July 2009 Mommies!!!

[Rinnie]

wonderce Try switching pn vitamins. I was one one that had a lot of iron I didn't need & when I switched everything loosened up. Like Marina said Colace is great...my OB said it just adds moisture & the body doesn't get used to it. I just take one at night.
If you remember that baby list book, let me know. I have one list from a friend but it'd be nice to double check.

Lyly So happy about the ms subsiding. Mine has gotten a little better during the day but still have the quease at night. A step in the right direction!!

kb I was told flying now is fine. I've actually flown twice since I found out...about 3 hr flights. I have another one planned next month. Bleeding, like Marina, I'd probably wait, but if everything is normal it should be fine. I plan to stop for the last 3 months though because of my age...I think that's the crucial time.

Marina I think it's wise to stay put, although it does sound like that 3rd sac if everything else is good. hang in!

Tiger Welcome! Better late than never Find a great OB...ask friends etc....I can't tell you how important it is...they will be a big part of your support system.

Doddo So happy your test went well! I think those bleeds often heal themselves or stay the same, so they don't need to monitor you closely yet. If it gets worse you would probably see blood & then they'll get into it. Think thoughts of healing and don't lift anything heavy.

Ok...is anyone like me? I've gained 9 lbs in 14 weeks....is that normal?
I was pretty lean to begin with so my doc just says the body is doing what it needs to. I just have to keep food in my stomach to stop from feeling queasy, so it's going to have to be normal for now I'm eating healthy though so I guess that's the important part. I also can't stand sweets right now...can you believe it? What's happening?

Rin xo

[Rinnie]

Just found a site that says 5-7 lbs the first thirteen weeks
10-14 lbs the 2nd 13 weeks
10-14 lbs the last 13 or 14 weeks.

So it's not too bad....I guess from 13 weeks onward it's a pound a week.


Rin xo

[kb2131]

hi all
rinnie-how funny-bridget totally has an eversion to sweets too! she also used to absolutely love love seafood and cannot even read it on a menu without gagging!
so you are not alone
she will get weighed at OB appt on tuesday but it's interesting b/c you almost feel more bloated the first 8 weeks due to all the hormones from IVF and then around 12 weeks those wean off the stomach looks flatter and it scares you a bit ya know? but it's growing again!

[lyly14]

Rinnie- I have actually lost about 5 lbs these past almost 15 weeks. I am sure it wont last long since my m/s is subsiding and my appetite is picking up. I am not too upset about it since I had some extra weight to begin with. With my dd I was very thin and I gained about 10 lbs very quickly within the first 8-10 weeks. Unfortunately I gained a total of 50 lbs with her during the entire pg, but I was very ill with her and on bed rest so I didn't get to move around alot.

Marina & wonderce- I didn't get to go for the u/s the tech was only there until 1 and I had to work until 3 30. So there was no way I would be able to get there. I did however, order a fetal doppler last night. I need some reassurance the baby is still alive in there. I am feeling really paranoid lately.

Doddo- That is great news about your NT test. I had mine 2 weeks ago and the neck fold looks normal but I am still waiting for results of the blood. I spoke to the nurse today and she said the doc was reviewing the results and would get back to me tomorrow with all my labs.

tigersuz- Welcome to the group. Looks like you are the last of the July group with your 7/30 due date!

[wonderce]

Happy Friday all!

Welcome Tigersuz, glad you are joining us. I also had a tough time leaving my RE in December. I went to visit the office right before Christmas and took them some baked sweets. He wasn't the one who actually did my IVF, but he tried his best to get us pregnant for 3 years and performed all of my u/s throughout my IVF. I also had a new OB because my previous doc left the practice. I just stayed at the same office and went with another female OB referral she suggested who I absolutely love. I feel a strong connection with her because come to find out, she had IVF twice and ended up adopting a little girl. So I feel like she knows what I've been through. Good luck on your search!

Doddo, glad to hear your NT went well. Sorry you are having to deal with the extra stress of the bleeds. The good thing is it sounds like they are watching you and maybe you could go in earlier than 4 weeks if it would put your mind at ease?

Marina, sorry you are dealing with spotting/blood. I'm on another board and sounds like this is not uncommon with some women. At least you were able to go in yesterday and have them take a look and reassure you some. Oh, thanks for the tip on Colace. I think the "softener" I'm taking now is similar since the pharmacist said it does the same thing but is a little cheaper. I'm also trying to increase the fiber intake and walk some on the weekends. Hopefully that will help too! I'm scared it will only get worse the further along I get.

Rinnie, I'll post the name of the book this weekend when I have my computer at home. I checked my vitamins last night and I believe there is 25mg of iron. Does that sound like a lot? I may look into switching them although I just ordered a 3-month supply a couple of weeks ago. As for gaining weight, I'm hoping to slowly start putting on some pounds. I was under at my last 3 visits and weighed myself earlier this week at our clinic at work. I'm still 6 pounds under my normal weight. I'm pretty sure my appetite is coming back though and oddly my sweet tooth is just fine! That's great you're eating healthy. I've been craving lots of fruit recently for some reason.

Lyly, let me know how you like the fetal doppler. Was it expensive? I would love to try one too. I can't stand the long waits in between appointments.

[lyly14]

Hey Girls- I am so excited right now. My doppler arrived earlier than expected and I just got it about 30 minutes ago. Of course I ripped open the box right away and squirted some gel on the probe and there it was my little bean's hb. It was in the 150's. I am so excited and relieved right now it is not funny.

Wonderce- OMG this doppler is heaven sent relief for me. It was well worth the money and and it really wasn't that expensive. I paid $140 with tax and expedited delivery (3 day) the monitor itself was only $115. It even came with an extra bottle of u/s gel. So I got one small tube in the box with the monitor and another big bottle of gel that the company sent me for free. The monitor is called the Hi Bebe fetal monitor.

[Rinnie]

wonderce 25mg of Iron actually seems about right..I had a hundred in my 1st one. You'll start gaining once your appetite is back...I'm just starving all the time I also heard that part of the reason for constipation is that the body wants the food sitting in there as long as possible to extract more nutrients for the baby so it really slows down. If you haven't been taking in as much food, the body is really working on the stuff you do eat so it's probably slowed even more. It'll probably get a little better when you can eat more.
Amazing machines our bodies!

Lyly Yes, i really believe that if you're eating healthily your body really just does what it needs to. All my friends who've had a couple of kids say no matter how they start they usually end up weighing the same if all goes normally.
Here's to no more ms!
The Doppler sounds cool...great for peace of mind!

kb You're right about the hormones...some days I felt like my stomach was so bloated & others it looked normal. DH was just loving this new ice cream the other day & was sooooo happy that I couldn't go anywhere near it

Rin xo

[wonderce]

Rinnie, the book my DH got me is called "Parenting Baby Must-Haves - The Essential Guide to Everything From Cribs to Bibs". I think it's the same writers as Parenting magazine. I also have a good friend who has given me a ton of books that she bought shen she was pregnant last year. The one I'm reading now is really cute. It's called "Sippy Cups Are Not For Chardonnay" by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor. I have enough books to keep me busy until my due date! Thanks for your input on the iron and weight gain. I got a call from OB's nurse regarding my b/w results last Friday. She said that I'm anemic and they want me to start taking an iron supplement on top of my prenanatals with iron. Oh boy, I'm guessing this will cause the constipation to only get worse. That's okay though, I want to make sure I take care of this so it doesn't affect my little bean. BTW, I think my appetite is almost back in full force. I bought a half-gallon of Edy's peanut butter cup ice cream on Fridayand there is literally 3 scoops or so left! DH hasn't had any either!

Lyly, thanks for the info on the doppler. I will definitely check it out. The good thing is, I spoke to my OB's nurse last week about my insecurities about waiting so long in between my appts. She said I could stop by anytime without an appt and they would let me listen to the heartbeat with their doppler. She even said I could come everyday if I want, but I may just pop in tomorrow for peace of mind. Glad you're enjoying your's and hearing that little heartbeat must be music to your ears.

[tigersuz22]

Hi everyone!
Thank you for the warm welcome! It's nice to talk with you when we're all around the same due date.

JerseyGal- Thankfully, my morning sickness has slowed but still comes back in full force on certain days. It's odd - I don't crave anything (too much or greater than when I wasn't pregnant) or hate anything, I'm just generally not hungry.
Does anyone else have that? I've also found that even when I'm not nauseous, the amounts I eat are really small. I just don't have a big appetite. Hopefully that will start to come back now that I'm almost out of the 1st trimester.

This is our first baby. I'm terrified and worried and excited. It's an odd mix of emotions! But I'm excited to meet our new OB. I'm going to have to write a list of questions so that I don't lose my mind when I go in. I didn't realize it was our last appt with our RE so at the end, when he asked us if we had questions about anything - I completely blanked. Of course, now, a week later - I have tons.

Has anyone had any abdominal pain? I get these flashes of pain occasionally. And sometimes I'll get a dull ache on one side that almost feels like an ovarian cyst - but it doesn't last long. My RE seemed to think it could just be gas or intestional - but of course I still worry. No spotting, still nauseous - just an occasional discomfort.

Thank you for all of your advice about switching OBs - it makes me feel better knowing that alot of you have done that.

Have a great day!!!
Suzanne

[Rinnie]

Tiger I get that too.... a sharp pain on my bottom right side. I'll get it for a couple of days, then nothing. I thought it was gas too , but apparently it's the muscles of the uterus spasming sometimes as they stretch. You can get it on either side & there's nothing to worry about unless the pain is in the middle of your stomach.

wonderce Thanks for the book! I'm going to check it out....the more I can read the better.
That's very ironic that you'd be constipated and anemic...yuck! No, it def won't help the constipation but hopefully eating more will help a lot. That's probably got a lot to do with the anemia. Your baby is pumping a whole lot of blood & needs that iron. Colace, colace, colace


Rin xo

[tigersuz22]

Hi everyone!
Rinnie- thanks for the advice! When I was at the ultrasound last week, everything was fine but I did get the occasional pains. Then, for the last 4-5 days I'll get that periodic pain in the right side that stings for a few minutes then will go away. It's almost like an ovarian cyst. But I called my R/Es nurse yesterday and she said it's likely it's round ligament pain. I have no idea what pains to worry about and what pains are normal, so it made me feel a ton better.

Wonderce- I'm going to try that book! I've been on BabiesRUs about a thousand times and some of the stuff I don't even know what it IS! Isn't that terrible? But I guess that's how a first time mom is supposed to be. Plus, something that I think looks great might have terrible reviews and vice versa. So thanks for the tip on the book- i'm going to try it out!

[Marina_A]

Tiger,did they look at your ovaries?Sometimes after IVF stims ovaries get bigger in size and stay big for a while and growing uterus pressing on them.
You are very early yet to feel streaching pains,I think.How many weeks are you?Sorry,you don't have a ticker,so I wasn't sure.
Anyway,maybe they can look at your ovaries more closer next time if you still have a discomfort.I don't think they do anything about that,but at least to monitor.

[Marina_A]

Hey,guys,I have a question- does anybody have problems with their hair?
This is so weird,I know from my own experience and others and I know what doctors say about hormones during the pregnancy and how they affect hair-that it supposed to grow fast and not shed!
Mine is opposite this time it grow fast,but I noticed I start sheding more then usual.Or I should say I haven't lose my hair before and now it's a lot more on a comb! In other places it almost stop growing-which is very pleasant I was losing a lot of hair after my son was born,but during the pregnancy I was able to grow beautiful hair down to my waist.I guess not this time

[tigersuz22]

Hey Marina!
I'm 12 weeks - I did have enlarged ovaries. I had ovarian hyperstimulation and they were gigantic until about 2 weeks ago. At my last u/s last week - they finally were back to normal size. But it was awful, for a long time - tons of pain.

I googled ligament pain and it said that it was common around this time - I hope so! i don't know what else it could be?!

As for the hair- unfortunately, my experience is like your pregnancy with your son. It's growing like a weed. Different texture, too - it's so odd how everything seems to change!

[wonderce]

Rinnie, I hope you like the book! There is so much to think about and look at out there. So I wonder how much Colace is safe to take in one day? Maybe I'll check with the pharmacist. I think the softeners I'm taking are a max of 2 per day. They were just starting to work before I added the extra iron.

Tigersuz22, I hope you like the book too. I guess we'll all be looking together. Maybe if anyone runs across a great review on a car seat, crib, etc, we can share with each other. I hope your aches go away soon. Sorry you had to deal with ovarian hyperstimulation. That sounds very painful!

Marina, I have read some about the hair and nails growing, and so far it seems mine have done both. I usually have to file my nails every other week or so. And I haven't noticed as much hair in my brush either. I guess at least you are benefiting from the slow growth in the other areas!