Queer & Pregnant: September, October & November - Page 2

[Beastie]

Hi all! Shana tovah and Eid mabrook to those that celebrate!

Coco: What great pictures of you guys. You look happy and sweet and PREGNANT! Thanks for sharing. Also, hooray for an end to the spotting, and for free baby clothes, and for starting to nest! Since you asked, I teach English, mostly early modern british lit. Since this bean is showing up about a month before the end of the semester, the plan is that if all goes well I'll take a week or two off for the birth and then maintain my teaching commitments until the end of the semester. And then have four months of summer babymoon! But a lot depends on what my department chair and my union rep have to say about things...

Earthe_mama: Thanks for the helpful wardrobe suggestions. I have a faculty meeting on Friday, and I think that fetus tanktop will be just the subtle look I'm going for! Also, I'm super impressed by your hard work and good luck in inducing lactation. Please keep us up to date with your progress! Oh, and feel better soon!

Papa: Only a month! I know you're loving being pregnant, but it's exciting that ember will be earthside so soon. I'm glad that your freezer is filling, and I hope your new space is starting to feel more like home.

Korey: How's your pelvic pain? Have you seen the midwife yet? Did you cancel Ptown? I hope we get a positive update soon. Thinking of you. ETA: We cross-posted! Glad that the midwife was able to help and that you'll get your vacation after all!

AFM: Had a regular OB appointment today, and got to hear the fetus's heartbeat on the doppler. Scheduled an NT scan for Monday. And I'm hoping that, if all goes well, that'll be the end of the medical intervention part of my pregnancy. Time to switch to a midwife and settle in to the second trimester! In other news, I decided to to the Jewish blood panel (mostly out of curiosity, since the donor was screened for most of the list), but my Michigan OB office couldn't figure out how to do the tests, since they see so few Jews! So that was an interesting start to this week of Jewish holidays...

[Monarchgrrl]

Korey- YAY for P-town! Have fun! Glad your back pain is improving.

Coco- what cute pics!

erthe- I hope your cold is getting better. No fun!

Beastie- YAY for hearing the heartbeat!

AFM- Nothing much going on here. Just getting bigger and bigger. We're hopefully finishing up the baby's room this weekend. Just have to buy a bookshelf at Ikea and put together the pack n' play and then we can hang the art and the little decorations. Once that's all done then in the next couple of weeks I can wash (and wash and wash and wash, etc) the diapers to get them ready. Luckily all the little clothes only need one wash. Whew!

How's everyone else doing?

[mtnlisa]

Papa, Lyndzies & Monarch--I'm getting so excited for you--I've been hanging around since you were all TTC and it seems like such a short time ago. I hope all your preparations are coming together for your babys' arrivals!

Korey--I hope your pelvic pain keeps getting better--mine is coming and going--yesterday barely comfortable walking all morning but then somehow everything realigned during my afternoon nap! My chiro seems to think that its mostly just things moving around due to looseness and therefore to just keep myself in positions that feel fine.

Beastie--hope you are feeling well and your week of school has gone well.

You Know You are Pregnant when--you cross your legs every time you think you might have to sneeze! Also when I walk by a mirror--I'm still surprised EVERY single time I see myself--I think "How did THAT happen??!"

AFU We are beginning to plan, with my sister at the helm, for the baby shower. Its amazing how much time I can spend online thinking about our registry when I have other work to do. We have been keeping our hand me down (okay and the things we buy every time we go to any store) baby clothes in a crib and its now about a foot deep--so I'm thinking we don't really need anything more!

[gumshoegirl007]

Wehrli - Congrats on graduating from your RE. That's some big news worth celebrating!

Monarchgrrl - I love the name mix up with your cat and DP. Too funny!

Lyndzies - Hope you had a fabulous anniversary and I'm sorry to hear about the pelvic pain. Oh the joys of the third trimester. But, the baby will soon be here.

Beastie - How's the belt and the pants situation? Already I can't wear any of my pre-pregnancy jeans. I got pregnant and suddenly added an inch on my waist! Hopefully you can keep the baby a secret as long as you feel is necessary. I can't wait till we get to hear the heartbeat at our next midwife appt!

erthe_mama - Yay for inducing lactation. My DW is going to give that a go and I hope it works for her.

FtMPapa - One month! Oh, and I do have a secret for you. I'm very confident that we know each other in real life. I'm one of your Canadian camp friends

Coco99 - Crib shopping sounds so exciting. I hope it all panned out. And, that's quite a lovely belly shot.

korey - Yay for a Ptwon trip. That sounds like so much fun. Hopefully you'll "pop" out anyday now.

mtnlisa - A baby shower is good times and provides lots of justifiable reasons for procrastination.

AFU, we're now 11w1d and time is flying now that it's the fall. Our donor is in town this weekend for a visit. I think it will be great to hang out with him and the kids. The only thing that's a little odd is that we haven't see him since he was last here to help us conceive!

[2moms3kids]

Please add me edd is 4/5/11, but we are having a repeat c-section on 4/1/11 if I can hold out until then!

-Sarah

[justrose13]

gumshoe, hope you enjoy your time with KD & co.! and time is starting to fly isn't it?!

mtnlisa, ooo... baby shower i have a feeling that we will be in the same boat. we are already getting hand-me-downs and our moms are shopping thrift already. and not to mention there are some things in the store we just can't pass up!

monarch, horray for getting the final stuff ready!! i'm so excited for you!!

beastie, yea for hearing the HB again! i'm so glad things are going well for you. FX for a good scan on monday! oh and pardon my ignorance but what does the jewish blood panel tell you??

korey, i'm glad there is some solutions in sight... and also happy that you don't have to cancel your trip to Ptown! have fun!!

coco, you and DP are sooo cute! and look at that belly! you must be loving it!!!

erthe, i hope you are feeling better!

afm, things are going well... i keep feeling something and wondering if it's the quickening... i'm sure i'm just looking too hard for it DP and i are getting ready to enjoy our first weekend off in ten whole weeks!! so basically, we haven't had a weekend since we concieved!! we have my grandpa's 80th bday party to go to this afternoon, which we were looking forward to but then, thanks to some of my family's posts on FB, we are terrified! i've always felt like i've had a pretty accepting family (and i suppose i do comparitively) but some ignorant comments/videos were posted and DP posted comments back in defense, and of course now they are thinking we are a couple of overreacting lesbian "femi-nazis". i can't believe my own family can make me feel this sick! we almost canceled going, but that's not fair to my grandpa or my parents plus we have to go to stand proud and hold tight to our convictions, not run away like some scared puppy. but this is not the energy that i wanted my weekend to have... oh, well... i guess this is probably only the begining... i'm so glad i have "family" elsewhere, like here and in my lovely [renfair] community.

[justrose13]

Originally Posted by 2moms3kids

Please add me edd is 4/5/11, but we are having a repeat c-section on 4/1/11 if I can hold out until then!

-Sarah

welcome, sarah! i've added you... please note any new updates in bold so i don't miss them.

[quasar]

We're still hanging out around here too. I read the posts, but with working and chasing a 17 month old around I don't have much time to respond. We're 33 1/2 weeks along now! The baby's moving around like crazy and I swear he's trying to bust out of my belly button, lol. Recently my ribs have started aching. If I am at work or even just sitting and eating, the top part of my abdomen burns from all the stretching and pressure put on the lower part of my ribs. I'm complaining a lot.

[megan sacha]

I'm just catching up on the past couple of weeks. Sorry but I don't have time for many personals. I'm excited for all of you who are due so soon. Time sure flies, doesn't it? I can't believe our Zivia will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. We're in such a time warp and in some ways it feels like she's always been here. I'm excited for those of you who are close to cross over to the other side!

erthe_mama, for heartburn I took papaya enzymes and they worked well for heartburn, though I did have to take a lot of them and often.

mtnlisa, for the peeing yourself, just wait for postpartum!

AFM, things are good, but a bit chaotic. Our 3.5 yr old is having major sleep troubles/regressions which makes it hard for him to cope and hard for us to cope too. The baby is a piece of cake though, except for needing to nurse her all night! She seems so much more chill than DS so far and I'm so grateful for that. She can even fall asleep alone in a bouncy chair sometimes which DS NEVER did. He needed lots of help falling asleep until he was 2.5 yrs old and I can't tell you how excited I would be if we have a good sleeper on our hands. Fingers crossed.

My healing is much better now and I can sit again. My tear seems to be healing up very well. Hemis are still hurting but are so much better and the worst of it now is some pelvic bone pain and tailbone pain. Hoping a trip to the chiropractor tomorrow will help. Otherwise I'll just have to wait it out.

[burg]

megan sacha- Glad to hear that you're healing well. I hope that the pelvic & hipbone pain goes away soon! Good luck with sleeping issues and I will cross my fingers for you that the new lo is a champion sleeper

quasar- You're so close, how exciting! Unless of course it now feels like the hurry up and wait period. quasar's baby- the belly button is not an escape hatch, lol.

wehrli- I hope that you had a great weekend off! I also hope that the family drama was at a minimum and you were able to just enjoy the day with your Grandpa's day! Family drama, ugh, good times. Yay for the first signs of movement.

2moms3kids- Welcome! Congrats on your 'april fool'

gumshoegirl007- Hope that you had a great weekend with KD & his kids!

Originally Posted by mtnlisa

You Know You are Pregnant when--you cross your legs every time you think you might have to sneeze! Also when I walk by a mirror--I'm still surprised EVERY single time I see myself--I think "How did THAT happen??!"

I have found myself staring at the mirror is disbelief 1 or 2 times lately! Have fun with registry planning, I can understand what a (fun) time suck it can be!

Monarchgrrl- Exciting that the nursery is almost done. Would love to see pictures

Beastie- Welcome to the 2nd trimester, doesn't the 1st seem to fly by?

korey- Hope that everything 'pops' soon. Also, hope that you had (are having?) a great time in P-town.

Coco- Love the pictures!

AFM- We have our anatomy scan today and I am hoping that baby isn't modest As much as I want to find out what we're having, I am just excited to see the baby it feels like it has been so long since our last u/s. It is my busiest season at work and it is kicking my behind. Working long days + Saturdays is seriously cutting into my nap time.

[Monarchgrrl]

Welcome 2moms!!! Congrats on your April Fool's baby!

wehrli- how did the weekend with the family go? Doesn't sound too pleasant!

quasar- good to see you! Complain away!!

megan_sacha- YAY for a good-sleeping baby! Sorry your oldest is having a rough time. Hopefully it's a short phase. Glad to hear you're healing ok.

burg- good luck at the scan today. Come on baby, show your bits!!

AFM- We ended up not doing anything with the nursery this weekend. Instead we bought a new car! We had a Toyota Tacoma access cab truck and the carseat just wouldn't fit and after researching the safety issues we figured out we had to just bite the bullet and trade in the truck. We loved that truck. But it's on to a family car! We got a Scion XA, a sporty little hatchback so it doesn't look like a family car but it has plenty of room and four doors and the carseat fits! Hopefully we'll do more nursery stuff next weekend.

I also have my maternity photo shoot next Sunday. Can't wait!!! Besides that, I'm starting to feel VERY uncomfortable. Just huge, and achy and sore. But I expected it. *sigh*

My BP was up a little at my midwife appt on Friday. It's usually 120/70 but all three times, even laying down, it was 120/80. She isn't concerned yet, but wants to nip it in the bud. So I'm supposed to eat lots of cucumbers and make sure I get 100 grams of protein a day. That is NOT easy. Ugh. I usually get a lot but keeping track kinda sucks. I've been complaining a lot in my head.

Hope everyone else had a great weekend!!

[burg]

It's a girl!

They couldn't get a good look at the face or heart so we're going back for another ultrasound next week, I am so excited to get to see her again

[mtnlisa]

2moms3kids--welcome!

werhli--I remember wondering for several week if I was feeling Baby move (mostly when I was wearing a seatbelt) and now that I feel her pretty much all day and night long, I think that those first feelings felt just like the ones I have now, only much smaller! Even if everyone says, "no you can't feel them yet" I think you should just go ahead and believe it!

quasar--I agree, complain here, we don't mind, and we'll probably take a turn!

Megan--thanks for the news from the "other side" it still seems far away and right around the corner!

Monarch--too bad you don't live here--I picked 9 giant cucumbers in my garden yesterday and have no idea how I'll use them all up--why exactly are they good for your bp??

Burg--another girl! congratulations!

AFU--my complaint--my hip pain (which I think is becuase of a birth defect i had corrected as an infant) feels like a nail being driven through the socket a couple of times during the night--I think I'm just going to have to sleep less at night and take more naps as I can sleep comfortably for some periods of time--or we will have to invest in a recliner for me to sleep in, but I have a hard time sleeping without dp next to me (even though she is on the other side of my 9 pillows). In the category of "i just want to share" information, I visited a really nice childcare today. My part time work right now is coaching infant and toddler teachers and I got to go to a center that is staffed almost entirely by women who have more than 5 children themselves. Often just being a parent doesn't prepare you for the realities of infant toddler care, but these women are so patient and understanding that all the children are happy. Our baby won't be in childcare--I've worked in the field so long that I only know a few teachers I would leave my own child with--but I would leave my child here.

[Monarchgrrl]

Originally Posted by mtnlisa

Monarch--too bad you don't live here--I picked 9 giant cucumbers in my garden yesterday and have no idea how I'll use them all up--why exactly are they good for your bp??

Oooh I wish I could take some of those off your hands. Not sure why, but apparently cucumbers and watermelon is good for BP. I'm also starting acupuncture this week. Hopefully that will help.

Burg- YAY another girl! Congrats!

[FtMPapa]

37 Weeks today! YAY!

But I got some hard news today - I was scheduled for a growth check u/s this morning, follow up to the one five weeks ago. Ember was 19th %tile then, and is now 7th %tile, so I got sent over to the midwives right away.

The midwife is concerned, she had me start EPO to ripen my cervix and I'm scheduled for weekly U/S and biophysical profiles. She's two weeks behind right now, measuring at 34 weeks and change. I know there's a margin of error, but this is still a source of concern to me now, but there's nothing I can do except watch and wait.

If the kid keeps slipping %tiles, I suspect we'll be talking induction. I'm not sure I'm necessarily opposed to that, if this kid were outside, I could feed her and know she was growing and not have to worry about it.

So, uh, yeah. I hope this kid grows a bit. In or out.

[carmen358]

Originally Posted by FtMPapa

37 Weeks today! YAY!

But I got some hard news today - I was scheduled for a growth check u/s this morning, follow up to the one five weeks ago. Ember was 19th %tile then, and is now 7th %tile, so I got sent over to the midwives right away.

The midwife is concerned, she had me start EPO to ripen my cervix and I'm scheduled for weekly U/S and biophysical profiles. She's two weeks behind right now, measuring at 34 weeks and change. I know there's a margin of error, but this is still a source of concern to me now, but there's nothing I can do except watch and wait.

If the kid keeps slipping %tiles, I suspect we'll be talking induction. I'm not sure I'm necessarily opposed to that, if this kid were outside, I could feed her and know she was growing and not have to worry about it.

So, uh, yeah. I hope this kid grows a bit. In or out.

There is definitely a margin of error and maybe baby is just small?

You'll make the right decision and if you have to induce to keep everyone safe and healthy then that's the best thing you can do.

Sending good vibes your way!

[sunwillshine]

Papa - thinking of you big time!

I'm thinking too, that you're not quite 37 weeks with a due date of 10/10/10? Because I was 37 weeks yesterday with a due date of 10/4/10 (yesterday was 3 weeks from my due date based on ovulation, on the nose). So I'm a little confused? That's almost a full week - does that make any difference?

Here's hoping (like the others) that the margin of error combined with the fact that maybe she's just a little girl means there's nothing wrong whatsoever. Sending lots of love and good thoughts for you and Ember!

All - sorry I've been MIA again! I have been reading, though. Just not been big into posting lately.

mtnlisa - So sorry to hear about the hip pain, mama! That sounds horrendous, and as someone dealing with SPD, I can definitely empathize with frustrating preggo pain. FWIW, I have been sleeping in a recliner for a couple of weeks now, and it has made a WORLD of difference in the length of uninterrupted, pain-free shut-eye I'm able to get at night. It does suck sleeping apart from DP, but sleep is SOOOO important, mama!

burg - congrats on finding out you're having a girl! And, you get to see her again soon! That's awesome.

Monarchgrrl - Getting sooooo close! I can't wait to see your photos. Also, those BP numbers seem totally in the range of normal to me.... is it because your "normal" is usually lower that is cause for concern? I really hope it's nothing to worry about. Thinking of you!

megan sacha - So glad you checked in, and that's great that you're making good healing progress. I can't wait to join you on the "other side," mama!

quasar - you're also super close! My oh my, that crept up quick, didn't it?? And boyoboy, do I hear you on the burning/stretching high up near the ribs. It's the worst, and no amount of lotion seems to help! I hope it stops for you soon... at least it's not too much longer till babe in arms!

wehrli - so sorry to read about the family sitch. That really stinks big time. I'm glad you know you have so much support elsewhere, though. And, exciting about the possible quickening! That babe will be kicking like crazy before you know it!

2moms3kids - welcome!!

gumshoegirl007 - you're almost through the first trimester! How exciting! They fly by after that (in my experience). Cool that KD will be in town, I hope it's a good time having him there to visit post-conception.

korey - I hope the pain has subsided.

Sorry if I missed anyone, I'm too lazy to go on to the second page. Lol!

AFM - Whelp, like Papa, I'm full-term now! Craziness, but awesomeness, too.

I had my first of the weekly appointments last week, and cervix was still closed tight and baby still high up. Midwife unfortunately couldn't tell for certain the position of Cadence, and since I've still been feeling her shift around a lot, I have to go in for an ultrasound tonight to check position. Think positive head-down thoughts for us, please! If she's breach or transverse, we'll talk about scheduling a version, but I really hope she's settled in to her final position on her own by now. Other than that, everything looked good. Fundal height is within range, BP is normal, and my weight gain is right around 20 lbs... which, although I have not been obsessing in the least about, I'm really psyched about!

Turns out the pelvic pain was not due to UTI; rather, it's just SPD rearing it's ugly head again. I'm coping though. Sleeping in the recliner helps a lot, and I occasionally will take my midwife-prescribed Percocet when it's really REALLY unbearable (but I'm usually able to power through). I know it will all be worth it, and I also know that it's likely to go away pretty quickly after Cadence is born, so those are the things on which I try to focus!

I'm still working full-time, dragging my hugely uncomfortable self into the office. I had planned on working up until labor, but I just don't know how much longer I can come into the office. I'm going to power through this week, and then re-evaluate things. I know my job would be fine with me working at home, but it's hard for me to give up my plan of being here till the bitter end and accept that there are just some things I cannot control! I suppose now's as good a time as any to get used to the fact. Lol.

Last night, DP and I went to our first of two "newborn care classes" we signed up for. A lot of the stuff was common sense, but I was happy that the instructor seems pretty AP-focused, and she also happens to be the LC at the hospital birth center we're using, so at the very least it's good that we're making a connection with her before we may need her services.

I guess that's about it for me! Just hanging in there and tying up loose ends so we can welcome this baby into the world in as little as 0 and no more than 4.5-ish weeks! We can't WAIT to meet her.

[FtMPapa]

See, I KNEW 10/10/10 was going to bite me in the rear!

My medical due date is the same as yours - 10/4/10, but I added the extra week because that's been my intui-date all along and because it's so typical to go over by at least that much with a first pregnancy.

So, yeah, we're both 37 weeks.

I'm not hugely uncomfortable...but I'm kind of ready to be done now, and that feeling only started in the past 48 hours, between not getting any sleep two nights in a row and being all stressed out yesterday. I'm done now, not completely done, but getting ready to be done.

[sunwillshine]

Originally Posted by FtMPapa

See, I KNEW 10/10/10 was going to bite me in the rear!

My medical due date is the same as yours - 10/4/10, but I added the extra week because that's been my intui-date all along and because it's so typical to go over by at least that much with a first pregnancy.

So, yeah, we're both 37 weeks.

I'm not hugely uncomfortable...but I'm kind of ready to be done now, and that feeling only started in the past 48 hours, between not getting any sleep two nights in a row and being all stressed out yesterday. I'm done now, not completely done, but getting ready to be done.

You are speaking my language, lovely. In the past couple of days, I've also started getting that "okay, enough now!" feeling. Lol.

I THOUGHT we had close to/the same actual due date. But I think 10/10/10 is a good intui-date for sure! DP and I were actually hoping for it since we're huge dorks and 101010 = 42 in binary, which, of course, is the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Lol.

Now I wonder where in the world I got the thought in my head that it would be good to go past my EDD. Lol.

/geek

[korey]

Papa - I'm sure that news was stressful and scary. But try not to worry too much! At 35 weeks my SIL had an u/s and was told that the baby was measuring at 38 weeks and might be too big to deliver vaginally. He was born just a few days early and weighed about 7.5 lbs.

Lyndzies - Positive, head-down thoughts!

mtnlisa - I say invest in the recliner! Sorry about all that pain. (You're scaring me!)

burg - Congrats on your girl!

monarch - Yay for a new car! Enjoy all those cucumbers!

wehrli - So sorry about the ignorant family! It sounds like you're immediate family is supportive, though. Right? That's who will matter to the baby!

2moms3kids -

Beastie - How was the NT scan???

gumshoe - Your NT scan should be this week-ish, too, right???


AFM - 20 weeks today! Halfway there! The pelvic and hip pain are still here. Would you believe that standing is more comfortable than sitting or laying!?!

P-town was fun, and exhausting! I did have a really interesting pregnancy experience on a whale watch...

First off, I really am "one of those" lesbians who lives to whale watch. DP used to make fun of me when we first got together, until I got her hooked on whale watching, too. Anyway, I never get sea sick, so I wasn't worried at all when they warned us about "rough seas" one day. In fact, DP and I jump at the chance to go out in rough seas because we know that humpback whales are more active in rough seas. (See, I told you I was "one of those" lesbians!)

But "rough seas" that day were REALLY rough, and even though I didn't get sea sick, I got really scared. I had completely irrational thoughts of the boat capsizing and me ending up in the ocean, screaming for help because I'm pregnant. Again, completely irrational, but the fear was very real. Any other non-pregnant day I would have hung on tight and enjoyed the ride. But this time I was smacking myself for being so reckless while pregnant. It's kind of amazing how your maternal instincts just take over, isn't it? Well, I learned my lesson and will be taking it easy for the rest of this pregnancy!