Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Haven, I'm sorry you're dealing with HG. My friend and colleague dealt with HG for her entire pregnancy. She took Zofran from about 12 weeks on. It never took the nausea away but generally kept her from vomiting. At some point, near 30 weeks, she felt it was no longer effective at anything, and turned to acupuncture. She also wore sea bands but said that nothing really helped.

By week 25 she was eating somewhat normally... I know up until that point all she did was munch on crackers and sip water with a bit of grapefruit juice in it.

She also napped a lot and felt that laying down in a dark room helped her to cope. There were many tearful days at work where she simply felt exhausted and thought she'd never escape feeling ill.

I wish I had some positive news to share, that X,Y and Z helped her symptoms ease up and allowed her to carry on normally, but that wasn't the case for her. I DO know that her last trimester was her best, in terms of how she felt physically, and that her nausea had barely-there days. By third tri she was doing yoga, eating pretty well, and felt more social. Surround yourself with people who will just lend a sympathetic ear and do what they can to make you feel comfortable. Unfortunately, so few people understand what HG is like and refuse to believe that a mama could be THAT sick for THAT long.

As for food, she couldn't stomach plain water, so she drank lots of hot tea and water with grapefruit juice. She also ate bland food, like mashed potatoes. She also felt like taking evening walks helped her to reenergize and feel better... but there were days, up until the very end of her pregnancy, where she just couldn't get out of bed. So let yourself have that time if you need it.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Oh, and if you couldn't tell from my last post, I am still here.

Tons of acupuncture, sex, evening primrose oil, red raspberry leaf tea, watermelon, fresh pineapple, eggplant, spicy food, nipple stimulation, walking, bouncing, swimming, cleaning, and dancing have done nothing to ease this baby out. Clearly she is not ready.

Nothing notable has happened since the loss of my mucus plug over one week ago. Some days I feel a bit crampy, but they're not consistent.

Tomorrow I have a midwife appointment, so I'm going to ask for an internal and a second sweeping of membranes.

I still feel super anxious for the start of labor and some moments of each day I feel like crying... the anticipation is too much, sometimes. I'm also worried about the NST and biophysical profile this week. I feel like the baby's movements have really decreased, so I'm nervous that something may be awry... or my imagination is just overactive. No matter what, I want to stay OUT of the hospital, and that is going to require that she enter the world by Thursday. I'm not feeling too hopeful.

Sorry for the me-centric post

 

[amc80]

Well, I had a pretty uneventful appointment. Still not dilated after all of those intense contractions. Got monitored and baby looks good. I did get an official pre-e diagnosis based on my 24 pee collection and high BP. It is very borderline though. My protein count needed to be under 300 and it was 306. So nothing horrible. My OB really wants the baby to bake for another week (37w tomorrow). I have to go back in on Thursday for a NST. At this point it seems all of the stress is on me since the contractions aren't doing anything other than cause me grief. I can deal with all of it though if it gives the baby a better shot at being healthy. I do think that if the fun keeps up I will be induced next week. Hopefully in the last few days of July so I get a ruby instead of peridot

 

[mayerling]

PPM, at which point do they induce?

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

AMC: Sorry the contractions aren't doing anything. That's gotta be frustrating. Also, bummer about your Pre-e diagnosis You've had a rough Monday! So there's a NST coming up... is there anything else they do to monitor the Pre-e? Stay well, mama. I hope your babe keeps baking and that you start to feel a bit better.

Mayerling: I have a maximum of eight days until an induction. The bummer is that induction has to happen at the hospital. At 42 weeks I age out of the birth center, so I have tomorrow through the following Wednesday for labor to begin. The worst case scenario is that my NST and biophysical profile reveal stress on baby/crappy placenta/low fluid and I have to immediately transfer care to the hospital (at which point an OB there may or may not plan for an induction). I'll know that within three days.

 

[monkeyprincess]

PPM, you poor thing. I was hoping that you were quiet yesterday for a reason. Hang in there. Maybe your midwife appointment will help get things moving in the right direction because I know you don't want to be induced. I'm guessing I'll be begging for an induction if/when I get to the point you are.

amc, glad to hear the little guy seems to be staying put for now, although it sounds like you don't have much longer to go either way. Hang in there!

Haven, no advice for you, but I'm sorry to hear you're still suffering so much. That just plain sucks. Really hoping some relief is in sight for you and you don't have this the whole pregnancy. That sounds just miserable, so I don't blame you for being emotional. I think the exaggerated emotions just come with the territory even when you're not dealing with morning sickness. My poor DH has had to console me several times in the past few weeks because the littlest things will set me off and make me tear up or have a temper tantrum, and I think it has got to be the hormones because I'm usually much more level-headed.

AFM, things are going well. We crossed off some big items on our baby list this weekend - crib, dresser, carseat, extra base, carseat caddy/stroller, tub. Much more to do, but it felt good to get started. I've been dealing with acid reflux again though, and I woke up twice in the past week coughing/choking and needing to run to the bathroom to throw up bile/stomach acid (sorry TMI). Scary way to wake up! I'm trying to be careful not to eat to close to bedtime and to not lie down or lounge too soon after eating and take zantac or tums if I at all feel something coming on before I go to bed. That seems to be working. Oh, and I had the worst dream last night that really upset me. I woke up crying because our baby was born with no eyes. I have no idea where that came from, but it was so sad. I've been having the most vivid dreams lately, is that happening to anyone else? And they are usually sort of wierd or disturbing. I'd much rather have nice dreams about the baby being born!

 

[Buttons]

Haven have you considered giving acupuncture a go? I started going at 16 weeks and really that was when I started to turn a corner. I am completely convinced it has helped me - the lady I go to has managed to get me (mostly) sleeping well, I have no more migraines or even bad headaches (I still get mild ones if I forget to eat or I'm tired, but that's to be expected!), and two weeks ago she completely eliminated all the horrible back pain I was having after going on an epic 900 mile road trip. Might be worth a try. I really hope you start to get some relief soon, I feel so sorry for you, you poor thing! Sending lots of hugs across the water!

PPM I have heard that some babies slow down with the movement in the days preceding labour, to conserve their energy for the birth - maybe that is what your babba is doing! My hypnobirthing CDs have a track on them for induction of labour, might something like that be worth a try? There are probably scripts you can find online to read to yourself - it can't hurt? The midwives clinic I am attending do loads of sweeps once you go overdue, as like in your situation, once you hit that 14 days it's over to the hospital for the pitocin drip etc... so I am really hoping that works for you and am sending you lots of labour vibes!

amc I don't know whether to say I'm sorry you're suffering with contractions that are doing nothing, or that I'm glad baby is baking for a while longer!!! You poor thing. You have such an upbeat attitude and are keeping so positive, you are amazing. Thinking of you!

monkeyprincess that is very exciting about the baby purchases this past weekend! Yay!!! I'm sorry to hear your dream made you cry, that is no fun I am sure you are just processing through the natural worries all Mommies have about their babies being healthy. I have been having some vivid dreams too. I had one awful one where I had the baby in my sleep and when I woke up and picked it up from under the duvet it looked like a little wizened version of a local TV personality who has a distinctive appearance (he's exceptionally skinny) only it had a full compliment of razor sharp pointed teeth like Elijah Wood's character had in Sin City. Yeah, bit disturbing. Crazy pregnancy dreams

How is everyone else doing? Megumic, Katamari, missrachelk, vintagelover, dani, sunnyd, JGator, MrsW, blondebunny, Dandi, lulu - how are you all?

===

AFM DH is away again, this time he'll be gone until Thursday night. I feel like I am doing better this week on my own. Of course it is only Tuesday... I am such a wimp! Last night I finished packing my labour bag. Well, all bar the pretty nursing nightie I bought to put on after the delivery, which I now can't find, grrrr.

Only other excitement with me is that today our new bedroom furniture is being delivered to the house we have rented in my home town. We are moving in next weekend and have been packing and cleaning and scrubbing like crazy the last couple of weeks to get it ready. It will be great to see our nice furniture and our comfy new mattress in there instead of the horrific 20 year old divan set the landlord had left behind!

I am trying to work out whether to buy a TENS machine. The hospital has one in each delivery room but I hear they are most effective if you put them on right from the very beginning, and my plan is to stay at home as long as possible and then to make a beeline for the pool soon as I get to the hospital, and for obvious reasons you can't wear a TENS machine in the pool. I looked into renting one from a chemist but I could buy the exact same machine for not too much more. Anyone have any thoughts on TENS machines in general?

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

I've made no progress. Cervix still high and back. 1cm dilated, 30% effaced. Baby did drop from -2 to -1 station, at least. They're scrambling to make an ultrasound appointment for Thursday or Friday. "Natural" induction methods will start Monday. Care will transfer to hospital on Wednesday.

A lot can change in 8 days, but right now I'm feeling so down and frustrated. Why can't my body and this baby cooperate?

The midwife suggested evening primrose oil, red raspberry leaf tea, and acupuncture Been there, done that.

I know it' silly, and that FTMs generally go past their due dates, but I just feel like crying. Blah. Sorry for only talking about myself... I need to stop having a pity party.

 

[mayerling]

PPM, hugs. I can imagine how frustrating it can be to go past the due date. I didn't, but I got so close that it still bothered me. However, I see from the preggo thread that you were due on the 19th; wouldn't Monday the 30th be a long time to wait for an induction?

 

[PetitiePoire]

Aw PPM, huge hugs. I was 1cm 3 days before I had L, don't lose hope! I'll keep you in my thoughts.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Just popping in as I sometimes do . . .

PPM - Sorry to hear that things are going slowly . . . I know you already know this, but the fact that you are only 1 cm now, is no indication of where you may be tomorrow or the next day. I know it stinks, BTDT, but the good news is that one way or another, baby will be here soon. Curious -- what are the natural induction methods? Did you have the NST already? Sorry, haven't been really following this thread too closely, but saw you mentioned that above. I too tried acupuncture, twice, to get things started, and I was so tense and stressed during the whole thing, that I'm not surprised it didn't work. I went to the same acupuncturist I went to when we were TTC'g, and i was just so mad at her for two reasons -- first, she all but promised it would work, and it didn't, and two, she used eletrical stimulation, which really freaked me out and made me worry for the baby. She had never used that before during my TTC appointments, and I was a wreck about it, and cried during my second session for starting labor. Yeah, not relaxing! Hope you don't have to be induced, but as far as these things go, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. My practice induces at 10 days, and labor took forever, but it was still the single most beautiful experience of my life, interventions and all. I know how hard it is when you want things to go a certain way!! You will do great, no matter what!

Haven - I missed your HG diagnosis. I am so sorry to read that, and I hope things turn around for you soon. Did you drs give you any specific advice or precautions? I do hope you are feeling better soon!!

 

[amc80]

PPM- Ugh, how frustrating! I mean I'm frustrated but I'm not technically due for another 3 weeks. You're just too nice of a home for the baby!


Thanks for all of the concern! I did lose my mucous plus this morning. I know this really doesn't mean a whole lot, and it could be from being examined yesterday...but it was still nice to feel like something is happening. Baby still hasn't dropped yet, though, so I really think he's happy just hanging out.

AMC: Sorry the contractions aren't doing anything. That's gotta be frustrating. Also, bummer about your Pre-e diagnosis You've had a rough Monday! So there's a NST coming up... is there anything else they do to monitor the Pre-e? Stay well, mama. I hope your babe keeps baking and that you start to feel a bit better.

Well, they are having me go in twice a week now to monitor my bp and check my pee for increased levels of protein. So really just the normal stuff that happens at every appointment anyway. I'm supposed to keep an eye out for bad headaches, swelling, etc.

Haven- you poor thing. Ugh, it sucks. I wish I had more advice but I think I've already shared all of my knowledge. Boo

Late termers- anyone else stop gaining weight? I haven't gained anything in over a month. This week I was expecting a gain for sure because I've been eating like crap and have had ice cream or a milk shake EVERY DAY. But nope, not even a pound. This might sound weird but I'm trying to eat as much crap as possible since I'll be in major diet mode once baby is here (well, still eating enough to breast feed, just healthy stuff).

 

[megumic]

PPM, hang in there! I understand completely why you feel the way you do about hurrying your birth along so you can avoid the hospital. I will say though, that your body and your baby know what to do and they know when it is time. Trust your body and your baby to make labor and birth happen when they are both ready! Plus, you have EIGHT days. That is a heck of a lot of time for things to change! Eight days s longer than a vacation, it's the number of nights for Hanukkah, it's more than a week, it's a Beatles song. Lol. You have plenty of time! Plus, due dates are so darn arbitrary. That's why we are full term at 37 weeks but not overdue until after 42 weeks. That s a whole five week window within which normal term delivery happens! Kind of crazy when you think about it. Five weeks is a huge span of time and I'm pretty sure it exists because knowing when a baby will be born is not a science. Hence your actual due date is really just some arbitrary date based off the last time you had a period, which is a terrible calculator of conception and even at that, some babies bake longer than others!

Chin up lady, I have full confidence that bean will be stirring to get out within the next week!

 

[Buttons]

Awwww PPM you poor thing you are so hard on yourself! As the other ladies said, 1cm today does not necessarily mean you won't go into labour tomorrow, or even tonight! And eight days is AGES. You have lots and lots of time to go into labour spontaneously. I read somewhere that the average day for first time Mums to go into spontaneous labour is 40 weeks + 8 days - so lots of time yet. A good friend of mine tells a story about going to sleep on Friday night with a crying wife, upset over the fact that the hospital had scheduled an induction for Monday. He woke up Saturday morning to a crying wife, only now she was crying with relief that contractions had started...

I don't know if this is useful but at our birthing class the midwife said to go into labour you need to have lots of oxytocin in your system, and minimal adrenalin. The way she put it was you need to feel chilled out, loved up, and full of romance. Run yourself a bath Mamma and get your DH to give you a nice massage (or whatever makes you feel peaceful and relaxed). You need a break from all this pressure to get the show on the road. Time to pamper yourself a bit. Sending you lots of hugs.

 

[amc80]

I don't know if this is useful but at our birthing class the midwife said to go into labour you need to have lots of oxytocin in your system, and minimal adrenalin. The way she put it was you need to feel chilled out, loved up, and full of romance. Run yourself a bath Mamma and get your DH to give you a nice massage (or whatever makes you feel peaceful and relaxed). You need a break from all this pressure to get the show on the road. Time to pamper yourself a bit. Sending you lots of hugs.

This is really good advice! Pretty interesting as well.

Quick question- what's the difference between losing your plug and the bloody show?

From what I can tell, you can lose your plug multiple times and it will regenerate. When this happens, it will come out clear or yellowish or otherwise snot-like.This doesn't mean a whole lot in terms of when labor will start.

With the bloody show, it's your mucous plug that is red/pink (so the snot with blood in it). The blood is coming from your cervix which will put out a little blood as it starts to dilate. This still is not a for sure sign of when labor will start, but does mean that something is happening. So bloody show = losing pink/red mucous plug.

Is this right?

 

[NovemberBride]

PPM - I mostly lurk here these days, but I wanted to pop in to give you some hope. At my 39 week appointment I was not dialated or effaced at all. Dr. said we could talk induction at my next appointment. My water broke the next day and my DD was born less than 12 hours later. So in my experience I went from 0 to 60 in 24 hours, so 8 days is more than enough!

 

[amc80]

PPM - I mostly lurk here these days, but I wanted to pop in to give you some hope. At my 39 week appointment I was not dialated or effaced at all. Dr. said we could talk induction at my next appointment. My water broke the next day and my DD was born less than 12 hours later. So in my experience I went from 0 to 60 in 24 hours, so 8 days is more than enough!

I wish PS had a like button!

 

[sunnyd]

Quick question- what's the difference between losing your plug and the bloody show?

From what I can tell, you can lose your plug multiple times and it will regenerate. When this happens, it will come out clear or yellowish or otherwise snot-like.This doesn't mean a whole lot in terms of when labor will start.

With the bloody show, it's your mucous plug that is red/pink (so the snot with blood in it). The blood is coming from your cervix which will put out a little blood as it starts to dilate. This still is not a for sure sign of when labor will start, but does mean that something is happening. So bloody show = losing pink/red mucous plug.

Is this right?

I don't know but it sounds disgusting!

Sorry about the pre-e, amc. Your uterus is indeed dramatic! At least it's super minor and you can keep on baking for a bit longer. The thought of carrying around a jug of pee at work is amusing though.

PPM, have you tried baking? Old PS trick, I don't know if it's worked recently. Maybe you can bring it back! Don't worry about the pity party, you're allowed. I agree with the others that 8 days is still a long time, and I think you'll go before then! Have faith!

Haven, sorry you're still so sick, that must be really draining.

Hello MP, Buttons, Dani, Dandi, everyone else!

AFM, heartburn has become a regular thing. I'm surprised it held off this long! It's just a burn in the back of my throat that goes away with food or drink, but not water. I'm ridiculously happy that my reflux hasn't been an issue...yet...before pregnancy I never got heartburn, just reflux. Now, I just get heartburn! Weird, but I'll take it!

People keep asking me if I'm having twins, which is awesome. Or they looked shocked when I tell them I have 3 months left.

Glucose test is tomorrow, and I get my TDAP shot. I have a feeling tomorrow evening will be rough! I'm trying to figure out my logistics still, and what I should eat for lunch! My appointment is at 3:50 with my OB, so I need to drink my delicious fruit punch crap around 2:45-ish. Could I do this at work and safely drive to my appointment without barfing? It'd be nice to save the extra hour of sick time I'd need to use! Of COURSE this is the only appointment so far that DH won't make it to! But obviously I want to get to the doctor without driving into a tree. What did you all do?

 

[JGator]

AMC, good luck hanging in there for another week, or two, or three. I'm pretty sure you won't go all the way to 40 weeks with all the drama you have experienced.

SunnyD, the drink wasn't that bad. It tasted like flat orange soda.

PPM, I hope you don't have to wait another week. Safe baby delivery dust to you.

Buttons, I hope your new furniture made it today and you are comfortable and enjoying it!

MP, congrats on getting all those baby purchases completed. I have had very vivid scary dreams particularly lately. None are about the baby, but they are quite scary.

Haven, I really feel for you dear. I hope this goes away soon. I have a good friend who was pretty sick for most of her 2 pregnancies. She was hospitalized multiple times and also had to come home with IVs in order to stay hydrated. I'm actually surprised she had 2 kids after her experience, but she said it was worth it to her in the end! I really hope you feel better soon. Start ignoring and avoiding the negative people and hang around the empathetic ones. That's what you need right now. Hugs to you.

AFM, not much new here. I'm 25 weeks and 2 days. 100 days to go till the due date. I got the Baby Bargains book recently so that has helped tremendously with my research on strollers, car seats, cribs, dressers, etc. It is still overwhelming, but not so bad with the book and its ratings and recommendations. Hope all is well with everyone out there!

 

[megumic]

PPM, any update?

AMC, hanging in? I have no clue the diff btw the mucous plug and the bloody show and anythign else expected from down yonder. LOL. On that issue, I'm kind of ignorance is bliss and I'll google the photo when I need to know. LOL. And no, I did NOT stop gaining weight. I do not want to discuss this issue. As a matter of fact, every time I go to the dr I end up crying about it...

sunnyd, sorry about the heartburn, I feel ya. It is downright miserable. I never had it before getting preggo and I'd say I've had it daily since about 30 weeks on. Good luck with the glucose test! I didn't think the drink was that bad, but I was also fitfully looking for my DBY bracelet at the same moment as well -- I thought someone had stolen it -- so I had just chugged it down without a wince.

Buttons, thanks for the piece of info on adrenaline and oxytocin! So maybe if I stress enough about work over the next two weeks, I can prevent labor?? LOL. I need to work until August 6/7...so hoping baby holds out until then!

Haven, sorry about the sickness still. I can't imagine how frustrated you have become about this! My MS waned around 14 weeks, so I don't have much advice for you, but I do hope you're feeling better very soon! Have you spoken to more than one dr about it? I'm always for a second opinion...

AFM, had appt yesterday. Baby's head is down, but still floating. I have GBS test next week. Also will have STD testing. I know it sounds silly, but we'd like to avoid ointment in baby's eyes. The reason they do that is if mom has chlamydia or gonorrhea - it is standard to do ointment as many women show no symptoms of these STDs. While I'm certain I do not have either of these, we agreed that to be 100% conservative on the issue that I'd get tested so we can at least be sure before declining ointment. Also went over birth plan and thankfully Dr was on board with all of our hopes for our birth!

I'm thinking hard on names these days...so I might as well share in PS life since I haven't shared in real life at all:

Callan
Henry
Sullivan
Caleb
Wesley

Lenna
Eleanor (Lenna for short)
Sadie
Finley
Caroline
Eloise (Lola)
Margaux

Thoughts????

 

[Missy0483]

Meg - I like Caleb (SIL just named her little boy that name) and Wesley (love the nickname Wes...would you use that nickname?) Also, Sadie and Caroline...love them! Margaux, is that pronounce like Mar-go? If so, I kinda like that too!

Sunnyd - Call me a weirdo, but I kinda liked the glucose stuff. I had the lemon-lime flavor. If you're able to at work, put a glass cup in the freezer and pour the glucose drink in that. The colder, the better! It worked for me! I had DH drive me, I was worried all the sugar would make me feel weird, but apparently my body is used to all that sugar because I felt totally normal the whole time and could have safely driven myself. I had 2 eggs for breakfast, but my appointment was in the morning. I guess you could still have eggs for lunch I passed the test. Good luck!

Since I can't contribute a bump picture for bump day anymore...here is our little monster PPM, maybe a little motivation for your body to get with the program!!!!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Missy, ahh, Blake's a little cutie. Look at all that hair.

Meg, I'm like you, I don't want my baby to come early at all because I get 12 weeks maternity leave, and I would LOVE if little guy would time his birth to let his mommy stay home through the end of the year rather than having to come back around Christmas time You've got some great names to choose from. You can't go wrong, but you better start narrowing down soon! Hope your little one keeps baking away until at least August 7th!

JGator, I thought Baby Bargains was somewhat helpful as well because it at least narrows down the choices to make all the decisions less overwhelming and gives you a little more confidence in your choices. My advice is just to pick a couple items at a time to research, and then make your decision and start buying (or registering if you are going that route). It feels so much better once you get the process started. And you also start to realize that not every decision is life or death.

Sunnyd, hope the glucose test goes well. Mine's on Friday. I don't usually react strongly to sugary things, so my doctor didn't think I'd have any problem driving myself there. But I'll probably just stay home the morning before the test and have DH take me because he's been going to all the appointments anyway.

amc, I've had a lot of people tell me they stopped gaining weight in the end. Not exactly sure why, but it might have something to do with your body using more calories in general and having a smaller appetite. Hope things are still holding steady!

PPM, thinking of you! Keep the faith that it will happen soon!

Buttons, what's a TENS machine?

AFM, here's my 28.5 week picture. No big change. And I swear I'm not wearing a black jumpsuit! I had a black tank top under another top but the tank top showed the bump better than the tent I was wearing. Getting big!

 

[amc80]

AMC, hanging in? I have no clue the diff btw the mucous plug and the bloody show and anythign else expected from down yonder. LOL. On that issue, I'm kind of ignorance is bliss and I'll google the photo when I need to know. LOL. And no, I did NOT stop gaining weight. I do not want to discuss this issue. As a matter of fact, every time I go to the dr I end up crying about it...

Well, if it makes you feel better, my last weight gain was like 10lbs...all at once. I think it was in between my last two monthly appointments, but I have no idea. My total weight gain is between 35-40lbs, so OH! I also measured my "waist." 45 freaking inches! It's shocking. I think I was around 30 before.

So, I'm really torn here, maybe you guys can help me. I'm fairly sure they will induce me next week due to pre-e. I'm not 100% positive, but that's definitely what the doctor has inferred. I thought they would do it this week but she said as long as my stats aren't crazy then she'd rather keep him in there for another week. Of course, she could say that next week as well. If I'm going to be induced, I'd much rather try to get things started on my own. The whole bloody show thing was promising. I also did a lot of pelvic rocks on a ball yesterday in an effort to get this kid dropped a bit. I just don't know how far I want to go with the measures. I thought about buying whole pineapple and eating that. I told DH we might have to resort to sex (ha, that should be interesting). I wish I could get a definitive answer from my doctor, but I'm sure she can't give one since it all depends on how I'm doing.

Here's my 37 week pic-

 

[Buttons]

PPM thinking of you, hope you are feeling better today, you had a hard day yesterday... hugs...

Awww Missy look at your little Blake! He is so cute!!! So alert and just taking it all in! I had to Google what a cornhole board is - sounds like a fun game!

megumic hoping baby stays put for you for as long as you need, and that s/he then makes an appearance right on cue My hospital checked for STDs at my booking in appointment, I got the results then at 24 weeks. I also would like to avoid ointment in baby's eyes, I must ask them at my next appointment if that's routine here. I don't think it is but seeing as my results were all clear I can't imagine it would be a problem to skip it in any case. FWIW I love Caleb and Eloise

JGator the furniture is actually an hour away in the house we rented in my home town - we are moving in dribs and drabs over the next week or so. I can't wait to get to try it out, my Mum sent me photos and it looks great! I hear you on the overwhelming-ness of all the baby stuff. DH and I are quite traditional people and there is a superstition here that you shouldn't let anything for baby enter your house before you actually have the baby, so we have bought virtually nothing! Also we won't have a nursery, as we'll be moving again in November, so a lot of the gear seems redundant.

Sunnyd I'm sorry to hear about the heartburn! It kicked in for me intermittently at about 28 weeks. In the last week or so it's become a more constant feature, especially when I drink. Warm drinks seem to be worse than cold ones. Fortunately for me a small glass of milk seems to help a lot, as do Rennies tablets. I think the equivalent in the States is probably the Tums tablets I keep hearing everyone talking about? Good luck for your GD test today, I have no advice re lunch as I never had to do it but I hope it all goes really well for you!!!

amc wouldn't a Like button be fab? There's a crafters' social networking site out there and in the forums section it has options under every post to hit 'educational' / 'interesting' / 'funny' / 'agree' / 'disagree' / 'love'. It's such a nifty little feature! I think your description of mucous plug / bloody show sounds eminently accurate. I hadn't thought about it before but the way you describe it makes perfect sense, to me anyway! Re the induction question, maybe you could do some of the more gentle natural induction things between now and your next appointment? Then if it looks like an induction is needed ASAP you may be more favourable and it may go more smoothly. Also, if the induction isn't needed ASAP I would try and negotiate with your doctor to try the natural methods for a day or two before heading to the more aggressive steps. Obviously everything contingent on how you and baby are doing at the next appointment of course. You look so good in your belly shot - you are literally all bump!

monkey you are looking fabulous! Such a cute bump! A TENS machine is a device you can use for pain relief in labour. It has a controller panel with cables connected to pads you stick onto your back and they deliver a low electrical stimulus which distracts you from pain. The labour ones also have a boost button for use during contractions. The trick is to put it on at literally the first contraction and let it build - apparently if you get it on early enough it's very effective. Obviously enough you can't wear it in a birthing pool or the bath tub! If you imagine a really tiny Slendertone machine, it's a little like that.

===

AFM had an appointment with my GP today and everything went well. BP, urine (proteins/sugars/UTI etc) all normal. She made no comment on weight gain, belly is measuring exactly 32 weeks, all is good! She was very funny when she was feeling for the baby's position, she was tracing out the head and the back and the bottom and then all of a sudden this very professional doctor came over all gooey and started cooing over finding a leg - I cracked up! She also said all the nasty pelvic pain I'm having is a combination of ligament pain and pain in the internal scars from my surgery in November. It's a relief it's not anything more sinister. She recommended to keep doing my pregnancy yoga and to swim as much as I can. So that was good to hear.

Nothing else to report here. We still don't have a girl name hammered down and I am having very strong girl feelings. Boy name is all sorted, we even have a boy name should we have a second and it's also a boy. But girl names are hard!!!

Hope everyone is feeling well, take care ladies

 

[sunnyd]

Missy, thank you! I decided to chug at the office and get to the doc somewhere around the 30 minutes to go mark...we'll see how that goes! Your little monster is so cute! Big blue eyes, love!

MP and amc, love the bumps!

Buttons, sorry to hear your in heartburn hell too. Mine's not even that bad, just irritating. Oh well, only a few months more to live with it (for me, you have much less!).

 

[Haven]

Ladies, thank you so much for all of your support, advice, and well wishes. I was really sick this morning, but by 4 PM I was feeling better and actually ate a real meal. Yaaaay! I'm going to a different doctor a week from tomorrow, so I'm going to ask about the HG. One option I have is to take the meds via IV, they are supposed to work better that way, so I'm going to ask about that.

I'm starting to feel sick again, but I'm so grateful for even a few good hours. I took a belly shot today because I didn't know when I'd be looking alive again after today. I woke up this morning and felt so much bigger in my belly, but now that I see the pictures I don't think it really looks that different. I need to remember to smile next time!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Haven, you're not much bigger, but your belly seems a little more defined now. I also think that dark solid colors have a way of minimizing bumps. That's good you're talking to a different doctor because there have to be different things you can at least try to help you function a little better.

Sunnyd, how did the glucose test go?

Buttons, sounds like everything is going well. That's funny about the doctor getting mushy about feeling a leg. When do doctors start feeling for specific parts? I'll be 29 weeks at my appointment tomorrow, so I'm wondering if she'll be able to feel the baby's orientation. His little movements (rare as there) seem to be all over the place, so I have no idea what he's doing in there

Looking great amc. 37 weeks is considered full term, and since the at home remedies for starting labor that you mentioned are harmless, why not give it a try? Unfortunately, they don't seem to be all that effective, but you never know.

AFM, my last monthly appointment is tomorrow, and then I switch to every two weeks. Crazy. I was doing really well on weight gain this month until this past week, and I think I'm up 5-6 pounds again. It just keeps creeping on no matter what I do, and it's frustrating. I'm still within normal ranges I guess, but if I keep going at this rate, I will almost certainly gain more than 35 pounds by the time all is said and done. Boo! Oh, and we picked up our crib and dresser last night, so I think we might empty out the baby's room this weekend and start getting everything set up. So exciting!

 

[amc80]

Monkey- I was the same way with weight. I would be really good and careful and still gain a ton. It was like being on the world's least effective diet. The good news is now its the opposite and I am not gaining. I told my husband that this must be what it's like to be him (he's 6'7 and has to work hard to stay above 200lbs).

 

[Prana]

Hi ladies! I hope everyone is doing well!

PPM I hope you're hanging in there! I don't know if I could tolerate all this hot weather, I give all you 3rd trimester mama's a lot of credit there. Looks like it's been a couple of days since you posted last, maybe that's good news? I can imagine your frustration at going past your due date though. I know I'll be frustrated if it happens to me.

AMC I hope everything goes smoothly for you as well. You are so close.

MP Sorry about the reflux but glad everything is OK otherwise. It must have been exciting to buy all that baby stuff! As for the nightmare, I would have been upset too but I'm sure that it doens't mean anyting. Probably just your anxiety manifesting itself in your dream. And you look awesome at almost 29 weeks! Also happy to hear that you've got some furniture happening. I wouldn't worry about the sporadic weight gain. You look great and you're within your healthy weight range. I know it's frustrating but maybe the baby had a growth spurt causing the random increase.

Buttons Very exciting for you with the new stuff! Also glad your DH is coming home tonight! Girl names are hard for DH and I as well. We had an easier time with boy names.

sunnyD Good luck on your glucose test! Sorry about people asking you if you're having twins. People are really dumb. Even though they are probably just trying to be funny, people really say some stupid things. I'm sure you look fabulous.

JGator I just borrowed my friends Baby Bargains book. I feel totally overwhelmed and like I don't even know where to begin with buying things and registering, and that book does help weed things out and narrow things down. I have to buy my own copy.

Megumic I really like all of the names on your list. I think my favorites from the two lists are Henry (I'm biased as it's my DH's name and I think it's a great name) and Lenna. I also like Wesley because it reminds me of Westley, because I love The Princess Bride

Missy Blake is such a cutie! He looks like he's super calm. Or maybe it was just a calm moment. Either way, he's handsome.

Haven I'm really sorry about the HG diagnosis. But you look really great and healthy, if it's any consolation. I do hope that your sickness goes away though. You've been champing it through this. You're almost halfway through!


AFM: I'm 16 weeks today. My belly popped on Tuesday. All the sudden I look pregnant. I still feel good, and nothing out of the ordinary which makes me feel like I'm not pregnant. I'm still reliant on my doppler every night to make sure that everything is still OK. DH and I are going to go to babies R us and look at stuff. I feel really overwhelmed when it comes to actually committing to baby things. The baby bargains book has been a huge help in weeding stuff out, but the only thing I'm 100% sure about is what stroller I want. I feel like it's so hard to buy major things and things that are for everyday use without actually knowing the person you are buying it for. I'm getting excited for my next US in 4 weeks at week 20! We don't want to know the gender, but I'm really looking forward to seeing our baby again and seeing its face and hands and feet and body and all the stuff that makes it real.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Prana, baby shopping is overwhelming, which is why I largely avoided it until a few weeks ago. I do think it helps to just focus on a couple items at a time. It's probably even a little harder when you don't know/aren't finding out the gender, although we're trying to keep everything pretty neutral in the hope we'll be blessed with more babies in the future. Out of curiosity, which stroller do you want? That is one decision I haven't been able to make. We ended up just getting the caddy (snap n go) that goes with the chicco keyfit stroller, and we'll figure out which stroller to get once the baby outgrows his carseat.