February mamas-week of July 18-24

[Lousli]

February mamas, some of us are almost in the second trimester! let's hope that means more energy and less m/s for all...

Kater07 February
Chiku due Feb 1 birthing center
Parker'smommy (Heather) due Feb 1
Lisashepp (Lisa) due Feb 1
Sadkitty. Due Feb 1st
Dandylion (Stephanie) due Feb 2
Truvie due Feb 2
PeacefulVegan (who also answers to Tracie) due Feb 3
Lou due Feb 3
Twin Mom (Deb) Due Feb 4, VBA2C homebirth
Free Thinker (Mandy) due Feb 5
HelloKitty (Kitty) due Feb 6
Letabug (Arleta) due Feb 6
LianneM due Feb 7 homebirth
TexasSuz (Susan) due Feb 7
Happymamajenni (Jenni) due Feb 7 hospital/OBGYN
LesleyLuu (Lesley) due Feb 7 (or 9th?) hospital/OBGYN
DeirdreAlison (Deirdre) due 1st week Feb homebirth, maybe waterbirth
New Life Due Feb 8
Shannon 0218- due Feb 11 hospital birth with great OB
ella-makes-3 (Jasmine) - due ~ Feb. 11 midwife/natural birth at birth center
Tug due Feb 12
Firefly due Feb 13
Christi due Feb 14 hospital birth with fab OB
Periwinkle (Karen) due Feb 14
Fairymomma (Pamela) due Feb 14
Jorie (Margorie) due Feb 14
AmBam (Amber) due Feb 14 homebirth
Wtchyhlr (Joy) due Feb 14
rose angel (Karen) due Feb 16
mama2m&m (Denise) due Feb 16
HydeParkB due Feb 17
Karennnnn (Karen) due Feb 17
Coopsmama (Kristen) Due Feb 17
Shyly (Monica) Due Feb 17
Gretchen Due Feb 18
weesej (Jen) Due Feb 19 homebirth
mehndimama (Stell) due Feb 22 unassisted homebirth
*Amy* (Amy) due Feb 20 birthing center/possible water birth...?
heveasoul due Feb 21, h/b with m/w
Ekblad7 due Feb 28

[ekblad9]

I know I've done this five times before but please tell me I'm going to feel better soon. I feel like bloody hell. I'm so freaking dehydrated. The anti nausia pills are great except that they are also a sedative and knock me completely out. My kids are running amock doing God knows what. My dh is really losing it with me. My mom had to do my grocery shopping today! : I suck, suck, suck!!!!

[jorie]

subscribing

ekblad--don't beat yourself up!! you are expending the same energy every day growing this baby as it takes to run a marathon! If you ran a marathon everyday, people wouldn't complain if you were tired.

[TexasSuz]

Hi everyone. I have been reading the posts but have felt too bad to post myself. I am so depressed. I will be 12 weeks on Monday and I still feel so badly. It has affect our lives so much - poor dh is doning everything, we have gone no where this summer, we have spent a fortune on medication and take out, ds watches way too much tv now, ds does not seem as close to me because I am always lying down. I miss going places, doing fun stuff with my ds, etc. I am soooooo depressed. I just want my life back!

Thanks for letting me feel sorry for myself. I have also lost 6 pounds but look fatter - how is that possible? My stomach is huge!!!!!!!!!!

[Lousli]

Sorry everyone is feeling so darn crummy (trying to not cuss). I'm not so sick as you all, but just tired, tired, tired. I have to go back to work next week and I'm NOT looking forward to it. But anyway, I keep hoping that for me as well as you gals it starts easing up in the next couple of weeks. I have my second OB appointment. I'll be setting up a nuchal translucency for sometime in the next 2 weeks I think. Feel better everyone, and try to not feel guilty.

[shannon0218]

Subscribing.
Suz, it's possible, I lost 19 lbs and none of my pants fit-yeah, that makes sense.
This part will be over soon everyone--it has to be or I won't be able to cope. It's supposed to be hot and humid all week here. The air in my truck is broken--btw, can you believe that Steve had the gaul to say his car always breaks when I drive it just cause his rear view mirror fell off--that cost 11 bucks to repair adn is arm rest broke off on me. Meanwhile, he's driving my much newer truck and the air breaks and he busts my rear brake lines---hellooooooo, who breaks who's vehicle????? Anyway, back to my originally scheduled thought...my air is broken, his air SUCKS and I HAVE to leave the house today tomorrow and Wednesday.

[tug]

Suz - Hope you are feeling better. I know exactly what you mean. My DH has been doing everything around the house too. He's really really nice about it (and even bought me flowers on Saturday) but I still feel like he must resent it (esp. b/c i've been so sick that we haven't had any intimacy in weeks and weeks and weeks). We've also eaten out constantly. Our bank statement was a page long, single-spaced restaurant entries. Which we also totally can't afford. My father (who lives with us) thinks I do nothing but sleep. I "play" with ds by lying on the couch encouraging him ("yeah, go get that ball you just threw that i'm too lazy to go get and toss back to you!" "yeah, make some noise on that little musical toy."). what a great mom. and i suck at work. i'm miserable and just want to go home.

hopefully, this will all get better after next week...

[weesej]

It will be getting better. This is time #6 for me and DH is very good about taking over everything. He knows he is mister do EVERYTHING for 6 weeks.

No more spotting, very glad. Going to see if I can get the HB when I am out doing prenatals tommorow

Shannon, was reading about the low blood sugar problem. Sugar makes blood sugar jump up and then crash even lower than before, in other words you feel good and then awful! You need to eat AT LEAST every 2 hours. We digest things faster when pregnant and even if it seems like you just ate, eat again. Always eat some protien. If you want something sweet and have a peach, then eat a slice of cheese too! The protien levels out the blood sugar and maintains it longer. Hot and humid here too, this is the first pregnancy that I have had AC for and #5 with the 1st trimester in the summer. I am so thankful for the AC!

[ekblad9]

Glad to hear my dh isn't the only one not getting sex and having to do most of everything. I"m so frustrated with the state of the house, the kids, everything. I try to do stuff but feel so crappy!

Anyway, at least I'm not the only one. Hopefully we'll all feel better soon!

[*Amy*]

Me too. I feel like absolute crap today, even feeling sorry for myself which I just hate to do. I had terrible emotional dreams last night (that I was married to my mean ex-boyfriend instead of DH, for example) and I woke up just feeling sad and anxious. I can't get rid of those feelings and just want to go back to bed.

My fatigue is really taking over my life, and I also feel guilty about what a slug I am. DH is really desperate for intimacy, and I can't even muster the energy to *think* about it, much less do it. My nausea is the worst it's been, though still not actually losing it.

I'll be so glad in 2-3 weeks when I am feeling more like normal.

[shannon0218]

I know this is utterly pathetic and that I'm one of few first time parents here. But last night, my young dog was feeling particularily sucky (a good 50% of her existence) Anyway, when she is like this, she snuggles up next to me at night (Steve works nights) So I'm sleeping with her last night, my arm around neck and she's so snugley and warm and what comes into my mind??? How am I going to co-sleep with Bedlam in the bed, I mean, while she's there she's very still and everything, but in getting up and finding "her spot" she could easily step on a babe and she's a german shepherd, so it would hurt. So there I am in bed with her, crying because I can't decide if I should start kicking her off the bed now or just wait until closer to "the time" and worried that she will not understand (she had a rough start in life but has taken rather quickly to her new cushy life). Before anyone thinks I'm a nutbar.... I'm a dog trainer and for the most part I work with police dogs, so I'm a fairly tough dog trainer. I have been quoted many times as saying "For God's sake, it's a dog... get over it!" (I love my dogs to bits but am the first to admit we walk on 2 legs and they walk on 4 for a reason)
Anyway, I"m pathetic, I know it, are there any other doggie parents strugling with how to sleep with baby adn the pets???

[wtchyhlr]

wow, we're all having Mondays.

Lesse. Sex. What the hell is that. My poor DH at least isn't complaining... but I've been WAY to tired to even think about sex for oh, about 6 weeks... in fact i think we've had sex exaclty once since the BFP. I'd rather sleep. *shrug*

Shannon - Rod didn't want our puppy in bed with us at first cuz he was so tiny (mini poodle) when we got him - just under 5lbs. But now he's close to 15, and I gotta admit, i love sleeping with him. But ... he's crate trained, and spends MOST of the night in the crate by the bed. When i get up early to go pee, I take him out, and then he comes to bed and sleeps with us for about an hr. so i'm not real worried, i don't think we'll be doing that at first with the baby, but maybe after a few months. We'll see.

My first midwife appt is tomorrow quite excited about it. REally anxious to see or hear a heartbeat. We'll try with the doppler first, and if we don't hear it, then i'll go ahead and have an ultrasound.

[tug]

shannon - sorry about the doggy thing. and german shephards are so so cuddly and needy. my oldest pup (13 yrs) is part german shephard. after the baby came, we stopped having the dogs or cat on the bed (a german shephard mix and a greyhound and a cat and a baby and us on a queen-size bed just wouldn't work). the weird thing is, it seemed like the dogs just knew (our moronic cat insisted on trying for a while but kept falling off the edge). when the baby was really young, they just sort of kept their distance, but kept their watch for him. it was kind of cool. now they're much more laid back. ds and the greyhound had an argument over a feather pillow the other night. she just lay down on it and kept staring at him like he was nuts while he pushed on her, tried to pull the pillow, tried to pinch 'til he got scolded by mommy, and kept saying "mine, mine, MINE." i know he can't really help the "mine" stuff (learning to be assertive or something) but i have to say it made me less sympathetic to his efforts to reclaim his pillow. AND, molly (the greyhound) looked pretty funny just sitting there happily with her blank expression. anyhoo, don't worry. it will work out!

[Periwinkle]

10 completed weeks / starting week 11

No no no!!! What happened to us?! Last week, some of us were beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and this week everyone is feeling crappy again!

Ekblad - I hope you are feeling better soon. You sound so sick, and the last thing you should do is worry about what others think about lying around on couch.

Suz - Another person in m/s hell. You sound pretty depressed. I hope things look up soon.

Lesley - OK so here is one very VERY controversial thought - how about a 1/2 cup of coffee (or black tea)? You're pretty far along in this first trimester and all the studies show it's only a lot of caffeine over an extended time frame that causes problems. Get thee to a Starbucks!

Shannon - No more bad luck for you. This is the start of your good luck streak! Hope things with your car are fixed soon and dh gets some sense into him!

Tug - You are NOT a bad mama. I think we (I know I do anyway) all worry too much about impact of a few bad weeks on little ones. They'll be OK! Plus, think of all the exercise their getting! Bad at work, well, me too. I feel worse at work than anywhere -- too much free time and sitting still.

Weesej - FINALLY a nice big happy No more spotting! Wooo hooo!!!

Amy - See my note to Lesley above. The occasional teeny dose of coffee/tea couldn't hurt now could it?!

Wtchyhlr - I hope your first midwife appointment goes well and that you can easily hear the nice strong


As for me, I am feeling pretty tired. We've been on the go since Memorial Day - either guests in town every weekend or out of town. It's catching up to me big time and it doesn't help that I'm in the thick of a very busy 2 weeks at work. I only work part-time (16 hours in the office and several at home) and my heart really goes out to you full-time mamas because I would be a puddle underneath my desk.

[*Amy*]

Shannon, I have a 10-year old female Boxer (Spencer) who has slept with me since she was 5 weeks old. The truly odd thing is that for no apparent reason, she has recently decided to start sleeping on her dog bed on the floor next to our bed. I have no idea if she senses that I'm pregnant, or if she's just getting older and it's more comfortable to have her own space? She now waits until she's invited up on the bed every morning to cuddle for about 15 minutes, and it works well for all of us. When my sister was out last month with her 18-month old daughter, Spencer was *very* careful around the baby, even when we were all on the bed. I was really impressed that she knew that she needed to be extra gentle and watch her big paws. I'm not sure if it's the same for all dogs, but I kind of think they have a sense about it.

I wonder, too, though how she will deal with our full-time baby! She's been the center of attention in my household since day one, and I am so damn sensitive to her feelings. I'm kind of thinking I'll start telling her it's HER baby so that she'll feel protective instead of jealous. We'll see how it all goes.

In other news, I'm *in love* with watermelon!!! I can't get enough of it. It is just so soothing and cool. Mmm. I recommend it to everyone; it's really calmed my nausea.

[Lousli]

Thanks Periwinkle! I am so tempted by coffee. I miss it a lot! I know everything says that it is okay in moderation, but it also says it crossed the placenta, so I'm torn. I've had probably 3 caffienated drinks so far this pregnancy. I might have to when I go back to work on Wednesday.

I'm not a dog person, but we have cats, and one in particular likes to snuggle and sleep with me. It actually ended up being a very odd transition, because we were recarpeting upstairs when the baby came 4 weeks early, so we slept downstairs in the guest room, and the cat didn't seem to have a problem with it. However, when we moved back upstairs, he was not thrilled to be kicked out of the room, and did pee on stuff for a while. Now I get to snuggle him until dh is ready for bed, and when he is, then he takes the kitty away.

I see my Ob today at 11 am. I'll let you all know if I find out anything interesting.

Suz, Tug, and Ekblad, I too have had the worry about what this pregnancy does to my relationship with my child. However, I try to keep it in perspective that she's 2.8, and I can't even remember anything that happened to me before I was 3 or 4. I want to give her the best, and I feel like I'm failing her a little, but it is also teaching her that there is going to be less of me to go around (something she will need to learn when the baby is here). I really worry about how sharing daddy is going to be for her. That is going to be the tough one, since he is a SAHD.

wtchyhlr, Good luck with your midwife tomorrow, and let us know how it goes!

weesej, So GLAD you have no more spotting! Hooray!

Amy, I vaguely remember from the last pregnancy that it does get better. Ask Ekblad, she's done this more than I have : )

Shannon, As always, I'm hoping that things get better for you. You've had such a difficult time, and I don't know what to say about that. it so isn't fair, and I just keep thinking that with any luck, the rest of your pregnancy will be smooth sailing.

Okay, I'm off to read the one thread...

[ekblad9]

for watermelon! I can't drink water. It makes me ill. So watermelon helps keep me hydrated.

I'm 9 full weeks tomorrow. Thank God. My m/s should start looking up in about a week or so. Argh. I'm miserable much like many of you are!

[HydeParkB]

Shannon, when I was a wee one, my family had a German Shepard, and that dog was my buddy. You may be surprised - she may be very aware of the baby. Does she step on you two now? Maybe there's a way to train her to enter at the foot of the bed?

Good luck!

[ekblad9]

I think if dogs are eased into the new baby they do fine with them. Our dalmation was 16 years old when I had my first child. I was really nervous as to what her reaction would be but she was SO protective of him. It worked out really well.

[shannon0218]

I think she'll like the baby and if she's anything like her dad (Havoc) she'll be quite protective. She just has NO clue of her size or general impact. She's stepped on Steve's crotch so many times it's amazing I'm pregnant. She stomps all over me, even though I've been telling her to stay off. She has the sensitivity of a brick wall.
Her dad, my old dog, immediately stopped cuddling too aggresively as soon as I was pregnant. It's like Bedlam thinks she only weighs 10 lbs. Havoc knows he's over 100.
Teaching her to come up from the foot is fine, it's just that she stomps all over once she's up. And she's not that bright, I mean, she's hung herself up on the footboard 4 times, 2 times she even cut herself, but she still goes on and off the bed over the footboard.
Well, I gotta go pick up some groceries. I'm not sure why, it's not like I can eat, but I guess Steve still has to.