"Just Barely" Pregnant PS''ers

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Re:

AMC- those tests do seem a bit light, BUT- what's important is that they're getting darker over time (which they are). Google is telling me to remember that they're qualitative, not quantitative, so try to keep that in mind. How are you feeling, otherwise? Nausea still prevalent? I'd say that's a good sign!! Hope your office gets your beta to you soon- I'd be calling them all.day.long. Im annoyed for you!!

 

[lliang_chi]

Re:

Ugh, the universe is conspiring against me. Yesterday I thought I'd be super sweet to Ethan and be in his room when he woke up (I woke up to pee @ 5:30 and DH was in our bathroom so I used Ethan, then figured I'll just stay in his room when he woke up). I snoozed on his rocking chair until he woke up, as a result, I got a wicked kink in my neck. Then Ethan had a EPIC FAIL night yesterday, late to bed (difficult to put down) and woke up twice overnight! Then certain someone woke up Mr. CrankyPants AND lucky lucky me, I'm getting a cold sore on my bottom lip.Just in time for my interview tomorrow afternoon. My midwife/OB will be calling in a scrip and hopefully I'll be able to take something that will zap it. I really dont' want to give it to Ethan.

PPM:Welcome! Looks like we'll have an exciting August/September with all the new babies Crazy earl BFP for you, I hope you get an early US. I think DH was happy there was a healthy bean whether or not there was two he was indifferent. I think in a small way, we both would love to have twins, especially since my sister and I have such a close relationship, and DH and SIL's relationship is abysmal (though getting better).

Rachel, sorry to hear about your MS. Anchor had great results with B vitamins, check back a few pages and she specified between B-6 and B-12 for certain situations. I have no experience with Zofran, but ask your doctor about it. Hoping the MS goes quickly and you can go about enjoying being pregnant.

Anchor, I had hypothyroidism when I was a baby up until 6 yrs old. I've been tested on and off and now my levels are normal, so it's hopefully possible for it to go away.

AMC, boo hope your office gets back to you with your beta #'s. Can you call them? FWIW, the last test does look darker to me.

Tbaus, oh no, hun, don't feel guilty about skipping the gym on my account. I did think of you because I went to yoga @ the gym yesterday during lunch. It was also to try to loosen up my neck kink, but I was pretty happy with myself. Today I think I'm going to take a day off, tomorrow i have lunch with a friend and my interview, so my next gym day will be Friday. maybe I'll do yoga again, or some cardio (I like using the rowing machine). Sorry you'll have to miss the family cruise, but if you need a suggestion, we went to Switzerland in Oct 2012 and it was AWESOME. We took Ethan too and it was just beautiful and so picturesque. DH calls it "Disney-Country" because everyone is so helpful and polite, and everything runs on time and is so efficient, the whole country feels like a theme park. LOL. Regardless sounds like it'd be an awesome baby-moon. We went to Yosemite National Park and did some back country camping/packing and then relaxed in Lake Tahoe for our Baby-moon. And speaking of missing vacations, my friends will be doing a Provence/Southern France trip this August and I'd be like 5-ish wks from my EDD, so unfortunately, we'll have to pass.

Pancake, I'm glad the nausea and the SIJ pain have backed off for you. But dude, totally hear you on the fatigue. I don't remember being this tired with Ethan, but I'm sure Ethan being in the picture adds to the fatigue factor. Re: blubbery middle section. OMG yes! I actually for grins went back to on this thread from when we were all JBP with our 1st, and we were all complaining about the same things. Wow, sorry to hear about your rough night with S. Must be a full moon or something! Yes, re: the VBAC, I'm not going to draw any conclusions yet, but I'm just keeping the mindset that I have to advocate for what I want so long as it's safe. And not sure if I said this, but I don't feel like I was bullied or duped into a c-section, but I just wish I had known a little more and was better armed with asking questions on positioning and possible repositions that could've helped. Now I know. I think we're going to try to wait for this baby. So it'll be interesting if we can make it the whole time.

~LC 8w3d

 

[missrachelk]

Re:

AMC definitely a good progression! Try not to worry - easier said than done I know.

Well I'm just here to report that a really good nights sleep plus b6 and sea bands has helped me a ton! I still felt queasy off and on today but not nearly as horrible as yesterday. I think sleep is a key. So I'm going to bed now. Yes before 8pm : )

 

[amc80]

After playing phone tag with the doctor all day I went to the lab to get my results- 39. Doubling time of 68 hours. Probably not good.

 

[dani13]

Re:

After playing phone tag with the doctor all day I went to the lab to get my results- 39. Doubling time of 68 hours. Probably not good.

Amc, please try not to worry. you are SO early. Hcg usually doubles every 48-72 hrs, so you are surely still in the game. Hang in there!

 

[amc80]

Amc, please try not to worry. you are SO early. Hcg usually doubles every 48-72 hrs, so you are surely still in the game. Hang in there!

Thanks Dani, that is reassuring. I finally spoke with my doctor. She said this early when the numbers are low the 48 hour doubling time isn't as important. She said she would be much more concerned if my beta was 500 and took three days to get to 1000. She is doing a retest tomorrow and is ordering it stat so I will have the results shortly after.

 

[mia1181]

Re:

Pancake- Thanks for checking in on me. I'm hanging in there. You really nailed how I am feeling when you said feeling like I am "leaving behind" my BFF and brother. That is exactly how I feel. I feel guilty that everything seems to be going well for me and then I feel guilty that I am assuming that my pregnancy will be healthy.

I was agreeing so much about what you said about your labor and feeling good about it even with the interventions. I know so many women that are just devastated that they had a c-section and I really don't feel that way about mine. I think the reason was as you pointed out, I felt so informed and empowered every step of the way. Do you mind if I ask what types of problems you see with 42+ week babies? I had heard going to 42 is okay as long as you have stress tests and they monitor your placenta.


LC- Look at that cute little bean! I kinda wanted twins for you though! I think "failure to progress" is one of the reasons women don't have success with VBACs because it could happen again. I think technically my swollen cerivix was "failure to progress" but I just believe there is a chance that the next pregnancy could be different. I realize it's a small chance, but I am hoping to convince my doctor that it's worth a shot if I go into labor a little earlier or if this peanut is a little smaller. I'm nervous to bring it up but I am going to get it out of the way at the first appointment so I am not worrying about it the entire pregnancy.


PPM- Welcome! And welcome to the early implanters club! That was a dark line for 8dpo! Did you test 7dpo? Your 8dpo test looked like mine the day after my BFP on 7dpo last pregnancy! Congrats! Good luck tomorrow! Even though it's early, I'm hoping you continue to feel good. Hopefully just enough symptoms to reassure you that you are pregnant but not enough to feel awful! That's the sweet spot haha!


MRK- Re: Zofran. The FDA hasn't officially warned against it, just that they are going to look into it. And it appears what they are looking into is "seratonin syndrome" for the mother and not birth defects. I guess there was a study that found an increased risk of cleft palate but from 1:2000 to 2:2000 so although the risk might be increased, it is still very very low. Additionally, there was a larger Danish survey of women who used zofran and no increased risk was found with those women. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/zofran-pregnancy_n_2776753.html Anecdotally (which means nothing, I know), I took it with my previous pregnancy and everything was fine and just about everyone I know who had severe morning sickness took it with no problems. My doctor feels it is still very safe and I am taking it again now. But definitely discuss with your doctor. I know it can be hard when research varies and doctor opinion varies too.

I feel pretty tired when I am on zofran, drowsiness is a side effect, but I don't know if it's from the drug or just being pregnant. I highly recommend Reglan too, that worked great for me but insurance only covered like 10 pills!

Uh-oh we are bringing our DD to our scan tomorrow! I am hoping she behaves for daddy!


TBAUS- Haha last time I found a refrigerator magnet at target that is a silhouette of a preggo girl and it has a hole in the belly to stick in a US pic. It's not the sort of thing I would seek out but I thought it was cute so I bought it. DH came home and was like "whoa you have to be careful about getting too attached too early!" Ah he is such a worrier! Haha!


AMC- I agree with what everyone else said about the lines being qualitative and not quantitative. Also, 48 hours is an average. I think I read a study recently that said that is the average but normal is 24-72 hours so it depends on the woman and the bean. Did you test betas at the exact time of day too? That can affect it, and so could having a full or empty stomach, I've heard. Anyway, I'm glad you are getting the rush order for labs so hopefully you'll be reassured tomorrow!

 

[dani13]

Re:

Amc, please try not to worry. you are SO early. Hcg usually doubles every 48-72 hrs, so you are surely still in the game. Hang in there!

Thanks Dani, that is reassuring. I finally spoke with my doctor. She said this early when the numbers are low the 48 hour doubling time isn't as important. She said she would be much more concerned if my beta was 500 and took three days to get to 1000. She is doing a retest tomorrow and is ordering it stat so I will have the results shortly after.

I agree with her. This is the problem with testing BHcg so early. It usually causes unnecessary worry. hoping you get reassuring news tomm!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re:

amc, sending you good thoughts today! I'm so sorry you are having to deal with the anxiety and really hoping all is well. Hugs.

 

[amc80]

Hi all! Feeling much better today after reading everything you all wrote. Mia, blood was drawn exactly 72 hours apart, to the minute. The good news is I took a wondfo this morning (btw, those tests are awful) and got a real line rather than just the shadowy "maybe lines" I've gotten until now. I took one of those on Monday and couldn't really see anything so that is an improvement. I know people have a lot of luck with those tests but I'm apparently not one of them. I think they are supposed to be sensitive to 25 and they didn't pick up anything with a beta of 39. Test fail.

I will update once I get the results. Thank you for your thoughts!

 

[mia1181]

Re:

Can I just say that I HATE ultrasounds? The whole process just sucks! I had mine today and I just wish it could be a more pleasant experience! Our tech seemed like the nicest women but she did not utter a word once she started. For the longest time! She had the screen pointed away so I just waited patiently and let her do her job. I know why they aren't allowed to say anything and I agree that they shouldn't, but it is so hard to just sit there and worry. I was just sitting there thinking something must be wrong that she is taking so much time and not saying anything. At one point she asked me how long ago I had my c-section so I thought it might be something to do with my uterus.

DH got the hiccups so the tech stopped to get him water and when she left I saw a huge empty sac on the screen. I know I'm early and she didn't use the transvaginal yet, but I swore they were able to find the heartbeat without it at this time in my last pregnancy. So then not one word about seeing a sac or anything and she has me go to use the bathroom so she can do the transvaginal. I come back and again she is clicking away and measuring and not saying anything.

Finally after all that time, she turns the screen and shows us "this is the baby, this is the yolk sac, and that flickering is the heartbeat." Baby measures a couple of days ahead at 6w5d, heartbeat was 128bpm and my due date is Oct 11th.

Then she did more measurements of my ovaries, etc. At the end she said that my doc will get the results in 1-2 business days.

So I guess the baby is healthy but by the way she acted, I feel like I should wait to hear from my doctor to tell anyone. We were going to tell people once there was a heartbeat but I think it's best to get the confirmation from my doc before saying anything. I just wish our insurance paid for my doc's in-office ultrasounds so I could get information right on the spot.

Sorry for such a dramatic post, It's just hard for me to wait to hear the results!

 

[amc80]

Re:

Just got my beta back and it isn't great news- 60.

11dpo- 19
14dpo- 39
17dpo- 60

Doubling time of 115 hours. I mean I know anything can happen, but I can't imagine this to be anything except bad news. My doctor is in surgery all day today so I have to wait until tomorrow to talk to her about what it all means.

 

[mia1181]

Re:

AMC- Sorry your number came back not looking great. I am definitely no expert but a google search came up with women who had really slow doubling times and everything turned out fine. I think it's like in TTC, how you aren't out until AF shows. I think there still is hope until you see those numbers decline. Good luck! Hoping this turns around for you!

 

[amc80]

Re: Re:

AMC- Sorry your number came back not looking great. I am definitely no expert but a google search came up with women who had really slow doubling times and everything turned out fine. I think it's like in TTC, how you aren't out until AF shows. I think there still is hope until you see those numbers decline. Good luck! Hoping this turns around for you!

I'm googling as well There are a lot of cases where a slow rising beta turns out just fine. But, I'm trying to be realistic. This is way worse than the TWW. I'm guessing my OB will have me retest on Saturday.

 

[megumic]

Re:

Amc, just seeing your news. I will say a cautious but optimistic congrats. You must be feeling so overwhelmed and so much info so quickly.
I hope the dr is able to give you some more info tomorrow.

I don't know if you remember but I went thru the beta ringer hell with my first preg for three plus weeks, so I know how you are feeling. It is truly the worst just not having any concrete info and no real stats. At the time my dr erred on the side of things not panning out, but she also said that crazier things have happened. I unfortunately did MC. Thereafter I got preg with C like 5-6 weeks later.

Will be thinking of you lady and sending positive thoughts!

 

[amc80]

Thanks meg. I do remember that. I had a chemical before B and got pregnant the next cycle as well. I just hope that if it isn't going to work out it happens sooner rather than later. My levels are still so low that I'd imagine things would resolve quickly if it were to go that direction.

 

[tbaus]

Re:

amc I'm sorry you're stressing about you betas. I agree with mia though, it ain't over until the wicked witch arrives! Sending lots of dust your way.

LC We've never been to Switzerland but it looks and sounds amazing! I've heard it is really expensive, what are your thoughts? DH and I are not above staying in hostels since we usually only go back to sleep. But I'm thinking this time around I may appreciate a comfy bed and clean room/bathroom more than ever! But oh how I hate missing out on amazing trips! I have to keep telling myself we are still young and have plenty of travelling opportunities in our future. I'm sorry E was giving you a little bit of trouble, I seriously can't imagine going through all this with a little one running around. I have a whole new level of respect for mothers! I hope your interview went well and you have time to relax over the weekend.

missrachelk Another friend of mine was just telling me about how she used sea bands to help her nausea. I never thought of that! Glad they helped you.

mia Awww your poor DH! That magnet sounds cute. Funny though, my favourite ultrasound pic is not the one where I can see Soltana's profile, but we have one of a tiny little foot that I just stare at in awe. I have a feeling I will kiss and bite those little things too much!! And I hate how uncomfortable some of the ultrasound techs are, if that had been me I probably would have burst into tears, and assumed her silence was a bad thing. I'm sure it is all fine though. I think sometimes people who do this day in, day out, forget how nervous we all are about it.

pancake Yep, this will be our third time in Berlin! We love it too. Such an amazing city with so much history. I am really excited to show my Dad around, he is a history buff so I think Berlin is going to blow his mind!! I hope you start to feel better soon, it feels like forever when you are in the throes of morning sickness. And I'm glad I'm not the only one with a blubbery middle! I still wish I could skip it though and just move to the cute bump stage. Thanks for the birthday wishes, DH had a great couple of days. Last night we went to my parents for dinner and he requested prawns curry which I absolutely wolfed down! It was seriously the most amazing thing I've eaten in months. So glad to have my appetite back!!

Hi to everyone else! Claritek, my due date buddy, how are you holding up?

AFM, Today was my day off. I woke up with a head cold so only went to pilates this morning (getting better, legs weren't as shaky as last time) and then spent the rest of the day in bed. Still holed up in the bedroom because DH came home on time for once, eager to get some painting done and he won't allow me anywhere near the area he is painting because of the fumes. I think our conversation the other night had given him a kick up the pants: We realised that for the past 2 weeks we have been saying we still have 6 months to get the house ready before the baby arrives. But um, at 14 weeks now it is more like 5 1/2 months!? All of a sudden redoing the bathroom, painting the entire house, sorting out the junkroom (future nursery), buying furniture for the entire house, as well as fitting in a holiday seems overwhelming. Adding to that, I usually work as a relief teacher and predominantly at one school that is five minutes from home. But this term I am working 4 days a week at a school that is an 80min round trip away, so I am lucky to get home before 6 most days. Then once I finish up teaching this term I will have 2 weeks school holidays, then 2 weeks away for our trip in Europe, and then it is June already and only 2 months until Soltana arrives!! Atm I'm hoping to work right up until the end of Term 2, which is July 4th. EDD is 17 August so I could go back for the start of term 3 but I guess I will play that by ear.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

[JGator]

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AMC, sorry to hear you are going through this with the betas. Hugs to you. I'm hoping for the best for you.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Re:

amc, hugs. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this beta uncertainty. It's hard when you know they are still going up, but just not at the rate you would expect. I guess in these cases you have to somewhat prepare yourself for the worst and hope for the best. Hang in there. Sendings thoughts and prayers your way.

 

[amc80]

Re:

Thanks again for all of the support. I'm doing as MP said and hoping for the best while preparing for the worst.

I just realized that my beta levels are almost perfectly linear- increasing by about 7 per day (slope is 6.8 for my fellow math geeks). Is that weird? I mean I know it's not good, but isn't it odd that it's kept up the same level?

 

[anchor31]

Re:

AMC - I hope you have more definitive answers soon.

12 weeks for me! Some digestive issues since Thursday night, I think I may have had some not-so-fresh fish and pregnancy is making me more sensitive. I usually have an iron stomach, but I'll have to be more careful.

 

[amc80]

Re: Re:

AMC - I hope you have more definitive answers soon.

12 weeks for me! Some digestive issues since Thursday night, I think I may have had some not-so-fresh fish and pregnancy is making me more sensitive. I usually have an iron stomach, but I'll have to be more careful.

Ugh, not-so-fresh fish and pregnancy sounds like an awful combo! Hopefully things settle down!

I just talked to my doctor (finally!). She said that at this point she is still hopeful that it will turn out okay. I sort of feel like she was saying that to make me feel better. She said they are still going up and that's what is important, and that she has seen betas do this type of thing before and everything turn out okay. I'm supposed to call her if I have spotting or pain. I asked about a repeat beta and she advised against it since it will just stress me out. She did move up my first ultrasound a couple of weeks, so I go in a week from Monday.

 

[missrachelk]

Re:

AMC, hang in there mama. I don't think I could handle the 'beta ringer' I'd like to say try not to dwell on it but I know that's impossible. Here's hoping it turns out well.

I just wanted to say that the sea bands and b6 are continuing to work wonders! I actually are salad the last 2 days and a cooked vegetable tonight! I'm hoping to go back to my grain free way of eating soon. For the time being cereal in the morning and bread and crackers are still my salvation several times a day!

 

[mia1181]

Re:

TBAUS- Aw the tiny little feet sounds so cute! You should post it! I was just going through DD's ultrasound pics last night because DH wanted to compare to the new one. We had a lot because I had a bleeding scare and all the early dating ones. My faves were the little feet ones, the ones where here little legs were crossed like she was lounging, and the one below where you can see her little pout. Can you make it out? Obviously a little further along but she always does that pout so I thought that was cool that I was drawn to it before I even knew her! I am glad you understood my ultrasound drama. I felt like I did a great job sitting there and staying quiet even though I was dying inside! I though about asking if something was wrong but I wanted to spare her from an awkward conversation and let her finish doing what she needed to do.

I know you have a lot to do before Soltana comes but on the bright side your pregnancy is going to fly! Soon you are going to get that 2nd trimester burst of energy too and you'll be amazed at what you accomplish! I'm actually super jelly because as a SAHM this pregnancy is going to move so slowly! Not that I'm sitting around all day, DD has me so busy, but it is a lot of 1:1 time with a baby where my mind is like "ugh! is it over yet?" The first pregnancy just flew by because I was working so much and we moved 3 months before my DD.


MRK- I feel you on the no veggies/carbs only strike! I'm glad the sea bands work for you! A woman I met last pregnancy swore by them but they didn't work for me. I don't really know why I haven't tried B6 yet, I should give it a go!


AFM, I was sent the US report today and it basically confirmed I was pregnant and the only "abnormalish" sounding part of it said that my uterus appeared to be "mildly hetergenous" which sounds like a fairly common thing. Maybe it has to do with my c-section, maybe not. It was noted on one of my old US's for DD and no one said anything then so I'm sure it is nothing. Point of all this is to say that whenever I try and "read" the ultrasound tech, I am wrong! I will try to be better at just waiting to hear from the doc!

Told my sister! She was happy so that was good. I swore her to secrecy because I need to figure out when to tell the rest of my fam. I just don't want to upset my brother or anything.

 

[Clairitek]

Re:

Mia- excellent news that there was a heartbeat and that the embryo is implanted correctly! Sorry to hear that the u/s tech left you worried. I would have freaked out, too. I really hope your doctor can get behind you trying VBAC and that this time around your cervix doesn’t work against you. I’m sure having a baby that isn’t sunny side up this time around would help a lot, too. I hope by now O is past her cold and that the gym care center isn’t making her sick!

Sorry to hear about your BFF’s chemical pregnancy. I hope she will be rejoining you in pregnancy-land very soon. One of my best friends is due 5 weeks after me but started trying before we did and had an early m/c on her first cycle. I felt pretty bad telling her I was KU. I can understand why you feel bummed out.

Also so sorry to hear about your brother’s baby. I’m glad they feel so confident in their decision to not carry the baby to term. I think I’d be in the same boat if faced with a definitive T13 diagnosis. Fingers crossed it was a random event and not inherited so they can go confidently forward to conceive another child. My heart goes out to them.

Re dreams: I got through spurts of crazy dreams. My most recent one was that I gave birth to a girl with crazy thick dark wavy hair. Neither DH nor I nor our parents have hair like that. It was very strange. We are both more on the light brown end of the spectrum and were both blonde babies. Then that dream was followed up one where they removed the baby from me to inspect it for my 20 week “ultrasound” and then put her back in. Painless and didn’t harm the baby. How strange.
That u/s pic of O is so neat of her nose and lips. I can’t WAIT to see the 20 week ultrasound and see more body parts and detail! All of the others so far have been really for dating or NT purposes and haven’t shown a ton of detail.

Tbaus- I, too, am surprised at how many people asked you if your baby was planned. I’ve had one person ask that. Actually, two. Both co-workers. I think one of them was just being facetious because he thinks that babies are “life ruiners” and he knew how much I wanted to start a family. He wasn’t trying to be mean. Anyway, I hope that all of the other excited reactions about the baby are making up for the curious jerks.

Wonderful that your SIJ pain is subsiding! I hear you on the weird, short but sharp pains in the abdomen. I got a little nervous when I had some old blood come out of me after a series of a few the other night. I’m sure this is just the beginning for us with weird pains down there! Isn’t the ease of folding on the City Mini GT awesome? My only real complaint about that model was how small and hard to reach the storage basket is. I think DH and I are still into the Versa. I hope you can find one to check out!
Sorry to hear that you have a cold. I’m giggling a little at the scramble you and your DH are feeling now but only because, while we don’t own our own house, we too are very busy in the next few months with travel, weddings, visitors and I am starting to feel like it’s better to start working on things now. Like clearing out junk we don’t need so we can put our baby in the walk-in closet and move clothes downstairs. I’m hoping to have everything together by July as well so I can enjoy the last few weeks as much as possible. Good luck to you guys getting the house ready!

Mrk- I followed your lead and bought some maternity jeans. They are the most COMFORTABLE PANTS IN THE WORLD! Why did I wait so long? I hope ATL is pulling through the two storms OK and that the second wasn’t as much of a disaster as the first. That is unfortunate about your MS getting worse. Great that the sea bands are helping you so much. I want to echo what mia said about the Zofran study. Yes the link AMC posted can be concerning if you haven’t read much more but I wholeheartedly think that it was more of a move to cover their behind and state that they’ll further investigate the risk of using a drug off-label like that. How interesting that your scan was measuring so far ahead of where you thought you’d be!

AMC- I’m sorry that your betas aren’t giving you a lot of hope. Keeping fingers crossed that it’s just a slow start to something wonderful. While the results don’t seem as expected there are always successful pregnancies that fall outside the norm. Hugs to you and your DH.

LC- Sorry to hear that Ethan’s sleep still isn’t great. Double whammy when you’re dealing with the hormone-induced fatigue that comes with early pregnancy. I’m sorry that your doctor isn’t being very encouraging about VBAC. Your little nugget in there is pretty cute! Ugh to that sore neck from the rocking chair! I hope your cold sore goes away quickly so you don’t have to worry about passing it to Ethan.

Anchor- Hey there! Seems like things are getting better for you! Sorry to hear that the pregnancy is interfering with your thyroid but I hope the medication helps you deal with the fatigue and constipation. Nice to know there’s a treatable assignable cause other than “you’re pregnant.” Stay away from un-fresh fish! I’m sorry that happened.

Pancake- Great that the meds are helping with the nausea so effectively.Unfortunate that they come with some unhappy side effects of constipation). I remember when you got pregnant with S and I can’t believe you gave birth 2 years ago! Time is moving too quickly indeed. Amazing that your birthdays are all so close. We will be a spread out family with my birthday coming up soon, DHs in June near our anni, and then the baby in August. The aquarium sounds like a great idea for a family with small kids since it’s fun for the adults, too. Glad you guys had a good time.

PPM- WELCOME!!! Holy moly positive at 8 DPO! I hope this is one sticky bean in there!

Whew! Sorry for the novel. I wanted to make sure I was caught up on what was going on with everyone before diving back in.

On 2/12 my doctor called me and told me that my first tri blood tests came back as “high risk” for DS. Cue panic and sobbing in my lab. I was alone in there during work and totally trapped because there was no way I was walking back to my office while looking like that. I already cried at work over the ultrasound panic I had before my NT scan (remember Jay Leno baby scan?) and I didn’t want to do it again over the same thing. Anyway, we saw a genetic counselor on Friday 2/14 before I flew to SLC for the weekend. She explained how the test is done which was really interesting as I knew nothing about it. They combine age, NT measurement, HCG levels, and papp-t protein levels and normalize by your weight (at least the HCG and papp-t) and then compare you to women at the same gestational age (defined by crown-rump length) and look at how many of women with those results gave birth to a baby with T21 and T18. They don’t screen for T13 until later I guess. So I came back as “high risk” meaning less than 1:100. I spent a couple of days being pretty angry about it and didn’t want to spoil this thread (but I was reading along). The day or two after getting that news I spent being angry at every woman I encountered in the store who had a sweet, healthy kid with them. I felt so incredibly irrational and I'm embarrassed to even admit my feelings. But I’ve come to find a lot more peace in all of it. My state, CA, offers low-cost chromosomal abnormality bloodwork to every pregnant woman in the state. Then if you come back high risk for anything they pay for the follow-up work- blood test, doctor appts, amnio if needed. I dropped off blood on Wednesday for the Harmony panel. It is similar to Materni21, Counsyl, etc and will give us more defined odds for T21, T13, and T18. We aren’t sure if we would do an amnio if we still come back high risk. It would just be for information’s sake if we are still high risk for T21. The exciting part of doing this panel is that I will find out gender a few weeks ahead of my 20 weeks ultrasound.

I’m trying very hard to stay positive. It’s difficult to not sit and think about all the changes we will have to make for a DS baby, on top of the regular stuff that happens when you have a child. It’s out of our hands though, so what will be will be.

Other than this drama I’ve had no issues. Been sleeping fairly well, belly is definitely there, and I’ve discovered the joy of maternity pants. After I leave work today I am heading to two local consignment stores to try and find some other things to add to my wardrobe. We went public on FB yesterday and it was just the pick-me-up I needed facing this genetic stuff. We were originally going to wait until we found out gender but sharing our news with our acquaintences and friends online was super fun. DH was surprised by the volume of
likes" it had. He said that he didn't even have that many FB friends to start! I told him that a lot of them were my sweet online girlfriends (vast majority are PSers) to which he just sighed.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I think I’ll move on over to the other thread since tomorrow is 15 weeks for me but I’m certainly going to keep reading and cheering you guys on!

 

[missrachelk]

Re:

Here I am with another drive-by.

I'm actually 6w 5d today. My nurse doesn't know why my scan had that date at the top (maybe that was my dating based on my period?) I'm slightly perturbed that they didn't contact me to go over the US, but it was a teeny heart beating, that we saw, and not much else to go over I imagine!

Still rocking the sea bands : )

I'm starting to research low milk supply again, I had it with DD and am pretty sure I have IGT (insufficient glandular tissue) by my opinion and my LC. I also think DD had latch/suck problems, and several other factors that I am going to try to handle better this time around. When I was nursing DD even with taking domperidone and a boatload of herbs, at my very most engorged, you could feel these distinct patches that had milk and the rest of the breast was soft and 'empty'. My milk never sprayed, only dripped, while pumping or hand expressing, until I was on my top dose of dom and the herbs. That was SUCH a hard road, I'm really unsure what I'm going to do this time around. I feel like all the effort I put forth actually made me feel worse because i spent all this money and all this mental energy to try to 'fix' myself and it didn't 'work' and get me to the goal line of EBF. I still felt (and honestly still do) feel so so inadequate. I did nurse until 1 year but with supplementation all the while. I might not take any of the herbs or medications this time and just work with what I have. I don't think I'll be able to pump, definitely not like I did last time, maybe just once a day when they are both asleep.

BUT there's some interesting research and anecdotal stories about using progesterone cream during pregnancy to increase breast tissue growth. My midwife and LC both OK'd it. I'm trying to decide whether to do it and if so, what to get. There are SO MANY choices (product of the digital age, and motherhood! there is so much information about everything. It can be too much)

Anyway, that's where I am. Sorry for being a drive by poster!

 

[pancake]

Re:

Clairitek, I am so sorry to hear of what you have been going through. I can imagine it must be totally consuming you - and how could it not be? There is nothing we worry about more than the health of our offspring. The algorithm that your practice is following sounds very sensible (and is exactly what I would choose as well in your position, and I hope so much for you that the higher resolution test result is reassuring. I am not sure what else to say that won't sound trite or "smoothing over"-esque so I won't say anything more but that I am thinking of you and hoping for the best possible outcome.

mia - I'm glad that your scan result turned out to be fine! Great news re having told your sister and had a good reception, that must be a weight off your mind. How are your brother and SIL doing?

Re 42+ weekers, my experience is anecdotal - I haven't visited the literature on post-term deliveries and outcomes for a while. One thing I will say is that quite a few of the 42 weekers I have seen gone awry have been a) beyond 42 weeks, and b) with mothers who have had rigid birth plans and slightly "alternative" (for want of a better, more PC term) leanings - home midwives, limited conventional antenatal care, a (pathological) resistance to interventional medicine for any reason, etc. That is not universal, but it is a strong thread running through my experiences. I guess the take-home message for me is that the placenta is really not designed to do its job much beyond 41 weeks, and so abnormal cord flow, fetal distress, prolonged labour, obstructed labour, meconium aspiration, etc, are all issues in some of these cases and are the ilk of what I have seen. With appropriate monitoring then I think that it is much less of an issue but like all aspects of care that are practitioner-dependent, there are reasons why some choose to induce and others choose not to, and for me, I lean heavily towards induction (accepting that the risk of Caesarean is then high) not far beyond 41 weeks.

anchor hope your tummy has settled down! What rotten luck!

amc, I'm thinking of you and I'm sorry you're going through this stress. Please let us know when you have news.

rachel glad that you have found some relief from your MS!! Edit: you posted exactly when I did so I just saw your comment about BFing, progesterone cream etc. I don't know anything about topical progesterone cream in a lactation context but I do remember what a torrid time you had with your first bub and I hope that no matter what you decide this time around, it is easier for you x

LC, your attitude re VBAC sounds really sensible. As I have often said in this thread, one of the biggest decisions we make is in choosing our antenatal caregiver, no matter what the setting is - and I guess you just have to educate yourself as best you can, ask lots of questions, and trust that the caregiver you have chosen will advise you wisely.

tbaus, so envious of all of your trips to Berlin! I have been just the once - we spent 2 weeks there a couple of years ago, my little brother was doing a 6 month exchange at the Freie Universitat at the time. That experience in that city was so formative for him! I would LOVE to go back.

AFM - not a lot of news here. My MS and bloating has abruptly improved in the last 2 days - which at the back of my mind is always a niggling worry in the way that we worry about anything during pregnancy! But I do remember the same thing happening around 12-13 weeks in my first pregnancy, with the bloating rapidly deflating and what MS I did have abating. So hopefully everything is fine and it's just the natural progress of things (for which I'm really very grateful as I feel so much more human). It has been a stressful few days "life"-wise with some more crap from my father's estate; he died 18 months ago, appointed an executrix who we hate and who hates us, but my siblings and i are the only beneficiaries - she is now seeking 3% of the estate as commission, which is freaking ludicrous, and the lawyers are to-ing and fro-ing about it at the moment. We got a pretty nasty letter from them on Friday threatening to take us to court within 10 days if we don't reconsider our counteroffer, but we do have an excellent solicitor acting for us and so much like the choice of an obstetrician, we are banking on him advising us wisely about how to proceed - and I am reminding myself that we can only control what WE do - we can't control what the other side does or what the court decides (if it comes to that). Also, DH crashed one of our cars on Thursday morning - he was fine, but the car is quite damaged. He's never crashed before in 17 years of driving so was pretty shaken and upset.

But we've been through a lot in the last 2-3 years, a lot worse that this, and we can handle what's in front of us. Determined.

 

[amc80]

Hi all. Sorry for being such a bad poster with all of the me-centric posts. Without letting myself get too optimistic, the morning sickness that had gone away for a few days is back in full vengeance. It hit me when we were at Target last night and I almost threw up standing in line. It's been here almost all day today. I'm trying to take it easy and stay hydrated. Maybe this little one was just a slow starter, who knows. I've decided it's a girl since there's been so much drama already. Hope all is well with everyone and I promise to stop with the drive-bys soon.

 

[mia1181]

Re:

Clairtek- That was so sweet and considerate of you to go back and catch up on the thread and give thoughtful responses to everyone. No one would fault you for taking a little break and I know it can be hard to play catch-up when the thread is moving.

I am sorry you have to go through the waiting and uncertainty of additional testing, but I hope you have found some comfort in knowing that you plan to keep this baby and this is just for information purposes. And you get to find out the gender early! I'm still hoping he/she is just a boring, medically-typical baby, but I have such a heart for children with down syndrome. As you know, I work with children/people with special needs and so many of my favorite clients had DS. I really hate to make generalizations about any group of people with a particular diagnosis, but there are some wonderful personality traits that are frequently associated with DS. I hope I am not coming off as making light of DS, that is not my intention. But there are dozens of kiddos out there who have stolen my heart, who also happen to have DS.

That is interesting that you learned that they normally screen for T13 later in the pregnancy. I was wondering why my brother and SIL had found out so late. DH and I are considering getting the MaterniT21 or Harmony or similar test too. I doubt insurance will cover it at my age so I am going to look into the costs. I have heard they used to cap out-of-pocket costs if your insurance didn't cover it, but I don't know if they still do. I don't know if I mentioned that my "brother" is actually my step-brother, so there is no increased risk for me, but I have just been worrying a lot the past few weeks and I think it would put my mind at ease.

Aren't pregnancy dreams the best? I keep getting visits from past friends that I am no longer in touch with, in mine lately! My best dream last pregnancy was where I gave birth on my couch and then didn't know if I should cut the cord, and then I drove to the hospital with the baby in a carseat, cord still connected! I am sorry if that grosses you out, it didn't sound gross in my head but typing it out did hahaha!


MRK- Sorry they didn't call to discuss your US. My doc didn't either but they send me the actual report via email. I guess no call means good news but I like getting report so I can also consult Dr. Google haha! I know that is bad, but I consider myself a responsible googler in that I read everything but don't believe most of it.

Sorry about your supply issues but I'm sending a huge high-five for breastfeeding for a year even with supplementing! You were one determined mama! My friend just did not produce milk and it devastated her. Some "lactivists" try and promote breastfeeding by telling people that low milk supply hardly ever happens and women can breastfeed if they try hard enough, but I saw first hand that it doesn't always work out that way. My friend tried EVERYTHING for months and nothing worked. But I am hoping your situation is more like my other friend who could not breastfeed with her first. He had trouble latching and her supply just dwindled. Her second baby came out a super-latcher and she was able to exclusively breastfeed him! You never know, you could be the same!


Pancake- Thanks so uch for asking about bro and SIL. They seem to be doing okay. It was his birthday a few days ago and they announced the loss on facebook. I'm hoping they found comfort in the kind words people wrote. My siblings took him out for his birthday and they left their kids at home so I'm glad it sounds like everyone is being sensitive to their feelings at this time. I sent flowers to SIL, it was my small attempt to try and do something for them and she seemed to really appreciate the gesture.

Your anecdotal experience on 42+ week babies is very interesting and makes sense. Since I would only want a VBAC if by some miracle I went into labor early, I will likely have a scheduled c-section at 39-40 weeks this time. It feels great to know I won't go past my due date! I have been reading a blog lately (the SkepticalOB?) and it is a very anti-homebirth, etc. She might be a little extreme but I also think some of the homebirth advocates can also be extreme. I look for research to help shape my views on these types of things. I remember when I saw the Business of Being Born I was really compelled to look into home births. Not because I thought the medical community was out to get me, but it did make sense that childbirth was something that many women should be able to do with minimal intervention. But I found a lot of information on failed homebirth attempts and it wasn't something I wanted to risk.

My views on childbirth are somewhere in the middle now. I personally want as little intervention as possible, but I want access to intervention if needed. I think I have the best possible situation with my OBGYN and hospital combo. My OBGYN is very low intervention and my hospital has 24 hour surgery staff in case of an emergency. I think it is exactly as you said, that you have to find a doctor you trust and then you can feel empowered in your decisions with their advice. It also meant the world to me that c-sections in my hospital are not treated like a second-class birth. My baby was still placed on my chest immediately after birth while they finished my surgery. We were given all the same treatment as a vaginal delivery so I am not grieving a loss of a "normal birth."

My MS also ended abruptly IIRC, but it was at 16 weeks so I'm glad you got out of it early! Sorry for all the stuff going on in your life. I'm glad DH is fine from the crash. So scary! Hopefully things wind down for you guys and you settle the estate drama quickly.


AMC- That MS sounds promising! Can't have that without sufficient hormones! Hoping for good news soon. Hang in there!

Mia1181 7wks today

 

[pancake]

Re:

mia - it sounds like your brother and SIL are grieving in a very healthy way. I am not one for announcing things on social media BUT I think that in situations like this, there is probably a relief in being able to disseminate the news without having to pick up the phone a million times. And I'm sure that they have had a warm, supportive response. I am just so sad for them.

My last answer re post-dates was a bit fluffy, I thought the better of it and thought I'd better come back and post something less fluffy! My understanding of the literature (which I would highly doubt has changed in the last few years) is that there is good evidence that maternal and fetal/neonatal outcomes worsen with increasing gestation and that there is also evidence that the rate of emergency Caesarean section is decreased by inducing at 41 weeks. Doing the latter MAY also decrease neonatal mortality but I believe this is less clear. Monitoring is good and I suppose it's reassuring for mothers and clinicians alike but I don't think there is yet evidence that it improves outcomes. I guess, in your case, having had a C/S before, you won't have the option of induction and so you are right - there is a strong likelihood of a repeat semi-elective section after 38 weeks.

My personal views on homebirth are probably well-known to a few people in this thread, but generally speaking I am against it. I am definitely not pro-intervention unless there is a clear indication for it, HOWEVER I believe that developed countries' healthcare systems exist for a reason and one of the most important of those is that the care available within them has improved maternal and neonatal outcomes out of this world. I believe that there is this now this overriding culture of "health consumers" rather than "patients" and I think that there is a pervasive mentality of entitlement that is creeping into pregnancy and childbirth management, too often focused around what the mother's wishes are and not enough around the safety of the fetus/baby at the other end.

In saying this I am in NO WAY whatsoever tarring you with that brush and I hope I haven't offended you! I think your views are very sensible and of course within my strong viewpoint there is room for many shades of grey and, obviously, every person and their situation is different and it would foolish to think that there is only one right approach!