Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[Asscherhalo_lover]

BPD yay for baby kicks! I'm glad things are going well

I'm just about 35 weeks so closing in on the home stretch! Aside from horrific non-stop heartburn and pelvic pain I'm still doing well! I'm still working until the x-mas break and still climbing all of those stairs everyday (300-500!). I've been having monthly growth scans and baby boy is measuring quite large despite my NOT having GD and still being below (12lbs) my pre-pregnancy weight. Once I hit 38 weeks I have to go for twice weekly NST and growth scans, they basically said they're treating me like I have GD even though I don't. I'm pretty annoyed but I won't be working by then so I'll go with it. We haven't talked about induction or anything like that yet but I'll ask more at my next regular appointment next week.

Hang in there ladies!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

36 weeks tomorrow! I've been having some random and pretty strong BH contractions lately. I still have 3 more work days next week and then I'm off until little man arrives. I'm pretty heavily into getting ready. I have a fair amount of discomfort but honestly nothing too bad, staying very active at work has helped I think.

How're all you ladies doing? This forum will have more life if people post!

 

[mousey]

Hi Asscher,

Haven't posted in ages. To be honest I ve found the pregnancy really hard at times. Nothing VERY serious, but just hard. For example, crippling anaemia that went undiagnosed for months. I felt like death warmed up. But iron tablets seem to have taken care of it. I always thought I d love being pregnant- looked forward to it for so long.... Ah well.

I am also getting BH. Have had them on and off for weeks. Every now and then I think 'this must be it'. I just can't wait to meet him now. I keep having weird dreams about him.

My newest symptom is insomnia. I can't sleep more than 2 or 3 hours at a time. I m awake almost all night and then nap during the day. I am still getting at least 4 hours and sometimes as much as 8, but it's really disjointed sleep. People keep on saying its practise for the baby. Gah! I d prefer to practise by getting more rather than less.

Happy to be off work?

Much more to do?

I'm term today. Just really hope he comes before xmas day!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Wow Mousey it's been so long! I wake up every hour or two but just to go to the bathroom and then I'm back to sleep. If that changes I'll be taking Unisom again, it worked wonders for me in the first trimester. I don't really have anything I HAVE to do, just finishing touches and wanting to organize and relax as much as I can. I'm very happy to be off of work soon. I'm sorry to hear it's been rough on you, I'm monitored pretty frequently and there were concerns about my iron after my 26 week bloodwork but I was able to correct it by adding more red meat (wasn't eating much at all) to my diet.

Since you're ready to go anytime I wish you a quick and safe delivery!

 

[mousey]

Do you know, I think I might ask my midwife about unisom. Thanks for the heads up. Feel like it would be difficult to labour with this little sleep. Just can't wait for it to kick off. Every little twinge I think is a sign it's on the way.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Do you know, I think I might ask my midwife about unisom. Thanks for the heads up. Feel like it would be difficult to labour with this little sleep. Just can't wait for it to kick off. Every little twinge I think is a sign it's on the way.

I imagine I'll be in your shoes soon! I hope the Unisom works out!

 

[mousey]

Here's wishing you an easy and relaxing last weeks. And here's to an easy delivery for us both... Fingers crossed!

 

[blackpolkadot]

Hoping mousey and ahl have a good last few days!

20 weeks and not much to report. I am continuing my P17 shots, which wipe me out the two days after. Last week it left a big welt for about 4 days, and I would wake up with it itching. Not fun! BUT if I am able to carry to term it will be worth it.

I am not looking forward to getting on the scale for my January appointment... too much Christmas food.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Glad to hear you're trucking along well BPD! Sucks that the shots wipe you out, are you working too? That's the hardest for me, being exhausted at work.

Speaking of work, tomorrow is my last day! We have winter break until the 4th and since I'm due on the 16th I'm starting my leave. I'll have appointments 3x per week and having to do that on top of work is just not worth it to me. Here's hoping the next few weeks go pretty quick and I stay feeling as decent as I am!

Mousey I hope if you've delivered that all is well, update when you can!

 

[4ever]

26 weeks now and nothing major to report.

Still feeling nauseous most days but much better than it was. Still lots of, what I assume is, round ligament pain. Sore lower back but I've spent so much of my adult life dealing with lower back pain, it doesn't really bother me. I'm still about 1/2 a kg below my pre pregnancy weight (lost a lot of weight due to morning sickness). Finding it more difficult to sleep and trying to sleep on my side is causing a lot of shoulder pain.
I am still finding it difficult to step back and let other people do things for me (lifting, painting etc) as I'm a massive control freak, but I'm trying

Otherwise, after much discussion (DH and I have very different taste in names!) baby girl has a name (yay!).
DH painted and decorated her room last week, we are picking up a dresser tomorrow, then just finishing touches.

We are doing much better 'dealing' with her heart problem, we're very positive and optimistic about a good outcome for her and most people at my work and most of our close friends now know what's going on.

Still haven't announced our pregnancy on Facebook I usually post before and after photos after decorating a room so that might end up doubling as a subtle FB announcement in a few weeks time.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

4ever I really like the announcement idea! It's good to hear that you are managing your symptoms reasonably well and are still able to carry on. I hope it continues to go well enough and especially that you find more comfort sleeping. I've been a side sleeper for my whole life and there are tricks to make it better. You really do need thick pillows that are squishy and mold-able. I use a full feather pillow on the bottom (overstuffed) and an overstuffed down on top (for the softness) so that I sleep kind of propped up (to accommodate shoulders). Then our mattress is memory foam with a 3" latex topper. This really helps with the hips so they can sink in and your back can be straight. The topper is a full dense feather body pillow, that's the most important part if you can only do one. I say skip the snoogle and buy this for not much more: http://www.cuddledown.com/itemdy00.aspx?t1=Z1092 100 22

You will want a protector and a pillow case most likely since the feather can poke but it'll last a lifetime.

I wake up pretty frequently for the bathroom and sometimes I just can't stop my brain or weird dreams wake me but I never wake up because I'm uncomfortable or sore.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

So I had another growth scan and a NST yesterday, baby is continuing on trend of huge, 8.6lbs at 37.2. I feel like my odds of a vaginal delivery are dwindling daily. On Thursday I have a growth scan, NST, and regular doc appointment again. I'm going to discuss this with the doc and see if we need to develop an action plan. I know women can deliver 10lb babies but the chances of that are much lower than 8lb babies. I'm not going to stress much (try not to anyway) I just want to have an action plan. It's a good thing I already gave away the newborn clothes, I figured 0-3 would be my best bet!

 

[April20]

So I had another growth scan and a NST yesterday, baby is continuing on trend of huge, 8.6lbs at 37.2. I feel like my odds of a vaginal delivery are dwindling daily. On Thursday I have a growth scan, NST, and regular doc appointment again. I'm going to discuss this with the doc and see if we need to develop an action plan. I know women can deliver 10lb babies but the chances of that are much lower than 8lb babies. I'm not going to stress much (try not to anyway) I just want to have an action plan. It's a good thing I already gave away the newborn clothes, I figured 0-3 would be my best bet!

If it's any consolation, they thought Eliza was about that size at 37 weeks and she was born at 7lb 3oz at 37+5. So she would have been pretty big if I'd gone to 40 or beyond, but the estimate was off. So hopefully yours is a little off too.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

So I had another growth scan and a NST yesterday, baby is continuing on trend of huge, 8.6lbs at 37.2. I feel like my odds of a vaginal delivery are dwindling daily. On Thursday I have a growth scan, NST, and regular doc appointment again. I'm going to discuss this with the doc and see if we need to develop an action plan. I know women can deliver 10lb babies but the chances of that are much lower than 8lb babies. I'm not going to stress much (try not to anyway) I just want to have an action plan. It's a good thing I already gave away the newborn clothes, I figured 0-3 would be my best bet!

If it's any consolation, they thought Eliza was about that size at 37 weeks and she was born at 7lb 3oz at 37+5. So she would have been pretty big if I'd gone to 40 or beyond, but the estimate was off. So hopefully yours is a little off too.

I'm going on the hope that they're wrong!

 

[blackpolkadot]

ahl I'm a SAHM now to DS (2.5). I worked while I was pregnant with him up until I went into labor. It is exhausting. Though being pregnant is just exhausting for me! Glad you are on break now!

Also, ultrasounds can be really off for weight. One of my friends scheduled a C-section because they told her that her little boy was 11 lbs. He was barely over 8 lbs when he was born the next day. Not saying you won't have a big baby, but just don't assume you will just because the ultrasound said so.

4ever sorry you are still dealing with morning sickness, but yay for having her room close to complete! And yay for deciding on names! With DS, we knew before he was conceived what his name would be, but we are still struggling with girl and boy names this time (team green, so we need to pick both...)

mousey any updates?


I'm afraid to get on the scale after all our Christmas festivities. I have an appointment and ultrasound Monday, so I guess I'll find out the damage then. Still haven't decided on names, but I think we are going to start getting our room/make shift nursery ready soon! Since DS tried to come early, we are going to try to get everything ready early this time just in case. Of course we are hoping it will be just be sitting there unused for a long time. We are also working on a list of house things to get done before baby comes. We bought an older house almost 2 years ago and have slowly been redoing it. We probably won't get much done for a while after the baby comes, so we better get on it now!

 

[Dandi]

Hi mamas! Feels like forever since I've had a chance to post here. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

I'm now 37 weeks and feel huge. Baby girl certainly isn't as big as her brother was (10lb 13oz at birth) but she's no midget. I'm not keen on a VBAC having had an emergency caesarean with DS, so have scheduled a repeat caesarean in two weeks. I work in the OR where she'll be born so was able to pick my team, nurses, anaesthetist etc, so it's all feeling very civilised this time around! We are in the midst of a very hot, dry summer here in Aus, many days over 40 deg celcius already so I don't leave the safety of our air conditioned house much

Here's my 37 week belly!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I'm determined to attempt a vaginal birth despite his reported size, especially since I've heard so many time show inaccurate it can be. I am going to discuss with my doc how long we should let me go though, I think they likely won't let me go beyond my actual due date which is fine with me.

DA you look great! It must be nice knowing exactly when LO is going to arrive, I think for me the uncertainty is the hardest part! I have a little something to do so I have to get dressed and leave the house at least once each day and that has helped pass the time so far. Here's to staying busy!

 

[JGator]

AHL, don't trust the ultrasound size estimates. My daughter was supposed to be big, and she was 7 lbs even. My son also was supposed to be big/bigger than her, and he was 8 lbs, 8 oz. I thought they would be more accurate with my son as I was seeing a MFM and the ultrasounds were more high tech. I remember them saying he was 8lbs already at 38 weeks. He wore newborn sized clothes until he was about a month old. He's 12.5 lbs now at 2 months old, and in the 0-3 month size - 70% for weight, and 60% for height. They also lose weight (10%) in the hospital so keep that in mind on clothing. You may still need newborn size even if he's 10lbs at birth. Good luck in the home stretch!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

AHL, don't trust the ultrasound size estimates. My daughter was supposed to be big, and she was 7 lbs even. My son also was supposed to be big/bigger than her, and he was 8 lbs, 8 oz. I thought they would be more accurate with my son as I was seeing a MFM and the ultrasounds were more high tech. I remember them saying he was 8lbs already at 38 weeks. He wore newborn sized clothes until he was about a month old. He's 12.5 lbs now at 2 months old, and in the 0-3 month size - 70% for weight, and 60% for height. They also lose weight (10%) in the hospital so keep that in mind on clothing. You may still need newborn size even if he's 10lbs at birth. Good luck in the home stretch!

That's my hope! That they're off. I would allow an induction past 40 weeks but I will not allow them to pressure me into just scheduling a section. I know more tomorrow when I see my doc. In the meantime I'm doing everything that's safe to encourage labor and a favorable cervix. I'm still fairly comfortable but I would rather go into labor on my own that be induced at 40 weeks.

 

[mousey]

Hi Asscher,

I just had a big baby. 9 lb 6. And I am small - about 5'4 and usually 115 lbs. even though I was measuring big (38 at 34 wks), they didn't send me for a growth scan or anything like that. I had him vaginally. The birth was not uneventful, but I m not sure how much of that was because of his size. He was also back to back and looking the wrong direction, I had thick meconium, his heart rate started to dip, I needed forceps, he had shoulder dystocia, the chord around his neck and I needed an episiotomy to get him out.

I think the shoulder dystocia was in virtue of his size. Is there a way of checking your pelvis to see if it is particularly small? Sorry if this is a stupid suggestion.....

Anyway - not telling you this to scare you. In fact, even though these things happened I was still really happy about the birth, and the episiotomy has been a dream to get over. The scary part was the idea of the little one in distress. I would have done anything to get him out at that stage. I really wanted a water birth (no go with the meconium), had done yoga and hypno birthing, which were useless when trying to push out a back to back baby - yay epidural! So, ya, it didn't go according to plan. But really I think the thing I learned was that the plan is all well and good.... But what really matters is a healthy baby and mommy. Don't know what I d choose if I was forewarned. But I think whatever you choose, you can have a wonderful experience. And having the little one placed in your arms at the end makes every effort worthwhile.

Good luck! I ll be thinking of you.

 

[baby monster]

AHL, go into it with open eyes and mind. It's possible to give birth vaginally with minimal interventions to 12lb baby, one of my coworkers had a couple 12lb kids. It's all about your pelvis structure.

Mousey, congrats on your new bundle of joy!

DandiAndi, you look great. Too bad about the hot weather. It's pretty cold where I am and I'm always hot nowadays.

AFM, 34wks and trudging along. Gained way too much weight which is killing me and aggravating my varicose veins. Baby is still super active constantly kicking all of my internal organs. Can't wait for this to be over and starting to think about the birth present

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Big congrats Mousey! Feel free to share any pics of the big little man!

Thanks ladies! No one has ever said anything about my pelvis being small. I would imagine it's hard to tell since I'm a big lady and have been for a long time but the last time I was pretty thin (at about 12) I only weighed 100 lbs but I was already a size 9 so the hips are wide. I also know that different birthing positions are favorable for large babies/possible shoulder problems (on all fours). I've done about as much reading and researching as I can do to allow myself the best chances of a successful vaginal birth, now it's just a matter of seeing what happens! My current plan is to avoid an epidural so that I can be as maneuverable as possible but if I'm in such terrible pain that I'm not progressing I will obviously have to change that. Could be any day (or week, or next week!) now so we'll see!

 

[April20]

Big congrats Mousey! Feel free to share any pics of the big little man!

Thanks ladies! No one has ever said anything about my pelvis being small. I would imagine it's hard to tell since I'm a big lady and have been for a long time but the last time I was pretty thin (at about 12) I only weighed 100 lbs but I was already a size 9 so the hips are wide. I also know that different birthing positions are favorable for large babies/possible shoulder problems (on all fours). I've done about as much reading and researching as I can do to allow myself the best chances of a successful vaginal birth, now it's just a matter of seeing what happens! My current plan is to avoid an epidural so that I can be as maneuverable as possible but if I'm in such terrible pain that I'm not progressing I will obviously have to change that. Could be any day (or week, or next week!) now so we'll see!

If you can avoid the epi, it will really help with being able to use different positions to keep things moving. Also, in the event there's a shoulder issue, check out the Gaskin maneuver (it's essentially getting on all fours). My cousin had one of her babies get stuck and they got her on all fours and it immediately righted and she was able to deliver with no further interventions. I'm sure it's a YMMV situation, but the more you know....

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Big congrats Mousey! Feel free to share any pics of the big little man!

Thanks ladies! No one has ever said anything about my pelvis being small. I would imagine it's hard to tell since I'm a big lady and have been for a long time but the last time I was pretty thin (at about 12) I only weighed 100 lbs but I was already a size 9 so the hips are wide. I also know that different birthing positions are favorable for large babies/possible shoulder problems (on all fours). I've done about as much reading and researching as I can do to allow myself the best chances of a successful vaginal birth, now it's just a matter of seeing what happens! My current plan is to avoid an epidural so that I can be as maneuverable as possible but if I'm in such terrible pain that I'm not progressing I will obviously have to change that. Could be any day (or week, or next week!) now so we'll see!

If you can avoid the epi, it will really help with being able to use different positions to keep things moving. Also, in the event there's a shoulder issue, check out the Gaskin maneuver (it's essentially getting on all fours). My cousin had one of her babies get stuck and they got her on all fours and it immediately righted and she was able to deliver with no further interventions. I'm sure it's a YMMV situation, but the more you know....

Yes! I read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth which is where most of my info came from. I also took Bradley classes with DH so I feel like I at least have the knowledge, now I just have to see if I will be lucky enough to put it into practice!

 

[blackpolkadot]

congrats mousey!

ahl how are you doing?

AFM I had my appointment and ultrasound today. Baby looked great and is measuring right on target for my due date. They did discover I have a complete placenta previa, which has me somewhat concerned. The dr seemed hopeful it will resolve on its own and will recheck in 8 weeks. But with my history of preterm labor, this just adds to my anxiety! I know it will probably be fine, but the chance of bleeding, being in the hospital, and another preemie just scares me. At least the baby looks healthy! Even if momma is stressed out!

My next appointment will be a repeat 3 hour glucose test on 4 weeks. Not really looking forward to that!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Boo previa and repeat glucose! I only had the do the 1 hour although I did do it at 10 and 26 weeks. I'm glad to hear baby is on target!

My baby is not, he is measuring huge but all of the NST and biophysicals he has passed perfectly. The ultrasound docs are gearing up to pressure me into induction or schedule a section and it's very annoying. I won't let them, I'll hold my resolve unless something is actually not going well or I am more than a few days overdue, which I still have two weeks for. I refuse to be pushed into medically unnecessary intervention. I have to deal with them again on Thursday so we'll see how it goes! All else I'm 38+2 and still feel good. Cramping and random contractions here and there but BP is stable, I have no swelling, I'm not in much discomfort, basically just on cruise control!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

met with my doc today, baby is perfect on all NST and ultrasounds so we are waiting until next Thursday to check my cervix and do a sweep if conditions are favorable. Then after that we will schedule and induction for the following week when I pass my due date. So no matter what little man will be here within two weeks! I've been having bouts of contractions and plenty of braxton hicks with some serious pressure all week so hopefully it won't come to that. I feel better just knowing we have some kind of game plan. Yay!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

So I have had prodromal labor, aka contractions that go nowhere but are real, yesterday almost from 5am to 10pm (a few stops here and there) and today from 5am to 2pm and more contractions randomly tonight. It is EXHAUSTING. I'm doing my best not to get "down" about it and I imagine I'm making some actual progress since I have been losing chunks of plug and had some bleeding but it really does mess with your head to go through this. Hopefully one of these days they won't stop and will actually progress!

 

[Loves Vintage]

AHL- How are you doing today?

 

[Dandi]

Hi mamas! Just wanted to swing by and let you know our baby girl Emmerson Ruby arrived safely two days ago, weighing 8lb 4oz and measuring 52cm, and is seriously cute.. She is breastfeeding like a woman possessed, and her big brother Oscar adores her.

Wishing you all well! AHL how are you feeling?