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

[Junebug_CJ]

Good idea for the list!

HA, no way I would BF until my kid is 4 year! At MOST, 2 years and only at bed time. But as you said, to each their own. My friend's MIL breast fed her youngest until she was 6 years old. Talk about having a hard time letting go!

Hmmmmmm, a massage sounds good right now! And I'm not even pregnant ;-) Yep, have also had the plantar fasciitis and the iliotibial band inflammation from too much training. Sigh... And the meniscal tear with surgical correction. Hey if I can do 5-10k races again I'll be happy with just that!

Have fun camping!!!

 

[Junebug_CJ]

Tried to edit that last bit but my phone wouldn't scroll down. Sorry foe the typos!!!! I really only have one bump, not bumps.

LOL I thought you pluralized "bump" to include your growing cleavage

 

[svetayasofiya]

nice one Junebug!!!

Pablo- my due date is August 21st.

 

[Junebug_CJ]

Well seems many of you will be due around the time I'm hoping to be pregnant again! Will be an exciting summer on this board!!!

 

[Lucy1973]

Pablo, pethadin is from the morphine family I think, it makes you feel very relaxed and spaced out so you don't feel things as much....its the thing they give you here before they would do an epidural....

Junebug, hope you heal soon so you can run again.....I ran before pregnancy and can't wait to start again soon.

Sounds like August to October will be exciting here, can't wait to start seeing all the baby pictures.

Tilly has slept all day, just woke her up, but she probably won't sleep tonight....oh well, I will have to become nocturnal too for now.

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Lucy, I can't really see my tummy move yet. I figure it's because I'm plus size and won't see it for another 8wks or so. I feel her move more and more, but today when the baby kicked the nurse I didn't feel it!

Anna, I'm actually due Oct. 8th. I have to change that. It was MY preferred date to have the baby. Based on OUR guesses it was when she was due. Now it'll be interesting because I can go once we stop the 17P injections at 36wks, 37wks when the cerclage is cut OR we "could" make it to 39 weeks which is what I'm shooting for.

Todays appointment went WELL for a change!! Peri did the ultrasound herself and found that I'm neither funneling nor have lessening cervical length. The cervix is also closed tight. Praise God!

She wondered about the cardiologist appointment because the notes she got from him were odd. I told her I was NOT happy with him. She ended up telling me that the odds of Downs with that type of VSD was 30% and honestly not something to be too worried about. I told her had I NOT chatted with CJ or my friend here, I would have FREAKED OUT this whole time.

Before the Peri got in, I was asked if I wanted the genetic labs done for second Trimester and I opted out of it. Basically because she said it didn't diagnose for sure, rather gave %. Wasn't worth the worry to me. If it doesn't tell for sure I'm not interested. I'm also not interested in the Amnio either. We're keeping this little girl no matter what. Performing the Amnio will NOT make things change either way. I told her when I have concrete diagnosis in my hands, I worry about it then. Until then, my focus is to get Amelia to term.

We looked back on her sonograms and everything came out EXCELLENT with no signs of Downs. I'm not buying this guys determination because he didn't really determine ANYTHING. And they wonder why I'm a witch at these places. SOMEONE has to advocate for me and the baby?! It sucks that when a woman over 35 walks in an office, they are given "risks" and told how old they are before anything even starts. It pisses me off!

At any rate, we heard her little heartbeat, she kicked and we found out that everything is good. By the grace of God bed rest is working. I can also go for a ride tomorrow. Woohoo. While we were out today I had a lobster roll and got a mocha latte!

I'll have weekly appointments to watch everything and in two weeks she's going to check the cervix, stitch and will do another anatomy scan to check further the issue the Dr. spoke of. Hopefully we'll find NO hole in her heart and even if there is, hopefully all the measurements will once again prove she doesn't have Downs.

Praise God for FINALLY a good report!

 

[Junebug_CJ]

So glad all went well MA!!! Definitely encouraging! Just a note of caution though, not all Downs babies have growth changes so while normal measurements are reassuring they definitely don't rule it out: I'm sure she explained that as well but just making sure! One way or another, it's so good that you and Doug have made up your mind and are both comfortable opting out of any further testing since it wouldn't change anything. Interestingly, some of my patients still have the genetic tests done (including amnio) just to be informed and ready for the birth of a child with special needs. You sound like you're much more at peace with things, what a great way to go into the weekend!!! and yay for a mocha latté and lobster ANYTHING!

I just remembered a funny story with a friend who had a cerclage! She had it because she had had LEEP procedure for early cervical cancer when younger, thus rendering her cervix more prone to being incompetent. They took the stitch out when she was 36 weeks and everyone expected her to go into labour there and then. Ironically, she went 2 weeks post date and needed to be induced because the baby was turning out to be HUGE! In the end he was too big (over 10 lbs) and she had a section. We just all thought it was pretty funny since herself and the docs all thought her cervix would be an issue and turned out not to be at all!

Still stuck at work here. Hoping to leave in 15 minutes so off I go!!! Hope everyone has a great weekend

 

[Mommy's Angel]

CJ,

I think it helps that we worked for ARC. So either way we're educated on quick intervention and I have no plans to put her in a facility. We'll work privately and one on one with her speech, medical issues, etc. to hopefully give her a better chance to mainstream and live as normal a life as she can. I'm not even focused on that though as there has yet to be any proof. We'll deal with anything when it comes. In the meantime, I'm focusing on the positive and that Dr. can "bite me".

Funny story too. I'd love to go to 39wks. I'm not so afraid of having natural with a big baby either. When I was in the hospital getting my pump during Jacksons pregnancy there was a diabetic who had an 11lb baby ((he looked like he came out eating a subway sub)) naturally WITHOUT an epesiotomy. It just goes to show that womens bodies were created to know how to labor no matter what size the baby is. So I'm planning to go for it...unless there's a 13lber in there somewhere. She's tiny now and I was 5lbs 11 oz when I was a baby and Doug was 8lbs. I've "heard" and I'm sure it'll differ being a diabetic...that babies usually weigh between the fathers and mothers infancy weights. Not sure if that's quite accurate though.

 

[Junebug_CJ]

Oh she did go for it, in labour for over 30 hours, and baby was actually stuck and it ended up being an emergency C-section with baby needing interventions to breath in the end, so not a pleasant experience. But he's doing great now, he's almost twice the size of Zoë even though their b-days are only 27 days apart! Yes, type II DM moms have higher than average (in general) birth weight babies! More so in those with difficult control and I think I remember you saying you have an insulin pump so that should really help with that

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Oh she did go for it, in labour for over 30 hours, and baby was actually stuck and it ended up being an emergency C-section with baby needing interventions to breath in the end, so not a pleasant experience. But he's doing great now, he's almost twice the size of Zoë even though their b-days are only 27 days apart! Yes, type II DM moms have higher than average (in general) birth weight babies! More so in those with difficult control and I think I remember you saying you have an insulin pump so that should really help with that

One can only hope! They've been way out of range the past couple of weeks and we've tweaked them. Apparently 17P makes the levels go higher in normal pregnancies making them GD and nobody made me aware of that as an already Type II. Add to that the highs from second trimester and you have one frustrated lady on your hands. Just tweaked them again today so hopefully we're getting somewhere. I think it would have been easier for my Endochrinologist to deal with it but he refuses to touch me being high risk and the Peri's don't have the option to download my pump to get the numbers and make it easier. So we manually adjust the rates. Finally think I have them down to my controlled numbers...we'll see how long it lasts though.

Looking forward to seeing what type of delivery I have. It'll be interesting. I have what "I'd LIKE" down, but I refuse to worry about it knowing that it all depends on when, why, what, where, and how it all takes place.

I DO know that I won't have an epidural. I had a taste of it with the spinal last week and I'm not a fan of being unable to feel parts of my body. I don't care if the Epi is slightly less numbing on the body than the spinal. I'm just not a fan of the inability to feel what's going on. I'm an oddball I had my tooth extracted with general and was awake the whole time. I'd rather be awake and feel the pain than numb/not awake and not have any idea what's going on. I wonder if this is a control issue?? I've just never liked having the inability to control myself with anesthesia. Makes me a wreck.

 

[svetayasofiya]

I feel the exact same way about the epidural MA. I won't be a hero if the pain is more than I can stand but the thought of not being able to feel or move my legs terrifies me. I'm extremely claustrophobic.

 

[codegirl]

I had a low dose epi with Edward and I could still feel my legs, and the contractions but really helped control the pain. I couldn't walk around but I could still squat to push.

made a world of difference, I really believe that without it, I would not have had the energy to push and would have ended up with a c-section.

I say don't rule anything out, so that if things go a bit "different" than you hoped you aren't crushed. I've seen a lot of women have a hard time dealing with their birth experience because it went sideways on them and they were not open to anything but their birthplan.

IMHO

 

[Junebug_CJ]

After 12 hours of labour I was begging for the epidural and it was honestly what made me last the next 12 hours! And luckily I had it in place already since I had to be rushed to emergency C-section when they realized I wasn't dilating any further on my own and baby's heart rate started dipping... Had I not had it, there would have been delays in getting her out and we may not have been so lucky. Going into it though I had in mind that I would just see what happened and consider my options based on how things were going. I did end up asking for a dose of morphine, which is the one drug I was dead-set against, but the anesthesiologist was in the OR in another emergency C-section and I was in big time pain so I took a took which luckily held me over until he was free to tend to me. I agree Terri, birth plans are great but one has to keep an open mind since you never know how you'll feel or what will arise

 

[Lucy1973]

I have to say if I have another baby, I would have an epi like codegirls. They don't all numb you totally, but if I could get enough to halve the pain and still feel to push that would be great.

 

[codegirl]

Lucy - I went from 4 cm to 10 cm during the insertion of the back catheter and pushed Eric out in 3 contractions so didn't even get the epi drug for birth #2

 

[Lucy1973]

Wow, that was amazingly fast!

 

[Junebug_CJ]

Chris, I'm really clautrophobic too but that was the furthest thing from my mind after 12 hours of labour, 4 of which were with max contractions every 2-3 minutes! From the time I asked for it to the time I got it, there was a 4 hour delay, hence the morphine dose I got...

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Codegirl, I CRINGE at the thought of the cathetor going in my back. Oh my goodness I HATED it! I don't know if I'll be able to get past the thought of the spinal to even THINK about having an epi. I still can't handle the idea of it all, but who knows, maybe I won't care by then

I do remember I had 23 hours of full on back labor with Jackson before I gave birth to him. They kept asking if I wanted anything including morphine and I said no to it all. I got through it just fine. Of course he was MUCH smaller than hopefully Amelia will be...and Shearer "heads" are HUGE! Takes after daddy's side!

I'm glad I didn't have the morphine because Jackson either would have been totally out of it OR he would have passed away and we had a blessed 25 minutes with him before his little lungs gave way.

Not sure what I'll end up doing. I just know that two weeks ago I didn't like that spinal ONE BIT! Enough to remember it come October, I'm not quite sure. They won't guarantee that epi's won't cause more of you to go numb (smaller amounts) and if I get the same lady I had in the surgery who gave me MORE because she wasn't sure how long it'd take.....there's NO DOUBT she won't touch me with a ten foot poll!

I was in recovery for 2 hours! I kept telling them they needn't wait because I planned to walk on outa there. lol Come to find out, I was paralyzed from the waist down. It pissed me off because all I had to do was wiggle my stupid toes before they'd let me go and I couldn't do it for 2 hours!! My mind-set is I'd rather feel the pain than no be able to control my functions. I know it sounds SO odd, but I've NEVER liked Anesthesia!

 

[Junebug_CJ]

LOL to each their own. They made 3 attempts before they finally got my back catheter in place and I ended up with a CSF leak and had to have a blood patch done when Zoë was 4 days old and they were about to discharge me (where they take a tube of my blood, stick another needle in my back and insert my own blood in my spinal fluid to seal the leak). I wouldn't hesitate to have it done again despite this MAJOR complication I had! Luckily I won't have a choice as I'll need a C-section no matter what

 

[MissMuffet08]

I say don't rule anything out, so that if things go a bit "different" than you hoped you aren't crushed.
IMHO

Here here! I am proof of that! NOTHING about my baby's birth went according to plan! And everything after has not gone to plan so now I am just going with the flow at this point

In terms of Epi vs spinal, since I had an emergency c-section, they gave me a spinal. 4 days prior to my c-section, my husband and I had watched a video of a c-section in Lamaze class (the irony of it all!) and the spinal gave me the heebie geebies, however when it came time for me to have it, the anticipation of it was worse than the actual thing. I didn't really feel it at all. I did however feel some of the pulling and tugging when they were trying to get the baby out.

Like Junebug for my next baby, I will have to have a c-section again.