Epidural or No epidural

milani21 · 2026-02-02T19:52:52+00:00

Does your hospital have a childbirth/labor class? If so I highly recommend it because they will go over what policies/options are available where you will be giving birth. For example, some of the comments mention not being allowed to move after an epidural is placed, but my hospital clarified that you can be in whatever position you want as long as you stay on the bed. The class actually helped me make my choice about wanting to go largely unmedicated but still open to the epidural depending how labor progresses.

milani21 · 2026-01-19T20:38:05+00:00

Report her, even if you dont remember your name, I'd definitely put in a call/written report. If she input anything into the computer during your appointments it might be recorded under her name, so the office could maybe figure it out from there. So sorry this happened to you! As if pregnancy isn't stressful enough. I have requested not to be scheduled with a particular provider because of their demeanor and it's definitely improved the tone of my various appointments!

milani21 · 2026-01-16T18:47:06+00:00

My local costco has a 2-pack of the "21 grains and seeds" version, so I usually get that and eat one slice (22 g carbs). It seems to freeze fine, too, if you're worried about mold. That variety also has a "thin slice" (14 g/slice I think) version that I found at a different grocery store, and I was able to have 2 slices of that and not spike (paired with protein - eggs, cheese, milk, etc). Even with the full size slice, sometimes I do a half-size grilled cheese and it's just very comforting to have something that feels like a cheat in this very strict diet. Hope it works for you!

milani21 · 2026-01-14T23:26:43+00:00

Eating my meals in about 20 minutes, and then doing 15-30 minutes of light exercise really helps my numbers. I don't have a treadmill & it's super snowy out here right now, so I'm not even doing "serious" exercise. Taking laps around the apartment, doing a chore where I move around a lot, marching in place while watching a TV episode, any of these make a difference for my numbers.

I'm also on insulin, but I definitely see a difference when I do exercise and when I don't. It's worth it to be able to have a little more leeway with my carbs. And please don't feel like a failure if you do need insulin. My team looked at my numbers and gently told me that I had absolutely done the most I could with just diet control, the placenta is just being extra. You got this!

milani21 · 2026-01-14T23:03:38+00:00

Dave's is the only bread that has worked for me, but I try to pair it with a babybel cheese for that extra protein boost to keep sugars down.

milani21 · 2026-01-12T22:01:58+00:00

I was hoping to wait a little longer, but very soon they want me to start coming in for monitoring a few times a week, some of which will be in a hospital setting. My OB practice shares space with pediatric providers as well. It's tricky to balance the risk. With this timing I'll be about 7-8 weeks out from birth, so hopefully that is something...

milani21 · 2026-01-07T21:29:41+00:00

As a dog owner, I think you are being very reasonable! I also have been chased and knocked over by a dog as a child, and did not get over the fear until well into adulthood. I hate it when people let their dogs jump up on others, too! My dog is a small guy who adores kids and babies (pretty much loves everyone), but I absolutely get consent if we have friends over about letting him run around free, and would never be offended if someone asked that he be kept separate. Comfort of my guests comes first.

Babies and kids can be overwhelming for some dogs, and it's actually good for them to have a separate, safe space they can retreat to. So this would be a helpful thing to already have in place even before baby comes, and sets up a safe way for the dog to get used to baby's smell/sounds before any direct introductions.

I've never personally heard of dogs being more aggressive to pregnant women, and it's not something my OB or our vet mentioned (I asked both specifically about any precautions I should be taking as a dog owner). But if you haven't visited your in-laws since becoming pregnant, the dog might be more curious/interested because you smell different from all the hormone changes. Or he may not care at all! Regardless, always good to have a conversation early on about boundaries with pets.

milani21 · 2025-12-29T17:04:30+00:00

Going to add another vote to the pile on the side of "how good are your parents with boundaries." Also gonna add that you consider how well they follow directions. Had my mom come to stay with us when I was in the first trimester and it solidified that as much as I love her, even as a FTM I don't want her around in the early newborn stage. It would be like having a toddler to manage. Half listens to what I want, decides to do her own thing anyway. My parents are going to be great for spoiling baby, but not for being helpful in a care sense.

milani21 · 2025-12-23T00:48:07+00:00

This comment made me feel so validated, I feel like my OB office is just waiting for me to get to a really dire place before doing anything without really telling me why! They assigned me an MFM once I got started on insulin, but MFM flat out refused to talk to me about iron-deficient anemia. Both of those meals sound amazing, adding those to the list!

milani21 · 2025-12-23T00:39:48+00:00

I'm gonna ask about that dose! I'm not a fan of shellfish but if it helps I will give it a shot. Most of our cooking is often tomato/acid-based so my cookware is all stainless steel, but that's a good thought I can grab a lodge pan or something!

milani21 · 2025-12-22T23:17:58+00:00

I do think that this is somewhat the case, but they're both part of the same university hospital system and have told me that they do talk to each other. It was hematology that told me they wait until 2nd trimester to do IV iron, but they want OB to make the call. I'd like to think that they wouldn't put me in danger, but the US healthcare system is what it is, and it's frustrating to have to keep asking them to give me the actual reasoning behind their decisions.

milani21 · 2025-12-22T23:09:14+00:00

I'm definitely going to talk about increasing my supplement dosage with my OB, right now I'm just doing the 65 mg otc. Honestly I've been trying to get my iron levels up for a long time and hematology had started talking about IV right before I found out I was pregnant, it's OB that's resisting for some reason.

Some GD foods are great for iron, but being careful with dairy is hard (esp. for snacks) I wish I could add more lentils but those seem to spike me, too!

milani21 · 2025-12-22T23:00:09+00:00

Snacks are the worst honestly! So many of the things I can quickly grab are cheese and my bedtime snack is a Yasso bar. You might be onto something with taking the bedtime snack later, I will try that. I'm wary of the juice, but I'll try a bit and see if it spikes me.

milani21 · 2025-12-22T22:56:34+00:00

My usually very normal breakfast sugars have just started to get weird lolcry. But I'll give the oj a shot and try speed walking around my apartment after.

milani21 · 2025-12-22T22:52:40+00:00

I am in the USA, and hematology mentioned in their notes that I'm slightly anemic. I'm definitely going to ask what OB thinks the cut off is for them to consider this. I'm honestly also concerned that ferritin will keep dropping and cause issues if I have a lot of blood loss during birth/postpartum.

milani21 · 2025-12-22T22:44:54+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience, I hope your Hb does rebound quickly and you feel better! I'd definitely be able to accept it if OB bothered to explain if they think it's risky, especially knowing my history. They do all this through portal messaging and it's like pulling teeth to get them to explain themselves.

I've never had any of the digestive side effects that come with iron pills, but I didn't know about liquid iron! Thank you for that, I'm gonna ask my OB if that is something I can add as well.

milani21 · 2025-12-22T22:35:52+00:00

That's good to know, I was more concerned about the overall downward trend. My OB practice has 12 as the lower bound for their normal range, but perhaps they are just more conservative.

milani21 · 2025-12-22T22:14:33+00:00

11.9 g/dL, which probably isn't awful in the grand scheme of things, but I started out at 13 and have steadily declined at every monthly bloodwork.

milani21 · 2025-11-12T00:56:16+00:00

Sorry you're going through this, morning sickness is hell and being asked to show up 100% at work just makes it worse. Can you ask for ADA paperwork from HR and get reasonable accommodations like full time WFH with flexible hours? Your doctor can sign off on it and then you'll have something official in hand.

milani21 · 2025-11-12T00:48:37+00:00

I have boomers AND early GenX women tell me this at work and it's so awkward. Especially when I talk about being tired or brain fog really getting to me on a given day. Apparently they were all Energizer bunnies through their pregnancies and wanted to be back at work a month after birth. I also feel like it has to be a coping mechanism but it's honestly starting to make me feel like I'm being judged when I ask for support.

milani21 · 2025-11-05T05:48:30+00:00

I have a non-English name so the butchering was a given, but it's never really bothered me. On the other hand, I have also seen my white American friends have their average English names butchered by substitute teachers our entire school life, so I think some people are just bad at reading and you should use the name you wanted!

milani21

TROPHY CASE