Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[rockpaperscissors67]

Puppmom, I''ll tell you what lead me to using a midwife, so maybe it''ll help with your future decisions. I had OBs for my first 4 kids. Their births were bad because I was either ignorant about the process or, later on, vocal about what I wanted or didn''t want. The care that I got during pregnancy was the issue -- with every single doctor, I would show up for my appointment and wait, wait, wait, wait...for 10 minutes with the dr. if I was lucky. The biggest turning point was when one OB threatened to fire me because I wanted an option to the standard glucola test. I''d done my research and I believe there are problems with the standard test.

I need to feel like I''m an active participant in my care and that I can make choices for myself, rather than being expected to do what a doctor tells me. This is just where my comfort level is -- it drives SO crazy because he tends to put a lot of faith in doctors.

I like the care I get from my mw. I might wait 10 minutes for an appointment, and the appointments last nearly an hour. Often I''m trying to get out of there faster than she''s finished with me. When I was in labor with my 3 year old, she showed up 50 minutes before he was born, only because I was ok with that; if I needed her there sooner, she would have been. She did one internal during labor, listened to the baby''s heart twice, and let me decide when to push. I''m a control freak, so this really worked for me!

So there ya go...

I''m glad your appointment went well!

As for the trans-vaginal u/s, I had one 10 years ago, so it''s been awhile! I don''t remember whether I needed a full bladder, but I don''t think I did. That''s usually required for an early abdominal u/s because the full bladder pushes the uterus up so it can be seen. The tech gave me the wand and let me "place it" so to speak, so it was a bit less weird than if she''d have done it. The experience was kind of odd, but I was so amazed at what we could see that I stopped paying attention to where that wand was. Plus, I figured the tech did it often enough that it was no big deal to her.

QTiekiki, I''m sorry you''re bored at work. If you''d like, I could kick some of my work over to you!

It''s writing about software, so it might be even more boring than what you''re dealing with now.

 

[Jas12]

Re: cord banking.
We did it with DS. It cost about $1200 --fully paid up front (harvest and storage for 20 years--i think it is 20 years, or something like that). Canadian prices seem to be a bit cheaper than the US. My parents wanted to help us pay for it so that helped with the decision
. I really do think it is excellent if you donate to a public bank, and i am going to inquire about it this pregnancy. If everyone did that, anyone could potentially benefit. i didn''t even know about that option with my son. It is a rapidly expanding area of medicine so while the chance of using that blood is very slim (esp now) it may be more valuable years down the road

 

[gingerB]

puppmom - i agree -- cute date! i thought mine was easy to remember 2-10/20-10 but yourse is even easier! i had a transvag ~9-10 weeks for viability. my OB did it inthe office and it was kind of lioke getting a pap, then the image on the screen pops up and you forget that you got a "whatsit?! up where?!"

can i just say, i will never take being able to pop back up and down from sitting on the floor for granted again. i was wrapping some oversized gifts on the floor, which was a challenge in and of itself, but then anytime i needed to get something, and when i was trying to pick up all the scraps, etc... urgh..what a pain in the everywhere!

 

[Mara]

the trans-vag they will do until about 12 weeks i think. i had 2 of them because i went in at 5.5 weeks and then 8 weeks. then at 12 weeks they did belly. it's not bad at all.

anchor i say BOY because i always say BOY. hehehe. why switch now???

ginger...2 week appts already wow! i don't have to do that til 36 weeks and typically i'd go to 1ce a week but my dr said as long as nothing was looking urgent we don't have to do 1 a week so i will prob do every 2 weeks since it's less of a hassle to go. and i hear ya re: taking movement for granted lol. i have always been a spry person but not so much anymore, more like a sludgey slug.

qt...i feel like ours is up near my ribs too...he was really high today and all crazy active, sooo uncomfortable. my stomach feels crazy squished today and my heartburn is horrible. it varies from day to day so hopefully he will be a bit lower tomorrow. but ugh, yeah i guess he is getting a bit more squeezed in there.

i feel ok in the mornings but wow by end of day i am just trashed. today was really busy, lots of meetings and then i went to see my mom and then to a friend's jewelry party and then home and whew. i just want to lay down. i can see how it can get harder the last few weeks for sure.

does anyone else's nugget get hiccups about 2x a day?? he has them right now ! hehe.

qt, def don't complain about being bored! work is CRAZY for me. AND our contractor just backed out of the job because he took a full time job elsewhere...so now we have to keep looking!!!!! he was supposed to start monday. i am sooooooo unhappy about it...we are doing more phone screens tomorrow in between meetings. UGH!

 

[noelwr]

puppmom - I actually did some research for my first U/S. if you''re less than 8 weeks, then they have to do TV probe to get near enough to see it. your bladder should be empty. full bladder is required when they do the U/S externally, and is anywhere after 9 weeks. however, if they can''t see anything, then they''ll ask you to pee and do a TV probe anyway.

 

[swimmer]

Steph, oh, thinking of you all and your pup!

Anchor, I just see you with a girl!

MP, so happy you are getting a house! Not sure if I told you how proud I am of you guys for sticking it out and making things work!

Mer, so glad your sister is doing great!

puppmom, it really depends on your facilities. The hospital where we go it doesn''t matter if your bladder is full or not, and I haven''t had a transvag since week 8-9? just the goopy wand. I have noticed a real difference in us quality, not just between the regular us and 3d, but from machine to machine. At the perinatologist the details were insane, less so at my gynos, thankfully more definition at the OBs. Yes, I am spoiled by getting to see all the time what is going on in there! I''ve had 2 week visits the entire time and am going back next week.

Speaking of which.... We are having a boy!

Thanks Burke and co, I told the swimmers at our banquet, they were pretty darn pumped and some moms said that they had been wondering about my belly! thankfully just when I''m in a swim suit. Love maternity jeans, they make it so much less obvious!

I also just found out that I am too late to register for hypnobirthing at any centers near me before the 8-9 month point! You are supposed to register in the 3rd up to 4th month and now I''m past that and all the classes are full. I had to email in to ask if they would take a waitlist person! I had no idea! Now am looking into other options but am still shocked. Does everyone else get the hpt and immediately book classes? I feel like a huge loser. But it is ok, b/c the baby is cooking along marvelously so far.

 

[jcrow]

swimmer - yay for team boy!

anchor - i vote boy too.

 

[anchor31]

steph - Sorry about your puppy...

prettyblues - If you don''t mind me asking, where did you move here from? I would really miss snow if I didn''t have any for 5 years... Yay for the ultrasound soon!

mara - I was going to ask the same question about the hiccuping... It''s crazy, at least once or twice a day.

swimmer - I''m so happy to hear everything is going well, and congrats on joining team blue!

Thanks for all the votes! It''s funny how the majority is voting girl, when most of my family and friends are voting boy. We''ll see!

Boy
MonkeyPie
Rockpaperscissors67
PrettyBlues
Mara
Jcrow
Girl
Fiery
Meresal
ChinaCat
Sha
Kaleigh
GingerB
Vespergirl
Puppmom
Qtiekiki
Steph72276
Swimmer

 

[drk]

Swimmer - I signed up for hypnobirthing here at around 20 weeks, to start at 22 weeks. There were quite a lot of different people providing the class. To be honest, the book is an ok read - you can get it from Amazon though. I don''t know that I got a ton from the classes. It was nice to have someone talk through some of the stuff from the book with you, but I don''t think it would be absolutely necessary. It was good to see some of the videos that prove that it can work well. Otherwise, listening to the relaxation CD seems to be enough for me. I''ve also read that some people download a "hypnobabies" course online. I think it might also be available on Amazon. Seems to cover the same stuff, from what I can see, and is something that you''re supposed to be able to teach yourself at home. I''m thinking of trying it for more reinforcement. Maybe check that out as an alternative? Apart from that course, DH and I are planning to do a baby/child CPR/first aid course at some point. I''ve done it before, but figure I could do with a refresher. Congrats on your boy!

 

[PrettyBlues]

Steph I hope everything turns out ok for your pup. When do you get the results?

Swimmer Yay for team BLUE!

Lately I have been feeling like I am having a boy, I wonder if it''s just from the influence of this board?

Anchor We were in Australia (Sydney). So winter there meant a low of 5 celcius - I''m not used to the cold and snow anymore! I also got quite used to Christmas involving a nice day on our balcony, with wine or beer and a big seafood barbeque. But I don''t think that will be happening anymore either

Oh well.

 

[jcrow]

at my last appointment [19 weeks] the dr. said now is the time to start looking into classes + pediatricians. i''m sort of lost on what we should be looking for in a pediatrician. i know i want us to click personality wise, but are there any specific questions i should ask when interviewing them?

 

[jcrow]

Date: 12/10/2009 10:08:00 AM
Author: PrettyBlues
Steph I hope everything turns out ok for your pup. When do you get the results?


Swimmer Yay for team BLUE!

Lately I have been feeling like I am having a boy, I wonder if it''s just from the influence of this board?

Anchor We were in Australia (Sydney). So winter there meant a low of 5 celcius - I''m not used to the cold and snow anymore! I also got quite used to Christmas involving a nice day on our balcony, with wine or beer and a big seafood barbeque. But I don''t think that will be happening anymore either

Oh well.

re: feeling like you''re having a boy - i thought the same thing. "surely it''s a boy. everyone is having a boy!" but what do ya know? we''re having a girl!

 

[KimberlyH]

Classes: Signed up yesterday (I'm 26 weeks). There were two spots left for the January class we wanted (Preparing for Childbirth) and I had no issues getting in to the breastfeeding class in February. My sister highly recommeded the breastfeeding class, I was going to skip it but am taking her advice.

Anchor, I think it's a girl.

Puppmom, the transvag u/s is not a big deal, at least I didn't think it was. My office required an empty bladder.

Swimmer, congrats on a boy!

Jcrow, I adore my O/B and my PCP, so I'm going to look to them for recommendations on a ped. I trust them implicitly and know they'll recommend someone whose philospohies are similar to their own, which is exactly what I want.

Did a bit more shopping today, bought a fleece, a sweatshirt and a pari of pants. Mara, I bought a pair of those pants you found at ON, hoping I love them like you do. Also picked up a few sweatshirts. ON is giving 20% off using the code is ONSAVE20 in case anyone needs any stuff.

In the past two days this kid pulled what feels like a spiderman and now all of a sudden is living in the upper regions of my stomach as opposed to down low where she normally hangs out. She's also been laying transverse. It feels strange.

 

[Mara]

swimmer, congrats on BOY. haha see i am going to just keep saying BOY and then it is right some of the time.

i gotta say too, i friggin LOVE boys clothes... we have gotten so many absolutely adorable outfits and the little CORDUROY pants make my heart melt. i am more tomboyish than girlish most of the time, plus hopefully he will be cheaper hehe. though i did see some super cute tights the other day for a girl hehe. i have a few friends with girls though so i just buy cute things for them.

jcrow, we haven't even started on a pediatrician...but we are also with a big HMO and so i know my options are limited anyway. i figure i will just look into it over the next few weeks. i did find some questions online if you google on blogs and mom sites too. but basically it seems like ask them questions about how they would typically care for the baby, how often they'd expect to see the baby, how they feel about shots, and does it mesh with your own thoughts/feelings. those are the only things i can remember right now hhahaa. my main things are just do i like their personality and their care style and i figure we'd try them out. also sometimes i have heard that depending on how your labor goes, sometimes you end up liking the pediatrician on duty during labor and delivery so sometimes people might switch based on that.

steph, i missed the bit about your pup, hope everything turns out ok.
mp, congrats on a house, that is so fun!

re: classes...i signed up just a few weeks ago. we have a breastfeeding one this friday, a late pregnancy once in 2 weeks and then a new child one (for infant childcare) in early jan. greg is like 'why do i have to go to breastfeeding'...HA HA. suck it up!

last nite i felt sooo horrible. it felt like my uterus was in my mouth practically. i could hardly sit up, laying down felt best, i ate hardly anything, and just felt better when i went to bed. every time i got up i felt SO heavy in the bottom of my uterus and just such like i was holding a bowling ball in my belly. i really hope it isnt going to be like that every night now til the end. yikes. i feel better in the morning but i have a short torso so i am afraid that it is starting to get kind of squished in there. and i swear i felt him kick a rib yesterday. yikes!!

 

[jcrow]

KimberlyH - my ob gave me three recommendations for peds. so, we''ll have to do some interviewing.

 

[MonkeyPie]

swimmer, thanks for your support

And YAY for team blue! I can''t believe how many boys we have coming in here.

Mara, I am sort of dreading getting to 30 weeks - I already have the "in my throat" sensation, and Micah seems to really like jabbing a foot or elbow into my bellybutton so it''s almost always tender. He kept me up all last night, too. Gah, and I am barely going to be 24 weeks! Lol I really hope he chills out later, because as cute as it is now, I see myself miserable shortly.

But omg, I want to feel hiccups! That is seriously the cutest thing - baby sneezes, yawns, and hiccups are disgustingly cute.

 

[qtiekiki]

RPS
Hehe.  I am so used to doing fieldwork and driving that it’s hard to just sit at the desk.  I know I shouldn’t be complaining. 

ginger
Yeah it’s definitely not easy to just pop back up anymore. 

Mara
It’s day to day for me too.  Some days I’ll have a hard time eating, and there’s other days when I can eat anything I want.  But the last couple of days had been the hard eating anything at all.  I also have a hard time sitting up straight b/c the belly is just right under the boobs in that position and it is not comfortable.  Damn short torso, well I am short everywhere, but still. 

Our little guy doesn’t get hiccup very often, but neither did Meena.  M hiccupped like crazy as a newborn though, don’t know if there’s any correlation.

Tell Greg that the breastfeeding class will teach him how to help and support you with breastfeeding.  Seriously, it helped DH realized that breastfeeding takes work and he needs to be proactive and support me when everyone is trying to get me to supplement with formula.  DH was great at telling the nurse and MIL to back off when I was tired and exhausted from childbirth and breastfeeding.

trans-vaginal u/s
I have never had one.  OB did abdominal u/s since I was 5 weeks, and we were able to see the sac at the 5 weeks appt.  And the only time I needed a full bladder was when I got the big anatomy u/s done at the radiology clinic.  The u/s tech told me they need the full bladder to push up the uterus, so the cervix can be measured.  Once she measured that, I was allowed to pee.

swimmer
Congrats and welcome to team blue. 
So cute that your swim team are excited for you.

PrettyBlues
You never know about mother’s instinct. 

Jcrow
I think what’s important when you are interviewing the pedi is to find someone who has similar views as you on vaccine schedule, usage of medicines and medical interventions, etc.  So you don’t have to fight them to get the care you want for your baby.  I don’t have specific questions since we never interviewed our pedi, but he does have a website that states his philosophy and approach.  And so far, we’ve been happy with him.  Good luck at finding a pedi.

breastfeeding class
It’s really useful, and is the one class I wouldn’t skip. 

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 12/10/2009 9:18:38 AM
Author: anchor31

steph - Sorry about your puppy...

prettyblues - If you don''t mind me asking, where did you move here from? I would really miss snow if I didn''t have any for 5 years... Yay for the ultrasound soon!

mara - I was going to ask the same question about the hiccuping... It''s crazy, at least once or twice a day.

swimmer - I''m so happy to hear everything is going well, and congrats on joining team blue!

Thanks for all the votes! It''s funny how the majority is voting girl, when most of my family and friends are voting boy. We''ll see!

Boy
MonkeyPie
Rockpaperscissors67
PrettyBlues
Mara
Jcrow

Girl
Fiery
Meresal
ChinaCat
Sha
Kaleigh
GingerB
Vespergirl
Puppmom
Qtiekiki
Steph72276
Swimmer

I am expecting?? News to me, LOL!~~~!

I just come here and comment!!!

 

[Mara]

yep QT that is why i want him to attend, also other moms have told me it helps to have the husbands hear all the information as well so that when the mom is so tired and can't think straight it helps to have the mate as a secondary information source re: what they might have learned in the class. plus i just think it might be interesting for him in general.

re: the uterus choking sensation, i am sooo not a fan. it almost feels like i am going to be sick but i'm not. and sitting up is the worst, its TOTALLY my short torso. it is still day to day for me, today is not as bad but by the evening i feel so tired that i think my body is just worn down. i can't wait til our week off shutdown for holiday so i can be at home for 7 days straight and hopefully relax a bit. and this just started happening this week too, here i was thinking 'this isn't SO bad'..!

mp i love the hiccups. at first they were soooo soft but as he gets bigger and the uterus gets thinner as it grows... i can feel them so much more now and greg can even feel them outside sometimes.

kaleigh, i think she meant just what people are voting for...boy or girl!

 

[princesss]

Anchor, I''m guessing boy!

I can''t believe you''re full term! I feel like you only just got pregnant.

 

[Kaleigh]

Ok gotcha Mara, sorry Anchor....

 

[lili]

Anchor--
Congrats on reaching full term.
Put me down for girl since there are so few girls this year.
Sorry about the evil crotch pain

Steph--
Andrew is a handsome boy.
Wasn''t his hair lighter before? Or maybe I just remembered it wrong after seeing one picture of you and him.

Mara--
Hehe...I loved those hiccups.
I find that DD does it everytime I eat something spicy.

Swimmer--
Congrats on team blue.
Wow, looks like 2010 is another boy year.
Ebree''s DD will have her pick of some major PS cutie pies.

fiery--
Hehe....love your avi. Sophia is so cute w/ that cap.

gingerb--
like the rest said, you''ll know when it''s not ok to sleep on your back.
I have been a back sleeper for 10 years before I got preggo, so I was having a hard time getting myself to sleep on the side.
My dr told me that you don''t need to be completely on your side, just prop a small pillow on your back when you sleep so that you are not laying squarely on your back.
I slept on my back up until I delivered.
The funny thing was that after DD came, I somehow became a side sleeper....but that could be because DD co-slept w/ me.

---------
Hope everyone is doing good.
Can''t wait for BFP tomorrow.
I expect to see more bellies than last week

 

[Puppmom]

I can''t wait to see all the bellies tomorrow. They''re sure to distract me from all of my first trimester worries

 

[Puppmom]

I can''t wait to see all the bellies tomorrow. They''re sure to distract me from all of my first trimester worries

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Anchor- Congrats on 37 weeks! Dunno why, but I see a GIRL for you...
RPS- Have you seen THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN? Interesting documentary about homebirth
Pupp- my 1st ultrasound was at 6 weeks and we saw the blink of a heartbeat- so exciting! That ultrasound, and 2 others I've had have been t-vag. Only the NT ultrasound I had on Monday was via the belly. Cute due date
Swimmer- CONGRATS on team BLUE!
Mara, MonkeyPie & Kimberly- sounds like your LO's are playing acrobatics in your bellies

Interesting about signing up early for classes and cord banking- making a mental note of each for later.

I'm 12 weeks today- one more week until i'm in my 2nd trimester!

I had a nice meet and greet yesterday with the OB who was #1 on my list. I liked her right away and she totally put me at ease, so she's the one- done!

My indigestion/belching has been especially bad these last few days- my GYN basically said that it's my version of "morning sickness" and that it **hopefully** should pass after the 1st trimester. I saw her for the last time on Tuesday, and she just got back to me today that there's still bacteria in my urine (damn), so I need to go on antibiotics again.

We had our company Holiday luncheon today and I won one of the raffle prizes- a Wii. But, I ended up trading it with the IT guy that won the prize just before mine- a gift card to Burke Williams! it was a perfect switcheroo- the dude really had no idea what he was going to do with the GC, and I already have a Wii. Anyway, my prize will score me 2 prenatal massages.

 

[steph72276]

Thanks everyone for the sweet words about our dog. The vet called me last night and said the pathologist said the tumor is benign and we are just going to watch it for the next few months to see if it goes away on its own. We might still have to do surgery, but it is nothing too bad at least. Whew! Stressful!

Anyway, so my pregnancy snoring has kicked in big time. And I am such a light sleeper, that it wakes me up. So this is my night last night....fall asleep, start snoring, wake myself up, sigh, go back to sleep, snore, wake myself up, sigh, go to the bathroom every hour or two, and repeat! Ugh! I think this is my body''s way of getting me prepared for sleepless nights again, but I don''t like it! I will be back later this morning with belly pics!

Swimmer, congrats on the boy!

Anchor, you are so close! Can''t wait to see what you''re having.

DRK, Hi! Hope you are posting belly pics today!

Pretty Blues, when do you find out what you''re having, or are you waiting?

Jcrow, do you have any friends nearby with babies that could recommend a ped? Or any nurse friends that work with them? That''s how I found ours.

Kimberly, thanks for the ON code....it is getting cold here so I will have to go buy a lightweight coat of some sort to get me through the next couple of weeks and I was going to check there.

Mara, that''s how I am...the only thing I miss about this being a boy and not a girl is the super cute girl clothes, but I just buy for my friends a lot! Gymboree has the cutest boy clothes though!

Hi, MP! Hope you got some sleep without the little one kicking all night!

QT, my little one doesn''t get hiccups either, unless I just don''t know what they feel like!

Lili, thank you! Yes, his hair used to be really blonde, but is getting darker and darker. My husband has really dark hair, so I think eventually he will too. Hope you''re doing well!

Charger, yea for almost being in the 2nd trimester! And great score on the massages!

 

[steph72276]

Week 33 bump!

 

[Puppmom]

Steph, I''m so glad you doggie is on the up and up. Dogs hold a special place in my heart.

 

[steph72276]

Date: 12/11/2009 9:06:55 AM
Author: puppmom
Steph, I''m so glad you doggie is on the up and up. Dogs hold a special place in my heart.

Thanks, Puppmom! She was our baby before our babies....we got her 6 1/2 years ago right after we first got married, so she holds a special place in our hearts too

 

[meresal]

Steph, you look indredible! I love your lil' belly!