Best products from r/TFABGrads

The reveal last night went way better than expected. I had started having serious doubts and misgivings about going through with it starting midday. Panorama results weren't and wouldn't be back, and I had this fear that FIL would be a jerk and a half (long story, but he has opinions about just about everything, especially if it's related to money). But I'm glad I did, even though now I'm afraid I've jinxed it.

We had already planned to have dinner at my parents' house with my brother, my parents, DH's brother, and his parents (his sister lives way out of town now) as a kind of celebratory dinner for being done with the bar exam. I had taken the reveal gifts over during the day while my mom was picking stuff up for dinner. I wrapped them in large-ish kraft bags with yellow tissue paper and green ribbon. They looked quite nice! I should've taken a picture lol.

We got there fashionably late, but it was right after DH's family got there, so it was decent timing. We picked up a black and white cake from Whole Foods on the way there, and you should all get one because it was AMAZING. Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream and there was a chocolate ganache on the top. So. Good. Anyway, I figured out a way to sneak the last two gifts in, and things were under way.

Everyone sat down in the den, and naturally we got on the topic of Disney World. So I used the opportunity to get the bags from upstairs, and I told them all that it was a surcee from WDW as a thanks for dealing with me for the past two months/three years. Everyone was convinced except my mom--she had sleuthed it out. MIL and FIL got these mugs, BIL got this mug (they're big coffee drinkers), my dad got an antique book (Tales of a Grandfather) from this store, my brother got the books Goodnight Moon and Night Night Little Tiger, and my mom got a board book of On the Night You Were Born (she's given that to my brother and me several times) and a little soft bunny.

BIL was the first to say something. He said, nonchalantly, "Uncle BIL." Then he got it. "Uncle BIL?" My brother saw his books and figured it out, but waited for the other responses. Mom knew immediately and was practically jumping out of her seat. MIL read her mug but thought we were giving it in advance (like we weren't pregnant yet). Then my mom told MIL, then she got it, then FIL got it. My dad was the last one to get it, though admittedly his was really subtle. But everyone was so sweet and so excited, and I'm really happy about it.

We're asking them to keep it quiet until after our next appointment, and then they can tell extended family and friends. We're also asking that nothing at all be posted to social media because we want to keep this as private as possible. I'm pretty sure they'll respect that, which makes me feel good. Only really worried about my dad blabbing when he's had too much to drink 😒

And now I realize this is longer than a birth story, but I felt like I wanted to write it all out to help me remember :)

> Now that I'm mostly out of the first trimester woods, I'm anxious to start making some progress on the house and nursery and buying some baby things, but I feel like it's still too early for a lot of that.

I know that feeling! Yay on almost being out of the 1st trimester though!

I found what kept me mostly happy on the "I want to buy baby things but maybe it's still ridiculously early...?" front was to start sale shopping and building my registry. I told myself that if I found a really great deal on something I knew I wanted/needed for baby I'd go ahead and get it. And so far I haven't seen too many amazing sales. I got a car seat and a pack 'n' play on Black Friday. And since I've gotten a couple of diaper covers and prefolds but that's about it.

If you're planning to cloth diaper the Thirsties Duo Wrap cover in size 1 color Aqua is on sale right now on Amazon. It's $8 instead of the standard ~$13.

There is a white noise machine/baby soother that all the registry lists like lucies seem to like that's on sale right now. It's almost 50% off which is pretty nice.

But yeah so that's what I've been doing. Then when I buy things I don't feel silly because I can tell myself, and mostly my husband, "but I saved 50% by buying it now!"

ETA: Some other sales I've seen if you're interested: Carter's is having their twice a year "big sale."

We had all of our accessories in there. So cannulas, suction stuff, oxygen tubing extensions, tank supplies, pulse ox supplies, the cord wraps and then we also put like clean pacifiers (she never used them) and bottle stuff in there too, and then obviously all her gtube stuff but I'm going go link some things that will help you.

The tanks are super dry and kind of hard on their nose and can cause a lot of crusty nose build up.

These 2 will be your best friend:

https://www.pharmapacks.com/products.php?product=Simply-Saline-Nasal-Mist-Baby-1.5-oz&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-onjBRDSARIsAEZXcKYnCv1RRe4QKlCTZWgWewyuB9cEXpB2UuM8xljkvPBVxkEBnFnh1AEaAvePEALw_wcB

This type of can works better than the old school squirt ones. Just make sure it isnt anything but saline in it. It pushes into the nostril better and moistens everything without flooding their nose.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01962MDHA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_Rs7yCbX14AHJ7

This suction works SO WELL like better than our hospital grade suction machine.


Also side note... if you dont already have one i would grab a cool mist humidifier for her room and the one more for wherever she will hang out the most.

The tanks also offer a little bit more pressure so dont be afraid to experiment with her tank just a tiny bit. When lily was feeling great she was on 50ccs with her tank but still needed 1l on her concentrator. And then we could do bed time routine with no oxygen.

Also the more tubing Extension you add the more you will probably have to turn up the tank.

I work in insurance. :) If the hospital is in network but the provider (the ENT) is not but your son was seen AT the hospital, then the claim should be run using in network benefits. Sometimes this happens and the member (you) goes to an in network hospital and a certain provider works there but isn't in the global network with the hospital - the insurance company will usually try to do a single case agreement to get a better rate but since the member was technically at an in network facility, they won't be liable for anything above the in network rate. If you saw the out of network ENT at their private office, it could be a different thing. If your husband's insurance has an online portal (most do) you can log in using his information and review the claims under your son's name to see if the ENT shows up on there, if you don't see anything, they didn't run the claim through insurance. If that's the case, call billing for the facility/office the bill is from and talk to them as they missed a step. If you DO see a claim and have questions, call your husband's insurance plan to talk to someone in claims who can review things with you.

As for checking the ENT's network status - go top your insurance plan's home page and you should be able to do a search to check network status under their member section, they sometimes require you log into the portal. You can also search this ENT and see if they're on the hospital's homepage (which would indicate they're global under the hospital and in network). Sounds to me like they never filed a claim and that's what the biggest issue here is - check for the claim first then call billing. :) If you have any other questions, I can do my best to help.

Sophie was given to Mira by her uncle whose two kids LOVED her to pieces. We've been tempted to get a second one as she loves it so much. Lots of babies in my group also love this cloud toy that you can find at target but one baby chewed a piece off and nearly choked so I'm steering clear of it.

I am so sorry your life is so stressful right now :(

This book kinda has some "woo," but if you can get past that, I would highly recommend it: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308
It sounds perfect for your situation and is very inspiring, which is nice haha. There is also a subreddit, although it is not a replacement for the book. /r/konmari

Big hugs from California heading your way ❤

The spectra is awesome for travel, however that is the one that needs adapter pieces to use the Medela parts. The bottle the spectra is set to pump into is a wide mouth. The Avent, and Dr Browns bottles will fit straight onto the Medela as it uses standard mouth sizes.

The pumping cones for the medela are the ones that fit most handsfree bra's, and quite frankly most common items will fit the medela. However you can order adapter kits off Amazon for the Spectra to use the Medela phlanges easily.

Flanges should be the size of your areola, and this is something they can help go over with you in the hospital.

I am using The Frremie collection cups with the Spectra. I love them as they go under my clothes, and really easy to clean.

If you want I can take photos of the different set ups that I use if you think that would help.

yeah, mine was the same - it's the only meds i've taken this pregnancy but it was the only way I could sleep. A bit of caffeine sometimes helped as well. Thankfully this stage only lasted 2-3 weeks for me, but it was rough. Oh, I also found that it was worse if I forgot to wear my nightguard (I'm a big teeth grinder..)

I bought this BP monitor: https://www.amazon.com/Omron-Wireless-BP786-Bluetooth-Connectivity/dp/B00KW4PO82/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1502896044&sr=8-2&keywords=omron+blood+pressure+monitor - I consistently register 140/90 @ my Dr's office, and like 105/70 at home so having the home monitor has been hugely helpful. I like this one because it syncs to your phone and I can show my dr the trends. Worth it for the peace of mind if you're worried about Pre-e (like I am!)

We had several NB clothes given to us (either hand-me-downs or shower gifts) and didn't really use them. Audrey was in NB sizes for quite a while, but we didn't "get dressed" every day. She would just be in her sleepers until the next evening, or until she got them wet or something. I started rotating her through the NB clothes as she was growing out of the size, just so I could say she wore them! I got these dividers for the closet and they have been helpful so I don't have to keep checking clothing sizes when we dress her!

It's very frustrating that sizes are different, for sure. We have a couple of Old Navy sleepers that are 0-3m but are HUGE on her, even though other brands in the same size, or just 3m, fit her perfectly.

This one is really funny but also has some useful information. Someone gave it to my husband and we loved it

Yes, it's [this one] (https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Owners-Manual-Instructions-Trouble-Shooting/dp/1594745978)! It's meant to be humorous, but it has a lot of very practical info written in the store or an instruction manual. It's been quite helpful for us, as I too had zero experience with babies before my own arrived. ☺️👍