I found these Great Value brand date bars at Walmart and they literally cured my constipation 
[name_f][/name_f]dates are good for naturally / slowly inducing labor too so I figure win win!
[name_f][/name_f]Cashew [name_f]Cookie[/name_f] has only 2 ingredients- dates & cashews.
[name_f][/name_f][name_m]Peanut[/name_m] Butter Chocolate [name_m]Chip[/name_m] has 4 ingredients- dates, peanuts, chocolate chips, sea salt.
Theyāre my new favorite pregnancy snack!
Well I went MIA because HEāS HERE (name to be announced in the birth announcements).
[name_f][/name_f]I ended up being induced on [name_f]Tuesday[/name_f] 1/28 due to preeclampsia risk (I disagreed with this as it was the same induction-happy NP but thatās another story). [name_f]My[/name_f] water broke at 5am on [name_f]Wednesday[/name_f] 1/29. I managed labor okay until severe back labor and then had 3 failed epidurals which left me only numb on my right side and in excruciating pain. I attempted labor like this until 9:15pm where it was determined that I was not progressing past 9cm even with position changes and pitocin administration and the risk of infection was going up due to the amount of time since water rupture. So, we proceeded with an unplanned c-section and baby boy arrived at 10:59pm on 1/29/25 weighing 8lbs 9oz (no worrisome size 
) and 21.5 inches long after 18hrs of labor.
Not the birth story Iād always imagined and itās honestly been a really long week and I didnāt have the best experience or support at the hospital but weāre still super thankful to have our son.
Congrats!!! Sorry about the disappointing experience but Iām glad everyoneās healthy
Congratulations!!
[name_f][/name_f]Totally relate to your birth story and sorry it didnāt go the way you wanted it to be. The most important part is youāre both doing good though. [name_f]Hope[/name_f] you recover well and enjoy lots and lots of snuggles with your little man.
Congratulations!! Iāve been waiting for the announcement!
[name_f][/name_f]So sorry you didnāt get the birth experience you wanted 
[name_f][/name_f] [name_f]My[/name_f] first birth involved pitocin and long labor as well. I think you feel similarly about inductions so wonāt belabor that, sometimes things just donāt work out as planned.
[name_f][/name_f][name_f]My[/name_f] subsequent births have been a lot easier and smoother, if thatās helpful to hear 
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] you get to snuggle in and enjoy the newborn stage!
Seems like Iām in early labor with fairly regularly contractions every 6 mins! The nurse that facilitates my twice a week NSTs seems to think I wonāt be pregnant anymore by the end of the weekend. I have a c-section scheduled for the 20th so heās coming this week one way or another, Iām just curious if heāll try to come before my c-section is scheduled.
[name_f][/name_f]Idk might be fun to place bets?
[name_f][/name_f]I am hoping for tomorrow, though that would be fast, I love the idea of his birthday being 2/15/25, its a bit similar to my favorite grandmothers birthday of 5/15/50. Doing what I can to progress my labor for this but obviously its not necessarily going to work.
So exciting he will be here in the next week either way! I hope he does come soon if youāre getting contractions, as prodromal labor is no fun (from someone who knows first hand!)
Wow the newborn phase is humbling. Heās 3 weeks tomorrow and Iām still[name_f][/name_f] struggling with my milk supply so weāve had to supplement which I didnāt really want to doā¦
[name_f][/name_f]Has anyone else ever felt like their body just hasnāt been good at the baby thing? Like first the birth and now the milk supply has me wondering if maybe I just donāt have the biology for children. It could very well be the sleep deprivation or the hormones talking as wellā¦
I had to supplement and felt that way as well with my first. Itās the depression talking and the only thing that helped me was opting to formula feed outright & prioritizing sleep. If you feel like youāre well enough to keep going, by all means do that, but I had to realize a mentally healthy mother was more important for his wellbeing and development than him getting breastmilk. Itās so hard either way but you will make the right choice for your baby.
[name_f]My[/name_f] first birth was hard. I really felt like my first son āpaved the way,ā so to speak, and my body figured out the baby thing better the next times. I didnāt struggle with breastfeeding, but many women do. Youāre not alone.
[name_f][/name_f]Did you have your babe checked for tongue and lip ties? They can make a huge difference to proper latch and consequently to milk supply. One of my siblings had a tongue tie and my niece and nephew both had tongue and/or lip ties. Milk supply was an issue in those cases. Also fyi sometimes doctors advise leaving a tie rather than getting it cut/lasered, which in my (admittedly secondhand and anecdotal) experience is usually a mistake.
Seconding the tie issue, I had an undiagnosed tongue tie until the age of 10 that led to speech impediments I still struggle with! I had my first checked for one right away due to it and he indeed had a minor one. Its way easier to heal as a newborn versus later on, he didnāt even cry when they clipped it, [name_f][/name_f] I was in pain for weeks when mine was cut.
Popping in to say that the newborn phase is really really hard. Sleep deprivation is torture. The hormonal ride is wild. I really encourage you to take any sweeping statement thoughts you have about your body with a heaping pile of salt and see if you can re-evaluate once you are out of the sleep deprivation woods. I canāt remember the number of times I was up in the night crying and wondering if I made a mistake. My sister was surprised recently when I said my spouse and I want another baby, because I was so unsure after how awful I felt when Ro was a newborn. The thing that helped most was getting some sleep back.
Breastfeeding early on is hard, and harder if there are struggles with latching or supply or letdown issues. Evidence supporting the value of breastmilk doesnāt actually have any information on combination feeding or supplementing. There is no evidence that formula does any harm. Benefits of breastmilk seem to be pretty constrained to early life. If having a relationship with your baby in which you breast-feed, via pumping or via nursing, is important to you then I hope you figure out a way to make it work for you. But if it isnāt going to work for you, I second what Shelby said. Your health is important. It is importantly for you, but also for him.
I had a lot of trouble breast feeding with my first! I feel like women donāt talk about this enough, none of my family said anything about it or had any advice I desperately needed but I was determined to make it work ( for the nutritional content and the cost of buying formula ) Pumping was my saving grace and allowed me to boost my supply, so maybe pumping between feeds will help boost your supply too as your body will think to produce more bc of the stimulation. Also try mothers milk tea, I didnāt try it with my first, but Iāve heard great things and will try it with my second ( what can I say Iām a fan of tea )
[name_f][/name_f]Also nipple shields were make it or break it for me and I could not get my first to latch without one and it also reduced the pain.
[name_f][/name_f]You can do this, donāt give up if itās something thatās important to you. But also, if it doesnāt work out you know you tried your best and give yourself grace. Itās so much harder than it seems!
39 weeks today and I started collecting colostrum the last 3 days. [name_f]Day[/name_f] one I got only a few drops which was disheartening. [name_f]Day[/name_f] 2 I got 2ml, better but not much. [name_f]Day[/name_f] 3 I got 20ml! Today is day 4 and I am going to express 2x today instead of just once. [name_f]My[/name_f] stockpile of liquid gold is starting to grow 
[name_f][/name_f]
Donāt be too hard on yourself! The first month or two (or more) is really life altering. Basic parts of your life that have always been under your control (like when to sleep and eat and go to bathroom) suddenly are no longer solely under your control. And your body is still massively adjusting to hormone fluctuations and youāre not sleeping which plays a huge part in mental and physical well being.
Tomorrow 2/27 is my due date and my last ob appointment! If she doesnāt come before [name_f]Sunday[/name_f] I will be induced.
[name_f][/name_f]Tomorrow is also the first [name_m]New[/name_m] [name_f]Moon[/name_f] of the Lunar [name_m]New[/name_m] Year! As someone whose menstrual cycles have always found a way to sync with the moon (is this true for anyone else???) Iām wondering if she is waiting for the pisces new moon for her new beginning in this world 
[name_f][/name_f]I can at least hope so!
Being a mom of 2 is a wild adjustment but I love how much my firstborn loves his baby brother and seeing him interact with him 
[name_f][/name_f] Arthurās been just so infatuated with his baby brother, asking to hold him, asking to help with him, showing him all his favorite toys, even telling me āHeās so cute! Good job mama!ā And even thanked a nurse at the hospital for ācutting baby brother outā when he came to visit in the hospital
I havenāt had a lot of help postpartum as my support system got sick at the last second and my husband could only get a few days off work so considering I had a c-section and Iām managing both kids basically on my own itās been pretty hard. Especially since [name_m]Hugo[/name_m] hates being put down and sleeps more during the day than at night [name_f][/name_f] but Iāve made it almost a week and I feel like I could be doing worse so Iām trying to focus on that to not get totally overwhelmed lol
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] everyone postpartum is hopefully thriving or at least surviving and everyone waiting on their babies get to meet them soon š©µ:heartpulse:
Your boys are precious! Watching your oldest child become a big sibling is one of the sweetest things to witness 
[name_f][/name_f] Iām so sorry you donāt have more support right now. After having good support with my 2nd but not with my 1st, I know how much of a difference that makes. I pray you get as much support & love poured out on you as possible during this exhausting & beautiful time [name_f][/name_f] @ShelbyRose
Looks like little man may have a milk protein allergy thatās making him miserableā¦
@cms1512[name_f][/name_f] Oh no! Poor pumpkin 
[name_f][/name_f] [name_m]Will[/name_m] he need to start special formula?
