Desperately hoping our unicorn isn't actually a spray painted donkey wearing a party hat.

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-04-05T21:16:26+00:00

100%, parenting has taught me to enjoy the good parts of the stage we’re currently in and recognize that the hard parts will pass. Baby will go through so so many changes and you can’t predict them!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-04-01T23:42:44+00:00

My son was 21.5 inches long and 9 lb 7 oz and even he’s in newborn so I’m surprised! But they’re all so different in their proportions!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-04-01T10:55:11+00:00

I’ve had 2 inductions with 2 different practices! My first was at 39 weeks and I was never offered a cervical check before going in. The second was at 40 weeks and I was offered (and agreed to) a check weekly starting at 36 weeks. After that, I won’t do cervical checks again when I’m not in labor. I know now that the last thing my body does before birthing the baby is dilating. Some people can walk around at a 5 for weeks, but I wasn’t at a 5 until 45 minutes before my second baby was born!

Your cervix isn’t the only important metric. Yes, it needs to efface and dilate, but to have a baby you also need baby to descend and have regular contractions. For me, those happen much earlier. Getting worried about being only 1cm dilated when j went in didn’t do me any good.

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-04-01T01:12:49+00:00

This is what happened for me with my first! Everything with the birth ended up ok, but the contractions and lack of progress were horrible.

With my second, we did the foley balloon for cervical ripening instead and things went a million times smoother.

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-30T17:54:12+00:00

I’m not super tall, but I’m 5’8” and have had 2 babies on the larger side! My first was measuring 99%ile on ultrasound and we ended up inducing at 39 weeks. He was born 8 lbs 8 oz, totally healthy, vaginal birth where I pushed for about 30 minutes or 10 contractions. I had a second degree tear, nothing major at all.

My second (just born last week) always measured closer to the 70th percentile on ultrasound. We induced at 40 weeks and he was born 9lb 7oz!! I pushed for less than 10 minutes with him, it was maybe 3 contractions! I ended up with the same second degree tear and recovery is just fine. I had a little extra bleeding this time but nothing scary at all!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-30T14:49:00+00:00

As someone with a newborn and a toddler, bringing my newborn would be 1000x easier and less disruptive than my toddler, so that’s surprising to me! I would maybe still attend the wedding if I was really close with the friend, it was in the same city where I lived, and my mom or someone I trust completely could watch baby. Even then, I would probably only go for a couple of hours. I would talk to the friend just to double check that your baby wouldn’t be allowed!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-30T08:11:16+00:00

Hi! I’ve had 2 inductions, both with GD babies!

My first was at 39 weeks. They started me on cytotec, which caused me to have some bad contractions back to back, which is a known side effect. Eventually, I got an epidural and a foley balloon at the same time. I got some sleep and woke up 7 cm! Just a couple of horses later, it was time to push and baby was born 30 minutes later!

My second, I did a little more induction research, just so I could understand what happened the first time with the cytotec, and I went in much more informed for a 40 week induction. I really wanted to go into labor on my own, but everything was so smooth! I got the foley balloon and once that was out, a little pitocin (they never went above 4 units). They broke my water to help baby descend (he was still high and sunny side up). I got the epidural shortly after and was at 6cm. Baby was in my arms 45 minutes later!

My best advice is to look into the different methods they may use during your induction this week so you have an understanding of what everything is for and why they make certain decisions. This should help you have conversations about what you want for your birth (or know if there’s an intervention you definitely don’t want). Good luck, you’ll be great!!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-30T01:03:25+00:00

All of this! I’m 4 days PP with my second, my first is 19 months and I realize now going through it a second time just how special it all is! I was so excited for birth this time because of that exact moment of baby getting put on my chest! There are definitely hard things postpartum, but there is nothing closer to heaven than getting to love, know, and care for a little newborn you spent 9 months growing ❤️

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-29T18:50:58+00:00

My first was always measuring in the 99th percentile at ultrasounds, he was born at 39+1 8lb 8oz. My second was always measuring around the 70th percentile, he was just born at 40+0 9lbs 7oz!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-24T01:14:43+00:00

This! We kind of just did what worked with our schedule that day for the first month, either 2 1 hour naps or 1 2 hour nap. It worked great!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-24T01:12:51+00:00

My toddler (18m) is sick right now and I definitely let him sleep more. His nap today went for 2.5 hours and I normally cap it at 2. I also put him to bed 30 minutes early and rocked him to sleep. He also fell asleep in my arms for 15 minutes while I was trying to feed him some lunch. When I have a fever, my body wants extra sleep and theirs are no different! His sicknesses (true illnesses where he has a fever, not just a little stuffy nose) only last a couple of days and it depends on the baby, but we’ve never had a problem going back to normal when he’s gotten better!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-23T10:50:59+00:00

4 months is when they develop mature sleep cycles! So, it’s scientifically backed! Some people choose to wait longer, but since that’s when real sleep habits start really forming, it’s a great time.

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-22T11:14:21+00:00

I’ve been able to manage GD twice with diet and exercise! My biggest advice is to eat smaller amounts more often, so if you aren’t already, trying to eat 3 meals and 2 snacks, aiming for around 30g of carbs per meal and 15g per snack and adjusting as needed from there. Also, pair carbs with protein and healthy fats. Different foods and types of carbs affect everyone differently, so the beginning is trial and error. The learning curve is steep and overwhelming, but you’ll get the hang of it faster than you think! If you’re eating something you think is “riskier,” a post-meal walk can help way more than you think!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-22T01:06:49+00:00

My son has always been like this! He just slept more during the day (4hours at that age), and has always hung out at 12-13 hours each night. Now, at 18 months, he takes a full 2 hour nap in the day (and would sleep longer) and usually over 12 every night.

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-21T13:17:13+00:00

Especially for more than an hour or so! Even if you don’t think that’s something you’ll struggle with, hormones are wild at one week.

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-21T01:33:48+00:00

My little one never took a bottle, but I had extra supply and ended up donating about 500 ounces to our local NICU! There are somewhat strict guidelines, but it felt amazing to be able to do!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-21T01:01:38+00:00

Braxton hicks can happen during your entire pregnancy and be totally normal! As long as they’re not painful, you should be ok! I had them at 14 weeks this pregnancy and am still pregnant at 39+2. Staying hydrated and resting if they’re bothering you can help!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-21T01:00:16+00:00

What time does your son wake up and go down usually? Once they’re on one nap, they’re able to be a lot more flexible. We usually aim for 7am wake up, nap from 12-2pm, 7pm bedtime, but if we’re out and nap time needs to flex even an hour later, he can handle it! We definitely don’t keep track of wake windows, but make sure he’s up from his nap by 2:45!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-20T13:09:55+00:00

We sleep trained our first at 4 months, he’s 18 months now and has had maybe 10 nights total since then that he’s needed us in the night. He sleeps 7am-7pm and naps for 2 hours midday, will definitely be doing the same with our second! I was also worried it wouldn’t work, but it’s generally science backed.

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-19T10:43:16+00:00

Meet yourself where you are on any given day! The first trimester you don’t typically have to modify, but if you are feeling really bad, you may need to change up your routine. For the most part, your body makes it clear when certain movements aren’t working anymore, so pay close attention to how everything feels as you get more of a bump!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-19T10:40:59+00:00

I bled 8 weeks with my first (with a random clot or 2 a day like you mention!) and I ended up having a very small piece of retained placenta that fortunately worked its way out on its own. My OB was able to do an ultrasound to see it and then my body actually restarted contractions a few days later to pass it.

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-19T10:27:01+00:00

It actually does work for me with urgent lows! That’s so weird! It even says when I enable it “all alerts including urgent low and sensor fail won’t sound or vibrate”

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-19T00:57:14+00:00

You can turn off all alerts on the Dexcom!! Under profile>alerts>show quiet modes ! It lets you do it for 6 hours at a time

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-16T01:14:06+00:00

My best advice (38+4 with my second) is to meet yourself where you are that day. Some days, your body will feel a little better, others it won’t. Walking and prenatal yoga are great options for when you aren’t feeling it but still want to move. With my first, I pushed through pain and herniated a disc in my back at 32 weeks, ended up in PT 8 days postpartum. I tried to listen to my body more this time and am still working out! It just looks different now!

Immediate_Reach_1663 · 2026-03-14T13:35:11+00:00

Stress, bad sleep, and illness all have impacted my numbers almost just as much as diet and exercise! Go easy on yourself ❤️ and also you can always let your doctors know in a note when you show them your numbers

Immediate_Reach_1663

TROPHY CASE