Weekly Thread: January 3-January 9 - Page 2

[Keeping up]

I'm new here - posted an intro on the intro thread but will give a quick overview! This is baby #4 for us - we are due June 16 but I am somewhat hoping for the 17th, Father's Day. My oldest will be 5 in May, I also have a almost 3 year old boy and 1 year + 1 day son. It will be busy but I firmly believe closer together is easier over the long run ... you never regain the joy of sleep!

All is well. I am less tired than the frist tri, I have put on a bout 4 lbs and am just about on the verge to pop - no mat clothes yet, but the days are limited! I have a midwife appointment this Thursday and the level II scan a week Thursday (Jan. 18). We are hoping to find out the gender (to help with names mainly) but the tech at the 12 week thought babe looked boy and given the timing of conception, I tend to agree. [So many arguments to have either, that it really doesn't matter!]

Otherwise, I am hoping to get great feedback on the homebirth idea. My last birth was a smashing success - only spent 2 1/2 hours at the hospital total (midwife) - and felt so much more alive for not having any meds. My husband is scared silly of the idea. I have read the research on how homebirth is an excellent option for low risk etc but still worry about the 'what-ifs'.

PS - I am too a low bloodpressure and hypoglycemic - dizzy at times, my midwives are almost amazed that I don't faint! A typical bp is 90/55. If I don't eat regularily (I also have a very fast metabolism), I become an utter grouch!

[saratchka]

Hey, Ann! Welcome!

I completely understand being nervous about the what-ifs when contemplating homebirth. Would you be using a midwife? If so, I'd suggest you go ahead and interview several midwives and ask them really serious questions about how they would handle the specific situations that you're nervous about. That made all the difference for us. We only interviewed the one MW (we already knew her and knew she was a great fit if we decided to hb) but her responses to our questions made us much more confident about our decision to forgo the hospital this time around. Of course it helps that we're only 15 minutes from a hospital, too.

Gotta run and make dinner. DH is getting whiny!

[mamallama]

mamallama, what do you mean by taking methergine preventatively to treat low pb??? do you mean you are afraid of not being able to handle blood loss?

The numbers are relative, so what's fine for me could be a real problem for someone else. A typical reading for me is 80/60, but I've been conscious for 60/40. I'm not sure where I start to feel wierd, but I'd guess it's closer to my baseline than my consciousness threshold. My point is, I don't have much wiggle room between "normal" and unable to sit up.

I've bled a bit much with both of my births, but especially so with my second. I passed out a couple of times & it ended up being quite a while (a day or more) before I was steady enough to move from bed to couch without help. I wasn't able to move about freely for several days. It certainly wasn't what I wanted to follow my sweet & easy homebirth, and it's not something I want to repeat!

Methergine has the side effect of raising bp, sometimes significantly. My experience with it has been pretty normal lochia--some biggish clots, but not really excessive. My ctx were long and strong, but not hypotonic. I think I took it every 6 hours? I could definately tell when it took effect and when it wore off. While the afterpains were a real bear, I felt much better (I could sit up and stay awake,) I bled less, and my bp was significantly higher. When it wore off, I crashed and stayed crashed until it was time for my next dose. My midwife cautioned me to not take it until the time was up, as she wanted to make sure I had time to expell any clots that might be building while I was on it. My experience was that timing administration worked well, so I'm not worried about retained tissue.

Anyway, I wouldn't take it until the placenta was out, and I'd definately not take it if the placenta were incomplete or membranes were obviously trailing.

I take care with my diet--including blood builders & RRL daily. I've also done that with all of my previous pregnancies.

I'm working on my expectations--that is, creating an expectation of my uterus working efficiently and my bp remaining at an optimal level.

Maybe I'll decide not to use any medical preventatives at all. I really fear a repeat of my last birth. It's important to me to get over that so I can approach this baby's birth with the confidence s/he and I need to get the work done. Sitting with each of my options is how I figure out how to proceed.

So, thanks for asking! In writing this post I've put a lot more thought into it & while I won't hesitate to use methergine if I pass out, maybe it's not my best first choice.

[WhiteWax]

Originally Posted by sally Z

Not much fun and the other realy annoying symptom is itchy leg, but really really itchy. I can't sleep and i want to rip my skin off, nothing helps!!
!

Johnsons makes a Baby oil gel... it comes in some different scents (I like Chomomile) but anyway I find that if I rub it on my (VERY dry) skin when I'm still a bit damp from the shower it locks in any moisture for at least a day. It feels a little greasy at first, ( I really recomed wetting your hands to make it rub on smoother) but one it starts to soak in it's really great!

I'm glad to hear that every one is more or less doing well. This has been an exciting week to read everyones posts and just makes me more excited for my US on tuesday! I really want to know what we're having.

DP is FINALLY starting to show some interest in this baby. Feeling my tummy at night or patting it and saying something silly like "Good Baby". Not sure why he's changed a little about it but I'm happy none the less. He was also very aloof for a while. Not getting to mw appointments with me and not really talking or wanting to hear about anything. He's come around though and I know he'll be great in labor. Oddly enough (not sure if this says something about me) I was cleaning out our closet and I found the shirt he wore when DD was born. I remember it because it was this hawian shirt with a few cherries on it. I remember focusing on those cherries every time I had a contraction and it really helped me. But anything auditory was terribly annoying (and I'm a music type of person, go figure!).

In other news.......... I'm moving!!!! This coming weekend!!!!! Which means I'm PACKING!!!! while DP is WORKING : Either way I'm very excited about it all!

Also the temp here has been freakishly warm. As in, the world is ending kind of warm. it hit over 60 degrees today and every one was out (including my Chihuahua) without a coat. My windows are open right now it's very unsettleing for January 6th. We live in mid-state NY and it should be snowing... but alas. How are things by you Wombat? I think you're a bit higher up NY than we are.

well thats enough rambeling for today... I feel like the odd ball because the last few times I have had slightly high blood pressure... good luck to every one with the low.

[vannienicole]

Sally Z--I know how you feel about the move. I am supposed to move back to the US (which means looong flight) during my 32nd week. I may leave a couple weeks early, but then I would have to fly without my hubby. 30 weeks and a 3 yo with our luggage. I don't know....

DH and I had a talk last night about how I feel emotionally alone. He told me that he is resigned to and accepting that this pregnancy and bby is going to happen, but he isn't warm to it at all. I guess you guys are the only ones who get to be excited with me about the whole thing. My family and friends are all in the US and it is hard to do this what feels like all alone something. I'm so glad you guys are here!

[sally Z]

vannienicole if we move it will also be late in the pregnancy and also moving countries. We will go from South Africa to England and need to find a house and a car and everything before dh goes off shore again. He is on 28 day rotations!

I asked on the pregnancy part of the forum for advice re itching and some posted about itchymoms.com and a conditions called Cholestasis which is really serious. Now i am stressed, it is not just dry skin as no ammount of cream or anything helps. I can't sleep and it itches constantly!

[vannienicole]

Sally Z--I know how you feel about the move. We have to find all that before the baby comes and who knows when my husband will deploy next. As soon as we get to Oklahoma and he gets checked into his nw squadron, only THEN will we know. Oy.

[mommamin]

Originally Posted by AnnD

I'm new here - posted an intro on the intro thread but will give a quick overview! This is baby #4 for us - we are due June 16 but I am somewhat hoping for the 17th, Father's Day. My oldest will be 5 in May, I also have a almost 3 year old boy and 1 year + 1 day son. It will be busy but I firmly believe closer together is easier over the long run ... you never regain the joy of sleep!

All is well. I am less tired than the frist tri, I have put on a bout 4 lbs and am just about on the verge to pop - no mat clothes yet, but the days are limited! I have a midwife appointment this Thursday and the level II scan a week Thursday (Jan. 18). We are hoping to find out the gender (to help with names mainly) but the tech at the 12 week thought babe looked boy and given the timing of conception, I tend to agree. [So many arguments to have either, that it really doesn't matter!]

Otherwise, I am hoping to get great feedback on the homebirth idea. My last birth was a smashing success - only spent 2 1/2 hours at the hospital total (midwife) - and felt so much more alive for not having any meds. My husband is scared silly of the idea. I have read the research on how homebirth is an excellent option for low risk etc but still worry about the 'what-ifs'.

PS - I am too a low bloodpressure and hypoglycemic - dizzy at times, my midwives are almost amazed that I don't faint! A typical bp is 90/55. If I don't eat regularily (I also have a very fast metabolism), I become an utter grouch!

Welcome Ann!

We are due date buddies! Although I think my date should the be the 18th

[Shell_Ell]

I just need to whine for a second. I am still having episodes of morning sickness. I'm in the middle of my 17th week. This is really getting old.

[loriu]

so helpful

hi all,
this thread has been so helpful...i don't talk much on here, but I read religiously. last night i almost fainted while waiting at a full restaurant in bklyn with friends for a table. it was scary. i have been hungry, lightheaded, spacy before, but this time i literally felt like i couldn't stand and was losing my peripheral vision. i drank a root beer and then all was fine, but it freaked me out. at our second midwife appt on thursday she mentioned how low my bp was (90/65?)--i was shocked. i have always had low bp. i sold plasma my freshman year in college b/c i didn't want a job to distract from my studies but i needed cash, and i used to have to go jog or smoke a cigarette to get my bp up high enough to sell! but it has never been 90 over something.

i will start carrying gatorate, nuts, etc, too.

i have been wicked constipated...there's a no pushing rule? ugh...i drink prune juice daily. it was doing the trick for a while but its seems to have lost its potency. waaaahhh...

i itch like a crack head (as my students say). nothing can stop it. it's obnoxious and irritating, esp my itchy scalp. no dandruff, just the desire to scratch my brains out!

on the happier side, my 2 weeks of feeling craptastic have ended and i hhave been able to eat again, after losing all the weight i had gained (only about 6 lbs). i can't eat enough now. i have been tired, though, too. i keep waiting for that post-first trimester energy happy burst, but it's slow in coming. i'll be 16 weeks this week, due date of june 27th. my friend just gave birth almost 2 weeks late today, if i do that i'll give birth on my birthday!

thanks for all the advice. this website is golden. xo.

[willoLevin]

I'll join the LOW BLOOD PRESSURE club. : Mine was 100/55, I think, at my mw appt last week. Getting dizzy for no reaon (i.e., not when standing up) is the only scary part for me as I'm always on the low side for bp.

It was because of my bp-induced dizziness that I stopped working around 7 months into my first pg. I was working retail, and, while a partially-paid maternity leave would've been lovely, we didn't need the money enough for me to risk fainting into a precarious heap of boxes in the store's back room!

The dizziness is hitting me much earlier this time, so I'm being careful a lot more of the time. I have to use the handicapped restroom stalls--I need to know I have a grab bar handy!

Aside from advice to eat as much salt as tastes good, and to drink juice as well as water, my midwife said ear-stuff (sinus issues) can be a factor in dizziness, too. She said I could take Sudafed, but I hate that stuff, so I'm going to the acupuncturist tomorrow. She cures my sinus congestion with no side effects except a deep feeling of inner peace.

Also, I know I've heard that SEVERE itching can be a serious sign worth talking to one's practitioner about. If it is your hands and feet, that's a sign of a rare liver problem (I think), but there are a couple of other conditions worth discussing with a doctor or midwife.

I think I've heard some other second-timers complain about this, but I'm getting aches and pains much earlier this time. I tried to shave my left leg yesterday, and I could NOT put that foot up onto the side of the tub. It gave me too much pain in my hip. My back ached yesterday, too, for no obvious reason. I heard that my chiropractor has switched to being a nutritionist, but DH thinks she will still see me because she's a family friend and I'm pregnant (and I'm so cool, of course. ) I've been reluctant to impose on her, but I'm getting close. I don't want to find someone else!

--willo

[Jilian]

Wombat I hope your u/s goes well today and you get some answers I'll be sending positive vibes your way.

[Robbins0614]

Good morning all! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I've had a pretty good week here-everything seems to be going better. I'm not quite as tired but a nap or two a week still feels great! DH had to go back to school today, so the great homecooked meals he makes will slow down until May. I really enjoyed last week-he made a fantastic squid curry with fragrant rice and a vegetable hot pot soup. (He's the real cook in our house!)

I have to brag on my dad for a minute. He is so excited about this baby (and is the only family member to show his excitment). The day after we told him he was going to be a grandfather he sent me a pattern for a cradle that he has had since my mom was pregnant with me. He said he wanted to make it then but didn't feel he had the experience to make it but wanted to try it now. I just got a picture of the cradle in progress and it's darling!!!

My next appointment is next Tuesday and I'm checking with a girlfriend to see if she can go since DH has classes all day. We're thinking of making a day of it with shopping and lunch. We're going to check out the consignment shops and thrift stores for maternity deals. Should be a fun day!

I hope everyone has a fantastic day!!!

[wombatclay]

Heyla all!

Soooooo....drumroll....babe is okay! w00t! Huzzah! Dance the happy dance!

And babe is a "she" as far as we can tell...so dd is getting a little sister. I'm really thrilled since I'm MUCH happier with our list of girl names (I really didn't want a baby Salvatore, no matter how nice a name it is).

On the down side, our appointment was for 10am and we sat in the waiting room till 12, then in the doctor's office till one. Then we got 30 minutes of "scare tactics" and a 25 minute scan. And the doctor was a total butt...very obviously knows that he is one of three doctors who offer this test, and very fond of his status.

Ugh. He started by taking a mini-history and when he learned I had a c/s with DD he said "Ahhh...so another cesarean for you, how lucky you are!" and when I said "No, actually we're having a VBAC" he almost swalloed his tongue. He then sort of leaned towards me and said, "You know that's a very risky choice? You have a scar on your uterus and its not uncommon for that scar to rupture during labor. And when that happens your baby will die. Or be mentally retarded. I wouldn't recommend a VBAC, and any doctor who does is asking you to gamble with your baby's life."

I was in shock! I'm not even his patient and within 5 minutes he's playing the dead baby card? Yea gods and little green apples! And the real kicker was the uterine rupture risk he quoted (1 in 200...which is actually wrong). He had just finished telling us that our cardiac abnormality risk was "only" 1 in 97 and that shouldn't worry us...in fact he almost wouldn't suggest further testing since the risk was so low! And then to turn around and say that a 1 in 97 risk was "so low it shouldn't bother you" and a 1 in 200 risk was "unacceptably high, your baby will die!"?

Grrrr...I mean, the risk of UR is lower than the risk for a cord prolapse, and the risk for prolapse increases with AROM...and yet AROM is one of the most common interventions in labor. It's practically "standard" these days. It drives me crazy!

Ah well...I can ignore the fact that he's an idiot due to the fact that everything came out good in the end. And it certainly put my own doctor's concerns in perspective (my doc is 95% yay VBAC but compared to this guy my doc team are cheerleaders par excellance!).

So YAY...healthy baby! YAY...healthy baby girl!

Which also means I can use my local hospital and keep my current care providers, a go shopping at our local mama thrift shop for some cute newborn items.

[saratchka]

Congratulations, WombatClay on your healthy baby girl (and on not smacking that doc even though he deserved it)!

[WhiteWax]

HOOORAY WOMBAT!!!!


OK... sitting here with my 24 oz of water in me and now I'm off to my US

there are a few of us going today!!! goodluck and I'll let you all know how it turns out!

[vannienicole]

I'm so jealous of you guys all getting your U/S so early. I just want the one so the OB here had me schedued for Jan 31. That way they could do it all at once.

But that means I have to wait, wait, wait......

[wombatclay]

So...share share!

All you Tuesday scanners...how was it? Any popped bladders? Anyone else find out the sex? Of course, we're not sharing the name till mini-dd is born so outside the house we're calling her "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" or "BabyMort" for short.

Fingers crossed everyone has a wonderful scan, a healthy babe, and as much information as you want or need!

[Jilian]

I hope all of you Yuesday u/s mamas are having fun seeing your little babes on the u/s screen. We want to hear all about it when you get back! :

[hannahnc]

YAY wombatclay for a good u/s! I love BabyMort!!! too cute.

looking forward to hearing about everyone else's ultrasounds!

I'll get one on Friday (i'll be 16wks) and hopefully they'll be able to tell the sex! This one is for a study I'm participating in and we also have our regular 20wk one at the end of the month. But i'm hoping to get a sneak peek at the sex!