The Great Big Question Thread

meow719

@winterviolethope my 5 year old daughter had a two vessel cord. They found it at the 20 week anatomy scan. I had to do an additional one or two ultrasounds checking on her growth plus nonstress tests. I had gestational diabetes and was induced at 39 weeks. During labor, they had me constantly hooked up to the fetal monitor. No issues delivering her vaginally. She weighed 7 lbs 8ish oz and was perfectly healthy. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have. 

winterviolethope

@meow719 thanks so much for sharing! 

They scheduled me for another scan at 28 weeks but I’m reading online that some were referred to specialists for a closer look at the kidneys or echocardiograms, etc. I’m wondering why they didn’t think it was necessary to do anything but monitor growth.  Also, curious if your doctor suggested anything you can do to keep that one artery extra healthy? Like drink more water … avoid airplanes? I don’t know… these are just the random questions that are now popping into my head. 

winterviolethope

Update: doctor said he sees this all the time and we are proceeding as normal. He said there really isn’t a concern since everything else is normal. So I’m going to try to relax about it. The only concern would be with laboring since the cord gets compressed… but I’m having a planned c section anyway.

anyone doing a registry for a third baby?  I’m not sure if I should do one … feels a little weird to me. But, if people ask what I want…? 

It’s just that this is our first girl after two boys so I’ll want some new things … like a new ubbi to match her nursery, a new color pack for the stroller, etc. 

minnie_yoga_mama

For those of you who had the triple/quad screen blood test done, how much did it cost? Does anyone know the out of pocket cost for it? It’s been impossible for me to find an answer from my doctors office, insurance company, online, or anywhere else I’ve tried to look! Just trying to decide if we can afford it with how expensive all the other tests have been!

bluecampanula

@winterviolethope yes! I’m using a registry as a list for myself, and you can get the completion discount. Bonus if anyone wants to buy something, then ideas are already there. 

doxiemoxie212

@winterviolethope I'm doing a registry for myself bc you get registry benefits - like the discount at Amazon is super worth it. No one shopped my registry last time anyway, so I don't really have any interest in even sharing it, but it's a good place for me to collect my late night ideas and then I can evaluate them with more clarity closer to due date.

doxiemoxie212

@minnie_yoga_mama we didn't do it this time because my doctor said NIPT is more accurate anyway, but last time we did both, and they were all covered by insurance. I don't think you can really compare with any of us - all doctors are going to charge different things, different hospital systems, different insurances. You'll need to try to either ask your insurance (difficult) or ask someone on your same insurance (ie a colleague) who went to your same hospital system what their experience was (but not sure how feasible that will be to find).

amys614

@minnie_yoga_mama

Mine with DS3 was around $350 but that was 4 years ago and each place is different. Its crazy how expensive some of this stuff is! I had NIPT this time since I'm 35 and its like $3k and my insurance didnt cover any of it so I can't even count it towards my deductible   I need to call them and see what the cash price is. You can ask your doctors office what they charge if you don't use insurance too. 

rbflei

Omg when they drew my blood they let me select the 100.00 cash price or bill to insurance. In the future ask your doctor for the CPT billing code (determines price) for what tests they want to run and your ICD 10 diagnosis code(why they are doing that test)that is linked and run it buy your insurance first and see if they pay for that current procedural terminalology (CPT)code with your diagnosis codes (ICD10). It will save you a lot of heartache.

meow719

@winterviolethope sorry for not responding sooner! I have been super spacey lately. No extra recommendations on things to do or to avoid. Glad your doc was reassuring. 

meow719

Anyone else dealing with frequent dizziness? I am 17w2d and so incredibly over it. Doc has suggested eating protein first thing in the morning, wearing sea bands, and taking dramamine. Nothing is really making a difference, and I feel like I might go off on someone soon. It is so miserable. The dizziness often leads to nausea after a bit too. 

doxiemoxie212

@meow719 have they tested you for low blood pressure? If so, perhaps your blood pressure changes throughout the day and is low sometimes? In which case it could be a blood sugar thing or could be that your body needs more iron, etc, to be able to double in volume.

meow719

@doxiemoxie212 I have a little BP cuff at home and will check it every now and then. It's been pretty consistently in the 130s/80s. Maybe I'll start checking it more frequently and see if there is any correlation. I asked about Iron when I talked to the nurse this week. She said my numbers were good at 12 weeks. I worry because I am overweight and 38. Plus I had gestational diabetes last pregnancy.

I am just ready to not feel like crap. 

doxiemoxie212

@meow719 fwiw, I'm underweight, 33, did not have GD with my first pregnancy, and I'm still nauseas at 20+4 (and had zero nausea with my first pregnancy), and I do get dizzy sometimes though not as much as I did in first tri. I just say that because it might be related to your weight, but it also could just be really bad luck. I don't know if that's better, but I don't think it's fair to blame your weight if it's not actually relevant - society does that enough for women, we don't have to do it to ourselves too.  

hoosiermamajayden

@meow719 I get dizzy when my blood sugar drops, which usually precedes nausea during pregnancy as well. Protein definitely helps!

taylorz8912

@meow719 yes ! I find when I don’t eat a good morning meal before I get my day started I will get super dizzy . I felt faint the other day and it was actually pretty scary . I thought I was going to pass out for sure 

meow719

@taylorz8912 it is scary! Hope you are feeling better now.

I have noticed for me that there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the timing or duration. This is probably what is most frustrating for me. If I knew it was caused by X then I could do a, b, c to prevent it. I have had it last for almost 48 hours on some occasions. Thanks for listening to me complain. This pregnancy has been so different and so much harder both physically and mentally. What a difference a boy and 5 years make! 

doxiemoxie212

@meow719 it might be worth asking your doctor to rule out vertigo. Maybe it's not even pregnancy related. MH struggled with vertigo for like 4 months earlier this year, and it was awful. 

covegirl100

Does anyone have any favorite face/body cream? I want to ensure what I am using is safe and my skin is soooo dry! Thanks for any tips  

aloha_mama

@covegirl100 I just love plain old Eucerin healing lotion. I have a giant jar on my bathroom counter and I basically bathe in it. Most over the counter lotion products are safe to use in pregnancy, here is an article talking about the rare additives that we should be avoiding. 

https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/pregnancy-safe-skin-care#safe-alternatives

babya422

@covegirl100 I like cetaphil. It’s not as thick feeling as some other lotions. 

robbenson

@Covegirl100 I use my son's Dove baby body lotion. It doesn't feel oily, has no scents and it doesn't make my bad skin worse.

minnie_yoga_mama

Okay, how many other mamas out there are taking hot showers? I know we’re not supposed to overheat or take hot baths/hot tubs, but I literally get so cold I get goose bumps unless the water is ridiculously hot and steaming!! My doctor said it’s fine unless I’m sweating or creating a steam room/sauna in the bathroom, but….. it gets pretty steamy. 🤷🏽‍♀️ I can’t be the only one, right??

aloha_mama

@minnie_yoga_mama I am so freezing cold! So every night I take a super hot bath. Like, the dial all the way into the red. It’s only for ten or fifteen minutes and I make sure I don’t feel overheated or anything— and then I try to rehydrate after with a couple extra glasses of water. I feel like it’s just another of those things that we’re told to stay away from that are perfectly fine within reason and creates unnecessary worry and anxiety. We have enough to worry about, I refuse to take tepid showers and baths lol

kiwi2628

@minnie_yoga_mama I take HOT showers. And I take hot baths. As long as I’m not sweating and turning hot for more than 10 minutes my midwife and previous OB wasn’t worried. 

monstera13

@minnie_yoga_mama I take hot showers too! 

lemonlove86

@minnie_yoga_mama me for hot showers!! I just asked my OB about baths and he said as long as the water doesn’t stay hot forever (like a hot tub) you can take a hot bath too. 

doxiemoxie212

@minnie_yoga_mama there's literally zero evidence to support not taking hot showers in pregnancy, especially after first trimester. The only risk is neural tube defects, and that's with extreme fevers from illnesses, and those only occur in first tri. Japan has a really deep culture of hot tub (onsen) use, and in 1989 they banned pregnant women from using them because countries like the US said pregnant women shouldn't go in hot tubs. They spent the next couple of decades pouring over the research trying to find any evidence that there were negative outcomes for moms or babies, and they found none, so in 2014 they lifted the restriction. In addition to this, a very large study was done out of Denmark in 2017 demonstrating no increased risk. And that's for hot tubs. Hot tubs.

Please take hot showers, dear lord. 

SmashJam

@minnie_yoga_mama another one for hot showers here! Also @doxiemoxie212 I'm laughing at your zeal for research. "Please take hot showers dear lord." Lol. It's appreciated!!

minnie_yoga_mama

So glad I’m not the only one! 😂 And yes, thank you @doxiemoxie212 for always being our research go-to! I figured it was fine, it just makes me feel better knowing I’m not the only one baking this baby in near scalding temperatures due to my excessive need for hot water!

taylorz8912

@minnie_yoga_mama I always take hot baths . My midwife said it’s ok as long as I don’t stay in longer than 15 min or so and drink water . She also approved the steam room with plenty of water 

Blondesweety444

🙋🏼‍♀️ Another for super hot showers! We had to turn up our water heater when we moved in because I was maxing it out and was still cold 😂. I haven’t done anything differently although TBH I’ve wondered if I should. Thanks @doxiemoxie212 for your research! 😃

monstera13

Just got my anatomy scan results in MyChart, and everything was normal except that the placenta showed a “large placental lake.” Google tells me this is just an area of maternal blood within the placenta and is not considered problematic as long as there is only one, but there are also correlations with intrauterine growth restriction. I don’t have my next OB appt for two weeks, so just wondering if anyone else has had this happen? 

Avrilmai

@monstera13 I had 2 placental lakes on my AS basically my MFM wasn't super concerned about those. there is some thought (for me bc of the placement) that as the placenta grows those lakes could lead to spotting/bleeding. I have an appt on Tuesday, I'll let you know if I get anymore info. hoping it's nothing for you. fwiw, my understanding is that they can be somewhat common and can/often resolve on their own. 

monstera13

@Avrilmai Thanks for your response! I hope both of ours stay non-concerning. I’ll let you know what my OB says on Wed as well. 

winterviolethope

Anyone have an almost 3 year difference between kids … did you opt for a double stroller or no?
my younger son will be 3 in May. Baby coming last week of March (scheduled c) 
Main stroller is a single but should I get a City Mini GT double for longer trips… mall, amusement park, zoo, etc.
curious what others have done… 

monstera13

@winterviolethope Mine will be 4.5 years apart, but in case this helps, DS mostly stopped using the stroller during year 3. I don’t think it would have been worth it (at least for our family) to invest in a double stroller if we had another at that age. 

doxiemoxie212

@winterviolethope DD3 definitely was over the stroller before 3yo (she's 3.5 now), but I did get one of those piggyback board things for the stroller because I know in the grocery store she's obsessed with pushing, and it's terrible lol so I'm hoping this might distract her from wanting to do that with the stroller.

boymom312

@winterviolethope I started with a double Baby jogger city select for DS1 & DS2, but they were less than 2 yrs apart. It was definitely needed in this case using the double seats. I have 3.5 yrs between DS2 and DS3. I used one seat for DS3 and a sit/stand attachment for DS2. It worked perfectly in that configuration for that age range. I probably used that configuration for less than a yr. I’ll have 2.5 yrs between DS3 and DD1. I’ll likely do the same configuration with the sit/stand attachment when DD1 arrives. If you can find a single that has an attachment similar to the sit/stand, I’d go with that and save some cash. Bonus is that it will likely be lighter too! 

minnie_yoga_mama

Has anyone else been experiencing muscle twitches/spasms in their pectoralis muscle or around the breast tissue? I’m not sure if this is a pregnancy thing, occurring due to my rapidly growing breasts to prepare for milk production, or if it’s something completely musculoskeletal in nature. Either way it’s very annoying when I’m trying to fall asleep and it won’t stop spasming!