I'm baaack :) (let's chat!)

[Miss Juice]

Didja miss me?

So I survived an entire week without MDC. And a busy week it was! I feel like I have missed way too much. I'm trying to get caught up, but it's tough! A bunch of babies came - yay! That's so exciting. And encouraging. And frustrating, since I'm just about 37.5 weeks now, and am expecting to go past my EDD like I have every time.

It was a great vacation - a week by a lake, almost no TV, a beach for swimming where I could almost forget I was pregnant. But it's good to be home (I say as my 2 and 4 year old resume a raging fight over the doll babies in the playroom).

So no excitement from me - I can feel things changing for sure, baby's getting lower and lower. Seems like I have a lot of swelling going on in some pretty personal areas (not that I feel like having sex right now anyway, but I wonder if it would even be possible) sorry for the TMI. My next appt is not until Friday, when I'll be just over 38 weeks. I'm feeling patient overall, but getting antsy at the same time. I'm working for the next two weeks, which I am pretty sure I can manage...it's just two more weeks, after all.

So what's up with everybody else? For those waiting, how are you doing? For those not waiting, how is it going?

[PancakeGoddess]

welcome home!

I'm waiting, and doing fine. The main dilemma is that I feel much better if I get out and stay busy. But... as soon as I go out in public I get stared at and risk having to listen to dumbass comments from strangers. I just can barely stand that. So far, I've been going out anyway and avoiding eye contact.

[sewaneecook]

Good to have you back! Glad to hear your vacation went so well. Life is busy with me. I never knew how many hours could be spent staring at a newborn. They don't do much, but I can't tear myself away from him! My biggest complaint is that DS doesn't like to poo in wet diapers, so as soon as he's changed, I can expect to change him again within 5 minutes! It's a good thing I'm using cloth diapers or this could get expensive!

[~pi]

Originally Posted by Miss Juice

Didja miss me?

Of course! Hope your vacation was great! (What did you end up reading?)

Originally Posted by Miss Juice

For those not waiting, how is it going?

It's going well. DS is pretty mellow most of the time, although we've had a couple of slightly rough nights. Fortunately, DH is totally into parenting and is happy to trade off with me when DS needs anything non-nursing, so we're both getting sufficient consecutive hours of sleep. (Touch wood that this keeps up!)

I'm really, really happy that nursing is going well for us. That was probably my biggest unarticulated fear, because I'd heard so many horror stories from other type 1 diabetic women about their milk not coming in for several weeks, etc.

I'm a little nervous about next week because DH goes back to work, but I know it will be OK. I'm taking the advice that I have been given about accepting all offers of help, so have friends/family lined up if I need them.

[momsmyjob]

I'm glad you had a nice time

Nothing new here, past my dd as usual

[jinkel]

Totally missed you! Glad to have you back! Your vacation sounds really great.

My (11 wk sono) EDD passed this week. My "paper" EDD (the one calculated from my last period) was yesterday. No baby yet. Starting Friday night, I've had lots of (irregular) contractions, which is encouraging, yet tiring since they're not the easiest to sleep through. I had really hoped to go into labor before my doula leaves the country on Tuesday (she has a seminar in the U.S.). Guess that's not gonna happen. So, I'm feeling bummed about that : - she's got a backup, and I'll use her, but it won't be the same. I'm trying not to stress out about it too much, as I don't want any mental hangups going on when I go into labor - I'd like to have as peaceful a labor/delivery as possible.

I've started doing whatever I can to ignore the fact that I'm pregnant, so that I don't think about my missing doula, or the possibility of induction if I go to 42 weeks. So, I've been reading a ton of books, and *not* going out. But I'm beginning to get just a bit bored! :yawning:

But I prefer boredom to going out - - seriously, for the last month, whenever I've gone out, I've gotten *major* stares. Like they're offended that someone soooo pregnant is out showing her face. That may not really be the case, but the Chinese people (we're not talking Chinese-American, but Chinese-Singaporean)are difficult to read, as their society is not all smiley and "hey, how you doin' today?" like the U.S. So it can appear they're being indifferent, or downright rude and judgmental. Which is not the case, *most* of the time...

Anyway, there's my vent for the day. Glad you're back!

[Jish]

Kelly, I've found myself getting lots of looks lately cause life continues as usual here and we are out and about constantly. Heck, as soon as my toddler wakes up we are all heading for the swimming pool -- there is nothing attractive about a pregnant woman in a swimsuit at this point. I find that the looks I get seem to be looks of "oh, that poor woman. She must be miserable." Though, when we go to the pool I find that I get the most stares from the really overweight men who seem offended that I dare show my body in a swimsuit. Yeah, I'm pretty disgusting to look at. Check the mirror large speedo dude.:

[Quagmire]

Originally Posted by Jish

Though, when we go to the pool I find that I get the most stares from the really overweight men who seem offended that I dare show my body in a swimsuit. Yeah, I'm pretty disgusting to look at. Check the mirror large speedo dude.:

me too. I had a winter baby last time so I don't have a maternity swimsuit, just a bikini. Oh the looks of horror!

Jessica, welcome back! Glad to see you had a good vacation, and very curious about your book reviews

5 days past my EDD here, no surprises. Feels like things are happening... is it possible to feel one's cervix opening? If so, that's what it is. There's a pinching/ stretching sensation whenever the baby pushes down. I checked myself a few days ago and it felt more like 3 cm than the fingertip it was a few weeks ago. Baby seems very busy in there every time I sit or lie down and boy is there a lot of pressure. A lot of people have commented that I've dropped.

That's about all for me. We did a ton of walking today so I'm putting my feet up!

[Yin Yang]

Hi Jessica, and welcome back. Glad yuor vacation went well and you had a good time!

Maria ~ I am curious about something - is your nursing affecting you somehow because you are diabetic? Like - do you feel your blood sugar is more out of control or anything like that? Just curious that's all, really I am glad your nirsing is going well!

As for me - I am officially misarable! Yesterday morning I felt SO FANTASTIC, had a very long walk in a park because the weather has been just awsome lately (very low humidity, thank god, please keep it that way!!) and at the afternoon ZERO energy....which keeps continuing today.

Baby is VERY VERY LOW! I don't think she can get any lower honestly. I can't even walk now! My hips opened up because all of a sudden my only skirt is really tight on me and I have not put any weight on lately. LOTS of very strong contractions, but nothing regular so far.
Set up my birth pool today - kind of pissed about it because the heater is broken and the thermostat as well, and midwife did not even bothered to tell us about it. :
Anyway, I am ready for this baby NOW!

[ice_chick]

Welcome back. Glad you had a good vacation & were able to enjoy it without any early labor interruptions. Looks like now you will be waiting it out with the rest of us but it is exciting to read about all the babies being born. We'll get out chance soon enough!

[~pi]

Originally Posted by Yin Yang

Maria ~ I am curious about something - is your nursing affecting you somehow because you are diabetic? Like - do you feel your blood sugar is more out of control or anything like that? Just curious that's all, really I am glad your nirsing is going well!

Not out of control, but since lactating takes a fair bit of energy, I have had to lower my basals (i.e. the program on my insulin pump that gives me tiny amounts of insulin every three minutes to cover basic body function) several times already. And I make sure to have juice and/or glucotabs within reach when I start nursing, because several times, I have dropped low during.

[Miss Juice]

Originally Posted by sewaneecook

I never knew how many hours could be spent staring at a newborn. They don't do much, but I can't tear myself away from him!

That was EXACTLY what my DH said after our first was born. "I never imagined I could be so enthralled by someone who doesn't do anything." It really is amazing.

Maria - I am sooooo glad nursing is going well for you. You deserve something to be relatively uncomplicated. How are you healing up?

I hear you all on the strange looks and comments in public thing. This is the smallest I've ever been at 9 months pg, and I still have over two weeks to go, and people look at me as if I'm going to burst open right there in the grocery checkout line. And people have already started with the "Are you still pregnant" talk!!! My mother, for goodness' sake! I called a friend yesterday, and her greeting was "Did you have a baby?" Yay for caller ID : No matter how much I tell people that this baby won't come early, and it really bothers me to consider the possibility and get my hopes up, everyone insists on it. I'm still working, I'm still scheduling patient appointments for next week, and every single person concludes the conversation with "You won't be here next week." And I guarantee, when they come in next week, they'll say "You're still here?" Some will actually call the office to doublecheck before they come in. Which is fine if they say "I assume we're still on" and not fine if they say "call me back to confirm", like I have a lot of extra time on my hands to confirm appointments that I told them would be good. (OK, wow, didn't realize I had a rant in there, but I guess I did!)

Vacation reading - I ended up reading Little Earthquakes and In Her Shoes, both by Jennifer Wiener (or Weiner, I can't remember). Both were good. I had very very very limited time at the library so I kind of just grabbed them off the shelf, but it worked out. Now I just need another vacation (ha ha ha ha ha) to get to all the other reading I've wanted to do.