April Mamas Chat Thread: Oct 13th - 20th [Archive]

jessikate

10-13-2004, 07:57 PM

As far as I know, everyone's been informed. I think the last people we told were our neighbors. There may be some extended family that we haven't told yet, but they'll find out sooner or later.

Feeling better here, for the most part. I got a ton of energy back around 12 weeks, then promptly got a nasty long-lasting cold. I've still got the occasional cruddy cough (3 wks later), but I'm essentially over it. Still fighting headaches, too. Too much tension in my life (stress? What could be stressful about parenting a toddler during pregnancy?) and not enough money to visit the chiropractor weekly like I'd like.

On the bright side, I felt some kicking on Saturday! That would be 14 wks, 5 days. A bit earlier than with DD, but only by a week or so. Unlike her first kicks, which were fluttery and soft, these kicks were definite kicks! I wonder what would account for the stronger kicking... bigger baby? Multiples? (I hope not) Different location of placenta? Who's to know. It's so exciting to feel that kicking again! I really missed it after DD was born.

aprildawn

10-13-2004, 08:01 PM

thanks for starting the thread this week, scootermama. i was just coming to check if anyone had yet.

so, a bit ago i was coming in from a walk. i needed to pee pretty bad. always do when i go on a walk -- guess it's all the pressure on my bladder from the boucing of the walking -- i walk pretty fast. anyway, as i was coming in i was also trying to suppress a sneeze. i was putting my cd player down and it was about to slip and fall on the floor which i didn't want because it might break. so i was delayed in getting to the bathroom as i caught the cd player, and then it happened. i sneezed!! and whoosh, i peed my pants. just a little bit. but, still, how awful. :irked:

the lesson: kegel, kegel, kegel. hope it works. :shrug

in answer to this week's question -- everyone knows. the cat has been out of the bag for quite some time now.

speedknitter

10-13-2004, 08:13 PM

Great topic, since we are all probably getting to that point where it is going to be difficult to hide soon! I'm fortunate that I work in an industry where it's acceptable to wear jeans and untucked t-shirts to work!!!

We've told family from day one, and have been gradually telling close friends, etc. We have not told anyone at work yet (except for one close female friend who guessed) and are going to wait another few weeks. We are in the middle of relocating our business to a new facility and I just don't want my being pregnant to be an issue with anyone. I'm being very careful about what and how much I lift, believe me there's plenty to do without me having to do any of the really heavy work. I think if everyone knew they would treat me differently and we just don't have time for that now...too much to get done in the next two weeks.

I am looking forward to letting everyone know - the folks we've told so far have been so very excited and supportive!

seren

10-14-2004, 09:04 AM

I'm pretty sure everyone knows.

I felt a thump last Thursday. That would be 12 weeks 3 days. About the same time I felt it with ds. I don't know if it was an actual kick, but it was a thump.

Jessmcg

10-14-2004, 09:59 AM

Hi everyone :wave

Most people know about our baby. We told our families right away adn have been telling everyone else recently. It is getting really hard to hide, because I am HUGE. A couple people at dh's work know, but most of them don't.

I felt definate movement on Moday (15 weeks 1day)! I thought I had felt it before, but was not sure. THis was actual rolling and jumping. I have been fealing it on and off all week.

danaalex

10-14-2004, 12:31 PM

we have told some friends that live in the area, but the only family member that knows is my SIL. we told her because she was planning a march/april wedding in 2005, and we wanted her to know that i wouldn't be there and that meant the girls wouldn't be there either. LOL.

we have been holding off telling until we were out of the first trimester, and we wanted to find out if we were having one or two. we are having ONE :). and so we'll start notifying our family soon.

i am extremely emotional right now too. we live on the panhandle of Fl where hurricane ivan hit, and everytime i see the damage on the news or driving down the street i break into tears. i just cry and cry and cry. if i here about a babe that has a terminal illness, or they have died from one i cry and cry and cry. i'm a walking water fountain. :(

natashaccat

10-14-2004, 01:48 PM

I'm feeling sick as a dog these days, I've had a migraine for almost a week now and I can't sleep even when I have the opprortunity.

Having a hard time not slipping into depression about this pg. BFing dd #1 took so much out of me, I'm feeling really stupid for wanting to get pg so quickly. I wish I'd given myself more time for my hormones to settle and for my body to recover from 2 yrs of chronic night waking. I feel so bad for dh and dd, I'm a walking zombie and dd is really missing her mama.

Sorry, feeling kinda sorry for myself these days...

crat19

10-14-2004, 05:54 PM

Thanks for starting this thread!

:hug :hug :hug to natashaccat. Hang in there and don't forget to ask for (or accept) help when you need it. I can't tell you how much it lifted my spirits once I had some time to reflect on my own.

We told my il about a month ago (see them every day), my dad (in CO) a couple weeks ago, and my coworkers just today. News travels fast here in the office, so I figured that once the cat was out of the bag with my boss, I gotta start telling other people. I hate being pushed into telling people when I don't want to, or am hedged into by suggestive motions etc. I'm 15 weeks along now, and people at work are surprised b/c I've lost so much weight (15 lbs) recently. That happens with me in the first trimester as a result of the m/s.

I told my 12 yo brother last night while using the webcam. I held up a t-shirt for my ds that says: "I have some big news!! I'm going to be a BIG BROTHER!!" My db's face was just like this: :dropjaw I was laughing for ages at his reaction! He's super excited to be a "double uncle" :love

sunbaby

10-14-2004, 09:26 PM

hi everyone. hey, um, arent we all in, or very soon to be in, the SECOND TRIMESTER ? huh, are we? well, holy cow, i for one find that tremendously exciting! i am going to be 13 weeks on saturday, and i am feeling so much better that i could just flip.

(a moment of silence for those who did not make it to the second trimester this time. :candle)

i was just starting to feel better when dd and i came down with an awful flu. headaches and respiratory congestion, morphing into vomiting for a few days. ugh. lost all the weight i had begun to gain back. and if one more person comments on how thin i look i am going to :Puke right then and there. yes, i know thankyou very much. i am plenty aware of it. please oh please let it be smoother sailing from here. today was so good, i took a walk, visited a friend and got some housework done, all with only the most fleeting nausea.

i am so excited to hear about some folks feeling movement. wow. are we there already? i cannot wait.

natashacat, hugs to you. migraines are the worst. i have been getting some, only so small that as long as i act quickly, tylenol can squelch em. i do feel guilty about all th etylenol for the babe, but i have to do everything i can to avoid a migraine. i wish i could do something for yours, too.

oh yeah, and we have told everyone. i pretty much spread the word around 7 weeks when my bloodwork came back looking promising. for us, we figure, yep, it was hard to tell folks when we miscarried, but nicer for us to have them know whats going on rather than keep it secret.

ctdoula

10-14-2004, 09:29 PM

Thanks for starting this thread!

Everyone knows & has for along time, LOL. I told my mom & she can't keep a secret at all. I'm not showing at all yet, so I still don't look preg.

I'm feeling better... yeah!! :thumb No more nausea. I'm also getting more energy, yippee.

I also think I've felt a little movement over the weekend. Very cool, I can't wait to feel more!

proudmamanow

10-15-2004, 01:27 PM

Hi everyone!
Thanks for starting this thread Pamela, between Cdn. Thanksgiving and being on strike for 3 days this week things have been a bit CRAZY! :nut
Happily I'm not out spending 4 hours/day on the picket line anymore. And I am very happy to say that I am now officially 14w1d and very pleased to be out of the first trimester!! What a relief. I celebrated last night by going to my first prenatal yoga class-a very intense Kundalini class, during which the instructor kinda freaked me out by saying only 1 minute left of a difficult exercise! The length of a contraction! whoa! I realized I haven't really started to think about that thing called labour that comes at the end of all this :D! Well, okay, I had thought about it, but not really in a 'I'm going to have to do this, really!' way, kwim?

I'm so happy for all of you who are feeling the baby move...I've been feeling some possible flutters and would really love to feel something more definite as I'm a bit nervous..we didn't hear the hb at the midwife's 2wks ago and I think it's bothering me more than I thought. But I do think I might be feeling some flutters, and then I think, but they're in the wrong place! They're probably digestive. Sigh!

Oh, and I told my entire office last week, and lots more colleagues on the picket line this week, so that takes care of everyone...close family and friends have known for a while, and I've been telling more & more folks after our 2nd good u/s at 11wks. Today I wore a maternity shirt for the first time! Fun, but I've been kinda chickening out and wearing a shawl over it all day.

In other news, my wonderful stepmom came to visit for tksgiving this weekend and brought me about 6-7 beautiful maternity outfits. A combo of new and from consignment stores, including a very nice tailored suit which will be fabulous for work and a very funky jean jacket, and lots of other cool stuff. I'm so pleased! I can spend the money I was planning on spending on that on underwear & bras, which are becoming an urgent need!

Personals:
ctdoula--yay that you feel better and think you felt movement! Isn't it great to be feeling more energetic?

sunbaby--I hear you on being excited about 2nd tri (and sad for those who didn't make it this time). so sorry you've been sick!! How awful! I hope you gain weight soon!

crat19--how fun about your bro's reaction :)
I've gotten some surprised reactions, but they're usually people thinking, how could YOU possibly be pg, so not so fun!

natashaccat-- :hug :hug :hug :hug
so sorry you're having such a rough go, sweetie!

danaalex-- :hug on the walking water fountain... I do find that lots of things that wouldn't normally make me tear up do, like the newspaper, but so far I'm ok

Jessmcg--how cool on the movement!! that's awesome!! I can't wait...

speedknitter--good luck with the move & with telling folks at work. I know what you mean about not wanting to be treated differently (I've got a long story about that!) hope everyone is supportive but doesn't walk on eggshells.

aprildawn-- sorry about the accident! :( no fun at all. I have had minor leaks, but nothing major, but I'm sure it's coming! and I have to say I find kegels kind of a pain, but I'll keep trying!

jessikate--glad you are feeling better generally, but sorry about the crappy cold! I hope you can get more chiro in!! :)
kicking sounds wonderful...

lia-glad your family knows, hope they are excited!

Pamela-thanks again for starting this thread and how fun that your sis is pg too! Great that your dh is so easygoing!

Well I'd better get back to work, lots to do after the strike, and I need to leave on time today to celebrate Beth's 30th birthday (the big day was Tuesday, but tonight is the party).

hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

danaalex

10-15-2004, 05:33 PM

..we didn't hear the hb at the midwife's 2wks ago and I think it's bothering me more than I thought. But I do think I might be feeling some flutters, and then I think, but they're in the wrong place! They're probably digestive. Sigh!

. Today I wore a maternity shirt for the first time! Fun, but I've been kinda chickening out and wearing a shawl over it all day.

i'm curious as to what MWs do when they don't hear a heartbeat with the doppler. do they just listen for a long time and then assume the babe won't sit still for long enough? i'm not an overly worried person and i have gone months without hearing a heartbeat, but i was just curious as to what a MW would do. i know an OB would probably order an US LOL.

also, you are SOOO lucky that you haven't had to wear maternity shirts so far. i have been in maternity pants and shorts for 8 weeks now, and of course all of my regular tshirts are too short so i have to wear maternity tops too. uggh. i finally went out and bought some super cute fitted types of maternity shirts cause i hate the big baggy, " i look fat" maternity tops and that was all that i had in tshirts. uggh uggh uggh.

sorry you had to strike and picket. that doesn't sound like any fun at all.

Jes'sBeth

10-15-2004, 10:57 PM

Hi all!
I've been super busy at teacher's college and haven't felt much like writing, but I read the thread consistently! I'm so excited that everyone's feeling movement! Can't wait for Jes to feel our little one move (I mean for sure know it's the little one!)

I was visiting a good friend of mine today and got to see the 4 1/2 month old baby (who's huge! she's 20 pounds!) they just moved to Ottawa this week from Nunavut (way up in the arctic... they had already built snow forts in the yard before they moved!) As I was holding Isa I could hardly believe that Jes and I are going to have a little one to look after soon too.

Congrats to everyone for making it into the second trimester! I'm glad to read that many of you are feeling better. I found it so hard to watch Jes feel icky...

Danaalex,they listened for a fairly long time at our mw appt for our wee one's heartbeat but it was the student who was searching and at 12 weeks she warned us that it was very likely that she wouldn't be able to find it before she started looking because the baby might be in a poor location for her to find, because her clinical skills might not yet be sufficient or if the baby was moving around lots. I'm guessing it was probably a combination of all three. When we had our ultrasound the baby moved around like crazy. I don't think that s/he likes ultrasound very much. I think if we hadn't just seen the heartbeat she could have followed up with more options but we had just seen the baby and she told us that we'd for sure hear it next time (2 more weeks!) so, we have to wait it out this time. I'm pretty sure that different midwives have different protocols and at that point neither of us were too anxious so they didn't offer us any follow up and we didn't ask. at the time, it was disappointing but we weren't too anxious... we're probably more anxious now since we're still waiting and after 2 miscarriages, everything makes us anxious :eyesroll

okay, this is getting to be the length of my last assignment :innocent
lots of love to you all and may you all have good sleep, lots of energy and be able to eat lots of good food!

danaalex

10-17-2004, 05:16 PM

yesterday we went for family pics :) and then to vicky's secret so i could get some new undies and bras. i had bought some maternity underwear for the very first time ever, and i hated the way they fit. so i got some cute bikini style VS. the ladies in there all asked when i was due, UGGH.

then i went to my friends baby shower and stayed for 5 HRS!!!!! we had SOOO much fun. it was nice to have a night out without the kids and spouse LOL. we ate, gabbed, and watched the mama of honour open her gifts. she is having her first DD, after two DSs. she is SUPER excited!!!

it was a great day :) unfortunately, my DH left at 4am this morning for a 4 day biz trip, uggh. so i'm alone until late wed or thurs. he is going away next sun- thurs too. so, i'm glad i was able to have a DH and babe free night before he left LOL.

what's everyone else up to?

seren

10-17-2004, 07:36 PM

danaalex we didn't hear the heartbeat at my midwife appointment either. I was almost 12 weeks. My midwife told me we might not. I'm quite heavy, so that makes it harder. My appointment was on the first, I go again tomorrow, only 2 weeks later, to try again. I don't know what she will do if she can't hear it this time, maybe order an u's, but am not sure.

I've been trying to drink my water. Is anyone else really bad about it? I have put it off until today, really seriously drinking. And I am so mad at myself. Last appointment I was too dehydrated to get any blood for my blood work, so if I'm not hydrated enough to get some tomorrow I have to go to the hospital to get it drawn. I HATE needles and hate to have to go to the hospital. ANd if I do I know it's all my fault because I didn't drink my stupid water. Why is something so simple so hard to do?

danaalex

10-18-2004, 09:18 AM

i drink a ton when i am pg. i have this constant state of thirst. i remember when i was PG with my DD#2 and i had just found out, but we weren't telling our family yet. my mom was helping me drive from MD to FL with my other DD, and i couldn't stop drinking, and therefore peeing. my mom kept asking me if i had been tested for diabetes recently. she was soooooo concerned. for me, it's just a symptom of being pg LOL.

proudmamanow

10-18-2004, 11:03 AM

Hi seren! Hope you are well after all your hard family stuff :hug
Thanks for passing on your hb experience, I do find it reassuring , but I really hope you hear it soon, kwim? I think I may ask my mw tomorrow night when I see her (we sing in the same choir) if she thinks it's a big deal, and if I can come in early and try and hear it (our next appt is 2 wks today, and I do get a bit stressed given our history). on the water drinking, I hear you, I do normally have to work pretty hard at it (although having a water cooler at work helps a lot!) Beth did just install a new water filter at our house though, which is very exciting and will definitely encourage me to drink more at home. (it has to be well timed though...too much at night and I have to pee ALL NIGHT LONG).

Danaalex--fun on the undies! I went undie shopping yesterday too and got a new bra (how heavenly). A good friend of ours who used to own a mat/baby clothing store just moved to our town and gave me 3 bras including 2 bravado ones! WOW! I have more bras and prs of jeans for maternity now than I do for my regular life :) Glad you enjoyed the shower--and good that you're thirsty.

Anyone else been having a sore throat? I've had one on & off for a while, never leads to anything, might be related to my worsening allergies, but hopefully not. I'm now taking a daily vit C. and calcium plus my regular supplement so hopefully that will help the throat and allergies.

back to work for me....I hope everyone is well!

natashaccat

10-18-2004, 01:44 PM

Re: water
Spending the $ on filtered water has really helped me up my water intake. It tastes lots better. My local water is so gross and I'm just not up to dealing with filters etc, they get soo dirty soo fast here that it's almost cheaper for me to just buy the filtered stuff.

jessikate

10-18-2004, 02:20 PM

I usually drink a ton of water. We have a Brita filter pitcher that lives in the fridge, so there's always tasty water available. Our city water tastes like crud, IMO. Even so, the water still tastes funny from a plastic bottle now (I just replaced my #7 Nalgene with a #2 one, because I thought it was the kind of plastic). I think I might go and get a box of Emergen-C packets to flavor the water. I was trying not to do that, since they're fairly expensive, but if it keeps me drinking water, then I should do it. I also kept a big pitcher of iced tea in the fridge all summer. I'd either use the sun tea pot or brew it in a pan on the stovetop. RRL and nettle, or something minty. Herbal teas are great for hydration, too, remember. As long as there's no caffeine or a ton of sugar, it's fine to drink a lot of herbal tea. Of course, drinking iced tea in the winter isn't such a pleasant thing as it is in the summer, but sometimes it tastes better than plain water, you know?

liawbh

10-18-2004, 07:28 PM

I find I drink more water if I fill waterbottles and refrigerate them, or freeze them half-full. I also have been drinking mineral water (calistoga or talking rain) with a splash of juice. SOmehow the carbonation makes it more fun to drink! Also, it looks nice in a cocktail or wine glass if others are having drinks.

danaalex

10-18-2004, 10:40 PM

i thought that my M/S and throwing up was over about 2 weeks ago. well, it's not i threw up five times tonight. now what kind of welcome to your second trimester is that? LOL.

uggh i'm exhasuted i gotta go to bed.

seren

10-19-2004, 01:28 PM

Water drinking is hard for me even when I drink flavored. I don't know why.

Didn't hear the hb yesterday either. My uterus is still really low. We try agin Nov 8. They aren't worried. BUt it's still bothersome. I cried when I told dh. I would just feel better, but the baby reminded me that s/he's in there. I had a HUGE thump earlier today. Completely undenieable that it was the baby. So, that certainly made me feel tons better!

danaalex

10-19-2004, 01:47 PM

aww that's so cool that you felt the babe "thump" you :). i keep wondering if i am feeling things or not. i know where the babe is and everyonce in a while i'll feel something in that location, but then an hour later i'll feel the exact same thing somewhere else so..................... and i don't feel something everyday, more like once every 4 days or so. who knows? i can't wait, i love feeling babies move :) it's sooooooo cool!!!!!

Stream

10-19-2004, 02:24 PM

Water is tough for me too. Don't know why. I need to make a more concerted effort to get down more fluids everyday.

And I'm having those "I think it's the baby, but I don't really know" movements. Mostly right after lunch, which makes sense, given the nice blood sugar rush. And they don't *feel* like digestive things, but I always have to question it. I have an appt on Monday with my MW and it will be comforting to hear the heartbeat again and know everything's still going well. Maybe then I'll decide it's definitely movement. :) In any case, I can't wait for regular movement-- I love that part of pregnancy. So cool.

You know, I actually buy into some of the risks of using the doppler, and I was going to try to avoid it as much as possible, but gosh darnit-- I need the reassurance! ;) Maybe I'll pass when we start going more often than every 4-5 weeks... or maybe not. Love that sound!

sunbaby

10-19-2004, 05:34 PM

seren, drinking water is pretty easy for me, so im sorry i am no help. we have a giant filter that we fill with several gallons from the tap every day. one thing i would maybe play around with is different tempuratures, hot, cold, tepid makes a difference in how palatable it is.

wan2bemama, did you talk to your midwife today?

i woke up with cramping in my lower back (like i had in the miscarriage) and dh insisted i go in for listen today. there was a tense few minutes while mw couldnt hear anything. then she put the doppler all the way down in my pubic hair and there was a nice strong beat. little bugger was trying to hide behind the pubes. glad for the reassurance.

danaalex, sorry about the puking. no fun.

i keep hearing that ms is actually the body trying to detox. dont know if its true or not, seem to be hearing it with greater and greater frequency, that if i had detoxed before pregnancy i wouldnt be so sick. makes me feel guilty and gross and worse than i already feel. anyone else heard of this?

saharasky

10-20-2004, 12:04 AM

As far as I know ... and I could be wrong ... but MS is a result of hcg hormones peaking (which I've heard they do somewhere between 7 and 10 weeks) ... this makes sense to me as multiple pregnancies result in more hcg and are usually accompanied by more sickness than singletons.

I've also heard that more sickness means the pregnancy is more likely to stick ... but who knows ... the thought made me feel better anyways when I was laying flat on my back for two weeks being terrorized by my toddler and unable to do anything but lay there.

As far as a detox ...I've never heard that ... however my thoughts on it are this ... we can only do what we know ... if you didn't know about it beforehand (and if it's not widespread knowledge no one can be expected to 'know' it ... I assure you it isn't) you shouldn't feel guilty about it ... now you know ...and next time around you might like to try it and tell us if it makes a difference ... heck I'd have tried a detox before this pg if I'd known about it just to see if it made a diff ... and it mght but it might not ... and I'm certainly not going to feel guilty for doing my best with the knowledge I had in hand.

HUGS

danaalex

10-20-2004, 12:29 AM

as much as i hate getting sick and being nauseous all day it's a nice little reminder of what is going on in there :) so, detoxing or not if i didn't feel this way i think i would worry way too much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

goodcents

10-20-2004, 09:06 AM

Hi All,
Just checking in. I don't participate alot in the chat threads but I will try to more. I have been so busy with a tax certification course, college, work and toddler baby!!!!! Anyhooooooo

I thought I felt some THUMPS toooooooooooo!!! After reading your posts, I am convinced that it isn't too "early". Now I am going to paying too much attention "down there" and waiting for the next one. It is going to be like watching a pot of water boil, no doubt. :LOL

Natashacat - I too had some depression/anxiety about this pregnancy and doing it all over again so quickly. I want to give you a :hug2 and let you know I feel 'ya.

For me, I am one of those people who loves breastfeeding and babing the babies, but the pregnancy thing I could give or take. I would much prefer laying an egg and sitting on it for 9 months!!! That said my sister and other women I know LOVE LOVE LOVE being pregnant, and at times I can too, but it just isn't my favorite part kwim??? It gives me a bit of anxiety to think about something "growing" in me. Its cool - but FREAKY too!!!!!!

Other than that my pregnancy has been pretty good so far. I was able to hear the heartbeat at 12 weeks appt after a long struggle with the doppler. It made me :crying a bit. We will have u/s at 20 weeks. I think I am at about 14 weeks now?! I am not sure - so not keeping good track of that this time around.

Any of y'all have an inkling of what gender the little peaches inside of us might be?? I am thinking boy now - that could change though. I thought boy with my first, and then switched right around the time we got the u/s.

seren

10-20-2004, 10:27 AM

I've also heard that more sickness means the pregnancy is more likely to stick ... but who knows ...

I heard this and was really freaking out this pregnancy when I didn't have any, or very little. With it being so close to the misscarriage I was really nervous anyways. Then dh reminded me that I have never ever had morning sickness and I have two health children. True, not counting this pregnancy I have had more misscarriages than children, but if I carry this baby to term, my odds will then be even. 3 of each. So I don't know if there is any truth to it or not, but I think some people just don't get it.

No clue what gender this baby is. I think I secretly want a girl, but I would also be happy to have another boy. We are going to be surprised this time, no finding out gender at the u/s. Dh doesn't think I have the willpower, which is the only reason he agreed, but that only makes me more determined.

I am really really upset with on of my midwives. She never shuts up about my weight. How beiing so overweight makes me a higher risk for high blood pressure, gestatinal diabetes. I know all this, but she keeps talking about it. And that's why we can't hear the heartbeat yet. I LOVE the other midwife, she was the only one there when I had my ds. I asked her if i could only see her and she said no because if I got the other during my birth, it wouldn't be fair to either of us. Which is true, makes sense, but doesn't make me feel better. I realy, really, really don't want to have a hospital birth, or I might change pcp's. I just don't know what to do. Any ideas? She also told me that she doesn't want me to gain more than 10-5 lbs. SHe thinks that because i lost weight with ds I will do it again, something about patterns, but what about the fact I gained 28 with dd? I have already gained three lbs. I just feel so pressured. I mean only 7 more lbs in the next 26 weeks, just doens't seem like enough. My kids were both over 7. 7. 15 and 7.4. So, for me to only gain 7 more lbs means only baby weight, nothing else. I feel so much pressure, too much pressure. And I get so depressed over it. *Sigh*

And today is my fourth anniversary.

liawbh

10-20-2004, 10:51 AM

:hug Serenity. You could always tell her :raz or :moon .

OK, ahem, seriously now. I'm wondering where she got the 10 pound idea? The Pregnancy Book by Sears & Sears, recommends 20-25 if you are over weight, The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Kitzinger says the weight of the baby is at most 38% of total weight gain, so that's a minimum of 20#. Most experts today advise not worrying about weight, but focusing on a good diet. Maybe if you kept a diet chart for a week or two?

Or you could just decline to be weighed on the appointments with that MW.

HTH

Stream

10-20-2004, 11:25 AM

Happy anniversary, Serenity! But grrr... your MW makes my blood boil. I do think it would be ok if you didn't gain much weight (or lost weight) this pregnancy if you are obese (not just overweight). But to cap your weight limit at 15 lbs.? Silly! And possibly dangerous! As long as you are making healthy eating choices (let's not dine exclusively on ho-hos and potato chips, you know?), who gives a flip how much you gain? Maybe it's b/c my mama gained 50 lbs. with me and the medical establishment said that was too, too much :eyesroll -- or maybe it's because I have a difficult time gaining as much as I think I should, but I think your body (and the baby) will tell you how much it needs and you follow suit. As non-combative as I am (I cower in the face of confrontation), I think at my next appointment with that MW I would politely say "Thank you for letting me know your views about my weight gain. I am informed of your opinion and I would prefer not to discuss it anymore." Or maybe even type something up so she knows you're serious-- an agreement you can both sign that says "So-and-so has informed me that there are risks to excess weight gain, including blah, blah and blah. I feel well-informed of these risks and request that, unless a complication related to my weight gain arises, we no longer discuss weight issues at my appointments."

Oops-- did I give myself away? Can you tell I'm a lawyer? ;) I have a problem not thinking a signed agreement can fix anything...

danaalex

10-20-2004, 11:57 AM

i agree with both of the previous posters ask that weight be left out unless it truely becomes an issue, like you can't walk due to it or something. are you majorly overweight? like over 100lbs overweight? i weigh more than i should and when i was pg with dd#2 i put a cap on my weight gain LOL. i told myself no more than 20 lbs and at 24 weeks i hadn't gained a lbs and i got YELLED at for not gaining weight. so between my 24 and 28 week appt i gained 12 lbs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :LOL i was so concerned about gaining weight after that. i think i ended up gaining like 30 lbs or something, and my care provider was more than ok with that. i also had a 9 lb 4 oz baby LOL.

if you have normal sized babes, which you do, and haven't developed GD in the past, then i wouldn't worry about your weight gain. i mean my over 9lber would mean i'm more likely to have GD than you are. so, i'd either go the, "i'm not getting weighed in anymore" route, or the "we agree not to discuss my weight anymore" route. and put it in writing :) i like that idea.

natashaccat

10-20-2004, 12:20 PM

Seren,
I'm so sorry to hear about your crappy midwife. It sounds like she may be a bit out of the loop. Can you trust her do do a safe delivery if you don't end up with your prefered provider? After dd1s horrible hospital birth I'm pretty gun shy about hospital deliveries myself and I've been thinking about what I'd do in that situation. I think I'd find a doula to be there to run interference JIC.

Thanks all for your kind words of encouragement about my migarines. I've had one really bad one in each eye, I think all that extra blood volume is really doing me in, the veins on my hands have totally popped out.

seren

10-20-2004, 12:51 PM

THanks for the advice. I hate confrontation of any sort. I have been thinking about a hb, but dh won't let me because of my history and we live 20 minutes from a hospital. I'm not sure how to approach it. I might just call my friend who has gone there for a long time. I tol d her how this particular midwife had been on my weight before my miscarriage and she was really upset and thinking about calling the original midwife to talk to her about it. Plus this lady met a couple who the same midwife ran them off from this practice. I might just let her call and complain first, then me call one day and voice my concerns.

I am horribly overweight. I'm 5'2 and 283 lbs. SO I am obese, not just overweight and i had planned to lose weight after the m/c, but this was a surprise pregnancy, so I didn't get a chance to. I do have big plans for it after the baby is born, though

danaalex

10-20-2004, 03:58 PM

hmmmmmm, could you talk to the original midwife and ask her her opinion on not getting weighed in? or having a contract with the other midwife about not mentioning your weight. let the original MW know how much this is hurting and bothering you.

i have met moms that were 100lbs or more over weight when they got pg, and they hadn't gained or actually lost weight while being pg and had perfectly healthy and normal sized babes. i have no clue how they did it. i know that the brewer diet states that moms that are overweight have lost weight doing his diet. just because it's a redistribution of where the calories and fats are coming from. ? would you be able to follow something like that? i don't have any good weight gain/loss advice or suggestions, but i do think that YOU need to talk to them about this.

ctdoula

10-21-2004, 08:57 AM

HUGS Seren!!!! That just sucks. I'm also overweight (obese? I hate that term), and when you need to lose that kind of weight, it's not like you don't know :eyesroll Geez. This supid MW needs to chill out. With my first dd, the midwife said, "you'll gain weight, gain too much and it's harder to take off later" and that was her entire speech. Never said a peep again (I gained 20lbs by 38 weeks, then another 12 in water weight at 40w, LOL for a total of 32lbs). For me, that 32lbs was GONE in 2 weeks. I never had any HB, no GD, etc. Of course, I didn't take advange of all that nursing to loose weight & am the same now (maybe 10lbs lighter) then when I got preg w/dd (yesterday at my 16w appt I was 206.5 & I'm 5'3" (started the pregnancy at 211)). I was the one who brought up not gaining a lot this pregnancy with the MW. I'd really like to not gain or gain very little so that I have a jump start after the pregnancy, KWIM?

So, if I was in your shoes, I think I'd call or speak to the original MW & let her know how you're feeling. Tell her you're considering leaving the practice and have heard of other people leaving because of MW #2. It's not good for her business & she needs to know. The next time you do see MW #2 (the evil one), if she says anything, as her why she's harping on it. I mean, you've had 2 sucessful pregnancies without terrible outcomes, what EXACTLY does she want you to do. I mean, does she want you to slimfast your way through :eyesroll . Sometimes I think it's easy for people to say something like "don't gain weight" but then don't give realistic tools to help you. I think for people in our situation, the GOAL would be minimal weight gain, BUT, that's an ideal & not always reality. With my dd, I pretty much ate what I wanted, didn't exercise & still had only gained 20lbs at 38weeks. I think our bodies are pretty smart.

SORRY to ramble, LOL. We're here for ya mama!!! Don't let her take the joy out of this pregnancy!

proudmamanow

10-21-2004, 10:51 AM

Hi everyone,
How great that this thread has been so chatty! But sorry that I haven't been keeping up, I have changed jobs (slightly) to get away from my evil boss and while this is great & means less stress for me & the babe, it also means a very steep learning curve & lots of new tasks.

Seren -happy anniversary!!! :D :D :D :love
And I feel like saying :cuss to your midwife! As if you aren't already more concerned about your health & the health of the babe than she ever will be! You are a great mama, I'm sure and have carried two healthy babies and you KNOW what you need. You do NOT need to be stressing about weight gain right now! :hug :hug :hug I'm sure that if you just keep doing what you're doing right now your body will gain as much weight as it needs (whether that's 10 lbs. or 50) w/o the interference of your mw. Rant over. I don't have anything brilliantly practical to add to the above, but I too am really bad at confrontation, so my suggestion would be to send an e-mail or a letter explaining your concerns, which will save you from having to talk to anyone, if that helps....

My mw is great on this score, you can weigh yourself if you want, privately (you also get to test your urine for sugar & protein privately) and you only report the results if you want to...

Natashaccat :hug :hug :hug on the migraines. I'm so sorry sweetie... I know a couple of mamas on the Feb. board have had trouble with headaches too, you might try asking them what worked...

goodcents how cool that you've felt some thumps & that you heard the heartbeat! I've felt definite flutters at least 3 times...well I think so!

dana --sorry you're still feeling sick :( hope it passes soon.
I have to say that while I feel much better, my digestive system sure isn't normal, I still have my share of weird moments...

sunbaby--I was going to talk to my mw, but then while we were singing I felt what I thought was my most definite flutter yet, so then I felt reassured. (of course now I'm a bit worried again, but I think to some extent this is a normal state for someone with my m/c history). I am looking forward to my appointment which is only 10 days away, though.
Good for you on going in to get the hb checked, & I'm so glad you found it eventually!! YAY!! :love

that's all for me for now. I'm exhausted, Beth started her first day of being in the schools today and was up at 6 (of course I was awake anyway, 'cause I had to pee, but I normally would have gone back to sleep). Otherwise feeling pretty good & looking fwd to my 2nd prenatal yoga class tonight. We will see some friends this weekend that we haven't seen since June, so that will be fun too -they are all v. excited for us.

oh and I have been having some not so fun back pain lately. I find that by 2 or 3 pm, after sitting at my desk all day, I get really sore! Any ideas?

seren

10-21-2004, 12:18 PM

I would be very interested in the Brewer diet. I would love to lose weight, I just don't want to stress myself out over it, which is what's happening. The evil mw (think I like the sound of that) :D wants me to walk twice a day for an hour. So dh's parents are letting us borrow thier treadmill they don't use. Hopefully this will help some. Thanks for all the support and the advice. You ladies are awesome!!!!

danaalex

10-21-2004, 01:29 PM

omg twice a day for an hour. my kids would never let me LOL. i can't do anything for an hour by myself LOL. that's great that your ILs are letting your borrow theirs :)

i think you can find the brewer diet at www.blueribbonbaby.org i printed out the diet and posted it on our fridge. i think it's super easy to eat that way, most of the time. :) evil MW, hehehehe

OOPS!!! it's .org not .com, sorry!!!!!!!!!!!

liawbh

10-21-2004, 07:09 PM

I tried the link, and got a photo contest?

Seren: An HOUR? yikes! My son's in school all day and I don't walk an hour. Maybe one half hour exercise session a day (if I'm not gagging or napping LOL!).

;) Like the new name for her!

seren

10-22-2004, 11:39 AM

I'm so sad. I am seriosuly considering going to an OB, which means a hospital birth. I really don't want to. Just not sure yet. I'm gonna cry.

proudmamanow

10-22-2004, 01:43 PM

oh seren,

(((((((((((((((((((((hug)))))))))))))))))))))))))

I'm so sorry that you're stuck in this bad situation with this evil midwife.

Are there any other mw practices you could use? Could you just avoid this one mw and ask to only see other ones?

another ((((((((((((((((((((hug)))))))))))))))))

sending you peaceful, problem-solving vibes

danaalex

10-22-2004, 05:33 PM

seren, did something else happen? have you tried talking to the original MW and expressed your concerns? i see an OB and have hospital births, but that's just me and i think it's great that people see MWs and do home birth or birthing center births. i am a pretty straightforward person so i am able to tell my Dr what i want and don't want and i really have not received resistance or negativity, but i'm also a NICU RN so that might have something to do with it, i dunno.

i wish you didn't have to go through this. being pg is not supposed to be a time of powerstruggle.................................... i wish i had more advice or insight...........

((((((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))))))))

sunbaby

10-22-2004, 10:33 PM

send the Evil Midwife to us. we will eat her alive. figuratively, ladies, figuratively. c'mon, now, did y'all really think i was THAT sick? no, never mind, dont answer.

but really, serenity, i am so sorry you are feeling this way. do pls try to keep yourself in a position of power. if you dont want an ob and a hospital birth, dont allow this narrow sighted woman to corner you into it. you are the boss here. also, did i miss you sharing how your other births went? is the care provider for those avaliable to you now? sorry if this is info you shared and i missed.

seren

10-23-2004, 02:10 PM

You ladies are so wonderful. I have asked to just see the other midwife, but she said it wouldn't be fair if I got the evil one during birth. And she's right, it wouldn't be fair to either of us. Of course, that was when I was self-pay. I now have medicaid, so they don't get paid as much and the evil one doesn't, I believe, tend medicaid births, because she can't get paid for them. I guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and talk to someone. Dh is going to take off of work for my next appointment so he can support me. He's so great.

My other births, one was ok, with me almost dying afterwards and the other was fantastic. My dd was born in a hospital with an OB. I got pretty decent care during my pregnancy, but he failed to mention to anyone that I was dangerously anemic. I don't know what part of my iron he was measuring, but when I went into the hospital it was a 6, dangerously low. Here it is illegal to have a baby anywhere but a hospital, if it's under 10. Because of this I hemmoraged, passed out, and didn't wake up for 10 hours. My mom has had to help dress dead bodies for buriel for church and she said i looked like I was dead. My sister left the room and told my dad that she thought I had died. It all could have been prevented and was not.

With my ds I went to the midwife. We only have one practice here. It was just the original midwife then and she was fantastic. She's kinda like a loving grandmother. It was the best expereience ever. She monitored my iron and I was taking about 8 chlorophyll pills a day at then end and my iron was still low, but high enough to deliver at the birth center. All went great and it was wonderful. That's what I was hoping for again.

Again, thanks for all the support. You ladies are so wonderful!!! Wish you could all go with me to talk to her. I am so non-confrontational.

sunbaby

10-23-2004, 04:19 PM

seren, it does sound to me as though you are moving closer to a solution, yes? i will be sending you strength vibes for the hard task of confronting this issue. i know you can do it.

oh holy cow. yesterday i threw up all over my car. it was awful. i was driving dd home from a preschool field trip feeling sick and migraine-y, but it dint really hit me until i was at a stretch of road with no shoulder to pull off onto. i did manage to pull onto a side road for the grand finale. i think i threw up enough to make up for all the times i wanted to but couldnt. dd thought it was fantastic. she was sitting in the back giggling and imitating my gagging noises. fortunately dh was home so i got to lay in bed for the rest of the day after hosing off both the inside and outside of the car door. i did think of you, danaalex, as i was puking (arent you glad? :eyesroll ) isnt the second trimester supposed to be better, not worse? :irked: anyway, i am feeling good right now, but it is becoming depressingly evident that i can only ever speak for this exact moment, because there is just no guarantee that it will be the same in an hour.

seren

10-23-2004, 05:17 PM

Yuck on the throwing up. I have had a cough, due to post nasal drip, and it has made me throw up a tiny bit a few times. It is absolutely no fun.

I remember the days of migraines well, with dd I had to be on a prescription to manage them. We tried 3 and the last one they gave me was hydrocodone. It didn't do anything, neither did the Demerol shot I got. That's when I found out they were caused by allergies. Could you're be the same? Also, I know Zoloft is safe during pregnancy and anti-depressants are some of the best meds to prevent migraines.
When I was 17 I had migraines 5 out of 7 days a week. Too often to take regular migraine meds, so I took an anti-depressant to help. Works great. I don't know of anything natural to make them go away, except feverfew and it's NOT safe during pregnancy. Wish I could help more.

jessikate

10-23-2004, 06:40 PM

I'm sorry about your migraine and barfing in the car, Sunbaby. I also used to suffer from frequent migraines. I have had one since DD was born, and it was not as severe as previous ones. I don't know what brought them on, and what's stopped them, but I wish I knew because I'd recommend it to everyone. My mom was (and may still be) taking anti-seizure medication for her migraines. It really helped her, as she was having them weekly or more often, and now rarely has them. I hope you're able to get something figured out for them soon.

Seren, I hope you're able to work out some sort of solution with your MWs soon. The stress isn't good for you, and it's obvious that a hospital birth with an OB is not at all what you want. :hug

Not much going on here. The weather is gray, rainy, and cold, and it's draining my energy something fierce. I need to start DD's Halloween costume, but I can't pry myself off the couch. I think it'll go rather quickly once I get started, but I don't want to do it. Ugh. DH is taking the coming week off work (he's got most of his vacation time to use up before the end of the year), and I'm hoping I'll have the motivation to do some stuff then. DD needs more clothing for the winter, and I want to make more tiny diapers for the baby. We're also talking about moving my sewing area upstairs to the spare bedroom so I can maybe have some privacy or something like that for my work. We'll see if we get this done. It'll free up some space down here for DD's playthings, which would be great.

I should get off the computer and go parent.

danaalex

10-23-2004, 10:53 PM

oh holy cow. yesterday i threw up all over my car. it was awful. i was driving dd home from a preschool field trip feeling sick and migraine-y, but it dint really hit me until i was at a stretch of road with no shoulder to pull off onto. i did manage to pull onto a side road for the grand finale. i think i threw up enough to make up for all the times i wanted to but couldnt. dd thought it was fantastic. she was sitting in the back giggling and imitating my gagging noises. fortunately dh was home so i got to lay in bed for the rest of the day after hosing off both the inside and outside of the car door. i did think of you, danaalex, as i was puking (arent you glad? :eyesroll ) isnt the second trimester supposed to be better, not worse? :irked: anyway, i am feeling good right now, but it is becoming depressingly evident that i can only ever speak for this exact moment, because there is just no guarantee that it will be the same in an hour.

awww, i'm so sorry you got sick in your car yesterday. you and i must have been on the same wave length, cause i almost threw up in the car yesterday too. i was anxiously looking around for a place to put it as i was driving my girls to the park for a play date. uggh. it was awful. i ended up pulling into wendy's and buying a coke and fries, cause the grease and the coke are the only things that settled my stomach in the past. it worked again, but man i was freaking!!!

yeah, i thought things were supposed to be better now too. (((HUGS))) thanks for thinking of me LOL :) i'm glad you knew you were not alone :)

esqueue

10-24-2004, 03:07 PM

Seren, have you considered hiring a doula? I've been interviewing some lately. They said they would attend prenatal visits if I wanted them too. I want to hire one because I'm doing this alone and want all of the support I can get during labor and, because of my health problems, I want someone there who will advocate for me if I am unable to so because of health issues. Perhaps a doula could attend your MW visits with you and help advocate for you with the evil MW and assure them that you are aware of your situation and the ramifications of it. I'm glad your DH is going with you, but if he can't make other appts then maybe a doula would be able to be there with you instead. Just a thought.

Also, on the water consumption...I pour out all of the water I'm supposed to drink for the day in the morning. I have 2 water bottles that hold it all. That gives me a visual reminder of how much I have consumed so far and how much I have left to go throughout the day so I am reminded to drink up if I'm falling behind. Since dehydration can lead to preterm labor I'm feeling very motivated to keep hydrated, I just need a constant reminder to do it.

hang in there.

natashaccat

10-25-2004, 12:59 PM

sunbaby-
I'm right there with ya on the miagraine thing. Through my first trimester my migraine problem progressed to the point that I had one for over a week that I just couldn't kick. I ended up getting a script for reglan, which cut the neausea enough for me to get back on a better easting pattern.

What's really helped me since is giving up refined sugar, chocolate, and caffeene, upping my protien intake, and literally keeping something in my tummy 24/7 (or as close to that as I can get). Since I'm not really up to much food prep these days I've been buying huge party trays of cut vegies and dip and snacking on veggies between meals.

Stream

10-25-2004, 03:16 PM

Yippee! Nothing like a good MW appt to brighten one's day. Had a 16w appt today. I've gained 2 lbs. (from my low m/s weight) and she says I have a perfect little uterus. :) (I'm a sucker for flattery.) We heard the heartbeat again and it's so much stronger than it was at 12 weeks-- then we only caught it for a second, and it was pretty soft. Today, it was really pounding-- no doubt about it! It seems slower to me than my dd's was-- I can't remember if that's supposed to indicate a boy or what. I'm still kind-of getting the boy vibe with this one, but not enough that I'm certain of it or anything.

Oh-- on that note, dd has *insisted* for months that there is a girl baby in my tummy. Like, if you suggest it might possibly maybe be a boy, she would flip out. We had dinner guests last night and I told them about that and was going to show them, so I asked her what kind of baby was in my tummy-- a boy or a girl? And wouldn't you know it? She answered: "It's a boy baby, I think." I even asked her again (because I couldn't believe my ears) and she is now sure it's a boy. I think she's been blessed with my (lack of) intuition. ;) Or perhaps just my indecision...

Of course, she still wants to name the baby Cinderella-- even if it insists on being a boy. :LOL

danaalex

10-25-2004, 04:55 PM

omg cinderella, that is so cute. i think my oldest would pick that as a name too.

we haven't said anything to our kids about having another babe. they are 3 and 18 mo and i told my DH we would wait until the beginning of march to discuss it. by then our oldest will be almost 4 and out youngest will be almost 2.

Stream

10-26-2004, 03:03 PM

Wow! That's a long time to wait to tell them. Won't your 3 year old be curious about your belly? ;) My dd is also 3 and I just can't imagine her not wondering what was going on-- she's pretty perceptive. Of course, she was right there with me when I peed on the stick and confirmed that there were indeed 2 pink lines. So she's been involved since day 1. :) She's the sweetest-- she tells people that she has a baby, and that it's in her mama's tummy. I love it!

I scheduled our screening u/s today. It will be November 17. this will be the first and maybe only appt DH goes to, so it's exciting for that reason too! We were both students when I was pg the first time and had all the flexibility in the world-- he never missed a prenatal appointment. Now, his job is pretty hard-core about the hours you have to be on-site, and he's only been there for 2 months. We're saving up the favors for babymoon time. :)

danaalex

10-26-2004, 03:51 PM

i do have quite a big belly already and my 3yo doesn't seem to notice. her "baby" is her baby sister, and i think she'd have a hard time understanding that i was having another one LOL. if she starts questioning the changes of my body, we'll tell her sooner, but more than likely she'll just want to know when the baby is coming and if it's going to be soon. in that cse, we'll just wait. we'll see............ :) your DD is 10 days younger than my 3 yo :), and i think the difference is that if someone were to ask her where her baby was, she'd point to her little sister LOL. :) your DD sounds super cute and excited :)

seren

10-26-2004, 09:55 PM

Stream, your dd is one day older than mine. SHe, too, knows we are having a baby. She says it's her sister. She asked when the baby was coming, so I told her first we have to have Christmas, then Uncle Joshey's birthday (my little brother in March), and then MAYBE bubba's birthday. His birthday is April 15. He is 18 months and points to my belly and says baby and kisses it when Savanna does. I don't know if he really gets it though, probably not.

ANd I think maybe you ladies jinxed me. Just kidding. But I did have TWO migraines yesterday. One at 5 am and one when I went to bed. Horrible, ugh!!!!

danaalex

10-26-2004, 10:30 PM

proudmamanow

10-27-2004, 08:55 AM

hi everyone!
I posted here yesterday but apparently it disappeared. Fun to hear how your little ones are reacting to the coming baby :)
No reaction from our cats so far! ;)
Stream, I wanted to say how reassuring it was to hear that you only barely heard the hb at your last appt and that you heard it nice & strong this time. I will be 16 weeks on Thursday and we go in again on Monday so I'm looking forward to it. It's funny, both dw & I had been very firm on not wanting any more u/s, but now that we're getting these dopplers anyway, I sometimes think maybe we should just get one more...not to find out sex, but just to see the wee one. But I think I'll stick to hearing the the hb.

I'm getting over a cold, and happily bounced back from it very quickly for a change, (poor dw is still sick though). I think I'm finally getting the 2nd trimester energy boost everyone was promising. But I also find that my appetite is just not there really and that I get a lot of bloating, gas and stomach pain after I eat. Not much fun. But I'm still trying to get in lots of protein.

hope everyone is well!

:D

ladybugs

10-27-2004, 11:38 AM

Hi, I'm not pregnant, YET! But I was doing a search on the Romanian IVF program and it sent me to this site to Esqueque's posts. Does anyone know how to get in touch with her and if I can email her? I would like to get feedback on GlobalArts because we are looking at possibly using them. Thanks! Ladybugs

sunbaby

10-27-2004, 09:15 PM

i went to the midwife for my second appointment yesterday. i have gained SEVEN pounds! :banana pretty impressive gain in only four weeks, huh? i am now at a normal pre pregnancy weight for me. :) now i do have to consider being more mindful of what i am putting in, since i dont have to be just on survival/gain mode. i also think the tail end of my ms that is hanging on will ease up when i decrease my sugar intake and increase my greens, although i do have to be careful still, as it was a bunch of spinach that caused the car barf episode last week. such a balancing task i have ahead of me, especially since my midwife was not very reassuring that the nausea will go away soon, since i was sick with dd until 20 weeks.

seren

10-28-2004, 03:55 PM

serenity, i never realized it before. my oldest and your oldest are 11 days apart, and your youngest and my youngest are a day apart :)

savanna doesn't get confused between her little brother and the baby in you? does she refer to her little brother as her baby? i guess i try talking to xandra about it, and see what she says?

Then your dd and my neice were born on the same day. :D

Let me explain a bit about Savanna. SHe actually knew with Sam that there was a baby in my tummy.She was 20 months when he was born. SHe would kiss my belly and talk to Sam. She was very very vocal (telling us she was peeing and pooping in her diaper at 16 months).

With my last pregnancy, before I was pregnant she told me that her sister was with Jesus, and it was almost time for her to be in my tummy. I told her we would need to wait a bit. So she went to my dh and said *Daddy, I want my sister, both of them*. We were floored. And then even more so when I got pregnant right around when she said that. From the first time we told her there was a baby in my tummy she was telling me it was two sisters. Then when I lost the baby (ies, we are about 90% sure it was in fact twins) and we told her she cried. We told her that our baby had to go back to live with Jesus, she said *My sister?* and then cried. Poor kid, her puppy ran away (or was let out, but that's another story) the same day. Very sad.

So when I got pregnant again, we waited a bit, but did tell her early. I knew she would be so excited. She cried. And she knows. SHe tells me our baby is tiny. When I eat she says our baby is hungry. It's really cute. So, I don't know, she just gets it. And she doesn't call Sam our baby. Not any more.

danaalex

10-28-2004, 04:10 PM

WOW talk about intuition!!!!!!! that's really cool. my kids birthdates are 8/5 and 4/14. :) our little bella is 18 mo now and can tell me when she'd peed and pooped but i doubt she'd ever tell me there is a baby in my tummy and talk to it. she kisses my tummy a lot, they both do.

seren

10-28-2004, 04:23 PM

Wow, our children are very close. Sam is just no where near as verbal as Savanna was at this age. I don't think he really understand about the baby, not like she did with him. I wish he could tell me when he was going. When Sav did that we started potty learning. I figured we would give it a try, if she wasn't ready fine, if so great. And she did fantastic. Sam brought me a diaper and wipes today, but is not at all ready for the potty. He can talk a bit, but like I said, no where near what Sav was at this age.

Stream

10-29-2004, 08:42 AM

Today we have our annual pumpkin decorating contest at work. I love carving pumpkins. Love it! My entry last year was a portrait of the founder of my law firm (I worked so hard on it!): http://images.snapfish.com/33%3B%3C286%3B23232%7Ffp64%3Dot%3E2326%3D75%3A%3D% 3B5%3B%3DXROQDF%3E23236687%3B%3A%3A67ot1lsi

This year my digicam isn't cooperating, so I can't share a picture. :( It's a pretty traditional jack-o-lantern carved on a small pumpkin, stacked on top of a big pumpkin with a beige tank top stretch over it. I stuck little sticks with hands taped on them out of the arm holes and put a tiny anti-Bush pin on the shirt. It's titled "Self-portrait."

But here's the cool part. When you light the bigger pumpkin on the bottom, a picture of a little baby shines through the shirt (a 20 week fetus, actually-- I had to find an internet picture to use as a guide). It's really neat! And it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to look at it. :) If they take a pic at work, I'll show you.

proudmamanow

10-29-2004, 09:33 AM

Stream--your pumpkin sounds SOOOOOOOOO cool !!! (and your one from last year is great too) Dw & I love carving elaborate pumpkins, although she's much more artistic than I am. We have bought 3 pumpkins this year, one skinny (her), one round (me) and a little tiny one for the baby, but we haven't carved them yet, I think this will happen tomorrow morning.

I love Hallowe'en! We don't have any parties to go to this year (that I know of yet), but dw & I will be dressing up on Sunday night to hand out candy. I just stepped on the scale to discover that I've now gained about 15 lbs. I still feel good and I think I look okay so I'm not too concerned, but I may try and exercise some restraint in the candy eating domain, kwim?

Wonderful to hear about your Savanna, Seren, she sounds like a wonderful little girl!

I felt another little flutter on the bus last night--a very happy thing! Looking fwd to full fledged kicks.