Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Burk]

Mela~Those pictures are gorgeous!!!

 

[nycbkgirl]

mela- seriously....gorge isnt the word! that was such a good idea and great memory to have for kiddos later on! if i had ur figure id also have those done

 

[fabienne]

Good afternoon ladies!

Courtney...I also had someone from the La Leche League come to my house as well! It was so stressful for me as I just felt like such a failure and was beating myself up about it. I don''t know what percentage of your time you spend at this forum as opposed to other forums but an excellent resource if you ever have the time is kellymom.com. They have a forum as well as articles.

I have a Medela pump (Pump in Style) that does the job but the hospital grade pump is just waaaaaaaaay better.

Mela lu..those pictures are BEAUTIFUL.....I need to take some unofficial ones because my mom wants em and because I have some sort of belly shot for my other kids. Was it awkward with your uncle doing the shoot after all?

Pandora--I think that its great that you have to do it there. Are you in England? I just think it forces mothers to read up on their options and become more prepared for what may or may not happen. All I really care about is communicating with the lactation consultants beforehand.

Speaking of bellies...is anyone else experiencing constant comments on their bellies? I get comments all day at work and glances from strangers if not comments.....

 

[Mandarine]

Sorry didn''t realize I quoted my previous response 5 times !!!!!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Yes, Peony gave us notice that she''d be away for a hot minute working out the end of school... And I think she had some stuff to get tied up with work, too. I like to think she sometimes comes to read real quick though. Just in case, Hi Peony and Peony''s hubby and Peony''s twinnies!!

***
Mela,

Great pictures!! I love the family shot. Mela, Mela''s hubby, and Mela Lu. Too cute. I also like how the necklace bling *pops* in the pictures.

 

[p32rad]

Thanks for the welcome.

Mela - your push gift sounds gorgeous. I really like the sparkle of OMC and OEC. Is it a diamond from your family or did you buy it new? I cannot wait to get a peak after you have your little one. Looks like it might be soon from your pictures. Your pics are great. I would like to take some belly shots but feel too fat. I gained weight all around, not just the belly!

Natalina - I''m hoping my baby comes early, but since it''s my first, it''ll probably be late. The doctor felt my belly yesterday and estimated the weight to be 6.5 lbs. She doesn''t do a sonogram the last trimester because she thinks the weight estimates are inaccurate. I''m worried that if the baby gains 0.5 lb a week that I''ll have an 8 to 8.5 lb butter ball. I haven''t had an exam of my cervix yet...that''s next week, so I don''t know if I''m dilated at all. I doubt it.

Courtney - Your baby is really cute! It sounds like you are breastfeeding nicely. I took a class at the hospital on how to bf. I want to buy a breast pump, but don''t want to get one if I end up not being able to breast feed.


Well, I''ve been having some stomach cramps off and on today. Not sure if it is my stomach or BH. I also noticed that my feet are more swollen than usual and I don''t stay on my feet that much...mostly lounge on the couch and watch tv. My nesting instinct has not kicked in, so I haven''t cleaned this messy place, which really needs about a month''s worth of organizing and decluttering.

Now, I think I changed my mind about my push gift...I am now leaning toward getting a HA 0.5 to 0.7 diamond set in a simple pendant. I saw some really nice ones at GOG....more bang for my buck compared to the flower necklace from Tiffany''s.

 

[fabienne]

p32rad...A good pump can be quite expensive (cheaper than diamonds though

) but one of my friends has had success with just a hand pump. If I didn''t alread have a pump, I''d have no qualms about renting a hospital grade pump. You might want to consider that.

I just called my old cleaning lady and told her that I''d need her to come and clean but to bring 1 or 2 people. Since she''s probably not coming for about two weeks, I told her that I''d try to get out some of the clutter before she came. Then the house will be clean, but it will still need to be decluttered and organized, which will probably happen next year.

 

[Sabine]

Pandora, I hope she stays in there!

Mela, those are gorgeous pictures! When did your belly button pop out? Mine keeps getting shallower and shallower, but it''s still in!

Robbie, I''m thinking of you!

Fabienne, I just got my first "oh my gosh you''re huge! You could go any day now! Are you sure there''s only one in there!" comments today. I know everyone gets these at some point, and I think I''d been lucky up till now because most of the teachers I see on a regular basis are women who have had babies and know better. But our sceevy ancient social studies teacher stopped in to lunch yesterday and decided to enlighten me on how large I am...ugh.

Wish me luck girls, I have my glucose test today at 2! We also start our birthing class tonight, which should be fun!

 

[mela lu]

Mornin'!
Thanks for all the compliments on the photos gals! It was fun and I'm really glad I did it afterall. I was way more clothed than I thought I'd be...so it was super comfortable.

Sabine - can't remember when my belly button popped out, but it was a while ago. I'd guess somewhere in the 28-30wk range (can't remember).
Good luck on your Glucose Test. You'll do great!

Robbie - how you doing babe? Always scary when things are out of the ordinary! Rest up girlie. Baby needs to BAKE!

Fisher - funny you mention my necklace in the photos. My DH gave me this Tiffany's 4-heart (kinda looks like a clover) pendant for Valentine's Day. The four hearts signify Him, Me, Mela, and Himer. I wear it everyday now because I really want to wear it during the birth - to channel our little families connection

. Usually, I wear a diamond pendant, but the sentimentality won on this one!

Went to middie yesterday. All is status quo. She was surprised by how much I'd dropped as well, but said it didn't *necessarily* mean I'd blow early. GAK. Then we went to our prenatal classes and the whole class commented on how different I looked (low). WHOA! So it's not just me feeling the drop after all!

Baby's down under for sure! COME ON HIMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

37w6d

 

[Courtneylub]

I would totally recommend to everyone that plans to BF to rent a hospital grade pump. I also have the Pump N'' Style and plan on taking that to work to pump with if I''m still BFing by then.

Pandora, I would say it''s nothing like I expected. I guess because I didn''t know what the heck to expect. Alila is a good baby and sleeps a lot. People tell me I''m lucky, but I can''t help but be a little worried. I say that as she''s sitting in her swing wide awake right now.

BFing is challenging, but getting better everyday. I still use the shield on and off, but I''m hoping the consultant tomorrow will have some good advice on how to get rid of it completely. I do feel like quite the milk factory, but most of the time I''m happy that she needs her nourishment from me. I had some of those baby blues yesterday, so I would definitely expect that. My mom is driving me nuts and I''m glad today is the last day she''ll be here to "help". I feel so bitchy for feeling that way, but she''s honestly more of a hassle to have here. Instead of getting up and doing stuff to help, she keeps asking what she can do. I don''t know! Just do whatever you think! The good thing about her being here is she can hold the baby while I do things. But I''m supposed to be getting rest while I heal, not up running around. I think I''ll be ready to be here alone with the baby pretty soon.

Mela, I love your maternity photos!! You are so gorgeous. I wish I had felt good enough to get some done, but I just didn''t have the urge. I need to get infant photos done soon though!

I can''t help but post another picture of my peanut!

 

[fieryred33143]

Robbie-I hope you are feeling better!

Mela-Great pictures. You and the camera = BFFs.

Courtney-She's so adorable! I'm all for daily posting of pictures

We need Blen to post George pictures here too

Sabine-good luck with the g/d test!

 

[E B]

Robbie- I''m sorry about the pre-term contrax. I''ve been in the hospital for them myself. My doctor said as long as they''re mild and I''m able to breathe through them easily, they''re fine. It''s when you sound like a wild animal trying to get through them you should be concerned.

fiery- Thank you for the information! He''s definitely gone through a growth spurt recently- I can feel smaller movements as he runs out of room. I just wish he''d drop and give my ribs some relief.

mela- Stunning photos. You and your husband make a good looking pair and I''m betting a beautiful baby.

Sabine- Good luck today (for both the glucose test and the birthing class)!

Courtney- Your peanut is precious. More pics, please! You too, Blen. And Dreamer, too!

31 weeks today!

 

[Festy]

Just wanted to pop in a little late in the game to congratulate Sweet Pea and tell you that your name (well, your new name

) has come up recently in the TTC thread...

I''m checking in on all you lovely ladies and routing for all of you even though I may not get to the regular shout-outs.

 

[Blenheim]

Mela - damn girl. You look seriously amazing!!

And all of you have twisted my arm.

I posted a photo of George in the Mommas thread I think two days ago if anyone''s interested, and here''s a picture of him from today. He''s exactly 1 mo old today. Time''s flying by.

 

[Sabine]

AWE!!! Blen, Courtney, what can I say, you two know how bake beautiful babies!

Ugh, so I had my glucose test today, and apparently at 28 weeks they also do an "educational" appt. with the nurse. First, they lost my urine sample (I think because there was another girl with the same first name as me called right before me) so I had to leave another one, then they tried to tell me it was too early to do the test since I''m only 27 weeks (but they did it anyway) and then they were like, well, you should get the rhogam shot today, but it''s not good to do that early, so I have to go back in a week to do that (not that big a deal). Then the nurse launches into this whole long thing about all the policies at the hospital, services before, during and after labor, signs of preterm labor and what to do, how to find/pick a pediatrician, circumcision in the hospital...all this really good info., except for that fact that I''m moving and not delivering here!

So when I got home, I made the apt. at the new obgyn in VA. As I''m on the phone, I ask if they have any info. about the stuff I had learned about today, like who to call if I experience preterm labor and stuff. And they were like, no, but here''s the number for the hospital, try calling them. So I call the hospital, and they had no idea what I was asking about, and basically just told me if I experience any labor signs not to call, to just come in.

I know it won''t be a big deal and everything will be fine, but I just wish I could get info. from my new doc. like I had gotten from my doc. today. It makes me all stressed out about moving and starting over with a new doc. I don''t know if I should try to find a pedi. now or just wait till after we move and stuff. Sigh. Oh well, thanks for letting me vent!

 

[sweet pea]

courtney & blen thanks for posting baby pics! They are so sweet, I don''t mind if you post lots

mela love the photos! the second one is so dramatic, LOVE the lighting! And of course I love the family pic, you should do another one once Himer arrives and display them together.

sabine ugh is right! Sounds like a frustrating/annoying experience today! Hope all is well

I think we are just really bad at keeping secrets

Well, mostly me! I''m ready for the cat to be out of the bag, but really don''t want to tell my fam. til June for a number of reasons, so I don''t want to start telling friends for fear that news will spread. I found out about a fam. member being KU because a friend of a friend assumed I already knew... I''d like to prevent that from happening.

I called my Dr. and it turns out he will do an u/s at the first appointment, yay! 11 days to go.

 

[mela lu]

No but seriously Blen - George is just so SO cute! He really is such a picture perfect baby boy!

Court - glad to hear that you are ''settling'' in okay to Mommyhood. Don''t worry about venting about your frustrations with your mom. I think its normal

. Alila is so cute!! Love that latest pic. TEE HEE. I often feel that "what will it BE like" after the baby comes. Thanks for posting your ongoing experience. It''s helpful!

Sabine - I''ll just give you my philosophy (in general). Don''t worry until there is something to worry about

. If you do experience any pre-term issues, trust that your new Dr and hospital WILL take care of you in a professional and timely way. You are a smart and educated lady who will know if something is ''awry''.

Also, make separate lists for every aspect of your life. One for moving, and a separate one for baby i.e. find a pediatrician. Try not to get overwhelmed all the small things that you will have to do...just take it one task at a time, one day at a time, and everything WILL be okay

. hugs my friend. You''re going to be ay-okay!

 

[puffy]

mela your pictures are so beautiful and you are one gorgeous preggo!!!

 

[cellososweet]

hi everyone. I''m hesitant to post here because it''s so early, but I needed some advice from a group of women that would know best.

I''m 4w4d and I''ve been having cramping off and on. I''ve never really had PMS in my life, so all of the advice not to worry about cramping that feels like normal period-like cramps, isn''t really helpful. I don''t really know what period-like cramps feel like.

They don''t hurt, haven''t stopped me from doing anything, etc. but since I''ve never really experienced cramps, I was wondering if anyone else could give me some insight on how they felt without likening it to PMS. Other than that, I feel ok. My boobs look like a road-map with veins and I''ve woken up so dehydrated and hot the last two days that I feel like I''m in the desert. But, it''s nothing terrible so far.

Thanks girls.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

It''s FRIDAY: Bring on the belly pics, ladies!!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Cello I always thought that period-like cramping felt like someone had their hand in my abdomen and was lightly squeexzing my uterus. Although no one has ever *felt* that, you can imagine what it would feel like! Light cramping in eary pregancy is totally normal! Sit back and enjoy the ride

 

[mela lu]

Cello - I had cramps with my BFPs. They felt almost like, upset tummy cramps... Does that help at all?!

I think we''ve seen far too much of my belly here lately, so instead, for entertainment sake, I''ll post the "What''s in Mela''s Belly?" guess list!

Girll
Fiery
Robbie
China Cat
Fisher
NYC
Jas 12
Sabine
Mandarine
So Cal Girl

Boy
Mela
Natalina
CDT
Blen
Ebree
Amber

 

[vizsla]

CONGRATS CELLO!!!!!!

i wouldn''t worry. i felt like i was crampy/ready to start my period for a week before i actually tested. (i tested when i was at 5wks). i felt so crampy, in fact, that i didn''t think i could be pg. there are soooo many changes going on and your body is making room/getting ready ... i would just try and relax and think happy positive vibes

 

[vizsla]

oh mela - i''m going to vote girl for you (but my gut says boy) but i want to up the girl vote because i love the name you picked out ever so much! i love me a slightly hippy/artistic name...

 

[vizsla]

oh also mela - i have a question about your new subaru. i have a 2 door sporty car that we are going to have to get rid of

for a more practical

4 door car. we actually looked at the legacy outback sport this week, but i was worried about the hatch space. can you fit your stroller etc. in the hatch? would you have room for luggage/gear with a stroller? also, are you loving it? thoughts? i have a VW gti turbo now, and love the power.. i wonder how you are liking the subaru as a daily driver? thanks in advance!

also, i thought i had come up with a super sweet push present.. a diamond rolling ring (to symbolize me, DH and baby) -- and i was all ready to send the link to DH from rollingring.com - but they only have 1 diamond rolling ring now - and not the one i want - what gives??? anyone know?

 

[mela lu]

Date: 5/8/2009 9:05:59 AM
Author: vizsla
oh also mela - i have a question about your new subaru. i have a 2 door sporty car that we are going to have to get rid of

for a more practical

4 door car. we actually looked at the legacy outback sport this week, but i was worried about the hatch space. can you fit your stroller etc. in the hatch? would you have room for luggage/gear with a stroller? also, are you loving it? thoughts? i have a VW gti turbo now, and love the power.. i wonder how you are liking the subaru as a daily driver? thanks in advance!


also, i thought i had come up with a super sweet push present.. a diamond rolling ring (to symbolize me, DH and baby) -- and i was all ready to send the link to DH from rollingring.com - but they only have 1 diamond rolling ring now - and not the one i want - what gives??? anyone know?

Signed peices sometimes has rolling rings...and you could always have WF make you one

. That is on my wishlist too!

re: Subaru. I LOVE it. I''ve always had subaru (this is our 4th) so I may be bias. We have a bugaboo stroller, which fits in the truck and there is also room for some groceries. Not a ton though...but we live deep in the city so we rarely use our car for groceries. (we buy at the local little markets on the main street). What kind of stroller do you have? I wouldn''t say that there is room for BOTH a stroller and luggage.

I used to be ''against'' 4 door sports cars, but this one is so sporty that I don''t think it would be a hard transition. As for power, we got the normal 4 cylinder engine, which may be *slightly* underwhelming if you''re coming from something more powerful. That said, the 4 wheel drive is GREAT, as is the ''standard automatic'' feature. You know, when you can manually shift from 1 - 2 - 3, even though its an automatic transmission. DH loves this.

***

Thanks for your ''girl'' vote! I would LOVE a girl, but have psyched myself up for a boy - so either one...

Now I just need the LO to arrive!

Oh, and MELA is 38 WEEKS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[vizsla]

thanks for the review. i know what you mean about being biased.. i''ve had nothing but VWs and am biased too. if i thought i could get away with shoving the babe in the back of my car i''d keep it.. just didn''t think it was fair i do think having AWD would be super-great! i''m just a smidge worried that i''m basically just getting my car with 4 doors and not increasing any cargo room. but it''s def. on our short list... that or the audi a3

.
and i just ordered myself the phil and teds classic buggy

- it was on super sale does anyone have this? it sounds like the perfect infant to toddler stroller (reclines flat, adapter bar for maxi cosi car seat AND it can convert to a double stroller). i just wonder if i jumped the gun

 

[peonygirl]

Hey guys!!! I just saw my name (I check in here quickly about once a week), so I thought I'd post and say that everything is great!! Things have just been crazy with school lately, but I'm DONE with finals (no more premed classes ever, including organic chemistry, wooo!!). I still have my MCATs later this month though and then applications due the first week of June. However, after that I don't start teaching until the end of June, so I will have much more time to come on the boards then.

Anyway, I had my 12-week ultrasound (nuchal translucency) on Wed, and the babies have grown so much!! I've attached a comparison pic from 5 weeks ago. The last time we saw them was 7 weeks, so we were nervous that one had disappeared or something. Nope, both still there!! We had just been doing Dopplers at our drs appts during those 5 weeks, but it's very hard to tell if there's one heartbeat or two with those.

I hope that everyone is doing well! I saw that Courtney had a baby, and she's gorgeous!! Congrats!! I also saw that Lindsey got some news about Natalie. I'm very sorry that it will be much more of an ordeal to get pregnant next time, but I bet that you guys will have great success with IVF since everything else seems a-okay! I'm also glad for you guys that you were able to find some explanation for what happened, although knowing why doesn't bring back your sweet baby.

This board goes so fast that I probably missed some other news. Take care everyone

 

[robbie3982]

Sabine, sorry you''re stressing about the Dr. change. Just another month and you won''t have to worry about it anymore! Can''t wait to hear what you thought of your first class.

Sweet Pea, I think I missed that you''re a regular user using a new name. Now I want to know who you are, lol! Yay for your first u/s!

Cello, congrats on your bfp! Cramping early on is pretty normal. Period cramps to me are similar to diarrhea cramps (sorry if that''s TMI). Before I started charting I could never be sure if my tummy was upset or if my period was about to start. That''s what the cramping early on felt like for me and it actually feels pretty much the same as the cramping I was feeling the other day except sometimes it was coming in waves and would build up to a peak. I''ve never had the squeezing kind of cramps that dreamer described.

Mela, can''t wait to find out what you''re having! I''ll be looking at your pics again this weekend along with doing some internet searching so I can figure out what to wear for mine. I have them scheduled for next weekend. I just hope my belly manages to stay stretch mark free until they''re done! The area around my belly button piercing is starting to look somewhat scar like, but it''s light so I can''t tell if it''s new from the stretching or if the stretching is maybe just turning it inside out and I''m seeing the scar from when it was pierced.

Peony, what a cute pic from your u/s! I can''t believe what a difference a few weeks makes!


I''m ok over here. BH are back to only every now and then so I''d breathe a sigh of relaxation if I felt like I could take a deep breath anymore, lol. I''m feeling really uncomfortable today, like there''s no room for me in my skin. My back is killing me no matter how I position myself and I''m not sure if I had a big growth spurt over night or if the LO has just changed positions. I don''t think my belly pic looks much bigger from my last one 2 weeks ago. I''ve been so tired lately that it''s been hard to keep up with the thread.

It''s been an expensive week for us. We had our house appraised (haven''t heard back on the results yet) so that we can refinance and save ourselves a decent amount on our monthly payments. DH''s car also got inspected and we had to replace some ball thingy so it would pass. We still haven''t gotten our air fixed yet (luckily it''s been cool here), but DH''s cousin thinks he can do it and will only charge us parts! Parts should be less than $1k vs the $3800 for the cheapest quote we got to replace the unit. It''s all necessary, but I hate spending money on things that aren''t fun. It seems like they always hit at once too and right when I want to buy something fun (I''ve had my eye on a DSLR for months now and a Ritz that''s going out of business has it on pretty decent sale).

 

[E B]

Blen, George is absolutely adorable. He looks so soft and snuggle-able.

Peony- Yay for a great NT scan! It's great news that your little ones are growing well.

Robbie- You look great! All belly. Fingers crossed your DHs cousin can fix your A/C. That's a lot saved!

The new 'most popular' SSA name list for 2008 was released today. Jacob is still #1 for boys, and Emma is now #1 for girls! Not surprising- I see it everywhere these days!

SSA Popular Baby Names

31w1d