Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[TravelingGal]

Quick fly by...more later tonight when the kid is asleep...

Jas, sorry to hear about your insomnia diagnosis. Man...after all we go through, you think the light is at the end of the tunnel and then more issues pop up. I hope you can manage this...and I know you will go 6 months no problem.

Regalada, to answer the go at it alone question, we did as well and I totally do not regret it. Maybe it is because I live in LA and everyone seems to have nannies from day one, but I just felt like, come on...they did it in the old days - what happened to a mom and a dad raising a kid? If my mom could handle 2 babies 15 months apart alone in a foreign country, then I felt like I could handle one in the country I grew up in.

Everyone said I would need help and would go crazy if I didn''t have it. I told them I would be fine. They said I didn''t know any better and would need the help. I really hate it when people presume to know what I am like and what I need.

And obviously, they were wrong. I love my mom and she wanted to help, but I was tired and wasn''t in the mood for ANY company. It was more stressful to have people around. It was definitely tough, especially because I was on my own most days since TGuy worked. But no one knows my baby better than I do, and it was so worth it to really bond with her.

By the way, it took me 6 weeks to like her.

 

[mela lu]

Date: 6/17/2008 12:53:14 PM
Author: TravelingGal
By the way, it took me 6 weeks to like her.

SNORT!!!! hahahahaaa

 

[Independent Gal]

Hi Ladies! My first post here on the PPSers thread.

...and my first question for you knowledgeable ladies is this:

Did morning sickness get worse as you went along, or did it stay about the same? I''m having little wee bouts of nausea which are totally manageable, and I was hoping to comfort myself into thinking that this was as bad as it''s going to get.

Did it get gradually worse for y''all or stay about the same throughout?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 6/17/2008 1:43:59 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Hi Ladies! My first post here on the PPSers thread.


...and my first question for you knowledgeable ladies is this:


Did morning sickness get worse as you went along, or did it stay about the same? I''m having little wee bouts of nausea which are totally manageable, and I was hoping to comfort myself into thinking that this was as bad as it''s going to get.


Did it get gradually worse for y''all or stay about the same throughout?

Mine got way worse in about a week or so. But every pregnancy is different AND with twins it is often worse, so take that with a grain of salt!

And also some days are just plain better than others.

 

[msb700]

Igal: did i miss something? Are u pregnant?? Congrats!!!! MS really differs from one person to the next, but for me it was non-existent for the first 8 weeks, hit me hard weeks 9 thru 12 then it completely disappeared...but i never threw up or anything, but was feeling nauseous most of the day...now heartburn was a whole other story! that accompanied me all thru out and got worse as i went along...

Tacori: Thanks!!! i know wat u mean about parking!! i had the exact same issue! and i went from a mini cooper straight to an SUV!!! big difference in parking..he he....

mela: good luck tomorrow

Jas12: sorry to hear u r still having trouble sleeping

6 months is a great goal!! i had planned to do it for 6 months, but for various reasons i ended up doing it for 3 months only. Please dont let anyone make u feel bad for not doing it for ''x'' months...this is totally ur decision and ur decision only!!

Snlee: Thanks

janinegirly: I used a bumper and still use a bumper with little K (dont lash out at me ladies! )..never removed it to be honest..i know all the risks and wat not, but to be honest i tried it without and he just kept bumping his head against the sides which ultimately woke him up angry and annoyed (and in pain!)!! it just wasn''t worth it for me.. i just make sure that the bottom portion of the bumper is securely fitted between the mattress and the crib so that it wont move out of place...

 

[Independent Gal]

That boy you posted, msb, is tooo cute for words. GAH!

OK, so I''ll just cross my fingers that it doesn''t get worse.

I just had the maintenance guy in to re-caulk our shower. Talk about STRONG CHEMICAL FUMES! He was all ''What''s wrong?'' because I was trying to stand outside the bathroom to look at his work or else not breathe and I got very flustered. It''s tough to keep it to yourself! (I mean, this whole being knocked up thing).

 

[HaloAngel]

Hi again everyone
Thank you al for the previous info & advice.....I don''t even know what page it is on because this thread is just flying by!
I love all of the cute belly & baby shots...keep em coming! I can''t wait to be able to share my experiences....but right now I am merely an aunt-to-be....

Just wanted to ask anyone if they practice this method called "elimination communication"? I came across it while looking for a great baby carrier for my sis. I got curious & started reading up on it....it seems to make a lot of sense....What do you think:

http://www.tribalbaby.org/

http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/

http://www.natural-wisdom.com/

 

[msb700]

IG: yeah, its tough to keep it a secret especially when ur trying to take every extra precaution u can during the 1st trimester and ppl around u r totally clueless and start giving u weird looks!!...i just pretended like i had no idea wat they were talking about and that i wasn''t acting weird at all

it worked most times coz i always gave that ''wat in the world is wrong with u'' look

 

[sbde]

indy.. i was all happy for about the first 5 wks of my pregnancy where i had 0 symptoms except for the sore boobs. i was telling DH, this is easy, i thought the first trimester was tough! well, i totally jinxed myself and the past 3 wks have been pretty miserable. i hope it doesn''t hit you but it definitely got worse for me over the weeks.

 

[snlee]

Congratulations to Indy and sbde!!! Welcome! I look forward to going through this journey with you! Sorry to hear both of you are suffering from bad m/s. My m/s was on and off from weeks 6-12. The extreme tiredness was a pain too. It was so hard staying focused at work and at home I couldn''t get off the couch! At about 13 weeks I started feeling normal again.

 

[sbde]

thank you snlee! i''ve been poking through this thread for the past few weeks and am learning a great deal from everyone''s input. i''m just hoping the m/s dissipates soon...week 13 seems so far away!!

 

[mela lu]

Date: 6/17/2008 2:31:59 PM
Author: snlee
Congratulations to Indy and sbde!!! Welcome! I look forward to going through this journey with you! Sorry to hear both of you are suffering from bad m/s. My m/s was on and off from weeks 6-12. The extreme tiredness was a pain too. It was so hard staying focused at work and at home I couldn't get off the couch! At about 13 weeks I started feeling normal again.

13 weeks. Wow. I am suffering the extreme fatigue right now (at 7 weeks pg). My bedtime is 9pm and I'm completely spent by then. I cannot wait to be a 'full power supply' again. sheesh.

I'm also going through a patch of really really bad acne on my chin (hormone zone). Anyone else suffer from hormone acne?

 

[sbde]

same here mela, but i'm not complaining about the fatigue one bit. i've always had sleep troubles/insomnia...rarely getting more than 3-5 hrs of sleep a night so i am LOVING being able to crash at 10 and sleeping for at least 8 hrs

btw, i did have one pimple show up on my chin this week!

 

[mela lu]

ONE pimple! oh I oudda....LOL

I have (more like) cystic clustering of pimples. Each pimple is almost a 3-in-1. One side of my chin has 4 right now, and there is "only" one mammoth one on the other side. I am hard to look at.

In other news, I''m glad to hear you''re sleeping better!! That is a bonus!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

TGal, told ya! Took me about 5 weeks (first social smile). I think it is totally normal. My mom said the same thing happened to her with my older sister.

Indy, my M/S was bad at around 6 weeks-12 weeks. Felt like a bad hangover (all the time).

msb, DH already scratched it which is fine by me! I rather HIM have the first oops than me.

mela, my skin was bad my WHOLE pregnancy

I was an ugly preggo.

 

[mela lu]

well, if being an uggs Preggo mean having a gorgeous baby girl (like yours) then I''ll suffer. I''m hoping for a girl, but I''ll be happy as long as it''s healthy. My girfriend made a $50 bet with my DH that it''s a girl, as ''it''s stealing my beauty'' - in her words.

Uggs and pimply = baby girl??

Time will tell!

PS. I bought a hilarious baby name book today at Indigo called "Cool names for babies" and it has hilarious chapters like, ''old lady cool'' (mathilda, eugenia, hazel etc) and ''rocker and rapper kid names'' (Apple Martin, Everly Bear Keidis, Bluebell Madonna Halliwell.

this book is WILDLY entertaining, if nothing else...

 

[ellaila]

Congrats to all the new preggos!!

Sending along sticky dust and lots of "feel good" (or "feel better" as may be the case for some of you!) vibes!

Mela Lu, good luck tomorrow -- I can''t wait to see if you''re having twins or not! Whenever I see that you posted, I''m like, "OOOooooh, is she?? Is she??" Hee!

Halo Angel, I think that EC is nuts!! Life with a baby/babies is hectic enough nevermind trying to "read" their signs. Plus I don''t believe that babies that young can control themselves or communicate anything with you. That''s my opinion at least. More power to the people that have the time/energy to do it, but I''m definitely not one of them. I rememeber reading an article (I think TGal posted it a while back?) about a woman who had her baby peeing in a sink in a public restroom. Uhhhhhh. Ick.

Jas, sorry to hear about your diagnosis -- that''s a bummer

I know that BFing Co is really important to you, but it''s good that you also realize that you have to take care of yourself at the same time. BFing him is great of course, but if you''re hurting yourself in the process, then it''s sort of counterproductive, you know? He needs a HEALTHY Mommy!

Diver, I was looking through the "faces to names/rings" threads, and WOW does Jake look like your hubby!!! Cutie patooties.

NF, ahh yes, twin squishing in the belly, I remember it well! Katelyn used to beat the crap out of Gabe in my belly, which is so funny because he''s SO much bigger than her now!! As much as it seems like the squishing must be bad for the baby, it''s really not so don''t worry!

Curly, you look great, mama!!! (But where are the curls?!) And Lily is cute as ever, of course.

Kay, I agree with Tacori -- an exersaucer and/or jumperoo are totally necessary once the baby/ies are ~ 4 months old. Lifesavers!!

little K!! Such a handsome little dude.

OK, I know there''s more to reply to, but this is all I''ve got time for now! BBL ...

 

[regalada]

Thanks everyone for the good wishes. I''m very happy to be able to get up from bed, it''s really been a long and at times frustrating few months but both DH and I learned a lot about adapting and working as a team, which I think will help us a lot when Isabelle''s here.

Thanks Curlygirl, Kay, Ellaila and TravelingGal for your replies to my question about bringing relatives to help. I feel better hearing about how you did great on your own and did not regret not bringing anyone in.

Congrats to all the newly pregnant ladies!

Indy, when my MS kicked in at 7 weeks it was nonstop nausea 24/7 from the getgo. On the good side, I only threw up five times during those weeks, so I focused on that whenever I felt I couldn''t take it anymore. It stopped at 14 weeks never to return.

Melalu, I got pretty bad acne on my cheeks the first trimester, it was so big that when I came in to tell my boss I was pregnant (at 9 weeks) she told me she already knew because of my oversize acne (she can be blunt). After 12 weeks it cleared up and my skin has never looked better, not one pimple since then. I''m afraid what''s going to happen once I have the baby, it''ll probably come back

.

 

[mela lu]

Hi Regalada,
so sorry for your tough times. I'm glad to see you're up and at'em!

I see that you too are having a girl (and suffered the acne)....so that is another example of 'a girl steals your beauty'.

I'd love to compile and compare a girl / boy list of pregnancy 'issues' to see the trends IRL.

 

[mela lu]

I just went pee and noticed I''m spotting a bit. I''m scared. I know it''s probably nothing to worry about, but being only 7weeks, I can''t help but be worried. I''m going to go home and lie down and relax.

bye girls. cross your fingers for me!

 

[sbde]

*hugs* mela...hopefully everything will be alright! rest, take it easy and try to stay strong. don't worry, the statistics of women who experience spotting early on and go on to have healthy babies is high!!

ETA: my sister had spotting early on in her pregnancy as well and everything was fine.

 

[snlee]

jas12, sorry to hear about the high estrogen levels causing your insomnia. A 6 month goal of BFing is great. Just remember to take care of yourself too.

mela, good luck on your u/s tomorrow! pimply = baby girl? Possibly? I'm having a boy and didn't have any pimple issues. I think I have less than before I was pregnant. Hope it stays that way. *knocks on wood* But who knows...all the crazy hormones has strange affects on our bodies. Sorry to hear you're spotting. Try not to worry about it too much since you have an u/s tomorrow. I had some spotting at 8 weeks. I went in for an u/s and everything was fine. Is this around the time you would expect your period? Sometimes your body gets confused adjusting to pregnancy and you spot around that time. That's what happened to me.

 

[softly softly]

Just wondering how the new mummies feel having kids has impacted upon their friendships. I''ve been thinking about this since going to see the Sex and the City Movie last week. I loved the T.V show because it focused on four women whose friendships were important to them so I was glad to see that this theme was an important part of the movie.

However, I did find myself increasingly frustrated throughout by how easy it seemed for Charlotte and Miranda to drop everything and make themselves available for Carrie. Yes I loved that friendship was still the most important part of these women''s lives, but how many of us with small children are able to make ourselves available to our friends as easily as we once were? I realise that the focus of the movie was necessarily on Carrie and to a lesser extent her 3 friends and not on the other people in their lives, but it did sorta bug me that having kids seemed to have such little impact on their social lives (as did having jobs etc).

It also got me thinking about how having kids has changed my friendships. I realised that I now don''t have any friends who don''t have kids

and that all the friendships I have made through playgroup and mother''s group are incredibly superficial and are based entirely around having similarly aged kids. I certainly haven''t done this on purpose, it''s the result of moving to another city after my first was born, and also of my established friends also having kids now, but it struck me that, as a stay at home mum, I am no longer really in a position to meet, let alone make friends with anyone who doesn''t have kids. Furthermore I doubt I would be very good company for anyone who didn''t have kids as I am seldom able to leave the house alone, I can''t go out for coffee or drinks unless my husband is home to watch the kids and all phone conversations that take place before their bedtime invariably involve me being distracted by something the kids have done or said.

Also, and this is rather shameful to admit, I find that I while I miss my old friendships, I don''t have the energy to put into them that I once had. Often when I have some time out from the kids I relish the chance to spend it alone. I was telling this to an old friend who also has small children and we agreed that we often cringe when the phone rings during nap time because we just don''t want to talk to anyone at that point. Any one else feel this way??

 

[Kay]

Tacori, thanks for creating that list; it is so helpful! Baby Bargains is good with the big items, but leaves a lot of gaps with the little necessities for baby, not to mention a new mother.

Snlee, thanks for posting the link to Tacori’s list. Hope you are doing well. I thought I would be snarly about people touching me, but a few people at work (not close friends) have done it (w/o asking) and I was mostly amused at why they would want to and that they had the nerve to do it. (DH says I need to learn to throw an elbow.) It actually both irritates and amuses me that being PG apparently makes me more “approachable.” I’ve had several people at work come up and tell me I look “cute” (not something I hear often at 5’11” in power suits) or touch the belly. My years of cultivating an intimidating rep and demeanor have been obliterated by one chubby belly!

MSB, little K is not so little anymore! What a handsome guy he is.

Janine, I also started a Word document when I read Baby Bargains and add new stuff I hear about on PS or elsewhere. It is 4 pages long now! I didn’t actually register for anything when I was at BRU, just wandered through and tried to find the stuff on my list so I could check it out IRL. It was so frustrating that there were some “best pick” items on my list that none of the stores had in store so I could see them. I created an online registry at BRU Sunday night and added a few items. I am dragging DH back there next weekend to help me make final choices (there are several items – swings, bouncers, car seats – where I am trying to choose between 2 or 3 models). We are just going to buy the furniture and bedding ourselves. We will probably register for the $70 Maclaren version of the Snap n Go, and then buy the “big” stroller later when she outgrows the car seat. I figured I would register for a couple items of clothing to give people an indication of my taste (and that I prefer organic cotton), but I figured people would just buy outfits at will as shower gifts.

Jas12, it is good that you know the cause of the insomnia, but too bad it will likely last during BFing. 6 months sounds like a good goal, but don’t kill yourself trying to get there. It is definitely worth trying cognitive therapy to reduce your stress and anxiety levels. I hope you find some relief. Hugs.

Mela, good luck with the u/s tomorrow – seeing the baby for the first time is so exciting. The spotting is probably nothing, but you may want to call your doctor''s office so you feel more comfortable about it.

TGal, I agree that it is very annoying when others presume to know what is best for you. I know the grandparents are going to be dying to come visit ASAP, but I want at least a week alone with just DH and baby girl so we can bond and I can recover a bit physically and emotionally before I have to “entertain” house guests. I find it very stressful to have other people in my house (even people I love), and I know I will be tired and cranky then. DH will take at least 2 weeks off (longer for a C section), so I will have help.

Igal and sbde, congrats! I had no symptoms the first 6 weeks. Starting in week 7, I was tired all the time no matter how much I slept (that was when I started getting suspicious and went and did some counting on the calendar). Sometime in the 8th week the m/s hit and lasted until week 13. I was nauseous most of the day, and had strong food aversions, but I never threw up. By week 14, the nausea was gone and I felt much less tired. My first tri acne also cleared up pretty well. Also, there is something in the prenatal vitamins that my hair and nails love – they are growing like crazy. I was feeling so good weeks 14-20 and was feeling lucky not to be experiencing all the crazy symptoms I had read about. After week 20, all the little aches and pains and hugely swollen feet and ankles started really annoying me, so I feel a little like I jinxed myself too.

Ella, I’m going to go ahead a register for an exersaucer and maybe a bouncer to try to save my sanity later on.

I think I might have felt the baby move a few times over the past 2 hours. It felt a little like a tadpole swimming back and forth across my lower abdomen. Of course, it could also be the Mexican food I had for lunch.

Has anyone used the Graco Sweetpeace newborn soothing center? I like that it lets the baby swing either side-to-side or front-to-back, and seems to have a lot of different speed and arc options, as well as optional vibration, music and womb sounds. It also has a power cord, which is key. The downside is that it does not have much to entertain a baby, like the rainforest swing, but I could get a rainforest bouncer for that purpose. The Sweetpeace is pricey ($170-180), but would be $144 at Bed Bath & Beyond with their 20% off coupon. None of the floor models I have seen were plugged in, so I have not been able to play with it. They do have a great website with videos: http://www.mysweetpeace.com/#/explore/

 

[divergrrl]

Hi guys! Sorry I was MIA and I''ve only read this page (will go catch up soon)

but I have news...

I''m the proud mama of a cute little MacBook! Yes! You read that right! I went out on Friday to buy DH a pair of sunglasses for Father''s day and came home with a new laptop for myself.

bwahahahahahhaa..I am soooo bad.

But my almost 4 year old Dell finally crapped out on me for the last time...so I said, I''m done putting hundreds each year to keep that dog running. Can I say IN LOVE? This Mac business...its all true! blissed out. I actually got up at 5:30am to play with it before the kids woke up. LOL.

Ella: Yeah, Jake is a chip off da old block for sure!

Pre-mommy friendships: Well, my non-mommy friends and I have drifted to friendly acquaintances, with the exception of my bff from college who is battling infertility. Even with her, I don''t get to see her near as much as I''d like. Well, I have 2 exceptions too...2 of my girlfriends are 50 years old...one''s a mom who gave her daughter up for adoption (she was 16 at the time) and the other lost a baby at 5 months & never tried again. For some reason, my relationship with those 2 sticks. But they both like my kids & I do stuff with them without my children. I''m definitely a "girl time" person & like to see my friends without dh or the kids.

I try to keep in touch, and if I can''t stay in touch with my old friends as well as I''d like, I try to pop "howdy,, I was thinkin'' of you" emails their way.

bbl...have to move all my address book contacts to MY NEW MAC! Of course I just had to download firefox to post on here! Good thing this forum is chock full of smart folks who post all sorts of useful help!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

mela, she stole my beauty for sure. My nose looked bigger which was a real treat. My hair was greasy. My skin and hair still is 100% back to normal. Oh well. You are right, she is worth it. Hope the spotting goes away. Did you call your doctor?

Kay, I enjoyed doing it. Though on my list is to go to VS and treat myself to a new bra as a reward for BFing for 6.5 months. I am still wearing my Target nursing tanks

but I love them and they will be stored until I have my next baby. Also I don''t think I mentioned this on the list my register for 1 pack of diapers. People LOVE to do diaper cakes and hopefully they will see and use the brand you want. Trust me I have a bag full of cheap, crappy diapers. Such a waste! I love my evenflo exersaucer. It was expensive (I think $100) but I wanted one with lots of toys, lights, sounds. She spends so much time in that thing and her legs have gotten very strong (from jumping around and standing) I like it better than the jumper she has.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Who is getting the urban in espresso?!? I can''t remember!

 

[snlee]

Kay, yay for feeling baby movements! I''ve been feeling stronger and more frequent baby movements lately and I LOVE it!

Diver, I got a MacBook last November and I love it too! Enjoy yours!

Tacori, good tip about registering for diapers. Thanks!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Diver, I have been a mac user my ENTIRE life. My family owned the first apple plus (or whatever they were called). You will not regret your decision to switch. I love both of mine!

 

[Kay]

Date: 6/17/2008 6:05:58 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Who is getting the urban in espresso?!? I can''t remember!

I thought it was one of the other October moms, Snlee or Ephemery, but am not sure. I loved the Urban in espresso but alas DH did not. I think we are getting the Munire Park Avenue, but are waiting for the store to get in floor samples.

I wasn''t going to register for diapers because we do not want to use regular disposables, but I guess we will need them for some occasions and it would be better to get a good brand in case someone insists on doing the diaper cake.