Weekly Check-In week of Aug 1

runningyogimama

EDD / Weeks + Days: 

Baby is the size of a(n):

Team blue/pink/green:

Upcoming Appointments: 

How are you feeling?: 

Rants/Raves: 

Questions:

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose?

runningyogimama

EDD / Weeks + Days:  13 w 0 d

Baby is the size of a(n): lemon

Team blue/pink/green: green

Upcoming Appointments: End of Aug sometime? I just had my appt last week, so not for another month 

How are you feeling?: Still exhausted. Also feeling super irritable - not sure how much is pregnancy/hormones, and how much is just being over summer break (we go back next week here after a LONG 12 weeks off school…) and my kids being here 24/7 - I’m guessing it’s a combination? I could really use some PTO from work, but also, saving as much of that as I can so I can hopefully have a full 12 weeks off and paid between short term disability and PTO…. 🤪

Rants/Raves: Everything smells awful to me right now. 🤣 Super irritable, as I said above, which is also making me super distracted with work. 😩

Questions: None atm.

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? Nearly anywhere but here, ha! I’ll go with somewhere in Canada, because having universal healthcare, a year of maternity leave, and actual gun control laws sounds nice, without having to move an ocean away. I’m not sure that’s where this question was going since I just copied from the other boards, but that’s where my mind went…. 

itsjess627

EDD / Weeks + Days: 12w 0d

Baby is the size of a(n): plum

Team blue/pink/green: hopefully we’ll find out with bloodwork next week 

Upcoming Appointments: Next Monday 😊

How are you feeling?: overall better than before. I have been taking progesterone supplements and in the beginning those were rough on me. Still super tired but my 6 yo is the sweetest and lets me nap. Honestly, after our ultrasound this weekend, I feel so relieved. Our 12 w us last pregnancy in October was when we found out about the MMC so I was nervous about going Saturday but I am so thankful we did. 

Rants/Raves: I adore my midwife. She is so kind and has gone above and beyond to ensure that we have had the support and reassurance we’ve needed these past 12 weeks. 

Questions: none currently

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose?
somewhere in the mountains of GA or TN.

cpk3535

EDD / Weeks + Days: 11W4D

Baby is the size of a(n): brussel sprout

Team blue/pink/green: green

Upcoming Appointments: This week I’m meeting at my new doctor’s office for the first time. Not sure if this is the doctor I’ll be with the entire pregnancy, but it’s a start! Also have a prep call with a nurse the day before.

How are you feeling?: Still feeling the waves of nausea, but it’s getting better. My nipples are still having issues with cracking and irritation, but they also seem to be improving, thank goodness. I’ve been having some insomnia issues lately, but I’m not sure if that’s exclusive to the pregnancy. I feel like I need to run away to a cooler location for a day or two- it’s been so hot and humid for a while, I need a break! This pregnancy has been a really different experience for me, as the last two took place while working at my parent’s retail business. This will be the first baby to not inconvenience my parents with my need for time off, lol

Rants/Raves: Rant- I just looked and even our “cool” spot isn’t cool right now. Looks like we’re going to go to the mall or something. Rave- my family has been so sweet and come together for this time. My 11yo has been helping around the house a ton, including cooking meals for us (she’s blossoming into a wonderful chef) and our 2yo has really started to come up on her own, picking more grown up foods that she wants to try at the store, understanding more reasoning in conversation, etc. It just feels like we’re really going to be ready as a family for this third baby when they come, and that puts my mind at ease a bit ❤️❤️❤️

Questions: nothing at the moment

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? I’ve debated this a lot, since California living prices are insanely expensive and the perks of living here are getting fewer and farther between. My glossed over answer would probably be Australia (never been) or Hawaii (been on several occasions), but I’d have to put a lot more time and thought into it first and actually travel to a LOT more places first. 

seeds_of_joy

EDD / Weeks + Days: 11 weeks tomorrow 

Baby is the size of a(n):lime

Team blue/pink/green:💖pink💖

Upcoming Appointments:  next Tuesday is my very first appointment 

How are you feeling?: Much better but I feel burnt out by late afternoon and crawl in bed before anyone else. I sleep for a couple hours longer than normal. Plus my gallbladder or whatever issue I have is acting up again so I might need to reschedule the appointment I cancelled with the wellness center.

Rants/Raves: I'm soooo excited to be having a girl (sy least according to test I took). We have 4 boys and only one girl who is now almost 10. 

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? We've been planning to live on a small farm for a long time. It was more of my husband's dream first but now with all these growing children, I see a great need for it too. My husband is fixing up the house as fast as he can so we can sell it and make that dream a reality. 

ttc3y

EDD / Weeks + Days:  10 weeks 3 days

Baby is the size of a(n): strawberry or kumquat 

Team blue/pink/green: Team Green!

Upcoming Appointments: This week I’m meeting with two different midwives and hopefully I will find a good match. I’m excited to see the little one again. We haven’t done an ultrasound since week 8 with our fertility clinic.  

How are you feeling?: Mostly fatigue with nightly insomnia with waves of mild nausea. I have mild boob soreness too. I think acupuncture has been helping tremendously with keeping the nausea at a manageable place. My insurance company had a nurse case manager call me who is being offered as a free resource since I’m flagged as “high risk” due to IVF and my age. She was surprised how well I was managing the nausea after considering the amount of hormones my fertility doctor had me on. 

Rants/Raves: Last Friday was a big milestone. It was my last day on progesterone shots (which were brutal) and we reached week 10 in the pregnancy! My husband and I celebrated with sushi (non raw for me obviously) and he bought a star ballon that said “Congrats” the next day. I feel liberated and looking forward to gradually returning to my more active lifestyle with Pilates, yoga, and tennis.

Questions: When looking for a provider, what is the most important question to ask to make sure they are a good fit? I would like a natural unmedicated birth in a hospital setting. 

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? I currently live in the SW (very hot and desert-y) but wish I could go back to the east coast where I would be closer to my parents and friends. If not the east coast, I would love to live on the west coast like San Francisco, San Diego, or Seattle. Or go back to live in London again - that would be awesome too. Prior to marriage, I was a bit of a nomad in my 20’s and lived all over the US. It’s my husband who tied me down. I miss big trees and green - lots of green. I didn’t realize how important trees and green were for my psyche until I moved to the desert. If we ever move out of the desert, trees and green are a priority for the next move. 

justkp

EDD / Weeks + Days: 10+6

Baby is the size of a(n): Fig

Team blue/pink/green: Finding out asap

Upcoming Appointments: Dr's tomorrow. I have quite a strong feeling I might be anaemic, had iron deficiency prior to pregnancy and I absolutely can not run, walk uphill or play tennis without feeling on the verge of collapse. So that will be good to get checked out. 

How are you feeling?: So. Flipping. Tired. Happy to be back to normal after summer holiday, I'm a bit more mentally stable, but also - 8 hours of work feels like twice my current capacity. Also headaches have become my most predominant symptom these last few days. 

Rants/Raves: The tiredness. I can't wait for the tiredness to go away! On the plus side, I went down to the tennis courts yesterday morning. Ran much less than I usually would on court, because I literally can't do a long running duel, and miraculously my strokes seemed to benefit from it. Coach who said I move too much on court might have had a point!

Questions: Does anyone have good suggestions for a natural headache cure? I know paracetamol is supposedly safe, but I'd rather not. 

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose?
 
I'd probably move back to the Irish west coast! Beautiful place, great outdoor opportunities and lovely people. But for healthcare, social security etc. I am quite content in Denmark, although our lack of mountains is disappointing... Suppose Canada wouldn't be too bad either. Or maybe a Norwegian fjord or something! 

seeds_of_joy

@ttc3y I would ask them what their opinion is on a natural birth and your situation. I met with an obgyn who rubbed me the wrong way because she said because of my age, I definitely need to be induced at 40 weeks. Thankfully I have my babies early but just her tone on natural birth, home birth, age concerns gave me the red flag enough to stick with a home birth. You mentioned that you're meeting with midwives. Usually midwives are more open minded to natural birth at least!  I hope you find a good match!!  

seeds_of_joy

@justkp peppermint oil on the temples or wherever your head hurts sometimes helps, along with drinking a ton of water. Sometimes with those awful hormonal headaches I end up taking a Tylenol but not very often. Not natural...but a last resort 😜 Just don't put peppermint by your belly because babies are offended by it (which is why people use it to turn a breech baby also).

nwshay

EDD / Weeks + Days: 10+1 (Feb 26)

Baby is the size of a(n): kumquat... Which I don't think I've seen IRL....

Team blue/pink/green: will find out- not sure if we will do NIPT, or wait until our anatomy scan. 

Upcoming Appointments: Aug 19th. Counting down the days!

How are you feeling?:  Mostly just tired. A little bit of breast tenderness, lots of headaches... Thirsty. I think thats it!

Rants/Raves: family dramaaaaa. Between my sister and mom. I'm always in the middle and I am beyond over it. 

Questions: to do NIPT, or not.... My instinct with my daughter was no, but now I'm leading toward yes because of my miscarriage history . But I had a chomosomal test done on myself for my recurrent miscarriages that came up normal, so now I'm not sure if it's necessary... Any insight here? Pros and cons for people who have had it done?

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? I love where I live in WA. PNW will always be home. But if I HAD to choose, probably Norway. Which is so similar... But we love it there. If somewhere tropical, probably Costa Rica!

justkp

@seeds_of_joy Oh thanks so much, I'll definitely give that a go! And I love the smell as well so that's an added bonus! (I'll remember to keep it far away from the baby, offending him/her this early would seem like a bad start to our relationship )

runningyogimama

@nwshay I didn’t have the NIPT done with my prior pregnancies (not routine yet with my first two, my third it was a huge out of pocket expense, and I didn’t see it being worth it), but since I’m over 35 and it’s covered this time (or only $99 it not), I decided to do it. To be completely honest, a very larger reason why for me was with the overturning of Roe right now, being scared that if trisomy 13 or 18 (both fatal) came up positive, I would want ample time for further testing and to still be able to terminate the pregnancy (vs finding out at my anatomy scan at 20-21 weeks and having to do further testing at that point, with a ticking clock), rather than having to carry to term knowing the baby will die any day, because I know that would not be good for my mental health. Sorry if that’s too harsh? 😬

fertile-turtle

@nwshay you should know that chromosomal disorders are very different from other genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis in that you don’t have to be a carrier for your baby to have them. It’s very possible to have a baby with a chromosomal abnormality without having one yourself. It’s the incorrect division of cells when your eggs are developing that cause it, so there can be a genetic component to being prone to having pregnancies with chromosomal abnormalities, and of course increasing age increases those kinds of errors. So it may well be worth it to you even though you’re chromosomally normal. As far as cons, there’s cost of course, and a very, very low rate of false positives, so you may have to have some follow up tests to determine whether the results were accurate if they come back abnormal or inconclusive. And if you don’t think any results would change your actions, it may not be worth the added stress.

Like @runningyogimama, I chose to have NIPT because of the overturning of RvW and my location, so that’s another consideration. If there’s something terribly wrong, like Trisomy 13 or 18, knowing sooner can make a big difference in what your options are and how long you have to make a decision.

nwshay

@runningyogimama not too harsh AT all. That's also been on my mind. 

@fertile-turtle thank you for the insight! That makes perfect sense. 

You both are definitely making me lean more towards doing the test (depending on the cost)

fertile-turtle

EDD / Weeks + Days: 13+2

Baby is the size of a(n): lemon

Team blue/pink/green: blue

Upcoming Appointments: nothing until the anatomy scan at 18 weeks

How are you feeling?: so much better! I seem to be mostly past the worst of the first trimester nausea, breast tenderness, and fatigue, which is a relief.

Rants/Raves: My boss has been very supportive, and I really appreciate it right now. We just expanded to new space and without me asking, he assigned one of my colleagues to clean and decontaminate it before we move in, since the prior research group used some chemicals that I really shouldn’t be exposed to. In my field, workplace safety during pregnancy is often an afterthought for management, so having so much support and not having to advocate for myself at every turn is a relief. Of course I’m still careful, but I’m not also fighting careless colleagues and indifferent management.

Questions: not today

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? Honestly the thing I hate most about where I live is how far our families are (3 hours), especially when I think about what that means for postpartum support/help whenever my husband is out of town or our kid is sick or whatever other unforeseen issues arise. So I think I’d pick my current location but with family nearby.

ttc3y

@justkp I second @seeds_of_joy recommendation on essential oils. I usually do a few drops of peppermint and lavender with a carrier oil and apply to temples and nape of the neck.  I haven’t had any headaches during pregnancy but that concoction definitely helped me when I had mild-moderate headaches in the past. I hope it works for you as well. 

justkp

@ttc3y Thanks so much for the suggestion, I'll head to the drugstore later today to pick up some. It would be awesome to have a natural 'go to-cure' so I won't have to pop pills left and right

angbaby83

EDD / Weeks + Days: 12 weeks

Baby is the size of a(n): ripe apricot

Team blue/pink/green: green

Upcoming Appointments:  not until Aug 15. Still seems so far away. 

How are you feeling?: like crap. The nausea feels like it’s getting worse not better. It’s also taking a toll on my mental health 😩

Rants/Raves: I had such a nice Saturday morning with the kids. We went out for donuts while dad was busy and  came home and took a long walk. The rest of the weekend went off the rails with lots of tantrums and no naps but that was a nice moment. 

Questions: none

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? I can’t really think of a specific place. I wish I lived closer to my family. 

seeds_of_joy

@angbaby83 so sorry you're dealing with bad nausea still That's rough!!

ladykaty91

EDD / Weeks + Days: 13w2d

Baby is the size of a(n): lemon

Team blue/pink/green: Finding out

Upcoming Appointments: end of August for 16 week appointment. This pregnancy is flying by!

How are you feeling?: Finally have some energy back! I even vacuumed out my car yesterday in the Florida heat (and my 3yo car seat which is a huge win!)

Rants/Raves: Rave - My sweet husband planned a surprise getaway for us this last weekend to Savannah to celebrate our 10 year anniversary 💕 Kid and dog free too! Rant - I felt the need to announce my pregnancy to all of work since I’m starting to show - I did not show this soon with my first! I thought I had another month at least! 😬

Questions: NATM

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? 

Probably somewhere in the Mediterranean where I can enjoy the beach, wine, and pasta to my heart’s content 🌊 🍷 

sophe15

EDD / Weeks + Days:  2/18, 11 w 3 d

Baby is the size of a(n): poker chip

Team blue/pink/green: BLUE! Just found put this morning!

Upcoming Appointments: 8/29. That seems so far away

How are you feeling?: today completely normal. Sat-Mon were the worst Ive felt this entire time though. 

Rants/Raves: I am so happy to be feeling half normal today. Also the excellent results we got this morning. I was really nervous for anything NIPT could show, but there are no red flags to worry about for now. So thankful!

im in too good of a mood to think of a rant lol

Questions: natm

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? By a beach somewhere. Preferably and area with good diving. 

emeraldisle17

EDD / Weeks + Days:  13w 2d

Baby is the size of a(n): lemon

Team blue/pink/green: currently green - have held out looking at the NIPT (gender) results for a week so think i'm passed the urge to open! 

Upcoming Appointments:  14w appt on Monday

How are you feeling?:  finally better nausea-wise. Still very hungry all the time, and my back is hurting which is adding to the insomnia, so very tired overall. 

Rants/Raves: My rant is the sheer exhaustion of just life....full time job, 2 toddlers, being pregnant, a DH who has an erratic and demanding work schedule that I can never rely on, it's alot!  Likely going to become a SAHM after this babe's arrival which is also my rave. I always thought I would be one, so while I know that that lifestyle comes with other struggles and rants, I am looking forward to that next chapter of focusing on my babes during these formative years!

Questions: none today

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? Totally with you on the canada vote @runningyogimama ! Between (the lack of) gun control and RvW I just can't....if I had to choose within the US it would be back closer to family and where I grew up.  I wasn't ever homesick until I had my own kids...

Paturkey

Hi everyone! I've been off on an unplugged vacation in the woods so I've not been checking in but I'm still here

EDD / Weeks + Days: 2/21, 11w1d

Baby is the size of a(n): Brussels sprout

Team blue/pink/green: Finding out

Upcoming Appointments: Next Friday the 12th for my dating scan. Can't wait!! I paid for a scan at 7 weeks and this is the first NHS scan.

How are you feeling?: Annoyingly having increased nausea this week. Snacks, pretzels and ginger ale are saving me. But man, I've been up at about 5:30 for a bowl of cereal and some ginger ale the last few days. Ugh. 

Rants/Raves: My nieces are 15 and 16 and are literally over the moon about the baby. It's really sweet. The younger one actually burst into (happy) tears when my brother told them. They also, hilariously, have named the fetus a type of pasta since SO is from Italy. I'm quite certain they will continue to call their cousin his/her pasta name once he/she is born 😂

Questions: Nope

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? I am currently in the UK and plan to stay until my older two are in uni. At that point we'll move to my SO's hometown on the Adriatic coast in Italy. It's lovely, the lifestyle is great, we have friends and family there and alllll the delicious Italian food. Only ~13 years to go 😁 @ladykaty91 feel free to come visit 👍

@ttc3y I would explain to a potential provider what you want from your birth and see how they react. As PP said they might have some red flags right away. I'd want someone who was supportive and on board and sounding like they were willing to value and honor my wishes.

@justkp PPs had some great tips. For me, I drink lots of water and also eat salty things to help beat dehydration. Pretzels are my favorite. That seems to help me with my headaches. Also, hey there fellow European! ::waves::

justkp

@Paturkey A fellow european! Hi there And we're due date buddies as well, also 11+1 here! I think your suggestion of salt is probably spot on, I'm drinking enormous amounts of water, maybe I'm just making it worse! 

So sweet with your nieces, which type of pasta have they named your baby? 

Paturkey

@justkp “Linguini” like in Ratatouille 😂 I hope the salt helps and yay, EDD buddies!

justkp

@Paturkey That's just super adorable 

janele3214

EDD / Weeks + Days:  Feb 28. 10w1d

Baby is the size of a(n): paper clip

Team blue/pink/green: don’t really care. I have 1 boy (3 yr old)

Upcoming Appointments:  Aug 26 will be second appt with midwife 

How are you feeling?: super nauseated from sun up till sun down. Tired. Super bloated. Tender boobs. 

Rants/Raves: tired of my husbands family drama lol

Questions: when will this nausea ever end? With my first I was sadly nauseated until about 5 months along. 

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? Oh probably Colorado. Love the scenery and all the outdoor hiking, water falls, and wildlife. Hope to buy a cabin for Airbnb at some point. 

Love reading all y’all’s stuff. 

kb1322

EDD / Weeks + Days: 2/7/23, 13w3d

Baby is the size of a(n): 🍋 

Team blue/pink/green: Blue 💙🌈👶🏻

Upcoming Appointments: private US next week, and a Doppler with my OB towards the end of the month 

How are you feeling?: sooo much better this past week, I’m a whole new woman! 

Rants/Raves: I know everyone doesn’t have this opportunity, but I’m grateful to be a teacher right now with this pregnancy. I was pregnant over the winter and was in the classroom with students during the first trimester and my symptoms were night and day compared to this pregnancy; I’ve never been so appreciative of summer break. 

Questions: Is there anyone else who’s been too nervous to do any moderate exercise in their first trimester? I was way too nervous to do anything but walk, since I had a MMC at 11 weeks in my first pregnancy. I typically exercised around 4 days a week prior to pregnancy doing hot Pilates, but I’ve been so cautious to do much up to this point. My OB said we should safe to do any mild to moderate excercises, but I was wondering if it’s just me that fears it. 

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? I’d definitely choose to live in the mountains by an alpine lake or river. I appreciate the west coast and all of her beauty living in California, but there’s something about waking up next to a cold, calm, fresh body of water and in pine trees that really soothes my soul. 

kat14k

Weeks + Days: Feb 4/ 13 weeks 5 days

Baby is the size of a(n): lemon

Team blue/pink/green: blue

Upcoming Appointments: Aug 24 I meet my OB

How are you feeling?: Pretty good. Just always hungry and tired. I guess I’m a bit emotional too. I spent my Sunday morning crying for no reason.

Rants/Raves: My partner is away for an entire month and I’m having mixed feelings. Very happy to have some alone time and a clean house but missing him at the same time.

Questions: Not yet!

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose.

Anywhere up north that’s cold. Heat and I already don’t mix and being pregnant it’s a lot worse.

3_broke_best_friends

EDD / Weeks + Days: 2/11/23 - 12W5D

Baby is the size of a(n): plum

Team blue/pink/green: team blue! (But I think I accidentally saw the gender results from my blood work) 😬

Upcoming Appointments: just had 12 wk ultrasound

How are you feeling?: TIREDDDD, a little queasy still 😖. Crying at every video/tv show/movie 🥲

Rants/Raves: never mind the food aversions….I seem to be very annoyed with all men aside from my husband haha

Questions:

GTKY: If you could live anywhere besides your current location, where would you choose? Somewhere tropical!! 🏝

cpk3535

Checking in- just had my appointment with my Kaiser OB/GYN today. Not the best experience. I’m so glad I’ve gone elsewhere to look at ultrasounds of this baby, because the images she got today (she literally took 2 pics) I wouldn’t even know I was looking at a baby, lol. I’ve had over a half dozen blood draws in the last 24 hours and I’m already being asked to do the 1 hour glucose test. Isn’t it a little early for that? I don’t remember still experiencing nausea last time I did this.

I think I’ve got a more dedicated ultrasound appointment next week with a ultrasound tech. We’ll see how that goes! I might see if I want to switch docs, too. I’m not crazy about the lady I met with today, so we’ll see. 

angbaby83

@cpk3535 I had Kaiser with the last two pregnancies and they made me do the glucose test at 12 weeks because of increased risk factors. I think it was because of age and my bmi. I had to do it twice both times. At 12 weeks and then again at the normal time. So dumb.  My current OB has said nothing. So I imagine I’ll do it at the normal time. 

I’ve had horrible nausea with all pregnancies lasting past 20 weeks.  Sorry you’re still nauseous. It sucks! Just know I’m on the nausea train too and I empathize!! 

ttc3y

@cpk3535 They usually do the oral glucose test in the 2nd trimester. I just came back from my first midwife visit. She is willing to do a continuous glucose monitor for two weeks instead of the oral test as an alternative. It was 🎶music 🎶 to my ears.