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Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

Blacksand - Just popping in and wanted to comment on your post. I feel for you! I had this with both of my pregnancies, mainly towards the end. The first pregnancy I had several L&D trips and several overnight stays, multiple 24 hour urine catches to check for protein (worried about Pre-E) and when I got to 39 weeks they induced me. I was on bed rest for a month before that and still had high readings at times. They just kept watch and according to them, 39 weeks is the safe point and baby wasn't in any danger and was technically better in than out until then. My induction was LONG, started on a Monday at 9am, sent home, came back in Tuesday morning at about 1cm so they kept me at that point. I didn't deliver until almost 10pm on Wednesday and it ended in a c-section. If your body isn't ready your labor could be a long process! My second I was scheduled for a repeat c-section on 2/5, but at my last appt on 1/31 my blood pressure was 170/100 and I'd gained 4lbs in a week. They told me I was having my baby that day! I'd had a few higher readings before, but all blood draws came back ok. With the weight gain and high blood pressure, I was leaning towards "mild pre-E" so they didn't want to risk it.

Good luck, I hope the best for you and your baby! I know it's a pain in the butt having to deal with all of it. The doctors don't help either, they always give you worst case scenarios and then tell you to relax :? :shock: You just told me I'm at risk for a stroke with my blood pressure that high and then you wanna take it again?!?!
 
Thanks so much for sharing, Missy! It's good to hear what others have experienced, even if it's not exactly the best case scenario. Sounds like I'm in for a rough couple of days.

Well, I went back to the OB today, and my blood pressure was high. I don't know why this surprised anyone. It was 170/90 when I first came in. It came down to 152/80 eventually, but the doctor was still concerned. So after my NST (which went well, no problems there), the doctor came in and told me that since I'm 38w3d, we're close enough to full term that he thinks it's time. So I am going in tomorrow afternoon. They will start with the gel to soften my cervix, and then the plan is to start Pitocin on Wednesday morning. I was still not dilated at all when he checked me today, but he said the baby's head was a little lower. He's "optimistic" we can deliver the baby vaginally, but he obviously can't make any promises.

I'm kind of glad, it's a relief in a way, and I'm definitely excited to meet this baby. But I am also utterly terrified! Having my last childless meal at home with my husband tonight. Totally cheating on the GD diet, because at this point, eff it.
 
Good luck today Blacksand! I hope your experience is better than mine! That Pitocin is some evil stuff :twisted: I did eventually fully dilate, but they thought baby was stuck because he was still pretty high up. Turns out that he was once I went in for the c-section.
 
Excited for you Blacksand! Sending you smooth labour vibes!
 
Coda- Thanks for coming back and sharing your birth story! Echoing the others in that Nora has the sweetest little rosebud lips! Congrats again!

Anchor- Aren't BH fun? I tend to get them especially if I am anxious about anything. Mine don't hurt. More annoying than anything else. Do you get a tight feeling your chest when you get one? Glad the baby is looking good.

Dragonfly- I hope you're able to get some rest before the baby arrives. I can totally relate to not being able to sleep well at this point. Glad you got your pack n play situation sorted out and are feeling better about it.

Blacksand- I'm so sorry for all of the drama surrounding your pregnancy but the end is in sight! Thinking of you today and sending you truckloads of dust for a great labor and delivery. You'll be meeting your little one soon!

PP- Thanks for popping in! I hope the reflux is under control soon.

Dani- Welcome!

AFM- My biggest complaint right now is definitely sleep quality. I am excited if I sleep for 3 hour straight. Leg cramps wake me up a lot these days, especially if I am dreaming (I rarely remember dreams or am aware I had any when I wake up). I still get a ton of BH contractions but my OB still doesn't seem concerned about it since they aren't painful and I am not bleeding. Nursery is coming along slowly. I've washed, sorted, and put away 0-3 month clothes. Stuffed cloth diapers and organized a basket to sit on the changing table top (dresser). Washed the swaddlers, blankets, and towels and started getting his toys and books sorted into bins in our living room. We went to assemble the (free) crib and found out we were missing some hardware. It is nearly impossible to track down what we need as it's a European crib with non-standard hardware sizes. I've searched high and low and if we can't get an alternative to work safely then we may be buying a crib. No big deal but it's kind of funny. Our stroller is in our posession and the last large item to buy is our mattress. I ended my epic Spring of travel (Utah, Rhode Island, Philly, Vancouver (x2), Ann Arbor, St Paul MN, Vegas, Seattle, Portland- overall something like 22 TSA patdowns since I refused the scanners) with a trip to Vancouver with DH to visit friends who have a 1.5 year old son. We returned with a ton of baby toys and some more clothes. Last time they gave us a whole year worth of clothing to take. Overall I'm feeling good about our progress in preparing our home for the baby.

Our classes are coming up starting next week. We are taking a 2 hr class on "surviving the first weeks at home" which ended up being free for us because we paid for two other classes. It's about communication and just getting along and helping each other while we are getting used to being parents. Then we have an infanct CPR/safety class and our childbirth class. I finished reading my OB-recommended birth book by Sarah McMoyler. Both of us read it and my mom has a copy, too. I think I got a lot out of it and would recommend it for someone planning a hospital birth.
 
Holy Guacamole! Our Blacksand should be in working on delivering her bebe!!! SQUEEE!!! So excited for you Blacksand!!!

Claritek - I wanted to offer some advice for the leg cramps. I have had FI gently massage my legs before bed. Drink TONS of water, and a nice cold glass in the evening. My other recommendations that were given by my doc are bananas and some coconut water. They are high in potassium, which helps regulate hydration in your muscles. I've been eating a banana a day at least for the same issue.

37 weeks here and Blacksand's post made it feel all very real. I saw my OB yesterday and his words were "Well, we wait. It's like he's cooked, and now he's on simmer to get just the right taste. It could be soon, it could be right on the date, we just wait." So. I am waiting. He backed me off to 20 hrs a week for work, which I am so thankful for. I was exhausted beyond words, and I am a leaky faucet currently when it comes to my bladder. We checked for bladder infection / UTI with no positive test, so Wyatt seems to be pressuring my bladder quite a bit. Not exactly the most pleasant thing during a work day. I am thankful because now I can simply rest in the afternoons, either napping or just relaxing, and keep my feet elevated and stay cool and relaxed. All out of county travel is on hold for the family and we are a bunch of bored sitting ducks, but I'm ok with that.

Have any of you noticed that your SO's nest on big things? FI remodeled the downstairs bathroom (which will be where we bathe Wyatt so I am ok with it), installed a water system :eek: and cleared 1/10 acre of woodsy area behind the house, all in the past week. I guess maybe he's trying to find things to accomplish since the nursery is done (though he still needs to raise Wyatt's mattress but no hurry there since he'll be in the bassinet for the first few weeks). Getting him to slow down and rest seems impossible!
 
Clairitek - No, no tightness in the chest. But sometimes I get up to 4-5 contractions an hour! Some are uncomfortable, some I don't feel at all. For your legs, I had the same issue a couple of months ago and I went to have a massage done. The pain hasn't come back.

Dragonfly - Congrats on 37w!! Now the waiting game is on. My DH is nesting too, and it seems to irritate him that I'm not. Oh well.

30w6d here. I had an OB appointment this morning amd my fundal height is more within average than last month. B is head down but still high, cervix is long and closed. Next appointment in two weeks!
 
Hi ladies! We have a baby girl! Norah Catherine arrived at 4:51 PM on July 2, weighing 7 lbs. and measuring 20 inches. She is perfect! Not too big, not too small, no problems with her blood sugar, perfect perfect perfect. And for once I really have a very positive experience to report. Everything went smoothly at the hospital. We had great care and the induction process did exactly what it was supposed to do. I went in on Tuesday, had the Cervadil inserted, and basically got to hang out with my husband all night. We watched the soccer game and ate a nice dinner. They did check my blood sugar levels about every two hours, which was crazy, but they were always good. They said they see a lot of women with GD lie about being diet controlled (yikes), but I was "the real deal." Anyway, my blood pressure was only slightly elevated due to anxiety. But not as bad as it had been at the OB. So I never needed magnesium or any other meds. By Tuesday night, I felt some menstrual-type cramping. Nothing too hard to bear. Went to sleep Tuesday night and woke up at 3 AM covered in fluid. Gushing everywhere. The nursed swabbed me and said it was negative for amniotic fluid, so they thought I just peed myself. But it kept gushing every time the cramping feeling came on, so.... My favorite OB from my practice arrived early Wednesday morning and said "Good morning! I just came in to tell you that the sun is shining and you are having a baby today. And you are going to do great." In that moment, I knew I would. She took great care of me. She checked me then, and I was 2 cm. dilated and my membrane had definitely ruptured. Whew. Glad to know I didn't just keep peeing myself all night long. They were really pleased with my progress overnight and hooked me up to the Pitocin about 8:30 AM. I started having contractions immediately, about 1.5 minutes apart. Not too painful right away, but very close together. By lunchtime, they were unbearably painful. My OB said I was 4 cm. and could go ahead and get the epidural. I did so, and the anesthesiologist said I should now try to take a nap and rest up for the pushing stage. Except...as soon as the epi kicked in and the pain subsided, I immediately started feeling this tremendous pressure, like I wanted to push. I told the nurse this, and she said "well, the epidural only relieves pain, not pressure, so it's all normal." I knew I was only 4 cm., so I pressed on and ignored the urge to push for an hour or so. By then I was panting like crazy and just so uncomfortable, even though the epi had numbed the pain. I brought it up with the nurse again, and she decided to check me "just in case." She took a look and said "ummm... let me go get the doctor. You are fully dilated." Yeah. Just like that. Well, I had to wait a bit for the doctor, who was doing a c-section, and then it took about an hour and a half of pushing, but at 4:51 PM on July 2nd, I heard my husband say the most beautiful words: "We have a daughter."

For all the difficulties I encountered during my pregnancy, for all the stress and worry, I don't think my induction could have gone any better. And I can't imagine a more beautiful result!

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Congratulations Blacksand! I'm so glad you had a positive birth experience and a lovely healthy daughter!
 
Congrats blacksand! I have read/heard very few positive induction stories, so I'm really happy it went smoothly for you! Nora is beautiful.
 
Congrats Blacksand! I am so so so so pleased to hear that your induction went well. As anchor said, we hear so few positive induction stories (actually one of my best friends had a great induction result and managed to avoid pitocin but I know it's rare) and I'm so pleased that yours went better than you expected.

Enjoy your time as a new family! Welcome baby Norah!
 
Congrats Blacksand!
 
Congrats, Blacksand! I'm so very happy to hear that Norah's birth went so smoothly for you. After all of the complications & stresses during your pregnancy, you deserve this! And Norah is just lovely. I hope you're enjoying this time as a new family.

Coda, congrats to you too! Your Nora is just darling!

Dragonfly, I'm glad to hear you were able to back down your work schedule. Not much longer now! Sorry about the bladder issues. I hope being able to rest in the afternoons helps!
And both my DH & I are nesting like crazy too!

C-tek, I'm sorry about the leg cramps. I hope they get better soon! It sounds like you've been very busy nesting & that things are coming together. I hope you enjoy your upcoming classes. Feel free to share any especially important tidbits with us! Also, good luck with the crib situation! And I love the idea of the exercise ball.

anchor, congrats on 30w! It seems like this train is speeding up now, doesn't it?

PP, great to hear from you! I hope you & N are doing well & that his reflux improves.

Dani, so glad your anatomy scan went well! Yay!

JGator & Mia, thanks for your thoughts on gliders. We wound up getting a small upholstered one on Craig's List. It fits the space reasonably well & I hope it'll be useful. (If not, we'll have a hard time getting it out since we had to lower it from the fire escape to get it into our apartment!) :eek:

PPM & Mia, how are you ladies doing? I hope all is well.

afm, 29w3d and chugging along here. Thanks to everyone for the congrats on passing my 3 hour glucose test. It was such a relief! And sorry for disappearing on you guys. We've been traveling a lot lately for work & are getting some R&R at the beach now. My mom threw a small shower for us last week, which was lovely. (However, we only got a couple of things from our registry & lots of clothes. Dragonfly, I thought of you...) We've also been working on our nursery nook & have several things in place including a glider we got on Craig's List. I guess I should order the crib soon & finish up the shelving in her space while I still have the energy to next. The summer heat has been a bit difficult for me.

I'm now on the round robin schedule of meeting all of the docs in my OB's practice. So far I've liked them all. I had an appointment last week & everything seems to be going well. Baby's head is down. Apparently I have also been having BH contractions for a while, I just didn't know it! (I had one while the doc was looking for the HB with her Doppler.) I've also been having the dreaded leg cramps & cramps in the muscle that runs down my right side. I've started the banana a day plan recently & think it might be helping, though I think I might have to also start the prune a day plan as well. :shifty:

We signed up for infant care/feeding & CPR classes to begin later this month. Things are starting to feel real.
 
Blacksand! Baby Norah is beautiful! I'm glad that your birthing went so well!

AFM - not much to report. Afternoons at home have helped some, but still not getting much sleep. We had a minor scare yesterday when I went to acupuncture. Before we even got started on anything I nearly passed out! OB said to monitor myself, and if I feel badly or have another spell I should go in. So far, nothing.

Bags are packed. We got shelves for Wyatt's nursery this weekend. The house has been cleaned. Now we just need a baby, lol!
 
Blacksand! Baby Norah is beautiful! I'm glad that your birthing went so well!

AFM - not much to report. Afternoons at home have helped some, but still not getting much sleep. We had a minor scare yesterday when I went to acupuncture. Before we even got started on anything I nearly passed out! OB said to monitor myself, and if I feel badly or have another spell I should go in. So far, nothing.

Bags are packed. We got shelves for Wyatt's nursery this weekend. The house has been cleaned. Now we just need a baby, lol!
 
Hi all, sorry I've been so slack lately!

Firstly: CONGRATULATIONS blacksand, Norah is beautiful, and what a wonderful way to welcome her, after the wretched run you had in the latter half of your pregnancy! I hope you are all settling in well at home and enjoying life as a new family.

dragonfly wow, I still cannot get over the fact that you are at the end now - how quickly did that go!!! Best of luck and can't wait to hear your news :)

brightspot - being on holidays is a great reason to be absent from here ;) Hope you've enjoyed all the R&R. Great that your OGTT went well, that must be a great relief.

clairitek - I'm with you on the poor sleep quality. Everything was going along beautifully sleep-wise and then BOOM! The last week and a half has been terrible. Oh well. I think it was the same with my first pregnancy so I did know it was coming. Re the cramps, I try to stay hydrated, I take magnesium, I drink milk, I try to get enough sleep (ha!), don't know if the milk or magnesium help but I just do what I can to try and get on top of it. Definitely I get more cramps when I've had less sleep.

anchor - glad things are going along nicely for you!

mia, hope you're going along well too!

AFM - I'm 32 weeks now. I'm pretty well, all things considered, main issues are a) sleep (can't get comfortable) and b) back tightness/stiffness. Sitting all day is not working that well for me - neither is standing/running around, when I'm on call - and so I'm thinking that for the weeks I'm not on call I might start cutting back my hours in the lab/office a bit so that I can have a lie down in the middle of the day, as that does seem to help a bit.

I did my glucose challenge a few weeks ago and that was fine, which was a relief! Am iron deficient but not anaemic (again, same thing at this point in my first pregnancy) and everything else is fine. Seeing my obstetrician on Wednesday, my last visit was at about 25 weeks I think so it's been a little while.

I'm off to the States on Friday - DREADING the long-haul travel but I'm flying business class, which is some consolation. There is NO WAY I would be able to sit for 15 hours so I am very thankful that hubby and I agreed that I should fly business for this. I've never left hubby and S before so I'm feeling a bit anxious about that but I do know they'll be fine - I'll just miss them so much! So at the moment I'm just madly trying to prepare my talk for the conference. Hoping that I will get lots out of it as it is a long way to go for just 4 days! I literally arrive in Grand Rapids the night before the conference starts, and then I leave 3 hours after giving my talk on the last day. Just want to get home!

In other news, we are still renovating. It has been mostly smooth sailing but I am tiring of the dust and always having workmen in our house! We've been without a functioning kitchen for 10 days now, I am surviving but getting pretty sick of it. The stone benchtops and the doors/drawers will hopefully go in towards the end of the coming week, and so by the time I get home from the US we should hopefully be mostly done. Painting started on Friday and will continue for about another fortnight I think. It's chaotic and feels crazy and like it's dragging forever but rationally I do know that it's for the best - because with everything happening at once now it should hopefully mean that we are done and dusted with a few weeks up our sleeves before #2 arrives. Both bathrooms are now finished, laundry should be done by the end of this week. Then just the kitchen to be finished up and the painting of the interiors in the rest of the house.

I am totally unable to see myself as "heavily pregnant" until I get back from this trip though! I CANNOT be "heavily pregnant" until I've made it home and THEN I will allow myself to feel like I'm in the home straight. I'm looking around the bombsite/dustbucket that is currently my life/house and it seems inconceivable that we will be ready to bring a baby into the mix any time soon...
 
Blacksand - I am thinking of you and hope you are bathing in these first weeks as a new mother!

Pancake - With regards to back stiffness/tightness, I found that topical ointments helped some, as well as massage. Do you have Vicks vapo rub available where you are? This has been a lifesaver for my muscles! I wish you the best of luck flying, and safe travels too.

AFM - Wyatt is dropping. How do I know? B/C my stretch marks on my lower belly (which showed up about 2.5 weeks ago) itch like CRAZY! I am doing lotion and bio oil and coconut oil but does anyone have any suggestions for the itch? Otherwise things are going mostly well. I am in the "Okay, I am done, come on out baby" phase. I feel huge and awkward and am just ready to have him here and get eating right again and start our new chapter as parents. I think FI is too. Sleep deprivation is getting to us both as well lol! It is currently 5:20 here. I woke up at 4:30 and that was that. I did get the branches to finish Wyatt's mobile and plan to put it together tomorrow. We also got his shelves installed finally and I'll be putting things on those. I realized last night I need to add a few things to the hospital bag, so am planning to do that. I go back to the Dr. tomorrow (Monday) and we are planning to ask for the go ahead for acupuncture stimulation. I really don't want to go late with Wyatt. FI actually thought a 6lb baby was unhealthy, as in, underweight and sickly. :errrr: :errrr: :errrr: That's how normal large babies are in his family. So, I'd like to go on time Thank you very much!I'm also going to walk walk walk this week.

Also I thought I'd mention that my area seems to be in the middle of a high pitch of baby fever. Have you all noticed the same? I have at least 15 people who are either due soon after me, or who have recently announced, or somewhere in the midst of the two. It seems like more pop up every day! To Quote Mu Shu "LIKE DAISIES"!!! LOL! I'm excited though because it means Wyatt will have many little friends as he grows.
 
32w appointment this morning. Barely any change since 2 weeks ago, I gained 1lb and my fundal height grew half an inch. After his growth spurt last month, Ben is slowing down and might end up being an average-sized baby after all! Next appointment in 2 weeks.

Dragonfly - You're getting pretty close to your EDD, right? Thinking of you in this summer heat!

Pancake - Hey preggo twinnie! I'm glad to hear you're doing well, I hope your renovations will be done quickly! We just finished patching up and repainting the bathroom.
 
DF- Pretty sure that you're next! Glad you're feeling prepared. Thanks for the advice on leg cramps. Good that Wyatt is beginning to drop. I am anxiously awaiting that time myself. I can relate to you on lack of sleep. So vicious that our bodies do that to us right before we are truly not going to be sleeping much.

Megumic- I assume you're holding your LO now! I hope you had a better birth experience this time than last. Thinking of you!

Pancake- Great that the renos are going well so far! I can imagine that living without a kitchen gets old quickly. Good idea to lower your hours at work a bit if you can. I fantasize every day about doing just that and I have a feeling that in my last couple of weeks I'll probably burn an hour or two of sick time a day and have shorter days. You are certainly flying a reallllly long way for just a quick conference! I hope you find it worth your while. My cousin and his wife (and wife's family) live near Grand Rapids but I've never been to visit them. Good luck with the flights.

Anchor- Glad to hear that you had another no-drama prenatal appointment! Fingers crossed for an average sized baby and not the large baby they were expecting.

Brightspot- I seriously grin every single time I see you post. It is so lovely to have you over here. I am overjoyed for you and your DH after your journey to get to this point. I hope you're enjoying your holiday at the beach! I hope the bananas continue to help you with the cramps and that the prune does it's job.

AFM- 35 weeks yesterday and SO READY TO NOT BE PREAGNANT ANYMORE. I'm hot. The leg cramps persist no matter what I do. Last night I was up 4 times between 1230 and 130 with cramps. When I lay down (on my side or not) I feel like there's an elephant on my chest. I'm sleeping like total crap and heartburn is here with a vengeance and won't go away even with medication (Pepcid AC). On the plus side, baby's head is down as per my last prenatal appointment, my weight gain has been almost negligible (which is good since I was up 18 lbs by the midway mark). I think the baby is actually gaining and I'm losing. I have no appetite in this weather and with such limited space. I've still put on nearly 30 lbs but my weight change lately has been very, very small overall with 11 total lbs in 17 weeks. I'm on to pretty much weekly appointments with the doctor.

My 34 square foot nursery closet is nearly finished. We have to hang the light blocking roller shade that will act as his "door" and a curtain to allow partial light in. That's about it. I'm totally in love with the way it turned out and once it's all totally done I'll post some pictures in the nursery thread.

We had our infant safety/CPR class on Saturday. I'm feeling much more equipped to deal with an emergency. I totally would NOT have handled choking in a baby the appropriate way before. I probably would have been tempted to immediately stick my finger down their throat and try to remove the obstruction, which would probably make the situation worse in most cases. Our birth class is this coming Saturday (one all day class).
 
Claritek - I'm sorry you're so hot!

Anchor - Sounds like you're holding on steady and healthy!!!


AFM - Still hanging in. EDD is Wed. I'm over being pregnant. I've been nesting like crazy. I cleaned the house top to bottom, got signed up for school (I'll be attending Kaplan online for now starting in the fall), ordered a really nifty planner from Erincondren.com, and made a home organizing notebook from scratch!! All since Wednesday! Friday I went to acupuncture and she needled me in points that are supposed to stimulate a drop from Wyatt. I need it so bad, I CANNOT breathe!!! I went and walked the mall afterwards and man she wasn't lying that it would encourage my pelvis to start stretching! OW! Dr. Has me on full house rest, no more working. Thank goodness because my division is crumbling, and has done so even more since I went on leave. They are advertising for my position, so I assume that means they aren't holding my job, despite having told me over and over they were so dreading me being gone, and they needed me to hurry back. I'm applying for part time and full time positions with hopes that I can just go part time with my federal loans. In the meantime, we're just waiting for Wyatt. He's just as active as can be, save for during his naps. He gets the hiccups pretty often now though. Besides that, I don't have a whole lot of interesting stuff to share. I'll keep you all posted!
 
Thinking of you DF, and sending you labour vibes!!!

My feet hurt so much these days I have trouble sleeping. I have a massage scheduled for Saturday, but I think I'll call later to see if I can have it tomorrow.

I have an interview on Tuesday for an editing contract with a law firm, working from home (I'm a freelance translator/editor). Wish me luck!
 
dragonfly I hope things have got moving for you, or are about to!

clairitek I get you on the whole "over being pregnant" thing. I'd been coasting along pretty well with only a couple of minor niggles but in the last couple of days, it has REALLY hit me! I think a lot of that is to do with the 28 hours of travelling I did to get to Grand Rapids though.

anchor I hope the massage helps! I never got sore feet last time, didn't this time either but have girlfriends who really were troubled by that.

AFM, I'm 33+1 weeks and typing this from my hotel room in Grand Rapids. As I said above, I've really hit the "HEAVILY PREGNANT" stage in the last couple of days. Sleep was already tough but with jetlag on board is really an impossibility. The business class flight to LA was great but I just wasn't able to get comfortable enough for long enough to sleep. On the way home I will be boarding the long haul flight at around 3am Grand Rapids time so am hoping that by then I will just be so exhausted that I'll collapse and get some zzzzs.

My presentation is tomorrow so I've just been tweaking and practising, and attending the academic program here. Did a bit of shopping (lots of presents for #1), but there's nothing exciting here from that perspective so it's all been pretty sedate.

All a bit of a whirlwind trip but I am looking forward to getting home!
 
Pancake, you poor thing. You must be exhausted! Best of luck with your presentation tomorrow & I hope you're able to get some rest on the flight home.
The renovation at home must be exhausting too. I hope it's drawing to a close & you're happy with the results!

Anchor, good luck with your interview tomorrow! I hope the massage helps with your foot pain. Would one of those little foot massager/spa things help?

Dragonfly, so sorry for all of the discomfort. Good for you for getting so much done, though. Did you finish the mobile?
I hope Wyatt comes soon! My LO has been getting the hiccups too lately. Very amusing.

C-tek, you're so sweet. I almost don't even believe it myself sometimes. In fact, it's only been recently that I've had the feeling of oh my gosh, we're actually having a baby!

I'm sorry you've been so plagued by late pregnancy discomforts. I know bananas have come up for leg cramps, but have you tried coconut water too? I can personally tell a difference in cramping if I have both in a day or not. Sometimes it just seems like there's no way to get comfortable these days, doesn't it? Hugs to you.

And congrats on nearly finishing the nursery. I can't wait to see pics!

Mia, Dani, PPM... :wavey:

AFM, I'm plugging away at 31w & mostly feeling ok (aside from some general discomfort & occasional heartburn & cramps). We took our infant care/feeding class & it was really helpful but also pretty intimidating. There's so much I don't know. And those first 2 weeks are going to be really rough, aren't they?

I'm also starting to worry about my pcos negatively affecting my ability to bf. Also concerning is that I'm still wearing my pre pregnancy bras.

In other news, we've been enjoying nesting & making progress on the nursery. I hope it will be a nice space for our little girl.
 
Thanks brightspot. I'm looking forward to going home, dreading the trip but it's a means to a welcome end! Re your worries - I think sometimes early parenthood is not as fearsome as it's cracked up to be. Of course the adjustment is a major one, and the sleep deprivation and learning curve are challenging, but you will amaze yourself with your internal resources and capacity to adapt. I don't remember the first few months being that tough really - we had tough nights and some tough days, but you just deal with what's in front of you. Re the PCOS and breastfeeding - there are PLENTY of women who have PCOS and PLENTY of them breastfeed so don't psyche yourself out. Just wait and see, and make sure you know what lactation support resources are available to you (through the hospital, through community services, privately in your local area, etc) so that in the event that you hit a hitch, you know where to ask for help.

Also, breast size generally doesn't correlate with supply except in cases where women are really lacking in glandular tissue, and that is really very rare.
 
Brightspot - My brother's wife has PCOS and has no problem breastfeeding. I think the only way you can know for sure if supply is going to be an issue is whether or not you get engorged when your milk comes in. It sucks, but it's a good sign. Remember that while it is natural, it's still a learning process. Be kind to yourself! And if it doesn't work, don't think of yourself as a failure. In the grand scheme of things, the kiddo won't care about breastmilk vs formula, only that you loved him and fed him!
 
Brightspot, don't psyche yourself out before you even get started. Go in there with a positive attitude because believe me, it can be one of the hardest thing you'll do. E and I *struggled* to establish BFing, it took 6.5 wks. But we made it and he nursed until about 10.5 months. If it's important to you, commit to staying with it for at least 1.5 months. But at the same time know that there's absolutely *NOTHING* wrong with pumping & bottle feeding or formula. The most important thing is that your baby is getting nourishment and is loved. Just keep telling yourself that. It seems obvious but when you're in the middle of it, believe me, it's hard to see the obvious. Personally, I found the hospital lactation consultants were lousy. We got a referral to one from E's pedi at his first appointment. But again, it's just a learning process. Also tell your DH it's important that he just supports you. Tell him to keep repeating, "You're doing great, and the baby's getting what he needs. I know it's important to you, and we'll get there." DH tried "offering solutions" during my 6 wk struggle and it was *not* appreciated.
 
Bright! I can't believe that you are 31 weeks!!! So exciting:-) Just wanted to pop in and add my voice to those reassurances re breastfeeding.

I never really got engorged but had TONS of milk, it sprayed and dripped and leaked everywhere instead of making me engorged :lol: I was not expecting that and had actually prepared myself to have difficulties as I had surgery to remove some breast tissue in my right breast several years ago. So, you never know.

I had prepared myself for it to hurt and be really hard (which was probably a good thing to have low expectations) but in reality it was pretty much fine. My nipples were quite tender for the first few weeks and let down is a unique sensation (kind of like pain and pressure and relief all mixed together for a minute or so) but in general it was fine. I had some weird itching for a few weeks that I thought was thrush, but it turned out was likely severely dry/chapped skin.

My tips are to drink lots of water (like way more than you have ever drunk before), rub a little coconut oil on your nipples after each feeding, see a lactation consultant ASAP if you are nervous or concerned (email me for some recs if you want:-), be patient and realize this establishing a breastfeeding relationship is you current full time job, and know that 99.9% of the time, your body is able to nourish your baby and women have been nursing their children since the dawn of time. Sometimes at 3 am when I was exhausted and E wanted to nurse c.o.n.s.t.a.n.t.l.y it really helped me to remember that!

And above all, healthy mom, healthy baby. If you need to supplement, or switch to formula, or exclusively pump, or whatever...do what's best for you and your baby!
 
Brightspot - Don't psych yourself out! I think that is a big part of what makes things harder for women. You'll be great both during labor and at breast feeding! And if bf is hard, then it is. It's natural, and it doesn't make you any worse or better if it ends up not working well or as easily. Every woman is different.

AFM - I did finish Wyatt's mobile. Now getting FI to hang it is another tooth to pull. Along with setting up our glider, oy! I went to the Dr. yesterday and we had no change from the previous week other than some edema in my uterine tissue, but he was not concerned with it. I have acupuncture again tomorrow and hopefully it will help him to shift, as he has not dropped completely. Life is a little boring here for now.
 
DF- Sorry that work was misleading about keeping your job available to you but it sounds like its a blessing in disguise to have that happen and force you to move onto something better suited and/or go back to school. I have acupuncture in the back of my mind for close to my due date. That and some foot reflexology. Hopefully you're moving towards labor as I type this.

Anchor- My feet have been killing me lately, too! I feel like they are just bruised at times from the extra weight. I hope you were able to move up your massage. Good luck on your interview!

BrightSpot- I'm sorry that you're anxious about breasfeeding with PCOS. I hope you don't have any issues with it but if you do, there's nothing wrong with alternate ways of feeding your daughter. She will feel loved and cared for no matter what. That's great that you're having fun creating your little girl's space! I have really enjoyed that activity as well. I'm with you on the infant care. We decided to skip that class and took something else instead (it was basically a freebie) and in hindsight I wish we had taken that. I'm pretty grateful that my mom is going to be with us from (hopefully) before he is born for nearly two weeks.

Pancake- I want to cry at the thought of traveling that many hours while that pregnant. By the time I got to 32 weeks I could hardly stand to be in the car for more than a couple of hours at a time and plane rides longer than 1.5 hours were not my favorite. I hope you're able to get more rest on the way home! Enjoy your little bit of childfree time at the conference and take care of yourself!

AFM- Less than 4 weeks left to go. I find myself hoping that the BH contractions I've had endlessly for a few months will turn into something more, even though I know it's good for him to stay in for at least another week. He has begun to drop little by little. Either that or he is getting so heavy that he's just pulling my belly down. I have extended periods of time where he is moving a LOT with lots of stretching and it's much more than rolling in place. He actually totally changed positions (shoulders pointed towards my right groin instead of my left) and back. I only picked up on it after a two hour episode of lots of pressure and shifting when he got the hiccups and they were in a very different location than before. Now they are back to the previous place.

No nursery progress since I last wrote. I think I burned myself out and needed to take a break. As an alternative to nesting I've been pretty much living in the ceramics studio making Christmas gifts. However, it's due to get hot again soon and I know I wanted to get the last few things done before that so I think tonight may be a work night. I need DHs help but we have been busy doing other fun things over hanging a rolling shade and shifting the crib so I can get the rug underneath it.

Had our birth class on Saturday. I find that as I approach labor I'm getting less and less worried. Still terrified of a c-section. I've never had surgery and I am so damn squeamish that I couldn't even watch an animated diagram of how a c-section is done! Also, did not enjoy seeing the epidural video. Not. One. Bit. Still on the "no birth plan" track except I am 100% certain I do not want an episiotomy unless it's necessary for the safety of our son.

Next appointment is in about an hour and a half. I'm onto the weekly appointments now. Thankfully work is pretty flexible and leaving midday or early for an appointment isn't an issue.

My last shower is this weekend. It is kindly hosted by two PSers. Oh the power of the internet! I've truly made some lovely friends through PS. Very, very grateful for that!
 
Oops, sorry about the bad info re: engorgement and milk supply. Goes to show how everyone is different!

I think the interview went well yesterday. I hope I get the contract, I would learn loads of stuff and the pay is good. Unfortunately I didn't realise that maybe my feet hurt because they are swollen and maybe my fancy shoes wouldn't fit anymore and now I have a few blisters to show for it. :nono:
 
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