Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[bubbly1126]

Basil, CONGRATS!!
Dcgator, I hope your little one arrives soon!

Everyone else, I hope you are all doing well. I wish I had enough energy right now to address everyone individually but DH and I just got done completely rearranging our living room. So much more open now... Love it!!

AFM, I am 36w2d. I am having such bad pelvic pain when I walk/move. It's really ridiculous. Swelling still, as well... my last appt on Thursday my bp was elevated again and I've been having headaches so now I have to do the 24hr urine thing... and take that to the lab tomorrow morning and also have blood work done. My next appt is this coming friday. I will be 37 weeks... full term... so Dr's said depending on how everything turns out with my lab work ups, I may be done with work as of friday. We will see. I truly hope Liam decides to come before his due date. I cannot imagine being pregnant all the way til September.... I know, I know, it's so close. But ugh, I swear Liam is going to be an only child! lol... Just remind me of that comment, ladies, when in a year or two I say I want another! haha!!

Anyway, here is a belly shot. I know I promised one for last week but I am really falling down on the job here... haha... I am always forgetting to take pics. This one is from yesterday, 36w1d and I will also post a pic from 32w1d, for comparison. I've gotten so much bigger and I didn't even notice until I looked at the pics...

 

[basil]

Thanks everyone for the congratulations!

My version of a birth story -

I started having a few contractions Tuesday afternoon so I went home about 2 pm. I puttered around the house but I honestly wasn't even sure that it wasn't braxton-hicks since I hadn't had any earlier in the pregnancy. DH and I went out to dinner and I started to get a little more uncomfortable. On the way home we started timing the contractions and they were about 10-11 minutes apart. When we got home we watched Hell's Kitchen and Masterchef and by the end (10 pm) my contractions were about 4 minutes apart. I was getting kind of uncomfortable so I called my doctor. She said I could come in if I wanted, but I could stay home too. I chose go to the hospital.

When I got there around 11 pm and they checked me in and finally some resident came and checked me. I was only 2 cm and 80% effaced. But my contractions were still pretty close together and I was pretty uncomfortable. So we discussed a plan of admission, epidural, membrane rupture then pitocin if still no progression. At that point, the pain was pretty bad and was making me nauseous so I was dry heaving a lot.

Well, it took a while to get a room in labor and delivery, so I didn't end up getting the epidural til about 3:30 am. It was really sweet relief once I got it. I was able to lay back and rest. I had a drip plus a button I could push for another extra shot. DH and I napped on and off until about 6 am when my doctor checked me again. I was still only 3 cm, so she went ahead and broke my water. By 8 am (the next time she checked), I had progressed to 6 cm, which she was very pleased with. So she started a very small amount of pitocin and warned me to start pushing the button on the epi.

By 11 am, I was 8 cm. She said things could progress quickly from this point and so I should call if I started to feel constant pressure. By about 11:15 I was asking the nurse to get her back down. She arrived around 11:30 or so and said we were ready to push. It took me about an hour to push him out and they had this crazy mirror on the ceiling that I could see everything going on. I had honestly thought I wouldn't want to see anything, but it was motivating to see more and more of his head appearing. My doctor stayed with me the whole time, cancelled her clinic appointments, and was a great coach. I had a few small abrasions and one small tear.

When Hayden was born the nurse called for the pediatricians to come evaluate him because his breathing was a little labored. I guess he had a little extra fluid in his lungs. So they suctioned him on and off for another 45 minutes or so. I tried to breastfeed but he was already a little sleepy by that time so he only got a few sucks in.

The first 2 days of breastfeeding were very hard. The first night, I had trouble getting him to latch on at all since he was sleepy, and once he would finally latch he would suck a few times and fall back asleep. By the second day, the lactation consultant finally came by and told me he was doing fine and everything was normal, which was reassuring. The second night, he nursed for almost the entire night and refused to be put down at all, which was very frustrating since my milk had not come in yet so I felt like I was starving my baby.

We went home on day 3, and I was psyched to get out of the hospital. Unfortunately, shortly after we arrived home, my mom developed a fever and a GI bug...which then my husband came down with that night. I bleached the bathrooms and anything else I could find. The combination of new baby, crazy hormones, sleep deprivation had me literally believing that if I put my baby down, he would probably die in his sleep. So the third night I held him on the couch all night and took his temperature every diaper change. My only consolation was that he was at least getting some antibodies through colostrum.

Things have gotten better since then. My milk is in and Hayden is now latching well and feeding a ton. I'm hopeful that at our peds appointment tomorrow his weight will have come up a bit from hospital discharge. My dad has been great - since I refused to let DH and my mom hold the baby, touch any food, or go into the baby's room, he took over as the secondary care giver and cooked meals, got me water, rocked the baby while I cried that I was starving him, etc.

Anyway, I forgot to post his stats in my other post - Hayden was 7lbs, 10 oz, and 21 inches long. Of course, I think he's the cutest baby in the world. Here are a few pics:

 

[Skippy123]

BASIL, he is beautiful, congrats!!! Hope everyone is feeling better soon!!!

DC, sending lots of quick delivery dust your way!!!

CHARBIE, lol about your hubby!

 

[KatyWI]

Oh, basil, he is sooooo gorgeous!!! Congratulations!!!

I'm so glad you went with Hayden after all, I love that name! Sounds like your dad has been a real trooper, how awesome. I hope the whole family is doing well!

 

[jcarlylew]

Basil - he is SUCH a cutie!

 

[fieryred33143]

Oh Basil he's adorable!! I love love car seat pics! And Hayden is a great name.

I'm convinced night 2 is the worst night. My own daughter and everyone I know has stories of night 2 being really rough. Hope each day gets easier. He's adorable!

 

[Lanie]

Basil -H is so precious!!!! So sorry about your mom and DH being sick. Especially DH, since all he probably wants to do is snuggle the baby and help you out! Are they feeling better! Glad he is latching on and that you are settled in!!!

 

[charbie]

Basil, he is sooooo cuute! Glad things are on the up and up. So happy, you're a mommy now!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Hayden was born at 1241 pm on 8/3/11 after 13 hours of uncomplicated labor. We are both doing well though breastfeeding is challenging for us both at the moment. Going home tomorrow - will get photos and check in soon!

Good luck dc!

Congratulations Basil!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Congrats, Basil! Hayden is beautiful!!

 

[charbie]

Jcarlylew: glad you had a good u/s! That bedding is very cute, too! Its fun to get the vision for the nursery and see it come together!

IHA:. Sorry things haven't been the most comfortable for you. Some days I feel great, others I say the same thing about never having another! And of course that even fluctuates during the day. Hope there is no pre-e, dust for you for pregnancy to be over soon!

Dc: maybe Sophia decided to come out and play this weekend? Otherwise, looking forward for your update, and you're going to meet Sophia this week! Yay, mama!

AFM: 35 weeks today. Wow! I've started to drop a little, people have noticed at work as well. Stretch makrs are now getting uglier and angrier and itchier. Had a little scare Friday...occasional brown and pink discharge, itchy vagina, and I swear her head was pounding on my cervix. Called the doctor, they said if I start cramping to call, but that it was probably a yeast infection and the brown/pink was due to irritation. Drank a lot of water, used monistat external cream, things calmed down. No issues since. Hope if it is a yeast infection that the baby doesn't get thrush on her exit had Lamaze class on Saturday. Learned a bit, but overall wasn't impressed. I guess at least now I know more of what to expect once we get to the hospital. I plan on laboring at home for as long as I can, and the hospital is only 20 mins tops away. She needs to stay cooking for 8 more days so I hit my 1 year anniversary at work and get my maternity leave benefits

 

[mayachel]

Just getting caught up after a brief long weekend away-
CONGRATS Basil! Hayden is adorable. I love how skeptical he looks in that first photo. Hope you are recouping well.

 

[Blenheim]

Hi, ladies! I'm alive and doing well. Still baking the baby (34w4d), still working, wrangling a crazy toddler (he's now potty trained!), trying my best to stay active which also means that I need to sleep a lot and haven't had that much free time. I was getting frustrated with my midwives and switched to a new OB at like 25 weeks, and I don't even know if I've posted here since that happened. Baby was breech, which was making me nervous because George was breech, but baby thankfully flipped last weekend. I cooked a ton of freezer meals this weekend and our freezer is now packed. We have agreed on name short lists (Henry, Charles, Mary, or Anne). There's no way that I'm going to get caught up, and so I just read the last page. I'm sorry for disappearing, and I hope that everyone is doing well!!

Basil - what a doll! Congrats!

Charbie - LOL. One of my coworkers has been having back problems and joked today - THREE times that I heard - that he was walking just like me. I was so close to smacking him!

DC - Fingers crossed that Sophia decides to make her appearance soon!

 

[charbie]

Blen! So glad you checked in! Sorry about the mw drama, but glad you found a practitioner you are comfortable with. And YAY G for potty training! Now you wont have 2 in their cute little cloth diapers at once

Just got back from my 35 week appt, and onto weeklies for the duration of the pregnancy. He did do an internal (wasn't expecting that!) And said no changes to my cervix...im guessing that means closed, not effaced. Which is great for me, since I don't want her here quite yet im guessing he did the internal since he was down there already for the GBS...which I thought was supposed to be taken from the rectum...umm, pretty sure I felt nothing go near that region. Other good news is that Aubrey is head down! Woohoo! I know she can flip, but im much more relaxed knowing she's heading south

Here's my 35 week belly shot...ill do a montage later, but you'll see she's dropping.

 

[dcgator]

Hello ladies,

Well, I am still here...The good news is that I am finally making some progress. Over the weekend I started to have my first real contractions and then on Monday I was dialated between 1-2 cm, woohoo, lol. I have also been losing my plug yesterday and today, so that's some good news. I will give some more details on next steps below, but let me catch up first.

Lanie - Thanks for checking in. I look forward to seeing you by next week in the NB thread.

Lliang - Thanks for the support. Looking forward to seeing more of you here.

Modern - You are not too far off lady. Hopefully you are doing well.

Jcarly - Sorry about the spotting, but I hope everything was ok with the doc. That is great news about the scan and I am so happy to hear that she is ok. I love the bedding too, very fun animal print. I think the color of the drapes and rug will work just perfectly. Take care of you and let us know how everything is going.

IHA - Wow, not too much longer for you either hun. I am sorry to hear that you are in so much pain, but hopefully your LO will get the memo and come out soon. Or maybe your doc will take pity and pull him out early. Either way, hang in there lady. As for the pic, it does look like Liam has grown a bit, but that's good for him, right? You still look good and are entirely baby

Basil - Congrats again on your little one! He really looks like he is thinking hard in the second photo, lol. As for your birth story, it doesn't seem too bad at all. I would love to have things progress like that, but at this point, I am not holding my breath. Sorry about the tear, but hopefully it will heal soon. As for the sickness with mom and DH after you got home, how awful! I am glad your dad was able to help out while they were out of commission, and glad that everyone is better now. I look forward to seeing you over in the NB thread in the coming days!

Skippy - Thanks for the support. I didn't get a chance to post in there, but your boys look great and it is wonderful to see just how much they have grown! Looking forward to chatting with you more soon.

Charbie - No such luck yet, but she can't stay in there much longer before she is evicted, hehehe...As for the stretch marks, sorry to hear about them, but I feel your pain. Hopefully they will go away after your LO arrives. I am also sorry to hear about the yeast infection, but at least it wasn't anything more serious. It sounds like a good plan with waiting out the labor at home. Good luck with that. Btw, I love the pic, you look great!

Blenheim - Glad to see you again lady! We all missed you in your stead. As for having to change practices, I know that can be no fun, but its so important to be comfortable with the birth, so I am happy you found someone else. The names all sound good and it seems like you are getting prepped. Happy to hear George is doing well and that he is potty trained! I hope you will continue to post so we can keep up with you little one.

*****
AFM - Mom and sis just got here and they will be accompanying me to the doc tomorrow morning. We will then find out whether I will be going into the hospital tomorrow night for cervadil or just going to the hospital on Thursday morning for my poticin induction. Either way, Miss Sophia will finally be here soon! I hope you ladies continue to bake well and I will see you once my little girl has joined the world outside my uterus, lol. I will try to give updates from the hospital, or at least make DH do it.

 

[Lauren8211]

Good afternoon ladies!

Charbie - I seriously LOLed at your husband being a pregnant woman!! HIlarious! You look FANTASTIC, by the way. Love your bump! Can't believe you only have five weeks to go!

Basil - Congratulations!!! He is adorable! Glad things seem to be going well for you!

IHA - You look so cute! I'm sure that doesn't make your pain any better, but you do look fantastic!

Jcar - Sorry about the spotting, I know how scary that can be! Glad she's doing well in there!

Blen - Glad you checked in! Good to see you're hanging in there. Not too much longer!

Hope everyone else is hanging in there and feeling good! Can't wait for all the JBPs to jump in to this thread pretty soon! So many mamas-to-be on PS right now!

AFM - 24w2d today. Just signed up for my childbirth classes today, so its starting to get kind of real! DH and I are going to go tour the hospital in the next few weeks, as well as pre-register. Should be fun! Nothing much else going on, feeling great, and LO is moving around a lot and DH loves laying next to my belly feeling kicks. Also, he likes to play the baby Yo Yo Ma every night through headphones. SO cute!

 

[bubbly1126]

Elle, glad to hear you are doing well!

dcgator, hopefully your little one will make her appearance soon! Good luck!

Basil, congrats! He is ADORABLE!

AFM.... Well, out on bed rest as of today. 24hr urine showed elevated protein and that coupled with my swelling issues and elevated bp the last couple weeks, puts me at a high risk for pre-eclampsia. So hopefully with my free time now I will be able to keep up with everyone!

 

[lliang_chi]

Hi preggo mamas!!! Popping in from the JBP thread. I've been following a number of you ladies along since my TTC thread days.

DCG, hope Miss S makes her appearance soon. Unsticky dust to you.

IHA I'm sorry to hear about the bed rest. But I guess the rest of us in this preggo thread can keep you company I hope the your bed rest restriction is short and you'll be back.

Elle, Wow, 24wks! So sweet to hear about your DH feeling for kicks. And for playing music to him. So cute!

Charbie, BELLY LOVE! Woo hoo that A is head down.

And an intro for me: I'm 31, DH is 34 and this is our first baby. So I'll probably have a lot of questions for you more experienced mamas. I had my NT scan on Monday, no news yet. i should get the blood work results back in a week. Haven't told anyone except my twin sis, my brother, and DH's parents. After the 1st tri screen results we'll probably tell everyone if we're in the clear.

Did anyone keep track when they actually started to show?

Lastly, when did you guys start sorting out kid duties and daycare/nanny etc? I think I need to start opening communication what both of our expectations are for what we'll need to do etc.

That's all for me. And everyone from the TTC and JBP use "LC" as my calling card, if you will. My full screen name is kinda awkward, but I can't really change it now.

~LC (11W, 6D)

 

[pancake]

Hello all.

I am just tentatively peeking in here... "proactively lurking" if you will Still feel a bit green to be a bona fide member!

Congratulations to all the new mums and good luck for those about to get there!

(13w3d)

 

[charbie]

DC! Gaahhh! You are so on your way to be holding little S by now! Within the next 24 hrs, you'll probably be a mommy! Congrats, hope you're getting some rest, and catch ya on thee flip side! Im so sending boatloads of prayers in your direction tonight!

Hugs, IHA! Sorry about the elevated risk and bedrest! Hopefully little Liam decides he wants to come out soon so you can get your body back. While pregnancy is amazing, and such a miracle to experience, I made the comment a few weeks ago that 32 weeks would be a perfect time for babies to be full term! These last weeks are not the most comfortable and fun. So, obviously I want my bebe safe and fulll term, I just wish that point was not all the way at 37-40 weeks!

Elle: thanks, lady! What classes did you registrer for? We took Lamaze, BFing, CPR, and Basic Infant Care. I guess the Lamaze. Was pretty good since it taught us some breathing patterns and ways to get be more comfortable. It also went over the stages of labor, what to expect at the hospital, sort of the "agenda" of giving birth...like sylllabus day in college . BFing class was my favorite bc it taught allternatives in case BFing doesn't go perfectly in the beginning (it never will!) But to make sure you can continue with it and how to stick with it. Im glad I took that class. Infant care was lame lame lame, and pretty much taught you everything you will learn from the nurses I the hospital before taking the baby home anyways. And yes, quite funny that DH is a preggo lady, right?

Pancake and LC: I hope you two join over here! I was going to suggest on the JBP thread for you all to make the jump since its thinned out pretty much over here with the regular posters! Ill respond to some of the JBPposts here to entice you guys to stay...
I had someone at work guess I was pregnant pretty early on. I shared with my bosses by 11 weeks, and it went very well. I knew it was going to get out eventually, and I wanted to be the one to break it to them before it was speculated. They both have been ultra supportive, and both make me feel very secure when they admit they will be going insane without me there im a good person to vent to, apparently. I *thought* I was showing at 16-18 weeks, and I guess I was a little, but now that I've got the massive bump, I've realize that wasn't diddly squat. Haha! I think we all are more self aware and think we show much more than other people actually realize. I mean, I even looked at a picture from 28 weeks and its nothing compared to my current basketball belly! So you just never know. I recommend getting NY&C city knit pants if you don't want over the belly pants. I have worn those the whole time, and those were pre preggo pants! Yay! And then I got 2 pair of over the belly dress pants with secret fit waists from Motherhood that I really like. Oh and 2 over the belly skirts. I find over the belly pants smooth out the bump so it looks more "baby" than "burrito".

 

[mayachel]

Hi there, not much new to report. This being PS and all, wondering if anyone is thinking about/plotting push presents/commemorative jewelry etc... With a long time love of tanzanite, I'm excited to use the excuse of my daughter-to-be's birthstone to do some heavy browsing. Not really sure what I'm looking for style wise yet, but I do enjoy looking.

I started a new class this week that is like a water aerobics/strength class specifically for pregnant ladies. It didn't feel like much of a workout at the time but I was wiped out a few hours later. No next day muscle pain though. As I start 23 weeks and see the end of the second trimester rapidly coming up I feel like time has really started to fly. What sorts of things are on your to do lists?
I feel like everything beyond getting regular prenatal care is still up for grabs.

 

[Lauren8211]

IHA - Boo to bed rest! Hope the rest of your pregnancy goes as smoothly as possible!

LC - Are you making the leap for good? Yay! Happy to see you guys heading over! They didn't give you any feedback on the NT scan, minus bloodwork?? I'm surprised! They told us that the scan looked healthy, and then sent for the blood, and reported back with a negative. I'm surprised that they didn't say anything. I started to show right about 18-20 weeks. I mean, DH and I could tell before that, but no one else really could. For reference, I'm 5'10", short torso, and average weight.

Charbs - We took a comprehensive childbirth classes that is 7 weeks long/3hrs a week. It isn't a specific program. Its a super granola place in Ann Arbor called "Center for the Childbearing Year" and they kind of have their own program based on Bradley, Lamaze, and their personal experiences as midwives and doulas. Their idea is that they support childbirth as a natural process, and support breastfeeding where possible, so it's pretty much dead on for what I want - although I'd hardly consider myself "granola." I'm most interested in the segment on medical interventions, so I'm better prepared in that area, and know my options. We will also take infant CPR, and I'm considering a breastfeeding class, or I may just skip it and read my books, and hope for the best. I have contacts if I'm having problems with the process, so I'm not too worried!

Pancake - Can't wait for you to join! Definitely come over the minute you feel comfortable!

Maya - It really does start to fly mid 2nd try! Its crazy! My to do list includes, signing up for all classes and preparing to interview pediatricians. I'm sure there's other stuff, but thats my two biggest concerns at this point.

 

[RMFA]

hey everyone!

Long time no post! So sorry for the delay in responding -- I "came out" at work and have been overwhelmed with projects! My boss is freaking out -- but has calmed down a bit in the last week.

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome.

AFM -- My Dh and i celebrated our 5th anniversary the end of July and I posted in show me the bling my anniversary present -- a cartier trinity ring. I love the sentimentality of it -- especially receiving it while expected our first baby.

Also, just waiting for my next ultrasound on Aug. 15th. been feeling great -- just some muscle pain, stretching and general uncomfortable feeling while sitting sometimes.

Hope everyone is well! Glad to have some of my buddies from the JBP thread joining over here...I think there are a good number of us due about the same time!

Anyone researching daycare option already? I just started -- but I also live in NYC and the waitlists are brutal! anyone else looking around yet?

 

[lliang_chi]

Thanks for the welcome ladies!

Charbie, you're getting so close I'm excited for you! Have you tried those Bella Bands? A friend of mine used them during her pregnancy (last year) and she loved them. Good tip on the over belly pants making your belly look more "baby." Right now I feel like I'm just way bloated and don't look preggo at all. Just thick-waisted, shall we say.

Maychel, Oooh, a tanzanite commemorative present sounds awesome. And there's nothing wrong with browsing, that's half the fun Sounds like you've been staying active during your pregnancy, that's fantastic. I started out that way but the past 2 wks I've been a lazy dud. I'll try to do some preggo pilates classes this weekend.

Elle, The doctor said the U/S measurements look normal but that's about it. Wow, you're much taller than I am so I'm guessing you probably hid the belly a little more. Your childbirth classes sound really compatible for you, did you get a recommendation from your OB/midwife?

RMFA, Happy anniversary!I'm in Chicago and my DH started bearing down the daycare path the week we found out we were expecting. I pushed it off for a few weeks because he was getting really hung up on the difficult of it. Then about 2 wks ago, I signed up for a local parenting message board. From there I was able to find some in home daycare options and rates for nannies etc. In the city of Chicago, a nanny will go for about $15-$17/hr gross, so $600-$680/week. Corporate day care goes for about $400+/week. In home daycare goes for anywhere between $280-$350/week, and a nanny share can be $200-$250/week. All very rough estimates. So I gave him DH that, but I also want to explore the option of daycare in the suburbs with DH taking drop off and pick up duties. So far I don't think that thought has crossed his mind at all.

So yesterday we got our results for Downs and Trisomy18. Our risk was lowered to 1:3,300 for Downs and to 1:10,000 for Trisomy18. So DH and I are pretty pumped about that. We're still waiting for one more test result, but I was told it's quite rare, but we'd rather be sure than not.

Otherwise have been having some pretty sucky SI joint pain, towards the back of the pelvic bone. I tried some acupuncture last week and it helped a good deal but no time this week to go again. I"ll try to set another appt for next week.

~LC (12W,1D)

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Even though I'm only 11w, 2d, I figure I may as well make the jump to this thread since all the other JBPers are migrating. I'm excited to transition over here--I've been lurking and am really excited for all of you pregnant ladies! I've been thinking about DC over the past couple of days, I hope she's doing well!!

Quick background: I'm 30, DH is 31 and this is our first. We're both really excited and terrified at the same time, which I'm considering normal. I have rods bolted to my spine due to scoliosis, so this pregnancy is a teeny bit worrisome for that reason. It's likely I'll have a scheduled c-section, but I'm supposed to meet with a team of anesthesiologists in the next couple of months to see if an epidural is an option for me. Other than that, everything has been normal...meaning I've been feeling exhausted and nauseous all day, every day The good news is that in the past couple of days I've really started to feel better and that makes me a very happy woman!

NT scan is next week and I'm planning to tell my boss, HR and my extended family afterward.

So happy to be on this thread! Have a wonderful Friday, ladies!

 

[brown_eyes]

OK, I think it's about time I join this thread. 14w1d today, and can't wait to get to know all you lovely ladies!

A little background on me: I'm 26 and DH is 27 and this is our first! I have unfortunately been one of the lucky who has had to deal with morning sickness (read all day sickness) into my 2nd tri. I'm hoping that I start feeling better soon because I need to start putting on some weight for this baby. I'm small to begin with and I've lost 3 lbs so far.

Other than that, everything is looking good for this pregnancy and I can't wait to meet our little bean in February!

 

[Lauren8211]

RMFA - Happy Anniversary! Glad you're feeling well other than a few minor aches and pains!

LC - A friend who just had a baby recommended the classes to me. She absolutely loved them, so hopefully they're what I was looking for! Glad your NT results are great! Always such a relief to hear!

NEL - Yay! Welcome! I hope your scoliosis doesn't cause you too much pain as you progress, if it does, we can whine together! Hope your exhaustion and tiredness goes away. I think mine went down hill about 11ish weeks, and lingered just a bit til about 14 weeks. Now the exhaustion is coming back. Sigh! Good luck telling everyone!

Brown_Eyes - Welcome! Sorry you're still suffering. I hope it gets better for you soon. Hang in there!

 

[parrot tulips]

First, congrats to the new mamas! I haven't posted much lately, but I've definitely been lurking and love seeing the pictures posted of the beautiful new little ones. I'm also excited to see some of the Just Barely ladies over here!

I haven't posted recently because...well, I've been a nervous wreck. Our first trimester integrated screening results were 1 in 79 for Downs. While our NT scan for the twins was fantastic, the blood work gave us screen positive results. Still, the odds were greatly in our favor, so we decided not to worry too much. Because of the placement of the placentas, and an existing fibroid, I was deemed ineligible for a CVS test (I wanted firm answers). We went ahead with the 2nd trimester blood test, rather than rushing for an amnio, hoping that our odds would decrease. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Our odds went up to greater than 1 in 3 that one or both twins would have Downs. We were devastated. It was hard to enjoy my pregnancy (which had finally become very comfortable), because I was terrified that something was wrong. 10 days ago, I went in for an amnio (not a pleasant experience, but not nearly as bad as waiting for the results). I just got the results - both babies are free of any chromosomal abnormalities (at least any that an amnio might pick up), and we're having a boy & a girl! So there's my good news, and my sigh of relief.

Semi-bad news that was detected during the amnio - it appears I have a short cervix with slight funneling. The doctors want the cervix to measure at least 3 cm, and I'm only measuring about 2 cm. The cervix is still firmly closed, but my chances of preterm labor have increased, so I've been put on progesterone and modified bedrest. I had a follow-up appointment two days ago to check on my cervix, and there was no change. Not optimal news, but at least it's holding up. I have 2 more follow-up appointments with the perinatologist/high risk ob, before he feels comfortable releasing me back to my regular doc. It's been stressful, but receiving good news from the genetics counselor has me feeling much more optimistic.

 

[pancake]

OK I am officially relenting too.

The spiel: I'm 31, my husband is 32 and I believe I am what is known here as a "jerkstore" in that we unexpectedly became pregnant on our first cycle. There is a somewhat comic background (in which we were pretty sure I would not ovulate much and that TTC would be difficult... and there was quite a bit of money spent on Clomid in anticipation of this... only to find that we were already pregnant!) and some early drama with bleeds, but here we are now at 13 weeks and 5 days, and all seems to be well! We had a good 12 week scan and were in the lowest risk band on the maternal serum screen.

I am now pretty much out of the early fog and the nausea and extreme sleepiness are largely gone, to be replaced in the last couple of days by...reflux! But really, I am very thankful for the nausea dissipating. Just need to modify my portion sizes and frequency of eating to facilitate the new symptom.

Am getting a bit thick around the middle, but don't look pregnant yet. I feel a bit sad at the moment at the loss of my neat waist, but I think this will make way for excitement when I get a proper bump!

Re childcare... I am planning to go back part-time at around 6 months and the two grandmothers are probably going to do the bulk of the caring between them. We are lucky!

 

[lliang_chi]

Parrot, congrats on the great results in the amnio!!!! And how exciting you're having and boy & girl. My twin sis's BF is boy-girl fraternal twins. They're still quite close, albeit very different from each other. That's great! I hope the peri finds everything is improving and will release you to a regular OB. I'm keeping fingers crossed for you.

Pancake, wow, you are lucky to have both grandmas that want to watch your little one. Best of both worlds, you have two people you can totally trust, and back up in case of vacations or illness AND neither of them will be burnt out from watching the baby 100% of the time. PLUS you can do the PT thing for 6 months. THat's awesome!

Speaking of PT vs FT upon the end of Mat Leave, has anyone done PT? I'm kinda.... miffed, indignant that (in my opinion) my DH just assumed that I'm considering/should be considering going PT after the baby's born. I really think it's because NONE of his friends' wives work FT after kids, so he "automatically" thinks it's the mother's job to provide primary care. Disclaimer: this is all my own speculation, haven't had any discussions with DH. But I still can't help be feel indignant about it. Like just because I have a vagina I'm supposed to hang up everything I've worked for up to now, and he can go on his merry way? Never mind I just carried this baby around for NINE MONTHS and pushed it out of said vagina. 1950s much?
His mom was a FT career woman, professor in OSU, and his sister is also a career-driven woman, so I'm like "where is this coming from?" Sigh... I already foresee the eventual conversation I'll be having with DH going...poorly. If anyone has any extra patience-dust, I might be needing it next week or there abouts... Trying to talk myself off this ledge/soap box...

ETA: I just got back from a wedding and a friend of mine totally caught on to me! She quietly told me, "L, I think a Congratulations is in order for you. I kinda noticed some things the past few times we've seen each other. If I'm totally off base, then don't worry about it." Of course I'm so *NOT* smooth and just sputtered and stammered so I totally gave it away. She promised not to tell anyone, but said she was very happy for us. Her son just turned 1 in July so I guess she's still way "in tune" with that stuff. Argh, I thought I was being super sneaky too, but guess not. We'll probably be ready to tell everyone next week. Everyone being my parents, extended family, BFFs and other friends. Work I plan to tell in Sept I'll be 16+ wks by then.

~LC (12W, 1D)