2nd Trimester Check-In: Week of March 13

byrneme · March 2017

This is a weekly check-in for those in their 2nd trimester: weeks 14 through the end of week 27.

Congrats to all the strong ladies who have made it this far! It's such a great feeling and we've all accomplished so much! We are now 1 week closer to the end of this especially long journey we call "infertility."

Please post below a little about yourself, how many beans you have growing inside, if you have found out the sex(es) and what your EDD is. Please also let us know how far you've made it on your journey and when your next appointment is and what for. If I'm missing anyone from this list, or you are new to the 2nd tri, please let me know and I will add you.

Please let us know when you have graduated to 3rd trimester so that I can update our list!

Mommies to be:

@MelD17011 EDD 6/8/17 with 1 boy!

@beckij34 EDD 6/13/17 with 1 boy!

@JaneJane EDD 6/14/17 with 2 boys!
@kdanjou EDD 6/19/17 with 1 girl!
@rmarble23 EDD 6/20/17 with 1 girl!
@mjacks16 EDD 7/8/17 with 1 boy!
@Nellin EDD 7/8/17 with 1 bean!
@Colleen0516 EDD 7/12/17 with 1 boy and 1 girl!
@taradise99 EDD 7/16/17 with 2 boys!
@MicronesianMamma EDD 7/21/17 with 1 boy!
@byrneme EDD 7/25/17 with 1 surprise bean!
@ARB425 EDD 7/30/17 with 1 girl!
@JuliaAnn86 EDD 8/4/17 with 2 beans!
@persnickity EDD 8/5/17 with 1 bean!
@ChristinaV2015 EDD 8/5/17 with 1 surprise bean!
@Esperer EDD 8/6/17 with 2 beans!
@ljsmith805 EDD 8/8/17 with 1 girl!
@JWatt5 EDD 8/13/17 with 1 bean!
@DDRGirlie EDD 8/16/17 with 1 boy and 1 girl!
@Stars2016 EDD 8/24/17 with 1 boy!
@oxinfree EDD 9/5/17 with 1 boy!
@omarismyhomeboy9/8/17 with 1 baby girl!

QOTW: Are you and your SO planning a babymoon? If yes, when in your pregnancy and where are you going (or have you gone!)?

janejane-2 · March 2017

Good morning ladies!

Writing my update from the hospital

Current pregnant (yay!) w/ 2 little boys, at 26 weeks + 6 days. (TMI warning) Woke up early Sat morning, used the bathroom and that fear thats been in the back of my head since by beta was realized - toilet bowl full of blood. Reminded me of a day 2 period flow, saw a clot. Husband and I immediately headed hospital.

Dr on duty did an exam didn't see anything obviously wrong. Best guess is that one of the placentas started peeling from the uterus. They put me and the babies on the heart monitor (stress test?) I started having contractions though I didn't realize it until I was on the machine. They were light/moderate. (Felt like cramps). Dr. gave me magnesium sulfate in hopes of stoping of the contractions (it worked) and a steroid for the twins lungs incase an emergency c-section was in order.

Once everything was under control I was admitted and basically on bed rest, with the monitors on me an the twins. I've been here over 48 hours. No more bleeding, no more contractions. MFM team spoke w/ us told us that they anticipate another occurrence at some point. If its before 32 weeks they can try the mag-sulf & steriod shot but if its afterwards they can't - twins will have to come early.

Fingers crossed they stay put. First goal is to make it to the 3rd trimester so about another 1wk, 1 day. Then for them to make it to 37 weeks.

Dr.'s now want me up and about to make sure there's no more issues before releasing me. Staying in bed w/ the monitor (the bands over my stomach)has been hard. The twins move so the nurses have to re-adjust. Couldn't actually sleep. Being pocked and prodded! The things we do for our babies

MFM Dr. said peeling of placenta for IVF babies is actually a bit more common. They don't know why. This is the first I've heard of this.

QOTW: Are you and your SO planning a babymoon? If yes, when in your pregnancy and where are you going (or have you gone!)? We were even if local but after all this probably not LOL. Just looking forward to going home.

Hope everyone has had a less stressful weekend.

omarismyhomeboy · March 2017

Hey @byrne15 could you please add me?
EDD: 9/8/17 with 1 baby girl!

This is my first week as a 2nd Trimester poster and I'm thrilled about it! I am 14w3d and just so excited to be out of the 1st trimester- I remember being 5 weeks pregnant and not believing I'd ever get here! I also have my first signs of a bump which is just awesome

My next appt is 1 week from today, where I'll have my 16 week check-up. I don't actually know all that entails, because my 12 week appt was a big one, and I know 20 weeks will be, but I don't know what goes down at 16 weeks- seems like some people don't get a sono, but I really wanna see the babe!

QOTW: Are you and your SO planning a babymoon? If yes, when in your pregnancy and where are you going (or have you gone!)? We are wanting to do something relatively low-cost (and less travel-heavy) so we are thinking about asking my in-laws to use their house in San Diego for a few days. We are trying to go in my 'sweet spot' which will be mid May-late June (23 weeks to 29 weeks, roughly). But havent planned it yet. (Honestly I am also worried about my maternity leave- because it involves using vacation days, blah blah so I don't want to take too long of a trip).

Colleen0516 · March 2017

@JaneJane oh my goodness, you must have been a nervous wreck!! Seeing blood immediately causes panic. I'm so happy to hear that both babies are fine and that you are doing well!!! Hopefully, they stay put for a while longer! Praying for you!

@omarismyhomeboy welcome! Happy to see a familiar name join the second tri!!

AFM: I had an informal tour of my hospital this weekend. Lately, I have been noticing that my underwear are wet throughout the day, and I feel a lot of liquid down south (sorry for TMI). I really thought nothing of it- and equated it to normal pregnancy discharge. In speaking with my mom, she told me to call my doctor. He doesn't do Saturday appointments but happened to be in the hospital at the time. He asked me to come in just to make sure my amniotic fluid wasn't leaking. Turns out, inwas right- just discharge, but better safe then sorry.

I did learn that Hannah flipped. She is now breech, so she is head to head with her brother. My mom had the flu- my hubby was working- so my dad insisted on taking me. He got to hear the heartbeats on the monitor and actually see them on the sono machine which was nice! He would never have seen that otherwise. He was in awe of both of them.

I also had a major sciatica flare up this weekend. I was sitting on the floor assembling my laundry sorter (I live a fun life lol) and when I went to get up- bam! Worst shooting pain ever. I was STUCK on the ground like a beached whale lol my husband had to pull me up, and then I could barely put pressure on my leg. Thankfully it went away the next day. Praying it doesn't come back!

QOTW: hubby's birthday is next week. Don't know when my shower is, but I want to plan a little weekend getaway for him. I'm thinking April, so the weather is a little warmer. We would stay semi local. Maybe head to Mohegan sun for a weekend.
Hes done SO MUCH for me the past few weekends. He deserve a mini vacation!

kdanjou · March 2017

@JaneJane glad the babies and you are ok!

I am 26 weeks today with one baby girl. I can't believe I'm coming up on 3rd tri soon.
Apparently I have anemia so I'm waiting to hear back from the doc about taking more iron. I passed my GD test though so that's good. Just hoping the anemia doesn't affect baby girl at all.
My next appt isn't until the end of the month. I'm still finishing up getting baby gear out of the basement and cleaning it and setting stuff up. I'm starting to get more tired now when I do physical things so I'm just doing a bit at a time.
QOTW: Are you and your SO planning a babymoon? If yes, when in your pregnancy and where are you going (or have you gone!)?
We aren't doing one this time around. When I was pregnant with DD we went on a long weekend trip to a spa/resort nearby and I got a massage and haircut and pedi. It was wonderful but I ended up getting a bad rash from the massage so now I'm afraid of getting another one while pregnant!

byrneme · March 2017

@JaneJane oh wow! How scary for you! I'm glad to hear that things are progressing a little more smoothly for you and will keep you in my thoughts!!

@omarismyhomeboy welcome to the 2nd tri board and you've been added!! Your monthly check up is just that - they'll weigh you and check for the heartbeat with the doppler, verify meds and answer any questions. I've started to keep a running list on my phone to ask at each of those appointments.

@Colleen0516 what a pain in the a$$ (literally) that must have been. Sorry you're dealing with that

AFM - I'm 20w6d with one team-green bean. No appointments this week but looking forward to two next week! Normal monthly check up and our fetal echo (any excuse to see that baby again!) where we will, hopefully, get the shots s/he was so uncooperative with during our A/S! My DH is in China right now so I've really taken advantage of some 'me time' by catching up on the DVR, a pedicure, sleep and just doing nothing! It's been great.

QOTW: I'd LOVE to go somewhere quick, I also have concern taking vacation time out of my ML, but the weekends are getting so limited between obligations, showers, etc. and the time my OB said to stop travelling. I've heard my DH talk about it with some of his friends so my guess is he would like to take one

JWatt5 · March 2017

@JaneJane - oh wow, blood is so scary but I'm so glad that things have settled down for the moment and hopefully until 37 weeks! Lots of thoughts coming your way.

@omarismyhomeboy - yeah 2nd trimester!! Congrats! I didn't have a scan at my 16 weeks but they did use the doppler. Even though I have one at home, it's always nice to have the doc find the heartbeat too!

@Colleen0516 - I've had so much discharge lately - I thought that yucky feeling and panty liners were gone when I went off the progesterone suppositories but I guess not. I couple times I've been a bit spooked cause there's all the sudden a lot of it, feels like a surprise period or something but it never is.

AFM - 18 weeks - not a lot going on this week. Next week is the big week - Anatomy Scan, gender scan and the reveal! I'm beyond excited. I'm still a bit nervous about the scan, I'm praying that the cyst on my ovary hasn't grown so I don't have to worry about it until after the birth but I won't found out until April 10th anyways so I'm trying to put it aside and focus on the excitement of seeing this little one & whether we have a little girl or boy!

My only negative to pregnancy is this constipation. I seem to get to the point of pain when bending over then some relief. I'm on a softener now at least from the doc. Other than that I'm pretty good - the Snoogle is a lifesaver. I slept 11 hours Saturday night (with the usual pee breaks) after having nap earlier that day and again on Sunday. I feel a lot better - love that pillow!

QOTW: Are you and your SO planning a babymoon? If yes, when in your pregnancy and where are you going (or have you gone!)? We were planning to go out to Vancouver/Whistler but our friends out there are planning to come to Ontario at the end of April so we may not go now. We did say in place of that we would head in to the city (Toronto), stay in a nice hotel, go to museums and get a couple ballgames in. I would be happy with that! Probably at the end of May since April is already busy and then two weekend in May we have Prenatal classes and then it's the May Long Weekend up at the cottage the other week.

edited to add the QOTW!

Colleen0516 · March 2017

@jwatt5 I've had he same feeling. Turns out that discharge is totally normal (which I already knew) with pregnancy. You hear all these crazy stories though- it's hard not to worry.

kelrauh · March 2017

Lurking from 3rd tri
@JaneJane - hang in there. You are at a good marker for the babies and the steroids and magnisum will only make the babies better (mag is proven to decrease cerebral palsy by 50%). Are they monitoring you 24 hours a day? If so, that's brutal at that stage with twins. They did that for me the day I went to labor and delivery and I couldnt sleep because of monitoring, the magnisum and contractions. The best thing for me was my DH seeing how miserble I was and told them to bring me an Ambien. So if you are struggling with sleep and feel like you are losing your mind ask for something to help you sleep. I hope they let you go home soon, I'm almost at 7 weeks on hospital bed rest. All I can suggest is make a routine and try not to have too many expectations it causes more anxiety.

mjacks16 · March 2017

@JaneJane Sorry to hear about your scare, but glad everything has settled down. Hope they stay put for a while longer!

@omarismyhomeboy Welcome to the second tri!

@Colleen0516 Hopefully your sciatica stays away. I've been totally expecting to have the same pain, but I really believe going to acupuncture every week is keeping all the bad symptoms away.

AFM, I'm at 23w2d with a baby boy. Nothing much going on this week, I have a standard OB visit next week. My baby shower date has been finalized and I have been looking at photographers for maternity/newborn photos. I also ran around town this weekend and decided on a dresser and a glider for the nursery.

QOTW: I'm going to Palm Springs in less than two weeks when I am turning 25 weeks. I can not wait to get out of the cold and enjoy the sun and heated pool at the resort. We also booked a few restaurants for dinner, so we will be eating well!

MicronesianMamma · March 2017

Hi all! I'm 21w3d with my baby boy. Thanks to an anterior placenta I just started feeling movement late last week! It's become pretty constant but not as strong or as often as I was hoping to feel by now. I have an OB check up and hospital orientation tonight. I spent yesterday designing my shower invitations, which I must say turned out super cute! I'm hoping to send them out by next week so I need to sort through all the hand-me-downs and finish up my registry. I ordered my boy's coming home outfit from a UK Etsy store and it shipped last week - I can't wait to see it! I was also told that our new sofa should be ready for delivery this weekend so also excited about that! SO made great progress in the garage this weekend so hopefully I'll get to start working on the nursery soon.

QOTW: We were invited to a wedding in Big Bear in early April so we decided to add an extra day and have it double as our babymoon. Figured the wedding mood sets the tone for a nice romantic getaway. It's close enough that I only need to use 1 day of my PTO for a nice long weekend. Now I just need to figure out the weather and buy a dress!

@JaneJane Oh my, so sorry for your super stressful weekend. Hoping for you those babes stay put a while longer

Welcome to 2nd tri! @omarismyhomeboy

oxinfree · March 2017

Hey ladies!

@JaneJane - hope you are feeling better and babies are back snug as bugs, setting up camp for a good number of weeks more.

@omarismyhomeboy - heya

so excited you've "graduated" to second tri. It's so exciting!

@Colleen0516 - beached whale

but I have leg/hip issues so know on some level the pain you must have been feeling. No fun. I really hope for you it doesn't happen again. fx

@JWatt5 - so excited for you to find out gender. You've waited so so long

AFM - Today I'm 14w6d. I had my appointment with the MFM today and it was so amazing to have such a detailed scan of baby. We literally have like 12 photos from the appointment haha. Baby boy was measuring AHEAD for once and it was truly so so exciting for me. We were measuring 15w3d which is actually a day ahead of our IVF dates... so basically perfectly on track based on original sept 3 due date (it got changed by OB at early scans to sept 5 because we were measuring behind). Our next appointment is next Tuesday with our OB.

QOTW: Ugh... I'm so paranoid... I really want to go on a babymoon, but I'm also so scared of flying; something happening and having regrets or what ifs. I know its perfectly safe but I can't shake it, so we may just drive up to Austin one weekend as we haven't really been there, and do a detour to Waco to Magnolia Bakery and the Silos etc (I'm a Fixer Upper fan).

nellin-2 · March 2017

Hi all

@JaneJane how terrifying! Fingers crossed everything calms down and you get some sleep!

Welcome to the new 2nd tri peeps!

I'm 23 weeks and just starting to slow down a little bit and struggle to get comfortable at night. Still feeling pretty good so I really can't complain!
@omarismyhomeboy FYI my sweet spot has been since about week 13 or 14 and feels like it's starting to run out now!

No appointments this week which is nice. Now my little bean spends all day jumping around I don't feel the need for scans so much especially after my cervix length looked good last week. And parking at the hospital is a nightmare!

QOTW my partner and I went on a lovely little holiday earlier and I'm planning on going on my own to visit my home town and catch up with friends and family friends. I don't have any family left there but my mum died almost 10 years ago so I really want to visit her grave.

omarismyhomeboy · March 2017

@oxinfree you should def come to Austin! It's fun here

And you and baby will love the food.

rmarble23 · March 2017

I am 26w 6d with my little girl, according to my apps I am officially under 100 days left, it seems so close yet so far away. I have been pretty productive lately, last week I ordered a few things for the nursery and today I set up the dresser and hung the curtains and put down the rug. Took me almost 4 hours off and on to put this dresser together but I am excited and exhausted . I am on vacation this week so day two in the middle of this blizzard coming will be the crib

I also have an appointment this Friday with OB for my monthly check.

this is what everything looks like so far, of course not where its going to stay in the room

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/vt/dscnxwrj1znx.jpg

QOTW: we took a few days down to foxwoods in Jan and then my cousin is getting married in upstate NY so that will be another night away but that's all we have planned as DH will start working hopefully soon but with this snow coming its kind of hard to get to the lawns

ARB425 · March 2017

@janejane glad the babies and you are doing well except for the whole bed rest fun! I hope those 2 decide to hang out for a bit!

Welcome to 2nd trimester to all the new gals!

Well I'm 20w1d with our little girl! I was so excited yesterday to made it to the half way point. She is moving a ton more and I actually look pregnant so things are starting to become more real! My mom helped me with our registry yesterday and I just have to add some small things online that they didn't have in the store and that's finished! I have my anatomy scan on Friday. I'm excited to see her again since it's been 8 weeks since our last ultrasound!

QOTW : We don't have any definitive babymoon plans yet. We may go to Amish country for the weekend. Depending on how things go after we have the baby we may take a family vacation to Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan which is one of our favorite vacation spots.

nellin-2 · March 2017

We spent some time organising on the weekend and I found a blanket my parents knitted for me before I was born. It's got a few moth holes but I've started darning them up because I love the idea of using it with our little one, especially as my mum has passed.

My mum was an artist and I inherited most of her artwork so we decided on a couple of paintings for the nursery. It's nice to be able to surround our baby with the memories of her grandmother.

wifeinraleigh28 · March 2017

*lurking from 3rd tri*

I'm so sorry to read your scary update @JaneJane but glad to hear that things are okay and that those babies are staying put.

Even though I've moved on to 3rd tri I will still be lurking here for all your progress each week! Love to all you strong ladies!

JWatt5 · March 2017

Woohoo! First adult snow day in years & I'm in Canada dang it! Anyone else?

beckij34 · March 2017

I'm 27w today with my little guy. We are doing good despite some health concerns that have popped up (mostly with me). I found out last week that his right kidney is dilated but my OB said that it's common in boys and usually resolves itself before birth. I am having another ultrasound in a couple weeks so they can check his kidney again and see how it's doing. He's in the 65% for growth which my OB said is great. He's right where he should be. As for the QOTW no babymoon happening over here. I'm a single mama to my little guy and just don't have the funds right now to get away although I would love a vacation.

JWatt5 · March 2017

@rmarble23 - that dresser is so cute!! Good job!

@ARB425 - yah! for the half way point!! Pretty excited to be able to join you there too soon!

@nellin - that's great that you can fix that blanket up and have some of your mothers artwork to put up - that's a great idea for keeping her close to you and your new little one

DDRGirlie · March 2017

@JWatt5 Ive been experiencing the same discharge. Thankfully it is normal.

@JaneJane I can't imagine what you must be going through. But as uncomfortable as it is, being in the hospital, receiving mag, is the best thing right now. Hopefully, you'll be home soon. Now just try to get some sleep!

AFM- I got a call from my OB regarding my labs and i have an elevated AFP. I'm so worried. Usually during u/s baby boy is moving around, baby girl hardly ever moves. She swat away the probe but thats it. She doesn't kick or anything. Meanwhile, her brother is kicking her in the head. AFP could mean one of them has spina bifida or will be born with just a portion of a brain. My OB and MFM are kind of baffled, because they've never seen anything in any of my u/s. Im going on the 20th to get my blood work redrawn. I just can't stop thinking about baby girl. I have an anterior placenta with her, so I can't feel her move at all. I would just feel better if I could feel her or see her move during an u/s. My next anatomy scan is 3/31. Dr. Google says its common in multiple pregnancies to have elevated AFP.

QOTW: I booked a long weekend to Mystic, Ct. I'll only have to use one PTO day. It seems like a pet friendly town so I'm thinking we'll take our pup with us too. We've never taken her to a hotel before, so hopefully she'll be good. She only barks if someone slams a door so hopefully she'll be okay.

kelrauh · March 2017

**lurking again**

@DDRGirlie - is your little girl sitting low? My little man is high with a regular placenta and little girls is low and has an anterior placenta. She has never moved like he does because he has alot more room and i also dont feel her alot. When I feel her kick its a totally different feeling than him and it took until about 24 weeks to really feel her kick me. The doctors and nurses here aren't concerned one bit that I have a crazy little man and a very calm little girl. I hope your blood work is nothing, and its just a matter of where she is positioned and her placenta.

babylonghorn16 · March 2017

*lurking from 3rd Tri*

@JaneJane so scary!! I'm glad you are now in good hands, and hope those babies stay put! Prayers for you!

@kdanjou I am also anemic - found out in the 2nd tri as well. I've been taking iron pills since then. Some advice - do not take w/ your prenatal bc it will make you sick. Take right before you go to bed so you'll likely sleep through any nausea. I woke up a couple times with an im-about-to-throw-up feeling, but body has gotten used to it now! Also, iron might cause constipation. If it gets unbearable (mine never did) take some stool softener. Hope that helps!

@oxinfree Waco is my hometown! If you are going to check out the silos, I'd hit up the farmers market too... it's right down the street! Small, but cute. Food trucks at both places are A++. The grilled cheese food truck is my absolute FAVORITE.

@omarismyhomeboy Hi from San Antonio!! Went to college in Austin (hence the username \m/

)!

ARB425 · March 2017

@nellin I think that's so incredibly sweet to surround yourself and little one of memories of your mother!

@jwatt5 every week my excitement grows even more! I just can't wait to meet her!

@ddrgirlie Thinking of you! Im glad you having it redrawn and your a/s is coming up. Hopefully that will give you some answers soon!

If anyone is going to be pumping when you go back to work, look into the bottle system kiinde twist. You pump directly into the bag and the bag attaches to a bottle and nipple. There is no cross contamination, chance of spilling your milk and it decreases air bubbles in the bottle. I'm so excited to find this system because I'm hoping it will make the transition back to work after maternity leave easier for me and the system is fool proof for my husband. I know it's crazy to think that far ahead but I'm a planner by nature!

Colleen0516 · March 2017

@DDRGirlie how many weeks are you? I feel like I remember you saying somehwere around 18....
I am 23 weeks and feel like our twins are very similiar.... my baby girl was/is never really active- but my boy was/is active. Hoping the timeline of when I started feeling my little girl will ease your fear off not feeling your daughter yet:
My Baby Girl also has an anterior placenta. I felt baby boy so early, and continue to feel him so much. But baby girl moves much less for me, or atleast I feel her less due to placenta. On sonograms (at 14-20), she would kick and move a little, but for the most part she was always just content. I would joke that she was my photogenic one because she "cooperated", but she cooperated bc she didn't move as much. She was just chill, she still is.
Now at 23 weeks, I feel her move more easily bc she is bigger- but she is still NO WHERE near as active as baby boy is. She is only active when I disrupt her and her calm oasis that she created inside me (she isn't a fan of sono's now so she will kick and hit when I get them) or when he brother is such a mad man in there and he is moving so much that she joins in. But it's very rare, she is usually still.
If I feel 30-40 kicks from him a day, I feel maybe 10 from her, and that's when I'm focusing on her.

The elevated AFP would make me nervous too, so I can only imagine how you're feeling. I'm so sorry you have to worry about this, it has to be so scary. Dr. google probably makes it worse too.
But don't stress about your daughters movement yet. It could just be that she a calm Baby, and your son is a more active baby.

Other than the bloodwork being redrawn, is there any other way they can tell if something is wrong? Maybe your levels were just weird that day. If both MFM and OB don't see anything on scans yet, there is a lot of hope that the blood work was just a little screwy that day. Praying it all is okay in the end!

janejane-2 · March 2017

Thank you ladies for all your kind words. I was released after a little over 2 days. The bleeding and contractions stopped. No emergency c-section was necessary. I have a follow-up appointment tomorrow, a growth scan. Apparently if with a displaced placenta sometimes one twin becomes more dominant then the other (starts to take away nutrients). Oddly enough, dr. said that the “dominant” twin has a lower chance of survival b/c the other twin has built up stressors and can better survive outside the womb. In short, they are going to start monitoring me every 2 weeks to make sure this doesn’t happen. Like I said, we're taking it day-by-day. I'm taking it very easy.

@omarismyhomeboy - welcome to the 2nd Tri board!

@oxinfree - I’m a Fixer Upper fan too! Would love to go to Magnolia Farms and try the cupcakes. Sounds like a super fun trip.

@nellin - the knitted blanket is so darling. I wish I had family heirlooms. Your baby will appreciate being surrounding by your moms art.

@wifeinraleigh28 - thank you for checking in I’ve been thinking of lurking in the 3rd tri board. Looking forward to joining in the next week or so!

@DDRGirlie - hand in there! I know its easier said then done. The AFP is just a market right not a diagnostic. Please keep up posted. Prayers to you. Hopefully its just a fluke.

@beckij34 - I have the same issue w/ one of my twins. Both kidneys are dilated. I was told that its a soft marker for down syndrome but since that’s really the only one we’ve had the MFM didn’t give it much thought. I also have a follow-up scan coming up. The good thing is that it is common in boys and in 1/3 of cases is cleared up by the second scan.

@kelrauh - you are my HERO! I didn’t even to think about asking for an Ambien. Those straps were such a pain. The constant interruption to take vitals, change the mag-sulfate, etc. I’m in aw that you’ve done it for 7+ weeks. Anything for our babies, right? Hang in there!

nellin-2 · March 2017

@ddrgirlie @Colleen0516 Adding to the twin discussion I was talking to a friend who is 33 weeks with twins and she said every night the boy kicks constantly until the girl kicks back at him really strongly. Then everything goes quiet for a while until the boy starts up again. Sounds very cute but maybe not at 3am!

@JaneJane I'm so glad to hear things have calmed down. Hopefully everything just stays calm and quiet for a few more weeks!

I'm submitting my parental leave application tomorrow! Less than three months until I have a whole year at home being a SAHM! I can't quite believe it's real and I have so much work to do to get everything in order for a handover. It's going to be tight financially but I'm so grateful for the ability to stay home and then go back to a job I love.

beckij34 · March 2017

@JaneJane my OB didn't say anything about it being a marker for down's. Other testing I've had done showed that my risk of down's was super duper low. I'll have an ultrasound the end of the month so they can check his kidney again because it was listed as moderate. My OB said that this typically resolves itself before birth so we'll see.

@Nellin I must admit that I'm jealous. I wish I could get a year off paid (although you're not likely getting your whole pay) but it would still be nice. Are you in Canada? I'm in the US and am looking at taking 10 weeks off. It really shocked me to see how screwed up our maternity leave policies are. We get nothing almost compared to other countries.

omarismyhomeboy · March 2017

@JaneJane thank you! I'm glad you are out of the hospital. Continue taking it easy for your LOs- I'll be thinking of you!

JWatt5 · March 2017

@JaneJane - glad to hear you are home!!

@Nellin - I can't wait to be a SAHM for a year - I'm so grateful I live somewhere that I get that protected time and employment insurance/financial assistance during it!

I'm so excited - I'm sure that I'm feeling this LO now. On the weekend I thought maybe I felt something but over the past couple days now I'm sure of it. Last night there was a lot of movement. It's still so odd feeling and catches me off guard every time! Sometimes it's a light flutter/bubble feeling and other times I swear this kid is launching it's self off my uterus. hehe.

ARB425 · March 2017

@beckij34 I'm hoping maternity leave changes within the US as well. Ive had several people ask me "when are you going to stop working?" Ummm when my water breaks! That's the plan though! But then again I'm thankful to be able to take 12 weeks off, some of which will be unpaid but we will make it work.

@jwatt5 isn't it awesome when they start moving all around?! I mistakenly had a mango iced tea the other day and she was wiggling and using my uterus as a launching pad!

DDRGirlie · March 2017

@ARB425 I was looking at those types of systems. I guess it would depend on what kind of pump my insurance will cover. I'm not really sure how pumps work yet. It's on my list of things to research after my blood work and a/s.

@Colleen0516 Thank you for the support. My coworker was telling me that she was on antibiotics before she knew she was pregnant and her AFP came back elevated, but her son, now 27 is fine. I almost want to go to one of those u/s places just to see if she'll move. I have 2 weeks until my a/s.

@JaneJane So happy to hear your home where you can be comfy and rest. Take it easy!

@beckij34 Our maternity leave is a joke. I'm a nurse and i basically get no maternity leave. I have to use FMLA which is unpaid. It only protects my job for 3 months. I can use disability and get 50% pay for 6 weeks for vaginal, 8 weeks for c/s. And the first two weeks I need to use PTO. I was shocked to hear that this was the policy. It's terrible! I'm the breadwinner in my family, so I'll have to use PTO in order to get my usual pay. I really want to stay out for 3 months, but then i'll end up with no time if something happens to the twins and I want to take off.

ARB425 · March 2017

@ddrgirlie my insurance covers 3 types of pumps; medela pump in syle, spectra 2 and and another one that had poor reviews. I've watched a lot of YouTube videos and read reviews and there were a lot of positives for the spectra which is a hospital grade pump so most likely I will be going with that one. Plus it is a closed system = less tubes to clean. Basically the kiinde twist bottle system uses a specific adapter for your pump that you are able to use it directly into the bags.
Our short term disability works the exact same way although I was initially told that if the dr writes for longer that it can be approved for that time period. Not sure if that is true but I can only hope. I've saved up about 8 weeks of time but won't be using all of it since I need to have a bank of hours in case of emergency. I'm the bread winner as well but the way I'm thinking I will work it out is to get paid for 24-32 hrs a week,take the other time through FMLA and then supplement with my short term disability plan. We are also setting aside a little extra every pay for safety net...kinda wish we did that prior to getting pregnant but 'tis life.

beckij34 · March 2017

@DDRGirlie I'm looking at taking off 10 weeks via FMLA. I get 6 or 8 wks depending on type of birth and the rest they consider baby bonding time is what I was told. If I choose to get paid while I'm off I'll have to use any sick leave, vacation, or personal days. I'll have enough to cover me for about 5-6 weeks with pay but I need to save up for the remainder of my time off. I'm a single mom so I have no other income to depend on.

JWatt5 · March 2017

I can't wait for the United States to get caught up on the importance to making more protected time available to women after childbirth. I just don't understand why this hasn't happened already - blows my mind. The least they could do is give employment insurance during the 3 protected months to help financially.

janejane-2 · March 2017

@JWatt5 - I'm not holding my breath. Its so sad what little job protection is provided or financial safety net. Women are expected to give birth and head back to work in 6-8 weeks. Then there are institutional pressures (i.e. the work place). I had a colleague take 5 months off (i'm sure she had dr.'s notes) and it was the talk of the town. Our office was 60-40 women and even the women were annoyed that she took such a long maternity leave. Given our office and HR rules, she could only have been off so long if she had medical documentation so obviously it was necessary. UGH!!! Wish things were different. Ok, rant over.

Colleen0516 · March 2017

I lucked out with the timing of this pregnancy. I'm off for the summer (teacher) and due in July. If I go early, which is likely, I will use my maternity time. I am hoping that I can use the rest of my maternity time in September but I'm unsure if I can split the time like that. I want a solid 3 months home with them so we will see. I have enough sick time saved to do about 4 months so I should be good. But I do agree that it should be mandatated that we get 3 months paid time after birth. We're home raising a newborn, not sitting back eating cupcakes and watching tv all day. We should be granted the time to heal and to nurse our children!

omarismyhomeboy · March 2017

@JWatt5 Yep. I am waiting for that, too. But also not holding my breath. My employer told me it was a "gift" that they are giving me 10 extra days beyond the expected 6 weeks of FMLA. She kept using the term "gift" and I was like so irritated by it. So my choice is to blow through any remaining vacation days I have, leaving none for Christmas or Thanksgiving, and then be at the mercy of my boss to see if he'll "let me" take unpaid leave to celebrate Christmas with my family- or just staying home for 2 months and going back. Which I know is doable, just not ideal.

JWatt5 · March 2017

Happy to see everyone at the very least has a plan on how to make sure they get the most time off with their newborns they can.

You all more than deserve it!
While up here we get that wonderful protected time off - it can come at a price. My "company standing" you could say just isn't as strong since they found out I was going to be off a whole year. I'm the only female that would be considered in her "child bearing" years here & the first female during that time that is a Manager. They still are in the stone ages about how they indirectly treat you - the Steel Industry is such a boys club. Nothing truly discriminatory (yet - but they know to chose their words with me as I'm also their HR manager/legal advisor for these exact issues) but it just "feels" crappy. I've said a few times to DH I kinda just wanna look at maybe a new opportunity before I just go back after my leave - maybe start over - trying to "keep up with the boys" just doesn't seem as important anymore, work just isn't my first priority now.

edited; for clarity/spellling

JWatt5 · March 2017

@omarismyhomeboy - My previous employer used that term too for Maternity/Paternity Leave - I think most would prefer the "gift" of not being made to feel guilty for accepting your "gift" or the govts "gift" of this time off, regardless of how long the time is...please and thank you. hehe

I think maybe this is just one of those times in life where the majority of people have a hard time putting themselves in our shoes because haven't been pregnant, are men who can't be or they feel like your leave burdens them - Leaves affect everyone at work and at home in some way, positive or negative. For some reason, our natural human response tends to swing negative.

2nd Trimester Check-In: Week of March 13

Re: 2nd Trimester Check-In: Week of March 13

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