Queer and Pregnant: October, November and December - Page 6

[seraf]

Good, er, morning. 

PF, Mexico sounds like fun!

Isa, I felt kicking between 12 and 14 weeks I think?  I don remember when everyone else could feel it. We have been calling the second baby Soren. 

Starling, my babies nursed side lying from the start. Ari had a harder time learning how, she couldn't really nurse well for the first 3 days, but then she got it worked out. 

Library, Emergency Childbirth is just a book about how to deliver a baby and it goes into several different complications and recusitation. Pretty good book, even tho there are a few places where it says if something happens to just baptize the baby. That is a cute little res riding hood. 

Yellow, is your room big enough for another bed?  For a while Ari had a twin mattress under our bed, just pulled out half way. It was enough room for her. They do kick a lot. If I run into extra time in Columbus tomorrow I  will check the thrift store for some appropriate leather. I'm always game to try something new. 

Carmen, thanks for the link. Seeing another angle makes it easier to figure how to make something. 

Julie, I'm glad you're feeling comfortable. 

AFM, I'm really feeling pretty good. I had a rough time at the start of this trimester but now I have most of the moving around stuff figured out. I have a week until I'm term. 2 weeks left at work and hopefully 3-4 weeks to baby. I'm sleeping pretty well. My bowels arent giving me grief anymore.  I'm making some booties today at work, Sara got me a kit for some little knit booties so I'm trying to work that out.  I have the sole of one so far. I have a lot to do on Thursday (2 appointments in different cities in opposite directions, 2 bills that have to be hand delivered, early voting and hopefully start working on the kids' costumes, I'm worn out already!). The BH don't really hurt anymore (yay, baby isn't trying to come out through bone!) it's the regularity that makes me nervous. I told y'all I ordered a few things for the post partum time?  A scale, milksaver, peri-bottle, scissors?  Not much else going on. My pulse is crazy high despite drinking a gallon of water a day. BP is good. I'll bring it up with the doc Thursday. 

[LibraryLady]

MizYellow~ I cannot stop looking at that hilarious 'American Gothic' pic of your kiddos!  Harrison's frowny li'l frogface is cracking me up! What cutie kiddos you have!!!

Isa~ Can't wait for bump pix!  And yes, I'm training Alice right now to look stern.  She gets a pretty good stern look if I don't make with the prunes in the afternoon. I'll just coach her with that.

Starling~ Reading trashy stuff TOTALLY counts.  And the Halloween costume schedule changes weekly throughout the month. The rest of the year, we have a costume closet full of fancy dress costumes and accessories that can be dipped into at will.  We do love a good dress up...

Going to go lock myself in the scorpion closet and pump. Ugh. Thirty minutes of embarassing agony for 3 oz of milk. Pathetic!

[prettyisa]

Just quickly--Seraf, Soren is a great name! I have a step-uncle named that and always thought it was cool (my stepmom is named Freyja. Her parents were into the Norse gods...)

[escher]

Hi Everyone,

Seraf: I'm glad that you're feeling pretty good! It sounds like you're getting all ready for the baby to arrive. I'm sorry that your pulse is so high. Yep, I'm still working.

Starling: What a great name and a cute baby! I love the yawn.

Isa: Congratulations on definitely being in the second trimester! That's a fun milestone. I'm sorry you're still sick, but I'm glad that you're starting to feel better!

Mizyellow: Great pictures! I'm sorry sleep is so challenging, but it sounds like you all are generally having a lot of fun.

Library: Your costume selection is amazing. I am very impressed.

Julietea: Happy anniversary!

Pleasantlyfurious: It's exciting that you may have found your midwife! I didn't like flying during the first trimester either, but I agree that it isn't worth cancelling a trip. I hope Mexico is great!

AFM: I still can barely walk, and I'm feeling really discouraged. Just a week and a half ago I could walk miles at a fairly decent pace, and now it is painful to limp slowly down the block. My chiropractor thinks it may not get better until this pregnancy is over. That could easily be four more weeks! Maybe I need to try to fit in massage or acupuncture or something else, but I'm already feeling tired and overly busy. I'm sorry to complain.

[AmandaHope]

Escher: You can barely walk because of your back?  Sorry to hear that.  Depending on what's going on, acupuncture could help. 

Starling: Fantastic name--and even more fantastic nickname.  Love it.  Lilah nursed side-lying from the first night in the hospital.  Z didn't figure it out for weeks, so I was pleasantly surprised.  I'm glad that you are getting some decent stretches of sleep--you need it! 

Yellow: GREAT pics.  I'll try to get a new one of L up soon.  Thanks for asking about L's tummy.  It is getting better but is still pretty bad at times, especially in the evenings, when I can feel and hear all kinds of bubbling and gurgling and when she still seems to be in pain (like now, actually--poor thing--DP is taking a turn).  Overall I think she is improving, and I'm hoping that the 3 month mark in just under two weeks brings more improvement.  

PF: Congrats and welcome!! 

Lib: Fabulous costumes!

Isa: Happy second trimester!

Hi to everyone else, too.

AFM: My weekend with my BFF was wonderful.  It was a bit overwhelming at times when we were trying to run around and do things with Lilah, so we took it easy yesterday and hung around the house, cooked, drank wine (not too much), and ate yummy home-cooked food.  I hadn't realized how tired I was of convenient Trader Joe's food.  Most importantly, she held Lilah a lot, both when Lilah was playful and happy and also when she was uncomfortable and upset.  I feel like she really saw Lilah for who she is, rather than seeing her as a fussy baby and just trying to get her to calm down or cooperate.  Having her get to know my second daughter felt amazing, like an important emotional connection formed between huge parts of my life.  So that was great.  But I already miss her terribly.  Gotta run--screaming babe. 

[smilingsara]

starling: Love the name! Very cute and he is a handsome little thing! Cannot wait to see more pictures!

mizyellow: I had a blast today! Thanks so much for an excellent ending to a stressful morning! 

escher: I'm so sorry to hear about your back! I hope it gets better soon!

AmandaHope: Glad you had fun with your bff! Sounds like a great weekend!

isa: I really like the name! I've grown attached (and the kids have too I think. they went from hating it to actually using it, so that's a good sign). 

Library: Keep those cute costume pictures coming! I dunno which one is better but I'm sure as the month goes on, they will only get cuter! What size is Alice in now?! 

seraf: How do those booties look?! 

AFM: I think chocolate isn't agreeing with me, so I'm trying so so so hard to not eat any to see if thats the issue. I will be so sad if thats the case... Today it took me three hours to get to work, then another hour to go 15 miles and 2 hours to get home. It should only be a 90 minute drive from work to home (and vise versa). Oy am I done with the car! 

[mami2mami]

Seraf- I don't think the kiddos are bothered much by my slow pace. DD likes to see and feel the baby move and DS just laughs and dances every time he sees me. ( We have a personal bond when it comes to music, he loves when I dance along to Beyonce's video) He particularly likes the belly roll!

Sara- I hope you feel much better in the second trimester. I'm sorry that you may have to give up chocolate!

Library- Alice looks adorable in her costume! I cannot believe that she is already 6 months old. It seems just like yesterday when DP and I were congratulating you.

Starling- Hawksley Solace is a beautiful name but not nearly as beautiful as the baby himself!

Isa- Hope you're feeling better!

Escher- Sorry to hear that you are having trouble walking. The good thing is you're almost at the finish line.

Happy 6 month birthday to Silas and Alice!

Hello to everyone else we missed!

AFM: We had our first scare this past Monday at 31 weeks. I began to have contractions on Sunday evening, we called our doctor on Monday and he advised us to go to labor and delivery immediately. As soon as I was hooked up to the monitor the contractions became visibly apparent. After being checked by one doctor we were told that we were 1 centimeter and 60% effaced. (Scary!) Our doctoor came in and said we were about half a centimeter but not to worry. Ultrasound came up and we got to see the baby once again. The baby is weighing in at 3lbs. 14 oz. DP says that the baby's profile looks identical to mine. We were sent home after being given something to stop contractions. (It hasn't worked!) We are just praying that we make it to full term although everyone around us doubts it. The doctor has us scheduled to come in weekly to be hooked up to the monitor for stress testing. The nursery is finally painted and halfway furnished. (DP says I jinxed the baby for putting the nursery together sooner than she wanted) Here is a peek at the baby:

[mami2mami]

Recent pic of DD and DS:

[julietea8]

Mami--that is scary! I hope things calm down and that baby can stay put to get a little bigger and a little further along every day. That U/S pic is so sweet and cute. It almost looks like someone hand in holding the baby's head. 

Sara--commuting is the worst. And, sorry to hear about your loss of chocolate. Keeping my sugar so low for the last three months has sucked eggs.

Amanda--your weekend with your BF sounds lovely. I'm looking forward to connecting with my close friends in new ways around the babe. I'm glad she got to see Lilah's full self!

Escher--I'm so sorry to hear about all the pain you're in. Acupuncture always, always helps me with whatever issue I bring. Getting blood flow to the places that hurt really seems to even things out. It's worked better than massage for me at times. 

Library--your pumping situation sounds like it leaves much to be desired. I'm sorry about that! Hopefully you're past scorpion season (?)... is there one? Also, lucky me... my hot stove situation did wind up having a double meaning! It did zip to get the kid moving but was awesome in every other way. Oh, and those cheeks on that LRR pic.... too sweet. 

Seref--term next week! Excellent! You and Escher might be holding babes before me. I'm glad you're feeling good again. I was thinking of getting a scale too in anticipation of possible supply issues. But, the midwives are going to let me borrow one.

PF--Welcome and congratulations!

Isa--hope you're feeling better or have your voice back!

Starling--those pics are so lovely they almost gave me contractions. His name is fabulous as is the short version.

Yellow--very sweet pics yourself!

AFM--"Due" today. This morning I started having cyclical back pains and hoped these were going to move into more consistent contractions. But, as soon as I raised the tentative alarm with DW, they completely vanished. I thought the full moon might pull her out a bit. I also thought once I hit 40 weeks I'd still want a bit more time, but I'm ready. October 4-13th is relevant to her name, so I'm hoping things pick up soon. Hope everyone is well and happy. 

[smilingsara]

Julie: I hope that baby comes out soon!

Mami: it's much too early for your bundle of joy to come yet! Stay in cutie pie! Stay in!!!


I had a dream two nights ago that I think is hillarious! I was at my doctors and she told me that she thought I would enjoy another ultra sound. So she got me all hooked up and said right away "it's a girl!" the baby blob with arms and legs (that looked like ponyo) waved to me and said "I don't like dresses". What a funny dream!
Edited by smilingsara - 10/12/11 at 7:04pm

[seraf]

Howdy, 

Escher, I'm sorry you're so uncomfortable. That's the pits. I still have no preactical advice. Is it only when walking?  You are surely far along in your pregnancy, everyone would understand if it was time for you to be done working. I understand if that doesn't work for you. Have you tried swimming?  It's lovely to float in the water and take all the weight off your back. Is there someplace you could go for a swim?  All the hotels around us (both?) have a rate you can pay either per swim or monthly. Might be something to loOk into. Even a deep bath may help some.

Mami, contractions are scary!  Drink lots of water and try to rest. I'm thinking of you holding that (CUTE) bun in your oven a couple more months.  Your big kids are pretty adorable, too. Did that downs syndrome scare ever go anywhere?

Julie, all eyes are on you, dear. Rockin sex doesn't always get things moving,  but it gives you something to reflect fondly on the the post partum dry spell.  What's her name, if you're ready to share?

Life here is good. I found a leather jacket at the thrift store for a buck so I'm considering making booties and a harness for Orville. His brain must be the size of a peanut because we can't keep a collar on him for anything. Baby has been going nuts. My walking is certainly affected because Sara kept asking if I was ok I was moving so slow. I'm half way through my second knit bootie. I royally messed up the first one, just didn't follow directions well, it's still hollow and foot shaped. It's absurdly tiny, and supposed to fit for a couple of months. I don't know if I believe it. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

[prettyisa]

quickly because my back hurts, but Mami--I hope everything is ok! How scary!

And for Seraf, an underwhelming belly shot. I hope (and expect) that these will get more dramatic as the weeks go on...

[LibraryLady]

Good morning~ Too busy yesterday to write, but I did have fun time doing database scavenger hunts about the Jamestown Colony with the 5th graders (ok, fun for me, the history nerd...) 

Isa~ I love the belly pic!  I love that you're doing it every week with your little fruit/veggie sign. What a great idea!!!  And it's not underwhelming at all. You look great!

Mami~ SCARY!!!!  I'm hoping everything calms down soon and that you don't have to go on bedrest, but it's also good to know that your little one (who is adorable even in blurry black-and-white profile) is certainly big and strong enough to get along if they decide to come visit early. Still, I'm glad they're taking good care of you!!

Juliet~ Yay for hot stoves!!  And yay for being 40 weeks! Come on out li'l one! You've got me curious about the name too, so that makes me extra excited to meet her.  As for the scorpions, they usually come indoors in search of water, so maybe the rain we've had will help? 

Escher~ I'm so sorry you're so uncomfortable!  I'd have suggested a chiropractor, but you're on top of that already, so I'm just going to have to give you big hugs.

Seraf~ A dollar for a leather jacket? Good score!! Sorry about your discomfort, though that does become the name of the game at some point, eh?

Sara~ My sincerest condolances about not being able to enjoy chocolate. That's just too much, really...

AHope~ So glad you enjoyed time with your friend. I have a dear friend who helped me so much through the whole conception and pregnancy, I haven't seen her in years and it would be so nice to really share. And I TOTALLY hear what you mean about someone getting to see the 'good' baby as well as the fussy baby. Sometimes when Alice is crying as I push her in the stroller I feel like everyone's looking at me and thinking 'What a crappy mom!'   It's good when people can really understand how it is.

Starling~ How's it going? And thank you for introducing me to the music of Hawksley Workman! Your kiddo's already enriching lives.  Hope you're feeling well.

Who else?  Indigo? News from your neck of the woods?  I'm probably forgetting people too, but I'm doing it with love ;)

AFM~  Not much. Alice still doesn't like to sleep and sometimes doesn't even want to fall asleep in my lap in the evenings, waiting until we actually get in the bed. She fought me until 9:30 last night. DP thinks we should sleep train her to be in her own crib from about 7:30 or 8 and to me this just sounds like a string of miserable nights waiting to happen.  I honestly don't know what to do about this.   I just hope her fussiness is just stubborn baby fussiness and there's not an underlying problem (I don't know what this problem would be, but I just worry a lot).  I'll try and focus on positive things, like what her next costume will be!!!       The Mean Girl saga at work has taken an hysterically hilarious turn.  She called me in for a conference and wanted to thank me for being such a great resource and congratulate me on all the good work I do. WTF!?!?!?  It was really insincere, like she felt the need to butter me up for something. I just kept nodding and smiling. Don't trust her a bit.  Maybe I could round up some of the scorpions to help me...

Love to all xo

[justrose13]

library, sorry Alice is being difficult re sleep... do you have a bedtime routine? what's it look like? how much does she nap through the day? how long between naps? S has been getting much, much better about going to sleep... we have a bedtime routine that goes: diaper change & jammies, book with DP, rocking while nursing in his bdrm with his "aquarium" music playing, when he's almost asleep we go into our room and I lay with him (nursing again) until he is deep asleep and I sneak away. he wakes after an hour, I nurse him back down and sneak back out once more. we start said routine around 6:30p, more importantly though is that it's 2 to 3 hrs after he woke from his last nap. what seems to make the most difference is his naps throughout the day, though. he needs to nap after 2 hours of wake time. the length of his naps vary so he may take 2 naps but he may need 4 naps on any given day. the only time the wake time varies is if he's had less than an hour nap, then he's ready again in about an hour and a half. if he has a two hour nap, he may be able to stretch his wake time to 2 1/2 hrs but usually not more. I read somewhere that babies this age should get 11-12 hrs at night, with a couple of night wakings being normal, and 3-4 hrs during the day in 3-4 naps. this helped me so much! I started with his naps and bedtime became easier... he now is in bed from 7p to 6a! (note: he now needs dark and quiet to fall and stay asleep, with the fan on for subtle white noise. for naps and bedtime.) perhaps you've tried this sort of thing, if so, sorry I don't mean to be redundant. sorry DP is talking sleep training... I'm so lucky my DP isn't. I bet she wishes we could/would though, for purely selfish reasons on her part. good luck!

to all

ps. I love his name, Starling!

[LibraryLady]

Wehrli~  Thanks for your input. We do have a routine, but it doesn't seem to help anything.  Alice naps during the day, 3-4 times usually an hour each time. Her last nap is often in the stroller during our walks, usually around 4:30 (though this nap isn't usually an hour, more like 30 min).  We play, eat, chill in the evening, then we bathe and change into jammies, read a story and then I nurse her.  This used to lead to her falling asleep around 8 and then I could carry her to her co-sleeper and put her down and she'd sleep until 2 a.m.  Now we bathe, change etc and I nurse her and she fights me and cries until she collapses exhausted.  Sometimes she falls asleep in my lap more easily, but no matter which she does, as soon as I try and put her into her co-sleeper she is awake immediately and cries until I lie down with her.  Once we've lie down, if I get up/move away from her she will wake and cry (I'm occasionally able to sneak to the loo in the middle of the night, but only sometimes).   I am tired, it's true, but I have to say that the thought of going to bed at 8 and just lying beside her for the rest of the night makes me sad (the house is a pit and I never get to spend any alone time with dp).  I know DP is frustrated too ( I overheard her complaining to a wailing Alice the other night 'Mama and I are never going to have intimate relations again if you don't leave her alone sometimes!') but I feel certain that if we put her in the crib to cry it out it's going to make me very unhappy and Alice miserable.  I guess we'll just keep on keepin' on with what we're doing, but I'm worried it means more, like it's a symptom of something (mental illness? I don't know?) Like I said, she used to sleep on her own for a bit but won't any more.  Once we're in bed, as long as I'm beside her (and my boob's beside her head) she'll pretty much sleep all night, but if we're not in that position she won't.  DP says it's because I've trained her to sleep this way, but I think that this way trained us, really. When she was tiny I just sat up all night holding her, but the truth is that she's never not even in the hospital slept without being held in some way.  Like I said, if this is a phase I can cope, but I'm afraid it's a symptom of something. Though I do panic easily, it's true.   Anyway, I'm rambling, thanks for letting me...

[justrose13]

library, I'm willing to bet it's just a phase... S just went through the same thing a few weeks ago and just recently got better with the changes we made but it's entirely possible he would have changed anyway. sleep deprivation and lack of time with DP can be crazy making, I know. but here I am, on the other side (for now), and I feel much better. hang in there. DP is still frustrated that S is right there cuddling with me (where she wants to be) all night but it's been loads better since we've been able to enjoy some evening time cuddling on the couch.
is she going through something developmental? teething? growth spurt? i wouldn't be surprised if it's just something like that. or maybe she just is dealing with some separation anxiety and won't go to sleep 'cause she just wants more time with her mama. this too shall pass.
i hope things turn around for you soon...

[qmama42]

Hi all! Just dropping in to say good morning...I have so much to catch up on!

Starling--Congrats on bringing your little one into the world! Hawksley is a great name! I hope you are healing well from your c-section and are able to take it easy. How's the family doing? What is life like with two now? Is there anything I should expect in the first weeks with the dynamic of a 4th family member?

Sara--How are you feeling, mama? I am hopin that the m/s is giving you a little break. I'm sending you good healthy thoughts and do let me know if you need any m/s meds (I still have plenty). I had the same thing with sweets early on--I couldn't wat them at all and the idea of anything sugary was completely nauseating. Fortunately, things are all recalibrated and I can enjoy the good things again like chocolate and pastries!

Escher--Sorry to hear that you are having so much discomfort. I think it is so admirable that you were able to walk that much this far into your preganancy! I miss the endorphins that I get during exercise. I know it sounds wimpy, but I am afraid to do too much because I am afraid of hurting my hips, having the nausea come back (which happens when I overexert myself) and all sorts of other unknown irrational fears. So instead, I limit myself to short walks and dream about exercising , even though just doing it would be great for me and the babe. Anyway, I hope that you get some relief soon and hopefully this pain will be bearable and forgettable, expecially when you are holing your lo in your arms.

Mami--What a terrible scare! Stay put, little one! I hope you are able to rest easy and this this was just a random occurence not to be repeated until that baby is full term. Your kids are adorable, by the way. Love the pics!

PF--Congratulations! I hope this BFP is super-sticky and I'm so glad you wree able to conceive so quickly this time!

Seraf--Whoa! Full-term...it seems like yesterday when you announced your BFP! Let us know how the dr appt goes.

Juliet--Any news yet? How exciting,,,any day now! Did you make a decision on encapsulating?

Library--No advice from me on the sleep training thing. Every time I tried that with DD, she'd turn some new corner and elaborate plans would all go to pot. I hope lice gets the message soon so you can reclaim your evenings and your sleep!

Isa--Love the belly pic! You have inspired me to post one of my own (taken at work this morning while fumbling with camera). I'm sorry that you haven't been feeling well. I hope that you will soon be comfortable settled into the bliss that is the second trimester (or so they say).

AFM--22 weeks and it feels like I am going to be pregnant forever. I am feeling more movement and kicks all the time, especially after eating. Not too many through my belly to the outside though, maybe because the placenta is anterior. I have finally reached a opint where I don't feel queasy after eating! This is exciting news because I so enjoy eating. I'm hoping to start my prenatal yoga class next week. This week has been a whirlwind of activity and I'd like to slow down a bit and focus on trying to get mroe exercise. Oh yeah, here's a belly pic, finally!

[LibraryLady]

Qmama~ Great belly! And hooray for eating~ woohoo!!!!

Wehrli~ Thanks for all the encouragement. I wish I could feel like it was a phase, but like I said, she's never wanted to sleep on her own, and frankly every time I ask someone (doctor, etc) about it they say "She should get over it in a few weeks" Six months later, it's maybe even worse.  Like I said before, if it's something she'll grow out of eventually I'm willing to just cope, my worry is that it's a symptom of something, though I can't even imagine what. Ugh.  Thanks again.

[qmama42]

Oops folks, sorry for all the typos in my post this morning. I was in a mad hurry and Library, I totally forgot the A and really did mean to type Alice instead of 'lice'. Good times...

[pleasantlyfurious]

Love love love that this thread is so hopping - but I'm barely able to keep up!  ;)

Starling - INCREDIBLE name.  And that yawn!  Oh.  It melts me. 

qmama - that belly pic is so awesome.  I love it. 

Library - that picture IS so sweet and the costume is beee-you-ti-fullll

MizYellow - Some time in DF and then most of the time in Cuernavaca, MOR.  It's a city that's about two hours south of DF.  I'm really looking forward to it.

Prettyisa - so sorry you are still sick.  Hope it clears up quick.  I love the belly shot - will be so cool to have them all at the end.

Escher - ouch.  No advice beyond what it sounds like you are already considering - but just wanted to say I'm so sorry.  I do second the pool suggestion, though. 

Mami - How frightening!  I'm glad everything is alright.  Stay snuggled a bit longer little babe!

Seraf - I just recently dug up a single bootie I knitted for Leo when i was pregnant with him - and it fit him.  So there was only one, and it fit his honking toddler foot - bootie fail. 

Sara - That dream is so funny.  Sounds like little one has some strong opinions to share ;) 

AFM - Still not much to report.  I'm starving and exhausted.  So I'm taking those as positive signs.  I just want to get to the good part!  ;)  When people know and I start to show, and I feel awesome, and I can feel the baby.  I'd like three 2nd trimesters back to back please!