Thursday Ticker Change: 4/26

SmashJam

How many weeks/ size of the baby?

Any appointments this week?

What has been good this week?
What has been hard?

What resources have you been using to get ready for baby (books, websites, etc)?

SmashJam

How many weeks/ size of the baby?  27 weeks! Pork pie hat/sriracha bottle/deflated basketball?

Any appointments this week? Nope! Next week though.

What has been good this week? The weather has been great, so gotten a lot of walks in and time outside. Was rainy yesterday and is supposed to be again today, but still hoping to hang out outside.
What has been hard? Holy moly the toddler (almost 3) has been a mess lately! Lot's of "No!" and screaming and destroying things and I am like, wtf is this? 

What resources have you been using to get ready for baby (books, websites, etc)? Selfishly asked as I am reading "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding," the LLL book, and "Spiritual Midwifery." by Ina May Gaskin, and looking to see what resources others are finding helpful! I am unsure how that last one will help but its full of great birth stories and is super seventies so its entertaining. I have a couple others in the pipeline, "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" and "Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding" as well as "Childbirth Without Fear."I'll probably only read parts of all of them. I am personally worried about fitting in pumping, when to start, etc, so if anyone has resources about that, I would love to hear about them!

devilcat139

How many weeks/ size of the baby?
30 weeks- not sure but they are huge (both over 3lbs at growth scan last week) 

Any appointments this week?
Have both MFM and OB today 

What has been good this week?
What has been hard?
Picking up the new car today and the babies are still cooking so that’s positive. Also 5 weeks from the start of my maternity leave! Otherwise it’s been incredibly hard-30w with twins is like 40w with a singleton from what I’ve read so I am enormous and uncomfortable and have no idea how my body will accommodate 8 more weeks of growth 

What resources have you been using to get ready for baby (books, websites, etc)?
i went to a breastfeeding class and CPR class but otherwise just relying on my MIL who is an OB for all questions and hoping that the baby nurse we hired to live with us for the first month will help me figure out the rest! 

itsagalsworls1024

How many weeks/ size of the baby? 29 weeks today- size of a Barbie car or an acorn squash

Any appointments this week? Just got finished, baby sounds good HB was 125, concerned me since she was hovering at 140's,  but OB assured me that anywhere from 110-160 is normal.

What has been good this week? Got to hear the HB, and got the TDAP so that's one less thing to have on my to do list.
What has been hard? I have so much that I want to do before baby arrives, but the energy level and not being able to mick things up/move them is killing me

What resources have you been using to get ready for baby (books, websites, etc)? fluffloveuniversity.com learning as much as I can about cloth diapering...

noideawhatshesdoing

How many weeks/ size of the baby?
30 weeks! holy crap! Zucchini/ Half a large Cheesecake Factory cheesecake/ Kon (any other anime mom's out there? just me? DH and I were excited about the Bleach reference when this one popped up this morning).

Any appointments this week?
Tomorrow

What has been good this week?
Feels like I'm in more in control of eating. Which is great because last week was just so out of control in so many ways.

What has been hard?
I'm so sweaty! I'm not sure if it's because it's been really hot this week, or just because of pregnancy, but I'm sweaty and have to toss the pjs about halfway through the night because it's too sweaty. Gross. I'm also struggling a bit with the anniversary of my youngest bro's passing coming up just a few weeks before my due date. It's really sad that he won't be here to meet my kiddo and I just remember how excited he was about being an uncle back when our middle bro had a kid. Nothing else this pregnancy seems to make me cry except for that.

What resources have you been using to get ready for baby (books, websites, etc)?
I did read "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" and I had such a hard time with it because it felt judgemental toward woman that have medicalized births, have to use formula and don't have the luxury of staying home with baby to exclusively breastfeed for an entire year. That might just be me, I get really twitchy when I feel like someone is telling me I can't do something. Really wanted to like the book because it was so recommended. Also read "Happiest Baby on the Block" which I felt had some good points but mostly felt like a sales pitch for his smart sleeper and CDs. Been reading "Parenting Beyond Pink & Blue: How to Raise Your Kids Free of Gender Stereotypes", so far I've really liked it. It is more about kids in general, but we're already trying to help our families understand our need to not force gender stereotypes on the baby. A lot of that comes from my relationship with my youngest brother who I think would maybe have considered himself more gender fluid but with our family wasn't really allowed to, so of course I'm overly concerned about putting our kid in any similar situation. Our pediatrician recommended "Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to 5 Years" so we're going to get a copy of that and see.

SmashJam

@noideawhatshesdoing I feel the same way about the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. I almost stopped reading it but assumed some information will appear that I find useful at some point. 

noideawhatshesdoing

@SmashJam there is a lot of good info, and I read probably 3/4 of it, but then I have up, plus it was time to return it to the library so I didnt bother renewing. I did have DH read some of the post partum sections though, he's pretty terrified/grossed out. lol.

Edit because spelling on mobile is hard.

kc1293

How many weeks/ size of the baby?
30 weeks! Cabbage/Zucchini; @noideawhatshesdoing - my DH watches anime, so this week I told him the size was Kon!

Any appointments this week?
I had my regular OB appt this past Tuesday and my MFM last Friday. Both went well. +1 for TDAP soreness =/ Also my SCH is finally shrinking! Only took 15 weeks.

What has been good this week?
I got the news that my SCH is shrinking

What has been hard?
I've had the grumps a lot lately. and for real pregnancy brain. It's been rough.

What resources have you been using to get ready for baby (books, websites, etc)? 
It's not really a getting ready for baby, but for post baby...Baby 411. Pretty good. Has milestones, medical information, etc. Really great for a quick grab instead of always calling the pediatrician or WebMD. Other than that, a lot my friends and I had our first kids at the same time, so we used each other.

angleyeskkhr

How many weeks/ size of the baby? 27 weeks. Lettuce/cucumber.

 Any appointments this week?yes. On Tuesday I met with a cleft surgeon locally. Not super impressed but I’m trying to keep my mind open. Had my GD test today and on visit. And in the next four weeks, I have four more appointments. Lol

 What has been good this week? Lots. Very little heartburn. I’ve had the energy to get caught up on washing/drying/folding/hanging laundry. I’m actually much less stressed than I’ve been the past several weeks.

What has been hard? Stress at work but when isn’t there??

What resources have you been using to get ready for baby (books, websites, etc)? Besides this and the what to expect app?  Just a cleft support group on Facebook. I’ve met with one cleft surgeon and will meet with a more distant team in several weeks. 

millpe

How many weeks/ size of the baby? 29 - acorn squash 

Any appointments this week? Nope not again until May 18

What has been good this week? Its been a good mix this week of downtime at home after work and having things going on. The weather has also been great so it's been fun to see our neighbors again and let the dogs get extended playtime outside. 

What has been hard? My supervisor was in town this week (usually I am the only one in my department in my office). Most of my coworkers don't like her - this is her first time in a supervisory level so its been an adjustment, but I'm trying to keep a good attitude. It wasn't all bad, but I feel like I accomplished nothing with her here... 

What resources have you been using to get ready for baby (books, websites, etc)?
Mostly just be sisters and SIL! I should probably start preparing more....