Bajingo Babies in the New Year: Having Baby #1 in Our 30's, Winter 2012 - Page 12

[2sweetsparrows]

Well crud-

"Salicylic acid is another no-no for pregnant women. High doses of the acid in its oral form have been shown in studies to cause birth defects and various pregnancy complications.

Again, doctors are being cautious by recommending that pregnant women avoid the topical use of salicylic acid. Small amounts applied to the skin — such as a salicylic acid-containing toner used once or twice a day — are considered safe, says Johnson.

But the concern is stronger about face and body peels containing salicylic acid. "This kind of 'soaking' in the ingredient is similar to taking one or more aspirin when pregnant," she explains.

"More product used equals more absorption into the bloodstream," adds Baumann. Always check with your doctor before having a peel treatment. Better yet, she advises, if you must have a peel, have it done professionally at your dermatologist's office. A dermatologist will know how to do it safely during pregnancy.

On the label:
Salicylic acid
Beta hydroxy acid
BHA

Note: Alpha hydroxy acids, sometimes listed as AHAs, glycolic acid, or lactic acid, are safe.

Bottom line:
Best to avoid

---- Looked up Lemongrass too- I love tofu lemongrass and tom yum soup- errr- sushi- soft cheese - red wine and coffee and chamomile - I hadn't hear of that one- well then- off to buy new facewash- and will eat curry at Thai on my weekly Thai food lady lunch date- damn.  Anything else??

Oh I edited this to add sprouts- any kind :( Hollandaise

undercooked eggs- lox and processed meats- including cured meats- salami prosciutto spek etc.- think I have broken like 6 rules this week- fresh start now.

Edited by 2sweetsparrows - 1/24/12 at 10:42am

[LilyTiger]

Dandy, not to add the paranoia, but green tea in general might be a little iffy.  It's been found to inhibit the absorption of folate, so make sure you're spacing any green tea away from your prenatals.  I cut it out altogether, but I'm adding back in herbal tea with hibiscus.  I just miss my damn tea too much and I can't drink Rooibos all the time.  I just don't love it.  I think small amounts of some of these herbs are fine.  My friend's midwife told her that almost all of them are fine (including lemongrass), but you just don't want to be eating like large quantities of the dried tea, which I assume none of us are.

[RosieL]

Regarding enjoying pregnancy - Several people (male) have asked me this. My answer is usually that I'm in love with the idea of a son growing in my belly, but the actual physical experience of it isn't necessarily pleasurable. I'm fat, less able, and sometimes downright encumbered by my belly. I do take pleasure in movements, but even those are starting to be problematic, as they are aimed at my ribs and bladder. But, since I love the *idea* of being pregnant, the handicaps that come along with it are easy to accept. 

Ram - OMG so close. H&H birthing if we don't see you again before then! Do you feel ready?

About tea and food - OMG hibiscus and chamomile are banned? UGH. I've been drinking both (in front of my midwives) my whole pregnancy. Nuts. I eat lots of sprouts in hot hot soups with no concern (and I make sprouts at home). I eat over-easy eggs and smoked salmon with no concerns. I do avoid deli meats but mostly because I don't trust the handling process. I break LOTS of these so-called "rules." Often. Happily. :)

Hi Hokie! I thought we had lost you for good. Glad to see you back. :)

Hi Sparrows! Welcome to the thread, I'm glad you found us. Congrats on this BFP and much  to you!

Tank - I <3 the pic of your pup and the wolverine!

To All - I've missed a lot, I'm sorry. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and keep up. Ram's right. There's tons of activity these days. It's great!

AFM - Major growth spurt in the last week, which means I suddenly am often short of breath (sitting in certain ways), unable to bend over normally (yay for squats instead!), or eat full meals. I *definitely* hit the comfort peak sometime last week or the week before and it's downhill from here. On the upside, he feels ever more real in there. His movements seem more controlled, I can figure out how he's positioned because he's losing room, and I LOVE watching my belly move from the outside. Unreal and awesome. 

Talked to my MIL today. We are trying to figure out when we'll call them down to meet baby boy. She had the impression from DH that we wanted them at the birth, meaning during labor. I had to gently let her know that that was a misunderstanding, he wanted her to be able to meet Odin right *after* birth. But no one gets to be in our house for birth except for midwives, DH, and doula. I haven't broached that subject with my own Mom yet. 

I've ordered all my homebirth supplies (midwife kit and checklist). We've made probably a week's worth of frozen food and Mom told me to stop, saying she'll feed us for several weeks. First shower is in two weeks, then two more after that. Childbirth class starts Sunday. I need to find a pediatrician. I'm in the process of painting the last coat of paint on the trim this afternoon. Then we move the dresser into his room and start making it the BABY room. I'm excited. Lots going on. And classes start back up TOMORROW!!!

[RosieL]

Oh, and I have a newly imposed rule. After getting my syllabus for my toughest course this semester (econometrics), Odin Shall Not Arrive Before March 27. That should be doable as a first time mom, right? :)

[hokievol]

Rosie so glad to hear you're breaking some of these rules, too.  I didn't know about chamomile until just now and I love my Sleepytime tea!  I've also been using salycilic acid body wash to control my acne my whole pregnancy.  Sounds like that isn't toooo much cause for concern but I had no idea. 

Thanks for the support everyone!  So glad to hear I'm not the only one who would like to skip to the baby part.  The movements definitely help and I think that will be the only part I miss.  Definitely have the alien belly movements now, it's fun but can be a little disrupting in meetings!!! 

[littlecritter]

Sorry to ask what may be a stupid question, but what does BFP stand for?

[dandylez]

Hey littlecritter - It's not a stupid question. It takes a while to get used to all the shorthand on these sites. BFP stands for Big Fat Positive (preg test result), and BFN is the opposite.  Then there's POAS (pee on a stick), FMU (first morning urine), DP/W/H/D/S (dear partner/wife/husband/daughter/son), LO (loved ones/little one), BBs (boobies/breasts)... and on and on. 

You can sometimes find a list of shorthand on the site, but I just looked here and can't find it. Maybe someone else will and can post.  In the meantime, just ask if you need clarification.

[2sweetsparrows]

ha ha haaa- I was soooo behind- I used to read the sites and be like "What The.....???"  I felt like an old lady reading a teens texts.  You will get used to all the jibberish- it sounds funny.  I also swore I would NEVER use emotocons- I thought they were just terrible- and now I do because it is a good way to communicate here.

I successfully replaced my facewash and a few other products- then I drank iced black rose tea and had a brie and chili jam toast for lunch- it was soooo good.  I wasn't too worried though because It was heated up on a grill thing. 

last goal- carbon monoxide detector

[iixivboots]

Re: Tea and other banned items: I have googled almost every type of herbal and non-herbal tea and found at least a few sites that say it's not recommended. I gave up. I am mostly drinking peppermint to settle my stomach, though, and iced black tea.

I occasionally worry as I near the second trimester I am getting too reckless with taking meds, etc. I have been taking sudafed a lot which is my my docs list of approved medications. I've been so congested that if I don't take it at night, I wake up with my mouth dried out and my lips cracked. I try to take a few days off, though.

I also decided the amount of salicylic acid probably isn't enough to worry about.

I am glad to hear I'm not the only one not bursting with love of growing new life. First trimester has been really hard for me, physically and emotionally. I am hoping that I can have some more positive feelings about it soon, though.

My nausea might be getting better. I've skipped my metformin a few days, and my prenatals, Naughty, I know, but I needed relief. Now I'm experiencing a lot of bloating and constipation, and abdominal pain. Fun! I have an 11-hour work day today that's going to kick my butt. I've been napping all week in preparation but I didn't sleep well last night and I don't know if it's going to help.

I am desperate for the weekend, DESPERATE!

yeah this was kind of whiny ;)

[ericaf]

Boots: Hahahaha! Just saw this on Yahoo.

Voice behind “honey badger” video revealed

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/voice-behind-honey-badger-video-revealed-224949372.html

[iixivboots]

Ah, i can't wait until I'm done with kids for the day so I can watch the video.

Overheard at my house today: "11 hour day, kill me now" huz, "Honey Badger is trying."

Erica, how are you? How are your tummy troubles? If you can't tell, I still feel VERY sorry for myself and I will loan you some of that pity :)

[dandylez]

Lilytiger: Thanks for the info on green tea and absorption of folate.  I've since separated when I take my prenatal vits. 

As for the lemongrass etc. debate on teas, I'm pretty sure it's okay unless there's big warnings about them, and unless you're taking medicinal quantities.  AFM, because our TTC process was so expensive, I'm probably being a little more cautious than most, and will wait until after the first trimester to re-introduce lemongrass!

[littlecritter]

Thanks for the definitions, folks. I still don't understand most of what people's signatures say, but that's okay.

I am 36-years-old, 13 weeks pregnant with my first (and probably only) baby. I'm fascinated by this thread in particular because I really do think that getting pregnant for the first time after having a full and busy adult life for 15+ years is, well, an enormous adjustment. I'm used to being an overachiever, used to being able to accomplish so much more in a day then I seem to be able to, now. I've been nauseous all day for the past month-and-a-half, and/or exhausted, and/or dealing with acid reflux/heartburn (best help I've found for that is a glass of milk).

My current conundrum is that my prenatal vitamins cause me to vomit, repeatedly. I've tried 2 different varieties, 1 is a gel tab and 1 is a hard green exterior (brand: Rainbow). The latter ones made me vomit for the first time a couple weeks ago, so I switched to the gel tabs, and now I can't get those down either. Have others had this problem? Any suggestions? Do you think it matters if I chop the things up and put them in a smoothie?

If there's somewhere else I should look/read for how to get down one's prenatal vitamins, please let me know.

Cheers to y'all --

Little Critter

[iixivboots]

Little critter, just a quickie, some of the women in my due date club who had trouble with their prenatals switched to gummy vitamins. I think Whole Foods has a gummy prenatal. Also, we have some for my husband who can't take pills, and his have enough folic acid to sub for me on days I can't take my prenatals, only thing they're lacking is iron.

[2sweetsparrows]

Boots- great info- that is what I did when I had severe nausea-  the children's gummies twice the dosage.

hokie- I am a counselor- going to get my MSW - married to an engineer with a step child- funny

Rosie- I love  the name "Odin"- good luck in your classes- my mom always jokes- she was a teacher and she really wanted me to wait until the end of the school year- and I was born the day after classes ended- maybe your wishes will come true!

Dandy- yeah- i didn't eat vats of tom yum soup- just one leetle bowl maybe I will reintroduce after 1st trimester too.

Erica- I saw that article today- he is so funny. 

My mom named this bean- paisley- my twins were stink bot and stink dot and my last pregnancy was sesame- I like the wolverine and honey badger- anyone else have little names that wont be their real names for the bean?

[LilyTiger]

2sweetsparrows, I've just been calling mine "The Fetus", but in caps like that so it sounds important.  As in, "The Fetus is making me want to die".  When I don't like what The Fetus is doing, I'll call it "Your Fetus", meaning of course, my husband's.

littlecritter, Boots is right on with the gummies.  The thought of my old prenatals still makes me gag, but I got the gummies from Whole Foods and it helped immensely.  They don't have iron, which could be the culprit, and iron is especially important in the second trimester, so I need to figure out a good way to get it.  Greens and other veggies actually don't have much bioavailable iron, so I'm trying to choke down more red meat.

As for the lemongrass, I've always wondered how any women in Thailand have successful pregnancies if lemongrass is so dangerous.  I mean, they don't stop eating it during pregnancy I don't think.  So I'm inclined to not worry too much about that.  I can totally see not taking chances though. 

AFM, DH and I had a big argument about house cleaning stuff and it made me so mad.  I know I can't really blame being a mess on pregnancy (because I was a mess before too), but I just feel like he should cut me some freaking slack.  I'm carrying his Fetus and I feel like that should count toward my daily total of housework.  I'm actually in a really shi**y mood as a result, so I should probably go crawl in a hole or something.  I'm just so pissed at him right now.

[dandylez]

Originally Posted by LilyTiger 

As for the lemongrass, I've always wondered how any women in Thailand have successful pregnancies if lemongrass is so dangerous.  I mean, they don't stop eating it during pregnancy I don't think.  So I'm inclined to not worry too much about that.  I can totally see not taking chances though. 

Right?? That's what I think too! I'm not stressing about it...

Sorry about the housework fight.  I had one of those yesterday, but it was the opposite. I was mad at DP for not doing more. 

Originally Posted by 2sweetsparrows 

My mom named this bean- paisley- my twins were stink bot and stink dot and my last pregnancy was sesame- I like the wolverine and honey badger- anyone else have little names that wont be their real names for the bean?

I tried for "pickle" but DP vetoed it!! So, it's become "the stinker." We have about a dozen nicknames for each of our pets, so I'm sure more will develop!
 

[calpurnia7]

Sorry for the long hiatus, I've been spending a lot of my spare time sleeping and at yoga, haha!

dandy, littlecritter, and 2sweetsparrows - welcome!  It's wonderful to see newcomers.  Sending sticky vibes!

littlecritter - I was taking the Rainbow Light and loved them the first couple of weeks because they gave me so much energy.  Then last week (week 6) hit and I was literally nauseated from morning till night.  Seems like switching prenatals is the easiest first trick to try, so I switched from the regular Rainbow Lights to their one pill a day version.  Iron and calcium are both lower, so I'm supplementing with a little bit of extra calcium, and I take it at night with my probiotics after a good dinner.  Nausea is much better - just some random queasiness in the morning.  And apparently I can't eat dairy ice cream or a really sugary dessert.

boots - how does the protein search go?  Have you tried scrambled or hard boiled eggs?  Eggs are a protein I can easily tolerate.  I'm also a fan of the Smart Deli faux sandwich slices.  A little bit processed and high in sodium for my taste, but they make a great snack rolled around cheese.

foods to avoid - right now my tastes are pretty limited, so I'm going with the flow as much as possible.  I'm a vegetarian but have been craving fish, so I've made low-mercury picks (wild salmon, trout).  Last week I made an amazing vegetarian posole with mustard greens and soyrizo - had some for lunch one day and was so sick afterward I now have an aversion for pungent greens (one of my fave foods, and a great source of folate and iron).  Boo!  I just got my CSA box the other day with more mustard greens and collard greens.  I have a mantra that it was the prenatals and not the greens, and am going to try making enchiladas over the weekend using the greens in hopes of masking the pungent flavor.  I hope it works!  I don't know if it's safe or not, guess I need to look at the box, but chai tea with hot almond milk has been really nice on my stomach.  I drink a small cup in the morning.  No soft cheeses or raw meats for me, I don't have an appetite for either.  Fortunately I haven't had much of a need for meds, except the occasional half Benadryl before bed.

AFM - Had my first OB appointment on Tuesday and it went really well!  Saw the Bee with a nice strong heart beat.  There's a little bit of blood bubbling around behind the placenta that they will keep an eye on.  Probably from implantation, and I hope my body reabsorbs it.  My blood pressure was good.  Still waiting for results on blood work.  I was potentially exposed to a niece with 5th disease, so was tested for that, tox, and HIV (legally required in my state).  They took other vials of blood but can't remember what those were for.  I've slept since then, and it's in my paperwork. :)  The doctor told me to try to avoid being exposed to any illnesses and gave me the green light on yogurt, probiotics, and plenty of water.

This week is much better than last for two reasons: switched prenatals, and I'm taking daily naps during my lunch.  In my car, with a blanket and pillow in the back seat.  I park in a sparsely-used covered garage, so it's cozier and quieter than one would think.  I cannot recommend daily naps enough, ladies!  I am a different person because I'm actually rested.

Is anyone besides me having trouble drinking enough water?  It was really making me go "ick", but I started putting organic lemon juice in my water, and it's really delicious!  I've also heard that lemon is great for the liver and the bladder.

Also signed up for yoga again, oh the bliss!  I love it!  So relaxing, and I feel like I'm working my tush muscles without straining my heart or the baby.

I have a bit of a bump (is it way too early for that??), so tonight I started a little bit of maternity shopping: a beautiful flowy knit skirt that fits now and should be comfortable through most of my pregnancy, and two lovely yoga tops that will look cute under a cardigan for work.  They're long and ruched on the sides, so I hope they will fit for a while.  I bought them a size larger than what I wear.

[ericaf]

Just a quickie, but...

littlecritter: I was taking Rainbow Light Just Once prenatals and they were making me so much more nauseous. I have since switched to gummies for NOW, and they've been a zillion times better. Granted, they're a crappier vitamin but at least it's something! I also take one extra separate fish oil and a b6, and b12... but that's just me. I'd imagine the gummies would be good enough for you for now!

LilyTiger: Ummmmmmmmm, same boat! DH actually had the gall to ask me why the house is a "mess" (which by anyone else's standards besides our normal OCD-ness is justttt fine). And when he asked me to clean ONE pair of jeans when I had just done alllllll the laundry, I wanted to chop off his head! I really wish the guys could understand how we feel emotionally AND physically. It's so hard. Hoping my DH gets a clue. He usually learns from OTHER people and doesn't listen to me, so we shall see! 

boots: I'm doing alright. Just tired and nauseous. No barfing (however, I've hovered over the toilet severallll times thinking I was about to). I'm not sure if it's worse to be nauseous and not vomit or just be barfing left and right. I think they both stink!

[2sweetsparrows]

LilyTiger- I like the "The Fetus- Your Fetus" name- I am also struggling with housecleaning- DH pointed out that the second bathroom was dirty- I don't use it and we live alone- soooooo- it's all him.  Trying to get things organized- just out of energy and anxious.  Hope it gets better!

I have also wondered what women in other countries do- my Japanese friend told me that Japanese women eat raw fish often, French women eat raw and soft cheeses- so whatevs- I am sure we'll all be fine with our diets- women have been having children for a long time.

Dandy-  "stinker"  love it- funny dp vetoed pickle- my dh doesn't like paisley- so that'll change one he see's it.

calpirnia- CSA boxes must be harrrrd!  I have trouble with them normally- so pregnancy must be even harder!   I love your fetal nickname too "Hamish the hover-babe"!!  Congrats on the heartbeat you must be super excited about that!!  I cracked up at your lunch naps in the car- my dh does that I think it is so cute- great idea.

I notice several ladies here have cats- I was wondering if you let them sleep with you- as they do step in the cat litter- I let them sleep with me- but try to make the one that likes sleeping on my face- sleep on my dh's face- he he hee.  Do you all have any rules about the monsters?