Beautiful Babies Due in 2011 (Combined Group)

[to_have_fun08]

Anne - Congrats on little Paul. He is adorable.

[kjm1824]

Mellow- Marlo is getting so big. She is amazing. I loved your blog from her point of view on going home. So glad all is well and im so glad your dh is coming home.

Ryann- So glad you are starting to feel better. Hope you kicked the fever. You LOs are so cute. I love that they balance each other out.

Cherry- I wish you the best of luck with your follow up ultrasound. Hopefully it is nothing.

Margi- Thanks for encouragement. Im really hoping to make it to 36 or 37 weeks. Sorry your boss isnt more understanding. Get lots of rest this weekend. I have been able to take longer lunches on my full days and that helps alot. I just lay down for a while and get my feet up. Would you be able to do that?

Lou- Looks like you had a great shower and got some great gifts. Glad after all your headaches it went well. Sorry to hear about the high BP, fluid gain and protien. Hope The test goes well. Wow your LO is growing like a weed. My next us is in 1 and half weeks. Hope they are growing better. Mine were slightly behind.

Annas- Paul is so handsome. He looks perfect. Sorry you are still hurting but sounds like things are starting to improved.

Hope- That sounds kind of scary - your hospitals birthing policies. I hope the birthing center works out for you.

Rio- Bloody drainage is a good sign. Means good tissue that will heal. It is just going slow. Hopefully soon. Glad lizzy is settling in and getting more alert. It must be all that good food you are getting her. Glad your dh is so helpful. As sweet as your ds sounds im sure he understnds mommy isnt feeling well.

Blair- Sorry about the rash. It does sound like a heat rash or did you use a different detergent or anything when you washed them? Hopefully it clears soon. If it gets worse i would call your doctor.

Afm- one more week of work. Doing better on my long days when i take a long lunch and can lay down. Looking forward to the weekend.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

[Sunshine1576]

****Crashing Alert****
Anna,
Paul is so perfect in every way! Congratulations on his arrival and enjoy every second of motherhood!

[annashope]

Good morning ladies and happy weekend

Sorry for being MIA this week but it has been so hectic (in a totally awesome way)

First thank you everyone for your kind words and compliments about baby Paul

Sunshine 1576 thanks for crashing. I am still in disbelief that he is really here and that after all the adoption adencies, IVF drama and FET he is here because of an IUI...its incredible. Not to mention that when I had cancer 3 years ago the first 3 oncologists I saw demanded I have a hysterectomy but here we are. Itear up every time I think back to what it took to get here. Its a miracle. Keep up hope it will happen for you soon and I am secretly stalking you on the other side

Margi please try to take it easy. I worry for you when you say "lots of BH contractions" it is the reason I ended up on bedrest for 7 weeks so please honey try to take it easy. I would suggest that if you are getting many BH try to literally drink 4-5 liters of water a day it really helped and of course if you ever need it procardia worked wonders for me. My cervix as you recall stayed at 2 cm for almost 8 weeks. Anyways take it easy at work and don't worry about your boss...um life is uncertain and unpredictable so he should not expect definitive answers when it comes to pregnancy.

KJM I cannot believe how close you are getting...30 weeks already!!! You ready?...lol Yay for only working 1 more week...take it easy

Hope I am completely with you on the whole "induction" thing but I am confused can they really make you have an induction? Can you not refuse? I don't know much about birthing centers and cannot advise one way or another. I was always too scared to go that route since with my first pregnancy I realized labor pain beyond 7cm dilated was too much for me and I could never have gone natural but I really respect women who do. Also I was always afraid that if I needed an emergency c-section for any reason a birthing center could not provide that but I am sure they have back up plans I am not aware of. My sister had a completely uncomplicated pregnancy but unfortunately after 17 hours of labor she was still only 4 cm dilated and her baby's heartrate started to drop and they had to rush her to c-section and I think since I was her Lamaze partner and witnessed it firsthand it really scared me. I don't mean to scare you though...people give birth at birthing centers all the time so I am sure they are fine and you have to do what is best for you

Rio I am so sorry you are still in pain sweety its a rough recovery and any extra complications just make it that much tougher. I hope you are feeling better soon. I actually got lucky that the doc on call that did my c-sec does not use staples and all I have is disolvable stitches but the incision really does hurt and with a needy newborn its hard. I wanted to ask you if your ankles were swollen right after the surgery and if so how long did they stay swolen? It has been 6 days and my feet are still so unbelievably swollen I can't wait for that to get better so I won't have to consider the need to put my feet up in the middle of having to take care of a newborn

Blair sorry to hear about the rash. hope you feel better soon. I would try to avoid pants with belly bands just in case its a heat rash

I know I am missing many of you and will do my best to catch up

AfM just enjoying my little man he is just such a sweet heart. Had him checked out by the pediatrician and all was ok. He is almost back to his birth weight which is good. He was born 6lb and 8 oz. Well the little munchkin is waking up so gotta run.

[Happy Bunny]

Anna: He is so beautiful! I still get teary-eyed when I see newborns. Enjoy every single second because they change so fast. I wept when Brooke outgrew her newborn clothes but now she smiles and that makes my heart blow up... Every moment and every phase is so precious and special.

[HopeIsAllIHave]

SD - thanks for sharing that article. I'm glad to hear that something is being done about inductions and c-section rates in this nation, even if it's only in one part of a state as of now. I find it appalling to hear and read that 1/3 of births are due to c-sections. When they start the interventions, it really is a snowball effect of interventions after interventions just to end up getting a c-section. I've heard of too many horrible stories related to this including my sister's.

Anna - thanks for sharing your thoughts and concerns. I can and did refuse to get induced at 39 weeks, but then my OB said she can wait until 40 weeks when I reach my due date. I know I may be uncomfortable and would want this baby out of me during that time, but I believe my baby will come out when she's ready to come out unless of course there was a medical necessity, for which I'd think they'd monitor me more often towards the end anyway. My OB has had 20+ years of experience and when I asked her how many natural births she has delivered, she said 2, both of which were second-born. Having a natural birth is very important to me, and I know if I were in a hospital setting, regardless of what my birth plan states, I would be offered an epidural. In the state of vulnerability, I might just accept, which at this time is against my wishes. I know I have lots of questions to ask the birthing center before I make my final decision including the concerns you have. I have a consultation appointment with them next week where I'll voice all my questions and concerns and hopefully come to a final decision by that time. I'm thinking about water birth but not completely decided on it. Hopefully by next week I'll have more clarity on the issue. But thank you so much for your concern; I really do appreciate it!

It's my birthday on Monday! I'll be 29 *gulp*.. last year in my 20's! DH, unfortunately, has to work all day on Monday (CA time) so we're going to try to celebrate this weekend instead. I'm going to start off by having my DH buy me some organic makeup. Have a good weekend, everyone!

[riogirl71]

Annas ~ my feet were not swollen d uring pregnancy but after csec they got swollen, lasted about 4 days. I got stitches too not staples, it is hard to recover from major sugery with a newborn, try to lay or sit most of the time! Paul is gorgeous!

I had a little meltdown right now, my mil has been somewhat helpful coming over once in a while, she knows i have been in pain and sees me slowly getting up and struggling to walk to the restroom sometimes, my scar still really hurts and i am taking no pain meds or even tylenol as to not interfere with lizzys feeding and her being sleepy. I have to walk around with a washcloth on scar for drainage. So then she tells dh today that she is going to come by this afternoon to get me to walk around the neighborhood because i need to get out and move around, WTF? Does she not see how much pain i am in? Does she think i am lying and sitting because i am lazy? Ob said nothing for 6 weeks and dont do anything that hurts you, lay down as much as possible and sleep so you can heal, she knows all this. I am probably just emotional and tired but i hate when people have their own ideas on what you should be doing better than ob or ignore your pain level as you being a wuss. Not to mention DH dropped off DS there for a couple of hours and while he was still there he asked them not to allow DS to spin around in their office chair like a maniac to which he was met with a condescending - oh he's fine - not 30 sec after that he catapulted out of the chair head first on their tile floor and was inconsolable. ARGH!!! WTF? Had to vent! sorry!

[HopeIsAllIHave]

Rio - so sorry to hear about your issues with your MIL. It sucks that she's not being understanding or sympathetic and thinks that you're just lazying about. It's best to just ignore such people even if it is family. You know your body best and after coming out of a major surgery, not taking any pain meds because of breastfeeding, etc., you know what you have to do to take care of yourself. So sorry to hear about your pain though. I hope your scar heals soon and that the pain subsides. Hope DS is okay as well.

[riogirl71]

Hope - thank you! no biggie just annoying! Hope you have a wonderful birthday, having just turned 40 I can't tell you where the time went! what i can say is how blessed you are to have found a great DH and to be having a baby! it took me until 35 to find a wonderful guy since my ex was a jerk! enjoy your blessings and have a fab day! sorry about the issue with OB, i would not have a csec either if not medically necessary! a water birth sounds soothing, i remember being 9 mos preggers in our lukewarm spa thinking how wonderful to not feel the weight and how i can see a water birth being an option if i could

[blairwh58]

Rio- Sorry to hear about the issues with MIL. I am already nervous that my MIL (though shes very very nice and helpful) and I will be butting heads about how to raise our kids. Hopefully you all can get things figured out once she understands that you are doing what you can and don’t need to be pushed.

Ashley- Happy 29th Birthday!!!!!!!!! Stinks that DH has to work but hopefully you got to have a nice weekend to celebrate. Did you ever get an apt at the birthing center? Hopefully its all working out for you.

Anna- Man he is such a cute little guy. Sounds like he is doing great and hopefully you are too.

Kjm- Woo hoo for only 1 more work week. Surely knowing that the days are limited will help get you through the next few days.

AFM- Rash is still all over my stomach. Not sure that its gotten any worse…but its definitely not any better. DH says it looks a lot like a heat rash and even though hes not my OB I guess Ill take his word for now. I applied Benadryl cream all wknd but since it wasn’t getting any better I went back to lotion in the morning and baby oil at night since the skin was drying out. I haven’t decided whether I should even call back today or not since I go to the high risk MD wed and my OB on fri.

[rypell1985]

Question for preemie moms or anyone who has some idea!

The twins were born at 34 weeks, so now that they're a month old my due date is still over a week away. Question is this: do I treat them like 1 month olds, or do I expect they will be very newborn like until their due date and THEN start making forward progress? I'm speaking in terms of schedule and knowing the difference between night and day. They had me up until 5am and now are both sleeping soundly....grrrr!!!! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[leorira11]

Anna - baby Paul is adorable! I'm so happy for you

Ryann - I'm not sure about adjusting for 'near-term' preemies. I'm not sure if you are on the community at babycenter.com, but there is a fantastic 'Preemie Parenting' group and I know they could answer your question.

Blair - 20ish weeks is really early for PUPPs. I would definitely ask your OB when you see him/her.

Rio - have you gotten that C-section incision checked out? I'm no expert, but I didn't have any bleeding out of the incision after less than 48 hours from surgery. I'm just about 4 weeks post-C-section, and my incision looks great. No more scabbing, just still slightly red on the actual incision line (not red around it). I was moving around pretty much without pain after a week. I really think you should get that checked out ASAP.

Ashley - Happy Birthday! 29 will be such a great year for you!

AFM - we met with a different high risk OB today to get his opinion on what to do in a future pregnancy. I'm really nervous after what he said. He said that there was no reason I shouldn't be able to carry a singleton to term. He said the same thing that my last doctor said - basically, we will watch my cervix to make sure it doesn't change and only do a stitch if my cervix starts to shorten. I told him that that plan really worried me. Everyone told me that my first set of twins was a fluke and super unlikely to happen again. Even when I got pregnant with twins again, I was told twins wasn't ideal, but that I should be able to carry them to term (or close to term). Now I'm being told that BOTH my twin losses were flukes and that as long as it's not twins again, things should be fine. (I would do P17 injections and probably be on preventative bed rest starting at 18-20 weeks.) I told this doctor that I was terrified of losing a singleton and then being told, 'oh, okay. Seems like you do have a problem'. I'm not willing to use a singleton pregnancy as a 'test case'. I *need* to bring my next baby home with me. This doctor seems a lot more sympathetic and open to listening to my concerns. He said he would take me on as an OB patient when I get pregnant again. I like him a lot more, which means a lot ---- but I'm still super worried.

I asked what the downside of having a cerclage placed (transvaginally, probably) at 10-12 weeks. He said it risks miscarriage and infection. But I pointed out that if we put a preventative cerclage at 10-12 weeks, the odds of it holding are sooooo much better than waiting to see and placing one later if needed. He said it's most likely I won't need one, so that's why he would recommend waiting. I asked if he would place one at 10-12 weeks if I really really wanted it for peace of mind. He said he would, if that was really what I wanted, but he thought it unnecessary.

So I think the plan is to switch to this other highrisk OB that we like better and place a TVC at 10-12 weeks. I think I'm comfortable with that plan (still second guessing myself all the time.... what if I miscarry after the TVC - should I not do a cerclage at all because it isn't really necesary? What if I place the TVC and I do have cervical problems but the TVC doesn't hold - should I do TAC instead?). I think I just have to make the best decision I can and trust myself and my doctor.... it's just hard because that's what I was doing this time - and we lost the boys.

The high risk OB we saw today is also the head of the IVF department at a different hospital. He knows our IVF doctor and says that if we are happy with the clinic there, we should stay there (we could switch to his hospital). Our success rates have been pretty decent (of 10 embryos transferred -- 5 failed, 1 miscarriage and 4 healthy but too-preterm babies --- so 40-50% success rate per embryo). The only reason I would switch is because I applied for a job at the second hospital (working as an office manager in the urology dept) --- if I work in the same building as an IVF clinic, it would be really hard to justify commuting every morning to a different IVF clinic! Interview tomorrow, wish me luck.

[blairwh58]

Leora- I agree- after looking up everything I could online it definitely doesnt seem to be PUPPS. Everything I read said third trimester and in stretch marks..so Im really thinking its just a heat rash. I also had a friend I work with look at my stomach since she had PUPPs with her twin boys. She said it didnt look anything like hers so Im guessing its nothing other than some contact dermatitis or some type of "heat rash". As for your apt with the OB- Im so glad you found one that you like. Even though you are nervous about the recommendation, you would justifiably be nervous no matter what. Its also nice that he agreed to put in a TVC at 10-12 wks for your peace of mind. I know it will all work out for you this next time and you will finally bring home that baby. Good luck with your interview tomorrow and keep us posted.

[Reenie100]

Ryann-
My twins were born early (35 weeks) and my pediatrician told me to use adjusted age whenever gauging their development (compared to milestones). He said we should do that for the first year. They are 5 months old, but we consider them 4 months adjusted. They also went through a period of not knowing day from night. They sleep like champs now, but there was a time when they were also up ALL night and would fall asleep around 5am and sleep soundly for hours.

We started a routine that signalled to them that it was nighttime and therefore time to sleep. We made a point of changing them into designated PJs and we did our last feeding right before bedtime in a quiet room with dim lights. We still do it to this day and it helps calm them down.

[Sunshine1576]

Stalking a few, and will be back for more crashing, later on!

Leora,
Thanks for keeping us updated with how you guys are doing. It sounds like you are making plans to move forward and I wish you only the best! I'm glad you are seeing a high risk doctor who you really like and is willing to work with you.Your embryos are very healthy given your history and you are so young, there is still plenty of time. I think planning for a singleton pregancy would give you the best outcome too. That is so awesome you are interviewing at a clinic where they treat infertility. I wish you so much success with the interview, keep us posted!

Anna,
Thanks for your post, Paul is so beautiful! I know the journey you went through, we have also considered adoption, well I have but dh doesn't think we are quite there yet! Anyway I'm glad you are secretly stalking me over there...I'm down to 3 days, 5 hrs and 35 minutes of finding out if my IUI with seven follies worked.

Blair,
It wouldn't hurt to call just to ask if the rash is normal for this time of the year, giving you peace of mind.

Margi,
How are you doing?