Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[mela lu]

Date: 10/31/2008 9:42:20 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 10/31/2008 9:33:41 AM
Author: robbie3982
Oh my goodness, Mela, how did you get to 11 weeks so quickly?! It seems like just yesterday you got your bfp!

The first four weeks are pre-O and 2ww, so it''s only been 7 weeks since the BFP, that may be why it feels closer! I know for me I cannot believe I am almost 23 weeks

last night DH said, ''Our baby will be born in 17 week.'' and I almost fainted!

Mela isn''t it wodnerful to approach that ''magic 12 weeks''?? I am so happy for you! I didn''t feel totolly relaxed until I was about 16 weeks, but it is a slow and steady release of tension from about 10 weeks on, I found.

22w5d

Very well said Dreamer. I can imagine...I see 24 weeks as the magic number for a complete sigh of relief, even though I know it''s not a true ''safety net'', it just seems like a good benchmark to hit - you know?

 

[Courtneylub]

Indy - So sorry to hear about grandmother. I hope that she wasn''t suffering too badly and if she was, at least she''s not anymore. I know you''re hanging in there though...along with everything else.

Blen - YOU are the tiny one! Look at that cute belly at 17 weeks....so adorable.

Jen - I''m really interested to see what you find out. I would have initially been ticked off too! But then I bet you look at your healthy babies and all is well again.

On the food front, I''ve really got to start bringing more food to the office. A bowl of cereal at 6:30am isn''t cutting it. I literally need 2 breakfasts. I went to the gym yesterday (first time in a couple of weeks) and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes. After showering, I started shaking REALLY bad and thought I might pass out. As soon as I ate, I was fine. I really need to eat about 20 minutes before working out.

My headaches are gone and have been for about 3 days now!! I''m so relieved! Those were horrible.

14 weeks 1 day!

 

[mela lu]

YEY courtney! So happy to hear your headaches have gone and that you''re slowly working out your food intake. Great news!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 10/31/2008 9:53:58 AM
Author: mela lu
YEY courtney! So happy to hear your headaches have gone and that you're slowly working out your food intake. Great news!

Ditto! I am so happy for you Courtney! Blood sugar is one of the things to get wonky in pregnancy so I am not surprised you got a little "low"! I also started eating two breakfasts around the start of the second tri. ETA take some chocolate milk or a banana with you to the gym and drink it right away as soon as you finish, that works too for low blood sugar (I deal with low blood sugar when non-preggo and eating immediately after working out also helps).

Mela For some reason I am not worried about pre-24 week ptl, it is so uncommon with pregnancies that are low risk that I just don't really think about it... from what Indy has said, though, 24 weeks is really not at all a safe point.... 28 weeks seems to be much safer. But really, odds of birth between 24 weeks and 28 are just so remote it probably isn't worth thinking about too much, it only stresses you out. M/c odds prior to 12 weeks are just sooooo much higher, it makes sense to worry about those

I can't recall, have you seen a HB post-8 weeks? If so, this last week is more of a formality as seeing an HB post-8 weeks makes m/c odds about as low as they can get.

 

[mela lu]

Hey Dream! Yah....I''m totally with you on the low rate of ptl...and I''m not stressing about it at all, it''s just that *for me* breaking the long wait into bite size peices of time help me pass the time and celebrate the little wins, ya know!

So I''ll be looking forward to 24 weeks just to have a manageable "goal" to work towards. Just the way this ol'' brain is working...
I saw the baby''s strong HB at 9w4d, but not again since. I''m going to push my middie to let me have the NT scan before 13w6d, so that''s my next little thing to look forward to. After seeing that HB pumping away, I''ve felt REALLY optimistic about this pregnancy.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/31/2008 10:10:16 AM
Author: mela lu
Hey Dream! Yah....I''m totally with you on the low rate of ptl...and I''m not stressing about it at all, it''s just that *for me* breaking the long wait into bite size peices of time help me pass the time and celebrate the little wins, ya know!

So I''ll be looking forward to 24 weeks just to have a manageable ''goal'' to work towards. Just the way this ol'' brain is working...

I saw the baby''s strong HB at 9w4d, but not again since. I''m going to push my middie to let me have the NT scan before 13w6d, so that''s my next little thing to look forward to. After seeing that HB pumping away, I''ve felt REALLY optimistic about this pregnancy.

Mela, 13w 6d is the absolute last day you should have the NT scan. It''s actually more accurate if you have it closer to 12 weeks if I remember correctly. So make SURE you get it within the timeframe if they are trying to put it off!

 

[mela lu]

Will do Neat. Thanks!!!

(my middie is super laid back, which I like but it''s also nerve wracking in these situations.) I''ll push for it - pushing will give me practice for the BIG push. lol. i kid i kid.

 

[Blenheim]

DD, you can''t say all that and then not post a belly pic.

Mela, it''s kind of nice to know that I''m not the only one with that issue. Boys names are so much easier for us to agree on, but my hunch is that it''s a girl. How funny that we''re the opposite.

I go into the mom thread so rarely but I want to know what happened to the formerly pregnant PSers. I guess it''s about time to start heading over there as well.

Today was the last day of open enrollment at work today, and I was planning on starting a Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan for next year. And then I realized, what if I somehow lose the baby? What if it''s stillborn? It would suck to lose all that money (cause if you don''t use it for dependent care, you lose it) on top of losing a child. I know the possibility is remote (1% or so?) but I just thought about how awful that would be and didn''t feel safe enough, yet, to put the money away. DH has open enrollment in Dec, so I''m thinking by then it will be far enough along for me to feel safe. It''s close enough to 24 weeks, at any rate.

Courtney, I''m so glad to hear that your headaches are gone and I have my fingers crossed that it stays that way. I generally take a water bottle of milk plus some chocolate chips to work and heat it up in the microwave and shake it really well to make hot chocolate after about an hour or so. Fruit''s also great.

Tacori, thanks so much. I haven''t heard of the song, but I''ll find it and it will be playing non-stop around here.

Preggo confession of the day: I bought a rotisserie chicken at Costco on the way home for dinner. And two whole legs mysteriously disappeared within about 15 minutes of my getting home. I guess I''m good for protein for the day, at least.

We were allowed to dress up for work today, and I dressed up as Juno. And almost no one got it!! I even put on a nametag that said "Juno" after a while, and one guy (who''s known for being a bit of a bonehead) came up to me and said "Oh, are you that chick from that movie?" I thought he was probably talking about Juno, so I said that I guessed I was, and he said "What was the name of that movie, anyway?" Um, it''s written on a nametag on my chest!! The people who got it thought it was hilarious though, and the employees at Costco loved it.

 

[Shoopy]

Has anyone here used First Response?

And if so did your results come out with one very dark line and one lighter line that weren''t necessarily right together?

 

[Blenheim]

Fiery Red, a line is a line, as long as it appears within the time limit and has color to it!! (Otherwise, it could be an evaporation line.) They''re usually not the same depth in color as the control line. If you''d like to see pictures of positives, there are a bunch on this website. Those are First Response Early Reponse; the First Reponse Rapid Reponse ones look about the same but are less sensitive.

 

[snlee]

Blen, you look great! Cute belly shot! That's awesome that you dressed up as Juno!

fieryred, I'm not sure what you mean by "weren't necessarily right together" but I used First Response Early Result and the test line popped up right away very dark and then the control line came up not as dark. The BFPs I saw online looked like they were the opposite, dark control and lighter test line. But it doesn't matter how dark the line is. A line is a line!

 

[Blenheim]

Thanks, Snlee!

You tested fairly late, didn''t you? My early tests all had the control line way darker than the test line. At around 17 dpo, they were the same. By 23 dpo, the test line was significantly darker than the control. (I had a drawer full of pee sticks, what else was I supposed to do with them?

) I think that is generally what happens, and you''ve probably just been seeing a lot of the earlier tests. All are normal.

 

[snlee]

Date: 10/31/2008 7:00:19 PM
Author: Blenheim
Thanks, Snlee!

You tested fairly late, didn''t you? My early tests all had the control line way darker than the test line. At around 17 dpo, they were the same. By 23 dpo, the test line was significantly darker than the control. (I had a drawer full of pee sticks, what else was I supposed to do with them?

) I think that is generally what happens, and you''ve probably just been seeing a lot of the earlier tests. All are normal.

Yup, I waited a while and tested at 17, 19, and 21 DPO.

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 10/31/2008 6:46:33 PM
Author: Blenheim
Fiery Red, a line is a line, as long as it appears within the time limit and has color to it!! (Otherwise, it could be an evaporation line.) They''re usually not the same depth in color as the control line. If you''d like to see pictures of positives, there are a bunch on this website. Those are First Response Early Reponse; the First Reponse Rapid Reponse ones look about the same but are less sensitive.

Ok thanks

 

[Blenheim]

Fiery Red, are you doing okay? Especially if this was a surprise, it''s completely normal to have mixed or negative feelings about it. If you need to talk through your feelings or if you''re not sure that you''re ready for a child, I''m here for you. Hugs.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/31/2008 7:57:27 PM
Author: Blenheim
Fiery Red, are you doing okay? Especially if this was a surprise, it''s completely normal to have mixed or negative feelings about it. If you need to talk through your feelings or if you''re not sure that you''re ready for a child, I''m here for you. Hugs.

Ditto. We''re all here and despite the fact that most of us here were trying for a baby, it still takes awhile to get used to the idea...so we''ve all been there.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/31/2008 8:49:04 PM
Author: niko08
please help me more info here

SPAMMER. Don''t click the link...

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 10/31/2008 8:49:04 PM
Author: niko08
please help me more info here

GO AWAY!!!!! Is that helpful??

 

[Linda W]

Date: 10/31/2008 8:52:53 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 10/31/2008 8:49:04 PM

Author: niko08

please help me more info here

SPAMMER. Don''t click the link...

Yes, this person is on a lot of threads, don''t click the link. GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!

 

[shimmer]

eek! I clicked on it in another thread (I saw they had an good # of posts so thought they were legit), am I in trouble????

 

[Linda W]

No, he/she is just a spammer. A lot of us reported it. You won''t get in trouble.

 

[shimmer]

thanks Linda

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 10/31/2008 7:57:27 PM
Author: Blenheim
Fiery Red, are you doing okay? Especially if this was a surprise, it''s completely normal to have mixed or negative feelings about it. If you need to talk through your feelings or if you''re not sure that you''re ready for a child, I''m here for you. Hugs.

I don’t know how to feel right now.

This is the first time I take one of these tests in my life so I don’t really know what I’m looking at. I read on the box that taking the test early morning is better so I’m going to wait until then before I really start flipping out…

…But I really am flipping out. I don’t know the first thing about pregnancy or being a mom, I’m not even married yet, I eat really poorly, drink way too much coffee and I’ve been popping headache pills all week. That can’t be good right taking pills?!?!

Thank God I at least don’t drink alcohol

 

[Blenheim]

Fiery Red,

Taking the test first thing in the morning is best when you're testing early, because your urine is most concentrated then. If you think you have a really faint line, it could be darker first thing in the morning. If you don't know what you're looking at, though, one of the digitals is probably the best way to go. They just read "pregnant" or "not pregnant", which helps take the interpretation out of it. If you do test and get a "not pregnant", and still don't get your period, you should test again a few days later - there can be false negatives if there's not enough hcg built up in your urine.

If you're in an urban or suburban area, there should be an all-night pharmacy open somewhere near you. The digitals are pricey (maybe $10-20 apiece) but worth it if they help with your confusion.

As for the rest of it- I think most of us see ourselves being married before we have children, but it doesn't need to happen in that order. I gather from your signature that you're in a committed relationship, and you could always move up the wedding if that's important to you. Have you told him about it? How does he feel? Have you two discussed having kids before?

A lot of people have surprise pregnancies and don't know the first thing about being pregnant, but there are a lot of books and resources available to help you. The girls here are amazing and can help you and point you in the right direction if you want more resources. I don't think that anyone truly knows how to parent going into it, and that it's a learned skill. And you would have 8 months (give or take) to start preparing yourself. I'm sure that you would be able to pick all of this up.

I don't know how far along you are, but you're most likely not sharing many nutrients with the embryo yet. Caffeine and pain pills aren't awesome, but so many moms take them before they realize they're pregnant and their babies are FINE. I wouldn't cut out caffeine cold turkey, because that would be really hard on you (from experience), but if you decide to keep the pregnancy it would be a good idea to cut back to about 2 cups a day or to replace a lot of it with decaf. Eating is something that you can start working on now. A lot of women eat like crap their first trimester because all that's all that they can stomach, and their babies are fine.

Basically, it's a huge deal to take care of a baby and raise it, but if you choose to I'm sure that you'll be able to handle it and that you've done nothing so far that would screw up your kid.

(I hit post a little too early, so hopefully this edit goes through.)

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/31/2008 11:34:02 PM
Author: Blenheim
Fiery Red,


Taking the test first thing in the morning is best when you''re testing early, because your urine is most concentrated then. If you think you have a really faint line, it could be darker first thing in the morning. If you don''t know what you''re looking at, though, one of the digitals is probably the best way to go. They just read ''pregnant'' or ''not pregnant'', which helps take the interpretation out of it. If you do test and get a ''not pregnant'', and still don''t get your period, you should test again a few weeks later - there can be false negatives if there''s not enough hcg built up in your urine.


If you''re in an urban or suburban area, there should be an all-night pharmacy open somewhere near you. The digitals are pricey (maybe $10-20 apiece) but worth it if they help with your confusion.

I agree hon. There are really no false positives with pregnancy tests. So unless you were seeing an evaporation line (which wouldn''t come until a significant time after you test), it''s a positive.

I''d go out and get a digital one myself. Better to know so that you can stop taking pills, cut down on the caffeine, etc. if you want to keep it.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Fiery Red, I was trying to get pg and I still have doubts and worries etc etc

... it's normal! I don't know your story but I guess from your tag line that you are engaged to be married soon, sometimes the timing of marriage then kids gets reversed, but it doesn't matter in the long run if you are already with the man you will marry! These things happen to the best of us, many of my close friends are presently planning their weddings with their 1 year old "oopsie-daisy" kids

. And don't worry about the eating drinking blah blah blah yet. If you indeed are preggo and decide to stay that way, you don't share blood with the embryo until about 23 days past ovulation, or another week or so past when your period was due, so there's lots of time to try to avoid medications etc. You can still drink coffee, a few cups a day is kosher, though many people cut back more.

There are probably local help lines or women's clinics you can call too, if you are really confused or worried or overwhelmed by the whole thing. Most have great counsellors who can really help you wrap your head around the whole thing and come to terms.

But for now, get thee to an all night pharmacy and get the digital that Blenheim talked about! There's no doubts with them. But it you saw two lines, you are probably preggo! If you take a picture of the tes tand post it we can tell you if it looks like a positive too, if you like.

Hang in there... soon this will seem clearer and it will be wonderful!

 

[ljmorgan]

Ahhhh going to post belly shots!

This picture is 9 weeks versus 13 weeks. Geez. I''m showing early because I had some abdominal and hip flexor muscles removed a few years ago during surgery. Definitely getting a belly!

What a month can do!

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 10/31/2008 11:51:10 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Fiery Red, I was trying to get pg and I still have doubts and worries etc etc

... it''s normal! I don''t know your story but I guess from your tag line that you are engaged to be married soon, sometimes the timing of marriage then kids gets reversed, but it doesn''t matter in the long run if you are already with the man you will marry! These things happen to the best of us, many of my close friends are presently planning their weddings with their 1 year old ''oopsie-daisy'' kids

. And don''t worry about the eating drinking blah blah blah yet. If you indeed are preggo and decide to stay that way, you don''t share blood with the embryo until about 23 days past ovulation, or another week or so past when your period was due, so there''s lots of time to try to avoid medications etc. You can still drink coffee, a few cups a day is kosher, though many people cut back more.

There are probably local help lines or women''s clinics you can call too, if you are really confused or worried or overwhelmed by the whole thing. Most have great counsellors who can really help you wrap your head around the whole thing and come to terms.

But for now, get thee to an all night pharmacy and get the digital that Blenheim talked about! There''s no doubts with them. But it you saw two lines, you are probably preggo! If you take a picture of the tes tand post it we can tell you if it looks like a positive too, if you like.

Hang in there... soon this will seem clearer and it will be wonderful!

DD said all I would say. So ditto. Get that digital test. We can go from there.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Lindsey You look great! The boobie and belly fairy has visited you

Funny you have a rather pronounced tum tum already, but having some stomach muscles removed would make it all pop quicker for sure! Though at 12 weeks the old uterus is still only an inch or so above the pubic bone, there is lots of bloating in those earlier weeks that makes everything fuller... I started wearing maternity pants at 10 weeks because of it! LOL! But it seemed to go away and then all baby took over at around 16 weeks. And I have to say, is that a cutie pie chihuahua in the background? I love little doggies, they are such wonderful companions!

I have two little cuties myself, but they are german not mexican

PS: I love your couch, tres retro!

 

[ljmorgan]

Ugh no kidding, I was in maternity pants at a little over 11 weeks. I tried them on and refused to take them off -- I wore them right out of the store!

Yup that is one of my two chi''s, that is Scarlett O''Hara.

My other baby is Elizabeth Taylor.