Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[monkeyprincess]

Hi ladies! Just checking in. Not sure where to post these days.

Aviastar, I'm so excited for you. You're getting so close! Best wishes for you I this final stretch!

JGator, let me know what car you decide on. DH and I both need new cars in the next little while. I'm looking into the Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Highlander, and Honda Pilot. Not sure I want something that big, but we've found accomodating our family of five is trickier than we anticipated. DH is probably getting a Chevy Suburban, so I can comfortably sit in back and have access to both babies, but still have storage space behind the third row. So excited to "meet" your little guy and hear his name.

LV, hope you're adjusting well. My 12 weeks of maternity leave ends next week, but I requested additional leave to care for N. I was shocked when they gave me two extra months and told me it would be compensated. I'm pleasantly surprised to say the least.

April, your little girl is so cute! Both my boys have had colicky phases, and even my little girl, who is normally pretty easy going, gets really fussy from 6-8 most nights. It's frustrating, but it does end eventually. One thing my boys both like(d) I'd the sound of running water.

AFM, life was going pretty well until N ended up in the hospital on Saturday with a respiratory infection. She had to be intubated and will be until she stops having so many secretions. Sucks to be back in the hospital. I just feel bad for her. She can't catch a break. And DH and I are exhausted trying to split our time again. Oh, and baby boy ended up in the ER last week because a hair got tightly wrapped around his thumb at daycare, and it needed to be removed. He's fine, but it looked pretty ugly. Finally, my toddler had some weird reaction to a virus and got inflammation in his hip and couldn't put weight on it for a few days. We've been at the doctor non-stop! Other than all of that, things have been pretty good. Little O is smiling and giggling and cooing all the time now. He's much more pleasant lately. N I'd a little behind, but she has been smiling/smirking before this latest hospital stay. I'm really excited to get to know their little personalities as they start developing.

 

[Puppmom]

Monkey, love reading your updates and I hope you'll continue to share as they all grow! Just wanted to chime in on the hip infection. Our littlest (2.5 years old) had the same thing. I was freaking out with panic but it ultimately turned out to be transient synovitis and, as promised by our doc, resolved itself in a week. I, of course, googled it and was fearing the worst.

When DS2 started limping and I was panicking, DH said, "Don't worry about it. It's probably something minor like one leg is longer than the other." Wouldn't exactly call that minor!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I'm glad to hear all the Mommys are doing well! The babies are all beautiful!

 

[Dandi]

Hi ladies, thanks for the lovely comments! I feel huge, but that's ok. Huge is healthy, isn't it?!

April, your little miss is just so gorgeous. Love the adorable pic

oh mp, seriously, I'm so sorry all that has happened! My goodness you're an incredible mama. What great news that you can take some extra time off, that must be such a relief!

 

[JGator]

Hi, all, I'm 34.5 weeks now. Doctor has been testing me for ICP (cholestasis of pregnancy) and my numbers are going up , but not above the cut off yet. I scored 9.5 on bile acids Friday, where they say you have it if above 10 - I was 8.5 2 weeks earlier. My doctor said if I have it, I will deliver at 37 weeks which is only 2 weeks from Friday. Worried about possible NICU and also worried about him staying in longer and having a bad outcome if I do have this. My itchiness is better than it was previously, but my blood work is worse so it's quite confusing. We are still car shopping but narrowed down to minivans due to size of trunk and ease of getting into the 3rd row - since we might have grandparents using that row if 2nd is taken over by car seats. Right now we're looking at Honda and Toyota. Need to start comparing pricing/deals for end of year models. Also, still need a dresser for baby and my husband needs to finish painting the trim in the room. Work is stressful too! I am taking Benadryl nightly now since the doctor said I can. Also, our almost 3-year old comes to our room every night now around 3am which is not good for sleep, but good practice for the baby. With the benadryl, I don't even bother trying to walk her back to her room anymore. How is everyone else hanging in there?

 

[monkeyprincess]

Thinking of you, JGator! My twins came at 37 weeks 2 days, and while my daughter obviously was in the NICU due to her heart condition, O spent zero tone in the NICU and was healthy as can be. The only issues he seemed to have was a little trouble establishing a latch for breastfeeding and his temp was a little low, but corrected with hats and blankets. So you like the minivans, huh? Kerri me posted on what you get.

Dandi, forgot to say this in my last post, but you look great! And I think I said this last time around, but I love your bathroom

AHL, saw your nursery, and it is super cute! You are making the best of your small space for sure.

N is still in the hospital. It's so frustrating, but she seems to be finally turning the corner and might be extubated as early as this afternoon. I'm so thankful we have an awesome Children's Hospital, but I'm so sick of spending my days here. And feel so badly for N.

 

[April20]

JGator, I'm so sorry to hear you're having some no fun issues. If it helps at all, my little monster was born at 37 + 5 and didn't really have issues. Her temp was slightly low but they put her under the hot lamps. She also nursed like a champ from the very first time. I think most 37 weekers do well!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Oy so much to deal with Jgator and MP! I hope things turn out both very very well for you both and your LOs.

Thanks for the compliment on the nursery! It's coming along, I'm really just on pause now until the shower. I'm waiting for the completion discount to order the crib so it'll be a few more months. Worst comes to worst the pack n play is always ready!

Benjamin is kicking and punching pretty consistently now and DH was able to feel it the other day, that was very exciting for us both. And just today I noticed my nipples are leaking some clear fluid. I was a little surprised but it doesn't seem to be much yet. My viability day is this Saturday so I'm pretty excited. After that I'm planning on just taking it one week at a time and not letting work stress me too much. It is what it is after all.

Do post more about the minivan search, it seems like such a PITA when you have so many car seats to accommodate!

 

[JGator]

MP, I think looks-wise, I prefer the SUVs, but space and functionality-wise, I prefer the minivans! Also, the minivans get better gas mileage. It is a big leap though from a Camry! So, fyi for you, the Honda has 3 latches in a row in the 2nd row where the Toyota only has 2. So, if you want, you could put all 3 kids in a row on the Honda and use Latch. There is a family in K's preschool with 3 kids and the Odyssey, and I have seen them all in the 2nd row. The Toyota has 2 latches in the 2nd row and 2 in the 3rd row. Also, on all of them, you can take out 1 or more seats to re-configure and the last rows fold flat to provide more trunk space which is likely how we would set it up most of the time and then put the 3rd row up when the grandparents are around. So, is O BFing? I am curious how that will go this time as I had low supply issues with K, but I killed myself to do it and ended up pumping until she was a year old even though she was consuming mostly formula. I wonder if this baby will have any better luck in that department.

April, thanks for chiming in on your daughter doing fine at 37.5 weeks. That's good to hear. I love the picture of her you posted earlier. She looks like she's thriving. How is she doing weight-wise considering she was early? How is your sleep too?

AHL, yay for making it so close to the viability date! That was a HUGE milestone for me. I'm so happy for you. On the minivan search, I don't think it's usually so hard, but we are trying to accomodate potential senior citizens using the back row which likely will not happen that much, but the whole world is revolving around that! I think we decided on Honda last night as my DH likes the flexibility of having the 3 latches in the 2nd row so we can have K and DS-with-no-name sit next to each other and either take out the 3rd outside seat for room to the back or leave it in for an adult to sit in next to the baby who likely will be in the middle seat of the 2nd row. Also, the Honda gets the best gas mileage too. I do think the price is a little higher than the Toyota, but in the end worth it. Also, my DH talked to our regular mechanic yesterday who said not to get the Chrysler Town n Country due to potential of a lot of maintenance compared to the Toyota or Honda.

AFM, so, I got my bile acids blood report yesterday via email from both the doctor's portal and the lab's. I called the doctor/MFM office in the AM leaving a message to speak to my doctor about my results and no call back yet! I'm very frustrated with that. I will call back today, but I don't like not knowing what he thinks of the score and what he thinks my next steps will be. Right now, I just have my regular appt next Tuesday which will include a non stress test this time for the first time. Then, after that the appts are weekly with NSTs.

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, good to know. My main reason that a minivan won't work (aside from the fact I have a hang up about them) is that I drive downtown for work and park in a parking garage, but maybe that's no more challenging than an SUV. If I were a SAHM, I'd probably get one. DH has the kids in the car more than I do typically. O breastfed for awhile, but then I was at the hospital so much and my mom cared for him, so I had to mainly pump, and he definitely preferred bottles or nipple shields. I did it for the first several weeks but with N's feeding issues and my lack of sleep, it just got to be too much, and the pump and having to clean parts and keep track of milk at the hospital and home was making me go a bit crazy. They are both exclusively on formula now, and you know what? I'm okay with that and not going to beat myself up about it. Ev got mostly formula after a couple months, and he's thriving, smart, and usually very healthy. If it works out for you, that will be great, but if it doesn't, I say, don't beat yourself up about it. I know you'll do the best you can, like we all do.

 

[JGator]

MP, yes, I definitely will have a different attitude about BF this time around. Lesson learned from K. I think I carried a lot of guilt from Mom/Sister who are big BF proponents, but I am not going to let that rule me again. I remember my mom telling me she thought I would quit early and was surprised, and I wanted to prove her wrong! You are a rockstar for taking care of 3 kids and dealing with all of the challenges of twins. I am in awe of you! The minivan is 202 inches long I think, and the SUVs/crossovers were in the high 190s for length. Go with whatever you like - I also liked Nissan Pathfinder inside the car - but we never go to test drive because the salesman was a dufus. Most of the salesmen we have dealt with for test drives knew less than we did and worked at the places for 3 months or less. I think with internet pricing nowadays the in person sales people are less knowledgeable. I did think the Honda sales people were more knowledgeable than some of the others though.

 

[April20]

JGator, she went down to 6/11 after birth. At 2 weeks she was 7/15 and at 4 weeks she was 9/9. Her 2 month appt is next week and I bet she's in the 11 lb range.

She sleeps really well at night. As long as she's touching me. She typically wakes twice to nurse but she's never really awake. She stirs, I hear her, give her the boob and she never truly wakes! I would love to have her out of my bed but I will fight that battle another day!

 

[aviastar]

39w+4d today...still very pregnant. Had a checkup today, big fat nothing going on with the cervix. Induction scheduled for Oct. 12, "just in case".

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Thinking of you AV! If you're bored and antsy feel free to post more pics of the nursery, I'd love to see how it turned out!

 

[aviastar]

I finally put some pics up for you AHL!

40w+2d...still pregnant...

 

[JGator]

Avia, hang in there!!! 6 more days max!

AFM, my latest cholestasis results came back today from a week ago, and they are better/lower than last time so I do not have to have a scheduled c-section this Friday at 37 weeks. My next weekly appt is tomorrow. Had my first NST last week and the baby was sleeping at first before I ate some gummy bunny snacks, and then the heartbeat and activity went wild on the monitor! My husband was a little freaked out because the heartbeat went from 128 to 168! Eventually, it calmed back down, but the doctor was fine with the results. We are going to have a detailed ultrasound tomorrow to get an idea of size/weight also since we haven't done one of those in a couple months. The doctor said the baby has curly hair - she could tell from the last ultrasound. Our daughter does, too. I am looking forward to seeing what he looks like. No names yet! I feel HUGE and gained a lot more weight than my first pregnancy. I am worried about losing it later. We bought the Odyssey minivan a week and a half ago and installed the baby car seat yesterday. We also got a dresser and started to fill it up in the baby's room. I still need to pack my hospital bag. Hope all is well with everyone else.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

So much going on ladies! Hang in there AV! I'm just trucking along here. I have my official GD test on Monday along with the rhogam shot and my first growth scan. Hoping all goes well!

 

[JGator]

AHL, good luck with GD testing.

Avia, any progress? How are you feeling?

AFM, I went to the doctor today for my weekly check up. He wants me to take another cholestasis/bile acids test tomorrow AM fasting this time as he's not confident the last test was accurate since I wasn't fasting! We won't get the results till next week, but I could deliver next week or as planned on 10/26. Also, the baby's biophysical profile went well - he is breathing, has muscle tone, etc. The tech said his head is 98% and that I can thank my daughter for being breech so that I don't have to deliver this one vaginally! Also, he's estimated to be 7 lbs and 10 oz now at 36 weeks, 5 days! So, this is going to be a different experience I think than last time since my DD has a small head and weighed 7 lbs even at birth! I have a good friend visiting from out of state this weekend so that will help distract me from the test results coming early next week.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Thinking of you, JGator and Aviastar!

 

[JGator]

MP, thanks for stopping by! I got my blood test results today, and my bile acids are still below the cutoff for cholestasis so we are going to wait till the planned date of 10/26! 2 weeks to go!

Avia, still hanging in there???

AHL, how did the GD test go today?

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

MP, thanks for stopping by! I got my blood test results today, and my bile acids are still below the cutoff for cholestasis so we are going to wait till the planned date of 10/26! 2 weeks to go!

Avia, still hanging in there???

AHL, how did the GD test go today?

Yay JGator!

Test was NBD, drank the drink, one stick for the blood draw, and just waiting for the results. I'll go every two weeks from now on, they also did my flu shot today and I'll have the RH and TDAP next time. Baby is measuring 75% for growth at 2lbs 5oz. It was a quick scan, no new pictures. I do know he has stayed very low and head down so if he stays in position I'm in good shape for birth. It certainly explains the ever worsening pelvic girdle pain.

Thinking of you Avia!

 

[aviastar]

Little G is here! Induction went beautifully until he turned traverse at the last minute ( literally between 8-10 centimeters! ). He wouldn't flip back, so he made his entrance via c section, weighing in at 8 lbs, and generally being perfect

Thank you for all the thoughts and well wishes, full story later as we settle in!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Little G is here! Induction went beautifully until he turned traverse at the last minute ( literally between 8-10 centimeters! ). He wouldn't flip back, so he made his entrance via c section, weighing in at 8 lbs, and generally being perfect

Thank you for all the thoughts and well wishes, full story later as we settle in!

What a little bugger! Congrats and I hope you are feeling well!

 

[JGator]

Congrats Avia! Can't wait to hear more details! Hope everything is going well.

 

[Dandi]

The little monkey!! Congratulations aviastar!!

 

[April20]

Congrats Avia! What a cheeky little monkey turning transverse so late in the game! I can't believe there was room to turn. Im so happy you and baby both doing well.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Congrats Aviastar!!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I passed my GD test with flying colors! Sugar was only 86, I'm considering myself very lucky since they really had me thinking I was doomed due to my size.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Congratulations, Aviastar! So happy you're finally officially a mom No fun to go through the whole labor process and then a csection, but I hope you're recovering well and enjoying your baby.

Glad to hear that, JGator. So anxious to "meet" K's little brother.

I have no idea where to post anymore. Seems these threads are dying off as we all get busier with our babies and lives. My little girl is back in the hospital. Not as sick this time, but she can't seem to handle any congestion without ending up in the PICU. So frustrating, but I'm thankful I at least have extra maternity leave to be with her. She is a little fighter despite all the curves that have been thrown her way, and she's teaching me a lot about myself and how to be a better person and mother. She is such a tiny peanut and does things on her own time, but her smile just melts your heart. Baby boy growing like a weed and developing the sweetest personality. I think he's going to be an early talker and charmer like his brother.

Thinking of you all!

 

[JGator]

MP, I'm still here. Right now, I will deliver 1 week from Monday. I will keep you company in the Newborn thread when K's little brother arrives. Glad to hear N is a fighter and teaching you more about yourself. You have a great perspective. And, that's great that O is growing up to take after Ev, too! I'm so glad you were able to get more maternity leave also.

AHL, great news on GD test results!

AFM, I have 4 more days of work! The last 2 of them are all day training days at the local office which I am dreading since I normally work from home in my comfy clothes. I will have to wake up early, get presentable, and commute next Wed/Thursday. Also, I feel like a house! Most of my colleagues are flying in from other cities for this training so at least I am local already. I have another doctor appt next Monday and next Friday. The latest from the doctor is let's decide you don't have cholestasis due to symptoms not being 24 hours of itchiness/day and my bile acids being .5 below the cut off. If he decided I had it, I would have delivered this week. So, big guy is staying in to bake till the 26th. My mom is coming next Thursday to help with K and the baby for 3 weeks. Hopefully, K will sleep for her at night while we are in the hospital - that is my mom's and our major worry.