Pregnancy Thread Friday July 16

[karatejen]

Abbymommy......Hannah Genevieve...Born 5/23/04
PFgal................Kendall Elizabeth....Born 5/27/04!
genifire6..................Annabelle.......... Born 5/27/04
Cynicalcyn............Alexia Rene.........Born 5/28/04!
Trishagrrl.........Bradley Eugene..........Born 6/3/04!
Tracy2.................Katie Elizabeth........Born 6/11/04
Redjewel………Laura and Samuel…….Born 6/25/04
FluffiB...............Kaden Alexander............…7/12/04

AngelHope...............W37...........…..8/02/04........Boy
Laprettygurl.............W34............….8/21/04.......Girl
wari.....................….W33.................8/29/04.......Boy
Trolly...............….....W32............…..9/8/04.........Girl
Thininmex................W31............….9/16/04.......Probably a Girl
Teach2Live..............W30..........….....9/22/04......Boy
little bear……….....…….W30………….…9/22/04........Boy
aphexacid................W29..................9/28/04.…..Girl
babyblue26062........W29................10/4/04…….Boy
Bozo.....................….W29.................. 10/06/04

lizzyd.......................W24.............….. 10/31/04….Boy
MelissaBee..............W23...................11/??/04
Shenandoah............W22...............….11/14/04 Boy & Girl
Mrs. Sarah...............W22...............….11/18/04...Boy
karatejen.................W21...............….11/26/04...Boy
surfdol...............…...W?..................†¦.12/28/04
DesperateInFL.........W14................….01/9/ 05
Idahospud…………...W14………………….. .01/9/05

GumDrop.................W12...................01/??/05
Shandril105…………...W12……………..…⠀¦ 01/25/05
Viki..........................W12................. ..01/27/05
Nyanchan………….....W12……………..…†¦.01/??/05
metroames..............W11..................02/08/05
MadameX.................W10...................02/??/05
LivnLGNOmore.........W?..................02/??/05
Miss Gigl...................W8..................02/21/05
Sapphires2000..........W7?.................. 3/3/05
lctchr........................W6.................. 03/10/05
AmyJuli…………....……..W6……..……… .…03/10/05
JennPayton……………..W5…………….….? ?/??/05
NaturalMama23………..W?………………..??/??/05

Green12........................................... Trying!
2BFitHourglass..................................Tr ying!
michigangrad.....................................T rying!
Kidj4............................................. ....Trying!

[karatejen]

Good morning sleepy heads!

I have a few minutes to spare at work at the moment, so I thought I would get us started.

Congrats FluffiB on Kaden Alexander!!!!

Pauline~Your birth plan gave me a whole list of questions to ask my doc at my appt this past Wednesday. I got satsifactory answers to all of them but one. I was told it was standard practice to put IVs in all women who come in to deliver. I was not happy about that. My doc told me that I didn't have to be hooked up receiving anything, but she wanted the needle in and capped off just in case. AGHHHH! I really hate needles and I tried to get her to compromise....not making me have one until they needed to give me something.....but she didn't seem to want to. There are two other doctors in the practice and I will be seeking their take on this.

Can anyone offer up any advice or words of wisdom to me? This is my first baby and I guess I didn't picture an IV being a part of my delivery. Has the IV been standard for all of you that have been through this before? Do I just need to calm down and accept it?

TGIF!!!!

[7littleangels]

Hello,

I guess I will be joining you all.

I think I will be due sometime in March.

This will be our ninth,eighth living, child.

My children are 13,9,7,6,4,,3,1 and ?.

I apologize ahead of time, I am a bit of a radical.

I have had 5 in the hospital and 2 at home. This one will be born at home,the Lord willling.

Jen- It is standard practice to I.V everyone that is having anything done medically. My DH had to have one put in to have his wisdom teeth removed.
They started this at least three years ago. They will numb the area first and then put in the bigger needle. It is really not painful. I have had it done enough times. The only thing I recommend is that as soon as you are stable,after birth, ask to have it removed. They will tend to wait until you leave and then it starts to get painful and is not fun to remove.

I will post more history as time goes on.

For now I am upping my carbs a bit and trying not to stress.
My mom is in a nursing home trying to fight Ovarian cancer ( she is 58) and things are sort of touch and go. She has been there 5 weeks,so it means nightly trips up to see her. Pregnancy was not in my plans,but I will get through it.

Well,that's all for now. That is enough to digest for one day.
Jeanie

[bakergirl74]

Hi I am a lurker here, just cause I love reading all of your stories, I have 2 boys ages 3 & 5 and we are done.

Just wanted to answer your question, When I had my kids I was told that an IV was standard practice, and sometimes they just put in a Hep lock (I think that is what it is called) basically just a starter that is capped off, just in case something comes up and they need to get meds in ASAP.

Otherwise, just make your needs known, and make sure that you get satisfactory answers.

Good luck

Cari

[MadameX]

Morning Ladies!

Jeanie and Bakergirl!

Hi Jen! I agree w/ Bakergirl, they will probably just put in a hep lock. I was told that it's much easier to find a vein and get an IV going before something goes wrong and a paatient is in distress. I'm not looking forward to that either.

We are having our genetic counseling this morning. They even want us to have the CF test, even though CF does not run in either side of our family. They said they try to bill insurance for it first and it's about $1200-1500! Then they are pushing all the other stuff too...

BBL

Kelley

[lizzyd]

Dear Jen,

I learned through my Bradley course (when I had my first baby) that the reason most places will insist on an IV hook up (you're lucky your doc will agree to a hep lock) is because if you get into a situation, like going into shock, hemmoraging, or the typical lowered blood pressure response to an epidural, and you need meds right away, plummeting blood pressure can cause your veins to collapse, making it impossible to get a needle in. So, they do it ahead of time as a precaution.

I really objected to it until my midwife couselled me to chose my battles wisely (for things like no episiotomy, no internal monitor, being allowed to birth in more of a gravity-friendly position, etc.).

Eventually I surrendered to the notion that if I wanted all of the medical advantages available in a hospital birth I was going to have to put up with some of their policies.

It can be a very conflicted time for anyone who is low-risk and prefers a more natural experience.

I attempted a home water birth and after two days of hard labor I only got to 3 cm dialated. I decided to go to the hospital to get an epidural so I could rest some, and 14 hours later, with the epidural and pitosin I was still only at 6cm. I was given the choice of going for a c-section at that point, which I did.

I guess the only words of wisdom I can give you are to be flexible. Have a birth plan in mind, make sure your doctor agrees to it (but more importantly, ask your doctor how you get your wishes conveyed to, and respected by, the Labor and Delivery staff who will be attending you for 99% of the process, and who have this habit of changing shifts right after you get into a groove).

With my first, I was a real purist about labor, delivery and nursing preferences. Six years later, my baby is fine, I don't remember half of the things I objected to, and I'm looking forward to my 3rd child feeling much more relaxed about whatever happens. Perhaps the only thing that's relaxing me is prior experience, which I realize doesn't help you much. But just go with your gut and chose your battles.

Good luck and keep posting your thoughts and questions.

Cheers,
LizzyD

[Mrs Sarah]

Morning ladies!! TGIF!!!

The upper part of my belly is really starting to poke out now. DH took me out to dinner last night and afterwards my upper belly was so hard and sticking out so much! It's strange!

The baby is kicking so much now. I just love it! DH sits and presses his fingers into my belly lightly and he can feel it move now too!! Totally exciting. I'm loving this!

We're heading out to go camping tonight after work. I'm hoping we can escape some of the heat here in the city. It's been over 100 all week.

Jen: It is standard procedure to put in an IV. I wouldn't stress too much over it.

Jeanie: Sounds like you have a houseful! I'm sorry to hear about your mom. She is in my prayers.

Bakergirl: Hi! Nice to see you!!

Lizzy: Good morning!

[babyblue26062]

Morning Mommies-

Hi Jenn- Looks like everyone else coverd your question.

Jeanie- Welcome and congrats- Wow 8 childern - bless your sole!

Hi Lizzy- I think you have a great attitude about that- my hope for all us pregger ladies is that we all have a great outcome however we get there. I had envisioned a much different birth with Jessica, but it was not in the cards and I ended up with a c-section, but the end product is what mattered. I have a healty child and that is what counts.

Kelley- Why are they pushing you to get checked for CF since is does not run in the families- Did they give you a reason why?

Angela- How are you feeling???

Sarah- Have a good camping trip- hope your bday dinner was good.

Looking forward to this weekend- Can't wait until today is over.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

[Mrs Sarah]

I think I need to start taking in my potassium. I got a HUGE charlie horse cramp in my left butt cheek, right in the area of the sciatic nerve. It was so bad last night that I had to get up and try and walk around. It didn't help. Today it is still SUPER sore.

Do any of experience those? I've been having them pretty regularly but they have been mild. Last night's was much worse.

[karatejen]

Originally posted by lizzyd
Dear Jen,

I learned through my Bradley course (when I had my first baby) that the reason most places will insist on an IV hook up (you're lucky your doc will agree to a hep lock) is because if you get into a situation, like going into shock, hemmoraging, or the typical lowered blood pressure response to an epidural, and you need meds right away, plummeting blood pressure can cause your veins to collapse, making it impossible to get a needle in. So, they do it ahead of time as a precaution.

I really objected to it until my midwife couselled me to chose my battles wisely (for things like no episiotomy, no internal monitor, being allowed to birth in more of a gravity-friendly position, etc.).

Thanks LizzyD (and everyone else for the info). Your words above are just what I needed to hear. I was told by the doc that she would want me to have the hep lock (just didn't understand the name at the time). She mentioned something about it being capped off, so the hep lock must have been what she was talking about.

Smart advice about choosing my battles wisely, since she seemed very flexible about everything else. I had asked about different positions and about episiotomies and was given the go ahead for whatever my wishes are. So I guess I can't complain.

Jeanie and on so many kids!!!

[lctchr]

Well - I am still here and checking in on your posts everyday. I am just kinda in that waiting stage for m/s to kick in. Since this is #4 I probably won't get it bad - it seems to lessen in every pg. Hopefully just a couple of waves to make me feel more confident and I'll be ok.

Good luck to everyone!!

Sherry

[AmyJuli]

Sherry- You lucky DOG! We're the same due date, and I'm hating every minute of the day!

Jen- I didn't know about the IV being standard practice either. I'll have to ask when I have my appt.

[Viki]

Hi Everyone. Had my checkup today. Everything cool. Gained 3 pounds in 3 months. Not to bad I guess. Got kind of worried because the doctor couldn't find the heart beat at first but then she did she said its common for her to take a while since they are so small.

She wanted to know if I wanted another ceasarean this time around. I don't know. What do you guys think? I would like to deliver vaginally because the pain after the c-section sucks, can't get up, hard to sit down, being so sore. But then again, vaginally isn't a piece of cake either right. Please give me your opinions thanks.

[babyblue26062]

Viki-

Why did you have a c-section before? That would determine my answer. You can safetly have a vaginial birth after having a c-section so I would try that depending on why you had the first one. I am going to have a c-section again but I know that my pulvic bone is really tiny and this baby is bigger than Jessica. But if that was not the case I would try a vaginal birth.

[Viki]

Well I was induced a week before my due date because DS was measuring over 8 lbs and I asked the doctor, is there anything I can do (because I was being impatient and wanted the baby now) and she said well we can induce you next week. It was music to my ears.

Went and got induced everything was going fine. Got my epidural - Great - slept and watched TV until I was fully dialated. After three hours of pushing, I was dead exhausted and they didn't know how big DS was so they didn't want me to rupture anything so she said lets do a c-section. DS was 8 lbs. 9 ounces.

[babyblue26062]

Viki-

2nd babies are normally bigger so you might want to take that in to consideration. I would try for a vaginal birth if it was me, but it has to be your decision and as I have said before the outcome is what matters. -

[BrattyChelle]

I really don't have much time...dying to get in the shower after being outside all day. But I wanted to respond to MadameX's CF testing comment.

I tested for CF and came out a positive carrier. So they wanted my husband to be tested at our cost (he has no insurance at work yet) which was almost $500. We talked that night and researched CF and even called their hotline for information. Please get your facts before you pay for a test that may lead to procedures that could jeopardize your baby.

We ultimately decided if we would not terminate on a positive CF test....we should save the money for treatment if the baby is born with it. Basically, it's a 1 in 80 odds both parents are a CF carrier...then it's 1 in 4 that the baby will be affected with 1 of 1000 variations of CF. Only way to know in utero if that baby has it is through a placenta testing at 12 weeks or an amniocentesis.

Just a heads up....I think this is a very alarming test from doctor's who aren't informing their patients of the odds/risks before hand.

[abbymommy]

I would also refuse the CF test. It is only going to cause unnecessary worry and stress to you. They can't narrow down your odds to more than 1:4 without invasive testing which also puts the baby at risk of miscarriage or stillbirth.

I would refuse the AFP test too if I could go back in time. Waiting for 5 months to find out if my baby had Down Syndrome was not fun.

As far as the IV, yes it is pretty standard practice and there for your protection and baby's too.

My hospitals never did any numbing first , but inserted the IV on top of my forearm. This timeI asked them to put it in where I could still bend my wrist all the way back - kind of important during labor.

I hate IVs since during my son's labor they inserted it wrong and injected saline under my skin instead of my vein, resulting in a huge lump on my arm that creeped me out and hurt too. Ooops.

Beware though, after an all natural labor and delivery I realized after baby was born that they hooked me up to a Pitocin drip right after she came out to "help the uterus contract".

I was just saying to dh that I was so glad not to have to have pitocin and IV fluids since that made me swell so badly, and as I pointed to my arm I noticed it was hooked up to a bag of Pitocin AND IV fluids. Argh!!!

I was so distracted by just having given birth that I wasn't paying attention and didn;t notice what they were doing.

I had a birth plan with my son but nobody really paid attention to it. They still did the eyedrops right away, and the doctor refused to wait for the Vitamin K injection. Oh well

This time I had no birth plan because I planned on getting the epidural again, but chose to go natural at the last minute. I just requested certain things as they came up.

I say write a birth plan if you want, especially for you and dh to discuss, but realize that it does "red-flag" you as a pain in the butt patient in some cases.

And they may ignore it and will not be memorizing it, so you may end up reminding them of everything anyway.

I really think most L and D nurses and even doctors want to work with you and make you as happy as possible but certain demands are beyond their control, and their #1 concern is the baby's health and your safety, not your "birth experience".

I think the women that really have a hard time are those who go into the experience with unrealistic expectations and fall apart when things start to veer from "the plan". Labor and delivery are very unpredictable.

[AngelHope]

Hi everyone!

Jen: Like a lot of the ladies here my hospital does the hep lock. But like Jeanie said - ask for it to be taken out as soon as you get situated after recovery. When that thing starts to "flash", get bent etc... it really does hurt. Since I have redhair nurses tend to worry that I will be a bleeder and not want to take the derned thing out for a day - I took my own out after my 2nd delivery just b/c it HURT LOL. Luckily the hospital I am delivering at also doesn't have too many interventional "rules". It is mostly the practice that women deliver with who have the "rules". Mine tends to do what the mother prefers unless it isn't medically safe.

Jeanie: WELCOME!! How exciting to be on your 9th child! Congratulations!

Kelley: Hope the counseling goes well - saying prayers for you and your dh!

Lizzy: Hi!

Sarah: Have a great time camping!!

Sherry: Hope the ms stays AWAY!!!

AmyJuli: Had that "all day" sickness with my 2nd! It DOES get better!!

Viki: Great job on the weight gain!!!! As for the VBAC - seems like it would be harder to take care of a little one and a newborn if you had a c/s done... why not shoot for the VBAC and then if something changes during labor you can always choose the c/s. Of course I can easily say all of this since I have never had a c/s LOL... discuss your options/fears/concerns in depth with your dr and see what they recommend.

Kristen: Hi! Hope you have a nice weekend.... will it be your usual BUSY weekend? When do you do the 3hr GTT?

DFL: Hi!

Katie: I am so happy to hear Kaden is here and you both are doing great! I had a feeling you were off having him! Can't wait to see pics - CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I had another appt this morning. Haven't progressed anymore - not surprising since none of us are expecting my body to cooperate LOL We have scheduled an induction for Tuesday (July 20th), I will be 38w1d. I have discussed in GREAT DETAIL how I want the induction to proceed. Since my cervix is so "ripe" and my history of short labors we can forego the cervidil, get an epi right off the bat, break my water THEN start the pit..........thank goodness! Just happy there is an end

[MadameX]

Hi again ladies,

Thanks again for your feedback on the CF testing. I wish I had read those before I had to rush to my appointment! They told me they encourage all caucasian couples to get the blood test (CF screening). I did have blood drawn for that and if it's negative there is no reason to test my DH. If it is positive, they would give Dh the blood test too, but if he was negative then there wouldn't be cause for much concern. Personally, I think it's just another way for them to bill insurance for $$$.

They did another ultrasound, and although it's so much fun to see the baby (who did a headstand!), now I am worried about having too many ultrasounds, KWIM? They are encouraging an amnio too (age related), but kind of talked us out of CVS testing due to risks. I'm just confused now and need to think about all this.

They make all this testing seem like the norm, so it's good for me to hear from you about declining it too.

Kelley

[MadameX]

Yay Angela! A light at the end of the tunnel! I will be thinking of you all day on the 20th!

Kelley

[Redjewel]

just think Angela.. only 4 more days!

Hurrah for you, doll.



With the issue of c-section or vag. I vote vaginal all the way. My c-section sucked! then I got an infection to boot. And that is still being dealt with.

Good news is Laura is 4 lbs today, and Sammy is 3lbs 14 oz
Almost ready to be moved to the last section in neonatal
Then I will get to hold them and breastfeed!!!!!

I tell you I am so ready!

[BrattyChelle]

MadameX...You're right, it is a way to collect more $$. Also, remember....it's covering doctor's butts over future lawsuits. You always have the right to decline with no insult or contempt from your doctor.

[Mrs Sarah]

Angela: Woohoo!!! You are almost there sweetie!!!

Chris: You have been in my prayers. I am so happy to hear that the babies are doing so well!!!

[Suzanne]

Hi Ladies,

Jen, I agree that you should pick your battles. In my birth plan, I ask for a hep lock in a position that won’t affect my range of motion. But I hope to have a home birth and that this won’t even be an issue.

Welcome 7littleangels and congratulations on #8.

Kelley, one of the good things about Mexican doctors is that they don’t routinely order any genetic tests. Probably because this is a majority Catholic country and abortion is illegal (not that you can’t get one). My son was born when I was 39 and that doctor said he wouldn’t recommend amnio. The risks of complications due to amnio or CVS were greater than my risk of a Down syndrome baby. This time around, I will be 42 when I deliver. My c