PGAL Check In Week of 11/28

NamelessAria

First time posting in the June '17 PGAL check in? Introduce yourself. 

How far along are you? 

How are you doing? 

When is your next appointment?  

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: 

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? 

FSUNole31

How far along are you? 
13w5d
How are you doing? 
I was great for about 3 days after my NT scan.  Now I am back to paranoid about everything and I am feeling really anxious that we announced so everyone knows.  I hate PGAL brain so so so much.
When is your next appointment?  
December 8
Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: 
I loved the response we got from most people when we announced so that was pretty cool.  Just trying to calm my brain down and actually try and enjoy it.  I still can't convince myself that I am probably going to actually be taking home a baby this time. 
GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ?
I honestly don't do  much for myself these days.  I would love to be able to get pedicures more often or get my hair done more frequently, but I just don't have the time in the day and sometimes the funds. 

halfthetree

How far along are you? 11w3d

How are you doing? Im doing good, energy picking back up slowly. Nausea reappeared, but I'm optimistic that I'm at the tail end. I've been actually eating a substantial amount, which is exciting! 

When is your next appointment?  Thursday! I go meet with a second OB to review her protocol with twins. An OB I met with prior wants me to wait 2 hours to see him (his nurse even said it's always at least 1.5 hour wait!!), and I have to go every 3 weeks until 26, and then it's every 2. Seems excessive so I'm not settling with one OB yet.

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: Rave for the husband who bought the ingredients to make me a cake, just incase I am ever craving it! He's a pro 3rd time around!!

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? I do a lovely herbal bath, complete with flowers, music, chocolate, and a journal. I try to do it once every couple weeks. I also get up about half an hour before my kids every day, so that I can have a coffee in peace.

thankfully

I just had an appt and got the news I've been dreading since my first scan was measuring a couple days behind. Baby had no heartbeat and stopped growing at 8w6d. I should have been just over 11w. I've had all the symptoms in the book, no cramping or bleeding, but a nagging feeling of uneasiness that I chalked up to my fears from my previous loss. Waiting on a call back from my MW on next steps.

Mashunya425

@thankfully Oh no...I am so sorry. Please take care of yourself. 

mkrel

I am so sorry @thankfully. There are no words that can make it better. Please take care of yourself.

I will update after my appointment today.

FSUNole31

I am so sorry @thankfully.  Thinking of you and sending you lots of love.  

NamelessAria

@thankfully I'm so incredibly sorry. It always breaks my heart to read news like this. It's so horribly unfair that you're having to go through this again. Think of you and your family in this time of grief.

halfthetree

@thankfully oh I am SO incredibly sorry for your loss:( This is so very unfair, hoping you can take good care of yourself and have lots of support. Sending you lots of love

JAGinMI

How far along are you? 
10w5d

How are you doing? 
Still generally feeling not pregnant most of the time! Still struggling with PGAL brain more than I would like but I had an u/s on Friday and all seems to be going well so that is helping ease my mind!

When is your next appointment?  
Mid-Dec

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: 
Rave: We told our kids on Thanksgiving and my DD is just over the moon with excitement. She can't stop talking about it and she loves telling everyone we see! She is really helping me get excited because I have spent a lot of time so far distancing myself from the pregnancy due to fear it was going to end. I am so happy to be moving on from that, slowly but surely. But I am still with you @FSUNole31, as my brain has not quite accepted that I will be having a baby in June.

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? 
I guess I am not very good at this because I can't come up with much right now. I haven't been working out for a while now and I need to get back to that because it feels so good to do that for myself.

JAGinMI

@thankfully I am SO sorry to hear this. You are definitely in my thoughts and prayers and you will be missed around here. xoxo

WorkingOnMyNightCheese

@thankfully I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. Huge hugs to you

It's been a while, busy busy. Sorry ladies! I've been reading your posts but not keeping up with sharing my own. Woopsies.. For a refresher, 4th pregnancy, NMC, CP, and D&C all earlier this year. 

How far along are you? 10+5, due 6/21

How are you doing? Okay, I'm with @JAGinMI and @FSUNole31 .... I feel at east when I have an appointment that goes well, but I can't help but feel that nagging feeling where I don't believe that I'll actually bring home a baby this time.  Every time I go in they tell me things look perfect and textbook, I've heard the HB numerous times on my at-home doppler, but I just can't wrap my brain around it. 

When is your next appointment?  Tomorrow. I graduated from the RE so now it's back to the OB. I'm excited to see my MW and the OB we worked with before, with good news for once!

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: BIG rant....my RE's office apparently forgot to add my height in to the form they sent to Natera for our NIPT...so even though it's already been a week, the results will be delayed another couple of days. Blargh. 

GTKY: I take a bath almost every day. Not piping hot or anything...but it's my way to relax. 

mkrel

How far along are you? 11 weeks 6 days

How are you doing? Doing well... nausea and fatigue are still hanging around, but happy to be this far along.

When is your next appointment?  I just got back. My doctor found the hb with the doppler.  I was a little disappointed to find out that I won't have another ultrasound until the anatomy scan. I had my blood drawn for the Verify NIPT. The nurse told me it could take up to three weeks for the results and the doctor said closer to two weeks, so I am hoping he is right.  I would like to know the sex of the baby, but right now all I care about is hearing the words "low risk." I am hoping that once I have the results, I will finally be able to stop stressing about this pregnancy. Next appointment is on 12/27.

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: I gained four pounds over Thanksgiving weekend.  I know that a lot of it is bloat, and will go away with a week of eating normally again, but I wasn't thrilled to see that gain on the scale.  

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? I don't have any crazy routines, but I do take my dog for a 30 minute walk each night. It helps me decompress and relax before I go to bed. 

kitty21436

@thankfully I'm so sorry. Its times like these that just make us want to scream about how unfair things are sometimes. I'm so so sorry. Try to treat yourself with kindness. T&P for you and yours. 

Yailani23

I am so sorry @thankfully Take care of yourself! 

Yailani23

How far along are you? 12w5d

How are you doing? I'm doing pretty well. Nausea is slowly disappearing.

When is your next appointment?  Dec 7th

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: We announced yesterday and it felt sooo good. I am, however, still very nervous!

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? 

I get my nails done every month, at least I try to. I also ask DH for back rubs to de-stress from a hectic work day. I love professional massages but I am afraid   

thatlauragirl

@thankfully, I don't even have the words to tell you how horribly sorry I am for your loss. My heart hurts for you and I'll be keeping you in my thoughts during this time.

BellaO21

First time posting in the June '17 PGAL check in? Introduce yourself. 
Not my 1st time- but as a refresher... 2nd pregnancy, 1st one ended in a natural m/c in January.
 
How far along are you? 11+2

How are you doing? No more nausea, or exhaustion, but suddenly getting headaches almost daily.. it's annoying lol

When is your next appointment?  December  15th

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: told the family on Thanksgiving, everyone is super excited including my SS! 

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? Honestly. Not a whole lot- it used to be a nice hot bath with epsom salt and essential oils but I like those to be steaming and can't really do that while you're pregnant lol

NamelessAria

@BellaO21 I hear you on the headaches. I've been a lot better with the nausea and fatigue is letting up but the other day I got a migraine that lasted a full 72 hours. And of course it started the morning I was getting ready to leave to see the in-laws for Thanksgiving and lasted till I was back home. I was just miserable the whole trip. My OB said that headaches and heartburn are the most common 2nd trimester complaints and had already warned me to be prepared for them. I feel like I jinxed myself a little because she was like "so nausea and fatigue is better.. have the headaches started yet?" And I'm like "nope I've felt great!" then left my appointment feeling smug that I hadn't had headaches yet even though I had chronic migraines before pregnancy. 

noellehm

@thankfully I'm so so sorry for your loss. Sending you love and good thoughts. It's so unfair you have to go through this again. Take care of yourself, and we will miss you around here. 

noellehm

I haven't been posting much but I've been really enjoying reading everyone else's posts!
 
How far along are you? 12w5d

How are you doing? Pretty good! Nausea has  tapered off and only pops up occasionally (although randomly had to puke on my bike ride into work this morning- ha! Hoping that will be the last of it). Also feeling good mentally after my OB appointment last week, and getting past my loss milestone. Second trimester feels so so close! We have slowly started telling people, which is fun, but, like others, is triggering some PGAL anxiety. 

When is your next appointment?  December  7th, NT scan.

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: Today I told a female coworker (first one). I'm a postdoc in cancer research and my boss is notorious for pressuring people people to come back after 6-8 weeks of mat leave. The coworker I told has young kids, so I was looking for advice on how to negotiate with my boss (I'd like to take 12 weeks). It was so nice to get some female support and solid advice on how to manage my boss. Especially since I work in a competitive field that tends to not be very family or work/life balance friendly. 

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? This is kind of random, but listening to audiobooks really helps calm me down. If I'm getting stressed/ overwhelmed at work I'll put in my headphones and go for a walk with my audiobooks. This was also how I survived when I started spotting around 10 weeks. Probably can be classified as an avoidance mechanism, but I couldn't care less. 

semicolon

@thankfully I'm so sorry.

semicolon

How far along are you? 11w3d

How are you doing? All nausea all the time, but slightly more energy the past few days *knock on wood.*

When is your next appointment?  Mid-December 

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: This all still feels so surreal, and as annoying as it is, I'm glad to be throwing up.

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? Binge watching Netflix and making my hubby come to the grocery store with me, so I can power shop while he pushes the cart and watches our daughter. I am a self-care provider...hair, nails, facials, etc...so I rarely do that for myself, unless it's at home, from me, to me services. Instead I pick up a pizza and watch TV. ❤️

WorkingOnMyNightCheese

@noellehm don't you legally get 12 weeks according to FMLA? If so, you don't have to negotiate anything, it's the law.

awoodruff27

First time posting in the June '17 PGAL check in? Introduce yourself. 
Been a few weeks. This is of #6, have 2 DDs and 3 losses. 

How far along are you? 10w5d

How are you doing? today is rough. It's the day I found out about my mmc. So once I make it passed today I'll feel better. 

When is your next appointment?  Next Friday for my NT scan. 

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: I can drink coffee again!!! Yay! Finally feeling kinda human again.

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? 
I love my bubble baths. I do it at least once a week. I lock myself in the bathroom, use Lavender bubble bath and play music and just zone out. It's wonderful. 

awoodruff27

@thankfully I'm so sorry for your loss. 

sarahannexvi

I am so, so sorry @thankfully. My heart is hurting for you. 

noellehm

@WorkingOnMyNightCheese correct, my job is totally secure. My boss is just one of those super personable, charismatic types, who is an expert at using guilt to get you to do what he wants. So I just need to stand my ground, which is why the pep talk from my coworker was so great. 

The one added complication is that I'm paid by a federal grant, which gives me 100% pay for 8wks, and allows me to petition for another 4wks at 60% with my bosses approval. So that is where the negotiation skillz will come in.

ps your screen name is my favorite!

WorkingOnMyNightCheese

noellehm said:

@WorkingOnMyNightCheese correct, my job is totally secure. My boss is just one of those super personable, charismatic types, who is an expert at using guilt to get you to do what he wants. So I just need to stand my ground, which is why the pep talk from my coworker was so great. 

The one added complication is that I'm paid by a federal grant, which gives me 100% pay for 8wks, and allows me to petition for another 4wks at 60% with my bosses approval. So that is where the negotiation skillz will come in.

ps your screen name is my favorite!

Thanks for the SN compliment. 30 rock is the best!

If they try to get you to come back early, I would just remind him that it's illegal to try to coerce to not take the time you're allowed. That will likely shut them up

Jealous about your funding for your position! I work in a grant funded position too, but don't have those bennies. Good for you!

sarahannexvi

How far along are you? 
10w2d

How are you doing? 
I'm sleepy, mostly from waking up in the middle of the night to pee, and I've been getting heartburn that's absolutely lousy. 

When is your next appointment?  
NT scan on December 19, but I really wish I had one sooner. I don't like going so long without hearing the heartbeat. I have a retroverted uterus so I don't think I'll have any luck with a Doppler this early. Has anyone had a retroverted uterus and been able to find the baby's heartbeat this early?

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: 
There's a grand opening for a restaurant type place in Boston tonight and my sister and cousin want me to go with them, but I'd really rather just sit at home in my pajamas. 

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? 
I used to get gel manicures, but I've been impatient while getting them so I stopped. I would go every two weeks. Now I guess I get decaf coffee when I crave it. Like today although it usually is followed by heartburn

c1tym0m22

@thankfully So sorry for your loss.

How far along are you? 10+5

How are you doing? Ok. My ob prescribed me some Diclegis last week - it totally knocked me out one day, but I seem to be tolerating it better now. The absence of nausea is a lovely thing (when it's working). I have a big work dinner tonight that I'm hoping I can manage to eat at and not have too many people ask why I'm not drinking.

When is your next appointment?  Friday for my NT scan and meeting with the genetic counselor (and, I'm hoping, bloodwork for NIPT). 

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: I'm definitely in the anxious time before my appointment on Friday. Even though I still have a bunch of symptoms (and a cold), I am still nervous about what my NT scan will bring. DH reminded me that I was like this with my 1st pregnancy and DD turned out just fine - so it's not even a PGAL brain thing, but simply (for me) a pregnancy anxiety thing. I do remember that it gets so much better once I can feel movement, but for now, I just need to hang in there.

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? A mani/pedi definitely helps me zone out. I don't get them nearly often enough!

BellaO21

NamelessAria said:

@BellaO21 I hear you on the headaches. I've been a lot better with the nausea and fatigue is letting up but the other day I got a migraine that lasted a full 72 hours. And of course it started the morning I was getting ready to leave to see the in-laws for Thanksgiving and lasted till I was back home. I was just miserable the whole trip. My OB said that headaches and heartburn are the most common 2nd trimester complaints and had already warned me to be prepared for them. I feel like I jinxed myself a little because she was like "so nausea and fatigue is better.. have the headaches started yet?" And I'm like "nope I've felt great!" then left my appointment feeling smug that I hadn't had headaches yet even though I had chronic migraines before pregnancy. 

Has she given you any tips on how to prevent them? I really don't want to keep taking acetaminophen,  even though I heard it's OK to take during pregnancy I don't think it's healthy to take it every day. I may start going back to my chiropractor on a regular basis if they don't ease up! 

NamelessAria

@BellaO21 No she didn't really offer up any helpful advice on how to deal with the headaches. She just said the things you'd expect: drink plenty of water. Try eating a small snack in case your blood sugar is low. Tylenol is OK to take. Maybe try taking a nap if you can. Dark, quiet rooms help with migraines. Ya know, all the "common sense" things that *may* help a headache but probably won't really do anything.

BellaO21

@NamelessAria ahh that figures lol I was hoping there was a way to somehow prevent them, or make them less frequent- which I know is silly but hopeful thinking tends to be my thing these days lol

huskermom14

I'm so very sorry @thankfully. Please take care of yourself. 

huskermom14

How far along are you? 
10w4d
How are you doing? 
Still no symptoms to speak of. Though my boobs are definitely fuller and continuing to grow.
When is your next appointment?  
I had my first actual OB appointment this morning. She found baby's heartbeat with the doppler right away! 168 beautiful beats per minute. 
Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: 
We announced on social media today! We figured we may as well since we won't be seen again til almost 15 weeks. It's kind of fun to have the cat out of the bag.
GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ?
I'm terrible at self care. I do try to read for at least 20-30 minutes every night as kind of my "me"/wind down time. It used to be accompanied by a glass of wine but that's obviously not happening anymore these days.  

lizerspitz

How far along are you? 
11w3d
How are you doing? 
Feeling all the pressure from gas and constipation, but feeling relieved after my appointment today.
When is your next appointment?  
Had my appointment this morning trying to find the heartbeat. The appointment turned into a sonogram appointment because my OB couldn't find the heartbeat. This was a big trigger for me and DH. We had to wait back in the waiting room for 10 minutes and updated the cheery sonographer of the difficulty. She found baby right away. Measured the HB first. All very normal and measuring perfectly. The baby was kicking and moving its arms in front of its face and turning around. And all very much there. This is becoming more real to me and my DH. Next appointment is January 3rd.
Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: 
I feel like we've made it through my biggest hurdle.
GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ?
I really enjoy haircuts, so if I'm having a particularly stressful week, I'll go get a trim. Living in the city, walking in a park can also be self care, getting back into the creative mind. I love holding plants in my fingers. I have a little aerogarden at home to bring life inside my apartment.

cmread

First time posting in the June '17 PGAL check in? Introduce yourself. 

Here's my crazy story (I feel like I need to type it out because I'm still in shock):
I posted here right after finding out I was pregnant.  About a week later, I went in for an ultrasound due to constant cramping, and the doctor said it looked like all was on track for 5 weeks.  A week later we went back to check progress, and there had been very little change to the sac, no visible embryo, and my HcG was not doubling properly.  My doctor told us that this was a non viable pregnancy and gave us the options of D&C, medication, or waiting for miscarriage to occur naturally.  I felt a strong need to wait for my body to process things on it's own.  Fast forward to today, three weeks after that 2nd visit: I went in to check the progress of the miscarriage since I still haven't had any bleeding, and there is a HEARTBEAT!!!!  

How far along are you? 10 weeks ish

How are you doing? I have no idea!  We are stunned.  This last month has been so very hard, and I was prepared to take the D&C option.  Thank goodness he did another ultrasound!!!!

When is your next appointment?  12/14 (due date from my previous mc)

Rant/Rave/Positive Vibes: Today, I am pregnant.  

GTKY: What is something you do for self care ? How often do you try to do it ? Seriously, I feel like all I've done for a month is self care!  I spend so much time resting, I feel terrible for my husband and two boys.  I know things will eventually get back to normal - I'm so ready for that!

halfthetree

@cmread Holy crap!! That's amazing! Babe was measuring 10 weeks? 
Im floored, and so happy for you!

WorkingOnMyNightCheese

I finally got my Panorama results back, we are 100% low risk! Such a relief after three losses this year!

BellaO21

@cmread that's absolutely incredible! Not many people get amazing news like that! Congratulations on your miracle baby!