EDD / Weeks + Days:
Baby is the size of a(n):
Team blue/pink/green:
Upcoming Appointments:
How are you feeling?:
Rants/Raves:
Questions:
GTKY: What is is the strangest food that you like to eat (maybe because other people find it odd, or just because it's a weird food)?
Re: Weekly check ins - September 19
EDD / Weeks + Days: Feb 4/20+2
Baby is the size of a(n): banana
Team blue/pink/green: blue
Upcoming Appointments: October 6 routine appointment
How are you feeling?: Mostly good, albeit pretty large lately, and I know that’s only going to get worse
Rants/Raves: We’re halfway to my due date! Which genuinely feels so good and also like we have so much still to do. I also felt the first distinct kicks this weekend, when we went to a professional soccer game and apparently somebody wanted to join in (or more likely, he was just reacting to the very loud noise 😂). We also got a cradle made by my husband’s uncle when he was born, and it’s beautiful (and complies with modern safety standards, thankfully), so that’s contributing to everything feeling that much more real.
Questions: None today
GTKY: What is is the strangest food that you like to eat (maybe because other people find it odd, or just because it's a weird food)? Pig stomach! I haven’t had it much since my great-grandma died a few years ago, but my dad and I will occasionally team up and make it. It’s a literal pig stomach stuffed with sausage, onions, potatoes, and herbs, sewn shut and baked (like the original oven bag) and then pan fried at the end for a little crisp. Nobody else in my immediate family likes it and it’s hard to find cleaned pig stomachs outside of pockets of Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch communities where it’s still kind of common, so it’s very rare for us, but it’s pretty delicious.
Rave—I’m happy to be at the halfway mark this week!
I love pepperoni, cheese, and pickles on top of crackers. This is the snack that I’ve missed the most while being pregnant since I can’t eat uncooked pepperoni.
@karbaud that sounds incredibly delicious 😋
It’s a misunderstanding of Deutsch, so it’s actually German-American. It comes from German immigrants during the 1700s calling themselves Deutsch, and it became its own culture and language thanks to early isolation. It’s still spoken by the Amish and they make most of the traditional foods (shoofly pie, red beet eggs, pickled pigs feet, pig stomach, fastnachts, bova shankel), and my great-grandparents spoke it as their first language. My family wasn’t Amish, either, they were Lutheran, but they were part of the original Pennsylvania Dutch and some unique food and language traditions have been passed down. I think my grandparents’ area is one of the last bits of native speakers who aren’t in fairly insular religious sects.
@itsjess627 Last pregnancy I sidecar-ed the crib to the bed (safely) and used that like a bassinet. It made it easier for midnight feeding transfers. I don't know a specific one I'd recommend but it will depend on the space you have available and if you want it to be separated or open on the side.
@karbaud I'm so sorry you're still waiting on those results. Have you tried harassing the lab with phone calls? As for tailbone pain I'm okay but I'm pretty sure @tessiesmom26 has dealt with this so maybe she can help?
EDD / Weeks + Days: 18w5d
How are you feeling?: Generally feeling well but definitely getting some more RLP and noticing that I'm uncomfortable sitting with my legs crossed for a long time.
Rants/Raves: Rave- had an appointment with my MW last week and I asked about the OB appointment they booked me in for. She said that it's standard at my age (42) and they'll just go over my history and if there is anything we want to look out for later in the pregnancy. The great news is that since this is my third child and the previous two were spontaneous vaginal births during week 39, she thinks it's very unlikely they would suggest I need to be induced at 40 weeks if I make it that far. I am so relieved because I really don't want to have to be induced and was worried they might insist bc of my age. I've never made it to 40 weeks before but they also moved my EDD up five days earlier than LMP and two days earlier than my ovulation suggested so I was annoyed I lost a few days of wiggle room at the end - looks like it's all good!
Questions: Nope.
GTKY: What is is the strangest food that you like to eat (maybe because other people find it odd, or just because it's a weird food)? You know when you get a fresh ball of mozzarella in a packet and it comes in liquid? I like to drink the mozzarella water 😂 I'll usually dip bread in it to start and then just drink it. It's slightly creamy and a little sour and my Italian FIL saw me do it once and was both curious and mildly horrified 😁
ETA bold
@Paturkey I would be annoyed too if my provider shortened my due date. Hopefully, your third baby will be like it’s siblings and decide to come out before the 40 week mark.
EDD / Weeks + Days: 17 weeks and 4 days
RAVE: I’m enjoying my East Coast visit to spend time with my parents and old friends. Last week I celebrated my 40th birthday and my mother cooked an amazing feast for a small intimate party. Then over the weekend, friends I’ve known since 7th grade hosted a Sept birthday party for me, my dad, and a friend’s mother. Almost daily I’m connecting with friends from grade school to college and it has been lovely!
The perception of weird food is always relative to the country and culture. Growing up in a Hong Kong Chinese-Filipino household in the US, I grew up eating a lot of “weird” food. So on my Chinese side, I actually enjoy eating chicken feet and tripe served at Dim Sum. On my Filipino side, I enjoy a dish called Dinanguan which is a pork blood stew cooked with all sorts of delicious offal that you eat over rice. Food has been one of the few ways I can connect and embrace my heritage since my parents decided not to teach me their languages.
@ttc3y food is such a great cultural connection! I know so many people who didn’t get to learn their parents’ native language and connect mostly through food. For that matter, I don’t speak any PA Dutch or German, and my dad only knows proper German from school (and PA Dutch curse words and insults that his grandfather taught him), so food is similar for me but on a lesser scale because the family is still right there. And I’ve had tripe before, cooked a few ways by Chinese friends. It’s delicious! I would totally be up for trying the chicken feet stew, too.
@Paturkey it sounds hopeful that they’ll let you go naturally instead of insisting on induction earlier. I know my cousin was in a similar spot this summer (41, 2nd child) and they offered NSTs (I can’t remember how often) instead of automatic induction if she made it to her due date. She ended up going into labor the day before her due date, so it was a moot point, but the option was there. Maybe if the OB seems set on it, that’s a compromise that could work for both of you? Especially since they moved up your due date like that, I can see why you’re nervous about it.
That's awesome that you also use food as a connection. It's important...food and connection to our roots. ☺️
@fertile-turtle, I was born and raised in WV. I spent the majority of my life there!
@seeds_of_joy I can also say that Thrive has been super helpful for me over the years! Worth the membership cost.
Ooh I'm lucky here! I don't eat anything that's weird (around here), but you guys - the Americans among you - will find them weird. Otherwise I'd have nothing 😂 Super salty liquorice, herring on rye bread, hard chocolate spread on rye bread, pretty much anything on rye bread!
@angbaby83 toddler struggles over here, too. I feel like we’re having very similar pregnancies, haha!! I’m on a regular antacid every night pretty much. When asked by the doc last week how I was feeling, I said still a bit sick and tired. She asked how old my kids were- when she heard I had a 2 yo, she said, “ That’s why you’re tired!” 🙄🤣
Well, they made this a priority this morning and did some digging. The results were rerouted and lost in the system! His CF results were negative! Such a huge relief. Assuming that all goes well with my anatomy scan on Friday, I feel like I can actually allow myself to be excited and stop thinking worst case scenario. Maybe I’ll even buy a few baby items finally! 😅🥰
@karbaud congratulations on the good news! That’s definitely not something you want to mess with, and knowing you’re in the clear must be so relieving.
@cpk3535 Brilliant!!! I'm very interested to hear what you think - you'll have to get back to us on that. (Bear in mind that liquorice root does have a tendency to cause high BP when consumed in high doses, so liquorice candy only recommended in moderation during pregnancy (around here, anyway). Just a fair warning if you happen to love it the way I do 😅)