@mayisch I agree with @mrs_sheddy and @meanjellybean on the Perfect Bars. They are soooo good, ate them for breakfast prior to being pregnant and then during first trimester; it was really the only protein source I could take in since I had an aversion to my vegetarian alternatives for protein. The traditional peanut butter one is bomb, however they do have other flavors too!
@kristinl492 ugh so sorry to hear about your headaches. I was prone to them prior, but they seem to last a few days now and I might as well take a sugar pill because (like you said) Tylenol sucks! One thing that I found helpful was a heat compress to put over my eyes; sometimes the cold makes it throb even more.
Has anyone experienced extremely weak knees? It’s made it difficult to keep up with exercise. They don’t hurt standing or sitting, rather just the transition between the two is very painful. Started about 3 weeks ago.
@Erikahenderson1 Not weak knees, but I have had muscle soreness in my calves. I assume it has to do with the fact that your core muscles aren’t supporting your weight the way it usually would, courtesy of the human being grown inside. So your legs are doing the work a little differently. Not sure if that’s helpful at all!
@Erikahenderson1 If you didn't have issues before, I'd guess you're having issues because of changes in weight/weight distribution. I don't have great knees when I'm not KU. Glucosamine and, surprisingly, running (on flat surfaces) is incredibly helpful. Glucosamine isn't recommended during pregnancy because of the unknowns around taking it so I'd recommend taking some Tylenol pre-workout and icing when you can.
What kind of exercises are you doing? Any kind of bending (sit to stand and the reverse as well as stairs) are what are toughest on my knees when they're not feeling great. If you aren't including walking/running in your routine and feel like adding it would be safe, I'd include that in your routine. The movement without bending and strengthening of the muscles around the knee through running are super helpful for me.
@Erikahenderson1 There's also likely a hormone (relaxin) kicking in that makes your joints looser. Combined with different weight distribution and increased weight, it can make everything weird.
2/13 Blighted ovum, D&C -- 6/13 MC -- 8/14 DD born -- 3/17 MC -- 9/18 DD2 born Expecting again -- EDD 7/27/20
Anyone else just want to curl up on the floor and nap? I've been so ready to go back to bed since the second I got up. I wish as part of pregnancy you were entitled to one hour of napping at work per day.
@lizzybean84 me! 🙋♀️ It probably doesn’t help that I want to eat pizza for lunch. I’ve actually started having a 1/2 cup of coffee around 4pm just to get me though the night
@blaf322 I don’t have the best knees to begin with but it’s never been THIS bad. I was doing prenatal yoga, and a prenatal HIT workout both require bending or weight on the knees. I’ve been walking a lot lately instead (running makes me nervous lol) because I just can’t do those anymore. I wish Tylenol worked better for me, I think I’m going to buy some new knee braces and see if that’s any help. Thanks for the advice! @treeofcheem I think that is the culprit.
Is anyone else feeling like everything (belly, baby, organs) is pushing up on your diaphragm when you sit or lay. The second I sit in my car it feels like everything pushes up and it’s uncomfortable and takes more effort to breathe. When I stand up and everything can stretch out it’s fine but I feel like it’s so early to be feeling like this. The baby isn’t even that big yet! I tend to curl up in a ball on my side when I sleep, so again it makes everything push up and then I feel like I can’t take deep breaths normally.
@Fullhandsfullheart - yep, I've noticed it's harder to take a deep breath already. It's not too early - things start getting pushed up and around pretty quickly, and it doesn't take much to move your diaphragm enough to be noticeable (more for some people than others).
2/13 Blighted ovum, D&C -- 6/13 MC -- 8/14 DD born -- 3/17 MC -- 9/18 DD2 born Expecting again -- EDD 7/27/20
@Fullhandsfullheart I’ve definitely noticed that the uncomfortable extra full feeling after a meal is kicking in already. I really don’t remember it happening this early before!
@treeofcheem@nutter_bean@kristinl492 I’m glad I’m not alone! I do have a short torso so maybe that’s why things feel extra compact in there. Definitely noticing it more after a big meal too. Its crazy how I went from feeling soft and squishy to huge and hard in a matter of days! 😅
Yes on the breathing thing starting already! Last time I had to explain the breathing stuff to people all the time at work, because I was constantly doing these huge sighs while talking to them and they always thought I was just done listening to them.
I'm not proportionately long-torsoed, but I'm 5'10" so I imagine I have it better than most, and it's still insane how squished everything gets. I feel for everyone who has it worse!
Any STM+’s feel a superficial tenderness above your belly button? Like so many things, I remember this feeling with my first pregnancy but definitely not until third tri. My belly feels like it has gotten so big so I’m assuming it’s just the skin stretching but it freaks me out sometimes and can be uncomfortable. Also scared that I’m going to end up with an outie belly button this time lol I feel like I narrowly escaped it with my first.
@meanjellybean no experience on the tenderness, but I wonder if I’ll be even farther away from an outie this time because I’m a little heavier... more fat to have to go past. I don’t care either way. Just curious.
Actually, I bet I’ll be even farther from it since I won’t be making it to 40+ weeks. So scratch that thought
meanjellybean What a coinkidink, I had that all day yesterday! It was so uncomfortable. The odd time here or there I'd get a little jab of pain right in my belly button that was irritating. Seems to have sorted itself out today though!
Has anyone else been having sleeping issues lately? I seem to be able to fall asleep just fine because I'm so tired by the time 7pm rolls around, but lately I've been waking up somewhere between 3 and 4am and just can't get back to sleep. I don't feel uncomfortable or anything, I'm just awake.
This might not necessarily be a symptom, but maybe it is. I had a LEEP procedure 5 years ago and have been going for colposcopies every 6 months since then, and had one yesterday, and hooooooooooooooooooly majolies did it hurt. They just did the pap rather than all the invasive scraping and brushing they usually do and I barely felt that, but the speculum, good god. I felt like I was birthing. It's never comfortable of course, but it hurt so bad that I started sweating and almost had to ask him to stop. Do our vaginas just get a lot more sensitive during pregnancy? I haven't noticed an issue in other departments, if you know what I mean, but that speculum... yowza. Dead.
@lizzybean84 I’m the same way at night. Even though I’m exhausted and could go to bed at 8, I try to keep myself up later because if I’m asleep too early I’ll be up by 3 am with no chance of falling back to sleep. And yes to the sensitivity too lol
@Fullhandsfullheart Does anything ever help you fall back asleep? I'm guessing this is that pregnancy insomnia they're always talking about. It sucks especially when you just kind of feel gross for the rest of the day because of it eh?
I'm so congested and its ALWAYS blood when I blow my nose. Like it's been weeks (months probably) since I've blown my nose without seeing my brains come out. I sleep with a humidifier. Haven't done a saline rinse in while and maybe need to. WHY all the blood.
@mrs_sheddy same. Exactly the same. I have been congested since November (but not sick) and every single time I blow my nose there is ALL the blood. Im tired of this symptom, it can go away at any time!
@mrs_sheddy@modoodles same here with the blood. Almost everytime that I blow my nose. Which is pretty frequently. I swear I’ve been congested since October. Even get the occasional full-on bloody nose.
Ok, so here's a question that's probably going to make me sound like an idiot. All this extra blood we're producing during pregnancy that makes our noses and gums bleed, does it decrease after pregnancy just in that our body stops 'over-producing' it, or is it all cut down by the constant 6 week post-birth bleeding?
@lizzybean84 interesting question... I'd expect you lose a lot of that extra volume with PP bleeding and your body just kind of knows what to make. Kind of like milk. If you need it (usually... not this way for me, but different convo) your body will make it. If your baby is weaning and you don't need it, your body will stop/make less.
@lizzybean84 I'm also not sure, but I'm just here to say I did NOT have 6 weeks of constant bleeding after giving birth! I'm sure everyone's experience is different, but I don't think most people will bleed for 6 weeks straight.
@lizzybean84 if I take 1/2 a Unisom at night (I’ve been taking that with B6 for nausea) then I’m more likely to sleep all night, but my nausea has been tapering off so I stopped taking the Unisom and now I’m noticing that I’ve been waking more. The only thing that helps in the middle of the night is if I watch a show on Netflix until I’m bored and fall back to sleep, but I know looking at a phone isn’t exactly good for helping your body sleep. It’s better than laying there mad that you’re awake at 3 though lol
@Fullhandsfullheart I became dependent on Unisom in the short time I was taking it. Taking Melatonin before bed has helped me as my body gets used to sleeping without help again.
@lizzybean84 24-72 hours after birth your heart is putting out close to pre pregnancy blood volume values(through initial loss and peeing out extra fluid) But it can take 6-8 weeks postpartum for blood volume to fully return to normal. (Blood volume initially increases again during labor as its squeezing out blood in other small spaces and into your general circulation, this helps with the initial sudden loss of blood during delivery and immediate postpartum period)
@stlbuckeye132 I don't think I did either. I feel like I was expecting it to be SO much worse than it was. I have tons of pads leftover b/c it got really light and then stopped much faster than I anticipated based on what I heard from others.
ETA- I also stole a lot of the ginormous pads from the hospital b/c I wasn't trying to impress anyone with my underwear game or anything lol... that could have contributed to my extra pad supply lol.
@stlbuckeye132@lizzybean84@blaf322 I’m one of those lucky ones who DID bleed the whole 6 weeks. But it really wasn’t heavy that whole time. More of a light bleed/spotting, especially after about 2-3 weeks PP. I had stocked up on heavy duty pads before birth, anticipating a whole lot of bleeding, but I never needed more than a regular pad after those first few days. I truly love the mesh hospital undies though 😂
@blaf322 I ended up donating all of them. My mom’s coworker is involved with some kind of shelter for moms and infants, so I would send a lot of baby stuff her way. We had so many extra baby items/toiletries gifted to us that I donated, so I figured feminine hygiene products could be used there as well.
@kristinl492@blaf322 +1 for loving the mesh undies! Also... FFTC: I definitely bought and wore Depends and I didn’t regret that decision at all. They were surprisingly comfortable, and no laundry! 😂
@stlbuckeye132 I’m interested in getting some depends this time around. But yeah the mesh undies were pretty boss along with those monster pads that @blaf322 mentioned that basically go from your butthole up to top of your underwear in the front 😂
I have some local friends who got these always postpartum underwear for the first 2 weeks of postpartum bleeding... I never thought of it, and they are expensive, but I understand the appeal.. and may do it..
@stlbuckeye132 I was so sad when I ran out of what the hospital gave me. I found some on amazon but they weren’t the same! I’m in charge of ordering supplies for my department at work (in hospital) and we keep a small supply for patients. If only stealing supplies from work wasn’t frowned upon...
Re: *Symptoms Thread*
I don't have great knees when I'm not KU. Glucosamine and, surprisingly, running (on flat surfaces) is incredibly helpful. Glucosamine isn't recommended during pregnancy because of the unknowns around taking it so I'd recommend taking some Tylenol pre-workout and icing when you can.
What kind of exercises are you doing? Any kind of bending (sit to stand and the reverse as well as stairs) are what are toughest on my knees when they're not feeling great. If you aren't including walking/running in your routine and feel like adding it would be safe, I'd include that in your routine. The movement without bending and strengthening of the muscles around the knee through running are super helpful for me.
Expecting again -- EDD 7/27/20
@treeofcheem I think that is the culprit.
Expecting again -- EDD 7/27/20
Same! Do you have a short torso as well? That can contribute, but some with a long torso carry high so it doesn't always matter.
I'm not proportionately long-torsoed, but I'm 5'10" so I imagine I have it better than most, and it's still insane how squished everything gets. I feel for everyone who has it worse!
Actually, I bet I’ll be even farther from it since I won’t be making it to 40+ weeks. So scratch that thought
Has anyone else been having sleeping issues lately? I seem to be able to fall asleep just fine because I'm so tired by the time 7pm rolls around, but lately I've been waking up somewhere between 3 and 4am and just can't get back to sleep. I don't feel uncomfortable or anything, I'm just awake.
This might not necessarily be a symptom, but maybe it is. I had a LEEP procedure 5 years ago and have been going for colposcopies every 6 months since then, and had one yesterday, and hooooooooooooooooooly majolies did it hurt. They just did the pap rather than all the invasive scraping and brushing they usually do and I barely felt that, but the speculum, good god. I felt like I was birthing. It's never comfortable of course, but it hurt so bad that I started sweating and almost had to ask him to stop. Do our vaginas just get a lot more sensitive during pregnancy? I haven't noticed an issue in other departments, if you know what I mean, but that speculum... yowza. Dead.
I sleep with a humidifier. Haven't done a saline rinse in while and maybe need to. WHY all the blood.
likely to sleep all night, but my nausea has been tapering off so I stopped taking the Unisom and now I’m noticing that I’ve been waking more. The only thing that helps in the middle of the night is if I watch a show on Netflix until I’m bored and fall back to sleep, but I know looking at a phone isn’t exactly good for helping your body sleep. It’s better than laying there mad that you’re awake at 3 though lol
But it can take 6-8 weeks postpartum for blood volume to fully return to normal. (Blood volume initially increases again during labor as its squeezing out blood in other small spaces and into your general circulation, this helps with the initial sudden loss of blood during delivery and immediate postpartum period)
ETA- I also stole a lot of the ginormous pads from the hospital b/c I wasn't trying to impress anyone with my underwear game or anything lol... that could have contributed to my extra pad supply lol.