Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[flutterby]

I also had the belly book! I loved it, and actually just finished it in its entirety and I''m so glad I did it. It also really encouraged me to take tons of pictures of me pregnant (granted most of them werent BELLY ONLY pics!)

 

[Burk]

I also had a belly book! I loved it. I have a calendar and a baby book now and am being a terrible mommy at getting them both updated...although the calendar is further along because it''s much easier with the stickers!

Jess~I feel your pain on the sleep front! And HURRAY for nursery progress! You''ll have to post pics in the nursery thread when you get done.

mrsf~glad you had a great trip!!

Skippy~you better continue to pop in...your compliments make my day!

Tacori~My T always falls asleep when we go for walks too. She sometimes wakes up even in her carseat, though, when we quit moving. Little stinker!

 

[ellaila]

Hiya! It's been a while since I've posted ... been reading, just not posting lately, not sure why. Anyhow ...

Jackie, congrats on TWO BOYS!! I had a panic attack right there with you when I read your post about hearing three heartbeats, by the way. I can't even imagine what you were feeling! And your belly is adorable. You don't even look like you popped yet! I popped at about 20-22 weeks, I think. Sorry about the mod bedrest - I think I missed why you're on it?

Sk8r, when do you find out if your "boy" is a boy and your "girl" is a girl?

I know you'll be happy with whatever you get, but I hope you get to get at least one little girly in your household of boys!

Bobo, I love the new avatar of little B! Such a little cutiepie! I love those hooded towels - we've got lots of photos like that too. So adorable.

Jas and TGal, Co and Ameila are just little loves! TGal, I don't think you're a bad mom for not thinking Amelia is Ms. America just yet (though I think she's a lot cuter than you made her out to be in your description!) -- newborn babies really are kinda funny lookin'. I mean, Katelyn is a beautiful little girl now, but when she was a newborn, not so much. Tiny body, huge puffy eyes. But it all comes together soon enough, I promise!

snlee, cute belly, woman!

Don't remember who originally asked/mentioned, but we still use the swings for G and K -- they nap in them every day! I know, I know, they shouldn't, but as long as they get a good nap in, I don't care where they do it right now! G will occasionally nap in his crib, but K never does. And at night, we just have a radio set to static in their room - the poor man's white noise machine! But it works.

OK, going to go try to read through the last five pages again so I can absorb everything that's going on here!

ETA: regarding the swings, they def. didn't like it at first! It took a while for them to realize "Hey, this is kinda cool" and now they are our go-to when we need to get the babies to sleep. Gabe liked the boucny seat too, but Katelyn never really took to it.

 

[Burk]

Ella~how is Gabe doing with his reflux?

 

[lovelylulu]

just popping in to say a very happy birthday to miss lily. her dress is beyond adorable and she looks like she had a grand time with her little, pink cupcake!!! soo cute!

 

[neatfreak]

I have a question to all of you ladies about first appointments. I called my Dr.'s office and found that they don't do ultrasounds until you are 12 weeks normally. That really freaks me out because I am already paranoid about missed miscarriages, etc. Especially since my mother and my DH's mothers had multiple miscarriages each. I really was hoping to be able to get an ultrasound earlier so that they can make sure the baby is the size it is supposed to be and to see the fetal pole and heartbeat. That would really ease my anxiety a lot.

Is there anything I can say to him to try and convince them to give me an earlier ultrasound? Unfortunately it seems to be the policy of the clinics in my health plan, not the individual Dr.'s policy. Or is there another way besides ultrasound to get the information I am looking for? I am an extremely anxious person, so not knowing this information is really hard for me and seems to hurt my mental health.

Do you think they'll just do it if I ask?

 

[Burk]

Neatfreak~I see no harm in asking your doctor. If you want an ultrasound for piece of mind then you should get one. I had an ultrasound at 10 weeks (because I had some bleeding and they were worried I might be miscarrying..turns out I had placenta previa) but I wouldn''t have had one until 12 had I not had the bleeding. I think 12 weeks is pretty common practice for ultrasounds. I don''t want to be a downer, but I hope you don''t think that the ultrasound will in anyway be able prevent a miscarriage from occurring. I say ask for one if you think it will give you some piece of mind between appointments! You''re the patient and your doctor should comply to what you want. HTH.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/7/2008 11:41:54 AM
Author: Burk
Neatfreak~I see no harm in asking your doctor. If you want an ultrasound for piece of mind then you should get one. I had an ultrasound at 10 weeks (because I had some bleeding and they were worried I might be miscarrying..turns out I had placenta previa) but I wouldn't have had one until 12 had I not had the bleeding. I think 12 weeks is pretty common practice for ultrasounds. I don't want to be a downer, but I hope you don't think that the ultrasound will in anyway be able prevent a miscarriage from occurring. I say ask for one if you think it will give you some piece of mind between appointments! You're the patient and your doctor should comply to what you want. HTH.

Thanks Burk. It would be for peace of mind, I do realize that if a miscarriage is going to happen there really isn't anything to do about it. My anxiety really has to do with the unknown, so even seeing a heartbeat would be very very anxiety reducing for me. It's good to know that 12 weeks is normal, because it seems that everywhere I am reading about people getting their first ultrasound at 8 weeks. So I was thinking my health plan was cheap! (Which usually they are not)

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

Hi Curly - Lily is too cute! I know exactly what you mean about feeling sad during this momentous occasion.

It was amazing like, wow we didn''t kill her during the first year or anything - she''s actually prospering.

As parents we may be failure to thrive (exhaustion, sleep deprived) disasters but the kid looks great and is always clean, in good spirits and smiling (most of the time).

Olivia (13 months) is now throwing major tantrums. She screams at such a high pitch that the dogs in the park next door take notice. She actually kicks her feet like in the cartoons!

Also, she won''t sit in her stroller much anymore. Bummer when we go shopping or anything b/c she wants to be held when tired or walking (slowly and like a drunken sailor).

Oy. I also developed de Quervain''s tendonitis (or mommy wrist) and have to get cortisone shots or do the surgery. It''s from repetitive lifting of the little chunk up & down.

Well she does weigh 24 lbs!

Hope everyone else is doing great. I''m on the 2WW.

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

4/4/07

 

[Tacori E-ring]

NF, just so you know if the doctor doesn''t order the u/s for medical reasons there is a strong chance you will have to pay out of pocket for it. Not sure if that is a big deal for you. Maybe people don''t have an u/s until week 20 (and that''s their one and only). My mom had a m/c....I didn''t. Not sure if they are connected. As m/c are nature''s abortion when the baby is NOT healthy. So I can''t see how that would be linked to your mom or MIL. Anyways, think positive. You need to relax and just take it one day at a time b/c there will ALWAYS be things to worry about and you will drive yourself nuts.

 

[neatfreak]

Thanks Tacori. I realize that m/s in general isn''t genetic, but the reason my mom had one could be. I think it would be worth the out of pocket cost if it''s $100 or so. A month or more of anxiety over it is worth spending the $100 for me! I guess we''ll just ask at the appointment and hope they''ll consent to it.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

oh, my doc''s office charged my insurance $300-$400 (can''t remember) per u/s.

 

[ellaila]

D''oh, I forgot to comment on the adorable Ms. Lily!! She''s so cute, Curly, just so so cute! Did you guys ever decide for sure on your other L name? I''m in the Lucy camp.

Burk, Gabe seems to be doing better thankfully! Thanks for asking. I think the Neocate and the cereal help him more than the medicine to be honest. Our doc just gave us four more cans of Neocate and wrote a letter to our insurance so they better cover it! How''s Tayva doing? Her prof. shots are lovely! But then again, when you''ve got such a pretty subject, how bad could the photos really be?

K had her followup appt. yesterday for the hemangioma on her nose, and the dr. thought it had grown enough that the steroid injection would be a good thing to do now. So we did it. It was definitely harder on me than it was on her! So now hopefully that will keep it from growing much bigger ... fingers crossed! We''ve got another followup in 6 weeks.

Oh! And the babies each have new milestones: Gabe now holds his own bottle -- yay!!! He doesn''t always do it and he doesn''t really realize that he needs to hold it UP in order to get the milk, but still ... yay! And Katelyn discovered yesterday that she can blow raspberries. And blow raspberries. And blow more raspberries. For hours on end. Seriously. It''s hysterical! And in between she squeals like a parrot. "Ppppppppt. EEEEEE!!!!!!! Pppppptttttt. Pppppppt. EEEEEEEEEE!!"

NeatFreak, my OB doesn''t even see patients until they''re at 10 weeks, so I definitely think that an u/s at 12 weeks is totally normal. It''s normal to worry a lot the first trimester, but like Tacori says, you''ll drive yourself nuts if you freak out over everything! I remember how it seemed like a lifetime would pass between appts. during the first tri, but it does get easier ...

Lisa, what does "I''m on the 2WW." mean?? By the way, Olivia is gorgeous!

I think we''re going to move to veggies and fruits soon! I''m really nervous about it though for some reason. I think it''s because I''m planning on making the food, and that just gets me nervous that I won''t do it right. Not that I think steaming and pureeing is all that hard, so I''m not sure why the anxiety?

 

[snlee]

NF, I know you''re anxious to see your little one on the u/s. I can tell you I was the exact same way! And even though, I was able to get an u/s early at 6 weeks then 8 week (because of spotting), it was a relief to know everything was good and in the right place, etc but it didn''t make me worry any less. A m/c will happen if it''s supposed to, u/s or no u/s. Tacori is right about thinking positive. Try to relax. I agree that there will always be things to worry about. As my pregnancy has progressed, I''ve tried really hard to worry less so I don''t drive myself nuts. There are things I can worry about but I''m choosing not to. I rather enjoy my pregnancy to the fullest! Good luck. I hope you get an u/s earlier!

 

[sasa]

Thanks ellaila, little B has so many style of hooded towels I should take a pix of each style.

Neatfreak, I think you should express your concern to your OB and ask if you can get a U/S.

Lisa, your post really make me laugh, couldn''t agree with you more. Especially the part with exhaustion and sleep deprived and the little one always looks great and clean. Sorry to hear about your wrist. I think I will get the mommy wrist pretty soon too. The picture of Olivia is too precious...

 

[snlee]

Date: 5/7/2008 1:43:03 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
oh, my doc''s office charged my insurance $300-$400 (can''t remember) per u/s.

Mine are over $900!

I have no clue why it''s so high. My other co-worker''s u/s were around $300-400 too.

 

[Burk]

Ella~So happy to hear Gabe is doing better! And I hope that the injection helps with K''s hemangioma. We are trying cereal but Tayva isn''t really a big fan yet and she was kind of at a point where she was better, but still not right. She was having one screaming spell a day and struggling to eat at times so we just switched to nutramegin formula (similar to neocate) yesterday. The good news is she had a great day on it yesterday and ate better which resulted in her sleeping through the night so maybe we''ve found the key to success. Fingers crossed....... If we do stick with it we''re going to have our doc write a letter to insurance too because it is EXPENSIVE stuff. I told DH that I feel like I''m handling gold when I make a bottle.

 

[ellaila]

Date: 5/7/2008 2:06:54 PM
Author: Burk
Ella~So happy to hear Gabe is doing better! And I hope that the injection helps with K''s hemangioma. We are trying cereal but Tayva isn''t really a big fan yet and she was kind of at a point where she was better, but still not right. She was having one screaming spell a day and struggling to eat at times so we just switched to nutramegin formula (similar to neocate) yesterday. The good news is she had a great day on it yesterday and ate better which resulted in her sleeping through the night so maybe we''ve found the key to success. Fingers crossed....... If we do stick with it we''re going to have our doc write a letter to insurance too because it is EXPENSIVE stuff. I told DH that I feel like I''m handling gold when I make a bottle.

It''s such a hard thing, isn''t it? I hope the nutramigen is the solution - it''s definitely promising since she had one good night on it already. A happier baby makes life just so much better. And I hear you on the "handling gold" thing -- you don''t want to waste one precious scoop of that stuff! I never asked our drug store what it would cost w/o insurance but online I saw anywhere from $35 to $50/can.

 

[mrssalvo]

neatfreak, I totally understand being worried and do think it surely wouldn''t hurt to call your dr and ask. My dr. usually will only do one at the 16-20 week mark unless there is spotting or you have a previous miscarriage. Since I had a miscarriage last april, they did do and early one with Jake but that''s not the norm. If it''s only $100 for you and worth the peace of mine I''d do it. I think they charge $300 or so per ultrasound at my OB''s office. Try not to worry though. the other gals are right, there can be so much to worry about, one thing right after the other, if you let your mind go there. try to limit the internet too, sometimes it can scare you more than educate. i had to quit reading What to expect when expecting b/c it made me so paranoid, i thought I had every symptom in the book. Totally stressed me out.

ella- so cute about Gabe *holding* his bottle. Jake is taking up so much of my time, I seriously don''t know how you do it with two babies. you twin mommies must have superpowers....

i took a one month pic of Jake I''ll try to post later. I cannot believe he is one month old already!!

 

[sasa]

Ella, happy to hear Gabe is getting better. Just google hemangioma (didn''t know what that is) I hope the injection helps with K''s hemangioma.

Burk, glad that the nutramegin is helping Tayva. I know it''s hard to watch your baby scream and struggling to eat. little B is like that sometime. Hope the "pot of gold" is the solution to the problem..

 

[neatfreak]

Thank you all for your thoughts. I think the hard thing here is that I have bad general anxiety. And I went off my meds to TTC. So this fear that I have is often irrational, and not easily controllable for me. I can't just say "Oh I won't worry about it". I wish I could!!! That would be heaven!

We've upped my cognitive behavioral therapy a bit to counteract the fact that I'm not on meds, but *that* therapist really thinks I should have an early u/s because it really will ease my anxiety a lot about this. So I am going to try and play that angle if I can...

I can't believe that some places charge you $900!!!!! The nurse in my office thought it was somewhere between $100-200 if one were paying out of pocket, but she's checking on it for me. It also is entirely possible that my doctor will be super understanding and will order it. It's no skin off his back really. But the nurse I talked to today (who luckily isn't *his* nurse) was mean about it! She made me feel like I was crazy for even asking about it. Hope I don't have to deal with her again!

 

[Burk]

Neatfreak~ I think it's hard for anyone to tell themselves not to worry...then to add anxiety on top of it...push for the US. You doctor should be your advocate and if you think an U/S would give you piece of mind, then by all means you should have an U/S. Good luck!

Thanks Bobo!! I like that... "pot of gold."

Thanks Ella! I hope it's the answer. I am currently bidding on it on Ebay!!! I guess you really get anything off Ebay!! It's significantly cheaper.....although this is scary because I'm a competitive person so I can easily end up continuing to bid just because I want to win!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I found a photographer and they are going to BLOW her photos away! Haha! *evil smirk* It is a photographer that my friend used for her wedding. I wish I could post her website...amazing. Only one problem, expensive!

The setting fee is $175 which is fine but then add on pictures....major money. But she is only a baby once right? I might as for money for my b-day from my parents to help cover some of it. That is what grandparents are for right?

I told my MIL about it and she was like "I wondered if you knew you were suppose to take pro pics...." okkkkaaaaay....am I a bad mom since she hasn''t had any pro pics yet? I have about 1,000 on my camera so it isn''t like we aren''t capturing things...just not as well I guess *shrug* anyways I think I am going to do it and book her for nov. as well. Then I will get 10% off.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

SHE SAT UP! Kind of....she had her arms supporting herself and I had to help her get into "position" but she held it on her own for a few mins.

It''s the first time I really tried. She was laughing but of course threw up b/c of all the pressure on her belly (and I just fed her recently....not a smart move). Anyways I''ll post a pic later. Just wanted to share my mommy pride.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 5/7/2008 5:41:36 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
SHE SAT UP! Kind of....she had her arms supporting herself and I had to help her get into ''position'' but she held it on her own for a few mins.

It''s the first time I really tried. She was laughing but of course threw up b/c of all the pressure on her belly (and I just fed her recently....not a smart move). Anyways I''ll post a pic later. Just wanted to share my mommy pride.

Yay, how exciting Tacori! Whoo hooo Tessa

Can''t wait for the picture, and you are right all the PS baby''s are the CUTEST!!!

Bobo, thanks for your sweet words, it is settled then; I will pop in when I see all the cute baby pics. hehe

 

[mercoledi]

Oh yay Tacori! I can''t get over how big Tessa is!

So many cute, happy healthy babies and mommies! You almost make me want to join you

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Thanks Skippy! I called my mom to tell her and she said all babies start sitting that way so yay! Seems like she is on track. She looked like she was enjoying it BUT it could of been b/c our female cat ALWAYS tries to get in photos so she was lurking by me and Tessa thinks they are very funny!

ETA: Thanks mercoledi! We were posting at the same time. Only join us when YOU are ready

 

[ellaila]

Yay Tessa!!!

Aw, that's so exciting! I can't believe Ms. T is six months old already. In some ways it feels like it was just yesterday that we were so anxious for you to have her (or him, b/c at that point we didn't know!). And to find out what name you were finally going to settle on

And now here it is half a year later. Crazy. Look forward to seeing the photo!

Bobo, I googled hemangiomas when K's first appeared, and it was the worst thing I could've done! There are some absolutely heartbreaking cases out there. K's is *nothing* like those. Hers is really small - the doc calls it a "friendly hemnagioma" because it's been so slow-growing and will likely not get very big (even if we didn't do the injection). Given that she got one, we're very lucky that she got the one she did! This photo is blurry, but you can see it here -- pretty small! (I love this photo!)

ETA: holy crap, that photo came out big! Sorry!

 

[sasa]

Tacori, yeah for Tessa!

I have to say this is the best part of being a mom.

ella, I saw some heartbreaking photos too...glad K''s hemnagioma is "friendly" Hope that friendly thing will go away by itself very soon...Love K''s pix. she so beautiful and her eyes

...beautiful...