TTC and Beyond!

[wavescrash]

Waves-That's how I feel about it too. I've called in to work a lot just in the first trimester from being sick and exhausted all the time. With the stress of work from my stupid boss and the uncomfortableness on top of that, I'd rather just relax and let them have someone there so they don't have to worry about finding a sub every time I'm out. Luckily my FMLA is already in place. I took care of that right after I found I was pregnant bc twins are more unpredictable. Are you guys just doing without the pay? I'll have short term disability for the first 3 months, then my long term should kick in. Just not sure how much LTD covers yet. Even DW said she'd feel better if I went on leave now. She can see how much stress and anxiety it causes me and it's only going to get worse.
Hopefully your doc is cooperative, I'm sure she will be. Mine told me whenever I wanted to stop working, she would back me. I've already talked to her about starting to get uncomfortable and about depression from work, so I know she'll be ok with it.

I don't receive any maternity benefits unfortunately as I'm only considered a part-time employee (even though I've worked full-time hours for practically a year.) If my LOA through FMLA is approved, I'll be paid out my vacation hours but I've used up so many of them, I only have like 27 left lol. But it's still something. I've paid into LTD but I don't know how it works to get that. I didn't pay into it during my last LOA so I received nothing from it.

This Friday though, OH starts his new job making $13/hour. Initially he was going to stay at Target 2 days a week and then work his new job the rest of the week (he's at the new job Friday-Tuesday) but Target denied his availability change saying he has to be available at least 5 days a week for his position but that's not possible since the new job's hours overlap his Target hours... so he put in his 2-week's notice at Target today and we're going to just do without my income. We've got a little bit saved up and I'm going to apply for food stamps if I can ever find my case number to login to my account online. I'm pretty sure we'll be okay with his new job alone but he'd only be working that job Friday-Tuesday, early AM until mid-afternoon so he has time to find a second/evening job if need be. But he should be getting full-time hours at this new job so we'll have to see how the paychecks play out.

Money stress sucks but it's so much easier to deal with than work stress on top of the pregnancy ailments WHILE being at work. I'd rather stress over money and sell some personal belongings (if need be) than be stressed and in pain at work.

 

[jury3]

I completely agree...I'll take money stress over work stress any day. I don't know if they all work this way, but LTD pays if you are out more than 90 days. Your doctor would have to give them some type of documentation I believe. From the research I've done online they usually pay 50-70% of your monthly income you were receiving. So you should be able to file for it when you are getting close to the 90 day mark.
I have no benefits through my work either. I used all my sick days, so I'm screwed there lol 27 days is a great start though! I wish I had that! We get 13 days of sick and personal combined each year...I always use mine. I started paying into short term disability when we decided to start trying, so luckily I have that. Our LTD is paid by my employer. I haven't called to see how everything works for sure though, just basing info off my research online so far.
I need to stop comparing myself to other people. There are women who work with twins up until they have them or right before...I don't get how they do it! I just keep reminding myself that not only is my body different and there are people who actually go out earlier than me, but the book I have about multiples recommends going out between 24-28 weeks. So, I'm not far off!

So, I weight in every Monday when my new week starts. I figured it up today and technically I have only gained .6 lbs this entire pregnancy. I haven't even gained a pound! I'm ok with that though bc I was overweight to start with. I know I've lost some of my own weight. Babies are perfectly healthy and actually slightly above average, so I know I'm feeding them well. Plus I've eaten healthier for the most part than I did before, so I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. I'm curious to see what my weight does the rest of the pregnancy...

 

[goldstns]

Julie- dh put them in tonight....so not weird yet, but might be once we drive the car tomorrow. We had my girlfriends car seat in a few weeks ago when she came to visit from az. Dh went to the store and he said...some girls were checking him out until they saw his car seat... He thought it was funny.

 

[wavescrash]

Target has an outside company that deals with LOAs and all that fun stuff so I have to call them (meant to do it today but oh well) and they'll send me forms for my doctor to fill out. I send it back to them and they let the HR person at my store know I'm on LOA. Then when I want to return to work (NEVER... hahaha), I let this company know and they have to process it and activate me in the system, let my store know and then my store will start scheduling me again.

I'll have to ask my HR manager how LTD works. I've only paid chump change into it out of each paycheck (literally less than $1 a check I believe) so I'm not sure I could get much back from it. Who knows... like I said, never dealt with that before.


As far as weight gain I only gained 25-30 lbs my entire pregnancy with each Autumn & Hannah. This time around I'm already up nearly 25 lbs with 10-ish weeks to go. Whoops. It's all in my belly and legs/feet though. My calves and feet look a bit larger/fatter to me and are a little swollen all the time now. They feel so tight and uncomfortable. Not looking forward to actual swelling :/

 

[jury3]

Nikki-LOL That's pretty funny...I can't wait to have our carseats in!

Waves-No swelling for me yet...I'm sure I will though. I have a tendency to swell pretty easily. I've had a few days where my rings got a little tight, but I'm sure it's bc I didn't eat well those days. For now I'm going to pretend it won't happen lol

 

[wavescrash]

Lol. I didn't swell this "early" in my previous pregnancies. With my first, I got out of the shower with cankles the night I went into labor but that was it. With Hannah, it got there much closer to delivery but wasn't that bad. This time though... my feet and ankles and calves just ache from the increased pressure/weight gain/water retention. Even just sitting down, they ache. Standing up for more than 10 minutes at a time? Forget about it lol.

 

[jury3]

I just filled the dishwasher and made oatmeal and that resulted in a tight uterus...really? This is ridiculous lol

Speaking of carseats, I was just spying on our registry...someone purchases both of our carseats, both high chairs and the stroller we registered for. I'm assuming it's either MIL, DW's grandma or some of their Jewish friends lol The are usually the ones that buy the expensive items. We went from no items purchased to all those higher dollar items. I'm excited bc I assumed we'd probably be buying those things on our own. Yay!

 

[CantHrdlyWait]

Yay Ash for an earlier scan!!! I hope I luck out like that! My 12+2 NT scan measured at 12+6 so maybe they will move mine too! LOL

 

[morganwhite7]

Awh I was just looking back at the "Plz August do not taunt.." thread just to see what I was talking about before my BFP, and looking at when I posted it.. It's so funny.. Julie was like "UMMM GUYS.. I just took 3 tests and they all have shadows.. is this real?!!!" And Ashlee said "whyyyyy does the 2ww have to feel like 40 years?! " Waves was moving back in with the rents, dreading it would last forever. (And Cassidy was cheering everyone on, always!) Haha, I just think it's so cool how far we've all come in this last year. Went through lots of hell I read, our crazy vitamin regimens and stressing over temps and BFN's, it really was such a struggle for each and every one of us and I am so thankful that we stuck together through thick and thin!! BnB is so cool!

Haha okay I'll stop now.. I just thought it was so cute, it was when we were posting like 20 pages a day.. insanity lol.

Yay for an earlier scan Ash!

Julie- So awesome that they've purchased the big stuff.. It feels great to not have to stress over those important things! And ouch do you have BH contractions or is it just tight? I just can't imagine how you feel.. and I thought MY belly itched from growth!

Sonia has her gender scan Thursday too I believe.. so exciting!!

Nikki- I want to see one final belly pic before she's out!

 

[goldstns]

Ok Morgan I'll try to take one when I'm looking halfway decent.

 

[jury3]

Lol Morgan, it is pretty crazy to think what we all went through and how long ago it seems...
Sometimes Braxton hicks, sometimes it just gets tight. The littlest things upset my uterus these days lol. I just took a shower and a few min in it was getting tight. Then I got light headed and thought I was going to pass out...perhaps I should've eaten first

 

[wavescrash]

The littlest things upset my uterus these days lol. I just took a shower and a few min in it was getting tight. Then I got light headed and thought I was going to pass out...perhaps I should've eaten first

That was me yesterday. I was just doing dishes and folding laundry and felt so light-headed and ridiculously sore all over. Totally taking it easy today & even napping when Hannah naps (which I rarely do.)

Speaking of carseats, I was just spying on our registry...someone purchases both of our carseats, both high chairs and the stroller we registered for. I'm assuming it's either MIL, DW's grandma or some of their Jewish friends lol The are usually the ones that buy the expensive items. We went from no items purchased to all those higher dollar items. I'm excited bc I assumed we'd probably be buying those things on our own. Yay!

Oh how exciting! I'm a total registry peeker lol. I mean, I picked everything out that's on there so chances are I know what I'm going to get. Still have no idea who got what so it's not totally cheating But how exciting they got the bigger items. So far one friend bought our baby monitors and we already received them in the mail because she lives in TX (we're in OH) and she obviously can't make it to the shower. But so far, that's it. I'm not expecting much at all honestly. If it were my first, sure but I really think everyone's jaded by me having kids now lol.

 

[morganwhite7]

Nikki- LOL take your time.. it'll just be cool to see how big you got once she's safe in your arms. Gosh I can't believe how soon she'll be here, I'm so excited for the morning I wake up to a pic of her tiny little face!

Julie- I have the same prob. Every morning I wake up at 5:30 to leave by 7 just so I have time to sit down every 10 mins! I feel like I'm going to pass out after blow drying my hair lol. I hate it. I drink an entire tall glass of ice water every morning bc I'm sweating and swollen from standing to get ready

 

[jury3]

It's weird, like the normal me is slowly being stripped away lol I'm so glad I've already decided to go on early maternity leave. Now I just have to decide if I'm going back for one week or two...if that lol

Yeah I'm so excited. We did the babies r us registry when they had that special going (start a registry before a certain date and anything purchased off the registry you get a percentage back). We figured we'd put that stuff on there and buy it ourselves so we'd still get money back..so excited someone else got it! I think people feel sorry for us...not only twins, but our first kids too. I'm ok with that

 

[Ingodshand]

So I know this is a silly question since I have been through pregnancy before, but how do you know they are braxton hicks versus just tightening? Twice this week I had cramping in my lower stomach that l lasted about five minutes and my stomach was tight. Could that just be growing??

 

[wavescrash]

For me, BH feel like a weird tightening. Like a super strange pressure on the inside and the bottom of my belly gets rock hard. If it gets hard, it should just be a BH but if you have cramping with a soft belly, it's likely just cramps, ligaments, growing, etc.

 

[jury3]

From my understanding there isn't a difference. Any tightening is technically bh. I could very well be wrong though. I've had mine be really tight for several minutes then go away. I've also had it tighten for under a minute then a few min later do it again, never more than 3 times an hour (I was told to call if I get more than 4 within an hour). They don't hurt but are kind of uncomfortable.
All my stretching pains have been with a soft uterus, not while it was tight.

 

[Ingodshand]

Ah okay then I think that I get BH but did not know. I thought it was just Evan pushing out. Just had one in the shower! Also have you girls found that getting ready is sooooo tiring? I had Rob put a chair in our bathroom so I can put on my makeup. I feel so much further along than I am. Not sure how I will make it the next 13 weeks...ahhh!!!

 

[morganwhite7]

^A few posts back I wrote about that, too. I have to do my hair on the floor in front of the mirror.. I almost pass out every morning when I stand to even blow dry my hair! I hate it! Haha I remember last pregnancy I would literally need a nap after my shower.. I would be swollen all over and get those funny PUPPS spots front standing for too long. I hope it doesn't get much worse bc I need to be making it to work on time and do not want to have to wake up any earlier than I already do!!

 

[jury3]

I usually have to sit down or lie down for a few minutes after I shower, then again after I blow dry my hair...I completely feel you! I went through this during the first tri and now it's coming back again.