Summer 2011 Pregnancy Group - Welcome! Pg.1 Has Intros!

[Happy Bunny]

Hang in there Ryann! The first trimester can be absolute hell. Things will get better soon.

[riogirl71]

Just back from Nuchal test, it was fun but the tech moved so fast that I got dizzy trying to keep up, got some great pics. Bean was sucking thumbs and moving everywhere, took lots of poking to get a profile pic. The measurements are fine and bean looks great, I didn't get any odds since I could not do the blood test. Now 5 weeks to the level II US!

[klinger13]

rio - So glad the NT scan looked great! And YAY for your little one putting on a cute little show of moving and thumb sucking for you!

ryann - Great to hear from you, though I wish you were feeling better. So cool that you've been doing things to lift your spirits! I know when I was nervous about my TAC surgery, DH and I started our registry. I just wanted something positive and optimistic to help get me through that nerve wracking time. I love that your nursery is already coming together. Our crib, dresser, and changer just arrived Saturday but I'll wait until DH and I are both home for a full day to tackle it together. We were just excited to order it and have it arrive already!

stephanie - I'm so glad you're feeling a lot better! Thank goodness for that!! Can't wait to hear if you've got little boys, girls, or one of each in there. Next week can't get here fast enough! Mine is 2/22 so I've got a few more weeks to go.

freckles - I saw a couple of threads about that EIF on the whattoexpect website. Everyone on that thread agreed that if that was the only marker they were told not to worry about it. That in combination with other markers can indicate something. Many also said that by the next u/s, it was gone. So hopefully it will be nothing to worry about (though I know it's impossible NOT to worry.)

diane - Welcome! And congrats on your twins! Glad to have you join us here and definitely let us know what your next u/s shows.

karen - Sorry you had a fall on the ice, I really really hate this time of year. I almost wiped out walking my dog the other day and I for the millionth time cursed winter. We've been feeling boy too lately, but I guess we'll see on 2/22 as long as the little one cooperates. We can't wait to find out too!

deidra - Love the envelope idea! DH is planning on going to our big u/s in Feb but in case he can't make it (he's Army so he gets called in last minute ALL the time) I may have to use that envelope idea so we both find out at once. And YAY for feeling kicks, WOOHOO!!

hoping - glad you had a great u/s on Friday and have another one lined up for a couple weeks from now. Sure is great to see our little ones isn't it?

kizmet - Glad your OB has been checking in on you and hope that everything is fine. Definitely keep us posted!

barbara, mellow, sonya - How are you all doing?

AFM, nothing really new to report. Have a long stretch in between appointments so I've definitely been enjoying the doppler every few days to check in on the little one. The crib, changer, and dresser arrived on Saturday so DH & I will have to dedicate some time soon to put it all together. My DD i s 1 month away from her due date so she's tired, sore, and enormous. I'll be making those same complaints come June, I'm sure. And not everyone can say this but in 2011, I'll have my 2nd grandchild, my 5th niece or nephew, and my 3rd child arrive. Crazy but true.

[karenthescorpio]

I'm cursing the handheld doppler right now! I had a regular OB check today and she always uses a doppler to hear the HB. Well, guess what, her $2500 doppler couldn't hear it and I almost had a break down. She had to do an u/s to confirm all is ok. Thank goodness it was. I told her, no more dopplers until I'm bigger. I can't take the false alarms! Plus I learned my placenta is attached to the anterior (front) part of my uterus, so that makes it even harder to hear a HB with a handheld doppler b/c it blocks it! So i'm not going to order my doppler after all. Told my husband, after this experience today, it will just stress me out if we can't hear it one night!

xo
Karen

[kizmet]

Karen - I too have an anterior placenta, which is exactly why I've held off on the home doppler! I think I'd end up giving myself a breakdown trying to find it if I couldn't pick the heartbeat up straight away! (That and I'd spend way too much time lying there listening to it if I could find it!). They didn't actually use a doppler on me until about 15 or 16 weeks though and we've not had any trouble finding it.

[riogirl71]

Karen - I agree with Kiz, that's why I don't get one. I would drive myself nuts!

[baby_blu73]

Just have to ask... Is anyone else becoming exceptionally uncomfortable??? My belly feels so HEAVY already, and I wear out ridiculously easily. And I don't mean "I need to take a nap" wore out like it the first trimester. It's a "I need to get my feet up and sip some water before I pass out" wore out. I'm shocked at how difficult vertical is becoming so early! I'm actually a bit concerned. Could this be a sign that something's wrong?? Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[mellow4]

Stephanie, I am in the exact same boat as you. I can't stand for much longer than 5 minutes without feeling like I am going to pass out. I have no energy to do anything. I can't even push a cart at the store with out feeling like I am going down. I end up driving a cart, as long as I am not standing I am fine. I was told it's because of our blood pressure. They say that in the first trimester until the end of the second tri, our bp's drop to lows that we don't normally see, making it difficult to function normally. When we are pregnant with twins it's even a little more so. Pumping more blood, so we get worn out. I have a lot of trouble showering, have to sit pretty much the whole time. Check with your Dr if you are worried. Hang in there!

[gina55]

Stephanie, I'm having the same issues as well. Dizziness, pressure, lots of RLP and a huge belly. I have my showers down to 5 minutes at the most. My DH has been doing all of the cleaning, laundry and shopping and if he's unable go to the store we have a shop from home service at our local grocery store. I order online, they do all of the work. All I have to do is pick it up, they even put it in the car.

My entire registry has been done online because there is no way I could walk the entire store to pick out what we need. I will have to go out to buy our cribs and other furniture, don't feel comfortable doing that online.

We have our big U/S next Wednesday, hopefully all goes well.

[karenthescorpio]

Gina, Mellow, Babyblu:

Welcome to the world of a twin pregnancy. Having been there myself (until PTL/delivery at 23 weeks) I found myself feeling similar sometimes and had no idea what was normal. I hope the following insight helps...remembering every person is different...

I would recommend that you take it easy as much as you can. By the time I hit 17 weeks I was put on very restricted activity b/c of my cervix (funneling and shortening). At 19 weeks I had a vaginal cerclage put on. You absolutely need to make sure your doctors are scanning your cervix for any changes. It is a sign of incompetent cervix and a very high predictor of PTL. And make sure you are seeing a MFM, not just an OB. I always say, if you aren't sure if what you are feeling is normal, please go get checked. But I can't stress enough that you get your cervix checked at your appts. I had no reason to think my cervix would be a problem. No doubt having twins brought it on sooner, but my TAC (transabdominal cerclage) surgeon said it would have happened anyway, just later. Also make sure you are checked for anemia (which makes you super super tired vs jsut low stamina)...another common issue with multiples. I had a mild case when I delivered and never in my life have I had an iron issue. I even took iron supplements every day. I also bought one of those belly support belts to help "lift" some of the weight off my belly. It did help some. Get one with the straps that go over your shoulders. None of the others helps me, in fact, they made me feel more uncomfortable.

I hope my insight helps. xoxo
Karen

[BakersBaby]

Hello Ladies! I thought I would finally move over here. I have taken a bit of a break from the boards since our BFP. We found out on 1/21 that we were having a singleton. We are so excited. My EDD is 9/5. I think from reading the list on page one that I am the only September mommy to be? Do I still count as a Summer pregnancy and can I join the group?

We go to our first OB appointment next Wednesday. They are going to do another u/s. I can't wait for that. I guess I am one of the lucky ones....I haven't had any morning sickness at all. I don't really have anything other than being tired that tells me I expecting. I have had some spotting in the weeks passed, but that has subsided. So I hope everything is still fine.

I do have to say that I am really looking forward to being done with the PIO injections. They are killing me at this point. One hip is terribly bruised and the other is so sore. But it's all been worth it!

[baby_blu73]

Kelly - CONGRATS ON YOUR BFP!!! Welcome to the board!

Karen - I was really hoping to get a response from you regarding my situation, so thank you so much! I took your advice and called my OB's office. They reassured me that every little thing that I could remember to ask about was completely normal and to be expected at this point. I also asked about a perinatologist and the nurse said I only get one of those if there is a cause for concern... and that they won't be doing any checking of the cervix unless need be... I'm not sure how I feel about that... From what I'm to understand, because I carried both of my other pregnancies to term without any issues, this pregnancy won't be treated any differently unless there's reason to. My concern is what happens if a "reason" occurs when it's too late to do anything about it???

Gina - I'm so relieved it's not just me, but I'm so sorry to hear about how tough it's getting for you already.

Mellow - They did say it's low blood pressure. I went to the grocery store with DH today and was going to get one of those drive around carts but the store was really busy. I didn't want to run people over or into things with a bunch of people around, so I opted to snail through the aisles on my own. I can also relate to the showering being difficult. I have shaved my legs maybe twice since 8 weeks along since it takes such a toll on me. Blah.

[Wanababy]

Hi there,
Hope to join your group, i was on the September ivf cycle.
I am expecting twins in june after ivf. We went for a scan at 12 weeks and found out it is both girls, and everything is normal! Also feeling very tired when standing up or walking for long periods!
I hope all is well with every one!

[karin1]

Hi Ladies!

Sorry for being MIA. Since we moved to Northern CA things have been crazy. We bought a beautiful house built in 1938. It has been remodeled and redone, but there are still issues that we are dealing with. It took a week and half to get internet, phone and tv. We had issues with hooking up a washer/dryer. Too much stuff to even get into. The list of things to do is never ending. Plus, Hannah started her new school. She loves it and is doing well.

We actually went to Hawaii last week. We drove to Newport Beach to drop off our dog at a friends house and to see DH family. I also had my last appt with my RE and was sad to say goodbye to him and his nurses. The babies looked great and i was able to switch from PIO to suppositories. He said that I only had to do the suppositories for a few days and then I could stop all together. WOO HOO! Finally! We left for Hawaii on the 16th and came home on the 21st. The 2nd day there, I got food poisoning. I threw up every 20 minutes for 6 hrs...plus diarrhea.(sorry tmi) I started spotting and got worried. I called my RE at 11pm at night and he said to go the ER and get an IV. We went to the ER and was there for 6hrs getting 2 bags of IV. I was miserable. I spent the next 2 days in the room. I felt like complete crap. No energy and didn't want to eat anything. DH and DD had a good time. The weather was great and they enjoyed themselves.

As for my twins.....they are doing great! I had an u/s yesterday with my new OB. This was the first time I met her. Last time I went to the office, her PA did my u/s. I am 12w3d. Both measured at 12w5d. Both were moving around hr at 167/168...I think. Is it normal for them to go down? When my Re did my u/s a week ago, it was 176/178. I kinda felt like my OB wasn't completely sure because she was having a hard time with the machine trying to get a clear photo. The printout wasn't as good as what we saw on the screen. We really loved our new OB. We went into her office to talk about future stuff. DH joked and said....are you going to be around late July/early August? She said....actually...I will be gone for the last 2wks of July. My due date is Aug 8, but twins are usually early. She said that she wanted to take care of me, but would understand if I wanted to get someone else. I don't want anyone else. I liked her alot. I told her we would stay with her and talk about it in a couple of weeks. What would you ladies do? Any advice? I don't want to go into labor and have a stranger come in and deliver. I have my nuchal scan on Friday. DH will be out of town for business and is sad he can't be there. As for how I'm feeling.....not great. The nausea comes and goes....alot. Sometimes I feel good and think that I'm turning a corner and then it comes back. I'm thankful that I'm not throwing up as a result...but it still sucks. I am getting a bump. My clothes are getting tight. I've only gained about 5lbs though....maybe. Not sure exactly how much I weighed before. It looks like more. DD keeps telling everybody I have a baby bump. She's always touching it and laughing.

I will read and try to catch up on personals. Sorry I am such a slacker. I already know a few of you ladies and hope to get to know the rest. Have a great day!

My intro:

Karin (39) Northern California
DH (41)
TTC 1.5yrs
Beta #1 690 Beta #2 3509
TWINS due Aug 8 2011

[klinger13]

Karin - It's great to hear from you! Glad you're getting more settled into your new home. Sorry you felt terrible for part of the Hawaii trip but glad the babies were ok. As for your questions - who will cover for that OB when she's going to be out over the summer? If you really like her I'd stick with her for all of your prenatal care and see if you can meet whoever would be covering for her while she's out. That way it's not a complete stranger. When I was pregnant with DS, I was going to a group of 7 or 8 OB/GYN's. The only one I never had an appointment with was the one doctor who ended up delivering DS. Figures. But honestly I didn't care. By the time that doc came in on his shift, I only saw him long enough to do a couple checks of my cervix and catch my son as he came out. As for your question on the heartbeats - yep, they do slow down. Early on, our LO's was mid to upper 160s. Now it's normally between 145-156.

Kelly & Wanababy - Welcome to our group and congrats on your pregnancies!