Wheetsin

HeatherO - you mentioned reflux. I'm curious what you're experiencing, if you wouldn't mind sharing. Here's why I ask. In the last year or two, I've noticed (yet again, for the third time) a complete change in my band behavior. Reflux is one of them. I used to have 2 gears with my band: 1. "Good" 2. "Gonna yak" (and then there was about a 30 minute buffer between the two, during which I might go from "good" to "gonna yak" or vice versa) There really wasn't anything in between. Then I slowly noticed that I developed a 3rd gear, which was: 3. "Definitely not clear, but not hurting & not gonna yak either, just feeling kinda oogie." #3 used to not bother me, and normally when I woke up the next morning I would feel fine. Then slowly this changed, and if I was in 3rd gear I had a few options: A. Don't eat for a day, maybe two, and eventually everything straightens itself out. B. Try to drink something, and if I could get a few swallows down it would clear up. Especially if I could drink something cold (cold drinks with an uncleared pouch used to be guaranteed yaksville for me). If I need to sleep before A or B can happen, it's pretty much guaranteed reflux. Multiple times, all night long, and 2 or 3 times I've woken up having aspirated it - ouch & yuck. I can't really explain the sensation of #3 very well. it's subtle, but there. It's not uncomfortable, it's just noticeable. Perhaps a tiny pressure. But it's definitely not the feeling of a cleared pouch, and if I'm not feeling 100% clear/nothing's there, I KNOW I will reflux. And I haven't been wrong yet. But I wouldn't say it happens often. A night - maybe two in a row - every few months. But it gets to where during tight periods, I'll just not eat because I don't want to be refluxing all night. Tests show everything is fine, and I'm sitting at 0.25 cc. Just another chapter in "life with the band" maybe.

In terms of comradery - my hiatus was 99% my daughter, and 1% message board phooey (phooey being everything from pack mentality to lack of ownership to... you name it). I'm on a low drama calorie diet, and this is not where I wanted my few precious calories to come from. I have my TIVO list of reality shows when it's time to indulge. And if 102% is possible, I'll add 2% band complacency. It's done what it's going to do, and what I could offer/gain is already out there, so... but if there is a value I can bring, I'm happy to do so.

Dang it Alex, I see oodles of replies to my post and think - Ok, people are feeling the Wheetsin love... and then I see it's all because of you, not me. Back to my low self-esteem and avoidant personality disorder. Apple2, my daughter is perfect - of course! Granted, I'm a smidge biased. Seeing her grow & develop is definitely #1 on my list of amazing things - she surpises me and simultaneously breaks & mends my heart in new ways each day (like this morning, when she was exercising her Independent Girl muscles, and yesterday when the "room to grow" clothes we just bought were suddenly too small). I've lost most of my pregnancy weight (umm, that includes a huge weightloss during my first trimester, that I "comensated for" in my 3rd trimester... but since they cancelled each other out I just pretend it didn't happen...hmm...), and have been maintaining pretty solid (and even dropping the occasional pound) for about 2 years now. Unfortunately I'm maintaining about 50 - 70 lbs higher than I want to maintain. So that's somewhere in the neighborhood of a maintained 120ish lb loss. Glad to have it gone, but want more. I actually wanted to start researching VSG, which is how I re-happened upon LBT.

IMO - volume measurements are a guideline, and pouch capacity is completely dependent on things like your level of restriction (e.g. with no restriction the first bite of your 1/2C might be history by the time you reach your last bite), how fast you're eating, what you're eating, etc. I've found that volume guidelines serve best as a way to convert portion to a spatial relationship, like using the palm of your hand to gauge a serving of meat (poor people with tiny palms, yay people with huge hands). A way to help us visualize the quantity of food we might, in an ideal world, target as a meal. Please don't think of it as an exact measurement living under an exact science, to where 1 crumb of food over 1/2 C is going to stretch your pouch. Pouch stretching it a process.

I was banded in 2006 and got pregnant in 2008. I'm really straining the mental archives here, but I'll share what I can to help. Don't quote me on my numbers, they may be a little off as I don't journal or really pay much attention anymore. I was about 50 lbs from goal when I got pregnant (I know that's still significantly overweight, but I was down about 170 lbs total, so Drs were fine with it). I was comfortably filled, and hadn't had any adjustments in over a year. I had no nausea, morning sickness, etc. with my pregnancy. These were things I had worried about so it was a pleasant surprise. In my first 15 weeks of pregnancy, I lost almost 30 lbs. I cannot account for the loss other than saying it was just my body. Metabolism, hormones, etc. doing their own thing. I did not change my eating habits, or exercise, or restriction, etc. My OBGYN wasn't alarmed, but didn't like it. I was given until 22 wks to stop losing weight before he either wanted me to get an unfill (I didn't have much restriction at the time) or start purposefully eating more calories per day. Eating to try and avoid weightloss... like that won't jack with your head. But the weightloss stopped on its own and at my 21 wk appt I had gained a small bit of weight - I think about 2 lbs. Enough to make OBGYN happy. BTW, I had a + FFN test so I had to go in for NSTs twice a week. So my weight was being monitored about every 3 days, and they were watching me like a hawk. My daughter was born in October and the following February I went in for an unfill. I only had maybe 1 - 1.5 cc at that point, and they took me down to (I think) 0.25 cc. I sought the unfill because I was tired of not being able to drink Water when I wanted to (sometimes could, sometimes couldn't -- my "routine" of what I could usually tolerate when was completely amiss), was tired of refluxing all night long, etc. In the time between delivery & unfill I gradually got tighter and tighter, and my restriction manifestations completely changed. To this day, life with my band is completely different than it was before pregnancy. I'm not saying 100% it's a result of pregnancy/childbirth, but I can't say it isn't. It's not uncommon for people to have to chase restriction post-birth, even if it was a breeze before -- and I know several women who never attain that sweet spot again. My daughter is about 2.5 y/o now and I still haven't gotten a fill. I'm just now to the point of considering it, but my restriction is so completely erratic that I'm really torn on the decision. Largely I get by thanks to an ongoing absence of hunger, just enough restriction to give me an occasional reminder when I eat like an ass, and the most effective exercise of all - a toddler. Oh, I eventually gained about 60 lbs with my pregnancy. Not what I wanted, but not as bad as I was afraid of. I'm currently about 15 lbs heavier than when I got pregnant, and about 10 lbs heavier than when I got my post-childbirth unfill. I have pretty much maintained this weight for the last 2.5 years. I'm happy to be maintaining, but I want to maintain a lower number. In the last 6 months I've probably dropped about 7 lbs. I have 0.25cc fill, but still have restriction. It's just wacky & annoying. I'll also add that I'm fat in a different way than before my daughter. I swear my hips permanently widened during childbirth. At 15 lbs heaver, I'm about 1.5 sizes larger than I was. 15 lbs for me pre-baby would be the difference between "it fits" and "I can get myself in it if you give me a meat tenderizer and some tape." It would not be the difference between something fitting comfortably, and not even being able to pull something past my hips. HTH

I seriously doubt this is related to my pregnancy, but you never know, and it's one of the only "what has changed?" things I can think of. Please let me know if you're having similar. For the last 10 or so days, I've noticed my hair, mostly within a few inches of the roots, at the top of my head only, is really - sticky, for lack of a better word. Like I conditioned and forgot to rinse it out, or put way too much gel in or something. I've changed every variable I can think of including Water source, shampoo, comb, towels, etc. I've tried clarifying shampoos, stripping rinses, I've tried multiple shampoo scrub sessions in case something got in my hair (this morning I shampooed it 4 times, scrubbing hard in the affected area, rinsing super well, and even as I'm washing the ahir I can feel the "gumminess". Though my hair is really thick so it's very unlikely that something "got" in my hair at the roots, but did not get on the shaft. I stopped conditioning thinking maybe that would help, and haven't used any type of styling product on my hair for weeks. Everywhere else my hair is fine. I do not have oily hair, I do not have dandruff, or any "scalp" issues. I doubt it's some change in the hair itself because if I feel it with my fingers, my fingers are a little sticky. No smell, just feel like I need to go wash my hands. My hairdresser's best guess was some odd change due to pregnancy hormone fluctuations. That doesn't seem right because this is a tactile change that seems to "get on" things like my fingers/comb, not just a change in growth or texture. But I figured I'd check in and see if any other preggos have had similar... and how you resolved it.

I haven't been around here for a really long time. Had the baby, returned to work, and 3 days later was told my job was being eliminated. Jobs in my field tend to be few and far between, especially in this economy... so after deciding I did not want to be a SAHM I went into turbo job hunting mode. The baby is in daycare, so that I could job interview, but I couldn't keep her there indefinitely on one income, nor could I pull her and ever expect a potential employer to be willing to wait 3 months for me (standard daycare wait list in my area). Stressful time, but just like week I received a "dream job" offer. Which is where my question comes in. My band is, and always has been, tight enough that I cannot pass pills. This means that for pain relief, it's liquid Tylenol or grin & bear it. And admittedly I kept my post-op hydrocodone elixir on hand (not from my band surgery, but from my fall 2007 gall bladder removal), because I get sinus headaches and there are some that liquid Tylenol can't touch. My rule is that I try 3 doses of Tylenol, and if that does nothing, I take a half-dose or dose of my liquid gold hydrocodone. I don't take it lightly because I have such a little amount left! The new dream job is contingent on passing a follicle drug test that includes screening for hydrocodone, and I had a killer sinus headache about a week ago and finally broke down and took 1 dose without even thinking about it. I didn't even Bbut now I'm completely freaking out because I happened to notice that my prescription expired almost a year ago. The significance of that? My drug test will surely come back positive for the synthetic opiate from Hydrocodone. They do a 3 month test, and I've taken it for sure once, maybe twice (first time would've been a half dose). So I'm assuming they will ask me to provide a prescription, which I can do -- I still have the original bottle & it still has elixir in it, but the rx is expired and I don't know if an expired rx will be "valid". That has me completely flipping out because I don't want to look like a guilty drug abuser for taking an expired rx, nor do I want to lose this job... it's perfect. So anyone out there do drug testing, or know about it, who can advise on this situation? Nothing like a way around it, just maybe what I can expect in terms of outcome. Does the expired state of the medication matter a whole lot? Of course I plan to fully disclose what I took and the estimated amount... and will fully disclose my band and purpose for taking elixirs.. but is this HORRIBLE, or not a big deal? Freaking out here, but want honest input. Thanks!

Anyway - good idea Robin, we can set up our own thread and quit monopolizing my super size thread. But I can't post in here anymore 'cause I'm in MO. Scheduled for another fill next Friday! I'm at 2 in a 4, so I'm going to see about 1/4 cc or so. I have restriction, just not enough... but don't want an overfill either.

My quick update. Baby girl will be 4 months (calendar dates, not technical months) tomorrow. As of last week she was 14 pounds & change, and a little over 25 inches. ~90th percentile for height, ~70th percentile for weight. "Very well proportioned, just a big baby" as her doctor puts it. But with me around 5'11 and dad around 6'5, it's what we would expect. She is now making multiple syllable coos and has mastered the social smile, and is starting to recognize mom and dad. She doesn't sit on her own, but she can solo in the Bumbo or with a hand on her back to keep her steady. She doesn't yet purposefully reach for things, I don't think, but when you put something in front of her the hands start to move and eventually she gets ahold of it, and sure enough the first place it goes is to her mouth... but she doesn't know what to do with it once there (e.g. bite on it) so she just kind of presses her tongue against it. Unless it's your finger. Fingers go full on into the mouth. She tries to put her pacifier in her mouth, but it's not so much a coordinated effort as a "do my best to hold the pacifier and them impale my head on it". Per doctor she's slightly ahead of average milestones. Which really means nothing. Speaking of, it's baby bath time, but I'll post some pics later.

The horse faced doc I hated most at the OBGYN I used left about 2 mos before my girl was born. The doc I hated 2nd most, sure enough, was the one on call the night I delivered, and my 3rd least favorite was the one on call during my stay at the hospital. Karma sucks! The one who delivered my girl was nice enough to blame me for "pushing too hard" (after she told me to "push as hard as you possibly can - make this the one...") and tearing open, and then being a twit while she sewed me up. Nice... She did a good job with the baby so I didn't care when all was said and done. But keep in mind, whomever delivers your baby is typically the one you see at your 6wk post-op. So if the hellion does end up handling your delivery, you may want to specifically request a different Dr when you set up your follow-up.

Oh, and specifically on using slings around the house... just my two cents/experience. I too thought for sure I'd "wear" her everywhere so a sling would be perfect. That lasted maybe two tries. I mean - when I'm at home, I'm really not up that much unless I'm working, and if I was working it was really hard/inconvenient to wear her (like I said - worried about her banging into doorways, had to use a hand to support her anyway)... plus you really can't see much with the baby strapped to you, you kind of have to approach everything from your open side... don't want to cook because of radiant heat, doing dishes too loud, etc. So when I was at home I was either seated holding her, or she was in her lounger or swing while I was up working (usually when she was asleep). hth

RE: sling advice. I've tried several. Honestly, I use none. The one I used the most is the Baby Bjorn but I haven't used it in at least a month. If I could do it over again, I would save the $80 from the Baby Bjorn and ~$200 I spent total and pass (and put it into all the other things I needed, but didn't know I would!). Reasoning will follow. I tried the Infantino sling rider. I found the strap too stretchy, very hard to get the right fit because you adjust, then add baby, it's too low, take baby out, adjust, put baby in, still to low, take baby out... plus it's a side sling, and it didn't really free my hands because I was having to hold the sling in place because it swayed when I walked and I was worried her head would get knocked into a doorway or something. I tried a Mod Mum baby sling and didn't have the problems with really stretchy straps, but I had a hard time letting go and feeling comfortable that she was secure. So I'd end up holding her against me, and then what's the point? A crafty friend made me a standard fabric sling, but honestly I didn't even try it. By the time I received it, I was "over" the sling thing. The best luck was with the Baby Bjorn. I liked that she faced me, and it was easy to "wear" her while I did housework because I knew where she was and wasn't worried about her banging into things. I did have to use at least one hand to support her when I would bend forward - no big deal. They have a lot of back support so I felt comfortable not supporting her all the time. Downside is that the downward pressure translated to downward pressure on the straps, and I have sensitive skin, so after 15 - 20 minutes the strap pressure would really start to irritate my skin and I'd have to take it off anyway. So all said and done, they were all wastes of money. But keep in mind she was born on Oct and headed straight into winter. Had she been born spring or summer, maybe we would have gotten more use out of it. Anytime we go somewhere she's in the carrier. And if I take her out, I just hold her. No sense in taking her out, strapping her into a sling, only to unstrap her from the sling and back into a carrier when we get into a car. I asked my friends with kids about slings before my daughter was born and they told me it was a waste of money, but I didn't see how. Now I do. But like I said, different weather, or even more urban surroundings and maybe it would be different. But where we are, you get in the car and go somewhere, then get in the car and go somewhere else. If we just went and could walk around I may feel differently.

It is unhealthy to lose after ~18-20 weeks into your pregnancy, until much much later on, and not particularly great to lose before then. The obvious aside, studies are still inconclusive about the effect high ketones in the blood may have on developing foetii. 3.5 in a 4 is way tighter than I can go. While I had "perfect" restriction when I got pregnant and maintained my fill throughout my pregnancy (really needed an unfill, but couldn't get it by the time I needed it), and then had to get two unfills after. I have a 4cc band and went down to 1cc. Just Friday I got bumped back up another .5 cc. I could take some more. I'm not sure what it was about pregnany that made things so tight, but I went about 4 nights of not sleeping because I would reflux constantly due to being so suddenly & insanely tight. I don't know too many people who have made their pregnancy without needing a fill, regardless of whether they got one or not. My advice, better late than never. Once your pregnancy has progressed to a certain point, whomever does your fills may refuse until after you have delivered. So why not get one, and have it in case you need it. Even if you "maintain" your weight, you're losing and not maintaining, because just the baby & its system will weigh in around 20 lbs. So by maintaining, you've actually lost.

We've been in our house about 8 years. We're on a corner lot. For the entire time we've lived here, other than a few weeks during the summer, we could never get grass to grow on the side of our lot that runs parallel to the main strees. Never, even when we'd seed & seed & seed. We'd also had some weird things happen to some very pricey landscaping we had done. Various things would be vandalized to various degrees, etc. Our stuff never manages to stay nice for very long, even though we keep an eye out after work and very rarely saw anything happen. This morning I happened to be in our home office which shares a wall to that side of our lot and... yeap, we're apparently the neighborhood's bus stop. So when I look out the window, what do I see? Kids "balancing" on our brick/concrete landscaping, kicking at the bricks, drawing on them, etc. Kids throwing the river rock from our landscaping out into your yard (one of these flew up and cut my husband pretty well while he was mowing last year)... instead of gathering on the sidewalk they're spread all over that half of our yard, like not a single one of them is on the sidewalk. They're pulling the flowers off my pansies and throwing them at each other. Etc... AND four cars had pulled into my driveway (apparently that's the laziness we've reached, you drive your kid to the bus stop and then park in someone's driveway until the bus leaves)... and about 4 parents also standing in my yard watching all of this happen. I'm so pissed right now. I'm tempted to call the school district, but I doubt they would do anything. When thigns first started happening to our yard we put up the stake/string barries with "please keep off the grass" signs, then would come home to find them trampled. And apparently parents are watching this happen. And then blocking me in my house. F***ers.

I had all kinds of unique ways planned. Like with most things in life, few of them actually came to fruition. How DH found out - I woke him early and told him I had taken a test and it was positive. At that point I didn't actually believe it was positive, so it was no big deal. Kind of like "It was positive, but I don't trust it so later today I will go buy another kind." With the 'rents - had all kinds of cool ways planned. But when I found out I really was preggo, I was actually at their house, and my in-laws were there. They live in another country so the opportunity to tell both parents in person at the same time was kind of unheard of. So cutesy ideas went down the drain. Hubby was supposed to tell his parents (in his native language) at the same time I told mine. But I started crying when I went to say it and lost my voice. My mom kept saying, "What? You're what? Are you ok? Why are you crying?" And my dork husband clammed up and just said, "Well we won't be going there this summer..." We had planned a trip to see them at the time I would be about 7 mos preggo. But he didn't explain why. So they saw me crying, my mom starting to panic, and they started to panic... asked him what was wrong, and he just smiled and made a motion like he was rocking a baby which they mistook to mean we were dancing... so it made no sense to them at all. Finally between reading my lips and straining to hear the little bit of voice I could get out, my mom understood I was pregnant and freaked out and started jumping up and down (in a happy way). Then the in-laws heard and freaked out too. How I had planned to tell them... hadn't completely decided. With hubby I wanted to give him the test stick wrapped like a present, and give it to him in bed and say something like, "I wanted to give you this here, because this is where we made it." Instead my irreverance won out. With the 'rents, I had planned to either take a picture of a hamburger bun in our oven and give it to them and wait for them to get the "bun in the oven" metaphor. Or wait and give them a sonogram picture, but I knew they'd kill me if I didn't tell them as soon as I knew.

Congratulations! I was so relieved to discover they actually sleep (almsot constantly) the first few days. I had several weeks of insomnia prior to delivery and really needed the rest. The routine will come. You won't see it coming. Kind of like with weightloss, when you suddenly realize you went up those stairs without losing your breath... you'll suddenly realize that you have a good idea when X is going to happen, what time you have to start Y by to finish on time, etc. But enough about that, seems I have a thread I need to finish reading. :tongue2:

never had heartburn. The first few days post-delivery I was open. Not wide open, but open. Then I clamped down. Had a significant unfill, then had another due to significant refluxing. Have been good since, no reflux at all, PB once, tightness but not sognificantly so. Have a fill scheduled this week. I've gained 11 lbs back and I'm not happy because one of those 11 was the one that kicked me into the next size up in my clothes.

1. The idea of a "shower" for the father? I put shower in quotes because I'm not talking about the traditional play stupid games, eat sugary food, get free baby stuff showers. More like a man party for the father to Celebrate with his friends, as much as men will admit to celebrating... 2. The idea of a "grandmother to be" party, to celebrate the grandmother's oassing into grandmotherhood? I'm considering both of these, don't know anyone who has actually done either. I've had a few of my showers (friends did something separate from family, work separate from people I know through organizations, etc) and even though two of them were couples showers, my husband begrudgingly admitted to feeling left out. All of his direct family lives overseas. Most of "our friends" are really "my friends" and are doing the froo-froo girls only shower thing. I completely understand why he's feeling this way. So I was thinking of doing something like a ManBQ, for "his friends" (I know some of them but not all). A non-cutesy, non-celebrational, non-sober event for him. Don't remind me how many etiquette rules that's breaking... I just want him to have some "attention" or "celebration" too, as it's not something he is really getting, or will get from his family. I talked to my dad about this, and suggested a clear "no gifts please" message so people wouldn't think we were trying to get another shower out of it. My dad suggested something along the lines of "free beer if you bring us a bag of diapers. And even if you don't" so that if people WANTED to make it a shower type thing, they could of their own accord. (Which means it would be the wives of his friends doing it!) And on the grandma thing... this is a huge deal to my mom. For 8 years she was resigned to the fact that she would never be a grandmother. Now she will, and she's really kinda psycho about it. I let her come to one of my OB visits and she bawled when she heard the heartbeat (even though I was 20+ weeks). Last week I had a 4d ultrasound done and she nearly broke down. Words cannot describe her grandma-itis. So I was thinking about a little party for her, with her friends (who don't know me), that I would host. Maybe a brunch or something equally informal. A distinct "no gifts please" but I would give her some things... I'm thinking one of those "going to grandma's" pull-alongs full of all the sentimental/cutesy stuff she likes... onesies/bibs/outfits with "grandma" something on them. A generations pendant or ring. Frames for future pictures. Maybe a camcorder so she can record times with the baby (and as the baby grows). Stuff like that. You have to keep in mind, she was buying baby stuff "just in case" years before I was pregnant. As soon as she learned I was pregnant she bought (AND WORE) those grandma sayings t-shirts. She's totally into this. Just wanting to gather opinions, what do you guys think?

Now that my pregnancy is over, I was tighter. I had to get an unfill (first adjustment in over a year) in my second trimester. I had them take out 1cc (had 2.75cc). I'm now 3 weeks past delivery and needing another unfill unless something changes drastically. Immediately after delivery I could eat as expected, but in the last 2 weeks I've gotten very tight - much tighter than before my 1cc unfill.

I was late in my third trimester before I saw weight gains as much as .5 - 1 lb per week. Gains that high are usually reserved for the third trimester, specifically the period that the baby is putting on fat. First trimester I didn't gain anything. Actually it was around week 20 before I gained anything. Then I would have no gain, no gain, gain 10 lbs. I got a 1cc unfill during my pregnancy. Now I am tighter than I was before the unfill. No idea why. The last few days I can barely keep anything down and am waiting on a callback for another unfill. Why I'm tighter "post delivery" with 1cc less fill than I had "pre pregnancy" - who knows. But this is no fun.

When some of my girlfriends have lost theirs it was obvious. To them. As they described it to me, "It was like I had just blown my nose." For me - not so obvious because I think mine had been coming out in pieces for a week or so. The morning I went into labor it was bloody. Not blood mixed with mucus like you normally hear, but like red mucus. Probably two tablespoons. I didn't have much discharge for most of my pregnancy, and then in the last month it really picked up. It was dark red, like period blood. Not like a cut. With some pink blood mixed in. I didn't worry too much because of the mucus with it, but I still wanted to call. The bright red blood they tell you about is mostly for a placental abruption (placenta separates from the uterus), in which case there's usually a lot of blood, abdominal pain, and even some abdominal hardness. At no point would I have "soaked a pad" as they kept telling me. I didn't recognize the first movements until my 21st week so I wouldn't worry too much. Once I felt it, I elt it pretty much (not quite) every day after, but maybe just once or twice. I'm going to guess I was into my third trimester before I felt regular movements. And I began to recognize patterns too, e.g. she was always most active starting right around 11:30 am, and again around midnight. I was told that during an active phase, I should feel at least 10 kicks in an hour. But it was very common that I felt only one or two, or perhaps none, at other times. Pretty soon you will be able to see the movements and won't need to feel them, and then it'll hurt and become a love/hate relationship. At my hospital they cath everyone who has an epidural. The cath comes out before you deliver - right before they let you start pushing. I had my first catheter in my first trimester when I had the subchorionic hemorrhage. I had to have one so they could backflush a bag of saline into my bladder for the emergency ultrasound. It was very uncomfortable but it didn't hurt. Just a burny/stingy feeling. More uncomfortable coming out than going in. With delivery, the cath went in after the epidural was in place, and they took it out before it wore off so I didn't feel a thing. Mine was pretty bad. They actually had to give me medication to help. And I as passing apple-sized clots. The blood was the deep red blood like you (I, anyway) get mid-period, and has the same tissue-ish "pieces" in it as a period. (at first) For the first -- 2 or 3 days it was gushing. Like an open wound, which is basically what's happening. And when they would push on the uterus I would feel it come gushing out. Any time I stood up, gush. Bent oer, gush. For 2 days they gave me adult diapers and I was having to change them at least every hour. If this helps put it in perspective, the night I delivered I took a shower, and when I walked from the shower to the toilet I left a trail of blood even though I had just washed/cleaned. It really was a constant drip. After the diapers I went to BIG pads. When the hospital pads ran out I bought some "extra long" pads designed for bladder issues. I had to wear those about a week. I'm coming up on 3 weeks out and can now get by with regular period pads with room to spare. I'm hoping in another week or so it will be over. This has been the most annoying part. I never wore pads before, and I can't stand them. And it would be so nice to just go to the bathroom, and not have this whole ritual of epi bottle (because of my tear I'm supposed to rinse every time I go to the bathroom, regardless of what I do), mesh underwear, pads, etc. Oh, by day 3 or 4 the blood had changed to lighter blood mixed with clear fluid. Think when you're a kid, fall and scrape your knee. It bleeds, but you also get the clear fluid seeping out. That bleeding lasted 3 or 4 days. Then it was a combo old brown/old blood and regular/lighter blood for a day or two, and then it went to regular/fresh blood. The hospital gave them to me. They come in different sizes so don't be shy to say something if the ones they give you are too small or big. They're basically elastic netting boy shorts. I had them give me a few extra bags (two pair per bag), and they're washable, so I'm still using mine. Like I said I'm fairly new to pads and probably don't really know what I'm doing with them, so I've found the mesh underwear really help -- hold everything in place. My tip to you - if you (and you will) soil them at the hospital - get blood on them - don't throw them away. Just put them in your bag and wash them at home, or ask for new ones. I must've discarded at least 6 pair at the hospital that I now wish I had. I didn't realize they were washable. The tear - I didn't feel it at the time. When the doc told me I had torn I was surprised. Felt the stitching. Then while in the hospital it was sore. Not unbearbale, and not a sharp pain. More like a sore muscle or something - a "few days after" pain. I had to get in/out of bed slowly, stand up using my arms, etc. but once I was down I was ok. And they give you epifoam, which kinda numbs you, and they'll give you pads that have built-in icepacks which are uncomfortable at first, but once you get over the initail chill they're soooo nice. They put me on a stool softener and told me it would hurt the first couple times I had to poop but it didn't. In fact after the second day I don't remember any discomfort. My stitches are still there, a little (they used dissolving ones - I remember they were red and really thick suture material), but it doesn't hurt at all.

I gained about 40 total. I had hoped to gain no more than 20. But it's coming off quickly. I'm already down 25.

If I could do it again knowing what I know now, I'd have skipped the epidural. For one, I think it would have been more comfortable to feel the pain evenly than to just feel it on one side. Just feeling it on one side seemed to... I don't know. Highlight/emphasize it in some way. The contractions hurt, but they weren't unbearable. Nothing close to the screaming you see on TV or the moaning/groaning/crying women in the labor videos. I do have a fairly high pain tolerance, and the bulk of my labor was in my hips, deep and low, like right at the sockets... although it would radiate to my back and abdomen. Maybe that "kind" hurts less... dunno... I just made hubby rub my hips as hard as he could, wanting him to hurt me, so that the pain he was causing helped block the pain of the contraction, if that makes sense. I guess I liked not knowing which source the pain was coming from. *shrug* For two, I'm not producing enough milk to sustain her - maybe an ounce or ounce and a half per feeding (by pump). So we had to introduce formula on day 4 as she had dropped more than 10% of her birth weight. I had hoped to feed breastmilk exclusively. The lactation consultant we worked with believes it may be linked to the epidural, but I don't know. However if it's a possibility, I'd glady give it up to have a higher milk supply. LJM - ask away. I know I had sooo many questions and knew nothing about what was going to happen. I will def tell it like it was. And her name is Avery. :eek:

And her guest appearance on Halloween (8 days old):

Ok my baby novel... Long version - I was in labor all day Wednesday but I didn't know it (and neither did the OB office) because my labor was extremely atypical. I would have a mild cramp for maybe 5 minutes, then nothing for 40 minutes. Then an extremely painful cramp that immobilized me for 12 minutes, and nothing for an hour. Then a barely noticeable cramp for 40 seconds and nothing for 30 minutes. That started around 6am. Around 8 I had bloody show and (my money is on) lost my plug, or what was left of it. But there was way more blood than mucus, so I called the doctor's office. "You had an exam yesterday, it's just your body's reaction." TMI perhaps, but I've since learned it's a sign of labor - around 10 I had diarrhea, severely. VERY unusual for me. And during the next 2 hours I had 4 or 5 more bouts, as well as 3 or 4 solid BMs. SO I called the doctor's office and asked if Immodium was ok to take during pregnancy. I was told yes, but if I thought I might be in labor I shouldn't take it. I told them I didn't know if I was in labor or not. So I was told to not take it just in case, but that my signs didn't sound like labor. I layed on the couch for a few hours. The entire time I was laying down, no pain. But when I went to the bathroom the bleeding was a bit heavier, and I realized I hadn't felt any fetal movements for a while - maybe a handful of hours. Also when I first stood up, major cramps kicked in, but still very random. So I called the OB office and they told me "Doesn't mean anything, eat something and lay down and call back if you're still concerned." I was tired of getting non-answers from the OB so I called my insurance company. They sponsor a healthy pregnancy program that includes 24 hour access to labor & delivery nurses. I told her about the bleeding & lack of movement and she told me to go immediately to labor and delivery, that she would call them and tell them not to turn me away because I needed to be monitored to make sure all was well. We got to the hospital and in the time it took to get there no pain. They put me in a bed and hooked up the monitors, still no pain. Routine pelvic showed I was dilated to a 4 and 95% effaced, -2 (the day before at OB visit I was 3 and 90%, -2). They decided to monitor me for another hour. I asked if I could get up and walk, sure, fine... so DH and I started walking the hallways and no sooner did we get up and moving than contractions started to hit regularly every 4 - 5 minutes. We didn't even notice it at first. Hubby was timing them and eventually we saw a pattern. They let me walk for an hour. Got back to the room, pelvic showed I was 6 and 95%. So I asked if I was staying, or if they were letting me go, and they said that since I was so far dilated they would keep me and if my labor didn't progress they would induce me. Called the anesthesiologist, by the time he arrived I was 7.5 and 100%. Got my epidural, got my catheter, rested for an hour until it was time for another exam and at the exam I was 9 and 100% -- and my epidural had worn off my left half. Layed back down and my Water broke. Weird sensation. Kind of like having a water balloon between your legs that you don't feel, and suddenly it pops and water gushes out. Nothing like the "peed myself" feeling I had heard to expect. Knew what it was right away. They paged the doctor and got me set up in the stirrups. No doctor so I couldn't push. 10 minutes later I was 10/100% but still no doctor so I was allowed to "bear down" through the contractions (which I'm feeling 100% in half of my body -- that was weird) but I couldn't push. 15 minutes later the nurses told me I could push, so I did. Probably 10 contractions later she was engaged in the pelvis - still no doctor. At that point they started to get nervous and told me no more pushing. I had to lay with my legs together, pant through the contractions (keeps you from being able to push much) and just try and wait it out. But nature had other ideas, because the contractions alone were progressing her delivery and she was starting to crown. Nurses started freaking out about having to deliver the baby without a doctor. Each time I would have a contraction I could feel her head being pushed out. Doctor finally arrives, gets in place and tells me "next contraction - push as hard as you can." (For you guys having your first, during each contraction you do 3 sets of 10-count pushes, with barely enough time to grab your breath between each). So I pushed as hard as I could on the first contraction and her head popped out in like 2 seconds. The doctor kinda freaked and made me "try to ignore" the rest of the contraction - no pushing, bearing down, etc. Before the next contraction hit she told me, "When the next one comes, push as hard as you can. Make this the one." So it came and I pushed as hard as I could and apparently she shot out like a football. I heard "oh shit" and then "woah woah woah." I couldn't see a thing. Pushing too hard - eyes squeezed shut, ears popping, veins making a nice roadmap on my forehead I'm sure. (later was told my the doc she had to drop everything and try to catch the baby) and it suddenly felt like I was giving birth to a 10 foot bumpy worm... just kept coming and coming. Felt really weird. I'm guessing it was the afterbirth stuff. In her rush to catch the baby, the doctor failed to support/stretch/lubricate my perineum so I ended up with a level 3/borderline 4 tear. Took about 45 minutes to get me all stitched up. She told me I pushed too hard. I told her "you told me to push as hard as I can." She replied, "Yeah but first times moms never really push..." Apparently the specifics of how I tore made it impossible to numb, so despite 3 attempts at injections I felt every stitch. Didn't matter. Baby had swallowed a lot of amniotic Fluid & blood on her way out so they were suctioning her lungs for over 5 minutes. Until I heard that first cry I didn't feel a thing, too focused on the baby. Finally they got her taken care of, me sewn back together. Had excessive post partum bleeding so I had to go on... forget the name, something to help stop the bleeding. Other than that, it was easy going. LJM, Fairy -- you will become good friends with mesh underwear and adult diapers. And if you tear like I did, you will learn the fine art of what I call "crotch tacos" -- mesh underwear lined with cold pack pads topped with a layer of Tuck's topped with a layer of epifoam. So that's my long story, and here's the product of my... too campy to actually say "labor"... (the bow is compliments of the nursery... they stick them on the babies' heads with KY!)