Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[qtiekiki]

Date: 9/15/2009 10:28:35 AM
Author: AmberWaves

Viz: I hear you on the name thing. We are lucky it''s a girl since we''ve had that name picked out for what seems like centuries. I was freaked out when we had to come up with a boy name- it''s basically because you''re choosing your child''s FUTURE. I guess I think a name really determines a lot about you (said AMBER- the only one in my school growing up) and it''s something they''re going to keep forever! It''s not like they can come out and veto whichever choice you make. Ugh. There are so many different things to consider: how it sounds with the middle or last name, possible nicknames, possible celebrities with the name, how trendy it is, morons with the name... I know I''m making this more stressful for you!! SORRY!!

Talking about possible nicknames:
I asked DH what about Bradley if we have a boy. And his response was "first we have a meanie and then we are going to have a brat.". Sigh.

What brands maternity tank do you ladies have? I noticed that my ON maternity ones are actually short than the regular ones. My fave tanks are the Target one. I just got them for this pregnancy, and I love that they are super stretchy and long. They don''t get stretched out and loose like some of the other brands.

Steph
Glad everything is ok. Drink your water.

Baby kicks
I am barely feeling any. This baby is just lounging in there.

 

[AmberWaves]

Burk, I get the same kinds of migraines, with the numbness in my hands/arm. It''s incredibly creepy, and when they come on, I can''t see out of one eye (usually my left). I''ve found the instant I see spots or my hand starts getting woozy I just down some coke (pre-preg, when I had no excedrin with me I went downstairs to starbucks and got a double shot).

Qtie: I love the name Bradley, but as it was an old boyfriend''s name it was a no-go! Also, re: tanks. I''m wearing an ON one now, and you''re right, the back is nice and long, but the front isn''t as long. I also like the Target ones, and surprisingly, JC Penney had some good ones, and they''re kind of thick, too.

 

[Burk]

Re names: going to throw this out there right now, even though we don''t know what we''re having yet. Our favorite name for a girl is Saraya (Sa-ray-ah). We want something unique and different because after having a Tayva, you can''t exactly name your kid Mary!

I told my family (whom I am very close with) and they don''t like it. They love, love, love Tayva but none of them really like Saraya. We haven''t shared it with anyone else. I get that not everyone is going to love it (not everyone likes Tayva....as a matter of fact one lady even told me how much she hated it

) but I don''t know if I can get passed their initial responses. What do you guys think of it? And, do you have any other suggestions that are unique? Boys names are hard, but we''re pretty set on either Kade or Braxton so the girl name is our issue.

 

[anchor31]

visla - Sorry you had a rough morning. If you''re worried about not being able to do mixed feeding, another thing that was suggested to me was to start having the hubby give the bottle first so she doesn''t start refusing to BF with you, or refuse the bottle because she can smell your milk. Of course, every baby being different, I''m not surprised to read stories about babies who didn''t have any nipple/teat confusion. My mom wasn''t able to BF me and my sister because of that, however, so DH and I decided to err on the side of caution.

Kimberly - Week 4? Yikes! Hopefully it''ll go away soon and you won''t be sick until week 21 like I was!


24w6d for me, and I had my doctor''s appointment this morning. Another A+ to add to our report card, everything is great. I''m now up to 14lbs and my belly measures 25cm (9.8 inches). We were looking for a doula, but the cost is a bit of an issue, so DH suggested we asked my mom to be there. We''re very close, and I think I''d be more comfortable having someone with me at all times who has experience with L&D. I know the question was already asked, but I changed my mind since it was last discussed, so I''m asking it again: Who are you asking to be present at the L&D (other than your doctor/midwife/nurses)?

 

[sunkist]

I have to say Sapphire you got yourself a CUTIE!!

I love the pic of Daddy in love with his little one!

Finished my hour at the lab for my glucose test. It wasn''t bad. Hope the results come back good! Amber thanks for the high protein breakfast suggestion too!

 

[mtjoya]

Hello, Ladies

I have a question for you guys. I am wondering and wanting to have the 4D u/s but I don''t know at what time and how much it costs. Can you ladies plz offer some input. I really want to have this done! I am anxious! I am 18 weeks.

 

[qtiekiki]

My u/s tech go do 3D/4D ultrasound between 28-32 weeks, so the baby will have more fat.

 

[zoebartlett]

Popping in quickly to tell Sapphire congratulations. I love the pics -- adorable!

Kimberly -- congratulations!!! I''m so happy for you!

I''m glad to hear that everyone seems to be doing well.

 

[Mara]

mt... my doc told me the same thing, wait til baby is bigger and more filled out with much more fat....she said otherwise it can look a little creepy hehe.

 

[taovandel]

Ditto---I went at 28/29 weeks and the baby looked great--next time I would wait until around 30/31 weeks though as he still wasn''t that filled out yet. Ours cost 180--We received an hour u/s--10 black and white normal u/s pictures, 2 "color" 5x7 pictures, a cd with all the pictures she took (about 25), a DVD of the entire session set to music and a gift bag. It was worth the money to me.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Yay!!!! The daycare almost definitely has a spot for us!!!

This is the only daycare in our neighborhood that takes infants (other than smaller in-home stuff, but I haven''t seen any listings online or gotten any tips in that regard), and as a result they can be really picky. When I first called, they had a "year" wait. When we put in a deposit and made a lot of contact with the director, it became "May or June." Now she says she''ll have a spot for us in February unless for some reason the baby who will be graduating to the toddler class at that time stops going to the daycare before then, in which case they''d have to see. But she did say that it shouldn''t be a big deal since we had a lot of time to work out the details. So I feel like I can count on this being an almost sure thing, and I know there''s a daycare near work that always has openings if something goes wrong.

Big relief! A friend had said she''s interested in taking in a baby, but there are too many concerns with that situation -- she doesn''t believe in modern medicine so who knows how she''d handle emergencies/illnesses, the parking lot behind their condo is really sketchy and often has indigent people loitering who approach you for money, she probably couldn''t get down the stairs of the building with two babies in tow, and she reacted really poorly when we didn''t use her as our realtor and really didn''t talk to us for years afterwards, so again, how would she react if we had any concerns or conflicts? Too many red flags with that situation.

We have been too afraid to ask the daycare what their policy would be regarding me having off from work over the summer, but we assume that based on how hard it is to get in, they''ll make us keep paying to keep our spot. But at least I''d have the flexibility then to drop her off for a few hours a few times a week and to take her there when I have a conference to go to. It''d be a little over $2k for 8 or 9 weeks when we wouldn''t really use it much; am I crazy that it still seems like it''s worth it? We just don''t currently have any other good options.

 

[Mara]

Gosh it just blows my mind still, how expensive daycare is. A friend just went through it and it ranged from $800-1700 for one child for a month. And some places charge more for babies, and if they have to change diapers etc. I guess I should start thinking about it!

 

[gingerB]

sapphire - he''s beautiful! congrats again!

kimberly - congrats and welcome!

mandarine - sorry for the nst frustration...will have my fingers crossed the next one goes better.

viszla - i''m not even halfway thru and already over feeling like my body is out of my control. i can''t even imagine what it''s going to belike in the third tri.

steph - glad everything is well!

So ~ 18.5 weeks and haven''t felt any definitive movements yet...can''t wait! Although the other night hubby and i were lounging in bed discussing my belly and how i haven''t felt any movement yet and i felt the lightest feathery touch from the inside then a funny bubbles popping that was different from the usual gassy crampy stuff i feel. Do you think it was just wishful thinking? Haven''t felt anything since.

 

[Sapphire_Cutie]

Thank you ALL for the nice comments on my son and DH lol. Here are a few pics for you guys...my FINAL BPF pics which I had, just didnt get to post...and I''ll put up my Post Pardum pics for you guys too. So bare with me a min... Last Belly Pics:

 

[Sapphire_Cutie]

....

 

[Sapphire_Cutie]

....

 

[Sapphire_Cutie]

Here are the Post Pardum shots. Taken today, 3 days after birth

 

[Sapphire_Cutie]

last one...

 

[KimberlyH]

Thanks for the congrats, Zoe, Ginger, and Burk.

I''m glad you got a walk in, Mara. I swear I''m going to follow suit. As you know, I work with kids, and I''ve been running after them from 8 this morning until 6 this evening, I came home exhausted and can''t fathom trying to exercise now.

Burk, I think Saraya goes really well with Tayva. I know what you mean about people not liking names, my mom has already said bad things about three of the six girls names we love. I just decided at the end of the day they''ll love the kid, no matter what, and the name will grow on them.

Anchor, I''m not sure who will be in the delivery room with me, but at this point it will likely be my husband and my mom. He''s no good with blood and such so it may be a good idea to have her there, but I need to discuss with him, as he''s pretty private, and he may just want it to be the two of us, which I understand. So I guess it''s still up for discussion. He''ll tell me it''s up to me, but I want him to be comfortable with the situation as well, it''s his kid too.

 

[Mara]

Actually Kimmy you prob worked out enough running after the kiddies!! Just relax if you are exhausted, I hear ya.

Anchor...re: who will be in the delivery room... I''m not sure entirely, def my hub but he is not good with blood or needles or anything like that, so I am considering my Mom or a doula. The prob with my Mom is that she might irritate me or drive me crazy hahaa..I adore her but then I might be sooo out of my head and crabby I might not appreciate it. The idea of a doula is a 3rd party ... but I might not like that either, I am pretty private and don''t know that I would want someone other than my closest family there.

but Kimmy re: the hubs not being good with blood ... I have to say I was surprised during our amnio how stoic and solid Greg was. Even with the big ole needle piercing my belly. He held my hand, was encouraging the whole time, and didn''t sound wavery or anything at all, even when he could tell I was getting nervous towards the end. And during even watching CSI on TV he clutches my arm if anything gory happens or something with needles. So I am kind of feeling like he might be more impressive in the delivery room than I would give him credit for. I guess we never know hehe.

 

[meresal]

Date: 9/15/2009 9:57:05 PM
Author: KimberlyH
Thanks for the congrats, Zoe, Ginger, and Burk.

I'm glad you got a walk in, Mara. I swear I'm going to follow suit. As you know, I work with kids, and I've been running after them from 8 this morning until 6 this evening, I came home exhausted and can't fathom trying to exercise now.

Burk, I think Saraya goes really well with Tayva. I know what you mean about people not liking names, my mom has already said bad things about three of the six girls names we love. I just decided at the end of the day they'll love the kid, no matter what, and the name will grow on them.

Anchor, I'm not sure who will be in the delivery room with me, but at this point it will likely be my husband and my mom. He's no good with blood and such so it may be a good idea to have her there, but I need to discuss with him, as he's pretty private, and he may just want it to be the two of us, which I understand. So I guess it's still up for discussion. He'll tell me it's up to me, but I want him to be comfortable with the situation as well, it's his kid too.

Kimberly- Congratulations!!! I'm sorry to hear about your sickness. I haven't it, but whenever I feel even a little lightheaded or nauseous, it has been in the evening, so I definitely feel you on the night time thing.

Burk- I agree with Kimberly, I think they sound really nice together. My sister wanted to name her daughter Ellis, and the nurses in the hospital gave such a arguement against it, she decided to change it to Ella. It took her a while to get over that. I say go with what you like! Your the mom, you know best.

Well, since the talk is about names, we think we have decied on ours. I'm surprised we both agreed so easily, but we have talked about it before.
If it's a boy, we like Christopher Allen.
If it's a girl, we like Ryann Makenna (favorite) or Ryann Elisabeth.

Also, I have a question. Did anyone try that IntelliGender at home test? I imagine it is just something that is more "fun" than "actual", but I was just wondering if anyone gave it a try?

 

[natalina]

Sapphire- you had the cutest little ball belly ever, and I cannot believe how great you look just 3 days after birth. You must really be a skinny minny!

Anchor- definitely going to just be DH and I in the delivery room. I am very shy about body stuff, and I joke that if it was up to me I would give birth out in the woods alone like an animal or something. However, my desire for pain control outweighs my desire for privacy, so to the hospital we will go!

Burk- I also think Saraya and Tayva are pretty together. I agree with Kimberly that after the baby is here, they will love any name you''ve given her. Also, I LOVE Kade for a boy!

Mer- Ellis/Ellison is one of our top names for our little girl! Too funny about your sis! And I really like your name choices. I was pushing DH for Ryan for a girl, but he just wouldn''t go for it. I read thqt IntelliGender doesn''t really work, but never tried it.

 

[Allison D.]

Date: 9/13/2009 3:13:34 PM
Author: Mara

anchor... i think the idea with bf is that you''re passing things to your baby through the milk. you continue to pass your immunities and things like that right? (i think). so i would think you can also pass sicknesses or similar? i am not sure exactly HOW strict to be with stuff like that though. my friend who didn''t eat sushi or drink during preggo did both after, while bf''ing..and she had no issues. i have had sushi a few times while preggo, what my dr told me is that if it''s a place you have been to like 1000 times and are super familiar with and have not ever gotten sick, chances of getting sick now are extremely low. but don''t be all adventurous and try new places while preggo. just limit your chances in general. and i know a ton of peeps who abstained from sushi while preggo who ate it after (as in right after even!) and had no issues.

OMG - so funny, because my mom ate sushi by the truckload when she was pregnant with me! They were stationed in Hawaii, and it was abundant.

(I guess that would explain a LOT, wouldn''t it Mara??

)

 

[gailrmv]

Kimberly congrats!!! I remember a looong time ago you, me and Mara on threads discussing the pros and cons to becoming parents. I guess I made the leap first - my little guy is almost 6 months old! and let me tell you, it does change your life in all the ways that we talked about, but it is so totally worth it. I am so happy for both of you and hope that you have easy, healthy pregnancies!

 

[Pandora II]

Sapphire - he''s just gorgeous! And check out those post-partum shots, wow you''ve lost loads for the first week!

Mer - Intelligender is a complete con and waste of money. Check out the ingender website and post your NT scan photo up there - the resident sonographer is pretty good at interpreting!


For those worried about their DH''s being too squeamish... mine is needle phobic to the extent that they have to give him gas and air to give him shots, and can''t stand the sight of blood or anything icky. He coped really well with the whole thing - even the slasher movie scene in the OT!

They seem to put the big boy pants on when it really counts.

I had just DH with me - and then a medical student came and asked if he could watch as he''d never seen a birth before. I was quite happy about it - poor guy was white as a sheet by the end and I apologised for not having a caesarian as I''d had a go at everything else: normal, ventouse, forceps! He was actually a great help in theatre as DH had to go off with the baby, all the doctors and nurses were busy doing their roles, so he sat next to me and talked me through what was going on!

Worth checking the protocols for if you end up in theatre - can just one person go with you, or two. I know I was very grateful to that student for not leaving me just staring at the ceiling and wondering WTF??

 

[vizsla]

sapphire - thanks so much for posting those PP pictures! you look fantastic! hopefully my bod will follow suit how are things going otherwise? how is the adjustment time now that you are home?

anchor - the only people in the delivery room when i have this baby are DH and my midwife (+hospital staff). and we are not calling anyone until after baby is out and i''m in my PP room etc. i maaaayyyyyy call a close friend to come over and watch the pooch the first day, but that''s it. my mom and *PARTICULARLY* DH''s mom would stress.me.out. i would call my sister, but i can''t call her and not my mom. anyhoo, even at our hospital tour the nurse suggested holding off on calling family/friends if it would make you uncomfortable/anxious as that can delay labor. plus, it can give mom added stress of ''preforming'' knowing that family is just waiting, waiting, waiting for baby to arrive. finally, our hospital recommends kangaroo care for the first hour to hour and 1/2 after delivery (when most family would want to come in and see baby) - just something to think about. i''ve been reading lots and lots about kangaroo care and i think it''s something everyone should ask to do immediately following delivery (or as close as you can after a c-section -- stepping off soap box)

burk - i know, pathetic right? although the thought taking pictures of myself in my studio in front of my coworkers is even more hilarious than bathroom pics on my cell phone. it''s just like the ''cobblers kids have no shoes'' - the photographer never has a camera on her.. go figure.
re: your name... independently i like both names a lot, and agree - no mary''s in your family - however, together, i think they sound very similar. i was thinking of serephina when you said saraya - similar enough but not so so similar... does that make sense? but either way i think the name is super pretty

i''m feeling much less grumpy today - and no it isn''t because i got a great night''s sleep

- i think it''s because we went to our local greasy spoon diner last night and i had a hamburger and french fries... yum!

anyhoo.... does anyone else feel that when they are the honoree at a baby shower, they have to wear something that shows off their belly? can i just tell you all how much i dislike being the center of attention - particularly around DH''s family and friends of the family? i feel like they just want me to stand on a rotating platform so they can check me out from all angles. part of me wants to wear something huge this weekend to ''hide'' my belly - but i guarantee his mother would say something like ''oh, no one can see your belly in that outfit - maybe you could change?''

 

[Mara]

thanks TDM...i know like another lifetime right?! i remember that!!

Pandora.. I think my hub will be the same way in the delivery. i hope so anyway because i''m relying on him hahaa.

i caught the end of Nine Months on TV last nite with hugh grant .... hilarious birthing scenes.

viz... you should show up in a lycra bodysuit. ''how you like me now???'' ... hahaa.

allison, wow that does explain a lot!

but as you know, if our kid turns out half as smart and witty as you are... i would be ecstatic. i might send him over for some toddler training. hehe. maybe i should eat MORE sushi????

i am up at an ungodly hour to head to Santa Barbara for a one day conference, i am staying overnight, i wish i was coming home but i could use the extra sleep tonite. i already told them no after parties for me haha. i have something like 15 meetings today and tomorrow combined, ugh. it''s always been fun yet tiring in the past and now i think it will mostly just be tiring. but it''s my last trip for work so i am ecstatic about that!! have a great day ladies!

 

[vespergirl]

Sapphire, your baby is adorable, and you already look great!

Anchor, and other ladies re: husbands in the delivery room, I think it''s good to have him in there. My husband isn''t squeamish about blood, but he had made it clear that while he wanted to be in the room with me (which I of course wanted too) he wanted to be "above the waist", holding my hand and supporting me, but he didn''t really want to see the baby coming out. Well, as it turned out, my water broke Thanksgiving weekend, and the hospital was totally short-staffed. As in, even though I was supposed to have a nurse with me all through transition and pushing, the nurse and doctor were assisting 3 different deliveries and were in and out. So, as you can imagine, she put DH to work. He was holding my leg and supporting me all throrugh my 4.5 hours of pushing. He was so moved by the experience, that he even cut the cord (which he had mentioned earlier that he didn''t want to do). He turned out to be great, even though he was participating in ways that we thought he wouldn''t have to.

Even though he was really there for me emotionally, I really wish that I had hired a doula, because the nursing I received was so crappy. Since it was my first baby, and it was a difficult (and eventually vacuum-assisted) delivery, I wish I had an experienced person in the room, instead of just my husband, who obviously is not a child-birthing expert. I am going to deliver this baby at a different hospital, though, & I have decided not to hire a doula this time because I already know what I''m doing for the second time around, but I really wish that I had one for the first birth.

We actually had a laugh about it as we were watching Mad Men this weekend - did any of you guys see the episode where Betsy went to the hospital to give birth? They showed Don walk her up to the nurses'' station, where the nurse takes over and tells him to go to the husbands'' waiting room until the baby is born - DH said, "Hey, that would be nice!" A few minutes later, they showed how they put Betsy in "twilight sleep" where they deliver your baby while you''re unconscious. My first labor was such a nightmare, I was thinking how nice that would be this time around

 

[Jas12]

Sapphire--you look terrific.

Burk---re: names. I know what it is like to chose a somewhat unique name and get backlash (my grandma wanted me to change Co''s name) but you really do have to go with what you like, b/c at the end of the day, even if you did pick a common classic name (like Mary) you''d get haters of that too. The part of your name choice Saraya that i reallly like is the Ray-ah sound. Just throwing ideas out there, but do you like the name Rhea (pronounced Ray-ah). A little less ''out there'', but still different sounding. I do however, like your original choice-it gores really well with Tayva as well and i really like Kade for a boy

Mara--i am generalizing here, but i know of more than a few cases where the DH or mom didn''t think they would be able to handle blood etc. during birth but were actually fine. My DH describes the birth as surreal and kinda ''out of body'' and he said the adrenaline of the event basically negated all the icky stuff (almost like he didn''t have time or space in his brain to focus on that)

 

[vizsla]

LOL - one of my guy friends was talking to DH about labor and said he should say to the drs. "hey, can we do this 1950's style and call me when it's all over"... LOL.

phoenix - i forgot to comment: isn't having daycare off of your list such a HUGE relief? i'm excited you got a spot in the facility you wanted!! it was one of the first things i had anxiety about getting crossed off my list (even before registering well, that and the pediatrician.

and i would recommend to anyone - start looking now b/c of these daycare 'waiting lists'. it seems the sooner you get on one, the more likely it is to have a spot "open" exactly when you need it. infant care is crazy expensive - it was an eye opener for sure!