[catsoup]

Congratulations, Funnybird!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the name Benjamin. It's one of the few boy names I really like!

[funnybird]

Hey everyone.

Just a quick post to say that Babybird (now otherwise known as Benjamin) arrived early 6 days on Tuesday at 3pm. I don't really feel up to posting much about birth as it was pretty awful (40+ hours of labour, epidural due to back labour, episiotomy and ventouse delivery, then a 3 day stay in hospital due to a delay in establishing breast feeding), but he's beautiful and healthy (7lbs 12oz) and we're all doing okay.

I'll post more when I have the time and energy.

xx

[julie124]

When I was TTC I had a period of time where I was totally obsessed with all the pregnancy symptoms and was always looking at my boobs to see if they were more veiny than before. I kind of laugh about that now because well, ya wanna see veiny...try after you've been nursing for awhile. Those little veins I was obsessing over were nothing compared to the veinfest I have going on there now.

Michelina, glad to hear things are going well, and yay for kicks your Mr. can feel! That's always so fun, and it makes it much more real for them too.

Henry is great, thanks for asking! He is on the verge of walking...no steps on his own yet, but he loves to walk around with his little push toy (a shopping cart) and walks around the furniture all the time. He just started signing "more" at mealtime which has been fun, and he loves books. It's funny...mr julie stays home with him and observed the other day that for a couple weeks he was really concentrating on the motor skills, and this week he's really been all about the talking and the books. Child development really is a fascinating thing...and it's amazing to see everything unfold with this little person in front of our eyes.

Our one issue is the sleeping, which has devolved into him getting up at night every 1 1/2 - 2 hours and often wanting to nurse. Some nights I'm able to cope pretty well, reminding myself that he's a little boy and that teaching him how to fall asleep without nursing will take time. Other times I am SO over the nursing and honestly a little resentful that I'm not in my own bed asleep. I'm definitely committed to nursing until he's a year (which is later this month...I can't believe how time flies) but the weaning process is definitely going to be interesting. A complicating factor is that I'm not really liking the idea of "crying it out" so that tends to limit my options. Ah, yes, it's always something.

Despite the challenges of getting my kid to GO TO SLEEP, for the love of God (I've been known to say that at 4 am), I would not trade this adventure for anything and I definitely want to have another one before too long (though maybe enjoy a nice vacation from pregnancy and nursing for awhile first!). Savor these moments while little one is still inside...and as my brother said to me, "If you like going to the movies, you might consider seeing a few before you have the baby, because it will be a long time before you will see something in the theater." Also, dinner out.

Sorry for the lengthy post...so enjoying hearing about everyone's pregnancies and babies! zelda, 4-5 months is really fun, and he'll just keep getting more fun, so enjoy!

[Michelina]

Congrats, Catsoup! And yay for me not being the only preggo Bustie on the board once Funnybird delivers! :-) I hear you on the absence of symptoms. It worried me too. I was speaking with a friend who had severe morning sickness about this last week - about how it's said that morning sickness means a healthy pregnancy and how that worries people who don't have it. She pointed out that it may just be something said to comfort those whose heads are constantly in the toilet! Not sure it is actually based on any evidence. Your sore breasts are enough! I had sore breasts too, but not as bad as you're describing.

Mr M felt three good kicks last night! We were both very excited. Baby was really still, but I lied down next to him anyway just in case. He put his hand on my abdomen and baby all of a sudden decided to make his / her presence known to Daddy with three undenial kicks. It was a very special moment.

Oh and Catsoup, feeling like it's not real is very normal. I didn't feel like it was real even after seeing ultrasounds! Even now that I am feeling movement, it doesn't seem real sometimes. I think it's really only hit Mr. M recently with my belly getting big and the kicks now.

Zelda, Elliott sounds amazing. I'm so happy you are all doing well. I love the age he's at too. I saw a baby the same age yesterday and I could have just snatched him up and cuddled him right then and there.

Nickclick, thinking of you!

Aphelendra and Julie, how are the little ones?

[catsoup]

Happy to hear about others' lack of symptoms. Because pregnancy symptoms are so hyped and stereotyped (esp. in the media), the lack of symptoms other than the boobs is a little unnerving. I will say though, the boob pain is unreal. Last night I actually kept my bra on after I got home and changed into pajamas. Usually the first thing I do when I get home is take off my bra!

Last night my partner and I were talking about when we'd tell our parents (he's going out of town for the weekend starting today and my mom is coming to visit on Saturday) and he made a comment about it not feeling real to him. I agreed and offered to take another test if it would help (after the first positive one Monday morning I ran out on my lunch break and bought 5 more because of course that one was the last one I had. I took #2 Monday night). He said that would help so I peed on another one last night and again, positive. He was so cute after I showed him; he looked at it and said "I guess we really are pregnant." It was adorable. I do agree it won't be really real until after we see the midwives.

Did anyone use any of the many iPhone apps for their pregnancy? There's a ton and I don't want anything too... fanatical, if you know what I mean.

[zelda]

Welcome, catsoup! And congrats!

I had hardly ANY symptoms. My biggest one was raging insomnia. But that was it. I didn't even have sore boobs. Ever. I didn't feel pregnant until 13 or 14 weeks. And only then because I started to get a little pooch. Do not worry!

Elliott B. continues to be a true doll. He is very intense, focused, can roll over both ways, loves to "talk" and go on walks....he is the joy of our lives. This 4, 5 month period is a lot of fun because he is out of that more difficult newborn phase (and he had colic, so it was like waaaaay difficult) and he is responsive and smiley and just so joyful.

He is still not the world's best sleeper. This magical, "They'll start to organize themselves into 2 long naps a day" has never materialized with E. He takes 3 to 4 cat naps a day - almost 30 minutes from start to finish. At night he goes down after a bit of a fuss...but he is sleeping longer stretches at night. I am still nursing and sometimes we co sleep...just depends.

He rolls over onto his tummy to sleep, so I've just started putting him that way to sleep. The nurse at my doc's office said it was okay now that he can roll...but it still makes me nervous. Other BUSTies out there got any advice?

Talk soon and looking forward to updates from preggos!

[catsoup]

Thanks, julie124 and aphelendra! I look forward to being a part of this thread and not just a lurker!

I may have spoke too soon about the lack of nausea (or jinxed myself). This morning my stomach is not very happy... And I don't think I can blame it all on the election results.

[julie124]

Welcome and congrats, catsoup! Similar to aphelendra, here's how comforting this space is...I'm still coming back to lurk/occasionally check in even though my little guy is almost a year old. Hope it is similarly comforting for you!

Re: lack of symptoms, I remember being surprised at how not pregnant at all I felt in the beginning. I was extremely lucky and never had the nausea...but like you said, you just never know. And yes, that wait until the first appointment is the longest few weeks ever. (This is why even though I felt silly for doing it sometimes, I was glad I took a picture of my positive test before throwing it out....it helped to convince myself that indeed that positive really did happen!)

nick, thinking of you and baby!

zelda, I second the call for an Elliot update....

Michelina, how's it going?

funny, hang in there! Almost there....

[aphelendra]

Congrats Catsoup! I hope your stay here will be as comforting and helpful as mine was . . . . (you can tell because I'm still here, heh).

Nick's induction is tomorrow, n'est pas? Thinking of her . . . .

Hope all are well, lurking til I hear some news.

[catsoup]

I'm a long-time lurker in this thread...

Yesterday brought me two positive pregnancy tests. So I guess I'm pregnant! We've been TTC since June but my period has been wonky for the last couple months so I was beginning to lose hope. In fact, I only took a test yesterday because I planned to call my doctor and knew they'd want a recent negative test (I took a test last week and it was negative). So I'm stunned, excited, nervous, etc, etc. I'm 7 weeks and the midwives group I might use won't see me until 10 weeks so I've got an appointment for the Monday before Thanksgiving. That sounds so far away...

My only symptom so far is unbelievably sore breasts. No nausea, no exhaustion, nothing else (yet). Somewhere along the lines I got it in my head that nausea = pregnancy sticking (which a good friend of mine who just had a miscarriage at 6 weeks last month can tell you isn't true), but the lack of symptoms besides the tender boobs is a little disconcerting. Not unwelcome, mind you, just not what I expected. It's early though so who knows what will happen next.

[nickclick]

ooh massage... not a bad idea at all, thanks! i've been walking walking walking, doing laundry, shiz like that. this kid is definitely like mr.nick.... late and likes to stay in bed.

speaking of ... what's new in Elliott land?

[zelda]

CONGRATS, Deli!!!

Very quick..I, too, had an induction booked for one week post due date because I hadn't progressed or effaced or anything. I took a ton of walks and had a pregnancy induction massage from my doula and started losing my mucous plug the day after my due date. Elliott was born two days later.

So consider a massage!!!!

[julie124]

Congratulations deli on your little girl! I love the name as well....

Michelina, great to hear about the scan. On naming....obviously you have twice as many names to consider since you're finding out the sex at delivery, but we didn't settle on Henry's name until the morning after his birth. We had narrowed it down to three possibilities and then picked once we met him, which worked for us. Oh, and it took FOREVER until mr julie got to feel him kick...the little stinker would kick up a storm, then stop as soon as mr. julie put his hand on my belly.

funny, it is completely natural to be a little cranky and over it at 38 weeks. I figure that's how nature gets us over any fears of labor and parenting...at some point we're just like, "I don't care what I have to do, let's get this show on the road!"

[funnybird]

Hooray Deli! What wonderful news (and what a beautiful name)!

Nickclick, I'm sort of envious that you have a date for induction, even if it's a 'last resort'. At my 38 week check-up this week the midwife thought Babybird wasn't even engaged yet! Arrgghhh! I was so despondent when I got home that I called that Maternal & Fetal Assesment Unit at the hospital and made an appointment for 41 weeks to discuss induction. Even that seems a lifetime away!

Every time he kicks I seem to get a new stretch mark, which are so livid and sore, and my bump just feels so huge and tight like it's going to burst. And my back aches. Is it normal to feel so whiny this stage??

Michelina, Babybird wouldn't kick for Architect Boy for weeks. I'll never forget the moment he did though - the look on AB's face was magical. Worth the wait!

[jenny_dreadful]

Nick, very quick drive-by to say I wasn't induced, but my induction was booked. I was lucky enough to go into labour the day before I was due to be induced (and was still 10 days overdue). I am convinced that spending about 48 hours either walking (and going up some hills) or leaning over my birthball really helped to get things going. I was advised that UFO (Upright / Forward / Over) positions are good for getting labour going, and it certainly seemed to do the trick for me. My midwife told me to go home and scrub the floor to get things moving, but I thought leaning over the birthball would be a less tiring option. I didn't sit on the sofa or armchair for those 48 hours, always on the floor leaning. Good luck! (also, raspberry leaf tea, don't know if it helped but I drank a tonne of it).

Congrats Deli! Great news.

[nickclick]

yay Deli! glad to hear she is here and everyone is happy and healthy. Lena is such a pretty name. Amelia was on our list but since mr.nick's last name starts with A, we didn't want that alliteration. and thanks for sharing your birth story. i am getting a bit nervous and like to hear all the reassurance that all goes well......

Michelina, good to hear from ya. picking names (well, agreeing on names) is hard! and yes, harder when you have to choose boy or girl. we have narrowed down to 2 each. hoping when we see the peanut, we'll just know.

at my checkup yesterday, doctor said i wasn't any more effaced than last week's visit (which was 'almost'). so i'm scheduled for induction on Wed. Monday we go for a biophysical profile. i'm hoping baby comes before then. i'll go heavy on the spicy foods and, more importanly, nookie this weekend. it's been like 3 months (for the nookie, not the spicy).

was anyone else induced?

[Michelina]

Congratulations, Deli! That's wonderful news. And I love her name. It's funny because Mr. M and I are strongly considering the name Elina, which is very similar to Lena. And one of our nieces is Amelia. Beautiful. Glad to hear you and baby are doing well.

Nice hearing from all the new Bustie moms. Glad to see you are still popping in.

Nickclick and Funnybird, excited to hear your news shortly!

I am doing well. I'm 21.5 weeks now and baby is kicking lots. I love the feeling, and am just amazed every time that those feelings are coming from a little human inside of me. Of course whenever Mr. M tries to feel, baby completely stops moving!

We did not find out the sex at our ultrasound. We have decided to have a very neutral jungle theme for the nursery and pick out a couple of names per sex. We are enjoying picking out names, but it's a tough job.

[delibelly]

Hello all,

Are Funnybird and Nickclick in the race to be next?

I want to second the advice to hold onto some of your gift cards for after the birth. Even though I 've been through it all before I didn't remember how many onsies I would need and I'm glad I'm still sitting on $80 from Children's place.

Baby is now 10 days old. We had the same baby naming drama that we had with my son. Finally we settled on Lena Amelia, but only last night my husband remarked "I think she looks more like a Cerys". I hate naming babies.

Birth story: went into labour the night of the second "stretch and sweep". Got to hospital 11:30 at 1cm dilated - nearly was sent home. Convinced midwife to let me walk around for an hour to see if I would progress. Water broke. Hour later I was in big pain. BEGGED for epidural at 2:30. Too late. Baby born at 3:10.

The birth experience was fast and in many ways better than with O, but very different. With O, I could hardly feel the pushing contractions and could ignore them if I wanted. With this one the pushing contractions were undeniable and took over my whole body. Better because it was so fast that student midwives couldn't get there in time, and I got to have a very private birth with husband and mdwife only. Also, with fewer midwives my husband played a much more active part in helping than he had with O. So I'm happy about that and, best of all, I NEVER intend to do it again, so yay me.

Breastfeeding is going easier than with O. Started taking acidopholis (sp?) at the first burning fire-ant feeling of thrush, and milk production leveling out already, so latch issues with the wonky nip are healing fast now that baby can get a proper hold on the softer nipple.

I have to give a little chuckle at the music idea. I was so out of it in both labours I wouldn't have noticed a polka band in the room.

Sorry if my post is rushed. That is my whole life right now. Forgive any spelling errors and gaps in logic. I'll be back! Lurking, if not posting, to see how everyone else is doing.

P.S. I never had the "This is someone else's baby" feeling, but I didn't feel confident with O until about 4 months. I remember thinking "I can't even keep plants alive..." reacting to the responsibility. It wasn't until O got really sturdy that I started to feel like a proper mom.

[zelda]

Be prepared for it all to feel unreal for a while...for me that feeling of "Who is this baby?" lasted for about a month or so. I kept thinking, "When is his real mom going to come get him?" Not that I didn't care for him, but the bonding was a slow burn. That freaked me out at first...I thought it would be instantaneous. It is for some women, but do not worry if it's not for you! Now the bond I have with little E is so intense it's scary. But it takes time to get there for some of us.

Aphelendra, sorry about the thrush! But good for you for sticking with it. I am still pumping going on 4 and a half months. Elliott gets breast milk and formula and it's working out really well this way. Remember moms, breastfeeding doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing when you go back to work. Knowing I could use formula sort of relaxed me a little...and better that E gets some breast milk still.

Funny...one thing I would say (and would say to all expecting mamas)...one thing I wish is that the second time I went to the hospital (and they sent me back home), I really wish I had demanded they admit me. It wasn't until the third try that they admitted me and that was because I started passing out at home in the bathtub between contractions.

They kept sending me home because I was only 1 cm dilated (because E was in the wrong position and even though I was contracting I wasn't dilating). But the pain was so intense by the second trip I really think they should have admitted me then. The insanity of driving home (in major pain) and then going back for a third trip was crazy and I wish I had forced them to take me even though I was only 1 cm dilated.

So speak up for yourself if you really think it is time to be admitted!

[aphelendra]

Really, no sarcasm about the gauze undies. They're breezy, soft, and oh-so-stretchy. And, as I discovered, they can go through the wash a few times before they turn into complete lint balls.

I am well Zelda! Despite still having thrush. Every time I think it's gone, it pops right back up. Arg. Ack. Ew. Anyway, glad to hear your little one is past his colic, poor thing (and poor you!). Our little one is finally napping a little (little little little) bit on her own, and its amazing to finally get some time to myself. We've even got some wedding plans in place and I'm definitely going to head back to school this January.

Nick, ( and all other showered mamas to be). Hold on to this gift cards, though the temptation may be great to splurge. I thought I had researched everything I could have, but still there were some things I didn't anticipate until Sarah had arrived. Like when we decided to switch to cloth diapers last month, I was able to defray quite a bit of the start-up cost with my Target gift cards, something I wouldn't necessarily have known I wanted before she arrived. Also, if you plan on using wraps/carriers, it can be tough to figure out what works best for you, and those things is.not.cheap.

Funny, it's going to be unreal for quite some time, even after the new babe comes home. When I was recovering in the hospital I kept going to the bathroom and coming out and thinking "Hey! Someone left their baby in here!".

Jenny, your description of your hubby made me laugh (and just a little jealous). Mr. A could not, for the life of him, manage to time my contractions appropriately. It would start, and there I would be, grunting and writhing and moaning on all fours, and there he is, going "Babe? Is this it? Should I start? Are you having one? Babe?" The midwife kept calling to check on us and ask how far apart the contractions were and there was just no way to tell . . . .

Hope all are well . . . . I am off to do some laundry, whilst my little babe sleeps soundly in the other room . . . . by herself!!!!! Attachment parenting is awesome and holy and wonderful, but really, some chores just require that a sleeping human not be strapped to your chest.