All Trimester Check-In 4/19/21

mbradfo2

Surprisingly not up at a crazy hour last night!! So, here we go again!

• How far along/EDD?
  
• How are you feeling this week?
• Rants/Raves? Questions?
• Upcoming appointments?
• GTKY: Cost and practicalities aside -- where in the world would you most like to visit?

@madasm0530 EDD 4/3/2021
@FuzzyDust EDD 5/30/21
@halfanewt EDD 6/4/2021
@lizalovespasha EDD 6/10/2021
@laurad75 EDD 6/26/2021 (girl)
@late_bloomer EDD 6/27/2021 (boy)
@kam174 EDD 8/30/2021
@sawasap  EDD 9/8/2021
@mbradfo2 EDD 12/5/2021 (girl)

mbradfo2

• How far along/EDD?   EDD is 12/5/21 so I'm 7 weeks and 1 day along. 5 more weeks in the first tri!! /fingers crossed
  
• How are you feeling this week? TIRED! And either ravenous or sick to my stomach. I got a craving for pot pies yesterday evening so I went to the store and picked up some individual ones up for dinner. Made them and then couldn't even eat more than a little taste! Just seemed gross. DD loved it though (surprising me since she's very much stuck on mac n'cheese and spaghetti o's right now). 
• Rants/Raves? Questions? My house never feels clean and it drives me batty! I have little baskets all over the living room to collect small toys/etc but nothing seems to help drive down the 'child' clutter' I constantly feel like I'm losing a battle when it comes to cleaning. I'll get one spot clean and then the next will get immediately dirty.
• Upcoming appointments? Second ultrasound on Friday. Last Friday's ultrasound went well; we saw baby girl and heard the heartbeat! Hoping that it continues like this. 
• GTKY: Cost and practicalities aside -- where in the world would you most like to visit? Right now my goal is to visit Pompeii eventually! It's just very impractical with small children so I'm hoping once everyone is a bit older we'll be able to go. After Pompeii, I'd like to go to  Egypt or Tibet, both very impractical places to visit at the moment. 

sawasap

@mbradfo2 You know, it's funny... just like your DD, I am also all about spaghetti o's right now. Just had some for lunch!

• How far along/EDD? 19w5d

• How are you feeling this week? I'm feeling pretty good. Everything seems really consistent for me. I did have a bit of dizziness this morning but it was gone after I ate. I was hypoglycemic before being pregnant, so I think I just need to be extra cautious about making sure I'm eating enough even if I don't feel hungry all the time. 

• Rants/Raves? Questions? MH is on a Covid vaccine wait list! Ontario is doing things real slowly, so we're inching towards all being vaccinated. He's a bit older than me and just barely squeaked in to the newest eligible group. But I'm excited for him to get it! I'm supposed to be part of this phase for the public health vaccines (he can get his through a pharmacy, but it's a different vaccine), but there's still one more group ahead of me before I'm eligible. Just itching to have a bit of peace of mind. My parents and his got their first doses too, so things are starting to look up!

• Upcoming appointments? Anatomy scan tomorrow!! I'm both excited and nervous. I'm nervous before every appointment now apparently. IF has convinced me that things will always go wrong.

• GTKY: Cost and practicalities aside -- where in the world would you most like to visit? New Zealand. I loved the Lord of the Rings movies as a teenager and would love to see the place they were filmed. It's such a gorgeous country.

mbradfo2

@sawasap
DH got his first shot two weeks ago so second is coming up. I already got mine back in Jan/Feb. I just wish they had a shot for little kids now! I know it's in the pipeline and DD is protected by having us vaccinated (and covid-19 is generally fairly mild in kids) -- but it will give us such peace of mind once she can get the shot. 

halfanewt

• How far along/EDD? 33+4, 6/4
• How are you feeling this week? Pretty good, overall. Definitely slowing down at the end of the night, though. 
• Rants/Raves? Questions? Raves - most of my meetings at work got cancelled this week and I’m getting so much done. It’s amazing! DH also has his first shot scheduled for Monday! Finally! Rant - this is mostly at myself, but I still don’t have my schedule for mat leave figured out for next school year. I’ve been too chicken to run my ideas by my boss, and I’m running out of time to do it... 
• Upcoming appointments? Last virtual visit next week, all in person after that. The countdown begins 😬 
• GTKY: Cost and practicalities aside -- where in the world would you most like to visit? Oh, this is a hard question. I have such a travel bug and want to go everywhere! I think Egypt or Machu Picchu would be my next stops, or a year to do round the world travel. 

@mbradfo2 I feel that way about cleaning up, too. I’ve done a few toy purges already. Some go to the garage in storage and some just quietly disappear, especially the ones that annoy me 😉 Also, Pompeii is such an amazing spot! 

@sawasap hope the anatomy scan went well today! So exciting! After the anatomy scan, and as I started feeling consistent movement, was when my appointment anxiety finally started to ease up. IF brain is real. When you make it to New Zealand, they have LOTR tours you can take that drive you around to some of the filming spots. So beautiful and totally worth it! 

mbradfo2

here's a new rave:
As much as the pandemic has been horrible and staying at home so much sucks (I love traveling! Doing things!), there is a more sedate pace to the day now and more time to do things that have meaning. Today, DD announced she wanted pancakes for breakfast -- homemade ones. Since it's not like we have anywhere to be, I figured 'why not' and made pancakes! Now we're eating pancakes (mine are with syrup, DD's are topped with Frozen-branded yogurt at her request): DD is watching a Mission Paw episode from Paw Patrol and I'm checking my online forums/news/emails. It's just....very nice! I know I only have a couple more months like this and in the fall, DD is going back to preschool and I'm returning to a regular work schedule, so I think I'm going to savor it.  (Of course, I'll be at work only two months or so and then it will be maternity leave! I'm debating just not going back at all...we'll see)

sawasap

@halfanewt Anatomy scan went as well as it can with an uncooperative baby. We did find out the sex (having a boy!) and everything they could see was on track, but he was lying facedown the entire time and refused to move. I have to go back in 2 weeks to see if they can get the other measurements. He was kicking and stuff (at one point it really looked like he was trying to run away from the ultrasound wand), but wouldn't roll at all. I'm feeling more movement every day though, so that's definitely going to help my worries.


@mbradfo2 That sounds so nice! I unfortunately work for a real estate lawyer, so the pandemic has actually been way busier than a normal year (low interest rates have everyone going nuts). Luckily my mat leave replacement starts in 2 weeks so I'll be able to start pawning things off on her.

late_bloomer

@sawasap - congratulations on the anatomy scan and on finding out you're having a boy!  

@mbradfo2 - that's a good perspective. COVID has taken a lot away but it has also created some unexpected upsides.  It's good to count the small blessings from all this insanity.

@halfanewt - do you know when you're starting your mat leave?

• How far along/EDD? 30w3d / June 21
  
• How are you feeling this week? Big but otherwise okay 
• Rants/Raves? Questions? Last week's check up required a sonogram because I was measuring big.  Turns out that I have too much amniotic fluid.  Has anyone else had this?  Doc was concerned Baby might have issues swallowing or an intestinal blockage.  She didn't see anything but sent me to get another high risk ultrasound scan.  I just went for that today and, thankfully, the MFM specialist said Baby is fine.  She suggested that going on a low carb diet might help (even though my weight gain is on track and I don't have GD).  I also have super high cholesterol, so any ideas on for snacks that are low in carbs and low in cholesterol would be greatly appreciated.  It sounds like a lot of baked chicken and salads for the next 2 months  ☹️
• Upcoming appointments? Regular OB check up April 29th
• GTKY: Cost and practicalities aside -- where in the world would you most like to visit? Like everyone else here, I love to travel and would go to any of the already mentioned places.  Africa is the only continent we haven't yet visited and I would love to go on a safari.  We had one planned for last summer but COVID ruined that.

mbradfo2

@late_bloomer
Some ideas for snacks:
Avocado on low carb toast  (you can buy some in most stores or make your own using something like almond flour instead of regular flour)
Apple slices or celery sticks with nut butter
Smoked salmon (obviously not everyone's cup of tea, but I love all smoked fish products haha)
Hummus with veggies
Trail mix with nuts + dried fruit + dark chocolate (if you want something a little sweet but relatively low carb compared to other candies. if you are a low carb purist, you can use baking chocolate instead but that stuff makes me gag!)


You can always try a more liberal low carb diet that allows for unprocessed carbs but obviously you can check with your doctor to see if that's okay.

halfanewt

@sawasap glad the AS mostly went well, and congrats on baby boy! Hopefully he’s more cooperative at the next scan  

@late_bloomer my mat leave starts when baby is born, unless I have a doctors note. I’m thinking I’ll work through the end of May and call it good, but we’ll see. Glad your scan checked out and baby is okay! 

mbradfo2

@halfanewt
That's basically how my maternity leave went since DD came a bit unexpectedly -- and honestly, I think it was for the best. It was actually nice to set up the nursery after baby arrived since I had a better idea of what she would need/like. With Amazon Prime, everything was delivered to our house really easily and fast so I was able to pick out things I liked for the nursery at leisure. 

halfanewt

@mbradfo2 that’s pretty much how it went for me with DS. I got a note to start my leave on the Monday before my due date... ended up going into labor Sunday night anyway 🤷‍♀️ I was considering taking a few days ahead of time again with this kiddo, partly because it might be nice to relax a few days, and partly because it may speed up the process 😆

late_bloomer

@mbradfo2 - thanks for the snack ideas!

@halfanewt and @mbradfo2 - wow, I'm impressed that you worked up until the end.  I was hoping to take a couple weeks off before Baby arrives.  I was originally thinking the renovations may be done a few weeks before Baby and I would spend the time packing and moving back into the house but now I'm not so sure.  Yesterday our cabinet guy said the kitchen will be installed in 6-8 weeks and I'm due in 8 weeks and 3 days!  I'm really hoping they deliver early and I don't. 

kam174

Looks like everyone has had a busy week! 🙂

• How far along/EDD? 21 weeks / Aug. 30
  
• How are you feeling this week? Feeling good. 
• Rants/Raves? Questions? Rant - so many food aversions. I’m hungry but hate so much food and just want to eat nothing ... but I know of course I have to eat. Very frustrating 😣 
• Upcoming appointments? I have my Fetal Echocardiogram on Monday. I guess that’s a standard procedure after IVF? The anatomy sono tech said that usually takes like a full hour ... but that I should expect to be there for 2 hours because my baby is very uncooperative 😳😆 
• GTKY: Cost and practicalities aside -- where in the world would you most like to visit? Maybe Italy or Ireland. I’m (normally) all about places with good food and drinks lol 

mbradfo2

@kam174
Some RE's and OB's like to do fetal echocardiograms for IVF patients because there are studies show that IVF babies have a higher risk of heart defects (0.68 percent in the control group vs 1.3 percent in the IVF  group...still very small). My OB feels that the anatomy scan is sufficient and if we see anything there, we can get an echo and I'm pretty much OK with that. This time I'll be seeing a MFM as well since I got pre-eclampsia with DD and I'm over 35 now (I was 34 when I had DD) -- and I have suspicion he'll want to do the echo just to be on the safe side -- which is fine, more chances to see baby!

@late_bloomer
KITCHENS. OMG. When we renovated our kitchen several years back, they said "oh, it will be done by June." It was done in September.

[Deleted User]

*lurking*
@kam174 yes, it's standard for ivf pregnancies, but they cancelled mine last year for pandemic reasons. 🤷 So it's standard and "important," but not <i>pandemic</i>-important, if that makes you feel any better. ;) When they thought theybheard a slight murder after she was born, they ended up doing a baby echo, just because they hadn't had that extra look at her heart in utero.  But anything major they should see in the AS anyway. No worries!

@halfanewt you had me at, "LOTR Tours."

mbradfo2

@BusinessWife
Yup, don't even need to finish the sentence LOTR tours!!. I still remember having all of my friends over the night before The Two Towers released and we went to see it at midnight! Everyone was obsessed with Viggo Mortenson and Legolas, myself included -- but Thorin took that place when the Hobbit movies were released!