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I just use Gain and double-rinse the baby's clothes. I also never use dryer sheets in her clothing, because of the residue it leaves. The expensive baby detergents like Dreft seemed to irritate all of my children's skin more than this method, so take that as you will. My pediatrician has always said baby oriented detergents and dish soaps are just a way to cash in on worried new parents anyway. Remember that people raised healthy (for the times) babies for centuries without all the doodads we have now, so your baby won't be destroyed for life if you bought something with a dye or perfume in it. I've had four kids and none of them have combusted yet. I just realized I sound a bit cocky. I'm speaking against the fear mongering in advertisements today not against the advice given by anyone here. If your babby has sensitive skin it's a different story, I was just saying most babies are fine with normal detergent and a rinse extra. Stairs fucked around with this message at 14:52 on Sep 17, 2012 |
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Sep 17, 2012 14:49
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Breast feeding class said to wash your nursing bra's in with baby's clothes and burp cloths. She didn't mention all of our clothes.
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Sep 17, 2012 16:10
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Since we already bought a thing of the baby detergent, we'll just finish what's left of it and then try the All Free and Clear. And I'm picking up a yoga ball this week to bounce around on. It feels like heaven when I'm able to use one at the gym.
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Sep 17, 2012 16:21
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CravingSolace posted:Also, a question about detergent: My husband and I bought this expensive pediatrician-recommended detergent. A friend pointed out that we'd have to wash our clothes with it, too, since the baby will be held against us all day. I didn't even think of that. Does the brand really matter, so long as it's unscented and whatnot? Or should we stick with the baby detergent? I've always used the Tide Free and Gentle on his clothes and the bedsheets (we were bedsharing), and for a while did regular detergent on my clothes with no problems. Eventually I switched to just using the Free and Gentle on everything because it's nice not having your clothes smell perfume-y. The Free and Gentle comes in a dryer sheet version too, never irritated him and made his clothes nice and soft.
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Sep 17, 2012 17:19
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bamzilla posted:I've heard that All Free & Clear works for cloth diapers but was afraid to try! I know how sensitive your skin is (and in turn how sensitive your son's skin has the potential to be) so this makes me feel more confident about trying it out. It's luck of the draw really that the All works for me. It all depends on your water and washer and a million other variables. I also add a half cup of vinegar to the fabric softener cup every time too.
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Sep 17, 2012 17:28
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I use All Free and Clear for cloth diapers, too. It seems that people are starting to discover that cloth diapers aren't as fragile as they're made out to be, and that mainstream detergents get them a lot cleaner than some of the detergents specifically meant for cloth diapers. A lot of people swear by plain old Tide these days.
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Sep 17, 2012 20:39
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I didn't even know there was such thing as baby detergent! I just use any "non-bio" type, and we've done fine.
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Sep 17, 2012 21:00
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Helanna posted:I didn't even know there was such thing as baby detergent! I just use any "non-bio" type, and we've done fine. I think it's called 'Dreft'? It has a picture of a mother and child on the front and says it's recommended by pediatricians. My husband and I use unscented detergent for ourselves, but some women I spoke to told me I needed to get the special detergent. Now I'm thinking that buying it was kind of silly. :-/
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Sep 17, 2012 22:11
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Is this a US thing maybe? I've never been told to buy a different detergent here (UK / Ireland), and the only reason I use non-bio is because I had sensitive skin as a child and my mum advised me to avoid bio liquid with my own baby in case she reacted to it as well. So far she has perfect skin, no rashes or redness at all after the first few days in hospital.
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Sep 18, 2012 00:12
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I just use regular cheap crappy detergent for everything.  When I did cloth diapers I used a special detergent for them, though I have no idea if it made any difference in their absorbency. My daughter got miserably rashy with cloth diapers anyway.Honestly I should switch to a better detergent, since my daughter has pretty sensitive skin.
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Sep 18, 2012 00:18
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Chickalicious posted:It's luck of the draw really that the All works for me. It all depends on your water and washer and a million other variables. I also add a half cup of vinegar to the fabric softener cup every time too. Yea, I do that with the vinegar anyway since apparently my kids have gross pee that really reacts strangely to the detergent I use with the cloth diapers and emits a horrid smell. We have hard water so I don't know if that'd matter or not. No harm in trying once I pass through the hippy dippy soap I got.
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Sep 18, 2012 02:00
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Helanna posted:Is this a US thing maybe? I've never been told to buy a different detergent here (UK / Ireland), and the only reason I use non-bio is because I had sensitive skin as a child and my mum advised me to avoid bio liquid with my own baby in case she reacted to it as well. So far she has perfect skin, no rashes or redness at all after the first few days in hospital. I have no idea. They might just be hyping it up over nothing. The more I ask around, the more I hear to just go with a regular, unscented detergent. Buying the expensive stuff that we did seems like a waste of money now.
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Sep 18, 2012 02:26
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There's an old man I volunteer with that I'm just about ready to kill. I go out kayaking once a week with a group that promotes proper water safety and it's the same thing from him every single week, all summer. First he asks me if I'm sure it's a good idea to do this in my condition, then if my husband knows I'm doing this in my condition. I have a healthy pregnancy, not a "condition" that prevents me from using my arms to paddle a loving kayak, and I don't need my husband's permission to paddle said kayak. But every single week he asks me again. Then, this past week he acted surprised when I showed up and told me he thought I quit because I was pregnant. Even though I tell him every single week that being pregnant in no way prevents me from paddling a boat. A couple hours later he asked me if I was going to be bored being at home all day when I quit my job soon, and when I told him I planned on working through the whole pregnancy he told me, very disapprovingly, that he doesn't think that's a good idea. It's a good thing the season's over because I'm so close to just smashing his goddamn face in after I tell him once again that he's not my doctor.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:03
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Hey pregnant ladies, here's a good, simple costume for Halloween!
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Sep 18, 2012 18:07
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Is it normal to be really scared of holding the baby-to-be? I am growing more and more excited as it gets closer to birth. However, I am becoming terrified at the thought of dropping my kid. I've held babies before, but not new borns. We have been debating it and wondering if I could get some tips from here. Concerning diapers, cloth or disposable? A semi-update: Baby is growing fast, I can now feel the outline of the body without having to push on wife's stomach too much. Wife says the baby is trying to create more room in her belly because it constantly stretches, we both laugh at that. She has an appointment coming up and says they will test for dilation and thinning.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:11
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tse1618 posted:old man.... I volunteer with..... my "condition"... not my doctor. I don't know how you feel about doing this sort of thing, but do you have a volunteer coordinator or someone "in charge"? What he's doing is basically sexual harassment, because pregnancy is a female only type of thing. You could talk to the coordinator about and and tell them the truth, you can't wait for the end of the season so you don't have to deal with this condescending idiot. He might just need a talk from someone in charge to say that what he's doing isn't cool, and if he doesn't stop he'll be prevented from attending or something.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:19
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Fixit posted:Is it normal to be really scared of holding the baby-to-be? I am growing more and more excited as it gets closer to birth. However, I am becoming terrified at the thought of dropping my kid. I've held babies before, but not new borns. Father to father-to-be, I can tell you this: you get over it, real quick. It doesn't take very long at all for you to learn which parts need to be supported, what direction things will flop in when they do, and all sorts of fine points of baby-holding. When the baby is first born, it'll be such a non-mobile lump that there's really not much chance of dropping it. Just remember to support the head/neck, and don't be very active with it. Baby just wants to lay around and sleep, your job is to facilitate that. Fancy holding comes later, and you'll be more comfortable with the whole thing then.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:19
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Bad Munki posted:When the baby is first born, it'll be such a non-mobile lump that there's really not much chance of dropping it. Just remember to support the head/neck, and don't be very active with it. Baby just wants to lay around and sleep, your job is to facilitate that. Fancy holding comes later, and you'll be more comfortable with the whole thing then. Thank you for the tips!
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Sep 18, 2012 18:28
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Fixit posted:Is it normal to be really scared of holding the baby-to-be? I am growing more and more excited as it gets closer to birth. However, I am becoming terrified at the thought of dropping my kid. I've held babies before, but not new borns. Bad Munki covered the holding--and yes, it's normal to be scared. I know I was. As for diapers, we used disposable for the first couple of months and will do that again. I know plenty of people do cloth from the very beginning but when everything was all new and confusing and exhausting I was pretty glad not to be adding constant diaper laundry to the mix. Luckily it's not like you have to make the decision right now and can never go back! I found an online store that has a special offer for a trial run of various different kinds of cloth diapers, which was cool.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:56
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Fixit posted:Is it normal to be really scared of holding the baby-to-be? I am growing more and more excited as it gets closer to birth. However, I am becoming terrified at the thought of dropping my kid. I've held babies before, but not new borns. My husband and I really didn't have experience with babies, especially newborns. We were pretty awkward at first with Ben. All it took was a week of handling him all day every day to pretty much feel completely comfortable. Ben is one month today and last week the pediatrician told us she noticed a difference in our confidence levels with him. It's pretty much only weird the first few minutes of holding your baby, then you just do what you have to do and don't even notice that you're learning. Awesome Kristin fucked around with this message at 00:20 on Sep 19, 2012 |
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Sep 19, 2012 00:15
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Bad Munki posted:Baby just wants to lay around and sleep, your job is to facilitate that. Newborn babies actually love dads because they have a nice broad, flat chest for sleeping on. Be prepared to be a baby mattress.
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Sep 19, 2012 00:29
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Lyz posted:Newborn babies actually love dads because they have a nice broad, flat chest for sleeping on. Be prepared to be a baby mattress. All the warm, heart-beating goodness of mom, without all the annoying lumpy bits!  Also, dads love sleeping babies because they're so freakin' easy.
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Sep 19, 2012 00:33
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Bad Munki posted:All the warm, heart-beating goodness of mom, without all the annoying lumpy bits! I will highly enjoy taking naps with my kid! This dad-to-be will love a sleeping baby so I can sleep and be rested for school/work/life
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Sep 19, 2012 00:59
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tse1618 posted:There's an old man I volunteer with that I'm just about ready to kill. Yeah, that would drive me crazy as well. In fact, I'm angry on your behalf. I wasn't sure if "volunteer with" meant you were specifically helping him, as a volunteer, or if he is a fellow volunteer. If it's the former, maybe you could professionally tell him that you're not interested in discussing your pregnancy. If the latter, I would tell him very firmly that your pregnancy is none of his business, and perhaps if you're feeling generous tell him your obstetrician/midwife has encouraged you to be active. There are people that benefit from education, and there are assholes who get in your face. I was pretty timid before having my daughter, but now I'm more take-no-prisoners, and it's helped immeasurably in dealing with jerks with no boundaries.
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Sep 19, 2012 01:39
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Ok. It's freak-out time and I need reassurances. I will be 40 weeks tomorrow and my doctor told me at my appointment last night that I haven't dropped, dilated, or effaced- AT ALL! The 40 weeks is pretty darn accurate because we had a 5 week and 7 week sonogram. So my need for reassurance is this... It's pretty rare/ never happens that someone doesn't dilate, right? I would hate to get to Oct. 4 (my doctor's cutoff date) and not have a favorable cervix for inducing even then... My husband keeps telling me that I don't need to worry, my body knows what it's doing, and medical science is just a guess game... but it's hard not to freak out! Especially when I was tired of being pregnant at least a month ago.
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Sep 19, 2012 12:53
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Due dates are really general. First-time births are often a week or more late. e: Not that I would know, because I had to have a c-section. That also ended up fine, with both me and baby healthy.
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Sep 19, 2012 13:11
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SassySally posted:Ok. It's freak-out time and I need reassurances. I will be 40 weeks tomorrow and my doctor told me at my appointment last night that I haven't dropped, dilated, or effaced- AT ALL! The 40 weeks is pretty darn accurate because we had a 5 week and 7 week sonogram. I wouldn't panic. A friend of mine was the same at 40 weeks, and by 41 she had dropped and gone into labor. If you're concerned, could he do a membrane sweep to try to get things going? I have two appointments today. I see my OB at two, and then I scheduled massages for my husband and myself at 4. My husband sent me a text from work last night asking how dilated I felt. I don't think he knew that I really can't tell, and that I also can't just reach up and figure it out myself. It was actually kind of endearing. He also asked what would happen if I were 4cm or more at today's check. Honestly, I'm not sure. I believe that past 4cm, they would admit me. Part of me is hoping to be at least 4cm since my back and ribs have become so painful, but drat it, I want that massage, haha. I've packed a hospital bag just in case, but I don't know if I've progressed past 3cm yet. I feel some painful pelvic cramping off and on, but nothing consistent.
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Sep 19, 2012 15:22
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SassySally posted:Ok. It's freak-out time and I need reassurances. I will be 40 weeks tomorrow and my doctor told me at my appointment last night that I haven't dropped, dilated, or effaced- AT ALL! The 40 weeks is pretty darn accurate because we had a 5 week and 7 week sonogram. It's an estimated due date because 40 weeks is not exact. Some women go a little earlier and some a little later. I went 10 days late with my first, 4 days late with my 2nd, and 16 days late with my 3rd. You still have time! AND if your body doesn't go into labor naturally, that's what doctors are for. They'll keep an eye on things and make sure everything is still going along safely.
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Sep 19, 2012 15:58
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10 days (Sept 30 due date) and I'll be a father. Holy loving poo poo I am an idiot and should not be in charge of a living being. Wife has dialated a tiny bit, dropped, and thinned something out or something. Oh god I'm going to be in charge of a human.
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Sep 19, 2012 16:00
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Spermy Smurf posted:10 days (Sept 30 due date) and I'll be a father. Holy loving poo poo I am an idiot and should not be in charge of a living being. If Snooki can do it anyone can, good luck!
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Sep 19, 2012 20:25
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I'm still 3cm. My blood pressure was a little high at the beginning of the appointment, but they took it again before I left and it was normal. Nerves, maybe? And the prenatal massage was AMAZING. My back and ribs are still sore, but on a scale of 1-10, it's maybe a 2 instead of the 12 it's been. He also showed me some trigger points in the feet to help induce labor, but said not to go crazy with it. It was the most blissful hour of this entire year. Oh God. If anyone here has been having back/rib/leg pain, GO GET ONE.
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Sep 20, 2012 02:57
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I have a question that I'd hesitant to ask because it sounds so weird. I'm technically 2 days past 3 months, but I think this is probably more of a post-partum hormone issue than a "parenting" thing, so I figured I'd post in this thread. Any time I'm separated from my baby for a few hours, when I see him again I feel weird about him. Almost like I don't recognize him, or that he's somehow become different. Every time it happens, I'm reminded of that old wives tale about how if you touch baby birds then their mother will smell human scent on them and abandon them. It's a distressing feeling, but fortunately we're breastfeeding, so when it happens I just put him on the boob, and by the end of the feeding the oxytocin is doing it's job and I feel pretty much back to normal. I don't feel anxious about being apart from him, and I actually usually feel like I'm looking forward to a few hours of alone time. I also don't feel like I've got any signs of postpartum depression, and everything else is going pretty well, aside from the crazy amount of trouble that I'm having with breastfeeding. I have facial recognition problems (called prosopagnosia) that might be contributing, but this feels like it goes beyond that.
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Sep 20, 2012 20:47
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CravingSolace posted:I'm still 3cm. My blood pressure was a little high at the beginning of the appointment, but they took it again before I left and it was normal. Nerves, maybe? Hmmm, maybe I should try this. At the farmer's market every week there's someone giving (free?) sample massages to encourage new clients for their massage business. I should ask if they have any particular back-rub ideas for pregnant women. The hip/back stuff has been really bad lately, and of course today my daughter decided halfway home from preschool that she COULDN'T POSSIBLY carry anything. Or walk. I had to scoop her up and lug her a few feet, then deal with clinging and wailing when I put her down to rest. Next time I know to bring the stroller, derp.
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Sep 20, 2012 20:57
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Mnemosyne posted:I have a question that I'd hesitant to ask because it sounds so weird. I'm technically 2 days past 3 months, but I think this is probably more of a post-partum hormone issue than a "parenting" thing, so I figured I'd post in this thread. I would definitely talk to someone if you can. It sounds like PPD no matter how much you feel like it may not. Talk to someone because it's better to be safe about it and know - especially in this type of situation. Also, don't you have issues with seasonal depression which is why you had the baby when you did? Correct me if I'm wrong, though. We're getting into cooler weather so that might also be contributing.
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Sep 20, 2012 21:09
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I think Bamzilla has really good advice. One of the symptoms of ppd is having a hard time bonding with the baby. It's ok to call up your OB or ped and say that's how you feel, and ask what step to take. There are even helplines if you don't want to make an appointment. Go here: http://www.postpartum.net/ There is SO much good information and a lot of different ways to get some help.
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Sep 20, 2012 21:20
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Mnemosyne posted:I have a question that I'd hesitant to ask because it sounds so weird. I'm technically 2 days past 3 months, but I think this is probably more of a post-partum hormone issue than a "parenting" thing, so I figured I'd post in this thread. I worked a lot on prosopagnosia at university, and I had a prof who was a specialist. What type do you have? I think your problems are likely at least partially related to your condition. A compensatory strategy that you might think about trying is bringing a photo of your baby or used onesie with you when you're away from your baby to keep your memory fresh. Also you might try implementing a "hello" routine with your baby where you close your eyes and embrace your baby, taking in the feel, smell and sound of your baby, because presumably those sensations are not compromised. Breastfeeding immediately is a great idea, too, and I'm glad it works for you. Of course consult your family doctor, but please consider making an appointment with your neurologist as well.
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Sep 20, 2012 23:11
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Andrias Scheuchzeri posted:Hmmm, maybe I should try this. At the farmer's market every week there's someone giving (free?) sample massages to encourage new clients for their massage business. I should ask if they have any particular back-rub ideas for pregnant women. The hip/back stuff has been really bad lately, and of course today my daughter decided halfway home from preschool that she COULDN'T POSSIBLY carry anything. Or walk. I had to scoop her up and lug her a few feet, then deal with clinging and wailing when I put her down to rest. Next time I know to bring the stroller, derp. Definitely ask about it if you can. As for hip pain, sleeping cuddled against a body pillow with part of it tucked between my legs has been great. There are some prenatal yoga/pilates vids on Youtube that show stretches you can do to alleviate some back and hip pain, too. I went to a spa called 'Massage Envy', and I think they have locations all over the place. The masseuse worked on my back, my legs (I didn't even realize my legs were so stiff until they were jelly after he was done), my arms and my neck. It was wonderful.
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Sep 20, 2012 23:46
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Since I know there's crossover, you may be interested to know that the parenting thread is back. Behave yourselves. 
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Sep 21, 2012 14:34
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I think it's getting closer to labor-time. I woke up at midnight last night with horrible back and pelvic pain. It faded after a minute, then happened again about ten minutes later. Unfortunately, it stopped after that. I'll feel little spasms now and then, but nothing like last night. I also picked up a birthing ball today, so I'm going to be bouncing on that a bit. 
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Sep 21, 2012 19:37
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bamzilla posted:Also, don't you have issues with seasonal depression which is why you had the baby when you did? Correct me if I'm wrong, though. We're getting into cooler weather so that might also be contributing. You do remember correctly about the seasonal depression. Since I'm so concerned about developing PPD, I tend to be a little obsessive about anything that's going on that's out of the norm. Usually I google whatever I'm worried about to determine if it's normal or not, and I came up with nothing on this one. Based on responses here, I guess it's not normal. I went to my first La Leche League meeting today, so I'll probably email the leader and see if they know of any good specialists in PPD, since I had no luck getting worthwhile referrals from the hospital, my OB and the genetics center. Chandrika posted:I worked a lot on prosopagnosia at university, and I had a prof who was a specialist. What type do you have? That's pretty awesome because I haven't run into anyone who knows much about it in real life. I'm signed up for Harvard's studies, and I was under the impression that that was the first time anyone had really studied it (hence nobody knowing anything about it). The one neurologist I saw didn't know much about it and just considered it a passing curiosity, and it didn't matter to me too much since I was seeing him regarding migraines anyway. Even if he knew anything about it, I can't imagine that there's any way to fix it. Since I haven't dealt with anyone who knows much about it (other than that it exists), I don't know anything about any subtypes. If it's broken down by cause, then it's hard to say because all three of the things that are known to cause it apply to me. I had severe nearsightedness that went completely uncorrected until I was 9 and 1/2, I had a not-super-serious head injury at 3 years old (I don't think it was severe enough to have caused this, but who knows), and I'm on the autism spectrum. I've been aware of it since I was 4 or 5 years old. I don't want to derail the thread too much, but you're welcome to PM me about it. I'd be interested in hearing what you know about it.
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Sep 22, 2012 04:04
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