June 2007 Mommies' Third Trimester ~ The Countdown Begins!

[June2007Mommies]

June 2007 Mommies

The Countdown to Babies Begins!



23 Mommies expecting 25 Babies:


http://lafemmebonita.com/blinkies//Pregnancy%20and%20Babies/Struck_Blue.gif: (6)
L&D Nurse, MexicoBride'05, Sarah6690, StacieLady, stevesbabygirl, SuzetteW

http://lafemmebonita.com/blinkies//Pregnancy%20and%20Babies/Struck_Pink.gif: (8)
Daphne, elissa, em1126, GA_GAL, Irish Elf, LoveBeingAMommy (x2!), micd

http://lafemmebonita.com/blinkies//Pregnancy%20and%20Babies/bcsurprisepkg.gif: (11)
almostthere, Cosmogirl, DnJ2002, eldub, firedancr41, Jenean (x2!), magrat, risa00, Smittenk, steelcitymama



If you are new here, congratulations! We hope you will consider joining us. We look forward to sharing this amazing experience together! Please posts all updates in RED. Also, when posting, please put in the subject line how far along you are (w/d) - you can do this by clicking "go advanced".

Please list your stats in RED in your first post:

CC Name:
Me: Name, age
DH: Name, age
Married: Date
TTC: Date
BFP: Date
EDD: Date
Gender Prediction:
Any other children:


Your threadmistresses are Jenean and L&D Nurse. Feel free to PM them if you have any questions or comments regarding the thread.



Previous thread links:
Our First Trimester (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25424)
Our Second Trimester (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27181)

[June2007Mommies]

Proud Mommies-To-Be:

almostthere - SURPRISE!
Me: Sarah, 28 (29 when baby is born)
DH: Andy, 32
Married: June 2, 2001
TTC: Sept 2005
EDD: June 14, 2007 (will be section earlier)
Gender Prediction: just want a healthy one
Any other children: Hailey 3 years old

Cosmogirl - SURPRISE!
Me: Val 29
DH: Fred 33
Married: 08.21.2004
TTC: 06.02.2006
BFP: 10.15.2006
EDD: 06.26.2007
Gender Prediction: Girl
Any other children:a son born 07.22.2005

Daphne - GIRL!
Me: 33
DH: 33
Married: August 2003
TTC: Sept 2006
BFP: 9/20/06
EDD: 6/1/07
Gender Prediction: boy
Any other children: DS 12/04

DnJ2002 - SURPRISE!
Me: Jess, 31
DH: D, 39
Married: July 6, 2002
TTC#2: September 2006
BFP: October 8, 2006
EDD: June 16, 2007
Gender Prediction: not sure yet...DH thinks boy
Any other children: Arabella Hope, 8-17-2005

eldub - SURPRISE!
Me:32
DH: 33
Married: November 2003
TTC: August 2006
BFP: October 7, 2006
EDD: June 12, 2007 (used a due date calculator, so just a guess!)
Gender Prediction: no clue!
Any other children: DD 6/05

elissa - GIRL!
Me: Elissa, 30
DH: Chris, 31
Married: October 1, 2005
TTC: October 2006
BFP: October 20, 2006
EDD: June 18, 2007
Gender Prediction: boy
Any other children:none

em1126 - GIRL!
Me: Emily, 28
DH: Mike, 27
Married: 10/11/03
TTC: 5/06
BFP: 9/27/06
EDD: 6/3/07
Gender Prediction: Boy
Any other children: Nope

firedancr41 - SURPRISE!
Me: Amy, 28
DH: Chris, 26
Married: 7/2/06
TTC: 8/1/06
BFP: 10/20/06
EDD: 6/13/07
Gender Prediction: BOY!!
Any other children: no

GA_GAL - GIRL!
Me: 26
DH: 26
Married: 12/03
TTC: 9/05
BFP: 10/7
EDD: June 16
Gender Prediction: girl
Any other children:this is our first!

Irish Elf - GIRL!

Jenean - TWIN SURPRISES!
Me: Jenean, 30
DH: Seth, 31
Married: 6/22/03
TTC: 6/22/05
BFP: 10/2/06
EDD: 6/12/07
Gender Prediction: boy and girl
Any other children: Trevor the turtle, Purrcy the terror-kitty, Kojak the weenie-dog

L&D Nurse - BOY!
Me: Nurse, 29
DH: Professor, 29
Married: July 2003
TTC: Sept 2006
BFP: 9/21/06
EDD: 6/3/07
Gender Prediction: girl
Any other children: this is our first!

LoveBeingAMommy - TWIN GIRLS!
Me:31
DH: 31
Married: November 2002
TTC: September 2006
BFP: October 6, 2006
EDD: June 15, 2007
Gender Prediction: ??
Any other children: DD 5/04

Magrat - SURPRISE!
Me: Sarah, 27
DH: Benjamin, 26
Married: 3/1/03
TTC: 6/06
BFP: 10/9/06
EDD: June 16th

MexicoBride'05 - BOY!
Me: Farah, 29
DH: Dallas, 28
Married: November 18, 2005
TTC: July 2006
BFP: October 13, 2006
EDD: June 19, 2007
Gender Prediction: No idea!
Any other children:Just our little pug Marley ;)

micd - GIRL!
Me: M, 25
DH: D, 28
Married: 05/03
TTC: 04/06
BFP: 10/23/06
EDD: 06/21/07
Gender Prediction: Girl
Any other children: none

risa00 - SURPRISE!
Me: Lisa, 28
DH: Sean, 34
Married: July 12, 2003
TTC: June 2006
BFP: October 7, 2006
EDD: June 13, 2007 (my guess)
Gender Prediction: boy but would like girl
Any other children: none

Sarah6690 - BOY!
Me: Sarah, 25
DH: Eric, 29
Married: June 11, 2005
TTC: on and off since Feb.
BFP: Sept. 24, 2006
EDD: May 29, 2007
Gender Prediction: hoping for a girl
Any other children: DS Kayden 12-06-01

Smittenk - SURPRISE!
Me: Ali, 29
DH: M, 37
Married: April 3rd, 2004
TTC: We weren't
BFP: October 16th
EDD: 6/25/2007
Gender Prediction: Don't mind as long as it is healthy
Any other children: Furbaby, Barley 08/05

StacieLady - BOY!
Me: 26
DH: 33
Married: Feb 14, 2004
TTC: April 2006 (m/c Jul 2006)
BFP: October 7, 2006
EDD: June 9, 2007
Gender Prediction: I don't know...Girl?
Any other children: no, just a dog!

stevesbabygirl - BOY!
Me: Heather, 27
DH: Steve, 29
Married: August 31, 2003
TTC: August 2006
BFP: October 14, 2006
EDD: June 17, 2007 though I think it's later
Gender Prediction: DH thinks girl but I think boy
Any other children: 3 cats and an iguana

SuzetteW - BOY!
Me: Suzette, 29
DH: Jay, 29
Married: 8/4/01
TTC: we weren't TTC
BFP: 10/8/06
EDD: 6/14/07
Gender Prediction: girl
Any other children: DS - Jackson - 10/2/03

steelcitymama - SURPRISE!
Me: Kristin, 28
DH: Doug, 30
Married: July 24 04
TTC: August 06
BFP: Sept 30 06
EDD: June 7 07
Gender Prediction: i think it's a boy, but we didn't find out.
Any other children: nope, this is our first!


In our thoughts and prayers:
Happy1, lorbo, prentiss

[June2007Mommies]

June 2007 Mommies by Estimated Due Date

May 29 ~ Sarah6690

June 1 ~ Daphne

June 3 ~ em1126, L&D Nurse

June 7 ~ steelcitymama

June 9 ~ StacieLady

June 12 ~ eldub, Jenean

June 13 ~ firedancr41, risa00

June 14 ~ almostthere, Irish Elf, SuzetteW

June 15 ~ LoveBeingAMommy

June 16 ~ DnJ2002, Magrat

June 17 ~ GA_GAL, stevesbabygirl

June 18 ~ elissa

June 19 ~ MexicoBride'05

June 21 ~ micd

June 25 ~ Smittenk

June 26 ~ Cosmogirl

[June2007Mommies]

Appointment Dates:

May
3 ~ elissa (u/s), Jenean, stevesbabygirl
4 ~ em1126, Sarah6690
8 ~ L&D Nurse
9 ~ em1126 (peri)
10 ~ Jenean
11 ~ Sarah6690
14 ~ MexicoBride'05
15 ~ L&D Nurse, Sarah6690
16 ~ elissa, stevesbabygirl
17 ~ Jenean
22 ~ magrat
23 ~ elissa, Sarah6690 (c/s!!!)
25 ~ Smittenk
30 ~ elissa

June

[June2007Mommies]

Ultrasound Pictures 1

Cosmogirl (11w6d)
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/Cosmochick/Surprise2smudge.jpg

elissa:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a44/elissab/Ultrasound12-14-06.jpg

GA GAL (16w)
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/profile.jpg
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/3D.jpg

Jenean (29w2d) (Laurel and Hardy, respectively)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/Laurel-29w2d.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/Hardy-29w2d.jpg

[June2007Mommies]

Ultrasound Pictures 2

L&D Nurse (22w4d)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/164/387191471_a0a47a9cf7_m.jpg

LoveBeingAMommy (19w3d)
Baby A:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/Casselsshopper/BabyAProfileShot.jpg
Baby B:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/Casselsshopper/BabyBProfileShot.jpg

magrat (8w3d)
http://sarah.thepuddle.com/baby/baby_8wk_web.jpg

MexicoBride'05 (20w5d and 27w)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid224/p648dc06538b998c01f602a37136e37ba/eab79eae.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/fardal/UCBABY_72.jpg?t=1174776912

[June2007Mommies]

Ultrasound Pictures 3

risa00 (20w6d)
http://www.seanandlisa.net/baby1.jpg

Smittenk (23w)
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/22WeekScan2blacked.jpg

StacieLady (11w3d)
http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/6793/front11w3dzk4.jpg

stevesbabygirl (21w4d)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/389688582_d998a1c21b.jpg?v=0

[June2007Mommies]

Belly Shots 1

Cosmogirl (14w)
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/Cosmochick/grossesse214sem.jpg

GA_GAL (23w & 27w)
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_0961.jpg
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_1001.jpg

Jenean (33w & 34w)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/33w.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/34w.jpg

L&D Nurse (36w)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/197/488623705_d488b07c77.jpg

[June2007Mommies]

Belly Shots 2

magrat (20w & 30w)
http://sarah.thepuddle.com/belly_shot_Jan28.jpg
http://sarah.thepuddle.com/belly_shot_Apr08.jpg

MexicoBride'05 (17w & ??w)
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/Farah17weeksdated.jpghttp://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid223/p33c419713f96ea2d9a4b297daa11ff6f/eaeb1161.jpg

risa00 (33.5w & 35.5)
http://www.seanandlisa.net/33.5a%20weeks.jpghttp://www.seanandlisa.net/web35.5%20weeks.jpg

[June2007Mommies]

Belly Shots 3

Sarah6690 (26w)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Sarah6690/Picture145.jpg

Smittenk (31w & 33w)
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/31Weeks003copy.jpghttp://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/33Weeksdated.jpg

StacieLady (31w)
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/6113/31wnoshirtpd1.jpg

stevesbabygirl (34w & 35w)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/202/486796405_509d9a1e7c.jpg?v=0
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/201/496567469_ccfc81a3d6.jpg?v=0

[June2007Mommies]

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

Tickers:
Baby's First Site (http://www.babysfirstsite.com/) * Baby Gaga (http://www.baby-gaga.com/) * La Femme Bonita (http://lafemmebonita.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi) * Lilypie (http://www.lilypie.com/) * One In The Oven (http://www.oneintheoven.net/) * SnugglePie (http://www.snugglepie.com/) * Ticker Central (http://www.tickercentral.com/) * Ticker Factory (http://www.tickerfactory.com/)

Miscellaneous Informative Sites
American Pregnancy Association (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/) * Baby Names (http://www.babynames.com/) * Baby Net (http://www.babynet.com/) * Safe Fetus (for a list of safe drugs during pregnancy) (http://www.safefetus.com/)

Maternity Shopping Sites:
A Pea In The Pod (http://www.apeainthepod.com/) * Baby Style (http://www.babystyle.com/) * Belly Basics (http://www.bellybasics.com/) * Bella Materna (http://www.bellamaterna.com/) * Fashion Bug (http://www.fashionbug.charmingshoppes.com/) * Gap Maternity (http://www.gap.com/) * JC Penney (http://www.jcpenney.com/) * Lane Bryant (http://www.lanebryantcatalog.com/) * Mimi Maternity (http://www.mimimaternity.com/) * Mom's The Word (http://www.momstheword.com/) * Motherhood Maternity (http://www.motherhood.com/) * Old Navy (http://www.oldnavy.com/) * Target (http://www.target.com/)

Baby Registries:
Babies ‘R Us (http://www.babiesrus.com/) * Baby Center (http://www.babycenter.com/) * Baby Depot (http://www.babydepot.com/) * BabyStyle (http://www.babystyle.com/) * Buy Buy Baby (http://www.buybuybaby.com/) * Sears (http://www.sears.com/) * Target (http://www.target.com/) * USA Baby (http://www.usababy.com/) * WalMart (http://www.walmart.com/)

Baby Shopping Sites:
Baby Age (http://www.babyage.com/) * Baby Ant (http://www.babyant.com/) * Baby Bazaar (http://www. babybazaar.com/) * Baby Box (http://www.babybox.com/) * Baby Center’s Store (http://store.babycenter.com/) * Baby Depot (http://www.babydepot.com/) * Baby Dilly (http://www.babydilly.com/) * Baby Dream (http://www.babydreams.com/) * Babies ‘R Us (http://www.babiesrus.com/) * BabyStyle (http://www.babystyle.com/) * Baby Universe (http://www.babyuniverse.com/) * Carousel Designs (http://www.carouseldesigns.com/) * Dimples and Dandelions (http://www.dimplesanddandelions.com/) * Dreamtime Baby (http://www.dreamtimebaby.com/) * Elegant Baby (http://www.elegantbabygifts.com/) * Fisher Price (http://www.fisher-price.com/) * Gap (http://www.gap.com/) * Graco (http://www.gracobaby.com/) * Gymboree (http://www.gymboree.com/) * In The Treetop (http://www.inthetreetop.com/) * JC Penney (http://www.jcpenney.com/) * Land of Nod (http://www.landofnod.com/) * Little Showoffs (http://www.littleshowoffs.com/) * Net Kidswear (http://www.netkidswear.com/) * Nursery Depot (http://www.nurserydepot.com/) * Old Navy (http://www.oldnavy.com/) * One of a Kind (http://www.oneofakindkid.com/) * One Step Ahead (http://www.onestepahead.com/) * Pokkadots (http://www.pokkadots.com/) * Pottery Barn Kids (http://www.potterybarnkids.com/) * Signature Baby (http://www.signaturebaby.com/) * Target (http://www.target.com/) * The Baby Marketplace (http://www.thebabymarketplace.com/) * The Children’s Place (http://www.childrensplace.com/) * Tutti Bella (http://www.tuttibella.com/) * Wendy Bellissimo (http://www.wendybellissimo.com/) * Overview Baby Skin Products (http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/article.asp?PAGETYPE=ART&REFER=SKIN&ID=14 /)

Delivery/Birthing Options (OB, Midwives, Doulas, birthcenters, etc.):
American Association of Birth Centers (http://www.birthcenters.org/) * American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (http://www.acog.org/) * American College of Nurse-Midwives (http://www.acnm.org/) * Childbirth Connection (http://www.childbirthconnection.org/) * Lamaze (http://www.lamaze.org/) * Bradley Birth (http://www.bradleybirth.com/) * Birthing From Within (http://www.birthingfromwithin.com/) * Birthworks (http://www.birthworks.com/) * HypBirth (http://www.hypbirth.com/) * HypnoBirthing (http://www.hypnobirthing.com/) * Association of Labor Assistants & Childbirth Educators (http://www.alace.org/) * International Childbirth Education Association (http://www.icea.org/) * Waterbirth International (http://www.waterbirth.org/) * DONA International (http://www. dona.org/)

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

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

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

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

Cord Blood/Stem Cell Info:
Secureacell (http://www.secureacell.com/) * Viacord (http://www.viacord.com/) * Cord Blood (http://www.cordblood.com/) * Cryobank (http://www.cryobank.com/) * Lifebank USA (http://www.lifebankusa.com/) * CorCell (http://www.corcell.com/) * Cryo-Cell (http://www.cryo-cell.com/)

Invitations/Announcements:
2Peas1Pod (http://www.2peas1pod.com/) * 5StarBaby (http://www.5starbaby.com/) * BabyGrams (http://www.babygrams.com/) * Baby J Cards (http://www.babyjcards.com/) * Bella Baby (http://www.bellababy.com/) * Busy Bee Announcments (http://www.busybeeannouncements.com/) * Celebration Cottage (http://www.celebrationcottage.com/) * Classic Card (http://www.classiccard.com/) * inababycarriage (http://www.inababycarriage.com/) * InvitationBox (http://www.invitationbox.com/) * Inviting Smiles (http://www.invitingsmiles.com/) * MetroBaby Cards (http://www.metrobabycards.com/) * Mommy’s Miracles (http://www.mommysmiracles.com/) * My Gatsby (http://www.mygatsby.com/) * Naptime Cards (http://www.naptimecards.com/) * PhotoStamps (http://www.photo.stamps.com/) * PurpleStork (http://www.purplestork.com/) * Simply To Impess (http://www.simplytoimpress.com/) * Stork Avenue (http://www.storkavenue.com/) * Stork Grams (http://www.shopbirthannouncements.com/) * Tiny Prints (http://www.tinyprints.com/)

Monitors:
BabyBeat (http://www.babybeat.com/) * Belly Beats (http://www.bellybeats.com/) * Stork Radio (http://www.storkradio.com/)

Fun Stuff:
Jewel Kids (http://www.jewelkids.com/) * Lifetime Mothers (http://www.lifetimemothers.com/) * ExpectNet (have friends and family compete in a baby pool! (http://www.expectnet.com/)

[June2007Mommies]

Books for the Expectant Mother

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

What to Expect: Eating Well When You're Expecting
Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel, Sharon Mazel

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

The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth
Sheila Kitzinger, Marcia May (Photographer)

Everything Pregnancy Fitness
By Robin Elise Weiss

My Pregnancy Journal
By Ryland Peters & Small Staff

Fun books:
Diary Of A Mad Mom-To-Be
Laura Wolf

Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth
by Jenny McCarthy

The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy
By Vicki Iovine


Baby Stuff:
The Girlfriends' Guide to Baby Gear: What to Buy, What to Borrow, and What to Blow Off!
Vicki Iovine, Peg Rosen

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


Childbirth:
Childbirth Without Fear: The Principles and Practice of Natural Childbirth
By Grantly Dick-Read

Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife
By Peggy Vincent

Gentle Birth Choices
By Barbara Harper

Easing Labor Pain: The Complete Guide to a More Comfortable and Rewarding Birth
By: Adrienne Lieberman

Birthing from within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation
By Pam England and Rob Horowitz

Easy Labor: Every Woman’s Guide to Choosing Less Pain and More Joy During Childbirth
By Dr. William Camann and Kathryn Alexander

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
By Ina May Gaskin

The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth
The Sears Birth Library


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

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
By La Leche League International


the First Year(s):
What No One Tells the Mom: Surviving the Early Years of Parenthood with Your Sanity, Your Sex Life and Your Sense of Humor Intact
By Marg Stark

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
Tracy Hogg

The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer
By Harvey Karp (also on DVD)

Happy Child Presents Tips for New Parents – DVD

Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom
By Stefanie Wilder-Taylor

Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby’s First Year
By Ari Brown and Denise Fields

Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth about the First Year of Mommyhood
By Jenny McCarthy

The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know about Your Baby from Birth to Age Two
The Sears Library

Baby's First Year Journal: A Day-to-Day Guide to Your Baby's Development during the First Twelve Months
By A. Christine Harris


Fun Baby Books:
The Inappropriate Baby Book: Gross And Embarrassing Memories from Baby's First Year
By Jennifer Stinson

Baby's First Tattoo: A Memory Book for Modern Parents
By Jim Mullen


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

She's Having a Baby - and I'm Having a Breakdown
By James Douglas Barron

The Caveman's Pregnancy Companion: A Survival Guide for Expectant Fathers
David Port, John Ralston, Brian M. Ralston, Gideon Kendall (Illustrator), Brian M. Ralston

[June2007Mommies]

Hints to Prepare for THE BIG EVENT:

Birth Plan Checklist (from Pregnancy magazine)

• Do you want pain relief? If so, what kinds of pain relief are you comfortable with?
• What positions are you hoping to try during labor? When the time comes to push?
• What kind of fetal monitoring are you comfortable with during labor?
• What’s your ideal birthing environment? Who do you want to be with you?
• How do you feel about episiotomies?
• Do you want to hold the baby right away?
• Do you plan to breastfeed?
• Do you want to your baby to be in your hospital room with you?

Questions to ask before you get to the hospital (from Fit Pregnancy magazine)

• Will my husband be allowed to cut the umbilical cord?
• Will the nurse give me the baby immediately rather than taking it to the warming table?
• Can the eye ointment and vitamin K shot be delayed until after I’ve nursed the baby, as long as it’s within 90 minutes?
• Can I have the baby with me after a C-section?
• How many genetic disorders does the hospital check for? If they don’t test for the 29 recommended by the March of Dimes (www.modimes.org), ask how you can get those screenings.
• Does the hospital perform a hearing test? If not, ask your pediatrician where you can have one done.
• Does the nursery give the baby pacifiers or formula? Let them know if you’d prefer they do not.


In the Bag! - What to Pack for the Hospital (from Pregnancy magazine and my local MoMs group)
Labor Bag:
• Your insurance card and hospital paperwork, including any cord-blood packaging
• Eyeglasses, if you wear them
• Hair clips and/or ponytail holders
• Lip balm
• Non-slip socks or slippers
• Hard candy to appease hunger
• Extra pillow or two
• Nightgown or bathrobe, if you don’t mind tossing it afterwards
• MP3 player or iPod loaded with your favorite movies or music, or a CD player
• Camera with charged batteries and plenty of memory (or film)

Postpartum bag
• Snacks
• Nightgown or PJs (two-piece PJs with button-down tops work best for nursing) and robe
• A nursing bra, breast pads, and several pairs of underwear you don’t care about ruining (consider support panties in a size just a little larger than you think you’d need)
• A maternity going-home outfit
• Toiletries, including shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrush/comb, and makeup
• Address book for making calls
• Journal to keep track of feedings and diaper changes

For baby:
• Infant care seat that you’ve already tested to fit in your car (and carriage to help carry your things to the car)
• Going-home outfit (including a matching baby cap, if you want)
• Pair of socks or booties
• Receiving blanket, if it’s cold outside


Questions to Ask When Interviewing Pediatricians: (from Pregnancy magazine)
• Are you a board-certified pediatrician?
• Are you a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics?
• What hospitals do you use?
• What insurance do you accept?
• How many doctors are in your practice?
• What is your call schedule?
• Who is on call when you are not available?
• If my baby gets sick after hours, will I be able to talk to a doctor or someone else?
• Do you keep electronic records that can be accessed in an emergency?
• Is there a separate entrance and waiting area for sick patients?
• Can you describe your care plans for my baby during the first year?
• Up to what age do you treat patients?
• Do you employ a nurse practitioner or lactation consultant?
• How do you feel about prescribing medication over the phone?
• What is your philosophy regarding breast and formula feeding?
• What is your opinion of holistic medicine?
• Do you have children of your own?

[June2007Mommies]

Due Date Buddies:

Sarah6690 (5/29) and stevesbabygirl (6/17)
Daphne (6/1) and magrat (6/16)
Steelcitymama (6/7) and LoveBeingAMommy (6/15 or earlier)
Jenean (6/12 or earlier) and GA GAL (6/17)
MexicoBride’05 (6/19) and Smittenk (6/25)

I tried to pair up ladies who have at least 2 weeks between their EDDs. For myself and LoveBeingAMommy, I went on the assumption that our twins will arrive at least a week or two before their actual EDD.

[June2007Mommies]

**saved**

[June2007Mommies]

**saved**

[June2007Mommies]

Welcome Mommies-to-be!

Please take a moment to look over your information in the first few posts to make sure it is correct. Please feel free to make any suggestions to make our thread better!



Thanks to the previous mommies’ threads for all the ideas and inspirations for the June 2007 ladies!


http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ji1cBGgx3qdnvM:http://www.silverparrotstudio.com/Baby/hands_feet.jpg


We are open for posting!

[Jenean]

Hi ladies! I just wanted to say welcome to the new thread. I can't believe we're about 2/3 of the way through! :eek:

I included some of the "helpful hints" stuff that I've found in magazines. I hope some of you guys find them useful! :)

It's been a good but tiresome day here. DH and I slept in and then after breakfast we tackled our closets. We got rid of a lot of his stuff and organized everything else so there's a LOT more room and it all looks much better. Now we just have to purge a few of our coats to make room for his suits in the guest room closet and then the nursery closet will be totally empty, yay! He's at the gym now and when he gets back we'll have a light dinner and relax together since he leaves tomorrow for another short business trip.

[stevesbabygirl]

Jenean,
Your energy level never ceases to amaze me!

We were up early this morning for DH's soccer game, and then did some light cleaning around the house when we got home. My parents are over here right now, and DH's mom will be joining us soon. Then we leave for a Ducks game, busy day!

I can't believe we're getting into the homestretch! I still have 2 weeks to go before hitting the third trimester, but wow!

[em1126]

Hooray for the third trimester! Some days it still doesn't even seem real that I'm pregnant . . . :)

Jenean--I forgot to post one of my doctor's appts. My next appt. with my regular OB is March 12. Thank you and thanks for the new thread . . . I LOVE the Hints section!

stevesbabygirl--I just wanted to say I love the name you've chosen for your baby. If we had a boy, Owen was definitely going to be one of the top contenders.

[risa00]

I can't believe we're already on the final stretch!!! Thanks so much for the new thread. :) I'm sure your test went fine, but do let us know what the results are when you find out tomorrow.

I did a prenatal massage today and let me say.. WOW! Go get one if you haven't. They had these comfortable pillows which allowed you to actually lay on your stomach. I still have money left on the gift card so I will be going back again before June. :)

They FINALLY started selling Girl Scout cookies up here.. I stocked up with 6 boxes. LOL

Hubby finished our baby's closet yesterday. He did a great job! Now we need to focus on the actual room.

Before
http://www.seanandlisa.net/beforecloset.jpg

After
http://www.seanandlisa.net/aftercloset1.jpg http://www.seanandlisa.net/aftercloset2.jpg

DH is in Orlando this week and just made me jealous with his phone call. He said it was sooo nice there because it's warm, sunny, and on the water. Just what I need to hear in our rainy, cold, cloudy weather. I need a vacation. :)

ETA: Next appointment is March 27th

[daphne]

eek! It's official now, eh? I can't believe we're headed into the 3rd trimester!!

risa00 The baby's closet looks amazing!! Was it hard for your DH to do? Where did you get all of the hardward/drawers? My DH isn't super-handy, but I might need to pressure him into giving it a try.

Jenean Thanks for the new thread! It looks great!

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[L&D Nurse]

Welcome to the 3rd trimester, June Mommies!!!

Jenean~ thank you for all of your hard work getting the new thread up and running!!!

[micd]

Wow, the third trimester!!!! So exciting, and scary, at the same time. :D I've still got a few weeks. I like the hints too Jenean, and thanks for all your hard work!

Risa - The closet looks great! I am definitely still wanting to get a prenatal massage. I also bought some girl scout cookies today :D

stevesbabygirl - Have fun at the game!

[risa00]

risa00 The baby's closet looks amazing!! Was it hard for your DH to do? Where did you get all of the hardward/drawers? My DH isn't super-handy, but I might need to pressure him into giving it a try.

My DH isn't all that handy although he thinks he is. ;) We got it all from Storables. If there is one around you, I highly recommend them. Super easy to install and if you end up wanting to rearrange it or get different things, all you do is change it on the track. Very easy! Just bring your measurements in and they'll help draw out the design.

micd - Yum! Which cookies did you buy?

[Smittenk]

risa00 The closet looks awesome! I forgot that we had the same diaper bag, lol!

I'm going for my first prenatal massage tomorrow afternoon!! Can't wait!

[Sarah6690]

Jenean thanks for the new thread! It looks great! That's kind of scary about feeling faint during the test, and I hope you get good news back today.

risa the closet looks great! I don't know what we are going to do... there is no closet in the baby's room and we don't have any extra to spare. That's one thing our house is lacking.

Saturday we spent about 5 hours painting the living room and dining room. It looks really good. I love it. One small wall is a pretty dark brown, and the other three are a lighter brown. It looks great about all of the white woodwork in the room. I'll have to take some pictures to show you. Next painting project is the baby's room. We have to paint our bedroom too. I wasn't going to help paint, but I couldn't resist... I'm sort of a control freak when it comes to things like that. I want to make sure it is done right, and don't like leaving it to someone else to do it the way I want. :rolleyes: So, then I spent Sunday cleaning the house and running errands. Boy am I tired and sore now. I think I'll be taking it easy the rest of the week. It looks like we are finally going to get some warmer weather towards the end of the week. I can't wait! Hope everyone had a good weekend. And sorry to everyone I missed for SO's.

[stevesbabygirl]

em,
Thanks :D!

risa,
Yay for the prenatal massage! I plan to get one sometime in the next few months when DH and I go down to San Diego for our babymoon. The closet looks great!

daphne,
Isn't it exciting and terrifying at the same time?!

micd,
Thanks, we had a great time :D! It's always a lot more fun when we win.

Smitten,
How was your massage?

Sarah,
Take it easy :D!

[steelcitymama]

wow, the new thread looks great! thanks so much for putting it all together, jeanen! i really can't believe we're in the 3rd trimester...it seems so unreal!

seems like now is the time for prenatal massages---i had my first one on saturday and it was wonderful! i'm definitely going to be doing that again, for sure. it was so relaxing.

smitten, how are your hypnobirthing classes going? DH and i are loving our lessons and have been really enjoying the practicing and all the time we've been dedicating to it.

jeanan, your 3 hr GTT experience doesn't sound like very much fun---i'm hoping mine isn't as bad. unfortunately, the midwives called yesterday to tell me that my results from the 1 hr were slightly elevated and i'd need to do the 3 hr, too. :( sigh. so i'll be spending some quality time at the hospital on friday! when do you get your results? fortunately, mine are fast---next day--so i won't be in suspense. i feel very confident that i don't have GD, but i'll be happy once the test is finished and i know for sure.

so i had my first freak out about the baby last night...i've been paying special attention to fetal movements after i eat, per my midwives suggestion. they do a very informal fetal kick tracking. they just want you to feel for at least 4 movements in the hour following eating. so i always pay particular attention at those times and typically feel tons of movement post eating, so i've never given it much though. last night we had a late dinner after my yoga class and after an hour or so, i realized i hadn't really felt anything. so i got worried and started pressing on my belly to rouse the baby...still had a hard time feeling anything after an hour or so. so i did what the midwives recommend---drank a big glass of juice and laid down. that did the trick, fortunately and i felt some stirring in there. this morning i felt a few movements before i got out of bed in the morning, but i ate breakfast a bit ago and have only felt one or two small movements. should i be worried?? i'm normally VERY laid back about this stuff and haven't been very cautious/nervous about things, but this is kind of concerning me.

sorry to totally vent, but i'm curious to get feedback...i think i might call the midwives and run it by them.

[L&D Nurse]

steelcitymama~ how many weeks are you? From what I have read, you can't count on reliable, regular fetal movements until 28 weeks. That's when we have our patients start doing fetal kick counts.

I had my GTT yesterday. It wasn't too bad. The drink tasted exactly like a flat Coke. I felt a little nauseated because of not eating much before the test (per doctor's orders) and the sugar load. Glad its over... now I am just hoping for good results!

[em1126]

steelcitymama - I periodically have freakouts about baby movement, too. Of course, it's different for everyone, but I find that mine often has a few days where she's pretty active and then she'll have a few quiet days. I'd just keep on top of it like you've been doing, but my guess is that you don't have anything to worry about. It certainly wouldn't hurt anything to call your midwives, either, though, especially if it brings you peace of mind.

[Sarah6690]

steelcitymama I agree with L&D Nurse... that's what I heard too. I would call your midwife if for nothing else than to make you feel better. It's always better to have a little reasurance when something is bothering you.

[steelcitymama]

hi, ladies..

thanks for the support & reassurance, L&D Nurse & em1126.

I'm 27 weeks tomorrow. I called the midwives and gave them a play by play. As you mentioned, L&D Nurse, she said at 27 weeks I still may not be able to distinguish a clear patttern of activity so she wasn't super alarmed. But she said that since I had been consistently noticing lots of activity after eating and I haven't been since yesterday evening, she would feel more comfortable taking a look, just to be sure. She stressed that it wasn't cause for alarm, so I feel good about it and will just feel better after knowing everything is ok. I'm going in at 1230, but she said if I begin feeling movement before then, I can call her to cancel.

thanks for the help, guys!!

[steelcitymama]

oops---and thanks, sarah! i think we posted at the same time & i didn't see your response!

[Smittenk]

steelcitymama...I hope they don't ask me to track fetal movements because my little one is active for a couple of days and then it will be still for about a day and a half...I figure it just needs to rest and do some growing on those days that it isn't active.

DH and I love practicing Hypnobirthing!! It's good to hear you guys are enjoying it too!! We just finished up our last class so now it is up to me to keep practicing it everyday and finish reading the book. We have a timeline taped to the fridge so that will help us stay on track :) We will have a couple of refresher classes in June before the birth.
I have made a special appointment with the midwife to talk to her about all of our requirements and explain Hypnobirthing to make sure that they are on board and supportive.
DH has also learned about being my advocate...he really needs to stand up for us and our birth choices because labour and delivery nurses (at our hospital anyways) can fall into their normal routine and try to run the show. We watched a hypnobirthing video and the woman was doing soo awesome..she was doing her J breathing and was coping so well...unfortunately her husband was completely useless and just let the midwives take over the show and the woman lost it. I felt so bad for her, I told DH that he would need to be keeping things quiet and positive. I am soo excited to put the method into practice...I'm really looking forward to the birth!!

[Jenean]

stevesbabygirl, oh, don't overestimate me. That closet chore on Sunday took everything I had and I spent the rest of the day on the sofa nursing a major backache!

em1126, I still have days like that! Like I just can't believe it's all happening. I'm glad you like the hints section - all those magazine articles I've been saving are finally paying off (and DH is happy now that I've thrown them out :p ).

risa, yay for a massage! I soooo need to find someone local and get one. I'm jealous of you ladies! The closet looks great; how exciting to have it done and have things put away! LOL to the GSC. Until we moved in December, my office was in the same bldg as the Girl Scouts' national headquarters and we could buy them in our lobby a few times a year. I stocked up also the last time they sold before we moved!

daphne, thanks!

L&D Nurse, my pleasure. Thank YOU for taking care of all these updates all the time! I hope you get good results from the GTT soon!

micd, I'm glad you like them! Oh, have you or risa seen the Edy's (Dreyer's) Girl Scout Cookie ice cream? OMG, so good. I have a container of thin mints and one of samoas in my freezer right now. I'm almost out and will have to restock soon!

Sarah, thanks. Great work on the painting! I would have a hard time giving up control over that, too. I did most of our house w/o DH's help just b/c I'm too much of a perfectionist and wanted it done "my" way!

steelcitymama, tell me about it. Before we know it we're going to have a "babies are arriving" thread! I'm so sorry you have to go through the 3-hr test as well. My advice would be to see if you can lay down after they take your blood, and maybe even for a few minutes after you first drink that syrup, just until your blood sugar starts to stabilize. No worries about that baby, you hear?! I'm glad you called your doc, but I think what everyone's been saying is right, that movements can be sporadic. I hope you feel better after seeing/hearing the little one!

Smittenk, that's great that your DH is being such an active partner!


So, my 3-hr GTT test results should be in, but I've decided not to call for them. The lab told me they'd be faxed to my doctor's office over the weekend, but I decided yesterday that ignorance is bliss and I'll just wait for them to call me. I figure if I failed, they'll call soon and then I'll deal. If they don't call, I'm going to assume that I passed and will just keep on doing what I've been doing. I gained 1 lb last week, so I'm up 31 lbs now in 26 weeks and am very happy with that. My goal is 9 more lbs in the next 10 weeks.

Yesterday I lay low and didn't do too much. I did finish the guest room closet and am happy to have that done. I still have to actually throw out a few of the things I took out of there and move some of our coats down to the coat closet, and then move DH's suits into the guest room, but all of that will only take a few minutes and then it's done. Today I've been doing easy chores from the sofa and will continue that through the afternoon. Tonight I'm planning to go to BRU for one of their new-parent seminars on "The ABC's of Infant Care." It's more an excuse to go look at cute baby things ;) , but hopefully it will be useful, too!

I took new belly shots this morning and will upload and post them soon. You guys will go wide-eyed over how huge I am! :eek:

[Sarah6690]

smitten I'm glad you enjoyed hynobirthing. I think the whole thing sounds very interesting and I wish I would have been able to try it.

jenean I think you get more done on bedrest than I do on a normal day! I have been so lazy... I STILL haven't started cleaning out the baby's room. :eek: Hopefully I'll get to it before he is here. Have fun at your seminar tonight. You're right, it's a great excuse to look at cute baby stuff!

Tonight is DS's first soccer practice this season. I talked to his coach last night, and they would have probably been better off with me running up and down the field at 9 months pregnant! This girl sounds like the biggest ditz... she actually left me a message saying, "I just wanted to give a shout out to all the parents" Imagine your best valley girl voice while saying this. It just went on and on and made no sense. I was floored thinking this is the woman I'm going to have to deal with? :rolleyes: Sorry for complaining, but this organization is so unorganized to begin with, I don't see this helping.

[stevesbabygirl]

steelcitymama,
I go through periods where I don't feel him through most of the day too, but I've noticed that it happens more on days where I'm busy and running around. If I'm on my butt all day, he's very active :). I wouldn't be too concerned at this point.

L&DNurse,
I hope your results come back well!

Smitten,
Glad to hear that you're liking your hypnobirthing class! What kinds of things do they teach you?

Jenean,
I'm impressed anytime anyone gets anything done :). Especially since you've got two in there! I hope your 3-hour test results are good.

Sarah,
Sorry you got stuck with a rotten coach. Is it AYSO? My DH used to coach soccer and he hates AYSO. I'm sure you'll love the coffee can too :rolleyes:. They pass around a coffee can every time someone scores a goal, and use the money to have a team party at the end of the year. They shake it nonstop and it can get so irritating!

[stevesbabygirl]

Is anyone else dealing with psycho outbursts? Last night, when we were getting ready for bed, my DH was kicking the covers everywhere as I was trying to smooth them out, and it was driving me crazy. He knows that this will make me go from zero to psycho in about 2 seconds, and I seriously have no patience for it. I told him I was going to hit him if he didn't knock it off, and when I went to hit him, he moved his arm in front of his leg, so I ended up hitting his arm, and it hurt like hell because it was right on the bone! It was so mean of me to just wail on him like that, and I ended up bursting into hysterics and apologizing for hitting him, saying he didn't deserve it and that I was a horrible wife, etc. He was fine, and said that he was sorry for aggravating me, because he knows that it drives me nuts, but oh my God, I felt like crap.

[Sarah6690]

stevesbabygirl that cracked me up! DH is so used to my crazy outbursts that it doesn't even bother him anymore. I've quit appologizing, instead when I get a funny look from him tell him that I can't help the raging hormones. I get so worked up about the silliest thing. The soccer isn't AYSO. It's just through our local community center. DH and I both played sports there growing up. We decided against AYSO because they take soccer way too seriously for our 5 year old. I just hope this coach gets a clue. The one he had last year was great, but his son moved up to the next age group.

[magrat]

smittenk I'd be interested in hearing more about your hypnobirthing as well. Especially aspects someone could use even if they don't take the class. I heard the pregtastic episodes on hypnobirthing and it made me take it a lot more seriously than I had.

belly ups pregnancy suspenders Got them in the mail yesterday and they work great! They're not adjustable, but they have kept my cords up all day today. Without them I would have been pulling them up all day.

jenean I hope your GTT results are good, you've had enough to worry about with this pregnancy! Can't wait to see your belly shots.

Movement is getting stronger and stronger. Last night DH was able to feel some really hard kicks (as did my bladder). I'm mainly feeling kicking in the bladder region and on my sides, so I have a feeling my placenta is in the front. I'm looking pregnant even in maternity clothes now, it's very exciting :)

[GA_GAL]

steelcitymama: I'm not really sure what my baby is up to. Sometimes I feel her kicking/punching all the time, and others she is very quiet. I can always count on her at night though. That's when I feel her most. Let us know how your apt. was.

Jenean: Thanks for this new thread! It looks great and I especially like the lists you added (what to bring to the hospital, things to ask a pediatrician, etc.)...they will be very helpful. I can't wait to hear how test results come back. Hopefully it will be good news. My 1 hour is at my next apt. so we'll see how I do. Hope you had fun at BRU!


Sarah6690: Your son's coach really does sound like a bimbo. Is she really young? Just from listening to the way she talks and her dis-organization, sounds like she is very young. Hopefully the season ends up being OK.

stevesbabygirl: Sorry about your outburst. I'm sort of surprised b/c I'm normally type-A and have outbursts like the one you described. However, after becoming pregnant I feel like I've become much more laid back and easy going...weird how that works.

risa00: Your closet looks great. Love the organization. I'm jealous of your massage. Did you got somewhere special to get it done?

L&D Nurse: Hoping for good results for you. When do you think you'll find out? My test is in a few weeks.

Smittenk: Glad you guys enjoyed your hypnobirthing classes so much. I think it is great that you are both so on board with it and that you are looking forward to labor.

Sorry I've been MIA for a little while. We were in Denver this past weekend visiting our new 2 week old nephew. Oh my goodness I had so much fun. He's such a GREAT baby and is already on a schedule. My DH hasn't really had that many experiences with newborn babies so it was really good for him to see and experience all that goes along with it. I loved seeing him hold and play with him. It gave me a glimpse of what he'll be like as a Daddy to our little girl. It also made him more excited about June coming sooner. While everyone was skiing, my SIL and I were able to talk about labor/delivery, breastfeeding, and other concerns/questions I had.

My glider finally arrived and we got it put in the nursery last night. I also spent most of the evening in there organizing and making room for more "stuff." My big shower is coming up in a week 1/2 and I'm getting very excited.

On our trip I had a chance to read lots of books that I had. Two I read were the breastfeeding book by La Leche League and also Baby Wise. They are basically two VERY different points of view. I'll be honest that after reading the La Leche League book I was feeling a bit turned off on the idea of breastfeeding. It had good info, but wasn't how I pictured myself. I read a thread on here a while back about Babywise and people had very strong opinions about it (most not liking it), but I found it to make a lot of sense. I also want to read "The Happiest Baby on the Block and a few other sleep/soothing/scheduling books before settling on a "plan" for us, but was curious what others are reading and thinking about doing.

I had my 24 week apt. last week and all went well...great heartbeat and everything is going along as it should. My next apt. is March 23.

[MexicoBride'05]

Hi Girls!

Is anyone else planning on doing a 3D ultrasound? I booked our appointment today!! I'm so excited!! It is on March 24th!! Here's some pics from my g/f's 3D u/s. She went to the same place we are going to. I can't wait!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pa143fefb8becafe9ed127b2ad918dfd8/ea685105.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pcd3cb49e0ebe3a1f7d3760ee0725fc3b/ea685103.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pcaeaabb29f8b6d3f9cd026a4923c6906/ea685104.jpg

[steelcitymama]

hi, everyone..

so i ended up going to the midwives office yesterday, just to be safe. i almost scrapped it b/c i was 99.9% sure everything was totally fine, but i figured, 'what's the harm'??? so they hooked up my belly to some machine that tracked the baby's heartbeat and fetal movements and everything was completely great. the midwife was appreciative of the fact that i'd come in and told me all was well, as i'd suspected. the baby seems to be back on it's regular pattern now, so i guess it was just taking a bit of a rest! :) one random thought that flashed through my mind was that the day the quietness started, DH and i had done a LOT of hypnobirth practicing (lots of relaxation, deep breathing, visualization). immediately after that, i had yoga, which was another 1.5 hrs of relaxation, deep breathing, etc. it's probably just totally coincidence, but i couldn't help wondering if that all kind of lulled the baby into a really relaxed state for the remainder of the night and the following morning????

i went to a new maternity/baby boutique last night with a friend and i bought this dress and a little black shrug to wear to several events this spring----a bridal shower, my two baby showers, and 2 weddings. thankfully, they're all with different crowds of people, so i can get away with one outfit! :) it looks great on and is super comfy. the other really cool thing is that it's reversible to all-black and i have a pretty green shrug w/ beading that will look nice with the black for a different option. (okay, i'm attempting to use photobucket for the first time to show the dress---hope it works!)

http://s176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/?action=view&current=japaneseweekend.jpg


magrat~very exciting that you're looking pregnant and feeling stronger kicks. and that's so exciting that DH can feel them too! i love that.

GA GAL~ it sounds like your trip was great. it must have been so much fun to see a new little baby and i totally know what you mean about getting a glimpse of DH being a dad. we've had 3 friends have babies in the past 4 weeks and it's making us even MORE excited! it also sounds like you had a lot of time to do some reading, which is always nice.

risa~ the closet looks awesome, i wish we had a storables near us. we really need to organize our OWN closet..it's big, but really oddly shaped and we need to work on maximizing the space...especially since we're currently using space in what will be the baby's room!

mexicobride~ your friend's 3-d u/s pictures are so great! i can't wait to see yours, i bet they'll be so cute.

[steelcitymama]

okay, clearly that didn't work the first time around...i'll try one last time:

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/japaneseweekend.jpg

[magrat]

GA_GAL I've looked through two breastfeeding books - the La Leche book and "Breastfeeding Your Baby" by Sheila Kitzinger. The La Leche one is kind of daunting and seems more like a reference than a how-to manual. The Kitzinger book is much much shorter and has good pictures. It gives a basic step-by-step what to do to get started. The only thing I didn't like about it is that it insists that if you do it right, it should never hurt. I doubt that :) I think it would be more realistic to tell women to expect some pain, but to reassure them they can get through it and to let them know when to seek help. I haven't looked at Baby Wise and don't plan to. I think as long as you're aware of the "issues" people have with that book you can safely take from it what you find useful. It's best to breastfeed, even for a short time, so avoid anything that turns you off the idea. Maybe you should try a hospital breastfeeding class? That's so exciting that you're having a shower soon! I haven't heard a thing about anyone having one for me yet.

risa I am really jealous of your closet! You have so much storage space!

We're leaving on our vacation a week from Friday, I can't wait! I still need to buy some summer clothes and comfortable walking shoes though. Maybe even *gulp* a maternity bathing suit...

[Sarah6690]

steelcitymama glad to hear that your appointment went well, and that the baby is doing fine. I don't blame you for going in. It's better to be safe than sorry. cute dress!

mexicobride we don't plan on having a 3-d u/s done. When I went for that special one I had to have done... we would have had one, but the 3-d part of their machine wasn't working. I was pretty disapointed. Can't wait to see yours though. I think they are so neat.

GA_Gal so we met the coach last night. She is really young. Put it this way, dh hates soccer... it's the one sport he never played and never got into. After ds and I got home last night and I told him all about her, he called her and voluteered to help coach. Now, I know that you don't need to be a soccer pro to coach 4-5 year olds, but you at least need to have some idea of what is going on. She didn't even know how to dribble a ball! I'm glad you had such a good trip. Sounds like a lot of fun. I just finished reading "So That's What They're For" a book about breastfeeding. I really enjoyed that one. It was humorous but also had a lot of good information in it. I just started "The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer". I'm not very far into it yet, but I just don't like some of the ideas already. It kind of conflicts with what I read in the other one. But, different things work for different people and babies. DH would probably agree more with the second one about getting them on a schedule very early on. But the first one talks about to be successful with breastfeeding, you need to feed them on demand, no matter how often that may be. At least in the first few weeks.

magrat that's great that DH was able to feel the baby move!

[Jenean]

Sarah, I seem to be alternating between totally lazy days and really good days where I can get a lot done. This week has been a good one so far! Ugh to that awful new soccer coach. That's so sweet of your DH to offer to assist her. I hope the kids have a fun season no matter what!

stevesbabygirl, thanks! Oh, yeah, I had one of those blowups on Sunday. We were in the middle of cleaning out the closet, the bed was covered in DH's clothes, I was aching from standing to do all the refolding, and DH wouldn't stop singing this stupid stupid song. He had gotten it into my head on Saturday and it took me literally a full night's sleep to get it out, and here he started again, and then when I yelled at him to stop, he switched to another equally annoying one. He thinks he's funny when he does that, but after I snapped and screamed at him and burst into tears, I think maybe he realized he shouldn't do that anymore. ;)

magrat, thanks! That's awesome that your DH is feeling a lot more of the kicks, and woohoo for looking pregnant now! It makes it seem much more real. Ah, countdown to vacation. I'm sure you will love the warm weather!

GA GAL, thanks, and good luck on your GTT! I'm so glad you had a good trip and visit with your family. Did it make you so much more excited for your daughter's arrival? I would love to spend some time with a newborn right now. Great work on your nursery! Is it almost done now? Thanks for the tips on the BFing books!

MexicoBride, that's awesome about the u/s! I can't wait to see your pics!

steelcitymama, that's great news. I'm glad you got that reassurance and that Baby is back to normal now! That's a very pretty dress - I hope you enjoy wearing it!


The BRU seminar last night was kind of blah. They just showed a video with some basic infant care tips and then the in-store people gave a demo of how to bathe an infant. It was sponsored by Huggies, so it was all Huggies-this and Huggies-that. I'm glad DH didn't come with me b/c he would have been bored and felt like it was a waste of time. But it was fun for me and I wandered the store a little after. Our chosen highchairs were discontinued (the Fisher Price Healthy something Aquarium), so I looked at other high chairs, but didn't see anything I liked better, so I might just buy the high chairs myself before they're totally gone. QOTD - Does anyone plan to just skip high chairs altogether? I wonder if it might be just as good to just get those booster seat things that can attach to your DR table.

Anyway, after that I wandered the clothing section and found a 2nd boy's outfit for coming-home. It looks huge and probably will be, but again I figure it's just for a few pics and the ride home and then it can be put away for later on when they're bigger! And I also bought my first boxes of diapers and wipes. So weird. On the way home I stopped by my best friend's house and ended up having dinner with her and her DH and visited, so that was nice.

Today I was supposed to go to NJ with MIL to visit DH's grandfather (he had a stroke last weekend), but it's been snowy and there were already a bunch of accidents before 8 am, so she decided she didn't want to risk the drive, so I'm home instead. DH's plane has already been delayed an hour, but hopefully he won't be home too late. I did some straightening up in the basement to make room to move the desk down there next week and finished the bedroom closets and plan to hopefully finish the shredding today. And that's about it! :)

[micd]

Doing good here. Yesterday was gorgeous so I got myself out to Home Depot and bought a bunch of plants! I planted some of them...tulips...my fav! Today it is back to normal dreary weather.

Last night I think I felt the baby hiccup several times! Not sure if it's too early to feel that. It was definitely a different feeling than regular kicking...short quick motions.

steelcitymama - Glad to hear everything is okay. Cute dress!

Sarah - All this talk about soccer is making me remember my young soccer days. :D

magrat - Vacation sounds nice!

Jenean - Not sure about the high chair. I registered for one, but don't really like it. It does seem like a space saver to get a booster instead.

MexicoBride'05 - 3D u/s are so cool! Have fun at yours.

[magrat]

micd I'm so jealous you can start planting already! I won't be able to plant until I'm getting near my due date - won't that be fun? ;)

highchairs I'm skipping it. I plan on using the one my parents used for me. I don't plan on starting solids until at least 6 months, and even that won't be for primary nutrition. I might consider it more seriously if I had twins though :)

[stevesbabygirl]

Sarah,
I feel better knowing I'm not the only one! I seriously felt like a psycho, and I started bawling about how I don't want to be an abuser, and my DH just laughed at me.

magrat,
Isn't it awesome to feel your baby?! I never get tired of it, I just love it so much. I think my placenta is in front too because I never really seem to feel kicks there. Have fun on your vacation!

GA GAL,
How funny that you've mellowed out. I don't know that I've mellowed out, but I do seem to be in a good mood more often, minus my little fit the other night :p. Yay for getting your glider! Sounds like you had a great weekend meeting your new nephew. I haven't started reading any breastfeeding books yet, I'm still going through Your Pregnancy Week by Week, The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy, and Belly Laughs.

Farah,
Those pictures are amazing! I don't know if we're going to do it. I told my DH at our last appointment that if we didn't find out the sex at the ultrasound, we were definitely going to do it.

steelcitymama,
I'm glad to hear that everything is okay with your little one. That's a super cute dress! Japanese Weekend has some really cute stuff.

Jenean,
I hate blowing up over little stuff, it just makes me feel so out of control, ya know? Yay for finding your 2nd boys' outfit! We bought giant boxes of diapers this weekend from Sam's Club, and wow are they expensive! Sorry to hear that you couldn't make your trip.

QOTD - We're not getting a full-sized high chair, but we're getting the Fisher Price Space Saver high chair:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000BXAI08.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS260_.jpg

[stevesbabygirl]

I have my 24 week doctor's appointment tomorrow, even though I'm going to be 25w4d :rolleyes:. This new office is part of a group, so I see a different doctor every time I go. There are 5 women and 2 men; I'll be seeing one of the men this time.

I was just watching Babies: Special Delivery, and one of the babies was born at about 27 weeks. He was so tiny and fragile! Unfortunately, he didn't make it; it was so sad. Stay put little babies!

[L&D Nurse]

Just found out I passed the GTT - yay! All of my other labs came back normal as well, no anemia, no syphillis ;) ... what a relief. Hope you're all having a good day. I will BBL after work. :)

[stevesbabygirl]

L&DNurse,
Yay, congrats :D!

[GA_GAL]

magrat: I'm definitely going to breastfeed. I just didn't like the main idea of the La Leche book and felt like they suggested having the baby attatched to your breast practically 24/7. I know in the beginning it's best to feed on demand, but later on I hope to be able to establish a flexible routine/schedule. That's the idea I really liked behind Baby Wise.

Sarah6690: Too funny now that your DH is willing to help coach. They probably need all the help they can get. My friend gave me "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" and she loved it. She said it helped her so much and she breastfed for almost a year. Like you said, I think it really depends on the people and babies involved. Baby Wise is also a pro-scheduling book (with obvious flexibility), but does point out that feeding on demand for the first month is the best way to get things started. Did your breastfeed with your DS?

Jenean: The nursery is close. When my mom comes in a few weeks she's going to help me make my bedding and curtains. After that it should be done so I'll post pictures then. Too bad that class wasn't too good. At least it was in a great location though and you enjoyed looking around.

L&D Nurse: Great news on passing your GTT!

MexicoBride: I had a 3D done at 16 weeks when I was having my gender determination u/s, but she was very boney looking with now fat on her. I'd love to get another one now that I'm further along, but I doubt DH will go for it since there are so many other things we should be spending our money on right now. Can't wait to see your pictures.

QOTD: We didn't register for a high chair b/c there weren't any I really liked and I figured it would be a while before we use one. When the time comes I guess we'll just buy one or get one of the booster/high chairs that attaches to a regular chair...depends on our next house and how the kitchen is set up.

[Jenean]

micd, oooh, I love tulips. That's great that you could take advantage of some good weather! That's so neat about the hiccups.

magrat, lol, the whole twins thing has made me rethink a LOT of the things I used to think. ;)

stevesbabygirl, it may sound awful, but I'm kind of glad I could just stay home today. DH and I are pretty pissed off at his parents right now - they waited 24 hours to even tell us Grandpa had a stroke and by doing so we were the ONLY family members who weren't at the hospital on Sunday, which brought up a whole host of longtime family issues, and yadayadayada, the idea of spending 3 hours in the car with my MIL today was not high on my list. DH and I will go out together on Saturday to see his grandfather. Diapers will definitely add up fast. I wrote down the prices at BJ's and BRU (surprisingly, there was only a $1 difference) and need to check out Target and KMart and WallyWorld to compare. I like that booster seat you posted and am definitely going to check it out! Thanks! Have a great appointment tomorrow!

L&D Nurse, that's fabulous!!!

GA GAL, it wasn't that it was bad, really, just that I had hoped for more out of it. I'm sure the infant care class at our hospital will be MUCH more in depth! That's in 4 weeks. I'm so excited for your nursery - I know it will look great!


Here is the other boy's outfit I bought yesterday. I'm still iffy on it - the shirt is huge, but it's just so cute. My best friend saw the pics and told me that I'm already dressing potential boy babies just like DH dresses, and she's totally right!

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/BabyBoy2.jpg

I also bought this collared onesie for underneath the other boy's outfit:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/BabyBoy1-1.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/BabyBoy1.jpg

And here is me: (24w v. 26w)

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/24w-profile.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/26w.jpg

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[L&D Nurse]

GA_GAL, stevesbabygirl, and Jenean~ thanks :D. My cousin had GD when she was pregnant, so I was kind of nervous about getting the results. One of the doctors (not mine) at work today called the lab for me and had the results sent over. It was so sweet of her.

Sarah6690~ I was LOL about that soccer coach's "shout out" message. That is too funny!

QOTD~ I didn't register for a high chair, but I think we're getting a hand-me-down from my SIL. Not sure how much we'll us it. We registered for this 4-stage feeding seat:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000056HKJ.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS260_.jpg

[daphne]

Jenean I can't really even tell which pic is which! I don't think you're that huge at all!! Of course, this is coming from someone who gained 60lbs during my 1st pregnancy. We still use Miles' high chair (for eating, arts/crafts, to contain him/etc....). I've loved having it. We have a booster seat for him, too, but it's never felt as secure & I wouldn't have wanted to put him in it as an infant.

L&DNurse Congratulations on passing! I'm nervous about mine next week!

stevesbabygirl I'm so glad I didn't see that show. At every week of pregnancy, I think about the baby's chance of survival & I've been feeling more optimistic recently. that show would have rattled me. so sad.

Baby girl is kicking up a storm recently! I've been having a blast all evening trying to figure out which appendage has been poking through my belly button! eek!

DH & I are stuck on names. So far, we've considered (and rejected a few of) these: Eliza (Ellie), Molly, Lily, Audrey, and Abigail. I'm not 100% set on any of them, but DH would be happiest with Abigail. I thought choosing boy names was much easier, for some reason.

[stevesbabygirl]

Jenean,
Don't feel bad about staying home; God knows I don't :p! Haha, that's actually a lie; I do feel guilty sometimes, but DH and I talked about it, and it's what works for us. I love your other boys' outfit, too cute! And great belly pictures!

daphne,
I do the same thing with thinking about the chances of survival, and I'm feeling really good about finally getting to the point where he'd have a good chance. I'm still not ready to meet him yet though :). I like Molly and Lily for names!

[magrat]

daphne We obviously have similar taste in names, I love all those! I prefer Elsie/Elsa as a nn for Eliza though, Ellie is really popular. We're having a lot of trouble choosing names too. It's just such an important decision, I'm so afraid I'll regret what we choose.

[Sarah6690]

GA_Gal I breastfed my ds for a couple of weeks. I probably would have had more success had I done much research on it beforehand. Several of our problems started with when he was in NICU, they gave him bottles. When he went to the regular nursery, they didn't always bring him to me for feedings. And when we got home, I was having a difficult recovery, dh thought he was being helpful by just giving him bottles instead. Now that I know more, I've already made it clear, that this one will be give NO BOTTLES! I've had to brainwash DH so he understands. I did pump with ds, so he got that, but it's still not the same. I also no know, that no matter what the problem, there is a solution and help out there.

L&D Nurse congrats on your great results.

jenean those outfits are adorable! and you have such a cute twin belly!

daphne I like Ellie and Lily the best!

stevesbabygirl good luck at your appointment today.

[micd]

25wks today!!

This week I have really started noticing more changes with my body.

I'm starting to get a very, very, faint linea nigra.

My entire tummy has been SO tight the last two nights...the skin! The tighness is actually a little uncomfortable. I think I'm hitting a growth spurt right now. Baby has not been as active so she must just be growing or something. My skin has also been SOOO itchy. This is a first for me, so I broke down and bought some palmers and have been slathering it on. With all this tightness, I'm starting to worry about stretch marks, though I know there's nothing I can do about it except eat right and keep my skin moisturized.

I finished planting my plants yesterday, and now I feel like I spent an hour doing squats and lunges! I think I overdid it so will be lazy today. The whole being inactive for a month has really left it's mark! I've definitely been having more back pain recently too, probably from being out of shape.

I notice that I am now having a harder time getting comfortable when I am trying to sleep. Rolling over is a little more challenging, and I'm not even big yet!

My belly button, though still an innie, is holding on for dear life! :p

I can't believe how much my body has changed, just in the last two weeks! It's all worth it though :D

Anyone else noticing some crazy changes with your body?

Ooo, I almost forgot. Here's a QOTD: What are you doing as far as a bathtub goes? Are you getting one? Which one? I checked out the one recommended by baby bargains, but it was huge. I have also looked into the Safe Bather which a lot of people seem to like. Honestly, though, I have no idea how to bathe a newborn (this is why I need to take and infant care class!)

[magrat]

Anyone else noticing some crazy changes with your body?

I noticed a lot a week or two ago. It is getting more awkward to roll over in bed for me too, even though I'm not that big and am still sleeping on my stomach. It takes a bit longer to make the move to my stomach now though, I don't just flop down like that. The baby isn't particularly fond - I get lots of jabs, but I'm sure I'm not hurting it and maybe it will grow up liking confined spaces! ;) Belly button is really stretched out, though still an inny. DH likes to poke me in the stomach and I hate it when he hits my belly button because it goes right inside and feels really weird. Back pain was a little problem a while ago, but I'm not sure it's caused by lack of exercise, it could be the relaxin hormone that is loosening your joints. No linea negra, but I'm not expecting one because I'm so fair. I do have a few extra hairs growing underneath my belly button though, which is freaky enough.

QOTD We registered for the First Years newborn to toddler tub from Target. No idea where we're going to store it though! We only have one small bathroom. It's one of those things we could probably do without, but I have zero experience with babies and holding a slippery newborn in the sink is way too scary sounding :)

[Sarah6690]

Sorry, I don't have a lot of time... I just wanted to post this quickly. This is the tub we have from ds and will use again this time.
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000A32PNW.01-A23NLORBGXOLEO._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

It's from Safety First and it folds up. I really like it and it worked well for us. great space saver too.

[stevesbabygirl]

I'm back!

The appointment went well, though I'm mooing right now because I gained 8 pounds in the last 4 weeks :eek:! And despite all of that, my uterus is measuring two weeks behind, what the hell?! So I drowned my sorrows in a big plate of cheese blintzes from IHOP :p. They weren't concerned about the weight gain though, because I had hardly gained anything to date.

My next appointment is March 29th. They finally got me on my regular schedule, so my 28 week appointment will be at 28 weeks, not 29. I'll be getting my RhoGAM shot at that time. I also go in for lab work and my GTT in two weeks.

[steelcitymama]

hey there...

re: the body changes question posted by micd, i've definitely noticed some major ones...now that i'm 27 weeks, i'm CLEARLY showing & it's apparent to all that i'm pregnant. my belly button is still an inny, but it's just very flat and stretched out. it's really funny looking! and magrat, i also have a few extra hairs surrounding it too, which is freaking me out as well! also, getting out of bed in the middle of the night is definitely requiring more effort than ever and trying to bend down while seated (like, to tie my shoes or pick something up off the floor) is also getting to be a bit cumbersome. totally do-able, but different than normal, for sure!

QOTD--we registered for the Sure Comfort Newborn to Toddler Tub at Babies R Us. it's a very basic model, no bells or whistles, but looks sturdy and simple and has a little hammock insert for newborns. where to store it is somewhat of an issue for us too, since it isn't collapsable. but like magrat, the thought of bathing a slippery newborn kind of stresses me, so i'd like to have one. i'd love to hear from the more experienced moms and what you've done in the past & if you have any tub recommendations (if you used one, that is).

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[L&D Nurse]

QOTD~ We registered for the Fisher-Price Aquarium Bath Seat and received it yesterday in the mail as an early shower present! We thought it was cool because it has a removable "hammock" to cradle baby while bathing.
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0009UBSFM.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS384_.jpg

micd~ I have noticed that the skin on my belly is starting to feel tight, as well. I have this cream from babycenter.com, and I really like the smell and feel.
http://ii.babycenter.com/images/en_US//local/products/detail/5904.jpg?Badge5

stevesbabygirl~ glad your appt. went well. Try not to worry about the weight gain (I know, easier said than done... I should take some of my own advice!!!)

I am going out of town tomorrow for almost 2 weeks. DH and I are going to Idaho to see the IL's and they are hosting a couples/family shower for us on Saturday. MIL said she is expecting over 50 people :eek: That's a lot of thank you's to write ;)

Then I travel to Oregon to visit my family where I am having 2 more showers (DH isn't coming to Oregon because he has a business trip at the end of next week). My grandma and cousin are coming up from California, so I am really excited to see everyone.

June Mommies, take care of yourselves and your babies and I'll try to check in when I can!

[stevesbabygirl]

QOTD - We registered for the Safer Bather because we have no storage room for a regular baby tub. This one just hangs up to dry when you're done, and I like how it's not a hard plastic. I do really like the FP Aquarium bath seat though.

Off to drown my weight gain sorrows in some shopping :D!

[LoveBeingAMommy]

Thought I'd stop by and post some cute socks for our little ones. I didn't find out about these until my DD was too old for them. I think they are just adorable.

Girls:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/Casselsshopper/maryjanepastel.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/Casselsshopper/jenny_detail.jpg

Boys:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/Casselsshopper/johnnys_detail.jpg

[GA_GAL]

micd: I think I might be seeing a very faint line too. I'm not sure if it is really there, or just my imagination. Also, getting comfy while sleeping is starting to get on my nerves. Nothing feels quite right.

stevesbabygirl: If the drs. aren't worried about your weight gain, I wouldn't let it bother you. It soundss like you hadn't gained much until now. As far as your uterus goes...I think it just depends on your anatomy and how you are carrying. My dr. said I was measuring "big" for where I was at 20 weeks, but said it was just how my anatomy was.

L&D Nurse: Have fun at your showers. Sounds like it will be a big turnout at the first one and hopefully that means lots of goodies for your baby!

LoveBeingAMommy: Those socks are too cute!

Jenean: Very cute outfit! We're taking an infant care class at the hospital too and I'm really looking forward to it. Around Dec. I was having a lot of anxiety dreams about not knowing what to do with my baby when I got her home. Thankfully, those went away and after spending the entire weekend with my new nephew, I feel much more calm about things. I think you look great in your belly shots.

daphne: I really like the names you're discussing and think Ellie is a very cute nickname. Would you use Abby as a nickname for Abigal? I like that name too.

Sarah6690 : It sounds like you are really committed to making breastfeeding work this time and I'm sure having that attitude will only help when/if problems do arise.

QOTD: I registered for this one b/c it seemed to grow with the babies and folded up nicely to be stored.

http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-3416041reg.jpg
Complete Care Bath Center
Item #: 595273
Our Price: $19.99

Offering all the essentials to begin bathing your baby, the Safety 1st® Complete Care Bath Center accommodates newborns to toddlers, folds for easy storage, offers a rinse pitcher, cute washcloth and a handy tip guide for an easy, stress-free bathing experience for both mom and baby. The bath center can be modified for four stages of bathing: newborn sponge bath, infant sling in sink, infant sling with support snaps in tub, and full-size toddler tub with recessed drain plug.

We went to BRU tonight and bought our mattress. We bought a Sealy one that was originally $109, but the corner of the plastic wrapping was torn a little so the edge of the mattress was a little dirty. We got $20 off and for that amount, I figured I could clean it up (if needed). It is hardly noticeable though and with a mattress pad and fitted sheet, I'm not really worried about it.

I also discovered this morning when getting dressed that I need more summer short sleeved tops. My larger/longer regular tops I've been wearing are just too small now and it's starting to get hot here. I went to Target this evening, but was very disappointed in their selection. My spring break is next week, so I'm hoping to go look and find some things then.

[micd]

Thanks for all the replies about the bath tub!

I went to Gymboree with a friend today and just bought one little sweater with a horse on it. This same friend came over the my house later with a huge bag of clothes for our baby that she had just bought at K-Mart! Very generous of her.

GA_GAL

I went to Target this evening, but was very disappointed in their selection.

I was there yesterday and feel the same way! They have hardly anything right now. :mad: I hope they start getting some cute spring stuff out soon because I am really needing some short sleeve shirts! Mine are all too short!! :p

[micd]

Ooo, I just noticed that with my 100th post I have now graduated to "Way Too Cool" haha :p

[Sarah6690]

So last night I had a little bit of a scare. I was cooking dinner and all of a sudden I thought that I was going to pass out. I sat down on the kitchen floor and had ds go get dh. he came in there and helped me get to a chair and made me drink some sugar water. Only I had just had the hot water running in the sink and he just turned it on without checking it... so I got warm water... yech! anyway, i felt better after a few minutes, but about 20 minutes later it happened again. about 4 different times. I don't know what caused this, but it wasn't pleasant. any ideas why that would keep happening?

[StacieLady]

Sarah - are you locking your knees while standing?

[Smittenk]

Oh my goodness Sarah6690, that sounds scary and awful, I'm so sorry. I have felt faint a couple of times but it has always been because I have forgotten to eat or haven't had enough water...I had a yogurt and OJ and I felt better. Sorry...I don't know what it could be except hunger or thirst...or low sugar. Hmm what about your blood pressure...has it been low or high?You might want to call your doctor and mention it to them.

Let us know how you are doing

[Sarah6690]

stacielady nope, not locking my knees.

smittenk I have no idea what my blood pressure actually had been, but everytime they have said it's just fine. I have an appointment monday, so I will mention it to them then. Hopefully I won't have any repeats. I'm just going to try to eat a little more regularly this weekend.

[steelcitymama]

sarah, i'm so sorry to hear about your scary experience! i hope it doesn't continue....good thing you're going to the dr on monday.

those socks are absolutely adorable, lovebeingamommy! love them!

GA GAL, i really like that tub you guys registered for. in fact, i'm going to search for it at BRU and change my registry to include that one. i really liked the one we originally registered for b/c it had the infant hammock too..but i hated how it didn't fold up for storage. seems like yours has the best of both worlds.

so i had my 3 hr GTT this morning. UGH. that drink was so nasty---100g of sugar, which is 2x as strong as the 1 hr screeing drink. the first hour after drinking it was the worst---i felt really queasy & nauseous & woozy. after that, it wasn't so bad, aside from having blood drawn 4 times in 3 hrs. what i don't understand is why they need to draw an entire vial of blood each time. it's pretty ridiculous, esp when there's great stuff available to test glucose levels in about 30 seconds with just a pinprick to your finger. i asked about that and they just said they didn't have that equipment...meanwhile, you can buy it at your local drugstore (with an Rx, of course)! silly. anyway, the test was alright overall...my sugars TOTALLY bombed out shortly after leaving the hospital, leading me to believe i passed without issue (damn my high carb lunch before the first test!). i think i've always been a touch hypoglycemic since whenever i eat something majorly sugary i get hot & sweaty & disoriented a few hrs later. i think i might have a tendency to overproduce insulin to deal with all the sugar. at any rate, i stopped at the grocery store briefly on the way home to pick up a few things and nearly fell over---i suddenly felt so awful. i literally grabbed a package of 2 chocolate covered pretzels off the shelf and crammed them into my mouth like a crazy woman in order to get myself back under control! not a pretty sight.

i'm just doing some work from home now and once i'm done for the day i'm going to go for a hike w/ the dog. it's absolutley gorgeous here today, for once! so jealous of those of you who say you need to start buying short sleeved shirts b/c it's getting warm already! sigh...the drawbacks of living in pennsylvania..

hope everyone is having a good day!

[daphne]

steelcitymama ugh - your GTT experience sounds miserable!! Pretty funny visual, though, of you cramming choc pretzels into your mouth at the store. I would have done the same thing. You might have already mentioned this, but what do you do for work? you are so knowledgeable about blood/equipement, etc....

Sarah6690 Scary experience! Had you been standing for quite awhile when it happened? I tend to have really low blood pressure & it often gets lower when I'm pregnant (ie 80/50), so I get dizzy & lightheaded sometimes....

tub We bought the big ole white Eurobath last time. It's huge, but we just left it in the bathtub (Miles has his own bathroom), so it wasn't a big deal. He still bathes in another tub we got for him at IKEA b/c I'm nervous about trusting him in the BBtub (even w/me right there)...

body changes This is my 2nd time, so things have happened faster this time. My formerly nice innie has been all blown out for awhile. I don't have the linea negra, yet, or extra hair, but I'm *all* veiny & my bb's are *huge*. My hips also bother me quite a lot now. fun stuff!

[stevesbabygirl]

micd,
No linea nigra for me, but I do have a very fuzzy belly right now, yuck. Congrats on hitting way too cool :D!

magrat,
I'm having the hair problem too. It looks like I have some fuzz, and then a few strays hanging around.

steelcitymama,
Yucky on the 3-hour test today, but the visual of you ripping through a bag of pretzels is pretty funny :).

L&DNurse,
Have fun on your trip! That baby tub was our second choice. I guess I'm not too concerned about the weight gain, but it was a bit of a shock to the system, since I had only gained a pound or two each time.

LoveBeingaMommy,
Those socks are so cute :D!

GA GAL,
I'm tall and thin, so I guess this little guy has lots of room to grow, so maybe that's why I'm measuring behind. Score on getting the discount on your mattress!

Sarah,
Yikes, how scary! My first thought would've been locking the knees too.

daphne,
My DH has noticed that I'm getting veiny too, but only in my bbs. Fun!

[GA_GAL]

micd: I hear you on needing spring/summer tops. That is what I was in search of. It's funny how one day something seems to fit and the next it just looks silly b/c it is too small.

Sarah6690: How scary. Hopefully your doctor can give you some more info and let you know what's going on. Try to take it easy and hopefully eating every little bit will help.

steelcitymama: Glad I could be of some help with the tub. Your story about ripping into the choc. covered pretzels made me laugh.

This afternoon I went to visit a friend and her 4 month old baby. She ended up letting me take home 3 trash bags full of spring/summer maternity clothes to try on and borrow. After trying everything on most of it worked. I have 1 bag to give back to her. Most of the capris and shorts were too tight (sad thing when maternity pants are too small on you) but she had tons of cute tops. DH was also very pleased b/c now I don't have to go buy stuff myself. Instead, I can spend the money on baby stuff.

We're leaving tomorrow for Atlanta all week (for my spring break). My "big" baby shower is a week from tomorrow and I can't wait. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

[stevesbabygirl]

GA GAL,
Yay for all the clothes! Have fun in Atlanta!

[Jenean]

Daphne, thanks, sometimes I feel giant and other times I feel like it's all pretty compact. I have to say, I do feel really lucky so far that my weight gain has been pretty slow and steady, and that it seems to mostly be going to my belly (and a bit to my tush/hips). I love the names you're choosing from. Lily is our first choice girl's name and we'll definitely be using it if we have at least one girl (Lily Isobel or Lily Emma, depending on whether we have one or two girls). I also love Molly (we had dinner with a Molly tonight!) and Abigail.

stevesbabygirl, oh, I am loving staying home. And after the busy weekend we've had, I'm really looking forward to staying home on the sofa all day tomorrow! Great news from the appointment! I'm sure a lot of that gain went to the baby and as long as your doc isn't worried, good work! I'm also carrying "big", or rather, I'm measuring ahead according to my midwife. She said it's probably because I'm pretty short, so she expects me to be ahead of the charts.

Sarah, thanks! That's so scary what happened to you! Had you been doing a lot or had it been a while since you'd eaten? I hope that it doesn't happen again!!!

micd, it's so neat to see how your body changes and adapts to this, isn't it? It's still so weird, we're growing people!!!! Very cool about your friend's generosity! So sweet!

LoveBeingAMommy, those are so cute! Where did you find them?

GA GAL, that's great that you could "practice" on your nephew. ;) Great deal on the mattress! Good luck shopping. I've been very disappointed in Target's selection, although I did find some great summery stuff at Motherhood's outlet last November when I was just starting to wear maternity clothes. I don't fit in any of those things anymore now, but I think they'll be great for this summer for after the babies are born. That's wonderful that you could expand your wardrobe through a friend - more money for baby stuff is always welcome! Have a great trip and enjoy your shower!

steelcitymama, your 3-hr GTT experience sounds a lot like mine. I'm so sorry! I had much the same reaction after drinking that syrup. After I lay down I felt better, but the techs didn't want me driving myself home after I left unless I had eaten something. Luckily I had a package of peanut butter crackers in my purse, so I ate that and downed a huge glass of water as soon as they took my fourth blood draw. Then I swung by Wendy's and treated myself to some junk food. :p

body changes, oh yes. My belly button is stretching wide, but thank goodness so far it seems to be content to stay inside (although I think it's getting a bit shallower). I am suffering from pretty bad congestion in my nose off and on, where it's very hard to breathe naturally. It seems to be worse at night and I find that I have to at least start off sleeping almost in a sitting position. Sorry if TMI, but my nipples seem to be growing and are much more sensitive (I haven't had this at all during my pregnancy). I've had a problem rolling over at night for a while and now find that I sort of lift my belly and carry it over to the other side with me. I'm definitely getting the pregnant waddle now, especially when I'm tired. I've discovered that there's a reason for it, at least for me - it's much easier on my back!

bathtub, we haven't chosen one yet. A friend said she had one for me and I'll know next week if I can get it from her. If not, then we'll go looking.


Sorry I went MIA for a few days. It's been a long last 3 days, some good, some not-so-good, and in the end I'm just tired! I'll update tomorrow. :)

[stevesbabygirl]

Jenean,
I just hope that weight has gone to good use :p. I can't imagine having to lift my belly and carry it over to flip over, that doesn't sound fun!

[stevesbabygirl]

26 week belly shot!

This is the "I just woke up 5 minutes ago, and my hair was up in a bun/ponytail yesterday, so my hair looks like ass, and I haven't taken a shower yet" look:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/133/417793532_0dd9dd5ee3.jpg?v=0

[Sarah6690]

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I have my appointment at 3:30 today. I am so incredibly sore. I spent all day yesterday cleaning out the nursery, organizing ds's room, and painting. I got the whole thing done! Well, ds's room still needs some work. I'll take some pictures tonight and post them tomorrow. I think it came out really nice. Not quite what I wanted to do to start with. But once I started taping to paint the squares, I realized that was going to be way too much work, so I ended up paining stripes instead. Anyway, they replaced the carpet in our office over the weekend, so everything had to be moved. I'm still missing stuff. :mad: Off to go try and recover more of my things.

[em1126]

Sarah6690 Good luck at your appt. this afternoon and I hope you feel better soon. Can't wait to see the pictures of your DS's room.

steve'sbabygirl Cute belly shot!

Hello everyone! I had a doctor's appt. with my regular OB today. Everything looks good. As usual, she was squirmy, so it was hard to get her to stay still long enough to get her heartbeat. They did finally manage to, though, and it's 156 bpm. She is definitely her daddy's girl . . . Because it took so long for her to hold still, I got to hear her kick a few times. That was very cool. Plus, I passed my 1 hr GTT--hooray! Now I go to every-2-weeks appts. My next one (with my regular OB) is March 27. This Wednesday, we see the pediatric plastic surgeon re: surgery to repair our DD's cleft lip and/or palate, so wish me luck on that. There's been so much drama with our insurance and even being able to see this particular doctor, I really, really hope we like him.

In other news, DH got the Pack N Play and swing all set up last night. I am so excited about that! So, now we have stuff to put in the nursery, we have to start moving some stuff out of there!

Finally, we ordered the crib. We lucked out because the color that we chose was actually in stock, so we can pick it up whenever. DH thinks he might get down there this week. We got a Baby's Dream crib, the Generation Next line convertible crib. The color we ordered is chestnut.

[micd]

Jenean - Oh my goodness, I totally feel you on the nipples! I have to cover them when I am in the shower because they kill when the water hits them!

stevesbabygirl - Looking great!

Sarah - I have an appt at 3:30 today too! Good luck! I am actually a little worried about my weight gain with being on bedrest for a month and not being able to exercise. I have no idea how much I weigh right now. I'm also curious to see if my blood pressure is going to go up at all since the docs think it will.

em1126 - Glad to hear your appt went well! Congrats on passing your 1 hour GTT!

Body Changes - I forgot to add about my hips. Holy cow have they ever spread! I have this pair of baggy capris that sit pretty low and I thought I could totally wear them during my pregnancy. Well I tried them on the other day to do my gardening and I could hardly button them :( Oh well; I guess it's just all a part of being p/g!

So this weekend was FABULOUS! DH surprised me with an overnight trip to Snowqualmie Falls (it's a waterfall park out here)! I knew he was planning something (per my asking...haha ;) ), but didn't know what. The drive out was beautiful and we stayed in a spa resort right on the falls. Our room was great and had a HUGE two person jet tub, and a real fireplace where you can burn real wood (that's exciting to me since we have a gas fireplace :p ). The best part was that he scheduled for us to have massages on Saturday morning! I have never had a massage before so it was quite heavenly and I want to do it again. My muscles were so relaxed afterward. It was a perfect relaxing weekend...I guess I can call that our babymoon since we spent quite a bit of money for just a one night deal and probably won't be doing that again anytime soon! :)

[magrat]

body changes After posting about my belly button getting shallow, I noticed that if I press lightly around it, it pops out. And it grosses out DH a lot :p I told him to wait until I'm pushing the baby out if he wants to see something gross. Or when I get stretch marks, eesh.

I felt a baby body part yesterday! I kept feeling really strong wiggley right under my ribs on one side, and when I put my hand there I could feel what felt like a limb! Very very cool. I could even feel said limb moving. I also saw a kick for the first time this weekend. The downside is that all this growth is leaving me feeling big and awkward and uncomfortable.

I wish I had more time to write because I feel like I have lots more to talk about, but we are swamped at work so no time right now!

[risa00]

So this weekend was FABULOUS! DH surprised me with an overnight trip to Snowqualmie Falls (it's a waterfall park out here)! I knew he was planning something (per my asking...haha ;) ), but didn't know what. The drive out was beautiful and we stayed in a spa resort right on the falls. Our room was great and had a HUGE two person jet tub, and a real fireplace where you can burn real wood (that's exciting to me since we have a gas fireplace :p ). The best part was that he scheduled for us to have massages on Saturday morning! I have never had a massage before so it was quite heavenly and I want to do it again. My muscles were so relaxed afterward. It was a perfect relaxing weekend...I guess I can call that our babymoon since we spent quite a bit of money for just a one night deal and probably won't be doing that again anytime soon! :)

Ok I am totally sending this post to my DH. We were talking about doing something nice before the baby came. We wanted to go back to Sun Mountain Lodge but I just don't want to do the 6 hours or however long it takes to get there. The Salish Lodge sounds like an awesome idea! It's not too far away and a great getaway. And they do prenatal massage.. so there! Thanks for the idea! :)

GA GAL - Sorry, I get so behind on these posts. I got my last massage done at Gene Juarez. It was very very nice I must say.

[Sarah6690]

magrat isn't that a strange feeling though? I know it seems so cool, but sometimes feeling body parts completely freaks me out. Maybe I'm just wierd. :rolleyes:

micd hope your appointment went well. Your weekend sounds amazing! I'm very jealous.

em yay for getting the crib ordered! and good luck at your appointment with the pediatric plastic surgeon. I hope all goes well.

stevesbabygirl cute belly shot!

jenean don't worry, I've got the pregnant waddle now too. Even though I don't think I'm that big yet, DH makes fun of me.

Okay, I'm very proud of myself. I actually remembered to take pictures of the nursery last night and put them on the computer. You'll have to excuse the mess and the dresser and fish tank in the middle of the room. I can't move them. The fish tank has to go somewhere in ds's room and the dresser is garbage.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Sarah6690/Picture148.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Sarah6690/Picture150.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Sarah6690/Picture149.jpg

[Sarah6690]

forgot to add... please add an u/s to my 3/23 appointment

[magrat]

Sarah I love love love your stripes! I always wanted to do something like that in our house, but it seems like so much work. I'm a big stripe fan :)

I forgot to mention our most exciting news in my last post - the people who live across the street from us are our age and we keep saying we need to get together with them, but never have. When we got that huge snowfall we talked to them while we were out shovelling and told them about the baby. The guy invited DH to a video game party over the weekend, and when DH got home he told me that they're expecting too! She's 12 weeks! They had been dying to tell us when we told them about ours, but they hadn't even told their parents yet so they had to wait! They seem really eager to make friends too, and this will make it so much easier since we'll have something to talk about. It's going to be so cool for our kid to have someone it's own age so close, there aren't a ton of young families in our neighborhood. And think of the baby sitting potential! It'll be so easy for us to decide we want to go see a movie one evening and just let them watch it for a couple hours, and vice versa. The guy is going to be a SAHD too! (It's funny, I don't know any SAHMs, but I know a ton of SAHDs) Anyway, it's very exciting for us. They're going on vacation next week too, so we're getting together when we get back to talk about our trips and pregnancies :)

[steelcitymama]

magrat~ that's very exciting about your neighbor being pregnant too! i'm sure that'll be really great to have someone to talk to and have another baby in the neighborhood. we have friends who live 2 doors down, they're also our age and just had their first child 2 weeks ago. it's been really fun getting to know them over the past few years and then being pregnant at the same time, too.

micd~your trip sounds SO fantastic! i could totally go for a massage right now....

daphne~to answer your question from earlier in the week, i work in consulting, specifically procurement consulting. so it's kind of general business-y stuff. the reason i happen to know a fair amount about the glucose testing, etc is b/c my best friend has type 1 diabetes. we lived together for several yrs so i became well versed in all that jazz. :) oh, and like you mentioned re: body changes, my bbs are totally huge. i've always had big boobs on a small frame, so they were more noticeable than i'd like on a regular basis....but now they're gigantic! at least i have the belly to sort of 'even them out', if that makes any sense. i was marveling at this 37 wk mom to be in my yoga class last night. her bbs are still totally tiny. so jealous! i guess the grass is always greener..

stevesbabygirl~looking great!

sarah~the stripes look fantastic! i'm so impressed with your precision. if we tried to do that, i'm not so sure we'd have the same great results.

GA GAL~nice score on the borrowed maternity clothes. i've been SUPER lucky in that regard, too...i've bought a few pairs of jeans and 2 or 3 shirts so far and the rest has been borrowed. no joke, i've had no fewer than 5 friends/SILs lend me clothes, so it's been fantastic. i've been able to pick and choose what i like from each of their 'collections' and assemble a really cute and extensive wardrobe. i swear i have more maternity clothes than i have 'regular' clothes! now that the weather is getting warmer, i'm going to have go buy some things of my own though since most of what i was given was long sleeved.

all is well here...the weather has been beautiful for the past few days, which is great. i'm working from home today, which i love, so i'm quite happy. i'm feeling really good, all in all...nothing too exciting to report! oh, that's not true, actually---i found out yesterday that my 3 hr GTT results were totally fine. it was what i expected, but it was great to know for sure.

[micd]

risa00 - definitely do it :) We both had the hot rock massages and loved it!

Sarah - The stripes look great! That must have been a lot of work.

I had my OB appt yesterday. I have gained a total of 19 lbs! :eek: Whoa. I know that it is mainly due to being on bedrest for 4 weeks and going from very active to completely inactive (I also didn't change my diet enough to accomodate). Dr wasn't concered at all though. I just need to cut out the sweets...eating way tooo much chocolate! She also said that it's stressful when you find out something might be wrong. I know I'm within the okay range, but I really didn't want to gain more than 30-35 lbs total and 19 seems like a lot to my super short body. My blood pressure is great, so no rising yet. We listened to baby's heartbeat...right around 155...as it always is. She decided to put me in with the complicated OB docs since the baby had growth restriction and because of the proteinuria. So I am going back in 2 weeks to see one of them. I'll probably be doing my 1 hr GTT then as well.

So next appt is March 27.

Last night DH went crazy and set up the glider, pack n play, and moved all our office furniture into our loft in order to make the office our nursery! I was so impressed with him! He put the pack n play in our room which brought a whole new dose of reality!

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[steelcitymama]

okay, this is random and i know there are those of you who live in places that have great climates year round, but it is SO warm here today! living in pittsburgh, we have lots of grey skies and not much warm weather until late april/may. it's currently 70 and sunny and completely perfect. i'm sitting outside in a tank top w/ my laptop and my dog, getting some work done (clearly). it's amazing what nice weather will do for your state of mind! too bad it's supposed to snow on saturday---and no, sadly, i am not kidding!

[GA_GAL]

steelcitymama: glad you are enjoying the nice warm weather. I agree that it can certainly affect your mood. Glad you passed your test.

micd: I don't think 19 lbs. sounds like too much and it doesn't seem like your dr. does either. I keep having weight issues myself, but keep reminding myself that it is all for a good reason and after my baby is here I'll kick into high gear and get my butt back in shape. Hooray for getting all of that stuff set up. I know it must be fun to see all of the baby stuff everywhere in your house.

magrat: Very exciting news about your neighbors. I bet you all will end up being best of friends and you'll have so much in common. You mentioned that the dad will be a SAHD too. Is your DH planning on staying at home with your baby?

Sarah6690: I love your stripes. I wanted stripes in my nursery, but since we're planning on moving very shortly after she's born, we decided to wait and do it in our next house.

stevesbabygirl: You are brave to take a
"I just woke up 5 minutes ago, and my hair was up in a bun/ponytail yesterday, so my hair looks like ass, and I haven't taken a shower yet" look shot. I guess I'm feeling so self conscious about my body right now that I make sure the pictures of myself that I do take are only after I've had time to do my hair/makeup. Silly, I'm sure, but it makes me feel better. Your belly is progressing quite nicely. It's very interesting to me to see how different everyone carries their babies.

em1126: Hope your meeting with the plastic surgeon goes well. Yea for getting baby stuff set up. I know that must be fun to see in your house.


Body Changes - I forgot to add about my hips. Holy cow have they ever spread! I have this pair of baggy capris that sit pretty low and I thought I could totally wear them during my pregnancy. Well I tried them on the other day to do my gardening and I could hardly button them Oh well; I guess it's just all a part of being p/g!

I feel this same exact way! A skirt and pair of shorts I bought when I had just found out I was pregnant are now pretty tight. I know it's because my hips have gotten wider. For those of you who have been through pregnancy before, do they ever go back to normal or do they stay wide forever?

I'm having a great time here in Atlanta...not doing too much, but relaxing and enjoying the time off. I've also been able to visit with some friends, which has been really fun. The last time they saw me I wasn't really showing too much, so when they saw my belly this time they were shocked/surprised.

Just an FYI for any of you Target shoppers...I was in there yesterday and their Dollar Spot had a lot of cute baby room decor (wall letters, wall hangers/pegs, frames, storage stuff, clocks, etc.) It was all $2.50 each and I stocked up.

[daphne]

sarah6690 Those stripes look *great*!!

steelcitymama congrats on passing your 3-hr gtt! i'm loving our recent warm weather here, too!

micd I wouldn't think twice about having gained 19lbs! I had my 28-wk appt today & I've gained just over 20lbs. I am sooo proud of myself & feel like I've gained a perfect amt. With DS, I had gained about 40lbs at this point, so 19 sounds great to me!

GAGal Count me in as a hip spreader. ick. IIRC, my hips went back to close to their pre-baby width many months after DS (it took me awhile to get back in shape again). But, oh, have they spread again!

My 28-week appt went well. Up 3lbs since last month for a total of just over 20lbs. Baby's hb was 140. I go for my 1-hr GTT tomorrow. It was fine last time, so I'm hoping it goes well tomorrow.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it here, but DS fell out of bed 2 weeks ago & knocked his two top teeth loose. One is *thisclose* to falling out. :( It breaks my heart b/c he's only 2 & has so many years til his adult teeth come in. Plus, he looks like a bit of a hillbilly. :rolleyes: I'm just hoping the other one doesn't fall out, as well.

Other than that, all is well. I feel great & DS keeps me busybusy.

[Sarah6690]

daphne I'm so sorry about your ds. I can understand why you would be upset. Your poor little guy! my ds had fallen one time and hit his front teeth really hard. I was very scared that they were going to fall out. They didn't, but it was a scary thing.

steelcitymama yay for the great weather. We had a record high here yesterday. It was 74. Of course today it will be in the 50's and raining and colder the rest of the week. :rolleyes: I can't wait for spring. DS and I played outside for 2 hours yesterday when we got home.

micd wow! is your dh nesting too? ;)

magrat that's great about your neighbors. I wish we had someone close to us that was having a baby. I can't remember the last time dh and I met someone new. Where we just moved, almost all of our neighbors are elderly.

Nothing new going on here. I didn't post much about my appointment on Monday. I gained 2lbs, so I'm at a total of 3lbs all together. Dr still not worried, so neither am I. My belly is measuring right on. Baby's hb was 150 as usual. And they set up another u/s for my next appt to check growth and get a better look at his lower spine since maternal fetal medicine requested it. I took my 1 hour glucose test. They didn't call me yesterday and if they don't call today, they I'm sure it's fine. That's about it. I've just been trying to recover from overworking myself this weekend with cleaning and painting.

[magrat]

it's amazing what nice weather will do for your state of mind!

Here too! It was 66 yesterday, unbelievable! The snow melted sooo fast. Our backyard is almost bare now, while a week ago there was over a foot of snow back there. It really cheered me up, felt like I was on vacation already :) That's something I missed when I was living in England - they don't have much of a season change. I love the feeling of changing seasons, it's exciting, cheers you up, and is a touchstone for all the times in the past you had the same feelings. Still, I am selfishly hoping the temp drops over the next few days as predicted - I didn't plan a vacation to a warm climate just to leave 60 degree weather at home!


[B]magrat: Very exciting news about your neighbors. I bet you all will end up being best of friends and you'll have so much in common. You mentioned that the dad will be a SAHD too. Is your DH planning on staying at home with your baby?

No, but I'm going to be a SAHM. It'll be nice to always know someone is home next door, even if we don't end up being friendly enough to hang out (I admit, I'm a little bit awkward hanging out alone with guy friends, apart from my friend Ryan who is gay :) ). But DH will be working from home 1-2 days a week, which will be fantastic.



magrat that's great about your neighbors. I wish we had someone close to us that was having a baby. I can't remember the last time dh and I met someone new. Where we just moved, almost all of our neighbors are elderly.

That's partly why I'm so excited about this, most of our neighbords are elderly too. One couple we see outside a lot who live across from us are both 90! Although I may have to revise that impression - yesterday when we drove to our childbirth class there were tons of kids out on bikes and scooters. The weather was so nice they were acting like they had just been released from prison :) So maybe there are more kids than I thought, they've just been staying close to home all winter.

[stevesbabygirl]

Sarah,
Thanks :D! The room came out great, I love it! I'm jealous about the weight gain; I've been having such a fit since I found out I gained all that weight between appointments!

em,
Thanks! Congrats on passing the 1-hour GTT! I take mine next week. How exciting to start getting things set up in the room. Our furniture has arrived, but we have a second door in the baby's room that we need to have walled off first before we can set anything up. As of right now, we're waiting to hear back from the contractor on how much it's going to be.

micd,
Thanks! That little getaway sounds fantastic! Yay for starting to get the nursery set up; I can't believe how close we're all getting!

magrat,
How cool to feel little limbs! Sometimes I think I feel one, but I'm really not sure. There have been other times where I've felt a huge lump and I figured that's either a head or a butt :p. How cool that your little one will have a little friend to play with! None of my long-time friends have kids, though one will probably start working on it soon, and no one in my neighborhood is having kids either, except for the couple a few houses up who have an almost 1 year old now.

steelcitymama,
Thanks! And congrats on passing the 3-hour GTT! Our weather has been fabulous too lately. But I live in Southern California, so I really didn't have much to complain about in the first place :p.

GA GAL,
Haha, thanks! The reason I took it then was because I had to get ready to go to a baby shower, and I like to take the pictures before I shower or eat, so that I look relative uniform in each one. I'm anal and dorky like that. I've heard that your hips will never be the same after giving birth, so I think we're all out of luck on that one.

daphne,
Good luck at your GTT tomorrow! I'm so sorry to hear about DS, poor little guy!

[Jenean]

stevesbabygirl, it's kind of funny. Turning over a night is not always easy, so I just kind of help myself along by getting my belly started in the right direction! :p You look great in your 26w shot!

Sarah, wow to getting all that done! It looks FABULOUS! :D Good news from your appointment. 3 lbs, wow! ;)

em1126, glad to hear that things went well with the doc. I hope that you really really like the specialist, especially after having to deal with ins. red tape. What a PITA! Great news on the furniture! I really like the Baby's Dream stuff and I'm sure it will look beautiful in there!

micd, lol, mine itch a lot these days. DH gets creeped out when he sees me trying to make it stop itching! What a fantastic weekend! Your DH did great and I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Definitely go for more massages - they are so worth it! 19 lbs isn't bad and just remember it's for a good cause! I keep telling myself that, especially once the scale hit 30+. :rolleyes: Awesome about the furniture! I can just imagine how much more real it seems now.

magrat, that is so cool about feeling a limb! I've been hoping I'd be able to do that forever, but not so far. I really want to see a little hand or foot stick out, too! That's really awesome about getting friendly with your neighbors. We have a young couple who live across from us and they have a 2-year-old boy and we keep meaning to invite them for lunch or something. We should just do it already; I'd love to have a mom friend nearby!

risa, I hope you get a trip in soon!

steelcitymama, that's great about your 3-hr GTT! I get my results tomorrow (fingers crossed, but since it's been almost 2 weeks, I'm assuming I'm fine or they would have called). I am loving some of that same warm weather you're enjoying. I have the house all opened up today and it's soooo nice. I'm not looking forward to a high of 37 on Saturday. :(

GA GAL, I'm glad you're having a good trip! When you were at Target, did you see the blue and yellow star stuff? That's what we're doing in our nursery and I was so excited when I saw those items. I bought 2 star frames and 2 wooden baskets and a memory box.

daphne, awwww, poor DS! Does he think it's neat to have loose teeth or is he freaked out by it?


Wow, I can't believe it's been a week since I wrote any kind of update in here! It was hectic around here for a few days. Friday we went out to NJ to see DH's grandfather in the hospital and then took most of the day. He's doing a little better and was transferred into a rehab facility that afternoon. It's still hard to understand what he's saying, but part of that is b/c we think he's speaking more in Yiddish than any other language. Saturday and Sunday we had fun things to do - a friend's surprise 30th bday party on Saturday and then I had a bridal shower on Sunday and DH hung out with the groom (his best friend) while I was there, and then we had dinner with a newly engaged couple. It was fun to talk baby stuff with them and then listen to them talk about all their wedding plans.

This week I've been back to my usual schedule. I'm really proud of how much I've been getting done in between rest sessions. I cannot wait to get the office moved downstairs this weekend. Once that happens, I think I'm basically done with big stuff! I'm excited about that b/c I'm starting to realize how fast time is going - we only 9 weeks till we hit our goal of 36 weeks - and I think I'm totally ready to just lay around and read and cross stitch. I started a baby bib this week and have another picked out to do next. Time to get the relaxation stored up! :D

There was something I wanted to mention in here, but I can't remember it now. Sigh, PG brain! Oh, well, it'll come to me eventually.

[StacieLady]

Today was my 28 week doctors appointment. It went well. The heart rate ranged from mid 130s up to 150, which she said was great. She said variable heart rates are a sign of neural activity, and that the later you get in the term if you don't see that variability it can be a sign of brain dysfunction. So good to know! :)

I now weigh 166 lbs (up from 151 to begin with) That puts me at 15 lbs total, which I am TOTALLY happy with. If I continue a pound a week from here on out, I will be just about perfect according to suggested stuff! :) That only puts me up 2 lbs from my weigh in last month, but honestly, I had drunk at least 3 pints of water (a pint is a pound) within an hour of my appointment last time in an effort to be able to pee in a cup at 9 am (which didn't work). So I weighed MUCH more than I expected to last time. Taking that into consideration puts me at probably closer to 4 pounds this month, which is perfect.

Other than that I have no news other than I think I am going to go and do my GTT and iron test tomorrow morning. And now that I am on the 2 week appointment cycle, my next visit will be March 28

PS - We just submitted our grant, so hopefully I will be more active in here now! *fingers crossed*

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[Jenean]

StacieLady, good appointment! That weight gain sounds perfect and I'm glad you're happy with it. I think my last weight check was artificially high, too - I had my jeans and sneakers on and today I remembered to take my sneakers off, so the scale actually showed less today than before!


Quiet in here today! I hope that means everyone was off having a good day. :)

We had a checkup this morning and got mostly good news. First, I passed my 3-hr GTT! YAYAYAYAY! :D My numbers were actually really good and the midwife was very pleased, as was I! Whew. We also had a quick peek at the babies and they are just too cute for words. Laurel unfortunately has flipped around again and has its head up by my belly button, but there's still time for it to switch back, so hopefully it'll do that! My BP is great, weight gain is perfect, babies' heart rates are excellent.

The bad news is twofold - first, my primary OB is leaving the practice. She got an offer from a larger practice, so she'll only have to be on call 1 night out of every 10 instead of the much more frequent schedule she's on here. So that's sad. But I really like the other doc in the practice (aside from our family friend) so I don't mind so much. The other bad news is that my cervix is still shrinking. I'm down from 2.9 to 2.5 cm in 3 weeks. Sigh. So it's back to pretty much strict bedrest. No more running errands or really going out. And I'm supposed to be reclining more than sitting so the babies aren't putting so much pressure directly on my cervix. I am very committed to this and seriously came straight home and got on the sofa. I went up to the bed for a while so DH could work downstairs w/o me disturbing him, and I'm back on the sofa now. I'm just about done with my house projects, thank goodness, and my mom will help me finish up a couple of things this weekend and the rest of it when she comes back next month. I am allowed to go for my haircut tomorrow evening and I can go to my shower on Saturday, but I have to sit and let everyone come to me (Queen for a day!) and not move around.

So, our goal is 32 weeks = Tuesday, April 17. After that I can resume limited activity. And if I'm still pregnant on April 29, I can go to DH's best friend's wedding, and even dance! :) But for now, one little goal at a time. I'm on weekly appointments, with u/s at every other appointment, so we'll get plenty of updates on how things are going as we wait.

Last night DH and I went to a "Meet the Doctor" night at the ped's office that we think we want to use. It was really good and we like the practice a lot. We'll probably end up with them. They are associated with a couple who have their own practice nearby, so we might check out that couple and see how we like them, too. They're married and the parents of twins, so we may go to them initially for the first few visits, and then start using the main practice. One thing we both really liked was that this practice actively uses alternative forms of therapy. They're really patient oriented, not just medicine oriented, and they use what's best for the patients. The head doc is certified in homeopathic medicine and one of their peds is certified in acupuncture. They also have two nurse practitioners who are also lactation consultants. Plus, we know a lot of people who use them and have gotten really good reviews. So all good there!

Our nursery furniture is in! I'm so excited! All except the glider, but there's no rush since it's all just going to be held in the warehouse for us till the babies are born. And today our second mom ordered our double Combi stroller for us, yay! The jade was discontinued and we didn't want the one the store ordered for us, but then accidentally opened and put on display, so we're getting it in plum instead.

And that's about it! My parents arrive in a few hours, my best friend and her DH tomorrow, and the shower is Saturday. I'm so excited. Hopefully the predicted snow and crappy weather won't keep anyone away. :rolleyes:

Happy almost-Friday all!

[risa00]

It's late and I'm up because I'm just worrying myself and can't go to sleep. For the last several days my feet and hands have been itching.. Feet especially. I can't seem to scratch it enough. It's driving my husband crazy. I posted a thread in the Pregnancy forum to see if this was common and only got 2 responses. One said there is a rare case that this could be a big problem for the baby. So of course I get on the internet to look around and sure enough there is something called Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) that affects 1/1000 pregnancy women. I know my chances are sooooo slim, but when I read about it I do have at least 2 of the symptoms. They said that you will start to itch in your third trimester and sometimes that's the only symptom women experience. I also have noticed darker color urine for the last 1.5 weeks but I thought that was because I just haven't been drinking enough water. Now the office is closed until Monday and it's freaking me out. And I can't stop scratching!

And to top it off one of the most important things that I was suppose to do at work today, I forgot to do! My memory is totally going.

[StacieLady]

Risa, Does your doctor have an after hours number. I would think this would be important enough to bother them. Even if just to ease your fears.

Jenean - I was thinking that at my next appointment if I were wearing more springtime clothes I might weigh less too! :) I am sorry you are on strict bed rest now. But your goal is right around the corner! You can do it!

[stevesbabygirl]

Jenean,
I don't think I'm having a problem rolling over yet, but I'm definitely noticing that it's harder to sit straight up from a lying position. Yay for passing the 3-hour GTT! Sorry to hear that your cervix is still shortening :(. Do they do an ultrasound to measure that?

Stacie,
Yay for the good appointment! I think I've gained about the same amount of weight, thanks to the ballooning I experienced between appointments :p.

risa,
Thinking good thoughts for you! Are you sure it isn't PUPPs?

[stevesbabygirl]

Dropping off my 27 week belly shot! I'm officially in the third trimester, yay :D!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/425703573_33280c5573.jpg?v=0

[steelcitymama]

hello everyone...
hope you all had a nice weekend. we had the first relaxing one in over a month---we've been away a lot and have also had houseguests, so it was nice to get back into our regular routine.

exciting news is that we went to dinner w/ friends on friday and they told us they're expecting! very cool! we are SO happy for them and, as an added bonus, it's really nice to have more pregnant people to talk with & share the excitement with.

stevesbabygirl~great belly shot! we just took my weekly over the wknd. i know i keep saying this, but i seriously need to some posted on here.

jenean~congrats on passing the 3 hr GTT! i know it was a really big relief for me too. :)

risa~i was thinking PUPPS (like stevesbabygirl) when i read your post. don't know much about it, but i believe it's fairly common & harmless, just really aggravating. any news about it?? hope it's improved and that you've talked to your docs.

have a good day, everyone~

[Sarah6690]

risa my first thought was PUPPS too. The only thing I really know about is that it starts in the 3rd trimester and the only way to get rid of it is to have the baby. Any news?

steelcitymama that's so great that you'll have someone to share the experience with and your kids will be so close in age.

stevesbabygirl great belly shot!

jenean yay for passing your 3 hour test! The dr you found sounds great! Our ds and this one will too see the dr that both DH and I saw when we were little. Our DS was his first "grandpatient". It cracks me up though because they recently started putting billboards up for some of the drs in the practice, and less than a block from our house there's this huge sign with his face on it.

We didn't do much this weekend. Dug out all of the parts to the crib, but didn't put it together. It's much bigger than we remembered (it has a changing table part on the end) so it won't fit where we wanted to put it. We also started cleaning out the garage. And I gave MIL the big tote of newborn clothes I had to wash. She volunteered to do it, how could I argue?

[Smittenk]

Risa, hope you get some answers and relief from your doctor today...let us know how you are doing.

You look great stevesbabygirl !

Yey for your friend steelcitymama ! It is so nice to be pregnant with someone else. I have three SILs right now who are all expecting and it is really nice to share the experience.



Not alot going on with me lately..that is why I have been MIA. Baby seems to be transverse at the moment...I am getting simultaneous kicks and punches on the sides of my stomach!

I just wanted to share this video link...it shows a baby in utero crying. I thought the second cry was really sad...made me want to rub my belly.

Baby crying (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/media/fetalcryingvideo.html)

QOTD: Does anyone else find that their little one is really active one day and then really quiet the next?

I know it depends on the day and what you are doing but even if I have three similar days in a row (not very active) one day the baby will be crazy moving around and then the next day I barely feel anything at all.

[Jenean]

Drive by posting for now.....

My laptop died over the weekend, and we moved the desktop downstairs to the basement, and I'm not supposed to do the stairs, so I'm going to be limited in online time for the next couple of days (until DH and his laptop come home from his latest trip and I get access to it at night). Soooo, I have to go downstairs at least once or twice a day to walk the pooch, and will check in then on the desktop and will make sure updates get done at least daily!

All is well here. I had my shower on Saturday and it was a ton of fun! We got some amazing gifts, including both our strollers, both high chairs (so I guess I'm going to go ahead and use actual high chairs ;) ), both bouncy seats, both playmats, and a ton of clothes (43 0-3 month onesies!). Plus my friend Jeanne brought me a bunch of other things like a bathtub, bottle warmer (which I wasn't even going to get!), plenty of toys, and so much more. It was awesome!

Had a good visit with my folks and best friends... We got the office moved to the basement (with me laying on the futon down there pointing and saying "that goes there, that goes there, that goes there") and the den is organized, and will be finished up this weekend with DH's help (and more of me laying around pointing).

I'm feeling fine, just worried about keeping these babies in. I probably did a bit too much on Saturday, but am on the sofa and not going anywhere now unless I have to. My next appointment is Thursday, 3/22. Weekly appts and every-other-week u/s to check my cervix. Four more weeks till we hit 32 and our first goal! :)

I'll do replies later on when I'm downstairs.... Happy Monday to all!

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[micd]

Smittenk - That video was so sad...I can't believe that they can cry in utero. It made me feel so helpless and want to hold my baby.

Jenean - Keep taking it easy! And congrats on passing your 3 hr!

Risa - Like others said, maybe it is just PUPPS, but I can understand begin worried. I'll be thinking about you.

Not much going on here. We had a party with our squardron over the weekend and a St Pats party on Saturday; they were both fun. That's about it really.

QOTD - Yep, there are definitely days of high activity followed by days of quiet. Does anyone notice movement more in one area? My baby is almost always kicking me on my left side, and sometimes on the right. I guess she doesn't change positions that often (or I just don't notice it).

[StacieLady]

QOTD - My boy is similarly active every day. But he is definitely particular about his position. I feel 85-90% of the movements on my right side. That is also the side of my ribs he likes to push on. :)

[Sarah6690]

QOTD he is pretty active most days, but there do seem to be days when he is even more active. Also, I feel almost all of his movements pretty far down on the right side. I think he's been changing postitions lately though because I've had some movement on the other side.

micd sounds like you had a fun weekend!

Jenean oh my gosh! That's a ton of stuff! Just curious how that works... can you guys bring that stuff home, or is it just the furniture you don't bring home until after?

smitten that video was amazing. It made me a little sad.

[nektarine]

sorry for the hijack - i just wanted to pop in really quick to say hello to steelcitymama! :D

i never got the chance to officially welcome her to CC when she first joined, and i am so glad that she is digging it here!

best wishes to everyone else!

[Jenean]

risa, stay off the internet! There is way too much info out there to freak you out. Itching in pregnancy is very common from what I read and hear and I’m sure it’s nothing to be worried about. Did you call the doc to see what they said?

StacieLady, thanks, every day feels like one day closer to a goal now.

stevesbabygirl, I have DH or whomever is around literally pull me up if I have to sit up straight. Otherwise, I roll over to the side and then sit up that way. That’s supposed to be the best way to do it anyway, b/c of blood pressure and also to prevent the ab muscle separation (dias-something?).

steelcitymama, I’m glad you had a good relaxing weekend! And so awesome to have pregnant friends to share this with!

Sarah, that is so cool that you take your kids to your own old ped! Great on getting a little more done around the house, and yay for someone else doing the laundry! My best friend offered and I have two big bags ready to send to her house! We left all the big stuff at my MIL’s and brought home pretty much only the clothes. I sorted through them all yesterday and have one Rubbermaid container of 3-12 months clothes and a giant bag of preemie/NB sizes. Plus I have another bag of toys and other small tool-type items. We’re keeping all the things that we’ve been given on shelves in our boiler room and just not bringing anything “into” the house. That’s what my mom and MIL did – stuff was in the garage or basement and then they brought it into the house itself after the babies arrived.

Smittenk, OMG to that video! Oooh, I want to hug my babies now!

QOTD, the last few days these little ones have been active almost nonstop! I think they were showing off for their grandparents and aunt and uncle. But they do have periods of quiet during the days, and some days there is def. less activity than others. I feel activity all over, but I blame that on two babies who are laying in opposite directions. I can tell where feet are and hands are, though, based on intensity of the “kicks”.

micd, thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the parties.


Okay, DH is getting ready to leave and take his laptop with him. I’ll check in tomorrow around midday. Later ladies! :D

[stevesbabygirl]

steelcitymama,
Thanks! We need to see some pictures from you now! How exciting that your friends are expecting, that's so cool. I wish some of mine were, but most are not in that place in their lives right now, so my little guy will be quite a bit older than all his friends.

Sarah,
Thanks! Yay for getting MIL to wash your newborn clothes for you!

Smitten,
Thanks! I do find that he'll be super active one day (like today!) and then pretty mellow the next. Must be such an exciting world in there :p. I think mine is transverse at the moment too.

Jenean,
Yay for your shower! Looks like mine won't be until May 6th, so I have a long ways to go still.

micd,
I feel mine mostly on the left side too.

Stacie,
Oh my God, the ribs are the worst! I've been feeling this pain on my right side by my ribs for about 2 weeks now, and it's much worse when I am sitting up. If I lie down, I'm fine. I thought maybe he was kicking me, but I felt him kicking my left side yesterday and it didn't hurt, so maybe his head is stuck up there or something. Ouch.

[GA_GAL]

daphne: Sorry about your DS falling out of the bed! That's awful. I hope his tooth doesn't fall out but you'll probably look back and laugh about it years from now. Glad your apt. went well.

magrat: It will be nice to know that someone is home in case you need them after your baby is here.

StacieLady: Glad you had a good apt. Fingers crossed you get the grant!

Jenean: Glad you passed your GTT. That is fantastic news. I'm sorry to hear the OB you really like has left the practice, but hopefully you still feel confident with the others in the practice. You need to TAKE IT EASY. I'm sure that hearing about your cervix is a wake up call and you will take extra measures to get the rest you need. Hooray for a great shower! I know that must have been fun. It sounds like you got a ton of great stuff.

risa00: I hope you were able to talk to your Dr. today and tell them about your concerns. Let us know what you found out.

stevesbabygirl: Yea for the 3rd trimester. I can hardly believe it myself.

steelcitymama: Congrats to your friend. We have a few friends who we recently found out were expecting and it is so fun to have other couples who don't get tired of the baby talk.

Sarah6690: How nice of your MIL to help you out with washing the clothes and stuff. I think it is neat that your DS is able to go to your old pediatrician.

Smittenk: Thanks for posting the link to that video. I had no idea babies could cry in the womb...it does make me sad for my little one.

QOTD: Does anyone else find that their little one is really active one day and then really quiet the next?

YES!!! However, I think it all depends on what I'm doing. I was just off for a whole week of spring break and felt my baby moving constantly. Now that I went back to work today, I didn't feel her much at all. I think I could let it start to worry me, but I try to remind myself that at work I'm much busier and don't have time to really sit still and feel her move.

My shower was on Saturday and it was so much fun. There were a lot of guests there, only because it was my only shower in Atlanta. We got a ton of stuff from our registry (car seat, pack-n-play, swing, bouncer, monitors, etc.) as well as some "fun" stuff too. Lots of cute clothes, personalized gifts and nursery decor. We could barely fit everything in our Sequoia and had to leave a few select things at my in-law's house. Yesterday when I got home I got everything organized and put away. Also, DH and I hung pictures on the wall and the letters over her crib. My mom is coming on Thursday through the weekend to help me make the bedding and curtains, so after that I'll be sure to post pictures. I love the way everything is coming together!

[Smittenk]

Thanks so much for all of your QOTD answers! Makes me feel better about mine not being totally consistent.

Just dropping off my 26 week surprise belly pic.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/26Weeks002dated.jpg

[Sarah6690]

Oh my! I'm 30 weeks today. Only 9 weeks to go. That just seems so crazy!

smitten cute belly! I would definately have to guess boy for you!

GA_gal It's about the only thing I could think of letting MIL do that wouldn't annoy the crap out of me! :p She wants to be involved in every detail, but she is so controlling, if you give her an inch she'll take a mile.

Jenean hope you get your computer fixed soon!

stevesbabygirl this one is starting to move up now too. He's been getting under my ribs recently. I remember from DS that this can get quite uncomfortable.

[steelcitymama]

hi everyone!

sarah, can't believe you're 30 wks today! i'm 29w tomorrow and i am just astonished.

i just have a sec, but i'm curious if anyone is feeling more pressure very low down?? within the past week, i've noticed an increased amt of pressure down super low. i have a MW appt on friday and i'm curious to see how they say the baby is positioned.

more later, hope everyone is having a nice day.

[StacieLady]

i just have a sec, but i'm curious if anyone is feeling more pressure very low down?? within the past week, i've noticed an increased amt of pressure down super low. i have a MW appt on friday and i'm curious to see how they say the baby is positioned.

I heard that means that your baby is head down and in the perfect position for birth. :) I don't know if that means the baby is there to stay, but they said you would know when he was in the right place because you would feel pressure down low! :)

[steelcitymama]

okay, i'm back...
thanks for the feedback, stacielady, i hope you're right! at my last appt, the MW said the baby was head down then, but might still be moving around for another few weeks. i thought the recent pressure down so low prob meant s/he was still head down and maybe i'm just feeling the pressure now since the babe is getting bigger. we'll see--just curious to see if anyone else was experiencing this.

risa~any news on the itching? has it relented it all? i'm curious to hear what the doc said. hope you're feeling better!

smittenk~ how cool that your 3 SILs are pregnant too! that must be really fun. my 2 SILs are several yrs older and both have children already...it's been great to talk to them and they've been fabulous and passing along maternity clothing, furniture, toys, etc. we have lots of friends who've had babies over the past year or two. in fact, we had 3 friends just deliver babies within the past month! i'm really excited for our newly pregnant friends though---it's such a great experience and it's definitely fun to have a friend to talk pregnancy & baby stuff with.

jenean & GA GAL~ sounds like you both had great showers and lots of fun, which is fantastic. getting all of those baby goods must really make things feel so REAL. i'm really looking forward to mine as well. in fact, our first present arrived in the mail yesterday! i'm TRYING to avoid looking at my registry daily now....we'll see how that goes. :) my first (and bigger) shower is april 22nd. my mom is throwing it for me and it will include all of my friends, as well as her friends and our family. my SILs are throwing me a shower on may 5 for their family, which should be very nice as well. i'm looking forward to both!

oh--QOTD--is anyone considering cloth diapering?? just curious. DH and i really want to give it a shot; we're very curious. i got an email about a sale today, so i ordered a few of 2 different kinds. i want to try a third kind, too, to explore a wide variety. the initial investment is fairly significant, so i want to see what we like and if CD'ing will even work for us long-term, so i didn't go wild with the purchasing.

[Smittenk]

smittenk~ how cool that your 3 SILs are pregnant too! that must be really fun. my 2 SILs are several yrs older and both have children already...it's been great to talk to them and they've been fabulous and passing along maternity clothing, furniture, toys, etc. we have lots of friends who've had babies over the past year or two. in fact, we had 3 friends just deliver babies within the past month! i'm really excited for our newly pregnant friends though---it's such a great experience and it's definitely fun to have a friend to talk pregnancy & baby stuff with.

I LOVE having SILs preggo with me...makes it so fun to share all the ups and downs!

QOTD - Yep we are 100% cloth diapering and I am super excited about it! I have been collecting BumGenius 2.0s whenever they are on sale...also been stocking up the inserts (they are pocket dipes) and wipes. I just got a skookum deal on wipes...$10 for 30 wipes! Hmm I'll try and find the site for you.

[steelcitymama]

thanks, smittenk! if you can find that site, that would be fabulous! i ordered 4 of the bumgenius 2.0's today...they were on sale for 15.95 instead of 17.95. i also ordered 3 happy heinys to try too, as well as inserts for both.

i'm super excited for CD'ing, but slightly nervous that they won't work well for us or that the laundry will be overwhelming. there are so many different kinds, though, i'm sure we'll be able to find one that works well for our baby. they seem so easy now, which is a huge plus.

are you doing any of the pre-folds or exclusively the pocket styles?

[Smittenk]

steelcitymama...I just came here to post to you about the bumgenius being on sale at http://www.nickisdiapers.com/ How funny!!! They are also offering free shipping at the moment too. I bought 2 green, 2 yellow and 2 blue so I think I am almost done!! I have lost count but I think that will give me about 15. I would like to get a stock of about 24.

I haven't found the site yet with the wipes but I will definitely let you know. Also I bought the loopy do inserts...they are really well rates on diaper pin and you can find seconds quite often. They are at Cloth Diaper Outlet (http://clothdiaperoutlet.com/catalog.php?item=129&catid=13&ret=catalog.php%3Fcategory%3D13)

As of right now I am just going to try out all the pocket BG because I like that they fit from newborn to toddler...no need to buy more. But if they don't work out I will try others definitely. They are so well reviewed though I think they will be great! I think that the laundry thing will be a bit of an issue but honestly I am expecting a ton of laundry anyways ;)

K I'm going to search for that wipes website now!

ETA...OK I found the website but they don't have the deal on at the moment. If you save it as a favourite and then just check back they will probably come out with the deal again. PracticalPrincessBoutique Wipes site (http://hyenacart.com/PracticalPrincessBoutique/index.php?c=26)

Just keep your eyes peeled and check the sale section of diaperpin.com often!

[GA_GAL]

Smittenk: Great belly shot. Do you have a feeling one way or the other on the sex of your baby?

Sarah6690: I like the way you made your MIL feel involved without letting her take over. I guess she can't mess up washing some clothes.

steelcitymama: My shower was great and I know that you're so excited about yours. I was so bad about checking my registry. I was on there daily to check newly purchased items. My DH kept saying that I should stop because I wouldn't be surprised, but I don't think it ruined it at all. I still had a great time opening my gifts and it was surprised to see who gave me what.

[risa00]

Just popping by to give a quck update.. Itching still there in the hands, feet, and legs. I called the doctor and spoke with the nurse. Gave her my symptoms and she spoke with the doctor. Called back and just said to go to my primary physician. I was a little turned off.. You would think since she's a OB, she would know more about this instead of a primary doctor who doesn't know that much about the different things a PG woman goes through. So if tonight is just as bad (typically worse in the evenings and during/after showers) then I'll make an appointment tomorrow. *sigh*

[MexicoBride'05]

Hey Girls!! Crazy story coming up....this is a cross post from my journal...

Sorry I've been MIA.

You guys are not going to believe this!!!!!!!

So, yesterday was my monthly doctor's appointment. If you remember at my last appointment I had asked if my 20 week big ultrasound results had come back yet and they hadn't received the fax from the ultrasound place so they called them and they were going to fax it. They told me to wait for a few minutes and it should be there, so I did but then it was taking forever so the girl at the prenatal clinic just said she'd call me if there was anything wrong.

So I heard nothing and assumed everything was fine but again just asked if the results did in fact come back yet and my doctor was looking in my file and said yup, here it is from Feb 6th, it says everything is normal, you were measuring 20 w 4 d and it's a boy! :eek: Hellllloooo...it was SUPPOSE to be a surprise!!

I didn't even know what to say!! I was in shock that I just found out what we were having. When I got the u/s done I told the tech we didn't want to know the sex and he asked if it was okay if he put it in the doctor's report and I said yes since I thought she wouldn't tell us anyways b/c she was the one who said she was sending me for the u/s but we wouldn't be finding out the sex. So I guess when she saw it written in there she just assumed I already knew or something!!

I didn't even have a chance to tell her it was suppose to be a surprise! That was kind of the end of my appointment and I was just in shock and speechless that I didn't say anything to her!

So, ya, can you believe that???!!!!!

I guess my intuition was right all along! And maybe I did see little balls that day at the ultrasound :p

I called Dallas after my appointment and told him what had happened but didn't say it was a boy. He didn't want me to tell him and said he was going to think about whether he wanted to know or not.

I was DYING to tell him!! I didn't know how he thought I would last 3 more months without telling him!

I came home later that night and he finally gave in! He was so happy it's a boy! Right away he was on ebay looking for baby Dallas Cowboys stuff!! LOL

We have our 3D ultrasound this Saturday so I guess now we don't have to worry about seeing something we're not suppose to! We can just see the whole baby since we know it's a boy now!!

I'm excited that I know but a little upset that it's no longer a surprise. It's such a mix of emotions!

Oh, and btw, his name is going to be Jayden Michael! We had a boy's name picked out from a loonngg time ago.

So threadmistress, I guess you can add me to team BLUE now!!

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.


Congratulations, MexicoBride'05, on your "surprise" son! :p

[Sarah6690]

Mexico Just wanted to say WOW!!!!:eek: But congrats on your son!

[steelcitymama]

OMG, Mexico! can't believe that crazy story! congratulations on your son---great news....but totally insane the way you found out. i understand your mixed feelings at knowing the info now.

smittenk, thanks for the great info! i'm going to PM you w/ some more CD-related stuff. if anyone else wants it, just let me know!

i'm working from home today, getting a lot done and i think i'm going to meet DH for lunch, which is some unexpected fun! we just decided spontaneously to meet, so i'm looking forward to it.

hope everyone is having a good day, too~

[Smittenk]

Congrats again on your boy MexicoBride'05!! Sorry about the way your found out.

steelcitymama...Thanks sooo much for your PM!! Went straight to CottonBabies and bought two more BGs and 10 inserts!!! You're the best! bte I'll PM you back in a bit.

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

Went to the doctor today and she just combined me question and answer session with my 28 week appointment check up (even though I am only 26 weeks) so I cancelled my 28 week appointment and made my next check up for 30 weeks on April 20th. Baby sounds good and I am measuring at 27 weeks so right on target.

The midwife was very supportive of Hypnobirthing so I was happy about that. Basically everything is a-ok "as long as baby is fine"...can I just tell you how annoyed I got at hearing that. Of course I am going to put the safety and health of my baby ahead of birth preferences DUH! I also explained that if the nurses tried to take over at all that my DH would have to step in and tell them where to go and remind them to respect our space. Overall it was a good visit. I am going for my glucose lab on April 2nd.

The other annoying thing (but probably for the best) is that I asked to find out the gender. I have been wrestling with wanting to know for a long time now and since this appointment was DH free I thought it was the perfect time. Unfortunately because we didn't want to know at the U/S, Radiology did not report it to the OB Clinic so they don't know. Can you believe that? I totally thought they would at least put it on my chart. I am really sad about this because I thought it would be my choice and now I can't know even if I wanted to. :(

Well guess I will just have to suck it up and get over it...it is definitely going to be a surprise now...and I hate surprises!;)

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[firedancr41]

holy cow, Mexico! can't believe they spilled the beans!

ladies, this is my first post!!!! HI!!!

CC Name: firedancr41
Me: Amy, 27 (28 Sunday!)
DH: Chris, 26
Married: 7/2/06
TTC: 8/1/06
BFP: 10/20/06
EDD: 6/13/07
Gender Prediction: BOY!!
Any other children: no

[GA_GAL]

risa00: Sorry you are still itchy. Hopefully your primary doctor can give you some answers or at least refer you to a dermatologist. I know it is annoying that your OB won't see you about it, but my friend had a similar issue (rash like thing on her arm) and the OB told her to see her regular dr. Have you been able to use any creams or ointments to help?

MexicoBride'05: Oh my goodness! I can't believe that happened to you, and I know you must still be in shock. However, look on the bright side and think about all the planning you'll be able to do for clothes, nursery decor, etc. I'm glad both you and your DH are adjusting well to knowing the big news of your baby boy!!!

Smittenk: Sorry you won't be able to find out the gender of your baby. I know that must be frustrating. Maybe something will come up and your dr. will ask for another u/s for you and you can find out that way. After seeing your belly pictures I'm thinking girl for you...

firedancr41: Welcome and congrats! So happy to have you here with us. Are you sure it is a boy or is that your guess?

Hope everyone has had a good day. I spent part of the evening making a cute shadow box for the nursery with an u/s pic, her name strung on beads, and some cute knitted baby shoes. I'll post a picture of it (along with the rest of my nursery pics) sometime this weekend.

DH was out of town for work for a few days and when he got home, the first thing he did was walk to look at the nursery again. I do it everyday when I get home from work (I just love looking at everything) but was pleasantly surprised to see him do the same thing. :-)

My mom is flying in tonight and I'm so happy to have her with me for a few days. We're going to do lots of sewing for the nursery and she's going to help me with some returns from my duplicated shower gifts.

Has anyone else really seen their belly moving around in their bellies? My girl has been moving and I love seeing my belly "wave" about.

[Sarah6690]

smitten That's good news about your midwife. I'm glad they are on board with everything that you are wanting to do.

GA_Gal that's so cute about your dh looking at the nursery first thing. Have fun with your mom! I can often see my little one moving around when looking at my belly. I think it's really neat too!

firedancr Congrats and welcome! Glad to have you join us!

steelcitymama Did you have a nice lunch with your dh yesterday?

Not much going on here. Last night I made the mistake of calling dh into the bedroom when I was getting ready for bed. The baby was going absolutely crazy! So instead of going to sleep, he sat there with his hand on my belly because he was so amazed. He's felt him move plenty, but last night he was just nuts! Then, we had some thunderstorms come through, and ds got scared and got in bed with us. Needless to say, I got almost no sleep last night. And I have a lot of work to do today, since I have to leave early tomorrow for my dr appt. Should be fun!

[steelcitymama]

welcome, firedancr41! congratulations on your baby, hope you're doing well.

smittenk, so glad you found the CD sites helpful and bought some of the inserts! good stuff. such a bummer that you weren't able to find out the gender of the baby, once you decided that's what you wanted to do. i know our technician at the u/s didn't write it down either---i remember her saying that during the appt, actually.

GA GAL~ your nursery decorations sound so great..you & DH are way far ahead of us on that front, for sure! we're just setting up for painting! :) that's really nice that your mom is coming in to visit and help, i'm sure that'll be really fun. i've witnessed some big kicks that make my belly move! i can't see the baby yet when it's just generally *moving*, though.

one thing that started bothering me this week has been a super stiff, achy back in the evenings and throughout the night. i feel like i'm 85 yrs old!!! it happens when i've been sitting or laying on the couch and then stand up--that's when my back is crazy stiff & achy. it seems to be just in the evenings and throughout the night (when i get up to pee, of course)..not during the day. i had to miss yoga on monday b/c of a fundraising committee meeting..i'm not sure if my new-found achiness is tied to that or not?? i've been doing some stretches on my own, but it doesn't seem to be helping a ton. i don't want to complain since this is truly my very first pregnancy symptom/discomfort---i've had it really easy so far! :)

i hope those of you on bedrest are holding up alright and not getting to bored/antsy!

[steelcitymama]

sarah~sorry to hear about your sleepless night....those are the WORST. that's fun that DH got to feel the baby going wild, though. so exciting! my lunch w/ DH was really fun, thanks. it was a beautiful day and we had a leisurely lunch at a place we hadn't been in awhile. after work, we took our dog hiking w/ DH's brother and his dog. it was a nice change of pace to go with them and the dogs went swimming in some streams and got nice & filthy!

[Smittenk]

smittenk, so glad you found the CD sites helpful and bought some of the inserts! good stuff. such a bummer that you weren't able to find out the gender of the baby, once you decided that's what you wanted to do. i know our technician at the u/s didn't write it down either---i remember her saying that during the appt, actually.



That is what I was so annoyed at! The tech never once said that he wouldn't be reporting it. I am actually planning on putting in a complaint with the Radiology department that they need to advise the couple at the time that this will be the only chance they get to find out.

[MexicoBride'05]

Oh no Smitten! I didn't want to know and found out and now you want to know and can't!

Do they do 3D ultrasounds over there? maybe you could go get one done to find out the sex?

We are going on Saturday for ours and we're super excited!

I am SOOO tired. I keep on waking up in the middle of the night at like 3am and then I can't fall back asleep so now I'm at work ready to pass out!

Is this happening to anyone else? I'm not sure why I'm waking up. It's really weird. And everyone keeps telling me it's just going to get worse as the time goes on :(

[magrat]

Got back from Merida, Mexico (in the state of Yucatan) yesterday afternoon and still feeling disoriented and disorganized, and am trying to get caught up. It doesn't help that the two other people who have the same job as me are both out today, my first day back! Fortunately it isn't too busy, but still kind of sucky.

[L&D Nurse]

Hello, June Mommies!

I am back from my trip and sooo exhausted (one of my flights yesterday was diverted to another city where we sat on the ground for several hours, and then last leg was cancelled so I had to take a bus part of the way home and DH picked had to pick me up in the middle of the night, so I didn't get home until after 3AM). I will try to come back tomorrow with a baby shower recap and to catch up with what I missed.

Happy Thursday!

[Jenean]

stevesbabygirl, May 6 will be here fast. I can’t believe that April is just over a week away!

GA GAL, oh yes, the other docs there are great. One is our family friend, so I won’t see him at all, but I like the other one and feel very comfortable with her. I’ve read that we’ll feel the babies less when we’re up and moving because our movements kind of lull them to sleep. Woohoo for a great shower! It sounds like you got most of the stuff you need, and I’m so jealous that you have it all set up and put away already! I can’t wait to see the pictures! Have a great time working on more stuff with your mom. Yes, I definitely see my belly moving. It’s so neat!

Smitten, you look terrific! I’m glad you had a good appointment and got your Q&A in, too. I just scheduled our Q&A session for after our next appointment next week. Now I have to make a list of all my questions! I’m sorry you couldn’t find out the sex yesterday; will you have another u/s or chance to know? Maybe the radiology clinic made note of it somewhere? My OB’s office also doesn’t make any note of it in our chart so the docs and nurses can’t goof and tell us by accident, but in a situation like yours I guess we’d also lose out on our chance to know if we changed our minds later! :(

Sarah, 30 weeks = wow! ¾ of the way there! My new computer is on the way and I’ll have it on Monday! I hope you can get everything done today and some good sleep tonight!

steelcitymama, I feel a lot of pressure when I’m standing. I look at my registry daily, I can’t help it, I’m addicted! It was so much fun to go through all the itty bitty clothing. I think it’s great that you’re going to try CDing. We talked about it, but decided that with two babies, we were going to take the easy way out and go with disposables. We changed our minds about a lot of things when we learned there were two growing in there! :p Ugh to the achiness. I hate that feeling. Definitely keep stretching and hopefully that will help.

risa, weird, I would have thought that a stop at the OB would be first, too. I hope your primary doc can help!

MexicoBride, holy moly! That is so unbelievable and I am so sorry you found out that way. I hope you enjoy seeing EVERYTHING at your 3D u/s this weekend! And I really like the name you’ve chosen! :) So many people keep telling me that all those middle-of-the-night wakeups are nature’s way of getting us ready for midnight feedings. I say b.s. to that! Or at least give them to DH too so he can experience them!

firedancr, welcome!!!! How has your pregnancy been? I hope you’re feeling great! Got any u/s or belly pics to share? :)

magrat, welcome home! I hope you had a great time! Good luck getting through things at work. Don’t do too much!!!

L&D Nurse, welcome home, too! I can’t wait to read about your trip. So sorry the last part was so awful.


All is okay over here. I had a few quiet days while DH was away, but thankfully he returned last night and won’t be going anywhere for a few weeks now. It’s been weird not being online throughout the day, but happily my new computer is on its way and I’ll have it really soon!

I had my weekly checkup this morning and I’m doing fine, but Laurel had an irregular heartbeat for the 2nd week in a row. The midwife said it’s probably nothing and is most likely related to some imbalance in my electrolytes or something minor like that, but that she wants me to get it checked out. She hadn’t even mentioned anything about it to me last week, but after hearing it again today, she wants us to look into it. She said she’s not that worried b/c we know from our anatomy scan that the heart is fully formed and pumping, so I’m not that worried either. I’m sure it will turn out just fine! Both babies’ heartbeats were very strong and regular, but Laurel’s had an extra little thump in there occasionally. We have an appointment with a specialist on April 6 for a fetal echocardiogram, a regular checkup and Q&A session with our midwife and OB next Wed., 3/28, and our bimonthly u/s (this time with full growth scan of the babies) on Thurs., 3/29.

Other than that, DH’s grandfather passed away yesterday and his funeral is tomorrow. We have already decided that one of the babies will be named after him, but probably will just keep the names we’ve already selected and change the “named after” part. DH is speaking at the funeral and the midwife cleared me to attend, as long as I stay seated throughout and skip the stand-by-the-graveside part of the service. So we have that in the morning and then will be sitting shiva at his aunt and uncle’s house for the afternoon. No shiva on Saturday, and then another session at the other aunt and uncle’s on Sunday (thankfully that aunt/uncle live 20 minutes from us, as opposed to the drive to NJ we’ll have tomorrow). Not a fun weekend, but I’m glad we’ll be with the family.

That’s about it from here! I hope everyone’s feeling good today!!! :)

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.


Congratulations and welcome to firedancr41!!! How exciting to have another new mommy with us! :D

firedancr41, I listed you as a "surprise". Are you just predicting a boy or do you know for sure?

[stevesbabygirl]

GA GAL,
It has gone by so quickly! I love watching my little guy kicking! I don't really see the waves yet, but I do see lots of little bops as he stretches out. In fact, he's kicking around as I type!

Smitten,
Still the cutest belly ever! That's such a bummer that they didn't put the gender in their report.

Sarah,
That feeling of being up under the ribs is the worst! Happy 30 weeks to you!

steelcitymama,
No pressure down low for me, I guess he still has some turning to do.

risa,
How's the itching today?

Farah,
Oh no, I can't believe they did that to you! Congratulations on your boy! I've been having lots of trouble sleeping lately. The other night, I didn't go to bed until almost 3am! Since I'm not working, I end up sleeping in until noon, so I don't know if staying up late is making me sleep late, or if sleeping late is making me stay up late.

firedancr,
Welcome aboard :D!

magrat,
Welcome back! How was your trip?

L&DNurse,
Welcome back to you too!

Jenean,
I'm so sorry to hear about your DH's grandfather. I hope all goes well with the fetal echo!

[stevesbabygirl]

I had my 1-hour GTT this morning, tasty! It really just tasted like orange soda to me, but I couldn't wait to get some real food into my system, so I ate a lemon cream cheese muffin from Starbucks on the way home. I took a nap for an hour because my appointment was at 8:30, and I'm pretty much useless before noon, and then met up with DH and our friend for lunch.

I wrenched my back something fierce last night :(. I was getting up to turn off the alarm clock (DH was napping after work and had to wake up for his hockey game), and as I was walking, my iliosacral joint popped out of place. Ouch! I guess I hit my sciatic too, because the pain shot down my leg as well, and I could feel it all night. Today, I'm feeling pretty good, but ouch!

And speaking of ouch, I dropped off my prescription for my RhoGAM shot the other day. Apparently, it isn't covered in the formulary by my insurance, so I have to pay out of pocket for it. Guess how much? $677! I just about hit the floor when she told me that. I'm going to submit a claim for it anyway to see if they'll cover it, because that's ridiculous that we should have to pay that much money for a shot that can essentially be life-saving for any future babies. Stupid insurance.

[magrat]

Our trip was really good, but not relaxing! We had a great time and the pregnancy didn't cause any problems, for which I was very thankful. I wasn't any more tired than I would have been under normal circumstances, and felt totally fine. It was very nice to take a break from real life for a while. Now I can really get focused on this baby thing :) As soon as DH uploads some pics I'll post a couple.

In other news, MIL bought our stroller and carseat and they arrived while we were away. I put the stroller together, but the carseat is obviously going to be an ordeal. It makes my brain hurt just to look at the instructions for that.

My aunts are planning a shower for me at the end of April, and the pressure is on to figure out what to do about a registry. I may end up just setting one up at BRU too so people have something to buy.

Pregnant people are coming out of the woodwork. One of my co-workers just told me his wife is pregnant with twins - and she was only 100 lbs before she got pregnant! I can hardly imagine what she'll end up looking like!

Spring is definitely here - the daffodils are just starting to sprout, it's very exciting. Spring cleaning is rapidly becoming a huge priority. Our house is such a mess. Because we were working on the basement, we've had to find other places to put stuff, and we're totally out of room. This weekend we're going to have to do something about it, no matter how tired we are (very!). I'm going to rent a dumpster and we're going to have a serious clear out.

[micd]

Ok I am totally confused. I KNOW I posted a long post on here but it is not here :confused: . Do I sound like a dork? :) I had insomnia last night and was up pretty early. Oh well.

[daphne]

micd I checked your posts to see if your lost post was there, but I didn't see a post from you in this thread since 3/19. There were 2 posts from you today in other threads, though.

stevesbabygirl I hope they cover that shot for you - yikes!! I'm sorry to hear you hurt your back - I hope it's better today!

firedancr Welcome & Congratulations!!

Jenean How are they going to check out Laurel's little extra thump? It sounds like it's nothing to worry about, which is a relief, b/c we pregnant ladies have enough to worry about! I'm sorry to hear about DH's grandfather. :(

MexicoBride I can't believer your dr slipped up & told you the gender!! Congratulations on your boy! I *love* having a little boy!! It's interesting b/c it's the reverse problem for smittenk - sorry you couldn't find out the gender!! I asked my u/s tech if the gender would be written in my file & she told me that it would not be written if we didn't find out the gender, so it would be my only chance to find out (which is why we had her write it on an envelope to be opened later.) Will you have an u/s later on when you could find out the gender? I have one at 36 weeks....

Can't go any further w/so's b/c DS is going to be up any minute...

I don't know if i've updated, but poor DS's tooth finally fell out. There was a LOT of blood & it was fairly traumatic (for me, especially :o ), but I'm mostly relieved that it's over with. He has a big ole gap in the front now (thanks to my genes, partly), so it's very noticeable. I'm hoping he won't care a whole bunch about it and that, by the time he does, the adult tooth will come in.

Other than that, everything is well. I can't believe I'm 30 weeks along. This pgcy is *flying*. I haven't heard the results from my GTT 2 weeks ago, so I'm guessign I passed (might give a quick call to verify).

Happy weekend, ladies!

[Smittenk]

Thanks ladies...yeah I am still frustrated that we were not told at the ultrasound that it was our only chance to know and it wouldn't be written down anywhere. I have accepted that it is meant to be a surprise I guess:(

As far as I know I won't get another ultrasound and DH and I have talked about getting the 4D ultrasound but I don't want to get one so I won't find out that way. I'm getting over it :o

[risa00]

risa,
How's the itching today?

HORRIBLE! I'm dieing over here! It's everywhere now, legs, arms, hands, feet. I have these little bumps that aren't in clusters over my body that are very small and filled with liquid. Then I had this horrible huge looking pocket of water (similar to a gigantic blister) on my foot. Pricked it with a needle to get the water out. Now, I have this horrible rash on my belly. I've tried every thing you can think of and nothing is working. I can't even concentrate at work or do anything since I'm constantly itching. :(

[magrat]

risa Oh my gosh, that sounds awful! Go and see a doctor, even if you have to wait at urgent care. I'm sorry you're suffering so much.

[MexicoBride'05]

Hi Ladies!

Just wanted to drop off some of our 3D u/s pics from today! Here is a cross post from my journal! I'm going to try and come back and do so's in a bit!

I'm back with pics from the 3D ultrasound!!! It was sooo neat!! Guess what our baby likes to do??? suck on his toes!!! It was so funny! I guess he's pretty flexible b/c he had his foot up by his face alot! We got to see him yawn which was cool too! The tech said he was using my placenta like a pillow!

Here are a few of the pics!

Here's the money shot! :p

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/fardal/UCBABY_1.jpg?t=1174776744

Here he is sucking his toes!

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/fardal/UCBABY_11.jpg?t=1174776810

The yawn...looks kinda freaky here but cool in the video!

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/fardal/UCBABY_68.jpg?t=1174776849

He's got really chubby cheeks!

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/fardal/UCBABY_72.jpg?t=1174776912

[MexicoBride'05]

You can see his little hand in this one...

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/fardal/UCBABY_44.jpg?t=1174776960

His little arm...

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/fardal/UCBABY_81.jpg?t=1174777028

Playing with his feet again...

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/fardal/UCBABY_78.jpg?t=1174777089

We got 93 pics in total! I can't wait to meet him in real life now!!

[stevesbabygirl]

magrat,
I can't wait to see your pictures :D! Yay for the stroller and car seat!

daphne,
I hope they cover it too, that's a ridiculous amount of money to pay for such a tiny shot! Sorry to hear that DS' tooth fell out.

risa,
Sorry to hear that your itching has gotten worse :(.

Farah,
Great pictures :D!

[stevesbabygirl]

So, I think I have diastasis, damn it :mad:! When I try to sit up, I see a bulge running from my breastbone to my bellybutton, but nothing below it. I remember that someone else in here had that problem too. I'm so bummed, and I don't even know why.

[daphne]

stevesbabygirl is that the term for when your ab muscles separate? I had it w/DS & I have it again w/this pregnancy. It didn't affect me at all (since we're not supposed to sit up straight from lying down & we can't do ab workouts!). Don't worry - it'll resolve after you deliver the baby! if that's not what you're talking about, though, i'm sorry & disregard this!

[stevesbabygirl]

daphne,
Yep, that's what I'm talking about :D! I know it's totally not a big deal, but now I feel like a freak or something, haha! I've been lucky so far to avoid most of the common pregnancy afflictions; I guess I was hoping to dodge this one too :).

[stevesbabygirl]

Dropping off my 28 week belly shot :D!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/433957622_c06d2cffba.jpg?v=0

[steelcitymama]

hi, everyone~

we just finished our last hypnobirthing class and i have some time before we go to my parents for dinner this evening, so i thought i'd pop in and say hello.

jenean, i'm so sorry about DH's grandfather. i somehow missed your entire last past post, so i'm a little late in my condolences. i hope the service was nice and that you've managed to fit some rest into such a busy and difficult weekend. i think your attitude and confidence with laurel's recent irregular heartbeat is great. i think sometimes we can all get completely stressed over things that end up to be nothing, or that end up resolving themselves. it's great that your midwife is so confident too, and that you know that the heartbeat is fully formed from the u/s. keep us posted!

magrat & l&d nurse, welcome back! can't wait to here more about both of your trips and hopefully see pics. l&d nurse, it sounds like the last leg of your trip was awful! i hope that didn't put a damper on things....

stevesbabygirl~great belly shot! too cute.

all is well here..yesterday was really busy and i was exhausted at the end of it. we did some much needed spring cleaning for a lot of the day, as well as some work in the babies room (DH), plus some errand running (me). we finally sat down to relax around 6 for a few hours then went out to really nice dinner, which was a great end to the day. today has been much more relaxing...DH woke me up with breakfast in bed, which was a fun treat! it's gorgeous here today, so while he & his dad did some work around the house, i took our dog to the park. the park i go to runs all throughout the city and there are tons of trails through the woods, as well some areas where the "dog people" generally congregate...basically, i see the same people all the time. what's funny is that since it's so nice outside, i was just in a t-shirt & yoga pants and people i see every day were like "oh my god! you're pregnant! congratulations!". since i've been so bundled in all of my winter gear since i started showing, no one had any idea. :)

smittenk, my CDs arrived on friday---they are TOO cute! i can't stand it. are you doing cloth wipes too???

risa~ i hope you're hanging in there with the itching--keep us posted!

this upcoming week should be a lot busier with work and other than that, i have yoga tomorrow and then we have our first pediatrician visit on thurs night. i have the other peds appts lined up as well. pretty crazy stuff!

i thought some of you might like this site-- www.llamajama.com . it has the most beautiful knit baby things--blankets, sweaters, CD covers, slippers, etc. it's worth checking out!

alright, i hope everyone is enjoying their sunday.

[steelcitymama]

oh---can't believe i forgot---mexico, the 3d u/s pics are wonderful!! i loved seeing them, you guys must have been SO excited!!!

[L&D Nurse]

First, here is my 30 week belly pic:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/434054373_355ca18f62.jpg

And the progression: 18-24-30
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/344742368_015295fb9d_m.jpghttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/136/387117609_a8722fb021_m.jpghttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/434043294_56492030ed_m.jpg

I'm finally starting to look pregnant and not just beer-guttish!

Trip recap
My trip was great and the showers were wonderful. Everyone was so generous and we received so many nice things for our baby boy including our crib, changing table, and hutch from my IL's and our car seat, stroller, matching diaper bag, and crib bedding from my family. We also got a Baby Bjorn, bathtub and bath accessories (towels, washcloths, etc.), infant feeding seat, crib mobile, a Creative Memories scrapbook, Diaper Genie, a shopping cart cover, bottles and bottle warmer, books, toys, blankets, and lots of cute clothing for our little guy. I also had a lot of hang out time with my family and friends which was really nice because I won't be back out there until the fall at the earliest. I don't have any pics uploaded from the showers, but hopefully we will get our crib and changing table set up this week and I will post some pics of the finished nursery!

And a few SO's...
risa00~ did you call or see your doctor regarding your rash?

jenean~ good luck at the fetal echo. I will be thinking good thoughts for Laurel!

MexicoBride'05~ those u/s pics are adorable!!!

stevesbabygirl~ sorry about the diastasis :(

firedancr41~ welcome!

[Sarah6690]

I'll try to get back later for so's, but for now just wanted to give an update. Had my appointment Friday. Everything looked great on the u/s. They were able to get a good look at his lower spine and take all the measurements they needed. He's a little on the small side right now, but nothing to be concerned about. My regular dr I found out is leaving the practice, but I saw a different dr and he was very nice and very different than most drs I've met. He sat and talked with dh and I forever, a lot about nothing at all important. It was a nice change of pace to not feel like we were being rushed out of there so they could get on to more important things. I think I'll stick with him from now on. This weekend was a complete waste. There were so many things that I wanted to get done, but we had so many people stop by that we accomplished nothing. We had beautiful weather, so it was nice to just sit outside and relax, but I would have rather done something like put the crib together. :( Oh well, next weekend I guess. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

[magrat]

What a great weekend! The weather is so beautiful, it really is lifting my spirits. It's supposed to be 72 today! My tulips are up about 6 inches, the daffodils about 4. Only on the south side of the house where it gets a lot of sun though. We were so productive this weekend. I feel like we haven't really cleaned the house for at least 7 months, so you cannot imagine how awful it was. We sorted through an absolute ton of stuff we've been storing and are getting rid of most of it in the dumpsters they dropped off this morning - I can't wait to get all this junk cleared out! I think it'll be a lot easier to keep the house clean if I can really take on the clutter. It really makes me feel 100% better to walk into the kitchen and not want to set a match to it.

Every time I talk to relatives on the phone, they keep asking me if I'm still working! It surprises me every time. Makes me feel like quitting now - especially since it's spring and the weather is so nice and there is so much to do around the house and yard. I won't though :p Still, I'm definitely starting the countdown to being done with work!

I'm using cloth diapers. I've bought a bunch of different kinds so far as I can see what I like best. I think I like fitteds with covers the best, so that's what I'm focusing on for my newborn stash.

Have my 28 week appointment and GTT tomorrow. Also, our last Bradley class is tomorrow. Oh, and I finally ordered the crib bedding - it should take her about 4 weeks to make it and get it to us.

[steelcitymama]

quick question---magrat, what types of fitteds have you bought? i'd like to try some of those too, in addition to the pocket styles i've bought. i think i'm also going to try some of the chinese prefolds, too...see if we can get the hang of them possibly??

[micd]

stevesbabygirl - yep, that was me talking about the diastasis a while back, but it looks like Daphne has it too. My doc checked it at my last appt and said it was minor and should go back together on it's own. Though I've also read there are certain abdominal exercises you shouldn't do after delivery as it could make it the separation worse (depending on how wide it is to begin with). Right now I just try to make an effort to roll on my side before getting up. I was mad at first too, but have just accepted it now :)

risa - oh my goodness, get yourself to a doctor! I hope it gets better for you.

MexicoBride - the pics are great!

Not a whole lot going on here. I am going to try and clean today and run to Target. Does anyone else feel huge? I feel like I am totally getting a big belly now and I've still got 3 months to go (though I know that 3 months can fly!)!! I am enjoying being pregnant though, besides that occasional insomnia :rolleyes:

[magrat]

steelcitymama I've only bought Little Beetles (http://www.betterforbabies.com) so far, as well as some prefolds. The Little Beetles seem really big and bulky for a small baby, but they have fantastic reviews. But after being a little disappointed in them, I went back to the drawing board, and decided to also try Crickett's Diapers (www.crickettsdiapers.com/). For the newborn stage, I'm mostly using prefolds and Snugglebottoms, which are some cheap fitteds I found at http://www.babybunz.com/ (6 for $24 for size NB).
http://www.babybunz.com/images/images.php?imid=276

I decided on fitteds and covers because I don't like stuffing pockets and because I want to use wool, though I'm going to try other cover types as well. They just seem a bit more customizable.

[steelcitymama]

magrat~thanks for the info. i'm going to check out some of the ones you've tried. we were going to do disposables for the newborn stage since it just didn't seem to make sense to buy newborn CDs for such a small amt of time, but the ones from babybunz are so affordable that we may do it now.

oh, did you check out the fabulous wool covers on www.llamajama.com??

thanks so much!

[stevesbabygirl]

Good morning ladies, it's a beautiful, overcast, gloomy day in Southern California :D! Today is construction day, as we're having a door in our baby's room walled off. It's been framed, and now we're just waiting for the drywall guys to show up.

I also got my results back from my GTT, and I passed, yay :D!

[GA_GAL]

jenean: Sorry to hear about your DH's grandfather. Hope your midwife is right and the irregular heartbeat will be nothing to worry about.

stevesbabygirl: You sound like me with the 1 hour GTT test. I didn't really think it was all that bad. Very sweet, but not too much of it to drink. I couldn't wait to eat after though. I went and had a Chick-fil-a biscuit...yummy! Glad you passed yours. I'm still waiting on my results. I can't believe your shot will cost over $600 dollars. That is crazy and your insurance should definitely cover that. I was supposed to have it, but DH is negative too, so they said there was no reason to get it.

risa00: Have you talked to your dr. about the itching yet?

MexicoBride'05: Great u/s pics! I'm jealous and want to do a 3D, but my DH has convienced me to save the money and just wait to see her when she gets here. How funny that your little guy sucks his toes!

steelcitymama: Sounds like you had a great weekend. I think it is funny how people are now able to see you are pregnant...just because you aren't bundled up.

L&D Nurse: I love seeing your belly progression...I'll have to figure out how to do that. Your trip sounds fabulous and you got so many nice things! Isn't it fun to see all of that stuff in your house?

Sarah6690: So glad your apt. went well and that you liked the new doctor. That's always a great feeling instead of being rushed in and out.

magrat: Glad you had a nice weekend and that you are enjoying the warm weather there. I wish I could stop working now too, but school doesn't get out until May 22 and I have to work until the 28th. Unless something changes, I'll be working until that day.

micd: YES!!! I look at myself and think that my belly couldn't possibly get any bigger, but with a few months to go, I know it will.

My weekend was great! I had my 28 week apt. on Friday and everything still looks great. Good heartbeat and I'm measuring right on track. I had my 1 hour GTT, so I'm waiting to get those results back.

My mom was here and helped me get all of my bedding and curtains made. It took us FOREVER, but it is all done. See below for pictures. Pretty much my nursery is done. Now I just have to wait for her to arrive.

We knew we were going to be moving soon (end of summer/beginning of fall), but it looks like it will be sooner now. DH talked to people at work and he really needs to be back in Atlanta. The timing isn't ideal with having a newborn baby, but I'm willing to do what it takes b/c I can't wait to move back. I spent all day yesterday cleaning and organizing closets, etc. This weekend we'll be finishing up final house projects and are hoping to get it on the market in a few weeks. We'll just wait and see what happens as far as it selling, but the plan is to stay here until July (if the house should sell right away). DH's company will be paying for the movers and they will pack us (thank goodness) so I won't have much to do as far as the moving part goes.

Here are my nursery pictures:

as you enter
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_1019.jpg

crib
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_1024.jpg

bookshelf
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_1028.jpg

glider
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_1033.jpg

changer
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_1044.jpg

armoire
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_1043.jpg

[GA_GAL]

Here is my 27 week belly shot. I feel huge, but know my belly will only get bigger! Sorry it is kind of blurry.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_1001.jpg

[micd]

GA_GAL - Your nursery is perfect!! The bedding looks great. I LOVE the scripture that you have with her name on it!! Did you make that? I may have to copy.:o So perfect. Can I ask where you came up with her name? It's so unique. Great belly by the way!

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

MexicoBride'05: would you like one of your 3D u/s pics on the front page instead of the one you have now?

[GA_GAL]

micd: Thank you! I've had so much fun doing everything. The hanging plaque with her name and scripture was actually given to me by a friend at my shower. I can try to find out where she got it if you want.

As for her name...Handley was my great-grandmother's maiden name and has been used a lot in my family for middle names. I've always loved it and wanted to use it for a girl's name if I had a daughter. Isabelle was my DH's great-grandmother's name.

[Jenean]

stevesbabygirl, thanks! I’m glad you got the GTT over with and enjoyed a very yummy muffin afterwards (it sounded delicious). I can’t believe your shot will cost that much! I hope you can find a way to get it covered. I am definitely sorry to hear about the diastasis. Like our bodies don’t go through enough as it is! You look wonderful!

magrat, I’m glad you were able to fully enjoy your vacation. Ugh to coming back to housecleaning, but yay to coming back to baby stuff! Good luck with the car seat, and with your GTT tomorrow! Awesome job on the spring cleaning! My DH finally hauled all the stuff we cleaned out of our house over the last few weeks to the curb today for pickup (he was gone last week on trash day) and now even our garage looks better! ;)

micd, I hate when I lose posts! I hope you had fun at Target. I could spend so much time there. I am definitely feeling huge. More about that below.

daphne, they’re going to do another high level u/s focusing on the heart. And we meet with pediatric cardiologist to go over it. I’m sorry the tooth loss was so hard for you! I’m sure DS looks absolutely adorable, though!

risa, OMG, how awful! I am so sorry. Have you seen your family doc or a dermatologist yet?

MexicoBride, oh, wow! What a cutie! That is adorable about the toe sucking. The yawn is too cute, too!

steelcitymama, thank you, thank you, I will definitely do that! I’m glad you had such a good weekend and got a bunch of things done

L&D Nurse, you look great! I’m glad you had such a wonderful trip and good showers – what a great haul for the kiddo! We all have some lucky babies in here, with generous families and friends!

Sarah, I’m glad you had a good appointment and found a doc you like so much. That’s really important! I’m sure you’ll get a lot done next weekend!

GA GAL, thanks! Exciting news about moving! We have friends who moved (to Atlanta, actually) when their son was 10 days old. They didn’t have much choice as the husband was starting a fellowship and had to be there on a certain date, but it turned out okay. Having help will make it easier! The nursery looks FABULOUS and so do you!


My new computer is here! And I’m getting used to Windows Vista, but not happily! Actually, the only problem I’m having with it so far is my Outlook connection to my email at work – I can read email, but can’t write any. Bleurgh. Hopefully our IT guy can help me work that out tomorrow. Other than that, I’ve installed 1 of the 3 programs I needed to put on here and it seems to be going well.

DH’s grandfather’s funeral was really nice. Truly. The service was just long enough, the rabbi didn’t try to talk about Grandpa like he actually knew him, and Seth and his uncles gave beautiful eulogies. His grandfather was a Holocaust survivor who lost his entire immediate family to the Nazis, except for his father, from whom he was separated from two years, during which time neither knew that the other was still alive. Miraculously, they were reunited and emigrated to the US together, along with DH’s grandmother and mother. His grandparents met and were married in a DP camp after the war, and my MIL was actually born in Germany before they came over. She was one of the last people to come through Ellis Island before it was closed. I stayed in the car with my niece and nephew during the graveside part of the service, and then we spent the afternoon with the family. Both Saturday and Sunday we basically relaxed at home until it was time to go back over to sit shiva together. And today we’re trying to get back into a routine. DH gave me his sore throat, so I’ve been feeling like poo for 3 days and have really been doing nothing, but tomorrow I’m going to try to get back into my own little routine and get some minor things done.

Babies are doing great – kicking and swimming a lot! Not all the time lately, but more often at night and in the morning. I can’t wait to see them again on Thursday!

Pregnancy things I’ve been feeling a lot lately: First, I started getting my first stretch marks. :( I cried a little. They’re not huge and not too bright, yet, but they’re there. You’ll probably get to see them in my next belly shots (which I’ll take tomorrow). Second, I am more and more stuffy more of the time, and when I blow my nose now (sorry if TMI) there’s usually a little blood there. I know that’s common so I don’t worry, but it’s a little icky. :p Third, and I can’t remember if I mentioned this last week, but I’m having some loss of sensation around my belly button. The skin isn’t quite numb, but the feeling there is definitely less than the areas further out. The midwife said it’s totally normal and most likely a result of all the stretching that my skin and belly are doing. I’m getting used to it, but it still feels weird when I stop to think about it! And finally, I think I’m getting close to the point in pregnancy where I’m counting down the days to the end for more reasons than just being excited about meeting my babies. I feel VERY heavy now. Turning over in bed is hard, as is sitting up, and when I stand, whew! I can feel the weight of my belly pulling me forward and down. But despite all of these little “complaint” I still LOVE being pregnant and I’m already starting to feel nostalgic about it. I know I am going to miss it a lot. The end seems to be looming so close now – we’re aiming just to hit 36 weeks, which is only 7 weeks away, and while I can’t wait to hold my children, I am definitely taking time every day to appreciate this amazing blessing.

And on that note, I am off to work on my latest baby bib cross stitch. I’ve done two and will hopefully finish this one tonight, and then I have two hooded towels to work on. :D

[Jenean]

Oh, I forgot to add: we changed our baby name choice a bit because we decided to name a baby boy after DH's grandfather. And we finally chose a middle name for a second boy, just in case. So our new boy's names are:

Simon Aron
Miles Logan

:)

[GA_GAL]

Jenean: What an amazing story about your DH's grandfather. He must have been a very special man and I'm glad you enjoyed the service for him. Sorry you are getting stretch marks and starting to feel really heavy. I am amazed by the changes in my body with only one baby. I can't imagine what my body would feel like with two babies in my belly. It's great that you are able to keep a great outlook on things and that you are enjoying this entire process. Seven weeks will FLY by! I like both of your baby boy names.

[Smittenk]

GA_GAL, The nursery is amazing...you did such a great job!!! I'm in love with the bookcase..that is awesome!!

Her name is beautiful! You are far from huge..you have a really perfect belly. But I know how you feel though...I keep saying that I'm huge and friends look at me like I'm an idiot...but it's hard when you are the one who is growing!


Jenean The service for your Grandfather sounds like it was really nice. Aww try not to worry about the stretch marks...you have two babies in there!!

[magrat]

GA_GAL Oh my gosh, you're done with the nursery? I have a feeling mine will be finished while I'm having contractions... :) It looks great!

jenean That's an amazing story about your GFIL. I'm glad you were able to take it easy at the service. Sorry about the stretchmarks, I'm really dreading getting them myself (and I'm sure I will).

stevesbabygirl The fact that your insurance doesn't want to cover the cost of the shot is insane - you've got to appeal that.

I just chugged my glucose drink and it wasn't bad at all. Just tasted like Hawaiian Punch. It was a lot to drink in 5 minutes though, that part was harder than I thought it would be. I guess I'm a slow drinker!

I don't think I'm going to be nostalgic about my pregnancy. Apart from some morning sickness and tiredness in the beginning, it has been really easy so far. It's exciting feeling movement and seeing my belly get bigger, but I think I'm going to really enjoy having my body to myself again, and to get back to normal. We had discussed the possibility of maybe having 3 kids, but I think I'll be okay with two. I would probably be okay with one, but I was an only child myself and don't want to put my kid through that :) I might change my mind of course, but there are so many other things in life to do besides having kids, and those other things (like travel) tend to get harder the more you have.

[Sarah6690]

magrat good luck on your glucose test!

Jenean I'm glad the service for your DH's grandfather was so nice. What an amazing story. Thanks for sharing that with us. Yay for the new computer! I know what you mean about the stretch marks. I already have a few new ones to add to my collection. Just remember that they do fade pretty well. You may never want to wear a bikini again, but you'll be a mom, who cares!?:D I love your boy names too!

GA_Gal Your nursery looks amazing! I love the bedding and the curtains. What's on the picture on the wall behind the glider? Cute belly shot!

L&D Nurse Wow! What a lucky baby! Glad you had a nice trip.

Mexicobride The u/s pics are amazing. Pretty funny about the toe sucking!

Not much going on here. I forgot to mention that I had gained 4lbs in 2 weeks. So I am now finally up 7lbs! I knew I would start putting on weight eventually, it was just a matter of time. Doesn't bother me a bit though, since I gained quite a bit with DS. That was a lot more gradual though. Oh, and my next appointment is 4/5.

[micd]

GA_Gal - oh wow I would love to know where your friend got it, if you don't mind?

Jenean - sorry about the stretch marks and that pregnancy is getting more uncomfortable. I'm sure that is a little frustrating. I usually have a little blood when I blow my nose too. The service for your grandfather sounded very nice. His story is pretty amazing!

[magrat]

My appointment went fine, apart from all the digging around in my arm trying to find a vein. The nurse and midwife both marvelled at my tiny veins :rolleyes: They said it should be the last time they need to draw blood though, thank goodness. The baby is most likely head down, and I'm measuring a little small - 27 cm rather than 28, but I'm not worried about that. She said it's good that it is head down because while it can still move around, once it finds a nice head down position it usually stays that way. Next appointment is 4 weeks out, April 24. After that it will be every other week, and once I hit 36 weeks, every week. At 36 weeks they'll test for group B strep and check my cervix, after that it's up to me whether I want internals or not. They'll call tomorrow with my test results.

[Jenean]

GA GAL, thanks. It really is amazing what our bodies can do and are doing. I feel so proud of myself sometimes – one of my biggest fears through our IF journey was that I just couldn’t do what I was “supposed” to be able to do so easily, and I feel so lucky that I’ve been able to experience this.

Smittenk, thanks, I keep reminding myself of that. Actually, I just blame it all on my mother, since she got stretch marks and I know that they’re somewhat hereditary! ;)

magrat, sigh, I guess it’s a small price to pay! I agree, I had a hard time drinking all of that in just 5 minutes. I think I actually went a little over. At first it wasn’t so bad, but after about half the bottle, it just got too sweet. I’m glad you had a good appointment, other than the b/w (ick).

Sarah, it really is an amazing story, isn’t it? I think it’s so important to share memories like that, especially as the number of survivors is dwindling now. People need to hear what they went through. I have old stretch marks from when I was a kid, so now I guess I’ll just have these to remember this part of my life! Good work on gaining a bit. How much does the baby weigh now?

micd, I guess I should be thankful that when I get uncomfy I can just lie down and say “doctor’s orders”! :p I’m watching my belly swim right now, and moments like this make the others easy to forget!

Quiet over here today. I’ve been doing some work for work and did a little too much around the house, so I was having some uncomfort and a little mild pain, but I’ve been lying down for 2 hours now and it’s gone away. Much better!

Oh, today we hit our first doctor-set goal = 29 weeks! YAYAYAY! :D

[stevesbabygirl]

Good morning ladies :D! How is everyone today? I'm hanging out in the office at home, waiting for the drywall guys to come back and texture the wall they put up yesterday, yay! Otherwise, I would be sleeping right now :p.

steelcitymama,
Thanks! That's so sweet of your DH to make you breakfast in bed.

L&DNurse,
Cute belly! I'm glad to hear that your trip went well. I'm going to ask about the diastasis at my appointment on Thursday, because I'm not 100% sure about it.

Sarah,
Glad to hear that your appointment went well! Sorry you weren't able to get much done, but I bet the weekend was nice.

magrat,
Good luck with your GTT! I downed mine in about 30 seconds, partially to get it over with, and partially because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to wait until I got to the office, or if I was supposed to drink it at home. I'm prepared to put up a fight about the RhoGAM shot, because I think it's absolutely ridiculous that we should have to pay, especially when it's so expensive.

micd,
I think I need to make more of an effort to roll to the side when I get up, because I usually sit straight up without really thinking about it.

GA GAL,
I'm amazed at how much that stupid shot is going to cost! It's not optional, it should be covered! Your nursery is so cute, and I love the name Handley! The name conjures up images of a sweet little Southern Belle :). Your belly looks great!

Jenean,
Thanks! That muffin was really tasty. I had walked into Starbucks hoping for a big huge croissant, but was disappointed to find out that there weren't any, and I didn't want to walk out empty-handed, so I hit up the muffin. Yum. Yay for a new computer! Sounds like your DH's grandfather's funeral was really nice. Sorry to hear that you are not feeling well and that the stretch marks have popped up. I love your names, and congrats on hitting 29 weeks :D!

[micd]

I had my appt this morning. Everthing is good. No rise in blood pressure, but I do have to do another 24 hour urine thingy :rolleyes: . Fun, fun. She did say that it is okay to do some light walking which I am literally ecstatic about. My weight gain was ridiculous. According to this scale, I have gained 27 lbs total!!:eek: Doc was not worried at all and said it could be water, though I don't look puffy, and that all the scales are different at the clinic. It's a large clinic and I have been on a different scale every time. I just don't get it because it's not like I'm pigging out all day. I eat a lot of fruits, veggies, and whole grains, but probably too many sweets. I also used to exercise a lot and have not been able to. Maybe it's my genes because I know my mom gained 50 lbs with all of us, 80 lbs with my brother and sister who are twins, and my mom is very lean. When I was leaving she told me not to stress about my weight, but my goodness that is scary how fast I have put it on in the last month! It looks like I'll definitely be over 40 lbs total (that's a lot when your a shorty!). Oh, well, I guess I need to stop stressing about it. :p

I'm doing my one hour GTT tomorrow. Next appt is in 3 weeks, April 17.

[micd]

By the way, congrats Jenean on hitting 29 weeks!

[em1126]

Hi everyone! I feel like I've been away forever, so forgive me for skipping SO's today. I keep meaning to try to do better with responding . . . :rolleyes:

I am really getting sick of doctors! I had my appt. with the pediatric plastic surgeon on 3/14 (can't remember if I posted about that or not, but it went really well and I liked him a lot. First surgery will probably be done before she's a week old! Amazing!), the perinatologist on 3/21 and my regular OB today. The peri visit was great. Although I guess I'd rather not be seeing a peri at all, it is awesome to get to see DD every 4-6 weeks. She's getting so cute & chubby! I got a VHS tape (continous motion) and a CD (still shots) of the ultrasound and they are so cool. They estimate that she's about 2 lbs, 15 oz now. I swear I will eventually get around to posting some ultrasound shots here. OB visit today was pretty routine. I'm measuring about a week ahead, which would actually be great for our planned 39-week induction. My next appts are: regular OB, April 11; peri April 18th.

In between all this doctor madness, my parents came for a visit. It was a lot of fun, but, boy am I ready for a rest. It was fun to go baby-stuff shopping with my mom, though. I spent $60 at the Carter's Outlet on Sunday. This kid has so many clothes. I just hope she gets to wear all of them! That's about it from here and, again, I'm sorry for no SO's!

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[GA_GAL]

Smittenk: Thank you! I had seen a dollhouse bookshelf at PBK that I was going to buy. Then I was in AC MOORE (craft store) and found this one in the unfinished wood section for about 1/4 of the price. DH and I painted it white and it works just as well.

magrat: I love decorating (it's sort of a "hobby" of mine) so I couldn't wait to do the nursery. I guess that is why I'm done so early. Plus, I'm definitely a type A personality and like everything organized and completed with plenty of time to spare. I didn't think the glucose drink was that bad either.

Sarah6690: Thank you. The thing behind the glider is a poem my mom cross-stitched for my nursery when I was a baby. I just sprayed the frame white and had it re-matted. Here's a picture.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_1042.jpg

Glad you are finally gaining a little weight. I'm very jealous that you've only gained 7 lbs. total. How much did you gain during your first pregnancy?

micd: I sent her an email, so I'll let you know when I hear back. I think I remember her saying one of her friends started a small company and made it. I know how you feel about weight gain. I've been able to work out and exercise, but I've still gained alot! I know that I'll be over 35-40 lbs. by the end of this pregnancy. I think so far I'm up to about 25-30. I feel huge, but my dr. isn't worried. I'm eating as healthy as I can and working out or walking almost everyday. They keep telling me that some people's bodies just need it more than others. I'm really looking forward to loosing the weight and getting back to my regular size after she is born.

jenean: I feel the same way about going through IF to get pregnant. My pregnancy has been pretty much "textbook" and I've had no complications. It's just crazy for me to think back about how hard it was for me to actually get pregnant. I guess I just assumed that I would have trouble throughout, but thankfully everything has been OK. Congrats on hitting your 29 week goal! What's the new goal?

stevesbabygirl: Thanks for the comments on my nursery and the name. We do live in "the south" so hopefully she will turn into a sweet southern belle. I have a double name and anytime I meet people who are not from the south the first question they ask is: "Are you from the south?" Funny how names have certain images that go along with them.

OK, so today I got some not so great news. My co-teacher, who is also pregnant, had an apt. and found out that she is 2 cm. dilated. She's 32 weeks right now and they want her on bed rest until at least 36 weeks. This means I'll be alone (with a sub) for the rest of the year with 30 first graders. Not something I'm too excited about. I just hope the next 8 weeks go by really fast.

I did have a nice surprise when I got home. A friend who was not able to attend my shower sent me a gift. It's a pink canvas over-the-door hanging thing I had registered for at BRU. I'm using it to store and organize stuff in the closet. It's always fun to get gifts, especially when you aren't expecting them.

[stevesbabygirl]

micd,
I wouldn't worry too much about the weight gain (I know, this from the girl who freaked about gaining 8 pounds :p), especially because you're eating lots of the right foods. Good luck at your GTT!

em,
Yay for the good appointment with the plastic surgeon! As a speech therapy major, and as a surgical tech, I've always been fascinated by cleft palates. I would love to scrub in on that surgery!

GA GAL,
I think the reason I think of a Southern belle is because I read somewhere that family names are very popular in the South. Sorry to hear that your co-worker is out. Yay on the gift!

[Jenean]

stevesbabygirl, thanks! I hope the wall was finished today. I can’t believe you drank that so quickly! Ick! :p Definitely fight for that shot to be covered – if it’s medically necessary (and it is!) then it should be covered somehow!

micd, thanks! It sounds like you had a good appointment! Woohoo for being able to do a little walking!!! Definitely do not worry about the weight gain. As much as we hate it (I hit 37 lbs gained this morning), there’s not much we can do about it and it’s helping our babies. It’ll all come off eventually, or so I keep telling myself! ;)

em1126, I’m glad you’re with doctors you like. That is so cool about the video and I can’t wait to see some pics! Very nice about getting more clothes. We have some cute stuff now, but I can’t wait to go out and buy some gender specific things after they’re born.

GA GAL, what a beautiful cross stitch! At my shower, my mom gave me the baby blanket she embroidered for me when I was a baby and I can’t wait to incorporate it in the babies’ room somehow. I didn’t even know she still had it. Our new goal is 32 weeks. After that their lungs will be much more developed and it will be much easier for them. I’m still hoping to reach 36 weeks, or at least 34. I want them big enough so that they don’t have to stay in the hospital (at least for long) after birth. I really want them to come home with me when I’m discharged! I’m sorry to hear about your coteacher. I hope she’ll be okay and able to keep that baby inside!

[risa00]

Hey ladies,

Just came by to give a quick update. I apologize but I skimmed the last several pages so I didn't read everyone's posts. :( I went to the dermatologist yesterday (soooo happy they had a last minute cancellation). The doctor looked at every part of my body and said that she thinks it's PUPPP. She went ahead and had me do a bloodtest to ensure it's not Cholestasis so that result should be coming back tomorrow. For medicine, I have some cream that she gave me to put on morning and night. She also said to take as much antihistamine that they'll allow me to take. Also to stay away from any heat and only use soap under my arms and in my private area. And anytime I get a huge itch to put an ice pack on it. It's easy to say but try putting an ice cold rag on your stomach and you'll see what I mean. I went to the OB today and she didn't say too much (not sure if I like her style). She is going to wait to see what the results say but said that if it's PUPPP and I feel uncomfortable at the end, we might talk about being induced. So that's it for me. I still have bad itches but the ice does help it. Let's hope I'm the only one in this thread that has to experience this.

GA GAL - LOVE the nursery! Super cute!!!

[magrat]

We had our last Bradley class last night. We watched The Happiest Baby on the Block and it was great - I highly recommend checking it out at the library. It was amazing to see these sobbing babies stop crying almost instantly when the doctor turned them on their sides and made loud shushing noises in their ears. That is definitely going to be helpful for me - babies are a bit of a mystery, I've never really been around any. Which leads me to a QOTD:
Are you going to take an infant care class? If you've already taken one, did it seem useful?

After class I suggested we all go out for ice cream and everyone in the class was quick to agree, and we had a great chat. Usually we don't have that much time for socializing, so I think we all really wanted the opportunity. DH is going to put together an online group for us so we can stay in touch. It's just a shame that they all live so far away from us - apparently there are very few Bradley instructors in the Twin Cities, so couples have to travel quite a ways for classes. Luckily we're close to ours.

[Sarah6690]

stevesbabygirl did they get the room done?

micd yay for the walking and the good appointment.

em I'm glad you had fun with your parents. I haven't bought any new clothes for this one... I still have a ton of stuff with tags still on it from DS.

GA_Gal That cross stitch poem is adorable. I gained about 40lbs with DS... that's why I've been so shocked that I haven't gained more with this one yet. With DS it was a pretty steady weight gain. I think I'm going to start packing on the pounds now, but I'm really not too worried about it.

Jenean That's so sweet that your mom still had the blanket from when you were a baby. I think you asked me earlier (I'm too lazy to go back and look) how big the baby is now. He's right about 3lbs. That put him in the 32nd percentile. But the dr said that it's really hard to be concerned at this point, because it's still quite a ways off, and who's to say how much weight he will gain between now and then.

risa I'm glad you are able to at least get a little relief. Let us know what the results say. I feel awful for you if it is PUPPS, since there isn't a whole lot you can do for it.

QOTD no, we won't be taking any infant care classes. We didn't with DS either. But both DH and I have been around babies quite a bit. Neither of us were really worried that we wouldn't know what to do. If anyone is considering it, I would definately go for it. Anything you can do to feel more confident with a newborn is definately worth it.

Has anyone watch the movie Borat? DH and I watched it last night. I still don't know what to think of it. There were some funny parts, but it was about the dumbest thing I have ever seen.

[magrat]

The nurse just called and I passed my GTT! This is good because I was chewing on a piece of candy when she called and I would have had to spit it out ;) I'm not surprised I passed, but I thought the timing was amusing :)

[Sarah6690]

magrat yay for passing your GTT! That's pretty funny about the candy though.:p

[GA_GAL]

Jenean: My co-teacher was just admitted to the hospital and they were saying 36 weeks for her, but now they just lowered it to 34 weeks...only 2 more weeks for her so hopefully they'll be able to stop contractions. I'm keeping fingers crossed for you and her to make it to that magic date. Have they told you how big your babies are right now? I think it is very special to have things passed down. I'm sure you'll be able to use that blanket in some way.

risa00: I'm so sorry to hear that you are still dealing with the itching. I've just heard a little about PUPPS, but know that it can't be anything you want to deal with. Hopefully that cream will help you out. Thanks for the compliments on the nursery. I've had way too much fun getting everything done.

magrat: Too bad everyone in your class doesn't live close together, but at least you were able to visit tonight and will stay in touch through the Internet. Hooray for passing your GTT. I still haven't heard about mine, so I'm guessing everything is OK, but I plan to call tomorrow.

Sarah6690: I'm estimating that my total weight gain might be around 35-40 lbs by the time it is all said and done. I really did not want to gain that much, but there hasn't really been much I can do about it. I'm eating pretty healthy and exercising almost daily. My dr. isn't worried, so I guess I'm not either. They one thing I do worry about is loosing it after she is born and getting back into shape. Did you have a hard time with that or did it just come off? I'm planning on bf and also am very dedicated to working out, so I hope it won't be too hard.

micd: I got a response back from my friend. The website of the girl who made the name thing is: http://www.laurakirkland.com/
She said that she can personalize and customize anything. She has some really cute things on her website.

QOTD: We are taking a class at the hospital called Basic Infant Care. I've been around babies, but never for extended amounts of time and I know that I'll feel more confident and comfortable after the class. I know DH will benefit from it too.

[steelcitymama]

hey there...

jenean~congrats on meeting your first goal! very exciting! i agree that it's really special to have things passed down and/or made for your babies. i know my MIL is making the baby a quilt, which i'm really excited about. and i believe one of her sisters will probably be personalizing some things like blankets and onesies for the baby---she does a lot of embroidering & monogramming and things like that.

risa~so sorry to hear about the continuous itching! yuck. i really can't imagine and totally sympathize with you.

sarah and GA GAL~i too am estimating that my weight gain will be around the 35-40 marker. like you, i'm not concerned esp since it's all belly (at least to this point!), just hoping it will come off easily! it's funny. i hardly gained anything in the first 5 mos, then i had a crazy spurt where i gained a lot at once, and then it tapered back off to just under a lb a week. frankly, i've stopped looking @ the scale. :) i figure "it is what it is." i eat healthy foods and exercise, so i figure my body will just do what it needs to do to support the baby & me.

QOTD: we are taking an infant care class. i've been around kids a ton, but DH hasn't at all and really wanted to take a class. i'm happy to do it, too, because i think it will definitely help me feel more comfortable. i've been with babies a lot but not for several years and none fresh outta the womb! we're also taking a breastfeeding class & an infant/child CPR class.

[em1126]

QOTD - We are going to be taking a childbirth class, a breastfeeding class and an infant care class. I figure it couldn't hurt . . . neither DH nor I have been around babies very much at all.

steelcitymama, sarah, and GA_GAL - Count me in with the 35-40 total lbs. of weight gain. I was really hoping to be closer to 25-lb. weight gain, but alas . . . I can't say I'm eating all that healthy (I've had an insatiable sweet tooth!) but I don't think I've eaten that badly, either, plus I'm still walking the dog just about every morning. Hopefully, it will come off quickly.

GA_GAL - I hope everything works out for your co-teacher and that our time with just the sub goes quickly and smoothly.

magrat - Congrats on passing the GTT! Even though your Bradley class is pretty spread out, it's nice that you'll be able to keep in touch online.

Risa00 - I hope the cream helps with your itching and your test results come back good.

Jenean - Congrats on reaching your first goal!

[Smittenk]

QOTD We have taken our birthing classes and our infant CPR and rescue course...I am going to go to a La Leche League meeting for pointers and tips in May

[Jenean]

risa, sending you tons of hugs..... I cannot imagine that physical discomfort and I am so sorry you are experiencing it. I hope those remedies start doing more for you soon!

magrat, I'm so glad to hear another good review of that DVD! I just got it from the library last week and haven't watched it yet. I'm going to block out some time with DH for Saturday so we can watch it then. Great news on the GTT and too funny about the candy!

QOTD, we are planning to take a BFing and Infant Care Class at our hospital on 4/19. I also want to take infant CPR, but haven't found a place yet (but then again, I haven't done much looking).

Sarah, 3 lbs is great! Don't they do most of their growing from now till birth? I'm sure he'll be packing 'em on. ;) I'm sorry you had to sit through Borat. DH couldn't wait to see it but I have very strong opinions against Sascha Baron Cohen so I refused. Now he wants to get it on DVD but I have forbidden him to bring it into the house. :p

GA GAL, wow, the hospital! Luckily I haven't had more than the "allowed" number of contractions in an hour, so I'm still able to be at home. I really want to avoid the hospital (at least until it's time to give birth!). We got all new measurements on the babies today - I'll put an update below.

steelcitymama, that's awesome that you'll have stuff specially handmade for the baby. Those items mean so much. My grandmother knitted two baby blankets for us and my mom's already crocheted one (in my college colors, and she's doing another one for Seth in his favorite team's colors), and I know our "extra" mom is crocheting two also. These kids will def. be warm!

em1126, thanks!


Update on us: yesterday's appointment sucked. I had a really crappy morning and was very upset, so I hadn't really eaten or drank anything and was all worked up, so my BP was high and there were protein and ketones in the little bit of urine I managed to get in the cup. Luckily I was going back today anyway for our u/s so they rechecked me and I was much better. BP was back down to 124/78, which is a little high for me, but still okay, and my urine test was better, too. But because of yesterday's results I have to go back in on Monday for another PIAC and BP check. No big deal.

My cervix is down to 2.1 cm and goes below 2 cm with any pressure, so basically any time I'm standing or sitting it's below 2. So I can go from the bed to the sofa and back and can get up in between to pee and that's about it. I have to skip Monday's seder in NJ b/c that's too long of a car ride, but I'm allowed to go to the seder that's only 20 minutes from home on Tuesday if I promise to stay on the sofa while I'm there. The word "hospitalization" was mentioned again, and I'm continuing to take this very seriously. If I have to be hospitalized b/f 32 weeks I'd have to go to the ickier hospital further away from the house (where there's a Level III NICU), but if I can make it to 32 weeks then at least I'd be able to be at the hospital by my house (Level II NICU). Of course, hopefully I'll be able to stay at home the whole time! So, 32 weeks for our next goal, then 34 (lung maturity), then 36 (bring 'em on!).

Babies are doing great! I'll post new pics and a new belly pic later on. Both are head down (YAYAYAY) and are only 2 oz apart in weight (2 lbs 13 oz and 2 lbs 15 oz). Heart rates were 143 and 136. Laurel's heart looked fine - all four chambers and pumping strongly, but we're still going for the fetal echo next week. We saw Laurel give the biggest yawn = so cute! I videotaped it since DH couldn't go and we'll watch it tonight.

So my next appointment is Monday 4/2 with our family friend to check BP and go over our L&D questions. I have to decide who I want to be my primary for delivery now that my regular OB is leaving the practice. Ideally, if I can deliver vaginally, my midwife will be there and the other doc in the practice will be on-call for a possible c/s. I do NOT want our friend delivering us if it's a vaginal birth. But if it's a c/s I think I might be okay with him doing it. I guess maybe since he won't be staring right up my hoohoo for a c/s, it feels more okay somehow. Gotta think about that one some more!

Not much else. I'm really tired today and am enjoying just lying around. I've been busy with work and am looking forward to just reading and watching some t.v. later on. I finished my third baby bib last night and am looking through my pattern books to choose what I want to stitch on the hooded towels I bought. I hope to do those this weekend and then I think I may choose and start birth records for each baby. And next week I plan to order the baby shower pics I want to put in our scrapbook and get that done, too! Lots of things to keep me busy! :D

[stevesbabygirl]

I had my 28 week appointment today, and everything looks great! I've gained another 4 pounds for a total of about 18 (16 according to the Blue Cross program I signed up for), and my blood pressure was 108/70, fantastic! I met yet another doctor today, the one I originally went to see, and she was extremely nice. She found Owen's heartbeat right away, and because he's getting bigger, he wasn't able to run away from the Doppler this time. I go back in 3 weeks (next appointment is April 19th), which I thought was kind of an odd time, because I thought I'd be going every 2 weeks at this point.

At my appointment, I also got my RhoGAM shot, fun. That thing actually hurt, and I'm pretty good with needles. When I got the box out, the nurse looked at it weird, and was then shocked to find out that there were 5 syringes inside. I was only supposed to get 1 syringe, and the stupid ass pharmacy charged me for 5! That explains why it cost me almost $700. I guess they have to order them in boxes, and they gave me the entire thing, because apparently, they NEVER fill prescriptions for RhoGAM, which I find a little hard to believe. The nurse and the doctor both thought it was total crap that I was charged for the entire box, so they wrote a note to the pharmacy asking them to take back the other 4 and reimburse me. Here's where it gets fun.

After my appointment, I dropped Steve off at work, headed home to find the receipt, and drove to the pharmacy. I gave them the box and explained the situation, but they tried to give me all kinds of crap. They told me that I agreed to pay for it. Well yeah, I agreed to pay for it, but I didn't know that I was paying for FIVE syringes, when I only needed ONE! No one bothered to tell me that when I gave them the prescription. They tried paging the pharmacy manager, but apparently, he had just left, and won't be back until next Friday! Gee, that's convenient. What are they supposed to do if they have a real emergency and need the manager for something. I called Steve to let him know what was happening, and he was pissed. So when he gets home from work tonight, we're going back to the pharmacy. Wish us luck, though I doubt much good will come of it. Steve is usually really good about dealing with people when he's angry, but he was really pissed on the phone, so I hope he can control himself.

[stevesbabygirl]

Jenean,
I actually thought it was a pretty decent drink, not at all as bad as I thought it would be, thank God! I'm sorry to hear that your appointment sucked :(. Hopefully, those two will stay put!

risa,
I'm sorry to hear that it's PUPPP. I hope you're able to get some relief!

magrat,
It's amazing how well the shushing can work! I was visiting a friend, and her baby was having a rough day, and as soon as she started doing that, he calmed down. Yay for passing your GTT!

Sarah,
Yep, they got the room done, and I'm so happy! It still needs to be painted, but it's been primered on both sides.

QOTD - So far, we've taken a class on baby care basics and becoming a parent, and we're halfway through the breastfeeding class. Our childbirth classes aren't until May, because the hospital recommended that you schedule it so that the last class (it's a 3-week class) is about 3 weeks before your due date. Mine is a month before, but I figure that even that is cutting it close.

[L&D Nurse]

I'm back from my 30 week appointment and all is well with baby. He is measuring right on track and his heartbeat is nice and strong! I gained 7 lbs. in 4 weeks :eek: , but the doctor didn't seem concerned so I'm trying not to let it bother me. I'm up about 17-20 total. Since I am only 5'1" I was hoping to stay around 25 pounds total by delivery, but I'll probably go a bit over that. I go every back every two weeks from now until 36 weeks, and then every week until d-day!

Here are pics of our newly-assembled crib and changing table - it is getting so real!!!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/203/439932686_561f875af9.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/180/439932668_5c105e729c.jpg

[stevesbabygirl]

L&DNurse,
Cute furniture :D! That bedding set is adorable, and my DH would love that tray on top of the changer.

[Smittenk]

Beautiful furniture L&D Nurse! Glad to hear everything is going well with baby!!


So we finally exchanged contracts today so we will be moving into base housing at the end of April which means I can finally start setting some things up for the arrival. We won't be doing a full on nursery since we are moving back to the US in October (Where I plan on going full on nursery mode!) but it will be nice just to set up the basinette and diaper area and clothes and such KWIM? I cannot wait!!

I have a quick question for you ladies..the Glucose test...did you have to sit for 1 hour or 2?? I'm going on MOnday to do it and I want to plan my day accordingly and for the life of me I cannot remember what the midwife told me. :rolleyes:

Hope you ladies have a fab weekend!!

[micd]

Smittenk - 1 hour. Good luck! I had mine yesterday.

L&D Nurse - Nice furniture!

Newborn Class - Yes, yes yes! We will take one. I have spent a lot of time around children, but am a bit nervous about caring for a newborn (especially bathing them). I definitely want to do infant CPR and first aid as well.

[elissa]

So, I have not been around in forever, but I have been reading along ladies! It seems that things are going well for most and I cannot believe that we are getting so close!

QOTD We signed up for a plethora (sp) of classes at our hospital, all through one program fee. So, we are taking a Newborn/Infant Care/CPR class as well as Breastfeeding, Childbirth, Baby Your Body, etc.

I have all of my appointments scheduled with the exception of my last one and the actual C-section itself. Threadmistress, they are as follows: April 4th, April 17th, May 2nd, May 16th, May 23rd, May 30th. That is pretty crazy considering that there are so few weeks left.

Hopefully I'll be able to pop in a bit more :)

[StacieLady]

L&DNurse - I love your bedding! If we were having a girl we wanted to go for an undersea theme. That one is so great, and it looks perfect with your beautiful furniture.

QOTD - DH and I are doing the Childbirth, Breastfeeding, and infant care classes through the hospital at which we are delivering. We opted out of the infant CPR because I have taken it about 3 times.

[MexicoBride'05]

Hello ladies!

Sorry I've been MIA. It's been tough to get on here lately since we are getting ready to move etc.

Threadmistress - Sure! You can put one of my 3D u/s pics on the first page instead of my other one - thanks!

QOTD DH and I are starting our prenatal classes on April 4th! It's every Wednesday night for 2 hours for 6 weeks and then they have a reunion class after that.

Nothing much new with me. My next appointment is on Monday April 2nd.

We are just starting to get everything packed and ready for our move. We move into our new townhouse on April 29th. I'm excited but at the same time I HATE moving. I won't be able to do anything really since I'll be like 8 months pregnant.

I have two showers coming up! My first one is on April 22nd with all my friends and then my mom is throwing me another one on May 26th with all my family on her side. Should be fun!

I can't wait until the weather starts getting nicer so I can wear some new springy clothes! I've seen lots of cute stuff in Motherhood but haven't bought anything yet.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

[magrat]

We made good progress on baby stuff today. We went and set up a registry at BRU (a whole 21 items!) and then went to Barnes & Noble to look through baby name books and hammer out agreements on baby names. We were there like 5 or 6 hours, even eating awful Starbucks sandwiches to keep us going because I wouldn't let us leave until we had decided. It was like the Middle East peace accords ;) But we left having made a decision:

Oliver Andrew if it's a boy, Eleanor Eve if it's a girl. We like alliteration :) And I am determined not to have second thoughts. My parents are going to be :eek: at Oliver I think, but they'll get used to it.

[Smittenk]

Thanks so much micd!

Those are very cute names magrat!! It must feel so good to have that decided. DH and I are totally set on the girls name but have a few up in the air for a boy.

[stevesbabygirl]

29 week belly shots!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/442397159_d927bee0bb.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/442677115_9a5aa65785.jpg?v=0

[risa00]

Thanks ladies for all of your thoughts. Things are 90% better now. The bloodwork came back normal so no liver problems. I personally don't think that I even have PUPPP but rather just an allergic reaction on top of some itching. ??? My rash on my stomach is almost gone, not sure if it's due to the cream she gave me or again if I was allergic to the cocoa butter. I do have some itching (not constant) on my belly, back, legs. The only thing that does itch like crazy still is my hands and feet but I think I can live with that. At least now I feel like I can make the 40 weeks without needing to be induced early. :)

I'm starting to think my OB doesn't know what she's doing but it's a little late to transfer now. A lot of people in the area go to her and like her, but from what I'm seeing, she just doesn't seem to be alarmed with anything and she doesn't seem to do anything that other OBs do. Like I heard from other PG women they get measured from their naval to their pubic bone. Almost 30 weeks and never had that done. I realized I'm suppose to get the RH shot and I went to research it after my last 29th week appointment. I saw that it was suppose to be done at 28 weeks so I call and leave a message on the nurse's line and they tell me to come in and get it. Shouldn't the OB or nurse that works with PG women know this over a first time mom to be???? My next appointment is set for April 10th.

Well I supposedly have a shower on April 14th (no invitations have been sent out yet) and for some reason my work scheduled one for May 24th (don't they realize I could have the baby by then). I'm excited but we'll see what kind of turnout I get.

I had my DH take me to the Salish Lodge this weekend. It was very relaxing. We each got a hot stone massage.. quite nice!

Here is my 28.5 week shot, a week behind where I'm at now.

http://www.seanandlisa.net/28.5a%20weeks.jpg

L&D Nurse - Love the furniture! What kind is it?

[L&D Nurse]

Thank you for the compliments on our baby furniture! It is Babi Italia from BRU.

[Smittenk]

Oh risa00, I"m so so happy to hear your good news!! Maybe it was a reaction to your shampoo or your wahing detergent or something. I remember last year when my friend was preggo she suddenly became allergic to the lotion she had used for years. I have heard it is quite common to develop a sensitivity to things you have used often.


I had my GTT today...wasn't too bad. It tasted like really sweet, flat Sprite and thankfully they had it chilled. I was surprised by how much there was though. I did it at 8am so it was a little tough on my empty stomach and about 30 minutes after I drank it I suddenly became really tired and then got shaky. Thank goodness that is done...now I just have to hope for good results!

We ordered our glider and ottoman on the weekend. I honestly didn't think I wanted one but then just decided that I did. I refused to pay the amount of money that most places sell them for since I don't want to keep it after the baby so I found one at JCPenney on sale!! whoohoo! It is cherry wood (our nursery furniture will be an off white) but oh well...you can't beat 159.00 and free shipping...especially when you live overseas!!


ETA...Wow how insane is this...I already have the results from my GTT??!! Seriously my hospital usually takes 3 weeks for results. Well all was good and my number was 60 below what the limit is so YEY to that...but the nurse did tell me that the other test they did showed that I have slight anemia and they are prescribing me Iron tablets to take twice a day. That makes 4 pills a day I am taking now...prenatal, fish oil and now these!

Did anyone else have a similar result with Iron levels?

[StacieLady]

Smitten - My GTT and Iron results were just the same as yours. Only my Dr just said to buy an iron supplement OTC. So now I am taking my vitamins, fish oil, and Iron. My doc did say that I should try to take my vitamin and iron at different times of day to help keep them from interfering with each other's absorption. Now I just have my fingers crossed that the iron won't cause the dreaded constipation!

[Smittenk]

Smitten - My GTT and Iron results were just the same as yours. Only my Dr just said to buy an iron supplement OTC. So now I am taking my vitamins, fish oil, and Iron. My doc did say that I should try to take my vitamin and iron at different times of day to help keep them from interfering with each other's absorption. Now I just have my fingers crossed that the iron won't cause the dreaded constipation!

Hmmm...I wonder why I am getting prescribed an iron medication? I would rather take a supplement like you are doing. I looked up natural food sources of Iron and surprisingly I do eat quite a few of them but who knows. The nurse did say that the pills have a stool softener included in them so hopefully I won't get the constipation either.

Isn't pregnancy just such a magical time?! LOL! ;)

[steelcitymama]

hi, everyone~

risa, glad to hear your itching has subsided at least a bit. if you really don't like your OB or feel comfortable, i wouldn't hesitate to switch. i know we're pretty far along, but i know people who have switched even later than this.

L&D nurse---great furniture and bedding! super cute.

smitten~great news about the GTT---very good news. crappy about the anemia, though that seems like a very easy fix. i know what you mean about all the pills, though...i take my prenatal and my "omega mom" supplement and also my midwife-approved allergy pill if my allergies are really bad...which they have been recently.

mexico~very fun about your showers coming up. mine are too and i can't wait!

we had our infant/child CPR/first aid class this weekend and we have our infant care class tomorrow night.

so, painting the baby's room is nearly complete. the plan is for DH to finish up painting the choc brown on the bottom this week (though our week is jam-packed, so i'm not sure if that'll actually pan out)...his office is closed on friday, so he and his dad are going to measure and cut the chair rail and hopefully put that up this weekend and we'll be all finished! we get our furniture on the 14th, so it'll need to be finished by then at the latest. i can't wait. baby gifts have started arriving from people who can't make the shower and i need somewhere to start storing this stuff! speaking of, a friend sent a great package with a variety of fun things with notes on each of them explaining whey she thought we'd like them. they were all favorites of hers and her DH's (they have a 9 mo old). one of the things she sent was the Dr. Sears Baby Book, which i highly recommend. DH and i are both really enjoying it.

in other exciting news, i spoke with a woman this morning who does daycare out of her home, in our neighborhood. she has a degree in child development and great previous work experience. she sounded really high energy and outgoing, i set up an appt for DH and i to meet with her on weds night, so i'm very excited. we just need daycare for 2 days a week and are on some waiting lists at traditional daycare facilities, but this would be really ideal for us. i'll keep you guys posted.

[magrat]

risa00 I agree it isn't too late to switch OBs. Think about whether this OB is someone you want there for one of the most important moments of your life, someone you want making decisions regarding the health and safety of your baby.

Sunday was another great day for cleaning. I cleaned and reorganized the other half of the kitchen, and now are countertops are pretty much cleared off! We had so much junk on them - crackers and cereal boxes that had nowhere to go. I reorganized the cupboards and now our kitchen is neat and pristine, it's so wonderful. The rest of the house still needs some work, but I can only do so much at a time, and most of the other rooms are waiting on the basement carpet being installed (so we can move stuff down there).

Didn't sleep well that night though, or Saturday night, so today I've been very tired. I have to be so much more careful not to eat too much these days, because I reach full a lot sooner than I usually do and end up feeling like I'm going to explode, bloated and uncomfortable. Otherwise I don't have much to complain about.

I'm not anemic (I'm pretty sure that's your hemoglobin levels, right?). I made sure I asked about mine and it was within the normal range. I take a womens' vitamin and two fish pills a day. I've been a lot better about that lately. During the second tri there was a long stretch I wasn't taking vitamins at all (bad me). I don't envy those of you taking iron supplements, even the iron heavy vitamins I was taking for a while gave me horrible constipation. Eat lots of prunes, that helped me a lot.

I've recently discovered Etsy.com. Oh my god they have cute baby stuff for sale. I haven't bought anything yet, but it sure is tempting!

[GA_GAL]

jenean: glad you and your babies are doing well. Hope you'll be able to make it to your goal so you can go to the good hospital by your house. I'm sure that will make for a much more pleasant experience.

stevesbabygirl: Glad your apt. went well. I can't believe the pharmacy gave you 5 shots and let you think you were getting one. What was the outcome of that? Hopefully your DH was able to get some money back.

L&D Nurse : Great furniture. I really like the ocean themed bedding. Don't you just love having everything set up in the nursery?!?!


MexicoBride'05: Moving is no fun, but it sounds like you'll be very happy when you are settled. At least you are getting to move before your baby. It looks like I'll be moving right after mine is born!

magrat: Hooray for picking names!!! I like both your choices.

risa00: I'm glad most of your itching has gone away. Are there any other doctors at your OB or just that one? I don't think it is too late to switch. Especially if you feel like you'll be more comfortable with someone else.

Smittenk: It's great you were able to get your results so fast. It took almost a week for me to get mine back. Yea for getting a great deal on a glider!

steelcitymama: Glad your painting is almost done. That has got to feel great. I can't wait to see pictures when you are done. Hope the meeting with the daycare lady goes well. It would be great to have someone in your neighborhood watching your baby.

I'm having a really hard time getting comfortable at night to sleep. I wake up hot and with a back-ache. I'm using as many pillows as possible, and that helps.

I've been feeling my baby move around ALL the time now. I guess as she is getting bigger/stronger I'm really able to feel all her movements.

This weekend we got a ton done on our house and yard and now we're ready go get it on the market. Our plan is to meet with agents later this week.

I noticed a lot of you said you were taking Fish Oil. What kind and how much are you taking. What exactly is that for...is it brain development in the baby?

[stevesbabygirl]

Smitten,
Yay for passing your GTT! It's pretty common for women to become anemic in the third trimester.

Farah,
Moving does suck, and I imagine it sucks even more when you're going to be so pregnant by then. But then again, that means you can just put your feet up and direct everyone else :p.

magrat,
I like your names, they're old-fashioned but classic! My grandfather's name was Oliver, and I considered using that as a middle name. I haven't been sleeping well lately either, it's so annoying!

risa,
Glad to hear that you don't have the cholestasis or PUPPPs! That's really strange that your doctor doesn't do any of that stuff. So you're RH negative and your DH is RH positive? I have the same problem, and just had my RhoGAM shot. Fun stuff. Cute belly!

steelcitymama,
Yay for getting gifts! I've been peeking at my registry, and see that a few things have been purchased, and I think it's mostly from my parents. When DH and I were getting our taxes done, we stopped by their house on the way home, and they weren't home because they were shopping for our baby :).

GA GAL,
I was just about to write about that!

[stevesbabygirl]

I got a phone call from Walgreens today, and the store manager asked me to bring the prescription back to the store, after much arguing with him. So DH and I headed over there, and they refunded us the extra $542 they charged us, yay!

[Jenean]

stevesbabygirl, how crazy about the screwup at the pharmacy with all the extra doses! I am so glad they fixed the problem! What a huge relief!!! The 1-hr GTT drink wasn't too bad. Just v. sweet Gatorade-y type I thought. The 3-hr I had a harder time with. It was much more syrupy. I'm glad those are over! You look so great!

L&D Nurse, glad to hear you had a good appointment! Your weight gain sounds good and I'm sure it'll come off quickly after the little guy arrives. I love the furniture - so pretty!

Smittenk, good news on getting the housing stuff settled! I think it's kind of neat that you can do a nursery after the baby is here - you can kind of get to know its personality and make the nursery fit the baby! I'm glad your GTT wasn't terribly bad. That drink is so much easier when it's cold. Great deal on the glider! I didn't have any problems with my iron levels, but I'm glad that they caught that for you and that it's an easy "fix."

elissa, wow to having all those appointments all set up! So crazy to think that we're all so close!

MexicoBride, hopefully the move will go smoothly so you don't have to worry about too much. Enjoy just sitting back and watching everyone else work, and try not to get frustrated if you can't do things you want to. Woohoo for showers coming up!

magrat, oooh, I love the name Oliver! And Eve, too. I think both names are great and I love how they flow when you say them together. Great work on getting your kitchen organized. I'm a freak and organizing things brings me a great deal of satisfaction. I can't wait to get our shelves up in the basement next week and then organize (well, point and direct as my mom organizes) all our office stuff.

risa, what a cute belly you have! You look terrific. I'm glad the itching is a little better, but :eek: to what you wrote about your OB. I've been getting measured at every appointment for quite a while now. And I agree, they should definitely be up on what shots you should be getting and when! I'm glad you had a good massage this weekend and yay for showers!

steelcitymama, great work on the nursery and so cool about baby gifts arriving. We have so much stuff and it's all on shelves in our boiler room since we're not bringing any of it into the house before the babies are born. Makes it difficult to remember what we really have! That's great news about the potential neighborhood daycare. I hope it works out!

GA GAL, thanks, me too! Lots and lots of luck with selling your house. I hope it goes quickly!


It's been an icky few days over here. Thursday night I realized that my regular stuffy nose was worse than usual and it became obvious over the course of the night (during which I was awake just about all the time; I got about 2 1/2 hours sleep b/w 5-8 am) that I had a full blown cold. And we had no pregnancy-approved meds in the house, so I just suffered till DH woke up and I could send him to CVS. Unfortunately, the Tylenol Cold did NOTHING for my symptoms and I basically just lay in bed, miserable, all day. Double unfortunately, it was DH's birthday! I could barely get out of bed to use the bathroom, much less take him to dinner or anything. By Saturday I felt a little better, then a little better yesterday, so we went ahead with his birthday brunch and had 3 couples over for the afternoon. That was nice. Today I feel human again, thank goodness!

Today's appointment was good. My BP was back down to normal, 120/80, and I'm measuring at 35 weeks (hee). Weight gain is 38 lbs and the doc is v. happy with that. I'm actually anxious to gain more now, since having these babies early seems more and more likely to happen, so I'm hoping to pack on a couple of pounds a week for the next few weeks to get these babies up to 4 lbs apiece as fast as I can. Today's h/r were 146 and 153 and the doc heard no irregularity in Laurel's heart, which is great. I've been moved to WEEKLY u/s now (oy), so here's my appt schedule for the next 2 weeks: 4/5 (u/s), 4/9 (OB), 4/12 (u/s), plus the echo this Friday.

It feels so weird to me to be thinking in terms of weeks already. You guys still have what seems like forever to go and part of me is a little jealous, but part of me is also so excited that our kids will arrive pretty soon. I think we're about as ready as we can be, even more so after my folks are here next week to finish the nursery for us and finish stocking up our supplies. I told my office that after this recent round of new contracts I'm working on, I think I'm ready to truly back away now and let them run things. So I think that after this week and next I'll really be "out" of work. Just reading and cross-stitching for me from then on!

I hope anyone who is celebrating tonight is having a good start to their Passover and a lovely seder surrounded by family and friends. DH is celebrating for both of us with the family in NJ tonight (I wasn't allowed to go b/c of the long drive) and I am very much looking forward to being able to attend our other family seder tomorrow night (the doc begrudgingly agreed to let me go since this one is only 20 minutes away). Happy Pesach!

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[em1126]

Wow, it's quiet in here today!

Jenean Sorry you had an icky weekend, but glad to hear you're feeling better and that the babies are doing well. It must be exciting to almost be done with work. I hope you enjoy your Passover.

stevesbabygirl Hooray for the pharmacy refund!

GA_Gal I hear you with the not sleeping well. I haven't slept well for about 3 months. (I guess you could call it getting ready for a newborn!) I am just not a side sleeper at all. Everything about my hips hurts by the morning (joints, skin, etc.) and I'm up to pee at least twice a night! That's exciting that your house is ready to go on the market! Best wishes for a speedy sale!

magrat I am so impressed by all your cleaning. I just don't have the energy for cleaning right now. I'm hoping the nesting instinct kicks in soon, though. I will have to check out Etsy.com.

steelcitymama Wow, lots of exciting stuff going on with you. I hope you'll post pics of the baby's room when it's finished. It sounds lovely. And, how great is it that you might have childcare right in your neighborhood? I hope it all works out!

risa00 So glad to hear it's nothing serious and the itching has subsided a little!

Not too much going on here. We got a shipment from Walmart.com yesterday which included our stroller frame, bouncer and Diaper Champ. The nursery is getting pretty full! Luckily, there's still some stuff we need to move out of there, so I think we'll have room for it all. I've been feeling pretty good (except for the sleeping, as mentioned above), just some very faint aching in my lower abdomen. I think I either pulled a muscle or baby's having a growth spurt. It feels similar to the round ligament pain I had earlier. I think I'm overthinking this a little too much, but has anyone decided what they're wearing home from the hospital? I don't know what size of clothes I can expect to fit into, although I'm pretty darn sure it won't be my normal pre-preggo clothes. So, I'm curious to hear what your thoughts/plans are. Have a good day!

[Jenean]

em1126, thanks, it's definitely a nice thought. I didn't know when I left back in January how long I'd be working from home, and I'm happy I made it this far. I haven't always been super-busy, but I've stayed active and it's been nice. Yay for getting a few more things! I haven't even thought about what I'll wear home from the hospital! Probably my favorite cargo capris that I've been wearing since 3 months and a top. I have some tops I bought back in November that fit me up until a month or two ago that will hopefully fit again then. I've heard that you can expect to be about the same size you were around 5 months' pregnant. Perhaps some of our RO's can give a better idea?


I forgot to mention yesterday that we did talk with our OB (our friend) yesterday about L&D. He understands how important it is to me that we have the option to at least consider a vaginal delivery. When we get to the hospital, whether I go into labor or have to be induced, they will do a last u/s to check the babies' position and if they're both head down we'll have that chance. If they're not, I'm fine with going ahead with a c/s. In the end, I made sure the doc knew that we will do whatever is best for the babies!

[L&D Nurse]

I had my first leg cramp last night... yeeouch!!! :eek: I woke in the middle of the night with it and scared DH because I was shaking him and kicking my leg at him. He finally figured out what was going on and rubbed my leg for me. It lasted about 30 seconds, and oh my goodness it was painful! It is still sore today. Does anyone know how to prevent leg cramps???

[stevesbabygirl]

Jenean,
Yeah, they were major idiots at the pharmacy, and I think we're going to transfer all of our prescriptions out of there, because we just don't want to deal with them anymore. I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better!

em,
Thanks! I've been wondering about what to wear home, but I figure it's gotta be something I'm not afraid of staining or ruining, so that may limit me to black pants and some random top :p.

L&DNurse,
Ouch on the leg cramp! Those things are the worst! I've gotten them before, but I've been lucky to avoid them during this pregnancy. I thought I felt one coming on last night though. I hear that water is good for preventing leg cramps, and perhaps potassium? Maybe a banana before bed or something.

[stevesbabygirl]

I had a disappointing conversation with DH last night. During our breastfeeding class, we saw a video (probably the same one that you saw, magrat) that showed an infant crawling to the mother's breast shortly after an unmedicated birth. I told my DH that I was still getting an epidural (please tell me I'm not the only one here getting one!), and could tell that he wasn't very happy about it. On the way home, he told me that he thinks that I shouldn't get one. I told him that I'm getting one, and that I need his support on this, but it doesn't sound like I'm going to get it. He said he'd go along with it, but I know that in the back of his mind, he's going to think I'm making a mistake. I'm just so bummed about it. It is unreasonable to ask him to put aside his personal feelings on the subject to support me?

[Jenean]

L&D Nurse, ugh, I am sorry that happened! I hope you don't get any more! I have no idea how to prevent them. Is it related to dehydration at all, or maybe you can stretch the muscles before bed or something? I'm clueless.

stevesbabygirl, I don't blame you at all for doing that. I don't think I could trust them again, and you need a place you can trust for something as important as medications! I don't think you're being unreasonable at all. Obviously, any medications we take can affect the baby, but an epidural is one of the less-invasive ones. The meds don't actually enter your bloodstream, which makes the effect on the baby much less than pain meds like Demerol or something like that. Even without meds, not every baby will crawl up to the breast like that, and even with meds, most babies still have the natural tendency to root for the breast. So you should still be able to BF soon after birth even with an epidural. BTW, I asked my OB about BFing yesterday and he said that natural/medicated/c/s birth or whatever, most babies do not IMMEDIATELY BF. He said at first their biggest "concern" is learning how to breathe and that's their main focus for the first few minutes of life. From what I've read and learned, BFing within the first hour is ideal, and even up to 2 hours is great, but even if you can't make it within that window, odds of success are still very high. As for your DH, if it were me (and this is just me), I'd tell him that that video only represents ONE image and that before he makes up his mind entirely, if he has concerns, he should do more research on the topic. And in the end, remind him that you're not going to do anything that would harm the baby and that it is your decision since it is your body! (BTW, if you can't tell from this, I'm absolutely getting an epidural.)

[Sarah6690]

stevesbabygirl just wanted to chime in with my opinion on this one. I understand completely that there are some people who want an unmedicated birth... and that's fine if that's what works for them. I, on the other hand (before finding out we were having a repeat c-sect) had made it perfectly clear that if I could get an epidural in the parking lot, that would be ideal. The way I see it, you don't get an award for going through all the pain, so what's the point. Sure your newborn is probably a little more alert without one, but I just couldn't justify going through all of that. Ask your DH if he wants to pass a lemon out of his pee hole. Alright, sorry I'm done. Just do want you want to do and threaten him with his life if he doesn't support you. (you can always blame your hormones for the outrage later:o )

[Jenean]

Just have to add, Sarah, LOL! Hee!

[Sarah6690]

Jenean I guess there was a nicer way to say that. lol!

[Smittenk]

Just had to share with you that pregnant chicks can still be hot ;) I just had to rock the pre-pregnancy dress that showed a ton of cleavage for our anniversary dinner tonight (we stayed in...I wouldn't wear it out). I couldn't believe that I actually found something that I felt semi-sexy in...it helped that DH was really pleased :p

So hurray for hot preggo chicks like us June mommy-to-be's!!!!

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/AnniversaryDinnerApr3rd07004.jpg

[Sarah6690]

oh my! smitten you sure are a hot pregnant chick! :D I don't think I could find anything that even remotely fits me!

[Smittenk]

oh my! smitten you sure are a hot pregnant chick! :D I don't think I could find anything that even remotely fits me!

Aww thanks Sarah! Thankfully I have quite a few stretchy pre pregnancy dresses and I liked buying those that had extra gathered material to hide the tummy bulge...now that extra material holds the baby belly!! Who knew? LOL!!
I have to say it was nice to get out of the yoga pants for a few hours :p

[MexicoBride'05]

You're one sexy prego chick Smitten ;) You look very hot!! Happy 3rd Anniversary!! :D

Sarah6690 - I double the LOL! :p

stevesbabygirl - Don't worry you're not the only one planning on getting an epidural!! I'm right there with you! Even though I'm super scared of needles I will most likely end up getting an epidural if the pain is really bad. Everyone I've talked to says that you feel sooooo much better after getting it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. My GF couldn't even get one b/c by the time she got to the hospital she was already 7 cm dialted and it was too late for one.

I had my dr's appt yesterday. The one before yesterday was only 2 weeks ago and I gained 4.5 pounds in those 2 weeks!!!!! :eek: What the heck happened there?!?! I have to admit I haven't been eating the best and I could eat better so I will probably be doing that now! I also haven't really been getting too much excericise but now that the weather is getting better I'll be going on more walks outside and stuff. I just got in from a half hour walk with Marley.

My next appointment is on April 23rd. I'm going to get my diabetes test done this weekend. Not looking forward to it just b/c it's a needle....I'm such a wimp!!

I stayed home from work today b/c I woke up at 3:30 am and could not fall back asleep for the life of me. We get 7 sick days a year and I've already used them all up! All of them were b/c I stayed home from not sleeping. Oh well...what can I do. My last day is May 18th so not too much longer!

[magrat]

L&D Nurse Potassium is the only thing I know that is supposed to help prevent them. When (if) you do get another one, jump out of bed and stand on the leg right away and it will disappear immediately. DH gets them occasionally and he used to suffer through them until I told him to do that, and now it's much easier on him.

stevesbabygirl As far as DH supporting you with the epidural, what I would do is tell him you'll think about it and see how you feel once you're in labor. When he sees you in pain he'll probably be all for the epidural, and the nurses will probably be backing you up too. It's not worth arguing about now.

smittenk Wow, you look fantastic! Bet your DH was happy :)

[Smittenk]

Thanks so much Mexico!! I can't believe it has been three years...crazy!

The GTT wasn't too bad and they only took two vials when they did mine...I didn't get lightheaded at all because of all the sugar in the drink. Just think..it's one more down! OOh you are getting close to your last day of work missy...so awesome!! Are you taking a few days off to move too?


stevesbabygirl...My feeling is that it is your birth, your body and therefore your decision how you want it to be. If you know you want the epidural then you shouldn't feel badly about it at all. It is such a personal decision and only yours to make. I get slack for wanting to do it naturally...seriously every mother I know who asks me about it and I tell them basically laugh at me and say "good luck!" Seriously...you cannot win either way so I think I am just going to tell people that I will do what my body tells me to and leave it at that.


Magrat we cross posted..Thankyou!! Yep he was so pleased to see me dressed up. NOrmally he gets me in yoga pants, hair in a ponytail and no makeup!!

[stevesbabygirl]

Jenean,
Apparently, he felt this way before seeing the video too, but I doubt it helped my case any :rolleyes:. I told him that he has no way of even imagining how painful this can be, and he still thinks that it's better to go the natural route. Let him do it then :p!

Sarah,
I agree with everything you said. Kudos to those who can do it without meds, they have my respect. But I'm not one of those people, and maybe that's a defeating attitude to have, but I know myself well enough to know I wouldn't handle it well.

Smitten,
Check you out in all your pregnancy hotness! It does seem like no matter what you choose, people have something to say about it. I hate that!

Farah,
A big fear of mine is to not be able to get one because I'm too far along in labor. But if that happened, I'd just have to make the best of it and deal. However, if I can avoid that, I will!

magrat,
In my opinion, it's not worth arguing about at all, because I'm not changing my mind :p.

[GA_GAL]

stevesbabygirl: So happy that you were able to get money back from the pharmacy. I guess the arguing with them was worth it. I am right there with you about getting and epidural. I'm a baby when it comes to pain and really don't care about going through it naturally. My DH could care less, so I'm happy that I won't have that argument. Hopefully yours will come around and be a little more understanding about YOUR decision.

Jenean: Sorry you weren't feeling well, but it sounds like you are better now. I know you must be excited/scared/nervous/anxious, etc. to know that your babies are weeks away. I'm a little jealous of you. I can't wait for my baby girl to be here so I can hold her in my arms. I feel like my life is sort of on hold right now and I'm ready to get on with being a mommy. I'm glad you got to talk to your OB about the birth of your twins and that you are open to either method, depending on how things look that day. I think that is better than having one thing in your mind and being disapointed if it doesn't work out the way you plan.

em1126: Sorry you aren't a side sleeper. I usually start out on my side but end up on my back. I've been trying not to do that, but dr. said it really wasn't that big of a deal and that I would feel bad way before the baby did (if my uterus really was cutting off the blood supply). Glad you got all that fun baby stuff. I felt the same way about the nursery getting crowded until we had everything organized and put away.

L&D Nurse : Sorry about your leg cramp. I totally forgot until you mentioned it, but I got one too! Mine was in my calf and only lasted a few short seconds. Hopefully you won't get any more.

Smittenk: You look fabulous! Even though you said you didn't wear that out of your house, I think you should!

MexicoBride'05: Sorry about your weight gain. Like you said, hopefully the nice weather will help you to want to be outside more.

What to wear home from the hospital: I have thought about this a little, but your question made me thing about it more. I have a few knit/cotton stretchy skirts (peasant style) that I had before pregnancy, but still work for me now. I'll probably wear one of those (just because they are so comfy) with a tank top and cute flip-flops. Pretty much my summer uniform...cute yet casual for this FL heat!


Today at work I had two random people ask me how long I planned to work for. I told them until the end of the school year and they both seemed surprised. Our last day is May 22 and I have two post-planning days after that so I will be done May 24. My due date is June 16. I'd love more time off before she is born, but does anyone else thing that is cutting it close?

I noticed some of you are taking fish oil supplements. Which brand and how much are you taking. What exactly does that help...brain development? Did your dr. recommend that or did you just decide to do it?

[elissa]

I just had to pop in and share that I had my three hour glucose test on Monday and I got the results today and she said I "passed with flying colors." What a relief that is, when I had the initial test I was on the border, so obviously whatever I ate that day or night before was a little sugar high.

In other news, we attended our breastfeeding class last night. It was okay, I learned some stuff, but I think that a lot of it you may not really "learn" until the baby is here. It is good to have the foundation and I'm sure some of the stuff will come back to us, but probably not all of it.

As for what to wear coming home from the hospital, I have no idea, I better add that to my list :) On that same note, what is everyone having their baby wear home from the hospital, I keep looking and am not finding much out there.