any plus size mummies to be?

[Amythyst]

Sounds like it went well Dini! My next appointment is on Thursday and I'm excited to see baby on the big screen again.

Interesting they are doing your every 2 week appointments already. I have been going once a month up till this appointment on Thursday... after that, I will be going to my high risk doctor once a week and my OB every two weeks.... blah.

I still need to go get that stupid TDAP shot... my doctor's offices don't do it and I have to like get it from a local pharmacy. So, I never remember.

 

[MrsKChicago]

I think I'm probably getting my TDAP at my appointment Tuesday.

I'm still not quite at every two weeks. I've been almost a week late from the start, so I had 3 weeks before this next appointment instead of a month, then it's every two weeks from there. I thought it started sooner, but I guess not.

 

[Dini]

I think every office is different and I'm at an odd schedule. I think my office starts every two weeks at 28 weeks and I'm 25 now. My next appt is actually almost three weeks from today as its the 23rd but it was only because I have to work all other available days that week. I really thought they'd wait till I went at around 29 weeks then see me every two but I was wrong.

 

[lamago]

I'm 30 weeks and starting every other week tomorrow. Still have my b belly.

 

[Amythyst]

I don't feel so bad then, I still have the B belly too.

 

[Dini]

Definite B belly going on here as well, and still no visible bump either. I bet I will end up with an "apron" too. Ugh, I don't want to call it an apron, it's a pooch under my belly button, in my mind if it doesn't hang down and touch your legs it's not an apron, but whatever...My midwife didn't even bother trying to do a fundal height measurement yesterday, she brought in the tape measure but didn't bother to use it because I simply have no bump to speak of unless I lay flat and obviously their tables don't lay flat.

I need to really let that go because it doesn't matter as he is healthy and that's all I really want.

On a good note I discovered my insurance pays 100% of a breast pump, not sure which ones yet as the medical equipment hasn't called back yet but the claim can't be processed until after he's born so I won't get it until after he's born. Hope I don't need it too soon, but if he doesn't latch for whatever reason I'd think I'd need it after my actual milk comes in.

 

[MollyNorwood]

I wrote this in the Third Trimester forum but thought I'd share this here for you wonderful ladies to-
I will eventually get around to writing a birth story but just wanting to thank all you lovely ladies who offered advice and support in the time I was pregnant
My gorgeous daughter Sophia Grace was born at 2:08am on January 2nd after an unsuccessful labor induction turned emergency c-section at 42 weeks and 1 day. She was 49cms long and 3.2kgs.
We came home a day and a half ago and we are really on cloud 9, she is absolutely beautiful. It is so true when women say that the pain is worth it, I think that every time I look at her.

 

[Demotivated]

She is Gorgeous!!! awww...congratulations

 

[MrsKChicago]

Awww, what a little beauty! Congratulations!

 

[Swtpinkbabi]

Adorable, congrats.

 

[waiting2c]

Awwww so cute!! Congratulations!!!

 

[Amythyst]

Very cool! Yay for babies! She's adorable.

So, I had my 31 week ultrasound and check up today. Baby's heart rate was 145 and he was moving and a shakin the whole time. He is still head down and laying on his right side.

He measured at a whopping 33 weeks and estimated 4 pounds - so 2 weeks ahead and in the 94th percentile (which I don't even know what that means). My doctor was not concerned, he said everything looked great... the baby is symmetric and he thinks cause I'm a big girl, its no wonder my baby is big. They also do not believe it is diabetes related because my fluid level is on the low side of normal. He said if he was larger because of the diabetes then my fluid levels would actually be high.

I never get any good ultrasound pics of him anymore though... I got a few pictures today of his profile but to me its just a blob of an alien or something.

I now have to go every week for check-ups and they think at some point I may need to have my blood pressure medicine raised cause he said I'm basically on a trivial dosage of it at the moment. But, we'll see.

So far, this pregnancy thing has been a breeze... if only labor could be too. My B belly is starting to go away - and its now hard to sit at a computer desk without my arms pressing against my giant stomach.

 

[MrsKChicago]

94th percentile means he's bigger than 94% of babies his age. But it's hard to get a really accurate measurement via ultrasound. I hear more stories about predictions that were way off than about accurate ones. Big parents can equal big babies, though, especially if you guys are tall. From what I've heard, we may have a little guy on our hands, but we're both short.

My pregnancy has been mostly easy too. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. I thought at first that the third trimester was going to kill me, but I just had a few days of misery from overdoing it getting ready for Christmas and now I'm back to normal. Go figure. Isn't it supposed to be harder for fatties in their 30s??

 

[Amythyst]

LOL MrsK, its true. I always heard the horror stories about being obese and trying to have a baby. I went to a fertility doctor many years ago and she actually refused to treat me and started crying cause she was like I don't want to be responsible when things go badly for you .... she wanted to put me on birth control and tell me to lose like 100 pounds. My old OB also was really concerned and even told me she wouldn't be my doctor if I got pregnant because she didn't want to be responsible for such a high risk pregnancy.

Really was starting to impact my self esteem and just very disheartening. Although, when I did start working out and doing weight watchers it finally happened naturally ... who knew... and who knew pregnancy would be my magic weight loss pill?

But yea, its nice to defy those that tell you you shouldn't do something or that it wouldn't work out because of x y and z. My current OB also told me that I would for sure be on insulin before every meal at this stage cause there was no possible way I could control the GD with just diet. Suck it woman!

Bigger than 94% of babies his age eh? Guess he's just an overachiever! But yea, I question the accuracy of those things too. We're not especially tall... we're both 5'7". I'm wondering if being that I have GD and I have to eat a lot of protein, does that make them grow bigger?

 

[MrsKChicago]

Oh, how discouraging! I can't imagine. I know there can be some extra risks when you reach a certain size, but most healthy obese women have perfectly healthy babies. Go you for proving them wrong!

GD usually means bigger babies, but I think they don't get as big if it's well controlled. Genetics can be a factor, too. Some families just make bigger or smaller babies. My skinny minny sister in law with no GD or anything had a relatively giant baby - he was a preemie, but he was big for his gestational age. He'd have been a bruiser at 40 weeks, I think he would have broken her in half.

 

[Dini]

Molly congrats, what a beautiful little girl!! Hope you are healing well!

LOL MrsK, fatties in their 30's?? I think I feel the same way, I'll be 35 next month and in all honestly I can't complain too much so far. I realize I'm still in the second trimester and I had horrible sciatica for a month weeks 13-17 but that's normal even for "normal" sized women. I'm actually starting to see a chiropractor at the end of the month, I made that appt when the sciatica was still around and because I have a constant numbness and pain in my leg from him pressing on a nerve that has actually gotten better but I expect it to get worse so I figure I'll keep seeing her since I'm sure I'll need the help later.

Just popping in to say Hi! I'll be 26 weeks tomorrow and am finally down to double digits today! Now if this head cold and cough would let up I'd be a happy girl!

 

[MrsKChicago]

I'm only 32, but I swear some people think that might as well be 50... By my family's standards, I'm starting young!

Let us know how the chiro goes! Every time I'm ready to give up and call one, I improve. Then it gets bad again, and I put off calling, and it gets better again as soon as I'm ready to give up. Even with insurance, my specialist copay is so high, I'd rather avoid it if I don't have to go, but I've heard great things.

You're so close to the third trimester! Exciting!

 

[Swtpinkbabi]

Amythest may I ask what blood pressure meds are you taking? I've suddenly developed pp high blood pressure and I'm nursing. I want to continue nursing but I'm concerned about the meds and my infant. Do you plan on nursing also?

 

[Amythyst]

Sure, I'm taking Labetalol. I am told though that I am taking a "trivial" dosage of it (100mg twice a day) and I will probably need to up my dosage later. They also have me taking baby aspirin once a day. I know Labetalol is safe during pregnancy, so I would assume its safe for nursing as well...but of course ask your doctor.

I'm not sure if I will nurse the baby or not. I have this strange gut feeling that I won't produce enough milk due to my PCOS and such but I've been told that my gut feeling is probably nothing and "oh you'll be fine!". I'd like to do it... but so far my boobs have not changed at all and I'm not leaking or anything... but I've also been told again that its probably normal and that stuff will happen later. I just have this deep down feeling that my boobs are incompetent. But, I hope I prove myself wrong.

 

[Swtpinkbabi]

Thank you. My pediatrician told me either labetalol or metoprolol, so my doctor prescribed the metoprolol. I haven't taken yet because I'm really nervous about it. The possible side effect the baby could have is slow heart rate. But it says it's a small chance of that happening. I'm not sure I like taking chances.
As far as your milk, you will most likely be ok. I have Pcos too. My boobs only leaked a couple times during pregnancy, usually during sleep and not enough to notice that much. When I had my baby, I pumped every 3 hours in hospital the first day I barely made enough to fill the syringe they fed it to him in. They supplemented with formula because he was in Nicu. But by day 2 I was making plenty, and more than they had enough bottles to give us.
Now I'm just kinda sad that I may have to give up nursing because I don't want to risk my baby's health.