Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/9/2008 4:56:58 PM
Author: Dani


Hi TGal,

Well seeing all the nastiness and gunk is just part of the job.....all of us have to deal with it! In reality, I have to say, most patients are very nice and do realize that their nurse does the majority of the work and is mostly responsible for the monitoring of both mother and baby, which is a difficult job.

As far as those numbers, well, they tell us how much the syndrome (toxemia) has progressed. There are different levels, and every patient presents differently..that''s the scary thing about it. You are very lucky that you didnt have a seizure or need a transfusion of any kind. You are also very lucky that the baby was not affected, which does happen alot of the time with toxemia.

They are still not 100% sure how/why toxemia develops. There are some theories, but none have been confirmed. There are also some risk factors, e.g women having their first baby, and young mothers (under age 21) are more susceptible to the disease. The treatment generally is magnesium sulfate infusion (to prevent seizures- a potential complication) and to deliver the baby (or end the pregnancy). Usually the patient will start to get better after delivery (after 24 hrs there is usually marked improvement in blood levels (platelets, liver enzymes, uric acid, kidney function, etc). You should have no further complications.....However, you may be at risk for developing the syndrom again with future pregnancies, so now that your dr''s know that, I am sure they will keep a very close watch over you next time.....

How is Amelia doing? Is she behaving herself????

Yeah, no kidding about the nurses. I have to wonder what the docs are for...ha!

Thanks for the info. I just had no idea what "91,000" meant in terms of how bad I was...like if there is a scale or something. TGuy still thinks someone played a joke or there was an error because I was so healthy throughout my pregnancy. But I think there is a very important lesson to be learned here...L&D can be tricky so don''t be afraid to speak up if you think something is wrong (not that I did, mind you.)

I''m kind of glad Jas went into labor...her being my preggo twin and all, I didn''t want to scare her or anything with my story. Now that I am sure baby Jas is out, all is well!!!

Amelia is doing REALLY well. I heard the first week they are easy, and minus the meltdown last Thursday it has been a piece of cake. I mean, I''m tired and everything but we have a system down and she doesn''t cry unless she is hungry, tired or needs a diaper change. Since we are proactive and have her on a schedule (doc''s orders), she rarely cries right now. I know that will change though.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/7/2008 10:44:10 AM
Author: Jas12

Tgal--how are you doing today? Did you have to go back to the hospital with Amelia? Is she eating consistently now? Just to give you an idea of how much i think about my PS friends--while walking yesterday i said to DH ''Tgal posted and Amelia peed and pooed and ate during the night'' his response: ''Oh thank god !!'' with a look of pure relief --of course he knew exactly who i was talking about.
We are thinking of you, even our hubbies are .....

Awwww....

And yes, she is eating like a pig. All is good! Can''t wait to see yours and hear all the details of the first few days of his/her life!

 

[sasa]

TGal, what a story, brought tears to my eyes. Amelia is beautiful...

Jas12, wishing you a smooth delivery

lili, congrats...Jadelyn is a beauty..

Curly, congrats on another girl...

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/7/2008 6:06:20 PM
Author: jas
A fairly baby centric day today -- went in for the 16 w check up...and my HAAAATE for the nurse continues. She looked at me as I walked into the room w/ DH and said, ''Oh my goodness, your breasts are so big now.''
Apparently she and my MIL are in cahoots. I''m starting to wonder if I''m some sort of medical miracle, or if my BBs were just a lot smaller than I thought they were before I got pregnant.
Then she went on about how ''glorious'' and ''beautiful'' my urine was.
Suffice it to say, I thought DH was going to wet himself from laughing.
Weight is fine, up 4 1/2 pounds from last appointment (I think I put it all on in the last 2 days), BP is good.
Doc put me on extra folic acid and made sure I am getting enough iron. I told her I cannot get enough red meat, so not to worry! I''m soon to be on 2 week appointments, with the possibility of 1 week appointments soon after. (really early)! I''m measuring 23 cm...which basically means I look like someone who''s 23 wks. pregnant with one. Doc is really pleased I am at home, as I will need a lot of rest in the coming weeks.
Next appointment -- May 5, big old Level 2 U/S...we''ll find out what we''re having.

After that, we went to pick up the two Peg carseats we won on Ebay -- one is green and one is pink, and I swear it was such a cool moment. DH is going to spend the next 4 months playing Transformers with them and seeing how many configurations he can make out of them.

It''s hitting me really hard that no one from my side of the family, with the exception of my parents, has even asked me about the babies...and they''ve known for 2 months or so. My sister has removed herself from the picture completely, and my mom makes a lot of excuses for her. The woman is 38 years old and we all still are supposed to treat her like she''s a fragile teen. I''m more upset for my babies, as I feel that their aunts, uncles, great aunts, etc. don''t really care. Everyone did not act like this (with the exception of my sister) for the wedding, so who knows.
I don''t mean to sound selfish, I just am not feeling the family ''bond'' that I so very much want to feel for me and for the babies right now. I''m not the type of person to blast an email or make calls all about the babies or anything, cuz that feels selfish. But these are the first grandchildren on my side -- both my mom and dad''s families! It would be so nice (and maybe I''m being bratty here) to get an email or a text message or a smoke signal, ''Congrats!'' or even the more subtle, ''Hope you''re feeling ok!''
I contrast this with my sisters-in-law and other in-laws who, while totally kookie (and some completely inappropriate) are so very excited about the babies. It''s not a constant barrage, but that whole side of the family has made contact...we''re talking about 100s of people. It''s reassuring.
End of rant -- sorry.

Your nurse is straaaaaaaaaaaaange Jackie. I''m keep an eye on her if I were you.

Sorry to hear about your fam. That is a bummer. You are not being selfish. Part of the fun of being pregnant is having people be over the moon for you. Anxiety is normal during pregnancy and people''s enthusiasm really helps temper that down. Well, if it helps, I''M excited for you! OK, I''m an Internet stranger, but still...

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/7/2008 10:07:14 PM
Author: lover in athens

tgal: cannot wait to hear your full birth story. i think you''re amazing with your positive attitude and sense of humor. toxemia is never a good thing. when i did my ob/gyn rotations in medical school (i''m finishing my derm residency and GOSH do i wish now that i had paid more attention to ob then!!), i remember that preeclampsia/eclampsia was one of a very few things that REALLY made the docs run fast!!! thank goodness you and amelia are ok. hope that the recovery is going ok, and that the little one is gaining some of that weight back!

Really? Wow. I am so glad I didn''t know much about it before I went in. So strange that it did happen with no signs. Even in the hospital there were no signs of protein in urine, etc. Leave it to me to have stealth toxemia.

 

[lovelylulu]

Congratulations Lili!!!

 

[sasa]

mrsflutter, your little guy is soooo cute

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/7/2008 10:24:33 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Gemma, I did have a nice weekend. Thanks for asking. I hung out with my neighbor with 10 week old twin boys (and a 3.5 year old son) and felt SO much better about my life

She is doing an awesome job but I was overwhelmed for sure.

LIA, thanks. I think Tessa is pretty special myself. She is such a pretty girl. Her smile is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (bias opinion obviously) she crinkles her nose...it is so cute. I was just thinking today how lucky I am. Yes, this is hard and tiring but so rewarding. Every giggle I hear, or smile, or the way her eyes light up, it just makes everything worth it. As for being 105 lbs....don''t think I have been that since high school

My GOAL weight isn''t even that low! You are tiny. I didn''t look preggo for awhile just really bloated. It is a horrible stage and I PROMISE it will get better. My stomach almost looked fake b/c it was so large and round. But don''t worry. Our bodies are amazing and WILL make room for your baby in there.

Nah, you are not biased...

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/6/2008 10:18:17 PM
Author: Kay

Okay, first timer question here. When the water breaks, what kind of volume are we talking about? I have several months to go, but I can just picture it happening to me at work. I worry I will damage furniture! I’ll probably be sitting on towels for the final 2 weeks.

Mine was at first kind of a quick squirt. Felt like incontinence. But then it was good gushes again and again when I moved. I couldn''t stop the flow (with kegel muscles) so I knew something was up. Looks funny to run to the bathroom trying to stop the flow of fluid in vain!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/6/2008 12:46:34 PM
Author: ellaila
Yay for pee & poop!!!!

TGal, so sorry you had such a scary experience -- Amelia''s got quite the birth story, doesn''t she? Best of luck at the appt today, I''m sure the little TBabe is doing great! You know we''re all dying to see her, but we also understand that you may be just a little exhausted and busy right now so we will try to be patient ...

As for nursing ... not quite as easy and straightforward as it should be, is it? Sending along some *milk dust* for things to get moving for you! Pumping is a drag (believe me, I know - I was supposted to do it 8-10x a day in the beginning!), but it''s a necessary evil sometimes. It''s the strangest thing in the world at first (nothing can prepare you for that first intimate moment between you and the pump) but it gets better in time, so stick with it, MAMA!

Oh Ella, TELL me about it. SO frustrating. If my friend hadn''t visited yesterday and told me that her milk took a full 10 days to come in, I might have thrown in the towel. I got nothing! Well, just a little bit here and there, but it wouldn''t be enough to feed a baby gerbil, much less a 7 pound kid.

I am so glad I''ve read all the BF stories around here. I was thinking just yesterday that I will be SO happy to have BFing problems like swollen ducts! (Tacori, I know you''ll call me crazy here.

)

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/6/2008 4:06:06 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
TGal, how scary! I am SO glad you are okay. I had complications but nothing as scary as yours! You poor thing. Be sure to take good care of yourself. I am honored I could be inspiration with you regarding BFing. I *PROMISE* you everyday gets a little easier (in all aspects of this baby business

) Accept help, rest up and cuddle that baby. I am glad you home. Being in the hospital sucks! I hope your milk comes in soon. It took me 4 days (I think). Tessa lost a lot of weight in the hospital too. She was born 7 lb 2 oz and left at 6 lb 8 oz.

Jas, you look great! I hope that baby listens to your plea.

Better go! The monster woke up and is NOT happy.

Ha, I love that you call her the monster. I''ve been calling TTot "the beast."

Yeah..it''s cool to think she''s the same weight as Tessa when Tessa was born. TTot (can you still believe I am calling her that? The name stuck!) left the hospital at 6 lb 4 oz. They were not happy with that at all, but gave me a chance to feed around the clock when I got home. When we went to the doc''s on Monday she was 6 lb 9 oz. Yay!!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/6/2008 4:08:52 PM
Author: divergrrl

Tgal: ohhhhhhhhhh biggest hugs to you all!!! I am so sorry you went through all that.. lots of poopy dust your way..

fwiw, jake was a jaundiced weight losing fool as a newborn...its stressful, but they do rally...it takes your milk a few days to come in....are you doing that syringe & tubing taped to your boob feeding thing? gawd......memories...as always your humor impresses me....you simply rock...Amelia got herself one helluva great mom!

Tubie taped to finger thing actually. It''s been nice...because TGuy can feed her too! I love watching TTot root for his nipple though and TGuy looking a bit distraught. Hee.

Thanks for the compliment Diver.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/6/2008 1:56:37 AM
Author: AmberWaves
Okay, so I''m a total lurker, but I wanted to come in and let Tgal (and Amelia and TGuy!) that I''ve really been thinking about you guys for the past couple of days. You are all in my thoughts, and seriously, if you need anything at all from a fellow Angeleno, I am more than willing to help out. Totally serious. I know it''s an odd offer, but it''s there nonetheless. I promise I''m only relatively odd.

And now... back into lurkerdom... (best wishes for the preggos and mommies!)

That is so sweet of you. No worries...I am actually doing very well! But I am constantly amazed by the kindness and generosity of strangers.

I think you asked about the hospital? If it''s OK, I''d prefer not to say...just call me paranoid.

I think sometimes it can be too easy to divulge info on the wide open Internet...

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/3/2008 11:15:36 PM
Author: Jas12
Tacori--sleep the first day or so and then have some fun

I know it''ll be months before i even think about *fun* sex again....
but yes, be careful of the pregnancy possibility!!!! I just found out today that my hairdresser (also a friend) is 9 wks preggo with her second--a total surprise b/c she is still BFing her 7 month old and wasn''t careful on a recent trip

sex talk....

Morning sickness sex, postpartum sex and 41 weeks sex--ohhhh our husbands are lucky, lucky men!!

I think i''ve had more sex this past month than i normally do not preggo! But there is *nothing* sexy about it and i am certainly not getting much out of it beside some prostiglandins that are so NOT working obviously

Speaking of hubbies...i''ll post a pic of mine that''ll mortify him (shhhhs, don''t tell him!)
back story: His mom dropped off this baby wrap/sling that she bought for us, along with a picture ''how-to'' manual. I was making dinner the other night and he was pretty quiet so i went up to the spare room looking for him. I find him alone, with a stuffed animal from the nursery, the manual on the table and the sling wrapped around him! Practice makes perfect i guess. poor guy is more anxious than i am !

I call this photo ''desperate for baby dear??!''



(i''ll pre-apologise for crappy pic posting---i''ll never figure it out)

Jas, this photo had me cursing at you from the hospital. I was laughing so hard and my incision killed from it. Your hubby is a hottie!!

 

[CrookedRock]

TGal, I just wated to say congratulations! Your daughter is gorgeous, and I love that name. You stand as a fantastic role model due to your ability to stay calm even when things are out of your control. Thanks you for sharing your story, you actually made the whole birth thing sound like a fun time! LOL

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/2/2008 9:59:00 AM
Author: Jas12


Janine--Tgal had mentioned she would like a little girl and i think she had a dream and also a feeling (Tgal can correct me later if i am wrong--sometimes i mix up all the mommy reports on here). That stuff, intuition etd. interests me as well. I''ve only had one strong pregnancy dream and it was of a girl as well, so iam interested to see what i have. Most of my family has very strong boy feelings, so who knows.


..........

Yup...in the 3rd tri, I only had dreams of a girl. In the first trimester, I did have boy dreams, but they were kind of weird...like giving birth to my friend''s son. 3 tri dreams were more peaceful and "normal."

I don''t think it was intuition though. I just think I wanted a little girl.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/2/2008 8:22:46 AM
Author: jas
I mentioned TGal''s calm approach to labor (i.e. cake baking) to my mom, who nearly choked. ''You can''t do that!'' she said.
I thought she was being, ya know, overly protective. Turns out my sister (her first L&D) was 3 hours from first contraction to delivery and I (second L&D) was 2.5 hours.
So, no cake baking for me, especially since hospital is 20 minutes away, but with traffic, it could take 1.5 hours (I hate Chicago/Evanston traffic.) Please pray for a non-rush hour labor!

Ha..your mom is probably right. The doc also told me that if your water breaks and you''re dilated, the cord, can fall out. Isn''t THAT a lovely thought? Can you imagine looking down and see your bits hanging out of your bits???

 

[divergrrl]

Lili: Congratulations! When did you go and have Jadelyn? She is precious and beautiful!

Curly: OMG...another curlygirl! I''m so excited for you, she already has a killer wardrobe! LOL...what names do you like?

Tgal: Your birth story made me laugh, cry, and put a huge lump in my throat. I agree...a Korean with curly blonde fuzz poking up out of sleek black hair might look a little....well...odd. It looks odd enough on a pasty white chick. And as a pasty white chick, I see Asian attributes in Amelia. I take it Tguy is from Oz or some caucasian concoction? I love how wide open her eyes are, and that surprised open mouthed look...she''s saying: "what the hell where you doing baking cake in labor woman?". You are a damn funny woman---I am so happy for you & we need more Amelia pics. She''s gorgeous!

Ok...CIO sucks monkey b@lls. Poor Delaney accidentally fell asleep on her lunch bottle, so I put her in her crib. Well,she woke up when I was laying her down & just became hysterical. I kept going up & rubbing her back to no avail. Finally, I just picked her up & tried to walk her, rock her, I put on her classical lullabies, NOTHING...finally....I had to go check on Jake, he was eating lunch & I wanted to make sure he didn''t choke, so I just put her back down & she fell asleep...ugh...

 

[TravelingGal]

Just one last note to say, I love all the pics posted while I was away., Diver''s Delaney, Ella''s Katelyn, Burk''s Tayva, LC''s Miller, MsFlutter''s Ian, lovelylulu''s nephew and our latest PS baby...lili''s Jadelyn!

Oh...and of course Diver''s wine pic the night I went into labor. LOVE it sister!!!

 

[katebar]

Tgal thanks so much for your compelling and amazing birth story. I can''t believe some of the aspects of it as it is so different from my own birth story in little old Adelaide at Ashford Hospital (Ask Tguy he''ll know where that is!). But hey it was 16 year ago but I wonder if you would have had to endure that long long and distressing Thursday night with hungry Amelia. I recall that here they were only too happy to give the mother rest and help in such a situation but as you said you got through and I guess honed your mothering skills

/
Amelia is adorable and I''m sure she does have aspects of you! I think she may have dropped a little weight towards the end and her face shape narrowed. Once she gets lots of tucker i am sure she will be her mum''s girl.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

TGal, Amelia is beautiful! She really is. Sorry you had such a rough L&D. I am glad you are home and sounds like you are recovering quickly! Wow she did lose a lot of weight b/c I know Tessa was at the high end and she had 4 oz on your little girl. I love being a girl''s mommy too. They are so sweet and delicate. I know they will be more work (teenage years...scary!!!) but I love having a mini me. I hope your milk comes in soon (NO you DO NOT want clogs! You are crazy!) but in the meantime don''t feel guilty about supplementing.

Lili, CONGRATS! She is precious!

Curly, yay to another girl! I KNOW you wanted one. And now you can reuse all those cute clothes you have!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

MsF, Ian is SOOOOO cute! Adorable outfit!

Lovely, what a great photo of your nephew!

 

[Kay]

Congratulations to Lili and welcome to Jadelyn!
I hoped that was why you had disappeared, Lili. Jadelyn is a beauty. I hope you are doing well.

Tgal, Amelia is beautiful. I love that surprised expression in the second picture. That is quite a birth story. I am amazed you managed to maintain your cool and sense of humor through all that. I am glad to hear you are recuperating well.

Jas12, I am thinking of you. Can’t wait to hear your story and find out if it is a girl or boy.

Jadeleaves, Button is so cute. I can’t believe how big he has gotten – it does not seem like that long ago that I read about his birth.

Curly, congrats on having a girl. Go team pink! I am having amnio in a few weeks and am nervous about it (not good with needles). You said the technician spent 30 minutes checking things out. I assume the needle part was quick though, right?

Msflutter, your little guy is so cute. Love his t-shirt too.

Lovelylulu, your nephew is very cute. Love his outfit.

 

[Kay]

Date: 4/9/2008 5:20:24 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 4/6/2008 10:18:17 PM
Author: Kay

Okay, first timer question here. When the water breaks, what kind of volume are we talking about? I have several months to go, but I can just picture it happening to me at work. I worry I will damage furniture! I’ll probably be sitting on towels for the final 2 weeks.

Mine was at first kind of a quick squirt. Felt like incontinence. But then it was good gushes again and again when I moved. I couldn''t stop the flow (with kegel muscles) so I knew something was up. Looks funny to run to the bathroom trying to stop the flow of fluid in vain!

Okay, I think I am going to start my leave 2 weeks before my EDD. I really do not want to go into labor at my office. I can just see me trying to sneak out with a giant wet spot after destroying my sueded leather desk chair.

 

[Kay]

Okay, my EDD is October 14th. What are the odds I will deliver more than 2 weeks early or late so it is not an October baby? We are hoping to get our amnio results back by Mother''s Day so we can tell our parents then. I thought of an idea for how to tell my mom (and dad). I am thinking of buying her a piece of tourmaline jewelry (or an unset stone) and after I give her the present, tell her I chose that gift because it will be her granddaughter''s or grandson''s birthstone.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Odds are you will have an october baby but it is unusual for first time moms to go early.

 

[ladypirate]

Congratulations, Lili--she''s beautiful. (Gonna have to keep lurking on this thread with all the adorable baby pictures that keep popping up!)

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Oh Tgal, your little Amelia is so pretty! What a yawn from her, too! Precious! She doesn''t look a bit like a 9 pounder. What was the Dr. thinking?

Lili, Jadelyn is just such a cute name! She''s gorgeous and looks dainty and like she''d love to just be cuddled and cuddled!

I''m glad you''re both doing well, along with your little girls!

Welcome home!!!

Jas12, here''s hoping your doing well and the "baby come out" note in the sand is now a mission complete!!

Mrs.S, I''m looking forward to seeing the little man!

 

[katebar]

Congratulations Lili and welcome Jadelyn she is beautiful

 

[qtiekiki]

lili - Congratulations!!! Can''t wait to hear your birth story. Welcome Jadelyn Mae!!! She is adorable.

Tgal - I can see some Korean in Amelia. Our cousin''s son (half Chinese, half Caucasian) has blue eyes when he was born, but they got darker now that he is almost 3.

MsF - Your little man is so stylish.

curlygirl - Yay for girl! PS is getting a lot of future posters. hehe.