Pregnancy Check-in (July 27)

[wittyandwaiting]

Happy Monday Everybody! 

1. General overview (examples--answer what you like: How many weeks? First baby/, second, etc.? Do you know the sex of the baby?




2. Appointment Updates (recent appts? ones coming up?)




3. General symptoms/rants/concerns/exciting things?




QOTW: How (and when) did you tell your family and friends about your pregnancy. 






Due Date List



Let me know if you'd like to be added to the list and go ahead and jump in with your update!

twotxmommies - July 27


jgy - August 21


karlamo - August 28


healz413 & manada - September 8


officerofthelaw - November 11


ionaerebor - November 23


amandflo - January 16


cetcar - January 16


kh826 - January 22

daisyflower - January 26


wittyandwaiting - March 27


leftitblank - ??

[wittyandwaiting]

1. I'd like to start off by saying holy crap! I go here now! It still feels pretty surreal and crazy. Going by my IUI date I am five weeks and one day pregnant however, given my low beta numbers at the beginning my RE thinks that I may have had a late implanter.

2. I had a beta yesterday that was 587 so no more betas for this lady and I have a dating ultrasound next week which may or may not impact my current due date of March 27.

3. I'm not feeling anything right now except for hot and tired and I don't know if that's related to pregnancy or the current heatwave we're experiencing or both. Right now, basically everything is exciting!

QOTW: this was a little self-serving of me to post but I am quite curious. So far we have told C's parents since they knew that we were trying and then she took it upon herself to tell SIL and a few friends which is kind of annoying but we have a pact that we are not telling any more people until we've made a plan together.

[karlamo]

Look whose starting the check-in wittyandwaiting! You go girl!

[rosieelk]

I can come off here wittyandwaiting, I go in parenting now!

[Stringy]

LOL - I was wondering who/where this check in was and then boom, wittyandwaiting, is back.

I guess I go here now too? I don't feel like I do. I've had 2 betas, 23 and 67, and I go back tomorrow. I'm now 16 days post 5dt. I don't have a ton of optimism, but there's nothing I can do.

[wittyandwaiting]

Jul 27, 2015 12:47:01 GMT -5 rosieelk said:

I can come off here wittyandwaiting, I go in parenting now!

DONE!

[karlamo]

We are 35w4d, Team green. That means 4 more weeks to go!!

2. Met with our MW last week and we talked about the GD dx. I can still give birth at the birth center as long as it's stable and managed. We are planning an induction at around 40 weeks unless I go into labor on my own. She will do a membrane sweep at 39 weeks which will be good to know the State of the Vag before heading into an induction. If it's soft and funneling, I'll be happier with the induction than tight and closed. It's weird knowing "when" baby could be here. With R it was such a waiting game starting at 37 weeks when we were so excited that she was all of 2 cm dilated, hahaha....little did we know.


3. Our cloth diapers have been washed and put away. I forgot how big of a stash we had, it's been so long since we've used them. R had to go into disposables at 4 months due to stubborn rash we couldn't treat in cloth. We need to still buy a take home outfit. I'm just not one of those moms who are obsessed with finding the "perfect" outfit. I have let it up to my wife to pick one. Being team green and cheap means we buy a neutral sleeper for who ever pops out.

I'm feeling very large and not in charge lately. I'm tired all the time and like to sit a lot. These 2 things are forbidden by R so I'm struggling to keep up with him. My wife has been amazing in picking up the slack around the house and taking R out of my arms when I can no longer hold him. Last week I took him swimming for an hour and when I got out of the pool I couldn't walk! I thought I had lead feet. It was so nice being "weightless".

QOTW: We told no one we were doing an FET. Well except R and he was the first person we told when we got out BFP. It was right around Christmas and we went to Padre Island for Christmas with my in laws. I ended up going to the ER with bleeding and we had to tell them what was up. Not exactly the way we pictured sharing the news.
We told my family at 9 weeks after 200 u/s. We went public with friends and FB at 25 weeks.

[karlamo]

wittyandwaiting, Stringy, You're pregnant right? You go here

In the beginning it's hard to believe it's really happening especially when it starts off with uncertainty, (see my QOTW), but soon enough your heads will be in the toilet and you'll be farting/burping like a frat boy. I say this with love.

[kh826]

1. General overview (examples--answer what you like: How many weeks? First baby/, second, etc.? Do you know the sex of the baby?

14w2d
Baby #2
Team Green!

2. Appointment Updates (recent appts? ones coming up?)

Next OB appointment is a week from today (August 3rd)

3. General symptoms/rants/concerns/exciting things?

Tired. Heartburn. Round Ligament Pain.
That is all.

In all seriousness though, I have had tons of (what I think is) round ligament pain over the course of the last 5 days or so. At first I was alarmed and worried b/c I thought it was too early for that (I didn't feel it with William's pregnancy until about 17-18 weeks), but then I took to the Google (I know, I know), and I was actually reassured that in a second pregnancy, especially when it closely follows the first pregnancy, it is "normal" to feel RLP in late first tri/early second tri. I feel like there is A LOT of stretching going on in there.

In the last week or so my heartburn has increased to daily occurrences, but it is still manageable, and seems to come in short bursts. Only time will tell. With last pregnancy, it got really bad around 16-17 weeks, and by 20 weeks I was vomiting bile due to heartburn several times a day. I won't let it get that bad this time. I will get back on the Rx I was on last pregnancy if needed before it gets that unmanageable.

Otherwise, I am just tired. Mainly because I just don't sleep well when I am pregnant. It has to be some sort of chemical/hormonal reaction for me. From the moment I become pregnant my sleep goes in the crapper. I just can't fall asleep, then can't stay asleep, can't get comfy, I toss and turn... it is just frustrating, but as long as I get 1-2 nights a week of solid sleep I can deal with it.

That's about it in terms of symptoms... I will be happy to see my OB next week and get reassurance that all looks good! This pregnancy has been very light on the symptoms compared to my last pregnancy, so of course that makes me a little more anxious. Because anxiety is my middle name.

QOTW: How (and when) did you tell your family and friends about your pregnancy.

We told our parents and my sisters at about 6 weeks. We told J's brother and his wife at about 8 weeks. We announced on FB at 13 weeks. I am still telling coworkers. Most of them know, but a few stragglers do not. I popped early this time around and have a noticeable little bump now. I felt the need to tell people sooner due to the fact that it was noticeable. I know a lot of people don't feel that need and just let people think/guess whatever they might and will tell people when they are ready even if that is not until 30 weeks! I applaud those people! Honestly, I have very deep rooted body image issues, and it makes me feel better to have people know that I am pregnant instead of wondering if I am just packing on lbs for another reason. I know that is totally silly, but it is my reality. I feel much more confident rocking a known baby bump than trying to hide an expanding body under baggy clothing and letting people wonder/guess.

[daisyflower]

wittyandwaiting, can I be added to the list please? My due date is January 26.

1. I'm 13weeks+6 with our second baby. We haven't decided if we are finding out the sex yet, and probably won't decide until our anatomy scan in about 7 weeks.
2. I have a general pregnancy check up on 8/3.
3. I've got a proper bump ow, for a couple of week it was just blump, but now I have a real bump! But I'm also getting round ligament pain. Every time I move position, I get this sharp stabbing pain.
QOTW: We told all the immediate family at around 10 weeks. We send them all these: Then at 12 weeks we sent most of our friends a picture of the above puzzle done. We plan to post the same picture on facebook at 24 weeks.

[ionaerebor]

1. General overview (examples--answer what you like: How many weeks? First baby/, second, etc.? Do you know the sex of the baby? I'm 23 weeks pregnant today with my first baby, a girl called Ailsa.
2. Appointment Updates (recent appts? ones coming up?) Nothing until next week.
3. General symptoms/rants/concerns/exciting things? I've still been getting achy pain at the top of my ute and they've been getting worse. I've also been getting even more nosebleeds, though I'm prove to them anyway.
QOTW: How (and when) did you tell your family and friends about your pregnancy. I told my maternal family 10 weeks I think? It might have been earlier. I just kind of arrived at my grandmas with all my family there, and said "Hey, I'm pregnant!" Then I told my dad's family not long after in much the same way. A handful of my friends knew before that, but most I just told as I saw them after that. I'll probably announce on facebook soon.

[karlamo]

kh826, would you hate me if I told you I had a smile on my face when I read that you are having trouble sleeping?? Only because William is such a good sleeper it seems only fair the universe balances itself..hehehehe

[kh826]

Jul 27, 2015 14:31:18 GMT -5 karlamo said:

kh826, would you hate me if I told you I had a smile on my face when I read that you are having trouble sleeping?? Only because William is such a good sleeper it seems only fair the universe balances itself..hehehehe

Meanie!

Don't worry, I'm sure Dosey won't sleep worth crap. It isn't possible that we will have two kids that sleep this well. And maybe Dosey will wake up William and it will just be a total SH*T show!

The one who is currently living in the lap of luxury is my wife. William has been sleeping in until 8:30 or 9am most days lately. I still get up at 5:30am for work, and when I leave the house at 7am they are both still in bed!

[healz413]

Warning: long post. Everything is fine with Rocky but we still have placenta previa so I say a lot about that in #2.

1. manada and I are 33w6d with Rocky 3.

2. (I copied and pasted this update from my update on the Sept 15 board). We had our 34 week ultrasound today to check on placenta previa and, despite the odds, I still have placenta previa. It's just covering the cervical opening, but it is very unlikely that it will move far enough out of the way. We don't meet with our midwife until Weds afternoon (and then it's actually the backup midwife because ours is on vacation) but after talking to the radiologist and reading a lot of stuff online, chances are very good that we will get a c-section scheduled for 38 weeks. In addition, a significant percentage of placenta previas present with 3rd trimester bleeding which can result in hospital bed rest and/or an earlier c-section. I guess it's time to pack that hospital bag (without all the labour support devices in it).

Rocky is transverse with their head on my left side near my ribs, their back along the top of the uterus, their butt near my right ribs and their feet by my left lower side. I guess this is common in cases of previa because there is no room for the head in the pelvis.
We've know since 20 weeks that placenta previa persisting at 34 weeks and getting a scheduled c-section was a possibility, but 90% of previas resolve themselves between 20 weeks and approx 34 weeks.

We are working on wrapping our heads around this changed plan. Ultimately we want a healthy and alive baby and a healthy and alive me so I'm not afraid to a scheduled c-section. But it wasn't our ideal, for sure, and I didn't realize how much I wanted to try a vaginal
delivery until it seemed like it wouldn't be possible. I ended up taking the day off of work after the ultrasound so that I could have time to process.

4 weeks is way sooner than 6 weeks. Also I was planning to go off work in 4 weeks but now I have to be more prepared for that happening in probably 3 weeks and the possibility of it happening due to bleeding even sooner than that.

Again all manageable stuff. We are PGAL folks so we know how lucky we are to have this have been the biggest complication of pregnancy. And I'm so glad to be at 34 weeks without having had a bleed yet. But my head is still spinning a bit with the news.

3. See above! I'm very excited at the prospect of meeting Rocky in 4 weeks but I'm also a bit overwhelmed by the acceleration of the process. That said, having a scheduled c-section will make things easier. I'm looking forward to talking to the midwife on weds and hopefully having a consult with the OB about a c-section sooner rather than later.
3rd trimester previa means pelvic rest to reduce chances of a bleed. I'm now glad that we didn't know we still have previa a few weeks earlier or we would have had to stop sex earlier.
Overall I feel pretty good. I'm getting huge and my belly is getting more and more sore from the stretching.

QOTW: we told a few close friends and this board on TB after our betas. We told our immediate families after the 6 week ultrasound (we called them). We told a few more friends as we saw them. After first tri, we told our families they could tell extended families. We didn't announce on Facebook until about 30 weeks.

This was our announcement pic on FB:

[karlamo]

kh826, were placing all our hope in Moka. This one HAS to sleep through the night right? I mean R set the bar really low so it wouldn't be hard for them to achieve stellar sleep status in our eyes. But knowing us and our kids, we are all going to end up in the same bed together with 2 kid's attached to our boobs all night.

R slept from 4am wake up till 6:30am this morning you would have thought I got to sleep in till 10. He of course sensed me wondering if he would sleep longer and immediately woke up ready to attack the day and me.

[kh826]

healz413 - oh goodness! Come on universe, can you please cut my dear friends Healz & Manada a bit of a break?!?! As Karlamo says, Le Sigh! Anyway, I am so very sorry that you are dealing with this added bump in the road and the possible reality that you won't get the labor and delivery experience that you wanted. That really stinks, no ifs ands or buts about it. With that being said, I am super impressed by your positive outlook and attitude. You are totally right, a healthy baby and a healthy you are the most important things in all of this. Staying focused on that will make all of the logistics and timing seem like minor details. Yay that you will hopefully get to meet Rocky in just 4 short weeks! How cool is that?!?! It is so close! I am so happy for you both, and I know I speak for all of us here when I say that we are here to support you, help you process, listen to whatever you have to share, give you space when you need to go radio silent and then give the three of you LOTS of love once Rocky has made an official appearance. I cannot wait to "meet" this little one. My excitement runneth over!!!

[kh826]

P.S. healz413 - do you have a buddy identified on this board yet for update giving? If that is something you are interested in, and if someone else hasn't offered yet, I am happy to be said buddy when the time comes. Just let me know

[healz413]

Jul 27, 2015 15:46:00 GMT -5 kh826 said:

P.S. healz413 - do you have a buddy identified on this board yet for update giving? If that is something you are interested in, and if someone else hasn't offered yet, I am happy to be said buddy when the time comes. Just let me know

I don't have a board buddy and would love for it to be you. Let's message here or FB about ways to communicate. Thanks for offering!

[wittyandwaiting]

Jul 27, 2015 12:49:45 GMT -5 Stringy said:

LOL - I was wondering who/where this check in was and then boom, wittyandwaiting, is back.

I guess I go here now too? I don't feel like I do. I've had 2 betas, 23 and 67, and I go back tomorrow. I'm now 16 days post 5dt. I don't have a ton of optimism, but there's nothing I can do.

I started it because I'm so happy that we go here!

[wittyandwaiting]

karlamo and kh826 I'm super sure that LO#2 is going to keep me up all night long because DS slept for 5-6 hours almost right away and I have never, in his whole 13 years had any sleep drama.

healz413 Sorry to hear about the placenta previa and that it changes your plans. I am happy for you though that you have some time to process and that your doc seems on top of doing what it takes to make sure that you have a happy and healthy Baba and baby! I love that you find the positive in it all!

I love your announcement daisyflower!

Any suggestions for a good pregnancy app? I'd also like to pick up a what to expect kind of book (but not actually what to expect when expecting) for C that isn't all "husband....man....man...blah blah blah" any suggestions? I'm trying to be very mindful that this is OUR first pregnancy, although it's not mine, and I know she wants to know all the things.

[kh826]

wittyandwaiting - I had the Babycenter app for my first pregnancy. It gives you all the "baby is now the size of a kiwi" type of information, as well as common FAQs about your particular stage of pregnancy. I read about 50% of it. It was moderately helpful, especially in the beginning when you just want to know all the things all the time.

In terms of a pregnancy book, I had What to Expect, but I never read it cover-to-cover. I skimmed it periodically when I wanted to know something. One book that I did find really helpful (for both myself and J) was The Birth Partner. That was more about preparing for labor and then the actual labor and delivery process. It doesn't focus as much on the earlier stages of pregnancy. It was very helpful though, and written very inclusively for all kinds of families.

The thing that I found the most helpful for J and I was to watch pregnancy-related shows together. We watched many episodes of "A Birth Story," "A Baby Story," "One Born Every Minute." They are kind of like a mix between reality TV and documentary. They are all quick 30 min episodes. I liked seeing a lot of different people's experiences and possible different outcomes. I don't think that those types of shows are meant to be educational, and I am sure many OBs, Midwives and L&D nurses cringe at some of the information that is given, but I did pick up a lot of random knowledge and a few ideas from watching. Again, that is a focus on labor and delivery, and not necessarily on the 9 months leading up to that point, but that was what we mostly focused on.

I expected J to be very interested in "what are you feeling now?," "how are you doing?," "what does that feel like?" ... and she just wasn't. Which is fine. I think for us focusing on preparing for the "end game" was more productive and gave us a joint purpose to focus on. I read all the kiwi fruit stuff on my own

[karlamo]

I'm sorry to hear this healz413. Sometimes you don't know what you really want(ed) till it's no longer an option. While everyone wants a healthy baby/mom, it still very important that the birth mother's mental health is also taken into consideration.
You know I've been researching baby friendly CS because after reading so many heart breaking stories from women who had one, I want to be in the best mental health place if it comes down to it. The main thing I keep coming across is that those women who had a planned CS were better off than those who ended up with an emergency CS. So you and Manada have lots of time to process and make a new plan of what you would like the birth to look like.
Last week I talked to my MW about what things I want to happen if we get a CS. I want my wife to cut the cord, I want to watch the baby being born, and I want us to not be separated from the baby at any point, which means baby is with me or her when I'm in recovery room and of course baby gets put on a nipple, any nipple immediately after they come out.

The silver lining is you get to see your baby VERY SOON. You do realize our kids could share the same birthday!!

[karlamo]

wittyandwaiting, We have a few books. The one I like best is Your Baby Week by Week. It cuts out the crap and gets down to the scientific stuff which is what I care about. The do include a Dad Tip of the week, which is very helpful, [insert eye roll]. Like get your health insurance info in order, make sure you remember to call your partner's work to let them know she won't be in..blah blah blah. It makes men look like idiots but also makes me glad I'm not straight so I don't have to deal with that kind of idiocy, hehehe.

I did like The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy. It was very real life and the women also struggled with IF so it was relatable too.

[jgy]

1. General overview (examples--answer what you like: How many weeks? First baby/, second, etc.? Do you know the sex of the baby?
36w4d with Baby Boy #2!

2. Appointment Updates (recent appts? ones coming up?)
Well, we had our last growth ultrasound last week to check for complications from CMV. It was clear, as expected. That's good, and we're grateful, but there are so many potential issues that would not be visible on the scan. It's still wait and see.
Friday afternoon I had my 36w Midwife visit/prenatal, and that was awesome. We did the GBS swab (not awesome, but easy peasy), and while she was down there I had her check me. Basically, with a VBAC attempt at 41 years old the likelihood of an induction conversation goes way up. So I wanted to know how favorable my body is and it turns out things are looking good. Nothing high and tight here! And I could have predicted that since it basically feels like this kid has his head sitting on my bones. Now, he's also kicking me in the lungs at the same time mind you. Little stinker. They think he's "Leggy." I agree.

We have our second prenatal with our Doula on Saturday, and I head to my weekly NST and BPP in 5 minutes. So things are really progressing! Time sure flies at the end. Now I just need to hang on until my Sister arrives in 2 weeks and then I'm ready. Well, not exactly "Ready," as I have about a million work things to take care of ...

3. General symptoms/rants/concerns/exciting things?
Sleep is still elusive, which is frustrating but manageable. I find it hilarious that when I put Gabe to bed at night, he splays himself across my belly while we read books and the baby kicks him in the back the whole time. It's like they're already wrestling. Oh boy, we're in trouble.

QOTW: How (and when) did you tell your family and friends about your pregnancy.
We waited until 12weeks to tell our families, due to the increased risk of genetic issues with this AMA pregnancy. Then we told a few friends here and there as we saw them or as it came up. There have been a few pics posted to Facebook that have alerted people who might be paying attention, but we STILL haven't made a formal announcement. At 36+ weeks. Oops. We should probably get on that. Rest assured we will be AW-ing the $HIT out of him once he's on the outside!!!

[wittyandwaiting]

Jul 28, 2015 8:10:16 GMT -5 karlamo said:

wittyandwaiting, We have a few books. The one I like best is Your Baby Week by Week. It cuts out the crap and gets down to the scientific stuff which is what I care about. The do include a Dad Tip of the week, which is very helpful, [insert eye roll]. Like get your health insurance info in order, make sure you remember to call your partner's work to let them know she won't be in..blah blah blah. It makes men look like idiots but also makes me glad I'm not straight so I don't have to deal with that kind of idiocy, hehehe.

I did like The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy. It was very real life and the women also struggled with IF so it was relatable too.

Oh! I loved the girlfriends guide...I actually had her first edition! 

Is this the week by week book that you were referring to? 

[karlamo]

wittyandwaiting, I have to go home and check cause mine shows a different cover. I'll report back.

[officerofthelaw]

1. General overview (examples--answer what you like: How many weeks? First baby/, second, etc.? Do you know the sex of the baby? 25 weeks, first baby...It's a boy!




2. Appointment Updates (recent appts? ones coming up?)
Aug 10-4d sonogram

Aug 17-Glucose Test



3. General symptoms/rants/concerns/exciting things?

Hard sleeping.  We have our Kansas baby shower this Saturday!!!  We are going on a cruise to Mexico in August!


QOTW: How (and when) did you tell your family and friends about your pregnancy.

We told them right when we found out, all over the phone.

[amandflo]

1. General overview (examples--answer what you like: How many weeks? First baby/, second, etc.? Do you know the sex of the baby? I'm 15wks/3d pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. This is my third pregnancy, and our these will be our third and fourth children.
2. Appointment Updates (recent appts? ones coming up?) I have one a week today, to discuss my upcoming anomaly scan, check my blood for iron, check my blood pressure and check my urine for protein. I also had an extra scan on Sunday to make sure the babies are okay, and both are doing well! Baby boy is measuring at around 0.23lbs and baby girl is at around 0.26lbs.
3. General symptoms/rants/concerns/exciting things? We passed our loss milestone! We lost our second baby at 15wks/1d 4 years ago. So, Sunday was both a sad day and a good day; we convinced our midwife to give us an extra ultrasound, and our babies are doing great, which was such good news and such a relief, but it almost made me feel guilty about our baby that we lost, since we didn't even find out that we had lost them until 16weeks. But it also gave us enough of a 'this will be okay' to start looking to buy some baby boy clothes. I looked through our baby clothes at the weekend and found we have way more than enough baby girl clothes and nothing at all that could even pass for boy/neutral stuff. I was surprised by that actually, because I could have sworn we had a lot of gender neutral baby rows for when Daisy and Alice were born.
QOTW: How (and when) did you tell your family and friends about your pregnancy. We haven't yet! Though I think most people know I am because I have quite the bump. I honestly look closer to seven months than 4. We had a big announcement dinner with Daisy when I was only about 10 weeks pregnant because my parents were up to see us and it was easy enough to get my ILs here, and then with Alice we didn't know until she was born, and we got her home ten weeks later, so it was just kind of a text thing. We haven't decided out these two yet.

[jillc0323]

We actually had our baby already... she is 5 weeks today!