The Queer & Pregnant thread -- June, July, and August - Page 10

[JenInMpls]

I did have fun sleeping til 11.

But my child has a very whiny note in his voice that is kind of like a mosquito buzzing in one's ear.

And I have a lot of laundry to do, but I am paranoid to go in the basement because a compact fluorescent light bulb broke down there and despite DW having cleaned it up, I am scared I am going to poison my fetus with mercury vapors. Sigh.

[starling&diesel]

I'm working too ... which is getting increasingly uncomfortable what with my uniform pants not cooperating with my expanding belly.
And we have a new puppy, which means that I'm popping home to let him out every couple of hours. That's my day, start to finish. Oh, and a good book to read at the ambulance station. It's been quiet. Of course, now that I say that, we'll get a code 3 call just to prove me wrong.

[JenInMpls]

S&D, I remember a woman who worked for my dad complaining about the same thing with scrub pants. They expand only so much.

Would a Bella Band do the trick?

Angela, we want some more gratuitous belly shots on your blog. Unless you've got gratuitous post-childbirth mama-baby shots.

I have been so groggy and run-down today... I'm wondering if sleeping til 11 was really a good idea.

[KnittingTigers]

Hmm, so today, in an attempt to escape the heat, I dragged DP (I still feel weird about that acronym, given the ups and downs of my love life over this past year, but I'm just gonna run with it) and two of my friends to the mall, where I bought lip gloss and played air hockey at the arcade in an attempt to induce labor. I know, unconventional, but I remembered that section in Ina May where she talks about how she got one of her clients to arm wrestle and that got a stalled labor moving again. Sadly, it didn't seem to work, though man, people sure do love to stare at a pregnant lady kicking ass at air hockey.

Tomorrow is my 40-week appointment, and my due date. We're planning to head to the beach afterwards, weather permitting, which should soften the blow of not having a baby yet.

No other real news. My mother is here, which has been a mixed blessing. She's planning to stay until December to help out, which is great, though it remains to be seen how much help she'll actually be. On the bright side, she rented a room about a mile away, so she's not actually staying in my apartment, which is very good.

I've also been knitting a baby blanket, which is not finished. I hope the baby isn't waiting for completion, because trying to work with wool in this humidity is not so much fun...

S&D, I outgrew all of my pants long before I actually looked pregnant. It sucked. Luckily, as a grad student, I was able to hang out in sweat pants most of the time, but there definitely came a point when I felt like I'd scream if I put on the same gray fleecy pants again.

Okay, I'm tired and spacy. Will keep everyone updated. And yes, blog entries and photos, sometime soon...

[JenInMpls]

Angela - my friend Steph swore by running stairs to induce labor. I tried acupuncture, eggplant parmesan, sex, a breast pump, homeopathic caullophylum and finally a shiatsu massage. I would HIGHLY recommend the massage right now if you've got any spare $, even 1/2 hour of prenatal massage would probably make you feel awesome.

And I, too, would love to see a huge pregnant woman kicking butt at air hockey.

Keeping fingers crossed for a new arrival soon! Don't stress if it's another week or two, though. No panicking. Beach time - good idea.

[MujerMamaMismo]

: How exciting! This thread is so active. I'm inspired by all the awesome knocked up queer folk.

Angela...your beautiful girl is almost here. I'm so thrilled for you. Look after yourself and enjoy the beach.

We found out we're having a boy today. I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't some disappointment - there were even some tears but I'm working through that and I'm starting to get really excited about raising an evolved, emotionally intelligent, feminist man. Just don't expect me ever to like baby blue!!!

The good news is that Squeak is really healthy and still huge - he's measuring about a week ahead still. It's only that we can pinpoint conception with certainty that no one has insisted we change our dates. The interesting thing is that the ultrasound showed a medium sized uterine fibroid and I'm now wondering if that's what was obstructing a quicker conception. Anyway, providing it doesn't get too much bigger, it shouldn't interfere with a natural birth and it's all good. I'll def get it removed if I decide to conceive a 2nd bub though.

[JenInMpls]

MMM, I know what you're saying, I was also disappointed when I heard (and saw!) that our little Brussels (in-utero nickname til we settle on a name) is a boy and not a girl. I just had such a strong feeling that baby was a girl. Now we're slowly getting used to it. And yes, the world needs more tender, strong, feminist boys and men. I am certain your boy (and all of our boys!) will have just the upbringing to grow into the kind of man we wish there were more of in our world

Just be prepared... boys do really weird things. Like fake burp and talk about barf and poop all the time. but they're genuine and don't do things like bat their eyelashes at you while they refuse to do the thing you've asked them to do, a la our neighbor girl (whom we do really like, but still, I can deal with my son's physical outbursts and tantrums better than I can her cocked head and batty eyelashes!!).

eta: ok. not all boys. there must be some exceptions to the rule. I just seem to be raising one of those non-exceptions.

[smartycat]

OK, I have to share a funny story from this morning... And keep in mind that we are probably the soggiest members of MDC

Quasar and I were laying in bed wondering what the baby will look like. Our donor is part Irish and one of quasar's biggest fears is that the baby will have red hair... even though there is no red hair in the donor's family. So I was saying that if the baby had red hair I would have to save the placenta so she could eat it to stave off PPD (totally gross idea to quasar ). To debunk the idea that placenta snacking helps with PPD, quasar pointed out that hamsters eat their placentas yet go on to kill their young ones more times than not. OK, maybe it doesn't seem so funny when I type it out but it had me : this morning. :nana:

[JenInMpls]

quasar, dear, I don't have to tell you that MOST (if not all) animals eat their placentas! Hamsters are just psycho.

I've thought about it... but I have no means of drying it, which is how I would want to do it (dry it and take in capsules). The thought of just eating it does not do much for me, appetite-wise...

[KnittingTigers]

Yeah, I had about half a second where I considered the placenta eating thing. It was, however, one of those moments where I just had to come to terms with the limits of my own crunchiness.

MMM- Congrats on your healthy baby! The gender thing is weird, isn't it? I was soooo sure I was having a boy, and felt very ambivalent about that, so much so that I was afraid to even think about the possibility of it being a girl. And now, as the hour grows near, I've become convinced that the ultrasound was wrong, and that I'm actually having a boy. I console myself with the thought that my (I think) first choice name seems better suited for a boy than a girl. Though, I think I'll use it regardless. Or I won't. Can't decide. I think I just need to meet the kid first.

Jen- Thanks for the labor suggestions. We've been having lots of sex, stimulating those nipples, and eating spicy foods, and I've been swimming lots of laps almost every day. I have considered the stair thing, but it's just too friggin' hot and humid here. I feel winded every time I walk up the one flight to my apartment. I'm not too worried yet (today is my actual due date), though I really, really, really want to avoid the induction spiral. My ex, who's also my best friend in the world, is arriving tomorrow from the west coast with her girlfriend. I had hoped the baby would be here by now, so that they could meet it, but, on the bright side, this will make it easier for us to go to the beach and spend some quality time together. And, her GF is a massage therapist, so I do indeed have my prenatal massage on the way!

Okay, gotta go eat before my MW appointment. I'm going to the beach immediately afterwards, in hopes of spurring on an ocean-induced labor...

[pranava]

Smartycat -That's a completely hysterical conversations : If it eases your mind any, it is usually Scottish people who have the hight tendency toward red hair and not the Irish as much.

Angela - : Crossing my fingers for an ocean induced labor!

MMM - Oh how the world needs more enlightened men! I'm sure there won't be an ounce of dissapointment when you hold him for the first time

[JenInMpls]

I, for one, have an ADORABLE red-headed kid. :

[quasar]

Sorry Jen, my red-haired comment wasn't meant to offend anyone with red hair themselves or their little ones. I guess it's kind of like the conversations about if you want a boy or a girl and that would just be my preference not to have that particular trait. For a long time too I was completely freaked out by the idea of having a girl, and I've softened up on that a ton since TTC. Now, it really doesn't matter to me, and I'm just happy that I have a baby on the way. : But we will still be finding out ahead of time, so I can be prepared just in case I freak out again.

I go in for my first doctor's appointment tomorrow. I'm hoping to have the beta tests run so I can see how things are going. Ok.. I must admit I'm still peeing on things. Not because I don't believe I'm pregnant, but because without a thermometer, I need to have something to do in the morning. So anyway, we only have one internet cheapie left, and smartycat said I should wait till tomorrow for that one if I'm going to use it, because it might finally be as dark as the control line. Instead, I did an OPK today. OMG! That was sooo exciting!!! :The test line came up as soon as the dye hit it and it came out darker than the control. That was more exciting to watch than the pregnancy tests! I could watch that all day long!

[MujerMamaMismo]

Originally Posted by JenInMpls

I, for one, have an ADORABLE red-headed kid. :

I'm a red head and for many years was terrified of having a red-headed boy. y'know, cos they were always the dorky ones. I've moved well beyond that now and kinda like the idea of Squeak having a thick mop of curly red hair, just like his Mama.

Thanks all for your wise words re having a boy. I'm getting used to the idea and I know it'll be a non issue the second he pops out. I haven't told anyone IRL yet. I know that there'll be a few people who will be judgemental and ask us what on earth two non-butch lesbians are going to do with a boy. Two people already have, before we even told them we were going to find out... Helpful, thanks! grrrr :

Quasar & smartycat - lots of luck at the doctor today! How exciting :

[JenInMpls]

My kid does get a LOT of comments on his red hair. His donor had straight, thick red hair, and I had red hair as a kid til I was 3, and my dad had red hair til he was 9. So it does run in the genes here. I wish that Brussels had the same donor, but there was absolutely no samples from his donor available anywhere - bank or donor sibling registry - so we have a totally different donor who, instead of being Irish and French, is German and Polish! (So perhaps the Irish name we've settled on is completely wrong for him?!)

What are two non-butch lesbians going to do with a little boy? Um... love him unconditionally?! :

[tigermiep]

idk, quasar, I think you're an antirufite.



a stick-peeing antirufite. :

I'm a redhead, too, and we're hoping for one. maybe q and s and i will have to trade?

Angela, I'm thinking big, ripe, juicy thoughts for you.

[quasar]

a stick-peeing antirufite. :

: nope... not me...

[quasar]

Angela- Any luck with the ocean induction? :

[KnittingTigers]

Hey, I'm a redhead too! Doesn't this seem like a rather large concentration of redheads in one place? Oh my god, I think we may have discovered that elusive gay gene!

Seriously, I'd be really psyched if my kid ends up with red hair, though since my donor and everyone in his family have dark brown hair, it seems a bit unlikely. I considered choosing a redheaded donor in hopes of breeding one, but the pickings were sort of slim. Also, I'm one of those rare redheads who tan (got that olive skin from my Greek father), and all of the potential redhead donors were super fair skinned. Since I try to spend as much of my life at the beach as possible, it seemed sort of cruel to intentionally breed a kid who was likely to sunburn. So, my particular eugenic preferences were based on the donor's olive complexion and his 75 million motile sperm per cc.

Umm, Pranava, you made my day with that ocean smiley icon. Somehow I had missed that!

So, my midwife's appointment was fine. Everything looks happy and healthy. She said that if nothing's doing by the middle of next week (week 41) she wants to check in with an ultrasound and non-stress test, and that she would recommend thinking about induction at 42 weeks. She didn't seem at all eager to push that though, which is good, and also seemed like she could be flexible on giving it a few days after 42 weeks if everything looks healthy. I *really* hope that it's a non-issue, but it felt good to be on the same page.

Happy pregnancy vibes to everyone out there!

[KnittingTigers]

Originally Posted by quasar

Angela- Any luck with the ocean induction? :

Can this be my new trademark smiley? Sadly, no labor yet, but as far as I'm concerned, that just means we need to try again tomorrow...

Dissertation? What dissertation??