Car Seat Safety

I was silly about my car seat. I know that now and I'll admit it.

Searching for a stroller drove me absolutely crazy. I literally stressed over it for months - it was crazy. After a couple of months, I chose one reasonable travel system, and then what my mom refers to as "The Cadillac of Strollers" and its matching car seat. Then I took another month or so to make a final decision. It was probably hell for my poor husband. We were in Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us constantly "test driving" each stroller.

Britax B-Agile with B-Safe infant seat
Retails for $399

 I really liked the lightweight Britax system. It was super easy to maneuver through the aisles and really easy to work in terms of snapping the seat into the stroller. What I didn't like about the Britax was the size of the basket. I have always been one to carry a huge purse. For whatever reason, I like knowing that I can take everything (and I mean everything) with me and it will all fit in my bag.

On one of our test driving trips, I happened to have a mid-size pocketbook with me and went to throw it into the basket...it didn't happen. The basket was way too small for me.

UppaBaby Vista
Retails for $729

UppaBaby Mesa Infant seat
Retails for $279

Okay - I'm kind of a brand whore sometimes so it's entirely possible that the basket size on the Britax was just an excuse for me to opt for the Vista/Mesa combo. So now my kid will totes be stylish in her oversized, overpriced, heavy-as-fvck stroller and car seat.
**On a side note, we did receive the stroller as a gift when it was 20% on Black Friday** from pishposhbaby.com (I actually love that website so I'll hopefully write another post on it later).

But seriously - I do love the Vista/Mesa combo. I love the versatility and the bassinet option. I go for lots of long walks with my dog and fully intend to continue to do so with the baby. For this reason, I fell in love with the bassinet. My biggest concern now is that my daughter will hate the bassinet.

Over the last five years, I have learned that no matter how much money I spend on "high end" toys for my dog, his absolute favorite things are the [free] sticks that he finds outside, and the cheap $2.50 stuffed toys from Petco. Hopefully my daughter follows suit.

NOW for the safety part of this post.

A few months ago, a colleague mentioned how her brother and sister-in-law had taken their car seat up to their local firehouse for an inspection. I had never heard of this before. Then my cousin asked when we were going to be installing and having our seat inspected. I guess this really is a thing?

Hubs took the car seat manual along with our car manual, followed all of the instructions, and installed the seat. We kept the seat in the car when we went out to dinner just to see what it felt like to drive around with it, and boy were we surprised. The entire seat rattled as we drove! Maybe an inspection wasn't so silly after all.

My cousin directed me to this website and I did a quick search by zip code. I chose a state certified collision center that is about 3 miles from our house and made an appointment for April 17 (yesterday). As it turns out, we had several things wrong with the way the seat was installed. The owner of the shop was very thorough and went through each and every issue with me before correcting them. Here is a snippet of yesterday's inspection:

1. The first question he asked: "Do you have a mirror that attaches to the seat so that you can see your baby as you drive?" I did not, and he told me that he frequently argues with people to remove them. They're not crash tested and if they fly off in an accident, they can cause severe injury to the baby (especially to their head/face). We will not be getting a mirror.

2. We had the car seat on top of this Prince Lionheart 2-Stage Seatsaver. Again, this is a product which is not crash tested and in the case of an accident, can impede the car seat's range of motion and ultimately result in further injury to the baby. Sure, it protects the leather in our car, but I'd rather protect our daughter. So this will be returned to Buy Buy Baby tomorrow.

3. Hubs installed the Mesa in the middle seat. The owner said that it is actually a misconception that this is the safest place for the baby. In the result of a t-bone collision, then yes. It is the safest. However, in the event of a front end or rear end collision, then having the car seat behind the passenger seat is actually the best.

He explained how if the car seat is behind the passenger seat, then the passenger seat (and passenger) itself serves as a shield for the baby in a front end collision. There is no such shield if the baby is in the middle seat. The baby is also shielded by the higher back seat that is on the passenger side (which again, is not in the middle).

Lastly, he showed me how much easier it would be to get the baby out of the car with the car seat on the back passenger seat. In case of an accident, it is definitely better to not have to climb into the middle of the car.

4. He then removed the base from the middle and installed it on the passenger side. And wow did he tighten it up! He actually climbed in and got on top of the base in order to get as many clicks out of it as he could. Needless to say, it doesn't rattle anymore!

5. He told me that if the car is ever involved in a collision at a speed over 20mph, then the insurance company must and will replace the car seat, regardless of whether or not the baby is in the car. In fact, even if the base is the only thing in the car, the insurance company will replace the entire thing. Good to know!

Hopefully I don't get into an accident, but you never know. All I can say is that I am SO glad that I went for the inspection. I feel like I learned so much and have such peace of mind now. Oh! And did I mention that it was free? Apparently most certified places perform the inspections free of charge.

So one last time, if you haven't already done so, have an inspection. You can find a certified inspection center at this website - http://www.safercar.gov/cpsApp/cps/index.htm

To-Do List...some odds and ends before the princess arrives.

So our little bundle of joy will be here three weeks from today! That being said, there is still a LOT of stuff to be done. Luckily I'm a planner and have been tackling this list for a couple of weeks now.

1. Wash baby's bedding, clothing, burp cloths, covers (Boppy cover, Rock n Play cover, etc.).

2. Schedule cleaning lady for the day before we come home from the hospital.

3. Schedule fur baby's spa appointment.

4. Take car seat for an inspection to ensure that it has been installed properly.

5. Put together the swing.

6. Get my hair cut.

7. Stock up on paper goods, cleaning products, food staples at BJs/Costco. 

8. Pack hospital bag. This is about half done. 

9. Buy post-partum supplies (pads, anything else doctor recommends following a c-section)

10. Get some books from the library to keep me occupied over the next couple of weeks and during my hospital stay.

11. Buy more and finish thank-you cards from my baby shower.

12. Get AFLAC paperwork in order and ready to send.

13. Get carrying case for breast pump (my insurance company provides the pump but no accessories).

14. Get a new area rug for the living room.

15. Type up "birth plan"/requests for the hospital.

16. Sterilize bottles, nipples, pacifiers.

17. Put together the diaper bag (not imperative since it will not be coming to the hospital).

18. Pick up some loose fitting, black pajama pants.

19. Grab a nursing nightgown for the hospital.

20. Order bulk K-cups!

21. Sterilize breast pump parts.

That's all I've got for now. Today I was able to cross off what has already been done - yay!

I've already accomplished quite a bit so this is just what I have left. I will have to update this here if I think of anything else, but this really seems to be it for the time being.

Some other things I've done over the past couple of weeks that I think are super important:

- I set up the pack n play next to the bed and stocked it with diapers, vaseline, wipes, aquaphor (I got a ton of it at my shower so why not?), receiving blankets, burp cloths, a couple changes of clothes in case of a diaper blow-out, extra swaddles, and some waterproof pads.

- I purchased a new (and larger) memory card for the camera.

- Hubs installed the car seat and set up the stroller.

- Put together the rock n' play.

- Bought, washed, and packed nursing tanks, new flip flops, nursing pjs and robe, and all of the toiletries in my hospital bag.

- Washed all of her clothes, blankets, bibs, and bedding and put it all away in her dresser and closet.

I guess all that's left is to bring this little girl home!

Oops...

So I totally flaked on my week's worth of healthy dinners. Maybe I'll try again in two weeks when I'm on spring break.

Needless to say, things just got really hectic and the next few weeks don't look like they'll be slowing down much.

Last week I started 5 units of NPH (insulin) before bed to regulate my fasting blood sugars (they're still on the high side). Because of that, my OB scheduled me for a c-section on April 30 at 8:00 am. WHOA! April starts next week!!! If I happen to go into labor earlier than April 30 on my own, then I can deliver naturally. He just doesn't want me going past that date.

I know a lot of people who would be "disappointed" about needing a c-section or worried about the fact that yes, it is major abdominal surgery. But me? I'm actually pretty relieved for a few reasons:

1) I know that she will be closely monitored before, during and after surgery and they'll make sure she's okay.

2) 1) I'm horribly impatient. Knowing that she will be here by a specific date makes me less anxious.

3) There won't be any pushing (unless, like I said, I go into labor naturally before the 30th). Therefore, her head and my lady parts won't be all sorts of misshapen after birth. Shallow? Probably.

4) I'll get more money from my STD and Hospital Indemnification Policies (an extra couple of hundred dollars never hurt anyone).

I think that's it for now. Of course, there are some things that I worry about as well:

1) I won't get to hold her right away.

2) Recovery from a c-section.

I don't know much about them so that's all I have for now.

Either way, there is no avoiding the fact that this little princess is coming on April 30, and I absolutely cannot wait to meet her. 

A Week's Worth of Dinner: Day 1

Seeing as how it is a real possibility (I'll know in a couple of days) that I will end up on some insulin for the remainder of my pregnancy, I figured it's a good time to start making sure that I eat super healthy foods.

I did really well the first few months of pregnancy (it helped that my biggest cravings were Cream of Wheat, fruit and fresh vegetables) but have really fallen into some bad habits. Baby Daddy is an accountant and it's his busy season which means lots of quick [and usually unhealthy] dinners for me. I think I'm going to give up eating out for Lent (better late than never right?)

Also, I have absolutely no idea how much weight I've gained. I know I started out heavier than I would have liked to have been, and for that reason I have made clear at every appointment that they are not to tell me my weight. I remind the doctor to simply tell me if I'm gaining too much or too little. As of last week's appointment, the doctor said my gain has been absolutely perfect. I guess that's as good as it can possibly get when it comes to gaining weight. 

Anyway, a colleague of mine who really eats well gave me this quick and easy, one pot recipe for lentil stew that happens to be delicious (I was wary of lentils since they're not something I typically eat). This was actually the second time [in one week] that I made it. That means it's officially become a staple, so I figured I'd share it.

Lentil Stew

Ingredients: 

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 strips of bacon (chopped up)

Chopped carrots (no set amount - just eyeball it and add however much/little you want)

1 chopped potato

1/2-3/4 cup French Green Lentils (rinsed - I don't soak them)

1/2 cup canned tomato sauce

Basil

Salt (I use kosher salt)

**I just eyeball the seasoning. Last night I just used a palmful of a basil/oregano/tomato blend I happened to have in the spice cabinet**

Water or broth (enough to cover what's in the pot. I've used beef broth and water with some bullion thrown in and both have been good)

Parmesan cheese rind (not necessary)

Directions: 

1. Sautee bacon in olive oil

2. Add carrots and potato and sautee for 3-5 minutes

3. Add lentils and sautee for 3-5 minutes

4. Stir in tomato sauce 

5. Add basil, salt, and water/broth. 

*Here is where I toss in the cheese rind

6. Let cook about 40-45 minutes and then serve. 

I doubled the recipe for last night's dinner because the leftovers are even better the next day, so I wanted to be sure I had some. 

We LOVE spicy food in our house so I actually meant to add some crushed red pepper, but I forgot. I will definitely be trying that next time though. 

Enjoy!

Yes, I am LOVING pregnancy and no, I'm not sorry

Every day I am asked how I'm feeling. My response is, normally, "great!" plus a smile and a thank-you for asking. However, I typically get the following reactions:

"Wow. Every pregnant woman in the world probably hates you."

"Oh you must have a high threshold for misery." 

Or, my personal favorite, "Ooooh you better not let so-and-so hear you say that. She'll want to kill you." 

I get that every pregnancy and every woman is different. And some women probably are miserable. You hear about the common pregnancy symptoms: morning sickness (which isn't confined to just the morning OR the first trimester for that matter), sore boobs (some women claim they become so sore that the water hitting them in the shower feels more like knives stabbing them) and fatigue. At least these are the symptoms that I had been expecting. To be honest, none of them sounded pleasant and my husband kept our house stocked with cases of ginger ale and boxes of saltine crackers for months while I waited for them to start. Only, they never did. 

I turned into a wreck: anticipating that the ultrasounds would show nothing on the screen or that I was bound to start bleeding any day. I mean, you have to have some symptoms when you're pregnant, right? RIGHT!? 

Well, as it turns out, the answer is no. Symptoms do not mean that you will have a healthy (or unhealthy) pregnancy. Once I realized this, I almost started feeling guilty about my "easy" pregnancy. And then I got over it. 

I've dealt with more hardship over the past five years than I'd ever wish on anyone else. Over the course of five years, I have lost my grandmother, dad, and friend - all of whom were indescribably important to me. Often times, their absence is still palpable. And I'm sure it will be even more so once our daughter is born and it hits that she will never be able to meet these people who are so important to me. All the while coming to terms and dealing with infertility. In short, the last five years have been anything but happy and or easy. 

Then came this pregnancy. For the most part, it has been absolutely perfect (minus the GD that just reared its ugly head a few weeks ago). I mean, sure. There are a few things that are, at best, annoying: my nose is constantly stuffy, I haven't slept through the night in God only knows how long, I almost always feel like I fell on and bruised my tailbone, sitting on my couch for more than an hour becomes painful, and as of this week, I will no longer be wearing socks because I simply cannot get them on. Oh, and I forgot to mention the snissing. 

Maybe this all sounds bad, but it's really not. Inconvenient? Sure. But not enough for me to say that I hate being pregnant. In fact, I love it. 95% of the time, I do feel great, and I am so beyond excited to meet our daughter. With everything I've been through over the last five years, I deserve this perfect pregnancy. And for that, I just can't apologize. 

 

Finishing Out My Pregnancy with GD

I was officially diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes (GD) about two weeks ago. I failed my one hour Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) with a whopping 170 (it should have been at or below 130).

My new OB (whose office I LOVE and will talk about later) sent me for a two hour GTT (thank God for small favors because the old office was sending me for a three hour). The fasting blood test was normal, the two hour blood test was normal, but I failed the one hour again. Make sense?

I had to start seeing an Endocrinologist who basically told me that my blood sugar spikes but comes down relatively quickly so I should be good with just monitoring my diet and spacing out my meals. Easy enough. I now have to test my blood sugar four times a day: once in the morning right after I wake up and then two hours after every meal. Again, it's pretty easy and I'm able to see which foods make me spike...no more Mac n' Cheeseburger with fries from Cheesecake Factory (which is probably a good thing).

I had a follow-up appointment yesterday and asked him why my morning levels are higher than normal. I mean, I test my blood before I even have my morning coffee so what gives? The doctor told me that I have to start making sure I have a snack before bed because my body can't go that long without food.

So last night I ate some trail mix (I really don't have a huge appetite so I had to force it down) before bed. When I woke up at 1:42am (I'm always up in the middle of the night for a pee break) I finished the bowl. Then I tested at 6am and it was STILL too high. Obviously the trail mix didn't cut it.

I have to fax him my log in a week and if snacking before bed and in the middle of the night doesn't help then I may need a shot of insulin before bed. This part is especially hard because like I said, I'm not one of those pregnant women who is hungry all the time. Ugh.

The risks to our baby are scary - GD could result in a larger baby who would probably need to be delivered early and therefore could be underdeveloped. At least that's what the Endocrinologist said.

I'm seeing the OB tomorrow and will see what he has to say. He'll also be doing another anatomy scan so hopefully she's not growing bigger or faster than normal.

My Birth Plan (so far...) UPDATED

I will most likely be updating this post as the next three months [tick or fly] by.

Someone asked me about my birth plan a couple of months ago and I said, "huh?"  Honestly, I had never given much thought to such a thing.  My guess was that labor will go something like this:

1.  Water breaks in the middle of the night and I yell, "Honey!  It's time!"

2.  Hubs jumps out of bed, helps me down the stairs and grabs my bags as we make our way to the car. Luckily it's the middle of the night so there's no traffic and we get to the hospital in under ten minutes.

3.  I end up in the delivery room, push for a few minutes and poof!  Brand new, beautiful baby girl is in my arms by sunrise.

Yeah........silly, naive me.  I know.

I started looking up birth plans and WOW!  Some people are just nuts.  I did come across this satirical birth plan which pretty much sums up a lot of what I found.

I decided to ask my doctor about this at my next appointment.  Her response was an eye roll, an irritated grunt, and a snide remark letting me know that the idea of a birth plan is utterly ridiculous as far as she's concerned.  All right then (see my post about finding a new OB).  I have a call into a new practice and hopefully they will go over my "plan".

It doesn't include much at this point but here's what I have so far:

1) I want drugs...and I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt about that. I've met people who have this overwhelming desire to "feel childbirth". I think some women worry about the baby and some want to feel empowered. Me? I want this baby out in one piece and I have zero desire to feel that happening.

2) No Pitocin or any other type of induction. Not only are they linking Pitocin to Autism (along with just about everything else), but everyone I've spoken with who has had Pitocin said it's the worst thing ever.

From what I understand, Pitocin contractions are the worst. And everyone I know who has been induced with Pitocin ended up with a c-section anyway. So, as far as I'm concerned, just pencil me in for a cesarean.

3) I do not want any residents or students (medical, nursing or otherwise) involved in my birth. I get that they're there to learn, but learn on someone else.

4) This may make me sound like a horrible mother, but I'd like them to clean the baby before putting her on me. I just think it's kind of gross to hold and kiss a baby covered in birth stuff. I've waited this long to meet her, I can wait another few minutes while they clean her up before I hold her.

And that's the extent of my plan for now. It's a pretty simple, no frills birth plan. No hypnosis, dim lighting, soft music, or any other kooky requirements or prohibitions. Like I said earlier, I'm sure this can and will change a bit over the next couple of months.

UPDATED

My how things have changed.

For starters, I switched OBs and I am so glad that I did. In switching OBs, however, I also switched hospitals and again, I'm so glad that I did. I have an earlier post about why I needed to leave the old practice, so I won't get into that again here. I am currently in a practice that has one doctor, one nurse practitioner, and one physician's assistant. I have met with all three of them and have zero complaints. I don't feel stupid for asking questions, and I never feel rushed.

The hospital where I will deliver is also much smaller and more personal. The only down side is that you are not guaranteed your own room. This is a huge problem for someone who is allergic to everything and who has a bad case of misophonia. I will be informing the delivery nurses of my allergies as well as my allergy induced asthma and the fact that breathing has been incredibly difficult throughout much of this pregnancy. I was told to do this while on our hospital tour by one of the nurses after I spoke to her about my concerns. Hopefully they keep me by myself.

Another great perk about the new hospital is that there are no residents, medical or nursing students to worry about.

I also have Gestational Diabetes and am on insulin, which means that if I go into labor naturally I can deliver naturally. However, if this doesn't happen before April 30, then I will be having a c-section. I had an exam earlier this week and she doesn't appear to be in any hurry to vacate the premises so I am banking on the c-section.

So I guess that all solves a lot of my birth plan issues. There will be no students and no induction. Drugs will be given and I won't be able to hold the baby right away anyway. She will be bathed first. Sounds good so far!