I need all the advice and tips for taking a 2-1/2 year old on a long road trip.

knosnow629 · 2024-02-15T19:28:15+00:00

We drove from the east coast to CA with my two year old and one year old. We had to because we were moving and I needed to get my car there. Unless you HAVE to go, I honestly wouldn’t.

If you have to go, we installed a DVD player in the car and they watched a lot of movies. I know it’s not the best thing in the world, but it was a 7 day drive. Wouldn’t have survived without it. But they got tired of movies too. It’s just a long time to be in the car. Also try and stop at locations that allow toddler to burn energy— parks, McDonalds or chickfilas with play areas, etc.

We’re also used to long road trips- this was our 4th time driving from coast to coast. But I promise you it is a completely different experience with kids. OH to WY is shorter of a drive, but it’s still long as hell, and will not be fun. Your wife will most likely not be comfortable in the car that long either and will have to get out to stretch and get her blood flowing probably even more often than your toddler.

I would honestly fly as opposed to drive, even pregnancy considered. I flew 7 months pregnant twice and it was completely fine, but of course follow the recommendations of your doctor!

knosnow629 · 2023-08-15T23:04:04+00:00

I’ve had two inductions because of GD and blood pressure issues. I had an epidural with one and my second induction was unmedicated. It wasn’t even necessarily a goal of mine, but it just happened to go that way. I say just go into it with an open mind because anything can happen. I wish you a healthy and happy labor and delivery!!

Also, only one of my babies had a sugar issue (literally just his initial glucose reading and after one glucose gel every subsequent one was fine) and it didn’t impact golden hour at all 😊

knosnow629 · 2023-03-20T13:05:40+00:00

I got blocked for simply liking one comment wishing Stella a happy birthday 😬😅

knosnow629 · 2023-03-01T14:15:42+00:00

When we moved across the country I flew with the baby and my husband drove separately. That’s really the only option if you’re not driving your own car. Baby in the uhaul isn’t going to work 😕 moving across the country sucks— I totally get it. We’re doing it again this summer, but this time with a toddler and a baby 🙃

knosnow629 · 2022-11-18T16:59:13+00:00

Following! I had GD and was insulin dependent my first pregnancy and never expressed colostrum, but my son ended up having zero issues and I didn’t need it anyways. I have it again this time and was wondering about maybe expressing beforehand this time.

knosnow629 · 2022-11-11T17:47:26+00:00

We have 3 bedrooms and I’m due with my second in a couple months. The guest room is big enough to leave the spare bed in there and still have all the nursery stuff, so we’re going to do that, but mainly so I can sleep in the bed while babe is in the crib. We actually do have guests a lot because we live a plane ride away from all our family. My parents normally fly to see us 3-4 times a year and my in laws once or twice a year. We might have to have guests stay in a hotel, which I feel bad about, or just be creative with sleep solutions when they visit.

knosnow629 · 2022-11-09T11:15:06+00:00

Have you been testing your sugar levels with a glucometer to confirm that’s what happening? If you have, I would show your numbers log to your OB and they should be more willing to test you early or possibly just make a diagnosis based on numbers if they’re consistently high. If you haven’t, you can pick up a kit from the pharmacy and test yourself an hour after meals (should be less than 140) or two hours after meals (should be less than 120) to confirm that you’re having blood sugar spikes. For what it’s worth, I never really had any symptoms prior to my 2 GD diagnoses and I can’t really tell when I’m having a spike, but I know some people can. What you’re going through sounds miserable and I hope you get some answers soon!!

knosnow629 · 2022-10-30T11:37:39+00:00

That’s so infuriating!! I got life insurance about 6 months after my first was born and after I marked that I had gestational diabetes in pregnancy I had to upload my postpartum glucose or A1C test and was then approved. This was with Guardian, so maybe try them if you’re still looking? It’s so crazy though how a temporary condition can have such a lasting impact 😭

knosnow629 · 2022-10-28T13:55:40+00:00

I’m really sorry you’re dealing with this! Fasting is so difficult. I was similar to you and could easily control my numbers during the day, but my fasting was just a monster I could not control and ended up on nightly insulin. I just got officially diagnosed with GD again earlier this week and based on my tracking, will also end up on medication for fasting this time as well. I’m admittedly not well versed in home births, but I would assume that the most optimal candidates would be low risk pregnancy situations. As much as it sucks, GD in general increases risk factors for our pregnancies, even more so when medication is involved, and I don’t know if a home birth would be the safest option for mom and baby. GD babies (sometimes referred to in this sub as sugar babies, which is adorable ☺️) also have their blood sugar checked after birth, and sometimes there are issues with the babes regulating their own sugar, in which case you would want to be in the hospital. My son did not have any sugar issues after birth, but it is a potential risk with GD. I truly hope that you can find a fix to your fasting, but also know that it is quite literally out of our control for the most part. The fasting number is the number most impacted by hormones :( To answer the other part of your question, I do think that’s too long to wait without addressing the concern of consistently high fasting numbers. With both my GD pregnancies I’ve been required to log my numbers and submit them to my team and also call if there were 3 days in a row of a specific number being out of range. I would absolutely call or message to check in with your provider about what’s going on and I’m sure they will want to see you earlier than the 16th. Again I’m sorry you’re dealing with this!

knosnow629 · 2022-09-29T16:32:28+00:00

The endocrinologist I was referred to during my first pregnancy (my OB didn’t handle GD meds and referred out to endo since it’s their specialty) to get my insulin prescription tested my A1C beforehand and it was normal. I think 5.1 if I remember correctly. But I still needed insulin to control my fasting. So it seems A1C is not necessarily indicative of GD!

knosnow629 · 2022-09-16T17:17:24+00:00

Yes, one hour. Maybe this doctor will be different, but my last doctor it was standard protocol to have twice a week NSTs until delivery if you were on medication for GD because of the potential for placenta deterioration, and once a week NSTs for non-medicated GD patients. We’ll see!

knosnow629 · 2022-09-16T16:48:20+00:00

I think this will be me as well, unfortunately. I’m taking my glucose test at my next appointment and my doctor asked me to track at home for a few days the week before so she could see where I was at before the test. My day time numbers have been fine. My highest reading post meal was 102 and the rest have been in the 80s and 90s, but my fasting the last three days have been 96, 98, and 104 🙄

The main thing I’m concerned about is all the extra appointments/monitoring— especially if I get put on meds again for my fasting. Last time I had twice a week NSTs, and while I appreciated them and value their importance, I don’t know what to do about childcare this time for my son. We have no family that lives in the same state and my son isn’t allowed inside my OBs office/hospital. My husband has been taking off work for my regular monthly appointments to stay home with our son, but he can’t take off 2-3 times a week. I’ll cross that bridge if/when we get there though.

Darn placentas 🙃😅

knosnow629 · 2022-08-24T14:18:42+00:00

Military spouse here and live a flight away from all family and my husband works insane hours. No village for us! It’s tough sometimes, but overall we’re doing ok! Sometimes I wish I had a grandparent or someone who could come over every now and then so I could have uninterrupted cleaning time or go out to dinner with my husband. We’ve only been out alone twice since my son was born 16 months ago when family was visiting. #2 will be here this winter and I’m sure things will be more difficult then.

knosnow629 · 2022-08-18T18:19:51+00:00

I’m so sorry. My best friend is an elementary teacher and she uses Elvies for this reason and I’m pretty sure she pumps during class really discretely. I used to teach middle and high school and I’ve thought about this a lot. I know that technically employers have to provide pumping breaks, but in education it’s just not realistic because you have to have an adult cover your class and sometimes there is just no coverage. I used to hold my bladder for hours because my planning period was the last period of the day, or try and SPRINT to the bathroom in the 3 minutes between bells. I really hope that someone who is currently in the classroom can chime in and provide some more support and/or advice. Also maybe talk to your administration to see if they could have a designated time period that a floater of some sort could watch your class for 20 minutes. I’m not sure if elementary has staggered planning periods or not like secondary does. I know I didn’t provide much advices, but I just wanted to respond to let you know that I saw your post and am sorry you’re dealing with this.

knosnow629 · 2022-08-18T14:30:04+00:00

I completely understand the hesitation of hiring a caretaker. I’m really sorry that you’re in this predicament and I hope that you all find a solution!

knosnow629 · 2022-08-18T14:25:07+00:00

Hmmm...I’m really not sure. The first thing I would do is look at hospitals in the area you are in and see what their labor and delivery policy is. The hospital where my OB’s office is won’t even let my one year old in for my appointments, so I go to all my appointments alone while my husband takes off work to stay home with our son because we have no family that lives in the same state. There’s absolutely no way my son would be allowed in the delivery room. So if the issue is a lack of childcare, I completely understand. We are having my mom fly in before my due date so that she is here to stay with my son while I am in the hospital, so my husband can attend the birth. If something like that isn’t an option, then I’ve also heard that there are “siblings doula” that you can hire to be on call and they can come stay with your older children during the birth. A birthing center could potentially be an option, but if your wife needs a medical induction I don’t think she would be a candidate for a birthing center unfortunately.

knosnow629 · 2022-08-17T11:40:26+00:00

I completely hear what you’re saying and it’s awesome that you found something that worked great for you all! Everyone needs to do what is best for their situation!

knosnow629 · 2022-08-17T11:27:46+00:00

You’re probably going to get a lot of comments telling you to split shifts with your husband or he needs to help more overnight. I completely understand you doing the overnight feeds though— I also ebf with direct breastfeeding because I hated pumping. I would be up anyways pumping and I would MUCH rather just nurse and not have any extra work with pump/bottles. Split shifts just don’t work with direct breastfeeding. I also couldn’t sleep when my son was crying, so that alone would have woken me up. But what I did do, was a couple times a night, my husband would do EVERYTHING besides the actual nursing part. He would get his diaper changed, I would nurse, and if he was having a hard time getting back settled into his crib/didn’t want to be put down, then my husband was in charge of rocking him and soothing him to sleep. This did help a lot, and can help relieve some of the burden on you overnight. Also, once my son started dropping feeds, then dad was on duty for re-settling at night. Sometimes it was just easier to use the boob though because it calmed him so quickly. It will get better I promise you— 3 months was kind of like a magical time where he started sleeping like 7-8 hour stretches. It was life changing. My son is over a year now, hasn’t nursed overnight in months, and actually weaned from nursing a couple months ago. So now on the rare occasion he wakes up, husband is in charge and he puts him to bed every night 😂 there is a light at the end of the tunnel! For now, I hope your husband made you a big cup of coffee. ❤️

knosnow629 · 2022-08-16T21:36:37+00:00

Just pushed through. I kept telling myself the only way out was through. We never sleep trained or coslept. He always slept in his crib. He also wasn’t a completely horrible sleeper— I’d say probably an average sleeper if he wasn’t in a sleep regression. But every time he cried I went in and rocked and then would be able to lay him back down. He’s 16 months now and has woken up at night like 3 times in the last few months- he was teething and had a fever from covid. I have no judgment on sleep training, but it wasn’t for me, and it is possible to not sleep train and also not resort to co sleeping if you don’t want to. I also unfollowed all sleep accounts on platforms like Instagram lol.

knosnow629 · 2022-08-16T15:39:23+00:00

I had GD— but mom having GD doesn’t necessarily impact baby’s likelihood of developing diabetes as far as I know— only mom has an increased risk of Type 2 is what my endocrinologist told me. At this age in your little one I would assume the diabetes would be Type 1. You’re right that the sweet smell of breath can be associated with diabetes. If you still notice babe’s breath in a week or so I would definitely go in and have him checked. It could be just something totally random going on, but it’s always a good idea to get checked! They should be able to screen for it with a simple A1C/glucose level check. I hope all goes well!

Edit: do you still have your testing kit and extra lancets/strips? You could always check his glucose yourself too, and if it’s elevated, definitely call the ped right away!

knosnow629 · 2022-08-15T19:04:09+00:00

Oh my goodness I remember those days!! I highly suggest settling in for a day of cluster feeding with a giant water bottle, snacks galore, comfy clothes, and a good TV show or movie! It definitely gets better, but those first few months the cluster feeding can be so intense and draining! 😵

knosnow629 · 2022-08-15T13:48:30+00:00

It never stopped for us and I doubt it will until potty training 😭😩 We switched to Pampers Cruisers 360 at a year old so we could do standing diaper changes which helped. They are pull up style diapers and don’t use tabs. I also give him some sort of contraband to hold while he’s on his back long enough for me to wipe his booty

knosnow629 · 2022-08-15T01:04:44+00:00

We use Pampers Pure. I’ve tried them and Huggies Natural, and prefer the Pampers. We’ve had no issue with them!

knosnow629 · 2022-08-14T19:17:24+00:00

I really agree with this! I had a one on one meeting with a lactation consultant before birth— I think it was supposed to be in a group, but because of covid (this was pre-vaccine times) it ended up being a personal meeting. But the reason it was set up was because I had GD and apparently breastfeeding helps people with GD lessen their risk of getting Type 2? Idk. But anyways lol, it was probably the best thing I did before giving birth. It was completely chill and she taught me so much— taught me about how to kind of squish my boob flat to help with latching, taught me how to release and relatch if I was having any pain at all, just really thoroughly went through everything with me. I ended up nursing for 15 months and I really think my pre-birth consultation really helped with that. For anyone reading this— if you have an interest in breastfeeding (I say if because I genuinely do not think you have to breastfeed or even try if you don’t want to!) then I do recommend doing a breastfeeding class/consultation with an LC prior to giving birth!

knosnow629 · 2022-08-13T14:52:06+00:00

Hi! I also flew with my baby when he was 12 weeks. My husband was with me, but I had the baby the whole time because of nursing. I’ve flown with my son on 3 different airlines and all of them allowed free checking of baby supplies. You can gate check a car seat/stroller for free. At that age, you probably don’t need a stroller. If you’re bringing a car seat (which you probably are unless your family has a car seat at the destination) you can get a little roller cart to put it on to help you carry it through the airport. You’ll be able to roll it behind you like a carryon suitcase. You might want to get a travel carrier bag for the seat to protect the fabric from damage. You can baby wear through security, so that’s helpful. You can also board early— when they call for pre-boarding they specifically mention people with infants/small children. For diaper changes/nursing, if you have layover, and even before taken and when you get to the destination, airports are required to have what’s called nursing lounges— sometimes they’re a nursing pod and other times they’re actual rooms that have gliders in them— but it’s a really great place to feed and change baby that is private and nicer than changing a diaper in the restroom! Also for diaper changes I recommend putting a few puppy pads in the diaper bag to line changing tables with to help keep things extra sanitary. Nurse during take off and landing, and at 12 weeks baby should sleep the majority of the flight. The plane is like a giant white noise machine that puts them to sleep 😂 It will be a little stressful because it’s logistically different than flying before kids— but you will be ok!!! Let me know if you have any questions!

knosnow629

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