@jemmerjams Nothing happened to my feet last pregnancy. Toward the very end my they’d get a little swollen by the end of the day if I was walking around a lot. But nothing major. Never needed new shoes for sure.
I haven’t worn my rings since 10 weeks. I’m pretty sure I had trouble getting them on around that time last pregnancy too. MH jokes whenever we go out that he looks like a cheating husband that got the other girl pregnant.
@SweetSweetTooth I second what somebody else said about taking the rings off every night. It’s a good idea even when you’re not pregnant to give the skin under your ring time to air out and to prevent injury while sleeping (I’ve had two different friends that wore their rings to bed and had issues with both of those - the injury one almost had to have her ring cut off and she has no idea what happens, she woke up and her finger was really swollen.)
@chopchop25 Didn’t you say where you worked at one point? I thought you linked to a product one time and made a disclaimer that you worked for the company. I don’t remember where it was but I’m pretty sure I remember which discussion (which I am not posting now in case you don’t want lurkers going back to find it).
@purplegoldfish2 - I stopped wearing my rings at about the same time- not because I was having trouble, but because I am genuinely afraid of having to have them cut off.
(I have a serious ring problem- send baby to daycare or buy more rings? Okay- so not quite that bad, but only because my taste runs to art jewelry rather than fine jewelry.)
@purplegoldfish2 yup, good memory! I like to be careful on all social media forums to use the disclaimer, since I would not want to be quoted making public statements that are not authorized or on behalf of the company. It’s amazing when I read the news to see what is picked up from random social media feeds of employees that was not a statement issued by the company. More humorous than anything, but it’s definitely made me aware of the risk.
@knottieamusements The first morning I woke up and couldn’t get them on I stopped wearing them. Last time I tried them on every morning until one day I got them on and almost couldn’t get them off. Lesson learned.
We thought about buying a bigger fake ring just so I would have something last pregnancy, but in the end it didn’t really matter. I hardly wore them after the boys were born too because I was afraid I would scratch them (and when I did finally wear them I ended up scratching a baby so I refused to wear them for a while again). I got so used to not wearing them that even 5 years later I would sometimes walk out of the house without them on. It used to bother MH until he realized I really wasn’t doing it on purpose (& he got tired of me running back into the house to get them while he waited in the car for me).
@purplegoldfish2 - I had a teacher in elementary school whose hands swelled suddenly during the day. I remember her and the art teacher frantically trying to get her rings off during my class. It made a huge impression on me.
As for scratching the baby- my rings run a gamut of styles, including a number of bands. But I can see where most wedding rings would be a concern for that.
Yep, took my ring off with DS and it’s never really gone back. Felt like I was going to scratch him every diaper change. Then after so long I got out of the habit. Maybe after this kiddo is a little bigger I’ll finally wear them again?
For the ladies that can't wear rings, maybe trying buying a silicone one? They are super cheap, I got 2 thin ones for $25. So if I lose them or outgrow them, no big deal. I like to wear them around the house when I'm doing housework/cleaning/errands. I feel naked without my rings, so I like to have them on most of the time.
Theoretically you can work out in them, but I've watched too many safety videos about rings getting caught on things and flaying off skin, etc. (don't google it, pictures are horrific), so I'm ultra paranoid. The silicone ones have a super low tensile strength so they should rip first if they get caught on anything, whereas a metal ring is going to stay strong and won't break.
Mine is a Qalo. I believe from their "stackables collection". I normally wear a 7.5 but this is an 8. DH has ordered some of Etsy and hasn't liked them. I have no complaints on this one. Pic and link in the spoiler
@nmadjeski I have two Enso ones (and H has one as well). Super comfortable. I like my rings looser than you're "supposed" to wear them, but I find them to be pretty true to the size of my other rings (the ones that still fit lol). I heard good things about Qalo too but didn't try them because I heard they run very small and I didn't want to deal with returning anything.
@jemmerjams with DS I never had any swelling, I was extremely lucky. I wonder if maybe it's because I was pregnant over the Winter months. Things may be very different this time when we are most pregnant in the hot hot months.
My rings have always been a little loose, so even with any swelling it's usually fine.
That's the brand I've been looking into. @krzyriver I really liked some of the color options they had. And I've heard they run true to size. I dont want to have to deal with returns/exchanges.
@nmadjeski I have their rose gold and the unicorn (I think it's called) in the thin band... and I want like 2 or 3 more. Lol. They're so comfortable. And they always have sales going on, I've never paid full price. They do stretch a little over time, so I think they recommend you size down. But like I said, I like them loose so it doesn't bother me.
@krzyriver The rose gold is the one I want. I like unicorn too. I see their ads on FB advertising their sales all the time. I think I'm just going to order already haha.
Love my silicone ring!! DH wears his most days and wears his “real” ring when we go somewhere special or date nights. I wear mine camping, to the lake, or doing big projects around the house. Wore mine most of last pregnancy and have been wearing it a couple of months now this pregnancy.
They are also nice for postpartum when you’re afraid of scratching baby's delicate skin, not like my ring fit right away anyways..
@cdepperschmidt elementary teacher here. My contract has 15 minutes before and after school for planning and a 30 minute lunch -_- Other prep I get but not written in my contract: Music has standards that need to be hit with the students every year, so very rarely it will get cancelled, that gives me another 30 minutes twice a week. Computers gets cancelled a lot during testing seasons, but when I have it that’s 30 minutes 1 day a week. Library rarely gets cancelled, but if the librarian is out then we lose it. Another 30 minutes 1 day a week. 1-2 times a month a counselor comes in for 30 minutes to help teach social emotional skills and build relationships with the kids.
Our school uses part of our budget to have subs for each grade level to have common planning time 1 day a week for 45 minutes.
@BabyRobbinsAdventure that sucks. Our contract requires each teacher get 225 minutes per week of planning. For a classroom teacher than means 45 minutes per day.
@cdepperschmidt the subs that watch our classes so we can grade level plan will usually do PE or art, but no, do not have positions on our staff for either of those.
I know that some of the more affluent schools in our district have their parent involvement committee raise money to pay a PE or art teacher for the year. I’m in title I territory.
Does anyone else talk about this BMB an obnoxious amount with their significant other/friends/fam? I’m constantly talking about the enlightening things I learn, new products we should get or avoid, my worries when one of you are waiting for some stressful results and what not? My DH just rolls his eyes when I say this or that about “the app” or “the bump”. He knows what I mean when I say “the app” because it’s the only one I spend a ridiculous amount of time on
@rabtaido1214 meeee...he likes when I bring up the drama in the other threads! But I also talk about the other apps that I look at...you know, the ones where Ramzi/nub pics and TMI bleeding pics and AW posts are every other post. I think he likes those better, especially the ones where people are asking for help with names.
I've gotten a lot of good info from you ladies, so he can deal with it! And somewhere people were worried about being too oversharing as a STM+, and I say, don't worry, share away. It's an internet forum, if we don't like what you have to say, we can ignore your advice and you'll never know! I feel like it's different than coworkers or friends telling you in person and you're just like "uh huh, yep, ok".
I'm always telling DH about our convos and he thinks it kind of odd to be talking to strangers, but when I point it out that I don't have any close friends with kids yet he gets it. I keep telling my two best friends that are pregnant now to join but they also aren't sure about talking to strangers. Guess you have to be in the thick of it to understand fully how amazing it is and truly supportive group of awesome ladies there is here!
Me 33 DH 41 TTC since 2016 Due: October 12, 2018 Location: Ontario, Canada
@jemmerjams My H loves when I tell him all the crazy names people come up with too! None in this group, but there are some good ones in the name board and other BMBs.
Yep- I talk to my friends about you all the time! Especially when our conversations touch on topics that aren’t pregnancy centric (like the recent conversation about reclaimed words- interestlying, Guncle, who is in his 50’s, winced at Queen, but a friend of his in his 20’s wasn’t even aware that it was ever a slur.)
I tell DH about you guys all the time. If I don't for a few days he'll ask about *my people* He loves the UO board, the fffc, names, the fact the I can talk to people going through what I am, it's nice. DH laughed is ass off at this week's fffc with all the swearing children stories and said "I can't wait to be a dad and have our kids do funny things like this" it made me pretty happy
I’m still close with a group of ladies from June 2015 so Dh does know what I’m talking about. I’ve met up with one of them in Massachusetts with her two kids twice now and he still gets paranoid though.
I don’t think he realizes what a blessing it is for me to have this group to read, learn, share and here about other in a similar situation during the most exciting (and scary) time of my life. He tends to not think about things to “deal with” his anxieties and fears. I’m the opposite. If I didn’t have this he’d be the one listening to all my thoughts, concerns, curiosities lol. So grateful to have found this community. Like other(s) have said, none of my close friends are at the baby stage yet so I feel a bit in a big unknown world without this.
@rabtaido1214 - Exactly- all of my close friends are either childless by choice or working on grandkids. While the grandmothers are happy to talk pregnancy, everyone else is politely interested and would rather talk about other stuff. (And even when they are interested, they don’t know that your feet can change shape or that nausea isn’t just a morning thing.)
@rabtaido1214 that is exactly how it is for me too. And I think DH finally gets it and embraces me talking about you guys with him. He is 9 years older than I am and I am already late to the game too. All his friends have kids starting high school next year and all my close friends have decided that not having children is the route they want to go. You guys are my support system and really have no one else to talk you.
I tell DH about stuff on here all the time! If I laugh at something, he always had to know what I'm laughing at. The one day there was bad news on here, I was in tears and blue the rest of the day and he wondered what was up. I'm definitely the tech-y one so he wouldn't be worried about internet safety stuff. I've had to teach him to be skeptical of all scam messages... Like the Christmas time one that Wal-Mart was giving away $200 gift cards to anyone who filled out this online survey that needed your email.
I talk to DH about the stuff on this board all the time, too. It's actually led to some really great conversations between us that I don't think we would have had otherwise. While I have a couple friends who have recently had kids, both of their experiences were completely different than mine and honestly, it's not as easy to talk or learn about all the changing things as it is on this board.
I've always been really nervous/anxious about what pregnancy will be like, and being a part of this board and hearing all the stories and getting some great feedback has really made me feel comfortable and excited. So grateful to be part of this group
Re: Questions 6/8
@SweetSweetTooth I second what somebody else said about taking the rings off every night. It’s a good idea even when you’re not pregnant to give the skin under your ring time to air out and to prevent injury while sleeping (I’ve had two different friends that wore their rings to bed and had issues with both of those - the injury one almost had to have her ring cut off and she has no idea what happens, she woke up and her finger was really swollen.)
@chopchop25 Didn’t you say where you worked at one point? I thought you linked to a product one time and made a disclaimer that you worked for the company. I don’t remember where it was but I’m pretty sure I remember which discussion (which I am not posting now in case you don’t want lurkers going back to find it).
(I have a serious ring problem- send baby to daycare or buy more rings? Okay- so not quite that bad, but only because my taste runs to art jewelry rather than fine jewelry.)
We thought about buying a bigger fake ring just so I would have something last pregnancy, but in the end it didn’t really matter. I hardly wore them after the boys were born too because I was afraid I would scratch them (and when I did finally wear them I ended up scratching a baby so I refused to wear them for a while again). I got so used to not wearing them that even 5 years later I would sometimes walk out of the house without them on. It used to bother MH until he realized I really wasn’t doing it on purpose (& he got tired of me running back into the house to get them while he waited in the car for me).
As for scratching the baby- my rings run a gamut of styles, including a number of bands. But I can see where most wedding rings would be a concern for that.
Theoretically you can work out in them, but I've watched too many safety videos about rings getting caught on things and flaying off skin, etc. (don't google it, pictures are horrific), so I'm ultra paranoid. The silicone ones have a super low tensile strength so they should rip first if they get caught on anything, whereas a metal ring is going to stay strong and won't break.
@sammierose464 - I did a foot bath last week and it helped. And just felt awesome.
https://qalo.com/collections/stackables
My rings have always been a little loose, so even with any swelling it's usually fine.
I really like that color! @sammierose464
That's the brand I've been looking into. @krzyriver I really liked some of the color options they had. And I've heard they run true to size. I dont want to have to deal with returns/exchanges.
I wear mine camping, to the lake, or doing big projects around the house. Wore mine most of last pregnancy and have been wearing it a couple of months now this pregnancy.
They are also nice for postpartum when you’re afraid of scratching baby's delicate skin, not like my ring fit right away anyways..
You said your kids have specials 4 days a week if they don’t get cancelled. When do you get planning time? What does your contract say?
Other prep I get but not written in my contract:
Music has standards that need to be hit with the students every year, so very rarely it will get cancelled, that gives me another 30 minutes twice a week.
Computers gets cancelled a lot during testing seasons, but when I have it that’s 30 minutes 1 day a week.
Library rarely gets cancelled, but if the librarian is out then we lose it. Another 30 minutes 1 day a week.
1-2 times a month a counselor comes in for 30 minutes to help teach social emotional skills and build relationships with the kids.
Our school uses part of our budget to have subs for each grade level to have common planning time 1 day a week for 45 minutes.
you don’t have PE and Art at your school either?
I know that some of the more affluent schools in our district have their parent involvement committee raise money to pay a PE or art teacher for the year. I’m in title I territory.
I've gotten a lot of good info from you ladies, so he can deal with it! And somewhere people were worried about being too oversharing as a STM+, and I say, don't worry, share away. It's an internet forum, if we don't like what you have to say, we can ignore your advice and you'll never know! I feel like it's different than coworkers or friends telling you in person and you're just like "uh huh, yep, ok".
I keep telling my two best friends that are pregnant now to join but they also aren't sure about talking to strangers.
Guess you have to be in the thick of it to understand fully how amazing it is and truly supportive group of awesome ladies there is here!
TTC since 2016
Due: October 12, 2018
Location: Ontario, Canada
DD 3/15/12
DD 6/3/14
#4 Due 10/26/18!
I've always been really nervous/anxious about what pregnancy will be like, and being a part of this board and hearing all the stories and getting some great feedback has really made me feel comfortable and excited. So grateful to be part of this group