Special Delivery 2012!!! Is your EDD 2012? Join us here.

[Tess69]

LYD10 - thanks for your good wishes. I've got everything crossed. What genetic testing did you have to have done?

Margi - so lovely to see your name again. How are your wee twinnies doing?

Esther - what an incredible story. I was right there in the operating room with you. Writing is always so beautiful when it comes from the heart.

Ker - congrats on confirmation of a boy and girl. Very cool :0)

Kbillsy - you have triplets brewing? Wow! That's amazing. And there are more triplet mums on the board?

FV rogers and Happy Bunny - yay for your big bouncing babies.

AFM - I have my first appt with my obstertrician on Mon. I've been referred to the high risk team and the obs who heads up that team is awesome. He was my obs when we lost our wee boy due to MGS so I'm really pleased to be in his capable hands as I couldn't fault how they dealt with and helped DH and I through the whole horrid ordeal last time.

[tuffy4u]

Hello everyone. Welcome to the board Tess, sound like you have a lot on your plate. You definately deserve a healthy baby this time, I will pray that you get good news. How long do you have to wait to find out?

Kerpupples sorry about the heartburn. Mine seems to be better if I eat better, however I sometime just want to eat some chips and cookies, lol. I do pay for it though.

Sorry for the lack of personals, I'm starting to get really swollen and tired and it's hard to motivate to do anything. My goal today is to actually make dinner for my family and get a few loads of laundry done. Small goals but hopefully attainable. My babes are also massive. As of today at 36 weeks they are six and seven pounds. My delivery in two weeks they will most likely be 7 and 8. Good news for them but not so great for me to carry them around. Have a good week everyone.

[kbillsy]

Tess - Congrats and welcome to the pregnancy board! Good luck with your pregnancy - sounds like the odds are in your favor to not repeat the same genetic issue as your last pregnancy. I can see how the next couple of months will bring many mixed emotions for you - are you planning to not be very public in sharing your pregnancy news until after you have the genetic testing back?

Kerpupples - glad to hear they could confirm your boy/girl gender - I know for the first few ultrasounds after we got our gender news, I wanted them to confirm I think I will be living in flip flops for the majority of the summer between feet swelling and my inability to reach down to get to my feet!

Tuffy - wow, those babies are getting big! Although I bet you are uncomfortable, I'm sure it must be a relief that they are a healthy size if you do happen to go into labor before 38 weeks. Hang in there - you are so close!!

AFM - things here have been good but busy! I had U/S and glucose test last Monday. I haven't heard anything back on the test so I'm assuming/hoping that I must have passed or they would have called to schedule the 3 hr test. Think I should call the office to confirm? My next dr appointment is Monday 5/21. Based on last Monday's U/S the babies are all continuing to grow well - last week (at 25 weeks, 5 days) they were 1lb 11 oz, 1lb 12 oz and 1lb 15oz! So they are continuing to be approx the same size and about where they should be. By now they should all be right around or just over 2lbs!! The way they are currently positioned, the 2 boys are kicking the girl in the head and she is kicking one of her brothers in the head back Hopefully this is not a reflection of how they will be once they are outside my belly! We got some really great pix though between the kicking action and also them doing some 4D pix of their faces - it is so cool that we can start to get an idea of what they may look like. I'll try to post a pix or two here and also one of the beautiful quilts someone made for the babies! I can't believe we are already about to enter the 3rd trimester - it is going by so fast and can't believe that in a few short months they will be here with us! I have to say that this was by far the best Mother's Day I have had in years - it is nice to finally feel good about celebrating it again! I hope you all had a great Mother's Day too!

[kbillsy]

Here are the 4D pix of 2 of the babies from last week's appt

babyA_0507.jpg

babyC_0507.jpg

And also a pic of quilts a family friend made us for the babies - the back side is minky so they are beautiful and super soft - I love them!!!

babyQuilts.jpg

[tuffy4u]

Kbilsy what cute pictures. Its so amazing how you can see what they are going to look like so early. They look just perfect. Good luck with the end of the second trimester. How long will they let you go with triplets?

[fvrogers]

I swear I'll come back and do personals later ... Just so happy that my doc made me stop working this week!! My job was slowly sucking the life out of me and I'm so happy to be on leave!!! Be back later!

Felicia

[fvrogers]

Kbillsy - The quilts are very nice!!! Thanks for sharing your little ones' pics with us. They do have definite facial features - it is just amazing! I figure when you go in for your next appointment you can ask then about the results of the GD diabetes test. That is what I did, my office is pretty good about calling when we get abnormal results.

Tuffy - I can only imagine how you are handling carrying 13-14 pounds of baby!!! You go Super Woman!! Just the thought of it is making me tired. But it is good to know that they will be healthy and not have any of the complications associated with low birth weight and such. 38 weeks is around the corner!! Hang in there!

Tess - Big congrats hun!!! I am so happy to see you over on this side of the woods!
Congrats on the upcomming appointment with the OB, we all know how exciting that can be. I think you and I discussed PGD and genetic testing on the other board with our previous cycles. Anyways, your odds are just like ours with Sickle Cell so I do think you have an excellent chance of your little one being MGS free this time around. I will keep you in my prayers. Are they thinking of testing around week 16 or so? How do they test - is it an amniocentesis that is performed?

Amy - I am finally done with work!!! I am so happy. The place was just insane, my boss was pissed since I left a few days early, but we were so busy and so short staffed that I was not even getting lunch breaks. By the end of the day I was such a mess - I was swollen, irritable and hungry and I just could not do it anymore. Not to mention the being on my feet and constantly lifting and moving patients for 8-10 hour days. I need to go shoe shopping myself. I only have a few weeks left, but there are only two pairs of flip flops that my huge feet can squeeze into!

Barbara - How are you? Is your little line backer still growing? We estimate mine is at about 7lbs now!! Which would mean close to 9lbs by birth. But I try to reassure myself that these are just estimates - it is still nerve wracking.

AFM - Feeling pretty good - just big! But I guess I cannot complain since poor Kat here is carrying twice as much baby as me! This kid just keeps growing and growing so when I go next week we will start deciding about induction. Kinda bummed with the thought because I wanted to go as natural as possible and was even hoping to labor at home in the beginning. But I am also very afraid of delivering a 10++lb baby vaginally!! Especially since many of us first time moms tend to go late. I am so torn I have pretty much made up my mind that the earliest I want to be induced is June 4th (only 4 days before my due date) and that is only if my blood pressure or anything else starts to act up. Otherwise I do not think I want to go more than a day or 2 past my due date. Now that I am not working I hope that will not be an issue.

As I mentioned my boss was kinda pissed about me stopping work a week earlier than planned, but I had to remind her that we do not have enough staff to make me feel as if I can get help if needed. Being a nurse on a physical rehab floor entails a lot of lifting and moving patients and they always tell me to get help, but if there is no one to help I end up doing it myself. Plus the not getting to take a lunch break was really getting to me. My boss was also trying to make me justify taking a year off!! That also made me a little pissed - since when do we have to justify deciding to spend time with our children!! When we decided that I would take a year off it was something we felt we could do considering the money and effort we would spend on childcare and a nanny. Anyways, DH will be back from his last work related trip around May 31 and we hope to finish the nursery then. I have all the furniture and stuff - just has to be put together. Our moms will be here a few days after that. I cannot believe my little boy will be here in a few weeks! I doubt that there is any chance that I would go into labor earlier than my due date, I'm 37 weeks this week and have not even dilated or anything!!

Hugs to you all!

Felicia

[Happy Bunny]

Tess: Welcome! And best wishes for great test results.

kbillsy: You are cruising right along with your babies - great job! Also, great news for your passing your glucose test. Those baby quilts are beautiful.

Kerpupples: How wonderful! A boy and a girl! Now to find names. We found that boy's names were much harder than girl's names... We struggled so much with naming our little guy.

Tuffy: More jumbo babies! Awesome! For some reason, this board's "crop" of babies has yielded a number of larger babies.

fvrogers: Don't worry about induction... No matter how your delivery happens, you are going to remember it as the most amazing day of your life. I was induced with our daughter and it was a really good experience - none of the things that I'd heard about induction happened and we had a great delivery.

Jen: Any news? How's your guy doing? Still big? There's a number of big babies on the board now... It's a bumper crop this year!

AFM: Mr. Baby is HUGE... 94th percentile 29 weeks with extra amniotic fluid. Given that I've passed both the 1 hour and the 3 hour glucose tests, the doctors say that he's just a big guy. Right now, I'm seeing the fetal specialist doctor every two weeks and seeing my OB every two weeks, both anticipate increasing visits to one per week soon. It's a lot of appointments but it feels good to know that they are watching us closely. There's still a chance that his growth rate will slow down but they are predicting a big baby. The doctors say that there's no sign of any defect or abnormality so our only risk factor is preterm labor.

[tuffy4u]

Hi everyone. Connor Wayne and Colton Kenneth came yesterday. Will fill you all in later. They were 6lbs 4oz and 6oz 6oz. Way smaller than predicted. Still a good healthy size and we are all recovering well.

[Happy Bunny]

Tuffy: Congrats! Those are good sizes for twins. I can't wait to see their pics and read about their birth.

[Tess69]

Tuffy - a huge congrats to you. Well done :0) 6lb is a good size for a singleton never mind twinnies

Kbillsy - very cool pics. You are so lucky to have 4D scanning available. There is only one place in New Zealand where they do 4D pics and it's not near where I live. Love the quilts too.

FVrogers - not far for you now. I can so understand why you have left work. You definitely do not need to justify taking a years leave. Diagnosis for Meckel-Gruber is usually made by ultrasound, probably round mid second trimester. We can't' do amnio because we haven't identified the defective gene: There are about seven genes associated with MGS. We couldn't afford to test all seven genes as the testing is really expensive. The physical characteristics of MGS are quite distinctive so should be able to pick up by US.

Happy Bunny - big baby here we come

AFM - my first appt with the high risk team went really well. I was so nervous so my obs did a scan straight away to ease my concerns. My little bean is measuring up fine and the heartbeat is all good. The plan of action is scan at 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks to check for MGS. We probably won't pick up anything at 12 weeks but will do the usual Down's screening etc. We should be able to pick up any MGS abnormalities at 16 wks but obs may not be able to give a definite diagnosis until 20 weeks. I had my first trimester antenatal and screening bloods staken yesterday. I've taken the day off work today as I have no energy and feel a bit crappy. I think the stress of the last few weeks are catching up on me. I'm finding it really hard to concentrate at work. One of my best friends is going to come over with her wee 11 wk old son to take our dogs for a bit of a walk down the beach.

[annashope]

Hi girls sorry I have been quiet but morning sickness has been terrible!!!

First

Tuffy huge congrats on the birth of your boys. My Paul was 6lb 8oz at birth but was 18lb by 6 months so don't worry about the weight. I can't wait to hear your birthstory

Esther your story was amazing...had me in tears thanks so much for sharing

Barbara wow what a huge boy you are carrying My oldest son who is now 11 was a huge baby and everyone made so much fuss and checked for diabetes and stuff. He was born 9lb 1oz and came out naturally without any problems. Doctors kept saying his growth would taper off but it never did. He is 5ft 3 now at 11 and 135lb and plays defensive line in football. Enjoy your big boy

Tess hang in there I am sending you lots of positive energy and hoping for a healthy pregnancy for you and your little one. I think you and I are only a few days apart. Because of my past with cervical cancer I only have a teeny tiny cervix left so I have to have u/s cervix checks every 2 weeks starting with 14 weeks...so I am trying to enjoy not worrying about that now but its impossible because for now I am still worried about everything...lol

FVR you are so close!!!! Don't pay any mind to your boss...there is nothing wrong with wanting to take a year off... I am a teacher and DH and I have decided that I would be a SAHM until our youngest baby is 2-3 and so many people have made stupid comments to me about how "why did I even bother getting a Master's" I always say that my babies will only be little a few years but I have the rest of my life to focus on my career....not everyone understands

AFM I have a question for you ladies who use the doppler...I found the baby's heartbeat a few days aga and was so happy but not since and now I am starting to worry again... Is it normal to find the heartbeat and then not find it again? ugh my next u/s is Friday and if everything is good we will be released to the OB

[bodie1011]

Kat....big congrats!! I love the names! Can't wait to hear the birth story and see pictures.

Felicia - racing you to the finish line

So glad everyone else is doing well with their pregnancies. I've been reading frequently although not posting much. I'm still working and so tired each night. Friday is my last day though thank god. Hoping the girls come late next week but my section is scheduled for the 8th if not. I am so ready

[kbillsy]

Tuffy - Congrats mama! Sounds like those are healthy sized twins - are you guys home from the hospital yet or do they need to stay in at all? I like your names too - Colton was on my husband's short list, but others are winning out so far (still some time for us to decide). For triplets they said 37 weeks is the longest they would let me go - I would be happy to make it to 35 weeks, which is only 7 weeks away!

Felicia - how are you feeling these days? I think you are up next, right? Hope you can fit some rest and relaxation in before the little one arrives! The heat the last few days here has been pretty rough - I hope you are staying cool! I definitely don't think now is the appropriate time for your boss to give you and attitude about going out on leave or the length of your maternity leave. I would think that especially in the medical field you wouldn't have to worry about going out on leave this late in the game. My sister's friend just gave birth to a 12 lb 6oz baby girl - it was via c-section but I still cannot believe her doctor let her go that long - she has been in lots of pain for a few weeks now.

Happy Bunny - I guess that is a big boy you are baking! Glad to hear they don't think there are any issues, just a big baby. I feel better with the extra dr appointments - just a little reassurance that everything is ok. I haven't heard of percentile #'s for size before - at what point did they start sharing that info?

Tess - sounds like they have a good plan in place for you! I've had a hard time concentrating on work the whole time I've been pregnant! I try to at least focus enough to get my work done but I do feel a bit guilty that my attention and priority is somewhere else these days

Annashope - I hope you are feeling better - morning sickness is the worst! Besides monitoring, will they do something to help support your cervix or to put something in that acts as a replacement for your cervix?

Kerpupples - one of the few things that I think seems to work well for heartburn is a glass of milk - doesn't have to be a lot but if I drink 4-5 oz at least, I think it helps to kill the heartburn - and is good calcium and protein

LYD - how are you doing?

Ester - I hope you are doing well and adjusting to life with babies! Did you guys move into your new house yet?

AFM - I've been doing pretty well! I'm continuing to get more and more uncomfortable - have a hard time finding a sitting or laying position that works for me for longer than 30 minutes or so - I feel like I am constantly readjusting and trying to get comfy. It may be a lost cause for a few months - the heat this weekend didn't help much, I'm glad it has cooled off a bit today. I had appt this morning - babies grew LOTS the last 2 weeks - A (boy) is 2lbs 11 oz, B (girl) is 2 lbs 2 oz, and C (boy) is 2lb 4 oz!! I'm glad that they are all over the 2lb mark now - and can't believe A is already closing in on 3lbs! My bloodwork from last appt all came back good - no concerns about GD, anemia or any other blood related issues - so that is a relief! She did a measurement on me and I am measuring at 36 weeks (if it was just one) so she can understand why I am so tired and uncomfortable. She wants me to cut back my work to ~20 hrs a week to make sure I am giving myself plenty of time to rest and take care of myself. I'm talking to my boss about that tomorrow - I'm sure it will be fine. They are just happy to keep me in some capacity for as long as they can. I just can't believe I am already to the point of them pulling back on my work schedule - starting to feel like we are approaching the home stretch but really hoping to make it at least another 6 weeks!

[kerpupples]

Kat / tuffy - congratulations on the boys! Love the names. Connor is on our list too. Nice good size for both of them! Are they needing the NICU (praying not)?

kbillsy - I asked for confirmation with DD too! They did give us pictures of parts so I think we're pretty sure by now. Flip flops are the only shoes that currently keep my poor feet happy. Very cool 4D pics. I *think* we'll do those this time. That's great growth - over a pound a week, wow! You'll be holding them before you know it! Thanks for the milk tip - it does actually seem to help.

Felicia - So sorry about the crap you got from your boss. No way they should have let you do all that lifting. You're term now so I hope you start dilating quickly.


Barb - It's funny, with DD we were struggling with her name, and now we are struggling with the boy's name! I think we are going with Audrey Catriona for the girl, and I know the boy's middle name will be Mitchell, which is my maiden name. My husband keeps trying to sell me on Fergus, which is just NOT going to happen. Yuck. Right now we are leaning towards Bruce. Nice manly name. Bruce Mitchell Boyd has a nice ring, don't you think? I hope that big fella of yours slows down just a bit.

Bodie - you're next! Hope you are managing to get some rest.

AFM - still plugging away. My hands and feet are aching now due to fluid retention, especially when I first wake up. My energy level would be decent but I'm already starting to have trouble sleeping due to discomfort and kicking babies. I ordered a pregnancy wedge pillow to support my tummy - I think it will help my back. We are leaving for Ft. Myers Beach on Saturday. Staying for a week in a house with a pool. The heat could be tough (low 90s) so I suspect I'll spend most of my time floating in the water cooling off!