2014 April Rainbows

[vietmamsie]

cute bump!

So much to say over here.... So excited for so many little girls. I can't wait to see some of the things you guys are picking out.

My belly button is almost out as well. It is pretty much flat at this point and looks so funny! Movement went from nothing to CRAZY in less than a week. This baby is moving and grooving all the time. I spend a lot of time rubbing and touching my belly and the baby actually responds to it with more kicks. It feels so wonderful to be getting to bond with my little one already! I just wish my husband could feel it...

It has been pretty hard since my husband and I work pretty much opposite schedules... I am already asleep by the time he gets home. I feel like he is missing out on so much in regards to the baby. I also feel like we are missing some much needed couple time before this baby arrives. We finally sorted out our Christmas Holiday, so hopefully we will get in some much needed couple time then!

 

[morganwhite7]

Kasey what a cute bump!!! How many weeks are you?
Jw since I know I'm due the very last day in April so a bit behind the rest of you girls!

 

[Kasey84]

Lindsay- can't wait to hear news of your scan on Monday

Vietmamsie- hope you and oh get to spend lots of time together over Christmas! I know how hard that is. My oh works on rotation in northern Canada on a mining site, so he's gone for 3 weeks and then home for 3 weeks. He's leaving again in 2 weeks, but fortunately will be home just in time for Christmas! Now that the baby is moving and the belly is growing I know he'll really feel like he's missing out when he's away and he'll see such a difference each time he comes home!

Morgan- I'm 18 weeks tomorrow not too far ahead of you.

 

[Karinama98]

It's crazy for me to see the difference in how big some bumps are compared to others at the same point. I'm 18 + 2 and I'm only starting to get a bump. The other day I decided to wear my maternity work pants and a maternity shirt and DH looked at me from across the room and was surprised at how big it's gotten. I guess for me it'll be a slower process of showing since I have tight abs from before the pregnancy. I was reading that having more toned abs before getting pregnant may mean not showing nearly as quickly.

 

[Lisa85]

Vietmamsie, my OH can feel kicks... can't be to far away until he can feel it. Can you see the kicks?

Karina, Ive also heard that about the stomach muscles but i have strong stomach muscles also and mines grown heaps. Im think thats coz I'm quite narrow though.

Sooo emotional this week... I'm having a cry for the 4th time already this week.

1. cried coz i went to my appointment on the wrong day
2. cried coz my favourite girl on the Bachelor didn't get a rose
3. cried coz my SIL who i looooooove won't come to my baby shower coz of family drama coz she doesn't want to stress me out. Her friend went into labour at her shower because of family drama stress and anger.
4. cried just now coz i feel overwhelmed with all the baby things i have to buy.

And then yelling at my OH for breathing to loud lol!!!! CRAZY!

 

[Brieanna]

Morgan- I agree, time is flying! I was looking at the calender to see how long until my monthly doctors appointment I was surprised to see it's right around the corner! It seems like I just went.

Lindsay-Hopefully baby is in a good position on Monday! I had the quad screening last time and as long as it is good I don't have to have another scan since I am team yellow. But I kind of want to get one anyway, just to see how baby is doing!

Karina-having tight abs will make it take longer to show but, if my friend is any example, when you DO pop it is very noticeable! Like overnight bump, lol.

vietmamsie-I kept/keep a pregnancy journal and write in it weekly. It has prompts and it reminds me of things to tell OH when he gets home from work that are happening in my life about the baby. Also, the baby can hear soon so you can start reading stories to your belly together to get him more involved.

kasey-Beautiful bump. So glad your OH will be home for Christmas! My OH has to work on our Thanksgiving but we get Christmas and it makes me so happy!

Lisa-I get emotional too and find myself crying for no reason. Is there any way you can do something special with your sil after the shower? Like go to lunch? I hate it when stupid drama make things hard.


I love feeling the baby move! dd hardly moved at all and she turned out to be a pretty easy going baby so it makes me afraid because this one moves all the time! Finally after weeks of traveling everywhere this weekend OH and I can hang out together!

We have been talking about moving for the last year and it looks like it will finally be happening! We are looking for houses in the Austin area so OH can get a better job and I can work on my masters or getting a nursing degree. I am so excited because we have only rented and I am sick of not being able to decorate or paint like I want to. I told OH we better pick out a house soon because if we wait too long to move I won't be able to help as much, except to tell him where to put everything, lol.

 

[Kasey84]

I'm in the waiting room for my ultrasound...feeling like a kid on Christmas morning

 

[morganwhite7]

WOOT WOOT Kasey!!! I'll be checking in frequently to see your update!!!

I love all the excitement this part of pregnancy brings!

 

[Kasey84]

Baby is looking healthy and doing well. Hb of 158 Only thing is they couldn't tell the sex for sure...going back for another try on November 27!

Here's the little one-

 

[hope4rainbow]

Lisa- Congratulations on your sweet girl!!! I too am very emotional. I cried today over getting a flu shot. I hate that there are so many conflicting things over immunizing. I want to protect him from illnesses, but I don't want to put preservatives from the shot into his body. My doctor was very firm on it though, and since I work in an elementary I agree that it's important.

vietmamsie- I know what you mean about opposite schedules. My husband is a chef so he works all weekend and lots of nights during the week. It does make our time together more precious.

Brieanna- We're in Austin! I love it here.

Kasey- Beautiful picture!! I think it's a girl!!

My husband painted our son's room and put together his crib and changing table this week! I just love him.

 

[Kasey84]

Lisa- I'm quite emotional and middy as well. Can cry for almost no reason and poor oh can sometimes irritate me just by being around! Hormones are powerful!

Brieanna- It will be so exciting to get a place you can make your own Hope you find the perfect home for your family

Hope- I get a lot of people thinking its a girl. Oh is convinced its a boy. I'm dying to find out!! Love your nursery color! Must be exciting to see it all starting to come together

 

[Lindsay109]

I get serious bump envy looking at the pictures on this thread! I am starting to look pregnant, have have nowhere near the bump you ladies have, I'm jealous!

Kasey, cute bump and I love the scan pic! What a cutie!! I'm looking forward to your next scan on the 27th

Vietmamsie, the movement is such an amazing feeling isn't it! I keep putting my hand on my bump because I'm sure some day soon I'll be able to feel it from the outside. I also can't wait for hubby to be able to feel it too!

Lisa, I'm pretty emotional these days too!

Brieanna, good luck with the house hunt and moving!

Hope, I love your nursery colour and crib! I'm sure it makes it seem so much more real having the baby furniture up!

As for me, I'm getting excited for my scan on monday. Gonna try and keep busy this weekend so the time goes by quickly

 

[vietmamsie]

Tried to post earlier, but it got deleted! Whoops!

I also can't wait for my husband to be able to feel the baby, it feels so cool and strange! I have a feeling it will be a while before I actually see the movement, I think I have a pretty thick isolation around my middle!

Also keeping a journal! Will be nice to look back on! All the weeks sort of blend together at this point!

Another cute bump! Thanks for sharing. Will try to attach my picture... mind you I look MASSIVE. It was at the end of the day when I tend to look my biggest.

 

[vietmamsie]

Sorry, last one didn't work! Here it is!

 

[Lisa85]

Vietmamsie, wow!! i though my bump was big but yours is huge!! So cute!

Lindsay, can't wait to hear about your scan!!

Kasey, im glad im not the only one!! Were you disappointed they couldn't get the sex. Was bubs not participating in the scan?

Hope, i understand about the flu vac. I hate having any medication while pregnant. I got my flu shot before my mmc last time so i don't need another one yet so I'm happy about that.

Brieanna, I will do something with my SIL before. we see them a lot. Just sucks not to be able to have her there.
That will be nice to get your own place before bubs comes.

I am the only one that can see and feel kicks from the outside?!? i have been able to for about 2 weeks now.

 

[Lisa85]

I went shopping with a friend yesterday and we bought some clothes for bubs. Not very practical ones but we had fun!!! My little girl need dresses and hair clips right!! haha

 

[Kasey84]

Lindsay- can't wait to hear about your scan tomorrow!

Beautiful picture Vietmamsie! You've got quite the bump

Lisa- I was soooo disappointed not to find out the sex. I'm dying to know! I think the tech had an idea, but couldn't get a good enough view to be 100 % sure. I can sometimes feel kicks from the outside now. Oh keeps missing it though. Love the little girls clothes! Too cute

 

[vietmamsie]

yeah, people are sort of weirded out by how big it is. My husband just laughs and laughs. He always said I would have a big belly once I got pregnant!

Feeling a little stress from work. Thinking I may have to step down from some of my responsibilities in the new year. Just need to focus on my classes, not everyone else's needs as well. DH thinks I should just quit He said I'm not getting to enjoy this pregnancy as much as I should get to Since I have always wanted to be pregnant, and we are pretty sure we only want one, it seems sort of sad to be miserably trudging to school each day, 45 minutes each way. I think instead, I might just quit two weeks earlier than planned, and get out of there mid feb. We'll see!

 

[Karinama98]

I'm still not feeling the baby like all you ladies are. I think maybe in the last week I felt 1-2 things that could have been baby, but not sure. I know I read that some women may not feel anything until week 20 or so. Here's to hoping at my scan next week Monday that things are going well.

And let me bounce this off of everyone. From what I know, most of us are past where we were when we MC'd (if you experienced a MC). Many are excited, which I can completely understand. I know from trying to do online research about emotions after being pregnant again after a loss that what I'm going through isn't abnormal...but I feel abnormal.

I still can't get excited about it. If people ask me how things are going, verbally talking about the pregnancy is the last thing I want to do. Am I afraid that something is wrong, will go wrong, is wrong?! Always. DH has been really worried about me because he sees how it affects me, and he wishes I could get excited about the pregnancy. I've cried while telling him I just feel nothing about it. I keep thinking about the one we lost, and I know there's nothing I can or could do to make that go away. If I lost it differently, maybe I'd feel different, but the images of the night we lost our little one roll through my head occasionally like a bad movie that won't end. Even as I type this I'm crying because I still hurt so much inside.

I wish I could be happy for what our future little one will bring us. Will next week's gender/anatomy scan help me feel better? One could hope. Will it take me up until I'm holding the baby in my arms to realize life is good? It could as I read some women have felt that way until they gave birth.

Sorry this isn't the most uplifting post I've written. Maybe it's more therapy for me to get my thoughts about it down and out.

The one thing DH and I are both concerned about is me going through post partum depression after the delivery. Especially with how I've been feeling as it is.

 

[morganwhite7]

Karinama98- I totally understand where you're coming from, and for me, YES the gender scan helped me feel to better.. like this is real and going to end up okay. To be able to really bond with the little girl or boy, to imagine who they might be really helps. We lost our son after 12 days in the NICU and every day I am so thankful to have a little rainbow girl to counteract the pain. It will NEVER EVER EVERR go away.. when a mother loses a child, there is nothing that heals that pain. Even another. I still struggle like you to imagine life WITH this child, thinking that it STILL will never happen to me. I can't get it out of my head that we lost such a precious little person, and why not the next? (SO irrational, but PAL mommas have so many extra worries) It is hard for me to understand how women have so many healthy babies and successful pregnancies. 9 months is a long time to wait to meet your LO.. so much time to worry and want to rush to get them safe into your arms. I am glad you brought this up, as I struggle with the same issues everyday, while trying to be thankful for what we've been so graciously blessed with. I hope you continue to speak your mind, after all this is a PAL thread and we're ALL a part of a sad, sad mommy club.

To all the little angels lost- we think about you everyday. Here's an important quote that's helped me to explain this to others who don't know our pain:

"A 'Rainbow Baby' is the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages of the storm. When a rainbow appears, it doesn't mean the storm never happened or that the family is not still dealing with its aftermath. What it means is that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy and hope."

Sending my love to everyone