First Time Mom check in

beachmama2019

Happy Tuesday, Mamas!

I'm a first time mom, and would love to hear from others out there! (Also, current moms, any first trimester tips?)

I know there aren't many of us here yest, but I figured we could get the ball rolling!

klc1108

First Time for me

andreahernandez6

First time here! No real symptoms other than tired and mildly crampy. I’m so overwhelmed with it all. DR appt isn’t till 7/10. How are the other new moms doing!?

asny

First timer here too! So far just feeling tired and some cramping too. Going to see the doctor on Monday to get the ball rolling. Hoping to steer clear of any major symptoms at least through the 4th of July next week!

beachmama2019

Biggest change for me so far is my sleep schedule.  I've been waking up at 4-5:30 every morning (the frequent bathroom breaks struggle is real).  Also my "morning sickness" happens most often at dinnertime, so I've been trying to get a lot done in the mornings.  We're waiting a couple weeks to tell our parents, but I just ordered the cutest onesies from Etsy to surprise them, and it made it so much more real!

chocolatelemons

@beachmama2019 I have a 13 month old so I'm not a first time mom. I was lucky with my last pregnancy in that I didn't have too many symptoms. I had a little nausea from week 6ish- 9ish, but nothing too severe. Ginger candy worked for me and eating saltines. My advice is to just remember that each pregnancy is different and can vary a lot from woman to woman. I was always nervous during the first trimester because of lack of symptoms but now I have a beautiful and healthy one year old so I was just lucky!

jennifervonburg

Hello everyone! 

My name is Jennifer and I'm pregnant for the first time! I'm currently 4 weeks 5 days and my estimated due date is March 2nd. The hubby and I just had a prenatal confirmation appt and my first blood draw. I'm super excited, anxious, nervous and overall bursting with joy to be a first time mom!

Knottie81382530

Crazy how different they can be! My first had no morning sickness. Now I’m only 4w5d and so incredibly nauseated! Got me a bit worried it might be multiples

beachbunnyxo123

First time mom here!! Feels so surreal saying that. Been feeling good so far with the exception of some lower back pain but I think some of that is from my PIO injections. So very excited to be here! 

indigoheightsblog

First timer here too! So excited! Had a blood draw on Friday and another coming up tomorrow to confirm... but four positive HPTs sounds pretty promising Can't believe it!!! I have little to no symptoms. Maybe a tad more tired than normal? I do find myself waking up at 5:30am daily which is odd. I usually fall back asleep. Very mild cramping/sensation that comes and goes. Other than that..... I feel totally normal! I almost wish I felt more! (Although I'm sure I'll be grateful for this stage later in the game). Congrats to all! 

kbella

Congrats! I have the same due date. My confirmation appt is 7/10. What happened at your appt? I'll be 6 weeks then and I want them to do an ultrasound just to make sure the baby's growing in the right place. 

Knottie1442263313

Hi there! First time mom here! Im about 5 weeks +3 days. I've been having slightly sore boobs, mild cramping, with occasional nausea.  Mostly, I'm just so tired!! Like ALL THE TIME!! I'm so excited and completely overwhelmed and anxious at the same time.  I surprised the hubby with the news last weekend and he is over the moon excited.  I'm just trying to stay positive and get through the first trimester. First prenatal appt. Is July 17th which is so far away.  I'm counting down the days

rj_records

First time mama here!! That still feels so surreal. My husband and I have been happily married for almost 7 years. We never really talked about kids. But last Christmas he got the itch. 4 months of talking/planning and 3 months of trying, and here we are! :]

applesandbananas23

First timer over here too!!! 

JLaVO888

2nd time mom lurking*** So excited for all you ladies! It’s such a fun time waiting for your first babe to arrive! It can also be supper scary and overwhelming at times. I’d love to start a “ask a second time+ mom anything” thread if you anyone is interested! 

applesandbananas23

@JLaVO888 yes I love the idea of that thread!! Of course every body is different but it is so nice to be able to ask experienced mamas! 

JLaVO888

It was really nice to have experienced moms willing to reach out in my first BMB. They were so kind and helped lower a lot of my stress/worries. So I just want to pay it forward. As we get down the road, there will be lots of helpful tips regarding other things like labor and PP issues. 

Here’s just a few tips off the top of my head:
Light, frequent snacks help with the morning sickness
Preggy pops are life
Rainbow Light Prenatals are amazing if you don’t mind large pills- very easy on the stomach
Nap every chance you get
Ignore nosey  people that give too much advice(including me)-trust your instincts 

navete

@JLaVO888 That thread would be super helpful! BTW, what are preggy pops?

Hello fellow FTMs! Anyone start being anxious about giving birth yet? I've been watching a ton of birthing documentaries to help ease my fears by force of familiarity  I've been doing a lot of screaming along with the TV MH finds the whole scene quite hilarious

christac1010

@JLaVO888 ... literally sucking on a Preggy Pop drop right now. I picked them up at Motherhood Maternity because Target was sold out. 

... you might pee your pants a little during your first few ultrasounds (I only had abdominal) because you have a full bladder. I didn’t even care because I got to see that little heartbeat. However I did care that I had to go to work afterwards in pee pants. Just a heads up. 

I would love to have a weekly STM post to answer questions! It really did help me as a FTM, especially for baby related purchases. 

JLaVO888

applesandbananas23

@JLaVO888 thank you for the heads up about peeing during US! Now I know to try and empty my bladder first

@navete I am going the opposite route and avoiding birth videos because I am not ready to think about it yet!! It was already overwhelming when I called to make initial appointments (I made one with an obgyn that has hospital privileges and whose office is next door to a hospital, but I also called a birthing center where you can give birth their with midwives 100% naturally, in a different hospital with midwives, or in the same hospital as the original obgyn is close to, but with the birthing center's obgyns who happen to be male. They asked where I want to give birth and I was like... 'Ummm, do people usually already know that by now??' 

navete

@abbykwail I was overwhelmed making my first appointment too. Did you have your appointment yet? I kinda picked an OB outta the dark so I’m a bit nervous about that...

JLaVO888

@abbykwail cristac1010 was acctually the lovely lady giving that warning. But unfortunately you probably shouldn’t empty your bladder. They usually advise to come with a full bladder becuase the images are better. My OB however was kind of the outlier regarding that becuase they never mentioned it to me and one time even had me pee to try and wake baby up. 

Eta: @navete The best way to find a good OB is usually asking around. I know that’s hard becuase you don’t want other to know but you can ask a few people you trust or just say you are needing an OB for other female reasons.

applesandbananas23

@navete my first appt is 7/24! So hard to wait! That is with the obgyn - I found her through my insurance and then looked at her website and Google maps reviews. Her office happens to be close to where I went acupuncture school, and 3 miles from my house. I'm giving myself permission to feel it out once I see her and to trust my gut. I think I will also make an appointment at the birth center (also 3 miles from home but not next door to a hospital) to feel it out and compare which one feels better intuitively.

My nurse friend suggested this podcast when I asked her how to pick a provider, but I haven't listened yet. 

navete

@abbykwail Good idea to check out several options, I think I’ll do the same. The OB I picked has mixed reviews on Yelp (people either love her or hate her). It seems she’s just not people friendly, but very competent and skilled in her profession and I think I’ll be OK with that (I’ll find out soon enough lol). What I do like is that she works with two midwives in her practice, so if I like their team, I’m thinking I’ll go with one of the midwives and have the OB as backup. The practice delivers at two different hospitals, so I’ll check those out as well to see how I like them. I’m new in this city so a lot is still unfamiliar. 

Thanks for the podcast reccommendation, I’ll try to check that out too!

hopefulmom45

This is the first time in my life that I've ever been pregnant (that I know of), and I'm 43 and very nervous about losing it because of my age.  Every day I worry.  And, even if I don't lose it, I'm nervous about all the testing that'll have to happen to make sure it's healthy.  Ugh.  I'm not so nervous about the rest of it.  I've always wanted a child, but I just started trying later than I planned.  Having an (ex) husband with fertility problems who I didn't really love didn't help, but now I'm pregnant and happy with my new guy, and things are looking up.

applesandbananas23

@navete I feel like I spent all day on the phone, and it is a little silly but I have 3 initial appointments in 3 different places to feel things out.

The obgyn with her own practice next to a hospital (appt at 8 weeks), a meet and greet next week at a birth center with midwives and obgyns (but the obgyns are male - - not sure about that), and a meet and greet next week at a different hospital than the first - with midwives, obgyns and the option for a water birth in delivery rooms.

I am really hoping that after going to all of these appointments I will know what to do!! 

JLaVO888

A question you may want to ask is if they have a rotating on call schedule. Mine did and my OB wasn’t the one that got to deliver baby becuase she was not on call that night. It was fine but just a heads up that it happens quite a bit. 

neenbean33

First time mama here - that was fun to say! My husband and I are due March 7th with our little apple seed. We are so excited. As far as symptoms - I have been having them from what seemed like 2 days after we conceived. The all day headaches, the all day queasy feeling (although I haven't actually gotten sick yet) and my boobs...holy cow do I feel them! But like I said to my husband - I will totally take all of this to be able to grow this beautiful human inside of me. I am so excited to be able to share my journey and hear from all of you as we experience all of these amazing firsts! 

lucysmom2016

First time mama here. Just scheduled our first prenatal appointment (8/1) and I'm so excited! It still doesn't feel real!

shockedandafraid

First time mom here. I’m 37 and single. This was NOT the plan but here I am. I am terrified and just trying not to freak out. EDD is 3/13 and my first ultrasound is 7/25 

lovesclimbing

Fwiw, I did not have a full bladder at either ultrasound (dating scan at 8 weeks ish and anatomy scan at 19 weeks) with my first, and it was not an issue. At the dating scan, they never asked (and this was an abdominal ultrasound, if that matters, not vaginal). At the anatomy scan, the receptionist and the ultrasound tech both asked if I needed to use the bathroom before we started because she'd be pressing quite a bit on my stomach, and it might be uncomfortable if my bladder was full. 

christac1010

@lovesclimbing SO jealous. My first three scans, all abdominal - 7w, 12w, and 18w, I was told I had to have a full bladder. They also offered water in the waiting area to make sure you were full. I did have to pee during the anatomy scan to try and get him to move but otherwise I was forced to sit with a full bladder during the ultrasounds. 

peeperkeeper

First time here! 3/1 is our assigned date. No real symptoms except I now have adopted the sleeping schedule of a house cat. Had a weekend of bleeding and cramping- but we went to the dr and got to hear the heartbeat for the first time so I’ll go ahead and count that as a plus! Love reading all these mini bios- especially the single moms! I had one! They rock!

valentynsi

First time mom here... Never thought I'd say that about myself. I'm 39 and my boyfriend and I just decided in December that we wanted kids. It only took two months trying too!! It took a few months to get my iud removed and then he was on deployment until April. Lo and behold... Here I am... Five week and four days!! I'm super excited (as is he) but so overwhelmed  I thought I knew a lot about pregnancy until I started experiencing it for myself. My best friend has been a huge help, but also she doesn't sugar coat things so she is kind of scaring me. Also... I know I will have to have a c section  (I have hardware in my pelvis from a bad motorcycle accident several years ago). My OB and I have already talked about that. On one hand I'm glad I have it and will be having a c section because labor scares the crap out of me. (my mother, in all her infinite wisdom, decided that my little brother needed to be born at home so my sister and I could "witness the miracle of childbirth".. .. I was six. That's not something you forget easily.) but on the other hand I'm scared that the hardware will make things hurt more than they should because my hips won't be able to spread. Luckily, I have a long torso so there is plenty of room for baby to grow up and out.

Wow, I didn't mean for this to get as rambly as it did. Anyway.... I'm currently dealing with sore breasts and a bit of nausea, especially after I brush my teeth. Also I feel like I'm constantly eating but I'm eating less at each sitting so I guess it all evens out. 

knottie03a75065907569db

First time mama here! I’m 23 and have only been married for 6 months! Total surprise but so happy! A year before we got married i was told i had PCOS and it was going to be hard for me to get pregnant. Every little “feeling” i have makes me a nervous wreck, I’m terrified of having a early miscarriage! My EDD is 3/15 and my first appointment is 7/24. I just had blood work done and they didn’t tell me my hormone level and didn’t schedule me for a 48 retest, should i be worried that they don’t think I’m “pregnant” enough? 

mill1020

knottie03a75065907569db said:

First time mama here! I’m 23 and have only been married for 6 months! Total surprise but so happy! A year before we got married i was told i had PCOS and it was going to be hard for me to get pregnant. Every little “feeling” i have makes me a nervous wreck, I’m terrified of having a early miscarriage! My EDD is 3/15 and my first appointment is 7/24. I just had blood work done and they didn’t tell me my hormone level and didn’t schedule me for a 48 retest, should i be worried that they don’t think I’m “pregnant” enough? 

That’s annoying that they forgot to tell you your hcg level for the first draw.  It’s kind of weird that they’re not having you do a second one, but I wouldn’t worry about it.  You could always call and ask.

JLaVO888

knottie03a75065907569db said:

First time mama here! I’m 23 and have only been married for 6 months! Total surprise but so happy! A year before we got married i was told i had PCOS and it was going to be hard for me to get pregnant. Every little “feeling” i have makes me a nervous wreck, I’m terrified of having a early miscarriage! My EDD is 3/15 and my first appointment is 7/24. I just had blood work done and they didn’t tell me my hormone level and didn’t schedule me for a 48 retest, should i be worried that they don’t think I’m “pregnant” enough? 

I don’t think that it’s always standard practice to do a 48 hour retest. When pregnant with DD, I not once knew my hcg levels and had ample amount of time between each draw. I’m guessing it’s something that’s done more if you have a history of losses or are a high risk pregnancy so that they can track how the pregnancy is going. There isn’t much they can do regardless so the blood work they did for you was probably to just confirm you are pregnant (which they would have told you if you were not) and also check a few other things regarding your health such as stds etc. 

edited to add: Most of the time the differences in tests or number of tests they run have to do what insurance covers. If there is a medical need for additional testing, insurance covers it. If it’s just something that would nice to have done but has no spicific justification the insurance will not cover it. I know my OB told me at the end of my pregnancy that she was going to say I was measuring a “tad small and my fluids needed to be measured” so that it would justify letting me have one last peek at baby in an ultrasound. 

applesandbananas23

Good evening, ladies! Below are some initial appointment updates. I am 6 weeks and 1 day today! 

I had a meet and greet at a teaching hospital yesterday and it was nice but 30 min from my home without traffic - - the nurse who brought me back to an exam room ended up knowing the obgyn I have an appointment with in two weeks (she has a private practice 3 miles from home, next door to a different hospital where she has treating privileges) and raved about her so that was nice to hear. The midwife told me that the teaching hospital has 9 midwives on call and they all did home births rather than at the teaching hospital where they work... I thought that was a little odd. Out of 9 women not even 1 gave birth there. I didn't like the commute either - - can't imagine that while in labor, and what if there is traffic?? She said the hospital next door to the obgyn has 3 midwives on call - - wondering if this is better since I might be more likely to know the midwife who is on call when labor happens ? 

I had an initial prenatal at a birthing center 2.5 miles from my house and I am sad to say I was disappointed. I was there for 2 whole hours and they did a 5 min tour of birthing rooms (where they have bath tubs but don't do water births??) a half hour conversation with a lady (she didn't share her credentials but the info she shared felt like the ABCs of pregnancy - - maybe this is because I am an acupuncturist and work in women's health?) and a urine/blood sample. Tons of wait time - - and I asked them to test my vitamin d levels and thyroid hormone levels since they were already collecting blood and vit d deficiency and hypothyroidism run in my family - - they only agreed to do vit d without any explanation of why they denied the thyroid test! A lot of pregnancy and hypothyroid symptoms overlap so I don't know why they wouldn't run that!

I got home tired, grumpy and disappointed  I'm really hoping that my visit with the obgyn goes well. I'm hopeful since the first nurse said good things about her and she is close to me. Her office called to give me an estimate of total out of pocket expenses - - taking into account that I will deliver in 2019 and our deductible will reset. I really liked that they were up front about that even before my first visit and I feel like financial planning plays into stress management and patient care! Fingers crossed that I like her and the office! It is hard to wait but I won't see her for 2 more weeks! 

JLaVO888

Sorry it was disappointing. Are you wanting to do a water birth? The tubs are for laboring. A hot bath is amazing for getting through contractions. Many hospitals have them too. I hope you like the OB you see in a few weeks.  If you want more in depth info about tour birthing location, hospitals Usually do free classes. Ours was 4 different evening session: pain management, the labor stages, breastfeeding, and a tour of the hospital. 

ETA: They may have denied the other blood work because its not covered by the insurance. 

applesandbananas23

I don't know if I want to do a water birth or not yet - - but I thought the tub meant there was an option! It does seem like it would be nice to be in water  

And my insurance does cover that test - - regardless  I'm trying to meet this year's deductible still so they can bill it, have it be denied, have me pay it and then have that count towards my deductible !

I'll check back in after the ob appointment! And I will look into the free classes! Thanks for the suggestion!