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I had my first prenatal visit yesterday and got to see ultrasound pictures of our little gummy bear. It was so neat to see that there really is a moving, living baby in there. Sometimes the first trimester just feels like a disease because you're not feeling the baby kick yet.
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My mom used to work in the nursery of a hospital. The nurse misread a tag and took the baby to the wrong room. The sleepy mother said, this isn't my baby. The nurse calmly told her it was indeed her baby. She was just confused cause of the birth. But the baby was tagged as breastfed and it was clearly hungry, so she needed to either feed the baby or give permission for formula feed. Mother asked, you are sure this is mine. Nurse said yup. Mom breastfed. Then, after the breastfeeding, nurse looked more closely at tags, went uh oh. The woman who breastfed had to go through intensive screening for transmittable diseases, as did baby. A very bad day for the nursery.
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I've heard similar stories, like where the nurse insisted yes this IS your baby and the mother asked then why does my daughter have a PENIS. I guess that's a hard one to miss.
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My mom and my aunt (my Dad's sister in law) were in the hospital giving birth at the same time. They kept trying to give my mom my aunt's meds, because they had the same last name. My mom made extra sure that they gave her the right baby, though. After three daughters, my uncle was desperate for a boy. (He eventually got one on his second or third grandchild.)
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quote:Originally posted by scholar: My mom used to work in the nursery of a hospital. The nurse misread a tag and took the baby to the wrong room. The sleepy mother said, this isn't my baby. The nurse calmly told her it was indeed her baby. She was just confused cause of the birth. But the baby was tagged as breastfed and it was clearly hungry, so she needed to either feed the baby or give permission for formula feed. Mother asked, you are sure this is mine. Nurse said yup. Mom breastfed. Then, after the breastfeeding, nurse looked more closely at tags, went uh oh. The woman who breastfed had to go through intensive screening for transmittable diseases, as did baby. A very bad day for the nursery.
There was a story like this on the news last year, I think. Kind of disturbing, but probably no lasting harm done. It is, however, one reason why I will be rooming in with my baby.
Last time they kept taking my son away to put him on the warmer. I made my husband go and watch him in the nursery. They weren't happy about it and kept telling him that HIPPA regulations meant he couldn't be in the nursery with our son if there were other babies there. I think they had to have been misinterpreting HIPPA because that makes no sense. We threw a fit when they wouldn't let us be there for the circumcision so they took all the other babies out of the nursery and put them in the hallway. Like that made any sense.
I've spoken to other hospitals and I know there are many with policies that a parent can be with the baby at all times, so I don't know who's got HIPPA wrong or if those other hospitals have designed some way around it.
Either way, I intend to do things differently this time. They kept swaddling my son in two layers of blankets and me, a new mother, tried to hold him and nurse him through all that cloth. It was a pain and his body temperature kept dropping so they had to take him to the warmer. This time, I'm taking him out of the stupid blankets and putting him on my chest, which is designed to do the job better than a warmer anyway.
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quote:They weren't happy about it and kept telling him that HIPPA regulations meant he couldn't be in the nursery with our son if there were other babies there. I think they had to have been misinterpreting HIPPA because that makes no sense. We threw a fit when they wouldn't let us be there for the circumcision so they took all the other babies out of the nursery and put them in the hallway. Like that made any sense.
It sounds like they're just using HIPAA as an excuse to enforce hospital policy. Parents are allowed in NICUs 24 hours a day and there are lots of babies there. Per HIPAA,they do ask you to leave during shift change, when they report on all the babies, but there are windows you can look through to see your baby. If your baby isn't doing well, they'll try to give reports elsewhere so you can stay. I can't believe they took all the babies out in the hallway. They didn't have a procedure room? I actually semi-attended 2 circumcisions in the PCN (progressive care nursery). The procedure room and the pumping room were the same room divided by a curtain, so I was pumping breastmilk while they were circumcising babies. It was pretty surreal. Neither baby made a peep, either, for which I was very grateful.
Ladies, let me urge all of you to take every test your doctor thinks you need, unless you truly feel it is dangerous for you or the baby. I went through (literal) record-breaking procedures, medications, and testing, all of which was necessary for Aerin to survive. Most of it was extremely painful and uncomfortable (I actually had track marks when I delivered Aerin, from all the blood draws and IVs), but I'd do it all again in a second. When Aerin was in the NICU, there were 2 babies with complications from the mothers' GDM. Both went home within a week and they were huge (especially compared to the micropreemies), but you don't want your baby in the NICU even for a day. Trust me.
Liz B, blood draws and Rhogam stink. I had 4 shots of Rhogam and about 4 dozen blood draws when I was pregnant. The trick is to find the best nurse and/or tech and request them. If you can get one who usually works on children, that's your best bet.
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Yeah, we have a teeny-tiny hospital, circs are done in a surgical procedures room, not the nursery, and HIPPA is respected by covering charts and having a small office separate from the nursery where reports and requests can be made and issues discussed, so that parents can be with their babies in the nursery during footprinting and baths and such, if desired.
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Yeah, well, I'm not using that hospital again. I thought the labor and delivery went fine, but I think I'd have been better off in a nice hotel with room service for recovery. Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Yesterday was a fun day. My brother and his wife got to see and feel their little neice moving around and my brother (who is studying immunology and is getting ready to head to grad school) was checking to make sure my doctor has been doing all the appropriate tests. I'm not sure quite why, but I was really touched by that. I also had a baby shower, thrown by a couple of my mom's friends. It was wonderful to see lots of women who I knew growing up and hadn't really seen since I got married. They were all so sweet and we all had a great time. My mom also loved getting to see all of her friends (because of her poor health and immune system issues, she rarely leaves the house or visits with people). It was great.
I almost had to go to the hospital again. Thankfully, the crisis was averted. You can read about it on my blog.
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Ack! That's really scary! I'm so glad everything seems to be ok. I tend to get annoyed with how much everyone babies me (I'm not even allowed to stand on a step stool to get stuff above my reach) but because I've done relatively well I forget how easy it is for a minor thing to become a crisis. Aren't home teachers great?! I'm so glad he was able to help. We've also been lucky to have excellent ones who've really helped when I was not doing well. And congrats on the great sales!! I love getting great deals on things! Our family budget was really tight growing up, so I was raised to really look for good deals. With the baby coming (and me staying home), all that experience will really come in handy.
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Actually, it wasn't a home teacher that was able to come, just a friend. But I'm sure our HT cares, he just wasn't available. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Do you coupon, ludosti? We save a ton of money couponing and shopping sales and thrift stores. That's how I was raised too and people are amazed we survive (and even have small luxuries now and then) on the amount of money we make in a year.
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Oh yes, I am an avid coupon and sale/clearance shopper (and have never been averse to second-hand things). I figure those skills I didn't even know I was learning will be essential.
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I was wondering if anyone else has a really sensitive belly or innards. I don't know why, but during my ultrasound, the wand pressing on my belly HURT! I had an ultrasound a few years ago for some pain I was having and it hurt then, too, so I know it's not a problem with the baby.
Am I weird? There were certain spots that hurt more than others. Watching the baby on the screen was fun, but the experience was definitely marred by the pain of the pressing. Doctors pressing on my belly during physicals or other checks also hurts. I hate it.
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Yeah, you can poke me in the upper arm with your finger and it will actually hurt me. That kind of lingering pain. But if you do the same thing with your first, it's unlikely to hurt--unless you hit me a lot harder.
I'm not planning an epidural, but I'm leaving it as an option. What should I ask for? I am wondering if having the needle in will hurt me. (They leave it in, or something, right?)
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The needle won't hurt (at least not long.) They take it out, it's just a tube in your back. The contractions will, but the pain is more bearable if you're just feeling the "pressure pain" as opposed to pressure-pain on top of pain-pain.
If you want to just forget the pain altogether, ask for narcotics.
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Oh, I understand now. I thought you meant the pressure of the epidural itself was painful.
The whole reason I'm hesitant to get the epidural is that I want to be able to feel what's going on with my body during all of those hours before the actual time when the baby is coming right then.
I hear that it's good for one reason because your body might be telling you to get into a weird position because any other position hurts or is uncomfortable--and the whole reason for it is that it will help the baby get into the right position for birth.
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(The difference is, if you have the epidural you'll be stuck in bed and unable to move your legs effectively.)
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Yeah, I'm very reluctant to get stuck in bed. That's what I'd like to avoid. I hear they have walking epidurals now, but I'm not sure they're much better for walking around a lot.
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If you really want to remain mobile but do want something to cut the pain, I recommend IV drugs.
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I, too, feel discomfort bordering on pain when doctors probe or press. So it's not weird.
As for the epidural, it was the most wonderful thing ever. I'm not even going to try to go natural this time. I hate the idea of the narcotics because they mess with your brain. I want a clear head. What decided me against the narcotics was my childbirth class teacher talking about her experience with it. She thought it was funny, but apparently she thought her baby had four eyes and had a bit of a fit about it. Of all the things I want to feel when my baby comes, the things in my head are at the top of my list, so no narcotics for me!
The epidural frightened me a bit before I got it. I was worried about being stuck in bed and unable to move. Really, though, the pain was so bad just before I got it that I wasn't into moving much anyway. Like KQ said, you'll still feel the pressure of the contractions, but not the pain so it's much more bearable. I don't think anything can remove all the sensations. I felt everything that was going on and had a clear head to enjoy it (not fuzzy from too much pain or narcotic drugs).
That was my experience, anyway. I know there are some women who go all natural and think it's cake.
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If she got fuzzy, they gave her the wrong dose, or she hyper-reacted.
They gave me just enough last time to make me not feel the pressure-pain (or at least not register it.) It DID make me not feel any sensation-- except the urge to push when it was time.
It was great, and I'm asking for the same thing next time.
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My husband says he's on board with the home birth thing, but I don't know if he's being serious. I do know that he's very tired of the doctors around here. (He's convinced it's at least partly the location, since we've encountered so many who don't seem to care.) So while my OB-GYN's are okay, we're not thrilled with going to the local hospital.
Anyway, I would love to go the midwife route, but they're not easy to find around here! And what really keeps me from going ahead full force with it is the fear that the baby will need immediate after-birth care. I know I could have a midwife at the hospital, and if I could find one, I think I'd be likely to do that.
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Have you tried the BabyCenter boards? There's a homebirth board there, I think, and a plea for midwives in your area might elicit information you could never find on your own without knowing someone who'd used one. Their boards tend to be fairly well-frequented by all kinds of women, so you could get a good and varied response there, I hope.
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I had a friend who was extremely anti-epidural. The pain got so bad that, while she still wouldn't give in on the epidural, they were able to convince her on the narcotics. She started hallucinating and was unable to concentrate on anything going on- I don't think her baby had four eyes, but she was definetely not in the delivery room. The thing that makes no sense to me is that even after this, she thinks epidurals are evil- spending your birth in agony, hallucinating about all sorts of things and freaking out because you can't understand why the strange pain (since she couldn't remember she was in labor) is a better more natural way to have a baby then having an epidural take the edge off.
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Good grief, talk about your hyper-reactions. Having had a hallucinatory reaction to a drug before, I can not see why she would think that was better than an epidural!
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(I checked; they not only have a homebirth board, but also a "using a doula" board, a VBAC support board, and a natural/unmedicated methods board, all of which might be good places to ask for midwife recommendations, as well as regional boards you could also try.)
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Well, it's good to know that the hallucinogenic effects are area, but the story still freaked me out. Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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That was my experience, anyway. I know there are some women who go all natural and think it's cake.
I've never met anyone who's been through it who thinks it's cake. Natural childbirth is hard work. It's more than worth it, for me, but it is NOT cake.
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That was my experience, anyway. I know there are some women who go all natural and think it's cake.
I've never met anyone who's been through it who thinks it's cake. Natural childbirth is hard work. It's more than worth it, for me, but it is NOT cake.
You should talk to my mother in law and her mother. I think it's genetic, but they have labors that last about 30 minuets from start to finish and barely made it to the hospital on time. My husband's grandmother found it amusing that she only made it to the delivery room for 1 of her 6 kids. My mother in law gave in to nature and decided to do home births after the first two barely made it to the hospital. I'm not sure she ever used the word, "cake" to describe her deliveries, but she certainly thought they were very easy. She even had people ask her to be a surrogate mother because her pregnancies and deliveries were so easy.
I don't think natural childbirths are usually easy, though. I really think my in-laws are weird.
I do understand that they are usually hard work but that many women find them worth the effort.
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I found it similar to what I've heard people say about running a marathon. Near the end you start thinking "Why did I want to do this, again?" once it's over you're really glad you did it, and after about a year you start thinking, "You know, that was pretty fun. I should do it again."
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My mother in law says giving birth is just mild discomfort. And she of course did not use an epidural. Oh, and did I know ultrasounds can hurt the baby. When I pointed out that they didn't have epidurals when she gave birth, she claimed that they had drugs which is the same thing. Oh, and my friend that hallucinated, she was induced almost against her will (medical necessity) and had mg in her IV and had been in the hospital for two days as they tried to ripen her. So, hers might have been a drug interaction thing combined with the exhaustion and stress. My cousin has horrible pregnancy and easy births. She doesn't have an option of epidural because the baby is out to quickly. The last one, they gave my cousin a room, but weren't ready yet, so she wasn't hooked up to the IV or anything. She told them, we need get me set up fast. And I'll need a dr in case mine doesn't make it up here in time. And the nurses were like, you just went into labor. Lay down, we'll get to you soon. Don't worry. So, she layed down and her husband came out a few minutes later and said, "um, I can see the head. should someone maybe come in and help us."
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I think being dismissed at the hospital when I *knew* something about how my body worked (like if I knew my labor was always fast) would make me absolutely infuriated.
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My cousin's first baby took maybe an hour and a half (they were out, her water broke, she went to the hospital while her mom went home to get the video camera, then staight back to the hospital. By the time her mome arrived, the baby was born. And every baby after that has just gotten faster. Her doctor apparantly arrived breathless, cause he knew from experience when he got the call that he would be lucky to make it in time.
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Anyone else have rhinitis of pregnancy? (That means, stuffy nose from being pregnant.)
It seems like lately around 5 or 6 PM I start stuffing up; soon after the sinus pressure headache comes on. By bedtime the only way I can sleep is to take some Sudafed. When I wake up I'm fine. Lather, rinse, repeat.
This is a new one for me, didn't have it with either Emma or Bridget. *sigh*
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Wow, I just discovered this thread. 35 pages! Amazing. Having read some of the earlier posts regarding epidurals, I felt somewhat compelled to say a few words, as your friendly neighbourhood anesthesia provider. Keep in mind that though I've seen many women in labor, I've never been pregnant myself, so my experience is purely objective.
First of all, we do inject a local anesthetic to numb the skin and underlying tissue before we put in the epidural, so in theory one shouldn't feel the sharp pain, just some pressure. Now, having said that, I've had women complain of pain as I started putting in the needle. Some people just keep going and tell the patient it will go away. I usually inject more numbing medicine, unless there's some reason why I can't. Personally, I believe that getting the epidural should not be a terribly uncomfortable experience. But of course there are still people who feel a lot of pressure/discomfort, but hopefully it is worth it in the end.
Like KQ said, the needle comes out and only a small thin tube, approx. size of a thick guitar string, remains. And yes, the idea is that you still feel the pressure of the contraction, without it being painful. Now, as the labor progresses and different nerve fibers become involved, it gets more difficult to relieve pain without making you more numb.
Katarain, you mentioned walking epidurals. I've never actually done THAT dilute of an epidural. I suppose one could skip the local anesthetic altogether and just use narcotic in the epidural. That would allow you to keep walking. But like I said, I haven't done one of those. Most patients can still move and feel their legs, since the mixtures we use are still very dilute, but for safety reasons they aren't up and about.
Sounds like KQ had a good experience with IV drugs. Not everyone does, as was mentioned before. I am biased to epidurals, just because in my experience they provide good pain relief and very positive feedback from moms.
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I have never had IV drugs. I've had narcotic in with the epidural, because I explained to my second anesthesiologist that I experience pressure as pain, so he gave me both, so I wouldn't be in pain. I didn't get the drugs through an IV.
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Heck yes do I have rhinitis. It's been pretty much constant, with it getting worse at night. I've been prescribed category C drugs, which I was complaining about a few pages ago, but I refuse to fill or use them. I found one category B drug in my online searching, but I haven't asked for it. I kinda gave up.
I don't go anywhere without a hefty supply of tissues. I sneeze a lot, which seems to help loosen my congestion up enough that blowing my nose is productive. I wake up somewhere between 2 and 4 every night to start a new round of sneezes and nose blowing before I can get back to sleep.
On another topic... I'm struggling with figuring out what I need to buy and register for. My family has started asking about my registry or what I want, and it's really hard to figure out! I'm very much a minimalist. I only want what the baby really needs. I think I need to look up that old thread about baby product recommendations!
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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OK, everyone (not y'all) who doubted me when I said I would deliver late is now officially wrong wrong wrong. At the ultrasound on Tuesday they estimated baby size at 3.7 kg and said they usually start talking about inducing after ten days (i.e. a week from yesterday). By that time she could be well over 4 kg, even bigger than I was (two weeks overdue, c-section, 9 lbs). Can I mention how I do not want that to happen??
Maybe the doctor at my exam tomorrow will have some bright ideas. Or else it'll be time to try out some home-induction methods. Posts: 2762 | Registered: Sep 1999
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We had a discussion about what to buy on page 19, Katarain. After having had a baby, here is a list of the things we honestly needed:
- 10-14 outfits (one week's worth), including baby kimonos, one-piece bodysuits, and shirt/pant outfits - A few pairs of socks (I didn't like socks because they would never stay on, so I opted for footed outfits much of the time) - 2 towels - 4 baby washcloths - two packs of cloth diapers (the most basic kind) to use as burp cloths - 6-8 blankets in varying sizes and weights - depending on seasons: coat, hat, snowsuit; or swimsuit and sun hat
- crib with mattress - 3 crib sheets - small dresser or closet organization system - armchair, glider, or rocker (optional . . . I didn't have one) - diaper disposal unit (We like the Diaper Champ because it uses normal garbage bags) - crate, bag, or basket for laundry - some sort of toy box - baby tub - car seat - diaper bag (I used my old backpack for a while, but a real one is nice) - stroller (we now have two, a "baby" stoller that reclines and an umbrella stroller to take shopping because it fits better in the car) - bouncy seat or swing (both optional but nice to have 'cause babies love them) - portable crib if you plan to be out or traveling when baby needs to sleep
- supplies for breastfeeding or bottle feeding, whichever you choose to do (see other sites for what you'll need here)
- diapers and wipes (buy just a few at first and see how fast you go through them) - diaper rash cream - digital rectal thermometer and disposable plastic "sleeves" - nasal aspirator - gas drops (a lifesaver for us) - baby wash - baby lotion - baby tylenol - baby nail scissors (far superior to baby nail clippers) - baby sunscreen - at least two bottles and one can of formula, regardless of whether you choose to breastfeed or formula feed
There's a lot of stuff people will tell you you need, but if you're broke or determined to minimize clutter, I think you'd do fine with what's on that list.
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Thank you for the list. I had looked at page 18, but still feel quite overwhelmed about what we'll need.
I'll have to look at your list again later in the day. I just started having another migraine. *sigh* So I have squiggles in my vision and it's very hard to read.
At this stage, it doesn't hurt, but later I'll feel nauseous and tired and just icky. I may or may not have headache pain. Mostly at this stage I just feel sorry for myself.
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(not overwhelmed because it's so much stuff, but because it's hard to know which things we'll need and what brands/types to choose. This china recall thing has me worried.)
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I disagree about the nail scissors -- I much preferred clippers. But they're cheap, so get both and figure out what works best for you.
I also disagree that you need to have a can of formula in the house if you're breasfeeding. If there's no where in town that your spouse could possibly get formula if you were taken to the hospital at 3 in the morning and it makes you feel more secure to have it there in case of emergencies then it might be worth it for the peace of mind, but that's a personal choice.
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Is there a benefit to a rectal thermometer over an ear thermometer? (We already have an ear one.)
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It was so neat to see that there really is a moving, living baby in there. Sometimes the first trimester just feels like a disease because you're not feeling the baby kick yet.
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