Randoms - Week of 2/6

byrneme

Have any thoughts, questions, feelings, fears? Spill them here!

This is a good place to ask questions to a broader audience than the weekly trimester check-ins so those with experience can chime in!

wifeinraleigh28

This isn't a question, but just thought I'd share that Amazon is having a sale on baby stuff! I just went to my registry and ordered just about all my breastfeeding stuff (since I doubt anyone will buy that for me for my baby shower). 20% off everything! Ordered some breastfeeding pads, the my brest friend pillow, medela storage bottles, and a breastfeeding cover.

byrneme

Thanks for the tip @wifeinraleigh28 ! It also reminds me I need call my insurance to see if they have any restrictions on when I can order my breast pump. I read somewhere that some won't let you do it outside 30 days of your due date but I'd like to get that crossed off my list.

tiffanyw1783

I have a question for you ladies. I'm 10w6d with twins. I've had what I think is a cold since Saturday, horrible cough, chest and head congestion, sore throat. No fever. My list of ok meds says Robitussin DM but it has done absolutely nothing and the cough is getting worse. Any recommendations??

vssbrm

@tiffanyw1783 hot tea and honey. That was the best remedy for me and eucalyptus in my humidifier - but check w/ your doc for essential oils that they approve b4 you go there!

janejane-2

Random rant. Check out lady at grocery store asked my due date. (June) She said her daughter was due around the same time and wasn't even showing. Um...ok... So I'm big lady??? WTF. Ok. I'm having twins so I'm sure I'm bigger but still. That's not ok. What if I were only having a singleton? That would really REALLY make me feel crappy. 

JWatt5

@wifeinraleigh28 - I noticed that BabiesRUs is also having a sale in the US. Of Course no sales for the Canadian pages though!

wifeinraleigh28

@tiffanyw1783 When I was sick I did warm water (not hot) with lemon and honey. If the water is too hot it kills the nutrients you need from the lemon and honey. Best remedy, seriously. It was the only thing that helped my horrific cough and sore throat! I hope you feel better soon!

@JWatt5 LAME! I hope they give you Canadians a sale soon too!

ale9687

@tiffanyw1783 I think half of us are fighting colds and it sucks. For the throat I always gargle warm salty water too, just make sure not to swallow it. 

@janejane people are stupid! I've mastered the eye roll and dirty look this pregnancy because of how many comments I've gotten on my body and what I'm eating.

rmarble23

TMI question....... my nipples started doing some funny things. The areola is getting bigger and sticking out further and kinda hard which seems to be sucking the nipple in. I am assuming/ hoping this is just in preparation for milk but is this normal??

babylonghorn16

@rmarble23 oh mine are HUGE now. Not sure about the sucking in of the nipple, but I would assume these changes are all in preparation for nursing!

babylonghorn16

@JaneJane people are SO annoying. Like, did you just want to brag about your daughter?? Is that why you asked me? Guess what? I don't care about your daughter and how little she is showing.

The other day I was walking into work and a group of guys were chatting in front of my door... they parted and one of the men said "make way for the pregnant lady!!! BEEP BEEP BEEP". So I'm THAT big that you have to make noises when I pass you? F*ck off. Oh and by the way, that's the noise a truck makes when it BACKS UP. If you're going to insult me, at least do it right.

I'm in an "I hate EVERYBODY" kind of mood... don't mind me.  

omarismyhomeboy

Is anyone else having the worst acne ever? I've struggled with my skin a bit but since college its been pretty under control. NOT ANYMORE. I have like 5 cystic breakouts and I can't use my typical dermatologist gels. It's so awful and embarrassing. Again, I will totally take it if it means a healthy baby, but it's not a good look....

ale9687

@omarismyhomeboy luckily my cystic pimples stayed in college but I used to put super hot compresses on them to break up the junk in there. I used to use toothpaste but sometimes that made it worse if your skin is irritated from the hot compress. I hope the hot compress works for you, those things can get painful. 

@babylonghorn16 men in the office seem to be brainless. 

JWatt5

@omarismyhomeboy - that happened for me from week 6 then got better week 10. Hopefully it goes away for you too!!

dragonfaerie

@babylonghorn16 The next time someone makes that sound effect for you,  just smile sweetly and say "would you like to know how it feels to get hit by a truck?"

byrneme

Random rant: I found out today the my insurance coverage doesn't allow me to order my breast pump outside of 30 prior to my due date. Annoyed. I really wanted to check that off my list!

2legbaby

@byeneme same with my insurance,  but it is at least nice they cover it at all! I just picked everything I wanted something when time comes I can quickly place order

vssbrm

The nice thing is that it only takes a few days after ordering it to get your pump. I think mine came like 4 days later.

cato99

Blegh, I just got diagnosed with gestational diabetes and I'm taking it really hard. I'm also still
anemic despite iron supplements. It's like I can't catch a break with this whole reproduction process! 

AandDM2014

@cato99 Oh no! I'm sorry! Are you just going to have to change your diet, or is there something else you'll have to do as well?

nellin-2

@cato99 That sucks! Being anaemic can be very draining. When I was anaemic (not while pregnant) I had to take vit c at the same time - apparently it helps your body absorb the iron.
Does exercise help? I know exercise can make a huge difference in normal type 2 diabetes. 

@JaneJane I've been getting the opposite, why do I look more pregnant than you when I'm not even pregnant?! Tempted to answer because you're fat and unhealthy but that wouldn't be "socially acceptable". 

wifeinraleigh28

I'm so sorry @cato99 A friend of mine was diagnosed with GD and it was tough but she definitely managed and all was well with her and her baby. Thinking of you!

wifeinraleigh28

How is little Charlie doing @clt2pwm11??

janejane-2

Went to the fetal echocardiogram yesterday for the twins. All is well except they found one soft marker for down syndrome for twin B, an enlarged kidney (technically renal pyelectasis). Apparently, .4 is the cut-off and twin B's was at either .5 or .6 thus its mild. That being said, its actually common in boys (and twin B is a boy). Usually resolves itself and they'll recheck at week 32 scan. If a baby is born with the condition they just let the pediatrician know in order to keep an eye on it otherwise can cause UTIs. Nevertheless, it also happens to be a soft marker for DS, no other markers found unless you count my age which was 34 at conception (IVF + ICSI) and 35 at time of birth. I don't know what to make of it. The MFM wasn't concerned at all but obviously had to disclose the info and tell me I can always have an amnio for peace of mind. I'm all for an amnio, my husband is not. I guess statistically there's a 1 in 350 chance its DS and there's a 2% chance at a miscarriage for an amnio. Or odds are no DS and 98% chance the amnio will be easy peasy. (We unfortunately didn't do PGS testing, our clinic only recommends it for those over 35 or with a history of miscarriages). I'm at 22 weeks and am now kicking myself for not demanding PGS or agreeing to an amnio after we met with the geneticist several weeks ago. I'm all about knowledge and preparation so this is going to hang over me unless I get the amnio. Unfortunately, I've started to read too many stories of people with NO DS markers having DS babies and some with multiple markers having perfectly healthy babies. Sigh. 

JWatt5

@JaneJane - The testing is so confusing sometimes but don't kick yourself for not getting the PGS testing done...you didn't know this would happen and there was no indication you should have done it at that time. Even now, based on what the MFM said, sounds like it's still on the lower end of risk. We had a tough time with doing the testing - I didn't want to do it, DH did - that makes it even more emotional but I'm sure you guys will make the right decision for you and your DH.

In the end, we did the NT scan - which was yesterday. The baby was just fine, told he or she was quite cooperative however...the endometrioma on my right ovary is continuing to grow. That's not supposed to happen during pregnancy - I had them take a look mid January because it was sore but things looked ok at that time & it grown a bit but it hadn't been measured since my day 3 cycle monitoring in Nov and we figured that was due to the IF drugs which is expected. Now it's grown even more. I was told when it reached a certain measurement it should be taken out, which it's now over that point (so surgery will probably have to happen now before trying for a second which I was trying to avoid). If it keeps growing, then it'll probably need to come out during the second trimester because it may not be just an endometrioma & likely I'll lose the ovary completely. So - please cross your fingers and toes for me that this thing buggers off & it's just an endometrioma gone rouge. 

byrneme

@janejane - is it too late to do an NT scan or Panorama blood work? I know one has to be done by a certain time but I can't remember which/when. Would be less risk than amnio but maybe offer some peace of mind? 

kelrauh

Hi ladies I wanted to post an update. Today is 2 weeks since being admitted. I am 24 weeks and 3 days. Babies are doing good and still no contractions. Doctors are now talking more long term than they were. We dont known when I will go into labor but we have a 25% chance of making it to 32 weeks. My doctor is hopeful we will hit March but you never know. if we make it far I wont be able to go home on bedrest until at least 28 or 30 weeks so I have at least 4-6 more weeks, and that's if they let me go home. I'm starting to feel better up here, I just really miss my dog and cat. If I could have them here I would be content with staying until my due date. 

janejane-2

@byrneme  - we did the NT scan and it came out fine. Which is one of the reasons the MFM isn't worried. I've done multiple blood test. Don't know if any were for DS. I know there are some blood tests that don't work on twins.  Today I've decided to be positive b/c yesterday was not a good day. 

@JWatt5 - positive thoughts your way for sure. That sounds absolutely frustrating and scary. I didn't realize that surgery was even an option during pregnancy at least not in the general abdomen area. 

@kelrauh - so happy to hear your news  Your twins are going nice and strong. Fingers crossed they make it to 32 weeks. Hopefully you'll be discharged to home bed rest at 28 weeks. I'm sure you're over being in a hospital away from the comforts from home. Anything for our babies though, right. Please keep us updated. 

wifeinraleigh28

@JaneJane Sorry about all that stress. FWIW I keep hearing that soft markers often mean nothing though, so I think it's highly unlikely the baby has DS. I'm glad you're feeling more positive today!

@JWatt5 Ugh I'm sorry about the endometrioma. Sending you positive thoughts that you won't need surgery, now or ever!

@kelrauh Thanks for keeping us updated! I think about you often. Glad to hear the babies are continuing to stay put and that the doctors are hopeful that you could make it to 30+ weeks. I can't imagine how much you must miss your home and your furbabies

byrneme

@kelrauh  I'm not sure how I missed your post but what great news! I'm glad your doctor is talking more long term and praying for those babies to stay put!!

cato99

@JaneJane I am so sorry for this stress you're going through. I have every hope that it will all be nothing--your previous tests seem to indicate that this incident may just be random!

@kelrauh congratulations on every day you make it past 24 weeks! It's wonderful that you are all thinking longer term! Sending strong STAY PUT vibes to your babies. 

And thank you, y'all, for the supportive words about GD. They're referring me to a specialist and the plan will be to control it with diet and only if that doesn't work look into medication. For the MOST part I have pretty Berkeley-Hippie eating habits so my guess is that I won't have to make a bunch of changes--hopefully just cut out incongruous snacking like my weird obsession with tongue-destroying SweetTarts! Exercise does help with GD but I already hike an hour most days and recently started prenatal yoga classes, so if they want me to increase that it's going to be a struggle to add it to my work schedule. 

2legbaby

@janejane sorry for the news on the ultrasound, sometimes more info can cause more stress but I would rely on your MFM's lack of concern. My sister (pregnant with her second and due 1 month after me!) had a choroid plexus cyst found on the brain of her baby boy during anatomy scan, while a soft marker for trisomy 18, the rest of her testing was normal so her doctors are not concerned, but I know it is hard not to worry. I would be worried about the risks of amniocentesis, 2% seems so high to me! 

@Jwatt5 hope that your endometrioma chills out!

@kelrauh such a great update! I wish that they would allow pets to visit owners in the hospital- that must be so sad for you and for them! Here's to making it to 32 weeks!!!!

omarismyhomeboy

A weird question: I had a scan last week when I was 8 weeks 6 days and the heart rate was 169. Today, I had my first scan with my OB, at 9 weeks 5 days and the heart rate was 153. OB said it was normal, and it can change every 10 min...but is 153 pretty low for not quite 10 weeks?

wifeinraleigh28

@omarismyhomeboy Yes, your baby's hb is completely normal! It's often much higher around 8 weeks, then lowers and levels off. But yes it can vary from appointment to appointment. Ours was 171 at 9 weeks and something like 150 at 11 weeks. Now it tends to range from 145-160. As long as you're between 120-170 for the bulk of the pregnancy you've got a healthy hb!

2legbaby

@omarismyhomeboy my LO heart rate has always been around 140ish from first time until my last visit yesterday where it was 130 (which Dr said is normal because she is bigger at 32weeks)

latershrader

Question for all: When did you do your hospital tour and/or child birth classes? I'm wondering, middle of 2nd tri or beginning of 3rd? If you have already taken them, do you wish you'd done them sooner/later? 

dragonfaerie

@hopetobeashraderfam I started classes and the tour toward the end of my  2nd trimester and into 3rd. It worked out well for me cuz I had good energy still and it was not so early that I would forget everything. You don't want to push it too late and potentially miss a class due to early labor.

persnickity

@hopetobeashraderfam I've got my classes schedule for the end of the second and beginning of the third trimester. They said to complete them all before 30 weeks and mine are once a week over a 3 week span starting the last week of the second trimester.

latershrader

Thank you @dragonfaerie & @persnickity! I'm going to go book them now because it looks like the fill up fast!

janejane-2

@hopetobeashraderfam - my hospital will only allow hospital tours 4-6 weeks before the due date. So definitely check with yours. I wish I could do mine earlier.