Sorry no time for personals today, my back pain has gotten worse and I can tell its coming from my SI joint. No idea WTH I did to it! So I'm going to the chiropractor at 1:45, glad I drove today! So annoying though, will have to work as much extra as I can to minimize the sick time I need to take for this. Speaking of sick time, trying to calculate how much of what leave I'll use for mat leave and its harder than I thought!
ozzy: Oooooh, labor could be around the corner for you! Seems like everyone except Jules has gone early!
CanadaJazz!! Thanks for sharing your birth story. Hope the tear and the bruising pain subsides soon. Can you insert a little image of Zeb here at some point? I'm not on the Facebook page and I'd love to see the LO. Congrats!
MA: I hope the commute home is better for you. Good luck on the run after work! You may have been super tired from your LO's growth spurt! I'm trying to remember my diabetes test, and I think I wasn't allowed anything for a couple of hours beforehand. Yes, that's right because I had to go down to the horrible cafeteria where I took the test and frantically eat something.
TNesq: lol - your chalkboard. Yes, sometimes it's easier just to say yes to things you don't want, eh? I hope your body fights off that cold coming on.
Liz: Maybe, instead of a second stroller, you can get a carrier like a baby bjorn - especially if you're climbing stairs? You can see how that plays out for you and then decide.
Ozzy: Somehow, I look fresh as a daisy despite the lack of sleep. Stupid pregnancy glow! I'm experiencing cramps as well, and the baby has definitely dropped - noticeably so this week. The track pants I've been living in are difficult to keep up. Maybe a slow swim will help...
Monk: Oh, that purse story SUCKS! I say go back to the store. WIthout a receipt you should still be able to get store credit. I'm picky about purses as well - I have one designer who is my go-to, and luckily she's always on these daily deal sale sites. Anyway back to PGR... I had a series of 10lb weight gains over the course of this pregnancy too. It never made sense to me, so I had to chalk it up to baby/fluid retention/those cookies I ate. I too was hoping for 35-40 max and I'm just over 40lb now. To help baby get in position, I would recommend sitting on a yoga ball whenever you can, and also visiting the spinning babies website - they have some moves that may help.
Mann: You mention potatoes and bacon and now I WANT. Fingers crossed that support band comes in on time!
Dr T: Yay for heartbeat! I remember waiting for those tests - it's stressful but percentage wise, things are usually in our favour. Good luck!
I'm glad that everyone else finds the 7 foot chalkboard ridiculous...if it would have been say, a 3 foot chalkboard, framed, hey, great for the kiddos to use eventually. You are supposed to write things on it like how many weeks, the baby's size, mom's cravings, crap like that. I wanted to take weekly photos, but all the extra creative stuff is just not me. My mom is super-creative, and wants me to be that way, and keeps trying to force it on me...it's irritating. She asked if she could put together "baby" books for the babies, so again I said yes, since it's just easier to say yes - well, they are actually "pregnancy" books- they are all about the family history and the pregnancy and stuff - and they aren't done yet, either. Cute, but so much work that I didn't really want. And of course they are two identical books, which means i have to fill the stuff out twice...grr.. Okay, irritated with my mother rant over
Liz - Sounds like you had a great time in CA!
MA - I always thought the 1 hour was not fasting, too. Weird.
Ozzy - Sounds like baby might be on its way sooner rather than later - can't wait for an update, but I hope LO hangs out for you...
monk - I usually have a few weeks of gaining about 1 lb a week, and feel pretty comfortable with my weight gain, then it jumps like 3 lbs in a week, so I feel ya. Ugh on the purse - I'd take it back and at least try to exchange, or get store credit. Maybe say it was a gift? I hope your back feels better!
Mann - wow, I love breakfast - I don't think I could get by with just a yogurt now, although that's often all I had during the first tri because it was the only thing that didn't escalate my nausea... I'm not a huge QT fan, just sort of meh, but DH is really wanting to see it, so we may go to that. I'm leaning toward Les Mis myself. We are getting the Baby Jogger City mini double - manuevers AWESOME and folds really easily, plus the handle is adjustable and even comfortable for DH at 6'9" I didn't think the britax "drove" as well...but again, that's the double.
DrT - Happy 17 weeks! Sounds like a fun new years.
I think I’m going to becoming a breakfast person. Now I just to start making something at home. I can’t be running out to the cafeteria every day for potatoes and bacon.
Ozzy: LO sounds is on their way!
DrT: I love hearing the heart beat. Let us know how the video workout goes.
TN: The pinterest signs look cute and all but I don’t have the time or the creativity to pull it off. I don’t know if I could have kept a straight face if my mom dropped off a 7ft chalk board. I’m sure my response would have been something like, “WTF I’m supposed to do with this!”
Monk - For SI stuff, down dog will help stretch it out, pigeon pose, pelvic tilts, cat/cow, child's pose, happy baby pose. My baby boy has been on and off, well, mostly ON my SI joint for the past 3 weeks. It has nothing to do with doing anything to my back, just the way I carry babies, apparently! It happened for about 5 weeks with #1. It's definitely annoying but eventually I assume he'll move off of it and it'll be fine. My point, don't be disappointed if the chiro isn't much relief in the long-term for baby + SI joint issues. Oh and the down dog stuff will help with baby position even though the spinning baby website is skeptical of it because it isn't "their" inversion pose/variation for getting baby to flip. Just bend/soften your knees and focus on flattening your back instead of focusing on straightening the legs.
Hopefully you get relief! SI Joint stuff is so annoying.
Back from the chiro, back feels better but still not great. I'm going back Saturday and I have orders to ice it a lot and avoid anything that hurts, including the gym I was fearful that when I stopped running I'd stop working out, and it sure seems that way so far! I'm also going to start wearing my support belt all the time... I think ozzy had already suggested that. Thanks rocky for the suggestions... I hadn't thought that P could be affecting the SI as well.
Oh and I decided I am going to take the purse back. I just wonder since I got it on sale if purses are still on sale and if I can get one for the same price! But I can't see any way to fix it and considering that it was my Christmas splurge I don't want a broken purse! I just hope I can find another one I like.
YJPM: Just talked to my midwife about the culture yesterday. I'm going to ask for it to be done early, like 35 weeks, cause women in my family tend to have babies a couple weeks early. Your massage sounds like it was wonderful. Great job on the workouts!
Canada: Super congrats! Don't be discouraged if he takes a while to get the hang of feeding. Some babies are just plain bad at it. My sis said her first would always take an hour to eat and then need to eat again a couple hours later. Her second, on the other hand, would get as much as she needed in 10 minutes! Just depends on the baby. SO happy for you and glad you're home together now.
MA: Great run! Your DH is awesome! I always love those stories. My DH takes great care of me too, so I'm always happy to hear that other ladies get pampered! Oh and there are two different types of tests. My midwife gives the one where you don't have to fast but she said that it is more normal to be administered the other where you can't eat beforehand.
TN: I hear you on not wanting to take a million preggo pics. My sis always says that the only reason to look at them is to remind yourself how happy you are that you aren't that big anymore! Enjoy the movie! Can't wait to see Les Mis!
Liz: My mom got me the BOB revolution, that has only one wheel in the front. It's made more for cities (though with large enough wheels to take on a trail too). Looks like it will be great and should work well on sidewalks. Maybe have your friends look into that! Great run! I'm so impressed!
Ozzy: Sounds like that LO is ready to make an appearance. I hear you on wanting to wait another week though. Take it easy if you have too. Hopefully the midwife will give you a good report.
Monk: Good news on the bag. Kohls usually can tell if it's an item you bought from them and will most likely take it back. My sister bought her DH a pair of pants there and was really disappointed b/c after a month of wear they tore. She took them in, not expecting anything, and they apologized and refunded them! Kohls has amazing customer service. It's worth a try!
Mann: Hope your band comes soon! I've had to start walking, but I think that's due to the fact that I never ran very far before getting pregnant, so I didn't have enough of a base to cut back from. I miss the running.
Dr: I remember the first time they checked for the HB I was so nervous. It's nice to hear it more consistently as LO gets bigger!
ER: I think I'll do PPW video today since DH will be out for a while. Didn't end up doing a workout yesterday, just lots of house cleaning. I was pretty worn out by the evening!
PGR: 30 weeks! OMG I can't believe it! Appointment yesterday went well. The baby is definitely head down (such a cooperative little thing!) and was kicking around like crazy when they were trying to do the heartbeat. I fluctuated from 120-160 BPM because of it moving so much. Since YJPM was talking about the strep culture... I'm having my baby at a birth center, rather than a hospital, and so there are certain things they cannot give you. One of them is the IV atibiotic for Streb B. So they give you a diet to follow from around 30-32 weeks until you have the baby. It is high in basic foods and low in acidic ones to encourage your body to create a more acidic environment and naturally fight off Strep B. All well and good, but I am not supposed to have tomatoes, citrus fruit, avacados and a bunch of other things I love. Super hard! Oh well. It will be worth it I'm sure.
NPGR: Got the closet all reorganized! I was so happy. We threw out about 3 trash bags of junk and took another two bags and a box to the thrift store. I have no idea how we collect so much crap! Then I reorganized the bedroom and put the new sheets and bed set on the bed (finally!) It looks so nice! Now to tackle the living room!
My gosh, there are so many posts to respond to today! First, I want to say that yesterday did NOT get any better for me, and I didn't go on my run. However, it is in the past, and I'm ready to move forward.
YouJust: Hope the test comes back negative for you. Massage is wonderful, and in labor, it's heavenly! Glad you got to have a good massage.
Canada: Congratulations! Sorry for all the intervention and the tearing, though! Ouch! I hope the breastfeeding gets better soon. If your hospital has a lactation consultant on staff, ask to see her right away!
MA: Sorry the commute was so horrible this morning, but it's nice that your DH took care of getting gas while your head was wet. Depending on the health care provider, and the type of test, there are several ways that the GTT can be done. Personally, I refuse the glucose tolerance test, and take the post-prandial blood draw instead. Most OBs haven't heard of this, or refuse to do it, or refute its usefulness in testing, but most non-nurse midwives will support and encourage this type of test. This is a link to some information regarding Gestational Diabetes which I thought was very, very interesting: http://www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/id33.html Have a nice run tonight!
TN: I might be tempted to respond to such things in the future with something like this: "If *YOU* want to create something like ________ (insert creative idea that you don't really want to do), then that would be nice, but I probably won't make time for it myself." My MIL seemed to think that I liked doing creative projects with my kids (I avoid these make-a-mess sessions like the plague), and several times would send me home with "assignments" (to her, it was a neat, fun idea that of course I would WANT to do, but I felt like it was a chore) to do with the kids. One of these was a wreath made with cutouts of the children's hands. I supposed that she wanted it for herself, so when I returned the finished project to her, I said in a sort of snappy voice, "There, is that what you wanted me to make for you?" That was the last time she sent home any assignments for me. I guess she got the hint.
Liz: If you aren't using a support belt, get one! It does help. I hear ya on that pavement with the impact though. I would definitely get an easier to use stroller to use besides the running one, if it's in your budget. With the stairs you describe, and if you aren't too tall for one, maybe an umbrella stroller would work? Of course, baby needs to be a bit older for one of those. As for moving where you don't have to climb stairs... YES. As a mom, this will make your life much easier, if you can afford the move.
Ozzy: Sounds like your body is warming up for the main event. It's probably nothing to worry about since it went away on its own. I would mention it to your midwife, and she may ask to do an internal check, but a woman can have many of these bouts of pre-labor before she actually goes into labor. Often, I go 5 cm dilated through the last month or so of my pregnancy. Not in labor, just dilating. This makes for quick labors at the end, because I usually start in transition. Ha! Oh wait... just read your update. Well, if this is the main event, good luck!
monk: That sort of thing happens whenever I splurge on something more spendy, and I feel the same about it as you have described. Sorry about the purse! Hope the weight gain slows a bit for you.
Mann: Hope your support band comes quick. I love mine.
DrT: Hope you like the video.
sasha: Way to go on the organizing!
**********
RR: Didn't run as planned yesterday, but did this morning, 2 miles.
ER: Planning to lift weights (since I didn't yesterday or this morning) and swim at the Y this evening.
PGR: 23w6d. I haven't seen my midwife since my first visit at 12 weeks. Should I make another appointment now? Ha! I'm thinking of having another unassisted homebirth, anyway, but it would probably be nice to risk-assess (and continue to do so through the rest of the pregnancy) with a midwife before proceeding.
NPGR: Catching up slowly, very slowly, on housework. Made the kids shut off all the electronics and TV, and now they are driving me crazy! I need a quiet place to retreat. Right this very moment, some of them are purposely screaming, for the fun of it, while knocking on the door of my bedroom (just to drive me nuts). Someone else is banging loudly (not playing any music) on the piano. A few others are running back and forth through the galley kitchen, parlor, and living room. I'm surprised no one has any roller blades on, and no one is riding on a scooter. I'm thinking that I sorta like the electronic babysitters in the winter time, because it's too cold to send them outside to play right now. Ha! Life would be boring if it were always quiet, I suppose.
Not sure if anyone will be reading this so late in the day but thought I'd post an update..
The midwives were slightly concerned when I mentioned the contractions and mucus plug right off...then when i mentioned I had felt like yesterday had started with a "UTI" feeling they relaxed slightly as a UTI can cause cramping and if there is cramping there can be a mucus plug lost etc....so they sent me in to get a urine culture done, it'll take 48hrs to get any results. Biggest issue is that the midwives cannot do a homebirth before 37 weeks - so LO just needs to hang in there for another few days! On the other hand - as the m/w and LauraG said - these symptoms could recur for the next 3-4 weeks until i go into labor too....good news is baby has dropped, is a "good size" (according to the midwives) and has a healthy heart rate response to increased movement. My bp is low still (100/64!) so no concerns there either. The m/w said i was having continuous minor contractions or BHs but they were completely imperceptible to me.
SO, I am backing right off on my exercise intensity and duration for the next 4 days as i really do want my homebirth; it was painful but today I plonked myself in the slow swim lane and swam oh-so-very-slowly with oh-so-very-slow water jogging laps between (400 swim/4laps wog), and stopped after 40mins to see how my body would cope. Had no noticeable cramping today afterwards, still losing pink-tinged mucus but expected once it started it'd likely keep going anyway...
Dr T - I've done a fair amount of snowshoeing. Definitely a good option for being in a ski resort area when not able to ski (which is what I was facing). You'll be around where I was in the pregnancy. I use poles (my hiking polls that fold down, so easy to travel with) which helps with balance. Depending on how deep the snow is, can be a good workout. I really enjoyed it.
Ozzy- Glad you got some clarity from the mw, and hope the test results shed further light. Hang in there LO! Hope you get your homebirth. Good for you for taking it easy on the exercise, no matter how hard that can be for the likes of us!
Thanks all for feedback on the stroller stuff. Hoping to get out to actually look at some strollers in person this weekend. We have a baby bjorn that I got as a hand me down from a friend, so will def try to use that as much as possible.
Monk - sorry about the back pain and the extra work to minimize sick time. I feel you - with my limited tenure in my job I am trying to avoid taking any time off prior to mat leave.
MA - hope your GD test went okay. I don't think you need to fast...hope not. I've got mine tomorrow!
Sasha - interesting about the strep b diet stuff. Never heard of that before. Good luck with avoiding your fave foods.
Laura - I do have a support belt, but unfortunately don't think it helps the bladder pressure much. Ultimately, it feels like another layer I have to contend with when I need to make a pit stop! Oh well...
Okay sorry for the randomly ordered responses, and missing some people. Sooo tired...this week has been hard. Hope I'm not going to be this tired for the rest of the PG, but kind of think it's going in that direction.
Ozzy: Ah, yes, I had forgotten that you said you felt like you might have a UTI. Any infection can cause an "irritated uterus" sort of response that feels quite similar to early labor. In my personal experience, I've had this twice, once was well before term and the other time was at term. The pre-term experience was diagnosed as pre-term labor and I was put on terbutaline to stop the contractions. After cultures came back, we found an infection. When that was cleared up, the cx stopped. The term experience was likely caused by sweeping the membranes to help things along the day before. I had a high fever of 104 F and couldn't keep anything down. Baby's heartrate was in the 190s and becoming less variable. I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and thought for sure I was going to have a cesarean. Doc gave me IV antibiotics, fluids, and broke my water. I felt better a few minutes later, and started having real labor contractions. Baby came in just under 2 hrs from arrival at the hospital. Prior to the hospital transfer, I was 5 cm dilated. The day before I was 5 cm dilated, without being in labor. So all those contractions I was having wasn't really a true, effective labor.
Liz: Sorry the support belt isn't helping with the bladder pressure. I wear mine rather low on my hips, and it does seem to help. I feel like there are too many layers at pit stops in this freezing weather, too! I dream of spring running...