May 2009 mommies, come join the fun!

[Summerbda]

I'm 12w 3d and still freakin!!! Not quite getting it yet. I had my last U/S at 9w 3d//saw little arms/legs strong heartbeat 153!! I have 1st real appt w/OB tomorrow!!

[PMApsy]

Due dates

Sophie is due on May 2nd! One healthy heartbeat!
Stefanie is due on May 3rd! TWINS ALERT! :D It's two boys!
Brooke is due on May 8th! One healthy heartbeat!
Smiles2IVF is due on May 10th! One healthy heartbeat!
Toobee is due on May 14th! TWINS ALERT! :D
Amanda is due on May 16th! TWINS ALERT! :D
Anie is due on May 17th! TWINS ALERT! :D
Stacy is due on May 17th! One healthy heartbeat!
Amy is due on May 24th!

Ultrasounds and medical appointments

Amy prenatal tests on November 13th!
Sophie ob-gyn apt on November 20th!
Smiles2IVF apt November 24th!
Sophie ultrasound on December 12th!

In our thoughts and prayers
Valerie, we are sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, dear friend.

[kerpupples]

Just an update for me - have the nuchal translucency screening on Nov. 13th and my next OB appointment on Nov. 24th.

I'm feeling great - what little morning sickness I had seems to be gone. Still tired but energy does seem to be coming back. Still need to go pick up a Bella band - went to Nordstrom but they were out. I have been having stressful dreams - one that I had started bleeding and then another that I'd given birth to a preemie who I picked up out of the pram one day and was no longer breathing! Guess my subconscious is still pretty fearful.

[slfleming1]

Hey! After spending $28 each for two bella bands, I found Be by Bellaband online on Target's website for $16.99! It's too late for me to return mine, but for anyone looking go to www.target.com and search Bellaband. Reviewers say it is the same as the more expensive version.

Glad to hear everyone is doing well! My pants are now starting to get tight. I bought some maternity jeans at Old Navy last week that are really cute. I may just bring them to NYC this weekend just because they are so comfortable! And I figure I'll just save them for future Thanksgiving Dinners in the future when I'm not pregnant

Also, for those of you who will be in cold weather climates this winter, I've done some experimenting and found that with my double breasted coats I can use a hair tie to extend the buttons to give me more room when I need it later. I put it through the button hole and then slipped it over the button. I don't think anyone would really notice if the tie is the same color as the coat. So maybe I can avoid buying a maternity coat this winter!

-Stacy

[stefanie]

Hey

I had some scary dreams early on, and my friend who had twins through IVF said it is really common. vivid panicked dreams or very real seeming dreams where things like that happen.

I am battling a lot of fatigue. I think I'm going to take some Iron. I know it adds to constipation, but what to do.

I am napping every day and trying to let my body do it's thing. it's heavenly to rest.

not much else to announce. My next appointment is 11.24 just before we leave town for a week.
stefanie

[Anie]

Hello.

Just few updates from me.

Next doctor's appointment: 9/12/08
Next scan: 14/01/09

Due Date now is: 15/05/09

Anie

[PMApsy]

Hi guys,

I'm glad to see posts this week, but I also see that no one does personals! Come on guys, this board is about interacting with each other! :D:D

Amy,
I'm really glad that your ms has subsided. Such a relief! You'll see, the bella bands, or similar devices, are a life saver! Those dreams sounded pretty intense... I hope the tone changes in the coming weeks! It took me until the 13 weeks ultrasound to get out of my emotional numbness and really give in to the prgnancy and become excited. So I completely understand your "subconscious" for being afraid still. That being said, I've had the craziest dreams... incredible... last week, I kissed Cyrano de Bergerac VERY passionately (he's a fictional character) and last night? Daniel Radcliffe's turn! (Harry Potter actor). Huh??? And last week, a good friend of mine came in my dream and told me I was expecting a boy, whom I would deliver at 41 weeks and he would work in finance...?! Not to mention a very gory dream last night in which people were hurting a lamb... not cool at all. I prefer weird and passionate kisses, even if they're with unexpected people! Oh, and I've updated the list for your apt date. Good luck with the ultrasound, you'll see, it's a magical moment!

Stacy,
Hi hun, it's great to have news! Dang! I paid my bella band 44$CAN! Ah, well... I really like their belly leggings, but I could only buy them online and they would cost something like 70$, so forget it... You must be really cute with your maternity jeans indeed! Too bad I can't do the same thing... with my long legs, I can only buy jeans in specialized stores... (Tall Girl). Ah, well... I'll wear my regular jeans as long as I can with the bella band, and then I'll wait patiently. Hehehe and that Thanksgiving idea is from Joey in Friends! He started it! I hope you have a super trip in NYC! Thanks for the tip about the winter coat... mmmh I'll try it with mine... but thank goodness, I have another winter coat that I'll probably be able to wear until the end. However, just a question... I get the fact that one end of the tie will loop around the button, but how will the other end stay in the button hole? You sew it there? Or you use a safety pin?

Stefanie,
Hi there! How are the headaches dear? And your nose? I hope things are better. How is work? Sorry about the fatigue dear... have you checked with your doctor that it's related to low iron? Because given that your blood and heart capacity increases up to 50% during pregnancy, you have to produce a lot of additional red cells. And the vitamin for that is B12... being a vegetarian, I really saw that taking B12 made a difference with breathlessness and fatigue. Just saying. I've been really tired last week, for no reason. Maybe it's the 15-weeks milestone...

As for me, thing are going well. I've had those bad headaches, but my acupuncturist is trying to zap that. My IBS has also been acting on me, hopefully it will pass. The baby grew a lot over the weekend; I can tell because of the surgical tissue all around my uterus that started hurting by itself (as opposed to when I moved a certain way and pulled on it by accident). So that, the stuffy nose, the rise in hormones... no wonder I have headaches and feel tired. But! I still lead a normal life all the same.

Other than that, a friend helped my husband carry two pieces of furniture in the baby's room (still my office at the moment). I was really starting to need places to put the baby stuff... There is a small study desk, which will become the changing table, and an armoire with 5 drawers. A friend gave me stuffed animals (SO CUTE), I bought books and a couple of pieces of clothing, and I'm about to buy lots of stuff to sew towels, burping towels, cleaning wipes (I have a great recipe to make reusable wet wipes), curtains, and I bought wool to knit two blankets and a couple of hats. Given that the baby will arrive in May, I'll knit a super cute white hat with a green tip (like a lily of the valley blossom, which is traditionally given on May 1st). The pattern was originally for a pumpkin hat for halloween babies! So cute! My best friend and I will go shopping for the fabrics next Saturday; we'll also check a wool store and we'll shop in a couple of baby stuff warehouses to compare prices. My friend wants me to show her how to knit a baby blanket for her little angel. And by the way, they'll have their 2nd ultrasound on Friday and they'll want to know the gender! SO exciting!

And by the way, if you want great tips for saving money with your first baby, just type "save money first baby" in Google, and you'll see tons of clever advice. It really helped me with the baby's list and it made me realize that with a minimum of planning, I could make choices that I wouldn't regret later. I also chose my maternity leave dates and gave them at work. I'll stop working on April 3rd. Doesn't seem so far away!

Okay ladies, time to have dinner with DH! Take care, and have a great evening!

Sophie xxox

[sweetmomi]

hello all,

has anyone here used a gestational carrier? I was told there may be.

Please pm me if so.

thanks!

[slfleming1]

Hey Sophie- I am a short girl, and fortunately both Old Navy and The Gap have maternity jeans in short, regular, and tall lengths! So there may be something for you! As for the coat, I slipped the elastic tie through the button hole and then slipped the loops from each side over the button. So no need for safety pins, etc.

Interestingly enough, I've not remembered many of my dreams. Which is weird for me because normally they are so vivid! Hope the scary dreams subside for those experiencing them.

My annoying thing has been nosebleeds. I've had problems in the winter for years, but this year they started early and have been much worse. So I'm now using a humidifier and putting Vaseline in my nose. It's been working, which is great because it's embarrassing to be at dinner, etc. and suddenly have your nose start bleeding!!!

Hope everyone has a good week!

-Stacy

[PMApsy]

Hey guys!

Amy,

Just wanted to tell you good luck for your prenatal tests today! I hope you get nice pics!!!

Stacy,

Thanks for the tip... I'm not sure if they have those tall special sizes here in Montreal, even in the province of Quebec. But I'll sure check. I can't believe they still haven't understood that there are tall women here! And thanks for the tip about the winter coat; I get it now, d'uh! Those nose bleeds seem to be really annoying! And it's quite impossible to make it discreet when you're in public! I hope they subside too. In my case, it's regular sneezing, which causes a runny nose, or stuffy nose and pressure in my sinuses. Acupucnture is helping, though, thank goodness!

How are you guys doing? Well, I have a big announcement to make! I felt my baby move yesterday! And, as weird as this may sound, I've always known that I would feel the baby move during a service meeting. That's exactly how it happened! My boss was ranting about something rather boring, and there it was... I felt three little flutters, like waves, right into my uterus... and a minute later, a very subtle poke-poke on the side. There are no intestines there so I'm really sure it was the baby, and not gas. WOW! Now I can't wait to feel that again! Incidently, my belly really popped out since the weekend. The baby had a growth spurt during the weekend, and it's showing now. I can no longer wear certain pants buttoned, and I'll use the Belly Band for these.

That's the news for me guys! Take care!

Sophie xxox

[slfleming1]

Congrats Sophie on feeling the baby move! How cool!

I'm off to NYC tomorrow to see my friends there and tell them the news. I lived there before moving to Chicago so it will be fun seeing everyone and sharing my excitement.

Hope everyone is doing well!

-Stacy

[PMApsy]

Morning ladies!

Have fun in NCY Stacy! You lucky girl! I wish I could go there with my best friend, but it's so expensive!!! I hope you share precious moments with your friends!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamy? Where are you dear?

And all the others??? The board is so quiet...

Have a great weekend! Can't wait to go shopping all day with my best friend tomorrow! we'll shop for wool, fabric, baby stuff... yay!

Take care,

Sophie

[kerpupples]

Stacy - thanks for the Bella band tip, I'm going to order mine from Target! They have cute maternity clothes too. I just ordered some maternity stuff from Old Navy. I'm tall so I too am glad for their special sizes, as well as their pricing. I'm not going to spend alot of money on clothes that I'll wear so seldom. I hope your nosebleeds are subsiding. I get those too in the wintertime. Humidifiers do help.

Stefanie - has the extra iron helped with your fatigue? I have a colleague who has low iron absorption and she's noticed a big boost in energy since she's been treated for it.

Sophie - so very cool that you felt the little one move! I can't wait until that happens.

I don't have the full results from the combined screening - blood test results are due early this week. The u/s tech did say that the nuchal measurements looked just fine though. I now have a condition called placenta previa where my placenta is situated low towards my cervix. They will monitor it as it can cause bleeding but I've read that 90% of cases resolve themselves prior to labor. On the chance that it does not I'll have to have a C-section, so I'm hoping that it does. The good news is that the placenta is now more towards the side than in front so I hope that means I'll feel movement earlier.

Feeling great too - energy is coming back daily.

[slfleming1]

So I've found an interesting solution to my nosebleeds - Vaseline! I put it inside my nostril before bed and I've had no problems in a week. Yay! My humidifier is really loud and annoying so I'm glad I've found a fix without having to buy a new one.

Had a great time in NYC seeing friends and telling them the news. One of the pluses of my husband traveling a lot is that I can use his miles for flights! So makes my trips quite a bit cheaper, which is great! He just found out his Boston project is done as of this Friday, so I'm excited and happy to have him around for a while.

While in NY I had the chance to weigh myself at a friend's house...and I've gained 5 pounds in the last 2 weeks! I'm happy because I lost a pound during my 3rd month so I figure now I've caught up. I had major belly growth and so knew I had to have added some pounds. All I know is my Old Navy maternity jeans are my favorite right now...so comfy!

-Stacy

[PMApsy]

Hello ladies!

How are you guys doing? Done something exciting last weekend? Anyone has an apt this week?

Amy,
So, got the complete results back? I'm happy that your nuchal measurements are good! Sorry about your placenta previa, but it looks like the situation will solve itself by the time your little one is ready to get out. Just make sure, when you're ready to deliver, that the doctor knows about your condition. My best friend, who is a doctor and delivered several babies in several hospitals, told me that, sometimes, there is a misunderstanding and people do the c-section the traditional way, which they should not... and recently, she heard about a doctor who lost a mother because he couldn't stop the bleeding (he cut right into the placenta and was unable to cauterize). Her placenta is right at the front, hence why she told me about that, because she'd have to have a c-section done differently and she wants to make sure the staff knows. So no need to worry, as long as you make sure the docs know, you'll be fine.

On a happier note... you didn't say anything about your baby!!!! Did you get pictures? Was the baby moving a lot? How did DH react? I'm really glad that your energy is coming back dear!

Stacy,
Mmmmmh the more I hear about Old Navy maternity jeans, the more I want to try them! I'll definitely go there this weekend and see if they have tall sizes! Your time in NYC sounded like FUN! I'm so happy that you had a good time with your friends! yay!!!

As for me, I did major shopping with my best friend last weekend. She found out she's having a boy! So she bought lots of nice outfits for the baby. I also bought lots of pjs. I was quite amazed at the fact you can't find unisex outfits for the baby, only pjs... It was quite disappointing, because we want to wait until the birth to know the gender. Looks like I won't be able to buy anything until then, only pjs. I tell myself that the weather will be nice in May, and I'll go shopping again with my best friend and our babies. She told me they saw it was a boy even before the radiologist told them, during the ultrasound. There was that big thingy you couldn't miss between the baby's legs! So if we see something by accident during the ultrasound, we'll have it confirmed. Other than that, I found the fabric for the baby's curtain! woohoo! And I bought wool for two blankets. I taught my friend how to knit and she's not addicted to it. She'd better be; she chose a thin wool for her blankets and it will take some time to complete them!

Okay, my wrists are hurting a bit, so I should stop here. Take care ladies!

Sophie xxox