Week of Nov 21

[awick14]

How is everyone doing?

Yesterday was one month before my due date. Already?!? I'm 36 week tomorrow, I can't believe I've made t this far.

I'm having very mixed emotions right now. My very first EDD is in Dec, we also found out about our second loss (at 15w) in dec 3 years ago. Dec is such an emotional month and I'm struggling because I feel like I shouldn't be feeling like this if I'm pregnant. 😞

On a positive note I ordered my car seat. So baby has to stay inside until the car seat gets here. (It said 7-10 business days and I ordered it last week.)

[mpc]

Should I cross my fingers for a January baby for you? jk i feel you on the mixed emotions. I"m still carrying a sadness about my losses, especially the due date that just passed, and from all the similar stories I've heard on here it seems this is a common thing to deal with. I think it's ok to feel it all, please try not to let guilt creep in along with everything else.

[mpc]

My anatomy scan is next week and I'm so looking forward to it. I think I felt some actual movements yesterday, which is several weeks earlier than with my son. But I still have this fear that I will find out I've lost the baby and everyone will be like mpc you are an idiot saying you felt movement when the baby was already gone. Irrational maybe, but this is where my head goes.

Otherwise things are going well. I'm getting my energy back. My headaches are still coming but they aren't as bad. We are hosting Thanksgiving this year and I've had several comments about isn't it too much for me. I just tell people that this will be much easier than if it was next year with a 7 month old.

[EllenGriswold]

Hugs awick14 , I think the mixed emotions are just a TTTC/PGAL reality that never really goes away. I have a beautiful 4 month old and I still get super jealous and sad and bitter (which I hate) at other people's pregnancy announcements.

Same for you mpc , I know the crazy thoughts, but hopefully everything at your anatomy scan looks great!

AFM, we've got a lot of balls in the air right now, we are under contract on a house and trying to get all of that taken care of to make sure we close and can move on time. Right now it's scheduled for Dec. 19. And trying to pack our current place and at the same time make sure it's show-able for the landlord. And I'm interviewing for a new job tomorrow, which I so hope I get, but I know it will be a crazy transition with the moving and holidays and the job. So lots of exciting stuff but also lots of juggling. And the baby is great but definitely doesn't make packing and cleaning and stuff easier lol. I'm a little sad since I don't think we will really get to decorate stuff for his first Christmas, but I feel like a new house is a pretty good gift. (gift)

[awick14]

mpc- I would much rather have a nov baby right now then a January baby. Lightening crotch until January, no thank you!

I had all the feels right before my a/s, I didn't feel movement before my scan but I was terrified that some how that would be when I would find out about I lost the baby. I cried when the tech told me that everything was good and that baby wouldn't stop moving enough for her to get head measurements. lol Hopefully baby is squirming away in your belly during your a/s.

[Chrysanthemum]

Yay awick14, I can't believe you're so close!
mpc, the anatomy scan was a big relief for me. I still find ultrasound confirmation to be very reassuring. Good luck to you!

I'm 33 weeks and definitely feeling the 3rd tri aches/pains. I just feel so HEAVY and sore. We had our maternity pics yesterday and the sneak peeks look great! I'm so happy. I also think I had my first Braxton hix contractions. My ute was feeling very tight last night. We tour the birthing center tomorrow, too!

We're really struggling with boys' names you guys. I don't like ANYTHING! FWIW, the names on our girl list are: Eva, Evelyn,Olivia, Elliana. HELP!

[EllenGriswold]

Nov 21, 2016 16:22:46 GMT -5 Chrysanthemum said:

We're really struggling with boys' names you guys. I don't like ANYTHING! FWIW, the names on our girl list are: Eva, Evelyn,Olivia, Elliana. HELP!

OOH can I play?! 

We went with August, nn Gus, but some of the other names I like/liked are: Henry, nn Hank (this will be maybe baby boy #2), Francis, Julian/Julius, Linus, Graham, Atticus, Jonah, Silas, Rhett, Oscar, Oliver, Theodore, nn Teddy, Otto, Ezra, Cyrus, George, Harris, nn Harry, Jasper, Beau, Walter, Arthur, Hugo, Merritt, Fergus (guilty pleasure name), Edgar, Meyer, Worth, and Clement. 

[thoseareradishes]

Hugs awick14. I think your feelings are totally normal.

I'm really struggling right now. I had more bleeding Saturday night (I have a SCH), then it was gone Sunday, and now I'm spotting again. My ob said I could come in for a doppler check, but I'm only 10 weeks so I'm worried we won't be able to find the heartbeat. Their ultrasound machine is broken (WTF?) so we couldn't double check if we can't find it on the doppler. I'm feeling frustrated with this ob office, because of the lack of working ultrasound, plus apparently I have a UTI. I gave a pee sample a week ago! And they are just now telling me I need antibiotics. I just wish I knew whether she was okay before the holiday; I feel like I can't even be excited.

[loira]

thoseareradishes, I'm sorry. 1st tri is hard enough even without extra stress and PGAL.

Hang in there, awick14!

Things with me have been... not great. A is amazing, as always, and for that I'm very grateful. But I am shocked and appalled by the US election, and I am having all sorts of feelings about where we go from here. Many of you know that we currently have an application in the system for me to obtain US residency. It's a multi-step process, and we're still waiting on the 1st step to be approved. I worry that policy could change drastically between now and the final step, or that immigration funding could be cut so heavily that my application takes years instead of months. These are logistics, and aside from these difficulties I am also struggling to justify jumping through all these hoops for a country we only moved to for H's career. I am trying to be careful with what I say on here because these boards are proof that so many good people exist in the US. Lord knows, Canada and the UK also have their problems so it's not as if I see them as some sort of utopia in comparison. However, I feel increasingly that I do not want DD growing up there, and although the plan was never to stay beyond the 5 years for H to build his career to the point of obtaining a job at a non-US university, I'm not sure I want to sacrifice even 5 years in a country where my daughter's freedoms are so limited and where I feel unwelcome. No matter what we decide, someone has to sacrifice a ton: me to move, H to give up his career, A to be without her father on a daily basis for years if we just live separately? I doubt my marriage would survive the last option, and it's certainly not what's best for A.

Sorry for the enormous vent. I don't want to take away from all the wonderful news on here. I am really excited for all of you to meet your babies, and I look forward to hearing the updates.

[dellabear]

I'm following along, not much too interesting going on over here. GL at your a/s mpc. loira, I can sympathize with how you're feeling about your potential move. Hugs.

DS is 5.5 months and we just started giving him a little real food. I plan to do BLW, as I did with DD, but he's were starting a little sooner wth him and he's not too great at getting food to his mouth yet. Ah well, he'll get there.

The other big news around my house is that H may be going away for a few months for work. Not sure if it will happen or not but it seems likely. Hoping he will find out for sure this week. If he goes, I'm going to hire a pt nanny because I will seriously lose it being all alone with the kids for that long. I sort of feel lame admitting that but hey, I never claimed to be MOTY. Lol. Anyway, it will be really great for his career and he will get a generous travel allowance which will more than cover his expenses as well as the nanny and probably a trip for us to go visit him when DD has her school winter break. I know it will be hard being apart but I'm trying not to think about that part right now.

[awick14]

dellabear- a nanny in that situation would make a huge difference. I would do it in a heartbeat, even if the cost wasn't fully covered by his travel allowance. That's a long time to have your kids all to yourself.

[thoseareradishes]

I'm sorry you are having to deal with this loira. There is so much good in the US, but now I'm seeing there is also so much hate; I knew many people were racist, misogynistic, and bigoted, but I didn't see how deep those feelings run. I don't blame you for being hesitant about moving here. I hope you and your H are able to figure something out soon.

I decided to switch my ob, but my appt with the new doctor isn't until mid December. I think it is the right decision though. Now I have to break up with the old ob after my next appt with them, yikes. I need my records though!

[loira]

dellabear, I would definitely get a nanny as well. Nothing lame about that. I'd hire a nanny right now AND continue being SAH if we had the money. What an exciting opportunity for your H!

[awkwardpenguin]

I haven't been around much, but I've been checking in to read.

awick14, I think mixed feelings are very, very natural. I was honestly surprised that the IF feelings didn't go away when DD was born. We got lapped by a friend about a month before DD was born and I cried and was like "WTF, we're going to have a baby" but it just brought up so many feelings of loss that didn't just resolve magically because we knew we'd be parents. Be gentle with yourself and give yourself time to adjust.

mpc, I'm so excited you're already to the anatomy scan! I was a huge bundle of nerves for a week or so before, even though I'd had an appointment a few days earlier where we heard the baby on Doppler.

I'm 22 weeks today - I can't even believe I'm so far along. I have an anterior placenta and haven't felt movement yet - I'm starting to get impatient, even though I'm totally weirded out by the idea as well. I just bought a maternity holiday dress because my existing nice dresses definitely will not fit.

In things I never thought I'd have to worry about, my doctor is a bit concerned about my weight gain. I'm still down 11 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. I lost about 5 lbs from morning sickness, another 5 lbs adjusting to the GD diet, and another 5 lbs. when I had norovirus. I think I'm only up 1 lb in the last three weeks. I just can't really eat enough to gain and also keep my blood sugar under control. It's annoying and I hope it doesn't become a big worry.

[awick14]

awkwardpenguin, as long as baby is gaining weight and growing properly then it's not a huge deal if you are not gaining weight. ((Hugs)) Anything that's not what we expect is so hard.

And thanx ladies I felt better about things last night. Then a friend of mine told me that my exbf from high school (emotionally and physically abusive to me.) is 8 weeks pregnant with his new girlfriend. I hope he is not the same person as he was when we were together. (Most likely he isn't as we were together so young, but still.) So many new emotions about that. I just wish I could push out all these feelings and just be happy for others but urg.

[awkwardpenguin]

Nov 22, 2016 13:08:30 GMT -5 awick14 said:

awkwardpenguin , as long as baby is gaining weight and growing properly then it's not a huge deal if you are not gaining weight. ((Hugs)) Anything that's not what we expect is so hard.

Yeah, and so far everything is on track.  I'm already going to get growth scans because of the GD so there will be plenty of checks.

[loira]

Nov 22, 2016 13:08:30 GMT -5 awick14 said:

awkwardpenguin , as long as baby is gaining weight and growing properly then it's not a huge deal if you are not gaining weight. ((Hugs)) Anything that's not what we expect is so hard.

And thanx ladies I felt better about things last night. Then a friend of mine told me that my exbf from high school (emotionally and physically abusive to me.) is 8 weeks pregnant with his new girlfriend. I hope he is not the same person as he was when we were together. (Most likely he isn't as we were together so young, but still.) So many new emotions about that. I just wish I could push out all these feelings and just be happy for others but urg.

You are a wonderful person, but you absolutely do not have to be happy for him. Frankly I'd be worried for his new girlfriend and her baby. I hope for their sake he really has changed.

[lms]

awick14 you are getting so close!
I think everyone gets nervous leading up to the A/S mpc. Can't wait to hear to how it went!
EllenGriswold man that is a lot going on. I hope the job interview goes well.
We had trouble with boys names too Chrysanthemum. We narrowed down our girls names pretty quickly but didn't actually decide on a boys name until about 3.5 weeks before he was born.
It doesn't sound like you had much of a choice but to switch OB's thoseareradishes. There's no reason their office should have a broken ultrasound machine.
loira I hope things are sorted out soon.
I hope you are able to find a nanny dellabear.

C is 8 months. He's just now getting his first tooth. He's working on trying to crawl but in the meantime he likes to push himself backwards. I made it 8 months breastfeeding and probably only have a few more times of actually nursing him before we are done. I'm just not producing enough anymore for him. I'm a little sad about it but so happy I made it this long. I was only able to nurse for 2.5 months with DD.

[awick14]

My car seat is going to be delivered today. I am way more excited about this then I probably should be.

[grover]

At MFM appt now. I thought we were just scanning for things they couldn't get at the a/s, but they're doing the fetal echocardiogram now too. Saves me another trip to the hospital!

[thoseareradishes]

Ugh,I made banana bread for Thanksgiving and I undercooked it by accident, so when I tried to take it out of the pan it fell apart. Good thing I had enough ingredients to make it again, although the bananas weren't ripe enough so it will probably taste funny. Anybody else have plans for Thanksgiving?

[loira]

Hope everything went smoothly grover!

When do I start worrying about A not crawling or scooting properly? She's close, I think, but seems to lack the core strength required to hold her frame on her hands and knees (she's almost there but her legs are still a bit froggied, not right underneath her). She also doesn't get pulling with her arms, she'd rather push so she just moves backwards. She turned 10 months old a few days ago. Also, she doesn't care about drinking from her sippy cup. She'd rather just pinch water out of the spout and play with it on her high chair tray. This is all NBD, right?

[grover]

Echocardiogram went well!

Baby girl is still stubborn and won't let us see a 4d view of her face- she's snuggling up against the placenta.

[Chrysanthemum]

You hanging in there thoseareradishes? I didn't know you were having a GIRL! I'm happy you'll start with a new OB, a working u/s machine is kind of a non-negotiable!
grover, glad to hear your spot went well. My fetal echo caused a lot of anxiety, great news that yours revealed no issues!

Anyone have strong opinions on baby monitors?
Also, anyone care to share their baby's going home outfit?

[starryfish]

I got sent to LandD for monitoring yesterday due to increase in protein in my urine. Was evaluated by MFM and diagnosed with mild preeclampsia. She's lettin me manage it out patient with 2x a week doctor visits and now baby girl will come out at 37w! Three weeks from today!!!!!!!

[loira]

Nov 23, 2016 20:34:57 GMT -5 Chrysanthemum said:

You hanging in there thoseareradishes ? I didn't know you were having a GIRL! I'm happy you'll start with a new OB, a working u/s machine is kind of a non-negotiable!
grover , glad to hear your spot went well. My fetal echo caused a lot of anxiety, great news that yours revealed no issues!

Anyone have strong opinions on baby monitors?
Also, anyone care to share their baby's going home outfit?

I have 2 monitors - just a regular sound type monitor (we use while traveling) and an Angelcare monitor. I love the Angelcare, but I was super anxious about moving A to her own crib and it helped a lot with that. I don't really use the sensor pad anymore, but I like that it tells me the room temp. It's one of those things that either calms you or makes you more anxious though.

I think A went home in this fleecy sleeper thing. I honestly can't remember - we'd been in the hospital for longer than we'd planned so her special outfit got dirty before we could take her home in it.

[awick14]

starryfish- I'm glad everything is ok, but yay for finding out when baby will be here by.

Chrysanthemum- I got a video monitor, I bought an angelcare monitor initially but I returned after I started freaking out about false alarms and such. (Or even once baby starts moving and they move off the mat)

We haven't decided on our going home outfit yet. Once we get moved into the ILs basement this weekend I am going to go through all the clothing we have this coming week and choose either a couple outfits (one boy, one girl) or a neutral outfit.

[awick14]

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

[cowgirlcutie]

starryfish you're getting so close! I hope everything goes smoothly for you until then.

Chrysanthemum I had originally registered for just a sound monitor, but a friend got me a Motorola video monitor instead. She swore by it. I didn't think I would care for the video part but I admit I like it now that I have it.
As for the going home outfit, we had a grey fleece sleeper with sheep on it. We were team green and it was starting to get chilly. To be honest, I wasn't really bothered on what she came home in. I just wanted to go home and try to get comfortable.