Camille P

I have a 2 month old daughter right now and it may be too early to even be thinking about this so I figure I'd ask all mothers out there - how do you know when to start feeding your baby? I'm just a bit confused because I know someone who started feeding her baby those baby cereal when her daughter turned 2 months, others didn't start until the baby was 6 months, but they were feeding their baby like real food - whatever they ate, the baby ate....some told me that I'll just know but I honestly am a bit confused lol I'm not sure if this information is relevant or not but I'm bottle-feeding (formula) and she currently drinks roughly 4 oz every feeding 3-4 hours in between, sometime sooner or later but depending on when she asks for it (the times I tried giving her formula to time it properly, she refused to drink it! lol)

Any insight would be much appreciated!!! Thanks in advance

When I got up this morning, as I was getting ready and dressed for work, I felt some discharge so I went to the bathroom to wipe (I wear a pantyliner all the time-thank god for that!) and throughout my pregnancy, I've had some discharge here and there - usually white or clear and just a bit of it...this time around it was yellowish and quite a bit...and as I was wiping, more came out. It was odourless and not too thick or too runny either...I've been experiencing mild crampings also in my lower abdominal all weekend, but they are quite irregular and would only last about 20 seconds at a time - give or take but this morning was the first for the yellowy discharge.

My question is - could this possibly be my mucous plug??? Should I call my doctor? I keep contemplating if I should or shouldn't and if this is something that is common this close to my due date? Like I said, aside from the mild crampings in my lower abdominal and the typical braxton hicks contractions here and there - they are irregular in timing and not constant (I've been timing them)...so I'm a little confused as to what I should/need to do.

Any insight will definitely be helpful!! Thanks in advance!!!

We're not sure if we're having a girl or boy (my due date is in about 7 weeks) and we've come up with the following names (Last name starts with the letter 'P'):

BOY:

- Lucas James

- Christopher James

GIRL:

- Lauren (or Lauryn - not sure of the spelling yet - suggestions?) Addison

- Sarah Addison

- Sarah Nicole

Hi all - I have about 7 weeks left before my anticipated due date and I'm just trying to get everything organized and just want to be as prepared as possible. Anyway I have two questions - first - does anybody know what the differences are (if there are any) between the Pampers Swaddler diaper versus the regular Pampers diaper #1 aside from the fact that the swaddler one has that section for the baby's belly button area? Anybody have had any experience with either one and have a recommendation at all? All I know is that from people that have had experience with babies - to never go cheap on diapers because of leaks and whatnot, but I'm really not sure what brands are good and what types - any advice on this will be most definitely helpful!

Also - what should I pack for my and the baby's hospital bag? Aside from baby's change of clothes and my own change of clothes and I know we need to have the car seat in place otherwise the hospital will not let us go...but what else goes in your hospital bag that you need to take with you? I don't want to end up taking more than what I really need to but at the same time, i don't want to not pack something that is essential for us to have with us as well!

Thanks for the help everyone!!!!

I'm going into my 28th week of pregnancy right now and I've been feeling a bit of cramping here and there, kind of hard to describe but I guess it's mostly on my upper belly close to my breasts and it only lasts for like I'd say 10 seconds if not, less...and would only happen every so often...the pain is bearable, it just feels like cramping and like I said, it doesn't last for very long...it's more a nuissance than anything when I'm sleeping at night and I end up waking up because of it lol

Anyway my question is, for those who have gone through this, could I be experiencing Braxton-Hicks this early on considering how technically I'm not even in my 3rd trimester yet? Or is it just a case of persistent gas or something else out of the ordinary that I should talk to my doctor about? (which I won't be seeing him until the 7th of July as I just saw him last week for my general check-up).

Also, second part of my question - this is a bit TMI but....since I've gotten pregnant, I've been getting some leaking down there...like white to beige in colour type of fluids - it doesn't stink or anything but it does have a distinct smell of its own....everytime I see my doctor, I do a urine test and it always comes back normal...so I never mentioned anything and would just wear pantyliners...again, it's more a nuissance than anything, especially when it comes out as soon as after I'm done peeing and have wiped myself and put my pants on and everything and as I'm walking away, that's when I feel it come out....and it's not a lot, it's just I guess a blob here and there but it's throughout the day and I haven't gone through a day without getting any "leakage."

Again is this normal and just one of the many joys of pregnancy??? lol

I'm having my first baby in late September and I have been told by a few of my friends and some of my family members to start register for baby presents. Initially I wasn't planning on registering as I don't really like asking people for presents but they keep telling me to register...though hubby and I already bought some of the big item things (we already have the following: Crib, glider/ottoman, stroller and car seat) and the others like a bassinet, changing table - we won't be wanting/needing.

So aside from those items - what else should we register for? Like I wanted to get this playpen kind of thing that comes with a changing table and even a little bassinet thing but the one that I like costs about $200 Canadian and I don't know if that's too much too ask for a gift registry...???

Any suggestions would help...I really want to register for things that we actually will need as oppose to getting the cute stuff that will just end up collecting dust somewhere!!! If people are going to get us presents, we might as well ask for things that are essentials...question is - what are those? Also is it inappropriate to ask for something like a breast pump for the registry????

Hubby and I are expecting our first in September and we started jotting down names that we liked for both a girl or a boy as we're not sure what we're having and not sure if we will ever get a chance of finding out (long story lol) so we both came up with a list of names that we both like for either a boy or a girl....and wanted to get people's suggestions on second names? We wanted to keep it simple and nothing too extraordinary. Also our last name starts with a "P" and for some reason, my husband doesn't want to use a name that starts with a "P" as well lol (Also, hubby's name is Gabriel and mine is Camille - we don't want to name the baby anywhere close to either of our names lol)

BOY:

- Lucas

- Tyler

- Jamie

GIRL:

- Kaleigh

- Stacey

- Chloe

- Nicole

- Jamie (yes I know I have this in my boy list as well, we also like it for a girl)

Hubby and I are expecting our first in mid-September of this year and we both decided that for big item furnitures, we will not be expecting any of our family members/friends to give us any of it as presents (long story!) so we want to buy our own crib, stroller, etc...and I just wanted to get people's input on buying a changing table for the baby? I heard from various people that it's pointless and becomes unuseable later on....but others says it's a must...hubby and I are thinking for getting this 3-drawer dresser from Ikea that's about 30" in height and just using that as a changing table by placing those changing pads that you can get from like Babies R Us or even Walmart for under $30 and just making sure it is secured....we figure that way as the baby gets older, he/she can still use the dresser for as long as possible with clothes storage and whatnot.....

Anyway I just really want to get inputs from those who either bought a changing table or not....we're going to be getting started on the nursery room sometime this month and we're slowly going to start buying the furniture.....

Thanks!!!

Hi everyone...I'm about 16 weeks pregnant and I read somewhere that it's natural for your sex drive or libido to sort of decrease or be gone completely during your first tri but generally they come back during the second trimester and most women find their sex drive more so during pregnancy. For me on the other hand, it's the completely opposite!!! I feel like I have NO sex drive whatsoever and the times that I did try to have sex with my husband, it either doesn't feel good AT ALL or it starts off being good but then it starts to hurt!! I feel horrible and my husband has been soooo understanding about the whole thing but it's hard not to feel guilty. I was just wondering if there's anyone out there that's in the same boat or was in the same boat and how they dealt with it? Is it just one of those things you have to let time take its course or is this an unnatural thing? Anything anyone can suggest will definitely be appreciated! As excited as we are to have our first child, I also don't want to neglect my husband in the bedroom, especially when he is as understanding as he has been but I know he is frustrated as well, but just trying to be a good husband and not whine and complain about it.

I'm only in my 16th weeks of pregnancy but I'm trying to slowly read about maternity and paternity leave in Ontario to better educate myself, but I think reading about it has confused me more so than when I started reading about it!!! I was just wondering if there is anyone out there who knows ANYTHING about these two leaves and how and when you apply for it and when it starts to apply and all that? Any other information anyone can provide to clear my confusion will definitely be helpful!!! (I'm due Sept 25 if that bit of info helps and I'm planning to take a year off, hopefully PAID!) Thanks

So I'm about 13 1/2 weeks pregnant (to be precised) and I noticed last week that I started to get occassional leaking down there. It's kind of clear or white...and it doesn't really have any smell to it or anything and I don't feel any burning sensation either. I was just wondering if anyone know if this is normal at this point in my pregnancy?

I won't have my prenatal appointment for another week and half and I'm just really curious if anyone else have ever gotten this and if it's normal to get this?

Thanks a lot!

I'm only just in the begining of my 2nd trimester but my husband and I have started to briefly discuss our plans for nursery room and starting to budget on roughly how much we'll need for all the necessities (ie: cribs, strollers, car seat, etc...) and because we moved into our house almost a year ago, we do have a room specifically for a nursery room but we've got to paint the room amongst a few other minor things...and was wondering when everyone started or planning to start working on their nursery rooms?? And also buying furnitures for it? (I know people think that you should wait for the baby shower first in case someone wants to get you one of those things but to be honest, we don't expect much from either side of our families in terms of things that costs more than a couple of hundred dollars...I guess you could say we learned our lesson on our wedding day...lol...and plus we're the type of couple that likes to get things ourselves and not expect other people to get things for us, plus we'd feel really bad asking people to get us something like a crib and whatnot).

Thanks for the opinions....

I have my first ultrasound in a couple of weeks and by that time I will be in my 14th week of pregnancy. For those who have gone through this, do you know if we will actually be able to see the baby? And possibly even be able to determine what the possible gender is of the baby? I know generally you can't really know until the 18th-20th week but is there a way for them to sort of somewhat lean more towards either a boy or girl?? Hubby and I will both be very happy with either, as long as the baby is healthy and whatnot, that's all that matters, but still we're very curious and would love to start planning the nursery room and coordinating things.

Thanks

Just want people's suggestions on this. I'm only 11 weeks pregnant but well I honestly can't help but think about baby names already...my husband and I both intent to find out the gender of the baby as soon as we can find out but still, I think it's fun to think of names for either gender (especially since we are both happy with either a boy or a girl). So I was wondering, anyone has any suggestions of middle names (or even as a first name) for the following names:

BOY:

-Alexander (I've always loved this name ever since I was young!!!!)

-Jacob

GIRL:

-Chloe

-Kaleigh (pronounced Kah-lee)

-Emily or Emma

-Leighanna

-Madison

Any other suggestions will definitely be appreciated. Thanks all!!!

Sorry for this rather TMI question but just been curious, I know that constipation is quite common in pregnancy but has anyone else experienced some instability? I'm 9 weeks pregnant, going into my 10th week soon and I've noticed that one day I'll be constipated and the next, it's like the completely opposite of that (the horrid D-word!!) and I haven't really changed my diet in terms of drinking more or less of water or eating more or less of anything that contains lots of fibre, but for some reason, it's just been so unstable and I guess I'm just wondering if it's just me or is this also normal in pregnancy??? (Actually today I've been experiencing some stomach cramping that's related to my bowel and it just came out of nowhere....nothing too bad but enough to cause discomfort!!!)

I'm about 9 1/2 weeks pregnant and I've been seeing my family doctor for my previous visits. I had some minor issues with light bleeding in the past and she's been quite attentive and have been quite informative when it comes to the questions I have. I have also gone to my first prenatal visit with her, I really like her as a doctor, the only thing that worries me is that I feel like whenever I want to have an ultrasound, I have to request a referral from her and book everything myself through the hospital, which as some of you may know, can take forever to find an opening as they are quite busy. Right now, my doctor has me signed up for an IPS which means I have to do an ultrasound and a blood test on my 13th-14th week I believe and another blood test on my 16th week, but no ultrasound!! My husband and I wants to know the gender of our baby and also to monitor the baby's progress. I know that through an OB-Gyn most have an in-office ultrasound and they do it for you right then and there during your visit.

Anyway to get to my point, my question is, can anyone out there give me insights on whether I should look for an OB-Gyn or should I just stay with my Family Doctor??? How will this affect when it's time to deliver??? And all other info anyone can provide will definitely be helpful. This is my first pregnancy and I don't know anything about this, and of course, neither does my husband. (I also tried to look for OB-Gyn listings around my area and can't seem to find any!!!) Thanks

So my best friend just told me that she recently found out that she has multiple cysts in her ovaries and her and her husband have been trying to have kids for a few months now (she went off the pill, I believe 3-4 months back and since then haven't gotten her period at all). She just recently told me about her news and was asking me for my opinion because I found out I had an ovarian cyst in my left ovary when I was 18....anyway she's worried that because she has multiple cysts, that it can make her infertile...and unfortunately she cannot get an appointment with a gynecologist right away and have to wait for 4 months....I told her to try to keep positive as even though I have a cyst in my ovary (yes, still there and it showed in my ultrasound done a few weeks back and was labeled simple cyst) I still got pregnant after being off the pill for 4 months, and I am now in my 9th week of my pregnancy. But I know my friend is still freakin' out and her thing is, she has multiple cysts and already fearing the worst...so I was just wondering if there's anyone out there who was or is in the same shoes as her but still got pregnant and things turned out fine??? Any other info anyone can provide can certainly help...I'm really worried about her because I know her personality and she tends to worry about everything and I've tried to assure her that things will turn out for the best and that she can't give up and that there's a lot of people out there that continue on having kids in spite of multiple cysts and it worked out fine for them (and pointed out one of our other friend, she had 4 ovarian cysts and she has a 1 year old healthy baby boy!!!)

I'm in my 8th week of pregnancy and so far I've been experiencing really bad morning sickness which lasts pretty much from the second I open my eyes in the morning to the moment I close my eyes at night!!! And it seems to be getting worst and worst as the week progresses!! In the past, though I've been "throwing up" not much food comes out, mostly just air and I would salivate a lot. But this past weekend, whenever I would eat ANYTHING at all, guaranteed 5 minutes after eating the food, I would end up in the bathroom puking everything out (sorry for the TMI guys!!) And basically because of this, my stomach is always empty!! My doctor prescribed me some pregnancy pills to help ease nausea but in spite of that, it doesn't seem to be doing anything!!! I have also tried pretty much every possible "home remedy" to battle morning sickness (from saltine crackers to lemon wedge, to ice chips, to sour candies, to preggy pops, to mint candies...you name it, I've tried it!!! and nothing seems to work!!!

I guess my question is, could my always puking whatever I eat or drink out have any effects whatsoever on my baby??? I'm really worried about this because like I said, I puke the food out shortly after I eat, which means I'm not getting the nutrients from those food, which means, neither is my baby.

Also, anyone else out there been in the same shoes as me and found a way to cope somehow?? I also work full time and in the city (I live about 45 km outside of the city) and commute to work by transit, which takes me about an hour and a half one way...and commuting pretty much sucks the life out of me and have come very close to vomiting in the train once or twice....

This is my first pregnancy and I am extremely excited but I'm also worried about what happens after I give birth. Is it true that the teach you how to breast feed and even bathe your baby, or even how to hold them when they are newborns since they will be fragile then??? Also, anybody have any good recommendations of books to read to prepare yourself for when your bundle of joy arrives? I mean I've baby sat my cousins before when they were babies but never had to give them baths or anything like that.

Thanks

OK here's the situation - bear with me. About a year and a half ago, my husband has began to complain about a pain on his left shoulder. Over the course of time, he's gotten an X-Ray done on it a few times (to get various opinions) and also ultrasounds, and has even done physiotherapy but somehow it just never went it and seem to progressively get worst. Earlier this year, getting another opinion from a new doctor, he was advised to get an MRI done, which he had done early in January and through that, it showed that he has a torn ligament and according to a ortho-surgeon, he needs to have surgery done on it in order for it to get better, otherwise it will just get worst and worst. Obviously there is a waiting list for operations and the next available one for him would be in March. Now we also found out late January that his parents are moving at the end of March and he of course offered to help them move (before knowing about him needing surgery), along with his older brother.

Well now that he has to have surgery on his shoulder, he is not allowed to do certain things, one of which is drive for at least 2 weeks, his license will be suspended and only after it has been checked and approved by his ortho-surgeon can he drive again, and also will need to be on light duty for a good 2-3 months, which means NO HEAVY LIFTING WHATSOEVER if he wants his shoulder to heal properly.

Now the next available opening for surgery is in late June. Now I am also almost 2 months pregnant and my due date is in September, therefore he wants to get his surgery done as early as possible so he can heal in time to help me when our baby comes.

Anyway, long story short, he told his parents that he obviously will not be able to help move any of the big stuff for when they move end of March, and doesn't even know if he'll be able to come period as he might not even be allowed to drive at that time. His mom was basically pissed off that he can't help and asked him why he can't postpone his surgery to help them move as she might not have enough people to help move their stuff. (Though they have my hubby's older brother, plus their sister's husband, and 2 cousins that they could also ask) but totally giving my husband a very hard time and making him feel bad about all of this. I told my husband that he needs to have his surgery done and it's not like he's saying "no" because he wants to go away or something, this is about his shoulder for crying out loud - a shoulder that has been bothering and hurting him for the last year and a half and needs to be fixed right away.

Anyway my question is, how do we handle this? I obviously don't want to cause a rift between my husband and his parents but at the same time, I don't want my husband to jeopardize his own well-being especially when he has a pretty damn good excuse to not help them. What should we do and how can we make his parents understand the situation and that they do have 4 other more-than capable men to help them out?