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Do you have a question about babies or pregnancy? Ask!



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Tue Feb 23, 2016 1:02 am
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Snoink says...



Hello!

So! Because I am a mother of a toddler and about to have a second baby, I figured that maybe I can help out some of you with questions about either pregnancy or babies that you may have! Just in case it may help you with your newest bestseller. ;)

Anyway, feel free to ask!

Also, if you're a parent and want to hop on and respond to some of these questions, please feel free to answer as well!
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

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Wed Feb 24, 2016 4:31 pm
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Morrigan says...



I always hear so much about people getting terrific cravings while pregnant. Did you experience that?
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Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:08 am
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Snoink says...



@Morrigan, oh definitely! My husband laughs at my pregnant food cravings all the time. :P

Here's some video he took of me on October 21, 2015 when I was pregnant while I was talking about a brilliant food combination idea that I had!

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He kept on laughing silently, which sadly made the camera go in and out of focus!
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Thu Feb 25, 2016 4:20 am
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Tecumseh says...



Dude I'd eat a whopper pizza, hell yes. Let's go into business.
  





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Thu Feb 25, 2016 6:39 am
Snoink says...



YEAH!!!! Let's do this, @Tecumseh!
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:14 pm
speakerskat says...



Might be kind of personal but how painful/awful is getting pregnant, being pregnant, and giving birth? I really don't know if I want kids solely because those three things terrify me. You cont have to be super detailed.
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Fri Feb 26, 2016 1:22 am
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Snoink says...



@speakerskat

speakerskat wrote:Might be kind of personal but how painful/awful is getting pregnant, being pregnant, and giving birth? I really don't know if I want kids solely because those three things terrify me. You cont have to be super detailed.


1. Getting Pregnant

For me, getting pregnant was awesome. Like, really awesome. My husband is the greatest. Mind you, I'm not exactly sure when I got pregnant. But, I can tell you that the whole process of getting pregnant, for me personally, was fun.

2. Being Pregnant

This is a weirder question to answer because it can vary so much from baby to baby and vary so much for every woman.

My first official pregnancy seemed more difficult than my current pregnancy, for example. There were certain issues that really made it somewhat miserable... there was random spotting which was terrifying, the baby was down really low which made it very difficult to walk without some sort of bump support brace, I was borderline with gestational diabetes, and it really wasn't that fun. I couldn't eat eggs at all without being disgusted! Combine that with anxiety and fears of the unexpected and the fact that my pregnancy consumed my mind, and it was not very fun. The best part about the pregnancy was that my baby's kicks seemed to feel like light fluttery tickles, which was really a thrilling feeling.

My pregnancy now? I don't have gestational diabetes, I don't have random spotting, the baby is in a better position so that I can actually walk without too much pain, I have a better idea of what to expect, so I'm not as anxious, and I have a toddler distracting me all the time, so I can't be consumed about pregnancy. And, I can eat eggs! Of course, now the baby rolls around and kicks really hard, so the kicks are not as cute! But, it's definitely been an easier pregnancy for sure!

So, I suppose the answer is, it depends?

It can be painful though and it does slow you down a bit. I would joke that I felt like an old lady... sort of like Sophie in "Howl's Moving Castle." ^^ There are times where I just have to sit down and rest a bit! And times that I just need to sleep.

But! Having an awesome partner helps. My husband has helped me in a bunch of ways... massages, making food, cleaning... as I slow down and can't do as much, he fills in. It's really awesome. Did I mention that my husband is the greatest? ^^

3. Giving Birth

Giving birth is not very fun. Not gonna lie here. I've only gone through labor once -- still pregnant with my second! But, that took 43 hours to go through. And it wasn't fun. In fact, I remember vaguely that, at one point, the pain was just so intense that my brain just overloaded and it didn't really compute.

But.

During the end, my doctor gave me a choice: either I could get the baby out sooner, but suffer more and need stitches, or I could wait a couple of minutes and see if she would come out sooner and I wouldn't suffer, though it might hurt her by waiting a couple of minutes.

It was an absolute no brainer: I chose her. My suffering was nothing compared to my desire to hold my baby. And yeah, it hurt and I had stitches and it took a while to heal. But, it was totally worth it.

So, even though it's painful, your mind is so focused on the baby that it's bearable.

And when you're done, the pain blurs away to a distant memory. And, honestly? I'm not really looking forward to labor. But, I'm okay with it because I'll have another beautiful baby. And that's worth it.

...I'm not sure how much that makes you feel better. But! I think it's totally worth it. Thus, I'm having a second kid. :)
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Fri Feb 26, 2016 10:08 pm
Carlito says...



Is it possible to make arrangements with your doctor or somehow arrange in advance that when the time comes you're going to forgo the standard delivery procedures and do a c-section, or will they only do it if necessary? I'm sure it varies some with doctors and hospital policies, but generally speaking?
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Fri Feb 26, 2016 11:20 pm
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Snoink says...



In certain cases, yes, you can schedule it in advance. My mother planned for a c-section in advance for @Griffinkeeper and I (we're twins), so it does happen, especially in cases with multiple births. And certain hospitals do c-sections on request.

My hospital frowns on this though, unless there's some medical reason for having a c-section. It's a major surgery, and the trend is to avoid these sorts of major surgeries unless you can help it. Besides, there's been a bunch of research coming out that says going the full 40 weeks of pregnancy is healthier for both the mom and the baby in most single-birth pregnancies. (Multiple-birth pregnancies are a completely different story...)

And the whole process of labor is a bit easier than c-sections, apparently. To demonstrate... the recovery time after labor is estimated to be around 4-6 weeks. The recovery time after c-section is 6-8 weeks. Plus, for the first couple of weeks, you can't actually pick up anything heavy... including a baby. Or a car seat. It sounds pretty brutal! Even after labor, I was able to do those things.

So, even when my baby was late and I was scheduled for a medical induction 10 days after the due date (which never came to pass... I went into labor before the medical induction date!) the talk of having a c-section never came up. Instead, it was all about inducing the baby.

Also, it is possible to schedule a non-medical induction date... though, again, it's frowned upon.

My hospital is not afraid of doing emergency c-sections though, and is well prepared for that, just in case!
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Sat Feb 27, 2016 1:15 am
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Rosendorn says...



An addition on emergency c-sections: according to my mom, they prioritize if the baby is sick over the mom. Apparently, she and another woman in the hospital both needed an emergency c section at the same time, but because mine was for possible asphyxiation (every time my mom had a contraction, I couldn't breathe) and in the other woman's case the baby was alright (the mom was sick), I went first.

How does the movement actually feel? I've always been so curious about what it's like to have all the rolling and stretching inside.
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Sat Feb 27, 2016 6:57 am
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Snoink says...



@Rosendorn, thanks for the additional information on c-sections! Also, I am so glad we live in this era of modern medicine... it sounds like, without medical intervention, both you and I would have very slim chances of being born!

As far as baby movements? Well, that depends on the baby too!

Mary's movements were different from Anthony's movements. When I first felt Mary move (around the 17 mark, or in the second trimester), it felt like I was being tickled in my belly from the inside. Then, as she grew bigger, it felt like she would do these fluttery light kicks that felt like I was being tapped. And she would hiccup a lot and there would feel like I was being tapped in a consistent way in the inside. And sometimes, when she jumped, it felt sort of like the way it does when you're about to go down a roller coaster. They were very cute movements... at the end of the pregnancy, I was sad when they were coming to an end!

As far as Anthony goes, he's... a lot less cute. XD I first felt his kicks and they were definitely kicks... not like being tickled. It feels like he likes to roll around a lot and stretch, which is actually somewhat uncomfortable. It feels like someone's pressing from the inside of your belly and rolling. As far as stretching goes, I know he's stretching when suddenly I feel my insides get squished! Some heartburn or necessary bathroom trips might occur then. :P He also is much more of a powerful kicker. It actually kind of shocks me whenever he kicks me... I start out of my seat and try to get him to stop because it feels like something's trying to get out of my belly and that just feels odd.

It's quite strange!
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Sat Feb 27, 2016 3:26 pm
Rosendorn says...



Ohyes, I wouldn't really have stayed alive. Apparently, doctors thought I was late for how squished I was, when I was actually about a week early! And I just would not come out... I'd drop, then scoot right back up again.

... My mom really likes telling me labour stories, I have no idea why. I was, however, quite difficult and fussy so that's probably part of it xD

It'll be really interesting to see how all that movement reflects behaviour of the child. I know you can't answer for Anthony yet, but did you find that with Mary?
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Sat Feb 27, 2016 5:53 pm
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Snoink says...



Haha! A mother's privilege, perhaps? ;)

Her movements did reflect her! At least the newborn her. As she grows older and learns more, she does different things, which is expected, but I remember that when I was pregnant with her, I kept thinking, "What is she going to be like?" And then, for the first six months or so, I was astounded because I already knew so much about her from her movements!

Whenever I would touch my belly when she was kicking and stroke her, she would calm down. When she came out, she wanted to be touched and cuddled to be calmed down.

She was a light, fluttery kicker and she would kick regularly! I would joke that she was going to be a soccer player or a dancer with that sort of kicking. Then, when she came out, she learned about her feet and legs almost immediately and was kicking up a storm as soon as she could!

She would hiccup a lot... and when she came out, not only did she hiccup a lot, but she didn't eat very well. It was quite alarming for a while!

The times when she would be up at night in the womb were very similar to when she was up at night outside the womb. We quickly despaired... her schedule was super crazy.

Apparently, the voice that she knew from me was my singing voice. During my pregnancy, I was fixing up my new, fixer-upper house. While I was painting and scrubbing, I would sing loudly to the songs on the radio. And I painted and scrubbed quite a lot! When she came out, she would cry if I soothed her by trying to talk with her, but as soon as I started singing to her, she would quiet down immediately.

It'll be interesting to see what Anthony does! :o
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Wed Apr 06, 2016 3:50 pm
seeminglymeaningless says...



First, 'grats on your first and second babykin! How awesomely cool :D (and also a little scary to think that people grow up and have their own kids, wow, not that you were never grown up in my eyes)

My question - did you know you were pregnant straight away? Did it happen like in all those books that the morning after you rushed out of your cabin on the ship and threw up over the rail? :3
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Thu Jun 23, 2016 6:16 am
bluewaterlily says...



Hi Snoink! Hope you're still taking questions.

This is late but Congrats on Anthony. I've been following your wonderful blog about your two wonderful children.

I just have a quick question about ultrasounds for a story I am writing. My character is having twins and she surprises her husband by showing him the sonogram but I want it to be a surprise to both of them that they're having twins. I want them to think at first they're having one baby. Is there a way this is possible, like in an early pregnancy, one twin is "hiding" behind the other or it's hard to detect? Also another question. Around how many weeks does a first time expectant mother start to show?

Thanks for the help,
~bluewaterlily
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