Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[sbde]

glad you called the doc snlee - hope all is well!

 

[neatfreak]

PSA for all the preggo's!!!! I just found out through my local mothers of multiples group about a service our children's hospital has. It's called the Kohl's Safety Center (might be called other things in other hospitals) but there are several around the country (I know there is another in Indianapolis and one in Baltimore at least). It is AWESOME. They have child safety experts on staff and aside from doing the usual car installs/checks for carseats, flyers, etc. THEY HAVE A TON OF SAFETY GEAR AT COST!

My local one for example has the Chicco Keyfit 30 infant seat for $130 (with a Sept. 2008 manufacture date currently), Halo sleepsacks for $5, carbon monoxide detectors for $10, Bike helmets for $10, etc. Mine has a ton of carseats too, including Britax, Graco, etc. at major discounts.

So if you live near a major medical center might be worth a call to check and see if they have a store like this. It rocks!

I am so happy I found out about this before we bought the boys carseats and sleepsacks!

 

[Independent Gal]

robbie, i think i spotted for about 7-10 days in all. yeah, it was stressful! but it turned out to be nothing. some women spot throughout the whole first trimester. it really varies a lot. so you just have to trust that whatever weirdness is going on up there, so long as it doesnt hurt, and it''s not bright red, it''s gonna be ok! i know, easier said than done. believe me, i know!

btw, sorry for the lack of caps, gals, my computer is fritzing out on me.


snlee sorry you''re having so many issues! i hope junior stays in there another week or at least and settles down so you can chill a bit before he arrives!

lara, congrats!

mela, so glad to see you back here, girl. are you finding it more stressful this time or doing ok? thanks for sharing the story about your friend. thank goodness the baby was ok! the ''fold'' thing, if it''s anything, doesn''t at all mean there''s anything wrong with the boys themselves, thank heavens! we''ve had the anatomy scan and all the screening except the echo, and they look perfect! the fold would be a precursor to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, an ''environmental'' situation which is a very common (15-20%) and often fatal complication of twins sharing a placenta. It''s the main thing that drives the high mortality rate with this type of twins. but if they can avoid or survive that, there''s no reason to think they won''t be completely healthy! they''re huge and very lively at the moment. grow little cubs grow! go little cubs go!

so I''m back from my little jaunt to nyc to meet up with my dad and sis. we had a great time, although my dad was teasing me about waddling.

i forgave him though, when he said that my mini-makeover was on him! i had a make-up consultation to see what i could do about my pallid spotty face, and then dad bought me a pair of rockin'' ferragamo flats so i could feel ''dressed'' at work, since i can''t wear my heels anymore.

mmmmm. ferragamo. so classic. so elegant. so comfy. thank you daddy!!

i never used to get spoiled at all, so it''s a big thrill when it happens these days.

 

[Independent Gal]

here are my other new ''twins''.

I hope my mini-makeover helps me feel less blah and ugly. I am so not excited by another 4 months of drab cheap clothes and feeling fat.

 

[Pandora II]

Mmmmm, Ferragamo - quite possibly my favourite designer!

I used to design their men''s neck-ties many, many years ago. Their collections are always such great fabrics and great quality.

 

[Independent Gal]

pandora, really!!???? i lerrrrrrve Ferragamo ties. they are my super-faves. and the shoes. and the delicious clothes... ok! ok! i love all of it!

cool job.

any news from your doc about the drug issue?

 

[nycbkgirl]

hi ladies! congrats to all those Preggers

i have a ? for anyone who may know....i did the beta mon and it was 435 and i am schedule for second beta pg test this monday...i did hpt now and it is lighter than the one i did mon morning...could this be because i did it in evening or something else??? i am worried because i dont feel signs of pg...all i have it tightness in the stomach ..which i dont know is normal or not anyway...i am supposedly 5 wks pg. the wait for the secong blood test and u/s is torture!!! wondering if anyone went through anything like this or knows if this is normal

 

[ljmorgan]

I wanted to thank everyone again for all of your well wishes when I posted last week that my baby was measuring behind. Today I went in for my second U/S, and everything looks great! The baby is measuring right on track (7w 2 d.) I am so relieved!

I also got some slightly scary news, but we''ll deal with that when we get there. Several years ago I had major surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, and had a blood transfusion during the procedure. In my blood test from last week they discovered I have anti C and anti D antibodies in my blood as a result of the transfusion. I am honestly having a difficult time finding a lot of information about it online, but my OB has referred me to a specialist. She said it will just depend on the baby''s blood, and it may be a problem, and it may not be a problem at all.

Anyway, tonight I am just happy that the little bean has a very strong heartbeat is growing well!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 9/19/2008 8:25:11 PM
Author: nycbkgirl
hi ladies! congrats to all those Preggers

i have a ? for anyone who may know....i did the beta mon and it was 435 and i am schedule for second beta pg test this monday...i did hpt now and it is lighter than the one i did mon morning...could this be because i did it in evening or something else??? i am worried because i dont feel signs of pg...all i have it tightness in the stomach ..which i dont know is normal or not anyway...i am supposedly 5 wks pg. the wait for the secong blood test and u/s is torture!!! wondering if anyone went through anything like this or knows if this is normal

Depends on a lot of things, including the amount of dye on the test. So don''t worry until you need to.

 

[nycbkgirl]

thanks neatfreak- what about the tightness? have you heard of that as a symptom?? i just need to do something to take my mind off of this wait!!!

 

[mela lu]

Ack! So much scaryness going on between Lindsey''s blood, Robbie''s tinged fluids, Suh-nuh-lee''s watery liquids, and Indy''s potential fold! Oh girls hang in there - I hope that everyone''s fluids are simply a bump in the road. Fingers crossed that all your sprouts are safe and well.

Thankfully, we have Indy''s new shoe-twins and Jas'' big bood-twins to chear us up. phew.

Jen, after sleeping on my name suggestions for you, I realized that Marina Bay may be a bit too ''nautical''. Marina (where you but your boat) in the Bay (of the lake). Get it? yah. whoops!

Sometimes sleep gives me clarity on this, my favorite topic beside diamonds. FOR EXAMPLE. I used to lurve Luna Simone. I was SURE that we would call our unborn Luna Simone....until....a dream showed me the error in my ways. In my dream, I put a slightly different emphasis on the syllables, and what did I get? Lunacy Moan. Lunacy Moan. The moan of a Lunatic. No thanks! But Thank you Sleep for showing me the light. It was much the same for Marina Bay.

I now see the error. Unless nautical was what you were going for. In that case. I''m a genious.

Thanks for asking about my mental state, Indy! I''m feeling great and really positive about this pregnancy. I really feel like just because I had one m/c does not mean I''m doomed for another. Furthermore, if something *does* go wrong, I''m still a huge believer in nature taking it''s course, so I''m really not stressed about it.

Feeeeeeeeeeeeeling good.

NYCBK - I really wouldn''t worry about the depth of color. Every batch is different

. Getting your beta''s done is the only way to be sure. Have faith girl

speaking of....I totally poas this morning for fun. PG line came out even before the control line. HEE!

Mela. 5 weeks (tomorrow)

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 9/19/2008 9:03:50 PM
Author: nycbkgirl
thanks neatfreak- what about the tightness? have you heard of that as a symptom?? i just need to do something to take my mind off of this wait!!!

Pulling type cramps are totally normal...I assume that might be what you mean? I know it''s really hard, but please please try not to worry! Everything is out of your hands at this point and just remember that if something were to happen it is just nature''s way of weeding out a fetus that probably wouldn''t have survived in the end, and certainly wouldn''t thrive.

 

[nycbkgirl]

mela--which line is the pg line? the first or the second or are they diff on every test?? ..we are 5 wk gals

thanks neatfreak---i am a total freak when it comes to this !!! lol ..will give you update on mondays beta result..but if you think i wont buy more hpts tomorrow and do them before mon you are mistaken lol.

 

[neatfreak]

While we have all you name gurus around...

We need a middle name for Dexter. I want something not too out there or new age. Classic is ok, but not something like John or Steven if you know what I mean.

Eliot''s middle name will be Aidan (we think) if that gives you any idea of our taste...at least I think it''s going to be Eliot...not sure of the spelling yet there!

Our last name begins with L and is two syllables if that helps!

 

[E B]

Dexter James
Dexter Scott
Dexter Cole
Dexter Samuel
Dexter Nicholas
Dexter Patrick
Dexter Jacob

Dexter Morgan (just kidding- but I do love the show!)

 

[snlee]

Hi all, I''m back! Nothing interesting to report. It was just lots of watery discharge. Fun stuff.

I''ve been to the doctor''s office and L&D 3 times in 48 hours! I am so tired!

I hope things slow down a bit now.

We are going out to dim sum tomorrow and I can''t wait! Yummy!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 9/19/2008 9:26:30 PM
Author: EBree
Dexter James

Dexter Scott

Dexter Cole

Dexter Samuel

Dexter Nicholas

Dexter Patrick

Dexter Jacob


Dexter Morgan (just kidding- but I do love the show!)

LOL. You know the horrible thing? Dexter Morgan is the favorite combo that we came up with too! Lol. But we just couldn't do that.

I really like Dexter Jacob but it's DH's given first name and we don't want Eliot wondering why Dex got dad's name and he didn't ya know?

I like Dexter Cole and Dexter Samuel too...those might be a good contenders!!!! Thanks!

 

[E B]

I love the sound of Dexter Morgan, but that might be a little cruel!

Here's what Nymbler suggested when I put Dexter, Eliot, and Aidan in (with some editing):

Dexter Reid
Dexter Gavin
Dexter Graham
Dexter Colin
Dexter Nolan
Dexter Charles
Dexter Joel
Dexter Myles (My personal fave.)
Dexter Blake
Dexter Cohen
Dexter Cameron

Since I don't know your last name, I have no idea how these will sound, but a couple might work.

 

[snlee]

Date: 9/19/2008 9:37:35 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 9/19/2008 9:26:30 PM

Author: EBree

Dexter James
Dexter Scott
Dexter Cole
Dexter Samuel
Dexter Nicholas
Dexter Patrick
Dexter Jacob

Dexter Morgan (just kidding- but I do love the show!)

LOL. You know the horrible thing? Dexter Morgan is the favorite combo that we came up with too! Lol. But we just couldn''t do that.

I really like Dexter Jacob but it''s DH''s given first name and we don''t want Eliot wondering why Dex got dad''s name and he didn''t ya know?

I like Dexter Cole and Dexter Samuel too...those might be a good contenders!!!! Thanks!

I like Dexter Cole.

 

[mela lu]

Dexter Dean

Dexter Roan
Dexter Reed

Dexter Gray
Dexter Wyatt

are these too new age? (heart are my faves)

ETA: We were posting at the same time! Reid/Reed made your list too! IT's A SIGN!!!!!

 

[snlee]

Date: 9/19/2008 8:45:48 PM
Author: *Lindsey*
I wanted to thank everyone again for all of your well wishes when I posted last week that my baby was measuring behind. Today I went in for my second U/S, and everything looks great! The baby is measuring right on track (7w 2 d.) I am so relieved!

I also got some slightly scary news, but we''ll deal with that when we get there. Several years ago I had major surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, and had a blood transfusion during the procedure. In my blood test from last week they discovered I have anti C and anti D antibodies in my blood as a result of the transfusion. I am honestly having a difficult time finding a lot of information about it online, but my OB has referred me to a specialist. She said it will just depend on the baby''s blood, and it may be a problem, and it may not be a problem at all.

Anyway, tonight I am just happy that the little bean has a very strong heartbeat is growing well!

Lindsey, that''s great news about the baby measuring on track and seeing a strong heartbeat! I am crossing my fingers that your blood antibodies don''t cause a problem.

 

[nycbkgirl]

Neatfreak...love those choices..also like dexter ryan

 

[lili]

Date: 9/19/2008 9:33:08 PM
Author: snlee
Hi all, I'm back! Nothing interesting to report. It was just lots of watery discharge. Fun stuff.

I've been to the doctor's office and L&D 3 times in 48 hours! I am so tired!

I hope things slow down a bit now.
We are going out to dim sum tomorrow and I can't wait! Yummy!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

That's good.
Hope you have an uneventful weekend as well.
Enjoy your dim sum.


LIndsey
Great news about the u/s and baby measuring on target.
Fingers crossed that the blood anti-bodies is a non-issue.

 

[qtiekiki]

snlee - glad everything is alright.

There''s a lot of newly preggo now. Congrats to all of you.

Hope everyone else is doing well too.

 

[lover in athens]

UGH...4am and i am completely wide awake! will try and catch up.

indy: TOTALLY agree with you on the name jonah. i LOVE it...and the story. too bad dh is so hyper-focused on the whale!!

pandora: how are you feeling? sounds like you have a LOT on your plate right now. i wish i had more insight into the medication issue. i feel like our "grading" system for medications in pregnancy is sorely inadequate...and honestly not that helpful. obviously no one would knowingly take a class D or X medication, but it's too darn hazy around those class Cs (like NF mentioned). i don't know anything about lamictal (and am anxious to hear what your doctor thinks), but i do know that the FDA often puts class C as a kind of "just in case." some of the meds we COMMONLY prescribe in derm during pregnancy are technically class C, but are still considered very safe and tested... keep us posted...thinking of you!!

kay: ditto on what everyone else said about the most recent u/s results. way too hard at this stage to get an accurate measurement when the kiddos (omg...i guess they really ARE kind of kiddos at this stage!!) are so squished in there! if it makes you feel any better, we are totally having a short, squat potato-head kid. every time we've had measurements taken, his femur length has been slightly less than everything else. at the "big" u/s at 20 weeks, dh said, "great, he's already short for his age!!" (dh is 5'8, and i'm 5'1, so he's probably kind of doomed).

courtney: how did your appt go?? i hope you got to hear the hb! keep us posted!

snlee: oh my goodness, you poor thing! what an eventful few days. i think it's always better safe than sorry, and i'm so glad that you're getting checked!! but HUGE congrats for making it all the way through, and being OFF BEDREST!!!! to answer your question, my OB really has no idea when i'll actually deliver...she's just making an educated guess (based on her experience and what she sees). so although it's kind of nice to realize that she *thinks* that we'll make it all the way to 36 weeks, i know that there is really no basis for it whatsoever and i could deliver any day (or could go all the way to 39!!)... i also thinks it's kind of weird how similar our PTL has been...i'm so anxious to see when you actually deliver! i bet i'll be somewhere kind of close (based on absolutely nothing, of course!). my guess is 37wk, 1 day.

jackie: thanks for checking in! i've been thinking about you, and am so glad to hear you're doing well. would love to see more pics.

mela: hi! love your name lists. for girls, my favorites are eva, maya (partial to it b/c it's my niece's name and she's adorable), and mila (for a tribute to your ps name!). funny how short your boy's list is. that's how we were...could come up with a TON of good girl's names, but boys are just way tougher!

robbie: too funny how much your boobs have already grown! i went up like a 1/2 cup size right away and was SOO excited (but i'm also one of those super tiny boobied people to start with)! i'm up about 1 1/2 total sizes now, and i'm sure it will stay that way until my milk comes in. try not to worry too much! and just enjoy?? although i hated my "bigger" ones all the way through the first tri b/c they were SOOOO sore!! oh, and try not to worry about the spotting!!

lara: congrats on the pregnancy and the house. we just recently moved as well! hope everything goes smoothly for you, and i hope we see you around here more often!

jen: how are you feeling?? any final decisions on names? i wish i could be more help but (as you can probably tell) i'm SO BAD at the name game!!

janine: where are you? we need updates and check-ins.
curly:you too, but i'm glad to see your short post!!

indy: love love love your new shoes. so fun to get spoiled, isn't it??

nyc: agree with what everyone else has said. try not to pay attention to the darkness of the line! kup on the beta on monday!

lindsey: SO GLAD to hear that the u/s was reassuring. and yay for seeing that little heart beating. isn't it just the most incredible thing??? hope that the antibodies turn out to be a nothing!

nf: i'm not good at coming up with new ones, but i LOVE dexter cole and dexter ryan!!


wow...it's amazing what you can type at 4am! everything with me is status quo... my parents are here for the weekend and it's been lots of fun having them around. my mom and i went through TONS of hand-me-down clothes from my sister- and brother-in-law today (both boy and girl and ranging in size from newborn up until 5T!!). there were def some cute ones. we also washed the few new things that have been given to us as gifts. oh, and the uppa stroller arrived yesterday. ended up with the green. LOVE IT!!!!! this is starting to seem VERY real all of a sudden.

today my mom and i are going to get mani/pedis (i am going to be a BAD bedrest girl!!), and then i get to watch some football with my dad. life is good.

xo,LIA 32wk,4d

 

[Pandora II]

Hi all,

Didn''t get to speak to my doctor yesterday which is annoying - but then I didn''t tell them that it was urgent and this is the NHS so I''ll probably hear on Monday.

DH has just left to go to another political party conference - he''s back on Wednesday and then has to leave for the third one on Sunday through to Wednesday again. I HATE him being away - and moreso at the moment as he is so good at keeping me calm. He says he''ll call to make sure I''m okay a lot.

I got very annoyed with one of my constituents this morning and put the phone down on him - he then left a message to say he''s going to tell the papers.

I''m not worried as I have a good relationship with the local journos and they all owe me right now so they won''t do anything. But, it leaves me feeling horrible - although DH said I shouldn''t have to put up with people shouting at me down the phone no matter how angry they are. Hey ho...

On the bright side I got a letter from the hospital with the date for my first diagnostic scan - November 7th - you take a blood test first, wait for the results for 20 minutes and then they do the scan. Then they do the calculations and give you your risk for Downs. If it''s 1/250 or lower you get a choice of CVS or amnio if you want them.

I always thought the first scan was a dating scan, but maybe they just combine the two? Anyway, we get back from our honeymoon on November 2nd, so that is perfect timing.

I will also be able to confirm that I AM NOT HAVING TWINS - contrary to all the rumours in Hangout!

I called my brother today and broke the news that I won''t be coming to his wedding. Apparently I have the ONLY acceptable excuse. He sounded a little bit disappointed, but took it really well.

Spoke to MIL yesterday and she gave me some advice about the spherocystosis risk. It''s a dominant condition where your bloodcells are shaped like spheres rather than donuts. They don''t carry as much haemoglobin and the spleen also recognises them as ''old'' cells and kills them. So, you are constantly tired and anaemic and your spleen and gallbladder are working overtime.

DH has it badly and has had his spleen and gall-bladder removed - so now his immunity is compromised and he gets every virus and bug going (he''s had flu-type viruses five times this year alone).

It can be extremely dangerous in neonates, and most babies with it will get severe jaundice after birth, so I''m trying to find out what I can in advance. If I end up having CVS or amnio I''ll get them to check for it as we have a 50% chance of any child having it.

Geez, sometimes I wonder if we should breed at all!

indy - I used to drag all my friends to look at the Ferragamo windows to see my designs.

I still find it strange that I can look at one of their designs and know exactly who in the studio will have done it. They all said you could tell mine as my little animals all looked a bit dim-witted.

lara - Congratulations - and commiserations on the bling!

nyc - keep calm, I''m not sure on the tight stomach feeling. I just feel horrible and fat. I''m only just hitting my normal BMI so I know I''m not putting on weight, but I swear I look 4 months pg. Did anyone else feel like they just swelled up like crazy? I had a pancake flat stomach 3 weeks ago and now....

For what it''s worth I don''t ''feel'' pregnant either - tired and peeing more but that is about it. My bbs are bigger, but not really sore and no m/s at all.

Lindsey - FANTASTIC NEWS. I was keeping my fingers crossed for good news for you.

LIA - Have a great ''naughty bed-rest day'' and thanks for the thoughts!

 

[Independent Gal]

lindsay, so glad your embryo is growing right on schedule! With all that pukeyness, I figured it must be so. I hope the antibodies don't cause any trouble. Did the doc tell you the likelihood of the embryo having the relevant blood types? I mean, only find out if you (like me) feel better when you have a handle on probabilities.

mela, you're my hero. your attitude is the best, and very, very inspiring.

lia & snlee, enjoy your anti-bedrest fun!

pandora, is it weird that i think i know which little wacky animal ties must have been yours?

So, according to my "knocked up with multiples handbook", contractions start around 20 weeks, but sometimes as early as 16-18. I'm just shy of 18 wks, and the reason I looked this up in the book is that, may be wrong, but I think I've been having a few. For a while I thought it was a baby turning over or something... I dunno. It's like my belly suddenly gets all round and hard, like a football is in there... and then it goes back to normal. Doesn't hurt or anything.

Thoughts? I gather I shouldn't worry unless there are a lot of them, right? I go back to the doctor next Thursday anyway.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 9/20/2008 9:07:04 AM
Author: Independent Gal
lindsay, so glad your embryo is growing right on schedule! With all that pukeyness, I figured it must be so. I hope the antibodies don't cause any trouble. Did the doc tell you the likelihood of the embryo having the relevant blood types? I mean, only find out if you (like me) feel better when you have a handle on probabilities.


mela, you're my hero. your attitude is the best, and very, very inspiring.


lia & snlee, enjoy your anti-bedrest fun!


pandora, is it weird that i think i know which little wacky animal ties must have been yours?

So, according to my 'knocked up with multiples handbook', contractions start around 20 weeks, but sometimes as early as 16-18. I'm just shy of 18 wks, and the reason I looked this up in the book is that, may be wrong, but I think I've been having a few. For a while I thought it was a baby turning over or something... I dunno. It's like my belly suddenly gets all round and hard, like a football is in there... and then it goes back to normal. Doesn't hurt or anything.


Thoughts? I gather I shouldn't worry unless there are a lot of them, right? I go back to the doctor next Thursday anyway.

Indy, I've been having them for a number of weeks too. That is exactly what it feels like. Just know the signs of preterm labor so you can differentiate between the two, but my doctor assures me that it is TOTALLY NORMAL to have these. Basically as long as you have no bleeding or weird discharge and they don't get stronger/more painful and speed up over time, you're ok.

 

[sk8rjen]

Indy -- contrax at this stage with a twin pregnancy = totally normal. Do not stress youself out They will get harder as you get farther along. DO mention it to your docs that the BH''s have started and if at any point they are painful (not just uuncomfortable) call the docs.

NF -- How about Dexter Cain or Kane? For whatever reason I''ve been liking the sound of that name a lot lately...

LIA -- you go, bad bedrest girl I had a pedi the other day and it was heavenly! Football, though -- well, that''s what''s going to put me in labor (I get a little TOO into it...) Have fun!

Lindsey -- congrats on the good u/s!

Snlee -- what a crazy 48 hours you had! I hope you get to enjoy a little bit of calm for a while now

Mela -- ok, that cracked me up

It''s funny b/c when I first read "Marina Bay" i thought it was a bit nautical too -- but i see why it made the list b/c they DO sound nice together. The Lunacy thing killed me. But check this out -- my oldest son is "Gabriel Raine" -- fortunately we only use middle names when we say full first names -- b/c we call him "Gabe" and "Gabe Raine" sounds like "Gay Brain" We even thought of this in advance, but it wasn''t enough to keep us from using the name

Middle names seem to only come out when they are in trouble anyway!

NYC -- KUP on your next Betas -- and if you took the test in the evening, your urine could have been diluted at that point, and someone already mentioned the dye thing, so try not to worry!

Well, we haven''t made any final decisions on names, but since DH still likes "Marina Lily" the best for her, I think she will most likely be that (he''s a vetoer, so him actually *liking* a name is a big deal We still have no clue with Sophie. I like Jade and Kiana the most out of our list now, but for a while I like Luana -- and I like Amaya and how it sounds, but it''s not as original (IMO) -- plus I think she''s the one who should get the Hawaiian name. The best thing about having posted this for you guys to chime in on is that it really got DH and I talking about it. I''ll keep y''all posted.... Nothing new other thatn that. Gonna go get back to my nesting frenzy Have a great day!
jen
33w 3d

 

[neatfreak]

Thank you all on the name suggestions!

I really like Dexter Cole too, but DH doesn't love it. But we both really like Dexter Miles (sorry Ebree, don't love the "y" spelling, but the name is awesome!), thanks for the suggestion!!! So as of now I think we'll be going with that...