Baby Mine

[Redhead84]

Midwife was fine thanks Kal, heartbeat between 150-160 and changing all the time, apparently that's good as it's brain is working in conjunction with it's body

They don't weigh us here - only once at 15 weeks, so I luckily don't have that to worry about too!

Hope your appointment went well

 

[Emmyjean]

I have my big ultrasound tomorrow...we were able to schedule it for early evening, so my husband can come too, which is great. He really wanted to be there for this one. I can't wait to do it, actually...it's like a visit with the little guy.

Glad you two are doing well! Kal, I think my placenta is fundal (right at the tippy-top of my uterus) - I don't know if that has anything to do with anything, but I generally feel like the kicks I'm getting are higher up. So maybe? I've heard a wee boot to the cervix isn't a fun feeling though.

 

[Redhead84]

Getting kicked in the cervix actually makes me feel sick - no it's not a nice sensation... But it's not forever, and it's still good to know he/she is active

Good luck for the scan Emmy!!!!

 

[kalyrra]

Red, I keep telling myself that every time I feel it... it's only temporary, it's only temporary... lol

I know my little guy is active! I feel it, and every time we get a scan and or my OB listens for a heartbeat, she says he's a very active baby. You can always hear him moving around on the doppler when she checks heartbeat. Heaven help me when this little one starts crawling!

 

[Emmyjean]

Well the scan went...well, I think? I had the confirmation that all the anatomy looked normal and good from the sonographer, but, I didn't get a chance to talk to the doctor afterwards (my appointment was late and he still had two people to see before he left for the night...I didn't feel like waiting). So I didn't get details...but...I feel good about it. Still a little buddy and not a little princess...I walked away with some good profile shots, a shot of the bottom of his foot (which is the cutest one of all, actually), and a shot of his wang with a big arrow that says "BOY". HA!

I HAVE developed a clogged duct or mastitis or something though - my left breast is red, swollen and is killing me right around the nipple area. I wanted to ask the doctor about it yesterday but ended up just going home...I figure I'll try heating pads and loose clothing to see if it'll resolve itself, but it's the pits right now!

 

[kalyrra]

Emmy - how did using the heat work out for you? Did you ever talk to your doctor about it? Hope it got better!!

Red - how are you doing?


Things going well here. Made our first "big" baby purchase. Bought a travel system, which consists of a car seat, a base, and a stroller. The seat can be switched between the base in the car, and the stroller, that will come in handy! Bought it from a guy at work for $75.00. Online, they go for anywhere from $150-$300!!

We're going on vacation starting Wednesday, then when we get back we'll be starting kitchen renovations and hopefully get the baby's room painted and all that jazz. Time is going faster than I thought it would!

Hope you ladies are doing well!

 

[Redhead84]

Emmy, I'd go and see someone about that, better to be safe than sorry

I'm fine thanks - getting kicked more and more and more, but struggling to stay asleep so I'm quite tired, and unbelievably teary - Dan even sat down and genuinely asked if I was ok last night as everything sets me off.

We've done some baby shopping... finally!!... and have got a cot, a Moses basket, a baby bath, a pram and car seat sorted now - going to look at stealing some clothes from relatives and then just the feeding and other misc stuff to get and then we're pretty much good to go I think.

Oh, and yeah... time is flying for me too!!!

 

[Emmyjean]

Hi ladies! Checking in to see what's new with you!

I got the results from the ultrasound back - everything is normal, doctor says the little guy is growing perfectly, but I have to go back so they can get a clearer picture of the lower spine. The sonographer who did the ultrasound signed off on everything as normal, but I guess they send all their tapes to a senior radiologist at Northwestern Hospital for a final sign-off, and he said he wanted a clear shot of the lower spine before he'd complete the file.

My doctor says there's nothing wrong, it's just a technicality for legal reasons - he says the only thing that COULD be wrong is spinabifida, and we already know the baby doesn't have that from the blood test. So it's more annoying than anything, BUT...hey, I'm glad they care about him, you know?

Then in four weeks I'll have the glucose test and the rhogam shot. Fun fun fun! I'm starting to think about checking into the two hospitals I have to choose from for delivery...have you ladies looked into that yet? Hope all is well with you and your soon-to-be bundles!

 

[kalyrra]

Hey!

I'm glad they're being thorough, Emmy! That's better than you being concerned about something and the doctors not listening. =)

I haven't looked into hospitals yet, but there's one that's a 15 minute drive away, and I would prefer that one over having to drive 1/2 hr to 45 minutes! But will have to check with my insurance and the hospitals themselves.

My little guy is pretty active. I feel him randomly through the day wiggling around. It's still a mixture of weird and excitement when I feel it. lol

Red - I'm having a hard time with sleep too! I wake up all the time, can't seem to stay asleep, and just exhausted when it's time to get up. And really crazy weird dreams.

I bought a crib set and a couple diaper bags this past week. One nice pretty one that looks more like a handbag than a diaper bag for me... and one more masculine looking shoulder bag style one for hubby to use.

Well, we're ordering pizza and watching a movie tonight... I'm working really hard on not eating like crap, but we're tearing out our kitchen and just got back from vacation... it's hard to actually make healthy stuff! I really don't want to gain a ton of weight that I'll have to lose. My OB/GYN says my weight gain so far is fine... I've put on about 20 lbs or so. Ugh. I've always had a hard time maintaining a healthy weight as it is!!

Hope you ladies have a great week/weekend!

 

[kalyrra]

How are we doing, ladies?

Just thought I would check in on you. It's a pretty sad day here... my friend Tiffany gave birth to a little baby boy 6 weeks ago, and they lost him today. A couple days ago, he had to go in to surgery for some stomach issues he developed. Complications occurred, and he ended up in surgery 3 more times. His kidneys stopped functioning correctly and his blood pressure was too low.

Absolutely breaks my heart into a thousand pieces for her, and at the same time makes me a little nervous. It makes me not want to give birth to my little man... I want him to stay inside so I can protect him.

On a good note, they put in a little re-sale store about 1/2 hr from me... has tons of baby-children's clothing, swings, cribs, toys, shoes, etc... all previously owned used, but in great condition. I bought like 5 outfits for close to $20! Some of them still had new tags on them. They're selling $15-$20 outfits for mere dollars. Yay!

So how are you girlies?

 

[Emmyjean]

Oh gosh, that's SO awful. Your poor friend...to go through an entire pregnancy and to lose the baby on such a fluke thing, it's got to be so heart wrenching. I hope she finds peace soon.

I think we need to get used to it - birth is just the start. You never stop wanting to be able to protect your kids. You just have to hope that they go through life with an angel on their shoulder, you know? Try to focus on the exciting aspects of everything from birth to college to having their own kids one day...and then you won't be so worried (maybe).

I just got my first piece of baby clothing yesterday - from a vendor I work with. My baby's first onesie is corporate-sponsored! HAHA!

 

[kalyrra]

Just checking in with you ladies!

I have my next OB appointment tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be scheduling my glucose screening test. I am NOT looking forward to weighing in, though... so far, she's said my weight has been good. I somehow think she might not say that this time!

My weight has been constantly climbing for the last 2-3 weeks. I've been trying to stay active, and not eat horribly, but it's still climbing! If I were closer to my due date, I wouldn't be as concerned, but I still have a long ways to go at this rate!

I finally had to go buy a new bra. I went from a 38D to a 40DD! And I have a feeling they're not done growing yet, either...

Bubs had a few really quiet days this week, but today I felt him moving and squirming around quite a bit when I woke up. I felt better about that!

How are you ladies?

 

[Emmyjean]

Hi!

Let us know how the appointment went Kal! I don't have my next one until the 24th.

My weight has actually stayed the same - like, the exact same. I mean I initially lost some weight, and then climbed back up, and now it's stalled at exactly where I was before I got preg. This actually worries me a little, but the doctor says that it is probably due to a) I'm eating healthier, b) I'm eating more often so my metabolism has improved, c) I had to give up drinking (sad, huh?). I fully expect for this little honeymoon period to be over soon and for the scale to show I'm more than catching up with everyone else.

I WILL say - it's getting a little chilly in Chicago already, and none of my coats button comfortably anymore. Boo...

 

[kalyrra]

My appt went well. She said my weight was fine. When I questioned her on it, she did admit it was a little higher than the average person, but that different people gain differently. She said that some people manage to only gain 15, some people gain 50. She isn't concerned about it as long as I'm eating healthy and staying active.

She DID say that my little boy is measuring quite large! Next appointment, if he's still on the high side of the scale, I might get another ultrasound. Ultimately if he ends up being too big, I could be looking at a scheduled c-section.


I don't have but maybe one or two coats that zip up or button up over my stomach and boobs anymore!! It's getting a bit chilly here too. I have a larger coat I use for work, but I'll have to find a nicer one for church and special stuff for the winter.

I scheduled out all of my appointments through my due date! I can't believe it's getting closer as quickly as it is! We also scheduled childbirth classes for November. I'm not sure if I'm excited about those or not!

 

[Emmyjean]

It's going by so fast, isn't it? My mom asked me the other day if I had already registered somewhere for my shower, and I acted like I was still only 8 weeks along and was she crazy? She goes, you only have 15 weeks until that baby's here, my girl. If not less.

Needless to say I had to really ponder that one. HA.

I'm also really starting to think about maternity leave. I don't have a physical job, so my plan is really to work up until the last minute...but the idea of planning to take off a week prior to my due date is tempting, just to get all the odds and ends straighened out before he makes his big entrance. Still...with my luck, if I do that, he'll be two weeks late...and then there goes three weeks of maternity leave with no baby!

Although I'm still not sure what's going to happen anyway...whether I'll go back full-time. It's such a hard thing to think about, you know?

 

[Redhead84]

Sorry I've not been around much! Glad to hear things are going well for you both

We've been quite busy moving house (yay!) and trying to get at least a little sorted - we've got most things apart from feeding stuff now - a few more blankets and odds and sods as well and we'll be set.

Baby has 2 or 3 really active days and then settles down for a couple - I've got used to the pattern now, and is measuring right on track.

I turned down the glucose testing, and so far I've been vindicated... urine and blood tests showing no signs of abnormality so I've just saved myself a load of stress with the extra blood tests.

Can't believe I've got 75 days to go - it's really started speeding up now!

 

[kalyrra]

Red! Happy to see you're still doing well! Was starting to wonder about you!

Nice that you had the option to turn down the glucose testing. I don't think I have an option! I get to do that Monday morning. Yay. Drink nasty drink, and sit and wait for 2 hrs...

Emmy - I know what you mean about maternity leave! I want to take a few days before hand to make sure everything is ready to go, but if he's late, there goes more maternity leave! I'd like as much leave after as possible. And at this point, I have no idea how work is going to go. We still haven't figured out how we're dealing with our 12 hr swing shift schedules yet.

 

[Emmyjean]

Yeah...it's hard because I haven't decided what I'm going to do about work post-baby (ie, whether I'm going back and if so, in what capacity). My husband kind of wants me to stay home for a year (he says childcare expense isn't worth it when I could just stay home and/or work part-time somewhere), but I am not sure I want to do that, so we haven't come to an agreement yet. Plus I HAVE wanted to move on from my company for a couple years now, and this might be the time (or it might be a TERRIBLE time to do it, haha). I could just take a few extra months with baby and in the meantime find something new.

If I end up taking extra time off/making a change or doing something else that involves me not going back, I'm going to be mad that I didn't take that week in advance of the birth...HA!

Anyone else having trouble with their registry? I've been dreading doing this...it all just seems so overwhelming. There are hundreds of strollers alone to choose from, for example...or I downloaded this 'registry checklist', but as I'm going through it it's like...really?? How could an infant NEED all this? And some of it just seems like overkill to me (ie, shopping cart cover? car window shade?).

 

[kalyrra]

Anyone else having trouble with their registry? I've been dreading doing this...it all just seems so overwhelming. There are hundreds of strollers alone to choose from, for example...or I downloaded this 'registry checklist', but as I'm going through it it's like...really?? How could an infant NEED all this? And some of it just seems like overkill to me (ie, shopping cart cover? car window shade?).

Yes! LOL Due to the fact that most of my friends and family are just as broke as the rest of the state, I figure the large items we'll be picking up ourselves.... stroller, car seat, etc... I won't be registering for clothes, as everyone will probably pick out what they want anyway. Most people probably won't even use the registry to shop from. (besides, I just picked up a TON of used baby clothing for cheap... I'll post a pic when I get it all washed!)

It might be better just to create a list of items to shop from rather than an actual registry... then people can pick out what they like instead of searching for an exact match to an item!

I plan on having my shower after my little guy is born, due to the holidays and all the other stressful things going on right now. Plus that way, all the extended family that I never get to see will be able to actually meet the baby at least once. lol

I'm going to try to ask for things I'll need a bit later as bubs gets bigger/older. Like 3-6 month or 6-12 month clothing (he'll always grow into it) , as well as things he'll use later like children's books, bowls and spoons, toys, baby wipes, diapers, lotions, blankets, bibs, etc... Stuff that adds up, but that I know will get used, versus a bunch of newborn stuff he'll grow out of too quickly.


I had my glucose tolerance test done yesterday. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as I was expecting it to be, going off all the other posts. The drink tasted like flat orange pop. It wasn't something I would have drank voluntarily, but it didn't make me want to throw up or anything. All the blood drawing was annoying, and sitting there for so long sucked! But I brought a book. All in all, with registration and the test itself, I was at the lab for 3 1/2 hrs!

 

[Emmyjean]

Okay, I DID my registering on Saturday with my mom and sister...it was really fun, actually. Took us four hours (which I did NOT expect), but we had some laughs. We didn't go crazy or anything (no furniture, no ten sets of anything), but just the essentials. At least you get 10% off anything people don't get you later on!

The one thing I was wondering was - so bassinets. I am planning to breastfeed (assuming all goes well), so was going to have the baby in the room next to me (not IN the bed, but right up against) because it would stink to have to get up every two hours. They only had one actual bassinet there, and then they had a ton of play yards with the raised mattress thing that I guess people USE as a bassinet? I didn't know people used those things as actual baby beds...my mom seemed surprised too (but then she didn't use a bassinet at all). But then she said it shouldn't matter - it's all the same to the baby, they only are in it for the first few months so it's not like they'll be standing up in it or anything.