The pregnancy thread

[alaynna]

I am 31 weeks pregnant right now and Due May 11th!! This is also my first pregnancy!!



1. When did you "officially" announce your pregnancy to the world? We told everyone after 4 weeks of being pregnant..lol..we couldn't wait!!

2. How long did you have off work after the baby was born if you were working in a job you enjoyed? I will probably take off about 12 weeks

3. What do we need furniture wise?? I got all of my furniture from Walmart...we have a crib, changing table, pack n play, bassinet, dresser...

4. What about strollers and car seats? Any recommendations?We registered for those things at babies r us

5. Disposables or cloth? definitely disposables!!

Congrats on your pregnancy...time will fly by, because I remember just like yesterday when I was 8 weeks along

 

[sarahp]

What about flying while pregnant? We need to leave the US to renew our work visas so we're going to Dublin. I'll be about 5 1/2 months pregnant at that stage. At what stage do they stop recommending flying, any idea?

I'll of course ask my ob/gyn, but if anyone has any tips, that'd be great

And do you reckon I could scam an upgrade for being preggers?

 

[alaynna]

I am not sure about flying your doctor will know...but if you are able to fly...I am sure you can say that you need more space and they can upgrade you to first class

 

[sneakymom]

1. When did you "officially" announce your pregnancy to the world?
I was pretty far along, I think I was 8 weeks both times. But my periods are so irregular to begin with, I had no clue that I was the first time around until about a month and a half in.


2. How long did you have off work after the baby was born if you were working in a job you enjoyed?
My experience. I had a VERY hard time getting pregnant. Over 2 years both times. I thought I was going to work, then I thought about it. I didn't want to miss anything due to the fact that I had no clue how many kids I was going to be able to have (I did wind up having 2) I decided to stay at home. Kind of difficult at times, and we did wind up watching what we were spending.
Just remember that you can always change your mind. If something doesn't seem to be working, you can try something else. Heck- when my youngest started 1st grade 3 years ago, I decided to go back to school to pursue a nursing degree!

3. What do we need furniture wise??
I had a crib, changing table (which I didn't use much) glider rocker (I use it now more than I did then) dresser (needed it, we don't have much room here)
The pack and play I didn't use very much either.
And another thing to consider, as the kids get older, the "stuff" gets more expensive. I have a teenager- trust me

4. What about strollers and car seats? Any recommendations?
I can't help you very much there, things have changed since my kids were babies. There's some really neat stuff out there! I love the stroller/carseat combo things. That would have been nice, I remember having to wake up a sleeping baby to do a stroller to carseat transfer. Not fun!
And we did disposables.

I never flew while I was pregnant. I did do 2 pretty long car trips. That was a pain. Dh doesn't stop for ANYTHING unless HE has to stop. I think the reccomendation is in your 3rd trimester

 

[wookie130]

Just my $0.02 on the diaper issue...you really could get away with using cloth diapers at home, if you don't mind all of that laundry. When I was an infant, I was allergic to disposables, and my mother had no choice but to call on a cloth diaper-service.

However, I would always keep at least 1-2 packages of disposables in your baby's current size for outings, car rides, etc. Disposables are not the most absorbant things in the world, although they are better than they used to be. Also, those cloth diapers are the best burp rags EVER. You'll find these things draped across your shoulder (or lap, or however you're positioning your baby for burping) almost constantly those first few weeks...otherwise it's guaranteed that you'll be wearing spit-up on a daily basis.

Just keep the disposables handy and carry 3 or 4 at all times in your diaper bag!

 

[missymotus]

Originally Posted by sarahp

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

Hi, this is Missy's sister, coming to chime in on the disposables/cloth debate.

It really pays to do your research on this matter, and the facts on disposables (health/environmental/cost) are really quite disturbing.

I use modern cloth nappies on my almost three year old, though he's now in undies at home during the day. Going out with cloth is just as easy as disposables, I just put the used nappies in a wet bag (waterproof, washable, reusable bag) and take them home to wash. Cloth is excellent at night and many many people find it outlasts disposables. I like to use a nappy made from bamboo as it's even more absorbant than hemp, with a hand-knitted 100% wool cover. We co-sleep and I don't have to worry about wet patches on the bed at all.

Here's one of the wool covers we use at night (it was custom made for us);



This is my son in one of his night nappies (without a cover), it's a mix of bamboo velour and hemp, and I boost it with bamboo towelling and you can see it's not bulky at all.



Modern cloth is easy to put on (fasten with hook & loop, snaps, or Snappi), there's no folding or pinning at all, unless of course you choose to use terry flats, which, with a good cover, make a very economical option.

And washing is so easy if you "dry pail" - used nappies (tip any poo into the toilet - something you are also supposed to do with disposables) go in an empty bucket with a lid for storage. They then get tossed into the washing machine with 1/4 -1/2 the amount of my usual washing powder, then hung on the line to dry. A bonus is that the sun kills bacteria and bleaches out stains! With a baby/child you will be doing so much washing anyway that you won't even notice another few items here and there.

Cloth nappies are economical as well, they can be used for multiple children, sold second-hand, and you can even make them yourself

There are many free patterns available online, this is one;



Many cloth nappies are made at home by mums, so by using cloth you can support Work At Home Mums. And modern cloth nappies are really cute and funky, cloth users often don't bother with pants as the nappies are too cute to hide.




This is actually great timing for such a discussion as Reusable Nappy week is coming up 19-25 March! See www.moderncloth.org for details. Clicking on "facts and figures" gives a quick run-down of some important information.

Some websites that are fun, interesting and informative are:

www.nappycino.com.au (Australian cloth chat board & info)
www.diaperdecisions.com (USA site, chat board & info)
www.mothering.com (cloth info & excellent natural parenting resource)
www.ozclothnappies.com (loads of helpful links)
www.ozebaby.com.au (sales of cloth nappies & other nifty things)
www.buyena.com.au (auction site)

When purchasing your stash you're probably better off buying a few different nappies and seeing which you like best, and which suit your baby best. It could be a rather expensive experiment to buy a couple of dozen of one brand and then find you have, for example, a skinny-thighed babe for whom side-snaps work better than the front snaps you may have bought.

 

[starryeyedtiger]

Originally Posted by missymotus

Hi, this is Missy's sister, coming to chime in on the disposables/cloth debate.

It really pays to do your research on this matter, and the facts on disposables (health/environmental/cost) are really quite disturbing.

I use modern cloth nappies on my almost three year old, though he's now in undies at home during the day. Going out with cloth is just as easy as disposables, I just put the used nappies in a wet bag (waterproof, washable, reusable bag) and take them home to wash. Cloth is excellent at night and many many people find it outlasts disposables. I like to use a nappy made from bamboo as it's even more absorbant than hemp, with a hand-knitted 100% wool cover. We co-sleep and I don't have to worry about wet patches on the bed at all.

Here's one of the wool covers we use at night (it was custom made for us);



This is my son in one of his night nappies (without a cover), it's a mix of bamboo velour and hemp, and I boost it with bamboo towelling and you can see it's not bulky at all.



Modern cloth is easy to put on (fasten with hook & loop, snaps, or Snappi), there's no folding or pinning at all, unless of course you choose to use terry flats, which, with a good cover, make a very economical option.

And washing is so easy if you "dry pail" - used nappies (tip any poo into the toilet - something you are also supposed to do with disposables) go in an empty bucket with a lid for storage. They then get tossed into the washing machine with 1/4 -1/2 the amount of my usual washing powder, then hung on the line to dry. A bonus is that the sun kills bacteria and bleaches out stains! With a baby/child you will be doing so much washing anyway that you won't even notice another few items here and there.

Cloth nappies are economical as well, they can be used for multiple children, sold second-hand, and you can even make them yourself

There are many free patterns available online, this is one;



Many cloth nappies are made at home by mums, so by using cloth you can support Work At Home Mums. And modern cloth nappies are really cute and funky, cloth users often don't bother with pants as the nappies are too cute to hide.




This is actually great timing for such a discussion as Reusable Nappy week is coming up 19-25 March! See www.moderncloth.org for details. Clicking on "facts and figures" gives a quick run-down of some important information.

Some websites that are fun, interesting and informative are:

www.nappycino.com.au (Australian cloth chat board & info)
www.diaperdecisions.com (USA site, chat board & info)
www.mothering.com (cloth info & excellent natural parenting resource)
www.ozclothnappies.com (loads of helpful links)
www.ozebaby.com.au (sales of cloth nappies & other nifty things)
www.buyena.com.au (auction site)

When purchasing your stash you're probably better off buying a few different nappies and seeing which you like best, and which suit your baby best. It could be a rather expensive experiment to buy a couple of dozen of one brand and then find you have, for example, a skinny-thighed babe for whom side-snaps work better than the front snaps you may have bought.

Great info!!! I will have to save that for when i have children!

 

[missymotus]

Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

Great info!!! I will have to save that for when i have children!

And that was the short version

 

[sarahp]

Wow, they're fantastic links, thanks so much for that!!

I think I'm going to get hemp prefolds, and the Bummis Super Whisper Wraps. That seems fairly easy and economical!

 

[swampwitch]

Originally Posted by sarahp

What about flying while pregnant?...)

Shouldn't be a problem, I think up until the last month or two.

Personally, I didn't want to be away from my doctors at the end.

 

[ericanicole]

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

Shouldn't be a problem, I think up until the last month or two.

Personally, I didn't want to be away from my doctors at the end.

Thats a big concern for me this summer. I'll be in my 3rd timester when all the fun summer vacations start... I know there are plenty of ways for me to have fun but being hours away from my doctor and my hospital worrys me.
I guess all those fun trips will have to wait.

Oh..My doctor called me early this week asking why my butt hasnt been in yet and I explained her office rescheduled me and she was like..Naa come in this day..Ive got time aside for you. I was like wonderful! I was very excited she was thinking about me!
So my 2nd prenatal visit was this thursday. I got to hear the heart beat (which was my 3rd time..working in the baby unit has it advantages

) and she told me everything looks greart. I only gained 1 pound

Ive been eating like I should have gained 10 pounds. Also I hade my quad screen blood test done. At first I wasnt sure I even wanted one...what was it going to change...we were still greatful and still going to have our baby. But she said she likes to have all her patients take the screen. I am starting to see my doctor really goes all out for her patients and likes to be on top of things. There are no risk factors on my end but maybe in the long run I will be thankfull for the screen.

My next visit is in 4 weeks and then a week after that I should have my ultrasound appointment which will be able to determine if Im having a boy or girl.

Im am dying to know...I hate surprises and this is like the ULTIMATE most specialist surprise EVER!!!!

 

[sarahp]

Wow, that's awesome! What a great ob

Good luck with the ultrasound - I bet you're counting down the days!!!

I'm at 11 weeks now and am finally getting my energy back and am able to start eating almost normally again! I've lost 11 pounds now in 11 weeks, so I imagine I'll start putting it back on again now - I haven't lost any more weight in a few days now.