I don't know if any of you other expectant mothers (and fathers) are stocking up on diapers when you find a good deal but I am. I found a good deal on Huggies Value packs on http://www.diapers.com

144 ct boxes of Huggies Snug N Dry Value packs are $32.99. If you buy two of the same size, you can apply code 2SAVE15 and save $15.00. You can also apply code BCEXPECT15 if this is your first order of diapers on diapers.com and get an additional $15.00 off

Here is what my order looked like:
Huggies Snug N Dry Value Packs 144 ct Size 2 $32.99
Huggies Snug N Dry Value Packs 144ct Size 2 $32.99
-$15.00 2SAVE15
-$15.00 BCEXPECT15
=$35.98 for 288 diapers and free Fedex 2 day shipping

Comes out to ~.12 a diaper.

7/12/2012 1:39:43 PM

Are you buying various brands? I know one of the things my grandmother told me from when she used to foster babies is that no brand seems to work on all babies.

7/13/2012 7:56:28 PM

So far I have Pampers, Huggies, Luvs, Seventh Generation and CVS brand

7/14/2012 5:11:54 PM

I decided to get Parents magazine to get some ideas for the kids I nanny for. If you go to parents.com/2yearsfree you can get 3 years of Parents magazine for 7.99. I thought maybe some of you would like this deal.

[Edited on July 14, 2012 at 9:16 PM. Reason : ]

7/14/2012 9:15:33 PM

k, hospital bag. all the checklists say to pack nightgowns. i HATE nightgowns & don't own any (i sleep in a tshirt & pj pants/capris/shorts). mom said i had to have nightgowns at the hospital bc the docs/nurses will want to check on things after baby is born & won't let me wear pants. what did/are you packing? should i buy a nightgown just for the hospital stay?

7/15/2012 10:38:03 PM

Well, you can always wear the hospital gown... Let's just say that the first time, I had pjs. The second time, I brought a gown and a robe.

Your mother is right, they're going to be doing quite a bit to you during your stay that is easier in a gown of some sort. For the first 12 hours after my C-section (both times), they kept me bottomless with a catheter, a bed pad under me and postpartum pad just wedged between my legs. Every couple of hours for a day or so, I had my belly massaged, flow examined and pads changed. I also had trouble getting pants up or down for the first few days. My poor husband had to go with me to the bathroom quite a few times. All that said, I did move to pj pants before my 4 day stay was over. But I did have to endure wriggling my pants down in the bed for the doctor or nurse whenever they wanted to check things out.

Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, if you have a vaginal birth, they may do a wee bit more with your genitals such as ice for swelling and checking tears or stitches. However, your hospital stay will probably be shorter so you might not have to deal with quite so much poking and prodding.

[Edited on July 15, 2012 at 11:22 PM. Reason : .]

7/15/2012 11:20:11 PM

Correct. I had a long t shirt night gown that I picked up from target, but I never wore it. It was easier for me to breastfeed wearing the hospital gown, so I didn't wear the gown I bought til i got home. Like bb, they came in and pushed on my belly and checked my flow often. They checked my peri stitches when the doc that delivered came around for her last rounds. it was easier to clean (they show you what to do once then you're doing it yourself for the next two weeks) and apply the ice packs wearing a gown. They also give you some very large mesh undies (actually really comfy) to help keep the ice pack in place.

I packed bedroom slippers, a going home outfit for me and babe, my pillow, nursing pillow/boppy, camera, laptop and my toiletries. Justin had more clothes packed than I did. He packed his toiletries, shorts, three shirts and a hoodie in case he got cold (he does easily). He also carried his sleeping bag to use on the chair that folded out in to a twin bed though they did have linens for that. Again...he gets cold easily.

And if you have a vaginal birth...take as many ice packs home as you can. Many many many.

[Edited on July 15, 2012 at 11:52 PM. Reason : ]

7/15/2012 11:51:25 PM

Yes, steal as much as you can from the hospital, the cold sprays, ice packs, those little pink buckets, everything.

And take advantage of the nurses as much as you can. I know you're excited to see your new child but let them watch him/her and get some sleep. You're not going to have a team of nurses in a few days.

7/16/2012 9:03:59 AM

i agree with that to a point. knowing that you want to breastfeed, having baby in room is really important so you can nurse as much as possible even if your newborn only stays at the breast for a few minutes at a time. ryan wanted to nurse every 30 minutes to an hr those first few days even if he just nursed for 5-10 minutes before falling asleep. however, i did send him to the nursery during the wee hours of the night (btw midnight and 5) so i could get some sleep with the stipulation to bring him back to me if he was hungry. during the day if i needed some ZZZs justin would tend to him, but he still stayed in the room with us.

7/16/2012 10:04:53 AM

I guess I'm the odd ball out but I didn't wear gowns. I wore pants and a nursing tank. I also had a csection and didn't push so they didn't really examine my lady parts after the birth but maybe twice. They could get to the stitches easy by pulling the pants down. I do agree it was hard to get them on and off, but that's what the hubby was there for. It'd probably be different if I'd had a vaginal birth.

I brought way to much in my hospital bag. Next time I'll bring two nightgown (or pants/tanks) and my toiletries, my bobby, maybe a book and that's it. I'm also not bringing the whole diaper bag like I did last time. Just his going home outfit.

I agree with taking stuff. ESP those mesh undies. If you end up with a csection (and I hope you don't) then take AS MANY AS YOU CAN! When I got home I found real undies rub the scar something awful and weren't as comfortable. I wished I had asked for more mesh panty packs at the hospital.

[Edited on July 16, 2012 at 10:36 AM. Reason : add]

7/16/2012 10:33:26 AM

b/c you think you're the odd ball out, and reading back on my post i see i didn't actually come out and say it, i just want to clarify that i did have a vaginal birth. the stitches i refer to are my perineum (i called em peri in my post b/c it was late and i couldn't remember how to spell perineum ) stitches...not belly stitches. so everything in my post is about the care of your lady bits post vaginal birth. much easier with a gown IMO.

7/16/2012 11:03:26 AM

+1 on the mesh panties. Also, TAKE POSTPARTUM PADS HOME! They look like maxi pads for elephants, but you're going to be doing some crazy bleeding at first and a normal pad might not cut it. Also, a very smart nurse showed me that I can take a postpartum pad, hold it against my incision, and pull my panties etc up. That way my incision was protected, didn't rub on anything, and didn't get blood and other yuck on my clothes.

Oh, and the one thing that I wish I had known when I had my first baby was that the baby was 100% mine. With my first child, I was almost afraid to even move him without permission from a nurse. I was afraid to change his clothes or his diaper or feed him without asking first. I was very timid about things and just went with whatever the nurses told me to do. The second time around, I knew better and it was a completely different experience. Way better.

[Edited on July 16, 2012 at 12:15 PM. Reason : .]

7/16/2012 12:10:54 PM

You could always sleep naked

7/16/2012 1:56:27 PM

thank you thank you thank you!! i finally had my 2nd appt with the UNC OB today & we went over labor/delivery & whatnot. i asked specifically about the gown vs pj pants thing too. she said whatever i was comfortable in is fine, just make sure i don't mind potentially staining whatever i bring to wear. mom of course hasn't had a baby since my brother, 27 years ago, so she had never heard of mesh underwear or them letting you wear pants lol. i think i will pack an old pair of pj pants as well as some black stretchy yoga type pants (black on recommendation of some folks in another forum), but plan on wearing/ruining the hospitals gowns.

so i'm supposed to wait until contractions are 5-6 mins apart, then drive the 1.5 hrs to UNC. this makes me nervous, but i'll just have to see what happens. she said if for some reason i maybe wake up with contractions 3 mins apart, then to go on to Nash, but give UNC a call to let them know what's up. if baby doesn't come before or when it's due, then they're scheduling an induction for a week after my due date.

Quote :

"You could always sleep naked "

i can't stand nightgowns (or dresses/skirts) bc i hate hate for my legs to touch, esp in bed. i'm weird. i'm also super hot-natured, so maybe that has something to do with it. if i do ever wear a dress or a skirt, i'm wearing biking shorts or some sort of shapewear underneath.

7/16/2012 5:47:39 PM

Yeah, it's tough to gauge. If it's your first I wouldn't worry too much about it. On our first our contractions jumped from 8 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart but she still didn't deliver until like 12 hours later.

The second one was an entirely different story though. If it's not your first I'd probably camp in the hospital parking lot.

7/16/2012 7:56:04 PM

Quote :

"so i'm supposed to wait until contractions are 5-6 mins apart, then drive the 1.5 hrs to UNC. this makes me nervous, but i'll just have to see what happens."

You'll be fine. My doctor and hospital were 2 hours away with my second child, but she was completely comfortable with me being so far away. She warned me that it may not be a comfortable drive, but completely doable because labor typically does not come on suddenly or progress quickly (especially when it's your first child). Even the one person who I know who popped her first kid out so quickly that there wasn't time for an epidural was still in labor/pushing for several hours.

[Edited on July 16, 2012 at 7:58 PM. Reason : .]

7/16/2012 7:58:16 PM

we found out today that we are having a boy.

7/16/2012 9:08:17 PM

My first was a 6 hr labor with 1 hr of pushing. I was already 3 cm dilated due to sporadic contractions the weeks prior, had a few contractions with no rhyme or reason to them, then my water broke at home. Things progressed quickly after that, but I didn't get so uncomfortable or demanding an epidural for another 3 hrs. You'll make it to UNC

Also...if you deliver vaginally the ice packs will double as post partum pads. After I ran out (like a week later bc I took a ton home) I was fine using super long maxis.

^w00t!! Congrats

[Edited on July 16, 2012 at 11:03 PM. Reason : L]

7/16/2012 10:59:51 PM

wow!!! elkaybie sounds like a story book movie pregnancy.

YAY!! I am finding boys are awesome, dubcaps. Joel always looks at me so lovingly and he is such a giggly little sweet sweet.

7/17/2012 10:24:28 AM

i'm not really too worried about not making it to UNC in time, just more about the potential discomfort, pain, & nausea for the ride up there. everything makes me nauseated, and the contractions i've had have made me want to puke very much. unfortunately i rarely actually puke, which would feel so much better. we discussed my nausea issues yesterday, including how phenergan does absolutely nothing for me at all & how morphine makes me puke my brains out for at least 2 weeks. they said i could take zofran on the way there & they'd give me more or something else once i got there. they also don't want me getting into too much pain bc they're worried about me tiring out bc of my MG. not really a whole lot i can do about that on my own in the car though.

i also mentioned to her how it seemed like all of my friends who've had babies recently have had the like day & a half - 2 day type labor & delivery process, & how i really really didn't want that. mom's labor with me, from start to finish, was about 5 hours. it was around 3.5 hrs with my brother. my paternal grandmother had my uncle on the steps of hospital. the doc said those all point to me being quicker than a lot of folks, but we'll never know til it happens of course.

[Edited on July 17, 2012 at 2:15 PM. Reason : ]

7/17/2012 2:12:12 PM

^^ complete with hubby dashing me down the hall in a wheelchair and then letting go so i fly in to a closet!

(no not really)

7/17/2012 4:19:52 PM

I'm terrified of labor. My mom was in labor for three days with me and two days with my sister. I know they say labor times aren't genetic but that doesn't keep me from wondering if I'll suffer for three days

Don't forget y'all that the big ass consignment sale is at the fairgrounds this weekend!

7/18/2012 9:30:32 AM

i'm not scared. i'm ready. i'm long past the point of GET THIS THING OUT OF ME REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT TAKES now, but i've also had my ribcage split in half for surgery (same as open-heart surgery), couldn't take pain meds besides tylenol, & i've been told that's way more painful.

7/18/2012 10:09:03 AM

So the nursery is just about complete. The crib, changing table and dresser are all set up in the room. We decorated the wall last night with decals we got from overstock.com

The crib/changing table/dresser also came from overstock.com.


Ava Complete 5 piece Nursery Set by BabyMod in Cherry. We got it for $289.99 a few weeks ago. Comes with the crib, changing table and dresser. It also has a toddler rail and changing pad.

Its made of New Zealand pine which can scratch easily but for the price, we are okay with it. My husband was able to put together the whole set in like 2 1/2 hours.

We registered for a dual-sided crib mattress and all the bedding essentials. Can't wait til I can put the finishing touches on the crib.


For the nursery wall, we went with these decals from overstock.com:


Put them on last night. Looks awesome. Was a little time consuming because we wanted to make sure that we got everything lined up perfectly.

[Edited on July 18, 2012 at 11:46 AM. Reason : f]

7/18/2012 11:45:09 AM

Every weekend I tell myself I'll paint the nursery and so far it hasn't happened.

7/18/2012 12:29:29 PM

Anatomy scan went well yesterday

Apparently the placenta is partially blocking the cervix though. Whomp whomp. The doctor wasn't too concerned about it and thinks the placenta will pull away from the cervix as my uterus grows. I hope he's right!

7/19/2012 8:53:56 AM

those of you who've gone into labor before, did you have any odd signs/symptoms in the days leading up to it? i've noticed a couple of new things here & there, but today it's like EVERY.SINGLE.FUCKING.THING. on me hurts. all my joints, my head, my carpal tunnel is a million times worse, & the nerve on my abdomen that's being stretched feels like fire/lightning/lava/acid & is killing me. the nerve thing has been going on for a good while, but i've not had pain this constant or at this level with it before. i'm just wondering if this could be a sign, or if i'm just having a shitty day.

7/23/2012 11:04:25 AM

i can't remember anything specific, but i was pretty uncomfortable in the end.

7/23/2012 2:28:15 PM

7/26/2012 7:48:39 PM

I keep clicking over here hoping one of you people has popped and I can see pictures.


I'm looking at you 73!

7/27/2012 8:55:17 AM

hahaha!! well i just went to the OB & they checked my cervix. 1cm & 90%. he said it could be any day now

i'm still hoping for an august baby though. we'll see...

7/27/2012 9:27:29 AM

so the count is at 4 baby showers...all in August/September

One is a shower from my job
One is a shower from my husband's job
One is a shower from my mom's neighbors
One is a shower from my best friend



[Edited on July 27, 2012 at 2:09 PM. Reason : f]

7/27/2012 2:08:34 PM

we had 3 i guess...

co-ed thrown by my wife's best friend
her extended family threw her one
her work threw her one.

Thankfully my work people didn't try anything like that

7/27/2012 7:21:49 PM

I'll be surprised if wolfpackgrrr has one beyond her work. All of her friends that are nice enough to throw a baby shower live out of state. I keep telling her she needs to make local friends that aren't lame.

7/27/2012 7:41:29 PM

I had none with both kids.

7/27/2012 9:49:13 PM

Anyone have any ideas for COLIC

Every night from about 6:30-10:45. The blood curdling screams are starting to get to me. I have tried everything.

7/27/2012 11:22:43 PM

feed more? gas-x?

7/27/2012 11:43:36 PM

Reflux? I'm convinced that most colic of old was really acid reflux. Both of my babies had it.

7/28/2012 1:35:00 AM

Poor forkgirl.

[Edited on July 28, 2012 at 5:56 AM. Reason : I, too, ganked stuff from the hospital.]

7/28/2012 5:44:30 AM

Agree reflux being the real colic culprit. Once we got Ryan on medicine all was well. Before that we tried titling his mattress. Also baby wearing helped.

7/28/2012 9:32:55 AM

it's really unfortunate that apparently THE dumbest people on the internet are found in the babycenter forums. i can't get over some of posts/statements/questions these girls have. i'm really worried about these people raising children.

7/28/2012 10:38:25 AM

Lol. Yeah. I pretty much stayed away. Might as well troll Yahoo questions.

7/28/2012 10:42:19 AM

i read them when i'm bored for entertainment. it's so damn ridiculous.

7/28/2012 10:44:51 AM

post an example!

Oh... has anyone gotten a hold of Paregoric? I hear it's good to use when baby is teething

7/28/2012 1:52:11 PM

well, right now it seems that at least half the august 2012 board is taking castor oil so that they shit their brains out for a couple of days & try to jump start labor

when i come across a good one, i'll post it

7/28/2012 3:05:56 PM

ok no laughing...I found holding upright in a steamy shower will make her stop crying. I cannot figure out how to mimic that not in the shower. Rain sounds do not work.....

Needless to say, I am going to end up being a prune.

FYI, I have tried:
Tummy drops
the bicycling stretch
colic hold + at least 309450395928 other holds
bouncy seat
music
burping
swing
carseat
stroller/walk


I have not tried the carseat on the dryer or the vacuum cleaner under the crib....(she does not currently sleep in a crib and I do not have one for her.)

I have pretty much read everything I can. There are apparently several kinds of colic (or ideas).
Gastrointestinal and over stimulation as pretty much the top few.

The biggiest issue is I get to the point where it is like...I suck as a mom because I cannot get my kid to stop crying. Although I will never shake my baby, I can see why someone might get to that point. I am surprised Samantha hasn't come down to figure out how I am killing my daughter (her screams are that loud).

7/28/2012 10:45:32 PM

se7entythree I have been thinking of you. I hope you are doing well. You are almost there!

7/28/2012 10:50:17 PM

maybe post in the parenting thread about it. You might get more traffic with potential answers/suggestions

And thanks! Yeah, I'm 38w 2d. I'm losing the plug now

[Edited on July 28, 2012 at 11:41 PM. Reason : ]

7/28/2012 11:40:29 PM

Quote :

"The biggiest issue is I get to the point where it is like...I suck as a mom because I cannot get my kid to stop crying. Although I will never shake my baby, I can see why someone might get to that point. I am surprised Samantha hasn't come down to figure out how I am killing my daughter (her screams are that loud)."

I understand the feeling. Madelyn's first couple of weeks were tough... I remember being up all night when I was on night duty with her crying the entire time. It is human instinct to get frustrated with the baby crying sound, and when you can't do anything to stop it, you get even more frustrated.

Just take a few huge, deep breaths, and try to relax (easier said than done i know)... Eventually the non-stop crying will end, even with colicky babies!






In our case, she was crying so much because she wasn't getting enough food... we did everything in our power to get her to latch on to breastfeed, but she never did. (went as far as taping small formula drip tubes to her nipples!)
once we said "fuck it" and started pumping and using a bottle, things were a lot better.

7/29/2012 7:11:30 AM

The water thing worked for our Amelia. Even at one year old, we can sometimes get her to stop her crying by putting her feet in the sink under running water.

I'm so sorry, forkgirl. It's so hard when your baby just won't stop crying. It's a helpless and frustrating feeling. Just know that it is ok to put your baby down somewhere safe and walk away for a few minutes. We're not super human and sometimes we need to regroup. It doesn't even have to be crying for too much noise to get to me. Sometimes my two are so loud that I feel like my head is just going to pop unless I get a few minutes of quiet. I'll either go take a shower or walk out to the mailbox to get a little peace.

7/29/2012 8:52:10 AM