Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[HOUMedGal]

Thanks for all the kind words, friends!

DC, when are you gonna come on over to the "big girls" thread for good?? I lurked over on the just barely preggo thread last night - it makes me so happy to see how busy it is these days!!

Went to my doc today, she agreed that it seems that Ellie has dropped! Doesn't mean much though, as in first time pregnancies lightening occurs anywhere from a few days up to 4 weeks before the onset of labor. No cervix changes...still about a 1 (and my doc said she was being generous to call it a 1!) Had my GBS swab done too. Otherwise all is well!!

 

[somethingshiny]

HOU~ You look gorgeous! That little girl is really getting ready, almost full-term!! Yay!

Skippy~ Fingers crossed for cooperative babies! I'm so excited for you!! Scans are so much fun.

Tuckins~ I'm glad to see that your friend is doing well.

 

[Loves Vintage]

HMG, That's funny what your doctor said about your one! Hey, it's still a one! It still amazes me how they can tell and be consistent from practitioner to practitioner. You look great in your photos! What a difference 4 days makes, huh? You're definitely more out, with a little drop!! To answer your question -- no, no signs of labor here. I am predicting this Sunday or Tuesday! I refuse to think that I will go very late and have to be induced. The entire pregnancy has just been so easy. I am still feeling quite comfy now, so I tend to think things will go well right around due date.

Tuckins, I'm very sorry for your friend's loss.

Deelight, 6 weeks confinement sounds, well, delightful! According to some of my older co-workers, years ago, women in the US were allowed to work up until they reached 6 months and then were not allowed to work. My, my, how things have changed? I will say that I've learned this week that EVERYONE has an opinion on how long I should be working. According to different people at work, I should not be working now vs. I should work up until my due date vs. I should work past my due date if it comes to that (more time to spend with the baby.) I was planning to work all week, full days, but everyone kept telling me how tired I looked and that I shouldn't overdo it! OK, I realized that yes, I am tired, plus I haven't liked driving home in the dark, so I decided to work half days. Then, everyone is like, oh, you're only working half days. Hahahahaha. LEAVE ME ALONE PEOPLE. So now, I am only working half days for the rest of this week, and then I am done. I am not listening to what anyone says, except to the extent that it makes me laugh inside that everyone has such an opinion on the matter.

Geri, Have you been back to your doc? Do you know whether your LO has turned or not?

Skippy, Yes, I am feeling much better. Thanks for asking. Sleep has improved significantly. Warm showers are the key right now! I can't fall asleep without one! Yay for finding out genders next week! That was definitely the most anticipated and most exciting time of my pregnancy!!!! And, you get double the fun! Hee-hee!

Dreamer, Mara and Deelight, Thanks for your thoughts re: completely checking out while on leave. I have a strong tendency to check my work e-mail from home, so wondered if I would feel the need to do the same while on leave, but I'm guessing I will have my hands full and won't feel as strong a need to check-in!! I am amazed at the extent to which I was able to clean up my office and complete open work. Fortunately, the past few weeks were slow due to holidays, so I feel good about how I am leaving things.

********
Let's see. I had my apptmt earlier this week. Still 1 cm. I keep reminding myself that baby will come when she is ready. The dr thought it was funny that I was so impatient considering it was still a week before my due date. Well, uhm, yeah, I have no patience!!

CHILDCARE OPTIONS:

We've just started researching in earnest. I plan to go back to work part-time -- 3 full days, possibly one at home (with the baby, not MY idea, but my boss's ). So, we are potentially looking for care for just 2 days, though I am not completely sold on the working from home option, so I'm assuming it will actually be 3 days. We'd like to make sure we fully explore daycare as an option, so we are going to look at a very good day care center/preschool this weekend. I've also looked into a family day care, which I'd prefer because less babies there, but which also concerns me because it's just the woman who runs the day care and her 19 yr old niece, for 4 infants and 2 or 3 toddlers. Seems a lot for 2 people to look after??

There's still plenty of time to figure it out, but I'm glad that we are weighing all options.

PACIFIERS:

I realized today that I do not have one. Should I????

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Short story: Grace Elizabeth was born on Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 12:59 a.m. via emergency c-section due to placental abruption. She weighs 4lbs, 14ozs and is 18" long and was born at 35 weeks, 4 days gestation.

Long story: DH and I went to bed around 10:30 on Monday night and as I was tossing and turning trying to get comfortable I felt a trickle in my panties. I thought I was peeing the bed so jumped out of it and felt a gush. I asked DH to turn on the light because I thought my water broke and when he did all I saw was blood. I reached forward to my nightstand, grabbed the phone and called 911. The paramedics arrived very quickly (small town). They got me in the ambulance, hooked me up to a saline iv and took me to the hospital. My OB and a medical team was awaiting my arrival. We were able to find Grace's heartbeat immediately with the fetal monitor and my OB did an ultrasound to try to find out what was going on in there. He saw that the placenta had started to separate from my uterus and determined that an emergency csection would be the best for Grace and me. I was promptly rolled into the OR and prepped for surgery. DH said it took about 1.5 hours total and I don't remember anything until I woke up shortly thereafter. I was in a lot of pain so they gave me a morphine pump. Around 6am the nurse wheeled me in my bed to the NICU to meet Grace. We didn't stay long though because I started feeling really nauseous. I went back later on and got to hold her for an hour before getting too tired.

I am still in the hospital and will likely be here until Friday. Grace is stable in the NICU. She has a CPAP to help regulate her breathing since preemies often have trouble with that and she also has not developed a sucking reflex yet so she's on an iv for sugar water. She is offered a bottle every 4 hours though for good measure. She will probably have to stay in the NICU after I'm released, which is sad but I know that it's for the best and her nurse/doctor have assured DH and I that she's pretty healthy for being born nearly 5 weeks early. We are allowed to visit her whenever we want so I try to get down there at least once a day to hold her. It is tough because I'm in pain and since her breathing is sometimes labored the nurse likes her to stay in the incubator. As of right now only DH and I are allowed to hold her (other than medical personnel). She is teeny tiny and looks a lot like her big brother.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Dive oh my goodness! What god that Grace and you are both allright, that must have scared the daylights out of you. I hope she gets to go home soon. These days 5 weeks premature is no big deal at all, and I am sure she will be home with you in no time. Could the placental abruption have been related to your blood clotting disorder, was it a possibility that you knew of or was this out of the blue?

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Dive oh my goodness! What god that Grace and you are both allright, that must have scared the daylights out of you. I hope she gets to go home soon. These days 5 weeks premature is no big deal at all, and I am sure she will be home with you in no time. Could the placental abruption have been related to your blood clotting disorder, was it a possibility that you knew of or was this out of the blue?

Dreamer: It was very scary. I have never seen so much blood. I just tried to stay as calm as possible until I got to the hospital. I didn't move out of the spot I was standing in until the paramedics got there.

As far as I know my clotting disorder didn't have anything to do with the abruption and it appears that it just happened. I am sure being on heparin didn't help with the amount of blood that I lost, but I did not need to receive any transfusions so that's good. I also only gushed that one time which undoubtably made a good outcome for both of us a possibility.

 

[luvinlife]

Diva-
Congrats on Grace Elizabeth . I praying for her positive healthy progress.

 

[geri]

Diva - Wow, what a scary experience that must have been. I'm so glad that you and Grace are both doing okay and hope Grace gets stronger and is able to go home soon. Take care.

 

[Mara]

DD...wow so scary, lady..I am so glad you and Grace are doing as well as can be expected. Huge hugs and congrats on your beautiful little girl!!

re: breast pumps... we waited til after birth because i wanted to be sure my milk came in ok and there weren't any issues before buying one. i also didn't know what to get and there were so many options. the hospital pumps are crazy powerful which is awesome actually. we rented for $15 a week and i think i kept it 3 weeks before getting my own. i got the ameda purely yours which is great and 1/2 the price as the popular medela one and it's the same parent company that makes them (our LC told us this). but the hospital one was great too and i'm glad we rented. buying beforehand we could have overspent and not really known what we were even doing.

and i would not get a manual unless you plan to solely bf. my ameda was i think $120 or something after my diapers.com discount and i used it for 6mo so it was totally worth it.

LV... i actually do a fair amt of work from home so i am always checking my work email (it's always on)...i did check it a few times while off but there is something soo freeing about knowing you are on a long leave and someone else is handling your work! i also knew i couldn't be answering Q's here and there and not feel like i was intruding OR doing a half ass job lol. so i figured just check out is best. you're so close!

HMG...you totally dropped lady..!! eeeee.

 

[somethingshiny]

DD~ Congratulations ans welcome. Grace! I'm sorry you had a rough and scary delivery but so glad that she's doing well! Lots of recovery prayers for you and quick release prayers for Baby Grace.

 

[Tuckins1]

Diva- Oh my, i'm so glad that you and baby are ok, what a terrifying experience!!! I hope baby Grace gets stronger every day and is able to come home soon! Rest up!

 

[princessplease]

Diva- I'm sorry you had such a rough experience, but I'm glad that Grace was delivered safely, and congrats on her birth!! Many thoughts and prayers for a short stay in NICU.

 

[dcgator]

Diva - What a scary situation! I am so glad to hear that everyone was ok. I hope that little miss Grace Elizabeth grows strong and can go home soon. I also hope you have a swift recovery. Lots of healing dust!

 

[HOUMedGal]

Diva, so glad to see you getting back on your feet, and so glad to hear that sweet Grace is doing well!! From my experience in the NICU, 35 weekers generally need a little extra time in the hospital to get things figured out (breathing, eating, etc) but once they do, progress is rapid and they're home in no time! It's almost like they flip a switch one day and say "OK, I'm ready to go home...lemme show you what I can do!!" Keep getting plenty of rest and recovery time while she's in the NICU so you can be all ready for her when she gets to come home!! Hopefully very soon!!

 

[Skippy123]

DIVA, oh wow, how scary! I am so glad that you and Grace are okay. Many many congrats momma and I will keep you both in my prayers so she can come home soon! huge hugs



LV, I am glad you are sleeping better!!!

HOU, what exciting news that Ellie did drop! Oh and thanks for sharing the info on your sisters twins.

 

[icekid]

Diva.. Wow how scary! So glad that you and tiny grace are nice and safe.

Hou.. You definitely dropped. How exciting! Yay miss Ellie you are heading the right direction

 

[Kunzite]

Diva - How scary!! So happy that you and baby Grace are okay. We just went through 8 weeks of NICU/ISCU with our LO so if you need someone to talk to I'm here!! The March of Dimes are a great support too as well as our hospital NICU/ISCU nurses. They're amazing and even had a library of books so parents could read up on preemies. You might look into that as well. It sounds like Grace is doing great!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Diva - I'm so sorry you went through such a terrifying experience! Thank goodness you and Grace are ok! I hope you are feeling better and better each day and that Grace gets to come home soon!

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Diva- how scary! I'm glad you are both ok. Hopefully Grace won't have to spend much time in the NICU.

 

[luvinlife]

Hi Ladies !

Im 27 weeks today! Yeahhhh !

Have any of you experienced what feels like cervical discomfort at this stage of the game? I am sitting here feeling little shock like sensations "down under". Im not really concerned, but should I be?
Also, we are planning a vacation to Cancun in 2 weeks. I plan on going to the OB right before the trip. What does the doctor normally do ensure a patient is not a flight risk? I plan on taking a copy of my medical records with me.

 

[luvinlife]

Ok so I called my doctor. He told me it's most likely positional pain. I've decided to lay down to see if this keeps the kiddo from doing the two step on my cervix.... Ouch!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Diva - How scary!! So happy that you and baby Grace are okay. We just went through 8 weeks of NICU/ISCU with our LO so if you need someone to talk to I'm here!! The March of Dimes are a great support too as well as our hospital NICU/ISCU nurses. They're amazing and even had a library of books so parents could read up on preemies. You might look into that as well. It sounds like Grace is doing great!!

Thank you so much for your offer! The nurses at the hospital are great at keeping me and DH updated on her condition. We are allowed to visit her any time we want and also have the phone number to the NICU so we can also call to check on her. It is all very overwhelming and the postpartum hormones don't help. I broke down when I first saw the CPAP on Grace and the nurse was great at explaining everything to me and comforting me. We have been incredibly lucky in that at 35+ weeks she's in "catch up" mode and doing really well. We feel so blessed to have her here and doing so good. How many weeks were you when you delivered? I hope that everything is going good for you and your family!


I finally got to do skin to skin with Grace today and it was great! She is so soft and her skin so smooth I felt so close to her, watching her and feeling her breath on my skin. It brings tears to my eyes to think about it. She is so so special. I've also decided to pump so that she can get any colostrum/milk that I produce so she has the benefit of my anitbodies. I may breastfeed and supplement with formula when she comes home as well. I was planning on going straight to formula but I really want to give her the best start possible.

I am still in the hospital and am taking advantage of being entitled to 4 nights so I won't be going home until Saturday. I really want to be near Grace as much as possible. I was finally able to take a shower today and had the dressings removed from my incision. It looks good - the staples are internal and won't have to be removed. I am still very sore though and on meds around the clock.

Thank you all for your kind words, thoughts and prayers! You are a beautiful group of women!

 

[puffy]

diva, what a scary thing to have to go through. but i am so glad that you and grace are doing well. hoping that grace will be able to go home soon. take care of yourself!

 

[Deelight]

Diva Congratulations on Grace Elizabeth (beautiful names by the way - so classic and elegant ) the circumstances sound scary but it sounds like your both doing well - sending you both dust I hope you can bring her home soon

HOU YAY for officially dropping

LV There is a saying - PG version opinions like buttholes - everyone has one and unfortunately pregnancy, weddings etc are the times people feel like sharing their views - and you never win - good for you for not listening - at the end of the day do what is best for you and bubs and stuff the rest of them . Half days sounds wonderful - almost as good as being the last week YAY

Pacifiers? I sucked my thumb when I was a kiddo till I was about 4 - 10k worth of braces to fix that mistake, my niece has dummies from really early on (the orthodontic kind) and she was obsessed with them - she would sleep with no less then 4-5 at a time however her teeth are perfect - I don't think it would hurt to have one or two just in case I plan to have some I would rather kiddo suck one of those then her thumb LOL.

As for only being 1cm a friend of mine had her girl a week early - her doctor told her days before she was not anywhere near labour, spoke to her the day before and no indication of anything was to happen - she was also still really high and then bam next day 7hrs later she had her beautiful girl - your LO will come soon - I like you have no patience whatsoever so I can fully sympathise

Dust for your little girl to arrive soon and for a speedy labour

Mara thanks for the breast pump rec


Luvin I started to feel the hot drilling pain in my pelvis around 28ish weeks - so pleasant isn't it she turned just downwards around that time - I find that when I walk for a while it starts to hurt however if I can sit I do and lean forward that helps if I can't (like in the middle of shopping) I use a trolley to lean over on or I start discretely trying to jiggle her out of the way by stretching or maneuvering

I don't think it is something to be concerned with just a PITA really more then anything

As for the doctors check for flying - not sure what happens but good luck and have fun in cancun


_______________________________________________________


31wks today - wow this is flying - scary to think in 6wks at the earliest she could be here and be considered full term OMG

Hosted by orthodox dinner last night - baked ham success so easy and so yummy and lunch today of a antipasto type spread went down a treat with minimal effort so all well that ends well

Decided to treat MIL, SIL and myself to pedi's today for Christmas presents (my sister and niece live interstate which is shame could have been a whole day event) the best thing ever totally recommend it- while I can still reach my feet easily I just cannot be stoofed and having someone pamper my fat swollen hooves was just the best thing ever - told hubby I should get these every week not sure what he thinks about that but my toes have not looked this good in ages

Gah holidays finish on Monday - but when I get back I have a month and 1 day till I leave again with the option to leave after 2wks if it gets to much - so counting down the days ....


Geri thought I would mention Babies Galore has a new sale on - don't know if you have a change table yet but they have the KingParrot 3 tier one for $149 (looks like the boori one but about $200 cheaper) very nice they also have other stuff on sale but this was one of the better bargains I think

Hope everyone is well

 

[noelwr]

luvinlife - if flying, your OB will look at your blood pressure, ask you if you have any discomforts and look at your pregnancy history so far. if you have no pregnancy complications (and by this I mean actual issues with the baby, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, etc) then you should be good to go. make sure you get the letter that says you are okay to fly. I was 29 weeks pregnant during my last plane ride and no one even bothered to ask me for my letter, but it made me feel "safe" to carry it with me.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Diva, Congratulations on your newest family member!!! I'm glad that both you and baby Grace are safe and recovering well.

 

[Mrs]

congratulations Diva! So glad to hear that you and Grace are doing well despite the traumatic delivery! It sounds like such a scary experience! Sending healing vibrations your way in the hopes that you recover quickly and baby Grace can come home soon!

 

[random_thought]

Diva- that is so scary but I'm glad everything turned out ok!

Hou- I can definitely tell you've dropped, you're almost to the end of the race and ready for your precious prize

AFM- Today's the big day!!!! We find out which team we are on and more importantly that the little peanut is doing ok

 

[Dreamer_D]

Hi Ladies !

Im 27 weeks today! Yeahhhh !

Have any of you experienced what feels like cervical discomfort at this stage of the game? I am sitting here feeling little shock like sensations "down under". Im not really concerned, but should I be?
Also, we are planning a vacation to Cancun in 2 weeks. I plan on going to the OB right before the trip. What does the doctor normally do ensure a patient is not a flight risk? I plan on taking a copy of my medical records with me.

I flew a lot in my last pregnancy, at 10 weeks, 16 weeks, 26 weeks, and the last time at 32 weeks (I do not recommend this it was too stressful). You only need a note if you are within about 8 weeks of the due date, and even then I was never asked for it by the airport. I did not encourage them to ask and wore a baggy coat. My midwife gave me a note that said that there were no signs I was going to go into labour within the next week (the note must be dated very close to the flight time). That was it! I think the main thing you will need is a note saying how many weeks along in the pregnancy you are, and saying that there is no reason to suspect that you will go into early labour. That is all the airlines want, as they basically just go by your due date anyways. Some airlines are worse than others, you might want to call and check what they require.

But then keep your mouth shut and wear baggy coats Better to avoid their hassel I say.

 

[Ryan Claire]

Diva - congrats on baby Grace. Sorry you guys had to go through such a scare to get her here, but so glad she is doing well in the NICU. Hoping for a speedy recovery for the both of you.