@ruby696 for your iron supplement look at megafood blood builder. I've taken iron since high school and most of the time of I take it on an empty stomach I will puke almost instantly, the blood builder has less side effects and doesn't constipate as much. It also has vitamin c in it to help better absorb the iron. My mw recommended it when I was pregnant with dd and even though it smells nasty it works really well.
AFM I had my GTT, growth ultrasound, and 28 week appointment today. The CPC (choroid plexus cyst) in baby’s brain was dissolved, so that’s good. However, this doctor was a little more concerned at the fact there were/are 3 echogenic foci in the left ventricle. He says he’s never seen three before and isn’t familiar if there are other implications with more or if impairs function at all. He wants to do some research and get back to me. I appreciated his openness about it. If he thinks the number is still concerning, we will probably see the mfm after all. So just waiting for his message now. Other than that, got my Tdap and baby was measuring perfectly. Baby boy was in a cozy hammock with his head up on one side of my ribs, butt down, and his little legs straight out with his feet crossed at the ankles up by my other ribs. The tech kept commenting how he was the best behaved baby she’s had for a long time. I think he was just in a sugar coma from my GTT. 😂
@ruby696 that is great news about the discordance! I take iron am and pm and it has not made me nauseous. But I found out I shouldn’t be taking it with my calcium pills because calcium blocks absorption so gotta figure out a new routine.
I had a scan on 2/17 and the babies are still looking great! No signs of twin twin transfusion. Won’t do another growth scan till 28 weeks so have to wait on an update on that. I tried to explain to my MFMs that it’s awesome that babies are doing great but that I am really struggling and they were kind of like, well duh you’re having triplets. And because I’m not MEDICALLY struggling (blood pressure is fine, gaining weight on track) they weren’t super interested. So not a whole lot of helpful advice there other than to lay down more. I failed my one hour glucose and am still anemic despite being on iron pills already, so I’m having more bloodwork done Friday to follow up on these items. They told me at the first visit that both of these things would probably happen so it wasn’t surprising. Hoping if I start getting iron transfusions that it may give me an energy boost? The last appt we had that day was the NICU tour which was really nice. I could tell the Doctor we met with had thoroughly read our chart and felt really optimistic about our case. She said even if I had my babies tomorrow she felt confident about their chances of survival. I definitely recommend a NICU consult for any other high risk mommas.
@jkr2019 I'm sorry to hear that your Dr's office doesn't seem to care about your generally well-being, but it's great that your NICU tour went great! That must have given you some peace of mind.
@jkr2019 It's definitely frustrating that doctors can't put you out earlier for multiples without a separate medical diagnosis. Personally, I feel like carrying more than one baby should be a sufficient reason to go out a little early of needed.
@jkr2019 My friend had HG and her iron went super low. The iron IV infusions really did help her energy too. Hang in there! Glad babies are doing well!
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Me: 33 DH: 32 Married 7/18/15 1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16 Team green turned BLUE! 2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18 Team green turned PINK! Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green
@jkr2019 I literally cannot imagine having another baby inside me. You must be so uncomfortable. You are a warrior! Do you have a scheduled C-section date yet?
I feel like I'm at the point of "if the babies were born tomorrow they would probably survive" too and that's a relief. I'm glad the NICU tour went well and the doctor seemed well informed. I wish there was more they could do to make you comfortable.
@jhysmath@ruby696 I'm taking the Megafood prenatal this time around (took Up & Up last time) and I feel like it is much better on my body and digestive system. I think it is a good quality brand, I've learned in the last couple years that quality supplements make a huge difference.
@rachelg777 I'm glad baby is measuring on track. Hopefully the stuff your doc mentioned is no big deal.
@jkr2019 I'm sorry that you are struggling. Have they checked other bloodwork like Vitamin D or Thyroid? Those can be factors in the fatigue too, besides low iron.
@m6agua I get my prenatal as a prescription or I'd probably do the same I really like the megafoods vitamins but they are pricey. I liked the fact that they are actually made in our state (NH) too so that was a happy coincidence when I got them. I like that they are in glass and their packaging when they mail them to you doesn't have plastic either.
@pirateduck yes it if that's recommended but I guess it depends on if they would want to do an echo, etc. Luckily there is an mfm where I live and everything is relatively close in this smallish city.
Had a check up/centering class today. We watched a birth video and I just kept getting irritated with my husband because he felt the need to talk through it. I know that joking is his way of dealing with stress or lightening a serious situation, but he's gotta learn to be respectful during appointments. I want him to come and be involved and have a chance to ask questions, but the past few times I ended up wishing he wasn't there because he was so disengaged and it was like having a 5 year old along. Ugh. I met a new OB since my midwife moved. She has a long (good) history in the area and previously worked at the hospital, so I think all will be good with her. She mentioned starting to take baby aspirin again to help prevent pre-e and there's some issues with my records, so it wasn't hard to convince her to check my vitamin D and thyroid again since she couldn't find the last set of numbers in there easily. Also apparently I get to/have to have a growth scan at my next appointment due to my age, but not because of anything alarming they've found so far, though she did say I seemed to be measuring behind, but as of two weeks ago I wasn't, so I'm curious to see what the scan determines. We also had a hospital tour, which I honestly found disappointing and not particularly helpful/informative. I tried to think of questions to ask to get more out of it. Next appointment in 2 weeks.
Had my mw appointment today with my favorite one , she came in and the first thing she said is this really the little baby you had! I told dd that this person saw her before even mama and Papa did. She said she's excited to see how I am in labor and is always so positive. When I went to the bathroom I think MH asked something about the vbac vs labor or something because when I came out they starting talking about what my plan was if I needed to be induced as they don't do vbac with induction there. I told them without a doubt I'd go to the big hospital to get induced and that did not seem like the answer my husband wanted, I think he's hoping I have a scheduled c-section again so he can plan exactly what day we will go in and have a bab . My mw took that answer as I'm very serious about my vbac.
At my appointment I was reminded of the fact that baby will likely come home with an oxygen tank. I had totally spaced this fact. Now rethinking how I'm going to go about life carrying baby and carrying the oxygen everywhere. Ugh.
@m6agua altitude. Most babies go home with oxygen here and oxygen levels are closely monitored the first few weeks. The doctor said it’s standard for anyone who lives above 10,000 Ft and that patients that live lower May or may not need it. I also learned my birth center is the highest in the country. It’s just one more thing to juggle, not something I’m worried about in terms of health of the baby. If there are serious lung development/health concerns they would advise you and baby to stay at a lower altitude where there’s less strain on your system.
@pirateduck huh, that's super interesting and I've never known of that before. Can you get the oxygen in a back pack?
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Me: 33 DH: 32 Married 7/18/15 1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16 Team green turned BLUE! 2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18 Team green turned PINK! Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green
I had my 3 hour glucose today.... and failed. I’m not super surprised because at my first visit they told me I was way more likely to get it because of carrying triplets and there was nothing I could do to prevent it, but I was still hoping I would beat the odds. Walking is getting more and more difficult because of vaginal pain from pressure of the babies and I have no bladder control... It just feels like my body is falling apart and I still have 8 weeks to go! Thank god my last day of work is Friday. My doctor wrote a letter saying to work 4 hours per day max this week, so that if I’m in too much pain I can leave.
I’ll see a dietitian soon to learn the ins and outs of managing GD but I couldn’t get in until 3/5, so until then I’m just going low sugar low carb.
@jkr2019 I'm sorry. I was diagnosed yesterday. This is my second time with GD. It's less about going low carb and more about finding out how your body reacts to certain carbs. You can still have them with your meals and even snacks. But make sure no naked carbs! Which means always pair it with a fat and/or protein. Cheese sticks are a great snack as well as peanut butter. Feel free to ask me any questions.
Thanks @m6agua! Do you think it’s bad that I’m not seeing the dietician for almost two weeks? I’ll be 28 weeks by then. I feel like I was kind of already eating this way just because with triplets you have to eat so much protein, but I was also eating sweets when I wanted and I crave juice all the time which I’m guessing is not great? Like I go through two of those big Pom wonderful bottles per week...
@jkr2019 I’m so sorry to hear about the GD, that really stinks. I don’t know much about GD but MH is a type1 diabetic and I can definitely say 2 bottles of Pomegranate juice per week is definitely out of your diet. Fruit juice is essentially pure sugar and unless you’re having a hypoglycemic event (low blood sugar) it’s not advisable to drink large quantities. I’m not a fan of saying “absolutely not” about any food, but you need to figure out a better way to manage those juice cravings. 2 suggestions: either water down your juice a whole lot so there’s just a splash of juice in a large glass of water or measure out 1-2 ounces and sip on that as your daily “ration” of juice. I’m also a big fan of natural sugars in moderation is much better than “fake sugar” like Splenda. I’m sure you will get lots of information from the nutritionist, but in the mean time, it would be helpful to look up a table of glycemic indexes for common foods. You want things with lower glycemic index as your carbohydrates. And like @m6agua said, always have fat and/or protein with your carbs. Know that every individual responds a bit differently to carbs and you might need to try different things to see what works/doesn’t work for you. For MH a good pasta substitute is red or green lentil pasta (Barilla makes it and if you’re near a Whole Foods they have many options), farro is a grain that’s kinder than brown rice but has a similar flavor profile. Quinoa is also good. If you like yogurt, most yogurts including Greek have a ton of added sugar. We like the Icelandic skyr (siggi’s or Icelandic brand) because the protein content greatly outweighs the sugar content. Just know there’s less calcium in the thicker yogurts, so if that’s been a big calcium source, you might need to increase your supplemental calcium. It’s not just about the number of the carbs, but the source, hence why the glycemic index is important. If you’re not a label reader, start reading them now. There’s sneaky sugar in EVERYTHING. Good luck. You can do this!!!
When does everyone else switch to every 2 week appointments? I think someone mentioned earlier in this thread, but I'm too lazy to re-read all the posts. I had an appointment this morning at 28+6 and expected it would be every 2 after this even though I don't remember what it was last pregnancy, just felt it had to be close but he scheduled me 4 weeks out again.
Everything went well at my appointment this morning though. Just have to wait a couple days for the results of the glucose screening which I'm nervous about, but blood pressure was perfect today and heart beat was in the 150's and she had a super strong kick while he was listening with the doppler which was fun.
@bananapanda My doctor was ready to switch to every two weeks at my last appt (28 weeks) but I'm having twins. We agreed that my next appt would be in three weeks due to a scheduling issue, and then we'll go to two weeks. For a singleton, I seem to recall going to two weeks around 30-32 weeks?
@bananapanda I'm at 2 weeks now (28+3 at my appt yesterday), and switch to weekly at 36 weeks. They already scheduled everything for me through the end of April.
@bananapanda I had my last appointment at 26 weeks, I'm off a couple weeks because of the transfer back to my midwives, but they had me schedule my 28 and 30 week appointments before leaving.
I had an appointment at 26 weeks & 28 weeks, and have several scheduled every 2 weeks through April. I'm not sure if they will add anything extra in between.
I'm at 4 weeks until 32 weeks. Then, because I'm seeing two different providers, I'll see them on opposite weeks until birth (so neither sees me weekly ever, but technically I'm being seen weekly from 32 weeks on).
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Me: 33 DH: 32 Married 7/18/15 1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16 Team green turned BLUE! 2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18 Team green turned PINK! Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green
I had my OB appointment today. Got my tdap and scheduled my c-section for 5/7 😀 We did an u/s, heartrate was 146, he did say I have a lot of fluid around baby. I asked him if it was something to worry about and he said its more than average but not that much that we should be worried. My next appointment is in 3 weeks (32) and we'll start every 2 weeks until 36 when we'll go to every week.
My current OB would switch to every 2 weeks after this 28 week appointment, but I think the new one will do every 3 weeks until further along. The midwives may do something else entirely. Definitely depends on the practice
Re: February Appointments
FTM
BFP: 9/5/19 ~ EDD 5/15/20
@jhysmath Thanks for the recommendation! Yeah, I pretty much feel like garbage for a few hours after I take it. I definitely need to try some else.
AFM I had my GTT, growth ultrasound, and 28 week appointment today. The CPC (choroid plexus cyst) in baby’s brain was dissolved, so that’s good. However, this doctor was a little more concerned at the fact there were/are 3 echogenic foci in the left ventricle. He says he’s never seen three before and isn’t familiar if there are other implications with more or if impairs function at all. He wants to do some research and get back to me. I appreciated his openness about it. If he thinks the number is still concerning, we will probably see the mfm after all. So just waiting for his message now. Other than that, got my Tdap and baby was measuring perfectly. Baby boy was in a cozy hammock with his head up on one side of my ribs, butt down, and his little legs straight out with his feet crossed at the ankles up by my other ribs. The tech kept commenting how he was the best behaved baby she’s had for a long time. I think he was just in a sugar coma from my GTT. 😂
FTM
BFP 08/25/19, EDD 05/04/20
DH: 32
Married 7/18/15
1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16
Team green turned BLUE!
2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18
Team green turned PINK!
Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green
I feel like I'm at the point of "if the babies were born tomorrow they would probably survive" too and that's a relief. I'm glad the NICU tour went well and the doctor seemed well informed. I wish there was more they could do to make you comfortable.
@rachelg777 I'm glad baby is measuring on track. Hopefully the stuff your doc mentioned is no big deal.
@jkr2019 I'm sorry that you are struggling. Have they checked other bloodwork like Vitamin D or Thyroid? Those can be factors in the fatigue too, besides low iron.
- BFP: 3/10/16 — Baby Girl born 11/20/16
TTC#2 April 2019I get my prenatal as a prescription or I'd probably do the same I really like the megafoods vitamins but they are pricey. I liked the fact that they are actually made in our state (NH) too so that was a happy coincidence when I got them. I like that they are in glass and their packaging when they mail them to you doesn't have plastic either.
- BFP: 3/10/16 — Baby Girl born 11/20/16
TTC#2 April 2019DH: 32
Married 7/18/15
1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16
Team green turned BLUE!
2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18
Team green turned PINK!
Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green
DD #2: May 2020
Baby #3: EDD May 2023; MC October 2022
- BFP: 3/10/16 — Baby Girl born 11/20/16
TTC#2 April 2019Everything went well at my appointment this morning though. Just have to wait a couple days for the results of the glucose screening which I'm nervous about, but blood pressure was perfect today and heart beat was in the 150's and she had a super strong kick while he was listening with the doppler which was fun.
- BFP: 3/10/16 — Baby Girl born 11/20/16
TTC#2 April 2019FTM
BFP: 9/5/19 ~ EDD 5/15/20
DD #2: May 2020
Baby #3: EDD May 2023; MC October 2022
Married Sept. 2013
DS1: Nov 11, 2016
MMC: 11/16/18 (9w6d)
CP: 2/3/19 (5w3d)
BFP! 8/24/19
DS2: May 10, 2020
DH: 32
Married 7/18/15
1st born at 35+4 on 6/6/16
Team green turned BLUE!
2nd born at 38+6 on 8/30/18
Team green turned PINK!
Due with #3 on 6/6/20 Team Green