PGAL Check-In Week of 08/15

ashtuesday · August 2018

1. How many weeks are you, and how big is baby?

2. How are you feeling? Mentally and physically?

3. Any appointment updates?

4. Rants/Raves/Questions?

5. GTKY: What's your all time favorite town or city?

ashtuesday · August 2018

1. How many weeks are you, and how big is baby? 4 +6, still a poppy seed.

2. How are you feeling? Mentally and physically? Mentally, I feel weird. This pregnancy was unplanned and unexpected - after trying SO HARD for our daughter for so long, it's a very different reality to adjust to. But the anxiety I've felt in every other pregnancy (even my first, before I'd miscarried) isn't around. Part of me has this feeling like this baby came out of nowhere, so he or she will stick around. I know there's no logic to it - and I'm not even really clinging to that feeling, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't there. It's just a strange experience. I'm grateful not to feel anxious, but I'm not counting on staying that way. Physically, symptoms come and go. Random bouts of nausea or headaches, weird dreams, and food aversions have started. It's good to have symptoms. It's just all strange.

3. Any appointment updates? 09/19 with my old practice, looking for a new ob closer to home and hoping for an earlier appointment as well. But I find some flaw with every single ob I research. Gah!

4. Rants/Raves/Questions? How are you all choosing (or how did you choose) your obs? I had a bad doctor during my MMC and I am so scared of getting burned again - what's your process?

5. GTKY: What's your all time favorite town or city? Well, New York, New York! I never feel as at home as I do in the city.

mrstmoose · August 2018

If everyone is ok with this, what about combining PGAL/IF weekly? I'm open but just suggesting!

1. How many weeks are you, and how big is baby? 4.4 - poppyseed

2. How are you feeling? Mentally and physically? Physically, I'm exhausted. I was nauseous all day yesterday but today I'm STARVING! Mentally, I'm doing better, especially after getting my betas back from yesterday.

3. Any appointment updates? Since all the labs look "excellent," I have my first ultrasound on 8/30/18. I know I HAVE to wait, but I'm not good at waiting.

4. Rants/Raves/Questions? I can't get over how exhausted I already am. I know I was tired with my first pregnancy but I don't remember the exhaustion like this. I also bounce between no nausea and ALL THE NAUSEA. Anyone else like this?

5. GTKY: What's your all time favorite town or city? I loved Jamaica when we went on our honeymoon.

mrstmoose · August 2018

@ashtuesday - I feel strangely calm about this pregnancy as well. Almost like I just "know." I still have my moments but I'm surprised how not crazy I am.

chelseay416 · August 2018

1. How many weeks are you, and how big is baby?

4w1d, poppy seed

2. How are you feeling? Mentally and physically?
Mentally I'm actually really solid. Although I am feeling a tremendous amount of guilt because I feel like I wasn't ready to get pregnant earlier this year when I had my loss, and like that somehow contributed to it. But I'm really hopeful this time around. Probably because I'm already having some symptoms (nausea, fatigue, boobs hurt), which didnt happen at all before my mc.
3. Any appointment updates?
I made my initial appt for Sept 7. I'm kind of in limbo because my pregnancy with DS was in a different city with a different OB. When i moved here, i found a doc i loved and she helped me through the MC. Just found out she's leaving, so my appointment is with an entirely new doc I've never met. I've heard good things but still a little nervous.
4. Rants/Raves/Questions?

Just the nerves about the new doctor. Also got my blood draw today to test my progesterone and see if they want to put me on supplements. Its weird because my last doc talked me through everything we would do when I got pregnant again but she's not here so I feel like I'm walking my clinic through what we talked about. its frustrating.

5. GTKY: What's your all time favorite town or city?

Ooo this is hard - I think probably Grindelwald, Switzerland

professormama · August 2018

I don’t mind combining pgal and pgaif, although I don’t have a lot of experience with the later. But i think everyone here would be sympathetic to the experiences of others.

1. How many weeks are you, and how big is baby? 4w + 6d so baby is a poppyseed /water bear.

2. How are you feeling? Mentally and physically? Physically, so far symptoms are pretty mild. Yesterday was pretty crappy, I was over tired and emotional. But today was great and sore boobs are the extent of it. I’m feeling weirdly mentally hopeful and confident - almost excited to tell people even outside my family. (Is this how people who haven’t miscarried feel?) This also makes me feel weirdly disloyal to my loss? I don’t know if that makes any sense at all.

3. Any appointment updates? I had my HCG and progesterone levels checked Friday, then rechecked Monday. Everything looked good.

4. Rants/Raves/Questions? I don’t love my OB, but I live in a kind of small town and I think she’s the best option I have. I feel like she’s unnecessarily “proactive” - aka, prescribes things and procedures when they’re not really necessary. For instance, ive never had my ob prescribe a HCG Check and recheck with no indication of any problems... I really miss my old OB. My husband offered that we could drive to her, but it’s 4 hours away! Nice thought, but ridiculously impractical.

5. GTKY: What's your all time favorite town or city?
London. Studied abroad there for 2 weeks in high school, and again for a summer during college. We have plans to spend a semester there again once I (fingers crossed) get tenure.

@ashtuesday I found my first OB my looking for a combination of user reviews online, and reading their websites. My OB that I LOVED in my previous city was part of a teaching practice - she regularly had med students shadowing her, so I knew she was really up on research and current with Best practice. After we moved to a small town I asked my son’s pediatrician, and I asked a few friends. I’m going to the woman they all recommended, though (as I said above) I don’t love her.

TheSouffleGirl · August 2018

ETA: I'm okay with combining, even though I'm only PGAL. My one concern is that I wouldn't want to stress out PGAIFs with my PGAL angst...?

1. How many weeks are you, and how big is baby? 5+3 or so, doubtless the size of some variety of seed...

2. How are you feeling? Mentally and physically? Physically, 100% normal. Mentally, holding everything loosely since my most recent MC was just this past April. I have to admit, I'm really wishing I had darker positive lines and some symptoms, even though I know both are irrational.

3. Any appointment updates? None yet. I will probably call the OB next week, but I'm finding it a hurdle! I think my subconscious believes that scheduling an appointment means it's "real," and that admitting it's real is the first step towards being sad it's over.

4. Rants/Raves/Questions? I could probably just Google this, but - what's up with beta testing? My OB has never suggested it despite my history of 3 losses (all random, say the analyses.) Is there any advantage beyond peace of mind?

5. GTKY: What's your all time favorite town or city? Oxford, England!

@ashtuesday: I chose my first OB based on proximity to my house and good ratings. However, part way into my second pregnancy, I found out that he wouldn't give me a procedure I might have wanted (a salpingectomy rather than a shot of Methotryxate for an ectopic pregnancy). After that, I looked up doctors who did salpingectomies and chose a well-reviewed OB whose office was at a hospital with a top-notch maternity ward (including a nonprofit charitable board and NICU we wound up needing!). However, I would not have kept him if I didn't like his bedside manner, list of do's and dont's, etc.!

ETA: @professormama - I'm in your line of work! Well, sort of.

I was an adjunct last year, and had already planned to take this year off to work on my dissertation before I got my BFP. Now I've just got a hard deadline for submitting: April 20.

Good luck with tenure! Are you up this year?

keliser · August 2018

1. How many weeks are you, and how big is baby? 4wks, poppy seed

2. How are you feeling? Mentally and physically? Mentally I’m excited and terrified. My very first pregnancy was molar, then had my son, then an early m/c last March. Trying to keep negative thoughts away! We also struggled with getting pregnant for the first, and this pregnancy. Physically, my boobs are a bit tender, and I have some cramping, but I’m also on progesterone which can cause cramping.

3. Any appointment updates? Ultrasound scheduled for the 4th of September, then I think I’ll be released from the RE back to my OB.

4. Rants/Raves/Questions? None yet

5. GTKY: What's your all time favorite town or city? I love Frankenmuth Michigan. It’s America’s little Bavaria. Beer, Christmas, community. I love it. We are headed there next weekend!

someone asked about betas, I think I get them from my history of a molar pregnancy. I know a lot of fertility centers order them also. And maybe some OBs to help give mom peace of mind while waiting for first scan.

booksandlace · August 2018

1. How many weeks are you, and how big is baby?
5w5d, the size of a lavender bud

2. How are you feeling? Mentally and physically?
Physically exhausted and I feel like everything is always hurting. Mentally I'm doing very well. Week 4 was the most nerve-wracking for me but I do still have some anxiety when I feel a lot of cramps or pelvic pain

3. Any appointment updates?
Upcoming appt Fri, I can't wait

4. Rants/Raves/Questions?
I already look like I'm in my 2nd tri and popping out of my bras, I'm going to have to get new clothes sooner than I expected

5. GTKY: What's your all time favorite town or city?
La Jolla, Ca. It's so beautiful down there, the weather is amazing and the beach is awesome

professormama · August 2018

@TheSouffleGirl hey there fellow academic-mama! I’m only in my second year as a prof, so a few more years before I have to go up for tenure (thank goodness). Good luck on the defense!!!! I’ll keep all my fingers and toes crossed for you. But if your chair lets you go, then it means you’re ready. Excellent idea to be done before baby. What field are you in? I’ve got a ton of spare job market advice rattling around in my brain since I was just there - we should private message.

JNR6510 · August 2018

@TheSouffleGirl I truly hope this one is a sticky LO! Scheduling the doctor appointment can be scary after a loss, but it can be exciting when things feel real too. Betas can be helpful to let you know how things are progressing, but the numbers can be stressful too. I’ve not had a doctor recommend doing betas yet either. Maybe it’s a regional thing?

1. A little over four weeks along

2. Extremely nauseous. Morning sickness is kicking my butt this time around. Tender boobs. Mentally I’m just trying to stay positive. I really want this one to stick!

3. First appointment is is 9/2 ❤️

4. Blump. That is all.

5. Poznan. It’s beautiful and serene, and the summers are mild.

TheSouffleGirl · August 2018

@booksandlace: Love the lavender bud! What ticker are you using that has such pretty things in it?

@JNR6510: Maybe! I wonder. I definitely could see how it could take a load off for certain types to know things are going well. I'd just sit around unable to do anything else until my numbers came in each day, ha.

@professormama: Well, congrats on the recent hire, then! I'm in literature,

, so I will gladly take any advice you have. Fortunately, we (my husband's in political philosophy) have some concrete opportunities over the next couple of years that could turn into something more, but you definitely can't count your chicks before they're hatched, especially at our university, which is well-known for its fickleness! What are you in?

batmama31 · August 2018

1. How many weeks are you, and how big is baby? 7wks, 5 days. size of a jelly bean.

2. How are you feeling? Mentally and physically? I'm in a much better place after my first appointment yesterday. relief is probably the most accurate word. while I didn't get to hear the heartbeat (they don't do that anymore?) I got to see it and the ultrasound tech was very reassuring. she could sense my anxiety and offered to let me hear a few heartbeats.

physically, the bloat has subsided, but I'm tired AF and combatting nausea. didn't have sickness w/ my first so this is new to me.

3. Any appointment updates? next appt is 9/21. doc said I'll get to hear the heartbeat then b/c her doppler isn't as invasive as the ultrasound.

4. Rants/Raves/Questions? not really a rant or a rave, more of an intro. I'm here from the march board. original calculated due date was 3/31, but I had a feeling that was off b/c while my periods are pretty consistent, I didn't get my first positive until I was 4 days late, and even then, it was super faint. one of those, "take a black light photo and double expose it, and w/ polarized lenses, you can see a second line" positives. so I had a feeling I ovulated later than usual. I think my ultrasound measurements yesterday confirmed that, so here I am!

5. GTKY: What's your all time favorite town or city? naha, okinawa, japan. I grew up there. I have family there. having grown up a military brat, it's the closest to a hometown I have.

*edit* .... aaannddd... I just realized I posted on the wrong thread. sorry

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