Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ SEPTEMBER Third Trimester (27 weeks to delivery) Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

[flutter]

Here we are in fall ladies! Several due dates coming up :)

[Robyn147]

I don't know about you, Flutter, but it's definitely still summer where I am! It's so hot sometimes I think I'll turn into a puddle (a big fat one with swollen feet, of course).

Please let it get cooler!!!!

[minipie]

Good morning everyone!

Everyone here is so active/chatty (which is great!!) so I'll do the best I can with personals.

Robyn: Sorry about your problems with swelling and heat. I really hope it cools off for you soon! How exciting that you got so much great stuff. Are you guys more or less prepared for the baby? Not long to go now!

Meggie: I'm glad you had a great shower and that you got so much useful stuff! Have fun clothes shopping. It really is fun (especially for girls!), but I have to show some restraint and not buy everything. It's all so cute! I hope you can avoid bed rest for a while longer and L&D visits until it's time for the girls to be born!

pjs: You're really in the homestretch! Not much longer to go now! Can't wait to see photos of your little one. Hope the last few days go well!

fingers: Sorry about your L&D visit, but I'm glad to hear it was nothing serious and your labs all looked good.

Hi to everyone else I missed...hope everyone's doing great!

I just got back to Germany yesterday from my two week visit to the US. I am back at work today and dead tired. I survived the flight, but it was pretty uncomfortable, and I really swelled up! I came back by myself and lugged my heavy suitcase up a few flights of stairs. I was worried that the heavy lifting may have hurt the baby, but she's just as active as ever, so I hope that means she's okay??

Summer is definitely finished here in Germany. It is pouring down rain and about 50 degrees (10 Celsius). Such a rude awakening from the hot summer weather I had back in the US!

My husband is away for work until Saturday, but when he gets back, we are finally going to start buying stuff for the baby. We've picked out our stroller, car seat, and furniture -- we just have to buy it. I'm excited to finally get things set up. It's all starting to feel so real now, which is slightly terrifying!

I've been doing a lot of reading lately, and I was wondering if/how you are all preparing to breastfeed? Any tips or suggestions?

Anyway, hope everyone has a great week!

[pjs3902]

It's so hot sometimes I think I'll turn into a puddle (a big fat one with swollen feet, of course).

Please let it get cooler!!!!

LOL! However, I couldn't agree more, Robyn! Although we might be getting a slight heat break this week. not sure how permanent it is though...


mini- glad you made it home safely and hope you enjoyed your time over here in the states! yuck on the swelling, but at least with the cool temps in Germany you shouldn't have too much more of that! :) (at least from heat)

as for BF'ing prep... there's really not much to do. just make sure you have nursing pads ready!!! as long as you have a pump of somesort and something to store frozen milk in- you should be fine. even then- you may not need a pump for a while.

so i admit- i'm a little skeptical posting in the "sept 3rd tri" until it's Sept. baby could come within the next 48hrs and be an august baby... so here's to hoping she stays in until the 3rd like she's supposed to!!! :) hope everyone had a great weekend!

[flutter]

Robyn
It's in the 90's F here this week, but at night it's only in the 60's so I guess it's technically what they call "Indian summer". Last week the weather was PERFECT. We barely hit 80 degrees most days and the nights were nice and cool. I hope it starts to cool down for you soon.

mini
glad you made it back safely! are you from the states originally? I have just been asking everyone I know who breastfeeds a million questions to prepare. I still feel lost. I plan on taking a BF class at the hospital I'm delivering at in Sept. I also plan to buy a book. My friend said "The Breastfeeding Book" is fantastic. I'm more worried about how the heck I'm going to have enough supply to keep from having to supplement with formula when I go back to work 6 weeks after she's born.

pjs
sorry i had to post the thread early. I actually thought of you when i did it, but I have such a busy week with travel prep I doubt I'll have time to do it any other night this week. I hope she stays in until Sept!

Have a great day everyone!

[Robyn147]

Hi everyone,

I just got back from baby-shopping with my mom and little sister.
We started out at a Carter's outlet (who knew you could get that stuff over here!?). You can buy baby coveralls for under $5, body suits for $4, etc. I agree with Mini, though, shopping would be more fun for a girl! I don't know why, but the girls' stuff is just so much nicer! And there's more to choose from. The truth is, I am so confused about all the stuff I need to buy that I very nearly had a breakdown in the store. How am I supposed to know what to get? People tell me not to buy NB size, because they outgrow it so soon, and that I should get 0-3 from the start. But some of the 0-3 clothes look huge! I ended up buying 2 NB coveralls and 3 0-3 coveralls, plus a very cute body suit (that's what they call them here, I hope you guys know what I mean) that has pumpkins on it. After all, this is going to be an October baby! I didn't get more of those (even though they had super cute ones, since I got 10 from my mom just this weekend). Then I went to a drug store and got stuff for the hospital: disposable panties, baby soap, maxipads, toilet seat covers. I almost got pacifiers and bottles, but then another customer told me to go to a different store, where they have stuff for much cheaper prices. So we drove there (10 minutes away) and boy was it cheaper! I got anti-diaper rash cream, BiBi orthodontic pacifiers, 2 Avent bottles, 12 rectangular cloth diapers (for anything from diapering to just covering yourself while bf-ing), 6 more body suits (this time with snaps down the length of them, so you don't have to squeeze it overs the baby's head) and 6 little pants with footies, I also got q-tips, baby lotion, little socks, a tiny hat, a non-stick mat to put underneath the changing pillow on top of the changing dresser and a ton of baby wipes.
I still have a ton more to buy (I ended up forgetting to buy nusring pads, argh!) and I still need to get diapers, curtains, a garbage can for the baby's room, a thermometer, a heat protector for the baby carriage and sheets for the baby crib.
There is just so much to do! I can't believe there's so much left to buy, and I just have no clue what to get. I feel like I'm guessing my way through this (how do I know if the size is right? How do I know if this brand is good? How do I know if I got enough?). On the one hand I still have 6 weeks to go so it shouldn't be stressful, but on the other hand, I'm become less and less mobile, so I have to do this stuff now! Oh, and it's still crazy hot here!!! Mini - I envy your weather!

now for some personals:
Mini - glad you had such a great time in the states! I would love to be able to go! Good luck with your shopping! Getting the stroller/bed/dresser is always the "big buy". What brands are you going with? I went crazy over which stroller to get and ended up with the Baby Jogger City Mini, and although I have yet to actually use it, I am happy with the decision.
As for your question on bfing. Yes! I definitely want to and plan to, and I hope that being a PCOSter will not make this difficult (I've heard that low progesterone during adolescence can inhibit breast development and bfing later on)! Also, I have this weird feeling (sorry if TMI) that the shape of my nipples will prove problematic. They are kind of flat, and I am worried the baby won't be able to latch on. If this happens, I plan to pump. I still want him to get breastmilk. I really hope I can bf, though, since I think that's such a unique experience.

PJs - under 100 hours! Yikes!!! :-D Hope she hangs in to be a September baby!

Meggie - good luck shopping, it is indeed tons of fun, but it is much more so if you know what you're looking for (and if you are not on a limited budget!). I hope you find great things for your twins! I bet it's double the fun!

[fingers_crossed]

Tawny, thank you. :) How are you doing? Adjusting ok? How is Rebecca adjusting? Hope things are going well. Love your siggy pictures.

Pjs, LOL. I have to admit the thought crossed my mind on the way to the hospital (re having the baby before you). On a side note, I remembered a dream I had a few days ago, I was at the hospital getting ready to deliver and you'd already had your LO but it ended up being a boy. No idea how in the world we'd ever be at the same hospital, but I Will Ferrel (sp?) was at the hospital with some baby also. I think I'd seen a commercial for a movie of his or something. Crazy preggo dreams.

Yay for under 100hrs!! Hope you are able to get a nap in today!!

Meagan, so glad your shower was wonderful! It sounds great and awesome that you got so much!! Have fun clothes shopping!! I know I could get into trouble with that lol. ;)

Glad your appt went well and your dr. isn't too concerned. I hope you don't have any more L&D visits either. Hope your cervix stays at 3cm.

Minipie, hope you had a good visit to the US. Glad you survived but that's too bad about the swelling! Glad your LO is active, I'd think that means she's ok. :) I bet it was a switch going from hot summer to the weather there.

Sounds like you have some exciting plans coming up, re. getting stroller etc.

I read a lot too about breastfeeding but other than that haven't done anything to prepare, except get pads and sterilize the pump my sister is letting me borrow.

Flutter, sounds like you have a busy week coming up. Hope it goes well!

Robyn, sounds like you've had a fun day!! And it sounds like you got some good deals at the outlet store. It sounds like you're on track for what you need. Try not to stress, I'm sure you will have plenty, and once your little guy is here you'll be able to see what things you might still need, but I don't think you'll find yourself w/o something you really have to have. Probably a good idea to do the stuff now since you'll probably feel less like it later. Hope your swelling is doing better.

AFM, still here. Not sure exactly what is going on but I'm really uncomfortable. My stomach keeps hurting, but it doesn't really feel like contractions, not sure. Just going to try to drink water today and keep changing positions to find something comfy. :)

Question, can you have BH on just one side? I really hope the next time I have a better idea of everything that is going on lol.

Hope everyone is doing well and has a great day!!!

[knutfugget]

fingers Sounds like round ligament pains to me.

Robyn You don't want to buy a TON of nb, but yes, I would buy at least some. Some babies start out a little smaller, plus they lose weight right after being born. Some are slow gainers and stay in nb for quite awhile.

pj You're getting so close! :)

mini That's exactly our weather today! It stormed all night and is nice and chilly today. Might not last, but I'm lovin' it! First day in awhile I haven't started swelling right off the bat.

***
DH is in CA on a business trip. Miss him already. He'll be back on Friday. The kids started today off with "Where's Daddy?". Hoping I can find some activities to keep them busy and not thinking about it...

Other than that, I did a TON of shopping this weekend. The kids should be pretty well set on clothes for awhile. :) LOVED buying matching dresses for the girls, can't wait to see them in them! :) Only bad part is that I've been on my feet A LOT and had some BH and spotting over the weekend. :( Things are looking ok now, so hopefully all's well. Next appt on Wed, think I'll have them check cervix just to be safe.

Hope you're all well!

[Robyn147]

Fingers, I totally hear you on stomach pains, but not knowing if they are contractions! I get them sometimes in the evening. I've had some (like maybe 3-4 times total) contractions that I knew were contractions (BH) because my stomach got so hard my belly button became an innie again (haven't had that in a while! lol!), although they weren't painful. But more often than not, I get this uncomfortable, slightly hurtful feeling, where my stomach goes hard, but not as hard (and my belly button stays out), and I don't know if these are BH or not. I actually thought I was hallucinating that it was harder on one side. I think that might happen if the baby is on one side and the uterus contracts around him, making it appear harder on one side...
I just wanted to let you know that I share your confusion, and I too started thinking to myself "Jeez, I hope next time around I am not as clueless!"

[Robyn147]

Knut - we must have posted at the same time!
I hear you on swelling. I wake up in the morning and two minutes after my feet hit the floor I feel my right foot swell like crazy. Do you have any suggestion on what to do about it?

Hope you manage with your kids without DH. Oh, and those matching dresses sound so adorable! :-) You should take it easy, if you can, though it's probably hard with two kids. BH and spotting sound s bit scary.

[pjs3902]

will come back and do personals- just thought i'd throw my baby clothes advice out there for the taking:
dressing a new baby: 1.) NB clothing- my baby was a whopping 9lbs 12oz at birth. we took the advice of don't have a lot of NB sizes, and it was okay! now i will say for the first month there were a few NB things that she did fit into. So it's okay to have NB sizes- just you may not get a lot of use out of them based on how big your baby is at birth. if you're having a normal 6-8.5lb (sorry but my brain doesn't do conversions to kg!!) baby you'll probably get a good bit of use! 2.) Sizes- each brand has their own sizing system so you will find 0-3m clothes that are "small" (closer to NB size) and some that are "big" (still wearing at the end of 3m!) you will have to use your judgement, but most generally between 1.5-3m of age all babies will fit into that size range... (preemies not included) keep a marker nearby so that when you put something on your baby if it's "big" remark the tag so that you know to bring it back out at 3-6m stage! put your fav clothes on baby first so that you know your baby will get "use" out of those when s/he fits in that size 3.) what to have on hand! when i say onesie i refer to a top only that snaps under the diaper. when i say bodysuit i refer to something with both sleeves and legs- so take the following accordingly-- onesies- you'll want a good number of! at least 10-15! but i match onesies with pants which i don't have nearly as many of-- just a few in diff colors to go with whatever onesies i have. bodysuits- i love and kind of prefer over the pant/onesie method. i would probably have about 7 of theses (at least) on hand. hopefully most of them have feet on them so we don't have to worry about socks that get eaten during laundry time! if you want warm fuzzy pj's or something diff for night- have enough for 4-5 nights. and i say have a "good" outfit in each size- for special occasions only! but don't put that outfit on until you get to where you're going!!! :p diaper blowouts and milky burps are common and more frequent during the first few months- so you'll need more of those size clothes than you will clothes of bigger sizes!

i know that sounds like a lot of clothes- but you'll fly through them. there will be a few days where baby makes it all day in 1 outfit and then others where baby's in 4 diff outfits! again- this is my getting started list and by the time you hit 3-6m clothing- you'll be a pro!!!, know which brands are "small" and which are "big" here in the states i've found that gerber runs small and child of mine runs big. disclosure: there are no rules, and this is personally me on my soapbox-- take what you want from it and if you find something inaccurate- i'm not surprised! and i'm sorry! :p (at least you can't say i didn't warn you!)

[minipie]

Ahhh, I am going to have a hard time keeping up with the third trimester boards! :)

pjs: Thanks so much for the advice regarding clothes! I always love to hear what knowledgeable and experienced moms have to say. My mom warned me against newborn sizes (my sisters and I were all big babies), so I have stocked up mostly on 0-3 months and 3-6 months for the moment. I figure it's okay if it's a little big for a while.

Knut: My husband is in California on a business trip too! Matching girls' outfits sound so cute! I agree with Robyn though -- take it easy, if you can! I' sure easier said than done with two children.

fingers: lol at your dream! I have had weird ones too, but nothing funny. Hope your discomfort subsides soon. Only one week until you're full term! Maybe the baby will come a bit earlier...?

Robyn: Wow, good for you for being so productive! It sounds like you'll be well prepared when the little guy arrives. And like some other girls have said, I'm sure you'll have the things you need, and other stuff you can get later.

As for the stroller, I think we've decided to get the Teutonia Cosmo and a Maxi Cosi CabrioFix car seat, which can be used with the Teutonia. I don't know if those brands exist outside of Europe. Thankfully my husband really got into researching and looking for strollers. He actually enjoyed it! It was nice to be able to delegate that chore to him.

flutter: Yes, I am from the States originally. I grew up in Pennsylvania but have been living in Germany for about a year and a half now. My husband is German, which is why we're here. I'm a little nervous about having the baby over here (mostly just labor and delivery in German!), but my German is good enough that I can hopefully get by. I certainly get a lot more benefits having a baby here, which is a huge bonus.

Thank you to everyone for advice regarding breastfeeding prep! My mom swears up and down that you have to "toughen up your nipples" before the baby arrives, but I've read that you actually don't need to and it might actually make things more difficult and painful. I've been reading some books and am trying to prepare mentally more than anything. Maybe I can look into a class or something because I definitely want to breastfeed.

I'm sorry I keep bombarding the boards with questions, but I thought I'd repeat another one I asked on the second trimester boards. What are everyone's thoughts re: birth plans? Has anyone written one? Not written one? I don't think I want to write one, but I'm curious to hear some opinions on the issue.

Phew, what a novel! It's exciting to be here with you all in the home stretch. :)

[Robyn147]

PJs - excellent advice! Thanks so much! It is so great to hear from someone who knows. I keep bugging co-workers who recently gave birth because I am so clueless. My mom tries to help out, but her knowledge is at least 22 years outdated! There's just so much to choose from. Part of me wants to run screaming from the store, and the other part just wants to buy everything is sight because it's so darn cute!
In my previous post, I used the term "coverall" which is actually what you mean by bodysuit, and I used "bodysuit" for what you actually call a onesie (that snaps in the crotch area but doesn't have legs). So I have about 16 onesies now, some have snaps along the side for easier dressing, and some only have snaps between the baby's legs, so you have to dress it over their heads, which I've been told is harder. To pair up with these, I got 7 leggings (with footsies, to avoid the forever-getting-lost sock syndrome) mostly in white and pale blue. Couldn't find any that were more interesting :-(. I also have 2 NB bodysuits (so cute: one with little puppies on it and the feet have dog ears, awww!) and 4 0-3m bodysuits. Now that I know where to find that great outlet store, my mom said she can always go there and get me more if we see that the baby is too big for NB/too small of 0-3m. My little sis went nutso over the baby clothes. I am expecting a big wave of cute clothes in the coming months from a very excited new aunt. :-)
I should probably still get some more bodysuits and maybe warmer pjs, but I think I'll wait until the baby is born. Even though we don't throw showers here (bummer!) I might get a lot of gifts after the birth and if not I can always buy what I need. I loved your advice on getting some fancy clothes, but only dressing him once we get there - so smart! A good friend of mine is getting married about a month and a half after I am due, and I really want to be able to go. If I do, I will definitely have the best-dressed baby there! :-)


Mini - I just saw your post, so I am adding on:
I haven't heard anything about "toughening up your nipples". Sheesh, just the sound of that makes me cringe! Over here it's become the trend to breastfeed right after delivery and most of the hospital nurses (they are the ones who actually deliver here) are also trained as breastfeeding consultants/assistants. There are also nursing classes at the hospital for new moms and nursing "teachers" can be found through birthing classes, etc. You should look up "La Leche", which is an international organization of women who advocate and assist new moms with bfing. A coworker told me she had a hard time bfing and actually spent an hour on the phone once with one of the women from her local La Leche group just getting the support and encouragement she needed. They usually do it for free. I'm 100% sure you'll have one in Germany. If they found their way to Israel, they most definitely can be found close to you!

I'm jealous that your DH got so involved in the process. Mine suffered through it and didn't really care what I chose, so I ended up doing the research. We have MaxiCosi here (very expensive) but I haven't heard of the stroller brand you mentioned.

About birthplans: we went to a hospital tour and they handed out little birthplan pamphlets, where you just had to check the boxes that suit you (do you want pain relief? Do you want to breastfeed? Do you want the baby to receive vitamin K shots? Do you want to have an enema? Do you want to give birth in your own clothes?, etc.). They stressed that you can change your mind at any moment, but if you do specify certain conditions, they are not allowed to go against them (i.e., giving formula if you wrote not to) unless you give them permission.
My plan for the moment is the following: get to the hospital, change into hospital gown and my own sports bra, get an enema (yes, gross, but better than worrying about that during labor), take a shower. I am planning on getting an epidural, but will probably wait until I feel I need it (knowing myself, this will probably be pretty early on!) and am willing to try nitrous oxide ("laughing gas") as a first option. I want the baby to be placed on my stomach the moment he is born and I am still debating cord blood banking with my DH. Then, I will have two hours in teh recovery room with him, at which point he will be taken to the nursery to get a vitamin K shot and a hepatitis B vaccine and eye ointment to avoid infections. DH will accompany him and be with him at all times, including probably his first bath. Afterwards, I want him to be returned to me and I want him to room in with me at all times (I can also leave him at the nursery if I need a break or want to take a shower and DH is unavailable to watch the LO). I hope to be able to breast feed during recovery and afterwards as well. I have no idea what time I will be giving birth, but visiting hours are limited, so I hope it will be early in the day. DH can't stay the night with me so if I give birth in the evening I will be alone after recovery until the next morning when visiting hours start and that kind of stresses me out.
That's just my plan. I'd love to hear about others' just to get an idea. I am still open to change!

[blondie]

Hi girls!


knut-matching outfits sound like fun!

pj's-thanks fo the clothes advise-I was wondering number of things too--for the onsies-is it 16 over several growth ranges or for each (0-3m, 3-6m, etc.) and how many sleepers (footed one piece) for each growth period do you think?

Robyn-I've really been thinking of cord blood banking too--which companies are you looking at? At my hosp. you can even donate your cord blood to the local children's hospital for cancer treatments ifyou're not going to keep it for yourself.

Mini-glad you got back OK-I bet you're hating the jet lag right now:(-that's the worst part! I've heard from an older friend to toughen up nipples too--but, lactation consultants say not too, I believe!
Instead of a b____ p____ (I don't even want to use the words b/c I think it jinxes you:)--I'm, calling my wishes a "priority list"-I think I'm going to type mine up and just give to my OB (since I'm having a hard time getting more than a few min. with him per appt)-and say if you have any problems with this talk to me:) Hehe! And also have a copy for DH and labor nurse in case I'm not able to think/talk as I usually do-but, that shouldn't be a problem, I hope. Anyways, my list is (in order most inportant to less):
*No C/S
*No episiotomy
*No induction/augmentation of labor
*No amniotomy
*Be able to get out of bed (on ball, standing, swaying, etc.)even after water breaks as long as no risk of cord prolapse
*be able to still drink clear liquids at least
*have IV lock only while taking adequate oral fluids
*no narcotics or sedatives oral or IV ---am open to epidural -if really needed though
*no enema
AFTER delivery:
*baby on belly
*only bulb suction-no delee or deep suction unless meconium present
*BF in first hour (no formula, pacifier, or glucose water in nursery)
*wait a few minutes to cut cord so some blood returns to baby
*wait for vit K and eye ointment until taken to transition nursery

[fingers_crossed]

Knut, thanks. Sounds like you're going to have a busy week!! Hope you are able to find activities to keep them busy and not thinking about dad being gone. Your weekend sounds very productive! Glad things are looking ok now and I hope you're able to take it easy (as much as you can w/two little ones). I would ask them to check, if nothing else it gives you peace of mind!!

Yes I agree w/everyone else, the matching outfits sound fun/cute!

Robyn, so glad someone else is getting these lol. Really the BH and contractions I think I have felt, I could be wrong about, but everything I've had explained to me I'm sticking w/that is what they were lol. The stomach pains, they vary so much, sometimes it's cramping that comes and goes (especially yesterday and today), and it hurts and is uncomfortable, but not what I think a contraction would feel like. The other, like you described, stomach gets hard and then will relax. I don't have a outie yet (getting close), but it feels like my stomach is being pulled in toward my back (I am not the most descriptive person so hopefully that makes sense). I've had some of those on one side and some all over. Sometimes they hurt, sometimes not. And I realized that there may be times I thought the baby was pressing against my insides that really it's something else going on.

That is exactly my thoughts "hope next time...". Even if we don't figure it out until this process is over, it's nice to have people going through the same things that understand, and having people that have been through it to give us input!! :)

Have you thought about any kind of support hose? I haven't tried any but I've read about it in different places (to help w/swelling). Are you able to prop your feet up during the day? That has helped me some, there is still some swelling, but not as bad as it is when they hang down.

Pjs, excellent advice and thank you for sharing!! It will be so much easier if this LO is a girl because two of my niece's were Oct babies and I have all their stuff. But it would be fun to shop for a boy too. :) Good suggestion to wait to dress baby in special outfit once you get where you are going!

Minipie, don't worry!! There are days it is hopping and days it is slower. Until I went on bed rest I felt the same way you do! :)

I can't lie, I would be totally ok if this LO decided to make an appearance this weekend (making sure not to arrive before Pjs's LO ;) ). I have heard that about toughening up your nipples, but everything I have read too says they advise against that now. If there are classes available and you're interested I say go for it. You might also get some information from the La Leche website (there are a lot of breastfeeding websites out there I have found, but like Robyn said, they are an international organization and may have something locally for you). Also, have you checked if there is a lactation consultant at the hospital you deliver at? Even if there's not a lot of nurses are experienced and knowledgable (from what I have heard) and would be able to help you.

Don't give asking questions a second thought!! Everyone here is so great and it's a wonderful place to ask! (Thank goodness because I've asked a TON of questions lol)

I don't have a written birth plan, I have talked to the dr. about what I want (basically) and DH knows my wishes as well (no pain meds, vaginal delivery if possible, etc). I do have some notes about what I want to address at the hospital (ie no bottles), but nothing formal. Overall I trust my doctor and believe he will do what is in the best interest of me and the baby. And if something comes up I disagree with I have thought things through and would 'take a stand' if necessary. :) Robyn mentioned a check list her hospital gave her, I think there are some online as well if your hospital doesn't have a pamphlet. You could look and see if there is anything you feel strongly about and make your own or print off a checklist from online if you are worried about it. And that if things change in the actual delivery process you can change your mind too, like for me if the pain gets too bad I'll probably ask for meds, if a c-section is needed we are open for it.

Robyn, that's cool your hospital gave you a checklist and you have everything thought out (as much as you can beforehand). Did that help you feel more comfortable about everything? I haven't thought it through as thoroughly as you have! Thank you for sharing yours. :)

I hope you have your LO early in the day!! Will your DH at least be able to be with you during delivery if it happens in the middle of the night?

Blondie, that's a good idea with your priority list (like that term!). If you are wanting to talk to your ob more at an appt, can you request some additional time the next time you make an appt, let them know you want a few extra minutes, or ask when the dr. is in the room if you could talk about a couple things on your mind. Up until two weeks ago my ob was really good about talking, lately he comes in checks everything and is in and out a couple times, but not really sitting and talking as much (which from week to week there's not a lot to talk about I know), but this time I have some questions I wrote out and am going to ask, he's been very good in the past about taking the time, maybe yours would be to?

Sounds like you have a good plan too! I'll ask you the same thing I asked Robyn, did it make you feel more comfortable about everything?

Sorry if I missed anyone! Hope everyone is having a great day!

[pjs3902]

i think dd is finally going to take her nap, so i can get caught up! i'm actually glad that i have to get caught up for once- a wk ago this thread was super slow while were were waiting for several of you to "graduate!" and don't worry- come Friday there will be one less person to keep up with!! (although i'll still check in!!)

feel free to ask questions here! and you can always get plenty of answers over in the moms forum too! (and we don't get mad if you ask before you deliver!)

flutter- i'm not upset about seeing "september" threads! it's actually very exciting! i'm just trying to stay skeptical incase i end up with a august baby! :)

since you're going back to work-- once baby is done nursing, pump all you can the first 6wks that you're home with baby to build up your supply. during that time is when you're supposed to regulate to what baby needs. and if you're nursing then pumping your supply should allow you to start piling up and you'll be making more than you need- which is good because once you have to pump only during the work day- you'll probably notice a supply drop. i froze expressed breast milk (EBM) in ice cube trays and then i knew how many ice cubes=so much milk for a bottle

fingers LOL about the dream! i don't know if you remember tink, but i had one where her and i had appts at the same hosp and she ended up in L&D... i find it hilarious that people that have never met can still dream crazy stuff like that! all in the fun of being preggo i supposed! if lollipop ends up coming out a boy- i'm blaming you!!! :p and thankfully i was able to finally go back to bed this am for another 2hrs. i think i'm good for today now! although i'll probably go lay down and prop my ankles up! don't think BH are onesided-- although it can feel different on side vs the other based on baby's position and pressure that baby is applying. most likely it's just baby resting against your round ligaments or your RL's stretching some more! hope you find something comfy!

knut you were supposed to make it through this preggo without any spotting!! sorry you had a such a busy weekend... and i'm sure between the BH and the busy-ness, that's what caused your spotting. hope it goes away and stays away! hope friday comes quickly for both of us! :)

robyn LOL about having an innie again! i've been lucky with both preggos and have not had an outie... although i feel huge enough that i'm surprised mine hasn't popped out this time! i had a feeling we were thinking the same things but just calling them different things... thanks for clarifying your viewpoint! i enjoy learning random stuff like that! i prefer the snap under the diapers! they don't ride up on baby! however, some of the side snaps are great until the cord stump falls off because they don't rub as much... (another something to think/worry about! :p ) sounds like you're off to a great start!!! and i wouldn't worry about buying any more until the baby gets here. that way you know what if coveralls or bodysuits are easier for you to deal with and all the other finer details! and, do not dress that baby until you are at the wedding!!!! no one's going to see him in the carseat until you get there!

robyn and fingers hate to break it to you, but you'll be clueless again next time, because your next preggo will be different than the one you are having now! some topics you'll be a "professional" at, and others-- nope!

minipie i made a whole separate paragraph for my opinions on birthplans! hope it helps! and-- i know i don't want to deliver in anything but english!! hope your german doesn't fail you! wow, i just can't imagine... good luck on that!

blondie it's good that you know what you do/don't want. and i think it's great that you have it written down. take it with you to the hospital- don't count on anyone else having it there for you! and please, oh please don't take this wrong, but there are times where the decision to have something is last minute- so remember to be flexible!!!

birthplans i looked at several when i was preggo with dd#1 and having a "L&D" was possible. i never did make one up, and some of them are so complex and way out there- i wouldn't bother unless you have a medical degree and KNOW what you're talking about. just have a basic idea of what you'd like to have happen- and if you want, write down the most important to you. then share with nurse(s) when you go in, and in the back of your head-- be completely flexible!!! with our birthclass and pre-reg for dd#1- no one at the hospital mentioned having, wanting, needing a "plan", and no one's asked for anything this time- even though it's c-section... That being said- DO KNOW and DO TELL them if you dp/don't want bottles/pacifies or something specific along those lines! i think a lot of hospitals have something similar to the "pamphlet checklist" that robyn mentioned... when we pre-reg'd they have some of the "biggies" listed where you can check things!

breastfeeding prep go to a BF'ing class if you can! however, a lot of what was said at my BF'ing class I absorbed, but didn't make any sense what-so-ever until I was actually BF'ing! That's when the lightbulb went off. And get the LC to come see you while you are at the hospital! there's not a lot to do to prepare for BF'ing otherwise (IMHO). As far as "preparing your nipples/toughening them up"-- i wouldn't even bother, there's no benefit. matter of fact- it could put you in early labor. and i think it's better to let baby control things... someone mentioned possible probs with BF because of PCOS. It's possible, but don't let it discourage you. in the moms forum there are ladies with flat nipples, an "extra lip" on their nipples, to this and that-- so if you think you have something that might be problematic, there's probably someone over there who's been there/done that. that's also part of the joy of bf'ing without a bottle or pacifier. your baby will know only your breasts and won't compare them to the "perfect/ideal" set because s/he only knows yours!

whew! hope i didn't miss anyone!

[pjs3902]

fingers- p.s. i promise i won't be too mad if you do end up with your LO before me!! :p.


oh- and to recap on no. of onesies-- you'll want a lot of those in the 0-3m sizes... once your baby gets older (generally speaking) the number of diaper blowouts and milk spit-ups decrease so you won't be changing clothes as much. once you get to 3-6m, 6-9m you won't need to have that many on hand because there's less messes...

[Meggiejen]

I posted a reply on the august thread because I forgot this one was here. No time for personals now. Will do it later. Hope you guys are feeling good!

Meagan

[pjs3902]

*replies from posts in August 3rd tri thread*

RJ's- hope you are feeling much better after having been on the meds. you're right- it sounds as if you've been on a rollercoaster! take it easy and let bubba keep baking! as far as 3rd tri m/s.. there are days when my nausea is back, but it's not too often or nearly as bad as it was. and on size- lollipop was 5lbs at 32wk u/s!

meggie- vent away! hope your dh is able to figure something out so that you guys can make it through this time a bit easier. that's too bad that your work doesn't have light duty any more. you might want to check though, because i'm thinking there's something out there that may require your employer to give you a different position in the meantime... so that you can keep working. hope the girls are still doing great!

[fingers_crossed]

Rjsmamma, sounds scary!! Amazing what a UTI can cause. Glad you got checked out and hopefully feel better. Glad your weight is doing good and GD test came back great. Awesome you got to go to Reno and had a blast! Too bad about your m/s!! I have days where the nausea is back, but not as bad as it was in the first tri. I hope it passes for you!

Meagan, so sorry to hear how stressful things are right now. I can't believe they won't give you light duty. :( What a bummer not to get STD and that FMLA will run out before you're ready to go back. I hope your DH finds something really soon and that you're able to relax and not stress. Thoughts w/you!!

Pjs, glad you won't be too mad. ;) Can't wait for our appts tomorrow!! My sister told my mom to have her bag packed for this week. I'm not so sure the dr. will make that decision, we'll see.

Oh and we're 99.99% sure our female husky is pregnant. She'll be due sometime between now and Monday as close as we can tell. Should be interesting lol. >.<

Hope everyone has a great day!!

[pjs3902]

fingers- just remember-- even if the doc doesn't decide to do anything doesn't mean baby won't decide to come anyways!!! hope you and the dog aren't delivering at the same time! although- that would be something!!!
good luck at your appt tomorrow!!! i'm sure we'll be comparing notes tomorrow night!

just over 12hrs away from Sept--- appt and last minute errands tomorrow....

[Meggiejen]

I can't believe its sept tomorrow! My birthday and anniversary in less than 2 weeks, yikes!!

Well we figured a few things out last night so I am way less stressed today. Thank goodness. All that stress last night started up the BH again, fortunately they left of their own accord. I found out that even though the FMLA will run out they let employees take up to 24 months of leave after the birth of a child. The obviously can't hold my position beyond the 12 weeks. But I will remain an active employee, I just might need to take a position in a different department. Which is fine by me. I just didn't want to get fired. I also found out I might, key word here is MIGHT, qualify for some unemployment benefits even though I am technically employed. So I filed for that today. And DH found some money in his work account that he forgot about and moved it to savings so we are ok at the moment. Still broke but won't be in any real trouble till Oct. And that gives us a month to figure out something. So I feel way better today.

I have a ton of reading to catch up with on these forums lol. So time for lunch and forum trolling. Have a good day ladies!!

Meagan

[flutter]

PJs
Woo hoo about september being here tomorrow! less than 3 more days!!!!

Meggie
So glad that you and DH figured everything out! I'm sure that was insanely stressful for you :( That stinks that you don't have STD where you work! The girls will be here before you know it and everything will be fine :)

Fingers
That will be rough having a litter of puppies and a new baby! Hope everything turns out okay!

RJs
sooo scary about the UTI! Hope you're feeling 100% at this point :)


AFM I had my OB appointment today. She was very happy with everything. I had lost 7lbs since going back on my met. My blood sugar hasn't been high enough to officially diagnose me with GD, so they're saying I'm "glucose intolerant" and they gave me the script for the machine and strips. Not that it made a big difference since with my stupid insurance the strips alone were still over $50 for 30 days. I was expecting a $25 copay. Basically it saves me $10 over buying them OTC at walmart. Worthless. THANKS TO KNUT, they switched me to glyburide to see if that helps keep things normal. I was excited once i saw that research showed that it was 2x's more effective for treating GD than metformin. Hopefully that means that a small dose of it alone will be sufficient. The other good news is that even if I don't get full blown GD they will not let me go past my due date to prevent her from getting lots bigger in the 2 weeks after. So we'll officially have our LO no later than Nov 13th (my 29th bday) :)

[Robyn147]

Hi everyone!

RJs - So sorry to hear about your UTI. That sounds like such a scary experience! I hope things have since calmed down and everything is good!

Flutter - That would be so cool, to have your baby on your birthday! :-) Even if you don't, at least you have a definite "expiration date" on this pregnancy. :-) Congrats on losing those 7 pounds (I know, we're not supposed to lose weight during pregnancy, but still). Good luck with the glyburide. I hope it does the trick!

Meggie - I'm sorry you're going through a rough time. As if being pregnant (with twins!) isn't difficult enough! I really hope things get better (for more than just a month) so that your stress levels can go down. :-)

Fingers - Sorry for the idiotic question, but how did you know know she was pregnant up to now? Oh, and I definitely agree with flutter. Taking care of a newborn and puppies is going to be a challenge!

PJs - You will definitely have a September baby now! Yay!

AFM - me and my stupid right leg/foot are the same a usual (me - far and annoyed, my leg - swollen and annoying). I woke up 3 times tonight just to try to reposition myself so my right leg wouldn't hurt so much. I guess when I sleep on my right side, all the weight makes blood flow harder. But when I sleep on my left side, my right leg is position in such a way that makes the muscles really hurt.
I have decided that i am going to start packing my hospital bag this week/weekend, no matter what. I am sick and tired of waiting for DH to help me. I am just going to start doing it. I already bought a lot of the stuff I need, I just need to pack it. Once I start the process, I will know for sure what I forgot and have enough time to get it.

Oh and just for laughs: I had a dream two nights ago that I was giving birth and they gave me an epidural. It was so effective that I feel asleep and they had to wake me up to push, because I couldn't feel a thing! Yay! Here's hoping...

[minipie]

Good morning, everyone!

Robyn: That really sucks about the swelling. I'm sure you've already talked to your doctor about it. Have you thought about wearing some support hose? They're awful and probably not very desirable given your hot weather, but it might help? I'd be curious to hear what you pack in your hospital bag. I know it's a couple months too early, but I have started thinking about this too.

flutter: Hope the Glyburide helps! How exciting that your little girl will be here by your birthday!

Meggie: Wow, talk about stress. I'm glad you've found a temporary solution and hopefully will find a more permanent one over the next month. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you qualify for unemployment benefits. It would be a help, I'm sure!

pjs: I'm so excited for you! Sooo soon! I would be like a little kid on Christmas Eve -- excited, anxious, and unable to sleep in anticipation. :)

fingers: Yikes on the puppies! I'm with Robyn...did you suspect before that she was pregnant or is this a surprise?

rjs: I'm glad that they caught the UTI and were able to treat it. Hope you're feeling better now after that scare. I would have never thought you could have no symptoms!

All is well with me. I am soooo tired today. Probably a combination of jet lag and poor quality sleep. The baby is getting super active and some of her kicks (especially in the ribs) are starting to be quite painful! It is such a weird feeling. I have my next OB appointment on Friday and they're going to do a non-stress test and glucose screening. They didn't tell me anything specific about how to prepare, so I guess I don't need to do anything out of the ordinary. I am scared of the weigh in. I ate sooo badly in the US! I'm sure I gained way more weight than I should have.

Does anyone have any thoughts regarding epidurals vs. natural delivery? I am reading a breastfeeding book by La Leche League, which I have found really off putting. I am glad that they are so pro-breastfeeding, but I really hate the preachy attitude that comes across in the book. The way it reads to me is that if you have a medicated birth or, god forbid, a C-section that you're going to have a doped up baby who won't be able to breastfeed and you'll never bond with her and ruin her life. It really irks me! I'd love to hear less biased opinions. The book has honestly put me off getting in touch with the organization. I don't want to be judged for my birth choices, whatever they may be!

Anyway, hope everyone has a great day! :)

[Robyn147]

Hi Mini,

I was just going over my list for my hospital bag, and I checked in and saw your question. So this will be easy, since my list is right next to me!
I just want to say, right off the bat, that my list is tailored to what I will be needing, according to what is provided by my hospital. I am pretty sure that if I were giving birth in the States, I'd need different (maybe even less) things, because the hospital would supply them. I compiled the list based on conversations with co-workers, friends and two separate internet lists. I picked and chose what I thought I would need, but there are much more things you can take, especially if you are planning on natural childbirth. In that case, you might want more in terms of aromatic oils, foods, natural pain relievers, etc.
My list is split into two parts: part one is what I will need to bring to the delivery room itself, and part two is the stuff that I will need to have with me for my 2 (hopefully no more than that) day stay in the maternity ward. I also have a list for what baby will need. So here goes:

For Delivery Room:
Identification documents I will bring my ID card, which everyone has here. To register the baby and take the baby home afterwards, both parents have to show ID.
Health insurance card
Pregnancy card Actually, this is a binder with all of my bloodwork, scans, etc. that I had throughout the pregnancy. It's important in case there are difficulties they need to know about. Especially true since my own doctor will not be present.
Birth plan This is the checklist that DH and I will fill out together with our preferences, which I posted about before, including our preferences for immediate care for the baby. Obviously, I prefer not to have things like an episiotomy or a c-sect, but if they become medically necessary, I am completely for them.
Laptop / portable movie player I've heard from girls who had epidurals that labor can drag on and you need something to pass the time. Since you are not too preoccupied with the pain, and you can't get up and walk around, plus I don't know if they have TVs in all the delivery rooms, so this is a popular option.
Almond Oil - unopened bottle. This is for when you start the pushing. The midwife will use the oil to lubricate your perineum to decrease chances of tearing/episiotomy. It's especially useful if you're doing perineal massage before the birth, which I am (or at least trying to).
Heating pillow the kind you warm in the microwave. Might be good for pain relief.
Wet-cloths for a variety of reasons: to freshen up, to wipe after you go to the bathroom in case the hospital tp is rough.
Camera + batteries + battery charger
Water bottles at least one with a sports cap for easy drinking while in the delivery bed.
Small change for vending machines in case DH or I want a snack or a drink.
Comfy sports bra. I figure I will change into a hospital gown, but I might want to remove it during labor. When I am in pain I hate having anything touch my skin. But I don't want to be topless, so I am planning on wearing a comfy sports bra.
Socks. Delivery rooms and hospitals wards can get chilly, especially in October.
Toilet seat covers
Tissues
Snacks for DH
Snacks for me (granola bars, hard candy, honey - good for energy burst, I've been told)
Cellphone + charger to let everyone know baby is here!
Chapstick

For Maternity Ward:
Many of the things above apply here, too (change, chapstick, socks, toilet seat covers, wet-cloths, camera, cellphone). Additions are:
Nursing bra
Nursing pads
Hair clip or scrunchie
Toothbrush + paste
Shampoo + conditioner
Soap (recommended: soap for intimate washes, since your intimate area will be pretty bruised and sensitive)
Deodorant
Hair cream (I do want to look like a human being when people come to visit)
Maxipads (day + night)
Underwear (disposable + regular)
Robe
Reading glasses (if you need them)
Pad + pen(s)
Flipflops for the shower (who needs feet fungus after birth!?)
Clothes for discharge day
Body lotion
Some makeup
Nail file (in case you break any and don't want to scratch baby)
Lanolin (for cracked nipples)
Traumeel (cream for stitches or tears. You might have something else where you live)
Book(s) for sleepless nights and long days.
I won't bring my laptop because I don't want it to be stolen, but I will ask DH to bring it during visits so I can log on and post my birth story!

I think that about covers it. If I left anything out, now's the time to tell me, ladies, since I brought a suitcase over form my folks' and am planning to start packing soon!

Regarding your questions about childbirth:
I am totally planning on getting an epidural, I don't think I will make it without one. I do want to deliver vaginally, since I think it's better for the baby. Of course, I don't want it at all costs. If the baby is breech or just plain huge, I don't think there is any benefit to being deadlocked on vaginal delivery. Basically, I think that the healthiest way to survive birth is to be flexible. If you're not, then the stress of changed plans can completely throw you out of orbit. I've heard of women who wanted a natural delivery and were so upset when they had to have a c-sect that they obsessed for months on how the birth didn't go their way and they actually got depressed by it.
I, too, hate missionary-style birthing teachers and organizations. DH and I pretty much decided we would go to one hospital over the other, just because their style was much less pushy and pro-natural. I've read and asked a lot, and I believe I am well-enough informed to know the pros and cons of various pain relief methods. I don't want a do-gooder nurse trying to tell me not to get an epidural because the baby will be "loopy". I know dozens of people who were born with epidurals, and several who were born through c-sect and I really don't think that's what makes the difference. On the contrary, if you're having a hellish l&d you will be so exhausted you might not even have the strength to be with your baby right after you're done. There are arguments for each choice. The right one is what's best for you... now I am getting off my soapbox! :D
As for books, I am reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting, and though a pro-bfing appraoch is felt, as far as delivery methods, I feel they are completely unbiased. There is a lot of info on pain relief and how it might affect you and your baby. I consider myself to be pretty sensitive to criticism and it reads to me like a very uncritical book. The book mentions a lot that there will be plenty of time for bonding after birth, even if not immediately after, due to various reasons (for example, c-sect, hard delivery, problems with baby). They are also careful not to push bfing too much, and stress that not everyone wants to/can do it, and that's fine. They even have a short section on why you might not want to, and the benefits of bottle-feeding.

[Wellsv]

Mini - here are my thoughts. My friend is an avid supporter of la leche league and breastfeeds her kid still, and he just turned 3. Which I think is actually kind of gross since it offers no nutritional benefit at this point. So if that's hard core LLL, then count me out. She pushed me hard to BF my son, but he couldn't get the hang of it. I had an epidural, but I believe that the epidural and his lack of getting bf are completely unrelated. Plus, I didn't produce enough milk, which I found out can be a side effect of PCOS. So, I pumped for about 6 months and I supplemented with formula. And DS was and is still very healthy. So, I wouldn't not get an epidural because you want to BF. You will be able to bond with the baby no matter what. I figured that whatever I needed to do to get my baby safely out and made sure he received enough to eat is what I was going to do. Good luck!

[pjs3902]

i'm limited on time this morning-- have to be out the door in an hr so i'll do personals when i get home tonight!

la lache: they are very pro bf'ing and can make you feel horrible in a matter of minutes becaue you're not doing everything the way they say to! i had a c-section and dd and i bonded wonderfully! neither of us were "doped up" and i BF for more than a year without supplements! i was reading something lately where a mom "hid in the kitchen" a few times to supplement out of fear of her local la leche person finding out! if you're having trouble with something- it can be great to take advice on that "one issue" but you might want to plug your ears afterwards! i know a few mommas on the boards have used a doctor's website, books, etc and love him... can't think of the name- but i'd go with him over la leche

hope everyone has a great day! will post more this afternoon! and FYI- when Lollipop does arrive a friend from the momma's thread will post a short baby info message so you don't have to wait for us to get back home from the hospital. not sure if she'll post it here or over in the momma's area, but you can keep an out for it!

[Tink]

mini- IMO....it's a bunch of crap. I had an epidural with both kids and was (gasp!!) induced w/ Anna :p . Both kids bf without a problem and both totally bonded to me right away. Anna is actually addicted to me and would be completely happy if I attached her to my boob all day. She's a total boob hog. My supply is absolutely fine and if there are supply issues, it's more likely a pcos issue then a medicated birth issue.

oh and btw...Anna latched on within minutes of being born...so medication had no impact whatsoever on that.

ETA- the dr pj is talking about is Dr. Jack Newman. He is fabulous...just google him and you'll find his site. I actually emailed him when I was preggo and he got back to me w/in 24 hrs!!!

[minipie]

Thanks ladies for your input on the epidural/medication/La Leche League issue! It's so nice to know that I'm not the only one who is a little put off by some of these tactics. I am all for supporting breastfeeding, but when you start abusing people who don't adhere to your agenda you've lost me. These fanatic people don't seem to understand or respect the fact that different women will make different choices.

pjs, I totally agree about picking and choosing the advice to follow. I'm sure there is a lot of valuable breastfeeding info in the book, but I'll leave issues surrounding my delivery to my OB and midwife! Thanks but no thanks LLL!

Tink thank you so much for the dose of sanity! I'm still undecided if I'll have an epidural or not (maybe I'll try without but I am definitely open to it!!) but it's so nice to hear that you have had no problems bonding and breastfeeding. The whole "dopey baby" argument sounded like a bunch of garbage to me.

Wellsv I totally agree -- breastfeeding a 3 year old is not for me!! I'd like to BF exclusively for 6 months and then BF along with solid food until 12 months, but after that, it's all normal food!

Robyn I absolutely agree with you about not wanting to be criticized by the books I'm reading. Thanks for the other suggestions, which I will definitely look into. Also thanks for sharing your hospital bag list! Some good ideas that I hadn't thought of!

I am so glad I have this board for questions and venting. You ladies are all fabulous! :)

[knutfugget]

Sorry for lack of personals. Just got home. Going to enjoy lunch and a possible nap. I do NOT recommend going 21 hours without eating while pg. :p

Weight: +11 (26 total)
Blood Pressure: 102/60
Baby's HB: 135 bpm
Measuring: 31 cm (3+ wks big)

This appt was 5 weeks from the last instead of the usual 4. Everything is looking fine with the baby. We're measuring a little big (31 weeks at almost 28 weeks), but still within normal range.

I've been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions and then some spotting last weekend, so I had them check my cervix to make sure all is well. It looks like we're dilated to 1 cm. Dr. Cohen said that it's considered normal for the point I'm at in my pregnancy and having had other children, so she doesn't think we're at risk for pre-term labor right now. All the same, I'm supposed to get off my feet and take it easy if I have anymore contractions or spotting.

I did my 3 hr glucose tolerance test today. I should have the results sometime tonight. Not really expecting to pass, but you never know.

We're moving to appointments every 3 weeks instead of 4 weeks now. Starting to sink in that we're getting closer to having this baby!

[fingers_crossed]

Ok, trying to catch up. :)

Pjs, Yes it would be something to deliver at the same time as Sasha, but I would feel so bad not being there for her!! Not that she probably will care, I will feel better if I'm there for her, kwim?

And true on the baby could decide to come anyway. :)

Hope your appt went well today! Under two days for you now!!! :) Will be watching this board and the mom's board for an announcement. :)

Meagan, glad you and DH talked and you're less stressed today. Glad the BH left by themselves. That's good they will let employees take up to 24 months off after the birth of a child. Who knows, maybe you would end up in a position you like even better? Would be nice if you're able to get some unemployment. Hope your DH finds something.

Flutter, thanks. :) I'm trying to not let my preggo emotions worry too much about her LOL. Although I have a niece that LOVES babies and animals, so when they come to visit she'll be in heaven lol.

Glad your ob was happy with everything! That's too bad about the test strips!!! If your #'s are better on the glyburide will they let you stop testing as much? That would be an awesome b-day present to you. :)

Robyn, we did breed her one day during her heat cycle, figuring if it happened it happened, if not no big deal (of course when we still thought she would be due at the beginning of Sept and me at the end lol). We didn't really think one time would do it, and weren't 100% she was fertile on that day. And unless you take them to a vet there's not really anyway to tell if they are expecting until their bellies start getting bigger and their nipples change (at least that I am aware of). We thought she was looking bigger, but seeing her everyday we weren't sure. Both of our moms had been to visit and agreed she looked bigger, plus I had noticed her nipples had gotten larger (sorry if TMI) and that the hair was coming out around them (makes it easier for pups to nurse). So we were sure she was. Then the other night I saw her belly moving (like ours do) and I was really sure. I guess I still held out a little because I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I think it's definite. DH & FIL got her an area set up yesterday to whelp (deliver) in. It's a great area and we're hoping to get her used to sleeping there in the next few days (she's used to sleeping in our bedroom).

Sorry for the novel about the dog lol.

And sorry to hear about your leg/foot!! How frustrating not being able to find a good position to sleep. :( Have you mentioned the swelling to your dr.? Have you thought about support hose?

Good idea on your hospital bag, it will be nice to have it done and find out if there is anything you still need. Sounds like you have a great list ready to go!

That would be nice if your labor wasn't painful!!! Maybe you'll even get a few zzz's in here and there before things get going full force. :)

Minipie, glad things are going well, but sorry you're still tired. :( Hopefully you will get a good nights sleep tonight! I didn't have to do anything to prepare for my glucose screening, I called to find out if I needed to fast or not, and they told me no. Don't worry about your weight...I'm sure it won't be that bad, and you can always go back to watching what you eat (although for me it's do as I say not as I do, because I've thrown out watching what I eat entirely!! :( ).

I think you got some great feedback about epidurals etc and was happy to see all the responses. I don't blame you for feeling put off. Do what is best for you and your family and your LO will be just fine!! :)

I'm with you about the board and all you wonderful ladies!! So nice to have a place to go to get advice, vent, etc and know that people understand and care!!

Ok, my OB appt. today...my bp was up when I got there, I think it was about 164/100, then 158/106, and finally came down to 140/90 before I left. Baby was very active on the NST (although it has decided to turn over or something, hb has been on the right side for weeks now, today it was on the left lol).

Dr. said several times he wished I'd go into labor on my own. He said if my bp is like this next week to plan on going to the hospital next Wed night, he said I will likely have our baby next week since I'll be full term. I think he was ok waiting this week since the baby is active and my bp came back down some (and seemed didn't want to induce before 37 wks anyway, which is good since he thinks everything will be ok). I was 2cm today, not much, but is some progress over last week, although I'm doubtful I will go into labor before next week.

He did suggest I take my bp at home (no more than 2x/day) and if I had two readings of 160/105 or higher in a row to call.

Tried to get an early appt for next week because I'm sure I'll be anxious, but earliest they had was 1, that's ok, will give me time to get ready. And hopefully our little girl will have had her puppies by then, thankfully FIL is close and will look after all the dogs, I just hate to think about him having to look after pups here, not sure if we could move them at that point to his place or not (it's right across the backyard from us).

Anyway, I think that sums up everything, sorry for the huge post. I hope everyone had a great day and has a great evening! Anyone have Labor Day plans?

[fingers_crossed]

Missed your post Knut. Glad everything looks fine w/the baby and that you're measuring w/in the normal range.

Sorry to hear about the BH and spotting! I'm glad your dr. considers 1cm at this stage ok and gave you advice about getting off your feet and taking it easy if you're contracting or spotting!

That's great you'll have your GTT results so quickly. I hope you are pleasantly surprised. :)

Exciting that you're appts. are going to be closer! :)

[Meggiejen]

Wow this board has been busy. I just can't seem to keep up this week. Not feeling well at all. My morning sickness is kicking up again and the gerd is getting bad too :( Not to mention these girls are trying very hard to get my ribs to separate and it HURTS like an SOB! I told them they are going to be grounded when they come out if they don't stop. So far that threat isnt helping.

Mini - not sure what to tell you the LLL stuff. I thought about contacting them for some advice on BF'ing multiples but have been hesitant because of their 'attitude'. I hate to lump all of those ladies together because I am sure that many of them are very supportive and not as militant about BF'ing as the league as a whole seems. I agree with the rest of the ladies. I really don't think that having a natural or medicated birth is going change anything either way. You do what ever it is that you need to do.

Meagan

[pjs3902]

meggie- glad you are a lot less stressed! glad the hospital doesn't plan to fire you the minute 12wks are up. That would really be a bad thing.. and hopefully things will come together in the next month so that the stress doesn't return! Hope the babies are keeping active for you! LOL about grounding your babies!!!

flutter- sounds like your appt went well. glad you're able to try the glyburide and that your doc is on board with that! hope it works so that you can stay off insulin. and i guess $10 is $10, or a package of diapers... isn't it nice to have an "arrive by" date!

robyn- Love the dream!! nothing wrong with hoping it happens!! :) do you elevate your ankles above your heart?!? i know it's not the easiest to do- but it's super effect at helping reduce swelling. and drink lots and lots of water. it's crazy but drinking water reduces the swelling... i would mention it to your dr regardless because it sounds like it's getting crazy! have fun bag packing!!! glad to see you have ink pens on the list! :) is dh bringing clothes for the baby to go home in?!? i know you've mentioned several traditions/allowed things over the past few months- and since i didn't see clothes for baby on the list i thought i'd ask. and don't forget a baby blanket... and carseat of course!

mini- glad to hear baby is keeping busy in there- even if some of them hurt! there is no prep for a non-stress test, and if they wanted something specific for the glucose test- they would have told you! if you don't want to see the scale- turn around and ask them not to tell you! :)

on BF'ing- i found the book my hospital's LC gave me when i took her BF'ing class. it's called "Breastfeeding" A parent's guide (8th edition) by Amy Spangler, MN, RN, IBCLC and it was a great guide/help while i was BF'ing cupcake. thought i'd add- it was 2hrs after delivery when i first got to BF (time from c-section to recover to postpartum room) and my daughter and i have a great bond! i am excited that with the new hosp wing i get to recover in postpartum so i'll get to start BF'ing and holding baby that much sooner!

wellsv- i agree- i'm all for BF'ing but even i think 3yrs can be extensive--- that said there are some countries where people BF for 5+ years... IMO- that's wrong!

tink- thanks for popping in with the dr's name... it wasn't coming to me at all... i wanted to say paul and knew without a doubt that was wrong!

fingers- yikes on the BP again! my nurse could barely pick mine up today! i assured her i was still alive so it must be there somewhere! she finally found it. next week-- well that's after i have my baby, and you'll be FT so-- go for it! (although i really hope your BP cooperates!)

afm- i had my appt today, and things are great. we're on schedule for Friday morning and i'm so excited! it really is like Christmas, and then some! tomorrow night will be the night i won't be able to sleep! Baby is still busy! and in sad news- our chinese buffet restraunt was closed today :( (no idea if it's closed closed or just closed for the day- but it really sucked.) but it's probably okay, because i've gained 50lbs with this baby! probably didn't need the extra 2-3 from chinese today!

[knutfugget]

pj Sorry to hear about the Chinese. :( You'll just have to try again after the baby gets here, lol. Glad your appt went well!

fingers Scary about the bp stuff, but good that things look like they're improving. At least you're almost full-term! I had Nate at 36 weeks from blood pressure (pre-e) and he turned out alright. Good luck! :)

mini Some of the LLL people are beyond fanatic, but I did have a good experience with one of them. She was very understanding about pcos and igt. She just encouraged me to do the best I could and not focus so much on the lack of supply as the bonding with my kids. Not all of the ones you'll find will judge you and be crazy. ;)

And for what it's worth, I was induced both times and the kids had PERFECT latch right from the beginning and were awesome nursers. If I had had enough supply, they would have nursed perfectly for a very long time. My supply issues stem from pcos, not from anything to do with birth, so it was not preventable. :(

That's as far back as I can scroll. Hope you're all well!

***
Got my blood results. Anemia thing came back 39.5, so not anemic.
Gd results - mine, needed to be under
F - 70, 95
1 hr - 170, 180
2 hr - 116, 155
3 hr - 56, 140

So, I'm still IR (sugar crashes!), but it looks like I do NOT have gestational diabetes this time. Bit shocked on that, but not complaining. ;) Guess all that diet and exercise over the last few years to lose weight is doing me some good, lol. :p

[Tawny]

just popping in to say...
PJ - Due date buddy....... good luck hon, hope all goes to plan and the birth is wonderful.
cant wait to hear all about it.

hi to all:) hope you all are well

(thanks for asking about me fingers, all is well, enjoying every moment :) and i will get around to a birth story eventually lol)

[flutter]

Robyn
I hate that about your swelling and discomfort. I wish I knew of something to suggest to help. Are you still able to work from home and stay out of the heat? I can't believe you'll be full term in just over 2 weeks!

mini
I hope your NST and glucose tests go really well! I personally plan to do an epidural. We'll see what happens though. My thinking is that I would rather be present mentally when she gets here and not completely exhausted from labor. I have several friends who have gone completely natural and that's their biggest complaint. I had one friend who had 36 hrs of labor and over 4 of pushing. By the time she finally got him out she was so completely exhausted that she could barely muster the energy to hold him. She said that she doesn't regret it, but that she would think twice about doing it again automatically given her first experience.

fingers
not sure about what will happen if my levels are good on the glyburide. I think regardless I'll be testing the rest of pregnancy for my own piece of mind and to prevent a c-section if possible. Hope your BP stays under control over the next week and you can keep that baby cooking until full term. although again, I'm so excited to find out what you're having that sooner would be great too ;)

PJs
sorry to hear about your chinese buffet. hope it's a temporary thing! Can't wait to come back on Monday and hear how everything went and (maybe) see pics of your LO!! SO excited for you!

Meggie
I hope the m/s is brief and you start feeling better soon! Take it easy and keep cooking those little girls :) I'll be sad if you go way before me since we're due date buddies!

knut
so happy for you! That's awesome that you aced the 3hr test!! congrats on all of your hard work paying off! :)


So I had a very interested experience last night. They started me out on 5 mg of Glyburide to be taken at bedtime with a snack (2.5 is the lowest dose and 25 is the highest). I took it around 10pm and went to bed soon after. I woke up at 1am literally drenched in a cold sweat. I sat up and got really dizzy... I was out of it and couldn't really think of what to do and then finally it occurred to me to stumble into the kitchen. I knew we didn't have juice so I just started eating some chips. about 15 min later my blood sugar came back up and everything was fine. it was really scary! DH was so mad at me for not waking him up. My diabetes nurse apologized like a million times (like she could have known what was going to happen). Needless to say we decreased my dose to 2.5 mg to be taken before dinner so I'll at least be awake in case I crash again. So far so good! On a brighter note my fasting level was 77 :D

We're headed to Michigan tomorrow after work! Can't wait to get to the cooler weather :) I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!



***GOOD LUCK PJs!!!!!!!!!***

[Robyn147]

Hi All!

This board is hopping!!!

Knut - You should take it easy! Spotting and dilation sounds scary to me. I hope everything quiets down and you can relax. Congrats on passing the GTT!! When I read that your baby was measuring 3 weeks ahead my first thought was GD, but what do I know!? :-) You must really have worked hard to get so healthy!

Meggie - sorry to hear about your m/s. I really hope it stops soon. I've been feeling nauseous a lot lately (no m/s before). I think it might be from the acid reflux (yay...). Maybe you could try drinking a glass of milk? It works for me.

Mini - I hope all the info and opinions we've been throwing at you helps you reach a decision you're comfortable with. Good luck on your tests! Hope both you and baby pass with flying colors!

Fingers - Sheesh, I hope your bp calms down! That sounds really scary to me. I measure my bp at home a couple of times each week because I have a phobia of pre-e. I'm glad your dr is watching you closely and is ready to induce the minute you need to. I hope you won't need the induction, but I'm sure you'll do great either way. Hope your doggy is doing great, too! :-)

PJs - OOOOOOOO! Can't wait to see pictures and hear all about your experience! I am so excited for you...! Sorry the Chinese didn't work out. I hope you'll get your fill after lollipop makes her debut!

Flutter - OMG! Lucky you had the presence of mind to eat something! I would have totally freaked out. Your DH is right, you should have woken him! That's his job. I really hope you don't have an episode like that ever again and that you adjust well to the medicine. That actually happened to me once on Met, though it's not supposed to.

AFM - Thanks for your concern about my poor right foot. You guy keep asking me about support hose and I keep forgetting to answer! They are totally not an option. For one thing, it's hot as blazes here, and there's no way I am putting something like that on. For another, the 3 pairs of pants I can still wear are all capris, so I can't wear hose underneath that. To top it all off, the only shoes I wear are my open Birkenstocks. Can't wear socks with those! :-)
Also, some of you have mentioned that I must have told my doctor, but the truth is I haven't! I hardly see him. I will only see him again in about two weeks. I did go see the nurse (and I have another checkup on Sunday) and she said not to worry. I do try to keep my foot elevated, and that does seem to help. I'm pretty lousy at drinking enough but I do make an effort.
This baby is getting bigger and bigger. My stomach is huge and getting up from the couch/bed is getting to be a big pain.
Tonight is our last birthing class meeting. We're watching birth and nursing videos... I hope the husbands make it!

Have a great day, ladies!

[pjs3902]

tawny- thank you!!!

flutter- sorry you had a sugar crash-- not fun! maybe keep a candy bar or something by bed so that next time you don't have to stumble across the house... however- hopefully there's not a next time!!!!

robyn- there is a difference between elevating your foot and elevating above your heart- which is what i mentioned... and you gotta drink girl! and trust me- there's no way i'm putting hose on either!!! :) and don't blame you one bit! you've got just over a month to go until due date!!!!

afm- not much going on today. i should have my little girl on the outside in 24hrs from now... and that is very exciting! i have to throw my room snacks in the car today- but otherwise-- i'm so ready!!!

[Robyn147]

PJs - I'm so envious of your calm and readiness! I woul dgive anything to be as secure and confident as you! I am super excited for you and hope everything goes by quickly and smoothly and that you're holding your little girl in your arms soon.

Oh - and I will definitely try to elevate my feet that high (if I can get myself into a position that allows that. I might need a forklift :-) ). This reminds me of TTCing and lifting my legs up after BD to help the little spermies find their way. :-) I guess pregnancy begins and ends in similar positions! LOL!!!

[knutfugget]

pj So exciting that tomorrow is the day! :D

Robyn Drinking tons of water really does pay off. I've found it helps to physically write down when I've finished a water bottle so I can keep track throughout the day, lol.

On the baby measuring big... all of my kids have measured big. I just don't have tiny babies, lol. I'm 5'8" and hubs is like 6'1", so we're not tiny people. ;)

flutter Sugar crashes are scary. :( Try to keep some trail mix in your purse if you can. The combo of the sugar from the candy in it and the protein from the nuts in it works really well to bring sugar up without causing it to just crash again. An apple before bed used to help, too. Good luck! :)

***
I was looking through the kids' baby books last night just for fun. Turns out Sophie is measuring the same as Nathan did at this gestational age. I'm over 40 lbs smaller than I was then, so it's definitely her and not my fat, ha ha. :p Kind of makes me nervous though. He was 7 lbs 3 oz at 36 weeks. They told me if he went to term, I could expect a 9-10 lb baby... I hope she's not really as big as him, yikes! :rolleyes:

[fingers_crossed]

Meagan, sorry you're feeling sick again!!

Pjs, lol @ 'assured her you were still alive'. Glad your appt went great. Yeah I don't know how you will sleep either!! Hate to hear you didn't get your Chinese!! :( I hope they aren't closed closed and that you're able to get some after lollipop is here! Yay for under 24 hrs til lollipop is here!! :) Can't wait to hear your story and see pictures. :)

Knut, thanks for the encouragement, and glad Nate turned out alright. :) So glad your diet and exercise are paying off and you don't have GD! I can understand you not wanting this LO to be as big as they predicted Nate to be!!!! I'm sure you'll do well if she is though.

Tawny, glad everything is going well. :)

Flutter, I understand about continuing to test for your peace of mind! LOL I wouldn't at all be upset if labor decided to get the ball rolling, I'm anxious to find out what we're having too. :) That would have been scary, but I'm glad you knew what to do and felt better after eating. Hope the adjusted dose is better!

Enjoy Michigan and the cooler weather!!

Robyn, yeah I am glad he is watching closely too. :) Since he is wanting me to go into labor so bad I wish there was something to do to jumpstart it, but I've always been under the impression there's nothing to be done until your body is ready so I'm sure I'll be waiting until my appt next week to find out what's going on. I think our dog might be getting close. She is panting a lot. We spent some time with her in the area we want her to deliver in last night, trying to get her comfortable with it.

Yeah I can understand not wanting to wear the hose!! I do think it's probably just a pregnancy thing. Glad the nurse told you not to worry. Hope the last class goes well tonight and that all the husbands make it. :)

Nothing new here. I hope everyone has a great day!

[pjs3902]

robyn- i find either laying down in bed with the pillows under my feet is an okay position, or sitting with my back against the arm of the couch with my foot propped up on the other end works. and i really had to LOL at your beginning/ending preggo position comment!! too funny!!! :p

knut- dh is 6'1" and i'm 6'... so i don't think i'll ever have a small baby unless s/he is super early-- which i hope doesn't happen! how big was Hailey at birth?

fingers- it'd be nice if there was something to do to help yourself go into labor-- and although there are a lot "suggestions", time and nature have the final say... but hey- come tomorrow-- you're more than welcome to go into labor!!! :D

afm- not doing too much today! debating on if i'm going to stay up and watch big brother or not tonight.... i have the "last minute" stuff in the car- fresh batteries in the camera and now just waiting!!!

[fingers_crossed]

That was funny Robyn, beginning and ending our pregnancies in the same position... :)

Pjs, yeah I know I need to let nature take its course. I'd be ok with going into labor this weekend though. :)

And as for you staying up...are you really going to get any sleep tonight??!!?! J/K. I say if you're tired by all means try to get some sleep, but if you're just going to toss and turn you ought to stay up and watch TV, might as well have something to keep your mind occupied and try to pass the time. I do hope you're able to get some rest tonight. Yay for having last minute stuff in the car!!

Thoughts & prayers are with you for tomorrow! Will be watching the boards for the good news. :)

[jessicaileen]

pjs - Good luck tomorrow! Can't wait to see pictures!!!

[pjs3902]

i thought i'd make one final post before i graduate from this thread!!! Thanks for all the wishes for tomorrow! we're very excited and can't wait to have our baby here! Good luck to all of you as you finish your pregnancies. I'll be sure to check in on all of you!! see you all in the momma's threads!!!

[minipie]

Best of luck to you today, pjs!!! Hope it all goes perfectly! :)

[Robyn147]

PJs - good luck!

Fingers - If you want to give labor a natural jumpstart I can give you some pointers I received from our childbirth coach. 1) You can try DTD. The prostaglandins in your DH's sperm help ripen the cervix. 2) You can try nipple stimulation. This releases oxytocin. I've actually heard of women who were going to be induced and tried this before and then didn't need the pitocin after all. 3) You can try drinking raspberry leaf tea. This sounds crazy, but you actually make the tea from the leaf of the raspberry and not the fruit itself. It's also been known to work as a pain reliever, but who knows?

I'm off to get dressed for my sister's bachelorette party! Can I ask a really selfish question here? I mean, no-one here knows her so I guess I can. Isn't it a bit inconsiderate to schedule your wedding for the week your sister will be 35 weeks pregnant, and then have it outside, while it's still hot and humid as h***? It's like she couldn't have chosen a worse time (except maybe my actual due date). And before you ask, yes, she chose the date after she knew I was pregnant. I tried to mention that I might not be mobile at this point (I could have been put on bedrest for example) and that even if I am still able to get around, that doesn't mean it's easy for me, and it definitely makes dancing and having fun at her wedding that much more difficult. I guess my family just likes to do things the hard way...

[minipie]

I'm apologizing right up front because this post is going to be all about me. I just need some reassurance/guidance.

I just got back from my OB appointment which did not go as planned. I had my first non stress test (they call them cadiotocographs here...is that the same thing?), and it wasn't reassuring. The baby's heart rate was low and flat and she barely moved at all. They made me go away and eat something so they could repeat it two hours later. So after a long two hours I came back and it showed the same thing.

They want me to go to the hospital tomorrow to have them repeat it again, and now I am just beside myself with worry. I'm probably overreacting, but I can't stop crying. The baby hasn't been moving all morning and now I can't stop thinking of the worst.

My OB tried to be reassuring and said that this can sometimes be normal, especially since I'm still early in the 3rd trimester. She said if it were really alarming she'd send me to the hospital today. But somehow I don't feel reassured.

Plus my husband is still over in the US for work. I feel scared and alone and just don't know what to do. I guess there is nothing I can do except wait until tomorrow. I hope I'm overreacting. :( I know in the mean time I should just try to calm down because stress won't help me or the baby.

ETA: After a bit of googling, it appears that this is a nonreactive nonstress test. Has anyone else experienced this? Should I be worried? I've calmed down a little, but of course I would be much happier if the test had been reactive! Thank you all for humoring me.

[Robyn147]

Mini -

I can imagine how you feel, and I will try to be as reassuring as I can without talking nonsense. I've never had this type of examination, so I can't share any info.
However, I've had the same worries several times. Over here they don't even measure the baby's heart rate, so I've wondered several times if the baby has a normal heart rate.
first things first: in my opinion, crying is okay and you should let as much stress out as you can. Keeping things bottles up is never good, for you or for the baby.
Secondly, there are days when babies are super active and days when they are tired. They have off days, just like us. It is entirely possible that your baby is having a sleepy day and that's why she's not moving much. If she feels you're stressed, it could also affect here movements. I've had several episodes of 1-2 days when the baby hardly moved and I was on the verge of going to l&d, and then the next day he rolled around like an acrobat. To tell the truth, even then I don't know if it's enough movement or not, since I have nothing to compare it to.

And just another story to ease your mind: when my aunt was pg with my cousin, she didn't feel him for a couple of days. She went in to the dr's office, completely freaked out, and then they used the doppler and heard a steady heart beat. The midwife said that the baby was just sleeping so soundly that he didn't move for almost two straight days!

[minipie]

Thank you so much Robyn. I'm really hoping that today is just one of her lazy days and that tomorrow she will perform beautifully. This whole week she has been going crazy and actually hurting me with her kicks to the ribs. Today has been pretty quiet relatively. Of course this is all making me worry, but for now I will stay calm and hope for the best. Isn't it ironic that a nonstress test has induced so much stress? :p

It also didn't help that when I came back to the OB's office to repeat the NST this morning there was an old lady in the waiting room yammering on about how old she is getting and that we all have to "make the Great Trip" some day, some of us sooner than others. She just kept talking about death and I really just felt like telling her to shut up! It was all I could do to keep from crying.

Anyway, after a two hour nap (I decided to take the rest of the day off from work) and some retail therapy, I am feeling better now. I'm hoping that I'll be able to look back on this and laugh at myself for overreacting!

[honey19]

Just wanted to pop in and say that Pjs had her baby! Mollie Reighnea was 10lbs 3 oz and 21 inches long! Congrats mama!

[Robyn147]

Yay for PJs!!!! So thrilled for her!

Mini - you will definitely laugh about this one day, because you'll have other things to worry about! :-) I remember when I first got pg I was so worried about m/c, then I passed into 2nd tri, and I started worrying about not feeling him yet, then I finally started feeling him and I started worrying that he wasn't positioned right or that he wasn't growing well. I kept thinking when the baby arrived I could finally calm down, but then it hit me that once this baby enters the world I will forever worry about him: his happiness, his health, his education, his safety, etc. I don't think it ever ends...

I'm glad you're feeling better. Retail therapy is the best! Oh, and don't let crazy old biddies get your down. Just because they think they are nearing the end doesn't mean they have to go around depressing everyone else! With all my raging hormones, I probably would have cried, right after yelling at her to shut up! Good for you for keeping it together. Some people are so dumb...

[fingers_crossed]

I'm here but so tired...no puppies and no baby yet.

Yay Pjs!!!! Congratulations!!!!! (And thanks for updating us honey).

Robyn, thanks for the suggestions. :) I'm sorry about your sister's wedding. I hope you're able to have some fun and that it ends up not being as hot and humid. :(

Minipie, I'm sorry you had a bad ob appt. If it was really bad she would have sent you asap. I'm sure being alone doesn't help right now. I'm not sure what a nonreactive nonstress test is, but I'm sure at the hospital tomorrow all your fears will be relieved. It's so hard because we worry nonstop from the minute we get that bfp. I hope you're feeling better.

I agree w/Robyn keeping it bottled up isn't good. And that babies have off days, I get worried too, but remind myself of that, and sometimes I'm busy and just don't realize s/he is moving until I sit a minute (or several). They are running out of room so their movement may not be the same as it was before either.

That's too bad about the woman yammering on about death.

Glad you got a nap in and that retail therapy is helping. :) I'm sure you'll be able to look back and laugh.

Again regarding what Robyn said, I remember watching every time I went to the bathroom about seeing blood, and although I don't so much any more, I'm not sure when it stopped being a huge fear, now every time I go I check for signs I'm losing my MP. LOL

Hoping things go well tomorrow!

[JE1014]

Hi ladies.....I'm going to use my first post to the 3rd trimester board to reassure mini..... (p.s....I feel like I/ve graduated to the "cool kids" board!) :)

Mini - just the other day baby girl had me worried all day because she barely moved most of the day, but for the last two days she's been a little nut making me crazy with all the movement! They really do have off days, just like we do. I've not had a NST yet, but I'm wondering if maybe her position may have affected the results too (like some of the movement was missed because she was facing your back maybe?) I'm with fingers,.....your OB would have sent you straight there if she thought the siutation warranted.

I'll never catch up with the whole board,..so much info and it's only the 3rd day of the month! Thanks for the great hospital check list Robyn!

RE: birthplans - my intention is to have something on paper (I'm a believer in the theory of "The Secret" - you gotta put it out there to make it happen. My plan is much like Blondie's, but probably not quite as detailed. I was very much about the "I'd like to avoid this, that and the other... but if plans change it's okay" theory until I took my first gentle birth class where my doula said the same thing - make the plan to be what you want - it doesn't have to be hard and fast, but plan for it and prepare for it and you're much more likely to see it happen.

p.s. Robyn - when girls start planning a wedding,...they can barely think about anything else, let alone anyone else! If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure you're beautiful belly will steal some of the spotlight that day! My mom had the same thing happen to her when she was preggo with my sister. My aunt scheduled the wedding for when my mom would be 39 weeks! Needless to say, my sister came a week early and when my mom left the hospital and snuck into the back of the church to have the photog snap a quick pick of my sister for my aunt to find later (with the intention of sneaking out before anyone saw them) the rest of us were just getting to the back of the church and everyone made a huge fuss about my sister (much to my aunt's annoyance!).

[minipie]

First of all congrats to pjs and welcome to the world Mollie! Thanks so much for keeping us posted, honey. :)

Thank you all so much for your kind words and reassurance. I am feeling better today but still anxiously waiting for my husband to come home so we can head over to L&D. I was tracking his flight from the US and saw that it landed about 30 minutes ago, which means he should be here soon. Yeah, I'm a bit obsessive. :p I'm just nervous!

For those of you not up to date on the nonstress test (I wasn't either until mine was abnormal!) what they do starting some time in the third trimester is monitor fetal heart rate activity with a doppler, fetal movement, and uterine contractions. They hook you up to this machine with two transducers strapped to your belly and have you either sit in a comfy chair or lie on your side. They monitor fetal heart rate and activity for at least 20 minutes. A reactive nonstress test means that there are at least two "accelerations" in fetal heart rate in a 20 minute period. This means an elevation of 15 beats per minute for at least 15 seconds in response to fetal movement. A nonreactive test means that there are no accelerations seen in 20 minutes. In my case the baby's heart wasn't responding properly to her movements. A nonreactive stress test can indicate that the baby isn't getting enough oxygen. Or it could just mean that she was being lazy or sleepy. Usually a nonreactive nonstress test is repeated (as they did for me). If it shows the same thing they might send you for a biophysical profile. Decelerations in the baby's heart rate during a NST can be an indication of fetal distress and are usually more troubling than a nonreactive result. I don't think most non-high risk pregnancies need NSTs, but here in Germany it's standard to have them starting in the third trimester.

Phew! That's probably more than you ever wanted to know.

Now on to personals.

Robyn, I agree that it's kind of irritating that your sister planned her wedding for when you'll be so far along. I agree with JE though that she probably didn't even think about it. At least you have a good excuse to leave early if you start to get uncomfortable. Just take it easy and don't push yourself. Hopefully it'll be fine! How was the bachelorette party?

JE1014 welcome to the third trimester and congrats! Thanks so much for your kind words as well as your input on birth plans. Maybe I will write something down. We're starting a birth preparation class in a few weeks so maybe I'll have more insight after that.

fingers, thank you! I remember being exactly the same way looking out for blood. During the second trimester I actually relaxed a lot and really enjoyed the pregnancy. Seems like anxiety is creeping back up again. Ah well. Anyway, how are you hanging in there? Any movement at the station??? Any news on your dog?

I can't scroll back any further, plus this is becoming another marathon post. Hope you all have a great weekend! I'll hopefully be back later today to post good news about my trip to L&D.

[Meggiejen]

PJs - Yay!!! Congrats!!! OMG you make big babies!! BTW I LOVE the name Mollie. I think its such a sweet name. Cant wait to hear your story!

JE - Welcome to the third TRI!!! Home stretch now!

Mini - I am really sorry you had such a stressful NST. They didn't see any decelerations which is good. Hopefully your trip to L&D was uneventful and less stressful for you. If she was moving around like you said she was earlier in the week I think thats probably a good sign. My LO's definitely have their quiet days and their active days. Maybe yours was just having a quiet day.

AFM - Filled out a bunch of paper work today for unemployment and even an application to be a 'standardized patient' at the local PA / DO school. They use patient models to simulate patient encounters for the students so they can practice assessment skills. I am hoping I can get in on that. Money is money right now. My girls were having a couple quiet days the last couple here. They had been kicking up a storm this week but decided the last 2 days to slow it down. I was actually pretty concerned yesterday and even spent forever poking them and eating ice with almost no result. Today, they are paying me back by kicking me in, well, interesting places. One I swear is kicking my intestines. I feel the weirdest kicks and it makes me pass gas. My husband thinks its hilarious, I am actually glad Im not working tonight LOL. In addition to that excitement I signed up for a breastfeeding class at BRU for the week after next! I am excited! Its free for one, and they have a woman from the LLL come and teach it. Hopefully get some good info and good contacts for support with the twins (lol both sets of 'twins').

Meagan

[Robyn147]

JE - loved your comment about being with the "cool girls". I don't think I've ever been considered cool before! :-)

Fingers - I first started checking the tp for EWCM when we started TTC, and I haven't stopped since! After getting mmy BFP, I used to check for spotting, like you said, and now it's to check for the mucous plug! I feel like I'm obsessed with looking at what comes out of me, yeuch! Lol!

Mini - Good thing you read up on those types of tests, so you know what to ask at l&d and what to keep track of. I'm hoping the relief of having your DH home and just the fact that it's a whole new day will make everything okay. Please update when you get back!

I agree with you all regarding girls planning their weddings, but my sister actually said yesterday that they planned this wedding around me! What?! That is so ridiculous! She had the nerve to say that they made all of their plans according to my due date. If that were true, she would have gotten married in May, when I was 5 months pregnant and still ready to take on the world! The real reason they are getting married now (at this godforsaken time of year) is because they wanted to go abroad on a honeymoon, and that's the only time her fiance could take time off. However, since they could not agree on a destination, they are not going anywhere (how dumb is that?)! So now they're stuck with a date that is convenient for no one, and the entire reason they chose that date is null and void. I can't believe she tried to shift this onto me... It' so typical. I bet she'll even make a point of telling the entire family how considerate she was in scheduling this wedding around me.

As for the bachelorette party, it was okay, I think. We met at a park and played some games, for which I actually sat on the ground (didn't think I still had it in me). I think my sister felt a bit awkward, which made her do some annoying stuff (like start telling stories about me and my DH!). She and I don't get along that well, but I tried to be as nice as I could and didn't make a fuss, which she should really appreciate given how short my fuse has been for the last couple of months. I literally blow up at anything, and yet I held my tongue... At some point I started having BH so I got up (somewhat of a challenge!) and drank a lot, but they pretty much continue all day long. Then we drove to a chocolate workshop where we made all sorts of pralines and petit-fours. It was really nice! And I got to bring home all of the stuff I made, yummy.
I ended up having BH all day long, which kind of freaked me out, and my right foot swelled up like crazy again (for the last few days it's been better). I took my bp at home and it was pretty much the same as always (120/70) but my heart rate was 100! Tomorrow I go into the nurse's office for another checkup. I've actually started getting scared that I might be told to go to l&d for birth (due to the contractions) or for inducement (due to the swelling). Sheesh...

[minipie]

Well, my morning in L&D went fine, thank goodness! My poor husband, he walked through the door around 9:30am and I hit him with everything all at once. We went straight over to the hospital, and they repeated the NST and did an ultrasound. Everything was normal and the doctors said there was nothing at all to worry about. I feel so relieved!

We spent the rest of the day shopping for the baby. We bought the stroller, crib, and changing table. All big things to cross off the list, which feels good. I'm getting so excited to start getting the nursery set up!

Robyn: How annoying that your sister is trying to blame the inconvenient wedding date on you! What a bunch of nonsense. Hopefully everything will go perfectly and she will be blissfully happy with the chosen date. Hope you're able to survive it all. Believe me, I know all about having difficult sisters!

Also, I really hope that your visit to the nurse's office tomorrow goes well. I have had episodes of my pulse racing (around 130) since about July. I asked my OB and she said this is actually pretty normal during pregnancy. Hopefully they will tell you the same thing. Good luck!

Meggie: It would be sort of fun to be a practice patient! I bet they would love to have a woman pregnant with twins. They probably don't come across too many of you. Glad to hear your girls are active again, but I'm sorry they're hurting you! My little one hurts me enough alone -- I can't imagine two. And lol at eating ice cream and poking them. I do that all the time. hehe. :)

Anyway, thank you all again for supporting me through my temporary insanity. All is well again, and I hope it stays this way -- for all of us!

[fingers_crossed]

Welcome Je!!! ITA w/Robyn, re 'cool girls'. :)

Minipie, it's bad I guess that I didn't realize the difference between the reactive and nonreactive nonstress test given I've been having the nonstress tests for three weeks now. That's interesting information, thank you for sharing with us! (and mine is because of the pre-e, otherwise I doubt I would have had them)

I'm hanging, trying to stop wanting to do things, and anxious to have this LO. :) I think our dog will be having her puppies any day, she's been sleeping a lot. Spent some time w/her in the whelping box getting her used to it, so at least I feel better LOL.

So glad everything was good at L&D today!!! Sounds like you've had a productive day!

Meagan, that would be cool to be a model patient...like Minipie said I bet they would love having you since you're pregnant with twins!

Glad your girls are moving around better again! Yay on the free breastfeeding class. LOL @ both sets of twins. Hope you get lots of good info and some good contacts!

Robyn, that's a good point about EWCM...how could I forget that?!?!! LOL

I can't believe your sister is saying she planned her wedding around you!! I'm sorry your sister started doing annoying stuff at the party. Yum about getting to take home the pralines and petit-fours!!

Sorry you're having so many BH and your foot swelling so much!! Hope your appt tomorrow goes well. I think if your bp stays ok they won't induce because of the swelling, I'm not sure. They may want you to be monitored for the contractions to see what's going on. Hopefully you'll be able to hang on for a couple more weeks. I know these LOs need to cook as long as possible, but my dr. said if I went into labor after 35 wks he wouldn't stop it and was sure the baby would be ok...but I'm hoping it's not an issue for you and you are able to cook that baby a few more weeks!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!!

[fingers_crossed]

Happy Labor Day! Wanted to let everyone know that Sasha had 5 puppies (as of 3 pm). She started having her first at 7 this morning and had them throughout the day. Mommy and puppies are all doing well. Not 100% sure she's done as she went several hours between a few of them, but thinking she probably is. Makes me VERY glad there are dr.s and nurses to deliver and clean up my baby LOL.

I need to lay down and relax for a while, been up w/her and am very swollen lol.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

[pjs3902]

fingers- congrats on hitting FT!!!!

hey ladies! Mollie is here, and I have her baby story and pics up! She says "Hi!" Good luck to all of you!!

[fingers_crossed]

Thank you Pjs. I'm happy to hit this milestone! :) Great to hear your story and hope your back is feeling better soon. Mollie is such a cutie!!

[pjs3902]

robyn- i hope you survive your sister's wedding! i wouldn't be happy about having to try all of that this late in the game!

fingers- congrats on your puppies! hope your own LO arrives soon!

[rjsmamma]

My goodness ladies, I have been MIA for a few days and all kinds of things are going on....

PJs CONGRATS!!! She is perfect!
Robyn- I kind of know how you feel. I am in a wedding for one of my best friends next Saturday...31+ weeks prego....and its outside at 4pm in California. Its going to be interesting to say the least
Fingers-Congrats on the puppies, I would love to see pictures if you get a chance
Mini thanks for the info. My doctor has mention NST but now it all makes more sense. I am also glad things are going better for you and LO
JE welcome
Meggie I totally know how you feel about your twins kicking you in the guts. I think my LO aims for my bladder sometimes too. Its like he doesnt want me to get to comfortable sometimes so he makes me get up with an elbow to the bladder...lol....
Knut hopefully sofie will be on the smaller size. I am also fearfull of having a football player for sure. At 28 weeks we were measuring 9 days ahead and right at 3 pounds. The dr warned me that this one will be bigger than my 7lb 11oz DS#1 if I carry him to term...oh my gosh is all I can think.
I am sorry if I forgot anyone else but this is a busy board and I have a scatter brain right now....

So long story short- I have had a rough couple of days prior to the holiday weekend. Wednesday DS#1 was sick with a nasty chest cold, that I proceeded to catch. On Thursday I went into work and was escorted out...I was "let go" (for stupid reasons but good enough to keep me from suing!) perfect timing GRRRRR.... I tried to talk to my boss and that just made things worse, oh well I have stressed over it all weekend and today has been a better day. I am over it an looking at the light at the end of the tunnel...my baby will be here in just over 2 months and financially we will be ok. I will just have to really budget more and spend less "play" money. I know we can totally do it. It looks like I will collect unemployment for the first time in my life and get to be a stay at home mom! I am embracing the good and puting the bad behind me! The best part is DH is so supportive and stands behind me. I hope all you ladies are doing well and I will try to keep up more, espicially now that I will have more time on my hands!

I am sure it is because of the stress, but I have been having irregular BH all weekend and threwout today. I have my apt tomorrow and we will check with my OB and make sure things are still looking good.

[Meggiejen]

Fingers - Yay puppies!! Im sorry you ended up really swollen from being up with them so much. But I bet they are so cute!! I love puppies!

Rjs- I am really sorry about work. I totally get how you feel right now. I have been trying to navigate the unemployment jungles all weekend. I had to fill out questionnaires since my filing is due to disability and lack of hours. I hope yours isn't so complicated.

AFM - still stressed over finances, but getting better. Was able to defer some larger payments and reduce a few others. We are cutting back and coupon cutting like mad right now. Finally managed to get forms off to DES for unemployment, hopefully I qualify. I am surprisingly not too concerned about it at the moment. I figure it is what it is and my not working right now is the best thing for me and the girls. And the girls are far more important than anything else, so whatever happens money wise is fine. And we are in better shape than I first thought. DH has nearly all of nov. booked and possibly the first 2 weeks in dec, and he might have some work lined up in oct too which is fantastic. Poor DH was super upset today about money, he over heard me talking to the mortgage company and took all this money stuff really personally. I felt so bad because its not his or anyone elses fault. Managed to cheer him up though so thats good. Have another appointment tomorrow with ultrasound so hopefully the girls look good and cervix is still long enough and closed enough to let them cook a few more weeks. They have busy little bees today so hopefully that means good things for tomorrow.

meagan

[fingers_crossed]

sorry no time for personals...guess where we are headed!!! :) 1.5 cm 75%, he said cervix is still a little high, but he still feels the baby's head. Will start gel to soften tonight, expects pitocin to be started in the morning since only about 10% start labor on their own w/the gel. So he is expecting LO sometime tomorrow. :D Will update tomorrow night or Friday depending on what is going on.

Hope everything is well with you ladies!! Take care and have a great day/weekend!!

[Meggiejen]

Yay fingers!!!! So excited for you!! Good luck and can't wait to read your birth story!

AFM - appointment was really good. I thought i was supposed to have another growth scan but misunderstood so none of that for me today. The girls decide to flip and are both now feet down, so heads are in my rib cage :p Just need to convince them its time to flip the other way and stay there. All this not working has been a good thing apparently. Cervix is not open any further than maybe a 1cm and its back to long again. Its 4.5cm!!! It was barely at 3cm 2 wks ago and i was sure it was going to be under that and I was going to get restricted further. But nope!! Did get a script for some oral terbutaline in case I start up with contractions again. I still get them but nothing frequent or that I can't get to go away. So looks like I will be cooking these ladies for a few more weeks, woohoo!!!! DH has been so cute lately. He is suddenly very interested in my belly and likes to touch it and rub it which I think is so cute. I think hes getting excited.

Meagan

[minipie]

Hooray fingers! I am so excited to hear how it all goes (and what you have and name him/her!!). Hope it all goes perfectly! Good luck!

Rjs: That sucks about work. :( I'm glad that you guys will be financially okay, though. Enjoy being a full time mama. I would looove that! I plan on taking 6 months off, but part of me would just love to never come back...

Meggie: Glad the rest has done you some good!! The girls still have some time to turn. It's also great to hear that they're so active. It's very reassuring, isn't it?

It is a dreary, rainy day here and I am struggling to stay awake, but all is well. Had my GTT yesterday which I passed with flying colors. Baby is active as ever. My husband loves feeling and seeing her move. He's getting so excited. I also received in the mail yesterday the first decoration for the nursery with the baby's name on it. Seems so surreal!!

I can't believe I'm 30 weeks. For some reason it feels like a milestone, even though I guess it's not. 30 just seems like such a big number!

Hope everyone's doing great! :)

[corinna]

Wow! Lots going on on this forum! For those of you who do not know me, My name is Corinna and I just hit my third trimester today! YEAY!!! I am 36yo and baby Alexis is weighing in two weeks ahead of the game (yikes)! Glad to be here!!!;)

[minipie]

Welcome Corinna, and congrats on graduating to the third trimester! :)

Oh my goodness, my little girl is going crazy right now! I have never seen my belly move so much. Her foot (at least I think it was her foot) just pressed against my belly button so hard that it made it pop out temporarily!!! I wish someone else had seen it. Soooo weird!

Today at work we had a going away party for another woman in the building who is going on maternity leave. She is due at the end of October and is probably 3-4 weeks ahead of me, but my belly is slightly bigger than hers. Of course this is something everyone had to comment on, telling me how huge I am. And at least 4 people asked me if I'm sure it's not twins. :rolleyes: Good grief.

Hope everyone's doing well. Weekend is almost here!

[rjsmamma]

Mini Dont you just love the comments. I am due 4 weeks before my cousin and everyone keeps telling me how big I am compared to her, but she had more weight on me to begin with. I have always been smaller than her, until I got prego, now I am carring all in my tummy but there is alot. I am sure he is going to come out 20 pounds!
Corinna Welcome! Its is busy here but so much fun reading about how close people are and knowing that we too will be there very soon!
Fingers Yay!!! Good luck. I cant wait to hear all about it!
MeggieGlad to hear that things are going so well with your babies. I hope they stay and cook as long as they need! As for finances, I started to stress over ours with me not working and luckly DH talks me back to normal again. I am just budgeting the heck out of everything and we are going to just have to learn to go out less and save up more.

AFM- We are at 30 weeks today...10 or less to go!

What a day yesterday was...so busy. I made a few returns at some stores and then finally got a chance to go register at Babies R Us and Target. I also had My dr apt and had to go grocery shopping and my son had football practice. Talk about a long day. For not working I sure am busy. My apt went ok. I have been sick with a head cold and all the sneezing and coughing was making me have quite a few BH, but dr is not worried. Today they are actually better. But she did find protine in my urine.:confused: What???:confused:

Has anyone had protine in their urine and it turned out to be nothing??? I am now terrified I am going to have Pre-E. Its the only explination I could find, but the Dr said not to worry that we would retest in 2 weeks. I also gained 3 pounds in 12 days...ugh....not looking good. I am just trying not to worry to much at this point.

At our last apt 2 weeks ago we measured almost 2 weeks ahead and 3 pounds. Now all I can think of is that the Dr said he should gain about 1/2 pound a week. If he does that I will definatly have a huge baby...ugh, my 7lb 11oz baby was hard enough....now I am stressing about a big baby...does the stress ever end?

I hope the rest of you ladies are doing great!

[pjs3902]

fingers--- congrats!!!!!!! can't wait to hear the news!!! so happy!!! (ps thanks for waiting until after Mollie came! :p )

[knutfugget]

fingers Woohoo! Can't wait to hear how it went. :D

rjs Not sure about the protein. The only pg I had protein, I also had pre-e... hoping it turns out differently for you. :) And I can't wait to hit the 30 week mark (next week). Everything feels so much more final when you're in the 30's. :D

Corinna Welcome to the 3rd Tri. :)

Meggie Good luck with the flipping!

Hi to everyone!

***
I've been super busy with the kids, and just plain too tired to keep up on here lately, lol. :p Nate started preschool. He seems to like it. :)

Next baby appt is 2 wks from today. I wish this dang weight gain would slow down! I feel HUGE. :( My baby bump is so much bigger than I remember it being with the other kids, yikes! If this girl really ends up being 9 lbs+, they better give me the epi the second I step through the door. :p

[esarah]

RJs- I am only 13 weeks but at my 12 week appointment I had 1+ protein in my urine. The OB told me that it could be a sign of a UTI, if there is any blood in your urine or if you are having any sort of bleeding, there will be protein, also, sometimes samples just get contaminated. There were a couple of other reasons. For me it turned out to be that I had a kidney stone (that I was painfully aware of soon after that) that was causing blood in the urine but there are reasons other than preeclampsia. When I had preeclampsia I had 2+ protein in my urine and gain about 10 pounds in two day from swelling also.

[fingers_crossed]

sorry for no personals...just got in room w/a working comp, and it isn't great. plus i need to sleep so i can bf our baby BOY in about two hours :)

more later but we are doing well, he arrived via c-section Thursday night. Love him so much!!!

thanks everyone!

[Robyn147]

Hi Girls!

Sorry I've been MIA for the past week. I've actually been reading all the posts daily, but just haven't had the energy to sit down and write. I apologize in advance if I miss anyone...

First and foremost:
Fingers - OMG!!!! That is SO exciting! I know that the doctor talked about inducing and everything, but still, to already be holding your baby is amazing! Can't wait to hear your story!

PJs - I don't know if I already said it or not, but CONGRATS!!! Sorry to read about your ordeal with the epi. My first thought was "jeez, I hope that doesn't happen to me!". You are a trouper! I am so happy you finally got to meet Mollie! Sorry for being an idiot, but how do you pronounce her second name?

Corinna - Welcome!

Knut - I hear you on weight gain. I was so good up till now, and suddenly I gained 3 kilos in 2 weeks! I wanted to cry! Next weigh-in is tomorrow... Glad you can keep busy with the kids, though. It must be easier to pass the time. I find myself doing nothing for days
except sitting around and thinking about this baby and anticipating... Hope Nate continues to like his pre-school!

Meggie - Glad to hear your money problems are slowly working themselves out. I hope things get even better soon. Even though it's very stressful financially, I envy you the opportunity to stay at home after the birth. Fingers crossed your babies turn themselves over in time. :-)

Mini - So glad you had an active baby today (just goes to show babies have their off days, too). Sorry you had to face those stupid comments about belly size. I am getting sick and tired of people telling me "aren't you due yet?". Argh! From the pictures you posted on the pregnancy boards, I think you look amazing and I would never guess you are already 3rd tri!

RJs - I have had traces of protein in my urine for the past 5 tests, which I was told can be explained by increased vaginal discharge. I was ordered to drink more and relax... Always a good idea. Don't stress about the baby's size. It's not worth losing sleep over, since there's not much you can do about it anyway. You're not going to starve yourself and the baby so he'll be smaller, and you're not going to induce labor early in case he gets too big, so you might as well enjoy it while you can. :-)

AFM - My sister's wedding was on Tuesday. It was very nice and she had a great time, which is what counts the most. I had a pretty crappy day, which started with me dumping a bowl of cereal on myself accidentally and bursting into tears, and then going to the hair salon and getting the world's worst hairdo. That also ended in me coming home and bursting into tears. Luckily DH was home and managed to calm me down, but in the end I washed my hair and went to the wedding without getting it done, which was a huge bummer for me. Then the makeup lady came by and did my makeup, and my mom kept telling me to hurry up (which was so not helpful and insensitive, considering my hair was already a mess, at least my makeup should look okay) and I ended up with really light makeup. It looked good at home, but when we started taking pictures, you couldn't even tell I had makeup on. My face looks splotchy and fat and I just wanted to cry all over again (too late by then). To top it all off, my dress, which looked nice when I tried it on, looks like a big old tent in the photos. Altogether, what it looks like in all the pictures is that I have two gorgeous sisters and I look like the elephant lady.
Even though I am officially in "advanced pregnancy", and my DH told me not to, I did dance, since it was my sister's wedding. I danced until I started getting BHs. Then I sat down and boogied from my seat. After all that, my sister calls to say it was nice I came, even though I didn't dance. WHAT!? I danced until my baby nearly popped out, and my poor swollen foot almost fell off, and that's what you have to say to me!? I just wanted to die...
The week didn't get any better. After my long talk with MIL a few weeks ago, I decided to make an effort to include her more in the baby stuff. She's been driving me crazy ever since. She just doesn't shut up with her asinine advice and opinions on everything. She promised she would never do anything without asking me. So we went shopping for some stuff, and she kept popping up with things I don't need saying "I want to get this". I caved on some of the stuff, but on others I put my foot down and said "No, I don't need this!". Then I got home and found out she bought some things I specifically told her not to. I wanted to wring her neck. SO much for asking... What's the use in asking if you do whatever you f***ing want!? DH promised to talk to her, but of course, hasn't done that yet.
Wait... it gets better... We got the baby stuff delivered on Thursday. Of course, they delivered the wrong crib, which also made me cry. I don't know what's going to happen. DH talked to them on the phone, and it sounds like we're not going to get the one we wanted. So we're stuck with this one. DH says it's a nice crib, but I think it's ugly, and it's just one more thing that's gone wrong lately. The furniture is much bigger than I thought, so it makes the room look tiny. Sure, we're only going to be here for another 6 months, and then we move to a bigger house, but still... Of course, the entire time they were unloading and putting together the furniture, my MIL had to be in my house (why can't she ever disappear?! Why does she think she has to be involved in everything!?) looking over everything and commenting on everything. Then she started telling me what I should do with the other furniture in the room. If I kill her, wouldn't it be considered self defense?!
The ironic thing is, my MIL doesn't leave me alone, even though I want her to just vanish, but my own parents just don't care at all, even though all I want is for them to show a little bit of interest. They promised they would come by to see the baby stuff. They live one street over. It's been three days and I haven't seen them yet (and it's a holiday here!). Heck, they promised they would pay for the baby stroller, and they haven't mentioned it since. DH says we'll manage just as well without their help, and that I should just stop feeling bad about it. But how can I stop feeling bad about my own parents not caring about me or my baby? They only call me when they need something from me, and when they see me the only things they have to say concern my weight and size.
Jeez... Could it get any worse than this?!

Sorry for the novel... As you can see, I had a lot to get off my chest.

[Wellsv]

Oh Robyn, I'm so sorry that you had a bad week. Hugs. I hope MIL backs off and that your parents start showing a bit more interest. Maybe when the baby is here and it's all real they will be more excited. It's hard to brush off comments though, I know. But I think you're entitled to cry and I'm really glad that DH has been understanding (and hopefully he talks to MIL soon). What you'll take away from all of this is you'll know exactly what kind of mom/mil you want to be. Hang in there, we're here for you.

[knutfugget]

Sorry for lack of personals.

Sophie and I had our first trip to L&D today. I woke up just as swollen as I was when I went to bed - not good. Called the midwife and they wanted me to come in for testing for pre-e. My appt was 1.5 weeks ago, blood pressure then was 102/60, urine was negative for protein. Today? Blood pressure was consistently 140's/80's and I'm now showing traces of protein. :( They told me I'm in the beginning stages of pre-e. I'm doing the 24 hr urine collection. I get to turn it in tomorrow night. They said depending on the results, I'll be on bed rest (with two toddlers, THAT'll be interesting) and doing bi-weekly NSTs and blood pressure checks. They also said that waiting another week for my next appt was too long, so I have to call and move it to this week.

I'm feeling incredibly depressed tonight. Both of my other kids were induced from complications (Nate was pre-e), and I was really hoping I'd get a "normal" pg and get to go into labor on my own. At this point, I'll just be lucky to make it to full-term. :( I tried SO hard to be healthier this time...

[corinna]

Robin- First let me say how sorry I am for you to have been experiencing such negativity in your life:(....yet soon, you will be holding this beautiful baby in your arms that you have worked so hard for, not only physically but mentally and emotionally and all this will be behind you. (Unfortunately, the latter being even more exaggerated due to these wonderful pregnancy hormones)!:( However, I could not help but to consider while reading your post that you may benefit from asking your OB about an antidepressant for the remainder of you pregnancy....what do you think? Just an outside perspective....regarding your mil.....boy oh boy....what a handful huh? If she is this bad before the baby, then how much more after the baby? At some point a confrontation might be in order....so sorry for having to deal w/ that! Hope things begin turning around for you this week!;)

Knut-I am so sorry, I know you have been really trying and like me, wanted a natural labor experience but somethings, like PCOS, are just out of our control!:mad: I simply pray that you have a healthy remainder through this and a beautiful healthy little girl as a result! That is really all that truly matters!;) Hang in there!

ON a personal note, my parents were here visiting for the past four days and although I missed out on the last two days because of work, I am glad my kids had time w/ their grandparents....they only live two hrs east of us but, because of Bens' and my work schedule, we only see them every couple of months. My mom taught me how to crochet while here because she's working on a sweater set w/ matching hat for Alexis...but she's knitting it....crocheting is easier...so, I'm working on a block baby blanket. Ben spoke to his mom last night and I guess she'll be here before Oct 1st....she and her husband desperately want to move to the area from Mississipi. However, as a college professor, he's having a hard time finding a job due to the economy. Because she doesn't have a job, she wants to move here w/out him w/ hopes that something will open up...Although, I really get along well w/ her and do not mind her staying w/ us, I don't think it's a good idea...not w/out him having found a job....we'll see. On another note, I feel like I'm on the count down...12 more weeks to go!!! Tomorrow is my OB appt.....I am curious of my weight gain...I feel like I'm really putting on some weight now and this baby is getting a litle more cramped for space! Have agreat day everyone!!!

[Meggiejen]

Wow, been busy on here since my last post. I will try and do personals but don't be mad if I missed you!

Rjs - sounds like you've been busy!! I am sorry about the protein and I hope it turns out to be nothing.

Knut - I am sorry about your L&D trip and possible pre-e. I really hope it turns out to be nothing as well.

Robyn - I am sorry you are having so much drama with your family right now. I hope that the negativity calms down for you soon. Sometimes people get so involved in their own world they can't see past themselves. Hopefully your family gets past that soon so that you are all able to enjoy your blessing together.

Corinna - Welcome to the 3rd tri!! Sounds like you had a really nice weekend, so hooray for that!!

AFM - doing well here. We started painting the babies room (finally!!). Actually have it like 98% done. Just need to cut in the ceiling and touch up a few places. Then its on to furniture. I really need to get that stuff at least started before DH leaves this weekend. Hes going to be gone till the 27th! Boo!!! He is really cute. Hes worried about leaving me home alone for that long but I am actually doing really well. Very few BH now that I can sit and lie down when I want and no danger of an early debut for these ladies. And my parents know hes leaving so I can either stay with them or my dad will come stay with me if I feel I need someone close by. These girls have been ACTIVE lately. I am hoping that baby A has decide to flip head down. I am pretty sure they have changed positions yet again. I don't think B is head down but A might be (fingers crossed). I can't really feel movement on the right side of my uterus, but I can see it. Weird I know. I can feel everything on the left though. My birthday was Sunday and my DH was so cute!!! We went to dinner on Saturday and just kind of hung out. On sunday we went to a friends for a little get together to watch the season finale of true blood. While we were there my DH and friends surprised me with a delicious cake with those magic candles you can't blow out. It was so sweet. Anyway, sorry for the novel, its been a while lol. Good luck ladies and I hope you are all still feeling good and doing well.

Meagan

[pjs3902]

fingers- congrats on your little boy!!! hope all is well and that you find time to update us soon!!! :)

robyn- Mollie's middle name is pronounced "Ray-nah"

knut- so much for this being a "normal" preggo for you! hope things settle down and that you make it to FT!! as hard as it is- try to take it easy

hope everyone else is doing great!

[JE1014]

Hi ladies!

Fingers - congrats! I can't wait to hear the birth story. I feel such anticipation each time someone here goes off to the hospital,...waiting for their story is so hard!!!

PJS - Congrats to you too (a little late)! Here's hoping everyone's adjusting well to little Mollie! (Love her name!)

Meggie - glad your doing better! You're my inspiration - when I think how hard this seems to be getting in the last tri w/ just one, I think about you! Just keep thinking affirmative thoughts..... Baby A will turn around!!

Corinna - I know how you feel about wanting the parents nearby. My in laws are over an hour away, and I love them dearly and very much want them to be a regular part of my babies life, but can't see loading up a baby for that long of a car ride multiple times a week!

Knut - hope your 24 hour results were good. My midwife has me paranoid about pre-e (I've had chronically high BP for many years) and I can only imagine what your worries are. Just remember, you have very little control over whether or not you get pre-e. I don't think that you can prevent it with anything really.

RJ - hope the protein clears up. Is your BP good? What about swelling? Crossing my fingers for you. I hear you on the weight gain. I was actually worried, because the previous 2 months I only added 1 lb each month. Well, so much for that.... 4.5 lbs in 2 weeks this last time!!!!

Mini - I have a really big belly too. Each time I'm asked when I'm due, peoples eyes almost bug out of their heads when I say December 1! Occasionally I fib and say "late November" (Who knows, could be true!) just because I don't want the looks.

Robyn - ugh! Sisters! My younger sister is a little clueless about anything other than herself too. Not much you can do to change them. Good luck with the parents, I bet they'll all catch on and adjust well when baby gets here.

AFM....suddenly becoming an emotional mess recently. Hubs got frustrated with my tossing and turning last night (no more comfort to be found lying down) and when he crabbed at me about it, I started crying! He felt bad for being mean, I felt bad for being silly but I don't know how to prevent the waterworks these days!

And, finally worked up the motivation to get going on a quilt for the baby. I always do something for friends babies, don't know why I was stalling on my own..... it's still in progress, just need to finish the actual quilting on it now. Pictures attached! Sorry if they open huge - don't know how to use the new camera w/ my computer yet!

[Robyn147]

Hi everyone!

Corinna - thanks for the support. I will definitely give your suggestion some thought. I actually thought about approaching this subject with my OB before, but it never felt right. I don't know how to just blurt out something like that. I will probably be seeing him next week. I hope I'll think of something till then.
Hope your weight gain is okay and that the baby is not too cramped. I understand what you're saying about your ILs. I would definitely NOT want my MIL moving in, even though we usually get along. Living right beneath her is bad enough and I can't wait to move to our own house. Having your ILs move close to you without income is very stressful, since they might feel resentful that they moved in order to be closer to you, but paid a high price. Plus, the fact that she is unemployed means she will be very bored and will have nothing to do but badger you, as all MILs do! :-)

Meggie - Congrats on starting/finishing the paint job in the babies' room. I know when I finally got my DH and FIL to do it, I felt like I had passed a milestone. Glad you had sich a great b-day. Sorry to hear DH is leaving you lonely, but it's great your parents are close by and accessible. Also great that your BH have calmed down, and now you can enjoy your active girls with a calm mind!

PJs - love the name! It means "queen" in several languages, as far as I know.

Knut - So sorry about the pre-e scare. I hope that the 24h results come back good and it's just a false alarm. But in any case, I really don't think you should be blaming yourself. I'm sure you did everything right. You mentioned before that you have been working out and that you lost a ton of weight before getting pg. Some things are just beyond our control. I'm sorry you have to be on bedrest (hope you'll manage that with your two toddlers) and I really hope you'll carry to term.

JE - lovely quilt!!! Way to go! I am so jealous. I wish I had a creative bone in my body. My only creativity so far has been in singing made-up songs to the baby. :-) I completely hear you on being an emotional mess. I can't even count the times I've burst into hysterical tears over some small thing. I've spent days feeling blue about things that I probably would have laughed off just 9 months ago (pre-pg). BTW - your DH should feel bad! He should be more understanding. After all, you're the one doing the heavy lifting!

AFM - nothing much to report. Had a weigh in on Sunday (down 1 kg, but that's just because the idiot nurse from last week didn't work the scales right.) Still too high in my opinion. My urine stick was okay and bp was still in the same (though I woke up a few nights ago burning up with bp about 20 points above my usual values). I went to my GP because I had some high cholesterol and pain in the hands (can hardly clench my fingers without it hurting now) and he said I am in great shape (he said he would gladly switch blood test results with me) and it's all part of being pregnant.
Had an u/s today, baby is measuring about 2.8 kgs, but is a little small for his GA. Some of the measurements put him at 34wks and some at 35wks. The doctor said he looks great though, breathing motions were detected and heart rate was 171 bpm (woah!!). He's head down (has been for over two months now) so no pictures :-(.
I am getting too huge for words. I keep wearing DH's t-shirts at home because nothing fits anymore. I've started getting up 2-3 times a night (used to be only once) to pee, even though my belly is still high (baby hasn't dropped). And today when I woke up my nose looked huge, which DH says is what happens to women close to delivery (don't know where he gets this stuff!).

That's it for me... sorry for writing a book! Hope everyone else is doing great! :)

[corinna]

Hi everyone!

the fact that she is unemployed means she will be very bored and will have nothing to do but badger you, as all MILs do! :-)
(you've got that right!):rolleyes:

And today when I woke up my nose looked huge, which DH says is what happens to women close to delivery (don't know where he gets this stuff!). (LOL)!!!


Yesterday I had my two week appt. My B/P was 100/60...sometimes I wonder why I don't pass out, but that has always been my norm. Alexis's H/B was 134....usually in the thirties to 40s'...think she takes after me. But she's still measuring good. I was supposed to get my Rhogam shot but we all forgot about it so I called the office as soon as I remembered @ home hoping that I could hold off until my next appt in 2 wks (nobody likes a shot in the rear), but no such luck...wants me in asap just in case....So relieved to know that I will be in the final countdown after next week!:p Cannot WAIT to meet this little girl! Although this pregnancy has gone by so fast it seems, sometimes it cannot go by fast enough! Like all of you, I am just so uncomfortable! Personally, a literal pain in my ass (sciatica):(...I have so tried to remain patient and try to enjoy & really appreciate this pregnancy knowing it will be my last, so, I try not to gripe about it too much...I am set to have a tubal ligation 24 hrs after Alexis is born if I am healthy and everything goes smoothly. Funny...ironic really, to think about all those yrs I could not conceive prior to being diagnosed w/ PCOS and to think now I'm at the polar opposite....amazing...I would have never thought!
All you ladies have a wonderful day!!!;)

[Meggiejen]

Glad to hear you ladies are doing well.

Knut - how are you doing??

JE - how are you as well??

Robynn- i am so jealous of your only getting up 2 or 3 times a night to pee. I sleep horribly and I constantly feel like I have to pee. I think I get up between 5 and 8 times a night to use the bathroom and/or roll over. I can't roll over without waking up and I swear I change position every hour and a half it seems. I don't think my body is adjusting to my schedule change as easily as i used to. Before I was pregnant I could switch between days and nights with very little problem. Now I have the hardest time sleeping at night. I don't get more than 2 hours in a row until the sun comes up and if I am really lucky I might actually sleep for a 3 or 4 hr block then I am up and cant sleep anymore. I haven't worked in 3 weeks so I figured I should be used to sleeping at night, but nope. Weirdness. Got my first NST scheduled for Monday afternoon. That should be interesting. Hoping to god I remember the appointment. I completely spaced it on my breastfeeding class last night and didn't remember until after it had already started and I missed it! And I didn't get up for my husbands dr's appointment today either. Fortunately he woke me up. But holy prego brain batman!! These were both things I had been talking about like the day before. Sheesh!!!

Meagan

[Christina M]

Knut~ I am sorry you are going through this. I know it isnt easy but you are gonna have to TRY to get more rest. The housework will have to wait....I know easier said than done.

Guess I should join in over here. Im sorry I cant keep up with personals right now. My life is insane. My dad has been fighting renal cell cancer for 2 yrs and is nearing the end now. My parents house is being foreclosed on so we are in the process of moving some of their stuff into our home and making our office a bedroom for them. All while DH is remodeling the nursery....replacing a window, tearing out carpet and putting in hardwoood floors, painting and stuff. And DS birthday is in a couple weeks so trying to get that together as well. Gosh its been crazy. I hope you all are doing well. I will try to keep up.

[pjs3902]

robyn- you're getting so close! and yes- reighnea means royal/queen! congrats on knowing. it seems my family has never heard/seen any version of "rayna"

meg- congrats on 32 wks!! woohoo! keep baking!

hi to everone else! i've got mollie in one arm so this is taking forever to type!

[minipie]

Good morning all and happy Friday!

I have been lurking and reading the posts all week, but I have been too lazy to write something myself. I'll do the best I can with personals!

Robyn I'm so sorry that you've been dealing with so much stress! Just allow yourself to cry sometimes and don't feel bad about it. I know sometimes it helps me just to have that big release. I can't believe you're full term now!! How exciting!

knut I'm really sorry to hear about the pre-e scare and trip to L&D. I totally agree with the others though that this is NOT your fault and you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. Hope the 24 hour collection went well. Any news on the bed rest? Good luck!

Corinna my BP is usually 100/60 too. I think it's normal to drop during pregnancy. Any news regarding your in laws? That does sound stressful...I think it would drive me nuts to have my in laws so close.

Meggie congrats on getting the nursery painted and I'm glad you've been feeling good! lol at pregnancy brain. I have been lucky so far, but I can tell I am starting to feel a bit spacey too. :p Good luck at your NST on Monday!

JE the quilt looks great!! I really wish I were able to make nice things like that. I am with Robyn -- zero creativity here. Although I have been designing some posters for the nursery on Photoshop. That sort of counts, right? ha!

pjs: Hope you and Mollie are doing great!

Christina: Welcome to the third trimester -- good to see you again. I am really sorry to hear about your dad. :( And how much more stressful given the foreclosure. It's so good of you to have your parents come stay with you. Good luck with the preparations.

As for me, things are going well. I've been feeling fine although more tired lately than I was before. I also realized yesterday that what I have thought all along was just the baby lying in a funny position and exerting pressure are actually Braxton Hicks. My whole abdomen gets really hard and it feels like lots of pressure that lasts for a minute or so. This has been happening sporadically for a few weeks now. How could I have been so clueless?!

Also a coworker asked me yesterday if this pregnancy was planned or accidental. What a question! It's amazing what people think is their business. :rolleyes:

But anyway, I am so ready for the weekend. Hope everyone is doing well!

[Robyn147]

Hi everyone!

Corinna - sorry to hear about the sciatica. I have intense pains in my right leg (just that one!), but I am not sure if it actually sciatica or not. In any case, I commiserate with your miserable-ness :-). Hope it gets better soon.

Meggie - I am total baby brain, too! I call it "pregnancy stupidity" and I blame all my blunders on it! :-) I've never been this forgetful or dense in my life! Just last night I was talking to my PhD advisor and he told to do some work, which, for the life of me, I just didn't understand. I told him I was sorry, but he'd have to actually spell it out for me, since my brain is something akin to Swiss cheese at this point! It's actually a medically proven fact that the brain loses a certain percentage of its size during pregnancy. They say it's reversible. I really hope so!
As for being jealous of my "infrequent" trip to the bathroom. Don't be! I might not get up that often to pee, but I wake up 8-10 times a night to roll over and try to get comfortable. So we're no different there. :-) Each time I wake up it takes me forever to fall asleep again. Some nights I just lie awake between 3 AM and 5 AM waiting to fall back asleep and thinking about all sorts of things.

Christina - Welcome! Happy b-day to your DS. Sounds like your nursery is moving along, despite all the hardships. I really hope things work out. It sounds like you're having a tough time, as though pregnancy wasn't tough enough!

PJs - Lol on the name "recognition". I live in Europe so I have some very rudimentary knowledge of some "foreign" languages. I actually have a Russian co-worker who calls me "Rayna" as a nickname (it's close to my actual name). How's Mollie doing? And how's Aundra dealing with being a big sis?

Knut - are you there? You disappeared and we're worried!

Mini - You are not the only clueless one! Until I just read your post, I was sure those sensations were just the baby "stretching"! Sure, sometimes my tummy gets rock hard, and then I know for sure it's a BH. But other times it just feels like there's a lot of pressure (usually at the top of my uterus) and I was sure he was just trying to stretch his legs :-). How did you figure out those were BH, too!?
This is the kind of stuff that really freaks me out. How am I supposed to know when it's an actual contraction? I am terrified of not noticing something like that and getting to the hospital too late. Plus, I never notice when they start and end, so how am I supposed to time them!? Jeez... the stuff no-one prepares you for!

AFM - got back some blood and urine results and I have a few questions. I had leukocytes in my urine, but the culture came back negative, and the blood work did not show elevated levels. The nurses said that I have been having leukocytes in my urine for the past 4 months, and it's probably due to the increased discharge. Anyone know something about this?
Also, is a regular culture enough to check for GBS or do I need a different test? Nobody here has even mentioned checking for it!

Had a huge fight with DH the other night (once again, over his w**** of a mother; why can't I get a break?!!?) that ended in a screaming match. And the "funny" thing is that DH always blames me for her stupid stunts, and never calls her on them. It drives me crazy. And he won't admit that it's getting worse and worse. I just know that after the baby gets here, things are going to go to h***. I just don't know how I'll deal with it, because right now he gives me zero support on these issues. I don't know how I will be able to deal with a newborn and his crazy mother at the same time, and yet I don't want to leave things the way they are, because a stressed-out new mom is no good for her baby. I'm so sick and tired of this mess...
Anyway, after that I spent half the night awake with BHs (although they also could have been from cleaning the house right before the fight began). If he just did more around the house, I might not have had them. But I am in full nesting mode right now (hey, baby could come at any minute now, right!?) and there's so much left to be done! He just doesn't get it! He doesn't understand why I need to finish this stuff before the baby gets here, and not after. I've been making lists for weeks and I'm tired of being a nagging wife, so I just do things on my own, even though I know I'm not supposed to.

[pjs3902]

mini- you could always just answer that question with something like "well, it depends on who the father is....! " i'm sure it's worth a good reaction! i agree- people do not need to know if a preggo was planned-- heck, several of us have planned the dtd to the exact moment and several of us have had well, this is sooner than i thought... who cares in the end!

robyn- rayna is (prominently) french, so i'm sure it's more common over that way than here. but i know there's a "rayna" that works at the walmart 15 mins from my parents... and i'm sure they've had to have seen her nametag a gazillion times over the past 15 years... (at least my mom)

mollie and i are doing great. i had my post c-section appt yesterday and dr said things are looking great for me and that i'm healing well! :) i'm not sure how many of you are aware that mollie had a fever last fri and was at the hosp til mon night. it was a UTI, and she seems to be doing much better. she goes back to the dr on monday so we can plan out things from there! otherwise things at home (for the time we've been home) are great! aundra loves being a big sis! she shares her blanket, tries to share her sippy and snacks, gives lots of "pats/rubs" and will follow whoever's holding mollie all around... i'm loving it!

[pjs3902]

oh, i just remembered!!
for those who are having their baby at a hosp where dh is allowed to room-in... take tennis balls and keep them in bed so that in the middle of the night when dh is konked out beyond waking to his name you can throw them at him!!!! there were a couple times i wish i had them while we were at the hospital!!! :)

[flutter]

Hey everyone. Sorry I have been MIA from here for a couple of weeks.

Congrats to blondie, Shelda and fingers on the LOs!! So happy for all of yoU :)

Knut
Sorry to hear about the Pre-E. At least they are catching the warning signs early rather than waiting until it could get dangerous for you and Sophie. Love her name btw. Hope things calm down for you a bit!

Christina
I'm so sorry to hear about your father. I can't imagine going through that at all... especially while pregnant. I hope you're hanging in there. take care of yourself :(

Meggie
Glad to hear things have calmed down with bedrest! You should post some pics of the girl's nursery :) I hope you're coping okay with DH out of town.

JE
Glad to hear from you. I was thinking about you the other day and wondering how things were going with your pregnancy. The quilt is adorable! I feel you about being emotional. I have been falling apart and the stupidest things lately.

mini
interesting about the BH discovery. I have wondered if that's what I have had sometimes at night. They aren't painful at all and not really even that uncomfortable, but like you said it feels like she has moved into a weird position and my stomach gets pretty hard every night. Who knows. I know I haven't had any other signs of contractions even on days when I have been really active and stressed.

Robyn
Do you think things will improve with your MIL once you have moved into your house? My MIL can be a pain too, and the distance that we live apart is probably a really great thing. Although, I have never lived close by so I wouldn't really know. Hopefully you and DH can find a way to deal with the issue w/out either of you begrudging the other. I always try to look at DH's side of those situations. He isn't as confrontational and open about things as I am. Especially when it comes to his family. I think he likes to choose his battles so-to-say. Maybe talking to him about why he is resistant to bring anything up to his mom rather than talking about a specific issue at hand would get you somewhere. I hope you have had a restful day and are sleeping well tonight w/out BH :) Also, super congrats on being full term!

Pjs
Glad things are going so well with miss Mollie! I had to LOL about the tennis ball post!

On baby brain... I have been having some major issues lately. Yesterday I freaked out thinking that I had forgotten to pay 2 bills that were due like 2 weeks ago. I was sooo sure that we would have late fees and when I checked on them from work I found out that I had paid them both on Aug. 31st. I have absolutely no memory what-so-ever of doing that. Not good!


AFM... I have been really overwhelmed. With work, freelance, GD, preparing for baby and making dr's appointments I feel stretched way too thin lately. I completely lost it and started crying on the poor lady who does scheduling at my OB's office yesterday. My OB acted like the NST's weren't going to be a big inconvenience since they have set times for them every day and that getting in in the early mornings wouldn't be a big deal. WRONG. i don't know why i had faith in her about that... it's not like she does scheduling. I have to go 2x's per week and see my OB every other week now. Not only do they not have appointments early in the morning (between 8 and 9) when I could go easily before work, the appointments they do have are all over the place. I'm so worried that I'm going to end up losing my job over this. I mean obviously i'm going to do them b/c i know how important it is to be monitored, but I'm freaking out about how the heck I'm going to keep up with them, make up the time at work AND keep doing everything else I have to be doing. DH doesn't really seem that worried about it. He just says we'll get to work earlier and stay later. He doesn't understand that a 13-14 hr day plus freelance obligations is too much for me to cope with right now on top of everything else. (I already have around a 11-12 hr day b/c of our long commute). Not to mention that I have been trying to get up early and get out of the house by an earlier time every day this week and he has been completely worthless in getting moving so we never make it early. All of that and I also feel like I'm really neglecting my mom who I need to be visiting every other weekend 2 hrs away. I know she should understand, but she isn't really emotionally stable and she thinks when we don't visit that it's b/c we've forgotten about her. It's not really something I can explain very well. Sorry for the book.

In good news I have my last shower this weekend so we can start buying anything else we need and the quilt i'm working on is much closer to getting done. I have no idea how to bind the thing though. I have been watching YouTube videos hoping to glean some understanding to no avail thus far. Guess I will cross that bridge when I get past the quilting part which I'm just getting ready to start. Will post pics when I get somewhere with it.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and things stay calm and comfortable for all :)

[knutfugget]

Just checking in real quick. Sorry for the lack of personals, got calls to make and crap to get done. Bleh! :(

The 24 hr urine was negative for pre-e. Looking like we're just dealing with regular hypertension for now. They've got me doing twice a week bp checks and weekly regular appts. Today's bp check looked good (117/63). Just hoping I can keep it down and get off restrictions soon. Last appt had Sophie still measuring 2+ weeks big, but looking great. :)

Dealing with an insurance mess that has over $600 missing (found it, now I just have to get it back!). Amazingly keeping the bp pretty well in check :p, but it's not leaving me a lot of time for reading/posting.

Hope you're all well! Will try to check back later. :)

[esarah]

I just wanted to write to Christina really quickly. I hope you all are doing well!

Christina- I am so sorry to hear about your dad and and about your parents loosing their house. I had been wondering recently how your dad was doing. I am sorry it is not good. What an amazing daughter you are to step up and help in every way you possibly can. I hope you can take some time to rest and take care of yourself. I am praying for you and your entire family.

[JE1014]

Christina - So sorry to hear about your dad and their financial troubles. What a godsend you must be to them! I can't even imagine handling that sort of added stress right now. Hang in there! I think of you a lot, given our very close due dates!

Meggie/Robyn - I may have mentioned this before (I can't remember!!!) but my DH calls me "PB" for short these days - Pregnant Brain! But mine started almost from the day I found out I was pregnant! It's probably better off I don't have a job anymore, because I'd probably get fired for being unintentionally negligent!!!

Mini - I figured out the BH thing just a few weeks ago too. I was swearing up and down to my midwife that I wasn't having any and she said everyone does, but more first timers don't notice them. The next day I got that funny tight feeling and felt my belly and thought "hmmm...I bet that's what those are!" And I had been having them for a while, and wrote it off as baby swinging around or something.

PJ - sorry to hear about Mollie's hospital trip. Hope she's feeling better and things are settling in nicely at home. I'm sure your daughter is a great big sister! And thanks for the note on the tennis balls!

Flutter - Hang in there. Somehow, we find a way to manage all we have too. Most of the time it's simply because we have no choice. If you haven't already, watch Sharon Schaumber's YouTube video on bindings (but don't use the school glue like she recommends, it makes it really hard to sew threw when it dries!). I've gotten pretty good at them, and now for things like blankets that will get tugged on a lot, I machine bind them. If you need any other advice, PM me!

Knut - yippe for no Pre-e! I've been working on some relaxation & breathing exercises that have helped my HBP some. Measuring ahead isn't always bad when there's a HBP concern....often it's the exact opposite worry that the HBP will cause a growth restriction.

AFM, feeling pretty good. Still have regular round ligament pain and TERRIBLE carpal tunnel these days, but otherwise I'm feeling good about hanging in there for another 11 weeks. At this point, I think I'm shocked that that is all the time we have left. Now I'm wishing that my shower was sooner than later (I'll be 33 weeks when it happens mid October)....I really want to get moving on the baby's room! Hope I still feel good then!!

[knutfugget]

JE I think most women feel like their pregnancy flies by - right up until 3rd Tri when it decides to drag on forever, lol. I hope you have fun at your shower. :) And good luck with the blood pressure stuff! It's so much fun, isn't it? :p

flutter Can't wait to see pics of the quilt! :) Sorry you're feeling so stressed. :( I think it's hard not to get that way sometimes when there is so much going on! Sometimes it helps to focus on the big picture - a healthy baby :). All of my pg have been complicated at the end and I've shed my share of tears when feeling overwhelmed. Those twice weekly NSTs aren't easy for ANYONE. I don't know who your doctor thought she was kidding. For me, it was always trying to find a sitter or get the kid(s) to settle down if I didn't have a sitter. ***hugs***

pj So glad everything is going well for you and the mollie-pop! :)

Robyn I could have written most of that post, oy. Sorry you've got so much going on. I totally get the MIL issues, and I hate to tell you, but you are probably stuck with them. If HE doesn't say something to her, it will probably continue. :( As for getting help, I totally get that right now, too. Took having my doctor threatening me with bedrest to start getting some help around here. Guys just don't get the whole nesting thing. Rationally, I know some things can wait until after the baby gets here, but in the moment, it seems SO important that you can't NOT do it. I hope you can get your nesting stuff finished in time, and good luck with the MIL. ;)

Re: contractions When they are labor contractions, you will know. They HURT and they don't go away.

***
Having some BH tonight, so it's resting time. Can't believe we're 30 weeks now. The countdown begins! :)

[Meggiejen]

Christina - Im sorry to hear about your father. But I think its wonderful that you and your family have him home and you are making room for them in your house. I am sure its very stressful but I am sure it means a lot to them.

Flutter - Im sorry you are feeling so overwhelmed right now. With everything you have going on right now, it would overwhelm anyone pregnant or not. Im sorry your DH isn't being the most understanding too. Men live on their own planet sometimes I think.

Knut - I am so glad that the 24hr urine was negative. Sorry about the insurance company though. They are such a pain. I hate medical bills and insurance companies. Its such a pain to get everything figured out. And someone on one of those ends always makes a mistake. Glad you're getting it figured out though.

Robynn - Im so sorry about all the MIL stuff. That would drive me nuts. I think I would end up saying something if I were in that situation. Not that its the best idea, I am just kind of brat like that sometimes. Especially when my space is being invaded. Hopefully it calms down for you once you are living farther away from her. Distance does wonderful things I think.

PJs - Glad to hear that you and miss Mollie are doing well. I am so glad that shes feeling better and her UTI is resolving. I saw you post about her fever on the moms boards. I admit it, I lurk :-) LMAO at the tennis ball suggestion. I may bring a few with me now ;-)

AFM - Doing alright over here so far. Had Red Robbin for dinner as a belated birthday dinner with my parents tonight. So good!!! Borrowed a carpet cleaner from a friend so thats my project while DH is out of town. I am starting to get more and more swollen. I hope its just because its still ridiculously hot here and not anything else. My hands and feet and legs are getting pretty swollen though. Yesterday it was actually painful. I woke up and my joints all just ached! Im not nearly as uncomfortable today but still puffy. I have my first NST on monday so hopefully my BP is behaving still. I don't feel bad otherwise.

Meagan

[flutter]

Thanks to everyone for the support last week. I feel a bit better about handling everything this week.

JE
I will definitely be watching the video you suggested THANKS! I have been using a machine the whole time. it isn't a patchwork quilt. I have basically just cut out shapes and sewn them onto a larger piece of fabric. Seems like a shortcut, but I really like the way it looks so far. Lining up everything for the quilting has proven more difficult than I expected. I have a game plan to try to execute tonight. hopefully it will work out! Sorry about the carpal tunnel :( My hands are just starting to have major numbness issues. Hoping the pain doesn't set in too.

Knut
So glad your urine came back negative! I hope you got the insurance mess straightened out. I'm betting I'll be in the same boat soon. I picked up a premium policy at my new job and it's also under Aetna. My guess is that the odds that my dr's billing will get the info correct are slim to none :( At least it will cover 95% once they get it straightened out though! Hope your BH's have been calmer over the weekend :)

Meggie
Hope the swelling has improved a bit. How was your NST today?


AFM had my first NST this afternoon. I had a granola bar before since it was snack time for me and she was going NUTS the whole time. It was cracking me up. she did not like the tight band invading her space. she kept hitting it directly. When the nurse came to check on me after my first 20 min she was like "wow, she is really wild today". it was hilarious. Hoping the one on Thursday is equally eventful since it kept me entertained. I also talked the receptionist into scheduling all of my NST's for the rest of October so I got all of the earlier appointments. Feeling MUCH better about that.

Our baby shower was awesome yesterday. The only things we have left to buy are a diaper genie and changing pad for her chest of drawers upstairs. I'm also thinking about getting a changing table for our foyer to make downstairs changing and diaper storage more convenient. Not sure yet if I'm going to though.

Happy Monday everyone!!

[chelseaf]

flutter, just wanted to say about the changing table downstairs. I would totally do something like that. Or just keep a caddy downstairs with diaper stuff in it. I just keep a little bag in the living room with diapers, wipes and all that little stuff and just change her on the couch. The only time I change her in the bedroom is in the middle of the night!

[minipie]

Good morning everyone!

flutter: I'm glad you're feeling better and that your NST went so well! I am having another one next Wednesday, and I'm worried my little girl is going to sleep through it again and cause me anxiety. :p Glad yours was very active and that you were able to schedule them at more convenient times! I'm also glad to hear you had a nice shower!

Meggie: Hope the puffiness has settled down. How was your NST?

knut: Hooray for 30 weeks! I felt like this was a real milestone too for some reason. And hooray for no pre-eclampsia!!!

pjs: lol at the tennis balls. I'm hoping my husband knows that he better be on the ball!

As for me, I am feeling exhausted! I've mercifully been sleeping well, but I am just feeling more tired than usual. Also yesterday my poor, stressed out husband was diagnosed with shingles! He's working in the NICU now so understandably he is barred from work for at least a week. It's probably good because he is so run down and needs the break. I've had chickenpox in childhood (and even shingles a few years ago, incidentally), so my doctor isn't worried about the risk to me, but she did a blood test yesterday anyway to check my immunity. I think it'll all be fine.

Also last night the hard drive on my lap top died. :( I am really unhappy about it, but thankfully I just backed everything up last week. I'm taking it in this afternoon to get repaired, but I'm afraid how much it's going to cost. It's less than a year old, so I hope there is still a warranty on it or something. I swear it's always something!

Hope everyone is doing well!

[Meggiejen]

Flutter - Glad youre feeling better. Hooray for a good NST. We didn't buy a changing table. I asked some friends and they said they rarely actually used it, so we skipped it. We are just going to put a changing pad on the dresser and the PnP we got has a changing table attachment that we will use as well. Good idea on keeping some diapers and wipes down stairs though. I hadn't thought of that and I need to find a good storage place now for some.

Mini - I hope your hubby feels better soon. He must be miserable right now. Shingles can be terrible. Crossing my fingers for you on your blood test. I had chicken pox twice as a child and I still wasn't immune. I had to get the vaccines. But if you've had shingles you are probably immune. Either way sounds like you are in good hands. Hope your lap top gets fixed and is workable again.

AFM - NST went well. I thought they were only doing them once every 2 weeks but its twice a week. I swear my brain is broken. I don't know what I am hearing anymore. I keep forgetting appointments and misunderstanding other things. And my 2nd tri energy boost is GONE. I am so tired all the time and I can't sleep for anything. Either uncomfortable, have to pee, or just plain cant sleep. I keep trying to avoid naps in hopes that I sleep better at night. Lost that battle today. I was so tired when I got home from my appointment I had dinner and crashed for 4 hours LOL. Had another growth scan today. Babies are getting big! A is measuring a few days a head and guestimated weight is 4lbs 8oz. B is measuring a week ahead and guestimated at over 5 lbs!!! A and B have completely switched sides in there. A is now on the left and breech and B is on the right and head down. Glad at least one of them is head down but A is blocking the exit with her booty. Based on how much they moved today I think they have a little time left to turn. They kicked the heck out of the monitors during the beginning of the NST and the poor nurse had to chase them around for a good 20 mins. Then they promptly fell asleep and she had buzz them 20 mins later to get a nice strip with accelerations. LOL I swear I felt A jump when she did that.

[Meggiejen]

Almost forgot to mention this.

If you want the flu shot this year get it asap. The flu is already going around. Seems like it got an early start this year. I've already had 1 friend come down with it and I have heard of a few more confirmed cases in other states. So if you're a flu shot person get it now!

Meagan

[flutter]

Thanks for the input Chelsea! I think I will get it if I can find a decent deal... I'm replacing a bench that I use for shoe storage... I thought I would just get a taller changing table with 2 shelves and keep the bottom shelf as shoe storage and use the top one for diaper storage. I don't foresee us going upstairs to change her in her room at all except at night like you said. that's why i decided to just do a changing pad on her dresser rather than getting a table for up there.

mini
I feel you on the sick DH. mine was up ALL night last night with food poisoning. I felt so helpless not being able to do anything for him that I was crying for him. I wish I could have stayed home today and made sure he got fluids all day. Instead I just went out a bought a bunch of sprite and gatorade and stocked our fridge for him. :( Hope your DH has a speedy recovery from the shingles. I also hope you get your hard drive fixed. Don't be too hopeful that they'll be able to recover anything from it. smart of you to have a back up though!

meggie
Hilarious about the NST. Glad they did well!! My LO was kicking the monitors too. it was really funny. Hope you can get some rest today! I wish I could be home to nap right now.

[vicky1979]

Hello ladies,

I haven't been on here in quite some time now, as my husband and I moved across Canada. I was formerly known as caber, but have had to change that user name, as I no longer use that internet provider.

I have some catching up to do to see how everyone's pregnancy has progressed. But, I hope all is well with everyone! I can believe I am at the 27 week stage already. This pregnancy is just flying by. I guess with our move, we've been so busy, that I never really got the opportunity to just sit back and relax. We are settled away here now, so that's the plan for the remainder of my pregnancy - not to mention that I am starting to get super tired now :)

Well, best of luck ladies, and congratulations so far!!!!

[Christina M]

Thank you all for your kinda words :)

Vicky~ WELCOME!

Meggie~ Glad the NST went well. You amaze me at how awesome you are doing with TWINS. haha makes me think I shouldnt complain about my discomforts HAHA

mini~ Thats crazy about your hubby but great to hear the dr isnt concerned. Hope you get your laptop fixed or a new one.

Flutter~ With DS I did the same thing as Chels. I had the changing table in the bedroom but kept a basket with diapers, wipes and a changing mat in the living room. Makes life so much easier.

JE~ My shower is kinda late this time around as well. I believe I will be 35 weeks at that time which Im not looking fwd to but with all the other stuff going on its the only time we could get it scheduled. We are getting soooo close...

Sorry to anyone I missed...thats as far back as I could scroll. I have read all your posts but dont always have time to respond.

AFM~ Had a dr appt today. I feel so big but the dr said I measure exactly 30 wks. which I will be in 2 days. I have an u/s in 2 wks. and they ordered an anesthesia consult since I had trouble with the epidural with DS. Other than that I had the stomach flu last week which led to dehydration and horrible contractions. HAHA Life is great sometimes.

[Christina M]

Oh also has anyone elses OB mentioned getting the tdap booster? I met with a new pediatrician yesterday (that I am so thrilled I love) she told me I needed to get it postpartum and anyone that is going to be around the baby needs to have it. Today my OB brought up the same thing (before I did) she said I could get it now or do it postpartum...I opted for the second. Just curious if anyone else was told this....or maybe something to bring up to your drs. :)

[knutfugget]

Christina Yay for the good appt! :) And yes, I got the tdap booster right after Nathan was born.

Re: flu shots Our whole family is supposed to go get them tomorrow night. The boys can get mist, but Hailey and I are stuck with the shot. She's too young and I'm too pregnant, lol.

Meggie Sounds like the babies are doing great. :)

***
Appt tomorrow. Hoping the bp behaves. The kids are coming with me, so yeah... Wish me luck. ;)

[Meggiejen]

Christina - I actually talked to my doctor about the Tdap in the beginning. She said that they stopped doing it in the doctors office because the hospital does it now post partum. The Tdap is actually a combo vaccine tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. I was told by someone that you can't get the Tdap if you're pregnant but you can get the plain pertussis. I could be very wrong on that though. Honestly I would love to get the pertussis now rather post partum. That way I have it and I have some antibodies built up to hopefully pass on to the babies. But Ill be happy to take it post partum as well. And we actually are requiring all our family members to get it and I asked them to get the flu shot as well. DH just got his last week and my mom got hers this week, just gotta check up on the rest of the fam. I know not everyone is into vaccinating but I am going to strongly encourage you to get the pertussis at the very least. There is a HUGE out break right now in California and I believe a few other states are seeing abnormally high numbers of cases. Last time I looked it up, California's out break was more than 8 times higher than normal and several babies had died. So it really is a problem.

Sorry for that book, I just feel really strongly about that stuff when it comes to babies. Im all for vaccinating kids on what ever schedule makes you happy, but as adults I feel like we owe it to them to vaccinate ourselves to protect them.

Anyone else feel like they live at the doctor right now?? I have an OB appt tomorrow and another NST. I had an NST on monday this week. I had to take my dane to the vet today (new vet whom I LOVE) and next week I have my 2 NST's and I have an appointment with a pediatrician to meet them. The following week its the 2 nst's and regular OB visit. Holy crap, I feel like I should just be living in a doctors office.
Christina - don't feel bad about complaining lol. I complain all the time at home!! I am definitely not a comfortable momma to be right now. But I will take all my current discomforts over the misery of the first and second trimesters.

[Christina M]

Meggie~ Dont get me wrong. Im all about vaccinating also. I was just wondering since I hadnt seen it mentioned on the thread yet. I was offered it yesterday and not sure about taking it when PG or if I should wait til postpartum. I live in CA and yes we have had a horrible outbreak in the last few months. I have actually called everyone that I know will be close to the baby in the first couple months and asked them to get their booster shots as well. :)

Flu shots...I was wondering if they are available yet. I guess they are thanks Jess. I prefer the shot over the mist.

[rjsmamma]

Hello ladies. I am so sorry that I have not posted in the last week or two. Believe it or not, I am more busy now not working than I ever was before. It is crazy.
Re: Flue shots and Tdap I will definatly be asking my OB at my next apt. Thank you girls for the reminder. I ment to ask sooner and totally forgot.
Meggie: I also feel like I live at the doctors office sometimes. When I am not at her office, I am on the phone with her or she has sent me over to L&D to be evaluated. All the time! But better safe than sorry. Speaking of Vets, I need to get our Border Collie in for her shots. Thanks for the reminder to set another apoitment!
Knut: Hope your apt goes well, keep us updated
Vicky: Welcome. I hope your pregnancy has been going well.
Flutter & Mini: I hope your husbands are doing better. DS and I were sick last week with a nasty head cold and poor DH had to tend to us. I felt so bad, but I was so greatful he never got sick.
everyone else: I am so sorry If I did not get to do a personal for you. I hope everyone is doing well and looking at the light at the end of the tunnel. We are all approching D-Day soo soon.

AFM: I will try to keep it short but.... Yesterday I had my regular OB apt and the babies HR was in the 170s and my OB was worried about dehydration or infection so off to L&D I went. This was the first apt that DS#1 was able to go to so poor guy was dragged along. Baby looked great and moved a ton! 2 hours later my mom was able to pick him up. DH was still 2 hours away at work, but I told him not to come because I thought everything was fine. After 3+ hours of monitoring I was released with yet another UTI...GRRRRR I am so mad that I keep getting these. I have been cleaning myself more and we dont really have sex so thats not an issue, I drink a ton of fluids and I still get them. Do any of you ladies know how to prevent an UTI??? :confused:While I was there we cought a contraction that I felt on the monitor. It was nice to know that I was not crazy, that I am feeling them once in a while along with several BH all day. Anyway my BP was great, my weight was actually -2 but measurments are still good, even a little big. So today we were told to take it easy and get some rest. So I plan on doing nothing but eating and resting today.

Speaking of eating... What are your cravings??? Mine is Ice Cream and candy!:p But I have no real appitite for any "real" food. I have to make sure I eat or I will just go with out. I am sure the MS thats back is a huge help with that :mad:

One last question: sex??? Sorry if TMI, Are you ladies still having it? We try but it is so hard to find a position that is comfortable that we end up just "playing" with eachother rather than actually having sex, and I miss it! We use to be so active until the Pelvic Rest for almost 12 weeks and now with the go ahead, I am much bigger and more uncomfortable. Any suggestions?:confused:

[pjs3902]

i had the tdap postpartum at the hosp with cupcake, and then since it wasn't all that long ago- it was too soon to revaccinate after lollipop arrived! :) (one benefit in having them so close together) will have to get flu shot at our appts on the 6th. thanks for the reminder.

meggie- woohoo on 33wks!! only 5 (max) left!

RE: cravings: mine were sloppy joe, french toast, and brownies (but not altogether... )

glad to see you're all hanging in there..

Robyn- where are you!?!?

[Robyn147]

Hi everyone...

Pjs, you're right - I did go MIA on you guys. I've been reading all the posts, but just haven't had the energy to respond. It's holiday season in my country so I'm actually home a lot, but the days just pass with me doing nothing all day long...

Mini - so sorry to hear about your DH's health problems, I really hope he pulls through soon. Also sorry to hear about your computer. As a total "net-aholic" I don't know what I would do without my laptop. Well, actually I do since my old laptop broke down once a year like clockwork and had to be shipped to the factory to be fixed. Ugh! It sucks!

Rjs - on cravings: I have to go with McDonalds (which my husband just won't let me eat) and potato chips. Salt, salt and more salt! To substitute the potato chips, I ate a lot of crackers during my 1st tri, when the cravings were really bad. I would just dip them in low fat cheese or cottage cheese (which is really yummy over here, not like in the States). The crackers were also really good for combating the nausea I had. I literally went everywhere with a back of crackers, munching away like a crazy person. Once I hit 2nd tri the cravings lessened. Now I just crave McD all the time. :-(.
As for sex, so funny you asked! I was going to ask about that too. Our sex life was pretty good all through 2nd tri. I got super horny during that time. :-) The funny thing is that I would really want to, but I enjoyed it less. Or, better put, I enjoyed the intimacy a lot, but didn't get the same sexual satisfaction as before. I later read that increased blood flow to the area can cause lessened sensitivity to stimulation. It slowed down a bit once I hit 3rd tri, due to increased sensitivity for me (I've been really swollen there and I just feel like there's no room for anything else to go in there!), though I am still pretty horny and really crave the intimacy factor. So we make do with alternative methods. I've
become more creative and I think (hope) DH appreciates the efforts. When we do get it on, it's usually on the couch, with me sitting on top of him. I like this a lot, though my increasing bump has made it increasingly difficult. I like that we can be face to face and kiss a lot. Lying on my back is too uncomfortable right now, and even if I did, he could never lie on top of me, and I would miss the closeness. There... done my 2 cents on sex! LOL!

Knut - so happy the pre-e test came back negative. Hope your appt goes well.

Vicky - welcome!

Sorry for lack of other personals.

As for the discussion on vaccines... Ugh, nobody here talked to me about this at all! I also didn't get a swab for GBS. I read online, and it seems it's just not done here. Maybe it's a less common disease over here? I saw my OB last week (37 weeks) and I asked about all the BHs I'd been having (I had two nights in a row with lots of them). He said "Yeah, that's what's supposed to happen at this point. You'll be going into labor soon." So I asked what I was supposed to do if they got worse, to which he said "you go to L&D and give birth". At the end of the appt he said to me "I hope you have an easy delivery. I'll see you 6 weeks after." OMG!!! Is that it!? What's wrong with this picture!? I am having my first baby in a couple of weeks, and no one seems to be concerned about this at all.
Sorry for the rant. It's just that I am REALLY close to the wire and I am getting totally freaked out! I'm terrified of the whole process, mostly because I don't know when I should go to the hospital. Worst of all, I just can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that I am going to be a mommy in a matter of weeks! Oh, man...
Any advice will be warmly received!

[knutfugget]

Appt did not go well. Not feeling social, hence lack of personals.

BP was 117/78. Better, but not great. All restrictions remain. I gained 6 lbs in ONE WEEK and they still won't let me go to the gym. Want to scream and cry right about now. Thinking of just going anyway.

I'm spilling sugar in my urine, so they want me to take the 3 hr glucose test yet again. WTF?! Just write me the ****ing Rx for the monitor and call it good. I'm tired of playing pin cushion. I was not polite when they asked when was "convenient" to come back for another 3 hr test. I just did it two weeks ago, so how about never? That sounds good.

Baby is head down, measuring 34 weeks.

They mentioned induction. They think if the pre-e doesn't get me, gd will.

[JE1014]

Knut - Sorry about your lousy appt. Just remember, it's not anything you did or anything you could have prevented. Hang in there and even if it sucks, follow their recommendations. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow, when I have my next appointment and my BP is probably going to be an issue (but mine's been worse than yours..... 130/90.....yuck!)

Robyn - Congrats on being so close. Everything you're about to go through is instinctual. Your body knows how to give birth just like you'll know how to be a great mommy. The reason no one makes a big deal over there is because giving birth is a natural occurrence. It seems like only in the US do women having babies get treated like "medical emergencies". It's probably because of our serious issue with malpractice laws in this country. You'll know when it's time to go to the hospital, and if you're not certain, call when things start feeling like it's go time! I understand your concern, I'm a natural born worry-wart, so to combat it I've been doing a lot of relaxation exercises and birth affirmation reading/reciting and it honestly seems to be helping me. I've read and am re-reading "HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method" by Marie Mongan. Besides the "gentle birth method" the book focuses on, there are some great relaxation exercises in there that if you practice them ahead of time, they'll help you immensely. There's also a lot of information on what exactly your body is going through when you start going into labor and it might help you to understand the process so you aren't so terrified of it.

RJ - Sorry about the UTI. All I've ever heard was drink a lot of water and empty your bladder regularly, even if you don't have the urge. Cravings: Chipotle Burritos! Sex: I'd rather pass. I must be the only woman in the world who's sex drive left when the positive pregnancy test showed up. I really hope it comes back someday....I miss having the desire.

Meggie - I'm still on every 2 week appts. I guess twice the babies, twice the dr apts. I do have an US tomorrow that I'm excited about. Haven't seen her in 10 weeks now! I'll start weekly apts and NSTs at 34 weeks unless my BP goes berzerk before then. Got my flu shot last visit (I normally don't get one, but I felt like it wasn't my health I was as concerned about any more). Anyone know how long the tdap is good for? I'm pretty sure I got one about 18 months ago. How frequently are you supposed to get them?

Christina - Sorry about the stomach flu. I had some sorta virus or food poisioning or something a few weeks back and it was just miserable. My husband was constantly yelling at me to keep hydrating myself...he probably saved me a trip to the ER for IV fluids. It was the worst I've ever had it in my life! Being pregnant doesn't make anything easier!!! I'm getting excited about my shower. It's so hard not to look over my registry to see what's been purchase already.....I'm so bad with waiting to be surprised!

Vicky - Welcome back! I remember you as caber. Here's hoping you have an easy third tri!

If I missed anyone,....thinking of all of you always! Hoping everyone is feeling good these days!

[Meggiejen]

Christina - sorry if my post came off kinda preachy. I didn't mean to imply that you weren't for vaccinating or anything. Im sorry if it did. It was more a general rant I guess than an actual reply lol. I just know a ton of people aren't comfortable vaccinating their children anymore. Which is fine if that's the choice they want to make. I just wish more adults took more responsibility for their own vaccinations. But honestly most people don't know that they need boosters and the only vaccinations people hear about regularly are the flu shots.

Knut - Im really sorry your appointment didn't go well. You're blood pressure looks good! Do they not like the diastolic??? I think it looks good, but my standards aren't OB standards I guess. Can you refuse the 3hr and just tell them to write you the script?? It seems pretty ridiculous to make you retake that test when you just did it 2 weeks ago and you are spilling glucose. Personally, I would push for the monitor and forget the 3hr, but I am a brat about that stuff. I actually told my doctor before the 1hr that I would not do the 3hr period and if I failed the 1hr i was going to just call it a fail and we would treat it. I really didn't give her a lot of room to argue it and she said thats fine because I was willing to treat.

RJ's sorry you had to visit L&D. Its not the most fun place to be when its not time for the baby. I don't really think there is a good way to prevent pregnancy associated UTI's. Just make sure you are wearing breathable cotton undies, keep things dry down there and try and keep your bladder empty. Our hormones are so wacky there isn't really much else we can do I don't think.

On the Tdap... I think its good for 5 years. I would ask your doc about the pertussis part of that though. I worked for a hospital a few years ago that was insistent we get Tdap's yearly for the pertussis component. I refused. At the time I worked only with adults and had no kids and was not around kids. I really don't know how accurate they were with their vaccination BS though. I think they wanted me to get revaccinated for Hep B too, and I still had immunity to it so I didn't need to repeat it. LOL I only worked there for 3 months, they were ridiculous.

AFM - Babies behaved today and I got my NST over in like 20 mins!! I was so happy, it took forever last time and I felt like poopy today. Good OB appointment. I absolutely hate my weight right now. I have gained 60lbs which isn't bad for twins. But UGH I hate the number on the scale. I know its ok and I know its because Im pregnant, but UGH terrible numbers to look at. On the plus side BOTH babies were head down. Not quite in the right positions yet but heads were down!!! Now they just need to tweak it a little so they are both vertex and then not move again! LOL good luck to me on that one.

[corinna]

Hey ladies TGIF!!!:p

Pjs' Congrats on your new baby girl!:D

Flutter- Wow girl, you are busy! Glad to hear your shower went well, it sooo helps to have them! You can get a flu shot for $20 at your local CVS or Walgreens.

Knut- ugh.....I'm sorry about your last appt....no matter what our desires are, a healthy baby in the end is all we can ask for....keep your chin up!;)

Minipie- ouch! sorry to hear about your hubby!

Vicky- Welcome back!

RJ- Sex??? what's that?? lol!!!

I am so psyched to begin the count down now that I'm 30 wks! Trying to plan for all the family that is going to be here for this baby's birth as she will be the last grandchild so, I think everyone wants to be here...the kids will love it that's for sure!....not so sure about hubby and I! lol! Anyway, everything is looking great, Alexis is a busy baby! Ordered my baby bag and her fleece bunting today from Columbia...still have a diaper genie, a swing and a few toy things to pick up but other than that, we are ready to go! Hoping to find them at a consignment shop...need to begin looking again. Feeling more comfortable lately...I noticed I carry low so maybe that's why but my sciatica is SOOO much better! Have a great weekend everyone! I'll be working!:rolleyes:

[Christina M]

Knut~ I know its sucks to listen to what the dr tells us but you are always there. Keep your butt outta the gym!! :P Im sorry things arent as good as you would like them right now....HUGS!!!

Meggie~ No you didnt LOL I just wanted to make sure my post came across right, haha. I know sometimes dont come across the right way online. The pediatrician I met with said the Tdap booster is a one time thing for adults but you still need the tetnus portion again. Not sure how true that is because it seems to be other drs say different things. Are you planning a vaginal birth?

JE~ I did the same thing with DS and my baby registry LOL Its hard NOT to! I also hate surprises and its just so exciting! Cant wait to see pics from your shower.

Rj~ The only thing that comes to mind to prevent UTI is cranberry juice. Oh and on the sex ? HAHAHA last time DH was more freaked out of hurting the baby so I dont think thats gonna happen..not to mention its difficult to find a position. On your side is suppose to be the easiest. HAHA

Robyn~ I agree wtih JE...the US does treat labor and births like a disease or emergency. I was so terrified when I had DS but the most amazing thing Ive ever experienced happened....my body totally took over, I was the calmest I have been in my ENTIRE life!!! It was hard to explain I almost felt drugged up (which I wasnt) and it was the most natural thing ever. I really cant explain it but it was so awesome. I remember back and think how awesome our bodies are! You will be great...let your body do what it knows to do :)

AFM...30 weeks today :) really feeling the need to get the nursery together but it is still a construction zone. DH wil be putting the hardwood floors in on the 2nd so hopefully I can get in there and get it done then :) That would make me feel much better and prepared

[Meggiejen]

Christina - I have no idea what the real deal is with the Tdap. Too many people say too many different things. UGH... I wish they would all just make up their minds. I should probably check the cdc site. But I am so lazy lately I dont wanna lol. We are hoping for a vaginal delivery. I don't want a c/s if I don't need it. I don't want anything really unless I need it lol.

AFM - These bi-weekly NST's are going to drive me nuts. At this point I don't feel like I need them. But I know that if something happened I would never forgive myself if I didn't do them. I took a couple new belly pics Ill toss on the pic thread. Ugh, my nerve block seems to have finally worn off so I have been battling migraines the last 2 days. Tylenol does is junk and does nothing for them. Gotta make yet another doctors appointment next week :p

Meagan

[Robyn147]

Hey Girls!

Guess what? I guess my baby decided he'd had enough of me, because I gave birth this morning at 7:50 AM!!!

I will probably post the birth story on the pregnancy board later today or tomorrow. In short, I was in L&D for about 21 hours, and am now in the maternity ward. Baby is okay and just about as cute as can be. :-)

[Christina M]

ROBYN....CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!! Cant wait to read your birth story and see pictures!!!

[rjsmamma]

Congrats Robyn!:) I am looking forward to the story and picts also!

Because of all the stories latley of ladies having babies early, I have decided to get my tired butt in gear and get stuff done today and this next week in the babies room. Baby Weston could be here anytime, but hopefully not for at least 4 more weeks. But I wouldnt be suprised if this plump tank was early.

:confused:What do you ladies think? Will you be early, late or on-time?:confused:

[flutter]

Yay robyn!!! So happy for you :) can't wait to hear details and see pics!

Rjs
When did you go with ds1? I'm wondering if I'll go early too. All I know for sure is that she's definetly coming on time. I would be really Happy with a Halloween baby tho :)

[minipie]

Ahh!! Robyn! Congratulations!!! I am so glad to hear that your little boy has arrived and that you're doing well. Can't wait to read your story and see pics! What's the little guy's name?

Congrats again! So happy for you! :)

[JE1014]

Yippe Robyn!!! Can't wait to hear your story!

Do we have any more October babies? Or are we waiting a while for the next baby to arrive?

I'm telling myself that I'm not going before my due date of 12/1. I really want that December baby, but after my appt on Friday.....who knows. We had an US and she measures 3lbs 12oz. Everything else looks great, but based on measurements she's about a week ahead of herself. Which I guess is probably a blessing, because my BP isn't doing so great. At the office I was 140/80. I'm hanging out at about 130/90 at home still. The midwife has me all nervous now about pre-e, but there's still no signs of proteins or any other symptoms than the HBP (which in all reality - cuz of my chronic HBP, 130/90 isn't that high for me when I'm not pregnant, so I've decided I'm not going to worry about it and push it any higher).

I'm with you RJ.....I have got to get moving on getting the baby's room ready. You never know what could happen!!!

[flutter]

OMG, I just realized that Robyn having her LO puts Meggie and I at the top of the list :eek:

JE
I hope your BP stays steady. Mine is always between 115/70 and 120/80... I always feel like that's pretty normal, but I've been noticing that when these other ladies are in for their NSTs at the same time as me their levels are WAY lower than mine.

Which leads me to another question... Does anyone else have to do their NST with other people in the room? They make us share an office. They don't even have a room divider, curtain or anything. On Thursday this lady brought her 1year old which I can understand having to do, but she left her in the stroller and basically let her sit and cry the whole time... wonder why my BP was up a bit higher than usual?

[pjs3902]

robyn- CONGRATS MOMMA!!! can't wait for the baby story!!!`

[knutfugget]

Robyn Congrats!!! :)

Re: going early I'm hoping for 38 weeks. I don't want to have her too soon, don't want to go all the way to 40. :p

***
Holy crap! Ticker is in the 8th month!

[Meggiejen]

Robyn- CONGRATS!!!! I can't wait to read your birth story!! So glad that you are doing well.

I need to get my butt in gear and work more on the babies stuff. The room is painted and the furniture is together but I have bags and bags of stuff that still needs to be laundered and put away. I NEED to clean my car big time and get the car seats installed too. My car is such a mess, UGH I hate cleaning it. Its still hotter than heck here too. But if I take it somewhere they never get the pet hair so I have to vacuum it myself at the very least.

I have no idea when Im going to have these 2. I was so paranoid about PTL, but now I am thinking they are never coming on their own. They seem too comfy in there. I only know that I am not making it to 11/13. My doc won't let me go past 10/31. So they are evicted on halloween if they don't come on their own. But in reality Ill be 'full term' at 35 wks. If we go into labor then I am going to ask them to stop it if possible. I just feel more comfortable with 36wks than 35. But twins just don't bake as long.

On NST's, they have individual rooms at my hospital for them. It would bug me if i had to be in a room with other patients for them. And they ask medical history questions every time I go, so that would bug me like none other answering in front of other patients.

Meagan

[pjs3902]

flutter- my dr does nst's at his office and it's a small room with two recliners and two machines-- no dividers. they're wonderful about scheduling only one at a time though-- and oh- i so would not have taken aundra with me!!
the hospital does nst's in a patient room- and they're all private.

meggie- the countdown is on girl! hope you make it another 2.5wks! :) good luck with the car cleaning... dh had to prepare ours since i was bedresting...

knut- hope you make it to 38!

[corinna]

Robyn- CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Suprised that my siblings are trying to get a family get together for the birth of Alexis! One is in AZ, another in VT and the other two, (myself) and eldest are here in N.C. We will see....really don't want chaos...just a nice quiet birth w/ my kids, Ben and parents...we'll see...OB appt in the a.m.

F.Y.I.: Toys r us is having a huge sale on baby items! Alot of buy 1 get 1 and buy1 get one 1/2 off!

[flutter]

corinna
Hope everyone can make it down for the birth and manage to not add more stress to your life at the same time :)

***Apologies for the rant in advance***
So I need to use you guys as a sounding board b/c I'm starting to question whether I'm being absurd or that my feelings are warranted. I have had 3 NST's so far. The first one was fairly un-eventful although I had to wait a while b/c the scheduling lady gave me the wrong time so I was an hour late and they had to squeeze me in. Mistakes happen so I let it slide. NST #2, I got in about 20 min after my appointment and then the nurse kept leaving for 15-20 min at a time so she didn't realize that the monitor wasn't picking up the HB the first 20 min session b/c she wasn't in the room for any of it to notice. It resulted in having to do more than twice the amount of monitoring. I could get her HB if I pressed the monitor down so I did that quite a bit, but apparently the results weren't as good as she would have liked so I had to stay longer. The third one this morning I showed up 5 min early and signed in. The NST nurse came out 20 min after my appointment and called someone else back and then said "Oh are you here for an NST too? Did you sign in?" So no one at the desk bothered to pull my chart so I was there long enough to have finished the appointment before I even got back. She finally called me back and got me setup. I was already angry about the mix up since it seems to be a trend with my Dr's office. She puts me on the monitor and then again leaves for 20 min. During the time the monitor was sort of picking things up and sort of not so I ended up holding it down most of the time to make sure I didn't have to do more time than necessary. When the nurse came back in she checked my BP and it was 133/89 (it's only been that high one other time which was when I had a bleeding scare at 16 weeks). She asked me if my BP med had been changed and I said that I wasn't on one, but that I was angry so that's probably why it was up she asked me what was wrong and since I knew it would only make things worse I just told her that I didn't want to talk about it she said the baby looked great and I had 5 more min. She then proceeded to leave for another 20 min. She came back in and said "oh it looks like you're ready to go, but let me check your BP again" this time it was 142/80 she said that was better and then left the room for another 10 min. So basically I sat back there for an extra 25 min for no explainable reason. Every minute of time that I'm there I have to make up at work which is already feeling impossible plus i risk getting into trouble. Am I just being unrealistic that they should be respectful of the fact that people have other things to do? Maybe I need to be put on some sort of medication to help me chill out. I feel like these stress tests are doing more damage than good for my baby b/c they get me so upset every time.

I think the whole reason that I get so upset is b/c it's like some sort of fiasco happens EVERY time I go to any sort of appointment. I've waited more than an hour past several appointments, I've had a nurse ask me when my last period was when I came in for a 23 week appointment (she was holding my chart in her hand), I've had them completely forget that they put me in a room, I've had them mis-schedule and then get pissed at me b/c I was early or late for an appointment even when I show them the appointment card with things that THEY wrote down for me, i've had them tell me I was wrong about which dr i was there to see, I've even had them completely mis-date my pregnancy and then tell me that I was a moron when I said they had me a month further ahead than I actually was... That's not even all of the issues and doesn't include the number of staff, nurses and docs who have been complete jerks to me. I'm just sort of at a loss about it all and I feel like to some degree I might be blowing everything out of proportion, but then at the same time I think I've never had this issue with my RE's office or any other dr I've ever been to see. Does anyone have any thoughts on the situation? Am i just supposed to switch drs this late in the game? I really do like my OB when things go right... it's just that everyone else is ridiculous and I keep getting this nagging feeling that I'm going to go into L&D and someone is going to forget I was there and my husband is going to have to deliver our baby b/c he's the only one I can get to pay attention to me.

Sorry for the novel.

[knutfugget]

flutter So sorry you're feeling so stressed! It's hard when someone keeps screwing up all the time. I think part of it is that we do tend to have less patience towards the end of pg, but that is just nuts to leave you sitting around like that. I would have said something so they know how upset you are. When my dr's office screws up like that, I make sure to let them know. I hope things improve soon!

corrina The get together sounds fun. :) Good luck at your appt.

Meggie I know a few ladies with twins that made it to term, so you never know! :)

Hi to everyone! I keep falling behind. Just so many things going on. If I'm not at one dr (chiropractor) or the other (midwife), I'm busy with the kids. :p

***
Next appt is Wednesday. I'm checking my sugar #'s at home to take in for that. So far, they've all been just fine - nothing higher than 116 an hour after eating. The one midwife I spoke to said that I could spill sugar in my urine from being IR and that it doesn't necessarily mean I have GD. Wouldn't that be nice if that's all it turns out to be?

Anybody else having lots of pain/pressure "down there" lately? I swear sometimes it feels like this kid is going to fall out! :p Going to ask about it Wed along with requesting an u/s to find out if I have excess fluid or if it's really the baby measuring 3+ weeks big...

Less than 6 weeks til full-term. The countdown is ON. :p lol

[Meggiejen]

Corina - I hope you get the birth you want. Its nice that the family is trying to get together but not necessarily the best timing for a family reunion.

Flutter - OMG I would have already been to the director and back. I understand having to wait sometimes and the occasional scheduling error. That stuff happens. But disrespectful staff, inconsiderate nurses, general rudeness, absolutely not. I think you need to have a chat with your OB. I would honestly ask him if the NST's are really even necessary or just part of their protocol. If you don't really need them, then why keep putting yourself through it. A lot of the time if a physician knows that their patients are not pleased with a location or person they will say something to the people in charge. And when they talk it gets heard. But you need to talk to the director as well. Its just not appropriate. And it won't get fixed unless you say something. Me personally, I would say something to whom ever I was dealing with if I felt it was inappropriate or if I was waiting as long as you say you've been. Behavior changes fast a lot of times when its called out. I've taken care of a lot of patients who were deemed 'difficult' by other nurses because they had expressed dis-satisfaction in something or because they had certain expectations. But honestly, it makes it easier for me as a nurse if I know that stuff. If something happened you weren't happy about, I can fix it, avoid it, or explain it and if you have particular expectations, if I know them I can meet them. Saves me a lot of stress and drama, and saves my patient the same. Its terrible when they don't say anything then suddenly blow up because it finally gets too much. So much harder to address then.

Knut - I hope your next appointment goes better than the last one. And its awesome to hear your sugars are behaving.

AFM - NST went well today. Babies cooperated, surprisingly. Had an ultrasound right before to check fluid levels and they always get riled up after an ultrasound. The poor nurse only had to chase them a little bit. I did have 2 contractions while on the monitors, no surprise there. I had to actually take a terbutaline last night because they were 10 mins apart and not going away. A couple really strong ones too. But the terb does the trick for me so they didn't start back up until NST time. So far they aren't bad so just playing wait and see. But good news, the girls and BOTH head down and A is getting 'pretty low'. WOOHOO!!! Thats the 2nd ultrasound in a row where they are BOTH head down. Yikes, I just realized what time it is, gotta go get DH from the airport. Have a great day ladies.

Meagan

[corinna]

Knutfugget- I have been having pressure, "down there" for months now!:( Gravity, third child and all is what my OB says...lately, when I'm sitting on the toilet, I'm afraid to push for fear that she'll drop out! I told my Ob this and she got a good laugh. She said, "I promise you she won't come out". After working a twelve hour shift, I am literally THROBBING!!! I can feel the swelling...furthermore, I got out a handy mirror and took a look one day after a shower and the nice swollen black and blue look is anything but attractive! lol!!! Oh the joys of pregnancy!!! :p I work my twelves on sat and sun so the week is a very welcomed relief! Took a nice hot bath, kicked my feet up all day in the recliner while hubby worked and did the grocery shopping....paradise!;)

[vicky1979]

Robyn, Congratulations! I am looking forward to reading your story too!!!

[knutfugget]

Corinna Thanks for that! I don't remember this much pressure until later with the other two. Guess that's part of being on #3, lol? ;)

Meggie Woohoo for a pleasant NST and babies being head down! :)

***
Nothing really new here. Bp check looked pretty good today. Next baby appt is tomorrow.

These last few weeks of pg are going to drag on by, I can feel it. I'm getting anxious to get to the "finish" and meet this baby! Since this is our last, I do think I'll miss being pg a little, but I'm definitely getting ready to be done. ;)

[flutter]

Knut
I hope your appointment goes well today. Sounds like the sugar in your urine was a fluke thing. Let us know how things go! As far as pressure goes, I had a week or two of feeling like she was right on top of my pelvic bone... then it seemed like she moved and things felt much better again.

Meggie
Thanks a ton for your post. Advice coming from a nurse makes me feel MUCH better about my feelings about the whole thing. I actually would have loved to talk to my nurse about what my issues were, but when I get angry/upset I start crying and have a hard time calming down. I knew if I went into it with her I would just end up making my blood pressure go even higher. I'm glad your NST went well. How have you been doing with contractions these past few days?


I plan to write everything down about my experiences with the NSTs and my appointments in general and talk to my OB on Friday. I'm planning to ask if I can do one NST a week unless there are issues at which point we could up the number. Hopefully I'll get somewhere if I can keep myself from being emotional and just go into it level headed like I feel right now. Unfortunately the likelihood that something will go wrong and set me off before my appointment is pretty high :(

Hope everyone is having a good week! I have been so busy every evening that I'm feeling super drained today. Hopefully I'll be able to get some good sleep tonight.

[corinna]

Had my O.B. appt yesterday...baby Alexis's heart rate definately takes after my husband...if you were to judge her sex on that alone, you would think she was a boy; always in the 130's. My Bp remains 100/62, she is no longer measuring two wks ahead but right on target and i have gained one pound, which i was really suprised because i am ALWAYS hungry!!! I guess i can contibute that to the diabetic diet i have been following w/ some cheats here and there. other than that she is still head down and my thyroid test came back w/in normal limits, (i tend to border on hypoactive usually)....so, thankfully, all is well....like you knut, i'm getting anxious now! :)

hope you all are having a great day!!!:D

[knutfugget]

Corinna Glad all looks well! :) And anxious for sure. I'm getting so excited to get to the end and meet her. :)

flutter Hope you can get the NST stuff situated better. :)

***
Copied from blog:
Weight: -2 (35 total)
Blood Pressure: 118/70
Baby's HB: 145 bpm
Measuring: 32 cm (perfect)
Position: head down, diagonal

Everything looked good today. Urine test was negative for sugar! All my sugar levels for the past week have been perfect, so definitely not gestational diabetes. I won't be having to redo the glucose test, woohoo!

Sophie was positioned different this week, so it was hard to measure her. The midwife says she estimates her to weigh 3.5 lbs or so from what she could feel. Her head is still down in my pelvis, but not locked into position for birth yet. We're not dilating more, but my cervix has gone soft in preparation for it. Only a few more weeks until full-term! If Sophie is still looking big at the next appt, we'll be scheduling an ultrasound to check on her.

My blood pressure has been looking ok for the last week, so all restrictions are being lifted! I can go back to the gym (within reason) and am on every two week appointments instead of every week! At least for the month of October... then I'll be so far along that I'm back to every week, but I'm enjoying the break from driving to Salt Lake all the time.

[Meggiejen]

Corina - good news on the appointment!! Yay!

Knut - same to you!! So glad your sugars are good your BP is good. You'll probably be even better now that your restrictions are lifted. Good to hear your LO is head down, even if she isn't engaged yet.

Flutter - you definitely deserve better than you have gotten. I understand the not being able to talk about it at the moment. I get like that when I am frustrated. If i get frustrated enough I will just cry and then I feel like a jackass. But definitely talk to your doctor, and then maybe call and talk to the person in charge of the NST location. The only way things change is to say something. If it doesn't improve for you, maybe the next woman will have a better experience because you chose to say something instead of just accept it.

AFM - I am doing ok. Been contracting a lot more this week than the last several. I had to take a terbutaline to stop them Sunday night. Haven't needed another but still contracting. Just nothing regular or close together. Some have actually hurt though. I think these 2 are trying to tell me something. I just need to keep my legs crossed for 1 more week and we are 'full term' for twinkies. 2 more weeks and I will be a very happy camper. I honestly can't believe I am actually down to a couple weeks. Its crazy. Nesting is kicking in full swing because I am starting to freak out about how close things are. Still haven't packed a bag. I am feeling superstitious with that and if I pack I think I am going to need it. So I am holding off. Have an NST in the morning, hopefully things still look good.

Meagan

[vicky1979]

What do you ladies know about low potassium? My doctor phoned me yesterday b/c my potassium levels are low, and she wants to speak to me. I have been looking around on the internet, but I haven't found too much. I'm really freaked out, and worried that I may be hurting the baby somehow.... Have any of you ladies had low potassium during pregnancy before?

I also found out that my blood sugars came back high from the results of the glucose test. I guess she will send me for the 3 hour test??? Do many of you have issues with your sugar levels?

This is SO stressful for me, as I'm really afraid that I could be doing something to hurt my baby! I would really hate for that to happen!!!!! My appointment is not until this afternoon, and the time is going by so slowly - can hardly take it!!!!! :(

[flutter]

corinna
So glad everything looks good! that's an awesome BP level!

knut
So glad everything looks good on the GD front. That's great that you get to go back to the gym too! Don't over do it though :)

Meggie
Hope your NST goes well this morning. I hear you on the nesting bug. I've been freaking out about how much stuff there is to do... Of course then I just sit and do nothing b/c I'm so drained after work. lol DH is ready to kill me most of the time! I can't believe you'll be full term in 2 weeks!!!

Vicky
Sorry I don't know anything about the low potassium. I would try not to do too much research online until you get to talk to your dr. No need stressing yourself out w/out cause. As far as the sugar levels go, I failed my 1 hr test. I opted to just treat it as me having GD since I didn't want to go through the torture of the 3 hr test. it's a pain, but things have gone well most of the time. I'm checking levels 4x's per day and keeping my carbs to no more than 45 grams per meal/snack... eating all carbs with protein, etc. it's not fun, but if it keeps this baby healthy and makes the likelihood of a natural delivery higher for me it is sooo worth it. I'm super glad that she'll be here before thanksgiving though :)


AFM, I was really uncomfortable yesterday evening. No contractions or anything like that, just felt really huge all of the sudden... I went to take a nap and I couldn't really breath laying down. It was almost like she had shoved herself up against my lungs or something. I couldn't really set up or roll over very easily either. I felt like I had a board strapped to my abdomen that was keeping me from bending. Eventually it got a little better, but I did not like the feeling and I hope it's not something that happens every night. This morning I feel back to normal. My 6 year wedding anniversary is on Saturday so I'm trying to figure out what we're going to do that will be fun but won't make me feel exhausted.

Hope everyone has a great Thursday!!!

[rjsmamma]

Good morning Ladies,

I am so glad to hear that things are looking good for most of you ladies.

Corinna & Knut- Glad to hear things are looking up with you two. Time to relax a little and enjoy these last few weeks.

Flutter- I hope you have better NST in the future. I feel bad that you are having such a bad experience. I went in to L&D for mine and was in a room by myself and it was so nice and peaceful and was actually quite quick. I think I was in there a total of 45 minutes, and the delay was because I had to change and finish my lunch lol. Like you I have had a few nights where I cannot bend my tummy at all. I asked my OB and she said he is wedging himself on top of one side of my pelvis across to the other side under my ribs. It totally explains the feelings I have had. She showed me that next time it happens to put my hands on my ribs and gently push to make him move and roll side to side every 5 minutes. I will let you know if it works.

Vicky- I hope your apt goes well today and that you have nothing to worry about. I will keep an eye out for an update. My potassium has always been borderline low but my doctors just tell me I need to eat more bananas and other potassium rich foods in my daily diet. I honestly try, but I don’t always get what I need.

Meggie- Wow, so close! I am also nesting like crazy. My house is cleaned daily, dinner is made, my husband and son both get lunches made each morning, babies room is getting final touches, DS room is getting cleaned out (again). I just can’t stop, unless I am sleeping.

AFM- Well other than the uncomfortable nights sometimes and the nesting mentioned above, we are doing well. I am losing weight and eating more. I don’t get it. In the last 3 weeks I have lost 3 pounds and eaten non-stop, small portions, but non-stop. It’s crazy. I am walking more now that I have been lifted off my restrictions, so I think that might be part of it, but I am only walking 1 mile 3 x's a week. Anyone else losing weight?

I am getting super excited about Saturday, My Baby Shower! I have about 25 ladies coming to my house and I can’t wait to see them all and enjoy their company. Have you ladies had your showers yet? I can’t wait to get all the goodies I registered for and the stuff I didn’t.

Oh, one night last week I leaned back on DH and my tummy was tensed up and you could actually see baby weston's back in me. He is head down and you could totally see his outline. It was so wierd. That same night he was super active and DH got to finally watch and feel how hard he kicks me. It kinda grossed him out, but in a good way. It is always reassuring to see him do funny movements.

Do you ladies have your bags packed yet? I have been puting one together for some time, but I keep seeing lists and now I feel overwhelmed. Any suggestions other than the basics, tolitries and baby stuff? I love the tennis ball idea from PJ to throw at the sleeping DH...I have those in there for sure!

[Meggiejen]

Flutter - sorry you were uncomfortable last night. I was getting that way a LOT while. I think these 2 have officially dropped though so my rib doesnt hurt nearly as much. But my issue is that one of the babies would be really high and literally just push on the left side of my rib cage. It literally felt like she was trying to separate a rib on that side. Talk about OUCH!! Made sleeping a nightmare. I had to be propped up in a slightly side lying position to get her to move off it. Or I would just sit with my hand on top of her trying to push her down. Getting on all 4s and doing the cat pose from yoga kinda helped. LOL I was doing that for a while trying to get them to flip.

Rj's - So exciting for the baby shower!! I hope you get some good stuff and most importantly have a great time with your friends and family. How awesome your DH got to see and feel your LO. LOL my DH thinks its kinda creepy too. LOL he just looks at my belly when they are moving and goes 'Ugh!!' and laughs. Its cute.

Vicky - low potassium can be a problem, but its fixable, so don't worry too much. Its a really important electrolyte and is essential for cardiac and muscle function. Depending on how low it is you may be able to correct it with just diet, or you may require supplements. I wouldn't take a potassium supplement without a doctors recommendation though because high potassium can be dangerous just like low potassium. But there are lots of potassium rich foods. Bananas are the most known, but oranges have more potassium. Some veggies and I think potatoes and even french fries (yum!). Do a google search for potassium rich foods and you should come up with a bunch! I wouldn't worry too much about your potassium though. If it was critically low I would think your doctor would have has you in right away. If you have been vomiting or had diarrhea lately that can effect your electrolyte levels. And if you have been drinking a lot lately and peeing a lot that will definitely do it. You can flush potassium out of your system with water, same with sodium. With the glucose, if it was your 1hr don't worry too much about it. A lot of people fail the 1hr gtt and pass the 3hr. Some people opt to skip the 3hr and just treat their glucose levels as if they had GD, like flutter does. I personally would opt to just treat it, that was my plan if I had failed the 1hr. It doesn't hurt to check your sugars and modify your diet even if your sugars are fine. Its just time consuming. Hope some of that info helped you out. Good luck at your next appointment.

AFM - NST went well. Babies seem to be pretty low. Which is good. Back I go next monday, hooray hooray :p Have an actual OB appointment on Friday so we will see where that takes us. DH is cute. He finished vacuuming my car for me last night and even took the car seats out of the box and put them in my car. Didn't install them but put them in there. I think hes getting excited. He got offered an additional leg on the tour he was scheduled for in Nov. So he will now be gone for roughly 6wks beginning in nov. He might get to come home for a few days somewhere in the middle though. Kind of bummed hes going to be gone for so long so soon after the babies. But it is what it is. We need the money and he likes his work. So, I will take it.

Meagan

[vicky1979]

Hello ladies,
Thank you SO much for the advice!!
My appt yesterday went well, and my worries have calmed down.
The doctor told me that my potassium level was just a little bit below the threshold, and is nothing to worry about. She told me to eat a few bananas, and the day they drew the blood was probably just an off day.
She also recommended that I do the three hour glucose tolerance test, so I did that today. She said they usually test anything over 7.7, and mine was 7.8, so it is not too crazy. Hopefully the results of this test come back okay. I really don't think I can drink anymore of that drink - it is gross!!!
Thanks again for advice everyone, it is greatly appreciated!!!