Weekly chat thread 9/24-10/1

[flavorfull1]

Wow, this thread will take us into October! wohoo!  I am really wanting the days to hurry up to the second trimester because I am hoping that means I will feel a lot better. DS has a fever of 102 and chest congestion which has made nights not so restful as well as days.  He is still just as sweet and happy, just more clingy and lethargic at times.  I am glad I am still nursing but it feels exhausting right now. I didn't know I had it so good!

Well, welcome swinging emotions!  I had a really hard week with lots of different things going on and I can tell that I am just not as emotionally even as I was pre pg. I remember w DS I was super emotional and it turns out, same thing with this one.  Life has been kind of blah this week and I am feeling kind of blue. I don't like to be a downer.

I do have a mw appt on Wednesday and I can't wait to hear the heart beat.  I feel like I have been waiting forever to hear it.  I will be 12 weeks and we scheduled it later so that DH can come.  It is sweet because he had said that he would have to miss them bc of work and we agreed it was fine.  He was in school with DS so he could come, well, at our appt w the mw he wanted to schedule it so he could come if at all possible.  It is just nice to see him connecting.  It took him a while to really connect on a deeper level with DS while I was pg.  Now that he gets the whole thing, he is really even more supportive, it is great!

[Rasa]

That's great that your DH can go to the appointment.  It is so different this time for us too--DH went to every single appointment last time, so far this time none--he stays with DD.  I thought I would mind but so far I don't.  I know that later on, they can both come but sometime it's nice to just have the focus on my and not pulling DD off the banister (or wherever she has found to climb/investigate) as my MW is in an old house.  I picked out/interviewed my MW and DH had some questions for me to ask but overall, I feel good about taking charge of the process.  I'd ideally like an unassisted childbirth but he's way more comfortable with a MW around and I think I can handle that level of compromise, though I've threatened to kick everyone out of the way if need be during delivery.

My mom arrives late tomorrow for 19 days to help out (from way out of state).  Hope that goes OK--she's got an annoying habit of constantly asking questions as her main form of communication (even things she knows the answer to) and it's a big trigger for me because it's gotten sooooo old.  Hope I can keep my reactions in check!  I think I'm starting to feel better (13 weeks now) and could have really used the help sometime the last 6 weeks but for many reasons, we felt we didn't want to/couldn't tell family until we hit 13 weeks so I guess that's moot!  She honestly would have been so busy with some stuff I would have felt incredibly guilty pulling her away from that.  DD(age 6) will LOVE having all the attention from my mom, even if I'm feeling somewhat better now.  Looking forward to my 2nd long midwife appointment this week too--woo hoo!!  But I'm still not using doppler and with my tilted uterus, I imagine this appointment could be rather boring.  

Hope everyone else is starting to feel better!

[beaner&tiegs]

Yeah, I have to say, I kind of enjoy going to some of the midwife appointments on my own, and having the whole family at some of the appointments.  It's great to get them involved, hearing the heart beat and measuring the uterus and getting to know the midwives, but it's also nice to be able to really talk without interruptions, about topics that I don't necessarily want to include my older kids in, and also to have a chance to really focus solely on this new baby.  Anyways, we'll see how it all pans out.....

As for UC, you know I had a friend who wanted to UC but her DH was extremely uncomfortable with the idea.  They were able to come up with a compromise where their midwife sat in a friend's apt. down the hall from there's, and the husband would check in with her every once in a while by phone but my friend was left to do her thing as she desired.  The only thing was they used a non-registered midwife, I don't know if a registered midwife could have accomodated their needs?

I feel good most of the time, but usually ready for bed by 6.  Nauseousness is fine as long as I'm eating constantly, but WOW, I've gotten hungry a few times over the last couple of days, and WATCH OUT WORLD!!!!!  I feel gross and snappy and focused only on getting food, but then nothing even looks good so I whine and melt down - good times.  I think I need to get better at packing high protein snacks with me EVERYWHERE:-)

[Thursday Girl]

mood swings and hunger issues, oh the fun of pregnancy. lol. I woke up at almost 4am to throw up...and I had thought I was over being sick. Hubs was nice and woke up to check on me. Now I am still awake.  :rolleyes   

I don't think I have ever had a midwife appointment all by myself. With the first I always had Hubs with me, and then after that I always had a kid or two. Hubs will probably come to some with me. I bet it would be kind of neat to not have to chase a kid around or deny their request to read a book.

I have my first appt thursday, I am so anxious for it.  I'm 13 weeks now.

[hazelbranch]

I am 11 weeks now and except for the occasional "OMG I'm hungry NOW!" moments, I'm feeling pretty darn normal. :p   I have finally had a couple of baby dreams, which eases my worried mind, though the one last night had me giving birth by myself to a little girl who was breech.  I wonder if part of the reason she was breech in my dream was so I couldn't see her hair colour! LOL  Yesterday my daughter came up to me and told me there was a boy and a girl in my belly, and that they both had red hair and green eyes. 

[RosieL]

Do you guys count the third trimester after completing the 12th week, or the 13th?

flavorful - Sorry about the ups and downs and rough week. And Yay for husbands who want to be involved in appointments and such, and for MW who will be flexible around that. :) 

Thursday - Good luck with the first appointment. :)

hazel - be sure to let us know how your daughters prediction turns out. She must be excited about a little sibling. 

beaner - DH and I developed a keyword - food crazies. When the food crazies arrive, clear the area and take shelter! Unfortunately I have developed a need for bagels. After a couple years of no bagels, I'm not eating one almost every day, and it's like an addiction. I do not want to be eating bagels! Hello GD! What do you use for high protein snacks? In the past I've always used chunks of cheese, but I need some variety. 

Rasa - Sounds like you've got a really supportive family. Good stuff. :) 

[Rasa]

RosieL--food crazies--that's a great description!  I don't remember this from last time but have started to experience it this pg.  I get about one stomach growl warning and then I'm biting DH's head off about why the food I requested isn't in my hands already (yes, good times, as biener&tiegs said ) not that I even really feel like eating.  High protein snacks are still tough for me--I'm technically dairy free due to allergy, though I've been able to stomach some dairy with lots of digestive enzyme, I don't like to push it.  Was using nuts early on but the paste they turn to in my mouth (um...nut butter?) is really hard to swallow.  Really not digging meat yet and had a bad experience with hard boiled eggs recently, sigh.  wish there were protein pills!  Hopefully by the time I really need protein to help with the rapid baby growth coming up, I'll actually feel like eating again!  I made some coconut custard recently that's going down pretty well and that has egg in it (but it's not really portable).

RosieL--I count 2nd trimester as the beginning of week 13 (and that's what my online counter says too).

[zuzusplace]

My "food crazies" seem to be easing a little, but everything is happening with one step forward and two back *sigh*. I'll think my appetite is back and even worry I'll be eating too much (as I was this morning) and then suddenly feel queasy all over again and food is the farthest thought from my mind (like it is the afternoon). Oh well, I haven't gained anything yet, but since I started overweight I'm trying not to concern myself about it too much.

[Blueone]

Yay for those who are almost to 2nd trimester and feeling better!!

I seem to be getting some energy back and am glad about that, although I recently have found myself to get really gassy, it's embarrassing.  Otherwise, I still have crazy food aversions and still get nauseous in the evening.  When I do have food cravings, it's for food I can't eat like a Taco Bell burrito (I have celiacs and multiple food allergies), or a biscuit with cheese and gravy, etc. 

[lalazap]

12 weeks today! Woot!

DSS got to hear the heartbeat earlier this week with my work doppler. We'd tried once before unsuccessfully as the baby was being shy, so this time he knew all about how to put the gel on, where to put the wand, how to turn it on. It was loud and clear right away and he was so proud of himself!

My current favourite high protein snack ideas:

• cottage cheese (the 4% is sooo good)
• greek yogurt with hemp hearts and honey or agave syrup
• almond butter on apple slices
• hummus and rice crackers or veggies for dipping
• hard boiled eggs
• mixed nuts with a few pieces of dried fruit to keep it interesting
• dry-fried marinated tofu slices (using this method)

I have food crazies too but it's getting a bit better. I have realized that no matter how much I eat at a time, I'm hungry again 2-3h later, so I'm working on portion control so I don't end up eating 6 full-size meals a day.

We've been looking at this timeline for how big the baby is every week. It's a bit macabre but every week we try to eat the fruit that's the same size as baby. Key lime pie last week was pretty tasty!

[adoremybabe]

lalazap - That site is so awesome! It makes me wish that my other kiddos knew about the baby so that they could "follow" along. I'm bookmarking it for when they do know though.

[belacmsage]

Today I finally broke down and wore maternity pants. I'm 11wk 3d. I didn't wear maternity clothes until well into week 15 last time. I have my next appointment on Wednesday and I am really looking forward to hearing the heartbeat again. DH has insisted that he come to all the doctor's appointments again this time and it is really nice that he is interested already. Started to feel a little better this week but still not great yet. Super excited to be in the 2nd trimester soon!

Hope everyone starts to feel better soon and the food crazies go away!

[Mom2SammyJoe]

11 weeks now. I don't have a MW appt. til Oct. 6, but I am looking forward to that. I did get to see her yesterday and a local natural birth event, and that was good. Last time Dh was there for the 1st interview appt. and the one near the very end, but that was basically it. She came to us for every appt, and I tried to schedule them during DS's naptime so I could focus. For my first appt, DS will be at preschool and just DD will be home, so we'll see how that goes. I may try to schedule for DD's naptime on days DS has school!\

We are really telling more people about the baby now. I haven't heard a heartbeat yet, but my fundus finally made an appearance and is rising daily, so I feel like all is well.

Blueone-I am with you on the gas issue. Earlier, when I was more nauseated, I would lay down in bed at night and have to sit back up for some huge belches. DH would even pat my back like a baby. Now he and I are both wishing it was just the burps...

[RosieL]

Question: do maternity pants that work for early also work for late pregnancy? Do you have to buy/find second tri AND third tri stuff?

Maybe I should start a maternity clothes advice thread; I have no idea where to start looking!

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

I had 2 jeans that I wore throughout my last pregnancy, from 6 weeks until 42. This is part of why I prefer the under the belly style.

[belacmsage]

The pants that I have are over or under the belly lightweight cargos and they worked for me all last pregnancy. However, I couldn't wear the jeans I got past the 2nd trimester. I've found that some clothes will last and others will not. It really just depends on how stretchy and comfortable they are.

[daylicious]

Hi all! I'm 10 weeks today :) I'm still feeling nauseous, early mornings, and late afternoons. No puking yet, just a general sick feeling. It's the smells that kill me. I swear there is a smell in my house that just turns my stomach. I've cleaned every surface, but it's still there. It sounds crazy, but I think it's the varnish on the wood trim and window casings (my husband thinks I'm nuts). I've been pretty tired and emotional as well, but nothing major. And crampy! Like menstrual cramps that come and go.

I had my first midwife appt on Friday. It was great! I feel very lucky to have gotten in with such a great midwife, as they are in very high demand where I live (especially now that they're covered by our provincial healthcare) My husband came with me, and he really liked her too. He's generally a very nervous type person, but he said that he felt really at ease with her.

I was worried about twins at the beginning of the pregnancy (as my hcg levels tripled in 48 hours) so the midwife checked my fundal height, and she couldn't feel uterus yet, so she said that was a good sign that it's not twins...we'll have to wait and see.

Looking forward to getting to know you all the months tick by :)

[sallyrae17]

I also prefer the under the belly style of pants. The over the belly pants make me feel like I'm 86 and that I should be tucking my shirt into the top of my pants. They drive me nuts!

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

I also think when it comes to maternity pants that how you gain weight matters. I'm able to wear the same pants the entire time because, at least last time, I only got bigger in the belly. Obviously if you get bigger in the hips and thighs it's probable you'll need to get larger pant sizes.

[zuzusplace]

I personally am trying to avoid maternity clothes all together. I have some of my old jeans that I wear with a belly band, and then for the most part I'm wearing stretch pants with wrap skirts over them. Unless I end up enormous they should work all the way to the end.

16

Shirts on the other hand I am having trouble with. I'm not a fan of big baggy maternity shirts, and my t-shirts are all feeling too short (belly sticks out at the bottom). Hopefully I'll find something inexpensive that works for me.