OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

Hey ladies- Let's start this thread to share bits of advice, things we've found out in pregnancy, and interesting facts maybe from doctors and things to try and help one another, make us laugh, or whatever. I'm so newly preggo I can't think of anything right now but I'll work on it.

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

This is a great idea....

I'm newly pregnant too, not really any great advice as of yet, but wanted to bump this thread.

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

My advice- research EVERYTHING. So many health care professionals gave me false information that it was ridiculous. I found it much easier to look at things online (from credible sources) to make so many parenting decisions. And definitely look up circumcision. I was so uninformed about this procedure, I was shocked to see how little I knew when I researched it. I have links for a lot of info on breastfeeding, circumcision, if anyone wants it.

Message edited 8/21/2008 1:39:29 AM.

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

I never really had morning sickness..didnt throw up one time but felt naseous every now and then..the second I felt it coming on, I would pop open an ice cold sprite and it would go away immediately!

Ask your doctor if their policy is to shut off the epidural completely (if you intend to get one) when you are ready to push. I had NO IDEA that this is the practice of many hospitals and doctors and freaked out when it was time.

Dont believe everything you hear or read. I read so many things that I thought were going to happen to me. And in all honesty, I experienced very little of all of them. I was so scared...and in the end, I had a wonderful pregnancy but didnt fully enjoy it because I was so afraid of things that were "supposed to happen" and in the end, they never did.

Finally....ENJOY THE PREGNANCY! Everyone kept telling me that and I never fully listened or understood why..now that I am not pregnant anymore, I realize they were all right! It is an amazing time..treasure EVERY moment..it goes fast!

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

My advice is don't be too precious about anything.

And also women have been having babies for millions of years...before all this modern medicine, so just go with your feelings. Doctors don't know everything...you know yourself better than any doctor does...don't take anything too personally, eat what you want...women all over the world eat their native foods, so go ahead, indulge!

And, remember, once that baby comes, everything changes. No more sleep, no more free time, your husband will either turn into the worlds nicest man, or a TOTAL wanker.....don't worry so much about getting that baby out early, trust us mothers, get as much sleep as you can while waiting for that kid! Don't be afraid to ask for, or take help when its offered...

And enjoy...you are only pregnant for a short time, and those babies are only little for a short time!!!

Thats my advice.

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

My advice:

I agree with trying to enjoy the pregnancy. I read SO many posts on here about weight gain, and i posted one myself when i was pregnant..now I read them and get a little upset. If you are going to focus on weight you are not going to enjoy what is happening to you!! I got over my fear of gaining weight very quickly and was able to relax and enjoy it all. I am now working on losing it, and realize too that it'll take some time but can be done!

Someone mentioned circumcision....I have to say, I definitely wanted my son circumcised and would not change that as it is great now...however....i wish i had asked what kind of pain relief they would use. I didn't ever think to ask and i didn't know there were so many pain options out there! My poor baby bled during his...rare but happens and i was a WRECK. I cried for hours cause it looked bad and he was crying as well. I believe they only used a topical cream and wished they had given him a local anasthetic. Now 6 weeks later its a perfect circumcision and i know that a few hours after it was done he was fine but it was upsetting at the time. I wish i knew that its sometimes normal for them to bleed and to not freak out.

The only other good advice i can give right now is to just go out and relax as much as possible right now-eat your favorite foods, go catch movies etc...cause when the baby comes it really is a different world. A WONDERFUL different world, but can be challenging and tiring at times.

If it helps i'm already thinking about baby #2!! Lol...no time very soon, but it was such a wonderful experience that i can't wait to do it all again.

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

Listen to friends and family and read what's out there and then do what you want. Don't let anyone tell you what you should or should not do/eat. You need to do what you're comfortable with. You know your body best.

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

take all advice with a grain of salt....let people mouth off and then vent at home to a best friend/sister/DH.

Wintergreen helped my nasuea (pg or not PG related)

ginger ale and saltines.

give in to the cravings....it's your body telling you it needs something (even it is for cheez doodles and ice cream).

rest rest rest. Take a nap. put your feet up. enjoy a warm bath!

don't compare yourself or your PG (or your baby) to anyone elses'. We/They are all different and therefore comparisons can NOT be made. I had TOO many people telling me to eat when I wasn't hungry. The baby takes what it needs FIRST, then you get the sloppy seconds....so if you're ill, or the M/S is that bad...don't worry. Your baby is FINE. You're the one losing out (typical mommy trait....get used to it!). If you're hungry-EAT. If' you're not...don't worry about it!

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

Whatever works for you - a motto for when you're pregnant & when you have children.

Don't overestimate the power of hormones. They make you tear up or tear someone for no reason at all. Don't be too hard on yourself when your emotions are out of control.

Take a trip if you can - not because you won't be able to leave dc with someone & go on couple vacation. Do it because it's the last time you're going to away as a couple & not leave a piece of your heart at home.

Take pregnancy photos - even if you feel like a house. I still hate that I never took any because I was too wrapped up in being too huge. If you hate the photos, just don't show anyone. You may cherish them later.

Don't worry too much (easier said than done). It's out of your hands. It's up to biology or a higher being - whatever you believe.

Don't be too hard on DH. Being pregnant is tough on a relationship. Not only are your hormones making you into a mad woman, but you've just found out that NOW you're permanently tied to DH. DH may be calm & cool on the surface, but underneath he's worried about how to support his family - even if he's financially well off.

When you get that headache in the middle of the day, it's because you're dehyrdated or not sleeping enough. A 10 minute nap does wonders for it.

When your skin is itchy during the first trimester, it's because it's stretching. Use lotion.

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

This is kind of negative, but get used to feeling like public property. I'm not really close with any of my co-workers, but it's been interesting the way some of them want to tell me what to do/not do, eat/not eat, to the point of seeing me eat/drink something and be critical. It was hard at first because I'm a bit thin-skinned, but now I don't care because I am doing the best I can for myself.

Also, get used to people commenting on your appearance, for better or worse. I'm a teacher, and I don't mind it from my students (usually the girls tell me I look pretty anyway!) but I am also very self-conscious and hate when some of the adults make comments.

I've been lucky with nausea, but had a lot of weird food aversions. I think when you feel like that, you just have to go with your gut (no pun intended) and eat whatever you think you can eat, without worrying about the nutritional value. That's what prenatals are for, the queasies pass, and then you can concentrate on eating well.

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

Here are some links for all the preggos. I tried to find non-biased info.

Breastfeeding:
Direct link to LLL's FAQ's about bfing, alphabetized by subject:
http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/FAQSubject.html

American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.medem.com/search/article_display.cfm?path=n:&mstr=/ZZZJ535AH4C.html&soc=AAP&srch_typ=NAV_SERCH


Circumcision:
American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.medem.com/search/article_display.cfm?path=n:&mstr=/ZZZ6HG9QE8C.html&soc=AAP&srch_typ=NAV_SERCH


Care of the Uncircumcised Penis:
http://www.medem.com/search/article_display.cfm?path=\\TANQUERAY\M_ContentItem&mstr=/M_ContentItem/ZZZRNBDTODD.html&soc=AAP&srch_typ=NAV_SERCH

Several Articles from AAP and AMA:
http://www.medem.com/search/article_display.cfm?path=\\TANQUERAY\M_ContentItem&mstr=/M_ContentItem/ZZZN08UGI6D.html&soc=AAP&srch_typ=NAV_SERCH


CIrcumcision Video GRAPHIC
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6584757516627632617&q=circumcision&hl=en

Circumcision Information and Resource Pages:
http://www.cirp.org/pages/parents/FAQ/

Circumcision Reference Library:
http://www.cirp.org/library/

What Happens During a Circumcision:
http://www.cirp.org/library/procedure/plastibell/


This is another discussion board. This is a whole thread of women who regret circumcising. This helped me decide NOT to circumcise my son.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=112410

Message edited 10/22/2006 10:11:51 PM.

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

Don't stress about the ounce of feta that was on your salad at lunch or the three cups of coffee you had in one day. Everything in moderation is fine! (With the obvious exceptions of alcholol, cigs, etc.) Don't get so wrapped up in what you can and can't do....continue to live a healthy lifestyle.

As someone else mentioned, remember that although you are going through the physical part of pregnancy, DH is freaking out inside about supporting the family, etc. Many won't let onto it, but they are.

Make decision based on what you believe and not what others are doing. Don't want to do testing during your pregnancy, then don't do it. Want to get every possible test done...then go for it! What is best for you is not necessarily best for someone else.

Don't worry about money and how you will survive once baby comes. It works itself out! Even if money is tight now, realize that your lifestyle will change when baby comes and what you need to spend on formula, diapers, etc will present itself as the money you no longer spend for that cup of coffee on the way to work or the dry cleaning or that trip to Target because your bored.

Create a will. Even if it is just to name the guardians of your child. I bought the Suze Orman Will and Trust kit at Costo for like $15....you do it all yourself, print it out, get it notarized and then you are protected.

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

This is a GREAT thread! Keep it coming ...

Re: OFFICIAL- Help, advice, interesting facts thread

During Pregnancy....don't fret over what you are eating (even if it's supposedly bad for you). Go with your cravings and make yourself happy. Everything in moderation was the way I went.

Get use to people looking at your belly all the time (it still happens even though I gave birth already). People don't realize they do it, but it's very noticeable. Just maintain eye contact until they look you in your face.

Spend lots of time with your DH because you won't have any time to do so after the baby is here.

As much as you would like to know what giving birth is like/what a c-section feels like...realize everyones experience is different. I had a wonderful experience with my c-section and found it to be a breeze, but i know many women who have had issues with the c-section.

After They Are Here
One thing I was not to aware of is after the babies are here your day revolves around feedings, burpings, diapers and them sleeping. I did not realize how overwhelmed i would be with how much time my children take up of me. Even though i have twins, it was quite a shock to me and DH that we had to feed them every 3 hours. We were so caught up in the pregnancy and birth we didn't give much thought to after the birth.

Also, you will cry A LOT the first few weeks you are home. I heard that you did, but was not prepared at how much i did and why i did. You are so overwhelmed with this new life and happy at the same time, it would come on so suddenly for me. It's gotten better, but i still sometimes cry now.

Finally, you will not understand sleep deprivation and what it does to you until after you go through it. Me and DH heard all the stories about it, but now that we are living it, I can't begin to tell you how much of a different person you can become without enough sleep. I can honestly say that there have been nights that I have to walk out of the room before i lose it with one of my kids. I also have let them both cry hysterically because i got to the point i could not take it anymore. It does not make you a bad parent. You are a better one for stepping back and taking a breather (or nap) before taking care of them. Just realize that it sooner or later you will get some sleep.