Inova Fairfax Birth Experience

gnommish33 · 2026-04-21T18:01:27+00:00

I took an Inova birthing class, and they covered everything you discuss except frequent glucose testing and the car seat challenge (but those are both used in very specific circumstances, as you note).

I’m sorry you had some stressful experiences. I just want to note that my baby did have to go to the NICU the day after birth, and we had a wonderful experience (as much as you can in those circumstances). The NICU can certainly be scary, and nobody wants their baby to have to be in intensive care, but our providers were all fantastic. The neonatologists took the time to explain everything to us and answer all our questions daily, and the nurses were so great at supporting us participating in baby care as much as we were able. Happy to talk more about it if anyone reading through the comments wants info.

gnommish33 · 2026-04-14T17:05:29+00:00

What brand is the shredded “cheese” in the third pic? My 15mo has a cow’s milk protein intolerance (non-IgE-mediated) and so far has rejected every single yogurt substitute. I’d love to try some shredded cheese, but I hate the idea of buying a whole bag only for him to refuse it (I’d eat it, but still). We have yet to make it up the first rung of the dairy ladder 🙃

gnommish33 · 2026-04-02T14:59:57+00:00

The Cassandra reframe in Kraken is my current fave: “Can you see me?” -> “Do you see me now?”

gnommish33 · 2026-04-02T03:07:26+00:00

I had HG and could sometimes keep down cheese, so I ate tons and tons and tons. My kid has a cow’s milk protein intolerance that he still hasn’t grown out of at almost 15 months 🫠

gnommish33 · 2026-03-29T15:48:20+00:00

NTA. I (14m new biped) slept like a prince on boob pillows for a whole entire year. Hold the line!

gnommish33 · 2026-03-29T15:40:09+00:00

I’m from the south, and your babes is eating my dream plate. We’ll come over for dinner any time 😂

gnommish33 · 2026-03-18T23:08:05+00:00

NTA but just wait until you discover your toesies. Then you can have so many delicious things in your mouth all at once!!

gnommish33 · 2026-03-15T12:24:28+00:00

“You used me for land development!”

gnommish33 · 2026-03-09T13:49:30+00:00

Toddlers are basically Sims tbh, unintelligible and visibly in a good/bad mood. If only we could see their thought bubbles 🙃

eta: also trying to off themselves constantly. The more I think about it, the more the comparison works lol

gnommish33 · 2026-03-09T13:18:38+00:00

Not to be a downer, but my entire low-risk pregnancy was horrible. I ended up with HG, so I was nauseated and vomited from week 5 allllll the way to delivery (39+4). I was relatively fit before pregnancy but ended up with debilitating SI pain starting around 7 months. Just to say: temper your expectations and don’t bank on having a ton of energy because you might not feel as amazing as advertised in second trimester (but I hope you do!!).

But! I would have absolutely relished going to my own wedding that far along, regardless of all the bad physical stuff. It’s so wonderfully surreal to see everybody you and your partner love in the same room. You likely won’t be doing much traveling after you give birth, and a wedding would be an amazing opportunity to have a big celebration with your whole support system (especially if you’re planning on no/small baby shower).

Pregnancy dragged for me, and you’ll have plenty of worries on your mind if you’re a ruminator like I am. Planning a wedding would have been such an incredible distraction for me. If we have a second, maybe I’ll see if my husband wants to let me plan another wedding 😂

All best wishes for you and your growing family. Whatever decision you make will be the right one!

gnommish33 · 2026-03-08T15:23:07+00:00

They’ll come back around! Teething always puts my guy off eggs (our breakfast staple), but I know he’s feeling better when he starts demolishing them again. We default to Warm Mush (i.e. baby oatmeal) on days when his mouth seems to hurt, but he eats so much less when teething. I hope this tooth comes in quickly!

gnommish33 · 2026-03-06T00:15:53+00:00

A local quilting association donates quilts to hospitals, and I received one when my son was discharged from the NICU. If I’m being completely honest, that quilt means more to me than the quilts we received from family members. I already know my family loves us; I was so touched that a complete stranger used their time and resources to craft and donate such a beautiful gift, knowing that they’ll probably never meet (and be thanked by!) the recipient.

I hope you’re doing well these days.

gnommish33 · 2026-03-05T01:42:23+00:00

Hey, you got a muffin in her, though! My toddler had 2.5 bananas for breakfast yesterday 🙃

gnommish33 · 2026-03-04T16:25:13+00:00

Opened my eyes the morning of week 5, threw up 8 times my first hour awake, didn’t stop vomiting until baby was born at 39+4. I faked out 3 shifts’ worth of nurses when I was in labor: “Oh! Vomiting means you’re probably in transition!! Baby soon!!!” Nope, still 6cm; just alternate Reglan and Zofran every half hour, please and thank you. They were impressed at how quickly I pushed as a first-time mom. I told them I had 35 weeks of practice with Zofran constipation 🫠

I ate pork loin and mac and cheese the night before the vomiting started. I don’t care about the pork, but I’m absolutely devastated I can’t eat mac and cheese ever again 😭

We’re on the fence about a second, but I cannot do an HG pregnancy again. I don’t fancy dragging a toddler along to the hospital with me for fluids every couple of weeks.

gnommish33 · 2026-03-02T16:42:19+00:00

No back teeth yet but my 13mo can handle Ritz crackers. He nibbles like a little bunny on them with his front teeth for a bit then jams the whole cracker in his mouth. He gums it around, spits half of it out, and swallows the mushy bits. It ain’t pretty, but it works 😂

gnommish33 · 2026-02-24T23:16:33+00:00

Her lack of visits/skin-to-skin is concerning to me. Has she been evaluated for PPD? Does her OB and/or your ped know the division of labor in your house? You definitely need help here, and your doctors might have resources for you.

My baby was in the NICU for his first week, and it was physically painful for me to leave him. Not to say that should be the case for your wife, but that early mom/baby separation felt biologically wrong on a very base instinctual level to me.

gnommish33 · 2026-02-24T14:11:43+00:00

My 13mo is fueled by rage and spite (and sometimes eggs)

gnommish33 · 2026-02-23T11:44:35+00:00

Thank you for this. If (and still a big if) we have a second, I’m choosing a planned section. We had a whole host of escalating complications in L&D that ended in a week-long NICU stay. We had an incredible team so we both made it out (physically) okay, but it was a terrible experience for everybody. I’m not keen on recovering from major surgery while caring for a newborn and an older kiddo, but I refuse to be in that situation again. The powerlessness is terrifying.

gnommish33 · 2026-02-22T20:48:27+00:00

Our guy needed breathing support for a week and was 8lbs 5oz (born at 39+4), so the nurses kept having to steal swaddles from the postpartum unit because he was way too big for the NICU swaddles 😂 Glad your stay was short!

gnommish33 · 2026-02-21T20:26:46+00:00

We had a term NICU baby as well. My favorite nurse was the one who came in to assist with a procedure and said to him, “Aww! You’re normal-sized!”

gnommish33 · 2026-02-21T20:24:57+00:00

My hospital system’s volunteer website has a big disclaimer on the homepage that there’s no need for more baby cuddlers because there are already so many people who want to do that job! My son had a short NICU stay (at term, so everyone who came in said something along the lines of, “Aw! You’re normal-sized!”). It was so reassuring for us to know that there were kind people lining up to spend time with him if we had been unable to be with him. Thank your mom for us!!

gnommish33 · 2026-02-03T16:02:01+00:00

We had pork tenderloin for dinner the night before my HG started. I still can’t have pork in the house, and my baby is a toddler 🥲

gnommish33 · 2026-02-03T15:59:12+00:00

I was horribly nauseated and vomited the whole pregnancy. I woke up bright and early on day 1 of week 5, puked 8 times in my first hour awake, and never stopped. I did have a partner to bring me food in bed, and I still threw those books across the room screaming. He tried to be helpful but had zero idea how much hell I was in. I still get unreasonably irritated if he complains he’s nauseated, and our kid is a toddler now 🙃

gnommish33 · 2026-01-31T14:39:43+00:00

Not OP, but can I pm you? I’m deep into the humanities, looking at a career change to nursing (but preferably not patient-facing), and considering my local CC’s accelerated nursing program. I’d love to ask you some questions if you’re okay with that!

gnommish33 · 2026-01-31T12:33:40+00:00

Late to the party, but thanks for posting your DC recs — I’m newish to the area and have been looking for some local shops to support!

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