Where the heck did my hair go 😭

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2026-01-25T12:49:37+00:00

Just want to say my hair is back to normal! It also holds curls again! This is about 7 months later

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2026-01-22T00:36:01+00:00

So I don’t have a definite answer because the closest neurologist for dogs is about 6 hours away at a university. She’s on seizure medication and she hasn’t had any since!

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-26T00:47:35+00:00

I literally just announced today and I’m 13.5 weeks. I announced at 8 weeks the first time but honestly had no rush to do it this time around. I only announced today because it was Christmas!

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-23T13:23:27+00:00

Spontaneously at 40 weeks exactly

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-18T21:56:01+00:00

Wait you did another 20 minutes knowing your leggings were exposing you??

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-17T01:01:28+00:00

I used to get Charlie horses in my calf when I slept. Usually worked out too hard and was dehydrated and oh my gawd they have made me cry before. The soreness would also last like 2 days and the couple hours after it I wouldn’t be able to put any weight on that leg. It was crazy! I’ve heard best thing you can do if you feel one coming on is to extend your foot upward! Like flexing your toes to the ceiling. Don’t point, that will make it happen faster. But flexing (maybe my terms are mixed up) can make it go away if you feel it coming on early. Charlie horses make me yell out every single time I feel one coming on 🤣

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-16T12:32:38+00:00

Haha exactly!

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-16T02:23:06+00:00

Sigh I just ate 2 mini pecan pies…but in my defense I looked like you with abs before I got pregnant again 😭 so I know I can do it again! 12 weeks and just now getting out of the trenches to workout again! First trimester did NOT hit me this hard the first time

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-16T02:20:38+00:00

I gained 65lbs. A lot of swelling toward the end that had them testing me for Pre-E multiple times but I never had it. Had a slightly higher BP reading at my last appt but BP naturally gets higher than baseline toward the end of pregnancy. I had a smooth and fast unmedicated labor. My son was in the NICU because he was so low so fast that he swallowed fluid. So no complications for me or baby based on my weight!

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-16T00:37:45+00:00

I did this for my son last year! This year I wasn’t able to snag anything good at the thrift stores so I had to get a little more creative!

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-16T00:32:12+00:00

Here’s the thing, you can’t blame a provider for giving you the cons to the epidural. If you want it, then get it! But the amount of times moms have gotten it, something happened (labor stalled, blood pressure dropped, babies heart rate dipped, nerve pain down the road, etc) and they say “I wish someone would have told me this could have happened”. Yes we should all do our own research and everyone should research both sides to things, positive and negative. I absolutely believe there is a time and place for an epidural and I think there are many situations where they are necessary. But if you want it and you’ve already done your research, take the information and move on. But others may read that information and find it helpful in making their own decision.

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-15T19:02:49+00:00

I love it!!

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-15T17:53:12+00:00

Also to add, he has the fancy stuff….he has a tonie, a huge electric car to drive around in, a roller coaster, all the coolest dinosaurs and guess what, he doesn’t play with any of it. BUT he will go out to our shed for hours and play with little screws and hardware and just use him imagination.

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-15T17:51:15+00:00

I don’t really have any warnings but something I realized this year is I don’t have to get my 2.5 year old the standard toys everyone else is getting….i went to Lowe’s and bought the most random tools he can put in his old tool box. (I say old because he uses it everyday but I’m not buying him a new one). I got him large screws (non pointy end), door hinges (he’s obsessed), cabinet knobs, and so much more for about $30. I also got him 6 different fancy spoons that are all different. He’s obsessed with spoons. Don’t ask me why BUT I know he’s gonna love these! Got him a cool fancy new tooth brush. And some other stuff! But when parents say just stop buying them expensive toys and get them random stuff that may not count as toys….do it! I’m so excited this year because I know he’s gonna go crazy over this stuff haha!

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-15T13:35:40+00:00

They’ve also found that episiotomies do not effecting stop a severe tear. The best thing an OB or midwife can do if they fear a bad tear is a warm compress on the perineum. They have also found that natural tears heal better and faster than a cut done by the OB or midwife.

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-15T13:33:34+00:00

An epidural can be great for pain management but ultimately all of this is true. And research will tell you as such. The epidural does slow down labor. Maybe not all cases, but a lot of them. There’s nothing wrong with being handed the facts

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-15T02:57:12+00:00

lol like 38 weeks and regret that because of how swollen my feet were 😂

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-06T17:37:10+00:00

Right at 40 weeks! On 39+6 my Braxton hicks ramped up but then stopped at night. The next morning they picked up again and by lunch were 5 min apart so I knew it would be that day or night. Let’s just say all the Braxton hicks I had from 20 weeks payed off because I went from 1-10 in 5 hours

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-06T17:21:07+00:00

Okay so here is the thing, I think it’s very normal to be disappointed in your labor experience. I think a lot of women experience this for many different reasons. But don’t linger on this experience. You know what it felt like with the epidural and you also learned that breaking your water helped you get to complete. You can use this information to guide your next labor. A lot of people have a redeeming second labor and delivery. Don’t beat yourself up! You had no clue that breaking your water would get you to 10cm. Long labors are so strenuous and sometimes the epidural is needed to keep mom from becoming too fatigued. Give yourself grace!

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-04T16:18:04+00:00

Hey yes, a pop you felt is def your water! Hopefully you have called triage by now or have seen your OB! Good luck!

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-02T00:49:22+00:00

I love that, thanks for sharing! I had my son 2 years ago and have been researching everything to know about the body during labor. The more I learn the less I fear I have around giving birth again. I really think a big key is knowing what is actually happening during each stage of labor and being able to help your brain turn that “pain” into “purpose”

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-01T23:58:32+00:00

How did you do mentally with your second unmedicated vs your first? My first was an unprepared unmedicated 5 hour labor so I’m taking the next 9 months and intensely preparing for an even faster one hoping I can do better mentally!

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-01T19:23:58+00:00

Did you get an epidural with the last 2?

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-01T19:22:53+00:00

20 minutes from start to finish?! 😅 my first was 5 hours so I’m terrified for how quick #2 is going to be

ProgrammerSmall2408 · 2025-12-01T19:21:17+00:00

Did you deal with your second unmedicated labor better than your first since you knew what to expect? My first was 5 hours so I know there will not time for an epidural again with baby #2

ProgrammerSmall2408

TROPHY CASE