Let me start by saying I hope this isn't TMI. I don't think it is, but sometimes my filter doesn't work!
When I had Apple, I had a lot of pain in the rear. For many weeks. It made breastfeeding hard, because it hurt to sit down. It made sleeping hard (and you already don't get much sleep with a newborn) because laying on my back hurt. It hurt! For about 5 weeks!
Last week, I needed to place an Amazon order. You know, when you order $25 dollars worth of stuff, you get free shipping. The hospital that I'm delivering at doesn't use sitz baths and I've heard really good things about them from several people. It turns out, they aren't that expensive, so I decide to add one to my order to get free shipping and hopefully some relief from the pain after I have newbie. I also order some stuff to put in the sitz bath.
The next day, I get an email saying that amazon has mailed some of my order separately and I won't be charged for it. The following day, I receive my sitz bath, by UPS. The next day, I receive the stuff to put in the sitz bath.
They've finally mailed the rest of my order (books that were all in stock) and they're just being sent USPS, which is fine. I guess I just find it humorous that clearly the workers at Amazon think that if you have need of a sitz bath, you should not be trifled with, and you WILL be getting it quickly! They know what's important!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Needs for New Baby
Okay, several people have asked me what we need for baby number two, and I'm finally ready to answer that question. If you plan on buying something for me, either because you plan on coming to my sprinkling or you just want to help, these are the items that we WILL be buying ourselves. They are all things that we need. The two things that we DON'T need and will only give us more work (since we'll have to return them) are disposable diapers and wipes. We are cloth diapering and I know we'll stick with it, because we're already cloth diapering Apple.
2 covers for the changing pad (registered for at Babiesrus)
Extra sheet for crib (registered for at Babiesrus)
Baby Hangers (registered for at Babiesrus)
Seat protector (registered for at Babiesrus)
Nipples for bottles (registered for at Babiesrus)
Drop in liners (registered for at Babiesrus)
Humidifier (not registered for, any humidifier is fine)
Newborn sponge for baths (registered for at Babiesrus)
1 or 2 new newborn sleepers with tags and gift receipt (registered for at Babiesrus, but you can
pick something else out)
A couple of toys to hang on the carseat (registered for at Babiesrus)
A baby book (registered for at Babiesrus)
Cloth diapers and supplies (registered at Cottonbabies, http://www.cottonbabies.com/9061.php details to follow)
Don't be afraid to buy the cloth diapers. Cottonbabies is in South County, and the people are extraordinarily helpful and friendly. Also, they do free shipping, so you don't even have to drive there. Also, individual cloth diapers are pricier than disposables. It's okay to give me 1 cloth diaper. That's one less for me to buy!
This message isn't trying to say you must buy me a gift. I don't expect anyone to, however, if you were already planning on buying me something and wanted to help with things we needed, this is our list. Like I said, we will be buying these items no matter what!
2 covers for the changing pad (registered for at Babiesrus)
Extra sheet for crib (registered for at Babiesrus)
Baby Hangers (registered for at Babiesrus)
Seat protector (registered for at Babiesrus)
Nipples for bottles (registered for at Babiesrus)
Drop in liners (registered for at Babiesrus)
Humidifier (not registered for, any humidifier is fine)
Newborn sponge for baths (registered for at Babiesrus)
1 or 2 new newborn sleepers with tags and gift receipt (registered for at Babiesrus, but you can
pick something else out)
A couple of toys to hang on the carseat (registered for at Babiesrus)
A baby book (registered for at Babiesrus)
Cloth diapers and supplies (registered at Cottonbabies, http://www.cottonbabies.com/9061.php details to follow)
Don't be afraid to buy the cloth diapers. Cottonbabies is in South County, and the people are extraordinarily helpful and friendly. Also, they do free shipping, so you don't even have to drive there. Also, individual cloth diapers are pricier than disposables. It's okay to give me 1 cloth diaper. That's one less for me to buy!
This message isn't trying to say you must buy me a gift. I don't expect anyone to, however, if you were already planning on buying me something and wanted to help with things we needed, this is our list. Like I said, we will be buying these items no matter what!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Cloth Diapers (I promise I haven't gone crazy!)
So, George and I had decided that with Baby #2 we were going to try cloth diapers. By that, I mean that I decided and George didn't disagree, so that's what we're doing! :) Apple has very sensitive skin and I expect this baby to as well. I think that going with diapers without chemicals (chemicals on your most delicate area, 24 hours a day, for 2+ years of your life? Eesh!) in them would be a benefit to new baby, so we decided to go for it.
My cloth diaper journey begins. I start looking online for information on what in the world I'm doing, because let's be honest. To most of us, cloth sounds scary and crazy. When you start researching, it gets even more confusing. What in the world are all-in-ones, pocket diapers, inserts, covers, one-size, prefolds, and on and on. It's a little overwhelming. I talked to a mom at our church who cloth diapers and got some basic information from her. Slowly, I start to figure some stuff out, but it's still overwhelming.
Enter Cottonbabies. Cottonbabies is a cloth diapering store (with lots of other stuff as well) and they have a cloth diapering 101 class. I attend the class (the only one without a husband attending and who already has a child) and learn some more. I come to the decision that I want to try cloth out with Apple. That way, I can figure out what I'm doing before a newborn comes into the picture. So I buy some Fuzzibunz One-Size Diapers and some cloth wipes. Apple has now been wearing cloth for one week today. I really like putting cloth on her. I feel good about my decision. Here are some of my previous concerns on cloth diapering (now that I'm SO experienced. Ha!) and I'll be truthful!
1. I was concerned about leaking. It seems I've always read about cloth diapers leaking. This hasn't been a problem for us at all. Even with the 12 hours overnight. Maybe it's because Apple is an older baby, but when the diapers fit right, it's not an issue.
2. Ugh! Is my house going to smell all the time? Nope. Our house smells less now that it did with disposables. To be fair, if I would have taken out the disposables every day or every other day (like I do with cloth), I think the smells would have been MUCH less. The other thing I wasn't expecting (which might not be a good thing) is that her stinkies are a little harder to detect by smell in cloth.
3. How do I know what will work for my baby? I tried Fuzzibunz and happened to love how easy they were. George thinks they're easy too. I've recently added to our collection with BumGenius 3.0 One size. They're doing just fine too. You just have to try.
4. How do I clean the diapers? Thankfully the diapers come with something that says how to wash the diapers. And once you get into a routine, it's not that hard.
5. Will I be grossed out by cleaning poop? I'm grossed out because about once every two months, I have to fish Apple's poop out of the bathtub. That's gross. Getting the poop out of the diapers is easy.
6. Will diaper rash (which Apple gets FREQUENTLY) get worse or better? Neither, so far. Last week, we had 2 days where she had diaper rash from her stinkies, but I guarantee she would have gotten the same rash wearing disposables.
I've also discovered some other things (these are more on the negative side)
1. A lot of moms who cloth say, "Oh, it's just as easy as disposables." I don't think so. Maybe I'll think that later, but it does take a little longer to change the cloth.
2. It is extra work. We're doing an additional load of laundry every other day. It isn't hard work, but it IS extra work.
3. I haven't completely figured out how to use the diaper sprayer (attached to the toilet) without spraying myself.
4. I'm scared to use prefolds. One-size doesn't fit as well on skinny newborn legs, so in the beginning with new baby, we will be using prefolds and covers. Hopefully, I'll figure it out quickly!
5. George and I both aren't huge fans of cloth wipes. They are necessary, because you keep them with your diapers. You can't store disposable wipes in your diaper pail because you can't wash them. So, if you use disposable wipes, you have to throw them in the trash and now your house stinks. But, I do think disposable wipes are way more convenient than cloth wipes. (We're still sticking with the cloth)
6. You save a lot of money in the long run (ESPECIALLY if you plan on having more kids), but the start up cost is a lot. Individual cloth diapers are pricey. They pay themselves off easily, but they are pricey.
7. You get some looks when you drop your child off with someone (like church nursery, gym nursery, a babysitter, etc.). I've gotten three kinds of looks. Thankfully, the most normal reaction is just a, "Okay. Sure." Then, a lot of the younger generation looks at you like you're crazy. But my favorite look is from the older generation. At our church VBS, two older ladies watched Apple. I took her the first night, told them I was cloth diapering, showed them the diapers, and they were flabbergasted. Both of them had this look like, "This is not cloth diapering. WE cloth diapered. It was a lot more complicated and involved pins. This is just a washable diaper." :)
So far, we think it's worth it to cloth. I wish I would have considered it with Apple earlier, but it didn't even cross my mind as an option. It's also definitely not for everyone! And it's not what most people think anymore. Hopefully, we'll continue to have a good experience with it when new baby gets here!
My cloth diaper journey begins. I start looking online for information on what in the world I'm doing, because let's be honest. To most of us, cloth sounds scary and crazy. When you start researching, it gets even more confusing. What in the world are all-in-ones, pocket diapers, inserts, covers, one-size, prefolds, and on and on. It's a little overwhelming. I talked to a mom at our church who cloth diapers and got some basic information from her. Slowly, I start to figure some stuff out, but it's still overwhelming.
Enter Cottonbabies. Cottonbabies is a cloth diapering store (with lots of other stuff as well) and they have a cloth diapering 101 class. I attend the class (the only one without a husband attending and who already has a child) and learn some more. I come to the decision that I want to try cloth out with Apple. That way, I can figure out what I'm doing before a newborn comes into the picture. So I buy some Fuzzibunz One-Size Diapers and some cloth wipes. Apple has now been wearing cloth for one week today. I really like putting cloth on her. I feel good about my decision. Here are some of my previous concerns on cloth diapering (now that I'm SO experienced. Ha!) and I'll be truthful!
1. I was concerned about leaking. It seems I've always read about cloth diapers leaking. This hasn't been a problem for us at all. Even with the 12 hours overnight. Maybe it's because Apple is an older baby, but when the diapers fit right, it's not an issue.
2. Ugh! Is my house going to smell all the time? Nope. Our house smells less now that it did with disposables. To be fair, if I would have taken out the disposables every day or every other day (like I do with cloth), I think the smells would have been MUCH less. The other thing I wasn't expecting (which might not be a good thing) is that her stinkies are a little harder to detect by smell in cloth.
3. How do I know what will work for my baby? I tried Fuzzibunz and happened to love how easy they were. George thinks they're easy too. I've recently added to our collection with BumGenius 3.0 One size. They're doing just fine too. You just have to try.
4. How do I clean the diapers? Thankfully the diapers come with something that says how to wash the diapers. And once you get into a routine, it's not that hard.
5. Will I be grossed out by cleaning poop? I'm grossed out because about once every two months, I have to fish Apple's poop out of the bathtub. That's gross. Getting the poop out of the diapers is easy.
6. Will diaper rash (which Apple gets FREQUENTLY) get worse or better? Neither, so far. Last week, we had 2 days where she had diaper rash from her stinkies, but I guarantee she would have gotten the same rash wearing disposables.
I've also discovered some other things (these are more on the negative side)
1. A lot of moms who cloth say, "Oh, it's just as easy as disposables." I don't think so. Maybe I'll think that later, but it does take a little longer to change the cloth.
2. It is extra work. We're doing an additional load of laundry every other day. It isn't hard work, but it IS extra work.
3. I haven't completely figured out how to use the diaper sprayer (attached to the toilet) without spraying myself.
4. I'm scared to use prefolds. One-size doesn't fit as well on skinny newborn legs, so in the beginning with new baby, we will be using prefolds and covers. Hopefully, I'll figure it out quickly!
5. George and I both aren't huge fans of cloth wipes. They are necessary, because you keep them with your diapers. You can't store disposable wipes in your diaper pail because you can't wash them. So, if you use disposable wipes, you have to throw them in the trash and now your house stinks. But, I do think disposable wipes are way more convenient than cloth wipes. (We're still sticking with the cloth)
6. You save a lot of money in the long run (ESPECIALLY if you plan on having more kids), but the start up cost is a lot. Individual cloth diapers are pricey. They pay themselves off easily, but they are pricey.
7. You get some looks when you drop your child off with someone (like church nursery, gym nursery, a babysitter, etc.). I've gotten three kinds of looks. Thankfully, the most normal reaction is just a, "Okay. Sure." Then, a lot of the younger generation looks at you like you're crazy. But my favorite look is from the older generation. At our church VBS, two older ladies watched Apple. I took her the first night, told them I was cloth diapering, showed them the diapers, and they were flabbergasted. Both of them had this look like, "This is not cloth diapering. WE cloth diapered. It was a lot more complicated and involved pins. This is just a washable diaper." :)
So far, we think it's worth it to cloth. I wish I would have considered it with Apple earlier, but it didn't even cross my mind as an option. It's also definitely not for everyone! And it's not what most people think anymore. Hopefully, we'll continue to have a good experience with it when new baby gets here!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Pregnancy and Exercise
This pregnancy has been extraordinarily different from my first. There have been two major lifestyle changes that I believe contribute the most to this. The first is, I no longer have a paying job. What a huge blessing this has been! Last time, I conducted a concert 3 weeks before my due date. No wonder I had pre-eclampsia! Also, I was so stressed with making all my sub plans. Every evening was spent on the computer working on things. Ugh. I don't miss that part of my job at all!
The other big factor is exercise. I didn't start exercising until last June, when school was out. While working, I didn't feel like it was possible. I was already drowning under all my responsibilities and couldn't add one more. But when I quit, I no longer had an excuse. With Apple, I gained 61 lbs. Yikes! I didn't exercise and while I ate a lot of veggies, I also ate whatever else I wanted too. In three months, I lost 30 lbs. Ugh again. That left another 31 to go. I worked really hard and got within a couple pounds of my pre-weight. Then, I was suddenly pregnant again.
I decided to keep exercising. By this time, I was exercising 5-8 hours a week, depending on what else was going on. It was really hard the first trimester because I have a HUGE problem with morning sickness. While it was bad this time, it (thankfully!) was nowhere nearly as bad as with Apple. However, I had seen on a birth board that many people stopped working out the first trimester due to sickness or tiredness, and then had issues getting back into it. I was determined to push through. There were a few times when I had to leave the class early because I thought I would get sick if I stayed, but most of the time, as long as I took my prescription before, I did fine. And then came the second trimester. No more sickness, much more energy. Exercise=game on! Once my OB asked what exercises I did, and I responded with, "Oh, I go to several step classes, a weight lifting class, 2 Piloga classes, a yoga class, and a high-low aerobics class each week." She said, "So, when you say you exercise, you don't mean you walk for 30 minutes each day." "Um, no."
Enter trimester 3! Month 7 was the same as the 2nd trimester. Everything was fine. Now, I'm 32 weeks. I can still bend over and touch the ground without bending my knees. (We'll see how long that lasts!) Unfortunately, I can no longer, as of this week, attend two classes in a row. So, how has this changed my pregnancy? I can't believe how much more energy I have this time around. I can do so much more. I hear other pregnant women (especially from a birth board for others due in July) complaining about all sorts of pregnancy-related stuff (tiredness, not being able to get comfortable, not being able to paint toes, don't want to walk long distances, etc.) for several months now and I'm only now starting to feel some of these things. I definitely felt those earlier with Apple. I don't get as hot as I did. I look like I did when I was 6 months pregnant the first time. My stomach doesn't itch like it did. My blood pressure is MUCH lower. I really think it's because of exercising. My body is still strong and it's made a huge difference. Also, I've only gained half as much weight this time around as I had the last time, and it isn't because I started out so much bigger, because I was only a few pounds bigger! I wouldn't have exercised if I was high risk or my Dr. said it wasn't good for me or baby, but I'm so happy that I have been able to exercise. So, if you're thinking of getting pregnant, I highly suggest starting a workout routine now and keeping it up, even when it's hard. It makes such a huge difference!
Now the question is how will this affect my labor and bounce-back time? An update on that (hopefully) in 8 weeks!
The other big factor is exercise. I didn't start exercising until last June, when school was out. While working, I didn't feel like it was possible. I was already drowning under all my responsibilities and couldn't add one more. But when I quit, I no longer had an excuse. With Apple, I gained 61 lbs. Yikes! I didn't exercise and while I ate a lot of veggies, I also ate whatever else I wanted too. In three months, I lost 30 lbs. Ugh again. That left another 31 to go. I worked really hard and got within a couple pounds of my pre-weight. Then, I was suddenly pregnant again.
I decided to keep exercising. By this time, I was exercising 5-8 hours a week, depending on what else was going on. It was really hard the first trimester because I have a HUGE problem with morning sickness. While it was bad this time, it (thankfully!) was nowhere nearly as bad as with Apple. However, I had seen on a birth board that many people stopped working out the first trimester due to sickness or tiredness, and then had issues getting back into it. I was determined to push through. There were a few times when I had to leave the class early because I thought I would get sick if I stayed, but most of the time, as long as I took my prescription before, I did fine. And then came the second trimester. No more sickness, much more energy. Exercise=game on! Once my OB asked what exercises I did, and I responded with, "Oh, I go to several step classes, a weight lifting class, 2 Piloga classes, a yoga class, and a high-low aerobics class each week." She said, "So, when you say you exercise, you don't mean you walk for 30 minutes each day." "Um, no."
Enter trimester 3! Month 7 was the same as the 2nd trimester. Everything was fine. Now, I'm 32 weeks. I can still bend over and touch the ground without bending my knees. (We'll see how long that lasts!) Unfortunately, I can no longer, as of this week, attend two classes in a row. So, how has this changed my pregnancy? I can't believe how much more energy I have this time around. I can do so much more. I hear other pregnant women (especially from a birth board for others due in July) complaining about all sorts of pregnancy-related stuff (tiredness, not being able to get comfortable, not being able to paint toes, don't want to walk long distances, etc.) for several months now and I'm only now starting to feel some of these things. I definitely felt those earlier with Apple. I don't get as hot as I did. I look like I did when I was 6 months pregnant the first time. My stomach doesn't itch like it did. My blood pressure is MUCH lower. I really think it's because of exercising. My body is still strong and it's made a huge difference. Also, I've only gained half as much weight this time around as I had the last time, and it isn't because I started out so much bigger, because I was only a few pounds bigger! I wouldn't have exercised if I was high risk or my Dr. said it wasn't good for me or baby, but I'm so happy that I have been able to exercise. So, if you're thinking of getting pregnant, I highly suggest starting a workout routine now and keeping it up, even when it's hard. It makes such a huge difference!
Now the question is how will this affect my labor and bounce-back time? An update on that (hopefully) in 8 weeks!
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