Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
More Baby Questions.......
Hey all,
I have some more baby questions if anyone has any input that would be great!
1: If you have 2 cars did you get two car seats, or just a spare car seat base? If just the base is it ok to get that used (if I can find one)?
2: Did anyone use the services of a baby nurse or Postpardum doula after birth? If so any recommendations? Especially if said person would travel to Bucks County. What was the approximate cost?
3: The teacher at our childbirth class mentioned perineal massage prior to labor. Really? Has anyone done this and did it help? I'm finding the whole idea very off putting.... but not as off putting as bad tearing. So I figured I would ask....
4: Did anyone go in a tub/ jacuzzi during labor? Did it help sooth the pain, or made no difference? If you did go in, were you in a swim suit or your birthday suit?
Thanks for any tips!!
Re: More Baby Questions.......
I can only answer the first question.
We bought one infant carrier (came with base) and bought a separate base for our other car. I would not recommend buying a used base.
We did buy two convertible seats for when he's bigger because I'm not lugging that think back and forth.
#1 12.11.11
#2 10.23.13 EDD
This is exactly what we did. V is in the convertibles now and its SO much easier than lugging that wretched infant seat everywhere!
Ok, so a used base is a no no the same way as the car seat itself. Good to know, thanks!
What is a pod? Also the convertible car seat is for when the baby is a little older right? You start with the infant one for as long as they fit?
We have the Britax Boulevard 70 Convertible Car Seat - Cavalier picked out for the convertible seat. Is that one pretty decent? So we'll probably need two of those then unless we want to lug the thing in and out of whichever car we're in?
The perineal massage business is for before you get to the hospital. As in from now until delivery. Actually recommended to start at 34 weeks, so we are already late. Anyone try it? On the delivery day DH will be nowhere near that area, much less massaging it. Lol.
Interesting on the jacuzzi thing - thanks for the thoughts. I guess if we use it I'll think of it more as a distraction rather than a pain reliever. With my pain threshold I suspect I'll be hooked up to an epidural on my back most of the time anyway! ; )
the infant carrier thing I call a Pod, I think I heard it on a tv show and since we were using both types of seats at the time the name just stuck. We brought Brooks home from the hospital in a convertible with the infant insert.
Also I think I remember hearing on here that it can be a while to get an appointment to have your car seat installation inspected so you might want to get on that if you plan on doing it.
Good reminder - thanks. Definitely need to get on that!!
So you only used a convertible? Interesting. I can see I need to do some more reading on this.......
There's a website for locations to get the car seat checked right?
Anyone know what it is? I am so behind on everything!!
We had our car seat inspection done at Abington Hospital. It's free and they do it every third Saturday. Link When I called the number to schedule it, they asked where I wanted to have it done so I think the phone number is for the actual group that does the inspections. I can't remember the name of the group though.
Also, we took both cars to have the infant base checked and we'll do the same when the time comes for the convertible.
#1 12.11.11
#2 10.23.13 EDD
1) We only had one infant car seat and base it worked fine for us. I was home for six months and exclusively handles the drops and pick-ups. On the rare occasion H would pick her up, I would just take out the car seat and leave it for him. The infant car seats are super easy to remove and install so didn't see the necessity of buying a separate base. However, when she moved to a convertible we both bought ones for our cars since they are not are easy to move.
2) I've actually never heard of a post-partum doula, what do they do just out of curiosity?
3) I have heard of this but not really sure how well it actually works. I think a lot of factors go into whether or not you will tear and can't see how a massage would correct that, but hey, I guess there is no harm in it.
4) I did use the tub at the hospital and no, it was absolutely no help. However, I really was very ill prepared for a med-free birth since I assumed I would get the epidural and all would be good, not so much. Since I know that an epidural won't work next time, I will probably be more prepared and bet the tub would be much more helpful and soothing.
I started with an infant seat and 2 bases. I never opened the 2nd base but that depends on your lifestyle. We just coordinated who got which car based on who was going somewhere with the babe.
I moved to the convertible seat at 10 mo when he outgrew the infant seat (aka pod aka bucket in my house). I recommend the infant seat first as there is nothing better than smoothly and easily removing your sleeping baby from the car without having to wake them.
I did not do perineal massage. I had a foreceps delivery and bad 3rd degree tears. While I don't think rubbing my bits could have helped in my scenario you better believe I'm gonna try it this time around. It took 6 mo before I felt normal down there.
If you don't have a family/network around here I'd recommend a post partum nurse, doula, housecleaner, take-out service, whatever you can do to help ease those early weeks. The first week is the honeymoon so not much help is needed there but once the baby "wakes up" and especially if you plan to nurse, having someone there to answer your neurotic questions (not that you have them, just that you'll have a lot post baby), help around the house (even if it's just to make you a sandwich or fold some laundry), relieve the nonstop feeding, sleeping, house chore cycle, etc. is a HUGE help.
I think a postpartum doula is like a high level baby nurse. A lot seem to also be lactation consultants. They are meant to come in and support the whole family, help with the baby and I think assist with breast feeding and stuff like that. They seem to charge by the hour and only a few do night help (also by the hour).
We would rather have a baby nurse who charges by the day/ night, but there don't seem to be many/ any around this area. I guess they're all in NYC and north Jersey where they are really popular.
Why didn't your epidural work and why cn't you have one next time? This is just about my worst fear as I am a total wuss about pain!
I'm in the process of meeting with a few doulas local to us, and a majority of them do post-partum too so I can let you know how they all ended up being after my interviews next week if you want.
I plan on using the jacuzzi at Capital Health, but that was also a friend of mines intentions and she quickly gave that up when the time came and also said it was distracting, so we'll see. PS - did you end up switching to Lawrence OBGYN?
1. Thus far we've done as PP said - one infant seat/base because I have been home for nearly 6 months of maternity leave. Also, I'll be doing pick-up/drop off. We have 1 convertible that we'll either put in DH's car on the rare occasion he does daycare. Infant carseats, particularly Britax are HEAVY. And while a sleeping infant is a wonderful thing, they start waking up when you are out and about around 6 months.
2. Didn't use the services and agree they are more popular in NYC and even CA. I would HIGHLY recommend attending BRC (Breastfeeding Resource Center in Abington)'s free support groups if you are home on leave. There is an LC there and other women going through it. This is a wonderful thing for all your BF questions and a good alternative if you don't have someone come to your house. And a good alternative if you just want to get out of the house with baby in the first few weeks! "Support group" has a nasty connotation - you'll get over that in about 5 minutes.
3. I can't recommend or not. My doctor and nurse were doing something down there during labor that involved their hand and I still don't want to know. I did have bilateral tearing, mostly due (I think) to the fact my kid was turned "sunny side" aka face up and they didn't know this until he started to come out. Plus he was 8 lb 1 oz so he was big and turned face up = tearing. I'm sure you know - some tearing is very common.
4. Nope! I knew I wanted the epidural.
1. We had two bases and used them both frequently, but until now we both were involved in drop off and pick up so we needed two. Now we have 2 convertables for the same reason. We have the Britax Boulevard 70 and love it. We went with something cheaper for the other car since it wouldn't be used as much. I can't remember the name though...Graco something. But it was like $100 or less at Target on clearance.
Can't really help on any of the other ones. Emergency C-section will make most of those irrelevant.
I would definitely be interested in hearing about the Postpartum portion of the Doula meetings you have, but I seriously think it runs like $30 an hour which is a bit off putting. Maybe just for a few hours a day for the first few days could work if all else fails.
I did switch to Lawrence OBGYN. So far they seem really, really nice - I have to say I'm not really missing Lankenau so far which is a relief.
Hmm......that's interesting about the post-partum doula that definitely would have been helpful after returning home from the hospital.
Regarding the epidural or lack thereof, I had back surgery where a rod was placed on my spinal to correct a very serious case of scoliosis. I have been followed-up with my orthopedic at UPenn for years and he didn't foresee any problems with an epidural at.all. so I went thinking " ok, cool, epidural it is." When it came time they did it twice and it didn't take except for a couple of random spots in my stomach and back. I appears that I had so much scar tissue in my epidural space that is wasn't able to work. The worst part about finding this out at the last minute was that if I were to have a C-section I would have to be put out under general anaesthesia which really scares me for I want to be awake for my child's birth. Anyways, that's my sob story, but next time I will be aware of this and hopefully be prepared as much as physically possible, which is very little, lol.