Queer, Pregnant, and Parenting--February and March 2013! - Page 24

[carmen358]

Good to hear your DS is able to communication more, wishin. That must be much less frustrating for everyone. Thanks for the lollipop idea ;) I'm not worried at all about DD being bored or "disruptive" I'm just worried about receiving bad news and how my reaction will affect her. I guess I should call to see if she's even allowed to come! I had the same scan at the same place with DD and I have to go in first while they do most measurements (I don't even get to see) and then my DP was allowed to come in after.

Oh my, knitting! I'm glad the cramping has stopped. Take it easy!

Your place looks a bit busier than ours does, seraf lol I'd say we've moved about 65% of boxes and 15% of furniture. The house is partially furnished so we're just going to use the kitchen stuff/kitchen table and chairs and bed that's there until we actually sell our place. We're planning on staying there for the weekends for open houses...hopefully there isn't more than one but the market has slowed here so who knows. If it takes longer than expected we'll just move out and get settled...I really don't want to live in a "show home" for weeks on end...the idea stresses me out!!

[seraf]

Carmen, I can't imagine trying to live in a show home!!! We also have twice as many people, so busy is just life around here.

[escher]

Granite: Hooray for a good ultrasound! Isn't the heartbeat an amazing sound? What a good anniversary present. How did telling your boss go?

Seraf: It sounds like Shay and Soren have a good destruction business going on. You could hire them out (maybe to pregnant people who wanted to test their childproofing? Or to people who feel like they have too many possessions and would like to minimize their belongings?) and Shay could pull stuff out and Soren could shred it. Congratulations on moving your last load!

Carmen: Our RE tends to believe that supplementing with progesterone is a good idea for most people. When we insemmed this cycle, the RE asked if we wanted to do progesterone supplementation and we said no since my wife's levels have been fine in the past. So I don't know if the RE would recommend progesterone again or if she has decided that we're never interested. Anyway, looking online it seems like in first trimester anything over 10 is fine, so maybe we don't need to worry about it. I don't know.

Wishin: The lollipop trick sounds smart. I'm glad that your son's speech is getting easier to understand.

Knitting: That sounds scary! Good luck with cleaning up your desk (and with keeping the babies inside for a while longer!).

Nothing to report here. We'll get the results from the third beta in a few hours, and if those look good we'll probably be asked to come in for an ultrasound next week. It still doesn't feel real at all, but we're excited when we think about it! We've been reading What Makes a Baby to our son a lot recently.

[mrsandmrs]

oh man, reading about all this moving is making me exhausted. i hate moving so much. i think it's all the cleaning, sorting and organizing that wears me down. oh, and carrying infinite boxes. ((shudder)) i hope you all have fun making your new homes nice & cozy, though. 

starling, i'm sorry to hear about the problems with that adoption. the foster and adoption system can be such a harrowing experience for parents and kids. 

tiger - i can't believe you're getting so close... and i REALLY can't believe the thing about the crocs. i hope it's not too hot where you are yet. i am apprehensive about my giant pregnant summer. laboring at the hotel jacuzzi sounds pretty awesome! 

carmen - good luck at your ultrasound. i am sure everything will be great! 

granite! i am so excited about the little bean's heartbeat! congrats! 

 

and here's a veggie parade for the new BFP's coming over from QC

AFU - well, my wife is working too much overtime, but everything else is going well. i'm feeling very "second trimester-y" - hungry, not nauseous, eating things besides bagels, peeing constantly, great energy, etc. it is pretty spectacular and i hope it sticks around. we have an OB appointment on friday and i am looking forward to hearing heartbeats or getting an ultrasound so i know everything is OK. I feel their movement regularly, but I am still anxious about everything going well. i guess that feeling will never go away. 

[prettyisa]

AHope—oh, no! I am looking forward to Edie learning to talk, but it’ll be sad when she decides she wants to leave and can express it in real words. She’s gotten quite good at screaming for different snacks (cheerios! No—cheese! NO CHEESE! Cheerios! Etc). I expect screaming for different people is less cute.

Knitting—ugh. I’m sorry about your feet—I would just not take off my shoes at all when they started swelling like that. And it’s totally the wrong season for flipflops. But this week is almost over, so not long to go before you can stay in slippers all day!

Escher—glad to hear about the good beta! Hoping you get another one today!

Granite—how did telling your boss go? And I hope your colleagues are able to not say anything too terribly stupid to you. I keep hoping that some day soon television will just answer these questions for us and that everyone will just go, ‘oh, like on X show?’ and we’ll say, ‘yes.’ And be done with it.

Seraf—how’s the unpacking going? I can’t imagine trying to move with kids this age. Though I guess the boys will probably be ace unpackers…

Wishin—glad it’s going well. Your description of a tiny, charming exchange student is so adorable.

Carmen—definitely crossing my fingers for you that one weekend is all it takes. It’ll probably feel so great to be able to settle in to your new place for good!

Mrs—Yay for second tri! You sound like you’re in a really great place!

AFM—last night our tenants must have been throwing a party around 3am (not unlikely, since one of them works at a bar) because Edie was up at 3:30 for a few minutes, then 4-4:30, then up for real (and angry) at 5. Nothing made her happy except standing up at our headboard and dancing. Which is cute. Unless it’s 5:15 and all you want to do is get some sleep! Any attempts to restrain her led to sustained screaming. –sigh- I’ve also been feeling weirdly jealous of a friend who just had a beautiful baby girl. I’m glad we’ve got a plan to start on the next baby, but I’m surprised how envious I am of their family for some reason. Hopefully it’s passing—I feel like a jerk about it.

[escher]

Hi All,

MrsandMrs: I'm glad that you're feeling second-trimestery. I think second trimester can be such a fun time. I definitely understand still liking the reassurance of the doppler/ultrasound. I hope your appointment on Friday goes well!

Isa: I'm sorry about the tough sleep last night. Dancing is adorable, but definitely not so much in the middle of the night. I sometimes feel envious of other people with new babies too. I sort of hope that it is just a sign that we're not done having babies yet, and that I won't feel it as strongly once we've had all our kids.

Question for folks who have/had toddlers: What are your tricks and tips for reducing toddler frustration? It seems like it is hard to be 16 months old and to have lot of strong opinions.

AFM: I am very, very grateful for this little embryo, but I detest the "waiting to know" part of early pregnancy. Our third beta yesterday (17dpo) was 441, which is a doubling time of 61 hours from the second beta (as compared to a doubling time of 29 hours between the first and second betas). From what we have read, that seems like "maybe it's fine, maybe it's not" doubling. So we have another beta tomorrow.

[carmen358]

escher, I think I've read that doubling times can be ok within 72 hours....you've probably read the same things. Hang in there, it's more likely than not that things are just fine. Wen do u have an u/s booked? As for toddler frustration....I think acknowledging and naming emotions at this times is important. Just being with them and encouraging and comforting goes a long way imho. Are there certain things or circumstances that trigger it? Things that can perhaps be changed or modified to lessen the frustration without "fixing" everything?

Afm, I called u/s lab and they said it's better to bring someone to be with DD but if not, "can your child sit still?" Lol I said yes, she can, so she said it will be fine

Oh, and funny story, I went to pick up the maternity compression hose that my m/w gave me a prescription for (over 100 bucks!! Counting on my extended med insurance to pay!!)....I thought I'd just pick some out and go but suddenly I was being ushered into a back closed door room in the pharmacy and was being asked to take my pants off. It was a bit surprising lol I totally would have shaved my legs that morning had I known someone would be on their knees in front of me measuring all parts of my legs

[granite]

LOL, carmen! Unexpected leg reveal! That's awesome. I hope the compression hose work well for you... I can't believe how expensive they are! Today I was getting some testing done at a private lab, and there was a toddler there, which made me think of your situation with DD... This young fellow was doing great, though more occupied by staring at the other clients than by his electronic device. I'm glad your DD can sit still.

FX for you, escher... I don't have much knowledge of doubling betas, because as far as I know here in Canada they aren't done very often, but I am so full of hope for you and your family. 

Ouch, Isa, too early for dancing!

Hurrah for second tri, mrsandmrs! It's so great that you're feeling the twins moving around too, though I understand your looking forward to the appt tomorrow. How often is your OB doing ultrasounds?

Good luck with the unpacking, seraf! How absolutely exhausting it all sounds, especially with your little ones getting into everything.

Thanks for all the well-wishes, everyone: Telling my boss went really well! He'd actually told me last week that he and his wife had had "an appointment at a fertility clinic" and that she has PCOS (and I'd responded with a general mumble of concern, not knowing how to avoid blurting out "ME TOO!!!")... So I knew that he may at least be sympathetic to my situation. He was great! And he was especially grateful to hear that I overcame the PCOS issues, and that I recommend the doctor highly (there's only one fertility clinic, with one doc, around here)... Of course, then he wanted to know how long I thought it'd take him and his wife to get pregnant, and all I could say was that there were too many variables. But anyway, I feel a million times better now that he knows.

My boss also said that he has absolutely no idea how the company deals with pregnant tradespeople, but he'll try to find some guidelines. I've got my first midwife appointment next week, and am hoping she'll have some ideas too... All the pregnancy books I've found seem to be written for people with desk jobs! What I need is practical information for what I can expect to safely do as my pregnancy progresses. Do any of you know anything along those lines?

[baby.fatty]

Hey y'all,

I haven't been around these parts in a long, looong time - I have been TTC *forever* and I really needed to take a break from online discussions - but I'm happy to say I got a BFP this week and I'm excited to get caught up here! I'm glad to recognize some familiar names from back in the day!

My EDD is 11/30/13.. This LO will be almost exactly 4 years younger than my son.

Escher, my midwife recommended a natural progesterone supplement - pills you crack in your teeth and then let dissolve under your tongue for a little bit before swallowing. It's called ProgonB - I got it from Amazon - and my 21 day progesterone definitely responded to it. You might want to check it out.

Glad to be back!!

[seraf]

Isa, that's too early! We had our first brush with a night terror last night, if that makes you feel any better about dancing.

Carmen, lol.

Mrs, yay for second trimester.

Escher, I'm sorry you didn't get a clear quick doubling time. Toddlers, there are so many things to be frustrated with. Rules, physical limitations and communication challenges are the big ones for us right now. Rules, normally we try to keep them in a yes environment as much as possible. S is kind of aggressive lately and I frequently have to stop him from hitting someone. Usually just, "ouch, hitting hurts! Gentle touches. If you need to hit, hit this pillow/whatever." Or he wants someone to take him for a bike ride All The Time. He touches the bike, points at the door and says, "Eee! (Please!)" I usually confirm my understanding of his desire and tell him when we will do it next. Communication, we work on words and signs a lot. I am ok with this one, I've worked with aphasiacs for a long time and I'm pretty strong on yes/no questions to get to the problem. "Are you hurt? Excited? Hungry? You want something? Is it inside? The living room? Kitchen? Bedroom? Do you hear something? An airplane?" Even tho he says no more than he means, I can usually tell by his expression. Obviously having him in such a no house is not making his frustration any less right now.

We got our official neighborhood welcome today. Someone broke into the house and took electronics and most of Sara's camera stuff. And the spare house and car keys. Trying to get that all sorted now.

[granite]

Oh wow, seraf, I'm so sorry! What an awful event at your return to the big city!!! Do you have insurance to cover replacing any of it?

Welcome, babyfatty! I've also got a November '13 EDD, though mine's at the start of the month. Congrats on your BFP!

[seraf]

Granite, yeah. It's just one of those things where it's all a pain in the butt. Re-keyed the house locks but we aren't sure what to do about the car.

[easttowest]

So sorry, seraf!  When we got our house broken into, it felt like such a violation, which sucked more than the stuff that got stolen.  Although the stuff that got stolen sucked, too.  Hurts to even think about it now, I'm sure you're still in the middle of the sucking part.  Sorry again, and hope it gets worked out soon.

Hi everyone else!  Glad to see so many new people.

AFU, I just realized we're exactly 2/3 of the way through today!  We've both been unbelievably busy, but we have a three-day vacation planned next week and can't wait.  It's also Passover and Easter, so happy holidays to everyone who might be celebrating those!  And then we start in on a four-week child birth class, another hospital tour, and... well, everything is coming up very quickly!  I think we're putting together the nursery next week, although baby will probably be in our room for several months anyway.  But it's nice to have a place to put his things.

[wishin'&hopin']

Seraf--just a drive by to say "how sucky".  Sorry your house got broken into...that sucks.

[planet]

Seraf, that totally sucks!!! I'm so sorry to hear about the break in. I felt super creeped out when my house was broken into a few years ago. How are you guys feeling? Ugh, it just sucks so much! Hugs to you guys.

[carmen358]

Welcome back, baby.fatty! I remember you :) Congratulations!!

Oh no, seraf! That terrible :( I agree that it's a terrible welcome back to the big city. Big hugs to all of you.

[KnittingTigers]

Seraf, that sucks. I am so sorry. Hope you guys are able to replace both your stuff and your feeling of security.

Baby.Fatty, welcome back and congratulations! I remember when you were here before (I used to post as AngelaM). I also have a 4 year old, and am expecting twins(!?!) sometime in the next month.
 

easttowest, I cannot believe you guys are 2/3 of the way through! Congrats, and enjoy your three day holiday!

Granite, I'm really glad that your boss reacted well. I don't have much experience with safety issues around trades work, but I hope that you find the resources you need. And, I'm psyched that you're blazing a trail in this field for other preggos!

AFM, had my 34 week appointment yesterday. Babies seem fine, my blood pressure is still nice and low, everything is looking good. My midwife said the cramping was normal at this point, and not to worry about it. I'm one centimeter dilated, which she also said was normal, and was not a sign of impending labor. So, fingers crossed to bake them a bit longer!

[carmen358]

Originally Posted by granite 

My boss also said that he has absolutely no idea how the company deals with pregnant tradespeople, but he'll try to find some guidelines. I've got my first midwife appointment next week, and am hoping she'll have some ideas too... All the pregnancy books I've found seem to be written for people with desk jobs! What I need is practical information for what I can expect to safely do as my pregnancy progresses. Do any of you know anything along those lines?

Starling may have some experience...I know she had to go off early on medical leave because of the type of work she does. Or you could call WCB and/or EI for info.

[prettyisa]

Oh Seraf, I'm so sorry. That sucks, for sure.

[seraf]

Granite, I'm a nurse, totally female dominated field, there are certain drugs we couldn't touch while pregnant and certain illnesses we had to avoid but otherwise we were expected to perform as usual. Same universal precautions, same moving people heavier than myself around. We are expected to know how to do those things safely, so the risks aren't that much different when pregnant. What specific risks do you face and how to you lower risk to yourself not pregnant? One thing to be more careful of is pregnancy induced forgetfulness. Things are harder to remember with all the hormones. Double check your safety measures. Most of them you will do automatically, but check again to be sure. I'll ask my brother if he's ever worked with a prego or has any ideas.

Last night none of us had time to be anxious, the big kids were up all night barfing.