"Just Barely" Pregnant PS''ers

[noelwr]

well, I went to the dr this morning to get my blood tested. they check for things that might affect the pregnancy (unfortunately not HCG levels), and if they find anything worrisome they''ll call me. otherwise I have to wait for my appointment on the 4th of Jan at which point they''ll probably tell me all is well.

it snowed all weekend so it was hell getting there, and then I had to wait for the blood test lady to still arrive because her car was stuck in the snow so she had to bike instead.

so exciting times coming up ahead... Christmas on Friday when we will tell my mom she''s going to be a grandmom, and then his parents. and then there''s the u/s next Tuesday which I really hope shows everything is ok because by then I am sure the news will have spread throughout his whole family. I will ask my mom to keep it quiet until we know more.

 

[somethingshiny]

oobie~ According to RXLIST.com, Metrogel is category B which means there''s no evidence that this drug will harm a baby. Category A and B are good, C is indeterminable and X is bad.

geri~ I can''t imagine how frustrating it must be to not be telling everyone!! When are you planning on sharing the news?

noel~ I take Singulair daily. Over the weekend I posted on the preggo thread to get some recommendations for cold medicine. One of the girls had a list that approved Tylenol products so I took Tylenol Cold for a couple days. I''m trying not to take too much of it but you can''t just be miserable and not eat and sleep either. Salicylic acid is in lots of acne washes and treatments, some exfoliaters, anti-aging products, dandruff shampoos and wart removers. Just check the labels. It''s Category C which means there hasn''t been human studies, but animal studies have shown it to be teratogenic. YAY for telling your parents!! Are you just coming out and saying it or do you have a cute way of telling them??

 

[geri]

Something shiny - I''m not sure when we will tell people - I have my first U/S tomorrow and then first meeting with the OB on the 28th so I think we might wait till that is all done and then make some decisions. I would like to tell my mom but think she would stress more than me about any issues so i think I will wait a little longer. I hope she understands that I waited because I was worried about what might happen and didn''t want to alarm her unnecessarily but I''m a little worried she will feel left out. Other than those who need to know we will probably wait till the end of the first trimester. Have you told many people yet?

I can''t wait to finish work on Thursday and have a bit of time out because it has been a complete whirlwind since we found out.

 

[noelwr]

somethingshiny - it's just my mom. I made her a stocking for Christmas and the name label says "grandma", so we will see how long it takes her to catch on. it will be one of the very first things we do when she gets here so that I can explain right away why I can't eat all the lovely french cheeses, fish and meat we bought for x-mas snacks.

geri - I think your mom will understand why you waited to tell her.

I forgot to tell you ladies about the obstetrician's office. in the office where they took my blood, they had this huge poster up (was a real photograph) of a naked pregnant woman squatting next to a bathtub. I think she was giving birth. she wasn't really beautiful to look at, either. anyway, I find it really disturbing, but I guess it doesn't surprise me living in Holland. if you want to give birth at home naturally, more power to you, but I have no interest in being subjected to it, just like no other woman would want to see photos of me giving birth at the hospital.

 

[lovelylulu]

geri, we waited a while to tell our family and actually told DH''s mom a couple of weeks before my own mom, because we were visiting in person. I wanted to tell each of them in person, so waited until my mom was in town for a visit. I thought that she might be upset, but she completely understood and honestly was just so thrilled by the news to care about the timing!!

 

[somethingshiny]

geri~ I''m sure your mom will understand. She''ll be able to be over the moon excited right away rather than worrying the first few weeks. I got really bad MS right away so we told people. We told my parents and DH''s parents immediately. When I started with the all day yacking, there wasn''t much waiting to tell others. I was still very early when we told. (I''m only around 10.5 weeks now)

noel~ Cute idea with the stocking!!

to the poster!

JT (almost 4) talked to the baby last night. He told me to put my tummy on his bed so I laid down. He grabbed his sonogram pic (the doctor gave him his own pic to keep) and laid it on my tummy then started talking to it. It was so cute.

 

[oobiecoo]

I went for my first official pre-natal visit today. The nurse practitioner did my exam which looked fine. She did an ultrasound and we thought we could see the fetal pole and perhaps a heartbeat but it wasn''t for sure. Then she went to find my hcg test results from saturday so she could compare them to the earlier one and the news on that was not so good. The levels only went up from about 5000 to 5900 or somewhere around there in 48 hours. She basically told me that a miscarriage was most likely and that I should be prepared. She also sent me for another hcg test and rushed the order. I came home and did some research and apparently only 80% of women''s levels double every 48 hours. I also found another source that said the time it takes to double also depends on your levels. In the 5000 range, its supposed to double every 72-96 hours.

The nurse practitioner just called me back and said they went up to 9000. So thats almost double since saturday... only a little longer than 48 hours.

I broke down in the doctor''s office but now I''m trying to be optimistic... especially with the recent rise in my levels.

Does anyone else have experience/ knowledge of hcg testing and its reliability?

 

[geri]

Oobiecoo - I don''t have any experience but wanted to let you know my fingers are crossed for you and the little bean. I''m glad the later tests showed higher levels and hope this is a good sign for you. Hugs!

Noelwr - I agree that poster sounds gross. In Australia there are homebirthing alternatives but the norm is definitely still a hospital birth and epidurals are quite normal. I will certainly be opting for drugs if I feel the need. In fact, the government here is making it more and more difficult for midwives to actually do homebirths (which I don''t agree with since I think mothers should have the choice).

Somethingshiny - that is so cute about your son!

 

[swimmer]

Oobie, I thought this link might help you, just shows the vast range of reported HcG levels. link I don''t know what dpo you are, but with some of the range reported here, you are surely not the lowest out there.

 

[Puppmom]

Oobie, sounds like the NP alarmed you unnecessarily. HCG levels are not even a standard test at my docs office. Shame on her!

Lots of sticky dust to you!

 

[oobiecoo]

Geri- thanks for the positive thoughts!

Swimmer-thanks for the link... I had already seen it earlier today but I just realized you can narrow it down by age. I put in a two year range that I fall into and it looks like my levels are actually approaching the highest level reported... interesting.


Puppmom- Thats what DH and I are thinking/hoping. She seemed almost certain that a miscarriage would occur. She did say that it HAS happened where the pregnancy ended up being fine but acted like it was a 0.1% chance! When she called to say that my levels had risen today, she was still almost sure that I would miscarry!

DH and I have an interesting thought but may just be crazy. The NP pointed out on the ultrasound where the embryo had tried to implant but it wasn''t in the same spot anymore. Is it possible that there were 2 embryos and that I lost the first one around the time I had the spotting? Since my hcg levels were on the high side but didn''t get much higher in the alloted time, maybe they were just working themselves out after having lost one of the babies. Or maybe we''re just reading too much into this. I just wish I could find out before Christmas but I have to wait until next Tuesday. I think we''re going to go ahead and let everyone know on Christmas like we originally planned though... I''d rather everyone know in case something DOES happen.

I hope everyone else''s pregnancies are going much smoother! Not sure how much I''ll be one here the next few days while things are in limbo...

 

[geri]

I had my first ultrasound today and I am measuring behind as well. There was a pregnancy sac and yolk sac but no "baby" yet as the tech described it. This apparently puts me off by about 5 days. She said there was no reason to think that the baby wouldn''t develop. I''m a little surprised because I thought I knew my dates but maybe I''m wrong - it took till what I thought was 18DPO to get a BFP and my HCG levels were also behind the norm. I was hoping today would give me something a little more positive so now I just have to sit and wait until my appointment with the OB next week. I''m actually feeling surprisingly calm about it - after my meltdown over my Hcg levels last week I think I am now in the frame of mind that there is nothing I can do about it and I will have to deal with whatever happens at the time.


Oobiecoo - I really hope everything is ok. I''m not medically trained but it seems to me that the NP has handled this poorly. My doctor has been very cautious about not jumping to conclusions (I have been very good at doing that all on my own!). good luck.

 

[icekid]

HMG- I am just catching up now, and wanted to give you my best wishes! So sorry that it turned out this way; so heart-breaking. But you''ll have a little one soon, I have faith!

 

[somethingshiny]

oobie~ I agree that the NP was over reacting. I''m sorry you had to go through that. Lots of dust and prayers for you and your bean!

geri~ Do your levels and baby size match?? Maybe your levels weren''t low if you weren''t as far along as you thought. I''m glad that you''re able to stay calm. Keeping you and your little one in my prayers.

 

[Mara]

geri and oobie...sending hugely positive thoughts for you gals and your beans. i almost feel like sometimes too much knowledge can be tough when it comes to the tracking and TTC because it's so scientific. for us, i just know when we conceived (3day vacation) and that is it. so i didn't have any expectations...i think sometimes it can mess with your head to have all that info re ovu, implant etc esp if your body doesn't necessarily follow the 'rules'. anyway... keeping fingers crossed for you gals and definitely try to stay calm though i know it's hard.

oobie i would think doubling is great regardless of how long it took but i have no idea really, did you ask what they thought when they called to tell you? i agree that the NP jumped the gun a little, not cool. keep us posted.

 

[aqua_girl]

Hello everyone!

I am still lurking around here, haven''t posted very much cos I don''t feel I have too much pregnancy related stuff to share yet! Except that I am perhaps cranky more often at home than not (manage to hide it at work, thankfully!!!) and my DH is a saint! Nausea seems to come and go throughout the day and is definitely worse in the afternoon/evening than in the morning. Around dinner time seems particularly rough, but no vomiting yet so I can''t really complain!

I had my first GP appt on Monday. It didnt really involve a lot, except she seemed rather amused by the amount of POAS I have done. Not that I can blame her, I guess around 15 is slightly (read:enormously) excessive!! Unless someone else out there shares my habit and then I wont feel so silly!! She just did the routine blood tests I guess, which have all come back ''no action required''. She mustnt have tested HCG levels cos the nurse had no info to report. Due to finding out so early she has ordered a dating scan to figure out where Im at, which is exciting! Otherwise she said its usual to wait until 18-20 weeks

Im not terribly patient, so that would have felt like an eternity! Here, the NT scan must be optional, because she only talked about it after I asked? Im in rural Australia so finding it a bit difficult to figure out whats normal here! The only downer is that due to loooooong waiting lists I have to travel 1.5 hours to another town in order to have the scan done in early Jan (6th). Otherwise would have had to wait until the end of Jan to get in here. Should start booking the others soon I guess to hopefully get in, but dont want to jinx it either!!!

The doc also made me jump on the scales. I made the mistake of looking down, and even accidentally swore when I saw. I know I cant blame much weight gain on pregnancy so early on but it was still a shock. I worked full time and studied full time this semester just finished, so still managed to work out but obviously not that well!! I think the hardest part is now realising it theres no losing it for a while now!!! Oh well. Cant have your cake and eat it too!! Or maybe thats where Ive gone wrong, haha.

Thinking of telling my folks over Christmas since I live 7 hours away from them and prob wont see them again for a while. What do you guys think? Ill be 7 weeks then, so dont want to be jumping the gun too early? On the other hand, going to be hard to talk my way out of ''no wine for me, water will be fine, oh no thanks, no yummy brie either, etc etc."

Warm wishes to everyone! Especially oobie, very much thinking of you and hoping everything will be ok!!!

 

[geri]

Somethingshiny and Mara - thanks for your thoughts. My hcg levels and size match so at least there is some consistency there and maybe my dates are just wrong.

I agree with Mara that too much information can be tough. If i hadn''t been temping I wouldn''t have had any preconceived ideas about when I thought I ovulated and would probably not even question the judgement that my dates are wrong. I also wouldn''t have been so stressed about my hcg levels being below normal because I wouldn''t have known what normal was (if there even is a normal). That said, I think the scientific approach to TTC got me to this point and I''m certainly grateful for that whatever happens from here on. Now I just need to turn my brain off and enjoy Xmas!

Aquagirl - I didn''t know we had another Aussie on board- welcome. I am in Sydney. I don''t know whether it''s the time of year, but I had almost the opposite response where they were trying to get me in earlier than I thought would be productive on a few things eg first meeting with the OB at about 5.5 weeks whereas I decided to wait to 7.5 to 8 weeks because I figured there wasn''t much they could tell me in the early phase. I have been recommended the NT scans around 11-12 weeks and possibility CVS testing but that may be only because I am over 35 and therefore at greater risk.

I"m not having Christmas with my family this year but if I was I think I would be inclined to tell them. Otherwise, I would be so distracted trying not to let on that I''d be useless in conversation. Good luck.

 

[noelwr]

somethingshiny - aw, JT is so sweet.

agua_girl - I think I have you beat with POAS.

I am now just letting myself do it once a week. but I only have one test left, so I think tomorrow will be the very last one I take. don''t ask me why I have to POAS at 9 weeks. I guess it''s because I haven''t had any appointments yet with a medical person to confirm to me that I am pregnant so right now it''s all I got. I think maybe even if I was just 4 weeks, I would still tell my mom over Christmas. I don''t drink, but I used to eat all the stuff I''m not allowed to now (the soft cheeses, raw fish, raw meat) so my mom would find it very suspicious.

well, I''ve felt really bad for myself having to wait so long for the u/s (you ladies know because I''m always b*tching about it and counting down), but in the end I see that it obviously can give you worries at such an early stage. however, if I knew that it wasn''t looking good, I wouldn''t tell my family I was pregnant. I just so wish I could have had the u/s before Christmas.

oh, I ordered one of those fetal doppler things so DH and I can try for ourselves. hopefully we can figure out how to use it properly, though I do know that it depends on where the baby is and could take a few more weeks before we can hear anything.

two more days of work and I''ve got a week off. yay!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 12/23/2009 1:01:16 AM
Author: aqua_girl

Thinking of telling my folks over Christmas since I live 7 hours away from them and prob wont see them again for a while. What do you guys think? Ill be 7 weeks then, so dont want to be jumping the gun too early? On the other hand, going to be hard to talk my way out of 'no wine for me, water will be fine, oh no thanks, no yummy brie either, etc etc.'

Aqua, the only way to answer this question is for you and your husband to decide who you would want to be of support to you if the pregnancy doesn't go as you both hope. It's a grim perspective, but obviously something you are already aware of as you're asking the question.

Oobie and Geri, thinking lots of good thoughts for you both.

 

[oobiecoo]

I received some really great news today! I went to bed feeling a little more positive and at peace, thinking that everything was probably fine with the baby. Well, I woke up this morning practically hyperventilating with worry so I called the doc''s office and they said I could come in for another ultrasound before the long Christmas break. I requested a DIFFERENT nurse practitioner than yesterday and she could very clearly see the heartbeat. She even printed out a picture and let me record the heartbeat on my phone. She said to just disregard the bad hcg tests and that things looked great now and that my miscarriage risk has gone way down since we saw the heartbeat. I''m so glad I can relax over Christmas! We''re going to let DH''s family know Christmas afternoon. I really feel like everyone''s thoughts/prayers/dust helped tremendously so THANK YOU!



Geri- I really hope everything works out for you. I admire your calm attitude about it.

SomethingShiny- Thanks for checking on the metrogel for me. I didn''t know about that website so I''ll definitely be using it often!

Mara- I asked the NP if the huge jump was a good sign and she said it "just makes things more gray".

I''m glad I got the second opionion!

Aqua- I''ll be 7 weeks on Christmas also and am going to tell the family. I''d rather them know in case something does happen so they could refrain from asking things like "when are you planning on having kids?". I have no patience so can''t imagine waiting 18-20 weeks. Good thing you get in earlier!

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 12/24/2009 12:35:42 AM
Author: oobiecoo
I received some really great news today! I went to bed feeling a little more positive and at peace, thinking that everything was probably fine with the baby. Well, I woke up this morning practically hyperventilating with worry so I called the doc''s office and they said I could come in for another ultrasound before the long Christmas break. I requested a DIFFERENT nurse practitioner than yesterday and she could very clearly see the heartbeat. She even printed out a picture and let me record the heartbeat on my phone. She said to just disregard the bad hcg tests and that things looked great now and that my miscarriage risk has gone way down since we saw the heartbeat. I''m so glad I can relax over Christmas! We''re going to let DH''s family know Christmas afternoon. I really feel like everyone''s thoughts/prayers/dust helped tremendously so THANK YOU!



Geri- I really hope everything works out for you. I admire your calm attitude about it.

SomethingShiny- Thanks for checking on the metrogel for me. I didn''t know about that website so I''ll definitely be using it often!

Mara- I asked the NP if the huge jump was a good sign and she said it ''just makes things more gray''.

I''m glad I got the second opionion!

Aqua- I''ll be 7 weeks on Christmas also and am going to tell the family. I''d rather them know in case something does happen so they could refrain from asking things like ''when are you planning on having kids?''. I have no patience so can''t imagine waiting 18-20 weeks. Good thing you get in earlier!

Yay for you oobie!! That''s great news, you must be so relieved!!!!

 

[noelwr]

oobie - that''s fantastic news and great timing right before the holidays!

today I am 9 weeks preggers. I think the kid has officially graduated from embryo to fetus... or was that last week? everything seems to be going well. other than occasional nausea and sore boobs (which are not growing), it''s quite positive. they say the 9th week is the worst for m/s so here''s to hoping it won''t get worse. still on the treadmill every morning. still fit into all my clothes. still really hate the pregnancy pillow and kick it out of bed. upset that I don''t love tea as much as I used to. I''m really into orange juice now which is unfortunate because it contains too much sugar. so far my symptoms seem to be pointing to a boy. I wish the part where I get thicker hair would hurry up and get here!

happy holidays to all you ladies, your SOs and your beans.

 

[somethingshiny]

Oobie~ Yay for a good heartbeat and US!!! Now you''ll be able to enjoy Christmas!!

Noel~ My info says "fetus" is at 10 weeks. I am unaware of "symptoms that indicate a boy," could you share your info? This pregnancy is very different from my last, so maybe that means I''ll be having a girl?


Oh, the other day a guy (!) told me that there is a gender test that you can take at 12 weeks. Anyone heard of it??


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you and your families! Just think, next year, there will be a little one gazing happily at the lights and chewing on wrapping paper!

 

[Mara]

yay for great news oobie!! i am so glad you called back and went in again, good for you, peace of mind can be super important and that is huge peace of mind right at the holidays too!

noel... i loved sugary drinks too in the beginning and i never used to, only would drink water. but it was lemonade, OJ, apple juice, chocolate milk for me for 3-4 months. i could barely stomach water, tea, it would make me nauseated. not until like 5th month did i even really go back to fairly normal patterns for me and not til almost 6th did i really go back to exclusive water. i was starting to worry i'd never like it again!! but now i drink it as much as i used to. so don't worry too much about the sugar, i also did my GD and it was super low, even though i was worried about all the sugar i'd been consuming in drinks. i figured well i feel like crap might as well enjoy a sugary drink while i can.

ss...my girlfriend got 'early gender detection' at her OB... it was a girl. and it really was a girl. but i have heard that is not that accurate...so i don't know. most charts i saw said that gender can't even be entirely determined til later, like 15-17 weeks BUT we saw our little guys equipment at 15 weeks loud and clear...no mistaking it. so maybe it just depends on how they are developing. but at 12 weeks US we didn't see anything definite, then at 15, boom.

re: symptoms for boy, it's more like 'old wives tales'...!! for me i crave carbs and cereal like outta control. that is supposed to be boy. i have gone through more cereal in this 8+ months than i ever have eaten in my life. and i love potato. but you can google the old wives tales to see what they say. also i have had friends who have multiple kids and said that diff pregnancies don't mean much, one of my coworkers has 3 and is gestating her 4th and from everything she tells me i'd say boy and how she is 'carrying' but nope, it's a girl! so funny.

 

[geri]

Oobie -that''s great news.I''m glad you have some positive news to give you peace of mind over Christmas.

We had Xmas eve dinner with my BIL and SIL last night. Both SO and I wondered when we got there whether SIL was pregnant because her tummy looked bigger than normal. They served salmon gravalax for starter and she didn"t have any but I ate it because I didn''t want it to be obvious (fingers crossed to no ill effects from this). Anyway, SO and his brother had a chat and apparently she is preggo but only found out that day. I''m not sure how far along she is. Unbeknown to me, SO told his brother that I''m pregnant so I''m hoping they don''t think I''m a bad mother for eating the gravalax!

Merry Christmas everyone and for those sharing the news with family, congrats on being able to share the excitement.

 

[noelwr]

somethingshiny - ok then have to wait for 6 more days til we graduate to fetus. I get confused because I''m always reading ahead on what''s to come. regarding "boy symptoms", it''s exactly what Mara says: old wives'' tale. anyway, I''ve given up. I just googled and some websites say if you crave oj it''s a girl and if you crave sour things it''s a boy (but isn''t oj also sour?)... and some say m/s in the morning is a boy while others say it''s a girl. maybe I''m having a hemaphrodite.

as long as it''s healthy, that''s all we care about.

geri - I wouldn''t worry about eating the gravalax. they only say that you shouldn''t eat all this stuff "just in case" it might cause you food poisoning. but obviously the chances of getting food poisoning are slim (if you''re getting this stuff from a trustworthy source). once in a while I will still eat meat that is a little a red, eggs that are not cooked hard, etc. I might even just have a few bites of the brie/camambert and salmon today. back in the day I''m sure our mothers and grandmothers didn''t know about these risks and we all came out fine.

 

[geri]

Noelwr - So how did your mum take the news? Did she realise straight away? I totally agree with you on the food front. I am trying to be good but most of my favourite foods are now on the bad list - sushi, smoked salmon, soft cheese, medium rare meat, poached eggs. Damn it!

If anyone cares to share, I''m interested in whether your DH/SO is attending any of your appointments with you? I have been on my own so far but have my first appointment with the OB tomorrow and DH asked if he should come. I''m fairly relaxed about it either way. I figured he didn''t need to be there for most of them but since some of my results so far have been a little confusing it might be nice for him to be there tomorrow and just to learn more about what happens from here. I think he feels a little disengaged at the moment since the only information he gets is second hand from me and maybe this will help. Any thoughts?

 

[Mara]

re: smoked salmon... i ate it for most of the first tri without realizing i shouldn't..oops. i also tend to eat soft cheeses and have had sashimi at times... my dr pretty much told me to just use common sense and if you have eaten at a place countless times with no issues, then CHANCES ARE good you will not have any issues now but i don't eat questionable items at 'new' places. i sipped some sangria in europe. everyone's comfort level is different, IMO i say do what feels right for you.

re: hub at the appts... mine came with me to all of the ultrasound appts but not really any of the other ones. he also works about 45 min away from the clinic and sometimes i was not able to get good appt times so it's just too hard to coordinate two schedules at times. but anytime we got to see the baby on the screen my hub tries to be there.

 

[noelwr]

hi ladies. so our news was quite the hit with our families. we told my mom very quickly after she arrived... well, I gave her the stocking and she asked, "Why does it say grandma?" and I said, "Because you''re going to become one!" and then she started crying and said it was the best present anyone could EVER give her. guess grandkids are better presents than kids...

then we skyped with his parents and his mom was over the moon, and we told each of his sisters separately and the nephews/nieces are excited about a new cousin (whom they will hardly ever see as they live on the other side of the world). they all couldn''t believe that I wasn''t throwing up and my one SIL who loves kids wants to see weekly belly shots, etc.

interesting story, my mom said she went to a psychic 2 weeks ago who told her she would become a grandma (without her even mentioning that she had kids), and she said, "Oh not my daughter. She doesn''t want kids or if she does at least not for another 5 years" and the psychic told her, "It will be sooner than you think!" so hopefully that''s a sign that the pregnancy will go well.

geri - I will only invite DH along if there''s an u/s involved where he can actually *see* the baby. I don''t think he''d be interested in watching the OB prodding my tummy and listening with a stethoscope. however, if you feel your husband would like to be involved in that way, you must just ask him.

and my question of the day to prepare me for my 1st u/s on Tues... regarding the u/s you have done externally. I will be 2 days short of 10 weeks. where will they do the ultrasound? over my pubic bone? if yes, does that mean they do it over your pubic hair? they never show that in the movies. I know it''s probably a TMI question to ask, but was just wondering. will ask on the preggers thread, too.

 

[KimberlyH]

Geri, my husband comes to every appt. but he works for himself from home and has an extremely flexible schedule. It''s really nice to have a second set of ears to hear what the doctor is saying and I think for him it provides a sense of involvement in the pregnancy from which he is otherwise removed (it''s not happening to his body). I don''t ask him to come along and would be fine with him not being there, but he enjoys being there and a part of things.