Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[So Excited]

Thank you for the support ladies, it is greatly appreciated... I simply can''t get the "I can''t believe this happened" out of my head! Our situation is a bit more complicated to find a job as we can not work in the same field that we were (and have all the experience in) due to a work/do not compete contract that we had to sign when the company changed ownership...

Little Background - (This is what makes it all the worse on a more personnal/pride level for my fiance)
My fiance started the company 6 years ago with his father and successfully ran it for a little over 4 years. After 4 years one of our repeat customers was interested in investing/purchasing the company so my fiance decided that the deal would be great to not have to deal with the ups and downs of ownership anymore as it was wearing on him and his father. Sooo... the company was sold with the clause that him and I came with it on an employment contract and a do not compete clause preventing us to work in the same field for 1 year. - not to mention the new owner moved the company 3 hours from where we were all settled in for the first 4 years (the owners legal team was smart with the contract as they knew if my fiance did it once he could do it again) So with all of this not only did we lose our job/insurance/ability to work in the same field - my fiance has to fathom that all of the blood, sweat, tears, time, sacrafice that he did for years is all down the drain for what... NOTHING..

As for Cobra Insurance, no it''s not available as when a company closes its doors (and shuts down) they no longer are able to have a policy with the insurance company as they "do not exhist".

 

[Puppmom]

SoExcited, is it possible that the no-compete clause is void if the company is out of business? Isn''t that only if you voluntarily terminate employment?

 

[meresal]

Date: 2/18/2010 10:29:06 AM
Author: So Excited
- my fiance has to fathom that all of the blood, sweat, tears, time, sacrafice that he did for years is all down the drain for what... NOTHING..

I know that a voice of reason isn't what you want to hear... however, technically, you and your Fiance did not end up with "Nothing". Your FI sold a successful company when it was doing well, and was paid for all of the efforts that he put in to building that company up until that point.

The new owner, is who has ended up with "Nothing". He lost control of the company and he is the one with the lost investment. It sucks to see what someone else has done to your Fi's "vision", however, in a business sense, you give up those "feelings", when you sell the company.

I have to say, that I believe there is no way a no-complete clause can hold up when you are laid off... unless that is stiopultaed in your contract, which I assume would have caught your eye when hammering out all of the details.

I'm so sorry that this happened to both of you, but you sound like very smart business people and I am sure you will bounce back quickly! I hope that your Glucose test went well this moring and congratulations on your ENGAGEMENT!!


Kimberly- I think that small practice is the way we will be going with our next pregnancy. Also, thanks for clarifying the measuring for me. I am actaully not worried about the weight of the baby at all, I just wanted an idea of the leg, arm, and head measurements. LOL! Our birth class teacher made a funny comment last week about how people ask her which child hurt the most, since she has 4 that varried between 6 and 10 lbs. She said she is always shocked to get this question, because when she was laying on the table with each of those labors, she never thought, "Wow, this baby hurts MUCH LESS than the last one!". She sternly said, "They all hurt and nothing is going to change that, so whay stress yourself out before hand".

I hope your NST goes well this morning and you get to hold off using your overnight back for a little bit longer.

PB- Congrats on ALL of your excitement!! New car and NEW house!! We will only have 4 weeks to get everything moved into our house before the baby arrives (hopefully!)... I will be watching your progress and taking notes.

Pupp- I actually only see this one doctor, though she is in a practice of 3. However, at our meeting yesterday she did say that I will be meeting with her Physician's Assistant, INSTEAD of her, at my next appointment. This was also an indicator to me that she is wayyyy over what she can handle herself. (Maybe not??)
Also, I had to pay for my NT scan. Some insurances just don't cover that one. However, I still only have the $250 fee for my delivery and hospital stay, so there is still hope!

 

[drk]

SoExcited - I''m with Puppmum. If they''re no longer in business, how can you be competing with them? I''d want to ask a lawyer about that, even if it costs some money you don''t actually have right now. Congrats on your engagement though!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 2/18/2010 9:32:08 AM
Author: puppmom
Mere, I''m sorry your doctor made you feel like a piece of crap. Not cool! Do you see a rotation of OBs? If there''s someone you prefer, can you ask to see them? I''ll be thrilled if I make it to 30 weeks and only gain 29 lbs...especially considering I''m already up 12 lbs at 16 weeks

I have asked my doctor about my weight and she''s very careful to say everyone gains differently and not too worry.


SoExcited, I''m so sorry to hear about your job situation. This is something I worry about often. I''m sure something will work out. You should definitely consider Medicaid for you and the baby.


PrettyBlues, you are moving and shaking! Good for you!


Man, health insurance isn''t what it used to be. When I was pregnant with DD EVERYTHING was covered. I just a bill in the mail yesterday for $200 for my NT scan. What the heck!? I''m terrified to think what the hospital bill will be when I give birth! I''m gonna call the insurance company today and ask for a detailed explanation of why it wasn''t covered. UGH!

Pupp it may have been covered, but you might be on something like an 80/20 plan where the ins pays 80% and you pay 20%. Usually there''s a limit to the out of pocket expense for you though. Mine is 80/20 for some things 90/10 for others with an OOP cap of $3k. It''s actually a relief knowing the most we''ll pay is $3k.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 2/18/2010 10:29:06 AM
Author: So Excited
Thank you for the support ladies, it is greatly appreciated... I simply can''t get the ''I can''t believe this happened'' out of my head! Our situation is a bit more complicated to find a job as we can not work in the same field that we were (and have all the experience in) due to a work/do not compete contract that we had to sign when the company changed ownership...


Little Background - (This is what makes it all the worse on a more personnal/pride level for my fiance)

My fiance started the company 6 years ago with his father and successfully ran it for a little over 4 years. After 4 years one of our repeat customers was interested in investing/purchasing the company so my fiance decided that the deal would be great to not have to deal with the ups and downs of ownership anymore as it was wearing on him and his father. Sooo... the company was sold with the clause that him and I came with it on an employment contract and a do not compete clause preventing us to work in the same field for 1 year. - not to mention the new owner moved the company 3 hours from where we were all settled in for the first 4 years (the owners legal team was smart with the contract as they knew if my fiance did it once he could do it again) So with all of this not only did we lose our job/insurance/ability to work in the same field - my fiance has to fathom that all of the blood, sweat, tears, time, sacrafice that he did for years is all down the drain for what... NOTHING..


As for Cobra Insurance, no it''s not available as when a company closes its doors (and shuts down) they no longer are able to have a policy with the insurance company as they ''do not exhist''.

Again, I was in the same position, however I consulted an attorney and was told that because the company went out of business and you had no choice in the matter the agreement was null and void as of the date of termination.

 

[somethingshiny]

SoExcited~ Congrats on your engagement! So sorry to hear about the other news. I hope you get everything figured out quickly.

Mere~ If you are really unhappy with your current phys, you can try to get into a different one even though you''re close to term. My ins dropped my dr 6 weeks before my due date. When I called the new dr to see if he could get me in, I didn''t tell him that my ins dropped the first one. I just asked if I could transfer my records and begin seeing him. I had an appt within the week. Although it''s unusual for a woman to switch dr''s so late in the game, it''s not unheard of. And, any dr worth their salt wouldn''t turn you away at this point.

I''m almost 19 weeks and still getting sick a few times a week. It''s really frustrating because it''s overwhelming when it happens. There''s no warning at all. I can''t figure out what''s causing it although now I''m thinking it could be my vitamins. I''ve been off prenatals and on Women''s One a Day for several weeks. But, the sickness doesn''t seem to follow any particular foods so the vitamin is all I can think of. Any other thoughts??

 

[jcrow]

somethingshiny - have you tried taking your vitamins at night?

 

[Puppmom]

I researched my insurance more closely- dang, it''s complicated. So...my general prenatal care, basically office visits, is covered 100% with my one-time copay. My ultrasounds and bloodwork and delivery are 10% after deductible. My deductible is $200 for the year so I''ve already hit that. I was REALLY nervous about what 10% of the hospital stay etc. would be but thankfully my maximum out-of-pocket expense for the year is $1,000...phew!

Mere, I hope you like the Physician''s Assistant. Sounds like the attitude of your doctor is specific to her and not that practice. Fingers crossed for a good birthday visit!

 

[somethingshiny]

jcrow~ I''ve tried everything I can think of with the vitamins. Night, day, with and without food. It''s really weird to me because these are the vitamins I was taking before I became pregnant. I decided to skip today and see if I felt any better. My stomach is still upset but I''ve kept everything down. Maybe I need to start on JT''s flintstones.

I just need to vent for a moment. My sis is getting married in about a month. They intend on starting a family immediately. She has a son who is 3. During that pregnancy she suffered from high blood pressure and preeclampsia. She smoked throughout the pregnancy and obviously that made it worse. She has NO intentions of quitting smoking this time either. AND, she plans on breastfeeding the cancer!! I am absolutely disgusted. I realize that for generations women smoked. My mom smoked with all of her children and we''re all fine. But, to know what the effects are in this day and age, to know that she has time to quit before TTC, and to still have no intentions??!! I''m having a really hard time getting past this.

 

[meresal]

Date: 2/18/2010 4:23:38 PM
Author: somethingshiny
jcrow~ I''ve tried everything I can think of with the vitamins. Night, day, with and without food. It''s really weird to me because these are the vitamins I was taking before I became pregnant. I decided to skip today and see if I felt any better. My stomach is still upset but I''ve kept everything down. Maybe I need to start on JT''s flintstones.

I just need to vent for a moment. My sis is getting married in about a month. They intend on starting a family immediately. She has a son who is 3. During that pregnancy she suffered from high blood pressure and preeclampsia. She smoked throughout the pregnancy and obviously that made it worse. She has NO intentions of quitting smoking this time either. AND, she plans on breastfeeding the cancer!! I am absolutely disgusted. I realize that for generations women smoked. My mom smoked with all of her children and we''re all fine. But, to know what the effects are in this day and age, to know that she has time to quit before TTC, and to still have no intentions??!! I''m having a really hard time getting past this.

SS- You know what my main issue is with women that continue to smoke during their pregnancy... they think it is OK to do around ME! I was at a friends place a few months ago (about 4 months pregnant), and she kept coming over and sitting next to me and lighting up her cigarette.

I could not believe it! Just because you smoke all the time around you kids and during your pregnancies, doesn''t mean you can stop respecting MY choices.
Just keep your distance... she won''t be able to see your judgemental glares from far away either

 

[jcrow]

somethingshiny - it may not be anything in particular making you feel ill. just your hormones may be to blame.

--

so this morning was my yucky 3 hour glucose test. the needle pokes weren''t as bad as i expected [4 times!], but i got super tired after drinking the sugar drink. not sure when i''ll get my results back, but i REALLY hope i pass.

i spent the last two days washing and sorting 0-3 months baby clothes, blankets and burp cloths that my sil and friend gave to me as hand me downs. both of them had little girls born about the same time ours will be born. all that we organized into drawers. so excited to have that done. i also sorted through 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-18 and 18-24 months and bagged them and put them into huge plastic bins. all i have left to sort are the shoes. my sil gave me a big plastic container of newborn to 2 years old shoes. i want to pull out the newborn to 3 months shoes, sort the rest, bag them and put them back in the container. should make it easier in the long run.

this afternoon we''re also picking up the co-sleeper that my in-laws gifted us. we''ll be putting that together tonight. yay! slowly we''re making progress

 

[KimberlyH]

Mere, I don''t think your seeing the PA is an indicator that your OB is in over head. My OB works with an NP who handles the visits that are just: urinate, measure, discuss how your feeling; many of my friends have had similiar experiences. I can opt to only see my OB by requesting my appointments are scheduled with her, but the PA is more than qualified to cover the basics. What matters, though, is that you aren''t happy with that arrangement. So I''d start looking for a different doctor if I were you.

SS, that would infuriate me too. Deep breaths.

My fluid is measuring about the same which is good news, it means it''s stable. It''s still on the very low side, but it appears I''m going to make it to the 37 week mark. We''ll see what my doctor says about inducing on Monday after another measurement and fetal monitoring.

 

[cara]

Mere, sounds like you would be happier with another doc. Seeing NPs is standard in some practices, mine likes you to see the NP every other time but I requested to see the doc mostly. My practice also suggests you alternate around your doctor appts so that you get to know all the docs in the practice as any random one will be delivering you, but I decided I'd rather get care from one person if possible and then deal with roulette wheel results on d-day. At least this is my thought for now. I had/have been kicking around the idea of switching to a smaller practice, but other things are convenient about this place.

Somethingshiny, think how many people survived being gestated in the MadMen era. Oh, you've already tried that, opps! Obviously its infuriating to watch someone risk their own health and a helpless little person's, I think it would be hard for that kind of thing not to affect my long-term opinion of someone. Even though quitting smoking is really hard. On the BF front, BF has so many benefits I'd be surprised if it still wasn't helpful or at least a wash even from a smoking mom. More concerning is the likely exposure in the house and environment if the kid still has a smoking parent while growing up. A recent study found even third hand smoke (from clothing and surfaces exposed to smoking in the recent past) is bad. Bleh.

Kim, how exciting! So baby may be coming soon? Good that you are stable but still might be time for the kiddo to make an appearance given the hour!

 

[Mara]

Mere, Baby J is seeing a NP, we had our first visit today and we loved her. My hub sees a NP as his regular ''Dr'' and he loves her too and has seen her for 4 years+. I have not really seen NP''s previously but after our pedi visit today I have to say she was really as knowledeable as any Dr I have seen, so I would totally see one if I had to.

Kimi...yay for the fluid levels hanging out the same! Keeping positive thoughts for you.

SS, re: smoking while preggo, it is surprising the choices people make. When I was in Paris for work last year I saw a very obviously pregnant woman hanging out with her coworkers smoking up a storm during a break. My friend said ''no wonder all French guys are short'' HA.

Jcrow, hope the 3hour test comes back with favorable results!! I loved the sorting of the clothes and organization before the baby came, makes you feel like you are really getting ready!! Funny because I wasn''t sure how big our kid would be so I hardly bought any NB stuff, and people hardly gave us any. Most of the stuff we got was 0-3 and 3-6 months, though I also have a lot of 6-12 and 12-18 month (I bought most of the 12-18 myself) and the kid turned out to be 8lbs 2oz so he fit easily into NB clothes and still does almost 3 weeks later. Only some of the footie PJ''s are getting to be to small as he grows in length, but he''s a lean kiddo. So funny, I had all these 0-3 month clothes and not that many NB ones so we keep washing the outfits he wears hehee. We do laundry every 4-5 days. I am like when is he going to be 0-3 months already! And we only bought 2 packs of NB diapers so we had to get more hahaa.

Oh the other thing to mention to you guys ... we really needed way more outfits that had mittens on them. Built in mittens that is. we''re 3 weeks in and he still wants to scratch his face, even when his nails are short. So we keep mitts on him all the time and the built-in ones are the best. The ones you can pull on are helpful BUT our kid can totally houdini out of them within like 30 min, esp if he is active. So I really wish more outfits had mitts on them! And I wish more 0-3 month ones did too. Most of the 0-3 month stuff I have is mittless. Anyway just a tip!!

 

[somethingshiny]

Mara~ Thanks for the short French guys comment. That is the first thing I''ve heard that has made this a bit easier!

This probably shouldn''t be bothering me so much, but I can''t shake it. With her first child she was almost 3 months along before she found out she was preggo. She was having a rough time with the father, was scared to death, and was young. So, while I still found it awful that she smoked, I could get over it. This time, it''s an actual CHOICE that she''s making ahead of time, ya know?

It''s always bothered me that she smokes around her child, like in the truck with the windows up. And, it angers me that she doesn''t even try to avoid smoking around me or my child. Many members of my family smoke and they all act like it''s no big deal to breathe smoke into a child''s face.


Kimi~ I''m glad that everything is stable. You''re in my thoughts!!


jcrow~ Dust for good results.

 

[gingerB]

hello ladies! sorry it''s been so long but a LOT has happened (obviously) and we''ve been pretty secluded from the outside world. but things are calming down and we are venturing back to a new version of normalcy.

first things first -- turns out i WAS in labor and our beautiful baby boy was born feb 15 at 12:49 pm weighing in at a whopping 7lb6oz.

so apparently, our little tiger waited literally just a few hours after the stroke of midnight on lunar new year''s eve to start labor. the back pain i woke up the morning of the 14th were the beginnings of back labor and the bloddy d/c was the first part of the mucous plug. after my last check-n with you guys at 11pm ish, i finally decided to call my doc. after some discussion and the fact that i had ABSOLUTELY no signs of progress at the last check up and how good i felt in bewtween the doc said well you can stay home until the pain is just not bearable or if you feel the absolute need to get checked you can go to the hospital. since i hated the thought of going in just to be sent home, we decided to try to go to bed. 15 minute after lights out and 3 increasingly intense contractions later, we were out the door. the hospital was only 2 minutes away, so i was checked in, gowned and examined by 1 AM. the first nurse couldn''t find my cervix because it was so high and posterior, which i knew from my ob visits and confirmed what i thought about possibly being sent home, even though the pain was getting pretty darn bad. so she got a more experienced murse to try to measure me. nurse senior found the cervix and looked at me and said 6 cm 70 % effaced. hubbs and i were like say what?!

things then started happening a LOT faster. the back labor within 10 minutes or so had me lifting off the bed in pain, so my savior the anesthesiologist was called in and the epidural was placed. finally we were able to rest. unfort for teh next 5 hours, i only dilated up to 7 cm, so then pitocin was started to hopefully circumvent the stall. it worked. by 9:30 AM i was at 10 cm. however the cervix was still high and so we stayed on the pit a bit longer to try to get the contractions to bring the cervix down. 1122 AM we started pushing and at 1249 PM our little tiger greeted us wide eyed and oh so loved.

so that was our birth story. so ladies, when people tell you you can truck along with NO signs then BOOM. they are right! and epi + pit DOES equal happy labor-wise.

i tore ALOT unfort and recovering has been and still is a B!@#$%. my body feels like i''ve been hit by a mack truck, literally. luckily hubbs is the man i married for a reason, he has been more wonderful than i could EVER ask and has been just...there are no words how much i love this man. anyway, my post partum course has been rocky emotionally and physically, but we are slowly trying to get back to just LIFE with our precious gingerbaby. he is a cutie and a half and i''ll get a pic posted as soon as i can. thanks for all the support ladies!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Congrats Ginger!

 

[somethingshiny]

Congratulations, Ginger!!! Looking forward to pics!

 

[meresal]

Thanks for sharing Ginger! It''s wonderful to hear an update from you, and that everyone is getting along. I hope you get to feeling better soon!

 

[vespergirl]

Congrats GingerB!!!

 

[Puppmom]

Jcrow, good luck on the 3 hour test!

Ginger, congrats! Sorry about the tear but I''m glad to hear things are going well otherwise.

 

[meresal]

Gettin'' this started early! Happy BPF ladies! (Please disregard the laundry hamper

)

30 weeks 2 days

 

[dani13]

Congratulations, Ginger!!!!!!

Great pic, Mer!!!!

 

[curlygirl]

Congratulations, Ginger!!! Great story but I''m sorry about the tearing. Hope you have a speedy recovery. Can''t wait to meet your little tiger and hear his name!

 

[jcrow]

mara, that''s interesting to know what you baby weighs and what he fits into. i never would have thought 8+ lbs would fit into newborn sizes. i figure our kiddo has high chances of being 8+ lbs and we barely have any newborn things. we just got about 6 onesies from hub''s grandmother and maybe we have a couple others we got as hand me downs. that''s about it. maybe we should get a few more w/ mittens!

 

[radiantgirl]

Congrats Ginger! Hope you have a fast recovery! Can''t wait to see his picture and hear his name!

Jcrow - Hope you pass the 3 hour test!

Mer - You look great!

 

[jcrow]

ginger - congratulations!!!!! i can''t believe how far along you were by the time you went to the hospital with barely any signs! i can''t wait to see your little tiger. i bet he''s an absolute CUTIE!!

 

[plantationcatt]

disclaimer: *not pregnant and don''t belong on this board yet*

Just couldn''t help but posting: somethingshiny-- women''s one a day''s always made me nauseous, after thinking for months it was something else. My OB recommended flinstone''s chewable vitamins plus extra folic acid, and it made all the difference in the world. Or, it could just be hormones. Good luck!

Okay, back to the pregnant people!

 

[KimberlyH]

Congratulations, Ginger! I love how in love with both the baby and your husband you sound. So sweet.

Shopping today with family friend, purchasing all that we can think of that we don''t have for baby (2nd carseat base, a few more blankets, etc.). Sunday we have CPR class. It''s the one class I absolutely don''t want to miss, I''m so glad we''re going to be able to make it.