Philotic Web

People are always recommending Cocoa Butter to me for during pregnancy. I basically think that as with anything like that (cellulite, stretch marks) any miracle cream is just snake oil. Genetics are what make the difference.

I was really happy for a long time throughout my pregnancy that i had very minimal stretch marks. Then suddenly around month seven I just POPPED and got huge overnight and the stretch marks were pretty bad after that.

People are always recommending Cocoa Butter to me for during pregnancy. I basically think that as with anything like that (cellulite, stretch marks) any miracle cream is just snake oil. Genetics are what make the difference.

I tend to agree with this. When I was pregnant with Tyler, I was getting all itchy, red and stretch-marky, so I used the generally accepted cocoa butter. At my next appointment, my mid-wife told me that in her experience, women who used cocoa butter were generally *more* red and irritated than women who didn't use it. She recommended that I switch to just plain old lotion and when I did, my stretch marks stopped being red and irritated. I, personally, think hydration plays a part in stretch marks. Drink more water, get less stretch marks. That's my theory.

Oh, and on the genetics topic, it sucks that I didn't inherit my mom's stretchy skin. She had full-term (40 weeks) triplets and has no stretch marks on her belly. Me? I have so many that I've considered showing them to teens girls to discourage them from having irresponsible sex. They're quite horrifying. Luckily, Brian just tells me they are my battle scars. He's such a sweet husband!

That is very sweet, I call mine the same thing!

Steph, what's the name of your first boy?

Jayelle - is this your first child?

It sure is my first!

We had our first ultrasound today, and it was the coolest thing EVER. Seeing the head and the spine and the cutest little feet and hands! It seems so much more real when we saw it up there on the screen.

We have to pay $50 to get a hard copy of the pictures... so we're debating. Is it really necessary to have that for the baby book?

OMG, girls, don't you just hate queefing,soo embarassing.

I mean, you're there lik, having a good time with like, a guy and stuff? And then this loud gross farting noise just comes from... down there... and the guy is there looking at you like WTF? And you're like, it was you, but you know he so doesn't believe, and then he starts to sober up and realises you're a 300 pound moon-cow, and he's got like this disugsted look on his face? And you need to stuff a pillow over his face and finish the job cause it's like, your first time in years?

Yea, f*cking queefs.

o.O

Oh, Vi! You're so bad!

Frankly, "Violet", I thought that extremely inappropriate and deeply disrupting of the enjoyable atmosphere created in this thread. There is nothing wrong with vaginal flatulance, it's a natural and beautiful thing.

Right, females?

Are you going to pull her pigtails next, Jebus? We all know it's just the crush you have on her that makes you so cranky.

The fact that I think she might actually be a guy only turns me on more.

Whatever floats your boat.

Is that how you spell it? Anyway, when I was in 8th grade my best friend and I thought it was the funniest thing to do and I was particularly good at it (similar to Kegel's maybe?) so she dubbed me the PF queen. I could do them loudly or silently...very controlled. She would dare me to do it at the most inappropriate times, like in the middle of class (silently).

And no, there was no way I could post this under my real name, since I don't think I've ever told anyone else about this.

I will personally paypal any of the mods $50 to track the IP and tell me which forum user posted that confession.

That is so damn disturbing. >.>

Is there no end to the grossness of a vagina? First you find out girls don't have a handy utilitarian penis, then you find out they squeeze people out through their things, then you find out that it's got all these flaps and that it bleeds once a month, and then you find it farts.

I mean seriously, there's only one good realisation about vaginas in ones life and like fifty bad ones.

Oh Jeebs, I laughed so hard at that. But I still contest that a naked woman is more esthetically pleasing than a naked man; what with the dangliness and all. At least our "gross" bits are tucked away from frontal view.

Oh Jeebs, I laughed so hard at that. But I still contest that a naked woman is more esthetically pleasing than a naked man; what with the dangliness and all. At least our "gross" bits are tucked away from frontal view.

I beg to differ: the lack of massive bodily hair all over the body, the curved silhouette and the presence of the mammals protuberances is what makes the naked female body more aesthetically pleasing than its male counterpart.

That works too.

Pregnancy update!

By the end of this week it will be 30 weeks, which means only 10 weeks to go! I can't believe it's so close.
I'm still not very big- people don't notice I'm pregnant unless I'm wearing something tight around the belly.
The whole "hormone" thing is starting to kick in. I've had definite moments of "why the hell am I so mad at everything?" and "I don't know why I'm crying, I just am".
I bought some onesies the other day, and they are so tiny! It's hard to believe that a person that tiny is going to be here soon.

I'm not looking forward to the weather getting hotter as I get bigger.
Steph, you were pregnant with Tyler in summer, right? Was it horrible?

I'm not looking forward to the weather getting hotter as I get bigger.
Steph, you were pregnant with Tyler in summer, right? Was it horrible?

Thanks for the update!!

It can be miserable in the summer. Tyler was born the beginning of August, so I was right there with you. You find ways to manage. Here are my tips:

-Carry ice water with you at all times.
-Wear comfortable clothes. You don't need clothes making you more uncomfortable than you already are!
-Don't exert yourself during the day. Rest as much as possible when it's hot and exercise or do your strenuous work when the temp is cooler in the morning or evening.
-Invest in a foot bath or a baby pool so that you can soak your feet in cold water. It helps big time to lower your core temperature.
-Using fans won't lower the temp, but the breeze will feel better than standing air.
-I liked taking a cool shower before I went to bed so I didn't get as hot overnight.
-Get a pool membership. It cools you down and the water takes weight off your muscles. (Tyler always got really active when I would swim.)
-Drink milkshakes. They're cool and they help with 3rd trimester heartburn! (<---Bonus!!)
-Let your belly breath. Whenever I was at home (aka out of the public eye), I would walk around with my belly uncovered. It felt much cooler.

You'll make it through, even if you have to live in the pool! Can't wait for more updates!

Thanks for the advice, Steph! I'm totally drinking milkshakes - or rather, Booster Juices (fruit and frozen yogurt smoothies - it's a chain here) as the weather heats up. Heartburn is killer! I thought I'd had it before, but I was so unprepared for how bad it can get.

Two words about "girly stuff": Diva Cup.

Use it. It's better for you and the environment.

I came here to bring this up but thought to check the earlier pages in case someone already had and looky! So, I've been reading and researching all different types and brands and stuff and I'm actually trying decide between the Lady Cup and the Lunette. They are a bit more expensive than the Diva Cup but seem to have higher reviews and such.

Here is one womans comparison of the ones on the market (she ranked the Lady Cup and Lunette highest): Cup Comparisons

And here is a SITE that has pictures and specs of all the brands.

Anyway, I wondered if anyone has tried any brands other than the Diva Cup and what your experience has been.

There are cups... that you put in your... that collect the... o.O

What's it FEEL like?

It feels better then a tampon, I'll tell you that much.

It also feels like I'm not contributing to landfills every month.

The only thing that kind of defeats the landfill thing is that, when you do throw it away, it is made of latex/rubber so it'll take forever to degrade. You could of course recycle it, but I'm sure many still make it to landfills especially because they sell "one time usage" packages also. Either way, weird as HELL. That's the second weird, womanly thing I've learned about from this thread. *thumbs up*

I could see, however, how it would reduce the amount of crap that goes in to a landfill in the long run and that's always good.

We're talking maybe 3-4 hollow golf ball sized pieces of silicone compared to 8,000-10,000 tampons (both applicators and cotton inserts) or thick pads over the course of 30 to 40 years of menstruation. Not a tough choice.

ANYway, Jayelle, you've only used the Diva Cup? You still like it a lot? (Obviously, not RIGHT now...but you know). Which size do you have? I'm getting ready to place an order for the Lunette 1. Excited!

Yeah, I've only ever used the Diva Cup, but I had size 1, so I'll have to probably upgrade after I have the baby. The comparison site was really interesting, I may have to get a new brand, since it's true that Diva has a couple issues with cleaning (the tiny airholes).
However, it is available at local stores, which makes it more appealing, since I don't have to order it online.

I still like it, many of my girlfriends like it, it's so much easier in so many ways.

What about bathing suits across the board? Do you go one piece? Two piece? Tankini and boy shorts? String bikini? Tell me!

I have a tankini. It's black Ralph Lauren Polo Sport and it's lasted me a good 5 years now. I love it, but it's starting to wear out, which makes me sad. I am a fan of the tankini, it's just more comfortable then a one-piece.

I like the tankini as well but I usually wear bottoms with the little skirt attached because...well, shaving closely makes it itch like mad when it grows back and I don't plan my swimming long enough in advance to get waxed. Sorry if that was TMI but this IS the girly thread.

Yeah, I've only ever used the Diva Cup, but I had size 1, so I'll have to probably upgrade after I have the baby. The comparison site was really interesting, I may have to get a new brand, since it's true that Diva has a couple issues with cleaning (the tiny airholes).

Oh, and you very well may not have to get the size 2. Lots of people on the livejournal group still use their size 1 even after having kids.

I have a tankini with a skirt bottom. I go with a plain black skirt bottom and have about 3 different tops I can wear. I normally have to go with a top that cris-crosses in the back or I don't have enough support in the front. That is my biggest problem with swim suits, finding tops with support.

Also, how long do other people usually go without shaving? It drives me nuts and I usually shave almost every day. I really want to try waxing, and don't know why I haven't.

Legs - all winter. In summer, a week or so.

Since I got the Laser hair removal on my lower legs which reduced it by about 50%, I can go about 2-3 days in between shaving in the summer (I only really shave from the knees down - I wear long shorts or capris mostly). And in the winter maybe every couple weeks.

A very, very, very supportive one piece. These are very difficult for me to find, so I'm planning on keeping it for several years. Never tried a tankini -- maybe I will several years from now. Since I'm swimming, I end up shaving my legs now every few days -- no more than a week between. However, it's really just fake vanity since I don't wear shorts and I only swim at the university pool. Only a few other people swim there, and no one knows me or really cares what I look like (or, at least, so I like to tell myself).