Queue beaming father music please.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Awwwww. Posted by BotaLadyG (Member # 7053) on :
she's beautiful!! Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
Yeah, but who's uterus is it? Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Ah! People on the internet are seeing your inside bits! We should be ashamed...
Posted by Insanity Plea (Member # 2053) on :
Very cute, very cute indeed. Satyagraha
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
We should? Or...they should? After all, they're the ones gaping. Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Awesome. Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Man, ultrasound pictures just keep getting more and more clear! Nice pics!
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Yeah, it was neat watching the rib cage and spine appear and disappear as the tech ran the scanner around keedokes' tummy. You could see just about every little internal bit. Very Star Trekesque.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
She pointed out Ella's bladder, and then she showed us mine. It was amazing how close in size they were.
*edit: grammar*
[ January 10, 2005, 11:24 PM: Message edited by: keedokes ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*pat pat*
Don't worry, in a few months they will be quite different in size.
Yours will be smaller. Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
Hopefully, in a few months, mine will be back to normal size. That's the plan, anyway.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Awwwwwwwwww!
Adorable ^^
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Wow! Neato!
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
While I'm at this uploading pictures and showing them off thing...
*joins the "aawwwww " crowd*
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
Too many cute folks on this thread. Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Congrats, you two. She looks lovely, and surprisingly like Marlene Dietrich.
Posted by Lady Jane (Member # 7249) on :
Wow!! The baby looks gorgeous, and y'all's pictures are lovely. Congratulations!!
I love the name Ella, too. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Tom's right! That fetus is a dead ringer for Marlene Dietrich!
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
Congrats! Those are beautiful pictures, and I *love* the name Ella.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
Well, Marlene Dietrich wasn't exactly who we were going for, but of course she's free to grow up to be a movie star. I was picturing more of a little pixie with black ringlets. Maybe a black-haired Anne of Green Gables or an Emily of New Moon. But that's just me. PC just wants to see her have a favorite teddy bear that she drags around by the ear all of the time.
Idealistic, I know. Might as well hold on to the fantasies while I can. Before the reality sets in.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
Awwwww...congrats you guys! Now, when are you due, kee?
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Congratulations on the soon-to-be parenthood! Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
February 21...too soon and too far away. Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
It'll seem to drag for now, but looking back it'll seem to have flown. Like infancy. And toddlerhood.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
Don't worry, I'm definitely leaning more towards the "Too soon! Too SOON!"
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
lol, well keedokes, you may be having a baby on the same day, Ciara is having puppies. She's not due til the 23rd though and as stated before it isnt 100% on her pregnancy for another 10 days. I guess the comfort is that even though yours will be a lot bigger she'll probably be having at least 5 or 6 of them.
AJ
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
No comparing my wife to doggy pregnancy. I hope *crosses fingers* that my wife won't have an overwhelming urge to eat her placenta when things are done.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
In humans, I'm pretty sure the sight of the placenta works to suppress the appetite for months.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
That's certainly true for PC. It's his one major gross-out factor. It's so fun to just say "placenta" during dinner.
*evil grin*
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
Those are very, very cute.
I remember the kidneys at 20 weeks were huge too. The tech said that babies have to grow into them.
So I'm curious, why are you getting an ultrasound right now?
[ January 11, 2005, 10:32 PM: Message edited by: Amka ]
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
Insurance stuff. We've wanted one all along, but we switched insurance providers and didn't get our cards, etc, and wanted to make sure the insurance would pay for it. We found out it would before Christmas, but of course because of the season I put it off a bit. PC was annoyed because he wanted to know if it was an Ella or a Micah...he was sick of calling it 'baby'.
So, yeah, insurance partly, and me procrastinating mostly. My doctor will only order an ultrasound if she feels there might be a risk, or if we ask for one. So I asked for one...just not right away. Posted by MaydayDesiax (Member # 5012) on :
Ahhhh! That's great! ::so totally clueless:: Congrats!
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
Fantastic. I'm glad everything is going so well. Did Ella get a whole workup, looking at all the organs, and the measurements and everything? I remember thinking how cool it was. The technician explained everything. It was like a science video about only your baby.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Glynn, oh my gosh. Dudes never fail to amuse me. My husband and I attended the wedding of a pair of friends a couple of weeks ago, and the groom had a bunch of pictures taken of all the guys pretending to beat the crap out of each other in their tuxes. In one pic, my husband is raining blows upon the groom, who is delivering a swift kick to the gonads of his little brother. Guess which lovely wedding picture got blown up to poster size and placed above the couple's fireplace?
I overheard a conversation between the groom and bride, and the bride said, "That's great, honey, but can we have another picture put up somewhere...perhaps one with me in it?"
---
So, "funny" story aside, I have to say that your bride looks particularly lovely and her gown is gor-ge-mous. For reals. Although I was kind of hoping for a pic of you guys riding a saint bernard into the sunset, but oh well.
So, you never told me if Ella is her name, or if you are just using it to mean "her"?
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
"That's certainly true for PC. It's his one major gross-out factor."
Oddly, by the time the placenta got dragged out of Christy, I was so numb to being grossed-out by things that I just thought, "Gee, here's another blobby, pulsating organ, followed by yet another gout of blood. Whee."
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Um, re: My last post. I figured out the answer. sorry. Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
Well, I could have ridden him down the aisle, but I think he would have collapsed. Poor baby is getting up in years. But, hey, maybe at Ella's baptism....
*schemes*
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Awwww....a saint berNAWD.
I'm serious, Jess. After talking to you I've totally decided that this is the dog for me. I will have to wait until I live in a less oppressively hot climate, but I am really excited. My Jes wants one too. That, or a pig. He can have a pig, and I can have a saint berNAWD.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
And, yes, she did get all of her measurements taken. The tech said that she wasn't allowed to tell us much of anything, other than what she was looking at, but she did let slip that her foot (or at least one of them) is 8cm long. That was when PC was oogling the computer equipment and acting suitably impressed at her mastery of the program she was using. Fun times
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
That's a pretty long foot. She will be tall like her dad.
Err...you still have a little bit to go, yeah?
[ January 12, 2005, 01:49 PM: Message edited by: PSI Teleport ]
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
I'm due February 21...so I'm at, what...35 weeks and some? Something like that. For some reason, none of this seems quite real yet. It's going to be interesting because we don't have ANYTHING ready yet and I know I'm losing energy fast. I'm home most of the time and feel horrible about it because PC is at work--over 40hrs a week--and I don't keep stuff spic-and-span like I should. Well, not spic-and-span, but I should at least keep up with the laundry, and I don't. The kitchen is usually a mess, too. I think I usually feel like I have plenty of time to get it all done since I'm here, and so I never get it done.
I guess I just need to get motivated. The spare room needs to be done, at least. You know, so Ella has a place to sleep. Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
Perdon...34 weeks and two days. According to my pregnancy ticker. The finest in modern technology, it must be correct.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Did you go through that terrible moment yet? You know, the one where you look down at how big your belly is and think, "Holy crap. This has to come out one way or another."
The anticipation just about kills me.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
I'm still telling myself that I can stay pregnant forever.
I have a fear of pain...like when you know it's coming. I can deal with a stubbed toe, or the time when I bruised my collarbone in a big way, but it's a lot more scary when you know that you're going to go through a lot of pain. I'm also super scared of needles, so an epidural will be fun, I'm sure. I'm thinking it will be easier to go through that than deal with the pain, though. I want to be somewhat able to function mentally, and I wouldn't be able to do that with a natural birth.
I'm still debating a walking vs. full epidural, though--definitely leaning towards the full. I guess I just have to do a little more research.
I'm definitely scared. Especially when I get really tired, I think about it. It will be a totally new experience, one that I don't think I'll ever be ready for. At least I still have some time left.
[ January 12, 2005, 04:15 PM: Message edited by: keedokes ]
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
Make Glynn give birth.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Christy is smaller than you are and birthed a 9 lb. 4 oz. baby without screaming too much -- and she, too, formerly claimed to not have much pain tolerance. (When she broke her little toe, she went into shock from the pain.)
You may find that you're tougher than you think when cards are on the table.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
I'm just so impressed that you'd already managed to agree on names for both gender. And, what Tom said. It's a good idea to read a few positive birth stories, instead of thinking it *will* be terrible painful.
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
quote: You may find that you're tougher than you think when cards are on the table.
Cuz, like, what choice does she have? Leave it inside?
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
Where do I find positive birth stories? Everywhere I turn I get people coming up to me and telling me how horrible their experience was, and then before they walk away they say something like, "But I'm sure you'll be just fine, honey" and pat me on the hand. So far, I haven't heard too much to the positive, especially from my own family. Pregnancy and birth were really hard on my mother and grandmother, and you know it's all genetic.
I'm sure I *will* be fine, but it's scary, nonetheless.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
Kama, your support is inspirational. Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
Well, my first child was a great birth. Want to hear about that?
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Well, women like to tell the horrible stuff because it's such a rite of passage and they are so proud of it. Like, "I'm cool because I suffered through this horrible thing, isn't that awesome?"
So, the positives:
1. Leaving your water unbroken goes a long way to having it not hurt. I never had any pain with either pregnancy until after the water broke, and I was at six centimeters when the doctor broke it each time. I could have waited even longer to let them break the water if I'd wanted, but I didn't know that at the time. So, leave the water unbroken for as long as they'll let you, if it's helping. It might make labor last longer but it might keep it from hurting that whole time.
2. You get to experience some awesome weight loss.
3. You will be completely cured of your fear of needles, at least for a couple of hours.
4. You get juice.
5. Your first meal after having the baby will taste like heaven, even if it's a stale old sandwich.
6. You'll be absolutely positive that your kid will be better adjusted than the kid of the weird lady in the next room who keeps singing "Bye, Baby Bunting" over and over and over. And over.
7. The odds of your kid pooping and barfing on visitors to your hospital room is astronomically higher than the odds of her barfing and pooping on you, for the first couple of days. I don't know why but it seems to be the case. Call a relative you don't like much to come by first.
8. You get to ride around in a chair instead of walking, while you focus on memorizing your baby's face.
edit: I can count. Really.
OH, I forgot number 2.5! The first time you attempt to pat your belly after you have the baby is the coolest thing in the world. You're totally expecting that round bump to be there, but your hand just goes "Fwoomp!" and your tummy is all flat! It's neat!
[ January 12, 2005, 04:51 PM: Message edited by: PSI Teleport ]
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
Dang, I cannot beleive I can't think of more right now...I must have read over 100 books about childbirth now, and I *only* read postive ones. I'm convinced one reason so many women have negative childbirth experiences is because they only hear negative birth stories...it's a vicous cycle.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
quote: You will be completely cured of your fear of needles, at least for a couple of hours.
Nope, can't say I ever did.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
I can give you three positive experiences in a hospital setting if you like. PSI is right. Birth stories are kind of like battle stories, and women brag about them.
I would be happy to relate relaxation techniques and advice to help you through the pain. I think, actually, it is the unknown rather than the pain that is more frightening. You know there will be pain, but how much and for how long you don't know.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
DPR, were you given any shots directly after giving birth?
Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
Congratulations. Sorry it's taken me so long to say it, but it's been a long, hormonal week.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
PSI- nope, not directly. But the day after Matthew (my first) was born, they gave me rubella because the titre came back negative. Then when I had Livvie 2 years later, it came back negative again. Go figure.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
Oh, Mrs. M...
How are you doing? I don't think I've replied much in your thread, but I have been reading it. How did your class go?
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
I get Rhogam shots at every delivery. Yay.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
I did hear a good one today:
A woman pretty close in age to me was talking about how she got the full epidural and promptly fell asleep. For about five hours. Then they told her to wake up and push, and there she was! Sounds good to me.
Oh, and I have RhoGam to look forward to, as well. Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
quote: A woman pretty close in age to me was talking about how she got the full epidural and promptly fell asleep. For about five hours. Then they told her to wake up and push, and there she was! Sounds good to me.
I fell asleep in labor with my second, with no drugs! I had to be woken up when she crowned. I was in the tub...does your hospital have birthing tubs?
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
Not that I know of...but they do have a huge tiled shower in every room with a huge spray head...I'm thinking about taking advantage of that, at least. I'm not sure how I feel about birthing balls, though.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Hot pounding water on your back in labor is the BEST. Better than drugs -- which is good, because if you're on drugs, they usually don't let you out of bed.
We had a thread of birth stories shortly before Christy gave birth, didn't we?
*goes hunting*
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Is RhoGam the Rh inhibitor? Cause I've had that and it's not bad at all.
Amka, it was an experience. I'll update my threat - I don't want to hijack this one.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
I'm sure you'll be just fine!
I was prepared for a full epidural when I had Operaetta, but when I got to the hospital I was already 8cm. After crying that I couldn't possibly do it without drugs, I did. It was such a positive experience that when we have another baby I'll definately plan to go natural.
space opera
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
...perineal tear...
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
Have someone apply hot washcloths to your perineum while the baby crowns...many tears can be prevented that way. (My friend had a 12 lb baby with no tears or cut, which totally impresses the producer of 7 lber's.)This is one of the many ways a doula can come in handy.
Take advantage of the showers! If your hospital is more open, they may let you take in an inflatable kiddie pool to labor in (most of the hospitals around here have Jacuzzi's, because mothers would go elsewhere if they didn't).
Wow, Christy, I never read your birth story! And from the papa's perspective too, lucky you.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
But that did raise an interesting question for me.
Q. Does Community Memorial have any sort of internet connection in the LDRP rooms?
A. *wails* no! PC is going to faint when I tell him. Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
See, dpr, I got great big shots directly after giving birth because I hadn't had an IV so they had to get the standard pitocin into me another way. Huge needle. I was scared silly by needles to the point of hysterics, but I never remember giving a crap that I was getting shots after the birth. I think, mentally, nothing could compare to what I had just accomplished.
Of course, when they came the next day to give me my Depo shot, I freaked and wouldn't let them give it to me.
By the way, i did eventually get over my fear, or at least I learned to be brave even though I'm still afraid. Once it occured to me that I couldn't ask my son to get a shot "like a big boy" without being a big girl myself, I had to change my attitude. Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
PSI-standard pitocin? I never had it, even with my hospital birth.
kee- what abouta phone with internet access? You still have two months to sign up for service.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
That's why PC is going to be there when Ella gets her shots...mommy is going to be in the bathroom or something. At least when she's old enough to realize what's going on. I freak when other people are getting shots, and I don't want her to be influenced by my reaction. I think my mom's attitude towards shots just made me worse. She kept reassuring me, which of course freaked me out.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
We're trying to _save_ money. Internet access in the birthing room isn't important enough to go out and get something special for. I was just hoping that they'd have it.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
dpr: From what I've experienced, pitocin is usually given to mothers after a birth to help the uterus contract and close more quickly and avoid a bleed-out. Many women receive the pitocin before the baby is born to quicken the labor or induce labor, but I opted out of that...I didn't want any foreign stuff in my body while the baby was still attached. (Brilliant, huh? Considering the baby would be getting its nourishment from my breasts minutes later.) Anyway, since I hadn't had an IV, they had to give me the pitocin in my butt or leg, I can't remember which. Normally the mother would just receive it in her IV fluids and probably wouldn't even know about it.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
Hmmmmm....I guess it seems odd to me that pitocin would be standard, but rather to be reserved for a uterus that doesn't involute, or excessive bleeding.And most women will not actually need it. Maybe it's because I've always gone with midwives, but they've just pooped the baby on the breast right away and maybe done a little massage.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
No, I was never given pitocin after my non-induced births. I believe they kept it on for an hour after the induced birth for the same reason they couldn't stop it during labor: my body senses the oxytocin and won't produce enough of its own to do the job. Which is one of the reasons I hated being induced.
Because it isn't just a jump start. People control how much hormone is in my body and it isn't related to my natural rhythm but to a schedule.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Hmmm, maybe it's just the hospital I went to. My doctor said that it was standard there to give a bit of pitocin to the mother after labor. I was told that before I ever went into labor, so I don't think she was trying to make me feel better about needing extra help or something.
Then again, IV's were standard too, but I managed to avoid getting one. Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
PSI, I heard it was standard, too, but I'm pretty sure I didn' t get any.
I have a WHOLE bunch of links I'll post if I get the chance at home for websites with good information. I'm supposed to be doing this for a work friend, too.
Posted by keedokes (Member # 6301) on :
When I went in to the hospital for early contractions awhile ago they had to give me an IV. I don't even know what they put in it other than the saline. It took PC a long time to be able to convince me to get it, and it killed. They put it right on my wrist instead of higher up on my arm, and I couldn't move it without it hurting like crazy. Needless to say, sleep was elusive that night.
*tries to think what they gave her* I'm assuming it was something to stop the contractions, which is why they pushed it on me so hard. Is there any other way to stop early contractions besides pumping crap into the bloodstream? Just wondering if anyone knows.
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
Water, water and more water!! Dehydrattion is a huge factor in early contractions.
Sit down, and stay sitting, with your feet elevated.
Remember, sex brings on contractions too. So if you're having them , you should abstain.
And depending on how you feel about it, most midwives will say that if all else fails, half a glass of wine works. While getting inebriated will harm the baby, small amounts at this stage to stop labor won't hurt.
Early contractions are scary, but I now so many moms, including myself, who staved off early labour that way, just to try and jump start just a few eeks later Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
I have a ton of breastfeeding links and a few cloth diaper links as well if you are interested.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
I have always gotten early contractions, and some very strong. What really matters is how regular they become and how close together. I would say sex is just fine unless there are regular contractions.
keedokes, it could very well have been only saline in the IV. That was what happened to me the one time my contractions got regular and close together too early: simple dehydration. Rehydrating me stopped them.
I've given blood, and platelets too. The needles don't bother me. What bugs me about IVs is being attached to a bag hanging on a pole.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
On a different note:
I found this site after deciding that I would make my own sling rather than buy a 40-60 dollar one. Lots of cool stuff there about babywearing. There are more carriers than I could have imagined, and they compare and review them there. Fantastic place.
Yep, Boo loves his sling. I don't even take the stroller out of the car when we go to the mall; he'd rather be worn! Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Yay for babywearing! We aren't even going to purchase a stroller for our next kidlet.
space opera
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
Any news?
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
Amka, you MADE your own sling? I just bought a new Mayawrap b/c I lost my old one.
And I was wondering about news too......l.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
It turned out that the sling was extremely simple to make. The hardest part is acquiring the rings to do it with. Basically, you hem 3 sides and then sew the fourth side into the rings, either gathering or pleating it first.
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I just bought a new Mayawrap b/c I lost my old one.