Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Missy0483]

Hey girls! Just checking in. 24 weeks this week. We started working on the nursery this week. Feeling a good bit of movement, but not from the outside yet. She seems a little more calm and relaxed. Attached a bump pic too!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Aw! You all look so cute with your bumps

Yesterday was insane (took B and his bestie to Natural history museum, had B's 5th birthday party, started our birthing class, etc.), but today I am going to try and snap a "bump" pic.

We started our birthing class last night (we just decided for sure to do it yesterday morning) and I LOVE it. It's a hybrid class taught by a former Bradley instructor who is also a doula/certified lactation consultant/certified independent childbirth educator and a bunch of other things. It's 8 weeks long for 3 hours each week and there is a bunch of reading, so a lot of work, but I am learning a lot and think I am really going to enjoy it. DH liked it too.

There are only 4 couples in the class, so it is nice and small. I am the last due date there, everyone else is in mid-late Jan, but they all look WAY more pregnant than me. Sometimes, since it is not that visible that I am pregnant, I feel like a bit of a poser

We got to bring B with us which helped immensely. We will try to line up care for him for some of the weeks, but since it is right over dinner and bedtime, in general one of us really needs to be home with him most weeks.

My feet/legs started swelling a lot on Friday which wasn't so fun but they seem to be better today. Pregnancy is just weird!

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Bella, I'm so glad to hear you signed up for the birthing class! Our class has only 1 other couple in it and I LOVE that we get such personalized attention. Also, it's time for you to show us your bump!!

AFM, yeah, so we got the results back from my 3 hour glucose test and found that they were higher than she wanted, so it's official; I have GD. UGH! Tomorrow I'm meeting with the midwife and we're going to go over how to test my blood (which will need to be done at least 4 times a day..BOO!) and what foods I need to avoid. What I don't get is that they take these tests based on my having this uber sugary drink (which I don't have in real life), instead of taking a sample based off of my normal eating habits. They want to make sure I can get my sugar levels under control based on my diet, but if that were the case, they would look at my diet FIRST and not just test me based on something I don't ever have in my system. Scheesh. I'm just frustrated about it and annoyed that I have to prick myself (I don't do well with needles) several times daily, for the next 10 weeks. But, I have 10 weeks to go!! 30 weeks pregnant as of today, which I'm very excited about! And baby is moving around like crazy and doing more rolling and not just kicking. It's the weirdest thing to feel! The hubs felt my tummy after dinner was was sort of amazed at how much she was moving and commented how crazy it must be to feel that all day long.

Oh and the front room of our house will be in use this weekend! We're having the in-laws over for dinner and debuting the new room and the nursery for them. Also, baby shower invites have been ordered and a date has been set, so everything is starting to fall into place. Thank goodness we've got some positives, along with this crazy GD issue.

 

[gem_anemone]

Missy cute belly pic!

FPS, I am so sorry about GD My curiosity got the best of me and I did some reading up on the 3 hour glucose test. I believe they draw your blood before and at periods of time after you drink the sugar, so I think the reason that you have to fill yourself with sugar is because they are trying to see how your body metabolizes the sugar over the 3 hours of testing. I know 10 weeks is forever, but you can do it! You'll have your little girl and life will be back to normal, well sort of.

Bella - that's exciting about the birthing classes, you just reminded me that I need to ask about them at my appointment tomorrow!

AFM I was sick for about 3 days this week. I don't know if it was food poisoning or the flu, but I had some strange symptoms. I've had a flu shot, so I'm leaning toward something I ate at a Halloween party over the weekend. I called off work one day and the next day went in, but had to leave about an hour after I showed up due to a hot flash, dizziness, and extreme nausea. Before I left I had my vitals checked at our wellness center and all was normal. I let my OB know and they just said to rest another day and drink fluids. I'm back to work now though and feeling pretty good overall.

This baby is pretty active especially in the evening! DH has felt the baby move and it kind of weirds him out too.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Gem, they drew my blood 4 times; once at fasting and then once and hour for the next 3 hours. They basically do the test to see how my body tolerates sugar, however I'm thankful that I'm normally not a sugar kind of gal. Ugh. Today was day one of pricking my own freaking finger 4 times a day. Basically I need to test before I eat anything and then test again 2 hours after my main (breakfast, lunch and dinner) meal. I am so not cut out for this lol..I had the nurse do one testing and my mom and husband do the others. I don't want to poke myself! I'm kind of freaked to do it..needles aren't my friends and I don't like it. Phew, 10 weeks of this to go. Only 280 pricks of my fingers to go...awesome. I already have 2 sore fingers from this. I'm sorry for the complaining. I just didn't think I would have to deal with this crap. I have to go to the midwife next week for them to check out my testing results to have them see that I'm doing everything ok and for them to get a gauge on how I'm doing thus far. one thing I will say is that when we went over the booklet of eating habits and amounts of each food type I can eat, I'm ALREADY doing that! I eat very little processed food and being home all day, I make all of my own stuff to eat, so I have a lot of control. The midwife told me (she is one I've never met with before) that I could possibly lose weight with my diet changes. I told her flat out that I already eat pretty closely to their suggested diet, so I doubt many changes will be made. I think they're used to people who don't eat well to begin with and so they have to kind of curb them. I don't know. I'm just getting used to the idea that I am totally my daughter's bitch already lmao

Sorry for the frustration and complaining. It's just going to take some getting used to.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Ok, so the negative Nancy is not in the building today! The hubs has FINALLY finished the front room and it is now in use! We broke this bad boy in on Friday and it's been awesome to have such a fabulous place to chill in. Even if that means I have to prick my finger several times a day in here, at least I've got a great view of things Oh and my sugar has been pretty on point with my testing, so I am super thankful for my good eating habits, which have allowed me to make very little changes and still maintain the types of levels that they want me to have. Not going to lie, the pricking and bleeding sucks, but I'm thankful that I'm keeping my little bug safe and still enjoying the normal things I'm used to. I even had some whole wheat pancakes this morning and my normal amount of syrup (I don't do a lot..never have because I don't like too sweet.) and still had normal everything. Woohoo! Hopefully the midwife is as happy as I am about things.

Also, we had the in-laws over for dinner and MIL saw the nursery for the first time. I also showed her some of the cloth diapers we've gotten and she liked them so much that she told me to send her some links so she can get us a few to add to our stash..YAY!! So, despite some setbacks, I'm doing good and so is baby! Thanks for letting me vent about the craziness!

 

[gem_anemone]

FPS glad you're managing your sugar with diet! That's great!

BTW it's official. I am expecting a little BOY!!

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Gem, YAY!!! How exciting that you found out the sex!! Now comes the hard part and picking out names.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

gem! So exciting that you're on team blue! How did you react?

FPS, so sorry to hear about the glucose test. I hear what you're saying--if you don't eat much sugar, then your body isn't used to metabolizing it. But since you don't need to metabolize it, it stinks that you're stuck pricking yourself 4x per day. On a positive note, it's great that the front room is done! One more thing checked off the list!

Bella, so glad you are loving your birthing class. I'm jealous that you're still not showing that much. Just curious: are you still taking Zofran for your nausea? Or did you go off of it when the vomiting stopped? I stopped taking mine about a month ago, but lately have been having more waves of nausea (and some gagging while brushing my teeth last night). I don't want to have to keep taking the Zofran daily, but I wonder if it would be helpful with the waves of nausea. I just think nausea is going to be a constant companion for me this time around.

Missy, you're looking fabulous! It's great that you're feeling movement, I just started feeling movement on the outside within the past few days.

A bulleted AFM list:
1. As I said to Missy, I'm finally feeling movement from the outside now. Felt it for the first time while watching TV on Friday night. Luckily, DH was next to me, so I had him feel it, too. His reaction? "Weird"

2. Accomplished my first baby-related task this weekend: painting the antique dresser. Problem is that the painter won't be done with K's new room, the nursery & the shared bathroom until the week of Thanksgiving. Maybe I can use that long weekend to get everything set up in K's new room and the nursery. Just need to order a million things (roman shades, rugs, bedding, etc.) so I can get it set up once the painters are out.

3. I don't even know how many weeks I am...25? And I'm starting to get uncomfortable. Last time I didn't feel uncomfortable until I was 30 weeks or so. The main issue is that I'm having round ligament pain (a.k.a. "shooting crotch pain"), which makes it uncomfortable for me to walk around. But I'm chasing around a toddler and trying to get a 1,000 things done most of the time, so the pain is just going to happen.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Yay Gem, that is so exciting!!! Congrats!

FPS-so glad that your front room is done! Did you post pics?

NEL-Well, I seem to have popped more over the weekend so am looking more pregnant now, but still mostly just chubby . I was home with B today b/c he was sick, but will try to take an oh so classy selfie in the bathroom at work tomorrow I stopped taking the zofran in Aug/Sept. I was puking my guts out regardless of whether or not I took it, so I just decided to stop taking it. I didn't feel better, but I also didn't feel worse.

AFM: I totally hear you on the crotch pain, I have been having it for weeks and it SUCKS! Just on the left side, and ranges from dull ache to making me stifle a scream when I roll over in the middle of the night! I am also having horrible night sweats, ridiculously vivid dreams, mild bloody noses every night, and having trouble sleeping. Being pregnant is a huge blessing, but is really not so fun for me. I will be thrilled to welcome this baby into the world and out of me (when the time is right, obviously)! Thankfully, although I still have heartburn, dizziness, and waves of nausea, the vomiting seems to have trailed off the past week and a half. I am praying that it stays away!

Roo is moving all the time now and looks like an alien from the outside. Dh can see the baby moving from across the room and under my winter clothes!

26 weeks now, but baby is measuring huge (27-28 weeks). I am really loving the Bradley birthing class and am strongly considering switching to a home birth (we live 10 blocks away from one of the best NICUs in NYC, so that mitigates some of the risk in my mind...we'll see. I just really don't want all the mandatory interventions in NYS/NYC hospitals (continuous fetal monitoring during pushing, must push on the bed, heploc, no eating/drinking, baby taken from you to go to the nursery for checks every shift change, eye ointment, PKU shot, etc...plus, I feel strongly that having a baby is a physical process not a medical procedure and doing it in a crowded NYC hospital during cold&flu season is not something I am keen on. Also, we really want our whole family to be able to be together the first night and no NYC hospitals will let a 5 year old stay overnight, even in a private room--in a non-private room, DH isn't even allowed to stay ).

My Dr's recommendation is that I should labor at home as long as I possibly can and then come in just to push the baby out. So, I am kind of like, if I am going to do all that at home and come in just for pushing...as long as everything remains low-risk and seems fine, why not just stay at home...we'll see...I am also seeing what's possible with my insurance in some hospitals just outside of the city in NJ and CT that supposedly offer better birthing experiences, are more welcoming to family members including young siblings, and let you deliver in a tub and don't have the same NYS mandates...

 

[gem_anemone]

FPS - we have names! We actually finally picked boy and girl names a week or two ago.

Also regarding your GD - Carbs metabolize into sugar in the blood, so they can affect your bloodsugar too. My little brother has Type 1 diabetes, so I know that he has to count carbs just as much as watching his sugar intake. I totally feel for you and your finger pricks. I feel so bad for my little bro too

NEL - We were kind of thinking it was a boy going in because the sonographer did a guess at about week 12 that it was a boy. I remember they did that for you early on and then you were surprised with a girl later, so we realized it could go either way! Haha! We are happy. We wanted the oldest to be a boy and DH's family is mostly girls, so we are happy to pass down his last name to someone else who may continue the line. I would have been happy with a girl though too!

Can I ask a question about your painted dresser? Did you just use a good primer and then paint over that or did you do the whole refinishing process? I have a crappy looking dresser I would like to paint for the baby's room. I would like to skip the sanding/refinishing and was looking for some advice. I have found some info on the internet, however, I'm not sure how trustworthy it is.

Bella - thanks! Are there any birthing centers in hospitals around you? One of my friends did a natural water birth in a birthing center attached to the hospital so if there was an emergency she could be easily transported. She loved all the perks of being in the birthing center and she said she bounced back from delivery right away.

Sorry to you ladies who are feeling the hurt! I definitely notice that some days the belly seems to be a good size for the baby and some days it's stretching out and painful all day. Ugh!

 

[gem_anemone]

Baby belly at 20 weeks 4 days!

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

NEL, I TOTALLY feel you on the weird pains! There seems to be a lot of stretching and when I switch positions in the middle of the night, I sometimes feel a little pinching. I don't really like the below the waist maternity pants much anymore because if I wear them for more than 2-3 hours, I get lower belly pains and need to take them off. Especially if I'm walking around while wearing them. What types of maternity pants are you wearing? I definitely feel that I'm not able to do as much exercise or walking with this pain. Also, YAY for painting the dresser!

Bella, I'm so glad you're enjoying your class! I think Bradley is such an informative learning tool and I LOVE how I walk away each class feeling like I'm able to do anything in my labor and be in charge. Plus, the hubs actually gets a lot of good takeaway info and he is so rarely intrigued by taking any sort of class lol..he actually likes it! As far as the home birth, I would TOTALLY be on board with that, however we just don't have $4,500 to pay out of pocket at the moment. That is seriously our only deterrent or I would be having one as well. We personally don't have any birthing centers nearby, so a hospital birth it is. With Bradley and in talking with our midwife, we know that we will be laboring at home for as long as possible is the best solution to avoiding un-necessary interventions. Thankfully in our birth plan (the generic one that was given to us from our midwife to check off our 'wants') we can elect to have intermittent fetal monitoring and we can elect to have no IV. Plus, we can have the baby in the room with us the whole time, so that is a huge deal for us.

Also, I haven't posted pics, but I will be sure to do so soon!

Gem, your belly is so cute and tiny! Give it 6 weeks and that baby will be showing and glowing for all to really see! You're at the stage where no one knows you're pregnant, but you probably just feel like you look bloated. I know I did for a good long while there. Not anymore! This baby is here and in full force! So glad you've picked a name though! That was a toughie on us when we didn't know the sex because boy names are HARD! We knew that if we had a girl though, we'd be naming her after my Grandma.

As far as GD, yeah, I know all about the carbs. I have really cut out the pasta for the moment, but they said I can have whole wheat pasta instead. Their diet is actually a little weird because they're giving me the option of 10 servings of starch a day, which seems like a lot to me! I don't even know if they'll be pleased with my numbers just yet, but I'm meeting with them on Thursday to go over everything, so I'll know more then.

AFM, we have our hospital tour tonight, which I'm excited about. I'm interested in asking a ton of questions (like, can we use a birthing bar in the hospital) and will probably be 'that girl' who is way too involved lol...I can't help it though! I really want to be prepared!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

FPS, don't worry about asking too many questions on the hospital tour. There really is no such thing. And the next time you walk through those doors, it's likely you'll be in active labor. You'll be really glad that you know exactly what to expect--trying to think straight and ask questions between painful contractions is impossible.

I have two pair of full panel jeans, one pair of mid-panel jeans and maybe 3 - 4 pair of low panel pants. None of them seem to fit right. The full and mid-panel jeans fall down too easily and the low panel pants dig into my bladder when I'm sitting. So you know what I tend to wear the most? Dresses with maternity tights. I have about 6 or 7 dresses and wish I had a few more. I also find leggings to be pretty comfortable, but like the way maternity tights smooth things out. And the tights are warm enough for me in the winter.

By the end of my last pregnancy (maybe starting at week 36?) I lived in yoga pants. By then your tummy is so big that your pants barely cover your underwear, anyway. And you really do appreciate the stretchy material. I know it sounds cliché, but don't beat yourself up if you start reaching for the stretchy yoga pants more and more as you get through your third tri.

Gem, your belly looks adorable!! And I'm so glad that your u/s tech at 12 weeks was right!

So...the dresser. I kind of cheated. I'm not a super crafty person, but had planned to buy a dresser off of Craigslist and do the whole sanding + priming thing myself. But I couldn't find anything I loved and started to feel like time was slipping by, so I ended up calling my favorite antique store. The woman who owns it is super nice and I've bought maybe half a dozen pieces from her over the past few years. I told her what I was looking for and to keep her eyes peeled. She told me she'd be happy to sand and prime a dresser for me since she usually does that, anyway (she paints the majority of furniture that comes in). Anyway, she found a dresser I liked and I picked it up sanded and primed. I just had to throw a couple of layers of paint on and was done. I didn't do anything fancy with it.

Bella! Sorry to hear B is sick...'tis the season, I guess (D and K were sick 2 weeks ago and now I'm sick). My crotch pain is on the left as well, which (I've read) is common for it to only happen on one side. I'm sure the other side will kick in soon. Isn't it amazing how much pregnancy affects your body? I feel guilty for being "over it" sometimes because I'm so, so thankful to be pregnant. I used to be so afraid of having a newborn and a toddler that I wished I could be pregnant for another year, even if I was uncomfortable. Now I'm feeling like I could handle a newborn and toddler easier than I can handle this discomfort. Still have a few months to go, but I'm ready to meet her and get this show on the road.

Oh, and the home birth. I'm not a "granola" kind of person, but I can definitely understand wanting a home birth. Just the logistics of it sound so much easier (not having to coordinate who's taking care of B, etc.). And I agree about the laboring at home for as long as possible. Nothing about labor is comfortable, but it's much less stressful at home. I had a planned C-section, so I was not expecting to go into labor, but when I did I ended up laboring at home for hours (convincing myself that the contractions would stop). I was 6cm by the time I got to the hospital, but then between all the nurses and monitors and everything, I missed just having my husband and the yoga ball (they stuck me in a hospital bed and not being able to move around as easily made the contractions feel worse). Whatever you choose will be fine, but it's good you're exploring all of your options now.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

I tried to take a selfie at work yesterday and it was an epic fail b/c the bathroom mirrors have lights all around them so the whole photo is just blurry light. I'll try to find another mirror to use (we don't have anything close to a full length mirror at home).

NEL-what kind of maternity tights do you have? I love wearing dresses too, but need tights b/c it's cold and have not found the right ones yet. have two pairs from motherhood maternity, but maybe I need a bigger size? They fit great everywhere but just feel like they are a little tight in the waist area and that makes me start to feel like vomiting, and then it is a vicious cycle...

I have two pairs of underbelly old navy pants (one is jeans and one is black dress pants). They are the same size, but the dress pants feel tight and the jeans are too loose I hate them both.

I have two pairs of full belly pants from target (one skinny jeans and one black dress pants). The jeans fit great, the black dress pants fall down constantly. I will be getting rid of the black dress pants as soon as I deliver b/c I spend the whole day hitching up my pants

And then I have one pair of tweed motherhood maternity pants that I LOVE. They have a full belly panel, but it only comes up part way and for some reason these stay up better than any other dress pants. But I bought them on ebay and think that they are an older model b/c nothing I've seen online or in the store is the same.

I am starting to look for some yoga/palazzo pants that are made of a nicer material so that I can wear to work b/c I think in a few weeks that is all I am going to want to wear!

What are you all doing for maternity coats? I officially can no longer zip any of my winter coats. I am wearing a big fleece right now, but it is going to be too cold for just a fleece soon, plus it really doesn't look so good when I am going to client meetings I don't want to spend much $ on any more maternity clothes, but I think it is about to be inevitable as the pants situation is getting challenging, without tights my dresses are not an option, and I am freezing outside!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Bella, my maternity tights are from the Gap. I found them on clearance at a Gap store a couple of years ago (I think for $2/pair) and bought 5 pair because that's all they had in my size. I would have bought more if they had more. I feel like the belly panel is extra roomy and have really liked them. I can never find them for sale online.

I also have a grey wool knee-length maternity coat from the Gap that I really like, but I got it on eBay for $50. I bought it when I was pregnant with K because, like you, I have a lot of client meetings. I either walk or cab it over to my client meetings, so I really did need a winter coat. If I were due in Nov. or Dec., I could have probably gotten away with wearing a regular empire-waist coat. But being due in February...in Boston. I needed a maternity coat. It's held up really well and I've been wearing it every for the past week or so.

Maybe you can find something good on eBay. I hated spending $ on maternity clothes, but if you need a coat, you need a coat.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

NEL, oh let me tell you, I've been living in pj and yoga pants since about week 9 lol..I'm home all day, so actually wearing jeans means I'm leaving the house. I need to get some maternity tights though because I have a bunch of dresses that have been passed on to me from mom friends and it would be awesome to actually wear them! I'm definitely interested in where you purchased the tights from, if you don't mind sharing.

As far as the tour went, it was nice to go and see everything and of course, I was pretty much the only one to ask questions, along with one other lady who is also doing a midwife from the practice I go to. Everyone else just seemed complacent to go along with the flow of things. I can use a birthing bar at the hospital, which is awesome and I also checked and we are able to limit visitors, which I'm VERY happy about. That did get a weird response when I asked about it, but hey, it's going to be January and I don't need extra people bringing in their germs to our baby! We've opted to have only grandparents come to the hospital (my mom will be there when I deliver) and everyone else can just schedule to come see us at the house if they want. I was talking with DH about it on the way home and he goes 'babe, you're running this show, so I'm perfectly fine with whatever you'd like'..um, YES!! That was pretty much the best thing to say, ever!!

Bella, have you tried any second hand stores in your area? Or even those yard sale sites on facebook. I saw something come through my newsfeed for maternity stuff and ended up scoring 5 pairs of maternity jeans and I think 6 tops for like $60 and 3 of the jeans were gap. I actually like the gap jeans because you can get them in an actual size and not just s,m or l. I'm in a medium with most maternity jeans, but I like the 6 or 8 sizes with gap or old navy jeans. I have gotten a TON of clothes from people I know, but I'm at the point where I can actually get rid (or give back) stuff that I don't like or won't be wearing. Also, have you tried zulily.com (you can use my link to sign up if you're not already a member http://www.zulily.com/invite/setzler516)? They have maternity options for cheap. I got a fabulous pair of skinny jeans (my first real maternity purchase) for $16, plus shipping. The trick is to buy one thing from there and pay shipping on that one item and then you get free shipping for the rest of the day. This way you can buy more stuff without paying something crazy in shipping costs. Honestly, if your pants are falling down, you need a smaller size. As for the having to hitch them up, yeah, I think that is pretty normal because even with pants that fit me well, the elastic waists don't stay put for the entire day and I tend to do the 'shimmy shake' (my hubs coined this term when we first started dating and I was wiggling into pants lol) every few hours.

I am actually borrowing a maternity winter coat from my SIL. The negative is that it's a little too big AND its bright red, which doesn't look too awesome with my red hair. I can't bring myself to purchase another one though, but I haven't had to wear it yet. This is another thing I'd see if you can borrow from friends or maybe buy second hand and just have it dry cleaned.

Now, on to the important question. What should I wear for my baby shower?? Lol A dress? Jeans and boots? I need ideas! The shower is 11/30, so it'll be cold, but I also want to look and feel fabulous. Thoughts?!

 

[gem_anemone]

Hmm as far as maternity clothes go, I'm kind of addicted to shopping for them... Although a lot of times I am just perusing and I haven't really bought anything that I can't wear to work. I figure if the maternity stuff is not too stretched out after pregnancy then I should be able to wear it after delivery too. Do any of you second+ timers think this is possible? I realize I will probably at least wear them for the first few weeks at home and maybe after. I am not sure when/if I will ever fit into all of my old clothes. I already feel kind of uncomfortable at times, so I don't also want to be extra uncomfortable by trying to squeeze into illfitting clothes. Plus I have a professional job, so I need to look at least business casual, so yoga pants and big shirts are just not going to cut it for me. I have been doing a good job of following the sales and using gift cards to fill my wardrobe, so I don't feel too bad about the money I have spent.

I have accumulated 4 pairs of work pants (all different color), 2 pairs of jeans, 2 dresses, 5 tank tops (3 neutral), and at least a dozen shirts/sweaters. If they are short sleeve I wear them with a regular cardigan. All of my maternity clothes have been purchased from Gap, Old Navy, and Kohl's and almost all of them have been purchased on sale. It sounds like I need to look into maternity tights too! I have been rolling them under my belly at this point. I also have a belly band. It's ok, but I'm not a huge fan of it and half of my regular pants are too uncomfortable even if I use the band. When DH and I go out with friends I wear a dress or the jeans. At home I can wear PJ bottoms and big shirts/sweatshirts. We'll see how long I can get away with that.

Oh I wanted to edit to say to FPS that I would recommend for your shower wearing pants or a skirt that is at least at your knees or below and not too cleavag-y of a shirt. The only reason I am saying this is because I recently saw pics from a baby shower and the mother was wearing a little black dress. Her friends were taking pics the whole time she was opening gifts. She was right at the height where you could basically see up her dress. She kept bending over to pic up gifts and everything wasy popping out. The pictures were not flattering if you catch my drift. If that were me I would not want to look like that. Just a caution! You looked beautiful in your pregnancy pics, so I have faith you will dress in something just as nice for your shower! I'm thinking a dress with tights and boots for mine!

 

[jitterymo]

I'm officially pregnant, confirmed by a blood test yesterday! I haven't been on the boards for several months, but am excited to be back and share my happy HAPPY news!!! I'm due in late July, I have my first ultra sound appointment in early December.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Congrats spinel!

Gem-I love shopping for maternity clothes too, but have no time and no money So, I am scouring ebay...at work...

I won a maternity coat last night (yay!) and also got new boots b/c mine broke and it would have cost more to get new soles than to get new boots! I have officially outgrown one of my underbelly pairs of maternity pants from old navy (I think that they shrank a lot in the wash b/c the same size/style jeans are still too big!) So, I am down to 1 pair of dress pants and 2 pairs of jeans. I just got a long skirt as well as a new pair of black dress pants so hopefully when they arrive I'll feel a little more clothed I'm also on the look out for some cute warm sweaters as mine are all mysteriously too short

Oh yeah, the baby shifted this week and the bump has arrived. I finally look pregnant

It seems pointless to buy more maternity clothes at this point since I just have 12 more weeks to go (OMG-I am in the 3rd trimester as of tomorrow!!!) but it is cold, I have work events, and I am pretty sure that I'll be wearing a lot of this stuff for the first few months after Roo arrives too.

I have my glucose test tomorrow. Hoping that goes well! I am still really nauseous in the morning so am praying that I don't puke when I drink the orange stuff. It will be interesting to see what position the baby is in as something changed significantly this week in terms of how the bump looks and where I feel the kicks.

Sunday is my last MBA class..ever!!!!!! So excited to get through that!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[megumic]

Bella, I just bought a cute mat work dress from old navy for $12, even though I'm not even showing at all yet (just prepping for work clothes!!) It is the mat v-neck ponte dress, looks like $20 today with 20% off. Still a good deal in my book in case you need a few extras. I remember my dresses really running ragged toward the end.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

thanks Meg! That dress is cute

Glucose test went ok i think, we'll see when the results come back. I felt jittery, nauseous, and dizzy all day though. I don't even drink fruit juice usually, just water, so 50 mg of glucose in a drink was not so pleasant for me!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Bella, do you think you'll get results today?

I had an appt. on Friday and was supposed to have the glucose test done, but they didn't let me know and I had Katie with me, so I rescheduled. I wish it was just over with, but didn't want to make Katie wait around with me for an hour.

At the appointment, we also discussed scheduling my C-section. Plan is still to try for a natural labor (I can't have an epidural) if I go into labor on my own prior to the scheduled c-section. If I can't handle it or can't physically push the baby out, then we'll do another emergency C-section under general anesthesia. The earliest my OB wants to schedule the C-section is 39 weeks. Last time I went into labor at 38.5 weeks, so chances are very good I won't even make it to 39 weeks. But the OB said we could also schedule it at 40 or even 41 weeks to give myself a better chance of going into labor.

We can't schedule the C-section until I'm 30 weeks, so I have another few weeks to decide. I'm really torn since I would like to be conscious during my daughter's birth...and I did make it to 10 cm very quickly on my own last time (though I didn't push). But I'm scared of the pain...the pain is so intense. And I'm afraid I won't be able to physically deliver due to my back issues. Anyway, I have some decisions to make. And possibly a natural labor class in my future.

Anyway, sorry to blab. Things are rolling along. Painters should be done this Wednesday and I've ordered the crib, the changing table, a rug, roman shades (on backorder at PBK, but that's okay) and a few other things, so I feel like everything will be ready to go once the painters are out.

Hope everybody is doing well!!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

NEL,

Who knows...my Drs office seems to be very lax in calling with results. I'll probably give them a call later this week if I haven't heard from them.

I was a mess all day Friday (nauseous, jittery, exhausted, kind of loopy, etc.)...and Sat, Sun, and today the nausea has been awful. Not so fun

Nel, that's a lot of big birth decisions!!! Best wishes making the best decision for you and your daughter.

I am overwhelmed at the thought of possibly changing providers and making a decision re where (hospital in NYC or other place, home birth, etc.) This part is really stressful. I want to be prepared for an emergency, but also not have it be a situation where medical intervention makes things worse or is unnecessary. I know that your situation is different b/c of your spine, etc. which makes your decision even more difficult.

Wow, 38.5 would be amazing Of course I want Roo to stay baking as long as s/he needs, but I am really over being pregnant right now.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Hello, lovlies!! Hope everyone is feeling fabulous and getting more excited to have their little bugs!

Bella, in my experience with the glucose test, the midwife had the results within 24 hours and called me both times (after the one hour and then after the three hour) within 48 hours of me taking the test. I;m hoping for your sake that no news is good news! If there was a problem, I sincerely think they would contact you pretty quickly to get you scheduled for the three hour testing. I'm hoping you don't have to do that, as it's even worse than the one hour and I had it pretty cushy, since I know the person taking my blood and she let me go in one of the rooms and lay down the entire time I was there, which was AMAZING!

After learning all the stuff from Bradley, I feel even better about having a home birth (which we WILL have with our next baby) because you find out that soooo many things are just un-necessary with a hospital birth and actually cause more harm than good. Take some deep breaths and hopefully the decision making about changing things up mid-pregnany will seem a little less stressful. Just remember, the sooner you decide on something, the better you'll feel because you can just be done with that whole thing until you actually go into labor!

NEL, phew, that IS a ton of decisions to make in short time! Is there a reason your dr doesn't think you'll be able to handle the natural, vaginal birth? I must have missed something when you mentioned your back issues, so I'm not sure what's going on with all that. Either way, I hope both you and baby have a safe labor and delivery, whichever way you choose! One thing I will say about natural birth; my cousin had one fully medicated birth and one natural (she had a super quick second labor and was ready to push by the time they got to the hospital!). While the pain was pretty intense (per her), she said that as soon as the baby came out, she felt absolutely amazing and there was zero pain! She even said she was ready to get up and leave the hospital because she felt so awesome. Obviously her situation is different than yours, but basically her thing was that the pain wasn't so terrible since it just completely ended right after baby was placed in her arms, unlike her epidural birth where she felt super groggy and just not fabulous. Hopefully you can have the natural birth you want and feel that baby on your immediately instead of having to wait it out after your c-section recovery.

Gem, thank you so much for the tip with the dress! I would not have thought of that AT ALL and now that I'm thinking about how I'm sitting while pregnant, it's a little more comfortable to have my knees slightly apart. So yep, looks like I'll be doing either leggings and a tunic or jeans because I want cut pictures, not oh hey, there is my happy place' pictures lol

So, have any of you ladies made out a birth plan yet? I wrote up a quick draft for our Bradley class and I'm thinking about doing a bullet point option as well, so you can see all the big points we would like. Thankfully the midwife is on board, so I feel good about everything.

AFM, I'm trucking along at almost 33 weeks (on Wednesday) and I cannot even believe it! Christmas shopping is looking good so far, as I've only got a few more people to go. DH and I went shopping for throw-away panties for all the awesome after baby weird body things and that made me really sad lmao...I LOVE my panties and to buy some cheapie option just to throw out (this was recommended by 2 mom friends), well that just seems like sacrilege! Bahahah! My next goal with baby stuff is to pack our hospital bag. Oh and craziness; I totally have had 2 weird pregnancy dreams last week. One was that I had a freaking kitten (lmao...I keep telling my cat George that I'm having a kitten! ) and the other was that my water broke and I immediately went into pushing..this was in my bathroom at home and DH wouldn't come help me. Hilarious! The great news is that we are doing labor practice in our classes and I am feeling really great about DH and I and hoe we're going to get through everything. He is super supportive and by practicing everything, we're finding out my likes (touching and massaging) and dislikes (not being in my face or talking too much), so we both know how to be during painful labor. I'm actually really thankful that I have such a great husband and I feel closer to him after every class because I think he is taking things so seriously and really just wants baby and I to be perfect.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Oh and one more thing; let's talk push presents!! I'm interested in finding something small and not too pricy (ideal would be around $300, but I could probably do more..well, he could lol, if the item is awesome). Any ideas? I found a few really adorable things on etsy, but I'm trying to decide if I should opt for a ring or necklace and if I should go for something just for me, or something for me now and that I can pass on to DD when she turns a certain age. If I go with something purely for me, I'd LOVE a vintage engraved wedding band of some sort or some awesome looking RHR with maybe her birthstone (garnet).

I did find this little cutie, which I think would be PERFECT to pass on to her when she is like 16 or so as her first 'real' piece of jewelry.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/124313067/everyday-diamond-stack-ring-in-14k-gold?ref=favs_view_18

I also just adore this for the same reason:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/114883823/marquise-diamond-engagement-ring-diamond?ref=favs_view_22

This would be more for me to keep:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/101038188/petite-ruby-bezel-solitaire-necklace-in?ref=shop_home_active
https://www.etsy.com/listing/166341297/thin-antique-platinum-wedding-band?ref=favs_view_22
https://www.etsy.com/listing/164029784/antique-wedding-ring-14k-gold-ring?ref=favs_view_7
https://www.etsy.com/listing/161180317/antique-gold-and-garnet-flower-ring?ref=favs_view_16
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/Moon-and-Lola-Gold-Disc-Cutout-Script-Monogram-Necklace/prod157120187/p.prod?ecid=NMALRFeed&ci_src=14110925&ci_sku=prod157120187skuGOLD (I would rather real gold than just gold fill though)


Any help??

 

[Clairitek]

Oh and one more thing; let's talk push presents!! I'm interested in finding something small and not too pricy (ideal would be around $300, but I could probably do more..well, he could lol, if the item is awesome). Any ideas? I found a few really adorable things on etsy, but I'm trying to decide if I should opt for a ring or necklace and if I should go for something just for me, or something for me now and that I can pass on to DD when she turns a certain age. If I go with something purely for me, I'd LOVE a vintage engraved wedding band of some sort or some awesome looking RHR with maybe her birthstone (garnet).

I did find this little cutie, which I think would be PERFECT to pass on to her when she is like 16 or so as her first 'real' piece of jewelry.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/124313067/everyday-diamond-stack-ring-in-14k-gold?ref=favs_view_18

I also just adore this for the same reason:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/114883823/marquise-diamond-engagement-ring-diamond?ref=favs_view_22

This would be more for me to keep:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/101038188/petite-ruby-bezel-solitaire-necklace-in?ref=shop_home_active
https://www.etsy.com/listing/166341297/thin-antique-platinum-wedding-band?ref=favs_view_22
https://www.etsy.com/listing/164029784/antique-wedding-ring-14k-gold-ring?ref=favs_view_7
https://www.etsy.com/listing/161180317/antique-gold-and-garnet-flower-ring?ref=favs_view_16
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/Moon-and-Lola-Gold-Disc-Cutout-Script-Monogram-Necklace/prod157120187/p.prod?ecid=NMALRFeed&ci_src=14110925&ci_sku=prod157120187skuGOLD (I would rather real gold than just gold fill though)


Any help??

Coming out of lurkdom (not pregnant, TTC at the moment) to say that I REALLY love the first two links. I actually like all of what you chose but the first two are so sweet!

 

[gem_anemone]

ILoveSpinel - congrats on your pregnancy!! How far along are you?

Bella - yay for the baby bump! Finally I did look at eBay for clothes. I am afraid to buy without trying them on. I also feel like buying online from Old Navy and Gap is cheaper because they have 30% off sales like every other week and free shipping if you spend at least 50$. I haven't bought anything this week. I think I am starting to be ok with my amount of maternity clothes. Haha I am not looking forward to the glucose test. You'll have to let us know how your results turned out.

NEL - It's so hard not to worry about delivery. I am with you on not knowing how to proceed. I hear and read about how many women do not have happen what they would like during the delivery and due to doctor's recommendations in the delivery room and that their birth plans are thrown out the window. I do not want a C-section and I do not want my area "down there" to be torn to shreds due to the combo of epirdural/pitocin/suction and forcing the baby out when he is stressed and my body is not ready to deliver. The only way I have known for sure that women can have more control over the birth is to use a birthing center and go all natural. However, I am like you. I am afraid of the pain. I am still considering it. I like to think of myself as strong-willed. I would like to bounce back from delivery as soon as possible.

FPS - Aas you can see from my previous paragraph I am still thinking up my birth plan. DH and I are touring my hospital this week, however, if I don't feel comfortable with it, we may look around at other hospitals. I keep having weird pregnancy dreams. Last night I dreamt had a little toddler girl and I was telling her that I was preggo with her little brother. What's up with that? Lol! Also regarding push presents - I like the ruby necklace and also the first two rings you posted. Very nice! Not sure if my DH even knows what a push present is, so I don't know if I will be bringing it up to him! haha! That is not really a "thing" around these parts.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Gem-good luck with your hospital tour and birth plan!!!

After spending my whole pregnancy (and really my whole life) pretty sure that I wanted a low/no-intervention hospital birth, ideally in a birthing center, I am about 75% sure that I want a home birth. So, I am going to continue on with my OB's prenatal care for now, but am compiling a list of midwives to interview and see if they have availability around my due date.

FPS-I love the first two that you posted especially that e-w marquis

NEL-please tell me that the nausea/vomiting go away as soon as the baby comes out! Mine is ramping back up again and I am not sure that I have 10-12 more weeks of this in me. Ugh!

AFM-I am having trouble sleeping, waking a lot in the night and not being able to fall back asleep. The more tired I am, the worse the nausea is, the worse the nausea is the harder it is to sleep...it is a vicious cycle! I've started seeing random black "floaters" occasionally (yesterday I kept thinking I was seeing a bug crawling on my desk but it was just a "floater"). I freaked a little as that can be a sign of preeclampsia, but so far my urine tests have all been fine and my BP is steady at 120/70. Since DH is an EMT he monitors my pulse/BP, etc. anytime I mention a new weird symptom

The baby is kicking/wiggling all.the.time, mostly in the middle of the night--so much so that it wakes me up. Yesterday it kicked DH's stethoscope every time he would put it on my stomach to listen to the baby's heartbeat.

I just found out that I have work events the next 3 weekends which are going to conflict with our birthing class, so DH might be going it alone. I'm sad to miss part of those classes, but at least DH will be a great birth partner, I guess...

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

Thanks for the help in deciding on a push present, ladies! I do so love those dainty little rings and would wear it as a RHR until I decide I'm ready to give it up to our daughter. Man, what if I love it so much I just want to keep it forever?! lol

Gem, I do think having our hospital tour helped, however it totally made me realize that hospitals are for giving birth and that is it! I do not want to labor there for long and do not want to stay there for several days afterwards. Thankfully if we have the kind of birth that I want, we're out in 2 days. It definitely reinforced the fact that laboring at home is the very best way to go. Also, I think pretty much any new mom to be is afraid of the pain that could happen. That said, even with the drugs, you feel pain, so its not like there is a way to get the baby out without any at all. I keep telling myself I want as natural a birth as possible and will be doing my best to make that happen since it is WAY better for both myself and baby. That said, do what works best for you and remember that you have the right to change your mind. Oh and DH said last night that he thinks he should get a present for being a good coach if I'm getting the push present...to which I replied that it would have to come after baby, since we don't know how he'll do (I think he'll be perfect, actually), but we DO know that I'll be the one in pain for hours and having to deal with all kinds of not so pleasant stuff, so I DESERVE a nice little something! It isn't a common thing in our area either, but damn it, it's going to be a common thing for FPS!

Bella, I think you're smart to have a back-up for a possible home birth. I would have loved one and I'm kind of jealous that it's so possible for you right now...jealous and SO HAPPY for you!! As for the trouble sleeping, I hear you, sister!! I am 33 weeks along as of yesterday and man, it is HARD to get comfortable! I do a lot of tossing and turning and she wiggles all the time, so there is that added in, plus, with the added new weight to my body that I'm not used to, my back is starting to hurt. I've been going to bed later and sleeping in later since I can hog the whole bed after DH leaves for work and not feel like I'm being a jerk and only giving him a sliver of the bed to use. Hope it gets a little better for you because floaters do NOT sound good! So, are you able to make up the missed classes? We've had 2 schedule conflicts and have been able to make up the classes. I think it's WAY worth it to attend all of them since you're getting so much info at each class. You may want to check with your teacher on that.

AFM, phew, I am sleepy! Like, all the time! basically I just want to lay around all day and not do much. I think its because my body is just not used to being as big as I am (still hovering around 23lbs total gained, but man, it really does impact my body!). My back hurts after I go on walks (normally just the bottom), but the other day I woke up in the middle of the night to stabbing pain in my left side. I sincerely thought I was getting a kidney infection because the pain was so bad and I've had one before and it felt just like this. I couldn't get in with the midwife, but went to urgent care and they said everything was normal with my urine but that maybe it's the way baby is laying, or the added weight and I should possibly look into a soft brace type thing that holds up the belly. To me, that would make sense if it were all over, but not just on the left side. It was super weird! I'm going to the midwife tomorrow, so hopefully she can give me more info. The one good thing about this is that during the pain, I did my best to relax through the hurting and do my breathing like I should and keep myself as calm as possible. While everything really sucked, I was kind of happy to be able to practice pain management a la Bradley style, since this is what I will be doing during labor.

Also, can I just vent a minute?! So, just like with our wedding, I spent a ton of time and effort into creating our baby registry. We have lots of things that we need on there and hopefully will not have to purchase ourselves after our baby shower. Well I've had like 5 people tell me how excited they are to give me things for the baby, but they've all said they picked them out themselves. I mean, what is up with that? I get it; it's more fun to buy stuff we don't need and all those cutesey little outfits and such, but man, what about the practical stuff? With our wedding, we had about 30% of our registry purchased and then got a bunch of random stuff we didn't ask for (we appreciated everything, so please don't get me wrong), which we either have given away or it is just sitting in our basement not being used. Since getting married and seeing how little people follow registries, I have only given money or something off a gift registry, since I know it is something the couple will actually want/use. I'm beginning to wonder why we even make these things, since people tend to do whatever they want anyway. It's just a bit frustrating to think that we will need to go out and get a ton of the necessities right before or directly after Christmas to prepare ourselves for the January 6th due date. Am I just being a brat? I know that people are doing something nice for us and we really do appreciate that they care enough to get us something anyway, but I just wish it would be something we can use. I'm trying to de-clutter and get rid of things that aren't necessary, so I feel like after baby I'm going to be donating/selling/returning a bunch of stuff that I don't want just sitting around our house. Ladies who have had babies; do people buy you more stuff you want or more what they want to give you? Our shower is on the 30th, so this may be a bit premature, but I'm pregnant and tend to over-think things these days lol