[luleey]

Yay Cristine!! Hope you had a fun night...

Zelda, I think I pulled a muscle the other day too...although obviously you're much farther along than I am, I had tried doing this pregnancy workout dvd and I think I was using muscles in different ways or something. Or ones I hadn't used in awhile. I kept getting abdominal pains, but nothing sharp or shooting, so I just went to bed and in the morning I was better (albeit nauseaous as usual). Glad the ache is gone.

What are kick counts, btw? How do you keep track of that?

((("bean" and baby hugs)))

[zelda]

Hope you got to "BD" Cristine. ;-)

I had a bit of a worry on Friday. I'd had an ache on my upper right side of my belly on and off since Monday. I'd mentioned it to my OB when I saw her Monday, but she didn't seem too concerned. Thursday night it hurt quite a bit - not a pain so much as an ache. Almost like I pulled a muscle.

I tried not to be too neurotic, but I went ahead and called the doctor on Friday and spoke with the (super nice) nurse who told me to take it easy and drink lots of water. I spent Friday teaching lessons from my chair. ;-)

The nurse spoke with the doctor and then called me back. By this time the ache was much less. She told me to keep on resting and monitor myself for signs of preterm labor (and keep doing my kick counts).

Well the weekend has gone by and all is well - Elliott is moving just fine. The ache is less. I honestly think I pulled something there, perhaps by resting on my left side and reaching over behind me to get something off the nightstand.

I think these last few weeks are going to be the hardest...not only will I be more nervous, I'm just exhausted so often! Ten more weeks to go! :-)

[Cristine]

Exactly, we didn't get Nationalized healthcare (unfortunately), but we got healthcare REFORM that's filled with consumer protections... anyone who could argue against that is just inhumane!

Anyway, I am ovulating today! Yaayyy, finally!! CD 22... unreal! I advised Mr. C to be ready tonight!

[aphelendra]

As a formerly uninsurable human being (endometriosis, migraines, acid reflux disease, arthritis, panic disorder, cholesteotomas, need I go on?) I accept your congratulations funny!

Shame on the right wing.

[zelda]

Cristine, I hope you O soon...odds are you will. Even if it's late, what matters is that you do! And you do. :-)

Perhaps the 9th time will be the charm as it has been for kitty and me.

Funny, I do have dark hair and fairly decent teeth, I would say. Although I never wore braces which is a rarity for an American! Sorry you can't drink your tea. I desperately miss my morning cup of Joe. (American slang for coffee!)

Truth is I have allowed myself a caffeinated soda now and again. I think I will start allowing myself a bit of coffee, too, now that I am close to the end. My doctor said a small cup a day was just fine, but I wanted to avoid it in the first trimester, and now I guess I've just gotten in the habit of not drinking it.

I am so pleased with the new health care bill. I cannot believe the moronic right wing reaction to it...it's ultimately a series of consumer protections at most! Must sound insane to you in Europe and Canada, but essentially the bill does such radical things like...making sure an insurance company can't deny you coverage just because you have a pre-existing condition. Whaaaaa?!?!? Wow, that's so radical! Good grief.

It's the biggest piece of social legislation in decades and I, for one, am thrilled. It also means baby Elliott will be able to stay on our plan until he is 26 as opposed to getting kicked off at 21 like I was and floundering about uninsured, praying you don't get hit by a bus.

[Cristine]

kitty, thanks so much, that makes me feel a ton better! And yes I've used the ClearBlue fertility monitor 5 of the 9 months we've been trying... and I love it!

funny, yes I believe the vacation (lots of activity) may have delayed my ovulation... I just didn't expect that so I'm kinda bummed.

I hope all you preggers are thoroughly enjoying your pregnancies despite the side effects & occassional asshole comments!

[luleey]

ah, coffee. I just had a cup...just one...and it was awesome. I decided not to stress about having 1-2 cups a week, since my doc said you can actually have one a day. And, I just bought some neat organic decaf *chocolate* "coffee" that I'm sure will keep me smiling!!

Kitty, I didn't have nausea until week 6 or 7, and no other oddness until then, just some cramping I assumed was PMS and a late period, which ain't nothing new in my wacky world. Don't worry!! You're lucky...nausea sucks!

OMG Zelda and co., people can truly be idiots. And a lot of them are. Just smile, nod, and walk away rolling your eyes heavenward like, "Why did I just waste my time talking to that person? Note to self: spend more quality time with sensitive people and/or inatimate friends, such as Skittles." Or busties. Remember that as cheesy as it sounds, positivity helps people--physically and mentally--in sooooo many ways.

I found a great nausea treatment I thought I would share, from one of the Wise Woman herbal books by Susun Weed if any of you have read them...red raspberry leaf tea! It is delicious and it actually helps! Just buy the leaves at a health food shop, plop 'em in a tea ball and go to town. MMMMM!!! I tried nettle too, which the book recommended, but that didn't do it for me as well as raspberry.

Aphelandra, let us know what you decide! We did a hospital tour last night and next week are checking out West Suburban in Oak Park, which has a whole birthing center with midwives, birthing tubs, the whole nine yards. They do tours every Wednesday evening. Email me if you want more deets and keep me posted on your findings too!!

Warn fuzzies to you all...week 9 baby! Woohoo!

[funnybird]

Kitty, my nausea has only just kicked in at 7 weeks. I still haven't thrown-up yet, but have done lots of gagging and lying on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. I can't face tea at the moment either, which is devastating for a Brit! Just give it a couple of weeks and you'll be heaving with the rest of us (or be lucky like Zelda).

Zelda, what a thing to say! A work colleague related a similarly tragic tale about an overdue baby when I mentioned that my brother's wife was 10 days overdue - I couldn't believe that she thought I needed to hear it! She made my excitement at being an aunt turn to dread for a few days. Of course my nephew turned up healthy in his own sweet time and is now a cheeky 4 year old who melts my heart. Someone needs to invent a radar to detect stupid and tactless people so they can be more easily avoided. BTW, you were in my dream last night! Or at least a pregnant American lady named Zelda was - do you have dark hair and perfect teeth by any chance?

Cristine, do you think your vacation may have delayed your cycle a little?#

ETA: Congratulations to y'all from the States on the healthcare reform bill! Woot! You'll be socialists in no time

[zelda]

Thanks, everyone, for your kind words...it was just so insensitive of her to say that. Elliott is a real person to me now, and I feel so much love for him already in utero, I just want to meet him so much!!! The last few weeks are going to be agonizing!

Kitty, I never had nausea. NEVER. Up to a quarter of pregnant women never do. My mother never did with any of her three pregnancies, so I wonder if it could be genetic. There were maybe one or two times when I felt a touch queasy if I smelled something weird, but that happens to me when I'm NOT pregnant, so I say I never had nausea.

It is not a sign of anything bad if you don't have symptoms. I cannot tell you how many times I Googled "don't feel pregnant" - enough to make me crazy. Even at 11 weeks I remember telling my doctor that without the early ultrasound and blood test confirmation, I would have never thought I was pregnant. I felt 100% normal. I didn't even gain any weight. And here I am, months later, with a beach ball belly and a baby moving and grooving inside. (And I've gained 21 pounds.)

It's gonna be okay.

Worry is the work of pregnancy. Man, I need to get that tattooed on me or something.

[nickclick]

why, zelda, why? if she must share such a story, she could have waited just a few more weeks. don't over-Google!

aphelendra, thanks, i'm going to change my neuchal fold appt for later in the afternoon so mr.nick can come along. i forgot that we get another peek at the peanut!

[aphelendra]

nick - the coffee, besides being even more delicious than I remember, helped soooooo much. Once it wore off the headache came back full force, but it did give me a few hours of relief.

The neuchal fold test was a wonderful way to end the first tri, you'll be amazed at how much the little one actually looks like a baby. A nose and a mouth and eyes and everything! I think they were our first truly "cute" baby pics.

Zelda - People can be so ridiculous. I feel like I could fill a book with all the insensitive things that have been said to me in the last five months. I told one of my (few) mommy friends about how happy I was to have made it past the first tri, and her response was to tell me that her friend lost a baby late in her second tri, and then to tell me how mad she was when she was told this and how much it worried her. Ummmm . . . . so now you have to pass that worry on to me????? Thanks. Thanks a bunch.

I try to just keep reminding myself that if you do make it past the first tri, you have a 97% chance of delivering a healthy bubs. We have to fall into that giant and vast majority, right?

Kitty - I seem to have been in the minority in the way I experienced my very early pregnancy. I was one of those ladies who had symptoms right away, and just knew I was pregnant even before I tested. Sore boobs, gas, heartburn, devastating exhaustion, the whole nine yards.

But absolutely no nausea until I was very close to six weeks. Even then, it took a week or two to fully hit me. I wouldn't worry at all about not having the queasies yet.

Also, the NP at my fertility clinic kind of scoffed when I started rattling off a list of miscarriage "symptoms" that I had come up with while trolling the internet. She told me the only two things I needed to worry about were bright red bleeding that didn't stop (i.e. not spotting), and cramps so bad they would cause me to double over.

Hope that helps a bit, and hope your doctor is able to give you some reassurance soon . . . .

[kittygirl1979]

Hi there everyone!!

Zelda, I'm sorry your co worker said those things to you!! That's pretty insensitive and rude- I can't think of any good reason to say that to someone... I know how you feel- I was convinced we wouldn't conceive without medical help. Then we did, and now I'm so worried about a miscarriage!! I googled a huge list of concerns and came up with the statistic that most women who experience morning sickness do not miscarry. I have no morning sickness!! So now, instead of being happy that I have no morning sickness, I wish I did becuase then I wouldn't worry about miscarrying so much!! But then I also read that morning sickness can be a sign of a miscarriage too!Argh! did I mention how OCD I can be??

My bbs feel so weird, and then yesterday one was bigger than the other! How strange this stuff all is! The I had to cancel my hair coloring apt. because my OBGYN said they discouraged cologing hair til after the second trimester. I don't think I should paint my nails either from what I've read. I'm sort of a girly girly too. No complaints here though- I'm so relieved and excited to be pregnant!!

Christine- just wanted to tell you that on my last cycle, I didn't OV til day 25, and that was the cycle we conceived on. It took us a full 9 months too. Don't give up hope- I know exactly how you feel!! Are you using a fertility monitor? I used the Clear Blue Easy Monitor and didn't worry about monitoring anything else, like cervical position or temps. The monitor instructions said that you didn't need to. If I hadn't used the CBFM, I would never have known when I was OVing since my cycles are irregular.

Good luck to everyone out there!!

[zelda]

Aphelendra, glad you are feeling better and liked your class...

Nickclick, sorry about the sty, but also so thrilled the news is still good as you progress through the 1st trimester.

SO....a coworker just came into my classroom to chat with me about the pregnancy and happened to mention her aunt who had a stillbirth at 38 weeks because the cord was wrapped around the baby's neck.

WHY DO PEOPLE SAY THESE THINGS TO PREGNANT WOMEN!?!?!?

Then I started flipping out and Googling stillbirth and wanting to cry and I'm freaking out.

Erg.......

[nickclick]

aphelendra, great news all around. my doc too said tylenol is just fine. how was the coffee?

kittygirl, i had to tell my mom right away. i talk to her every day and while i've certainly kept secrets from her before, there was no way i could hide the anxiety in my voice, or chit chat about anything else. it was painful for her to keep the secret so she was allowed to tell my aunt. so far no one has blabbed that i know of. we've been slowly telling close friends as we see them, and will likely make an announcement to my big fat family at easter dinner, at which i'll be at 10 weeks. maybe too early but it will be exciting.

my sore boobs were my biggest (ha ha) red flag symptom at first. minor cramping and bloatedness are usual PMS symptoms, but my boobs were (and still are) super sore. enjoy your weekend!

i made an appt for neucal fold today and go on april 22. i hear ya all about nonstop worries, but that test is worry #1 for me right now. i can't wait for good news back after that.

i woke up yesterday with a sty in my eye. because i don't feel bloated and gross enough. my OB said to see my primary about it, so i'm off to see her soon.

[aphelendra]

thanks for the reassurances . . . . I didn't end up taking the tylenol, but I did have a cup of coffee (first in 5 months!) yesterday afternoon, followed up by an emergency chiropractor visit this morning, both things helped quite a bit and I'm feeling much better.

koffee and zelda, you're both very right about the stress of the pain/nausea being worse than the tylenol. Fortunately, this migraine wasn't too tough, but if I have one that's totally intolerable I definitely will be taking something for the pain . . . .

On a happier note, we just got home from our first birth class, and absolutely loved loved loved it. The instructor is great and even after just one class I can say I feel more in control, more knowledgeable, and much more ready to deal with what is about to happen. And still seven classes to go.

The experience also completely convinced us that we have to switch providers, and possibly even hospitals. We got some great suggestions and are seriously leaning towards using a midwife, or at least a physician we feel more comfortable with.

All in all a great experience, one I recommend to all, especially all the worriers out there.

sending good vibes out to all . . . . and especially good luck to the ladies trying to conceive and those still in the limbo of the first trimester . . . . hope you all stay healthy and happy!

[zelda]

I'm already an uptight worrier....guess I'm gonna stroke out once Elliott makes an appearance. ;-)

I've heard from some women that they tend to relax over the "small stuff" once the kiddo arrives. So while I might stay up late now worrying about the fact that I haven't mopped the kitchen floor in ages, those worries and crazy thoughts leave you....only to be replaced by ones about your kid.

I suppose I'd rather worry about a baby than the kitchen floor, ultimately. :-)

[pepper]

I used to be so easy going, now I am an uptight paranoid freak, I'm telling ya! I worry about them every day, all day long and I'm not that much of a worrying kind of person by nature. Yes, kiss your easy existance goodbye. It's gone for good once you have kids.

[koffeewitch]

As for me, I'm at 13 weeks. Nausea getting better. Still tired as hell. I wish I could be as excited with this pregnancy as I was with my last, but I'm so overwhelmed with all the preparations and expectations about painful labour and hard work and lack of sleep that I just find myself mostly thinking "God, what have I got myself into." Ha!

You might be pleasantly surprised about this labor, the next time round is usually easier. You probably will not believe this, but my second pregnancy I had a pain-free mildly uncomfortable labor with about 15 or 20 minutes of rough stuff at the very end. No lie. And my first labor was hell on wheels. Every birth since my first has comparably been a walk in the park. With luck, maybe it'll go much easier for you this time.

P.S. you really summed it up on the worrying bit. I'm even more worried about my kids young adult years... I was a good kid, but wild as hell in my twenties. What if my kids do the crazy shit I did?!

[delibelly]

Kittygirl - I'm a big blabber. I told many people right away when I was pregnant with my first. And I've been telling everyone about this pregnancy too. I had one friend who told me I was being ïrresponsible" by doing that before the end of the first trimester, but if I suffer a miscarriage I'm not the type to want that hidden from the people who I love and rely on for support.

As for you worriers - I have bad news - you will never not worry again. Now it's the pregnancy, and after that it will be SIDS, and after that it will be pedophiles, and so on...You will never be as carefree again in your life. Sorry. The other day I was thinking to myself Ïf I can just hold out until their adulthood...then I can relax. But. Oh shit. What if they have kids?!" I'm sitting here worrying about future worries about grandkids.

As for me, I'm at 13 weeks. Nausea getting better. Still tired as hell. I wish I could be as excited with this pregnancy as I was with my last, but I'm so overwhelmed with all the preparations and expectations about painful labour and hard work and lack of sleep that I just find myself mostly thinking "God, what have I got myself into." Ha!

[Cristine]

Hello all! I'm on CD 20 and according to my monitor I have still not ovulated. I didn't take my temperature while on vacation but this morning I did & it was definitely on the low end. I'll keep you posted...

Michelina, how many DPO are you?