Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Sabine]

Kay, she is just gorgeous!

NF, glad bfing is going well and that you''re at least getting some sleep. Has your dh gone back to work yet?

Lindsey, sorry your antibodies are going up, but you are right to try to relax since it doesn''t seem to be affecting your lo. Is there anything they can do to keep the antibodies from continuing to go up?

I have a big update here! Finally had my next u/s, and everything looks fine! Baby was dancing around with heart beating strongly, and the abnormal area of my uterus was nowhere to be found! I''m so relieved! I''m still having some really light spotting every couple of days (usually not enough to even make it to the undies), so I will discuss that with the dr. at my next appt., but basically we were told we are out of the woods! Baby is measuring ahead of schedule (I should be 9w 2d today), and the u/s tech "said" it was measuring 10w 3d, but then recorded 9w 5d on the pics, but oh well. I think she just told us it was 10w 3d since the dr. had recorded my due date based on lmp, but I have been using my O date since my periods were longer than 28 days. Phew, what a day!

 

[Kaleigh]

Yay for the great US Sabine, that''s very good news!!

NF you are a champ!! I am glad you are getting some sleep.

Lindsey,
That blood was taken 2 weeks ago and all looks good today, so try not to worry. Hang in there!!!

 

[lover in athens]

oh so much excitement in this thread!!!

REAL quick (baby is ready for a feed!)...

SABINE: congrats on your wonderful news!!

NYC: so excited to hear about the boy and girl twin!

LINDSEY: hang in there! sorry about the level going up, but glad to hear the baby is looking well...

KAY: ooooh, i have been wondering about you!! glad to hear you''re doing so well and the baby is just gorgeous!! come post in the mommy thread! can you believe our little ones are already 10 weeks? it is FLYING, and i know exactly what you mean about the days just being a total blur...

 

[Dreamer_D]

Sabine great news!

Lindsey I am going to say great news too

It seems to me that there is some error in those titre levels (in the past there was a mistake and the one level seems to be going down, which like you said is odd) so the most important thing you learned today is that the u/s looks good! Hopefully, next time they do the titres, they will be down again!

 

[Courtneylub]

Sabine, that is fantastic!!!

Kay, what beautiful photos! She is just gorgeous!

 

[nycbkgirl]

sabine- so happy to hear this and see such a beautiful pic

congrats and i knew everything would be just fine

lindsey- also congrats..seems like everything is progressing and looking good

 

[NYCsparkle]

yay sabine..thats great news

congrats that all is going well lindsey!
nyc...a boy and a girl...congrats to you

i''ve been feeling less all day nautiousness which is a relief. i thought i was going to have one of those pregnancies where you are sick for the entire time. so i feel relieved that i won''t be

. at my appointment a few days ago the doctor said he thinks it may be a girl,

but its still a bit early so we''ll see. as my dh says he wants a girl for him (daddys little girl), but a brother for our son...so either way its a win win situation...he''s so sweet. i''m 16 weeks now and starting to show to everyone else. before no one could tell even when i pointed the bump out, but he/she is there

.

hope everyone is feeling well and those babies are healthy!!

 

[Sabine]

Thanks everyone!

NYCSparkle...I think we need a belly shot!

 

[Mrs]

Hi ladies! Happy New Year! I''m glad everyone seems to be doing well. I''m still here though I don''t post much - I hope that''s okay! I love reading about how your pregnancies are progressing.

I''ve a couple of questions for you all regarding bassinets vs co-sleepers and cribs and I hope you can help. I''m still trying to figure out what we''re going to do since my DH and I live in a relatively small 2 bedroom apt and my mom''s coming to stay with us for the first month and a half to help. I figure the baby will be in our room for the first couple of months but I can''t decide if we should get a bassinet, an arms reach co-sleeper, or a small crib. Once we move her to her own room, I''m pretty sure we''ll get one of those mini cribs (like the second one on this page) since the room is small but I''m wondering what to do until then. Would she be comfortable in that crib from the start if we had it in our room with us? Or Does it make more sense to get a bassinet or co-sleeper for the first few months? There''s a full size arms reach co-sleeper on craigslist that I can buy for $90. And there''s a small crib on there as well for $60... Am I crazy to think about getting one of these used? Thoughts? what are you all planning to do about sleeping arrangements?

Have you all decided which infant car seat to get? I''m trying to figure that out too... so many decisions! It makes my head spin...

I''m also curious about a breast pump. I see some for sale on craigslist as well but don''t know if that''s safe. Is there one pump in particular you all think is best?
Thanks all!

Mrs
29 weeks 1 day

 

[neatfreak]

Mrs- No used breast pump. Except for the hospital grade ones you can''t open the unit to sterilize. Not worth the risk IMO unless it is from a close friend.

I did buy a used cosleeper and don''t see a problem with that. Same with the crib if it is in impeccable condition and is newish so it meets current safety standards. Make sure you can see both assembled though to inspect them thoroughly and make sure all original parts are there and intact.

 

[Mrs]

Date: 1/3/2009 10:26:59 AM
Author: neatfreak
Mrs- No used breast pump. Except for the hospital grade ones you can''t open the unit to sterilize. Not worth the risk IMO unless it is from a close friend.

I did buy a used cosleeper and don''t see a problem with that. Same with the crib if it is in impeccable condition and is newish so it meets current safety standards. Make sure you can see both assembled though to inspect them thoroughly and make sure all original parts are there and intact.

thanks Neat!

 

[Blenheim]

Lindsey - glad to hear that everything looks well with baby. Hopefully the bloodwork is just a fluke.

NF - nice to see you around some!

Kay - those pictures are just STUNNING.

Sabine - also glad to hear that everything looks good with you!

NYCSparkle - yay for maybe-a-girl!

Mrs - If you get a crib where you can just take one of the long sides off (I''m not sure how most are constructed), then you can sidecar the crib and use it in much the same way that you''d use a cosleeper. I''ve seen instructions online on how to securely attach the crib to the bed. If space is tight, that might be less bulky things to buy and less $ to spend. Ditto to what NF said about choosing a used one, if you go that route.

Also ditto to what NF said about used breastpumps. And call your health insurance co before buying one! Some will cover it if you get a script from a doctor, and I think most OBs/peds are willing to write them.
In terms of what''s good - what exactly are you planning on using it for? Occasional pumping so that you and hubby can go out on a date, working full time, ...? If you''re working full time, you''ll want an electric double pump so that you can efficiently pump both sides as once. The Medela Pump in Style gets a ton of recommendations, but from what I''ve read the Ameda Purely Yours works just as well, is slightly easier to clean, and is about $100 less. (Can you guess which we''ve decided on?

) If you''re exclusively pumping (babe won''t latch on at all or something like that), you''d need to go with an even more expensive hospital grade pump. If you want a pump that would get more occasional use, that''s something that I haven''t done much looking into and maybe someone else would be able to help you.

Car seats - we had decided to just go with the Chicco Keyfit or the Graco Safeseat because of the 30 lb weight limit. We''re expecting a big baby and want to be able to get a decent amount of use out of it. We went to BRU, took both models out to my car (the smaller one of our two), and determined that only the Keyfit fit. It gets good safety ratings, so Chicco Keyfit it is!


I had a dream last night that I had a baby boy at something like 31-32 weeks, and he looked around and was like "what am I doing here already", then tried to climb back into me. That was a little weird.

We had an interview with our ped yesterday, and we love him. Yay! He''ll do a home visit within 24 hours of birth (assuming I give birth at home), which is an extra bonus! He likes to give a ton of support when BFing is being established and works with 3 lactation consultants, which is reassuring and has helped lead to a 95% BFing rate amongst his patients - wow. But he''s not at all pushy about anything, either.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 1/3/2009 10:26:59 AM
Author: neatfreak
Mrs- No used breast pump. Except for the hospital grade ones you can''t open the unit to sterilize. Not worth the risk IMO unless it is from a close friend.

I did buy a used cosleeper and don''t see a problem with that. Same with the crib if it is in impeccable condition and is newish so it meets current safety standards. Make sure you can see both assembled though to inspect them thoroughly and make sure all original parts are there and intact.

NF How are you liking the arms-reach co-sleeper? We are going to go look at them today...

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Hey everyone! So good to read up on your news... things seem to be going well, over all. Yay!

Sabine, wonderful that your Dr. appt. went so well. I'm sure it was a DEEP sigh of relief!!

Blen, you're baby is really showing now!! How exciting!! Beautiful!!

All the ultrasound pictures are so cute, too. And Alexis is so cute! Love that hair!!!

So, this is the year. 2009. Makes all of your due dates seem so much closer, somehow now. Eek!! I can't wait to *meet* all the new babies and hear about the joys and trials of parenthood!!

Happy 2009 to all of you!!

 

[neatfreak]

Just popping in to say that the Moby wrap is HEAVEN if you have infants who cry unless they are held. Best baby related $40 I have ever spent. And for twin moms it can hold twins too when they are young.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 1/3/2009 11:42:32 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 1/3/2009 10:26:59 AM

Author: neatfreak

Mrs- No used breast pump. Except for the hospital grade ones you can''t open the unit to sterilize. Not worth the risk IMO unless it is from a close friend.


I did buy a used cosleeper and don''t see a problem with that. Same with the crib if it is in impeccable condition and is newish so it meets current safety standards. Make sure you can see both assembled though to inspect them thoroughly and make sure all original parts are there and intact.

NF How are you liking the arms-reach co-sleeper? We are going to go look at them today...

I really like it. SO NICE not to have to get out of bed to BF or change a diaper. But the one thing is that since I am a light sleeper I don''t sleep as well when they are right there (DH doesn''t bring them in until like 2am so I can get some good sleep (they sleep in the pack n'' play until then)) because they are noisy. So I doubt we will use it super long term, but right now when you have to feed every 2-3 hours it''s wonderful.

 

[Pandora II]

I bought a mini Arm''s reach co-sleeper just before Christmas on ebay. It hasn''t arrived yet, but the condition was described as excellent and it looked immaculate in the pictures.

I will probably buy a new organic mattress for it.

We also have a small 2-bed apartment and so the baby will sleep in our room for the first 6 months or so - or rather that is the plan.

I have been offered a pretty much brand-new Maxi Cosi carseat today by a friend who I trust implicitly - it has the best safety reviews of any and is compatible with the pram I like. If I didn''t know this person so well I''d say no, but they are best part of $400 over here and I''m very tempted.

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 1/3/2009 11:11:47 AM
Author: Blenheim
Lindsey - glad to hear that everything looks well with baby. Hopefully the bloodwork is just a fluke.

NF - nice to see you around some!

Kay - those pictures are just STUNNING.

Sabine - also glad to hear that everything looks good with you!

NYCSparkle - yay for maybe-a-girl!

Mrs - If you get a crib where you can just take one of the long sides off (I''m not sure how most are constructed), then you can sidecar the crib and use it in much the same way that you''d use a cosleeper. I''ve seen instructions online on how to securely attach the crib to the bed. If space is tight, that might be less bulky things to buy and less $ to spend. Ditto to what NF said about choosing a used one, if you go that route.

Also ditto to what NF said about used breastpumps. And call your health insurance co before buying one! Some will cover it if you get a script from a doctor, and I think most OBs/peds are willing to write them.
In terms of what''s good - what exactly are you planning on using it for? Occasional pumping so that you and hubby can go out on a date, working full time, ...? If you''re working full time, you''ll want an electric double pump so that you can efficiently pump both sides as once. The Medela Pump in Style gets a ton of recommendations, but from what I''ve read the Ameda Purely Yours works just as well, is slightly easier to clean, and is about $100 less. (Can you guess which we''ve decided on?

) If you''re exclusively pumping (babe won''t latch on at all or something like that), you''d need to go with an even more expensive hospital grade pump. If you want a pump that would get more occasional use, that''s something that I haven''t done much looking into and maybe someone else would be able to help you.

Car seats - we had decided to just go with the Chicco Keyfit or the Graco Safeseat because of the 30 lb weight limit. We''re expecting a big baby and want to be able to get a decent amount of use out of it. We went to BRU, took both models out to my car (the smaller one of our two), and determined that only the Keyfit fit. It gets good safety ratings, so Chicco Keyfit it is!


I had a dream last night that I had a baby boy at something like 31-32 weeks, and he looked around and was like ''what am I doing here already'', then tried to climb back into me. That was a little weird.

We had an interview with our ped yesterday, and we love him. Yay! He''ll do a home visit within 24 hours of birth (assuming I give birth at home), which is an extra bonus! He likes to give a ton of support when BFing is being established and works with 3 lactation consultants, which is reassuring and has helped lead to a 95% BFing rate amongst his patients - wow. But he''s not at all pushy about anything, either.

Blen, that totally seems like a dream I would have! haha

 

[robbie3982]

Date: 1/3/2009 7:53:45 PM
Author: Pandora II
I have been offered a pretty much brand-new Maxi Cosi carseat today by a friend who I trust implicitly - it has the best safety reviews of any and is compatible with the pram I like. If I didn''t know this person so well I''d say no, but they are best part of $400 over here and I''m very tempted.

Just make sure to check the expiration date on the car seat! Even though you said it''s almost brand new, you never know when it was manufactured.

 

[lili]

Kay
OMG, those pictures are just precious.
And Alexis is gorgeous. Love those big beautiful blue eyes

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 1/3/2009 3:34:44 PM
Author: neatfreak
Just popping in to say that the Moby wrap is HEAVEN if you have infants who cry unless they are held. Best baby related $40 I have ever spent. And for twin moms it can hold twins too when they are young.

What is a moby wrap?

I guess I can just google it...

 

[nycbkgirl]

DD- that''s what I was wondering too lol..if u google before me let me know

 

[Blenheim]

DD/NYCBK - it''s a wrap made for wearing baby, made out of a jersey-like material. Because it''s stretchy, it''s really comfy for smaller babies (and probably feels a bit like being back in the womb). Most people I know can''t use them more than a couple of months, because the stretchy material can start sagging with a heavier baby, which can be uncomfortable. One of my coworkers was able to wear hers for at least 8 months though, and her baby''s a chunker. (Per Moby Wrap, weight limit is 35 lbs.) He was fussy when smaller, and she had something like 4-5 Mobys and said that they were a lifesaver at calming him down. In case anyone''s interested, she recommends darker colors for showing dirt and spit up less easily.

Moby wraps are long enough that larger people are able to wear them. I have a woven wrap that fits on me but not on hubby (230 lbs maybe?), but Mobys fit on him fine.

That reminds me - I have an Amazon gift card set aside for one, and I should just go ahead and order it. Thanks.

Linky.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 1/4/2009 11:17:00 AM
Author: Blenheim
DD/NYCBK - it's a wrap made for wearing baby, made out of a jersey-like material. Because it's stretchy, it's really comfy for smaller babies (and probably feels a bit like being back in the womb). Most people I know can't use them more than a couple of months, because the stretchy material can start sagging with a heavier baby, which can be uncomfortable. One of my coworkers was able to wear hers for at least 8 months though, and her baby's a chunker. (Per Moby Wrap, weight limit is 35 lbs.) He was fussy when smaller, and she had something like 4-5 Mobys and said that they were a lifesaver at calming him down. In case anyone's interested, she recommends darker colors for showing dirt and spit up less easily.

Moby wraps are long enough that larger people are able to wear them. I have a woven wrap that fits on me but not on hubby (230 lbs maybe?), but Mobys fit on him fine.


That reminds me - I have an Amazon gift card set aside for one, and I should just go ahead and order it. Thanks.


Linky.

Thanks Blen! They are pretty great and as Blen mentioned they are big enough that hubbies can wear them too. We have 2 baby bjorns which we will use when the babies are old enough, but for now these are a lifesaver for calming the babies. Not sure I would use it super long term for carrying, but as of right now it's really comfy even with both babies in it. It does calm my boys very quickly as it allows them to rest on my chest (which they love) without me having to hold them awkwardly.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Great to hear you like that wrap because I got one myself! The made in Canada version: www.babybuddha.ca My friend loved it, and you can wear it in about 6 different ways. We got ours in brown bamboo fabric and it is really nice.

 

[Mrs]

Thanks for your thoughts Blen and Pandora!

We went to a few baby stores yesterday to look at the different options and I think we''ve decided that we CAN fit a regular sized crib in her room. Some of them have smaller frames so that''s probably what we''ll go with since we''re afraid she would outgrow the smaller one and we would just have to get a regular crib later.

The full sized arms reach co-sleeper is much bigger than I though it would be so I think we''ll probably go with the mini version or a bassinet to start. We''ll see.

I was so overwhelmed with all the choices - it''s amazing how many different swings, car seats, strollers, etc there are....

We did end up getting this glider yesterday though which is great. It was the floor model so it was a little grungy and on sale for $200. I asked if they could do any better and they gave it to us for $175! It''s in a yellow microfiber fabric that cleaned up really well when we got home so I''m psyched.

That''s all that''s going on with us besides me feeling VERY large. She''s a very active baby which has helped with my body image issues a lot since I''m much more aware of this belly being her than me these days. I was concerned that I would feel really down about how I looked for the whole pregnancy so I''m relieved to be less focused on that now. Were any of you surprised my those really negative feelings too? I was amazed since I''ve been really fortunate to never struggle with body image issues before now and I had no idea my growing body would be so ugly to me... Kinda made me feel like a bad mom already! ack!

Wanted to recommend the Happiest Baby on the Block book and video. I just finished the book which made a lot of sense to me and ordered the video since a new dad at work said the video helped him and his wife to get their 2 week old baby to sleep almost through the night besides feedings. It''s hard to imagine how to implement the 5 S''s so I understand the video is good for that. I was also able to find some clips on youtube which helped. Have any of you read the book?

Neat, thanks for the moby wrap recommendation!

Hope you''re all well today!

 

[Blenheim]

No problem, Mrs! The amount of baby stuff out there is absolutely overwhelming, I''ll agree. The local baby stuff store (which I adore) has a much smaller selection of things than BRU or Target, which helps a lot with feeling overwhelmed although we couldn''t find the car seat we wanted there! In terms of picking out a bouncer, they just had two and we picked the one that went more with our living room decor.

I don''t think that there''s always a perfect choice out there, and it can take a lot of pressure off if you sometimes just choose something. Good find on that glider!

I haven''t read the Happiest Baby on the Block, but I think that some of the mommas have mentioned it - you might want to try out that thread.

Speaking of baby stuff... is anyone else aware of the safety legislation that''s going to go into effect in the US in February? Because of all the lead safety scares, Congress has passed a law that all manufacturers of baby and kid stuff must test all components that go into their products for lead and a couple other bad things. Sounds good, except for its implementation is going to have a lot of bad ramifications. Components that do not naturally contain lead (untreated wood, wool, cotton, etc) must be tested anyway. There''s still a ton of confusion about how they''re implementing the law, but it seems like if someone carries a cloth product in a few different prints, every component of every model must be tested - even if the only thing that differs is the cloth print. Testing is expensive and especially hard for smaller manufacturers to absorb, and a lot of what they''re making them do doesn''t have any affect on children''s safety. This is going to put a lot of smaller manufacturers out of business and make it harder to get handmade toys made out of natural ingredients. Also, it''s going to be illegal to sell anything that hasn''t passed the testing, which includes things manufactured prior to this law and may include second hand things. I''ve read news stories that some thrift strores are already starting to take loads of their baby stuff to the dump, so everything is just going into landfills.

There''s a petition on change.org that will be presented to President-Elect Obama if it gets enough votes (round 2 of voting starts tomorrow!). You can also write to your representatives, and the Handmade Toy Alliance has a sample letter to get you started. (Although the only response I got back was thanking me for my interest in children''s safety and said that that''s why she voted for the bill.

)

 

[Blenheim]

Just realized that I meant to reply about body image stuff too. Now that I''m showing, I''m fine with my belly. An active ninja baby helps with that too - definitely baby causing that bump! I''m fascinated with my breasts (if you didn''t get that earlier, haha) because they''ve never been this big before and they''re now producing colostrum. It''s really cool! But I''m having a really hard time with my butt and thighs. They''re definitely a lot bigger, and cellulite is way more obvious than usual. It''s luckily the time of year when other people wouldn''t notice too much (no short shorts or bathing suits for me!), but I notice and hubby probably does (although he claims not to). I''m on the verge of outgrowing one of my dress pair of maternity pants in the butt area, which is really frustrating. We had a warm spell a couple of weeks ago and I tried to put on shorts to go on a walk, and it looked horrible! Normally loose running shorts were practically skin tight and way too short.

I immediately changed into pants. I''ve really been trying to wear clothing that fits and that minimizes that area and to just not focus on how big it is, but I''m a little worried about how long it will take to go down after baby''s here. So, you''re not alone.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Body Image

I had a hard time with it for a long time because it took so long for me to actually look pregnant. I am a taller, larger-boned and also voluptuous woman, and the combination meant that I didn''t start to look pregnant until I hit about 26 weeks. Prior to that, people who knew me knew my thicker waist was baby, but no one else did! But as I have mentioned before, wearing clothing that FITS made me feel just so much better. I really haven''t "tested" anything out recently to see how much I have really gained in terms of non-baby, non-fluid weight. I feel confident it will come off after the baby is born with BFing and being more active over the summer months. I don''t plan to weigh myself for months and months post baby! Not until I feel like things are tighteneing up.

I found the second trimester really rough because I gained a lot of weight and was worried that it would mean I was going to keep gaining like that! In the first tri I gained about 5lbs, but in the second I gained about 25! My midwife said it would slow down and she was right. I actually haven''t gained at all in the last month, maybe half a pound, despite the holidays. I''m hoping this means I won''t gain much more the rest of the pregnancy, maybe 5 more lbs. My belly is growing a tonne though these days, and I am measuring on track, so obviously baby is gaining and the rest of me is losing. I''m sure it''s fine, I have a lot to spare

Now that I have a huge belly (it is getting so big these days) I love my pregnant body! I think my big round belly distracts from my larger hips and thighs

and I feel like being pregnant is what I am *supposed* to look like. I have always had a lush figure, and always felt like I was fertile and womanly, so being pregnant and finally looking it makes me feel very feminine. It helps that DH is one of those men who finds pregnant women ridiculously sexy, so he thinks I look hot and tells me that all the time! I feel lucky, but then he also likes my fuller non-preggo body so I guess I shouldn''t be surprised. So even if I felt bad about myself, having him tell me every day how sexy I look really helps, and he can''t really keep his hands off either. So he is a good mirror to have around!

 

[Courtneylub]

I sure wish I felt sexy. I guess things could be a lot worse, but my thighs rub together now, cellulite is more apparant, and DH and I never have sex unless I initiate it. I don''t think he views me as hot.

I believe he thinks I''m beautiful, but he''s not a very sexual person and I really need that right now. Not only because of my hormones, but I need to feel sexually wanted. It''s really making me quite moody and when he''s just affectionate without it leading anywhere, I just get irritated and don''t want him to touch me. Isn''t that horrible?

I''ve gained a total of about 20 lbs now and I suppose that''s alright for being 23 weeks along. I''m going to start swimming laps on my lunch breaks this week. That should help me feel tighter in certain areas.