Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Hudson_Hawk]

LOL I keep seeing you all refer to growing butts and not be happy about it. I would be ECSTATIC to get some badonkadunk! I''m, as Swimmer loves to point out, a buttless wonder!

 

[MonkeyPie]

I love coming in here on Mondays now - you ladies are so sweet, checking up on me.

Still no baby - I will be 40 weeks on Friday. Come on baby, let''s go! I am setting up the bassinet and carseats today - maybe that will entice him out, they sure look comfy

 

[PrettyBlues]

Will have to go back and read what has been happening the past couple of days - this weekend has been exhausting!

Saturday was the baby shower, and I survived (I hate being the centre of attention, so was kind of dreading it). I''m glad I made myself do it, because everyone seemed to have a good time, and people were so generous. And we got stuff we really needed. I think all of the big stuff from the registry except for the breast pump was bought.

Sunday we had the first of two childbirth preparation classes. This one was on labour and delivery. It was good, although I would say I already knew about 98% of it, so I guess it was not really necessary. And apparently FI has been listening to me, because a lot of it seemed to be old news to him too.

I''m hoping the next one, which covers breastfeeding and newborn care will be more beneficial. Especially since the class lasts all day long.

 

[Puppmom]

PB, I''m glad you enjoyed your shower! I could use some pointers for coping. I have a hard time with being the center of attention and everyone let me off the hook without a wedding shower but MIL and my mom are definitely not going to let me out of a baby shower.

 

[Jas12]

MP--sending labor dust your way! I was only 2 cm after 12 hours of labor & a full 42 weeks along, so ya, i know the feeling of being discouraged, but things will happen when they are meant to happen.

Puppmom--take the baby shower! You''ll get lots of good stuff. I hate being the centre of attention too and didn''t have one (we had a welcome party afterward) but you need the stuff anyway, so may as well let other ppl pay for it

.....
I have a middie appnt tomorrow and i am really anxious to see if she can identify the position of the baby. I noticed this past week that i am feeling crazy strong movement only on the right side (scrapes, prods, bumps etc) but virtually nothing past the left of my belly button. I am hoping the baby isn''t transverse. I am 30 weeks this week, so even if so, plenty of time to flip head down, and i know transverse is very rare, but i am still curious. Could be my placenta placement too. It is anterior, but maybe far right anterior?? In any case, i think i am going to have bruises in that area soon, i am so sensitve on the right side now

 

[MonkeyPie]

Come up with things to do at the shower that don''t focus on you - that''s what I did. Most of the "games" were things that everyone did on their own as they mingled. The only thing I got focused on for was opening gifts, but I actually liked that part

 

[jcrow]

Date: 3/29/2010 10:15:26 AM
Author: puppmom
PB, I''m glad you enjoyed your shower! I could use some pointers for coping. I have a hard time with being the center of attention and everyone let me off the hook without a wedding shower but MIL and my mom are definitely not going to let me out of a baby shower.

have you thought of doing a co-ed shower? both of our showers were co-ed and i loved that it wasn''t just about me. the attention was split between me and hubs. so much better

 

[Puppmom]

Thanks guys for all of your suggestions. I ran the idea of a co-ed shower by DH and got a resounding "Oh, Hell No!" from him.

I think he would suck it up and he''s normally *good* about that stuff but the idea of making him invite his friends is what really pushed him over the edge. Dang it! I might keep working on him. It will be summer so a cook out would be nice and we don''t have to call it a "shower", right?

 

[jcrow]

Date: 3/29/2010 1:22:31 PM
Author: puppmom
Thanks guys for all of your suggestions. I ran the idea of a co-ed shower by DH and got a resounding ''Oh, Hell No!'' from him.

I think he would suck it up and he''s normally *good* about that stuff but the idea of making him invite his friends is what really pushed him over the edge. Dang it! I might keep working on him. It will be summer so a cook out would be nice and we don''t have to call it a ''shower'', right?

totally! and tell him beer is involved if he''d like :]

for us it worked out well because all our friends are married. and my sister in laws and mother in law were coming in from out of state, so this meant their husbands were coming to town too [aka, hub''s brothers and dad]. rather than trying to have something for them to do during the shower, they came to the "party." seriously, it worked out better than i anticipated. it wasn''t all frilly and pink, it was more like a gathering of friends for a birthday or something.

 

[meresal]

Date: 3/29/2010 1:22:31 PM
Author: puppmom
Thanks guys for all of your suggestions. I ran the idea of a co-ed shower by DH and got a resounding 'Oh, Hell No!' from him.

I think he would suck it up and he's normally *good* about that stuff but the idea of making him invite his friends is what really pushed him over the edge. Dang it! I might keep working on him. It will be summer so a cook out would be nice and we don't have to call it a 'shower', right?

ditto Jcrow re: beer.

We had a "Baby Fiesta" Theme and had two margarita machines!

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 3/29/2010 1:22:31 PM
Author: puppmom
Thanks guys for all of your suggestions. I ran the idea of a co-ed shower by DH and got a resounding ''Oh, Hell No!'' from him.

I think he would suck it up and he''s normally *good* about that stuff but the idea of making him invite his friends is what really pushed him over the edge. Dang it! I might keep working on him. It will be summer so a cook out would be nice and we don''t have to call it a ''shower'', right?

My shower was co-ed, started at 8pm, had lots of alcohol and lots of dancing. Everyone had a great time.

My feet did not

.

We had a lot of couples there so inviting them wasn''t a big deal. The few single friends that FI invited didn''t have a problem going because they''ve been friends for years (15+)

 

[PrettyBlues]

Pupp, if you can get your DH to agree to a couples shower, go for it! I would have loved to have one, but unfortunately the people throwing it for me really wanted a traditional one. However, if you end up with a female only shower, then games that don''t focus on you but make the guests mingle and have fun are good. The only time people were focused on me was when I was opening presents, but it wasn''t too bad as I had my SIL up there to talk to as she was writing down who got me what, passing gifts, etc and honestly I wasn''t entirely the focus (people were talking amongst themselves) because it actually gets tedious to watch someone open gifts after awhile!

Trust me, if I made through, you can too.

Ok, back to packing the apartment up.

 

[qtiekiki]

MP - Hang in there. Micah, please come out soon.

 

[vespergirl]

Something Shiny, I just wanted to check in & see how you''re doing - I hope that all went well at your appointment today ...

 

[snlee]

ss, thinking of you. update us when you can.

MP, sending tons of labor dust your way!

I''m 12 weeks tomorrow and my NT scan is Wednesday. If everything goes well I''ll tell more people after my NT scan. Exciting week! Just one more week and I''m officially into the 2nd trimester! I''m really looking forward to feeling baby movements. I hope it''s true and I start feeling them a few weeks earlier than last time, which is soon! Also can''t wait to find out the sex!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Congrats Snlee!

 

[Kaleigh]

That''s great Snlee. I always loved the second trimester, that''s when I felt the best. I am sure you''ll feel the baby soon. I can''t wait to hear the sex too.

 

[qtiekiki]

Yay for 2nd trimester Snlee. I can''t wait for you to find out the sex too. =D

 

[MonkeyPie]

Snlee, any guesses as to what it might be? Do you have a gut feeling about boy or girl?

I had a gut feeling until 20 weeks that it was a girl, and I was SO wrong lol.

Still here, and still pregnant. DH and I are totally DTD tonight, no matter what. I need this baby out now lol.

 

[blushingbride]

Snlee! Wishing you all the best at your Dr's appt. tomorrow! YAY for the 2nd trimester!!

I'll be 11 weeks on Friday and my NT scan is scheduled for next Thurs. I'm so nervous for it! Heck, I've been a nervous wreck before all of my ultrasounds (I've had 4 already - 2 were due to spotting early on). What can you expect during the NT scan?

SS - wishing you all the best at your Dr.'s appt today! Let us know how it goes!

My clothes are definitely tighter and I wore my bellyband for the first time yesterday because I have work pants which are smaller than my other ones so, it came in handy. However, I'm still not showing by any means and can still fit into all my clothes.

Monkeypie - I hope the DTD does the trick for you!!!

 

[cara]

BB, don''t be nervous the NT is awesome! Such detailed little pics of your little one. The tech will spend some time measuring the back of neck fold for each one, and then look at your blood test results (assuming you had that done) and tell you an adjusted odds ratio for bad things based on those results. Not sure how they deal with the twins things, but presumably each one has its own neck with fluid pouch at least.

They also do a gross anatomy scan, my doc checked for a beating heart on the correct side of the body, liver, skull, 4 limbs, etc. and measured the crown-rump length again for dating purposes. But mainly the pics of little one are awesome. The ultrasound was much higher resolution than the typical one used in my doctor''s office. I see also why this one is the best timing-wise - cause they are big enough and humanoid enough that they look person-like but still tiny enough to fit on the screen.

And I''ll throw this little bone out for nervous nelly, even if the NT scan is ''positive'' in that there is increased risk based on the numbers, most of the people picked up in the screen and referred for further testing will be false positives. Just the nature of the beast. My friend was referred for further testing, and it was mentally hard to deal with, but ultimately her baby was completely fine and that was by far the most likely outcome.

Yay snlee! Telling is fun. And kind of overwhelming at times. But congrats on almost to the second tri. Definitely a worthy milestone.

Vesper how are you doing? Are you coming up on the end now?

 

[somethingshiny]

Thank you, all, for your good thoughts!

Baby appears to be doing fine!! She has gained 5 oz in the past week and is measuring in the 85th percentile. She was moving all over the place, playing with her hands and sucking. So, the dr says since she''s not showing any developmental problems (growth and purposeful movement are on track), the heart condition isn''t really affecting her. He expects her to grow out of it in utero or shortly after birth. He said that 1-2% of pregnancies have this significant of arrhythmia, of those only 1-2% become detrimental. The other 99% either outgrow it or are able to intervene with medication and other treatments. I go back to my normal OB in a week to have her checked and then back to the big hospital the following week. They will look for continued weight gain and hopefully some improvement in heart function. As long as she''s moving consistently and gaining appropriately, everything should be fine.

I''m supposed to try to cut out all caffeine, chocolate will be hard.... btw- did you know cocoa butter lotions have caffeine?? In trying to figure out how much I need to reduce some activities, I asked the dr if I could hike. He replied, "sure, on flat paved surfaces." ha ha, isn''t that called walking?!

It wasn''t exactly late when we got home last night, but after worrying for a week, I crashed and slept for 12 hours.


MP~ Hope that you were able to DTD successfully!!

Have a great day, all!!

 

[Jas12]

Snlee--i am exctied to find out what you are having. Just a few more weeks now!

SS--that is good news. A massive relief i am sure

MP--hope DTD works!!!! (didn''t for me, day after day, week after week-lol--TMI !!! But it apparently did for a friend of mine, so no hurt trying!!)

Just got in from my middie appnt. Everything looks good except that I am measuring quite small. I am 30 weeks now, but measuring 26

. She wasn''t overly concerned or anything b/c she said until there is a trend of measuring small, it could just be the baby''s position (he/she is off to one side a bit and already nestled into the pelvis head down) or a strong abdominal wall is skewing things (i am a bit of a fitness junkie) , but we''ll re-measure in 2 weeks & hopefully see a change. I just can''t help but worry a bit b/c the baby is missing a kidney i keep stressing that other things are wrong or wondering if they are related.
However, i shouldn''t stress & need to convince myself of that, movement is robust and i am gaining a consistent pound per week so i think it is just the way i am carrying this time.

 

[snlee]

hi Kaleigh and QT, thanks for sharing my excitement!

MP, hopefully DTD works for you! Come on out Micah! I think the little one is a girl but I thought my son was a girl too so I could be wrong again!

bb, I know what you mean about being nervous. I am too. I''ll be so relieved to find out everything is okay. This time around, I''m not as nervous about m/c (probably b/c I haven''t had any spotting and since the baby was conceived 3 weeks after I thought I ovulated and we weren''t really trying, I feel they this baby was meant to be so everything will be okay) but I''m still nervous before every u/s and hearing the baby''s HB. Also even though I never had a m/s, in the beginning I was so nervous about going to the bathroom too! With my first pregnancy I had implantation bleeding and then spotting at 8, 12, 19, and 28 weeks. Could have something to do with my PTL but in any case, I''m nervous about seeing some spotting this time around too. I know it''s hard but I''ve learned it''s best to just let things be and try not to worry!

As for the NT scan, you''ll meet with a genetic counselor who will give you some background info, then have the NT scan where the tech will measure the back of neck fold and do an anatomy scan, then you''ll get your blood drawn. They told me right away if the neck fold measurement looked good but not the results since you have to wait for your blood test results.

ss, glad your appointment went well!

 

[snlee]

jas, looks like we were posting at the same time. thanks! I might be able to find out at 16 weeks so in about a month. So excited! I hope the small measurement is just due to baby''s position and your strong abs. I think it''s just the way you are carrying this time.

 

[cara]

Opps, BB, I want to go back and edit my post to "little ones" for you or "little two!" Twins! There are two!

SShiny- such good news about your girl! How reassuring. I wouldn't go crazy trying to eliminate trace amounts of caffeine from your diet. Its not a toxin. If the goal is to prevent caffeine from stimulating the baby's heart, think about doses that are likely to have an effect and remember they will be diluted in your body not directly applied to your LO. OK cut out coffee and caffeinated soda and maybe avoid super-chocolate things but cocoa butter? do you actually get substantial caffeine absorption through your skin? Try not to stress. Sucks about the exercise restrictions for you though. Sadly walking and 'light hiking' is all I've been up to. I can't imagine the pavement/flat trail distinction is important, provided your balance is still OK, but it sounds like they don't want you going up steep stuff and getting your heart rate too high. Hmm, I wonder if the baby's heart rate goes up with yours? Or is it just that they don't want your body working too hard/supplying less than ideal amounts of blood to the LO? Such interesting stuff, this cooperation between the hearts and blood systems of mom and fetus.

And hey, my doc at my appt yesterday asked me if they were able to tell the sex at the NT scan, so I was NOT crazy to ask/wonder if it were possible! She said sometimes they get a good view then! But overall it is pretty early so sometimes not. We'll have to wait another month or so, but maybe snlee or BB will get lucky! Blushing, will you find out the sexes for your twins when you can?

Jas12, sorry for the worries but hopefully it is just fluky! I spoke with another preggo friend this weekend, and she is measuring large and had similar kinds of worries - did I do something to cause this, is it just benign and random or is it a sign of something going wrong, etc. So many potential sources of worry, and little good comes from the worrying! We also discussed this third friend that just had a baby, and she had minimal medical care during her pregnancy for natural/home birth philosophy reasons, and while that is certainly not for me, it does give you a lot less to stress about! Even my (fourth) friend that got referred for secondary testing after her NT scan wished she hadn't done the NT when she finally got good results from the amnio! Too much worrying for something that turned out to be nothing. I think its a hazard of getting medical care and screens and such. Many many potential bad problems were ruled out by your anatomy scan, but you found this minor problem with your LO that may not ever affect him/her but still causes you extra worry. Its the gift and the curse of modern medicine.

 

[Puppmom]

Micah, hurry up and come out before Mommy and Daddy have to tell the story at your graduation party about how stubborn you were and they had to DTD for you to come out!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 3/30/2010 12:32:06 PM
Author: puppmom
Micah, hurry up and come out before Mommy and Daddy have to tell the story at your graduation party about how stubborn you were and they had to DTD for you to come out!

LOL!
DH is already saying he is grounded the moment he comes out for being so stubborn hehe. thanks for all your good wishes ladies - I really hope DTD helps. Jas, you are a TROOPER doing it for weeks! Just the thought makes my lady parts cringe, they hurt already, but I want to get the ball rolling somehow.

 

[blushingbride]

Thanks Cara and Snlee for helping me to realize that I''m stressing for no reason. Although, Snlee, it''s nice to know that you''ve had the same feelings and concerns.

I guess I''m just scared of what they are going to find...ugh. I''m sure everything is fine, but I just want next week to come already! Plus, I just want to start telling people. I have a girl''s weekend planned next weekend and plan on telling most of my girlfriend then!

I can''t wait until people start to know because keeping this inside for 3 months has been rough!

Anyway, does your DH come with you for the NT scan? Mine has been by my side for all the appointments thus far so, I figured he''d come for that one too.

One more question, when did all of you start to show? When did you start buying maternity clothes? I''m sure I have a few more weeks to go before I need to buy new clothes, but just curious.

SS - I''m so happy that your appt. went well!!!

You must be so relieved!!!!

Jas - It sounds like it''s the baby''s position and your abs. If you''re midwife isn''t concerned, then I would take that as a sign everything is OK (although, I know it''s easier said than done). Keep up posted.

 

[cara]

BB, if you've been spared the bloat thus far you may not need clothes quite as early, but I couldn't button half my pants at 6 weeks or so. And by 10-11 weeks, I was out of all of them, wearing them unbuttoned and rolled down or with the bella band, etc. I finally got some mat. pants at 13 weeks and probably should have a month earlier, though of course they are a bit big. My tummy has probably gone down some in the last few weeks due to bloat deflation, but that is mostly the upper part of the tummy. The bottom part has popped out and stayed out. Regular pants, even a size too big, don't fit as the shape is all wrong, and its been this way for awhile. Oh, and I bought new bras a few weeks ago, those were totally needed. Even if they were cheap crappy target bras that I'm not in love with. The old ones are a no-go!

BUT other people pop much later. My friend at 14 weeks was still wearing regular clothes, buttoned. You read online about people needing to go shopping suddenly sometime in month 4 or so.

And you have twins! So who knows. I would get one or two mat-pants just to be ready if one day you need them and it isn't convenient to go shopping. My old long/loose shirts are still usable though many other shirts are too short or too tight on the belly or bust, so I'm slowly adding there but its less dire that the pants situation. I've even switched to my husband's T-shirts for sleeping, mine are too small! Alas. More changes ahead!