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

[Mommy's Angel]

Sorry about the practice run, Rottpaw. But like HA said - whatever is best for the little guy.

And please keep coming back, HA and Titi! If there's anyone that doesn't belong here it's probably me, as I was never really a part of the TTC thread to begin with. (The first time I posted there I was already pregnant, and moved over here shortly after). Kind of like walking across the stage to get the empty diploma folder because I didn't complete my classes.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that mixes up the back stories, HA. Nice to know I'm in good company! There are times I've actually sat here w/pen & paper to jot down little notes as I read...

Well, tomorrow's the day we shock the you-know-what out of my parents with the big news via a Happy Birthday Grandpa card - we're even bringing the camera to catch their expressions. Yeah, it'll overshadow my dad's little b-day celebration, but something tells me he won't mind.

Angela, I'll be thinking of you!

Have a great weekend everyone!

You were too! You were just hiding behind the scenes is all.

 

[MrsJ08]

ladies, I've come over to be nosey and also check if there is any news on Angela. Hope everyone is well? xxxx

p.s Pablo - I had a yeast infection when I was pregnant but found it's hard to tell what's what because you get so much normal discharge when you are pregnant anyway!

 

[rottpaw]

ladies, I've come over to be nosey and also check if there is any news on Angela. Hope everyone is well? xxxx

p.s Pablo - I had a yeast infection when I was pregnant but found it's hard to tell what's what because you get so much normal discharge when you are pregnant anyway!

Thank you for checking on me! No news yet, unfortunately. I hope soon!

 

[MissMuffet08]

Oh my goodness! I forgot to check the site this morning cuz I was swamped with work and there have been 3 pages of conversation! WOW!

Angela - sorry that you were turned down for labor and getting out of work! That stinks! Also thank you for the car seat information. Now, I need to research on the best kind. I will start with the one that you picked out.

Anna – I did the 3 day monistat (my dr said not to put it all the way in). After 3 days I was still EXTREMELY itchy, but on the outside so I bought some vagisil (maximum strength). It worked really well for like 2 days. I sent my regular OB an email and she said that if I was still having problems to get the 7 day monistat and get the cream NOT the suppositories (I hate using the cream!) and to stop using Vagisil as that might make it worse. Fortunately, it started to clear up. Unfortunately, I think it may be making another appearance. Yeah, watching the show is a bit scary, but then I think of holding my baby girl and get all warm and fuzzy. CONGRATS on going to 2nd trimester! Hopefully I will see you posting on that forum as well.

Rebekah – I am sorry that you have BV, but glad you went to the Dr. and were able to get some medication for it. It is also very possible that you and your husband keep giving it back and forth so definitely check with your dr.

Titi, HA, Twinkle – A big HELLO!!!!!!! :wave: I often still lurk on the original site to see how everyone is doing. As a few others have already said, I know we will see you here soon.

MrsJ – How are you doing? How is Scarlett?

Everyone else – I hope that you all are doing well and have fun plans for the weekend.

AFM – I had my dr appointment yesterday. Good news – baby is doing fine. Weight is fine (though I feel fat – probably cuz I was 20 lbs over when I got pregnant), bump is a good size, and we listened to the heart beat. I also just signed up for Lamaze class. That was a chore because they recommend that you start to sign up at 20 weeks – apparently, I didn’t get that memo and it took forever to find a class that both me and my hubby could make. Good thing about Kaiser, if one hospital doesn’t have the right schedule, I can go to a different one. Bad News – All this time I though my OB was going to be delivering my baby. As an afterthought I said “You are delivering my baby right” she said “I don’t do that anymore” I was in SHOCK! She said the way Kaiser does is that they have a team of three: 1 midwife, and 2 Drs. Most babies are born by the midwives – who knew? I thought only that midwives were used in Europe and at birthing clinics – you learn something new every day.

Looking forward to a 3 day weekend, even though I will be taking my laptop home and doing some “work” on Monday. But my brother and his family are in town this weekend so I get to hang out with them tonight and the rest of the weekend. Those of you in the states, have a happy and safe President’s day and those in other countries and a happy and safe weekend!

Best,
Steph

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Oh my goodness! I forgot to check the site this morning cuz I was swamped with work and there have been 3 pages of conversation! WOW!

Angela - sorry that you were turned down for labor and getting out of work! That stinks! Also thank you for the car seat information. Now, I need to research on the best kind. I will start with the one that you picked out.

Anna – I did the 3 day monistat (my dr said not to put it all the way in). After 3 days I was still EXTREMELY itchy, but on the outside so I bought some vagisil (maximum strength). It worked really well for like 2 days. I sent my regular OB an email and she said that if I was still having problems to get the 7 day monistat and get the cream NOT the suppositories (I hate using the cream!) and to stop using Vagisil as that might make it worse. Fortunately, it started to clear up. Unfortunately, I think it may be making another appearance. Yeah, watching the show is a bit scary, but then I think of holding my baby girl and get all warm and fuzzy. CONGRATS on going to 2nd trimester! Hopefully I will see you posting on that forum as well.

Rebekah – I am sorry that you have BV, but glad you went to the Dr. and were able to get some medication for it. It is also very possible that you and your husband keep giving it back and forth so definitely check with your dr.

Titi, HA, Twinkle – A big HELLO!!!!!!! :wave: I often still lurk on the original site to see how everyone is doing. As a few others have already said, I know we will see you here soon.

MrsJ – How are you doing? How is Scarlett?

Everyone else – I hope that you all are doing well and have fun plans for the weekend.

AFM – I had my dr appointment yesterday. Good news – baby is doing fine. Weight is fine (though I feel fat – probably cuz I was 20 lbs over when I got pregnant), bump is a good size, and we listened to the heart beat. I also just signed up for Lamaze class. That was a chore because they recommend that you start to sign up at 20 weeks – apparently, I didn’t get that memo and it took forever to find a class that both me and my hubby could make. Good thing about Kaiser, if one hospital doesn’t have the right schedule, I can go to a different one. Bad News – All this time I though my OB was going to be delivering my baby. As an afterthought I said “You are delivering my baby right” she said “I don’t do that anymore” I was in SHOCK! She said the way Kaiser does is that they have a team of three: 1 midwife, and 2 Drs. Most babies are born by the midwives – who knew? I thought only that midwives were used in Europe and at birthing clinics – you learn something new every day.

Looking forward to a 3 day weekend, even though I will be taking my laptop home and doing some “work” on Monday. But my brother and his family are in town this weekend so I get to hang out with them tonight and the rest of the weekend. Those of you in the states, have a happy and safe President’s day and those in other countries and a happy and safe weekend!

Best,
Steph

That's interesting about your OB not being able to perform the birth. I'm not sure how much I'd like Kaisers people doing it. Just because you have a repor with your own OB. It seems as though the insurance company is dictating their own health professionals and is trying to push out the others from delivering. Doesn't seem like an even playing field. The medical industry here in the U.S. has to be revamped. Sadly, I dont think national healthcare is going to do it either. We can use DMV and the ever failing United Postal Service who's losing money as examples of what happens when Gov't gets their hands on things.

There are two types of midwives in my opinion. Clinical, who've been around alot of perinatologists and regular Dr.'s and who have a clinical definition of birth and then there's the independent midwives who you'll find have a more low key natural approach to birthing. I had a midwife believe it or not, who performed our last IUI and I believe aside from the grace of God, her non-clinical way of performing the procedure helped us to get pregnant. It's everything I wanted for my last pregnancy. It was peaceful, she was compassionate and she allowed us to take our time. Totally different from the other experiences of the staff across the hall who had a more "clinical" aspect and wanted to get their patients in and out. God's hands were all over this last experience and I give Him the glory!

Last pregnancy I watch Ricky Lakes video and read some books on American births. It really does bring to light just in my own area alone how many c-sections are done that really don't need to be. I had my son naturally, granted at 22 wks, but the whole time they tried to drug me. I found it quite odd when they told me how well I did without medication or assistance and full back labor for 23 hours. In my head I thought, "women have been doing this for centuries". Little did I know that NONE of them had performed a "natural" birth without some sort of assistance. In fact, I found it odd that they called a "natural birth" one that they use petocin to stimulate contractions. That's not part of natural birthing. It may be that the woman decides to go all the way and PUSH, but assisted drugs to rush the birth is not considered a "natural" approach to birthing. In fact, while they're pushing the drugs they RARELY tell you that petocin causes MORE pain during the whole process and sometimes gives problems with baby latching on the breast at time of birth when it's key time to latch. Doesn't mean of course your baby won't latch on later and some babies have to be taken away at time of birth and reintroduced. Just means that the greatest time for baby to learn to latch is upon entrance.

Anyways, I got off course here. I was going to share that if the midwife is an independent one, they are AWESOME and will wait on you and baby. I don't have much choice being high risk. I'm not even sure they'll allow me to have my midwife and if I can choose it won't be the midwife at the perinatologist but the one at my OB's office who actually performed the IUI procedure.

Midwives have been around for CENTURIES and I find it calming. Sadly though, New York State will not let them perform home births...though I know someone who actually HAS had one I think"illegally".

I plan to hire a doula too. I figure Doug can be with "ME" and she will help with different aspects of pain and breathing.

I didn't have the chance for a class and honestly I didn't really need it. I told Doug where to use acupressure on my lower back and it worked. He jumped in the bed behind me to birth as well. God just knew at the time we could do it on our own. Since each birth is different, I think I may have the doula and "hopefully" mary the midwife. It was such a peacefully even Godly experience. I don't like being told I'm not responding in a "timely manner" so Dr.s can make it to dinner instead of waiting on their patients to actually birth.

Healthcare industry in America isn't all it's cracked up to be.

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Oh since we're on the subject, I like this convertable carseat so far. Not sure if we'll actually get it, but I've heard good things about it!

Recaro Convertable Carseat

 

[Vivienne]

Well ladies I am sorry I haven't been around much this last week. I got sick Sunday night with a cold and was basically in bed for a couple days miserable, then my Dad passed away Thursday afternoon We were able to be with him when he died, and that was a blessing. But it has been a very emotional few days and I feel like I'm a little in shell shock. 9 months pregnant tomorrow (36 weeks), we have the funeral tomorrow which will be a day-long event and then I'm still not completely recovered from this cold and not sleeping great. Sigh. Sorry to complain - I am very blessed in every way, but it's been a sad week and I think it's just beginning to catch up with me. The physical exhaustion of simply being 9 months is incredible, and when I don't sleep I feel absolutely flattened. Add in a nasty cold and a lot of grief and it's like the perfect storm!

We're out the door in a few minutes to pick my aunt up at the airport - she'll be staying with us a few days. I may not be around online much the next few days either, but I'm thinking of you guys and hoping all is still well with all our group here!

Hugs and love ladies!

So sorry my lovely.

 

[Vivienne]

Girls - Quick post... I am speechless at the moment...

Had the FS appt and had a vaginal scan.... and there are THREE.
Yes, THREE.
TRIPLETS!!!!!
Saw and heard all three heartbeats... all strong, around 150 bpm...
2 were bigger, 12.5 & 12.1 (7weeks, 3 days ~) and one smaller, 8.7 (6 weeks, 6 days)...

oh my Lord.... I am terrified. Doctor was quite surprised and said my 38-yr-ovaries really beat the odds... I had only released 3 eggs, so odds of ALL three fertilizing and implanting are crazy.... Dr. said there is really nothing to do now but wait and see how they progress... and to TRIPLE my folic acid... will see me in 2 weeks for another scan.

DH was there & stunned too... He met me back at home with 3 dozen roses and card that just said "WOW! I love you...."

I really, really am speechless right now....

Holy cow good job, well done!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Viv!! I've missed ya. Where've ya been? How're you doing?!

 

[Vivienne]

Heya all. I've spent a week out in the wop wops with my in laws, no so remote but no internet or cell phone etc. And can I saw wow what a lot of news to catch up on!!! Everyone is just having a full on time.
Rebekah, Svet, Angela, Steph, Junebug, Anna, Codegirl, Twinkle, Austingurrl, Sunshine and those I've missed oops. I've missed you all.
Still got pages to catch up on but quickly: GO Rottpaw, he'll be here in no time and those with the itchies down there I know the feeling well. TMI but I stuff a bit of natural yoghurt up there, doctor says it's fine to do so.

AFM, I thought the MS was abating but on the day I flew up north last week it came back with reinforcements and it was all I could do not to puke on the plane, as it was I puked at home and airport and held out rest of day. Then got sick while staying the night at our friends with their little 9 month old. It was rather embarrassing holding their lovely girl and gagging away.
Ugh oh well only 26 weeks to go sigh.
Have a lovely week ladies

 

[sunshine71]

Just thought I'd quickly pop in to say good morning

MissMuffet - how exciting to be past the 1/2 way mark! I'm not due until September, and that seams years away... And you're not the only one that was surprised about the midwife thing. I'm switching to a new OB, and I found out he works in conjunction with a midwife, too. I said the same thing - "who knew?"

MA - So you want to do the natural thing, huh? You're a brave woman. Not me - I'll have the spinal with a side order of drugs, please. Anything they can do to dull the pain is a big okay in my book. I had to laugh when, at my final appointment at the RE's office, the nurse asked me "Have you thought about where you'd like to give birth?" I was like "Ya know, I'm thrilled about this pregnancy - I've thought about how to do my best to make a healthy baby, I've thought about the excitement of bringing him/her home, but the actual giving birth part? Not so much - I'm trying not to dwell on that part of it all..."

Vivienne - so sorry the ms is back. With the exception of some queasiness last week, I've been lucky enough to pretty much avoid all of that. But believe it or not, that worries me a little. I hear that bad ms is a good sign of a healthy pregnancy. So I hope it eases up for you, but at least it's another sign your little one's doing well.

Have a good weekend, all!

 

[rottpaw]

Morning ladies!

So I've finally had a good night's sleep (for the most part anyway ) and it's a beautiful, sunny day here. Expected to be in the low 70's (F) outside, which will give me spring fever for sure! With all the sadness and loss we've been through recently, a bright sunny (and warm) day will be welcome.

Viv, good to see you! I am sorry the MS is back. I had it daily till about 16 weeks so take heart that yours may still abate some. Give it a couple more weeks. By about 14 weeks I had gotten into a pattern where I could tell it was getting better (except for overnight, but I medicate overnight). I would have a good day, then a bad one, then a couple good ones...it sort of tapered off rather than going away instantly.

Steph, you are going to love the fun of registering and choosing baby's things...except (if you are like me) you will dread the 1,653 decisions you now get to make. What's the best car seat? Which pacifier will be best (and will baby use)? Which bottles? Ohhhh, the fun you'll have! :wink: I spent months making myself nuts on all those decisions and then some. In the end, we have some close friends who were about 8 weeks ahead of us, and honestly I took a lot of recommendations from her research and from other moms I know. I even went through her registries and made notes of things we'd like to have one of as well. If I can give you any pointers, just ask - I haven't used any of our stuff yet of course, but I know how hard making all those seemingly simply decisions can be.

On the car seats - LOTS of debate there (and that's healthy!) In the end, part of it depends on whether you want to start with a convertible car seat with a separate stroller, or a "travel system" with a stroller and an infant carrier that snaps into a separate car seat base. Some do not bother with a carrier, or may already have one. We had nothing to begin with, so decided on the travel system, but also got a "Snap and Go" stroller base (these are universal stroller bases for the infant carrier part of a travel system) which is much lighter and easier to handle (and people say easier to shop with) than the travel system stroller. Now that we have all the pieces here at the house and assembled, I think I will plan to keep the "big" travel system stroller in hubby's car for when the three of us are out together, and the snap and go in my car for when it's just me and baby. The advantages I see in the travel system setup are that we can install a carseat base in both cars, and just snap the carrier in to whichever car we're using, we'll have a stroller already in each car, and we get the benefits of having an infant carrier. The downside is he will eventually outgrow the carrier, but we chose the one that can go to 30 pounds (as long as his height does not exceed the rating before his weight does).

On choices, we looked at soooo many and I read up on it a fair bit. I liked the Chicco Keyfit 30 because it was #1 with Consumer Reports (an independent US rating agency) for safety. I *think* I also saw it was preferred by the NTSB but don't quote me on that. Be sure that you go to the stores and actually handle whichever ones you are considering. That, too was an eye opener for us. The Graco (my second choice) was a bit heavier (and I am concerned with weight 'cause our little guy is heavy already! ) but also felt much less sturdy/more "plasticky" to me. The Britax, which also gets high ratings, was much heavier. Etc. etc. - just definitely "road test" anything you're considering!

MA - I have not seen that particular seat, but I know lots of people who choose the convertible route from the beginning. One couple we know just bought the Britax convertible which, as long as you aren't hauling it in and out of the car, the weight would not matter. It's supposed to be good as well.

My, I am rambling this morning! Yeesh! Sorry girls.

Sunshine, I am the same way on the birth - I'm looking forward to meeting my son, but I am hoping for as much pain relief as possible LOL! Epidural please!! I have a lot of admiration for women who can do it naturally but I know my own intolerance for pain. Pain causes me to stress out, and that won't help anything (even if I know the pain is normal and okay, it physically stresses and exhausts me). So I'm signing up for the epi. Hubby just had one for his hernia surgery (we thought it was too funny that he got one before me!) and he highly recommended it

So sorry for all who have itchies and scratchies "down there!" I know the feeling well. MA, it sounds like the clindamycin is perfectly safe, so try not to stress my friend! That yucky BV will be gone before you know it and all will be well!

AFM the OB did the GBS test and an internal to check my cervix yesterday, and the lubricant goo always inflames things for me for a couple days. Fun, fun! Yeesh. I'm hoping to avoid a full-blown yeast infection, but it may not be possible. I'm keeping an eye on things.

Svet, Anna, Junebug, Austin - to all and hope everyone is having a great day!

I'm off to see what can be done to clean up our messy house. I would freak out if we actually did go into labor and my mother in law came over with it looking like this !!!

Happy Saturday!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Just thought I'd quickly pop in to say good morning

MissMuffet - how exciting to be past the 1/2 way mark! I'm not due until September, and that seams years away... And you're not the only one that was surprised about the midwife thing. I'm switching to a new OB, and I found out he works in conjunction with a midwife, too. I said the same thing - "who knew?"

MA - So you want to do the natural thing, huh? You're a brave woman. Not me - I'll have the spinal with a side order of drugs, please. Anything they can do to dull the pain is a big okay in my book. I had to laugh when, at my final appointment at the RE's office, the nurse asked me "Have you thought about where you'd like to give birth?" I was like "Ya know, I'm thrilled about this pregnancy - I've thought about how to do my best to make a healthy baby, I've thought about the excitement of bringing him/her home, but the actual giving birth part? Not so much - I'm trying not to dwell on that part of it all..."

Vivienne - so sorry the ms is back. With the exception of some queasiness last week, I've been lucky enough to pretty much avoid all of that. But believe it or not, that worries me a little. I hear that bad ms is a good sign of a healthy pregnancy. So I hope it eases up for you, but at least it's another sign your little one's doing well.

Have a good weekend, all!

Well, it's hard to say where I'll be during labor as I'm sure each one is different. I'm not APPOSED to assisted birthing if my childs life is at risk OR if I absolutely can't function.

I am pretty much focusing on another "natural birth". It's odd really, with my son he was MUCH smaller obviousely, BUT I had full on back labor for 23 hours. It was kind of funny because our pastor came in to pray with us at the time because of the outcome. The whole time I looked at him with a smile but was in pretty heavy pain. I was breathing through it. Then I would have doug do Accupressure on my lower back to releive the pain. THIS time though, not only do I have the pressure in my back, but I AM noticing some stretching in the front which does have me fear a regular labor. Apparently back labor is supposed to be THE WORST kind of labor. Thing is, I have a HIGH tolerance to pain. Given the muscles in the fron area though and the fact that they will feel somewhat like a spasm....well, I'm not honestly sure how well I'll handle THAT.

Do I want natural labor without inducing and without meds? YES. I'm going to try my hardest. I LOVED it the last time, I just can't tell you how it feels after giving birth without meds. All the endorphins produced, etc.

I'm a we'll see kinda gal. I'm not apposed to it, but I'd just rather try for natural. I'd LOVE a water birth, but I'm not sure I'm allowed. Honestly there's not one part of this experience I have a right to choose with. If birthing natural is THE ONLY thing I have, then I'm going to fight for it unless my baby needs emergency care or I can't handle the pain.

I'm not against others having a more clinical experience. I think it just depends on the person and only SHE knows how much she can tolerate. In the end, it's better for the baby in my opinion for the mother to follow through with whatever plan she thinks is best for her and baby. Mine is just a less clinical aspect because for me, it's quiet, peaceful a little bit more Godly in the sense that I had a NIGHTMARE experience during the whole medical aspect of last pregnancy.

I think that's why the less hands on me clinically, the better.

Angela,

I thought about the travel systems. It sure would make it easier to put baby in and out of stroller and car. It seems that all the strollers I like don't have the option of a travel system and I need an alterain type stroller for where I live. We're hikers, we also live in the city too. I wanted something without the plastic wheels that turn in one direction. I like the bigger wheels with more traction. They're not cheap by any means and I'm still thinking on it.

Britax and the Recaro are very well known convertable seats for safety. My only beef with Britax is that for SUV's, Britax won't fit in some of the back seats because they're not as wide as they should be for that paticular brand. In order to find out, you'd have to really borrow the britax and ask if you could try it in your backseat if the store will let you.

I'm wondering also about the Recaro, but haven't heard anything about the issue concerning seat depth.

I'll have to check out the one you mention.

Anyhoo, I hope you ladies have a LOVELY weekend!!

 

[rottpaw]

You have a great weekend too Rebekah!

And yes, I will definitely say that after having some BH's with a fair bit of pain (enough to get my attention but not affect my ability to speak), I now know that I can expect much worse with actual labor. But if I don't need the epi I won't do it - i just suspect I will need it! You have been through an actual labor (and it sounds like you did great handling the pain! I too have heard back labor is the worst!) so you know better what to expect. I think I'm afraid of the unknown!

On the stretching pains, I think someone else here mentioned them. I too had those in the first tri, and at first they scared me to death. A very sharp, sudden pain and I was very worried until our RE said they're normal. I couldn't believe anything that stabbing could be "normal," but apparently it was. The good news is, you'd think that would continue as your uterus gets bigger and then much bigger, but I never had them again after 1st tri. Even when baby kicks and stretches, it only hurts if he hits something tender (like my bladder or cervix).

On the strollers - yes, the one we have does have the plastic wheels, but they are on a "shock" system (like a car I guess), so they cushion impact well, and they all turn independently for manueverability. Of course I have not tried it out yet except around the house, but I did see someone yesterday with our model at my OB's office. I asked her how she likes it in "real life" and she said she loves it, so here's hoping. I may investigate the more all-terrain type you mention as well for walking around our neighborhood, which is hilly and great for exercise. For hiking, have you thought about babywearing? It's new to me but I got a couple of the different types of carriers, like a Moby Wrap and a Baby Bjorn. We'll see if I find it easier to walk carrying/wearing baby or pushing the stroller LOL! I will need all the exercise I can get, after sitting on my butt all pregnancy with SPD pain! :Rofl:

Okay, off to do some more laundry. I'm pacing myself today!

 

[pablo797]

Hi All!!

It's Saturday afternoon and after taking the pup for a cross country ski and cleaning the house I'm lying in bed prime for an afternoon nap!!!

Sunshine, I take notes almost every day to keep up with what goes on with everyone, just can't keep all the news straght. Maybe it's age, or baby brain who knows. I'm with you on the drugs, although a little voice in my head says try it natural, you can always request drugs if it comes to too much. I used to watch all the birthing shows on TLC and now they terrify me! I too think I'm trying not to think about it now that it's real. A little scary. Hope the telling of the parents goes well!!! I'm sure it will, what a fun suprise!!

MA, seeing Perinatologist cause I can. I'm not seeing an OB for my pregnancy, but my regular General practitioner. I am not crazy about the OBs in our area, and I love my general so seeing her. Anyway, up until very recently you had to drive 2 hours down the Denver to see a perinatologist, but we just got one on staff here. So excited. SO my doc gave me referral to the perinatologist for my ultra sound one, because it's my first scan and two, because it will be the first in two scans to test for a few possible genetic issues. He's the most qualified. I have to say I am excited to see him, given my age it's a little weird no one has recommended a specialist yet. However my doc assured me if anything looked weird she would call in a specialist right away. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited for Monday!!! Ohh I almost forgot, if going for one of the strollers with three big wheels, like a baby jogger, my friend said make sure the front wheel swivels, and is not in a fixed position. She says the swivel front wheel is much better at maneuvering. Just something to think about... Also, I have had pretty good stretching cramps this pregnancy, mostly at night although a set hit the other day at work. Hang in there. I really hope they end with the first trimester!!!!!

Angela, I am sorry for the false alarm, but all sounds ready! I will be picking your brain later I'm sure re:gadgets and supplies. I've recently been getting Fit Pregnancy magazine and all the adds are overwhelming . . . what kind of diapers, what kind of wipes, what kind of bottles, what kind of pacifiers?? SO much to think about and sooner than later. My hope is to get as much squared away in the next three months as I can. My last three months are busy months for work and I'm not sure I'll have the energy. Luckily Fit Pregnancy does have a buyers guide, so that's some help. I can not wait to see how the next week goes for you!! Soo excited!!

Vivienne, yeh you're back!!!! So sorry the MS is too. Hope you feel better now that you're back on terra firma. Take care and let us know how you're doing.

Lastly, big hugs to titti, HA, and twinkle!!! So good to see you pop in, you are always welcome!!!!

oK off to lala land . . . maybe I'll just check out the buyers guide real quick . . . xxx anna

 

[codegirl]

Hi ladies! I've been having some pretty serious BH last night and today (enough to keep me awake) but nothing to regular or ones that I can't talk through.

Bought Edward a big boy bed this morning and currently my Mom and DH are out picking it up. Just waiting for E to wake up from his nap (I think he's close)

Car seats/strollers - we bought a peg prego infant car seat and stroller. Because of Edward's size I actually couldn't carry him and the car seat much so I found baby wearing much much easier. Therefore I'm very disappointed that we spent as much as we did on that travel system and if I could go back and do it again I would buy something cheaper.

He's now in a Britax and I really like it. And I'm trying to talk DH into a double stroller but he's struggling with that purchase with how little I used the single stroller.

I have a ring sling, 2 woven wraps (one new silk one that I got for Christmas and a Mai Tai. Used the ring sling the most for quick carries, in and out of the car etc and the Mai Tai for longer once E was bigger but I can see using the wraps more with this one to help me keep up with E

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Hi Ladies!

This is fun!

Angela, yes. I've been through actual labor. I think it all depends on a womans tolerance for pain though. For some reason I usually have a high tolerance for pain. At least in my back area. Now I'm a bit hesitant about regular labor as with this stretching I can't even imagine how the contractions would be. I know I got through the back labor. It was hard, but I basically had instinct to do accupressure. It's kind of funny because we had no training. We winged it.

This time I think being equipped with a Dula, we may have some things up our sleeve for more pain tolerance.

Oh, I also heard that hot cold therapy works during birthing. How it's done is adding a cold wash cloth to the neck or lower back for several minutes...THEN switching to a hot washcloth. I'm told it works well for women in labor.

I sound like a hippy!


Angela and Codegirl, I am actually planning to wear a carrier. When I was pregnant with Jackson I saw a man carrying his newborn and it was NEAT. He said he and his wife had one and for people with bigger waists like me, there are extensions. You can use the carrier until the child is much older too. He said it's AWESOME for traveling and you just need to carry your kid quickly. Ergo Baby Carriers

Pablo, my friend told me THE SAME EXACT THING about the wheels. How funny! I actually have found one with four wheels though that are pretty big and alterain. There are a couple others out there I like too. We'll see what I'll actually end up going with in the end.

Bob three wheelers are pretty awesome. If you go to their site, they have allterain as well.

Codegirl, Phil and Ted have a pretty neat two child stroller that may be fun for you. Phil And Ted They are quite pricey though, so your husband, if he's anything like mine, may need that extra nudge to know it's a price worth spending and know if you'll actually use it. I think it's really handy though. :thumbsup:

 

[rottpaw]

Anna, I definitely recommend getting yourself all registered and making most of your decisions (including ordering nursery furniture) by end of second tri or, at worst, end of month 7. At least for me, I was just too heavy/tired/achy and slower-moving in 3rd tri and I have been cursing myself for everything that didnt' get done sooner LOL. Don't leave it for yourself to have to deal with in 3rd tri. Too exhausting!

Code and Rebekah, I agree about the babywearing. I am glad to have the carrier options and suspect I will do that more often than not, especially for things like going to the grocery. Too much trouble to deal with carrier in the store, etc.

Whew ladies, I'm exhausted today for some reason. And I even slept okay last night AND had a nap today. I'm feeling every day of 36+6!! LOL Oh! I just realized, that means tomorrow I get to celebrate full term day! Woohoo!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Anna, I definitely recommend getting yourself all registered and making most of your decisions (including ordering nursery furniture) by end of second tri or, at worst, end of month 7. At least for me, I was just too heavy/tired/achy and slower-moving in 3rd tri and I have been cursing myself for everything that didnt' get done sooner LOL. Don't leave it for yourself to have to deal with in 3rd tri. Too exhausting!

Code and Rebekah, I agree about the babywearing. I am glad to have the carrier options and suspect I will do that more often than not, especially for things like going to the grocery. Too much trouble to deal with carrier in the store, etc.

Whew ladies, I'm exhausted today for some reason. And I even slept okay last night AND had a nap today. I'm feeling every day of 36+6!! LOL Oh! I just realized, that means tomorrow I get to celebrate full term day! Woohoo!

WTG! I think you should celebrate this milestone Angela!!

The more I speak, the more I feel as though I'm a hippy. Natural delivery, babywearing, I've even contemplated co-sleeping (only with a pac n play type thing next to our bed for awhile).

Last pregnancy I even found All in One diapers I planned to buy that are cloth and easy to use. It's alot of work, but I think it will save money. Not quite sure about the sanity though.

I think what gets me excited about the babywearing is the opportunity to bond with baby while also getting housework done or having the freedom to do other things. Actually, in third world countries where families sleep in the same room, mothers also babywear. It REALLY produces bond with mom and baby as well as dad when he wears them too. Less likely to have attatchment issues.

As far as sleep goes, I'm having an interesting night. I felt REALLY tired around 10, coaxed Doug upstairs to bed and woke back up at 1am. Poor Doug stayed up with me for awhile and it's 3am now. I had him bring up our laptop so I could surf for awhile with hopes to just feel tired. Church is at 11am and because Dougs been taking on extra hours because of low staffing, we have missed every other weekend for the past month or so. Then the weekends he's been on, have either been busy or filled with nausia. Today I'm an insomniac. Oh, how I pray to get to church today. I miss it. A friend of ours told us it's just for a "season". It made me feel so much better.

We FINALLY bought our camera last night. Doug accidentally set our new Nikon down on the car last spring to take a pic of us with our square foot garden and the thing fell and broke the lens. It was still under manufacturers warranty, but Nikon said it was Dougs fault so they weren't replacing it. We bought an extended warranty from Target who said buying it would be great for accidents...and they told us that if Nikon didn't cover it, neither would they.

A friend of mine told me to buy our next one at Best Buy because you can buy their extended warranty which DOES cover accidents. She broke hers at Disney the week she bought it and they replaced it right away.

So, we went to best buy and bought a Canon to spite Nikon compnay and bought Best Buy warranty. I plan to send a nice little letter to target home office to share our experience and tell them they lost our business with any electronics and that we purchased our new camera with Best Buy.

I'm hoping to record the babys heartbeat with it. I'm praying all the numbers go up on monday and that we'll have a beautiful sonogram on Thursday that will show baby(ies) well and heartbeats going good.

This process is SO amazing! I'm trying to let myself enjoy this pregnancy. I think the camera will help me document and I will start journaling too.

I'm going to start blogging again on my blog, but I can't share that we're pregnant in case family is watching. So I'm going to go about my business as if nothing happened and pray nobody asks the outcome of my prayer yet.

We're going to share with the world after April 2nd. April 2nd we're inviting Dougs family over who will all be in from out of town. I'm also inviting my parents as surprise to everyone.

I've decided we'll start things out with a game of Sharades. Each topic will be a movie, a book or a song. ALL will have baby involved. "She's having a baby", "Nine Months", "What to Expect When your Expecting", "Baby Mine", etc.

I hope my husbands father and my father cooperate because I want THEM to be the first to play as patriarchs of the family. It will be funny to have them play "baby sharades".

I also have a few other things planned, but have to choose which to do and which to leave out.

I've decided a spaghetti dinner which "I" will not do this time around. I'm going to relax and we're going to have someone else cater the event since there are almost twenty people.

I'm praying everything goes smoothly and God helps us to carry to term healthy happy babies.


Medicine I feel is starting to kick in slowly. I still feel somewhat itchy, but it's not as bad. I pray BV goes away and STAYS away.

 

[sunshine71]

Happy Full Term Day, Angela!

Wow - reading all that stuff about baby carriers, car seats, etc... you ladies have my head spinning! Think I'll put off thinking about all that until the end of March when I get the results back from my NT screening. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'm pregnant in the first place. Anything after that would just send me into overload!

MA - your plans to break the news sound like fun. And I love love love the idea of having it catered. Only way to go, in my book. After the first (and last!) dinner party I had for about 15 people, I said NEVER AGAIN. Next time I decide to get all fancy, I'm calling a caterer!

Well, we told my parents about the Squirt yesterday afternoon - they were thrilled. Then they made my drive to dinner so they could all celebrate properly! *sigh* Gotta love 'em... We were going to tell my in-laws when we got back, but they were out for the evening. Which was fine with me - by then I was tired and just wanted to go home anyway. Looks like we'll try and catch them some time today.

Okay, ladies, time for me to hit the elliptical. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!