Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[msb700]

havent been on here for a while coz its been crazy busy in my life, but thought id jump in and contribute a little!! (tacori: like u i feel ppl actually read my posts on this thread over other threads! ha ha ha!)

falling hair & baby fuzzies: girls dont even get me started!!!!!! i had gloooooooooorious hair thru out my pregnancy...come 8 weeks after birth...my hair fell out by the bucket!! EVERY shower i had about a golf sized hair ball from how much fell out..i honestly thought i would go bald...when my son turned 5 months it lessened quite a lot and by 6 months it stopped...and then the baby fuzzies started...it wasn''t noticable in the begning, but as they became about 3 cm long...hahaha...i look HILARIOUS when i have my hair tied in a pony tail...fly away hairs EVERYWHERE!! and there is NOTHING i could do to get them to stay in place..no gel, no cream ,no mousse nothing!! and if my hair was down, my BFF told me it looked like i had a ''farrah fawcett'' hairstyle..ahahaha

Tacori: that totally sux that ur hubby mite not be able to make it!!! but from wat i have seen when travelling, mothers travelling with infants on their own usually get quite a lot of help from airport staff/passengers and flight attendants...do any of the airlines offer sky nanny services? our local airline (Gulf Air) has a sky nanny service where they actually wisk kids away to a special area in the back of the plane and play with them and give them games and stuff so the parents can have sometime to relax etc...

njc: looooooooove the pictures and the socks!! thats just tooooo cute!

MrsS: love that picture!! that is such a beautiful place to have a walk!! i WISH we had parks and outdoor areas that i can take my son too over here

 

[LitigatorChick]

Date: 1/30/2008 4:31:23 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 1/30/2008 4:26:18 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
TGal, read it fast so you can easily explain it to me

You can be my baby sleep tutor.

LOL, except every baby is different!

You know, I swear, some of this just seems like money making opportunities. The attachment parenting people say the detachment way is cruel. The detachment people say that attachment people are overcoddling and nuts. At the end of the day, you have to do what is right for your family...and I think all the babies turn out fine! I see my friends are doing it both ways. Sure, I prefer one set of traits/effects than I see over another, but I think all the kids are happy and won''t turn into Ted Bundy.

Balance, it''s all about balance, IMHO. I mean, does anyone else think Happy PARENTS = Happy babies too?

Holy crap - you guys were posting up a storm on this thread yesterday!

I agree entirely with TGal - balance. For me, I fell on the side of attachment parenting (although I don''t follow it to the letter, but a general philosophy - balance, and find what works for you). I like Dr. Sears'' books (esp. the big thick "Baby Book" - it has everything!) and books by Elizabeth Pantley (the No Cry Sleep Solution).

For us, my little man was not a good sleeper until about 1 year.

. However, at 19 months, we go through his bath, book, and bottle bed time routine, have a 5-10 minute snuggle, and I put him in his crib awake. He talks to himself for anywhere from 10 minutes to 40 minutes, and then goes to sleep. He generally sleeps all night (about 1 time a week he wakes up and needs about 5-10 minutes of snuggling to settle down) now. I think it was just his personality, and he eventually found his own "groove" when the time was right.

 

[ellaila]

NJC! Jon is adorable! I can''t believe he''s four months old already -- that''s crazy. Love the socks, too! A friend gave me a six-pack of the cutest little Trumpette monkey socks, and I think she gave me a pair of hand-me-down Mary Jane socks too. I had never heard of them before, but now I feel oh-so-chic with them

Tacori, I agree with Lisa -- you''re a pretty impressive Momma! I know traveling alone seems daunting, but there are actually a lot of nice, helpful people out there, and I guarantee you that if you need to travel without DH that you''ll be just fine. Just practice with all the gear ahead of time so you don''t have to worry about any of that. And the good part is that you''ll actually feel pretty damn proud of yourself after the fact too! As for sleeping in the swing, I know Tessa is a month older than the twins, but they sleep in the swing all the time. It''s the only thing that really soothes them (we actually are picking up another one today because we only have one right now). At this stage, I think that whatever gets them to sleep is fine by me! They sleep just fine in their crib at night, so I''m fine with letting them sleep in the swing during the day. Along those lines, if I never hear white noise again in my life, I will be more than happy! UUUUUGGGGHHH!

Curly, I''d never heard of stork bites or angel''s kisses -- such cute names, by the way. I looked them up, but I don''t think that K''s mark is in the right place to be an angel''s kiss. It doens''t seem to get worse so I guess I''ll just keep an eye on it till their pedi appt. next week.

Y''all are freaking me out about this hair loss thing.

So I think we hit a turning point this week! First off, as I mentioned, the babies are smiling, which makes things SO much more bearable it''s not even funny! You can have a two-hour nightmare feeding session, and then one grin wipes it all away. You don''t really believe it will happen when other people say it, but it really is true! A little baby smile is just the sweetest thing ever.

Then ... I went out with the babies by myself the other day!! That is HUGE! We went to the mall for a few hours, and it actually went really well (once I had help getting through the doors at Macys to even get into the mall!). I had to feed them when I was there, and things did get a little hairy when Gabe needed to be burped while I was still feeding K -- neither of them wanted to back down to let me help the other -- but a nice lady seated near me offered to help, which was really sweet. She was obviously a grandmohterly type, so I didn''t feel too weird having her hold the bottle in Katelyn''s mouth -- Katelyn was in her car seat in the snap-and-go, so it''s not like this woman was holding her or anything. Other than that though, it was pretty much smooth sailing. I felt SO Mom-like though because I was getting all annoyed with stores for not having aisles wide enough for the stroller ... and I had to ask in the Gap where the non-low-rise jeans were to hide my mummy tummy! Oh well. At least I''m only one size up from where I normally am, so I''m not going to stress about it.

AND I tandem-nursed the babies again yesterday

AND I realized that if I put the babies on my bed in their boppys that I can blowdry my hair and still see them in the mirror -- the hairdryer calms them and Mom gets to look human again. Whoo hoo!! I think yesterday they were thinking, "This lady smells like Mom and sounds like Mom, but where''s her ponytail?!"

And even though my friend doesn''t come to PS, I have to give her a shoutout b/c she rocks! Our hubbies are going skiing together this weekend, and she offered to stay over my house Friday night to help with the babies. She''s got a 1.5-year-old son, so this will def. be a learning experience for me to see what life is like with a toddler!

OK, gotta go feed babies. Hope you''re all doing well!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 1/30/2008 9:42:53 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
MrsS, so Jake for sure huh? So cute! Thank you for your confidence. I have only nursed in public once and it was in Nordstorm''s bathroom, so hardly ''public'' do you use something special or just a blanket?


I had so much fun registering with my friend (more than when I registered for myself). We did it all in an hour. Hopefully I was helpful.

yes, Jake for sure. I always just used a blanket but my sister''s friend uses this nursing cover called a hooter hider

and loves it. she says you are very hidden but can still peek down and see the baby due to some type of metal tubing around the top. My sister registered for one. since this is #3 and I got over being modest with #1 I''ll stick to a blanket but something like this might make you feel more comfortable?

http://www.bebeaulait.com/

 

[ephemery1]

Soooooooo, I have a small (very, very small -- just about the size of a poppyseed, actually) announcement to make...............

It would seem I am officially 4 weeks "with child"!!

We found out on Monday (day 41 of my loooong cycles) and I''m now tightly buckled in to an emotional rollercoaster!! I have been cycling from ecstatic to terrified to horrified to overwhelmed to ecstatic again at least once a day... I keep thinking, "WHAT did we DO?!"... not sure whether to blame the hormones or my own natural craziness.

But this was very planned and wanted and our little poppyseed is already very loved... we just didn''t think it was going to happen quite so soon!! It was the first cycle we actually "tried"... which seems to be a bit of a pattern over here... there must be something in the air on these PS boards.

It is still REALLY early, but I just wanted to share the news (it is so hard not telling any "real life" people yet!)... and hopefully you''ll be seeing many, many more posts from me in the very near future!

 

[Jas12]

Ella--way to go on the solo shopping expedition--you rock!
New pics of the twinsies pleeeezzz
.....

On the topic of hair--my leg hair has barely grown in the past few months--i almost don''t need to shave. A weird pregnancy thing. BUT i have my first OB appnt today and don''t know if i''ll be having any sort of exam so i decided i better do a little maintenance.

I got DH to help last night-lol--i didn''t really need the assistance, but i was in the mood for making ridiculous pregnancy demands while i still can.

...............
Lili--about the kegels--for some reason the natural response it to hold your breath when you contract the muscles--but keep practicing, you''ll soon be able to do it without. You should just feel it b/w your legs where you would place a tampon (not in your abs or butt or anywhere else)--hope that helps a little. They do work--i used to have trouble holding the muscle tight for 10 sec. but now it''s pretty easy.
Tgal, Lili, MrsS.--do you guys ever feel like the baby freaks out in the womb sometimes?--once in a while i get this intense vibration/shake feeling that lasts for a split second (like a massive ping pong ball ricocheting off my uterus''s walls) i am afraid she/he is having a seizure in there or something!??! I worry too much......

 

[curlygirl]

ephemery, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

I am soooo excited and happy for you! It really is an emotional rollercoaster and you are totally normal for having the "what have we done" feeling but it''s such an amazing thing!! It takes a while for it to sink in and you probably won''t even really believe it until the first ultrasound but it''s all worth it!! Woohoooo, I am thrilled for you! Wishing you a happy and healthy 9 months!!

 

[jas]

CONGRATULATIONS Ephemery! Here''s some ginger ale and a Saltine to celebrate! Yea!

 

[Jas12]

Eph--CONGRATS!!!!!

Welcome!

It''s always a shock when it happens SO soon after deciding to ''try'' ( i clearly remember that feeling) but as the weeks go on that will wear off and be replaced by (mostly) excitement

...here''s to a happy/healthy pregnancy!!!!

 

[qtiekiki]

Ephemery1 - CONGRATULATIONS!!! I wish we had it easy and got pg on first cycle. hehe. We were going to make an appointment with an infertility specialist when we found out. Wishing you a healthy, happy 9 months.

Thanks everyone. I am finally feeling better. I think I lost the couple lbs that I gained for the last OB appt.

Question about Kegels - How long and how often are you supposed to do it?

 

[dani13]

Congrats, Eph!!! Such wonderful news!! Best wishes for a happy & healthy 9 months...YAY!!!

 

[mrssalvo]

Congrats Eph, wonderful news!!!!


jas12- the baby is doing all sorts of gymnastics right now and it does come and go in spurts. Don''t worry, it''s normal

 

[radiantgirl]

Ephemery1 - Congrats!!!

I'm so happy for you! Hope you have a happy and healthy 9 months! I just found out exactly 2 weeks ago that I'm pg as well. I am 6 weeks and 1 day, so just a little over 2 weeks ahead of you. We got pregnant the first month off bcp, and weren't "officially" trying it. It is a emotional rollercoaster, and hopefully it will sink it soon. Did you get any symptoms or anything that might have lead you to believe you are pg? When is your estimated due date?

 

[ephemery1]

Thank you so much, everyone!!!

And thank you even more for sharing your experiences on the emotional rollercoaster! After years of daydreaming about starting a family, my reaction to seeing those two lines was definitely a little more overwhelmed

than I anticipated.

Radiant and Curly, we'll all be due right around the same time! My EDD is October 8, 2008... I am still getting used to saying that! I had a bunch of random symptoms -- one spot of red implantation bleeding on 10dpo, then on 11dpo, my ketchup chips tasted "off"... haha. I also had some heartburn, which is unusual for me. I haven't had much cramping, but some queasiness on and off in the past few days. Hungry and lots of peeing too!!

So we've officially encountered our first major pregnancy obstacle: we have been planning a trip to the Caribbean for my FIL's 60th bday in April. We haven't told our parents yet, but I will be in my 2nd trimester, so it seemed like it would work out fine timing-wise. Well they decided on a resort in the Dominican Republic and are ready to book flights today... except my mom JUST mentioned something about needing to get malaria shots before traveling there (they were there last year)!! So I looked it up online and it states expressly that pregnant women should avoid going to countries that have a malaria risk.

UGH... what do we do? I just called 2 different doctors but haven't heard back from either yet. Does anyone know if there are other Caribbean islands that would be better?? Either way, I'm thinking we will have to call his parents to tell them Dom. Rep. won't work, and we'll have to tell them why, which means no fun announcement... I am so upset.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Ella, you are making me blush!

I think YOU are an impressive mama. I just have ONE! Congrats on the solo shopping trip. I was so nervous about being alone with Tessa (in public) at first. Do you like your twin snap ''n go? Thanks for the swing support. She is actually napping in it right now. We have two swings (with one child). They are life savers! We go through a lot of batteries. Sounds like you have lost a ton of weight! I am still 2 sizes up from normal. Oh well.

msb, I really feel "ignored" on other threads. Glad I am not the only one!

Oh well, this is the most important one to me anyways. Gulf Air sounds awesome. Nothing like that in the states (to my knowledge).

MrsS, one of my friends has that and loves it. Maybe I will check it out. It is just more complicated b/c of the shield. Otherwise I would feel comfortable with just a blanket.

ephemery, congrats! I told you it could happen VERY fast! Hope you continue to feel good. I had bad heartburn with my pregnancy. The first time I got it I have NO idea what was going on (since I never had it before).

Jas12, I used to feel like Tessa was freaking out too. Either she was moving TOO much or not enough. Just relax. I am sure (s)he is fine. Just having a little party in there.

 

[Jaders731]

Congrats Ephemery...

Just wanted to chime in about your trip:

Maybe you could persuade the family to go to Turks and Caicos.. its right next door, no malaria risk and there is a WONDERFUL OB/GYN there just in case something should happen (she treated me for the two years that I was there!). Its only 1 hour and 20 min. from Miami (by air), and they have emergency transport to the US available (if something were to happen). The only draw back is that it is more expesnive than the Dominican, but the weather will be the same as in the Dominican, and the beaches are WAY better! I could write a book on the pros of going to Turks and Caicos instead!!! Maybe you can convince your family to go there, without ruining the surprise.. work on the Turks and Caicos angle.. and if they agree, then you can surprise them with the baby news later!!!

Hope that helps.. congrats again!!!

 

[njc]

Tacori – I love those socks… SIL gave them to us for Christmas. The ideal plan was for me to be freelancing from home by the time we were ready for kids, but DH moved things up on me, which I was okay with too. Anyways, I’m so scared to make the jump… I like getting a paycheck every week for the same amount! Plus, that means pulling Jon out of daycare (which I would love), and I’m not sure I could work and entertain him. I keep telling myself I just need to do it. Glad the nursing on your hands and knees is working. That is fab Tessa slept for 5 hours… I am guessing she is just starting to extend her sleep? Jon was sleeping 8-9 hours up until I went back to work… I have no clue what is going on, but its driving me batty! About the trip - call the airlines and see if they have any suggestions or can do anything to help. Also remember you can bring BM through security now if you don’t feel up to nursing or don’t have time (nursing always takes longer than a bottle for us), just tell them what it is. I hear the screeners get all squeamish and kind of rush you through. If the only place to get Tessa to sleep is in her swing, so be it… Jon still naps in his swing and car seat. I’ve got a Hooter Hider and it actually has a little pocket in one of the corners I keep my nipple shield in. I actually feel less awkward using the nipple shield with the HH because I don’t have to explain about my “prosthetic nipple”. And no, I havent given it up yet… I go a couple days without and then end up using it again… oh well, its what works. At least I am past the panic of “what if I forget it and need to feed”!

Tgal – Thanks! I read Babywise and kinda used that as a guideline. Once I started using it at about 7 weeks, Jon seemed to naturally eat, play, sleep, so there wasn’t much work to it. I think the big thing I love that Jon learned early was falling asleep on his own, so to me, that’s the key to any sleeping method. Even now with the whole waking up bit, the one thing that hasn’t changed is his ability to fall asleep on his own at any time. We also used a Miracle Blanket to swaddle him and I think that helped. But you are right… its all about balance and what works for your baby and ITA happy parents = happy baby.

Lili – Thanks! I’m sure you look fabulous… I think our perceptions of how big we are preggo are always worse than it really is.

Indecisive – Thanks! I knew you would appreciate the outfit! Hahaha… yes, there is something about Little Hokies that is too cute! Ugh, I’m still mad I stayed up to watch the end… I so paid for it the next day… oh well!

MBS – Thanks! You give me no hope with my hair… I get a ping pong ball every shower! I had incredible preggo hair too…

Ella – Thanks! I had never heard of them either, but someone told me they are expensive… I guess I should feel chic too! I had the same exact feelings when Jon started smiling and honestly, even now when he smiles at me and its 3am and it’s the second time I have been up with him, I cant be *that* mad at him. Isnt it incredibly empowering once you are able to start doing normal things again and without the help of others!? Boppy on the bed is a life saver for us too… pop Jon in that and do just about anything… fold clothes, get dressed, SLEEP! Half the time he is content to just watch me and other times I give him a little toy or book to play with. I cant even imagine tandem nursing… that rocks and so does your friend!

MrsS – I broke down and bought a Hooter Hider just before Christmas. I could care less who sees the girls, but some of the males in the fam get a little squeamish, esp FIL, so it was helpful to still be able to hang out during Christmas. I’d done a blanket once or twice, but Jon always seemed to pull it off and I do like how you can see baby and mess around eaily. Its definitely one of those “why didn’t I think of that!” things… that person is ROLLING in the dough… I don’t know too many mommies without one. Love the name Jake! I would have considered it, but that’s my nephews name.

Ephemery – CONGRATULATIONS!!! Ha, I was on the same roller coaster and in TOTAL shock that it worked the first time and had the “oh no, what did we do!” reaction! Wishing you a H&H 9 months. My mom just took a trip to the Dominican and didn’t get a malaria shot. My dads gone numerous times as well and to my knowledge has never gotten one.

So I am totally at a loss of what is up with Jon waking up at night. He slept like a rock from 8 to 15 weeks for 8-9 hours a night. The only thing that is different now is me being back at work. Some days he naps a lot at daycare and others he doesn’t and I forget who mentioned it, but I totally agree, that sleep begets sleep, but either way it doesn’t seem to make much difference. My mom suggested that I am eating differently now, thus changing my milk. I don’t think that’s it either, but I am keeping a log just in case. We also used a Miracle Blanket and I actually didn’t swaddle him last night for the first time EVER (he wakes up SO angry now because of it). I figured if I am getting up anyways, might as well wean him off of that because its getting small. I wouldn’t care so much if he had never slept through the night before or if I wasn’t back at work, but I cant handle this 4-5 hours worth of sleep a night and still function!

 

[ephemery1]

Jaders, that is SO helpful, thank you(!!!)... Turks and Caicos was actually one of our other final options. The only reason Dominican Republic won out initially was because of the golf. DH and I have been in a bit of panic trying to decide what to do, because they want to book plane tix today... so finally he decided to call his dad (who is a doctor) to let him know what''s going on, and enlist his help. Even though it''s only a week vacation, having an ob/gyn recommendation there is huge... my MIL gets very worried, so just knowing of somebody there in case of emergency would really put her mind at ease, I think. And mine too! What is your recommendation on resorts? Money is not TOO big of a deal, but we''d like somewhere that would work well for 3 couples (us, his parents, and mine). They want to do some scuba... I mostly just want to lay under an umbrella on the beach and read! We are all big foodies too.
You are the best, thank you again!!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

njc, The socks are $20 so that is pricey for 6 baby socks but they are so cute I am planning on getting some for a friend who is expecting. Jon is probably just adjusting to the change. I am so jealous he was such a good sleeper! He''ll get there again. We still swaddle Tessa sometimes too. When we do is when she has her long stretched (once 6 hours!) DH is SO good at it and can get the blanket REALLY tight. I forgot you use the shield too. Makes me feel better. She can nurse w/o it but it is so uncomfortable to me but takes longer. The shield just makes things easier (except when she knocks it off).

I forgot to mention, remember last night I was so proud of getting her to sleep...oh that lasted for maybe 20 mins. The everything hit the fan. She was SO upset like someone was beating her. I couldn''t take it so I nursed her and passed her off to DH.

 

[msb700]

Ephemery1 : congratulations!!!!!! wishing a safe and comfortable 9 months!!!

ella: u r superwoman to me!!! going out with twins alone for the first time and for a few hours!!! (i am standing up and clapping) i still feel a bit squeemish going out with my son for a few hours on my own (he can get very restless sometimes!!)

tacori: hehehe yes this is the most important thread to me too at the moment..

njc: my son was the same too!! slept really well thru out the nite and then started waking up so many times after i went back to the office...(actually he still has some good and some bad days)..i finally narrowed it down to two things a) he was having teething issues and his two bottom teeth FINALLY are out...and b) if the temp. in the room was not consistent hed wake up really annoyed..so we try to always have the room cool and at the same level thru out the nite...maybe ur baby is going thru either one of these?

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Congratulations Ephemery! That''s wonderful news. Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy.

Jen

 

[Jaders731]

Ephemery:

I will start a thread just for you!!! keep a look out!

 

[jas]

Sometimes nature makes no sense to me. For the past three nights I have been having very vivid dreams...mostly of the anxiety kind, but some just...odd...like the dog driving the car and then picking up a gun (?!!!) and accidentally shooting himself in the face (but not fatally.) I won''t even get into what that could mean.

I''m also not sleeping deeply...waking up a lot, not to go to the bathroom, just waking up. I feel totally stressed, for no reason...DH has already had a few "Daddy talks" with lil Lojack down there. It''s great that he''s trying to reason with an almost 7 week old pregnancy.

I''ve put on two pounds since this all started and for some reason it''s bumming me out. I know it''s all for the baby, and I''m certainly not eating any more than before, but considering my icky poo body image (it''s really really bad), I think I''m going to have to take the weight loss very carefully, one pound at a time. I think, fortunately, both pounds have gone straight to my b**bs. I actually got larger sized bras...boy, once you get past a certain size, the cheap cute bras give way to the cheap scary granny bras. Ah, sweet comfort. Whoo hoo granny bra!

Sorry. I guess I''m Little Miss Cranky Pants because I''m tired and feel ever-so-slightly car sick.

Heh, Tacori and msb, I totally feel ignored on other threads, too. But you totally rock this thread!

Ella -- yea for baby smiles times two! Yea also for flying solo with the bambinos at the mall. I hope you at least treated yourself to Mrs. Fields or something equally mall-sinful!

Mrssalvo -- thanks for the linkie on the Hooter Hider. I think that name is hysterical, btw.

NJC -- I totally want those socks. For myself.

Fun fashion question for the day:

I have a daytime family function in late March...this will right at the start of my 15th week. I know it''s impossible to know if/show much I''ll be showing, but there are some pretty awesome sales going on now...any suggestions? I''m thinking a wrap dress or something with a longer waist, maybe some ruching. Or will I need to get something more maternity-like? Are there nicer maternity things for early second trimester?

Thanks!

 

[Kaleigh]

Ephemery,
Congratulations!!! I am sooooo happy for you!! Wishing you a happy and healthy nine months!!!

 

[Jas12]

Just got in from my first OB appoint. despite my dissapointment about not getting the midwife, I do like this guy. He''s soft spoken and kinda quirky--announced to me and the nurse while listening in with the doppler that the baby was "a very very naughty boy" b/c it was so busy--ha.
Everything is good--baby is head down and I had a pep talk with the little dude to let her/him know that it had better stay that way until birth

........

Ephemery : Jader''s suggestion sounds great, I would look into that--but if you do have to work in the ''announcement'' with the travel plans you can still make it fun. I faced the same thing. I came home from my honeymoon with 2 big pieces of news #1--the pregnancy! and #2-a free european cruise (while travelling in europe our cruise was cancelled and we recieved major compensation). So, upon our arrival back home my family had decided that they would come on the cruise with us. Well, they all started planning just days after our return, (not knowing about the pregnancy ) and that brought up timing issues etc. that made it hard not to tell them the news. So, like you we decided we had to--we had everyone over for lunch (mom, dad, sister, sister''s partner) and we started planning. In the middle of it all I stopped them and said--with a serious look on my face: "okay, so far this all sounds good, but there is one major and serious consdieration you all need to think about before booking this..." (pause) my mom said " oh?, what ?" and I replied "That we''ll have a 6 month old baby to tote around Europe with us"! My mom looked confused, then shocked, then burst out crying and jumped up and down screaming--it was the craziest reaction ever.
It felt good to tell someone early on b/c we waited till the end of the first Tri to tell everyone else and that was torture!

 

[ephemery1]

Date: 1/31/2008 3:07:19 PM
Author: Jas12

Ephemery : Jader''s suggestion sounds great, I would look into that--but if you do have to work in the ''announcement'' with the travel plans you can still make it fun. I faced the same thing. I came home from my honeymoon with 2 big pieces of news #1--the pregnancy! and #2-a free european cruise (while travelling in europe our cruise was cancelled and we recieved major compensation). So, upon our arrival back home my family had decided that they would come on the cruise with us. Well, they all started planning just days after our return, (not knowing about the pregnancy ) and that brought up timing issues etc. that made it hard not to tell them the news. So, like you we decided we had to--we had everyone over for lunch (mom, dad, sister, sister''s partner) and we started planning. In the middle of it all I stopped them and said--with a serious look on my face: ''okay, so far this all sounds good, but there is one major and serious consdieration you all need to think about before booking this...'' (pause) my mom said '' oh?, what ?'' and I replied ''That we''ll have a 6 month old baby to tote around Europe with us''! My mom looked confused, then shocked, then burst out crying and jumped up and down screaming--it was the craziest reaction ever.
It felt good to tell someone early on b/c we waited till the end of the first Tri to tell everyone else and that was torture!

Jas12, that is SUCH a cute announcement story... thanks so much for sharing.

And I''m glad your first appt went well!! I think we are going to have to do our earlier-than-planned announcement this weekend! In the midst of all this vacation-planning concern, DH finally had to call his dad to get his thoughts on the whole malaria thing (he has a friend at the hospital that deals with that kind of stuff). When he told him, he said his dad burst into tears on the phone right there in his office... definitely good tears... haha. We decided to drive out to their house tomorrow evening to tell his mom, and then go on to my parents'' house to tell them next.

DH is a little disappointed that he had to announce his father''s first grandchild in the same sentence as the word "malaria", but we figure if that is the worst thing that has happened in this whole TTC process so far, we''ll consider ourselves pretty lucky! I am getting a little nervous about how much we''re talking about all this, as we are still SO early... but I figure if anything happens, I would want our parents to know anyway. So now I just have to plan something to surprise his mom and my parents this weekend... this is so crazy!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Oh my gosh Ephemery! Congratulations girl!!! I am very happy for you, as I know you were keen on having kids. May you have a wonderful, non-eventful pregnancy!

Tacori, you should be proud of yourself...you are hanging in there and I hope to do as well as you when I become a mom.

Ella, I can''t wait for the smiles...so yay for you and your babies! Smiling, for me, is the difference between parasites (the early weeks) and a real cute baby. Hehehehe.

Lili, I exhale while holding. I can hold my breath too, but I think exhaling seems harder so I do it that way. Just takes practice. Qtiekiki, just do it whenever you think about it. Maybe every time you read this thread or pricescope?

Jas, glad your OB appointment went well! And you aren''t kidding about the panicking thing, re: movement. If this thing moves too much, I worry. And every morning, it doesn''t move at all. Since I always end up sleeping on my back, no matter how hard I try, I am convinced in the morning I have done harm to TTot and can''t relax until I feel it move. I''ve been paranoid since I''ve read about that story that Diver posted...how that poor couple lost their baby at 39 weeks because of a cord knot. Kick counts!!!

njc, I am looking into getting the miracle blanket too. I think I will get one and if it works well, buy another. I''ve heard good things.

Jackie, I think you won''t be showing too much. Just buy something that doesn''t feel too constricting now.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Jas/Jackie, gaining weight is tough for everyone! I STILL beat myself up about it. I gained way more than the average so at least you can all think "I am just glad I didn''t gain as much as Tacori"

And most of my weight gain was in the second half. I was scared of the scale. For shirts/dresses I didn''t wear maternity stuff until the 3rd tri. Luckily all the styles were empire/baby doll so I lucked out. For my shower I got the cutest dress at macy''s (in the junior department). There might be a pic in the thread...somewhere. Just keep a look out for loose and LONG shirts. Long is key to cover the band and get over those new boobs and tummy. I can totally relate. Once you get to a certain size finding bras is TOUGH! Luckily I don''t think my boobs are bigger than when I was preggo (after my milk settled in. The first day it came in

wow! I looked like I had a boob job overnight) But then they got smaller once my body figured out how much milk my baby needs.

Msb, hopefully your little one starts sleeping better too!

TGal and Jas, I think that kick count thing is SO stressful! I worry much less about Tessa now that she is here then when she was inside my belly.

TGal, I KNOW you will be a great mom. You have a great sense of humor and that is VERY helpful. There are times where if I didn''t laugh I would be curled up in the corner crying. But like Ella said once they smile...I would do anything to see that smile. Anything.

Jas, glad you like your doc. That is important.

Feel so grown up. DH and I got life insurance. Do you guys have wills? Did you decide who will take the kids if something happens to you both? She doesn''t have godparents so I guess we need to figure out who we want to raise her (in a situation that hopefully will NEVER happen).

 

[TravelingGal]

Tacori, thanks. You''re right though...not sure how one can raise kids without a healthy dose of humor.

We''ve been talking about life insurance over what we both get from our jobs. Plus we need a will too. I know nothing about life insurance...what did you get? Did you do research and have tips to tell us?

 

[mrssalvo]

jas12- glad you like your ob and your appt. went well

jackiejas- you are tiny so my guess is you won''t be showing much at 15 weeks, this being your first preggo. of course everyone is different, but I wasn''t even in maternity clothes until I was 6 months preggo with my first. this time it think it was more like at conception

. anyway, I think the way the babydoll styles are today you''d be safe buying something that fits you now, that just isn''t super tight and form fitting. my sister got the cutest babydoll dress she wears with leggings and boots and it looked great when she had no belly and still looks adorable with her tiny belly (she''s 23 weeks preggo). oh and believe me, the weight gain is/was the hardest part for me, even knowing it was for a wonderful cause. I gained 40 lbs with my first two and am on track to do at least that this time around. I also gained 12 lbs my first trimester

. try not to even focus on the scale. don''t even step on exept at your monthly OB appts. It will only drive you crazy and there is nothing you really can or should do about it. the good news is there are such cute maternity clothes out now that at least getting bigger makes for some fun shopping

baby movement: i never did the kick counts with my first two, but I do admit to being very aware this time of when he''s moving and it''s always comforting to feel it even when he wakes me up in the middle of the night doing his party dance.

tacori- my hubby had life insurance since before we were married b/c he''s got his 2 other kids. as for the will, i''m ashamed to say that we haven''t done it and need to asap. my step-mom is an estate attorney and is on me big time b/c she deals all the time with custody and $ issues when parents of young kids die. she said you''d be surprised the family fights that come about or how many kids end up getting turned over to the courts. it''s so important to get your wishes in writing!! this is a great reminder for me to do this asap. it''s such NOT the fun topic to discuss though