Weekly Check-In 9/21

szwill86

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days):

FTM/STM/STM+:

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of:

Upcoming appointments:

How are you feeling?:

Rants/Raves:

Questions:

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds?

mdfarmchick

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 21 weeks

FTM/STM/STM+: STM+

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: Sriracha bottle

Upcoming appointments: 21 October 

How are you feeling?: Heartburn and acid reflux but pretty good. Hello my favorite trimester.

Rants/Raves:

Questions:

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds?
Teleport. Reading minds is like listening in to someone else’s conversation—you’ll never hear anything good about yourself. 

lovemesomemonster

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 19w 5d

FTM/STM/STM+: STM

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: a bowl of cereal

Upcoming appointments: anatomy scan today! Not finding out the sex but excited to see that all is good!

How are you feeling?: great! Back to working out daily which helps me and walks with the whole crew on weekends.

Rants/Raves: the weather is finally cooling down so I am happy!! Rant: I am over the allergies so snow would be nice.

Questions: none right now!

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Teleport!! Long haul flights will get much harder with two instead of just one!

jumpy57

21+1 STM+

Appointments
Supposed to have an appointment 9/24 but we are on covid quarantine due to DD1s daycare teacher testing positive. Covid test tomorrow but we are all feeling fine.

Feeling:
Starting to feel soreness in my hips. I also might have the upper sinus cold DH and DD2 have had for months

Rants:
I'm so grumpy and trying to work at home with both girls and DH is hard. I'm used to my silent empty house 😳 hats off to those of you that have been working at home with kids. 

GTKY:
For sure teleport! I get motion sickness so sometimes travel is tough 😂 

moguippy

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 20+2

FTM/STM/STM+: STM

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: banana/popsicle

Upcoming appointments: phone appt with genetics on Friday, regular OB 9/30

How are you feeling?: heartburn and fatigue mostly, the headaches and dizziness have lessened which is nice. Nausea comes back in little spurts. Had a weird time of shortness of breath yesterday. 

Rants/Raves: rant: my house is a disaster in terms of organization, cleanliness and works in progress. My SIL and her family were exposed to Covid yesterday. Raves: there was a big online consignment sale near me and I got a bunch of stuff (mostly for DS but a few things for this kiddo too). 

Questions: Why do I feel so huge already? I’m getting bigger much faster than with DS. And gaining weight faster too. I knew it would be this way, but it’s just a lot more than I expected.  I feel very pregnant and I don’t really like that since I still have halfway to go. 

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Definitely teleport. I could save so much time on commuting (whenever we go back to the office). PLUS think of all the vacations that would be so much easier (and affordable) 

WildMagelet

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 20+2

FTM/STM/STM+: FTM

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: Slice of pie

Upcoming appointments: Anatomy scan with MFM on 9/22; General OB on 9/23

How are you feeling?: So far so good. Symptoms are the same as they have been.

Rants/Raves: 

Questions:

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Teleportation! I don't think I'd want to know what people are actually thinking most of the time, lol. 

hannahbananas11

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 18+4

FTM/STM/STM+: STM

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: Artichoke if I’m remembering correctly.

Upcoming appointments: This Friday for the anatomy scan!!

How are you feeling?: I’m feeling really good! Some heartburn and tender boobs, but those have become so normal that they’re easily ignored for me. I’ve got the second tri energy and I’m loving it.

Rants/Raves: The landscaping crew is almost finished with the patio and it’s looking great!

Questions:

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Teleport definitely.

babymamadimo

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 20+5

FTM/STM/STM+: STM

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: palm is the size of an altoid

Upcoming appointments: the 29th for ultrasound of images missed at anatomy scan and regular ob check

How are you feeling?: Such bad stuffy nose, sore hips at night, heartburn, occasional nausea still

Rants/Raves: My ob said that I need another scan for images that were missed on Friday. They called to schedule today and could only offer me 8:15 and my regular ob visit is at 10:45 so now I get to sit in the waiting room and work on my laptop for 2+ hours because this office is far from my house ugh!

Questions: Does anyone get random side pain after eating and then trying to walk around? I’ve had it the last 2 nights after dinner.

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Teleport for sure!

szwill86

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days):20+1

FTM/STM/STM+: STM

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: As tall as a Starbucks Venti cup

Upcoming appointments: none till 24 weeks

How are you feeling?: Okay. Feeling more round ligament pain that’s a constant dull ache. 

Rants/Raves: I know 20 weeks is half way there, but February still feels lightyears away!

Questions: none

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Teleportation would make my life so much easier, as long as I can teleport my husband and son with me as needed

tamalahoops

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 20+4 

FTM/STM/STM+: FTM

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: Banana! 

Upcoming appointments: Not until October

How are you feeling?: I'm back at it with the all day morning sickness. I had a prescription for zofran called in so hopefully that helps! 

Rants: Anyone who told me the second tri is magical is dead to me. 

Raves: We had our anatomy scan on Friday! It was wonderful, she moved around so much and the ultrasound tech waited until my husband could see and hear everything on facetime. 

Questions: none! 

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Read minds for sure! I actually really like being in the car! 

moguippy

@babymamadimo hopefully there is a lull and they can squeeze you in earlier!

@szwill86 I feel the absolute same about feb being so far away. Like I’m more than half done with the pregnancy but it doesn’t feel like it. 

@tamalahoops 1. if you’ve never taken Zofran before, make sure you drink TONS of water and eat as much fiber as you can. especially if you plan on taking it for extended periods. I lived on Zofran my first pregnancy bc it was the only thing that even took the edge off my nausea but (TMI) it makes you super constipated. 2. I feel the same way about second tri. Neither this time or last time have I had “energy”. For me, it’s just the time when first tri symptoms are less but third tri symptoms haven’t hit yet. But I’m still exhausted. 

hannahbananas11

@tamalahoops @moguippy I’m sorry second tri sucks. Please don’t hate me for posting that I feel great! 😬 I had all sorts of problems throughout pregnancy with DS, though, so this is definitely a new feeling for me. I don’t think the second tri energy is nearly as common as websites and things make it out to be.

tamalahoops

@hannahbananas11 oh please don't take that as a stab at anyone having a nice second tri! I'm super glad most don't suffer all the way through. 

moguippy

@hannahbananas11 I would never want anyone to suffer through pregnancy if they don’t have to so I’m glad you feel great!  But yeah, the “energy” thing is overstated I think. It happens for some people but not all. 

babymamadimo

I might have second trimester energy if I actually slept okay. Instead I am up to pee multiple times a night and my hips kill me at night. Arg

manditchka24

tamalahoops said:

Rants: Anyone who told me the second tri is magical is dead to me. 

Lol! Accurate! 

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 18+5

FTM/STM/STM+:FTM

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: sugar glider

Upcoming appointments: some doula interviews this week. Anatomy scan 10/1.

How are you feeling?: I’ve had a few “better” days, but then I started trying to wean from the unisom and now I’m not sleeping and am exhausted again...although the nausea is not terrible.

Rants: the USPS!

Questions: STM & STM+ moms....how am I supposed to keep doing my toes? I cut them last night but I don’t think cutting/painting is going to continue to be manageable a whole lot longer. I will NOT ask my husband to take on this task and I do not want to go inside a salon due to covid. 🤷🏻‍♀️

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Definitely teleport. I think being able to read minds would just be irritating.

szwill86

manditchka24 said:

Questions: STM & STM+ moms....how am I supposed to keep doing my toes? I cut them last night but I don’t think cutting/painting is going to continue to be manageable a whole lot longer. I will NOT ask my husband to take on this task and I do not want to go inside a salon due to covid. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Don’t know how flexible you are, but I found that frogging my leg out to the side around my belly to put my foot on the coffee table was the only way to reach my toes. And the foam toe separators helped while painting my toes in this position so I didn’t have to twist my foot to reach my pinkie toe!

birdiejo

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 19 weeks 1 day

FTM/STM/STM+: stm+

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: hot dog maybe? 

Upcoming appointments: sep 28 ultrasound 

How are you feeling?: pretty good 

Rants/Raves:

Questions:

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Teleport 100% id never want to be able to read minds I don’t think! 

hannahbananas11

@manditchka24 I do what @szwill86 suggested. I helps to be sitting on the floor. And maybe just forego painting your toenails until after the baby is here so you only have to deal with clipping them and not anything more? Unless you live in a warm place and will be wearing open toed shoes through the fall/winter months, they’ll be covered anyway. That’s also how I got away with not shaving my legs during late pregnancy for my Feb. ‘19 son. 😆

jumpy57

@szwill86 yeah it doesn't feel like half way done! I'm pretty happy that Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas will be decent distractions.

I think second tri is typically just "great" in comparison to the other two 😂 I'm not feeling barfy and I can still tie my shoes and if that's the bar I'm setting, it's pretty low

babyturtle22

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 19 +5

FTM/STM/STM+: FTM

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: Mango

Upcoming appointments: midwife appt tomorrow! 

How are you feeling?: pretty good overall, mostly just fatigued and round ligament pain intermittently

Rants/Raves: Having a hard time finding a place to live in our new city. Many people are displaced due to the fires so rentals are hard to come by. I hope soon we can get settled somewhere so I can start nesting and getting ready for the baby! 

Questions: none 

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds?
Teleport for sure, I love traveling but hate long plane rides 

jumpy57

Didn't see an appointments thread so I thought I would just update here. I had my virtual OB appointment today. Doctor asked how I was doing and if I could feel the baby move at least once a day. I have a little bit of sinus pressure so she said and nasal spray, benedryl, claritin, or zyrtec wild be fine to use. I did one day of nasal spray and have been much better since.

Thoughts: virtual is fine if you have no concerns and isn't an appointment they need to do testing at (glucose). I wouldn't do them regularly but it's a nice option to have.

manditchka24

@hannahbananas11 and @szwill86 thank you for the suggestions! I usually sit on the sofa and prop my feet on the coffee table, but the frog position makes it too hard to reach my pinkie toe! However it has since occurred to me that I can sit in a chair and reach to the floor in the frog leg position and it’s much easier so I’ll try that!

I COULD forgo painting them.....but I’d be irritated with them all winter. No one sees them but me during yoga, so you have a valid point lol! The leg hair can grow, doesn’t bother me a bit, but the toes must be painted!

PinkKathryn12

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 20 and a half weeks, ish

FTM/STM/STM+: STM

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: a large banana

Upcoming appointments: I have to call my glucose numbers in on tuesday, then a follow up ultrasound in 2.5 weeks because baby wouldn't cooperate to get a good view of the spine

How are you feeling?: Honestly, tired. I don't feel sick anymore I am just always tired. My house is never clean. I come home from work, feed the toddler, play outside, bath bed and then i just sit on the couch for like an hour and then I'm ready for bed. 

Rants/Raves: I AM SOOO ANNOYED AT MY GLUCOSE LEVELS. 

Questions: No questions really. Oh I guess, has anyone been put on medication for Gestational diabetes?

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Teleport for sure. I wish I could visit family or friends who live an inconvenient distance. It would be so nice. 

PinkKathryn12

As far as second tri goes, I'm dreading all the issues I had third trimester including carpal tunnel. UGH THAT WAS MISERABLE. I feel way better than morning sickness me, but I am honestly still so worn out this go around. I don't know if it's like working 11 hour days, and having a toddler who is exploring his independence more, but oh my. 

babyturtle22

Have a question regarding appointments and figured I'd ask it here.. 
Does anyone else's provider office use a scribe (or recorder, someone to document/chart so the provider doesn't have to after) during visits? 
I just moved and found a new midwife office, it's basically my only option because the group in the next town over isn't accepting any more patients due in Feb and there's only the one group in town. I ask because it makes it feel less personable and not as comfortable asking questions. I know I'm likely making it a bigger deal than it should be but its just somewhat uncomfortable sitting there talking to the midwife when someone is standing next to me typing away the entire time writing down everything we are saying. 
Anyone have similar experience and want to tell me I should just get over it? 🙃

travandas

Estimated Due Date/Weeks + Days: Feb. 2nd /17+3 

FTM/STM/STM+: Fourth

Team Green/Pink/Blue/Finding Out: Identical Twin Girls!!!

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: Babies are the size of pomegranates

Upcoming appointments: MFM Ultrasound Sept 29th (my birthday!)

How are you feeling?: Nauseous 24/7, back pain, my hips are going numb at night...which is really painful.

Rants/Raves: Taking my Mom (postpartum R.N.) to my next ultrasound appointment so she can see the girls! Date night with friends next Saturday!  It's been at least a year or two since my husband and I went out on a date.

Questions:
GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Definitely teleport!

hannahbananas11

@babyturtle22 I've not had that (though I did have a male obgyn for DS, and he always had his PA in the room, and it was totally fine and was a very positive pregnancy/birth experience). But I can give a little insight from the other side. My H is a physician (oncologist, not ob). He spends a huge amount of time typing up notes every day, to the point that sometimes it takes away time from talking to patients. He blocks off 1 hour per patient visit, and that has to include typing up the notes (if he doesn't type them up immediately after the patient visit, he might forget key details or get patients mixed up in his head). So rather than spending a full hour with each patient, he has to limit the time he spends in the room with them to 30 minutes or so, just in order to have time to write up the notes before the next patient arrives for the next appointment block. If he had a scribe like that (it's too expensive for a small clinic like his to justify), he'd spend the full hour with the patient if they needed it. I honestly think you'll receive more care (more time with the ob, ob feeling less rushed) than if the ob did all of the notes themselves. Plus, physicians always will review the notes, so I wouldn't be too concerned about the scribe typing in something wrong. They're trained in that specific task, and they usual write down verbatim what the ob is saying, or check with the ob after the appointment to make sure they got it all correct if they didn't catch something the ob said.

manditchka24

@babyturtle22 I second Hannahbananas. I have not had an OB who does that but I’ve worked with other physicians who do and I am a healthcare provider myself. It can be difficult to fully listen to patients while also documenting at the same time (which is how we have to do things in my clinic). By not worrying about the documentarian, the physician can focus on you and listen better. And the physician does review and sign off on the notes. I agree that you probably get better care with the scribe there. Now if it really bothers you from a privacy perspective you should address it, but also know that the scribe receives and is bound by privacy laws just like the physician.

moguippy

@babyturtle22 my endocrinologist types in her computer during our visit and I can never tell if she’s actually paying attention to what I’m currently saying or making a note of something I said 30seconds ago. I would probably prefer the scribe although I’ve never had a dr that uses one so I don’t know for sure. Also, a lot of times med students take jobs as scribes bc it is a great learning experience. So maybe think of it as helping the next generation of healthcare professionals? 

babyturtle22

@hannahbananas11 and @manditchka24 totally get what you're saying in that I'll probably end up receiving more focused attention and longer appointments than if they had to go type up notes after, that makes total sense. I guess it just threw me off because I've never had that in any appointment before and have only seen scribes in the ER where docs are super busy bouncing from one patient to the next and dealing with emergent issues. So I just felt like it somewhat took away from having that one on one relationship with the midwife. Also maybe I just wasn't feeling as comfortable with this midwife as I did with the others I saw before I moved and the practice in general. But I'll try to be open minded with it and not think about it next time. Thanks! 

@moguippy I've definitely had that situation before too where the provider is starting at the computer screen typing away and I'm thinking "are they even listening to me??" But understand they  need to chart too. So I guess I'll try to look at this as a positive! 

hannahbananas11

@babyturtle22 if the midwife had poor bedside manner or didn’t make you feel comfortable, then I’d maybe give her one more chance just in case it was a fluke the first time. If it’s still making you uncomfortable, though, then I’d try to switch to another mw (assuming there are multiple mws in that practice). I have less leniency for bad bedside manner if they have assistance in the room and don’t need to divide their attention between the computer and the patient. That sounds like just a crappy midwife who would probably be a dud regardless of whether it was just her and a patient, or her and an assistant and a patient in the room.

earlgrey_honey

How far along are you? (Weeks + Days): 17 weeks +7

FTM/STM/STM+: FTM 

Interesting Baby Fact/Baby is the size of: Pomegranate sizd

Upcoming appointments: Appointment Monday 9/28

How are you feeling?: Like a member of the Apple Dumpling gang.

Rants/Raves: 
- I have the hiccups all the time. Like 20-30 random hiccups a day.
- Started Red Raspberry leaf tea once a day
- Started eating 3 dates once a day
- GettinG paranoid about gestational diabetes
- Still no cravings. Im eating 3 meals a day. To be honest I'm.barely finishing all my meals.

- Also pregnancy related carpal tunnel is real. Strange but real.

Questions:
How is everyone? I feel like I've only been dropping in once a week. Is anyone reading any good pregnancy related blogs?

GTKY: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds? Teleport. Hands down. 

szwill86

@earlgrey_honey I did RRL and 6 dates a day (in smoothies and stuffed with cream cheese bc I was so sick of them by the end), but in the last 4 wks of my pregnancy. Hope they have all the desired outcomes for you that I did not experience! 😆

WildMagelet

@PinkKathryn12 - No meds as of yet, but I do have the GD dx, so several of co-workers have talked with me about their experiences (mostly with insulin). Are they talking about putting you on meds? 

earlgrey_honey

Oh wow. Did everything work out?

I figure non toxic old wives takes can't hurt.
I just started drinking the rrl tea with honey and true lemon. It isn't so bad. The dates took a few days to get used to but I'm feeling ambivalent about the taste and texture now. At first it definitely was a struggle.

jumpy57

I think Lara Bars are made with dates and are actually delicious 😂

hannahbananas11

@jumpy57 yes they are! I like the apple pie and lemon pie flavors.

birdiejo

I just throw mine in a smoothie! I’ll do them starting at 36 weeks. Never tried it with my previous two. 

babymamadimo

Okay I feel really behind here. What do the dates and tea help with? Constipation?

hannahbananas11

@babymamadimo they might help jumpstart contractions and labor. Jury’s out on whether it actually helps. My ob with DS was skeptical, but advised not doing the tea until I was near term, since teas and supplements are not regulated in the US and one that claims to start contractions might not be good earlier in pregnancy. I didn’t do the tea ever but around 37 weeks I did start to eat dates...and eggplant and had sex and walked a lot to start labor... but labor still started on its own terms. LOL