All trimester check-in, Week of 1/10/2021

How far along/EDD? 30w4d, 3/17 (but being induced by 3/10 if baby does not appear by then)
How are you feeling this week? Nausea has been kinda crappy this week, and I'm also just getting tired. It seems like my stomach is able to handle less food than before as baby gets bigger.
Rants/Raves? Questions? Ah, nothing besides gestational diabetes sucks! I have to start going in twice a week for nonstress tests in a week, and trying to manage that and save PTO for FMLA sucks.
Upcoming appointments? Thankfully nothing next week!
GTKY: Do you have pets? How many and what kind? What do you love about them? We had a dog named Louie, who was originally mine. He died earlier this year, shortly before I got pregnant. We loved him soooo much and haven't been able to bring ourselves to get another one...but he was such a blessing in my life, a total sassy bastard terrier who knew when I was feeling crappy and to snuggle me. He saw me through a lot and we miss him dearly. I'm convinced he ran over to the other side to tell this little baby that we were cool pawrents and needed her in our lives

Hi friends! Been awhile! I'm frantically trying to clean out our house, as two nights a week we have birthing and childcare classes and man, it really feels like we are on the home stretch now!!! Craziness! We got to see baby girl on ultrasound last week. She was stubborn and wouldn't face us, but she's looking normal and good, and in the 40th percentile which is awesome considering the gestational diabetes so I'm very thankful for that. I've been able to manage my blood sugars pretty well even though it's a total pain in the tuckus and seriously I feel like I would die for a cake donut with sprinkles right now!!! How's everyone else doing? March is going to be busy for this board!

Bump photo in spoiler

laurelew · January 2021

How far along/EDD? 32w3d, EDD 3/4/2021
How are you feeling this week? Tired! I was surprised at how much worse the third trimester fatigue has been for me vs. the first trimester fatigue (and I took naps ever day during the first trimester!). I also suffer from the daily bookends of morning queasiness and afternoon/evening heartburn. So fun. But other than that no complaints. Other than being out of breath every time I walk up the stairs, yay pregnancy!
Rants/Raves? Questions? All of my home construction projects are complete!! The contractor returned the week of New Years Eve to tackle the shower. Stressful but I'm so happy it is all done. Now I am anxious to get the rest of the house in order, especially the nursery. Fortunately all that is left to do is to hang things on the walls and secure the furniture. Unfortunately this is outside of my scope of ability. Within one very small room, we have a cinderblock wall, a plaster wall, and a drywall wall (not that you could tell visually). My dad will be helping me since DH isn't super handy and while he could put a nail in the wall, I want to make sure that everything is super secure.
Upcoming appointments? Ultrasound tomorrow (whoot!) and an in-person OB appt on Thursday!!! I am so excited for these appointments since it has been a long time since I have seen anyone in person about this pregnancy and I am curious for a status update. DH and I are also enrolled in 3 virtual baby classes, the first was last Thursday and then we have two more later on this month. I'm honestly panicking about birth and about life with a newborn so I would rather not have to deal with any of this learning but I know it is for the best to try to become somewhat prepared.
GTKY: Do you have pets? How many and what kind? What do you love about them? No pets. I would like to have a fenced in yard before we adopt a dog so that's still a few years off. We are the go-to pet sitters for my dad's dog (a geriatric shih tzu) and my sister's dog (a mature fluffy corgi). That's enough pets for me for now.

@lucyb1954 Looking good in that bump picture, mama! I can't believe we're in the home stretch already!!

kam174 · January 2021

How far along/EDD? 6 weeks - 8/30
How are you feeling this week? Lots of tummy troubles this weekend 😕 hoping they are temporary and only impacting me and not the baby.
Rants/Raves? Questions? We’re slowly starting to tell our friends the news which is exciting! My husband and I both grew up with large groups of friends so we have a lot of people to tell, and with covid we’re obviously not seeing them all together. It’s kind of fun to tell them one-by-one though 🙂
Upcoming appointments? 7 week sono on Weds. Only 1 more appt after that and I “graduate” to a regular Obgyn 😳which of course I’m super nervous about.
GTKY: Do you have pets? How many and what kind? What do you love about them? We have 2 rescue dogs, Penny and Comet. Penny is a black lab mix, she’s my fierce protector and gentle giant. She lovessssss on all babies and kids that come through our door, and she’s so careful with them; she will be a great big sister 🥰 Comet is a pit bull mix and a true love bug / lap dog. He wants nothing more than to just “be” with us. I joke that his tail is going to just stop working one day because he wags it 24/7 😆 He’s also a huge baby and scared of literally everything - kids included - so I’m hoping he will get used to all of the noises and things that come with having a baby in the house 🤞🏻

laurad75 · January 2021

Hi! @lucyb1954 Such a cute bump!

How far along/EDD? 16+2 today/ RCS is scheduled for June 23
How are you feeling this week? I'm feeling pretty good. I'm definitely past the 1st tri symptoms but still get very tired. I did have a scare over the weekend when I fell down the stairs but I landed on my back and seem to be okay. I let my OB office know and they haven't gotten back to me so I guess they are not too concerned.
Rants/Raves? Questions? I'm freezing. I hate New England winter.
Upcoming appointments? 16 week visit with OB tomorrow. Looking forward to hearing the heartbeat to calm my nerves.
GTKY: Do you have pets? How many and what kind? What do you love about them? I have dog named Brittany - she is a total mutt and he breed is a mystery. She is 11 and the sweetest but she had anxiety issues a few years ago so she has been living with my parents ever since. They are both retired and spend a lot of time at home which keeps her calm. I see her all the time but definitely have a lot of guilt from having to re-home her even though she is much happier.

laurelew · January 2021

Well my ultrasound went well this afternoon but it was... interesting. I didn't realize how much harder it would be to see the baby in many ways now that he is bigger. A lot of the images they were like there is his face and I'm like okay, I can kind of see it but really more like if you say that's a baby I'll take your word for it.

Baby looked good. They could even see his hair, which I thought was funny and fitting considering all of this heartburn I have had. He is facing head down already. I have mixed feelings on that since I have been hoping for a c-section.

However, baby is measuring big!! He's in the 95th percentile and is about 5.5 lbs already (I'm only 32w4d). They said he is measuring 3 weeks ahead of schedule. According to the MFM doc, I could have developed late onset gestational diabetes. I had my GD test toward the end of week 28 and my results were perfectly in the middle of the scale (it wasn't even like I was normal but close to high). She also said the baby might have just hit a growth spurt and it will taper off. Or he could just be a very large baby (which ironically would be a reason for a c-section after all). She said if she were in my shoes, she would get another GD test but it's up to me.

I have an in-person OB appt on Thursday morning so I think I am going to hold off on doing anything and talk to my OB then to see what she recommends. I'm not opposed to doing another GD test if necessary but I think I'd rather just talk it over with someone who knows my whole story. I feel like this also explains why I haven't felt any big kicks or punches from baby. Poor little thing is probably cramped in there! Especially since I don't look huge and I'm in the normal range for the amount of weight I have put on. I also thought it was funny that they kept asking me how tall I am (5'5") and then making comments to themselves like well she's tall (I do not consider 5'5" tall although most people think I'm taller because I carry myself well, but if I tell you my height, 5'5" is not tall I do not believe). So that was my interesting afternoon...

@laurad75 Best of luck with your appt tomorrow. I would be so anxious after a fall too. I'm happy to hear that it sounds like everything is still okay though.

mbradfo2 · January 2021

@lauralew
Do you know if your donor or DH's family tend to have larger babies?

@laurad75
Always so nerve-wracking!! I had two falls during my pregnancy -- first at about 8 weeks (slipped on some wet leaves and went BOOM) and second around 24 weeks (fell off the bed; yes, it was very embarrassing).As long as you are not hurt, I think it's unlikely baby was affected since the amniotic fluid in the sac should absorb most of the impact.

laurelew · January 2021

@mbradfo2 Not that I know of. I guess it is a possibility though.

halfanewt · January 2021

How far along/EDD? 19+3, 6/4
How are you feeling this week? Anxiety was high pre-anatomy scan, now I’m better 😊 I’ve been nauseous the last few mornings, which is annoying - thought I’d moved on from that!
Rants/Raves? Questions? Rave - got to see bebe today and we revamped our living room over the weekend. It opened up a lot of space! Question - anyone have an at-home Doppler? Clinic sent me home with one to use for the tele-visits, but no gel. Anything easy that will work instead?
Upcoming appointments? Anatomy scan this morning, then tele-visit with the midwives on Thursday.
GTKY: Do you have pets? How many and what kind? What do you love about them? Two cats - former barn kittens. Mac is a 23 pound, perpetually on a diet, hangry kitty who wants all the affection. He sleeps on my feet and is a lover. Fiona is his barely 8 pound sister who can double as a ninja. We like to joke that you don’t find her, she finds you. When no one is around, though, she is an expert snuggler!

mbradfo2 · January 2021

@halfanewt
I used a home doppler and found that the blue/clear aloe gel that you can buy in the store (usually for sunburns, etc) was sufficient and way cheaper than purchasing medical-grade u/s gel. I got a HUGE container of it and used it liberally!

wildrainbow · January 2021

@laurelew *lurking* A few quick questions, what was the percentile at the anatomy scan? Was he over the 50th? I ask because I had my last baby in June of last year at 32w5d and he was 5lb2oz, he had a growth scan a few days prior to delivery and was estimated at 5lb7oz. He had to be taken early due to severe Pre-E and Cholestasis. For reference, I did not have GD and I am 4'11. My hubs is 6'1. All my babies were preemies, but were good size. My hubs family produces giant babies 😳. I stopped feeling big movements with ds3 at 28wks when he dropped and went head down. He was literally out of room and would sometimes go several hours without movement, but that is because he's super chill and even from the womb liked to exercise that personality trait. I say all of that to say, that he could just be a big baby. It's worth looking in to see if there is a family history with your hubs at least.

late_bloomer · January 2021

How far along/EDD? 16+2, 6/21 (planned c-section)
How are you feeling this week? Still having congestion headaches but otherwise all is good. Also, my bump is starting to become noticeable. I'm glad I work from home because this would be hard to hide for much longer. (I want to wait at least until week 22 to tell my boss.)
Rants/Raves? Questions? I'm a little stressed about choosing a name. I've looked at hundreds of boy names and nothing seems right. Did anyone wait till the baby was born? If so, did that help?
Upcoming appointments? Next OB appointment is 1/22 and next MFM scan 1/27. I can't wait to see the little guy again.
GTKY: Do you have pets? How many and what kind? What do you love about them? We don't have pets. I like animals but am allergic to cats and most dogs.

@lucyb1954 - cute bump!

@laurad75 - that must have been scary! Good luck with the ultrasound!

@lauralew - wow, that's a big boy!

@kam174 - I was also afraid to graduate because I loved my RE but my OB is great. She seems even more on top of things and is very thorough, so I'm comfortable now. I hope you get a great OB too!

laurelew · January 2021

@wildrainbow Thank you for weighing in! They said he was in the 95th percentile. Your story sounds similar. It was around 28 weeks that I stopped feeling the bigger movements (although he has been very wiggly this week). While my husband is tall, apparently he was only about 6lbs at birth (his two siblings were similar). I'm not sure about the donor's family. Apparently my own dad (ironically my baby's namesake) was a very big baby: 9lbs8oz!! I never knew that until a few weeks ago. I do not think that likely has any bearing on this pregnancy. It is nice to hear everyone's experiences though.

@halfanewt Congrats on a great anatomy scan! My nausea went away around 18 weeks and then came back in the third trimester (just in the morning though). Not fun. I hope you feel better soon.

@late_bloomer Picking a boy's name was sooo hard! My DH and I struggled with it for such a long time. Eventually we settled on my dad's name with a cute nickname because it was something we could both agree we didn't hate -- not that it even felt right or that we were in love with it. But I think my dad is touched that the baby is being named after him and it feels good to have a name settled on now (and to be able to think of the baby by his name, it makes him seem more real). My sister had a boy in June and did not 100% settle on a name until after the baby was born. They had narrowed it down to two names at that point. She said she still second guesses herself sometimes. I couldn't imagine my nephew being anyone other than the name he was given though. No matter what name you choose, your LO will become who he will become and will make that name his own.

kam174 · January 2021

@late_bloomer or anyone that might know the answer ... do doctors allow you to request a scheduled c section? I would like to request one but I’ve heard mixed feedback from friends / online about whether or not doctors allow that without a medical reason.

laurelew · January 2021

@kam174 I can share my experience. When I expressed my preference to my OB about an elective c-section, she said they used to be able to schedule them if the patient requested one but they are unable to do so anymore. I am not sure if this is a policy of the hospital system or my state (I suspect hospital system). Therefore, they only perform c-sections based on medical need now. However my sister's friend just delivered via c-section in NYC based on her own request. The doctor might have had to write it up based on medical necessity. I forget the phrase my sister told me that was used but it was the equivalent of "extreme anxiety." And I have seen other people on boards indicate that it was 100% their choice. So I think it depends a lot on your OB, your hospital, or your state. It never hurts to express your desire though. I plan on trying to leverage my huge baby to try to continue to advocate for one for myself at my OB appointment on Thursday. Fortunately my OB seems pretty understanding when I say I would prefer a c-section. Other doctors or nurses I have mentioned it to look at me like I have two heads that anyone would prefer a c-section.

mbradfo2 · January 2021

@kam174

I live in Florida so as @lauralew says, it may vary from state to state. But generally you can no longer schedule a c-section unless it is a repeat c-section or there is medical reason. I was induced at 35 weeks and had failure to progress after 12 hours on cervidil and my doctor allowed me to request a c-section at that point. The nurses said my OB was awesome about following patient requests so not all doctors would be so easy-going to switch to a c-section after 12 hours of induction.

late_bloomer · January 2021

@kam174 - I had previous surgery on my uterus so my c-section is considered necessary. I’m in CA and I doubt they would allow me to decide this without a reason. Your OB will obviously know the rules in your state but there is definitely a push away from c-sections in most states. Good luck. I don’t think either is a picnic 😁

kam174 · January 2021

Thanks all! It’s more so a timing issue for me - my husband is on dialysis 3 days per week, so it’s very likely that he might miss, or have to leave for treatment, during a “surprise” labor / birth. I’m hoping that will be enough of a reason for them to let me schedule a c section, but I’ll keep the “extreme anxiety” wording in mind as a backup! 😆 seems so silly to me, its our bodies, we should be able to decide what we prefer to do with it 🤷🏼‍♀️

All trimester check-in, Week of 1/10/2021

Re: All trimester check-in, Week of 1/10/2021

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