Weekly Check-in, Week 2 (10/8-10/14) - 7/6

kboydbowman

How far along are you?

Due date?

Upcoming appointments?

Rant/rave?

Questions?

GTKY: What's your biggest fear for your current pregnancy/birth?

profmcgonagall

How far along are you?— 26 weeks 

Due date? —10/12

Upcoming appointments?— Appt this Thursday 

Rant/rave?

Rant- I’m dealing with irritable uterus which means I’m not contracting but my uterus is constantly tight and not relaxing. It doesn’t hurt but it’s really uncomfortable. I drink at least a gallon of water and it doesn’t always help. 
Rave— I have an Apple Dutch baby in the oven right now and I’m really excited to eat it 


Questions?— None 

GTKY: What's your biggest fear for your current pregnancy/birth?— Preterm birth and complications due to prematurity. My longest pregnancy has only been to 30+2

mckjacks

How far along are you? 26 weeks

Due date? 10/13

Upcoming appointments? Not for another couple of weeks

Rant/rave? 

Rant: Same as always: I wish I could sleep better or at least take naps. And it’s so damn hot. 

Rave: Baked a ton this weekend and it was all delicious 

Questions? None

GTKY: What's your biggest fear for your current pregnancy/birth? Preterm labor and babies ending up in NICU. We’ve had an uneventful pregnancy thus far and I hope it stays that way, but with twins there are just so many unknowns. 

ccstlln1

How far along are you? 26 weeks

Due Date? 10/9

Upcoming Appointments: Glucose screening and ultrasound July 17, but OB may have me come in before that, see rant for explanation

Rant: I didn’t put it up yesterday because it was a lot to deal with but I ended up going to L&D yesterday. I’d been dealing with fluid leakage that was enough to dampen my underwear that I couldn’t identify and reduced movement since late Thursday/early Friday, so decided yesterday morning to go to L&D to get checked out. Leaking wasn’t amniotic fluid but I was really dehydrated which was making me have contractions. Contractions weren’t regular and I wasn’t feeling them, but they were picked up on the monitor. I wasn’t dilated at all when they checked on the ultrasound. Tried to get fluids in me to stop the contractions by attempting to place an IV, but I have really awful veins even when I’m not dehydrated and even the anesthesiologist gave up after the 4th attempt. Luckily by that point I’d drank enough water that the contractions had stopped and was told to go home and drink lots of Gatorade and water. Sophia looked perfect on the ultrasound, her heart beat was strong the whole time, she finally decided to move after being quiet for a few days, amniotic fluid was on the low end of normal but was high considering I was dehydrated/weeks I’m along. Never figured out what the leakage was, I’m guessing bladder leakage or just discharge. Just very thankful that both me and Sophia are good now and that all the nurses and techs were really supportive and took such good care of us. 

Rave: MH finally felt Sophia move for the first time on Thursday before she reduced her movement for a few days. And of course she perked up when people started poking and prodding her so she’s been consistently moving since we got back from the hospital yesterday afternoon. MH was even able to feel her twice yesterday when he hadn’t been able to feel her all weekend.

Questions: Has anyone been through something similar to what happened to me? I was so scared when the nurse said I was having contractions but she said it wasn’t abnormal for them to detect contractions in pregnant women even when nothing is really wrong. And they never actually diagnosed me with anything wrong other than being dehydrated, still not sure why I was having leakage.

GTKY: We’d had a normal pregnancy so far but now I’m worried about me having recurring dehydration and how this will affect Sophia and if it increases our risk of preterm labor. Just really worried now about taking care of myself so that Sophia can be healthy and strong.

profmcgonagall

@ccstlln1, I thought my fluids were leaking in my last pregnancy but when they tested it, it wasn’t amniotic fluid. I think sometimes we just have weird discharge. 

I was also in L&D over the weekend for dehydration and contractions. The contractions were probably Braxton Hicks which are common. True contractions will affect your cervix and they don’t stop with just fluids. 

kboydbowman

@ccstlln1 Just make sure that if the discharge continues and you're still worried about it that they check you again.  If it is PPROM, sometimes they can delay the labor with magnesium and bedrest.

ccstlln1

@profmcgonagall That’s probably what was going on, especially since they let me go once I was hydrated. And @kboydbowman I’m gonna try and wear a panty liner for the next few weeks so I can hopefully monitor it better. I’m also probably gonna call my OB tomorrow if they don’t call today and see if they think extra monitoring is a good idea.

themoonandme

How far along are you? 26 weeks

Due date? 10/11

Upcoming appointments? Glucose test in 2 weeks

Rant/rave? Rant: day 2 of this headache and Tylenol is so worthless. Rave: It's grocery shopping week and I'm excited to go pick out more snacks- it's the little things sometimes!

Questions? Nope

GTKY: What's your biggest fear for your current pregnancy/birth? Feeling sad after this baby goes home. I'm not sure if I will feel sad or not, but I definitely had some light baby blues with all of my other pregnancies, and I worry that I will have them this time but it will be worse to not be able to snuggle a baby. People ask me all the time if I am worried about feeling sad after birth, and I'm not worried about feeling sad because I don't get to keep the baby, but just worried that the normal hormone crash sadness will be exacerbated. Not sure if that makes any sense!

jgrodo

How far along are you? 26 weeks

Due date?10/12

Upcoming appointments? 2 weeks

Rant/rave?rant: I miss seeing people, just wish dh would stop being annoyed with me about it. 
Rave: I didn't over cook chicken! That like never happens haha

Questions? Anyone have good deodorant? I feel like I'm sweating like crazy with the heat and humidity?

GTKY: What's your biggest fear for your current pregnancy/birth? Preterm or ending up with covid and having some complication. And that my current lil one will be so mad at me.

@ccstlln1 sounds like you both had rough weekends. How are you guys feeling now. That all sounds so scary.

jgrodo

@themoonandme ive been taking Pedialyte packets diluted in a quart of water with Tylenol for my headaches.  That totally has to be a hard to do

ginevere

How far along are you? 26 weeks

Due date? 10/8

Upcoming appointments? July 16th

Rant/rave? My emotions have been all over the place lately. I literally spent all day yesterday moping because I couldn't find my new bathing suit and refused to go canoeing with a friend of ours like we had planned. DH and I searched all day, I tore the house apart and I just wanted to go swimming so bad. I was having a serious breakdown about it, like hysterical crying, yelling, door slamming, the works. He eventually brought me to Target around 6pm to buy a new one because I would not stop. There wasn't even time left in the day to use it, but I felt a little better after that. But seriously, where could it be? And what is wrong with me!?

Questions? Does your dr. Usually post glucose test results online? I had my test last Thursday and they've posted my Hemoglobin results from the same day, but not glucose. 

GTKY: What's your biggest fear for your current pregnancy/birth? Just hoping that I can stay healthy inorder to keep the baby as healthy as possible. I'm also worried I won't be as prepared as I want for baby to come home, but I know it's just silly FTM anxiety since I have to wait until the baby shower to buy all the things I need to feel prepared. 

ccstlln1

@jgrodo I’m doing better now, thanks! I’ve been a little out of it today, but I’m honestly attributing that more from the stress of yesterday and getting stuck 4 times with no good vein ever being found. There was one in my wrist that was honestly the worst pain I’ve ever felt, I was crying and almost hyperventilating from how bad it was and I had my mask on, which didn’t help. Poor MH had never seen me in that much pain, he had to go and sit down in another part of the room for a few minutes afterwards because he was so freaked out. I was really considering trying for an unmedicated labor, but I was really only considering my feelings about it and hadn’t really considered the effect seeing me in pain would have on him. MH said it’s ultimately my decision and that what I want comes first, but it definitely put things in a new perspective for me.

jgrodo

@ccstlln1 that sounds awful.    It's so tough  when its hard for them to find your veins. I often have diff with blood draws so I can only imagine how painful that must of been

I'm glad the Gatorade worked. Whatever works for delivery will be the right thing for you.

KaileyBri

How far along are you? 26 + 3

Due date? Oct. 9

Upcoming appointments? Thursday, ultrasound to check on low-lying placenta

Rant? Hubby doesn't seem to want to go out of his way to help me feel comfortable. Or at least he seems frustrated when I get tired and can't do much. This is our 4th baby, so you'd think he'd be used to it... 

Rave? ALL THE ICE 

GTKY: What's your biggest fear for your current pregnancy/birth? If my low-lying placenta turns into placenta previa, I fear bleeding complications and possible C-section. I've had all vaginal births so far, never a c-section.

babycakesday

@ccstlln1 Super late to respond but I was lurking. So I had that exact same thing happen to me during my last pregnancy. I’m also “leaking” this time but honestly I think it’s just a lot of discharge. I also apparently pee a little all the time this time around. I ended up having to go to L&D three times for behind dehydrated. I’ve never had anyone have issues finding a vein but while I was in labor the nurse pricked me four times before I told her to find someone else. My nurse friend told me if they can’t find it within two to refuse to let them keep poking until someone can say they are 100% sure. I hope I remember to do that this time. 

Also when I was 5 months pregnant I was my best friends coach through labor. It was the first labor I was there for and I remember being so unprepared for the pain she was in. I stayed strong and kept reassuring her. I remember stepping out a few times to get myself together before coming back in. The minute her baby was born, it erased all that. When i was her coach for the next labor, it was a whole different experience because I knew the point. My biggest piece of advice is take a class/course if possible or read about ways to help ease your pain. DH did so well with me in pain and he’s usually not great under stress. I’m hoping he does just as great this time, since it’s just going to be him and not him plus my mom and best friend. 

Sorry for the essay that was a lot to get out. Hope it helps you! 

ccstlln1

@babycakesday That really helped, thank you! The nurse who was taking care of us said the same thing, she only allows herself two tries before she goes and gets someone else. The anesthesiologist was the last two tries and even he couldn’t find them. They were even using the ultrasound machine to try and look for my veins 😂. I just have really tiny veins that are buried deep and then disappear as soon as you stick me, I’m everyone’s worst nightmare for placing an IV.

After watching my discharge for the last few days, it’s probably what you’re experiencing, I’ve noticed it increases if I have a full bladder. I’ve been trying to be good about staying hydrated, drinking a bottle of Gatorade a day and drinking a lot of water.

The hospital stay definitely motivated me to get moving on looking for online classes for both me and MH. I’ve signed up for a bundle Lamaze has right now, it’s two classes about labor and delivery and one class about breastfeeding. Hopefully it’ll help the two of us feel more prepared and will help MH feel confident about supporting me during labor.

westslopemama

@ccstlln1 I’m lurking from a different week, but I wanted to say if you can get your husband to watch birthing videos it might help him get more of an idea of what to except during labor. MH and I watched a couple of documentaries and some YouTube clips of births and I think it really helped us both mentally prepare for the experience.