Questions week of 9/27

mrosek91

ec1212

Are are those big workout / medicine balls I see women sitting on later in pregnancy really helpful? What are they good for? 

mkc3888

WWYD:
I'm thinking about changing my OBGYN.  My OBGYN is fine but I hate his nurse.  I hated her last pregnancy too.  They open at 8 but twice already they didn't roll over the phone until after 8:30.  I called to see about getting my flu shot there because my PCP couldn't give it to me because she didn't have the preservative free flu shot.  She told me to get it from my OB.  So I called my OB's office and they said they don't give flu shots.  So I explained the above and they had the nurse call me who said the same thing and told me to get it at the pharmacy after 12 weeks.  I then told her my insurance only covers it if I get it in office.  Not until then did she say I could get it there and asked me to remind them to order the flu shot when I get closer to 12 weeks.  I'm already frustrated. I also asked her about being referred to MFM since my PCP said a high risk dr would manage my diabetes now, and the nurse told me no that they would manage it.  Then when I told her I spoke to the dr about it pre conception and he said he'd refer me, she said to wait until my first visit.  I'm already so frustrated

texas_t

@mkc3888 Wow, I'm so annoyed for you. How much do you like your OB? Will there be a ton of love loss there? Office staff is pretty big bc you spend so much time with them during your pregnancy, so unless you feel your OB is just above and beyond, then I'd definitely consider moving.  It's business and you should like what you're paying for.

SkilledSailor

ec1212 said:

Are are those big workout / medicine balls I see women sitting on later in pregnancy really helpful? What are they good for? 

The last couple of weeks of pregnancy it helped my hips a lot. If you have the space, I recommend one if your hips start hurting. 

SkilledSailor

texas_t said:

@mkc3888 Wow, I'm so annoyed for you. How much do you like your OB? Will there be a ton of love loss there? Office staff is pretty big bc you spend so much time with them during your pregnancy, so unless you feel your OB is just above and beyond, then I'd definitely consider moving.  It's business and you should like what you're paying for.

Ditto this. It seems like the first visit is a good time to try another doctor or two out. Why not if you have the time? 

mkc3888

I have no complaints about my ob. I complained to him my last pregnancy about his staff. They cause me so much grief. He on the other hand is so kind and gentle. I feel very comfortable with him and trust his skills. If I switched I would move to another group practice that I know he was rotating call with in the past for my last pregnancy. I’ve only heard good things about all 3 doctors there. 

texas_t

@mkc3888 Did you have a vaginal birth last time? Any complications?

mkc3888

@texas_t I had an urgent c section. I had gestational diabetes last time and was followed by mfm, per my request. My amniotic fluid was too low and I delivered at 35+5

texas_t

@mkc3888 merp. well that makes it a bit more of a difficult decision! How much of the decision making was your OB vs your mfm? What does your gut tell you? 

mkc3888

@texas_t My MFM found I had low fluid 1 week before delivery.  On my next appointment 1 week later, It was lower and he had me go to the hospital the next day first thing in the morning to do another bpp.  He told me if it was lower I'd deliver that day.  It was lower and my OB delivered that day.

queen_frostine

@ec1212
I didn't use it so much during my pregnancy but I definitely bounced the baby on it afterward!

texas_t

ec1212

@mkc3888 Life's too short to deal with bulls&*^. If having to deal with the office staff is a constant source of stress and anxiety during an already stressful time in life and also during the MOST STRESSFUL YEAR EVER then eff it. Especially if your OB is affiliated with this other office.

*Caveat I have not gone through this whole process before so obvi not an expert on OB office politics but I am an advocate for my own health and believe it should be a positive and supportive experience all the time. Every time.

The reason I was with a GYN lab and not an OB during a surprise pregnancy last year was because I was researching new OB/GYNs since mine for the past decade+ was not supportive of me when I had asked about freezing my eggs at 33 years old and asked at every annual exam "where the guy was." (I was 40 this time last year and I'm now 41 about to turn 42). I wanted to be with a more progressive and supportive OB as I was prepping to actually start having kids. I'm very happy to now be with a practice that doesn't blink an eye with AMA patients. Go with your gut.

marafox

@ec1212 I used it at the recommendation of my doula. She said it can help strengthen my pelvic floor especially post delivery. She also taught me exercises to help with labor pains because I planned to labor at home during most of my first birth, and I did! Anyways to answer your question they aren’t totally necessary. But if you think you will be opting out of an epidural I’d get one to help you with pain management during labor. 

mrosek91

@ec1212 I have one of those balls, and it's great later in pregnancy. When I was having bad back pain in third tri I would get down on my knees, and then put my head/chest on the ball and let my bump hang down. It felt great, bonus points when my DH was around and applied pressure, but it felt good even without that.
I also know some woman like to use it during labor (which is why I bought it), but I did not end up doing so

ec1212

Thanks for all the input, ladies!! I’ve always wondered about the ball. I’m all about anything that helps with joint / pelvic support so it sounds interesting . 

And @texas_t that GIF made me cackle out loud. 🤣

mimser

Can you hear the heartbeat at a 7 week ultrasound? Or only see it? I will be 7w2d at my scan tomorrow, last time I was 8 weeks (measuring +3d ) and I was able to hear it.

klj0228

@mimser I heard it with my first and was 6wks 5 days. There is a chance you will be able to hear it! 

ec1212

@mimser I think it's different for everyone but I got to hear it last week when I was 6+4

texas_t

Any moms in her with previous abdominal surgeries having any issues with adhesions.  I'm having some pain near my groin/lower right abdomen and I'm thinking it's from one of my previous c-section scars.  Sometimes its sharp pain and sometimes it's dull and achy.  I had my ultrasound already, so I know it's not an ectopic pregnancy and they didn't see any cysts in my ovaries, so it's either this or round ligament pain, I guess? 

mkc3888

@texas_t I’ve heard of adhesions before but not noticed anything that I would think would be it. I’ve notice rlp already though. It was more to the right than my c section scar. 

ckmb_1250

This may be early, but has anyone thought about how you’re handling holidays? We don’t have family nearby and have only seen them a couple of times, outdoors, distanced since last Christmas 😩 trying to think about the safest way to plan something, if anything, now that we have a pregnancy thrown into the mix. 

mkc3888

@ckmb_1250 I won’t make any solid decisions until closer but I won’t be going to my in laws for Christmas if she invites her son who is a paramedic because of the risk. My mom and sister already watch my daughter and we see them often so we might have them over for Christmas. I see my in laws sometimes if they aren’t sick. So we’ll see how that goes. 

SkilledSailor

@ckmb_1250 Oof that's a tough one. For us personally, we see my ILs every week and are really more risk to them than vice versa. My parents and brother live in towns with less infection rate than our county so I know my parents are comfortable coming here based on the precautions we take and probably my brother as well. My sister is basically holed up in her apartment alone and is unlikely to come which is sad but I understand.

All that to say, my H and I both work outside of the house and DS goes to DC so while we're taking precautions and aren't in healthcare we have the highest exposure. I'm very grateful my parents are willing to come to us still. 

spartan4life

@ckmb_1250 My ILs live close and we see them quite often so we will do Thanksgiving with them. My family lives all over the country so we have decided we will all go to my sisters siste in North Carolina for Christmas. We will drive, but I'm still super nervous. I trust my sister and her family to be as safe as possible, but I don't really trust my parents. They aren't really taking the pandemic seriously.

sienna221

Hi all! Has anyone’s OB suggested they take a lot of DHA? Had my first appointment yesterday and my OB said she’d like me to be taking 500mg of DHA daily. I’m currently taking Ritual prenatals which only have 350mg in the 2 capsule you take. So I ordered the Thorne Omega Plus (DHA) supplement to take as well to get to the 500mg. I didn’t know what was normal so I didn’t ask questions to my OB but now I see from googling (I know, bad!) that most are suggested to take 200-300mg while pregnant. Just curious if anyone else has increased their DHA. Thanks! 

ckmb_1250

@spartan4life do you know if you’ll stay overnight with your fam in NC or do a hotel? So far when my dad has visited, we’ve had him get a hotel, which I know isn’t the best for him at 72, but he works outside of the home driving in public transit, goes to grocery stores & restaurants, and sees friends since he’s single. My husband and myself are at home on a daily basis so the differing exposure is what gets me. 

mimser

@sienna221 I don't have an answer but I will ask my new OB about DHA at my appointment on Tuesday because my GP didn't think it was necessary so I've never supplemented. We do eat fish or seafood 2-4 meals per week.

ec1212

@sienna221 my OB asked that I take it but didn’t recommend an amount. I was eating 3 servings of seafood a week before I got pregnant but haven’t been able to stomach much since week 5 so I’m happy I added it. 

Here’s the one I’m taking now. 

spartan4life

@ckmb_1250 My sister reserved an air BNB. We will probably stay there if my dad and brother come, but if they don't then we will stay with my sister. 

mkc3888

What are your favorite pregnancy apps? 

mimser

@mkc3888 I've only ever used The Bump, but I like it.

sienna221

@mkc3888 I’ve also like Pregnancy +. I like the information it gives each week of pregnancy. I don’t use any of the other features...but you can put appointments, notes, weight, pics in as well to kind of track your pregnancy from week to week. 

queen_frostine

@mkc3888
ovia pregnancy - but I have like seven different ones installed

mkc3888

@queen_frostine I have Ovia too. I was looking at others and apparently last time I downloaded a bunch because many are stored in the cloud. 

@sienna221 I think I’m gonna download that one. I don’t know that I’ve used that one before 

littlelibelula

@mkc3888 I have ovia too, but only because of the animal comparisons by week. I hate comparing my baby to vegetables. I want to compare it to something with a heartbeat. 

I also have flo and put it in baby mode. 

But I like thebump best. 

asf0613

i use them all because my mom likes daily size updates.  so i take all the week 7 comparisons and send them one at a time over the week, ha!

the bump, WTE, pregnancy+, Ovia, sprout, and babycenter.

texas_t

@asf0613 Awww, that's so cute!

kiki047

@mkc3888 I use Ovia, WTE, and Sprout, which is super duper creepy because it gives you like a 3D image of fetal development. It's kinda cool, but also kinda creepy   Pretty sure it's going to want me to subscribe to some of the premium features though, which I'm not interested in so we'll see how much I use it. Ovia is my favourite so far but I like the size comparisons from What To Expect. 

@ckmb_1250 that's a tough one. We're in Canada, so slightly different story, but with case #s on the rise again we're not even doing socially-distanced visits for Canadian Thanksgiving, which is this upcoming weekend. We had originally planned on announcing the pregnancy to our families this weekend too but with a couple complications this week we want to wait until after at least our first ultrasound next week. That and the fact that I've somehow contracted pink eye (twice) and now a cold at only 6w5d even when we're ultra careful, we wear masks whenever we leave the house and have a strict santizing protocol, our bubble just got very small to protect me and the baby.   it's sad, but hopefully temporary. 

ckmb_1250

 @kiki047 I saw your other post, I hope you get your test back quickly! Also, man, for so many reasons I wish I lived in Canada right now!