Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Mandarine]

And sweet Baby B

 

[peonygirl]

Aww, big congrats Mandarine! The babies look great!

My first appt is March 27th and I'm already pretty nervous! Last time I had to cancel that appointment because we didn't make it that far, but we're really hoping we do this time!

 

[mia1181]

Phoenixgirl- Can you check with your doctor and see if Miralax is okay for preggos? My 4y.o. charge has chronic constipation issues and it works like a charm for her. Her mother is very into avoiding drugs if at all possible, but K''s doctors say it is very harmless and almost like a "Super Fiber." It''s available over the counter and in a powder form. You just sprinkle it into food or a drink and it dissolves. It''s not supposed to have a taste and a little bit does the trick. Anyway just a thought....

 

[E B]

Date: 3/14/2009 3:04:06 PM
Author: *Lindsey*

but when I ate a TON of vegetables/fruit during the day (fruit during breakfast, a big salad with fruit for lunch, and cooked veggies and salad with dinner, things moved a lot easier.

This is the key for me, too. We''ve got a giant thing of celery in the fridge I eat with a bit of peanut butter, and I try to get at least two to three servings of fruit in, but I generally avoid eating too many bananas as I hear they only stop things up further. Broccoli is also a huge help!

Mandarine, your two little peas are adorable! Two peas in a pod. Aww.

 

[Mrs]

Date: 3/13/2009 12:32:59 PM
Author: mela lu

Mrs. – I’ve been meaning to ask you. You mentioned that you were leaking some colostrums. This may sound dumb, but how did you notice it? Was your bra stained or did you actually see it coming out? I’m just curious. Things like this intrigue me. GL GL GL on your upcoming Cesarean birth. I’ll be thinking of you!!

Mela - I didn''t really leak colostrum until last night, I just noticed that when I pinched myself some yellow / orange / clear liquid came out. I can''t remember when that started but it was a while ago and has increased. When they had me do the CST (contraction stress test) at fetal monitoring week before last I did notice stains on my bra later in the day. That''s a test where they have you stimulate your nipples to start a contraction and then see how the baby''s heart rate responds. Then last night clear colostrum starting leaking out of my left boob and dripping down my chest. I guess I must be ready to have this baby!!

Swimmer - welcome! sticky vibes comin your way!

phoenix - sorry you''re constipated. I''d suggest you invest in some stool softener! Colace has been one of my best friends for weeks.

natalina - thanks for the shout out and your best wishes!

Thanks to EVERYONE for your support!

So yesterday was kinda rough - we waited at my OB''s for 1.5 hours for my last appointment and I was finally able to ask all my questions about the c-section. Apparently they always remove the uterus from your belly to stitch it back up - this was something I had read but was curious about. It''s so strange to think that they can just pull it out to mend it. kinda gross... They can''t do skin-to-skin contact immediately after she''s out of me but we''ll get to do that as soon as I''m in the recovery room and they don''t think the surgery should last more than 30 minutes since it''s my first and there wont be any scar tissue to get through. We also learned that we can bring a CD if we want to play music in the OR which is kinda nice.

Then later in the day I waited another 2 hours at fetal monitoring for monitoring and pre-op stuff. Just as they were about to turn the monitor off I had a massive contraction (12 minutes) and the baby''s heart rate dropped to 60... it was scary. Usually my contractions are only a minute or two in length and the baby''s HR stays steady. So they had to monitor me for a while longer to make sure she recovered okay and they called my dr to see if she wanted to move up the surgery I guess... Anyway, I was there forever and when they let me leave they told me to come back this morning for more monitoring and a CST. Everything was fine this morning so hopefully we''re good to go for monday and the baby continues to show signs of good health until then.

I went for a mani/pedi today and have been relaxing for the most part but we''re also trying to get ready for my mom''s arrival tomorrow. I hope she''ll be comfortable here. She hasn''t visited since we moved to a new apt in August.

Anyway, I hope you''re all having a nice weekend.

Mrs
39 weeks, 1 day

 

[lili]

Mrs
Sorry for the scare at the pre-op.
Glad to hear that everything is ok this morning.
Hope it continues til Monday.
Can''t wait to see your little girl.
Good luck and hope you have a speedy recovery.

 

[lonely emo chick]

How do i post images on here?

 

[peonygirl]

Quick question guys: when it comes to soft cheese do we have to avoid everything, or is the pasteurized stuff okay? I''m going to miss my goat cheese! How about if it''s heated up? I have these brie and raspberry fillo puffs in the freezer that I just love to eat baked.

Good luck with your c-section Mrs! I bet you are so excited to meet your little one!

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 3/14/2009 9:52:30 PM
Author: peonygirl
Quick question guys: when it comes to soft cheese do we have to avoid everything, or is the pasteurized stuff okay? I''m going to miss my goat cheese! How about if it''s heated up? I have these brie and raspberry fillo puffs in the freezer that I just love to eat baked.

Good luck with your c-section Mrs! I bet you are so excited to meet your little one!

Hey peony

Cheese made from pasteurized milk is ok to eat during pregnancy. It is suggested to stay away from unpasteurized cheeses as it can contain bacteria. The What to Expect book suggests heating these cheeses until bubbly if you are going to eat it.

I''m in the camp of everything in moderation however. I think eating your favorite cheeses every once in a while will be ok.

 

[Blenheim]

Peony - if it''s pasturized, it''s fine. I haven''t read anything specifically about baked cheese, but since the concern with soft cheese is listeria, I''ve been assuming that if you bake it thoroughly it should kill off all the bad stuff. Those filo puffs sound completely yummy.

Mrs - Sorry your appointment was so stressful! That''s such a long contraction - yikes. Glad to hear that your little girl is doing ok though. You are so close to getting to hold her. How exciting!

Phoenix - sorry about the constipation. Not taking a prenatal vitamin was the only thing I found that really helped me (I took a regular multivitamin plus folic acid), but it sounds like there are some other great suggestions. I''m also sorry about all of the stressful stuff that''s going on.

Mandarine - how precious. They''re so teensy.

Mela - I also like the idea of going with the name that spoke to you. But I also like the idea of pairing a more unusual name with a more common name in case the kid wants something to fall back on to fit in with their peers, and Christian fits that bill better. I have a very traditional first name plus a really weird middle name (grandmother''s maiden name) and everyone called me by the weird middle name from birth. I''m really glad that I''ve been able to use the normal first name later on in life. Not that Romeo''s weird, but you know what I mean? Anyway, I''m babbling and can''t decide which I''d like more in regards to Romeo Phoenix vs. Romeo Christian.


I had a massage today and it was just HEAVENLY. Seriously. She spent an ungodly amount of time working on my hips, butt, and lower back, and I feel almost normal now. I''m almost not waddling! I told DH that we need to find room in the budget for me to get weekly massages until the baby''s here and he just laughed at me.

(This one was a gift from my middie.)

We installed the car seat in my car today. I kept looking back at it when we drove out to dinner tonight. There''s going to be a baby in it in no time! We''re not installing the base in DH''s car until he cleans his car out, which he''s perpetually going to do "tomorrow". Grrr.

The list of stuff we need for the birth included 8-10 receiving blankets, and she told us early on not to freak out about getting the huge number. And she was right - after the package we received in the mail yesterday, we now own 20 receiving blankets (I counted) plus something like 4 of the Swaddle Mes. And this is after taking some stuff back to BRU. I think we''ve got the swaddling materials down.

This is going to be my belated contribution to Belly Pic Friday:

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 3/13/2009 9:16:56 PM
Author: phoenixgirl
Zofran = constipation. Sigh. It''s still better than the morning sickness though.


After DH went out and bought me metamucil and some suppositories (so sorry I had to share that!), we agreed that pregnancy seems to be one long string of indignities.

Wait until you poop on the table when you are pushing! LOL! By then you won''t care though, I swear!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Peony Saw your shout out in the mommy thread... I can't recall where the stats are from. Back when Indepedent Gal (I miss her

) and I were TTC together and first got preggo (so April/May 200 she looked it up and posted a lot of the stats from the journals. From memory, so probably ballpark correct but not 100%: About 50% of conceptions end before anyone knows, and this includes "chemical" pregnancies since most women do not test before their period is late. Then, 15-25% of the remaining conceptions (depends on the source) end in m/c prior to week 12. After week 12, m/c rates get as low as they will get, which is 5% of the remaining pregnancies. One caveat for this is that if you see an HB AFTER week 9, I believe, then the m/c risk is also very low, around 5-10%. After viability, there is still another 1-2% of pregnancies that end in stillbirth. So once you make it past 18 DPO you are past the first hurdle (that is when it would no longer be considered a chemical pregnancy if you m/c, and there is no longer the 50% m/c rate) then the next hurdle is 12 weeks. After that, you just gotta have faith!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 3/14/2009 10:46:10 PM
Author: Blenheim

The list of stuff we need for the birth included 8-10 receiving blankets, and she told us early on not to freak out about getting the huge number. And she was right - after the package we received in the mail yesterday, we now own 20 receiving blankets (I counted) plus something like 4 of the Swaddle Mes. And this is after taking some stuff back to BRU. I think we''ve got the swaddling materials down.

This is going to be my belated contribution to Belly Pic Friday:

You will need every single one! Those blankets have so many uses, its great to have so many! And I love the Swaddle Me, we put Hunter into the Swaddle Me in just his diaper, then swaddle him again in a receiving blanket. That keeps him snug as a bug and he can''t squirm out.

 

[phoenixgirl]

mandarine, so cute! It''s interesting that they estimate that they''re a few days apart . . . I guess because the trip down the fallopian tubes and to implantation can vary?

dreamer, that info was very helpful! I have 8 more days until my U/S at 9.5 weeks, and I am very anxious to see that heartbeat!

peony, I love goat cheese too, but I''m avoiding all soft cheese that doesn''t say "pasteurized" on it. This is from BabyCenter.com: "Although listeria infection is relatively rare (the CDC estimates that it affects 2,500 people in the U.S. every year and this number appears to be decreasing), pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get it, and the infection can be devastating or even lethal for their babies." I''ve read that 1/3 of all people who get the infection are pregnant women. Who knows why, but I''m not risking it. I figure anything that says "avoid" I''ll avoid, but anything that says "in moderation" like caffeine is ok just a little bit.


Thanks for all the constipation advice. Currently things are bearable.


I read The Wives of Henry the Eighth by Alison Weir a few years back, and I flipped through it recently to see the pregnancy stories. Apparently Anne Boleyn craved apples, and Jane Seymour craved quail which had be shipped in out of season from France. Knowing how crappy I feel with my plethora of options for M/S and constipation relief in my heated home, I can''t imagine how hard pregnancy must have been in those days. Weir wonders if Anne Boleyn may have been Rh negative but that Elizabeth was Rh positive, possibly explaining why Anne never carried another child to term, and she thinks Jane Seymour caught a fever from an infected tear in her perineum (ew).

My eccentric but lovable neighbor was trying to convince me to have natural childbirth a few months ago (not that she knew we were trying, but knowing her she probably intuited it), and she said, "I mean, no one ever died of childbirth, right?" That made me laugh because a) this is a professor with a PhD talking and b) throughout history millions of women have died of childbirth! We''re so lucky to have modern medicine both to help us get pregnant and to help us deliver safely.

 

[neatfreak]

Peony and Phoenix Unless you are buying from a farmer''s market or outside the US almost all cheese here is pasteurized...so for the most part you don''t have to worry, especially if it is in something commercially packaged.

 

[ljmorgan]

Yes, and in the US if the cheese is packaged it will be marked "unpasteurized" -- 99% of cheese you find in the store ARE pasteurized. My husband and I go out of our way to find unpasteurized dairy which is rather challenging in the US, so you are safe!

 

[peonygirl]

Thanks gals, you are so, so helpful! I feel a little bad because I don't have much to add to this thread yet, but hopefully soon! BTW, DH took a "baseline" belly pic of me yesterday, and I'll post it this Friday.

 

[fieryred33143]

Shower question:

Is it appropriate to put registry information on a shower invite? I know it isn''t necessarily appropriate for a bridal shower but how about a baby shower?

 

[Blenheim]

Date: 3/14/2009 11:52:11 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 3/14/2009 10:46:10 PM
Author: Blenheim

The list of stuff we need for the birth included 8-10 receiving blankets, and she told us early on not to freak out about getting the huge number. And she was right - after the package we received in the mail yesterday, we now own 20 receiving blankets (I counted) plus something like 4 of the Swaddle Mes. And this is after taking some stuff back to BRU. I think we''ve got the swaddling materials down.

This is going to be my belated contribution to Belly Pic Friday:

You will need every single one! Those blankets have so many uses, its great to have so many! And I love the Swaddle Me, we put Hunter into the Swaddle Me in just his diaper, then swaddle him again in a receiving blanket. That keeps him snug as a bug and he can''t squirm out.

Really? Maybe it''s less ridiculous than I thought then. Uses - I can understand using them to swaddle, or as changing pads, or as an emergency burp cloth (although we have about 25 burp clothes - is that about right) - are there any uses I''m missing?

Fiery - I don''t think it''s appropriate for the same reasons it''s not appropriate for bridal shower invites, but at the same time I didn''t send out invitations to either of my showers (the hosts did) and I think that the registry info got into both of them.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Mrs.,

We''ll be thinking of you and your sweet little girl tomorrow!! (And Mr. Mrs, of course!!).

Wishing you a wonderful c-section and recovery!!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Nyc,

I''ve been wanting to check in and see if your pain''s gotten any better. Oh I hope so. And the third trimester, I bet you''re thankful for that!!!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

My friend at work is pregnant and is due in May; she has developed cholestasis. I don''t know a lot about it, only what she''s told me and what I''ve briefly looked up online. Basically, it''s when a pregnant woman''s gall bladder isn''t working as normal and bile collects under the skin, causing severe itching. There is a chance of premature birth, and also of still birth. To say the least, it was a very scary diagnosis for my friend to receive. She is now monitored twice weekly and will be induced in April, as soon as the Dr. determines the lungs to be fully developed, or developed well enough to hopefully avoid any extra hospital time at birth. She also has gall stones, and they think they may have to do a removal shortly after birth.

The reason why I post it here is because while it''s a serious issue, it''s much less scary if it''s caught early and frequent monitoring is given to the baby. My friend had to switch Dr.s in order to receive a diagnosis, since her previous ob/gyn said that skin ''stretches and gets itchy during birth,'' and not to worry about it. He didn''t go any more in-depth and if my friend hadn''t sought more information, her son could have been in serious danger.

I know there is a lot of information to take in during pregnancy, and can only imagine the stress such information can include, but I did want to post this, just in case anyone has had any symptoms of Cholestasis, as it''s treatable if caught early, making the baby much more likely to be born as close to full term as possible, free of any dangers.

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/cholestasispregnancy.html

 

[Blenheim]

Hubby is on the phone right now, telling his out of town college roommate that he''s not allowed to visit us for at least a month after the baby''s born because "dealing with one kid will be enough, we don''t need two in the house." He evidently just tried to invite himself to the birth. Hahahaha.

 

[Sabine]

Fiery, I don''t think it''s quite appropriate for baby showers either, but honestly, I am being sooooo much more relaxed with my baby shower than I was with my bridal shower. I got all uptight about my bridal shower since it was the first time I was meeting a few of dh''s relatives and I was all worried about what they would think of me. Now, I am so much more relaxed. My mom is throwing the shower (technically a no-no), we''ll include the registry info. (what the heck, it''s just easier for people and they WANT to know), and the food will probably be a mix of my favorites, things like chicken tenders and fries if I have my way.

Fisher, thanks for the info. I hope your friend is hanging in there!

Blen, give your hubby a treat, he sounds like he is handling the friend situation very proactively and maturely! Yay for him!

Registering yesterday was soooo fun! I''m so proud of dh, he was really not feeling well, but knew how much I was looking forward to it (we don''t have any other weekends free for a while either) so he insisted we still go, and he didn''t complain a single time and even said he had fun too! We got in so many fights over the wedding registry, but this one was much more fun. The only annoying thing was that the crib we want wasn''t on display at BRU, and at Target it was semi-built on a high shelf (and bolted down). I really wanted to test the drop side, but oh well, I''ve read plenty of reviews. We''re going with the Graco Lauren Convertible in Espresso if you''re curious. We''ll probably be moving a bunch in the next few years, so we wanted something sturdy but not nearly as big and heavy as some of the cribs out there.

 

[ChinaCat]

Fiery:

I am actually going to disagree on not including registry info on a baby shower invite. I am usually a huge etiquette geek and wouldn''t put any registry info on a wedding invitation- but honestly, times have changed and because people do so much online, I would find it a bit annoying if I didn''t know where someone was registered. Of course, there''s always word of mouth. But what else is a shower for? I just googled this and in fact they recommend including it. But they recommended adding a card inside the invite with the registry info, perhaps that makes it a bit less obvious?

Anyways, I think whatever you want to do is cool.

Btw, I just asked my mom, who is like an etiquette nazi- I am not kidding, the worst thing she can say about someone or something is that it''s "tacky"- and if she says tacky, you know it''s BAD. And it''s usually something to do with etiquette. And she said now it''s fine, and she sees it all the time and nobody gets offended.

Just another opinion!!!!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I like knowing where people are registered because I''d rather get someone something I know they want and need rather than something I hope they will want or need, you know? I think "tacky" only comes into play when someone makes a mention on their invite that they want "cash only." That''s just not cool. Otherwise, I see nothing wrong with it!

 

[nycbkgirl]

Fisher- thanks for checkin up on me...im better but one week is good then the next bad again but pillows are helping me...turning and getting up is nearly impossible and it doesn''t help that I pee like its going out of style!...im soooo happy its 30 wks already! Yayaya..2 more wks til 32...hangin in there keepin it tight
Im going in to weigh the twinks tom and im praying we are close to 3lbs...boobs are starting to be sore a bit. Thanks again for the thoughts!

Mrs- I will be thinking of u and waiting for any updates...I wish u all the best and that means easy c and beautiful healthy baby!

M- love the u/s pics...sooo exciting to see those sacs so early on...have an album to keep all those beauties in

?...anyone getting a diaper genie or any diaper disposal?? My sis thinks they will still smell..any ideas
(DD/ Neat..any thoughts)

Blen- love the collage of pics...u r soooo close mama!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Date: 3/15/2009 8:55:29 PM
Author: nycbkgirl
Fisher- thanks for checkin up on me...im better but one week is good then the next bad again but pillows are helping me...turning and getting up is nearly impossible and it doesn''t help that I pee like its going out of style!...im soooo happy its 30 wks already! Yayaya..2 more wks til 32...hangin in there keepin it tight
Im going in to weigh the twinks tom and im praying we are close to 3lbs...boobs are starting to be sore a bit. Thanks again for the thoughts!

Mrs- I will be thinking of u and waiting for any updates...I wish u all the best and that means easy c and beautiful healthy baby!

M- love the u/s pics...sooo exciting to see those sacs so early on...have an album to keep all those beauties in

?...anyone getting a diaper genie or any diaper disposal?? My sis thinks they will still smell..any ideas
(DD/ Neat..any thoughts)

Blen- love the collage of pics...u r soooo close mama!

We didn''t bother getting one - but our garbage can is stored under the kitchen sink and is taken out daily so no smell for us.

Mommies to be - such cute little bellies you all have!

MRS - You''ll be in my thoughts tomorrow!

 

[fieryred33143]

Thanks ladies for your input.

FI''s mom has hinted at wanting to throw a shower. What I am would like to avoid is the "OMG you''re having a girl! Here''s a pink dress" syndrome. I doubt my MIL will even send out invites. Her party invitations usually consist of a phone call two to five days before the party. But just in case she does invites, I wanted to know if it would be ok. We had gotten a baby shower invite before that was from the hostess and had the registry info. But this was also a baby shower of a girl that had us pay for our plate just to attend ($35 per person) so I wasn''t exactly going to look at her to benchmark (and the second child at that).

NYC- I LOL at your new pic. I don''t know where my mind has been for the past few weeks but I didn''t know you were already at 30 weeks. That is great news!

Sabine-Did you complete the registry? Right now my registry consists of the snap-n-go and the carseat LOL. My friend emailed me and asked if that''s the only thing I''m registering for. Apparently she''s been stalking it for a few weeks now. I thought it was private so now have to figure out how to make it private.

Mrs-Best of luck tomorrow

Blen-LOL@ DH''s friend! That''s like my cousin who seems to think that I really want her and her camp with me in the delivery room. And she says it like "I''m really going to try to be there for you, ok?" And I''ll say "we really don''t want anyone in the delivery room with us and after the house will be full of people. If you''re going to make a trip out here, I would wait until December to be honest since we''ll see you in November." And she''ll say "No, it''s ok really. We''ll just come over when the baby arrives." Yeah. Ok.

Fisher-Thanks for the info!

So today I stalked the TTC thread. I went all the way from page 1 and made it to page 150 or so. I didn''t know some of the background stories of some of you ladies. It was neat to go back and follow your journies. You guys should save some of those entries, just to have for future reference. There''s a lot of love on the TTC thread. It''s a great thread.

 

[Blenheim]

Date: 3/15/2009 8:55:29 PM
Author: nycbkgirl
Fisher- thanks for checkin up on me...im better but one week is good then the next bad again but pillows are helping me...turning and getting up is nearly impossible and it doesn''t help that I pee like its going out of style!...im soooo happy its 30 wks already! Yayaya..2 more wks til 32...hangin in there keepin it tight
Im going in to weigh the twinks tom and im praying we are close to 3lbs...boobs are starting to be sore a bit. Thanks again for the thoughts!

Mrs- I will be thinking of u and waiting for any updates...I wish u all the best and that means easy c and beautiful healthy baby!

M- love the u/s pics...sooo exciting to see those sacs so early on...have an album to keep all those beauties in

?...anyone getting a diaper genie or any diaper disposal?? My sis thinks they will still smell..any ideas
(DD/ Neat..any thoughts)

Blen- love the collage of pics...u r soooo close mama!

30 weeks already!? That''s awesome.

We got a generic diaper pail, which I think seals a little more tightly than a regular kitchen garbage can. I think that the diaper genies require their bags, which seems like a pain, but most seem like they''ll take anything. We''re using cloth bags that we''re going to toss into the wash along with the diapers, so I definitely wanted something that didn''t need a specialized bag. Of course, I haven''t dealt with smelly diapers yet, so maybe posting in the mamas thread would yield more answers.

MRS - good luck tomorrow!!!