Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[TravelingGal]

Date: 10/16/2008 3:14:31 PM
Author: Kay
Neatfreak, preggo brain is truly frightening isn''t it? I found myself really having to spend extra time checking my work recently.

Pave, I''m so sorry to hear the pulmonary atresia developed. I think you are right to focus on the fact that he will be ''fixed'' before you bring him home, so you will not have time to stress about how he will do in the interim between birth and surgery. I hope you get good results from your 3-hour test.

Jen, it sounds like we will both be done within the week! I would love to get this baby out before the weekend -- I would induce today if I could. Thanks for sharing your experiences with cervidil and pitocin. The process sounded a bit intimidating when I first heard about it, but now I just want to do whatever it takes to finish. I''ve been thinking about baking for a week now, but have been feeling too lazy to get off the couch and actually do it. Does it count if I just watch DH bake?

Nope, YOU have to bake.

I think we''re like 4 for 4 on the baking thing now on PS? Or maybe it''s 3 for 3. Me, Jas, maybe JackieJas (I can''t remember) and snlee.

Good luck Kay and Jen...must be wonderful for you now that there is an end in sight! I''m so excited to see the new babies!! We''re having a major boom for sure right now.

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

Well I just got kinda sucky news on my first trimester screening results and it looks like the amnio is indicatd afterall.

My down''s risk is 1/63. This is the combined score from NT and bloodwork and backgroud age risk. Age alone is 1/95.

I''ve been searching for what ''elevated risk'' means and what the cutt-off numbers are but I guess it doesn''t really matter as the amnio will
confirm everything.

I hate waiting - the appt. is Nov. 6.

If anyone has any more info on risk-related results I would love to read it.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/16/2008 3:53:47 PM
Author: lisa1.01fvs1
Well I just got kinda sucky news on my first trimester screening results and it looks like the amnio is indicatd afterall.


My down''s risk is 1/63. This is the combined score from NT and bloodwork and backgroud age risk. Age alone is 1/95.


I''ve been searching for what ''elevated risk'' means and what the cutt-off numbers are but I guess it doesn''t really matter as the amnio will

confirm everything.


I hate waiting - the appt. is Nov. 6.


If anyone has any more info on risk-related results I would love to read it.

I don''t have info on the risks, but hang in there Lisa! There are a LOT of false positives on this screener, and it''s just that, a screener.

 

[Independent Gal]

Lisa, I''m pretty sure that elevated risk just means that your risk is higher than your just-by-age risk. That''s what they told us when we had our NT scan. So basically, it doesn''t mean anything worse than what the numbers indicate. If there were 63 women with that risk level in the room, one of them''s baby would have Down''s.

And hear ya on the waiting.

So sorry to hear it, girl. But keep reminding yourself that 1 in 63 is still very long odds. Loooong odds. Crossing all my digits for you!

 

[neatfreak]

Pave Thanks for the thoughts! You know, bedrest is one of those things that sounds great until you''re on it! It''s really annoying though not to be able to go out to Target if I need something, or to the bank, or anything. But I''ll do whatever it takes to keep these babies baking longer!

And as for your little one, could you get another opinion on the induce vs. not induce debate? I can see it both ways.

Induce: Gives them more control over the situation and the ability to have anyone extra they might need on duty at the time to take care of your little one. Do you know if lo would have surgery right after birth or run into problems during birth? That might sway me to let them induce if it was necessary to have certain people present.

Not induce: Always good to give them as much time to grow as possible. Also, if they don''t expect your lo to have any problems at or directly after birth, it doesn''t seem to be warranted to induce.

Anyway. If it were me I would probably get another opinion so you can make a more informed decision. I''m sorry you have to go through this it stinks! But I know MANY people who have had babies with heart problems at birth and they have grown up to be totally fine.

 

[snlee]

Date: 10/16/2008 3:20:40 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Nope, YOU have to bake.

I think we're like 4 for 4 on the baking thing now on PS? Or maybe it's 3 for 3. Me, Jas, maybe JackieJas (I can't remember) and snlee.

I believe we are 4 for 4! I remember Jackie baking shortly before going into labor.

Soooo go bake Kay and jen!

Let's make it 5 for 5 or 6 for 6!

 

[snlee]

Lisa, sorry to hear the sucky news. I''m crossing my fingers for your lo. Hang in there!

 

[mrssalvo]

lisa, I had a false positive for downs with my oldest. despite the #''s it''s still just a screen which means it''s a possibilty but not at all a diagnostic. they say that girls have more false positive results than boys.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Lisa false positives are particularly likeley at your age, you old crone

, because one of the hormones they measure in the blood is already elevated, just due to age-related changes. Basically, from what I read, the screens are really really unreliable when you get closer to 40, because not only is the age related risk so high to begin with, but the hormones are also often high etc etc and it isn''t easy to take it all into account and give a risk-ratio. So I think you need to just assume that the screen means nothing and go ahead with the amnio. Really, if you had gotten just the age related risk of 1/91 then I imagine you would have done the amnio anyways, right? False positives (i.e., a risk ratio above just age alone) are around 15%, higher in your age range due to the hormone thing. So forget about the screen and just go for the amnio, miscarriage from amnio is not only about 1/700 so the risk is nothing, just be sure to get it done by someone who is an expert.

{{{HUGS}}}

 

[Maisie]

Pandora... I have a close friend who is a BBC reporter..

 

[lover in athens]

does eating raw cookie dough count??? (j/k)

hi everyone! hope you are all well. i''ve again, been following a bit peripherally but am certainly with you in spirit!

INDY: wow...you sure are hanging in there. you are so strong and so eloquent and so admired. i am thinking about you and your cubs.

PANDORA: unbelievable!! i can''t wait to hear what happens. ENJOY your honeymoon!!!

PAVE: that''s a truly tough call with the induction. i agree with neatfreak...maybe a 2nd opinion would be good? i know it will be tough to watch your baby go into surgery, but once it''s over, you will be SO glad it''s behind you. and thank goodness for no tet spells!!

LISA: that''s scary about the test results, but i echo what everyone else says. screening tests inherently pick up a lot of false positives. try not to stress! you''ll know with the amnio soon enough!

KAY: you are SO CLOSE!! can''t wait to hear what happens.

JEN: i can''t believe you''re still around. BAKE BAKE BAKE!! so excited for those little girls!

NEAT: hoping you''re surviving bedrest. i know exactly what you mean...it sounds good until it''s imposed on you. i always thought i''d be the type who might enjoy it, but i was going out of my mind!

Not much going on with me. Still contracting away...but no real changes. I''m 60% effaced and 2 cm dilated, but I have a feeling the little dude is quite comfy. We''ll see. I''d LOVE to join the Tuesday/Wednesday club of next week b/c DH''s parents are out of town until then (they live here), AND my parents are coming into town on Wednesday for a friend''s wedding. It would be so nice to have them all here for the birth. I wish we could plan these things! OH well...at least only 2 1/2 weeks more max (induction around 39 weeks!)....

xo,LIA

 

[Blenheim]

Neatfreak/Indy, the fact that the two of you have looked into it and think it''s fine is making me lean more towards getting one.

My hang up is that my greatest fear about this pregnancy, way above things like pain during labor, is that the baby will have neurological problems or a mental disorder. This used to be enough of a fear that I wasn''t even sure that I wanted bio kids, so I''ve clearly made some progress. There''s a high enough incidence of this kind of stuff in my family that I''m already scared about what genes it will get. Sometimes I wonder what I''m doing, passing my genetic material on. In my close family, we have bipolar disorder (uncontrolled), possible schitzophrenia, addiction, tourettes, adhd, depression, and several different sorts of personality disorders. I''ve seen how hard it is to have a child struggle, and while I know that I could grow to handle it, it''s not something that I want to go through. (Sidenote: Pandora, I know that it''s really hard for you, but just seeing that you have bipolar disorder and can lead a normal life gives me so much hope.)

The things that I have seen imply that there may be adverse effects do mention damage to the neurological system, and I just don''t want to do anything to the baby to heighten the chance of neurological problems. I don''t know if there have been enough studies to make me certain that u/s is completely safe, plus I''m not convinced that there''s statistically a benefit (from the March of Dimes, as an example - "However, it is uncertain whether low-risk pregnant women benefit from routine ultrasound exams. A major study reported in 1993 found no significant difference between two groups of low-risk women (those who had two routine ultrasound exams and those who had an ultrasound only because there was some medical reason for it) in terms of the rate of preterm delivery, infant birthweight, serious complications in the newborn period or infant death".)

But then, there''s always the chance that the baby has a heart condition like Pave''s baby, or that something else is going where we would need to line people up to operate just after birth.

And really, how much harm could one u/s do?

In happier news, I got a representative of my insurance company on the phone today, saying that she had just spoken with her supervisor who said that if they are unable to locate an in-network provider for an out-of-hospital birth in our area, then they will cover my m/w at in-network rates. And what''s more, she called me on my work line, which means that the call was recorded and I could pull it if I needed to. (We record all calls.) I''ve been going back and forth with the insurance company for about 7 weeks on this. My m/w has been able to bill as an out-of-network provider to my insurance company in the past but has never been able to get an in-network exception, although she says that she''d love for me to be the first. And I''ve been feeling ornery enough lately that I''m up for the fight.


Pave, I''m really sorry to hear your update. I can also see both sides of that debate.

Jen and Kay, bake bake bake!

Indy, I''m glad another day has passed - it seems like another small victory.

Lisa, sorry about the screening.

Pandora, hugs.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/16/2008 6:14:48 PM
Author: Blenheim
The things that I have seen imply that there may be adverse effects do mention damage to the neurological system, and I just don't want to do anything to the baby to heighten the chance of neurological problems. I don't know if there have been enough studies to make me certain that u/s is completely safe, plus I'm not convinced that there's statistically a benefit (from the March of Dimes, as an example - 'However, it is uncertain whether low-risk pregnant women benefit from routine ultrasound exams. A major study reported in 1993 found no significant difference between two groups of low-risk women (those who had two routine ultrasound exams and those who had an ultrasound only because there was some medical reason for it) in terms of the rate of preterm delivery, infant birthweight, serious complications in the newborn period or infant death'.)

You do realize that the study says that there is no difference in the rates of those bad outcomes right? Meaning that although it *may* not be beneficial in determining any kind of risk for those things, it also doesn't seem to increase the risk for those things.

I have to say that the "research" that I read on it today saying there are potentially problems were mostly from alarmist websites with no well done research to back it up.

So while I absolutely do not advocate u/s for no reasons at all, I do think it would make sense for you to have a 20 week abnormality scan just to make sure everything looks ok. I agree that you can skip the 12 week (we did), and then you shouldn't need another one after the 20 week. But no research I can find finds any negative effects from one u/s.

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

You guys are so great! (thanks Mrssalvo!)

You women are so dang level-headed. Not like I haven''t been here before but it''s generally a yucky (real articulate) point in time. Boy after following some of your situations an amnio is certainly a walk in the park!

True false-positives abound. And tis true about being the old bag. Oh and there was/is a vanishing twin in there that could be throwing off the #''s. I''ve actually gotten to know this perinatologist (had more visits with) better than the last one that did my amnio w/ Olivia. He does them all the time and I''ve heard many great things about him in the community but still I have no track record w/ the guy other than ultrasounds. My old peri is over 2hrs away.

Totally off-topic but a former colleague/good friend just told me that her marriage of 23 yrs is over and she''s filed for divorce. She''s currently on a 3 month stress leave. The husband decided to have an affair w/ a family friend who has 2 young kids and a husband! My friend just adopted their daughter from Guatemala and is now trying to put the pieces back together as a single parent.

Oy. Seriously this shook me up. I''m a relationship cynic by nauture having lived through 3 divorces growing up. You think you know someone. She''s the most balanced, mentally healthy person that I have met by far.

Sorry to blather on......it was an off day.

 

[Pandora II]

Blen, that is a really sweet thing to say.

DH and I had similar worries. I think the important thing is to be a parent who is quietly aware of the possibility and can step in when necessary. By this I don''t mean dragging kids off to the psychiatrist at 5 and having them on meds etc, but by being aware that it''s more usual to be born with the propensity to develop mental illness rather than there being a definite development of it.

Certainly DH and I will be working on developing our children''s coping strategies so that they learn to deal with stress and problems in a healthy way, and try to ensure that they have positive feelings about themselves.

If you have a child who does go on to have bipolar or similar, don''t feel that you have/haven''t done something and it''s your fault - it''s not. Today there are big choices as regards treatment. I''ve found a med that I am happy to comply with because it is side-effect free for me and also makes me feel good. I have also tried a heck of a lot that did anything but and it is important to remember that what works for one person doesn''t always work for another.

Bipolar has been a mega-downer in my life, but it has it''s good points too and it is a huge part of who I am. With the right support and insight you can live with it in a positive way. And, there are so many, many things that are far worse that I could have been born with.

ETA: I have a friend who is an OB and when his wife was pg, he bought a portable u/s machine and installed it at home so they could spy on the kid every night!

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 10/16/2008 6:06:38 PM
Author: Maisie
Pandora... I have a close friend who is a BBC reporter..

LOL, don''t worry, my little black book is very well stocked.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Okay, belly shot 20 weeks 4 days taken today!

 

[Dreamer_D]

For a jolly comparison... I miss my waist and shapely (*)(*).

 

[Dreamer_D]

Apparently my baby is realted to Skeletor!

u/s image from today...

 

[Dreamer_D]

Here''s a cuter one. I have to admit, I still wasn''t teary at all seeing the baby. It''s a picture on the screen and it is still hard for me to make the connection and think, "Oh that''s MY baby!" hee hee... I think I won''t feel that until the baby is born. I feel a lot of movements now, that is pretty cool.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

DD!!!!

That baby is GORGEOUS!! I just adore side profiles of babies, and that baby, well... that one is a cutie for sure!!

Thanks for posting the belly shots. So a pregnant belly, missy!!! Cute, cute!!

 

[Blenheim]

Date: 10/16/2008 7:40:30 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 10/16/2008 6:14:48 PM
Author: Blenheim
The things that I have seen imply that there may be adverse effects do mention damage to the neurological system, and I just don''t want to do anything to the baby to heighten the chance of neurological problems. I don''t know if there have been enough studies to make me certain that u/s is completely safe, plus I''m not convinced that there''s statistically a benefit (from the March of Dimes, as an example - ''However, it is uncertain whether low-risk pregnant women benefit from routine ultrasound exams. A major study reported in 1993 found no significant difference between two groups of low-risk women (those who had two routine ultrasound exams and those who had an ultrasound only because there was some medical reason for it) in terms of the rate of preterm delivery, infant birthweight, serious complications in the newborn period or infant death''.)

You do realize that the study says that there is no difference in the rates of those bad outcomes right? Meaning that although it *may* not be beneficial in determining any kind of risk for those things, it also doesn''t seem to increase the risk for those things.

I have to say that the ''research'' that I read on it today saying there are potentially problems were mostly from alarmist websites with no well done research to back it up.

So while I absolutely do not advocate u/s for no reasons at all, I do think it would make sense for you to have a 20 week abnormality scan just to make sure everything looks ok. I agree that you can skip the 12 week (we did), and then you shouldn''t need another one after the 20 week. But no research I can find finds any negative effects from one u/s.

I realize that there''s no difference in the rates of the bad outcomes mentioned, but they''re also all outcomes surrounding birth and infants, not about anything longer term.

I really appreciate your looking into "research" and potential problems. I''m not sure if I''m in the right state of mind right now to look at things myself. I''ve been in such a weird mood all week - very emotional and paranoid. It''s probably crazy, as I''ve never met either of you, but just knowing that you and Indy have looked at everything and feel completely comfortable with it makes me comfortable too. So thank you.

I''m going to ask my m/w for details about the studies she mentioned (and by the way, she only brought them up when I asked her if doppler was safe), but I''m pretty sure after "talking" with you girls that we''re going to go ahead with the anatomy u/s.

DH today said that I could get it but he didn''t want to know about the anatomy, and I had to explain to him that anatomy means the heart and the spine and things like that, not just the genitals.

The Office tonight could be good... I''m going to stop typing and watch it now.

 

[lover in athens]

DD: SO cute! i love the profile shots! and you look GREAT. isn''t feeling the baby the best???

 

[Dreamer_D]

Blenheim If it matters at all to you, I also think one or two u/s are safe and my midwife is also fine with it! I saw my baby's brain on the u/s today and it looked normal--two hemispheres and all! So that is my scientific proof that the 12 week u/s did no harm, LOL!!

Thanks Fisher and LIA!

 

[lover in athens]

blen,
i also just wanted to through in my $0.02 regarding u/s. I have seen the info regarding potential downfalls of u/s, but agreee that the information is sorely lacking. There are just not any strong scientific or "evidence based" studies to support the notion. As a physician, I think I sometimes fall into the trap that anything medical has to be safe, but I''ve had to reconsider that a bit with my own child. Ultimately, you need to do what makes you feel comfortable, obviously...but make sure you use all of your resources to make an educated decision!

I hope you''re feeling better soon!

 

[NYCsparkle]

Hi everyone

Just found out we are expecting....so here I am. I don''t have an exact due date yet except that a baby is coming in june

. i go to the dr. in 2 weeks so i''ll find out more then.

we haven''t told anyone yet...we are waiting until thanksgiving to tell our family.

 

[Blenheim]

Now that the Office is over...

DD, your baby is so cute.

I can kind of understand what you mean about it being hard to make the connection with it being your baby - I felt the same way with the heartbeat. And I was wondering if you'd chime in on the u/s issue, because you know everything and I trust you too.

I think your belly is cute and, having seen earlier pictures, definitely think you look preggo. But at the same time, I know non-pregnant women who look further along than you so I can understand what you meant earlier. There's another tall woman at my office who gave birth over the summer, and I was shocked when I learned that she had given birth because she didn't look all that far along. But I've just heard that so much about tall women. If it makes you feel better, all of the shorter women were very jealous of her because they felt huge by the time they delivered. I guess there are pros and cons of each.

Pandora, your most recent post makes me feel even more reassured. Thanks.

LIA, thanks for weighing in too. Out of curiousity, do you think that there are evidence based studies to support the notion that they're safe? I keep forgetting that we have pregnant doctors on here too.

ETA: Congrats, NYC!!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 10/16/2008 9:46:54 PM
Author: Blenheim
...And I was wondering if you'd chime in on the u/s issue, because you know everything and I trust you too.

And another comment to show my hubby!! LOL! I will take out the little winky man when I show him, so he thinks you are totally serious

Date: 10/16/2008 9:46:54 PM
Author: Blenheim
I think your belly is cute and, having seen earlier pictures, definitely think you look preggo. But at the same time, I know non-pregnant women who look further along than you so I can understand what you meant earlier. There's another tall woman at my office who gave birth over the summer, and I was shocked when I learned that she had given birth because she didn't look all that far along. But I've just heard that so much about tall women. If it makes you feel better, all of the shorter women were very jealous of her because they felt huge by the time they delivered. I guess there are pros and cons of each.

Yeah looking at the pictures I think I look very preggo now compared to before... but in person somehow it isn't the same. I think if I were very slim I would look more so, but given my body type it is possible that I just have a big ol' belly! I am not that tall, 5'7", but that's taller than average and also I am larger-boned, so I am sure it contributes. My friend is the same height as me and I think I am carrying a little like her, she was very compacy right to the end. She said that the good thing about that is less strecth marks... unfortunately for me i *already* have one that is fairly obvious (it was about 1/2 inch on my lower belly from an over-indulging six month period years ago, and as my belly grew the top and bottom of the old stretch mark started up again), and last night I just noticed two more itty bitty one starting on my lower belly

I have a tonne of stretch marks from when I hit puberty but hadn't had any since then, but obviously I am prone. Woe is me! Oh well, I am not a bikini model and DH doesn't care

But my mom didn't have any I hoped I would be saved, but I have a feeling with them showing us so early I will have a lovely belly full by the end

Siggghhhh... oh well.

ETA Welcome to the looney bin NYC!

 

[lover in athens]

CONGRATS NYC!! and welcome! you''re in for quite the journey.

BLEN: it''s really hard to say if there are true evidence based studies that prove u/s is safe. we can look at the millions of pregnant people over the past decades and see that most of the babies are fine. but it''s next to impossible to design a study to compare outcomes in pregnancies where u/s is done vs those where it''s not done. SO many variables (just as an example, people who might be in the non-u/s group may not have had prenatal care, etc).

i DO think you bring up an excellent point for us all to think about. it''s so easy to get swept up in the pregnancy stuff and just go along with whatever the doctors/midwives think is best. i think it''s good for us all to step back and think about what we''re doing each step of the way!

sorry for my babbling....

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Stretch marks. My mom calls them birth marks because she swears you can''t carry a baby and not have them. When I first noticed them and asked her about them, she told me just that, they were birth marks and my brother and I helped give them to her.

Aren''t we sweet??