kaimui22

congrats!!! I remember when you first started posting about being pregnant...wow time flies by so fast!

first of all.....you should NOT have any expectations of how your labour will be
there is no "standard" and every birthing experience will differ from person to person...you might want a vaginal birth but end up having a c-section....or vice versa

for my son, I thought I was going to give birth since week 36...but nothing happened..i waited and waited, even after the baby moved down to the lowered position, I still didn't have any labour pains or contractions. I ended up going overdue to the 41st week when I went to my doctor and she suggested to induce my labour since my baby was getting too big
so at my 41st week appointment, we made an appointment to induce me at the hospital on Feb 18....but on Feb 13 I started "showing" and lost the mucous plug and started having contractions every 3 minutes on Feb 14. So I went to the hospital and of course my contractions stopped and they started to induce me using medications....

I started having contractions again and I was stuck in the first stage of labour for 35 hours. Yup...THIRTY-FIVE HOURS of pain...did I mention the epidural failed? It took them FIVE times to put the needle into my back and the drugs didn't go to where the pain was. The doctor just said "oh, sometimes it doesn't go to the right nerves". During this entire time, you are not allowed to eat or drink...I was so hungry!

Then after this 35 hours, the doctors came, took another look and said I was still 2cm!!! So they broke my water for me and hoped that I would progress a bit more. 2 hours later the baby's head went back UP instead of coming down....since they broke my waters, they were scared of infection so I had to had C-section right away.

----

Sorry I didn't mean to scare you but just wanted you to know there is nothing you can "expect" when having a baby. The baby will come when the time is right and sometimes you just can't force them to come out...even if they are overdue. I wanted a normal textbook birth, ended up with a super scary experience but it was all worth it. The other women in my prenatal class had different stories too....one couple started having contractions, drove to the hospital and had the baby within 1 hour. Another couple suddenly developed high blood pressure in week 37 and had emergency c-section. Some babies came a month early, others came on time and some were late.

The first stage of labour can last from 1 hour to 40 hours...and in the end, you still won't know if you can have a baby vaginally or via c-section until the doctor decides for what's safe for you and the baby.

I know it's hard to relax and you're probably super nervous right now but there's nothing you can do but try to enjoy your sleep now! After the baby comes, you will be so busy trying to take care of it, feeding it and also recovering, you won't have enough time to sleep for the first couple of months. So relax, enjoy life as a couple now and get as much rest as possible!! You can do it! And..don't think too much. When it happens, it will all fall into place and the hospital will take care of you.

Good luck!!

kaimui22

oh just wanted to remind you of one thing....

since you are only week 36 now, it is still a bit early to have contractions. It is best to keep baby inside you as long as possible to as close to week 40 so their lungs are more mature. So...if you are feeling contractions already, drink more water!! sometimes being dehydrated will cause premature labor.. The closer to week 40 you are, the stronger the baby will be when he/she is born and easier to breastfeed too!

kaimui22

ha..my belly was so big everyone thought I was gonna have twins!
each woman carries their baby differently...some carry it high and it looks smaller. some carry it outward and low (like I did) and it looks huge. Also...it depends on your stature. I am 5'2 but had a very big baby..so big I almost couldn't get an epidural...the doctors said my baby was too big for my size! maybe you are carrying it inward and up that's why it looks small. Also your baby might be smaller than the average canadian baby...usually asian babies are around 6 or 7lbs, mine was over 8lbs.

sweating is very normal! having a baby inside you is like having an oven in your stomach..i was sweating like crazy and turning on the air conditioner even when it was snowing outside! once your baby comes out your body temperature will return to normal, don't worry.

kaimui22

if you have low amnionic fluid i'm sure your doctor would have already told you or have been very careful about your pregnancy. wasn't it your aunt who mentioned that small belly = low fluid? maybe she was wrong or misunderstood...

don't worry about it unless you're very unsure then maybe it's better to call your doctor and ask before your next appointment..because as others have mentioned, low fluid levels are very unsafe for the baby

as for the nesting effect.....YES! most moms go thru this crazy stage near the end of redecorating, cleaning the entire house, vacuuming..etc etc. it's very normal so don't worry about it..just don't overwork yourself or try to do impossible tasks (e.g. painting your baby's room now).

Also, have you packed your hospital bag yet? where are you going to give birth? you might want to pack some more pads, extra clothes, a toothbrush, towels, extra underwear...etc etc. Because at richmond hospital, they will not provide you with any extra stuff...they only give you one pack of diapers, no wipes, no brush, no face cloth..etc etc... the last time i had my baby there, they didn't have wipes so they told us to use paper towels + water...it was very inconvenient to run back and forth from the washroom/tap to wet the towels for each diaper change.

also you might want to bring some extra blankets/clothes for your baby....the clothes they give the baby are very rough and not warm enough. also bring baby clothes from newborn to 3 months...because your baby might not fit newborn clothes! We bought one set of clothes and my son pooped all over it and we ended up running home getting a 3-month old sleeper so he would be warm enough to go home. oh yeah...bring a baby hat!!

kaimui22

vaseline is great for the poopy diapers! just put vaseline on the baby's bum or on the new diaper so the baby's poop won't stick to the baby's bum. It's easier to wipe the poop off and also it protects the baby's bum from too much moisture so the baby won't have diaper rash as easily.

last time I followed the list and packed a luggage too...end up didn't use much of what they suggested..haha
pads, diapers, wipes, vaseline, towels, underwear, extra clothes are all you really need

also bring some 5-6 months pregnant clothing to wear when you leave the hospital...

kaimui22

I totally agree with low_B....even now my son is 20 months old...and I look back and remember how much easier it was with the baby inside me..hahaha
Actually now that he is older, I look back at the first 6 months of his life as the easiest...at least he won't run around!

pepsis2 : I know being induced is a scary feeling...but don't worry! all will be fine...how many days overdue are you now? they induced me when I was 7 days overdue and I finally had the baby on the 8th day overdue (c-section). Just think of it this way....now that you are overdue, you can be sure that your baby's lungs are fully developed! So when he/she comes out, it will be a healthy, fat baby! Enjoy the last days of having the baby inside you!

kaimui22

well..in a sense, induction gives you a bit more control over what WILL or MIGHT happen...
whereas if you went into labour naturally, your body takes over and you have no idea what to EXPECT in the next step

did your doctor discuss with you how they will induce you? by IV or by drug or by ribbon (inserted down there) ?

either way, at least you'll know for sure you'll have the baby within a reasonable amount of time once they start the induction...i know you've been waiting forever...40 weeks is a long time! Near the end you probably just want to get it over with and have the baby out so you can hug him! I totally understand your feeling

kaimui22

congrats!!!!! you should post your birth story!! So I guess the induction was successful? Are you breastfeeding? I've forgotten how much a newborn eats already..haha...too long ago! You must be soooo busy! Try to get more rest when you can and keep us updated!

BTW, what is your son's name?

kaimui22

ouch! I hate it when they do anything to you "down there"...it makes peeing impossible!! at least you are fine now! You just need to get as much rest as possible...and aren't you in TO? It should be 5am now! haha...the first couple months will fly by and you will almost have no concept of time!

wow..eating 4oz every 4 hrs? that is good!! so I'm guessing he's sleeping for 3-4 hrs already? lucky you!! my son would wake up every 2 or 3 hours wanting to feed...but then I was feeding him breastmilk so he got hungry easily. what are you feeding Sheldon? formula? what brand?

kaimui22

ha...11lbs is a good weight but not a fat baby la, don't worry! babies gain A LOT of weight in the first 1/2 year...and then slow down a bit. By the time he is 1, he should be 2-3x his birth weight but his weight gain will slow down A LOT from 1-2 years old. My son is almost 2 years old now but has only gained a couple of pounds in the past year. As long as he is developing and meeting all the milestones, he is fine.

The first 2-3 months of having a newborn makes the parents feel like they're zombies...especially first time parents! Non-stop feeding, diaper changes, worrying about this and that..etc etc...I don't remember how I survived the first three months with my son! ha..the time just flies by and soon he will be a big boy! Having a kid makes you feel like time really does fly by as you get older.

Just try to relax, get some rest whenever you can and try not to worry so much about taking care of the baby...I know it's hard but when you look back in a couple of months, you'll find that you were probably over-protective (all parents are!) and probably could have relaxed a bit more.

Anyways congrats again!