We've made it to the second trimester!

[janem]

Hi everyone
Glad that all seems to be well with everyone. I'm feeling alot better since we had the scan. We are having 2 girls. Dh was initially horrified but now really pleased.
I've got used to the undercarriage symptoms and stopped panicking about them and feeling much more positive.
We are going to start decorating the spare room after Christmas and I'm beginning to look at pink baby clothes and prams but will not buy anything until the New Year.
Take care everyone
janem

[TanyaVincent-Tomlinson]

Hi everyone,

We're also having a little girl... I'm so excited... the first thing DH said was... we will try again, won't we??? I think he was secretly looking forward to going to the park with his little boy to play football!! He's now really excited and as proud a daddy as any you've seen!

How's everyone feeling now? I have good days and bad... and am definitely beginning to feel myself slowing down... I find I can't do as much as I used to, which I'm finding a little frustrating. I also think I look HUGE... if I'm like this at 22 weeks, what will I look like at 40???? Still, it'll all be worth it, and I want my little girl to be as big and strong as possible.

I have been forbidden to buy anything for the baby or nursery so far... but we've got a shopping trip set up for the first Friday in January, to order everything- and pick up the pram! I don't care about Christmas... roll along January!!

Have to go... bed is calling me again... I just can't seem to be able to get enough sleep... not sure how I'll cope when I have a little baby waking me up in the middle of the night..!!!

Tanya

[Paige]

HI Ladies:

Have discovered that the days I am on my treadmill...only walking for 30 minutes at 3.5 mph by 2:00 in the afternoon my lower back hurts so much I can barely walk without looking over 100 yrs old. What's weird is, when I'm on the treadmill it feels great. So here is the big question....do you keep exercising and suck it up with some Tylenol or do you quit entirely and blow up to gigantic proportions like my last pregnancy? I feel like I need to continue to try to do something physically, because the actual IVF had me starting out the pregnancy fat already. I think I gained something like 7 lbs through the cycle before I even got pregnant.

Janem & Tanya: How are you doing...I think that you, Tanya and I are due all around April 15th right? Congratulations on your 2 girls Janem & your 1 Tanya! The shopping is very exciting. I have to go through all of my first daughters bins of clothes in the basement to see what I have and if I need anything at all.

I do think I'm going to redo the nursery now that I know we're having another girl. It has a Noah's ark theme....it has a big ark on the wall with pairs of stuffed animals onboard! It's cute, but I've seen it for over 5 yrs so I think I'll do something with fairies and big flowers painted on the walls. My Mom paints murals, so it will be a cheap makeover.
Has anyone else thought about what they are doing with their nurseries?

Barny, Cate & Alicia: How are you guys feeliing?

Well, we're off to dinner, I hope everyone is feeling great. I'm staying away from anything tomato based, as the heart burn in the evening is pretty icky.

Paige

[alicia]

Hello everyone,

Sorry I've been away. It seems I stopped getting updates via email, so thought nobody was posting. We're scheduled for an amnio (again) on Tuesday. Hopefully this time we will be able to get it.

Paige,

I know what you mean about walking like an old lady. I am really big already, having gained 30 lbs. Whenever I work, my back kills and I get swollen feet. My doctor won't let me take leave. I'm going to make one last appeal, and probably quit if they say no, because I can't take the pain much longer. Sorry to sound like a whiner.

Other than that all is going well. I can't believe how fast the little guys are growing. They look healthy. I think I am feeling them move, but I'm not really sure yet.

Congratulations to Paige and Tanya on your girls and to Janem on your two girls. I don't think we'll be doing a lot in the nursery. I'll probably sew all the linens. We did buy some nice Pali cribs, though. No more shopping til we're out of the amnio woods, though.

Alicia

[TanyaVincent-Tomlinson]

Hi Ladies

Paige, you're right... I'm also due on 15th April... doesn't it seem like ages away???? How are you feeling? How big are you? How much weight have you put on? I feel really enormous, but haven't put that much weight on (which I am surprised about, by the amount that I'm eating!!)- I've put on 4kg (approx 9lb)- and I have to admit that I haven't been exercising, but have been walking around a lot.

Alicia, poor you... sounds like you're having a really rough deal at work. I can't believe that your doctor won't sign you off. At the moment, you have an even more important job to look after your little boys, and you shouldn't be stressing yourself out by all of this. I know that it's not nice... I have decided to stay on working until the end of February... hopefully my body will be able to cope!

How's everyone else feeling?

We're not going to do much in the nursery, as we're hoping to move back to England soon, and would have to re-decorate on moving out, so other than furniture and pictures that can be hung up, the walls are staying white!

Is anyone else having to take iron supplements? If so, are they affecting your bowel movements and how are you alleviating this? Sorry for the toilet talk, but I have been spending so many hours sitting on the loo, that it's really not normal!

Good luck on Tuesday, Alicia- I'll be thinking of you.

Take care all of you- and look after your little bumps!
Tanya

[alicia]

Tanya,

I had to laugh about the iron supplements. I'm taking them too, and the doctor said Ferro Sequels is a brand that is buffered to help with this. I also eat lots of fresh fruit and steamed veggies for roughage. Also bran and lots of water. I try to avoid refined white flour, except for pizza and pasta which I love and cannot stay away from altogether.

Some days are better than others , but I've managed to get along pretty well.

Alicia

[Paige]

Tanya:

I was laughing at your toilet talk as well. I had this problem initially, but after telling my ob, she put me on a Citracal Prenantal vitamin...it has a stool softener in it, and it's been really good.

As far as how big I am.....humongous (it feels like it anyway). My sister is due the end of February and I'm measuring bigger around then she is(and I'm smaller than her in our normal non-pg lives). I'm measuring 41" around. I can't believe you've only put on 9 lbs...that is sick. Is that 9 lbs since you started going to the ob or since before you got pregnant? Because my Dr. said at the last appt...you're doing great with weight, you've gained 13lbs, and I'm like "you weren't there for the first 10 weeks and the ivf treatment", she said what she doesn't know, won't hurt her. But it's really around 21lbs gained! I'm on schedule to gain a lb a week! Even if I do gain a pound a week (40 lbs), that will be 20 lbs less then my last pregnancy ha ha. So I'll consider it a victory. I swear I'm up atleast 6 lbs in my boobs. They went from middle C to Big E. Gross.

Paige

[Cate]

Hello everyone isn't it funny the things women talk about when expecting a child never in all our lives would we compare heart burn /toilet habits and movements unless you include when you have your baby and then discuss contents of nappy!!! Colour coded.

Up to now doing very well still have very unpleasant heartburn 99% of the time and going the loo a thrill and sense of relief after being very healthy twice /three times a day girl gone to sluggish to put it mildly..... !

Paul and Jessie flew off to Lapland for the day today saw them off 5a.m. now have decided to get moving myself after unheard of lie in going to spend day wrapping presents and pottering around house, we put the Christmas tree up last night. Yesterday when I was at theatre Paul got tree and put up outside lights which was a lovely surprise for Jessie.
We decorated it last night just have to tidy and move everything and find spaces for everything!
That's the only thing so used to climbing about and doing everything especially now arthritis so marvellous the temptation is to go mad but have to remember precious little cargo.
There was a lady at swimming baths yesterday morning when I was watching Jess swim I got talking to her she had a 4week little baby with her in car seat very very sweet, little legs didn't come to the bottom of her little suit (was so little) I can't believe we are going to have a baby after so long it's lovely we are so lucky. Her name was Isobel which is one of the names I like seem Isobels everywhere don't know if it's that new car thing or very common this year????? Isobel is my mothers name.
Can't really talk like that around Paul as as he knows babies sex likely to say well you don't need that one!!!! he's doing very well still hasn't spilled beans! Cate xxxx

[TanyaVincent-Tomlinson]

Hi all

Cate, I can't believe how controlled you are being in not wanting to know the sex... I'm not really one for surprises and have already found all my christmas presents around the house!!

I think I will definitely mention the toilet difficulties to my doc at the next appointment.... perhaps there is something that he can recommend. I'm afraid I have been quite bad on the food front and scoff whatever comes close to me... so I haven't been that healthy... The 9lb I've gained is from the start... although my IVF was natural-cycle, so I didn't have to down-reg and take all the hormones etc. I think that makes a difference...

Paige, I just had to go and measure myself around the bump... I'm 1.60m tall and 1m wide and growing... ha ha!! (that's 64" tall and 40" wide) My boobs haven't gone up that much... I'm now filling out a D (was a C before), and compared to the bump, they look like peas!!

I've spent the last couple of days watching loads of baby programmes.. births too.... and all I can say is that I'm scared.. how are the rest of you feeling about this?

Back to sorting stuff out and nesting! Take care,
Tanya

[Paige]

Tanya:

You must be all baby! If you've only gained 9 lbs and are measuring 40" wide. Good for you....my 21 lbs sounds like a lot comparatively. I'm 69" inches tall.....so hopefully it will distribute ha ha!

Paige

[alicia]

Paige and Tanya,

This measuring topic is very funny! I am almost 60" tall and circumference is 36 1/2". But I've gained almost 30 lbs! You're probably wondering where it has gone. My husband believes it has gone to my butt as a counterweight. Charming.

Alicia

[Paige]

Alicia:

I am laughing out loud at your post

My butt is also pregnant....I think it's so we don't topple over forward while standing!!

Paige

[TanyaVincent-Tomlinson]

Ladies,

Funny!!!! I had the butt before... which is probably why my body thinks it doesn't need the additional padding now!

My body is aching all over at the moment... do any of you have the feeling that your body is just sooooo tired????

Tanya

[ANGELA]

Hi Girls

Glad to see you are all doing well and bumps are growing fast as we are talking size and weight i lost a lot of weight at the begginning of my pregnancy not sure why but i am now putting it on fast i have gained aroud 12lbs and i measure about 38 around bump i to am suffering quite badly from heartburn and sleeping at night is such hard work i cant lie on my front if i lie on my sides the babies dont seem to like this and i end up with a dead leg also i am getting a lot of leg cramp in my legs at night im only 18 weeks i dread to think what state i will be in at 30 weeks my babies are moving around lots they have been since i was about 12 weeks they are also now kicking me which is lovely altho when they both move at the same time it can be rather painful my skin has also gone very very dry i have eczema on my arms now because of this and my legs have broken out they look horrid but not to worry its all part of it

Alicia hope all goes ok this time at your amnio

to the rest of you i wish you all a very very happy christmas and a fantastic new year

love Ang xx

[Paige]

HI Everyone!

Angela: Glad everything is going well for...besides the sleeping and the heartburn! Maybe try sleeping in a chair that reclines? By the end of my last pregnancy that was all that worked for me. I get dry skin too, but I've found a moisturizer that has shea butter, vitamin e, collagin, and elastin (it's marketed to prevent stretch marks), I'm using it all over and it really seems to be helping. Especially since it's winter and it's there is a lot less humidity. My little girl is kicking all of the time....she usually wakes me up from 4am-6am. My 5 year old was a lot more sedentary. I can't imagine what twins must feel like!

I love that some of us have measured our bellies, I think it's so funny. My sister and I do it all of the time...she's due in Feb, and of course I'm bigger with my April due date

Tanya: My body gets very tired between 7pm and 10pm before I go to bed. It's like I'm running all day long doing Christmas stuff, cleaning, working taking my daughter to school, ballet, gymnastics etc. Then when I finally sit down at night to relax for a minute, I can barely get back up.

Cate: I think that Isobel is an adorable name. I think that my husband and I actually found a name we agree on. Gabrielle Elyse. We'll call her Brie for short. I guess we'll have to wait and see when she is born whether it suits her or not.

I have been telling everyone who asks "how far a long are you" that I only have 16 weeks left, instead of 23 weeks along. How is that for psychology? My C-Section will be scheduled at 39 weeks, so it sounds shorter to me

Paige