Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Dandi]

Delurking to congratulate tammy on another beautiful girl!!!!!! Can't wait to see you all on the newborn thread, gorgeous mammas!!!!

 

[CurlySue]

Psyched to see all these updates!!

Tammy - So happy you finally got your results, and congrats on adding a 3rd little girl to your family!! Awesome! Are you still frustrated with your OB, or did that pass once you got the results. If you're still frustrated, maybe you should think of switching. Probably easier to switch now than go the remainder of the pregnancy feeling like you don't click with your doc.

TravelGoddess - When I first saw that you posted, I was so sure your LO had already arrived. Sorry your due date has come and go, but you are so, so close! Very excited for you! I wish you luck on getting things moving. You may not feel ready to be a mom, but you will do wonderfully, I'm sure.

Tao - LOVE the name you have picked out if it's a girl! Just adorable. Hope you have a wonderful u/s and you are able to fight the good fight for Team Green!

Fisher - You are definitely ready, lady!! I am so anxious to find out if you've got a boy or a girl baking away in there!

Gammy - 5 1/2 months?? Yep - you should definitely be over here! So sorry to hear you still have m/s. I hope it goes away for good soon.

AFM, I'm 37 weeks and 2 days. Yay for full term!

Had my last dr's appointment last Wednesday, and I was 1 cm dilated, not that it means anything. Also had a bit of a scare, as I had some minor signs of pre-eclampsia, so the doc suggested I go to the hospital for monitoring and to have some blood work done. Turns out I am fine, so I was only there for about 3 hours or so, but... reality really hit home: we are having a baby!! I thought DH was going to pass out when I called him to tell him I was going to the hospital. Ha. Anyway... that little hospital visit upped the urgency on a few things. Immediately after I got home, I packed my hospital bag, and then this weekend, my DH finished the last few items on his to-do list, as well. So now we wait!

We also got out and enjoyed our remaining days of freedom this weekend. Had a lovely date night on Saturday, got out to visit with some friends last night, and I've got a girls night planned for Thursday. Kind of fun to head into the home stretch enjoying the company of friends.

Physically, I am totally over pregnancy. Having a fair amount of contractions each night. All of the joints in the lower half of my body ache. I have a full-on waddle. I am growing out of some of my favorite maternity clothes and therefore have given up on looking cute. So yeah. I have truthfully enjoyed most of my pregnancy, but... I am feeling ready to meet this spunky little one and get my body back.

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

Just got back from my OB appointment. I'm a half centimeter dilated and 80% effaced. Tomorrow night I'll have Cervadil inserted and likely started on Pitocin on Wed morning. It's not the outcome I hoped for, but it is what it is. I wanted to have that "honey, it's time" moment at home but that's not going to happen. At least she won't be born on 4/20. With her Bob Marley themed nursery and a stoner's holiday birthday, we might be setting her up to be a pothead. That reminds me, I should post pics of her room on the nursery thread.

I suppose I should finally finish packing my hospital bag.....

CurlySue, get thee to a massage therapist! You deserve it and it might really help some of the pain you're in.

Fisher, I too am excited to find out what you've got baking in there. I don't think I could go not knowing. I admire couples like yourselves.

 

[tammy77]

Wow, things are hopping over here! Well...maybe hopping is a poor description. Waddling?

TG, I was composing my post to ask how it's going when your update came through. I'm so sorry that you won't have your "honey, it's time" moment, but as long as your sweet little girl is born safely and you are safe too, that's all that matters! I have had two c/s, trust me I understand the suckiness of not having things go as planned. I promise that it won't matter one bit though once you and your DH lay eyes on your baby girl! I'm a mushy mess over here, but oh my gosh it's SO exciting.

Tao, good luck on staying team green! You have way more willpower than my DH and I do. Can't wait to hear how your u/s goes too.

Fisher, I can't wait for your LO to be born too! How exciting and I couldn't be happier for you. You've always been such an amazing light to me, your baby's one lucky little boy or girl.

Gammy, yay for making the hop over! Isn't it crazy to be over half way through?! I'm not even 15 weeks yet but it feels like time is FLYING. It's exciting but scary too.

Curly, I'm glad you don't have Pre-E and that the hospital visit prompted you guys to tie up the last few loose ends. Congratulations on making it to full term!!

AFM: DH and I had such a busy weekend. After finding out we're having a girl, I plucked up the courage to go reclaim the things I'd kept from when I had the girls and my rocking chair from my ex's house. We also did a bit of shopping. So we now have our stroller/infant carseat set (peg perego in iris ); crib; dresser/changer; rocking chair; some clothes; extra crib sheets; a ton of cute blankets and most of our nursery set. DH and I fell in love with this one http://www.toysrus.com/product/prodpop.jsp?LargeImageURL=/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-15237485enh-z6.jpg&displayTab=enh&productId=19456996&totCount=0 and were afraid that it would be out of production later, so we went ahead and bought it. I am SO excited to get the nursery in order. At this rate, we'll be ready before I'm even in my third trimester.

 

[blackpolkadot]

I have been MIA for too long and so much has happened! I know I am going to miss people, so I'm sorry!

Congrats pave on your boys!

Welcome to the big thread gammy and Ltl! And welcome tao. Many of us are team green, so I am sure you can do it! Although I have been having the urge to find out lately! For now I am holding strong onto team green.

Yay for little girls tammy!

So much happening lately. TG, Curly, and fisher y'all are so close! I can't wait to see your cute babes.

AFM, DH and I enjoyed a quick babymoon to South Florida. It was so nice to get away! Now we are back to the real world and only have 12 weeks until our due date. Time is passing so quickly! We have the main things in the nursery and have ordered a glider. We ordered a Little Castle and it was a little behind in production, so it might not be here when baby comes. I sure hope it comes in early!

During our babymoon, I got the phone call saying that I failed the 3 hour glucose I am meeting with a specialist this week and next week to get set up on the GD diet and how to test my blood sugar. I wasn't really expecting it since I don't have any of the risk factors, but I will do whatever to have a healthy baby! Any tips for a GD diet? I know I will get help from the doctors, but I like hearing from BTDT moms. I will get extra monitoring, which the receptionist said means ultrasounds. I am looking forward to that!

I am two weeks away from being finished with my Master's, so hopefully then I will have more time to stay up-to-date here. Once I am finished, I will feel so much better without all the work hanging over my head. Then I can worry about getting everything ready for the baby's arrival.

 

[CurlySue]

Just popping in b/c I was thinking about TravelGoddess!! Hope everything is going well!!!

BPD - Welcome back! Sorry to hear you have GD. I personally don't have any tips or advice for you. I might be remembering incorrectly, but I think maybe Miscka had GD with her first pregnancy... ?? Oh, and good luck finishing up your Master's. What an exciting spring for you!

Tammy - Your bedding is precious!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Tammy - I am so excited for you!!!!! How fun must it be to plan so early??? Your bedding is SO cute.

TravelGoddess - I am wondering if you have already given birth to your little one. I hope all is well.

Fisher - I am so glad you are almost to the end!!!! I am sure you are excited.

Taovandel - I am glad the MS is improving for you. I am sure time cannot go by fast enough for the US.

Gammy - Nice to see you over here . I hope the acupuncture helps with your MS, and I am so sorry it is sticking around so long.

CurlySue - You are getting close soon, I am glad you don't have PE, and hope these last few days are kind for you.

Blackpolkadot - I am so glad you enjoyed your babymoon. We are going to Miami in a couple weeks as ours. We decided to go early since I may be travel restricted earlier than a typical pregnancy. I am so sorry to hear about the GDM, I really hope it stays under control.

AFM - 13+2 weeks today. Had my NT scan today. Boy did they grow compared to last week. They are starting to get personalities. Baby A is always chill and sleeping or relaxing, and baby B is moving everywhere. Neither cooperated well for the scan, but they finally got it. I have to wait awhile for the results. I am finally starting to gain some weight. Not as much as they want, but it is progress. I don't go back for about 3 weeks, and that will be just a quick cervical length. It looks like my anatomy scan will be at 20 weeks. I am not nearly as far as Tammy in decorating the nursery. For those who didn't know the story, I decided to put stuff in the empty room when our 5th infertility treatment was unsuccessful. So now we are clearing it out. I have a closet cleared, and about 1/2 of a bookcase to go. Than DH and his friend are going to move out the furniture. I am not going to repaint because it is a rental, but I do need to touch it up.

 

[tammy77]

Ltl, that's fantastic that you had your NT! They do grow so quickly, it's wonderful. I wonder if their personalities in the womb are reflective of how they'll be once they're born! Maybe the active one is a boy and the mellow one is a girl. Did they at least tell you what the measurement was? It's tough thinking back to those heartbreaking failed cycles, but if you're anything like me it makes you feel SO blessed and grateful. I can't wait for Bright, Bella and the others to join us.

About how far along we are with our LO's nursery, I have to confess...the baby's closet (which spans an entire length of a wall) is about 75% crammed full of DH's crap still. When we were in there last night I mentioned to him that while I'm having so much fun doing the cute stuff, I need him to move his arse and get the not-so-fun clean out done. He agreed, so we'll see how it goes! He needs to come to grips with the fact that we only have about 1350 sq feet and that doesn't leave extra room for a dozen boxes of nostalgia "stuff". The first step is to make room in OUR bedroom closet for the inevitable 50% that he's unwilling to part with, lol. I've decided it can all live on his side!

I feel like I need to slow down with the preparation stage, but I can't help it! Last night our bedding and the swing came and I couldn't help it, I HAD to set it up. DH is worse than I am though, he actually set a box of baby wipes on the changing table (we don't have the pad yet) and wrapped the changing cover around it to see how it'd look. My latest obsession is diaper bags and oh my, it's a strong one! Okay, I'll stop rambling now. I know this is stuff I shouldn't really be talking about and doing for another 15 weeks! I don't want to have to worry about things being dusty from sitting in her room for 5 months before she's even born.

I hope everyone is doing well! I'm officially a full 15 wks today, but it feels more like 20. I had my first (oh so lovely) physical therapy appt for my back pain yesterday and I really hope it helps. Apparently I had an existing condition that I'll need to try to get fixed after the baby's born. So I'm pretty anxious about how this is going to go in my 3rd trimester. It's all worth it, and I'm sure I'll figure out solutions though.

 

[S&I]

My latest obsession is diaper bags and oh my, it's a strong one!

Oh Tammy, I have fallen victim to the diaper bag obsession! If you don't want to follow my footsteps, don't look up Ju-Ju-Be bags. I have way more bags than any sane person should have, except for other fellow JJB addicts.

 

[S&I]

Okay, I just saw my post count, so I had to quickly post another one to change it, ha!

Happy baking ladies!

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

Hey ladies! Quick update!

Eliana Elizabeth was born at 9:08pm on 4/17. 8lbs 13oz. 21 inches. We're both doing pretty well.

I'll come back with the birth story when I'm settled back at home. But I'll attach a picture of her!

 

[tammy77]

My latest obsession is diaper bags and oh my, it's a strong one!

Oh Tammy, I have fallen victim to the diaper bag obsession! If you don't want to follow my footsteps, don't look up Ju-Ju-Be bags. I have way more bags than any sane person should have, except for other fellow JJB addicts.

Oh no, I'd only looked at PPB, KS and Coach so far...I can't make an informed decision if I don't look at JJB now too!

In more important news....

WOOHOO Travel Goddess!!!! She's so beautiful, congratulations! I can't wait to hear her birth story, she looks perfect.

 

[CurlySue]

Yay, TravelGoddess!!! Eliana is gorgeous, and I adore her name! Congratulations.

LF, I thought it was amazing just seeing 1 little babe in there. I can only imagine how incredible it is to see 2!! Hope you don't have to wait too long for your results.

 

[S&I]

Congrats TG!!! She's beautiful! Can't wait to hear your birth story when you have time!

 

[S&I]

Oh no, I'd only looked at PPB, KS and Coach so far...I can't make an informed decision if I don't look at JJB now too!

They're great bags and they have all different types (backpacks, totes, messenger bags, accessories, etc. in many sizes and shapes). The cool thing about them is that they're machine washable, but you have to hang dry them. Okay, I'll stop now for fear of sounding like one of their salespeople. If you want to chat more about them though, maybe you can find me on FB. Head over to the newborn page and scroll back some pages to where we talk about how some of us found each other.

 

[tammy77]

Oh no, I'd only looked at PPB, KS and Coach so far...I can't make an informed decision if I don't look at JJB now too!

They're great bags and they have all different types (backpacks, totes, messenger bags, accessories, etc. in many sizes and shapes). The cool thing about them is that they're machine washable, but you have to hang dry them. Okay, I'll stop now for fear of sounding like one of their salespeople. If you want to chat more about them though, maybe you can find me on FB. Head over to the newborn page and scroll back some pages to where we talk about how some of us found each other.

Oh I'd LOVE to hear more then. That's my main hangup with Coach and PPB, they're dry clean or spot clean only and that just makes no sense for "real use". I'll also head over to the newborn page sometime this weekend to check that out, thanks!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

TG!!!! What a pretty brand new baby! Congratulations!!! Snuggle lots!!

Finishing up the baby's room this weekend.

Diaper bags- we ended up with three from showers. One we registered for and two we didn't... We have a small one for quick trips (love that idea!), one that is cloth and has owls on it, and one that is full of zippers and compartments and it is awesome! That's the one we registered for- j cole system 180. Not that I've used it, but I have packed it up and I live the organization of the many pockets and pouches. And it's not HUGE, which would drive me nuts.

Hope all you ladies are doing well.

 

[Dandi]

Congratulations TG!!! Eliana is stunning, and her name is beautiful!!!!! Hope you're recovering well, mama!!

 

[tammy77]

S&I I went back 15 pages and couldn't find the reference for meeting up on the other site. Would you mind helping me with another hint?

 

[mayerling]

Tammy, I think S&I is referring to a discussion on the newborn thread.

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

Okay, so I'm back with Eliana's birth story. She's five days old today. It has been both the longest and shortest five days of my life. Apologies in advance for the novel below!

I was scheduled to be induced on the evening of April 16th. It was only a few days past my DD, but my doctor didn’t want me going past a week and I liked the date 4/17, so that’s what we chose.

I called L&D an hour before I was scheduled to be induced to confirm that I should head out and they told me they were in the middle of a “baby explosion” and could I call back in an hour? Um, sure. An hour later (8pm) I call again and they tell me to give it another hour and try back. At this point I was thinking that we should maybe just go in early in the morning and try to get one more night’s rest at home. I called at 9pm and they said to come on down to the hospital. We drove there (I was so nervous) and got checked in. I was originally going to try Cervidil to soften my cervix (I was only .5cm dilated the day before) before getting Pitocin. The nurse checked me and I was at 1cm. She called my doctor who said to skip Cervidil and go straight to Pitocin. After all the getting settled in the room and going through my entire medical history and “do you have plans for the plancenta?” questions, it wasn’t until midnight that we finally had started the Pitocin.

DH and I were able to fall asleep and I started having mild contractions within an hour. At 3am, I woke to a gush of warm water going down my leg. I got up to pee and DH called the nurse. She said she wasn’t sure it was my water breaking, but then I stood up and it all game pouring out. Then she was quite sure. From that point, my contractions picked up in intensity. I was able to breathe through them pretty easily for the first couple hours after that. By 5:30am, they were coming every two minutes and lasting 45-60 seconds. I was on the birth ball, standing, laying down, sitting in the bed and nothing was really helping. By 6:30am, I asked the nurse to check my progress. I was only at 1.5 cm! I was so disappointed. I felt like I was in too much pain to have only made .5cm of progress. I threw in the towel and called for the epidural. Hallelujah! That sucker was so worth it. It wasn’t until 8am that it was finally in and working, but it was sooooooo wonderful to have some relief from the pain. I have pretty low blood pressure and the epidural made it really drop. I started shaking uncontrollably and vomiting so they brought in another anesthesiologist to give me some ephedrine to bring my BP back up. This worked, but it also made my heart race so it was a little scary for a minute.

From this point, I was able to nap for most of the morning unless a nurse was checking my monitors. DH watched Anchorman and got me popsicles. At around 1:45pm, my OB stopped by (his office is located in the hospital complex) and checked me. I was at 3cm (womp womp). At this point, it started to sink in that I might end up with a c-section. About an hour later, I threw up (FYI, cherry popsicles are not fun to vomit). The nurse came in and said “I’ll be you’re at 4cm. Women always seem to throw up at 4cm and 10cm.” She was right! So I relaxed a little that I was almost halfway there. DH and I hung out and napped some more. At around 5pm, the nurse checked me on a whim and said “well, good news. You’re complete. Looks like you’ll be pushing soon.” Whaaaaa? I started shaking and throwing up. I was so scared. It was suddenly all hitting home. I didn’t feel ready to push. They gave me some Zofran which really helped my stomach and I dozed off for awhile. They checked my temp and I spiked a 101.4 fever so they said I’d have to have a pediatrician in the room during delivery to check the baby as soon as she came out. It was closer to 7:30pm that I finally started pushing. It actually wasn’t that bad at all. I couldn’t feel much except a little pressure. I also couldn’t really tell when the contractions were coming so it didn’t seem like I was doing much. After an hour, the nurse told me baby was crowning so to stop pushing and she would call the doctor at home. I sat there for about 20 minutes waiting for my doc to arrive. Doc came in and requested some really, really hardcore pushing. The pressure I had been feeling definitely turned to pain when it was time for that big push to get her head out. Yowza! Then a couple more pushes to get the shoulders and the rest of her just seemed to slide out. Suddenly I had a big ‘ol baby in front of me. I wanted to do immediate skin-to-skin but b/c of my fever, she had to be evaluated for about 5-10 minutes. She was fine so they brought her over to me. It was so surreal. It was like I kept coming in and out of consciousness. I ended up with a 2nd degree tear so doctor stitched that up and they were finally able to weigh her. 8lbs 13oz! She was a chunk!

They eventually had me start to breastfeed which hurt terribly. They called her “a little barracuda.” She annihilated one of my nipples. I had no idea what I was doing and wasn’t getting any direction from the nurses. I ended up needing to meet with a couple lactation consultants during the rest of our stay b/c she didn’t seem to be doing much at the nipple besides chomping like crazy. Long story short, she dropped to almost 10% weight loss at 3 days old so DH and I made the decision to supplement with formula. It was really upsetting to me b/c I felt like I was doing something wrong and I wanted to be exclusively bf’ing. My milk came in yesterday so I was able to start nursing her again (I also pumped a little to make sure I have a decent supply). She still isn’t great at the nipple (she likes to suck for a few minutes and then just sit there and look around or fall asleep), but she’s doing better. We had a follow up appt at our pediatrician’s office today and she’s gained back 8oz in 2 days! I’m feeling a little more at ease. I think I’m going to make an appt with an LC to check her latch again and to answer some more of my questions. We’re pretty tired right now but we’ve got family coming to visit and help in the next few weeks.

Hope I wasn't too long-winded with that storyl! I’ll attach a couple pictures of our little butterbean. I have been very “anti-children” for many years (and those who were in the “just barely” thread know she was quite unplanned) so I’m very surprised at how much I’ve already bonded with her and how much I already love her.

 

[emeraldlover1]

HI! Congrats TG. Your daughter is beautiful!

I am just dropping bye to say a quick hello. I really wish I had more time to respond and catch up with everyone but I am so busy with work, a house renovation, the preganancy, selling our current apartment, my world is spinning which leaves little time for personal things.

I can't believe I am already 16 weeks this week. We should get a 100% confirmation on the sex next week. The 12 week NT scan the tech thought a girl. That was my feeling but hopefully we will know for sure next week.

The morning sickness has died down a little. I wish I could say it was completely gone but I'll take the once a week episode over what the first 13 weeks were like. I've managed to put on about 10lbs which I thought was a lot but I haven't gained anything in three weeks so it looks like it has slowed a little now that bagels and bread are not the only thing I am eating. So far so good! I really wish I was making it to the gym more but what can you do.

Did all of you do maternity photos? My husband doesn't want to and to be honest, he is really uncomfortable in front of the camera. I'm wondering if I will regret not doing them. It reminds me of the wedding video discussion which I am so happy we did.

Talk to you all soon!

 

[tammy77]

Huge congratulations, TG! I love reading birth stories, especially for little girls. I'm so happy that you didn't end up with a c/s and that both of you are doing well.

How's everyone else doing? I'm discovering that allergy season while pregnant and being in 2nd/3rd trimester during the summer is probably a bad combination but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'll just complain a bit here and there. Does anyone else have a problem with hearing their heartbeat in their ears when they're active? I just had it start yesterday (only when I climb a few flights of stairs - I'm SO out of shape). It's freaky!!!

On the weight gain front, I'm worried. I was doing SO well but within the last week and a half I've managed to pack on 4 lbs. I'm 15.5 weeks and have already gained 10 lbs. I'm already a high BMI so I was really hoping to keep my total gain to about 15 lbs. I don't see how though if I only have 5 left and over 20 weeks to go.

I'll end on a higher note though. This morning I was worrying a bit because I haven't felt her move at all (I've been getting little flutters for the past few weeks, nuts I know but it's real). So I grabbed the doppler and the second I put it to my tummy I heard her little heart thumping away. I can't wait to feel her kicks every day and for DH to be able to feel them too. We love this little girl so very much and can't wait to meet her!!

 

[S&I]

S&I I went back 15 pages and couldn't find the reference for meeting up on the other site. Would you mind helping me with another hint?

Hi Tammy, I had to go back and look for it, but it's around page 454 of the newborn thread. Look for my posts and janinegirly's posts. I think you can view Janine's friends and find me. My name starts with an S (hence S&I) and my profile pic is still the same as it was last year - Baby Alex in a light blue hat. Hope that helps!

 

[tammy77]

Thanks, S&I! That helps a lot.

As a side note, this is probably old news to everyone but me, but I'll say it anyhow!

I read somewhere that as of January, 2013 health insurance companies are to provide breastfeeding supplies and support with ZERO deductible! I just called Health Net and they confirmed. All you need is a referral from your physician and to purchase through their contracted provider. In my case, it's Pumping Essentials. Also, lactation consultants are covered too. How awesome is that?!?!

 

[blackpolkadot]

Congrats TG!!! She is precious! I also loved reading your birth story. Thanks for posting!

Fisher hope you got the nursery finished- you are so close! So excited for you!

em1 I understand about being busy! I feel like I am just now able to keep up with the thread.. hopefully I will be even better in a couple of weeks.

tammy I had heard that, too. My insurance will pay for me to rent one from the hospital, which IMO isn't as great as having my own, but I'll take what I can get!

Ltl I am pretty sure our nursery is just going to have junk in it.. it won't be pretty, but we are in a rental also (moved from house to apartment, so there is not enough storage!). I figure the baby won't know better, so why bother moving it all? Kudos for getting your DH on it though!

AFM, I have been going to the specialist for my GD. I barely failed the test, so they aren't super worried about me or the baby. The baby is measuring in the 74% percentile, but since I started the diet it may level off (I have lost 1.5 lbs since starting the diet, which I was told is typical). I have been able to keep my blood sugar within target with just a few dietary changes, and I hope it stays that way. They did say they don't like to see GD patients go past their due date. I have an appointment with my midwife Thursday, so I will ask her opinion. If everything is looking good, I would like for baby to come naturally... One thing I worry about is getting too many opinions! I just want what's best for the baby and me.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Nursery is complete and baby is coming SOON!!! .

Lovely pics of your kiddo, TG. Lovely!!!

 

[taovandel]

That is one beautiful baby!

Fisher--when I saw the preview saying you had posted, I thought for sure you were in labor or something. Glad to hear the nursery is coming along.


We managed to stay team green! Baby wasn't cooperating so we would have been on team green anyways, but it's nice to know that even the baby doesn't want us to know Everything looked great. Heartbeat was at 154, 11oz.

 

[lliang_chi]

Fisher, you must be so close! Waiting with baited breath for any updates from you.

 

[vintagelover229]

Fisher, you must be so close! Waiting with baited breath for any updates from you.

I won't share much since I know fisher will want to share everything but she had her baby! I won't say if it's a boy or a girl-just that both are doing well and are healthy and of course the baby is beautiful! I am just SO excited for her since her journey has been a long one so I hope she doesn't mind that I posted here to let everyone keep her and the new wee one in their thoughts and prayers until she's able to post an update with photos, details and the birth story