techs were totally behind and none of the able-bodied people were jumping up to help. That was pretty amusing. XD It's totally up to you. I went to work cause I knew I'd be bored out of my mind at home and my job was only mentally stressful, in the lovely-coworker-drama way.
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Aug 7, 2012 01:38
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Acrolos posted:Update: We went to our 8 week appointment and they did perform the trans-vaginal ultrasound. Everything looked great, and we heard a heartbeat of 176. That's fantastic, congratulations!!
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Aug 7, 2012 03:19
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My feet are killing me. I keep them propped up most of the day and they remain swollen and tender. They also won't shrink overnight when I'm sleeping like they used to. They're even looking all weird and pinkish purple now. I seriously looks like I have feet like those fat people from Wall-e! I have no idea what to do about it.
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Aug 7, 2012 23:28
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Just propping them up won't do it, you need them elevated above your heart, which of course is easier said than done. You can lay on your back on the floor with your feet up on a chair...at least until you're really pregnant. Another way is to lay sideways on the couch with one leg up on the back, but then of course you only get one leg up at a time. Consider investing in some compression socks. They work better than you may believe. While they won't fix your problem, they can help a ton. If it is actually medically problematic, they make pressure cuffs that will inflate and deflate that you wear at night, your doctor may be able to help you there if it's actually severe. If you end up with a c-section, you'll probably be introduced to those for a day or two after regardless to prevent clots.
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Aug 7, 2012 23:40
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Well, at almost 38 weeks I'd consider myself really pregnant. So when I am flat on my back instead of half sitting up my head starts to pound like crazy. Unfortunately I can't separate my legs far enough to do the couch thing (pelvic problems I've mentioned earlier). I guess I'll try my best to elevate my feet more than I have been while I'm laying in bed. I feel like if I bring up my problem to the nurse she will just tell me to deal with it until the baby pops out. Also I will need to see how much those socks are. Wouldn't they only work if my feet are unswollen to begin with? The idea of compressing my feet at this point sounds extremely painful. Thank you for the suggestions! I don't want you to think I'm being ungrateful.
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Aug 8, 2012 00:39
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You should mention it to your nurse. Extreme swelling can be an indication of pre-eclampsia, but I'm sure they're screening your urine and checking your BP at each visit. Won't hurt to discuss it.
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Aug 8, 2012 00:46
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Chickalicious posted:You should mention it to your nurse. Extreme swelling can be an indication of pre-eclampsia, but I'm sure they're screening your urine and checking your BP at each visit. Won't hurt to discuss it. This definitely. I'd be super concerned if my feet were changing color.
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Aug 8, 2012 01:17
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Yeah, changing color sounds like more than the usual swollen feet. Give the nurse a call, anyway?
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Aug 8, 2012 01:56
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Sure, I'll give them a call. I also have my 38 week appointment on Thursday.
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Aug 8, 2012 02:26
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Going in Wednesday and praying they induce me. I was due on Saturday and my mom has been here for almost two weeks to help with the other kids. My feet hurt, my back hurts, but I've had no contractions at all and it's pissing me off. I'm so totally done with this crap and I just want my kid dammit. edit: Saturday as in last Saturday. I've never been overdue before and I'm getting tired of the family's "Christy's never on time for anything!" jokes.
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Aug 8, 2012 05:05
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I've got more breastfeeding questions; is the amount of milk that's in your breasts when they become engorged the maximum amount that your breasts will hold? If I pump after becoming engorged, I only get 1 to 1.5oz per side, and 1oz or less if I'm not engorged. This baby is already up to eating 4oz each feeding, and I'm wondering if I'm ever going to be able to stop supplementing with formula. The only advice I can find on the internet is that I don't need to worry about feeding a lot all at once, I just need to feed more often...but I'm currently spending 40 minutes every 2.5 hours feeding him the roughly 2oz that I make. In order to give him the same amount that he gets with formula supplementation, I'd have to feed him almost every hour, and given that each feeding is 40 minutes, that leaves no time for me to sleep/eat/pee/etc. I also don't know how this baby is ever supposed to start "sleeping through the night," because my boobs won't let him. He may still be trying to sleep, but my boobs are painful, the bed is soaked, and I have to go wake him up and make him eat so that I can make it stop hurting. I know I could get up and pump, but the two times I tried that, I spent almost an hour pumping and by the time I was done, he was awake and wanting to eat.
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Aug 8, 2012 22:55
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Pumps are never as efficient as a baby at getting milk. Your baby is able to get way more than an once.
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Aug 8, 2012 23:26
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Lealoo posted:Pumps are never as efficient as a baby at getting milk. Your baby is able to get way more than an once. He's still fussing for more food after breastfeeding though. Even if he's getting more than an ounce, he's not getting as much as he wants.
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Aug 8, 2012 23:59
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How old is he? Kids in growth spurts are fussy and want to be on the breast A LOT. It seems like they're never satisfied. But if you're bottle feeding, that's taking away from the time that his suckling could be stimulating your breasts to increase milk production. Spend a day or two with you and the baby in the bed with him on the boob all day.
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Aug 9, 2012 00:06
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Mnemosyne posted:I also don't know how this baby is ever supposed to start "sleeping through the night," because my boobs won't let him. He may still be trying to sleep, but my boobs are painful, the bed is soaked, and I have to go wake him up and make him eat so that I can make it stop hurting. I know I could get up and pump, but the two times I tried that, I spent almost an hour pumping and by the time I was done, he was awake and wanting to eat. Edit: What they said up there, too. That's great advice
Ben Davis fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Aug 9, 2012 |
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Aug 9, 2012 01:50
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Chickalicious posted:How old is he? Kids in growth spurts are fussy and want to be on the breast A LOT. It seems like they're never satisfied. But if you're bottle feeding, that's taking away from the time that his suckling could be stimulating your breasts to increase milk production. Spend a day or two with you and the baby in the bed with him on the boob all day. This. The more you nurse, the more you produce. Your body will adjust to meet demand.
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Aug 9, 2012 09:41
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I know I can make more, and I know how to make more, I just don't know if I want to make more. If making more means that I can feed him more at a feeding, then I want to make more and wean him off of the formula. If it just means that I'm going to have to feed him every hour, then I'll stick with the formula. Having to feed him more frequently at night really isn't an option. Once I wake up, it's extremely hard for me to go back to sleep again, no matter how little sleep I've had. We went to bed after midnight last night, and he woke up to eat from 4am to 5am. It's now 9am and I haven't gotten back to sleep yet. It's not quite this bad every night, but after spending an hour up with him, it typically takes me two hours past that to go back to sleep. He isn't having a growth spurt right now; he just finished having one a few days ago. He reliably eats either 4oz from a bottle, or breastfeeds and demands another 1-2oz, so if he's getting more than 2-3oz at a breastfeeding session, then he's demanding to eat more than he would if he were just being bottle-fed. It's been that way for at least two weeks now. I know when he's having a growth spurt because he wants to eat that much every 1.5 - 2 hours instead of every 2.5 - 3 hours. Ben Davis posted:The advice I got was to just pump enough to relieve the pressure--that definitely shouldn't take an hour, and then you can both get some sleep. Unless you're pumping everything out to stimulate more milk production, but I would still think it'd take way less than an hour, unless my experiences were vastly different from other people's? Maybe see if you can try a friend's pump and see if that's the problem. I had an electric pump from the hospital, but the pump and I didn't get along, so I stopped renting it. I'm currently using a manual pump, which works better for me, but it takes longer to even pump one side, and then of course, I can only pump one side at a time, so it takes about 20 minutes per side to pump fully.
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Aug 9, 2012 13:55
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Can you pump with him on the breast? I always found that was the most efficient way to pump and got way more than trying to do it normally. What is your goal in pumping? Is it to build up a stash or so you can sleep through the night or...? Forty minutes sounds long to me, although I have to admit that my memories of the early baby time are vague. Does he seem to have any difficulties nursing? How old is he again? When your milk first comes in, it takes some time for your body to adjust to the baby.
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Aug 9, 2012 16:10
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Poison Cake posted:Can you pump with him on the breast? I always found that was the most efficient way to pump and got way more than trying to do it normally. I pretty much only use the pump for times when my boobs decide that milk needs to come out omgRIGHTNOW when I wasn't expecting it, or for times when nursing is too painful. It's not something I use regularly at all. He's 7 and 1/2 weeks right now, and we have lots of problems nursing. I have flat nipples, so we need a nipple shield, he gets lazy after the first 5-10 minutes on each side and starts to nod off, so the last 5-10 minutes is a lot of me jiggling him around and trying to keep him awake and motivate him to keep going. Otherwise, he'd nurse for like, 3 minutes, start falling asleep and then come off and act like he hadn't eaten at all (and there would still be plenty left in there). He's getting better as he gets older, but it's still a problem. Then on top of that, I still have tons of pain. Most of the pain is likely from the Thrush that I absolutely cannot seem to get rid of. And the reason I probably can't get rid of it is that lack of sleep has destroyed my immune system, especially since the baby is totally asymptomatic.
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Aug 9, 2012 17:14
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Mnemosyne posted:
Are you sure he's not tongue tied?
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Aug 9, 2012 18:50
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Yeah, seconding that. There are tongue ties that are basically hidden, and are regularly missed by pediatricians when they check for tongue tie, especially posterior ties. Here are some signs that can point to tongue tie: * Shallow latch * Clicking while nursing * Lipstick shaped nipple after nursing * Pain during breastfeeding You can also try putting your finger in his mouth (pad side up) until he starts sucking. See if his tongue extends over his gum line to cup the bottom of your finger. If not, you may want to have him checked. Many pediatricians miss the more subtle tongue ties, so if you suspect he could be tongue tied, you might want to try to find an ENT in your area who specializes in babies.
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Aug 9, 2012 19:31
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Checking back in: Baby ghost was born on July 18. I don't remember if it was here or BabyCenter, but the app Full Term was the reason I even went to the hospital. I slept through the majority of early labor and then just brushed off the odd pressure, thinking it was just caused by baby ghost being in an odd position. It wasn't until I started timing the 'pressure' that I realized they were 4 1/2 minutes apart and getting closer. Mr ghost was on day 1 of his leave period. He finished packing our bags, secured boarding/packing for our pets, and we were off to the hospital. We arrived at L&D around noon, checked out and I was at 3 cm, contractions 3 minutes apart, 90% effaced. The day prior I was 1 cm and 90% effaced and had my membranes stripped. The goal was to eat lunch and walk around for 2 hours. When we sat down with lunch, I broke into a cold sweat and lost my breakfast.  Back to L&D, where they had us stay close until a spot opened up in triage. Ended up being checked early and I had made it to 4 cm. I ate a few bites of my lunch while they finished prepping a room, spoke with the doctor and then the midwife that was there. I was admitted at 2:20 and started pushing at 4:40. Baby ghost was born at 5:11. All of this in the same afternoon. I handled labor just fine until it was time to push - trying to relax at 10 cm is hard - but I didn't actually know I was that far. My nurses were shocked when they checked again, as was the doctor on call. I had the experience I wanted - dim lights, periodic monitoring, no IV but a saline lock, no pressure for pain management, not using pain management, delayed cord clamping, immediate skin to skin time (ended up with 90 minutes before they cleaned her up, measured, all of that). Pretty awesome. Baby ghost was 7 lbs, 9 oz and 20 3/4 inches long. Her 2 week check up? 9 lbs, 1 oz and 21 1/2 inches long. Its still a bit bizarre when I look at her and really think about how she used to be inside. That was mostly during the first week, but its still a little mind boggling, even at 3 weeks.
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Aug 9, 2012 20:11
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ghost story posted:Its still a bit bizarre when I look at her and really think about how she used to be inside. That was mostly during the first week, but its still a little mind boggling, even at 3 weeks. Ha! I look at my almost 2 year old and think that sometimes. "This giant kid was in my belly? Whaaaaaa?"
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Aug 9, 2012 20:21
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bamzilla posted:Are you sure he's not tongue tied? This. My little girl had a tongue tie that 2 doctors and 3 lactation consultants missed. From what I understand, they're only trained to look for the most obvious of tongue ties and often miss more subtle ones. Anyway, my daughter had very similar feeding habits: nursing almost constantly, nursing for really long sessions, falling asleep on the breast, needing more food after bfing. I also had some nipple pain and was growing to dread every nursing session. Have you tried doing a pre-feed/post-feed weigh to see how much milk he's getting? I was surprised that my daughter was only getting about 1.5 ounces after nursing on both sides for about 30 minutes a piece because of the tongue tie. Have your ped check him out, but if you don't get an answer don't be afraid to ask someone else. If you happen to be in the Seattle area, I can recommend a few good doctors who specialize in breastfeeding medicine who might be able to help.
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Aug 9, 2012 21:23
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My son is tongue tied and we're going in tomorrow morning to visit an ENT. Everything is fine breastfeeding wise except he's not gaining. I hope it really will be a magic fix and we'll see some good weight gain.
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Aug 9, 2012 21:49
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Okay, what the heck is tongue tied? 
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Aug 9, 2012 22:12
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Bad Munki posted:Okay, what the heck is tongue tied? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankyloglossia My son can't extend his tongue properly.
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Aug 9, 2012 22:19
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Huh, interesting.
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Aug 9, 2012 22:27
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