Grrrrrr...I got my period.


lol...awesome page topper!

[Edited on November 11, 2011 at 9:48 AM. Reason : Hahahahaha]

11/11/2011 9:47:31 AM

i ordered that book that Pecky mentioned & started it yesterday. not too far in yet but so far no giant revelations. i did read in an article on cnn this morning that according to a british study, people have sex an average of 104 times over six months (~4x/week) before they get pregnant. i guess we need to get busy more often. jesus

11/11/2011 9:54:11 AM

One time, the first time, both times I got pregnant.

I used an ovulation test kit with my first pregnancy and the "cervical mucus" method the second time to figure out the appropriate time to have sex. Then I laid on my back for 15 minutes to half an hour afterwards and then a few weeks later, I got a positive pregnancy test.

11/11/2011 10:04:18 AM

i'm using an ovulation test kit this go-round. i keep trying to take my basal temp but frequently forget to do it before i get up/move.

11/11/2011 10:29:16 AM

^ Having sex at least every other day is one of the recommendations from that doctor But, if people are trying for a very long time it can obviously start to feel like a chore, and become business like

11/11/2011 11:28:10 AM

Not to belittle those that are having a difficult time, but sometimes I wish we had to do it enough to make it feel like a chore.

11/11/2011 1:42:15 PM

Anyone know where you can get Feungeek?

11/12/2011 10:27:58 AM

Try the Vitamin/herbal section at a Kroger, lowes food, or whole foods

I saw no real difference taking it, but a friend swore by it.

11/12/2011 6:17:40 PM

I figure it's worth a shot. I'm not getting but an ounce total when I pump - about 30 minutes to and hour after feeding. At that rate it's going to take forever to build a supply.

11/13/2011 9:26:56 AM

oh totally worth a shot! i was disappointed that it didn't work for me.

it took me a few weeks to get more than just an ounce after pumping (but even still that's normal). but even at this stage of nursing that's about all i get again (though i think this is more period related...it's like, "yay! he's sleeping through the night! boooooo, i got my period b/c of it...") it does take a bit to make a supply if you're pumping on top of nursing, but you'll get there. and of course when you are away from him, still pump and you'll really get a good amount to add to your stash.

bottombaby posted a great video about pumping a few pages back...that really helped me maximize my pumping session as well.

[Edited on November 13, 2011 at 9:51 AM. Reason : ]

11/13/2011 9:44:14 AM

Yeah, it didn't work for me either. Good luck, TE!

11/13/2011 2:53:04 PM

Rice cereal makes for one gassy baby! It's terrible imma try oatmeal and if that sucks skip straight to sweet potato. Poor kid is not happy

11/13/2011 9:53:10 PM

Has anyone here tried baby led weaning? Apparently this is what my grandmother did with all of her kids including the ones she fostered and it sounds really interesting to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby-led_weaning

11/13/2011 10:05:32 PM

We did. Silas required feeding therapy because he spent time on an NG tube and then had several surgeries to repair his cleft lip and palate. The method that the feeding therapist used was basically baby-led weaning. Most of the nutrition comes from the bottle/cup and the solid foods are just "practice." Rather than spoon feeding baby foods to Silas, we waited until he was old enough to start self feeding and then introduced a variety of table food for him to explore. The most valuable thing that I learned from baby-led weaning and feeding therapy was to discard the notion that "babies don't eat that." If he wanted to try it, I let him. That's how I ended up with a 3 year old who likes to eat salsa and raw spinach.

11/13/2011 10:51:16 PM

I can't wait to be a dad... I do have a question... everyone keeps asking if I want a boy or girl, and i honestly don't care if it's a boy or girl... I just want a healthy baby... people seem to not be able to accept that mindset! it's like i HAVE to want one or the other. Other people go through this?

11/14/2011 8:15:51 AM

Yes. And the fact that we didn't find out the sex added to folks' concern that there was no real "preference"..."what do you mean you don't care? What!? You're not finding out either?!"

I did always "feel" like I was carrying a boy though.

11/14/2011 9:21:44 AM

we don't plan on finding out (one day) either. even as a little kid i'd always imagined that i'd find out the day of the birth. that just seems how it's supposed to be, to me. also, we don't want to get shit tons of blue or especially pink stuff. we hate pink. i'm not into engendering my child so early on.

11/14/2011 11:36:48 AM

A couple years ago I was buying clothes for a baby shower of a girl baby and it was SO HARD to find baby girl clothes that weren't some variation of pink. It was really annoying. I ended up finding a cute fleece dress in blue, some gender neutral onesies, and a purple sleep sack which worked out well since the baby's name was Violet. But seriously, it shouldn't be that hard to find girl clothes in colors other than pink. I wonder if it's gotten any better over the years.

11/14/2011 11:43:02 AM

we've bought some for our niece (born july 5) and friends' daughter (just turned 2). target had a line of baby clothes that came in little square boxes that they don't carry anymore. that stuff came in brown, green, etc. we found a cream colored dress, orange & blue plaid top, & jean shorts for our niece at babies r us.

11/14/2011 11:53:44 AM

Speaking of baby clothes, if anyone ever needs a baby shower gift that looks like you spent a lot more than you did, the Carter's outlet in the sad, sad Morrisville Outlet Mall is great for that. They always have a clearance rack in the back that has cute stuff. I had to go there two weeks ago for a baby shower gift and got about $100 worth of clothes for $20.

11/14/2011 12:59:15 PM

Total Eclipse- I spent 6 weeks trying to nurse and gave up. I ended up pumping for 8 months and was successful with that. (At one point I had 9 gallons of milk frozen)

I was so frustrated and then at one point I realized the end goal is for the baby to be fed and I wasn't a failure because he was getting fed. Sure other people judge (ie my Mother in Law), but do what is right for you and your baby. I hope it is getting easier and I understand how completely frustrating it can be.

11/14/2011 4:42:36 PM

ahhhh i have no one to talk to about this.

okay so i FINALLY got a positive ovulation test (today at lunchtime). it's day 17 now i think. so i'm hoping that's why we weren't getting pregnant before. i'm so excited. i was worried i wasn't ovulating right or something bc i've had a few cysts before (the kind that resolve on their own, although i saw the doc for the first one i ever got). so excited!

i read that book & started charting 5 days ago. my temp was 97.6 for 3 mornings, then yesterday dropped to 97.2, then this morning was only up to 97.6 again. i was a little let down, but i've read i should trust the test over the temp thing so i'm going with that. cervical fluid matches up though.

sorry, tmi

[Edited on November 15, 2011 at 2:58 PM. Reason : wrong smiley]

11/15/2011 2:58:31 PM

I found it hard to find girl clothes that weren't pink, too. I stocked up on green and grey onesies. However, I've learned to appreciate pink and girly clothes....I've had several people tell me that my little girl looks like a boy and has even been referred to as a boy (even though she was wearing pink - and a hair bow!).

But most little girl shoes are ridiculous! (Twinkle toes anybody?) Little boy shoes are so much more practical...I just bought these for Celia:





[Edited on November 15, 2011 at 3:24 PM. Reason : n]

11/15/2011 3:24:03 PM

^^that's great!! good luck

11/15/2011 4:30:01 PM

I ordered some more swaddle me blankets today. We had one and it's been a life saver. Little man sleeps so much better in a full swaddle but no matter how hard I try to wrap him in a receiving blanket he works his arms out - with these he can't.

11/15/2011 5:17:20 PM

Yessssss. We love the swaddle me too. Got a fleece one for the really chilly nights.

11/15/2011 6:48:49 PM

^^^^ Congrats, that's awesome! I found charting to be extremely helpful and got really confused with the tests. The one month I used them, I surged twice and ended up not getting pregnant. I was recovering from a miscarriage though, so my cycle was wonky.

I loved obsessing over other peoples' charts while I was TTC - this one was mine from my 2nd child (3rd pregnancy). http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/1f1e7e I got a BFP really early. It ended up being twins, but I lost one in the 1st trimester... they were fraternal so I ovulated twice and probably not at the same time.

Smath - Congrats! I'm with you on wanting the healthy child! My husband and I didn't have gender expectations with either of the kids and were totally thrilled to get two boys. It seems weird to me that someone would wish for one over the other... what happens if you get your second choice, are you disappointed? You know?

11/17/2011 12:16:03 AM

thanks! I know it's not like this is china where everyone hopes to have a male child!

[Edited on November 17, 2011 at 7:44 AM. Reason : either way my kids are playing football and wrestling so it doesn't matter!]

11/17/2011 7:44:30 AM

I GAVE THAT B*** A SMILEY PREGNANCY

B****ES LOVE SMILEYS PREGNANCIES

11/17/2011 7:46:29 AM

i don't really understand my temps. i've only been charting them for the past 6 days (incl today), but they don't make sense. this could be bc i wake up several times early in the morning before the alarm goes off (VERY light sleeper, husband moves around a lot), or a crappy thermometer, or who knows what. i don't wake up enough to think to take my temp when i'm woken up briefly at like 4am, 430, 5, etc., so i take my temp when the alarm goes off the first time at 650. anyway, my temps have been:
12th---13th---14th---15th----------------16th---17th
97.6---97.6---97.2---97.6 (positive OPK)---97.6---97.8

i'm going to keep charting them, but should i just not place too much faith in these readings?

11/17/2011 9:42:08 AM

^^whoa...are you expecting too??

11/17/2011 10:31:28 AM

Personally, I don't think you should place much faith in them.

11/17/2011 6:28:18 PM

Beware this is a vent...

I get really tired of people criticizing my parenting choices - either outright or with backhanded comments. My husband and I went out last night. We were gone a total of 4 hours. I had milk pumped and he stayed with his grandparents. I had someone make a backhanded comment when I told them I was going out about how that was way earlier then most people they know. I also had someone tell me that I needed to cover my carseat when I went by my job because the baby could get sick. When I refused to do so (I didn't let anyone touch him, and my child gets hot... so covering the car seat would have made him really hot), she said "Who's the adult here?" and "What are you going to do when he catches a cold?".

I don't question other parents choices for their child (unless they are just ridiculous) so I really hate it when people judge mine. I birthed this child, spend 24/7 with him, and so therefore I think I know what he needs better then you.

Sorry for the vent... it's just super frusterating.

11/20/2011 3:54:09 PM

Tell them to piss off. Seriously.

Everyone needs a break, especially those who are still in the "new parents" category. If you have the opportunity to have someone you're comfortable with take over for a few hours then you damn well better take it.

As for the car seat thing, well I guess it's nice that they want children raised in a bubble and it's true that a child's immune system doesn't really get moving for a few months but treating your baby like it's the bubble boy isn't going to do him any favors (unless there's a known immune issue, in which case by all means bubble away). Plus at 4 months your child's on his way to a decently running immune system.

And if he got a cold what does this person think you'd do? You'd give the kid some baby meds and take care of him until he got better. It's not rocket science.

Again, tell them to piss off.

11/20/2011 4:03:44 PM

^+1 x 1,000,000

Go out and enjoy yourself whenever you get the opportunity because the opportunities will be far and few between. Honestly, the younger they are, the less they're going to miss you. As long as you have someone loving and attentive to take care of them, fuck the naysayers.

Tim is so right. Don't raise your kids in a bubble if you don't have to. Before I knew that I spit out kids an immune deficiency, I would have rolled my baby around in the dirt without a coat on and handed them to a group of strangers to play hot potato. A typically developing, healthy infant wasn't mean to be raised in a vacuum.

Just smile and say thank you for the advice and mutter "nosey bitch" as you walk away.

11/20/2011 4:24:25 PM

I am so taking advantage of the fact he has 3 sets of grandparents within a 30 mile radius that want to watch him.

Don't get me wrong. I love being at home with him. In fact our original plan was for me to be a SAHM.... until we did our budget and realized it's not feasible at this point. However, after being with him all week and spending very little time with my husband it was nice to have the time out. It was REALLY nice to be able to eat a meal at the same time without having to worry about a crying baby.

I could care less what they think - but I wish they'd keep their damn mouths shut.

11/20/2011 4:51:25 PM

I agree with everything that's been posted since your vent. Good for you for getting out! I hope you and your hubby had fun

11/20/2011 4:59:21 PM

73: The thing about the temps is that you're looking for trends. It's hard to see what's going on until you've got 10 or 15 readings, and you'll get a much fuller picture once you have a whole cycle completed. I remember being frustrated with the slight changes in temps too... thinking it was all crap and there was no trend going on. The key to taking temps is to take it at roughly the same time every morning, and to take it after you've been still at least 4 hours. For me, I set an alarm for 6 am. Whether or not I had to be up that early, I'd pop the thermometer in my mouth, get the reading, and go back to sleep. My thermometer had a memory so I didn't have to record the reading to my chart until I was up and about. Other key is to use a basal body thermometer. You can get them anywhere, and they give you a more specific reading, like 97.23 instead of 97.2. Temps fluctuate so slightly that it's hard to tell what's going on if you get 97.2 every single day for a week. With the BBT, if you see it slowly creeping up or down, like 97.23, 97.30, 97.35 - then you can infer that you're on your way up into the luteal phase of your cycle. If you start temping on CD1 of your cycle and you see fairly stable temps and then a sudden dip mid-cycle, you can assume that was your ovulation day. Especially if you see a spike in temp afterward. BBT drops when you throw an egg. If you are also checking cervical position, using the ovulation kits and those two things also check out, you can be assured that's what happened. So basically, follow the trends and prepare accordingly Also, check that chart link I posted earlier - you can see I had a TON of fluctuation in temps, but there's a basic trend if you look at the whole thing.

I know it's super unromantic to do it this way and husbands are really resistant to the science process - it puts them on the spot when you yell "oh shit, I'm ovulating, let's go!" But if you've been trying for awhile with no luck, it's a good way to be more accurate. Also, this method can be used for birth control too. Charting continuously helps you understand your body and anticipate ovulation, so you can avoid those few days and the risk of getting pregnant. I don't trust it personally, but some people do it this way and have success. So I get it, it sounds like voodoo, but stick with it for at least a full cycle. It takes just a little extra effort and it's SO much cheaper than those ovulation kits!

TE: About the unsolicited advice - get used to it! Being a parent is the most shared human condition, everyone does it differently, and all of those people think they are the expert. Bold people think they need to correct your "mistakes", especially when you are a new parent. Drove me bananas. I live in the retirement capital of NC (Hendersonville), so it seems like whenever I go out with my kids, another old person is telling me how I'm doing it wrong. And when I breastfed in public (discreetly, mind you), I'd get a lot of disapproving looks because the eldest generation didn't breastfeed - formula was considered superior back then). And don't get me started on the opinions of family members... ugh. I usually prepare a snarky remark or smile, nod, and keep going. One thing I've learned in my short parenting career is that there are a lot of different ways to raise a kid, most of them are acceptable, and we're all doing the best we can, myself included. So I let unsolicited comments slide... because there's no shortage of them around these parts.

11/22/2011 6:14:24 PM

i am using a basal body thermometer. i'm using .x because that's how it is on the charts. my temp this morning for example was actually 98.34. the book said not all women experience a drop in temp when the egg is released. my temps have gone like this: 97.6, 97.6, 97.6, 97.2, 97.6, 97.8*, 98.3, 98.2, 98.4, 98.3. i had a positive ovulation test on the * day. i screwed up the first paper chart so i rewrote it & fixed it last weekend. my coverline is 97.9 so i just hope to keep seeing these 98+ temps.

i've been taking it about the same time, around 7-715. the problem here is that i get woken up a bajillion times throughout the night, & sometimes not all the way up, so i never really know if i've been asleep & still for 4 hours. i'm going to keep taking my temp, but i'm not gonna trust it much. the ovulation kit i've been using is 1st response, has like 20 or so tests, & was $35. idk how much the 7 or so test kits are.

i really did enjoy the book though. thanks for suggesting it. learned a few things. we bought specula to monitor my cervix too.

[Edited on November 22, 2011 at 6:46 PM. Reason : ]

11/22/2011 6:45:06 PM

Oh good, I'm glad you enjoyed the book! I was feeling bad about the idea that I made you waste money on a hokey book. It helped me understand the whole process a lot better and my experiences were always textbook - my positive charts were triphasic, I ovulated on day 14, etc.

Your temps sound really promising actually! Your coverline is high, but I'm guessing that's because you got a positive with a higher temp. If you are still above the coverline after 10 or 12 days, test! That's a pretty good indication you're having a progesterone surge, which indicates pregnancy. Good luck!

11/22/2011 10:30:46 PM

oh, no don't feel bad at all!!! i'm really glad i read the book. one day i'll make my daughter read it, if i have one.

11/23/2011 7:07:19 AM

Quote :

"When I refused to do so (I didn't let anyone touch him, and my child gets hot... so covering the car seat would have made him really hot), she said "Who's the adult here?" and "What are you going to do when he catches a cold?". "

Tell the retard that colds are viruses and you don't catch them because you're cold. Laugh at them and point.

11/23/2011 11:24:36 AM

okay folks i can join your club now!! it's still early (5 weeks) but i'm so excited i can't contain myself. i will be followed at UNC for monthly OB & myasthenia doc appointments, & they want me to deliver there also. my first prenatal appt is at my local office, just to talk about vitamins, nutrition, whatever else. my local OB had me come in last wed & fri for beta hcg tests to make sure the level was doubling in 48 hours (autoimmune disease, body might some how attack the embryo, SOP for this office & autoimmune). wed was 209 & fri was 599. so we're good to go!!

12/5/2011 6:46:42 PM

HOORAY!

I've been waiting for you to share with everyone else.



Welcome to our club!

12/5/2011 6:59:11 PM

Yay!!!!! Congratulations

12/5/2011 8:45:05 PM

^^ Who's your OB at UNC? We had Strauss, who was great because he has a solid "Just the facts ma'am" nature about him and he's very anti-alarmist about whatever thing the press is saying is bad for babies that month.

Also, he's kinda free with the ultrasounds. One plus of the high-risk pregnancy clinic there is that they ultrasound monthly and if you ask nicely you can get printouts without fussing with the UNC-CD from the big ultrasound machines.

12/5/2011 8:47:20 PM

Don't know yet, I haven't been. My first appt at UNC isn't until the 16th.

Thanks for the congrats everybody!

12/5/2011 8:53:17 PM

congratulations!

12/5/2011 10:13:32 PM

Congrats!!

12/5/2011 10:14:16 PM

congrats!

We found out today we are having a little girl!!! I'm so excited!

12/5/2011 10:28:59 PM