Moms to be Part 4

[scottishduffy]

Charlotte Maria arrived on Sunday at 9:50 am weighing in at 7lbs 4 oz!

I have to say the birth was about as good as can be! I came in expecting it to take forever ( as a FTM and in induction) but from start to finish it was about 12 hours. I came in for the induction and was told because my cervix was "unfavorable" I would most likely need two doses of the Cytotec. After the frist dose it sent me into labor with contractions every 2-4 minutes.

I got my epidural a couple hours later and it worked perfectly. I slept through the night and most of the labor. The epidural started to wear off a bit right at the end, but I got a top off to take the edge of and was fine again. DH said he was surprised how amicable I was the entire time. After I was fully dilated and waiting to push I even made a couple phone calls to grandparents-to-be to let them know. It was 1 hr 10 minutes of pushing and she was here! No tearing, no stitches needed! Charlie has a FULL head of thick dark hair. Everyone who has seen her so far keeps commenting "Look at ALL THAT HAIR!". Apparently she is quite the fuzzy little beast, we blame DH for this.

She slept the entire first day and refused to nurse. Today I am a human pacifier. Go figure. I am doing mainly breastfeeding but after one or two of the marathon nursing sessions (read, baby nurses over an hour) I will top her off with a little formula so I don't wreck my nipples and to give her a fuller tummy. Once my milk comes in, as opposed to just the colostrum now, I will have more supply to give her and hopefully she will not need the hour long sessions. The lactation people and one of the nurses kinda ran me on guilt trips for daring to give her some formula, but as long as Charlie gets a full satisfied tummy it is OK by me. I BF every 2-3 hours and if she remains super fussy after BFing I will just top her off with the formula. So for now a little of both should get us through, and allow everyone a little more peace and rest!

I will post some photos when I can. The newborn photo gal should come late this week to takes pictures! Hope everyone is doing well!

 

[lillygator]

congrats...!!!

 

[RachaelA]

Charlotte Maria arrived on Sunday at 9:50 am weighing in at 7lbs 4 oz!

I have to say the birth was about as good as can be! I came in expecting it to take forever ( as a FTM and in induction) but from start to finish it was about 12 hours. I came in for the induction and was told because my cervix was "unfavorable" I would most likely need two doses of the Cytotec. After the frist dose it sent me into labor with contractions every 2-4 minutes.

I got my epidural a couple hours later and it worked perfectly. I slept through the night and most of the labor. The epidural started to wear off a bit right at the end, but I got a top off to take the edge of and was fine again. DH said he was surprised how amicable I was the entire time. After I was fully dilated and waiting to push I even made a couple phone calls to grandparents-to-be to let them know. It was 1 hr 10 minutes of pushing and she was here! No tearing, no stitches needed! Charlie has a FULL head of thick dark hair. Everyone who has seen her so far keeps commenting "Look at ALL THAT HAIR!". Apparently she is quite the fuzzy little beast, we blame DH for this.

She slept the entire first day and refused to nurse. Today I am a human pacifier. Go figure. I am doing mainly breastfeeding but after one or two of the marathon nursing sessions (read, baby nurses over an hour) I will top her off with a little formula so I don't wreck my nipples and to give her a fuller tummy. Once my milk comes in, as opposed to just the colostrum now, I will have more supply to give her and hopefully she will not need the hour long sessions. The lactation people and one of the nurses kinda ran me on guilt trips for daring to give her some formula, but as long as Charlie gets a full satisfied tummy it is OK by me. I BF every 2-3 hours and if she remains super fussy after BFing I will just top her off with the formula. So for now a little of both should get us through, and allow everyone a little more peace and rest!

I will post some photos when I can. The newborn photo gal should come late this week to takes pictures! Hope everyone is doing well!

Congrats!!

 

[AKL_Megs]

Oh, SD, the second I saw this on the first page, I KNEW we had a baby!!!

Congratulations, and welcome to the world, Little Miss Charlie!!!

I'm so glad you had what I would call a GREAT labor and delivery! Tell me, how bad was the epidural? I'm still on the fence because I'm scared of the needle, don't want to be stuck in bed, and don't want a catheter.

Can't wait for pictures!!! She sounds like a doll! Enjoy every moment with her!

 

[LaurenLC]

Charlotte Maria arrived on Sunday at 9:50 am weighing in at 7lbs 4 oz!

I have to say the birth was about as good as can be! I came in expecting it to take forever ( as a FTM and in induction) but from start to finish it was about 12 hours. I came in for the induction and was told because my cervix was "unfavorable" I would most likely need two doses of the Cytotec. After the frist dose it sent me into labor with contractions every 2-4 minutes.

I got my epidural a couple hours later and it worked perfectly. I slept through the night and most of the labor. The epidural started to wear off a bit right at the end, but I got a top off to take the edge of and was fine again. DH said he was surprised how amicable I was the entire time. After I was fully dilated and waiting to push I even made a couple phone calls to grandparents-to-be to let them know. It was 1 hr 10 minutes of pushing and she was here! No tearing, no stitches needed! Charlie has a FULL head of thick dark hair. Everyone who has seen her so far keeps commenting "Look at ALL THAT HAIR!". Apparently she is quite the fuzzy little beast, we blame DH for this.

She slept the entire first day and refused to nurse. Today I am a human pacifier. Go figure. I am doing mainly breastfeeding but after one or two of the marathon nursing sessions (read, baby nurses over an hour) I will top her off with a little formula so I don't wreck my nipples and to give her a fuller tummy. Once my milk comes in, as opposed to just the colostrum now, I will have more supply to give her and hopefully she will not need the hour long sessions. The lactation people and one of the nurses kinda ran me on guilt trips for daring to give her some formula, but as long as Charlie gets a full satisfied tummy it is OK by me. I BF every 2-3 hours and if she remains super fussy after BFing I will just top her off with the formula. So for now a little of both should get us through, and allow everyone a little more peace and rest!

I will post some photos when I can. The newborn photo gal should come late this week to takes pictures! Hope everyone is doing well!

Congratulations! Can't wait to see pictures!

 

[LaurenLC]

I'm a big time planner, so I've got my husband and me thinking about names. We'd really like to give little baby-to-be a "C" name because my daughter's name starts with a B and my husband's a D. Also, with the exception of me, both are immediate families have all B, C, and D names, so I'll be the odd-one-out all the way around! We had really liked the name Charles (Charlie) for a boy (a family name), but it seems to be REALLY popular for boys right now... I know 4 little boys around my daughter's age named Charles (Charlie)! We have no idea of a girl name, so does anyone have any favorites that they'd like to share?

 

[AKL_Megs]

I'm a big time planner, so I've got my husband and me thinking about names. We'd really like to give little baby-to-be a "C" name because my daughter's name starts with a B and my husband's a D. Also, with the exception of me, both are immediate families have all B, C, and D names, so I'll be the odd-one-out all the way around! We had really liked the name Charles (Charlie) for a boy (a family name), but it seems to be REALLY popular for boys right now... I know 4 little boys around my daughter's age named Charles (Charlie)! We have no idea of a girl name, so does anyone have any favorites that they'd like to share?

I know a Cadence... I didn't like it at first, but it has grown on me! If I HAD to pick a "C" name, I would have picked Chloe. That is my favorite C name.

 

[RachaelA]

I'm a big time planner, so I've got my husband and me thinking about names. We'd really like to give little baby-to-be a "C" name because my daughter's name starts with a B and my husband's a D. Also, with the exception of me, both are immediate families have all B, C, and D names, so I'll be the odd-one-out all the way around! We had really liked the name Charles (Charlie) for a boy (a family name), but it seems to be REALLY popular for boys right now... I know 4 little boys around my daughter's age named Charles (Charlie)! We have no idea of a girl name, so does anyone have any favorites that they'd like to share?

Charles (Charlie) was our boy name!

I love Charlotte. Hmmm I can't think of any others right now. E names have been my obsession!

 

[ArielSRL]

Charlotte Maria arrived on Sunday at 9:50 am weighing in at 7lbs 4 oz!

I have to say the birth was about as good as can be! I came in expecting it to take forever ( as a FTM and in induction) but from start to finish it was about 12 hours. I came in for the induction and was told because my cervix was "unfavorable" I would most likely need two doses of the Cytotec. After the frist dose it sent me into labor with contractions every 2-4 minutes.

I got my epidural a couple hours later and it worked perfectly. I slept through the night and most of the labor. The epidural started to wear off a bit right at the end, but I got a top off to take the edge of and was fine again. DH said he was surprised how amicable I was the entire time. After I was fully dilated and waiting to push I even made a couple phone calls to grandparents-to-be to let them know. It was 1 hr 10 minutes of pushing and she was here! No tearing, no stitches needed! Charlie has a FULL head of thick dark hair. Everyone who has seen her so far keeps commenting "Look at ALL THAT HAIR!". Apparently she is quite the fuzzy little beast, we blame DH for this.

She slept the entire first day and refused to nurse. Today I am a human pacifier. Go figure. I am doing mainly breastfeeding but after one or two of the marathon nursing sessions (read, baby nurses over an hour) I will top her off with a little formula so I don't wreck my nipples and to give her a fuller tummy. Once my milk comes in, as opposed to just the colostrum now, I will have more supply to give her and hopefully she will not need the hour long sessions. The lactation people and one of the nurses kinda ran me on guilt trips for daring to give her some formula, but as long as Charlie gets a full satisfied tummy it is OK by me. I BF every 2-3 hours and if she remains super fussy after BFing I will just top her off with the formula. So for now a little of both should get us through, and allow everyone a little more peace and rest!

I will post some photos when I can. The newborn photo gal should come late this week to takes pictures! Hope everyone is doing well!

YAH! Congrats! Your birthing experience gives me hope! I have heard about too many drama-filled experiences, so its nice to know there are drama-free ones as well, especially for FTMs.

I love how comfortable you are about the BM/formula sitiuation. I know many people who would judge (like you mentioned) and also, I'm worried about the guilt I'll feel. I hope I can be as okay with whatever works for my baby as you! You are an inspiration in that dept!

Enjoy these first few days! And thanks for sharing!

 

[ArielSRL]

I'm a big time planner, so I've got my husband and me thinking about names. We'd really like to give little baby-to-be a "C" name because my daughter's name starts with a B and my husband's a D. Also, with the exception of me, both are immediate families have all B, C, and D names, so I'll be the odd-one-out all the way around! We had really liked the name Charles (Charlie) for a boy (a family name), but it seems to be REALLY popular for boys right now... I know 4 little boys around my daughter's age named Charles (Charlie)! We have no idea of a girl name, so does anyone have any favorites that they'd like to share?

Before we decided on Aaron, we were throwing around Connor. It is popular these days, but its just a suggestion for you.

 

[ArielSRL]

Hi, everyone! About to get ready to head to my 24 weeks appt (even though I am almost 25 weeks). Got a few questions for the doc (I always do) and am gonna let her know, I haven'ty been feeling all that great lately...just off. We'll see what she says.

Then I have a dentist appt, then bowling later with DH and DSS. My DB is a manager at Dave & Busters and they have bowling lanes, so we can bowl for free. My DD and DM might join us as well.

Have a great day!

 

[lillygator]

good luck at your appts!

 

[scottishduffy]

Just dropping in super quick! We came home today and as we speak Charlie is trying out her swing. So far she is a sleepy baby.

Today I am giving my sore nipples a break and using FF during day and will go back to BF this evening. I am quite sore and she was not having enough pee diapers. So at least this way I can better "force" feed her with a bottle than I can with a nipple. Especially since we are still waiting on milk to come in. I will probably drive myself insane with all of this waiting for a certain number of diapers! It takes her about an hour to feed right now, I am hoping she will get better at this soon because judging by books reads/ diapers seen she may not be getting enough. *sigh* her first doctor appt is tomorrow AM so I will chat with him. To get her to eat we have to strip her naked, get her cold, and basically constantly bother her. This sleepiness will eventually be a very good quality of hers if it stays around....

Ariel: I went in prepared for the worst! I was sure it would take at least 24 hours. Everyone in me family has ended up with sections due to failure to progress, so I had prepped DH for that. I thought so many things would happen based on war stories of others, but it was great! After it was all over the doc even said "That is the first time we have worked on a co-worker and had it go so smoothly!" The eternal curse of health care is that every other patient will smoothly.... but when you have to work on somebody you know, THAT is when you have complications.

Megs: I am terrified of needles, I cried getting shots up until I was 23. I *really* hate needles but honestly the epidural was not bad!! The first thought I had after it was done is that it feels so much worse to DO the epidural (The sensations we feel through the needle to know where we are) then it does to receive one. The numbing medication stings like the dickens for a second, but after that I did not feel the bigger needle at all. When the catheter is threaded in it does give a little bit of a 'shock' type feel up and down your back since you are close to nerves, but sit still and once that catheter was in place that shock goes away. It took 10 minutes total from scrubbing my back to taping catheter to put in and worked like a charm. Then as soon as I had ANY sensation back in my toes (even though I had no pain) i started to hit the bolus button every 20 minutes to help keep myself levelled off and that helped. Towards the end of labor sit Straight up if ya can so the medication diffuses down to your lower spine segment which is where the pain control segments for end of labor are (perineal area, very low abdomen... if pain is any higher up then leaning back would be better). A little knowledge definitely helped me out here!!

Lauren: Ok here is every C i can think of off the top of my head. We considered Cora, Cara, Cassandra, Cecilia, Claire. I have known girls names: Clementine & Corbin (twins), Cambrielle, Carter, Cristyn, Catherine, Carissa

 

[photographymom517]

I'm a big time planner, so I've got my husband and me thinking about names. We'd really like to give little baby-to-be a "C" name because my daughter's name starts with a B and my husband's a D. Also, with the exception of me, both are immediate families have all B, C, and D names, so I'll be the odd-one-out all the way around! We had really liked the name Charles (Charlie) for a boy (a family name), but it seems to be REALLY popular for boys right now... I know 4 little boys around my daughter's age named Charles (Charlie)! We have no idea of a girl name, so does anyone have any favorites that they'd like to share?

Girl -- Chloe is my favorite & I have Claire on my list of names!
Boy -- Carter is my favorite (and is on my list too if its a boy!!!)

 

[photographymom517]

scottishduffy -- It was refreshing to hear your labor story!!! Especially as a FTM!!!

Congrats on the new baby!!!! She sounds like a very happy baby!!!

Please continue to give us updates on her & you as well! How are you feeling?

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I am new to this section of the boards & haven't officially announced my pregnancy on DIS as of yet! I'm waiting to announce it on my PTR until this weekend or early Monday.

I have an obgyn appointment on Thursday afternoon and a sonogram at the hospital on Friday. I will be around 14 1/2 weeks at the time of my sonogram! I'm really hoping that they can see something & tell me what gender the baby is -- but I'm not too concerned about that, I just want them to tell me the baby is growing & healthy!

This afternoon my youngest son, who is 3 years old, and I went to Once Upon a Child and got some great deals on baby items!!! If you have a OUAC in your area & don't already know about it, I highly recommend that you stop in!!! I love that store!!! I was able to get a few sleepers, Swaddlers, and even a fleece bunting bag for the carseat/stroller!

After our trip to OUAC, we stopped by Burlington's Baby Depot. I basically just wanted to get an idea of prices as this is my third child & I won't be having a baby shower. I wanted to compare to other stores I've been looking at like Target and Babies R Us. I found some really cute maternity clothes (which can be difficult to find!!!) I spent under $30 and bought a pants/tshirt set, "I'm Expecting" tshirt, and 2 summer dresses for my September Disney trip!!! I'll try to remember to upload pics & post them on here another day.

If its a boy, we're doing a Winnie the Pooh theme. If its a girl, we're doing an owl theme in pink/light green. The nursery is already painted light green & will match both themes. My favorite boy names are Carter, Blake, or Alexander and my favorite girl names are Sydney Ann, MacKenzie Claire, or Ella Marie. If we have another boy, I have no ideas for a middle name as you can see! LOL

I just wanted to take a few minutes & introduce myself! I'm looking forward to following along more frequently & getting to know you girls better!!!

 

[AKL_Megs]

SD... I'm so sorry the feedings aren't going as planned. You just have to do what is best for Charlie, and if that means full formula tummies, so be it! BFing isn't for everyone (you're better than me for trying, I'm choosing not to), so if you decide on formula only, don't let anyone discourage you. If you keep breastfeeding, don't let anyone but your doctor tell you she isn't eating enough! Either way, I wish you the best!

 

[ArielSRL]

-------------------------------------------------------------

I am new to this section of the boards & haven't officially announced my pregnancy on DIS as of yet! I'm waiting to announce it on my PTR until this weekend or early Monday.

I have an obgyn appointment on Thursday afternoon and a sonogram at the hospital on Friday. I will be around 14 1/2 weeks at the time of my sonogram! I'm really hoping that they can see something & tell me what gender the baby is -- but I'm not too concerned about that, I just want them to tell me the baby is growing & healthy!

This afternoon my youngest son, who is 3 years old, and I went to Once Upon a Child and got some great deals on baby items!!! If you have a OUAC in your area & don't already know about it, I highly recommend that you stop in!!! I love that store!!! I was able to get a few sleepers, Swaddlers, and even a fleece bunting bag for the carseat/stroller!

After our trip to OUAC, we stopped by Burlington's Baby Depot. I basically just wanted to get an idea of prices as this is my third child & I won't be having a baby shower. I wanted to compare to other stores I've been looking at like Target and Babies R Us. I found some really cute maternity clothes (which can be difficult to find!!!) I spent under $30 and bought a pants/tshirt set, "I'm Expecting" tshirt, and 2 summer dresses for my September Disney trip!!! I'll try to remember to upload pics & post them on here another day.

If its a boy, we're doing a Winnie the Pooh theme. If its a girl, we're doing an owl theme in pink/light green. The nursery is already painted light green & will match both themes. My favorite boy names are Carter, Blake, or Alexander and my favorite girl names are Sydney Ann, MacKenzie Claire, or Ella Marie. If we have another boy, I have no ideas for a middle name as you can see! LOL

I just wanted to take a few minutes & introduce myself! I'm looking forward to following along more frequently & getting to know you girls better!!!

Congrats!! Hope they will take a guess on gender. My tech would not at 13 weeks, so we got an elective 3d/4d at 16 weeks b/c otherwise, we would've had to wait to 21 weeks and we did not want to wait that long!

Sounds like you got some great stuff shopping! I usually hit up all the clearance racks for baby clothes (Old Navy, Target, Kohl's) and for maternity, I always have a coupon!

 

[ArielSRL]

Just dropping in super quick! We came home today and as we speak Charlie is trying out her swing. So far she is a sleepy baby.

Today I am giving my sore nipples a break and using FF during day and will go back to BF this evening. I am quite sore and she was not having enough pee diapers. So at least this way I can better "force" feed her with a bottle than I can with a nipple. Especially since we are still waiting on milk to come in. I will probably drive myself insane with all of this waiting for a certain number of diapers! It takes her about an hour to feed right now, I am hoping she will get better at this soon because judging by books reads/ diapers seen she may not be getting enough. *sigh* her first doctor appt is tomorrow AM so I will chat with him. To get her to eat we have to strip her naked, get her cold, and basically constantly bother her. This sleepiness will eventually be a very good quality of hers if it stays around....

Ariel: I went in prepared for the worst! I was sure it would take at least 24 hours. Everyone in me family has ended up with sections due to failure to progress, so I had prepped DH for that. I thought so many things would happen based on war stories of others, but it was great! After it was all over the doc even said "That is the first time we have worked on a co-worker and had it go so smoothly!" The eternal curse of health care is that every other patient will smoothly.... but when you have to work on somebody you know, THAT is when you have complications.

Megs: I am terrified of needles, I cried getting shots up until I was 23. I *really* hate needles but honestly the epidural was not bad!! The first thought I had after it was done is that it feels so much worse to DO the epidural (The sensations we feel through the needle to know where we are) then it does to receive one. The numbing medication stings like the dickens for a second, but after that I did not feel the bigger needle at all. When the catheter is threaded in it does give a little bit of a 'shock' type feel up and down your back since you are close to nerves, but sit still and once that catheter was in place that shock goes away. It took 10 minutes total from scrubbing my back to taping catheter to put in and worked like a charm. Then as soon as I had ANY sensation back in my toes (even though I had no pain) i started to hit the bolus button every 20 minutes to help keep myself levelled off and that helped. Towards the end of labor sit Straight up if ya can so the medication diffuses down to your lower spine segment which is where the pain control segments for end of labor are (perineal area, very low abdomen... if pain is any higher up then leaning back would be better). A little knowledge definitely helped me out here!!

Lauren: Ok here is every C i can think of off the top of my head. We considered Cora, Cara, Cassandra, Cecilia, Claire. I have known girls names: Clementine & Corbin (twins), Cambrielle, Carter, Cristyn, Catherine, Carissa

Sounds like you have a sleepy, sleepy girl! My brother slept all the time. Had to be woken up to be fed. I'm sure it is a little nerve-wracking now, but you'll probably love it soon!

 

[ArielSRL]

Had my prenatal yesterday and it went so well. Doc praised me for the weight! I had only gained 3 lbs in a month, and she had gotten on to me last time, So I was happy/ She also said I had a pretty belly and was looking for stretch marks, but I don't have any. I just figured it was too early. She said my skin looks good, so I actually may not have any (or many). I got them during puberty, so I thought for sure I would in pregnancy, but she said they are different, so we'll see. She did say my belly will probably double in size from what it is now, which I figured.

Also, got praise at my dentist appt too. I've really been flossing and rinsing, along with brushing, so I was glad! The only bad thing is one of my teeth has been bothering me and its the one with the crown on it (I didn't realize that). I got a referral to another dentist to check the nerves b/c if the nerves go "bad" it can cause an infection, which is NOT good when pregnant.

About to head to water aerobics. We didn't go bowling yesterday, so we'll try today. Our weather has cooled a little, from upper 90's to upper 80's due to clouds and storms. It was raining and was cloudy but the sun just came out. Hope the mugginess doesn't make up for the temperature....ugh!

Have a great day!

 

[talulabelle]

SD - sore nipples and marathon long nursing sessions are exausting. My baby is 2 1/2 months now and I went through the same thing. Talk to your pediatrician and a lactation consultant. Those hour long sessions will exaust baby and make her not want to wake up in time for the next nursing. To be succesful you have to be very scheduled about it. You should't be nursing for more than 10-15 min at a time and feeding every 2hrs. If you go longer than that, you will never keep up, since neither of you will want to nurse at the next scheduled time and add to it the frustration of trying to wake a sound asleep baby and will seem like trying to nurse is all you do 24 hours. Also, it will make your nipples sore and then you don't want to nurse. The reason the lactation consultants at the hospital didn't want you to give formula is not because the formula is bad for baby, but just that the reduction in suckling at your breast is going to cause you to produce less milk, and once your milk comes in you wont be able to satisfy baby - requiring more formula and it just makes it hard.

I am in no way trying to preach, but I just went through the same thing with my baby and I had sore nipples and gave bottles to get relief, and now I can't produce enough milk and am almost exclusively formula feeding. If that is the direction you go in, that is ok and you shouldn't feel guilty about it - it is fine for baby and if it makes you happier, that is good. But if you at all want to give nursing a shot, you need to really put the time in now (esp.. before milk come in) Like I said- talk to your Dr. as I am not an expert - but I was told to nurse for 10-15 min EVERY 2 hrs. for first 2 weeks (until you are sure baby is gaining weight) Don't let baby go over 15 min or you will get sore. (It stinks getting up through the night for 2 weeks and having to wake a sleeping baby, but if you don't the baby doesn't gain weight, and then you really are stuck doing all formula - just commit to it for 2 weeks, then you will start getting more sleep and won't have to wake baby at night) Start waking baby up early for the next 2 hour feeding (with tired "new mommy brain", you might want to set a timer to go off to keep you right on schedule) so that the baby is latched on for the whole 15 minutes. Nursing for an hour at a time doesn't do anything for baby after the first 15 minutes, you are not giving any extra milk or colustrum after 15 minutes, you body isn't having time to make more for the next feeding - causing baby to stay hungry and it just becomes a vicious cycle.

Good luck, I went through hell with it. (even though I successfully nursed 4 babies prior to this one) Sometimes it the baby , not you. But I know that once I gave that bottle, that is when it started to go down hill. It made my body think I didn't need to produce as much because the baby wasn't demanding it. Also, the baby won't latch properly once it has had the ease of a bottle nipple, and it will try to suck on you like you are a bottle and that will make your nipples more sore.

Anyway - again not preaching, just offering advise from someone who just went down this path before you. The formula is not bad for baby, it is just bad for establishing a good nursing routine. The most important thing is that baby is nourished properly, and whether it be with breast or bottle it is ok. It's just that it is hard to keep the breast going once you start the bottle.