Pregnancy Check In - Week of 1/8

hedgepig · January 2024

EDD / Weeks + Days:

FTM/STM/TTM+:

Baby is the size of a (an):

Team blue/pink/green:

Upcoming Appointments:

How are you feeling?:

Rants/Raves:

Questions:

GTKY: What was your first job?

hedgepig · January 2024

EDD / Weeks + Days: 31w2d

FTM/STM/TTM+: 3&4TM

Baby is the size of a (an): asparagus

Team blue/pink/green: 💙💙

Upcoming Appointments: sooooo many - nurse educator today, MW later this week, next week NST and growth scan

How are you feeling?: Good days and bad days, but overall things are getting hard. Sleep is getting harder. We went to have lunch with a friend, then the park and costco yesterday and I could barely walk after that, and it was *not* a strenuous outing. A lot depends on the positions of the babies, and they've been moving around a lot, so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Rants/Raves: Rave: starting to rearrange the house/nesting which feels good, but is also a lot of work and stressful.
Rant: The district is dragging its feet finding a maternity sub, which is annoying af.

Questions:

GTKY: What was your first job? Deli clerk at our health food store in high school! It was fun, and good experience.

farm_mama · January 2024

EDD / Weeks + Days: March 9/ 31w + 2d

FTM/STM/TTM+: 4th

Baby is the size of a (an): Coconut

Team blue/pink/green: Blue

Upcoming Appointments: Wednesday

How are you feeling?: Back to not so good. I am having tons of Braxton Hicks, lots of pain, and generally feeling uncomfortable. I am sort of starting to melt down and it's way too soon for that!

Rants/Raves: See above!

GTKY: What was your first job? I've had so many! As a kid I babysat and mowed lawns. Then as a teen I worked in a title company office filing and answering phones and at a smal drive through restaurant.

dinomeetsjedi · January 2024

EDD / Weeks + Days: February 24, 33+2

FTM/STM/TTM+: STM

Baby is the size of a (an): Pineapple

Team blue/pink/green: Blue

Upcoming Appointments: NST tomorrow and Friday, OB on Friday

How are you feeling?: Good overall. Large and out of breath. I am not a fan of feeling like I can't breathe in certain positions. Even though I can't really complain too much about my third trimester symptoms, I am ready for this baby to be out and to kind of have my body all to myself again. Pregnancy is really long when it doesn't end right after the second trimester!

Rants/Raves: I am far enough along that I was able to have the conversation with my OB of what delivery might look like in different situations and what is available to me. It sounds like I will likely be induced no matter what, if I start having consistent hypertension, I will be induced at 37 weeks. If my blood pressure stays low-ish, we will take it week by week and induce around 39 weeks. I am happy to have a plan and I am also really excited because the hospital basically has anything I could want available for labor and is apparently pretty guided by midwives so delayed cord clamping, encouraging breastfeeding, golden hour, skin to skin are all standard practices (assuming baby is doing well). The only decision/concern I still have is they told me they are encouraging me to get an epidural early since I will be doing a TOLAC and I will be induced and that way if I end up needing a repeat C section, they won't have to put me under general anesthesia. It is still my choice and I would rather not have an epidural immediately, but I also want to be safe and have my partner present for the birth (he won't be allowed if I am under general anesthesia).

Questions: What do you like for physical self care in the immediate post partum period? What does your hospital supply you with?

GTKY: What was your first job? I worked in a tax office.

night_nurse · January 2024

EDD / Weeks + Days: March 7, 31+4

FTM/STM/TTM+: TTM

Baby is the size of a (an): weighs as much as a macbook pro- idk but that sounds real heavy

Team blue/pink/green: 💚

Upcoming Appointments: Midwife on Wednesday, doula on Thursday

How are you feeling?: good- having a really good week. Started being more intentional with listening to guided meditations every morning and night and it’s helped my mood so much. Also had a weird burst of energy the last few days and purged/organized all but 2 rooms in the house. Got all of my birth/baby/postpartum/breastfeeding stuff organized which has relieved a lot of stress I had around not feeling ready. Yes, there’s still lots of time, but not sure how much time I have of feeling physically able to do it all. Still need to rearrange the room baby and I will be staying in, but already have DH on board to handle that.

Rants/Raves:

Questions: everyone ready to start a discussion about moving to Fb? My last March BMB moved around this time and I know some of the Feb mamas are even closer to delivering.

GTKY: What was your first job? I babysat and nannied all through out high school and college. Truly the best, most flexible of jobs. I actually loved it. I’d also clean and tidy after the kids went to bed for the parents. First “real” job was my first nursing job out of college.

dinomeetsjedi · January 2024

@night_nurse Yes to moving to FB!

night_nurse · January 2024

@hedgepig agree with how much better I feel having things organized and ready and totally agree that my
body doesn’t feel the same way. *Not sure it’ll be worth it for you at this stage* I drug my feet buying this support belt with groin straps that a friend suggested to me but caved after a particularly bad week and oh my gosh- kicking myself for not getting it sooner. Has made such a difference in my comfort. https://a.co/d/a9YMENT

@farm_mama im so sorry you’re back to not feeling well. The non-linear nature of comfort this pregnancy has really messed with me too. Trying to just enjoy the days when they happen. Hoping you bounce back soon too ❤️

@dinomeetsjedi sounds like you have a lot to consider. Do you know what their induction plan would be? Cervical ripener to foley balloon to pitocin? If so, you should absolutely be okay delaying the epidural until pitocin is started. Perhaps the anesthesiologist will be able to administer more of a “walking” or “light” epidural which could be bolused/increased in the event you had to go in for surgery- giving you a little more freedom in moving during labor.

alexxajams · January 2024

EDD / Weeks + Days: 29 +1

FTM/STM/TTM+: stm

Baby is the size of a (an): acorn?

Team blue/pink/green: B

Upcoming Appointments: Jan 12, Jan 18 US check up, and Jan 26

How are you feeling?: So tired and the dizziness is killing me. But also excited to start buying things off our registry as we aren’t having a shower or sprinkle

Rants/Raves: I PASSED MY GESTATIONAL TEST WITH FLYING COLORS😭😭 Sorry to say but I am so excited lol. Also my DD bday is actually next Monday, but having a small party for her Saturday.. Wackadoo💙🧡

Only rant for this week, hemoglobin came back at 8.5 🙃 So I’m gonna need prescription iron. Which if my ob had done her hw, she would’ve done the blood work a while ago. I also needed it for first pregnancy as well. And yes I’ve been taking over the counter iron on top of prenatals.

Questions: What questions have y’all asked your OB in reference to how you want your birth to go?

GTKY: What was your first job? Stride Rite! For 5 years. Sooo if you need shoe advice😇

alexxajams · January 2024

hedgepig hopefully they figure out the sub situation soon. That would be an unnecessary worry to have after having the babies.

farm_mama same! The Braxton hicks aren’t happening often for me, but when the do.. wheew! I find myself half sitting up at night for sleep

@dinomeetsjedi it sounds like you have some amazing options at your hospital! I hope everything goes the way you’d like it to and that it goes smoothly no matter what

night_nurse yes to Fb. I haven’t hit the nesting phase yet, but partially because I’m waiting till after DD bday to grab all the bottles and whatnot out of storage

ceclarlinetlo · January 2024

@alexxajams don’t apologize for being excited about that! Not to say that any of us deserved to fail but you’ve had a very stressful time with your doctor so I’m glad you got this going for you. Enjoy the good that you can!

farm_mama · January 2024

@night_nurse I am whatever about FB. I prefer this format because it tends to be more topical and my past BMB have gotten lost in my already messy FB feed. BUT... it's nice to be able to post pictures and not be so worried about who might be lurking on the interwebs. I am okay with it if that's what others would like to do.

One of my BMB moved to a privately hosted forum with a password and that was actually the best arrangement IMO, but I do not have the skills to make that happen!

SpartanCat · January 2024

I would prefer Facebook pls. I haven't done this week's check-in, about to go to bed. But I'd really like a small group to chat and share with on a platform that actually does notifications

hedgepig · January 2024

@night_nurse I am also ready to move to FB whenever y'all are. I start to get spooked about how public TB is as we get closer and want to share more.

halfanewt · January 2024

EDD / Weeks + Days: 29 weeks, 3/25

FTM/STM/TTM+: TTM

Baby is the size of a (an): acorn squash

Team blue/pink/green: green

Upcoming Appointments: not til Feb

How are you feeling?: tired

Rants/Raves: work has decided it wants to be stressful this week and I’m not amused. Trying to stay clear, but yeesh.

Questions: when did y’all switch to every two week appts? Also, what time of day do you actually take your iron supplement? I swear the directions make it impossible timing wise.

GTKY: What was your first job? Babysitting!

alexxajams · January 2024

halfanewt
Your next appt should be the start of every two weeks. I had my final 4 week on Friday. They added an extra appt for me this week to get me back on track I guess? Not sure why. So if you had a 4 week check up at the beginning of this month, you should have another one this month Before Feb

night_nurse · January 2024

@halfanewt after 28 weeks ive seen the midwife every 2 weeks which I think was the same for previous pregnancies. My iron supplement is twice a day. I just make sure i havent had dairy in the last hour or an hour after taking it. But im sure i havent been perfect on that. Just try my best.

night_nurse · January 2024

Im working the next 2 days but if someone wants to start a thread where we can vote about moving to FB and then suggest a few moderators if a majority of people are on board that would be helpful. Wont have the time myself until later this week but don't mind starting it then if needed.

ceclarlinetlo · January 2024

@farm_mama When my Jan17 BMB migrated to Facebook we still kept posts topical. Someone would post a new clearly labeled post each week or month depending on the topic and everyone would just comment on that same post until the next one came. The only individual posting we did was for birth stories. So we could keep it in mimicking this style pretty easily. It’s actually a little easier to follow because of the way comments nest on Facebook. You just have to make sure you have “all comments” selected and not top comments or whatever other useless option there is.

ceclarlinetlo · January 2024

EDD / Weeks + Days: C section 2/12 34+4

FTM/STM/TTM+: TTM

Baby is the size of a (an): a basketball hoop - that’s an interesting one lol

Team blue/pink/green: blue

Upcoming Appointments: Thursday for BPP and NST

How are you feeling?: sometimes I feel pretty ok other times I am having a good bit of back pain, lots of tightening and pressure as if the kid is trying to make a break for it through my butthole. I also feel fatigued a good bit of the time.

Rants/Raves:

Questions:

GTKY: What was your first job? Baby sitting until college and then I did work study as a chemistry lab assistant, an orchestra assistant, and eventually a chemistry tutor. First real job was as a lab tech/lab manager in a malaria lab.

cioccolata16 · January 2024

EDD / Weeks + Days: 6 Feb/ 36+0

FTM/STM/TTM+: FTM

Baby is the size of a (an): papaya!

Team blue/pink/green: trying out Gwen and Miriam this week, and then hopefully have some time to revisit our favourits over the coming few weeks.

Upcoming Appointments: in an hour, haha. Group B strep swab today, and my husband is joining the appointment, since we're getting close.

How are you feeling?: Mostly fine, but out of breath a lot, and so tired (but keep waking up early and not being able to fall back asleep). Re-instating naps, so hopefully I will be somewhat well-rested when labour starts!

Rants/Raves: had our first doula visit! We were on the fence about hiring one, but I'm really happy we did, not just for me but also to help DH feel more empowered to participate and support me during labour.

Questions: This little one is so squirmy! Did anyone else find that their babe was still doing flip turns in the final stretch? I swear she's transverse half the time (and has extra limbs poking out the other half).

GTKY: What was your first job? babysitting (I got paid $1/hour for my first mother's helper gig!) and tutoring, but my first 'real' job was lifeguarding and swim instructing during high school.

ALSO -

I'm cool to move over to FB whenever. I've been part of a local mum's group, but it gets a bit overwhelming at times, and feels less relevant at others (like when people in their first trimester post). Good for asking questions specific to my area though!

Re Iron and timing (can't remember if someone asked this here or somewhere else): I take my iron tablets (Feramax) before breakfast but with orange juice or some other juice with lots of vitamin C. The juice is usually enough to avoid digestive upset. Usually I wait a few hours (or possibly all day) for any tablets with calcium in them.

dinomeetsjedi · January 2024

@cioccolata16 You're getting so close! 36 weeks seems so crazy!

@halfanewt I take my iron in the morning with an acidic juice (I prefer pineapple) and then I try to wait 30 minutes to an hour to eat. Also, my doctor is having me take my iron every other day and the reason for it is that every other day is the maximum absorbency for the iron, so anything more is just causing digestive problems and not being absorbed by my body anyway. I haven't had any constipation or anything from it that a lot of people are having but my levels are (slowly) going up.

@night_nurse I assumed the induction process would be ripener to foley to Pitocin but I need to ask at my next appointment. I also am hoping they might have a walking epidural option (it kind of sounded like it because of the birthing options she gave me, but I also need to confirm) I was just so excited that I might get a birth close to what I am wanting that I forgot all my questions.

@alexxajams yay for passing your GD test!

halfanewt · January 2024

Thanks for iron timing feedback! Maybe in the AM before breakfast is my best shot. I just tend to eat a lots of snacks and dairy, so it makes it challenging.

Weird that they have me going 28, then not ‘til 32 weeks. Thought that felt odd timing wise.

@cioccolata16 you’re ahead of me, but my little one still likes to be transverse, too. Midwives said they’re not worried about it up until the last couple weeks.

night_nurse · January 2024

@cioccolata16 i have my first doula prenatal appt on Thursday and really looking forward to it! First birth I’ve been able to hire one for and really excited about the extra support. Glad your appt went well! Also all of my kids so far have changed position drastically until the last min. I remember waking up at over 39 weeks with my daughter and feeling so uncomfortable only to realize she was transverse. She flipped back soon after.

@ceclarlinetlo a basketball hoop?! Where do people come up with these things??

kmw611 · January 2024

I’m so behind today-

@hedgepig how frustrating to not have sub plans sorted at this point!! Hopefully they get it together so you don’t need to worry about it last minute.

@farm_mama +1 for crazy Braxton hicks lately a few times I’ve really wondered if they were legit they were so strong and consistent.

@alexxajams so glad you passed! Definitely reason to celebrate! 🎉

EDD / Weeks + Days: 31w3d, 3/9

FTM/STM/TTM+: TTM

Baby is the size of a (an): baby's footprint is the size of a Swedish fish

Team blue/pink/green: pink

Upcoming Appointments: Thursday

How are you feeling?: tired, overwhelmed. We still have Christmas stuff up😂 and the clutter is starting to make me crazy.

Rants/Raves: rave for my chiropractor office for offering me and friend for keeping my kids when a last minute massage appointment opened up Friday so I could snag it🎉, Also rave for my mom who is in town to watch my brothers kids but has taken my 2 as well so I can declutter my house a little and maybe find my sanity again. And rant for my dr for brushing off my concerns about how to manage gd with diet 2 weeks ago and jumping to medication this week when my dinner numbers were slightly high.

Questions:

GTKY: What was your first job? My first unofficial job was babysitting or waitressing at our local submarine veterans club on the weekends. First on the books job was at a shipping center.

hedgepig · January 2024

@farm_mama @kmw611 Add me to the bh contraction group - I've been having them the whole pregnancy, but lately there are a couple each day that feel more like a real contraction, or that absolutely stop me in my tracks.

@dinomeetsjedi For early postpartum, the best thing my nurses did is take a nb diaper and stuff it full of crushed ice to put in my underwear. It felt so good and the diaper helped it not leak. I basically sat on one of those the entire time I was in the hospital and I think it really helped. I also liked the Earth Mama perineal balm. Something that I am more careful of now - with my first birth they prescribed me the giant ibuprofen to take regularly and I diligently took them, but they wound up causing my stomach to hurt, so I wasn't eating, so my stomach hurt more... Add that to a case of baby blues and I was having a pretty bad time. Once I figured out that I didn't need the ibuprofen for pain anymore and stopped taking it, things stabilized quickly, and the baby blues lifted within a week and all was good after that.

@night_nurse My support belt is my BFF right now - I lost it for a few days over the holidays and was so sad, but now I am wearing it pretty much all day every day.

@alexxajams Sorry for all the trouble with your docs. My nurse educator and I ranted on this for most of my last appt, how the system is set up to inhibit doctor-patient relationships, but also, why would you become an OB if you didn't care about the miracle of pregnancy and birth, and want to care for women through this incredibly emotional life change?
Congrats on passing your glucose test!

@halfanewt I'm on pretty much weekly appts because I'm seeing the MWs, plus the OB, and then extra stuff like NSTs, growth scans, appts with the nurse educator, but that's just because I'm high risk.

@ceclarlinetlo The fatigue is getting so real here too. I'm pretty much half the person I used to be.

@kmw611 If they take too long to hire someone then they aren't going to get any sub plans 🤷🏻‍♀️ If the babies are here and I am on leave, they'll get nothing from me.

cmill828 · January 2024

I'm good with a FB group!

@alexxajams congrats on passing the gd test!

@halfanewt My appointments are still 4wks apart until 36 weeks, and then it's 38, 39, 40. But from what I've heard, that's not the norm? IDK, they've also not had me pee in a cup since like 12 weeks lol. It's been weird.

EDD / Weeks + Days: 33+2

FTM/STM/TTM+: FTM

Baby is the size of a (an): pineapple, measuring 5lbs, 64th percentile as of yesterday!

Team blue/pink/green: Blue

Upcoming Appointments: 36wk on 1/30

How are you feeling?: I'm feeling much better! Still can't get rid of this pesky cough, but I'm hoping I can make it through the rest of pregnancy with no more illnesses! I met with MFM yesterday for a growth scan and to go over my sugars, all in all it was very positive! They aren't putting me on insulin, and they're pleased with my progress managing diet, so for now I can avoid induction at 39w. I did agree to being induced at 40w if I haven't had him yet. In my heart of hearts I think I will go early, given his size, position (she had to really get in my pelvis to measure his head), and family history (mom and sis never made it past due). Still pretty sleepy all the time, but I've gone down to working 3 days a week which helps. I'm definitely not loving the pay cut, and I'm keeping myself up at night wondering how I'm going to balance childcare and going back to work. I know we will figure it out, but I never imagined having this much uncertainty in what's to come. I'm having LOTS of soreness in my obliques and lower back, everything is just moving forward and down and I'm feeling it.

Rants/Raves: Had my first baby shower on Sunday and it was absolutely beautiful! We felt so much love and got tons of help from family in the nursery. I was stressing because I hadn't gotten quite as much done as I had hoped, given being down with covid and then the flu. DH's sister painted the last coat in the nursery while we were at work on Saturday, and after the shower, my parents helped us organize gifts and move furniture in. Between the nursery and having the rest of my appointments scheduled out for the rest of pregnancy, it's feeling REALLY real.

GTKY: What was your first job? I babysat in the summers, but my first tax paying job was as a shampoo girl at a hair salon.

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