Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[random_thought]

naty, I think you and I will be due pretty close to the same time I'm due may 29!

 

[Dreamer_D]

DD, I actually agree with you on labor in general being more of a younger and fitter activity than a 30+ sedentary lifestyle kind of thing, NOT that older people can't do it, but i think our bodies are way more receptive to that kind of intense activity while younger and more spry. obviously it differs from person to person but often in our home we just generally compare our lives today to the lives of our ancestors and how much more soft we all are today. even a workout at the gym 5 days a week isn't like plowing the fields.

I think this expresses what I was trying to say well.

LovenVintage I am by no means saying that women in their 30s cannot have unmedicated natural births! But I think it is important to just know, in the back of your minds, that on a biological level at least, our lives now are so far from where they were.

Here is an analogy that fits my thinkging -- humans are sort of hard wired to walk around 12-24 months. If for some reason society changed and people did not walk until they were 5 or 6, it would be more challenging to learn -- the body is heavier, the muscles have not developed etc. I think there is something like that with L&D, where we are biologically programmes to do it at 19, so if we don't until our 30s, then it may just have a few more challenges. Knowing that just means we can prepare better, I think.

Anyways, these are honestly not things I thought about when I was pregnant at all. I found the labour and birth process so facinating and eye opening. I learned so much about myself, and my body. I discovered I am a strong and powerful woman. I also discovered that I am utterly powerless! I felt completely alive and vibrant and focussed and controlled when I was in labour, and also on the edge of being completely out of control. I was very aware of my own mortality at that time. Afterwards, looking back, I thought it might have been easier if I was 18! Not that I would have had a baby then, not in a million years, but I would have liked to have my 18 year old body that day

Anyhoodle LovesVintage, I did a childbirth preparation class but it was only one day and not the most helpful thing ever. But maybe the class you describe will be better? My one piece of advice for a woman who wants a natural labour is to have a trained and experienced attendant who can help you to manage the pain -- like a doula or a midwife who will coach you. My mom played this role for me. It was invaluable. You cannot make decisions in labour, and unless you husband is very unique, he won't be much help The method I found that worked for the very intense pain was a sort of meditative/chanting thing looking into my mom's eyes, so I bet the hypnobirthing could work well.

 

[ChinaCat]

Congrats Robbie, Mischka, Deelight, RandomThought, and Natylad! Wow, that's a LOT of preggos!!!!

And welcome to the world Noelle Madeline and Silas Cole! Beautiful babies, beautiful names. Congrats to Snlee and Cara!

Re: Induction. I absolutely 100% agree that the more informed you are, the better. Take the labor classes, read up on labor and KNOW what labor signs are and what your hospital's and doctor's guidelines/protocol are. I do believe that hospitals are quicker to use induction and other methods to help you along, probably because they know it works, it's easier and less liability for them. However, you are in charge of your body and should know going into it what you do and don't want. Also, if your doctor or hospital has a protocol that you get pitocin after 12 hours, no matter what, you should know this. HOWEVEVER. Please also be aware that everything goes out of the window once labor happens. I had a lovely birth plan. I read it afterwards and laughed. You also have to be prepared to do what is BEST for you and your baby, but mostly for your baby. I know a lot of women who were so insistent on natural labor even when things went wrong and other intervention was necessary.

The bottom line is that this is not about a magical, wonderful experience for YOU. Yes, that is a goal, and yes that would be nice, BUT don't let that fantasy get in the way of the real goal: a healthy baby. That's it. In the end, you do what it takes to get the baby out healthy. I know some women that are still so despondent over what they wanted vs. what they got.

For me personally, I was very anti-induction. My son was late and my dr wanted to induce around his due date but as she knew I wanted natural, she let me go as long as it was safe. At 10 days past due, my fluids had dropped dangerously low and she basically told me that the risks of waiting were now increased. So I was induced. It was not ideal. When you are induced, you have to be hooked up to monitors for liability reasons. Which means you can't walk around to labor, can't squat, can't use the ball, etc. Which means you are laboring in the most painful, least efficient position. This, plus the hard/fast contractions that pitocin brings, I think leads to more epidurals.

But my labor was great, short and efficient, my nurses and doctor were amazing. I have no complaints. No, it wasn't the labor that "I" wanted, but it was the labor that gave me my son. And he was 100% healthy.

In retrospect, perhaps if I had a doula and a midwife, they would have let me go longer and I could have had a natural labor. BUT I trusted my doctor and when she said 10 days late plus low fluids usually means the baby isn't getting what he needs from the placenta and that could cause complications, I believed her.

So, in short. Be prepared and be informed. Know what you want and don't let anyone (drs, nurses) talk you into anything you don't want. BUT on the other hand, go into labor open-minded. Listen to the drs and nurses and ask them why they are recommending what they are. And please, do what's best for your baby. Things happen quickly and we don't always get the labor we want. But the point is the BABY and not the labor.

And that ends my PSA for today.

 

[Lynnie]

Hi, girls!!!

Snlee - Noelle is gorgeous!! That hair!!! Congratulations!!!

Cara - Love that you chose Silas for a name!!! He's so cute!!! Congratulations to you also!!!!

Bliss - You look fantastic!! Such a cute bump!! And, as always, your posts are always so positive and make me smile!!!!

Deelight - No ant placenta here either, but I felt my first flitterings around 16 weeks... at an outdoor concert. I think the bass got him moving! I agree w/ LV, it felt a little like a fishie's tail thumping the inside. But is was so fleeting. I didn't feel anything again til 18.5w - I was lying on the couch, tummy up, and there was no mistaking it! More like a little pebble got slingshotted into my uterus... I really don't know how to describe it!

Naty - Welcome and congratulations!!! We sure are a bunch of supportive ladies here, if I do say so myself I'm sorry your DH is away, and I'm sorry you're feeling alone... but I, for one, am sooo happy for you. AND you look great!! I can only hope for a bod like yours when I'm 36! (which, really isn't that far away... I'm 2. I agree w/HMG - we all have our issues. I've had people telling me "You're not x months pregnant!! Where's your belly? You sure you're not carrying him in your boobs?", because I've been so late in showing... It gets annoying, but I agree, our bodies will naturally do as they will, and as long as you're taking care of your body, and eating healthy and exercising, all will be well.

HMG - You look great!! I see a similarity in our bellies, though I'm 6 weeks ahead of you!

RT - Congrats and welcome!!! I felt crampy/tendons stretching off and on the whole first tri. May 29? Awesome!

Dreamer - I'm against artificial intervention unless totally necessary as well. What scares me is that different doctors have different opinions on the subject. I'm a nurse, and see it all the time (though not in OB, but same goes for all types of surgical patients). Sometimes *I* have to question if xxx procedure was really necessary for patient X, yanno? AND sometimes I think, it's done the patient more harm than good. Scary. I can only hope that sticking to my guns (and asking nurses and other doctors their opinions) will be enough. Hopefully it won't come to that, and I'll have a picture perfect, natural delivery... hey, I can hope, right??

As for the rest of you... PS won't let me go back further All seems well in pregger-land, though!

AFM -
I'm assuming I passed my glucose test. My practice doesn't call unless something's wrong, and the test was 5 days ago now. So yay for that! I've gained a total of 15 lbs. I started at 5'7", 147 lbs, and as of Thursday I weighed 162 (at 26w5d). So I guess the 1lb/week rule would put me up 28 lbs by 40 weeks. We'll see, though!
I had a nice visit from my mom Sunday. I had asked her to bring a newborn picture of me over, so I'll have it when LO's born (MIL already gave me one of DH). I just wanted them to compare who he will look like! And of course, my mom brought over a whole album, along with a lot of "So you're pregnant" pamphlets and booklets from when she was pregnant with us... they are so funny and old-school!! And the pictures in them are a riot!! I should scan and share them! And she shared me & my sibling's birth stories. Overall her L&D's went well, but she had awful back labor with my brother (her first).
LO's still kicking up a storm... sometime's he'll get me in my ribs, and it tickles! Oh, and he's had the hiccups a few times too... so strange!!
I also wanted to ask you all about BH. I haven't really noticed any tightening during the day, but if I wake up and really have to pee, I feel crazy tight after I go pee... is this BH? Maybe the change in pressure from peeing causes it? I don't know. Also (TMI), I feel the same tightness after DTD (post big-O). I'm assuming it's BH... is it normal to be preceded by events like that? Or are they more random for the rest of you??? TIA!

Here's my belly pic.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Dreamer - I'm against artificial intervention unless totally necessary as well. What scares me is that different doctors have different opinions on the subject. I'm a nurse, and see it all the time (though not in OB, but same goes for all types of surgical patients). Sometimes *I* have to question if xxx procedure was really necessary for patient X, yanno? AND sometimes I think, it's done the patient more harm than good. Scary. I can only hope that sticking to my guns (and asking nurses and other doctors their opinions) will be enough. Hopefully it won't come to that, and I'll have a picture perfect, natural delivery... hey, I can hope, right??

This is so true! I was under midwife care and needed to go to the hospital because my water broke and had meconium in it (various other reasons too). When we arrived it was 1:30am and the midwives got me situated in my room and then let me labour on my own (i.e. rest and wait) until 7am before they contacted the doctor on call about my situation. The protocol is to induce as soon as waters break when there is mec, BUT the midwives knew I was ok and committed to a natural vaginal birth, and also that at 7am there would be a change in shift of the OB on call and the *really* wanted me to be transferred to the 7am doc, NOT the one on call at night. Why? Because the one at night was much more intervention focused and would not have let me labour on my own at all. The doctor coming on call at 7am met with me and actually let me "labour" for another 2 hours before we induced. And indeed he was also willing to give me a long time before they called it quits. I was lucky it worked out that way, because in the end I had the vaginal birth I wanted and it went very well. But had he not allowed me the time he did, it would have ended differently. So I am thankful that I had the midwives with me to watch my back and advocate for me in that situation.

ETA My uterus always went hard like a basketball after the Big O, I think it is actually normal and you just notice it more when you are pregnant and the uterus is way larger? Anyways, I did not get BH until the month before the birth, and it felt like a tightening accross the top of my belly.

 

[Loves Vintage]

I'm back! So, the midwife group that was recommended to me is booked around my due date. They can't take me. I e-mailed a friend (whose wife used a midwife) to ask for the group name. It was the same group! In the interim, I called the doula I was going to work with, who I had been hesitating on calling, because I didn't get a good vibe when we first spoke. Her voice mail box was full. Haha. Next! I've e-mailed a few other contacts and will have some good doula recs soon.

I also spoke with one of the doctors at my practice. He was very nice and answered most of my questions, but will have a more detailed conversation with him in a few weeks. All in all, I think it is very important to know what to expect. If the hospital's protocol is that after 12 hours of labor, the labor may be too stressful on the baby, and that's when they first recommend pitocin, well, I think I just have to accept that. We did not get into the hospital's specific protocols though. He did reassure me that the protocols are intended to ensure a safe outcome, and I cannot argue with that. I asked why I wouldn't just be sent home if I was not progressing quickly enough, and he said that once you are in labor, you are IN LABOR and the baby must be monitored. That honestly hadn't occurred to me, probably because I've never been IN labor before.

He told me that their c-section rate is 21-22%, which includes patients who previously had c-sections. Does that seem very high?

I had read on a hypnobirthing website, that hypnobirthers have shorter labors. I asked him whether hypnobirthing helps to increase the progress of labor, to which he replied "no." I asked him whether the mother's age makes a difference in how quickly labor progresses, and he said "absolutely not." I will continue the discussion with him at my appointment in a few weeks.

Dreamer - I didn't think you said that older women can't labor naturally. I *thought* and perhaps this is where I misunderstood, that you were saying that it is less likely that older women will progress through labor quickly enough to avoid intervention.

ChinaCat - You are absolutely right. It is the outcome that should matter, not my experience. I wouldn't hesitate on induction at all, if I were past my due date. My doctor said 10% of their patients are induced because they reach 41 weeks.

Lynnie and HMG, You ladies look great!!

 

[Mara]

"I asked why I wouldn't just be sent home if I was not progressing quickly enough, and he said that once you are in labor, you are IN LABOR and the baby must be monitored. That honestly hadn't occurred to me, probably because I've never been IN labor before."

This is where I think it's important to get clarifications. I know women who labored at home just fine. And most hospitals would even recommend you labor at home as long as possible. AND even if you are starting labor sometimes hospitals WILL send you home if your water has not broken and you are have not progressed enough for them to consider you in ACTIVE labor.

So what's he defining as 'in labor'? That's vague. Now if he's saying, well if your water is broken no we would definitely not send you home to progress--that makes sense. My hospital would not have done that either--the risk of infection to the baby once the water is broken most likely creates a legal liability where they couldn't send you home after that even if you hadn't progressed.

I'm just calling out all these random specifics to show that there are specifics and that while doctors and hospitals probably prefer not to get into any of this and cover every.little.scenario out there, to show how people can think one thing and then have it be another.

Ditto about people feeling REALLY extreme one way or another (aka i NEVER want drugs) and then having these lingering negative feelings after birth and well-beyond. Was I happy my water broke and I didn't really even realize it til 10+ hours later? Was I happy I had to get pitocin to speed things along? Heck no, I felt like my body was letting me down on something that should have been super natural (ha!). My case is actually so mild in terms of not realizing what to expect your body CAN do...but it's an example.

Ditto also taking childbirth classes. They define the stages of labor and help you start to realize when you want to start timing, when you go to the hospital etc. I will say also though that even knowing all that, it still was really confusing!! My body was not following the regular protocol--I had horrible contrax but they were not getting closer together and I hadn't progressed yet my water broke. Off to the hospital to check because we were so flippin' confused. So again--back to managing expectations. LOL!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Dreamer - I didn't think you said that older women can't labor naturally. I *thought* and perhaps this is where I misunderstood, that you were saying that it is less likely that older women will progress through labor quickly enough to avoid intervention.

My midwife seemed to think that in her experience, societal trends towards older mothers and less fit women might contribute to higher intervention rates. It may not solely have to do with progression, per se, but many factors: larger babies, heavier less fit mamas, higher rates of GD, higher rates of high BP (all of these are related to maternal age), maybe troubles pushing or having stamina if fitness is a factor... there is so much more than just progress going on when it comes to interventions. She said this when we talked about the fact that no first labours she attended has successfully happened at home (despite plans for home birth) and the fact that intervention seems so common.

But listen, I was just sharing my thoughts. It has nothing to do with predicting outcomes for YOU or for I or any single woman. Trends in data predict overall trends, not outcomes for a specific woman. Also, even if these factors do account for some small percentage of the high rates of intervention, I still think that maternal fear and apprehension, lack of support for labouring women, fear of litigation, ease for practitioners, all of these things probably contribute MUCH more to the rates of intervention than any single maternal factor like age. And most of these latter things we can control to a large extent in our preparation and choice of caregivers. Better to focus on those things, surely, then worrying about the hands of time .

 

[Dreamer_D]

"I asked why I wouldn't just be sent home if I was not progressing quickly enough, and he said that once you are in labor, you are IN LABOR and the baby must be monitored. That honestly hadn't occurred to me, probably because I've never been IN labor before."

This is where I think it's important to get clarifications. I know women who labored at home just fine. And most hospitals would even recommend you labor at home as long as possible. AND even if you are starting labor sometimes hospitals WILL send you home if your water has not broken and you are have not progressed enough for them to consider you in ACTIVE labor.

So what's he defining as 'in labor'? That's vague. Now if he's saying, well if your water is broken no we would definitely not send you home to progress--that makes sense. My hospital would not have done that either--the risk of infection to the baby once the water is broken most likely creates a legal liability where they couldn't send you home after that even if you hadn't progressed.

Yes, ditto this. In fact, my midwives did not even come check on their patients until you are white knuckling it and in active labour And at that point they would check you only, not tell you to go to the hospital. So clearly, labouring at home is fine for much of the labour and you do not need to be monitored for purely medical reasons (assuming you are low risk).

In many hospitals, the "labour clock" does not actually start until you get there. So if you are at home for 6 hours or you are at home in labour for 1 hour, well that makes a difference.

I recall that the biggest factor in predicting interventions was the amount of time a woman spent in the hospital, and a good part of that is a function of how long she stayed at home. The longer you stay home, the less likely you will have interventions.

Obviously, within reason. But this is why I like midwifery care where you can get consultation and monitoring in a non-medical environment, but they can easily identify when medical care is needed.

 

[fieryred33143]

Big ditto to the labor clock and staying home as long as possible. My mistake, if you want to call it that, is that I took the cramps I was having from the night before to be just that...cramps. And I took the slowdown of movements to mean that something was wrong. It was also during a time when the thread had experienced a tragedy and I didn't want to take my chances with slow baby movements so I went in around 2am to check.

In hindsight I should have stayed home. From what I've read online, babies *can* slow down their movements when your body is getting ready for labor (note: not that they DO bc I know some babies move around a lot when your body gets ready for labor but that's what I mean about knowing all of the signs of labor). Anyway, I got to the hospital at 2am fully expecting the nurses to laugh and point at the first time mom who was nervous about movement. What I got was 6 hours trying to either slow down my contractions or make my body progress naturally. Neither was working and I was induced.

Was it necessary? Up to you to decide. I think I could have been sent home at around 4am to sleep (since I was NOT in pain) and see if my body did anything. S was fine, as was I.

But as China said, the end result of a happy/healthy baby is what is most important. I had an amazing labor nurse (and told her how much I loved her frequently through the course of the day) and I wanted to take the baby nurse home with me

 

[Puppmom]

Just wanted to add my experience to the stay home v. go to the hospital conversation. I had BH contrax my entire third trimester. On the evening I went into labor, I had the contractions as usual. My pain went from just irritating to more uncomfortable but tolerable. The frequency increased and they became regular. We called the doctor who advised us to come in. When we arrived at the hospital, my contractions were still not *terrible* but when they checked me I was 7cm dilated. Less than an hour later, I was 10cm dilated. In that hour my contractions became extremely intense (to put it lightly!) but, up until then, were manageable. Twenty minutes later, Nolan was born (about 1.5 hours after arriving at the hospital). If DH and I had waited much longer, we may have been in a pickle!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Re: Staying at home/going to the hospital: My experience was similar to Pupp's. I had BH's my entire third trimester. A few days before I was admitted to the hospital, my lower back really started to hurt but I chalked it up to carrying around 30lbs of extra weight and a bowling ball for a belly. I went to work, shopped and went on with my life as usual. Then, at 36 weeks 3 days I went to my OB for a scheduled appointment and while he was performing the GBS test he noticed that something wasn't quite right. He checked me and I was 4cm dialated. He admitted me immediately to see if I progressed; and I did, about a centimeter an hour. My OB considered that to be active labor and estimated that I had actually been in labor for at least 48 hours prior to me being admitted. My "clock", however, didn't start until I was admitted to the hospital.

I didn't have any pitocin, altough it was briefly considered when I was at about 6cm, and the only real interventions that I had were that my water was broken by the nurse and my son was delivered using the assistance of a vacuum. The water breaking was not a biggie at all but the vacuum was a serious decision that was made in a matter of seconds.

When I look back, I am glad that I didn't go to the hospital any sooner, even though it did cross my mind and a co-worker even asked me if I wanted her to take me in the day before I had my appointment. I am sure that had I gone in any earlier I would have been given pitocin to speed things up and that's not something I would have been comfortable with considering that my labor was progressing in a reasonable fashion.

I think a big part of interventions during labor/delivery have to do with fear of lawsuits. They want you in and out with minimal fuss in between, which can make for a horrifying experience.

 

[ChinaCat]

Ditto to Fiery and Diva. IF I had actually gone into labor, I would have stayed home until I was sure I was in active labor. Though I was TERRIFIED I was going to get stuck in a car or hurricane and have to give birth in the car or at home. What To Expect actually has a page that discusses what to do if this happens. I made my DH read it and carried it with me everywhere. Silly, I know, esp since I live 5 mins from the hosptial. Still, always be prepared, right?

Disappointments are real, I don't want to discount them. But they shouldn't overshadow the end result. I really wanted to go into labor, wanted that moment and that time with my husband, wanted things to happen "as they should". Well I never went into labor. It's weird, to be eating pizza and knowing that in an hour you are going to go to the hospital to be induced. You don't go into the same mental zone, I assume, as when your body goes into labor naturally. It's a bigger leap. I have to assume that EVENTUALLY I would have gone into labor, but at the hospital my nurse told me that I had some scar tissue from a procedure I had done over 10 years before that was probably preventing my cervix from opening. Once I got the pitocin, I immediately went from 0 to 10 in a very short time and had my son rather quickly after that. In fact, they turned off the pitocin after a few hours b/c I had progressed so quickly that I didn't need it. So I have to think he was ready but my body was not cooperating. Scary to think of what might have happened if this was 100 years ago? However, we are lucky to live in an age and a society where medical interventions are possible.

 

[random_thought]

I need some advice!
I peed today and a little bit of a blood came out. I couldn't tell if it was spotting or not but it was hardly any. Has anyone had this happen in the 4th week at all? It kind of freaked me out a bit...

 

[fieryred33143]

I need some advice!
I peed today and a little bit of a blood came out. I couldn't tell if it was spotting or not but it was hardly any. Has anyone had this happen in the 4th week at all? It kind of freaked me out a bit...

Spotting in the first few weeks is normal. As long as it isn't bright red and/or very heavy and/or accompanied by cramps, then it should be fine.

Also keep in mind that if you've recently had sex, it can cause some spotting as well.

 

[Deelight]

Ladies thanks for sharing what the kicking feels like - when I mentioned it to my sister she told me it was likely ligament pain - which I had and is way different - the tapping has changed this week to a more dull and slightly bigger tapping but all centered around where bubs is - guess I will find out for sure eventually. Got to thinking today how fun it would be to have your own US machine so you could watch bubba kick and see if you can feel it to make sure - okay maybe only I would find this fun

naty Welcome I am sorry your hubby is away it prolly doesn't help coupled with raging hormones as well . As for your tummy - I don't think you look big for your weeks at all you look great . I know it is hard not to compare yourself to others but everyone carries differently and every pregnancy is different - I swear I popped when I was around 6wks and it has just stayed the same size now 10wks later my friend who is preggie as well didn't start looking preggie until about 18wks.

I am not all that experienced in anything preggie related and mostly I am self confessed terrible at giving advice but maybe have a chat with you doc like LV suggested they maybe able to guide you further.

HOU that is so cute hehehehe I want to try that with my kitty is that the kitty in the background of your belly pic - so cute

LV I don't know if that rate of CS is high - but there is a private hospital around here that if you want a C-section you book yourself there - apparently the C-section rate is over 75% which was one of the main reasons I did not go there

Random - Ditto Fiery - I spotted for the first two months around when my period was due and when I peed occasionally if it worries you speak to your doctor they may schedule you for another US just for peace of mind.


Lynnie and Hou love the belly pics you ladies both look fantastic


hope you ladies are all feeling great

 

[Natylad]

Random Thought dear i'm just checking on you....how are you feeling now? Is everything alright?

 

[Cupcake*Muffin]

Congrats Cara and Snlee! Your babies are beautiful!

Welcome to RT, Deelight, and Naty!


Just wanted to stop in and say hi and hope everyone is feeling great. I was going to say that all those belly pics are adorable! I'm at the phase where I just feel bloated and fat . I realized the other day since I've been feeling really sick I just feel unattractive. Hopefully that won't last forever. The Zofran I've been on has been a life saver. No puking in a week, we go back on Monday for another ultrasound and to get a firm due date. That's it for me, hope everyone is trucking along

 

[random_thought]

I'm 99% sure it was implantation bleeding/spotting/whatever. I guess the reason I had a mini freakout was because it was in the form of drops and very very light pink, like a tinge. I guess I always imagined it would look like a bingo stamp in my underwear if I had it lol. Anyways, I called my doctor and he told me that if it gets heavier like period blood or if I get bad stomach pains to come in but that otherwise he felt he had no reason for concern at this moment. I mentioned I had light cramps but that I had been having them prior to this happening because 1. I'm constipated (tmi i know sorry) and 2. I'm having cramps related to the uterus growing. For right now, he recommended that I get at least 8oz. water every hour just to be on the safe side.
So please keep your fingers crossed that it really is nothing more serious!

 

[random_thought]

I just want to say I scheduled my first doctor's visit for 8-9 weeks

 

[fieryred33143]

RT-just wanted to mention that constipation is really normal/common during pregnancy. Make sure you drink lots of water and eat high in fiber foods so that you stay regular. I had a lot of issues with constipation throughout my pregnancy, especially in first tri.

 

[random_thought]

Thank you fiery! I've been dragging my nalgene bottle with me anywhere (oh boy, don't tell me nalgene bottles are bad for pregnant women too!)

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Congrats Cara and Snlee! Your babies are just adorable!!

 

[CatLuver]

Congrats Cara!!

LV, hope you get your “birthing team” that you want in place.

Random, welcome and hope all is well. Also, re: your earlier question about cramps, I had them until about 10 weeks, then they came back around 17 wks. Nothing painful though.

Bliss, glad you are doing well, it’s good to hear. Lookin good! I hope you get to enjoy eating again soon. I have the opposite problem now…but I remember how not fun it was to have nothing be appealing.

Hou, that’s so cute about your kitty – I love the “Mrrr” noise they make when they’re surprised. Ellie must have kicked really hard.

Lynnie – I get a funny feeling right after I go pee and stand up too – I think it’s the pressure of my uterus dropping suddenly after that space has been emptied.

Geri – you’re still so tiny and cute!

Hi Deelight, naty, cupcake!

AFM, I’m feeling good but a teeny worried about weight gain…I gained 3 lbs last week and already 2 lbs this week with 2 more days to go!! That’s crazy. I’ve gained 12 total now at almost 19 weeks, which is not good, and after I eat it seems like my belly sticks out so much (can’t tell from my pics bc I take those first thing in the morning). I’m not eating like crazy, but I am hungrier and eating a bit more. I’m hoping baby’s going through a growth spurt and I stop gaining for a few weeks, otherwise I’ll be on track to gain WAY too much. I’m going to try going to the gym more. Next week is my long-awaited anatomy scan, so I can ask my OB then.

 

[Miscka]

Quick post from my phone (which I hate doing).

Thanks for the congrats and welcome!! I am feeling pretty good at 14w2d.

Reason for post-you ladies who bought the Bumbleride from Diapers.com, how did you find a coupon that incl the indie? All the ones I try won't work

thx!

 

[HOUMedGal]

Hello friends!

Congrats Cara and Snlee - so glad your little ones are here!!

CatLuver - yeah, she kicked pretty hard! And the kicks have gotten harder and more frequent just over the past couple days - along with some new squirmy movements! I am reminded of how Mara used to describe J's "snakeboy" in-utero movements. Oh, and don't worry about 12lbs at almost 19 weeks! That's just fine! Your body is doing what it needs to do to make a healthy baby!! Doesn't mean you'll continue to gain at the same rate the whole time, either.

RT - mild cramping and even light spotting is very common in early pregnancy. Just monitor it and call your OB if either part worsens. I'll send happy healthy pregnancy thoughts your way!! As for the constipation, welcome to the club. The iron in your vitamins doesn't help at all. When I got really stopped up, Miralax did the trick. If it's not so bad right now, just eat plenty of fiber, keep chugging that Nalgene, and maybe add some Colace to your daily regimen.

Miscka - I've been having the same problem as you. I tried about a zillion 15% off new customer codes, and it seems that they've changed things so the Indie no longer qualifies. However, I just found almost as good a deal on MyStrollers - 10 percent off, free shipping, and no sales tax, so I went for it. That brought it down to $423. Just google "MyStrollers coupon code", click on the 1st link to go to the retailmenot site, and you'll see a code for %10 off any order over $250. That one worked for me.

Cupcakemuffin - sorry you're feeling icky. I'm glad the Zofran is helping! It was a lifesave for me too. Just watch out for the Zofran-induced constipation...it snuck up on me and all of a sudden I was in a bad, bad place and had to work to get out of it. I would recommend some kind of preventative measure to keep you out of the bad place!!

Deelight - that is one of our three kitties, but not the one Ellie kicked. The one she kicked is big and fluffy, cream/white colored. The one in the pic is Lucy. She's the oldest (6 yrs old now). Thanks for the belly compliments!

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AFM, had an awful migraine that started yesterday a.m. and just intensified over the entire day - my nap in the afternoon didn't help, and I was nauseous at dinner. Went to bed last night in hopes it would go away, but it woke me from sleep at 2am with throbbing pain and I couldn't go back to sleep. So I was awake from 2am till about 7am with it...had a cup of coffee in hopes the caffeine would help (because the Tylenol sure wasn't) and got a bit of relief, but I think it just had to burn itself out. Was feeling better at 7am today so managed to get back to sleep and slept till 11am, and woke up pretty much pain-free, thank goodness. Called in sick to work, though, and have been taking it easy all day.

Which means I've had time to do baby stuff! hehe! We ordered Ellie's crib a few days ago (JC Penney Caden Standard crib in Antique White), early this morning while I was up I registered for labor, breastfeeding, and childcare classes at our hospital, and then just now I ordered our Bumbleride Indie!! Went with the Ruby color, very excited for it to come!!

22 weeks today!

 

[Mara]

lol HOU ...you have your own very snakegirl baking away in there?!?! J was crazy town in the belly. i was so worried he'd be nuts when he was out and BINGO he's so active. isn't really very still for long, even as a newborn. i am sure it's karma from when i was growing up--i was extremely active and hard to handle haha. in your case i'm sure that's not the case!!!

re: bumbleride... i think if you use the 10% or 15% new customer coupon it should work? i think that covers everything including stuff that is normally not on sale? not positive though. also they have a 'up to 30% sale' today and i saw strollers were 20% so not sure if that includes bumbleride.

 

[HOUMedGal]

Mara - yup, I think I've got a snakegirl!! I may be in for trouble once she's out!! hehe! I think I was of average activity level, BUT apparently I didn't sleep through the night till I was 4. (eek )

The 30% thing I can see right now on diapers.com is for cash back on diapers thru the end of Dec. after you make a purchase of $75 now...the code worked, but didn't decrease the price on the stroller, and I don't really need cash back on diapers thru Dec. at this point. Were you seeing a different offer? ETA: I just checked my email and saw what you're referring to! I tried it, but looks like Bumbleride is not included. Good deals on Peg Perego, Valco, MaxiCosi, Zooper, and Disney by Grand Touring Baby though!! Maybe I can find some other item we need and still take advantage of the sale...

I tried everything I could think of (used my referral code under a new account with DH's email address, etc) and every time I used MY account it said "someone in your household already used a new customer discount" because I used a 10% code for Bella Bands awhile back. Everytime I tried the new account under DH's name, with every code I tried from Google for new customer discount, it said "items in your cart are not eligible for this code". Boo.

But it's all good, I ended up getting a 2010 for $423 total ($422.99, I think) without sales tax and with free shipping, so while it wasn't $400, it wasn't too much more. Better than $469, anyway! Plus, it was a gift from MIL, and she was willing to pay whatever we needed. Love her (for many other reasons besides free strollers, too)!

Aaaaaand I just ordered a crib mattress, a gift from my grandma to go with the crib she bought for us. Got the Colgate Classica III. It's foam with a firm infant side and a slightly softer toddler side. Gets excellent reviews!!

 

[lovelylulu]

just popping in to offer a huge congratulations to cara and snlee. your babies are goregous

blushing - hope that you're doing well!!!!

 

[random_thought]

Hey everyone, just wanted to pop by and say thank you for answering my questions and being so nice about it
I'm starting to feel like something is in my tummy (well I mean there is but you know what I mean), but I'm pretty sure it's just bloating...my pants are too tight