Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[curlygirl]

Yikes, so much to catch up on!

sk8erjen, WOOHOOO!!!!! Welcome to TEAM PINK times 2! That is just fantastic news!!!

neatfreak, holy cow, twins!! Sooooo exciting! I really can''t believe we have 4 sets of twins amongst such a small group. Fantastic news! Hope you''re feeling great and digesting this news!

ellaila, I love your necklace. DH got mine from Heather Moore (online) and it was super pricey for what it is but I love it. Great idea, isn''t it?! I can''t wait to add to mine. I''m glad G-man is doing well. Just reading the words "penile adhesions" made me cringe. It''s totally harder on the moms than the babes but it sounds like yours are both doing great! Hope you''re feeling ok.

Diver, I''m loving your watch!! Good for you, you totally deserve it.

mrssalvo, congrats to your sister on baby Adena!! Can''t wait to see photos! I have a feeling you are going to be a fantastic auntie!!!

Burk, I''m so sorry for everything poor Tayva (and you) are going through. It is so hard to see our babies suffering and not be able to help them. I really hope you both get some much needed relief soon.

snlee, no glider here. I did a lot of walking with Lily in the beginning since I didn''t have anything to sit and rock her in. I kept thinking to myself that it was helping me lose weight faster!!!!!

jackiejas, I hope your cervix cooperates and is fully competent when it counts! But hey, partial bedrest is a good excuse to do absolutely nothing and not feel guilty about it!!! Enjoy your NY trip, you''ll have a blast!

Tacori, congrats on 6.5 months. You should be so proud of yourself for sticking it out for as long as you did. And I LOVE your shower gift idea. I may totally steal that!

Mrs Mitchell, ARE YOU HAVING YOUR BABY RIGHT NOW?!?!? I hope so! Sending you fast and easy labor vibes!

Pitocin. Hmmm...I''m seriously already thinking about possibly being induced this time around if my doctor goes for it. I had a great, easy, spontaneous labor last time and would love to have the same experience but I don''t know if I can be as carefree this time with a little one at home. I feel like it needs to be more planned out so Lily will be taken care of while we''re at the hospital. Yes, I''m already having anxiety over this and I still have 4 months to go! I''m not scared of having a c-section, I''m just scared of my doctor saying NO WAY! I guess I''ll wait for a while before I broach the subject with her.

I just had my anatomy scan. Kinda anticlimactic since I''ve already known for 6 weeks that I''m having another girl. But it was great to see how much she''s grown and it was pretty funny that I could watch and feel her move at the same time!! She was waving, crossing and uncrossing her legs, touching her feet. Super cute. The doctor said based on the amnio results and this scan, the baby is pretty darn perfect so I''m happy. I''ve only gained about 6.5 lbs. and I''m almost 22 weeks so I have no complaints. I often forget I''m pregnant because I just don''t have time to really think about it. I know that will change as I get bigger so I''m just going to enjoy it for now!

I know I missed a lot of people but I just hope everyone is doing well!

 

[curlygirl]

And here''s my little show off! She is a walking fool! I have to keep her in pants because of all the bruises on her legs from falling--don''t want people to think I beat her!

She LOVES walking and is staying up later and later to practice which is driving me and DH crazy but we can''t stop her from honing her skills!

 

[TravelingGal]

Ha Curly, that pic is so cool...it''s like she''s saying "what? I can''t help it if I''m COOL!"

Yeah Ella, men can be doofs...even the BEST of em. My old boss'' hubby did the most foolish thing I''ve heard of, especially because it was ILLEGAL. He had the baby in the carseat and drank a beer. While DRIVING. I swear they are good people and he''s not trash or anything. I don''t think he normally drinks and drives either! I was shocked to hear this and my boss (who is a very bright woman) said she yelled at him so loud it could be heard down the block and she was pissed off for DAYS.

I swear sometimes that we mothers are sent to be guardian angels to our babies not just against child molesters or kidnappers, but sometimes their own fathers!!!

LC, I think water is fine for later...the article says under 6 months it *may* cause troubles for the baby. And I''m going to be a juice nazi too. My mom gave me apple juice before I went to bed (I actually remember sucking on the bottle) and my front two teeth rotted as a kid (I think). I still have to take meticulous care of my teeth or the gums go swollen very quickly and I blame it on the apple juice.

My dentist said there is no reason for kids to have juice early on and it''s a big reason why babies teeth go bad. So it will be water and milk for my baby too. When I give her juice much later, it will be diluted with water.

MrsS, can''t wait to see the pic. Glad to hear the darling is doing well and got out safe! And yeah, pitocin doesn''t necessarily mean a c-section at all. My two closest friends had it and managed vaginal deliveries (although one was touch and go). But in my newer circle of friends, the last 3 babies (including me) all were c-sections after pitocin and fetal distress.

Diver and Burk, let us know how it goes today with the peds.

RadiantGirl, I am so sorry to hear how much you''ve been going through. I have no advice re: period but wanted to give you hugs.

Hehe, Jen, I had a feeling it would be girls. We''re in the middle of a girl boom and you are not immune! Congrats!!! I LOVE having a little girl. (I think I''d love having a little boy too though!)

Amelia went 6 hours last night, then another 3, so I was thrilled. I am also so tired to get up at 6am, and so I see if she wants to sleep more, and she normally does pretty easily...although I don''t know if that''s too much sleep or not. So she went down until 9 am today. I am starting to do all her naps in the crib and today she is doing well. She''s up for about an hour and a half and we play, do exercises and are pretty active...so at the first sign of a yawn I put her down and she conks out easily. It''s all just experimenting right now to see what works best for her...I''m just trying to "read" her as best as I can.

TGuy goes out of town next week for 10 days. I''m totally going to be on my own...eek. Good thing I''m used to doing most things myself anyway!!!

Oh, and my back is about 90%! If I feel good tomorrow morning, I am going to try out my first stroller strides class. Sick of all this preggo flappy flab!!!

 

[curlygirl]

TGal, she totally thinks she''s soooo cool! It''s hysterical. I forgot to chime in on the juice issue too. I''m definitely the juice police. I NEVER give it to her. They gave her some apple juice once at daycare and I freaked out on them. "But she LOVED it", they said. Yeah, of course she did, it''s all sugar!! She loves water now. Our pediatrician told us no water until at least 6 months so that''s when we started it and it was really just so she could start getting used to the sippy cup. Most of it didn''t make it into her mouth at that point! But she really loves it now and it''s just another thing that she thinks she''s cool at, she can hold her cup with one hand and drink out of it. These kids are a TRIP, I tell ya!

 

[mrssalvo]

curly- such a cute pic of Lily....she''s so adorable..

Juice- I didn''t give my girls juice until they were older than 1, probably even later, i just don''t remember when. Never would I put juice in a bottle. they had to be old enough to drink it from a cup if they wanted it. My oldest doesn''t like any juice or milk. she pretty much only drinks water which is great. Lily, who is 4 likes Apple juice and I let her drink it but dilute it. She drinks milk too. It''s only water at bedtime after teeth are brushed.

Jen- congrats on the 2 girls. it''s quite a change from boys but they are so much fun!!

diver- poor Delaney. i hope the dr. can find what''s going on with her so she can get better soon.

burk- same goes for Tayva..poor things. it''s so hard watching our kids suffer and feeling helpless.

radiantgirl- I never had a d&C but went a few weeks without a period after my miscarriage. my sister miscarried last year, no D&C but when almost 3 months with no period. they kept checking her blood levels. She ended up preggo again on the last check b/f she was going to get medicine to make her start her period.

tgal- glad your back is feeling better.

So, I just got back from the hospital visiting my niece. Here she is:

 

[mrssalvo]

and here''s one of the cousins..Jake looked huge next to her and he''s only 6 weeks older..

 

[sasa]

jen, Congrats on two girls!! so exciting!!

Curly, she is so cute~love the expression on her face.

MrsS, Adena is so pretty~ love the little bow in her hair and look at jake....so cute~

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Diver, thanks girl! I know you understand what a tough road BFing was for me. I am proud of myself but glad I am done (for now!) Sorry to hear about D. I hope she gets better soon! Poor kiddo.

Burk, same goes for sweet Tayva. I hope they can help her.

TGal, my doc said water after 4 months was fine. I tried it one and she refused to drink it.

MrsS, your niece is beautiful! Congrats to your family.

Radiant, I am so sorry. My thoughts are with you.

Jen, two girls!!!! How exciting? Are they identical?

Curly, did you pick a name yet. I like Libby too (can''t remember if someone suggested it before).

Ella, poor Gabe and bad hubby! I am sure he will NEVER do that again!

 

[Skippy123]

Curly, Lily is a darling! She is so cute and proud. hehe

Mrs. Salvo, Jackie and your sis''s baby are adorable!!! Love the cousin shot!!! Congrats!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

BTW we are going to the beach this weekend so I will be MIA (don''t worry!) but Burk I will test out the swim diapers. I also have the fabric one. I''ll let you know how it goes.

 

[Kaleigh]

Jen Congrats on twin girls, how fun!!

Tacori, have a nice weekend, lets us know how the swim diapers work out.

Curly,
She's too cool, what a great pic!!

MrsS, your niece Adena is adorable, so pretty. Glad she arrived safely. Phew!!! Hoping your sis gets lots of rest, and heals quickly.

TGal, glad your back is better. I have a bad neck, so can relate.

 

[lili]

MrsS
Adena is just a doll

Love the little bow on her hair.
Hope your sister recovers quickly.

TGal
Glad to hear that you are 90% better.
Bummer that TGuy''s TDY isn''t later when you are 100% better.

Jen
Yay...congrats on your girlies.

 

[divergrrl]

tacori--you just rocked w/bfing. i can''t believe tessa is 6.5 mo old....wow....

curly: lilly is toooooo cute!

mrs.s: omg adena is a beauty...jake looks like such a little "dude"

radiantgirl: 2 m/c''s and i was a wreck when preggo too...but it turned out well--so try to look forward to happier times...

delaney has a tummy flu & her bottom is a diaper rash/yeast infection. tjey gave me some bordeaux''s butt paste & said to layer that over lotrimin. it doeslook/feel different than desitin, a&d, johnson & johnson. we will see...poor thing,i cant wipe her/ i have to rinse her bottom off under the faucet in cool water--poor girljust screams. i even gated us up in my bathroom for an hour & let her go naked on some old towels in case she poo''d---she didn''t...it didn''t help...her whole undercarriage is flamin'' red....i want to cry with her.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Thanks Lisa!

Diver, poor little D. Butt paste does have a nice smooth texture. I like triple paste better though. I hope she gets better soon. Having a sick child is heartbreaking. These past 6.5 months have flown by. She''ll be 7 months so soon. Wow. I need to lose weight. My excuse isn''t going to work much longer!

 

[divergrrl]

pssst lilly--

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 5/22/2008 9:04:58 PM
Author: divergrrl
pssst lilly--

OM Gosh, how cute is he?!?!

Tacori and Bobo, love the new avatars, sooooo cute!!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Thanks Skippy!

Diver, he is so adorable!

 

[MMMD]

Radiant: I''m going to de-lurk here for a minute and tell you that I had the same issues after a m/c and d&C. My levels were still high so I wasn''t getting my period (and that was heartbreaking because I wanted to try again.) So I took the progesterone, got my period about a week later. Three months later I was pregnant and she is a beautiful 6 year old now. You sound like such a great, strong lady being able to read this thread and take joy in these beautiful babies. Good luck!

Speaking of beautiful babies, the pictures on this thread are incredible. One cutie pie after another. Almost makes me want to have another... nah, I''ll live vicariously thru you gals.

 

[lili]

Tacori, Burk, Bobo --
Love the new avis....so cute!

Tacori--
congrats on the PS pressy too.
Sweet!
So are you saving the old pair for Tessa when she''s older?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

lili, yes I think I will. I like the idea of giving T her first diamonds and think 16 or 18 would be a good age.

 

[sasa]

Diver, I''m so sorry to hear about delaney''s tummy flu and her rash/yeast infection. Hope she get well soon. Poor girl~

Tacori, love the new avatar!!

 

[neatfreak]

Jen...CONGRATS!!!!!! That is so awesome! How special to have your twins be the ladies of the house. Your boys are just going to be so protective of their little sisters!

And at 16 weeks, I am so jealous! I cannot WAIT to see what we are having...I am so impatient!

 

[snlee]

Tacori, love the new avatar!

Tessa is so cute!

curly, I enjoyed reading about your u/s experience. It must have been so exciting! I can't wait to see our little one! Love that picture of Lily! She is so adorable!

MrsS, congrats to your sister! I'm sorry to hear she had to have a c-section. I hope she has a smooth receovery. Adena is beautiful!

So I just started feeling baby movements this week. Today, as I was sitting at work, all the sudden I felt a tightening in my belly. It was much stronger than what I have been feeling. It lasted maybe about 10 seconds. My belly was hard. It didn't hurt, just felt tight. My belly felt tighter/a little odd for a few hours after that (but it may be just my body being tense after feeling that). I called the advice nurse but she wasn't much help. Luckily I have a doctors appointment already set for tomorrow. At first I thought it might have been the baby moving or flipping but now I'm thinking it might be Braxton Hicks. Did any of you have Braxton Hicks? How did it feel?

 

[neatfreak]

Question for all of you about maternity leave. For those of you who worked after the baby (or babies!) how long did you take off?

I told my advisor today...who was as nice about it as you can expect any 35 year old man without children to be. Not warm and fuzzy about it, but didn't seem super fazed about it. So that's good. But of course the first question out of his mouth is "do you have any idea how much time you'll want off?"

So I pose the question to you more experienced moms. What do you think is a good measure of when you feel functional again? A bit of backstory-I'll be able to work from home, and maximum it is 20 hours a week. "Going back to work" really just means start working on publications again and meet my advisor once or twice a week for an hour (DH or my mom could easily cover with the babies then).

Any opinions about what might be a reasonable timeframe to tell him? I basically think I want to start up again as soon as I feel like I am sleeping a bit and am not a walking zombie...He of course just wants an idea if possible, he won't hold me to it. He's pretty accommodating like that. I think he just wants to know if I'll be taking the whole semester off or just a few months. And so do I!

 

[TravelingGal]

NF, take as much time as you can.

With a c-section, I felt pretty human physically after 3 weeks (actually have a week and a half, but I wasn''t 90% until at least 3 weeks with me feeling definitely 100% now at nearly 8 weeks). However recovery from labor is the just beginning of your worries.

Depending on your baby''s sleep patterns, you may start to see the fog lift at about 6 weeks (that is when I did as they start to sleep a bit longer at night). I could not DREAM of going back to work at that time though.

And finally...I just want time to bond. Amelia''s 7 weeks and starting to get more interactive and fun...if you call her just look at me and cooing and smiling "fun". I want to spend as much time with her as possible.

I live in California so we get an extra 6 weeks more than other states. Total I am taking 20 weeks. Only about 12 weeks left. Wah....

 

[TravelingGal]

MrsS, Adena is so cute. Love the hair thingie...I need to get hair thingies for Amelia! And Jake does so look like a BOY next to her!

Ha...seems like there are a few of us Juice Nazis here! I actually don''t drink juice myself very often...it''s pure sugar and since my dad is diabetic and it can run in the family, I do what I can to not have my sugar levels go through the roof.

Tacori, interesting on the water. I never even thought about water until I read the article tonight. I will ask my ped too.

Kaleigh, isn''t back/neck pain the worst! I am going to be a posture nazi with Amelia too because one thing you don''t want to live with is this kind of chronic pain!!!

Diver, poor Delaney.

I can''t imagine...the thought of Amelia having that kind of rash is enough to make me cry.

snlee, I didn''t have braxton hicks that often...just a couple of times. Doesn''t sound like the baby...I don''t remember my belly hardening when Amelia moved, BUT...no way my flabby belly could ever get hard anyway...

Going to by a new mattress tomorrow. SIDS risk is highest between 2-4 months (Amelia is just heading into 2 months) and we have a hand me down. Not sure how valid the concern is, but it will give me a bit more peace of mind. Plus we didn''t buy the crib anyway, so might as well buy a nice mattress. If anyone has a suggestion, let me know. I''m reading some BRU reviews tonight.

 

[snlee]

Maternity leave - I get 4 weeks before birth and 18-20 weeks after birth. I plan to take the full time off plus some vacation (if I feel the need to). I''d try to take as much time off as you can NF.

TGal, according to Baby Bargains these are your best bets: Foam - Colgate Classica I and Moonlight Slumber''s Starlight Support. Coil - Simmons Super Maxipedic 160 coils and Sealy Baby Soft Premium 204 coils. If you get a mattress at BRU, there''s a 15% coupon that starts tomorrow. Try to find one if you don''t already have it.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/23/2008 1:22:06 AM
Author: snlee
Maternity leave - I get 4 weeks before birth and 18-20 weeks after birth. I plan to take the full time off plus some vacation (if I feel the need to). I''d try to take as much time off as you can NF.

TGal, according to Baby Bargains these are your best bets: Foam - Colgate Classica I and Moonlight Slumber''s Starlight Support. Coil - Simmons Super Maxipedic 160 coils and Sealy Baby Soft Premium 204 coils. If you get a mattress at BRU, there''s a 15% coupon that starts tomorrow. Try to find one if you don''t already have it.

Thanks snlee, I will look those up. I do have a coupon and was planning to buy this weekend so I can use it.

 

[cara]

My friend is an end-stage grad student and has a 3-mo old. She anticipated getting back to part-time writing after 1 month, and was very very frustrated that nothing at all got done for about 2 months, putting her behind schedule for graduation. Similarly, she was just trying to get some part time writing done at home and into work 1-2x per week briefly for meetings and to see people. Even though her husband is also a grad student and could watch the little one, breastfeeding seemed to render him less useful and only in this last month has she been able to get anything work related done. So she says plan on getting nothing accomplished for the first two months, though I presume it will depend somewhat on the child.

 

[lili]

snlee--
if you feel your uterus tightening up, that''s BH.
i did feel those fairly early -- i think it was 14 wks onward.
during in the pregnancy, they occur only in the morning.
by third trimester, i''d feel them fairly often throughout the day.

like tgal said, your entire uterus doesn''t tighten up when the baby move.
you''ll feel a hard section if the baby is sticking out his elbow, feet or knee.