Getting Fit Before Baby

[cameobelle]

Guinevere, is a great name!!! Congratulations!!

About myself: I am a stay at home Mom. I am a Photographer but I am just starting so not a lot going on. I help my Hubby with his business too. I couldn't keep weight on in high school and now I can't seem to lose it. Course we have had a lot of stress the last 2 yrs but are hoping to be moving out to the country and have a ranch and just relax. I make 1950's dresses and we are part of a group that creates historical armor, bows, garments, food, etc. of the Middle Ages. We just started trying to conceive. I have Lupus and FM so I really want to lose some weight before getting pregnant. I tried nutrisystem and I didn't lose any more than I would have by calorie counting and portion control. So I am doing that, steps and exercising daily. Well at least that is the plan. Monday we make an emergency trip to Wisconsin since my sister with Cancer isn't doing well.

 

[ireadyermind]

Wow, you guys. I had a reply post all typed and - I thought - posted, and then today I look and there's nothing! Oye. I must've had a poor connection while I was away from home for Thanksgiving!

Anyway, let me catch up!

Krissie - Wow, yeah! Your due date's right around the corner! Time has sure flown, I know I feel like you only just announced your +HPT a couple weeks ago instead of 8 months ago!

MissDoc - The holidays are awful for diets! The best I can say is try to aim for "everything in moderation" and try not to deny yourself too much. I think it's not worth the stress to fret over diet plans and whatnot when everyone around you is enjoying themselves. Let yourself have a piece of pie, but not a GIANT piece, and don't eat until you feel like bursting. We can all hop back on that New Years Resolution bandwagon in January!

Swimmy - Not knowing for that whole week drove me crazy! Haha

We're doing a enchanted forest theme for the nursery, and I'm going to be pretty daring and attempt to paint a mural on one wall. It'll be the largest piece of artwork I've ever undertaken, and I know I'll obsess over every little detail, but I'm really excited about it too!

And a BIIIIIG congrats on reaching that 30lbs goal! That's amazing!


CameoBelle - Ooo, another artist in the group! Do you have an online portfolio for your photographs? I'd love to see it, if so!




AFM -- I'm nearing the halfway point and I can't believe it! So far I've only gained 2lbs, and I'm convinced that it's more because I'm wearing winter clothes when I step on the scale than anything else. My first weigh-ins for this pregnancy were in shorts, sandals and lightweight shirts. Now, I come in wearing long pants, a sweater, and heavy shoes. lol

So I'm pretty sure my clothes alone weigh 2+ pounds and are skewing my results!

Anyway, dinner's ready here and I'd better get to it. I'll check in again soon!

 

[krissie328]

IRYM- Yay tomorrow is half way!! That is so exciting. I hope you post a pic of the mural when you are finished. Do you have any ideas what it might be yet? I have one thing I want to paint but it won't be nearly the undertaking. It will be wildflowers with the quote: "Do you suppose she is a wildflower?"

My pregnancy is just going at warp speed this time. I just cannot believe I am into the single digits in weeks until she is here. I got a great bargain on some girls clothes from a buy, sell, trade group yesterday. So I sorted those yesterday and now I just need to do the wash of all her nb-3 month clothes. Her nursery needs organized a bit but outside of that I feel like we are really close to ready. I need a crib mattress and formula but that is really all I am missing. I cannot believe this is real!!!

I had my 28 week growth scan last Wednesday. She is doing well at the 45th percentile. She looks so much like her brother.

 

[krissie328]

Here is the only good pic we got of her. She would not get her hand away from her face. At my 20 week scan she had her leg up there.

 

[MissDoc]

Oh my gosh, ladies. You are getting so far along in your pregnancies, crazy! It's awesome everything's going well! Nurseries and names and scans, oh my! You all may have already posted this at some point, but Krissie and IRYM, do you have any thoughts about how you'd like your births to go? (other than short, painless, and easy, lol). I love hearing about people's hopes for births and their birth stories. I find is so fascinating and special, no matter how it unfolds!

I made it through the thanksgiving holiday quite well. I started PiYo 8 days ago and have consistently done the workouts and have eaten in more moderation, which is sometimes hard as breastfeeding keeps me totally ravenous most of the time.

I want/need to lose 25ish lbs before I start thinking about TTC again. But for the first time since delivering that doesn't feel so insurmountable any more. So there's that!

 

[krissie328]

Great job MissDoc. I think once I get past the first three days with any diet/exercise I tend to stay pretty motivated. Hopefully you will too!!

I am not too fussed with the birth. I had a really good delivery with DS. I was induced and had him 10 hours after pitocin was started. If I am induced this time I plan to get an epidural again, if I go naturally then I would like to try naturally. But I am totally open to an epidural again if I feel like I need it. I just hope that if my tear from DS reopens that this doctor can stitch it properly so it stops bothering me during sex, even though it has gotten better there are still times when it hurts. Sorry that was probably a tmi. I just really want to avoid a c-section at all costs outside of an emergency.

My family has really short natural labors so I keep hoping I get that this time. My mom was in labor 6 hours with twins and 4 hours with me and I am not sure with my sister. My sister was in labor less than 2 hours with her son and didn't even know it until she was pushing/crowning in her bathroom!! Of course all the babies in my family have also been premature, literally my son is the only full term baby I know!! I guess it is good to know I didn't inherit what appears to be an incompetent cervix.

 

[MissDoc]

No TMI Krissie-- I had between a third and fourth degree tear from my insanely rapid medication-free birth (3.75 hours total). My very first contractions were less than 4 mins apart. The whole thing was fast and furious, and my little guy had his hand up by his face when he came out, was a big baby, and sunny side up... so a "perfect storm" for a major tear. It's 6 months later and it's still painful. I'm very scared of tearing like that again, but like you, want to avoid a cesarean if I can. Although, I'm not sure what's better recovery wise (major perineal surgical repair versus cesarean).

Here's to hoping for a quick and smooth labor for you, but FULL TERM! *fingers crossed*

 

[krissie328]

Yikes, sounds like a very painful experience!! I do agree that it is hard to decide which surgery would be more difficult to recover from. I only had a second degree tear and it hurt for a long time.

I realized today that I have 55 days until I am 37 weeks. I am focusing really hard on not panicking.

 

[swimmyj1]

hey gals just wanted to pop in and see how everyone was doing sorry i haven't been on much my new job has keep me insanely busy.

I can't believe how fast these babies are going to be here!!!!

IRYM how have you been doing?

Krissie - oooohhh man when you break it down in days that is like no time at all lol. its easy to say oh i have 2 months left and it seem further away.

Doc - that labor sounds horrible! I'm so sorry I will say that while i would have rathered the option of a vaginal delivery my c-section was a breeze lol. Idk that i would want to even try for a vaginal delivery if i ever have a second one hahahaha.

AFM- besides work i haven't been up to much. I'm now down 35lbs!!! yay!!!!! Im only 5lbs away from being under 200 i can't wait!!! lately I have been struggling with the idea of a 2nd baby. some days i want one soooo bad and i cry about it. Others I realize how easy things have gotten with lizzy being my center of attention, and that the idea of going back to the ferility doctors sounds horrible. i just don't know how to cope with the harder days

 

[krissie328]

Swimmy- the new job sounds like its keeping you busy! How are you enjoying it? Congrats on your weight loss, you've done so well.

Its so hard deciding on a second one. Maybe once work settles down and Izzie is a little older you'll have a better idea. I must admit I'm happy with our bigger gap even though it's not initially what I wanted.

I hope everyone is doing well.

On Monday I was told I'll be induced at 38 weeks. So just 39 days! Outside of a couple things we are ready for her. I had a scare 2 weeks ago that got me admitted to L&D overnight with treats of delivery so it really motivated me to get things finished.

Short story is my bi weekly ob appt showed a blood pressure of 180/110. Very out of the ordinary for me. It came down by morning but it was very scary. I was on bedrest for a week where my numbers all remained average and my labs were good so I was released back to work. Still good numbers so no idea why it was so crazy that day.

 

[ireadyermind]

Whew, guys - It's been crazy busy here! I tend to disappear from forums and online life over the holidays, and now that things are calming down, I'm back!

I'm 25 weeks as of yesterday, and everything's going well so far. Last appt, little girl measured in the 96th percentile, a week ahead of schedule. Whew! I guess DH and I make giant babies? We'll see how her growth compares as we continue!

I spent the weeks leading up to Christmas making custom crocheted and sewed gifts for everyone. They were mostly a hit, but of course the stuff I made for the kids weren't as "cool" as the toys they got. That's okay, I knew they'd get enough toys, and anyway I never know what to buy them that they don't already have!

I made:

-- Snowflake coasters, and rice-filled heat bags for the adults
-- Great White Shark slippers for the eldest nephew
-- Troll themed beanies for the two youngest
-- Ninja turtle beanie for the 2nd eldest boy
-- Dinosaur beanie for the 2nd youngest boy

It took forEVER but I really felt like I'd accomplished quite a lot by the time it was all done.

When it comes to baby weight and health/fitness, I'm doing alright. I've only gained 5 or 6 lbs so far, and I'm sure most of that is thanks to Christmas feasting. lol

I've started waddling a bit, because my lower back and hips aren't taking well to the baby weight on my front side. I expected that, as I already had a bad back going into this. I've got a belly band coming in the mail, so hopefully that helps. As it stands, walking makes my hips pop and my lower vertebrae grind together with every step. Ow.

And then a couple days after Christmas, I came down with a sinus infection AND bronchitis at once. Currently dealing with that. Blech. I have the humidifier running virtually all day, Vicks Vapo Rub is my new best friend, and I've single-handedly filled an entire garbage can with tissues.

So even though I'm feeling cheerful about baby, the good holiday season, and starting off a new year, my body feels like it's hosting a revolution against me. Haha


I very briefly skimmed everyone's posts, but I don't have the time to individually comment right now, unfortunately! I'm going to try and sit down and go through everything properly in the coming days and get back to everyone!


In the meantime, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope everyone's doing well!

 

[krissie328]

IRYM- I love homemade gifts! I did a few of those this year. Not as much as I wanted due to being so tired and then it is really hard to tie quilts on the floor while pregnant.

Your hip/back pain sounds awful. I hope the belly band helps.

We can't seem to get well here either. My son has been constantly sick since Thanksgiving and I just seem to have a lingering mild cold. Hopefully it clears up before baby arrives. I'm extremely paranoid about flu season and having an infant.

I should find out Monday when my induction will be. I am hoping for Jan 24th but it might be the following week. I'm still continuing to struggle with high blood pressure. I was sent to L&D yesterday to be monitored again. This is my thirs trip in a month. And to top it off I was contracting every 3-5 mins for about 5 hours yesterday. Clearly they weren't productive and I was sent home after my bp checked out.

 

[krissie328]

Well after seeing my doctor yesterday blood pressure was still climbing. He doubled my dose of blood pressure meds but said if it keeps going up I'll end up being induced sooner. But the latest he will let me go is January 24th, so that is when my induction is scheduled. I will be 37+2 so hopefully she is a strong little one and won't need any nicu time.

 

[ireadyermind]

Yikes, Krissie! That's scary that your blood pressure keeps climbing! Have they put you on bed rest? I mean, as much bed rest as you can get with a three year-old in the house, anyway!

I'm sure everything will be fine, though. Super excited for you and your new LO! I can't wait for pictures!


AFM -- Still waiting on the completion of our kitchen remodel that we ordered and paid a deposit for in July 2017. I finally had to find the company's HQ email and file an official complaint last week. Wouldn't you believe it, suddenly everyone's falling all over themselves to complete work that should have been done in October!

But of course, the construction foreman and HIS boss are trying to place the blame elsewhere. It's never the fault of the people responsible for the delay, is it? Oye. I had to make a point to tell them that we've been without a stove or running water in my kitchen since July 2017. I've been making do with a hot plate for cooking and heating water, so I can wash dishes in plastic tubs in my non-functional sink.

I said, "And I'm due to have a baby in April and where am I supposed to sterilize bottles and heat milk without a stove or a dishwasher!?" So I guess that lit a fire under those people. I'll never refer them to anyone, though, that's for sure...



In baby-related news, met with my new in-town OB's office today. Just their intake RN though, who got all my medical history from me, emergency contact info, etc. We got a folder of paperwork to take home, info on first-time parenting classes (DH is so excited about that! lol), and info on how to set up a tour of the birthing center.

It's such a night and day experience from Kaiser! This RN took a good 45mins to answer all of our questions, thoroughly covered everything she could think of in terms of my health and previous history, and even recommended us to a local dentist since we're new in town. In no way did she make us feel like we were an inconvenience, or that we should hurry up and leave so she could see more patients.

What a difference receiving medical care in a small town! AND she told me that their birthing center ONLY sees patients from this particular medical practice, which covers a population of around 10,000 people.... which means there's only a small number of folks who are pregnant and delivering at any given time. I'm pretty pleased!

My appt with my actual OB (described as "the friendliest old grandpa") is on the 19th. Wish me luck, I hope he's as kind and thorough as the RN was!

 

[krissie328]

Irym- I am shocked you have been dealing with no kitchen for 6 months. I'd have gone crazy. I hope they get it done quickly.

Your new doctor's office sounds so much better. Hopefully now you will be able to enjoy going.

Afm, bp is still high but in a more acceptable range. But now I am having a lot of swelling. I have another follow up Friday and a growth scan on Tuesday.

 

[ireadyermind]

Krissie -- It sounds like the BP meds are helping! That's a relief.


I did go a little crazy without a functional kitchen. I love to bake around the holidays, and couldn't do anything. Any time I had to bring food to a family gathering, it had to be something that required zero stove or oven prep. Thankfully we have a slow cooker, so I can still do nightly meals, and DH loves to BBQ, so we've been eating a lot of those two types of food. It's been too warm for snow here, and DH is a human furnace, so 40°F temps don't bother him in the least and he stands out on the patio in a t-shirt, BBQing chicken breasts. lol

The worst thing is not being able to wash dishes at a real sink, or load 'em into a dishwasher. I always scrub dishes by hand before putting them into a dishwasher, so it's not that I have to hand wash stuff. But I feel that dishwashers get hot enough to sterilize stuff, especially pet dishes, and that hand washing alone isn't sufficient. So that's been a problem.

We've been using paper plates a lot to help combat that issue, 'cause I don't have the means to just quickly wash up dinner dishes every night. But thankfully the construction crew is supposed to come back on Monday to finish everything. At the very least, I'll have a stove, sink, and dishwasher again!

 

[deafgal01]

I'm floored at the fact you was able to manage without a stove and sink/dishwasher all the time. I'm glad they're finally going to finish it soon though after that complaint. Really there's no excuse acceptable for this type of slack on their part. I once went without a stove for a few days (we had to get a replacement for the stove) and that was challenging enough alone - realizing how much cooking we actually do in this household (we resorted to grilling out as that happened in the summer so easy enough to try new ideas/recipes on the grill due to that stove not working).

Sorry that I've not been checking in as much these days. Sounds like you're doing great with your pregnancy journey and that clinic is perfect!

 

[ireadyermind]

Good to hear from you, Deafgal!

We wouldn't have made it through this kitchen fiasco if it weren't for my slow cooker, toaster oven, BBQ, and microwave! We've really had to get creative with our dinners!

 

[swimmyj1]

IRYM - I can't believe you have gone this long without a kitchen!!!! I'm glad they are going to get it done before she gets here. That would be a total mess!!!

Krissie - high BP's are scary stuff make sure you keep a close eye on it even after delivery. Fingers crossed everything with you delivery goes super smoothy. Super excited to see a picture lol

Deafgal - how have you been? it's been nice to hear from you!

AFM - I went off the birthcontrol this month, I don't know what i was thinking trying to go back on that lol my body has never liked it. Sure enough not even 3 months on it and bleeding started 1/2 way through the cycles. ugh noooo thank you!!! my DH is getting an MRI of his back and has surgery for later next month but depending on how that all goes we should be back to the clinic by the begining of march. I'm just really impatient lol. Lizzy has started loving babies and i think that is making it harder on me. When i watch my friends little girl she loves to softly pet her and give her kisses. Before i didn't think she would like having a sibling but now i think she would hahaha. Also work has been going really well. I'm just so much happier in the ER than my old floor. I only have lost 2lbs sense christmas but at least I haven't gained anything right?

 

[krissie328]

Swimmy- that is great you are enjoying your new position. Lizzy sounds so precious with your friend's baby.

Fx everything goes well with your dh mri and the clinic.

Afm, bp is up and down. It seems every other appointment it is too high. My growth scan is scheduled for today with my induction scheduled for the 24th.

Thank goodness my swelling has virtually gone away. That was a miserable 4 days. I do wonder if it wasn't from doubling my bp meds, or possibly me resting more?

I really do hope my blood sugars and bp go back to normal after she is born. In some happy news I had my a1c done today and it was good. It feels nice to know something is going right this pregnancy.

I have the nursery done, all the bags packed, and carseat base installed. I definitely think we are as ready as we can be for her arrival.