Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[ChinaCat]

"well. actually it kind of makes me freaked out for labor because if i am this bitchy now, what the heck am i going to be like when i am in screaming pain and my husband is trying to help. i might take his head off. YIKES."


Mara- Ha ha ha, just wait! Funny thing, I was chatting with a cilent of mine that just recently had a baby girl and we were sort of comparing labor stories (in a appropriate way for the office!). Anyway, we realized that both of our husbands did this weird patting of our foreheads in a sweet but lame attempt at comforting us. There is really not a lot they can do, other than hold your hand and be encouraging I guess, but I was like, STOP touching my FOREHEAD! It was so annoying, you have so many things hooked up to you on all parts of you, the last thing you want is another part of you being pawed at. But my DH (and hers) meant well, they just don''t know what to do. Sweet, helpless men. I told him to get me a wet washcloth for my forehead because that did help. But really I just needed him to hold my hand and let me squeeze the crap out of it. But you go into this weird zone. I didn''t really yell at him, more like I just pushed his hand away and said stop.

MP- Oh, hugs to you. It''s so hard to not be in control of your body or emotions. I know it''s hard when you had your heart set on something, but I promise you, once you fall in love with your little man, you won''t be able to imagine any other child, boy or girl, stealing your heart this way. At some point you will look at him and just know that there is no other being on earth that you could have created except this one. I have to say, for me, this did not occur right away. I was expecting him to be born and for me to look into his eyes and instantly recognize that THIS was my son and that this is exactly what he should look like. I didn''t. He was a little stranger to me and it felt weird. I loved him instantly and felt an intense desire to protect him, but I didn''t fall in love with him right away and I didn''t "recognize" him. It was weird. But a few weeks later, and I looked at him and it just clicked and I "recognized" that there was no way I could have had any baby but him. Now I can''t breathe I love him so much. And boys are just sooo yummy and sweet, just wait! FWIW, my mom really wanted me to have a little girl but she said to me recently that she couldn''t possibly love him any more, even if he was a girl. And that he was so cute that she didn''t really mind that he wasn''t a girl.

She said this jokingly, of course, but still! Anyways, hope you feel better soon.

 

[meresal]

MP- I hope that you can get a nap soon and feel better! Everything will be great, and you are going to make a wonderful mom to Micah!

China- I signed up for our classes last night (Thanks for the reminder Jcrow!). The Motherhood place is freaking expensive, lol! I hope these classes are worth it. We signed up for Childbirth, BF''ing, and Newborn/Infant care. The place suggested that we do them before 28 weeks, eventhough I would have preferred closer to 30. However, they only do them once a month for the single night class, and the next one wouldn''t have been until I am 33 weeks. So, all my classes will be during my 29th week.

 

[steph72276]

MP, I had all of your same thoughts when I found out our first born was a son. I just *knew* I was having a girl...everyone told me I was carrying like it was a girl, and I just thought of him as a her, looking at cute little pink outfits everywhere. So it came as a complete shock to me when they said it was a boy. Of course, my husband was over the moon, and I was excited, but a little disappointed too if I am being completely honest. I am very girly and didn't know the first thing about little boys and what they liked to do. Well, of course I completely melted and fell in love with my son from the beginning. I can't tell you enough how sweet he is and what a special connection mommys and sons share. He loves his dad of course and has a ball rough housing and playing sports with him, but he is an absolute mama's boy and loves to give me hugs and kisses and tells me he loves me all the time. I really can't imagine our lives any other way than with our little boy and now I am so excited to have another. I DO miss shopping for all the cute girly clothes out there, so I spoil my friends' kids every chance I get

.

I've been having lots of contractions for the past few hours...I'm sure they're just BH, but still they are pretty strong. I've had lots of water and have been laying down and I'm still getting them. I guess I need to start timing them. I'm sure it's nothing, but if you guys don't hear from me for a day or two, you know why!

 

[steph72276]

Oh, Mara and China Cat speaking of funny labor stories...I was in about my 20th or so hour of labor with no progression so I couldn''t have an epidural, and I had to get up and go pee. Well, I had to drag around my IV cart and go and when I came out, my husband (who is always joking around with me) said "why don''t you do some jumping jacks and see if that gets things moving!" Yeah, we still joke about the death stare I gave him after that comment! China is right that there is not much they can really do to help except give us ice chips and hold our hands. I think it makes a lot of men frustrated b/c they are used to trying to solve a problem and help in some way, but there is not too much they can do but give us encouragement. You will get through it all though Mara and Greg will still love you afterward even if you call him names!

 

[swimmer]

MP, happy for you that your day is over!

LV! So happy to see you here

1. At how many months did you tell your employer? Not a word before 5 months, that was the deadline that my contract stipulates they be notified by and I was nervous about another m/c.

2. Love the BellaBand! I couldn''t risk the rubber band thingy working with teenagers. Can you imagine an administrator suspending someone with her fly open? Aggggh. I got some long tshirts from banana and target and then a great pair of jeans and black pants from pea in the pod. My goal is to spend only around $100 on maternity clothes b/c I want to get back into my regular stuff asap. Dresses are key, oh love the jersey wrap dress! Didn''t need the pants till around 16 weeks, my abs gave up the fight at 21 weeks.

3. I wanted to take hypnobirthing, but all of the classes for it remotely close to us are booked through April, so we are doing the Bradley Method. The "husband-coached" childbirth has DH pumped.

4. I like Ina M''s! Yeah, the diagrams are not new! Reassuring to read about others'' experiences, not dire or even clinical. The week by week book is a waste of money! DH got some great ones "Einstein Never Used Flashcards" and some others about how brains develop and what we know about babies understanding seem to have him getting really excited about this boy coming. We need to sign up for bfing and first aid classes!

 

[ChinaCat]

Mere- I did the labor class at MC and really enjoyed it. The class was very helpful and the lady who taught it was just enough pro-unmedicated birth without pushing it too hard. She gave info/advice for doing both medicated and unmedicated. My DH thought it was ok, though he ended up being the only guy in the class for some reason. She did show a birthing video that freaked him out, but other than that it was pretty low-key. I did my BF class at Women''s Work in the Village and it was awesome. Not sure if they are still doing them though. In any case, hopefully you''ll have a good experience at MC.

 

[taovandel]

MP: Wanted to chime in on the "disappointment" in having a boy. I was originally told I was having a girl (20 week u/s)....I was super excited because I just *knew* it was a girl and I had always wanted a girl first. Well 4 weeks after the u/s saying it was a girl---I found out...oops--it''s totally a boy!

I wasn''t ever disappointed or upset that he was a he---but I did feel like I wouldn''t know what to do with a boy. I''m a girl---so I know girly things. But now that he is here--I wouldn''t change it for anything. I can''t wait until he gets all rough and tumble later on with me and daddy...ya know what I mean.

 

[vespergirl]

For all of you who are feeling a little disappointed about having boys instead of girls, take heart - my 3 year old son asked Santa for a tea set for Xmas (which really surprised us because the rest of his list was: scooter, monster truck, race cars, soccer ball, typical boy stuff). I got it for him not knowing if he would still want it, but it''s been the big hit since he opened it Xmas morning. The first thing that he says when he jumps out of bed in the morning is, "Mommy, can I make you some tea?" We think it''s a hoot. He also loves to play with the kitchen set, shopping cart and stroller at his preschool (stuff we don''t have at home), and he loves to dance with me. So, even though 90% of the time it''s all about Matchbox Cars and Thomas the Tank Engine, he can still have a tea party with his mommy. So, even if you''re having a boy, he may surprise you and enjoy doing some "girly" stuff with you as well. I know that a lot of dads who wanted boys but got girls are pleasantly surprised when their daughters turn out to be soccer stars and such, so it works both ways.

 

[somethingshiny]

Steph~ *******************Labor dust for you****************** If this is it, good luck!!!

 

[Mara]

steph, hope it's not labor JUST yet...!! but if it is ...good luck woman! i have been having some BH tonite, they are not painful just uncomfortable!! and thanks for the reassuring words...i know we'll make it just fine, but sometimes i am a little worried about my reaction to the whole thing.

greg and i were just talking tonite about how we're not QUITE ready for him to come out just yet. another week and a half and i think i could say OK. i mean if it happens before that, ok. but i think i might mentally need just about another week before everything totally changes!

plus we need to get the car seat in the car and pick up some diapers. HAHAA.

so i thought we had our newborn class tonite but DOH it's NEXT thursday. in fact i was laughing because i was like what if he comes before then. that would be crazy.

tomorrow we have our last ultrasound appt. i can't wait to see him one last time. i also am hoping that we can tell some idea of what size he is shaping up to be. and also looking fwd to seeing what body parts are where because he has been really active lately with things sticking out here and there and we are totally guessing what is sticking out where.

i also made the mistake of googling hiccups and found something that said that frequent hiccups could be a cord issue, so now i have to ask the dr about that tomorrow, but hopefully it's not true. he gets hiccups at LEAST 3x a day if not more, today he had them 2x in an hour. but only one or two articles said that it could be a danger. so def looking fwd to asking the dr tomorrow.

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Mara, I hear you on feeling like a major bitch. Normally, I''m the kind of person that will just tell you the way it is; everyone who knows me knows that you always know how I feel about something. My patience is at an all time low, although I *try* really hard to behave myself. SO knew I''d hit a bad point last night when he laughed at me waddling to the bathroom and I gave him my patented "die now" look. It''s not funny anymore that I have a ten ton basketball on my front.

You will probably be surprised at yourself in labor, though. I would have thought that I''d be the type of person yanking on SO''s shirt and yelling, "You did this to me, you bastard!!" but instead, I''m very inner focused. I think this is a characteristic of type A personalities. The world could be ending around me when I''m laboring and I would not know because I''m so busy in my own head.

Oh, the only bad thing I''ve EVER done during labor was when my (now ex) husband put his hand on my hip and I said, "Don''t touch me" in a very low, quiet voice. He said he got his hand back really fast because he could tell if he didn''t, I probably would have taken it off. LOL!

Steph, here''s to having some good contractions and a baby soon!!

BHs are really wonderful at the end because they can hurt as bad as "real" contractions so they give you something to practice relaxation with.

About having sons: I''m having my 4th son (and I have 2 daughters) and would not trade my boys for anything. They are now 20 (21 in April, yikes!), 14 and 3. I can''t say that boys are better than girls or vice versa because all kids are different regardless of gender, but I''ve had my share of surprises with my boys. I can''t even start to explain what makes the relationship between mothers and sons special, so you''ll have to trust me.

 

[Puppmom]

MP, I know EXACTLY what you''re saying. My brother just had his first child and even though he didn''t have a preference particularly on the gender of the baby he was SURE it was a girl. So, for months, he imagined a little girl in his near future. He was truly surprised to find out they were having a boy and it took a lot of adjustment time...all the way up until he was born really. It''s strange when we feel like our "instinct" fails us. When I had DD, I was sure I was having a boy even though I had no valid reason for that other than my gut. When they said "It''s a Girl!", I just said "What?!" Anyway, I think it''s great that you''re acknowledging and giving validity to ALL of your feelings - good and bad.

Cello, you are a SAINT for having people stay with you. Over the holiday break, I had work and everyone else had off. Three times last week, I came home to my ILs car in my driveway and once my MIL cooking dinner! Man, I have been so grumpy that it took everything I had to be polite.

As far as reading goes I think I''m going to try Vesper''s recommendation of Girlfriend''s Guide to Pregnancy. I feel like WTEWYE focusses so much on what''s "normal" that I''ll freak out if I have anything out of the ordinary.

This morning I''ve come to the realization that NONE of my pants fit comfortably. I had to wear the belly band to work today and I''m really "sticking out".

At just shy of 10 weeks, I want to hold onto to our news just a little longer. I''ll be THRILLED if we can hear the heartbeat on Monday but I''m not counting on it (although, if I''m honest with myself, I''ll probably flip our if we can''t!). Then, we have our NT scan on the 22nd - if all goes well then, I''m all for sharing our exciting news. I don''t know if I can keep this a secret for another two weeks! I''m still really nervous about this pregnancy so hopefully no one will be rude enough to ask before we get positive news that will make us comfortable sharing.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Good morning, ladies. TGIF!

Thank you all for your support. It sure is nice to be able to vent to people that understand - no one I know IRL really seems to take me seriously. I feel much better today! I had a good nap when I got home and I felt great when I got up. Tiredness really seems to play a role in my mood swings.

28 weeks today! I figure I can start off BPF since I haven''t done one in awhile. And holy cow, I have grown SO much in the past few weeks! This week I am pretty sure I had a growth spurt, or Micah did, rather. My belly skin felt like it was going to split and my sides hurt for most of the week. And now I feel absolutely enormous. But strangely enough, my pants feel loose everywhere but my belly. It''s strange, maybe it''s because he''s moving up?

 

[steph72276]

Aww, MP you look great. And I can def. see a difference..he does look higher!

 

[PrettyBlues]

MP - sorry you were having a tough time yesterday. When I first got pregnant, I did want a girl. I think because I grew up with a sister, so it's what I know, and I also think it came from my Mom's passing, focusing on our relationship (the baby is also due a week after the one year mark of her death). But after I found out it was a boy, I thought maybe it's better to deal with a different type of relationship all together, so the Mom-Son thing will feel overall more positive. Maybe that's silly. And my sister has just had a boy after two girls, and I think he is just so sweet, and I'm excited to have a little boy. Anyway, that was long winded! I just wanted to say that I think it is normal to have these feelings, and I'm sure you will love Micah so much once he is born and won't be able to imagine any other baby, boy or girl.

QT - yay for full term! How exciting, can't wait for your little one to come

LV - I have a book called "The Pregnancy Bible" and I really like it. It is really informative, but without being scary in my opinion. I haven't read any of the childbirth books yet, but I am planning to do that as well.

Jcrow - I have a couple of these thermal unisex tops from American Apparel, and they are also made quite long, so I am still able to wear them and love them. You should check them out if you happen to have a store nearby (I'm not sure where you are, or if AA is quite as ubiquitous as it here though) and like non-maternity clothes.

Steph - hopefully this means your baby is getting ready and will be here soon (but not too soon!)

Cello - I can't believe you had to deal with that on top of everything else. I am someone who really needs to have my own space, and I would have gone absolutely CRAZY. You are a saint.

By the way, is it normal to have so much pressure and some what feels like Round Ligament Pain in my lower belly just when walking at 22 weeks? Whenever I go out with my FI to run errands, see a movie downtown, etc I get it (oddly enough, especially walking down hill?). I don't think I'm pushing myself too hard, I'm only walking, but it's uncomfortable and I just didn't think it happened this early. I also don't seem to have any problems when I am working out, which seems odd to me. I will ask my doctor about it next week, just thought I would get some advice from you knowledgeable ladies first.

 

[KimberlyH]

MP, you look great.

Mara, I got mad at J for something stupid last night, then went and cried. It''s the first real meltdown I''ve had where I was like "Who is this person living in my body?" Hoping it''s the last, it''s so not like me. He followed me into the bedroom and stared at me a bit like I''m an alien, sat down next to me and kept saying "I wish you''d stop crying!" and then apologized even though he hadn''t really done anythnig wrong. Poor guy.

Pupp, I hated Girlfriend''s Guide too. I found it a bit trite and not at all fitting of how I feel. Perhaps I''m odd.

Back to work today, hooray! I''m so ready. Not much going on baby-wise. Invitations for my shower were finally mailed out (it''s a bit more than 3 weeks away). The planners really dropped the ball on that one. Looking forward to it.

 

[meresal]

MP, you really have grown! Lovely prego belly!

Glad to hear you are feeling better as well.

PB- I'm sorry you are having pains! Does it feel like you have pulled a muscle?

I am at 24 weeks, and that is the feeling that I have been dealing with, for a week exactly. I rolled over in bed on New Years morning and just felt this extremely sharp pain, all the way down below in my low abdomen. Now, it is the worst when I am just walking, and sometimes when laying in bed in the morning. It really feels like a pulled muscle.

I have pretty tight abs and I wonder if this is my "growth" spurt, and it is just slowly trying to loosen everything up? I don't know. If it lasts thru the weekend, then I am going to call the doctor. I have also noticed less movement by the little one, that I am trying not to couple with the pain, and freak out about.

 

[jcrow]

meresal - the week of christmas for two days i had a really sharp pain low on my right side. it felt like the baby was squishing my lower intestine or something. if i laid down i didn''t feel it. but sitting, walking, getting up, turning over, any type of movement hurt. the second day it was accompanied by lower back pain on that side too. it went away after a few days.

 

[steph72276]

Here''s my almost 37 week pic. Have a great Friday everyone!

 

[PrettyBlues]

I also get a sharp pain if I roll over too quickly in bed, but that goes away in a minute or so.

Mere, I don''t *think* it''s a pulled muscle, because it''s not tender to the touch, and when I am walking around the apartment it''s not sore at all. Just if I am doing more walking outside, and especially going downhill I notice it (we live at the top of a hill so I have to go down to get anywhere). There is pressure and pulling, but it''s not the sharp pain I get if I move too quickly.

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 1/7/2010 11:09:18 AM
Author: Loves Vintage
Hi Ladies,

I''d like to pop in with a few questions. I''m almost 5 weeks. I know it''s very early, but my mind is all over the place with things I need to take care of.

1. At how many months did you tell your employer? I think I''d like to take 6 months off and then come back part time. This is unchartered territory where I work; however, my boss is very understanding, so I think it is possible. I expect to have some plan to tell him how I think it could work, and then be open to his suggestions and/or concerns. So, I''m just curious how soon people usually tell their employers? Also, is anyone planning on going back part time?

2. Even though I am only 5 weeks, my pants are all a bit snug!! I have not gained any weight, so I assume this is bloating. Has anyone purchased a belly belt like this, and how did you like it? I don''t think I need one of those yet, but nice to know it''s an option. When do you start buying maternity clothes?

3. Hypnobirthing - A few weeks or months back someone mentioned hypnobirthing on here, but I don''t recall who? Maybe DrK? I''m curious if you''ve started taking the classes and how you like them.

4. Books - Aside from the standard What to Expect When You''re Expecting, does anyone have a pregnancy book or books that they love?

That''s all for now! TIA!

Hey Loves Vintage! I kept meaning to get back to you on these:

1. Even though I wasn''t planning on returning to work, I didn''t want to make my final decision until after the baby was here, so I took a regular maternity leave and then just gave my notice near the end of it. I didn''t show AT ALL for the first 4 months of my first pregnancy, so I kept it a secret at work until I was 18 weeks. I was up for a promotion and raise, and didn''t want my pregnancy to shadow that decision. After I received the promotion & raise, then I told my boss when I was 18 weeks, and she was like, "what baby, where?" My firm had a pretty generous leave policy, so I was able to take 5 months off (2 and a half paid) but after 4 months I was sure I wouldn''t return so I gave my notice. There were no hard feelings (I had REALLY prepared my assistant before I left, assuming that he would eventually take over my job), so it all worked out well for everyone.

2. Regarding the belly belt - I have one that I got at Motherhood Maternity, and I literally wear it almost every day still, and I''m 26 weeks now. This time around, I only gained 3 lbs. my first trimester, but I couldn''t fit into my jeans 6 weeks in because of bloat. Since I still had early maternity pants left over from last time, the belly belt helped me wear some of the maternity clothes that was still too big for me, and let me wear my old pants that were too tight a little longer. I still wear it for extra support.

3. I have also thought about taking this class - they offer one in my area, but we probably won''t have time to this time around. I would love to hear others'' experiences with it.

4. I never read What to Expect, because I heard from some friends that it made them hysterical and paranoid. Instead, I REALLY LOVE "I''m Pregnant!" by Lesley Regan, MD. I have also suggested it to several friends who say it''s now their favorite baby book. It''s got GREAT weekly photos of babies in utero, and breaks down the pregnancy into monthly sections. Very informative and interesting. I also really like The Pregnancy Book by Dr. Sears & his wife who is a nurse, and for fun, I liked the Girlfriend''s Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine. She''s not a professional, but it''s a humorous account from a woman who had 4 kids in 5 years.

 

[mela lu]

I can''t possibly keep up with this thread

but I wanted to shout out to:

Anchor, Jacob is adorable, what sweet photos. You''re going to look back on those pics and be like "he was SO SMAL". Good for you for snapping them - you''re looking great!

waxing lyrical, Henry has such gorgeous lips! Congrats!!!!!

Lindsey, Thinking of you girl. You''re such a trooper...you inspire me! Fingers crossed for your amnio results.

Loves Vintage - I found those weekly website updates enough for ''pregnancy reading''. If I were you, I''d take this opportunity to read up on BABY!! That is the tricky stuff that you may want to do some advanced reading!

Love the Belly pics girls! STEPH - you''re looking FOINE! WOW. HAWT! Wishing you tons of Labour Dust!

 

[steph72276]

So the contractions I was having last night were just BH b/c they went away after drinking a ton of water and laying on my side for a while. Guess he's staying in there for a while.

Mela, thanks girl...you just made my day. Trust me, I haven't been called fine or hot in quite a while!!

 

[gingerB]

MP - glad you''re feeling better! i can def see a diff in you profile -- he looks higher. i started low, moved high just about the same time you are, and now have dropped down low again. does kind of make me wish i DID take belly pics so i can compare, but whoops, oh well

. as for the boy/girl/disappointment thing. i''ve always wanted a boy first, since i was the eldest and wanted a big bro desperately, and when we were given unofficila pre-lims that it was a girl, although i smiled and said i was happy no matter what the sex as long as the baby is healthy, i knew deep in side there was a seed of disappointment. then when we did the official scans and it was a boy, i was ecstatic and it was hubby''s turn to be a bit disappointed (he was looking for a princess to spoil but won''t admit it

). these aren''t bad feelings, they''re human.

anchor - didn''t get a chance to say congrats! love the name and love those lips of his!

mara - i''ve got the super hiccup-y baby too...and now you''ve got me worries. my next appt isn;''t until next week, let me know what your doc says!

QT - woohoo for full term!

mat clothes - i switched to mat pants in the high teens low twenties (can''t remember exactly when) but have been lucky enough to still wear most of my pre-preggo tops, i only have 2 mat tops and they''re on the baggy side. i have a pretty long torso and have always preferred the longer tops so luckily even preggo they''ve been long enough to cover the belly

. i have one pair of low waist stretchy jeans that i can still wear, which are my fave as they''re not baggy like most of the mat pants.

just chugging along here at almost 35 weeks. feels like the kiddo is having a huge gowth spurt and the belly is streeeeetccchhhhinnng, but my weight still hasn''t budged. slightly worried about making sure i have enough stores to BF

but the appetite is just kind of stagnant.

he''s still moving like crazy and sometimes i feel like he''s trying to breakthough the belly wall! (occ morbid thoughts of that scene in the last of the twilight books

) the other day he kept trying to poke/push out on my lower left side, and it was really painful due to the stretching he was forcing my skin to endure, so i put my hand there and held pressure so he couldn''t push out anymore in that spot (it was getting sore). after a few more attempts at pushing, he gave up and then i felt a a hard fast POW to the spot before he settled down. I was like " oooh....boy, don''t you talk back to your momma!"

then i giggled out loud for having this thought. BTW this all happened during rounds and my whole team looked at me as if i was nutso

 

[qtiekiki]

Love BPF. Let’s see more bellies.
MP – You look great. Love the shape of your belly. And it’s definitely higher and rounder. So cute.
Steph – Looking fabulous as usual.
MP – It’s normal to feel disappointment, but you’ll love your little guy when he gets here.
PB & Meresal – sounds like normal pains you get from your growing uterus.
Here’s me at 37w1d. My belly button isn’t sticking out as much this morning. Can’t even see it in this pic. LOL.

 

[meresal]

Date: 1/8/2010 11:12:58 AM
Author: qtiekiki
PB & Meresal – sounds like normal pains you get from your growing uterus.

Thanks for the follow up. PB, I hope that yours goes away soon. I know what you are feeling and it is not at all comfortable.

Steph and Qt- You ladies look great! Getting so close!

 

[Mara]

MP you look great...and he does look higher and somehow more round. I actually have days where my underwear and pants feel more loose as well, I attribute it to bloating vs non bloating. Some days my face looks rounder too.

PB re: the pressure when walking, yep I had that too. It's why I have been appallingly sedentary this whole pregnancy. I used to work out 5 days a week and now I do NOTHING. If I manage to get out for a 15 min walk it's like a huge feat. I just don't feel good when I work our or walk at all and it's been that way since about 20 weeks. My belly just feels like a lead weight, I feel like it gets really tight and I get some pressure. It's not painful just UNCOMFORTABLE and of course makes me not want to do it. I have been lucky that I have not gianed a ton of weight, the normal amt I guess, so it has mentally been ok for me but I really cannot wait til he's out so that I can at least gain some semblance of control over exercise again. I should say that we walk about 2-3x a week but it's sooo slow and laborous, definitely not a brisk walk or anything resembling what I used to do.

re pulled muscle pain, I had that too around Thanksgiving in my left side. I think I actually did strain something slightly because I was making bread dough and I think the rolling and kneading was too much for me. Talk about feeling like an old lady hahah. It hurt pretty badly for 2 days but then subsided thankfully and then went away. Oh and mere...that low low abdomen only on one side pain is what I felt last week, it was horrible. thankfully it slowly went away over the wkd but when I called L&D they said it sounded like just severe RL pain.

oh and last nite I totally felt like my esophagus was squishing into my uterus. UGH...not pleasant. i could only feel better laying on my right side. it's so funny too because they say the left side gives the baby the full blood flow but i feel best on my right side. so i spend most of my nights on my right.

re: books, i have read that if you like comedy the Jenny McCarthy book is supposed to be a good read. it's not 'serious' but it does talk about all these things no one tells you about during pregnancy.

meresal... i notice that our nugget sometimes goes through 1-2 days of decreased movement, not so much anymore because i think he's so big that even a little movement i can feel but up until about a week or two ago i would feel slightly more mellow days. i just attributed it to growth spurts for him. but yeah it is hard not to worry when they break routine.

kimi...yeah this stranger in my body thing is very odd. sometimes more odd than others. i have had 1-2 meltdowns this entire pregnancy, thankfully not more because greg literally thinks i am some alien when it happens. one was when we were in portugal and it involved sceaming and beating on the hotel bed.

greg just stared at me. it's almost embarassing! i am never that emotional. hahaha.

we have our appt at 9:45 and i am so excited to see the baby, hear how he is doing, check the cord, get a size estimate and have her tell me if there is any cervix progress. will report back. happy friday all!

ETA...steph and qt you look great!!! i love your sweatshirt QT.

ginger.. lol re: the breaking thru the belly wall, sometimes i feel that too on the sides. i am like WOAH baby. and yeah i press down on him when he tries to crawl under my rib and sometimes he goes away and then comes back like fast and furious. SASSY!!!! or he might go away there but then i'll feel some vicious bladder or cervix bounce. JEEZ! and i totally almost start laughing sometimes in meetings when the belly is bouncing around. i am like really do you want me to answer this serious question about revenue when i have a foot sticking out of my gut?

 

[MonkeyPie]

PB and Meresal, I have the same sensation. Mine goes from just above pubic bone on the left side, wraps under my body, and up my left buttcheek lol. It really feels like a pulled muscle, and it hurts the most when I get up to walk after sitting for awhile. Just rest it, it will go away!

 

[taovandel]

I love the Jenny McCarthy book "Belly Laughs" it''s a really funny, honest book.

 

[Skippy123]

Steph, MP and QT, your belly shots are great!!! You ladies look fabulous