I'm expecting my first child.....NEED ADVICE!!

[chazziff]

maybe it's different up here in canada but the hosp i've had my children in always timed it this way - end of one to the beginning of next one. and they had us timing the duration of the contractions ... i've had four kids and my oldest one is 11 ... i guess she can pick how she wants to count

[MissFancyChick]

http://pregnancytoday.com/resource/definitions/timingcontractions.htm

there ya go

[MissFancyChick]

contractions

- contractions that are a minimum of five minutes apart - count from the end of the last one to the beginning of the next - the contractions themselves can last from 30 secs to over a minute) for at least an hour

not to say you're wrong... but i coulda sworn it was from the start to the next contraction's start...

almost positive... ill check on that...

[chazziff]

when you think you are in labor don't go to the hospital right away until you have these "symptoms" cuz they will just send you home anyways (a waste of your time and their time!!). mind you will be tempted to head out the hospital at break neck speed at the inkling of a mild contraction ...

- contractions that are a minimum of five minutes apart - count from the end of the last one to the beginning of the next - the contractions themselves can last from 30 secs to over a minute) for at least an hour
- with "show" - may be bloody or mucousy - it's the mucus plug covering your cervix it falls out when you are starting to dilate. it may fall out up to a month or a week or a day or a couple of hours or even during your labour
- your bag of water(s) breaks - may be a slow trinkle or a big gush ...

the main one would be the five minute one - but of course if something does not feel right go right away .... like heavy bleeding (placenta previa or your placenta has pulled away from the uterine wall) or your water broke and contractions haven't started or haven't gotten "regular" (infection rates start sky rocketing for you the longer you wait)

[MissFancyChick]

hmm..

well i dont know how im doing this... ayes... a lot of family support...

My Baby-Daddy isnt with me anymore, because he's a selfish *** mofo... but we're are still on speaking terms. And my 2 year old's father is also an ***... (i know how to pick em, eh?) Ive been raising my daughter by "myself" ( a LOT of family support) so i know i can handle my son also. I think it would take more work to share the resposibilities... Im just used to doing it all... but now i have to deal with shared custody, and whatnot... so that'll be a learning experience since my 3 year old daughter's dad doesnt want anything to do with us.
Damn these Indian BOYS and their speedy sperm !! ayes !!!

Im very strong and i try to be self sufficient as much as i can... i hate asking for help, but i do if i need to !

*i dread buying diapers again... my daughter was potty trained at 2.
*i dread not sleeping for a year... daughter had colic (UGH i dont wish that on my worst enemy!!)
*i dread the Snot Sucker!!! Have someone else do it, if possible so you can be the Comforter


*I cant wait for the first smile, even if it IS gas !!
*I cant wait to breastfeed... weird feeling, but awesome at the same time
*I cant wait for the smells... Johnson & Johnson's !!!!

[badmaninc]

Don't let them eat yellow snow.

[Annie Fawn]

I had morning sickness the whole time, night and day. Crackers or dried toast close at hand is a lifesaver. People kept telling me that it meant the baby would have hair. She did, a head full of 2 inch long black hair.
Also don't be surprised if your boyfriend has some of your preg. symtoms. I had terrible morning sickness and my hubby had food cravings. I'm talking some really odd cravings like tobasco and westershire sauce on popcorn. A friend of mines husband had morning sickness instead of her having it.
Don't necessarily believe the books or the child birth class. My hubby and I had a fight about the fact I wasn't having frontal contractions, but knew I was in labor. Sure enough, I had back labor. To this day I never had a frontal contraction.
As for the spanking stuff, yeah, got a frim believer in it here. Make rules, make them clear and if they get broken make sure you follow through and enforce them. Don't threaten to punish and then not follow through. I honestly tried the time out bit with my youngest daughter and her cousin who is 5 months older who I kept. They wouldn't stay in the chairs! Finally hubby tied a dish towel around their waists to keep them in them. The next thing we knew they had walked bent over with the chairs still on them back into the living room and turned the tv back on! Thats the day I started spanking. Now they are 16 and if I tell them something and get ingnored I start counting. They are moving before I get to 3.

[debbieyd]

Morning sickness?

Thanks everyone so, so much for all the great advice! Trust me, I have already written down mostly all the advice that was given. I really appreciate the support. I really need it because I've never been pregnant before.

I also wanted to know one other thing, have any of you wonderful mothers out there had to deal with morning sickness?

I never had to deal with that, but my daughter did, I guess it made her sick!!!

[*CherokeeTears*]

Thanks a lot MissFancyChick! I really appreciate the advice that you & everyone else have given to me. Trust me, its not too much! I need this advice. Not that I don't have my family behind me being very supportive but I just need to know every little possible thing before that time comes. I don't want to seem dumb-founded when I give birth...LOL!

Oh yeah, Congratulations on being 5 months pregnant! How is it for you take care of a 3 year old & being pregnant with other one at the same time? My boyfriend is already talking about having more kids when I didn't even give birth to this one yet! I told him to "SLOW DOWN, I JUST GOT PREGNANT!!".... But wouldn't it be funny if I had twins?!

[MissFancyChick]

*if youre going to use a cradle board... use it early... or they WILL NOT like it !!
*Make sure the punishment fits the crime!
*you dont need to sterilize EVERY thing EVERY time you use it, just the first time... my sister did... haha
*You will get a lot of "advice" from ppl that think they know it all... jlisten, but just go with your gut, you'll know your baby best.
*SITZ BATH!!! ahhhhh... youll know what i mean!!
*EPIDULRAL!!!!! need i say more???
*if you have a cat, WATCH IT CLOSELY around the baby, they like to keep warm on baby faces and have been known to suffocate babies
*To reduce the risk of SIDS put baby on its "BACK TO SLEEP"
*YARD SALES!!! especially baby socks!! they seem to be disposable! I buy them every month it seems.
**GOTTA LOVE THE: Snugli, bouncy seat (esp if it vibrates), ora-gel, HYLAND'S teething tablets!!, Mylanta Gas Drops (colic)
Sorry if I've overwhelmed you with all this... like i said before ^^^ im 5 months now and it goes thru my head all day every day...

[debbieyd]

Don't let yourself get chilled...

My ex-mom-in-law from Newtown, ND, always used to make sure I had a blanket to cover myself up, she said never let your body get chilled, don't eat too much bacon! (heartburn)

[kiyaanii mom]

discipline

I very rarely spank, but I have before.

I think discipline is very important in raising kids. How else do they learn how to respect authority and therefore not become mass murders when they grow up.

If you raise children without discipline, then you will get adults without discipline.

Like I said before each child is unique. The discipline for each of my kids depends on the child. Some could care less about being spanked and another could careless about being grounded.

I think a healthy respect for authority goes a long way. If kids are not taugh how to identify wrong behavior and the displeasure of the consequenses that should follow bad behavior, then how do they learn right from wrong. And discipline should not always be negative. The more positive discipline you shower on your sweet child the happier and more productive they become. This means looking for good things your child does, not just always the bad.

Last thing I want to add, your child does not need the latest toy or best clothes on the market. They need you, your love and patience.

Congratulations and Best Wishes on your new road in life.

[kiyaanii mom]

Thanks everyone so, so much for all the great advice! Trust me, I have already written down mostly all the advice that was given. I really appreciate the support. I really need it because I've never been pregnant before.

I also wanted to know one other thing, have any of you wonderful mothers out there had to deal with morning sickness?

Morning sickness! I had it with 2 of my four kids. FYI... no two pregnancies are exactly alike. They all have unique qualities just like your kids.

Have 2-3 crackers right next to your bed. In the morning, as soon as you wake up, before you even move or sit up. Eat a couple of those crackers. Give it a few minutes to get in your stomach and settle it down. Then slowly sit up and slowly start moving around. I found once the crackers settled my stomach, I felt better the rest of the day.

Which one of my kids (my only daughter) smells really triggered my nausea. If I smelled anything with cheese, I would almost barf on the spot. The only thing I could do was turn around and get away from the smell. LOL At that time, my husband would drive down a street with my window down to decide where we were going to eat out. LOL Poor thing didn't eat Pizza for several months.

[Paul G]

Congrats!!

I'm only a year and few months into being a parent, but I can give you some advice.

Get a digital camera and camcorder! And take as many pictures as you can. It is amazing how fast they change!

Get the baby to sleep in thier crib as soon as possible. We live in a 2 story house. So we put up a pack and play in our bedroom for Brooke. It was great for us in the short term-not having to walk up and down the stairs all the time. But she learned to only sleep with us. And she didn't sleep well at all even with us in the room. We spent several sleepless months. We finally had to just put her in the crib and leave her until she fell asleep. Rough couple of nights before she got used to it!

But she has slept through the night since!!

Don't stay couped up in the house with the baby. Get out and do things. We've been taking Brooke out since Kelli recovered from the c section. It helps you by getting out. And it helps them learn too!

And most importantly have fun! Enjoy every minute!

[chazziff]

morning sickness is the worse - stick with smaller meals - and have alot of them - spread out your three meals to six plus. big meals will only make you feel worse. ginger tea is suppose to help. along with almonds and the unsalted cracker thing. keep up your fluids!! try either really cold foods/drinks or really hot foods/drinks - temperature wise not spicy. have someone else cook for you - the smells can really get you!! just try different combos to find out what works for you ...

if it gets really bad try gravol - it does have a warning on it (pregnant, breastfeeding women should not...) but hey if you can't keep any food inside of you to help nourish your baby - that would be way worse. besides i had to use it for all four of my pregnancies and there's nothing wrong with my kids (at least what i can see!! - no missing limbs or mental problems) but i had really bad morning sickness for a really long time and had to go on dilectin when the gravol stopped working - not sure if it is available in the states ...