April G/L chatty preggo/parents thread

[robin7361]

Originally Posted by LauraH

Cheryl - TRIPS! Holy Moses! congratulations!

Robin - are you sure there was only one heartbeat? I ask because evey person I have seen post about bleeding in early pregnancy went in to find out she was having twins!! Also wanted to tell you that my DP was exhausted in early pregnancy (and a few other times along the way) but she never had the nausea. You could luck out too


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oy! i hope not! the last thing i need as a nearly-300lb woman is to be pregnant with twins! aack!

[2moms2be]

Cheryl I am so happy for you and DP that is amazing!!!!

A- Im glad you got to get out of the house. It is great as they get older it gets easier leaving the house. In the last few weeks we have actually been bringing ours to restaurants and they do really good

[Care75]

Cheryl- I'm soooo thrilled for you! Wow! Triplets!!! How wonderful and exciting! I'm so glad to hear about another success story from donor embryos. I could not love my two anymore if they weren't donor embryo. We definitely want you to continue to update us about your pregnancy!

Robin- I was thinking the same thing as Laura about the bleeding and possible heartbeat(s)! I know that most of the women I've heard about who've had bleeding (myself included) have had multiples with the bleeding. It's also wonderful that you got pregnant so easily! Congratulations!

A- I'm glad you are able to see your friends again. We still haven't done too much except like go to Target or someplace like that with the twins. Hopefully, it will get easier in the next month or so.

Patty- Restaurants! Oh how I miss those! I can't wait until they can handle them too!

My coworker had her baby on Thursday. We went to visit her and the new baby boy yesterday. It was hilarious because our babies were still smaller than her son especially the hands!! He was like 9 lbs. 13 oz at birth!

We're trying the car seat now at night for Harper. She's able to sleep for like 3 hours at a time now without being held so it's an improvement. Hopefully, this will continue to increase. They went 7 1/2 hours between feedings on Saturday night! Woo hoo! Hope the trend continues!

I go back to work two weeks from today. It's going to be so odd not to be with Harper and Jackson all day! I really don't know how I'm going to handle it.

I'm still trying to wean down on the pumping. I'm down to pumping 3 times per day as of yesterday. The problem is that I'm pumping nearly 16 oz between both breasts at each pumping session!! So I don't think there's anyway I'll be totally dried up by the time I go back to work. However, if I'm down to 2 times a day that would be great and they could still be getting a lot of breast milk that way. Our deep freezer has at least 50 eight ounce packages of frozen breast milk as well! I feel like a milk machine!

[2moms2be]

Care- Are you wanting to stop pumping or lessen how much milk you are making? If so stop pumping before you have emptied the breast. Sounds like you are an over achiever lik me when it comes to milk production! Who knew I would be a milk machine with my little B cups... I miss my little boobies!

[A Squared]

Care--I can't remember how much milk you get each session. I only get 7-10 oz per session total. Way to go! Will you still be pumping at all at night when you go back to work?

Oh, Lachlan is being really flirty and cute right now. He needs a nap, so I hope he doesn't lose it soon.

We finally bought a twin stroller yesterday. We got the Maclaren twin Triumph. We debated between that one and the more expensive Maclaren Techno, but decided the smaller size of the Triumph was important, plus we didn't feel we needed most of the extra features. We love the color (Turkish blue and orange). I hope we like it! It will be nice to be able to take both babies out alone. Right now we usually put them in our Bjorns when we go out. I'm not sure they will like being in the stroller much right now but I hope they like it eventually.

[2moms2be]

Is that a side by side stroller? Let me know how you like it. I HATE my stroller and am on the market for a new one. I really would like a side by side cause I hate how long mine s I have the Graco DuoGlider. I hate how big it is when folded up.

[Care75]

Yeah, A, I want to know too. I've heard Maclauren is a good stroller. The blue and orange sounds great!

We also have the duoglider knowing that we would only use it for the first few months. My aunt had given us two used infant seats so we only bought the stroller and ended up paying about $115 for it with discounts so it wasn't a bad deal to have something the carseats went into.

However, we have a Honda Civic and the stroller takes up the whole trunk. It also doesn't ride the best- it's fine for the mall, but outdoors it is bumpy and and hard to maneuver when I'm walking them with my 80 lb. dog by myself!!

I'd like to get a side by side also. We have decent umbrella strollers that will be great when Suz and I are together, but I'd like to invest in something for when they sit up and I don't need to latch in the infant seats anymore.

Yeah- I'm not totally emptying anymore so i'm hoping that combining that with less sessions will help me to be done. Yes- overachieving boobs. I'm hoping to shrink afterwards- used to be a 32 D- would love to be a C!!! We'll see- just anything but a G like now!

The original plan was to be done before I go to work but now I'm planning on pumping a total of 1-2 times per day- not at work- when I go back. I want them to have breast milk for at least 3 months so that should work.

[A Squared]

Patty and Carrie, Yes, both Maclarens are side by side strollers. I haven't really had much of a chance to try the stroller out, but my DP took the babies for a walk today and said it was a little tough on rough terrain (bad sidewalks and grass). It's definitely not a jogging stroller which might be better suited for worse terrain (although they are huge and difficult to maneuver in stores). A twin mom I met at a store a while ago said to get the smallest stroller possible just so you can get around stores. One of the things I like about the Maclaren line is the toughness of the materials they use while still being really light. They also have a very small fold. The fold on the Triumph is slightly smaller than the Techno, enough that we decided it was better to get it. We have a Honda Fit, so if it can fit in our car, it can fit in your Civic! I think eventually, if we use a stroller enough, we will get another one that is better in rough terrain. I don't think one stroller can meet every need.

[bamamoms]

Twin moms we have a side by side urban mountain buggy and we love it! We walk around our neighborhood almost daily and is great. My only complaint is I haven't figure out how to collapse it all the way down (haven't had time to read directions). We bought it at 2 months and it is worth every penny. I read in the baby 411 buyer book and it made the point that after you have bought 2-3 bad strollers it is worth it to have purchased the UMB. It was around 700 but it was the only big ticket item we had to buy.

[robin7361]

carrie: i have heard lots of stories about twins and early bleeding, too, but i just saw my little manatee on ultrasound this morning and there's just one!

speaking of the little manatee, he/she's got a heartbeat of 133 (at 7w3d--that's good, right?) and is 12mm! (grew 10.5mm in a week!)

i felt lots of uterine stretching this week. now i know why! (my donor's over 6' tall. we could be looking at a long kiddo.)

[joanna]

Congratulations Cheryl! I'm really happy for you.

That's great news Robin. It's so exciting to see the bean and how much they are growing. I was doing weekly ultrasounds in early pregnancy (had an u/s machine at work) and was always amazed at the difference from week to week.

So, last night Sandy decides that she really wants me and Jocleyn to go with her and her brother when they spread her dad's ashes in California. We are leaving Thursday morning and it's an 8 hour drive without a baby. Yikes! I'm pretty nervous about making that long of a trip with a baby that doesn't really like her carseat. Oh well, we'll make it work.

Also, not sure if you all remember the wierd bleeding issues I was having (you know, back before my FIL made our lives completely crazy), but I finaly did the sonohystogram yesterday. Turns out I have 4 very small polyps. Waiting on a call from the doc to find out what we do, if anything.

[robin7361]

y'all!
i cannot get enough citrus fruit! two giant oranges, some grapefruit juice, and a bottle of orangina today alone!

that's all. just thought i'd report.

[LauraH]

Robin - I LOVE that you call the baby a little manatee! Caleb was our little grub at that stage.

Joanna - good luck with the drive. We took Caleb to NJ, which is only 3 hours, but he slept pretty much the whole way. When it was time to eat one of us would jump in the back with him to give him a bottle.
Keep us posted on what the doc says.

A - let's go for a walk soon The weather is supposed to be great!



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[Care75]

Robin- It's funny how your body just knows what it needs!

Bama- Thanks for the info on the stroller too. I know we'll be thinking about this as the twins grow out of the infant seats!

Joanna- I'm glad you found the cause of your weird bleeding. Good luck with the car ride!

Last night, I did not have to hold Harper AT ALL to sleep. I even put her in the car seat awake, and she fell asleep herself! (Seriously, this is a BIG deal for her as I have been holding her for at least a few hour stretch each night for a MONTH!) Jackson was the one waking to feed last night!! I'm hoping to move the car seat into the crib over the next few nights. We'll see!!

We're going to the mall today (just myself and the babies). I really need new jeans as I have been borrowing Susan's for years. Hopefully, the trip will go well!

[WannaBMom74]

Cheryl - trips!! wow congrats

congrats to everyone on the wheather finally!! getting nicer and everyone being able to get out of the house

Sunday Amy's mom is babysitting so we can go to the movies it will be our first time out together alone since she was born.

[2moms2b]

Cheryl - WOW... triplets. We have a local friend here that is 4 months along with triplets. Good luck to ya, girl.

Robin - I am glad you found a good RE. We had trouble finding one to. I felt the cramping and pulling that you are experiencing until like month 6... so try not to worry.

A - I can't wait to see some of this pics if you post them.

Care - If only I had your "problem" with milk. I am barely able to pump 13 ounces in ONE DAY! That was on a day that we fed formula all day to try to get ahead of Olivia. Glad things seem to be getting easier with Harper's sleeping.

Joanna - Hope your trip went ok. You will have to tell me all about it. We will be making a similar trip here in a few weeks. Wow... that is weird about the polyps, glad they found the issue though. What are they going to do about it? I assume remove them?

Jen - Good luck on your "date"... my mom kept Olivia one evening last week and we went to a neighberhood restaurant. My mom insisted that we be gone for at least an hour and a half... so we went to get ice cream at Baskin Robin's (I am a big goob... I LOVE to go do that) afterward because we both ate so fast. heheh We did manage, however, to have at least a little bit of conversation about something besides Olivia.

So... the latest breastfeeding issue is my supply <sigh>... everything else is so much better. I am going to see the LC for the second time here tomorrow or early next week to see if she can help us get Olivia eating more efficiently (she nurses for more than an hour at each feeding and we don't think she is getting all that much because she usually requires expressed milk or formula (if I am out of breast milk) after each feeding. That is why I haven't been on here much. I am having a hard time juggling a baby that loves to cuddle, breastfeeding for extended periods of time, eating weirdo food and taking herbs to help with the supply and also pumping.

On the bright side we had her one month pictures done on Saturday and they turned out good. Some of them are with all 3 of us and I even am ok with the way I look in the pictures. (miracle) She is holding her head up pretty good and rolling over from side to side. (Not all the way over to the tummy from her back.)

Well, we are going to meet Kathy for lunch today... so I am going to go pump and hop in the shower while Olivia takes one of her infrequent naps.

Dawn

[2moms2be]

Dawn- You probably know this already, but for supply issues make sue you are drinking lots of water and try eating oatmeal everyday. I am sure your LC will be able to help you. Have fun at lunch and post some of your pics!!!

[Care75]

Jen- Yay about having a babysitter. We haven't both been out together either except to run to the store.

Dawn- A ton of water works for me too. I also try to drink LOTS of skim milk especially when I was beginning. I started even adding chocolate to the milk to make it more interesting. I also tried to eat a lot too. On days when I didn't, I definitely noticed a drop in my supply. Even now, I always eat a snack- usually like fiber bar because I'm sooo exhausted- in the middle of the night.

Are you pumping after every feeding? That's what I did when I was still bringing them to the breast and it seemed to increase my supply. When I started pumping exclusively, I started pumping longer- like for 30 minutes and I got an increase in supply.

Good luck. Trust me I know it's frustrating. That's why I couldn't bring them to the breast anymore- nursing two and then pumping and the cycle started over again. I hope the LC can help too!

[Care75]

Well Harper had an appointment with the orthopedist yesterday at Children's Hospital. About a month back, she had had an ultrasound to check her hips because the doctor noticed that they weren't aligned correctly. That u/s revealed a shallow left hip so we had to go to the orthopedist to have him check it out.

The orthopedist did another ultrasound and it revealed that her hips were normal. He's going to follow up with an Xray in 2 months. We also asked about her head while she was there because she always tilts her head to one side and hasn't really started trying to hold up her head. Jackson's been holding his head up well for like a month. The orthopedist said that she may have Torticollis, and he sent in the physical therapist to go over exercises with us. So now we have to do the neck exercises several times a day.

We also had one month pictures done and got them back last week. They are too cute. I'll have to scan some when I go back to work. It's funny because they look so different even from a month ago!

[2moms2b]

Ok... so I have a LC appointment on Monday, which is good. She suggested that, if possible, I go by the hospital where I delivered (which has amazing BF support system) where they will do a weigh-nurse-weigh so that you know how much the kiddo is getting. We did that and got two rather disturbing pieces of news. First, at her initial weigh we found out that she has gained NO weight in a week! Then, after 50 minutes of breastfeeding, she had only had an intake of .9 oz. Ahh... no wonder she is so hungry even after feeding for such a long time. Thank you to everyone for all your suggestions.

Patty and Care- Yes... I am trying to drink more water... and to eat more regularly. Both have been an issue because I have been feeling a little overwhelmed. I have also started taking an herbal supplement (rec'd by my LC) that has Fenugreek in it. I ate oatmeal regularly there for a while... I will get back on it. A friend of my also recommended an oatmeal cookie recipe that is especially for breastfeeding support. Hadn't thought of milk... but I will do ANYTHING at this point to get my supply up... I will start drinking it as soon as I finish here. I am pumping after my breast feeding sessions for at least 10 minutes.

Care - Sorry about Harper's possible Torticollis, but glad her hips are ok. Can't wait to see pictures.

Dawn