Everyone check in 11.8

photographerwife

How Far Along?

How big is baby?

Upcoming Appointments?

TTGP Grad?

IF/RPL/High Risk?

How are you feeling?

Rants/Raves?

Questions?

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item.

lexilougolden

How Far Along? 28w, 3rd trimester!

How big is baby? Large Eggplant

Upcoming Appointments? End of the month, T-Dap and checkup.

TTGP Grad? No

IF/RPL/High Risk? No

How are you feeling? Okay, still no sleep for me and back pain.

Rants/Raves? Rant: Over the weekend MH took SS to a superhero run for school. It's hard being the SM and not knowing what events I should go to. I didn't feel "invited" which wasn't necessarily what I needed (an invite) but MH really struggles to inform me of these events until 5 minutes before and I'm not that spontaneous. We're working on it but it's still a struggle to feel part of parenting/school activities/etc. when MH often needs to coordinate with SS's mom and forgets that he hasn't told me anything. Rave: Got all of our Halloween decor put away, garage cleaned out, and wedding stuff put up for sell. Productive weekend!

Questions? Any suggestions on breastfeeding? I'm really nervous that it won't work for me for some reason and I want resources to checkout to prepare. I plan on getting help at the hospital and will meet with a lactation consultant.

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item. Thanksgiving: I love it all. Really. I guess if I had to pick one item at Thanksgiving it would be Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoes (made with cream cheese). For Christmas I make a crockpot Beef bourguignon that is delicious.

aganem

How Far Along? 25 weeks on Thursday

How big is baby? Cauliflower (honestly this vegetables comparaison don’t make sense to me).

Upcoming Appointments? Dec 2nd since it will be around my 2nd covid shot I asked to delay the Tdap.

TTGP Grad? Yes

IF/RPL/High Risk? No

How are you feeling? It is getting harder to sleep, I have to take naps during the day. Acid reflux is also keeping me up. 

Rants/Raves? Lack of sleep, acid reflux, back pain. I passed my glucose 3 hours tests!!! I have my covid shot tomorrow! 

Questions? Is your baby also super active at night? Should I wait for blackfriday to buy nusery furniture? 

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item.

mm.. I don’t know but rn I miss French food!!! 

@lexilougolden.

For Breast feeding I took classes offered by my hospital, they also gave us access to an online learning platform and I plan on talking to a lactation specialist if needed after birth. 

This is my first child so I don’t have any experience with breastfeeding. I really want to breastfeed and I plan to try for as long as I can! However I know some close family members and friends who really tried but it was too hard for them. They ended up bottle feeding. 

I will try my best and hold on for as long as I can, but if it does not work out I won’t drive myself crazy about it. I am a good mom who is trying her best, and I want to enjoy every moment with my baby in peace and joy. 

angelz429

How Far Along? 26+0

How big is baby? Kale? Eggplant?

Upcoming Appointments? Check in tomorrow

TTGP Grad? Briefly used

IF/RPL/High Risk? High risk

How are you feeling? Physically ok. Not sleeping well at all. Anxious and sad all the time - related to marital stress not pregnancy. I swear, I cannot catch a break. 

Rants/Raves? A lot of rant about, but not really the place, unfortunately. I am working with a therapist though, so, there’s that. 

Questions? Natm

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item. I hate holiday meals 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m vegetarian so traditional holiday meals aren’t that great for me. So I guess mashed potatoes. 

ohsunnydays2

How Far Along? 24 weeks 

How big is baby? Melon, I think? 

Upcoming Appointments? 11/18- yay!

TTGP Grad? No 

IF/RPL/High Risk? AMA

How are you feeling? Generally okay. Just the usual pregnancy complaints. Heartburn, aches and pains, etc 😆

Rants/Raves? Mmm just ate a 3 musketeers so I’m happy currently? Lol 

Questions? 

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item.  Hard to pin it down, I love it all!

JWatt5

How Far Along? 26w 4d

How big is baby? Kale 

Upcoming Appointments? Nothing until the end of the week. 

TT - No 

IF/RPL/High Risk? IF

How are you feeling? Just tired. Did have a migraine yesterday that’s a dull headache but not bad. Just nose bleeds. 

Rants/Raves? I’m swamped at work since my Payroll Admin quit. Doing my own job plus that - I’ve been doing long hours, missing lunch. Can’t keep that up for much longer. 

Questions? Does anyone else feel like their uterus is just like achey? I don’t remember that from last time. 

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item. Mashed potatoes with gravy by my mom. 

photographerwife

@lexilougolden i recommend all of the things while breastfeeding. I successfully breastfed my son for 26 months, but let me tell you, the beginning was HARD. The best advice I can give you is to take a science approach on it and try to sort through the fluff. Breastfeeding is a supply and demand thing. And while yes some women may supply more naturally. Your supply will be totally dependent on the amount, and time you express. At the beginning they’ll recommend every 2-3 hours and on demand with about 20 minutes on each breast. Babies have the tiniest bellies for those first few days so the colostrum they get is fine. Try not to stress on the amount. Also, breastfed babies generally drink less volume throughout feeding than formula fed babies because your body caters to the milk changes rather than needing volume changes. My personal experience was that my son never drank more than 5 oz at a time with the norm being closer to 3.5-4. Besides supply, see a lactation consultant and use nipple cream! lanolin is what I had the best experience with. Buy nipple shields and feel no shame using them. Pump to give your nipples a break while also keeping that demand up. I liked having a manual pump on hand at the beginning because it was more gentle than a big pump. Buy the breast soothing pads and give yourself some grace. Check for lip ties and tongue ties. I remember vividly crying when my son was about 4 months old because nursing was going fine but it was still painful for me sometimes and I was so frustrated buy it. We had him evaluated and he had a small tie. But his ent gave us the option of doing the procedure but told us, he would grow out of it (which he did) and I was just not happy with the idea of sending my baby into surgery for that, so we didn’t. Don’t be surprised when your baby cluster feeds all of the time when they’re newborns. It’s totally normal for them to be on the breast all the time. Like every 20 minutes sometimes. But that doesn’t mean your supply is low. It’s a totally normal and good for your supply thing for breastfed babies to do. And as much as all of this seems like a lot, it’s wonderful, and so rewarding. And the beginning is just hard. Babies don’t come out knowing how to nurse and we don’t know either. It will be a learning curve for both of you. But if you persevere, you absolutely can do it. I am kind of a hard ass and I’m pretty stubborn, breastfeeding was something I really wanted to do and be successful with. I never really gave myself the option of doing anything else because it’s what I wanted. I got through all of the hard stuff and had a very successful breastfeeding relationship with my son and wouldn’t change it for the world. It really does get easier. Like so so much easier. You got this. 

I don’t say all of this because I’m anti formula or anything crazy like that. I know there are exceptions to feeding journeys. You will have my support either way. Feed your baby and take care of yourself. I just want you to know that if you need someone on your side to say “bitch, you got this. Don’t give up” I’m there.  💕

lexilougolden

@aganem Any french recipes you can share?

@angelz429 I'm so sorry. You are being hit so hard and I'm here for you. I take Unisom still for nausea, maybe that'll help you sleep a bit? I'm glad you have a therapist, so very valuable to help you work through these challenging times. You're strong. You can do hard things. You've got this!

@ohsunnydays I love all the meal items too. Such a great season...lots of delicious food!

@jwatt5 Yes! I just mentioned that last night I felt low aches and thought maybe it's my expanding uterus? Felt similar to period cramps but didn't last long.

@photographerwife THANK you!! You had me tearing up a bit! lol. I 100% want that "bitch you've got this" support! I'm afraid I will stress about how much he is getting, thinking it's not enough and I'm starving him.  I'll start watching as many videos as I can!

edited to fix an incorrect tag.

ninrms

How Far Along? 27 weeks! omg.

How big is baby? As tall as a kleenex box

Upcoming Appointments? Just had one last week--check-in and glucose test (passed, barely, with 140--phew!)

How are you feeling? Super tired all the time. My back has started hurting the last couple nights--same kind of pain that plagued me last pregnancy. Think it's from the weight gain, honestly. And annoyingly out of breath whenever I do anything strenuous in the least.

Rants/Raves? Rant: I got lightly chastised for weight gain at my last appointment. I'm thinner than I was last pregnancy (but still started out a little overweight), and I'm soooo much healthier as far as food choices, portions, activity level, etc., so I was annoyed at the comment about my weight (which wasn't even harsh, but still). Makes me nervous for the upcoming Tday-Christmas span, because that's when I really packed on the weight last time!

Questions?

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item. Hmm, so hard to choose! I don't like turkey at all, but I love almost all the other Tday meal items. My mom makes a reaaaaally good caramel apple cheesecake every Thanksgiving...that might be my favorite. Or her stuffing. Or the stuffing I made last year in lockdown (cornbread stuffing...omg so good).

photographerwife

@lexilougolden I hear you! And a lot of people do because of cluster feeding and just having new babies. That’s why I wanted to let you know that those things are normal and expected! Your pediatrician visits will give you a good idea of weight gain too and that will help. I had a very average supply. Not a huge stash or anything like that at all and my kid is and has always been a big boy. Like 90th percentile big and we did it all with exclusive breastfeeding and just nursing on demand. You got this. 

When I had my son I used a lot of the resources on Kelly mom, but I’m not sure if that one is as highly recommended as it used to be. La leche league is good and their are breastfeeding support groups on Facebook that were helpful too!

photographerwife

How Far Along? 27+4

How big is baby? a bunch of bananas

Upcoming Appointments? Monday for regular ob and glucose!

TTGP Grad? Yes, from june 2019-may 2021

IF/RPL/High Risk? Secondary IF

How are you feeling? Pretty crummy this today. This cold is kicking my butt. I mainly have head congestion, but its making me feel so foggy! Baby is moving a ton, and im having some minor aches and pains, but good overall. 

Rants/Raves? My rant is this cold. But hopefully ill be feeling better in the next day or so. I looked at the packet from my obs office and i can take a couple of things like claritin. So im going to add some to my grocery order for today. Ds turns 4 friday, and I just cannot believe im about to have a 4 year old! He is the sweetest, sassy little boy and I just know he is going to make a great big brother! Although his coughing and general toddler shenanigans are what landed me this cold, ill forgive him. 😂We have a small outdoor birthday party planned for saturday at the house so ive been preparing this week. Hes super into star wars right now, so thats the theme! I have everything done mostly except food, cleaning and decorating saturday. I hope we all feel better by then. We are taking it easy!

Questions? natm

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item. I love all the holiday food. My family are great cooks, but our family dynamic isnt as close since my dad passed a few years ago, so we do the holidays with my inlaws and then my mom and siblings join. Unfortunately they aren't the best cooks and i bug dh every year to try to learn how to deep fry turkeys like my dad used to. My favorite regulars are sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and last year I made a minced meat pie (dont knock it until you try it) that was so good! I also like to make croissants with brie, cranberry, and pecans. 

@lexilougolden cant believe we are hitting this third trimester already!! I hope you are able to feel more comfortable joining in on ss's events soon. My step mom raised me and in all forms, i consider her my mother. imo once youre married to their dad, you should place your roll in the kids life just like any parent would. Just carefully. But i like to think of adding step parents in as just more parents, and that is how i would want to approach the situation. Ill absolutely be looking into the mashed potatoes with cream cheese. that sounds so good!

@aganem hope your shot went well and that you are experiencing minimal symptoms, and that you get better sleep soon! I tagged lexilougolden down further about some of my breastfeeding experience, if you are interested!

@angelz429 thinking of you. So unfair that you are having to deal with all of this right now. I am mad for you. 

@ohsunnydays2 congrats on reaching viability week! 

@jwatt5 hope work calms down soon:/ and yes some minor cramps, but nothing too worrying. 

@ninrms glad you passed your test!! and i hear you on the breathing. I can be at rest and feel like im breathing like a dragon these days. 😅I LOVE stuffing. my mom makes the best. but i love all of it 😂that caramel apple pie sounds so good! i tried one of those a few years ago, but my apples got weird.

 

ninrms

@photographerwife Omg I walk the two blocks to work (yes, slightly uphill, so we'll pretend that's why I'm dying by the time I walk into the building), and I said hi to a colleague right when I walked in yesterday, and he laughed and said, "Oh that's quite a gasp with your hello!" lol. I hadn't even heard myself do it. I just joked about how hugely pregnant I feel/am all of a sudden lol.

@lexilougolden I'll echo @photographer wife about Kellymom! I used it a lot (the website + the FB group) when my son was born Dec '19. I also appreciate the La Leche resources, too.

makingbacon

How Far Along? 27 weeks

How big is baby? Fennec fox, bunch of bananas, camping lantern

Upcoming Appointments? Next week

TTGP Grad?

IF/RPL/High Risk? RPL, AMA, thyroid

How are you feeling? I'm still cramping a decent amount with a side of sciatic nerve pain on my left side.  Otherwise, I feel pretty good.

Rants/Raves? Rave: It's only Tuesday, but we've gotten the boys out the door for daycare on time 2 days in a row without meltdowns (littler person or adult lol), we calling it a win.  I also have zero work travel this week, which is a huge blessing.  Travel starts up again next week. Also, DS2 has started giving kisses, and it is the cutest thing ever.  Rant-ish: We officially aren't going to make the timeline for relocating before baby arrives.  I was really hoping to be moved and set up wherever we ended up (I work remote, so waiting on DH to find a job), but it likely isn't going to happen until at least maternity leave.  It's going to be a giant cluster trying to pack/move/find a house with a new baby.  I did figure out how to reconfigure the 3 bedrooms to make room for baby.  We don't have room in our room for everything, so DS2 will move in with DS1 (who is extremely excited about bunk beds - but only if he gets the top bunk lol), and baby will move into DS2's old room.  We'll see how all of this goes.  I'm looking at bunk beds with a trundle style lower bunk so DS2 will be low to the ground.  Does anyone have one like that they'd recommend?

Questions?

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item. I like most holiday meals, but I usually lean towards dessert.  I love cookies, cakes, and chocolate pie.

@lexilougolden I second all of the BF advice given by @photographerwife.  I nursed both boys for 10-11 months, and she nailed it.  I used a nipple shield for both boys, and it was a lifesaver.  I also agree with checking for lip/tongue ties.  I was told DS2 didn't have one, and I used a nipple shield 90% of the time he nursed because his latch was crap.  It turns out, he had a decent lip tie on his top lip, and it was revised after he was weaned.  It made a huge difference in how well he was eating solid food. I just wish we'd known about it sooner.  I took a breastfeeding class before I had DS1, but it really wasn't a great class.  We had really good nurses both times who helped get the boys latched, especially DS1.  Just be prepared for them to be all up in your business and literally grab your boob to assist if you ask for help lol.

@aganem What is your favorite French food?  I also agree with your outlook on BF.  I had a friend who beat herself up over having a low supply and switching her baby to formula after struggling for 6 months.

@angelz429 I am so sorry you're going through this.  I hope you're able to get some sleep in the midst of all of this.  I never really thought about holiday meals for vegetarians and vegans, but I can see why they wouldn't rank high on your list.

@ohsunnydays2 I'm not a 3 musketeers fan, but I've done work on a few Baby Ruth bars recently, which is weird because it's not usually my candy bar of choice.

@JWatt5 I hope the craziness at works calms down for you, and you can eat lunch.  I am not a pleasant person to be around when meals are missed.  I'm going to pretend that is true only during pregnancy, and not how I am regardless of uterine occupancy status lol.

@ninrms I hear you on nervousness about weight gain during the holiday season.  I gain weight fast during pregnancy, and it's really frustrating at times.

@photographerwife I hope you feel better soon! Not being able to take medicine during pregnancy while sick is never easy.  Happy early birthday to your son! DS1 turned 4 earlier this year, and I'm still in denial that he's that old.  I love every age (so far lol), but every once in awhile he does something, and I just want to ask where my baby went. So now I'm going to stroll down my google photos memory lane of baby DS1 lol.

chgilmore

How Far Along? 28w1d

How big is baby? size of a tagine (14.8"?! wtf?!)

Upcoming Appointments? tomorrow I have my 28w check in!

TTGP Grad? feb21-may21

IF/RPL/High Risk? no

How are you feeling? mentally/emotionally I am so good, physically I am exhausted and ready for this to be done. like clockwork, I've started having hot flashes along with these lightheaded moments where I feel like I'm losing bloodflow to my brain (like it's being cut off) along with a pounding and racing heart and it does not seem dependent on my position (standing, sitting straight up, leaning back, lying down on either side...). I'm guessing she found my vagus nerve and likes to kick it. oy vey. but I am definitely checking in with my midwife about this and all the other things.

Rants/Raves? mostly raves this week! MH has been busy enabling my nesting by getting home improvement tasks done, this week it was replacing the broken ceiling lights in the kitchen and it looks so good. I now have 6 clients (likely to be 7 soon) in my private practice and that also feels really good!

Questions? natm

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item. My answer is dependent on which holiday meal we're talking about. for Thanksgiving, it's my mom's pumpkin bread hands down - it's soft and moist and almost like a dessert except we serve it instead of regular rolls. for Christmas/winter, I am all about eggnog and cookies - I have a pretty standard/easy set of 3/4 that I do every year. this year for eggnog I need to find something pasteurized...but if I can't I'll go for the vegan holiday nog from Wholefoods (basically tastes exactly the same in terms of flavor and thickness).

eta: tags!
@lexilougolden I hear your SM-related frustration, and I do want to commend you on caring so much about it! I can tell you really care about your SS and I'd say to talk to YH about how much you want to be involved as well as what he imagines for your involvement, maybe also asking SS too 
@aganem given my on-going saga with my crib (I ordered it in August...it is still on backorder with a fourth ship date [11/29]), I'd be on the safe side and order your furniture/must-haves as soon as possible. though if you aren't going to put baby in the nursery right away then I guess you can probably wait to take advantage of the deals!
@angelz429 sending you love and good vibes in this time of transition, and I hope you are able to get some sleep soon.
@jwatt5 I noticed my uterus feeling achy/slightly crampy if I haven't had enough water (which is apparently very easy to do - my midwife said I needed like 3-3.5L of water?!), but maybe this babe is just growing differently? definitely talk to your medical team if you're worried!
@photographerwife first of all your breastfeeding advice was SO GOOD I didn't know I needed that. sounds like you have a lot of fun and exciting events coming up - your DS is getting so big! fx for your glucose test next week!!
@ninrms ugh - I'm sorry you got that negativity about your weight, I had a similar experience at my last appt. but if your blood pressure is good and your glucose is good and you're exercising and eating well...idk what a legitimate issue would be. 
@makingbacon gotta take the wins where you can! blowing kisses sounds so sweet omg. I've heard IKEA has some good bunk beds! cheap too and you can take it back for a 100% refund within 365 days of your purchase if you hate it

JEM2014

How Far Along? 26w5d

How big is baby? Baby’s foot is the size of a sugar packet!  I had an u/s this AM and the doctor said she’s about 2.2 lbs / 1 kg (right on track). 

Upcoming Appointments? Had my 26 week and GD test today!  Next appt isn’t until Dec 9 at 30 weeks. 

TTGP Grad? Nope

IF/RPL/High Risk? Nope

How are you feeling? All good lately! Some heartburn but otherwise feeling great, and baby girl is moving around like a jumping bean lately. 

Rants/Raves? My winter coat doesn’t fit but I don’t want to spend €100+ on a maternity coat that I’m only going to wear for one season!  I know I’ll cave and do it but I’m very annoyed. 

Questions? Nope! 

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item. French silk pie

lexilougolden

@chgilmore Yay! Congrats on more clients, you're doing great! Thank you for your kind words. I try hard to be a considerate, empathetic, loving parent figure.

@JEM2014 Wow! She's already that big! That's amazing. I'm hoping that my extra large old jacket from work swag will suffice. haha.

aganem

@lexilougolden I will try to think about some good French recipe to share!

@photographerwife Thank you for the tips on breastfeeding! My first shot went well I just had a sore arm yesterday and last night but now it feels better. 

@makingbacon I miss the French cheese and milk like real cheese and real milk lol! 

I miss some french cold cuts and other delicacies not to mention french pastries! 

@chgilmore oh wow! Thank you for the heads up! I had no idea it would take this long!!!! I plan on putting baby in a bassinet next to us in the beginning so the bed is not urgent, but i do need a dresser to put all baby clothings. I will get a cart also to keep next to my bed with the essentials! 

alylove11

How Far Along? 24w6d

How big is baby? Canteloupe 

Upcoming Appointments? 12/1

TTGP Grad? No

IF/RPL/High Risk? GD, factor V Leiden, AMA

How are you feeling? Very good overall! Some low back pain, but a deep lungs and hip circles seem to help a lot. 

Rants/Raves? Nada, just living life 

Questions?nATM

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item. Ohh, I love all the Thanksgiving sides. Im so looking forward to green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rolls. 

@lexilougolden@lexilougolden definitely get a 2nd opinion if nursing doesn’t quit hurting after a few weeks.  My son had a lip and tongue tie and was released in my pediatric dental office with a laser. He cried and I had a hard time hearing it, but he was 6 weeks old, and it made 100% of a difference. @photographerw@photographerwife had some excellent tips! I also had this milk collector to put on the other side to catch any leaking when nursing. I think it was made by Medela, but they have like air holes on top and closed on the bottom to let your nipples air dry without anything touch them. It felt so good to let them be hanging out. Also, I was told to let the breast milk to dry all around your nipple to help heal and dry,cracked areas. 

@angelz429 I’m so sorry you’re going through a rough patch, sending you internet hugs! 

@jwatt5 I’ll get those random crampy feelings if I don’t drink enough. I tend to sit and relax for a few to let it subside, and it usually does. 

modoodles

How Far Along? 25+1

How big is baby? Size of a cauliflower 

Upcoming Appointments? Early December sometime! I really should put all the appointments on my phone. 

TTGP Grad? No

IF/RPL/High Risk? No

How are you feeling? Really good still! Starting to get more uncomfortable to sleep. 

Rants/Raves? Rave: my husband went golfing this week and on his way home stopped and picked me up a gift card to go get a massage. It was such a thoughtful little surprise. He's so great. 

Questions? Not really

GTKY: What is your favorite holiday meal? Dessert or meal item. I don't really know that I have a favorite holiday meal, but we did a friendsgiving last weekend and the deviled eggs and my grandma's German chocolate pie were definitely my favorites!