1st/2nd (And 3rd!) trimester check in week of October 28

PoeMasque

Happy Monday (and happy Halloween week)! As always let me know if your info needs to be updated or if I’ve missed you all together. 

• How far along/EDD?
• How are you feeling this week?
• Rants/Raves? Questions?
• Any upcoming appointments?
• GTKY: if you could switch places with anyone for just one day, who would it be and why?

Calling!!

@PoeMasque EDD 2/8 (boy)

@emmasemm EDD 3/7 (girl)

@k_mama91 EDD 12/5 (boy)

@Tulips29 EDD 1/11 (girl)

@cigaline EDD 2/10 (boy)

@celticknotfire EDD 2/27

@ivfsurvivor EDD 3/3

@love112314 EDD 3/9

@sincethelastday EDD 3/9 (boy)

@bluguitarhannah EDD 7/5

@caitiemae EDD 1/30 (boy)

@akak23 EDD 3/27 (boy)

@wifeinraleigh28 EDD 4/4 (boy)

@sanpelligrino EDD 4/12

@laurajon2015 EDD 3/25

@jolo1241 EDD 2/2 (girl)

@hanshotfirst77 6/21

@stella_700 5/28

sincethelastday

Hello all! Thanks @PoeMasque for starting the thread and always having such interesting questions of the week. Also, thanks for sharing the story about your friends who moved from France to the US and how they figured out parenting with such a big change. It’s very helpful to hear stories like that!

• How far along/EDD? 21w 3/9
• How are you feeling this week? Still slowly getting over this cold/flu, but otherwise feeling good. 
• Rants/Raves? Questions? Kind of a sad rant/worry. Also **TW for loss**. An old friend of mine who I haven’t seen in years had posted earlier on that she was expecting her first in March as well. She posted yesterday that she just found out at her 20 week US that her daughter had a very rare, incurable condition and that her and her husband decided to let her go. I can’t imagine the sadness and agony that must come with a decision like that and finding out that news. It comes at a bad time for me as now I’m waiting for the results of my 20 week anatomy scan. I know the likelihood is that everything is good, but I can’t help but worry. It doesn’t help that DH is still out of the country, so just been feeling kinda lonely lately anyways. On a different note, does anyone still feel kind of sad/uncomfortable with pregnancy announcements? Like, they don’t tear at me like they used to when I was in the throes of infertility and treatment, but it for some reason still makes me kind of sad seeing them. Maybe cause I’m just so used to feeling that way about them for so long or don’t know if I’ll ever get pregnant again. Just wondering if I’m just being crazy lol. 
• Any upcoming appointments? Had my 20 week ultrasound on Friday and it was so amazing seeing my LO in so much more detail! Of course, the technician wouldn’t tell me the sex, so I’m planning on phoning my doctor’s office tomorrow to hopefully find out. 
• GTKY: if you could switch places with anyone for just one day, who would it be and why? This may sound kinda silly, but I would want to switch places with a new mom just to experience what it may be like that first day of being a parent as “prep” for the real thing. Not sure how much it would help because I know all babies are different, but couldn’t hurt lol. 

k_mama91

• How far along/EDD? 34w4d 12/5
• How are you feeling this week? Out of breath, tired, and lots of pubic area discomfort. 
• Rants/Raves? Questions? I was worried my in laws would refuse the tdap and flu shots and it would force me to put my foot down regarding them seeing the baby. To my surprise they’ve obliged which should make me happy but I have a feeling they’ll be really intrusive and dh won’t step up and curb their visits and I’m really wishing I could use the vaccine card to keep them at bay. And yes, I realize this makes me sound like a horrible person but they’ve very pushy.
• Any upcoming appointments? 36w nest Thursday and first cervical check 😬
• GTKY: if you could switch places with anyone for just one day, who would it be and why? A celebrity maybe? Not so much for the materialistic side of things but I’ve always been curious as to how their daily lives are. Do they have a security detail 24/7, do normal mom and wife things, have maids and drivers etc? 

 @sincethelastday That’s heartbreaking about your friend, I cannot imagine getting that news and having to face a decision like that. I’m the same about pregnancy announcements too. It’s almost a jealousy thing for me. I spent so long wanting to announce my own news and seeing others have what I wanted made me pretty bitter. I’m working on it but even at this point in the game I still don’t feel total joy when I see people announcing. 

hanshotfirst77

@sincethelastday that is absolutely heartbreaking for your friend. I can’t even imagine. About announcements they still are hard for me to see. Maybe cause I’m still so early. But also it’s just been such a long hard journey and it’s made me bitter and jealous of others. 

@k_mama91 I hope the in laws surprise you again and end up not being super intrusive. 

• 
  
• How far along/EDD? - 6+1/June 21st

• How are you feeling this week? - Okay...this weekend was a little rough but ended well.

• Rants/Raves? Questions? *TW* Bleeding scare* So on Friday night the on/off spotting I had been seeing since my bfp turned bright red. And then it got really heavy. Then I felt a big gush and needed to put on a pad. There were clots. It was bad for like almost 2 hours. I called the on call nurse and they told me to come in the next day. So I barely slept of course. But the bleeding tapered off by morning and by the time I got to the doctor it was gone. I was 5+6 at this point. They did bloodwork and an U/S. And thankfully there baby was measuring right on track and heartbeat flickering away. The RE on call said everything looked perfect and no explanation for the bleeding. Put me on pelvic rest and scheduled another U/S for next week. On the way home I got the call about my bloodwork and it was also all normal. So on one hand this scared the crap out of me and I hate not knowing why I bled so much. But I am beyond happy and relieved to know that baby is okay. And I know it was really early, so being able to hear/see the heartbeat was a really good sign. 

• Any upcoming appointments? I was supposed to have my first scan this week but after this weekend it's now been pushed to the following week. 

• GTKY: if you could switch places with anyone for just one day, who would it be and why? Probably my dog lol. He has the life, sleeping all day, being taken care of and spoiled lol

PoeMasque

@sincethelastday glad to help out! Hopefully things work out for you guys too, I don’t think it’s been a completely smooth ride for our friends, but you just figure it out. Also, so sorry to hear about your friend. I think this is why they now advocate for all women to get genetic screening at 10 weeks, to avoid this situation so far down the road. Unfortunately it’s not always covered by insurance. 

@k_mama91 you are so close!!!! Are you feeling ready? I remember being so excited to hit 37 weeks last time because it meant the end was near (even if it meant those painful cervical checks!)

I thought I would never get over pregnancy announcements, but now that baby 2 is on his way and I feel like our family is complete I can finally enjoy other people’s pregnancies without feeling jealous. I feel like we were really fortunate though, IVF worked for us the first time, both times, and the only loss we ever had was a twin, not an entire pregnancy, so I know we had it pretty easy as far as IF goes. 

• How far along/EDD? 25+2, 2/8
• How are you feeling this week? We had some new furniture delivered and my ankle was finally feeling better, so I did a lot of moving boxes/furniture around and ended up with some back and low abdomen pain yesterday. Thankfully it wasn’t rhythmic/contraction-like, but it was a clear message that I need to take it easy.
• Rants/Raves? Questions? Rave: the furniture we got was a rocker for the nursery (yay!) and a sectional for our den. It’s soooo nice to have somewhere to spread out on the weekend and nap while DH takes our son for a walk! Haha! Also my foot/ankle is SO much better, just sore at the end of the day. 
• Any upcoming appointments? Not till 32 weeks
• GTKY: if you could switch places with anyone for just one day, who would it be and why? I would love to switch places with a “rich housewife” for a day. It would be amazing to have access to all that money and not have work get in the way of doing something like starting a non-profit or advocating for policy changes at a higher level. The best part would be using a man’s money to advocate for women! 

emmasemm

@poemasque thanks as always for getting us started! Great your ankle is better - but take it easy. As I’ve been on pelvic rest right since the start I’m not even sure I could lift anything anymore lol!

@hanshotfirst77 oh good to hear everything was ok but how scary! Are you on baby aspirin? I had a little bleeding in week 5 and we stopped the aspirin and I didn’t get any more. I stayed on Lovenox though.

@k_mama91 you’re getting so so close!!! I also reminded my own parents yesterday about their shots. And when they visited at the start of the month we had a long talk about when the baby comes. My mother has visions of moving in for a month to which I have said no, plus also not even for a week during the first month (they live in a different country so it’s a big trip to one and visit). What I suggested was they come as soon as I go into labour and then visit during the visiting hours at the hospital (which are limited to 3 hours twice a day). That way they get to see me and baby but we’re not surrounded by them all the time. Then they go home before I come home and come back towards the end of the month or something once baby, DH and I are settled in our routine a bit. But let’s see - maybe I want my mom after all!!! She has lots of experience with small babies - which can be great but also a bit too much...

@sincethelastday oh I was so sorry to read about your friend. This kind of thing was what kept me feeling literally sick before every one of my 13 scans - yes anatomy scan was number 13!!! I cannot imagine the heartbreak of such a decision - and the labour she has to go through too. Some people told me I had just watched too much Greys Anatomy (the storyline with April and Jackson and their baby with OI). But I know several people who have had this situation unfortunately and so I felt the fear was well justified.
I’m sure if there was a major concern with your scan last week that someone would have called you immediately to discuss it. So no news is good news! 

How far along/EDD? 21+3 7th MarchHow are you feeling this week? Saturday I rested as last week was a long hard week, the Sunday we travelled 2 hours by train to a baby fair. Which was really good - but the day was too long in the end and the last hour on the way home I was really over it. I came home and went straight to bed and apart from one pee break slept 12 hours straight. I was even dry heaving walking from the train to the car and every muscle was screaming at me. Not doing that again! Otherwise feeling good - heartburn in the evening is curbing my evening eating a lot. But I just eat all day instead. And the constipation looks like it’s here to stay but can’t find anything pregnancy safe ever here which doesn’t make me vomit, so just living with it. Rants/Raves? Questions? The baby fair was great! I was a bit disappointed when we first go there as it was not as big as I imagined, but in the end it was more than big enough! We weren’t buying, but it gave us a chance to test drive lots of different makes of the same products. And most important DH got to test them (he’s only ever pushed one stroller before!!!) and the guys at the fair were real experts in their products - not just some young sales girl in a store. So DH enjoyed quizzing them, we feel well informed and there was no pressure to buy which was really nice. The same fair comes to our city in February and most of the same experts will be there too so we know we can go to that one quickly to find who and what we need - assuming baby hasn’t appeared by then. I think we’re decided on car seat setup and baby carrier. Just need to finalize the stroller from the “major purchases” list. Any upcoming appointments? Tomorrow - next scan and check up. Let’s see what she says about my blood pressure... it’s still sitting 15 points on average higher than normal for me... GTKY: if you could switch places with anyone for just one day, who would it be and why? Oh this question made me think... probably be a good idea to take over as prime minister of the UK for a day and sort out as much as possible of the whole Brexit mess in a day as I could!!! 

hanshotfirst77

@PoeMasque I'm so glad to hear your ankle is doing better. Try to rest up as much you can. 

@emmasemm Actually I was on baby aspirin from the beginning of my transfer cycle up until my positive beta and then they had me stop it. *knock on wood* there has been no more bleeding and I'm hoping it stays that way.
Good luck on your appt!

k_mama91

@hanshotfirst77 Sorry about your scare this weekend but glad you got to see a healthy baby on screen. I had a big bleed around 11w and another around 19w. Both times my heart stopped and I’ve never fully relaxed. But I got lots of extra scans which was nice. 

@PoeMasque We have a sectional and we each have our own corner to stretch out, so nice! I’m definitely ready to have this baby but I’m dreading the cervical checks. I’m finishing up my hospital bag today and then I’ll be counting down the days! 

@emmasemm I’ve also been constipated the entire pregnancy. Nothing helps but it hasn’t been uncomfortable so I’m dealing with it. As far as your mom helping, I’m in the same boat with my own mother. Last time I was very young and didn’t have her help and everything went just fine. I don’t want help this time either but she’s almost insisting. Change is hard on me so I’d like to get home and into a routine ASAP and not have additional people in and out of the house. I’d much rather have her come visit in hospital and then come back at the end of the month for a few days to celebrate Christmas and visit. 

Tulips29

Hi everyone! 

@sincethelastday I'm so sorry about your friend, that is so heartbreaking and I can't imagine making that tough decision. My heart aches for them and anyone in these situations. I'm with you on freaking out as well after reading stories like this. When I got pregnant this time around all I kept reading was terrible loss stories that kept me up at night. I know it's easier said than done, but please try to think positive. You've made it this far and I'm sure if there were any issues with your anatomy scan, you'd be hearing from the doctor right away. As far as pregnancy announcements, I don't mind them as much when I'm pregnant, but I did still feel a pang in my chest when we were trying for both kids and these announcements were everywhere. What irks me more than announcements are posts about someone trying for a few months with no luck so they turn to FB for answers and help and the comments are all "just relax and it will happen"...I want to pull my hair out and fire back at those comments and I keep holding myself back every time. 

@k_mama91 don't feel bad about putting your foot down regarding vaccines and overly pushy visitors. We're getting into the thick of the flu season and your baby should not be at risk if others don't want to get a shot! I'm not typically a fan of flu shots myself, but I get them done now more for the sake of the kiddos than myself. And I've asked parents and inlaws to get them too and they obliged. However, I've had my FIL come over when my son was born and he was coughing and sneezing, but he brought face masks with him and stood 6 feed away from the baby and thought that was OK. I was so mad and asked DH to nicely tell his parents NOT to come over when feeling under the weather. With the second baby I do not feel bad being less nice and I've even told both sets of parents that no one will be pushing their way through to the recovery room at the hospital like they did last time minutes after I gave birth just because they couldn't reach me or my husband and were freaking out why we weren't answering our phones. I told them to stay put until we give them the green light to come over. 

@hanshotfirst77 I'm so sorry about the bleeding scare, I can only imagine how panicked you were. But so glad that everything is ok and the baby is doing fine! Bleeding scares are actually common, especially during 1st trimester. I'd ask about placenta previa as well, although I think it's still too early to tell. I had 2 bleeding scares as well, one at almost 7 weeks and second one at 15 weeks and then turned out I have complete previa and bleedings are common with it. But hopefully not and everything continues to go smoothly for you! 

@PoeMasque so glad your foot is better but definitely take it easy not to hurt yourself more! Which rocker did you end up getting? We're debating switching the one we have in the nursery now so I'm looking for good options. 

@emmasemm baby fair sounds like fun and a great way to test out and see products. I'm always such a sucker for all the new stuff. I'd want to buy everything lol. And 12 hours of sleep sounds like a dream! 

sincethelastday

@k_mama91 - I don’t think wanting some space from your in-laws and hoping that they get their flu shot is horrible at all. If anything it makes total sense! I’m also in the boat of trying to figure out how to get some space from my MIL when the baby arrives. She can be lovely and supportive, but she’s been mentioning so many old wives’ tales when it comes to pregnancy, that I’m a bit worried what type of “advice” she’ll be giving when the baby is born. Hope you and YH come up with a plan that works for you both! 

@hanshotfirst77 - how scary with that bleeding!! I’m so glad to hear everything is looking good, but, yeah, I would have been panicking too! Hope things continue to go well and you don’t have any more bleeding scares. Hope you also get some extra attention from your medical team due to this. Also, I would also totally switch places with my dog - what a spoiled life I would lead! 

@PoeMasque - glad to hear your ankle is doing much better! Nice furniture finds! I love having a sectional, so enjoy! 

@emmasemm - awesome how much scouting out you were able to do at the baby fair (although sucks how it wiped you out towards the end!) Hope it’s all worth it when the same fair comes along in February. And hope your BP goes down! 

Thanks everyone for confirming that I’m not crazy with still feeling sad/jealous when it comes to pregnancy announcements. 🙂

Also, just phoned my clinic and found out that I’m having...a BOY!! The past week for whatever reason I kept thinking it was a boy so I wasn’t too surprised to hear the news. I’m a bit overwhelmed though, because I grew up with a sister and mainly my mom, so I feel kinda foreign when it comes to boys. DH is coming home tonight so I’m so looking forward to telling him and just having him home, so I just want this work day to fly by fast! 

Tulips29

• How far along/EDD? 29w 3d
• How are you feeling this week? Tired and uncomfortable! So uncomfortable last few days that it freaks me out. I started having lots of pressure down there, especially when I walk last few days. Sometimes it's even uncomfortable to walk. I just feel like I'm carrying a load of heavy bricks in my belly and they are pressing on my pelvis. 
• Rants/Raves? Questions? Rave - we were walking around a new mall that recently opened up and there was a stroller exhibit set up. We went to look just for the heck of it not intending to buy as we have a stroller from our son that we're going to keep using. Anyway, they had a raffle and we threw my name in. Lo and behold, I ended up winning a travel stroller from Cybex...one of those that folds up neatly and goes into the overhead bins on the plane. I pretty much never win anything, so this was really cool and exciting. They told me they'd be shipping it to me this week, so fingers crossed we actually receive it . As for a rants - the above what I wrote about being uncomfortable and feeling pains and aches in my pelvis when I walk last few days. And I still have 10 more weeks to go! Question - anyone know of any pregnancy-safe spray paint options? Wanted to do some DIY projects for the baby's room that would require spray painting. 
• Any upcoming appointments? Ultrasound tomorrow. It's been 5 weeks and I can't wait to see the baby!
• GTKY: if you could switch places with anyone for just one day, who would it be and why? Echoing what some others said about trading places with a rich housewife or a celebrity to see what a day in their life is like. I can't fathom having all that money, help, staff to do things for me, etc...so it'd be fun to be waited on all day I think. 

bluguitarhannah

• How far along/EDD? I must be 5 weeks as nurse said next week is 6 weeks 5, how they count confuses me always
  
• How are you feeling this week? Pretty good, dizzy occasionally
  
• Rants/Raves? Questions? The weather is cooler whee, live in TX so it's nice not to have summer for a few days.
  
• Any upcoming appointments? 11/7 first ultrasound (3rd beta back today great jump from 270 to 1703
• GTKY: if you could switch places with anyone for just one day, who would it be and why? Justice Warren when they were deciding Brown v. Board of education, history buff

@PoeMasque glad it's going better great to see you here

@hanshotfirst77

hope it stays calmer for you.  That's scary

Tulips29

@sincethelastday ah, just saw your update, congratulations on a boy! How exciting and fun to know the gender

hanshotfirst77

@sincethelastday congrats on team blue! 

@bluguitarhannah congrats on good betas! My scan is on 11/7 too!

PoeMasque

@sincethelastday how exciting to finally know gender! Just a warning with boys....the pee. Always, always be ready with a fresh diaper or something to thwart the inevitable pee fountain that will happen at 50-70% of diaper changes! Other than that, being a boy mom has been awesome  

@Tulips29 with DS I got a highly rated/stereotypical nursery rocker off amazon (babyletto I think?!). I’m really short and my feet touch the ground in it, but other than that it wasn’t comfortable at all. I knew I didn’t want another rocker like that, so we went to a legit furniture store, sat in all the recliners, and ended up buying an Ashley rocker. Its not as cute as DS’s rocker, but it’s so much better comfort-wise.