Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[ChinaCat]

NYC- Does your doctor not explain things to you very well?? Seems like there is always something you are worrying about, and it seems weird that your doctor wouldn''t be more attentive and such if there was a real worry. Especially with you having twins and having so many issues. Are you comfortable calling whenever you have concerns? Regardless, try to relax, I am sure it''s not helping your BP! You are sooo close. I probably wouldn''t go into the hospital unless the doctor ordered me to. Poor thing. Hope all goes well tomorrow.

Fiery- Thanks lady (re: kicks)! It''s weird how all of a sudden I can feel them all the time. Does your little one keep you up at night kicking?

Vizla- Falling Water is so on my list. I was going to plan a trip for DH and I this fall, but got myself knocked up instead.

We are both mid-century geeks. I get worried that our house is going to become a big cliche though, so I try to mix up the pieces. There are a ton of modern baby furniture websites, but they are all pretty pricey. Let me know if you need some links. The glider is what I am having an issue with right now. I like the look of the modern ones, but I sat in one and didn''t love it. Is the one you posted a Monte design? If so, that''s the one that DH wants but in the grey glider not rocker. I sat in it, and it''s comfy except for the fact that you kinda have to lean way back to get your head on the back. Problem is I sat in the eco glider at Pottery Barn, and oh my, it''s heaven. It''s not necessarily the look I want, but am I really going to care at 3 am???

Mela- Let us know about the classes. I really need to sign up for mine, totally slacking there.

Court- Why don''t you get the note, and then you can decide day to day? Is there any negative at all to cutting back hours? If not, why the heck aren''t you taking advantage silly????? Stay home, nest, watch Oprah, paint your nails! I so would if I could.

Question of the Day: To Cord Blood Bank or Not to Cord Blood Bank??? I know previous classes of preggos discussed this, but I am too tired/lazy/grumpy to go back and look for it. I think I remember that most people opted NOT to do it. I guess I am just wondering what the true negative is, EXCEPT for how crazy expensive it is? I am on the fence on this one and need to decide. My initial reaction is no, but then I am wondering what the downside is?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 4/15/2009 2:38:24 PM
Author: nycbkgirl
She told me ystdy to go to LnD to be monitored...I did but bp was so normal ...like 116/69....but now that im home I keep checkin and its in the 130, 140?s...tom I have an u/s to weigh babies and I will have bp checked...if nurse says high I will admit. But yeh mela it will be more stressful to be there but I don''t want to take chances

Well sitting there worrying and checking can''t help!

And I assume its an automatic machine, or are you pumping up a cuff yourself? One thing to consider is the cuff you are using. If your arm is larger than I think 11 inches you need a larger cuff... too small cuff will read higher BP. This was an issue for me at the end of my pregnancy because I retained a lot of water and was a bigger gal to begin with. If your BP is normal at the hospital, then you are probably ok, IMHO. Pre-e has consistent higher BP. Also, high BP is related to what YOUR personal normal, pre-preggo BP is. "high" is an increase of 30 points in the upper number and 15 points in the lower number.

But ask your doctor, he/she is the expert.

 

[fieryred33143]

I forgot to tell you ladies about my dream the other night.

So I was on my university campus and getting an u/s in one of the rooms (by a very hawt doctor…yummy…it’s not one of those dreams haha)

Anyway, he says “I don’t know who told you your baby is a girl but you are having a boy”

I ran out of the room crying asking people if they’ve seen my little girl. Mr. Fiery woke me up because he could hear me crying.

LOL! Talk about dramatic.

China-She doesn't wake me up once I'm asleep but at night is when she's the most active. Although today she's been squirming and kicking a lot. I'm trying to figure out *where* she is. I feel the kicks and movement up high but then I'll feel it really low too. I don't know what she's doing in there. Don't know about cord banking. I've been looking into it (are you getting the brochures sent to you too??) but havent made up my mind.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Money is the only downside China. It isn''t a one time payout, it is every year.

 

[E B]

I haven't been able to fully catch up yet, so I apologize in advance to those I miss!

nyc- I hope you can keep those babies cooking at least a little while longer. You've done great so far! Zantac is fine to take- my doctor approved 150 mg 2x a day, which is what I think I'll have to take since the 75 mg dose doesn't quite cut it. You should check with your doc just to be safe, though. Isn't heartburn a joy?

cdt- I'm so sorry about the pain. Big hugs, lady.

Courtney- The nursery looks adorable! I love the polka dots.

vizsla- DH and I are into modern furniture too, but you're right- it's all so expensive. Bah! We've settled on 'comfortable contemporary.'

As for me, I took my GTT (1 hour) yesterday, and now I'm just waiting for the results. The drink wasn't bad at all (tasted like flat Sprite) and though I felt a teeny bit woozy right after drinking it, the rest of the time I was fine. I hope that's a good sign!

27w6d

 

[robbie3982]

Date: 4/15/2009 3:09:20 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Money is the only downside China. It isn''t a one time payout, it is every year.

There''s also no guarantee that what they collect would be useful even if you would ever need it. We''re not doing it because it''s too much money for something that might not work even on the slim chance that we would need it. If the money isn''t an issue, it can''t actually hurt anything, though many people feel that it''s better to just delay cord cutting and let the baby use the blood now and get the benefit from it.

 

[mela lu]

I'm still out to lunch on this one too. My SIL did the chord banking on her last kid (3rd and final) because she worried that "IF" it turned out to be something they needed, she missed her last opportunity.

My BFF did it because she figured that if her or one of her future offspring needed stem cells, then they've already got em.

I don't know.

Can one baby's stem cells be used in ALL family members?

Do they all need to be the same blood type?

Part of me feels guilty if I don't do it, but then part of me feels like I don't want to be suckered into it either.

Then there is a small part of me that thinks of "My Sister's Keeper" and doesn't know what to think.

Wow.

 

[neatfreak]

NYC Pre-E isn''t something you want to mess around with-if you were to develop it even a few hours could mean life or death. I think you should at least go get it checked professionally if you are getting high numbers at home. But it''s probably fine. As DD said there are many reasons you can get high numbers at home.

And if you get headaches that keep getting worse and won''t go away, pain under your right rib, lightheadedness, etc. GET TO THE ER.

 

[ChinaCat]

Date: 4/15/2009 4:17:20 PM
Author: robbie3982

Date: 4/15/2009 3:09:20 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Money is the only downside China. It isn't a one time payout, it is every year.

There's also no guarantee that what they collect would be useful even if you would ever need it. We're not doing it because it's too much money for something that might not work even on the slim chance that we would need it. If the money isn't an issue, it can't actually hurt anything, though many people feel that it's better to just delay cord cutting and let the baby use the blood now and get the benefit from it.

Robbie- This is what I was wondering: why would it not be useful? Also, what do you mean by use the blood now and get the benefit?

Dreamer- Thanks for the input.

I tend to think it's too much money for "insurance" but a friend of mine said, how would you feel if down the road it could be beneficial and didn't do it? At that point wouldn't you pay any amount of money on any chance that your child could get better? And if so, wouldn't you be kicking yourself for not doing it? When she put it like that, I didn't have an answer and figured I better do some research. And today research means asking PS! I will look into it further, just curious about what people here are doing.

ETA: Mela, what you said! That's exactly how I feel and those are my questions. And I totally keep thinking of My Sister's Keeper!

 

[nycbkgirl]

Thanks everyone for advice!

I do call and ask a lot of ?''s but its with the nurse who I don''t really like bc she just seems to be rushing me and I forget a lo of my questions...and I can never speak to doc unless I have an appt...so to tell u the truth I really don''t like my facility and if I had to do it over again I would go with a diff doc..but these are specialists and nicu is great so I guess im ok..I will most likely end up delivering with 1 of my docs partners ..its just so impersonal there.

DD- im using both..an automatic wrist one and my mom is checking by regular cuff...the doc did say that maybe the cuff wasn''t a fit bc in LnD bp was normal...maybe that''s y im more inclined to stay in hospital ...its just all over the place.

Neat- could it still be pre e if they took the bloods and urine for it and both were fine??...it just seems bp goes up and down all the time...its not consistenly high and I don''t feel any symptoms at all..no headaches etc...do u still think it would be best just to stay in hospital and be monitored constantly?,

 

[mela lu]

Date: 4/15/2009 4:34:29 PM
Author: ChinaCat

Date: 4/15/2009 4:17:20 PM
ETA: Mela, what you said! That's exactly how I feel and those are my questions. And I totally keep thinking of My Sister's Keeper!

Because we're Twwwwwwwwiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnsssssssssssss

 

[E B]

Date: 4/15/2009 4:17:20 PM
Author: robbie3982

There''s also no guarantee that what they collect would be useful even if you would ever need it. We''re not doing it because it''s too much money for something that might not work even on the slim chance that we would need it. If the money isn''t an issue, it can''t actually hurt anything, though many people feel that it''s better to just delay cord cutting and let the baby use the blood now and get the benefit from it.

This is what we''re planning to do, I think.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 4/15/2009 4:46:43 PM
Author: nycbkgirl

Neat- could it still be pre e if they took the bloods and urine for it and both were fine??...it just seems bp goes up and down all the time...its not consistenly high and I don''t feel any symptoms at all..no headaches etc...do u still think it would be best just to stay in hospital and be monitored constantly?,

If they checked you and all is well I would stay at home. But don''t be scared to go in if something feels off or if you are getting consistently high BP''s.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 4/15/2009 4:34:29 PM
Author: ChinaCat

Date: 4/15/2009 4:17:20 PM

Author: robbie3982

Date: 4/15/2009 3:09:20 PM

Author: dreamer_dachsie

Money is the only downside China. It isn't a one time payout, it is every year.

There's also no guarantee that what they collect would be useful even if you would ever need it. We're not doing it because it's too much money for something that might not work even on the slim chance that we would need it. If the money isn't an issue, it can't actually hurt anything, though many people feel that it's better to just delay cord cutting and let the baby use the blood now and get the benefit from it.

Robbie- This is what I was wondering: why would it not be useful? Also, what do you mean by use the blood now and get the benefit?


Dreamer- Thanks for the input.


I tend to think it's too much money for 'insurance' but a friend of mine said, how would you feel if down the road it could be beneficial and didn't do it? At that point wouldn't you pay any amount of money on any chance that your child could get better? And if so, wouldn't you be kicking yourself for not doing it? When she put it like that, I didn't have an answer and figured I better do some research. And today research means asking PS! I will look into it further, just curious about what people here are doing.


ETA: Mela, what you said! That's exactly how I feel and those are my questions. And I totally keep thinking of My Sister's Keeper!

China- There is a VERY high chance that even properly collected cord blood won't be viable for the procedure your kid might need (oh and it also can't be used for the same kid)-some say as high as 70% of collected blood isn't useable. So you pay an obscenely high fee EVERY YEAR to store something that more often than not will be unusable. Not to mention the tiny tiny percent of people that actually need the cord blood in the first place.

IMO it isn't worth it. But the literature the cord blood banks give you is very persuasive and full of false information.

Of course if the money is a drop in the bucket for you then why not. But for most people it is just SO expensive for such a small chance you would need it and an even smaller chance that the blood would be useable if you did need it.

Better to donate it IMO.

 

[vizsla]

nyc- i have no words of advice, only support. thinking about you and your babies.. you are so close!! does excitement raise your bp?

court - here''s to shorten days!

china- you *must* go! not only is that part of the country beautiful, but if you like that architecture - seeing it in person and "in practice" will really bring it home.. just his whole philosophy it was sooo cool.
i''m worried about being ''that girl, that style'' too since it is so so so popular right now - it seems mid century is the new pottery barn - but we try and keep a balance between modern/mid-century and comfort.
the rocker is actually an amy coe design for babies r us! i liked it because it was comfortable (bonus) the arms were low enough that you could add extra pillows (in lieu of totally being sunken down) and it was an actual rocking chair. i''m not a fan of gliders. there have been good reviews of the chair and the ottoman (which comes with the set for $399) is actually a storage ottoman. some times the super comfy chairs make me nervous.. i don''t want to struggle to get out of it with a sleeping baby, nor do i want to fall asleep in the chair i like my bed too much.

re: cord banking.. i''ve read a lot about it and what we''ve decided to do is donate so researchers can develop the methods to save ppl with cord blood. i know not everyone shares that opinion but that''s ours

 

[ChinaCat]

NYC- Grr, that is so frustrating that your nurses aren''t helpful. Well, if the practice is great for what you need, then at the end of the day that is comforting. But I am so sorry you aren''t getting the support you need. What''s your due date again?

Mela- Twinnies- I used to be a gynmnast too!

Gave it up pretty early, but "pike" position was always my fave for some reason- in gymnastics, diving and cheerleading.

Neat- Thanks for the info. What you said is what I remembered reading somewhere, but just couldn''t get my thoughts straight as to WHY I was leaning against doing it. I will still do some research, but it helps hearing both sides. Those stupid brochures I keep getting make you feel so badly for even considering not doing it.

V- Vizla, I''m calling you V from now on, hope you don''t mind! Yes, exactly, I am very worried about it being too trendy and being "that girl". Every commercial I see now has either a Barcelona chair or an Eames recliner lurking in the background- even in phone commericals that are obviously trying to portray average Americans. I am always like, they SO would not have that chair! That being said, I don''t know anyone IRL that has the same stuff we do, but I feel like I see it everywhere in mags/websites, etc. That being said, I

our Eames chair and I don''t care if it''s a cliche. It''s so super comfy. And I am so excited to check out Amy Coe for BRU, that looks exactly like the one DH likes, but is way more affordable! Thanks.

 

[nycbkgirl]

Viz- thanks, im not sure what raises bp..I thought maybe it was my nerves ystdy bc dh was drivin me nuts...but the rate they read it was insanely high and I wasn''t that stressed ...so its just so confusing and frustrating

CC- my tehnical edd is may 24 but actual is may 11 (38 wks bc twins)...so I have 3 1/2 wks left max...not so bad..can''t wait!!

 

[Pandora II]

Hi All!

Latest legal stuff all done - ball in their court - and blimey does my lawyer make me work hard on ''our'' letters. I''m pretty proud of what we put together and hope they enjoy my Easter gift...

Baby-wise, I had the 35 week u/s yesterday to check the placenta - it''s now 4cm from the cervical os, so I''m 2 centimetres on the good side, officially no longer have placenta praevia and don''t need a c-section. Hooray!

Baby is head-down, lying on her left-hand side and the head is jammed right up against the top of the cervix - I asked if she was engaged, but the sonographer said she didn''t know how to tell and to ask the OB next week. Cervix is definitely still closed and long though.

Measurements were ''interesting''... femur length and head circumference where just above the average line, but her abdominal circumference was off the scale at the 98th percentile! She''s also measuring at 6lbs 10.5 at the moment - so looks like I''m having a small elephant.

I spoke to my OB friend last night who said that the abdominal measurement might well be off but to get my glucose levels checked next week. Also seems like the weight estimation can be off by quite a bit and that they slow down weight gain a bit at the end, so I''m hoping for an eight pounder if possible. At least it''s the squishy bit that is large and not the boney bit!

All the organs were perfect though - they checked the chest and abdomen really carefully so I think she''s just chubby! I got them to double-check the gender and it''s 100% a girl so no suprises coming up in the delivery room! We also got a glimpse of her face, but late u/s is pretty bad as it''s all so cramped so no chance of a good picture - still has my nose though!

Amniotic fluid levels were good as well. My friend reckons I should have a good chance of being on the early side as she''s wedged in so well and hasn''t moved position in over 6 weeks now. I hope she''s right - I''ve told my GP I''m reading up on DIY c-sections in case I''m still waiting at 40 weeks!

I ended up having both sorts of u/s which DH was a little unprepared for and then seemed to find most amusing. I just looked at the sonographer and said: ''Er, remind me what age prostate problems start to kick in?'' She smiled very sweetly at DH, waved the dildo-cam at him and said: ''We use this for that as well you know''. The look was priceless!

Today I saw the pain consultant who was charming and lovely as usual and fobbed me off by telling me how well I was doing to cope and how proud he was - lucky for him that I haven''t read up on DIY-vasectomies recently. I knew he''d say what he did - and I''d do the same in his position but didn''t cheer my life up greatly. However he has got some ideas of things we can try after the birth and has promised steroid injections into the joint if it''s still bad so I guess it was progress!

Another of my friends has just confessed that she''s 5 weeks pregnant - the friend whose wedding I was supposed to be going to on the 9th May... they planned to start trying straight away and thought it would be good for her to come off the Pill as ''you can''t get KTFU for a couple of months at least''

- well, she was pg within 2 weeks of stopping. Exactly the same as my OB friend who also didn''t think she would get preggo the first month, especially as they both in their 30''s. They''re due within 4 weeks of each other and met at our wedding - their husbands were both DH''s bestmen - and got on really well so I''m thrilled that we will all be on maternity leave together.

I have loads of people to catch up on, so if I forget people now - sorry!

Blen - you my dear are CRAZY! I don''t know whether to use my disapproving face or my totally and utterly in awe face! Girl, I am so glad you both came out in one piece and I consider that you have definitely done your bit for natural births here on PS (hence I get my wussy epidural guilt free

). George is beautiful and I''m looking forwards to reading the mommy updates!

Oh and my husband is having nightmares about being chased by people with mucous plugs - he says we are all very strange!

Nyc - keep hanging in there and thinking of the end goal. You have done so well to get this far!

Cdt - I''m so sorry to hear about the kidneys, that sounds really nasty and I hope things improve for you soon.

Catch up with everyone else tomorrow...

Re: Cord banking - the reputation isn''t great over here. It''s very expensive, the regulation surrounding the storage facilities is a bit of an unknown. You have to get their staff to come and do the cord blood collection - all fine if you have a totally normal delivery, but if things don''t go to plan the last thing the doctors want is a load of people trying to collect cord blood haning around and you could end up with a situation where you have paid for them to be there and for medical reasons the collection can''t be done.

If you have money to burn then perhaps it''s worth it, but I''ve read up a lot of the research on it over here and was really appalled by some of the claims I heard one of their reps making at the Baby Show that DH and I went to.

 

[icekid]

Date: 4/15/2009 4:46:43 PM
Author: nycbkgirl

DD- im using both..an automatic wrist one and my mom is checking by regular cuff...the doc did say that maybe the cuff wasn''t a fit bc in LnD bp was normal...maybe that''s y im more inclined to stay in hospital ...its just all over the place.

Neat- could it still be pre e if they took the bloods and urine for it and both were fine??...it just seems bp goes up and down all the time...its not consistenly high and I don''t feel any symptoms at all..no headaches etc...do u still think it would be best just to stay in hospital and be monitored constantly?,

nyc- just an occasional lurker here, but girl- your posts about your blood pressure are stressing me out! And stress is plenty enough to give you a pressure of 140. I do not believe your doctors will admit you just to monitor your blood pressure (have they told you they would?). Your insurance would not want to pay for such a thing either, since it is not necessary. I know it''s difficult, but I truly believe you need to relax and your body will tell you if something is wrong. You don''t want to sit in the hospital for weeks anyway. It''s boring and a melting pot of nasty bacteria

 

[nycbkgirl]

pandora- nice to see u bak lady!!! and glad baby is doing well!!!

icekid-
thanks for the response...trust me i know how bad these hospitals are unfortunatley...last time i was there a week and was in agony and checked myself out! but the bp has to do with this being a twin pg and that is usually the case towards the end. i worry about it bc it is very very dangerous and u would have to get the babies out right away or risk harm to u andthem. i dont stress that much, before getting this reading i was fine and happy to be almost 35 wks but now i have to make sure my bp is stable all the time. i will wait til tom bc i have my u/s to weigh the munchkins and i will have them check bp and see what nurse has to say about it. i will also bring my wrist monitor to compare the results to see how accurate my readings at home are. i am soooo ready to have these babies out but 2 more weeks would be great

i just feel like hospital would be safer in a way and i wont be at risk bc action can be taken right away and theres only 3 wks left so i figure i can endure it for that long. and again i dont have any symptoms so its like im not sure what to do...well we will see tom..wish me luck ...i will update all after i get back (or if i get admitted

) ...re ins: if bp is elvated as it apparently was ystdy they would have to pay bc that is a life threatning condition.

 

[icekid]

nyc- Good luck with your u/s today! It will be good to have medical personnel lay eyes on you. I just meant that they would likely not need to watch you inpatient if you don''t have preeclampsia or persistently elevated BP. Yours is up and down right now, right? Twins certainly do make a higer risk pregnancy though- I know; I am a doctor

You''ve done a great job of baking them so far!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

NYC- will be thinking of you and the babies today.

***
Pandora-thanks for the check-in. Glad you and Ms. Daisy are doing well! It won''t be long now at all!! Eek!

***
CDT-feeling any better today? Hopin, hopin so!!

***
Tomorrow is Belly Pic Day. Whoo whoo!!!

***
To all the newly pregos: my bestest friend ever is prego (due right around the others who just found out: 11/27) and had her first Dr. visit Monday. They told her that her baby was too little "to bother" doing ultrasound. I understand that it''s the practice of lots of Dr. offices not to do one early (she''s almost 8 weeks), but good grief!! They should know people are emotional when they''re pregnant. She sent a text about how her baby couldn''t be "bothered" with. Poor girl. She does go back at the beginning of May for an ultrasound, though.

That consoled her.

 

[vizsla]

good luck nyc!!

china - if you **really** want to drool.. check out - http://thomasmoser.com/
DH is an amazing finish and trim carpenter - and he''s way more into architecture, furniture than i am.
anyhoo, i was hoping to save my pennies and buy him a "dad gift" from thomas moser.. we''ll see i still need to buy *myself* a new camera me me me me me me me me me.

 

[nycbkgirl]

Icekid- haha didn''t know u were a doc..sorry if I was schooling ya
It doesn''t seem to be consistently high but then again I can''t trust my at-home monitors and that''s my big problem..that''s y I would rather be monitored daily by professional but again don''t know...im waiting for u/s right now

 

[Mandarine]

Hi ladies!!!

CDT I am so sorry you''re in pain!!! I hope you feel better soon!

NYC Thinking of you and the twinkies!!!!

I know I''m missing a ton of people, but I can''t concentrate on anything other than me! (I know that''s horribly selfish but I promise after today I will be better!!)...we have an ultrasounds today!!! yay!!!!!!!!!. Today I''m 11 weeks...seemed like it took forever for today to finally come!. So I will come back after my appointment with news and pictures

. This whole week I haven''t been able t concentrate on anything...just counting the minutes for teh u/s!

I''m a little nervous about the "weigh in". I used the scale at the gym on Tuesday (granted it is not the same scale as the Dr)...but if those two are calibrated, then it means I have gained 7 lbs!!!

. I feel like that''s a lot for 11 weeks....but I guess I never really did have m/s or any kind of food aversions....

My clothes no longer fit, so I use the belly band to hold my pants up without zipping them up!!

I''ll post pictures tomorrow to see if you guys can see the difference.

Anyway, I''ll drop by later promise I won''t be so mandarine-centered

M~

 

[Dreamer_D]

Mandarine Twin mamas are supposed to gain between 35 and 65 lbs! LOL! Get used to it!

ETA Or maybe it is a little less? Neatfreak??

 

[mela lu]

***DIAPER BAG PSA***

I received my Baby Kaed "Sanya" Diaper Bag that I ordered from babysteals.com

WOW! LOVE IT. It''s bigger than I anticipated (in a good way) and really really well made. It *feels* like a quality product.



I thought I''d mention it today, because they are BACK ON babysteals.com today!!! AND for only $59 (I paid $65).

Happy Shopping

 

[fieryred33143]

Hi Ladies!

My post was removed because I didn''t know we couldn''t post coupon codes. Oops sorry about that! I''m claiming baby brain

Pandora-Glad to hear that Daisy is doing well and that you are doing well also!

NYC-good luck with the u/s

Fisher-I had an internal u/s at 7w in order to give me a due date. All offices are different though. May is literally around the corner though so hopefully the wait isn''t too bad for her!

Mandarine-Good luck today! Don''t worry about the weight until the doctor says to worry about it (and even then take it fwiw).

 

[peonygirl]

Hey gals! I just have a quick question about maternity clothes. I'm only 9 weeks and still fitting into my regular clothes, but for fun I bought some maternity clothes--a dress and three pairs of pants (jeans, sweatpants, and pajama pants) at Old Navy online. They arrived today and actually seem surprisingly cute! The only thing is that the pants don't have a million miles of space in the belly like I was expecting.

Then the occured to me that they are actually supposed to go under my belly, not over the biggest part.

These were the jeans that I got: http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=5852&vid=1&pid=594760. Does it seem likely that these pants will be the right size if they seem to fit everywhere else well (hard to gauge the belly so far) and are in my usual size? Thanks SO much!

Also, can you recommend any maternity clothes stores that you liked? My style is classic but girly (most of my normal clothes are from Ann Taylor Loft, which recently d/c their maternity line, gah!). Really any tips for the early stages of the growing belly would be good! I am planning to look into the Bela band thing shortly.

Hope everyone is doing well!

 

[Pandora II]

I don''t know if you have them in the USA, but I got all my maternity clothes from Formes, which is a Parisian maternity designer. I scored some amazing deals on ebay as they''re very expensive in the shop.

My midwives and the physio have all asked where they came from and said how nice and well fitted they are compared with most of what you can get in the UK.

Talking of physio - I saw mine today and she and the maternity physio had come up with a cunning plan for my back. I now own the world''s sexiest piece of attire ever!!! A full body tubi-grip.

It is the height of style and uber-chic....

However, it does seem to be making walking around much easier and my back feels a bit better already. Only thing was - it took two of them to get it on me which does not bode well for tomorrow morning!

My boxes of raspberry leaf tea arrived in the post today, hooray - DH has banned me from drinking any until I finish painting the chest-of-drawers though... guess what I''m doing this evening!