Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[TravelingGal]

Mrs S, what cute photos. Your daughters are beautiful!!!

Welcome Shelly! We are glad to have you here.

Ella, I am 34. I turn 35 at the end of this month (is it November already?!) You''re considered a mature patient if you are 35 when you give birth, so I am in that camp...and I think it''s a fun camp to be in! Can we fingerpaint and have bonfires?

Diver, I am feeling great, thanks for asking. Almost too good. I''m sure I''m going to have a gnarly third tri to make up for the non existence of any symptoms in this one. But I''m enjoying it while it lasts!

Tacori, I can only feel it when it REALLY moves...and even then, it''s hard to discern how much of it I am feeling outside v. inside. TGuy told me not to worry that he hasn''t had a chance to feel it yet...he assures me (sarcastically) that he will be able to feel it at some point during the pregnancy.

We only had one knock on our door last night...ha! My scary skeletor TTot pic must have worked.

 

[TravelingGal]

Oops...Jas, meant to add, sorry that you burned your arm. I hope it feels better soon!

 

[snlee]

Shelly, congratulations! Your daughter is adorable!

mrssalvo, your little girls are so cute! You have a beautiful family! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Jas, sorry you burned your arm. I hope it feels better soon. I''ve had eczema all of my life. I''m really hoping it doesn''t flare up during pregnancy because I know a lot of creams aren''t safe to use while pregnant so I''d definitely check with your doctor. Since we''re trying now, I''ve been trying to be conscious of what I put on my body. I''ve stopped using an eczema cream that has some steroids and I make sure to read those drug pamphlets carefully.

TGal, I can''t believe it''s November already too! My birthday is almost here too and it''s almost 2008! What date is your birthday?

 

[lili]

Shelly--
Congrats and a huge welcome to the group!

MrsS--
What a cute brood you''ve got. I can see where your girls got their cute adorable look from

Jas12--
I''m sorry to hear about the burns, hope you are feeling better today. I don''t have eczema, but I do get itchy particularly on my legs.
And every now and then, I''ll get these itchy bumps on the back of my thigh. I hope they are not PUPP

I''ll have to ask the doctor about it.
As for the itchiness, I just use normal lotion (making sure there''s no retinol A or vitamin A or something in them though)

Ella--
I turned 35 a couple of months before becoming preggo. Which means I''ll be 36 shortly after I give birth.

Ok, hearing that you guys didn''t get too many t-or-ters make me less annoyed. We got around 50 kids this year, which was alot less than last year. So now I''m stuck with all these candies that I will have to hide from DH because he has such a sweet tooth. Candies anyone?

 

[lili]

Date: 11/1/2007 12:22:08 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Ella, I am 34. I turn 35 at the end of this month (is it November already?!) You''re considered a mature patient if you are 35 when you give birth, so I am in that camp...and I think it''s a fun camp to be in! Can we fingerpaint and have bonfires?

Yeah, bonfires with roasted marshmellows. We can gather around and sing "kum by yah"

 

[lili]

Tacori--
Remember to take one last picture of yourself preggo before heading out the door Friday night.

 

[jcrow]

mrssalvo- you have a beautiful bunch!

tacori- i''m still checking in to see any new news with you. good luck this weekend! i can''t wait to see pics of her/him!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Lili, DH had my mom take a few pics of us last night. He was really cute about it and said we didn''t have any pics together while I have been preggo. VERY unlike DH...My mom took a pic of my bare belly (she couldn''t help herself and actually begged me) and it was quite scary. I can''t imagine going another week.

Jcrow, thanks for checking in. I will post pics ASAP. Boy, girl....oh the suspense!!!

TGal, can I come to the bonfire even though I am a tad younger?

I LOVE S''mores!

Jas, how rude of me. Sorry about your burns. Hope your arm feels better.

MrsS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Hope you have a wonderful day!

 

[TravelingGal]

snlee, mine is the last day of the month.

Tacori, of course you can come! You can even lead a round of campfire songs..."We''re over the hill, but we like the thrill, of beating the odds, with these mature bods...whoa whoa whoaaaaaaaoooo, we''re preeeey-gooooooooo..."

 

[Kaleigh]

Happy birthday mrsS!!! Loved the pics of your lovely family!!

 

[E B]

Happy birthday, MrsS!

You have an absolutely precious family.

 

[ellaila]

Tacori, you can be our "little sis" at the old lady campfires. You''ll have to get us our canes and help us up and stuff though (actually I do need help getting up sometimes now so I shouldn''t joke!)

Oh, I totally want toasted marshmallows now ... oh god, so good.

That''s great that you guys took some photos together! I think you''ll really appreciate having them later and showing little baby "That''s you right before you came out of mommy''s tummy!"

And speaking of birthdays, MrsS this is for you!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Eek, a happy birthday from me too MrsS!!!

 

[mrssalvo]

awwww thanks so much ladies for the B-day wishes. I am offically in my mid-30''s. I was denying it all last year

. My hubby is 42 so I still feel like a young un. just got back from a big b-day lunch with my brother (who happened to be driving though town today on the way to a performance in a nearby town) my sister, my step-dad, my hubby and Lily. My mom was working and just couldn''t get there, but we are having the big b-day family dinner sat. night which I''m really looking forward too. homemade Red Velvet Cake

..

tacori, so tonight is your last sleep at your home until baby T is with you. I hope you get a good nights sleep. Please know that you will be in our thoughts and prayers sat. am for a smooth and easy labor and delivery. oh and when the nurses offer to take the baby to the nursery so you can get some rest....DO IT!! I didn''t when I had my first and went home soooooo exhausted. With Lily, I had them take her at night, just bringing her in to nurse and it really did make a difference. Have fun!!!!! Did you guys decide on names?

 

[E B]

I''m curious to hear if Tacori and Mr. Tacori decided on a name, too! Also, for all the other pregnant women on this board: What names are you considering?

I love names. DH and I already have our favorites picked out.

 

[Kay]

I just had to come out of lurkdom to say "Awww." Diver and Mrssalvo, your kids are so adorable in their costumes. I had to work really late last night so I missed all the cute trick-or-treaters that came by -- I was so bummed.

Tacori -- good luck tomorrow, can''t wait to see pictures!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Ella, no joke. I can barely sit up out of bed. Poor hubby has to hear me moan all night whenever I toss and turn (and my bathroom visits every 2 hours

). I guess I was moaning in my sleep b/c of discomfort and he woke me up to make sure I was okay. My lower belly was actually rubbing against my steering wheel yesterday. Granted I am pretty short so I have to sit closer but still...how sad!

MrsS, you are the sweetest. We are not 100% set on a girl''s name. We still have time right??? Haha!

Have a great birthday dinner! I''ll be sure baby T spends some time in the nursery. I am so glad they are giving me a sleeping pill tomorrow night. I have only taken a few in my life but I know now is as good as any where I REALLY need to be well rested. I am also bringing my own pillow and a soft blanket from home. Did you wear the hospital gown or change after the birth of your girls?

Any last minute advice for my hospital stay!?! We are taking playing cards and some movies. Plus I probably will have DH buy me some trash magazines. Arggg...I am getting nervous!!!!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 11/1/2007 5:25:37 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring

Any last minute advice for my hospital stay!?! We are taking playing cards and some movies. Plus I probably will have DH buy me some trash magazines. Arggg...I am getting nervous!!!!

Well, let''s see. Thinking back almost 24 years to my first, I''m reminded of these things....


1. If the doctor tells you to get up and walk around to get things going, and you ask hubby if he wants to go with, tell him now the correct answer is yes. Not, "no, that''s ok, I''ll just sit here and read this magazine".

2. If you ask him to get a wet wash cloth so he can dab your forehead, it means just that. Dab. Not, rake it swiftly once or twice across.

And last, in his haste to put on scrubs at the moment it''s time, tell him to check himself in the mirror first and make sure he didn''t put them on backwards.

Other than that, it should be fine.

You''ll do great, don''t be scared. It''s a miracle!

Wishing you all the best Tacori.

 

[mrssalvo]

I wore the hospital gowns with my first and brought my own pj''s with my second. I also brought a little kit with Bath and body works lotion, my soap, and all my other grooming supplies. All the nurses commented how good my room smelled

. I love the trashy magazines so I took ton''s of those and you might want to take some of your favorite snacks. my hospital food was not so great, hubby ended up bringing me a lot of my meals, at least lunch and dinner. if i can think of something else, I''ll post it...

 

[shelly1170]

Thank you all for the warm welcome.

I''ll try to remember everything that''s being discussed but baby brain teamed with pregnancy brain is a disaster!

I was 35 when I fell pregnant with Penny and 36 when she arrived. I''ll be 37 on 11-11.

Jas - hope the burn heals soon. Ouch!

Mrs Salvo- Your kids are adorable! And happy birthday! We don''t really celebrate Halloween here in Australia. I bought some chocolates just in case but nobody came knocking on our door

ellaila - I made sure I had the midwifes at the hospital attached Penny every time, even changing sides, for a couple of days to make sure she was attaching properly. Then I had them supervise me a couple of times. I never had any cracks or pain.

Tacori - EDD is 19th June 2008. I hope the last stage goes quickly for you!

i packed two bags for the hospital - one for my stay which had clothes for me and Penny, and one for labour. The labour bag had CDs, DVDs, magazines, books, snacks, my favourite water bottle etc. It never even got opened! I won''t be bothering with it this time I don''t think.

 

[clammer]

Tacori - you will be in my thoughts and prayers this weekend. I''m so excited for you.

Jas - sorry about the burn. I hope it''s feeling better

Mrs S what a cute bunch you have. Hope the birthday went great. I signed up for babycenter a while ago. I love getting the email update of how hard I’ve been working growing the baby.

Congrats to Shelly and Regalada

Diver- what a cute picture. I’m already trying to decide what to dress baby up as next year. Dh told me I should hold off until baby is actually here. I guess he has a point.

lili - I have been flying to Shanghai every month for my doctors appointments. I don’t trust the health care in the city I’m living in. If fact that’s why decided to have the baby in the U.S., if I had him/her in Shanghai I would have to fly there and live in a hotel by myself for a month. I would rather spend time with my family

TGal – I’m in the northeastern part of China and I will be going home to Michigan.

Ella - I will be turning 32 at the end of December.

So yesterday I’m about 90% sure I felt baby move for the first time. It almost felt like when you go you lose your belly on a roller coaster. I stayed in bed for an extra half hour waiting for it to happen again, but no luck.

We find out if it’s a boy or girl at the end of this month. I almost want to wait, but I know I won’t be able to hold out. A little fact for you….. here in China they won’t tell the parents the sex because many people would have an abortion if they found out it was a girl because of the whole one child policy. (Although this is changing along with ever thing else here) In fact there are currently 30,000,000 men of marrying age that will never find a wife because there aren’t enough women.

 

[lili]

Rebot--
That''s tough about the flying for your monthly prenatal visit.
So when you come home for Christmas, would you going to see one of the local doctor so that they will have records of your health/pregnancy info (blood type, RH, immunities to certain childhood diseases, etc) for your delivery when you come back in spring of next year? Or do you just wait to look for a doctor then when you come back next year?

 

[clammer]

lili - my mom just set up an appointment for me right before Christmas. I will bring all my records home so it shouldn''t be that much of an issue, but I wanted to meet the doctor and make sure that we clicked. I had to find a doctor that was willing to induce me on my due date. I know this is playing with nature, but dh will only be able to come home for a few weeks and I want to make sure that the baby is born and he gets sufficient time to bond with him/her before he has to come back to China. This doctor said that if everything looked ok that he had no problem inducing a patient.

 

[curlygirl]

Ah, Tacori, I''m so, so, so excited for you!!!!! Enjoy your last night at home and don''t worry about anything. It''s all going to go very smoothly. I agree with mrssalvo''s advice, let them take the baby to the nursery at night. I had them do that but I didn''t sleep anyway because the endorphins were just racing through me plus the nurses kept coming in because I spiked a fever during labor and was on an antibiotic drip so they kept coming in to take my temp and check the IV. I even had them give me an Ambien and I still didn''t sleep! So rest up now!!! It''s good that they''ll give you something tomorrow night and since you''ll be gettting an epidural, you may even be able to catch some z''s while you''re in labor!! Can''t wait to hear the news!

mrssalvo, hope you had a wonderful birthday!

 

[IrishEyes]

Hey Tacori, just wanted to give you a quick shout out and say good luck!! I know everything will go smoothly! It''s an amazing feeling holding your newborn for the first time - really, there aren''t words for it! It''s funny how you forget the pain in a second and are willing to do it all over again just for that first touch, first cry, first everything!! Take care and you''ll be holding your little GIRL soon

 

[indecisive]

Can I get some good thoughts from you lovely pregnant ladies? My FSIL is in the hospital right now and she should have her little girl tonight, either naturally or c-section. I am so nervous right now and just hoping everything goes ok and I figured PS good thoughts couldn''t hurt! Good luck to all the expecting mommies!

 

[lili]

Certainly Indecisive, good thoughts and easy labor vibes going to your FSIL.
Hope she has a speedy labor.

 

[ellaila]

Aw, that''s sweet Indecisive! Definitely sending lots of good vibes to your FSIL and your new niece!! Keep us posted with how everything goes, OK?

Tacori, I was thinking today that it''d be funny if you brought your laptop to your room and kept it open to the preggo thread and this could be your focal point during labor -- hahah! You could keep yelling to your hubby "REFRESH THE PAGE!! REFRESH!!" -- that would distract you from any pain, right?

Seriously though I am just so crazy-excited for you! I was telling my hubby how I remember reading that you were preggo and now here you are having your sweet little baby already!

So I have to share with you guys my latest "pregnancy brain" episode -- it''s a doozy. I sent my Mom a check the other day, so she calls me yesterday all freaking out b/c the envelope arrived with no check in it ... and the envelope was open because I NEVER SEALED IT (we use those ones where it''s got the sticker on it so you don''t have to lick them. The paper covering the sticker was still on the strip so it was pretty obvious I never sealed it!). So I''m thinking, "Oh sh**" and call the bank to do a stop payment, and then I realize that I''m not even sure that I ever even wrote my Mom a check! I was missing only one check from my checkbook, and I had written out (or so I thought) two checks, so that didn''t make any sense. And of course this was the one time that I forgot to write in my register where a check went. So, yeah. Turns out that I never wrote my mom the check. So to recap: I didn''t write a check, I did address and stamp an envelope, I didn''t seal the envelope that had nothing in it, yet I mailed it anyway. Wow. Yeah, I feel prepared to raise two babies!!

 

[AGSHF]

[Wondering if any of you guys deal with eczema?? Mine has been awful since preggo--i have a prescription cream (it is the only thing that works for my hands) but have been using it sparingly b/c i worry about applying any sort of powerful cream/drug while pregnant--problem is, now my breasts (around nipples) are drying out and cracking. It is SO itchy and uncomfortable. I tried using Lanisohl to moisturize but like all my other eczema spots--non-prescription creams just eventually worsen the problem. Anyone dealt with this and have any suggestions? I am just so worried that once i start to breast feed I''ll be a mess. i am hoping to clear it up now if possible.]

Jas12,

I''m sorry to hear about your burns and your struggle with eczema. I just wanted to jump in here quickly and share my thoughts as it''s something I experienced as well.

I''m not pregnant now, but I want to share some of my experience with you about eczema during pregnancy in case you may fiind it helpful.

I didn''t have eczema before becoming pregnant, but it started during pregnancy and only got more serious as I got further along. Coincidence? I thought so, but no dermatologist could or would confirm it. Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is basically an auto-immune problem and I eventually had to attribute the "cause" of the ezcema to the changes in my skin caused by the hormones and the "foreign object" (much loved and adored, by the way) I was carrying around with me inside my body.

I asked my OB for pregnancy-appropriate creams and was prescribed those. None helped. I went to my derm, got more creams, none helped. I was also concerned about any chemicals from the creams being absorbed into my bloodstream, so I felt worry every time I emptied another tube of cream. I tried to take cooler showers that were less drying on my skin, used layers of Vitamin E lotion, anything that would soothe. I was told I should try relaxation techniques. I tried to relax, but the itching and skin breakages were hard to ignore nonetheless. Ice packs helped to a degree.

I was allowed Benadryl tablets during pregnancy as well as Zyrtec (neither helped completely) I received Benadryl injections during labor and after delivery, when my eczema flared up so badly I had awful edema from it. "Foreign object''s" blood mixing with my bloodstream (similar in manner to the whole RH factor business) having something to do with it, I don''t know. But the eczema attack sure made the first few days post-partum even more challenging and memorable for me. The nurses were all quite amazed that intravenous Benadryl didn''t have any effect.

And my husband''s a physician, and somehow that made it even more frustrating to me that I couldn''t get any relief. He did realize quickly what a serious problem I had and was great in pitching in after our daughter was born.

So, ask your OB if you can take Benadryl or another "allergy" pill for some relief, especially at night. You should try to get as much relief as you can from your OB and derm so that the eczema doesn''t worsen. BTW, Noxzema helped me a little. (If you''ll notice the name, it was formulated many years ago as an eczema "cure.") Regardless of the claims, I think the menthol helped soothe the itching. For me, it''s the itching that had to be mitigated.

My eczema did subside slowly after I gave birth, but did not clear. In fact all the hand washing that came with a new baby caused new issues.

I finally got some real relief when I found a new derm who had available an old-fashioned treatment. She spot-radiated the worst spots of eczema I had (mostly then on my hands) with Grenz (spelling?) radiation which, if I recall correctly, is essentially UVB rays. The rays "burned" and dried off the worst of the eczema and changed the composition (my term) of my skin in those spots enough so that my skin had a chance to heal. I still occasionally go in for spot treatment and my "baby" is almost 11 years old. It''s the only thing that has worked for me.

So...I''m sorry that you''re having to contend with the eczema. I hope you get the relief you need. There are pregnancy- safe things you can do and you should pursue them with your OB''s blessing. I send you my best wishes.

 

[mrssalvo]

ella, your pregnancy brain episode is hilarious. I'll do little things like turn the water on in the kitchen to fill a pan and then walk away and not turn it off. the mailing of the empty evelope is the best story i think i've heard yet of pregnany brain though.


Diver, I think you idea of a new mommies thread is a good one too. especially with a few of you graduating out of the preggo thread...