Second Time+ Moms check-in

kat81

We haven't had one of these in a while, so perhaps it is time for a check-in.

Any comparisons between this pregnancy and the other(s)? Have you felt movement yet? Earlier than before?
Any notable holiday plans for your current kid(s)?

As for me, I'm feeling some movements now, but I still think I felt them best with my first. It's possible this is another anterior placenta, otoh maybe I'd feel even less if it were. I guess I'll know more for sure as things progress and can ask about placement after the anatomy scan.

We still haven't told my kids about the pregnancy, but it's feeling like it's time to tell. I asked a couple of days ago if anyone has tips for how to break the news to my kids. I thought people suggested good ideas but DH shot them down. Feel free to chime in with ideas or what you did, especially if you have slightly older kids who might "get it" more (i.e. not toddlers).

No really notable holiday plans, but I am focused on trying to get my son's birthday party planned, because that will be coming up a week before Christmas! I have not started Christmas shopping at all, either.

MrsFox2008

This pregnancy is different in some ways but in others the same. I had morning sickness but I had it for a less amount of time this time around compared to the first. And I'm also very tired all the time, with my first my second tri energy was amazing! This time not so much.

As far as movements I started to feel flutters at nearly 15 weeks! And now at 18 weeks this baby moves so much compared to my pregnancy with DD. I didn't feel her to nearly 19 weeks and she didn't move a whole lot like this baby does! 

Holdiday plans are to take DD to look at the Christmas lights around the neighborhoods near by! SILs and in laws are coming over Christmas Eve to do a gift exchange. Christmas Day we are going to SIL house there she will make a big Italian meal. Her fiancé and his parents and grandparents will be there plus my H, DD and my inlaws. It'll be a full house. But so much fun we look forward to it.

Louise_Belcher

I am having an awful time remembering what my last pregnancy was like and when things happened even though it wasn't long ago at all. Some days I feel like I was bigger last time at this point, but who knows. I am so ready to feel movement, but nothing yet. Last time I still wasn't feeling anything by the time the anatomy scan rolled around. I could see him moving all over and didn't feel a thing. 
Any notable holiday plans for your current kid(s)? DS is only a bit over 1, but I am so excited to give him his gifts. He is the only one I have bought anything for and it was just two huge gifts. I want to get him a couple little items that he might try to open. I suppose I should also start shopping for other people, but that is hard. 

@kat81 hope telling your kids goes awesome and that they are excited!

Question: My son (15 months) just discovered he can climb onto the coffee table and end table. He can then get onto the couch from the end table. Any words of wisdom on how to discourage this would be awesome. He has already fallen off twice. Luckily the room is carpeted, so no tears and within moments he was trying to climb back up. Our living room use to be the safe area where we didn't really have to worry about him getting into something he shouldn't, but now if I turn my back for a second he is wobbling across the coffee table. 

onebadmotha

This pregnancy has been fairly similar to my last. I felt a but more nauseous this time around, but never actually vommed with either (*knock on wood*).

As far as the holidays go, I'm obsessed with Christmas and itching to do tons of stuff with my son (bake Christmas cookies, etc)...but he's only 12 months old, so I think I'll have to wait until next year for most of it. He does loves Christmas lights though. I also caved and got a plastic tree for the first time in my life. I am firmly team real-tree, but the thought of trying to baby proof that overwhelmed me. Since we will likely have little people crawling/toddling/terrorizing around the house for the next few years, we got a 3 foot artificial tree and put it on the coffee table (which is in the corner, boxed in by couches). 

@Louise_Belcher - No advice, but I sympathize. My son is an expert at climbing/cruising on things he shouldn't. I'm sure I'll be where you are in a couple of months. 

Louise_Belcher

@kayemjay2 What a good plan to get a smaller fake tree. We go to get our real tree this weekend. I have no idea how this is going to work with the tiny wrecking ball that lives in my house. I will be looking for the pickiest tree hoping he wont want to touch it and only decorating with unbreakable plastic ornaments. If I have to it will go live outside on the covered porch. 

onebadmotha

@Louise_Belcher - Hahaha...tiny wrecking ball. That couldn't be more accurate. Good luck with your tree- you are a braver soul than I. 

BeachMommy2B

I feel like this pregnancy has been a lot harder on me then with my first. I started about 15 pounds heavier with my first, so that could be part of the problem. I gained a ton of weight with my first, and it seems to be happening again with this on. At 18 weeks I've gained about 20lbs. I had SPD with DD that cleard up about 4 months after she was born and it came early this time, so that has not been fun.

I had been feeling a little movement, but once I hit 18 weeks this past Saturday I've been feeling him move around quite a bit. I felt DD earlier because i had a posterior placenta with her.  

DD finally outgrew her milk and egg allergy and she is turning 3 on friday, so we are going to be all about the christmas cookies and baked goods this year. She really gets it all this year, so seeing her getting excited for the decorations has been so much fun. We have already watched The Grinch (original cartoon version) a couple times. 

onebadmotha

@BeachMommy2B - Congrats on DD outgrowing her allergies! That's awesome. 

I have a somewhat related question for y'all- anyone's kiddo lactose intolerant? DS just turned one, and we're switching him from formula (milk based) to cow's milk. He seems to like it, but has been pooping a ton and has developed his first diaper rash It's awful. He also recently stopped taking iron supplements, which I'm guessing were plugging him up a bit. His one year appointment is tomorrow, so I'll definitely ask then, just wondering if anyone has experience with lactose intolerance. 

WombThereItIs

@BeachMommy2B you give me hope! My 2 year old has both egg and dairy allergies and we were hoping they would be gone by now. We are actually meeting with an allergist tomorrow. 

So so far I am massive compared to last time but oh well. The North... errr uterus.... remembers right? 

I still attribute all sensations to gas although I'm sure some are baby by now. I didn't feel anything until 20 last time so at just 15 I'm not expecting anything yet. 

I got a big ass real tree and made it 3 days before buying one of those big hexagonal gate play yard things. 2 year olds are crazy. He loves the tree though, first thing in the morning and after he comes home from daycare he checks to see if it's there and asks me to turn the lights on. He's cute. i highly recommend a tree cage! 

Louise_Belcher

@WombThereItIs I saw your other post about it going on sale. That sucks! Can I ask what cage you got? I am anticipating that may be the way we have to go and have looked a little. 

hp_momma

@BeachMommy2B I hope your DD fully enjoys all those long awaited cookies! 

My DD1 has a diary allergy and so far at age 5 she hasn't outgrown it, so we are thinking she probably won't be so lucky. BUT a dairy allergy is becoming much easier to handle with more options now. 

@kayemjay2 Around 1 year old when we did the switch from breastmilk to whole
milk is when we noticed DD1s milk allergy. I myself don't eat/drink hardly any dairy (for my own digestive issues) so DD wasn't really exposed to it in my breastmilk so it didn't show up earlier. However hers is an actual milk allergy and not lactose intolerance so the symptoms are a little different. I would definitely bring it up to your doctor! 

WombThereItIs

@Louise_Belcher we got the BRU brand one. It's actually very stable and not too hard to open to water the tree. We have it unhooked in the back against the wall since the tree is too big to close the gate around and it is sturdy. 

This is the picture and price from this week's ad. 

hp_momma

So far this pregnancy is pretty similar to DD1 and DD2. I do think my nausea has lasted a little longer though. My hip/back pain has started MUCH sooner this go around which is not fun. 

I don't think I've felt any movements yet, but chasing around a 2 year old and running a 5 year old to her various activities gives little time to sit and pay attention! 

Our holiday plans involve traveling 2000 miles HOME to be with our families. We are very excited, especially since we are stuck in cold/rainy weather and home involves warm sunshine! We spend Christmas Eve with my IL and Christmas Day with my family. And DD1 turns 5 a week before Christmas so she is excited to be able to celebrate with her cousins. 

Jkp7749

@WombThereItIs my daughter has allergies to poultry, rice, and dairy. After being hospitalized 3 or 4 times in a short span, we learned about fpies and found out she has that and it should be outgrown by the time she is 3. Hers was even worse because each time it happened, the aggravation in her stomach caused her to have intussusceptions as well. What kind of reaction does your child have?

RainyDays86

@WombThereItIs I was really hoping my son could handle a tree but he just turned 2 so I may have been to optimistic.  The tree cage is a good idea.

This pregnancy has been very very similar to my first.  I was nauseous and wanted all the carbs first tri and was totally exhausted and couldn't do anything.  Now I'm feeling a lot better and definitely have the urge to clean and organize. I have not been as good about exercising this time around and am struggling to find time with DS and our longer commute.  I have more back pain this time around and have had headaches which I didn't at all with DS.

I haven't felt any movements yet but I'm only 14+4 so I am not really expecting to yet - I felt those first flutters around 16/17 weeks with DS.  I am very excited to start feeling him/her though.  I loved that, even at the end when movements involved my whole belly shaking and wobbling around.

Our holiday plans involve flying to be with DH's family.  We'll be there for about a week and I am not super excited.  My in-laws are ok.  My MIL is actually great - I really can't complain about her at all except to say she really doesn't have good standards for nutrition and it will be hard to eat healthy when I'm there.  FIL, on the other hand, is basically Donald Tump - no joke.  He is crass and rude and loud and says whatever is on his mind.  He is always right and no one can disagree with him without getting a verbal tirade.  He also drinks too much and has been known to get borderline verbally abusive when he drinks.  I can't stand him.  However, after we leave the ILs house, DS and I are flying to see my family.  I am very excited for that part.

achays11

This pregnancy is definitely different than with DD. I was not nauseous at all with her, but have been consistently nauseous since the first weeks with this one. No vomiting yet though, so that's a plus. I've been more tired this time too, but I think that's due to chasing around a toddler. 

I feel little flips every once in a while, but nothing consistent. In the mornings, I can definitely tell where LO is which is fun. 

We have so much going on for Christmas, I'm already exhausted. My family is celebrating this weekend and then Christmas Eve will be with my in-laws and Christmas Day with my immediate family. The day after Christmas is spent with my dad's family. DD is very excited about Christmas this year and has been begging to put up the tree. She's 2 1/2, so I'm excited to get to bake cookies and do some things that we couldn't do the last couple of years. 

BeachMommy2B

@kayemjay2 We did soy milk for 2 years, but at our most recent doc visit they told us if there is breast cancer in our family (which fiances side is plagued with) soy milk isn't a good option because of the effects with estrogen. and this is for boys or girls. So she now drinks almond milk because cows milk stops her up a little bit. But she can eat anything with cheese or milk no problem and she can have the occasional cup of milk or chocolate milk.

@WombThereItIs our DD found out right after her 1st birthday about her allergy, and it took almost 2 full years. we tried to reintroduce milk after 1 year but it was a no, she still got rough patches of skin that looked almost like eczema from the milk after a year. So don't lose hope, from what i hear they are two allergies that kids to tend to grow out of often!! 

hp_momma

@BeachMommy2B My DDs milk allergy sounds super similar to yours! She gets the rough/eczema patches but can handle cheese or milk in cooked products. It's the straight glass of milk or ice cream that gets her. We recently switched her to a new Almond Milk they sell at Target called Ripple. It's like 10x the protein as regular Almond milk! My friend is a pediatric nutritionist and told me about it. Getting DD1 to eat meat is like pulling teeth so the extra protein was a big seller for me! 

BeachMommy2B

h&pmomma said:

@BeachMommy2B My DDs milk allergy sounds super similar to yours! She gets the rough/eczema patches but can handle cheese or milk in cooked products. It's the straight glass of milk or ice cream that gets her. We recently switched her to a new Almond Milk they sell at Target called Ripple. It's like 10x the protein as regular Almond milk! My friend is a pediatric nutritionist and told me about it. Getting DD1 to eat meat is like pulling teeth so the extra protein was a big seller for me! 

I'm so glad you mentioned this, i'm going to try it. I can get DD to eat chicken patties, which is probably one of the worst forms of meat for her to eat... and occasionally other meats like ham and chicken. So we have some of the same struggles. 

WombThereItIs

Jkp7749 said:

@WombThereItIs my daughter has allergies to poultry, rice, and dairy. After being hospitalized 3 or 4 times in a short span, we learned about fpies and found out she has that and it should be outgrown by the time she is 3. Hers was even worse because each time it happened, the aggravation in her stomach caused her to have intussusceptions as well. What kind of reaction does your child have?

We aren't quite in that territory. Right now he gets hives and then some of the most intense vomiting I have ever seen. It looks really painful, like he's completely emptying anything he has eaten in the past day. 

Because the vomiting is so forceful we are also on watch for the reaction to get worse. We now have an epi pen just in case. 

hp_momma

BeachMommy2B said:

h&pmomma said:

@BeachMommy2B My DDs milk allergy sounds super similar to yours! She gets the rough/eczema patches but can handle cheese or milk in cooked products. It's the straight glass of milk or ice cream that gets her. We recently switched her to a new Almond Milk they sell at Target called Ripple. It's like 10x the protein as regular Almond milk! My friend is a pediatric nutritionist and told me about it. Getting DD1 to eat meat is like pulling teeth so the extra protein was a big seller for me! 

I'm so glad you mentioned this, i'm going to try it. I can get DD to eat chicken patties, which is probably one of the worst forms of meat for her to eat... and occasionally other meats like ham and chicken. So we have some of the same struggles. 

It's definitely a little more expensive, but she's at the age now where she isn't drinking a lot of milk so it's worth it. Target had it in a small like single serving size bottle and then the half gallon. I got the single size first to make sure she would like it! 

hp_momma

@WombThereItIs Poor guy! That sounds awful. I hope he outgrows his soon too! 

Squirtgun

@BeachMommy2B that's awesome that your daughter has outgrown her allergies!!  My almost 3yo daughter has pretty severe egg and fish allergies. The egg they think she'll probably outgrow eventually, but every time they test her, she's more allergic than she was the time before!  Younger daughter outgrew the dairy/soy allergy before she turned one! 
 
I have a hard time remembering how my other pregnancies were, but I know for sure that I'm feeling movement sooner. I'm not sure when I felt it with my girls, but I'm certain it was later than this!  I'm 15 weeks, and have been feeling movement for the past week! (Not consistently yet.) 

I'm excited about putting up a tree soon! We have a sun porch that we can shut off from the rest of the house, so we can always supervise the kids when they are in that room, and don't have to worry about them tearing up the tree when running around the house. 

NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot

My first pregnancy was very easy. I never had MS or any issues other than GD and getting induced after DD failed to arrive on her own. This time I be MS (no voming) through 1st tri. I'm also still exhausted and sugar makes me feel all kinds of ick. 

I may have felt some movements right before 15 wks but it also could have been gas. Now at 16wks I'm definitely feeling this one. I didn't feel DD until at least 18 wks. 

This was our year to travel back home across the country for Thanksgiving. For Xmas, we'll go to my aunt & uncle's house for Xmas eve and then have xmas day at my house. My parents and one set of grandparents are coming down for both. Xmas eve is chili and family presents. Xmas day is turkey/ham and santa presents. 

mdlorenz

kayemjay2 said:

@BeachMommy2B - Congrats on DD outgrowing her allergies! That's awesome. 

I have a somewhat related question for y'all- anyone's kiddo lactose intolerant? DS just turned one, and we're switching him from formula (milk based) to cow's milk. He seems to like it, but has been pooping a ton and has developed his first diaper rash It's awful. He also recently stopped taking iron supplements, which I'm guessing were plugging him up a bit. His one year appointment is tomorrow, so I'll definitely ask then, just wondering if anyone has experience with lactose intolerance. 

Sounds like the common scenario of formula causing (relative) constipation and now you are experiencing the opposite (poops that are soft like they're supposed to be). That being said, diaper rash is so not fun. There's really no medical reason to give cows milk at all - our culture just leans on it so heavily as a staple beverage. It's healthier than juice but not required. Lots of other ways to get calcium and healthy fats. Almond milk could be a suitable alternative but again, milk "products" are really not necessary. I'd focus on water, whole foods that provide calcium and fat, keep the kiddo on a vitamin D supplement, and hope the rash resolved with less soft poop next to the skin. And lots of Vaseline and diaper-free time. 

MamaMiller

So far this pregnancy has been
drastically different. With both DD's morning sickness lasted until almost 18 weeks each. I also had lots of back issues early on. Thankfully I have had no MS but the fatigue is still going strong. My appetite is crazy too with no aversions yet.   I am more moody also but I blame that on fatigue and early morning insomnia. 

ann_jeremiah

My body falls apart faster each time - working on baby #4... No movement yet... And we told the kids a week ago. They are very excited!

bacorrea

This pregnancy has been total opposite of DD. I was deathly ill the entire pregnancy (max dosage of Zofran, hospital for fluids, I even puked during labor.) So I wasn't surprised to find out this LO is a boy. Besides exhaustion, I don't really feel pregnant. I do feel him at night now. Which is nice, it's kinda a MF to go from my last pregnancy to this one. 

We are going to my parents for Christmas. We went to DH parents last year. We have to alternate because my family is in VA and his is in CA. Now that DH and I are seperating, DD and I actually leave tomorrow. I am still on the fence about having DH come for a few days at Christmas. We did a mock Christmas tonight and DH gave DD a doll she has been really wanting. 

Sorry for all the mamas struggling with their kids allergies! It's nice that people are starting to accept allergies and so many more products are out from when even we were kids. Still super frustrating though! 

slowmo

This pregnancy has been very similar to my first one, symptom-wise, other than the fact that I'm showing a lot earlier. It was so similar that I was a convinced I was having another boy, so I was stunned to learn it's a girl this time. I'm much more tired, but last time I didn't have to chase a wild 2-year-old! I had an anterior placenta last time and didn't feel much movement until after 20 weeks. This time the placenta is posterior, so I'm looking forward to feeling the baby sooner. 

Re: Christmas trees. I took a gamble and put up a 6-ft fake tree despite the destructive tendencies of our son, whom we affectionately call Godzilla. He is really into the idea of Christmas trees and so far has yet to knock it over. I did put the more breakable ornaments out of reach. Last year we had a small 2-ft tree we placed on the middle of the dining room table. 

onebadmotha

@mdlorenz - Thanks for the advice! I'm thinking it might have been a stomach bug- when I dropped him off at daycare this morning, I was told that a few other kids reported vomiting/poop problems as well. My son seems fine now, so it was short lived. I'm hoping that's the case and it's not a chronic thing. I don't give him a ton of milk, and he's great about drinking water. His one year appointment is this afternoon, so I'll see what his ped has to say. The diaper rash seems to be clearing- he loves being naked, so diaper-free time has been a big hit. 

mrsrep123

h&pmomma said:

So far this pregnancy is pretty similar to DD1 and DD2. I do think my nausea has lasted a little longer though. My hip/back pain has started MUCH sooner this go around which is not fun. 

@h&pmomma This is me too! I didn't experience the hip and back pain until later in third tri and here it is showing up at 17 weeks.  All else seems just as it was last time... oh, I did start feeling this little move a couple of weeks earlier!

chickyclg

This pregnancy has been so much easier for me, like I think it has been a breeze even for a singleton pregnancy. 

Is is it bad that I book a ton of medical crap in December, I'm cheap and or deductible resets.  Anyways it just clicked to me that I have to figure something out for DS's spine check up and pray DH can get off, since I can't be in the room during his X-Rays.  

JCWhitey

This one is similar to my first one with a little less nausea, which is why I think it's a boy.  I think my nausea the first time stemmed from taking my prenatals in the morning and not finding out until mid-2nd tri that night is better for me.  So the nausea level is probably the same.  at least I'm not puking daily like I did with DD (#2).

Feeling movement WAY earlier than with the previous two!  eleven DH felt a kick on his arm last week at 14 weeks.  With the first two my placenta was in front and low (partial placenta previa until after 20 weeks with both) so I felt things later than most.  I don't know where the placenta is last time, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out at the a/s that it's back and high.  I'm hoping anyway, placenta previa sucks, even though mine resolved both times I still had heavier than normal bleeding in labor both times from it remaining low.

The kids are going with DH to Seattle for Christmas since my MIL has convinced herself that my FIL has one foot in the grave and won't be around next year.  I can't get the time off work so I'll stay here.  My family doesn't celebrate the holidays until the first weekend in January, so it doesn't bother me except I'll miss my niece and nephew.  (BTW, I'm fairly certain my FIL is perfectly fine and my MIL is overreacting.  They are divorced but he still willed her everything so I often wonder if it's wishful thinking.)

WombThereItIs

@chickyclg Why would that be bad? Docs know their busy seasons and really most will tell you it's better you got it done when you could than to have you wait too long because you're spacing out paying down a deductible and miss getting the care you need. Do what you need to do!

hp_momma

@chickyclg I used to work for an orthopaedic surgeons office and we knew end of the year was always our busiest for scheduling and surgeries because of that exact reason- deductible! 

DD2 had to have ear tubes put in last year and we had it scheduled for December 31st! The surgeon was working that day specifically to help his patients out with deductible! It didn't matter to us because our insurance is on an October-October fiscal year. But my point is that doctors offices totally understand! 

chickyclg

I guess the only reason it's bad is it is so busy, not to mention the Christmas festivities that always seem to fill the calendar.

pshaortao

I need to get on a computer and are more time to respond to other threads. In the meantime this pregnancy was different in the first trimester. With my first I only had fatigue and that was it. This one consisted of fatigue too as well as nausea and food adversion. I'm also already less comfortable earlier on.

Regarding movements, I felt DD around18 weeks. I can feel this one at 16 weeks for sure when I'm laying down and relaxed.

Kipperoo

It has been a while since one of these check ins!

I keep thinking that this pregnancy is worse than the last, but maybe it's just that I'm 2 years older and chasing around a toddler? I just generally feel "blah" and although I no longer need 9 hours of sleep every night, I still feel sleepy and wish I had the second tri burst of energy I remember from last time. My skin also seems a little worse and the nausea still peeks it's head in every now and then (at 17+ weeks). This baby is a girl and my last was a boy, so maybe that's why. In any case, it's annoying.

Nothing particularly specially planned for Christmas this year, although it is REALLY fun watching DS learn about it all for the first time. He's obsessed with all of the Christmas decorations everywhere. It's really adorable. 

onebadmotha

@pshaortao - When I first read your post, I thought you said you first felt DD around 8 weeks. I was super excited for the eye roll gif I would post...but then I re-read it. 

RainyDays86

@Kipperoo I feel the same way! It is 6:45 here and I just got in bed. I've had a headache most of the afternoon and have been exhausted all day. With DS once I hit 11.5 weeks I felt amazing and I am pretty sure I didn't have a headache once in 9 months. This time around I've been having headaches pretty much weekly and although I feel better than I did first tri, I still feel more exhausted than usual.  I definitely had high hopes for this pregnancy based on last time and have been a bit disappointed (although everything is going well health-wise so I am certainly thankful for that).

CCNellans

DS was SOO easy. Very minor MS and then no symptoms after that. I also was teaching Zumba 3 days a week up until 9 months, and still training horses until 3 months. 

I am far less active this time around (not teaching Zumba anymore) and this one is just throwing all of the symptoms at me. I'm 15 weeks 4 days and the nausea is here with a vengeance. No vomming thankfully, but it's pretty awful. Been taking the B6/Unisom combo and that helps, but it knocks me out and takes me a long time the next day to fully wake up.