Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Loves Vintage]

Wow, Swimmer!! Baby Elijah has such soulful eyes!!! Thanks for posting the photos!! They are both very special!

Congratulations Charger!!!

HudsonHawk, Sorry you were in a funk yesterday. I hope it's subsided, and today is a better day. I don't have any real advice for you, but I can totally relate. Sounds like my regular life! Haha, except I do have lots of triggers!! I think it's ok to be down once in a while. Try not to overthink it. As Jas mentioned, if it's something that you begin to experience for extended periods of time, you should address it.

 

[split_shank]

Just got back from trying to pick out a Father''s Day card out for my dad and ended up half bawling in the Hallmark aisle reading the "Dad''s to be" Father''s day cards, all saying how wonderful of a daddy they are going to be and can''t wait to see you holding our baby. Crying again just thinking about the damn card. And yes, I bought one.

Stupid hormones.

 

[Puppmom]

Swimmer, what a handsome little man! Those pictures are just perfect!

HH, I''m pretty sensitive to my hormone swings in general. I have really bad PMS and the first trimester hormones wrecked me and they''re creeping back up again. I''m finding it hard to keep my cool often. The best I can describe how I feel is *crawling out of my skin*. You put it perfectly whe you said you can''t self soothe. I can''t entertain myself at all then all I can think about is how uncomfortable I am and usually end up going to bed just to end the day. Pathetic - I know. If you''re worried about it - definitely talk to your doctor. It does sound to me though like it''s all normal which, of course, doesn''t change the fact that it sucks!

Jas, what is stretch and sweep? Is that like stripping the membranes?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

LOL pupp, "crawling out of my skin" is exactly how I feel! It''s like I have this pent up negative energy that''s just building and building and wants to come out but I have no constructive outlet for it.

The worst part of last night''s episode? It totally derailed my nesting efforts this week. I was making SO MUCH progress (I was about to start scrubbing down baseboards!) and now I just don''t give a flying frack about any of it

 

[Mara]

re: hormones... don't worry about them IMO... preggo hormones are crazy and make everything feel super 'real'. i think the same about post-partum too. thankfully mine weren't too crazy at all, i only had like 2 instances of red rage (both directed at poor clueless hub hehe). i didn't finally start to feel back to 'normal' until around now. i think that a big part of that is my AF returning--the hormones seem to be returning to regular levels--whatever that means!

congrats Charger!! glad to hear everything turned out ok with the babe and the delivery!! can't wait to see a pic.

swimmer love the 2nd pic! and the alert eyes in the first. CUTE.

 

[Puppmom]

I have a doctor''s appt tonight and I FEAR THE SCALE! I''m pretty sure I exploded in the last two weeks. Funny thing is I''ve been walking 30-60 minutes every day. If I weigh what I think I weigh, I''ll be up 35 pounds and I''m 33 weeks...boo!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I''m right there with ya pupp! I''ve been super active over the last month, but I''ve also gone on 1 vacation and 1 business trip and I didn''t exactly eat lightly on either...

I thought you might be interested in the email I just sent to HR about maternity leave so you can see alllll of the questions I asked. I was chatting with my boss and she reminded me that vacation/sick time rolls into the anniversary year, not the calendar year so I might have been stockpiling my vacation time for nothing. This means I have to take about 2 weeks in advance of my due date...

Hi Mary,
Susan and I were just talking about my impending maternity leave and how to juggle the assignment of vacation/sick time, STD and unpaid time over the 8-12 weeks I’ll be out. The situation is slightly complicated by the fact that I’m due two weeks before my 1 year anniversary. There’s always chance I could go late and not deliver until after my 1 year anniversary.

Could you please confirm/clarify the following assumptions and questions?

1. From what I understand (from talking with you and my own research), if I deliver prior to my 1 year anniversary (October 5th), I’m not eligible for the 12 weeks of protection provided by FMLA; however I am protected for 8 weeks by MMLA. Therefore, if I deliver before October 5th I will be taking 8 weeks of unpaid leave in accordance with MMLA. If I deliver on or after October 5th I will be taking the 12 weeks accorded by FMLA. Correct?

2. Speaking in general terms, as it’s my first year of employment I’m allotted 15 vacation days, 6 sick days and 1 day for being a non-smoker for a total of 22 days. Correct?

3. Short term disability, while it covers 6 weeks following a vaginal delivery and 8 weeks following a cesarean delivery doesn’t start paying out until the 21st business day or first day of the second month out of work. Therefore, I would realize a total of 2 weeks of STD payments for vaginal delivery or 4 weeks of STD payment for a cesarean (not at 100% pay-66%?). Correct?

4. Paid holidays that fall within the time “on leave” are still paid out at 100% and not factored into the “unpaid” leave policy. For example, vacation/sick/STD time would not be used to cover a paid holiday like Veterans Day. I would be paid for this day in accordance with the company’s standard practice. Correct?

5. Vacation time does not have to be used for maternity leave, but can be used to cover unpaid leave if it’s my choice to do so. Correct?

6. Time off is not accrued during a period of leave, correct?

7. The vacation time policy has not been updated in the HR portal. It’s my understanding that with exception of 5 days that can be rolled into the next year, any remaining vacation time must be used up prior to my one year anniversary. Correct?

8. How much (if any) sick time can be rolled into the next year?

9. Can vacation and sick time be “borrowed” in advance of accruing it? For example, I will be on leave early in my second year of employment, following October 5th. Obviously, I will not have accrued enough time at this point to cover the unpaid leave. May I borrow against future accrued time to cover the unpaid leave?

So as I see it in my mind, if all vacation/sick time must be used prior to the one year anniversary, then I would need to use any time that cannot be rolled over prior to delivery. However, this time does not count against my 8 (or 12) weeks of maternity leave. The first month of maternity leave is unpaid, but sick and vacation time can be used to fill it. Additionally, during the time slated for my leave there are several holidays for which I’ll be paid at 100%. Then short term disability pays for 2-4 weeks based on delivery. If deliver on or after October 5th I will be eligible for FMLA and would receive another 4 weeks unpaid leave for a total of 12 weeks, which I could apply sick and vacation time to ensure a paycheck.

Sorry this is so long and convoluted. It’s all so confusing and I want to be sure I’m 100% clear on the policies and how they apply to my specific situation as soon as possible so I can plan out my projects and coverage for the rest of the summer.

It would be great to have this all in writing so I can refer back to it in the future; but please let me know if you’d like me to move up our meeting to talk in person. I’d like to include Susan so we’re all on the same page. Right now our meeting is scheduled for Friday, August 20th.

 

[Puppmom]

Holy email, Hudson!

I was right - I exploded. 5 pounds in 2 weeks!!! I''m up 36 pounds at 33 weeks.

 

[Mara]

our company was great -- after the confusing webinar you had to watch, they would actually just send you this timeline email so that you could see exactly how things overlapped and how the paid and unpaid/job protection leaves applied to you specifically, including STD, FMLA, PFL, PTO etc.

not sure if your gals' companies do this but i would def ask if they can do a customized timeline for you. makes it WAY easier.

oh and i don't remember who said they gained 6lbs in i think 18 weeks? that is GREAT!!! don't let anyone tell you it's not..! i think i gained 18 lbs in 18 weeks and my dr said i was right on track, she wanted 1 lb per week for a total of 40...that was too much for me but 6 is great!

 

[meresal]

Swimmer, E is absolutely beautiful!!

Congrats Charger!!

 

[So Excited]

Time to catch up a little...

Jas- Can''t believe your still awaiting the LO.. You are definately a trooper for patiently waiting it out.

HH- Hope that your horomones calm down and you get that all figured out.. I''m sure dealing with all of the trying to figure out the paid/unpaid time off doesn''t help

Puppmom- I DREADED the scale at EVERY appt!! I know exactly how you feel! I think the only thing that helped me and kept me sane throughout all the added lbs this time around was to stop stepping on the scale at home and know that the lbs would come off after bebe was born, and they did... If I have a chance I will post my 39wk and the 1 and 2 wk post prego pics. It is such a relief now to know that IT"S OKAY to gain the LBS when your pregnant.

Charger- Congrats, cant wait to hear more and see Nicolas!

Swimmer- Elijah is such a cutie! Congrats

Noelwr- Welcome and hope that your nausea gets better... the boobs will too...

Diva Diamond- Hope all goes well with your appt. on monday and glad the Zofran offers some relief.. I don''t know what I would have done if I had MS... I LOVE to EAT!


Alek and I are doing pretty good... he eats ALOT (4oz every 2-2 1/2 hours) so the breastfeeding is really tough to keep up with- my DD didnt eat that much until she was a month old!.. I have switched to pumping and bottlefeeding due to an anatomical challenge that he has... He has a very small nasal structure and a very large tongue which makes it harder for him to breath.. it always sounds like he is hyperventilating... Doc says do all I can to prevent him from getting sick cuz if he does he will probably need to be admitted and put on oxygen if there is any mucus blocking the clear airway.

Other than that, he is doing good... weighed 10lbs yesterday at his 2wk checkup!

I think I have finally "recovered" from having a 9lb baby. haha- the recovery was worse than the labor this time.

Brief Birth Story Outline - sorry it took so long....
June 3-
7:00am- checked into hospital to have elective inducing due to the itching driving me NUTS and the test results for the bile salts being delayed and not knowing if there was for sure no risk for baby.
7:15- hooked up for monitoring for 1/2 hour
7:40- Dr. checked me- 4cm and 70% effaced
7:45- Dr. broke my water and we were awaiting to see if pitocin would be needed
8:40- I opted for a SLOW drip of pitocin (6mil) to get the contractions to be stronger (I was having them, but didn''t want labor to stall like it did with my DD)
9:20- Contrations were pretty strong and coming 6 every 1/2 hour
9:40- Called for the epidural

10:00- epidural in (unfortunately it was one sided for a while so I had to play the roll from side to side game to get it to even out and a real pain to get put in- I got 5-6 zingers down my leg from them grazing the nerve and it took way to long to get in while going through contractions... yeah, sit still while in pain.. NOT
10:55- 6cm, 100% effaced and he was at 0 station
11:37- 9cm, +1.5 station
12:05- No cervix left
12:10- Did one "practice push" with the nurses before calling my doctor to see if I was ready - They saw his hair so the room was prepared and the Doc was called. (shes in the same building so its just a trip upstairs)
12:20- Dr. arrived and put her gloves on - pushed 9 times total through 3 contractions AND...
12:28- Alek was born!!

If I get a chance I will upload my post-baby belly pics if you would like to see???.. It was really encouring to see the post belly pics for me when I was prego knowing that it would go back to normal in a fairly quick manor after bebe was born..

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Congrats again SE!!!


It''s BPF ladies!!

Here''s my 26.5 week contribution.

 

[swimmer]

Looking good HH, and again, apologies for my son assuming that your boobs were open for business. They are just so lovely, he got distracted. You won''t believe it, he has put on 2lbs since then! Impressed by your email to HR. I think they should hire you...seriously.

Thank you Fiery, Ctek, SS, Jas, BB, Shiny, LV, Pupp, Mara, Mere, and Noel, great idea, I ordered a naked shot for DH for his first fathers day

I''d been on the fence about doing that. I love these photos more than our wedding pics!

SE! wow, thank you for sharing, Alek is huge! Yay for big babies!

Jas...fingers crossed for you!

 

[Puppmom]

SoExcited, thanks for the reassurance. The amount of weight I''ve gained is getting to me a bit. I''m trying not to stress because I know I can''t undo it now but I am a little worried about losing it post-partum. I would love to see your *after* pics and I''ll totally share after my LO is born! I think it''s a great idea.

HH, looking good. Time flies - you''re almost in the THIRD trimester!

Mara, that''s a good idea. I think I can probably map out with I *think* my leave timeline will look like and just ask HR to confirm.

So, in addition to confirming that I exploded at my doctor''s appointment, my doc said my hemoglobin levels are *impressive*. I was proud (about the hemoglobin not the 5 pounds!).

She also said that the amount of BH contrax I''m having is not unusual and, now that I''m beyond 32 weeks, more than 6 an hour for more than 2 hours warrants a call to the nurse. She also said that after 34 weeks, which is next Friday for me, they wouldn''t do anything extraordinary to stop true labor.

I have a suspicion that I''ll be like DrK - all these worrisome tightenings and then end up carrying beyond 40 weeks!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 6/18/2010 11:06:25 AM
Author: swimmer
Looking good HH, and again, apologies for my son assuming that your boobs were open for business. They are just so lovely, he got distracted. You won''t believe it, he has put on 2lbs since then! Impressed by your email to HR. I think they should hire you...seriously.


Thank you Fiery, Ctek, SS, Jas, BB, Shiny, LV, Pupp, Mara, Mere, and Noel, great idea, I ordered a naked shot for DH for his first fathers day

I''d been on the fence about doing that. I love these photos more than our wedding pics!


SE! wow, thank you for sharing, Alek is huge! Yay for big babies!


Jas...fingers crossed for you!

um....yea....got called into HR this morning where the benefits administrator basically laughed at me, handed me the employee manual and said the answers are in it and she couldn''t say anything else because so much of it is up in the air....**sigh**

 

[So Excited]

Thank you again for all of your congrats! Sorry if I wasn''t able to catch up with everyone...

Puppmom - Like I said, not to worry about the weight... your so close to the end - I believe I lost 2lbs in the last few weeks..

Here you go..

The first pic is on the morning I went into to deliver (39 wks) and then 1 week post-baby and 2 weeks post baby

 

[So Excited]

Front View

 

[Puppmom]

SoExcited, you look fantastic. You inspire me! I''ll definitely be up AT LEAST 40 pounds by the time I deliver so I hope I can bounce back like you have.

 

[taovandel]

HH: You must work where I work...our HR is pretty incompetent and hates to actually answer questions.

 

[turtledazzle]

Thanks for the welcome! I''m a day late, but we did finally get around to downloading pics from our camera. Here I am at 30 weeks. I can''t believe there are only 10 more weeks to go. We have so much to do!

 

[turtledazzle]

Gah, sorry ... that''s bigger than I expected!

So Excited -- you look fabulous!!!

Your LO is so adorable. PS''ers make beautiful babies!

 

[E B]

Oops! Wrong thread.

(You all look great, though!)

 

[lovelylulu]

hello

Still a bit too busy with house guests, visitors and breastfeeding to sit down and type out a proper post, but will do so eventually.

Jas - hoping that you are in labor soon

i'm so curious to see whether your having a boy or a girl!!

pupp and hh - hope that you sort out the maternity leave

hope that everyone's babe is in good health and

you ladies look smashing.

Here's my late BPF titled: What a difference a week makes:

 

[Puppmom]

Turtle, you look great!

Lovelylulu, gah! I love it! I can''t wait to try my moby wrap!

 

[somethingshiny]

Aww, love the pic Lulu!!


Just a quick question because I have to get back to cooking. (I do a lot of that on Father''s Day weekend it seems!)


How early did/are you packing for the hospital??

I am 36+ weeks and have been considering packing, mostly because I''ve had so many contractions. But, as much as I really want this baby out, I don''t think she''s coming before my scheduled c-section. The thing is, I WEAR my clothes and USE the things I''ll be taking with me. I wonder if I should double up on a few things so I can get them in a bag (I''ll eventually use them anyway). What have you done??

 

[Laila619]

Big congrats to So Excited and Lulu!!!

Hi everyone! I'm officially introducing myself on the big girl thread! DH and I are expecting our first and I hit 15 weeks today and am very happy to be here! Definitely showing already...

 

[Dreamer_D]

Good lord Laila, you are totally showing a tonne for only 15 weeks!

I think you will have one of those basketball bellies, you know, slim everywhere and looking like you stuck a basketball under your shirt! You look great.

Swimmer Awesome photos

Lulu Such big congrats woman. Nora is gorgeous and I love the name, DH and I were just talking about it as a potential girls name for future kids! I am so happy you have your little baby... we were TTC together so long ago and so much has happened, I cannot even believe how fast time flies. But I am just so happy for you, the road may have been different than you were expecting, but look where you ended up!

 

[Jas12]

hi friends...just a quick me-centric post to report i am still pregnant. Will i ever report something different. seriously. I am feeling fine but go into have a NST and a bioscan tomorrow (to check on weight, fluid, movement) no plans to induce, i ''ll just continue to wait. Really, it has to be ANY min now!

I was very stressed last friday when my middie gave me copies of my last ultrasound at 37 weeks and the tech at the bottom wrote "raised possibility of cystic fibrosis" i had a break down and lots of tears, but DH pulled me together and we are just focusing on being positive and zen. It''s easier said than done. Just being 9 days over is reason enuf to be nutty--never mind adding a health concern in there.
anyway, i don''t want to dwell, so for fun, here is a little progression of pics with me in the same workout gear (those long lululemon tops are the *best* for pregnancy)



me heading to the gym in my blue ''uniform'' at
12 weeks
27 week
41 weeks !!!!

 

[Jas12]

27 weeks

 

[Jas12]

41 weeks...yuck