Has anyone donated their cord blood before? We don't plan on banking ours and would like to donate it instead. Please let me know if you have personal experience with this.
@rjgmcmanus I’m making tacos too! They’re my daughter’s favorite. She could just eat refried beans and be happy. @k_mama91 melted cheeses are fine, but I ate queso fresco which is a specific Mexican cheese which is sometimes not pasteurized. They just sprinkled it on top of my food the way you would sprinkle Parmesan for example. But your smothered burrito would always be safe 😁. And delicious!!
Has anyone ever used a mosquito band like "mosquitno" (citronella based) while pregnant? I am outside a lot during the day and read that daytime mosquitos are usually the most dangerous. I don't want to be covered in DEET 24/7. I haven't noticed any bites, but thought the extra precaution couldn't hurt since we have a pond nearby and are in a mosquito prone area. Couldn't find a real answer so I thought I might ask here!
@kbee08 are you in an area at risk for Zika? We also have a pond and bugs love me. My doctor wasn’t concerned over bites causing any major issues. I have been using DEET though bc I hate itching!
@k_mama91 No, I'm not in an at risk area, just in a really rural location with water and forests and the mosquitos usually love me so I was a little worried. I will ask my doctor at the next appointment. Glad to hear it's not a big concern!!
Does anyone have any idea why I still haven't gotten a call to start my genetic testing? I thought it had to be done by 14 weeks and I'm currently 14+2...I'm just confused. I have an appt next Tuesday (regular checkup) but I figured I should've gotten this all started already? Sorry if I sound like broken record... I probably asked this somewhere but the internet isn't very helpful for this type of question.
@ktmaesim hmmm weird. My OB sent a referral over to the genetics ppl, but I also called bc I am impatient like that. I think you’ve passed the window on NT, but not NIPT - don’t quote me. Clearly not a dr! There’s also the quad screen (also called serum test or AFP) which you do as early as 15 weeks - screens for trisomies and neural tubes.
@ktmaesim maybe a dumb question, but are you super low risk? I’m wondering if your doc decided you don’t need the testing (and forgot to tell you?)....I also did have to call and schedule all of those appointments myself, but my OB was super clear about when I should be calling to schedule what. Def follow up with your OB cuz I agree that’s unusual!!
Has anyone had their thyroid level come back high on their bloodwork during pregnancy? I just got mine back and it was 3.94. I’m 15 weeks now so I’m glad I didn’t know that my risk of miscarriage was higher in the first trimester, but I’m still really worried! They’re going to test it again later but the midwife didn’t seem too concerned because I’ve never had problems with it before. But I have health anxiety and of course I googled and now I feel like I’m spiraling.
@midgerose86 yes I am very low risk I believe ! Maybe that’s why. I honestly only want to do the ones that are mandatory now as I don’t want any more stress by the added testing
@knottie120a516c3695a7f6 I think I have the opposite issue as you, but wanted to reply in case it's useful. My TSH levels came back high from my blood tests, and the nurse at my ob office told me that it meant my thyroid was low. I guess TSH is what your body uses to call for more thyroid hormone. They put me on medication and I was a bit worried (fetal brain abnormalities are a risk of hypothyroidism, apparently). When I talked to my doctor yesterday she said that they tend to treat people who are "borderline" and normal just in case the issue might get worse over the pregnancy. They said when levels are EXTREMELY off, it can be a concern but if it's a little bit they take precautions. So for me, high TSH meant that my body was working a bit harder to produce a normal amount of thyroid hormone. The medication just makes it easier for my body. Long response to say that I was worried and now feel loads better. Hope you're well.
@brrrrrrrrie yes! Mine is the same issue. I think I worded it weird. They haven’t put me on medication but I want to get my levels retested soon because if I need to go on medication I’d like to know sooner rather than later! Did you start taking the medicine in the first trimester or second? Thanks for your response!
@knottie120a516c3695a7f6 I had this happen with my first with numbers at the same level. My midwife put me on a low dose of levothyroxine and then I was checked again in my 2nd and 3rd trimesters as well as after I gave birth. Your numbers are on the edge of normal for non-pregnancy, but a little high for being pregnant so that may be why she's not super worried at the moment. I've continued to stay on a low dose for the past few years and it was recently increased with this pregnancy. I believe it's pretty common and not something to stress too much about. The hardest part is taking the meds on an empty stomach first thing in the morning and then not being able to eat immediately after.
@ashorkey oh that’s good to know! Thanks. That helps put my mind at ease. Once I retest my levels I’ll let the midwife help me decide what to do if I need to go on medicine. Trying not to stress in the meantime
@knottie120a516c3695a7f6 part of the reason I was worried was that I only got my test results back midway through week 14. So I also read all of the terrifying effects of low thyroid in the first trimester and thought... well, I missed the boat. I think my nurse could have done a way better job communicating my results to me! I started taking a low dose of levothyroxine last week and they said they'll test my thyroid again later on in the pregnancy. No one seemed at all concerned, and in fact they were like "we've heard you're worried!" as though I was overthinking it. Once I got the full explanation of what it all meant I did not feel worried at all. Also, sounds like not everyone agrees that medication is needed when you're on the cusp. So if you don't end up on it, don't worry. Also, yes! @ashorkey to it being a little tricky taking the medication on an empty stomach. I wake up early and take it and then go back to bed to let everything settle!
Who else is still dealing with nausea in the 2nd trimester? Was in the ER on 6/24 after vomiting 5 times for IV fluids. Prescribed 3 days of Reglan and was in heaven. Now they’re gone and I’m vomiting again. OB wants me to try Diglegis first, but I don’t want to risk taking it since my mom took it with my handicap sister. I’ll have to struggle this weekend until Monday and try to convince her to fill the Reglan again. Any suggestions besides vitamin B6 (only worked for 2wks), lemon, ginger, saltine crackers, preggie pops, ginger ale? I have vomit through the nose nausea. I need the strong stuff lol
@lioness_389 - I'm so sorry to hear that. I do still have nausea and food aversions but nothing near where you are at. The only thing that helps me is to eat nothing in the morning and then eat some lighter fruit like watermelon for lunch.
I'm a huge YouTube watcher and would love to follow some vloggers. Do you know any good pregnancy vloggers?
@lioness_389 I still have pretty bad morning sickness. I had it through my entire pregnancy with my older children. I take zofran nearly daily. No advice, just wanted to commiserate and say I hope you feel better.
@mrszoobear what about Youtubers Aaryn Williams, Tara Henderson, Liza Adele, Beauty and the Beastons, this Gathered Nest and Rashelle Marie? They’re all Mommy vloggers. And if you get REALLY bored you can watch my videos lol (‘Life With Laketra’). I’ll be uploading more once I get a handle on this sickness.
@holly321Thank you for validating me. I know another woman who takes Zofran and it seems to be helping her too. You’re brave to embrace pregnancy again after being sick the entire pregnancy with your others. I can’t even imagine doing this again lol
@lioness_389 - I didn't know you had a channel! I will for sure check it out. Also, thank you for all the other suggestions, I will search them this weekend 😁
Oh no, @lioness_389, I'm so sorry to hear that you aren't feeling well. I'll be hoping that your doctor is willing to work with you to find a medication that you are comfortable with and that will give you some relief.
@blueskychicago12 Thank you! Monday we are supposed to talk about Reglan so I’m hopeful. I took some B6 last night and this morning I was nauseous but am feeling better now.
Anyone else experiencing excruciating nipple burning? Like for about 15 min straight my nipples hurt SO Bad!!!!!! It feels like it’s right on the tip and is only on some days not every day. Ugh it’s so bad!
Is anybody thinking about epidurals yet? No judgement to those who choose to have one, first off. I’m seriously considering going natural this time. I’m a STM. With my first pregnancy, I showed up at the hospital in the middle of the night, already at 7CM. I was taken into a room, still having contractions, and they gave me an IV and an epidural. My labor came to a screeching hault. They basically stopped my labor and fit me into the doctor’s schedule! I didn’t get to try to deliver until the following afternoon, about 14 hours from when I came in, even though I was ready to go. For the majority of the wait time, I was numb from the waist down and just laying in a bed, unable to eat or move. It sucked! I was exhausted and starving. When I did deliver, all went well, but I pretty much felt that they just turned down the meds in my system so I went into labor mode. It was weird, and very unnatural-feeling. I tore a bit (another side effect I’ve heard from epidurals) and had to have a few stitches. DD#2 is coming in December- I’m planning to go natural this time. This time, I want to be in charge. Any thoughts?
@cpk3535 STM also and plan to go med free this time. My reason is because with my first the epidural actually bottomed out my BP and made me feel even worse than before I got it plus I'm 95% sure by the time I actually pushed my son out it had worn off because I refused to push the button for more medicine since I was afraid of bottoming out my BP again. I got the epidural at midnight and my son didn't arrive until 10:10am. Also to add that I wanted to go med free the first time but between the nurse, my husband, and having contractions ALL DAY (started at 230am friday and finally had him at 1010am Satuday) I gave and got the epidural and proceeded to cuss them both out because of how bad I felt after getting it. Husband has been told not to even say the word epidural this time or he can leave lol
@cpk3535 FTM mom here - so let's be real, I'm in fantasy land of this actual experience no matter how many friends I talk to or how much reading I do. My hope is to go epidural free... but I'm also a realist and won't beat myself up if I decide I want one. I do think the benefits of going without sound really worth it.
@bookworm492 I plan on asking my OB about nitrous, not sure if available at our hospital.
@cpk3535 I plan to go natural this time. My spinal block with my csection didn’t work. With my 2nd, I had a vbac, but was being threatened with a RCS, so I got an epidural hoping to actually be numb, it also didn’t work. The lingering back issues obviously aren't worth it.
@cpk3535 - FTM so I have no prior experience. We plan on seeing how things go and trying a few different pain relievers. My doula told me an epidural can slow the labor process down to the point of needing pitocin if taken too early. I'm not good with pain so I will probably need one eventually but I believe I will try narcotics first to hold off as long as possible.
STM I plan on going natural (again) this time. The anesthesiologists tried to pressure and scare me into getting one last time and I held firm at no. I have no judgment for those that do decide it is best for them, but I've heard enough stories of things going wrong with epidurals that I don't think it's best for me. As the doctors said, I'll "take my chances of being fully put under" in the event, I need an emergency c-section. Yes, they actually tried to scare me into getting one by saying I'd miss the birth because of my choice. Apparently I'm a rebel by taking my chances...
FTM and no experience, but I plan on going without an epidural. Again, Expecting Better by Emily Oster has a lot of information on epidurals and the data on them. One piece of advice she gives if you don't want one is to put that in your birth preferences and also include that you do not wish to be offered pain medication and will ask for it if you need it.
STM and hoping to go natural. My water broke w DS but I wasn’t in labor so had to be induced. The epidural was a blessing during labor but I believe they actually turned it off come time to push because I felt everything. The real reason I may try and go natural is bc DS was early he had to go to the nicu and I had to be able to get up and pee before they’d let me go see him. If I didn’t have the epidural I wouldn’t have had to wait almost an hour before I could see him.
@ashorkey i am sorry the doctors were pressuring to you. My csection was not planned, but was not an emergency. Dd was breach and I was not in labor, but I was about 6 cms so I wasn’t leaving the hospital. I still had to have general, which by all means sucked and I had some serious emotional issues from it. But my point is, there is always a chance and you can’t predict the future.
FTM here, I'm planning on using nitrous oxide. Don't want an epidural, but too chicken to go fully natural. C-section only if medically necessary (like baby is breech/in distress). Praying I can go with my plan A and things don't take a turn and I have to change course.
STM- water broke with my first on it's own but I didn't progress quickly enough so needed pitocin to help things along. Had horrible back labor and after being in labor for over 12 hours and only was at 4-5 cm I asked for an epidural which didn't work completely to take the back pain away. I did progress a lot faster after I got the epidural because 4 hours later I was at 10 and was ready to push (I pushed for an hour). We will see how it goes this time around!
I'm planning to try without again this time, but I'm not against it. I tried to go natural last time, and my midwife and doulas were all advocates, but I was so exhausted and just felt like I couldn't do it anymore after having been awake for 24h (even though it was only about 10h since my first contractions at that point). It was just such a huge relief for me, especially since the check they did right after it kicked in, my midwife was surprised baby wasn't lower based on how intense my contractions had been and that I was at 8cm. It did stall labour to the point where I needed oxytocin to get it going again, but it sounded like that was actually the route they would have suggested had I had a cervical check before opting for it myself. Next time labour might be different, and I might not be so exhausted, so I'm willing to try without at least.
FTM planning to have an epidural. I feel like there’s so many things during pregnancy that we have to suffer through with no relief (ie: nausea, back/hip pain, cramps, etc) that I feel like if I’m finally given a choice for pain relief I’m going to take it. I know I would be exhausted from all the pain and I’m afraid I won’t have any energy left to push. I also want to try and get some sleep for the final time and although I know nurses will be in and out of the room for various reasons, I feel like an epidural may give me the best chance at that.
Re: QUESTION Thread
@k_mama91 melted cheeses are fine, but I ate queso fresco which is a specific Mexican cheese which is sometimes not pasteurized. They just sprinkled it on top of my food the way you would sprinkle Parmesan for example. But your smothered burrito would always be safe 😁. And delicious!!
@rjgmcmanus I don’t like steak but I could totally go for some ground beef or fish tacos. Hope they were good!
You can get it from Whole Foods if you have one in your area.
@rjgmcmanus I will look for that, thank you!
I think I have the opposite issue as you, but wanted to reply in case it's useful. My TSH levels came back high from my blood tests, and the nurse at my ob office told me that it meant my thyroid was low. I guess TSH is what your body uses to call for more thyroid hormone. They put me on medication and I was a bit worried (fetal brain abnormalities are a risk of hypothyroidism, apparently). When I talked to my doctor yesterday she said that they tend to treat people who are "borderline" and normal just in case the issue might get worse over the pregnancy. They said when levels are EXTREMELY off, it can be a concern but if it's a little bit they take precautions. So for me, high TSH meant that my body was working a bit harder to produce a normal amount of thyroid hormone. The medication just makes it easier for my body. Long response to say that I was worried and now feel loads better. Hope you're well.
Also, yes! @ashorkey to it being a little tricky taking the medication on an empty stomach. I wake up early and take it and then go back to bed to let everything settle!
I'm a huge YouTube watcher and would love to follow some vloggers. Do you know any good pregnancy vloggers?
@holly321Thank you for validating me. I know another woman who takes Zofran and it seems to be helping her too. You’re brave to embrace pregnancy again after being sick the entire pregnancy with your others. I can’t even imagine doing this again lol
@bookworm492 I plan on asking my OB about nitrous, not sure if available at our hospital.
I'm planning to try without again this time, but I'm not against it. I tried to go natural last time, and my midwife and doulas were all advocates, but I was so exhausted and just felt like I couldn't do it anymore after having been awake for 24h (even though it was only about 10h since my first contractions at that point). It was just such a huge relief for me, especially since the check they did right after it kicked in, my midwife was surprised baby wasn't lower based on how intense my contractions had been and that I was at 8cm. It did stall labour to the point where I needed oxytocin to get it going again, but it sounded like that was actually the route they would have suggested had I had a cervical check before opting for it myself.
Next time labour might be different, and I might not be so exhausted, so I'm willing to try without at least.