Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Blenheim]

I tried posting over the weekend, but started crying for Indy and had to go take a walk instead. I really hope that the cubs stay put.

Jen, don''t feel embarassed! The girls will be here soon enough.

Pandora, glad to hear the bleeding turned out to be fine.

Nycbkgirl, I hope that everything''s okay. I feel like every twin mama on here has had bleeding, so I hope it''s just that.

I''m craving everything, and anything I eat tastes like the best thing I ever had. Does that mean that I''m having boy-girl twins?

 

[nycbkgirl]

thanks blen! i need every bit of hope i can get

did u have any bleeding?? i dont have any cramps so im still on the hopeful side...such a pain this whole waiting process...always waiting thats all we do and its the worst part...hopefully i can get some sleep soon. thanks again everyone.

 

[Dreamer_D]

NYC hang in there!! And go see the doctor tomorrow... better to have your mind at ease, no? Like they dd for Pandora, they can do a little scan and see what''s going on.

 

[Blenheim]

No bleeding, but then again, I''m not having twins. (At least, not that I''m aware of.) So many women experience bleeding (and cramping) during pregnancy, and a lot of the time it''s fine. I think that brownish pink means old blood, which is good. You are getting an u/s tomorrow?

 

[nycbkgirl]

Thanks again DD n blen- im goin 2mor 8am sharp! Im still hopeful so appreciate all the positivity n hoping it is a "twin thing " ...will update u all from docs office after scan..cross fingers for me..I know u all do anyway. Thanks.

 

[snlee]

Date: 10/6/2008 5:30:03 PM
Author: neatfreak
Pandora and Mela I''m sorry to bust in on your theory here, but all I could eat was fruit and citrus, even the sight of meat made me want to puke, and I''ve got two boys baking in here. In fact one of my nurses in the hospital this weekend said the same thing when she was pregnant with her boy.

So you just never know...

I''m not sure about your theory either. I loved citrus throughout my pregnancy (couldn''t stop eating tangerines) and you all know I had a boy!

 

[snlee]

nycbkgirl, I had implantation bleeding early on around 4 weeks then spotting at around 8 weeks. Lots of sticky dust to you! I hope it''s nothing. Keep us posted.

LIA, how are you doing? If I remember correctly, you''re on less restricted bed rest tomorrow? YAY!!!!!

Indy, thinking of you! Check in when you can.

 

[LaraOnline]

Tacori and Jas,
thanks for the replies! I HATE my midwives !!!

All I ever got from them was that all drugs were bad - including happy gas.
Seriously, the nursing system over here has a SERIOUSLY judgemental attitude towards medical involvement in childbirth... to the point where they have campaigned to make it illegal for women to have an optional caesarian!!!

I mean, overall it has worked for me, in that it was ''interesting'' to have my babies completely naturally. And at least I didn''t have any guilt associated with having an earlier intervention because I had taken pethidene, etc. That being said, my second baby still stopped breathing during the natural birth!! Imagine if I''d had my own way and had a home birth - imagine how it could have gone... and yet midwives campaign ferociously for homebirths... I did not appear a high risk birthing mum

For my first birth, the midwife was perfectly happy for me to be in the tub - no-one mentioned at any stage at ante-natal, not even during the labour, that hot water baths can slow or even stop labour, especially in first births! That''s what happened to me!
They were so busy selling the ''no-drug'' story that the ''warm bath'' story wasn''t even mentioned!!! 24 hours and a forceps delivery later...

Now, after Thomas''s ''stopped breathing'' story, (this one an ''emergency forceps delivery'') I am magically a higher risk patient. Which means I''ll be seeing an obstetrician, rather than a general practitioner for the birth of this baby. I guess he''ll give me the lowdown on medical interventions, such as epis, without the hysteria.

Talking to some midwives, one could be forgiven for thinking babies are simply transported into the labour room via a stork, with no genuine risk to mum or bub at all. I mean, what is the NATURAL rate of maternal death in childbirth? Something like 30%?

 

[nycbkgirl]

Thanks snlee...I didn''t have any bleeding or spotting up to this point at all so it scares me a little..I also had a big cyst that may have ruptured but I dont think they cause bleeding..so im in the waiting room as we speak..keep u all posted

 

[sk8rjen]

Just checking on on NYC -- hope it goes well for you this morning! You asked last night about the bleeding i had -- well, it was a lot more than just brownish spotting. Also, the month before I had had a chemical pregnancy, so I was SURE i was having a m/c. That first bleeding was around 5 ish weeks and the doc was able to just do my betas (which were high) and then again at 7 weeks when we got to see them on u/s. I''m pretty sure i had bleeding each of those weeks, but definitely again at 10 weeks and 12 weeks. Most of it was not just "old brown blood" -- i was on edge the whole time. And obviously all was fine as i am sitting here impatiently waiting for these girls to come out

Looking forward to your update!!
jen
35w 6d

 

[Courtneylub]

It's so hard to keep up with this thread! Remember my urgent need for answers last week regarding allergies? They got worse and worse over the weekend and were so obviously not just allergies. I have never been so miserable and frustrated! I couldn't breath for about 4 days, but I'm feeling better today. I can't believe how much more your sinuses can swell up when you're pregnant! Thank goodness I'm better because I don't think I could've taken much more of it. I was so emotional and was beginning to act like the girl from the Exorcist in my bed!

I went to my OB yesterday to see what else I could take or what else could be done. There wasn't much more I could do, so I'm glad it's sort of taken it's course. While we were there, we asked to hear the heartbeat. Every chance we get we want to hear it. It was fast and strong! Whew.

My friend had her DNC yesterday and I don't know how to reach out and say anything to her. We aren't the best of friends, but I would definitely consider her more than an aquaintance. I'm not sure she wants to talk to anyone right now...especially a pregnant person.

I've heard about the craving protein=a boy. I have actually been turned off by meat unless it's a burger with a ton of pickles on it.

I'm worried about Indy...I was hoping she'd have updated by now.

10 weeks 5 days

 

[Kay]

Tacori, MC, MrsS, Snlee, TGal, Jas12, Qtie, thank you all for your support & advice – I was having a melt-down moment. MC asked why my Dr. gave me the option of a planned C section. I was diagnosed with a complete placenta previa early in the second trimester, so we thought for several weeks I would have to have a C section. By the time the previa resolved itself, I had gotten comfortable with the idea of a C. I actually asked my Dr. what he thought of an elective C versus a vag birth. He said he would support whatever decision I made (they are very big on a patient’s right to choose in California), and said it can actually be easier to recover from a planned C than a rough vag birth (long labor followed by an emergency C is the worst). The choice seemed pretty neutral for the baby, they have to vacuum fluid from her lungs, but she would avoid the trauma and bruising of a vag birth. For me, it was a choice between abdominal trauma and the scar versus internal vag trauma and tearing, possible external tearing/episiotomy when she crowns and possible incontinence issues. Neither option sounded great, but I have been through a few surgeries before, so it seemed more like “known” territory to me. I’m going to try to stick with my choice and try the vag birth and hope for the best. I am stepping away from the Discovery channel now.

Sbde, congrats on reaching 24 weeks and finding a great pair of mat jeans!

Pandora, I am so relieved to hear it was just delayed implantation bleeding and everything is fine with your wee beastie. Cute u/s pic!

Neatfreak, try to rest as much as possible. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for good FnF results.

Mela, congrats on passing your milestone date.

Jen, no need to be embarrassed at all. Sorry you had to go through painful false labor. It’s good the girls get to bake a bit longer. I guess the race is still on.

Nycbk, I am keeping my fingers crossed for a good u/s today. It sounds like bleeding is pretty common.

Lara, sorry you hate your midwives. I hope you get a good OB. I think women should be presented with all the options available and allowed to make their own decisions without lots of pressure about doing it the “right” way.

Courtney, glad you are feeling better and got to hear the heartbeat again.

I am so tired of waking up at 3 or 4 am and not being able to go back to sleep. I have two days left at work, and much to do, so I cannot afford to be this exhausted. I would have just gone into the office at 5, but I was afraid I would wake DH up while I was getting ready. It’s 7 now, so I am going to go get ready for work without too much guilt at this point.

 

[mela lu]

oh NYC I''m thinking of you right now and hoping all is well at the Drs!

I had a m/c in June, and just as a reference, the bleeding was bright red blood, flowing when I sat on the toilet (but strangely nothing in my undies) with tissue and clots.

It was persistence for a few hours - then the cramping started. It was cramping like wee little (painful) contractions. I cramped for about 17 hrs until I ''passed'' the fetus. After that I bled for a about 4 more days just like a period. and then it was done. Hopefully none of you ever have to experience anything like that.


Courtney - so glad your personal hell has passed! How scary!!!


Back to my protein/citrus theory. I *know* I may be wrong about this...but I feel like if I psych myself up to have a boy, and then I have one - I''ll be proud to say my inkling was correct. If I give birth and (surprise

) its a girl - I''ll be VERY pleasantly surprised and happy. I think this kind of psychology will work for me

...and to conclude. I made my lentil soup last night and it was Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelish.

Indy - thinking of you.

Jen - CAN''T Farking WAIT for your girls to arrive!!!!!


Question. When did you all start ''showing'' to YOUR OWN EYE, not the outside world (i.e. not when you ''popped'' but when you had an undeniable lickle bump.

???

Mela, 7 weeks 3days

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 10/7/2008 12:34:26 AM
Author: LaraOnline
Tacori and Jas,
thanks for the replies! I HATE my midwives !!!

All I ever got from them was that all drugs were bad - including happy gas.
Seriously, the nursing system over here has a SERIOUSLY judgemental attitude towards medical involvement in childbirth... to the point where they have campaigned to make it illegal for women to have an optional caesarian!!!

I mean, overall it has worked for me, in that it was ''interesting'' to have my babies completely naturally. And at least I didn''t have any guilt associated with having an earlier intervention because I had taken pethidene, etc. That being said, my second baby still stopped breathing during the natural birth!! Imagine if I''d had my own way and had a home birth - imagine how it could have gone... and yet midwives campaign ferociously for homebirths... I did not appear a high risk birthing mum

For my first birth, the midwife was perfectly happy for me to be in the tub - no-one mentioned at any stage at ante-natal, not even during the labour, that hot water baths can slow or even stop labour, especially in first births! That''s what happened to me!
They were so busy selling the ''no-drug'' story that the ''warm bath'' story wasn''t even mentioned!!! 24 hours and a forceps delivery later...

Now, after Thomas''s ''stopped breathing'' story, (this one an ''emergency forceps delivery'') I am magically a higher risk patient. Which means I''ll be seeing an obstetrician, rather than a general practitioner for the birth of this baby. I guess he''ll give me the lowdown on medical interventions, such as epis, without the hysteria.

Talking to some midwives, one could be forgiven for thinking babies are simply transported into the labour room via a stork, with no genuine risk to mum or bub at all. I mean, what is the NATURAL rate of maternal death in childbirth? Something like 30%?

Lara, I so hear you on this.

The midwives round here are incredibly pro-home birth and all natural.

As someone who is pretty anti-home births and thinks that pain relief was invented for a reason, I have been advised not to go to any of the local ante-natal or NCT classes as I will fight with the people running them...

If someone WANTS to go drug free then that is fine, but there is nothing wrong in wanting intervention.

I was sent on what I was told was the ''Rolls Royce'' of courses for people with chronic pain conditions a few years ago - 2 weeks in-patient here in London at some enormous cost. The whole thing was run by nurses who were anti-doctor, anti-pain meds and anti-surgery.

I was told I was a junkie, that I should never have let a surgeon near my spine and that I was too stubborn to admit I was wrong. I won''t tell you what I told them.... out of 20 people on the course, I was easily the worst case, took far more drugs than anyone else and was the only person with a full time job and a social life. I got into terrible trouble for telling the others to quit whinging, take a good load of opiates and get back to life.

I actually ran away from the place one night I was so miserable - DH made me go back.

Fortunately I''m high risk enough that I''m straight to the OB and by-pass the wretched madwives.

 

[sbde]

jas12: thanks for the h&m tip - i shall make a trip to a store to check out their maternity stuff.

qtiekiki: thanks - and yes they are super comfy. btw LOVE your avatar...meena is so cute!

nycbkgirl: hope all goes well @ the dr''s!

kay: thank you! congrats on making it to your second last day of work! i hope you get a day or two of rest before the baby arrives!

mela lu: yay to giving in to cravings i don''t remember when i started showing but i do remember feeling pretty chunky early on due to bloating.

 

[Courtneylub]

Amen, Pandora.

 

[neatfreak]

Hi all, my daily check in now that I have basically had to abandon the rest of my life, lol. These little boys are very lucky that I love them so much, I don''t cancel things for just anyone!

My update is that there isn''t one. No news is good news for now since the only thing we''re watching for is preterm labor. I''m home, on no meds, and bored but doing well. Luckily I''m a researcher so I can do most of my work from my laptop at home. But after being such an active person all the time it''s so hard not to get up to do stuff, especially when I see something that needs to be cleaned in the house! Ahhhh, my neatfreak tendencies are what will drive me nuts if I have to be on long term bedrest here...

Pandora Glad it went well and that the little bean looks great!

NYC Thinking of you! Hope all is ok. Most likely everything is fine, there are a LOT of people who have spotted on and off here, and I might be the only twin mom that hasn''t. Hang tight girl!

Blen That means you are LUCKY! All I could eat for 12 weeks was basically strawberries, watermelon, and oranges. Gets old after awhile.

 

[nycbkgirl]

Thank u all soooo much..u all kept me sane...everything is wonderful...heard both beating hearts..one is 124bpm and the other 131bpm...so I was thrilled and keepin in my tears because doctor is so serious (he is celine dion'' s doc afterall lol) he said the bleeding is common (thanks jen for the twin tip
Will respond more later 2day...so relieved!

 

[mela lu]

aww crappers NF. well, enjoy the calm before the storm!

Pandora - 'madwives' (lol) you kill me.

ETA: YEY NYC on your two beans!!!!!!! GREAT news. Hang in there and rest up girl! you have a BIG job ahead of you growing those little munchkins!

 

[E B]

Ladies, if you want to know the sex(es) of your babies, just ask me. And then assume you''re having the opposite sex. I haven''t been right yet when it comes to PS babies.

(p.s. I''ve always seen PINK for dreamer, which means she should probably start buying blue.)

 

[mela lu]

LOL Ebree!

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 10/7/2008 11:29:12 AM
Author: nycbkgirl
Thank u all soooo much..u all kept me sane...everything is wonderful...heard both beating hearts..one is 124bpm and the other 131bpm...so I was thrilled and keepin in my tears because doctor is so serious (he is celine dion'' s doc afterall lol) he said the bleeding is common (thanks jen for the twin tip
Will respond more later 2day...so relieved!

Great news - must be a big relief for you!

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 10/7/2008 11:34:55 AM
Author: EBree
Ladies, if you want to know the sex(es) of your babies, just ask me. And then assume you're having the opposite sex. I haven't been right yet when it comes to PS babies.

(p.s. I've always seen PINK for dreamer, which means she should probably start buying blue.)

Yay!

What colour wool should I start knitting wee beastie blankets in then EBree?

I'm still kind of sad I'm not having a honeymoon baby - we were going to have third names if we did: Ammonite for a girl and Velociraptor for a boy in honour of our fossil hunting honeymoon. How cool would it be to say your name was Velociraptor?

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

Ok what do you guys think about this........

I know many of you are way too young to be in my position but I value the sheer brain power on here.

I saw my new OB for first time yest. as I am transferring care for an impending move and he brings up the whole to amnio or not question. I am scheduled to have one in 4 weeks.

Apparently, my NT (nuchal translucency) scan was way good last week: 1.1mm and he starts counseling me on the merits and efficacy of early diagnostics and all these
crazy percentages on Down''s. He basically feels that an amnio is "not indicated" for the scores I have but I tried to rally back with the adjusted m/c rate for
amnio''s and a really lame attempt to attack the NT scan and bloodwork analysis. Also, how can we account for other trisomies not measurable on us?

He seems to feel my risk is low like 8%-5%. Although for my age my risk is 1/91!! I started to panic as I had refused the triple marker bloodwork as we were charging forward to amnio. So I called the peri and will get that done so we have more info. at genetic counseling time in 4 weeks.

However, although he comes well-recommended, he is not a perinatiologist and does not routinely do amnio''s. He was so convincing though!

We had an amnio (different peri) 2 yrs ago w/ Olivia and it was a breeze. Her NT was about the same.

He advised me that the AFP test (done @ 15 weeks) would most likely be + as I have a "vanishing twin" that could be kicking off more HCG during decomposition (eww) and impact that test. More conflicting potential data.

I know it''s a highly personal decision but it is wrought with a lot of anxiety. The outcome would change the course of this pregnancy. I even asked about terminations as I have always wondered who does late-term abortions for this set of women. Apparently there is only 1 Dr. is available for this in the area according to the OB. After asking I realized it was a little TMI even for me. God forbid we have to even go down this road.

I should probably pose all these questions to the genetics counselor/peri at the next appt.

Any thoughts on this are welcome.

13.3 wks

 

[neatfreak]

Lisa, for us we didn't do it because with the high unreliability of positive test results for amnios (esp. with twins), we knew that regardless of our results we wouldn't terminate the pregnancy (because a positive result could mean something or nothing, and there is no way to really know if it means something, how bad that something might be). So for us, it was an easy decision because we knew that NOTHING would change for us even with the information, EXCEPT that we might needlessly worry for months that something was wrong, and then find out that nothing was.

If you feel differently, which it sounds like you do, then you need to do the right thing for you. You just need to know that a positive/bad result on an amino doesn't guarantee that something big will be wrong with your baby. So potentially you could terminate a baby that would be completely or mostly totally fine, which is a personal decision that only you can decide obviously.

Anyway, that is *my* thought process. But everyone's circumstances and reactions to bad news are different, so for someone else they might feel empowered with the knowledge regardless of what it was. I know it would just have made me worry.

I think a bigger issue here is that if your doctor is strongly NOT counseling you to have one, and you decide to, and get bad results, will he be comfortable with your decision to terminate? Or will he try and talk you out of something you obviously feel strongly about? Sounds to me like at least a part of his counseling you against it may be because he doesn't agree with termination after bad amnio results? You need a doctor that will back you up with your own health decisions.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 10/7/2008 12:20:19 PM
Author: lisa1.01fvs1
Ok what do you guys think about this........

I know many of you are way too young to be in my position but I value the sheer brain power on here.

I saw my new OB for first time yest. as I am transferring care for an impending move and he brings up the whole to amnio or not question. I am scheduled to have one in 4 weeks.

Apparently, my NT (nuchal translucency) scan was way good last week: 1.1mm and he starts counseling me on the merits and efficacy of early diagnostics and all these
crazy percentages on Down''s. He basically feels that an amnio is ''not indicated'' for the scores I have but I tried to rally back with the adjusted m/c rate for
amnio''s and a really lame attempt to attack the NT scan and bloodwork analysis. Also, how can we account for other trisomies not measurable on us?

He seems to feel my risk is low like 8%-5%. Although for my age my risk is 1/91!! I started to panic as I had refused the triple marker bloodwork as we were charging forward to amnio. So I called the peri and will get that done so we have more info. at genetic counseling time in 4 weeks.

However, although he comes well-recommended, he is not a perinatiologist and does not routinely do amnio''s. He was so convincing though!

We had an amnio (different peri) 2 yrs ago w/ Olivia and it was a breeze. Her NT was about the same.

He advised me that the AFP test (done @ 15 weeks) would most likely be + as I have a ''vanishing twin'' that could be kicking off more HCG during decomposition (eww) and impact that test. More conflicting potential data.

I know it''s a highly personal decision but it is wrought with a lot of anxiety. The outcome would change the course of this pregnancy. I even asked about terminations as I have always wondered who does late-term abortions for this set of women. Apparently there is only 1 Dr. is available for this in the area according to the OB. After asking I realized it was a little TMI even for me. God forbid we have to even go down this road.

I should probably pose all these questions to the genetics counselor/peri at the next appt.

Any thoughts on this are welcome.

13.3 wks

Lisa, I''m probably going to be having the same conversation next week.

I seriously want to do CVS no matter what results I get on the NT or the blood work.

My GP is VERY anti amnio or CVS because of the m/c risk - however, both he and my psychiatrist are of the belief that I would not cope well with a disabled child (as much as anything because of my existing health problems) and so totally support my decision to terminate in the event of major abnormalities.

The unit I attend delivers 6000 babies a year and does NT for all pregnancies regardless of age. This makes me think that they will be doing amnio and CVS as often as anyone in the UK is and that is the biggest indicator for a problem-free procedure.

With any luck I will be able to schedule CVS at around 12 weeks - that way, if by some chance there is something wrong it is an awful lot less traumatic to terminate then than to have to terminate later.

I think you have to go with your gut feeling on this one. What does DH think?

 

[Jas12]

Lara--you should switch caregivers if you *hate* the ones you have.Midwives are supposed to be women-centered meaning most don''t outright advocate the use of drugs (and with reason, there are risks involved with drugs and without them) but they should not undermine or belittle a woman who does choose to have them. Find someone you are comfortable with. You are high risk now so iam assuming a midwife wouldn''t take you now anyway right? Hopefully you can find a great OB and have the type of birth you want for # 3.
Also, if 30% of women died during natural childbirth i think at least of few of us PS mommas would be dead now

I wouldn''t have had a natural birth if i had nearly a 1 in 3 chance of dying!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/7/2008 1:40:37 PM
Author: Jas12
Also, if 30% of women died during natural childbirth i think at least of few of us PS mommas would be dead now

I wouldn''t have had a natural birth if i had nearly a 1 in 3 chance of dying!

Yeah, this is crazy. I know that the rate of death during childbirth for the US is about 11 per 100,000 live births. I believe that 30% number was accurate during the 1800''s perhaps.

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

NF & Pandora - thanks for the well-reasoned sentiments. NF, are you referriing to the results of chromosome testing following amnio? I did not know there were significant error rates when they grow-out the cells. Hmmm, now you got me thinking. I guess w/ any proceedure there are error rates.

Pandora - Yes, we have similar thoughts on this. Thank you for your openess in what is a difficult topic. As older parents and with a 1.5 yr old we have to take into account the entire picture. I agree that having cvs/amnio w/ an experienced clinician is a must. The adjusted risk for amnio and cvs is 1/700.

I just read that first trimester screening (NT and blood work for protein plasma A) is a more effective gauge if done together. Phew, I slid into the bloodtest tomorrow at 13.4 weeks - the cut-off is 13.6 weeks! The expanded AFP (triple or quad test is after 15 weeks and less reliable). I don''t know if I can tolerate that amount of unknown for the duration of the pregnancy.

However, none of these tests have the diagnostic power of genetic testing. I''m just a bundle of nerves today.

Oh, and the OB''s wife had cvs testing done w/ their 1st kid. So not sure what "personal" side he''s on if any.

I guess I have 4 weeks to cogitate on this.....

Pandora - love the wee beastie pic. I could see the implantation bleed - fascinating!

NF - are you seriously getting any work done at home on bedrest? I think I would eat myself into oblivion if bedbound.

NYC - glad to read that the 2 embryos are doing great! There are a lot of cervical changes throughout pg. and bleeding is "normal" well, not the frank, red kind.

Jen - I was giggling at your post. I guess not matter how experienced we are at this pg. thing the body can and does fool you. I forgot when is your EDD?

Snlee - how are these early days going? You seem like a seasoned pro. Is Derek giving you guys a few well-deserved naps during the day? How''s the boob-feeding going? Olivia was straving and ate every hour and a half!

DD - any updates, us news, body issues, clothing finds, messy beds?

Mela - congratulations on the pg. milestone! I always count every day. I heard the HB yesterday on doppler and the bean kept moving in and out of range. 160 bpm. Hmm, those are girl numbers (faster).

Kay - you sound ready to go! Don''t worry, when and if you want a c-sect. during the del. you can get one! I am having repest c-sect as I didn''t have the best labor and my pelvis did not have any aptitude for vaginal birth. It''s weird but anytime after 39 weeks we can pick the day and time. Baby #2 could have the same b-day as baby #1 (2 yrs apart)!!!! I don''t think this would be fair to do to them though.

 

[Dreamer_D]

NF what is the false positive rate for amnio with genetic testing being done? I thought there were no errors (i.e. really minimal) with the genetic tests? I''m gonna have to look it up.

Lisa I have nothing interesting to share, just chugging along! I will add that in your position I would do every test there is, but I would like to know the error rates of amnio before getting too worked up about it. I also am having all the screens done and if there is reason I will have amnio as well, for the same reasons as you.