April 15-21 Chat

[becca_howell]

Go!

[becca_howell]

Is anyone else having issues with numb legs? If I stand or walk for longer than 5-10 minutes, my legs start going numb at the hip joint. It's not a good feeling!

[jr'smom]

Yay!  Another chat thread.  We're getting closer and closer!  I predict someone in our May DDC will have a baby before this one comes to an end! 

Good start to my day...  I woke up a little after 6am even though I could have slept as long as I wanted today.  I woke DH up too so he could get me breakfast.  Good guy!  He went out and got me donuts and a decaf latte!  I didn't even know we had a donut shop nearby, but he had seen one that recently opened up and they were delicious!  What a treat!

I'm going to take a shower, put on sweat pants and not even blowdry my hair.  Today is my day to do nothing other than enjoy hanging out with the kids!  Yay!

[elonwy]

becca I have been getting that a little but only when I stand in certain positions. I was brushing my teeth and leaning forward slightly and my leg started to tingle and I realized it was going numb and turning slightly purple. Fun times.

[Evergreen]

I accidentally posted in last thread so I will re post my message.

I just got back from the doctor. The baby has been measuring 2 weeks behind for the past 2 appointments (so it is growing) so I am going in for an ultrasound on the 29th. So, they are going to push my GBS test back to the 13th of May which is fine with me. hahaha.

The NP didn't seem too concerned with the baby being small since both of my kids were small as were my husband and I at birth. Also, the baby stays balled up on the right side of my uterus so the tape measure going down my belly button wasn't on the biggest part of my belly.  My husband is, of course, freaking out though.

My baby shower is tomorrow so that will be fun!

[reelgeek]

I'm 36 weeks and one day today! I don't feel this guy will come out early. And as I'm working until May 1st, plus my doula is coming on May 7th - I've pretty much told him he's not *allowed* to come out until the 7th. :)

I had a great talk with my boss yesterday. I've been having some personality issues with one of the people at work that was making me nervous about how the company is going to be operating upon my return, but he told me that by then we'll likely have a prototyping department that he wants me to head up! So that made my minimal work stress completely go away.

Baby is still head down, occasionally likes to stretch his hands by his head and widen my pelvic area (which hurts!) and is still a little kicking storm. My husband and I went to a breast feeding class on Wednesday and are doing our newborn parenting class on Saturday, so this should be the last of the educational portions other than my regular centering prenatal visits. Feeling full of new mom knowledge.

I walk through some interesting parts of San Francisco on my way to and from work, and I've been getting all sorts of comments and shout-outs from the local homeless and/or crazy population lately. Had everything from congratulations through to ranting prophets telling me my baby's (very strange) future. One guy was awesome and told me I was having a girl (I'm not) and she would be the Prime Minister of Canada.

Hope everyone is feeling good. I know a lot of folks had a really hard last week.

[Evergreen]

May 7 sounds like a great day, reeelgeek.

My kids were both 2 weeks late but the last three people at my work to have babies went 3 weeks early so everyone (but me) is thinking I will follow the same trend.

[mija y mijo]

Originally Posted by becca_howell 

Is anyone else having issues with numb legs? If I stand or walk for longer than 5-10 minutes, my legs start going numb at the hip joint. It's not a good feeling!

I've been getting leg and foot cramps.  Not fun!  My midwife said to pick up some magnesium, so I need to get out to the store tonight or tomorrow and get some.

jr's mom:  Sounds like an awesome start to a very relaxing day!  Enjoy!!

Evergreen:  Hope all is well with your little one!  Did you measure small with your other kids?  I measured small with DD, but she just ended up being a tiny girl - 6.5 lbs.  An ultrasound at about 40 weeks showed "low" amniotic fluid, so they went ahead and induced me.  I was young and they didn't do too great of a job filling me in on what was going on, so I often wonder how necessary the induction was.  Both DH and I were just under 6 lbs when we were born (though smoking and ridiculously low weight gain in the 70s probably had something to do with that...  ).

reelgeek:  Sounds like a fun walk to and from work!  This baby has been SUPER active.  Often times it hurts...  I don't remember this much activity with my other kids.  

I'm hoping to get the rest of the apartment in order this weekend.  Today my plan is to work on our bedroom and closet.  So much stuff...  ugh.  And I have an insane amount of laundry that I'm catching up on.  Then hopefully I can start washing this little one's diapers and clothes and getting things all set up for his/her arrival.  I got rid of our yoga ball last year, so I need to pick one up when we head to the store.  I LOVED that thing during my labor with DS.  I'm still undecided on whether or not to do the birth tub rental.  I wanted to be moving around or on my feet my entire labor with DS, so I'm not sure how I'll feel this time around.  I'd hate to pay $100 for the thing and then only use it for a half hour or something.  Plus the set up and all that seem like a giant headache.  I figure I can always jump in the shower or tub here (though it's not very deep) if I feel like it.  Decisions, decisions...  

[KarenMT]

Becca- I haven't been getting the numb feeling but these sort of weird jolts down the inside of my left leg.  It doesn't go numb but when it happens I am sort of paralyzed from moving.  I think it's the baby's head pressing on a nerve.  Maybe the same for you.

ReelGeek- so glad those office politics are being ironed out now so you don't have to think about them while on your leave.

Evergreen- I'm in the same boat as you with measuring a bit small.... my vent below- LOL

AFM- Just came back from meeting with the "med-wife".  This is the lead midwife in this practice and she gives me no vibes that she trusts in natural birth.  Last week she measured my fundal height as 30 when it was larger 2 weeks prior.  I consulted with a local HB midwife and she measured me as 35 cms.  So.. today they have me go for a BPP u/s.  They check fluid level, blood flow to placenta, baby's movement and practice breathing and size.  I scored 8/8 so a very healthy scan.  However.... the midwife is saying that baby is in the 10th %ile for size.  Hmmm.... I am just 5 feet tall and super petite.  At 41 weeks, DD1 was 6lbs8oz.  Both my girls have really tiny heads (totally genetic)- like 10-20%ile.  With my prior 2 pregnancies I just stopped measuring for fundal height but baby did continue to grow weight wise.

Midwife says she wants me to go for a NST and another u/s next week.  If baby falls below 10th %ile they will want to induce.  I asked if she would take a copy of the charts from my past two pregnancies and also look at their birth stats and is she taking my size into account.  Not only did she not want to even see my charts she didn't want to take my own birth weight or of my nephews(also small but healthy) into account.   So.... I told her that I was not going with the tests next week as the only purpose is induction and the risks of needless induction far outweigh the need of her and the OB to "manage" this healthy pregnancy.  I go back in about 10 days so I'll be 38 weeks.  I am now left to switching to a HB midwife and dealing with the financial cost or putting on my boxing gloves for the next few visits to prevent needless procedures.  What really annoyed me was that the midwife hit a wall and started going on about "spontaneous stillbirth" and an "aging placenta" once I hit the end of pregnancy.  These scare/fear tactics are the whole reason I had a HB with DD2.  For now, that was round 1 and I expect next visit to be round 2.

[melon]

I am just popping in to say hi. I've been a lurker around here for a little while. I am due with my second, a boy, May 4.

My DS will turn 2 this weekend.

This DDC should start popping out babies any day now, huh?

:)

[elonwy]

Reelgeek- I work downtown so I get much less crazy, but there is a homeless guy on the corner near my building (that's his "job" and he is there every day) who is constantly full of advice on how to make sure my baby doesn't turn out like him. Which is sweet, I guess, but kind of disturbing. I have also gotten random ones of panhandlers telling me the sex or fortune of the baby and then demanding payment even though I'm not participating in the conversation with them. Such a colorful city. Do you take BART or Muni? I starting driving to work this week cause a woman basically hip checked me on BART to get to a seat before I could sit down and I just couldn't deal with the rudeness anymore. 

[Jynuine]

I lost more plug today and lost some last night... but my big thing is that when I cough I get SHARP cervical stabbing pains. It has all but made me freak out about coughing and I think I might be getting a cold!!!

I have a LOT of nerve pains too on the inside of my thighs. I gasp out when he does it and Im thinking of really narrowing down my public time out, hahahaha!~ How embarassing... it happens on the phone too.

[clutterbug]

KarenMT, I'm sorry you're dealing with putting on the boxing gloves.  Ack. :(  Are there other midwives there that you can see next time, who maybe aren't so fear-based?

Wow, I can't believe we have someone losing mucous plug.  WOOHOO! 

becca, I get that numbness.  It starts for me every pregnancy around 20 weeks, and just on the front of the left thigh by my hip, and is aggravated by standing for a while.  It's been better this pregnancy with regular ostepathic therapy, but it's still there from time to time.  Yesterday I was running around the house in a cleaning tizzy (my parents were arriving) and I started to feel numb and tingly on both sides.  It's such an odd and uncomfortable feeling.

[jr'smom]

Karen--Wow!  What stupidity!  If you have a 6 1/2 lound baby at 41 weeks why would they expect you to measure "average?"  Drives me nuts.  Sorry you are dealing with that.  I measure average to only 1cm ahead in fundal height and my babies are huge (10lbs +.)

Jyn-- I LOVE the name you've picked for your son!  We have many men named Justus going way back in my family and I wanted to pick that name for one of our boys, but I couldn't convince DH. I'd pick it for a girl too but spell it Justice, only DH won't agree to that either. 

My day has been pretty nice, but DH was gone over 4 hours, so I've not exactly been relaxing.  It's fun to be with the kids though!  They were so happy that it is raining so they could get outside to play with their new umbrellas!  They also made a "T.V. show" about a dragon trainer and his two dragons. They rehearsed it ahead of time too.  Even the 2 yr old played along.  We video taped it of course. Cute!  Then they made self-portraits for DH to judge when he got home.  I sure wasn't going to be the judge!

[Jynuine]

Originally Posted by jr'smom 

Jyn-- I LOVE the name you've picked for your son!  We have many men named Justus going way back in my family and I wanted to pick that name for one of our boys, but I couldn't convince DH. I'd pick it for a girl too but spell it Justice, only DH won't agree to that either. 

Yeah? It was sort of like that with the name Kaiya last time. I LOVED it and wanted it for my daughter but we ended up naming her Emmalia Antoinette. When we were studying Acts in the bible we heard the name 'Justus' and both my husband and I looked at each other at the same time and said I like that name. This was just after Emma was born so we had no clue we were going to get pregnant again so soon!

[KarenMT]

Bluepetals- yes, at my next appt I am seeing one of the other 2 midwives in the practice.  She is fairly new so probably won't take as strong a stance with me. I've asked DH to come with me, even if just for moral support, to the next appts.  I know I can't force labor but I will definitely start to pull out the natural induction methods starting close to 39 weeks- EPO, castor oil and intercourse.  I would find it highly unlikely that they would allow me to go past 40 weeks and for my own peace of mind, I know there is a risk to go past when 40.  I'm going to ask at my next visit what their policy is on stripping of membranes.  That- combined with intercourse definitely worked with DD1.

Jyn- woohoo for losing your plug.  I think I lost mine just a day or so before both girls were born.

[Evergreen]

Originally Posted by mija y mijo 

Evergreen:  Hope all is well with your little one!  Did you measure small with your other kids?  I measured small with DD, but she just ended up being a tiny girl - 6.5 lbs.  An ultrasound at about 40 weeks showed "low" amniotic fluid, so they went ahead and induced me.  I was young and they didn't do too great of a job filling me in on what was going on, so I often wonder how necessary the induction was.  Both DH and I were just under 6 lbs when we were born (though smoking and ridiculously low weight gain in the 70s probably had something to do with that...  ).

Thank you. I always measured right where I should or a little ahead but I had home birth midwives before and so they seemed a bit less alarmist. None of us were over 7 lbs. Dh ws 6 lbs 2 oz, I was 6 lbs 7 oz, Dylan was 6 lbs 8 oz and Ava was 6 lbs 12 oz.

[Evergreen]

KarenMT- that sounds really frustrating. I am glad you are switching, though!

[Jynuine]

Well at this point Im at my witts end. I just got off the phone with the midwife and she all but told me "Sucks to be you, sorry". He is SO low Im having horrible stabbing pains... I cant even walk around. This is ridiculous!!!!!! UGH!

[dayiscoming2006]

KarenMT -
That is part of the reason I'm going with a UC. It seems like every care provider I've come into contact with wants to mess with me or baby in ways I don't like and/or don't consider safe.

Good thing you are switching providers. That other lady sounds horrible! Totally frustrating!