Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I'm glad things are looking up! I'm hoping you'll be home soon!

FWIW when it comes to Bradley it all comes down to the instructor. Mine didn't have a superiority complex at all, it was more geared towards being able to handle labor (epidurals don't always work after all) and really teaching your spouse how to provide any relief and support they could. My favorite labor pain relief was the tub or shower. I did at least 4 hours in there.

 

[ladyciel]

Getting discharged today!! I'm going to feel like a ticking time bomb, but at least when I'm out of here I can better distract myself with tying things up at work and the baby prep still left to do. This afternoon's task is going on a giant online shopping spree with our registry completion coupons.

 

[evergreen]

That sounds restful indeed. Feet up, beverage in hand, Amazon: Go! Thrilled & relieved you're home.

What's your OB's (& your personal) policy about alcohol now in 3rd trimester? My OB went so far as to suggest a glass of wine would be a reasonable therapy for Braxton-Hicks that were clustered e.g. at the end of an OR day (when mine tended to get worse... nice not to be working clinically for the rest of my pregnancy!). I did have about 1/4 glass after being obs'd in triage at 21+6 weeks for ctx that were every 3-5 min x 1 hour. No cervical change though, I've never discussed wine in context of threatened preterm labor w/ her.

 

[ladyciel]

Evergreen, I haven't asked my OB about alcohol in third tri, because my personal preference is to just not mess with it. it could be completely harmless, but with everything else going on I'd just rather not introduce another variable or point for worry/self-blame down the road.

I saw my OB yesterday and they did another US. This time baby girl measured 65th percentile, 5.5lbs, though she said that could be plus or minus a pound from reality (the error just gets bigger the farther along you are). Whatever the case, it gives us great confidence that there's no growth restriction from the fibroid. We didn't get any good pictures this time, sadly - we had the not very patient US tech this appointment, she wasn't having a good day, and the pictures she did print for us are comically pointless. Baby is still head down with her back to my left, which matches what I've been feeling - hiccups way down low and the biggest kicks on the upper right. No changes in the size/location of the fibroid. It's still low and front-right, exactly where I've been guessing it must be based on how I feel.

As for the procardia question, I did my own digging into the research, and my OB's stance (stop taking it - there's no evidence it does anything to lengthen pregnancy after the first 48 hrs of treatment) completely matches what I found and what is summarized on uptodate. Her suggestion is that I stop taking the procardia on a schedule as prescribed by the other doc and instead use it to treat my cranky ute like you use tylenol to treat a headache. i.e., If my contractions start to get bothersome or at a level I'm concerned, go ahead and take one. If it helps, great, I can relax. If it doesn't help and I'm thinking maybe it would take a second dose to calm things down, it's probably a good sign that I should be calling my doc to check in. I'm far enough along now and got the steroids recently enough that when I do start labor they won't do a second round of steroids or aggressively try to stop it, even preterm. That said, she wants as much notice as possible, and she made it clear she'd rather she make the call to check me and have it result in extra visits to triage than for me to try and guess without the tools to know if anything is really going on. So, my last procardia dose was yesterday at noon, and 24hrs later I haven't noticed a big increase in contractions. Yay for small victories!

 

[blingbunny10]

ladyciel - I'm just catching up on reading this thread. So glad you are home and being closely monitored! For me, 34 weeks seems like the magic number in terms of feeling relatively "safe" if I go into PTL and it sounds like you hit that a few days ago. It's great that baby is measuring well, too.

As for me ... Can't believe I'm almost 31 weeks now. Where'd the time go? Apart from the stroller, crib, and glider, I haven't made any baby purchases. I think at this point I will wait for completion discount time to roll around. At least I've taken a baby care class, so my husband and I now know how to swaddle and hold a baby, if nothing else, lol. Looking forward to Lamaze class starting this weekend, too.

The sono Drs tell me the baby is on track to be over 8 lbs , which is freaking me out. I'm on blood sugar monitoring for third tri and making some diet changes, so I'm hoping the baby won't actually be *too* big. Trying to keep up the light exercise, but it seems like Braxton Hicks starts up anytime I exercise, argh.

Ah well. Mostly I'm happy that the cooler weather is here now and I no longer feel like a sweaty beast.

 

[ladyciel]

Bling, every time my doc tells me baby girl's stats from my growth scans, she quickly reminds me of the uncertainty and how the error increases the farther along you are. Don't panic just yet!! My kiddo went from 47th to ~35th to 60th percentile in her scans between 20 and 34 weeks.

I'm still pregnant (35+3), and the bursts of constant contractions have generally been less frequent the last couple of days. I did have a rough day on Sunday, where it got bad enough I took two doses of procardia over the course of the day and was still contracting so much I feared I might wake up overnight or Monday morning and find myself in true labor. But, just before bedtime, they magically stopped. I talked more with my doc on Wed about when to call, since their usual "5-1-1 rule" could have me calling every other day. She said to throw the 5-1-1 out the window - it doesn't apply to me - and to use contraction intensity above and beyond what I've been experiencing as my primary measure. That made me feel better, since that was pretty much the idea I came up with on my own and was the reason I didn't bother calling on Sunday. We also found out we got really lucky when my doc was on call when I went in for the PTL - she's only on call 1 out of every 8 days. We knew it was a gamble as to whether we'd get her when I do go in to labor, but that has us a bit sad that the odds are so low. She assured us that unlike the differences in opinion on managing PTL across the different docs, our birth plan, which almost exactly matches her standard approach, is the same as what every other doc in the practice defaults to. In other words, we shouldn't expect any push-back about my desire to forego meds, do immediate skin to skin, etc, and that is a relief. I think we'll still be bummed if she isn't there, though.

 

[evergreen]

LC, glad things are - well, if not ideal, at least stable! These next few weeks will hopefully fly by... And it's a big victory making it this far, when outcomes are really good!

I have to put in a word on your OB's behalf, though... Taking more call than every 8 days is rough given her other responsibilities, and would make her a lot less available in clinic to develop the relationship you guys have. (Also, doesn't she also do surgical gyn cases? Even less time.) The perfect OB would be not only an awesome doctor and person but also on call all the time... unfortunately no hospital or practice can financially sustain itself with the small number of patients that could realistically be managed under that structure... Maybe one woman per week of pregnancy, country-doctor-style? With 15 minute appointments and probably 10 patients at or near term comes "who is this doctor in my delivery room??". Boo. I agree it stinks though. I hope my OB is working when I deliver, but like you, I just try to be realistic and hope and trust that her partners share her philosophies and expertise.

Bling, thanks for checking in! I'd been wondering how things were going. The only exercise I managed to do without Braxton Hicks was swimming... But it takes so much time to do it, not to mention a bathing suit which has its own special emotional challenges... so I exercise by walking 2 buildings down to the cafeteria at work, or a couple blocks to the bus. Or rolling over in bed.

AFM, 37&0 today, full term! At my 36w appointment my OB checked my cervix and I was a little under 1cm dilated, 75% effaced, which was like . Apparently Braxton Hicks can do that, gradually over time. So I've had a slightly paranoid week, but now that I'm 37w bring it on. (Kinda. Parents are expediting their preparations but we're all still hoping not to have to buy last minute plane tickets. ) Tomorrow's my next appointment and we'll see how things are progressing - the contractions have definitely picked up over the last week, intermittently with cervical pressure, so at least it isn't looking like I'll have to be induced for post-dates...! My OB "prefers" first babies to be born around 38w... Uh, so I'll ask my lady parts if they're up for that.

 

[ladyciel]

Evergreen, YAY for 37 weeks! I'm 35+6 and very excited to hit 36 tomorrow. I'm hoping we make it to 37, at least, which is looking more doable. I've had a few days in a row now with very few contractions, and the ones I've gotten were much more like true B-Hs... they've come on because of something I was doing and stop as soon as I change it up. That said, I've also had more periods of feeling crampy in the absence of contractions, so it's totally possible my cervix is still changing. I haven't been checked since 2 weeks ago, when I was still 1cm and long, so it's a complete mystery as to what's actually happening. I think my doc is just fine not knowing my progress (knowing won't change a darn thing), so I doubt she'll check me unless I get to be 5 weeks past my stint in the hospital and they need to redo the Group B Strep screening. It came back negative the first time, so I'm hoping that either I go into labor before it expires, or they have time to redo it. I'd prefer not to be forced to repeat the IV antibiotics simply because I "might" be positive. I want to be as mobile and unhooked as possible during labor, meaning no IV bag if I can avoid it.

As for my doc's on-call schedule... we totally get it and really weren't surprised by the 1 every 8. It would be fairly impossible to do more, or at least miserable for her. Really, I think it was more that prior to knowing the actual number it was easier to pretend/put our heads in the sand and not face the reality that the odds are very much against us getting our doctor for delivery. We dared to ask the question, we got the official answer, so we finally had no choice but to face what we kind of already knew. I'm sure it's better that we did, vs having those emotions potentially blindside us after everything is in motion! I do think it was good that we talked with our doc about how her approach does/doesn't differ from the other docs we might see - I'd highly recommend a similar conversation for anybody who knows they could be delivered by any one of X number of doctors in their practice.

We're way behind on locking in a pediatrician. I've had my eye on a particular practice for quite some time, but I only just finally called and set up a "meet and greet" appointment. It's next Tues, so that's just one more reason I really hope to make it to 37 weeks!

This is today, one day shy of 36wks:

 

[evergreen]

After your post, I wondered if maybe I got checked last week (@36) because she did the GBS culture that day (i.e., "undressed from the waist down", might as well?), but lo and behold, it seems like she checks every week! MOAR DATA. I was 1cm / 80% effaced / 0 station yesterday at 37+1. And let me tell you, I feel him at 0 station because holy mackerel my pubic symphysis pain has gone nuts over the last couple of days. Little stinker. I yelp rolling over in bed, whimper getting out of the car, and yeowch'd stepping up to get on the bus this AM. Note to self: Take advantage of "kneeling bus" feature next time. Makes me want an epidural for the next couple weeks just for the stupid pubic symphysis (then again, if I had an epidural I wouldn't have to walk anywhere, so it's a moot point).

My chiropractor says epidurals are the worst thing you can do for an over-lax pubic symphysis, because you lose the pain signal that's somehow protective, but I'm IGNORING THAT because her whole philosophy is doctors-bad, hypnobirth-good. Fine, but not for me - I (think I) have a realistic grasp of my pain tolerance and the population-average effect of many intrapartum comfort interventions, and my plan-but-not-really-a-plan is to labor unmedicated until I feel like not doing that any more (or produce a baby).

Incidentally, DH has decided to re-watch all of Star Trek Voyager, even though it is "the worst Star Trek" and has a completely unrealistic treatment of the Borg, among other apparently major sins (but I digress). A woman gave birth to a half-human, half-not-human baby on the ship. She screamed and thrashed and screamed and then, when the baby's forehead spines suddenly put both mom and baby in danger, they teleported the baby out & everyone did awesome. What I'd like to know is, why didn't they just teleport the baby out in the first place? Neither here nor there. I just would like to have seen that The Future is not clinging to this idea that childbirth requires thrashing and screaming (however you manage the inevitable discomfort).

Glad to hear the contractions are maybe, just maybe, winding down? I guess they come & go, I had a lot more B-H last week than I have, so far, this week. Congratulations on 36, fingers crossed for 37!!

Also, yay for GBS negative. One less thing to worry about!

My excuse re: pediatrician is -- he's going to have Kaiser insurance, through DH, but because I'm not delivering at Kaiser & am not a Kaiser patient, literally no one will talk to me until he's born; they won't talk to DH, either, because he is not the one giving birth... which seems like a dumb policy, but fine. DH will get to work on that from our postpartum room.

ETA: belly pic!

 

[blingbunny10]

ladyciel and evergreen -

Love the new bump pics! LC, I'm especially in awe of the jeans... Have not been able to fit into any of my maternity jeans for weeks! Compared to both your pics, I'm feeling like such a slob in the stretchy leggings I've been wearing non stop. Have either of you purchased a maternity coat? I've just been bundling up underneath an unzipped coat because I'm cheap, but I suppose a new coat would be handy for walks when the baby is here, too. Baby hiccups are in the oddest of places now, I think he must be pretty low and head down now. I have a growth ultrasound on Friday, so we will see if they are still predicting a big baby! Have been following the gestational diabetes diet for a few weeks, so hopefully the scan will show it has paid off.

Any nursery pics to share? My husband just finished painting and putting up trim so the room is still pretty empty, but it is cute how proud he is of having done the work! I think he is nesting big time trying to get everything in order before December. We also enjoyed our Lamaze classes, though one unexpected side effect is that my husband has started calling himself my doula, says he needs to prepare a doula bag for the labor, etc.

 

[ladyciel]

Aww, thanks, Bling, and I've got my fingers crossed for you that your GD diet is helping! I've put on at least 40lbs this pregnancy, but I've been lucky and the bulk of it has gone to my belly/middle and boobs, less of it to my hips. If you go back in this thread I think Evergreen and I talked about the whole maternity jeans ordeal. For me and my proportions, it was actually amazing compared to normal jeans shopping. This pair of Jessica Simpson maternity jeans seemed to be made for me, and I've pretty much lived in them my entire pregnancy. I long ago outgrew the pair I bought at Old Navy - they got too tight across the hips. These ones have got a good bit of stretch, and I think they've conformed to me as I've gotten bigger. They're due to be washed, and I'm honestly afraid to do it at this point, thinking there's a chance they'll come out and no longer fit. 3 weeks (maybe) to go, and I'm down to very very few things in my closet that actually stretch around my belly. I haven't bought a maternity coat - it has stayed warm enough here that I've gotten away with it so far. This week is proving more challenging. I've resorted to throwing a poncho or shawl around me and minimizing the time I spend outside. My luck is that if I DO finally break down and buy something, I'll go into labor the very next day. If I don't buy something, I'll go past my due date and regret not giving in.

DH painted the nursery, and the furniture is all in place except for us still needing to find a small table to put by the glider and some kind of bookcase or wall shelves. I also found curtains (got them at Target) and bought frames for the prints we bought on Etsy. Getting those hung up is on today's agenda, hopefully, though it will be a bit tedious. We're putting some of them over the crib, and while we don't live in an earthquake area we really want to be sure they can't fall. So, we ordered some "T-lock" security hanger kits that use a T-head bolt to lock the frame to the wall. You can't remove the frame from the brackets mounted on the wall without a special wrench to unlock the bolt. I think a lot of hotels and restaurants use them. I'll take some pics to share once the frames are hung up and the room is looking a bit more put together.

 

[ladyciel]

Had another appt this afternoon (37+1), and this time she checked me - 90% effaced, 1-1.5cm, and baby's head is "low" (she didn't say what station). Both doc and I are very happy about the last piece - it suggests that her getting past the fibroid isn't going to be an issue. We just have to hope it doesn't interfere with getting to 10cm, since they can sometimes upset the effectiveness of contractions.

Speaking of contractions, I had more this morning than I've had for several days combined. Then, the combination of her checking me followed by a 2hr wait (mostly standing) in line for early voting just encouraged them, so I spent the rest of the afternoon and all evening with contractions every 2-10min of mild to moderate intensity. Not painful, but quite a few were definitely uncomfortable. They seem to have calmed down a lot in the last hour, but they were enough to put DH in a panic. He spent the whole evening tidying up and doing laundry. I'm thinking that if this prodromal labor is going to drag on and make me crazy, at least it might mean a nice clean house by the time active labor shows up!

Evergreen, are you still pregnant? If so, I'm hoping for your sake that the pubic symphysis pain has let up, or that you deliver soon and can get some relief then! I forgot to mention yesterday that we got our ped sorted out. We met with the one at the top of our possibilities list, and she said all the right things and was easy to talk to. The office is 5 min from our house, connected to a hospital, and they guarantee same-day sick appointments. Sold!

 

[evergreen]

Haha, LC, amazing how attitudes toward contractions change once we hit the magical 37-week mark? I'm definitely encouraging mine along... 38+3 today, yep, still pregnant. Got a little discouraged at my OB appointment Monday when she checked me and I am STILL 1cm/80%/0 C'mon, dude, make some progress! But I really have had very few contractions...

...Except for last night, when I'd contract any time I shifted positions or THOUGHT about contractions, anyway! They cooled off by morning, but fired up the symphysis pain again. Maybe that means he shifted a little further down into the pelvis - a cheering thought. But it makes it pretty impossible to "walk around" (something that was suggested to help move things along... also, spicy food and "intimate relations"). I basically only walk when I have to: bathroom, cafeteria at work, water cooler... bathroom, bathroom, bathroom...

Buuuuut, my OB is out of town this week, and my parents don't come to stay with us until a week from today, so there are some upsides to remaining pregnant... for only one more week exactly. Then I'm gonna look up & implement ALL the old wives' tales.

And yay for a "low" head!!! Wow, you sound ready, hope that fibroid doesn't pose any issues but it's so encouraging that you've made it this far! Your pediatrician sounds like a dream, I'm thrilled for you!


Bling, I'm now 100% yoga pants all the time. Outgrew both sizes of my maternity jeans and frankly just don't think I have anything to prove to anyone at this point. So who cares! Practically all of Europe thinks we're ridiculous for working this long & not taking care of ourselves til we're practically in labor -- wearing yoga pants to work is one way I now say BAH! to the US's non-mom-friendly atmosphere.

I'll try to remember to take a nursery pic this evening! It's my favorite room in the house now.

 

[evergreen]

The nursery!



Still messy but to be honest it's not like he's gonna really use it for weeks, months... I promise it will be tidy and child-proofed once he starts crawling. And j/k about those blankets hanging over the edge of the crib, also will go away before he uses it!

My favorite thing is the dresser -- refinished it from a Craigslist light-maple-with-weird-scratch-off-red-glaze-sponged-on-it, stained the top & bottom to match the crib & painted the middle to match the rug, then applied selected parts of a very cute Amazon vinyl decal... my first piece of refinished furniture! All the while wearing massive organic fume respirator. Part of 2nd trimester energy burst.

In the back corner of the room, we have a Nanoleaf Aurora, which is some Kickstarter thing I thought DH was sort of silly for being excited about, but I take it back, it's super cool. It's a composition of programmable LED light tiles & I designed a color scheme for it that slowly... kinda... throbs with brighter and darker shades of red which I called "Womb". (It looks more orangey in the photo than real life.) We might keep it on at a relatively dim level to facilitate middle-of-the-night diaper changes without disrupting everyone's melatonin. If nothing else it makes for a funky reading light!

No glider, and I'm not exactly sure how that's gonna go... I hear they're completely essential but I've never sat in one I found comfortable. We got the LoveSac that's in the corner instead, but my mom pointed out that it's really going to be hard to get out of there without somehow putting the baby down & using 2 hands. She makes an excellent point. :/ No backup plan so far! Maybe I'll look for a real old-fashioned rocking chair with high arms.

And those square things mounted on the wall over the dresser? It's acoustic foam covered with muslin, in hopes of blocking sound transmission to (and from) our neighbors'. Shared walls & 1950s construction = maybe we should get them a bottle of nice Scotch & some earplugs, too...

The wooden ovals with what looks like, from a distance, skulls (hanging off the stuffed animal net, and on the right-hand wall) are actually very cute pandas from my baby shower, as is the Welcome banner.

Bling? LC? Would love to see your totally-for-the-baby-who-can't-see-more-than-12" beautiful living spaces.

 

[blingbunny10]

ladyciel -
Sounds like you are getting close! Glad the pediatrician worked out. I called the one I was interested in and expected a big hassle. The office said nope, just write our practice down on the hospital registration and call us when the baby is coming! Honestly I feel a little guilty for not putting more into it, but at this stage I'm also relieved to just check it off my list. If we don't like the ped, we can always change later.

Ooh, what kind of prints did you get? I've been looking through Etsy and am annoyed at how many of them are just "ready to print" options.

evergreen -
Ooh, I am jealous of your cozy set up and of how much room you have. And you're so crafty with the staining and decal work on the dresser. Cute! Were the decals easy to apply and get flat? I was looking at some decals for the wall. My husband *just* finished cleaning the construction junk from our nursery last night, so I snapped a pic. It is so sparse and boring, have not done any decorating yet. Crib/toddler bed from IKEA. It's big, but I like that we won't have to worry about changing furniture until after the toddler stage. Changing table is an IKEA piece I repurposed from a different room. Rug on sale from Target. The glider/ottoman was the one splurge. Couldn't resist because it is super comfortable and we got a good deal on it. Now I need to decorate the room to add some color - thinking I'll add some prints and a couple floating shelves in one corner. Maybe curtains?

Shot in panoramic to show the whole room. The room is *not* this big, only 8 x 9 or so!

 

[Shondra]

Ebay really has some great deals sometimes. It's just a matter of patiently sifting through and you'll eventually find what you're looking for at the best price. I think when it comes time for me to start buying baby stuff Ebay is going to be my #1 choice.

 

[evergreen]

Well, he's here!

My water broke at home on the first day of my maternity leave (Halloween!) after a night of slightly more impressive contractions than normal, and we scurried off to the hospital... to be admonished by the front desk that, didn't we call ahead? Because apparently just rupture of membranes isn't enough to get you hospitalized at term! Never mind, they did admit me (cervix again totally unchanged since basically 36 weeks... 1/80%/+1).

Labor was pretty uneventful, thank god for epidurals (got mine at 2cm and no regrets there, that's when I needed it!), and he was born at 40 minutes past midnight, November 1! ( we're kinda glad he missed having a Halloween birthday )

We're home & adjusting - I'm doing way better with the sleep deprivation than I thought I would be, but feeding him is just so nice ( and necessary now that my milk has come in )

Bling, your nursery is so lovely - soothing and minimalist in that photo. The vinyl decals are a super easy way to add temporary flair, just make sure you read reviews because some have better adhesion than others. Also, they can be a pain to remove if they are intricate cut-outs.

 

[ladyciel]

Congratulations, Evergreen!! I'm so happy to hear your labor went so smoothly and that he is doing well. Pics??

I love seeing how different everybody's nurseries are. Evergreen, I'm jealous of how much space you have, and Bling, your glider looks super comfy! I finally got the room tidied for pics, so here is ours. The room is a bit awkwardly narrow, but I'm really happy with how it shaped up. The little makeshift shelf thing (used to sit on DH's desk in college) will eventually be replaced by a proper bookshelf. I'm hoping to build one once things settle down after the holidays. Dresser and crib are from PBK, glider/recliner is lazboy, and we found the little table for cheap on Amazon. The artwork is mostly a mix of prints from an artist that sells as "Trafalgar Square" (they have a website as well as an Etsy shop) and needlework that used to be in my and DH's nurseries. The alphabet one was a gift from my parents' best friends when I was born, my grandma stitched the cat and small baby pic frame, and DH's mom stitched the tree full of critters





I was inspired by an etsy artist (lighting by Sara) and am making my own take on one of her drilled birdhouse night lights. It isn't finished yet - I need to repeat the scene in the other side and maybe do some decoration around the door, but I love how it is coming out. It shines dappled lights on the ceiling, almost like stars with a big moon in the middle (from the door opening). I can only handle so much dremel time in one sitting, so it has taken a while to do.



I also sewed some rope baskets for the dresser - I can't stomach the price of these in stores when they are so easy to make, but I love how practical and baby-safe they are.

 

[evergreen]

LC, I love the grey you chose for the walls! Soothing but not too dark. And in some ways I wish we didn't have to devote a whole normal-sized bedroom to this little guy... the temptation to fill it with STUFF is very high, and it's harder to keep tidy! But I'm glad I love the nursery anyway because I spend HOURS in there now... Your MIL's cross-stitch is amazing.

Here's a picture of the little guy! I know he doesn't have control over his facial muscles, but wow, he is practicing such an astonishing array of expressions!

Like, cute:


And stink-eye (cropped myself out for privacy, but the rest of the picture shows me smiling sweetly down on him and him delivering this glare!):


And those were from just the first 24 hours.

Looking forward to hearing your birth stories! & seeing you both on the newborn-12 thread soon - but not too soon. (Bling, I mean you )

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Congrats EG he's gorgeous! Those newborn faces are something else aren't they?

 

[ladyciel]

Evergreen, he's perfect! I just love his silly expressions. The grey paint is Sherwin Williams "Knitting Needles", and we really love it. It is dark enough to add some contrast, but light enough that the room still feels airy and relaxed. The walls were a medium and dark green when we bought the house, and the room really feels so much larger with the light colors.

Tomorrow is my due date, and I'm still pregnant. I'm also still getting random spurts of contractions, some of them a bit stronger, but nothing consistent. Last Wed I was 80-90% effaced, 2cm, and doc said she could feel the baby was a bit lower than the week before. The only sign since then that things might be starting to progress more is that I lost my plug yesterday. I'm sitting here right now hoping maybe I'll be in the minority of women that actually deliver right or almost on their due date. If not, I've got my next doc appt on Wed, and if we get there she wants to "have a plan" before we leave, i.e. schedule an induction (and pray we don't reach it). Either way, I'm glad to know I can't possible be pregnant for too much longer. I am sooooo done and ready to meet this kid.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Congrats LC! FWIW I was in full blown labor within three days after beginning to lose my plug. Happy wishes to you on a safe delivery!

 

[April20]

So I'm just going to jump in over here. I'm 12 weeks tomorrow and have a ridiculous bump that's getting super hard to camouflage- we haven't told family and friends yet, but plan to this week.

I stayed off the JBP thread after my August loss (mmc @ 11w6d). My 12 week appointment and NT scan was today. The MMC was discovered at the NT scan last time, so needless to say, I was anxious. With the August loss, for the two weeks before the appointment, I could not shake the feeling that we were not going to get good news and I was right. This time, I had three early u/s before this appointment so I didn't lose my mind. I was still holding my breath when doc was looking for the HB with the doppler (and it took him a couple mins to find it). Good news is baby looks great! The NT scan measurements were very normal and they drew blood for the Harmony test. We should have those results next week. I'm due 6.6.17, but Eliza was 16 days early, so a May baby wouldn't shock me. We're going to have 2 under 2 for about six weeks. Lord help me!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

So I'm just going to jump in over here. I'm 12 weeks tomorrow and have a ridiculous bump that's getting super hard to camouflage- we haven't told family and friends yet, but plan to this week.

I stayed off the JBP thread after my August loss (mmc @ 11w6d). My 12 week appointment and NT scan was today. The MMC was discovered at the NT scan last time, so needless to say, I was anxious. With the August loss, for the two weeks before the appointment, I could not shake the feeling that we were not going to get good news and I was right. This time, I had three early u/s before this appointment so I didn't lose my mind. I was still holding my breath when doc was looking for the HB with the doppler (and it took him a couple mins to find it). Good news is baby looks great! The NT scan measurements were very normal and they drew blood for the Harmony test. We should have those results next week. I'm due 6.6.17, but Eliza was 16 days early, so a May baby wouldn't shock me. We're going to have 2 under 2 for about six weeks. Lord help me!

Ahhhh so many congrats to you! Wishing you a H&H 9 (well less now!) months!

 

[blingbunny10]

Ooh evergreen, congrats! I love the pics, especially the "stink eye" one hehe. What great timing, too, with labor lining up basically perfectly with your maternity leave! Glad the adjustment period is going so well.

LC, looking forward to hearing your update, too. I really love the birdhouse nightlight (how crafty of you!) and the pops of color in your nursery.

Well I made it to 37 weeks today - OB says cervix is closed but soft -- maybe 50% effaced. She also said she could feel his head (!), which seems crazy to me. And a very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! My husband and I are having a very quiet night in with roast chicken and a few traditional sides. I sort of wish I'd hosted our families as usual this year, I just had no idea how I'd be feeling at this point so didn't want to risk it.

 

[ladyciel]

I've been slow to update (tried once in the hospital and PS ate my post), but our little Dorah is here! She arrived at 1:30pm on the 16th, the day after her due date. 7lbs 12oz, 19 3/4", 14" head circumference (78.8, 72.6, and 91.9th(!) percentiles, respectively).

I spent most of my due date at the doc's office and in triage after I woke up in the morning with a large amount of watery bloody discharge. There was enough that I thought maybe my water had broken, my doctor wasn't completely sure after checking me (the blood throws off their usual tests), and so I was sent to triage. I was 3cm and having frequent contractions, but they eventually concluded it wasn't my water based on the amount of fluid they could still see on the US. They figured it was just an impressive amount of bloody show and that I was probably in very early labor. I wasn't making enough progress to keep me, so they sent me home late in the afternoon. I was pretty sure we'd be back sooner rather than later, and sure enough the real, no-doubt-about-it, contractions started at midnight. They ramped up to less than 5 min apart by 1am, I called the doc a bit after 2, and we were in triage by 3. We were excited to find out that the doc who did my myomectomy last year was on call. She isn't who we've been seeing regularly as of late (she's too hard to schedule), but we love her. I stuck to my guns and managed to labor and deliver without any meds. I never would have gotten through it without DH - of everything he did to support me, him massaging my hairline had a magical calming effect that I came to completely depend on. Overall, it was the hardest but most fulfilling thing I've ever done, though I almost gave up when, after a bunch of contractions that were really testing my ability to cope and breathe, the nurse told me I was "still" 4cm. Just a few min later the doc came to check me, concerned I wasn't making progress, and she announced with surprise that I was fully effaced and 8cm. I ended up pushing for 2 hrs in several different positions before finding one that both kept my contractions strong and my pelvis open enough. It felt SO GOOD to push, at least until she started to crown. I recall sending apologies in my head to anyone in earshot of me from that point on until she was born. Primal screaming to find the strength to push through the pain does not begin to describe it, but it was so worth it. I only needed a figure eight (2 stitches on same spot) for a small internal laceration, otherwise no tearing. Baby girl passed meconium sometime during labor, so DH didn't get to cut the cord and I had to wait for the NICU team to suction and check her over before I got to hold her for skin to skin. Thankfully, she handled both the meconium and hours of pushing like a total champ.

We're settling into a routine at home after a very rough first few days. DD had a tongue tie that we discovered just before leaving the hospital. It was severely limiting her ability to transfer milk, something the first lactation nurse didn't catch, so we thought everything was going fine at first. Then her reserves ran out, she dropped to a single wet (but absolutely soaked) diaper in 24hrs, she eventually wanted to nurse 24/7, yet she was never satisfied. Thankfully another lactation nurse realized what might be going on, so we were able to address it before things got any worse. In the days between getting home Fri evening and getting to see the pediatrician and then ENT on Mon (same-day referral for the win), I had to nurse her, pump what I could for her when she was done, and then further supplement with formula, for every single feeding (i.e. every 2 hrs). She wanted to nurse for a full hour or more each time, so It left me essentially no time to sleep or do anything else. Let's just say I did a lot of crying that weekend. They clipped her tie on Monday, and it's made a world of difference. My nipples are recovering now that she can finally latch correctly, she started gaining weight, and we were able to drop the pumping and formula after a few days once she got the hang of things and my supply caught up. My word of advice to anyone wanting to breastfeed is to have lactation visit you every day in the hospital, even if you think everything is going perfectly.

Best of luck to you ladies - looking forward to seeing you over in the newborn thread!

Oh, and of course, photos - one from the hospital on her birthday, and a few I took last Fri at 9 days old.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Oh Lady C she's a doll! I'm sl glad things went well and you were able to have her TT corrected soon enough! I too battled with a TT & LT and ended up EPing and supplementing as needed for 8 months, I wish we could have had it repaired right away! Feel free to post in the newborn thread anytime, I check often! Congratulations again

 

[ladyciel]

Thanks, AHL! She also as a lip tie (I get the feeling they go hand in hand more than people realize...), but the ENT said to leave it for now because 1) it requires a more extensive procedure with stitches and, 2) in his experience, by itself usually isn't very problematic. We decided to leave it for now, see how it goes, and if we suspect it's giving her issues we'll seek out the dentist in town that specializes in laser surgery for TTs and LTs. So far just clipping the TT has made such a giant difference. You'd think hospitals would screen for them more than they do, given how detrimental they can be to successful BF!

 

[evergreen]

Congratulations, LC!! She is gorgeous -- like AHL said, a doll. Those cheeks & those lips! And fabulous eyebrows.

Whoa, tough mama -- I'm so glad you had the birth experience you wanted! Amazing support from your husband and your own incredible inner strength. I bet pushing without anesthesia is protective against tears so hopefully your recovery is smoother because of that. (I had an episiotomy... it is STILL bothering me, though not, like, all the time.) Also, great that your myomectomy surgeon got to deliver you!!

We just had a small TT fixed today at pedi ENT. I don't think it was anything like yours -- Alec has been transferring milk & gaining well, just causing a lot of nipple pain -- but thank goodness for that second lactation consultant catching Dorah's. I was not impressed with the LCs in the hospital where I delivered, but because of the nipple pain we started seeing a LC through Alec's insurance and she is WAY better. I imagine that, like anything, LCs vary from meh to amazing, and totally second the advice to see lactation in the hospital any chance you get (lest you see one who is really terrific!) Everything changes from when you're just producing colostrum to when your milk comes in (engorgement, etc) and any tips you can get are worth hearing, whether or not they're immediately helpful at the time.

(I'm sad to go to the baby thread. I got all comfy in this one. But will keep checking in to see how things are going with Bling and now April, too! Congratulations on making it to term, Bling, & good luck!! And April, I'm so glad to see you here after your journey... dust & hugs to you as your rainbow baby grows.)

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Thanks, AHL! She also as a lip tie (I get the feeling they go hand in hand more than people realize...), but the ENT said to leave it for now because 1) it requires a more extensive procedure with stitches and, 2) in his experience, by itself usually isn't very problematic. We decided to leave it for now, see how it goes, and if we suspect it's giving her issues we'll seek out the dentist in town that specializes in laser surgery for TTs and LTs. So far just clipping the TT has made such a giant difference. You'd think hospitals would screen for them more than they do, given how detrimental they can be to successful BF!

We had both repaired by laser, well worth the money. The stretches were not a big deal after the first set and he has no tooth gap! Def. seek out someone who knows what they're doing, it's worth it IMO. Seriously about the hospitals, we walked out thinking everything was great and I only figured out he was starving day 3. Def not enough education out there.