Weekly Chat Week of May 14th !! « Back to Group Discussions

[ithappened]

Its just past midnight here so I thought I'd start this weeks chat thread.. !!

How is everyone doing?

Any upcoming appointments, plans or fun things going on this week?

[iixivboots]

Tomorrow I am going to the doctor for my monthly appointment, last time she told me she'd give me another ultrasound order next time she saw me, so we might actually be able to find out this baby's sex. Here's hoping!

[ithappened]

good luck boots! I finally found out around week 26/27 as well
 

[LilyTiger]

Good luck, Boots!  Honey Badger has been a cagey beast, but hopefully you'll get some answers soon.  And on our last week of classes!  My brain shut off two weeks ago, so we'll see how this goes....

I have my Rhogam shot tomorrow (booooo...) and we'll get the general measurements and heartbeat stuff (yay!!!!!!), so I guess that's a mixed message. 

Officially 28 weeks today! Crazy time.

[ithappened]

My motor skills are going majorly this week- when I try to pick up small objects I constantly drop them and I'm getting clumsy, I spill things on myself and drop cups full of water.. stupid things like that.. I am not sure if its from lack of sleep or if its the pregnancy.. but really is annoying.. !

I also have officially reached that stage where everyone comments on how big I am and have started to make jokes this is going to make the next 7-10 weeks really fun.. I am getting laughed at by friends/family daily.

I have a Doc appointment Friday morning, just a routine check and some blood work to make sure my iron is up to a good level again.
 

[KristyDi]

I feel like my belly got huge over night.  Just today I burned my tummy cooking lunch.  I was reaching for something in the cabinet over the stove and my belly touched the edge of the griddle I was making  grilled cheese on.  It's not too bad, but I felt like an idiot.

This week I'm researching and calling new OB/MWs.  I've heard good things about a Midwifery Group in Atlanta and a Dr at Emory who's the only Dr in the area who'll deliver vaginal breech or twins.  He's supposed to be wonderfully supportive and very natural minded.

My mom is coming over tomorrow to help me organize and clean some.  We've got the house maybe 40% packed up and I just need someone else to help me think through what can be packed, what I'll need and what to just get rid of.  It also helps to have someone around to help entertain DD and keep me on task.  I'm finding I have trouble maintaining focus.  I get lots of things started and almost nothing done. We want to have the house ready to show in 2 weeks.  

We need to have someone come over and paint a few walls for us during that time.  Both my sister and SIL are willing and like to paint, but both have full time jobs and are out of town this coming weekend.  I'm so tempted to do it myself, even though I know I shouldn't.

Also I sleep at least 9 or 10 hours a night and could totally take a nap if time and toddler allowed.

[youngspiritmom]

Hi ladies - loving this due date club by the way. It really makes me accountable for my pregnancy and makes it enjoyable, if any of those in your second + pregnancies know what I mean....I just don't have the time to focus on my pregnancy like I did with my first.

I missed the chat last week because I was finishing up final exams (I'm in a post-BA certificate program). I have two more online classes to take in the summer, and those finals will basically be around the same time as my due date. I refuse to take a final after giving birth....so I'm planning to ask to take them early and I'm gonna try to stay ahead of the classes as much as possible.

I have my 28 wk appointment on Wednesday, and I'm interested to see my weight gain. I read that women gain an average of 11 lbs in this 3rd trimester......kind of remembering how NOT fun that is.....you just feel. so. heavy.

Got my Rhogam shot last week and blood work. Turns out I was mildly anemic so I'm eating lots of beef+tomato dishes and taking a shot of Floradex every day. Hopefully my iron has boosted.

ithappened - you look so perfectly pregnant in the belly thread photos, I don't know why people are commenting about you being so big. I think people just don't really know what else to say, but they want to talk about your pregnancy. Anyway, you've got twins in there which is so amazing, so stick out that belly and strut your stuff!!! You look great.

Boots - good luck finding out the gender!!!

Kristy - I know what you mean about sleep. I sleep 9 hours a night and I nap even if my 3 year old won't - I just make him play on the bed next to me while I sleep, and he actually does THANK GOD!

Finally, DH is being grumpy. I mean really, extremely moody and grumpy. I haven't had any mood stuff this pregnancy, really, so maybe he's getting it LOL. I don't know, maybe it is his subconscious way of processing that we will have two kids....we're still pretty young and he's the breadwinner so I think he's a little stressed about being the provider for a growing family.....for now I'm just trying to give him space and keep the peace. It's working, mostly.

[ithappened]

youngspiritmom people in this area of the EU are really aware of size-- in a way different then Americans, its esp. bad with older men here.. . They aren't obsessed with their weight/dieting like Americans are but they make a point of monitoring others weight publically.. I let it slide but it gets old when you see people and the first thing they do is laugh at you then ask 'what happened' ..

he's the breadwinner so I think he's a little stressed about being the provider for a growing family..

I am the breadwinner in our family- hands down in fact. I have to say this part of having a growing family (ok, twins) is REALLY stressing me out as well esp with stopping work this month for the summer... This means no income and lots of bills. Scary.

I get super moody some days when its all in my face and the reality of this summer and the next 2 years hits me all at once. Yesterday was one of those days for me.. I just felt alone and overwhelmed by the responsibilities of going from 1 to 3 kids, being the one who earns the income, does the childcare, pays DH loans, does the grocery shopping, walks the dog, buys the car, the apartment, etc .. and I sort of just snapped into a mode of angry and scared...

Aaaaand ... on that note, I am going out for a hike this morning with the dog after I drop DS1 off at preschool, before I face work/life again this afternoon 
 

[LilyTiger]

Just got back from my 28 week appt - baby's heartrate is solid at 150, my bp is low/normal, and I'm measuring 29 cm, so all that is good.  I had the Rhogam shot and that's about it!  Now the only thing that's really left is the strep b test at 34 or 36 or something weeks.  We're just coasting at this point.  It's really weird to be at 28 weeks already, since when I was 5 weeks along it seemed so far away and impossible to get to.  Teaching helped (in a bizarre, painful way) because it gave me something else to do.  Now though I'm just DYING to be done so I can next and clean things up and landscape and get the house in order.  It's like this insane itch I haven't been able to scratch for three months.

ithappened, love the belly update in the belly thread!  You've definitely popped since the last pic you posted.  I hope your skin is doing ok!  I've been dousing myself in coconut oil, though I know a lot of stretch marks are just genetic.  Oh well.  But seriously, your belly is awesome.

As far as your previous post goes, I know this probably isn't helpful, but what happens when you talk to DH about all the stress you're under?  It just seems so unfair when I read your posts and I remember how bitter I felt just being the sole caretaker of our dogs before DH started helping out more, so I can't imagine how isolated and angry you must feel sometimes with all that on your back.  If DH can't understand what you're going through, I hope you can get the help you need from outside like you've mentioned before.  Cleaning lady, dog walker, someone to kidnap your FIL and get him out of your life... you know, the basics.

youngspiritmom, sorry to hear your DH is a little grumpy.  Mine has been in massive nesting mode, which is really cute, but then he doesn't pay enough attention to me and I get grumpy.  Ha.  Guess they can't do anything right.  I'm obviously not there yet, but I think the transition from 1 to 2 kids must be pretty crazy for everyone involved.... a lot of moving parts and stress.  Good luck!  BTW, was your first Rh negative or positive?  I'm interested to hear other people's stories, though I get how the genetics works.  I was so freaked out about it at first, so the Rhogam shot was kind of anticlimactic. 

[ithappened]

Cleaning lady, dog walker, someone to kidnap your FIL and get him out of your life... you know, the basics.

giggle.

I've been pretty aggressive about savings for the last few years so if I dip into that I can afford to hire the cleaning lady, a dog walker, get a car and some sort of 'mothers helper' for a few months but at that point its gone... I'm one of those people that need savings, need a retirement account etc or I really panic (oh the joys of growing up with a mom who is a Business school Professor!) 

I won't be working until late Fall, so getting help is doable just draining financially for my savings account- I could well be at zero at the end of this year and that's just a reality I am going to have to sit with until I am working again.... I really wish I could depend on DH for things, but the reality is its 50/50 with him-- when I ask him to do something it either doesn't happen, happens too late or is totally wrong (e.g. I'll ask him to go to the store for milk and eggs, he will come back with butter and bread).

If I didn't have to pay off this loan of his this month, we'd be in a MUCH better place financially but thats a good 6-8 months of my income right there.

[pennywhistle]

Hey ithappened, I'm really sorry to hear about all the stress you're under.  I'm also the sole breadwinner in the family.  It's stressful!  My husband and I have been doing okay lately, although things have been tense since he lost his unemployment payments (California was cut off completely).  So our income was cut by a third.  STRESS.  I hope you're able to get out in the fresh air today - the scenery for your walks is so amazing!

I've been really moody lately - bouncing between feeling totally blissed out and really sad.  It's exhausting!  A friend of mine who is pregnant with twins was put on bedrest 2 weeks ago, and has another 7 weeks or so to go, so I'm going to go visit her on my lunch break.  I'm feeling VERY grateful for my health right now!

Keep us posted on the gender, Boots!

[youngspiritmom]

Originally Posted by LilyTiger 

youngspiritmom,

BTW, was your first Rh negative or positive?  I'm interested to hear other people's stories, though I get how the genetics works.  I was so freaked out about it at first, so the Rhogam shot was kind of anticlimactic. 

So I'm B negative and DH is A positive. Our baby was B positive so I had to get Rhogam again after birthing him. My midwife friend told me that the chance of you and the baby's blood crossing is highly unlikely during pregnancy (it would have to be a really bad car accident or something) and also unlikely during delivery. So the Rhogam stuff is all preventative, mostly. Of course I do it just in case.

[JackieOnigiri]

Found out today that I have GD.  Pretty bummed out as I passed the 1 hour test just fine with my first.  My first appointment with the dietician's office is next Monday.  I realize it's not horrible, it's just an inconvenience ;)

[ilovetchotchkes]

Little girl is still breech. I'm seriously SERIOUSLY wigging out here. Not sleeping, crying.... my chiro and midwife are NOT worried, but holy hell I am. I can't have a section I can't I can't. I have a huge phobia. 
 

I'm going to go lay on an ironing board and weep now. 

[iixivboots]

ultrasound is Friday, GD test Saturday...

[intime0]

Ilove chotchkes, so sorry. There is still plenty of time though!!! Visit spinning babies and do ALL those things they suggest.  I know I will be.  My babies dont turn until I'm in labor so I'm hoping to get them in place sooner and go into labor earlier rather than later.

[Tizzy]

Seriously, don't stress about the breech thing this early :)

My 3rd was breech until...32? 34? (I'm drawing a complete blank!) weeks.  I had an u/s scheduled and a version tentatively booked, but the morning of the u/s I had a little heart to heart chat with her, explained how her life would start out soooo much easier if she just turned on her own etc. And she did within the hour!

Could be coincidental, but really I think me relaxing and just letting the whole issue go was the clincher.

I honestly don't know which way this baby is right now (27.5weeks), I feel awful that I haven't been keeping track the same way.

[ithappened]

I'm at 28/29w and one of my twins is still breech-- Im a bit worried since there isn't much room in there and she is showing no signs of flipping. . I have an appointment friday with the OB.. I am wondering how late twins can flip? The problem here is if they both aren't head down, the hospital till not do a vaginal as policy. . .

[sallyrae17]

I second spinningbabies.com! I actually went to an ICAN meeting on Monday (International Cesarean Awareness Network) and Gail Tully was there to talk about baby positioning. It was awesome. She really is a wealth of knowledge. So...go to her website and do everything she suggests. I bought her belly mapping book and hope it helps this time around! It's helpful for pretty much every mama out there!

[LilyTiger]

tchotchkes, I just talked to my doctor about this and she said exactly what everyone else is saying....  There's no need to worry at all.  You have a 5% chance of her remaining breech. Those are pretty good odds.  Stressing yourself out about it won't help you or the baby. 

In other interesting doc-chat news, my doc said that there is actually research that talking to the baby about turning actually has a statistically significant effect on turning breech babies.  They have no idea why, but Tizzy you might be right that it's about chilling out rather than freaking out.  My doc also said that chiro success is somewhat inflated since they often start working to turn "breech" babies when they would have turned by themselves later anyway.  Just a few thoughts.  I have no idea what position the duderino/a is in right now, but he/she is definitely bopping around in there.  At one point I felt tiny feet way over on my side, so I assume The Fetus was stretched out straight across the ol' uterus.

In other news, a woman on her porch stopped me when I walked by with the dogs yesterday to ask when I was due.   I told her August and she responded, "August?  No way are you making it until August.  Mid-July, take my word for it."  Thanks, random lady who is not my doctor.  She made up for it though by telling me I looked great and commenting that I was "all belly".  So, I'll take it.