Baby Corner

[Nessa 23]

Ben didn't really like the beach I think it was a mix of him being all sticky with the sunscreen and sand and the water was cold, he doesn't like cold water, plus it was that timne in the morning he takes a nap. But he loved coconut water.

The trip had its ups and downs. it's not easy to travel with a baby, especially if you have to run from one terminal to the other to catch the next flight carrying a 24 lbs baby in a 17 lbs car seat. So there goes Charles holding 41 lbs of baby in one hand and another bag in another hand and me holding my handbag, the baby baby and another bag with among other stuff, cans of baby formula, not easy.

But it was worthy the time with family and friends. I will do a lot of different things next time, though.

[Fandango 1,439]

Happy Bunny@ You have to relax mmommy do it for your baby, I remember my first trimester I was very scared about the whole thing, I had a friend who lost her baby at the eight week so I thought thta thta could happen to me and I worried to much until I had a serious conversation with my mom ...

I know I do, I probably need therapy, actually. I've had some serious freakish losses of loved ones in my life, and personally, I had suffered a very bad spinal cord injury in 97 that req'd brain and spinal surg, which took years to medically recover from. Thank God I did though, so I know how lucky I am! Docs told me to 'get my affairs in order' and I was like 24 at the time. So there I was at 24 writing my will, making video goodbyes to my parents/family/etc. It's just such a hard thing to face knowing the shoe could drop at any given moment, and it has honestly affected me to this day that I am terrified of becoming ill, leaving my family, etc.

I joined the Whattoexpect.com board a few months ago (I think that's the right link), and I was reading the boards....I was all happy and excited and stuff! Then I happened across thread after thread of [spoiler, if you get easily upset, please don't read it]

of 'goodbye' threads...turned out, each one of them had a mom saying how she lost the baby, didn't need to be there anymore, etc. I remember the exact moment; I was at work, and after reading this, I burst into tears so badly that I had to leave. One woman said very matter of fact that she had gone to her appt, and there was no more heartbeat. So now, I've nursed a healthy obsession everytime I go to the docs that I can barely breathe until I hear the baby's heartbeat. And then when I do hear it, I'm in a flood of tears.

The nurses in my doc's office all implore me to stop reading message boards. My doc wants me to meditate.

Wow, I sound so messed up, lol.

At the same time, I'm a woman of faith, and I know that God has blessed me, and I trust Him that he sent me this gift for real. But my 'crazy head' sometimes doesn't go away, those sneaking worries when you're laying down at night creep in, and it just makes me a wreck. So obviously, I'm conflicted, but I'm thankful for the majority of the time where I feel blessed and confident in this pregnancy.

Good news about the tests Lisa, hope that everything continues to go smoothly for you

Thank you so much Caro!

GOOD LUCK TODAY SUSITA! KEEPING YOU IN MY PRAYERS FOR AN EASY-ISH TIME!

Edited April 14, 2010 by Happy Bunny

[Nessa 23]

I joined the boards whattoexpect and babycenter (which is way better than WTE, btw) and after a few days I had to stop going because I just couldn't handle reading about losses. So I started reading the board again after my 1st trimester was over.

[chri'stina 190]

Hi all. We got back home from our trip to India yesterday afternoon. Exhausting!! We had a decent trip, but now that Kavi was a year older than last time, certain things he was more aware of and it made the trip much harder for him.

On the planes he did fine, in his own seat(carseat)he was mostly good even on the 15 hour flight. But the first week or so in India, because of major jet lag and culture shock(I think he noticed differences this time), he was mostly very unhappy and extremely clingy to me and Suj. That was very tiring and hard. Even after we were there 2 and a half weeks, he never easily would be held by my mother in law or father in law or his aunts, he would mostly protest it. The only person he bonded closely with is one of our nieces(who also lives at my inlaws). The others he did come to like, but never bonded strongly with them for some reason. Last year he was fine with being held by them, but not this year.

So we weren't able to even leave Kavi with anyone for much time. Only once, we snuck out for 15 mins to a shop to grab something while he was being entertained by our niece and didn't have time to know we left. My husband had to go out sometimes to run errands for his father or get something, so me and Kavi would stay at home. We did go out to visit relatives and to malls(hehe, fun) but life is just sooo different there. I am still processing the trip in my mind so I am not sure what to think exactlyhehe. I am glad we went despite how hard it was for Kavi to adjust. Some things are just not easy to handle while there like the heat because the feels like temps were near 100(only a/c window unit in the room we slept in), lack of personal car, cultural differences, etc. Kavi also got diarrhea and he has had it now for over a week. My husband took him to a DR in India who suggested a medicine that we already bought while there, but then we didn't feel good about giving it to Kavi. It's not approved in the US. Has some possible weird side effects. So we had to modify his diet a lot. It helped a little but he still is not normal. We are glad to be home!

Edited April 14, 2010 by chri'stina

[Nessa 23]

wb Christina. I'm sorry to hear it wasn't easy for Kavi.

[Gemmie 142]

Happy Bunny, you don't sound irrational or anything. I'm not pregnant, but I'm already obsessing over it. I have a phobia of childbirth (I mean that seriously, as in I get physically sick when I think about the experience. I have this for many reasons). Like you, I've suffered sudden losses in my life that has left me always thinking 'never think it only happens to other people'. I've also had two girls that I went to school with who lost their babies; one through premature birth and one was a stillborn. This has left me obsessing over my future pregnancy and how to be a 'perfect mummy to be'. At the end of the day, you just have to take a deep breath, tell yourself that everything is fine, and look forward to those moments of pure joy (like hearing the heartbeat).

[Eveline 9]

My friend here in the US is 27 years old...if she had carried her first baby to date...he would be 6 months older than Adam. Adam is now 3. She has lost three babies due to PCOS and a blood clotting disorder. No doctor ever worried to find out why she was losing her babies at 9 weeks gestation. The doctor even went on to write her a prescription for the anti baby pill. She luckily went to another - a high risk - doctor who found out that she was 8 weeks pregnant again and had a blood clotting disorder and PCOS. She got a estrogen (I believe) shot right there, was told to hold off on sugars and simple carbs for 9 months and take one baby aspirin every day. Now she has to give herself insulin shots every day but she was happy to tell me that her baby was still going strong at 8 weeks gestation.

We sat there very week, hoping that this time it would be ok...that this time she can have the baby she wants sooo bad. She knew two of her losses were boys, one was undetermined as she birthed it by herself without any medication involved so no blood tests were done. Week 10, 11 and 12 came and went and baby went strong...At week 24 she found out it was a GIRL...A GIRL she had wished for forever (she had basically 'adopted' my babygirl because she wanted a girl herself so bad). She named her Sophie..what a beautiful name.

Well...my friend is 38 weeks and 4 days pregnant today. She's at the doctor as I write this. She wants me to be there for the birth...I'm honored. I don't know if I can go but I sure hope I can get babysitting lined up when she goes into labor.

I'm posting this for you girls not to worry so much. Enjoy that pregnancy. I don't know how often my friend came by in tears because she felt tweaks and pains here and there. Most of the time it was nothing, once it was a stomach bug and I took her to the doctor to have her checked out. She couldn't enjoy the pregnancy for more than half of it. When she felt the baby moving she finally relaxed and now I LOVE listening to her stories on the phone when she tells me that the movements actually hurt, her belly gets hard from braxton hicks and she feels menstrual pains - possibly the first signs of labor.

I know she wants nothing more than a baby (just like you ladies here) and I want it for her..she deserves it and so does her husband of course.

Enjoy it, good luck, document it..share your feelings (which you're doing here obiously).

That's that...Evi out

Edited April 14, 2010 by Eveline

[chnst 6]

Evi: aww I am so happy to hear that she made it all the way to full term! I hope the delivery will be smooth and easy. Let us know how you like the experience from the "observer" point of view.

@Nessa: WOW I can't believe how big Ben is now! He is so adorable!!! Happy 1st birthday! When did he start walking??

Kelly: A real skateboard? That's so funny!! My God they really grow up so fast. Ben has a 8 year old "best friend" He lives next door and he does everything Charlie does like listening to rap music on his ipod, check out club penguin, play soccer and baseball, climb on the rocks in our backyard etc, "spike" his hair with gel just like Charlie... it's hilarious. It's so nice because Charlie's mom is a great babysitter and Charlie is an only child and he always wanted a little brother. They play every weekend and we cannot go outside without checking if Charlie is home. so cute to see him make friends now. He is also still in love with a little girl named Ellie at his daycare, but she doesn't care about him at all!! haha. She is the main reason why he loves to go there I think. He talks about his "gur-friend" all day.

[chnst 6]

I just went on facebook... and guess who had a successful VBAC today..... Congratulations Susita!!!!!!!!! What a surprise! Hope all is well with you and the baby!

[Eveline 9]

I just went on facebook... and guess who had a successful VBAC today..... Congratulations Susita!!!!!!!!! What a surprise! Hope all is well with you and the baby!

OMG..that is awesome. I'm so happy for her. Congratulations.

[Nessa 23]

thanks. he was cruising at 9 months and letting go at 11 and giving some steps, then in Brazil he really started to walk.

[Nessa 23]

i saw that about Suzie. so glad for her.

[Anna C. 4]

Yeah Susita! That is so awesome!

@ Evi: Wow that must be horrible! My mom had terrible losses, so I know stuff like that first hand (my brother was born barely at 8 months gestation and his lungs just couldn't do it, my sister was born at 5 months - spina bifida). They were born long before me so I never experienced all the horror, but once I was pregnant and gave birth all of that made more sense to me, meaning I started to understand or barely grasp what my mom must have been through. I wanted to cry for hours! It really makes me extremely grateful for Jonathan.

@ Christina: Oh poor Kavi, I hope he's a lot better now. The separation anxiety sometimes comes out of nowhere. Jona usually has no problems but today he freaked out completely when a nurse held him while I had my blood drawn. And I was even right there in front of him! I always thought it hits younger kiddos, but I'm starting to believe toddlers are "worse" that way, cause they know what's going on.

The forums... I joined a German website (oit's like Parents in the USA, from the magazine) and Mothering. I didn't really hang out much there until the second trimester when I started to work on my birth plan and sort of got an idea what kind of birth I wanted. When I had preterm labor I didn't really read there, my MD sister was my counsel and go-to-cry-on-your-shoulder-person... I never saw many loss stories because I didn't really join a due date group but just stayed with the pregnancy and then birth subforums... You still find all the information you need there without all the miscarriage horror stories, kwim?

I did some bloodwork today to get ready for trying to conceiving again. Hopefully I'm immune to toxo now so I can actually enjoy raw meats throughout pregnancy, that would be so awesome. I volunteered for every kitty litter change in the past 20 months of our cats and friend's cats, please let me be immune to it now. They were all surprised on base that someone would actually check immunities and CBCs before pregnancy to get in shape, apparently that's not normal? Kaiser Permanente offered the preconception checkup routinely.... Maybe military... Well our base is horrible anyway (as far as availability - they are completely understaffed and even let go more doctors and nurses now)... I asked for changing JOna's primary care provider to a civilian today after the debacle two weeks ago (when they wouldn't see him, didn't give us an urgent care referral and we went to the ER anyways and he was admitted for three days, and then he was supposed to get a nebulizer for at home and the base has none so we get none!). We'll see how that's gonna work out, mama bear is ready to fight!

[JVKn'CVO 11]

I just went on facebook... and guess who had a successful VBAC today..... Congratulations Susita!!!!!!!!! What a surprise! Hope all is well with you and the baby!

OMG!!! that is so unexpected, such great news!

Saludos,

Caro

[tnh9479 1]

Yea for Susita and her healthy baby girl!

OMG...Hana managed to get into the bottom basket of our Duoglider stroller today while I was buckling Zak into his carseat. I wish I had a camera. After laughing, it took me 10 minutes to figure out how to manuever her to pull her out!