October 2006 Mommies: We're Pregnant!

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

October 2006 Mommies: We're Pregnant!
http://4imgs.com/303/x/agblanket_BIG.jpg
Welcome and Congratulations!

Please list your stats in RED in your first post.

Username:
Me: Name, age
uDH: Name, age
Married: Date
TTC: Date
BFP: Date
EDD: Date
Gender Prediction:
Any other children:

*Please posts all updates in RED.
*When posting, please put in the subject line how far along you are!
1st trimester pics (http://www.pregnancy.org/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment1.php#week1)

1st Trimester information for weeks 0-13 (http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/pregnancy/weeklypregcalendar/index1.php)
2nd Trimester information for weeks 14-27 (http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/pregnancy/weeklypregcalendar/index2.php)
3rd Trimester informtion for weeks 28-40 (http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/pregnancy/weeklypregcalendar/index3.php)

*Images courtesy of www.annegeddes.com

The threadmistresses for this thread are Ericka_Jarett and Lily

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Mommy List!
Avalon
Me: Meghan, 25
DH: Rick, 26
Married: May 25, 2003
BFP: February 1, 2006
EDD: October 7, 2006
Any other children: Just our furbaby Hannah

bunnybeth
Me: Bethany, 27
DH: Elon, 28
Married: June 23, 2002
TTC: January 2006
BFP: February 14, 2006
EDD: October 25, 2006
Gender Prediction: Boy

Bubeleh
Me: H, 27
DH: A, 30
Married: March, 2003
TTC: November 2005
BFP: January 21, 2005
EDD: October 1, 2006
Gender Prediction: none yet, hoping for a girl
Any other children: Nope just our loveable puppy

dzmattie
Me: Becca, 28
DH: 28
Married: 2002
BFP: February 5, 2006
EDD: October 14, 2006
Any other children: DS, 1/15/04

emermel
Me: Emily 28
DH: Todd 30
Married May 12, 2002
DD: January 17, 2004
EDD: October 14, 2006

Ericka_Jarett
Me: Ericka, 31 - April 12
DH: Jarett, 28
Married: December 14, 2001
TTC: June, 2005
BFP: January 30, 2006
EDD: October 4, 2006
Gender Prediction: Girl , but feel blessed either way
Other children: Rebekah Joy, born April 18, 2005 at 24 weeks, with us 71 mins.

Hula1974
Me: Heather, 31
DH: Tim, 31
Married: June 8, 2002
TTC: October, 2005
BFP: January 20, 2006
EDD: October 7, 2006

jbemommy
Me:Shana, 32
DH: Doug, 41
Married: June 22, 2002
TTC: August, 2005
BFP: January 28, 2006
EDD: October 4, 2006
Any other children: Juliana, 2/3/04

jeant
Me: Jean, 34
DH: Craig, 34
Married: June 19, 2004
TTC: November 1, 2005 (plus one try 4.05)
BFP: February 13, 2006
EDD: October 26, 2006
Gender Prediction: Girl

jenniferlynne
Me: Jennifer, 33
DH: Roger, 34
Married: June 8, 2002
TTC: Jan/Feb. 2006
BFP: February 14, 2006
EDD: October 26, 2006
Gender Prediction: Not sure yet. With DS I had a VERY strong feeling the whole time that he was a boy, and I was right!
Any other children: Will, born 4/24/04

Jenzen01
Me: Jen, 28
DH: Al, 38
Married: October 4, 2003
TTC: January, 2006
BFP: February 2, 2006
EDD: October 18, 2006
Gender Prediction: girl
Any other children: Gabriel (Gabe) born 12.21.2004

kenswife
Me: Emily
DH: Ken
Married: February 3, 2004
BFP: January 25, 2006
EDD: October 7, 2006
Gender Prediction: Hoping for a boy!
Any other children: Alyssa (5) & Ilanna (11mos)

lawgirl4
Me: Ericka, 31
DH: Rob, 36
Married: July 6, 2003
BFP: January 27, 2006
EDD: October 12, 2006
Gender Prediction: not a prediction, but a hope for a girl!

Lily
Me: Erica, 26
DH: Daryl, 33
Married: September 13, 2003
BFP: January 23, 2006
EDD: October 4, 2006
Gender Prediction: Chinese Gender Predictor Says Boy!

luvmybaby
Me: Leyla, 28
DH: Jesus, 28
EDD: October 24, 2006
Any other children: DD: Aria, September 24, 2004

Mamabear
Me: Sara, 33
DH: David, 35
Married: 5/31/2003
TTC: October, 2005
BFP: February 4, 2006
EDD: October 15, 2006
Gender Prediction:I would love to have a girl, but I really feel it will be a boy
Any other children:Alexander, 2/6/04

maplekitty
Me: Sarah, 25
DH: Curt, 28
Married: August 27, 2005
TTC: November, 2005
BFP: January 30, 2006
EDD: October 6, 2006
Gender Prediction: boy

marathongirl
Me: Sue, 31
DH: Tim, 32
Married: December 1, 2001
BFP: January 21, 2006
EDD: October 1, 2006
Gender prediction: feeling a boy this time
Other children: Claire Sophia 09/16/04

Maxicat
Me: Kim, 37
Dh: 45
Married: May 11, 2002
TTC: December 1, 2002
BFP: February 13, 2006
EDD: October 25, 2006
Gender prediction: I think it is a boy, but I would love either

Michelle
Me: Michelle, 28
DH: Matt, 28
Married: August 30, 2003
TTC: October 2005
BFP: February 5, 2006
EDD: October 14, 2006
Gender Prediction: Boy (but would be happy with a boy or girl!)

MichelleRenee
Me: Michelle, 23
DH: Michael, 29
Married: May 29, 2005
TTC: September 8, 2005
BFP: Valentine's Day, 2006!!
EDD: October 27, 2006
Gender Prediction: Girl
Any other children: two furbabies: Chez and Bogey

MidwesternGal
Me: Amy, 24
DH: Nate, 23
Married: January 10, 2004
BFP: February 1, 2006
EDD: October 7, 2006
Gender Prediction: Chinese Chart says Boy. . knowing DH's fam, it probably will be.

mrsG
Me: Stacey, 29
uDH: Greg 33
Married: October 29, 2005
TTC: November 2005
BFP: January 29, 2005/confirmed Feb 1st
EDD: October 1, 2006
Gender Prediction:I've been having girl dreams DH thinks its a boy as there are A LOT of boys in his family
Any other children: this is our first baby

Mrs-Mac
Name: D, 29
DH: M, 32
Married: October 5, 2002
TCC: Aug 2005 (m/c is Sept 05)
EDD: October 23, 2006

nic
Me: Nicole, 31
DH: Larry, 33
Married: June 22, 2002
TTC: we were just seeing what happens
BFP: February 28, 2006
EDD: October 23, 2006
Gender Prediction: Girl-I've always thought we've have one child and she'd be a girl
Any other children: This is our first

Nigellas
Me: Kerry, 29
DH: Chris, 30
Married: August 7, 2001
TTC: 2001
BFP: February 11, 2006
EDD: October 24, 2006

nutter13
Me: N, 27
DH: B, 27
Married: July 6, 2002
TTC: December 20 ,2005
BFP: February 11, 2006
EDD: October 22, 2006
Gender Prediction: no idea, would love either
Any other children: yes, DD

Pamela It's a Girl
Me: Pamela, 26
DH: DH, 25
Married: June 13, 2004
BFP: January 20, 2006
EDD: October 4, 2006
Gender Prediction: ?? Chinese prediction chart says Girl

pickle
Me: E, 30
DH: J, 31
Married: November 1, 2001
TTC: Fall 05
BFP: January 20, 2006
EDD: October 5, 2006
Gender prediction: Boy

PinkMartini
Me: Summer, 24
DH: Jeremy, 33
Married: Not yet, shooting for May; engaged since Jan 2004
TTC: We weren't
BFP: February 25, 2006
EDD: October 21, 2006
Gender Prediction: Want a boy
Any other children: No

quartercentury
Me: QC, 27 (I'll be 28 in October!)
FH: 27
Married: not yet, together since Xmas 2000, engaged since June 2005
TTC: December 2005
BFP: February 12 , 2006
EDD: October 22, 2006
Gender Prediction: a girl, perhaps, but I don't feel strong vibes either way
Any other children: this is our first!!!

Rippy1010
Me: Ally, 29
DH: Jeff, 29
Married: July 23, 2005
BFP: January 27, 2006
EDD: October 1, 2006
Any other children: this is the 2nd pregnancy (both oops!), but first child (god willing)

Roxygirl
Me: Marissa, 26
DH: R, 25
Married: July 10th, 2004
TTC: Jan 1, 2006
BFP: January 29, 2006
EDD: October 9, 2006
Gender: ?? No predictions, happy as long as it's healthy
Other Children: Nope, just furbabies.

She-ra
Me: Sheila, 34
DH: Charlie, 35
Married: September 28, 2002
BFP: February 7, 2006
EDD: October 13, 2006
Gender Prediction: I was wrong the first time, so who knows
Any other children:Charles Henry (Charlie) 3/30/04

SlvSpring
Me: Oona, 25
DH: Josh, 27
Married: July 30, 2005
TTC: We weren't!
BFP: Feb. 20, 2006
EDD: October 23, 2006
Gender Prediction: would love either, of course... but kinda hoping for a girl
Any other children: A pet rat (I know, it sounds weird, but I am a preschool teacher, it is a great pet for young children!) Pepper.

Sua
Me: 36
DH: 38
Married: Novermber, 2002
TTC #2: December, 2004
EDD: (LMP) October 13, 2006
Other children: Greyson 3/7/04

TaterBaby
Me: Emily, 27 on Friday!
DH: Josh, 26
Married: May 22, 2004
TTC: January 2006
BFP: January 28, 2006
EDD: October 4, 2006
Any other children: 2 furbabies; m/c at 10 weeks with D&C - Aug 05

In Our Thoughts & Prayers:
Twylla, dlj78, happy, kate2l, kerrykate

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Estimated Due Dates

October 1
marathongirl
Rippy1010
Bubeleh
mrsG

October 4
Lily
jbemommy
Pamela
TaterBaby
Ericka_Jarett

October 5
pickle

October 6
maplekitty

October 7
Avalon
MidwesternGal
kenswife
Hula1974

October 9
Roxygirl

October 12
lawgirl4

October 13
She-ra
Sua

October 14
dzmattie
Michelle
emermel

October 15
Mamabear

October 18
Jenzen01

October 21
PinkMartini

October 22
quartercentury
nutter13

October 23
SlvSpring
nic
Mrs-Mac

October 24
Nigellas
luvmybaby

October 25
bunnybeth
Maxicat

October 26
jeant
jenniferlynne

October 27
MichelleRenee

Doctor/Midwife Appointments

April
3 - jeant. mamabear (nuchal translucency)
4 - nic, dzmattie, MichelleRenee, Ericka_Jarett (specialist w/ u/s), mamabear, lawgirl4
5 -SlvSpring (h/b), jeant
6 - Rippy1010, Bubeleh, Mrs-Mac
7 - Roxygirl
10 - pickle
11 -
12 -
13 - Ericka_Jarett
14 -
17 - marathongirl
18 - mamabear, Michelle
19 - kenswife
20 -
21 - Jenzen01
24 -
25 - Ericka_Jarett, MidwesternGal, jbemommy
26 - bunnybeth
27 -
28 -

May
1 -emermel
2 -
3 -
4 - jeant
5 -
6 -
7 -
8 - Roxygirl
9 -
10 -
11 -
12 -
13 -
14 -
15 -
16 -
17 - emermel (big u/s)

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Ultrasound Pictures!

Pamela: 9w3d
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/MrsPamela/Baby/9wk3dUS.jpg
TaterBaby : 11w1d
http://images.snapfish.com/346585%3B8%3A%7Ffp344%3Enu%3D326%3A%3E996%3E%3A74% 3EWSNRCG%3D32335957%3A4%3C%3B9nu0mrj
lawgirl4: 12w 2d
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/lawgirl4/preggo/mar31bedit.jpg
Ericka_Jarett: 6w 1d
http://images.snapfish.com/34652559%3B%7Ffp33%3A%3Enu%3D3278%3E943%3E%3A57%3E WSNRCG%3D323357%3C6%3A6749nu0mrj
Hula1974: 8w 2d
http://images.snapfish.com/346358%3B33%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D3236%3E579%3E3%3A9%3EWS NRCG%3D323353%3A%3B%3A%3A%3B24nu0mrj

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

maplekitty: 13 weeks
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid203/p68241d36904afa94427561daa2ac5e38/efa0d6b2.jpg
Roxygirl: 8w 3d
http://images.snapfish.com/34646%3C642%7Ffp342%3Enu%3D3244%3E3%3A6%3E759%3EWS NRCG%3D3233565%3B93%3A%3A7nu0mrj
Lily: 13w6d?
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid203/pecaccf5e93ae3252e17106552a6b89b2/efaba678.jpg

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Pamela http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/MrsPamela/Baby/progression.jpg
marathongirl: 13 weeks http://images.snapfish.com/34664%3C39%3A%7Ffp342%3Enu%3D3239%3E645%3E638%3EWS NRCG%3D32335%3B37564%3A%3Cnu0mrj
TaterBaby : 12w http://images.snapfish.com/346627594%7Ffp343%3Enu%3D3233%3E4%3B5%3E975%3E2324 4%3B5%3A66784ot1lsi
lawgirl4: 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 weeks http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/lawgirl4/preggo/new12wkcollage.jpg
MichelleRenee: 9w 2d http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/AngelyWangely/Belly%20Shots/9w2d2.jpg
maplekitty http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/pe0e0345c35489c8816ba7f991be80ba5/efb9aff0.jpg

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Roxygirl: 8w 3d http://images.snapfish.com/34646%3C642%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D3244%3E3%3A6%3E759%3EWS NRCG%3D3233558946359nu0mrj
kenswife: 11w 3d http://images.snapfish.com/3466646%3C%3A%7Ffp342%3Enu%3D3237%3E882%3E%3A96%3E WSNRCG%3D32335%3B453796%3Cnu0mrj

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Helpful Links
Please feel free to suggest others.

Weekly Pregnancy Updates:
American Baby (www.americanbaby.com)
Baby Center (www.babycenter.com)
BabyZone (www.babyzone.com)
iVillage (www.ivillage.com)
StorkNet (www.pregnancyguideonline.com)
Target (www.target.com)
Very Best Baby (www.verybestbaby.com)

Tickers:
Baby's First Site (www.babysfirstsite.com)
Baby Gaga (www.baby-gaga.com)
Lilypie (www.lilypie.com)
One In The Oven (www.oneintheoven.net)
Sure Baby (www.surebaby.com)
Ticker Central (www.tickercentral.com)
Ticker Factory (www.tickerfactory.com)

Miscellaneous Informative Sites:
American Baby (www.americanbaby.com)
American Pregnancy Association (www.americanpregnancy.org)
Baby Names (www.babynames.com)
Baby Net (www.babynet.com)
Baby Talk (www.babytalk.com)
BetaBase (www.betabase.info)
Dr. Sears (www.askdrsears.com)
i Village (www.ivillage.com)
ePregnancy (www.epregnancy.com)
Daily Cycle Information & Calendar (www.cycledaily.com)
Fertility Awareness & Natural Family Planning UK (www.fertilityuk.org)
Fertility Friend (www.fertilityfriend.com)
Fit Pregnancy Magazine (www.fitpregnancy.com)
I Dream of Baby (www.idreamofbaby.com)
National Women’s Health Information Center (www.4women.com)
New York Online Access To Health: Pregnancy & Fertility (http://www.noah-health.org/en/pregnancy/)
Parent Stages (http://www.noah-health.org/en/pregnancy/)
http://preconception.com
Safe Fetus (Tells you which drugs you can take during pregnancy) (http://www.safefetus.com/)
Very Best Baby (http://www.verybestbaby.com/)
Yahoo Health: HCG Info (http://health.yahoo.com/%20ency/adam/003510/overview)

Maternity Shopping Sites:
A Pea In The Pod (http://www.apeainthepod.com/enter.asp?Media=&referer=http://www.constantchatter.com&EntryPoint=Home&YahooRedirect=True)
Baby Style (http://www.babystyle.com/)
Belly Basics (http://www.bellybasics.com/)
Bella Materna (http://www.bellamaterna.com/)
Gap Maternity (http://www.gap.com/asp/mat_directory.asp?wdid=90)
JCPenney (www.jcpenney.com)
Mimi Maternity (http://www.mimimaternity.com/home.asp?Media=Motherhood)
Mom's The Word (http://www.momstheword.com/)
Motherhood Maternity (http://www.motherhood.com/home.asp?Media=LinkShare|1xxcmpLMYS8-)
Old Navy (http://www.oldnavy.com/asp/dept.asp?wdid=800)
Target (www.target.com)
Lane Bryant (http://www.lbcatalog.com/lbcatalog/layout/layout.asp?referer=1&dept_id=7221&rootdept=600&)

Baby Registries:
Babies 'R Us (www.babiesrus.com)
Baby Center (www.babycenter.com)
Baby Depot (http://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/IWStoreBCF.process?IWAction=Load&proc=IWCatSectionView&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=1395)
BabyStyle (www.babystyle.com)
Buy Buy Baby (www.buybuybaby.com)
Sears (www.sears.com)
Target (www.target.com)
USA Baby (www.usababy.com)
WalMart (www.walmart.com)

Baby Shopping Sites:
Baby Age (www.babyage.com)
Baby Ant (http://store.yahoo.com/babyant/index.html)
Baby Bazaar (http://www.babybazaar.com/)
BabyBox (http://www.babybox.com/)
Baby Center's Store (http://www.store.babycenter.com/)
Baby Depot (http://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/IWCatSectionView.process?Section_Id=1395&lc=ln)
Baby Dilly (http://www.babydilly.com/)
Baby Dreams (http://www.babydreams.com/)
Babies R Us (www.babiesrus.com)
Baby Style (http://www.babystyle.com/)
Baby Universe (http://www.babyuniverse.com/)
Carousel Designs (http://www.carouseldesigns.com/)
Dimples & Dandelions (http://www.dimplesanddandelions.com/index.asp)
Disney Baby (http://disney.go.com/disneybaby/)
Dreamtime Baby (http://www.dreamtimebaby.com/)
Elegant Baby (http://www.elegantbabygifts.com/)
Fisher Price (http://www.fisher-price.com/us/default.asp)
Gap (http://www.gap.com/)
Graco (http://www.gracobaby.com/default.aspx)
Gymboree (www.gymboree.com)
In The Treetop (http://www.inthetreetop.com/default.aspx)
JCPenney (www.jcpenney.com)
Land of Nod (http://www.landofnod.com/)
Little Show Offs (http://www.littleshowoff%20s.com/)
Net Kids Wear (http://www.netkidswear.com/)
Nursery Depot (http://www.nurserydepot.com/)
Old Navy (www.oldnavy.com)
One of a Kind (http://www.oneofakindkid.com/)
One Step Ahead (http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp?itemID=27208& itemType=CATEGORY&lGen=category&iMainCat=117&iSu bCat=27208&change=117& cm_ven=Overture&cm_cat=Gea r&cm_pla=Travel&cm_ite =null)
Pokkadots (http://www.pokkadots.com/index.cfm)
Pottery Barn Kids (http://www.potterybarnkids.com/)
Signature Baby (http://www.signaturebaby.com/)
Target Baby (http://www.target.com/gp%20/browse.html/601-4545283-50937%2065?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=1 038590)
The Baby Marketplace (http://www.thebabymarketplace.com/)
The Children's Place (http://www.childrensplace.com/)
Tutti Bella (http://www.tuttibella.co%20m/)
Wendy Bellissimo (http://www.wendybellissimo.com/home/index.php)
Overview Baby Skin Products (http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/article.asp?PAGETYPE=ART&REFER=SKIN&ID=14)

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Helpful Links Cont.

Delivery/Birthing Options (OB, Midwives, Doulas, birthcenters, etc.)

birthcenters.org (http://www.birthcenters.org/)
American College of Obstetrics & Gynocology (http://www.acog.org/)
American College of Nurse-Midwives (http://www.acnm.org/)
Maternitywise (http://www.maternitywise.org/)
Lamaze (http://www.lamaze.org/)
Bradley Birth (http://www.bradleybirth.com/)
Birthing FromWithin (http://www.birthingfromwithin.com/)
Birthworks (http://www.birthworks.com/)
HypBirth (http://hypbirth.com/)
HypnoBirthing (http://www.hypnobirthing.com/)
Assn. of Labor Assts. & Childbirth Educators (http://www.alace.org/)
International Childbirth Education Assn. (http://www.icea.org/)
Water Birth (http://waterbirth.org/spa/index.php)
DONA Intl. (http://www.dona.org/)

Breastfeeding
Ameda (www.ameda.com)
Breastfeeding (www.breastfeeding.com)
Boppy (www.boppy.com)
KellyMom (www.kellymom.com)
La Leche League (www.lalecheleague.org)
Maternal Concepts (www.maternalconcepts.com)
Medela (www.medela.com)
Mothering (www.mothering.com)
ProMom (www.promom.org)
Whisper Wear (www.whisperwear.com)

Formula Feeding
Bright Beginnings (www.brightbeginnings.com)
Enfamil (www.enfamil.com)
Similac (www.similac.com)
Very Best Baby (Nestle Good Start) (www.verybestbaby.com)

Diapering Info
Some have coupons & contests
Cloth Diapering (http://www.borntolove.com/404page.html)
Huggies (www.huggies.com)
Luvs (www.luvs.com)
Pampers (www.pampers.com)

Slings
The Hip Hugger (www.thehiphugger.com)
About Babies Inc. (www.aboutbabiesinc.com)
Maya Wrap (www.mayawrap.com)
New Native Baby (www.newnativebaby.com)
Prenatal Cradle (www.prenatalcradle.com)
Baby Bjorn (www.babybjorn.com)
Baby Wearer (www.babywearer.com)

Cord Blood/Stem Cell Info.
Secureacell (www.secureacell.com)
Viacord (www.viacord.com)
Cord Blood (www.cordblood.com)
Cryobank (www.cryobank.com)
www.lifebankusa.com
www.corcell.com
www.cryo-cell.com

Invitations/Announcements
2Peas1Pod.com (http://2peas1pod.com/)
5StarBaby.com (http://5StarBaby.com)
Baby Seeds (www.babyseeds.com)
BabyGrams (www.babygrams.com)
Baby J Cards (www.babyjcards.com)
Bella Baby (www.bellababy.com)
Celebration Cottage (www.celebrationcottage.com)
Classic Card Company (www.classiccard.com)
EitakDesign (www.eitak.com)
In A Baby Carriage (www.inababycarriage.com)
Invitation Box (www.invitationbox.com)
Inviting Smiles (www.invitingsmiles.com)
MetroBaby Cards (www.metrobabycards.com)
Mommy's Miracles (www.mommysmiracles.com)
My Gatsby (www.mygatsby.com)
Naptime Cards (www.naptimecards.com)
Photo Stamps (http://photo.stamps.com/PhotoStamps/?source=si10985886)
Purple Stork (www.purplestork.com)
Custom Craft (http://www.shopbirthannouncements.com/)
Simply To Impress (www.simplytoimpress.com)
Stork Avenue (www.storkavenue.com)
Tiny Prints (www.tinyprints.com)

Monitors
BabyBeat (www.babybeat.com)
Belly Beats (www.bellybeats.com)
Stork Radio (www.storkradio.com)

Fun Stuff
Jewel Kids (www.jewelkids.com)Lifetime Mothers (www.lifetimemothers.com)
Baby Pool (Have friends compete in a baby due date contest) (http://www.expectnet.com/)

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Books for the Expectant Mother:

So THAT'S What They're For! The Definitive Breastfeeding Guide
By Janet Tamaro

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/159337285X.01._PE20_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

What to Expect When You're Expecting
By Heidi Murkoff, Sandee Hathaway, Arlene Eisenberg

http://images.barnesandnoble.com.edgesuite.net/images/5090000/5090602.gif

Your Pregnancy Week by Week: 5th Edition
By Dr. Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler

http://images.barnesandnoble.com.edgesuite.net/images/7210000/7219608.gif


Everything Pregnancy Fitness
By Robin Elise Weiss

http://images.barnesandnoble.com.edgesuite.net/images/6950000/6959852.gif

My Pregnancy Journal
By Ryland Peters & Small Staff
This is great for keepsakes and putting down your feelings and moods, etc.

http://images.barnesandnoble.com.edgesuite.net/images/7980000/7985227.gif

The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy
By Vicki Iovine
For fun!

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0671524313.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Equipment, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! May 2005 Edition
By Alan and Denise Fields

Books for the Expectant Father:

My Boys Can Swim! The Official Guy's Guide to Pregnancy
By Ian Davis

The Expectant Father
By Armin A. Brott & Jennifer Ash

Be Prepared : A Practical Handbook for New Dads
By Gary Greenberg, Jeannie Hayden

[MrsBrownie]

A June Mommy coming in to visit...

I've been watching for the October Moms thread...congratulations Lilly and hopefully you will have many more October Mommies joining you soon.

The October moms thread means we June Moms are that much closer to meeting our little ones.

CONGRATS again and a Healthy and Happy 9 months to everyone who joins!

[cartersmommy]

CONGRATS OCTOBER MOMMIES!! This is a 2005 October mommy, and I just wanted to stop in and say congratulations!! It's the best month to have a baby!! :) :) H&H 9 months to all of you!

[Lily]

MrsBrownie - Thank you for the congrats. I hope that I get some company soon too. Best wishes to you and your baby. :)

Cartersmommy - Thank you. It should be an exciting journey. :D


CC Name: Lily
Me: Erica, 26
DH: Daryl, 33
Married: 09/13/03
TTC: #1
BFP: 01/23/06
EDD: 10/04/06
Gender Prediction: Chinese Gender Predictor says boy!
Any other children:None.

QOTD: When did you suspect you were pregnant? What symptoms were you/are you having?

A: For me, I noticed that my temp. didn't drop on DPO13 which it always does. I tested and sure enough within seconds I saw that lovely second line. As far as symptoms go, I can definitely feel activity in my uterus but nothing painful. Other than that I'm just really sleepy all the time. :)

[mcl]

this is another member of the october 2005 thread. i can't believe that this thread is now officially up and running. congratulations and enjoy all healthy 9 months.

[MSH]

I'm a sept 2006 mommy-to-be just wanting to wish all of the Oct mommies-to-be congratulations!!

[Lily]

mcl - Thank you for the well wishes.

MSH - Thank you for the congratulations. Same goes to you. I remember your username from the WC. I'm so glad that you got your BFP. H&H 9 months to you. :)

[1_mommy]

another oct 05 mommy saying congrats and a h&h 9 months!!

[bluebunny]

October 2004 mommy saying hello! What a wonderful month to have a baby!! :D Best wishes! (Hope you have more mommies soon!!)

[lorialys]

Another Oct 05 mommy wanting to wish everyone my congrats!! Good luck and enjoy the ride! :p

[kenswife]

I guess I'll join the roster though I'm still a bit hestitant. But for right now - I'm definitely preggo!

CC Name: kenswife
Me: Emily
DH: Ken
Married: 02.03.04
TTC: #3
BFP: 01.25.06
EDD: 10.08.06
Gender Prediction: Hoping for a boy!
Any other children: Alyssa (5) & Ilanna (11mos)

I'm soooo excited to be having an October baby! What a great month! Although, seeing as though I had #2 a week early, I may slip into September :)

Can't wait to do this all again :p

[kenswife]

Oh, and for the QOTD:

We were trying... so I, being as impatient as I am, started testing from 9dpo. The first few tests were so faint that I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. Yesterday I got a good looking 2nd line and a "Pregnant" on the digital. Today my equate looks great! However, I'm still cautious b/c my temps are not all that wonderful.

As for other symptoms, I have none at all. That was how my last pregnancy was too. I don't start feeling anything until about 6 weeks and then I get some good morning sickness :)

So glad there's another Oct.'06 mommy out there :)

[Hula1974]

Yeah!!! Thanks for starting the Lily! Congrats to you and Kenswife. I was waiting for an Oct. thread since I think it's a better place for me - rather than being the last one standing in the Sept. thread! WARNING WARNING - I'm not good at keep up with these fast moving threads. I don't have access at work. :( But I try the best I can!

CC Name: Hula1974
Me: Heather, 31
DH: Tim, 31
Married: 6.8.02
TTC: 10/05
BFP: 1.20.06
EDD: 9.29.06
Gender Prediction: ?
Any other children: no

QOTD: My bbs were killing me. Like never before. They felt really full. Not the nipple part, the actual boob part. Then I started to feel like I HAD my period. Not sharp pains or cramps necessarily, but that feeling of fullness where you can't hold your belly in anymore and it's kinda achy. I took my first test last Friday morning and *thought* I saw a line. Took another one each day for the next 5 days. :o DH was convinced by then! But yes, we were trying. I suffer from migraines and my current treatment is injections of Botox. However, you can't get them when you are pg. SO the plan had to be to get the injections, TTC and reap the benefits for the 3 months it lasts. Talk to me in April.....otherwise I'm doing well! And we couldn't have timed it more perfecty for us.

Kenswife - since you already have children, we'll probably have lots of questions for you! I'm nervous about the next 4 weeks before I see my OB. I worry with every twinge I feel. But I know things should be happening down there and that I may feel them. What's normal?

[jenjen0713]

Another October 05 mom coming over to wish you all a happy and healthy nine months!!!

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to kenswife and Hula1974!

[Lily]

1 mommy, blue bunny, & lorialys - Thank you for the well wishes and congrats. I think that October is the perfect month for having a baby too! :D It'll definitely be an exciting 9 months.

Kenswife - Hello and congratulations! I'm so happy to have another October mommy. I thought I was going to be the only one for awhile there. :) I keep hearing that morning sickness starts around 6 weeks. I can't wait to see how my body changes over the next month let alone an addtional 8 months! So amazing....anyway welcome to the thread.

Hula1974 - Yeah! Welcome and congratulations. I'm so glad that you decided to join the Oct. thread. :) Don't worry about not being able to visit everyday. Just pop in when you can. My symptoms are pretty similar to yours. BB's are definitely feeling full, and my tummy is bloated. Other than that I feel great.

jenjen0713 - Thank you for posting pictures of your adorable little boy. That's definitely a great reason to push through the little aches and pains.

[jbemommy]

I get to join you guys! I just got a BFP this am. Of course, from my first time around, I know that I'll be worried about it sticking for quite a while! This was our 6th month trying, so we're very excited.
*I apologize for not knowing how to change colors on this message board, sorry*
CC Name: jbemommy
Me: Name, age Shana, 32
DH: Name, age Doug, 41
Married: 6/22/02
TTC: 8/05
BFP: 1/28/06
EDD: 10/4/06
Gender Prediction: ?
Any other children: Juliana, 2/3/04
Looking forward to nine months with you guys--and lots of others.

[kenswife]

Heather - I'll answer any questions you might have. I definitely feel like a pregnancy veteran - haha! At this point it's totally normal to be nervous. I think I noticed every single twinge, pull, ache, etc that I felt for the first 12 weeks! You will get more comfortable with the changes though, I promise. The aches and pains and twinges are totally normal since everything is stretching and shifting to make way for baby. Think of these things as a blessing since they're telling you that everything working to make a cozy home for baby!

Lily - I actually was contemplating starting the thread myself once I found out b/c I thought for sure I was going to be the only one for a while. I hope many more join the thread. October is a great month!


I'll tell you, I'm particularly excited b/c my girls were both born at the beginning of the year and I was pregnant through the winter with both. I was always jealous of the cute maternity summer clothes b/c I was stuck with the frumpy winter clothes. Now I get to deck myself out in summer maternity clothes! I can't even explain how excited I am about this pregnancy!

[kenswife]

Welcome Shana!!! How exciting to have another member of the thread! Oh, and your daughter was born the day I got married ;)

[jbemommy]

Kenswife I did notice your anniversary date! It's a pretty cool one.
Heather From my pregnancy with DD, I remember being very worried about every twinge and cramp. There are a lot in the beginning, it's very normal.
My symptoms have been mostly the same as pre-AF symptoms, cramping and sore BB's. I have felt queasy yesterday and today.

[marathongirl]

Can another seasoned mom join?

Me: Sue, 31
DH: Tim, 32
Married: 12/01/2001
TTC: not really TTC, but not TTA either
BFP: 1/21/06
EDD: 10/1/06
Other children: Claire Sophia 09/16/04
Gender prediction: feeling a boy this time

QOTD: - I suspected I was PG around 11 DPO. My LP is never that long. Got a BFP at 13 DPO. As far as symptoms, I have absolutely none! Same thing happened when I was PG with my DD. It's very nerve-wracking and I was on the phone with my OB about every 2 days. I had a great pregnancy w/ DD and a super-easy labor & delivery so I'm hoping for the same thing around this time too. But I'm still nervous about this one sticking since I'm only 4W6D and symptom-free.

Actually, baby #2 and I could share a b-day since I was born in early October. That would be cool!

Looking forward to getting to know you all!

My first appt is 2/20.

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to jbemommy and marathongirl!

[pickle]

Me too!

Me: E, 30
DH: J, 31
Married: 11/03/01
TTC: Fall 05
BFP: 1/20/06
EDD: 10/04/06
Other children: nope
Gender prediction: Boy

QOTD: Just like hula, my boobs were freaking killing me--I thought I would die just from driving over pot holes. Also, I was starving. all. the. time. Even first thing in the morning, and usually I don't want to eat until I've been up and about for a couple of hours. I was charting, and I knew something was up when my temps didn't drop. I took my first HPT at 9 dpo and the "+" came up instantly.

I already had one doctor appointment to confirm, and I'm going back on 1/31 to make sure my numbers are doubling.

I don't know about you all, but I'm still in a daze--I can't quite believe it!

~E

[pickle]

Forgot to hit subscribe on the last post....;)

[Adam's Pi]

Emily Congrats!!!!!!! I have to know--was this planned or a surprise?

[kenswife]

Woohoo.........look at our list getting longer!!! How exciting!!

Welcome Sue and pickle!!!!! I'm so excited to have other mommies-to-be to go through this with.

[Lily]

jbemommy - Welcome and congratulations! What a great surprise to wake up to this morning. Looks like we're due date buddies. It's so great having a few seasoned Mom's in this thread. I'm sure we'll be picking your brains all the time. :) I'm looking forward to sharing the next 9 months with everyone too. Also, if you would like me to add the date of your 1st appt. to the front page, just let me know.

kenswife - I know what you mean about waiting for this thread to open. It was driving me crazy too so I just created one. :) I'm really looking forward to buying some cute tanks, tees, and capri's for this summer. I'll have to be careful not to get carried away though. I've already bought a pair of maternity jeans, maternity work pants and two shirts. I'm hoping that'll get me through the rest of the winter. Also, would you like me to add the date of your 1st appt. to the front page?

marathongirl - Congratulations to you. My baby and DH could also share a birthday. That would be so amazing. So, are you a runner? It would be great to have someone who's knowledgeable in fitness and nutrition during our PG's. Also, thank you for including the date of your 1st appt. in your post. It reminded me to post mine. :)

pickle - Welcome and congratulations! So cool, another due date buddy. I was definitely in a daze the first couple of days, and I think DH still is :rolleyes: but I'm getting more and more comfortable with the idea everyday.

[kenswife]

Karen..........haha! It was planned actually. We really fell in love with having multiple children and we felt like there was no point in us prolonging something we were going to do eventually anyway. We are soooo excited though! How funny that we're so close in due dates - just a couple weeks!!!

[Lily]

Geez, I just about broke the bank at the bookstore today. :rolleyes: I got some really good books though. They are: The Great Expectations Pregnancy Journal & Planner, Your Pregnancy Week by Week, The Everything Father-To-Be Book, and a Prenatal Yoga CD. I actually started taking yoga classes over the summer, but I broke my toe in Oct. and had to stop. But since that's pretty much healed, I definitely want to start again. It's so relaxing.

Also, as I was leaving the bookstore this guy who was with his little boy told me that I looked like I was having a great day and that it was nice to see someone smiling. The crazy thing is that I didn't even realize I was smiling, although I have been super happy since I got my BFP. Something similar happened to me yesterday too. Must be all of those great hormones that the baby is starting to produce. :D

[jbemommy]

Welcome to marathongirl and pickle! Yeah for more members.
Lily my first appt. is 2/28. They offered to see me at 6 weeks, but I asked to wait till 8--with DD, we went at 6 weeks, and they couldn't see the heartbeat and we had to wait another week to see it. It was stressful and I'd rather just wait till later. We aren't planning on telling anyone till after that appointment. I don't know why I feel ok discussing it online but not IRL.

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to pickle!

[Lily]

jbemommy - Hi! I updated your appt. date. I know what you mean about telling people. I've only told my parents, in-laws, sister, and best friend. The rest of the family will be told after my 1st. appt.

QOTD: Have you told anyone that you are PG? If you're planning on waiting when will you tell?

[kenswife]

QOTD: We haven't told anyone yet except my 2 close friends. We probably won't tell anyone for a while. Our parents aren't the "excited" type. They'll more likely give me the third degree before getting excited about it, especially with this one and the my 2nd DD so close in age (about 1yr.7mo). We'll tell the rest of our friends soon though.

The big question for us is when we'll tell our oldest. She can be a blabber mouth though so it might be a couple weeks before we even tell her. Besides, I want to make sure this is a "sticky" baby before I let the news out.

[Pamela]

I'll join! Still a bit nervous since its so early, but I'm just so excited!

CC Name: Pamela
Me: Pamela, 25
DH: DH, 25
Married: 6/13/2004
BFP: 1/20/2006
EDD: 10/4/2006
Gender Prediction: ?? Chinese prediction chart says Girl
Any other children: none

QOTD I'd been having some crampy type pains about a week after ovulation, like cramps but different, so that got me wondering. At 10dpo I decided to just go ahead and test and I got the faintest line ever, it was more like a suggestion of where a line might be, like maybe the ink underneath or something was showing though, it was just so faint. So I tested again the next morning and got a really really faint line, but it was definately a line! I've taken half a dozen more tests and they just keep getting darker :D The only symptoms I'm having is really really sore BBs!! I'm going to have to start sleeping with a sports bra on, they're just killing me!

The day after we found out, hubby and I went out and bought me some Palmer's cocoa butter, which I'm using relgiously. I also got "What to Expect When You're Expecting," and I ordered a pregnancy yoga DVD. We're not telling anyone yet, I'd like to wait until closer to 12 weeks, but I had to jump in and join the thread 'cause I'm just so excited!!

[Tiger]

Hey everyone...I'm an Oct.'05 mommy and I just wanted to stop by and say Congratulations! This is such an exciting time for all of you. I wish you all a happy and healthy 9 months!!!

[marathongirl]

Lily - thanks for doing all the updates! I try and keep up with some sort of running, but it's tough with a 16 month old. In my days before children, I ran a few marathons and other mid-distance races. When I was PG with DD, I ran until I was 23-24 weeks. It was pretty slow and I only did 7-10 miles/week, but I think staying in shape helped with labor.

Welcome to all the newcomers!

QOTD - I told my best friend and one other friend who is the only other person IRL I know that has two kids close in age. DH and I will probably wait until after the first appt to tell everyone else, but it's going to be tough to keep my mouth closed.

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to Pamela!

[lml41981]

October 2005 Mom here...just wanted to wish you all a happy and healthy nine months. The journey may not always be fun, it may seem long and you may want to shoot yourself or someone else by the time it is over...but I promise you, it is sooo worth it. :)

[Lily]

Pamela - Hello and congratulations! Looks like a lot of us have the same due date. How cool is that? I know what you mean about the sore BB's. Just in the last day and a half I've noticed that they're really sensitive. Sports bras do help alot. Have you received your Prenatal Yoga DVD yet? I got one today too, and can't wait to use it. Have you taken yoga classes before? I'm just a beginner, but really love it. Just let me know if you would like me to add the date of your 1st appt. to the front page. :)

Tiger - Thank you for the well wishes.

marathongirl - Ahhh, you're so sweet for thanking me. It's my pleasure. Although, once more people join I think I'll pose the question of switching threadmistresses for each trimester. That way no one gets burnt out or overwhelmed. Wow, 7/10 miles. I'm so impressed. I'm more of a walker/jogger :) and found that it's improved my health and endurance so much and that's just with doing 45 min. every other day. One of my Mom's co-workers ran the same when she was PG, all of her friends thought she had lost it, but just like you, her PG & labor were both problem free. It definitely has it's benefits.

lml - Thank you for the congrats. and well wishes.

[Pamela]

Lily, Thanks for the welcome! Isn't it funny there's already four of us with the same due date?! I haven't received my yoga DVD yet, amazon says it should arrive in the next few weeks so I hope its soon! I've never done yoga before, but I have some pilates DVDs (I just don't do them very often!)

My first appointment is Feb. 20th, and thats just with a nurse to get my health history and whatnot.
My first OB appointment is on March 10th

Those dates seem forever from now!

Tiger and Lml, thanks for the well wishes and encouragement!

[Hula1974]

Welcome all the new mommies!!

pickel- ITA about the potholes! I first noticed my bbs hurting when I was driving too. Making turns with my hand up on the steering wheel and my arm would brush against them. OOOWWW!

First OB appt. 2/15 - Does DH come to this one? I hear there in an internal exam...

QOTD - We are dying to tell EVERYONE! We made a rule to only tell people that we wouldn't mind telling if we mc. This is probably the biggest secret we've ever had to keep. It's our first baby, and the first grandchild in the family. We've told our parents, sisters and a few key friends. There will be more though, we can't help it.

[Lily]

Pamela - There are a lot of 10/04 Mommies. I can't wait to see who the late Oct. mommies are going to be. They should know in a couple of weeks. I'm relieved to know that I'm not only one who has to wait until Mar. for my first OB appt. It seems like it's forever away.

Hula1974 - Hello. I was wondering if DH should come to the 1st appt. too. I think I'll have him come since I'll be 9 weeks. The midwife will need his family medical history anyway. Hopefully we'll get an ultrasound to see the little one's heartbeat. :)

[Lily]

Man, what a rough night. I woke up every 2-4 hours to go to the restroom, and then had trouble falling back to sleep. It's like I would nap, wake up, nap, wake up. Fortunately I felt rested this morning since I had to go to work. Interestingly I didn't have hardly any feelings of pressure or cramping during the night. I definitely do right now, but no nausea which I'm greatful for. My tummy tends to stay much calmer if I eat 5/6 mini meals during the day.

QOTD 1: How often do you find yourself getting hungry? What kind of foods have you been eating/craving? I seem to be hungry every 3 hours or so. If it's not lunch or dinner time, I'll just have a small snack like a granola, or Nutri-Grain bar with fruit. I haven't really had any cravings, but have felt the need to eat healthier.

QOTD 2: Will you be going on any vacations during your PG, if so how far along will you be? DH and I will probably be going to LV in late March. I've never been before, and am really excited. I'll be about 12 weeks at that point. I figured if we were going to take a vacation the 2nd trimester would be the perfect time. I guess I'll need an aisle seat though, so that I don't have bug anyone if I have to get up.

[marathongirl]

I am SOOOO impatient for my first appt! I don't even know if we'll get an u/s. I certainly hope so. I got one last time around 7.5 weeks b/c I had some spotting and it was so reassuring to see the little h/b!

QOTD hungry - depends on the day. Sometimes I could eat all day. Others, like today, eating is a chore. With DD I craved cheese and cheeseburgers ALL. THE. TIME.

QOTD vacation - I might go to Paris for a long weekend with DH in June. It depends on how I'm feeling and if my parents will watch DD for a few days. DH will be there for 2 weeks for work, so we'd only have to pay my airfare. Otherwise, my ILs have booked a cottage on Cape Cod for a week in mid-Sept and want us to go for part of the time. We'll have to see as time gets closer since I'd be 37-38 weeks. Knowing my MIL, she will be *PISSED* if we don't go and say we got PG on purpose to not go :rolleyes: .

[Pamela]

Hula, I'm just dying to tell people too! I'm the one absoultely insisting that we wait until 12 weeks or so to tell people, but its just such a huge secret! I talked to my mom on the phone yesterday and afterwards I felt guilty for not telling her, lol!

My DH can't make it to my first appointment, its on a monday morning and he'll be at work. They said its just with a nurse and will just be to get my history and talk about insurance stuff, pretty boring and really won't have much to do with the baby. I'm still a little disappointed he can't come, but I guess if he's going to miss one its good that its the first boring one! He'll be coming to the first OB appointment, so hopefully we'll get to hear the heartbeat. I won't get an ultrasound until 20 weeks unless they are concerned about something, but I'm going to beg and plead to get one sooner! I just want to see it so bad!

Lily, I'm looking forward to seeing who the rest of the October mommies are too! There will probably be more arriving all the time. It makes me feel better too that I'm not the only one waiting until march for an appointment.

marathongirl, I am so scared of having spotting or other problems! I would love an early ultrasound like that, but I don't want to have spotting or something scary to get it!

QOTD 1: eating - The past several days I haven't really had much of an appetite, its wierd. No wierd cravings, or really any cravings, and no feeling really hungry. I am making an effort to just eat really healthy things and to drink a lot (which contributes to having to go to the bathroom constantly!)

QOTD 2: vacations PG - We don't have any trips planned, and probably won't do a whole lot of travelling this summer. We're in the middle of buying a new house, it'll be finished mid-march so we'll be moving then. Between being busy with house stuff and spending all our money on a house, we probably won't do much else! I'll be between 10 and 12 weeks when we move, I'm thinking we'll probably start telling people then, starting with family.

[jbemommy]

Whew, pregnancy emotions are setting in already!! We did our monthly 1.5 hour drive to the mall today (got DD's 2nd birthday pics done) and I totally had a meltdown on the way there. DD has been so demanding and needy this week and she wanted me to read books to her during the drive. Not a problem, but DH only brought 3, and she kept wanting me to read a "different book", and she refused to just look at them herself. Anyway I got very weepy and resorted to a DVD--something I always said I wouldn't do before I had a child. :rolleyes:

QOTD #1: I feel very queasy yet hungry in the mornings, but am not really craving anything specific yet.
QOTD #2: We had already planned a trip to see DH's family in South Dakota for the beginning of May, so I'll be about 4 months then. I think that should be ok for travelling.

DH is coming to the first appt with me to see the u/s, he'll step out during the pelvic part. He came to almost all of my appts for DD.

[lawgirl4]

hi everyone! I can't believe I am joining this thread! I do feel a bit hesitant, but I am going to be thinking positively. :)

CC Name: lawgirl4
Me: Ericka, 31
DH: Rob, 36
Married: 07/06/2003
TTC: #1
BFP: 01/27/06
EDD: 10/08/06
Gender Prediction: not a prediction, but a hope for a girl!
Any other children:nope! this is our first!

QOTD 1: When did you suspect you were pregnant? What symptoms were you/are you having?

I had a temp dip at 9 dpo, and it stayed about the same on the following day (both temps were above the coverline). On 11 dpo it went up, and although I had been spotting lightly for the previous 5-6 days, I realized it had been getting lighter. So I did an "Aimstick" test, which is supposed to pick up 20 HCG. It was a super faint line, but there was *something* there. Today was 12 dpo and I did 2 different tests in the morning - both were definitely positive - and around noon did a clearblue digital - the "Pregnant" popped up on the screen almost immediately!

Thursday night - 10 dpo - I was incredibly nauseous. Yesterday - 11 dpo - I was exhausted around 2:30pm. Today I completely fell asleep at 5pm (but had to wake up later as our 3 yr old nephew came to sleepover!). Breasts have been a little more tender; feeling all sorts of twinges in my abdomen, but I am sure that is a combination of PG symptoms and excitement! :)

QOTD 2: Have you told anyone that you are PG? If you're planning on waiting when will you tell?

I told my husband today (the sweetie got tears in his eyes immediately) and actually called my best friend this morning after testing. She's been through an interesting TTC journey and said all the right things. We're so excited because our babies will both be the same age! :)

We're waiting until the end of the 1st trimester to tell everyone - but as long as things go well, I will probably tell my mom at the end of February. We'll see!

QOTD 3: How often do you find yourself getting hungry? What kind of foods have you been eating/craving?

I alternate between being really, really hungry/lightheaded and having zero appetite! No real cravings yet - loving rice but I normally love rice!

QOTD 4: Will you be going on any vacations during your PG, if so how far along will you be?

we probably will. we usually go to my family's vacation home in Maine every summer, and since all of my family is in NY (we're in Chicago) there are bound to be trips to NY as well. We will probably go to NY in March, possibly Florida as well - but I hate flying (even though I am actually a very experienced international traveler, I always take Xanax when I fly - but you can't take Xanax while PG - so I'm hoping to be able to find something that I can take - maybe tylenol PM? Something to ask the doctor!).

[marathongirl]

jbemommy - I also said there would be no TV for my kids. I stuck to it pretty well. But yesterday morning when DD got up super cranky at 4:30am for the day, the only thing that calmed her down was watching Playhouse Disney :rolleyes: .

Lawgirl4 - Welcome!!!

[Linnybubbles]

Just wanted to pop in and welcome Lawgirl! Oh, and you can take Tylenol PM when pregnant, it has been a lifesaver for me!

[kenswife]

Welcome Ericka!!!!! We're due date buddies!

QOTD 3: How often do you find yourself getting hungry? What kind of foods have you been eating/craving?

I don't see much of a change in being hungry right now. I am, however, trying to eat relatively well right now b/c with my past experience I know that in 2 weeks I'll wish I could eat! I've always been a "picker" anyway, eating all day. I credit my metabolism for that one!!!

QOTD 4: Will you be going on any vacations during your PG, if so how far along will you be?

Because summer is the busiest time of the year for DH we probably won't take any significant vacations, just long weekend trips probably. Since we'll go via car, there won't be any restriction on when I can go. Besides, I wouldn't look forward to lugging around 2 kids and a pregnant belly in the middle of the summer on a plane! So, we'll make up for it next year :)

[brooke]

Dropping by to give my congrats to Lawgirl...great news! (try concentrating on your albums now!) ;)

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to lawgirl4!

[Lily]

marathongirl - Paris in June sounds so romantic. :) I hope that you're able to go. I feel for you about visiting Cape Cod when you'll be so far along. Hopefully your MIL will understand if you're not feeling up to it.

Pamela - Congrats. on getting your home built. It sounds really close to being complete. A house warming party would be the perfect place to tell your family and friends about the baby. :)

jbemommy - I'm sorry that you had a rough afternoon yesterday. I know what you mean about being queasy yet hungry in the morning. This is the first morning where I'm feeling the same way. But if this is the worst it gets, I'll be very happy. :)

lawgirl4 - Hi Ericka, congratulations. I was looking in the charting thread yesterday and saw everyone talking about a MBFP! I'm so happy that you're able to join us. :D

kenswife - I love taking weekend trips too. There's so much to do around here in the summer. I'm actually reconsidering the LVtrip and taking a couple of weekend breaks instead. DH might not like that plan though. :rolleyes:

[Lily]

I think that I've been recording the wrong day in my titles. Based off of my newest calendar, which I think is the most reliable; I am 4w5d today instead of 4w4d. Only off by a day though, so that's not bad. Some interesting news: my little pumpkin is officially considered an embryo.

Here’s a cool picture I found at www.pregnancy.org:

http://www.pregnancy.org/images/pregnancy/pregnancycalendar/mo1500.jpg

I was so productive yesterday in getting organized for the little one. I made an Excel document/price list of baby gear and other misc. items we'll be needing. I’ve pretty much decided what brands I want to get, but will probably wait until 20 weeks before actually purchasing anything.

QOTD: Will you be finding out the sex of your baby, or do you want it to be a surprise?

DH and I just decided that we want it to be a surprise. This is going to be really hard for me, but it’s really important to DH to wait so I support our decision.

[Lily]

Ok - This is my last post for awhile I promise. ;)

I was searching CC for questions to ask the OB/Midwife during my first appt. and found this list written and posted by Sevilla.

GENERAL DOCTOR INFO
1. How many years have you been practicing as a midwife?
2. How many births have you attended as the primary caregiver?
3. How do you handle routine phone calls if I have questions between visits?
4. How can I reach you in an emergency?
5. If the midwife is in a group practice with doctors:
• Will I see the other practitioners?
• Do they share the same perspective as you?
• Can I be assured that a midwife will attend my labor and birth unless there's a medical reason for having a physician?
6. Do you have books and videos that clients may borrow?
7. Who will care for me if you aren't at work when I go into labor?

PRENATAL CARE
1. How much time do you allow for each prenatal visit?
2. Which prenatal tests do you routinely recommend?
4. What if I have a concern about a specific test?
5. When and how often do you do ultrasounds?
6. Do you offer the use of a fetoscope instead of a Doppler to check heartbeat?
7. Do you do internal cervical exams? When, how often, and why?
8. If something comes up and I do become a high risk, will you still be working with me?
9. What kind of birth classes do you recommend? What do you think about Bradley or hypnobabies?
10. How do you handle a breech baby? Do you do external versions or attempt vaginal breech births?

LABOR AND DELIVERY
1. What hospitals do I have to choose from? How do I find out their stances on standard procedures, opting out, or more alternative birth plans?
2. I want the option of laboring in water. Are there private tubs and showers at the hospital? What about a water birth?
3. How do you feel about me staying mobile through the entire labor?
4. Can I have intermittent monitoring rather than continuous EFM?
5. Do you (and/or hospital) allow food and drink during and after labor/delivery?
6. Can I choose my pushing position? (i.e., hands and knees or squatting instead of sitting in the bed)
7. Do you stay with me throughout labor?
8. When I am at 10cm do I have to push or can I wait until I feel an urge?
9. What is your policy when labor is long or 'stalls'? Is there a time limit on labor?
10. What is your usual recommendation if pregnancy goes beyond 40 weeks?
11. Are there types of pain relief that still allow me to move around freely?

INTERVENTIONS
1. What percentage of your patients are induced?
2. What is your Cesarean rate? What are the most common reasons?
3. What is your episiotomy rate? What is your position on episiotomies?
4. What is your forceps- or vacuum-assisted delivery rate?
5. What percentage of your patients give birth naturally without drugs?
6. Do you (or any hospital policies) require routine continuous fetal monitoring, IVs, or other
routine interventions? What if I don't want these procedures?
7. How often do you listen to baby during labor? During pushing?
8. How would you handle lowered infant heart rate during delivery?
9. What is your protocol for managing a posterior birth?
10. Is cord around the neck a reason for an emergency c-section? Can you birth vaginally with
cord issues? (I know someone who had an emergency C b/c of ‘prolapsed cord’)
13. How do you handle Group B Strep +? When would you administer antibiotics if i tested +?

POSTPARTUM
1. Will I be separated from my baby after birth? If so, when, why, and for how long?
2. Can my baby room in with me, and can my husband room in with us?
3. Have you ever had to resuscitate a baby?
4. Have you ever lost a baby under your care? What were the circumstances?
5. Do you examine the baby after birth? What does this examination include?
6. What is the routine infant care and procedures after birth? Can I opt out of some of those procedures (such as the Hep B shot)? Can we delay others (i.e., eye drops for an hour after birth instead of right away)?
7. Does the hospital have a certified lactation consultant to assist with breastfeeding?
8. Do you have a pediatrician you work with or recommend?

EVALUATION
1. Is this person listening to me and respectful of my wish to make careful decisions?
2. Is the person willing to take the time to answer my questions to my satisfaction?
3. Does this person share my vision for my maternity care and birth?
4. Do I think that I can feel comfortable with and trust this person?
5. Can I get what I want from this person?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To remember questions to use for informed consent, use the acronym BREAD. This stands for: Benefits, Risks, Explanation, Alternative(s), Decision

• Benefits
o What are the benefits of this procedure?
o Is it a medical necessity?
o Will it save someone’s life?
o Will it change the outcome of the birth (e.g. save mom from surgery, prevent the baby from being injured)?

• Risks
o What are the risks of this procedure?
o What other procedures will be necessary because of this procedure?
o Could it cause injury to mom or baby, and if so what it the likelihood?
o What are the long-term and short-term side effects, no matter how unlikely, no matter how benign?

• Explanation
o What is the procedure?
o How is it done (using what equipment, and how reliable is the equipment)?
o Where is it done?
o How many people are there, who are they, and can my support person or people be with me/baby?
o How long does it take?

• Alternatives
o Are there alternatives to this procedure, what are they (go over all questions again)?
o Can we wait an hour?

• Decision
o How do you feel about the information you received? Is it sufficient, or do you need to ask someone else (second opinion, Bradley instructor, doula, friend, etc.)?
o Weigh the benefits and the risks of the procedure.
o Are there alternatives to this procedure that has the same potential benefits, but fewer risks?
o How do you feel about the procedure?

[lawgirl4]

marathongirl, lindsey, kenswife, (cool - a due date buddy!) brooke, and lily, thanks for your congrats and welcoming words! what an exciting time for all of us.

So, I am exhausted today! Granted, we had our almost-3 year old nephew spend the night with us, so I was certainly a little more active today than I might normally be, but I am really wiped out! DH went to bed late last night and then got up early for a tennis game this morning, so we both took a nap after my SIL picked up my nephew. I slept for 1.5 hours, and DH is still asleep... I have no idea how I am going to make it through the workday tomorrow, if the past 3 days are any indication of how tired I'm going to be!

******************************

QOTD: Will you be finding out the sex of your baby, or do you want it to be a surprise?

I am quite sure that we'll find out the sex, if possible. I just think it makes planning easier, and I know I am going to be really curious!

[Aletheia]

Hello October mommies! This is a Sept 2006 mommy dropping by, wishing you lots of luck as you head into the woods of possible morning sickness! Look out for week 6- I wish someone would have told me to keep the Saltines by my bed *before* I'd had a quesy day.

Lily, the thread looks great! Way to go.

[Pamela]

Welcome Lawgirl!

Alethia, thanks for the tip! Is it wierd that I'm almost wishing some nausea would hit?! So far I'm not feeling any symptoms other than sore BBs (sleeping ina bra now!) and some cramping (which I'm guessing is my poor uterus starting to stretch out?).

Lily, I'm just going to stick with 4 weeks 4 days, each calender says something different! Some have me at 4wks 3days, some 4wks 4days and some 4wks 5days! I'm thinking a tour of the new house would be a neat way to make our announcement -- "Here's our room, here's a bathroom, and this room is the nursery!

QOTD: We will definately be finding out the sex, as soon as possible!! I am way too impatient to wait and I'm dying to know!

[Pamela]

First belly shots! I'm going to try and do one every week or so.






http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/MrsPamela/Baby/progression1.jpg

Not a whole lot to see yet :rolleyes:

[lawgirl4]

I just had to post something that I bought today:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/lawgirl4/animalpuppettheatre.jpg

Animal Puppet Theatre (http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product_detail.jsp?productId=prod3180002&navCount=2) from Restoration Hardware. My almost-3-yr-old nephew has this and it is the *cutest* thing. He got it about a year and a half ago and I couldn't believe it was still available - and on sale, no less! The quality is wonderful - the puppets are really soft and so well made. The rhino puppet is my favorite. :)

[marathongirl]

Pamela - love the belly shots! I need to get some of mine up. I was kind of laxy about it with DD. The last one I have of me still PG with her was about 3 weeks before she was born. I wish I had the presence of mind to take one before we left for the hospital.

lawgirl - love the puppet theatre!

QOTD - no, we probably won't find out the sex. We didn't with DD either, but I just *knew* from day one she would be a girl.

[Roxygirl]

Holy cow I can't believe I'm joining over here. I just got my BFP tonight so it definately hasn't sunken in yet. But here we go!!

CC name: Roxygirl
Me: Marissa, 26
DH: R, 25
Married: July 10th, 2004
TTC: Jan 1, 2006
BFP: January 29, 2006
EDD: October 10, 2006
Gender: ?? No predictions, happy as long as it's healthy
Other Children: Nope, just furbabies.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Hi ladies, I hope you don't mind another Ericka joining the bunch :) I just got 2 BFP's this morning, still in a little shock but have been feeling a little out of sorts lately. I have to call for a blood confirmation still. I have my annual scheduled for February 8th so that my just be my first OB appt, will see what doc says.


Ericka_Jarett
Me: Ericka, 31 - April 12
DH: Jarett, 28
Married: December 14, 2001
TTC: June, 2005
BFP: January 30, 2006
EDD: October 4, 2006 (not confirmed yet)
Gender Prediction: Love for it to be a Girl as I have lots of girl clothes, but feel blessed either way
Other children: Rebekah Joy, born April 18, 2005 at 24 weeks, with us 71 mins.

[marathongirl]

Welcome roxygirl & Ericka_Jarrett!!! Glad to see more mommies-to-be joining!

Kenswife - did you show a lot sooner w/ #2?

Three weeks until my first appt!

I've been having a lot of cramping yesterday and this morning so I'm feeling a little concerned. I don't remember cramping like this with DD. Anyone else feeling the same?

Off to take DD to playgroup!

[amurphy]

Congratulations to all the new moms-to-be, but especially to Ericka_Jarett! (We were in the TTC threads together for a while and I'm so happy to hear your wonderful news!!!) :D

[jbemommy]

Congrats and welcome to Erika Jarrett and roxygirl!
marathongirl I think cramping at this stage is pretty normal. I think as long as you're not bleeding we're supposed to not worry about it. Easier said than done, I know.
QOTD we are not planning on finding out what we're having. We didn't with DD. The only downside was that I was convinced she was a boy (and everyone else said so, too) so it was a little weird at first that she was a girl--but I was very thrilled she was (I secretly really wanted a girl).

[Ericka_Jarett]

QOTD 2: Will you be going on any vacations during your PG, if so how far along will you be?

Actually we are going to TN on Friday thru Sunday. Disney March 1-5, 2006, possibly Missouri in May. I think that's all for now. Unless hubby gets on a kick and we go on a spontaneous trip. Plus traveling to Upstate NY to visit my mom

QOTD: Yes, we will be finding out with this baby. We found out with our daughter.

[pickle]

Dude, I'm so behind on the QOTD already!!


QOTD 1: Have you told anyone that you are PG? If you're planning on waiting when will you tell?

My DH told his brother (the boy can't keep a secret), but he's the only one who knows. We're planning on telling our parents 2/18 because my mom will be visiting that weekend. We'll tell our friends 3/5 at our annual Oscar party. We have a wedding the next weekend and we might as well tell before then, everyone will guess when I'm not drinking.

QOTD 2: How often do you find yourself getting hungry? What kind of foods have you been eating/craving?

I was constantly starving at first, but it isn't quite as bad now. I really want fruits and veggies all the time, so at least I'm craving healthy things for now!

QOTD 3: Will you be going on any vacations during your PG, if so how far along will you be?
We'll go on a couple. J and I are big travelers, so I couldn't just give it up completely. We have plans to go to Vegas in May and we're talking about going to Hawaii too. I'll also be doing some weekend trips to visit friends and family (in VA and FL), but those don't really count. ;)

QOTD 4:We definitely want to find out the sex. I am way too much of a planner to wait, and I want to do a gender-specific nursery. (Not that I've already been looking at furniture any bedding online already. Oh no, not at all!)

Welcome and congrats to all the new members!

Ericka, I remember reading your story and I am so happy for you!

And lawgirl, I'm in Chicago too! Are you in the city or burbs? We're in Lakeview right now, but must move to have room for baby. We were out at open houses yesterday...the whole process is exhausting just to think about.

[TaterBaby]

New member here!

CC Name: TaterBaby
Me: Emily, 27 on Friday!
DH: Josh, 26
Married: 05/22/004
TTC: January 2006
BFP: 01/28/06
EDD: 10/04/06
Gender Prediction: none yet
Any other children: 2 furbabies; m/c at 10 weeks with D&C - Aug 05

I'm another 10/4 EDD! Just called my OB and I made an appt for 2/16 with the nurse and then 3/2 with the dr. However, I made the receptionist write a note for the nurse to call me bc I must get in sooner! I think I will be able to since I did have a m/c last year and my ob promised me an early ultrasound. I mean, if I have to wait until 3/2 that's not really early, is it? So, I hope to hear back soon and get my appointments moved up.

QOTD Catch up:
QOTD 1: Have you told anyone that you are PG? If you're planning on waiting when will you tell?

I told my best friend on Saturday when I got my BFP. She is sworn to secrecy. DH doesn't even know that I told her because I told him that he couldn't tell anyone! We won't tell family and friends until 12 weeks.

QOTD 2: How often do you find yourself getting hungry? What kind of foods have you been eating/craving?

I've just been eating what I normally eat, but I have been starving between meals and during the night. It's like my stomach is completely empty, often!

QOTD 3: Will you be going on any vacations during your PG, if so how far along will you be?

I have a business trip to Chicago planned for March. (No one at work will know I'm preg by then.) We have a family vacation to the beach planned for May and then I was going to get to go to Hawaii on business in October, but obviously that is out now.

QOTD 4: I *think* we'll find out the sex. I'd like to say that I can wait and have it be a surprise, but who am I kidding? I am a control freak and planner so I'm sure we'll find out. However, we will be keeping our name a secret!

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to Roxygirl, Ericka_Jarett,and TaterBaby!

[maplekitty]

Hiya! me too me too!! :D :D

CC Name: maplekitty
Me: Sarah, 25
DH: Curt, 28
Married: August 27th, 2005
TTC: November 2005
BFP: January 30, 2006
EDD: not sure yet....don't know exact O date :p
Gender Prediction: hoping for a girl! overjoyed if it's a boy
Any other children: this is the first one!

[marathongirl]

Welcome maplekitty & Tater baby!!!

[maplekitty]

QOTD 1: Have you told anyone that you are PG? If you're planning on waiting when will you tell?

I emailed my best friend because I told her she'd be the first to know. Hubby gets home at 5pm and I'm hoping I can think of something cool to surprise him. All my journal buddies know! We'll probably wait the 3 months to tell everyone else. My SIL is due in three weeks and I'd like her to have some baby glory before our big announcement

QOTD 2: How often do you find yourself getting hungry? What kind of foods have you been eating/craving?

I find myself getting hungry at night, and I'm ravenous when I wake up.
I've been craving spicey food! And chocolate, and if I could find some spicey chocolate I'd be in heaven, lol

QOTD 3: Will you be going on any vacations during your PG, if so how far along will you be?

No vacations, but we have 5 weddings to attend this summer. One of which I'm the MOH in June. We have to travel about 2 hours for that one, so no biggie, and I'll be 5 months along.

QOTD 4: will you find out the sex

I want to knwo the sex because I hate surprises. And I'm quite impatient, so I don't think I'd deal well *not* knowing. Curt wants it to be a surprise, but we agreed that baby #2 can be a surprise. I also want to decorate the room up cute and gender specific and start accumulating cute things.

[lawgirl4]

Hi everyone, and welcome to all of the newcomers!

pickle - we're in the south loop. planning on staying there for a while, though we are looking at buying the loft next door to ours and breaking through the wall to have one huge unit (about 3500 sq ft). I will *not* move to the suburbs! (mainly because my ILs are there :rolleyes: ). Where are you going to be delivering? I'll be at Northwestern.

*********************

so - I had my first dr's appt today! I showed up at 8:30 am, when they opened - there was a girl in front of me, checking in, and she said she needed to get a blood test. When it was my turn I said I was in the same boat - it was so funny! We both basically showed up without appointments. I mentioned that I was concerned about a possible progesterone deficiency, so the receptionist said that I could talk with my doctor.

After the blood test (they are testing my betas and prog. level) I had to wait a while, but it was worth it. My doctor is fabulous and totally put me at ease. I've been spotting lightly for pretty much the past week, but she said not to worry and to take it easy. If my progesterone levels are low, she'll prescribe me supplements today; and I'll be going back wednesday morning for a quick blood test so they can do a beta comparison. Hoping that everything will come back with good news!

Breasts are definitely more tender today - I'm so glad for that. Also did 2 more PG tests this morning - ept and first response, and they were definitely darker than saturday's. whew! :)

[maplekitty]

is it totally crazy of me to want to go out and buy every single brand of HPT to make sure that this is for really real? LOL

[Rippy1010]

CC Name: rippy1010
Me: Ally, 29
DH: Jeff, 29
Married: July 23, 2005
TTC: WE WEREN'T! WHOOPS!
BFP: January 27, 2006
EDD: 10/1/06
Gender Prediction: no prediction here.
Any other children: this is the 2nd pregnancy (both oops!), but first child (god willing)


I've been following along since Friday, but too afraid to post because I've avoided telling journal buddies. Even straight out told one NO when she asked. I feel so guilty about it! So, if anyone comes to see my in my journal ... I'm not talking about it there. Just here for now. :)

My first ob appointment is 3/2/06 ... TWO HOURS LONG. Holy smokes!

Catching up on the talk ...

QOTD 1: Have you told anyone that you are PG? If you're planning on waiting when will you tell?

I told two CC buddies, and my sister. DH told one friend. Today I had to tell one coworker because she was getting upset (and, truly ... NOSY!) over why my doctor called me so many times. :rolleyes: Wasn't happy about that.

QOTD 2: How often do you find yourself getting hungry? What kind of foods have you been eating/craving?

I've been terribly hungry when I wake up in the middle of the night, and then I wait it out til morning and I'm ready to eat a horse when I do get up in the am. Then, I'm hungry again mid-morning (around 10-ish). Actually, about every 3 hours honestly.

QOTD 3: Will you be going on any vacations during your PG, if so how far along will you be?

Only 1 definite ... we have to travel to the opposite coast in May because DH is the best man in his friend's wedding.

QOTD 4: will you find out the sex

I want to. DH was adamantly against it, but is starting to come around. I will have him convinced before then. ;)

[pickle]

I couldn't agree more, lawgirl, we will *never* live in the suburbs! We're looking in Lincoln Square and Andersonville lately, but it changes all the time.

I'll be delivering at Northwestern, too. And I'm wondering if we go to the same practice now, because your experience today sounds like mine last week! I'm going back tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. for my second blood test.

----------------------------------------------------------
Welcome and congrats maplekitty & tater baby!!!

[lawgirl4]

pickle - I'm sending you a PM right now!

[TaterBaby]

Well, the nurse called me back and said she could squeeze me in on Wednesday! I said "with a nurse?" and she said "no, with the doctor." I'm thinking she'll do an ultrasound, but considering I'll be exactly 5 weeks, I'm sure she won't see a heartbeat. However, I think she'll tell me to come back within the next week or so for another ultrasound, which is way better than March 2nd. Unfortunately, DH can't go with me. He's a pallbearer in his uncle's funeral that day. So, my first appointment is 2/1. Holy cow!

[lawgirl4]

hi everyone!
I just got my test results:

progesterone = 31 (great!)
hCG = 343 (not great, but not terrible either)

I've seen a ton of variation on hCG numbers, though, just reading through some of these threads... I am at 14 dpo and most of what I've seen has people at 200 or lower. I am guessing/hoping that I had a later implantation date (guessing it was around 10 dpo) as the very first PG test I did, at 11dpo, was *ultra* (as in barely there) faint - and it was supposed to be sensitive to 20 hCG... so I must have been around 20 on friday. If doubling time is supposed to be 24-48 hrs, then I am slightly ahead of the game.

(it's amazing what the mind does to try to calm oneself!)

Now if only this spotting would go away... I really hope that I am not going to be one of those women who spots throughout the entire 1st trimester - I can't stand the anxiety-inducement of it! I am seriously going to look into a relaxation technique, I think!!! :)

Hoping for a great number after Wednesday's test!!!

[kenswife]

WELCOME to all the newcomers!!!!!! How exciting that this group is growing like wildfire!!!

marathongirl -
Kenswife - did you show a lot sooner w/ #2?

Absolutely! With my first, people couldn't even tell I was pregnant at 5-6 months! With my second, I got comments at 3 mos. I don't know how this one will go since right now I just feel "bloated" but if I grow faster this time I'll be in maternity clothes by 2 months...haha.


Hope everyone's feeling good! I've had some cramps, just like I did with my 2nd. That's about it though. I also feel like I get full quicker after eating. Oh....and I have to PEE LIKE CRAZY! I'm sorry if that's TMI. That did not happen with either of my kids before! I go to the bathroom and as I'm sitting back down at my desk I suddenly feel the urge to pee again! It's terrible. But I'm not complaining b/c I'll take any symptom just to know this baby is sticking around :)

[pickle]

ken'swife, I'm right there with you on the cramps! It keeps freaking me out, even though I know it is a common symptom.

Good numbers, lawgirl! I must share my new discovery with you: www.betabase.info
It collects beta scores from pregnancies and puts them in charts that are oh so handy for the obsessed pregnant lady. :) I must go read that PM now.

[marathongirl]

Welcome Rippy1010!

maplekitty - no definitely not crazy for buying all brands of HPTs. :p :D

TaterBaby - hope you have a good appt in 2 days!

lawgirl - yeah for good numbers! I had some spotting around 6-7 weeks when I was PG w/ DD.

In some ways, I'm glad my OB doesn't do betas and stuff. I would drive myself absolutely INSANE about the numbers!!! I'm sure they probably do if there's any kind of problem. I'm just hoping, hoping, hoping for an u/s to see that tiny little heart on 2/20.

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to maplekitty and Rippy1010!

[Rippy1010]

I was just wondering ... does it seem odd to anyone that my very first ob appointment is 3/2/06 when some of you have already been, or are having one very soon?

I think that estimates to be about 9 weeks for me at the first appointment.


Thank you for the welcomes! :)

[Pamela]

Marathongirl, I've been having a lot of cramping the last few days too, but it seems to have stopped for now. I'm trying to not worry about it.

Welcome Roxygirl, Ericka_Jarett, TaterBaby Maplekitty and Rippy! I can't believe how fast our group is growing already!!

Rippy, my first appointment (with a nurse) isn't until Feb 20th when I'll be about 8 weeks and my first OB appointment with a doctor isn't until March 10th. I thought it seemed like a long time away, but I guess its typical. I wish I could get in sooner!

[Bubeleh]

I’m officially ready to join!

CC Name: Bubeleh
Me: H, 27
DH: A, 30
Married: 03/2003
TTC: November 2005
BFP: 01/21/06
EDD: 10/01/06
Gender Prediction: none yet, hoping for a girl
Any other children: Nope just our loveable puppy

I got my BFP what seems forever ago on 1/21. I had already had my annual gyno appt scheduled for today so I decided to hold off joining until it was confirmed by my dr. And just for good measure I took another HPT this am and it came roaring up with a big blue + sign. :D

QOTD 1: Have you told anyone that you are PG? If you're planning on waiting when will you tell?

I haven’t told a sole in rl. I even waited until confirmed by Dr. to tell DH, which I will do as soon as he gets home tonight. I bought a couple of the "boy" pregnancy books to give to him tonight. We’ll probably tell our parents around 10 weeks and everyone else at 12.

QOTD 2: How often do you find yourself getting hungry? What kind of foods have you been eating/craving?

I have no symptoms whatsoever, which is part of the reason I waited. No pain, so sore BBs, no cravings, nothing. I’m sure its coming though.

QOTD 3: Will you be going on any vacations during your PG, if so how far along will you be?

Nothing for sure planned, maybe a trip to vegas, and a few weddings.

QOTD 4: Absolutely we’ll find out the sex. I’m such a planner by nature it would kill me not knowing.

[Bubeleh]

Forgot to add my next appt is Monday Feb 13...for a heartbeat!

[Pamela]

Welcome Bubeleh!



is it totally crazy of me to want to go out and buy every single brand of HPT to make sure that this is for really real? LOL

If you're crazy, then I am too, I keep testing and testing every few days or so just to watch that second line get darker!

[Bubeleh]

Pamela: How did you get your ticker to work? I'm chat board retarded :(

[katmg]

Just wanted to pop in and say CONGRATS from a late Sept. 06 momma! I may end up being an October mom with you ladies since my due date is 09/27/06. So excited to see this thread starting up!!

[Roxygirl]

I'm getting caught up!!

QOTD 1: My husband can't keep his mouth shut. We told his brother and my parents last night. (They live two states away so I had to tell them over the phone. My aunt and my good friends. We will tell his parents when they get home from Monterey on Wednesday night. I don't want to spread the word too much yet. I guess I just want to be further along before announcing it to the world.

QOTD 2: I am hungry constantly. Today was the worst. I swear I felt like I was starving myself all day. Had my first real craving today and it was for refriend beans.:rolleyes: Oh well, bean dip was great!!!

QOTD 3: I will go to Washington (where my family is) in May and June. We were supposed to go to Orlando in June to see my best friend but that's up in the air now. We were also supposed to take a cruise with some friends in September, but that's obviously not happening now.

QOTD 4: We're counting down the days until we find out the sex!!!

All for now. I'll get my first belly shots posted soon.

Oh my first Doctor appointment is Monday, Feb 6th.

[jbemommy]

Welcome to Taterbaby, maplekitty, and rippy1010, and bubeleh! So exciting to see our group grow.

Rippy I actually asked for a later appointment because with DD, we went at 6 weeks and they couldn't see the heartbeat yet, so I had a very worried week until we saw it the next week. This time I'm going at almost 9 weeks, so it'd better be there!

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to Bubeleh!

[Lily]

Aletheia - Thank you for the congrats and tip. I'll be adding crackers to my list.

Pamela - Great belly shots.

lawgirl4 - I love the puppet theater that you bought. I'm sure that it'll be a lot of joy to your baby.

Roxygirl - Congratulations on your BFP and welcome to the group.

Ericka_Jarett - Congratulations and welcome! Personally I don't think we could have too many Erica's in this thread, but I'm not partial to that name or anything. :)

TaterBaby - Welcome and congratulations. I'm glad that your OB will see you earlier.

maplekitty - Welcome to the group and congratulations. My DH wants to keep the gender a surprise too. It totally surprised me that he would, but I understand too. I guess we'll be waiting unless the suspense proves to be too much for both of us. :)

Rippy1010 - Congratulations and welcome to the group. My 1st. appt. isn't until March 9, and I'll be 9 wks. too. It does seem like I have to wait forever though.

lawgirl4 - I'm so glad that your numbers came back well within the normal range. That must be so reassuring.

Kenswife - I have to go to the bathroom constantly too. It's the funniest thing.

Bubeleh - Welcome and congratulations.

Roxygirl - LOL! I was craving bean dip on Saturday. It was sooo good too. :)

[maplekitty]

Yay, I'm so happy to finally be in this group!!! :)

Curt is just itching to tell people!! I'm like, no way, let's just be safe adn wait a little bit. But since I told my best friend, I told him he could tell a freind too (and I guess his wife aswell).
It will be hard to keep it from people since I like wearing tight fit clothing, and I'm also a huge wine-Oh, so people will start to wonder eventually when I'm not drinking!!

[maplekitty]

I think I figured out my Due date - going by the first date I could have O'd. Would put me at Oct 6th, 2006 :)

Would the threadmistress please update that for me :)

[Rippy1010]

Does anyone in here also have a birthday in October? Mine is 9 days after my due date. DH thinks that's when I'm gonna have it. LOL!

Thanks for the input on the ob appointment everyone.

maplekitty ~ When you made your doctor's appointment, didn't they give you an estimated due date? Mine just put my "first day of last period" into the computer, and it came up with an estimated due date. Of course, that could change a few times, I kow. :rolleyes:

[lawgirl4]

Hi everyone!

I fell asleep last night at 8pm!!!!!!! Granted, I did wake up for a couple of minutes at 9:45, and then later at 1am I was up for about an hour, but I love getting all this extra sleep!

I called my best friend last night to chat about my numbers, and she said that my hCG was a great number for 14 dpo (she herself has had a ton of fertility workups, so she's pretty familiar with all of the tests and what all of the numbers mean). This has made me feel a lot better.

Last night I was having a lot of tenderness in my lower left abdomen, and also in my left hip joint, like where the leg meets the torso. I wonder if I normally have all these sensations but never paid a bit of attention to them since I wasn't looking for PG symptoms!! LOL.

********************************

welcome to all the new mommies!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Hi ladies,

I also fell asleep around like 7pm last night (had a headache in the very front of my head) and woke up around 10:30, then went back to bed around 11 until 6 am. I haven't slept that long in a long time. This morning had some tightness in my stomach, just been sitting around letting that pass and working on cross-stitching a baby quilt I started almost 2 yrs ago.

Went to the grocery store yesterday and while standing at the deli counter, this smell hit me. They have a cheese display in the center near the deli, the smell was making me sick, it was a very strong fresh grated parmesan smell. I had to hurry up and move away from there.

I will get my blood test results today, which I am anxious to see if they will give me my numbers, since they did last year as well. I am sure it's going to be positive as I took another test (my last one in the house) and it said Pregnant. :)

So far I have told my mom, my best friend (she had a son back in Nov), a friend in CA I use to work with, a girl that I will meet this weekend at a conference (she looked at my signature on another board I am on), and all the ladies of CC. We are waiting to tell church family, family and other friends for a while yet.

[pickle]

Hi girls-

Just got back from my second blood draw. Now it's the waiting game until they call with the results tomorrow afternoon. I'm so impatient! This morning the lab tech told me that, assuming my numbers come back as they should, my next appointment will be for an ultrasound to date the pregnancy (any time after 6 weeks) and I won't actually see my OB until after the ultrasound.

I also had my first bout of serious food aversion last night. I cannot even think about eggs or salmon. Ugh. Just typing it is making me squirm. On the other hand, I cannot get enough bananas or rice. Crazy, huh?

maplekitty, I'm having the same problem you are--I'm a wine-o too and I think our friends are already suspicious. J has been buying various grape juices at the store and we are comparing them to wine to see if I can "drink" with everyone else this weekend.

rippy, my DH's birthday is in October, but not until the end. Hopefully they won't share a birthday. (It would mean that I went more than three weeks past my due date!)

[maplekitty]

maplekitty ~ When you made your doctor's appointment, didn't they give you an estimated due date? Mine just put my "first day of last period" into the computer, and it came up with an estimated due date. Of course, that could change a few times, I kow. :rolleyes:

havn't made appointment yet, just got + HPT yesterday :D
But what I did to figure it out was: your LP can't be any longer than about 17 days, so I counted back 17 days from yesterday (CD37 - which was also the day I got AF last month). Then I compared that to my notes I took about my CM around that time, and predicted that I would ahve O'd anywhere from CD20 to CD24. So using CD20 would be a better estimate than "first day of last period". And that's what I'll tell my doc too.

As for Birthdays, DH's B-day is Oct 10th, and he's so excited to share his borthday month with our #1 :D

[maplekitty]

maplekitty, I'm having the same problem you are--I'm a wine-o too and I think our friends are already suspicious. J has been buying various grape juices at the store and we are comparing them to wine to see if I can "drink" with everyone else this weekend.



OOOh good idea! You're smart! And also sparkling grape juice, just pour it into a homebrew bottle (if you make homebrew?). Curt does, he has a whole winery, beer making station in our garage :D

[Rippy1010]

As for Birthdays, DH's B-day is Oct 10th

That's my birthday, too!!!

[maplekitty]

That's my birthday, too!!!

I'm so excited to possibly have a Libra baby! I love Curt's demeaner, and his personality, and I know it has a lot to do with his being a Libra. Thank god it won't be another crazy signs like me! - Capricorn, I don't want to be butting heads with my kid, LOL

[TaterBaby]

Count me in as another one who went to bed early last night. I had plans to get on the treadmill after dinner, but there was just no way. At 7:00 I was ready for bed. I did read for awhile, but turned out the light at 7:30. It was wonderful. We do have a new puppy at home who tends to wake up to go outside every 3 hours. I was up twice with her, but I needed potty breaks too, so I didn't mind.

I am seeing my OB tomorrow. I have no idea what she can tell me at 5 wks, but I'm going anyway with hopes that she'll see me again in the next 1-2 weeks to relieve some of my worry.

Oh, DH told one of his BF's last night. I'm kind of nervous because I don't know if this guy can keep a secret or not, although DH assures me that he will. I'd just hate for our family to find out that we told someone else first! The only reason he told him is because his friend confided in him that his GF is newly preg. So, DH wanted to let him know that he's not alone, that I am preg too. I'm thinking since they are not married and want to keep it quiet for as long as possible, that they will respect our news as well. Hopefully.

[Lily]

I've been falling asleep early too. Last night it was around 9PM, and I slept in this morning until around 8:30am. I'm lovin' it. Right now I'm just watching a Baby Story, about a Mom who's having a home water birth. You can tell that it's painful, but they still make it look so easy.

Is anyone thinking about having a med-free labor and delivery if possible? I've been thinking that I could do it, but I'm not necessarily opposed to getting an epidural either. Maybe I'll check to see if there are any Bradley Birthing Method classes in our area and go from there.

My DH's B-Day is in early October so there is a good chance that he'll share an actual birthday with our child. Wow!

[Rippy1010]

I've been falling asleep really early, too. But, for me, (while I love the extra sleep) it's annoying because I haven't been able to get my school work done. (I work full-time, and am completing my Master's with online classes at night)

How do I stay awake?!

[maplekitty]

Made my first OB app. for today! :) I love how my doctor can always get me in right away (well except for my annual pap, always have to book that a few months ahead). I have to bring my own small urine sample, uck, what do I put it in? LOL

OOh OOh OOh. it feels so real now!!

[Rippy1010]

I have to bring my own small urine sample, uck, what do I put it in? LOL

Uuuhhh ... Gladware? :p ;)

[Ericka_Jarett]

I will not go med free again. I was forced to go med free last year, since Rebekah was born at 24 weeks and delivered sort of unexpectedly. I was in so much pain and Rebekah was only 1lb 3 oz. I knew right then and there that I will always get an epidural, as long as I am able to.

[maplekitty]

Do they do a pap smear at your first visit? Do I need to go shave? LOL

[Ericka_Jarett]

If you are due for your pap, they will do one, at least mine did with the last pregnancy. My appt coming up is actually for my annual, so I am sure they are going to do it again.

[maplekitty]

If you are due for your pap, they will do one, at least mine did with the last pregnancy. My appt coming up is actually for my annual, so I am sure they are going to do it again.

no, I had a pap in October??

[Rippy1010]

I have another question ...

Did (or will) your DH/SO go with you to your first appointment? Will they need a whole bunch of medical history from his side or anything like that?

[Ericka_Jarett]

then they probably won't do one. They will probably check to see how things are down there. When I went (remember I was 14 weeks when I found out the first time) the doctor checked my uterus to see if it was high, the cervix was long and for the most part the doctor was trying to reassure me that she was staying away from the sac. The exam took only about 5 mins or less, she left, I dressed, she came back with answers to any questions and to just give me info.


My DH didn't go to the doctor with me ever, except when it was time for the U/S's, which I had to schedule at a imaging lab. Most of the information is on your side of the family. Do have your DH's social, phone number, company name and phone number handy. At my office they had me fill out the pre-admission form for the hospital as well as a bunch of other paperwork to fill out. Asking about cord blood, and all sorts of things like that. I was sent for my pregnancy bloodwork (several tests are done) to make sure all was good.

[marathongirl]

Welcome Bubelah!

Rippy1010 - my b-day is 10/7 so baby #2 and I could share the day.

I have to say, I'm jealous of the sleep some of you are getting. DD never has been a good sleeper and for the last week she's be getting up around 1am and not going back to sleep until around 4am, then up for the day at 6am :( . That's one of my bigger fears - that baby #2 will be a poor sleeper too.

Lily - I did have a med-free labor and delivery by my choice with DD. I'm hoping to do the same with #2.

I'm terrible - DH hasn't told anyone about me being PG and I've told two friends and some of the women in my MOMS Club. I better start keeping my mouth shut or everyone but our parents will know. I figure these are some of the same people I'd tell if I had a m/c so I'd want their support either way.

Hope everyone's feeling good!

[lysh79]

October 2005 mom wishing all you October 2006 moms a healthy and happy pregnancy, congrats!!!

[lawgirl4]

pickle - I'll be getting my repeat betas tomorrow afternoon too! (I'm having my blood drawn in the morning, my dr. thankfully is doing a rush on it - love her!). Good Chicago luck to both of us!!! :)

Since people have been chatting about it... I fully intend to avail myself of an epidural when the time comes!!

Meanwhile... it's almost 3:30 here and I am tired already!!! Trying to stay hydrated - I've only had 16 oz of water today... need 48 more!

[Pamela]

Bubeleh, I'm chat board dumb too, it took me all afternoon to get my ticker link to work. I think this is how yours should be (without the *'s):

[*URL="http://www.lilypie.com/previewImage.php?t=bd.lilypie.com/wGeDm8"][/URL*]

Wow, I'm jealous of everyone who is having symptoms already! I have sore BBs and positive pregnancy tests, but thats it! I get really crampy sometimes, but I'm not hungry or nauseated or tired or anything! Still not telling anyone we're pregnant yet, but I'm just dying to, especially since two other girls at work are pregnant as well.

Med-free vs. Epidural, I'm thinking I'd like to go as med-free as possible, but I'm certainly open to meds and an epidural. I guess I don't need to decided that now.

For those of you having blood tests, is that what your doctor routinely does or did you have to request a blood test? I'm thinking I'd like one, I just want some sort of proof that I really am pregnant!

[Ericka_Jarett]

My doctor's office once you call to say that you got positive HPT's they will get a script for you to get blood test done. They never just take your positive HPT's, they want your betas and that way they know for sure you are really pregnant and didn't get a false positive.

[Pamela]

Really? I wish my doctor's office did that! I've taken Lots of HPTs and the line keeps getting darker and darker each time, so I guess thats a good thing.

[lawgirl4]

Pamela - I just walked in to my dr's office yesterday (monday) since I got my BFPs over the weekend and their office was closed then... I just told them I needed a "blood test" and they knew exactly what I was talking about. I'm sure if you just call your dr's office and tell them that you got a BFP with a HPT they will want you to come in to have your blood drawn.

[Pamela]

Lawgirl, I called them after I got my positive HPTs and they scheduled me for my first appointments, but didn't say anything about a blood test. I'm thinking that on friday when DH and I are both off I'll call again and see if I can go in for one.

[maplekitty]

My first OB appnt went well. I took another preg test and it came up +, although faint (but it was middle of afternoon and I'd drank so much water today my urine was so dilute it was clear). I showed her my other two tests and she was fine with that as confirmation. We discussed my possible EDD, and where I'm at now, and I showed her my chart. We talked about all the things I should do - all of which I already know from being on here! She gave me the hospital package. We scheduled my first U/S for the first week of March which will confirms all the dates, and another "full check-up" appnt for blood tests, internal swab, weighing, measuring etc etc.

[Bubeleh]

Thanks Pamela, It worked perfectly! I feel a little less retarded.

Maplekitty: My Dr. just did an internal exam (was previously scheduled b4 BFP, confirmed pg by PIAC, went over do's/don'ts, gave me samples of prenatels/dha supplement, and wrote a prescription for prenatels. She wants to see me in two weeks for heartbeat and full blood workup. She said 5 weeks is just too early to do anything. I'll probably take a couple more HPT's over the next couple weeks just to calm my nerves a bit.

I'm so jealous of all your symptoms. I have absolutley nothing except for BFP and no AF. I'm especially looking forward to the early evenings, I love to sleep!

Drugs: Absolutley, may I have another! :p I think I'll call the epidural gods on the way to the hospital!

[PLNUBRIDE]

I am an Aug 2006 mommy-to-be and I just wanted to stop by and wish everyone a H&H 9 months....I just can't believe that we have October mommies already!

Ericka_Jarett...I just want to let you know that I cried when I saw you were here. I have seen you around here and I have been praying that you would be a mom again...a huge HUG and congratulations to you:)

[kenswife]

Well, I made my first OB appt........

February 23rd!!!! is my first OB appt.

Making that appt. made it seem so real. I guess because I'm feeling so "good" it hadn't felt like I was actually pregnant, except for the continuous bathroom trips. I don't know what's going on but does anyone feel really bloated. Maybe it's because it's my 3rd time around but my pants are a little bit tight. Well, no....they hurt. I've tried to eat low-salt foods but it isn't doing anything.

As for Epidural/Med-Free Birth - My first baby I went with an epidural for the entire 23 hours I was in labor. My second I tried as hard as I could to go med-free but after 5 hours decided to give in (had the baby one hour after that). This one I will go med-free unless there's complications or it's a long labor. I am going to hire a doula that I know already to help me get through those tough spots. I've always wanted to have one med-free birth and this might be our last chance. Besides, I'm terrifiied of the numbing feeling that epidurals give you so I'm determined.

[Rippy1010]

Re: Bloated ...
kenswife ~ I do have the bloated feeling. It's like - no matter how hard I try - I can't suck my tummy in to feel more comfy in my jeans and/or pants. Very bloated!

As for an Epideural/Med-Free Birth. I'm not sure if this will happen. I'm almost positive that I will need a c-section, as DH was a whopping 13 POUNDS :eek: when he was born. I'm scared to death of the size of child I may have on delivery day!!!

[pickle]

Morning everyone!

Add me to the list...bloat is my middle name. I'm fine in the morning, but by mid-afternoon I feel like a whale.

I'm pretty sure that I'll want an epidural. I'm a wimp when it comes to pain, I admit it.

Pamela- The blood tests seem to be standard operating procedure for my doctor's office. I called to make an appointment with my ob, fully expecting to be given a date for when I was 8 weeks out, but they wanted me to come in and have the blood work done right away to confirm. I don't have any history of problems (knock on wood), so I just assumed it's what they do with everyone.

I'm counting down until this afternoon when they call with my second betas. Keep your fingers crossed for me that they come back nice and high!

[Ericka_Jarett]

I just called my doctor's office and told the receptionist that I had called yesterday and the nurse never called me back. She tried to get the nurse but she was on another line. Let's see if they call me back today now. I told her this same thing happened with my first pregnancy (blood draw on Friday, called Monday - no call back, called them back on Tuesday morning and got a call back in 1 hour) I am telling my doctor about this yet again. When I ended up in labor with my daughter I called the emergency line and didn't get a call back until 3 hours later, by that time hubby was home and we were just getting ready to hit the hospital. So aggravating sometimes.

[Lily]

Good Morning Ladies,

I'm feeling pretty good this morning. Yesterday afternoon I was having some stomach pains. It might have been hunger pains, although I didn't feel like eating. Fortunately it only lasted a half hour or so. I've also been feeling bloated since Monday. I wore a long jacket to work that day so that no one would see my little pooch. :) For the life of me I can't suck it in either.

pickle - My fingers are crossed. I'm praying that you get a nice, high beta count.

[Lily]

Ericka_Jarett - That does sound frustrating. I hope that you get a call back soon.

[lawgirl4]

good morning, everyone!

well, I was up bright and early - headed right out to the dr's office for my 2nd beta blood draw. They said they'd have the results by 2, but since their policy is to have the dr call, I am guessing I won't hear until after 4 (when she is done with her appts). The waiting is going to drive me nuts. So, like Pickle, please hope for a great, high number!

re: bloating - I am definitely suffering from "gassiness," which does sort of translate into bloat. ugh.

last night I was feeling more energetic, but one minute DH and I were folding laundry together and literally 30 seconds later I was like "I need to go to bed now" (it was 8:30!). It was bizarre how the fatigue hit me so forcefully, all at once!

Is anyone else having trouble getting comfy in bed? I'm not sure why - it's not like I have a belly yet - but I have the hardest time getting comfortable.

[Ericka_Jarett]

I am having trouble getting comfy all the time now. I have to get ready to pull my body pillow out soon. Just pulled the pillowcase out for it.

Finally got a call from the doctor's off, I got a blood positive with a beta of 166 (funny since I was 14 weeks with my last pregnancy before I knew I was pregnant to hear such a low number is weird, I was 66,000 before) So waiting to hear if I go for more testing or if I just stay with my Feb 8th appt or go in sooner. Since Rebekah was an infant loss, this pregnancy the doctor told me would have more u/s and also more office visits.

[lawgirl4]

since some of us are going through this right now, and as the weeks progress we will have newcomers, I thought I'd post some info about beta/hCG testing that I thought was useful/reassuring!

Normal HCG blood levels vary widely between different women and in different pregnancies for the same woman. Be very careful when trying to 'interpret the numbers'. During the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the level itself is NOT as important in how much it is rising every few days. Some normal pregnancies will have quite low HCG levels and still progress, ending in the birth of a healthy baby. The best way to confirm if a pregnancy is progressing is to repeat the blood test in 2 to 3 days time, and perhaps again 2 to 3 days after that. This is aimed at seeing if the HCG level is rising adequately.

What Do the Numbers Mean?
The problem is, once a pregnancy is confirmed, you need to know if it progressing along normally. Keeping track of HCG numbers is one way of measuring fetal viability. HCG is measured in milli-international units per millimeter (mIU/ml). HCG is first detectable in the blood as early as seven or eight days after ovulation by very sensitive HCG assays. Blood pregnancy tests will be positive (> 2 mIU/ml) by 10 or 11 days after HCG injection or LH surge, and levels vary with gestational age during pregnancy.

There is a large variation in a "normal" HCG level for any given time in pregnancy. Caution must be used in making too much of HCG "numbers." Ultrasound findings after five or six weeks of pregnancy are much more predictive of pregnancy outcome than are HCG levels. You won't expect to see a gestational sac or the fetus until the HCG level reaches at least 1,200 mIU/ml.

However, a single HCG level cannot indicate a normal pregnancy. In a normal pregnancy there is a regular increase of the HCG, so you need to see more than one value before you can better understand what's going on. Additionally, a single value cannot always tell you how far along the pregnancy is, because of the wide range of blood HCG levels in pregnancy. To illustrate the limitations of looking at a single measurement, here is a sample reference list for HCG levels in singleton pregnancies, based on days past ovulation (DPO):

* At 14 DPO, the average HCG level is 48 mIU/ml, with a typical range of 17-119 mIU/ml.
* At 15 DPO, the average HCG level is 59 mIU/ml, with a typical range of 17-147 mIU/ml.
* At 16 DPO, the average HCG level is 95 mIU/ml, with a typical range of 33-223 mIU/ml.
* At 17 DPO, the average HCG level is 132 mIU/ml, with a typical range of 17-429 mIU/ml.
* At 18 DPO, the average HCG level is 292 mIU/ml, with a typical range of 70-758 mIU/ml.
* At 19 DPO, the average HCG level is 303 mIU/ml, with a typical range of 111-514 mIU/ml.
* At 20 DPO, the average HCG level is 522 mIU/ml, with a typical range of 135-1690 mIU/ml.
* At 21 DPO, the average HCG level is 1061 mIU/ml, with a typical range of 324-4130 mIU/ml.
* At 22 DPO, the average HCG level is 1287 mIU/ml, with a typical range of 185-3279 mIU/ml.
* At 23 DPO, the average HCG level is 2034 mIU/ml, with a typical range of 506-4660 mIU/ml.
* At 24 DPO, the average HCG level is 2637 mIU/ml, with a typical range of 540-10,000 mIU/ml.

Accordingly, the key to interpreting the true value of HCG measurements is to look at their progression. In general, the HCG level will double every two to three days in early pregnancy. Approximately 85 percent of normal pregnancies will have the HCG level double every 72 hours. However, as you get further along in your pregnancy and the HCG levels get higher, the expected doubling time increases.

* For HCG levels <1200 mIU/ml, the expected doubling time is 48-72 hours.
* For HCG levels 1200 to 6000 mIU/ml, the expected doubling time is 72-96 hours.
* For HCG levels >6000 mIU/ml, the expected doubling time is >96 hours.

HCG levels peak at about eight to 10 weeks of pregnancy and then decline, remaining at lower levels for the rest of the pregnancy. Here is a sample listing of expected HCG levels based on time after conception:

* 0-1 week: 0-50 mIU/ml
* 1-2 weeks: 40-300 mIU/ml
* 3-4 weeks: 500-6,000 mIU/ml
* 1-2 months: 5,000-200,000 mIU/ml
* 2-3 months: 10,000-100,000 mIU/ml
* 2nd trimester: 3,000-50,000 mIU/ml
* 3rd trimester: 1,000-50,000 mIU/ml
* Non-pregnant females: <5.0 mIU/ml
* Postmenopausal females: <9.5 mIU/ml

Abnormal Numbers
An HCG level that increases but is less than double the previous one is considered abnormal and suspicious of an ectopic pregnancy. Pregnancies that are both low in level and slow to rise are almost certain to fail. Singleton and vanishing twin pregnancies have a wide range of acceptable HCG levels on a given day.

Greater-than-normal levels may indicate choriocarcinoma of the uterus, ectopic pregnancy, hydatidiform mole of the uterus, normal pregnancy, or ovarian cancer. Once you have had an ectopic prgnancy, you have an increased risk for another, so your HCG numbers may be monitored more carefully.

Lower-than-normal levels may indicate dead fetus, incomplete miscarriage, or threatened spontaneous abortion. Pregnancies destined to miscarry or to be ectopic (tubal) pregnancies tend to show lower levels (eventually), but often have normal levels initially. Some normal pregnancies will have quite low levels of HCG and deliver perfect babies.

[Roxygirl]

Oh, I'm so glad for this site. It definately makes me fell now that I'm not crazy for these symptoms that I'm feeling. I can't stand to have any pressure on my stomach. Jeans are hell right now. I've bee living in scrubs for work and then pajamas as soon as I get home.

Bloated is my FIRST NAME now. I've never felt this way before. It's so crazy. I'm just like you Pickle, In the morning I feel great but my mid-afternoon and then evening it's horrible.

Comfy in bed is also a problem. I was just telling my DH last night. I can't get comfy and I don't even have a belly yet, why is this?? It's so frustrating. Anyways, I guess I can't complain too much no morning sickness has hit me yet.

Okay that's long enough, just had to share my mutual symptoms with you all!!

Roxygirl

[Pamela]

Threadmistress, please delete my appointments on Feb. 20th and March 1st, I have cancelled them. Picked a different doctor and my first OB appointment is Feb. 28th and I will have an ultrasound :D

Can't believe I didn't do this in the first place :rolleyes: When I got my +HPT I called and made appointments at the OB's office where I had my recent yearly check-up. It's all OB's in the office, and I don't know any of them. I'd always thought I'd go with a family doctor when I got pregnant, so I don't know why I didn't. I decided I'd still rather go with a family doc, plus I don't like how I have to wait so long for an appointment and would only get one ultrasound at 20 weeks, plus its too big a practice with too many people and just too busy. So I'm going with a really awesome doctor, she's so cool and nice, great with patients and also great to work with (I'm a nurse, I see her at work).

Maplekitty, sounds like your first appointment went well!

Bubeleh, I'm glad your link worked. I'm not having any symptoms either, except sore BBs and cramping. I keep taking tests to see if I'm still pregnant!

Pickle, I guess whether or not you get a blood test just depends on who your doctor is. I figured it would be a pretty standard thing.

Ericka, that is so frustrating they don't return your calls promptly! That would really bother me!

Lawgirl, I've been having trouble getting comfortable in bed too. Its wierd, I'm not showing or bloated or anything, but I just can't get comfy! The sore BBs don't help it either!

[maplekitty]

OOOh bloating...yes ma'ams I've got that for sure! Thank god for yoga pants! I'm actually thinking of going to a little maternity consignment store near my house to see if I can gets some jeans/pants. Right now the thought of even buttoning up my jeans sends me screaming in fear!! :p

As for an early QOTD: re meds - YES PLEASE! sign me up, hook me up the minute I walk in the door! I can handle pain, I've done many a thing to myself before that most would cringe at, but even the idea of pain "down there" makes me queasy!! I had a childhood accident where I was climbing up the side of this shed/fort thing, and I slipped and fell and landed on a big bar (legs on either side of it, if you know what I mean :( ) ever since I've had a very sensitive hoohaw :p

[marathongirl]

Hi girls!

Pamela - I don't have much in the way of symptoms either. I was the same with DD. I just feel and little 'full' and some slight cramps. Bloating has hit me too.

Erica_Jarrett - sounds like your doctor's office staff really needs to get on the ball!

lawgirl - I'm not comfy in bed either. I'm a stomach-sleeper and figured I had another 8 or so weeks before it became a problem.

Hope you ladies waiting for betas get nice, high numbers!

Hello to everyone else!

[Ericka_Jarett]

I am going to pull out the body pillow probably next week. Since I only have 2 more days in my bed, then a trip.

It's gotten to the point with jeans and me, that I had to pull out my maternity ones. The buttons on my normal jeans would dig in and make them uncomfy.

Pamela - it's actually quite common for doctor's to only give 1 u/s as that is sometimes all the insurance will pay for. I know for me, I had 3, one to date my pregnancy, one at 19w 6d to find the sex out and one at 20w 4d due to the 19 w u/s not showing the cord insertion point and the 4 heart chambers. I know with this pregnancy I will have more u/s the doctor already mentioned that to me. I'm getting anxious for the first one, to see the heartbeating :D

The doctor's office is frustrating at times. After I lost Rebekah I wrote a list of questions and on the bottom I wrote what happened when I called the emergency hotline. My doctor said she was going to talk to the staff about that, because I should have gotten called immediately when I called to say I had lots of discharge and was only 24 weeks. The other doctor I saw 2 weeks later said that the other doctor did talk to the staff and she told me if I call that line again to ask for a doctor to talk to now, that you would hold, not a nurse to call back. Both of the doctors were pretty mad at the other staff.

[pickle]

I just heard from my doctor's office--my numbers were great!! I went from 457 to 14,548!!!!:eek: But my blood draws were a week apart, so according to www.betabase.info, my doubling time is 33.65 hours, which is normal (but still on the high side). They want me to come in next Tuesday 2/7 for an ultrasound.

Good lord, does this mean twins are a possibility???? Anyone here have super high betas with just one in there?

lawgirl, I hope your news this afternoon is just as good as mine was. :)

[lawgirl4]

WOW pickle!!! that is fantastic!!!!!! I doubt mine will be that high (you are a good week ahead of me) but I'll settle for even a small fraction!!! (my beta was 343 2 days ago - 14dpo - so as long as I am over 700 I think I will feel okay!). I think I still have about 2 more hours to wait, though... driving me nuts!!!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Just got in from going to the doctor for another blood draw. Doctor wanted me to get another beta check and also progesterone test. Will get the results tomorrow, praying we got double or triple beta numbers. According to that chart Pickle posted, I am in a good level for the day I got my BFP. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love bargins!!!!! Stopped at Fashion Bug and got 2 maternity shirts that were on clearance for 60% off the marked price. One shirt regular price was 29.99, marked to 11.98, I got it for 4.79. The other shirt regular price is 22.99, marked 6.98, got that one for 2.79. Couldn't beat that deal.

[jbemommy]

That's great news, pickle!

Sorry for all you guys who are feeling bloated and uncomfortable. So far I've just had nausea in the mornings unless I eat something--but not nearly as bad as the m/s that starts around 6 wks. Not looking forward to that.

As far as pain meds go, I want an epidural ASAP! I had the mistaken idea that until you were dilated enough to have an epidural, labor wasn't really that bad. Well, the three hours between when they broke my water and when they let me have an epidural were not fun! Then it was only another 3 hours till I delivered, but I would not have wanted to do that without any pain meds! More power to those of you who want to do it that way, but not me.

[TaterBaby]

Just returned from my first OB visit and she did an ultrasound. She said that every thing looks great so far! I'm feeling good about it. She was very positive and congratulatory. I go back on 2/15 for another ultrasound to see the heart beat. DH couldn't go with me today, but I caught up with him after my appointment. I showed him the ultrasound pic and he said "well, don't we have the cutest black dot ever?" :D

[Lily]

Oh my goodness ladies. I just found out that my manager is 13 weeks pregnant! :eek: We're all really surprised, but this is good too. I'll have someone to go through m PG with, even though she's a good month and a half ahead of me. I was this close to blabbing too, but it was her moment and I really should wait until after my first appt. Man, I hate having to wait another 5 weeks, but I guess this month will go by fast.

[lawgirl4]

hi everyone... I am *so* frustrated. I finally called my doctor's office at 4pm only to be told she had left for the day! the receptionist assured me that she would have the doctor who was staying late call me back - well, it's 7pm and guess what - no call. roar! thankfully I am pretty tired so hopefully the night will pass quickly and I'll get my peace of mind early tomorrow morning.

have a good night!

edited to add: my doctor called at 8:30!!

14 dpo = 343; Progesterone 31
16 dpo = 760 (no P test today)

yay! so my doubling time was about 36 hrs. no more tests until my next appt, which I will call to schedule tomorrow - it will probably be around 2/15.

[Bubeleh]

Bloating: Yeah I finally have a symptom. Today was horrible, I acutlaly unbuttoned my pants this afternoon I couldn't tak it anymore.

Erica: I'm so sorry to hear you are having problems with your Dr Office. Hope it gets better soon.

Pickle: Congrats on the betas, that's awesome!

Lawgirl4: Better late than never…Congrats on the good results. So jealous of all of you getting to check the numbers so early.

[Hula1974]

OMG - my doc wants me to bring a FMU sample too!!! I was also wondering how to transport. hahahaha

I'm late on the uptake here....so CONGRATS to all the new mommies joining us. I've been traveling for work. What a tough trip! I hated the seatbelt on my belly on the plane. And, my work was all outdoors with only port-a-john's to use!!! yick yick.

I'm overweight to begin with so the first thing I'm noticing is that I can no longer hold my stomach in. My pants are getting snug ALREADY! I refuse to buy clothes any bigger so I may opt for mat. clothes asap. Is that bad? Gosh, I'm only 5w6d.

[Rippy1010]

Hula ~ I know what you mean. I had been in at the beginning of dieting when ~ SURPRISE ~ time to stop dieting. My pants are already getting snug. But, yesterday I joined www.babyfit.com so that I could keep track of what I'm eating so that I'm not eating MORE than needed (kind of like an online Weight Watchers, but without the "dieting" aspect). I was also wondering about ALREADY breaking in to maternity clothes (also at 5w6d). Because I also refuse to buy the next size up! :o I wondered if it was bad, too. :rolleyes: :confused:

[pickle]

Nice numbers there, lawgirl! And how great that your doc called you last night, even though it was late.

How fun that your manager is pg too, Lily! Hopefully she will be sympathetic to your needs, since she'll have the same ones!

Ericka's post about the bargains and Hula's post about thinking of getting into maternity pants has me wondering... when do you start shopping for that stuff? I've seen lots of good deals lately online, but I'm hesitant to buy anything yet because a) I don't want to jinx anything, and b) I don't really have any concept of how big I'll be and when. But I'd like to snap up some bargains when I see them. Maybe it could be a QOTD: Have you bought any maternity clothes yet?

One thing I was thinking about getting is the Bella Band (http://www.ingridandisabel.com/bellaband.html). That will probably be my first purchase.

Hope you're all feeling great this morning! :)

[marathongirl]

Yeah for the good betas ladies!!!

re: maternity clothes - I was probably 18 weeks or so before I started wearing them. You might want to get some elastic waist pants b/c you'll need some in-between clothes after baby and by then you might not feel like wearing maternity things.

I bought DD her first big sister item yesterday. I got her a T-shirt that says "I'm the BIG sister!" It's cute. I was going to put it on her when we tell our parents and see how long it takes them to figure it out.

Hula - where in NJ are you? I'm in Bridgewater.

[maplekitty]

hehe, I bought some maternity pants yesterday! :p

I figure, I can't wear yoga pants every single day, right!? And my jeans are so uncomfortable, because my upper tummy is so bloated!

I got a cute pair of jeans and some khakis, with the small stretchy waistband, and I LOVE THEM!! I dont think i ever want to go back to normal jeans, LOL

[Rippy1010]

pickle ~ Thanks for that link to the Bella Band. What a great idea!!!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Sue and Heather - I'm in NJ too.

Re. Maternity clothes- I didn't start wearing them in my last pregnancy until I was about 5-5 1/2 months. Tops are usually the easy thing to buy and plan to wear all pregnancy, the hard part is bottoms. I wore my maternity pants for 2 days, I was quite bloated, now I am back to my normal jeans and they are ok, little tight still though.

Me - just called the doctor's for yesterday's results I have to wait until at least 3 before I get a call back. I told the receptionist to please make note that I am going out of town tomorrow to make sure the nurse knows to call me today. She tried to blame the lab for not always getting the results in on time. These receptionists sometimes get on my nerves. If I didn't like my doctors I would leave the practice. Finding nice doctors with a good bedside manner are hard to find.

[Pamela]

QOTD, Maternity Clothes - nope, not wearing them yet and I haven't bought any. I'm gonna hang on to my skinny pants as long as I can! lol! I'm not showing or bloated or anything yet, but I'm short and small so once this baby starts to grow its got nowhere to grow but out! I'm hoping I can hide it at least until we decide to start telling people. I am excited about cute summer maternity clothes!

[Lily]

pickle- Yeah for great Beta numbers! Can't wait to see if your carrying TWO babies in there. :) Good luck at your next appt.

Ericka_Jarett - Congrats on good Beta numbers. I hope that your results today come back twice as high. Great deals on maternity clothes. I need to look for some discount maternity shops in my area.

TaterBaby - I'm so glad that your appt. went well and you got to have an ultrasound.

lawgirl4 - Those numbers are looking good! Congratulations.

Hula1974 - I know what you mean. I was doing really well with my workout/diet plan. I lost 20 pounds in the last year and just got down to a new size when I found out I was PG. I went ahead and bought a few maternity pants and shirts from the Gap. I'm still able to wear all of my work clothes, it's just the jeans that are bothering me right now.

Rippy1010 - Thank you for that link. I think I'll check them out.

pickle - It should be interesting with both of us PG. It's so funny because we also got married in the same year 2 months apart. And now our kids will only be about 2 months apart. Crazy.

maplekitty - I love my yoga pants too, but also broke down and bought a few maternity things.

Pamela - Me too. I can't wait for summer to get here. :)

[lawgirl4]

pickle - I saw an ad for the bella band in a preg magazine in my dr's office on monday and thought it was a great idea!

on maternity clothes -
I have a few things already, mostly stuff that I had come across on ebay... and I have to say that even before I was pregnant my favorite jeans were a pair of demi-band jeans from Gap Maternity!!! They are so comfortable!

and on that note - ebay is a *great* resource for brand new Gap maternity clothes - still with tags on! there are a ton of sellers that "specialize" in Gap and Old Navy maternity clothes, at great prices.

[Lily]

Hi Ladies,

Is anyone else feeling really energetic this morning? I woke up at 5:30 am feeling so rested. I've already straightened up two rooms and started some laundry. Then I did my Pre-natal Yoga w/Shiva Rhea DVD for the first time. I highly recommend it to anyone (with doctor approval of course). What I like the most is that there is a person demonstrating proper/modified techniques for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimesters and it's so relaxing. I honestly could have fallen asleep after it ended.

[Pamela]

Pickle, too exciting that twins are a possibility!

Lawgirl, great idea looking for GAP maternity dresses on ebay! I used to look for regular GAP dresses there and would end up finding mostly maternity!

Lily, I wish my prenatal yoga DVD would hurry up and get here! Its on back order or something and won't arrive until feb. 20th at the latest.

[pickle]

Okay, you girls (and some peeps in my LJ) are seriously freaking me out about the possibility of twins!! On one hand, I would be so excited. On the other hand, I can't even imagine it! TWO? Where would they fit? Like pamela, I'm short so I just can't picture it.

I have a reliable source (a.k.a. a twinmama friend) who assures me that high betas do not necessarily indicate a twin pregnancy. Hopefully the ultrasound next week will tell us one way or the other!

[Ericka_Jarett]

It's ok pickle. Whether you have 1 or twins you will do great. My cousin had twins - b&g over 15 yrs ago and she is just a little over 5ft tall and super tiny. She carrried more in the front and the twins were born at about 4-5 lbs each. They are healthy and thriving now at 15 yrs old and the boy is actually going to surpass my cousin (his dad) in height at over 6ft already.

[maplekitty]

pickle

and on that note - ebay is a *great* resource for brand new Gap maternity clothes - still with tags on! there are a ton of sellers that "specialize" in Gap and Old Navy maternity clothes, at great prices.

can you give us some of the seller names? I'm so ebay stupid, I can't ever find anything good!!

[TaterBaby]

QOTD regarding maternity clothes:
I want to go as long as possible WITHOUT wearing them. I'm 5'10" so I'm hoping I can get away regular clothes for a long while. I did just purchase the Bella Band. (Thanks, pickle!) It looks cute and comfy!

New QOTD:
What pregnancy books do you recommend?
I have read The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy and highly recommend it. It is hilarious. I laughed out loud many times.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0671524313.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

I'm looking for something equally as engaging for my next read. Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy, maybe? Let me know which books you've read and loved.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Got a call back from the doctor's my Beta is up to 311 now, my progesterone was a little low so have to get med for that for probably 12 weeks, she said that could be because of being so newly pregnant, but with my history they want to make sure my uterus is a good environment. Go for bloodwork again on Monday since I am traveling tomorrow. Nurse said I am very just now pregnant, so not sure how far along I am, guess we will find out when I have an u/s done. Pray all continues to go well.

[Hula1974]

Hi girls! A little shout-out to all the NJ mommies...what a coincidence huh? I'm in Newton. But I work near Bridgewater. The Old Navy in Mt. Olive has maternity....but I'm sure you all know that!!

As for energy today....no way. I took a red eye back from LA last night so I took a little nap this morning and did some things I needed to catch up on. While I was out I went to Fashion Bug (only because it's RIGHT here). And I did buy a pair of jeans and cords. I'm leaving the tags on for now. They have a small elastic waist and are more comfy than my reg. clothes!! I'm with you MapleKitty!

Rippy- I'll definately have to check out babyfit. I was planning on asking my OB for a referral to a nutritionalist since I'm used to monitoring my intake by WW points. Maybe they can give me a nice trick to use that learning for a healthy weight gain.

Since I've never been pg before I can't say for sure...but I think as long as I keep wearing clothes that fit well rather than start to look too tight, I should be able to hide this pregnancy from work for a long time. I probably won't pop for a while.

Tater - your DH is too cute! We refer to "mine" as Blast. Since Blastocyst was not very endearing! DH says when it gets to be a few mm it will be about the size of a sprinkle....he will affectionately call it "Jimmy" then. LOL

Pickle- yeah for the Betas! I secretly wish for twins if truth be told.

Question - how come you guys are all getting to go for blood tests, betas, early ultrasounds, etc....and I have to wait until 8 weeks for ANYTHING??

[maplekitty]

Question - how come you guys are all getting to go for blood tests, betas, early ultrasounds, etc....and I have to wait until 8 weeks for ANYTHING??

Yah, my doc didn't say anything about beta tests?!?! She just saw my two +HPTs, and my doctor office PIAC test - and said yes I'm pregnant. Perhaps it's just routine for some offices and not for others?

[Rippy1010]

Question - how come you guys are all getting to go for blood tests, betas, early ultrasounds, etc....and I have to wait until 8 weeks for ANYTHING??

Yeah, that's why I posed my question earlier whether my appointment was abnormally late or not? My very first appointment will be a 8w6d.

[kenswife]

Hula - Don't feel bad. I'm not getting anything at all except an initial check-up on the 23rd. I never got betas, u/s, or anything with my other two early on either. Some doctors do and some doctors don't. The only time I had early bloodwork was when I had my m/c. I was bleeding though so they only ordered the bloodwork for that reason.

Question??? - Has anyone had changes in their taste or smell? My sense of smell is pretty strong right now (which was true w/my first also) but my taste is sooooooooo off. The yogurt and cereal I normally LOVE tasted like cardboard to me today. Sweets have totally turned me off (which is totally abnormal) and nothing sounds good to eat, ever! I'm not sick by any means (yet) but things just taste differently.

Maternity Clothes I will probably wait another week and then buy some clothes I've been eyeing up at Old Navy online. I'll need some jeans since my jeans are soooo uncomfortable at this point. Tops I think I'll be good with for a while. I kind of wanted to wait until the weather broke here to buy stuff since I don't want to waste good maternity outfits :) All my maternity clothes right now are winter clothes so I will have a few things to tide me over until Spring.

Well, off to surf the maternity clothes and baby name websites a little bit longer and then I've got to make dinner for those other two kiddos :)

[Rippy1010]

For anyone checking out www.babyfit.com, just want you to know that membership is free. That's always a good thing. ;)

I've been doing it for two days now, and I think it's kind of good. Instead of the WW points, it goes by calories, and keeps track to make sure if you are getting all the vitamin intake that you need. And you also check off if you took your prenatal vitamin, or not. All kinds of stuff like that. Something to look in to.

[Ericka_Jarett]

I think the only reason I may be getting all the betas done is because I am so "newly" pregnant (like the egg is just now implanting, from what the nurse says) the doctor wants to make sure my levels are going up, especially considering I had an infant loss, the doctor wants to make sure all goes really smooth for this pregnancy. I can expect more bloodwork (already told my veins to cooperate) and u/s as well as doctor appts. I believe I will also have to see a perinatologist since when I was pregnant with Rebekah my sugar level was a bit high, never made it to see them though as I lost her before the 1st appt with peri.

[Rippy1010]

Question??? - Has anyone had changes in their taste or smell? My sense of smell is pretty strong right now (which was true w/my first also) but my taste is sooooooooo off. The yogurt and cereal I normally LOVE tasted like cardboard to me today. Sweets have totally turned me off (which is totally abnormal) and nothing sounds good to eat, ever! I'm not sick by any means (yet) but things just taste differently.


Totally! Both this pg and last pg, my sense of smell was hypersensitized. Which makes me a little nauseous when cooking because somehow I can smell each individual thing in the kitchen ... even if there is coffee grounds in the trash can or something like that! :rolleyes: Makes for me having to leave the room every couple minutes so the smells don't make me sick. And, I've noticed the taste thing once. It's not always. But, when I tried to eat my oatmeal a few mornings ago, it just tasted like total crap. I couldn't eat it even though I was hungry.

[Twylla]

*cautiously waving hello*

Hello ladies! I got a very faint BFP yesterday morning, and while we're holding out on telling anyone IRL... I need to talk about this and get excited on here! lol.

CC Name: Twylla
Me: Twylla, 25 (well, in March!)
DH: Gordon, 28
Married: July 3, 2004
TTC: August 2005
BFP: February 1, 2006
EDD: Early October
Gender Prediction: Boy
Any other children: nope

I don't have any really obvious symptoms, but my nipples are sore sometimes, and I have waves of mausea or cramping. I also have to pee constantly... yikes! Not good for my job, I work in live TV, lol. My first doctor's appointment is tomorrow afternoon, where he'll confirm my PG. Oh, and tomorrow morning I'm going to POAS again... the first one was SO faint, I'll just feel better. lol.

This will be a great 9 months!!!! :D

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to Twylla!

[lawgirl4]

welcome twylla!!! good luck tomorow!

regarding getting betas tested and early appts - I had been spotting, so my dr wanted to do the beta testing. their normal protocol is to have you come in at 6-7 weeks for your initial appt and an ultrasound to check that everything is progressing normally. I just think that different doctors have different protocols.

**************************

I bought a belly band today too - as well as a body pillow. can't wait for that to arrive!

[maplekitty]

TWYLLA!!!!! YAY!!!!!!! :D OMG i knew it i knew i knew!! I knew we would be EDD buddies!!! Congrats!! (((bighugs)))

[Lily]

Congratulations Twylla and welcome. Good luck at your doctor's appt. tomorrow.

[Bubeleh]

Rippy: Thanks for the link to Babyfit.com, looks great.

QOTD - Maternity Clothes: Not yet, and hopefully not for awhile. The bloating was much less today, so maybe the inflation yesterday was just something I ate.

QOTD - Books: Right now I only have What to expect, but I got DH a couple books that look funny (why pregnancy sucks for men & She's having a baby and I'm having a breakdown). I'll probably read those as well.

No change to smell or taste yet. I'm hoping that the symptoms will start flooding in any day now!

Welcome Twylla! Hope you have a successful appt tomorrow. That was a really succesful January thread. :D

[Avalon]

CC Name: Avalon
Me: Meghan, 25
DH: Rick, 26
Married: May 25, 2003
TTC: We weren't ... sort of! We originally were planning on TTC January 2006, but due to concerns I had about job safety from my company being bought out we decided to not actively try.
BFP: February 1, 2006
EDD: Per online calculators, October 7, 2006
Gender Prediction: ?
Any other children: Just our furbaby Hannah

QOTD 1: When did you suspect you were pregnant? What symptoms were you/are you having?
Well, I was late and I'm never late! I had to pee a lot. And I just had a feeling. I haven't experienced other symptoms yet, although I did feel mildly upset to my stomach at 3:00 this morning. I didn't get sick thankfully. I hate throwing up with a fiery passion and I'm hoping I'm one of those women who never experience m/s.

QOTD 2: Have you told anyone that you are PG? If you're planning on waiting when will you tell? I couldn't wait! Once I convinced DH that it was going to be way too hard to coordinate telling our families in person, he was cool with us calling our parents. So far, our parents know, my siblings know, and our best friends know. We're waiting to tell his grandmother this Saturday. We won't tell anyone else until after we've seen the Dr.

QOTD 3: How often do you find yourself getting hungry? What kind of foods have you been eating/craving? Actually, I have a very reduced appetite. Sometimes the thought of eating repulses me and I have to force myself to.

QOTD 4: Will you be going on any vacations during your PG, if so how far along will you be? I think we're going to go away for a long weekend for my birthday in May. We'll join my parents for a long weekend at the beach house they're renting in Avalon, NJ in July too. Baby (whom we're affectionately calling Spot! :) ) was conceived on a cruise vacation we took in January and that was our "big" vacation this year.

QOTD 5: Will you be finding out the sex of your baby, or do you want it to be a surprise?
We want to know!

QOTD 6: Maternity clothes
My clothes are still comfy, but I can't wait to make the jump from regular clothes to maternity wear. I think it'll be one of the things that will make this feel more real!

QOTD 7: What pregnancy books do you recommend?
I have only bought Fit Pregnancy magazine and a pregnancy planner/journal called The Mother of all Pregnancy Organizers so far.

QOTD 8: Has anyone had changes in their taste or smell?
My sense of smell seems to be heightened. Smells aren't repulsive (except for some nasty perfume a co-worker sprayed yesterday), just stronger.

I called the Dr. yesterday. My ob-gyn is part of a big group, and they're all pretty much great. They're sending me a script for prenatal vitamins in the mail as well as info about pregnancy. I'm getting my bloodwork today and have a mini-appointment with the Dr. February 9. This group doesn't do a full, 2 hour long prenatal visit until 10 weeks. That visit is March 6.

[babylove]

I could have sworn I posted in here to congratulate lawgirl4, but I can't seem to find it...so I'm back again....

CONGRATULATIONS lawgirl4!! :D

While I'm here I also want to congratulate Ericka_Jarrett (we were in the TTC thread together for a while) and Twylla (I think we were in the TTA thread together about a year ago)...H&H 9 mo to all of you!!

[Rippy1010]

To anyone that has bought the Bella Band ...

My DH actually posed a question, and I wanted to ask. Does the Bella Band move around a lot, or roll. For instance, if you are reaching up for something, will it move up? Or if you sit down, will it roll down?

My DH was saying this could pose a problem if I'm trying to get away with keeping my pants unbuttoned and covering with the band.

Let me know if anyone has received their's and tried it on!

[lawgirl4]

welcome, avalon!!

thanks, babylove ;)

I forgot to add this yesterday - my first OB appt and ultrasound is scheduled for February 21st - I will be 7w that day. So excited!

Rippy, I'll be sure to report on the bella band when it arrives!

By the way, I bought my Bella Band from Pregnancy Store (http://www.pregnancystore.com) - they were $25.95 with free shipping and no tax - the cheapest I've found online. I also added some Preggie Pops Drops (http://www.pregnancystore.com/preggie_pops.htm) since I tend to be nausea-prone when I am not pregnant - so I am guessing that I am definitely going to be feeling some m/s in the coming weeks.

[lawgirl4]

forgot to ask this before... TMI warning!

is anyone else very...moist down below? Kind of like a creamy CM feeling? just checking!

[babylove]

Bella Band - I hate mine. I wore it once and found it to be too constricting, even around 7 wks when I had no belly to speak of (just bloat). Although it did stay put and didn't roll around at all. I'm hanging onto the band just in case it becomes more comfortable when I have a bigger belly...but I doubt it. :(

[Rippy1010]

forgot to ask this before... TMI warning!

is anyone else very...moist down below? Kind of like a creamy CM feeling? just checking!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING THIS!!! I really really wanted to, but thought it would be TMI also.

YES, YES, YES!! I keep going in the bathroom to - uh - "check on things" so to speak.

[lawgirl4]

LOL, rippy!!!

here's a public service announcement - nothing in this thread should be considered TMI, okay? We are all going to be passing watermelons through an orange-sized space in 9 months, so no subject should be taboo.

:)

[pickle]

We are all going to be passing watermelons through an orange-sized space in 9 months,

Oh dear god...I simply cannot think about that part! I'm actually really freaked out about that whole aspect, so I just focus on things like Bella Bands and what color to paint the nursery!

Welcome twylla and avalon!! Congrats on your BFPs.

Books- I've bought Your Pregnancy Week by Week (love it) and Belly Laughs (funny, but I wish I would have gotten it from the library instead). I bought J My Boys Can Swim and The Expectant Father and he likes them both. A friend is sending me her copy of The Girlfriend's Guide, and I'm also going to pick up Baby Bargains, which I have heard is a must have.

Changes in sense of taste/smell - One of my first symptoms (pre-BFP) was that a glass of my usually favorite shiraz tasted "off" somehow. My sense of smell is definitely heightened, too.

I had my first hint of morning sickness last night...Let's just say that 1) crowded el trains and 2) picking up after the dog are not things that are good for a queasy pg lady. I'm feeling better today, but my cravings for healthy food are out the window. Last night I made J go pick up fried chicken and mashed potatoes for me (it was SO good--I haven't eaten that in years!) and right now I may kill someone if I don't get a donut soon!! Carbs are apparently my new BFF...

[Rippy1010]

had my first hint of morning sickness last night ... I didn't actual get sick. But, my MOST nauseous moment so far did come last night, and I thought for sure I was going to lose my dinner. :( For me, it was simply the smell of a Applebees "doggie bag" that sat for a about two hours while we were inside a concert. As soon as I opened the car door, I thought I was going to lose it.

Has anyone already started discussing possible names, or are you waiting until you are out of the "risky" period?


ETA: We are thinking of telling my parents on Sunday. DH really wants to. I'm still mulling it over. What to do?!

[maplekitty]

forgot to ask this before... TMI warning!

is anyone else very...moist down below? Kind of like a creamy CM feeling? just checking!

yep...actualy had to go buy some pantyliners cause of it. I posed this question once a while ago in the TTC Rookie thread...and it is completely normal - so we're all good!

[Rippy1010]

Here's a more immediate question ...

How do you know when the cramps turn into a "call the doctor" situation??!!

[maplekitty]

Here's a more immediate question ...

How do you know when the cramps turn into a "call the doctor" situation??!!

I think when they get *seriously* painful and accompanied with any bleeding.
If it feels like normal PMS cramps, that's normal...your placenta is growing right now, and the ligaments under your uterus are stretching. I was woried a few days ago with the feelings too....it was like, is this normal? But I was reading some of my books and they say it is normal and to only be worried when their are *extreme* painful cramps.

[Rippy1010]

THANK YOU! I feel better. My normal PMS cramps are always on the "severe pain" side ... so it's hard to decipher between "more severe than normal". Y'know what I mean?

Thank you maplekitty for answering quickly. I feel better, and it only lasted about a minute and a half. If it lasts for several minutes at a time, with other "side effects" that's when I call. NOTED. ;) :D

[Lily]

Rippy1010 - I just found this article that might help. Also, I've been having some brief side cramping today too, but it doesn't feel too worriesome. It comes for a brief second and then is gone. It might just be things expanding. Also, isn't this the week that placenta implants into the uterine lining? Could it be that?

Pregnancy: Why Am I Cramping during Early Pregnancy?
by Kelly Shanahan, MD

Q: I am seven weeks pregnant. I have been having mild to medium cramps. I haven't been bleeding. Is this normal, and is there anything that I can take for them?

--DeAnna

A: Cramping in early pregnancy, while often disconcerting, is common and most often reflects stretching of the expanding uterus. If the cramping is severe or accompanied by any bleeding, spotting or unusual discharge, then it warrants a visit to the obstetrician or midwife. If you have had a previous miscarriage, then a visit is a good idea as well, although most of the time the cramps will be chalked up to the normal growth process. The uterus expands almost 1,000-fold during the course of pregnancy!

Because this cramping is a normal part of pregnancy, I do not recommend taking anything for it. An occasional acetaminophen (Tylenol) is fine, but nothing else without the express consent of your own health care provider. If the pain is so intense as to need anything more than an occasional Tylenol, then it really must be evaluated. Pain that is off to one side rather than right in the middle should also be brought to your doctor's or midwife's attention, especially in early pregnancy; it may indicate an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. Later in pregnancy, low pain in the groin is very common as ligaments that support the uterus are increasingly stretched -- this is often more pronounced on the right side and is called round ligament stretch (or round ligament syndrome).

[pickle]

Hey Rippy,

Just wanted to say that I have had cramps off and on, too. They weren't so bad that they took my breath away, but if I weren't pg I probably would have needed to take an advil. According to my books/lab tech, this is normal.

Didn't you think that kind of "fun" ended when you got the BFP??? I know I did...

[maplekitty]

It's strange to feel the onset of AF kind of feeling and not actually get AF! I keep expecting to wake up and it be there, but nope....so weird!

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to Avalon!

[maplekitty]

Welcome Avalon!!

[Lily]

Morning ladies,

I hope that everyone is having a good day so far. TGIF! :) Does anyone have plans for Super Bowl weekend? DH and I are going to get our family portraits taken tomorrow for Valentines Day and then going to a Super Bowl party on Sunday. It should be fun. As far as smells go, I definitely am more sensitive to cleaning solutions, cigarette smoke (YUCK!), and perfume.

Avalon - Welcome to you and congratulations. My OB waits until 9/10 weeks for 1st appts. too. I'm glad that I'm not the only one waiting until March. :)

lawgirl4 - Thank you for posting that link. I've been wanting to buy some preggie pops but wasn't sure where to get them. Good luck with the Bella Band too. I haven't had creamy CM for about a week now. I had a lot of it right before AF should have shown, as well as for a few days afterwards. Then it just dried out.

Rippy1010 - I already have a girls name picked out, but am having the hardest time thinking of a boy's name. Do you have any picked out yet?

[kenswife]

Hi ladies - this thread moves FAST!

Cramping - TOTALLY normal! With my first pregnancy I remember feeling like what I thought was my appendix bursting. It was just my daughter growing away in there. It's become much easier for me to ignore the pains the third time around ;)

TMI - I agree that nothing is TMI...if the little things bother you now, you'll never make it through the pregnancy between doctor visits and childbirth! And if you are "reserved", you won't be after this whole experience..haha!

M/S - Wow, it's funny b/c last night was my first wave of feeling sick too! I got up at 5am to take care of the baby who was crying and after I got her all situated I felt soooo sick. No throwing up yet, just nausea but it was definitely in full force. I was suprised b/c my "symptoms" have come much much earlier than my other 2. I was actually concerned yesterday and almost called the dr. to ask if there was any reason I might be overwhelmed with symptoms sooooo early.

Superbowl Weekend Well, here in PITTSBURGH (YAY STEELERS!!!!) there's a ton of activity going on regarding the Superbowl. We decided that we'd like to stay out of the "hype" and just hang out at home. We also decided that NO ONE would come over so that there's no interuptions! haha. I wish you could feel the excitement in this city right now, it's unbelievable!

[Rippy1010]

Rippy1010 - I already have a girls name picked out, but am having the hardest time thinking of a boy's name. Do you have any picked out yet?

Actually, this might sound silly, but my now-DH and I had picked out and agreed on 1 boy name and 1 girl name back when we were dating, before we were even engaged. LOL! So, it wasn't even a question.

[Lily]

kenswife - LOL! I live in the NW and everyone is so hyped up for this game too! I'm not a native but my sister used to be a cheerleader for the Seahawks so I'll be cheering them on. Have fun this Sunday. :D

[Twylla]

Hi ladies! Thank you so much for the welcome and congrats... we're so excited!!!! I'll get better at shout outs soon, I promise. I just wanted to pop in quick to say congrats to Avalon!!! Yay! And also give a quick update.

I took another test this morning. It was super faint again. Not sure why. Anyway, my doctor's appointment was moved to this morning, which means I didn't have much time to dwell on the super faint BFP. The doctor said it definitely sounds like I'm PG! He sent me for an hcg blood test, and gave me a scrip for more folic acid. He wants me on at least 5mg a day? What's everyone else on? Anyway, I probably won't get the results today, but I'm feeling very optimistic. Oh, and he check my nipples, and confirmed my mind isn't playing tricks on me, they really are getting darker brown.. woo hoo!!!! I'll be back later today to answer some QOTDs!

[lawgirl4]

Twylla - do yourself a favor and throw away your HPTs. I made the moronic mistake of using one on the morning of 16 dpo (I got my BFP on 11/12 dpo, and then had it confirmed via blood test on 14 dpo, with a good hCG level of 343). 16 dpo was the day I was scheduled to have my repeat beta, so I thought "hey, I'll test again and my line should be much darker!" Well, it wasn't. In fact, it was lighter than my 12 dpo test! So I was freaking out all day on 16 dpo thinking the worst. Betas came back that night at 760! I think that HPTs are great for telling you *if* you are pregnant, but beyond that, you cannot rely on them for quantitative information. There's too much variation in how they are made - not to mention your urine could be ultra diluted or ultra concentrated, and who knows what the HPT is picking up!

[MidwesternGal]

CC Name: MidwesternGal
Me: Amy, 24
DH: Nate, 23
Married: 1-10-04
TTC: We weren't trying!!!
BFP: February 1
EDD: October 7
Gender Prediction: Chinese Chart says Boy. . . . knowing DH's fam, it probably will be.
Any other children: Nope.


Hello everyone!! Wow, there's a lot of people who are in the club all ready!

For myself and DH, this was a surprise, so I probably don't know as much as you ladies.

In fact, I all ready have a couple questions! How far along am I? If we DTD when I would have O'd, around the middle of Jan. . . . then I would only be 3 weeks along. . . not 4. So why do any EDD predictors say 4? Do they count that first week after your last period, even though it's doubtful you were pg at that time?

And secondly. . . . I work PT at an interior design shop (ie, glorified paint/stain and carpeting store). . . . I mix paints and stains. I don't actually paint or stain anything. . . just mix it up--so I'm probably exposed to the chemicals for ooh, an hour or less a shift during busy season, less right now. . . . should I quit? I didn't know if that was enough or not to make a diff??

I'm going to a doctor on February 28th. First appt. Never met the woman, as we weren't trying! The nurse sounded really nice on the phone. . . she could tell I was clueless and I think it amused her!

Anyway, I better go back and read the previous 22 pages now!

Good to meet you all!

[Avalon]

Thanks for the welcome everyone! :D

forgot to ask this before... TMI warning!

is anyone else very...moist down below? Kind of like a creamy CM feeling? just checking!

I've been um, very runny everywhere. I have a runny nose and was scared that I got my period afterall and this was all a dream from how moist I was earlier. Scary stuff ~ glad to know it's normal!

Rippy1010 ~ Like your and your DH, DH and I talked names from the time we were dating. The names we like now are different than then (should be seeing as though we've been together nearly 8 years!) but we're settled on what Spot will be named.

MidwesternGal ~ Congratulations! Week one of pregnancy is actually the week of your period. Google "pregnancy calendar" and you'll get a lot of week-by-week breakdowns as to what's going on with you and baby.

[Rippy1010]

And secondly. . . . I work PT at an interior design shop (ie, glorified paint/stain and carpeting store). . . . I mix paints and stains. I don't actually paint or stain anything. . . just mix it up--so I'm probably exposed to the chemicals for ooh, an hour or less a shift during busy season, less right now. . . . should I quit? I didn't know if that was enough or not to make a diff??

First of all, welcome! :D Mine was a total surprise, too. We were not planning it yet, but were thinking much later in the year maybe.

As for your job. I think you need to ask your doctor. However, my coworker's wife had a similar job of mixing paints, and she did have to leave her job. However, she is a "high risk pregnancy" and had 3 m/c even not at that job. So, I don't know if it's based on the individual or not.

[pickle]

The nurse sounded really nice on the phone. . . she could tell I was clueless and I think it amused her!


Nah, MidwesternGal, the nurse was probably just happy that she wasn't dealing with another obsessive stalker like me! Congrats and welcome!

Names- We definitely have a boy name picked out, but no clue yet about a girl name. (I'm convinced it's a boy anyway.) We're going to keep the name secret, though. I don't want to hear any commentary from our friends and relatives on their opinions of our choices.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once I finally got my donut this morning, it really didn't seem like a good idea anymore. So now I'm having chicken soup and ginger ale in an attempt to feel more normal. Meh.

[Avalon]

Speaking of names, have your parents and his parents decided what they want to be called as grandparents? My parents haven't made up their mind. My father-in-law wants to be called Poppy. My mother-in-law wants to be called B. Her nickname is A, and DH and his family is Jewish, and the Jewish name for grandmother is Bubbe, so she wants to go by B as short for Bubbe.

[maplekitty]

MidwesternGal - most people don't chart, so they don't know what day they've ovulated. Therefor doctors will take the first day of your last period to determine your EDD. It's just a rough guetimate for them, until atleast your frist U/S where the technician can place the dates easier. However, for women who are charting, and can go in and tell their doc specifically "this is the day I ovulated", then they have a better idea of dates. Sometimes the U/S technician will be off from your charting dates, and you'll see some women say "EDD is *supposed* to be this date, but I really know it's closer to *this* date.

For your job, I'd atleast wear a paint mask with mixing, or try and have someone else do that, until your get the okay from your doc. There are respirators you can wear that are spcifically for paint. They are made by 3M, and you can get the paint specific cartridges for them - look into that possibility!

BTW, CONGRATS! and Welcome!! :D

[Lily]

Rippy1010 - Ahhh, that's so sweet! DH and I actually picked the name for a little girl after we had dated for a couple of years. Now it's going on 7 years later and we may get to finally put it to use. Yeah! :)

MidwesternGal - Hi and welcome! Congratulations on your BFP. Like the other gals said your pregnancy date is based off of the first day of your last period. Some woman's cycles are shorter or longer than the average 28 days, but most doctor's figure the due date off of the 28 day cycle. I'm not sure about how the paint fumes would affect the baby. Is there a nurses advice line you could call?

Avalon - Congrats on the confirmation. I'm not sure how much folic acid is in my Pre-natal but I'm not taking any extra besides that. I'll check tonight.

pickle - I'm the same way. I really wanted a cinnamon roll this morning for breakfast and even went to the store to buy some, and then of course when I'm getting ready to eat it I don't even really want it anymore. Sheesh. :rolleyes:

Avalon - My Mom is already a Grammy so we'll stick with that. My Dad will probably be PaPa since that's what I call his Dad. We'll see if he wants to stick to tradition. :)

[Lily]

Is anyone else really sleepy this afternoon? I took a 2 hour nap before work today and seriously could have slept for another 2. This is crazy.

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to MidwesternGal!

[Twylla]

do yourself a favor and throw away your HPTs.

Thanks, great advice, I will!!! The first one I kept staring at in disbelief all day, even though it was faint. The second one just made me sad. I can't wait to hear about the blood test results!

MidwesternGal Congratulations and welcome!!

[marathongirl]

OK - I'll try and get in all my SO's but I apologize in advance if I missed anyone:o .

Welcome avalon, twylla, and midwesterngal!

Midwesterngal - maybe just give your doc a head's up about your work situation? I used to work for a big pharmaceutical company and after I got PG with DD, I could not go into certain factories.

twylla - what marathon did you run? I did Philly in 1999 and NYC in 2002. I had planned on doing another this year, but I'll have to put that on hold.

rippy1010 - I've also had some minor cramping. Just things stretching out and moving around.

lawgirl4 - thanks for the advice to throw out the HPTs. I have one left that I was going to take tomorrow, but why cause myself additional stress?

lily - I go through phases of exhaustion. Yesterday I slept for 2 hours while my DD was asleep, but today I felt great until about an hour ago.

TMI stuff - yes I keep running to the bathroom thinking AF has arrived.

Books - I like Your Pregnancy Week by Week and She's Having a Baby, I'm Having a Breakdown. The Everything Pregnancy Book is good for general info.

Grandparent names - My mom is Gram and my dad is Dziadzi (Polish for grandfather). DH's parents and Nana and Grandpa.

Names for future baby - DH just dug out the name book from downstairs. We're kicking a few around.

pickle - as far as food is concerned all I want is fatty, greasy, salty stuff. That's totally not like me - I'm much more a fruit/veggie person. Plus I have a severe sweet tooth.

Superbowl plans - nothing really. I just want to watch the game. DH is flying out to the west coast Sunday night so it'll just be me and DD.

Hello kenswife, jbemommy, ericka_jarrett, maplekitty, pamela and everyone else! Hope you're all doing well!

[Pamela]

I've had a scary couple of days. I've had cramping pretty much every day for a few weeks now, but nothing serious and no spotting. So yesterday morning I go to the bathroom and notice some pink spotting on my undies. I nearly died! I kept having cramping and more spotting, so I called the doctor's office, and wouldn't you know they are closed until monday! So I called the big OB office where I originally had appointments and talked to a nurse there. She told me that it was probably nothing serious or it could be the start of a miscarraige, and basically they can't do anything at this point (which is true). She said the doctor said if I stopped spotting to call back because they would want to see me and to just put my feet up and rest for the rest of the day. That was the longest day of my life!

I got up early this morning and wasn't having any spotting, so I called them first thing and asked if I could come in. The nurse said yes, go ahead and come in, they'd schedule me for an ultrasound and a follow up with a doctor. So I had the ultrasound and we were able to see the gestational sac and yolk sac (too early still for the heartbeat), and then afterwards I saw one of the doctors, and started spotting again. He was So nice!! He made me feel so much better too. He said that the spotting was normal and everything looks great. Since we can see the yolk sac, things are going very well, and that seeing the yolk sac is as good an indicator of that as seeing a heartbeat since its so early, and that because we can see the yolk sac the chance of miscarriage is just 15%. He said that he could have just told me that it sounded normal and fine over the phone but he knew I'd just worry all weekend so he figured he'd just have me go ahead and come in and have an ultrasound. And he's having me go back again in a week for another ultrasound and follow up to see how things are progressing.

Still a bit nervous, but feeling a lot better. Threadmistress, I'll have an appointment and US on Feb. 10th. I think I'll end up staying with this OB too. I'll try and scan in my US pic to share too.

[Pamela]

Welcome Twylla, Avalon and MidwesternGal!

Twylla, my first +HPT was really really faint too, and it stayed faint for abut a week or so and gradually got darker. I took another today, I think I'm about 24dpo and got two super dark lines in less than 30 seconds. But it took awhile to get to that point.

[maplekitty]

Oh Pamela, I'm sorry you had such a scare! :( I've also read that a little light spotting is normal, but I *completely* understand why you'd freak - SO WOULD I!!! Keep it easy this weekend, and relax, put your feet up and make DH do everything :)

[Lily]

Pamela - Hugs! I'm so sorry that you had that scare. Thank goodness that you and the baby are doing better now. What a caring doctor that you have. It makes all the difference doesn't it? Have a good weekend.

[lawgirl4]

Pamela - *hugs!!!!* I'm so glad to hear that things are okay. hope that you can take it easy this weekend! :)

[Twylla]

twylla - what marathon did you run? I did Philly in 1999 and NYC in 2002. I had planned on doing another this year, but I'll have to put that on hold.

I ran Honolulu about 2 months ago. I'm not really a 'runner' though, I did it for the Arthritis Society. I'm pretty proud of finishing.... but I doubt I'll ever do another one, lol. I admire you though... 26 miles is looooooooong! Will you choose another one for next year?

Honestly, I was going to come back and amswer some QOTDs, but I'm too tired. I'm half asleep at work. And sadly, I think the only reason I'm not asleep is b/c I'm so nauseous (sp?). Ugh! But, i'm not sure if it's ms or me worrying about the blood test today....

Pamela I'm so sorry about your spotting ordeal. I can imagine you were so scared. I'm glad the doctor says everything will be fine. And thanks for your faint BFP experiences... I hope mine will get dark one day soon!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

[marathongirl]

Pamela - BIG HUGS! I'm glad you have a caring doc! I know how scary the spotting can be. I started spotting for about a week around this time with my DD. Take it easy this weekend!

Twylla - I'd LOVE to run the NYC marathon again in 2007 or 2008. The crowds are so amazing and it's a great city to go through on foot. I really miss running, so I'm anxious to get back to it. I was pricing double jogging strollers in BRU this week. Although it's quite a workout pushing one baby in a jogger. I can't imagine 2!

[Avalon]

Pamela ~ I'm so sorry for your scare! Glad that it sounds like you have a great doctor though. Rest, rest, rest this weekend!

Enjoy your weekend ladies!

[Hula1974]

Congrats to Twylla, Avalon and Midwestern Gal!! A very H&H 9months!

Pamela - I too was spotting a bit yesterday at 6w0d. It was red but not on my panties. It was when I wiped. Actually it was mixed with some creamy white (so thanks to whoever posted about being moist). I did some reading and didn't end up calling the doctor. It only lasted for a few hours. Seems like nothing can be done at this point anyway....and I read a lot of stories that said sometimes, this early, you can even see the yolk. Should I have called? Things seem to be ok now. I read a thread in the pregnancy forum about bright red bleeding and still having normal pregnancies and it seems lots of people bleed.

For fun, here's my 6 test! lol
http://images.snapfish.com/345%3C2%3A296%7Ffp336%3Enu%3D3236%3E579%3E3%3A9%3E WSNRCG%3D32334%3A%3C4579%3A%3Bnu0mrj

[Rippy1010]

Pamela ~ I'm so glad everything sounds and looks fine. What a scary time that must have been. I can imagine! Just having some painful cramps were scary enough for me ... if it had been me, I can imagine that if I had both spotting and the cramps, I would not have been able to keep a clear head at all. :( I'm so happy about the news.


Grandparent Names ~ Both sets of grandparents are LOOONG running grandparents at this stage of the game. :) They are old pros now. My parents go by Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop. My DH's parents go by Gramma and Gramps.

[Pamela]

Thanks everyone for your support! I really appreciate it :) Its nice to know that I'm not the only one spotting that that its normal and ok. I kept telling myself that it was probably normal, but I still freaked out about it :rolleyes:

Doing better today, still a little bit of spotting, but I keep telling myself its normal and I'm fine. Looking at this helps, you can see the gestational sac (big black bean shaped thing) and where that gray blurry line is (which is just artifact) and the two ++'s are is the yolk sac:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/MrsPamela/Baby/US_1.jpg

Here's my edited version to make it easier to see:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/MrsPamela/Baby/US_1_edited.jpg

Threadmistress, please use the first pic as my US pic

I have been so tired the past few days! And its not just working nights, that doesn't take long to get caught up from. I could seriously take a nap at any time of day, I'm just so sleepy!

Hula, great HPT pic! Nice to see I'm not the only one taking pictures like that! Its fun to see how the lines get progressively darker!

Grandparents names, well, DH's parents already have two grandkids and go by Grandma and Grandpa, and I'm pretty sure mine will be Gramma and Grampa, or maybe Gramma and Gramps.

Here's a little TMI for the thread: if you go in for an early ultrasound, just be warned that this early they often do them transvaginally. So don't be too shocked when they whip out the ol' dildo cam. Its mildly uncomfortable, but not too bad.

And while I'm posting pics, here's my 5 week belly shots:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/MrsPamela/Baby/5wks_3days1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/MrsPamela/Baby/5wks_3days2.jpg

Is it wierd that there's nothing to see? I guess the yolk sac doesn't take up much room??

[maplekitty]

So don't be too shocked when they whip out the ol' dildo cam.



OMG, I think I just spit up my water! LMAO!

[maplekitty]

QOTD: Is anyone else having trouble with their DH/Spouse just not understanding what's going on inside of us right now?

For example, my DH has asked me to powerwash the deck this week. Every single day this week I have done a bit of power washing - and it's brutally tiring. Today he assumed I was going to finish the deck, and I just spazzed at him and said "do you not even realize what I'm doing right now? I am creating life inside of me and i'm TIRED! My placenta is growing and my uterus is stretching!!!" LOL, of course we both started laughing at my outburst, but *still* - I'm exhausted and he's not getting that!!! GGrr!

[marathongirl]

Here's my 6w0d belly shot:
http://images.snapfish.com/345%3C2%3C248%7Ffp337%3Enu%3D3239%3E645%3E638%3EWS NRCG%3D32334%3A%3C598487nu0mrj

I should follow Pamela's lead and make little signs so I know how far along I am. I forgot to do that with DD.

maplekitty - my DH pretty much gets it. He did last time too. I tend to always need to be doing something so he prefers to see me sit down once in a while.

[MidwesternGal]

Pamela--glad everything is still moving along!

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome!!

Maplekitty--My Dh and I are still kind of shocked (unplanned) but he seems to be doing okay so far. . . . well, he could be worse! He was swerving the car around the other night, and I about killed him (because I don't have m/s, I have morning bloating and evening sickness!). I printed off a day-by-day pregnancy calendar from justmommies.com and we put it on the desk, to check what is going on. Not every day has a growth related thing. . . . some days have little tips/hints for pregnancy, etc. I think he likes having that. Maybe you should get your DH a book that's geared towards Daddies about your body, or find him something like I did?


As for me. . . . well, I have to tell you ladies, my hormones are RAGING! I almost started sobbing after listening to an OnStar commerical on the radio--at work! You know the ones where the women get in accidents and then OnStar comes to the rescue and sends an ambulance?? Apparently, I found that so touching today, I started crying! Luckily, I got the tears stopped, but ohhhhh boy. . . . if this gets worse, it will be a loooooong 9 months! My poor DH!

I have to say, I love all the belly shots! I wish mine was flat to start with. Sigh. . . . oh well, I guess that means I'll be able to hide it longer (we're waiting to tell people until at least the end of March, probably into April, if we can keep it to ourselves that long).

Relating to the question I posed earlier about my PT job with paint. . . . I honestly don't like that boss at all, and DH has wanted me to quit for a while. Though the extra money would be nice right now, I really think I'm just going to give my two weeks at the end of the month. It stresses me out, and I don't want to take even the slightest risk, even if the doc says it's okay. Since it's still slow season, I figure I'll stay until mid-March for a few extra $$.

Okay, have a great weekend ladies!

[Bubeleh]

Wow this thread has taken off, miss a day you miss a lot!

Welcome Avalon, MidwesternGal

Moistness: Yes Me too. I keep fearing the worst that I'm mc, but its just creamy CM…weird.

Superbowl: I'm going to the spa for the day, so excited. Little massage, little facial it will be wonderful.

No Names picked out yet, trying to keep things low key until we are out the danger zone. We haven't told our parents yet, so no idea what they want to be called.

Folic Acid: I have 1mg in my prenatels and there is 400mcg in my oatmeal/cereal

Pamela Sorry you had such a scare. Sounds like the Dr took really good care of you though.

***************

Not much else is happening. Most of the bloating has subsided and no real symptoms to speak of. Although I'm heading into the dreaded 6 week mark so that may all change this week.

Have a great weekend everyone!

[lawgirl4]

hi everyone!

saturday, 6:30, and like clockwork I am exhausted! this fatigue is seriously debilitating!

my dr called me last night to check up on me (since her partner had to call me on weds w/my beta results) and she confirmed that my 16dpo beta looked great! needless to say, I felt really good last night! :)

DH and I have spent most of today cleaning up/organizing - which feels so good! I am originally from NY (all of my family is still there) and a couple of years ago my parents drove out here and brought me my childhood furniture (desk and dresser set) which were originally my grandmother's. I've been using the dresser for my clothes, but today I emptied out all of the desk drawers and started putting in the baby clothes, books, etc... that I've amassed over the years. (I've done a lot of international travel in the past 5 years, and everywhere I've gone I've picked up a thing or 2 for my future baby - amazing that the future baby is now growing inside of me!). So it's been a very productive day!

also - my body pillow arrived today! superfast delivery from Overstock.com - I was amazed! Looking forward to sleeping on it tonight! :)

folic acid - my prenatal vitamin has 800mcg.

emotional state - I am a total basket case! we were watching "The Last Samurai" last night and I was crying during the battle scene because I felt such pride for the samurai... ?!!?!? :p it's amusing, actually!

[Avalon]

QOTD: Is anyone else having trouble with their DH/Spouse just not understanding what's going on inside of us right now?

DH has been incredibly wonderful so far! He is, however, stressing over every little thing. I've been so exhausted and have been asleep by 9 the last few nights. That means I'm awake by 5. Poor DH is already up at that time worried over a new stress. It's nice though, because I'm not usually a morning person, and we've been talking about all of our hopes and fears these past few mornings.

Yesterday we went to go see my grandmother-in-law up in Northeast Philadelphia. I bought a pair of fuzzy bear baby booties and wrapped them in a Valentine's Day bag and got her a "congratulations, you're going to be a great-grandmother" card. She sobbed in excitement for us when she opened her gift.

I've been doing a lot of crying myself! I've been up since early this morning and haven't really done anything other than watch TV. I watched Baby Boom with Diane Keaton and cried and then I watched Birth Day on Discovery Health and cried some more.

Now I actually have to get some schoolwork done today! I've just been a little preoccupied to get it done before now. ;)

[dzmattie]

CC Name: dzmattie
Me: Becca, 28
DH: 28
Married: 2002
TTC: Ummm - this was the first month
BFP: 2/5/06
EDD: 10/11/06
Gender Prediction: ???
Any other children: DS, 1/15/04

Nervously joining - just got a faint BFP line this morning.....looking forward to meeting you all....a positive is a positive, right??

[marathongirl]

Welcome dzmattie!!!

[emermel]

Can I join too? I got my BFP this morning! We are stunned, but so excited! I totally thought that AF would arrive this morning (still feel sort of like she's on her way)...but 2 BFP's later, I am starting to think that she might stay away for a while :D

CC Name: Emermel
Me: Emily, 28
DH: Todd, 30
Married: May 12, 2002
TTC: June, 2005
BFP: Feb 5, 2006
EDD: Oct 16, 2006
Gender Prediction: I would love another girl, but would be thrilled either way
Any other children: Maya, January 17, 2004

[dzmattie]

Congratulations emermel!!! Our kids are the same age!!

[emermel]

Cool DZ!!! I didn't notice that before!!! When did you get your BFP? OK...duh...I just saw that you got yours today too! Congrats!!!

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Welcome & Congratulations to dzmattie and emermel!

[maplekitty]

Oh Emermel!!!!!! YAY!! SO glad to see you over here!! Congrats! This is so exciting having so many fellow SWH buddies in this thread!!! :)

Congrats and welcome also to Dzmattie!! This is going to be a nice big group!

[Pamela]

Welcome dzmattie and emermel!

So was it me who was saying, "I don't have any symptoms, I wish I had some, even some nausea or just something,"??? Well thats come back to bite me! I woke up at 4am feeling yucky, stayed in bed till 10 and my sweet DH is off to the store to get me gingerale and saltines. Hoping its just a fluke and won't be a regular occurance, especially since I have to go to work tonight, and getting sick at 4am would really suck! I don't want anyone to know for a while yet, but if I start yarking at work I think people will probably catch on.

folic acid, my prenatal has 800mcg.

emotional state, well, yesterday morning I was pretty crabby. DH took the brunt of that :rolleyes:


edited to add: Marathongirl, your belly shot is great!