Plus Size 3/15

SuzieMay827

Good morning and Happy Wednesday!

How has everyone's week been? I kind of like the less formal thread last week so since I didn't hear any objections let's continue with that format unless someone strongly opposes. Chatter away about goals, setbacks, weight, random things, etc.

GTKY: If you had the opportunity to be famous, would you?

SuzieMay827

This week has been kinda wonky for me. We had snow on Friday and then a blizzard Monday night-last night in Central PA. We got almost 2 feet here and I actually had a snow day yesterday. It was amazing to have a day off (and a delay today!) but I felt bad for my poor hubby who had to shovel everything solo. I offered to help shovel light loads, but he said he would feel more comfortable if I just stayed inside and made him coffee for when he was done. Then I caught him this morning put salt all around my tires before he left for work to make sure I can get out when I have to leave today. What a stud. That being said, snow days are THE WORST for healthy eating. I won't go into details but just know I am hanging my head in shame. However, over the weekend my best friend needed help moving and I was very active in that (again lots of small loads, but that means lots of trips up and down 3 flights of stairs). So maybe I don't feel quite as bad?

Maybe related to moving and maybe not, I noticed I've started to feel some lower back pain every now and then as well as pressure in my lower abdomen-almost feeling like I need to pee but not quite. I'm thinking maybe this is just where Baby is sitting right now. Anyone experience anything similar?
I would LOVE to start using a body pillow, but between me, DH, and two dogs I don't feel like there is room on our queen size bed. Sigh.

I also have a few questions that I would kind of like to start threads on, but not confident enough to do it. So I hope you ladies don't mind me asking those questions in here?
1) Do any of you have experience with cord blood donation? My hospital does not participate with any public bank so I have to figure this whole process out on my own and order a kit or something but it's hard to find information on.
2) I know this is early, but how do you guys feel about baby showers you throw for yourself? Personally, I think this is tacky, but my SIL did it for herself a few years ago and it seemed to be ok. The only thing is I have family/friends in VA, PA, and NY but we have only lived in PA about a year. I just don't know that anyone I know is really in a position to offer either because we are fairly new friends or family lives kinda far. I think I would have family travel to attend, but not feel comfortable hosting out of state. I totally don't NEED a shower, it's just baby gear is expensive and it would be nice to have help as well as just wanting to celebrate Little Man.

GTKY: If you had the opportunity to be famous, would you?
I used to think I would. I actually went to school in NYC for musical theatre and thought I was going to be on Broadway from the time I was about 5. But then when I started going on professional auditions and meeting people in the industry and having professors tell me I'm talented enough but not thin enough, I decided it's not the life I want. I'd rather live in a stable environment with a hubby who loves me for who I am and be able to enjoy all of the normal things (like raising a family!).

Sorry for the novel this morning. Kudos to you if you've made it through!!

Edit because it's early and words are hard.

latershrader

I was so bummed we did not get a snow day here in Northern VA. I did go in late because I'm a wimp and didn't want to drive in the snow alone. DH got the day off, his office closed. So not fair. And @SuzieMay827 you have a GOOD DH there (ps: answered your q's below). Mine didn't even get out of bed to help me clear my car before I left. I was so annoyed. Anyway!
I hit the second trimester yesterday. I am waiting for all the good stuff to start happening...the glow, the peeing less, feeling more energetic. Hasn't happened yet. I feel fine for the most part. I am still down below my pre-pregnancy weight, so that's a win. I just have a hard time eating enough veggies. I have NO desire to eat a salad. It just sounds awful. But I do eat lots of fruit. So there's that. Oh, and as of Monday I have been dealing with a headache. Not sure what that's all about but it is NOT fun.
Q's: I do not have any experience w/ cord blood. It seems quite pricey and as much as I'd love to do it, we probably won't. I may donate though. And as far as showers go, if you don't throw one yourself be sure to still get a few registries going. Your friends/fam near and far may want to send you something. And I don't think it's tacky to throw yourself one. People will want to celebrate with you!

SuzieMay827

@latershrader i had a bad headache for about a week straight around week 13 but then it finally passed. I hope yours does too! My family is still in NOVA (Prince William county) and my mom told me it was mostly ice. That's no fun and scarier imo. I would have gone on late too!
Yeah, private cord blood is more expensive than we can swing unfortunately which is why is love to donate. It's free and I think it would be the coolest thing to say "hey little guy, you probably saved somebody's life just by being you!". But it's so hard to find out the procedure. And every time I think I do, it's only for participating hospitals. I think I'm just going to call Be The Match. Because I'm going they know more about these mysterious kits you can take to non participating hospitals.
I think you're right about the registries. I'll go ahead and make one or two and see what happens. Maybe someone will offer unexpectedly anyway and that work will be out of the way.

labby18

Last week was pretty good. My doctor was concerned because I havent really gained any weight, but lost a couple...which is frustrating, because I eat, and sometimes I just can't eat. DH is starting a diet and work out regiment, and I want to play along but I can't, and it makes me feel like a slob, but then I'm like oh yeah I'm pregnant...

I would not choose to be famous. I like privacy. I'd take the money, but not the fame. 

mercury94

I'm still so tired which makes it difficult to get any exercise in. On the plus side, I haven't gained much weight and my doctor was happy with me at my last appointment, so I guess I'm doing okay. Hoping to get past the fatigue soon. 

@latershrader I had a headache for about a week at 11 weeks. It finally went away. Of course, I then got sick, so now it's back, along with a sore throat. 

ETA: I don't want to be famous. I used to want to be a NYT bestselling author, but then I studied publishing and didn't think the authors' lives sounded fun. I wanted to write because I liked it. If I'm going to work, I'd rather be a lawyer. 

mcdoug211

@latershrader I have been getting the worst headaches it's every day but my prenatals make them 15 times worse the same happened with my daughter so for now I'm just taking folic acid until I go back to the doc in a couple weeks. I don't eat enough veggies either I like putting salads in wraps though I do that for a lot of lunches!

dogdisnylovr

Hi ladies! I'm so excited to finally participate. I've been reading day-in and day-out since January but held off participating until I was farther along and more people found out (I realized by screen name plus my location would easily give me away to some).

Anyways... @SuzieMay827 Yay for snow days and an awesome DH! I can't answer your first question about cord blood, but as far as your baby shower question. I don't think it's tacky to throw your own shower. A friend of mine basically just threw her own and no one batted an eye. She had help with setting it up and everything but as far as arrangements and decorations it was mostly her. And it was beautiful!

@latershrader Yay for the 2nd trimester! I hope you feel all the wonderful effects that we hear about soon!

This week has had it's ups and downs. We finally told my step-kids on Sunday and that went better than expected. Then DH called his mom to let her know the news was out. She has known for about a month and I had to threaten her life to keep it a secret. Once she found out the news was out to the kids she was on the phone with everyone else in the family. For whatever reason everyone knowing really makes me nervous and I've started having really scary thoughts about how the baby is doing. I can't seem to shake the thoughts sometimes either. I have an appointment on Friday and it's can't come soon enough! 

My eating has been horrendous at night as I only seem to want (and can keep down) bread/pasta and cheese. During the day I am able to eat healthier but evenings I struggle. Trying to keep my weight the same as my last appointment 2 weeks ago so I don't get scolded again. :-/

GTKY: If you had the opportunity to be famous, would you?
Absolutely not! I do not do well with attention and being famous would definitely bring on that. Even people knowing or finding out I'm pregnant gives me anxiety for all the attention I will be receiving. I couldn't imagine it being an everyday thing. 

SuzieMay827

@dogdisnylovr welcome! I'm glad you're feeling comfortable now to join us. And I'm glad things went well with telling your family
I think it's totally normal to have a bit of anxiety about Baby. I sure do! As a FTM I'm always questioning every little twinge I feel. I've thought about getting a home Doppler for reassurance but I know if I get one and can't find the HB I will freak out big time. So I'm raising the urge to put it in muy Amazon cart!

Jamiern01

@SuzieMay827 we did cord blood donation with our last baby. There was a hospital in town that does a public bank and they sent us a kit since we were delivering at a different hospital.

This week has been ok except the headache that comes back every day. I'm craving nothing but carbs/bread/pasta so getting my veggies in has been a struggle. 

I have no desire to be famous. I like privacy!!!!

mightymcqueen

My hunger kind of comes and goes, so some days I'm setting alarms to force myself to eat 3 meals a day and other days I become this like, all consuming black hole of hunger. I don't let myself keep junk food in the house, so at least I'm stuck eating vaguely healthy foods, if you have a very loose definition of the word healthy. 

@SuzieMay827 Some body pillows are thinner than others, so you might be able to find one that won't take up too much room. Re: your Q's- 
1) I'm also looking into public cord banking, but haven't found anything useful yet. I'm going to call my hospital to see if they have any connections with the closest public cord banks, since all of the mail-in banks that I see online are across the country. 
2) I'm not a fan of self-thrown baby showers, but I'm also the kind of person who thinks that birthday parties for 1-year olds are weird, so feel free to ignore my opinion That said, I think registries are a great idea, especially for family members and friends who can't travel to an out-of-state shower. 

GTKY: I make a lot of mock-plans for if/when I become a "famous best-selling author" (for all those books that I've never finished), but I don't really have any desire to become famous. I like the idea of financial security, but fame doesn't really equate "stable wealth", so it's not really worth it IMO. 

latershrader

@SuzieMay827 I live in PWC! I'm in Woodbridge! What a small world. 
@dogdisnylovr Welcome! Glad you are joining our little group!
@bridge-and-wall & @mcdoug211 The headache goes away but comes back. Tylenol does help, but definitely not as well as my beloved advil. I miss advil.

 I do have to share with everyone that last night, at 14w+2, I finally did not wake up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night AT ALL. This is a miracle! Thank you second trimester!!

SuzieMay827

@latershrader No way! If you went to OPHS I'm gonna die.

latershrader

@SuzieMay827 HAHAHA! No, I went to WSHS. But close! LOL! I grew up in Lake Ridge!!

missyrosek

Another NoVa girl here -- Sterling!

@labby18 my doctor told me she's fine with me having lost a couple of pounds since the start of my pregnancy, but if I don't start gaining by my next appointment, we're going to have to be concerned.

Anyone else with a tummy bummed that bump pictures just won't be a thing for you?

SuzieMay827

@latershrader @missykhamvongsa
Small world! Makes you wonder if we've ever met before in some capacity.

Also @missykhamvongsa I've thought about that too with the bump pictures. It makes me sad to not feel as excited about them. I wonder, since this thread is also a Wednesday thread would it be a more comfortable thread to post our plus sized bumps in? Or would that take away from the notion of all bodies being beautiful and being celebrated on the same thread?

missyrosek

@SuzieMay827 I would be down for bump pics in here. I'm too self-conscious to post in the bump photo thread.

latershrader

@missykhamvongsa & @SuzieMay827 NOVA for the win!

I am pretty bummed about not having any sort of bump yet. and I likely won't until late in this pregnancy. I haven't taken one pic since being pregnant. I'm not even sure if I'll even need the maternity stuff I've already bought (but the nursing bra i bought is phenomenal!)

I'd be ok with posting a bump pic here, but not so much on the HDBD thread. Anyone else?

ETA: Have you guys been to this site yet? https://plussizebirth.com/ Great resources and advice. I just bought the My Plus Size Pregnancy Guide. It's great! I cried reading the first few pages. It hits home for sure! I also emailed the author, Jen McLellan, when I was looking for a plus size friendly provider. She answered me, although it was too late to be helpful. But she actually answered which I found impressive.

mercury94

@SuzieMay827 @missykhamvongsa I posted mine on HDBD yesterday, but I really struggled with it all day. I want to be part of the fun and can definitely see that my tummy looks more round than it used to, but I felt uncomfortable putting it on the thread with all the cute tiny bumps. DH convinced me to put it on there, but I still kind of want to go pull it down because I think it is less cute than everyone else. It is a big struggle for sure. But not sure if it would be better to segregate the tiny bumps from the plus-size bumps. 

SuzieMay827

I say let's do it! Of course nobody has to post a bump picture if they do not want to, but I think starting next week I'll invite everyone on here to post one if they like.
Here's mine. I did post on the main thread, but definitely feel better doing it here. I'm totally making an awkward face while taking bump selfies at work today. Here's me at 15+5.

SuzieMay827

@bridge-and-wall I'm struggling with the thought of segregating them as well. Let's see how it goes this week/next week and we'll continue in whatever way people feel most comfortable. But I love your bump pic. Please don't take it down.

mercury94

@SuzieMay827 Thanks. Yours is super cute too. I like the idea of trying it on here. Maybe that will help with the self-confidence. 

labby18

missykhamvongsa said:

Another NoVa girl here -- Sterling!

I'm from Virginia Beach! 757 all day! 

DPandMB

I'm all for a comfortable place to post, but I think the whole board is pretty awesome. I don't always feel comfortable posting a bump pic either, but I lean more towards staying together. The more support the better, and I don't think anyone will be anything less than supportive. That said, I'm cool with trying it out for a week. 

Side note: I haven't posted a picture this week because I haven't actually gotten dressed this week (plus to working from home). I'll try to remember to take a picture this weekend for next week. 

mrsmarygs

I'm not plus size, but I ghost all the threads, and I just wanted to say that I love seeing all the different sizes and shapes of the bumps in HDBD. Please don't feel embarrassed or timid to post a photo. All of our bodies are growing babies, and that should be celebrated! 

HollyGolightly09

I suck and haven't been posting here, I'm sorry. (Hides head in shame) I feel like a total loser checking in with you ladies because I feel so miserable most of the time I am doing nothing to be active or eat healthy.

But, I am here.... plus sized, needing to do better, and not. 

labby18

@HollyGolightly09

I still love you! Haha. I think the 1st trimester and the beginning of the 2nd is still pretty rough to stay active in any way and healthy eating when you can't stomach food is tough. So don't feel bad. I had s'mores for dinner last night.

mercury94

@HollyGolightly09 No need to feel shame. I definitely need to do better too. It's so hard to find the motivation. 

HollyGolightly09

@labby18 @bridge-and-wall  Thanks, guys! I feel awful knowing that I ate healthier before I was pregnant... poor baby! At least I still have friends, lol.

harleyquinn0621

Hi Ladies! I am going to finally join this post ...  15+1 

i've lost 21 lbs since finding out i was pregnant, my dr isn't concerned right now as long as i'm getting enough protein she said .... my frustration is lack of a bump... my stomach still looks just fat.. to be fair i think its starting bc it also does not look like i've lost any weight but no real bump yet  

stephy_p

@harleyquinn0621 I've lost 6 pounds since my first appointment and I feel like despite that, I look like I've been eating way too much pie or something!! It's hard to wrap my mind around looking thicker rather than thinner. I am bummed about the look of my bump too. I seriously just look fat. It's rounding out a little more, but I've kind of got a small "B" shape thing going on around my belly button and I just want that to smooth out. Sigh.

mrsvp614

@missykhamvongsa Don't be ashamed of a bump pic! I posted mine in HDBD, and I'm def plus size, with not much of a bump, but I mentioned that my ass seems to keep getting bigger! I know there are lots of cute, smaller sizes on there, but we're just as allowed to be excited about our growing bodies!

@SuzieMay827 I LOVE your red hair! I have to dye mine