Choosing a Baby Formula

Bella Dea wrote:

Don't get me started....

Some days I am totally ok with labor. I am like "yeah, I can do this, it can't be THAT bad, millions of women do it every day and some more than once!" Then other days, I am like "oh god, I can't, I can't, I can't do this...."

I so remember that...

A couple of months before sozlet was born there was some kind of a flood somewhere (I forget details, sorry), and a woman gave birth up in a tree, where she'd been stranded. She and baby were both fine. Whenever I got freaked out I'd think about that. ("A tree! Up in a ******* tree! If she can do it in a tree, I can do it in a ******* hospital...")

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Eva wrote:

Have you started Lamaze classes yet?

No.....

They are really expensive here to take and there aren't any free ones offered in my area. So...I am going to just do it.

And hope that my pain meds work and that the nurses there can coach me through it.

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Bella Dea wrote:

No.....

They are really expensive here to take and there aren't any free ones offered in my area. So...I am going to just do it.

And hope that my pain meds work and that the nurses there can coach me through it.

I think Lamaze classes help some women, but most I have talked to - including myself - nooot really. The best thing that came out my Lamaze classes were a couple of good friendships, that was it.

What did help was having my doula massage my feet and back, hand me ice chips to suck on & whatnot.

Have you thought of hiring a doula, Bella Dea? Not too many people do it, and it may just be a California thing - but I found mine very, very, very helpful and would highly recommend having one.

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Bella -- my first marriage remained childless primarily because of my phobia of facing labor and delivery. As it turned out, that was a good thing.

Mr B told me from the beginning how much he loves babies and how much he wanted to be a father <gulp>.

The pregnancy part was fine and, as long as I didn't think past today, I was fine too. By the time I was 8.5 months pregnant I waffled back and forth between being mighty fed up with being pregnant and somewhat nervous about what was to come. Someone once told me that god made pregnancy last nine months for a reason. By the time it's over you're willing to go through ANYTHING to have it done with.

One night, I pushed my incredibly large self up from the chair to head upstairs to bed. On the way, I looked at Mr B and told him that I'd had it and couldn't wait for my pregnancy to be over. I went into labor a couple hours later. A similar thing happened the second time. I went into labor just about the time I was DONE with playing the pregnancy game.

I will say though that even if you use pain meds, it will be a lot easier if you've taken a birthing class. Does your ob group offer anything?

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_Heatwave_ wrote:

I think Lamaze classes help some women, but most I have talked to - including myself - nooot really. The best thing that came out my Lamaze classes were a couple of good friendships, that was it.

hmmm, I was truly terrified of labor and delivery. I know that the Lamaze made all the difference in the world for me.

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Interesting. I think I never really dwelled on the labor part - thinking that I'd deal with it when it happened. Just as you will - once it starts, it'll roll right along and you'll be done before you know it.

I know that for tons of women labor is like the worst thing ever. My own experience wasn't really half bad. I wish I'd had a lot more rest prior to going into labor (I was exhausted) - but really, the rest of it, especially after the epidural kicked in - was really not bad at all.

Hang in there.

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I never took any classes pre or post birth...

My theory was that: if millions of woman managed before me, so will I!
And that was just how it went!

I had a great midwife, though!
She, I and my husband brought our son into this world!

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Even as terrified as I was, I ended up delivering naturally. MIL is a professor of midwifery and was aghast that I was using an OB <shrug>. I decided early on to give natural delivery a try (primarily to keep peace in the family) and fully expected to cave and ask for an epidural. It turned out that my lifelong phobia of labor and delivery was whooey. Everything went fine and by the time I started thinking about asking for meds it was too late and was over with within minutes. I also spoke clearly with my OB beforehand about my desire to avoid an episiotomy. That worked out fine too.

Bella -- I'm far from being an idealist on the whole pregnancy, labor, and delivery thing. But it's really not that bad. If it was, we would all have one and only one child. Good communication with your OB before and during your labor will make all the difference in the world.

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Well, that's kinda how I look at it JPB...It can't be THAT bad.....ain't gonna be no garden party but I am tough. I can do it. Very Happy

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Childbirth classes made all the difference for me. I needed to know what to expect. I was a few months away from my 40th birthday and sure I'd have a C-section. All the older first-time mothers I knew had. And I was fine with that. I'd had abdominal surgery before (appendectomy.) I knew I could handle that. It was labor & delivery I wasn't so sure about! As it turned out, though, everything went normally and no C-section was necessary.

My childbirth instructor was there as coach. She was fabulous. She knew exactly how to circumvent hospital protocol on my behalf. She knew when to suggest an epidural so it wouldn't slow down labor, how to keep them from doing a routine episiotomy, etc. She talked them into monitoring me five minutes out of every half-hour so I could move around instead of being tied down on my back. Oh, all sorts of things...

Thanks to the classes, I went to the hospital knowing exactly what to expect. That was a great comfort.

If you can't manage classes, at least find a childbirth coach. Look for someone with a lot of experience. Ask your OB...the doctor will recommend someone he knows he can work with.

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JPB wrote:

...Good communication with your OB before and during your labor will make all the difference in the world.

Your OB was there during your labor? WOW! Mine popped his head in the door once ("How many centimeters? 8? Call me at 10.") then breezed in just in time to slide his hands into the latex gloves the nurses were holding open for him and deliver the baby. I was very surprised. He'd told me he'd "be there with me all the way." HA!!!

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Breastfeeding & thyroid meds
Hi... I saw your post about thyroid medications and I wanted to reply. I've had Grave's disease for 12 or so years now. I recently had a baby, and I am breastfeeding. Both my OBGYN and my Endocrinologist say that it's totally fine to breastfeed with thyroid medications. During my pregnancy, they monitored and adjusted my thyroid med levels and since delivery, I have to get retested so they can make any adjustments. I know you have other reasons for not wanting to breastfeed, but I'd check with an endocrinologist if you are really worried about the meds in your breastmilk.

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Eva wrote:

Thanks to the classes, I went to the hospital knowing exactly what to expect. That was a great comfort.

That was the biggest thing for me, too. Plus knowing what was going on and what to expect BEFORE I got to the hospital -- my childbirth classes dealt with that, too. (Mucus plug, all that fun stuff.)

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Re: Breastfeeding & thyroid meds

mariahmom wrote:

Hi... I saw your post about thyroid medications and I wanted to reply. I've had Grave's disease for 12 or so years now. I recently had a baby, and I am breastfeeding. Both my OBGYN and my Endocrinologist say that it's totally fine to breastfeed with thyroid medications. During my pregnancy, they monitored and adjusted my thyroid med levels and since delivery, I have to get retested so they can make any adjustments. I know you have other reasons for not wanting to breastfeed, but I'd check with an endocrinologist if you are really worried about the meds in your breastmilk.

I too have Graves and while "they" (endo, ob, researchers) say it's ok, I can't shake the feeling that any amount of thyroid meds passed on to a healthy baby is not good.

"They" say it's not a lot. "They" say it doesn't effect a baby, but a body and a thyroid that tiny...I just don't buy it.

I am glad you were able to breastfeed and felt ok about it. But just before I got pregnant, I had JUST gotten stable. Who knows how my thyroid is going to react post pregnancy. I might have to be upped on a dosage again.

No... I don't feel comfortable even taking Tylenol right now, which every doctor on the planet says its ok to take during pregnancy...I sure don't feel ok about feeding my baby thyroid meds.

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Eva wrote:

JPB wrote:
...Good communication with your OB before and during your labor will make all the difference in the world.

Your OB was there during your labor? WOW! Mine popped his head in the door once ("How many centimeters? 8? Call me at 10.") then breezed in just in time to slide his hands into the latex gloves the nurses were holding open for him and deliver the baby. I was very surprised. He'd told me he'd "be there with me all the way." HA!!!

Yeah, I was pretty lucky with that. I used a group that included 5 OBs. You got whichever one was on call when you went into labor. I lucked out big time with K, getting the one that was known for working with first-time deliveries. The second one was much less available, but the nurses told me to make sure I told him exactly what my expectation were as he was known for doing things his way. I took their advice and, although the sweat popped out on his forehead, we did it my way.

Agree completely with the idea of a birthing coach if classes aren't an option. Simply having someone who knows what's going on and is there full-time for you during the delivery is a big benefit (Mr Bella doesn't count unless he's taking classes with you). Mr B took Lamaze classes with me, but he mostly ate all the cookies I'd packed and talked on the phone. When I went into labor the second time he requested that I pack the same kind of cookies in my hospital bag.

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I went to the classes and for me thought they were a waste of time. It was much too touchy feely for me. What took 6 or so classes could have been read in a pamphlet or discussed with my midwife/OB. The one thing that was helpful was the "field trip" to the hospital so you knew where to go and knew what to expect during all aspects. Maybe you could see if they offer some sort of tour or something for expectant mothers.

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Linkat wrote:

I went to the classes and for me thought they were a waste of time. It was much too touchy feely for me. What took 6 or so classes could have been read in a pamphlet or discussed with my midwife/OB. The one thing that was helpful was the "field trip" to the hospital so you knew where to go and knew what to expect during all aspects. Maybe you could see if they offer some sort of tour or something for expectant mothers.

Yeah I just pre-registered so now is the field trip.

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Yeah, JPB, most husbands try, but they are not that helpful during labor. As one of my best friends said in her delivery room, "Hell, he doesn't know as much about this as I do! If he tells me what to do one more time, I'm gonna get up outta this bed and smack him!" Laughing

My hubby had just gone through major surgery a few weeks before, so he was not up to hours and hours of anything. He slept in a chair in the corner of the room most of the time. (I went into labor at midnight, naturally.) Honestly, he did his best. It just wasn't...enough. But he was there and saw our son being born. He even cut the cord. (He still feels kinda weird about that. As he says, "All these doctors and nurses standing around...I thought, surely there's somebody here more qualified to do this!" Later he asked the doctor if we'd get a discount since he did part of the work. The doctor was not amused.)

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