Weekly questions - W/O 6/10

galactickates

Have a question post it here!

kns1988

This is totally a medical question, and I'll be talking to my doctor about it when I have my first appointment on June 20th, but I figured I'd ask anyways. DS was born at 35 weeks, and my OB had mentioned that maybe this time we'd consider steroids to avoid having another preterm birth. I think she was referring to the 3rd trimester. Has anyone heard of that before? It sounds different than progesterone since I'm not on anything in early pregnancy. 

galactickates

What apps do you guys use to edit your pictures.  I'm trying to find one that has stickers that say what size baby is but I can't seem to find one I like.

AliKay20

galactickates said:

What apps do you guys use to edit your pictures.  I'm trying to find one that has stickers that say what size baby is but I can't seem to find one I like.

I used Baby Story last time! Had tons of stickers to work with.

AliKay20

Realistically, when did people start showing after their first pregnancy? I’m 7 weeks and some today and feel that the bloat game is stronger bc I’m already bigger than where I was at 7 weeks my first pregnancy. 

snackheart

AliKay20 said:

Realistically, when did people start showing after their first pregnancy? I’m 7 weeks and some today and feel that the bloat game is stronger bc I’m already bigger than where I was at 7 weeks my first pregnancy. 

I got pregnant with my second only 13 months after having my first and my body hadn’t had a lot of time to get back to normal. Even though I knew intellectually that the baby is still hidden behind your pubic bone until 12 weeks, I swear you could tell I was KU by 9 weeks the second time around.

What I noticed then (and am noticing now too) is that the bloat takes the shape of a round baby bump instead of just flab. It’s like my body remembers “oh this is what we’re doing!” and acts accordingly.

AliKay20

@snackheart what you said totally makes sense to me! This bloat isn’t just “did she have a lot at dinner?” It’s bloat shaped like my baby bump at 16 weeks! 

ramfam2507

kns1988 said:

This is totally a medical question, and I'll be talking to my doctor about it when I have my first appointment on June 20th, but I figured I'd ask anyways. DS was born at 35 weeks, and my OB had mentioned that maybe this time we'd consider steroids to avoid having another preterm birth. I think she was referring to the 3rd trimester. Has anyone heard of that before? It sounds different than progesterone since I'm not on anything in early pregnancy. 

I’ve heard of giving steroids to help the baby’s lungs develop faster in case of preterm birth. 

kns1988

@AliKay20, @snackheart, I got pregnant when DS was a year old, and I have some of those days where I look 4 months pregnant at only 7 weeks. I was convinced the other day that it was a legit baby bump that popped up overnight, but alas, it was bloat. It really does push out like a baby bump. It's super hard to hide on those days!

peachy104

kns1988 said:

This is totally a medical question, and I'll be talking to my doctor about it when I have my first appointment on June 20th, but I figured I'd ask anyways. DS was born at 35 weeks, and my OB had mentioned that maybe this time we'd consider steroids to avoid having another preterm birth. I think she was referring to the 3rd trimester. Has anyone heard of that before? It sounds different than progesterone since I'm not on anything in early pregnancy. 

Sounds maybe like a prescription injection called Makena. It helps prevent preterm birth. 

It can be expensive depending on your insurance so if this is what your doc is suggesting, you should find out: 1. Whether it’s covered under your prescription insurance or medical insurance, and then 2. What it’ll cost you depending on which insurance it’s covered under. 

pttomato

Anyone else have an MSPI baby previously? Did you or are you planning to cut out dairy/soy towards the end of my pregnancy? 

bdream0916

I have some really bad food allergies. Will I be depriving my baby nutritionally when it comes to BF? I have no idea what all your body puts into breast milk so I'm sort of at a loss here. 

leighbrek

@bdream0916 That's a really good question for your doctor or midwife. It is very important to ingest enough vitamins and nutrients so that the baby benefits through your milk, but how you take in those vitamins and nutrients depends on you. Work out a diet plan with your medical practitioner to ensure all the baby's needs will be met while not leaving you to suffer through horrendous allergies.

CoastieGirl79

Anyone close to the 10-week mark and experiencing diminishing symptoms? I called my doc yesterday to try to calm my PGAL brain. The answer? Nurse said pregnancy symptoms can come and go. I didn't find that reassuring especially since I'm PGAL. 

peachy104

@CoastieGirl79 yes! Me too! My eating habits are slowly returning to normal. Bloat and gas isn’t so bad... I’m 9+6 and requested an u/s from my doc (even tho I haven’t had bleeding/cramping) because my PGAL brain was freaking out. We saw our lil tator tot today, wiggling around and hb which gave us the reassurance we needed. Doc said hormones peak at 8-9 weeks so I guess it might make sense for symptoms to start easing up after?? 

leighbrek

CoastieGirl79 said:

Anyone close to the 10-week mark and experiencing diminishing symptoms? I called my doc yesterday to try to calm my PGAL brain. The answer? Nurse said pregnancy symptoms can come and go. I didn't find that reassuring especially since I'm PGAL. 

I'm 11 weeks tomorrow, and yes, exactly the same. I've been able to eat better, less crappy feeling, slightly less fatigue, no morning runs to the toilet. Just potentially finding the honeymoon phase!

tosh24

@bdream0916 I have 23+ food allergies so my diet is fairly limited. I made sure to eat as healthy as I could as well as to stay on all my vitamins. I have chronic issues with my B12 and iron so my GP kept an eye on those with periodic tests. I BF my DS just fine for 2 years and he was/is completely healthy and was the biggest chunk while he was being EBF.

tosh24

@CoastieGirl79 I'm 10+1 today and have been feeling less sick the last couple of days. I've been gagging/dry heaving less and while I've felt nauseated, it has been more random instead of constant throughout the day. And I feel like my appetite is returning because I've actually been getting hunger pains too. My PGAL brain is going crazy and I want to ask my GP for another u/s on Thursday when I see her but I know she'll just think I'm crazy. My next u/s is on the 27th but I don't know if I can wait that long.

bdream0916

@leighbrek Thanks for the advice! I'm definitely going to have to remember to ask them.

@tosh24 Good to know! I'm glad I'm not the only one.

CoastieGirl79

@featherchicki @leighbrek @tosh24 I've definitely noticed a shift in my symptoms  I'm not having all-day sickness. Now it's evening-after-7-p.m. sickness. Lol! 

@tosh24 just the way your wrote your response made me think what we endure to have a family: "I've been gagging/dry having less." It's insane what we, as women, endure for the sake of having kids! 

katiebird8878

@CoastieGirl79 This is happening to me too and having experienced a missed miscarriage with pregnancy number one, my brain is going extra crazy! It's why I'm searching on the discussion boards tonight! It's nice to know others experience symptoms that come and go as well. Hang in there! (I will try to, too!)

galactickates

Does anyone have any good app recommendations for once baby comes? Any good books I should be reading right now that you enjoyed? 

The wonder weeks app was suggested to me by a friend, which sparked this question. What else should I be downloadingor reading now prepare myself for later?

Mandamay1414

@galactickates, I downloaded an app that would let me track/time feedings, naps, wet diapers, etc. I can't remember the exact one I downloaded but it helped me learn the patterns in DD eating/sleeping in the beginning. and helped me remember which side I nursed her on first the previous feeding so I could do the opposite side first the next time. I did stop using it after the first 2-3 months, but it was good to help us get into a bit of a rhythm (if that's even possible with a newborn, lol) in the beginning. 

drabong88

@galactickates I think the one I used was just called baby tracker. I mainly used in the beginning to track wet diapers as my milk was coming in. Your doc should tell you how many wet diapers are needed per day for the first week or so. My milk didn't come in full force in the beginning so this was a good way to make sure baby was getting enough liquid/food. 

galactickates

@Mandamay1414 & @drabong88 thanks for the recs. I just downloaded the baby tracker app. I'm all about helpful apps. 

gorgeousariel

@galactickates yes to wonder weeks! The app is good but the book is soo much better. EVERYONE needs Wonder weeks in their life. FB also has WW groups for babies with EDD in the same month. 

sfgiantsgamerbabe

@galactickates I didn’t read the book but I watched the DVD The Happiest Baby on the Block. I really liked it! It also really helped me understand the “4th trimester.” I also recommend Wonder Weeks app. 

snackheart

@galactickates +1 for the baby tracker app. I actually still use it with DD (19 months) for nursing because she only does one side at a time once a day now and I can’t for the life of me remember which one she did last  

rooonilwaazlib

@CoastieGirl79 the nausea I've been waking up with for the past 3 weeks has diminished a bit over the past few days. I've been feeling a bit queasy all day today, but that's probably more due to riding in a car with my father-in-law who drives like he's in NASCAR. Generally, I'm starting to feel a bit better than I have been.  I've been constantly drinking water too, which I think has helped with a few symptoms overall as well.

BitterBetty12

@galactickates I'm actually a big fan of baby connect as a way to keep track of things for when baby is here. I've never used baby tracker though so I can't really compare and say which I would prefer. I liked baby connect because DH could download it as well and input things that he did so we had a complete picture of what was happening day to day. After I went back to work I stopped using it, but it was kind of a nice 'project' so to say while I was on maternity leave. I also loved seeing graphs that compared sleep and things like that so I could see how her patterns changed.

Also wonder weeks is literally a necessity.

emmaaa

@galactickates I liked Wonder Weeks but eventually deleted it because it kept stressing me out (like waiting for a leap to start and dreading it before it even comes lol).

I liked the Moms On Call book which helped with how we got DD's routine in place and certain sleep habits early on (but not everyone feels this way, just personally a life saver for me). Also, used the scheduler on the MOC app

saltedcaramel518

@galactickates Read The Happiest Baby on the Block. I found it vital for getting through the "Fourth Trimester."

ladystout08

I highly suggest the book Brain Rules for Baby. Even my husband liked it. 

saltedcaramel518

I’ve been feeling a sort of quickening in my belly. It’s not gas. I know it’s too early to feel the baby.. is anyone experiencing anything similar? Any idea what it is? 

ladystout08

@saltedcaramel518 are you hydrated? Maybe it's cramps? My other guess would be ute stretching which can feel weird. 

Jackiemxoxo

@galactickates Mommymeds is a good app if you decide to breastfeed and during pregnancy. Of course its not the end all of medical advice but a lot of lactation consultants recommend it. 

leighbrek

@saltedcaramel518 Same. I'm 12 weeks tomorrow, so I expect that it has to do with the uterus moving up and expanding.

jandd2014

@pttomato DD had issues from birth until she finally grew out of the around 13 months. I bf then ep and had to cut out all dairy, eggs, and soy until I stopped pumping when she was 8 months. I’ve never heard of cutting that stuff out before birth to try to avoid a repeat with #2, but it does make sense. I’ll try to remember to ask DD’s doctor about it at her 18 month appt on Friday. 

luckymay2x

saltedcaramel518 said:

I’ve been feeling a sort of quickening in my belly. It’s not gas. I know it’s too early to feel the baby.. is anyone experiencing anything similar? Any idea what it is? 

My vote is on stretching insides, either your uterus or your intestines sort of jostling for space.

galactickates

Does anyone currently have the owlet or planning on getting one? Is there a less expensive comparable option?

pttomato

@jandd2014 I've had a few MSPI moms mention it to me. We didn't figure out DD's intolerance until she was about 4 months old, and she seems to be finally growing out of it now at almost 2. We were lucky hers was mild (just nursing constantly and bad gas/stomach pain that kept her from ever sleeping). I plan on asking DD's pedi when we see her in August too.