Pregnancy Check-in (Dec 7th)

[kh826]

Happy Monday!

This is our weekly check-in for those who's families are expecting!

It seems we have had a ton of BFPs in the last week or so. WOOHOO!

I am going to hold off adding those with recent BFPs to the roster here until they indicate that they are ready to join us in this check-in.

So, if you have a recent BFP (first of all, CONGRATS!), please let us know when you are ready to be added and what your EDD will be.

Excited to have some new expecting folks to join us here!!!

Now, onto the check-in...

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?

Due Date List
amandflo - January 16
cetcar - January 16
kh826 - January 22
daisyflower - January 26
wittyandwaiting - March 28
honigbiene - April 24
crazyaunt84 - May 15
bexincanada - June 1
mahler5 - June 9
Stringy - June 9

QOTW: What is your biggest source of pregnancy stress right now? What do you do to cope with stress while pregnant?

[kh826]

1. 33w2d
Baby No. 2
Team Green!

2. Next OB appointment is this Wednesday (12/9)

3. Still have a miserable cold (it just WON'T go away!) -- plan to talk to my doc about it on Wednesday. Baby's movements have become a lot stronger over the last week or so. My stomach often can be seen moving on its own, which is equal parts fun and a little creepy HAHA. This kiddo's movements feel different to me than my last pregnancy. Dosey definitely has his or her own style of movement and personality, I think. I can't wait to meet this little human!

Otherwise, not much else to report.
Slowing down a bit more, but still carrying my almost 30 lb toddler upstairs to bed at night, so that is my current measuring stick for how well I am still functioning.

We put our double stroller together last night. Yay! It is actually the first thing that we have actually done to prepare for this baby. Next is to bring up some newborn clothes from the basement and wash them. If we can do that by Christmas, I will consider it a win.

William is still convinced that Dosey is a girl. We ask him if the baby is a boy or a girl and he says girl 95% of the time. Then we ask if he is going to have a brother or a sister and he says "Seeser" also about 95% of the time. I love the way he says sister, so that is making me hope he is right HAHA!
J and I are both thinking boy right now.
My MIL and SIL have weighed in that they agree with William and they are voting girl.
My MIL insists that I am carrying differently this time. I don't see it, but only time will tell...

QOTW: My biggest source of stress right now is a mix between financial stress (being the sole breadwinner) and stress about prepping for baby's arrival (which we have done close to NOTHING for so far). J is a procrastinator by nature, and it makes me crazy. I also think I am starting to get the nesting urges, so I want the house de-cluttered and the newborn stuff cleaned and set up ASAP so that I feel ready. It's a source of tension right now, because J thinks I just need to relax. I think I need better coping mechanisms for dealing with stress - so I am anxious to hear what you all have to share in terms of pearls of wisdom for being zen pregnant peeps!

[wittyandwaiting]

I don't have time for a total update right now but I'm 24 weeks today and I think it's V- Day because my app gave me this:

[kh826]

Happy V-day wittyandwaiting!!!

[crazyaunt84]

1. 17w1d, two babes, 14 days til we get our team!

2. 2 weeks since our last OB appt, and 2 weeks until our next one. Anatomy scan is scheduled for the next visit, which is super exciting.

3. These babies move a TON. It's so odd, because I wasn't expecting to feel them so early, but I can usually feel one or both of them moving around in there several times a day. I've been feeling random flutters for a couple of weeks now, but it's gotten pretty consistent.

I also scored some killer deals on maternity clothes on Black Friday, and those packages are starting to arrive in the mail - just in time!

Sleeping is getting challenging which I'm pretty bummed about. My sciatic nerve just won't quit some nights, and I toss and turn a lot trying to find a comfy position. I think this is probably not good news this early in the game, but it is what it is.

QOTW: We own a small business, and both of us work there full time. It's been a tough couple of months, and we are relying on my 2nd income as a waitress to make ends meet. I'm not certain how long I'm going to be able to keep waitressing (just worked 40 hours at the day job and 33 hours at the restaurant this past week, and gearing up to do it again this week.) I'm a tired mama. That financial pressure is super stressful.

I'm also stressing about weight gain. It's just not happening, and while everyone says it will eventually, I'm stressed that it 'on track'. I've gained a total of 1.5 lbs over the course of the pregnancy, and while I'm eating well and eating often, I'm afraid the babies may not be getting what the need since I can't see it on the scale.

[mahler5]

crazyaunt84-- sorry you are working extra hours and worried about weight. I know my first Ob said the babies take anything they need from your body when I was worried about less weight gain when I had to switch my diet. Looks like you have gained some. I'm sure it will continue.

kh826-- what kind of stroller did you get? I've been watching my friend's kid so much lately I'm thinking about getting one earlier than planned.

wittyandwaiting-- yay viability day!!

And congrats to all the new BFPs.

I am almost 14 weeks.

I just vomited for the first time in a few weeks (at least from morning sickness and not the stomach flu). I strangely feel a little better now. I know, tmi.

I'm less tired overall. Mornings I feel decent but I get nauseated at night or late afternoon.

It's fun hearing about everyone's progress in their pregnancy. It's making me feel excited about the rest of the pregnancy.

[esquette]

Don't put me on the roll call yet, but I want to post here because otherwise I'll feel like I have nowhere to go. :-)

1. So so so early. Assuming everything keeps sticking, this would be our first baby.

2. The doctor's office wasn't going to have me come in until January, but I pretty much couldn't handle that. I pulled the "But my salpingo-oophorectomy makes me at a higher risk for an ectopic pregnancy, and I really need to keep the tube I have. Can I come in for a quick visit a little sooner?" And now I'm going in next Friday. I think I'll take a few more HPTs. Just to be sure.

3. So far, I feel EXACTLY like I do when I'm about to get my period. Bloaty, crampy, tired, etc. I keep checking to see if AF has showed up. This seems to be normal, yeah?

QOTW: My pregnancy stress comes from not trusting that I am actually pregnant. I'm pretty convinced it's not going to work out, for some reason. (But that hasn't stopped me from joining the BMB for August 2016.)

[karlamo]

crazyaunt84, Ummm.....when did you get to be 17 weeks along?! Seriously, time is flying for you:)

[Stringy]

I haven't been here in a while. Hi everyone.

Sticky thoughts for you esquette,

I am 13 weeks and a bunch of days.

We found out via the harmony test that its another GIRL! So excited for this. We wouldn't know what to do with a boy, and besides her sister this girl already has 3 girl cousins 2 and under, and another girl cousin to be born in Feb. No boys anywhere in sight.

Harmony test and NT scan both came back low risk, so everything is looking great. I've been on diclegis for a few weeks because the nausea was pretty debilitating. Its much better now, but I don't think its going away with the coming of second tri.

[kh826]

Dec 7, 2015 18:23:50 GMT -5 mahler5 said:

kh826 -- what kind of stroller did you get? I've been watching my friend's kid so much lately I'm thinking about getting one earlier than planned.

We ended up going with the City Select Double.

[crazyaunt84]

Dec 8, 2015 10:29:23 GMT -5 karlamo said:

crazyaunt84 , Ummm.....when did you get to be 17 weeks along?! Seriously, time is flying for you:)

Right?! This week I was like "Crap! I need to get this nursery started!"

[wittyandwaiting]

1. 24 weeks and 1 day pregnant with a baby girl and mom to a 14 year old son.

2. Midwife next week and then my glucose test shortly after.

3. I'm feeling pretty good. yay!

QOTW:
My main stressor is balancing my need to get things done vs. C's super lax we've got time attitude. I just set small, manageable goals and keep moving.

[wittyandwaiting]

Dec 7, 2015 11:29:56 GMT -5 kh826 said:

Happy V-day wittyandwaiting!!!

Thanks!

[bexincanada]

1. 15 weeks with our first. I think I officially have a bump now.

2. Last midwife appointment was two weeks ago, heard the heartbeat with the doppler; next appointment in two weeks.

3. Sorry I've been MIA for a couple of weeks. I'd been sick, which resulted in being extra busy with work - not fun. Headaches have been my worst symptom these days... one night it woke me out of a sleep. One and a half weeks until I'm off for the week leading up to Christmas.

QOTW: My biggest stress is work. I find it difficult because when I'm home sick I then have to re-schedule all those clients I would've seen into new spots (which don't exist until several weeks out), which isn't fair to the clients so I end up cramming appointments into spots that don't exist... like lunch (don't worry, I still eat). Mentally though I'm just trying to let things roll off my back more. I'm trying to not focus on what's out of my control and be kinder to myself when I don't get all the shit done in a day that there is to do.

[cetcar]

Oh my goodness, we're first on the list....

1. We are 34w5d pregnant with a little girlie. It's our first.

2. We have an OB appointment next Thursday and our last child birth class will be next week too. I think after next week, we start weekly appointments.

3. Feeling pretty good. Slowing down a bit, regular pinching feeling in my back on one side by my shoulder blades, and her movement has been pretty intense lately. She still gets the hiccups a ton.

QOTD: It feels like we have a lot on our plate right now- getting our rental unit ready for a new tenant (the current tenant just moved out and the new one moves in 1.5 weeks), getting ready for Christmas (mailing gifts as well as getting ready to host my family), and getting the nursery ready. We were going to go away this weekend but decided to stick around and have a working weekend. We think it will make us feel better. Oh, and we also keep talking about moving somewhere else, like to a different state. Probably not the best timing...

Of course we're super grateful we were able to afford all of the fertility costs, but when you add them all up, it's like $30k (everything was out of pocket prior to positive beta test and we know we're not alone and others have spent more), we spent a lot of our savings. So, we're in a bit of a different place financially now, but very thankful we could do it....we keep saying that next year will be better.

To deal with stress we make lists and spend time really focusing and trying to check as much off as possible. We also try to simplify where we can. And we keep reminding ourselves about all we did this year and feeling pretty great that we could do it.

[kh826]

cetcar - You probably already know this, but OOP fertility costs (including the cost of sperm!) are tax deductible if you end up coming OOP more than 10% of your gross annual income. It would be your joint income if you file jointly, but I think it is possible to file married and separate and just claim the expenses against one person's income if that person paid/incurred all of the expenses. Our accountant advised us on this, and in 2013 (the year of all of our IUIs, when we purchased 6 vials of sperm, and the year we had our fresh IVF cycle -- cha ching!) we ended up exceeding the 10% threshold and we got a really nice refund of some of our fertility costs. Something that might be worth looking into if you haven't already.