Baby Corner

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

Anna,

Zaid got hand-foot-mouth disease from the shopping carts at Jewel osco. Now we try to let him walk if possible throught he store, if not, we definitly use several wipes to sterilize the cart and i bring hand sanitizer to use the minute we get into our car because Zaid lucks to suck his fingers in the car. Im a GERM-A-PHOBE its terrible. I lysol wipe tables, doorknobs, counters, etc every single day in my home.

Hubby worked his last day at his job yesterday. He got his CDL permit yesterday and is going on the road with his friend who drives a truck. He will be gone Sunday night- thursday for 2 weeks getting some experience. Im pretty devastated. Not so much for me, but for Zaid. Sofyan will only have been at work for 2 hours and Zaid asks me to call his daddy on the phone so he can talk to him. Or he will come to me crying saying "i need my baba (Daddy)" its really sad. I just dont know how he will do with Sofyan not being here everynight. Guess its just short term. Once he has some experience and takes his road test to get his CDL he will find a job driving locally.

Speaking of the hubby. I asked him to take care of Salma last night while I slept a few hours. He of course agreed and I figured he would wake me up around midnight or so. Well i roll over in bed and lo and behold...ITS 5AM. I was so engorged and hadnt pumped for 9 hours. I could kill him! I hope it doesnt mess up my supply. I got up and pumped at 5am and will pump again at 6am. The sleep was amazing though and well worth it

[Ontarkie 13,925]

Ontarkie: hm what kind of hospital is that? I guess it also depends on your doctor/midwife because they have to order the iv rahter than the nurses just putting one in because its the policy (I might be wrong here but this is how it's done where I work). Usually if you have a totally natural birth, GIVEN you're GBS neg, the midwifes will not put an iv in. As soon as your GBS pos, need fluids or pain meds, or God forbid a section, you'll get an iv if you want to or not.

Most of the deliveries where I work are done by midwifes so my hospital is a little more easy going on the meds and interventions. I have not seen one epi so far since I work there, they all tear and the repairs are done with prolocaine.

I think it's best to discuss this with your OB, because they will be the ones to call the shots (literally haha), and if you get a feeling that you're not on the same page then switch to a nurse-midwife.

From what I understand it's just a regular Hospital. I wish they allowed midwives in the hospital, I was told I that the hospital has some Doulas if I wanted to get one. I've never been tested for GBS with my other four so that must be a newer thing, and as long as it is Neg I don't need the IV. I will ask my Doctor about marking in his orders no IV or the hep lock and see how he responds.

I already found three midwives in our area so I know I can find them now its just to convince my husband if I can't get what I want at the hospital. We have already paid all the doctors fees so that is something else he talks about. I so wish there was a birth centre here I think that would be ideal. 2 weeks to my next appointment and 1 more hospital to check out hopefully that one will be better. I have been told that AR is behind in alot of things I guess the hospitals are too.

[Anna C. 4]

Yeah Arkansas isn't known for its hm progressive birthing environment, but I still think you can make it happen. Even if the obgyn orders an Iv, you can refuse it, as everything can be refused, it is a patient's right. My midwives e.g. would only hook up an IV when you are GBS positive, and as soon as the antibiotics are in, take it out. IV fluids only if mom is dehydrated, which happens rarely if you drink throughout labor. My doula kept reminding me to drink throughout labor between contractions and held the straw up to my mouth so I won't dehydrate (I had vitamin water, something with calories is good), in a hospital that's busy they just want iV fluids since they cannot offer continuous labor support (nurses have multiple patients and are not trained to stay with you and walk you through, it's just not their job, a birthing center is a different story since you have a midwife and a nurse all to yourself). Have your hubbie help you out there or even better hire a doula, I found mine changed my labor profoundly.... I would never give birth again without a doula!

So now Eloise is sick too. I took her in, the ped thinks it is a viral cold that hit us all and said if you have a toddler in the house it is somewhat un-avoidable that your infant will get sick. He is optimistic though since I got sick before her that she will have probably mild symptoms since my body is making antibodies that she gets through my breastmilk. Her lungs are clear and her nose is stuffy. She sleeps a lot, has a slight fever but eats normally and eliminates normally as well. We now have to pray that the fever doesn't pass 100.4 rectally, cause that is a ticket to the hospital for a full bloodwork, spinal and urine samples. Yikes we had that with Jona at 3 weeks and he was fine, yet putting him through that was horrendous. I do not want this again....

[Staashi 371]

Ladies with toddlers, any suggestions for when your little angel goes demonic and starts screaming his head off? Enzo is on everyone's last nerve. Thanks!

[chnst 6]

Ladies with toddlers, any suggestions for when your little angel goes demonic and starts screaming his head off? Enzo is on everyone's last nerve. Thanks!

time-outs? depends on the reason is it like a temper tantrum? time-outs have worked very well for us. Also figure out associated things, i.e. is he over-tired? hungry? bored? in need of attention? and stay calm. It's so easy to lose it when he is on ypur nerve, it's a lot easier to resolve it when you're relaxed and can divert him to something else.

Ontarkie: if you really like your OB then bring up your concerns during your next visit and see how he/she reacts. A low-risk multip mommy who wants a no-fuss, no pain meds birth should be every OB's favorite patient. If you can't figure things out to your satisfaction, then switch to a different provider who shares your views. People do it all the time and I wish I had done that with my first son. I had a horrible experience and I regret that I didn't look for another provider.

As for the iv- I hated mine, and in addition to the pain they completely overloaded me with fluid. I think I got about 5L of LR in just the few hours I was in L&D. They just opened up the line and dumped the bags in me. But that is the policy because I opted for the epidural plus I've had blood pressure issues with my last epidural and at least all that fluid kept my BP stable.

If you end up with an epidural no matter how all natural-minded your OB/midwife is you will need an IV, same goes for GBS positive patients, they need iv antibiotics. The hospital will probably give you a hard time if you refuse an iv that is tied to a policy i.e. duramorph protocol when you have a spinal block. It's for your own safety and that of the baby as much as it sucks. I know you are not planning on using/needing pain meds, just still keep an open mind becasue anything can happen even if it's your third or fourth baby.

Anna: sigh, Kai is joining the club. I haven't had a cold in 1.5 years and the day before I went into labor Ben and I started coughing, sore throat, stuffy nose etc. Now Kai is getting congested and last time I checked his temp it was 99.4... I sucked a lot of green boogers out of his nose and he is breathing really fast, sleeping a lot and apparently decided to take a day off from eating like a maniac.

I am dreading the sepsis work-up, so I will wait until tomorrow and see if he gets better before I call the pedi. Just hoping it's just a milder form of my cold. He has clear breath sounds and a normal heart rate, pee's & poops so I hope he'll be better soon. So far some saline drops and the bulb syringe seem to get him a lot more comfortable. It's scary to have a sick newborn. Hope Eloise is getting better!!

Did I tell you guys that we have a new pediatrician? Since we moved our old pedi is 1.5 hours away and I figured to give the local pediatricians a try. It's really hard for me because I so love Ben's old pediatrician. The new group seems cool, state of the art building, they are on-call 24/7 even on sundays and most holidays. BUT- they have extremely strict views on vaccines. We took Kai for his bili check up last sunday and the first thing we saw was that huge sign about their vaccine policy plastered on every wall!

It said stuff like- if you decide to delay or not to vax your child you're pretty much a selfish, horrible parent and that your child may pretty positively die or get a debilitating disease etc. etc. And all the way on the bottom of their "policy" it said that they want you to find a different provider if you don't 100% agree with the CDC vaccine schedule.

We are totally pro vaccines but we spaced them out with Ben and it worked really well. He was all caught up on the vax schedule by 24 months.

Now they were already pushing us at the first visit to give him the hep B vaccine that we consciously refused at the hospital. It's so annoying that there does not seem to be a medium with the vaccine thing, it's just black or white and I don't agree with either side.

[Ontarkie 13,925]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I will be speaking to my OB about my concerns. I figure I won't stress too much about the IV's or hep lock just yet since I know I can refuse them now, plus I don't know what the test for GBS will show. Is that a newer test I don't think they ever tested me for that before?

Hope the little ones get better soon, and mommies too.

We don't even have a ped here yet, but did get a few friends recommendation on a group so hopefully we like them. I can't understand why some doctors won't work with the parents when it comes to vaccines. I knew someone who refused to get her kids vaccinated just cause she was scared, the doctor finally did get them done before they started school at least.

[chnst 6]

Ontarkie: they do the GBS test between 35-37 weeks gest. It's similar to a pap test. Not sure how new this test is but my older sister didn't have it done with her first daughter who is 13 years old.

Yeah I understand how a lot of parents are scared about additives in vaccines, but it has been proven that they don't cause harm. I do feel very strong that every healthy child should get at least the basic vaccines incl prevnar HIB etc just because I've seen some kids with very bad cases of MMR, meningitis, pertussis etc. and also because it is so important to protect the children and adults who cannot have vaccines and who could easily die if they get a case of chicken pox. But I don't think this pediatricians office is professional at all. I feel disrespected as a parent to make my own choices. I am wondering if this is even legal, to tell parents if we don't abide by this we need to look for another pediatrician?

[Anna C. 4]

@ Ontarkie: i don't know when GBS was established as test for all, but in many countries, e.g the UK it is only done for high-risk mamas. The problem with GBS (group B strep bacteria) is that it is transient, you can test positive today and negative tomorrow. The test itself is rather easy, just a q-tip swipe of the outer vaginal opening and swiped by the rectal area. Many providers let you do it yourself, so no need to get on the table, my midwives just handed me the swab with instructions. A lot of professionals in other countries use Hibiblens treatment instead of antibiotics (hibiclens is triclosan, a disinfectant that pretty much kills all bacteria). It is controversial, the whole GBS thing. I had no choice but do the test since the laws require all birthing center patients to be tested or the midwives aren't allowed to treat us. I opted for being tested at 36 weeks (results are valid for 4 weeks) as I knew I would go rather earlier than later into labor given to my history....

@ Steffi: That sounds like a bad office. I never had trouble with our selective and delayed schedule, but first I was on base and that wasn't even a ped, just a NP who was lousy (like when we didn't get the anemia check or the referral to urgent care for croup), and now I am ueber-happy with our family practitioner. He is so on top of things, helpful, respectful, knows the latest research, pro-breastfeeding and knew not to touch an intact baby boy's parts. He knows a lot about nutrition, good info, unlike the people on base who pestered me about making Jona drink whole milk and juice at one year as apparently breastmilk is inferior to cow's milk (what a complete load of #######!). The AAP recommends not to fire patients for "non compliance of CDC schedule". I wonder what your ped would do in our town, we have a religious group here that doesn't vaccinate - would they deny care? That's stupid. It's like the base people, they already made a face if you even ask if they could order a specific brand vaccine instead of theirs.... Look into FPs as well if that office won't budge. Nobody ever pestered us about no HepB shots, not even the base peds who are well used to scaring people into compliance (friends of mine were told if they don't vax on schedule, the husband will be kicked out of the Air Force, which is a complete, utter, shameless lie).

[^_^ 5,021]

A diagnostic alternative to current NT screening tests coming soon.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-mom-blood-reveal-syndrome.html

[Vi Mazzella 4]

Mommies

Any web site where we can get free coupons? to the supermaket I mean

[^_^ 5,021]

i am not a mommy but like your supermarket on facebook, they post coupons on the news feeds

Edited March 7, 2011 by \

[Staashi 371]

A diagnostic alternative to current NT screening tests coming soon.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-mom-blood-reveal-syndrome.html

I found the NT scan pretty easy. The US and blood work were no problem.

[^_^ 5,021]

I found the NT scan pretty easy. The US and blood work were no problem.

yeah but it's just a screening. the new test which is coming will be a diagnostic like an amnio but without the intrusiveness.

[Anna C. 4]

edit double post

Edited March 7, 2011 by Anna C.

[Anna C. 4]

@ Vi: I have no idea, but we should start looking into that. When I was looking for something to watch I saw a fragment of a coupon documentary, some people really save tons with those. I will start with the websites of my favorite manufacturers, there should be some... Maybe I will make a yahoo email address just for signing up for those as they sent newsletters too... Kashi, Stoneyfield, 7th Generation, Horizon Organic is stuff I already subscribe to and get coupons... My MIL left me her People magazines when she was here and they had Florida's Naturals coupons...

@ Steffi: Wanted to add, I hope Kai is better. Eloise has no more fever, but she is congested and not too happy about it. We have saline spray, the ped wants one spray per nostril every 4 hours, then 20 seconds of holding her head lower than her body, and then just let it sit. Unless you see snot at the nostril he said it is better not to suck it out with the bulb syringe as that further aggrevates the nasal passage. Dr Sears' book said to suck it out, but I guess to let it sit is the new protocol. It just goes back the throat and swallowed... When she eats in proximity to the "treatment" she spits up milk with buggers, yuckkkky. Jona is fine but still congested and apparently the school said that is fine to take him back - the rule is 24h no fever, but I feel he must be contagious still, so if kids go back like this, no wonder that kids get sick at school a lot..... My parents never let me go back to school unless I didn't sound anymore like a chain-smoker... A little cough yes, but not coughing up mucous!

Oh and to explain - on base the vaccine place is separate from the doctor's office. And they cannot fire you for anything... The only problem is that they refuse to see you when sick... BUT now they have a ped again (when Jona was sick all they had was a NP), so now it is actually better. But I will switch Eloise to our FP for continuity of care... The new base ped is young and nice actually, but I love our FP too much (and his backup is wonderful too!). Hubbie will finally start his paternity leave on Tuesday so I can go to Colorado and get the birth certs for the insurance (babies are enrolled for 60 days automatically in the military, then you have to provide a birth cert) and go to Wholefoods. My stash of WF foods ran out...

Thanks about the prenatal testing info, I personally don't do any of those genetic things.... Only a 20 week ultrasound and that about is the most I would ever do. Even if it was just a simple blood test, I'd refuse it, I don't want people to pester me to have an abortion when I don't want to for having a Down baby. And all severe anomalities (aka not viable baby) can be found at the 20 week scan... So that's it for me. My oldest sister opts for testing just to know, but not for reasons of termination, but preparation... Newer and easier tests would be something she'd like! I must say at the 20 week scan the doc did point out that e.g. Eloise has a nose bone or all fingers are formed properly which is a marker of normal baby (if not normal it is a sign of Down)... But all I cared about was that the organs are formed properly.

Apparently everybody is sick -RSV is making the rounds in our town, I know a kid with pneumonia from it in the hospital (a non Prevnar strain), my nieces in SFO have RSV as well, hubbie's family all have colds (likely RSV-related) so Saturday's b-day party for my niece was more like a sick-party... It's a bad month! And we just got snow again last night. Enough already, I want spring, but last year we had snow til May