Baby Update

[TheOtherVillainess]

Well...for those of you who are a bit confused, I am the poster formerly known as UrsulasDaBomb. Hi. See my other thread (Question for a Mod (CB)) as to WHY I had to change my nick from UDB to TOV.

Anyway.....here we are at about week 28. Dr. Boyd changed my due date from March 31 to April 1. Great...so I'm supposed to give birth on April Fool's day? Does that mean my son James will have a great sense of humor? Or is his mama just a ?

We survived Thanksgiving and XMas ok..even though I did come down with a very nasty cold right after Thanksgiving that made me sick for four days with a horrible cough. Ugh.

DMIL and DFIL have purchased the carpet for his room which had to be recarpeted due to cat damage as well as the Pack-N-Play portable bassinette/playpen AND a crib. w00t! DSIL bought us a changing table to match the crib, and those should be arriving shortly. DFIL came on New Year's Day to help paint the room, which is a lovely sunny Pooh Bear Yellow with sky-blue carpeting. We had attempted to put up a Classic Pooh with Honeypots but the only way it seems to come is pre-glued (self stick) which didn't work too well with our textured walls. We put it up and with the first semi-mild breeze from the ceiling fan it commited design suicide and lept off the walls. Oh well....

We have attended a hospital tour and are taking an anesthesia class on Weds night...some fun that'll be. I've decided to forego Lamaze classes because I'm having an epidural and figure I don't need them. *shrug*

I think that's all for now.

Just wanted to let ya'll know what's going on, cuz I'm sure some of you were confused and wonderin what the heck happened to me, if I dropped off the end of the planet or something.


TOV (formerly UDB)

 

[janette]

Sounds like everything is going well.

A couple of tips:

That pre-pasted stuff really needs the glue. You can pick it up at Home Depot, slather it on the wet border and put it back on with a sponge to straighten it. Works great and I've never had a border come down.

I'd recommend the lamaze classes anyway. It will prepare you for the birth and everything that will be going on. You can plan on an epidural but there isn't a guarantee you'll get it. Best to be prepared for anything and that is what they'll do in the class.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I didn't know you could do that if the border was a self stick vinyl border. We may decide to do that and then again we may not. I dunno. [Trading Spaces]The bedding we got as a Xmas gift (also from DMIL) is in the same Classic Pooh honeypot pattern as the border, so even if there is no border, the bedding will tie the bright yellow walls to the sky blue carpet just fine.[/Trading Spaces].




TOV

 

[mtemm]

your nursery sounds lovely!

I would reconsider the lamaze classes, too. You may be planning an epidural, but they don't alway take. I know 2 friends who had no luck with them, and because they weren't planning on doing it any other way than with an epidural they really weren't prepared with any techniques to help ease labor naturally.

M.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Well, it's almost really too late to take them (according to the hospital anyway). We were told that if we were GOING to take a lamaze class, it needed to be finished (as in last class taken) by the time I was 30 wks. I'm almost 30 wks now! Oh well...

Oh I almost forgot...we have piccies of the bathroom we did too. A friend of DMIL's gave us a yellow rubber duckie as a gift back in Sept when we found out we got pregnant. We decided to redo the guest bathroom as the 'baby's bathroom' in
duckies!


TOV

 

[CamColt]

If you really do want to get into a class check and see if your hospital does a 1 day thing, that way you could get it done sooner. Thats what we did, an 8 or so hour class on a Saturday. it wasnt "Lamaze" class, but "childbirth". But to be honest, it was useless, except to watch all the guys freak out during the movie, LOL! I dont think I breathed or focused once during the labor(and I didnt get an epidural). I still had a healthy baby, and quick labor. You have to do whats right for you.
It wont be long now, be sure to keep us updated. Best of luck to you!

 

[dcgrumpy]

you do realize they don't give you an epidural right away.

 

[dcgrumpy]

you do realize they don't give you an epidural right away.

 

[mudnuri]

better hope you dont progress to quick...With both my DD's I would have NEVER had the opportunity for an epideral...

My theory is they offer the Lamaze classes for a reason.....

Brandy

 

[ripleysmom]

If you can't take Lamaze classes then see if there is a video or a book from the library. You should definitely have something since they do not administer an epidural till you are pretty far along in labor.

It really does help you to focus on your breathing which you will need during contractions.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks for the update, TOV, and contiuned good wishes.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Yeah I know they don't do an epidural right away but I'm sure I'll be fine. I hope.

I did rent a 'Beginnings of Life' DVD from the local library and made DH sit down and watch it with me. He was totally grossed out by it.

I'm just hoping that I get to the hospital and they tell me I'm dialated enough to come in. DH has a coworker whose wife recently gave birth and at their hospital (or maybe it was just their doctor, I don't remember at the moment...too early in the AM), they refused to admit her until she was 9 CM dialated. At 9 CM isn't the baby almost THERE already?

Anyway...we did the hospital tour and I luuuuurve the hospital. The L/D suites are very posh and there's even a TV/VCR so you can watch a movie or something while you're in labor. I think that's more for the hubbies/parents/etc who are in there with you than the actual pregnant woman herself though. There are only private recovery rooms, so no sharing with other people! Yay! They also do what's called 'rooming in' where the baby stays with you in the room unless you ask a nurse to take him/her to the nursery for something (or unless they NEED to take him/her to the nursery for a reason). The beds are HUGE...they looked almost as big as my bed at home and there is a wide, comfy looking couch for the daddys to sleep on when they are there. There's also a whiteboard on one wall so that you can write down when the baby ate, pooped, etc so the nurses don't have to keep waking you up to ask when, how much, what kind of dirty diaper, etc. I think that's so cool.

I have another dr's appt tomorrow and after that I think I start going to the dr every other week. Oh the joy.

TOV

 

[Deb in IA]

Thanks for the update, UDB/TOV. Hard to believe you are at 28 weeks already!

Best wishes for you and Baby James!

 

[maleficent1959]

TOV/UDB,

I have a $5 coupon for maternity clothes at Target (with a $25 maternity purchase) if you would like it. Just PM me.

You'll be okay if your epidural doesn't take. Mine didn't take and I had to push for three hours without one until they decided to do a section. The worst part, I think, was DH watching the monitor and telling me when a contraction was coming -- like I couldn't tell!

 

[TINKTWINS]

You sound like youve got everything under control!

My oldest DS was born on April 1, 1986. Not a big deal, people do mention it to him but yes he is a big joke too!!

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Maleficent--thanks for the offer, but thanks to DMIL (who has been more excited than we are this whole time) I don't need any more maternity clothes. We found a maternity retail shop about 20 min from where I live where I got almost my entire maternity wardrobe. What I didn't steal from DH, of course.

My ILs have been great throughout this whole thing, esp my MIL who is more excited than we are. It's her first grandchild so she's going a bit whacko on everything. She and DFIL bought us the crib and paid to have James' room recarpeted (which had to be done due to some pet damage). She bought almost my entire maternity wardrobe for me. We recieved the Pack-N-Play portable bassinette/playpen from them for Xmas and she has volunteered to quit her full time teaching job to sub teach so she can babysit for us because she knows we cannot afford good daycare. DH even told her that if I had to choose, I'd pick her to be in L/D with me instead of my own mother, which I'm sure made her ecstatic. I love my MIL, because even though we are total opposites, we are united on one thing: this baby is going to have lots and lots of love and be a bit spoiled by his grandparents the way I never really was.

Which reminds me....my mother is doing a DOUBLE baby shower on Sat for me and my sis (who is 8 mos pregnant right now). I told her that she should do seperate showers for us, but she has really been pushy about this. So I guess I have no choice but to let her. *shrug* I don't think any of my friends are coming because we JUST found out about this last week. I think that it's more about showing off for my mom's friends and for my sister than it is for me. Oh well. I'm sure that my MIL will organize one for my friends and other family members like DSIL to be at at a later date. It irks me my mother doesn't even TELL me until a week before the baby shower (we found out last Fri nite). I told her I MIGHT not be able to make it because of work and she was like ,"Well I'll put your name on everything anyway, even if you don't show up." I hope I can make it because I don't wanna look like a *bleep* for not showing at my own babyshower. I tried to reason with her but there is no reasoning with my mother sometimes. She's so pushy you'd think she was a Taurus instead of a Leo!

I think part of it is that she refuses to drive out to see DH and I (an hour from where she lives) and she's missed out on some things she considers 'critical', like the day we registered at Babies R Us and the sonogram (which DMIL and DFIL were present for). We have tried to see her when our busy schedules allow but with both of us in retail, our schedules seldom match up enough to let us go ANYWHERE together, let alone drive an hour or so away to visit my parents.

My mother also bought James a baptismal outfit, on the notion that we're having him baptised as an infant. DH and I don't even go to church and we've decided that if he wants to be baptised, it'll be up to him. We'll let him make that decision on his own instead of forcing it on him as an infant, as my own mother did. I've always resented the fact that I didn't get a choice in the matter ( or in Confirmation either for that matter! ) and I don't want my son to resent me for doing something he didn't want when he was an infant. I haven't told my mother this yet and I'm afraid if I tell her, she'll totally flip out on me. She's already on my case enough as it is because we don't go to church and she has no idea of what my true spiritual beliefs are. I just hope when the time comes to tell her we're not having him dunked as a baby I can stand up to her and not let her push me into having him baptised.

TOV

 

[mrsv98]

TOV,

Sounds like everything is going great. It was funny, I never even considered going to Lamaze classes. We took the hospital tour, we loved our hospital, and that was it. Well, turns out, that from early on, DD was breech and stayed that way. I still wonder if part of me *knew* I wouldn't have a traditional delivery. Anyway, we had a planned c-section, it was a piece of cake and DD is as wonderful and healthy as can be. Also, in terms of rooming in, this is what we did. Since we were in the hosp four nights, I sent DH home - he was way too tall for those beds! - and we would drop DD off in the nursery on his way out. I would get some much needed sleep and the nurse would bring DD back for her early am feeding and then she would stay with me the rest of the day. This was the best of both worlds, I was able to sleep, DH went home knowing someone was looking after DD all the time and DD was well cared for.

Don't worry about what your mom does or doesn't do. Concentrate on yourself and the babe, other stuff will work itself out. Take care!

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I'm trying not to worry too much about what my mother does/doesn't do. I only see a pattern that started with my maternal grandmother repeating itself.

Ever since I was an infant for some unknown reason, my mother's side of the family has latched onto me like a dog on a bone. I am the 'favorite' grandchild. My grandmother, aunt and uncle have done more for me in the course of my shortl life than they have EVER done for my two siblings. I have never understood why, just accepted things the way they are. The only reason I can figure for their behavior is

1)I am the oldest of the three and
2)I am the ONLY grandchild who hasn't seriously screwed up their life in some way.

I am the only one who did things 'the right way'. My sister...living with the father of her child, her current BF. One of my cousins...twice divorced and at 6s and 7s with his dad, one of my uncles. Two other cousins (may they rot in agony!) attempted to kick my grandmother out of her own home a few years ago after their father (another uncle) who lived with her passed away from kidney failure. So I guess it's easy sometimes to see WHY I might gain favorite status, huh?

TOV