Amethyst's #2 Pregnancy Thread

[Amethyst Rose]

So, I just took some time to search for, and dig up, the pregnancy thread I created when I was pregnant with my son. I took the time to read through all 8 pages of it, just to refresh my memory.... I started it at 17 weeks, the day after my first (Canadian) prenatal.

So, I decided to stick with 'tradition', and have a thread for this pregnancy, too. I hope that no one minds. I could just use the journal, but the truth is I'm a *horrible* journaler...I always forget. This way, I'm actually telling people what's going on, and at the end, I can print out everything and add it to a baby book.

So, here we go....

I am currently just over 15 weeks, I think, but according to my LMP I'm just over 16 weeks. My second prenatal appointment is tomorrow, and I'm not expecting very much to happen at all, though I do want to know when I get to have my ultrasound.

This pregnancy has been very different than my last... I had morning sickness for twice as long, and I was exhausted in the beginning. Part of that might be that I have to look after a toddler this time around, as opposed to laying around doing nothing all day. What else..... I had a very strong aversion to meat in the first month or so, but that's gone now. I haven't had any smell aversions this time, which is nice. My hormones have been playing with me a lot more than they did last time.... I cry over everything, and I have very unexpected mood swings.

I was so looking forward to the second trimester because with quint I had that gorgeous pregnant glow.... beautiful skin and hair and nails.... well, it looks like I"m going to get shafted on that this time around. My hair is lanky, my skin keeps breaking out and my nails are brittle and breaking. And then there's my sex drive.... I was expecting it to go balistic like it did last time, but much to my husband's chagrin I couldn't care less.

The only thing else unusual was some early spotting, at 6 weeks and then again at 9 weeks.

Right now I feel completely normal, beyond gagging every time I brush my teeth. I can wear my regular pants, but only with a lot of discomfort. I think I've been feeling the baby move since 10 weeks, mostly at night and if I lay on my left side, but sometimes when I'm sitting down, as well.

Other thoughts at this time.....

I really really want a girl. I still remember that gorgeous girl I dreamed about when pregnant with quint.... dark hair and beautiful blue eyes. I really want my Veronica. But, I've been coming to terms with the possibility of having a boy, and I don't think I'll feel bad if I turn out to be having another one. He'll grow up without a name, but that's not too bad. :)

Anyway, thanks for reading.

[Ceres]

I looked great with my pregnancies where I was carrying boys, but when I had my daughter, the skin break outs were horrid.

[RainInanna]

I hope it's a girl :D You might be in luck, the "lovely skin if it's a boy" thing was one of the only ones that worked in my case so maybe you've got a good sign you have a girl.

[Amethyst Rose]

Well, one of the wives tales about gender is "a girl steals the mother's looks". I'm hoping that it's true. :)

My appointment went really well today... the doctor found the heartbeat really easily, but had to keep chasing it down again. She said that it sounded really good. I was worried about gaining tons of weight (was convinced I"d be up another 10lbs), but I've actually *lost* 9lbs in the last 4 weeks. The doctor looked confused and asked if I've been feeling sick. I've been feeling great, though, so I don't know what's up with that. I'm not complaining. :)

I get to plan my ultrasound for sometime in the next month... I'm gonna try for before xmas so I can announce the sex to everyone then.

Anyway, that's it for now.

[Eclectic Celt]

Iv'e said this before, but I'll say it again.
Congrats on the news, I hope you have a girl, then you'll have one of each.

I have had 2 girls, with both of those pregnancies my skin was perfect, but on this one my skin is terrible, so the wives tale about breakouts is a tad confusing to say the least.

I get to find out what I'm having on MONDAY, I can't wait. Good luck to you and I hope you also find out what your having before xmas.

[Amethyst Rose]

So, I had my ultrasound yesterday afternoon. It was all pretty standard, and everything looked really good. Baby's heartrate was round 130 and his heart looked really good. He kept moving around so much, though, that she couldn't get all the measurements that she wanted and I might have to go back.

Through all of that we think we saw some boy parts, though umbilical cord was right beside them so it made it difficult to tell. But try as I might, my mind couldn't make the boy parts look like girl parts, so chances are probably about 80% that its a boy. The tech said we had confirmation of a boy when a hand went down and grabbed the bits. :)

Yes, I'm shocked. However, I'm not upset as I was scared that I would be, earlier on. I've had enough time to reconcile myself with either sex. My husband and I even think we've agreed on a first name for a boy - Benjamin.

Oh, and baby was measuring 18 weeks 4 days yesterday, so exactly where I was expecting to be, because of my ovulation date. So, my due date is still May 21st.

I think that's it for now. :)

[RainInanna]

Woot, so glad all is well. And I love the name Benjamin! It was one of our top choices.

[Amethyst Rose]

Alright.... so although the tech thinks she saw boy parts I'm totally unconvinced. My husband thinks I'm being a bit rediculous about it. I've decided that if I have to pay for it, I'm having another ultrasound later on, just so I can be sure. I might even try to get a 3d or 4d ultrasound done, assuming it doesn't cost too much.

I've been doing pretty well lately... my hormones seem to have calmed down a bit, though I had one melt down over christmas, and it's still easy to make me cry. My hair is still pretty crappy, but my skin isn't breaking out anymore. *knock on wood* Right now my parents have my son until New Years day, so I'm on a vacation of sorts. Basically that means I'm sleeping in until 10am or later, and loving it. It's so nice to catch up on my sleep.

The baby appears to be doing well.... it moves around a lot. At this stage of my pregnancy with Quint I wasn't feeling movement yet, but it's amazing how much I feel now. It started a week ago, and I feel the baby quite often when I'm sitting or laying down. Its strong enough that I'm sure, if I wasn't 'fluffy', that my husband could already be feeling it.

I haven't been too much into eating lately.... I eat because I know the baby needs it. Although, I do have to admit that I enjoyed the Christmas cookies, squares and chocolates at my mom's house....maybe too much.

My next appointment is on January 9th, and I am, once again, concerned that I'll have put on a ton of weight. Oh well... I'm pregnant, I'm supposed to gain weight, right? :)

That's it for now.

[KaidaMidnight]

What a great idea! Plus it lets all of us know how you are doing too. :) I wouldn't be too sure about ultrasounds. With our last baby, every ultrasound person told us they thought the baby was a girl. I saw some parts I thought were boyish, but they said, "oh no, that's umbilical cord your seeing". So we prepaired for a girl... only to have our second SON born May 29th. LOL :lol:

Keep us updated! And congrats hun!

[Amethyst Rose]

Thinking more about the gender thing.... I wonder just how much kids, in their innocence actually know. My son, from the beginning, has aways said that he wants the baby to be a girl. I always figured that it was because all of his friends are girls.

However, after my ultrasound, my parents put the baby's picture up on the fridge. My son said to my mom, "that's the baby in mommy's tummy". My mom said something to him that I don't remember, and he replieed "that's my baby sister."

Now, I've never said anything to him regarding the sex of the baby, except to ask him if he thought it was a boy or a girl. I don't even remember using the words 'brother' or 'sister', but it's possible. So, I wonder if his saying that was wishful thinking, or if he knows more than we do. :)

[Ceres]

Yeah, and when SHE is born, remember I also said it was a girl all along too! :D

[Amethyst Rose]

Well, I'm 21 weeks now and had my appointment today. Mother Nature was nice, and held the blizzard off...it's really windy now, but not supposed to snow until midnight-ish.

Anyway, everything's looking well. Apparently the ultrasound showed the placenta is low lying, so I need another ultrasound in about 10 weeks to see if it's moved. The baby is measuring a bit big, just like quint did, so we can expect him/her to be about the same size, (8lbs +) I think.

Anyway, I'll write more later, I've gotta go make dinner now.

[Amethyst Rose]

So, what'd I forget in my last post....

Ah, I've only gained 3lbs since my last appointment and I'm very happy about it. I was worried that I managed to put on alot over the holidays, because I've been eating a lot of sugar since then. I haven't been snacking though, and haven't had huge portion sizes, so I guess that helped.

I asked her about my pelvic pain. She recommended that I try a belly band to try to carry the baby higher, but other than that she didn't have any recommendations. I joked that I wouldn't be able to walk by the end of the pregnancy, and she agreed with me! With a completely straight face...I mean, she was serious! So, I guess I just have to take it easy and rest when I need to.

Other thoughts... I'm worried that the placenta won't move, or it'll get worse instead of better, and I'll end up needing a c-section. I really don't want to have to recover from one of those with my son and a new baby to care for. My son'll feel bad enough, but if I can't hold him or play with him for however long it takes to heal....it'll make it so much worse.

The baby's been moving alot lately, especially when I lay down to go to bed at night. I've only felt a couple of taps with my hand, but it won't be long before my hubby and son'll be feeling it as well.

I guess that's it for now. Thanks for reading. :)

[Amethyst Rose]

Just a random thought...

I love being pregnant. :)

I'm laying here with the laptop on my legs and lower belly, and the baby keeps kicking the laptop. That's my favorite part of pregnancy... the secret knowledge of what it feels to have life inside of you. It is so empowering.

A less sunny though....

It's lonely being pregnant for the second time. Everyone was so excited for me the first time, and now they're all 'been there done that'. Yes, they're excited, but no one talks to me about it or asks me how I'm feeling, or cares about the details....I guess they feel that I've already done it once, so I can manage fine on my own now.

[Amethyst Rose]

Well, it turns out that I can't get a private ultrasound. If I want one it has to be doctor ordered for a medical reason. So, I won't know for another month at least, for certain, the baby's sex.

My husband suggested getting one done when/if we take our vacation to Vegas in late Feburary/early March.

If we can't do that, then I have to wait until 30-32 weeks when the doctor schedules me for the u/s to check the position of the placenta.

Poop. I'm all disappointed now.

[DreamSpell333]

Well, it turns out that I can't get a private ultrasound. If I want one it has to be doctor ordered for a medical reason. So, I won't know for another month at least, for certain, the baby's sex.

My husband suggested getting one done when/if we take our vacation to Vegas in late Feburary/early March.

If we can't do that, then I have to wait until 30-32 weeks when the doctor schedules me for the u/s to check the position of the placenta.

Poop. I'm all disappointed now.


We had to pay for one with Hannah as my doctor wouldnt give me ANY u/s. There was a place in massachusetts that did them. cost about 95.00 but they told you the babies sex, gave you a video of the baby with background music and about 10 photos.
sorry you have to wait! :hugz:

[Amethyst Rose]

Odd that they wouldn't give you any ultrasound... how else would they detect any problems? That's kinda scary.

[Amethyst Rose]

So, I was woken up this morning (quite rudely) by my phone ringing at 7:45. The ringer on my bedroom phone is turned off, though, so it wasn't as bad as it could be... I heard the kitchen phone ring. Anyway, I saw from caller display that it wasn't important so I just let the machine answer.

I spent the next 20 minutes laying in bed and feeling the baby move a lot - he's never active before I eat in the morning so it was surprizing.

Then my husband's alarm went off, he hit the snooze and turned over towards me. Knowing he was sorta awake, I whispered "come here for a second" and grabbed his hand and put it on my belly, right over my belly button. Then I told him to "wait quietly for a minute".

It took about a minute but he was eventually rewarded with a kick at the edge of his hand. He grunted a smile (he was still half asleep, after all), and stuck his finger in my belly button. LOL

Yay! Hubby finally got to feel the baby! :D

[Amethyst Rose]

25 week update

I had a doctor's appointment today. Everything was pretty standard.... apparently I have really high blood pressure, according to the nurse, but the doctor didn't mention anything about it to me.

She did comment on the size of my belly. :) She measured me and then said, "nice belly". I asked, "big?" and she just nodded with this strange look on her face.

Then we listened to the heartbeat which she found instantly. It was strong and as steady as a drum... you could put music to it.

Weight gain... I was up 4lbs this week so that's 7lbs total, Not to bad, imo.

The only other thing to mention is that I'm to schedule the GTT for some time in the next 4 weeks. I think I'm going to have to find a babysitter for that though...there's nothing for my son to do in a lab for an hour, so I don't think bringing him would be wise.

So that's the appointment information....

Otherwise I'm doing alright. I feel fine, beyond the pain of my pelvis. I made the mistake of jogging down the street today, because I was late, and now I'm regretting it. It hurts to move. The baby has a pattern to his movement.... 3-4 days of not much but kicks in the pelvis, and then 2-3 days of my being able to feel him moving all over. Hubby got to feel him the other day....we were just laying in bed watching tv, and he put his hand on my tummy and got rewarded with a hello kick.

I think that's it for now. :)

[Amethyst Rose]

Wow, it's been a while since I posted in this thread, so I guess it's time for an update.

I'm 31 weeks 4 days today. The past 6 weeks have been pretty eventful. I failed my GTT and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, so I've been eating very carefully for the last 3 weeks, and monitoring my blood glucose 3 times a week. On April 3rd I get to find out if I have to take insulin, and I'm beginning to suspect that I may need it in the mornings, because I can't seem to gain control of my after breakfast glucose levels.

One good thing about the GD is that following the diet has been good to me. I managed to lose 7lbs in the last 2.5 weeks, so my total weight gain for this entire pregnancy so far is only 3 lbs!! I'll be below my pre pregnancy weight once I have the baby, which is a pretty good start, imo.

Anyway, all that aside, I had another doctor's appointment today. I'm down to going every 2 weeks now. My blood pressure is fine, and baby is doing well. He's measuring 34 weeks today, but the doctor isn't concerned about his size at this point.

I have to book an u/s fairly soon to see if my placenta has moved up, *fingers crossed*.

Anyway, I think that's about it, for now... I have some belly pics to share, if I ever remember to take them off of the camera.

[Willow Rosette]

Im glad you and the baby are doing fairly well. Congrats on the weight loss! Thats very cool! At least if you do have to take the insiline it wont be for very long. Cant wait for baby belly pics!! :hugz:

[Amethyst Rose]

Another update. :)

I had an ultrasound today, to see if the placenta has moved, and it has. Yay! So, I no longer have to worry about a c section.

Baby boy is measuring about 1 week ahead, and is about 4.5 lbs right now (which is average), and his head is average size. Apparently he's going to be long, and as big or bigger than my son was (he was 8lbs 4oz when born full term).

I would post the ultrasound picture we got today, but my scanner/printer is fubared.

Thoughts on the pregnancy to this point....

This has been such a different experience from when I was pregnant before. Not only has the pregnancy itself (symptom wise) been different, but the baby already has a different attitude/personality. Quintin was a puncher and a kicker... he'd hurt me some times. This baby is more into rolling and shifting. He is so laid back that sometimes its worrying cuz I'll only feel him once a day.

I'm really excited for him to come, but we still need a name and still have to finish our nursery. Have to wait until hubby's first paycheque from the new job (he starts April 10th), cuz we'll finally have extra money then.

As for the name... one of our earliest picks was Benjamin. My mom loves that name....It's still up pretty high for hubby, but for me it's the 'fall back' name, if we don 't find anything better.

How I'm feeling:

Like a walrus. I can't get up from a reclined position (bed, couch), without having to flop myself over first. My pelvis is in constant pain now...don't have to walk to make it hurt. If I stand up, I have to pee. I'm starting to get stretch marks on the side of my belly.

Aww...it's it bad that nothing I feel is positive? lol :)

Anyway, I think that's it for now.

[Amethyst Rose]

33 weeks now... only 7 to go, assuming I don't go early.

Today I had the lovely Strep B test.... nothing makes your day like a swab in the bum... :sick:

I'm down 3 more pounds, so that puts me at 0 weight gain. This weight loss is the weirdest thing ever. I'm thinking it'll be a good thing to continue the GD diet even after the baby is here. Although, knowing that I can actually *have* cookies, will be a hurdle to overcome.

Which reminds me... I also had an appointment with the diabetes doctor today, and I'm now on 6 units of insulin at breakfast. Interestingly enough, it's partly because I requested it. It was either that or starve at breakfast, and I really want breakfast back.

The nurse taught me how to inject myself, and we even did a dry run (no insulin, just needle) and it wasn't bad at all...much better than I expected, considering the length of the needle. Another positive thing about it, is that it may require me to have a sugary snack if my bloodsugar gets too low. Woo, and excuse for sugar! LOL

Anyway, that's it for now. :)

[Amethyst Rose]

Well, I'm 34 weeks now.... only 2 more weeks before baby can come at any time. Of course I'm very excited, but at the same time I still have soo much to do, and it just feels like there's not enough time to do it in.

I don't really have a lot to update on. I've been monitoring my blood sugar and taking my insulin every morning. The effectiveness of the insulin has been yo-yoing, so the nurse upped my dosage this morning, and I now have to monitor my blood sugar every day, instead of 3 times a week as I was doing previously. I must say, Easter is a horrible time to not be allowed sugar. :)

Beyond that, I'm actually feeling quite well.

I think I've finally come around about a name, but I'm not sure I want to share just yet.... incase I change my mind again. :)

[Willow Rosette]

:boing: Im glad your feeling well!

[Amethyst Rose]

Thanks. :) It helps that my son is visiting my parents for the week so I get some downtime. I actually got to sleep in today. :)

[Amethyst Rose]

New belly picks are posted!!

Go here: http://mysticwicks.com/showpost.php?p=3067955&postcount=12

[Amethyst Rose]

35 week update:

I went to the doctor today... my visits are now one week apart. Unfortunately the doctor was called away for an emergency c-section, so the wait was a bit longer than usual.

I'm down 1 more pound, so it looks like the weightloss is slowing down.

The baby is measuring one week ahead at 36 weeks, and his heartbeat is nice and strong.

The icky part of the appointment is that I had to have the strep test done again, because the lab claims the sample wasn't labled. The doctor says she thinks they dropped it or the form so they couldn't match the sample up with my info.

Anyway, along with that I had my first internal. There's no progress going on at all, so baby is more than comfortable where he is.

My doctor said that we'll wait and see what happens, and might think about "doing something" (i.e. inducing) around Mother's Day... but we'll see.

On one hand, I'm scared of an induction because I know if the body isn't ready, induction can be very painful and in many cases lead to a c-section. On the other hand, the predictability of an induction would be very convenient for us... I wouldn't have to worry about the 1hr drive, or getting my parents here to watch my son. So, I'm on the fence about how I feel about it..... though I think I'm leaning towards liking the induction idea, just a bit.

On the Gestational Diabetes side of things... I mentioned a few posts back that my insulin dosage was increased last week. Since then, my numbers were doing great, but in the last 2-3 days they've been climbing, and are borderline now, so the dosage may have to be increased once again. I'll be talking with the diabetes nurse tomorrow, and we'll see how that goes. I discovered last night that getting exercise after a meal drastically lowers my blood sugar....so I can eat naughty (ish) if I go for a walk afterwards. :)

[Amethyst Rose]

36 weeks:

I have a tentative induction date! If I haven't had the baby yet, I'll probably be induced on May 17th. That's only 4 days before my due date, so the doctor doesn't think I'll make it that far.

She gave me my pregnancy records today (all the results of tests, and past recordings of weight, blood pressure and babies growth), so I have them to bring to the hospital when I go into labor. She also told me to come into the hospital with contractions 5 minutes apart, or if my water breaks or if I have bleeding.

I regained the one pound that I had lost the week before, and my fundus height was the same as last week, so I think the baby may have dropped. I'll have to take a picture (need my 36 week one anyway!), and compare.

We're getting so close! :)

On the name front, we're still up in the air.

[Amethyst Rose]

37 weeks...

There's virtually nothing to report. I have lost 2 more pounds in the last week. The doctor did an internal today and determined that there has been absolutely NO progress. My cervix is still high and firmly closed.

I won't be too concerned about that until next week....cuz then I'm officially in my "birth month". However, I might just have to start making a more concerted effort to get things going.... I've already been walking most days after dinner, but I'll have to add some other things to the list... maybe more sex. Hubby'll like that idea. LOL

Anyone want to give me any other ideas to try? I don't particularily want to have to be induced. It still scares me.

[Willow Rosette]

As a very last ditch effortyou could try castor oil. But in my opinion being induced is better than castor oil. Thats the worst tasting crap I have ever had to drink. And it isnt certian to work. But if you get to the point of trying holler and Ill find the recipe.

Congrats on the 2 lbs!

[RubyRose]

I wouldn't say there's anything to be worried about. I was induced, and Xander actually came quicker than the doctor estimated he would. He was born by 4pm and my doctor thought he'd be born by 6pm.

[Amethyst Rose]

It's the pain of the contractions with an inducement, that scares me. With Quintin I managed to labor at home with very little pain for 13 hours, and even after my water being broken at the hospital, I managed to have him with no drugs....though at the tail end (after 3 hours) I wanted them.

I want to have a natural, drug free labor...and I'm scared that the contractions will be so hard if I'm induced, that going natural won't be doable.

Also...there's the increased c-section rate with induction...I'm leary of that.

[Amethyst Rose]

38 weeks, and things are starting to get a little more exciting.

I gained back the 2lbs that I had lost last week, and this week baby is measuring at 40 weeks.... I think it's partially because of the way he was laying though...he was all bunched up in the middle of my belly.

There is still zero progress with dialation, etc.

I told my doctor that I haven't been feeling him move as much as usual, in the past few days. So, tomorrow I have to go in for a Non-Stress Test.

Lastly, at the end of the appointment the doctor said, "baby MUST come out next week".

So....time is drawing short....

[Athena-Nadine]

Wow, that just flew by (for me, anyway ;) ). I can't believe your wait is almost over!

[Amethyst Rose]

You'll be here, before you know it. :)

[Athena-Nadine]

You know, it's not dragging as badly this time around. Maybe it's because I'm too busy with Robert getting into everything all day. :lol:

[Amethyst Rose]

Oh yes, I'm sure that's what it is. Quite honestly, this pregnancy has gone so incredibly quickly...it's only been the last couple of weeks that have started to slow down. (Probably because every day I hurt a little more, lol). It's such a surreal feeling to know I'll have my baby next week. :)

[Laoghaire]

Good luck Amethyst Rose!!
I'm also looking forward to the little one...

[Amethyst Rose]

Forgot to update about Wednesday's NST...

Everything went fine. Little Bub's heart reacted just the way it's supposed to, to his movements. I just have to do a kick count (10 times in 2 hours) every day to keep track of how he's doing.

An annoying development.... my dinner time blood sugar has risen dramatically, and I can't keep it low enough. I'll probably have to start taking insulin before dinner now.... I'm so glad I only have 5 more days!

[Morr]

I don't have internet at home currently, since we moved, but if I miss it -- CONGRATS, GOOD LUCK and CANT WAIT TO GET BACK ON TO SEE PICS OF THE LITTLE ONE!

*hugs*

[Amethyst Rose]

Thanks Morr! I'm getting excited now. :)

[Morr]

I tried to karma poke you with *hugs* but I think it kinda wigged out so I don't know if you got anything... Just FYI LOL

[Amethyst Rose]

It worked, mostly. Thanks :)

[Amethyst Rose]

Arg! I'm frustrated.

I'm 39 weeks now...

For the last 3-4 weeks, I don't remember which, the doctor has been talking about the 17th as a day for induction. Last week I was measuring 40 weeks and she said "baby must come out next week". So, for the last week I've been arranging with my family so everyone takes time off and my mom is here to watch Quint...

Then at today's appointment there's still no progress with my cervix and she says, "we'll get baby out next week."

I reminded her that she said we'd do it on Thursday, but she reminded me that there was no progress. I told her about my entire family re-working their schedules for me this week. She asked if I really wanted to be induced on Thursday, to which I replied, "well I was hoping.... but if you don't think it'll work...." She said, "it might work...."

So, I'm scheduled on Thursday to give it a try. So I have 2 days to get a favorable cervix.

Any "open up cervix!" energies you might have are appreciated.