August 2015

Hi ladies,

Sjoe! It's been a hectic two days for me. I'm attending lectures all week this week, so I haven't had much time to myself. Class starts at 08h00 till 18h00. Just browsed over some of your entries.

I also love the Woolies feeding bras. They are so comfortable. I am normally an A-cup, so I bought two C-cups and they almost fit perfectly already.

I also went to the EXPO. I bought the AngelCare thermometer, the bath seat, nappy bin and a baby carrier. I didn't buy nappies because they are cheaper on takealot.com plus they get delivered to your door... Awesome! I was hoping to get a nice nappy bag, but I guess it can wait.

TMI Alert: I have a question: do you guys experience wetness down under and how do you manage it? It seems to be getting worse and i soooo don't enjoy it. No smell, or colour, just clear liquid like wetness...

My update:
I pretty much have nothing for the baby! Lol!
I bought a hammock which we'll use as the crib/bouncer/swing as space is limited. Someone gave me a car seat. And that's all I have!

Hi girls

Oooh birth options! My favorite topic
I am obviously pro natural, being a midwife. But I am also very supportive and non judgmental on all birthing options.
I had a drug free birth for my first. I found the last 90 minutes extremely painful I was really not prepared for just how overwhelming those contractions can get!
However, this time, I will still try again to go drug free
I am happy to explain the pros and cons of all options if anyone has any questions.
Mostly, there is the drug free option, natural techniques like hypnotherapy, massage, the bath etc. then there's a TENS machine, which you can hire. It's a little hand held device with little pads you attach to your lower back and it sends little electrical impulses when you activate it. It apparently numbs the pain a little and mostly good in early labour.
There is entonox gas (laughing gas) which is effective to take the edge off of contractions, especially during transition (8-10cm). It has no affect on the baby
Then there is pethidine which can make you drowsy, and may have some effect on the baby's respiratory system.
Then there's epidural, which should block out the pain (providing it's fully effective and administered properly).
Some moms find it hard to push effectively after an epidural and may need assistance with the vacuum (ventouse) or forceps.

Hope that helps!

Just a quick question regarding stockpiling nappies.. for those moms who have had little ones already & used disposable ones, how much of each size is a safe amount for the first few months? I've started buying nappies, but not sure on how much i should get.

Hmm, thanks Daerhel, that's helpful food for thought, definitely more informative than my classes. Thanks Ctelly, I'd appreciate that other article too. I'm definitely pro informed decision making in this.

Ctelly thanks for the tip for filling out pre admission for online, i just finished submitting mine now!

@wide-eyed: I found these articles which might help a little:
www.babyhealth.co.za/epidurals.html
www.pregnancyweekbyweek.co.za/2009/07/pa...ng-labour-and-birth/

I had an epidural with my very first daughter... almost 14 years ago now . My blood pressure had dropped to the point where the baby was starting to be in danger, and the Dr wanted the epidural in place just in case he had to do an emergency c-section. Luckily it wasn't necessary as my blood pressure rose again, and baby was born naturally.
I must say tho that the final push was quite painful, as I hadn't had all the contraction pains to prepare me for it.
My second daughter was born completely med free, much easier than the first time round.
Granted my first was a 25hour labour and second only 3.5 hours...

This time I'm also hoping to go med-free, but we'll just have to see how it goes. Doing my research too, just in case.