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"Just Barely" Pregnant PS''ers

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Just thought I'd pop in since I currently AM 32 weeks pregnant, and so its fresh on my mind how im feeling re: travel right now. first, id be checking with my doctor to see how he feels about me travelling. I don't know what his opinion would be, he may leave it up to me. Second, im carrying very high, with a baby firmly lodging body parts in my ribs 24/7. This means sitting for more than about 30 mins becomes a bit uncomfortable. Sitting straight up for any period of time....downright awful. I need a bit of recline to give the belly some room and not be compacted in anyway. I just drove 2 hrs each way with DH this past weekend, and had some issues finding a comfortable position in the car.
Anyways, that's just my little bit of experience. I have no plans to go further than an hour away for the duration of my pregnancy, but if I had to, I would be sure to pllan for a lot of added time for resting and getting up to move around and stretch.

Oh and LC: I would say you'll probably be feeling well enough for the Blackhawks game :). Im not planning on quitting going to Reds games anytime soon!
 
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Hmmm...all this talk of travel later on in pregnancy has me a teeny bit worried. DH and I bought tickets (before we found out we were pregnant) to fly out to Kansas for his brother's wedding at the end of September. I'll be about 25 weeks, but with twins, I'm not sure how big I'll be, and how uncomfortable my size/weight of the babies will make our 3ish hour flight. Hopefully it works out. For now, my doc is okay with my flying, as long as I see her a few days before my trip to make sure I'm looking good to travel...
 
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Ally, just popping in to say that your daughter is absolutely adorable! What a cute way to share your news!

NEL, I can't see much, but how exciting to have your first picture of your baby! Glad to hear you only have one little bean in there and in the right place, despite your earlier fears.

LC, sorry about your SIL. It's hard to be the good son/daughter-in-law sometimes, but at least you know you're the one doing the right thing. Some people are so selfish.

Hope all of you other ladies are doing well!
 
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NEL - You're a brave one! There's no way I'm flying that far along if I can help it, even though I do totally love Xmas at home in CT. It's supposed to be a WI Xmas year anyway, sigh. More on that later! Sorry about the weight gain due to snacking... I don't think I'm having that problem, I still have a decent amount of bloat, yuck, but my snacking has been super limited since I got nauseous this last week. Nothing sounds good! What do you snack on that seems to help? I am at a loss...

LC - I know it's a crappy family situation, but maybe your DH will change his mind when you're all visibly pregnant and it seems more real. If DH even tried for a second to tell me that he was going to leave me alone at 32 weeks preggo I would totally snap!! I'm so jealous that you are still symptom free, if I could have one full day of feeling normal I would explode with happiness! Your SIL sounds like a total beast... my in-laws aren't the greatest either, although they are just very different, not quite that evil. SO excited to see what happens with the officery!! :bigsmile:

ally - AHHHHHH THE SYMPTOMS. I am dying. Thanks for asking :)) Food aversions that are especially strong are anything with vinegar or eggs... but no food really sounds good at the moment. Tonight I wanted lasagna and garlic bread, but we got up at 4am this morning so that's not happening homemade-style... so Pizza Hut is bringing us pasta and garlic bread! Woo! Your DD is amazingly cute as is that onesie.. what a great way to break the news!! I have mostly given up coffee (because it sounds awful to me now, I was drinking about a half a cup a day until last week. I've moved on to Coca Cola though... but it has less caffeine per serving so I feel less guilt, plus it helps the tummy a little.

MQ, I love all your news-sharing stories!! So far only my mom and a couple super close friends know... I'm going to tell my dad and brother next week, but we're not telling anyone else until I tell work, so I have a long way to go! I wish we could tell DHs immediate fam too, but they have the biggest mouths on the planet!! I love the onesie, it is so adorable!

Charbie, thanks for your input! I think we have similar body types, so I am definitely going to avoid traveling at Xmas. Yikes.

Janine - good for you with the boundary setting!! I have a feeling I will have to do a lot of that with DHs family. They don't ever bother coming out to us, so I don't have to worry about them here, but I will have to manage expectations about what events we will and will not attend and for how long ;))

Krissie - lucky girl, getting to see those babies again! My doctor told me I could very possibly have some harmless spotting but that if I wanted to come in for an US they would absolutely see me. Makes a girl feel cared for, it does!! You have such a crazy couple of weeks coming up, I'm wishing you the very best getting through it all! I've been thinking about getting a doppler when I'm far enough along... I'll have to weigh the cost vs benefit when it becomes a possibility :bigsmile: Best of luck with the flight as well!

PT, love the story about your first scan! And so nice that you're getting two for one on this pregnancy, I would have loved to have had twins. My mom is one, so it wasn't out of the question!

PG, so sorry about the nausea... I can finally empathize. Ugh. You definitely have it worse than me, so I shouldn't complain, but it's seriously like torture! Fingers crossed that at least you get it to a manageable level soon!

Pancake, sorry about your butt! hehe. Pilates sounds like a good idea! As soon as some of this exhaustion lifts I can't wait to start swimming and walking more. I've been such a useless blob and I feel so guilty! Had no idea quite how hard it was to grow a human ;))

Sha, marlie, RMFA, brown, hope you're all doing well!!


AFM, ack! I'm so glad everyone else is worrying about traveling too - I basically begged my mom to come out here for Christmas with my dad and brother so I don't have to travel at 31-32 weeks pregnant! I could travel at 28ish weeks for Thanksgiving, but it doesn't make sense to spend the money if the fam will come to me only a few weeks later. So we will see what happens!! I don't know if I'll make it home at all during this pregnancy, which totally stinks, but we're trying really hard to pay down debt and not spend too much money so I will just hope that I can stand not seeing the fam til the end of the year. It would be a record for me to not have been home for that long!

Also, the dreaded nausea has kicked in :(( This afternoon was okay after I ran out for preggie pop drops on my lunch break, but yesterday and this morning? Yikes. No bueno. Combined with the exhaustion, I am about ready to drop dead by the end of the day. I feel so bad for poor DH who must think I've been possessed by the sleep demon as it seems I do nothing else when I'm home. Sigh. I cannot WAIT for the second trimester... I don't know how so many women manage to function!! I am miserable here!!

I guess I will take it, as nausea is supposed to signify a healthy pregnancy, right?! Blech.
 
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I've hit double figures - 10 weeks 1 day today! :appl: Excited!

Katy - my mum said exactly that when I started feeling sick early on! I hope your nausea is of the manageable type. Keep snacking - it will definitely help! Re the tiredness, it is so disabling isn't it?! I have to say, mine has eased a bit over the last week - I'm still tired, but it's much more manageable. I hope yours does the same! A bit sad that you don't see yourself getting home this year, but I am SURE that your family will come to you given that you are pg.

MonkeyPrincess - thanks for popping your head in! I am still lurking on the TTC thread and am really gunning for you.

LC, I'm sorry to hear that things with family are not all harmonious. It sounds like you have all had a really tough year with your MIL's accident and it's a shame that his SIL's way of dealing with it has been to be self-serving and difficult. It is hard when most are all about the give and take, and then one family member is just about the take. I hope she gets her head straight and sees the immaturity of her behaviour, although at the same time I guess that you can't wish insight into her head for her! I'm really glad you have your sister as a partner in crime. She is right - she is probably the best person under the circumstances to do the loathing for you ;)

Mannequin - cute tie-dye! Flower baby! I LOVE the idea of the remade, loved-over-the-ages blanket. So sweet.

Ally - I didn't intend to give up coffee, but I found early on when I had heaps of aversions that the smell made me feel sick all of a sudden, so I stopped. It wasn't difficult and I only had one cup a day anyway so there was no withdrawal, and I don't drink much in the way of other caffeinated drinks. I believe that under ~300mg a day of caffeine is ok, so you'd be fine with a coffee a day, and probably a cup of tea or two!

NEL, I can totally understand why you'd be stressed about weight gain. Maybe you could even get a referral to a dietician if you're really concerned? I have found that the constitution of my diet has changed quite a bit since I got pregnant due to aversions, cravings, nausea etc, and it's hard for me to assess how much energy I'm consuming compared to previously (apart from knowing that it's more!).

Re flying - we are doing a long-haul flight (Australia to Germany via either Singapore or Dubai) in September. All being well I will be 16 weeks when we leave and I hope that I will be in my "2nd trimester bloom" then. A friend of mine told me that the 2nd trimester is the best time to travel - after the sickness/bloating but before the heaviness/back pain/leg swelling! So hopefully that will be right. I was hoping to go to a conference in November in Vietnam but I will be 32 weeks then and even if the flight itself isn't an issue, I just don't want to travel overseas on my own in the third trimester, so I'll be giving that a miss. I am however going to a conference (3-4 hour flight away) in a few weeks. But I'll only be 14 weeks then so it should be fine. Fingers crossed!

Actually, I think my main issue with flying is going to be this sacroiliac joint pain I'm having. I have only been able to do the exercises the physio gave me a couple of times since I went last Friday, as since she did the initial mobilisation I've had quite a bit of muscle spasm around it and it's only starting to feel better today. I'm going back tomorrow and am going to talk to her a bit more about it then - hopefully the more work I have done on it, the more I'll be able to do myself.
 
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I'll try to chime in on travel while preggo and planning ahead - of course everyone is different though. Assuming you have a normal pregnancy, you are going to feel FINE at 30 weeks. You'll be big and not as fast (at least in my case) but otherwise it's best to go about life as usual. I commute daily (I'm 27weeks), walk in 90 degree heat among a throng of annoying people and freaks and do everything I otherwise did (laundry, take care of a toddler, even went on a booze cruise in a thunderstorm for work at 20wks which was ridiculous but not b/c of my pregnancy). When responding to LC, I had thought she'd be about 36 weeks along which to me is the time to start staying close to home, with family or someone nearby.

I think I would fly at 30-32 wks if it was for something important. But since no one can predict how their pregnancy will be I would always have an "opt out" option just in case. IE a plane ticket that can be at least partially refunded and letting family know you will try your best but that depends on how you feel at that point in time. Maybe everyone is different but in my experience family and especially IL's (!!) get weird around weddings, holidays, and when kids first come into the picture, which is why I suggest setting boundaries/expectations early on, and getting DH's on board. And it's a good idea to eventually start thinking of new traditions (ie family can come visit you too so you won't have to trek everyone all over the place - travelling with a baby/toddler is not always fun either!). OH and of course with any travel while pg, be sure to by your dr. first.

With everyday things (games, get togethers, work events), it's mostly all fine unless you're not up for it for other reasons and this is when pregnancy comes in handy (great excuse!).
 
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Hey Ladies,

Congrats to all the newly preggo mamas in here and we look forward to seeing you all in the Preggo thread :bigsmile:

I just thought I would add my 2 cents about traveling in pregnancy and also about the caffine question someone asked.

As to caffine in pregnancy, while you need to do what you are comfortable with and everyone has a different opinion, medically, it has been said that 150-200 mg a day of caffine is safe in pregnancy. So, I think a cup of coffee a day is just fine. In fact, I still have my one cup per day, and my LO is doing just fine. Just don't have like 3 Mt. Dew's or a bunch of cappucinos and you should be fine :cheeky:

As to the questions on traveling, everyone is different and their body will handle a pregnancy in a different way, but as to my experience, flying has not really been an issue. My little one has flown about 15 or 16 flights during my pregnancy, starting at about 5 weeks, up until 31 weeks. When you are flying earlier, there shouldn't really be any issues, aside from if you have m/s or other 1st trimester annoyances. Second trimester was indeed better. However, once you get a bit further along, some docs will recommend taking a baby aspirin (to keep clots away and circulation going) or even compression stockings, if they feel you need them. I would check with your doc as your travel date approaches, but assuming a healthy pregnancy, travel is definitely doable. Also, I would recommend staying well hydrated while flying as well my doc recommend getting up and walking around at least every hour, so that is what I did. As to how long you can fly, most airlines will technically let you fly until 36 weeks, so late 20 or early 30 weeks is doable. Personally, I did a crazy bunch of flights from 29-31 weeks, going from DC to Vancouver and back, then 4 days later from DC to NYC to NH and back to DC. And finally a week later from DC to FL. The short hauls were fine, but if you are going to be taking longer flights ie > 2hours, I would suggest something soft to sit on and maybe something behind your back, like a pillow or even just a sweatshirt. So, for those of you worried about traveling in the third, I wouldn't stress to much about it. However, if they offer that cheap insurance policy, you could always purchase it, and get a note from your doc to get your money back due to medical reasons, though I would check with the indivdual policy for all the rules. Otherwise, if you are having a relatively smooth pregnancy, enjoy the (sometimes) friendly skies!
 
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Wow, I'm seriously behind with everyone!

NEL - yay for a great ultrasound last week! :appl: So happy that everything is well. Sorry about the weight gain, though - but it must be difficult to control if you're feeling sick all the time. I agree with PG about asking your ob for tips. Hopefully your m/s will settle down in a few weeks, though, and you won't need to be snacking all the time just to feel well.

pancake -congrats on 10 weeks! I hope the pain continues to ease up. That sounds like an exciting trip you have planned for your 2nd tri! So jealous. I'm longing to travel - haven't been anywhere in years. Yeah, things usually settle down a lot in the 2nd trim so you should be good to travel. It wasn't until 33 weeks + that I started to feel unwieldy and uncomfortable (weight gain, swollen ankles ) etc.

Krissie - glad that both babies are ok! It's so sweet that you and your hubby can listen to the heartbeat over SKype together. :))

parrot - i didn't realize you were having twins! Or maybe I forgot.... Preggo brain. :knockout: Congrats!

liang - yay for a productive weekend! I'm amazed you were able to do so much. Would love to see photos of the office when you get a chance. Re: your SIL/family situation - that's really sucky! But vent away! That's what we're here for. :))

Re: caffeine - I don't drink coffee but have a cup of green tea every few days or so. It has in less caffeine than coffee, I think, so you should be fine replacing the coffee with that. A cup a day should be perfectly fine.

Mannequin - love how you told the family! How sweet. And it's so cute that your MIL wants to redo your hubby's blanket for the baby. Awww..... Yes, your little bebe is going to very loved. He/she is already. :)) Love the onesie you did!

Katy - sorry about tthe food aversions/nausea. And yup, pregnancy tiredness is the worst. It just feels like all the energy is draining out of you. :knockout: I hope things settle down soon for you.

AFM - again, not much! Still trucking along, no major symptoms - just a wee bit or queasiness every now and again. Most days I feel completely normal. I'm trying to adopt liang's 'zen' attitude and not worry about it, though, and the support here has helped a lot as well. :)) Looking forward to my appointment tomorrow to see what's going on.

Question about 'sexy time' - have you guys been having any? any issues? DH and I were intimate yesterday and I had a bit of spotting. I think it was bruising though. Sorry for the TMI. :knockout: Most days I just want to be left alone but have been trying to humour him. It's going to be a lot harder to do it once the belly starts to grow, so I figure we might as well get in some now. :D
 
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To all the BTDT ladies who chimed in about travelling when 30+ weeks pregnant, thank you!! It's obvious that everybody's expereince is different and that being flexible is key, so that is good to keep in mind. I'm flying home in October for my best friend's wedding (I'll be 19 weeks), so that is going to be my "trial run". Then I plan to do what Janine suggested--get a ticket for Christmas that is at least partially refundable and play it by ear. If I'm feeling bad, then I'll just stay here and spend xmas with D's family (it will be the first time we've spent xmas together in 12 years!). If I'm up for it, then fantastic!

Pancake, congrats on hitting double figures!! And your trip in September sounds like fun--I'm hoping that the massage and exercises you're doing now will really help the sacroiliac joint pain so that by your second tri, it's not bothering you so much.

Katy, I'm so sorry the nausea has hit you. What helps me really varies from week to week. The preggie pops and mints always help during a meeting, though. They're my "go to" remedies if I need comfort for a short burst. Otherwise, I really do give in to cravings. Two weeks ago it was sausage biscuits that made me feel better in the mornings. Then they started making me really sick. So I went to English muffins and peanut butter. Then those made me sick. Now I have a bagel and cream cheese in the morning. I've also found that apple sauce helps me as well. Some people have good luck with ginger ale and saltines (I have both sitting on my desk right now), but they don't help me much at all. A lot of the time NOTHING sounds good, but I go over all my options in my head until something starts to sound okay...and then I have that. The nausea really stinks--what I find odd is how I'm never really hungry, I just start feeling sick and want to eat to help curb it.

Ally, I was never a coffee drinker and I can't seem to stomach tea these days. I have had a couple of sodas, though. Maybe 1 per week? If you are only having a half of a cup every other day, I think you're pretty far under the 200 - 300 mg per day limit. I woudln't worry too much.

Sba, we've had some sexy time over the past several weeks (though admittedly not as much as usual). I haven't had any issues with spotting, nor did I have any spotting after my internal exam or the internal ultrasound. So apparently my body is just spotting averse. My doctor did specifically say that spotting is normal after sex, so I don't think it's cause for concern. The only issues I've had with sexy time is a.) being in the mood and b.) convincing my husband that it's fine (every time! You'd think he'd be okay after the first time.)

LC, your SIL sounds like a serious source of stress for your entire family. I remember that your MIL was in an accident from our TTC days, but I had no idea she her recovery was so extensive. Your husband has been great going down there so often and I feel awful that he's having to miss 2 weddings because your SIL just can't alter her vacation. My first thought was that maybe she'd step up to the plate once she learned you were pregnant since she must realize her brother needs to be there for you AND his mom, but that's probably not going to happen because she's selfish. Mostly I just hope that your MIL's recovery continues to go well.

MQ, adorable onesie! Did you tie-dye that yourself?? Also, how cute that your MIL wants to use your husband's baby blanket to create something for the baby. My husband has this little football doll thing named "Georgie" from when he was a kid that he still cherishes. In fact, he's so sentimental about it that if his mom tried to clean it or do anything with it, he'd freak out, so hopefully your husband isn't super attached to his blanket, haha.

AFM, I felt better yesterday than I have for weeks. It was fantastic--my nausea stayed mostly at bay and instead of falling asleep immediately after dinner, I actually went out and ran an errand! I wasn't feeling like my old self, but it was such an improvement that I made sure to relish it! So far today has been pretty good as well (though I do have a preggie pop in my mouth because a wave of nausea hit me). I'm not even worried about my symptoms easing up, I'm just happy to have a brief window of relief!
 
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Woops! I mixed up ally's and liang's name in my last post. Ally, it was you who had asked about the coffee, and I meant to refer to your 'zen' attitude as well. :))
 
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Hey Ladies!

OK I'm putting up pictures of the officery. I'll get to your posts later. I realized I didn't take any pictures from the doorway, looking into the room, but the main thing you see is the ugly water damaged wall, so I felt no need to take that picture. I took pics of the painted walls and the new shelves I put in. It looks great since it cleared up SO much floor space. I'm eventually going to get rid of the desk in the officery. Maybe keep the bookshelf and the futon (not pictured). Totally need to clean out the closet :knockout:

Parrot, wow, your trips sounds like it'd be wonderful to see family. If your doc's OK with it, hopefully it won't be too bad. Definitely keep a finger on how you feel. I think Janine's suggestion of refundable tix are the best idea, but for tix you already bought, most airlines let you rebook the tix (same passenger and same origin and destination), you'll probably have to pay a rebook and a price diff. It's not exactly the same as getting a refund or whatever, but hopeuflly it's not paying the full cost of the ticket.

Katy, Yeah, I agree I'm just going to figure out Christmas as we go. He might change his mind and I might change my mind as time goes on. Plus his mom might get better, albeit slowly. Right now I'm not going to make any decisions or push any agenda until we figure out how things go. The way DH buys tix, he probably won't get around to purchasing Christmas tix until just about Thanksgiving time... :rolleyes: So I have a while to sort things out. I totally had the food aversions to eggs. Mmmm lasagna/pasta sounds great! I'm making some tortellini for dinner tonight too. :)

Pancake, Hooray for hitting double digits! :appl: Your vacation sounds like it'll be fantastic! I'm trying to convince my DH that we should do some kind of "Baby Moon" too. I'd like to go to Vancouver or something like that. DH right now is completely focused on his mom's situation and really can't picture any other vacations. So I'll give it a few weeks. He'll head down for his mom's surgery next month, then maybe we can plan something for Sept. He wants me to go down in the fall so his parents can see us, too, so I'm thinking maybe Oct or Nov. I looked up the sacroiliac pain and I *totally* think I have the same thing too! I first got it on Fri or Sat of last week and have been trying yoga poses to ease it off a little bit. I might do a straight up yoga class tonight to see if it helps.

Sha, re: sexy time, I've been getting a few bouts of it here and there. No spotting afterwards, but I have felt a little uncomfortable in (no way to sugar coat this) deeper penetration positions. Definitley if you feel any sort of anxiety call your doc about spotting or cramping. But I agree with you, get some action while you can. I'm really hoping there won't be a dry spell for 20 weeks after I get my baby belly.... Hope you get some nice U/S pics tomorrow @ your appt.

NEL, I'm so glad you got a little let up on the symptoms! Definitely live it up while you can! I hate feeling so "helpless and debilitated" from the pregnancy. I know I need to listen to my body but sometimes I'm just like "What! I can't afford feeling like this now! I need to do X and Y and Z now, now NOW!"

MQ, I love the little onesie! How super cute!

Thanks everyone for letting me vent about my SIL. It felt good to get it off my chest and you ladies are awesome for listening. I think we've all accepted "it is what it is" but all I can say is, SIL better not get on my bad side. I totally bite back and I really dislike bullies. :devil: Not looking to pick a fight here but just protecting my "turf" if you will.

Not much else going on. I've been experiencing some of Pancake's sacroiliac pain so hoping some yoga will help clear it. Planning on hitting the gym or hte nearby studio tonight. Oh I had a big aversion to scallops the other day, they smelled quite fishy. And last week, the thought of making eggs sounded SO unappetizing to me. Other than that, that's all that's going on with me. Counting down the days till my appt, so hopefully it'll fly quickly.

~LC (8W, 5D)

Officery.jpg
 
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Thanks everyone for giving me your thoughts on your (or lack of) caffeine consumption! I just don't really remember what I did the first time around. :confused:

MQ: I :love: that onesie!!

LC: Vent away. I am so sorry you have to deal with such a monster of a SIL. I really can't understand how some people can be so selfish. And the flaunting of money and then claiming the flight is expensive just irks me. Your DH has been so sweet to visit so often. Now I understand why he is planning on going home for Christmas. Wish someone could finally speak up and put your SIL in her place. I'm glad you have your Sis to lean on! I have 2 sisters and a brother, and we're all very close, but the sisterly bond has a special closeness to it. And you guys are twins, making that bond even more special! That's why I want #2 to be a girl, for my DD to have that sisterly bond. ETA: I love the color of your officery. Can't believe you did all (most) of that by yourself!

Katy: You brought up pizza and now I want it! Hmm, might just be our dinner tonight. Sorry to hear about the nausea. It can get pretty debilitating. I hear you on the exhaustion. I'm ready for bed by 8pm. Hope the preggy pops give you some relief. I might have to get some too. I feel the nausea trying to swoop in from time to time.

MP: Thanks! I hope you'll be over here soon!

Pancake: Yay for double digits! You're fast approaching the 2nd trimester! Sounds like you have a fun trip planned for September! The 2nd trimester was the honeymoon one for me too. I loved it the most. I started feeling like myself, I could eat normally, the bloat went away and I started to get a baby belly, and I was still able to sleep well.

DC: Thanks for chiming in about the caffeine consumption! I think I feel most comfortable cutting it out and maybe having a caffeinated drink only 1-2x a week.

Sha: Hehe, I knew you were referring to me in your response to my caffeine question. As far as sexy time - poor DH hasn't had any since we found out. I just haven't been in the mood. It's the pure exhaustion by the time 8/9pm rolls around and all I want to do is just sleep. When is your ultrasound tomorrow?

NEL: Woohoo for a good day! Maybe its the start of your symptoms easing up a bit. Hope you can start feeling yourself a bit more!

AFM: I finally had enough strength yesterday to get on the elliptical for 30 mins. DH does not want me to lift any weights or do any strength training. This really limits my workouts to the elliptical and walking. DH really doesn't limit me from doing anything so I feel like this isn't something I want to fight with him about. Plus, the dr seems to be on DH's side when he said I could lif 5 lbs max. I want to be able to continue to get in some form of exercise 3-4x a week because with DD, it took me quite awhile to lose the weight (with about 5 lbs of it going into this pregnancy). It's not the weight but the jiggliness that bothers me. I know, I just have to get over it. I had a scare this morning - I was sitting down and playing with DD, and when I got up, I got really dizzy and fell backwards into the wall. I sat down and my head continued to spin. That has never happened to me before. Maybe I just got up too fast.

(4w6d)
 
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Re flying while pregnant: I flew around 26 weeks and don't remember being too uncomfortable. My sister was 30 weeks at the time and was also OK to fly. But then I know someone who was out of town at 32 weeks and wound up delivering early at a strange hospital. But that's the rare extreme and you can't plan for things like that.

I remember before I was pregnant reading a poem called something like, "At 23 weeks my wife can no longer see south of her belly." It's about how the poet is painting her toenails because she's too big and unwieldy to do it herself. When I was 23 weeks myself, I was like, WTF, this is a piece of cake! Seriously, you couldn't paint your own toes? You're still months away from being full term! So anyway, hopefully you'll be surprised at how good you feel and how much you can do. I think it was really only the last month where I was sluggish and uncomfortable, and even that wasn't really that bad. I just put my feet up a lot. ;)

LC - "officery" Office and nursery? Cute! And sorry about your annoying SIL. She sounds like a piece of work.

Mannequin - yay for special memories sharing the news!

Ally - I've never been a big caffeine drinker, but I haven't been avoiding it completely either. I definitely feel more relaxed this time around. I even ate some sushi last week because we had some and I felt like I could eat it.

Katy - so sorry the nausea has kicked in. I feel your pain. Definitely call your doc if it's too much to handle.

PC - hope you get the joint thing figured out. Does not sound like fun!

Sha - I think it's good to continue DTD as much as possible to keep DH's morale up. I remember having a little spotting with my first pregnancy.

NEL - glad you got a bit of relief! That's very good for morale.


AFM, it's still hard, not gonna lie. They moved my u/s from Monday to Friday so I can get in to see them sooner. They've prescribed everything that they can for the nausea. I wonder if an anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medication would help. I am in a bad place where I'm terrified of ever being pregnant again because even though I'm probably only 10 days into what could be 55 days of misery, I don't think I could do these 10 days again. And I don't really know how I'm going to do the next 45. But how do you tell if it's depression/anxiety or just feeling like absolute crap?

So anyway, I'm really trying to take it one day at a time, but it's annoying when people suggest that because m/s doesn't go away at 8 weeks. So all I have to hope for is that I have some more periods where the m/s feels "normal" instead of unbearable. And even that is hard because you still don't feel your best then. But today is going better than yesterday so far, so that's good. And I'm not taking my prescription nausea meds because they didn't seem to work, but also because I want to hold something in reserve if/when this gets worse.

I think it will be good to see the baby sooner because that will give me something tangible to focus my energies on. I was sort of holding off on investing completely in the pregnancy until after the first u/s and first trimester, but now I feel like I need to focus on the baby at the end of this to get through it.

Sorry to be such a downer, ladies. But glad to have you PS ladies to commiserate with!
 
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Hi all,
It's been a hectic few days and I'm sooooo far behind on posting. I did do a couple of drive by lurks to make sure all of you ladies were doing well.

NEL...yay for your ultrasound!! isn't it amazing to see that little blob with it's flickering heart beat? and how cool that right now you have a leap year baby. as for monitoring the weight gain...i definitely understand your concerns because of your back. i wish i knew a way to keep it low but from what i've been told, your body does what it does. i'm sure you can keep it under control by eating healthy and getting in some exercise. but first and foremost, get through the yucky first trimester first and eat what you can to get by now. you'll get back on a healthy eating program when you feel better. oh, and glad you had a day without nausea and you were able to accomplish stuff!!

PG...I'm sooooo sorry to hear how miserable you feel. I wish I had advice but this is my first pregnancy so I'm a newbie at all of this. I am crossing all my fingers and toes that the MS passes extra soon so you don't have to go through 45 more days of it. I agree that seeing the baby might help, at least getting your spirits up a bit.

Ally...i haven't officially congratulated you on this thread yet! yay!! so exciting to see you here. that's awesome that you were able to get a workout in. I haven't been able to and I'm normally a hardcore gym person. As for how you felt after your workout...i have low blood pressure normally (which is even lower during pregnancy) which can make you feel, dizzy, spinning, light headed and seeing stars and all that. It's a terrible feeling so i sympathize but according to my doc, it's normal. i'd probably lay off the workouts for a few or take it back a couple of notches and go slow.

LC...yay for your appt on Monday. Just a few days away now. can't wait to see a pic of baby lc! i'm jealous that you are making progress with your nursery and are starting to plan. you are getting my brain juices flowing though so thanks for the inspiration! As for your sis in law...that's just sucky. i'm sorry you guys have to deal with that selfishness. please vent here anytime.

Sha...glad you are still feeling good! that's great news. and to answer your question...dh and i have had some sexy time (though less than normal) and i haven't had any spotting or anything but i've heard that's normal. i'm not much of a spotter in general though so maybe that has something to do with it. i wouldn't worry about it at all though. i know it's common.

pancake...yay for double digits! I also noticed that you are exactly one week ahead of me. i'm 9w1d today! fun.

katy...so sorry that the nausea has started. hoping those preggie pops do the trick for you or you figure out what your triggers are and can avoid them. sending you non-nausea vibes.

MQ...how sweet is your MIL! can't wait to see what she makes. hope you post pics here.

Ok, i feel like i'm definitely missing people. If i did i sincerely apologize! And to any that i've missed, i hope you are all doing well!

AFM...it's been a hectic week at work. i have a creative job in tv and summer is our busy time but unfortunately, between my queasiness and exhaustion my brain is anything but creative right now. it would be helpful if my office knew and maybe they'd understand a bit more but i don't feel comfortable telling them just yet. somehow i'm managing to get by though i feel like i'd do better if i felt more like myself. oh well! i've been feeling ok. same as the last couple of weeks. constant queasiness and tiredness but not terrible. just always feels like i'm on the verge of the flu but again, i know it can be worse so no complaining here. as for fun stuff, we are flying to florida to tell my grandma the news on august 5th and i can't wait. she's going to flip out. i'm partly scared of her passing out from the excitement. it'll be her first great grandchild and i'm so excited to see her face when she finds out. other than that, all is plugging along. 3 weeks from today until our big 12 week appointment with scans/genetic testing and all of that. can't wait b/c i know the baby will look so much different next time i see him/her! yay! oh, and side note...i have to update you guys on this since i've mentioned it in the past...my boobs have a life of their own. not kidding, it looks like i have implants. i'm wondering when this is going to stop. it's getting a little crazy up in there.

again, sorry for my posting tardiness. wishing you all no MS, healthy baby, healthy mama vibes.
 
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phoenix -- I'm so so so sorry you are feeling this bad. I'm guessing you weren't as sick with your first one? I was so utterly sick for a very long time, and it just flat out sucked. Luckily I was a teacher and I was off for the summer bc I don't think I would have been able to go in to work every day. I only threw up a handful of times, and when I did, I felt so much better. I felt like I was on a boat ALL THE TIME. What I hated the most was when people would tell me "Oh yeah, I was sick too". The word sick just didn't seem to describe what I was feeling. I told my DH that this was going to be our one and only baby bc I couldn't take it any more. I felt that I already hated him before he was born. :(( You asked about anxiety/depression, and I don't have an answer for you, BUT I think I experienced a little bit of both. I would look at the clock and dread when it hit 4pm. When I woke up until 4 pm, it was bad. But after 4 pm, it was just horrible. And I would get so nervous leading up to 4pm. What helped me was knowing that some people had it worse than me. It sounds so terrible, but I thought to myself if they survived, I could survive. Some girls are put in the hospital bc they are so sick, so I knew that there was one more notch that was worse (if that makes sense). So I guess you could say I was depressed and anxious, but not enough to tell my doctor that I needed something for it. I would also read a week by week pregnancy book so I could focus on the baby inside of me instead of the sickness. To put it in perspective, I got poison ivy all over my body when I was in my third trimester. Like oozing through my pants and so so so itchy and nasty. All up and down my legs, on my arms, on my back. HORRIBLE! And since you can't get a shot for it while pregnant, they just gave me this slow acting cream, and it took about 4 weeks to clear up. Well my DH asked me if that was worse or my morning sickness months, and I told him the MS was worse by far.
I would talk to your doctor. Tell her exactly what you said on here and then you both will make the call on what to do. One day you WILL feel better. I hope you will find relief soon. And then you'll have your gorgeous baby in your arms and forget all about these days (or maybe completely, but close). :cheeky:
 
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Lanie, is it horrible that your m/s experience makes me feel lucky? Your analogy of feeling like you're on a boat all the time is spot-on, but I really feel like mine is fairly bearable whereas yours sounds so awful. I'm sure you had to think "why me?!" several times a day, especially after the first trimester when it's supposed to subside.

Marlie, it's fantastic to hear from you!! I can definitely relate to the challenges of being 100% while at work. I work for an ad agency, though not on the creative side, I do campaign analytics and this summer has been busier than usual. Sometimes I feel really "off" and I'm sure I sound like an idiot, haha. I ended up telling a couple of people at work just so I feel like they might be understanding if I'm not my normal self. Hopefully in the next week or so you can let somebody know just so you have a comrade at work.

Telling your grandma sounds like so much fun, how great that you get to do in in person! And maybe he bigger bosom isn't such a bad thing?? :naughty: Mine were out of control, but it seems like they're growing at a slower rate now.

PhG, my heart is really going out to you. Your nausea sounds completely overwhelming and that must be awful. I can understand wondering if depression is creeping in. When you're completely exhausted and feeling so sick that you hardly want to move, you wonder if it's something more...but then it's the chicken and egg scenario: is it depression that's contributing to you feeling so awful or are you feeling depressed because you DO feel so awful? You really can't think about how long it could last. I was feeling really awful on Sunday and just sat on the couch and cried thinking that I couldn't do this for many more weeks. I have to pull myself out of that mentality or I get really sad. I usually break the day down into 2 hour chunks because that's how often I eat to try to help the nausea. I'm trying so hard to stay positive, but it can be very hard. And I know you have it worse--I want nothing more than for you to feel better! I'm thinking of you.

Ally, good for you for getting on the eliptical! I say take advantage of any energy you feel since you know it's fleeting. And try not to worry about the jiggliness (for the record, it's much easier to dish out that advice than to take it since I'm not a fan of my own jiggliness). And it's interesting that you mentioned getting dizzy when getting up too fast. For the past two weeks I've had to get out of bed slowly in the morning. If I sit up like I usually do, I get really dizzy (and then feel more ill). It's part of that "feeling like you're on a boat all the time" feeling that Lanie mentioned.

LC, the officery looks great, not much left to do at all! And you and your sis installed those shelves yourselves?? What a couple of handy ladies you are! I have to ask: how tall are the ceilings? It looks like you'd need a ladder to put some books up on those shelves!

AFM, I'm 8 weeks today! Yay!

My NT scan was finally rescheduled to August 17th and I'll be exactly 12 weeks that day. The hospital had originaly scheduled it 2 weeks earlier (using my LMP and not O day) and rescheduling it was kind of a pain because they kept insisting it was the right time until finally they looked at my ultrasound report and realized the dates were way off. I'm glad it's finally settled!

Still not feeling great, but I feel like my nausea is 95% manageable at this point. I think part is the fact that I'm used to it, but the other part is just consistently snacking every couple of hours and knowing what foods help (for me). I think that because the more traditional remedies (ginger, saltines, etc.) don't help me, it was more trial-and-error, but I feel like I can get through the next few weeks so long as I don't drastically get worse. I pray to all things holy that doesn't happen because it's all I can do to handle the nausea as it is! I REALLY want to start enjoying this pregnancy and so far I've mostly just felt bad about being grumpy toward my husband. Granted, the hormones aren't going to go away, but if I weren't sick and tired (literally) all the time, I think that would help, too!

Oh, and my pants are seriously tight at this point. Part of it is snacking, but I'm wondering if my belly is beginning to expand for other reasons. I'm only 8 weeks, but you never know.
 
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NEL, the ceilings are 9ft ceilings so yes, definitely need a ladder to put things on them. That's fine because we NEVER use these books. They're DH's old text books and some leisure books we read from a while back. Worse comes to worse we can climb up and pull things down as needed. I'm keeping a small low profile bookshelf for books and what not that we use/will use more often. I'm glad you're getting a handle on the M/S. Sounds like it'd either abating or you're getting used to it. August 17th will be here soon and you'll get to see your little bean again :))

Lanie, :eek: Yikes your M/S sounds bad! But your little A is so adorable!

Marlie, oof, I hear ya how nausea and fatigue can sap the creativity right out of you. Ouch! Hooray for the trip to tell your grandmother. That'd be great and she'll likely be tickled pink!

PhG, yes officery = office + nursery. DH would get uncomfortable if I called it a nursery, so I kept calling it an office for him, and a nursery in my head. :) I'm so sorry you're dealing with the ups and downs of M/S. I hope it dies down for you soon. You **can** make it because you're a strong person. I hope you get your U/S appt soon. Hang in there, friend! We're all here for you.

Ally, Aw sounds so sweet for your DD to have a sister to bond with. Good for you on the workout! I've been worthless this week so far. I've been lightheaded too, I think if you normally have blood pressure that's on the low end of the normal range, it's a common thing. I've experienced it a few times.

AFM, I think my blood pressure is WAY TOO low. My arms feel like spaghetti noodles. I looked up online I'm going to try an Aryuvedic "remedy" which is raw veggie juice specifically beet. There's a juice-stand (Makes juice from fruits & veggies) across the street from my office so I'm going to give that a shot. I felt like I was going to fall over walking the dog last night. Crashed into bed and woke up, unfortunately not feeling much better.

~LC (8W, 6D)
 
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Hey girls,
Bad news.... :(sad Missed miscarriage. When I saw the images on the screen I could tell something was wrong - the baby was there but wasn't moving at all (the way it should move at 10 weeks), and there was no heartbeat. It measured 9 weeks and a day.... :blackeye: , so around the same time when I started having a loss of symptoms. I guess I just knew something wasn't quite right....I felt like I was feeling way too normal to be pregnant....and I was right.....unfortunately. :(sad I still haven't cried yet....I guess part of me was prepared for news like this so it wasn't a complete shock. Or maybe I'm still processing everything...don't know.

I'm scheduled to have a D&C on Saturday... I guess I'll take a break for a while but will still be lurking to cheer you guys on.

Wishing you all healthy, sticky pregnancies!
 
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Sha, I am so so so sorry for your loss. Sending you lots of strength, healing thoughts and big ::HUGS::
 
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Oh no, Sha, I am so, so, so sorry. My heart is aching for you, I feel so awful. I'm definitely thinking of you--again, I'm just really sorry :blackeye:
 
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Oh Sha I am so sorry ;( . I hope you are ok, that is so unfair. I hope and know you'll be ok and back soon, I'll be waiting for you.
((Hugs my friend))
 
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Sha...I'm so incredibly sorry to hear this news. I'll be thinking of you and your family. Sending you hugs and lots of strength.
 
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So sorry to hear about your loss, Sha. My thoughts are with you.
 
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Can a "just barely" and shocked person post here too?? I haven't even told DH yet because we agreed that our family is complete and he'll probably have a heart attack if I tell him I'm pg. I have an IUD, but it's due to be replaced next month (the appt. is already scheduled) and I've been getting my period again for the past few months. I guess I should have realized that meant that I was also able to get pg. :errrr: :errrr: With all of my pregnancies, I knew I was pg when I stopped sleeping at night (total insomnia) and when things like cake started smelling rancid to me. Well, I haven't slept well the past few nights, which I chalked up to just having a lot on my mind. But then, this morning, I started to wonder. So, I took a 4 year old test and it came up BFP. Then, I ran to the store to get a "fresh" one. That came back positive too.

I don't even know what to think. Our kids are 4 and 6 and we are really happy with our family. My hubby is almost 10 years older than me and will be in his late 60s when this kid graduates from college. I'm also terrified because I've had 2 miscarriages (one before each child), so I don't know if I should even freak DH out until I know that this is going to "stick". I am sitting here not even able to form cohesive thoughts. I hope you all don't mind if I just "mind dump" a bit. It probably won't make sense, but maybe writing it all out will help me think this through. And when I say "think this through" I don't mean that I need to decide whether to keep it or not. I think that everyone deserves the opportunity to make their own choices, but for myself, I am pro-life.

I can't even wrap my mind around this. Our house isn't equipped for 3 kids, our college funds were meant for 2 kids, DH and I agree that 2 kids is perfect because it enables "man to man" defense. I love that DH and I can each take one kid and do something special with them. That's just not possible with 3. We can't possibly support 3 kids the way we can support 2. We are just at a point where family vacations are fun. I no longer have to buy Pull Ups for night time....I was so excited to get rid of the car seat and move to a booster....

Please pray for me. Pray that I find the strength to handle this the right way and that everything turns out the way it was meant to. I guess my mid-August IUD replacement appt. can be exchanged for my first OB appt. :shock:
 
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Sha, I am really sorry for your loss. Hugs to you...
 
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Sha - my heart is aching for you. You and your family are in my thoughts.
 
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Sha, I am so, so sorry. Hugs to you, lady. You're in my thoughts and prayers.


Yenny, wow, what a shock. We're here to hear all your thoughts. I'm an oops #3 . . . born when my brother and sister were almost 9 and 7. And well, I'm glad I'm here, obviously. My sister just had an oops #3 when I had #1, and she said that while she was getting over the shock she thought about me and how our family wouldn't have been complete without me. Hope this line of thinking is helpful. I know I wouldn't terminate either but that doesn't mean it's not a hard adjustment. You're allowed to be freaked out by this. Hugs.
 
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Yenny, I think it's perfectly acceptable to freak out. You and your husband had a plan, you were following the plan, everything was on course and now...well, now you have to put together a whole new plan.

I would go ahead and schedule the first doc appt.--may as well get the logistics taken care of. Emotionally it might take some time to come to grips with the new reality, and that's fine. I have no doubt you'll adjust to the idea of 3 kids after some time. And when to tell your husband is completely up to you.

Not to bring up a painful subject, but when you had your miscarriages, did they happen around the same time in the pregnancy? I only ask because if so, maybe it would make sense to wait to tell DH until after that point. Or maybe you want to go ahead and tell him now...it might help for both of you to adjust to the idea of a bigger family now as opposed to you wrapping your mind around it, then telling him and having him start at square 1 of accepting it. I wish you lots of luck--keep us updated!
 
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Thanks Phoenix and NEL. Phoenix, it does help to hear that you were an unexpected suprise and that your family couldn't imagine life without you. I know it will be the same for us, but wrapping my head around this is definitely a shock.

NEL, one m/c was 10w (the first one, after we'd seen the hb) and the second was at 5w before I'd even gone for my first OB appt. Of course, I showed much faster with my 2nd child (and 4th pg) than I did with my first child (2nd pg), so I may not be able to keep this from DH til after the 10w mark. I guess I'll just take another few tests to really confirm and then see how I feel. Thanks for the encouragement and understanding.
 
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Sha, you're just in my heart and thoughts right now. Hope your sweet DH and DD are pampering you.


Yenny, I think your plan is good. You don't have to decide when you're going to tell your DH yet. Just take it one step at a time.


AFM, I was obviously going through some depression or anxiety the last week and a half. That's never happened to me before, even when I was in grief over the sudden loss of my father, so I just couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong. But some of my other friends who have had bad m/s said that the sobbing and "dark place feeling" wasn't something everybody has, and that helped me separate the two. And I don't know why it's gone away now, but it has. I'll definitely be on the look-out for it coming back and talk to my doctor on Friday about whether medication would be in order in that case.

I just feel a million times better. I'm still queasy, still tired, still get dizzy if I try to do much, but that awful feeling of despair is gone. I also switched from unisom to benadryl because I figured it would make me less tired (usually I can stay away on one benadryl) although I did conk out during C's nap time.

I also think I've been able to stop the cycle of freaking out, which would start when I would try to eat something and not feel like it. I would work myself up into not being able to eat at all, which would make me feel worse. But I never actually regret eating when I'm done, so I'm just jumping into the eating without thinking about it.

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent here. I'm looking forward to a different kind of pregnancy from now on. I know there will still be bumps in the road but I'm just glad to feel like I *will* be able to handle them.
 
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