cloth diapers at hospital/birth plans...what to do?

[mich1218]

I have never used Aveeno soap on my DD, but I have used regular Dove bar soap-the unscented kind. My DD has eczema, and they told me not to use most baby soaps, to just use Dove. Not saying you should use Dove-I don't know how you would react to it, but just to let you know that your baby doesn't necessarily need a baby product. Just be careful around the eyes, and it's fine.

[bean3]

This is my third baby. The first one, I went to the hospital as soon as I was having any sort of regular contractions (hospital was 45 minutes away!). I got there at 11:30 pm and had him 8:23 pm the next day (not bad for a first, but still!).

With #2, I labored all day at home while I was working. I finally went in when I was losing 15 seconds off of each contraction intervals (hospital, again, was a 45-minute drive due to traffic). Told DH we should go in "just to get checked", and we ended up with DD within four hours; I was 6 cm when I reached the hospital.

This one, the hospital is about a 12-minute drive, so I'm not panicked. I have a midwife for my regular GYN care, but I have not seen her throughout this pregnancy; just the OBs.

I plan to labor as long as possible at home this time as well. I MUCH prefer it, and I have a lot that will likely need to be done on the way out the door, not to mention two other kids who will be bored if we are at the hospital for too long.

I'm getting all my ducks together today as far as the printings and such. That and wrapping up the weekend's work. Sounds like a fun day, huh?

[idcwife]

Did you have problems with scents=migraines with either of your other children? Was the hospital easy to work with then?

[bean3]

Originally Posted by idcwife Did you have problems with scents=migraines with either of your other children? Was the hospital easy to work with then?

We didn't know about it then. I've had these things since I was 12, and all the docs kept telling me it was "all in my head" (well, technically, yes!!!).

With my son (who is now 13), I was only having them a couple times a year (and a lot in early pregnancy, as hindsight would have it). With my daughter (#2), I was having a LOT more problems (probably on the average of several times a week), but we had never figured out what it was. We had no idea what the triggers were. I always assumed when I would get disoriented with #2 that I was just "tired" from the pregnancy. It wasn't until DD was about 3 and I was stuck in bed, incoherent, for eight days at a stretch that I was able to piece together the hormonal connections, the perfume triggers, and all the other more subtle triggers (had to fire four neurologists and fly across the country to see a specialist, but we figured it out!). I wasn't diagnosed with these things until I was 31 (DS born when I was 21 and DD when I was 27). They had been getting exponentially worse throughout my 20s, but the docs kept trying to tell me it was "normal" and they could find "nothing wrong".

The key to these things is simple prevention. Once one hits, it is harder to recover from it and maintain function. Preventing them in the first place is MUCH more effective.

[bean3]

Well, L&D finally called me back, after I had had my next OB visit. I explained all of what was going on (again) to my OB. They asked for a copy of the birthplan I was putting into place. No problem.

L&D called on Tuesday (my cutoff date for them to get back to me). Amazingly, this lady had never heard of basilar migraines (which I anticipated). I wrote out a simple but thorough birth plan for her and sent it on. By my OB appointment today, my doc had already seen it over at L&D! Yeah!

I was hoping working with L&D would give me a clue as to what was normal for them and what I could do to help them out, so that they could help ME out. Even simple things like "cloth diapers only" could have been a problem; I was assured it would not be a problem.

There are copies of my birth plan and my oxygen prescription now at L&D, in my OB office chart, in my bag, and in the diaper bag. I will present L&D with another copy upon arrival and will paste one to the door as well.

I THINK I'm covered now...cross fingers!

[sweety13]

Good Luck, and wishing you a happy healthy birth

[4boys1girlforme]

I'm glad you got it all worked out!
I had an awful migraine last week that came on for 2 days and I couldn't stop it. I think one of my main triggers is lack of sleep.
I'm noticing that scents bother me MUCH more when I have a migraine that when I don't. Even my own spray on deodorant seemed really strong to me and almost offensive and normally it doesn't even bother me. DH was home for half a day and I just laid in bed and tried not to throw up. When I get over a really bad one- I can feel pressure (not really pain) in my head for up to 2 days afterward.
Could migraines be hormonally induced? I have never had one while pg but I think bfing really messes with my hormone levels.
Cigarette smoke can give me a headache and if I can't get rid of it- it will turn into a migraine.
They are scary...

[bean3]

Originally Posted by 3boysforme I'm glad you got it all worked out! I had an awful migraine last week that came on for 2 days and I couldn't stop it. I think one of my main triggers is lack of sleep. I'm noticing that scents bother me MUCH more when I have a migraine that when I don't. Even my own spray on deodorant seemed really strong to me and almost offensive and normally it doesn't even bother me. DH was home for half a day and I just laid in bed and tried not to throw up. When I get over a really bad one- I can feel pressure (not really pain) in my head for up to 2 days afterward. Could migraines be hormonally induced? I have never had one while pg but I think bfing really messes with my hormone levels. Cigarette smoke can give me a headache and if I can't get rid of it- it will turn into a migraine. They are scary...

Yes, hormones are triggers. Everyone's triggers are different, but here is a generalized list you may want to look into:
1. Hormones...obviously for us. Mine tend to cluster "more" around menses.
2. Smoke, though this is not one for me.
3. Lighting. If I am talking to someone and there is a light on behind them, I make them turn it off! Any strobing lights, like fluorescent, that can be HUGE. Watch places like Wal-Mart. Wear sunglasses ALWAYS! Spiral fluorescent lights are not nearly as bad as tube fluorescent lights, but if you have a two-light fixture, apparently that helps the strobe effect.
4. Noises can do it to. Not as strong of a trigger, but I am definitely hypersensitive when I'm already spiraling into a migraine.
5. Chemicals in foods. Many don't realize this, but various foods will have various reactions in people. I actually cannot eat avocados and celery for some reason...instant symptoms.
6. Perfumes are a HUGE one for me. Flower-based scents and musks are really bad. Fruit-based scents are a lot better but can still cause problems. All of our family's products are completely scent-free. If you are looking for a particular something, I can tell you what we use.
7. Medications. I cannot take anything for seasonal allergies (Sinuglair, Alavert, Claritin, etc.) because it will knock me out in bed in the middle of the afternoon with a five-hour migraine. I was so out that I didn't know my name when I woke up, and it would take me a few hours to really get reoriented and be functional again...not good.
8. Environment allergens, such as mold! I apparently had a mold and Bermuda grass smut allergy (we had Bermuda grass in the front yard, and there is a mold or something that grows on it), so, in Austin, I was disoriented a lot of the time with migraines. Most docs do not know about this connection, or they discount is significantly.