The Pregnant Community

PUPPS

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:15:34 GMT

39 weeks 3 days here.

Who else here is dealing with PUPPS? ~~I can't believe there isn't a tag for it here.~~

At my last week's appointment my doctor said it looked as if I have PUPPS. I had been itching a lot lately, all over (but mainly on the stretch marks on my belly), but hadn't really thought anything about it. However, now that I've looked it up online and seen photos, I realize that is most definitely what I have.

Anyway, the doctor told me to get some Benadryl anti-itch cream. I did, and it worked; however, I've stopped using it because my belly started burning all the time.

How does anyone else here deal with PUPPS? I'm putting lotion on it, but it's not doing much. It's driving me CRAZY and it hurts.

group B strep/UTI

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:12:57 GMT

Ok - so yesterday. I went to labor and delivery for high blood pressure. My reading was really really high.

They got it down - and sent me home. I'm 37 weeks... won't be much longer now I think.

But when I was there we found out I had a UTI. I had never had one before - so I had apparently let it go thinking it was just the baby pressing down on my bladder.

I found out friday that I had also tested positive for Strep-B - Yikes!

So, at one point when I told the admitting nurse that I had been diagnosed, she said, "Well, you're just a dirty dirty girl, aren't you?"

I think I got irrationally embarassed - but the whole room laughed when she said this.

Am I dirty? I am looking up Strep-B now but seriously! I thought it was common!

Anyone else deal with both of these at the same time? They gave me anti-biotics for the UTI - but I feel super self-concious at this point.

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:10:38 GMT

I have 2 coupons for 15% off any purchase through September 2nd from The Childrens Place that I won't use .. anyone shop there & want these? I can pop them in the mail tomorrow. There's one for you & a friend.

TMI - feel free to skip...

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:55:45 GMT

OK so 13 weeks preggo.

After having sex today, i peed. IT HURT! burned and i screamed out.

WHY did this happen? is it normal? SHould we even be HAVING sex?

Please let me know.. i was pretty worried.

EDIT:

i should prolly have said this ONLY happens directly after... no other time throughout the day, ect. so UTI i feel is unlikely? but i think i might mention it just because to my OB

Pregnancy dietary help...

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:28:07 GMT

I'm trying to eat healthier for my pregnancy, and I was told that I need to start eating more essential fatty acids.
So that's what I'd like to do. My problem is, I'm trying to find a list with foods that have the highest content, and all of them seem to say-- fish, nuts, and eggs.

My husband is deathly allergic to all seafood and nuts.
My son is allergic to eggs.

We prefer not to keep these things in the house, and unless things have changed since my last pregnancy, I'm pretty certain I shouldn't be exposing my little fetus to this stuff anyway because it will put her at a higher risk.

Anyone out there have any other ideas of what would help increase my essential fatty acid intake?

Pregnancy symptoms...

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:10:34 GMT

What is the shortest time after conception that the the extreme fatigue/moodiness set in?

Thanks in advance!

painting

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:03:11 GMT

hey ladies, i'm 31 weeks pregnant. i can't find any information about this so i'm hoping you guys can help me out :)

my boyfriend and i are moving into our place next weekend. originally my brother was supposed to go over there and paint the babies room before we actually moved in. well plans changed and now he's not going to be able to paint for a couple weeks. so i have a few questions...

he said it would take him around 2-3 days to paint. would you recommend staying somewhere else for those days? i was planning on crashing at my mom's house. also, how long would i need to stay away after he was completely finished painting? i think it will be hard to ventilate the place very well because if all the windows are open in the dead of summer, it will be awful for my boyfriend who will be there. so do i need to stay away for a week? it's really buggin me out because i want to be in my new place! at the same time though, i want the babies room to look beautiful so if i have to stay away for a small period of time, i will. also, is there a certain brand of paint that's recommended and not too toxic for a pregnant woman?

thank you!

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:15:24 GMT

Hi.. quick quesiton to all you experienced labour-ers.

Can you give me some tips on how to get through contractions.. [apart from crying in pain].. what worked for you??

I have been having irregular contractions since yesterday afternoon, and am 1cm dilated.. this could be it! Or maybe I could go overdue. But now I have felt painful contractions I feel I need to prepare myself any way I can. So far I have been whine-ing and rolling around which doesn't help much and worries my boyfriend. The breathing thing does not work!

TIA lovelies! 37W4D

Feeling under the weather :(

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:48:11 GMT

I'm 29+6 before i forget, i was wondering if anyone else had the same tummy feeling as me.
My whole tummy/bump area is freezing cold and today its so bad its making me feel quite i'll :(

Babys moving fine, kicking the crap out of me as usual and i've had nothing else in regards to strange symptoms or anything.

I've piled a load of clothes across my belly in an attempt to warm it up, but its still just as icy cold.

Halp?

Gear Preparations

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:40:27 GMT

Hello, ladies! Quick question: how did you get rid of the "new car" (I.E. FORMALDEHYDE) smell out of your strollers and car seats when you bought them? I have a Graco travel system, and it's been sitting in my house, assembled, for almost three months now, and it still totally REEKS like formaldehyde. I was able to remove the car seat covers and am about to wash those, but the stroller padding appears to be all one piece, and is screwed onto the frame. I could unscrew it, but I'm worried I won't be able to figure out how to get it back onto the frame. Is this a common problem? Did any of you just wipe your strollers down? I don't know if anyone else even worries about this sort of thing, maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Depressed

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:59:03 GMT

I don't know what's going on with me. But I feel all alone for some reason. I just found out that my mom and dad are moving to Oklahoma, not by choice, but because they can't afford where they are now. I need my mom the most right now, and she's constantly fighting with my brother and seems like I have to call at the right time to get a chance to talk with her. My job has scheduled me 9 days in a row. All days/nights back to back. I'm just so physically and mentally/emotionally stressed and exhausted. I feel so depressed and I wish i didn't. It doesn't help the my SO isn't being too considerate of my feelings. I'm just being hormonal he says. instead of trying to listen and understand. I feel like i have the world on my shoulders and I can no longer hold it up. I don't know what to do. Any one else ever feel like this?? TIA

18w6d

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:52:19 GMT

Just a warning: If stories of induction or ones that involve AROM, epidurals, and pitocin bother you, then feel free to skip this.

So I failed to go into labor naturally before 5:30 Thursday morning, though I did continue to have contractions throughout Tuesday and Wednesday. My husband and I pulled up to the L&D ward of our hospital at 5:30, and I was hooked up to the pit drip around 7:00. The nurse (Denise) was fantastic. As soon as she started the pitocin, she started manipulating the bed. She arranged it so I was sitting completely up, as if I were in a chair without me even asking or mentioning it. (I'm assuming the positioning would also be the same as on a birthing stool. And I actually stayed that way until about thirty minutes before I delivered, minus the times they laid me back for cervical checks or to change my chux pads.)

I was informed that the doctor would be by sometime around 8:00 to break my water. At 7:45, the nurse told me that the doctor had an emergency at the other hospital where he delivers. I was content, thinking that it would give me longer to go with my water intact, perhaps even giving them a chance to rupture naturally. The contractions that I was getting weren't painful, just horribly annoying. The also, unfortunately weren't regular, either. I was doing the same thing I'd been doing naturally for over a week: Good, strong solid contractions that developed a pattern, then just trickled off into nothingness. At 8:43 my doctor walked in and we discussed briefly the potential benefits of going ahead and breaking my amniotic sac. At 8:48, we went ahead and broke my water.

Unfortunately, my labor did no better. Contractions were still mild, irritating, and regular then irregular. About 9:30 or so, I was almost out of the first bag of pitocin. Denise came in, and was actually irritated on my behalf. She said we had gotten a nurse who "didn't like to lose" and that she was going to start pulling out "all her tricks" to make sure I didn't have to have a c-section. She explained she was at a point where I had finally worked up to the maximum dosage (we'd worked up in 2s. I hope that makes sense - I don't remember the exact terminology. She'd said the orders called for 6, but that she didn't like that, so she went by 2s.) and she was going to take me off the pit for ten minutes to see if my body would regulate itself without it, then she'd come in and start another bag from scratch at the lowest dose possible.

So off the pit I went, and labored on my own for ten to fifteen minutes. I did have contractions every two and a half to three minutes, but they were still only mildly irritating. The nurse came back in and got the pitocin started again. By this point, I was beginning to be agitated that I was showing no real progression (though my cervix was changing - just incredibly slowly). I was beginning to really worry about and consider the possibility of a c-section. About two hours later, around 11:00 or so, my contractions finally started to get somewhat painful. They still had no real pattern, but at least I was more than irritated. By noon, they were really hurting, but there was absolutely no pattern or regularity to them. Denise told me that all she was looking for at this point was a pattern and then she would call the anesthesiologist.

Finally around 2:00, I'd developed a regular enough pattern to call for the epidural (my husband happened to be out in the hall around that time and said the nurses at the nurses' station actually cheered out loud when my contractions developed a pattern. heh.). About 2:15 or 2:30, the anesthesiologist came in and administered my epidural. It took him twice and quite a bit of maneuvering to actually get it in place. Apparently my scoliosis got in the way more than either of us had anticipated.

After he left, we got my catheter inserted and that's when I realized something was off. With my daughter, I could feel absolutely nothing below the waist. I could feel pressure to push and was able to push her out with no problem, but I felt no pain. This time, I could feel everything Denise was doing. She was gentle as she could have possibly been, but I could still feel it. I couldn't feel my legs, or my abdomen, but I was still feeling the contractions really strongly in my vulva and butt. Well, okay. Different, but not a hugely incapacitating deal (not that it felt pleasant, but I found everything much more manageable when I could only feel it there and not through my entire body).

They finally laid me back around 4:00 and rolled me to one side for about five minutes, then on to my other side for roughly 15. That's when I felt the urge to push. When I told Denise, she checked and said there was still a lip, could I hold on just a bit longer? Two more contractions go by, and I tell her I'm feeling the need again. She checks again and gave me the go ahead to test push. She told me to stop, that the lip wasn't moving. At this point, they've really started setting up the room for the birth. One nurse was setting up the table with all the instruments, another wheeled the warming table next to the bed, and Denise was calling my doctor. (At this point, I could no longer see the clock - the warming table was in the way.) I was told my doctor was on his way, but that another patient was delivering at this very moment, so he'd be here as soon as he could. I asked Denise if she was allowed to deliver babies. She grinned and said that this was her first day on the job and she didn't know how. Then she reassured me that while it wasn't something they normally did (apparently most women are able to hold out for their doctors or somesuch), that she could indeed do so if the need arose.

I told her that I needed to push again NOW. She checked me and I'd finished dilating completely. I began to push and oh wow. I could feel him crowning and everything. As he began to crown, I was crying quite loudly (and I think perhaps yelling just a bit, though I don't really remember). Denise was fantastic and was trying to reassure me that what I was doing was perfect, that I was allowing my perineum to stretch and that maybe I wouldn't even tear. I remember hearing her call for a pair of "sterile gloves" and wondering why in the hell she needed more gloves (she was already wearing some) and that the other nurses were not moving fast enough - I knew this baby was coming right this second. I felt like my vagina was absolutely splitting apart. I felt a lot of pain in my clitoris, and I was convinced that I was tearing upwards. Another contraction hit, and I tried my best not to push. Denise was still getting on the other pair of gloves, and I couldn't hold back any more. I felt more pain and Denise told me I'd just ripped. I remember replying that I didn't care. Another push, and I felt a pop. She told me the head was born. One more contraction, and it was the shoulder, then the rest of him. It was really neat to feel it all sliding out and be able to differentiate between the major areas of his body.

They placed him on my stomach, and he wasn't really breathing. I admit I was worried: the cord had been wrapped pretty tightly around his neck. They said he'd simply swallowed some mucus and it was nothing to worry about. One nurse was suctioning him, and Denise was clamping the cord. The third nurse handed my husband the scissors. For some reason, the atmosphere was really rushed. My husband ended up cutting the cord just before they were completely ready for him to, and blood ended up squirting quite a ways. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough that we did have to crack a joke about it looking like a horror movie, and a fourth nurse had to come in to scrub where it had splattered. As soon as the cord was cut, Dean started really crying and yelling in earnest. It was a gorgeous sound. I’m not sure quite what happened at that point, but Denise moved off to the side, and another nurse began massaging my belly from the outside, trying to get my uterus to continue contracting. A few minutes later, the placenta delivered naturally.

Sure enough, after the placenta was delivered, and there really wasn’t much left to do, that’s when the doctor walked in. I ended up needing some stitches, but the doctor commented that if I had to rip, I’d done it perfectly. He said it was a straight line that didn’t even extend to my rectum. I had no complications (other than some really bad achiness in my back from my epidural site, and even that’s only from the rough insertion methods. The pain has been lessening continuously.). Dean is also perfectly healthy and only dropped a few ounces. He was down to 7 pounds 11 ounces at discharge from 8 pounds even at birth. He nurses like a champ, and is really a very easy baby. I feel incredibly blessed.

Unfortunately the only picture I have on my computer right now is the one they took when we were discharged. I have some wonderful pictures and video of him with my daughter the day after he was born. She was loving on him, and kissing him, and telling him he was pretty. That’s all still on my camera, though, and I don’t know where my data transfer cable is right now.

So here, have a picture of a 44 hour old baby. :-)

Dean Grant Lastname
Born July 17, 2008
8 pounds
20 inches

why don't they make bigger sizes?

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:42:16 GMT

Everything I read about nursing bras tells me that I should get them in a size or two larger than what my bust size was pre-pregnancy... which poses a problem for me, because I wore a large size to begin with (38DD) and cannot seem to find nursing bras larger than that anywhere. Is it for sure that my bust is going to increase a cup size? (I haven't gotten any larger yet... I'm assuming it'll happen when my milk comes in) If so any advice on where to look for larger bras?

Is anyone feeling me??

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:49:41 GMT

So I am about four months pregnant and no really bad side effects except for one. I am so moody i am driving my man crazy i mean bad moody. He will be talking to a friend of his quitely and Ill think he is talking about me. If he stares off in a direction I think he is staring at a attractive .......much skinnier woman and i snap! So am i going nuts any advice on how to control this rage when i get moody???

My 3D scan video :3

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:32:48 GMT

Just uploaded the video of my scan :) well, some of it anyway! (at 29 weeks and 2 days)

Watch from about 5:50 to see him poke out his tounge, smile, punch me and pull faces :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSfVY9PFI6g

xxx

food

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:59:59 GMT

is it ok to eat tomatoes yet? realy? i mean.. FDA says its ok.. but there was just another outbreak in NH.. so i am a bit freaked out, but i am dying for a nice salad with tomatoes and some sliced tomatoes with salt. i mean.. YUM. i havent had them in like 13 weeks or so.

anything else in produce i should avoid???

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:53:58 GMT

At my sister-in-law's house last week my wonderful niece, Kaitlyn, decided to inform me of something very important. She sat on my lap, looked me square in the eye, and said,

"When the baby's born, you have to look and see if it has a wiener. If it has a wiener, it's a boy. And if it doesn't have a wiener, it's a girl. So you have to look so you'll know what you can name it, okay?"

So, ladies, I thought I'd share that wisdom so you'll know what to do when the time comes :)

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:52:41 GMT

How do you know the baby has dropped? I mean, i was thinking mine has,but he'll still creep up under my ribs,so does that mean he hasent dropped? Is it really obvious when it happens?

dating...

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 06:59:30 GMT

hello all *waves*

I'm 11 weeks 4 days with twins...at least according to the dating scan and based on the measurements of the bigger of the twins. My question is...do I keep my original time frame or what? After all, all literature seems to be based on this 40 week pregancy which would include those two weeks that I wasn't pregnant. So I know that my babies have been baking for 11 weeks and 4 days, but would I still be 13 weeks pregnant? I know it isn't a huge difference and the hospital refers to me by my dating scan date but I was just wondering. They've put my due date at the 3rd of Feb with a caveat that the average gestation for twins is 37 weeks. That's mainly why I'm wondering. The 37 week average is based on 40 weeks gestation in total, which means I'd have about 24 weeks left but based on my actual gestation of 11 weeks, I'd have 26 weeks left.

At the moment I have my lil' ticker set on the dates given by the hospital, but I was just wondering everyone's opinions on this.

At the very least, it's something to do at 8 in the morning as I've lost the ability to sleep in LOL.

On a neat note, I found out at my 'multiple' meeting with the hospital that after 20 weeks I will have a scan every four weeks to check on the twins progress. So I'll get to see my lil ones often from Sept 17th onwards.

Really horrible pelvic pain

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:50:56 GMT

I'm not sure what to think so I'm praying someone here can help.

I'm 39 weeks tomorrow and have been having pelvic pressure for a while now (a week or two if not longer).

For the past few hours, however, its been really terrible. This morning, I was out and walking around and was okay. I came home, took a nap, relaxed around the apartment and when I got up to go out again, it was absolutely unbearable to walk around. I went to my moms where I sat down and talked for a while -- while sitting I was fine again, but when I stood up to leave, it was terrible. I was practically in tears trying to make it to my car. Being on my feet is excruciating. It took ten minutes to make it up the stairs to my apartment and I didn't think I'd make it.

Basically, my pelvic bones and groin area in general are radiating in pain. The best I can describe it -- have you ever ridden a bike, stopped short and fallen onto that bar in front of the seat? Its like that. Its a lot like that radiating pain.

I'm really not sure what to think of this. I don't think I've been having any contractions -- a bit of crampiness, but nothing really like the Braxton Hicks contractions I've had (although those were painless and now its really hard to distinguish those from the baby simply moving around). I feel like I've been having a bit more discharge lately but I can't tell if its any different than before so I really don't know if its amniotic fluid or not.

Do you think I should call the doctor or is this just how it is at the end of pregnancy?

EDIT: I found this online -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphysis_pubis_dysfunction -- could this be the case or should I be more concerned that this is a sign of labor?

Not quite sure what's going on here.

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:27:54 GMT

I am five and a half months postpartum, and I have been getting very bad menstrual cramps. I have been breastfeeding exclusively, give or take a few hours while I work graveyard three nights a week. I go at most 10 hours without pumping/nursing depends on if I have some spare time at work (I am a waitress, so it all depends on how busy it is). I have no sings of getting my period yet. I am not pregnant. I also have occasional clear discharge.

I've tried Dr. Google, but he has no advice for me.
Do any of you ladies?

TIA!

Scared/Excited

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:30:29 GMT

OMG only 89 days till my due date! Thats like 2 and half months! Its coming up sooo soon! I dont know what to do! HAHAHAHA! I am sooooo excited and i cant wait to see my new lil boy! But i am sooooooo scared too! He is mine and my husbands first child! Its all so new and scary! :o(

travel system and cost differences

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:25:31 GMT

i have always been frugal, even when im financially comfortable and can splurge a little. thats why i need some outside opinions. help!!

i registered at babies r us for the travel system bc they had more to choose from than anywhere else. plus i found one that i really liked. this is it. i like the weight limits on it and the base. plus the color is quite lovely and i think gender neutral. it also says the harness is adjustable in the front. when i went to target today they had this one but its marked down to $132. i like the pattern and its also a graco. the downside is that it the harness isnt adjustable in the front and the height and weight limits are smaller than the original one i had picked. this is really messing with me bc its a $100 difference which is a lot to me.

this is my first and ive never had to deal with any of this stuff before. ive never even gotten a car seat in and out of a car before. ive always avoided babies and now its come back to bite me in the ass. so i guess what i really need input from you veteran moms/baby caregivers is:

1 - which one is worth the cost
2 - did you use your rear facing car seat for the 1st year or did you end up needing a bigger one
3 - does the harness adjustment thing really matter
4 - how much did you really use your stroller

or any other general help you can give me. im really in need of it!

Thoughts on Childbirth

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:29:35 GMT

So, those of you who have given birth: being completely honest, is childbirth really that bad? Lately I've been getting really, really scared of giving birth, and afraid of the pain and whether or not I can handle it (I do plan to get an epidural eventually). So I'm thinking a lot about childbirth, and wondering if despite how fearful I feel, if it's really the absolutely horrible, excruciating experience that some people say it is, and movies and TV show it to be. I have no doubt that it hurts like hell, and don't really expect it to be FUN, but...I can't help but think that it must be pretty bearable if women are so willing to get pregnant multiple times and all. I mean, I guess the population of the world wouldn't be 6 billion if childbirth is really as bad as I am fearing it is?

I dunno, I'm just thinking a lot about this and wanted to get some of your perspectives on what the experience of childbirth is like. What do contractions feel like? How bearable was it? Is it really that bad? Maybe someone can convince me not to be so scared :).

Nursing Bra/Tanks

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:20:40 GMT

For those of you who have bought nursing bras and tanks, where did you get them?

I have been hearing nothing but good things about BravadoDesigns.com. They seems really comfy and such but a bit pricey so before I make the purchase I wanted to see if maybe others could recommend other sites or stores I should check out.

Thanks!