Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Mara]

YAY viz...for some progress. and he might take a little while, a few of my friends lost their mucus plug about 3-4 days before they actually gave birth. one of them lost it but then they ended up inducing her anyway since it was taking too long. but def get ready!

my jury is still a bit out on the H1N1 shot...i talked to a friend who is a nurse and she said that ''if she were me'' she would not get the shot. she doesn''t trust the testing that has been done on it, and she will probably get it mostly because she works in the hospital, but if she was not in a position that she is...she said she wouldn''t get it. so now i am like DRAT just when i had thought i was ok with it, and i respect her thoughts given her field. anyway i am still getting over this cold so i figure i have a few more days to mull it over. if only i was closer to the end, i wouldn''t even bother. but just heading into 3rd tri... it''s a lot more risky for me to NOT get it.

amber...yes i got an internal last time (assuming cervical check is an internal)...and think i get them every 4 weeks is what she said. it was quick like 2 min so didn''t seem bad.

 

[taovandel]

So ladies, I''m 38 weeks today and yesterday I was miserable! I went to the Dr. He said my cervix was the same, 1 cm. Came home and felt sooo hot (I was even getting sweaty in the doctor''s office) Went on a date night with the husband last night and while out starting getting what I thought were really bad gas cramps/poop cramps. Went to the bathroom and thought that it would be good. But nope. Contractions have been steady since about midnight last night. They range from 4 minutes apart to 7 minutes apart. And they last about 20 - 30 seconds. The pain isn''t too horrible yet--so I''m holding off on heading to the Dr.''s to see if anything is happening to my cervix.

 

[fieryred33143]

Yay Viz! The pooping like peiod cramps is exactly what I felt the day before Sophia came. I kept running to the bathroom at work because I thought I had to go! LOL crossing fingers for you!!!

Tao! Sounds like you are on your way too!! Keep us posted!

How exciting! 2 babies soon to come

 

[Mara]

yay tao!! yeah i have heard from other moms the pooping feeling is the onset...how fun...hehe, the things we have to look fwd to.. pre-congrats!!

can''t wait for some exciting news.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/29/2009 4:50:40 PM
Author: Mara

my jury is still a bit out on the H1N1 shot...i talked to a friend who is a nurse and she said that 'if she were me' she would not get the shot. she doesn't trust the testing that has been done on it, and she will probably get it mostly because she works in the hospital, but if she was not in a position that she is...she said she wouldn't get it. so now i am like DRAT just when i had thought i was ok with it, and i respect her thoughts given her field. anyway i am still getting over this cold so i figure i have a few more days to mull it over. if only i was closer to the end, i wouldn't even bother. but just heading into 3rd tri... it's a lot more risky for me to NOT get it.

Mara-they do the SAME testing and the SAME clinical trials for the H1N1 as they do for the regular flu shot. The regular one is new every year too-and yet they still let them make it and people take it every year. No major adverse effects from the shots but there are thousands of people who die of the flu every year-most of them who are immune compromised somehow (i.e., preggos).

Please do your own research and don't listen to someone just because she's a nurse. Just because someone is in the medical field does not mean they are an authority on vaccines. And if she's getting it anyway then I don't see why she's advising you not to get it? Seems contradictory to me.

Would you trust a plastic surgeon with advise about your baby? Probably not. So unless this nurse friend is an immunologist or someone who does medical research on flu vaccines I would take her advice with a grain of salt.

 

[Mara]

nf, i don't like ANY flu vaccines. i typically don't take them, i have never gotten a flu shot before this year. i believe in your body fighting off things on it's own. this year it's different because i am pregnant otherwise heck no i wouldn't even consider it. and in terms of doing research, you can only research what is published data. so as a nurse or a medical care practicioner, she might have more insight than i/internet/news would. and if she wouldn't typically get it, yes i will of course take that into consideration. i don't think it's contradictory to say 'if i wasn't exposed on an hourly basis to sick people, no, i wouldn't get it'...that makes sense to me. my chances are probably a lot lower than hers. even my dr said that there are risks to taking it. but she said that she thinks benefits outweigh those 'risks'.

as for trusting a surgeon with baby advise, yes i would still listen to what they had to say...they still have general medical training. more than any of us or internet articles, that is for sure.

many people are so adamant you have to get the flu shot or the vaccine... i think there are merits for both, which is why i said i am still on the fence and mulling things over. oh and eta to add that i take it ALL with a grain of salt. the news loves sensationalizing all of this.

ack i just realized that i think i left out the most important part of my nurse friend's rationale...she's pregnant too and due the same time as me. so that is why she is most likely getting the shot, in her job her risks are so elevated. but if she wasn't preggo, i dont think she would even consider it.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 10/29/2009 5:20:38 PM
Author: fiery
Yay Viz! The pooping like peiod cramps is exactly what I felt the day before Sophia came. I kept running to the bathroom at work because I thought I had to go! LOL crossing fingers for you!!!

Tao! Sounds like you are on your way too!! Keep us posted!

How exciting! 2 babies soon to come

Ditto x 10

Both of you sound like you''re in very early labour to me.

 

[drk]

Good luck Tao! I wonder who''ll deliver first, you or Viz?

 

[natalina]

Tao & Viz- sounds like you both have some fun times ahead of you in the next day or two! Cannot wait to "meet" your little ones!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Viz, it sounds like this is it!!! I really hope so, at least!!! Sending you vibes!

Tao, can''t wait to hear what your dilation is doing!

 

[icekid]

Date: 10/29/2009 6:23:54 PM
Author: Mara
nf, i don''t like ANY flu vaccines. i typically don''t take them, i have never gotten a flu shot before this year. i believe in your body fighting off things on it''s own. this year it''s different because i am pregnant otherwise heck no i wouldn''t even consider it. and in terms of doing research, you can only research what is published data. so as a nurse or a medical care practicioner, she might have more insight than i/internet/news would. .

I don''t mean this in a pejorative way, but nurses are not practitioners of medicine. Being a nurse does not make one an authority on vaccines. In fact, very few physicians would make that claim. And still Mara, you did not explain her rationale for not getting the flu vaccine. Pregnant women are at great risk from H1N1 and the flu in general. Please tread carefully, ladies! While I agree that the news is ridiculous for the most part in sensationalizing H1N1, I am a physician at a phenomenal teaching hospital and we are taking H1N1 very seriously where at risk patients are involved, pregnant being at the top of that list.

 

[gingerB]

viz - yay for progress! can''t wait to hear the news!!!

QT - love the names! chloe was number one on our list for a girl too

natalina and chinakat and jas - thanks for the info...love getting firsthand info from moms in action

tao - exciting! fingers crossed for a picture perfect ride!

H1N1 - just got mine yesterday and feel so relieved to have gotten it. i was nervous about this decision a few months ago, but being smack dab in the thick of things, listening to the top dogs in OB, ID and immunology, i''m going to ditto icekid on this topic. also practicing in a huge academic medical center, we get all the latest info from the infectious disease and immunology world renown experts and it is a RESOUNDING vote to get the vaccine for those at risk -- namely #1 are PREGNANT WOMEN. our icu has had an overwhelming number of H1N1 cases, age range is terrifying -- 20s-40s -- all previously healthy. ~50% are NOT MAKING IT OUT. it''s not a joke. there are at least 2 pregnant women intubated due to H1N1 and neither of them had any other illnesses prior. these are healthy young people. and small aside, influenza has historically killed more people than both world wars combined. it''s not since the advent of the vaccine that we tend to take "the flu" as lightly as we do. it''s scary that people forget that. and as for the testing, ditto on what neatfreak says. the flu vaccine everyyear is a new vaccine. the H1N1 is made the same way, but targeted against this particular strain.

as for gingerbaby -- he is a feisty one! a few days ago hubby and i were chilling on the couch and i showed him how you can seriously SEE how much strong gingerbaby is getting. when he kicks you can see him distorting my belly wall. and it''s NOT subtle either. it was fun cuz we would giggle and ny hubby was all astonished, but it was surreal at the same time. it''s like i know he''s in there, but sometimes i''m like WOAH. there''s someone in there!

and i had my first really connective moment this week too. (this may be a TMI story) i mean, yeah i rub my belly and talk to it sometimes, but kind of in a an abstract sense you know? but then earlier this week i was at work i REALLY needed to pee, but was super busy so i was trying to hold off and i guess my bladder was really starting to fill up. it seems gingerbaby doesn''t really like having his space intruded upon, so then he started delivering kicks to the bladder area, and eventually he won the battle because i just dropped everything and ran to the bathroom. as i was emptying the ole bladder sac, he gave me a whalloping roundhouse to the front, kind of like FINALLY MOM, and without thinking i rubbed my belly and was like, hold on baby, momma''s taking care of it. then i started cracking up at myself because the first time i feel like i''m really thinking of him in a real live person way, not in a fuzzy-abstract-future-baby-idea kind of way, it''s while i''m peeing at work. just goes to show, warm fuzzy hallmark moments can happen anywhere

 

[AmberWaves]

Hello ladies! GO VIZ! GOOOO TAOOOOOO!!!!!

I had my 36 week appointment today. I really, really, do not like the OB who is taking the place of my old OB (on maternity leave). Not only do we wait ages to be seen (seriously, our appointment was 2:15, we weren''t taken back until 3), but she''s also very brisk with us. For example, I''m waiting for twenty minutes, naked from the waist down (as per GBS instructions). She comes inside, looks for the doppler to hear the heartbeat, can''t find it. So she walks out, leaving my butt hanging out WIDE open from the back view, since she had me sit up. She comes back in, we hear the heartbeat for literally ten seconds, she measured my fundus and made a face. Then she has me scoot down with feet in stirrups and says she''s going to do the swab. First, the swab was TERRIBLY painful. It''s like she took one of those little gelato spoons and used that. I''m truly surprised I''m not bleeding now. She told me to get dressed and she''ll see me in a week. Even her nurse was cold. I think she''s resentful of us switched patients adding to her caseload.

I also got the H1N1 shot. With my killer asthma, and DH''s close proximity to kids (teacher at a K-8 private school) it was a no-brainer. I''ve been hospitalized with flu complications before, so I can''t take any chances. A woman who was 6 months along died here in the last few days! And it means the immunities will be passed to the baby, who wouldn''t be allowed to get the vaccine for 6 months, now she''s protected.

 

[neatfreak]

Thanks Icekid and Ginger for articulating what I was trying to say about this vaccine.

I''ll say it. Especially for pregnant women it seems just flat out stupid not to get it. The risks of the vaccine are very low and the risks if you contract H1N1 are very high. Why WOULDN''T you get it if you are in one of the populations being hit hardest by it?

 

[Mara]

awww amber sorry your internal was so painful..!!

ginger...i hear you on the having more connective moments with the baby lately...i have been feeling the same way, esp as he is more active. it's kind of like he has his own stubborn little personality what with his not wanting to move from one side, aka i like this side and that's it! ours doesn't distort the belly wall yet, gingerbaby is pretty strong.

we are going to a friends costume party tomorrow night at a club in SF, alice in wonderland theme. i have been procrastinating on my costume because there are such limited options for preggos and theme related argh! so we went to a superstore tonite and got lucky with a plus size sexy alice costume, lol. it actually fit the belly, and i got striped stockings and my friend has a wig. lol..it just cracks me up that i'll be some preggo alice.

thanks ginger and icekid for chiming in. a nurse is not a doctor but what i noted was that a nurse might have access to more accurate data than we (general public) would re: potential risks etc.

i prefer to gather various points of data and then make an educated decision. call it what you will. chances are i will get the shot next week once i am over my mini cold, but this gave me more time to mull it over. i am nervous and my girlfriend's opinion is worth considering, because there are not that many people who say they wouldn't get it, or to think twice. nothing wrong with some extra thought around it IMO.

ginger, i know that TX has been hit really hard, but here in N.CA it doesn't seem as prevalent, so it is not quite driven into my mind. i actually don't know that many people who plan to get the shot in general, including a fair amt of parents who have young kids in daycare.

 

[gingerB]

Date: 10/30/2009 12:48:58 AM
Author: Mara
awww amber sorry your internal was so painful..!!

ginger...i hear you on the having more connective moments with the baby lately...i have been feeling the same way, esp as he is more active. it''s kind of like he has his own stubborn little personality what with his not wanting to move from one side, aka i like this side and that''s it! ours doesn''t distort the belly wall yet, gingerbaby is pretty strong.

we are going to a friends costume party tomorrow night at a club in SF, alice in wonderland theme. i have been procrastinating on my costume because there are such limited options for preggos and theme related argh! so we went to a superstore tonite and got lucky with a plus size sexy alice costume, lol. it actually fit the belly, and i got striped stockings and my friend has a wig. lol..it just cracks me up that i''ll be some preggo alice.

thanks ginger and icekid for chiming in. a nurse is not a doctor but what i noted was that a nurse might have access to more accurate data than we (general public) would re: potential risks etc.

i prefer to gather various points of data and then make an educated decision. call it what you will. chances are i will get the shot next week once i am over my mini cold, but this gave me more time to mull it over. i am nervous and my girlfriend''s opinion is worth considering, because there are not that many people who say they wouldn''t get it, or to think twice. nothing wrong with some extra thought around it IMO.

ginger, i know that TX has been hit really hard, but here in N.CA it doesn''t seem as prevalent, so it is not quite driven into my mind. i actually don''t know that many people who plan to get the shot in general, including a fair amt of parents who have young kids in daycare.

very true. i''m def more paranoid because i do work in the health field, have daily exposure, and am in texas where the infection rates are higher. if i had substantially less exposure would i be thinking about it twice? you betcha i would. anything we put in our bodies right now affects not just us but our little one, which makes every decision twise or more like tree times as big.

lol on halloween. last year one of my preggo friends was a sexy (not skanky) preggo alice and looked adorable. you will def need to post pics!

 

[taovandel]

False alarm with me! I have dialated to 1 1/2 cent. though. Apparently my cervix is just really irritated causing the bleeding and contractions. Better safe than sorry, right? I''m actually feeling pretty good about not having the baby just yet....I still have some minor training of my replacements to complete at work because of a new system that just started like 2 days ago.

 

[KimberlyH]

Tao, sorry for the false alarm. Hang in there.

Amber, I hope your OB experience gets better.

H1N1: I''ve shared my thoughts already, but 4 days after recieving the vaccine just wanted to report no side effects. A big ditto to Ginger about the importance of knowing the history and how dangerous influenza was prior to vaccination being available. It''s easy for us to say "it''s just the flu" because it''s been controlled by vaccines, but it used to be a very scary thing (and that fact that it continues to mutate and keeps the medical community on its toes creating new vaccines every year is a great reminder of how bad it could be if we didn''t have protection available).

My 20 week appt. was today, it went well. The heartbeat was 142, the doctor is still guessing girl; the ultrasound report leaves off gender so the OB doesn''t slip if the parents don''t find out. Weight was better, up 2 lbs. instead of 6 thanks to being able to drink water instead of lemonade again I''m sure. She told me "you''re really pregnant now, we measure you."

Going to my parents for the weekend to hang out and go trick-or-treating with my nephew.

 

[MonkeyPie]

My first BPF! Not the best pic - taken in the bathroom at work since that is seriously the best place lol. I will have to start taking some with my Nikon.

I''ve really popped the past few days - the dip where my belly button is has started to fill out.

 

[jcrow]

MonkeyPie - you look great! how far along are you?

 

[swimmer]

Tao, hang in there lady!

Viz, wow, tomorrow maybe? What an awesome day for a birthday! There will always be candy around, no matter what day the bebe actually comes.

H1N1, now 2 weeks post my vacc and I am still so thrilled to have been able to get it. No side effects, but now 7 of my students are out with it and 3 hospitalized. One was hospitalized last night, I stretched out her shoulders and hips 24 hours before that at swim practice. Oh well, between the vaccination and chlorine, I hope nothing got passed around.

DrK, here is the photo! The pictures are shiny and all wavy so not the easiest thing to capture. Oh well, the glory of having a sapphire e-ring is that I never had to really work at capturing diamond images right?

Psyched for MP's belly pic, but celebrating friday with a nuchal translucency scan woot woot!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 10/30/2009 10:29:45 AM
Author: jcrow
MonkeyPie - you look great! how far along are you?

18 weeks today

I think I look way bigger, it''s so weird, all of a sudden there was a big puff of belly overnight lol.

swimmer, yay! Look at that little face, it''s soooo cute. You did great with the picture of a picture!

I get my Big Ultrasound in about two weeks and I can hardly stand it. Today is just a regular appointment, and I still can''t figure out if I am feeling kicks like I did before or not, so I am asking for a heartbeat check.

 

[meresal]

Kimberly- Congrats on the check-up! Good looking out at the doctor's office by not putting it on the folder. I have heard some stories where the nurse let it slip on accident, so I would probably be anal enough to remind them each time I went in. LOL. Have fun this weekend! I love spending holidays with my niece's and nephews! So cute!

MP- You DID pop! Congrats, looking great!

Swimmer- Great pic! Did they update how far along you are?

I think that I am starting to show, more at night though, so I will run off to the bathroom to see if I can snap a shot. It won't be much, but I'm starting to "feel" rounder.

 

[anchor31]

Re: H1N1. The vaccination campaign started last Sunday in Qc. The government set up a schedule according to a priority list for people at higher risk (health practioners, people with chronic illnesses, parents of children under 6 months, etc.), but people who are not high-risk keep flooding the vaccination centers and we are starting to run out of doses for the high-risk people.

As for pregnant women, the non-adjuvanted vaccine is not ready yet, so we'll have to wait until November 9th. Like Mara, I'm still researching. I have plenty of time to make my decision before November 9th anyway. My parents (who normally don't get the flu shot) decided to get vaccinated because my father travels constantly throughout the country and because of the baby coming. DH wasn't planning on getting the shot, but apparently someone at work got H1N1, so he decided to get vaccinated. They'll wait according to the government schedule though to try to help with the shortage... My brother and sister in the Forces are getting vaccinated this weekend. I spoke with my sister on the phone last night, and 40 people who are in bootcamp with her got the flu, and 10 more are quarantined.

If this keeps going, she might not come to my shower on November 14th.

So, things are worse than I thought they would be... A couple of weeks ago I'd decided not to get it, but now I'm considering it. If I wasn't pregnant I would be so hesitant... I'm just so concerned about the effects of what I do and take will have on that growing little one.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 10/30/2009 10:40:03 AM
Author: meresal
I think that I am starting to show, more at night though, so I will run off to the bathroom to see if I can snap a shot. It won''t be much, but I''m starting to ''feel'' rounder.

LOL I notice I feel bigger at night, too. I wonder if it''s just because by the end of the day we are puffy and tired?

anchor, that REALLY sucks about your sister

I hope she can come to your shower and that she stays healthy, your brother too!

 

[qtiekiki]

MP
Look at your little bump. You are adorable.

Swimmer
I love profile u/s shot. Your LO''s little face is adorable.

H1N1 vaccination
Just do your own research and what is comfortable for you. I am still not getting one, not because I am concerned with the safety of the vaccine, but I don''t feel I am in a high risk situation (well besides being pregnant that is). I actually came in contact with someone who had the virus last Monday (the 19th). I am not saying I am immuned, but I don''t feel in danger per se. I will just continue with handwashing and good hygiene.

Here''s my contribution. The restroom shot continues. LOL. I am 27w1d today.

 

[meresal]

Ok, this is my 15 week BPF shot. (My first!) I promise I am actually sticking out a bit.

Qt- You look great! Cute shirt

 

[AmberWaves]

Look at all the cute bellies!!

Anchor, so sorry to hear about all the recent flus going around. I hope your sister is able to make it to your shower!

here''s my contribution to BPF: 36w5days! I seriously can''t believe I''m that far along. Next week I have my 37 week appointment on my birthday. What every girl wants: a cervix check and internal on her 30th birthday. It''s like you can almost SEE the transition from free-wheeling twenties to vaginal 30s.

 

[Mara]

qt, i also don't feel like i am hugely at risk. no one i know first or secondhand has gotten it (knock on wood!), i only know of one child at my coworker's school in another class who got it a month ago. no one at work. no one at greg's work. our hospitals don't seem to be overrun with people. it doesn't mean it can't happen, of course but that is also why i am not rushing over, just thinking.

tao, sorry to hear about the false alarm!! lol re: having to train someone at work still. we are trying to get a contractor in right now for 6 months so that i can train them even though i just hired a support person for my programs as well. i want to make sure that these two can handle it all while i'm out so i can not worry a bit...and the sooner the better to get someone in. it's amazingly hard to find people actually.

MP great shot...!! i love how you have your hand on your belly. def get a heartbeat check today, it shouldn't be an issue.

QT...so cute as usual, does your tshirt have ghosts on it?? i can't see. super cute.

meresal, girl you are TINY... no wonder you don't have a belly yet hehehe. i was so bloated the first 3 months that i think people thought i was way further along because after it went away and my belly was smaller everyone was confused.

anchor, jeez sorry to hear about your sister, hopefully she can make it.

swimmer, love the nuchal shot!! look at the little profile. do you know gender yet? i have a guess.

does anyone else have really thin nose lining contributing to bloody noses?? my skin typically gets dry in the winter anyway but i have had thiner nose lining seemingly for the last few months, mostly at night and lately i have actually been getting light nose bleeds at night when i blow my nose.

and yes on feeling bigger at night... actually my belly feels harder too. i feel like it has to do with food digestion in a way? but in the morning i feel my absolute best and my belly feels more pliable. it kind of hardens through the day and then at night it's hard as a rock and only laying down feels good.

i have been feeling him move and kick more and more and i still absolutely LOVE IT. sometimes it is a little painful, last nite i think he was moving near my right rib (finally to the right!) and it was a little sensitive, and then i don't know what he was doing down to the left but feeling like stretching a foot or something, but it's just so amazing to feel the movements and know it's really him...after wondering about 'is that gas' for so long!

MP i think i mentioned it too but i didn't regularly start to feel him until about 22 weeks. before that it was very intermittent. but now, wow...just wait!

amber, looking great!!! booo on the internal for the 30th, and you can't even drink!! haha.

jcrow are you going to show us a picture???

we haven't seen one i don't think!

 

[janinegirly]

You ladies look great!

Qtiekiki-you look adorable!