Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Kaleigh]

Blen,
Hang in there. Sounds like all will be fine. HUGS!!!!

 

[ljmorgan]

Natalie at 24 weeks and 4 days. She weighed in at 1 lb. 11 oz today. In this picture she is yawning and... she has her Daddy''s dark hair! And his widows peak

 

[sbde]

ladies...

little jelly came into this world 10 days early on Jan 13th! it was a regular vaginal birth but i did end up taking the epi because the pain was RIDICULOUS...he is adorable, and motherhood is pretty awesome. will write with more details later, but just wanted to update you all.. i know it''s been said a million times before...but i didn''t think it was possible to love a little being THIS MUCH this soon.

btw moms - recovery...it seems impossible to me that the stiches/swelling/pain will ever dissipate. please tell me it gets better!

 

[lili]

Oh wow SBDE
Congrats and Welcome to motherhood!!
Can''t wait to meet your little guy.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 1/16/2009 10:08:53 PM
Author: sbde
ladies...

little jelly came into this world 10 days early on Jan 13th! it was a regular vaginal birth but i did end up taking the epi because the pain was RIDICULOUS...he is adorable, and motherhood is pretty awesome. will write with more details later, but just wanted to update you all.. i know it''s been said a million times before...but i didn''t think it was possible to love a little being THIS MUCH this soon.

btw moms - recovery...it seems impossible to me that the stiches/swelling/pain will ever dissipate. please tell me it gets better!

Can''t wait to see pictures if you feel comfortable posting them! And I''d love to hear your labour story too if you have time!

But now I guess this means from our regular posters, I am next!!

 

[puffy]

SBDE CONGRATS!!! welcome to mommyhood!
rest up and remember to sleep when ever possible. and yes, the pain, swelling and everything will get better!

 

[qtiekiki]

Congrats SDBE
And Yes the pain/swelling etc will all go away and everything will be better.

 

[Sabine]

Oh my goodness, so much news!

Blen, I almost had a heart attack reading your post, I can imagine how you must have felt at first! I''m so glad for you that thins are looking okay, and I''ll be keeping you and lo in my prayers!

Lysser, I''m glad you''re finally starting to be hopeful about this. It''s so hard not to worry, but I think you just have to get used to the worry and learn to move past it.

Dreamer, so glad things went well and that you''re home and able to take it easy.

SBDE, WOW, congrats!!! I''m sorry recovery seems to be slow for you. I''d love to see pictures to if you would like to post some! Enjoy those first few days!

Nothing really new for me. I saw a friend of mine who is pregnant last night for the first time since before the holidays, and I seemed to have forgotten how much time has past! She somehow jumped ahead to 32 weeks! She looks so lovely and pregnant, but not overly huge, and she is still so active and feeling great...she is so my pregnancy mentor!
11w 3d

 

[robbie3982]

Congrats, SoCal! My DH was the same way until I took the digital the first time around with the pg that I ended up m/c. With this pregnancy, I didn't even wake him up til I'd gotten the bfp on the digi.

Blen, holy cow, how scary! I'm sending tons of prayers and good vibes your way!

CBDE, congrats!

 

[nycbkgirl]

SBDE- yayyyyy congrats mama! So happy for u! Can''t wait for pics

 

[snlee]

sbde, CONGRATULATIONS!

I can't wait to meet your little one and hear your birth story!

And YES, the pain, swelling, and everything WILL get better! I pushed for 4.5 hours and was SO swollen after. I don't know how swollen I was cause I was scared to look or touch down there and could barely move. My MW said the swelling was pretty bad but joked I didn't have two testicals (

gee thanks!) and said she has seen worse if that makes me feel better. I promise it'll get better!

 

[Blenheim]

Update
I''m now at home, on modified bed rest for the week. I''m going to follow up with another ultrasound on Thurs/Fri to see how everything''s looking.

Their best guess is that the edge of my placenta peeled off a bit, which is pretty common with low lying placentas. This is basically the best possible scenario for the amount of bleeding that I had. A subchorionic hematoma/placental abruption in the middle of the placenta can lead to blood buildup, which can irritate the placenta near it and cause it to further peel off. My contractions are still under control, and the bleeding has basically stopped (just occasional residual brown stuff). I''ve now had both beta steroid shots, which is really reassuring if something were to happen.

If I can make it 8 more weeks with no other episodes, I''m cleared for home birth. If something else comes up, we''ll have to reevaluate. Plan B is hospital vag birth with my midwife as backup in there (it''s great that he''s willing to work with her, when she doesn''t have admitting privileges), and Plan C which we''d all prefer to avoid is emergency ceserean.

Thanks for all of the support and good wishes - it really means a lot.

SBDE, congrats on being a mommy! Thanks for the update.

Lindsey, that''s AMAZING that you''re able to see that much detail. CUTE!

DD - glad to hear that things went well for you. Hope you feel better rested today.

 

[so cal girl]

First off, CONGRATS sbde! It must be so amazing to finally see your little one!

Blen - Wow. That must have been a traumatic experience for you. You seem to be remaining calm and optimistic through it all. You are amazing.

littlelysser - It looks like we''ll be going through this together. I''m just a couple weeks behind you, I think.

So, I took another test this morning. The second line is definitely getting darker! Good advice about maybe getting a digital to prove to DH that I am not imagining things. We did survive dinner with both sets of parents last night without saying anything, although I''m pretty sure my mom knows. She knows we have been TTC, and I kept saying no to drinks, and she kept asking me if I was okay.

When I made my appointment with the doctor, I told the receptionist that I had PCOS and had been prescribed Clomid, and I didn''t know if I should come in earlier than normal. She said she''d make me an appointment for 6 weeks, even though they usually wait until 8. But she did say to call if I had any problems between now and then. Hopefully the time passes quickly and without any major events!

 

[pavelover]

Hi you guys- I know I have been mia and I''m still b/t mommies thread and preggers thread but I just wanted to say a couple of htings!

SBDE From very recent experience I want to reassure you that it does get better and pretty quickly! I remember at 1 week feeling alot better and by 2 weeks totally better "down there". I didn''t get to rest much because we went to the hospital every day so if you get the chance to rest b/t feedings, etc then I bet your recovery will be even faster.
I tried to soak at least once a day but reccomend more if you can(three times at least). I really had to take my motrin around the clock or the pain would get ahead of me. also, I looovvve ice packs if you can do it. In the hospital they used newborn swaddler diapers and put the ice inside the first layer of the diaper and folded the tabs back and then you put that in your undies- it worked great! Ok I think that should get you started on being more comfortable.

Blen- wow that sounds soooooo incredibly scary- I am glad things are calming down and that you are looking a o.k. I had a doula and it has been great. She is helping with lactation too at home. and she let me take a nap. sweet relief. I miss sleep alot.

socal congratulations! Time flies so just enjoy and before you know it you will be on the mommy side!

littlelysser I am 37 and got the nt scan with blood work and that was it, until we found out about tyler''s heart defect. I originally did not want the amnio b/c I was afraid of miscarriage and would not have terminated so I didn''t see the risk being worth it- After we got the info about his heart defect, I wanted to be prepared for whatever was wrong with him, potentially. It was tough because ppl kept telling me it was not too late to terminate and I hated hearing that- for me it was not something I would consider but drs. have to tell you all your options. The little guy was already moving around a ton inside me and I was so stressed when they would say this- thankfully he is here and safe and I can''t believe I was supposed to consider that when I look at how perfect he is! I hope this does not sound judgemental- I believe everyone should have the choice for themselves. Anyhoo. I think I went off on a tangent. The amnio went well and was way easier than I thought. My dr.''s office for the amnio does a very high number per month. That made me feel safer.

DD Congrats on finishing the interviews and I can''t wait to hear you get the job offers!! woohoo!

Pandora I hope things work out with the job- a resolution would be fantastic and take a load off your mind I am sure. That is pretty intense the evaluation you have to go through- I am sure you will continue to "pass" with flying colors but still it seems overwhelming.

Fiery I know this is a little late now but- last year I got pregnant after we were already engaged(I was convinced it would take for-ever to get preggers so wanted to start trying right away). We were planning to elope when the time was right for us and did not feel like we had to be married before the baby arrived. I wanted to avoid family drama, pressures, etc. Being pregnant (even though it was only a few weeks) made me all "squishy" (I was on cloud nine and very open to suggestion I guess). Next thing I knew we were planning a wedding within a few weeks (with help and some, lets say coercsion is too strong a word, but some encouragement from my mom). Then we had a miscarriage and I did have a brief second where I was thinking, wait should we still get married? But it was very brief. We got married and it was fantastic and now we have been married a whole year plus and I feel like I made the absolute right decision(but I wont lie there was alot of adapting to be done). So my point is, do it if you guys think it is right, and if not, I don''t think the baby would be adversely affected. I really felt like we knew what was right for us, and that the baby just needed to be with 2 ppl who loved each other- don''t let that stupid lady(can I call her stupid) pressure you- you are not messing the baby up.

More later. gotta go eat breakfast.

 

[nycbkgirl]

Blen- im so glad u r home and resting..take it easy woman.

Pave- I wanted to hear how little ty is doing? How is everything progressing?...and also ? For u....when and how did u find out about the heart defect...im going for a fetal echo on wed and was wondering if that''s where they would be able to rule out everything.

Im sooooo cold...I wanna go to mexico mela lol.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Blenheim great news! It sounds like you are getting top knotch care, that''s all we can hope for really! Does your work give you diability because you are on "saty home" rest? Just curious.

So cal Congrats and welcome! I personally am in the camp that you should not rush in to see the doctor, PCOS or no PCOS. There is little/nothing they can do in those early stages anyways and so often with really early u/s and testing it can raise worries and issues that seem to resolve themselves anyways. I just think that the exta knowledge to be gained from a very early doctor visit -- which is very little btw -- doesn''t actually help quell worries much (unless you are actually having issues like bleeding etc., then it can be really helpful to hear "its ok" from a doctor). In the end, the first 12 weeks are interminable no matter what and you just have to take it day by day and hope for the best! But others feel differently... I know NYCBK felt better each time she has an early u/s, but she was seeing a specialist and your regular doctor is very unlikely to offer u/s silly nilly unless you have bleeding... Anyways, I just thought I would add my perspective. I didn''t see my m/w until I was 10 weeks and they just said "You took an hpt and it said you are preggo, right?" That was the *confirmation*. Rest assured that the vast majority of pregnancies progress normally in the first trimester and you just have to trust that you are one of them! Oh, and go get a digital and tell you hubby to stop being silly

The doctor will just have you POAS anyways to "confirm" your pregnancy, and maybe not even that! So he should just trust your tests.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 1/17/2009 2:25:41 PM
Author: nycbkgirl
Blen- im so glad u r home and resting..take it easy woman.

Pave- I wanted to hear how little ty is doing? How is everything progressing?...and also ? For u....when and how did u find out about the heart defect...im going for a fetal echo on wed and was wondering if that''s where they would be able to rule out everything.

Im sooooo cold...I wanna go to mexico mela lol.

She may take a while to respond, so I can tell yo uthat it was at her first anatomy scan that they noticed something and follow-up tests over the next 8 weeks or so confirmed exatly what type of problem it was. So yes, the echo you are having is aimed at ruling out many heart defects.

 

[nycbkgirl]

Thanks DD. I hope to rest assured with the fetal echo and the finishing touches on anatomy scan.

Re socal girl and u/s...the onyl reason I would recommend an earlier u/s is bc she is pcos and I believe got ktfu with clomid (if im not mistaken)..the reason pcos patients are diff..is that there may have been multiple large follicles and that of course lingers for a while..meaning..one may have cysts form...(I had a large one diagnosed at 5w5d..there wasn''t much to be done about it but I knew to take it easy and thankfully mine just went away)..while others have had them rupture which isn''t fun but not dangerous..so its good to know that everything in there is ok .if u know what I mean..otherwise if something occurs and u don''t know what it is..u just freak out and worry (like myself lol)...
But that''s just my 2 cents

 

[Blenheim]

Thanks again, everyone!

Date: 1/17/2009 2:39:45 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Blenheim great news! It sounds like you are getting top knotch care, that''s all we can hope for really! Does your work give you diability because you are on ''saty home'' rest? Just curious.

I need to call my boss and HR on Monday to sort things out. It looks like I''m eligible for STD if I''m gone for more than 7 consecutive days, but need to confirm with HR. I''ve been with my company for just short of a year though, and still have two weeks until maternity leave would kick in. Hopefully the baby will stay in there, although leave is the least of my concerns in that regard. Worst case, I can take family support and vacation until mat leave would kick in.

I sent my boss an email on Friday, explaining that there was a chance I''d have to go on bedrest and asking if I''d be able to work from home. I actually worked from home on Thursday, so my work laptop and contact sheets and other vital stuff are already in my living room. He spoke with his boss (he''s fairly new in his position, and I know that this is the first time that this kind of thing has come up for him) and then contacted me to say that I didn''t need to worry about working from home and should just take it easy if they place me on bed rest. I''m not good at resting and feel like I''d probably do better if I had something to occupy my mind. As it was, I was replying to work emails from L&D. I''m going to talk with him further on Monday morning.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 1/17/2009 8:02:44 PM
Author: Blenheim
Thanks again, everyone!

Date: 1/17/2009 2:39:45 PM

Author: dreamer_dachsie

Blenheim great news! It sounds like you are getting top knotch care, that''s all we can hope for really! Does your work give you diability because you are on ''saty home'' rest? Just curious.

I need to call my boss and HR on Monday to sort things out. It looks like I''m eligible for STD if I''m gone for more than 7 consecutive days, but need to confirm with HR. I''ve been with my company for just short of a year though, and still have two weeks until maternity leave would kick in. Hopefully the baby will stay in there, although leave is the least of my concerns in that regard. Worst case, I can take family support and vacation until mat leave would kick in.


I sent my boss an email on Friday, explaining that there was a chance I''d have to go on bedrest and asking if I''d be able to work from home. I actually worked from home on Thursday, so my work laptop and contact sheets and other vital stuff are already in my living room. He spoke with his boss (he''s fairly new in his position, and I know that this is the first time that this kind of thing has come up for him) and then contacted me to say that I didn''t need to worry about working from home and should just take it easy if they place me on bed rest. I''m not good at resting and feel like I''d probably do better if I had something to occupy my mind. As it was, I was replying to work emails from L&D. I''m going to talk with him further on Monday morning.

Speaking from experience it is *great* to have a routine of some sort including work. Just know that you might not feel as productive as usual. It''s hard to focus on things sometimes while being on bedrest, but at the same time it was really nice to have something to do when I felt like being productive.

 

[Dreamer_D]

**Warning: NON-PREGNANCY talk to follow!!

Hey Mela Have you ever been to Damiani Jewelers in Woodbridge? I am trying to decide what I want to do for a present if/when I get a job

(yes I am counting chickens, gotta do something to keep my mind of the horrible wait!) and I am contemplating getting my .80ct reset into a Ritani with lots of bling! Anyways, Damiani Jewelers is an authorized ritani relailer in ON and I thought I might go there to look at settings and see how their prices compare to Pearlmans... so I wondered if you had ever been?

PS: My other options for a prezzie are the upgrade my current diamond to a 1.20, but I don''t know if that is worth it since I want BLING baby!!

 

[sbde]

thanks to everyone for their kind wishes!

so far motherhood has been pretty awesome. it''s tiring and pretty overwhelming but it has been fun and little jelly is just such a cutie.

the birth story is as follows:

the dr. had told me the week before that she thought i would go early because I was already 2 cm dilated and the baby was VERY VERY low (i was about 70% effaced). she also said she would likely strip my membranes at the next weekly appt (Jan 12th) to try and jump start labour. getting my membranes stripped wasn''t too bad. it pretty much felt just like a vigorous exam. i was 3 cm dilated and completely effaced that day...went home and had some slight back pain so i took a nap. woke up around 4:00 pm with my first contractions of the pregnancy. i had always wondered if the aches and pains i was feeling in the days before were contractions or not, and let me tell you first time moms - you KNOW when you are contracting. i started timing the contractions on a website and they were about 7 min apart. over the next 3 hrs they became progressively more painful and closer together, but i kept active and walked around the house (i really didn''t want this to be false labour and was hoping to deliver SOON now that i was beyond the 38 wk mark). 7:30 the contractions were 5 min apart and i was told to come into L&D.

the drive to the hosp. was thankfully v smooth and we got there in about 25 min. contractions were SO intense by this point i was in tears. in triage they told me i was 5 cm dilated and the contractions were every 1-2 minutes. i BEGGED for an epidural at that point - i had really thought i would be stronger and able to hold out but the contraction frequency had increased so quickly that there was such little time to recover between them. i was given the epi and was in sweet relief. the next few hrs were very relaxing - dh and i just chatted and chilled in the delivery room with the lights down low. they came in and checked me a little after midnight and i was completely dilated. the dr and nurses were all constantly surprised throughout the night at how quick my labour was progressing given that this was a first baby and 10 days early.

next steps were really just to wait it out a bit more and call the nurse/dr back when i really felt a strong urge to push. over the next 1.5 hrs i started feeling more and more rectal pressure and then finally called the nurse and let her know thati felt ready to start pushing. i was told that i would likely push 1-3 hrs before baby came out and was trying to prepare for this last stage of labour. pushing was tough and at that point the epidural really didn''t mask the pain - the stinging and stretching was very very painful, but luckily 1/2 hr later the baby crowned and came into the world!! best advice i can give the rest of you preggos is to push from the stomach rather than upper body/face.

baby was put on my belly and the next 45 minutes were spent delivering the placenta and stitching me up. i had a 3rd degree tear because the baby was 8 lb 10 oz - shocking to me since babies in my family tend to be on the small side

anyways, the days since then have been much of a blur. baby is just a darling and the worst bit has just been my recovery from the tearing. thanks to everyone for their advice and reassurance that it will get better. for now i''m just taking percoset and motrin around the clock.

snlee, i also refuse to peek down there either because everything just FEELS so terrible that i don''t want to know what it looks like. i am so in awe of you for going through your labour without drugs and pushing for so long. you are definitely my hero.
pavelover - thank you for the reassurance. it''s only been 4 days since the birth and i do feel better each day. hopefully when i''m @ the 1 week mark i''ll feel markedly better like you did. i''m trying the sitz bath about 1-2 times a day and have brought home some ice pads as well. thanks again for your tips!!
dd - you are next!
lili, so cal girl, blenheim, nycbkgirl, robbie,sabine, qtiekiki, puffy - THANK YOU! i promise to post pics soon

 

[nycbkgirl]

Sbde- thanks for sharing! Sounds like everything went pretty smoothly and yikes what a big baby ..whenever u r ready..we can''t wait to see pics of the cutie pie!

DD- all that bling talk...mmmm..delicious! Damiani is such an expensive store no? I see their advertisements in all the major magazines..but everything is so gorgeous!...glad you''re treating yourself..love that

 

[natalina]

sbde- Congratultions and thanks for sharing your story! Can''t wait to see pics!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 1/18/2009 4:16:13 AM
Author: nycbkgirl

DD- all that bling talk...mmmm..delicious! Damiani is such an expensive store no? I see their advertisements in all the major magazines..but everything is so gorgeous!...glad you're treating yourself..love that

It isn't the same Damiani, it is a family owned jewelry store that is local to me and also near Mela that happens to carry Ritani. I would probably order my setting from Pearlmans anyways since their customer service gets such great reveiws here. BTW, I stalked your posts looking to see if you had ever posted your rings (I don't feel like I really know my fellow posted unless I know what their rings look like

), and I noticed that you started your PS time here in Family, Health, & Home! So I wondered if you knew that this website is actually a diamond website for the bling-obsessed? I guess it is obvious from so many of the ring avatars

... there just happened to be a sub-forum started about family and being preggo, but really this forum is all about the bling! But the common thread of interest between most posters is indeed diamonds. Have you been over to Show Me the Ring and Rocky Talky? Its fun when you are bored, but be warned it is addictive.

You probably already knew all this, but just in case, there you go!

SBDE what a great story, it sounds like things went smoothly save the tearing.. but what big baby!! It's no wonder!

 

[Blenheim]

SBDE, thanks for the story. The tearing sounds painful - ouch! I can''t wait for pictures!

DD, I can''t believe that you''re next out of the regulars. And aren''t I after you?

NF, I remember you saying that and really think it would be better emotionally to work from home. Fingers crossed that I''m only on bedrest for a week, but who knows what the future will hold.

From what I saw of my second US in L&D, baby''s thigh is measuring right on, baby''s torso is measuring a week ahead, and baby''s head is measuring TWO weeks ahead. Hubby thinks that we''re just going to have an uber smart baby, but I''m wondering if it''s going to look all disproportioned and weird.

Aonghus has been majorly clingy since I got home, and has just gotten to the point where he doesn''t feel like he needs to constantly lie on top of my feet. Now he''s just lying next to them.

 

[mela lu]

Holy SH!T girls - I go away for ONE DAY and all this happens?!

BLEN - OMG OMG OMG. I read your first post with my hand over my dropped jaw and my shoulders all tensed up to my ears. I cannot believe it. You poor thing and HOW scary. I was scared. WOW. I''m glad you''re home (oh your doggie is so funny!!) and that you''re resting. Hopefully this work-from-home thing can happen because your rest and the health of the baby is OB the most important thing. Working from home would be a bonus. Um, sucks about all the odd positioning of the babe. Jeez. Like you need something else to worry about, eh? Just goes to show you that the best laid plans ofter fail. I''m really ''secreting'' a nice home birth for you (or at least a vag''er in the hospital). Fingers crossed. Hang in there!

SBDE - YEY!!!!!!!!!! A baby is born!

Many hearty congrats! Can''t wait for this pics and the NAME! (my fave part). Sorry to hear about the vagy-war zone. Hoping for a speedy recovery for you!

DD - glad to hear your ''views are done and that you''re home safe. Re: Damiani (in Woodbridge). I have been there. Yup. We''ve bought things like (graduation) cufflinks and baby gifts there. IMHO, It''s a bit ''Ital-tacky'' (I feel like I can say that being Italian) and the customer service is a bit lacking COMPARED TO that which we have become accustomed to her through PS. I think for the average consumer, it would be fine, but for me, personally, it didn''t impress me. That said. If you can swing a sweet deal on a Ritani setting, then I''d go for it. A deal is a deal, who cares the vendor as long as your are getting your beautiful Ritani. Their other stock is "Meh" to me. I hope that helps. I have a Jeweler very close to there that I love (Bandiera Jewelers). They are not tacky at all (again, I feel the right to judge

) and have a great benchman and customer service. If you are ever looking for a jeweler to have work done - I can pass along their contact.
Fingers crossed for your offers next week!

***DOG OWNERS*** I have a very "Mommy''s Girl" Maltese named Mela. She is super duper in lurve with me. I''m slightly concerned with getting her ready for the baby''s arrival and how she''s going to have to share my affection. Have you come across any good books about preparing and then training the dog to be baby-friendly?

We didn''t actually buy anything for baby. haha. Stiiiil a Virgin in that category, but our friends are moving and gave us a Poop-load of thier babystuff yesterday. We got a white ikea change-table, toys, and a bunch of clothes. SCORE! Now we don''t have to buy the chest of drawers (that was going to be a changetable).

Still looking for inspiration for the gender-neutral nursery. Here are a few from Serena and Lily that I like. I def want Lavender incorporated into the scheme...

 

[mela lu]

another me likey (but would add Lavender too)

 

[mela lu]

and another

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 1/18/2009 12:33:30 PM
Author: Blenheim
DD, I can''t believe that you''re next out of the regulars. And aren''t I after you?

Honestly, I cannot believe it at all! Now that my interviews are over I can really start thinking about it and trying to wrap my head around it. The funny thing is, other than feeling stiff after sitting of laying for a while, not being able to bend over to put on shoes, pants, or socks, and getting out of breath, I really do forget how preggo I am! LOL! And then I see myself in the mirror

Here is the bump in all its glory at 34 weeks!!