100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 44

Back to a post about cloth diapers...I want to talk about the things I wish I had known. Jumping into cloth diapers was a big unknown, but you do learn quickly.

One thing I wish I had known was that certain detergents do not rinse out as easily as others. We originally started with just regular Tide and then once that was gone, I bought the Tide Free and Gentle. I washed the diapers, but one on J, and that night he woke up crying. Nothing I did soothed him and he wouldn't go back to sleep. I had no idea what was wrong, but I figured he couldn't get comfortable because he kept wiggling around in his bed. So I changed his bum, even though it was dry and that's when I realized his bum was red. So I put on some coconut oil and put on a disposable diaper (it was easier in the dark to put on a disposable). The next morning, he had a rash like I hadn't seen before. So we switched to disposables so we could lather up his bum with creams...but everything we put on just burned his bum. So I turned to the internet and saw so many posts about burns from detergent residue. I felt terrible and so guilty. It was my fault that this happened to his poor bum and because of me, he was in pain! I went to the store and bought regular Tide again and rewashed all of his diapers and ran a few cycles of just a hot wash. I wanted to make sure all of the residue was gone. It took a good week for the burn to finally go away. I ended up buying a pretty expensive cloth safe diaper cream and it worked well. It didn't burn his bum at all when it was applied which made me feel a bit better. So all of this is to say that the Free and Gentle and Free and Clear detergents are much harder to rinse out...I wish I would have read that before I switched. And remember, always run extra rinse cycles at the end of your wash! 

Another thing I didn't know about was that not only can your baby get a burn from detergent residue, but they can also get an ammonia burn. Babies tend to get these from ammonia build up in the diapers (meaning the diapers aren't coming clean like they should). If your baby's diaper smells like ammonia as soon as he pees, you know you have a build up and you need to strip the diapers. If the diaper just smells like urine, it's fine because that is expected.

That's about it for the things I wish I would have known.

As for my day, today was officially my last day at work. It was pretty busy and I couldn't believe how much stuff I had to bring home. The thought of putting it all away was stressing me out throughout the day. Very silly to stress about that but I think it's because my nesting instinct is kicking in again. I'm hating clutter of any kind so right when I got home, I put everything away. Over the next few weeks I bet I'll be going on a cleaning frenzy. 

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 45

Today I had an OB appointment and it went pretty well. This was my first OB appointment where I didn't even get a bedside ultrasound...bummer! But I did get to hear his heartbeat and it is one of the best sounds ever...music to my ears!! As soon as they put the doppler on my belly, you could hear his heartbeat...they didn't even have to move it around. I've never had any luck picking up the heartbeat with my stethoscope, but I want to try again tonight...some women are able to and others aren't. Hopefully I'll be one of the lucky ones!

I've still been having the sever pain in my side. I'm pretty sure it's a parastomal hernia causing me all of this pain. It's a big risk for women who have ostomies and become pregnant to get one. There's not much they can do for them while you are pregnant and even afterwards, they don't like to operate unless it's bothersome. In my case, it is bothersome, but I'm hoping after the baby is here, that will change. I really don't want to have surgery again...how would I care for my babies and what if something were to ever happen? It just seems like too big of a risk. My pre-admit nurse had the ET nurse come and see me today (ET nurses specialize in stoma and wound care). And he suggested that a few months after delivery when I'm back to my normal size to get measured for a parastomal hernia belt. The belt should help to keep everything in place. Even if I were to have surgery, there's still a risk of my intestine breaking through the abdominal wall again since I have pretty much no abdominal muscles...one of the results of all of the surgeries I've had. 

So since I've still been having all of this pain, my OB wrote me a note today to start my sick leave. Tomorrow will be my last day of work. I'm hoping this helps with the pain. Sitting at a desk for 8 hours 5 days a week is just causing too much pain. I go home on weekends and the pain disappears because I am able to move freely and lie down whenever I need too. Even if J is with me I'm still able to lie down because he is awesome at entertaining himself. Or he'll come and cuddle with me and watch a movie (he LOVES Wreck it Ralph). 

So that's that. I go back to see my OB on May 26 and I also have a growth ultrasound scheduled...can't wait to see this little guy again!!! 

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 46

There is a lot of hype around cloth diapers and the mess that people think they can be. Cloth diapers really aren't that messy and the cleaning isn't bad at all once you find a routine.

We have 3 wetbags. One I can throw in the diaper bag, one large one for the diapers that are just wet and a medium size one for the poopy diapers. The reason why I have a separate bag for the poopy diapers is because I leave the wetbag with the wet diapers in it open. Sounds crazy, I know, but what is even crazier is leaving the bag closed and being knocked off your feet every time you open it and when you go to do laundry because of the ammonia smell. Ammonia loves the chance to grow but if you leave the bag open, you can stop it. And believe me when I say your room won't stink either. We keep the bag in our nursery with the door closed 100% of the time and it doesn't smell. I was scared to try it when someone told me to do this to help with the ammonia smell...I'm sure glad I took her advice.

A lot of people spray off their poopy diapers with a toilet sprayer. I don't do this because Applecheeks says to leave the diapers dry until wash time because over time the water will wear away the water proof protection on the diaper. So poopy diapers have their own bag that I do keep closed.

Another bonus of having the two separate bags is I can just turn the wetbag with the wet diapers inside out and dump everything straight into the machine without having to touch them and throw the wetbag in at the same time (the ones I have are supposed to be washed inside out). As for the poopy diapers, I rinse out any poop that is still on the diaper (the disposable inserts are great but I find a lot of the time, poop still ends up on the side of the diaper). I think scrub the poop stain with Buncha Farmers Stain Remover stick. I just rub it on the spots where the poop was and toss it into the wash.

Since I have a front loader, I used to soak all of my diapers before throwing them in the wash to trick my machine into thinking it's a heavier load. Now, instead of doing that, I run a cold rinse cycle. It serves two purposes. It not only gets all the diapers wet, but it rinses out a lot of the pee before the actual wash. Once the rinse is done, I add my detergent (regular powder Tide) to the one line (if it's a bigger load, I measure to the two line). I run a normal cycle set with hot water, heavy soil, high spin, and an extra rinse cycle. My diapers have always come out clean. I then hang everything to dry.

Diaper covers hanging to dry (I have lines set up in my laundry room)

Inserts hanging to dry (I would invest in the $2 to buy these sock hangers...they are awesome for inserts!! I have 2)

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 47

When we first found out we were pregnant, we were in shock. Once the shock wore off, we started to think of ways we would be able to save money with a second baby. One of the ways we came up with was to cloth diaper. When you tell people you plan to cloth diaper, their eyes become wide and they give you a worried look. Most people associate cloth diapering with big messes and a bunch of work. I was really nervous about this and I spent hours researching. Who knew there was so much info out there on cloth diapers?! 

Before we jumped into cloth diapers, I bought one to try out. I was so excited to get it in the mail. It's green and has a cute safari theme on it...so much cuter than Elmo and Winnie the Pooh. J was definitely my little guinea pig. The diaper seemed to work well (I had J in it twice during the day and one time at night). With 3 successful attempts at him wearing the diaper, we decided it wouldn't be such a bad idea. But since this baby wasn't due for a few months yet, I was hesitant to invest our money on diapers (I was hesitant to even buy a car seat and double stroller!).

I finally decided about a month ago that it was silly to keep spending between $60-$80 a month on diapers for J. Why not buy him cloth diapers that his little brother will be able to use once he's done with them? So that's exactly what we did. 

Here's a list of what we have in our stash:

7 Applecheeks (AC) size 2 Covers (can be used as pocket diapers or AI2)

About 20 AC microfleece inserts 

2 AC trifold bamboo inserts (I use a trifold with a microfleece insert at night)

1 AC trifold bamboo insert cut and sewn into 3 pieces to use as boosters for day time diapers

2 AC Bamboo boosters

4 Gigglelife (GL) ultrasoft pocket diapers

4 GL hipster pocket diapers

6 GL bamboo pocket diapers

16 GL microfiber inserts

12 GL bamboo inserts

We have quite the collection of cloth diapers which means I only have to wash diapers twice a week...bonus!! The reason we have so many inserts for the Applecheeks is because if we use it as an AI2, we just have to lay the insert on top of the diaper cover and then change the insert when the diaper is wet. You can reuse the cover 2-3 times. But now since we have a good stash, I just use each diaper once. I also like to have a lot of inserts because I like to double them up (J can be a heavy wetter) unless I use a bamboo booster with the microfleece inserts. 

The Gigglelife cloth diapers are a one size fits all which is great, but the Applecheeks have two sizes...size 1 and size 2. So I still need to stock up on size 1 for this little guy. 

Tomorrow I'll talk about my wash routine and how to avoid the terrible ammonia smell from the wetbag that is strong enough to knock you off your feet. 

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 48

I can't believe there are less than 50 days until the due date. That blows my mind. I also can't believe I'll be running out to purchase another bottle of prenatal vitamins...why don't drug companies just make one bottle that will last the entire pregnancy?

How far along? 33 weeks 1 day

Total weight gain? 27 lbs ...I'll find out if the number has gone up or down on Thursday at my next OB appt.

Maternity clothes? Yes...but I desperately want more dresses or some shorts...it is getting SO hot and I've never liked to be overly hot.

Stretch marks? I have a small stretch mark that just showed up a few days ago right above my belly button where my piercing used to be. The skin there is pretty tight. So far, two stretch marks that I know of. 

Sleep: I've been sleeping better but have been having to sleep with the window open because I'm so hot. Who knew the body could sweat in so many places.

Best moments this week: Watching J play at church...they had a bubble maker on and he was trying to catch the bubbles with a cup and was just so happy about it. 

Miss anything? I miss not having full hearing in my right ear. And I miss not being short of breath all the time.

Food cravings/aversions: I love to eat but I never know what to eat because food is just not appealing to me...I thought pregnancy was supposed to bring on food cravings! Not for me. 

Showing? Yes

Gender: It's a BOY!!!!!

Labour signs: Not yet

Symptoms: Heartburn, sciatic nerve pain occasionally, cramps in my calves each night, leaky boobs, shortness of breath

Belly button in or out? It's becoming more flat each week.

Wedding ring on or off? Off, but I'm wearing my "Love Knot" ring

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy and really anxious to meet this little guy

Looking forward to: The weekend and it's only Monday!! Work just seems to be getting harder and harder. I can't get comfy at my desk, my shortness of breath worsens, and the pain in my side is terrible. The OB may just be writing that note after all for sick leave. 

100 Days of Pregnancy: Days 50 and 49

Why so weekends have to go by so quickly? It seems like it was just Friday and I was just at work.

This weekend has been a busy one. On Saturday, my mom and I walked in the Walk for Memoroes walk which is a fundraiser for Alzheimer's disease. My Grandpa died a few years ago of this disease. It's hard to watch someone you love suffer with this disease but I have so many find memories of my Grandpa. He was always so happy to have company, even if he didn't recognize us, and he had quite the sweet tooth so I would often bake him some special treats.

And today is Mother's Day. Its a day that used to be bittersweet for me. Bitter because I never knew if I would be a mom but sweet because I was able to celebrate my wonderful mom. This year is my second Mother's Day as J's mama and I am the luckiest mama in the world. He is such a blessing and I can't wait to celebrate many more with him. I love our little family and I can't wait until the new addition arrives in June.

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 51

I was just reading one of the blogs I follow over at Man and Wife and Two Fur Babies and she's having a link up, so I thought I would join in and do the ABC survey...

Addictions:  shopping

Bed size:  Queen...but if we had room in our bedroom, I'd want a king

Chore you hate:  cleaning the floors...ugh!! Normally I just sweep and then mop but every so often I like to clean them on my hands and knees (not so easy when you're pregnant either)

Dogs or cats: I like both...but cats are definitely easier

Essential start of your day:  I have to brush my teeth first thing

Favorite color:  pink

Gold or silver: gold

Height:  5'5"

Instruments you play (or have played):  Does a recorder count in grade school? Lol

Jobs titles you’ve had: swing manager and administrative assistant

Kids you want to have:  I want 3 or 4...hubby wants 2

Live: Oh Canada!!

Mom’s name: Mary-Anne

Nickname:  Missy

Overnight hospital stays: LOTS

Pet peeve:  clutter

Quote from a movie: "Nobody puts baby in a corner" I love Dirty Dancing

Right or left handed:  right

Siblings: An older brother

Time you wake up: 7:40

Under My Bed: Probably a few dog toys

Vegetables you dislike:  Celery

What makes you run late:  Trying to get a toddler ready...haha, running around the house trying to get little arms in a little jacket is becoming more and more difficult. And then realizing you forgot something like a sippy cup and having to turn around.

X-rays you’ve had done: again, LOTS

Yummy food you make:  Not too sure because everything seems to taste better to me when I don't have to cook it!

Zoo animal: Definitely the giraffe. I would love to be able to stay at the Giraffe Manor one day.

This is my kind of breakfast!

100 Days of Pregnancy: Days 53 & 52

Let me start off by saying the weather today is gorgeous! It's 25 degrees Celsius out and sunny. Although, with this hot weather comes me sweating...and let me tell you, I sweat like a man. I'm talking my shirts are always wet under my armpits and under my boobs and my underwear is soaked (ahaha, it's worse now with pregnancy as well...my feet even sweat!). But I'm not complaining...I just sit with a fan blowing on me at all times. 

All of the garden centers have their flowers out and they are all beautiful...I want them all!! I love gardening but right now, I just don't have the energy for it...I don't even have the energy to pull the weeds from the garden (which needs to be done since my garden is at the front of the house). 

Also, I am feeling so much better today. Still very tired and still can't hear out of my right ear, but the sinus pressure is gone! Finally :) These antibiotics are doing their job. 

Baby boy's kicks have also gotten a lot stronger. There are times now that I actually say "Ow" because it hurts. And sometimes it feels like he's trying to adjust my spine for me (he's already thinking about his mama and wanting to help). I love his kicks and how powerful they are becoming and I love watching my belly contort when he practices his gymnastics. It's a lot of fun and I know I'm going to miss it when he is born since this is something that only him and I share, but I can't wait to meet him and hold him in my arms. 

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 54

I'm still battling whatever is going on inside of my body, which I believe is a sinus infection. I've been on the antibiotics for more than 24 hours now. I think I'm starting to feel better...I was at least able to sleep, but I'm still exhausted. Right now, my goal is to drink, drink, and drink! I haven't been eating or drinking as much the past few days and my body is feeling it today. I always have the Gatorade instant powder on hand because dehydration happens very quickly with an ileostomy. 

How far along? 32 weeks 2 days

Total weight gain? 27 lbs (I haven't weighed myself since my last appointment but I think I may have dropped 2-3 lbs from being so sick)

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? It looks like I have a stretch mark that is peaking it's way out from under my ostomy bag. I was just so itchy after I put on my bag that I kept scratching (which I know I'm not supposed to do because the skin there is so sensitive) and once the bruising went away from my scratching, I saw what looks like a stretch mark. I'll know for sure if it is when I change my appliance. I'm curious to see if it's a stretch mark or if it's my previous scar that's somehow stretched. 

Sleep: Not so good since becoming sick. Last night was pretty good but I did wake up a few times sweating buckets. If I don't sleep with a fan blowing directly on me, I sweat BIG time (it's gross) and lately I've had to turn off my fan and turn on the humidifier. 

Best moments this week: Feeling this little guy have the hiccups...at first I was wondering what was going on and then it dawned on me. I felt them for the first time on Sunday night and then again last night around the same time.

Miss anything? I miss not being sick! Oh how you always take feeling great for granted.

Food cravings/aversions: Pad Thai this week! I don't have any cravings that seem to really stick...not like you see in movies at least

Showing? Yes

Gender: It's a BOY!!!!!

Labour signs: No...I don't even have Braxton Hicks contractions. I've maybe had one or two.

Symptoms: Heartburn, sciatic nerve pain occasionally, cramps in my calves each night, leaky boobs (which is kind of exciting because that's something I never thought would happen)

Belly button in or out? It's becoming more flat each week.

Wedding ring on or off? Off, but I'm wearing my "Love Knot" ring which is sized larger and fits comfortably. Funny story about my Love Knot ring...when hubby bought it for me, I thought the sales lady called it a "Love Nut" ring...hubby still teases me about that! I have the matching earrings to the ring as well.

Happy or moody most of the time? I'm happy but emotional. I felt so sorry for myself on Sunday evening when my ear ache was so bad that I just cried...cried and cried and cried some more.

Looking forward to: My baby sprinkle shower next month!!

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 55

Last night was another long night. My ear ache was really bad and the pain woke me up. In the morning, I noticed that my right ear was completely plugged and everything in it was echoing (which it still is). I went to the walk in clinic and the doctor took a look but couldn't see my ear drum because there was so much fluid in my ear. He prescribed me Amoxicillin anyway and told me I could start taking it now or come back in 2-3 days and he'll try and flush my ear and take a better look. I decided to start the meds because of everything else going on (like the bright yellow snot). Once I got to work, the pressure just got worse and I could feel my sinuses on the right side of my face (I went home shortly after I got to work). It's the evening now and my right side is full of pressure that even my upper teeth hurt. So I'm hoping the meds will start to take effect. They say it normally takes 24-48 hours to start feing better once antibiotics are started.

I really hope I can stop posting about being sick sometime soon!!

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 56

I was so hopeful about feeling better when I woke up this morning but again, through the night things intensified and I woke up feeling miserable. As the morning wore on I felt better but around dinner time, my right ear started to hurt and the pain escalated quickly. I've tried everything to relieve the pain from Polisporin ear drops to chewing gum to open up the tubes to a hot compress. I don't know how I'm going to manage the pain through the night. All I can think about is going to a walk in clinic in the morning to see what's going on. I know if it's an infection the only thing that can be done is antibiotics. I just want relief. Now I understand why kids are so miserable when they have an ear infection. The ear is just so sensitive.

I am ready to not be sick anymore!!!

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 57

Last night I did not get a good sleep. I was tossing and turning, kept waking up, and by 430, I knew I wouldn't be falling back asleep. My throat was so sore and my head was full of pressure. I always sleep with a fan on and that definitely didn't help my throat. Once J woke up at 545 (which is early for him but I didn't mind since I was already awake), I was able to grab the humidifier out of his room. Hubby got home around 630 and I was able to go back to bed and get about an hour and a half of good sleep. This cold just seems to be kicking my butt. I'm feeling better one than I was yesterday but I'm ready to be feeling 100% better, not just 60%.

Since the winter is over and the spring and summer bring storms, it means out greyhound has bad anxiety. He is terrified of thunderstorms and will just stand, pant, and pace around the house. It's not pleasant having a dog standing beside the bed panting in your face in the middle of the night. So we bought him a thundercoat today. The pressure from it is supposed to calm anxiety. I really hope it works for him. We have 60 days to try it out and can return it if it doesn't work.

Dodger in his Thunder Shirt

100 Days of Pregnancy: Day 58

Yesterday I could feel a nasal drip on the back of my throat. This is never a good sign and normally leads to a full blown cold. Sure enough, yesterday evening things just got worse. Sore throat, stuffy nose, achy body, head that is pounding, and shoulders and neck that feel like someone's been sitting on them all day. Needless to say, I barely slept. I stayed home from work today because I feel just as bad. I'm finally lying in bed again but I doubt I'll be able to sleep. The Tylenol is helping with my achy body but my head is still pounding and my shoulders and neck are atill so sore.

On a brighter note, this is my 100th post. It's not fun to be writing about being sick but hopefully tomorrow I'll wake up feeling better.

100 Days of Pregnancy: Days 60 & 59

Yesterday was a busy day. I always find I'm more exhausted at the end of the day when I have a day off as opposed to working...J keeps me running around! I booked yesterday off because hubby had an appointment with his specialist. Hubby has kidney disease and lately, his creatinine levels (which measure his kidney function) have been creeping up. The type of kidney disease he has is called IgA Nephropathy (also known as Berger's Disease). What happens is IgA (a protein that helps the body fight infections) settles on the kidneys making it very hard for the kidneys to do their job (filter out toxins, electrolytes, and extra water). IgA is an autoimmune disorder, meaning my hubby has a defective form of IgA that causes his own immune system to attack his body. So once the IgA hits the kidneys, it activates the immune system just like it would if it were fighting an infection.

Unfortunately, there's no way to stop this from happening. Medications slow down the disease, but since I met my husband, I knew he would eventually need a transplant. Luckily, he has an amazing family who are all willing to start the transplant workup when it is time. And after yesterday's appointment, it looks like it is time. His creatinine level was over 400. At 400, that's when the transplant workup begins. The doctor is holding off for one more month just to get another blood test done. The reason for this is because hubby's appointment was pushed forward 2 weeks and he had no choice but to get bloodwork done right after a bad case of food poisoning. So for this month, we are going to try our best to eat kidney friendly foods (foods low in potassium, sodium, and phosphorus and avoid processed foods as much as possible). This will fall a lot on me since I cook and do the grocery shopping. I'm going to try and prepare meals on the weekend since I'm tired when I get home from work and am trying to spend as much time with J. I know we have lots of support with all of this and I know family and friends would be more than willing to step in and help us out.

All of this is definitely scary and makes me worry like crazy, but I know everything is in God's hands. I have to trust God's plan and pray for God's will to be done. This doesn't stop me from praying for a miracle every day!!!

Right now, I'm trying my best to focus on the present and just taking life one day at a time. I think that's best for hubby so I don't drive him up the wall (he's very laid back and doesn't worry about much) and best for the baby growing inside of me who needs a stress free mama.

One. Day. At. A. Time.