FTM check in W/O 5/29

galactickates

How far along are you?  How big is baby?

Any appointments this week?

How are you feeling (mentally/physically)?  Any new symptoms?

Rants? Raves? Questions?

GTKY: Any concerns/ thoughts around what it will be like once you bring baby home? 

DLpanda08

How far along are you?  How big is baby? 
Baby is the size of a green olive. 9+4
Any appointments this week?
I had my second ultrasound and my 1 hour glucose test yesterday. Ultrasound went great and we got to hear baby’s heartbeat! The glucose test wasn’t bad. I had mine early because I’m at such high risk for developing GD. Hopefully everything will come back fine.
How are you feeling (mentally/physically)?  Any new symptoms?
I’m feeling good for the most part. First really bad episode of morning sickness this morning and my boobs still hurt like hell. Mentally I’m doing okay. Hearing the heartbeat really helped put a lot of my anxiety to rest.
Rants? Raves? Questions?

GTKY: Any concerns/ thoughts around what it will be like once you bring baby home? I’m getting excited. Before I was to worried and anxious to think about anything beyond hearing the heartbeat so now that we have I’m thinking about life with a newborn and I’m so excited! 

blueowl08

How far along are you?  How big is baby?

Ugh I don’t even know. Because my appointment last week didn’t give me a specific due date or age but said I looked “more like 5 weeks” instead of the 6+3 I should have been at minimum, I’m at a loss. Aside from being worried, I don’t know what to put into any of my tracker apps!

Any appointments this week?

Not for another 3 weeks.

How are you feeling (mentally/physically)?  Any new symptoms?

MS and fatigue are killing me. 

Rants? Raves? Questions?

GTKY: Any concerns/ thoughts around what it will be like once you bring baby home? 

I am still so nervous I feel like I can’t yet let myself picture what it will be like to bring him/her home. I’m really hoping for these next 3 weeks to fly by and for the next US to go well!

mrsmang

How far along are you?  How big is baby?

Somewhere around 8+6?  Still haven't been to the Drs to confirm.

Any appointments this week?

Nope, counting down to the first appt next week!

How are you feeling (mentally/physically)?  Any new symptoms?

Physically I was feeling pretty awful until last night.  I had nausea that was making me vomit after just about anything I ate.  After asking around here and talking to friends and looking online I finally called my dr who confirmed that was not normal.  I got an Rx for Zofran (I think?) and started taking that last night.  So far it seems to be helping a ton.  Kept down dinner and breakfast.  I was also feeling very fatigued, which I know is a common symptom but I'm also wondering if being so starved was also contributing to the exhaustion.  I'm hoping eating regularly will make me start feeling human again. 

Mentally I'm just feeling very nervous for the first appointment.  Never having done this I have no idea what to expect, and no matter the statistics I read (which actually make me feel better) I am still worried for what the doctor will see and hoping to see a healthy baby.

Rants? Raves? Questions?

Not really...  Looking forward to knowing everything is going along like normal so I can start telling family and work and all that.

GTKY: Any concerns/ thoughts around what it will be like once you bring baby home? 

Omg so many.  I have no idea what to expect.  Most of my friends haven't started having kids yet, and I'm the first in my generation in my family (and on DHs side) so we are going to be totally researching for the next many months hardcore to try to get ready.  There's so much to learn!  I'm also spending a lot of time thinking about what this means for work and what to do for daycare.

bdream0916

How far along are you?  How big is baby?
6+3, the size of a chocolate chip.

Any appointments this week?
I am going in today for my first ultrasound, blood tests, breast exam, ect.

How are you feeling (mentally/physically)?  Any new symptoms?
Mentally, I'm really nervous about the appointment. Just really praying that little bean is in there and has a heartbeat. Physically, I sort of feel like crap. MS has started, I woke up in the middle of the night with a horrible earache, so I slept a total of 4 hours last night. 

Rants? Raves? Questions?
Anyone have some good remedies for an earache? I really don't want to get on an antibiotic or some other meds. I spent all night warming up a salt bag and putting it on my ear. After probably the eighth trip to the microwave, with in intermission to throw up, I decided that I'm going to buy a heating pad today. 

GTKY: Any concerns/ thoughts around what it will be like once you bring baby home? 
Well, this would be a long list if I wrote it all out. I've had so much anxiety lately about this whole thing. I'm really worried that breastfeeding will annoy me. I'm also worried that I won't have that bond with the baby.

DLpanda08

@blueowl08 That would make me worry too. Can you call your doctor and ask them for a sooner appointment since you measured so far behind where you thought you should be?

@bdream0916 How did the appointment go!?

peachy104

How far along are you?  How big is baby?
8+1, a raspberry 

Any appointments this week?
No

How are you feeling (mentally/physically)?  Any new symptoms?
Tired, bloaty, boobs hurt, nauseated. 
A little more cranky, a little less patience.

Rants? Raves? Questions?
I need a bedtime bra to sleep in. I was 36D before pregnancy and now that they’re growing, it hurts to sleep without any support. Any recommendations?

GTKY: Any concerns/ thoughts around what it will be like once you bring baby home? 
I have no idea what to expect. Absolutely no idea! I’m imagining that we’ll figure it out, and that there’ll probably be some hilarious moments along the way! I’m imagining happy tears and a bit of awe about becoming parents. 
I’m trusting that God will help us with this new chapter of our lives. 

bdream0916

@DLpanda08 It went really well! I feel so much better now that it's over with. I'm so happy because DH was able to tag along and keep me calm. Seeing little bean really put my heart at ease. My doctor seems amazing so far.

KLS123

How far along are you?  How big is baby? 9 weeks 2 days; size of a pecan

Any appointments this week? Just had my first ultrasound this morning, everything went well and we saw the heartbeat and the little bean squirming around...pretty incredible you can even see the little hands and feet kicking and waving

How are you feeling (mentally/physically)?  Any new symptoms? feeling very relieved. I have had a hard go of it with nausea, vomiting and food aversions for three weeks now so finally being able to see my baby on the ultrasound was a huge morale boost that I really really needed. 

Rants? Raves? Questions? I'm just gonna rant about how I will most certainly hit my deductible this year with all my prenatal care then have to hit it again next year when I deliver since my due date is literally two days after the end of the year..ugh this system sucks (yes I am grateful I have healthy insurance, still hate how it works though). ALSO there are literally no in-network birth centers within a 45 mile radius and I live in like the 4th largest city in the US...how is that even possible? 

Ugh sorry guys I posted on the wrong week thread...reposting here to bump it back to the top. Don't kick me out, I'll do better next time 

kaf1788

@bdream0916 does your earache feel pressure/sinus related? My husband has chronic ear issues (including multiple burst eardrums- one that happened the night before our wedding). He started using a saline nasal spray regularly and it’s made a world of difference! It helps keep the Eustachian tube clear which relieves pressure in the ear and it’s literally just salt and water!

bdream0916

@kaf1788 It's definitely sinus related. I have really bad seasonal allergies and my sinuses get extremely plugged.

blueowl08

@DLpanda08 I’ve gone back and forth on calling to see if I can get in sooner. I’ve decided (for now at least) that unless I have a reason to call (like spotting or cramping or loss of symptoms or something), I’m just going to wait. My next appointment is 2 weeks from Monday anyway, so I’ve been telling myself it’s going to fly by. The doctor seemed not worried at all so I’m hoping that she knows best and it’s just me being paranoid.  

peachy104

@KLS123 I know what you mean about health insurance!! My company believes they’re at “the forefront” of insurance with regards to our employee benefits. They quickly moved to a high deductible health plan without thinking about the extremely high out of pocket costs that would force on their employees in the first year before being able to build up an HSA account. My late husband had Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease and we blew through our deductible within a few months just on his medications alone. And every year we’d hit our max out of pocket.

When he died in a car accident, the hospital the ambulance took him to wasn’t in-network and the insurance said “it’ll be covered because it was an emergency, and all hospitals are covered in an emergency” but it took repeated phone calls with the insurance and the hospital to get that squared away over the course of 4 months... all while I was trying to figure out how to live again after such a tragedy.

Ok my rant is over now. 

kaf1788

@featherchicki I'm so so sorry you had to go through all that. That sounds like a nightmare.

blueowl08

@KLS123 I also have a high deductible plan and am annoyed about the double deductible. My coworker’s wife is pregnant and due in December and he’s ecstatic about not having 2 deductibles to deal with. Meanwhile DH blew threw his deductible by March + I’ll certainly do that this year + we will probably both hit deductibles next year = So. Much. $$. 

@featherchicki I’m really sorry to hear about your loss. I completely agree though — insurance companies really know how to kick you when you’re down. Why can’t they do what they are supposed to without a million calls?

KLS123

@featherchicki so sorry to hear about your late husband! What a nightmare to deal with...

@blueowl08 not to mention you get to squeak in an extra year of tax benefits if you deliver in December. My sister was born a few days early on December 29th and my dad still to this day talks about what a great surprise it was to get to have the unexpected tax deduction from her prompt timing (and that was 32 years ago lol)

I also think it's crazy that there isn't a go-to resource to see everything that is covered or not or in-network or not for pregnancy/newborn related care. Women literally get pregnant and deliver every. single. day. and yet you (or at least I had to) spend two hours on the phone (since obviously none of the info is online, that would be too logical) speaking with someone who could only answer like half my questions. Minimally you would think they would have some sort of pregnancy specialist or hotline with someone well versed and could just give you all the info.

blueowl08

@KLS123 oh yeah the tax benefits. How could I forget? (And I’m a tax lawyer!) I’ve given up on trying to understand what insurance will and will not cover. I cannot get straight answers even when I try. Example: one of the drugs my husband takes was not covered by insurance after they told me it was covered. After I paid for it I found out it was not covered because it was generic and they only cover name brand (note that they had already told me they’d cover the generic). So we had paid $200 and then it didn’t count towards our deductible. Turns out this was because it was in “capsule” rather than “tablet” form and those are treated differently. They told me they covered the generic and assumed he was getting the tablet and didn’t mention it would make a difference. It Took me 4 calls and some research to figure this out. I got the doctor to change the rx for the next time and suddenly it was covered in the generic and was $5. 

molosmiles

@kls123 check with your HR Dept a lot of companies offer extra benefits that aren't fully discussed. My work has quite a few online resources and 24 hour nurse hotlines. I haven't looked at the resources for pregnant women yet, but I should. But I agree, dealing with insurance is the worst and every person you talk to will tell you something different. I suggest writing down the dates and names of everyone you talk to so you can refer back to them.

peachy104

blueowl08 said:

@KLS123 oh yeah the tax benefits. How could I forget? (And I’m a tax lawyer!) I’ve given up on trying to understand what insurance will and will not cover. I cannot get straight answers even when I try. Example: one of the drugs my husband takes was not covered by insurance after they told me it was covered. After I paid for it I found out it was not covered because it was generic and they only cover name brand (note that they had already told me they’d cover the generic). So we had paid $200 and then it didn’t count towards our deductible. Turns out this was because it was in “capsule” rather than “tablet” form and those are treated differently. They told me they covered the generic and assumed he was getting the tablet and didn’t mention it would make a difference. It Took me 4 calls and some research to figure this out. I got the doctor to change the rx for the next time and suddenly it was covered in the generic and was $5. 

That is so frustrating!! I had the same type issues with my late husband’s Parkinson’s meds and I was like “he has Parkinson’s, and this is what his doc prescribed him. Are you going to seriously deny it?!” 

My prescription insurance has an app and now every time my doc prescribes me something, I check the app right then and there in the doc office to make sure it’s covered and how much it’ll cost me. Check if yours has an app. Might save you some grief next time.

KLS123

molosmiles unfortunately we don't have an HR department and outsource our benefits...might be worth while calling the outsource company and seeing what they have, I already checked the website extensively and found nothing. Great tip about writing down dates and names. The one helpful thing they do is have a case reference number so each time I call I give them that and they have all the notes of what the last person told me so we don't have to start at zero each time.

skilouise

I'm a little late to the party on this one...

How far along are you?  How big is baby?

8+6

Any appointments this week?

I have my first OB appointment on the 7th (my first few appointments were with my RE).

How are you feeling (mentally/physically)?  Any new symptoms?

Mostly ok, some nausea that comes and goes. The biggest symptom is still exhaustion. 

Rants? Raves? Questions?

 Just a very enthusiastic TGIF.  It's been a week. 

GTKY: Any concerns/ thoughts around what it will be like once you bring baby home? 

I'm worried about juggling work and a baby. I'm an attorney, so the hours can be long and stressful. At the same time, I love my job and have zero desire to give it up.  I'm sure I'll find a way to juggle it all eventually, but it will definitely be a challenge.