(Part 2) Best products from r/CautiousBB

Yay for your results! My son was born at 34 weeks, 4.5 pounds. It seems super small for people who aren't used to preemies, but as a NICU nurse, I can tell you those little ones are very feisty. Try not to worry too much about your cousin's baby :D

I'm not sure there's really any "cool" baby stuff, but here are some of my favorite random items:

• Nosefrida. Seriously, just buy this. You need it.
  
• Vick's rectal thermometer. Helpful for parents who aren't used to taking rectal temps. As you can see, you physically can't stick this in too far, so it seems less daunting. My only complaint is that it reads so quickly that occasionally it would read lower than I knew his temperature was. I would just repeat it and get the real result the second time around.
  
• Safety 1st nail clippers. Has a light and everything so you can see what you're doing. My friend would actually make me cut her daughter's nails with my clippers when she came to visit, lol.
  
  I also think everyone should have some sort of baby carrying device. If you get something with buckles (like an Ergo), make sure the seat of the carrier is wide enough to support your baby from knee to knee. Think an Ergo, not a Baby Bjorn.
  
  Hmm, that's all for now. I'll try to think of something cool ;)

So if you choose a methylfolate prenatal and get an additional methylated B supplement and eat amazing foods (sidebar: I love this cookbook for prenatal nutrition), you will be ahead of the game.

If you want to be a superhero, also check your pantry and throw out anything fortified with folic acid, like certain breads and noodles. If you want to be a super superhero, get your partner tested for MTHFR, because his genes will affect baby's genes, which will affect how well baby absorbs folate.

You need to decide whether or not you're comfortable deciding to take a baby aspirin without your doctor's approval. I decided to take it right away, and when I met with my midwife later, she told me to take it — but my GP didn't want me on it, because he didn't know enough about MTHFR. The reason for baby aspirin (or the shots) is because MTHFR can lead to clotting disorders, and if the clots clog up the placenta or cord, it can cause miscarriage. My midwife said to take it until 2 weeks before the due date.

Sidebar: If heaven forbid you ever have a miscarriage, please know that it's not your fault. Okay? Picture me shaking you by the shoulders until you internalize this. Miscarriages happen for a thousand reasons, and it's not the mother's fault. You specifically are doing a good job for your baby and you are handling this really early and you need to be kind to yourself.

There's no harm in calling other OBs/midwives, right? Might as well, you may find someone who's knowledgeable and a really good fit. But it's OK if this is the path you're on. Even if they don't want you on aspirin, no doctor is going to say "don't take high-quality OTC vitamins!", and as long as you avoid folic acid, you're a step ahead of the game. You are doing good things for your baby. The baby can wait a week for you to get more information. It's gonna be okay.

I'm not sure this book is in print anymore, but I loved it when my mom was pregnant with my little sister (can you see the link in Australia?). http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Come-Out-Fran-Manushkin/dp/1887734716
You can get the gist of it from the book preview. Ultimately Baby decides to come out because Daddy is giving the rest of the family a kiss, and she wants to know what a kiss is. Maybe something you should try? :)

Thanks! :) I love his unique name. DH and I both have incredibly common names, and we don't really care for them much. He can read Old English, and I can kinda read it too, with his help. I first heard the name Hengest from us reading the Anglo Saxon Chronicle together. According to the Chronicle, Hengest and Horsa were brothers, and leaders of a war band. They were hired as mercenaries by the king of the Britons to fight the Picts, and later revolted, which led to the Anglo Saxon invasion of Britain. Here is a funny video portrayal of the tale. This happened in the 5th century, so the details of his deeds are somewhere between historical and legendary. He is mentioned in legendary/mythical sources like Beowulf, and JRR Tolkein adapted these sources into a historical fiction called Finn and Hengest.

Æþelwulf literally translates to "noble wolf". I picked it out because I like the way it sounds. I came up with some criteria for a middle name to go with Hengest (not hard to say, flows nicely, initials not embarrassing, etc.) and DH made a list of words for us to match together. It wasn't until after we'd settled on the middle name that I googled the names together and found out that Æþelwulf was also a ruler of Kent. We obviously can't put Old English characters on a birth certificate, so we chose the spelling that academia prefers.

It's amazing... I too LOVE to record things. It has spots for like what events happened each month and what movies you watched. What was your craving this month vs adversion. I really love it.

Here is The Belly Book.

And The Baby Book. This I'm going to get after babe is born for his/her first year because I love The Belly Book so much. AND plus side is they aren't super expensive either.

Little peanut gave me an AWESOME night of sleep last night. I didn't wake up til 5 AM, and even when I woke up, all I had to do was pee. Wasn't nauseous or stomach cramping or anything!

Hopefully all of August (and September) goes this way :)

[EDIT] Oh yeah, DH took me to a Barnes & Nobles after puppy class yesterday and we picked up 3 books!

• The Expectant Father
  
• The Pregnancy Countdown Book
  
• Sear's Healthy Pregnancy Book
  
  We also have 3 other books that DH picked up a few days ago... plus we're on an adventure to find The Mayo Clinic Guide and [The Birth Partner]
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155832819X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER)
  
  All this reading makes me happy~

Oh I took almost 30 for my first month. Probably not super rational, but seeing the line getting darker kept me sane.

These are the ones I have. They're really sensitive so I found out 10DPO. I actually kept them all and have them taped to the inside of a congrats card I had bought to tell my mom I was pregnant before I miscarried last time. Something triumphant about having it filled with positives now!

Never got to making my kimchi last weekend, so this weekend it is! Also on the list for having on hand when baby arrives: grilled Burmese-style chicken (turmeric galore!), blueberry scones, spicy red lentil dahl, pesto, simple tomato sauce, dashi (for miso soup, which I think would be delicious to sip in early labor), chicken stock (same), tom kha gai (same), and black bean and spinach burritos. I am psyched to cook a lot — let's see if my swollen feet will hold up.

Also, my husband picked up this book, The First Forty Days, which you might also like if you are a somewhat crunchy foodie looking for a nourishing tradition for after baby is born. Just started skimming it and I'm really loving it so far.

Yes! I've bought it at the Vitamin Shop and most recently online via Amazon (This one b/c I liked the dosage and need a lot since I go through ~6 a day...also a few other pregnant people left positive feedback about them: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MQ2MQPW/?th=1). My guess is that your best bet will be the nighttime combo, but research shows that they are BOTH more effective for controlling nausea when taken together.

I got my candies from Amazon, but they usually also sell them at babies r us and the like. Preggie pops

Follow YOUR cravings for what sounds good...for some it's acid (vinegar or citrus), for others it's ginger, for others who develop hg, only Meds will help.

It's totally ok right now if your whole diet is bagels and cream cheese for a week. As long as you are taking a quality prenatal, the most important thing is that you don't get dehydrated or too hungry.

Hang in there!

Apparently I now sleep like this:

• Fall asleep
  
• Sleep 1 hour
  
• Wake up
  
• Pee and flip my pillow over to sleep on my other side
  
• Repeat
  
  On a more positive note, my husband bought me a wake-up light for Christmas, and it's amazing. The sunset simulation puts me right to sleep, and the sunrise simulation makes waking up a much more gradual (and less painful) process. Highly recommend!

Yay! Congratulations!

I actually haven't bought any clothes for my little one yet, but I'm definitely going to be buying this because it's adorable.