Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[mia1181]

Hi ladies!

I'm going to join today at 15w6d. This is my second pregnancy and I have a 13 month old DD. We did a crazy early gender ultrasound at 13w and they said it's a boy. We saw the little penis and the tech was very very confident, but since it's so early I'm saying it's "probably a boy." I'm debating if I should go and get another now to confirm, or just wait a month for the anatomy scan. I'll probably just wait because DH doesn't want me to waste the money and it's not really that big of a deal either way. I bought a couple of things but I am not afraid to put them on a girl if it turns out that way. DD wore/wears a lot of "boy things" and has a lot of gender neutral stuff so luckily we have a good start on clothes. He will be using a pink bouncey seat, and wearing some pink too, but that's how we roll. We are very careful about the messages we send O about her gender and I don't want to have a double standard when it comes to a son. I'm rambling, sorry.

Anyhoodles, this pregnancy is taking forever in some ways and fast-tracking in others. I started showing right away (but still in that fat sort of way) and I felt movement at 11weeks. I think I felt some kicks last night when I was on a flight last night with DD sleeping on my belly. Nothing consistent though. Nausea still comes Randomly. I've discovered coffee and raisin bran helps my constipation better than any drug or major diet changes, so that's my current regimine. I have the cereal every day and a cup of coffee as needed if I've been backed up.

That's about it for me... We are hunting for a name but it's been very difficult to find something we love that doesn't rhyme with O's name or her nickname and goes with DHs last name. Since our daughter's name is unusual, we want something more regular for a name but still uncommon. It's difficult, especial since we've probably already considered all the regular names and nothing has stood out.

 

[coda72]

Claritek, hope you feel better from your cold. It does suck getting sick while pregnant. I had a cold about a month ago, and it put me down for about a week. As far as your question about GD, I have to test my blood sugar 4 times a day. It is annoying, but whatever I have to do to make sure the baby comes out well, I will do.

Blacksand, so sorry to hear about the GD diagnosis. Believe me, I know how you feel. But truly it's nothing that's in our control, so don't feel like you did anything wrong. Sorry to hear about you still having morning sickness as well. Not sure how this will affect the nausea, but instead of eating 3 big meals a day, you split it into 3 smaller meals with snacks. So, you're eating every few hours. That might help with the nausea, I don't know. You will still eat carbs, don't worry about that. But you should pair your carbs with protein (even something like nuts or peanut butter) to keep your blood sugar levels lower. You will have to limit how many grams of carbs that you can eat at one time. Since everyone is different, I don't want to tell you how many grams you will be instructed to eat. Once you meet with a dietician, he/she will tell you how to plan meals, how many carbs, etc. I'm generally a pessimistic person, so I'm not just saying this, but the diet isn't really hard to handle at this point. I've gotten very good at estimating carbs even when I go out to eat, so I can keep to the diet. And I haven't gained any weight since going on this diet. In fact I lost 5 pounds that I still haven't regained, so I'm at a 17 pound gain. It does make losing the pregnancy weight a lot easier if you don't gain much. It sounds like you haven't gained much at all, so you won't have to worry about losing much weight post pregnancy. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask me.

Brightspot-welcome! Sounds like everything is going well with your pregnancy despite the fatigue. That seems to be a common thing. I was very fatigued during the first trimester, and although it eased up during the second trimester, I am getting the fatigue back during the third trimester. You're almost halfway there, take comfort in that.

Pancake-hope you're enjoying your vacation. You've reached the halfway point of your pregnancy, that's always a good feeling.

PP-you're so close now! I'm about 2 weeks behind you, and I fully expect to be induced on or near my due date if the baby doesn't come on her own first. The way she's trying to kick through my abdomen, I think she wants out though!

PPM-welcome to the second trimester. Hope your nausea is easing. Hopefully your pregnancy continues to stay uneventful.

Anchor-hope you and your hubby can agree on a name. It took us a while to find us a name we agree on, but we have finalized everything, and hubby even made a plaque to hang in her bedroom with her name on it.

Mia-good luck on your name search as well. I know how hard it is to pick just the perfect name. Luckily you still have plenty of time.

AFM-I had my regular doctor's appointment today as well as the normal non stress testing that I now have to do twice a week. Apparently my placenta is still functioning fine, and baby is doing well according to the non stress test. The regular appointment was a quick one just to check in and make sure everything is still status quo. We're working frantically on the nursery, and we'll be painting this weekend. After that we'll do the floors, and we should be able to start getting the crib and other furniture set up in there by next weekend. What a relief!

 

[PetitiePoire]

Coda- how exciting that you are working on the nursery! It makes everything feel more real- at least it did for me. I'm glad your non stress test came back ok. Not really sure what that is though!

Mia- welcome! We found out boy early too, and girl with our DD early on, so hopefully you're good!

Anchor- I wonder if that's a French-Canadian pronunciation? I know FILs middle name is definitely pronounced me-shell. Perhaps I have the spelling wrong, but I feel like I had seen it as micheal in their livre de famille. Ah, idk. So, interesting! I like the way you pronounce it!

BRightspot- welcome! I'm sorry to hear about the confusion with your Ob and RE. I can imagine your frustration. At least she caught it now and your side effects aren't too bad.

Blacksand- I'm sorry to hear about your GD. How frustrating. I hope you're able to find some relief from the nausea and I pray it doesn't last the rest of your pregnancy. Feel free to vent anytime!


Afm- the tech at the ultrasound place came down with the stomach flu, so they cancelled my appointment! The next available one isn't until May 2 at 8:30pm or May 10 during the day. DD is 22 months and a complete handful right now, I'm not changing her schedule and May 10 puts my at the end of 38 weeks. The place has a 72 hr cancellation policy, so I didn't want to risk paying for nothing if he comes early. So, I'm put on a cancellation waiting list. I'm so incredibly bummed. I made this appointment weeks ago (it was the first they had available) and now it's highly likely I won't get one. It's such a change from when I got to see DD at each visit and I was really looking forward to this. I know it's a minor thing in the grand scheme of things, but still disappointing.

 

[pancake]

The thread is hopping - loving it!

blacksand, I can understand why you're feeling so down and in the doldrums. I think pregnancy is a bit like a wedding in that we build up expectations around how we expect it to be - ditto labour and delivery. Part of that is societal, I think - it's the luxury of having choices in an affluent society where medical care is so good and preventable negative outcomes are so low. You are going through a grieving process, it sounds, and I think that's normal under the circumstances. It's also totally normal to feel "early mother's guilt"! But these things are not your fault - GD as anything else is an interplay of environment and genetics, and that's unfortunately the way the chips have fallen for you. But it is a great thing that it has been recognised, and you WILL manage the next few months. Once your baby is here it will all melt into relative insignificance.

Re the nuts and bolts of it, the vast majority of women do not need insulin and can be managed with dietary/lifestyle factors. Hopefully you will fall into that category too.

PP - I'm so disappointed for you re the ultrasound, I know how much you were looking forward to it! Fingers crossed there is a cancellation in the next week or so. Surely there would be?

coda to be honest I am kind of freaking out that I'm over halfway already - we have so much to do! About to renovate our house

mia hello again! Nice to see you here Re names - I am absolutely certain you will come up with something perfect! Our #1's name is uncommon without being "unique" (if you get my heavily euphemistic use of that word - "yooh-neek?") and we really want something similar for #2 that matches well. We have surprised ourselves - we have a name nailed down for a girl and are very close to the same point for a boy. Names are kind of a fun dilemma to think about though, don't you think? Re gender ultrasound, 13 weeks is certainly very early as the external genitalia only start to differentiate at 11+ weeks, so I'd probably think of it the way that you are (as a "probable" rather than definite!) until your next scan.

brightspot it's so nice to see you in this thread! Still tickled for you that you are pregnant and that things are going so well! Don't stress about the metformin thing. There is now emerging evidence that suggests what the RE has advised is the right thing to do (ie continuing) but the 2-3 weeks you were off it are not going to be the make or break for your pregnancy outcomes.

anchor glad to hear the cardiac scan looked good! There are many many many women who are pregnant and on SSRIs and the risk is very low, but it is always nice to have the reassurance

AFM, 20 weeks and 5 days, still on holidays (not for much longer though, woe). No news to report. Baby super-active, belly still rapidly expanding, am wondering how it will fit in there to the end to be honest! The main sweetener to our holiday finishing is that we have our fetal morphology scan on Wednesday (2 days after arriving home). Am very excited and hoping everything is still healthy in there!

 

[missrachelk]

Hey Bright!

I've been MIA I know, I'm 16 weeks today.

Just wanted to chime in that continuing Metformin could help in a multitude of ways. During my struggle with low milk supply with my daughter I discovered that continuing on it beyond 12 weeks can help with breast tissue development as well. Many of the moms I've met with low supply also have PCOS and insulin issues. So it's a good thing!

 

[Clairitek]

Anchor- Glad that the US could give you some extra reassurance that the baby is just fine in there.

Blacksand- I’m so sorry about the horrible 3 hour test. That sounds horrendous. I hope you are able to find a GD friendly diet that works for you. My heart goes out to you. You’ve suffered enough with the horrible MS. Adding this is just not necessary. I hope Coda’s tips for managing the food intake to help nausea work for you.

Bright- Sorry to hear that your OB steered you away from the Metformin before consulting your RE. Good news that your nausea is doing better!

Coda- I hope your weekend of nursery work went well! Great that everything seems to be functioning like it should and that the baby is doing fine.

Mia- Welcome! I’m dying to know if your u/s tech was right! I’d just wait for the anatomy scan (because I’m cheap…) for a follow-up on gender guess.

PP- Sorry that your fun ultrasound didn’t pan out. That really stinks. I can understand why you’re hesitant to reschedule. I hope someone cancels and you can get in there in the next couple of days.

Pancake- Welcome to halfway+! I bet your fetal anatomy scan is soon. I hope it goes well!

AFM- Not much to report. I spent the weekend in Michigan with a close PSer friend. Evil crotch pain persists. I'm not sure the Snoogle I bought is doing anything for me. I've spent the last few nights with just a pillow between my legs and I wake up much less frequently (and when I do it seems to be on my back). DH wants me to sell/return the Snoogle (gotta love Amazon's return policy!) but I'm worried that I'll like it more later on in pregnancy so we will hold on to it for now and then pass it on. I'm still on antibiotics from my head cold turned sinus infection. They helped immediately but now I still feel some pain at certain times of the day. I'm going to finish the course and if I still feel something going on I'll find an ENT to check it out. Gotta love being over my deductible so specialist appts are dirt cheap! I need to go do my 1 hour glucose test now that I've hit 24 weeks. I'll probably do it on Friday since I can just go to any blood lab office at my convenience for the first test.

24w2d

 

[blacksand]

Bright and mia, welcome! Bright, I don't know much about Metformin, but at this point in my life, I would say if there's anything you can do to prevent GD, do it! mia, congrats on your probably-boy, and good luck in the name search! I find boy names so much harder for some reason. I love the girl name we have picked out, but I'm still not totally in love with our boy name. It's more of an "I just can't think of anything I like better" kind of situation. I'm hoping it will grow on me if we do have a boy. Either that, or that I'll think of something I really love (and DH agrees to) before the baby arrives.

I want to thank you all for your support. I am trying to tell myself it's not the end of the world. Even if all my worst fears come true (having to take insulin, early induction, C-section, huge baby, diabetes not going away after birth, baby being hypoglycemic, etc.), it's still not the end of the world. These are all things that would stink, but they are all things that plenty of people deal with every day, and I can do it too, if that's what I need to do. I admit that I'm still really down, but I am trying to pick myself up and stop feeling sorry for myself.

blacksand, I can understand why you're feeling so down and in the doldrums. I think pregnancy is a bit like a wedding in that we build up expectations around how we expect it to be - ditto labour and delivery. Part of that is societal, I think - it's the luxury of having choices in an affluent society where medical care is so good and preventable negative outcomes are so low. You are going through a grieving process, it sounds, and I think that's normal under the circumstances. It's also totally normal to feel "early mother's guilt"! But these things are not your fault - GD as anything else is an interplay of environment and genetics, and that's unfortunately the way the chips have fallen for you. But it is a great thing that it has been recognised, and you WILL manage the next few months. Once your baby is here it will all melt into relative insignificance.

Thank you so much for this. I never thought of it as a grieving process, but you are right. I felt sort of entitled to, um, NOT having gestational diabetes. It never occurred to me in my wildest dreams that I would. So now I am feeling like the pregnancy I expected to have has been taken away from me. The funny thing is that I have worked SO hard to not build up any expectations. I have no birth plan, I have always said I will do whatever is best when the moment comes, I try so hard not to have any preconceived notions of what my baby will be like, I don't even know the gender, and though I have ideas about what kind of parent I would like to be, I have always been open-minded about them, and I realize that everything could change when they baby is actually here. I've worked so hard to remain open-minded and not have any expectations. But yes, I expected to not have GD, and now here I am. But you are right, I will manage, whatever I need to do, and none of it will matter if my baby is here and healthy.

 

[pancake]

Blacksand be kind to yourself - once the reality of the day to day of GD becomes routine I hope it will seem less traumatic for you. You are so diligent, I know you are going to look after yourself and this baby as well as anyone ever could, so you are absolutely maximising your chances of an uneventful (good!) outcome. Big hugs.





We are having another girl!!! Found out this morning All is well, baby measuring ahead (whatever that means - apparently not much), no doodle, LOL!

 

[S&I]

Yay Pancake, congrats on another girl!!!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Pancake!! Congrats on having another girl! I'm biased, but I think having two girls is so much fun. Just try not to think of those teenage years

 

[coda72]

Pancake-congrats on having a girl! I can't wait to meet my little girl!

Nothing much new to report here, hoping to make some real progress on the nursery today. We are going to finish painting, then start on the floors. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, it will be nearly done. I have to admit, I'm pretty tired of pregnancy at this point. I've not ever been a fan of being pregnant, but it's starting to really wear on me. I don't get much sleep, my back is very sore most of the time, and I feel like I'm at the doctor's office all of the time for appointments. But in 40 days at the maximum it will be all over, so I just have to push through these last weeks.

By the way, PP, a non stress test is where they monitor the baby's heartbeat for about 20-30 minutes and make sure it's accelerating as it should be when she moves in the womb. They want the baby to move at least 2 times within the 20-30 minute time frame. Since I have the hyperactive baby who seems like she's trying to break out of the womb all of the time, they have no trouble getting the data they need rather quickly from these tests. I also get a quick ultrasound each time to check and make sure the placenta is still functioning the way it should be.

I have a question to all of you that already have children. Did you find that if your baby was active in the womb, that held true once he/she was born? Or did you have a very active baby in utero that wasn't as active once born? I'm just curious as a first time mother. I do have a very active baby, if she's quiet for a few hours even, I get worried because she's so active. I just wonder what she's going to be like once she's born.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Coda, I used to research the same thing (activity inside the womb vs. outside). My first was really active in utero all the time. A little quieter at night, but still active. And she was a very easy baby who slept in long stretches from the very beginning. My second was also active, ESPECIALLY at night. And certain times during the day. But she was an even easier baby who barely made a peep at night. I'd read other moms' experiences about having a baby that was really active in utero, then up all night once they were born, but I didn't have that experience at all.

Good luck ladies!

 

[anchor31]

Congrats pancake!

 

[mia1181]

Coda- O was super super active in the womb. Everyone commented on how hard her kicks were and how distracting it was to see my belly in constant motion throughout the day. She was most active at night and I had the same worries as you, especially in the weeks before her birth because I was worried if that meant she'd be up all night. But when she came, she was just a calm sweet baby. No colic and a great sleeper. It was amazing to me that she didn't seem the same outside of the womb, but I think you just feel every little movement inside. Maybe she was just tossing in her sleep? They seem so still and calm as newborns but they can't get around as easily anymore either. She's a fairly energetic toddler now, walking all over the place, but her temperament is still pretty easy, and still a good sleeper.

Kind of a sidenote but I was reading a book about teaching kids sexual health and gender roles, recently. The author mentioned that women that carry girls are more likely to describe their babies as calm in the womb, whereas women with boys describe their babies as more active. She was pointing out how gender norms are assigned to babies even before birth, but she mentioned that research shows that there is no difference in movement across gender. I thought that was interesting.


Pancake- Congrats on another girl! And you had a definite girl name already so you are all set!


Blacksand- I feel exactly the same as you re: boys names! There are just so many girls names that I absolutely love! But there are much less boys names to choose from and I think it is a little more difficult pull off unique or fun names for a boy. We do have a short list of potentials but all of them are just "okay." I feel really guilty about giving my son a name that I am not super in love with or excited about. We do want a slightly more traditional name than DD's so that means there probably aren't any other names that we haven't considered yet.

I definitely feel you on the grieving process of realizing things are not going to go the way you thought they would. I was like you and tried not to make any assumptions about my delivery. But, the truth was I come from a family where everyone gives birth vaginally, and I was the picture of a perfectly healthy pregnancy. I exercised until the day before DD's birth. I gained the normal amount of weight. I read all the books, I did everything, including reading up on c-sections because I didn't want to be "one of those fools who assumed their L&D would go perfectly." And after all that, I had the huge baby and the c-section. I thought I handled it all well and I was actually really happy with how everything went. But a few weeks later my friend had one of those birth experiences you dream about (water broke, got to the hospital, 5 pushes and boom! Baby!) and I cried when I heard the news. That was supposed to be my birth experience! Pregnancy and motherhood is so humbling because so much is out of your control. You just have to try and make good decisions as you are pulled along for the ride. I am still working on that as a mom too!


Clairetek I am having the same issues with the snoogle this time around. I needed it very early last time, but this time it's just not doing it for me. I didn't even miss it when I was on my trip. I'm keeping mine out because I do think I will need it when I get huge. And I decided to just wait for the anatomy scan to confirm boy (I'm kinda cheap too) it's only about two weeks. See below about PSD (evil crotch pain) I have a question!


PP- Sorry about your ultrasound troubles. Did they call yet?




AFM, 16w5d. I had my doctor appointment yesterday. My doc is so sweet. They asked me if I minded seeing the NP instead because there was another patient who needed the doctor. I told them I didn't mind at all since I really had no questions or anything. My doc came in just to give me a hug and say hi and thank me for giving up my spot. She said she was bummed because she was so excited to see me on the schedule because we haven't really seen each other since DD's birth (I keep ending up with the NP, PA, or her partner because of my schedule). Besides her awesome bedside manner, she is just a really good OBGYN! She stays up on research and is someone that minimizes interventions but knows when to use it. I mean, my appointment was boring, but I love reaffirming that I am in good hands!

Anyone want to tell me about PSD? Pubic Symphysis Disfunction AKA Evil Crotch Pain?
I think I have it but I'm not sure. So background: last pregnancy I was getting in the shower sometime after 20ish weeks (maybe even 3rd tri) and even though I was holding on, my foot slipped about an inch. I thought I pulled a muscle. Doc said I probably did because of relaxin and to just rest, etc. Well it never really went away and I switched from running to swimming, etc. It went away after DD's birth and I forgot about it.

Well it's baaaack. I had no injury that I know of to cause it this time, so I know it's just from pregnancy. Anyway I don't know if it is PSD because it's not in the middle and it's not across my entire crotch. It's just on the left inside (where my leg meets my groin). It hurts to walk, to seperate my legs in any way, to lift one leg at a time (putting pants on). So does PSD ever happen on just one side? I'm sure it doesn't matter either way because they are both similarly caused by stretching ligaments, but I'm not sure whether to rest it or try and stretch it. The NP said I should try doing hip stretches and see if it makes it worse.

And while I am on this subject, guess who did a water aerobics class?! Running just ain't happening no mo! I have to do something so I tried the aquafit class at my gym. I was the youngest there by at least 30 years! It was kinda fun though. I couldn't do half of the leg moves though because I was scared of separating my legs so I got really cold standing in the pool towards the end. I was disappointed that my arms weren't the least bit sore the next day, but my groin felt a lot better! So I think my workouts will now take place in the pool! Probably more laps than aerobics class but I'm glad I can do something to stay fit.

 

[tammy77]

I haven't visited the forums in a while but just popped in to lurk and saw your question about PSD. I had it with my pregnancy and yes, it can mainly hurt on one side at first. Honestly, don't mess around with it if you aren't near the end of your pregnancy. About 26 weeks in, I went to my OB and asked about it. She examined me and told me I was DONE. No more pushing carts, vacuuming, etc. and took me out of work.

For me, sitting in an office chair made it SO much worse. Also, things like pushing carts (when I was bad and thought I could get away with it), lifting heavy things, stairs (omg stairs). Also, if you have the ability to get in to physical therapy, do it. It's often brushed off as "normal" by a lot of doctors, but it's not something to take lightly. As your pregnancy progresses and your uterus pushes on that ligament (well and relaxed ligaments in general), it will be rough.

Hugs to you. I wouldn't wish PSD on my worst enemy! The "good" news is that it's somewhat manageable with PT and modified activities, and as long as that ligament doesn't separate too far it'll bounce back to normal after delivery.

 

[pancake]

Thanks everyone! We are so excited, would have been either way but DH reckons that I was secretly hoping for a girl, haha. He told me this morning he's been imagining having two little girls and smiling about it to himself

mia I didn't have much in the way of PSD first time around, just a bit of mild pain towards the very end, but I have had SIJ dysfunction big time in both pregnancies. Basically with either of them, the more rest you can get the better.

NEL - omg, I know. I'm trying valiantly to push thoughts of teenage girls out of my head!!!

 

[anchor31]

Oh dear lord, I had PSD with my first. It hurt like hell, starting from 5 weeks! I was in pain my whole pregnancy. My doctor pulled me out of work and sent me to an osteopath. I was on a regime of acetaminophen, pelvic floor exercices and regular osteopath visits for eight months. And yes, it can hurt only on one side. If you have it mia, you have my deepest sympathies.

 

[anchor31]

Pancake - I understand what you mean about being excited with having two girls. We would have loved a girl, but we're pretty excited about having two boys. DH is already talking about bunk beds and mini-footie matches with their cousins. Still no-go on names, though.

AFM - 22w tomorrow. I'm thankful for no back issues this time around, but my stomach is making up for it. Prenatal vitamins are killing me. I've been taking them every other day until I can talk to my OB next week.

 

[PetitiePoire]

Pancake- Congrats on a second girl! I not so secretly hoped for another girl, but I think it's more because I'm terrified of the unknown (raising a boy).

Coda- I can't recall if DD was super active in the womb. I remember seeing and feeling her, but I'm not sure how active she was. She was a terrible sleeper and very alert from birth. #2 has been pretty active, but has started to settle into a sleep routine, I think. I hope he will be a good sleeper!


AFM- Still no 3D ultrasound. I'm still at weekly appointments. My doctor thinks I have signs of depression and we will continue monitoring it in case of post partum. I've been so tired and feel extremely overwhelmed by every little thing. I feel terrible for DD, because she is home with me all day and I just don't have the energy to play or listen to her tantrums. I find myself crying over it all. I'm just ready for this pregnancy to be over and be able to move easier and sleep better (in the small amount of time I will be allowed sleep!). Fortunately, my MIL has agreed to come to help out. I don't usually do well with her here, because we are very different, but I know it will be better for DD and that's the most important thing to me right now, so I'll manage. I'm so grateful she's coming and hope it provides the relief I need. Sorry for such a me centered post. Just wanted to update. I'm still reading along, but DD keeps me busy and cries if I'm on my phone, because she wants it, so I've been trying to keep it away to avoid the meltdowns. Fun. 37w3d

 

[blacksand]

pancake, congrats on your girl! And thank you again for your kind words.

mia, thank you also for your kindness. It is really frustrating to have to deal with these kinds of unexpected things. Especially when you have friends who have perfect puppies-and-rainbows pregnancies and easy vaginal deliveries. The worst is when I visit pregnancy forums (outside of PS, of course) and people have these little icons by their usernames proudly professing how they had natural births and they exclusively breastfeed and the like. It upsets me so much to see people brag about these things as if everyone had the same options. Some people have to have C-sections. Some people are unable to breastfeed. It is just so horrible that other mothers would make these women feel like they are somehow inferior when they are already having to deal with so much. I feel like the women who have the most complicated pregnancies, births, etc. are the ones who should be bragging, if anything. But that's not the world we live in.

I feel so ignorant, I didn't even know what PSD was. I need to catch up on my pregnancy books. Grad school cannot end soon enough. But I have been having similar pains lately, only on the right side, right at that bikini line. I kind of assumed it was a normal pregnancy thing. I am further along than you, so perhaps for me it is. I hope yours will turn out to be just a little muscle strain and you won't be in for months of pain ahead.

AFM, I had my endo appointment today. It was very…perfunctory. The doctor basically read me a speech. Then they gave me a glucose meter and showed me how to use it. It did hurt. They lie when they tell you it doesn't. They told me to check blood sugar 4 times a day and call immediately if my numbers are way out of range. Otherwise I go back the week after next. Then they referred me to a nutritionist. I'm really pissed I waited this long and they are only now referring me to a nutritionist. Seriously?

 

[anchor31]

Blacksand - I hear you. I wish people wouldn't judge mothers on things we often have no control over. I tell myself that I wouldn't get a medal or a special place in heaven if I were able to have a perfect natural birth or breastfeeding relationship or what-have-you. The studies claiming better outcomes from these factors are iffy at best. My kids won't love me more or less. What matters is we love our kids and do our best.

 

[Clairitek]

Blacksand- I'm sorry that your endocrinologist appt was so disappointing and that they're being sort of cold about all of this. I am also surprised that they hadn't referred you to a nutritionist eariler. Did you see the GD-friendly recipe thread in Hangout? I don't blame you for feeling the way you do about any of this. I hope you begin to feel better about it (if it's possible) with time, especially once the stress of school is over with. I'm totally with you on the "badges of honor" associated with med-free vaginal child-birth and championship breastfeeding. I've had an internal struggle where the part of my brain that reprensents who I really am is totally totally fine with however the birth goes argues with the part of my brain that, for some odd reason, thinks it would be really cool to be able to forego meds. Why?? I can't put my finger on it but thank you for your thoughts on the whole thing. Reminds me that ultimately, as Anchor said, no matter what our kids will love us and we will all do the best we can in our different situations.

PP- I'm so sorry to hear that things are so rough-going for you right now emotionally. Glad that your MIL can come help out, even if you don't generally love spending time with her. I bet it'll be a huge relief for you in these last few weeks of pregnancy.

Mia- I'm sorry that you're suffering from the PSD now. It's not a fun club to be in. I can't imagine it while caring for a 13 month old, either. I'm assuming O still likes to be carried around and honestly the idea of carrying a 20+lb child with this PSD I've got going on makes me want to whimper. I hope that the pool classes continue to help. We have some Aqua Fit classes at our gym so perhaps I'll give them a try. That's awesome that your OB is so personable and that you trust her so much! Nice of you to give up your spot to someone who needed the doc more than you did.

Pancake- A girl! I won't lie. A little jealous that you've got two girls. Congrats on a heatlhy scan!

Anchor- Sorry to hear that your vitamins are making you so ill. I hope your OB has some helpful ideas.

Coda- Thanks for the explanation of the non-stress test. I had always wondered what that was am too lazy to look it up. 40 days is soon! Color me envious!


Good grief. After reading Tammy's post on PSD it is apparent I really need to stop doing weighted squats at the gym and generally trying to do as much for myself as I used to. I admittely was sticking my head in the sand regarding this PSD and how serious it could be. When Tammy mentioned pushing carts I realized that whenever I brace myself to push open a heavy door at work, my crotch hurts. I sit too long in an office chair, my crotch hurts. Getting out of bed? Hurts. I'm having a reallllllly hard time wanting to give up my physical activities. I'm such a Bodypump (weightlifting class) addict that it's been tough to want to stay away from it. I'll bring my weights waaaaay down and see how I do. No need to harm myself.

 

[pancake]

blacksand I'm sorry your endo appointment felt like a disappointment. Unfortunately though, that's pretty much what happens everywhere - you get a spiel about what GD is and what the implications are, are given a glucometer, told the frequency with which to test, and then are referred to the dietician - who is really the main person in the initial management of GD and is the most important cog in that wheel given that most women can be managed with simple dietary measures. As far as the pain of testing goes, does your clicker have an adjustable depth for the lancet? There are lots of different clickers on the market and you should be able to find one with an adjustable sampling depth to make it less painful.

 

[PetitiePoire]

anchor- Have you tried the gummy vitamins? I found those did the trick for not making me feel sick. It helped when I ate them just after breakfast or at night after dinner.

Blacksand- I'm sorry you're having to go through all of this. Even if we try not to have any expectations I think it's normal to still have moments of disappointment when something isn't ideal. I hope you are able to manage the GD with help from the dietician. If that happens will you still be required to test often? Hang in there. :/

 

[Clairitek]

A quick little nudge to you guys to add yourselves to the list of due dates! Lots of missing moms in waiting on that list.

 

[anchor31]

Anyone else feel like their bub is going to fall right off when they walk? It seems like it happened a lot later with my first... Maybe I'm carrying lower. I was in much better shape during my first pregnancy and I don't want to be completely sedentary, but it's making my walks with my oldest very uncomfortable, and then Evil Crotch Pain hits. Ugh.

 

[anchor31]

23 weeks tomorrow! I had a prenatal visit this morning: heartbeat at 145bpm and all is well. I got a script for an antiacid so I don't have to spend a fortune on Zantac and Gaviscon every month.

How's everyone?

 

[Clairitek]

Glad to hear things are still going well with the baby Anchor. And saving money on those meds is always nice. I've noticed an uptick in need for Tums (which I've never taken in my life before pregnancy) for myself. Though at times I wonder if something a bit stronger may help. I definitely feel the weight of the baby pulling down on me sometimes when I walk too quickly. I used to be SUCH a fast walker and now I shuffle along at a geriatric pace.

AFM- I've been experiencing worse and worse hip and SI joint pain. Not sure what to do about it. Makes sleeping pretty damn uncomfortable. My tail bone hurts when I sit for long periods of time, too. Ohhh pregnancy! I have noticed that my Evil Crotch Pain has subsided a bit. Or maybe the other stuff hurts more so I notice it less?

I'm going to attempt to do my 1 hr glucose test again tomorrow. Last week I went and the office had ordered the wrong test so I left. Hopefully I won't have any issues tomorrow afternoon. I feel the baby now when I'm standing as of a few days ago. Used to be that I needed to be sitting or laying on my side to feel him easily.

I got my first "you're going to have a huge baby!" comment recently. Glorious.

25w4d

 

[pancake]

clairitek - re your PSD and SIJ issues - the key things are to rest, rest, rest. Sitting better than standing, lying down is best. If you get SIJ pain when getting up from sitting, do some simple pelvic tilts before getting up to get things aligned first. Sleep on your side with a cushion between your knees, keep your knees together when eg. getting out of the car, getting up out of a chair, getting up from lying to sitting, etc. Squeezing the knees together helps a lot to prevent the joint from distracting. Don't push heavy objects out of the way with your foot. Stand with your weight evenly distributed between your legs. Don't push a shopping trolley!

 

[PetitiePoire]

Anchor- glad everything is going well and you were able to get a prescription for the meds- I hope they are helping! Baby is only just now starting to feel lower. I've been waiting and waiting, but he seems content in there. On the bright side, it means I haven't felt like I've been waddling too much.

Claritek- Sorry about the pain becoming worse. I don't have any advice, but the other ladies seem to and I pray it helps you. I only get a pain in the middle of the night, 50 billion times, when I get up to pee. I can't imagine it throughout the day, but I do hope it subsides for you. Good luck with your glucose test!


AFM- 38w3d. Baby is feeling lower. The doctor said at the appointment this week that he wasn't fully engaged yet, but that it was common with 2nd babies to wait until the last minute. I hope she's right and that it doesn't mean I will go to 41 weeks like with DD. Next week is a full moon, so I'm fully hoping he will come early!