March 2008 Pregnancy Thread

[Couperine]

Well, we had a very busy February!! Congratulations to Bridget (bbpizzapro) on Emma, Greta on Sami, Claudia (aprilbride) on Mia, Cate (missindi) on Madeline, Delanl on Kylie, Apricot on Noah, and chefbecky on Lucy!! Busy month for babies! It looks like Alikat may start off the babies this month, and ChristineB may move up the list too if all goes well until her scheduled induction! We're still waiting to hear from Sandee, and we'll just send good wishes to nowimcooking and JenniferD. Welcome to our newcomers, honeygirl, Jen, Megan James, willybean, and mabvt! Keep thinking good thoughts for ChristineB and mst while they are on bedrest!


MomofMooch - 3/21 - boy!
Lys - 3/25
BlueMoose - 3/26 - girl!
Alikat11 - 3/28 - boy!
ChristineB - 4/3 - surprise!
danikwal - 4/5
couperine - 5/5 - boy!
sweetpea - 5/8 - surprise!
SusanPC - 5/11 - girl!
mst - 5/20 - surprise!
2Hungry! - 5/28 - surprise!
erinlovesmarc - 5/30 - boy!
Kerri - 6/9 - surprise!
honeygirl1971 - 6/20/ - boy!
Jen - 8/6 - surprise!
tholbrook - 8/23
Megan James - 8/25
Willybean - 9/?
mabvt - 9/?

waiting to hear from:
Sandee - 2/20 - girl!

[Couperine]

Not much new going on here - maintaining my weight and still expanding outward at 31 weeks. I keep having hormonal weirdness about driving in busy traffic - I swear I've used my car horn to warn off bad drivers this pregnancy more than I have in my life. I keep having strange mental energy directed at bad drivers - I'm keeping closer to home unless DH is driving.

Surprisingly, I can't find anything else to blather about, so I'll send my best wishes to ChristineB and mst, and congratulate them on making it another week on bedrest!

[2HUNGRY!]

Thanks for getting us started Nancy!

As I feared, I really, really failed my 1 hour glucose test so I get to go back tomorrow for a three hour. Fun!

[Couperine]

((2Hungry)) - Hopefully you pass your 3 hour with flying colors!

[mabvt]

Oh man, 2hungry...I hope everything goes well tomorrow! What a way to spend a few hours...do you have a good book?

Sending warm thoughts to those expecting March babies! The weather will be warm and you will be out pushing those strollers before you know it!

I have my first "real" apt with the doc two weeks from tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it very much. I've had a couple of nosebleeds over the last couple of days (in the morning when I'm sick...) which kind of stinks. Time to start running the humidifier again. Also, after being out of the country for 10 days DH is back! :D This is very good-- I was lonely, not sleeping well, etc. etc. So I am happy! Am having a good morning--able to eat, haven't gotten sick. Now if only the sun would shine!

[SusanPC]

2Hungry--Sending positive vibes for you. FWIW, my first result was around 165 and the cuttoff was like 130-something. I passed the three hour test. Here's to hoping you pass as well! Take a good book and hang in there.

Me--Nothing new at 30 weeks except that I think I popped a second time in the last week. I feel huge in the belly, although I still weigh what I did when I got PG (which was an all time high weight for me).

My mom is having major surgery tomorrow so I will be there with our family...we are praying it all goes well and I am a wreck....good thoughts/prayers are appreciated.

We also had our first open house this weekend. Over 50 people came through so let's pray there was someone who was actually interested...would be great to get that stress (keeping the house pristine, etc.) off the plate.

Have a great day to all. Nancy, thanks for updating the timeline. Can't believe we are getting close :o

[2HUNGRY!]

(((Susan))) good luck to your Mom tomorrow. You sure have a lot going on. Take care of yourself. My # was 153 which the doctor seemed to think was the end of the world, so its good to know your number was higher and you still passed the 3 hour.

[Couperine]

Just got back from taking DS to his Kindermusik class - I am so wiped out! Whatever made me think that I'd be perfectly happy dancing around the room, hopping and jumping up and down through the week before my due date was obviously misguided.

mabvt - I'm glad DH is back! Their support is so necessary - they need to be pregnant too! :)

Susan - What a nice turn-out for your open house!! I hear you about the second pop - I put on a shirt today that's had great coverage and now my belly sticks out so far that it doesn't cover my pregnancy panel anymore. I think if I tried on a mu-mu(sp?) I'd cry. However, I bet nobody tells you that you don't look pg anymore! I've been getting poked more and more often with some definite discomfort, and I realized that yes labor really IS coming. How on earth did I forget about that?

I hope that your mother's surgery goes well tomorrow - I'll keep your family in my thoughts.

It was really crazy updating the list and realizing that I'm #7 - how did that happen?! My pleasure to update the list too - I enjoy sharing experiences with all of you.

[SusanPC]

Nancy--I hear you. My maternity T shirts are starting to ride up over the bottom of my belly. :o My sister CLAIMS she can't tell I am pg from behind but there is no mistaking I am pregnant from front/side views. I think at work I wear a lot of black and my suit jackets must cover the belly a bit...today I have on a maternity shirt and people in other departments are doing double takes and saying they had no idea I was pg :o Yep, it is one of those be careful what you wish for moments. I feel like a house :rolleyes:

[tholbrook]

Hi,
Can you add me to your list? This is my first, and I'm due 8/23!
Not a lot to tell at the moment... things are going better than I would have imagined. No morning sickness. Just really, REALLY tired. I followed the February thread with interest, so I'm looking forward to joining in this month.
Thanks!

[Couperine]

tholbrook - Welcome and I'm glad that you are having a good pregnancy thus far!

[MomofMooch]

Thanks for starting us again, Nancy. Yikes! That's ME at the top of the list! How did this happen? Where did the last 37.5 weeks go?! Although I must admit I am soooooo ready. I am huge, and this baby has got to come out soon. 4 more days of work, and 10 days till c-section. Woo hoo! Oh, and for those who dare talk about weight gain, if it makes anyone feel better, I have gained 42 pounds, and it probably doesn't help that I have consumed utterly obscene quantities of girl scout cookies over the last two days ... :o

What's the latest, Alikat? You might be our next birth story!

[mabvt]

Welcome tholbrook! Lucky you, no MS! The tiredness is kind of a drag, isn't it? It is also very hard to explain to DH that you just *can't* drag yourself off the coach...I also have to keep explaining--I'm not grouchy just exhausted! My friend told me to say, "I made a lung and part of a brain today, what did you do?" ;)

Thoughts and prayers to you Susan and your mom today! Keep us posted, okay?

My MS *seems* to be subsiding. Two mornings in a row without throwing up! It's time for a party. :D

[MISSINDI]

Tholbrook - how exciting!! Congrats on your wonderful news. :D

2HUNGRY - hopefully by now you passed the 3-hour test with flying colors.

Thanks for the heads up on Oxyclean on the February thread - will pick up some today. I had managed to forget all about formula stains until Madeline arrived. Funny what we block out, huh? Switched her to a soy formula last week and so far, so good. It's formula #4, so running out of options. I thought we got lucky with Nicholas sleeping like a champ, but Madeline is just as good. Usually takes 4 hour naps and sleeps for 4+ hours at a clip at night too, so I'm very grateful. Can't wait till the weather warms up a bit and we can start walking.

[mst]

Hi everyone. Nancy- thanks for starting us out, and what a nice note!

2Hungry- I failed my glucose test with DD the first time around. I did pass the three hour. This time, I avoided sugar for a week before the test and passed it. Fingers crossed for you.

mabvt- I had lots of bloody noses with DD. It is funny how the oddest things are related to pregnancy. I am glad to hear that you are starting to feel better.

Susan- Thinking of your family- especially your mom. 50 people at an open house? Wowza! We certainly never got turnout like that. We were over the moon if we got 10.

I am off to eat lunch- I will write another post later with more personals...

[AliKat11]

What's the latest, Alikat? You might be our next birth story!

I've got my u/s this afternoon to see whether my OB's right about how big this kiddo is, and a follow-up with my OB tomorrow afternoon to discuss next steps, given the outcome of the u/s. I might be looking at a c-section, as I'm only 5'2" and have a narrow pelvis.

My ideal would be to have something scheduled around the middle of next week. This would put me at 38 wks and change. I've got so many projects at home that I still want to tackle (I thought I had a whole 'nother month!) and I'd really like one more weekend just with DH before craziness ensues. I'm suddenly feeling lonely and sad that it won't just be the two of us anymore, and I miss him already. :(

2Hungry--good luck on your glucose test. I know of several women who didn't pass the first time around, but did just fine the second time. Definitely avoid sugar for 24-48 hrs prior to this one.

Susan--you've got a lot going on! Try not to stress too much and take each day as it comes. Check in & let us know how things go.

Tholbrook--welcome!

mabvt--I also had many bloody noses early on, not to mention other miscellaneous weird happenings.

MST--are you still on bedrest? (I really hope I'm not confusing you with someone else, and if I am, my apologies!) And speaking of bedrest--Christine are you still hanging in there?

[mst]

Nancy- I hear you on outgrowing clothes. But, the nice thing is that I pretty much wear the same clothes every day. No one except DH and DD see me. I have already gained almost 1/3 of my regular body weight. I also decided earlier in this pregnancy that I am not a cute pregnant person. I just get big. So, you can tell from behind, the sides, upside-down- I just look big! We had friends over the other night, and they could not stop laughing when they saw me. And, the funny thing is that I am carrying smaller than with DD.

tholbrook- congrats! And, there is no tired like pregnancy tired. It does calm down a lot.

Momofmooch- I meant to comment last month at how I wish I had your maturity!;) When my in-laws give me "helpful tips" about DD (who they barely know), I want to scream. I don't think I could answer as nicely as you do. Of course, they are VERY pushy. So, they never drop an issue. When Ilyssa was a baby, they kept trying to tell me that I did not have her watch enough TV. It was just a complete opposite philosophy. DD watches much more TV now, but I also think that it pregnancy-related. When I needed to rest, I flipped on the TV- and now she realizes what she was missing!

Missindi- this might sound like the dumbest advice ever. But, I always thought that if you washed something once and it did not come out, that the stain would not come out. I am amazed at what I can get out if I wash it a few times (just don't put in the dryer in between!)

AliKat- I am 4'10'' (and DH is 6'2''). We did an u/s at 36 weeks, and DD was measuring above the 97%. They thought she was going to be about ten pounds. We ended up doing a scheduled c-section, and she only ended up being 7lb9oz. Still a good sized baby, but not the monster we were anticipating. I do not regret my decision to do a c-section at all. I think I would have ended up with a c-section anyway. But, I am not a woman who fantasized about how I wanted my childbirthing to go. I know I am a wimp, I knew it would not be my finest moment, and I just wanted the baby out with the least amount of trauma to both of us. I am doing a scheduled c-section again this time. And, yes, I am one of the women on bedrest- but much, much more lenient than Christine's.

Things here are good. I had a hard time on Sunday. I used to teach swim classes, and we signed DD up for her first class. I never thought that I would not be the one teaching her. Anyway, she had a BLAST. And I missed it. My husband said that I have to come next week, even though it will mean that I will be in a lot of physical pain. He said it is that worth it.

I went to the allergist yesterday, and he made me feel so much better about my crazy back. I just think it is weird that I don't know anyone else who has had this. Like, no one has said, "oh, my cousin had that!". Anyway, the allergist was drawing me diagrams etc, on why my whole alignment is off, and that my body just can't handle it. I felt better that he was so matter-of-fact about it. I think he was pretty blown away with how big I was. He kept making comments about looking like I was 40 weeks already, and no one is comfortable that far along. Plus, with being small and carrying large- it is just bad luck, but makes sense that I am having trouble handling it. If I had a tiny baby, the back pain would still be tolerable. I came home from the appointment, and slept for three hours. It was a big field trip for me!

Anyway, we have another u/s on Thursday. I have not mentioned it here, but the baby is having kidney reflux. Basically, instead of the urine being emptied out of the body, it goes back up to the kidneys. We are working with a high risk ob/gyn on this stuff. Regardless of the results, we are going to be testing this baby on this issue when s/he is born. So, while we would love it if there was no reflux this time around, it won't really change our concerns. It sounds like the most damage can be done if this is not discovered, so we are thrilled that we have discovered this, and can side-step the serious complications.

Christine- thinking of you!

[Couperine]

MomofMooch - I wish I had the taste buds or the room to eat Girl Scout cookies - I normally adore Thin Mints, and I find it convenient that they package them in single serving tubes. I just have no taste for sweets this pregnancy (very depressing since I loved the sweet treats I had while pg with DS1), and now I have absolutely no room to eat bigger quantities of food. A sandwich and some carrots is filling - blech! Waste of a perfectly sped up metabolism in my mind. Eat some cookies for me! :)

mabvt - I'm so glad your MS is getting better!

Alikat - I hope the results let you finish up some things before your baby comes; the end seems to come so fast, especially since early on, you spend so long wanting to be further along.

mst - Ah those wonderful people who get shocked by our pregnant bodies; my sister didn't see me for the last 4 months of DS1's pregnancy, and she's making a point of stopping by during my visit to my parents this weekend to stare. :rolleyes: I'm so sorry that you missed the beginning of Ilyssa's lessons; it sounds like she's coping well with your bedrest, and I hope you aren't in too much pain when you go watch her. I hope the U/S on Thursday brings welcome news - it's good that you've found the reflux to watch in-utero instead of finding out after your baby is born. Since they can see so much with an U/S, it's probably much easier on everyone to see how things are developing with the baby still inside. (And yes you know I will ask DH more about this tonight :) ).

((Susan)) - I hope your mother is doing well today.

Just a clarification about bedrest and Christine and mst - Christine is now hospitalized until her tentative 36 week induction on St Paddy's Day; she's been having bleeding issues and her poor DH was in the emergency room last week too. mst has incredible pain that keeps her on bedrest at home, but I don't think she's had the bleeding issues that Christine has. I keep them both in my thoughts - it's eye-opening to realize how many different things can put an expectant mother on bedrest.

Good thoughts for everyone today - I managed to not glare daggers at other drivers as I tooled around town today; score one for Mrs. Hormonal!

[ChristineB]

Hi Ladies,

Checking in from the hospital....

SusanPC how did your Mom's surgery go? I hope she is doing really well. Good luck with selling the house.

MST- I laughed out loud and you saying you decided your not a cute pregnant person. I feel the same way. I love my belly but I basically just look fat. I am sorry you are having such pain, that really stinks.

Couperine- you are too funny about your driving. I can see myself doing the same thing in the awful traffic in my area. I think we get a free pass to honk our horns when we want to:)

2Hungry--good luck with your 3 hour glucose test. Even if you fail the test (which I hope you don't) it really isn't that big of a deal. I failed mine and am on a modified diet. It is very easy to follow and you feel like you are constantly eating. Pricking your finger is a little annoying but my doc said if you have to have something wrong, this is the one to pick--it doesn't hurt the baby (when controlled) and it goes away immediately when you deliver. I am sure you will do fine on your test--so try not to worry.

I am hanging in there. 12 more days. Seems like an eternity as far as having to stay here in the hospital that long yet seems like too quick considering I will have my baby. Starting to have the panic of worrying something will go wrong during c-section-so everyday I come up with another paranoid question to ask my doc during his rounds:) No bleeding since Feb 21st, so that is good. No pain or discomfort-just really bored and miss my husband & dog (the hospital does let my dog visit though and my husband comes everyday) Miss my bed too. Feel badly that my hubby is doing everything at home to get ready for the baby--his lists are long but he never complains. When I asked him what he wanted last week for his b-day he said all he wanted was his wife, baby and dog to come home with him:(

Thanks for all your support ladies~it is so helpful!
Take care,
ChristineB

[2HUNGRY!]

Christine -- I bet you can't wait to get home! That's great that the hospital lets you see your dog. Good luck these last two weeks.

Susan -- I hope everything went well yesterday.

Erin -- I read your thread on epidurals. Thanks for starting it!

Hi everyone else. There were a ton of posts since I last was here so I got too confused to respond to everyone. I'm sure you're all cute pregnant women though!

It turned out that yesterday was the only day I could get away from work to do the three hour so I didn't have any time to cut out sugar or anything. I'm okay with that though since I wouldn't want to make myself pass when I should have failed. Like Christine said, at least there's something I can do if I fail this blood test unlike the stupid nuchal screening. Plus I have PCOS so I am at an increased risk anyway so I kind of expected it. I should find out today or tomorrow.

Oh, I am officially 3rd trimester now and I have the waddle to prove it!

[SusanPC]

Hi ladies, I have skimmed the posts since I am behind. I promise to keep up properly going forward.

Wanted to give an update on my mom (thanks for the well wishes).

She had surgery at Johns Hopkins yesterday and they removed a tumor the size of a thumbnail from her parotid glad (a salavary gland). It did test cancerous unfortunately but the doc thinks he got it all out. They also removed 3 lympnodes from her neck and they all looked clear. So, now we are waiting on pathology results but she is in good spirits and doing remarkable well....in fact she was just released from the hospital and is on her way home!!! So glad the surgery is behind us..

Nothing new on my end. I am large and uncomfortable....but it's manageable. I just found out I get assigned a lactation consultant and a discounted (pay a co-pay) Medela pump through DHs work, even though I am not on his insurance. That was a nice discovery! Nothing else new here, I have a routine ob appt tomorrow and am 31 weeks on Sat!

2Hungry--Hope you get the results today. Either way, all will be fine. My DOC told me not to stress even if I had failed the 3 hour test. Hang in there.

Christine/MST--thinking of you both on rest.

Nancy--I've had road rage issues too....try to keep them in check :o

Allikat---You are so close. I am jealous!!!!

tholbrook--Welcome!!!

[willybean]

Hi everyone! Sounds like everyone is hanging in there and some are looking forward to their new arrivals very soon!

Susan--I am glad your mom is home and hope that everything turns out OK.

I am in my 13th week now and feeling better, still tired but have much more energy during the day. I notice sometimes when I lay down to go to sleep that my hear rate seems to go up and I am wondering if this is normal? It is a weird and somewhat uncomfortable feeling but usually slows down and goes away after a few minutes. Not sure if this is pregnancy related at all?

Best wishes to everyone!

[Couperine]

Willybean - your blood volume will continue to increase throughout your pregnancy, so you are definitely going to feel some different things as you go along. I had a few instances where it felt like my heart was racing when I was early in the second trimester - apparently it's pretty normal.

Susan - I'm glad that things look good for your mother! That's a welcome surprise about the LC and pump, I'm sure. Any nibbles on the house?

2Hungry - I hope the results of your 3-hr come out well for you - quack quack! :)

Christine - What wonderful news about how long it's been since you had a bleeding incident! It sounds like your DH is being completely loving about everything - I can only imagine how wonderful it will be for you both when you are able to go home as a family. You've gone through so much to make it happen.

Alikat - Just curious about the follow-up to your U/S - let us know when you have time!

mst - Good luck on your U/S today - hopefully things are looking well!

Same as usual for me here - I want to nest, they are still building the nest I will live in, pregnant ladies get lots of help from contractors when they look enormously pregnant combined with a little extra southern in the accent, and I'm at peace with the other drivers on the road for a while. I think my nutty hormonal spike has abated for a bit. :D

Have a great day everyone!!

[2HUNGRY!]

Willybean -- I think this is normal. I used to get that a lot early in the 2nd tri. Now its shortness of breath which I'm told is also normal.


ETA: Woo hoo! I passed the 3 hour! I know it wouldn't have been the end of the world, but I didn't really want to give up ice cream for the next 3 months!

[SusanPC]

2Hungry--So glad to hear you passed the 3 hour test!

Nancy--No nibbles yet. Another open house this weekend. Fingers crossed. When do you all move into your new home?

Willybean--Glad you are starting to feel better.

Had an ob appt today and they had me fill out the hospital pre-registration form. Scary....getting close :o

[AliKat11]

Alikat - Just curious about the follow-up to your U/S - let us know when you have time!

I'm being forced to be patient--ultrasound showed that my OB was wrong! He’s only about 7 lbs lbs, which still means he’s likely to be close to 9 lbs if I go all the way to my due date, but not the crisis she thought and I'm apparently just a big whiner. :( On the other hand, I'm so short & narrow that he's taking up my entire abdomen--she's pretty sure that he's separated my ribs on the right side and that's part of where my pain is coming from.

It was fun seeing the baby again, though. They confirmed that he's still very much a little boy, and he has a whole head of hair!

At my follow-up visit last night, OB states that I’m showing very good pre-labor progress all on my own (2 cm dilated, 60% effaced & -1 station) and he's showing signs of being as ready as I am. If I don’t go into labor before this, my next appointment is Tuesday morning and she'll try sweeping my membranes and we'll discuss scheduling an induction.

So, Momofmooch, I think you're probably next!

Willybean--congrats on passing your test!

[mabvt]

2Hungry--Congrats on passing your test. Did you celebrate with a hot fudge sundae?

AliKat--Sorry to hear you didn't get the news you hoped for. How cool is it that you know he has lots of hair? That is just amazing.

Christine--I wanted to cry when I read about DH and dog coming to visit you. It must be so hard! But good news about the bleeding. Concentrate on walking through the door to your house, being greeted by the dog and having that precious bundle in your arms!

I'm still hanging in there, darn close to ten weeks. We've started telling family and close friends which is a lot of fun. It is esp fun to watch DH break the news and get all excited. :D I'm a little more shy about it all.

Hearing about you smaller people having big babies is making me nervous. I'm 5'10"...so my baby will probably weigh 15 pounds!

Have a great Thursday...back to American Idol. :rolleyes:

[mst]

Our u/s went well today. It looks as though the kidney issue might have resolved itself. Woo hoo! We have to go back in three weeks to make sure that things still look better. But, now the baby is presenting breech. I don't see why that matters since I am a c-section, but they said they will need to monitor that. The thing that kills me is that the doctor and u/s tech know what gender our baby is. I kind of antagonize the poor doctors, but I don't really want to know. I know I will be happier finding out on the birthday.

Christine- My mom came over yesterday (she was away for five weeks), and told me that I look like humpty dumpty. Sadly, I think she is right!:D I do really enjoy being pregnant, and don't mind my body changing- in fact, I do love it, I just wish I was a cuter pregnant person- rather than just a big one!

Susan- glad to hear that your mom is doing better.

Nancy- at least you pay your contractors to nest for you. My poor husband just has to nest because I can't! Poor guy, he really is doing so much.

Alikat- Being pregnant is tough. Don't feel like a whiner at all. Remember that those u/s can be off by 20%. And, ribs separating sounds just awful. Ugh.

2Hungry- Congrats on passing the 3 hour. Woo hoo!

[Couperine]

Wow - we went out of town for the weekend, and things got quiet! We went to visit my parents and stepson with a side of shopping for lighting for the new house; they used to have two Home Design EXPO's in Houston that were great for one-stop looking and buying, but they closed, so we snuck a visit to one in Dallas just to make it a little easier to find things all at once. I go to the doctor tomorrow for my 32 week check - it's hard to believe it's less than 8 weeks to go (my appt days are at the end of the pregnancy week). Still no Braxton-Hicks, but my breasts are ramping up for BF'ing - I'm leaking every few days or so, and they are changing appearance even more than when I had DS1. I really didn't expect anything more than getting bigger again, but my body has other plans. :)

mst - Cheers for your family on the great u/s!!! DS1 was breech until 37 weeks, so I wouldn't stress it either way - I guess they just like to keep aware of positioning. It's great that your DH is being so helpful - it's nice to know how supportive they can be.

mabvt - Hopefully you are enjoying sharing your news with everyone! Now you'll get to hear the many variations of "how are you doing" every time you see those you've told!

Alikat - I'm so sorry about the pain from the ribs - at least it won't be too much longer; you have great pre-labor signs - I never showed any progress at the doctor's office but DS's labor started on his due date.

Susan - I hope your open house went well again this weekend; I'm probably going to take my papers to the hospital for registration tomorrow before my dr visit. Thanks for reminding me. :o

2Hungry - Congrats on passing your 3 hour!! Enjoy some ice cream for me - I really miss enjoying the taste of sweet things.

[SusanPC]

Hi ladies, checking in at just over 31 weeks here.

Nancy--Sounds like a nice weekend. I love the EXPO center although it can be dangerous when I go in there!

MST--So glad the u/s went well and that your DH is being so awesome. They really do come through, don't they!

Mabvt--Glad you are having fun (and esp. DH) telling people. My DH got carried away...I swear he would tell any stranger on the street once we started telling people.

Me--Had my all day Child Birth Class yesterday. It was at my OB clinic put on by one of the hospital's labor/delivery nurses. I feel so much more relaxed and less scared....although the videos I could have done w/o. Otherwise, another busy weekend. Visited my mom, she is awaiting pathology results today but seems to be getting better from the surgery slowly but surely. We had 41 people through the open house yesterday. Realtor thinks 5 or so were serious buyers vs. people just browsing...hoping for a nibble but we also have another open house planned for next Sunday. Realtor wants to keep the buzz up...we'll see.

[2HUNGRY!]

Hi all. I can't believe I'm almost 29 weeks!

mst -- I'm so glad they kidney issue has been resolved.

Nancy -- I love Home Depot EXPO centers, but I get way overheated in the light dept. I've never actually bought anything there though. It must be fun shopping for all new stuff.

Alikat -- Hang in there!

Mabvt -- Enjoy spreading the news. My DH told everyone (including the lady selling him weed killer at the garden center), but for some reason I didn't really feel comfortable until about 16 weeks.

Susan -- Good luck to your Mom. I hope her results come back clear. I can't believe you had 41 people at your open house! When do you close on the new place? Soon, right?

I had another appointment at the Peri today. Everything is looking good. They're predicting an 8 1/2 pound baby. That's pretty good since they told me at the begining that there would be growth issues and I may have to deliver way early. Its a relief to know my body can do something right!

[Kerri]

Checking in at 27 weeks...agh! I can't believe I am almost in the last trimester! I had my appointment last week and everything was fine. I took my glucose test and if I failed, I will probably get a call today. Let's hope that phone doesn't ring! I am feeling pretty good, but noticing that I have been slowing down a bit.

mst and christine - thinking about you guys are bedrest.

Couperine - I am going to be in Kingwood the end of this week. My sister is having surgery so DS and I are going to fly out to watch her kids while she is recooperating. I am going to be in charge of 3 under 3! AGH!!

I hope those of you who are close have a smooth last couple of weeks.

[SusanPC]

Kerri--Congrats on almost being in the 3rd trimester!

So, I just got out of a meeting and at the end I was briefing this group I was meeting with about coverage when I am on maternity leave....since I am due in just under 9 weeks. One of the managing directors was looking at me in shock and was like, I had NO IDEA you were pregnant....you look so small. He went on to say his wife is petite like me and was huge at this point. Darned it....I SWEAR I am a house....what do I have to do...Go buy a Moo Moo???

2Hungry--I think you know generally the area where I live...we get a ton of foot traffic in the neighborhood...so I am sure that plays a big factor in curious people just wandering through... We close on the 24th and move on the 25th. I am really excited. My shower is scheduled for the 29th...busy times ahead.

Question for those who work outside the home. Did you work up to your due date? Did anyone reduce their hours or work from home at all leading up to delivery? My midwife indicated I am over-doing it at work but I don't see what my options are other than going on leave early, which I don't really want to do...since I want as much time as possible with my little one once she's here.

[veschke]

KerriQuestion for those who work outside the home. Did you work up to your due date?

Both of mine were early, and I ended up working right up until they arrived (if I ever have another baby, I'm just going to plan to take that last week off!). With #2 I worked from home three days a week for the final month. Not having to deal with traffic was a big relief. Good luck!

[Delanl]

Hi Susan! My OB advised me to stop working at 36 weeks, but that wasn't possible, so I worked in the office through my 38th week and then worked at home for my 39th week.

Good luck to all those that are close!

[chefbecky]

Delurking for Susan ...

With DS, I worked until my due date, and he ended up arriving eight days late, so I had a week off. This time, with DD, I just felt like I needed a break, since now I have a 3.5-year-old to deal with, and overall, I was not quite as energetic this time. Also, I commute on the subway, and the whole routine was just getting to be too much. So I worked to a week before my due date, and she came a week later. In other words, both times, I had a week off before they were born. I had the same concern as you about wanting to save my time for once the babies arrived, but now I'm so glad I did it. It was just nice to have a week to get the house clean, cook some meals for the freezer and just relax. Of course, neither of my kids was anxious to come out, so if you had an early baby I guess it would all be a moot point!

[Megan James]

Kerri--
Question for those who work outside the home. Did you work up to your due date? Did anyone reduce their hours or work from home at all leading up to delivery? My midwife indicated I am over-doing it at work but I don't see what my options are other than going on leave early, which I don't really want to do...since I want as much time as possible with my little one once she's here.

I worked a week past my due date (DD was 10 days late!). I wanted to save all my maternity leave for after the baby was born. I basically began really cutting back my responsibilities around 38 weeks and by the end was pretty much doing odd tasks that would only take a couple hours. The week I was overdue was pretty unstressful as I was not doing much real work and just helping people out for an hour or two here and there.

I plan to work as long as possible this time to. I will add that I work close to home and to the hospital and figured the worst thing that could happen would be my water would break at work and I'd be embarrassed. But I figured the embarrassment would be worth the extra maternity leave on the back end.

[Bawstinn]

delurking ...

I also worked right up until Madeleine was born. She was due on a Friday and I went into labor that Saturday night. My OB was fine with me working and actually encouraged keeping busy. I'm an engineer though, so I am either sitting at my desk or running tests in the lab on our equipment. Nothing strenuous.

I also wanted as much time as I could get after she was born since short term disability didn't kick in until she was born (unless there was a medical reason why I couldn't work). I didn't want to take any vacation time either - I wanted to save it so I could tack it onto the end of my 6 wks paid.

Of course, you work until you are due and have to endure the 'what are you still doing here' and 'you didn't have the baby yet' questions from co-workers. :rolleyes: 90% of the people I work with are male and that last week everytime I winced or made a noise or anything they looked at me like I was going to have the baby then and there.

[ChristineB]

Hi ladies,

Susan--glad to hear your Mom is at Johns Hopkins, I know she is getting great care and hope she is doing better. Good luck with the move and have a great time at your shower!

2Hungry--great news about your 3 hour test!!

mst-great news about the ultrasound!

mabvt--we had so much fun telling family--made it into games etc, enjoy this time

Couperine-32 weeks is a big hurdle, so exciting!

I have 6 more days until my scheduled c-section. Starting to freak out! I have been so focused on wanting to go home and get out of the hospital rather than thinking we will have a baby in 6 days! Looking forward to hearing the baby cry so I will know her lungs are developed. Still nervous about delivering at 36 weeks but I guess the doctors know what they are doing.

We need to have a Cooking Light baby klatch once all our babies arrive--seems like there are a few of us in Northern Virginia. I will host!

ChristineB

[mst]

Susan- I had wanted to work until I delivered, but was in too much pain (I had back issues with DD also.) Anyway, I had to make it to a certain date to get FMLA (was within a week of my due date). I probably would have left earlier because of the pain. But, if I was not in pain, I would have worked until a day or two before my due date.

Christine- two of my neices were born at 36 weeks, and neither one needed any extra help at all. Happy, healthy cuties!

[LA98]

Looking forward to hearing the baby cry so I will know her lungs are developed. Still nervous about delivering at 36 weeks but I guess the doctors know what they are doing.

Delurking...just thought you'd like to hear a positive story :) My goddaughter was born at 33 weeks and was perfectly healthy in every single way, including her lungs (her mom, my best friend, had gotten the steroid shots at 28 weeks when her water broke, she was in the hospital in bed from that point till she delivered). She's almost 5 years old now, she always hit all her milestones right on time, there was never anything "preemie" about her, except for her birth weight. Best to you, I know being in the hospital that long stinks....

[MinEaston]

delurking for Christine...

my niece was born at about 36.5 weeks and weighed barely 4 lbs. She was taken to the NICU but barely stayed 2 hours, whereupon they promptly brought her back to my SIL. She and SIL went home in 2 days, everything was normal! She's a healthy, thriving 4 year old now...

[MISSINDI]

delurking for Susan...

With both kids, I worked up until I delivered. With Nicholas, I was working outside of the home, and started heading home around 3 pm the week before my due date. But like others, work on computer, so nothing too strenuous and I was feeling fine. After him, I snuck back into office the day after I came home, and went in nights the first week, and then he started coming in with me for the first year. :D With Madeline, I work from home, so it's a different ballgame; just need to go in weekly for meetings and stuff.

While I'm here, a question ... a friend and his wife are pregnant, 11 weeks. Her obgyn suggested amnio (she's 37) and he wanted to know what I thought. Then they did an u/s and it appears there is a little thickening at the neck that the doctors are concerned about. Could be down's syndrome, and now they're urging the amnio, of course. Anyone else go through this? If not down's, what else could it be? He's trying to be strong and calm for his wife, but inside is getting more than a little scared.

[MinEaston]

While I'm here, a question ... a friend and his wife are pregnant, 11 weeks. Her obgyn suggested amnio (she's 37) and he wanted to know what I thought. Then they did an u/s and it appears there is a little thickening at the neck that the doctors are concerned about. Could be down's syndrome, and now they're urging the amnio, of course. Anyone else go through this? If not down's, what else could it be? He's trying to be strong and calm for his wife, but inside is getting more than a little scared.

Did they spot this on a regular u/s or was it the actual "NT test," ie, nuchal translucency screening test?

There's SO much to consider and ask the OBGYN - here's a good article (http://www.babycenter.com/0_nuchal-translucency-screening_118.bc?articleId=118&page=1) on Babycenter.

"Abnormal" thickening doesn't necessarily mean Down's, but could mean an increased risk for it...

[mst]

Missindi- If there is anything going on at all, the doctors recommend further testing. Further testing does not at all mean that there is something wrong, it just means that things need to be explored. If you go back through old threads, almost every month someone has something that needs extra testing, and as far as I know, I don't think anything has come of any of the additional testing. (This is also a voice of experience, we are doing about 14 weeks worth of testing for a kidney issue, and it looks as though it will be resolved by birth.) In fact, someone here had an increased risk for Down's last month, or the month before, and it turn out fine (I can't remember who it was...)

There is also another test called an integrated screening, which is less invasive than an amnio. They are not yet doing it in all parts of the country, but your friend might want to ask about it. It is more reliable than the amnio also. I have done it twice- it consists of an u/s and two blood tests.

Truly, the thickening of the neck is not enough of a marker. If it was, people would not do the other tests. It just indicates that it should be looked into. Good luck.

[2HUNGRY!]

delurking for Susan...

While I'm here, a question ... a friend and his wife are pregnant, 11 weeks. Her obgyn suggested amnio (she's 37) and he wanted to know what I thought. Then they did an u/s and it appears there is a little thickening at the neck that the doctors are concerned about. Could be down's syndrome, and now they're urging the amnio, of course. Anyone else go through this? If not down's, what else could it be? He's trying to be strong and calm for his wife, but inside is getting more than a little scared.


I had an NT scan and the risks came back elevated for down's. I knew that I wouldn't terminate, so I waited until 16 weeks and had a level II ultrasound where there could take a closer look for what they call markers. I guess it depends on what they would want to do with the information. Amnio will give them a definite answer, but has something like a 1:300 risk for miscarriage. For me, that was too much of a risk. I would suggest they see a specialist or a genetic counselor to go through the options with them.

[SusanPC]

Thanks to all for the responses on working up to due date. I am meeting with my CFO again tomorrow to finalize coverage on my team when I am out, I may broach the subject of working from home a bit in the coming weeks...see what he says.

Another question, what are your thoughts on banking cord blood? I saw a story on it this AM on the Today Show....got to say it gave me pause, I need to do more research but interested in other's thoughts?

[mabvt]

Hi guys-- just wanted to whine a little...I'm sick of not feeling well! Nothing sounds good or smells good except super boring stuff. I miss cooking and eating bc I want too! Poor DH is getting sick of my crankiness.

Whining over...

I'm ten weeks this week. Next week I have my first doc's apt. That will be exciting.

I don't really have anything to add to the advice about amnio. I do have another story of a friend who had a similair dr's visit where it was recommended bc of a heightenend probability of downs. She did not do the amnio, and had a healthy baby girl.

Christine--Continued prayers for you and DH and that the little bun is perfectly baked in time!

Susan--I hadn't given a lot of though to the working until the due date or not thing thus far...But I teach middle school and the thought of my water breaking in front of 25 eighth graders is not a pleasant one! :eek:

[SusanPC]

mabvt--whine away, we understand. FYI, I had hyperemesis for the first 18 weeks of pregnancy. Was in the hospital 2x for IV fluids...and I lost just shy of 20 lbs, which I have finally gained back. I promise, it WILL get better. You will wake up one day and have a craving...and if your DH is anything like mine, you will have it in front of you w/in 10 minutes!

Christine--you are sooo close. And, I agree on the DC area klatch after we all have our babes. It would be fun!

Everyone else, hope you are having a great day.

[SooCookie]

mabvt - your post is making me come out of lurkdom! ;) I'll join in your whine.

I am 13 weeks pg with my 2nd, due September 14. We heard the heartbeat last week so I feel a little better about everything now. I have been horribly sick, and while I haven't lost too much weight (I can still handle all the junk food like french fries and ice cream) I know I haven't been eating well. With my 1st things didn't start to look up until about 20 weeks, so not looking forward to another month and then some of this!

I don't quite know if I am mentally ready to have two children yet. I had just gotten the hang on having one and then we find out I am pregnant again. So really more scared than excited right now, but I still have a while to let it all sink in!:D

SusanPC - I didn't do the cord blood banking with my first because I had heard from several sources (of course I don't remember who now!) that unless you have a family history of certain illnesses, it will most likely end up being a waste of money. The hospital I delivered at was actually participating in a research study and I could donate it through the study, and that is what I did. I still felt like it was going to a good use instead of throwing it away. I know there are other ways to donate it if you don't want to spend the $$ to bank it, but will have to do some research since I don't remember all the information.

Looking forward to participating in this thread and getting to know everyone again!

Michelle

[2HUNGRY!]

SooCookie -- Congrats!

Mabvt -- Hang in there. Its hard to imagine a day when you'll feel better, but eventually you do.

Susan -- Good luck tomorrow. Let us know what happens. I have no advice, but I am in the same confused boat. I'll just say I was way wrong when I thought I could do it all!

Hi everyone else!

[Couperine]

SooCookie - Congrats and welcome back! How old is your first?

mabvt - We're here to listen and help - whine away! Hopefully you'll feel better soon - I'm sure that first picture of your little bean will lift you for a while.

Susan - If you're still feeling pretty good, I've heard lots of positive things about working very close to your due date. The last little bit where you are just waiting can go VERY slow if you've already finished everything. We chose not to bank the cord blood for DS1, and we don't plan to with DS2 either.

Christine - You'll make it!! They picked 36 weeks for a reason - everything about your baby is pretty much done developing at 36 weeks. The extra uterine weeks are mainly about continued fetal growth.

Kerri - Aren't you brave to help with the kids! Three under 3 AND you pregnant - I'll send you energetic thoughts. Aside from rain every few days, the weather is pretty lovely here for doing things outside - ah yes and if you have allergies during pine pollen season, I'm soooo sorry. Time seems to pass much faster in the 3rd trimester, imo. :)

2Hungry - I do enjoy picking things for the new house - sometimes the sheer volume of choices can be overwhelming. I'm glad that they predicted such a healthy baby weight for you - DS1 was 8lbs even, and I hope that DS2 is about the same.

I had a doctor appt today, and I'm a little nervous now - not for the baby (all his things were normal), but for me. My weight was fine, they didn't see anything in my urine, but my blood pressure sucked. I wasn't particularly stressed, and I was skating a bad BP through the last part of DS1's pregnancy. They gave me the huge jug to fill with 24 hrs of urine, then I go back tomorrow with it, get blood drawn, and take my BP again. I'm so sure I'll have lower BP...:rolleyes: I did this stuff with DS1 - the part that really freaked me out was when she started talking about needing to rest through tomorrow and then asking me about my childcare options. I do have some, but I certainly don't want to be in a position to have to use them.

I do feel better after getting some of my worries out - I just hope that things work out like they did last time.

[Bawstinn]

Susan - we opted not to bank the cord blood since we did not have a family history of any of the diseases that could be treated with stem cells:

http://www.cordblood.com/cord_blood_banking_with_cbr/banking/diseases_treated.asp

We had considered donating, but our hospital charged an insane amount of money for it to be collected even though my OB would have done her part for free.

Not to be a downer, but should we be blessed with a #2 we will bank the cord blood. Madeleine's dad was paralyzed in an accident when she was 5 months old and one of the questions the rehab hospital had asked was whether or not we had banked the cord. They are doing so much with stem cell research and spinal cord injuries there is a chance it could help him since his spinal cord was not severed.

[MISSINDI]

Thanks for the responses to my friend's situation. It was a regular u/s, not the big nuchal one. I'm passing the comments on to him. He's trying not to worry until they have a reason too, but we all know how hard that is.

Regarding banking cord blood - we didn't for either of our kids. My cousin needs a stem cell transplant and we tried to donate Madeline's cord to his team, but it's easier said than done. First, if she was a match, he'd need one more. My theory is that at least you're halfway there, no? His team would have also had to arrange to collect it at the delivery since the hospital doesn't have someone on staff to do that, and they couldn't get their act together in time. Since it couldn't be worked out to donate it privately, when they asked me at the hospital what my intentions were, I asked if we could donate it to a public bank, and the answer was no. Again, they have no one on staff to handle that, and it would have to be set up weeks prior, etc., etc. I just don't get it. If this is something that could potentially help people, wouldn't it make sense to have a FT staffer to handle public donations? They said some hospitals do, just not them (and they're fairly large!) :(

Congrats SooCookie!

ChristineB - you're so close!

[sweetpea]

Nothing new here..just getting a bigger belly everyday!

I wanted to chime in cord blood banking--i happened to see the Today show yesterday about the child with CP whose own cord blood seemed to bring dramatic improvements and with a close friend with a child with CP i was intrigued. We didn't bank our blood with Emma, but donated it. We got a kit in the mail and the nurses were fine with getting the blood and then we had to fedex the kit back to the blood bank. There's a cord blood bank right in downtown Indy now so this time we plan to donate to them--i still need to send in my paperwork :eek: . We have no major illnesses in our family and it's very tempting to want to bank it for us but it's SO expensive...and for something we might not need--we just can't do it. I do feel good about donating though and there's lots of good info on the internet about donating it if you all are interested in that.

[Jonie]

delurking.... Haven't been on these boards in ages...

I donated cord blood with kiddo # 3 in May '05 & again with kiddo # 4 in Oct ' 06...

I used a bank from info gleened from this board...
Cryo Cell Int'l...

All I had to do was fill out an extensive questionnaire, fill out the paperwork.. the Dr's collected free of charge after delivery... & from there all I needed to do was call a toll free # & Fed Ex picked up right from my room..

You do have to plan ahead a little.. as the paperwork process does take a little time....

I believe it is a worthy cause & it is a crime that some Dr's won't collect it for free... It takes less than 5 minutes...

Good Luck to all you expecting Moms!
Jonie

[erinlovesmarc]

checking in at 29 weeks!...

I've been super busy with work (training someone to replace me for my year maternity) and finishing up the renovations and trying not to burn myself out...can I just say that's it's hard to let other people do stuff for you!!! I'm sooo independent and I'm just so exhausted by the time I get home from work that I have absolutely no energy to cook or clean...poor DH has been stuck doing alot of the house work and top of that he has the renovations on the house and all the shoveling every day because of all the snow we've been getting! I feel sooo bad that I can't do more...

Anyways besides that it's going pretty good...the only thing that is worrying me a little is that my dr. called me yesterday to say that the bloodtest I did last week showed that my blood sugar is slightly high...not enough for pregnancy diabetes but enough to follow up on...I'm VERY surprised...we eat sooo healthy at home and I haven't gained an extraordinary amount of weight....I do eat desserts but not every day but I do eat alot of fruit...could it be because of the fruit?!?!?!?

[2HUNGRY!]

Erin -- I just went thought this last week. From everything I read, its not anything you ate, its just a part of pregnancy. Some people get it and some don't. I read that exercise is the most beneficial thing you can do to keep your blood sugar down. I wouldn't worry about what you are eating as long as your doctor doesn't tell you to worry.

[mabvt]

Popping in to say thanks for all of the reassurances that the yuckiness will go away! To add to my excitement this week the necessity to add Fiber-Con to my diet if (ahem) you know what I mean. :rolleyes:

Couperine-- Just read your post about your BP. Do you have anything to report? How was your follow up visit?

Susan-- I know I got a pamphlet about cord blood banking in the scads of information my doc's office gave me. I will read through and report if there is anything new.

[2HUNGRY!]

Christine -- Good luck on Monday! Oh, and I am up for a NOVA get together this summer! Were you ever part of one of the supper clubs? I may have met you before.

[ChristineB]

thanks 2Hungry. I feel like we might have met too. I attended a couple of Catherines supperclub get togethers a few years back.

3 more days...eek!

We will definitely have a fun DC new mommies get together this summer!
ChristineB

[SusanPC]

Happy Friday, Ladies. I decided to work from home today and seem to get so much more done (and am so much happier) than when at work:rolleyes:

Nancy--Have you had a follow-up on the blood pressure, keep us posted. Hope you are doing ok and it was just a blip.

Erin--Same as 2Hungry, I just went through this. I think lots of people "fail" the initial screenings and end up just fine in the end.

mabvt--Sorry about the FiberCon, also my ob suggested colace in the 1st trimester when I had that issue. Also, when I resumed my normal prenatal vitamin (PrimacareOne) after the naseau subsided I didn't seem to have those problems anymore....I think it has a softner in the vitamin from what I heard (maybe by someone on this board).

Christine--Good luck on Monday. I'll be thinking of you!

Thanks to all who weighed in on cord banking, I think we are going to do it (I know you can't donate at our hospital...they used to do it but lost funding). I plan to talk to my midwife about it at my appt. this week.

For those of you in DC, wanted to pass on a link I was given by the labor and deliver nurse that taught my childbirth class last week. Apparently this center sell/rents high quality pumps and offers a myriad of free classes. Her patients have raved about the place! (www.breastfeedingcenter.org)

I hope everyone has a great weekend. We are having dinner tonight with another couple who are due two days after us and tomorrow night with a couple due at the end of July. It is nice to go out with others that can't drink and tire early :o Tomorrow we are going car shopping, I have a mini cooper convertible....not practical/safe for a newborn! We move a week from Monday, scary! Lots going on these days.

BTW, for those that asked about my mom....we got the pathology results. Her tumor was a rare cancer, but they removed 14 lymph nodes and all were clear which is good news. She starts radiation every day for approx. 6 weeks in the next 4 weeks or so. All in all, it is encouraging that they seemed to have caught it early, so that is a relief!

Have a nice weekend to all.

[Luv to Cook]

Hi Everyone...can I join in? We are pregnant with baby #3...I am still REALLY early, maybe like 7 weeks, but I just need a place to commiserate. I had horrible hyperemesis with my first 2, but trying desperately to stave it off with this one. I am a little nervous about having a third, but I guess there is no turning back now :D !

I look forward to meeting you all (and meredith, I think we were preg together with our other kids :)!).

Thanks for letting me join in and I promise to be add more fruitful info, rather than just complaining!

Anita

[valchemist]

delurking to say hi and congrats to anita! for us, number 3 is a charm. hope you find the same.

good luck christine!

[mst]

Anita! Woo hoo! I am so excited for you. And, hopefully, I will get to *see* you more. I miss you on the parenting threads. Also, I know I will be obsessing soon about whether or not to do #3!

Christine- I can't believe your journey is almost over. You did it. You should be very proud of yourself. And, gear up- the fun is just beginning!:D

Susan- glad that things with your mom are looking positive.

As for me, daycare cancelled again this week, for the whole week. Their daughter had surgery, and it was rougher than they expected. We made it through- have I mentioned how great my DH is?

My back seems slightly better. I don't know if this is a trend or not, but I hope so. It still hurts, but I was able to be up long enough to make muffins yesterday. (All the frozen bananas are taunting me as they take up room in my freezer.)

I am actually having a hard time that I am 30 weeks. I feel like that is a really big milestone in my pregnancy, and I am kind of sad that it is almost done. It has been a rough pregnancy, but I am not sure if we are going to go for #3 or not, and I am sad that it could be my last time feeling a baby inside me. I am a very sentimental mom, as you guys we learn once our babies start doing things. I love DD achieving things, but I am sad as she advances through each stage.

[tholbrook]

Just found out today I'm having a girl! It was just a quick ultrasound, courtesy of my friend who works at my OB's office. But everything is still on track. I'm almost 17 weeks, but still haven't felt any kicks or bumps. At least not that I can tell.

We're heading to Lake Tahoe tomorrow to celebrate our 9 year anniversary (we were going to wait until the 10th, but given the current situation...!). We were married in Tahoe, so I'm excited about going back.

My dad is going to visit us there for a few days (he lives in CA) so we get to surprise him with our latest news. This is his first grandchild, and it's so funny how excited he is.

Anyway, I'm a little nervous about flying, but since I've done well so far, I hope that it will be uneventful. Has anyone done any skiing while pregnant? My doctor gave me the go-ahead if I want to, but I haven't decided yet. I know we'll be doing some snow-shoeing.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

[2HUNGRY!]

Congrats Anita! How old are your other two? Have you told them yet?

Congrats on the girl Tholbrook and have fun in California!

Susan -- that's good news about your Mom. I hope her treatments go well. Thanks for the link, and good luck with the move. Have you gotten your furniture from Baby 2 Teen yet? I had a pretty hard time scheduling delivery, and I was just wondering if it was just me!

MST -- I'm glad your pain is getting a little better. Enjoy the muffins! What a pain about day care.

Bluemoose -- are you out there? I hope everything is okay.

I am loving the third trimester. I just feel like a lot of my overwhelming anxiety of the first two trimesters is gone now that I get closer to the actual delivery. My skin is clear, and I am huge in a good way and I just feel so lucky that I am finally here! If you told me a year ago, I would have never imagined that this would be me. The nice weather is helping too I think. I'll have to remind myself of this next time I'm feeling sorry for myself that I couldn't sleep and I'm up all night creating new playlists for my iPod! If you're in DC and see me on the metro, don't talk to me this week because I'll be listening to all of my new tunes!

I feel bad for a friend at work. We have a bit of a baby boom going on, and I know she's been trying for a year or so. Well, a proud papa of the clueless sort announced yesterday and he stuck the 13 week scan picture in her face and said "Don't drink the water!". She spent the rest of the day with her door shut.

[Luv to Cook]

Thanks for the warm welcome! Val, so nice to "see" you...would love to hear more about life with 3 kids. I am so nervous!

Meredith, I totally hear you on the milestone thing. You want to watch them grow and acheive new milestones, but in the back of your head, you are thinking, "please stop growing so fast!!!"

tholbrook...woohoo, a little girl! It will be fun to tell your Dad the news. About skiing, I have never done it, but my friend sees a high risk doc here in town and he gave her the go ahead to go water skiing and she did and it was all good. Me, I am a bit of a nervous nellie and figure I would rather wait until the pregnancy was over.

2Hungry! Ahhh, the third trimester sounds dreamy...I hope my first trimester goes quickly!

My other two are almost 5 and 2.5. I have not told them yet, because my older DD will tell the world and I am just not ready for that yet.

Excited that the weekend is here, so I can just relax a little with DH being home. We are having company over tonite...no idea what to cook that won't bring me to my knees, but hopefully will figure out something good enough to eat, but bland enough for me to handle.

Have a great weekend!
Anita

[Couperine]

Thanks for asking about my BP issues - it was better but not good when I went back on Wednesday. Good enough to let me go with an admonition to keep getting it checked at DH's office and by him at home until my next visit. I'm glad it was better since they wisely had me get blood drawn before they took my BP.

DS has some mysterious fever illness that started late Thursday - he's been sweet about it, but he just can't kick it thus far. Today I'm trying to let it go with a little less medication so he can burn it off a bit, but I'm only comfortable with his fever to about 102 on our thermometer. Not stressful, really, but I feel bad for him and miss when he'd just lay on me and hug on me for comfort when he was sick.

We're trying so hard to finish up the selection process on house stuff; it drives me nuts that so many of these places are only open from 9-4:30 M-F. I know my DH isn't the only spouse who always works during these hours, and can't just drop everything to head to one of these places. I just want everything done because I'm getting so darn big, and I'd like to take it easier over the next 7 weeks.

Sweetpea - I'm glad you are feeling well in your pregnancy!

erinlovesmarc - Sometimes your body just does its own thing in pregnancy - hopefully your doctor had some good advice with your follow-up.

mabvt - I hear you about the fiber - I really hate bran cereals, but I try to eat some every day in hopes that it counteracts some of my innards issues.

Christine - You are so close - I hope everything goes well on Monday!!

Susan - What good news for your mother! I hope you have fun shopping for a car, and good luck getting ready for the move. Any further nibbles on the current house or still mostly looky-lous?

Anita - Welcome again! Hopefully your third continues to be a little different and you keep your food where it belongs. :)

mst - Good thing your back feeling a little better coincided with a surprise week off for your daughter! It's funny how we all have different issues about where we are in pregnancy - 30 wks is around my worst time because my worry about prematurity issues (though I've never ever had anything to indicate it). I hit 33 weeks yesterday, and I'm through the worst of my worries - DH is happy at 35, but I know things would be ok now. I can cry in a heartbeat about seeing the changes in DS1 - they are wonderful but sad at the same time.

tholbrook - Congrats on your girl, and enjoy Tahoe!

2Hungry - I'm glad you are enjoying your third trimester - I envy your skin! This time I've got the "mask of pregnancy" thing fairly obviously - red t-zone basically and nothing to do about it except cover it a little.

Everyone have a great weekend!

[SusanPC]

Hi ladies, hope all are well. DH and I are getting a late start on car shopping today. Went out last night with friends and the DH's had a grand old time with dirty martinis/wine/etc. Finally we had to break up their little party when the cigar humidor came out.....my poor friend had to get up early this Am to drive to NJ for her baby shower and was not thrilled her DH would be hung over and sleeping for the drive, with the MIL in tow. :o

2Hungry--I called Baby2Teen yesterday and my crib and dresser are in, but not the guard rails? I am guessing that goes with the conversion kit that my Dh insisted on buying :rolleyes: We are waiting until the new house until delivery though, and our glider/ottoman is on back order due to the fabric we chose. I am getting a bit nervous. BTW, have you started stocking your freezer yet? I need to email you for some of those recipes you compiled.

Nancy--So glad to hear the BP was a little better. It must be nice to have a DH who is a DR to watch out for your little one(s) and you! Still nothing on the house. There is one in our neighborhood that is a bigger model than ours that usually sell for approx 200K more. We think these neighbors had a subprime mortgage b/c they just listed it (and of course went under contract the same weekend) 20k over what we were asking--and we hear they accepted under asking price. So, they have pretty much scr**ed us all in the community. We shall see though. Dh and I are not in a huge rush to sell....and have toyed with renting it out to some folks from the Australian embassy (DH is an aussie) if we think now isn't the best time to sell. Don't get me wrong, I am not thrilled about the prospect of 2 mortgages---esp with the equity tied up in our townhouse---but I am also not in panic mode yet!

Anita--congrats and welcome!

tholbrook--congrats on the girl!!!! So fun. I've gone crazy with clothes since finding out!

Ok ladies, DH becons for the car search. Have a great day.

[Megan James]

tholbrook- I skied Salt Lake City when I was pregnant with DD. I was in my first trimester and certainly didn't feel "off balance". I just wasn't as daring as I usually am, and had to make sure NOT to follow my brother in law like I usually do :) He's notorious for getting you in over your head. My take on skiiing is that it's a little risky but then again so is driving a car, as long as your not feeling like your balance is off I'd go for it. And I LOVE LOVE skiing at Tahoe! Squaw is my all time favorite (though I probably wouldn't do my favorite runs pregnant...)

I'm feeling a bit more like a normal person again, not quite as tired. Not quite as much nausea. I am really disgusted with how much weight I have gained. I had to go in yesterday for the 2nd blood draw of my sequential screening and of course you have to get weighed. I was thinking that I actually didn't feel like I had gained much since my appt 2 weeks ago and that at most it would be 1lb. Hah! I gained 3! I'm up 13lbs and I'll be 17weeks tomorrow. I'm trying not to let it bother me but that's not easy. If I keep up at this rate it's not going to be pretty at the end...

For the first trimester ladies who feel like they are only complaining I say go ahead and complain. I know how you feel and it really does get better! It took me 16 weeks and I'm not 100% back to normal but much much better. Most of us know how you feel.

[AliKat11]

Wow--there's been a lot going on since I checked in last!

mst--**SO** happy to hear that you're feeling better!

mabvt--good news that your bp is better, and hoping your DH feels better soon as well!

Christine--fingers crossed for you on Monday!

MomofMooch--was thinking about you on Thursday, and anxiously waiting for you to check in, and hopefully share pictures!

Welcome to all those who have just outed themselves, and congrats to those who've just learned what they're having! That was one of my favorite days in my pregnancy. And ditto to Megan who said it's okay to complain. There's a lot to look forward to, but a lot of headaches along the way and who better than this group to understand that??

Okay, question for those of you who've done this before. I'm finally counting down, literally, as my OB is inducing me Sunday night for a probably Monday delivery. (Maybe Christine & I will both have St. Patty's Day babies!!) I have to be at the hospital at 6pm, and they'll be starting the IV that evening, and gradually increasing the dosage throughout the night/early morning. They will be offering me something to sleep. Has anyone else done this, and willing to share how things worked out for them as far as timing, etc.? And, did your DH stay with you that night, even though you're mostly just sleeping?

[BlueMoose]

2Hungry...I'm still here. I've just been lurking ....I'm totally ready to be done being pregnant! This was so neat...some of my online friends had a surprise baby shower for me last week...I wrote about it on my blog:
http://asugarandspicelife.blogspot.com/

Christine and Alikat...I'll be thinking of you on Monday!

Congratulations to the newly pregnant!

Chrisi :)

[MomofMooch]

Checking in very briefly, typing one-handed, little William in the other. Baby Will arrived safely Thursday morning, 8 lbs, 12 oz, 21 3/4 inches (at 38 weeks, 6 days -- did I mention I was huge?! :) ). He arrived screaming, chubby-cheeked, with a full head of hair, and we are all utterly in love with him. Scheduled c-section had its rough moments, but ok overall. We are doing well, now home, and I am recovering pretty smoothly so far. Will try to write more later ...

Hope everyone else (especially those of you on baby watch today) is doing well!

[Couperine]

Congratulations MoM, and welcome to baby Will! I'm glad everything worked out with the delivery - how wonderful for your family!

My thoughts are with you today, Christine and Alikat!

[2HUNGRY!]

Congrats MoM!

Good luck today Christine and Allikat. Maybe you both have your babies already?

Susan -- I hope car shopping went well. I have my delivery scheduled for next weekend from baby 2 Teen. My furniture actually came in early (about 7 weeks) but then it took them 2 weeks to even schedule the delivery, and that was after a lot of phone calls on my part. I was feeling a little frustrated because they made it seem like an absolute emergency if I didn't pay my balance right when it all arrived. I was curious if your experiences were similar because everyone just raves about them.

Nancy -- I'm glad your bp is okay for now. Would you have to go on bed rest?

Blue Moose -- I'm glad you're okay.

We went out last night to DH's favorite restaurant for his birthday (B. Smith's). I just want to say, I love fried green tomatoes and I am so glad I passed my 3 hour GD test. The hostess who sat us told me not to order anything spicy because I looked like I was about to give birth last night. When did I cross the line between people saying I don't look pregnant to being told I look like I could go at any minute? :D

ETA: Susan -- no, I haven't done much on my freezer yet. The only thing I've done is buy value packs of meat as they go on sale and freeze them in marinade for grilling this summer. My offer stands though, if you, or anyone else, would like to see the recipes I put together, just pm me with your email.

[mabvt]

Welcome baby Will!
Congrats MomofM! I love the name...it would be on our list but rhymes with our last name...

Special thoughts to Ali and Christine today...Hopefully we will get more good news soon!

[Couperine]

2Hungry - Yup if they don't like my BP, they would either do bedrest or schedule a c-section since I'd likely be at 35 weeks by the time I could schedule. I absolutely do not want a c-section in any way shape or form, so I'm just trying to keep things easy. My exciting task of the day today is culling our file cabinet for the move; friends are going strawberry picking, but I just can't take the continual bending. I yearn for my new house without stairs. :)

Back to happy baby news!

[SooCookie]

Just wanted to pop in quick and say congratulations to Momofmooch! William is a wonderful name. Hope everything is going well with your c-section recovery.

Thinking of you today Christine and AliKat!

Also, thanks for the welcomes, everyone. My DD1 is 22 months, which will put her at just over 2 years when #2 comes!

Michelle

[mst]

Congrats MomofMooch. That is one big baby! Will is a great name.

2Hungry- I am Jewish, so the plan was to have the store hold our crib until the baby came (Jewish superstition). Anyway, when I was about 36 weeks, we got a letter in the mail saying that the store was going out of business, and we were not entitled to our furniture (which we had to pay for in full when we ordered it), because the bank owned it. Anyway, it was quite a scene. My husband drove there the next morning- there were swarms of people, cops, etc. He said it was awful. People were crying because they had bought furniture on credit cards, and weren't going to get it, but still had to make payments, etc. Anyway, I went after work, and I was wearing a button up shirt that was totally gaping open by the evening. There were news stations there *begging* me to go on camera. No way. Long, long story short- the store owner sneaked a crib into our car, and it all worked out ok. Very stressful though.

Nancy- I have my fingers crossed for you. I hope everything works out ok. But, as someone who has been through bedrest and a c-section, I can tell you that the other alternatives are liveable, even though not ideal or fun.

Ali and Christine- fingers crossed.

I went to the doctor today. Turns out our baby is above the 90%. I grow big babies! I thought it was very interesting- the doctor said that she could tell by looking at me that the baby was breech. She did double-check, but I thought that was neat. The nurse was pretty surprised by how much the baby fills up my body. She said she was pretty surprised that the baby was all the way up in my ribs, and down in my pelvis at the same time. It's what happens when a small person carries a big baby!

[Luv to Cook]

To those with older kids, PLEASE tell me what you fed your kids when you were in the first trimester!!! I cannot think of what I did when Asha was little and this time, just opening the fridge leads me to gag. I am tired of feeding them from the pantry and I just don't know what else to make. If you have any benign food ideas, that are easy and quick, please tell me....the guilt of junk food is overtaking me!

Congrats, MoM...that is great news! Looking forward to some pics of those chubby cheeks!

Good luck to all the mommies and babies making their debut today!

BlueMoose, what an awesome idea...I just loved the baby shower. You have some wonderful friends.

Thanks!
Anita

[SusanPC]

ChristineVA- Was yesterday the big day? Can't wait to hear about your little one and soooo glad you are done with the excrutiating bed rest! Hope your DH is better as well!

tholbrook- I was told no skiing, so when we went skiing over Christmas I went to the spa. But, my ob/midwife are super conservative.....I am one of the few that can't die my hair, etc. :o

Anita--Hang in there on the cooking, I can't even imagine having had to cook when I had 18 weeks of hyperemesis. My poor DH could hardly eat two floors down from me w/o my barfing and gagging at the smells.

mst--What a story about the crib....wow. Glad it all was sorted out though. How is the back? Daycare working out this week?

Nancy--When do you move? How is the BP doing?

2Hungry--It is so strange but they haven't even asked me to pay my balance and the stuff is in. Maybe they feel bad the chair fabric is still on backorder.....Can't wait to hear how you like your stuff. Remind me what color the nursery is? Did you go with the green or a yellow in the end?

Everyone else, hope all are well. I am having a rough week, HB has been unbearable and I have been cramping a bit. Water, rest and tagament seem to have calmed things down since yesterday. I think I have been trying to do too much lately....I need to really take it easy after the move on Monday/Tues. DH and I may try to do a weekend away in early april...driving distance of course.

[2HUNGRY!]

Luv to cook -- I don't have other kids so I can't imagine what you're going through. Do they like pineapple or fruit smoothies? Those were about the only things I could prepare when I was sick (besides stove popped popcorn with tons of butter, but I assume you probably wouldn't want to feed your kids that). Take it easy on yourself. A few more weeks won't do them any damage and then you'll be back to normal.

Susan -- Sorry you're having a tough time. I can't imagine moving right now. I can barely clean the bathroom. That's very interesting about Baby 2 Teen. Where are you thinking about having your weekend trip?

MST -- That is horrible! My crib problems are just minor annoyances, but that would have sent me over the edge! I'm glad it all worked out in the end though.

[Couperine]

I've had a long day, so passing on personals today - hope everyone is well, and Christine and Alikat are proud new mamas!

BP is still ok, but not fabulous - what I expected from DS1's pregnancy really. Definitely noticing swelling today, but I've been on my feet a lot today too. As for moving, I kid you not that my EDD is the same for both baby and house - sigh. We've debated leaving some furniture for staging purposes, but we only have good furniture for our dining room and bedroom - our living room stuff is sad. At this point, I'm fine with a completely empty house that gets a coat of paint once we've nicked and dinged it to death when moving out.

This is sounding like Chinese delivery for dinner day - I'll check in tomorrow!

[SusanPC]

Nancy--So sorry you had such an awful day. Can you make some time for yourself tomorrow and have a nice warm bath with some soothing music? Hang in there!

2Hungry--Not sure where to go, I was thinking Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels. Any suggestions? It is wierd, pre pregnancy, DH and I would go to fabulous B&Bs and plan the trip around meals and good wine. W/o the wine it doesn't seem as fun :o. I guess I will look forward to just the two of us being out of the stress of moving and work, and to perhaps get a couples massage, play some board games and read a book.

[MISSINDI]

Just checking in to see if anyone has heard from Christine or AliKat? Hoping good news coming soon!

Tholbrook - how exciting - a girl! It tickles me to see a pile of Madeline's clean laundry -- all pretty pinks, white and other pale colors. Vastly different color spectrum than Nicholas. ;)

Hope everyone else is well. :D

And PS - thanks for the tips on Oxyclean to get out formula stains. Seems to be doing the trick.

[2HUNGRY!]

Nancy -- Sorry you had such a long day and that your BP still isn't the greatest. Personally, I prefer empty houses when I am shopping, esp. if they have a new coat of paint. I know that's not what the experts say though.

Susan -- No suggestions, sorry. My husband wants to go to Charlottesville and I may agree only because there is a German restaurant that I have been craving along the way! We'll see how I do on our Cleveland road trip next weekend before I commit though.

Missindi -- Hi! We haven't heard anything yet.

[mabvt]

Hello everyone!

Had a doc's apt yesterday and heard the baby's heartbeat. So cool! DH came along and it was just the craziest/coolest thing ever! There really IS something in there. Dr's report was good so nothing else to report.

Also told everyone at work today. I'm not a big fan of being the center of attention--so I told a few important people and let the news spread from there. Lots of fun.

Susan--Had to laugh with your post about the wine. St. Patty's day came and went past our house with not a beer in sight (green or otherwise)! DH gave up beer for Lent--though I prefer to think he's being sympathetic. That was a first for us.

I can't wait to hear about the little ones born earlier this week.

It's naptime for me.

[SusanPC]

Christine and Alikat, thinking of you and can't wait to hear the news!

Nothing new here. I had an appt today (32w5d). Uneventful, but we scheduled my 36 week u/s....wow, seems to be getting so close! Yikes, I am getting a little scared.

Tomorrow is the walk thru for our home, and monday is closing. Packers come Monday and we move on Tuesday. So ready to get situated.

2Hungry--How long is the drive to Cleveland? What are you headed up there for? A shower?

mabvt--Nice of your DH to be supportive. My DH is LOVING the whole sober driver thing....

Hope everyone else is well. Anyone want to share belly shots? I am a little apprehensive but I did take one last weekend....I think I have popped again since the pic :o

[Couperine]

I'm all for seeing a belly shot, Susan! I'll have to get DH to approve one of me - I swear I cannot get bigger, yet every time I look, I stick further out. This morning he told me he can't really see my breasts because my belly is so huge...thank you so very much. Sadly I agree - I never thought anything could dwarf a D cup, but I was wrong. Also, DS keeps going around poking out his belly and pointing out that he has a baby in there too. :)

I hope your move goes well this week, Susan - I wish I were moving too! I also keep thinking about labor - I have to remind myself that he's coming out one way or the other, and there's not much worrying can do for me.

mabvt - How exciting about the heartbeat!! That's when it seemed real to me.

I hope our new moms and babies are doing well!

[Couperine]

I just can't seem to stop typing this morning - I'm avoiding digging through more filing cabinet stuff. :)

I checked our list this morning - it's getting close for Lys and BlueMoose too! Then I looked at the early April births, and then MY name - ack! I definitely would like to stay a May delivery - DH's birthday is the 18th and DS1's is the 24th. I'd like my boys to have enough time between their birthdays not to combine them. Of course, it would be nice if he showed up before my MIL's birthday on May 6 too! We're still big into birthdays even for the adults, and it has always bothered me that they lump my BIL and stepson's birthdays into one celebration because their birthdates are one day apart.

My DH is absolutely peeved at the management company for our new home. We submitted an extension on our approval in October, never got a response until yesterday, at which point they denied it. You could see steam coming off DH's e-mail to them from work this morning. The refusal is honestly asking for us to resubmit the same application (which we've done twice) with an attachment cataloging what else needs done, but the way they went about it is really petty.

Nothing to do with pregnancy, but really, why be so petty when we are likely 6-8 weeks from being done?

I hope all is well - here's hoping for a great weekend for all and best wishes to those in waiting!

[BlueMoose]

My baby is never going to come out. I just know it.

[AliKat11]

Very briefly checking in to say that Baby Ian arrived Monday, March 17th at 3:03 pm. After all the worrying about the baby's size, he weighed in at only 6 lbs, 6 ozs, 20" long. Perfectly healthy, so that's the most important part! All things considered, very easy labor--4 pushes and he was out. I knew he was as ready as I was!

Here's a picture from Wednesday morning as he was ready to go home. We absolutely adore him.. :D

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn201/mmorales73/P1010917.jpg

[SusanPC]

AliKat---Congratulations to you, your DH on the addition to your family. Baby Ian is adorable!!!!!!!

[mst]

Congrats Alikat. Ian is beautiful!

[2HUNGRY!]

Yay! Congrats Alikat!!! He's adorable!

Hang in there BlueMoose!

[mabvt]

What a cutie Baby Ian is! Congrats AK!

Blue Moose--You can do it...I don't think there has ever been a reported instance of someone pregnant forever...has there?

[veschke]

What a cutie! Congratulations!

(I wanted to use the name Ian but husband didn't go for it. ;-) )

[Couperine]

Congratulations Alikat and welcome Ian! He is beautiful!

Maybe just two more days, BlueMoose!

Hopefully things are going well for Lys, too!

ETA: Good luck today with the move, Susan!

[chefbecky]

Welcome to the world, Ian!!

[mst]

Hi everyone.

I had another u/s today, and the kidney issue has resolved itself. We will need to watch it for the first year of life. This was probably my last u/s, and it was with the high risk ob/gyn. So, I asked if the 4-d machine was available, if I could have my u/s on that one. They did a regular u/s, and then I got a picture of the baby with the 4-d one. Wow. So cool. I am bummed though, because apparently if you ask, and it is available, they will do it for you. I had two other ultrasounds in that room. Also, baby is not breech anymore. Yay!

We have a date for the c-section.:eek: Way too soon, I am not ready. Anyway, we have to decide whether or not we are going to tell people. Last time, we told people, and told them that we did not want phone calls the night before. Everybody called. And, none of my in-laws came to the hospital (it really gets my goat that FIL agreed to babysit for SIL rather than to come and see his grandchild.)

[Couperine]

Mst, what great news about the kidney issue!! I'm aching for a chance at another U/S since my last one of Ethan before he was born showed his face exactly how he looked once born. I didn't know enough to realize it at the time, but now for this baby, I'm ready to see him! It's great that your baby has turned as well!

If you want to share your estimated C-section date with us, feel free. :) I'm guessing late April/early May, but I'm insanely curious!

Hopefully we have some good baby news soon from Lys, Christine, and BlueMoose!

Editing:
I had my 34 week checkup today, and my BP was pretty hideous; they had me do 20 minutes on the monitor at the office, then sent me to the hospital for further monitoring. The end result - David is looking good in there, thank goodness, but I'm on bedrest with bathroom privileges. It's looking fairly likely that I'll have David in April too, instead of May, but we'll see what happens. I did learn from the hospital monitoring that I have much much better BP's when I'm on my side, so I guess I'm set for the duration. Thank goodness for TiVo and the Internet.

[ChristineB]

So happy to report that beautiful Madison Brooke arrived on March 17th at 8:27 am. She is the love of our lives. She was born at 36 weeks 1 day weighing 7lbs 4oz and 20 inches. She has sweet blonde hair and her Daddys dimpled chin. She is absolutely magical and I am overwhelmed with emotion everytime I look at her. My husband and I have been blubbering parents from the minute we heard her first cry. It is so hard to believe that she is finally here after such a long journey. It is so wonderful to finally be crying tears of joy after so many years of sadness (due to infertility txt). We are enjoying every second and feel so lucky to have such a wonderful baby.

ChristineB

Hang in there ladies that are next in line--it is so worth every second!!

[BlueMoose]

Congratulations Alikat! Ian is adorable!:D

And Christine...I'm so glad to hear that you have your little girl! I've been popping in everyday to see if you've posted. I'm so happy for you, and I hope your recovery goes well!

[Couperine]

Yay Christine, you made it, and welcome Madison!!

[SooCookie]

Oh my! So many new babies! :) Congratulations to AliKat and Christine for their wonderful new babies. Christine, you sound especially happy with your little girl. A feeling I didn't get when my DD was born due to PPD. I feel like I missed out on so much. So to both of you, and all the other new moms-to-be, enjoy every moment of those precious little ones. It might not seem like it when you are going through it, but in hindsight, it really does go by quickly.

Ok, enough about me! :rolleyes: Congratulations to both of you again!

Nancy - sorry to hear you are on bedrest. :( How is that working out with your older DS?

Meredith - so glad to hear the kidney issue has resolved. I am sure everything will be just perfect with your baby!

Michelle

[Luv to Cook]

Congrats on all the new babies! Woohoo...Ian is just adorable :). Looking forward to pics of Madison! So exciting :).

Couperine...ugh, bedrest, with another kid at your feet :(. I am so sorry to hear that...I hope it goes quickly.

2 hungry if you make it c-ville, pop in and say hi! Let me know if you need any recommendations on places to stay, where to eat, etc.

Not much going on here...just making it day to day. I cannot wait until I start feeling a little more normal. Question for those hyperemesis sufferers out there...was anyone on Zofran? I took it for my first two pregs and this time (FINALLY) they have a generic version, which is SO much cheaper, but I feel like it may not be as effective??? Not sure if it is in my head, but maybe someone has some insight on name brand vs. generic drugs. I really don't want to go back to the name brand, since it is prohibitively expensive.

Other than that, all is well...finally a nice spring like day here, so will be heading out with the kids for a picnic in the park.

Happy hump day everyone!
Anita

[mabvt]

Yay Christine! Welcome Madison! I loved reading how taken you are with your little one. And 7 pounds! Not so teeny tiny! Hooray!!!

Nancy--Sorry to hear about the bedrest. That changes things a bit doesn't it? Do you knit? Maybe it is time to start...A baby blanket is a great first project and will take up some time. I also find it soothing.

mst--So glad to hear that the kidney issue is resolved. Ah, all that worrying for naught. Isn't that typical of life?

At our apt last week last night we made another apt. for May. This is for genetic counseling. It includes meeting with the counselor, an ultrasound and meeting with a doc. To make a (potentially) long story short...DH had open heart surgery a year ago to correct a genetic heart condition that developed in his late twenties. Baby Bean has a fifty percent chance of having the condition. The condition (Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy) can potentially affect the heart in many different ways...the most intense/life threatening way is the one DH had. So chances go from: none to a minor life annoyance to surgery. There is a chance (though not likely) that Baby could be born with it. He/she will need echo cardiograms every five years throughout life to see if anything develops.

SO. It is not anything new to us and a possibility we considered when trying to conceive. I am looking forward to a long ultrasound and getting to see that little heart!

Melissa

[Couperine]

The dr asked me about child-care options at my 32 week visit, so my MIL and I had actually hashed out what we'd do if I went on bedrest. DH takes Ethan with him in the morning and meets my IL's halfway to transfer Ethan to them. He picks him up at the end of the day from my IL's house. My IL's suggested keeping him days at a time, but I can't imagine missing my boy at night too. I didn't swell really at all yesterday, so I can see positive results from being bored to tears. It will take a few days to get things set for me at home - DH is just so busy, but he's a trooper.

Anita, Susan had horrible sickness too; hopefully she can let you know what helped her once she's done moving. Enjoy your picnic!

[SusanPC]

Hi ladies, very busy week here. We closed on Monday w/o a hitch. Packers were at our townhouse all day Monday. We moved yesterday and today a bunch of items in storage were delivered. My Doc told me 4 boxes a day max to unpack...having a bit of a hard time accepting that, but my DH is letting me do hardly anything!

Please keep one of my dear friends in your prayers. She was 25 weeks along and had cramping/bleeding on Wed. She went to the DR who didn't think it was much but sent her to the hospital to be sure. Long story short, she delivered a 2 lb little boy on Wed afternoon. He is in the NICU and all anyone can do at this point is pray he will be ok. He seems to be a fighter. Any thoughts/prayers are appreciated.

Anita--I am sorry the hyperemesis is so bad. I took Zofran (the ones that dissolve under your tongue) and then they also gave me some suppositories but I only took once as I didn't like it....I think it was Phenergen? I wasn't aware there was a generic Zofran so my DR must have prescribed the name brand. Sorry I don't know more. Thankfully, after a fight, my insruance covered it all.

Nancy--So sorry to hear you are on Bedrest but I am glad to hear it is helping! Take it easy!!!

Christine--I was so happy to hear your joyful post. Congrats on making it to the end! And, so happy you are enjoying Madison so much, maybe I'll get to meet her at a DC klatch this summer!

Everyone else, I am logged on to do a bit of work that cropped up.....better do it so I can get back out and help DH in the kitchen :o

Have a great day!

[2HUNGRY!]

Christine -- congrats! I'm so glad things are going well. Are you at home yet? How is that?

Nancy -- Bummer about the bedrest. Will they let you off if your BP goes down?

mabvt -- Good luck at the appointment. Did your DH always know he had it or did he find out at a later age?

Susan -- Glad everything went okay. Prayers to your friend. How scary.

I am swamped at work so haven't been around much. I have two things though :

1) Belly pics -- my brother sent me a belly pic of his wife (who is due 4/21), and it was literally a belly pic -- just a bra. I don't think she knew that was being shared!

2) I wish that the clueless guy at work would figure it out that just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I want to hear about his wife's constipation at 13 weeks.

Also -- my furniture is in. Yay! Its all set up and we love it.

[mst]

Christine- Congratulations. I hope you enjoy every single moment- you deserve it! That was a big baby!

Anita- honestly, whatever works. Even if it costs more money. I am sure keeping up with your two girls is crazy enough without the nausea on top of it!

Melissa- interesting about the heart condition- it is amazing what they can find out when the baby is still inside. I will be anxious to hear how all of the testing goes. Good luck.

Nancy- Hi bedrest buddy! I definitely recommend getting Netflix, and finding projects- like organizing your cookbook, or photo albums. The things you always mean to do, but never quite do. I am actually really busy on bedrest. I get crazy with what I can't do, and that I don't get to do things like go out to dinner.

Susan- sounds like things are crazy in your neck of the woods. You couldn't pay me enough to move right now. As for your friend, she is in my thoughts. I do have two friends who delivered at 25 weeks (one person had twins, the other had singletons). The singleton is doing great- you would never, ever know that she was born early. The twins are doing well too- they do have more issues, but not as bad as you would think. But, the next few months will be a long, long road for them.

As for me, I am doing ok. Just freaking out about the baby coming so soon. I can't imagine that we are going to be ready. But, I am getting more uncomfortable with general pregnancy issues (not associated with my back), and I think that might help me get ready!

Still having a super hard time with a boy's name...

[greta]

Delurking from 3-boydom (not enough time to post)...

Melissa, I have the SAME exact heart condition. I have an aunt who had a heart transplant. A cousin who died from complications. And a bunch of us who are living and thriving with it.

Interesting...Healthy wishes to your husband and bean.

Greta

[Couperine]

mst - Buddies we are then! :) When I did the monitoring, they did it with me propped on my back and then both sides. My BP is high when I'm sitting upright, but really good when I'm on my sides. It's making it hard to do the writing and organizing things I'd like to do. This morning was really hard - my "job" is being a fulltime SAHM for my DS and DH, and I feel bereft of any sense of purpose. I know my job for now is doing whatever it takes to get David into this world as healthy as possible, but it kills me watching DH do the things I want to be doing; I guess I just have a hard time letting someone help me instead of vice versa. I go to the dr tomorrow, but I'd bet I'm here for the duration. I really miss my DS during the day - I know he's having a great time with his grandparents, but I enjoy seeing and hearing the crazy things he does each day.

I can't change what must be though, so on the positive side, I feel David inside me ever so much more now since I can really pay attention to just him. His tests have all looked good, and I did finally get pregnant after trying so long again. All good things indeed!

I hope everyone is doing well this week - not feeling like a great cheerleader, but once my head gets set in the proper place, I'll be good to go!

[mabvt]

Couperine--As difficult as bed rest must be, it sounds like you have a healthy perspective on things write now. So you are actually on your side most of the time? That would be so limiting!

Greta--That is crazy! We've never met anyone with HOCM before who isn't a relative. I'm glad to hear you are doing so well! How about your boys? Any echos yet?

DH was diagnosed in January 2007 at 31. His surgery was at Mayo Clinic in May. His recovery, etc was a long road. Thanks to all for your wishes for him and for our little bean! I really feel quite peaceful about the situation but it will be good to have it checked out in a couple of months.

Question for you all. I'm not showing yet. Well, I notice a change but no one else does. Sometimes my stomach just feels hard. Why?

It's almost Friday! :D

Melissa

[mst]

Nancy- the guilt is hard. I still struggle with it. I do some things that make me feel better. Like, I menu plan, and order groceries from the grocery store. (I am able to cook dinner in the morning on most days. So, I try to do that, and then we heat it up at night. Or, I make crockpot meals.) I have also been trying to clean up our endless amounts of paperwork. It also makes me crazy that we have so much to do before the baby comes, and my DH just doesn't have the same urgency that I do!

We bought an inversion chair for me through Craiglist, and that has been a life-saver for me. I was having trouble sitting on the couch, and even lying on the couch. This chair has me practically in a lying down position, but I am in the family room. And, I am able to use my computer, and watch TV etc. I do lie down in the middle of the day for about two hours.

[lbd]

Time to join back up! I'm just passed 12 weeks and feeling pretty confident that the little one is healthy and thriving. (Some may remember I was here briefly last fall but miscarried in November.) Had a checkup this week and heard a strong heartbeat, have also had 2 ultrasounds so far (one dating, one for the nuchal translucency) and both showed heartbeats and movement.

Will probably start telling people in the next week or so. Have only told my parents yet -- actually my almost 2-yo DS told them (with permission) "baby in mommy's tummy". Anyone have tips on telling friends with infertility problems that you're pregnant? I have two friends who are TTC but one has been doing so for well over two years now and having no luck even with medical interventions. I know she'll be happy for us but there'll be an initial blow. I'm thinking email rather than by phone or in person so she has time to absorb it privately but how to word?

Have only had time to skim this month's thread but am looking forward to getting back in the swing of things. We just moved to MA this month so I'll be looking for new doctors -- anyone have a good OB recommendation for the Boston burbs? I'm open to anywhere between Boston and Worcester since we don't actually have a permanent home yet, are staying with family while we househunt.

[mst]

Lorien- congratulations! Welcome back. I will PM you about doctors.

[SusanPC]

Anyone have tips on telling friends with infertility problems that you're pregnant? I have two friends who are TTC but one has been doing so for well over two years now and having no luck even with medical interventions. I know she'll be happy for us but there'll be an initial blow. I'm thinking email rather than by phone or in person so she has time to absorb it privately but how to word?


First off, congrats on making it past the 12 week hurdle! As someone who did two rounds of IVF (one resulting in a m/c) I certainly can't speak to trying for years. But, I would say a phone or in person delivery of the news would be better. If she is, indeed, a dear friend then she knows you experienced a m/c last fall and have had your own issues. I'd be honest that you know this is a difficult time for her but that you wanted her to hear the news from you directly. I'll bet it will be well received. I hosted a baby shower for a dear friend a month after my m/c. She was so worried about how I would do but I knew my time would come. She's co-hosting mine today :D

Hi to everyone else. Nothing new here. I am 34 weeks today and just feeling huge these days. I've been on my feet all week with unpacking (although I have had LOTS of help and no lifting) and am just wiped.

We moved in on Tuesday and on Thursday our handyman started work on the nursery. Crown moulding is up. He is supposed to paint this weekend and then hang the chandalier. Can't wait!!!

Nancy/MST- hope you are doing ok and hanging in there on bedrest.

[mabvt]

Hi Lorien! Welcome! We can be due date buddies. I am also twelve-almost thirteen weeks and due October 6. We also just heard the heart beat last week. Very cool and it made everything seem more real.

I was in a very similar boat. A girlfriend called to tell me she miscarried...two days later I found out I was pregnant. I waited a few weeks and then told her myself over the phone. I think the best thing you can do, as a caring friend, is be open, honest and loving. And I think as difficult as it is for the other person they will be happy for you in their own way.

Susan-- How was the shower? Whadya get?

Latest personal development: Over the course of the day my clothes feel fine. By the time I get home and eat supper I can't wait to get my pants off. It's not that they feel too tight...just not comfortable. Does that make sense?

[lbd]

Have had time to read more and look at the new baby pics -- what cuties!

Melissa - keeping my fingers crossed about baby's heart. You said there's a 50% chance, will there be a point you know s/he's okay or will it be a lifetime of checking? (assuming no problems develop)

MABVT - My EDD is October 7 so we are definitely DD buddies. I know exactly what you mean about pants -- I often end up changing into sweatpants around the time DH comes home and changes out of his workclothes. I am feeling quite big already, and not cute pregnancy big, just big.

Re telling my friend, thanks for the feedback. I would say she's a close but not super close friend, if that makes sense. She actually doesn't know about the miscarriage last fall. I was planning to tell her about the pregnancy at a lunch we had but my first "bad" U/S was 2 days before and I was too distraught to say anything. Didn't want to jinx the pregnancy in case it was a false alarm, but scared to start telling people either. Only one friend and immediately family know. It was actually a mutual friend who's also TTC (but much shorter time) who knows about the M/C and who suggested emailing rather than face to face. Phone might be a good compromise, I just feel so awkward about it. Am open to more opinions.

To those who PM'd me, I can't seem to reply but will try again later, once DS is napping and distractions are more limited.

[Kerri]

Hey Lorien - So glad to see you on this thread. Personally, I would go the email route with your friend. I think that is what I would have wanted. If she was a really really close friend, I am sure she would apreciate a phone call, but if she gets the news over email, she can digest it at her own time. Really, whatever you decide will probably be fine. It sounds like you are being considerate and it is better she finds out from you in a controlled situation then any place else.

Just plodding along here at 30 weeks. Had another check up Friday and it seems like Baby is head down. I thought I could tell a difference in the movement. We have the new baby's room painted and got a crib from my sister, so now we are just trying to decide what we want to do about bedding, etc.

Nancy - I am so sorry to hear you are on bedrest too! I know that has got to be tough as a SAHM...our sick leave policy is the pits! How are you holding up MST?

Susan - AGH! I can believe you moved at this point. I hope you are getting settled in nicely.

I bought some new materity tshirts - yay! I am looking forward to not wearing the grubby things that I have been wearing, but of course, it is cold again today...maybe tomorrow!

[mabvt]

I apologize if these have already been covered on the board. I've done a bit of searching online and they have mixed reviews. Any personal experience here?

I have a bag of maternity clothes from a girlfriend but they are for the very preggo. So they are appreciate for later. But what to do now? Any advice for the just starting to show/outgrow clothes stage?

Melissa

[Kerri]

I bought a couple of pairs of yoga pants at target that worked well in your stage. For dressing up, some buttoned down shirts worn untucked in the next largest size also fit.

I found that I needed multiple of maternity clothes sizes through out the pregnancy. Started at medium, I am currently in large, but I know ex-large isn't that far off. This stage is very frustrating I know!

[willybean]

Hi everyone!

mabvt--I am a big fan of the bella bands. I am 16 weeks now and started showing right around 12 and they have been so great to get me to this point. I think now I am ready to upgrade to maternity pants but they really worked and are so comformtable and I never had any problems with them rolling up at all.

Not much new here. Checking in at 16 weeks and all is going well. I think I have started to have some round ligament pain and that has been a bit uncomfrotable but other than that I have a lot more energy and am not as fatigued which is so nice! I am ready to schedule the next ultrasound so I can find out of it is a boy or girl!

Good luck to all who are getting closer!

[Couperine]

Melissa - You'll be showing soon enough! Good luck on the pants - I'm in my third fit on pants, and it was worth it every time to get the comfort level again. I never did Bella Bands, but they really work for some people!

mst - Guilt is exactly the right word for it - DH cleaned up everything this weekend and pulled out all the baby stuff (we hadn't prepped it for this house because we thought we'd move first). He did such a good job, and my head was in the right place, so I was thankful rather than upset that I couldn't do it. Feeling a bit more positive overall - it helps that I know I have 2-3 weeks max to go.

Lorien - Welcome back!! I'd tell your friend in person, but it would depend on the kind of friendship you have. I shared my troubles with TTC with one dear friend, and I didn't regret telling her. We were briefly pregnant together as well, but she miscarried really early after IVF. We were sad together for her, but she was amazing and cheered at the same time that I was still pg. Sharing it made us closer, but fertility issues can push people apart too. Good luck with whatever route you choose!

Susan - I hope you enjoyed your shower and are loving your new home!! I bet your nursery will look amazing! I adore baby showers, and for girls....drool time.

Kerri - I bought a round of t-shirts a couple of weeks ago; I'm so thrilled to wear something different, even if it's a basic tee! Good luck putting the bedding together in the room - I used to just stare at DS1's room once we had it all put together. :)

Willybean - It must be great to feel so much more energetic now, and now you are getting ready for the U/S - woo woo time flies!! I know you'll be thrilled with the U/S - I was a happy crying mess when I saw DS1's.

As for me, they prescribed BP meds on Friday, and over the weekend, DH did regular BP's throughout the day, and there is noticeable improvement. I don't go over the 150 mark when I sit up now, and on Friday I was hitting a nice 166 (ugh). My pressures when lying down are great - the dr was shocked at how good it was today after I'd been reclining during the NST for 20 minutes. David's heartrate is a little decreased, but it goes up appropriately in response to his movement, so it's all good. I tried to pin the dr down for her best guess when she'll induce, and she's guessing 37-38 weeks if all remains the same. So at worst, I have a little over 2 weeks of bedrest to go, but it's all for a good cause.

I'm relieved that my BP responded well to the med, and DH did a good rush job on nursery prep. We aren't converting one of our other bedrooms since we'll move by the end of May, but we set up my piano room again to be the newborn room just like we did for DS1. I have a jillion visits to the dr over the next few weeks; in some ways, I have more to do because of all the extra visits!

I hope everyone is doing well, and thanks for your good thoughts!

[SusanPC]

Hi ladies, checking in at 34 weeks....

Melissa--I didn't do the bella bands, but only b/c I never got around to it. I've bought 5 pairs of maternity pants (2 black dress pants for work, some khackis, some cords and a black velvet pair I wore over the holidays.) Oh, and I bought 2 pairs of jeans (I splurged on some high end ones to feel more "normal." ) All of the pants I got ride under the belly so I have not had to change sizes. The only place I have gained is in the tummy. But, I will say that they are annoying these days as I am CONSTANTLY hitching them up....Dh said I often look like a mix between a teenager or a plumber in back, since they ride so low :o He also called me Shamu the other day.....good thing I have a sense of humor.

Nancy--Wow, you are so close. That's great that your DH is pulling it all together. How is your son adjusting to being with his grandparents each day? I know you miss him being around!

MST--Still hanging in there?

Kerri--I agree on staging of the shirts, I definately wasn't in them for a while, now I am busting out of ones that were loose a few weeks ago. I find I am wearing tank tops under nearly every shirt these days. I seem to love the ones from Target which is nice since they are cheap. I bought a dress at Mimi Maternity over the weekend, they don't carry X-Large and I doubt my belly is going to fit in this dress for the duration of this pregnancy!

Me--So, I had a pregnancy moment and had the painter paint the room the WRONG COLOR. Came home from my shower and it was blue!!!! Oh well, it is fixed now, back to my nice Benjamin Moore green. The crib/dresser/night table and chair/ottoman are being delivered on Sat. Crown mouling is up and the chandalier was going up today....can't wait to get home and see how it looks!!! The shower was fun. We bought all of the big stuff ourselves so we got a TON of precious clothes/blankets, etc. I am really starting to get excited/anxious/nervous about her arrival!

[mst]

Ok ladies- writing up the new list is always intimidating. So, here is the list, feel free to add yourself :D or make corrections. I will post a new thread later today.

Pregnancy List:
danikwal - 4/5
couperine - 5/5 - boy!
sweetpea - 5/8 - surprise!
SusanPC - 5/11 - girl!
mst - 5/19 - surprise!
2Hungry! - 5/28 - surprise!
erinlovesmarc - 5/30 - boy!
Kerri - 6/9 - surprise!
honeygirl1971 - 6/20/ - boy!
Jen - 8/6 - surprise!
tholbrook - 8/23
Megan James - 8/25
lbd- ?
Willybean - 9/?
mabvt - 9/?
Soocookie- 9/14
Luv to Cook- 9/?

Congratulations List
MomofMooch - Will
Alikat11 - Ian
ChristineB - Madison Brooke


Still Waiting to Hear From
Lys - 3/25
BlueMoose - 3/26 - girl!

Bedrest Buddies
Couperine
mst

[BlueMoose]

Still pregnant! I'm scheduled for a c-section on Tuesday if I don't go into labor on my own before then.

Chrisi

[lbd]

MST -- my EDD is 10/7, sex unknown but we will find out (mid-May?)

Thanks for doing the list.

[sweetpea]

my due date was changed to 5/25 (though i still think it'll be the beginning of may :)). thanks for updating the list and starting the new thread!