@zombiehoohaa i haven’t been counting. Didn’t do it often with DS with. Unless his movement is unusual i typically know his triggers or trends throughout the day.
Eta i was actually getting concerned the last two days of way too much movement. Very out of the norm but i think i was just in a position that made me feel it all.
@zombiehoohaa i'm bad and never remember to do kick counts consistently, I try to pay attention to his active periods. If I don't notice kicks for a while when i'd expect to, I'll drink something cold/sweet and lay down and count kicks until I get to 10... My OB is more about the general activity level than literal counts...
@zombiehoohaa regarding kick counts, I was told you don't have to do counts if you're aware of typical movement throughout the day. If you feel like you haven't felt much then have something cold to drink, go lay on your side in a quiet place and count kicks.
I ended up going to L&D a few weeks ago because I couldn't feel movement. Everything was totally fine and she was moving I just couldn't feel it. They said to always come in, no matter how silly you feel if there is decreased activity. It's kind of stressful for me. Most days I feel and see strong movement, other days it's quieter, I think it depends a lot on the baby's position.
@zombiehoohaa my MW made a bigger deal about it this time than last, but I think it’s because it was a different MW. She said I should do them daily I think? I was only half listening . I only really do counts if I haven’t noticed movement in a while or if she’s quiet at a time she’s usually active, which is what my MW suggested with DS.
@zombiehoohaa I also only think to do a count if I haven't felt anything all day. But my moving around keeps her quiet. I asked my OB when to start and she said not until 32 weeks. I'm 28 weeks now.
Thank you everyone! I was handed a kick count card and told to bring it to the next appointment. I feel baby girl throughout the day and a little in the evening, so I'm not sure when I'll be doing these.
@zombiehoohaa my doc also wasn’t concerned with literal counts. She did say that I should be feeling baby move everyday though and to come in if I wasn’t or if I felt like the activity had decreased. But no mention at all of counting movements with this baby or my first.
No one has asked me to do kick counts, but I think I'd turn into an anxious mess if I had to do them. I'd be in the office every day. I think I'm better off just making sure I feel movement multiple times a day.
@zombiehoohaa I was only told to do kick counts if I notice decrease in movement. I should get 6 kicks an hour and to try and drink a sugary beverage like fruit juice to help as well
I’ve never done kick counts, my both of my OBs in 2 different states have never mentioned it but then again I’m not high risk..
I *think* I’ve been feeling contractions? I know I’m a STM but I for sure never felt anything with my first pregnancy and apparently labor contractions are different then Braxton Hicks? I have Dr Googled and have found lots of articles where it’s been described completely differently by various women so idk..it’s not all the time or even every day but my doctor asked at my 30 week and I said no. It didn’t strike me till hours later as I was feeling that sensation again that that’s what it might be?
@kbernal2021 - I honestly doubt it. He should request it any way (just to have) and then just go get another shot. There's no harm in having them more often and I don't think they cost much (if anything, might be 100% covered by insurance).
Has anyone had to start twice weekly NSTs at 32 weeks? I was originally told by a midwife I'd need them once weekly beginning at 37 weeks due to my GD, but then a week later the MFM told me it has to be twice weekly starting at 32....huge difference there! I am just trying to wrap my brain around this...my midwife's office (unless I switch practices) and also my MFM office is one and a half hours from my work, without traffic. I already work from home one day a week, but I am trying to figure out how I'll manage the second day with work. I will basically have to drive 30 mins from my house (in the opposite direction of work), spend 30 mins hooked up to the NST, then drive 90 mins to work, then an hour home. That's 3 hours of driving in one day, assuming no traffic, which could easily be 4 hours with traffic. For potentially 8 weeks. Has anyone dealt with a situation like this? Wondering if I can make a case for working from home 2 days a week, it seems like a reasonable accommodation in light of my circumstances and high risk pregnancy, but I don't know how my boss will react.
@zande2016 i had to do that with DS because i was high risk. They decreased or stopped (can’t remember) at 37 wks. My new ob doesn’t plan on any this time around unless there are complications. Maybe you can get a doctors note to justify the need and support your case to work from home?
@wildtot I don't see any chance of mine stopping in my circumstance...I'll be getting them until they decide to induce me, or I hopefully go into labor on my own. I'm going to try to talk to her today (if she actually comes into the office at some point....she's been in once this entire week, for about 6 hours)...wondering how they will want to spread them out. My work from home day is Tuesday, so would doing the 2nd on Thursday be too close? Do you think they'd want me to get the 2nd one done on Fridays? My boss is much more likely to let me work from home on Thursdays because she is typically working from home those days.
@zande2016 - I only had to do them weekly, but I agree that at a minimum get a doctor's note and work from home those 2 days a week! If you have a doctor's note, they really can't/shouldn't be able to tell you no. And the point you can make is that you'll be back online and working much faster if you're WFH than driving all the way to the office.
@zande2016 I had to get 2x a week but only for 1-2 weeks at 39 weeks. We were just talking about NST's on the high risk thread. I'm a bit behind you but they've thrown around the idea of NST's at 32 - waiting on growth scan at 32 to determine. Completely agree it should be a valid reason to increase working from home another day and T/TH seems totally reasonable if you need 2x a week.
@gingerbride26 thanks! I should check out the high risk thread since I technically am, I guess I still haven't really come to terms with it/accepted it yet haha. The level of monitoring just seems so intense to me, I only had NSTs with my son the couple times when my blood pressure was really elevated, plus one time when I was in a car accident. This should really jack up the medical bills too, since I know it won't be considered routine prenatal care. Ugh.
So another question is one I plan to ask my OB at my next visit in a couple weeks but wanting you ladies opinions as well. My husband will be leaving for 6 months in June. So if labor happens on its own my husband will miss the birth (although they say they will try to fly him home.) He will get weekends off so if an induction happens I can ask my Dr to induce on a Friday so my husband can be there. My due date falls on a Sunday so I'm planning to ask my Dr if he will plan to induce on the Friday before my due date if labor doesn't look like it's going to happen naturally. My question for you ladies is since I am not high risk do you think this poses any risks for baby or I do be induced at 39w5d? With my first I was induced right at 40w and did not require a C section, but know most women induced prior to 40 weeks is for medical reasons only. Any advice or should I risk waiting until closer to 41 weeks?
@zande2016 my ob just told my I will be starting nst at 34 weeks, every week until baby comes. She told me that she requires me to go on leave at this time as well. I asked her if working from home starting 34 weeks will be a good compromise because of financial reasons. I also do not plan to go on leave until July 1st. She said she will allow me to work from home starting 34 weeks however she may pull me off work if needed before my planned date.
@kbernal2021 no experience with induction but i don’t see how it’s any different from scheduling a c section as early as 39 wks without complications. edited words
@zande2016 I did twice weekly NSTs with DD and just planned them for the end of the day or beginning so I wasn't adding trips to and from work. Another option is having them done at L&D if it's closer to work or home. I had a friend that did this and for her insurance, it was actually cheaper (she paid per visit, mine is included in the final large bill postpartum).
@kbernal2021 I'd check with your OB about what is considered an early induction. I know in my state, OBs face fines or even suspension of their medical licence if they induce or perform c sections early without medical necessity. Even being high risk, my c section can't happen before 38 weeks and induction not before 39 weeks, so long as no additional medical concerns arise.
@TalesOfASocialIntrovert both my L and D and midwife are across the street from each other, 30 mins from me but in the opposite direction of work and I live an hour from work (all of this assuming no traffic). So even if I did it at 8 when they open or 4 when they close, I’m adding at least an hour of driving...but probably much more because traffic at those times is really bad. I spoke to my boss today and she said “we’ll figure something out when it gets closer”. It’s 2 weeks away!!
@zombiehoohaa omg now I’m scared, we didn’t even talk about work restrictions but if I was planning to work either from home or in the office until labor or induction. Financially that would really kill me if I couldn’t work. But if they said I have to work from home, I’d be happy with that...my boss on the other hand would not, and I’d probably have to give a doctors note and be very firm about it. Did they give a reason for wanting you off work? My NSTs are due o GD, so not blood pressure or anything like that.
@zombiehoohaa do you have any disability benefits you can use if your taken off work? Some states offer both short term and long term disability and it helped me when i had to be of work at 30 wks with DS. In Cali they had short term disability for 8 wks then anything longer would be long term. For me even working from home wasn’t an option per doctor because of the stress causing contractions.
@kbernal2021 I would say that you have a better chance of convincing them to induce at 40 +5...I can't see why anyone would have a problem with that. Induction seems to be different than c-sections in that usually repeat c's or c sections in general can be scheduled early for fear that someone would go into labor before the c-section and therefore risk pain or complications due to that. Everyone hopes to avoid induction; I was lucky mine took one medicine, but my sister in law was technically in labor for 24 hours with pitocin and the foley bulb and I know people who's inductions took longer and resulted in a cascade of medical interventions that weren't necessarily bad, but would have been avoidable if not induced. I think its for that reason that doctors are reluctant to induce when there is a chance you could go into labor without all of that "extra" stuff.
@zande2016 I sent my boss an email yesterday letting him know of this new update and to get approval to work from home so I can plan. He hasn't responded...ugh I need to have the conversation with him because it's a month away. It's for a mixture of reasons: she said it would be beneficial since this will be me missing more work and if, for any reason I need to be induced, I'd already be off. I'm on medications that require monitoring of both myself and the baby, they cannot seem to get my thyroid levels under control (I do not have a thyroid. Levels are stable for 2 weeks then spikes, they increase meds, then rinse and repeat.), I do not have GD however I have a "sensitivity" that requires me to be monitored. So basically, I'm a ball of fun times.
I’m sorry you’re going through all that @zombiehoohaa that’s a lot to deal with. I still have a thyroid but also take meds for it (hashimotos) and I know how much it can affect you and how you’re feeling when your levels are off. If they say no to working from home even with a doctors note you should look into your states laws on pregnancy discrimination. Basically you’re asking for a reasonable accommodation due to pregnancy and if you can still perform your job duties from home they might have no choice but to accommodate you. it’s such a pain to even have to go there though. Hopefully they just do the rright thing from the beginning.
@zande2016 I'm pretty sure my boss isn't going to have an issue with me working from home full time. I think he may be worried about losing me as a whole while I am on leave. So, it may be a "if I dont acknowledge it, it's not real" type of deal, even though I ask him at least once a week about a replacement. Having thyroid issues of any kind is just craptastic. I feel for you with dealing with all the medical as well. Solidarity!
Thank you ladies. I definitely plan to ask my OB at my next visit, and I think he will agree but I won't know forsure until I ask of course. Plus I'm not sure of the insurance aspect of it all either which may hinder his decision as well. And then of course baby may come on her own when she is good and ready and it won't even matter, so we will see! I appreciate all of your advice my way!!
No idea if it's for nsts but my doctor also told me I'll start to see him twice a week starting at 34 weeks. Wondering if it's because I'm AMA(by like 1month)? He deemed me low risk right away so I'm not sure. Guess I'll have to kiss my lunch breaks goodbye twice a week. Thankfully the ob office is less than 10 min away.
@kissableviv twice a week or every two weeks? I am low risk and will go in to see OB at 32, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, and 40 weeks. I have never gotten NSTs and they aren't "standard" for my office.
I'm high risk and will have NSTs weekly starting at 32 weeks. Although mine always include a quick ultrasound at the end to confirm there's still enough fluid and the baby isn't growth restricted. I haven't seen anyone else mention that - is that not part of a normal NST? My doc also calls them NPTs, so maybe it's slightly different.....but I do the movement and button click thing!
@MichelleAG05 my NSTs also came with weekly regular doc appointment but not always with the NST itself.
@zombiehoohaa I’ll probably start in about a month (around 34 wks) just to be ready by 36/37 if all continues to go well. I like to add things as i remember.
@flockofmoosen3 umm second guessing my prego brain. You may be right, I think he said every 2 weeks starting at 32 but I remember clearly he also mentioned twice a week I can't remember when that would start though, maybe 36?? God this all feels so close...
@runsomewhere I'm trying not to fall into the Dockatot trap. It's cute but it's super heavy and $$. Aside from not having room for it I also question the safety for a newborn but these are my two cents (heard similarly from some mom friends while a couple of others loved it)
@runsomewhere I have a dockatot. Bought when my son was 8 weeks old in a moment of pure desperation where I’d have sold my soul for some sleep. It worked for us. You’re only supposed to use for sleep on your bed next to you, but I stuck it inside the halo bassinet and he started sleeping through the night immediately. i know I know I know that’s not an approved use, but again I was desperate and sleep deprived and it Really seemed safe to me. I don’t plan to do that again this time, not worth the risk, but we’ll still use it for tummy time and general lounging.
@kissableviv I don’t find it heavy at all...maybe you saw the bigger version meant for older babies/toddlers? Or maybe I’m just not remembering. We have stored it under my son’s crib since he stopped using it around 6 months.
@runsomewhere DockATots have been banned in Canada. It’s interesting (read: sketchy) that their American marketing says it is safe to use for sleep but on the Canadian website they specifically say “The [DockATot / Sleepyhead] is neither a bassinet, crib nor cradle and was not designed to be used as so...The [DockATot / Sleepyhead] is intended for supervised lounging, cuddling and playtime”. It certainly doesn’t meet the AAP guidelines for safe sleep so I wouldn’t get one even if they were sold here.
Re: Ask a STM- May Edition
Eta i was actually getting concerned the last two days of way too much movement. Very out of the norm but i think i was just in a position that made me feel it all.
I ended up going to L&D a few weeks ago because I couldn't feel movement. Everything was totally fine and she was moving I just couldn't feel it. They said to always come in, no matter how silly you feel if there is decreased activity. It's kind of stressful for me. Most days I feel and see strong movement, other days it's quieter, I think it depends a lot on the baby's position.
I *think* I’ve been feeling contractions? I know I’m a STM but I for sure never felt anything with my first pregnancy and apparently labor contractions are different then Braxton Hicks? I have Dr Googled and have found lots of articles where it’s been described completely differently by various women so idk..it’s not all the time or even every day but my doctor asked at my 30 week and I said no. It didn’t strike me till hours later as I was feeling that sensation again that that’s what it might be?
My husband will be leaving for 6 months in June. So if labor happens on its own my husband will miss the birth (although they say they will try to fly him home.) He will get weekends off so if an induction happens I can ask my Dr to induce on a Friday so my husband can be there. My due date falls on a Sunday so I'm planning to ask my Dr if he will plan to induce on the Friday before my due date if labor doesn't look like it's going to happen naturally. My question for you ladies is since I am not high risk do you think this poses any risks for baby or I do be induced at 39w5d? With my first I was induced right at 40w and did not require a C section, but know most women induced prior to 40 weeks is for medical reasons only. Any advice or should I risk waiting until closer to 41 weeks?
edited words
@kbernal2021 I'd check with your OB about what is considered an early induction. I know in my state, OBs face fines or even suspension of their medical licence if they induce or perform c sections early without medical necessity. Even being high risk, my c section can't happen before 38 weeks and induction not before 39 weeks, so long as no additional medical concerns arise.
@zombiehoohaa omg now I’m scared, we didn’t even talk about work restrictions but if I was planning to work either from home or in the office until labor or induction. Financially that would really kill me if I couldn’t work. But if they said I have to work from home, I’d be happy with that...my boss on the other hand would not, and I’d probably have to give a doctors note and be very firm about it. Did they give a reason for wanting you off work? My NSTs are due o GD, so not blood pressure or anything like that.
It's for a mixture of reasons: she said it would be beneficial since this will be me missing more work and if, for any reason I need to be induced, I'd already be off. I'm on medications that require monitoring of both myself and the baby, they cannot seem to get my thyroid levels under control (I do not have a thyroid. Levels are stable for 2 weeks then spikes, they increase meds, then rinse and repeat.), I do not have GD however I have a "sensitivity" that requires me to be monitored. So basically, I'm a ball of fun times.
Having thyroid issues of any kind is just craptastic. I feel for you with dealing with all the medical as well. Solidarity!
How soon did everyone start packing their hospital bag? Is it worth doing now (almost 29 weeks) and keeping in the car?
@zombiehoohaa I’ll probably start in about a month (around 34 wks) just to be ready by 36/37 if all continues to go well. I like to add things as i remember.
@runsomewhere I'm trying not to fall into the Dockatot trap. It's cute but it's super heavy and $$. Aside from not having room for it I also question the safety for a newborn but these are my two cents (heard similarly from some mom friends while a couple of others loved it)
to use for sleep on your bed next to you, but I stuck it inside the halo bassinet and he started sleeping through the night immediately.
i know I know I know that’s not an approved use, but again I was desperate and sleep deprived and it Really seemed safe to me. I don’t plan to do that again this time, not worth the risk, but we’ll still use it for tummy time and general lounging.
@kissableviv I don’t find it heavy at all...maybe you saw the bigger version meant for older babies/toddlers? Or maybe I’m just not remembering. We have stored it under my son’s crib since he stopped using it around 6
months.