The pregnancy thread

sarahp · Mar 1, 2007

So I don't have a million threads going, and so all the other prospective parents can share info as well, announcing THE PREGNANCY THREAD!!!

So come along, share your stories and ask your questions! I know I have heaps... Hopefully other parents can come and give suggestions as well

So I'm currently 8 weeks pregnant, due on October 12th, and this will be my first baby.

A few questions for other mums out there:

1. When did you "officially" announce your pregnancy to the world? I've told a few key people, but have seen an early scan and know there's a heartbeat and it all looks fine so far. Should I wait until 12 weeks just in case?

2. How long did you have off work after the baby was born if you were working in a job you enjoyed?

3. What do we need furniture wise?? Our spare room has a queen sized bed in it and a bookcase and cupboard so we going to have to get rid of the bed and get baby stuff. What do we look for in a crib, changing table and so forth?

4. What about strollers and car seats? Any recommendations? Our neighbours have a snap and go which looks cool. The car seat snaps onto a frame to use as a stroller and can also just be carried. I like the idea of not having to disturb them too much if they fall asleep in the car...

5. Disposables or cloth? We're thinking of using cloth at home and disposables at night and when going out. Thoughts?

Any other advice would be very much appreciated!

joanne511 · Mar 2, 2007

Congratulations! I wish I could participate in this thread, but we're not there yet, so I'll enjoy vicariously!

swampwitch · Mar 2, 2007

1. We told people after three months, except we told my sister right away.

2. I loved my job working for the U.S. Government; unfortunately, there's no maternity leave, so I took off three months with no pay. After, I trained a part-time person to do some of my work, and went in only mornings. Husband took care of baby in the mornings, then I'd take over and he'd go to work. No day care.

3. Once you start telling people, you will have offers for free furniture! We bought a new crib, but got a changing table, swing, stroller, etc. from a co-worker who wasn't going to have more babies. Lots of people think changing tables are unnecessary, but we thought it was very helpful to have. Baby furniture is where you can really save money buying used, too. Most are still almost new, and people want to get rid of the baby stuff when it's time, so it's cheap (or free). I'd recommend a new mattress, though.

4. Car seats are always changing and improving... always buy these new.

5. Depends on your washer/dryer situation. If it's easy for you to wash clothes, your plan is good.

Other advice... get a pediatrician early. Go on recommendations from others, if possible. You can have an interview with him/her now. When the baby's born, your pediatrician will be there to check the baby. And, don't hesitate to call about anything once the baby's born. Don't worry quietly, if you have concerns, always call the doctor... you promise me that now, O.K.?

swampwitch · Mar 2, 2007

Pacifers... don't go there! If the baby's crying, pick him or her up and cuddle or feed. Unless you want to see a round piece of plastic covering your baby's mouth every time you look at him/her, and want a huge battle down the line getting rid of it, don't even introduce a pacifier!

(There's also a lot of debate on the safety of the soft plastics used in pacifiers and baby teething toys.)

sarahp · Mar 2, 2007

Wow, thanks so much for the information, it's really useful!!!! I have soooo many questions, and with my family being so far away (and wanting to wait for the 12 week mark), I don't have many people to ask

We'll probably go looking at furniture to see what's out there, then I guess go second hand for most of it - you're right - most stuff isn't used for long!

catloverin_ks · Mar 2, 2007

YAY!! Many congrats to you!!

I think I told everyone, as soon as I found out,hehe. What can I say, I was excited!??! LOL...

As far as furniture, I usually waited until around the last few mos. I never EVER used *binkys* with my kids, they just didnt like them. I didnt breast feed either.......We used disposable diapers too. We used the stroller/car seat combo, which was nice

Sorry if Im not much help

Just wanted to join the thread!!

miss mew · Mar 2, 2007

Congratulations everyone!! I'm not at that point myself either..but I hope to join in the next year or 2

I'll be watching this thread and taking notes!

ericanicole · Mar 2, 2007

So far I am learning a ton!
I already signed up for a breastfeeding class this July. I dont care what society thinks of breastfeeding or what it will do to my apperance. we've got names picked out (kinda

) and the spare bedroom is slowly being converted into a baby room...by slowly I mean I have the ideas in my head and well thats about it

This has to be the most exciting thing to ever happen to me. I have had two ultrasounds so far and each one brought a tear to my eye as I see my Pickle get larger, and I see more facial features. Its amazing!

My body is changing so much...boy there sure are some weird and icky parts about being pregnant..and I am barley in my 2nd trimester. life is changing so freaken fast...

1. When did you "officially" announce your pregnancy to the world? I've told a few key people, but have seen an early scan and know there's a heartbeat and it all looks fine so far. Should I wait until 12 weeks just in case?I told people right away... i couldnt contain my joy

2. How long did you have off work after the baby was born if you were working in a job you enjoyed?where i work we get 6-8 weeks.I really want the full 6 weeks to be at home and help both myself and dan adjust. hopefully financially we can make that happen

3. What do we need furniture wise?? Our spare room has a queen sized bed in it and a bookcase and cupboard so we going to have to get rid of the bed and get baby stuff. What do we look for in a crib, changing table and so forth? look for stuff that hasnt been recalled, that magazines advertise for and that wont splinter. buying new if you can is the best bet. never buy a used mattress for a crib. look for a crib where the spacing in the bars are not to far apart so that baby doesnt get stuck.

4. What about strollers and car seats? Any recommendations? Our neighbours have a snap and go which looks cool. The car seat snaps onto a frame to use as a stroller and can also just be carried. I like the idea of not having to disturb them too much if they fall asleep in the car...the combos are nice! i think dan and I will have that for my car since well I will be doing the shopping and stuff. But for his car we are buying a top of the line infant to toddler car seat. I have had a friend whos car seat didnt work during an accident and her son flew out of it. I was pretty sure she bought a cheap car seat. Not saying your kid will fly out of it but i just prefer a better car seat. i think saftey is 50% in how you set up the seat and how you strap your baby in.

5. Disposables or cloth? We're thinking of using cloth at home and disposables at night and when going out. Thoughts? Disposbale is cleaner, worry about germs and rashes. disposable have really come along way. you will be changing PLENTY of diapers and cloth diapers will only add to your water/electic bill and can be time consuming.

missymotus · Mar 2, 2007

I would use cloth diapers, once you start researching what chemicals are in disposables it will really change your mind.

I have a sister who makes them for her son, and sells them. They are so groovy and not the cloth diapers we had as kids

She sells on this site http://www.ozebaby.com.au/allstores.php

sarahp · Mar 2, 2007

Actually if you do some research nappy rash has gotten worse with the increase of disposables. Cloth nappies have come a long way as well, and work out a lot cheaper than disposables (even including washing costs). As well as that disposables don't break down for a verrrrry long time, so you have landfills full of nappies. The average child will produce at least 1 tonne of disposables!!!!! I'm also wary of the chemicals that go into making disposables - I don't want that against my baby's backside constantly.

I'm particularly looking at hemp blend nappies, they look better than 100% cotton. I will definitely do disposables when we go out for the convenience factor, and cloth at home, but I can't decide whether to go for cloth or disposables at night.

This website is fantastic, and probably where we'll order our hemp nappies from - Snazzipants.

I'd really like to take a year off work, at LEAST 6 months. I can't handle the thought of someone else raising my child.... I love my job as well though, so I'll just wait and see what happens I guess.

crittermom · Mar 2, 2007

A few questions for other mums out there:

1. When did you "officially" announce your pregnancy to the world? I've told a few key people, but have seen an early scan and know there's a heartbeat and it all looks fine so far. Should I wait until 12 weeks just in case? I told everyone that I was pregnant AFTER we heard the babies heartbeat.....usually around 8/10 weeks

2. How long did you have off work after the baby was born if you were working in a job you enjoyed?I have always been a stay at home Mom, so this doesn't qualify for me.

3. What do we need furniture wise?? Our spare room has a queen sized bed in it and a bookcase and cupboard so we going to have to get rid of the bed and get baby stuff. What do we look for in a crib, changing table and so forth? A crib, a bassinet for when you first bring the baby home,a changing table,dresser for baby.

4. What about strollers and car seats? Any recommendations? Our neighbours have a snap and go which looks cool. The car seat snaps onto a frame to use as a stroller and can also just be carried. I like the idea of not having to disturb them too much if they fall asleep in the car... when mine were little there wasn't any of the new car seats out.

5. Disposables or cloth? We're thinking of using cloth at home and disposables at night and when going out. Thoughts?

DISPOSABLE diapers!!!! get some cloth ones for burping the baby though.In my experience, Huggies are NOT good for boys.Pampers and Luvs are good for both sexes though.

babyharley · Mar 2, 2007

Originally Posted by sarahp

Actually if you do some research nappy rash has gotten worse with the increase of disposables. Cloth nappies have come a long way as well, and work out a lot cheaper than disposables (even including washing costs). As well as that disposables don't break down for a verrrrry long time, so you have landfills full of nappies. The average child will produce at least 1 tonne of disposables!!!!! I'm also wary of the chemicals that go into making disposables - I don't want that against my baby's backside constantly.

I'm particularly looking at hemp blend nappies, they look better than 100% cotton. I will definitely do disposables when we go out for the convenience factor, and cloth at home, but I can't decide whether to go for cloth or disposables at night.

This website is fantastic, and probably where we'll order our hemp nappies from - Snazzipants.

I'd really like to take a year off work, at LEAST 6 months. I can't handle the thought of someone else raising my child.... I love my job as well though, so I'll just wait and see what happens I guess.

I don't have children- YET! But my mom did daycare for 17 years and I have 10 younger cousins and 2 baby brothers- so I'm quite familiar with babies

As for diapers... I guess I've never had the chance to use cloth- but do they absorb as much as disposable ones to? I mean- do they leak thru pretty well? I guess I would think they would be incredibly messy- since babies are known for going thru diapers/clothing!
I'm interested in learning about the cloth ones tho, like I said before, I've never had the chance to use them before- we've always used disposable.

starryeyedtiger · Mar 2, 2007

Originally Posted by crittermom

DISPOSABLE diapers!!!! get some cloth ones for burping the baby though.In my experience, Huggies are NOT good for boys.Pampers and Luvs are good for both sexes though.

Luvs or Krikland (costco brand) for the disposables work best imo after years of working in a nursery/as a nanny. I have used every diaper in the book to diaper those babies and out of all of those, Luvs leak the least!

I hate Huggies- they didn't do a thing for the babies i watched. Parents Choice (walmart brand) is ok leak wise during the day but not for overnight. Pampers work well too but are just the same as Luvs in my opinion so it's cheaper to go with Luvs. For swimming- Little Swimmers are one of the few products out there- but they leak AWEFUL!!! I hate those things! We used to have a "water day" every friday at the last nursery i worked at where we'd turn the sprinklers on and douse the kiddos in sunscreen then let them play. Those little swimmers don't hold poo or pee well at all and leak sooo horribly. I'd rather put a kid in a disposable diaper and let it get soggy (at least they won't have poo running down their legs) and change them ASAP to prevent infection from the moisutre- or let them play in their birthday suite than to put them in a little swimmer. (on water days we'd change 20 kids a day out of those- they are aweful- they also don't have attachments- so you have to tear the sides off- don't like those! As far as pull ups go- if you use disposable- Get the ones tat velcrow on the sides and that they can pull up and down- those are sooooooo much easier for kids when they're potty training- also if they have an accident- you don't have to totally undress them to get them off eithor. As far as cloth diapers go- i have only had a few kids with parents that used them- Snazzipants (they ordered them over the net) seemed to work really well for cloth diapers

- cheap cloth ones are a nightmare though- i will never use those if i have kids. I would however consider Snazzipants as Sarah recommended- they do not leak at all with the covers over them

Tammy's right about the cloth diapers for burping- the REALLY think ones with the thick padding in the middle and thinner on the sides (you know- those white ones) worked the best with the babies i was around. (and leaked through your shirt the least) the thin burp wrags don't do a thing- especially when projectil vomit is involved

/ Don't skimp on thick cloth diapers for burp wrags- we used them 24/7 in the nursery i worked at and i also used them a lot as a private nanny. / When i have kids i will consider the snazzipants (only because i know those work well for cloth) for at home, and disposable for out of the house and overnight

ericanicole · Mar 8, 2007

I am officially in my 2nd trimester and feeling better. I am not as sleepy as I was before...not needing to sleep 11hours a day, and my all day sickness is less often and my breast are not as sore...they are huge but not as sore.

I am still emotional all the time and I just dont ever want dan to leave me home alone...I get so clingy and I miss him dearly when he is gone. I feel like whiny baby. My BM's are irregular (like u need 2 know that) and my guts are so botherd by it that I am tempted to drink some coffee cause it will help me "go"

oh you guys...this is just so new to me. I never expected all this. I just thought you get sick and pukey in the morning and then when your ready to deliver your back hurts and your feet/legs swell.

Boy was I wrong!
I am soooo over joyed! I had no idea how much love I could give a tiny person who isnt here yet! I even went to Babies R US and almost had a feak out cause I was totally in Heaven. I wanted EVERYTHING i saw!

My next appointment is 3/28 and I will be 16 weeks then...hopefully I will be able to set up my next ultrasound apt...hopefully that will be around week 18-19 and then I might be able to see the sex of the baby. Ive decided against having some genetic testing done. I might consider the AFP testing but honestly what good would it do for me and dan. we both know no matter what Pickle is a family memeber and we stand by what ever god gives us. The only thing the AFP test will do will help my prenatal care and give my co workers in the NICU a heads up on what might be coming their way. No wanting of an Amnio. I am not a high risk pregnancy so I am praying nothing pops up to warrent any concern.
Thanks for reading!

sarahp · Mar 8, 2007

Ohhhh man I'm so glad to hear the sickness gets better!!!!!! I know what you mean about BM's!!!! Argh!

My belly's constantly cramped and sore because of that. I bought some Metamucil, but the Metamucil has the opposite effect..

And I don't think it makes me feel all that much better.... I'll keep taking small doses daily though to help things along. It gives me plenty of time to read my baby books

Edit: Oh and I'm sooooo looking forward to our first trip to Babies R Us!!!!! I've already set up a baby shower account thingy there....

crittermom · Mar 8, 2007

Try some prune juice or the pitted prunes--snack isle.Aplle juice works to help get the "old plumbing" working.

ericanicole · Mar 8, 2007

Originally Posted by crittermom

Try some prune juice or the pitted prunes--snack isle.Aplle juice works to help get the "old plumbing" working.

hows the taste on prune juice...my mom drinks it to when she isnt regular...Im afraid it will taste icky. I mean I guess a glass really quick down my throat wont kill me but I am weird about tastes.

ahhh listen to me..I sound like a little kid who doesnt wanna take its medicine

goosehazel · Mar 8, 2007

I was a very cranky pregnant woman, just ask my husband

I hope I can help with my advice. I know a lot of the moms on here helped me quite a bit when I had questions. TCS...not just about cats, who knew

So I'm currently 8 weeks pregnant, due on October 12th, and this will be my first baby.
A few questions for other mums out there:
1. When did you "officially" announce your pregnancy to the world? I've told a few key people, but have seen an early scan and know there's a heartbeat and it all looks fine so far. Should I wait until 12 weeks just in case?
I was 5 weeks pregnant when we started telling people. We were just too darn excited

2. How long did you have off work after the baby was born if you were working in a job you enjoyed?
I enjoyed my job when I got pregnant. When I was about 6 months along I had to quit work because I was on modified bedrest for preterm labor. I stay at home with Brandon now and I love it.

3. What do we need furniture wise?? Our spare room has a queen sized bed in it and a bookcase and cupboard so we going to have to get rid of the bed and get baby stuff. What do we look for in a crib, changing table and so forth?
Just make sure the furniture is sturdy and that you have a really good mattress. The sales people should know what is best, and if you feel like they don't then go somewhere else. You should always feel confident in your purchases for your baby.

4. What about strollers and car seats? Any recommendations? Our neighbours have a snap and go which looks cool. The car seat snaps onto a frame to use as a stroller and can also just be carried. I like the idea of not having to disturb them too much if they fall asleep in the car...
Brent kept checking Consumer Reports for the best carseats, we have an Evenflo carseat and a Graco stroller. Both I love and work great.

5. Disposables or cloth? We're thinking of using cloth at home and disposables at night and when going out. Thoughts?
Disposables!! Brandon does great in Huggies and we put him in the overnight diapers at bedtime. That kid is definitely well hydrated

Any other advice would be very much appreciated!

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

Other advice... get a pediatrician early. Go on recommendations from others, if possible. You can have an interview with him/her now. When the baby's born, your pediatrician will be there to check the baby. And, don't hesitate to call about anything once the baby's born. Don't worry quietly, if you have concerns, always call the doctor... you promise me that now, O.K.?

I totally agree! Good peds are hard to find. My Mom works on O.B. and she and the other nurses were able to help us select a wonderful ped who was thankfully still taking patients. She spoke with us and we were able to ask all kinds of questions, it was very reassuring. I've called them at 2 in the morning before and everyone is so great...even in the middle of the night!

Originally Posted by sarahp

Ohhhh man I'm so glad to hear the sickness gets better!!!!!! I know what you mean about BM's!!!! Argh!

My belly's constantly cramped and sore because of that. I bought some Metamucil, but the Metamucil has the opposite effect..

And I don't think it makes me feel all that much better.... I'll keep taking small doses daily though to help things along. It gives me plenty of time to read my baby books

Edit: Oh and I'm sooooo looking forward to our first trip to Babies R Us!!!!! I've already set up a baby shower account thingy there....

Just wait till the heartburn comes. Hopefully you don't get it as bad as I do. I looked pretty funny drinking Maalox right out of the bottle. Thankfully my BMs weren't too bad. Drink plenty of water.

I can't wait to see what you pick out for the nursery. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions about anything. I'll be glad to help

lionessrampant · Mar 8, 2007

I was a cloth diaper baby...I like that idea better since disposables are ABSOLUTELY AWFUL for the environment...they're not biodegradable and have some nasty stuff in there. My mom has always been all about the cloth and I don't think we had any problems. I was 11 when my brother was born and don't remember any problems. We were, although, switched to disposable when we were crawling and the like. I think cloth became a problem then.

I don't really know about any other the other things. My mom told us about my brother in November and she had him mid-April.

I never had a binky, but I was a thumb-sucker. Which I didn't stop doing until I was...um...9.

catsallover · Mar 8, 2007

1. When did you "officially" announce your pregnancy to the world? I've told a few key people, but have seen an early scan and know there's a heartbeat and it all looks fine so far. Should I wait until 12 weeks just in case?

We told close family and friends first thing (we had been trying for 11 years, and wanted all the prayer we could get

).

2. How long did you have off work after the baby was born if you were working in a job you enjoyed?

Other than short bits of part time work, I've always been at home-sorry, can't help with this one

.

3. What do we need furniture wise?? Our spare room has a queen sized bed in it and a bookcase and cupboard so we going to have to get rid of the bed and get baby stuff. What do we look for in a crib, changing table and so forth?

We bought a regular dresser, mirror, wardrobe, nightstand and bed, and bought a matching crib (Broyhill's Fontana stuff- drove an 1 1/2 one way to get a price we could deal with, and brought it back in our truck

). We put a changing pad (the padded curved ones that go on a regular changing table) on the dresser, and the bed is put away until we need it.

Right now is a great time to check out the twice a year consignment sales! I went to one yesterday, and will be going to another one Saturday. Furniture, baby swings, the cutest clothes for pretty much pennies on the dollar for some stuff- especially the newborn clothes

. Do check out the recall lists (and maybe print them out before you go) if you want to look for swings, cribs and such. And you can usually find some of the cutest baby bedding, at a really good price!

Oh, and my sister got some of the rubbery-stiff feeling waterproof mattress protectors (they aren't fitted, they are just a crib sized sheet) and cut them up to fit the changing table pad- that was a wonderful idea!!! (trust me...

)

Oh, and make sure that any furniture you have (or get) can't be tipped over if a child climbed it, especially the front. You can get stuff to bolt it to the wall if you need to- my daughter's toy cabinet is bolted to the wall.

4. What about strollers and car seats? Any recommendations? Our neighbours have a snap and go which looks cool. The car seat snaps onto a frame to use as a stroller and can also just be carried. I like the idea of not having to disturb them too much if they fall asleep in the car...

I really liked our Graco with that base for that reason

. And the Graco's always seem to do well in the crash tests, they even passed the one that Consumer Report did that was too fast

.

Always buy a carseat new (including the base), as there is no guarantee that it hasn't been in a wreck, and they do have expiration dates on them.

5. Disposables or cloth? We're thinking of using cloth at home and disposables at night and when going out. Thoughts?

Our daughter was allergic to Pampers (so was her cousin, and I have met a couple of people who also had that problem with Pampers

). We used Luvs- didn't care for Huggies either. Do get enough disposables that you have the option of using them for a while, because you will be tired. If you want to use the cloth, great, but cut yourself a little slack to get used to having a baby in the house and your routine established- in other words, if you can either do a load of diapers or take a nap while the baby does- take a nap

.

Any other advice would be very much appreciated!

We loved our Pack'n'Play with the full length bassinet and the changing table accessory! We used that for several months instead of the changing table in her room. She took most of her naps in the bassinet. Oh, a travel swing- we had one, it was great! I would put her in it in the bathroom when I took a shower, we'd take it to the grandparents' house when we went over there for dinner, etc. I'll keep thinking- we have a similar thread going on my cf forum right now- LOL!

The pregnancy thread

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