April 2022 Moms

Weekly Check-in Week of 11/29

Estimated due date/ weeks + days:

FTM/STM/TTM+:

Team blue/pink/green:

Upcoming appointments:

How are you feeling?

Rants/raves:

Questions:

Re: Weekly Check-in Week of 11/29

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  • aloha_mamaaloha_mama member
    edited November 2021
    Estimated due date/ weeks + days: 4/28, 18 + 5

    FTM/STM/TTM+: STM, DD6

    Team blue/pink/green: 💚

    Upcoming appointments: Hopefully soon (see rant)

    How are you feeling? Pretty good, just tired! Which is just my normal with a high-spirited six year old lol so I guess I’m feeling like my normal self. It’s been hard being separated from DH but after the many deployments and Army training separations this is small potatoes… Although I’ve never been pregnant and away from him before. There isn’t much changing but I still feel like he’s missing a lot. I can feel baby kicking from the outside, now, so I know he’ll be thrilled about that when we’re together again. 

    Rants/raves: So I have been on a month-long quest to establish care here in NC. I started before we left HI and the office here has not answered or returned any of my calls. When I finally arrived last week I actually went in person and the front desk staff was super unhelpful, even when I reiterated how I’m a high-risk pregnancy and need care ASAP. All they keep telling me is to wait for them to call, which they don’t. I visited again yesterday and left in tears— I’m supposed to have another cervical check Thursday but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, and I’m getting anxious about it. The only other clinic in the area wasn’t accepting new patients so my only other option is to drive an hour and a half away. I submitted a request to the other clinic anyways just to see what happened and, no joke, they called within thirty seconds of my submission. I immediately left and hand-delivered my medical records to them and they said to expect a call in 24-48 hours— and the receptionist even came around and hugged me when I burst into tears 😭

    TLDR; May have finally established care, normal pregnancy anxieties, DH not being here makes everything 1837189174 times worse, tbd.

    Questions: Natm 

    @minnie_yoga_mama I get stuff done because it has to be done and DD6 needs to be fed occasionally, but it isn’t always the highest quality of services 😂 Lots of quick meals, “independent play time”, and helping her be more self-sufficient. I’m very lucky in that I have a child who is able to be by herself (as an only child for six years she’s used to amusing herself) and she can get herself snacks and water without help. We have an hour every afternoon where she has “quiet time” in her room (our transition from nap time so she can still recharge and have alone time), which I use to actually nap. God bless those of y’all with younger kids, I don’t think I’d be able to function!

    @missa_lyssa Add me to the short of breath club! Whew! We have so much more blood volume now that our hearts are having to work harder to circulate it all, and while I know this in my mind I still see it as an embarrassment. I called DH while walking through a parking lot yesterday and sounded like I was running a marathon lol I also have a lot of lower back/hip pain and the only comfortable way for me to sleep is on my side with my top leg bent over my body pillow. It helps support my hips in a straight angle and I wake up less sore.

    Edited for spelling issues
  • @jessabelle05 OMG I have so many podcasts. 😂 Good Inside With Dr Becky, Unobscured, Levar Burton Reads, Cabinet of Curiosities (short but sweet), This is Love, Wine and Crime, Where Should We Begin, Invisibilia, Criminal, Lore, Radiolab, This American Life, My Favorite Murder, Heavyweight. 
  • Estimated due date/ weeks + days: 22+1

    FTM/STM/TTM+: STM

    Team blue/pink/green: blue

    Upcoming appointments: trying out the midwife team next Friday, I think

    How are you feeling? like shit, honestly. I still have the terrible taste in my mouth (rotten). I still have really strong food and smell aversions. I still get nauseous. I still have the incredibly painful hip/pelvic (SIJ/SPD) pain. But now the rib and upper back pain has begun. I can't fold laundry without extreme pain. I can't wrap gifts without extreme pain. It's hard to get in and out of bed. I seriously don't know how I'll do this for another 4+ months?

    Rants/raves: Cleaning lady is here today - both rant and rave. I nearly killed myself just trying to find sheets/duvet covers for her to change the beds. I need to go through and organize them so that it's easier for me to find things, but I can't lift anything, so I need DH to help, and other things are always a priority. So this thing that's supposed to make my life easier (weekly cleaning lady) and reduce my stress actually increases it quite a lot. And it's expensive. So that's a joy. I just hope I feel better after things are clean today..... though honestly I just don't really think it's ever clean enough to warrant the cost, and then I feel like an asshole for feeling that way. But I'm seriously not even a neat freak by any stretch - I'm so incredibly messy - so I kind of feel like if I feel that way then literally anyone else would too...

    Questions: no
  • @minnie_yoga_mama if I had to work fulltime, I think I would seriously have to quit or go on disability or something. The only reason I can parent DD3 is because she's 1) an extremely easy toddler, and 2) my mom comes over every single day at 11am and stays until bedtime. And DH works from home if we really get into a bind.
  • @doxiemoxie212 sorry you feel so terrible. :'( I'm glad that your mom and DH are able to jump in and take care of most things. Give yourself some slack - you are growing another human! Its ultimately temporary and it will be a small blip on the overall radar. Do what you need to survive for now, worry about the big stuff later. 
  • @Blondesweety444 Yes, we’re only here in NC until February, so hopefully our next move won’t be as dramatic with finding care! If it works out with this “new” clinic it’ll only be a 20 minute drive so fingers crossed.
  • edited December 2021
    Estimated due date/ weeks + days: 4/1 22+4

    FTM/STM/TTM+: these are 4 and 5

    Team blue/pink/green: 💖💙

    Upcoming appointments: Tuesday before Christmas 

    How are you feeling? Best I’ve felt so far this pregnancy but still pretty tired. I feel y’all on the out of breath thing!

    Rants/raves: Fruit flies are taking over my house! It’s been 2-3 days and I can’t for the life of me figure out where they’re coming from! 

    In other news I’m done working (kind of—they’ve asked me to fill in a few days here and there) and being able to sleep in the morning is so freaking nice. Would not be functional otherwise.

    We have a date/location set for my baby shower now so I’m feeling pretty good about that! 

    Questions: Has anyone heard from @loveanddatadriven or @zamoraspin3
  • @hoosiermamajayden zamoraspin2 shows last active today but I don't remember seeing a post from her since there might be an issue with one of the twins. Loveanddatadriven hasn't been active since October. I hope they are all alright and just don't feel up to posting.
  • Estimated due date/ weeks + days: April 23, 19+4

    FTM/STM/TTM+: FTM

    Team blue/pink/green: Green

    Upcoming appointments: Having my 20 week anatomy scan in a week. Super excited to see baby!

    How are you feeling? Also easily out of breath, particularly when going up the stairs at work (so many times a day!!). Tummy is feeling very tight/stretched which feels a bit odd. Having a bit of trouble with staying asleep through the night but other than that great!

    Rants/raves: Rant: Feeling a bit sad that my mum still hasn't apologised about our argument regarding vaccines and being around the baby when they're born. I feel like she is missing out on a lot of this pregnancy (which is for her first grandchild) in her stubborness.
    Rave: Finished writing my report cards and reaching the fun time of the year at school. I'm feeling so ready for the summer holidays!

    Questions: none.
  • Estimated due date/ weeks + days: April 16, 20+4

    FTM/STM/TTM+: 4TM 

    Team blue/pink/green: 💚

    Upcoming appointments: telehealth on the 5th day of Christmas 

    How are you feeling? Good! This is the first pregnancy I’ve actually felt the sweet spot of 2nd tri. I’m really, really thankful because I feel like I have a lot on my plate atm. 

    Rants/raves: We had the anatomy scan on Monday - anterior placenta again. Only my 1st was posterior. Oh well, DH can already feel some kicks anyways. We got to see baby playing with his hands a lot, which was cute, also trying to hide his face in my placenta. Baby has an EIF but everything else looks good so the midwife didn’t even bring it up at my 20 week appointment last night. 

    And I’m totally guessing this baby will be another DH lookalike, just like DS8 and DS4

    Questions:
  • @rbflei I haven’t tried the Haakaa, but last pregnancy I did use a milk catcher (I think Milkies brand) to catch the milk from the other breast. It was much needed with the dripping, and it let me slowly build my freezer stash. 

    Estimated due date/ weeks + days: Apr 13, 21 +0

    FTM/STM/TTM+: STM, DS4

    Team blue/pink/green: Pink!

    Upcoming appointments: Next Wednesday for regular OB and going over results of my anatomy scan

    How are you feeling? Yesterday I was super tired (like, ready for bed at 5 pm) and I woke up with heart burn in the early morning hours. But overall I’ve been doing well. 

    Rants/raves: I hate not having family in the area. DH has a holiday work party, but he has to go alone because it’s adults only and we don’t have any one to watch DS4 while we get away for a night. 

    Questions: natm 
  • @rbflei my cousin used the Haakaa and highly recommended it for catching extra milk especially those first few weeks.
  • @rbflei everyone I know swears by the haakaa. My question is whether it works if you don't leak at all. I never leaked at all with DD3 (and I BF for 2.5 years lol) so I'm not sure if it would've worked for me. They're pretty cheap, though, so I'll probably try it regardless with this bb. 
  • @rbflei It ABSOLUTELY works.  It seemed like magic.  I don't feel like I leaked while nursing, so @doxiemoxie212 it definitely pulled milk out without leaking - at least in my perception.  I did leak if I was bursting at the seams though, so I can't say I NEVER leaked.  
    IAmPregnant Ticker
  • @shlecks I literally never leaked, even if I was bursting at the seams. I could go 12 hours without BFing (immediately after round the clock BFing) and not leak. I would, however, still get clogged ducts lol so definitely do not recommend that... lol 
  • I apparently didn’t use my haakaa right? I would let DS4 start nursing to get letdown going, then when he’d pull off in anger over how forceful it was, I’d pop on the haakaa and let that go for awhile until things calmed down and he was angsty to nurse again. 

    I didn’t have it for the first two kids, and followed the same sort of pattern but with squirting and hand expressing straight into a bottle. Although DS6 went with the flow, he’d get letdown started and then open his mouth wide to passively receive the milk. 
  • @rbflei IBCLC here, and I absolutely LOVE the Haakaa. I recommend it to all my clients. No, @doxiemoxie212, you don’t have to visibly leak for it to be helpful. It can help with getting letdown stimulated, increase milk supply, and help with an overactive letdown. It does stimulate milk production and is not just a passive thing— so if you have issues with over-production it may not work as well for you after the first few weeks unless you are working with an IBCLC or CLC for block feeding schedules. One excellent thing I love about it is that you can fill it with warm water and Epsom salts and attach it to your breast for a nice, soothing soak to help with clogged ducts. 
  • Ok then Haakaa is on my Amazon list. Thanks for the good info! Especially that big about clogged ducts. I never had happen last time nursing so I know I'll jinx myself and need that info this time. Lol.
  • Oh that’s good to know with clogs. I got them allll the time. Luckily a hot shower followed by a really good pump and massage usually cleared it. It seemed to be connected to anytime I had a glass of wine. So I spent most Sunday mornings pumping out clogs. 😤

    one time after a shower with a clogged duct, the clog “popped” before I started pumping. I was shooting milk across the bathroom into the sink for quite a while 🤣🤣
  • @dinomeetsjedi, I am not aware of anything special for hygiene around breast tissue, try not to stimulate the nipples if you are having early leakage. 

    @doula-mama, thinking of you, hoping your kids and doggie are feeling ok, and your community as well. 

    @minnie_yoga_mama, I really survive day by day. Between the 2 girls, the dog, work, the house and the exhausting, I just have to set my expectations LOW. Just gotta prioritize the critical and important stuff, family, critical work stuff and napping, the cleaning can come later…

    @aloha_mama, good luck with confirming your health care at the new site!

    +1 for the Haaka. I loved it so much I got two so that I could use them as manual pumps, when needed. 

    Estimated due date/ weeks + days: 20w6d

    FTM/STM/TTM+: TTM (DD4 and DD1)

    Team blue/pink/green: blue!

    Upcoming appointments: just had anatomy scan Wednesday and 24 week check up on December 27. 

    How are you feeling? I feel good overall, glad to hear the baby is doing well in there. 

    Rants/raves: At my anatomy scan, the baby looked great but the doctor found something called Vilmamentous cord insertion. It’s a rare placement of the connection between the placenta and umbilical cord. The U/S doc and my ob told me that they aren’t concerned, just that they will keep monitoring the growth in a monthly basis, so I will get monthly ultrasounds through the end I think. I went down the google rabbit hole and just upset myself. Anyone have any experience with this? 

    Questions:Just the one above. 

    ******TW******Siggy warning
    BFP1 04/24/2015 EDD Dec 2015 MMC 10W5d;
    BFP 2 09/25/2015 EDD June 2016 MMC 9wks; 
    BFP 3 03/22/2016 EDD Dec 6th 2016 

       Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker


  • @queenklau I think that my cousin had this. I'm not entirely sure it is exactly the same. Her's was the cord was attached at the side of the placenta instead of the middle. Is that the same?

    Her daughter was born at 37 weeks (naturally) and was a bit small at almost 6lbs. But otherwise no complications. They didn't know about her cord insertion until the placenta was delivered though. So she never got any extra monitoring or anything.
  • @dinomeetsjedi Sounds like normal leaking breasts to me! It’s very common to see colostrum at this time of your pregnancy. Some moms leak more than others, some not at all. As you get closer to the end you could even begin manually expressing the colostrum to have a little supply before delivery, if that’s something you’re interested in, but best not to do anything at this point. Infection would come with redness, inflammation, fever, and body aches/chills. As for preventing an infection, there isn’t anything special to do: Leaking of colostrum does not open you up for infection unless you are handling your breasts with dirty hands or not changing your bras/shirts on a regular basis. Where the colostrum is coming out is not at this point a two-way valve where it’s considered an open wound or an entry for bacteria/viruses.
  • @Blondesweety444, thanks! Yeah, it’s placed on the side. Most are not diagnosed until after birth, I read. Glad to hear that her baby did well. I am also happy that they saw it and they can monitor the growth as needed. So far he is measuring great. 
    ******TW******Siggy warning
    BFP1 04/24/2015 EDD Dec 2015 MMC 10W5d;
    BFP 2 09/25/2015 EDD June 2016 MMC 9wks; 
    BFP 3 03/22/2016 EDD Dec 6th 2016 

       Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker


  • @aloha_mama Thank you. I knew it was normal but I just never want to have a breast infection again, it was not a good time. It's good to know it's not a 2 way opening at the moment.
  • @dinomeetsjedi I just reread your post and I see now that you weren’t worried about it being an infection NOW, just that you don’t want one LATER. Sorry about that! There’s still always a risk of something entering your system (you know that already from your history, that sounds awful), it’s just super rare in a non-lactating person. Just keep it clean and be on the lookout for those other symptoms!
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