Soooo.... It is September and most of us are out of (or at least close to out of) the first trimester!!!!!!!!!
I think it is time to start chatting and getting to know each other!!!
Have any updates? How you feeling? Appointments coming up? Anxieties? Things you are looking forward to?
Chat away!!! :D
Hello,
I'm Sara, I've been on a few threads here. Right now I'm a ball of anxiety. We're in Canada, and we're not considered a high-risk pregnancy, so we don't get our first ultrasound until week 12 (which for us will be on September 12)... and then we need to wait another 6 days (September 18) for the results. The waiting is driving me nuts. I have never been a patient person, we often joke that my partner has all the patience in the relationship.
Like everyone, I just want to know that things are progressing okay. So far I have had very few pregnancy symptoms (all the ladies with awful morning sickness can hate me now). My symptoms have been extremely mild. So, of course rather than being relieved (which logically I know I should be), I am of course worried that this means there is something wrong.
8 days (14 days) and counting...
Thanks for starting the thread Jodieanneanton!
Hey! I'm Michelle... Doing well, working on having a peaceful pregnancy after a recent loss (my first pregnancy).
My weird secret is this: after constant (but very light) spotting, I got an u/s with my last pregnancy at 8 weeks and it didn't look good. I was told to come back at 9 weeks to "be sure" and it was the worst week of my life! I kept praying everything would be okay, but two nights before the second u/s, I had a very clear dream in which I felt God was really speaking to me. He told me that, unfortunately, I would lose the baby, but that I would get pregnant again very quickly ("within 6 weeks") and the baby would be fine and would look like DH*.
Sure enough, I did lose that baby (luckily was able to pass it at home without complications), and looking back, it was exactly 5 weeks and 6 days after I stopped bleeding that I conceived again! So I am just trying to have faith in God that He/She knows what He/She is doing. 
Especially early on, I kept saying, "God's got this, God's got this."
It's tough at times, but we have both remained strong and faithful. And pretty joyful!
As far as the day-to-day, I'm feeling great now, as my m/s has passed-- I am 14.5 weeks and in what is supposed to be the I-Feel-Awesome trimester. So far, it's delivering! I'm still waiting to "show" (I mean, DH and I can tell when I'm naked, but at my family reunion this weekend, everyone just rolled their eyes) and to feel the baby move, but I'm sure that will come within the next month.
I've mentioned this on other threads, but DH and I have never been huge fans of u/s, so we've actually declined doppler and u/s-- except for the 20-week scan-- and will have to wait until at least our 19-week appointment to be able to hear baby on fetoscope... maybe later. I can COMPLETELY understand that many women, especially those who have had losses, are dying to see/hear babe ASAP, but our feelings both before and after the loss have been (shockingly to me, as I'm very science-minded!) kind of apathetic towards early u/s. In part, experience has taught us that-- especially early on-- at best these things only give us, personally, a false sense of control or relief, as there's little we can do about any of the information. Weirdly, that's given us some peace!
What else? I think I've mentioned DH and I have been together for 17 years and married for 14. A little outside the bell curve, here. We really did intend to wait to have kids, though maybe not quite this long originally. So apparently my birth control pills were working hard all that time, because I got pregnant the first time I tried, and then the second time I tried after the loss. I am very aware that we're terribly lucky, especially at our ages (not ancient, but 34 and 42).
And we're planning a HB... and... I will probably mention "Dr. Mom's" advice here and there-- my mom is an MD who had two unmedicated hospital births, and she will be in attendance at the birth (as a mom-- not a doctor, unless the MWs don't make it!)
Looking forward to getting to know y'all better!
*Which would be a nice bonus! He was possibly the world's cutest baby and, IMNSHO, not a bad-looking guy. 
Hi, I'm Sarah too!
I'm old. Like, 40. OMG. And some days, I feel it. But my fertility has apparently not been impaired by being old. DH had some issues for a long time that precluded us conceiving our second child, but as soon as he worked through those, BAM! I thought it would take at least 6 months from when we started trying, but really, it was the first month when we were able to give it a go on the right day. Now, even though I wish I wasn't so elderly (lol) I'm glad we waited this long because DD is old enough to be interested and appreciative - and to understand when I lie on the couch and croak "I can't cook dinner tonight sweetie, can you please put a pot of water on the stove and turn it on so you and Daddy can have Kraft dinner?"
I'm still a little nervous about this pregnancy, even though I haven't been able to hide it (I look pregnant) and a lot of people know. I'm getting an ultrasound done on Thursday which will hopefully set my mind at ease (technically it's an NT scan to check for signs of chromosomal abnormalities, but frankly I wouldn't terminate in the case of the most likely - trisomy 21 - anyway - it's just for peace of mind). This week feels SO hectic already - my daughter (who is 6 1/2) is back at school, but only half-days for most of the week, I have 2 days of work, my uncle is arriving for a visit, and this ultrasound appointment - ACK! I need to find a house cleaner.
I thought I'd beaten the nausea but it's kind of back today. I suppose that's good...? Bleh. I just want it gone. I said to a friend that if I did lose the pregnancy at this point I would be way more pissed off than sad, having suffered through total grossness since 4 weeks.
Anyway. I hope everything is ok and I look forward to another 6 months of chats with you lovely ladies!
Oh, and I should add that I'm a bit ambivalent about home vs hospital birth this time around. Our hospital is fine, nothing wrong with it except the food... but it would be nice to be home especially if someone else can clean up the mess afterwards. I had a massive postpartum hemorrhage after DD was born and if my MW thinks that's at all likely to happen again, I'm happy to be in the hospital. DH's preference is for hospital, but I don't think DD would be able to be with us there and she really wants to watch (she isn't the sort of child to be traumatized by that or anything, but her teachers might object to her "news" report the next day...) So I dunno, I guess we'll wait and see. Maybe pack a bag and all, but if the kid wants to fall out at home, that's ok too. 
BeagleSmuggler- Waiting 6 days for the results of an ultrasound?!!? That seems crazy to me. I always get results same day. Maybe you will have a great tech who will at least show you the heartbeat! The waiting is hard. I am not too patient with things like that, either... I like to brand myself as super curious instead of impatient, though. Sounds better! 
buko- You were married at 20!?!?! (Me, too!) Did you get a lot of flack for it? I did at the time, but only from people who didn't know me very well. My family was very much supportive. However, it seems that I was 20 when I was born (my mom says), so really 40 when I married... I hate to think about how old that makes me now!! hahaha! You have such a good attitude coming out of a loss. I am glad you have reached a sense of peace. I was like that after my first loss (which happened at 6 weeks), but when I lost the pregnancy after that at almost 13 weeks, I lost my ability to totally trust. I have good days and bad regarding that and recently the peaceful days outweigh the neurotic days, which is good. I have had those experiences where I feel God has really spoken to me, too. I love it when that happens. One was when my DD2 was born. My DH and I were totally DONE having kids. We had completely and totally NO interest in ever expanding beyond 2 kids. Within a few hours of the birth, I felt this nagging feeling that I was being called to have more children, but more than that, be completely open to any life that comes our way. I was mad/annoyed to say the least, but prayed that if that was God's will for our life that He would change MY mind and take care of convincing the DH for me. The next morning, I woke up wanting a busload of children and even more miraculously, 3 weeks later, without me having said anything about it, my husband mentioned that he was open to more children and wouldn't mind having 5 or 6. I look back in awe at how it all fell in place.
spughy- You are not old! You are not really old until you are 79! I wouldn't even put you in the "she's kinda old to be having a baby" category. That doesn't start (in my mind) until you are 50! So now that you know my arbitrary opinion of what constitutes old, I will move on! Boy! Do you have a busy week this week! I hope the u/s goes well for you tomorrow! Sorry your nausea is back, I hope it leaves for good soon!
AFM- I am actually getting ready(or will be in a minute) to grab lunch with my MW who delivered DD2. She will be at the birth this time around, but won't be the main caregiver because she is not a hb mw. I am going to try really hard not to order an italian sub... i need to eat a bit healthier, which has been hard since I have been so nonstop sick.
My DD1 and I are easing into home school this week. She is doing Kindergarten, so it will be our first go at an everyday schedule. She is really getting into reading now and it's amazing to see her eyes light up when she reads a word! I love seeing that!
Well, I am off to lunch! Hope everyone's doing well!
Hey ladies! I'm Sigrid. I'm a newborn nurse at a local hospital and I have the privilege of attending births for a living (just in case babies need some help to come around after birth, plus all those newborn things-- vit k, erythromicin, footprints, ID bands, weight and measurements, etc). I took my lactation certification exam in July to be an IBCLC, but won't get my results until October (I hate waiting!) I do a lot of breastfeeding support at work. I love my job, but it can be so exhausting. We have been absolutely insanely busy lately.
I got married to DH when I was 21. I had my first baby when I was 23 (I took my nursing boards when 9 months pregnant!). He was an unwanted induction for oligo with 3 hours of pushing (posterior presentation) and then emergency c/s. It was quite a doozy of a birth! I had a lovely intervention-free hospital birth with hypnobabies and a CNM with my second when I was 25. I arrived at the hospital at 9.5 cm after laboring at home for 12 hours and pushed out my 9 lb 8 oz baby girl with no problems. It was awesome.
When I was 26, I had two miscarriages. It was devastating. The first one was at 12 weeks. I went to the hospital ER for spotting and an u/s confirmed the baby had died. I was sent home without discussion of "options." I went into labor the next day and delivered the baby at home... and then hemorrhaged. To make a long story short, I lost half my blood volume and got 4 units of blood, a unit of plasma, tons of meds to contract my uterus, and then finally an emergency D+C. It was a very traumatic experience that took a long time to heal and recover from. I had a transfusion reaction and a second miscarriage only 3.5 months later to complicate my recovery.
Now... a year later, I am 12 weeks pregnant with another little baby! I am thrilled to get another chance. My kids are 4 and 2. They are so excited! We have a fabulous CNM and I am so glad for the individual care she provides! She has been so supportive throughout this past year.
This is so much fun going through pregnancy with all of you ladies! Thanks for sharing your stories. :)
Love, Sigrid
BeagleSmuggler - They likely let you see the baby at the U/S, and if you ask they'll let you hear the heartbeat. I totally understand your stress though. With my first I didn't hear the heartbeat at the firs midwife appointment (13 weeks) and didn't have my ultrasound until 14 weeks. And yeah no real symptoms either, just boobs, ha!
This time, I feel way more tired, although having a 2 1/2 year old can do that. No m/s again, but I feel huge! Looking back at pictures I feel as big at 11 weeks as I did last time at 16 or 17 weeks. I had a dating ultrasound today and can verify that there's just one baby in there.
This time, I feel way more tired, although having a 2 1/2 year old can do that. No m/s again, but I feel huge! Looking back at pictures I feel as big at 11 weeks as I did last time at 16 or 17 weeks. I had a dating ultrasound today and can verify that there's just one baby in there.
That is exactly me! I am EXHAUSTED this time, but contribute that to having a toddler. I'm as big at 12 as I was at 18 with DS, just not as rounded.
Chapsie, were you on the March 10 boards? You look a bit familiar... ;)
spughy! you are NOT elderly! my dear sister had her first last year at forty.
I know what everyone means about "looking like 16 weeks the first time round at 11 weeks this time." just seemed to pop right out this time, like oh hey! I know what's going on here! let's make some SPAACE.
I think I'm getting some energy back, almost to that magical second trimester. Who knows about my dates, my ovulation was definitely off. We will see how s/he's measuring on the 11th. Very excited for that appointment, like usual, almost unbearably so. I have this tiny glimmer of hope there is a chance we will find out the gender. Probably mostly wishful thinking on my part.
Anxieties.. Well, I had a somewhat traumatic experience having ds. I think this is causing a little birth anxiety even though it is a long way off. Hopefully I will work it out being sane and rational, chalking the garbage experience up to the facility I had ds at and I will not be going there this time.
I got married at 17.5 (we'd been together since I was 14) - we had two losses together. Both at 8 weeks. The first was when I was 19 and the second at 20. I threw him out for being an abusive ass and a week later found out I was pregnant with DD. I was 21 when she was born and it took until June 2011 to finalize our divorce. I'll be 25 in December and my partner just turned 40 last week so this time around I'm getting all kinds of flack for age difference. *rolls eyes*
We've had a huge traumatic week and honestly, I'm just too tired to type it all out so I'll share another time. I'm getting really anxious to find out gender and start feeling baby kicks. Our next appointment is the 11th and I intend to ask if they do the 20 week U/S as standard practice and if you actually have to be 20 weeks. (Basically my next appointment after that one I'd be 17 weeks so IDK if they'll do it then, have me come in at 20 weeks, or make me wait until the next appointment after that.)
I'm old. Like, 40. OMG. And some days, I feel it.
Sarah - just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. I'm not 40 yet, but will be 39 in October (I figure that's pretty close). And I agree about feeling my age somedays. I have been knocked out during this pregnancy. DH & I was discussing what life is going to be like in a couple of years with a toddler & a preschooler, and I am exhausted thinking about it. I'm young at heart though, so hopefully my energy level will reflect that. 
BeagleSmuggler- Waiting 6 days for the results of an ultrasound?!!? That seems crazy to me. I always get results same day. Maybe you will have a great tech who will at least show you the heartbeat! The waiting is hard. I am not too patient with things like that, either... I like to brand myself as super curious instead of impatient, though. Sounds better!
BeagleSmuggler - are you getting the NT scan? I just ask because when I did mine they gave me the initial results of the scan while I was there, but then I have to wait about a week to get the official results that included the bloodwork. Just curious if this is your case as well, and if it is, just wanted to let you know that they should be able to give you some piece of mind before you leave (and just seeing the little bean helps so much).
I am going to try really hard not to order an italian sub... i need to eat a bit healthier, which has been hard since I have been so nonstop sick.
jodieanneanton - Mmmm, italian sub. I lived off of these when I was pregnant with DS. I could put a footlong away in about 5 minutes. It didn't help that I also had a mayo craving and had them pile it on. I haven't gotten that craving yet... hopefully it will hold of for a bit.
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Hey ladies! I'm Sigrid. I'm a newborn nurse at a local hospital and I have the privilege of attending births for a living (just in case babies need some help to come around after birth, plus all those newborn things-- vit k, erythromicin, footprints, ID bands, weight and measurements, etc). I took my lactation certification exam in July to be an IBCLC, but won't get my results until October (I hate waiting!) I do a lot of breastfeeding support at work. I love my job, but it can be so exhausting. We have been absolutely insanely busy lately.
Welcome Chapsie! I have to ask how you like being a newborn nurse. I'm toying around with the idea of going back to nursing school & would love to work in L&D and possibly go on to get my CNM someday. But, I am old and have done a lot of school already (I have a few degrees under my belt) and don't know if I'm up for it again. Good luck on your IBCLC. I have a friend who also took it in July. I know it was a grueling process, so congrats for even mentally getting through it!
AFM - nothing to report. Beginning to feel better and getting some energy back. Yay! I have my next mw appointment in a week, and am looking forward to hearing the little bean's heartbeat again. I haven't felt any movement yet, but am hoping to soon. It's hard to believe that I'm almost 15 weeks along! Time is flying right now.
since eveythings went so positively yesterday... I guess that catches me up!
Kellykins- glad to see that baby is doing well!!
maydaymom10- I'm hoping to get my energy back! Time definitely feels like it is flying this time around. Can't wait to hear how things go at your appointment!
Granola- I'm sorry that you have had such stressful week 
With DS we had our u/s at 18 weeks, and this time around we will be having it before 20 weeks. Hopefully they don't make you wait until 20.
beautifulnm- I am having birth anxiety, too. I had a crap birth experience with DS, but we have taken the steps to prevent all of that this time (no hospital, changing to midwife, etc). It sounds like you are doing the same, I'm sure you will have a great experience this time!
Tear78- You are a trooper. Can't imagine having to teach during the yucky first trimester. Hope you are getting a ton of rest!
AFM- This week has been relatively stress free. The holiday on Monday made the week seem shorter. We are going to be BBQing a brisket this weekend and my mouth is already watering.
I'm feeling huge this time around, and I expect to be getting the "are you sure it isn't twins?!" question through the rest of my pregnancy. 
The car seat was delivered yesterday, so that was a bit of excitement! I am a lot more laid back this time around (I think having a toddler to focus on helps a lot), and it is making time fly by. I hope it continues like this! We don't have another appointment until the 25th, so I won't have anything new to report for a few weeks. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!
Finally have a few minutes!!! Last week on Thursday I had a severe asthma attack that didn't respond to my inhaler to point I was nearly blacking out. I made it to the ER in time and they were able to help me out but my OB put me on a steroid inhaler (Advair) in addition to my rescue inhaler. I was incredibly upset about this because I was stupid and googled Advair and pregnancy... Anyway, I woke up the next morning and was bleeding and cramping. I texted DP to meet me at the ER when he got out of class (about 30-40 minutes from when I woke up). I then remembered we'd forgotten to get gas on the way home the night before (DP and I don't combine our money) and I had ZERO money to put gas in the thing - I was afraid I wouldn't have enough gas to get to the ER. So, while freaking out that I may be having another miscarriage with no chance of second chance since this was a miracle baby, I am digging through our change jar to find enough coinage to get a gallon of gas. I then have to stop and get the damn gas! I tried really hard to stay calm because I can't afford another asthma attack. I get to the ER and check in followed shortly by DP. He was there for about 20 minutes before ex calls asking where he is, he's supposed to be in court for the final divorce hearing. We'd not gotten any notification of the court date so he had to leave and go to the court thing. Three hours later he returns (and I'm STILL waiting for a room) covered in blood and asphalt with a heavy limp. He wrecked his motorcycle on the way to court because some jerk teenager swerved into his lane forcing him off the road. He called the judge to ask for a continuance and the judge basically said, "I don't believe you. Be here in 20 minutes or I'm ruling in her favor." So by the miracle of adrenaline he manages to get to the court and walks in looking like he just wrecked his motorcycle. The judge got an, "Oh sh!t," look on his face but they (the judge, the ex, and ex's lawyer) all tried to push him to go ahead anyway because they had to drive 30 minutes in (never mind that DP had to leave me in the ER, wrecked his motorocycle, AND had to drive 30 minutes in) but he refused and the judge finally granted his continuance. Somehow he gets back to the ER and the ER triage nurse was nice enough to give him some stuff to clean up a bit but his clothes were shredded and obviously they couldn't give him any pain meds. So, he takes the car home for a few minutes to change clothes, clean up the cuts, get a brace for his torn muscle in his knee, get a cane, get some tylenol, grab phone chargers, etc. I get back to a room while he's gone after waiting FIVE HOURS in the ER waiting room but have no signal in the room. Thankfully the hospital had free wifi and that my bestie was on FB so I was able to message her and ask her to call DP to let him know what room I was in. DP takes forever to get back and when he finally does I found out it's because the serpentine belt blew on the car on his way back!!! Luckily the towman was kind enough to give him a ride to the hospital but now our only way home is the motorcycle which obviously I shouldn't be riding under normal circumstances let alone after the ER trip and most definitely not after DP's accident. The hospital did all the normal checking but refused to allow DP to accompany me to the U/S. We get the final results nearly 8 hours after arriving at the ER and I have a cyst on my ovary, gallstones, and SCH bleed under the placenta. They send me home. Thankfully I was able to find a friend to give me a ride home from the ER. I hadn't gotten to eat or drink since 6:00 p.m. the night before as I literally woke up and went straight to the ER and they refused to allow me anything. So when I got home at 8:30p.m. Friday night, I grab a granola bar to level myself out before eating. What happens? I have my worst vomitting fit since becoming pregnant followed promptly by a severe asthma attack! The next morning I rolled out of bed and proceeded to make a 6 hour round trip in torrential rain to pick up my DD from my ex's and of course the bleeding starts again. I have to go straight from the road to the hospital to do my follow up blood draw for HCG quant and wind up getting stuck multiple times and one go they messed up some nerve endings so I was unable to use my dominant arm for several hours. Tuesday afternoon rolls around (because of Monday's holiday) and my OB finally calls back with the results and they were unable to conclusively roll out miscarriage because I've reached the point in pregnancy where HCG levels plateau but they were fairly confident the bleeding was just from the SCH since the U/S showed a healthy baby. Top it off with some big fights between me and DP and things have just been spectactular! Thankfully DP and I resolved our issues and the bleeding has stopped and my appointment with my OB is Tuesday afternoon. I actually got to SEE the baby's heart beating on the U/S which was something new for me and the ER doc surprised us with a paper print out of one of the U/S shots which I thought was very sweet.
So, that's been the crazy week but luckily things are better and we're moving forward!
Granola...I hope things ease up for you! Praying for peace and calm your way!
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