**********Weekly Chat! December 11th-17th ********** « Back to Group Discussions

[forestmushroom]

Name:

Weeks/Days along:

Appointments:

Symptoms:

Food:

Exercise:

Body changes and other milestones:

Thoughts:

[Kamiro]

Name: Kamiro

Weeks/Days along: 19 weeks or so

Appointments: Wednesday I have a midwife appointment

Symptoms: Finicky but starving. I can no longer roll over without ordeal in bed. Laying on the loveseat makes me unable to move for a few minutes upon trying to get up.

Food: I am eating home made salad rolls for the third day in a row and couldn't be happier. lol I finally made it to the vietnamese grocery store to buy the rice papers.  I made a cucumber tomato salad also - pretty decent. Tonight it is beans and rice. I am so not a vegetarian but you would never guess it this pregnancy. 

Exercise: Today I will start with a 1 mile walk. I am getting serious about exercise this week.

Body changes and other milestones: big tummy, not so 'lusty' feeling, but noticing an increase in energy :)

Thoughts: Found out that this babe is also a girl. I am still not really believing it. Call me crazy, but I really, really thought this was a boy. This pregnancy has been so different. Regardless, team pink is where I am and as long as it is healthy - I am more than blessed with no room to even think to complain! I love having girls!

[janellody]

Name: Janelle

Weeks/Days along: 18 weeks tomorrow

Appointments: GENDER ULTRASOUND TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Symptoms: stomach is generally feeling better, so I think I can safely say I have passed the worst of it.  I no longer take my medicine, either.  Woohoo!  Lots more round ligament pain, smells, major food aversions still, congestion, all the same stuff I have always had just less stomach issues.

Food: Still food aversions, so still not very fun.  I HAVE noticed something new... when I am full, I GOTTA STOP otherwise even if I have a couple more bites, my stomach HURTS...so there's no extra room in there!!

Exercise: I suck.

Body changes and other milestones: I have been feeling my tummy more... like feeling it with my hands and although I have a layer of fat ont op of it all, it's becoming more apparent that my uterus is growing in there, I can feel it!  I can feel a big hard area under my fat, it's pretty awesome!  I am kinda obsessed with feeling it these days.  I think it is getting some serious growth.

Thoughts: Can't think about anything but my gender ultrasound really!!!!  It's not until 4:30pm tomorrow so I gotta wait all day.. but I am so excited!!!  I HOPE IT'S A GIRL!!!!

[maggiemay81]

Name: Maggie

Weeks/Days along: 17 weeks

Appointments: Dec.21 with ob/gyn, Jan 4 for anatomy ultrasound, which I am very excited for! 

Symptoms: stomach is getting bigger and I can't sleep on my back anymore, some aches in my back, tired feeling, congested

Food: generally enjoying the plan foods, eating lots of fruit. Not keen on pastas or fish at all

Exercise: walking, on my feet most of the day. Yoga is out the window.

Body changes and other milestones: like I said, the belly is growing and I look pregnant not just like I have a muffin top. I am fairly confident that I felt the baby move the other night on my way to slumber, but can't be sure. Pretty cool.

Thoughts: can't wait for the ultrasound so I can see the babe!

[persephassa]

Name: roxi

Weeks/Days along: 19 weeks, 4 days

Appointments: antomy scan/gender ultrasound on wednesday

Symptoms: nothing much

Food: i love everything citrus-y right now. sliced oranges, lime wedges in water, lemon sorbet, sour lemon drops... limeade!

Exercise: i finally started doing my wii fit routine again. it said i've gained 6 lbs since before our wedding (july)! we're going to MN and then CA next week until january, though, so i won't be able to make it a habit.

Body changes and other milestones: i look slightly pregnant sometimes

Thoughts: excited to start organizing baby's room & to find out the gender! tho we don't plan on getting lots of gender-specific things. it will be nice to narrow down some names, though :) i started clearing out my office to give it over to baby stuff. we're going to make an ikea trip when we get back from holidays... and hopefully starting birth classes and searching for a doula...! lots to do. i just finished a baby blanket & i made a mobile with patchwork bird softies and twigs so i'm thinking about what to make next.

[BubbleMa]

Name:  Sarah

Weeks/Days along: 19 weeks

Appointments:  January 4th!  This is going by so fast!

Symptoms: None really.  Some uncomfortableness in my pelvic area when I stand up or move a certain way.  I'm sure this is the ligaments or whatever loosening, like everyone has been talking about.  I don't remember it until the very end with DD though.  It's not painful, just uncomfortable.

Food:  I don't really have aversions anymore, but I have noticed that meat and veggies aren't really that appealing to me.  I'll eat them, but it's not what I reach for.  Except a salad...I can eat the heck out of a salad.  And like Janell said, I get to the point where if I eat just one bite too much, I'm miserable.  Of course, I'm famished an hour later.  Oh the joys! 

Exercise: Not much.  It's been too cold and/or rainy to walk DD to the bus stop.  I plan on getting a yoga video though.

Body changes and other milestones:  Boobs are HUGE (for me anyway).  Belly is growing as well.  Last night when I got out of the shower I caught SO staring at me.  I'm not sure if he was starting at the boobs or the belly...I'm guessing boobs though.  ;)  Also feeling lots of movement, which is exciting.  :)

Thoughts:  I'm so ready to get an u/s, but our schedules just aren't working out.  :(  Neither of us can really take time off work at the moment, so we just have to fit it in where we can.  I really wanted to get it before Christmas though.  We still haven't told our families, so I figured an u/s pic would be a fun way to do it.  Hopefully next week we can fit it in.  Plus, I'm ready to start narrowing names down.  I think it'll be easier once we see the baby.  And obviously knowing the gender will help. :)

[KM84]

Name: Kelly

Weeks/Days along: 18 weeks

Appointments: Midwife on Tuesday, though she may have to cancel, apparently she overbooked. Anatomy scan on the 22nd.

Symptoms: Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired.

Food: Back to eating most things, thank god. now that I'm eating normally, focusing on eating healthy again.

Exercise: walking, but I really need to get to the gym for some stationary cycling.

Body changes and other milestones: Boobs are HUGE. Small canteloupes now. Too cheap to buy new bras though, since I'm not sure if they're still going to get bigger. I really hope not... 

Thoughts: We're closing on our new place on Thursday. OMG SO NERVOUS/EXCITED.

I think I'm driving my husband crazy talking about new house stuff. 

[shastalily]

Congrats Onemore on the baby GIRL!  Have fun at your u/s today Janelle.  Congrats KM84 on the house closing this week.  How exciting!!

Name:  Jenny

Weeks/Days along:  19 w 5 days

Appointments:  Had one last Friday--It was our big u/s and we found out it's a BOY!!!!!  So excited.  This will be my first baby boy.  Between the two of us, we have 5 girls and one boy and it just so turns out the youngest is a boy so it will be 2 boys in a row, 5 years apart.  Everyone is ecstatic.  Next appt in 4 weeks.

Symptoms:  Stopped taking the B6/unisom and m/s is not too bad.  A little nausea this morning but doing ok I think.  Getting heartburn a bit more frequently but not too bad yet.

Food:  Not much different.

Exercise:  Nope.  Some day I hope to get motivated again

Body changes and other milestones:  I definitely look pregnant and not just fat.  Belly is sticking straight out a lot more now.  Wearing maternity tops now too with just a few regular sweaters/tops fitting.

Thoughts:  Happy to find out the baby is healthy and excited to start narrowing down names.  It will probably take us awhile though.  Last week of school for the kiddos and dh since he is a teacher.  It will be fun and crazy to have everyone home for two weeks!  Finished the antibiotics for the cat bite infection and my hand is back to normal finally!  Just a bit sore in my finger still.

[Kamiro]

Jenny/Shasta - Congratulations on the boy, and thank you for the congrats :) I think you are the first one in the DDC having a boy?

Will update with personals for all y'all later. Big Hugs. Excitedly waiting Janellody's u/s today. LOL

[mlovesj]

Name:  mlovesj

Weeks/Days along: 19w today

Appointments:  midwife appt next week.  u/s last week showed us 100% certain it's a GIRL!  My intuition was wrong....but I've now almost all the way wrapped my brain around a daughter.  SO & I chose what we are pretty sure is her name this weekend, so *that's* pretty cool. 

Symptoms:  I'm glad to see I'm not alone (since it seems kind of early) in feeling FULL all of a sudden.  I'll be eating and literally mid-bite I realize that I am completely stuffed!  I'm going to have to start giving myself smaller servings so that I don't waste the food I just can't fit in my stomach.  I thought of this as more of a 30 weeks onward problem, but apparently not.  Overall, I feel great!  I really can't complain and I feel grateful that my body seems to like pregnancy so much.  On the downside though, I'm still getting over my head cold and the lingering symptom - coughing - is causing me to have minor (but so annoying) incontinence.  It's just a couple of drops, but it is making me feel like either a toddler or an old person, just having to worry about urine.  yuck.

Food: I don't have any aversions....but overall I think I've been giving in to eating treats more than I should.  It's so easy to make pregnancy an excuse to indulge.

Exercise:  Still haven't started yoga and I'm not getting the daily exercise I should.  I have a desk job and so I'm inherently sedentary.  On the other hand, I've been intentionally active on the weekend, taking hikes, walks and bike rides.  SO & I figured out a bike trail route from our house to my fave consignment baby store and we rode there this weekend and went girl clothes shopping! This is our first baby together so it was really, really sweet doing something together that really made our baby girl seem more real.  We also found we had similar taste (and an equal amount of enjoyment from baby clothes shopping) so that made it even better.  He's not the typical man and I love that about him!

Body changes and other milestones:  I go back and forth on whether I look definitely pregnant or if I can pass among strangers as just being particularly apple-shaped.  A mom friend of mine said to me "You don't even look pregnant!" the other day and I've been thinking ever since... when people say that do they think it's a compliment?  Because I don't feel small and I wouldn't want that remark to mean I always look this round.  ha ha!  She's sweet and definitely meant to be nice, but I think right now what I want to hear is "look at that cute baby bump!" not "oh I didn't notice you'd changed..."  

Thoughts:  Getting excited imagining the precious baby girl that's going to be coming into our lives.  :)

[mlovesj]

P.S. I can't wait to hear Janellody's results either - her enthusiasm is infectious!! 

[KM84]

  A mom friend of mine said to me "You don't even look pregnant!" the other day and I've been thinking ever since... when people say that do they think it's a compliment?  Because I don't feel small and I wouldn't want that remark to mean I always look this round.  ha ha! 

I always think the exact same thing when people say that to me. I mean... do I always look this fat?

I think I'm more excited about Janellody's ultrasound than my own next week.

[Kamiro]

I think it is a generational thing. Not looking pregnant ie: Not getting 'fat' was a compliment to women of various generations where today we are more about 'baby bumps' and so on. I think we have Demi Moore to thank for that ala her nude pregnant cover she did eons ago. LOL

[lightheartedmom]

Name: lightheartedmom
Weeks/days: 17w3d
Appointments: first centering pregnancy  (group) check up was on Friday. Next one is January 6, I think...
Symptoms: a little tired, a little slower than normal, food cravings, emotional and mostly, Braxton hicks. All the time with the Braxton hicks. They get better with water and laying down and mw said it's no big deal, especially since this is my 3rd baby/6th pregnancy. 
Food: omg you guys. This baby is insane. I want salt and meat. All the time. I woke up at like 3am the other night and wanted a pickle so bad I could taste it. I got up the next morning and still wanted one. I am loving the quinoa meatloaf recipe janelle posted in the diet thread (I've made it twice already!), turkey burgers are still a favorite. I hate the sight, nay! Even the thought of chicken. Which is weird because usually I eat mostly chicken. If we were red meat eaters, I think I would only be eating red meat, but turkey has to suffice since we are not (but if I come across some grass fed beef from Uruguay, I might has to splurge). Sugar is boring, even though I can now eat it in smaller quantities without wanting to barf. This might be the biggest change from my pregnancies with the girls, with them I wanted all sugar, all the time. 

Exercise: I did prenatal pilates that one time last week.  ;-) walking is my main form of exercise. And so far my weight is still about -8 from where I started. With previous pregnancies, I didn't start gaining weight heavily until after 20 weeks so that's the stage I'm watching for. 
Body changes/milestones: I have a belly, that's getting less squishy and more hard by the day! RL pain is mostly gone which is great. Big milestone this week was dd1 getting to feel the baby kick. I'm feeling lots of movement internally but because there's just more padding on the outside than there used to be, it's hard to feel them externally. It was exciting to see her face last night when she felt two little kicks.

Thoughts: this part of pregnancy is a little boring. im sort of showing, sort of feeling movement and sort of just going along with daily life. I don't start buying or preparing anything this early (it feels presumptuous?) even though I'm mentally keeping track of a few things (like that adorable mei tai on etsy for $30, and how in heavens name I'm going to justify dropping $150 on an ergo too). 
My centering pg group was fun and there are some really nice moms. Oddly enough, I'm one of the younger ones but the only one with two or more kids. Just a few are adding baby number two, most are pregnant with their first. I think it's a really great model for prenatal care and I'm excited to get to know the moms and see how our births turn out. 
Finally...the big fetal survey thing...I decided last week not to do it and I feel like this whole week I've been getting reassurance in many forms that it was the right choice for me. I was a little sad when the mw leading our group told me her bias was for the u/s because she had a complete previa with no risk factors and supposedly wouldn't have known without that u/s. To me that doesn't ring true, especially because from reading a lot, I know that at a certain point skilled midwives and drs should be able to accurately guesstimate the position of the baby and the placenta just using their hands to feel the uterus/baby. I know even my totally mainstream old OB knew the position of dd1 from physical examination. So...everyone has to make their own decisions, but it's nice to feel very at peace (gah! I hate using that phrase ) with mine. 

Can't believe how close we're getting to Christmas! We haven't even bought a tree yet and I probably should think about some baking. And mailing out the cards that have been sitting, addressed and ready to go for over a week.  

[hollyann]

Name: Holly

Weeks/Days along: 16W 4D

Appointments: Midwife Apt Friday

Symptoms: less nauseous, more hungry (all the time!), tired, some heart palpitations (anyone experience that?)

Food: I'm loving everything now, but still have strong cravings and some aversions.

Exercise: Had my second prenatal yoga class, I love it! It's so good to get moving again.

Body changes and other milestones: Defiantly feeling little taps and thumps from the baby this week, very excited, the bump is also growing!

Thoughts: Can't wait for the 20 week ultrasound to find out the sex, unfortunately that's not till January 6Th! The pregnancy is starting to feel more real now that I have a little bump and have started feeling movement.

[LinnieThree]

Yes, I have experienced some heart palpitations this time around- right around 14-16 weeks. I mentioned it to my dr and he said that it is common during pregnancy and they listened to my heart and checked my oxygen levels and everything seemed fine so he wasn't concerned. I am 18 weeks today and they have stopped. I don't think that I had them with my first two (but who really knows... I forget a lot).
 

Originally Posted by hollyann 

Name: Holly

Symptoms: less nauseous, more hungry (all the time!), tired, some heart palpitations (anyone experience that?)

[RenoKirbyButtrs]

Dropping back in after some (very busy) time away. Thanks to forestmushroom for keeping this going!

Name: Jamie

Weeks/Days along: 19 weeks 

Appointments: U/S on 12/22, about which I'm super excited. It's also the first day of winter break (holla!)

Symptoms: Feeling large! Is that a symptom? My pelvic bones were sore all day, like they're coming apart. I feel pretty big and know the worst is yet to come. I have an 18 week pic I meant to put in the belly thread and haven't gotten around to it. Maybe I will take another at 20 and post both then. I was so anxious to get the bump and look preggo, now I'm a little overwhelmed with what I see in the mirror.

Food: Anything, everything, all the time. I wish I could just stay at home all day stuffing my face. Fortunately all aversions have subsided so I am able to pick mostly good things, but gave into a steak craving yesterday and have been downing ice cream and Mexican food like nobody's business. A good friend told me the best thing about being preg is "you can eat as much as you want and people think it's cute." Definitely capitalized on that when I filled a second plate at the office Christmas party.

Exercise: I think about it often, does that count? Yoga here and there, one time on the Wii fit. There is a prenatal aqua aerobics class I plan to sign up for at the Y.

Body changes and other milestones: Like KM, my boobs have long outgrown all bras and I am really resisting buying new ones knowing that the worst is yet to come. Started feeling kicks a few weeks ago and I've been loving that.

Thoughts: I have had serious boy vibes most of this pregnancy and was fairly convinced, until I read that Onemore and mlovesj are now on team pink! I can't wait for our big reveal (or janellody's!)

[janellody]

Hahah thanks for your support guys!!! Leaving in 15 minutes for our appointment.. I will be sure to update as soon as I am home!! You guys make me smile :) :) :)

  <-- this is me right now!!

[LinnieThree]

I hate living in a different time zone then janellody!!! It's like 7:30pm here and I am dying to know the ultrasound. I have to remind myself that it's still the afternoon there!!!! I can't wait to hear the great news:)

[MeredithA]

Yea, the time zone thing is so frustrating! I was facebooking Janelle & pestering her to tell me the gender and she was like "I have 2 more hours until my appointment" lol --- by now she has got to know. Her appointment started 30 minutes ago. :-)