Weekly Randoms 11/14

ReadyForaB

What's up this week, ladies?!

ReadyForaB

Anyone else's bump starting a bit?  I am only 10 weeks but I SWEAR it's there.  The zipper on my normal black work pants broke last week so I pulled out the maternity ones today and WOW.  I feel like I am sucking in all day today because no one at work knows yet haha. 

hitcj4687

Yes!!! I have a literal bump that just looks like bloat really, but it's a bump for sure because I know how my belly looked before lol. I've been awful about keeping up with working out because my nausea has been so awful. I promised myself to get a light work out in today if I can manage it. I came down with an awful migraine last night and woke up with it again this morning, so probably another skipped work out today.. I have to admit, it makes me feel bad about myself to just look so bloated and chunky without having a true baby bump. 

ReadyForaB

@hitcj4687 I am sorry about your migraine.  I can totally relate.  I've had a hand full since becoming KO but I had one on Saturday and it was the worst.  I felt so bad for my six year old. We were home alone and I basically ignored him the entire night. I just could not function.  The pain was so bad I threw up multiple times.  Not being able to take my migraine meds is by far the worst part of pregnancy for me. 

hitcj4687

Its not as awful as the one I had last night, I threw up as well. A mix of nausea and migraine.  And the vomiting did not help. I was asleep at 8pm with an icepack on my head and couldn't believe the pain was still there when i woke up. It hasn't happened to me in a few months. Today is more bearable but still really sucks. I feel for you! Try not to feel guilty about having to take care of yourself because migraines are just awful. 

ReadyForaB

I also have been able to fund LO's heartbeat on my doppler the past two days, super quick! 

annemarie96

Aw, I haven’t had any migraines yet, just a few headaches. If I catch them fast enough Tylenol takes them away. I used to have migraines w/ vomiting and it was absolutely horrible!!! It’s so hard when you can barely keep fluids down too, no wonder we get headaches. 

hitcj4687

Tylenol never touches mine! I found this ice pack hat on Amazon I'm going to invest in. Ice seems to be the best thing for my migraines and an icepack never wraps around my head the way I want it to. Lol. Caffeine helps but I'm limited on how much I can have obviously! 

ReadyForaB

@hitcj4687 I have one of the ice pack hats!  I LOVE it.   But is wears off pretty quick. It doesn't make it go away but it helps me sleep. 

hitcj4687

Maybe I'll get two so I can throw one in the freezer and wear the other one until the coldness wears off and then swap it out with the one in the freezer!

kalesix3

@ReadyForaB omg that's amazing you've been able to find the heartbeat so easily! I love that for you! I can't remember when my midwives start to use their dopplers, I have an appointment on Wednesday but I'm thinking I may still be too early for them to. I also have a bump! Which doesn't surprise me at all, my torso is short and I always start showing really early. I had great plans to do artistic bump pictures each week and make a compilation afterwards but I'm 11 weeks and my pictures are all random snapshots for my own memories sake so that's a fail 🤣 

I'm sorry for all the headaches and migraines happening for so many of you. That sounds so rough, is it hormones to blame do you think? 

annemarie96

@kalesix3 for me it’s hormones and dehydration. I have had such a hard time keeping fluids down, or just being able to drink it in the first place! The first couple weeks before nausea kicked in I was so thirsty and able to drink tons of water, which was a pregnancy first for me. I’m hoping that’ll come back after the nausea fades!! 

My mouth is constantly dry and tastes weird, so that was helping me drink at first. 

hitcj4687

@kalesix3 my migraines have always been hormone related. They started after I had my thyroid removed and I've been miserable ever since with all kinds of issues I never knew a hormone imbalance could cause! My thyroid levels have been really well regulated for the first time in 5 years and my migraines have been much better but now being pregnant, here they are again! 

potato3000

Part of the migraine club too but haven't had one since I was 7 weeks (and didn't know I was pregnant so took my meds which aren't exactly contraindicated but aren't exactly approved for pregnancy either so I was a little nervous about that) and Tylenol along with laying down has been helping with the headaches I've had since.

@ReadyForaB @hitcj4687 I need to look into these ice hats! I think they would help me if I do get another migraine during pregnancy

@annemarie96 I've had a weird taste in my mouth for at least a week or so too which I definitely never experienced (along with almost any other symptoms to be fair ha) with my first two pregnancies 

ReadyForaB

@kalesix3 I don't know if it's hormones per say because I've gotten them pretty much my entire adult life.  I am usually just able to manage them with medication that I can't take right now.  Ughhh.   At 11 weeks, I totally think they would be able to find the HB on a doppler! I hope so. I love the sound.  Also, I took weekly pictures starting at 6 weeks with my son but ***TW-LOSSES** coming off my losses I felt like I would jinx it or something.  I haven't started yet.  10 weeks currently.  After my appointment on the 22nd, if all looks well, I am going to start with all the things.  

ReadyForaB

@potato3000 Go for it.  I really love having mine!

potato3000

Just got the call, I got in with the midwifery program again! 🎉 Same midwife as my first two but she was already at other births when I actually gave birth to both of them so maybe 3rd times a charm and she'll make it to this one ha (but I'd be happy to have any of the midwives there, they're all great)

ReadyForaB

Just got out family Christmas photos back.  Eeeeekkk!!! Does anyone else spend HOURS designing their Christmas card or is it just me? haha.

thescarletmom

@ReadyForaB aw yay!! Christmas cards are so fun but we rarely get them ready in time to actually order...doesn't stop me from browsing minted for hours though haha.

bridgettetheboxer

@annemarie96 i have dry mouth and metallic taste so bad!! It always happens to me first tri. I get migraines all during second semester too. I usually drink a big cup of calm magnesium supplement every night before bed and that seems to help a bit. 

puffling2023

So the pregnancy emotional-ness has hit me hard (probably combined with the stress of my upcoming wedding this weekend): I started sobbing listening to a local news report about families who can’t afford a thanksgiving meal! I mean, I consider myself normally an empathetic and emotional person, but I just had to laugh at myself a few minutes later thinking, yep, definitely preggo!  

cassafrass123

@puffling2023 ev.er.y.thing made me cry yesterday! 

francesgs

@puffling2023 @cassafrass123 I watched Where the crawdads sing last night and was emotional throughout the entire movie 🤦🏻‍♀️

peyts228

@puffling2023 I cried while watching Jeopardy the other night. Definitely preggo!

hitcj4687

@francesgs what are the odds!? We watched that movie last night too and I was sobbing!!! 

francesgs

@hitcj4687 It was such a great movie!! I loved it! 🥰

cassafrass123

@peyts228 not jeopardy! 

Sometimes it just comes out of the most unexpected places!

kalesix3

@bridgettetheboxer oh I love Calm! I had to stop drinking it during my first pregnancy due to the stevia in it, and then they launched their lavender and lemonbalm capsules and they were the best sleepytime combo, I loved them and took them my whole last pregnancy and now they're out of stock 😵 I miss the familiar bedtime taste of calm capsules! 
@puffling2023 same I'm crying about everything, my emotions are out of control haha. Randomly in the middle of the day out of the total blue tears start welling up for zero reason and I'm just like good grief 😂😵

kalesix3

The one off obnoxious posts are getting out of control, I feel like in my first BMB by now the randos had all left 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

thescarletmom

@kalesix3 it always confuses me because I never, even when I first joined TB with DS1, have just joined a forum community and just made a post without at least seeing what's going on. Which it feels pretty clear none of these people have done. 

kalesix3

@thescarletmom yes exactly or since when did this board become a medical advice drive-by? Like if I wanted to scroll through fifty rando posts asking for things with zero contribution I'd just go to facebook 🙄

hitcj4687

@kalesix3 at least there are no new posts asking people to join discord... lol

ReadyForaB

Anyone opting to not get the NIPT test?  I didn't with my first but I am also AMA (35) this time around.  I am really struggling on this decision.  I don't want it to make things more stressful for me. 

thescarletmom

@ReadyForaB I won't be doing the NIPT. I haven't with either of my other pregnancies. For me, the biggest things are that the risk of a false positive would just wreck me. It also tests for a pretty limited set of things and is not really a diagnostic test. Plus a lot of the things the NIPT tests for, you'd see signs of abnormality at your anatomy scan so you're just buying yourself a few weeks of stress and anxiety (for me personally). For me, there's just not enough value in the small chance of knowing about a condition a few weeks early. But I'm not the type of person who would feel like they need the extra time to prepare mentally for a medically complex baby, nor would I terminate for certain conditions, so if you feel like those apply to you maybe those factors will weigh heavier than they do for me!

thescarletmom

@kalesix3 it's frustrating because they're all like "am I miscarrying??" in the freaking title too because 1. There's a thread right up at the top that says to post threatened MCs here, 2. There's a reason we have a separate, sacred sort of place for these things with trigger warnings and people can choose to come there when they're capable of providing support, 3. So far I don't think I've read a single one where I'm not like... I don't really see any big cause for alarm here?, and 4. It makes me feel like a dick to ignore the posts because I empathize with the anxiety but come on

kalesix3

@hitcj4687 lol perspective haha, it's true! At least we don't have those anymore! 

@ReadyForaB this time I opted for everything, NIPT, NT, Genetic Carrier screening, and AFP screening, but the last two pregnancies I opted out of NIPT or just wasn't offered it. I have low risk factors but the NIPT has definitely added a little stress to my life so if you think you're better off without that I say definitely opt out. 
Initially I wanted to do it just because I was going to be seen by the same clinic who messed up everything for my anatomy scan and not MFM and I was worried they'd mess up my anatomy scan or I wouldn't be able to trust the results, and now that I'm back at my old midwifery practice it just wasn't that big of a deal to opt out so I went ahead and did it. Pretty much any extra piece of information is appreciated because of my history but yes it's definitely a little stressful. 

pttomato

I’m having having a tough time getting into the habit of monitoring my blood sugar. So far, all the times I’ve checked it’s been within range, but I was on insulin by 11 weeks with my last pregnancy and I’m almost 9 weeks now so I know I should be starting to keep an eye on it. 

I’m also trying to decide if I should still go on our camping trip we have scheduled at the end on December. I only worry because last time I was admitted to the hospital for preterm labor at 22+6 like 4 days after getting back from a camping trip. The doctor’s didn’t think it was related but it definitely makes me anxious.

thescarletmom

@pttomato do you have diabetes or just a history of gestational diabetes? I don't have diabetes but have chronically low blood sugar and used to have to test constantly. I did for a while during my second pregnancy because I was having fainting spells and the constant finger pricking definitely gets old fast. 

I can 1000% see how even if those things are unrelated, it would be nervewracking to go. I think if it were me, if my provider wasn't concerned about it and it would disappoint my kids/family/me if I had to miss it, I would do my best to make it work and just plan to take it easy. You'll be 15ish weeks end of Dec right?

pttomato

@thescarletmom Mostly early gestational diabetes. I was diagnosed at 13 weeks and on insulin at 20 weeks with my first, my blood sugars didn’t completely go back to normal after birth and they treated me as T2 for the second pregnancy. But my A1C did go back to normal after the second kid. I’d be surprised if I make it to the second trimester without any blood sugar issues though because of my history.

Yeah, I’ll be 15 weeks. I’m torn between wanting to do stuff with the two older kids before the baby gets here vs feeing like I need to be very careful and not go anywhere. Especially since I still had my iud in when I got pregnant which increases the risk of pre-term labor on top of my history. Although my son did end up being term and I’ll have a cerclage this time. 

thescarletmom

@pttomato honestly cannot imagine how terrifying it would be to get pregnant with an IUD in, I would definitely be extra cautious too. Do you think the cerclage being placed will ease your mind at all? This is also my third baby (6 and 2.5yo sons) so I get wanting to get whatever time you've got too.

ksdelong20

@hitcj4687 have you had your thyroid levels checked since getting pregnant? I don't have any personal experience but other moms in previous BMB have said they've had to adjust meds once pregnant.

I'm only 9w 3d but we told the kids (almost 4 DS and 2 DD) and our parents last weekend and plan to tell BIL/SIL and my 4 brothers when we see them for Thanksgiving. I'm pretty certain my brothers will be excited for us (only my oldest brother has a child, who is now almost a grown up at 17 yo) but I feel like SIL will be judgy (they have kids the same ages as ours and are done).