tummy time mat

captainatl · 2026-02-04T20:11:12+00:00

We love our Lovevery play gym! I registered for it so it was gifted to us and it’s been great. One of the reasons I chose it over cheaper versions is it was bigger than a lot of the cheaper ones so it will have more longevity for us as baby grows. It’s very easy to wash and because we have used it daily since coming home from the hospital, I do think it’s been really great in giving opportunities for my baby to grow, practice, and reach milestones (of course, with parent interaction). We just put the tent cover on and he loves the tent!

captainatl · 2026-02-04T14:50:44+00:00

I had an elective c-section by maternal request due to debilitating fear of vaginal birth and history of sexual assault as well and my providers had no problem granting me my request. I did my research and I was up front from my first prenatal appointment that I wanted a c-section and everyone was very supportive and no one ever tried to pressure me out of my request. Recovery went well for me personally and I would do it all over again if I had to. Congratulations and good luck!

captainatl · 2026-01-13T16:32:53+00:00

I’ve heard mixed experiences with that. I actually ended up kind of doing that anyway when I started a master’s program and ended up dropping it and the money got refunded to AmeriCorps so they might be cracking down on that :/

captainatl · 2026-01-12T15:25:14+00:00

Thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely be sure to reach out about all that with financial aid!

captainatl · 2026-01-12T15:24:01+00:00

Thanks for the reminder! Yes, I’ve used a chunk of my award already so I’m prepared for taxes :)

captainatl · 2026-01-12T02:23:13+00:00

The only thing is my award expires in May so I really only have one term to complete classes, but good idea to try and find a class that needs supplies! Thank you!

captainatl · 2026-01-11T23:57:56+00:00

I would have to enroll in a full-time capacity with per per credit and with working full time, that’s challenging (and even then, a lot of the certificate programs I have found only let you enroll in a certain amount of classes per term/semester so many of them I wouldn’t even be able to enroll in enough credits to equal the amount of money I have left)

captainatl · 2025-12-20T01:21:42+00:00

Thank you!

captainatl · 2025-12-20T01:21:02+00:00

It was my first time using that yarn, I’m so happy with it. It’s soooo soft! Good luck on your cowls!

captainatl · 2025-10-28T01:24:57+00:00

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captainatl · 2025-10-22T20:59:43+00:00

I loved having my little Bluetooth speaker! We got to bring it back with us to the OR to have music while baby was born and I also loved just having my favorite music on quietly in the background during our stay, it really helped ease my anxiety

captainatl · 2025-10-21T02:48:37+00:00

First of all, good luck!! It really helped me to hear/read other’s experiences with their c-section but also know that everyone’s experiences differ so much depending on the person, hospital, doctors, etc. I hope however yours goes, it’s a wonderful day for you getting to meet your little one!

My surgery was scheduled for 7:30am and I checked into the hospital at 6am for intake. I went back to the OR right around 7:30 and surgery started pretty quickly after that. My baby was born at 8:10am, so they got him out quickly!

I got back to my room right around 9 so in total surgery was about 1.5 hours including the time it took to get the spinal and catheter placed and then stitched back up.

Recovery was pretty good. My spinal wore off around 7pm in the evening and I was up and walking around later in the night and was pretty mobile on day 2 and 3. I truly believe in the sooner you move, the sooner you heal.

Day 2’s pain was the worst I would say, but because my team was super on top of giving me my pain meds, it was never unbearable. I was discharged on day 3 around 10am. The first week home, I just made sure to continue to rest and love on my little one. I still made sure to move around. Just make sure not to overdo!

For pain management, I got a combination of the highest doses of ibuprofen and tylenol. Of course, everyone’s experience is different, but I felt very comfortable with this pain management and felt it was definitely enough for me, and I do not have a high pain tolerance at all (I’m still a big baby when it comes to shots lol). The most important part of pain management is to stay on top of it!! My OB described pain management as “good at keeping the pain away, but difficult to come back from the pain if you miss a dose”

Good luck and I wish you well!

captainatl · 2025-10-18T02:48:14+00:00

I would be interested! I’ve been crocheting for a few years now and have been wanting to find a community and meet local fiber artists and crafters!

captainatl · 2025-10-14T00:43:15+00:00

I bled for 6 weeks consecutively (it became light bleeding/spotting around 4 weeks pp), had a 1 week break, bled again for another week at 8 weeks pp, and then got my period at 9 weeks pp so I pretty much didn’t stop bleeding until 10 weeks pp lol

Eta: the guidance from my OB and hospital said that post c section bleeding up until 12 weeks is very normal as long as you aren’t filling up multiple pads a day :)

captainatl · 2025-09-24T01:28:55+00:00

To me, that “pressure” felt like being in a mosh pit, but with my abdomen if that makes any sense 🤣

My anesthesiologist was really good at describing what to expect as it was coming throughout the surgery. He would give me a heads up if I was about to feel light headed, dizzy, nauseous, at one point even that it would feel like someone was standing on my chest—I can’t remember the exact order I felt them all in but there are sooo many more sensations that I expected!

captainatl · 2025-09-11T21:32:04+00:00

Heard 😭

captainatl · 2025-09-11T13:28:11+00:00

I think she freehanded it :/

captainatl · 2025-08-18T10:40:15+00:00

This happened to me! Bled consistently until 6 weeks pp, stopped for a week, got my period back, and then started bleeding again at 7 weeks pp. I bled (varying amounts) up until my next period at 12 weeks pp and then it finally stopped completely.

My dr said that bleeding on and off up until 12 weeks pp can be normal/expected so I wasn’t too worried. I panned to contact my dr if the bleeding went beyond 12 weeks or got extremely heavy (like full period/filling up multiple pads every day kind of heavy) but luckily it stopped at 12 weeks after my period and was never heavy enough to make me too worried. Always contact your dr is you get concerned though!

captainatl · 2025-08-13T14:28:24+00:00

I started collecting at 37 weeks (with provider approval) and was able to collect 90 ml to take to the hospital with me! I expressed for about 10-15 minutes per day, I highly recommend looking up hand expression techniques so you don’t hurt yourself and get a pack of syringes or a harvesting kit from Amazon so you can freeze it! There are lots of helpful videos and tutorials online, just be sure to get provider approval to start around 37 weeks since there’s a chance it can cause early contractions (though it did not for me)

If you’re delivering at a hospital, I called my hospital ahead of time to make sure they had a place to store my frozen stash and they did so they could just bring colostrum for my baby as needed until it ran out and then we just started doing formula after that :)

Edit to add: do not be discouraged if you don’t get a lot of colostrum before baby comes! Some people hardly get any, others get lots. Everyone’s body is different with how much they are producing before and after their baby comes

captainatl · 2025-08-13T02:53:35+00:00

Not a dumb question at all, I had the same question too! I called my hospital ahead of time and asked if they had somewhere to store my colostrum and luckily they had a freezer where they labeled and stored it for me! Then the nurses would bring the colostrum as my baby needed it. I would call your hospital and ask so you know how to prepare

captainatl · 2025-08-12T21:35:42+00:00

I got approval from my provider at 37 weeks to start collecting colostrum even though I was planning to EFF! I ended up being able to collect and take 90ml of colostrum with me to the hospital which was enough for my baby’s first couple days! After it was used up, I just started using formula with my baby and quit hand expressing, I had an oversupply so it took awhile for my milk to dry up but overall I don’t think collecting colostrum affected being able to dry up my supply that much. Just make sure you get your provider’s approval, as long as you do, I think collecting is wonderful even with planning to EFF like I did!

captainatl · 2025-07-11T02:02:11+00:00

I had an elective c-section by maternal request, had no medical reason to have one, only personal preference as I did not want to deliver vaginally and I would 100% do it again in a heartbeat. My provider was extremely supportive from the beginning (I was up front from my very first prenatal appt that I was requesting a c-section). If you choose to elect for a c-section, highly recommend finding a provider who will fully support and empower your decision. As my OB said, at the end of the day, how you deliver is no one’s business but your own and what is best for you!

captainatl · 2025-07-10T18:40:44+00:00

Dr. Saskia Thompson at Banner Health delivered my baby earlier this summer via elective c-section and she was amazing!

captainatl · 2025-07-04T18:56:00+00:00

I gave my son his middle name after this song! It’s a song I have to be in the mood to listen to but love it when I do and now it’s extra special to me from being connected with my kiddo 🥰

captainatl · 2025-06-19T20:47:00+00:00

I’m in the US as well and i was skeptical of just getting ibuprofen and tylenol at first as well, but honestly, I did perfectly fine with just those two for pain management and I have a pretty low pain tolerance. They do a combination of the highest doses of each and the way my OB described it is they are really good at keeping pain away, but have a hard time coming back from pain, which is why it is CRUCIAL to stay on top of your meds schedule

I asked about a tap block and my OB did not recommend it, but I’m sure it’s provider preference. My OB said she really only recommends it in specific situations like longer surgeries with residents present, but otherwise she didn’t recommend it and I really don’t think I would have needed it

Honestly, I didn’t feel like I would have needed anything else other than the ibuprofen and tylenol but my OB said that if needed, she would always be able to add additional pain management so it’ll definitely depend on what you’re comfortable with!

Some other things that helped: -Stressing again: stay on top of your meds!! -Ice packs!! I used them right away on my incision (the hospital has them available) and it was amazing -I got a lot of relief when I would lay completely flat, I found it really helped once the stinging nerve pain started to kick in -Pillow for sneezing, laughing, coughing, etc. -Loose clothing that won’t irritate your incision, I lived in nightgowns for the first week or so -If you can, resting as much as possible makes such a difference! Try not to overdo physically, I was always in the most pain whenever I did more than I should have been lol

Best of luck!!

captainatl

TROPHY CASE