July 2009 Pregnancy Thread

[MinEaston]

Here's the list for July. Let me know of any additions or updates!

LHBryan - 8/3/09 - girl!
linsleyd - 8/14/09 - girl!
wallingjan1 - 8/17/09
Mineaston - 9/6/09 - surprise!
jadenegro - 9/20/09 - boy!
Alleycat - 9/25/09 - boy!
PoppyJ - 9/25/09 - boy!
NewMrsG - 10/14/09 - boy!
Jalapeno - 10/20/09 - girl!
sugarbaby - 10/22/09 - boy!
Autumn -

Waiting to hear from:
silverrr EDD 3/25
Lrimerman - 5/4/09

new arrivals since last month's thread:
Couperine - Kyle Everett, born 06/01/2009
Bawstinn - Christopher Matthew, born 06/06/2009
Eargrey - Jacob, born 05/05/2009

*Candace - Benjamin Oliver - in our hearts*

[MinEaston]

Nothing too exciting going on in my PG world. I did pass my 3-hour glucose test (with all 4 levels safely below the thresholds) and my placenta is where it belongs.

It's hard to believe there's about 2 months to go. I'm not ready, but my usual prepared self is taking a "wing-it" attitude with this one. With Anna starting Pre-K the week before the baby is due, I probably should do something :o

[linsleyd]

I'm so glad things have cleared up for you between the placenta and gluclose!:D
At my ultrasound last week we saw that the placenta has finally moved and they expressed concern at the size of the baby. She was 3lbs 10ounces but both Jamie and I are small people so it explains that little girl is going to be small. And she still has a few weeks to pack on some pounds as long as she stays put!

Speaking of which I was feeling crampy the other night and started panicing that I have NOTHING done! The crib is half put together, nothing is washed and my showers aren't until next weekend and the following weekend. And I'm 34 weeks, she could come at any time! I don't even know how it got this late!

[PoppyJ]

MinEaston- I am glad that you passed your glucose test and the placenta is where it should be.

linsleyd- How accurate are they when they estimate weight? I know with DD they said she was going to be over 7lbs and she was only 6lbs and another doctor estimated my friend was going to have a baby that was over 9 lbs and she was 1 lb lighter. Whatever your little girls weight, it sounds like you have the right attitude about it.

I should find out if I passed my 1 hour glucose test on Monday. My doctor is not worried but I am- I do not want to have to give up my chocolate!! My weight gain this pregnancy is hard for me to handle. Although it is not really that bad, it is already far more than I gained my first at this point of the pregnancy...and if I have to hear my husband say "well, you are pregnant", I am going to scream. :D

The only other complaint I have is the complete exhaustion I am feeling. Being pregnant and chasing around my 2 yr old all day is really wearing on me and by the end of the day, I have no energy to do anything. Just pour me on the couch and hand me the remote and don't bother me.:p

[NewMrsG]

My weight gain this pregnancy is hard for me to handle. Although it is not really that bad, it is already far more than I gained my first at this point of the pregnancy

The only other complaint I have is the complete exhaustion I am feeling. Being pregnant and chasing around my 2 yr old all day is really wearing on me and by the end of the day, I have no energy to do anything. Just pour me on the couch and hand me the remote and don't bother me.:p

Poppy - I could have written this myself. One of my close friends has said repeatedly that you don't get to be a pregnant diva with subsequent kids like you do with the first. I miss being able to just go take a nap or sit down with a fun book or have nachos for dinner if I want!

MinEaston - so glad everything came out positively. I also have the sense that estimated birth weights aren't always very accurate - by about a pound or so one way or the other.

Not much new here either - we're a quiet group. A smaller list of pregnant women than usual, too, it seems. I had my one-hour glucose test earlier this week. I fell right at the cutoff (130 for my clinic). My OB said not to worry about it, so that's good. I also don't think I'm in a good place to be giving up chocolate ;) and I actually had a glazed donut on the way home from my appt just in case I had to be good for the next 3 months :o

I do have a question (that I might be better off asking this on a separate thread given the experiences we've all had thus far). We're going to have to have the baby in our room until he's sleeping through the night, just because of the way our house is set up. I'm feeling not at all happy about this for lots of reasons. How do we do this and make it work? Am I going to be able to read or watch tv in the room if we go to sleep later than he does? We're watching-tv-in-bed people. Any other pointers?

[Bawstinn]

I do have a question (that I might be better off asking this on a separate thread given the experiences we've all had thus far). We're going to have to have the baby in our room until he's sleeping through the night, just because of the way our house is set up. I'm feeling not at all happy about this for lots of reasons. How do we do this and make it work? Am I going to be able to read or watch tv in the room if we go to sleep later than he does? We're watching-tv-in-bed people. Any other pointers?

Jori, both Christopher and Madeleine started off in our room for the first 6 weeks or so and we also have a tv in our room. The pack and play is actually right next to the tv cabinet. Madeleine was fine with it and Christopher is the same way. He has been falling asleep somewhere around 9 while I am watching tv or reading. Light on, tv on, he doesn't care.

Weight estimates ... Christopher was estimated to be 6lb 10 oz (around there) 12 days before he was born. Wound up being 8 lb 6oz so the estimate was a little on the light side for him since 'they' say they gain about an ounce a day at the end.

Back to lurking ...

[Autumn]

Hello everyone. Unfortunately we had a miscarriage almost 3 weeks ago. Of course it couldn't happen quietly or naturally, but involved lots of drama with hemorrhaging (sp), and my doctor and husband screaming on the phone with anesthesiologists and surgery center managers trying to find an open OR. DH is doing OK; I'm still kind of a mess. So much sadness over the loss of this little one we weren't even expecting.

Good luck and happy gestating to all of you!

[Couperine]

(((Abby))) - My thoughts are with you and yours.

[linsleyd]

Oh Abby, I'm so sorry. Sending you lots of ((hugs))

[MinEaston]

(((Abby and DH))) I am so sorry...

[LHBryan]

(((Abby))) I am so very sorry. Take care of yourself and know that you're in my thoughts.

[PoppyJ]

((((Abby)))) I am so sorry for your loss.

[Autumn]

Thank you for all your kind thoughts and well wishes.

[NewMrsG]

Abby, I am so very sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you and your husband.

[jadenegro]

Abby, I'm sorry for your loss. I know that has to be one of the hardest things to experience.

linsleyd, I've heard ultrasounds aren't super reliable with regard to estimating weight. I don't think I'd worry about it unless you have had a series of ultrasounds and they think the baby stopped growing or something.

I haven't checked in here in awhile - I'm right at 30 weeks, passed the GD test and still feeling pretty good (except I do feel huge). I don't feel prepared at all to have a baby - we do have the room painted, but not much "stuff" as we are waiting for my shower on Aug 2 before we really buy a lot. We're thinking about cloth diapering - I went to a baby store this morning and bought four different types of cloth diapers for us to check out. I am feeling a bit more prepared on the actual delivery part! DH keeps saying, shouldn't we read some parenting books or something? Which I think is a great idea but I'm still mentally hung up on actually popping the kid out first :o

[sugarbaby]

(((((Abby))))) I'm so very sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine how challenging this is for you. I'm thinking of you and your husband.

Jadenegro, I wouldn't worry too much about feeling "prepared." DH and I are always saying that, as prepared as you try to be, there's no way you can be fully prepared for a new little human to enter your lives. It seriously took me about 8 months before I realized that my twins were in our lives to stay, that they weren't just visitors! :p I often found myself thinking, "Okay, it's someone else's turn to take care of them now." Silly me!

I'm hanging out at almost 26 weeks...I think. I'm on vacation, and I'm not really keeping track of the days! The baby is moving quite a bit, and likes to punch my cervix, in particular! Ouch! I'm starting to get bouts of breathlessness, even sitting down. Could be that we're vacationing at 10,000 feet in Colorado. :rolleyes:

Off to the park!

[wallingjan1]

Abby, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know how hard it can be.

I'm doing well at 35 weeks except for being really, really tired. I was out of town last week so my husband could have heart surgery, maybe that has something to do with it;). Anyway, now I can lay around and eat bon bons, right?

About the sleeping- I know lots of people that watch tv in bed while the baby sleeps. After all, it's been doing it for 9 months already! To give firm advice is always hard because each baby and family is different. You just need to believe that you will know what works for your family at the time. Sleeping could be a challenge for us because our toddler is a light sleeper. I'm already prepping the 8 year old for the port-a-crib in her room. She can sleep through anything.

Pam

[LHBryan]

Hi everyone. Hope you're all feeling well!

We've had the most beautiful weather here (mid-70s), which has been great for my swollen feet.:) I didn't have any swelling with DD1, and I'm quickly running out of shoe options.

Things are going pretty well here, considering all of my gestational diabetes issues. I never could get my fasting blood glucose levels within range, so I'm on glyburide and have weekly ultrasounds and non-stress tests. I'm probably on too high a dosage of the glyburide (although that's what it took to get fasting #s consistently within range) b/c now I can eat an almost "normal" dinner and occasional dessert. And if I don't eat a fairly hearty bedtime snack, my fasting #s are too low. At least I'm no longer starving! Aside from an inaccurate low amniotic fluid reading scare that almost resulted in an emergency c-section over July 4th weekend, we've passed all the tests w/ flying colors.

My primary frustration now is that the baby is still breech, as of this morning's US.:( Her butt is down and her feet are up by her head. She's awfully cozy in there and very unlikely to move since she's been in this position for weeks. I'm scheduling an external cephalic version, probably for next week. I've heard descriptions ranging from very uncomfortable to horrible, so I'm nervous but figure it's worth a shot. I can always tell him to stop. Only one dr. in the practice performs the procedure b/c I guess he has the highest success rate, not to mention he's probably the strongest.:eek: I actually know him from work--he's in an upper-level patron group at our museum, and I often have to give lectures/special talks to the group. Great. At least I know he's nice and funny, but it sure will be strange to have him mashing on my belly while I scream and cuss.

I have a question that ties in just a bit to NewMrsG's ? about having the baby in their bedroom. I'm having major second thoughts about moving DD1 (almost 26 mos.) out of her crib this soon. I envision her on-the-loose in the wee hours (and duirng naps!) while we try to cope with newborn sleeplessness. I *think* DD1 slept in a bassinet in our room until she was ~2 1/2 months (and yes, we did watch some TV), and that was fine. Do you think it's cruel to make the new baby sleep in a bassinet/packnplay for 3-4 months until DD1 is more ready for a big-girl bed? Is it going to be an even bigger problem at that point (i.e. "baby sister stole my bed!")? Any advice? Also, what do people do about baby monitors when you have two kids that both still need them? I'm assuming we just buy a second monitor and label the receivers, but do they interfere with one another? I really can't believe we're 3 weeks away from having a second little one in the house. I feel so unprepared!

-Laura

[wallingjan1]

Just a note on the extended pack and play use. My sister's family moved a lot with her husbands job so they could all be together. All three of her boys spent the first year in the pack and play and they did just fine. Think of all the cultures that don't even use our fancy cribs, do what works for you.

Pam

[NewMrsG]

Checking in at 28 weeks. Thanks for all of the feedback on having the baby sleep in our room. That helped to reassure me. I'm hoping that it won't be long, but if he's anything like his sister, who was 10 months old before sleeping more than 3 hours at a time, it'll be awhile.

Laura - I have no advice for you as Macy transitioned to a bed a while back (one advantage of them being far apart in age!) but wanted to share that for whatever reason, she hasn't figured out that she could actually get out of bed and leave her room if she wanted. Smart kid in every way, but for some reason, she still calls for us and waits until we come to get her before jumping out of bed. I think it's a permission thing. So you never know, but I completely understand why you'd want to wait. Especially not wanting to change too much at once.

I have nothing interesting to report but will vent that this has been such a difficult pregnancy - much more so than with my first. I have no right to complain really as the baby is doing great and I'm not on bedrest and haven't had any major complications. And I know how lucky we are to have been able to conceive at all.

But . . . I'm still incredibly nauseated all the time (despite Zofran), exhausted, lightheaded, bouts of lightheadedness, etc. I have been really struggling with anemia, which I'm having trouble with in part because I can't tolerate the iron pills, which make me nauseated. I just still feel like I'm in the first trimester. Not fair!

12 weeks to go.

Vent over. :o

[Bawstinn]

Laura - we moved Madeleine to a toddler bed last Fall when she was about the same age as your DD and she was fine. She does sleep on a cot at daycare for naps, so maybe she was used to it. She was told she could leave the room to go to the bathroom but other than than she needed to call for us.

Since Christopher was taking her room, we made a big deal about her moving to her *new room* with the *big girl* furniture before he was born. She was OK with him moving into her room ... although she felt the need to move the diaper champ (which she hasn't needed in a year) and the hamper with her to her new room and told me I had to buy new ones for him.

Honestly, we are having more jealously issues with him taking up more of my time then we are over stuff. She goes to daycare everyday still and unfortunately her teacher made a comment about me staying home with the baby.

[LHBryan]

(((NewMrsG))) Nausea is the absolute worst, and I'm so sorry you're STILL dealing with it. I sure wish you could find something that would help ease the ickiness and anemia. I know what you mean about feeling so fortunate, but feel free to vent. I sure do enough of it!

Thanks everyone for easing my mind about our bed/crib issues. I think we'll just hold tight for now and worry about moving Hannah into the big-girl bed in 2 or 3 months. Maria, I'll bet Hannah will be the same way--much more jealous over Mommy tending to the baby than about stuff. Too bad about the comment from Madeleine's teacher. I just love it when daycare does stuff like that.:rolleyes: Our daycare made a really big deal in front of Hannah about my procedure on Friday (see below), and she started bawling. They assume a 2yo won't "get it," but obviously something sunk in.

So, I ended up having the baby turned on Friday morning. Wow. The experience was highly uncomfortable, but highly impressive. It took about 3 minutes of the most strenuous, constant pushing, but the dr. was able to push against her head and butt to turn her 180 degrees. Let's just hope she stays put! DH said the dr.'s arms were trembling from the force.:eek: The dr. said if it was any consolation, as much as my abdomen would be sore, his hands and arms would be really sore too, and he wouldn't be able to grip a pen, etc. The hardest part was trying to keep my stomach muscles relaxed b/c he said if I tightened up at all, it probably wouldn't work. DH said it was amazing to watch b/c you could see the outline of the baby as she turned. I then spent the rest of the morning in labor and delivery hooked up to an IV and monitors b/c I was having lots of contractions. Thankfully they stopped once I got up and moved around, but after a couple of hours I was starting to think we would celebrate a birthday on Friday. Now that the baby's head is down, it definitely feels like my body is getting ready for the big event. Just 2 weeks to go!

-Laura

[linsleyd]

Wow, Laura, that's crazy about the turning! I'm glad it worked out, though!

I have another growth ultrasound on Friday and I'm hoping for better news. My belly is only measuring a week or so behind and I def. feel bigger and look bigger. I can barely fit into pre-pregnancy pants so I know I'm getting bigger.

I'm hoping to get everything washed and organized this weekend, get the hospital bag packed and relax. This sounds awful but we told DH's family last night that I'm on bed rest and we wouldn't be seeing anyone in the family until after baby arrives. They wanted us to drive over an hour this weekend to visit his grandparent's who are up from georgia and I'm not going that far from my hospital at 37 weeks. So we are left to lie. To family. And I don't feel guilty about it at all!:D

[PoppyJ]

Laura, I am so happy that the baby turned. i could not imagine going through that. Good luck during the next 2 weeks.

linsleyd, let us know how the ultrasound goes on Friday.

NewMrsG, I am sorry that the pregnancy is so hard for you and please vent away. That is what we are here for. Hugs.

[LHBryan]

Linsley--I hope the ultrasound went well today! Your bed rest story is funny. I don't blame you one bit! I totally overdid it last weekend and really didn't feel well. I too need to get my bag packed. I can't believe I didn't pack it and take it along for the version, especially when I got stuck in L&D for a few hours.

Well, I'm scheduled to be induced next Thursday, 7/30.:eek: Apparently since I'm on medication for GD, they'd like to go ahead and induce around 39 weeks (using the u/s's 8/7 due date). Kind of scary to have it on the calendar, and less than a week away! I was induced with DD1 at 39w6D, but all it required was artificial breaking of water (no pitocin). I'm hoping the same is true this time. I'm 3cm dilated, so my dr.'s optimistic. I don't know if I'm less nervous this time or more, now that I know what to expect....My parents have changed their travel plans a bit (driving 18 hours!) and are scheduled to arrive tomorrow so they can stay with DD1 while we're at the hospital. I will be so thankful if they arrive before the baby does. I've been nervous about this aspect of the plan for months. It's tough not having family in town.

The baby was still head down when I had my u/s yesterday:), but she sure is making me uncomfortable in this last stretch (pun intended!). I'm nauseated off and on and feel lots of icky, intermittent cervix pressure. She must keep poking me down there. I've had quite a few contractions too. Does anyone else feel like their baby gets all "bunched up" in the middle of the night? Maybe it's just b/c I'm short and she's running out of room.

Hope everyone is doing well!

-Laura

[linsleyd]

Laura, good luck Thursday!

My Friday didn't go too well. At the ultrasound they determined that the baby's bowel had a problem so they put me on a non stress test which she passed. I have two more this week and one more ultrasound and it looks like we'll induce next week. They can't tell anything more on the ultrasound other than there is a problem and therefore she needs to come out. She was 5pds on the ultrasound so we are going to have a tiny girl on our hands in a week.

We then spent all day Saturday preparing for her arrival and Sunday recovering from all the work we did!

I find it weird that other than the GBS test, I haven't had an internal yet. Maybe at tomorrow's appt? I don't feel any contractions and there weren't any on the NST, but I have been feeling nauseous, which probably means nothing. I really dread being induced but it will be nice to know exactly when she is coming, esp since I'm still working and I work 90 minutes from home!

[MinEaston]

linsleyd - sorry to hear your Friday didn't go as anticipated, and here's keeping fingers crossed for your next round of tests. 5lbs isn't bad - my niece was born at 3lbs 13oz, left the hospital in the usual 2 days, and other than being at the bottom of the growth charts, has been an incredibly healthy active little girl (she's 5 now).

As for internals, I didn't have one until the day I delivered Anna - at which point I was 7cm and fully effaced - Anna arrived 90 minutes later. My midwife says that it doesn't have any real value and just serves to get people's hopes up :rolleyes:. I also didn't have (or didn't feel) contractions until about 4 hours before Anna was born.

This time around I've felt plenty of stomach muscle tightening, and recently some twinging down 'below,' but nothing distracting.

[NewMrsG]

An exciting week! I'm excited to hear the news Laura and linsleyd! I am also going to be induced this time and we have had two dates set for a couple of months now (to depend on how I'm feeling and how the baby seems to be doing). We had scheduled an induction with Macy as well, for a week after her due date but my water broke 3 days before that, so we hadn't needed to do it (although 8.5 hours after my water broke I still wasn't effaced or dilated at all so they did have to a cervical ripening and pitocen anyway).

It feels very odd to have a date set so early, although it's good in some ways, and I know I could also go earlier than planned anyway. The best part is that it gives me a date to give my husband as a deadline to get some things done around the house (she says as though it's really helping :rolleyes:) We agreed to put together a list of tasks to complete before he gets here - I'm planning to make sure he's had a couple of drinks beforehand. ;)

The major downside is that my mom (who will need to fly in) will have a date and I think wants to be here for the birth. I really want her to be here a week or so after the baby is born so that my husband can be home for a few days before going to work and then my mom can be here for "coverage" and he can go back to work, but I worry about hurting her feelings. It's really hard for her and for me that she lives so far away and I know she feels very isolated and left out a lot.

Linsleyd - I had to laugh at being deceptive to your in-laws. I often do the same to the extent that I can. It's just too complicated otherwise.

I had internals last time, but haven't yet had them. I was never effaced or dilated at any of them, so I frankly found them really discouraging.

And thanks for the support! I just really want this kid to be born safely and to get on with it. I so enjoyed my pregnancy with Macy but am so not with this one, which of course just makes me feel guilty. Terrible what we do to one another, isn't it?

[linsleyd]

Terrible what we do to one another, isn't it?

Hang in there! :D

Well it's good to know the whole internals isn't as odd as I thought! I finally had one yesterday and nothing. Also, dr wasn't concerned about everything so we continue on ultrasound Friday, Non stress test Friday and another appt and NST on Tuesday and re-evaluate at that time. I just talked to my boss and we decided tomorrow will be my last day. They are also doing a little something for me at lunch today which is so nice of everyone and something I really wasn't expecting!

[LHBryan]

Linsleyd--So sorry about all the drama. Ambiguous test results are so stressful. Believe me, I've been there plenty of times. Doctors are so cautious these days, which has its pros and cons. I hope everything goes well with the non-stress tests and ultrasound. And, if you're induced before I check in again, I'll be sending you lots of good thoughts for a healthy delivery! Oh, and like MinEaston said, I know lots of beautiful, healthy kids who were born quite a bit under 5lbs.

NewMrsG--My parents are quite long distance, like your Mom. It's so hard to tell them how they can be most helpful and supportive without hurting their feelings. This time we wanted my parents here in advance so they could take care of Hannah while we're in the hospital. As nice as it is to have them here and a relief to know she'll be cared for by her grandparents, I'll admit their visit has stressed me out quite a bit. My neurotic personality must be accentuated by pregnancy hormones.:o I find myself obsessing over meals, whether they know how to change a diaper (putting it on loosely after fumbling around for 5 minutes doesn't give me hope), and countless other things. Yesterday Mom put Hannah down for a nap and forgot to close the blinds or turn out the lights(?!?) and couldn't figure out how to turn on the monitor. Needless to say, Hannah didn't sleep. At least she was in the crib and the side was up. I stayed up late last night outlining copious instructions. Ugh.

So, tomorrow is the big day for us. My body definitely feels ready to get this over with, but I'm still quite nervous (and excited!). I'm still 3cm dilated and 80% effaced as of yesterday, but we all know that doesn't mean a whole lot. I had lots of contractions Sunday and Monday and a few yesterday. TMI ALERT--I've had a much more prolonged "gunk" phase this time around and feel like lots is happening "down there" ever since the baby was turned. I just can't seem to believe that in a day or so we'll have a newborn.:eek::D

-Laura

[linsleyd]

Laura, good luck and my thoughts are with you!!!

[Couperine]

Finally got time to check in - good luck tomorrow Laura!

[PoppyJ]

Good luck, Laura.

[Bawstinn]

Just wanted to pop on and wish Laura good luck today!!

[MinEaston]

Good labor vibes to Laura coming from here, too!

So the very same people who a month ago were saying "WOW, you're never going to make it to your due date!" or "are you SURE you're not having twins?" are now saying "you look great - I can't believe you have only 5 weeks to go!" :rolleyes: Very odd. I now look more like a basketball on legs, so I guess that's why.

I have at least 12 weeks of work to do before I leave, though. Maternity leave will be a welcome sabbatical from the crazy place work has become.

While I wouldn't mind if the baby came early, I have one request: Anna starts Pre-K on Aug 31. If the baby could avoid that particular day, it would be awesome. :o