35+ TTC 1st Graduates!!! Come on Over!

[Mommy's Angel]

Svet,
Lack of power is more romantic when you don't have a new baby in the house to take care of. Hope you are doing well. And everyone else who may be in Irene's wake.

MA,
Definitely continue talking out your feelings with Doug and us, but it might help to discuss this with your doctor as well. This morning I yelled at my mom in the church parking lot because she was grilling me about chromosomal defects in the heat and I'd had enough and then when pulling out into traffic, a guy wouldn't pull up enough to let me through and I gave him the dirtiest look and mouthed, "Seriously?" in the snottiest way possible. Nice Christian message I'm giving it out after an entire sermon about paying in forward. Also, I am ultra-sensitive with my husband, have become a backseat driver overnight, and cry at the drop of a hat. I know that this much be the hormones, right? And I feel like I can't control them. But how much of this is the fact that I went off my anti-depressants in December? I know that I'm at risk for PPD. You need to have lots of support.

I want to thank everyone for their comments about my amnio post. I know that it is a personal decision, but it means so much to me that you are all encouraging me to trust my instincts and go with my gut. I went to go see The Help today and a girl with DS was in the theatre. It stopped me in my tracks. I don't feel equipped to deal with a special needs child and would like to know ahead of time I guess, but could I deal with the alternative of losing a baby, especially one that was healthy and would have not had a problem without an invasive procedure? There is no easy answer. But, I have felt more relaxed since I've made my decision and I know God will be there for me whatever the outcome of my pregnancy if I leave it all in His hands. On thing is for certain, I have really felt the love and support of the ladies on this thread and I want to thank you.

Aww, your too kind! God will give you the strength no matter the outcome. I'm sure everything will turn out just fine though

Oh backseat driver....I'm doing that too along with the crying. I'm honestly making my husband nutty. He's getting short tempered with me and that sets me off too. The guy can't win! I feel just awful. We'll all get through it though. I'll also mention my mood to the Dr.'s office. I've told a close friend too and my cousin will note when I'm odd. So hopefully I'll have some kind of support.

What does one do if you have PPD afterwards? Counseling? Meds??

 

[pablo797]

Good Sunday evening ladies,

To all on the east coast, sounds like you all made it through the hurricane ok, although Svet I'm sorry you had a power issue. Has it turned back on??

Rowan, yeh!! On new house!!

Sveut, boo on power outage!

Ma, track that PPD sister. If diagnosed I'm not sure what they can do while pregnant, but there are some meds that are TOTALLY safe for after, even if BFing. I've mentioned this to Vivienne too. I have read that if you suffer from depression during your pregnancy, you're more susceptible to PPD after. It's not written in stone, but something to look out for. This is a very common condition and more people suffer needlessly than you know. It's a silent burden many women carry afraid to get help. I worry too as I find myself often questioning things and crying to myself. I am worried about PPD too. Keep us posted and please mention it to your doctor. If you don't feel he/she is taking you seriously, find another doctor. I mentioned in my post to vivienne that I have a friend with PPD and her doctor told her to "suck it up". Totally unbelievable but it happens. Some of it hormones. I cried today while watching Tangled. Yep the cartoon. Bawled my eyes out.

OK, on a brighter side, the tour de Colorado (aka pro cycling tour) was awesome!! Got to see some of my favorite riders up close and personal. Still no baby, but true to my word popping bon bons by the handful. Not really but did go to cold stone tonight, ummmmm cake batter ice cream. Is there anything better?!!

Sunshine, LOL on the ice in red wine!!! Too funny. You my friend are living in the wrong town!! I'm sure it has it's charms and there's a reason, but come on, really?? BTW how are you feeling??? A month out just about aren't you!!!

Have a good night! Anna

 

[sunshine71]

Happy Monday, everyone! (My last working Monday!!! )

Rowan - congrats on the new house! How exciting!

Chris #1 - so sorry you got hit w/the wind and rain. Hopefully your power's back on. Do you at least have water? I only ask because I'm far enough out in the sticks that we don't even have public water - we have a well. So if the power goes out, the pump doesn't work and we have no water. I've learned thru past experience that if it looks like we could loose power, I immediately (if not sooner) fill up a bunch of buckets of water so we can at LEAST flush the toilets... So anyhow, when anyone looses power my first thought is "hope they have water!"

MA - hopefully your basement didn't flood! From what I could tell, it looked like the effects of the storm pretty much petered out just after central NY. All we got in western NY were clouds. Oh yeah - and the wind picked up a little. Ooh. And I can definitely say that Philly got it pretty good - I have family in the Allentown area. My poor uncle had about 7" of rain and his basement flooded w/a few feet of water, and my cousin had sewer backup in his basement due to all the rain. Yum...

Anna - how's it feel to be a lady of leisure? (My turn next week!) Glad you enjoyed the tour de Colorado - that sounds like it'd really be something to see! And you couldn't be more right that I'm in the wrong town! BUT - this is where the DH wants to be. And I knew that before I married him, so this is where we are. Not that it doesn't keep me from trying to change his mind... Unfortunately, when he built a 40x50' pole barn in the back yard a year after we were married I knew I was fighting a loosing battle... Sigh... I wish I could say it has its charms, but I've yet to find them. Maybe my perspective will change once our daughter makes her arrival. Hopefully. And I'm feeling fine, thanks! Fat and cranky, but fine. How are you holding up?

Hang in there, Lava - we're here for ya!

Oh - have any of you ladies looked in to the postpartum compression belts & girdles? I've read that most women find that even after loosing the baby weight, their jeans/clothes don't fit due to the spreading of the hips/ribs. So I did some research and wound up buying a two pack of compression girdles (one slightly larger than the other to wear at first, then the smaller one to squeze into a month or two after), plus an additional hip compression belt. They have so many different kinds out there, it kind of gets confusing. I know Spanx makes one, and there's also something out there endorsed by one of the Kardashians (not sure if I spelled that right...) but I wound up getting something a little more heavy duty. So anyway, I was just wondering if anyone else had looked in to it.

Have a good day, girls!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Chris, I haven't. Is it supposed to help the belly go back? I can probably get something from the medical supply store. We're waiting on my maternity belt to come in this week.

 

[sunshine71]

I don't think it'll do much for the stomach - that's more of a diet/exercise thing. These are more for your joints/cartilage because they spread due to all the relaxin released during pregnancy. In theory, these are supposed to help squish everything back to where it was pre-pregnancy.

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Oh gosh...more wobbly bits for me! I've been trying to get past my own self esteem issues with this pregnancy and though I have only gained 14lbs now this whole pregnancy (which is good for someone who's plus size) I still feel HUGE and the lower apron is making me self conscious. I'm ready to lose weight NOW! It came hard before but I fear how hard it will be now. Ah well, take everything one day at a time and do my best. I lost it once before, I can do it again...I hope!

 

[sunshine71]

I hear ya, sister!

 

[pablo797]

sunshine, I've seen those (the girdles) in the magazines, but always wondered if they worked. I've been pretty lucky in that me hips seem to be pretty much the same size. Or I could be entirely in denial! I will definitely get one if I can't wear my jeans after baby. Maybe I should go get them out of storage.

As for life of leisure, today I fixed the closet,ran errands, took the dog for two walks down to the river, went to the grocery store, and made dinner. Still waiting for the "leisure" part. Think i'm too antsy. I keep thinking of projects that need to be done. Don't want to go into labor with the closets a mess, the fridge empty, etc. I did manage to squeeze iin a nap though and slept in thanks to the magic of ambian. Have a doc appt tomorrow, we'll see how it goes!

As for you sunshine, congrads on the last week of work!! Such a nice feeling.

MA, you will loose the weight. I know you can!

Austin and vivienne, how are you ladies? I know you both have ur hands full, but know I am thinking of you!!

Svet, power?

Hi to everyone else!!!!

have a good night! Anna

 

[sunshine71]

Good morning

Wow, Anna - so much for leisure! To be honest, though, I'll probably do the same thing - I'm getting antsy too. Maybe that "nesting" thing I keep reading about is starting to kick in...? Oh - and if you do decide to do the girdle, pretty much everything I've read says to start using it the day you get back from the hospital - they don't work as well if you wait too long. I plan on packing mine in my hospital bag...

Good luck at your doctor appointment today! Hopefully s/he'll have some promising news for you...

MA - we should start a little postpartum weight loss thread once the girls are here. Who knows - there may just be some tricks out there that'll come in handy! I've already started cutting back in prep for the "after baby" diet... NOT looking forward to that.

Chris #1, Angela, Terri, Viv, Austin, Skye, Steph, Lava, Rowan & Lucy (phew, that's a long list!) Hi there!

Have a good day, all

 

[lavalux]

On my way to the specialist for my first scan since the spotting. No amnio, but still feeling nervous.

Hope all is well with everyone!

 

[svetayasofiya]

Good luck lava!

 

[sunshine71]

Good luck!!!

 

[lavalux]

Thanks, ladies. All is well with the babies and they are on track. The doctor was very nice about not doing the amnio. He said he felt comfortable with my NT scan results and genetic screening results as well as with the way that the babies appeared on the U/S. He booked me for another scan at 19 1/2 weeks and said we would know even more with the anatomy scan. If there was a problem and we wanted to do an amnio on that day, we could, but right now, he didn't see a reason to go that route. It eased my mind. Baby B is confirmed a boy. The technician said that Baby A seems to be a girl. She pointed to three lines down there, which was hard for me to see, and showed us the difference with Baby B's - as my husband calls it "tallywacker." Not sure where he picked that term up? Monty Python maybe? Anyway, we will know with more certainty in 3 weeks. I really couldn't breathe until I saw both heartbeats today. What a stress ball I am! Now I'm going to try to relax for a little while and not worry.

 

[Rowan75]

yey lavalux Im so glad your scan went well

glad the weather seems to have settled for you US / Canada ladies - must have been scary!

 

[newmarriedgal]

Hi Ladies!

Lava - I'm so happy for you, what a relief!!! Isn't it wonderful to hear those heartbeats???

We just got back from our monthly OB visit. All is well! Our poppy's heart is going strong at 155 beats per min, and the doc had some trouble finding it, saying poppy was probably dancing in there! I go in for my 2nd blood test for the integrated NT test in a few days but she said the NT test measuring the neck folds looked great. I also have to go for ultrasounds every month so she can keep a check on all my auto-immune/heart issues, and I just look at it as more chances than normal to see more pics! Next ultrasound is Sept 19th when I'll be about 18 weeks. We are trying to hold out to not find out what we are having but I keep calling it a boy all the time! Charlie tries to throw is a "she" every once in a while to balance. We really don't care, we are excited for either one.

As for the hurricane, we lost power twice for about an hour each time, just enough time for charlie to break out the gas pump to work for the sump pump so we wouldn't get flooded in the basement - each time he got it setup and working, the power came back on! But hey, it would have worked and thank god to be married to an engineer! But we kept the candles going anyway and made a romantic day/night.

Hello to everyone else, hope all new moms and almost moms are doing well! I want to see more pics, people!

 

[sunshine71]

Yay Lava! So it looks like a girl AND a boy, huh? That sounds perfect! (Although two of either would be perfect, too...) My u/s tech explained the girl as a "hamburger" - with the three lines looking like a hamburger, and a boy is a "turtle" which I'm sure needs no explanation. I must admit - it made me pause the next time I saw a burger, though! And congrats on the prelim. results, too. It truly looks as if there's nothing to worry about. Relax & enjoy the fact that you have two beautiful babies in there.

And congrats to you, too, NMG on your results! Bummer about the power outages, but at least you were able to make a romantic night out of it...

Have a great evening, everyone

 

[pablo797]

Afternoon ladies,

Ok day two of maternity leave and I'm bored!! The time for a nap is great, but thinking of calling my boss to see if they need part time help. Part of the boredom has to do with the fact that I had a doc appt today and baby doesn't look as if she's coming anytime soon. No cervical movement and she's still really high. With due date coming Saturday, don't think it's going to happen. You never know, baby might surprise, but she's apparently really compfy. So we've scheduled my induction a week from this Friday, but that's a week and a half away!!! What the heck am I gonna do for another week and a half??? I sound spoiled I know. I should be happy, I have some time off and all last week I kept complaining that I just wanted to be done with work. I guess grass is always greener. I'm just so damn uncomfortable and sleep is still a struggle. Whhhaaaa sound like a big baby

Lava, congrads on the test results, I agree try and relax and enjoy those babies!!

NMG, congrads on your test results and happy the storm wasn't too devastating.

Sunshine, good luck on your leave. While the town you live in doesn't sound perfect, the fact that you have a pole barn, and room for one, sounds awesome!!! I dream of a place with land. You can always import good wine.

Have a good evening!! Anna

 

[svetayasofiya]

Hi girls! Just on my phone with a babe on my boob

We got our power back six hrs later but some ppl only got theirs back today! ( the houses across the street).

I really have to post some pics my baby girl is so beautiful if I do say so. I also still want to write my birth story. Just really hard to find time for stuff. Today was DH's first day back at work and my first day alone. It went well.

We had Sophie's two week appt yesterday and she is growing like a champ and now weighs 8lbs 3oz

I also had a exam because since the end of last week I have been suffering from a fever at night. They're getting high now (102f)... So she checked me out and everything seems fine then last night and again today fever! Like I need this stress. Anyways so tomorrow I have to go in for blood and urine tests. Such a pain because with the baby it's so difficult plus I hate taking her to a hospital where there are germs.

So my labour kind of got in the way of my other good news!!! Yup! Thats right!!! I passed my test with flying colours!!!!!

Hope everyone is doing well. Lava congrats on the scan and possible boy and girl. How perfect. Hope the new moms are hanging in there.

MA I would see someone now about your moods/ anxiety. You really need to take care of yourself and get this under control because there is nothing more stressful than bringing home a newborn baby. When ppl say no sleep it's literal. In the first three days I was able to get two hrs of sleep and that is no exaggeration. Not being patronizing just really showing concern for you

K. Gotta switch boobies now. Love u girls xo

 

[svetayasofiya]

Anna I cannot stress this enough: SLEEP. Put your feet up. Do all your laundry, clean your house. Enjoy the silence and time alone. Go for a walk. Breath in the fresh air. Go to town for a coffee. Window shop. Get your nails done. Get your hair done! Go see a movie!!!! Enjoy your last days of freedom. Don't get me wrong, being a mom is fabulous but being pregnant with no responsibilities is really fabulous too. Be bored!!! just enjoy it because you won't be bored again for a long time!!!! xo

I neve got a chance to be bored

 

[pablo797]

Svet, thanks for the advice and the perspective! Much needed. And BTW . . . Congrads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is such awesome news about your test! I meant to ask and forgot in all the excitement.

I logged on to let sunshine know I am with you on the weight loss. I think I am in denial. Maternity clothes have a lot of give. So count me in and I too have already started to try and make more healthy choices ( minus the piece of cake I had today!)

ok have a good night!!! Anna