*Baby Corner*

[Anna C. 4]

@ mommy2b: I have the bornfree bottles. they are completely BPA and phtalate free and work with Medela breastpumps which are also completely BPA free. The Avent Isis itself is BPA free, just their bottles aren't. They are planning to stop using it in the next year or so.

Full list of BPA free bottles and sippy cups: http://safemama.com/2007/11/22/bpa-free-bo...up-cheat-sheet/

BPA free teethers and pacifiers: http://safemama.com/2008/01/04/bpa-free-pa...rs-cheat-sheet/

@ Eveline: I hope you go into labor today

Somebody mentioned Cervidil... It's a prostaglandine, but they usually don't want to give it to VBAC birthers as it can cause hyperstimulation of the uterus... Oh and there are providers that let you have a breech babies - most free standing midwives do that, just obgyns here won't (though there are progressive ones, I heard of them).

[anxious 0]

Oh, I didn't know that tidbit about the hyperstimulation of the ut.,

guess that's not a good option.

I tried to find a free-standing midwifery clinic in Atlanta or surrounding areas because I was

getting rejected by so many docs for a VBAC. Only to find out there are

none. Can u believe that? So I could not get my water birth option for VBAC

There is this phenomenal midwife by the last name of Strickhouser that I read

was trying to be the first to lead the way, and I chose her to be my C.N.M. All of the OB docs I have

worked with don't want the liabiltiy.

[nannygirl82 0]

MOMMY2BE

I use playtex drop ins...They are BPA free and the liners are sterile..They have worked VERY WELL for me, and you can squeeze all the air from the bag so the baby doesnt suck any in, avoiding gas...They really helped with zaids colic too...plus, there isnt much of a bottle to wash...when 3 or 4 are dirty i fill the sink with antibacterial dish soap and very hot water, let em sit and rinse, the only thing you really have to "Wash" is the nipple..

that it what i use and do!! it makes things SO much easier!! AND when you buy a nurser set you get 1.00$ off for the drop ins!

[~ Karima ~ 0]

MOMMY2BE

I use playtex drop ins...They are BPA free and the liners are sterile..They have worked VERY WELL for me, and you can squeeze all the air from the bag so the baby doesnt suck any in, avoiding gas...They really helped with zaids colic too...plus, there isnt much of a bottle to wash...when 3 or 4 are dirty i fill the sink with antibacterial dish soap and very hot water, let em sit and rinse, the only thing you really have to "Wash" is the nipple..

that it what i use and do!! it makes things SO much easier!! AND when you buy a nurser set you get 1.00$ off for the drop ins!

We use the drop ins as well. Although I have enough to go 2 days so I can just dump them in the dishwasher. At first I was washing everything by hand and it just got too time consuming.

@ Kelly: to answer your question from the other day...yes Ayman just started eating regular food. We tried sweet peas last week and sweet potatoes last night. He loves it, much more than the cereal. He was growling at my while I was feeding him the sweet potatoes. Apparently mommy was not shoveling them in fast enough.

@ Eveline: I sure hope you get some progress soon. I'm hoping for a VBAC with our next one, so I'm anxious to see how it goes.

@ Anxious: I'm not sure where you are located in ATL, but my Dr is willing to do VBACs. She told me she made the incision during my c-section low enough so I can have a VBAC. She has even had one herself. I would love to do the water birth too, but have no clue where they do them.

[Anna C. 4]

You could try mothering.com to get recommendations for docs that do VBACs in your area. They have an entire forum dedicated to VBACs and local forums...

[chri'stina 190]

mommy2be-If I could do it over on the registry, I would have picked playtex drop ins since it's annoying having to wash bottles all the time. The only bottle set I put on my registry was Soothie brand, thinking they'd be good and thinking breastfeeding would go fine and I might not need a lot of bottles. Kavi never liked the Soothie bottles, though he loved the Soothie pacifiers. But if I could have gotten someone to buy playtex stuff if it was on the registry, that would have been great.

As for bottles, I mostly use the cheap kind from Walmart and Target, they now have cheap BPA free bottles like $2.99 for 3 and I bought some. I also bought the regular packs of 3 for $2.99. Now I have a rotation of about 15 or so bottles so I run them in the dishwasher every 2 days but I guess it would have been easier with the drop ins, but we didn't want to buy it ourselves b/c we are cheap. So he's been fine on regular cheap bottles. I had a couple friends who said their babies were fine with the cheap bottles, so that's why I use them. I may not be the best person for advice since I use a lot of generic stuff.

[BelwinMills 0]

mommy2b, I use Medela breastpump bottles. We tried a Avent bottle and did not like them. I am like Parivar looking for good deals on things. Like she said with drop ins we thought they might be kinda of expensive to use all the time. Know that she is starting formula we are using generic and she is just fine. We wash our bottles once a day in the sink. She uses only a couple sense I breastfeed in the morning and night. I tried the dishwasher with the bottles in a special holder but it was not getting clean enough to my standers. I even tried the hot water cycle but I feel better cleaning them.

Eveline, Best wishes this time wow what a long wait. Wishing you all the best with whatever happens. Can't wait to see pics.

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

the drop ins arent actually that bad...walmart carries liners that fit the playtex bottles and you get 100 for like 6$...its enough for two weeks and a half...the one thing i love about the drop ins is that they dont leak, not one bit..every other bottle i considered i read the reviews on babies r us, and leaking was a problem...we were gonna use the playtex vent aire, or something like that, and i heard nothing but bad...I do know the evenflo carries like a 3 pack for 2.99 or something, my sis in law uses em on my nephew and swears by em...

the avents, dr browns, and born free....waaay too expensive for my liking but thats just me...

[tnh9479 1]

Hey all! I went in for my two week cervical check and was surprised I got an abdominal ultrasound as well! The babies are doing well -- they measure at 15 weeks...which is spot on with my due date. My cervix...well...it is doing well too! The peri told me that it was looking SOOOOO much better than two weeks ago and that he feels a lot better now. I go back in three weeks for the BIG ultrasound. The tech told me today that it was still a little too early today to determine the sex but she was pretty sure by the next appointment they should be able to tell.

I'll put a pic of each baby below. Check out Baby A's picture!

Twila

[nannygirl82 0]

Hey all! I went in for my two week cervical check and was surprised I got an abdominal ultrasound as well! The babies are doing well -- they measure at 15 weeks...which is spot on with my due date. My cervix...well...it is doing well too! The peri told me that it was looking SOOOOO much better than two weeks ago and that he feels a lot better now. I go back in three weeks for the BIG ultrasound. The tech told me today that it was still a little too early today to determine the sex but she was pretty sure by the next appointment they should be able to tell.

I'll put a pic of each baby below. Check out Baby A's picture!

Twila

that is great!!! sounds like you had a great check up!!!! Can't wait to hear what you are having!!!!

[Amaya's Mommy 0]

Hi all,

Thanks for the responses. Anna C. thanks for the links, I will definitely bookmark.

I have put the Medela pump on my registry and was hoping to use those bottles but was told to get some other ones too b/c you never know which one the baby will like. So I will add the playtex and probaby the Born Free bottles and hopefully someone will buy them for me.

I do have one more questions regarding bottles, did you get sterilizers as well? I put it on my list but some people say they are a waste of money and others say they can't do without.

[~ Karima ~ 0]

I don't have one because I was told you can steralize all you want, but once it hits the air it is no longer sterile. According to all the labels on the bottles, you can boil the nipples once (the first time) and that's it. It is not necessary after that. I have also read that you should not wash your baby things with antibacterial soap.

The primary concern with antibacterial products is that they can create antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Because of the way triclosan works (it doesn't destroy the bacteria) it is possible that certain bacteria could mutate and become resistant. Initial studies found that the common bacteria, e-coli became resistant with exposure to as little as 0.1 percent triclosan soap.

Another huge concern is the effect that antibacterial products have on the natural bacterial balance of our bodies. Health researchers are now coming to realize the symbiotic relationship humans have with bacteria. In fact much of our immune system is bolstered by these "healthy bacteria", and so killing all of these bacteria can, in fact, weaken our immune systems.

Despite the concerns with the toxicity of the products, it seems silly to pay more for products that have been proven to be no more effective than regular soap and water. Many studies are starting to show that our fear of germs and bugs and over-cleanliness is weakening our immune systems and may be related to the rise in autoimmune diseases such as asthma and allergies. So if you and your baby are otherwise healthy, try not to worry so much about germs and bacteria. Exposure to normal amounts of these things are what builds our immune systems. And if you have an immune-compromised baby, considering using more natural antibacterial products made with essential oils.

[anxious 0]

Twila: are your twins in the same sac, or different ones? I wonder if they are identical?

Carshel: I had a VBAC in 2000, I was referring to the hesitant OB's delivering breech babies.

I chose North Fulton Hospital because of the water birth option only to be told that they recently

changed policies and no longer allowed VBAC'ers to do so, in case there was a rupture, they didn't want the

hassle of having to get the patient out of the tub

I told them if I knew that upfront I woulda just went back to Northside hosp.

VBAC was the best delivery ever compared to Cesearean hell, living off of percocet and

crying when I laughed... oh the memories.

Mommy2be: I use the drop-ins too and love them. They also had the best nipple

Nasim liked when I wasnt breastfeeding.

[chri'stina 190]

Twila-Great pictures, that is very cool!!

mommy2be-I didn't put a sterilizer on my registry, I heard mixed things about the usefulness of it. A friend did give me some sterilizer bags for the microwave that she had left over, but I hardly use them. I do for new things and once in awhile to make sure certain things are really clean.

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

didnt use a sterilizer...once every two weeks or so, ill throw the nipples in a pot and boil em, but thats about it...