Hellobee Boards

@lulu22: hmm interesting I've never heard that about apple cider vinegar. Hopefully baby flips soon!

@SunshineMcC: What are you on now? I've been feeling ok with tums etc during the day but last night was awake with some killer heartburn.

@marionberry: Wow that's quite the cankle! take it easy, and keep drinking lots of fluids!

I have my shower tomorrow, I know the ladies planning it were going to do a gift card to a local store. Well on wednesday the local store sent out an email saying they are closing down! Turns out they had already bought the gift card, so I'll go to go first thing tomorrow (before the shower) to try and spend it before all the stuff we needs get bought out!

@marionberry: Have you tried compression socks? if you can get them to go down a bit I find they really help with swelling and discomfort!

True, I think the travel crib we wanted is going to be 25% off tomorrow!

@marionberry: Oh wow! Getting the nursery ready is probably a good idea! I think I have been able to keep the swelling to a bare minimum, but DH told me the other day that he thought my legs were looking swollen...thanks! Ha

@Astro Bee: we're still waiting on a picture of that cake!

@Banana330: too bad about the store closing but the deals might be worth it!

@marionberry: oh my goodness your poor feet!!! I was thinking about you the other day... because I've been sore and miserable and was like imagine there were two babies!!!! cuz I certainly cannot!. you're a trooper.

@meredithNYC: hahaha I have a horrible cough right now and it causes me to pee my pants CONSTANTLY. every time I cough too hard. it's awful and I am doing a looooot of laundry. pregnancy is sexy.

I purchased my breast pump today from Target for 30% off so that was pretty great. it's covered by my insurance at 80% up to $300 so the sale means I don't have to put as much on my Health Savings Account... which is great.

I have my family shower tomorrow and I can't wait for it to be done so I can figure out what else we need! can't believe how close we're getting...

I've been working from home one day a week for Dr appointments and started taking Fridays off and it is GLORIOUS. I feel so much better these days... other than the extreme pelvis/pubic bone pain. just rolling over in bed is a struggle... but that's par for a the course. can't wait to get this little one out!

I have the strep swab at my next appointment and i'm kinda dreading it... is it as bad as i'm imagining????

@SunshineMcC: I wish the swelling meant extra care by DH...although I am getting some extra feet rubs because of it. On another note, my c-section is Mar 30 so I hope none of you go into labor much earlier than that.
@meredithNYC: pregnancy with toddlers is definitely harder. You poor thing!
@loki: The strep swab is not that bad. Our provider does it but it's really quick. I'm surprised actually that I haven't had mine done yet but with a c-section it's not much of a worry at least.

@SunshineMcC: About the meet and greets, it really depends on what type of person you are. We did a meet and greet appointment with our son's ped before he was born and we basically found out that he was smart and not really great at interacting with adults. However what's important is that he's great with my son...and I just couldn't have known that until ds got here. If it makes you feel better, certainly have an interview with another provider in the practice and he/she should be able to answer a lot of questions about how the practice runs - you just won't get a feel for your provider's personal interactions. You can always switch providers down the road though if you end up disliking him. Best of luck in your decision!

@marionberry: @brownie: thanks for your input. Both my OB and my good friend see this doc and say great things about him, so I think I'm OK with seeing him once baby is born, rather than finding someone else without a referral that I can meet! And like you said, I can always change if need be. I might meet with the front desk person just to get a sense of their practice and such. He or someone from his practice will come to the hospital when LO is born, so that'll be good too!

Man, sleeping is such a chore these days! I could barely walk last night when I got up to go to the bathroom - between the pelvic pain, and then pain all the way down my legs (not sciatic though). It's better now that I'm up, but only slept about 5 hours last night! I just finished my thank-you notes from the first shower, so that's another thing checked off the list - just in time for our last shower tonight!

Have a great weekend, all!

@SunshineMcC: @brownie: @marionberry: I did a meet-and-greet yesterday with a family doctor as a potential baby doctor for LO, and I am feeling super unmotivated to schedule any others. She seemed fantastic, I had no objections to her, she's walking distance from my house, and as she pointed out she's a young doctor (finished residency two years ago) so she has a lot of availability in her schedule. That sounds pretty excellent to me, that we wouldn't have trouble getting an appt when we need one. I picked her because a friend who had a baby a few months ago loves her. I'm now heavily leaning towards just going with her and not having to go through any more interviews. I am sick of making time outside work for all these weekday appointments! (Daycare tours, my medical stuff, ultrasounds, feels like it's been going on forever).

@SunshineMcC: Omg I sprinted to catch the bus last week and I was so proud of myself for making it... Then all evening I was laid out on the couch in so much pain. Dumb mistake.

@marionberry: I hope you get to put your feet up and rest this weekend. I'm dorry but that looks painful!

@loki: I'm glad you have been able to take it easy and it's making things more manageable!

@PawPrints: I have just switched family doctors because I found one so much closer to home. A lot of similar pros to your list and she is the ONLY female doctor taking new patients within a 20 minute drive so I have no problem "settling" after only meeting one doctor. If it feels right then there is nothing wrong with going with the first doctor you meet.

@SunshineMcC: @PawPrints: @Mrs. Sunshine: I'm definitely feeling the weight of the baby now and I have noticed it takes so much out of me! I move so slowly compared to pre-pregnancy!

my best friend had her baby last night and it is making this very very real for me! ahhh!!!

hope you guys all had a great weekend. i had my family shower and it made for a loooong day. and now we have SO MUCH STUFF and i don't know what to do with it all/where to put it. i need to figure out what else i need off our registry too. feels like crunch time now that my best friend's baby has arrived! ahhh!

@Banana330: good to hear your shower was great! sucks you're struggling so much but i totally understand. i haven't been keeping up physio at all so i'm a bit of a mess too... getting in and out of bed is torture. the next three weeks will fly by hopefully and then you can relax! i still have four weeks of work and i dunno how i'm gonna get through them!

@loki: I was going to do 4 weeks but shortened it cause I just can't do it! My friend told me at my shower "they don't give out awards to sucking it up and working too long, take off what you need to".

@SunshineMcC: Mines constant, I'm not sure there is a dividing line, maybe a gradient. My hips, pelvis and back hurt all the time. Moving or not. Support belt or not. I have to move extremely carefully and slowly, especially when changing positions (sitting to standing or lying down). I think the physio, yoga, acuptuncture and massage have been keeping it from getting much worse, but I do find limiting activity and lots of rest helpful (but not staying in one position too long). I would say tears isn't normal. I've been dealing with it for 10 weeks now an I definitely notice good days and bad.

It does feel good to put stuff away and get things organised. I think we have everything we need but I should probably double check.

I do still need to pack my hospital bag this week!

@PawPrints: Yes it's annoying that much of what you need for your hospital bag you use daily. I just have a list notating everything that needs added last minute. As far as the birth certificate, we have clerks who ask for that info (we don't fill it out beforehand) but I do believe it is mandatory for state statistics and data research.

I'm sorry we're all in such pain! Just remind yourself we're almost done!

@neekierose: while not clumsy, I have found that if I park too close to a car I can't actually get out. It is so annoying!

@PawPrints: I think that's why I haven't really packed anything yet, cause i'm using it all.. But i should get started.

@marionberry: it's weird how I keep thinking i'm smaller than I am and bumping things or not being able to squeeze through with my belly

Has anyone started preparing food etc for after the baby comes? I've just started making freezer meals in the past week but I have to admit it's a little taxing... I end up doing a lot of the prep sitting at the dining table so I don't have to stand too much. Now that I know a c-section is a real possibility for me I am even more eager to get the freezer well stocked so that DH can take charge of food.

I think I said a while back that I would share what I am making, so this is my plan so far - all my "tried and true" freezer recipes:

- Lasagna's (both meat and veggie - I love this easy pumpkin lasagna recipe - http://nourishedsimply.com/three-cheese-butternut-squash-lasagna/)
- Bolognese pasta sauce
- Fish pies (jamie oliver has the best fish pie recipes! http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/fish-pie/#kRxhMfLIbXQ3jxXk.97)
- Date and lamb tagine (I use this recipe but with stewing lamb instead of shanks - easier to freeze! http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/12542/lamb+shanks+with+dates+and+pumpkin)
- Chicken marbella (I use a recipe similar to this one but with boneless thighs http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chicken_marbella/)
- Chicken and Leek Casserole (I use this recipe but add in extra veg, usually carrots and peas.. http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/17827/chicken+leek+and+mushroom+casserole)
- Big batch of veggie chilli to use in tacos, burritos etc (I like this one, but reduce the liquid! http://whatsgabycooking.com/black-bean-sweet-potato-chili/#.Us7NR_SIDBd&_a5y_p=1162364)
- Green curry paste (that can be quickly mixed with a bag of frozen stir fry veg and a can of coconut milk)
- Fish parcels (fresh fish fillets with some kind of flavoring (I usually do asian style with ginger, cilantro etc or french style with butter capers) wrapped in parchment paper and frozen... can be easily popped in the oven to bake.

I would like to do soups but as it will be summer I just know I won't feel like eating them. I am pretty much portioning everything into "serves 2" portions for DH and I to make defrosting easier. Being warm weather, I think we will also end up doing a lot of quick and easy things like frozen fish sticks/fillets with salad, healthy sausages with salad etc... things that are easy for DH (who has limited cooking skills) to throw together.

@lulu22: @Boopers: I stuggle with freezer meals cause i'm veggie and they are always so meat centric. I'm going to make muffins that I can easily thaw, some roasted veggie quinoa, lasagna and have frozen waffles etc on hand, but really i think we'll be BBQing and eating a lot of salad.

Maybe some prepped smoothie bags, and frozen pre cut bagels for toasting.

@Boopers: ohhh, that taquito recipe looks great, I am going to try that!

@Banana330: oh yes, veggie freezer meals are harder because so many casseroles that freeze well are meat based. DH and I usually only eat meat once or twice a week so I am trying to include some veggie meals, but I think it is harder to find recipes. BBQing and salads sound great! I also forsee DH mixing a jar of pesto and some frozen peas through pasta for for a quick and easy meat-free meal. Lol, that's about the extent of his culinary creativity/skill!

@NeekieRose: @Banana330: @lulu22: Another funny belly story. At the grocery store my son likes to ride in the cart with the car on the front. My husband usually comes with me and unloads the cart onto the belt but a few weeks ago I had to take my son alone. Then I realized I literally could not get any of the food out of the cart because of the car on the front. It was super embarrassing. It also made me kind of mad that there aren't wider checkout lanes. I'm not that big!

@lulu22: I know that babies do switch late in pregnancy sometimes, but often when they're breech for such a long time it's usually because they're stuck. At least that was the case with me. I tried a lot of exercises and an ECV but nothing worked. A C-section is really no big deal and exciting that it would mean you'd get to see your baby sooner. And I am very impressed by all of your freezer meal preparation. All we ever do is run to Costco and stock our freezer with pre-made lasagnas and pastas and such. My husband can't cook, so it needs to be very simple.

@boopers: I'm going to look through your recipes. They sound yummy. One thing to think about is breakfast. My mom makes these great banana choc chip muffins and you can freeze them. She also mentioned freezing mini meatloafs too I think.

@banana330: The pre-made smoothie bags are a great idea. I need to do that!

@neekierose: Grilling does seem to be really easy for husbands too! I think we have lots of meat, so I would just need my husband to grab some corn at the grocery store and we'd have a meal. I absolutely love wrapping corn in aluminum foil, buttered with mrs dash spicy seasoning, and grilling it along with the meat.