Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Mandarine]

Congrats Mara!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I''m so excited to have you join us!!!

The first ultrasounds are so exciting!!!!!! It''s just crazy to see little legs and arms!

You''re at the 2nd trimester now so hopefully the morning sickness will go away!. I hear you on the not having control of your body...that has been the MOST difficult part of pregnancy for me by far. I can''t even go up the stairs without being completely out of breath...so everything it''s just a bit harder

Anyway, welcome and hope you truly enter the "honeymoon" trimester now! (I sort of skipped that since I got very big very quickly!...lol)

 

[fieryred33143]

Congratulations Mara!

Tao-That is so crazy about your girl being a boy!! I remember having a dream that I was told DD was actually a boy!

I can''t wait to meet China and Sabine''s babies! Soooooo close!!!

Radient-I don''t remember if I said congrats but in case I didn''t, congrats!

I hope everyone else and their babies are doing well!

 

[Mara]

Thanks ladies..! I have enjoyed lurking on the threads and just reading about everyone's stories. I am not reading any pregnancy books by choice...most of the reviews I read online for the most popular and talked about ones were like 'this book just freaked me out'...and honestly who needs that? Plus I figure why bother knowing what to expect? I like to be surprised...HAHAA.

Mandarine, girl you look so good...seriously!! I would love to be your size with ONE... I feel like I am going to turn into a hippo. I am still working out 4x a week but it's hard...some days I am super tired. I am trying to listen to my body BUT not turn into a slug. It's way too easy to just want to go home and hang out on the couch.

At the 12 week we saw it bouncing up and down and waving it's arm. The one on Monday we saw it bouncing and then it was moving arms and legs. Crazy for sure. It's already filling half the space in there. YIKES! I *am* happy to be in 2nd tri... the nausea is letting up and I feel more normal...but yeah not quite myself. Is anyone else not really a fan of the pregnancy part? Sure the idea of having a little US is pretty cool and we are excited about this next step in our family... but I am not a fan of the actual pregnancy part...all these changes and being so out of control. My pants don't fit... it's depressing. I packed away all my small clothes.

BUT when I see the nugget in there bouncing around and having fun I was like..OK well at least SOMEONE is having a good time in there! I guess that's what it's about.

Oh and Monkey Pie...our neighbors have twins and didn't find out til 18 weeks. That is so crazy. I have no idea what the twin was doing up until that point but can you imagine finding out almost at 5 months that you have 2???

 

[Mandarine]

ohhh puhhh-leaseeee Mara! You are going to be sporting the cutest bump! You''ll see!!!!

That''s so good you''re still working out. I decided to REALLY slow down, just because it''s two and I was getting nervous about doing too much. Now I basically just walk and do prenatal Yoga. I LOVE prenatal Yoga...you should look into it!. It''s not really a big workout per say...it''s more about stretching and relaxing...but it''s the highlight of my week!.

I understand what you mean about not liking the pregnancy part. I was actually the same...UNTIL I started feeling them! (I think flutters at around 15 weeks and real movement at around 18 weeks or so). Now I can stare at my bump all day when they''re moving. t''s just crazy!. Right now I was laying on the couch (while on a conference call..hehe) and the boys were moving like CRAZY!. It''s almost as having someone trying to put a shirt on and all you see is crazy movements!. Before they felt like an octopus...now it feels like I swallowed a whole circus! haha...but it''s fun!

Now that I actually have a REAL bump..I''m starting to feel better about my body. I hated those first few weeks. My clothes didn''t fit, my hips got wider and my bump wasn''t an obvious "pregnancy" bump. I was like "ok...what happened to the shiny hair, perfect skin and pregnancy glow!?. Granted I''m still waiting for the great hair and skin part...BUT I''m loving the bump!!!. I''m starting to feel "cute"...which is a nice change from feeling just awkward in my own body!

 

[mrssalvo]

WOOOOHOOOOO for Mara and Greg. A HUGE congrats to you both! and yay for the nugget!

 

[Mara]

Yes I am def thinking once it looks like I didn't just eat a really big meal with cheesesteak and fries and becomes a REAL baby belly it will be diff. Now I just feel like a blob of jelly. I am starting to shop for mat clothes too which is so confusing, like all the diff sizes and how each manuf is diff. ugh! I am a big fan of 'look good, feel good' and love cute clothes, and since my wardrobe is all outta control it makes me feel worse, haha.

OH and the HAIR. My skin is fine as usual, people say I have the glow but I honestly look the same. But the HAIR...omg. Rats nest much?? I already have really thick hair, but now it DOESN'T FALL OUT. So it's just growing and not falling out. I feel like I have a lion's mane. I can't wait to go in for my hair appt this wkd and have them thin the crap out of it. I am tempted to cut it all off but I know I'd regret it later.

I def will try prenatal yoga once I get a bit bigger and can't do my regular dance cardio stuff anymore. I was doing power flow yoga which is SO challenging...I had to stop when I was getting nausea because I just could not deal with the stress on my body. But I'm still doing cardio so as long as I can I will be doing that, and I am starting to add more walking in too just to stay super active. I know that third tri I will not want to do anything, so whatever I can pack in before then to keep myself in shape is important to me. I am already planning on strapping the kid into the bjorn and running around the block with it after birth!

Oh and does anyone else think it woudl be cool if they came out with a Sonogram app for the iPhone? I would totally buy whatever extra crap you'd need in order to have that sucker attached to me all day long. I could watch that bouncing for days. So I hear ya re: the movements Mandarine. Right now I just feel like I am filled with gas. I wonder if the kid can hear it popping in there.

Thanks Mrs Salvo!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Yayyyyyyyy Mara! A big congrats to you and your DH!

 

[steph72276]

Huge congrats, Mara! I am 13 1/2 weeks too! How exciting!! Kinda had that feeling with your few posts in here

Oh, and I really don't like the pregnancy part either. I told Adam this is the last one for us! I can't wait to feel normal again!

 

[littlelysser]

Ahhhhhhh! Congrats MARA!!!

I had a bit of a feeling, but YAY!!!!!!!

I''m so happy for you!

Welcome to the thread! YAY for the 2nd Trimester!


Okay, am at work, must go back to being productive and billing time!

I''ll be back with a real post later!!!!!

 

[littlelysser]

Gah, Also welcome Monkey PIE! In my prego brain state I thought I already wrote something welcoming you.

Littlelysser + pregnant + doing lawyer stuff = brain dead.

 

[cara]

Congats Mara and MonkeyPie! What awesome news. Good luck to you both.

 

[AmberWaves]

Congrats Mara! My m/s lasted until the 14th/15th week when it got worse temporarily, but has since gone the way of the Dodo.

 

[fieryred33143]

Hold the phone...Monkey you''re pregnant too! I need to read the thread more! Congratulations!!

 

[isaku5]

Huge congrats to Monkey Pie and Mara!!!

I was just a touch suspicious that Mara knew so darn much about the latest in preggo info, but wasn''t announcing

I''ll bet Greg is thrilled, and why not, it''s a big step in the relationship

.

 

[cdt1101]

Congrats Mara!!! I just wanted to chime in about hating being preggo...i HATED it! I hated the weight gain, especially in the beginning when i just felt fat. I too was used to be in control of my body and feeling great! I continued to workout until 30 weeks when I was forced to stop due to kidney stones/stent/bed rest. Anyway, once you start to show you will feel WAY better about your changing body! And then, if you''re taking pictures, you''ll look back at now and think "i wasn''t fat!!!"....hehehe.....Honestly enjoy it, because I soooooooooooo hate my post pregnancy body so much more than actually being pregnant

As for maternity clothes...they suck

Of course I wore mat pants, but I just went up a size in regular non-maternity shirts and that worked for me throughout my whole pregnancy. I just felt more like myself wearing fitted tops that showed off my belly as opposed to some of the tents they call maternity clothes! So don''t rule out non-maternity clothes just because you''re preggo!

Hope the rest of you are doing great!!! Can''t wait for the new arrivals! Enjoy your free time while it lasts! Motherhood is sooooooooo hard, but I love my little man more than anything

 

[snlee]

Congrats Mara! I had a strong inkling you were pregnant! I am so happy for you and Greg! Can''t wait to watch you go through this journey into parenthood...it''s exciting for sure!

 

[Lorelei]

CONGRATS Mara!

 

[curlygirl]

MARA!!!! Congratulations!

I'm kinda not surprised since you've become more active on these preggo related threads but I am absolutely thrilled for you and Greg. Looking forward to following your journey and welcoming you to the mommy side!!! Happy and healthy 9 months!

ETA, regarding cute clothes--I stayed away from maternity stuff as long as I could! If you have H&M or Zara near you, you can probably find normal clothes that will grow with you and not make you feel like an elephant. I would also invest in a few good pairs of maternity jeans that you can wear through the entire pregnancy. I actually got a great pair from the Gap (I think they were called City Fit) and an awesome pair of Citizens of Humanity that cost a lot but were worth it because I wore them all the time. Also, leggings are your friend. And dresses. I have no doubt you'll look adorable no matter what!!

 

[anchor31]

Congrats Mara! I''m shocked, but in a good way.

18 weeks here and still having major digestive issues and m/s, so you can add me to the hating being preggo club. Ugh. My maternity clothes are uber comfy and I just look fat is normal clothes, so at least that''s good. My hair is okay, but my acne is out of control. And I hear you on the tiredness!

Hang in there!

 

[ChinaCat]

Mara- Congrats and welcome to the craziness that is being preggo. I had to laugh at your thinking that you guys wouldn''t get pregnant that fast, that is exactly what happened to me. Shocked the hell out of me! But perhaps it''s better that way, sometimes you gotta let life take over. It''s hard giving up control, especially over your body. I am surprised by how much I have enjoyed being pregnant, thought I would hate it. But that didn''t happen until the 2nd trimester for sure, the 1st pretty much took it out of me. But tons of women hate being preggo. You''re not alone! And like my mom keeps telling me about being pregnant, there''s nothing you can do about it now! Might as well go with it and try to enjoy it. As far as working out, it really helped me feel a ton better, both mentally and physically, so I would definitely keep it up. But you are going to have to switch it up, you can''t do as much and have to slow it down a ton. I did pilates and worked with a trainer throughout, plus slow walking. Helped keep the aches and pains to a minimum. So you guys are going to find out the gender?

Sabine- When is your appt???????

 

[Mara]

Thanks for the tips on the clothes ladies. Can I just say that it's totally intimidating to be shopping when you have no idea what's going to be happening?!?! My boobs are out of control. And I mean national geographic out of control. Of course Greg is in heaven, except I am like 'GET AWAY FROM ME'...

And I am only 13 weeks! I am a little scared about them. my skin is also kind of sensitive so i hate wearing a bra, obviously not an option now. and yes I am definitely still looking at slightly larger regular clothes, I love AE maxi dresses and their tanks are great. I am looking at GAP as well and I bought some stuff online at Old Navy for lounging. But the sizing is freaking me out on some of the more expensive items, esp for some of the online shops that don't have a retail presence.

cdt... haha you saying you hate your post body more...YIKES. now i am freaked out for sure. i am 34 as well so it's not like i am super young and my body is going to 'easily' bounce back. i know my age is not for that. but i am hoping by staying as fit as possible that i at least can minimize the work afterwards. of course who really knows....as i am learning, your body really does whatever the heck it wants and you are really just along for the ride.

China, luckily I have been able to still do my same cardio as before, just slightly lower levels (and more water breaks). I took a few weeks off during bad nausea, but now I am back. and it feels so good! even when i am tired i feel better after. my DR said to keep at it as long as it feels ok. I know at some point the bouncing around will not be fun for the belly, and I'll have to modify. But as long as I can do it, I hope I will. In one of my old kboxing classes, this gal went til SEVEN MONTHS. I was so impressed. She was just a belly!

funny but remember all those Charlotte pants we all loved a few years back? i still wear mine and thanks to the elastic waist it is the ONLY pair of pants i can still fit in comfily. I just ordered a few more pairs in a bigger size to mix and match with mat clothes.

LOL on you gals who were suspicious. You know I am sneaky. I wasn't sure if i wanted to come clean on the thread, just figured I could piggy back on all the knowledge put out and not post, but it was really hard when I saw someone like Steph who is so close to me on dates ... I wanted to be like 'hey i feel that way too!'. Also, I didn't want to get too involved with it all too early because you just never know, the first tri is risky plus you don't feel well. Honestly I wondered how people who are really sick with M/S actually work? I could barely sit at my desk with nausea.But yeah now I am like ...I need some clothes help and I want to ask about this and this. etc. So I am glad you all are here.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Mara, congrats! I did think it was odd that you were randomly posting in the pregnancy thread with no comments about TTC . . .

I don''t really love being pregnant either. I was just thinking this morning about how I once told my sister I''d be a surrogate for her if she continued having miscarriages and that seemed like a viable option. I was thinking, geez, I can barely tolerate the changes, the fatigue, the sacrifices for my own offspring . . . I would be a mess if I were doing this for someone else!

My M/S tapered off at the end of the first trimester. I think I took my last M/S pill around 14 weeks.

I''m just at the start of the third trimester and I''m still working out. My body has let me know what to keep doing and what to ease up on. I''m not running (maybe I could in the winter but not in the heat and humidity!) and I''ve noticed my walking pace slowing a little. I''m still doing Firm workouts but instead of the 50-60 minute ones I''m doing the 25-35 minute ones. Just last week my body told me to use smaller weights, so when they say 8 lb. dumbbells, I grab 5, etc. That depresses me a little -- in two months will I just be holding a one lb. weight as I shuffle through the DVD, barely doing anything? It''s like having some kind of Benjamin Button disease where no matter how committed you are, you are actually losing fitness instead of gaining it!

Oh, and I''m a hippo. I don''t weigh myself at home, but I go in for my glucose test tomorrow, so I''ll find out then. I was already up 25 pounds at 24 weeks, so I am just hoping I''m not over 30 now. Sigh. Again, I think this is just what my body wants to do. You need stores of body fat for breast-feeding, and my BMI was below 20 when I got pregnant. Even with a 30 pound gain my BMI is still "normal," and a sweet little girl is making up 2 pounds of that anyway

. So the doctor and nurses haven''t seemed concerned about my weight gain at all, although I''m like, "Hello! I am obviously on track to gain way more than 25-35 pounds! What are you going to say then???!" My sister, on the other hand, is shorter and started out weighing maybe 20 pounds more than me, and her doctor''s office has been giving her a hard time about her weight gain, which is pretty much identical to mine. I wonder if it''s the starting weight thing or just a difference in how the practices treat weight gain?

 

[Mara]

PG I was actually talking with my DR about the gain the other day. I have only gained 3 lbs and I am hoping to only gain 12 by end of second TRI. But honestly, I know my body will do what it wants.

So I was asking her what was ''normal'' and she was giving the large ranges they do. But she said really it had to do with what you were about before conceiving. She said if people are overweight technically the DR''s should say, maybe you should only gain 10-15 lbs because you already have some fat stores. But for people who are normal weight she said 20-35 is the range they like to see. If you were underweight then they might WANT you to gain more. I am hoping to stay at 25 lbs, but we''ll see. I know some people who have gained crazy weight NOT even eating unhealthily, just their body went crazy...and afterwards they went back to close to normal quite easily.

So I figure as long as I keep eating decently and not porking out on the milkshakes and fries and staying ''active'' in some way, I should be ok because it won''t be as much ''fat weight'' to get off afterwards. BTW, PG I was thinking of starting a ''Healthy Lifestyle for Preggos'' thread over in the workout section for us control freaks who like to talk about how much we work out and what we eat... hahaha. Also it could be interesting to share ideas about nutrition. Again I think my biggest issue so far is my body and how crazy it is being. I am used to having a lot of control over it.

But now as my hub points out ... I am the ''vessel of life''

 

[ChinaCat]

Mara- That's great on the working out. You'll know when/how much to slow down, believe me your body will tell you. When I first got preggo and was discussing continuing pilates with my teacher, he said he had some clients that went to 7 or 8 months preggo, and I was like, wow, no way. Well I went up to 9 months, and only stopped b/c my doctor just put me on modified bed rest. I am amazed at how strong my body still feels, even though my belly is huge and my balance is off and just walking through the grocery store makes my back ache now. But that only started happening recently. You sound really active, I bet you'll be fine. Also for mat clothes- I know this sounds crazy, but I really am the same size in most mat clothes that I was in regular clothes. When the people at the mat store told me that I was VERY skeptical and in fact thought it was a rude thing to tell preggos. But I have found for the most part that is true. Of course, different companies are different, but for Gap and Old Navy, etc, you can be pretty safe in your same size, especially where you are now. I still wore a ton of regular tops, until recently when the belly just got too out there and the shirts got too short. You're still in the weird phase, I didn't quite need full maternity clothes till 20 weeks or so, and it's very frustrating in that in-between phase. However, I didn't have the exploding boob factor so that might change things a bit. Though my bras killed me early and I would definitely advise you to try to find some good ones ASAP. My friend with bigger boobs than me loved the Elle McPherson Intimates maternity bras. Might be pricey, but worth it if comfy.

CDT, Fiery-

Hi girls, nice to see you!

ETA: Mara, I think a healthy eating/preggo thread is a great idea! I have a great cookbook that I like to use. And LOL at "the vessel of life". Do you have any cravings?

 

[Kaleigh]

Mara,
CONGRATS!!!!

I had an inkling you were, because you have been posting on these threads and related ones.

I am SO happy for you and for Greg. You will be a terrific MOM!!! And I know Greg wll be a wonderful Dad. Portia will be a big sister!!! I have to call Nan and tell her, she''s at the beach, she will be soooo happy to hear this great news!!!
All the best to you!!! Lisa

 

[Sabine]

Hi girls...
Sorry, I don''t have time to read through everything cause my mom is almost here (there were a LOT of posts today!) but I did see Mara''s news, so a big CONGRATS to you, Mara!

I just got back from the dr. Jackson will officially be here via c-section on Friday at 8:30!!!! He''s estimated to be 8 lbs 15 oz. as of today, but the dr. said with the margin of error, he could be as low as 7 lbs 10 oz. or as big as 10 lbs 4 oz. He''s about a hundred grams under the weight where they absolutely WON''T try a vaginal birth, but considering the margin of error, the fact that my belly is measuring 42 cm, I''m not dilated at all, and his head is still high, we decided we aren''t even going to try it, and I''m okay with that.

Since I''ll probably be busy with my mom tomorrow, I wanted to post some of my final bump pics. I warn you, there are some bare belly shots! I''ll try to update again as soon as possible! Thanks for all the wonderful well wishes!

 

[Sabine]

Front on...I apologize if you can see the horrible stretch marks (hopefully the pic is to small for them to be clear).

 

[Sabine]

Side view...this is the one that just seems so unreal to me! Yikes!

 

[Mandarine]

Re: weight gain...

This has been the hardest for me since with Twins they make it a point of telling to GAIN!. After my whole life of staying fit and healthy, this was a hard thing to take and be ok with.

I can say it gets easier.... with time!

I have remained pretty healthy (and still have managed to gain 28 lbs (26 weeks)...which is right on track with what the Dr wanted for me (40-50 lbs total..YIKES!!!). In any case, I think all you can do is worry about the things you do have control over.

I drink a LOT of water and try to always have healthy snacks available (I work from home so that''s a lot easier for me!). I have continued to eat super healthy, just much larger quantities. For example, my morning cereal is about x2 than it used to be...for lunch I add a bit of carbs to my regular protein+veggies (whole wheat only) and for dinner I add some carbs (but don''t go crazy (a bit of potatoes, etc) along with lean proteins and TONS of veggies. I do snack all day long it seems!...my favorite snacks: watermelon (YUMMM!), pineapple, apples, Hummus+baby carrots (I buy the one portion hummus packs... which I love), plain non-fat organic yogurt with honey, whole wheat crackers with honey (I buy Wasas...but not everyone likes those!).

So it is possible to stay healthy!. I wish I was more active...but I just really get nervous about preterm labor with the twins so I made a decision not to do more than walking and yoga. Once the babies arrive I will be back to my boot camp, running, etc. I''m not worried about getting back to my pre-pregnancy fitness level...more worried about how long it will take to get the pre-pregnancy body back (if ever!).

I do indulge once in a while (by that a mean maybe some ice cream or something like that). I still don''t eat any fast food, etc...but mainly because I think that stuff would make me sick (I know it did last time I had fast food like 3 years ago!).

I think you know what you need to do...so you will do great!. Eventually I know you will learn to deal with the control issue and will start accepting it and enjoying it more!.

 

[Sabine]

My 3rd tri montage. It''s crazy to look at 29 vs. 39 weeks since I''m wearing the same shirt...and I thought I was huge then!