Chaz Moms and Moms-to-Be Chat (everyone welcome)

UMMMMMM HI GUYS HELP PLEASE.

Ok - I'm 36 weeks pregnant TODAY. I've been having a lot of Braxton Hicks for the past week or two, but nothing lasting and only one or two painful ones. I just went to pee (and TMI, btw) and when I wiped there was a tiny bit of brownish/pinkish mucus. But just like two little spots.

I feel 100% normal otherwise. Is this normal? Like maybe just blood from blood vessels in my cervix breaking or something? It definitely doesn't seem like anything hinting at early labor, but should I call the midwife to check? (they're not in over the weekend, so if it WAS anything I'd have to go to the hospital anyway to check for dilation/whatever). I have an appointment tuesday morning anyway.

It sounds like you lost part of your mucus plug. It could mean nothing as lots of women lose their plugs weeks before giving birth but I think the recommendation is to at least make your caretaker aware of it if you're earlier than 37 weeks.

Also, there have been a few women in my birth-month group who have lost their whole mucus plug multiple times. It can regenerate

What Allison said. I also need some advice..

At 32 weeks, I have contractions every so often. Like, about once a week or so (since around 26 weeks) I will have an hour and a half to two hours where I just experience back to back contractions that can be pretty bothersome/painful and it's really nerve racking. Anybody else experience this?

Yes, I have Barbara. It's usually at night, or during the day if I do a lot of exercising/walking. Or if I don't drink enough water.

I'm fairly certain if they're not more than every 10 minutes for more than an hour, they're fine. If they are more frequent than that, I'd ask the doctor, but if it's something you're experiencing frequently and then they get better, I don't think that's a sign anything is wrong.

I posted about it the other night, I was having pretty intense BH contractions that were definitely more than 4 an hour for a couple of hours. I was about to call my doctor when I finally fell asleep (presumably they had stopped then) and when I woke up I was fine.

I know I keep jumping back to the naming thing, but now that we're on middle names, I actually just had to make this comment at one of the suggestions he made:

"LIKE THE CHEESE?!?!?"

I too have had some pretty rockin BH contractions since about 30 weeks. They've settled down a bit in the past week or two but I think it's because I've been off work.

I get them especially bad at certain times-- getting into the car, getting up off the couch, walking the dog. Sometimes they're so strong I have to breathe through them.

Unless they start to follow a regular pattern or become painful (actually painful and not just uncomfortable), my midwife said its great that my body is practicing so hard and that it will make delivery easier. She may have just been blowing sunshine up my you know what but I'll take it.

As for the name, MM, was it Bree? LOL

To all of you!

happy mothers day everyone!

Braxton hicks like that are normal.Trsut me when I say you will KNOW without a doubt when labor is coming. I walked my sister to her school which was 5 minutes away from my house and on the way back it took me an HOUR to walk home when I was pregnant with Blake. My pelvis literally felt like it was going to shatter and every step I had lightning shooting up into me. I wasn't having contractions but the following nigth when I walked the dog my water broke. Something similar happened to Briggs. There is no mistake of real contractions versus Braxton Hicks. They come on and you think oh, this kind of hurt but aren't that bad and just steadily get heavier till you are groaning like a wild animal.

I'll take those contractions anytime now. Today was my original due date based on my LMP. It changed to the 17 at my first ultrasound but I don't know that I believe that based on when I tested positive. Either way, baby's on her own schedule here.

You won't necessarilly know rthat you are in labor right away. My first baby, I was exactly 2 weeks overdue. During work that day, I had a slight back ache that by bed time was aching pretty bad. I remember being up pacing back and forth until finally it dawned on me that I was in labor. It wasn't what I was expecting, my water never broke etc. My water never broke naturally on any of my 3 kids and 2 of them were overdue by exactly 2 weeks.
Good Luck to all you mothers and enjoy this wonderful time in your lives.

What's everyone's opinions/experienced on visitors right after the baby?

I'm unsure, for one, if I want any friends/non-family to come to the hospital. It's already going to be AT LEAST 5 family members, realistically more like 10-12.

But then...like 4 million other people want to come and see the baby. Extended family is coming to stay from out of town within a few weeks after the birth. And right around my due date, a handful of my close friends are moving back to the area from farther away, and another couple are spending some times here visiting their families.

I don't really have too many concerns that I'll be too tired, or they'll disrupt our routine, or be a disturbance to me...but GERMS. I wouldn't be comfortable taking a new baby into public, and I'm not so sure I want so many family and friends (enough to pretty much constitute the general public) holding/touching/breathing on my newborn.

How safe is it to bring people whom you're confident are healthy, vaccinated adults around a newborn?

Do you have reason to believe they will be sick...?

I think as long as they have reasonable self hygiene you'll be ok. You could always ask them to remove shoes and give hand gel if you're that worried.

Baby will be reasonably protected if you're breastfeeding.

Not sure if this is an issue where you are, but I know around here there has been a big resurgence of whooping cough and measles. They are recommending that adults receive boosters of both in many cases, so you might want to contact your local health department to see what their recommendations are.

Not sure about measles, but whooping cough is a HUGE concern here.

The hospital offers the booster to ANYONE who comes to see the baby. So I, my parents, and hopefully the baby's other grandparents, will get the booster. Apparently the booster lasts for 10 years, and is administered at 11 or 12 years of age, so all the younger family members should be good.

I also read, on the CDC website, that the booster is usually given to pregnant women between 27-36 weeks, and it will give the newborn immunity. I was not offered that, and I'm not sure why, since the hospital (who my midwife is through) takes pertussis VERY seriously.

I was titered for everything at the start of my pregnancy, so if I had immunity already, would that be passed to the baby? I'm also wondering if it just wasn't offered because of my seizure history (it says don't get the booster if you have epilepsy...and my diagnoses was "seizure disorder", but I never had a tonic clonic seizure? So I don't know if that would make me unable to receive the vaccine?) I'll find out at my appointment tomorrow.

I'm assuming if most of the people around the baby are vaccinated, I make everyone wash their hands, and nobody's sick - and I don't have to go back on seizure meds and can breastfeed - we'll be pretty ok.

I'm not worried about her getting sick as much as I'm worried that I'm going to be completely overwhelmed trying to figure stuff out, trying to breastfeed, trying to be a mom and we are totally going to be bombarded.

Thinking about it yesterday actually made me really grumpy.
Along with the constant "no baby yet?" texts, I've been having people tell me (TELL, not ask) that they'll be coming down to see us as soon as she's born. Sigh. It's crazy how people will give boatloads of advice about "sleep when the baby sleeps!" but then tell you how they plan to be there when she is born.

Rant.

For you Allison: http://haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com/

Allison - my uncle moved in with us (incredibly spontaneously/spur of the moment-ly) about three weeks ago. So that bring the number of adults living in my (3 bedroom, 1600 sq foot) house to FIVE.

His 11 year old daughter is coming to stay with us for a few weeks.
My 17 year old cousin is coming to "help" with the baby.
My aunt (17 yr old's mom) is coming up with her - only for a few days.
She might bring my grandma.
My friend is coming from Boston to see the baby (not staying with us)
Another friend is coming from Florida (also not staying with us)

Everyone else lives around here, so at least if I need time to recover, I can push their visiting back a few weeks. But they're also people who are as close as family, and they're SOOOO excited (this is the first baby in our group of friends), and I know they want to be around right away to meet him/her. And I don't want to say "no" to his family, either...they don't seem overbearing at all, but I'm sure they'll want to visit.

The baby's dad just informed me that he's requested time off from work for when the baby's born, and also made the statement "Well, I'll be with you whenever I'm not working". I'm really really glad he's so interested in the baby and that we get along well enough to hang out together and be together with the baby, but that's A LOOOOOTTTT of people staying at my house.

BUT, as I read today: Where people think an overprotective mother is insane, people think an overprotective father is adorable. Make DH kick out anybody who's too germy or isn't letting you get enough rest


On the plus side at least if I do have a seizure plenty of people will be around to help.

I had visitors right after having my baby x2. I don't personally mind. I don't get bothered by lots of people being around. However, I think its also really important to have down time after having a baby. Maybe let people come visit for a short bit but let them know ahead of time its only going to be four a half hour to an hour if you think you may get overwhelmed?

We all went in and had the Tdap about 2 months before my granddaughter was born. The doctor said we all should get it at least 2 weeks before coming into contact with the baby.