"Just Barely" Pregnant PS''ers

[Buttons]

Amc your bump is adorable!

Kunzite yippee for two boys!!! You will have your hands full but they will worship their Mommy, little boys are so cute

Missrachel very exciting you got to see the heartbeat, woohoo!

Monkeyprincess keep the faith, we are all rooting for you and for your little bean

AFM still wiped out from that evil headache. Morning sickness has returned with a vengeance, along with some impressive stretching/twinging stuff down below and some nasty back twinges. I feel like such an old crock!!!

 

[Puppmom]

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Kunzite! I'm so happy for you. Three little guys. Life is going to be hectic but awesome!

Buttons, I stink at the new user name game. I wish I knew who you were! Congratulations!

Fisher, I still like to come here to give myself a virtual *pinch*. I still love reading that you're pregnant!

 

[Loves Vintage]

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Kunzite, YAY!!! Three little boys!!! So sweet!! You know what I thought, Yay, the twins will be able to wear O's cute little sweater rompers!! Haha! I don't even know how far along you are. So, how far along are you? Seems to be going so fast!!

MissRachel, Ahhh, seeing the heartbeat!! Sounds like you're a busy lady and have a lot planned in the upcoming months!! Have fun growing that baby! Now is the best time, but it gets better and better each day. My baby is just shy of 13 months, and it is all just such a wonder!! Yay for Mommyhood!

MP, So happy to see that things are continuing to go well. This has been such a rollercoaster for you. Hope it is all smooth sailing here on out, and you have a supereasy pregnancy. I think I lucked out in the pregnancy department and had few symptoms. I never missed 'em! I figured it was my time for things to be easy since I had a hard time getting preggo! Can't wait til you get your U/S!

Buttons, I remember you!! So happy to read your news, but sorry to hear you are feeling like an old crock at the moment! Hoping things even out a bit for you soon. Oh, I do remember those stretchy feelings though. Nature is a wondrous thing, eh?

 

[monkeyprincess]

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Ladies, I need advice. Ever since that spotting on Monday, my anxiety has been through the roof. Nothing has changed, but due to the prior spotting and lack of any symptoms, I have myself convinced there is not going to be a fetal pole and/or heartbeat. I'm just so anxious. I don't have an ultrasound scheduled until a week from tomorrow, and I don't know how I'm going to wait that long. Do you think I should call to see if they can get me in sooner. I know there is a risk they won't see a heartbeat if I go in too soon, but I am so worried that I can't seem to concentrate on anything else.

 

[amc80]

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Ladies, I need advice. Ever since that spotting on Monday, my anxiety has been through the roof. Nothing has changed, but due to the prior spotting and lack of any symptoms, I have myself convinced there is not going to be a fetal pole and/or heartbeat. I'm just so anxious. I don't have an ultrasound scheduled until a week from tomorrow, and I don't know how I'm going to wait that long. Do you think I should call to see if they can get me in sooner. I know there is a risk they won't see a heartbeat if I go in too soon, but I am so worried that I can't seem to concentrate on anything else.

What if you get an u/s sooner and don't see a hb because it may or may not be too early? Will that just increase your anxiety even more? Then you'd still have to wait a week to get another u/s. How far along are you now?

 

[ChinaCat]

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MonkeyPrincess- Oh honey. I'm sorry you're so anxious. I don't know- my honest answer is no, I wouldn't. Because chances are you won't be able to see anything and I think you'd be even more stressed out. But I know that doesn't help you, so I don't know. How do you think you'll feel if you can't see anything?

No symptoms means NOTHING!!!! I never felt any symptoms any of my pregnancies until at least 6 weeks or later. Even then, it was mild tiredness, hung over feeling- I never had a lot of the symptoms many people have. I wouldn't have known I was pregnant unless I'd taken a test. And spotting is normal. But I know that doesn't relieve the what ifs? Do you think you could call your doctor and tell her/him how you are feeling, see what they say? Hugs hugs hugs.

 

[Loves Vintage]

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MP, If your anxiety is that high, then yes, I think you should call. At the very least, you should be able to speak with a doctor who should be able to help you feel at least a little bit better about things. I know everyone is different, and I'm sure some people will say no you shouldn't call, but for me, well, I do. As much as I like talking to people, like me, about stuff on-line, I also really really appreciate having access to highly trained medical professionals who can speak to me from their experience. I really encourage you to call. It sounds like you are suffering a bit, and I don't want you to! I've had my issues with anxiety over the years, and so, I totally get it. Call.

 

[S&I]

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Ladies, I need advice. Ever since that spotting on Monday, my anxiety has been through the roof. Nothing has changed, but due to the prior spotting and lack of any symptoms, I have myself convinced there is not going to be a fetal pole and/or heartbeat. I'm just so anxious. I don't have an ultrasound scheduled until a week from tomorrow, and I don't know how I'm going to wait that long. Do you think I should call to see if they can get me in sooner. I know there is a risk they won't see a heartbeat if I go in too soon, but I am so worried that I can't seem to concentrate on anything else.

What if you get an u/s sooner and don't see a hb because it may or may not be too early? Will that just increase your anxiety even more? Then you'd still have to wait a week to get another u/s. How far along are you now?

Exactly. Your HCG level is high enough that you should be able to see "something", but if you're less than 6 to 6.5 weeks along, there is a high chance that the heart hasn't developed enough to start beating yet. I went in at 6w+3d, and was told that the heart had probably just started beating a day or two ago. If you do see a heartbeat and the rate is on the low side (as mine was around 110), will that stress you out more too? My next ultrasound at 8 weeks showed a heart rate of 160, which is more "normal".

I know it's hard to wait since there's nothing you can do, but you just have to trust that no bleeding means you're still pregnant! If you think you'd be less anxious if you got an ultrasound earlier, even if all you could see was the sac, then maybe you can call to talk to your NP to see what she suggests? Can you get in earlier and still keep your original ultrasound appointment too?

 

[Puppmom]

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MP, sorry you're feeling so anxious. I know the feeling! As much as I would *want* to go in if I were you, I wouldn't. At best, you're 6 weeks or just shy of so the likelihood of you seeing something that will ease your worries is slim. If you don't see the fetal pole or HB, standard is to have you back in a week. Then you're going to have to wait even longer to see the heartbeat. Next Friday seems like the best date...besides the waiting of course!

 

[Laila619]

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MP, I'm so sorry you're feeling so anxious. I totally understand. Just remember, not everyone has symptoms and it doesn't mean anything. I had zero symptoms and a healthy baby. Some doctors think 'morning sickness' is really just low blood sugar. So try not to read too much into lack of symptoms. You are pregnant! Just keep reminding yourself of that, and hang in there. Can you find something to distract you, like a good movie or a book?

Kunzite, CONGRATS on your twin boys!!!!!

 

[monkeyprincess]

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Thank you! I was feeling so panicky earlier, and your posts really helped. I have a whole new level of respect for people who deal with anxiety on a regular basis. Yikes. I closed my office door, closed my eyes and made myself clear my head for a few minutes, and felt much better. I also talked it over with DH, and he wants me to wait for pretty much the same reasons a lot of you mentioned. If I have an inconclusive ultrasound, it will only make me more panicked. He also made a good point that I'm going to have to figure out a way to deal with the anxiety now because even if we get good news next week, at the rate I'm going, I will just find something else to worry about. Anyway, thanks for talking me down from the ledge. You're the best.

 

[amc80]

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Thank you! I was feeling so panicky earlier, and your posts really helped. I have a whole new level of respect for people who deal with anxiety on a regular basis. Yikes. I closed my office door, closed my eyes and made myself clear my head for a few minutes, and felt much better. I also talked it over with DH, and he wants me to wait for pretty much the same reasons a lot of you mentioned. If I have an inconclusive ultrasound, it will only make me more panicked. He also made a good point that I'm going to have to figure out a way to deal with the anxiety now because even if we get good news next week, at the rate I'm going, I will just find something else to worry about. Anyway, thanks for talking me down from the ledge. You're the best.

It might also help to know that some anxiety is pretty normal. I'll admit that even now, at 14+ weeks, with all of the morning (all-day) sickness I'm still having, at least once a day I wonder if the baby is ok. I think about going into my appointment next week and not finding a hb. Every. Single. Day. But what I try to tell myself is a healty pregnancy and healthy baby are the norm. Those of us on TTC boards tend to hear way too many cases of miscarriages, chemical pregnancies, abnormalities, etc. I have a few friends who have had major pregnancy problems...but I have 10x as many whose pregnancies and births were totally uneventful.

So when I have these thoughts, I just repeat- Odds are everything will be fine. The chances of something being wrong are MUCH less than the chances of everything being great.

 

[Mannequin]

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Hugs, MP. Your little bean should be just fine! I had almost zero symptoms during my first tri, and really only felt preggo when I had to go to the doctor for the longest time! Please call and speak with a nurse if you feel you need some reassurance. Hang in there!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

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MP,

So glad you're *off the ledge* now. I was tempted to request an early scan, too.... but the nurse said it really wouldn't ease my mind if I'm not as far along as I need to be in order to see much in the way of baby. And I think that it would have caused me more stress. 7 days isn't much longer to wait, and it gives the baby time to grow! From week 6 to week 7 the kid grows from a lentil seed-sized baby to a blueberry-sized baby. That's a *lot* of growing! So yay for you for hanging on.

11 days to go for us before we see our beloved kiddo for the first time. I should be 8 weeks according to FF, but maybe a bit further. Will we be able to hear the heartbeat yet? I can't tell you how I've dreamed of our first ultrasound. Yippppeeee!!!!!

Pupp!! Hi, friend! Yes, I still feel like *pinching* myself every now and then. When I'm not feeling sick to my stomach, I start to wonder if it's real. Then I get a bout of sickness and I smile. It is, it is, it is!! I have yet to puke, but man I feel like I need to sometimes for real. So thankful this baby is growing & reminding me of what's going on in ther as she or he grows.

(Paul told me last night he has a feeling it's a girl! I haven't had any feelings on it, yet.)

 

[Bella_mezzo]

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FIsher, I love seeing you post on this thread!!!!!

I think it's a girl too

 

[missrachelk]

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MP, I'm also glad you're feeling a bit better. I know it might sound corny, but I would come up with some mantras and affirmations that you can read and repeat to yourself that will help to reassure you that everything is fine. Things like my body knows exactly what to do and my baby is growing and developing right on schedule. I'm sure there are lots to be found online because you are MOST DEFINITELY not the first early preggo to have anxiety. I've dealt with anxiety in my life too and you really have to take control of that part of your mind and not let it be in charge. Even set a timer, that you're allowed to worry for 10 minutes, then those thoughts are done and think positively for the rest of the day. I did work with a therapist in the past who helped me with things like I'm mentioning. I would also definitely be wary of what you're looking at online. Definitely avoid looking at the what if's and seeing the possibilities for what may be going wrong, or use the timer method and only look at that stuff for a set period of time.

How far along are you again? I saw HB at 6w1d, so here's hoping that by next week you'll be totally in the clear.

And Fisher too - yes by 8 weeks you should definitely see the HB! You'll probably see a more baby-shaped mass than I have so far too (I was kind of like- what? that's the heartbeat? oh, ok. because it (the flickering and the baby-blob) were so small

I CANT WAIT to tell my parents!! I wanted to wait until DH can be there with me on skype so we're telling them tomorrow. And his (2 sets - both are remarried) too. After that I think I'm going to tell my coworkers (really tiny office, 6 people total besides the warehouse staff) mostly so they'll know why I'm so sleepy and feeling bad! Everyone keeps asking me if I'm ok - we're in one big fishbowl office all together so it's obvious that I'm snacking on crackers and not feeling so well.


Yesterday went pretty well as far as the MS - so far it's still just nausea and feeling crappy, towards the end of the day felt really good, had an idea on the way home to make tacos and I did and they were awesome. I was able to eat 3 so I'm glad I was able to get in some good protein. My diet is so starch heavy, starch is my friend! So at least sometimes I can eat something besides crackers and plain spaghetti with butter (what I had for dinner the night before) plain spaghetti is one of my favorite comfort foods of all time

 

[Buttons]

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LV thanks for the welcome! Wondrous it is indeed - although that wasn't the word I was using last night when the stretching was joined by some sciatic nerve action

Puppmom my old username is in my signature - I'll leave it up for a little while longer. You have to have 'view signatures' enabled in the board preferences part of your user settings.

monkey princess I've nothing to add to the wonderful advice you've already gotten. Hang in there! I saw missrachelk recommended positive affirmations to help with the anxiety - just wanted to say I suffer with insomnia and I use a lot of the Andrew Johnson meditations to help with that and I find them great. There are various different ones for sleep/positivity/confidence etc. and there's a pregnancy-specific one too. You can get them in iTunes, or there's a website.

fisher I think you should definitely be able to hear a heartbeat at 8 weeks Also counting the days to the ultrasound here - 15 more days My DH has a girl feeling too. I think I'm feeling boy!

missrachelk glad to hear your morning sickness is being reasonable and confining itself to the mornings! Could you ask it to have a word with mine please? So exciting to tell your parents, and share the joy!!

AFM still nauseated but trying to eat little and often to stave it off. Spending tonight with my two closest girlfriends and they have been texting me full of their plans for the evening... it involves bubbly... I am going to have so much fun telling them why I can't drink tonight

 

[amc80]

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My diet is so starch heavy, starch is my friend! So at least sometimes I can eat something besides crackers and plain spaghetti with butter (what I had for dinner the night before) plain spaghetti is one of my favorite comfort foods of all time

I'm right there with you. Since getting pregnant, my diet has been really heavy on the carbs. Mainly because that's what tastes/sounds good. I never would have eaten 2 servings of cereal a day (or even one, for that matter) before...nor would I have eaten sandwiches for lunch and dinner on the same day. Since Sunday, I've had a sandwich for at least 7 meals. Bread! Meat! Mmmm. And yes, I'm breaking the lunch meat rule. Haven't had them heat it up once.

 

[pancake]

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MP, I'm a bit late here but I 100% empathise with how you've been feeling. My anxiety levels after my 2 1st trimester bleeds was out of this world - completely incapacitating. I was fortunate in that I had an ultrasound the day after my first bleed (a matched HCG that day was 16,000) but I have never felt anxiety like that in my life. I couldn't concentrate, I was crying, my heart was racing, couldn't eat, couldn't sleep.

I think you just have to recognise that the longer you go on for without bleeding, cramping or other signs of miscarriage, the better it looks - plus bleeds around this gestation are REALLY common. You don't have any red flags at the moment, so remind yourself of that daily. Hourly!

 

[missrachelk]

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Can you ladies recommend any pregnancy books? Don't have any yet and feel the need to have at least one, and definitely some that are geared for DH.

 

[dani13]

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Hello everyone!!!

Just checking in...nothing really new here. Im still feeling kind of crappy, but no MS yet (fingers crossed) so I'm happy! At this stage of the game, its really hard to just sit back and not worry about anything. I'm trying not to think about it too much, but its hard. I keep thinking about how the pregnancy may not be viable and keep having nightmares that I have my ultrasound and all they see is an empty sac. UGH. I hate feeling like this.

I told one of the docs I work with that I'm preggo, so he is going to scan me this coming week. I will be about 6 and 1/2 wks by then, so Im thinking that we will be able to see a heartbeat if its a healthy pregnancy. I had my Beta and progesterone done on Tuesday just to check and they were 5,574 and 16.2. Great numbers, so I'm hopeful that everything is progressing normally.

I hope everyone else is doing well and feeling great!!!

 

[Skippy123]

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Can you ladies recommend any pregnancy books? Don't have any yet and feel the need to have at least one, and definitely some that are geared for DH.

Missrachelk, I found the babycenter.com email updates to be awesome! I did buy the Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy was good and the Girlfriends Guide to pregnancy silly and fun to read but not too informations. I loved babycenter and it is free.

Dani, yay!!! glad you don't have ms!

buttons, yay for telling your close friends, very exciting!!!

 

[megumic]

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Kunzite, yay for twin boys! That is Sososos exciting!

MP, hang in there lady. I feel ya. The anxiety is just plain awful and you feel like a maniac. I had terrible anxiety until I hit about 12 weeks. I had a m/c in Oct and had bleeding at 8 weeks, but with each passing week, I began to trust a little more and gain a little more faith. Now I'm almost 15 weeks, and still nervous on some days but settling in to being happy and excited on other days. Try to envision a healthy baby growing in there and try to just be kind to yourself. Do waht you need to do to get by -- for me that was a lot of sleeping and just laying low. Just a few more days to go lady.

How are all the other preggos doing?

AFM, the cat is outta the bag at work. The chatty cathy of the courthouse called me yesterday and asked me if I was keeping a secret from her. So, yeah. By the end of the day I had a few more congratulatory emails and phone calls -- very kind of everyone really. I'm feeling pretty good and busting out of my clothes. I cannot button my jeans and most of my work suits, so I've been resorting to bella bands, but they aren't as great as I'd hoped. Any other suggestions?

We are buying a house and doing major renovations to it, so we've been super busy picking out molding, doors, kitchens, bath tile, etc, etc. We're hoping the renos are done by mid-June so we can settle in before the baby comes! We'll also need to get another car, as we only have one right now - DH walks to catch the bus to NYC. So we've got lots of decisions to make and lots of money to spend! It's been good as it keeps us busy, but can be overwhelming too!

Next drs appt is in 10 days. I just want it to be here already. Although I will say, having a doppler has really put me at ease since we can check on the baby ourselves. The baby seems to hang out in one little corner and we can always find him/her right there!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

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The oB gave me a *ton* of stuff on the day they confirmed the pregnancy. Some of the paperwork is pre-regisratation for the hospital! Wow, that's fast! Anyway, they also have info on Cystic Fibrosis teting. Um, if we aren't aware of anyone ith it in the fam, we don't need it, right? Oy, this is overwhelming me.

Paul had a cold earlier in the week & though we tried to stay apart for the most part, I'm down with it now. Man, it's just a cold but I'm such a slug! Haha, at least I'm getting catered to really well by the hubs.

Hope everyone else is feeling well.

Oh, one more thing, most of my *cramping* (you know, the slight cramping that they say is the uterus growing) has been on the right side. I wonder if that means baby is more to the right in there?

 

[monkeyprincess]

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Fisher, hope you get over the cold quickly! It will be interesting to see if you are right about the baby's placement. I'm not having a whole lot of cramping, but it seems to alternate sides when I do.

Meg, thank you for the reassurance! That's fun that the cat is out of the bag at work now for you! It must be so reassuring to have a doppler. If DH lets me, I will probably go that route too given all the anxiety I've had thus far.

Dani, I'm right there with you. It's just so darn scary awaiting the first ultrasound, and there's probably no way getting around that. Your numbers sound great, and I can't wait to hear how your ultrasound goes!

Rachel and Buttons, thanks for the advice and recommendations! Hope you are both doing well and feeling a little better!

Pancake, thank you so much! You described exactly how I'm feeling right now. I only have a few more days to go before my first ultrasound, so I will know more then. But in the meantime, I'm just trying to have faith that everything is going to be okay.

AFM, things are going okay. No changes. I'm still not feeling much of any symptoms at this point. My bbs seem a little sore in the middle of the night and morning, but then they feel fine during the day. Just trying to have faith and stay positive until my ultrasound. Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

 

[Laila619]

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The oB gave me a *ton* of stuff on the day they confirmed the pregnancy. Some of the paperwork is pre-regisratation for the hospital! Wow, that's fast! Anyway, they also have info on Cystic Fibrosis teting. Um, if we aren't aware of anyone ith it in the fam, we don't need it, right? Oy, this is overwhelming me.

Paul had a cold earlier in the week & though we tried to stay apart for the most part, I'm down with it now. Man, it's just a cold but I'm such a slug! Haha, at least I'm getting catered to really well by the hubs.

Hope everyone else is feeling well.

Oh, one more thing, most of my *cramping* (you know, the slight cramping that they say is the uterus growing) has been on the right side. I wonder if that means baby is more to the right in there?

Fisher, you and your DH could be carriers, so it is generally recommended to get the test. If you are not a carrier, then your husband doesn't need to be tested.

 

[Kunzite]

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Thanks everyone for the congrats on the boys. I'm slowly coming to terms with the idea that I won't have a girl (no pink diapers!!) it's been a little harder than I thought because I was so sure there was one in there! At first the tech even told us we were having boy/girl but then immediately took it back. Cruel. LV, I'm 19 weeks, where did the time go?

MP - I'll be thinking about you this week. You have a wise DH, the anxiety comes and goes, but there is always something to worry about along the way.

 

[Buttons]

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Fisher I don't know about CF screening during pregnancy as it's done at birth here. We have the highest rate of CF in the world so it's one of the routine tests done in the newborn heel prick test. If you don't want to put baby through the heel prick test then figuring out if you and your DH are carriers might be a good option. Hope the cold has cleared and you are feeling better!

Monkeyprincess hope you are doing OK. Not long now till your ultrasound!

Megumic I've heard that the belly bands made from the same stuff as Spanx are a lot better than the cotton ones for keeping your clothes up - I'll be getting some of those for sure later on for my work clothes! I have to dress super conservatively for work (e.g. trousers are a no-no) so I'll be trying to get as long as I possibly can out of my suits! For the moment a belt expander and long tops or a cotton belly band are doing the job for me but when the belt expander no longer buys me enough room I'm hoping the spandex belly band will let me eke out a few more weeks.

Missrachelk I also like the Babycenter.com emails that Skippy mentioned. I forward them on to DH and he likes to read them too! I'm not going to buy any pregnancy books as I feel like there won't be anything in them I can't learn on the forums here or from Dr Google. DH asked me to buy him some books though so I went on Amazon and got him a father's guide to pregnancy, a new father's guide to baby care, and a funny one about games that Dads can play with babies that are fun for babies and a workout for Dad! I'm going to surprise him with them one by one along the way

Dani did you get to have that scan at work? Lucky you that you can do that!

AFM still soooo nauseated and tired. Clinging to the hope that I may turn a corner after 12 weeks. On the upside I got some fantastic news at work today (got a big project so very excited) plus it's Pancake Tuesday today, and for the first time in weeks I am actually looking forward to dinner!

 

[amc80]

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Fisher- I opted for the CF test. I have some Ashkenazi Jew in me so my doc thought it was a good idea.

Okay so awesome news. Remember the costco crib we were talking about a while ago ([URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/just-barely-pregnant-psers.128700/page-109']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/just-barely-pregnant-psers.128700/page-109[/URL])? S&I got it and gave pictures? Well, we knew we wanted that crib but were just waiting a bit to buy, since it's early...and the crib is $500. Well, Costco is probably getting in a different model because they dropped the price to $299. And that includes all of the conversion rails! So if any of you are looking for a crib, I'd see if your Costco has this one at the lower price.

AFM, spent the weekend relaxing. And watching Downton Abbey...that show is so addicting. 15 week today. Still not looking pregnant, still feeling sick. My mom said she's very worried because every time she talks to me I sound tired and not happy. Um, yeah, it's funny how feeling crappy for 9 weeks straight can wear on you!! I am starting to have some random cravings, and wow, when they come on it's all I can think about. Last night I wanted ice cream...which is odd because prefer frozen yogurt. So we went all the way to baskin robins. Then about an hour later I wanted a sandwich from Port o Subs. But the weird thing is the taste I was really craving was vinegar...or the vinegar mustard combo that is on their sandwiches. Very odd!!!

 

[amc80]

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Forgot to mention- my Snoogle came yesterday. This has got to be the most amazing pillow ever. I recommend one whether you're pregnant or not! It provides awesome support from head to toe. It will probably be even more useful once I actually have a belly