This Is the Pregnancy Commiseration and Support Thread

I'm so grateful to come home from that long day to this wonderful thread. Congrats to both of you and loving thoughts to Ivy. Maybe you already tried to stand up? In any case drink lots of water, esp to make up blood loss. I got dehydrated in hosp bc they didn't want me to throw up and make a mess so they only gave me tiny cups of water, and I almost passed out trying to walk to the bathroom. Then of course they were like "uh huh we told you not to walk to the bathroom" but FUCK BEDPANS.

ivy is so lovely. I know it's jumping the gun but I'm already looking forward to her saying some darndest things.

Awwww she's gorgeous!!

http://www.funtasticecards.com/postcard/images/congratulations-baby-crawling-01.gif

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/congratulations-new-baby-girl--azaleas-carol-senske.jpg

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW
http://thejuxtapositionape.blog.com/files/2011/09/Aaliyah-288x192.jpg

Carl finally got to hold Ivy!

:))))))))))))

So glad everything went well. Congratulations and welcome to the world, Ivy!

While it is true I don't know a thing about neonates, that beautiful babby looks fully formed to me! How much did she weigh? She doesn't look like a premie at all, good job Carl for an excellent babby baking project.

She weighed in at a scrappy 4 pounds, 1 ounce (1840 grams for you metric ppl), which is small for a newborn and a little small for her gestational age (we were really hoping she's top 5 pounds). But at almost 35 weeks, babies look like babies. They just aren't as plump since the last 5 weeks are dedicated to fattening up and learning how to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time.

She definitely feels mini when I hold her, but the last newborn I held was NA's daughter but that was three years ago and she was tall so I really have no frame of reference.

Anyway the next goal is for her to start showing interest in nursing. I'm going to be allowed to get up and move around once I'm disconnected from all these tubes so I plan to spend a lot of time with her and I'm hoping being around her food source will encourage that.

Does she have a white board? You can list out her goals for her ;)

I'm thinking the smell of peanut butter will certainly arouse her appetite.

how long before we learn if she prefers hot vs. cold

She definitely prefers hot. She already hates winter.

lol

She was pretty content stretched out under the heat lamp.

have any cubs fans asked you if she's named after the outfield walls at wrigley?

They have not. I've considered that association when picking the name, but it really did not factor in.

Been dying to get online and get on this thread, no wifi, traveling...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! She is so beautiful!!!!!! Oh so happy for you both!!

Kind of offline lately (and waiting for another straggling baby in chicago), realized I had not heard news about carl's junior yet, then noticed this thread. Congratulations, good on both of you.

lol @ "carl's junior"

<3

congratulations carl !

What a beauty!! Congrats Carl and Jeff. YOU MADE A HUMAN

argh why did I not have this thread bookmarked, belated congratulations to the three of you!!

BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BABY!!!

Ivy's 4 lbs 10 oz! And no more feeding tube! Yesterday I got to see her face without a tube taped to it for the first time since the three seconds they kind of waved her in front of my face on the way to the NICU the day she was born and I am confident saying that she is a really good looking baby.

We're engaged in "kangaroo care" as I type this, which today involves her farting* on me a lot and it is like the best thing ever.

*let's be real she's totally sharting.

Also thank you all for the kind words!

I've always loved the idea of k-care, and I love that you're doing it!

what's that?

skin-to-skin. http://my.clevelandclinic.org/childrens-hospital/health-info/ages-stages/baby/hic-Kangaroo-Care.aspx

My Australian bride gave our two kids kangaroo care, but it was mostly teaching them how to fight with their feet.

It's when you put the baby bare chested on your bare chest (well sort of bare since there are people in here). It helps preemies regulate breathing, heart rate, and temperature and also just makes them feel better because they are getting lots of human contact, which they don't really get enough of. Also makes me feel better.

xp

ah
i am totally not up on the lingo
i would have called that "holding yr baby"!

k-care sounds like obamacare to me! lol
anyway glad everyone is feelin good and eating and not wearing any tubes and on the way to the rest of your lives!

The bare skin contact is the differentiator between k-care and holding the baby.

I love the origins of kangaroo care. It's so simple but so effective and so logical. Babies like being held! Fancy that.

It also gets me right in the feelings area, sort of like how I cry every time I read about the wire monkey/cloth monkey experiment.

oh, man. that robot monkey mama.

what's the monkey thing now?

do I wanna read up on this while at work?

Does Jeff do the skin to skin thing too? I've seen dads do it and I also think it's v awesome and important and omg at yr little sharting baby. <3

wire monkey/cloth monkey experiment

Uh, I had to stop reading when I got to the part about keeping the monkey infants in complete isolation for up to 24 months. Those poor lil guys! :(

Oh, this is where people are talking about Ivy! It was a hard thread to find b/c ILP doesn't show up in SNA.

Anyway, happy baby to you.

I learned about the monkey deprivation experiment in psych class, but I guess I forgot the 0_o terminology of it, which I guess I won't share here, but yikes. (Just Google Harry Harlow if you're interested.)

Also lol My Australian bride gave our two kids kangaroo care, but it was mostly teaching them how to fight with their feet.

ILP doesn't show up in SNA.

It does if you tell it to.

Heyo so some of you know that Ivy finally came home last Thursday! While she was still in the hospital, it almost felt like I was still pregnant (but not) or at least expecting so it seemed somehow appropriate to keep posting here but now that she's snortling and grunting away right here at home, I'll take Ivy-related posts to the parenting thread and the rolling photo quarantine so as not to monopolize this thread.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

ps How's it going, Madchen?

Just little things for me really. Mum had peripheral neuritis both after my sister and I were born, which is unusual enough in new mums for my consultant not to have come across it before, so I'll be kept in and observed for a couple of days after the birth just in case. White blood cell count is slightly raised, which can be a sign of infection or DVT, but I have neither so they're going to do more bloods in January and see what happens. Four dizzy spells: three at home and one on the station platform, for which I've been given iron tablets. Apart from that... indigestion, bump ache and APPALLING snoring which keeps poor Stet awake all night long.

In summary: could be so much worse.

The snoring! It is a real thing. I also had a terrible drooling problem. At the end I slept with a washcloth under my face.

I hope everything is okay with the post-partum observation. They'll let the baby stay with you, right?

Not sure yet if they have a separate room for the babbies or cribs on the ward - need to check that out. Also, as it's wards of four, it's not a compulsory stay and the hospital's only five minutes away, if it's noisy or stressful I can always check out and be under my own observation. But good to know there's a bed booked if I need it.

So, er, I'm 33 weeks pregnant and on crutches. On the way downstairs to breakfast on Saturday morning I missed the last step and rolled my ankle so badly I heard the ligaments crunch. Felt no pain initially, but knew it was bad so shrieked for Stet who called the ambulance. Don't remember much - I wasn't responding at one point - but oh my god the agony. Thank goodness the paramedics brought gas and air, so I tooted on that for the next couple of hours... It's pretty good stuff.

No fracture, but tons of swelling and one weird circular bruise on the sole of my foot. And when my ankle isn't above the height of my hip it hurts like bejimminy. I declined the offer of a cast because I really need to be as mobile as possible and start doing physio exercises right away to give myself a decent shot at an active labour. So instead I have a gloriously stylish NHS grey plastic boot to match my NHS grey crutches.

Half my Christmas shopping remains unshopped and our trip to Glasgow has been cancelled. Hey ho.

And crutches are a *bastard* at the best of times. When you're 25lb heavier than usual it feels like doing push-ups wearing an army backpack.

Oh my god that's awful. I'm glad it wasn't worse but damn. Just reading that made me cringe in pain.

I hope you heal rapidly and thoroughly!

Oh geez, what unlucky timing! But hopefully your super-charged baby-making body will heal up in record time. Take care and best wishes for a speedy recovery!