Pregnant with Your First? Let's have our own support thread!

[FiberLover]

OK...I see most of the mama's here already have one or more kiddos!

I'm pregnant now (just found out!) for the first time ever, with my first baby ever, and thought it would be fun to have a place to chat with other "first-timers"!

I'm Michelle, 31, married almost 6 yrs now. We started TTC #1 in Nov 2006, so this is great!

I'm just thinking happy, healthy, sticky baby thoughts now, anyone else?

[ChristyM26]

Michelle - there's a Pregnant with #1 in our 30's thread if you want to check that out too: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=631612.

I agree though, that I feel like such a newb being a first time mom. It seems like everybody's on #2 or more!

[Heather Marie]

I am in!

This is our first pregnancy and there is so much that I just don't know. I am so excited to take it all in.

DH and I have been married for nearly 7 years (June). We are both 28 years old. We started TTC in December 2006.

We live 750+ miles away from the rest of our family and have only told my mom & stepdad. We aren't ready to tell any of our friends here yet that we are expecting. It is really great to have this board.

I would love for us first timers to have a place to check in!

[Dee-Groovy]

Ooh yeah I'm in too!

I'll be 32 in just a couple weeks, married 8 years and I'm still in the excited phase of "I have no idea what I'm doing." :lol Gosh I'm so bloated already that I'm considering buying maternity clothes and stock in Gas-X! :bag:

Thanks for starting this thread Michelle!

[jazzybaby9]

I'm a first-timer as well...only 18 years old and the father is 18. We're young, but determined to raise this beautiful baby. We weren't TTC.:o

[LittleBrownDog]

Just wanted to pop in and say congrats to you all :D I so wish I'd found MDC earlier in my pregnancy with DD! You all have lucky babies :love

[WeasleyMum]

Count me in!

[robina_josephine]

can i join?

i'm only 4 weeks today (just got my BFP yesterday), so i'm hesitant to join any buddy groups but also THRILLED to be pregnant with our first so the latter outweighed the former.

i'm 27, husband is 28. we've been together seven years, got married in november of 2005. our due date -- 20 november -- is the day after our wedding anniversary!

[bloomingmomma]

Found out today I'm pregnant with twins!! :dizzy: Wowza!

[AimeeandBrian]

I just got my BFP today! I think I am going to cry as I type that! I am 23 and so is hubby. We have been trying since Sept. I am still to scared to change my siggy

[Heather Marie]

Congratulations to everyone! We are gonna be mamas :lol ! I just love that.

MajorGroover, what is it about the bloated thing?!? Yesterday my jeans felt fine, roomy not snug at all. Today I woke up and it is like I gained 10 pounds over night. My pajama bottoms that I put on tonight that have a tie waist even had to be made looser.

[cheeseRjedi]

Congrats mamas!!!

jazzybaby, where in CO are you? You should check this out: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=565125
It has been extremely helpful with getting to know other mamas IRL. :wink

[AimeeandBrian]

I had my first morning sickness this morning! Is it weird that I am excited about that? I am sure it will get old. No bloating for me yet...I actually feel like I am getting skinnier...

[FiberLover]

YAY!

I'm so excited for this thread!

So, I tested again last night and this AM, and yep, still Positive!

I'm calling my CNMW today to make an appointment.

Estimated due date. Thanksgiving! Whoa! Happy, baby, er, turkey day.

OMG. Dee. You too with the gas? I've NEVER been this gassy in MY ENTIRE LIFE! I seriously think that 1/2 of what I eat turns to gas. I feel like a little old vegetarian lady eating beans and broccoli for breakfast. I'm a balloon here. And yeah, it's already affecting my pants size! I'm about ready to go buy a couple new pairs this afternoon!

Other symptoms....I had 2 pregnancy dreams before I got the BFP.

And weird pain in my left breast last week now that I think about it!

[jazzybaby9]

Congrats mamas!!!

jazzybaby, where in CO are you? You should check this out: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=565125
It has been extremely helpful with getting to know other mamas IRL. :wink

I'm in Lakewood...on Jewell and Kipling, near the Green Mountain area! I'll check out that link right now. :)

[oskie]

Oh, good. I thought everybody due in November already had kids!

EDD: Nov. 16 for us. I'm 28, DH is 29 and we were surprised (and happy) to conceive the first month trying.

[ChristyM26]

Oskie - that's my DD too.

Dee - have you considered buying clothes a couple sizes bigger rather than maternity clothes? That was suggested to me today as a temporary alternative. It might not be a bad idea. I don't feel bloated but I must be because my pants this morning didn't fit quite right.

[FiberLover]

Christy and Dee,

Me too!

I think with the bloating and gas (it can't be anything else at this stage, right?), my pants need to be bigger. sigh.
I'm heading to Target after work to scope it out. I think I'll buy a couple pairs 2 sizes bigger that hopefully will work for a while!

And longer shirts. I hate that all my shirts are so short now, that if I try to unbutton for relief while I sit here you can see!


Welcome oskie!

[WeasleyMum]

I had my first morning sickness this morning! Is it weird that I am excited about that? I am sure it will get old. No bloating for me yet...I actually feel like I am getting skinnier...

I don't think that's weird... I feel nervous b/c I've been fairly asymtomatic so far. I'd love a nice big normal pregnancy "symptom" like morning sickness-- although as you said I'm sure that feeling won't last long! I too was scared to change my siggy, but the folks over in TTC reminded me a few times.

[Dee-Groovy]

I think I'm starting to feel nausea now & it's not all it's cracked up to be. :wink Aimee I thought I'd be excited like you but unfortunately I wasn't. It's not bad, just a very slight queasyness. :fingersx: that it doesn't get much worse!

Couldn't sleep last night b/c my whole body hurt so I'm doubly exhausted from being pregnant and not sleeping. Sigh.

Michelle & Christy I'm not going to buy more clothes mostly b/c I can't afford those AND maternity clothes later. I have a couple of drawstring-waist skirts and some capris that still fit comfortably so I'm going to try to stretch what I have as long as possible. It's crazy that some pants and skirts are already out of the question!

Michelle keep up with the fiber (heheh) and you can also take Gas-X for gassiness. I don't drink soft drinks but I just discovered lemon-lime flavored seltzer water. It's calorie free, doesn't have any fake sugars and seems to prevent gas if I drink it while I eat.

HeatherMarie haha I know what you mean about feeling like you gained 10lbs overnight! My drawstring pajamas aren't particularly comfy now either!

What's everyone doing for prenatal care? I'm totally conflicted on what to do. I'm interviewing a homebirth midwife on Friday (sooo nervous about the meeting!), I have an appt for an ultrasound next Friday at a huge impersonal OB office, and I just made an appt at a small single-doc OB office for mid-April (the earliest they could take me). I want the u/s, the home birth and the single OB. Dang I'm hard to please. How are you ladies making this big decision?

[ChristyM26]

What's everyone doing for prenatal care? I'm totally conflicted on what to do. I'm interviewing a homebirth midwife on Friday (sooo nervous about the meeting!), I have an appt for an ultrasound next Friday at a huge impersonal OB office, and I just made an appt at a small single-doc OB office for mid-April (the earliest they could take me). I want the u/s, the home birth and the single OB. Dang I'm hard to please. How are you ladies making this big decision?

Right now I'm going to see the ob/gyn that helped me get my baby, but I won't be seeing the same doctor, because there are 8 of them (I think). Some of them aren't obs though. I don't know if I want to leave them cause I LIKE them, even if they are obs. The doctor I was seeing was wonderful the entire time I was trying. Problem is, I don't think they're light on interventions (I don't think many places are here... I'd have to get closer to Raleigh which is 3+ hours away). I may hire a doula though and see how intervention free I can get. I'm a horrible patient anyway - I'll do what I have to for my own comfort (including eating if I get hungry).

My current plan is to stay home as long as I can to minimize interventions. First births are usually long right?

[FiberLover]

Dee,

I wish I had some drawstring skirts and pants! I do think I'll be going upstairs and trying on what I have...I looked at the bank account and decided not to spend any more cash today.

Prenatal/Birth care

My choice was easy, ever since we moved here in 2003 I started seeing an awesome Midwife/Women's health clinic for my annual etc. They just moved into and awesome new office attached to the brand new hospital which has, a natural birth and water birth wing!

My CNMW is awesome. And, I know that if anything happens/goes wrong, they partner with an awesome OB/gyn office (that I went to to have my colpapscopy) with all woman Drs.

So I just called them up today, got an 8 wk check in appointment, and a 12 week appointment!

I knew when I first went to the midwife practice that I wanted them to care for me when I was pregnant.


:lol

[WeasleyMum]

As far as prenatal care, I'm going with an OB/hospital. Not because I think they're better than a midwife/homebirth (on the contrary!) but because my insurance will pay for it, and I just plain can't afford to go it alone financially.

This dude comes pretty highly reccommended here on MDC, though: I take that as a good sign that I may get my intervention-free birth.

[oskie]

I was wondering about prenatal care earlier, because we're moving this summer. I made an appointment with a birth center that will take our insurance, but it's 45 minutes away from our new house. Like ChristyM26, I'm hoping that first births do take a while!

[FiberLover]

Weasleymum,

That factored into my descision too. My CNMW takes my insurance, and a hospital birth, even at the new natural birth center place is covered, we pay only a $500 copay, which is nice.

Plus, to be honest here, even though I'm all for natural birth, and less intervention, I want to have the proximity to medical facilities just in case, especially since this is my first pregnancy ever! Having never been through it all, it is reassuring.

Maybe if this goes well, and I have a #2 in a few years I might consider HB. Mom did it....


We told the parents last night! They were all SO EXCITED! And DH came home from work last night with a big bunch of flowers for me and a bag of chocolate....awwww.

[Dee-Groovy]

Michelle I am SO jealous of your awesome CNMW/hospital with waterbirth setup! That's what I wanted from the start but the neither is available around here. I guess there are CNMWs around but I can't find any that my insurance covers. Hospital waterbirth is unheard of, and there's not even a birthing center. So it's home or the hospital for me. Insurance won't cover the midwife or HB, but the fee for a c-section + insurance deductible (worse case scenario) is about the same out-of-pocket expense as the HB. I imagine if I ended up with a c-section I would kick myself for not going the HB route. But then I guess the worst case scenario is trying for a HB and then having a c-section, which would be VERY expensive indeed. I'm also pretty sure I qualify for medicaid so I'm trying to find out if it'll cover anything since I have private insurance already. :dizzy:

Weasleymum you're lucky your doc comes highly recommended by MDC. Maybe I need to head over to the Finding Your Tribe section and find the same for myself.

Christy I'm sorry you don't have many birthing options. Hiring a doula seems like a great idea - I've heard the most important thing in the hospital is to have someone "advocate" for you, so that would be perfect. GL!

[Grace24]

Hi all,

I just got my BFP today after only our second month of trying...I'm 36, DH is 38, and we've only been married since October! Have I gotten in over my head? :lol

I'm having to adjust to this so fast...suddenly I can't take my sleepy-time medication (I have horrible insomnia) and my yoga teacher turned me away tonight! He wants me to get an ok from my doctor first before I come back. It's Bikram yoga, the hot stuff, so I guess that's smart, I just didn't expect it cuz he was bragging about how many pregnant students he's had who had completely healthy pregnancies and babies. Apparently I have to wait til after my first trimester. Grr...don't know what to do without my yoga. So in one day everything's changed! But I'm still happy...

Guess I've got to find an OB now...

[AimeeandBrian]

I have my info session at BirthCare on the 27th and I guess they will tell us what comes next then. It's expensive to go simple (homebirth)! Luckily, my insurance should reimburse us in full once we pay the midwife that $4000

[Lexi_029]

Can I join? I just got my BFP yesterday and I'm due on November 23rd. My husband and I have been married for 8 months on next Thursday and have been trying since a month before our wedding. *laugh*

I made an appointment with a midwife but there aren't any who do homebirths here so I'll have to have a hospital birth if DH doesn't find a job back home.

[FiberLover]

Welcome Lexi!

How is everyone doing?

4w6d here...and still about the same here. Stomach/abdomen stretching/light cramping feelings on and off, tired, and with the lightheaded/dizziness. Also, upset digestion. The gassiness is a lot less, but now I have almost diharrea (TMI I know), and bloat. A bit of queasiness, but nothing bad yet!

[RubyJi]

I just got married (http://brianandruby.org) last July. We had been talking about having kids for a long time and since I'm 35, I figured I didn't have too much time to lose! I started charting with FAM in October and got a positive pregnancy test in late February.

I think I am due around November 5. Being that we are a very political family, it's pretty funny to think that my child's birthday will always be near election day. ;-)

I haven't had my first pre-natal appointment yet, but I will be going to the fabulous Women's Birth & Wellness Center (http://www.ncbirthcenter.com/) which is where almost all of my friends have had their kids (or tried to, before complications).

Yesterday I crossed some kind of threshold where I now feel quite fat. I wasn't exactly svelte before, but now my belly feels like it's pushing out against my skin! Although this will be my first child, I had a late term abortion (18 years ago) so I wonder if my body is a little stretched out already.

I haven't thrown up yet, but I came close yesterday. I'm thinking about carrying around a barf bag in my purse just in case.

We have only told 2 very close friends (one of which is active here on MDC and is pregnant too! Hi Bonawich!), we're trying to wait until the second trimester to really go public and let our families get excited.

[FiberLover]

Welcome Ruby!

The birthing center looks awesome, how lucky to have that nearby! The birthing center I'm hoping to birth at is connected to the brand new hospital, but my CNMW offices are in the hospital wing as well, so it's good.

Loved the wedding page!

[Heather Marie]

Hi girls!

I had a visit with my CNMW today. It is the second. The first was was a couple weeks ago to confirm the pregnancy, go over nutrition, go for bloodwork, and answer any questions.

Today she went over my bloodwork, had me pee in a cup, did an internal exam & pap smear, asked a little about what I want in a delivery, explained the options that were available to me.

The CNMW I am seeing delivers at a hospital. My insurance will cover her!! I also found out today that I can do a waterbirth if I want. I thought that you only could labor in the pool they have at our hospital, but you can deliver as well! I am not sure if we will go that route, but I am so excited to have the option.

Since our dates are firm we elected not to do an early ultrasound. They usually do one at 20 weeks, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

The midwife offers something called a Centering Group. It is a few woman that have a due date around the same time and they meet once a month to begin and more often towards the end of pregnancy. Spouses are welcome. They discuss things that come up throughout pregnancy and have some guest speakers. I am going to try to work it in.

I am also interested in learning more about hypnobirthing. There is a class in the area and I am going to check into it.

[FiberLover]

Great Heather!

I'm really excited to see my CNMW at the beginning of April, it sounds like we have the same kind of options at the hospital too, which is great! Do you have a birthing center at the hospital?

Now, if only I could literally sleep through half this time til my appointment, I'd be thrilled!

:lol

[jillybeans]

I'm so excited for you all! I remember when I got pg with dd. It's such an amazing experience the first time! Every little ache and pain is worth it when you hold your new baby for the first time. :love

I suggest keeping a journal and just writing every little thing that you can think of. Your hopes and fears, what your feeling, what you're thinking, etc. It's a great reference the second time around too. :lol

Congrats everyone!

[Dee-Groovy]

:w Lexi and Ruby!

I'm still agonizing over healthcare providers. I've pushed back all my appointments b/c my insurance begins a new fiscal year April 1, so now I'll be having an u/s April 6 at the very earliest. I'm finally meeting with the homebirth midwife this coming Friday and I hope all goes well. DH is freaked out about the future and being able to afford well, anything, so I'm kinda in a funk right now. I know it's normal for him to feel that way and I told him so, but he still said some hurtful things that are hard to let go of. :(

On the positive side of things, I'm 7w3d now and feeling pretty good. :fingersx: Either the bloating has gone away or I forgot what it's like not to be bloated. A few pants and skirts won't fit anymore but I'm hoping to make do with my fat jeans and capris until I move to maternity clothes. I've had some mild nausea and gagged myself with the toothbrush while brushing my tongue but I haven't actually thrown up or felt really horrible. Trying to keep the toilet extra clean just in case though. :lol I also found out that my insurance deductible is $300, not $900 or $3000 like I thought it was, so I'm pretty happy about that.

[VeganLove]

I am 6 weeks along with my first and I have so many questions now! My husband and I have been married 5 years, he is 35 and I am 29. We have been trying since Oct. 06. I was worried for a while that I wasn't ovulating because I had been on the pill for 10 years. I thought maybe I broke my body!

I am feeling pretty normal still except I have been having mild cramping for a week now. There is no spotting, so it should be normal, but it still freaks me out a bit. I am trying not to get too excited this early, but I really want this pregnancy to stick.

The DH and I will start meeting with midwifes in the next few weeks. Even though our insurance won't cover it, I want a home birth. I was at my sister's delivery of her second girl last fall. She went to a birthing inn that was connected to a hospital. While I am sure it was better than a hospital birth, there were many things I didn't like about it.

Anyway, glad to be joining this group finally!

Michelle

[ChristyM26]

Welcome to all the new first timers!

Dee - I'm sorry your husband was upset. Mine hasn't gotten there yet.

I wish I could stay awake for more than an hour at a time... Does the tired ever go away (before the baby hits the age of 18)? I bought two pairs of pants that are a size bigger since some of my pants don't fit anymore. Finding clothes for work is a challenge some mornings.

I have a pretty dumb question. Does anybody know how maternity clothes are sized?

[Dee-Groovy]

:w VeganLove! The cramping is normal. :)

Christy supposedly maternity clothes are sized the same as regular clothes - if you wear and 8 non-maternity, you wear an 8 maternity. Yeah right. Target had some stuff on clearance a couple weeks ago so I tried it on. My regular size was too big, a size down was too small. I'm guessing you went through that too & it left you wondering. Glad you got some bigger pants so you feel more comfortable during the day. I don't know if my symptoms are lessening or I'm getting used to my condition, but I don't feel as tired as I did last week, probably b/c I'm finally sleeping through the night again. I hope you start feeling better SOON!

[FiberLover]

Welcome Michelle,

I'm also Michelle!

Ok, so here's a question.

My insurance only pays for one U/S unless there is medical necessity. That is normally done at 20 weeks. I notice so many of you guys are getting them earlier, why? Is this necessary? Should I be considering paying for this since this is my first pregnancy? Or just wait?

The CNMW said we'd hear the heartbeat at the 12 week appointment....and I was going for that as sort of the earliest real 'news'.

[VeganLove]

Thanks for the reassurance MajorGroover! That really helps.

It is crazy how in the last week since I found out I was pregnant everything has changed. Now I am questioning everything I do. I have always been big into exercise and sports. Well, last night I went to my first kickboxing class in a few weeks. The instructor was new to me - he was like Billy Blank on sterriods! While I would have loved his military, work your but off approach just a few weeks ago, I realized I didn't like being pushed so hard and felt like a slacker that I wasn't keeping up. So, I guess no more hard core gym classes for me. I will stick to doing me own thing so I can go my own speed and regulate my heartrate more.

I think it is all funny in a way, I guess this is what motherhood is about, huh? This is just the beginnning.

FiberLover - great name! Do you love eating fiber or crafting with it, i.e knitting? I love both. ;-) As far as the U/S goes, from my reasearch it really is unecessary to have them unless you have signs of a potential problem. I believe the NIH and some other organizations recommend not getting routine U/S done either. My husband is a Chiropractor and a Naturopathic Dr. and he did learn about this in school as well and doesn't want me having any done. Statistics show that the average birth weight has gone down since Drs. started using the U/S as a routine part of pregnancy. If I do have any done, it will only be once to find out the sex of the baby. Other than that, I have trust in my midwife to take care of us naturally.

Michelle

[FiberLover]

Thanks for the imput Michelle!

I think that's where I'm headed too, only one u/s in the 20th week....unless there is a real reason.

I mostly love spinning and knitting, hence the name, but now I think about it, I love eating fiber too! Though right now, I'm feeling like maybe I've had too much....blech.

Makes sense about not wanting to push as hard at the gym. I say listen to your instincts and follow your how you're feeling.

[ChristyM26]

Ok, so here's a question.

My insurance only pays for one U/S unless there is medical necessity. That is normally done at 20 weeks. I notice so many of you guys are getting them earlier, why? Is this necessary? Should I be considering paying for this since this is my first pregnancy? Or just wait?

The CNMW said we'd hear the heartbeat at the 12 week appointment....and I was going for that as sort of the earliest real 'news'.

Well, in my case it is a medical neccessity (I think) because the doctor needs to establish if I'm carrying more than one baby (fertility drugs and all that), so I'll have one shortly after my first appt. Not that we'll see much, I don't think, but it'll still be nice.

[WeasleyMum]

Thanks for the imput Michelle!

I think that's where I'm headed too, only one u/s in the 20th week....unless there is a real reason.

I mostly love spinning and knitting, hence the name, but now I think about it, I love eating fiber too! Though right now, I'm feeling like maybe I've had too much....blech.

Makes sense about not wanting to push as hard at the gym. I say listen to your instincts and follow your how you're feeling.

That's so funny, I never thought about "Fiber-lover" in terms of fiber-crafting, I always thought, "Boy does she like bran..."

[VeganLove]

FiberLover -

I don't spin at all, but love to knit. I am excited to start knitting some cute baby clothes! All those little booties and hats look so sweet. I started knitting a summer tank top the week I found out I was pregnant. Luckily it's ribbon yarn and really stretchy so I hope it will expand a little with me so I can at least wear it a few times.

Christy-

I think your is a good case of when it might be necessary. If you are carrying multiples that will change alot for you as far as your care goes. I think that medical procedures have their place, but that overall there is alot pushed on us that is really unnecessary.

[oskie]

The best part about making baby clothes is the instant gratification! No more losing interest in a project halfway through and having to abandon it for a while. :wink

I've already made my first pair of booties. It's funny - I'm totally paranoid about even looking at baby things (thinking it's WAY too early for that), yet I have no problem knitting up a storm.

[FiberLover]

WeasleyMum, :lol That's hilarious! Bran-lover! Heee... Nah, mostly wool, alpaca, silk....mmmmmm that's what I love!

Christy, that makes a lot of sense to me. Knowing if you have multiple babes seems important!

Michelle, I'm so bad at starting projects and not finishing.....I started a winter sweater that isn't seamed yet...and another pair of knee socks last week! I'm looking forward to baby knits too though!

[VeganC]

I'm a first time mama-to-be as well! I've been trying to check in on the November DDC as well as my own because I'm due October 26th so there's a big chance I'll go into November. There's not too many first timers over in October. At least, I don't think so. Anyway, it's good to know there's a few over here!

[FiberLover]

I'm a first time mama-to-be as well! I've been trying to check in on the November DDC as well as my own because I'm due October 26th so there's a big chance I'll go into November. There's not too many first timers over in October. At least, I don't think so. Anyway, it's good to know there's a few over here!

Pop in as much as you want!

First timers club is kinda fun......

[VeganLove]

Hey VeganC!

Another vegan first time momma! Yeah. How long have you been vegan? I just had my 1 year anniversary last year. I didn't tell my ob/gyn since she is pretty mainstream and I am going to go with a midwife for my prenatal care and delivery anyway. I didn't want to deal with the barage of questions...

I did get blood work done today with my primary care physician though to check all my vitamin/mineral levels, esp. B12 and iron. I will meet with him next week and hopefully it will go well. He is an Osteopath and I believe a bit more open to alternative lifestyles so to speak.

Michelle

[gamitzer]

Hey ladies, I'm Meredith, and am also a mom-to-be, expecting my first in November! My wife is actually the pregnant one, but I'm sure I have all the same fears/hopes/questions that you pregnant gals have! We will be at 7 weeks tomorrow, so that is super exciting! I'm 29, she is 27, and we started trying in 10/06. We did take one month off, though, to enjoy New Years parties! :)
Right now my wife is really, really tired, and cannot stand the smell of anything being cooked. I pretty much call her on my way home from work and ask what she's craving! She seems to be doing well with crackers, pasta, apples, dried fruit, and carbonated water. She normally loves spicy food, but it gives her heartburn now. It's fascinating to be part of this process, and yet, I feel like I just can't do enough. It seems like pregnancy totally takes over your body and dictates what you can/can't do in terms of sleep, exercise, and eating. I have so much admiration for you all. :)
Also, for those who knit, I'm a knitter too! I'm currently working on a baby blanket for a friend who is a month ahead of us, and I have lots of other patterns waiting in the wings. I also recently made a cute cable baby hat that was a free pattern on sweaterbabe, which I really recommend. It wasn't as easy as it was made out to be, but it was relatively fast.
Good luck to everyone!
Meredith

[ChristyM26]

I wish I had the patience to pick up knitting again. As it is, it may take me my entire pregnancy to finish my baby's cross-stitch. I'd really rather learn quilting though, as I'm much fonder of quilts. But I do get a little jealous at all the cute little knitting projects I see...

Welcome Meredith!

[oskie]

Meredith -
Thank you for supporting your wife during this crazy time! I don't know what I'd do without my husband's support (and his ability to look the other way when I do crazy things like make tater tots at 10 PM). He feels the same sense of "I'm not doing enough - what else do you need??" and really, just having the patience to understand that the woman you married has been replaced with an alien and will be back eventually is good enough! :lol

[VeganC]

Hey VeganC!

Another vegan first time momma! Yeah. How long have you been vegan? I just had my 1 year anniversary last year. I didn't tell my ob/gyn since she is pretty mainstream and I am going to go with a midwife for my prenatal care and delivery anyway. I didn't want to deal with the barage of questions...

I did get blood work done today with my primary care physician though to check all my vitamin/mineral levels, esp. B12 and iron. I will meet with him next week and hopefully it will go well. He is an Osteopath and I believe a bit more open to alternative lifestyles so to speak.

Michelle

Hi! I've been vegan for a little over three years and it's been great! My husband went vegan in August, and we're looking forward to raising a vegan kiddo!
Most prenatal care here is done by midwives, so I'm pretty excited about that. I am a bit nervous to see if my midwife will be supportive of my veganism, but I'm going to remain vegan even if she isn't because I'm completely confident in my ability to have a healthy vegan pregnancy resulting in a healthy vegan baby.
Anyway, it's great to see another first time vegan mama-to-be due around the same time as me! Hopefully we can get to know each other a bit more. See you around!

[VeganC]

Pop in as much as you want!

First timers club is kinda fun......

Thanks!

[gamitzer]

his ability to look the other way when I do crazy things like make tater tots at 10 PM.

Aha, so my wife is not the only one craving tater tots! Too funny! :D

[Grace24]

Ooh, tater tots! Another form of potatoes I hadn't thought of! Thanks!

[WeasleyMum]

So, fellow newbies... has it hit you yet that we're all going to be GIVING BIRTH?

:dizzy:

I don't know why, since I think about this A LOT, but for some reason today I just had this sort of visceral gut reaction to the idea, like it finally seemed real.

Of course, my gut has been reacting to everything, so why not this, right?

[oskie]

Of course not! I've fast-forwarded through until the baby is about 7 months old, cute and happy. You know, skipping all that pain and screaming newborn stuff. :lol

Seriously though, yeah it hits me now and again. I fear the Ring of Fire.

[Grace24]

I just realized I have no idea of a birth plan! I didn't know I needed one! When is it due? I hope I get an A!! Childbirth classes, midwife vs. ob, homebirth, hospital, painkillers or no... it's mind-boggling. All I know is I want the least amount of testing, poking, and prodding possible but I want to be safe. And maybe it sounds spoiled, but I have had a lot of physical pain in my life and I don't think I want completely natural childbirth...I don't want whole tons of drugs, I want the minimal amount that's effective, does that make sense? My tolerance for pain is not what it used to be because of all I've been through (it's a looonnggg story) and I want to be safe for my baby but I want to live through it!

Has anyone else thought about this? What are your plans? Am I gonna get kicked off the thread for wanting not to be in a whole lot of pain when I give birth?

[Dee-Groovy]

I'm totally in denial about actually giving birth. Just keep thinking puppies and rainbows and sticky babies. :) I haven't started reading about pregnancy yet either (except for these forums) so I guess that'll force me to think about it. Yikes!

[FiberLover]

Heh heh. Yeah. Actually giving birth? Sorta, but in an idealized happy sorta way. Not in a realistic way yet.

I'm not sure what I want yet either. And, I think it would actually be bad to completely say, "I want x, y, and z" for my birth considering I've never experienced it, you know? I think I need to have an idea of what I would want, an idea of what I for sure don't want (episiotomy...this freaks me out more than anything), and then have a few things that are in my wiggle room area (like pain meds). I don't want to feel like "I failed" if things don't go exactly as I plan, because I think having a set in stone birth plan might be setting me up for exactly that, you know what I mean? I think I seriously need to talk to my midwives about this too.

[AimeeandBrian]

I started researching childbirth when my friend got pregnant. So I kind of wanted a "birth" more than a baby. I saw what my friend went through w/ epidurals and c-sections (god forbid that one is at 5cm for more than a few hours!). I'm no doctor, so I was ignored. I just feel like childbirth is so spiritual and hers was awful. I am definitely going for a midwife attended homebirth. I want to use the toilet or a birthing stool. If something bad happens and I end up in the hospital, then I feel I have reseached enough that the OB would be hearing from me and having to explain every little thing. But I don't especially trust doctors or nurses...

So the giving birth thing is forefront in my head...I just can't get over that I will have a little person to take care of afterwards!

(I am just getting to the point that I can believe that I am lucky enough to have a sticky baby)

[NaomiMcC]

Pregnant with my first here. Age 30. Scared shitless. LOL. We have a 12 year old however I didn't birth him. Not really excited, not really disappointed, just kind of surreal feeling. Crazy!!!

[gamitzer]

My wife is terrified of giving birth, and I don't really know what to say to make her feel better. :crap I remind her that the end result is fantastic, so it's worth it in the long run. It's hard because we had the choice about which mother would go through childbirth, and she really, really wanted to. I don't know what can be said to women who are pregnant for the first time because there's no way of knowing what will happen. Our moms both said that it's painful, but something you forget about/dimish once you have the sweet babe in your arms.
I think my wife's main concern is that she will have a giant baby. She's 5'11'', so it's definitely possible that the child will be large, but are there any statistics on that? I think our birth plan will just have to depend on how big the baby is estimated to be. My wife is not crunchy at all, and is all for hospital births, doctors, and pain meds. I tried to suggest waterbirth/midwives/birthing center information to her prior to the pregnancy, but she wasn't interested. She said she may go a crunchier route for further children. We'll see. My main concern is that she will get an episiotemy, so I'd really like to make sure she can avoid that. We have our first ob appt. today, so I'll be interested to figure out their procedures/percentages regarding first time moms.

[AimeeandBrian]

My mom had a "natural" drug free birth w/ me in 1983. I never wanted to have kids when I heard her birth story. The doctor told her she was "too loud" since he was used to everyone choosing anesthesia etc. The episiotomy really freaked me out. I only decided to have children when I learned about the alternatives.

[AimeeandBrian]

Also, large babies are not the end of the world. My sister was 10 lbs 8 oz. and my mom is a teeny woman. She birthed her epidural free and was induced, so the pitocin made it really hurt.

[gamitzer]

Also, large babies are not the end of the world. My sister was 10 lbs 8 oz. and my mom is a teeny woman. She birthed her epidural free and was induced, so the pitocin made it really hurt.

Oh, good to know! I think it will just take some time for the thought of birth to sink in. I know that women of all sizes have babies of all sizes, so who know what we will end up with? I'm basically leaving all the decisions up to my wife since it's her body. But I do think we should come up with a birth plan, so I can advocate for her in the hospital.
Meredith

[FiberLover]

(hugs) for your wife who is scared Meredith!

I guess I'm not really scared. But I'm not, not scared either! I think because its all such a mystery to me still I am still working at coming to terms with my feelings about it. I'm concentrating on today, working on being amazed that I'm growing a life, getting to know this part of me better first.

It still feels unreal, I question if it really is happening! Until my body gets bigger, I feel the baby, I see something, hear something, I think it won't be *quite* real yet.

[VeganLove]

The size really isn't a big deal. My MIL is a tiny, tiny Korean woman, about 5 feet tall and maybe 100lbs. She had my husband who was 10lbs! It can be done. Not that I am hoping for a 10lb baby myself!

My birth plan was in my head as soon as we started trying. I am having a home/water birth with a midwife. I know it will be painful, but that really doesn't scare me. I think the whole thing will be profoundly spiritual and I really am looking forward to it. I truly believe we women need to learn to trust what our bodies were designed to do. Birth has become something terrifying and awful in our society, I hate it.

That is why, in addition to my mom and my younger sister who already has two girls of her own, I am going to ask my sisters (ages 21 and 16) if they would like to attend the birth. I hope to show them how beautiful and peaceful it can be. Hopefully all will go well at the birth and they will have a new understanding of what birth is all about.

Michelle

[VeganLove]

It still feels unreal, I question if it really is happening! Until my body gets bigger, I feel the baby, I see something, hear something, I think it won't be *quite* real yet.

Me too. Sometimes I worry that all the cramps, boob soreness and other symptoms are made up in my head and that the blood test were wrong. Until I can see something showing or feel the baby move I don't think it will sink in for me either. I almost want to go get another blood test just to make sure, but then I realize I have to stop being paranoid or I will drive myself nuts.

[Grace24]

It doesn't feel real to me either...probably won't until I hear a heartbeat! It just seemed like I should start thinking about what kind of childbirth classes to do, etc. I have an appt. with an ob but am wondering if I should do a midwife since they seem more hands-off.

This last year of my life has been weird medically...I have had three unnecessary cancer screenings, one was a white patch on my tongue (benign), one was a false-positive pap which led to tests for HPV and chlamydia (why chlamydia? both negative, neither one covered by insurance), and the gyn found dimples on my cervix so I had to get an ultrasound to make sure the uterus was normal (it was). Then, like, the fourth mammo on this breast lump I've had for ten years, so I finally just had the dang (benign) thing removed two weeks ago.

Point being, I feel like a guinea pig. Are dr's so afraid of getting sued that every tiny abnormality in someone's body has to be biopsied? Add to that the fact that as a kid I had a lot of physical/sexual trauma and I am feeling really protective of my body at this point. Since the OB I chose is at a teaching hospital I really think I might hire a doula to be there with us to keep the med students from "checking me" during labor every ten minutes just so they can learn. You know, someone to run interference and make sure they're only doing what's necessary. This whole experience is going to be difficult because of the past trauma, all the poking and prodding "down there", etc. I want the least amount of all of that necessary.

At the same time, I have a heart murmur in two ventricles and I tend to get palpitations so hubby wants a hospital birth cuz he worries about that aspect.

Lots to think about.

[Heather Marie]

I am so excited about being a mom, but I still think some days it hasn't truly sunk in. I feel like before getting pregnant I read and read and read, but now I feel like there is so much I don't know.

I am looking into a hypnobirthing class. I don't know much about it, but it intrigues me. I am also looking into a waterbirth. I don't really know if I will go that direction or not. I would like to stay med free if possible, but like others said I don't want this plan written in stone and have a huge disappointment. I guess what I want most is to be informed throughout my pregnancy and during birth as well.

Is everyone else feeling tired? I continue to be so tired throughout the day and then can't sleep at night! It is very frusterating because I babysit a 2.5 year old all day and makes it hard to keep up with her.

[RubyJi]

I am sometimes struck by awe at the amazing and difficult birth that inevitably lies ahead of me. I am a little scared, but I feel like I have dealt with physical and emotional pain in the past and I just remind myself that I am strong and I know I can do it. Plus I have tons of faith in the birthing center I am using.

In a teeny way, I am almost looking forward to labor. I think it will be an incredible once-or-twice-in-a-lifetime experience... but the thrill will probably go away after a few serious contractions. ;-)

My belly popped out two days ago and so the pregnancy is feeling pretty real to me. It's the being a parent that I don't feel ready for. But I will be. I've been preparing for it my whole life.

[AimeeandBrian]

OT- RubyJi, I love that you named your cat Mehitabel!

[RubyJi]

Thanks Aimee. I read Archy and Mehitabel waaay back in highschool and always wanted to name a cat that. She turned out to really fit the type too, she looks kind of Egyptian...

[ChristyM26]

I actually feel truly nasuseated right now. It's a new symptom, and it's so bad that I can't eat. This is oddly comforting since I had spotting going on today and yesterday. The spotting is all dark brown and has gotten much lighter (I think it's gone now, acually) but I've been more than a little freaked out. So feeling sick is a comforting sign for me. That and I just burst into tears so I'm still emotional (oddly, I was watching This Old House when I burst into tears), also a comforting symptom.

I still haven't given much thought to the delivery. I feel very confident that with a good doula, I'll be fine. I'm sure that will change as I get further along (although I hope it doesn't).

[Grace24]

christy, I'm sorry you're spotting...it seems like it's fairly common tho so I'm sure you're probably fine :)

[lemonhead]

Hi! Congratulations to everyone. I just joined this forum. I'm pregnant with my first and due Nov. 1. Besides the nausea, my main problem seems to be brushing my teeth (because of the dreaded nausea).

My insurance only covers delivery at 1 hospital and I have my choice of seeing the OB group or the midwive group, but either way, it's a group practice so you get whoever is on call for your delivery (there's both a midwife on call and an OB in case that wasn't clear) and they encourage you to see as many of the providers as you can for your prenatal visits so that you'll be comfortable with them when you are in labor. The do offer waterbirths and hypnobirthing classes. The midwives also have an evening social event every few months or so where you can meet them all and they do tours of the birthing wing at the hospital. I chose the midwives group and had my first appt. this week. It went pretty well. We filled out some paperwork for the hospital for the delivery but we didn't talk about birth plans or anything. I figure there's plenty of time for that. We will get 2 ultrasounds, one at 12 wks (which is part of an optional screening for Down's Syndrome) and one at 20 weeks.

I haven't thought a great deal about a birth plan, but I'm hoping for an unmedicated birth. Frankly, the idea of a needle in my spine sends nearly me into a panic attack. But, Grace24, there's no shame in wanting pain relief. You should do what makes you feel most comfortable. A friend called me recently to tell me about the wonders of pain relief during labor (and she pushed for 4 hours so she appreciated any relief she could get!!!). She told me that there's a lot that they can do for you to make you more comfortable without doing an epidural. There are also different types of epidurals and different doses which allow different amounts of freedom of movement. I think they should go over all your options in the childbirth class unless you choose something like the Bradley method.

Christy, I'm sorry to hear about the spotting. It sounds nerve wracking.

[Grace24]

Hey, how's everyone feeling? Nausea still? I'm having moments of it now, but they pass quickly. Maybe I'm lucky and I'll escape the real bad m/s this pregnancy. Funny, some people say if I don't have it now I won't get it at all, and others say it won't show up til week 8. Maybe I won't get it at all. Does this mean I have a boy? ;)

I'm just curious...I posted a new thread about this, but I'll ask here too cuz this is a thread specifically for people in their first pregnancies...is anyone showing yet? I have a little pooch already and I'm worried. Seems too soon to buy maternity clothes and I don't want to buy bigger ones or switch to yoga pants yet. I don't want to stress myself out about weight gain too much but I also don't want to get up to 200 pounds! :dizzy: I'm starting my pregnancy higher than I'd like to be, at about 165, since when I met DH last year we stopped exercising as much and ate out a lot. We're feeling a bit chubby to begin with. He wants to buy an eliptical machine though so I'm excited about that...I can't use the treadmill cuz my foot is messed up.

I'm rambling, sorry...kind of talkative when I first get up :)

[Grace24]

Christy, how are you today? Spotting stop yet?

[AimeeandBrian]

Grace: I can't wear real pants anymore, so I have been looking for some maternity jeans I like--ones that don't have the band and just sit below the belly. I started showing really early I think. I have only had twinges here and there of nausea. Mostly when I am hungry. I am ALWAYS hungry! Every two hours I get outright pain from needing food.

[Dee-Groovy]

Ohh the weight gain and clothes! I've been constantly hungry too and I've gained about 8 pounds already as a result. :( Has anyone else gained a lot really quickly & is worried about it continuing?

Luckily I went shopping after Christmas with full-on PMS bloat, so I have one pair of jeans and some capris that still fit. :o I ordered some generic Bella bands off ebay and just got them Friday, so I only have a few hours of experience with them but I think I love them. You can completely unzip your pants and the band holds them on & smoothes the lumps that the buttons & zipper make. Also my Target has a few maternity things left on clearance so I scored a pair of black pants with an elastic waist (not the full panel, which is still too big) for dirt cheap. I think it's almost time to head to the consignment stores for some bigger and/or mat clothes but hopefully these few pieces will keep me going for a little while.

Christy I hope you're doing ok & the spotting stopped completely by now. It can be really disconcerting but it sounds like you're trying to take it in stride. :hug

Welcome Lemonhead (funny I was just listening to the lemonheads yesterday)! Sounds like you have an awesome prenatal/birthing arrangement lined up. I am, of course, jealous.

I interviewed my second midwife this week. Her location is great but the experience was less than ideal overall so I definitely prefer the first midwife, who is unfortunately an hour away. Still trying to work out the insurance/medicaid deal. I talked to the billing department at the hospital to find out what the average fees are for vag & c-sec births. Holy cow! Then she said if I have medicaid I pay nothing and they'll accept it as secondary insurance. Phew! I'm still trying to keep all my options open at this point but getting a little impatient and want to make a decision soon. I'm interviewing an OB who comes highly recommended by midwives on April 10. I hate for the decision to come down to money but unfortunately it might.

Wow guess I'm talkative in the morning too! :blah

[Hezzy]

Morning all --

I'm opting for a homebirth with a midwife. I've already found the one I want. And I think I'm going to rent a birthing pool, with the option to give birth in it if I feel like it. I very lucky to live in New York where by state law insurance companies are required to cover home births. I was so thrilled when I found that out, although I also have an ob I like who removed my polyp. I'm very excited about the birth and not really scared, although I think that may be naive.

I'm still spotting since my bleeding scare on Tuesday. I'm starting to get used to the spotting and it's not scaring me so much. There's been no cramping, and my u/s on Wednesday was perfect. I still can't wrap my mind around the idea of there being a baby in there, but I get glimpses of believing it. The u/s helped.

I'm not showing yet, although I'm bloated most of the time. I don't know if I've gained any weight as I don't have a scale, but I don't think I have. I am hungry all the time, and the hunger gets very urgent. Mostly I'm thirsty a lot.

[VeganC]

I'm glad you're able to stop worrying about the spotting! It sounds like everything is OK.

I'm really looking forward to maternity jeans at this point. I dread putting on my regular jeans. Ugh. So I guess I can say I'm showing a little bit!

Sometimes it's still hard for me to believe that there's a baby in there. Probably about once a week, I get those thoughts in my head, such as, "The HPTs were all wrong. My period is late, and all the m/s, bloating, tiredness, sore boobs, what have you, are just a coincidence." But then I realize that I'm just being silly and that I know I'm pregnant. It just seems so unreal sometimes.

I look forward to birth. Not to say that I'm not scared either, but I just look forward to experiencing something so powerful and proving to myself that I am strong. I look forward to receiving support from my DH and having him there with me, experiencing it with me. And of course I look forward to holding our little babe in our arms for the first time! I can't wait.

We ordered a pouch sling a few days ago. I can't wait to get it and try it on. We also ordered some more cloth diapers. Can't wait for those to come either! It's all so exciting.

[ChristyM26]

Hey guys - thanks for asking. This weekend has been an adventure to be sure. By Friday the spotting had stopped as I was ok (mentally). I had to come down to Atlanta for training for work and of course on Saturday we decided to get a little exercise. All the hotel people swore that our training site was just a little ways away. It turns out a little ways meant 2 miles, but once we started walking we didn't have a lot of choices - we had to keep going. So that afternoon there was more spotting. Thankfully there hasn't been any today, so it seems to have been totally isolated. I"ll see my doctor on Wednesday for my first appt (at almost 8 weeks), so I'm hoping that she can reassure me. Apparently, lots of heavy walking isn't a good thing for me though. That ought to make our trip to London next week interesting, but I'm sure we can manage something (we'll just have to move slower).

So, I'm not as stressed as I was and the spotting's gone (hopefully). But I'm still worried...

On a more excited note, I ordered a bella band before I left, and my DH told me it came Saturday, so now I don't have to worry about buying new clothes yet (cause... well, I guess I'm really bloated but very few things still fit).

Is anybody else still nausea free? I've had a couple of moments of I think I'm going to lose my lunch but for the most part I've been ok.

How's everybody else doing?

[Grace24]

Same as you Christy...mostly nausea free but there are moments...then I just force myself to eat something and I'm fine.

Glad you're feeling better.

[Heather Marie]

MajorGroover-I am right there with you on the weight gain! It seems I have gained nearly 10 pounds in just a couple weeks. I am suddenly feeling constantly hungry and it is driving me nuts. I can't continue like this! I am on the fluffy side to begin with and I am nervous about what is to come. I am really going to try to focus on eating very well this week and try not to devour everything in the fridge!

[lemonhead]

Hope everyone had a good and restful weekend.

ChristyM26, I'm glad that your spotting stopped. Hope you have a wonderful trip to London!

MajorGroover, I hope you find a care provider you are happy with. My decision was totally based on money because my insurance only covers the one hospital. I'm just lucky that the hopital offers so many options.

VeganC, I totally hear you on the not being sure that you are still pregnant. When I went in for my 8 week appt., the first thing I asked the midwife was if my bloodwork had shown that I was pregnant. Apparently it did.

I haven't actually gained that much weight, but nothing fits me anymore. I've gone up a clothing size and I feel huge. I'm trying to hold out until 12 weeks to buy maternity clothes, but I find myself wishing I could just wear my pajamas all day.

[AimeeandBrian]

I have gained weight, but you can't see it anywhere but my tummy. It worries me because everyone I talk to lost weight in the first trimester. Does not make me feel good:(

[gamitzer]

Hey Aimee, I wouldn't worry about the weight gain. It seems like the people I know who lost weight had really bad nausea and couldn't keep any food down.
I don't know about you, but for the first few weeks, the only food my wife could keep down were crackers, bread, pasta (all carbs) and nothing else. In the last few weeks, she's been able to cut down somewhat on carbs and eat more fruits and vegetables. She is still unable to eat any meat (which is odd for her normally), but maybe she will eventually be able to add more stuff to her diet. I think it's tough that women are told they should only gain x amount during pregnancy. It just seems unfair given that you can really only eat carbs, and have no energy to work out.
I've been trying to remind my wife that spring is right around the corner, when she will be feeling better and will have more opportunity to go for walks. That seems to work!
Meredith

[bloomingmomma]

Hi, I'm Ann. Pregnant with twins, due Nov. 1. They might come earlier, but I'm hoping to carry them full term. I'm just barely still fitting in my pants, looking a little chubby. But I'm actually trying to eat as much as I can, and gain as much weight as I can (all healthy stuff and tons of protein) so that I can keep this multiple pregnancy healthy. No morning sickness, which is such an amazing blessing! Am grossed out easily though, and don't want meat at all.

I am hungry and thirsty all the time and tired and needing naps too. Walking a lot, which feels great, and doing yoga.

I'm planning a home waterbirth with midwives, and feel so lucky to have this option, and that my partner and mother support me. If I went to the hospital, I would have to labor on an operating table, and would almost certainly have a c-section. My midwives are great, with lots of experience with twins and breeches and so I'm feeling confident.

My partner and I tried to conceive for years and ended up doing IVF- so we had an u/s at 6 weeks to check how many babies were there and on Wednesday we'll check again to see if everybody's ready for me to wean of all the tons of hormones I've been on. Then I can be au naturale once more.

Anyways, there's a bit about me. Happy to have this community.:)

[Grace24]

Welcome Ann! Twins, how exciting!

[Grace24]

Ok, I'm posting my belly pic all over the place now. Screw it. I want to know what people think. I sent this to my mom and said "Fat, or baby?" She said fat. She's obsessed with food and weight, I should know better. I feel like I set myself up. Still, I'm kind of hurt, I can't help it. I'm a little surprised by her reaction to my pregnancy...I thought she wanted grandchildren, but she's been really reserved about her enthusiasm. (I should say, "What enthusiasm?") I don't really understand. Sometimes I feel like the better my life goes, the more jealous she gets.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7342008@N05/444935155/

Sorry for the vent. I'm just a little stunned...feel like I was slapped in the face.

[WeasleyMum]

Ok, I'm posting my belly pic all over the place now. Screw it. I want to know what people think. I sent this to my mom and said "Fat, or baby?" She said fat. She's obsessed with food and weight, I should know better. I feel like I set myself up. Still, I'm kind of hurt, I can't help it. I'm a little surprised by her reaction to my pregnancy...I thought she wanted grandchildren, but she's been really reserved about her enthusiasm. (I should say, "What enthusiasm?") I don't really understand. Sometimes I feel like the better my life goes, the more jealous she gets.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7342008@N05/444935155/

Sorry for the vent. I'm just a little stunned...feel like I was slapped in the face.

Oh, that's just rediculous. Seriously, I had more tummy than that before even getting pregnant, and I'm hardly fat. Your mom must be an emaciated, scrawny twig of a woman.

And your dog is beautiful.

[Grace24]

Thank you :) She is, she's tiny. She's been starving herself all her life. A gust of wind would blow her into the next county.

Tessie thanks you too.

Talked to my brother this afternoon about my mom and he said, "Yeah, she's just plain mean sometimes." (He lives with her at the moment cuz he went back to school. I don't know how he stands it.) He thinks mom doesn't want to admit that we're all the way out here (east coast) and she's in Utah... she wants to move closer apparently but hates the east coast. Apparently she made a comment the other day about not having any grandchildren, and he reminded her one was on the way, and she didn't respond. Um, hello? I thought she'd be thrilled about this kid. Maybe it doesn't feel real to her yet. I don't get it.

Normally my mom and I get along pretty well but she does have her blind spots...they say family can push our buttons best cuz they're the ones who installed them. It's sooooo true.

[lemonhead]

Welcome Ann! and congratulations on the twins.

Grace, I think you mom is nuts. The photo looks like baby to me. Maybe she needs some time to adjust to being a grandma. The idea of babies is exciting but realizing that your kids are old enough to be having babies is hard on some people. We found it was especially hard on our grandparents who will be great grandparents. They were excited for us, but still it made them feel really old.

[ChristyM26]

Grace, you have less of a tummy than I do. I'm not fat, although I'm hardly thin... I think that most of my weight is bloating though. There is no way that you're fat though. I would call it baby (and be proud of it).

[RubyJi]

Grace, your mom is crazy. I haven't had a belly that flat since puberty. ;-)

[VeganLove]

Grace,

I think it should be illegal to critcize a woman's body while she is pregnant. You look beautiful and it doesn't matter if it is baby showing or not. I already have a little pooch at 8 weeks even though I know it isn't really the baby, it is baby related so that is good enough for me. I am so excited that for once in my life I can truly love my body the way it is. Just block all that negative talk out!

Oh, beautiful dog by the way. We have two adopted akitas but do rescue work for the local German Shepherd group, they are such smart dogs!

[Grace24]

Thx everyone, I'm feeling much better about it. My friend told me that I'm supposed to get a little pooch right now, I'm building a uterine lining and amniotic fluid and all that. But thanks for the reassurance.

Michelle, I got my dog through the German Shepherd rescue in PA 10 years ago. She's the best. We also just got a Belgian shepherd/collie mix from the SOS Pen Pals program near Richmond...she was trained in a prison. She's passed the canine good citizen test and is fully trained...what a sweet temperament. I'll post a pic in a second.

[Grace24]

Here's our 1-year old, Brunetta (somehow she also came to be known as Nutter-Bean)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7342008@N05/446108581/

[ChristyM26]

I added a thread to the main page but wanted to share with you ladies my special news today - I've got twins. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the spotting actually was the loss of a baby, so my twins is one down from triplets. That makes my pregnancy much less risky though, so I'm glad (and not glad, obviously). I'm thrilled about our two little beans though!

[bloomingmomma]

10 week ultrasound today showed two little dancing bears. AMAZING!!!! And I've graduated from the reproductive clinic and so I can just be a natural, pregnant momma now. Happy day!

[AimeeandBrian]

Congratulations! There go the odds for me having twins:( :lol

[lemonhead]

Wow, so many twins. Congratulations!!!

[Dee-Groovy]

Hi Bloomingmama! Congrats on your twins and graduating from RE care!

Grace your dog is beautiful! My current babies are a female shepherd mix and a male rottweiler. Gotta :heartbeat big doggies! Sorry your mom is pushing your buttons about weight - what she said was just plain mean and inaccurate. I'm extremely self-conscious about my weight right now so I can imagine how much that hurt. :hug

Christy congrats again! I took soy as clomid this time so I've been wondering about multiples for a while now. I feel like I'll never get an u/s!

I think I've finally come to a decision regarding prenatal care! Of course the details need to be worked out, but I've decided to go with the homebirth midwife for now. She'll order and u/s to see if I have twins, which she isn't legally allowed to deliver. So I have a backup appointment with a midwife-recommended OB later in the month just in case. I think this is a good balance of my options and hopefully I'll be happy either way. :fingersx:

Is anyone in maternity clothes yet? :bag: I've gotta hit the thrift stores tomorrow b/c I'm uncomfortable in almost everything I own. At least empire-waisted tops are "in" right now. Maybe I can get a few cute (cheap) tops at the mall that aren't technically maternity tops.

[Grace24]

Dee, I'm not really in maternity yet but the jeans are getting tight around the middle! I bought a couple of fluffy skirts from Old Navy and one of them I suspect might be maternity, but fortunately there are a lot of styles out now that you can't tell from maternity unless it's a pregnant lady wearing it!

I'm so over my mom right now, she mentioned again today she thinks I'm having triplets (I almost said, "Why, because I'm so fat?") and when I asked if she and Chris (my brother) wanted to come out for Christmas to see the baby (she's been disinvited from the birth, darn her) she said, I don't know, and just started bitching about my brother. Argh. She's just too self-centered in her own life right now to be able to be happy for me, what's new.

Sorry to vent. I just don't understand...her sister called two days ago to say congratulations, and ask me all kinds of questions and talk all about pregnancy etc. Maybe I'll invite HER! :lol

Other than that, I'm just frustrated because I'm so tired all the time. It seems like nothing's getting done. Starting to feel really unbalanced...I'm awake for a couple hours, take the dogs to the park, and have to sleep again before I can go to work. Just to get through one performance. Not exercising or seeing friends really, and it's driving me nuts. I know it gets better so I'm just trying to hang in there.

Gosh I sound negative today, sorry! It'll get better, I'm sure. How's everyone?

[gamitzer]

Not much to post about, but I guess that's to be expected. We are just enjoying our time right now, feeling pretty sure that the pregnancy will continue, and waiting to tell more relatives. My wife is being superstitious and wants to wait until the 12 week point, but I'd rather tell people sooner. I think my mom is having the hardest time because she is really excited and wants to tell anyone and everyone.
My wife's clothes are slowly getting tighter, but she's not really showing. Her belly is feeling a little tighter, but she was already doing lots of ab classes before the pregnancy, so it may be muscle. She's uncomfortable enough that she has started wearing some of my pants to work (I'm a size larger than her), but eventually she will have to give in and get her own. I did convince her to buy some casual tops the other day, though, so she will have them for the summer and fall. I think the hardest part is predicting what you will look like. We have a wedding to attend in June and I can't get her to think that far ahead yet. Maybe I'm just trying to prevent a hormonal breakdown as the wedding approaches! ;)
I hope everyone else is doing well. I can't say often enough how excited I am about this baby! It's just great to plan around this new being that will come into our lives. Meredith

[VeganLove]

Ok, so I have a story to share with all of you ladies. I was at home depot today and the lady who was checking me out looked at my belly and said, "Oh, when is the baby due?". I am 9 weeks today so I was a caught a bit off guard that she could even tell. I told her November and then she asked how far along I was. I told her two months and she was like, "Oh my goodness, I thought you were 4 or 5 months. You are so big!" Are you freaking kidding me? I barely have a little pooch and I really didn't even think anyone could tell. So, in response (and my defense) I said my husband thinks we are going to have twins. And she said, "Oh, that must be it because you are so big". Oh lordy. I just had to laugh. Although, now I am a bit paranoid that I am showing and I haven't told my office yet. I guess I will be sucking in my gut today. :lol

[Dee-Groovy]

OMG Michelle, how rude! You sound a lot like me, being nice and answering questions even though they're rude as can be! I've heard that everyone suddenly assumes it's ok to comment on pregnant women's weight & size, but wow. Sorry you had to deal with that. We should start a collection of snippy comebacks for crass comments like that, like "I'm due in November, thanks for asking... when are you due?" :lol

Ugh I felt so good last week and now I don't. I was walking my dogs daily, eating (only) 3 meals a day, and my stomach felt pretty good. Now it's like I'm literally full of air and it's extremely uncomfortable. I can't figure out if it's a food I'm reacting badly to or what, but this has gotta stop. I'm down to my last 4 Gas-X pills! The hunger has returned again but not as bad as it was before, 4 meals daily. :o As for the dogs... well, DH needs exercise too, right?

Grace/Julia I hope you're getting a little energy back. I still haven't been clothes shopping but I'll need to soon so I have something to wear to a conference at the end of the month. Sigh, it's always more fun to shop when you don't need to, right?

Meredith your wife is lucky to be able to borrow some of your clothes! I can totally identify with changing into pj's the minute I get home too!

[FiberLover]

Well, still doing about the same here.

I had my first midwife appointment on Monday, but it was pretty much educational, with question and answer, and bloodwork and pregnancy confirmation. The next appointment is May 9th, 12 weeks, so hopefully we'll hear the HB then!

As far as symptoms, my boobies are sore, and I have uterine stretching feelings, but other than that I'm pretty much normal, the gas and bloating is gone, and I'm only nauseous a tiny bit...like when I lay down in bed before falling asleep.

I can't believe I'm 8 weeks already! Wow!

I still can't help but worry a tad about things Not Being Right. I think that if I ever, ever had things happen in a pregnancy, I'd be all for having early USs, and all that.

I bought a few pairs of yoga pants, and a couple of "maternity" T-shirts yesterday. Since I'm waiting to hear the hb to tell everyone at work, I don't want to keep wearing my form fitting stuff now I have a pooch. Oh, and a new bra. Biggest bra I've ever bought!

[lemonhead]

I have tried to buy maternity clothes but I just can't seem to find anything that will fit. I've been to the cheap stores and the expensive stores. All with no luck. Things are too tight in one place and too loose in another. I've been wearing overalls and pants that are 2 sizes larger than my prepregnancy size. The one size up fits in the morning but not in the afternoons. I'm hoping that once I get bigger, the mat clothes will fit better. I just have so much trouble understanding how this is even possible when I've only gained 3 lbs!

[Grace24]

Good morning. I have an update...had my first OB appointment finally. It was the "confirmation of the pregnancy" and only NEXT time am I considered an OB patient. (Whatever.) So DH and I started saying we are only allegedly pregnant. I'll call this afternoon for the actual numbers of my bloodwork to see if the baby is strong. It sure feels like it is...this has been the roughest week for nausea and fatigue yet, though it may have been enhanced due to going off my meds. (Which is going fine by the way, I feel great so far. Or maybe I'm too sleepy to really notice how I feel! Thanks everyone for the encouragement there.)

Anyhow, there was a place on the form where they ask if you've ever been assaulted and I had to say yes, and she treated that with great sensitivity. She said their practice is not very invasive, and they try to do just what's necessary but not more. That was my biggest concern. When she saw that I've had two surgeries just in the last four months she kind of understood that I'm already a little tired of being poked and prodded.

She did say however, that after 36 weeks there's a weekly pelvic to check for dialation. Is this normal? I'm ok with it, if it saves me from my water breaking at the mall or something, but I was a little surprised.

Because of my age (36) I qualify for an early ultrasound, I'm not sure what week, they're sending the order in the mail (she noticed my age AFTER my appointment and called back). So we'll be able to see our bean soon! Excited about that.

Damn thing took 2 hours though, so DH isn't sure he's going to be able to come to all of them with me. He missed an entire morning at the office. He had really wanted to be at the first one though, and I imagine he'll want to be at the u/s, whenever that is. 10, 12 weeks?

The word is out at work and all the ladies are excited. I already have a free crib and playpen (brand new) that someone has extra. Not bad! :)

I'll post again when I get my bloodwork back.

How's everyone?

[oskie]

I have boobs! And actual cleavage! :lol It would be nicer if they didn't hurt all the time, but I'll take what I can get.

9 weeks today and another pair of pants doesn't fit. All I'm comfortable in are loose, flowing things, so I'm pretty much dressing like Bea Arthur every day.

[Grace24]

Oskie... two of the ladies at work last night told me they already wondered if I were preggers cuz my boobs were so big! Ack! Now I'm GOING to be dressing like Bea Arthur!

They told me to go to Motherhood and buy some good bras, it would make all the difference and help the pain. I hope they're right. And if I could stay awake for more than the time it takes to drive there, I'd be more than happy to. Maybe next trimester:lol

[oskie]

Hee hee, I hear you there. I'm still so tired that sometimes sitting up takes too much energy and I have to lay down.

I should get new bras, but I'm loving the fact that my Victoria's Secret ones finally look like they do in the catalog! Of course, I need a whole lot of airbrushing for my thighs to match the catalog, but that was true before pregnancy.

[Grace24]

That's ok, they air-brush the models too. NO-ONE really has legs like that. I'm convinced. Not possible.

[Grace24]

Besides...with a top like that, who's gonna have time to look at the bottom? (That's been my tactic for years :lol)

[AimeeandBrian]

I bought maternity pants but they don't fit right yet--not big enough or something. So, I went to the Gap and got their boyfriend cut jeans two sizes up. They seem to be okay for now and should come in handy postpartum.

BTW: I love being pregnant--I just got out of jury duty!

[Dee-Groovy]

I wore my first pair of maternity pants yesterday! They don't have the stretchy panel, just elastic across the back, so they don't really look like mat pants. Unfortunately they're a size too small and the elastic is already pretty stretched so they'll be useless pretty soon. That's what I get for buying too early! My gosh I'm so glad I told work a few weeks ago b/c I really feel big. I like the yoga pants suggestion but they're so far from what I normally wear that I'd feel weird wearing them anywhere but home. My drawstring skirts are getting tight, holy crap!

Lemonhead I've heard that belly bands are good for holding up maternity clothes that are too big.

I had my first mw appointment today! We did tons of paperwork, she took my blood and tried to find the heartbeat. We heard the hb for a split second then it was gone... she was chasing the baby all over my uterus with the darn doppler. I wanted to hear it again but I figured it probably wasn't good to use the doppler too long. Even though I heard it I don't quite believe it - I was just beginning to absorb what the sound was like and then it was gone. It was sorta magical, but not really. :( She said next month it'll be super easy to find, but hopefully before next month I'll get an u/s so I can see the hb too.

Julia I was reminded of your co-worker Little Miss Sunshine today when I was telling my boss about hearing the hb. She feels the need to tell me about her 13/14 week m/c every time I mention something about my pregnancy (which is 3 times now). I don't take it personally, b/c I'm sure it was traumatic & I guess she's not finished dealing with it even though it was 10 years ago. Still it seems inappropriate and unsupportive... and it's getting old. Guess I should keep my mouth shut when I want to suggest counseling, huh? :duck:

Oskie yay for boobs! Hopefully the soreness will ease up soon.

Aimee congrats on getting out of jury duty!

:wave everyone else!

[FiberLover]

Dee,
I'm glad you at least heard the hb for a split second! And that you had your first mw appt.!

I'm really looking forward to that....but I have to wait til May 9th! argh! I've already decided that if we can't hear the hb at that appt. with the Doppler, I'm going to ask for an u/s. At 12 weeks I think I should have the option of knowing things are OK or not. I don't think I'd want to wait longer.

Dee, I can't believe your boss keeps mentioning her m/c, it seems so insensitive to me. Dang her!

I bought a couple of pairs of yoga pants that I've been wearing a ton. drawstrings are my friend! I also bought a pair of mat. pants, but they are a little big still, and I'm waiting to wear them, but they were a steal so I picked them up.

I haven't universally told work yet, I'm planning on waiting til the 12 week appt. then telling, so I'm trying to hide my belly for a few weeks yet! I picked up some maternity T-shirts too since they aren't all clingy to my tummy right now, like other t-shirts are.

I can really feel my uterus now, it's definitely about 3 finger widths above my pubic bone, and starting to pop up. Funny because I know I'll be 9 weeks tomorrow, and my books say 12 weeks it should be felt. Really makes me wish the people that wrote these books indicated some sort of variability in these things. Maybe the uterus is why I'm needing the yoga pants already!

[Grace24]

Dee...very cool about hearing the heartbeat. Must've been neat. I can't wait to hear ours!

Michelle, our OB will automatically take me across the hall and do a sonogram at the 12 week appt. if no heartbeat is heard. They know how important it is to the mom.

I got my bloodwork results...good strong pregnancy. My AMA qualifies me for an early ultrasound which DH and I have decided to turn down. I have no real reason to worry, and you can't see much at 9 weeks anyhow. This is in line with my "do what's necessary" philosphy...it just doesn't seem necessary. Like I just said, if they don't find a heartbeat at 12 weeks they'll do a sonogram, and I just want to save up the u/s for if/when I need them. I will do the 20 week though.

I'm gonna need to go buy some pants...my friend sent me her bella band and I hated it. Every time I stand back up after sitting down I have to tuck my jeans back into it, cuz the band rises up, and it's just embarrassing. I'm not sure if I'll get mat. pants or just bigger jeans...probably start looking for some drawstring pants somewhere. Too tired to do it right now tho! Yesterday I was up for two hours, I took a bath, and was just going to lie down "for a minute..." woke up four hours later. I had one task all day...to buy dog food...and I couldn't complete it! So frustrating! Hopefully only a few more weeks of this...seems also like the nausea is intensifying. Bleah. So gross to be in the middle of eating something you really wanted and suddenly it turns your stomach. Ew.

[FiberLover]

Michelle, our OB will automatically take me across the hall and do a sonogram at the 12 week appt. if no heartbeat is heard. They know how important it is to the mom.

Excellent....this is what I'll ask for.

See, I'm not sure how they do it, but I'm definitely planning on asking if this is the case. I go to a small CNMW practice with 3 midwives. They "partner" with a OB office down the hall, and it's in the new hospital...so I know there is the possibility of getting an u/s in the building at least.

Its funny. I picked my CNMW practice because I'd been seeing them for years as my woman's health clinic, and love their philosophy. And now that I'm pregnant I have to temper my impatience to Know with my real philosophies about pregnancy. Isn't it tempting to sign up with an OB that will do an u/s every time just so you can see? It tempts me even though in my head I don't want that!

[gamitzer]

Oh yeah, I forgot we'd be able to hear the heartbeat by now! Wow! We have an OB appt. next week, so perhaps we'll hear it then. Don't they have at-home dopplers? Are those safe? Do people actually use them or is it like the TomKat thing with their own private U/S machine?
In other news, we went out to dinner with some friends over the weekend and found out they are pregnant and due 4 days before us! They have two kids already and this one was definitely a surprise, but they are excited. The mom is my wife's friend from high school, so I think it's awesome that they will be able to spend time together during their maternity leave.
Ok, I have to come clean...I bought a baby item. We had to buy a gift for a 1 y.o. girl's bday party, and I found the cutest teeniest speedo bathing suit at Marshalls. My wife is an avid swimmer and loves all the crazy designs that speedo puts out, so I knew she would love it. Well, I got home with it and realized that even thought it said it was for a 1 y.o., it was too tiny. So we decided to keep it, just in case we have a girl. We also have other pregnant friends, so we can always give it away, but we are enchanted with the darn thing. Anyone else wanna fess up?

ETA: I found the link for the bathing suit here (http://www.speedousa.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.detail/categoryID/8b368392-1e15-4be1-b977-dcec8d600332/productID/bdcfbf1d-9c35-459b-b204-526aef40dd54/) and it's called My First Speedo. How adorable.

[FiberLover]

gamitzer, how cute! Baby Speedo sounds adorable.

Fessing up about baby stuff...well, I haven't bought anything, but my MIL sent me a box of baby stuff! And, just today I got a baby album from another friend in the mail.

(I did however go to Amazon and start a "registry" just for me more than anything...since I know NOTHING about baby stuff I'm kinda reading and learning here)

[Dee-Groovy]

Michelle I totally know what you mean about picking a MW for low-interventions and then wanting interventions! I just freaked out about prenatal testing b/c I wanted more than my mw can offer.

Meredith I haven't bought any baby stuff yet (honest!), mostly b/c I still don't feel like it's real. Maybe it's my boss's m/c story haunting me or something, but I won't even relax when I hit 12 weeks this weekend. Maybe around 14 weeks I'll give in and buy a cloth diaper. That little Speedo was so cute! Nice find!

I'm feeling :gloomy: right now. When I interviewed my mw she told me that insurance companies are required to cover midwifery by state law - she even gave me a copy of the law. So the big issue was whether it would be covered at an in-network or out-of-network rate. Well I had my first appointment and paid my $400 deposit. She called my insurance company to get pre-authorized for her services and try to get the in-network rate. Turns out there's a loophole in the law so my insurance does NOT have to cover midwifery and my only option is to appeal their policy, which takes months. When I asked how this affected my deposit, she reminded me that the deposit is non-refundable and insisted that she had repeatedly told me that it would be non-refundable (I have a horrible memory so I have no grounds to argue from). She also refused to negotiate a partial refund in light of this new information. I've been crying for hours trying to understand all this, feeling like I've been swindled even though I think it wasn't malicious. I'm a poor grad student who uses loan money to make ends meet, so $400 isn't chump change to me - it's huge! It's more than my annual insurance deductible!

Sorry for the vent, I'm just :dizzy: and :crying

[Dee-Groovy]

Oh yeah, more personals -

Julia I hate my Bella bands too. I just got a couple pairs of mat pants in the mail, only to discover that I do not fit into the size I ordered. :irked:

Meredith, yes real people get home dopplers but you need a doc's "prescription" to get one. I'm also on a mainstream preg board and ppl say they get theirs from storkradio or babybeat websites. Babies hate doppler though, apparently to them it's as loud as a train going past your living room. That explains why my bean kept running away when we were trying to hear the heartbeat. Also there are some safety concerns about the amount of heat generated and how it could cause bubbles in the bloodstream - same as with u/s.

OK that's all for now.

[Grace24]

Dee, don't you just hate those loopholes. It does seem like you were swindled, she told you it would be covered and then took your money. Argh. I hope you can find a way to get it back but it doesn't sound like they're very helpful. Are you going to have to find a new doc now? Grrr...

gamitzer I haven't bought any baby stuff just because, like Dee, I'm still in the "get through the first trimester" phase, then we'll start worrying about it. Hasn't seemed real yet, seems like a pregnancy rather than a kid on the way. However, last night I was watching tv and saw someone hug their daughter and turned to my friend and said "Oh my god, I'm gonna be a mom!" I got tears in my eyes! So it's starting to feel more real as I relax a little more. We do already have plenty of baby stuff offered to us from my coworkers...crib, playpen, exersaucer, jumperoo, swing, etc. Last year there were about seven babies in the orchestra and this year I'm the only one so I'm getting all the stuff! Whee!

I'm venturing out to Target tonight to see if I can find some pants. The Target here has their maternity section all mixed in with plus size, it's so frustrating, but I have to try again. Also I thought I'd try to buy some men's boxer briefs...my underwear just isn't working anymore. It seems like I should enjoy shopping more than I do...I am a girl, isn't this supposed to be fun? Shopping when I HAVE to is stressful though. Wish me luck.

[FiberLover]

Dee, glad to know it isn't just me with the wanting to know now! Although this week I seem to have been much better in general with the whole patience thing.

That really sucks about the insurance. I hope you'll be able to work something out!

Grace, wow! That's awesome that your orchestra gets together and does that for the moms!


Doing good here, still utterly tired most days, then, frustratingly, not able to fall asleep as soon as I go to bed! Yesterday was the first day all week I felt up to actually cooking food after work and cleaning up a bit.

I'm tempted to tell more folks at work now, but I really do think I should wait til after my appointment on the 9th.

Now, if I could only have some of that Creme Brulee I'm craving...

[lemonhead]

MajorGroover, could you ask if the midwife offers a sliding fee scale for people with low/moderate incomes. A lot of midwives do. I don't know the details of your insurance, but you'll want to get the detailed paperwork from your insurance company that dicusses what is covered in fine print. I'm a grad student as well, and my insurance requires 40% coinsurance (so I pay 40% of the cost) for out of network providers. However, there is a maximum out of pocket cost, and after I pay that much, the insurance covers 100% of the cost for out of network providers (with the exception of copays). You should really talk to your insurance company and find out what it will cost you to use the care provider you want, then make a decision about what you want. Meanwhile, you can appeal the out of network decision. Also, you may want to speak to the dean of graduate students about the situation (if your insurance is through the uni). Does the $400 deposit count toward covering the cost of the appts. you've already had?

The baby speedo is so cute! We haven't bought anything yet because we're moving over the summer and I don't want to move it. Ditto with the hand-me-downs. I've said thank you very much, can I get those from you after we're settled in our new apt. It's been working ok, but I do have a long list of things pretty much picked out, and a budget for how much we'll spend on baby stuff based on what I've picked out.

My first ultrasound was yesterday. We opted for the first trimester screening. I was 12 weeks on the nose, and the baby was alive and moving and measured at 12.9 weeks so it seems to be growing good. They'll send me statistics with the risks for various genetic disorders after they analyse the blood. It was so cool to see the little munchkin wriggling around in there. Also, I finally found a pair of mat pants that fit so I'm wearing them pretty much every day. I didn't bother spending $25 on the bella band. I figured I'd just buy the mat pants and wear them (although I ended up spending way more than the $25 on them). They are sooooo comfortable.

[Dee-Groovy]

Thanks for the suggestions regarding the midwife & insurance. Lemonhead, the problem is that insurance will NOT cover the midwife at all. In-network or out-of-network isn't an issue b/c they don't consider her a viable health care provider. At this point I don't trust the midwife at all so it's best for me to find someone else. The whole thing's been a huge fiasco and I'm over it. Decided to go to an OB who I know is in-network, and I've heard the hospital here is actually quite nice with birthing suites and all. Maybe I'll have a HB for #2, after my body has some experience with birthing.

Julia you're so lucky to have co-workers offering you baby stuff! Hopefully I can get away with minimal baby supplies, mostly provided by a shower. It's really cool that you had a moment of realizing that you're gonna be a mom - that still hasn't happened to me yet and I'm officially in my 2nd trimester as of today! Did you find some mat pants you like? My Target is the same way, with the mat stuff crammed in with the plus size stuff so it's a little confusing. I want, no need, to go shopping today but I don't want to waste a day off running around spending $ I don't have. :irked:

Michelle now I'm craving creme brulee, darnit! :lol I don't think it's incompatible to want few interventions during birth but lots of testing prior to birth.

Lemonhead yay for 1st trimester screening and pants that fit! I'm so anxious to have an u/s and jealous of everyone who has had one already. I hope to have the same testing done in a couple weeks if it's not too late. What are you studying? I hope to get my PhD in biology shortly after the baby is born but it's gonna be a rough road.

[lemonhead]

I'm studying applied physics. I'm also hoping to finish up shortly after the baby is born, but I guess we'll see how it goes. Speaking of the dreaded diss...I'm supposed to be working on it right now.

[oskie]

LOL, lemonhead, I'm "working" on my finance paper right now too!

I haven't started shopping yet, but we're moving next month (nothing like making every major life change all at once, right?) so I'm able to control the urge because it just means more stuff to pack!

First prenatal visit was this week - yay! Although it was really more of a glorified annual exam than anything else, but I didn't pass out during the blood work, so I consider that a success. :-) It was my first meeting with the midwife and I wasn't sure how it would go, but my blood pressure was the lowest it has ever been in a medical setting, so I think I made the right decision.

I also can't believe I'm at 10 weeks already! That means the baby is the size of a kumquat, according to the weekly Baby Center emails. I love how it's always a fruit-based comparison.

Hope all doing well!

[Grace24]

Is anyone else feeling relief from their symptoms? I'm approaching week 10 soon, which is when they say it should start to lessen. It just makes me nervous, especially because the word is out that I'm pg at work. The food aversions seem better (ok not completely gone) and I'm able to stay awake all day (though I have had a 5-day vacation from work, that helps). Nausea seems gone. Boobs still hurt though, and I'm having some increased hunger...I think.

Please someone reassure me!

[Dee-Groovy]

You're fine Julia! The hCG that made you sick has already peaked and is beginning to decrease as the placenta takes over hormone production from your ovaries. It's totally normal to feel better now - enjoy it! :p

[Grace24]

Oh, thank you. Now I have to go take a nap...zzzz....

Yup, still preggers.

[VeganLove]

My symptoms have gone down too. Yeah! I happy to move into the next phase of this pregnancy. Normally I get home from work and am like a zombie on the couch all night. But last night I walked the dogs, mowed the lawn and then actually made dinner! Yeah! It felt so good to eat a decent home made meal again. I have been eating out so much the past month and a half, I am over it.

[Dee-Groovy]

Wow VeganLove are awesome! I got to work late and left early after doing as little as possible while I was there. The only things I've managed to accomplish since I got home are 1) a fitful 30 minute nap 2) color my hair with semi-permanent dye and 3) make an omlet devoid of vegetables for dinner. My 3rd and 4th eggs of the day! Is it any wonder I'm gaining so much weight so fast!?! Don't listen to me... I need to head back over to the pissing and moaning thread....
:o

[VeganLove]

MajorGroover,

Don't feel bad. At least you are eating. I am wondering if my burst of energy was short lived. The past three nights I have woken up to pee at least 4-5 times a night. And I can't get back to sleep afterwards. And for the past two weeks I have been dreaming so much. And weird dreams too. Very strange. The no sleep thing is really starting to wear on me. I didn't want to come to work today, just wanted to stay in bed.

I knew that into the 3rd trimester I would be peeing alot as the baby grew big, but why in the world am I peeing 5 times a night already? Am I going to have to suffer for the next 6 months with no sleep? Agh. Will my bladder get used to this?

[Grace24]

Veganlove I'm so used to peeing a million times a night that it doesn't even affect my sleep anymore. I have always had the world's smallest bladder...now it's even worse. (sigh)

I'm officially week 10 today, my embryo has graduated to a fetus! Just in time for DH's and my anniversary :) We're very proud. And it's so nice to have more energy...three days in a row with no nap! And I'm eating decent foods again!

Well ladies I'm here with a little caveat this a.m....do NOT talk on your cell phone while you're driving. DH had an accident last night. It was my fault, but I promised him I'd stop beating myself up because he accepts full responsibility. Here's what happened...

I was following him to the Acura dealership cuz MY car was making noises so we were going to drop it off. We were at a red light which is the only reason I did this, but...I picked up the phone to call him real quick (I really thought it was right there) cuz my car just turned 88,888 miles. With our anniversary coming up and all, I kind of wondered if it was a lucky number (it's not NOW), so I was excited to tell him. (Now I feel really stupid about that.) Well, the light turned green, he answered, but because he'd just bought one of those razor phones that's real thin, it slipped out of his hand. So he was trying to pick it up AND drive and he hit someone who'd stopped to turn left, pushing him into an oncoming car.

You can't imagine how idiotic I feel. What a stupid reason to call. The oncomoing car that the guy in front of him hit, was the soccer carpool, no kidding. Fortunately no-one was seriously injured but the guy in front of DH did go to the hospital, probably as a precaution, becuse his neck was hurt. And one of the girls in the car has a scratch on her shoulder, but she's fine.

So anyways, that's my "learn-from-our-mistake" story for today!

Later, Julia

[oskie]

Oh no! How horrible! At least nobody was seriously hurt. How's the car?

My anniversary was last weekend. I feel kinda bad because we had bought a special bottle of wine before we were even engaged "to enjoy on our first anniversary" together. Well, those plans went out the window.

[Grace24]

The car...um...probably totaled. He wasn't even going that fast but it hit at that crucial place that managed to crumple the bumper, hood, front panel, and get some of the door, so it will probably cost more for the insurance to repair than to pay us the value of the car (it's a 6-year-old mustang). Or not, we'll see...we were able to drive it home and could drive it in an emergency it would just be really really embarrassing! Funny thing, just as we were leaving the house we were talking about getting not just me, but also HIM a newer (baby-friendly) car as well. Looks like he'll be getting one first! AND, wouldn't ya know it, my car is no longer making scary sounds. Argh.

Congrats on your anniversary...DH and I are celebrating our anniversary this weekend...the anniversary of our first date is Sunday. Can't believe it's been a year and we're already married and I'm knocked up! ROFL By the way DH and I don't drink but we love Perrier sparkling water. You won't even miss the wine :)

[gamitzer]

Oh no, sorry to hear about the accident, Grace! I'm glad everyone seems to be ok. If that's not the perfect excuse for a more family-friendly car I don't know what is. ;)
Things are going well here. We have an OB appt. tomorrow, on the day we reach 12 weeks. It's so exciting because it means I will finally be allowed to tell extended family! My wife asked me to wait to tell people, but tomorrow all bets are off. Yay!
Yet another baby item has graced our home. My MIL was in New Mexico last week for a conference and she bought us a onesie with chili pepper, lizards, kokopelli, and cacti all over it. It's super cute, but for now it's going to be hidden away with the bathing suit.
Oh, quick question: Do you keep any members of your family updated on your progress? My sis and mother both said I wasn't keeping them in the loop regarding the pregnancy. Should I send a weekly email, like with info from the baby sites that say what is happening each week? What do you do? Thanks!

[Grace24]

gamitzer, it might be nice if you think family is interested in the weekly updates...I just stay in touch about it on the phone, for those who are interested. I have some baby stuff now...three things that were given to me by a coworker...a swing, jumperoo, and exersaucer. They're huge! I had no idea how much room the baby stuff took up! We didn't want anything til after the first tri (superstitious) but she wanted it out of her house, so it's in the garage for now. I want to clean it up a bit. I'm not sure what to think of it...baby stuff! It's so foreign...so... well, not me. :) I'm not a pink frilly type person. It's bizarre...but kind of exciting. Congrats on 12 weeks, and esp. on keeping the secret thus far. I wasn't able to keep it! I was too excited! I'm 10 weeks today and my coworkers (all 70 of them oh god) have known for at least a week and a half. I couldn't help myself. I'm just going on faith! For our next one, I'll try harder to wait longer to tell, it's unnerving to think I'm still so early and 100 people know I'm pregnant! But on the other hand I'm getting all these cool gifts! :)

[Dee-Groovy]

Oh no Julia that's terrible about the car wreck! Even though the "no phones while driving" rule is good, don't blame yourself. I know you want to, but it's really not your fault. Glad no one was seriously hurt and I hope hope it doesn't end up being too expensive. Like you said, this is a great chance to get a more baby-friendly car! Oh and holy cow, a marriage and pregnancy within one year?! It took me almost 6 years to get married to my DH, then almost 8 years before we were ready to have kids/got pregnant. Time flies when you're having fun. :)

Oskie happy anniversary! I think it's ok to have a couple sips of wine on a special occasion, but that's a judgment call. All I know is that my mom, who is actually quite responsible, hung out in jacuzzis while drinking sangria while she was preg with me, and I turned out pretty normal. :wink

Michelle my secret for peeing during the night is not waking up entirely. I know it sounds weird, and it take some practice, but there's a gray area between fully awake and awake enough to pee. I don't fully open my eyes and try to keep my thoughts fuzzy. Also don't turn on the light - get a night light if you need one. Hopefully that'll work for you. At first my sleep was really inter