Glad I am not the only one freaking out!
Pinkpony321 - hoping for nothing too serious!!!
Iām right there with ya JLC! the whole being responsible for this new tiny thing is kind of scary.
PinkPony hopefully its just a cold and goes away quickly!
On a side note, today I am officially halfway! 20 weeks today! And had the most uncomfortable walk to work yet. Felt like she was bouncing off my bladder every step.
Breeches seekers - I wore my regular breeches with a belly band. Worked perfectly.
[QUOTE=JLC;8407208]
Ok ladies from the āotherā sideā¦ I just started really stressing about bringing a new baby home.
Any tips for the first time mom expecting? I know all babies are different, but what are the first couple of weeks like?[/QUOTE]
I had a difficult c-section and I was on pain killers for the first 2 weeks so my memory is (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) a little cloudy. I agree it was surrealā¦ honestly, it still is. I look at my DS, now 7 weeks old and still have a hard time processing that not only do I have a kid, but this kid came out of me.
DH and I could not have survived the first 10 days without his parentsā¦ mine would have been a nightmare, but his were angels. They did everything for us without us even having to ask them or tell them what to do so that we could focus 100% on the baby. They also took care of the house and our pets while I was in the hospital. My father in law even marked quite a few things off the honey-do list!
Since I wasnāt very mobile, DH had to help me a lot. He had to help me do very personal things, particularly when we were in the hospital, that I cried in embarrassment over, but he reassured me that we were in this together. I am such an independent person and his mother told me later that he was very distraught seeing me that way. So those three really helped me through it all and I canāt imagine all the women out there who have to do it alone with little to no support system. It makes me very sad to think about.
Anytime kiddo needed anything, DH took charge. He would always change his diaper and then bring him to me to be fed so that I didnāt have to move around too much in the first 10 days or so. After that, it got easier and now I am cleared to ride and ski!
Our dogs were very excited to meet the little one and have been very curious and affectionate towards him. I am totally fine with them around him, but must keep reminding them not to lick the baby! 
Itās not rocket science. Babies arenāt quite as fragile as us first time moms think they are. One thing I didnāt fully understand though is how utterly time consuming newborns and infants are, especially if you breastfeed. And I am already back to work, so I have little to no time to myself.
One thing that is rarely talked about, but seriously important to pay attention to, is your bowels post delivery. A laxative (or 2) just might be your best friend for a few days.
Iām not kidding.
[QUOTE=drmgncolor;8408611]
One thing that is rarely talked about, but seriously important to pay attention to, is your bowels post delivery. A laxative (or 2) just might be your best friend for a few days.
Iām not kidding.[/QUOTE]
Seriously. I felt so much like a colicky horse I almost loaded myself on a trailer to make me go! And I now have s great collection of laxatives. Staying hydrated is super important, especially if youāre breast feeding.
Also in the important but not talked about, you bleed a lot (if youāre like me, a crazy lot). Do yourself a favor and go get pads and depends. The depends are great for when you first get home. 1- it saves your undies and possibly your sheets 2- itās so much easier to just pull everything off and toss it than messing with pads.
Food prep! I had at least a weeks worth of frozen dinners, some we made and froze, some were store bought. Serious life saver, especially if your SO doesnāt cook 
Swaddling.
Figure out before hand where the babyās going when you come home. We put the pack n play with its newborn snuggle suite (love love love) beside the bed. FYI I spent the first few nights staring at her as she slept, terrified of SIDs. And possibly crying.
If youāre breast feeding, find your comfy spot and set it up to spend a lot of time there! Do this note in case youāre like me and donāt have a comfy spot. We had a horrible couch and no nice chairsā¦ My dh may or may not have come home one day to my crying because my back hurt, my bottom hurt, and there wasnāt a single comfortable chair in our houseā¦
[QUOTE=pinkpony321;8401949]
Anyone else paranoid about barn cats and toxoplasmosis, or am i the only crazy one?
Today I was out in the windy run in tending to my old horse while the vet worked on an abscess, and I am pretty sure I breathed in a lot of dust and dirt from the footing in there, which the three barn cats have regularly used as a litter box. Now, of course, Iām freaking out.
I thought most of my paranoia left after the first triā¦ Guess not. For some reason, toxo has been a recurring obsession/fear of mine this whole pregnancy.
I guess hereās where the now weekly doctors appointments will come in handy!![/QUOTE]
I was stressing this too and the most helpful things I was told were that, unless youāre cleaning the litter box with your bare hands your chances are very very low, and (from several vets) that even when testing strays to find toxo it was very rare to find a cat with it. Hope that helps!
[QUOTE=ilmjumper;8408675]
Also in the important but not talked about, you bleed a lot (if youāre like me, a crazy lot). Do yourself a favor and go get pads and depends. The depends are great for when you first get home. 1- it saves your undies and possibly your sheets 2- itās so much easier to just pull everything off and toss it than messing with pads. [/QUOTE]
If you have a c-section, you will bleed a lot less than those who deliver normally, but you still bleed. a. lot. So be prepared. I bled for 3 weeks and then had ahem thick drainage for another couple of weeks. I was told by my Dr that was nothing to be concerned about. Iām back to normal now.
Sitting in the doctors office (GP) waiting to be seen, and reading this threadā¦I guess Iām headed to the grocery store to buy some Depends to have on hand, lol.
Pregnancy and motherhood are so glamorous!
[QUOTE=ilmjumper;8408690]
I was stressing this too and the most helpful things I was told were that, unless youāre cleaning the litter box with your bare hands your chances are very very low, and (from several vets) that even when testing strays to find toxo it was very rare to find a cat with it. Hope that helps![/QUOTE]
Thanks!!! I know itās rare, but for some reason, Iāve been focusing on it the whole time. I donāt know why. Iām going to have them run the test for the IgM antibodies because I love my insurance and why the heck not. Iāll sleep better.
[QUOTE=pinkpony321;8408775]
Sitting in the doctors office (GP) waiting to be seen, and reading this threadā¦I guess Iām headed to the grocery store to buy some Depends to have on hand, lol.
Pregnancy and motherhood are so glamorous![/QUOTE]
Oh yes. My midwife recommended the Kotex all natural overnight pads. They worked well. I also had quite a bit of bleeding (I needed some stitches.)
I hadnāt bought a pad in YEARS, I didnāt even recognize the products in the aisle, TBH.
I am now past 14 weeks - we have our gender ultrasound scheduled for December 21. Hard to believe!
Re: catsā¦I have had cats my entire life. I was cleaning the box right until I found out I was pregnant (so at least a couple of weeks into it). Husband does the cleaning now of course, but Iām not concerned about it. None of the medical professionals I have seen so far have been remotely concerned, either. So I would advise you not to stress!
This week I feel like baby is finally starting to pop outā¦I feel like I can literally feel myself expanding, and itās not entirely comfortable, but I know Iāll only get bigger! Bring it on.
The thing about toxo is that itās mainly spread by OUTDOOR cats vs indoor cats(outdoor kitties eat prey that is infected, they get it, the feces they make for two weeks after contracting it sheds the parasite, yada yada yada.) much like when a human has already been exposed, once a kitty has it, and it works through their system, they no longer shed the virus in their poo to infect others. So if your cats are using litter boxes, then theyāre probably indoor kitties and will not give you anything. But itās better to be safe than sorry, and if you can con someone else into kitty litter duty, why not, right?
Itās pretty rare, but one of those things that are scary to read about on the Internet. And being that I am a generally anxious person, my mind seems to have latched on to it unnecessarily. I know. Iām nuts. But the stray cats that come and go through the barn and use the place as a giant litter box make me uneasy, so Iām glad I can get a little blood test to ease my anxious mind. Yay for Cadillac insurance and a doctor who is open to non invasive testing for peace of mind purposes
Iām 36+3 and 1cm dilated today. Also 50% effaced. Sheet is getting real! Technically he could come next week and be āfull term,ā so I really need to start getting Things done around here.
Grey street, good luck with your gender scan!
At 14 weeks, I could really start feeling my uterus stretch. Its uncomfortable but I when you start to show, itās awesome!!
37 weeks today, which means my planned home birth is a go, even if baby comes today! Big relief for me.
I am getting more and more worried about having not enough time to bond with baby or losing some connection to my son. Itās probably a stupid worry, especially since firstborn has been in day care all year, and all next year heās going to be home with new baby and Iā¦but itās my main worry this time around.
Rugby- did you do a home birth the first time around? Sounds wonderful to me, but since I am a nervous first timer I will definitely be going to the hospitalā¦maybe for the second one:)
Yup, home birthed the first 8lb 13ozerā¦same midwife.
I have a serious problem with hospitals. And doctors. And most nurses. Besides the ones I know personally. I have a history going back to an injury I suffered as a kid that was treated with, well, malpractice us the word. We just didnāt pursue legal action. I was pretty sure that Iād have a complete meltdown delivering in hospital. The thought that a doctor I was unlikely to even have met would touch my baby before I got to made me angry. I actually resisted starting a family until my cousin took me to a documentary screening about Ina Mae and āThe Farm.ā
Once I learned that you could have a responsibly attended birth at home, involving no doctors, heck, we got pregnant two months later.
Itās definitely not for everyone, but my experience was really positive. Iām not one of those magical unicorns who sneezed out the baby, mind you, it was a pretty intense labour, but no real complications. I liked being in my own house, with my own food and my own smells, my own bed. I have a friend who up and down insists that if a baby of any kind was delivered in her house, sheād have to move. Lol. Makes me giggle, but I understand. Thereās nothing wrong with giving birth in a hospital!
Midwives in Alberta have to do a four year degree and a couple of internships, and the rules around when they MUST transfer you to a hospital and OB are really clear. If you present with any risk factors, home birth is out. It all seemed very well thought out to me.
People who know my husband and I are usually shocked about the home birth thing though. Apparently two engineers are expected to be more ātraditional and scientific.ā
Coming from the other side - I will say this. Postpartum is a damned bitch. I had no idea what I was in for. For me it was a hide the knives, glad I donāt have guns kind of experience. Do not be surprised if you donāt feel immediate love or joy for your LO, I didnāt.
I canāt say Iām 100% on the other side of PP, but getting there.
For me the keys were the following:
- Schedule. My baby was in the NICU for 8 days, they put him on a schedule, I stuck to it.
- Rock N Play (the one that self rocks) - Miracle worker for sleep
- Woombie - Zip up swaddle. Forget the blankets, works like a charm
- Mother Love Nipple Cream - saved my poor little milk makers
My guy is 2 months now, and sleeps 10pm-4am consistently. That is considered through the night, but hell if it feels that way.
[QUOTE=Nickelodian;8412619]
Coming from the other side - I will say this. Postpartum is a damned bitch. I had no idea what I was in for. For me it was a hide the knives, glad I donāt have guns kind of experience. Do not be surprised if you donāt feel immediate love or joy for your LO, I didnāt.
I canāt say Iām 100% on the other side of PP, but getting there.
For me the keys were the following:
- Schedule. My baby was in the NICU for 8 days, they put him on a schedule, I stuck to it.
- Rock N Play (the one that self rocks) - Miracle worker for sleep
- Woombie - Zip up swaddle. Forget the blankets, works like a charm
- Mother Love Nipple Cream - saved my poor little milk makers
My guy is 2 months now, and sleeps 10pm-4am consistently. That is considered through the night, but hell if it feels that way.[/QUOTE]
You poor thing! You really didnāt have anything go the easy way, did you?
Glad youāre starting to feel better. And thanks for the updates and honest advice!!
[QUOTE=pinkpony321;8412832]
You poor thing! You really didnāt have anything go the easy way, did you?
Glad youāre starting to feel better. And thanks for the updates and honest advice!![/QUOTE]
I dunno, my 8 week old baby sleeps 8-10, 10:30-4:30, 5:00-7 pretty much every night. Thatās two hours in the evening for me and SO, 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, and sleeping until 7. I know a lot of moms that would KILL for that at a year, much less 8 weeks.
Iāll count those blessings up and down and back and forth.
[QUOTE=Nickelodian;8413660]
I dunno, my 8 week old baby sleeps 8-10, 10:30-4:30, 5:00-7 pretty much every night. Thatās two hours in the evening for me and SO, 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, and sleeping until 7. I know a lot of moms that would KILL for that at a year, much less 8 weeks.
Iāll count those blessings up and down and back and forth.[/QUOTE]
That is pretty impressive.
I was/am worried about the whole sleep thing on the other sideā¦getting conflicting information from literature on whether to wake baby up for feedings in the night time for the first months. and then I realize that I will most likely not get so lucky as to have to worry about my kid sleeping through feedings, so my energy is most likely better directed elsewhere
Iām so tired of reading all of the conflicting crapā¦it makes me more anxious trying to figure out which sources to trust. Iāve pretty much decided that if baby wants to sleep at night, great. He can eat as much as he wants during the day time.
I am seriously considering putting down all of the books and just trying to do this whole thing intuitively. seems like a much better optionā¦I mean, women have been doing this for eons, so I should be able to, right?!
