Blue - I counted 13 as second trimester, but to be honest I didn't feel like the second trimester until 14 weeks either because that's when a few of my symptoms finally lessened very slightly (really not until 15 weeks). So I don't blame you for not counting it til 14 weeks! Personally I just wanted to be free of the first tri stigma ASAP!
Alternated - I was the same with not taking pain meds in case they were wrong. Thinking back to my level of denial makes me sad. Even when I got confirmation that my hCG had dropped to only 100 or so, I was afraid to drink alcohol or anything. Sigh.
I am feeling pretty good these days, thanks! I actually feel quite "big" already and am noticing it's difficult to bend over and put socks or shoes on already. It's also difficult getting out of low chairs. Funny how early that happens! Good luck with your BDing this month.
Mrs W - Woohoo, ov time finally!
Good luck with the final portion of the BDing marathon! The emotional pain definitely comes and goes. For me, I still get really sad and cry sometimes about it, and I am 9 months post mc and also pregnant! So it doesn't go away easily...that's for sure.
Sab - I have today off. It's not a stat here, but I took a vacation day from work to extend my long weekend. Good luck on studying! It's always so hard to concentrate. I did not get the genetic testing done, but a few ladies on here did so I'm sure they can help you out with the details.
I was SO bloated in the first tri as well and started wearing mat jeans at 8 weeks (and could have used them sooner). I actually needed them less at 12/13 weeks when I started to show than earlier on because the bloat finally went away somewhat. Looking forward to hearing about your scan tomorrow.
Sara - I don't blame you for being anxious to try the meds... but as you said, you know your body can get pregnant naturally now, and with your dh's schedule it's going to be six cycles anyway so that must be what is meant to be for you! I really hope this is your month! I remember being about ready to lose my mind at 4 cycles TTC so I could imagine 5 cycles would be really discouraging.
Linny - I hope you are able to take 8 months. 6 seems so short!
Yes, I tend to get really bad AF pains. The painfulness of my cycles lessened a lot after the mc, but in the early years of my AF, my cramps would be so painful that I'd have to miss school and all I could do is lie in bed writhing in pain with a hot pack and lots of pain meds. Closer to before the mc, they were still quite bad to the point where 600 mg Ibuprofen + 1000 mg acetaminophen would still leave me with pain that had me extremely uncomfortable and rather nauseous, but I was able to work through it.
So, yes, I think that's probably why the mc pain didn't seem "as bad" to me. Weird! But you are definitely lucky you don't get bad AF pains normally!
As for the whooping cough vaccine, I can only share my own experience. I personally am sooo afraid of my baby dying of whooping cough that DH and I *both* went and got our vaccines over 6 months before we started TTC. There were zero negative effects, and I now feel so much safer knowing that my baby is protected. I have read so many horror stories of babies contracting pertussis in the early months and dying from it simply because their parents weren't vaccinated in time. I think it's well worth it to get the vaccine ASAP - whenever your midwife/dr recommends it, whether that be while you're pregnant or immediately after birth. I know in the one horror story I read, the woman had a cough already when she gave birth (but didn't know it was whooping cough) so unfortunately the vaccine after birth wasn't on time, but I have no idea what the safety of the vaccines during pregnancy is. I personally am making sure all my family members have the vaccine and for friends/family who don't, I am not letting them visit my baby if they have coughed even once in the last 2 weeks.
I am extremely paranoid, though. I think you should listen to your dr/midwife and ignore any sort of silly anecdotal stories that might freak you out. Some people are very anti-vaccine and will pin anything that happens to them on vaccines.
Aleeah - How are you doing? We miss hearing from you more often.
Lindsay - Hope you and baby Rowan are doing awesome! You will be such an expert by the time the rest of us give birth.
Teacup/LJ/Kim/etc - How are you all?
AFM - I feel like my weight is spiraling out of control lately? I think it's still on track for normal range in total, but that's only because I didn't gain very much in the beginning. For some reason in the past month I gained 2 lbs one week, then 4 lbs the next, then 0.5 lbs the next, then 3 lbs last week!
I don't even know how that happened as I haven't been eating any more than usual and have actually finally been going on some walks. I am just scared that my weight gain won't slow down and I'll gain a billion pounds by the end! Has anyone else had a month of major weight gain and had it settle down afterwards?
She paid for a private midwife for her last birth (who trained and worked with the NHS ironically!). She has started preaching to me about it all, and tells me not to watch 'One Born Every Minute' (a UK tv program which follows real births in hospital) because she thinks all the births shown on the program aren't good examples of proper relaxing births. I love watching OBEM, I think I have seen every episode! I wish my sister would just let people do there own research and make their own decisions! This is just the beginning and I forsee many arguments with her on the horizon! I personally would like a hospital birth because I think that it's the best place to be in case something were to go wrong. But that is just my view, and I wouldn't dream of pressuring someone to agree with me! Ugh - I hate unwanted advice. 
xx
