Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[mayerling]

Congrats, China!!! Now you get to have both a boy and a girl! That's my dream; one of each.

 

[megumic]

Congrats, China!!! Now you get to have both a boy and a girl! That's my dream; one of each.

Ditto - congrats china! Woooo a girl! I just don't think I'd be okay never having a daughter...

My dream is almost the same as Mayerlings...I'd like at least one of each, but we hope to have somewhere between 3 and 5 kiddos, so inevitably there may be more than just one of each.

 

[choro72]

MQ and PG, thank you so much for the birth stories!!!! I love reading them! Such precious little hams!!!! PG, Congratulations to your VBAC, I'm so glad it worked out! Thanks for the tip too. I'm scared of ending up with a C just for the convenience of doctors or lack of care. Hope he latches...

Missy, I'm still jealous! I'm already walking around in DH's clothes :p No belly pics yet for me because I feel hideous. I need to grow up and be comfortable with this process

Monnie, have you made a decision about your doctor? And hey, I'm 25 weeks and I'm over this experience too

bobbin, how was your baby shower? I wouldn't like a doctor who rushes me. Does he at least how you are doing?

steph, wow, you're one of the cutest working mama!!

AMC, welcome to team blue!

PPM, your furry baby is so cute!

Mayerling, yay for no cp

S&I, I'm glad you're okay with the doctor's decision, but they shouldn't have any problems pushing the date a bit further, no? Congratulations on the Baby Jogger!! It looks awesome!

China, finally!!!! Hooray for a team princess!!

Meg, here's a scary thought. My mom is the oldest of 5 girls! DH wants a girl too, and I'm not sure how disappointed he'll be if we don't

 

[Missy0483]

China - YAY! I knew it for some reason! I think it'll be nice to have one of each and O can be a good protector for his little sister!

Choro - I'm sure you aren't hideous! For once in my life I'm not worried about my belly. I was so used to trying to suck it in all the time and it's nice to just let it hang out

Mayerling - The banquet was a lot of fun! Everyone was rubbing my belly, but I honestly don't mind if I know you and you aren't creepy!! I even had some comparisions with the guys showing off their beer bellies! Haha. DH came in 2nd for top responders so he got a certificate (big deal...they should switch it up each year!) and $25. Other fire companies give out nice plaques and stuff, but oh well! Glad you got back good news on the immunity!

AFM, baby has been moving a lot this morning! A few of them still make me jump haha. I haven't been able to determine hands from feet yet, but I think I can tell when it's his/her head though, it feels like a bigger area of my stomach moves. I haven't felt any of the those lovely kicks to the bladder/ribs/cervix like some people do. Also, I still can't tell which way the baby is lying in there either. Maybe that will come later. My need to pee has finally increased. Even if I haven't drank as much as I should, I still go more often!
Hump Day Bump Day...here's me today at 26 weeks 3 days!

 

[amc80]

Happy Hump Day Bump Day!! Here is my 17 week picture. I promise it looks bigger when I'm dressed...maybe I'll do a pic next week with clothes on.

 

[mayerling]

Amc, I think a pic with clothes on would definitely make it easier to discern a bump. I know from myself that when I have my clothes on I just look more pregnant than with clothes off.

Happy hump day bump day, and here is my 22 week pic. Same outfit as the previous picture so you can compare.

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

Congrats, China! I KNEW you were having a girl. Our symptoms were 100% identical
Like you, it really hasn't sunk in that we're actually having a girl. It still feels a little strange shopping for girly things, but gosh, girls clothes are SO CUTE


Love all the belly pics! I'm going to put one up this weekend when I turn 24 weeks. I look/feel HUGE. At a work function last night, someone asked if I was 9 months pregnant Of course, it was a man asking the question, but still...

Hope everyone is doing well.

 

[Mannequin]

Quick post, since Weston is sleeping and I should be, too! We FINALLY got to see someone in lactation at the hospital yesterday when the kid went in to get his blood drawn for bilirubin levels again (they are going down!). I had some help latching him on and the lac lady gave me a nipple shield to try with him since Weston has been getting bottles already. The shield works! This kid is nursing like a champ now at most feedings. I wish we didn't have the nipple confusion issue to start with, but it is what it is. I can try to start pulling the shield partway through the feedings once he is consistently latching well.

Some pictures I promised to share. This kid is so easy to love and so stinking cute, I think my husband and I got ourselves in trouble - our families will be demanding that we have many more children if they are all like this guy:

My last belly pic - Week 38.5, taken before leaving for the hospital

Sweet little face, one day old

Mommy's little sweetheart

This morning, 6 days old

 

[amc80]

So cute! Thanks for sharing! And yay for latching!

 

[ChinaCat]

MQ- I can't see the pictures! I had to use a nipple shield with O for the entire time I nursed. I have an inverted nipple (who knew????) and one side just didn't work without it. Anyways, never had nipple confusion and successfully nursed until he was almost 1 (he self-weaned at that point). So hopefully you can get rid of it, but if you can't, don't worry too much.

Sugarpie- I know! Now, on to names! Do you have any? We have NONE.

 

[amc80]

I took a pic this morning of my belly with a shirt on. See, told you it was there

 

[Mannequin]

China - the pics are actually linked through a website. I can't get PS to upload any of them for me for some reason. Maybe someone who is able to post can repost them? Congrats on your little girl! Excited for you!

 

[mayerling]

MQ, Weston is so cute!

Amc, I can definitely see a bump with the clothes on.

 

[megumic]

MQ, Weston is adorable! Good to hear the latching has improved too! Breast feeding is one of my biggest concerns, so it's great to hear others having success!

Amc, I spot a bump!

Mayerling, I look about as pregnant as you and you've got five whole weeks on me! I wish I had somewhere else to go but OUT!

Missy, looking good as always. Any more feelings on whether it's a boy or a girl?

Choro, five girls! Yipes! I could handle five total, but not five ALL GIRLS. That certainly is a thought! What are the odds of that happening anyway?

AFM, 17w 2d. Starting to feel kicks and moves. Yesterday in the middle of a murder trial, I felt 7 kicks in a row and I could feel it on the outside with my hand! I couldn't stop smiling/giggling and I think the jury wasn't sure what the heck was going on with me! Best feeling ever, but moves are still inconsistent so I take what I can get. The other night I woke up at 2am shrieking in pain. I had a shooting/stabbing pain on my lower right side and it was definitely not a round ligament! It lasted for about an hour and then tapered off throughout the day, but it scared the crap outta me! I thought of you Amc, because you had something similar recently. I've read that btw weeks 16 and 20 there is TONS of growth, so maybe that explains these rando terrifying pains!

I just ordered more mat clothes. I realized I literally have nothing, so I went on ON and Gap and just ordered some stuff. Trying to figure out how to dress for work is tricky, as dress code is suits. Right. I decided to start registering a little, as I'm realizing how much stuff there is and how many choices there are. I was thinking of registering at BRU and Amazon - as one doesn't have everything I want. You think that is okay?

 

[Missy0483]

Meg - Not really...I'm not having any feelings toward either sex! Congrats on feeling kicks!!! Next comes the part where you can actually see the kicks! But wow, pain that bad? Have you had it again? I never experienced any real discomfort yet, no RLP at all. Although baby is starting to get strong and some of the kicks feel like they're knocking the breath out of me. The other night I had a throw pillow from the couch lying on my belly and it kept moving around, I pulled it off and my belly was making all kinds of waves. So cool to watch!

Sugarpie - 9 months, really? Guys are so crazy! What IF you weren't pregnant, sheesh!

MQ - What a cute little guy! You're making me wish even more that we're having a boy!!

AFM, nothing much changed. My mom and I are gonna hit the casino tomorrow! As long as nothing happens with my brother who is still going through his "episode". My mom is at the end of her rope and told him to get his stuff out and she will be changing the locks. Long story, but I don't blame her for having to take it that far! Anway, looking forward to a fun time with her. I just hope it gets her mind off things!

--26 weeks 5 days

 

[amc80]

AFM, 17w 2d. Starting to feel kicks and moves. Yesterday in the middle of a murder trial, I felt 7 kicks in a row and I could feel it on the outside with my hand! I couldn't stop smiling/giggling and I think the jury wasn't sure what the heck was going on with me! Best feeling ever, but moves are still inconsistent so I take what I can get. The other night I woke up at 2am shrieking in pain. I had a shooting/stabbing pain on my lower right side and it was definitely not a round ligament! It lasted for about an hour and then tapered off throughout the day, but it scared the crap outta me! I thought of you Amc, because you had something similar recently. I've read that btw weeks 16 and 20 there is TONS of growth, so maybe that explains these rando terrifying pains!

I just ordered more mat clothes. I realized I literally have nothing, so I went on ON and Gap and just ordered some stuff. Trying to figure out how to dress for work is tricky, as dress code is suits. Right. I decided to start registering a little, as I'm realizing how much stuff there is and how many choices there are. I was thinking of registering at BRU and Amazon - as one doesn't have everything I want. You think that is okay?

Ha, that sounds exactly like what I had! It was so scary...and it was SOOOO painful. Glad you're feeling better though!

We registered at BRU and Amazon. I was hesitant to register two places, but I realized Amazon is more convenient for a lot of people. We have tons of friends and family who live far away. With amazon, a lot of what you buy ships free, so that was a bonus. What we did was registered for everything at BRU. Then I went online to compare prices on some of the bigger items. If it was considerably cheaper on amazon, I put it on that registry and deleted it from BRU. Some things are surprisingly cheaper at BRU, though.

 

[PetitiePoire]

Meg- I certainly don't mean to frighten, but keep an eye on the pain/ any other off symptoms. You can read my afm section below for why I say that...

AMC- definite bump! Yay! Watching my bump grow has been tons of fun! It's so weird to think of my belly ever being normal now.

China- yay for joining team pink! One of each would be so perfect! Congrats.

Missy- have fun with your mom! Love the bump pic!

Mayerling- what a cute bump! Everyone has such tiny bumps! Maybe it was just when it was on me I felt huge at 22 weeks. You look great.

Mannequin- Weston is so adorable! Love that you got a last bump pic practically walking out the door! I'll have to keep that in mind towards the end.



AFM- I'm now 24 weeks and hadnt had any real pain or issues until yesterday. I had about 3 super sharp pains in my lower left side. Enough to make me vocalize it, which is very abnormal for me. I went to the urgent care last night after being concerned about those pains and realizing my urine had been darker that day. Well my uterus is pushing up against everything and urine is getting stuck in my RIGHT kidney! The pain was on the left, so that was a surprise for me. Urgent care thought kidney stones and the doctor who did the ultrasound thinks maybe the super sharp pain was passing some small crystals/ stones? I've never experienced any kind of bladder, uriniary, or kidney infection or issues so this is all new to me. She didn't see any stones in the ultrasound, just noticed the urine in my kidney, but an empty bladder, and thinks the ureter (tube that connects bladder and kidney) is being compressed because of my uterus. My obgyn suggested I up my water intake during the day to flush it out. I go back in 10 days, unless I have pain or other issues. I'm not having back pains where the kidney is or any other symptoms, so now we are just trying to avoid getting some sort of infection.

Sorry for the me- centric post. I just thought I'd share since I was close to ignoring the sharp pains and hopefully will "fix" the issue before it becomes an infection, which could be bad for baby.


On another note- with those appointments we saw her many times! Loved every minute of it. She just laid back and was sucking her thumb. Sooooo precious and I get a huge smile when I think of it now.

ETA----- 24w4d

 

[amc80]

Petite- sorry about the kidney troubles. These babies sure enjoy pressing on our organs!

I *think* I felt the baby for the first time! This morning while at work I felt something, but by the time I started paying attention it was gone. It felt like a bubble popping...not so much the typical butterfly feeling people describe. Then again at lunch I felt it more. I paid attention and I really do think it's the baby. It's in the correct spot, maybe 2 inches below my belly button, which is about where my uterus is these days. Definitely not gas (TMI I've had enough of it lately to know the difference, ha). So exciting!

 

[mayerling]

This thread has really slowed down. Ladies, where are you at?

Petite, I'm sorry about the kidney trouble. That sounds serious.

Meg, that pain sounds a bit worrying too.

AFM, nothing much is going on. Lately I've had some joint pain, and my lower back feels stiff a lot of the time. Other than that, everything else feels normal. Baby is kicking often and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Also, my request to give birth back home has been granted by the UK government. They'll cover the cost of the birth plus any medical expenses from 15 weeks before up to 15 weeks after the birth. This is great. It's really tipped the scales towards having the baby back home.

 

[amc80]

I think the nesting thing has kicked in. We were debating a move before baby, but we've decided to stay here. As soon as we made the decision, the nesting thing started. Let me put it this way- in currently thrilled I took a 3 hour nap today so I can stay up tonight and organize and clean. How's for a Saturday night??

 

[PetitiePoire]

AMC- yay for feeling the baby move! Iwas told to just assume anything different was baby and to enjoy, it makes life more fun. Nesting and early bedtimes make our weekends fun too! Haha. I'm enjoying it.

Mayerling- congrats on getting your request approved! That must be so nice to have so many options!! I'm a bit jealous.


AFM- We bought a few baby clothes! We were told not to buy *too* many baby clothes, so we took that as not to buy any and now at 6 months we only have a hand full of newborn-3 months clothes plus the winter clothes we bought a while back for NEXT year. It's weird, but I feel a sense of relief knowing we have *something* for the baby. I also enjoy staring at my belly each time I pass a mirror. It's unbelievable how much it changes in such a short amounts of time.

24w5d

 

[megumic]

Hope everyone had a great weekend, minus the fact that ewe lost an hour! At least we get more sunlight

Quick update, that nth pain subsided and the day after I felt much better. Have been having lots of aches and pains and even some sciatica since yesterday, but hopefully it is temporary. I walk a few times a week and do prenatal yoga, so that should help. We also got our sequential screen results from NT plus both sets of bloodwork. For being 28 your chances of downs, trisomy and spins bifida ate about 1/800. After my work up our results were 1/38,500. We are very relieved at such a great ratio, but I was nervous up until that point. I don't know that well go through with this testing the next time around. I still have the 20 week level 2 scan to get through. We're not too concerned, but b/c of my hyperthyroid and graves disease the baby could have thyroid issues in utero, IUGR, preterm labor etc so we are just praying lots for continue health and growth.

We just began to register, anyone else? Feelings btw the Chico key fit and the track snug ride? Seem to be the top car seats...

 

[PetitiePoire]

Meg- we were told by one store to wait until April or May to register, however, I think DH is getting antsy. He would like to get started. I think it would be fine to start registering, not for other people to buy things, but for my own record keeping. You know? Do you have a good list of things to register for? I have such a difficult time once I'm in the stores deciding on what to register for.

As far as car seats, I have been seeing some people post about the Britax ones that go from newborn to 4 years old. I'll have to look into it more, but the thought seems like it might be a good idea vs buying multiple down the road? I also read it has high safety standards, etc. However, we have the bugaboo cameleon and will most likely be getting the car seat that will adapt to that, so I don't know. Seems like a waste though, but I have no experience with car seats, strollers and the like.

 

[amc80]

Meg- we were told by one store to wait until April or May to register, however, I think DH is getting antsy. He would like to get started. I think it would be fine to start registering, not for other people to buy things, but for my own record keeping. You know? Do you have a good list of things to register for? I have such a difficult time once I'm in the stores deciding on what to register for.

We registered a few weeks ago. Definitely on the early side, but I'm really glad we did it. I am finding that I'm updating my registry pretty often- either adding, deleting, or replacing items. It's pretty overwhelming when you're in the store. We registered for anything we thought we may want/need, and now I have the time to go and edit as needed. Much better than registering in the weeks before a shower, when you wouldn't have time to really make modifications.

 

[PetitiePoire]

Did any of you register for a pump? If so, which one did you get or which one are you thinking? TMI, but I'm already starting to leak colostrum so it's heavily on my mind for after baby's arrival.

 

[ChinaCat]

Hi ladies!

Not much going on here. Went to prenatal yoga this weekend and now I'm sore in weird places. I know it's good for me, but ouch. Same old, same old- not as tired, but getting uncomfortable already and I still have awhile to go.

Registering- There is no rule. I think I waited till 20 weeks or so, but mostly b/c I was overwhelmed and needed to feel "in the clear" before I tackled it. That being said, go for it. It's good to start getting your mind around it. My tidbits of advice, for what it's worth:

1. If you are having showers, register for a lot. Even if you aren't sure if you need/want it, people need a lot of variety to choose from AND you can always take the stuff back and get stuff you need. Better to have credit/gift cards.

2. That being said, you don't NEED everything when baby is born. A lot of stuff doesn't get used till baby is 3 months, 6 months, etc. So it's nice to have a high chair or exersaucer or whatever if someone buys it for you, but if you don't get one, no need to rush out and buy that stuff before baby arrives.

Car seat- I and most people I know have the Graco Snugride and loved it. Well, loved it as much as you can love something that is heavy and awkward and you have to lug around all the time. People seem to like the Chicco too, so I think you are safe with either one. Check to see if it's compatible with whatever stroller you want first.

Britax- I have the Britax for the "big boy" carseat, but am unfamiliar with one that goes from NB to age 4. I'd be hesitant to do that only b/c you tend to carry your NB in the car seat a LOT, esp when sleeping, etc. I can't imagine carrying a car seat that is big enough to go to age 4 only b/c I'd imagine it would be way heavier. If you can post a link, I can check it out if you want. In general though, Britax is an awesome brand and safe.

There are some good registry lists way back on this thread if anyone has the patience to go search for them. I'm happy to help with whatever, I just helped my sister register so it's fresh in my mind.

Petite- I would register for a pump. They are expensive and if someone buys it for you, fantastic. If for some reason you end up not being able to BF or decide not to pump, you can always return it. I didn't b/c I rented mine, which was a great option for me at the time. But now that I'm having #2, I wish I had gotten one so I could have used for both.

 

[amc80]

Did any of you register for a pump? If so, which one did you get or which one are you thinking? TMI, but I'm already starting to leak colostrum so it's heavily on my mind for after baby's arrival.

I did. I think it's sort of weird to register for one, but I figured it's unlikely anyone will buy it, and this way I can use the registry completion discount to get it. I registered for the Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pump.

 

[S&I]

mayerling, I'm glad you officially got confirmation about your chickenpox immunity. One less thing to worry about. Yay for going baby shopping too! Sounds like you got quite a good amount of stuff. I'm feeling okay physically, but am starting to freak out a little now that it's getting so close. I'm on the top of the Preggos in Waiting list, followed closely by Bobbin - yikes!

amc, so sorry about your puking episodes. It took me a while to figure out how much food my stomach could handle as my uterus got bigger and bigger. If possible, you should try cut back on your dinners, and maybe go for a small snack an hour or two before heading to bed. It'll take some trial and error to figure out the actual amount of food you can take in without feeling bursting. My OB also thought I had reflux too, but mine was only happening at night too, and the medicine didn't help all that much either. You definitely have a little bump! Yay for feeling your first kicks too!

China, congrats on joining team PINK - one of each is just perfect! Yay for Tigerlily. That's one of my friend's screen names, ha!

choro, I've gotten used to the idea of the baby coming on the 14th. Since the risks to the baby only go up as I get closer and closer to 40 weeks, I'm okay with just getting him out at 39w+1d, as currently planned. My cousin ended up having her son 15 days early on her own, so there's still a chance that ours will come early too, especially if I keep getting stressed out at work!

Missy, funny about your baby kicks making you jump. I went through that phase too, and I'd feel silly jumping since nobody else could possibly understand why. I also can't distinguish between body parts. All I know is that baby is head down, butt on my left side, and legs/feet on my right side because that's what the ultrasound tech told me. I think it has to do with my huge (at least it looks huge on the ultrasounds) placenta being anterior, so I don't get to feel anything in detail. Hope you had fun at the casino with your mom!

MQ, I'm so glad you were finally able to see an LC at the hospital, and that the nipple shield works for you. My cousin is going through the same thing, and was just given a nipple shield to use with their formula supplementation the other day. Hope Weston's bilirubin levels continue going down. He's such a cutie!

meg, we only registered at BBBaby shortly after finding out the gender, but it was mostly for ourselves so that we could have one place to keep track of all the stuff we need. I was always getting overwhelmed when we walked into a baby store, until after I started the registry. We added the big stuff, like car seat, stroller, glider, crib (which we later removed when we bought the CafeKid one at Costco), etc., and then I added more of the small stuff online later on. Oh, and I've heard that the Keyfit 30 car seat is the only one rated for premies if that's a concern for you. Our baby is measuring small, so I guess it's a good thing that we ended up choosing that car seat for him. So glad your intense pain has lessened. I had a few of those types of pains early on too, and everything was fine. I'm now getting pains really low, probably from the baby's head being jammed down there. Yay for finding out that your risks for Downs, Trisomy, and Spina Bifida are all so low!

Petite, so sorry to hear about your urgent care adventure - that sounds so scary! I also think it's weird that the pain was on your left side when it was your right kidney that was having problems. Has it gotten any better with more water intake? Are you going in for a follow-up to see how your kidney is progressing, or to see if there's still urine stuck in it? We didn't register for a pump because my work offered a big discount on them. We got the Medela InStyle pump, but I haven't even opened the box yet.

AFM, I got a pregnancy massage on Friday, and it felt so good! My sciatic pain is still there, just not as sharp as before. My DH said I should go there once a week until we deliver, ha!

(34w+3d)

 

[mayerling]

PetitePoire, funny but I was just on the Newborn thread asking about breast pumps! Is anybody considering a manual one or are you all going for electric ones?

 

[NovemberBride]

Mayerling - I think the general advice is that you'd only want a manual pump if you are going to be pumping VERY infrequently (think SAHM mom that pumps once in a blue moon for a date night, etc). If you are going to be pumping with any frequency, you will want an electric pump. If you are going to be pumping after a return to work, I highly suggest a hands-free double pump. I had the Medela Freestyle and although pumping in general is a pain, the handsfree aspect is really nice as it allowed my to continue to do work as I pumped (I have my own office where I could shut the door). I believe there are also handsfree bras that allow you to adapt other pumps to be handsfree as well.