Weekly Chat October 2 through October 8 - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[KM84]

RenoKirby - I've been hunting for maternity-friendly clothes that aren't exclusively for watermelon smugglers, I should start another thread so we can share finds. So far I've found an "infinity dress" that is great for my growing belly gut, you can find them from about a million sellers on Etsy. Just find one that uses a fabric you like.

I also got this dress as a birthday gift and it's great for transitioning into a big belly. It probably wouldn't be good for the 3rd trimester, but it's a non-maternity dress that can grow with you, and then be worn after your baby is born.

MeredithA - are you using anything to exfoliate? Acne is caused by bacteria that gets into your pores and is then trapped there by excess oil and dead skin cells. Salicylic acid works because it is an exfoliant and a disinfectant. You can exfoliate with a washcloth, just make little circles around your face for 2-3 minutes. Apple cider vinegar works because it is a mild disinfectant.

Just to be clear, the contraindications for salicylic acid and erythromicin (what those Stridex pads are usually soaked in) are against taking it orally while pregnant. There haven't been any real studies done on the topical use, though some people decide to avoid the topical use of those products because theoretically they could be absorbed by the skin. 

afm, I met with the midwife yesterday and she was great. Polar opposite of my OB. She said the hospital she works out of tolerates midwives well enough, but that she recommends getting a doula to deal with them once she's gone. She made me feel really at ease, so now I just have to figure out how to get down there for visits! She's about an hour and 45 minutes from where we are now, but only half an hour from where we're moving to.

[shastalily]

Name: Jenny

Weeks/Days along: 10 weeks 1 day

Appointments: 1st appt was yesterday!  It went great.  Got to see the babe via ultrasound when the midwife couldn't find the heartbeat due to my tilted uterus.  That was a fun surprise and we've been able to announce to our facebook friends/extended family using that pic which was fun!  The word is finally out and I don't have to worry about sucking it in or people wondering if I've been eating too many sweets.  lol

Symptoms:  Still nauseous and occasionally puking.  B6/unisom is helping.  Some days are better than others.  Still really tired. I've had the pregnancy acne increase too.  I asked my midwife yesterday and she said benzoyl peroxide is fine to use so I am still using that.

Food:  Often don't really feel in the mood for anything but force myself to eat something.  Cravings tend to be unhealthy.  *sigh*  Yesterday after I woke up from a nap after a bad puking episode I only felt like a baked potato so I nuked one in the microwave.  That did the trick.  I chew gum all the time too.  That helps keep the nausea down.

Exercise:  Totally slacked off.  Hoping when the nausea & tiredness settles down to start walking regularly again.

Body changes and other milestones: Boobs not as sore as the first few weeks.  And the size has stabilized.  I went up a size and am using a maternity bra.  Officially started wearing a little maternity this week.  I got two pairs of cute jeans with the belly band from Savers really cheap.  They are perfect for now.  The pants with the big belly stretchy cover don't fit right yet. Also wearing yoga pants or pants with drawstrings.

Thoughts:  Dh's co-worker just had a miscarriage and she was due the same time as me.  Really sad for her.  He hadn't announced at work yet so that will be hard when she finds out.  I was relieved to see our baby healthy & growing on schedule with an ultrasound yesterday.  So glad to hit double digits!  I'm gaining weight way too fast.  Same as my other pregnancies though so I guess I will just deal with it and plan on losing it after baby.  I always gain around 50 lbs.  My metabolism totally shuts down when I'm pregnant.

[persephassa]

Name: Roxi

Weeks/Days along: 9 weeks 5 days

Appointments: I had my first appointment last week... The doctor didn't do anything special, just routine questions and a cursory exam, blood test, etc. I went back this week for an ultrasound, which was amazing! The doctor wanted to check gestation since my period was irregular over the summer, but the baby is right along what I thought, due May 5. We got to hear the heartbeat but I for got to ask how many beats per minute! Oh well, I have another ultrasound in 2 weeks for the NT scan or whatever it is called.

Symptoms:  I am exhausted! I teach creative writing to college students 3 days a week, otherwise I am home & have no other children, but I just feel so fatigued, and have been taking so many naps. I have off and on nausea and I had cramping earlier on (went away, I think it was implantation cramping), but I only barfed once. Mostly I feel fine! My mom said she threw up a lot when she had me but so far, not much morning sickness for me.

Food: We eat fairly healthy so not much has changed... I used to really like sunflower seeds but not so much now. Vinegar potato chips taste awesome, tho.

Exercise:  I walk to & from campus to teach my class... I was doing Wii Fit routines before we moved here but we still need to get a TV so we can set up the game consoles.

Body changes and other milestones: I let my mom buy us some baby stuff after the first appointment (I mean, she wanted to before but I asked her to postpone), so I'm waiting for the boxes to come today, haha. She is really excited (first grandchild! & I'm 32). Sometimes I look really bloated and pregnant but it just seems to be vapor, it comes & goes. I have been having super vivid, weird dreams the whole time though.

Thoughts:  The OB practice here in town has a CNM, so I think we will switch to her after the next appointment with the OB (October 28). A friend in my husband's department has a 13 month old baby & they used her & he said she was wonderful... I wish 12 weeks was closer (like now!) so we could be open about asking people questions. We just moved here so I don;t know much about what people do and whatnot... Another friend here is expecting n December, so it will be nice once we can tell people since there are friends who have been through it in this town. We live in Ohio... There isn't a birthing center nearby or anything and no one really seems to do homebirths here (I think if you sneak about a midwife can be found, but it isn't as open as other states, plus I am a bit freaked out by the idea of that, so it's the hospital for us). I'd just like to hear more about how the hospital is... soon, soon. We have a good friend in Minnesota who is a midwife, I wish we lived there because I do totally trust her and would be happy to have a homebirth with her... Alas, Ohio.

[Astraia]

Name: astraia

Appointments: supposed to be oct. 13, got pushed back to oct 19 :( I'm disappointed, I was looking forward to meeting our midwife!

Symptoms: same old, same old. It's been getting less severe which is nice, and somedays i feel totally normal. I'm looking forward to second trimester where I'll feel good and it'll be obvious that I'm pregnant instead of now where i just look fat.

Today for some reason I'm super super exhausted and queasy, which is strange because I feel like I slept better last night then I do normally and ate better last night then I do normally. The food aversions have decreased quite a bit, which is making it easier to find things I can stomach. Still eating a lot of garbage and craving sugar like MAD. Last night I went through the remainder of a bag of gummy bears that we've had for months (not a ton, maybe 1 handful?). I wasn't enjoying them but couldn't stop.

Exercise: none. I do a meander around the dog park 2-3 times a week, and do some intensive housecleaning whenever I can but that's about it.

Body changes: a few people commented at work yesterday that I was definitely looking pregnant. Not sure if I thought it was nice or aggravating, still haven't decided. I now have a double pooch- the little belly that's just like the pooch you get after babies (does it ever go away?) and another one starting lower down where my uterus is. I can see the delination between fat and baby now, it's kind of... gross.

Thoughts: I'm feeling frustrated and solely responsible for everything, which is totally pissing me off. I work 32 hours a week but still do ALL grocery shopping, cooking, baking, laundry, cleaning, dressing of children, getting kids into bed, piano lessons for Nigella, pet care, etc etc. Basically I do everything- and I can't. I haven't baked in probably a month or more, I'm no where near staying on top of the housework- not even close, I'm lucky on most days if i can do a load of dishes and put away a few toys- and no one seems inclined to help. I talked to my husband and told him how important it is to help me out, how tired I am these days, and how he really really had to do a lot to help me while I was at work all day Sunday and he was home or I'd end up doing it all myself and hating him. He threw toys helter-skelter on to the shelves and started to load the dishwasher. In 9 hours. That's all he did. My brother moved in so I could pick up more shifts at work and so I could do things like clean or work on renovations and he could watch the kids, but he whines about every change in plans, every extra 20 minutes. He gets free room and board plus $100/mo for his time (16 hours of babysitting a week), and he never does a thing to help out or pitch in- like wash his own dishes. I've talked to him about it, and it got better for 2 days then stopped again. I kind of get it- why should HE bother to help pick up around the house when the house looks like no one ever does anything? When no one even bothers to put their damn trash in the garbage can?

I can't live like this. I'm going to have a meltdown, or move away by myself so someone else can deal with the problem for a change. I've decided- as of today- that my husband does the kitchen. If the kitchen is not SPOTLESS every day, I'm hiding his computer power cable so he can't play his stupid video games. My brother gets the living room, or I'll take his power bar so he can't play HIS stupid video games. If the two main living areas remain always tidy then I can probably stay on top of the rest of it, but I get so demoralized when I don't have time to do anything for me, or play with my kids, or read books or do crafts or feed them decent food because I can't keep anything clean. I'm not even here long enough to make a mess but I'm the only one who does anything about it.

Sometimes I think... If I left for a few months, Jeff would realize how freaking impossible this is- two juggle two kids, a work schedule, meals, shopping, and housework with no one else hwo ever ever picks up the slack. But that won't happen. Realistically, I'll quit my job in January (this is my other plan, if hiding computer cables doesn't work) and he can get a second part time job.

[MeredithA]

I love this decision! :-) 

Originally Posted by Astraia 

I've decided- as of today- that my husband does the kitchen. If the kitchen is not SPOTLESS every day, I'm hiding his computer power cable so he can't play his stupid video games. 

It sounds like you might benefit from sitting down with your husband and brother when the kids aren't around and have a serious talk about dividing responsibilities and how important it is for them to pitch in. You need to have some peace while at home. I'm sorry you're so overwhelmed Wish I could do more than a virtual hug :-) 

[casmer]

Originally Posted by maryamrose 

Casmer, I just realized that we're the same age, expecting our firsts after years of marriage (6 for me), and have a fur/feathered family. Awesome!

Oh how cool is that!  Around year 6 people really started to ask when we were going to have kids.  I'm truly happy we waited for awhile...I think it's going to help us in the long run.  Especially when we're both so sleep deprived from having a newborn :) 

AFM: Feeling pretty quesy the past few days.  Nothing sounds good and everything gives me indigestion.  Doing my best to eat as healthy as possible, although I think being forgiving with oneself is the best thing a gal could do at this point.

[BubbleMa]

Originally Posted by Astraia 

Name: astraia

Appointments: supposed to be oct. 13, got pushed back to oct 19 :( I'm disappointed, I was looking forward to meeting our midwife!

Symptoms: same old, same old. It's been getting less severe which is nice, and somedays i feel totally normal. I'm looking forward to second trimester where I'll feel good and it'll be obvious that I'm pregnant instead of now where i just look fat.

Today for some reason I'm super super exhausted and queasy, which is strange because I feel like I slept better last night then I do normally and ate better last night then I do normally. The food aversions have decreased quite a bit, which is making it easier to find things I can stomach. Still eating a lot of garbage and craving sugar like MAD. Last night I went through the remainder of a bag of gummy bears that we've had for months (not a ton, maybe 1 handful?). I wasn't enjoying them but couldn't stop.Exercise: none. I do a meander around the dog park 2-3 times a week, and do some intensive housecleaning whenever I can but that's about it.

Body changes: a few people commented at work yesterday that I was definitely looking pregnant. Not sure if I thought it was nice or aggravating, still haven't decided. I now have a double pooch- the little belly that's just like the pooch you get after babies (does it ever go away?) and another one starting lower down where my uterus is. I can see the delination between fat and baby now, it's kind of... gross.

Thoughts: I'm feeling frustrated and solely responsible for everything, which is totally pissing me off. I work 32 hours a week but still do ALL grocery shopping, cooking, baking, laundry, cleaning, dressing of children, getting kids into bed, piano lessons for Nigella, pet care, etc etc. Basically I do everything- and I can't. I haven't baked in probably a month or more, I'm no where near staying on top of the housework- not even close, I'm lucky on most days if i can do a load of dishes and put away a few toys- and no one seems inclined to help. I talked to my husband and told him how important it is to help me out, how tired I am these days, and how he really really had to do a lot to help me while I was at work all day Sunday and he was home or I'd end up doing it all myself and hating him. He threw toys helter-skelter on to the shelves and started to load the dishwasher. In 9 hours. That's all he did. My brother moved in so I could pick up more shifts at work and so I could do things like clean or work on renovations and he could watch the kids, but he whines about every change in plans, every extra 20 minutes. He gets free room and board plus $100/mo for his time (16 hours of babysitting a week), and he never does a thing to help out or pitch in- like wash his own dishes. I've talked to him about it, and it got better for 2 days then stopped again. I kind of get it- why should HE bother to help pick up around the house when the house looks like no one ever does anything? When no one even bothers to put their damn trash in the garbage can?I can't live like this. I'm going to have a meltdown, or move away by myself so someone else can deal with the problem for a change. I've decided- as of today- that my husband does the kitchen. If the kitchen is not SPOTLESS every day, I'm hiding his computer power cable so he can't play his stupid video games. My brother gets the living room, or I'll take his power bar so he can't play HIS stupid video games. If the two main living areas remain always tidy then I can probably stay on top of the rest of it, but I get so demoralized when I don't have time to do anything for me, or play with my kids, or read books or do crafts or feed them decent food because I can't keep anything clean. I'm not even here long enough to make a mess but I'm the only one who does anything about it.Sometimes I think... If I left for a few months, Jeff would realize how freaking impossible this is- two juggle two kids, a work schedule, meals, shopping, and housework with no one else hwo ever ever picks up the slack. But that won't happen. Realistically, I'll quit my job in January (this is my other plan, if hiding computer cables doesn't work) and he can get a second part time job.

Sorry you're dealing with that. :(  I hope they get a clue and start helping out. 

[RenoKirbyButtrs]

Originally Posted by maryamrose 

Well, this is new. I still have bouts of nausea, and aversions/cravings as before, but now when I'm not nauseous, I'm super hungry. This has been happening for a few days now. The combination of craving junk and being hungry a lot doesn't feel too great.

I am with you on this. Every day is a new gastronomic phenomenon. Will it be nausea, cravings, or both? Yesterday I was starving, ordered some burritos and got...well something I wasn't expecting on my plate. Could barely look at it, let alone eat it.

Thanks to everyone for the skin and clothing advice. I noticed honey came up a few times when I searched MDC archives. I would never have guessed! Sounds like something that would clog the pores. Do you just use a little dab like liquid soap?

As for clothes, I have been doing the belly band and a good old ponytail holder in the button of my pants. I *wish* I could go through more of my life in yoga pants, but not at work. A gal I work with said H&M used to have adjustable maternity pants, so you could let them out a little over time. She said this was a few years ago, however. I don't have one where I live and couldn't find pants like that online. Has anyone seen them in the store? Do they even have maternity in the store? I'd be willing to travel for them. I just don't have them time/money/energy to be constantly buying new clothes. Maybe I should just give up and buy 10 of those denim jumpers teachers used to wear!

[Plummeting]

Originally Posted by katroshka 

So I am also looking forward to finding out that I am not having twins, which I'm sure I'm not! So silly.

I was like that throughout my last pregnancy. Weird, but I think it's relatively common.

Weeks: 6 and a few days

Appointments: None yet - just met the midwife last week. I'm in a new place, so I can't use my old midwives, even though I LOVED them! boohoo! Hopefully the new one will be just as awesome, although my husband said, "She doesn't have curly hair and she doesn't wear cowboy boots. She's no Amy." Bahahaha!

Symptoms: Mostly just been really tired and my skin is breaking out a little. I have had a few moments of nausea here and there, but last time around it started getting really yucky towards the end of this week, so I don't know if it just hasn't hit yet, or if I've lucked out this time. And here's something stupid: Last time I was so miserable and said I was NEVER getting pregnant again (I threw up a few times a day for MONTHS) but now that I'm not nauseous yet, I'm getting worried that maybe it means something's wrong. Stupid me.

Food: I've been eating very healthily, so I'm good to go there...unless nausea hits, then it's all out the window

Exercise: Not as much as I should, but I'm working on walking more and doing the elliptical more

Body changes and other milestones: None yet

Thoughts: Oddly, I'm kind of relieved that thinking about this pregnancy isn't consuming me the way it did with #'s 1 and 2. We just moved a little over a month ago and I have a toddler and a home schooled dd with Asperger's. I am very, very busy, and do not have time to dwell on being pregnant right now. I would've thought that was sad in the past, but now it seems like a relief, honestly. It's one reason I'm putting off telling people for a long time. This sense of quiet peace, without all the excitement and people constantly questioning me about how things are going, when my next appt is, etc., etc., is very nice. I can focus on life and turn inward when I need to. I'm very tranquil right now. :)

[janellody]

Reno - Do you have a second hand maternity/kids store in your area?  We have a bunch here and I got about 10 items for $50 a couple days ago.  It was awesome!

[Astraia]

Originally Posted by MeredithA 

I love this decision! :-) 

It sounds like you might benefit from sitting down with your husband and brother when the kids aren't around and have a serious talk about dividing responsibilities and how important it is for them to pitch in. You need to have some peace while at home. I'm sorry you're so overwhelmed Wish I could do more than a virtual hug :-) 

I have. They assure me it'll get better, things will change, they'll do that chore I asked them to as soon as they finish their game- and then they don't. Or it gets marginally better for two days and then goes back to normal. I feel like if there isn't a consequence, a serious consequence, then what's it to them if I'm angry? They don't have to work any harder or change anything, just spend a bit more time ignoring me than normal.

It probably isn't as bad as all this, but I am SERIOUSLY sleep deprived and feeling pretty unstable the last few days (teething 2 year old, I hate molars!) and coming home and realizing- oh, you fed the kids plain noodles while I was at work tonight and didn't clean a thing and managed to get a NAP in?!? I'm about ready to explode.

I shouldn't come on here when I'm tired, I just make myself miserable and everyone else uncomfortable. I think because I can't see any of those "you got problems" expressions, all I want to do is whine :/

[forestmushroom]

Woah, I had the first two days of not constantly feeling like crap!  I have gotten so much work done, since i haven't felt so crappy! 

I do get the suddenly starving to death feeling, and need to eat--keeping nuts on hand and dried fruit have been great snacks... but otherwise I am feeling a tad better!

[forestmushroom]

hi roxi, I love the salt and vinegar chips, too!  I think pregnancy is the only time I ever eat chips.  welcome. 
 

Originally Posted by persephassa 

Name: Roxi

Weeks/Days along: 9 weeks 5 days

Appointments: I had my first appointment last week... The doctor didn't do anything special, just routine questions and a cursory exam, blood test, etc. I went back this week for an ultrasound, which was amazing! The doctor wanted to check gestation since my period was irregular over the summer, but the baby is right along what I thought, due May 5. We got to hear the heartbeat but I for got to ask how many beats per minute! Oh well, I have another ultrasound in 2 weeks for the NT scan or whatever it is called.

Symptoms:  I am exhausted! I teach creative writing to college students 3 days a week, otherwise I am home & have no other children, but I just feel so fatigued, and have been taking so many naps. I have off and on nausea and I had cramping earlier on (went away, I think it was implantation cramping), but I only barfed once. Mostly I feel fine! My mom said she threw up a lot when she had me but so far, not much morning sickness for me.

Food: We eat fairly healthy so not much has changed... I used to really like sunflower seeds but not so much now. Vinegar potato chips taste awesome, tho.

Exercise:  I walk to & from campus to teach my class... I was doing Wii Fit routines before we moved here but we still need to get a TV so we can set up the game consoles.

Body changes and other milestones: I let my mom buy us some baby stuff after the first appointment (I mean, she wanted to before but I asked her to postpone), so I'm waiting for the boxes to come today, haha. She is really excited (first grandchild! & I'm 32). Sometimes I look really bloated and pregnant but it just seems to be vapor, it comes & goes. I have been having super vivid, weird dreams the whole time though.

Thoughts:  The OB practice here in town has a CNM, so I think we will switch to her after the next appointment with the OB (October 28). A friend in my husband's department has a 13 month old baby & they used her & he said she was wonderful... I wish 12 weeks was closer (like now!) so we could be open about asking people questions. We just moved here so I don;t know much about what people do and whatnot... Another friend here is expecting n December, so it will be nice once we can tell people since there are friends who have been through it in this town. We live in Ohio... There isn't a birthing center nearby or anything and no one really seems to do homebirths here (I think if you sneak about a midwife can be found, but it isn't as open as other states, plus I am a bit freaked out by the idea of that, so it's the hospital for us). I'd just like to hear more about how the hospital is... soon, soon. We have a good friend in Minnesota who is a midwife, I wish we lived there because I do totally trust her and would be happy to have a homebirth with her... Alas, Ohio.

[mswmommy]

Name: mswmommy

Weeks/Days along: 10 weeks 2 days

Appointments: I had my second appointment this morning.  I was surprised that we got another ultrasound, but so fun to see the little one.  DH commented on how much bigger the baby was since our ultrasound 3 weeks ago.  Then we could just see a little blob, today we could see the arm and leg buds and the baby looked like he/she was waving.   Baby is measuring big and they wanted to give me a revised due date in April, but since I know we couldn't have conceived that early, they agreed to go with the earliest possible conception day and I have an official due date of May 2nd.  My next appointment will be with the OB (rather than the NP) in 4 weeks.

Symptoms:  The nausea is finally decreasing.  Week 8 was by far the WORST.  I still don't feel fantastic, but probably about 75% better, which I'm grateful for!

Food: During the worst of the morning (all.day.long.) sickness, I was down to eating only four things.  Now I'm able to eat more variety, but it's still pretty limited.  My main go-to foods right now are fresh apples, peanut butter on toast, and pasta with red sauce. 

Exercise: Just chasing my cute boy.

Body changes and other milestones: Oh my goodness I look SO pregnant.  I'm not wanting to tell work until late in the month and it's getting really hard to hide it.  DH keeps teasing me that I'll never make it to the end of the month.  My family is coming to town on Saturday and I have big plans to tell them Sunday, so hoping I can keep the bump under wraps until then.

Thoughts:  It was so exciting to see the baby today and it made this pregnancy feel so much more real.  DH and I are actively discussing names and starting to think about which room to make the nursery.  DS is still in his crib and I really don't want to buy another one, so we're debating only setting up a partial nursery (since baby will be in our room for several months anyway) and seeing if DS is showing signs of being ready for a regular bed at that point.

[Kamiro]

Hey Astraia,

You are not making any one uncomfortable. If you are, I wouldn't worry about them. Life isn't all bread and butter pickles and unicorn farts - motherhood seems like as good of time as any to learn that if one hasn't by now.

I have honest to goodness been exactly where you are. With my last childs pregnancy, even (#3). I was so stressed, sad, and overwhelmed I briefly contemplated...well, you know.

I hear you, I hear you, I hear you. I have been there and I know how unfair, how rotten, and how you are feeling like you are carrying the whole world on your shoulders... this whole situation is sad and I feel you.

My heart really goes out for your situation, having been there myself.

By the time I was 7 months pregnant the depression had gotten so serious, life was so foreboding, that sometimes I just wanted out.

I can tell you what changed for us, (We both committed ourselves to our Creator and following the 10 commandments) and life got better to where now I feel guilty that my husband does so much!!!...However, I know that isn't probably something you want to hear right now....

I wish I had some magical words you could say to your husband and brother to motivate and wake them up. I really do. Instead, like Meridith said - I can only offer you my support, my sympathies, and an open ear.

Much love to you.

Originally Posted by Astraia 

I have. They assure me it'll get better, things will change, they'll do that chore I asked them to as soon as they finish their game- and then they don't. Or it gets marginally better for two days and then goes back to normal. I feel like if there isn't a consequence, a serious consequence, then what's it to them if I'm angry? They don't have to work any harder or change anything, just spend a bit more time ignoring me than normal.It probably isn't as bad as all this, but I am SERIOUSLY sleep deprived and feeling pretty unstable the last few days (teething 2 year old, I hate molars!) and coming home and realizing- oh, you fed the kids plain noodles while I was at work tonight and didn't clean a thing and managed to get a NAP in?!? I'm about ready to explode.

I shouldn't come on here when I'm tired, I just make myself miserable and everyone else uncomfortable. I think because I can't see any of those "you got problems" expressions, all I want to do is whine :/

[Kamiro]

Same here! What is your 'due date'? Curious.

Originally Posted by forestmushroom 

Woah, I had the first two days of not constantly feeling like crap!  I have gotten so much work done, since i haven't felt so crappy! 

I do get the suddenly starving to death feeling, and need to eat--keeping nuts on hand and dried fruit have been great snacks... but otherwise I am feeling a tad better!

[forestmushroom]

Originally Posted by Onemoreontheway 

Same here! What is your 'due date'? Curious.

It is May 9!  :)

[RenoKirbyButtrs]

Originally Posted by janellody 

Reno - Do you have a second hand maternity/kids store in your area?  We have a bunch here and I got about 10 items for $50 a couple days ago.  It was awesome!

I do, you're right. I got some pants there a while back. Unfortunately we just have one and it's a bit out of the way so I always forget about it. I swear, where I live there is a near-constant pregnancy rate of about 30% and yet there are no places to buy maternity, retail or resale!

[forestmushroom]

Astraia, Hugs!  I hope things get better.  That is just way too much on your plate.  One thing I do is have the kids rotate chores.  For some reason they love to do the dishes, and if they aren't too bad I'll let them do that.  They can clean the sink/bathtub (we just use baking soda and vinegar so it is safe), and they can load the washer/dryer fold and put away their clothes.  We do "flash mob" pick up sessions where everyone helps, and we try to pick up as quickly as possible.  It is fun. 

Another thing that really helped was to radically declutter the crap.  If the kids leave their toys around like they don't care about them, I box them up and put them in storage.  If they can't pick them up, I sure as heck won't!  After 6 months if they can name what they want from the box they get it.  Otherwise it goes to good will.  I went through their clothes and got rid of a ton of stuff.  So laundry doesn't pile up since they have to do it. 

I hope you get some help, mama!

[Kamiro]

We both live in the Pacific North west and were baby dancing around the exact same time! Whoa! Must have been a nice summer evening we had ;)

My due date says May 8th. I don't kid myself though, it will be May twenty something before it comes. I always carry late and each birth it gets later and later. lol
 

Originally Posted by forestmushroom 

It is May 9!  :)