August 2009 Pregnancy Thread [Archive] - CookingLight.com Community

MinEaston

08-03-2009, 09:40 AM

Hopefully everything went well for Laura last Thursday and we'll hear from her soon.

lindsleyd - are you enjoying being home? Good luck tomorrow with the NST...

We've had a relatively nice summer here in MD, but last week the heat & humidity started to creep up to **normal** levels and it's awful. I get soooo tired by the end of the day and that's in A/C!

I have far more than 5 weeks of work left here in the office, and our house is a disaster zone. I haven't started to think about a hospital bag (we live 2 blocks away so it's not too big a deal) and I should pre-register. We need to get the crib from the attic and set it up, wash the clothes I brought down already, and get the changing 'station' set up. One thing at a time. I think my biggest worry right now is if we have to leave in the middle of the night, because I can't call my inlaws or my parents at 3am. My neighbors are currently out of the country but will be back since schools start before this one is due.

Have I mentioned that DD starts Pre-Kindergarten Aug 31? While I wouldn't mind an early arrival, I really want to avoid this day. Well, I guess the entire weekend before, too.

linsleyd

08-04-2009, 05:59 AM

Min - hopefully your little one holds out until after pre-k starts! And definitley take things one day at a time, it can get overwhelming quickly!

Today is my NST and another ultrasound on Thursday. It looks like we'll be doing an induction unless there are some changes in the intestine. Boo....I've been drinking raspberry leaf tea and walking - that's about as far as I'm willing to go! I honestly don't think she's ready, but I also know when I conceived so I think she's two weeks behind the date anyway...

Well I'm headed to take the dogs walking before this heat starts up again!

chazkp

08-04-2009, 11:59 AM

Please add me to the list

Due 1/20 - don't know yet

I'm excited that I get to join this group, but it looks like I still have a long way to go compared with most of you :)

My next dr. appt is tomorrow and hopefully my ultrasound will be soon. Things are going well so far, and my DD (3yrs old) is "taking care" of me.

linsleyd - Good luck with your NST. I hope all goes well.

Min - Hope you are able to get everything around and are able to relax in between.

MinEaston

08-04-2009, 01:18 PM

Welcome chazkp! It appears that the editing window has expired for this thread :(

How cute about your DD.

PoppyJ

08-04-2009, 03:11 PM

Welcome chazkp. I hope you have a smooth and easy pregnancy and can you please have your dd give my dd a call?:p

lindsleyd- Good luck with your NST and ultrasound. Do you think your LO is two weeks younger than they estimate? What has the doctor said about that?

MinEaston- My fingers are crossed that the LO does not come when DD is starting Pre-K.

Things are going fine here. Another appointment tomorrow. I cannot believe that I have less than 2 month to go. Can I start panicking now?!?!

aggie94

08-05-2009, 03:35 PM

Can I join this group? :o

Some of you guys may know me from way back when I started this thread (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=108919) anonymously. Needless to say, since I have never planned on having a baby, I'm feeling a little (okay, a lot!) nervous and overwhelmed right now. But also very excited.

We had our first OB appointment today. My estimated due date is March 14, 2010. Seriously, that is a LONG ways away. I have been feeling queasy and nauseous pretty much 24/7 for the past 8 days and am sooooooo over this already. :eek:

misskitty100

08-05-2009, 06:46 PM

NewMrsG

08-05-2009, 07:24 PM

Congratulations Eva and chazkp!

Hoping to hear from Laura soon.

Linsley - hang in there! Hope it's not too much longer.

Min and Poppy - I hear you about nearing the end.

I've had a bit of a scare this week. I had an OB visit yesterday and an ultrasound. The ultrasound went great - BabyG looked awesome (although it's so surprising to me that you can actually see/make out less when they're bigger than you can at 20 weeks). They estimated his weight at 3 lbs, 3 ozs, and he's moving like a champ. The radiologist declared him "perfect". So then I saw the OB. I'm fine except there was a sizeable spike in my systolic blood pressure. I'm still within normal limits - I've always been on the very low end of normal - typically around 100/60, but yesterday was 130/70. The first time it's been high at all. So we were hoping it was just a blip as I hadn't slept the night before, it was 90 degrees out, etc. She wanted me to come in later this week for a repeat check, but I was supposed to fly out for a conference this afternoon, so I went back in this morning. We were hoping it would go back down, but it didn't. Didn't go up, but still right at 130.

So of course her worry is the beginning of preeclampsia. The good news in my favor is that I didn't have it with Macy, and that's usually how it goes, and I have no other symptoms whatsoever. And my labs were all normal. She gave me the go-ahead to fly out to Toronto and I'm going to check in with her again on Tuesday. So I'm now in a really nice hotel in a comfy bed, trying not to worry. I've been telling myself that even if it is preeclampsia, it's developing very slowly and I'm almost 31 weeks. And because I teach, I'm doing a lot of miscellaneous things this summer but am not actively teaching, so most of what I do I could do from home. But really don't want to be on bed rest, and of course really don't want anything to happen to this baby.

As if I wasn't venting enough last week!

MinEaston

08-05-2009, 08:14 PM

Congrats aggie94 - I remember reading that thread (can't remember if I ever responded and am too tired to reread right now). It's great to have you here! FWIW, I was fairly certain DD1 would be an only child, so when we found out in early Jan that #2 was on the way, I was nervous and overwhelmed too. Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. I had nausea with this pregnancy and I found that keeping something in my stomach helped a lot (a few crackers, handful of granola, piece of cheese).

NewMrsG - sorry to hear about the BP issues! Hopefully Thursday it will be either lower or at least steady.

tholbrook

08-05-2009, 10:48 PM

Just popping in to say a big congrats to Chaz and Eva!!!

Hope you both have smooth, uncomplicated pregnancies!

And Eva, I peeked at that thread - I was in the same boat as you were. No plans to have any kids for a lot of the same reasons that you listed. It took me awhile to warm up to the idea when I found out (the word "terrified" comes to mind), but I adore my daughter, and I couldn't be happier that things went down a different path than I had intended.

Wishing all you ladies happy, healthy pregnancies - can't wait to see the birth announcements - and pictures - over the next few weeks and months! :)

linsleyd

08-06-2009, 05:25 AM

Eva, congratulations! I had nausea and strong, strong food aversions until about 15 weeks and then a completly symptom free pregnancy from that point on. If that helps.;)

I'm going in today for induction. I was at the doctor Tuesday and he wasn't happy with the NST so he made me come back Wed morning. That doctor sent me straight to labor and delivery where they monitored me for two hours. So I'm to call to day at 3:30 to get my spot in the line up for induction. Baby's baseline heartbeat is low but otherwise she is spiking normally and moving but it's better to get her out now.

Can I say I'm slightly disappointed I'm not going to be able to see Julie and Julia in the theatre now? I just saw the commercial for it...

So please send good thoughts my way come Friday morning. Thurs night they are only going to do cervadil and pitocin on Friday. I'm quite can't believe I'm actually having a baby!

MinEaston

08-06-2009, 05:48 AM

Good luck linsleyd! We'll look forward to your news from the other side. :D

Couperine

08-06-2009, 07:18 AM

Good luck today Linsley!

I keep peeking in to see how things went for LHBryan, but considering how little I post now that I have a 2 mo, I can understand and keep waiting! :)

chazkp

08-06-2009, 07:34 AM

linsleyd - Good Luck! Will be thinking of you Friday and I hope everything goes well.

Eva - So sorry you are feeling bad. Morning sickness is a horrible thing. I had it bad, and just did the best I could with eating something small when I was having a good moment. Hopefully it will be over soon for you. For several weeks the only thing I ate was baked potatoes, mostly plain. I couldn't even keep down my prenatal vitimins and sometimes not even water - so if you find something that seems okay with your stomach go with it!

I heard the heart beat for the first time yesterday - nice and strong :) . I guess I am carrying higher than expected, but the Dr. said everything is going well.

wallingjan1

08-06-2009, 11:30 AM

Hi everyone, just checking in. We are doing really well around here. My midwife says she can tell I'm not ready because I'm not grumpy enough. I think I'm just to busy to be grumpy or worry about the birth too much. And my husband might disagree with her in the evenings. I am ready to meet my new little one and to be able to sleep a little better. Ha Ha!

Good luck to all the newcomers.

Pam

LHBryan

08-07-2009, 07:57 PM

Hi everyone!:) Sorry to not post an update earlier, but we've been busy! Thanks everyone for thinking of me last week. My thoughts are with all of you too.

Linsley--I'm thinking of you and anxious to hear your news!
NewMrsG--Hang in there. I had a couple of readings similar to yours. I hope your blood pressure stays put or goes down. Take it easy while traveling.

As for us, we are thrilled to announce the arrival of our little Zoe Elise!! Believe it or not, she was born last Wednesday night (7/29) at 11:26pm and weighed in at 6 lbs 15oz and 20 inches long. The story is really unbelievable, and I think I'm still in a bit of shock. Needless to say, I didn't make it to my induction appt. on Thursday morning the 30th. I worked a full day on Wednesday 'til about 5:30, picked up a pizza for dinner, came home and ate with DH, DD, and my parents, and then proceeded to get things ready before going to the hospital the next morning. As of late afternoon, I had suspected I may be leaking a bit amniotic fluid, but kept talking myself out of it. (Yes, I know that sounds ridiculous.) I came downstairs to send out a couple of emails at 9:30pm and started having a few contractions. Not a big deal. I headed upstairs to get some water and lie down for a few minutes. I decided to call the dr. on call to find out what I should do just in case I was leaking fluid. It happened to be the same dr. who performed the version to turn Zoe. He said to stay home until morning if I was able to sleep through the contractions and get some rest before induction, but to come on in if I was too uncomfortable. Well, as soon as I hung up the phone, things intensified dramatically. I couldn't even time the contractions--they were one right on top of the other. It was now 10pm or so, and I decided to throw my toiletries together. DH woke my parents up and told them he doubted we'd make it 'til morning. He came back upstairs to our bathroom, and I was on the floor unable to pack my toiletries bag or even talk for that matter.:eek: (Note to everyone: have your bags 100% packed! I never imagined I'd have to leave home so fast!) He finished the packing and we left for the hospital at 10:30, driving about 55 mph the whole way there. It was like something out of the movies! When we got there at 10:50 I was 7cm dilated. I vaguely remember the nurses laughing and saying the dr. might not make it. Thankfully a midwife was there just in case. By 11:20 the dr. arrived and they declared me ready to push. Zoe was born at 11:26. Wow. I just couldn't believe how intensely and quickly it all happened--under 2 hours start to finish. We're elated over our little peanut though, and so far she's super sweet and pretty peaceful considering her frantic arrival.

BFing is going pretty well, although she has a very "narrow" latch and a super strong suction. YIKES. I think she's getting the hang of it more and more every day though. She's also had a severe case of jaundice, which was not detected as soon as it should have been (even with us telling them how orange she looked). So, we had to spend Tuesday night in the hospital and then the past two nights at home with a bili blue light bed. She's a trooper for putting up with all the disrupted sleep, uncomfortable beds, and countless heel pricks. This little girl is never going to let anyone touch her feet again. DD1 is a bit clingy and whiny, but is adjusting fairly well. She's most jealous when I'm feeding Zoe, and unfortunately Zoe is a very S-L-O-W eater. My parents left yesterday. They were terrific and so helpful. It's a good thing they were here when I went into labor b/c we wouldn't have had time to do anything with Hannah. I'm so thankful it all worked out.

I'm thinking of all of you and look forward to seeing you over on the New Moms thread! And, welcome and congrats to Aggie and Chazkp!

-Laura

jadenegro

08-08-2009, 11:56 AM

Gosh I haven't checked in here in awhile, so much has happened. I'm almost to 34 weeks, I'm still not miserable but there are definitely some issues I could do without, such as it is hard to sleep! Fortunately everything still looks great on the medical end. I know the baby is still able to flip around and I can feel him when he does - so hopefully he will decide he really likes the head down position sometime soon and sticks there. I think that's the thing that is scaring me the most - don't want a breech baby.

Please add me to the list

Due 1/20 - don't know yet

I'm excited that I get to join this group, but it looks like I still have a long way to go compared with most of you :)

Congrats! There is quite a gap there!

Can I join this group? :o

We had our first OB appointment today. My estimated due date is March 14, 2010. Seriously, that is a LONG ways away. I have been feeling queasy and nauseous pretty much 24/7 for the past 8 days and am sooooooo over this already. :eek:

Congrats to you too! I never really found anything that helped the queasy/nauseous bits... but it cleared up at about 11 weeks, so hang in there!

As for us, we are thrilled to announce the arrival of our little Zoe Elise!! Believe it or not, she was born last Wednesday night (7/29) at 11:26pm and weighed in at 6 lbs 15oz and 20 inches long. The story is really unbelievable, and I think I'm still in a bit of shock. -Laura

Wow, welcome Zoe Elise (beautiful name)! That is quite the story! I'm glad you made it in on time and had a healthy delivery.

MinEaston

08-09-2009, 09:47 AM

Welcome Zoe Elise! (what a beautiful name). Laura - your labor sounds a lot like mine with DD1. Makes me glad I work within 3 miles of our hospital and live 2 blocks away.:eek::eek:

Midwife said baby was head-down at Friday's appt, and said "if you go into labor this weekend, bless you!" So I guess we're all systems go. I got the gender-neutral clothes washed, so I'm closer to being ready. Over the past week at work my mental approach changed from panic over what I needed to get done, to indifference and some amount of "it would serve them right if I left now" attitude :rolleyes:.

Pony

08-09-2009, 10:33 AM

Congrats Laura and welcome Zoe...just got chills reading your birthing story! I thought my labor was fast! ha!

chazkp

08-10-2009, 10:25 AM

Congrats Laura! I love the name Zoe. I'm glad everything worked out well.

Min - my attitude toward work changed that way with my first. I really stressed at first, then - if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. Hope your week goes well.

PoppyJ

08-10-2009, 02:58 PM

Congratulations Laura and welcome to the world Zoe. Your labor story is a little intimidating- makes me want to pack my suitcase now!!!

Welcome aggie94 and congratulations. I was never sure if I wanted kids and here I am close to having number 2. They do melt your heart and bring you some much joy (and tears!;))

Couperine

08-10-2009, 06:04 PM

Congratulations Laura and welcome Zoe! What an amazing story!

MinEaston

08-12-2009, 10:49 AM

quick check-in.

linsleyd - I hope everything is going well for you!

wallingjan1 - how are you doing? getting grumpy yet?:D

My rant of the day:
"Oh, you poor thing - your legs are getting swollen now too."

um, yeah, I'm 8+ months pregnant. It's summer, and this week has been in the upper 90s with equal humidity. What do you expect? This observer almost got the "well, once the baby's born I'll lose a lot of MY weight" response.

If grumpiness = readiness to deliver, I'm there. Bring it on. HA!

wallingjan1

08-13-2009, 07:29 AM

Yep, I'm definitely getting grumpy. But that may be the 104 fever my 18 month old has had all week and my lack of sleep. She seems better today and actually slept last night so maybe there is hope. I see my midwife today. Hopefully something will happen soon.

Pam

P.S. The heat is killing me too. (Boy I sound whiny!)

NewMrsG

08-14-2009, 03:43 AM

quick check-in.

um, yeah, I'm 8+ months pregnant. It's summer, and this week has been in the upper 90s with equal humidity. What do you expect? This observer almost got the "well, once the baby's born I'll lose a lot of MY weight" response.

:D

LinsleyD - looking forward to hearing good news!

Laura - what a story! All's well that ends well and you'll have a great story to tell your daughter later, yes? I love the name, by the way. Good friends of ours have a daughter named Zoe and I've always loved it.

So the update is that I saw my OB the day after returning from Toronto (which actually went fine, despite checking my fingers every 10 minutes to check for swelling :rolleyes:) and my pressure had gone up again. My OB said that if the more extended testing met criteria I'd be on bedrest, which I expected, but then she said that it would be hospitalized bedrest and I started to sob as we're sitting in the hallway. All I could think about was being away from my daughter for 4-5 weeks, which breaks my heart.

I do appear to have preeclampsia based on the testing. Depending on the cutoffs used, I'm just under or just over, so my OBs are calling it "borderline" but saying that it's definitely trending there and I'll officially meet criteria in the next week or two.

So I'm officially on bedrest through the duration of the pregnancy. My pressure actually had gone down a bit yesterday, which they attributed to my having been on home bedrest for the last couple of days. So they gave me the okay to continue with bedrest at home and anticipate I'll be able to get away with that for at leat another week or two, although it's unpredictable. They will induce by week 36, if not sooner, and my OB was optimistic we'd get there. In the meantime, lots and lots of monitoring. I'm hoping we can do blood pressure checks at home, which will make this a lot easier, and blood labs at my PCP's office, which is local, as my OB's practice in Boston and we live 45-60 minutes outside of city.

I'm feeling stressed out about everything that's left to do that didn't get done and knowing I'm just going to have to let go of some of it. And also knowing how much my husband has to take on with work, taking care of me (because I'm essentially useless at this point), caring for our daughter, etc.

On the good news front, I'm fortunately close to 32 weeks, which is considered a very good milestone. And the baby is doing fantastic, so that's great too. My boss has also been incredibly supportive and we have a plan for me to work on things at home (there's fortunately plenty for me to do). The hospital also has wi-fi so there's a lot I can do from there if I'm admitted. Friends yesterday were really sympathetic that I was on bedrest, but compared to what I thought would happen last night, being admitted after the testing, I'm thrilled to be home.

Keep us in your prayers in the coming weeks. We'll need it.

Couperine

08-14-2009, 09:23 AM

NewMrsG, I'm so sorry that you've been diagnosed with preeclampsia. The bedrest certainly does turn your life upside-down in an already crazy time of your life anyway. There's lots of good advice you'll get for what to do while on bedrest, but don't be surprised when you find out that you truly do very little. :) I've been induced twice now, once at 37 weeks and the other at 38 weeks, and everything worked out ok for us aside from my insanely long labors. I'll keep your family in my thoughts and prayers - you are right to be reassured by being 32 weeks though!

sugarbaby

08-15-2009, 02:13 PM

Hi all. I was wondering if any of you have experienced heart palpitations during your pregnancy. I'm almost 31 weeks, and spent a few hours in the ER last week hooked up to heart monitors because it felt like my heart was skipping a beat. I had been feeling it for a couple of weeks, but last week it increased. Long story short, my heart was beating normally, blood and urine tests came back normal, and the doctor told me to stop drinking caffeine. (I'd still been having 1 cup in the morning, and occasionally half a Coke in the afternoon.). I haven't had any caffeine in 5 days, and I don't think I've felt anymore palpitations. I didn't drink caffeine at all with my twins and never experienced this, so I'm hoping that's it! It's just a little nerve-wracking. :(

Anyone have a similar experience? TIA!

NewMrsG - praying for you and your family! I'm sorry to hear about your pre-eclampsia.

Laura - congratulations and welcome Zoe! What an amazing birth story!

MinEaston - I feel ya on the heat. The other day I put on a swimsuit - in the house - and poured water down the front. Being this large in August is just so wrong.

jadenegro

08-16-2009, 06:37 PM

Sugarbaby, how scary! I'm glad this seemed to have stopped just be quitting caffeine. I haven't noticed anything like that, I've been drinking an occasional cup of coffee on the weekend and sometimes iced tea at a restaurant (that's another topic - it freaks everyone out, but my dr said it was fine - and it's not like I'm drinking a ton of it or anything).

NewMrsG, sorry to hear about the pre-eclampsia and bed rest. It's nice to wish for a time when you can do nothing but rest, but when you are told that, it seems like the end of the world.

Tomorrow I have my strep test and it sounds my first internal exam, not looking forward to that to kick off the 35th week. This morning in church I had 6 braxton hicks during a 45 minute period, which pretty much freaked me out (the frequency), but I've been fine the rest of the day.

NewMrsG

08-17-2009, 09:54 AM

Sugarbaby: How stressful. It does sound as though eliminating caffeine did the trick. I also find that I'm a lot more likely to read into things when pregnant than I would otherwise be (which I don't say to suggest that you're being paranoid - truly. Just that it's easier to worry). It may also just be me. :o I also work in a hospital setting and can say that medical providers err on the side of being more rather than less careful with pregnant women and with cardiac concerns. If they gave you the all-clear and you're feeling better I think you can probably relax. Just be sure you're touching base with your providers with any changes.

I so wish I could "bank" the bedrest time for when I'll really need it in the months to come! My husband continues to say how lucky I am that I can just sit and relax. He just doesn't get it. Although I do have to say that I feel bad for him given that he has total responsibility for our daughter, the house, getting me back and forth for appts ... it's a lot of work for him. We're just starting to figure out how we're going to manage this, what I can help with while on my tush, etc. It's rough and I've been really down for the last couple of days. I have to keep reminding myself that it's temporary.

Waahh!

PoppyJ

08-17-2009, 02:37 PM

NewMrsG- As wonderful as bedrest sounds at this point in the pregnancy, I am sure I would last about 2 hours and then go stir crazy. I am sorry that you are going through this but just keep reminding yourself it is for your health and that of the baby.

Sugarbaby- I am glad that your heart palpatations have gone away. Lets hope that it was just the caffeine.

I have my strep test on Wednesday and then it is to the weekly appointments. Scary that it is getting so darn close. I keep having this feeling that I am going to deliver early and not be ready mentally or physically. I did buy a pack of diapers just in case. :p

Jalapeno

08-18-2009, 09:04 PM

Hello everyone!

All is well here. I can't believe I'm 31 weeks already! This pregnancy is going by very quickly.

I'm hoping to have the baby furniture delivered next week. I can't WAIT to get it all set up. The 1st baby shower is in 3 weeks. Fun fun fun!

Couperine

08-19-2009, 08:34 AM

Poppy, I remember buying the newborn diapers along with some boxes of Always ultrathin pads and looking ginormously pregnant - I love those looks people give you when you're in the final weeks! :)

Jalapeno, congrats on the baby furniture!

Thinking of you NewMrsG!

MKSquared

08-19-2009, 09:25 AM

Think there's room for one more newcomer? :)

I'm just wrapping up the first trimester, and I'm eagerly looking forward to some (hopefully) easier days ahead. I heard the heartbeat for the first time yesterday, loud and clear. I swear that I'm getting all the oddball symptoms. My mouth tastes awful, not to mention the abundance of spit! I grew a cup size in one afternoon at work ... and the weirdest symptom is that my hands smell! (I chalk this final one up to washing my hands more often due to the increased bathroom breaks - but still! So weird.)

Nice to join you all!

MinEaston

08-19-2009, 09:49 AM

MKSquared

08-19-2009, 09:57 AM

MKsquared - of course there's room for one more! Welcome. If you're nearing the end of your first trimester, you must be due end of Feb/early March? Am I right?

Has anyone heard from LinsleyD? I'm getting concerned. Hope she checks in soon...

Maybe "nearing" wasn't the right word. Perhaps "have flown by?" Due date is projected to be Feb. 16. :)

kbs

08-19-2009, 11:26 AM

Hi Ladies!
I'd like to join your club too! I had thought about it awhile ago but at that time, there wasn't anybody with a DD after October and I didn't want to be having conversations with myself (do that enough already! :)). We are so excited (and overwhelmed!) to be having twins- I'm looking at it as a two for one deal after which we'll be all done!

I am almost 23 weeks pregnant with twin girls! My true DD is 12/19, but they won't let me go to 40 weeks, so my actual DD is 12/7. I spent the first trimester feeling like crud but not actually getting sick, and now in the second trimester I am feeling a zillion times better, but get sick first thing in the morning a few times a week. Go figure. The worst part of it is that I get all swollen and get tons of broken blood vessels around my eyes and a bruise by my mouth. It's really lovely to then go to work :rolleyes:.

I have gestational diabetes which is a huge bummer. I got a meter to test about a month ago, and then at my OB appointement on Friday, she decided to send me to an endocrinologist. This was not a huge surprise to me. My fasting sugars had been pretty good when I started testing and then last week started being over 100 which isn't. They say it's because of the babies and that typically the sugars will get higher as the pregnancy progresses. I met with the endocrinologist's nurse on Monday who, while she was nice, definitely made me feel like I was eating all the wrong things and totally contradicted the nutritionist I met with a few weeks ago. I got in the car and cried after the appointment. I meet with the endocrinologist tomorrow so we'll see how that goes. And I already have an appt scheduled with my nutritionist scheduled for Tuesday, so I'll be bringing my annoyance at being told two contradictory things with me.

Congrats to the new mommies! What an amazing birth story Laura!

-Kim

MinEaston

08-19-2009, 12:41 PM

What's in the water these days?

Congratulations kabs and welcome! I have a colleague who is having twin boys (her 2nd and 3rd sons!) who is due 12/15. Maybe I'll direct her over here to chat with you :)

sugarbaby

08-19-2009, 02:51 PM

NewMrsG, thanks for the encouragement about doctors being so careful about pregnant woman - it helped! And yes, I am slightly paranoid now!:rolleyes: But the heart palpitations seem to have disappeared. And I sure do miss coffee! I didn't realize how much I "needed" it to get going in the mornings!

Welcome to all the new mommies!

kbs, I have 2 year-old twin boys. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions! Congratulations!

aggie94

08-19-2009, 06:01 PM

Wow, lots of activity since I last checked in!

Laura, congratulations and welcome to Zoe! What a great name. My brother has always said he would name his daughter (if he were ever to have one - at this point, I'd be thrilled if he could manage a long-term girlfriend :rolleyes: ) Zoe. :)

NewMrsG (it's Jori, right?), sorry to hear you are on bedrest, but at least you are still at home for now. I will be sending good thoughts your way.

jadenegro, I am surprised that people freak out over you drinking coffee/iced tea. Everything I've read (and my doc confirmed), including the March of Dimes recommendations, says that <200mg/day is perfectly fine. I gave up coffee but only because the thought of drinking it makes me queasy. I am still drinking Coke everyday, though. And coffee might sound better once the "morning" (yeah right) sickness passes.

Mary Kate, I know I've said it before, but again, congratulations!!

MinEaston, are you on Facebook? Linsley posted pictures of her new arrival there a week ago. Sounds like there's also been some complications, though (not sure exactly what), and Amelia is still in the hospital, having had surgery a couple of days ago. I'm sure when things settle down for them, she will check in here.

Kim, congratulations - wow, twin girls! How fun. :D

As for me, the queasiness and nausea are still pretty constant. Unfortunately, it doesn't keep me from eating, as that's pretty much the only time I don't feel crappy, so I'm generally stuffing my face all the time. :rolleyes: :o

Other than that, and constant breakouts on my face (sheesh, feels like I'm 14 again), I haven't really experienced any other changes or symptoms at all. I am really hoping to feel like a normal human being again soon. The queasiness and nausea have really impacted my ability to exercise, which I really did want to keep up during my pregnancy.

beacooker

08-19-2009, 07:50 PM

Wow, Eva - congratulations!! I never check this thread anymore, but I just happened to notice that you were the last poster to this thread, and I had to see what was up with that! When you first posted that anonymous thread, I suspected it was you, and I've often wondered ever since if it was, and what you had decided. Good luck to you, DH, and your baby-to-be. :) I'm sure you will be a great mom.

LaraW

08-20-2009, 08:52 AM

Just wanted to pop in and say congratulations to Eva and Mary Kate! What great news! Good luck and congratulations to all of the mommies-to-be too!

PoppyJ

08-20-2009, 03:31 PM

Congratulations and welcome to all the newcomers!

Quick question- for those who are close to your due date, have you purchased a nursing bra yet? I have a couple from before but they already don't fit around the rib cage this pregnancy. I am worried about waiting until after I give birth because it will be so hard to get to the store with 2 kids, but then again I don't want to waste the money buying on too early.

Also- anyone have a game plan for bring home baby #2? Starting to panic about how I am going to deal with 2.

MinEaston

08-20-2009, 04:14 PM

PoppyJ - I am going to start with my nursing bras from #1 (I have a half-dozen at least).

When you say, thoughts about bringing home #2 - do you mean more about how you will handle both or the actual day you bring #2 home?

I'm in complete denial about how I'm going to handle 2. I am very lucky, though, in that DH will also be home while I am home, so perhaps we can address the inevitable challenges together.

As for actually coming home, we live 2 blocks from the hospital, and are planning to walk this baby home like we did with DD#1. Baby is bringing DD a dolly carseat, and she already has a dolly stroller, so I think we'll have a family caravan home :D

Thanks to aggie94 for posting a bit about linsleyd. I'm not on FB, but maybe that will be a maternity leave project.

NewMrsG, how are you doing?

linsleyd

08-22-2009, 07:05 AM

Amelia Brent Gentile was born on August 7, 2009. I had a c-section after a very unsuccessful induction. Amelia wasn't handling any of it very well. She was 4lbs 9oz and 18 1/2 inches long.

She was born with a dilated intestine which we knew about and was one of the reasons I was induced. She was transferred that night to AI DuPont Children's hospital where she is still. She had surgery last wednesday and they were able to cut out the part of the intestine that was closed and she is doing incredibly well!

We were hoping she would be released today but she isn't eating and gaining weight to the level the drs would like. She also threw up Thurs night which they don't like. We called the nicu twice last night and they said she was eating really well and no throw up so crossing our fingers she does well this weekend and is home beginning of the week. For all this drama she is breastfeeding like a champ and she is absolutly gorgeous!

http://s592.photobucket.com/albums/tt4/linsleyjamie/

Bawstinn

08-22-2009, 09:22 AM

Quick question- for those who are close to your due date, have you purchased a nursing bra yet? I have a couple from before but they already don't fit around the rib cage this pregnancy. I am worried about waiting until after I give birth because it will be so hard to get to the store with 2 kids, but then again I don't want to waste the money buying on too early.

Poppy - I'd be leery of buying them early (considering the ones I bought ended up being $40 each). They may not fit your ribcage now, but would they after birth? I used the ones from last time for a couple of weeks until things settled out. They fit at the start but were then too big. I really must have been retaining fluid at the end because I lost 30 lbs the first week. I ended up getting smaller ones in both band and cup.

Congratulations linsleyd! Hoping Amelia gets to come home soon!

Honestly, the biggest challenge with bringing Christopher home was handling Madeleine. He is my easy baby and I got so many projects done around the house while I was home. Madeleine was not happy that she did not have my undivided attention and was less than pleased when she found out I was staying home and she was going to preschool. All that lasted about 3 weeks and things are back to normal.

NewMrsG

08-22-2009, 01:41 PM

Congratulations MK and kabs!

And congratulations Linsley - love the name Amelia. She's gorgeous and I especially love the pictures of you and her together. How is it that some women look so beautiful just after giving birth? I looked like I'd come out of a war zone. Glad to hear that she's recovering and doing well and that you expect to take her home soon.

Eva (yes it's Jori - how can you forget from our American Idol thread days?!). Your symptoms are very much like mine were for both pregnancies. I found it hard to know whether nausea would be better by eating or avoiding food altogether. And trial and error was sometimes a disaster. I, too, also had major acne problems. I've actually never fully recovered and am hoping to be more active about it after this pregnancy.

Thanks for all of the well wishes. I'm hanging in there - good days and bad. We were supposed to be on a family vacation this week, so my husband had the week off. It was nice to have company, but I'll be on my own again next week. I have been trying to come up with projects to work on, which also helps, but I swear I'm never going to sit on this couch again.

I have to have labs taken twice a week, to look for kidney and liver complications. If they see anything, off to the hospital I go, and I think they'd actually induce me at that point. I get anxious on the days I have labs, but when they come back I feel better. I also have a great relationship with my OB, who I think is the best doctor on the planet, and always feel reassured talking to her. I have to take blood pressure measures twice a day, which she's trusting me to do from home. The cuff we were using was giving me really high numbers, which was freaking me out (apparently this is all driven by blood pressure - so if my pressure stays down, other complications are unlikely, although there are some exceptions). I spoke with my OB last night who said that she actually thought we weren't getting accurate readings, so DH went back to the store and bought one (of course wildly expensive) that the pharmacist recommended highly. Readings are MUCH lower now, which is reassuring. We'll calibrate it with the one at my OB's office on Tuesday to make sure it's accurate, but that's been reassuring.

The other stressor is that pre-eclampsia can increase the risk of seizures. I have epilepsy (very well controlled, thankfully) so this is scary for me, and they'll likely have to keep me on a higher dose of meds for awhile. And the side effects from the meds are pretty awful.

Whine, moan, complain.

I made a construction paper chain with my daughter this morning, with one link for every day until the baby gets here. I'm hoping that will make it more tangible for her, and make her feel more a part of things. I think it's also helped DH to see how close this is! He's off at the store now buying diapers, etc. :D

Oh - and PoppyJ, I'm totally with you about worrying about 2.

Kerri

08-22-2009, 05:51 PM

PoppyJ - I have a almost 3 year old and a 14 month old. Yes, it is tough, but it wasn't nearby as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't remember this with baby #1, but they do sleep a lot initially, so I felt that I got to spend a lot of time with my oldest to ease with the transition. We also watched a lot of tv :p and I tried to make a little box with special stuff for my son to play with a special snack to eat why I was nursing. It takes a little while, and you have to be pretty stict with kid#1, but take a little more time with anything and it will be ok. Actually, I think the hardest phase is right now. DS#2 is all over the place with his own opinions...we can't just go and do what DS#1 wants to go anymore. There is some resentment.

I think I bought a few nursing bras early. I got the cheap ones at walmart and motherhood maternity. I did get one of the $40 ones, and liked it, but the cheaper ones were ok.

Jori - I am so sorry about the bedrest!

MinEaston

08-23-2009, 06:33 AM

Welcome Amelia! It sounds like she's doing very well despite the surgery, etc. Keeping my fingers crossed that she comes home very soon! (she's certainly in excellent hands at DuPont!)

Jori - I love the construction paper chain idea. Maybe I'll do that this afternoon with Anna, since we're (GASP) 2 weeks away. Well, from the due date anyway. We're getting closer to being ready at home (crib is set up, hospital bag packed), but I'm not ready at work (tough cookies).

I have to share a warm fuzzy about my Friday evening. There are 4 of us girlfriends that get together about once per month for drinks/dinner. We planned for this past Friday at a lovely local restaurant. As it turns out, when I got there, 4 other women friends were there, to have an "un-baby" shower. I'd been adamant about not having any kind of shower, at least not before baby 2 arrives. I got all kinds of mommy gifts - lotions, bath salts, spa slippers, chocolate, and a big fuzzy pink bathrobe. It was great!

PoppyJ

08-23-2009, 03:44 PM

linsleyd- Congratulations on Amelia. I hope she gets to come home soon. I cannot imagine how hard it must be having her in the NICU and not at home with you. I could not see the picture but I am sure she is so beautiful.

Jori- I love the idea of the paper chain. Do you add one on each day or take on off each day? I would love to do that with DD.

MinEaston- That is so sweet of your friends. Hopefully you get to enjoy them before the baby comes.

Kerri- thank you for the word of encouragment. All my girlfriends I have talked to say how horrible the first 6 months are, etc, etc. So it is nice to hear something postivie.

I think I have decided not to get any nursing bras until after the baby comes. I think my ribs will get smaller because I am carrying so high....I swear some of these kicks are going to break my ribs.

NewMrsG

08-23-2009, 04:33 PM

Checking in with a quick question. My husband is exhausted. He's really been doing a great job of taking care of Macy - really spending good time with her and taking her on playdates, etc., not just setting her down in front of the TV, and has also been working really hard to get the house ready, which is a monumental task at this point. He's feeling overwhelmed and down. I'd like to get him something or do something for him to keep his spirits up and let him know how much I appreciate everything he's doing (not that my life now is a piece of cake, and I know we're working as a team here, but it is a lot on one person's plate and I feel guilty watching him while I'm watching a video).

If he was a girl, I'd send flowers to his office, but he once told me never to do that. Any other ideas? I would get him a free pass day or send him to go play golf or something like that, but really can't be left alone with our daughter. A friend of ours came over the other night to take care of Macy and I so David could get a break. And others are bringing dinners for us or other things, so I hate to ask for another favor unless someone offers.

Ideas??

Also - friends of ours brought over a cradle that they no longer want. It's really very beautiful and it's probably the first time it felt real, as though we really are bringing home a real-live baby. Chills.

Oh - and the chain is together - she pulls off a link every night.

kbs

08-24-2009, 01:30 PM

Congrats Linsleyd and welcome Amelia!!! I hope that she is able to be discharged very soon and join her family at home!

MinEaston- What a super nice surprise for you from your friends! You all must have had a very nice lunch!

NewMrsG- I'm so sorry that you're stuck on bed rest. I hope that your next few tests have positive results. Your DH sounds like he's been a great support! Is there anything that you could send him at work besides flowers (like a goody basket or something) or was his decree of no flowers, really a no deliveries at work decree?

I'm feeling pretty good these days, though I feel huge. My appointment at the endocrinologist last week left me annoyed an frustrated though. THe first thing the doctor says to me is "do you know why they referred you here??" This is b/c my OB is affiliated with a different hospital than this doctor. I said no, they made the appointment for me, and I assume it's because my Primary Care doctor is afflicated with the endo's hospital. She then repeated the question at least 5 times during the course of my appointment. She would say, of course I'll treat you because I don't want to waste time, but they should have sent you to their doctor since that person would have access to all your info and the endo and OB typically work closely together, blah, blah, blah. I was just so P.O'd by the time I left that I swore I wasn't going back there. I called my OB's office the next morning and they said that my Primary Care doc did the referral and I said, give me the place that you normally refer to and I'm calling my Primary Care and having it changed because they were so difficult at this other place. THe nurse puts me on hold and then comes back and says, actually, the hospital where I will deliver no longer has an endocrinologist on staff and so in the interim they are referring to this other place. :rolleyes: Ugh. Clearly no one told them. It was just so frustrating.

So now I'm insulin 4 times a day. It's ok, but I feel like I can't eat anything and am hungry all the time. I'm sure at the end of this pregnancy my cholesterol will be sky high from all the eggs and cheese :rolleyes:. Back to the endocrinologist again on Wednesday so we'll see what she says then. I'm also meeting with my nutritionist tomorrow- looking forward to that since i have conflicting information from her and the endo.

Hope everyone else is doing well!
-Kim

MKSquared

08-28-2009, 09:33 AM

Just looking for a little input from everyone ... I'm 15 weeks now, and this past week, I've been light-headed twice. Once, at work, at about 2:45. The second time was this morning. I took off a few hours to let it pass this morning: I'm feeling guilty because it's the first time I've called off sick since I've been pregnant. My OB mentioned that the light-headedness might happen, but how can I combat this? I can think of three things that might have contributed to it ... it was before breakfast, I was up every hour last night due to the thunderstorm and potty trips, and it's just part of the second trimester.

Thoughts?

(Oh, and did anyone catch Project Runway last night?)

MinEaston

08-28-2009, 12:23 PM

Mary Kate - lightheadedness is not uncommon. I've had it periodically too. Also remember that you have twice as much blood volume for your system to push around, so your blood pressure may also have dipped. With my first pregnancy, I found that my usually low blood pressure (110/60 or so) went even LOWER during pregnancy. That happened earlier in this pregnancy, too. What was your last reading?

Making sure you eat is key, of course. I also tried not to leap out of bed in the mornings, or turn around (like when prepping lunches) too quickly, either, because I knew my blood pressure might not keep up. I actually had one episode while sitting in the dr's office, the last time.

Mine didn't last too long, though. You said you took a few hours off to let it pass - did it last that long?

And - lastly - never be afraid to touch base w/the OB's office if you are at all concerned.

MKSquared

08-28-2009, 12:45 PM

hat happened earlier in this pregnancy, too. What was your last reading?
Last appointment was goofy. They screwed up the first reading (it was abnormally high - like 145/90, but all previous readings were under 120/80), and the second one at the end of the appointment was 120/80.

Mine didn't last too long, though. You said you took a few hours off to let it pass - did it last that long?
It might not have. DH was driving into work a few hours later, and I just hitched a ride with him to be safe. The other day at work when it happened (mid-afternoon), I laid down for 20 minutes and felt much better. :)

I think I'll call, just to be sure. I've had a really hard time eating anything besides lunch. I'm hungry all the time but I just can't eat. It's very frustrating.

NewMrsG

08-28-2009, 02:36 PM

Hi all:

kbs - sorry about the GD and having to stick with a tough diet. I've given up worrying about stuff after the pregnancy. Now is hard enough

MK - I've also had lightheadedness on occasion throughout the pregnancy. It sometimes seems to be related to not having eaten, especially protein. Other times I can't pinpoint a cause. I've brought it up with DH, worrying about what it means, and his response is usually "or maybe it could be that you're PREGNANT?" My OB also made nothing of it.

So I'm now in the hospital on bedrest. Actually doing okay, mostly because they thought they were going to induce yesterday, so I have no complaints. Things have stabilized, so it's unclear whether I'll stay. They could make the argument that I'm better, so should go home, or that I'm better because I'm here. I'm here at least through tomorrow and then we'll see. I'm fortunately at a really great hospital and they're taking great care of me. And it's nice to be waited on without feeling guilty for asking for help. I miss my kid like crazy though.

Hope everyone else is doing well. Have a great weekend -

kbs

08-28-2009, 02:39 PM

Mary Kate- I'm so sorry that you're having episodes of lightheadedness. I recall having spells of that early in the second trimester - mostly occuring when I would move from a sitting to standing position. I think this was attributed to a drop blood pressure as MinEaston noted. BUT if had persisted for longer than a few minutes I definitely would have called my OB, because, well, because I'm paranoid and that's what they're there for. So if you are genuinely concerned I wouldn't hestitate to call your doctor's office. I have done this a few times and started out the conversation, I know I'm probably just being paranoid but......

It's hard to do that if that's not something you would normally do, which I would not if it was just me involved, but I'm uncharacteristically overly sensitive now to any little twinge (or lack of twinge when I think there should be one :rolleyes:.

I hope that it goes away soon!
-Kim

PoppyJ

08-28-2009, 02:50 PM

Jori- I am sorry that you are in the hospital. Hopefully you will be able to go home soon. I cannot imagine what you are going through. What week is your doctor hoping you will make it to?

MK- I also had lightheadedness and at times I would even see spots but it would go away within a few minutes. I hope yours goes away soon.

Anyone have sharp pains going down the inner thigh? I get them periodically and it makes me stop in my tracks and sometimes cry out in pain. It is weird because I did not have it with DD.

I am ready for this week to be over. DD has been having a really hard week- allergies, a virius, and I think her 2 year molars are coming in and she is rubbing her tounge against her teeth and making it so raw she will not eat. She has woken up at 5AM or earlier all week. And I am EXHAUSTED!!! DH is not working this weekend so I hoping for some couch time. Pretty please!