@grilledcheeezin, the OB I saw during my glucose test (a man) asked which drink flavor I chose, orange or fruit punch. I said I picked orange and he went "oh bummer, I thought the fruit punch was so much better! It tastes like Kool-Aid!" And I laughed but then I was like, wait, why are you drinking the glucose test drink? Because I doubt he was being tested for gestational diabetes. I pictured them all sitting around drinking shots of it just for funsies.
I saw the MFM for the first time yesterday for my SUA and she said everything looks great 👍🏼 so I’ll just have once a month US with her in addition to my regular appointments. But she confirmed there’s really no way around that there was supposedly GBS (and cannabinoids?!) in my Urine at the last appointment and I’ll have to have the IV antibiotics during labor. I’m so beyond annoyed at this because I am literally 100 percent positive they switched my sample with the other persons sample that was in the cubby already when I put mine in because I’ve NEVER touched any cannabinoids in my life let alone recently and never had any symptoms or indication of GBS. So my entire birth is now going to be different because of one stupid pee cup.
@theblondebump sorry you didn't pass the test but I agree on how great your attitude is - that will make it easier to monitor and stay on top of it! I am envious you get so many appointments- my last one was 28 weeks, I have a virtual at 32 and then nothing until 34.. it's been 6-8 weeks between seeing my doctor and I'm getting over it.
I had an appointment with the anesthesiologist last week. My OBs thought it was a good idea for me to meet with him since I've had prior back issues before pregnancy and just to make sure everything would be all good for an epidural. I'm glad I spoke with him because he was super confident that there would be zero issue with me getting an epidural which put me at ease. He warned me though to expect 6-8 weeks of exacerbated back pain following giving birth, due to all of the pressure on my low back during labor and delivery and herniated discs in my lumbar spine. Glad I know about that now, gives me a little bit better of an idea of what my recovery will be like so I'm not shocked when I'm experience a ton of low back pain.
I also had a virtual appointment with a diabetes specialist last week and a virtual appointment with a nutritionist today for the GD. I can't say they were SUPER helpful (I do not need to see visual comparisons of protein to household objects to know how much protein to eat, thank you) but there were helpful bits and pieces for sure. I won't bore you with all the GD details since it seems like no one else has it this time around, but happy to chat further about it if anyone ends up getting diagnosed!
Appointment with my regular OB tomorrow - looking forward to chatting with her about the vaccine.
@grilledcheeezin strange that your doc told you to stop taking DHA. Did they say why? I take nordic naturals cod liver oil and Barlean's omega-3 lemon oil in addition to my prenatal. Don't have any issues with anemia so far, I will get checked again for anemia in 5 weeks.
When do you / did you have your appointment? Today I had my 27/28 week apt.
How was your appointment? Really nice, my glucose test and rhogam shot were scheduled and I asked them in the beginning of the apt if I could start the glucose test and get everything else done while I wait so I am not missing too much work. MD pricked my finger and read my blood sugar levels, I drank the glucose (lime flavor is tolerable), MD checked babe, gave me my rhogam and then let me go grocery shopping for the remainder of the hour. Got back for a quick blood sugar level reading and I passed. I must say all that sugar made me feel like I was on drugs in the grocery store lol.
What'd they do? All the stuff above. They stopped doing urine tests. Since my MD is more holistic and the clinic is more laid back and small, they don't do regular drug tests (unless you already failed the initial one). My next apt. is in 5 weeks (32 week apt.) and they will see if baby has started to descend.
Had an appointment with my OB today, we chatted a lot about the vaccine and she said formally, it's still a personal decision and they defer to us, the patients, about what our risk level is for covid and if we want to get the vaccine. But she feels strongly that there really isn't a risk of serious effects to getting the vaccine, either for me or the baby. There is an OB in my practice that just delivered her own baby last week and she got the vaccine 2 weeks prior to giving birth. Given that PA has moved pregnant women to 1A priority, I think I actually will end up getting the vaccine if it becomes available to me.
Other than that, today's appointment was routine - baby's heartbeat was in the 150s and good, blood pressure was good, and that's really about it!
Whelp, I am temporarily in Team Green. I had my 28w appt today, and everything is fine. But....
When they pulled up the results of my Anatomy Scan, it showed fetal sex as MALE. My NIPT showed fetal sex as FEMALE. I'm lost because we couldn't even look at the sex. Baby was breech.
We think, based on measurements, they uploaded the wrong Anatomy scan results. But, there's no way to know until my next scan. Which led to problem 2. The MFM still hasn't called to start my growth scans and BPPs. So, I called them. They were like, we weren't aware you were high risk!
So, the 43yo, with Chronic Hypertension and GD isn't high risk? Oh, no Mom. We need you to come in ASAP. So, my Growth scans and BPPs are now on track. And hopefully, with one of those will take us out of Team Green territory.
@aisukurimsarang I am scared of this happening! every time I have to get another scan, I ask the tech “is it still a girl?” Lol. How did they not know you’re high risk?? Someone screwed up lol do you still feel comfortable seeing them after that??
@theblondebump, the rules of pregnancy are girls can turn into boys. Boys don't turn into girls. If there wasn't enough Y chromosome in the sample, it would show as a girl. It's RARE, but it does happen.
@Serenamarr, no. I'm not comfortable with this MFM at all. But, I trust my OB. And I'll schedule my OB appointments on the same day as the MFM when they go weekly.
We also decided to book an ultrasound session with Stork Vision this weekend. We went to one when we lived in San Antonio with DS2, but it closed down, and then we moved. With all the COVID-19 restrictions, SO hasn't seen the baby yet. So, we've been looking at it for a while, but we're hesitant because we have to drive 2.5 hours to Katy to get one. After today, tho... We're doing it.
@aisukurimsarang that's crazy!! I had a friend (who I threw a BOY baby shower for) go from having a boy to delivering a girl haha. But she was only relying on sono I believe. Still, it was an insane shock!
I had my 28 week appt yesterday! All looked good. It's boggling my mind a bit that now appointments switch to bi-weekly.
@aisukurimsarang Just crazy! The gender mix up and the fact they didn’t keep track of you being high risk! Good luck and FX you get out of team green like you want soon! Those ultrasound places are so fun! It’s been the only way my hubby and kiddos have seen the baby ‘live’ too this time with Covid.
When do you / did you have your appointment? Yesterday (:
How was your appointment? It went good, I love my ob and his staff! They’re so accommodating and caring. I actually had to cancel my appt Monday for the Rhogam shot because it snowed so bad here and they closed the freeway getting out of town. Then yesterday it was supposed to start raining and turn to more ice in the afternoon so they let me come in before my appt to get the shot and my check up. They made sure baby and I got that shot! Lol
What'd they do? Rhogam shot, ultrasound, urine and then the usual chit chat part of the exam. I opted for the shot in my hip (cuz I hate achy arms) and I bled like a stuck hog! The MA was slightly alarmed. I told her I’m usually a bleeder and pregnancy is just making it worse, then she asked if I hemorrhage during labor. So..I’ve been googling that correlation all night otherwise, baby looked great! Head down already (which I thought was early?), told to drink lots of water, and appts starting every other week now.
Feel free to ask any questions - either leading up to your appointment about what to expect or after your appointment. Probably shouldn’t put much thought into the bleeding/hemorrhaging comment when I got my shot but, of course, I have and google wasn’t the best move. Anyone have any thoughts/experience or input? I don’t know why, but I’ve been super nervous this time around about delivery, not so much the pregnancy. I’ve told myself to chill so many times and try to put it out of thought but now I’m a mile a minute!
@bluey101321 Hemorrhaging has always been my biggest fear in birth since I am a bleeder too, and my mom hemorrhaged slightly with me (granted she had 2 c-sections before me and they put her on Pitocin/suction cupped me). I didn't hemorrhage for my first but ended up taking like 2 months rather than 1 month to finish bleeding post partum. I spoke with my MD about it for this pregnancy and she told me that if I never needed a blood transfusion with my first birth than I will most likely be fine for this birth. I would take what the medical assistant says with a grain of salt. You are pumping way more blood than usual (especially in the hip region) so I think it's normal to bleed a lot for pokes/cuts/nose bleeds etc. I also think it's extremely alarmist and irresponsible for a MA to suggest that you will hemorrhage. I would mention what they said to your MD.
I had an MFM appt + ultrasound on Tuesday. Gosh they get the best photos! We got a really good 3D one of his little face and I got all teary thinking about meeting him. He was also measuring 95th percentile. Which at 37 weeks I know I won't be having a 10 pounder but I'm worried the due date is wrong and 37 is really 39, which with cholestasis wouldn't be the best idea. The doc said we'll reevaluate at my next scan in 6 weeks. We also discussed the covid vaccine (and I also talked to my kids pediatrician). The pediatrician 100% recommended it where the MFM was more "I can't give you an opinion but here are the facts". I am leaning towards getting it if I can and signed up for a few wait lists for it. I think it would take a lot of mental stress off of me. @theblondebump seems like your doc gave similar advice... have you attempted to get a vaccine appt anywhere yet?
@runsoncoffee I’m leaning towards getting it if I can, but I haven’t actually made an effort towards getting it yet lol. I can get on a list at my hospital, but the way you get on the list is through their electronic “mychart” system and I refuse to sign up for it because it has all of your medical records and I’m really paranoid about accidentally seeing something that says the sex of the baby, haha. So just generally not signing up for mychart until after the baby is born (I know I’m ridiculous).
My mom is at the age where she is eligible and she called the city a few days ago to get an appointment and they told her end of February, so I’m not holding my breath that it’ll be any time soon 🤷🏼♀️
@aguamala I asked and they said sometimes Dha can lower the blood platelets and if they want to not have them go any lower? I didn’t do much research on it but I did switch up the prenatal and get my blood tested in two weeks so we will see if it had an effect! @aisukurimsarang keep us updated on your team green situation!!!
When do you / did you have your appointment? Mine was yesterday- 30wk check-up
How was your appointment? Really well. I have been anxious since having those contractions last week, but everything checks out well. Baby (I guess, more-so fundal height) is measuring right on track which is favorable since we're keeping an eye on growth since DS was quite large and his size caused issues for us both during delivery and after.
What'd they do? When I called the OB the day after those contractions they mentioned they might want to do a cervical check just to be sure, but after talking with the OB in person she felt confident that it was just false labor for various reasons and there was no need to check unless I needed the peace of mind. I definitely declined haha. We discussed delaying a growth scan from 34wk to 36wk since so far measurements have been as expected, so we'll wait until 36wk to check in and have more serious talks about induction vs going into labor naturally, how long past due we'd wait, etc.
Feel free to ask any questions - either leading up to your appointment about what to expect or after your appointment.
@aguamala Thank you, that’s reassuring and nice to know I’m not the only one with that fear. I didn’t need a blood transfusion with either of mine before either. I think it’s just all the hormones and when looking at the injection site that evening, she stuck it right in a vein! Hard to miss considering they’re all huge and blue but maybe she didn’t see it when she pinched my skin to start🤷♀️ I really like and trust my OB, so I’m going to try and not worry about that and put faith in him that he’ll know what to do if so.
Had our first in person meeting this week with our doula - it went well, she was explaining a lot of things I could be doing now to help try to ensure the baby will be in an ideal position for delivery. This hits close to home since a friend of mine who is currently 36 weeks found out yesterday her baby is breech and she's stressed out, really not wanting a C section and hoping the baby will move.
Other than that, just good to get face time with the doula and get to know her since she is basically a stranger and will be there for the most intimate and personal experience of my life, haha.
@kadeephd I don’t mind at all! She said that a great resource is to look at spinningbabies.com because you can watch videos of women doing these different activities or exercises in case it’s not clear how to perform them from her instructions but the activities are:
1. walk every day - lengthens psoas muscles, provides lower back strength while moving the pelvis
2. forward-leaning inversion - allows for baby’s head to fit more easily during labor, untwisted ligaments supporting the lower uterine segment and cervix
(how to do a forward leaning inversion- kneel on the edge of a couch, lower yourself to your hands on the floor and then lower yourself to yourself forearms. Elbows out, hands close. Let your head hang freely, chin tucked. Take 3 breaths then come back up on your hands then back up to kneeling position. It is the coming back up to kneeling that makes this technique works. See video on spinning babies.com to watch how to do it)
3. maternal positioning (how to sit): - knees lower than the level of our hips - belly lower than your hips - let your belly be a hammock for the baby - sit on a kitchen chair backwards - keep an upright back by sitting on the front of your sitz bones, not back on your sacrum.
4. stretches - TMJ release, neck rolls, open your shoulders
5. psoas release - a tight psoas muscle pair keeps baby high. Lie on your back with your feet on a chair so your calves are at a 90 degree angle to your thighs. Thighs are straight up and down and calves are horizontal. After 5 mins, roll to your side and get up slowly. Do this 5 mins daily and eventually the space between your lower back and the floor will disappear on its own. This helps when: you have constipation, a previous long labor, a first time mother, you do desk work or lots of sitting.
6. Rest smart - (also positions for labor) - think of belly as a hammock and let the baby lie w/ his back settling into hammock. Pillows hold your weight off the baby. Use a breastfeeding pillow or curve a body pillow to let your belly “nest”. Don’t lean back, at least not for long, when laying on your side. It can cause muscle cramps. Change sides frequently when laying on sides to help the uterus be symmetrical. One hip should be directly over the other, like a right angle.
She also recommended to start using probiotics or kefir two weeks prior to the GBS test and to use apple cider vinegar in a peri bottle prior to the test. (I’m allergic to antibiotics so very paranoid about what will happen if I were to test positive)
We are definitively TEAM PINK!! Baby GIRL was in a such weird position that he feet were up on her head, her legs covered her face, and she gave us a perfect look at her girly bits! SO was so happy to finally see her!
@aisukurimsarang I actually LOLed at you describing her position in the scan. My mom has told me many times over how I was always in that same position. There’s even pictures of me right after being pulled out (CS baby) and that’s the position I was in. Like a little ball. And for the first couple months, if I wasn’t swaddled then I would curl my feet right up around my head again 🤣🤣🤣
@theblondebump it is definitely good to start getting to know her! I’m not sure if yours is open to this but my doula has me text her after appointments and stuff to keep her updated and I like having an ongoing dialogue with her! Definitely helps make it feel like they’re part of the process the whole way!
Re: January Appointments Thread
@grilledcheeezin, the OB I saw during my glucose test (a man) asked which drink flavor I chose, orange or fruit punch. I said I picked orange and he went "oh bummer, I thought the fruit punch was so much better! It tastes like Kool-Aid!" And I laughed but then I was like, wait, why are you drinking the glucose test drink? Because I doubt he was being tested for gestational diabetes. I pictured them all sitting around drinking shots of it just for funsies.
I also had a virtual appointment with a diabetes specialist last week and a virtual appointment with a nutritionist today for the GD. I can't say they were SUPER helpful (I do not need to see visual comparisons of protein to household objects to know how much protein to eat, thank you) but there were helpful bits and pieces for sure. I won't bore you with all the GD details since it seems like no one else has it this time around, but happy to chat further about it if anyone ends up getting diagnosed!
When do you / did you have your appointment? Today I had my 27/28 week apt.
How was your appointment? Really nice, my glucose test and rhogam shot were scheduled and I asked them in the beginning of the apt if I could start the glucose test and get everything else done while I wait so I am not missing too much work. MD pricked my finger and read my blood sugar levels, I drank the glucose (lime flavor is tolerable), MD checked babe, gave me my rhogam and then let me go grocery shopping for the remainder of the hour. Got back for a quick blood sugar level reading and I passed. I must say all that sugar made me feel like I was on drugs in the grocery store lol.
What'd they do? All the stuff above. They stopped doing urine tests. Since my MD is more holistic and the clinic is more laid back and small, they don't do regular drug tests (unless you already failed the initial one). My next apt. is in 5 weeks (32 week apt.) and they will see if baby has started to descend.
Other than that, today's appointment was routine - baby's heartbeat was in the 150s and good, blood pressure was good, and that's really about it!
When they pulled up the results of my Anatomy Scan, it showed fetal sex as MALE. My NIPT showed fetal sex as FEMALE. I'm lost because we couldn't even look at the sex. Baby was breech.
We think, based on measurements, they uploaded the wrong Anatomy scan results. But, there's no way to know until my next scan. Which led to problem 2. The MFM still hasn't called to start my growth scans and BPPs. So, I called them. They were like, we weren't aware you were high risk!
So, the 43yo, with Chronic Hypertension and GD isn't high risk? Oh, no Mom. We need you to come in ASAP. So, my Growth scans and BPPs are now on track. And hopefully, with one of those will take us out of Team Green territory.
@Serenamarr, no. I'm not comfortable with this MFM at all. But, I trust my OB. And I'll schedule my OB appointments on the same day as the MFM when they go weekly.
I had my 28 week appt yesterday! All looked good. It's boggling my mind a bit that now appointments switch to bi-weekly.
When do you / did you have your appointment? Yesterday (:
How was your appointment? It went good, I love my ob and his staff! They’re so accommodating and caring. I actually had to cancel my appt Monday for the Rhogam shot because it snowed so bad here and they closed the freeway getting out of town. Then yesterday it was supposed to start raining and turn to more ice in the afternoon so they let me come in before my appt to get the shot and my check up. They made sure baby and I got that shot! Lol
What'd they do? Rhogam shot, ultrasound, urine and then the usual chit chat part of the exam. I opted for the shot in my hip (cuz I hate achy arms) and I bled like a stuck hog! The MA was slightly alarmed. I told her I’m usually a bleeder and pregnancy is just making it worse, then she asked if I hemorrhage during labor. So..I’ve been googling that correlation all night
otherwise, baby looked great! Head down already (which I thought was early?), told to drink lots of water, and appts starting every other week now.
Feel free to ask any questions - either leading up to your appointment about what to expect or after your appointment. Probably shouldn’t put much thought into the bleeding/hemorrhaging comment when I got my shot but, of course, I have and google wasn’t the best move. Anyone have any thoughts/experience or input? I don’t know why, but I’ve been super nervous this time around about delivery, not so much the pregnancy. I’ve told myself to chill so many times and try to put it out of thought but now I’m a mile a minute!
We also discussed the covid vaccine (and I also talked to my kids pediatrician). The pediatrician 100% recommended it where the MFM was more "I can't give you an opinion but here are the facts". I am leaning towards getting it if I can and signed up for a few wait lists for it. I think it would take a lot of mental stress off of me.
@theblondebump seems like your doc gave similar advice... have you attempted to get a vaccine appt anywhere yet?
When do you / did you have your appointment? Mine was yesterday- 30wk check-up
How was your appointment? Really well. I have been anxious since having those contractions last week, but everything checks out well. Baby (I guess, more-so fundal height) is measuring right on track which is favorable since we're keeping an eye on growth since DS was quite large and his size caused issues for us both during delivery and after.
What'd they do? When I called the OB the day after those contractions they mentioned they might want to do a cervical check just to be sure, but after talking with the OB in person she felt confident that it was just false labor for various reasons and there was no need to check unless I needed the peace of mind. I definitely declined haha. We discussed delaying a growth scan from 34wk to 36wk since so far measurements have been as expected, so we'll wait until 36wk to check in and have more serious talks about induction vs going into labor naturally, how long past due we'd wait, etc.
Feel free to ask any questions - either leading up to your appointment about what to expect or after your appointment.
Other than that, just good to get face time with the doula and get to know her since she is basically a stranger and will be there for the most intimate and personal experience of my life, haha.
1. walk every day - lengthens psoas muscles, provides lower back strength while moving the pelvis
2. forward-leaning inversion - allows for baby’s head to fit more easily during labor, untwisted ligaments supporting the lower uterine segment and cervix
(how to do a forward leaning inversion-
kneel on the edge of a couch, lower yourself to your hands on the floor and then lower yourself to yourself forearms. Elbows out, hands close. Let your head hang freely, chin tucked. Take 3 breaths then come back up on your hands then back up to kneeling position. It is the coming back up to kneeling that makes this technique works. See video on spinning babies.com to watch how to do it)
3. maternal positioning (how to sit):
- knees lower than the level of our hips
- belly lower than your hips
- let your belly be a hammock for the baby
- sit on a kitchen chair backwards
- keep an upright back by sitting on the front of your sitz bones, not back on your sacrum.
4. stretches - TMJ release, neck rolls, open your shoulders
5. psoas release - a tight psoas muscle pair keeps baby high. Lie on your back with your feet on a chair so your calves are at a 90 degree angle to your thighs. Thighs are straight up and down and calves are horizontal. After 5 mins, roll to your side and get up slowly. Do this 5 mins daily and eventually the space between your lower back and the floor will disappear on its own. This helps when: you have constipation, a previous long labor, a first time mother, you do desk work or lots of sitting.
She also recommended to start using probiotics or kefir two weeks prior to the GBS test and to use apple cider vinegar in a peri bottle prior to the test. (I’m allergic to antibiotics so very paranoid about what will happen if I were to test positive)
These are her legs, and she's doing a peekaboo through them.
@theblondebump it is definitely good to start getting to know her! I’m not sure if yours is open to this but my doula has me text her after appointments and stuff to keep her updated and I like having an ongoing dialogue with her! Definitely helps make it feel like they’re part of the process the whole way!