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I just got back from my 28 week appointment and glucose test (also tdap and rhogam shots! Lots of pokes today). My appointment today was with a different midwife who I really liked and felt comfortable with who I wish I had seen earlier! But this pregnancy has been so low key for me that it wouldn’t have made much of a difference otherwise. We had a good discussion about me having a vbac and things we can do before and during labor so that we can hope for better positioning (my first was a c sec we think primarily bc she sunny side up. I don’t want to go through all of labor again and 4hours of pushing only to have a c sec again if this baby is in the same position).
She said I’d prob have my results back by end of today for the glucose so fingers crossed! It def was giving me negative flashbacks to last time when I had to do the 3hr twice so I’m really hoping I passed. I actually feel fine right now and didn’t feel great last time after the one hour so hopefully that is a good sign.
And now I have the whole rest of the day at home to myself and I almost don’t know what to do! The last time i had This much time alone was before LO1 was born!
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@petitenoisette: Good luck!
I also felt fine after the glucose test and hoped that meant I'd pass (I did). I was really worried because I'd been on metformin for years for PCOS but went off it in the second trimester. I wasn't sure if it was affecting my insulin levels or not.
Glad you had a good talk with your midwife! We haven't talked too much about the actual birth with my OB, and I'm realizing...we probably should do that! I'm still working through some Ina May books and coming up with questions. I don't think DH can make it to an appointment with me until January though, and I feel like he should be there for that
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@petitenoisette: you had to do the 3 hour twice?? ugh, torture! I can't imagine! I also hear you on trying to learn from your first labor experience and discussing what we DON'T want to repeat. I want to sit down soon and type that up, at least for myself.
I just did my 28-wk appt yesterday too. Got the rhogam shot, waiting on TDAP until 30 weeks. No GD either.
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I got great bloodwork back yesterday - iron increased and my platelets went up to 169K. With LO1 my levels were decreasing at this point and 12K, then 70K around birth time, and 80K is the minimum for an epidural sooooo I have been desperately desiring to stay above 100K. So I am VERY happy about increasing and being so "high" - although a normal reading is 150K-400K, haha!!
I wasn't planning on starting to talk to my OB about labor & delivery until 30, maybe 32 weeks? I figured, with appts at 30, 32, 34, 36 ,37, 38, 39, and 40..... there's lots of time to talk about that stuff, and if baby came significantly early then all that talk wouldn't matter because of the preemie risks/context. Am I weird for waiting?
Also I'm pretty much fully planning on going until my due date bc LO was 9 days late and had to be induced, so I'm not getting my hopes up, haha. And in terms of work, making it to my due date would make it much, much easier with HR - I have a 13 wk mat leave allowed, and 13 weeks from my due date is the first day of summer break
If this baby comes early, I'll have to apply for a leave of absence to link my mat leave with summer break.
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@petitenoisette: good luck with the testing and hopefully with the vbac! My sister had a successful one with her second, as did a close mom friend of mine.
@DesertDreams88: I recieved the paperwork for labor/delivery at my last appointment (29w) and have to return it by 36w. I don't feel pressure to start talking about my delivery preferences at this point but that's probably also because I'm hopeful it will be similar to my other two.
33w tomorrow and I'm realizing that I need to get organized with the things we still need to buy/do: buy a dresser, organize clothes and cloth diapers, think about installing the carseat base, packing a hospital bag. I called HR this morning to get the paperwork for mat leave after my supervisor reminded me. I think I might have totally forgotten otherwise!
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@DesertDreams88: I'll probably be 32 weeks before I talk to the doctor about L&D. I meet with the nurse this week, then DH can't make it in two weeks when I meet with the doctor...so the very earliest time we'll be able to do it is 32 weeks.
But considering we aren't even taking a birthing class for another week...
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@bushelandapeck: I was definitely getting nervous about my "to do list" too, which I had broken down by months. Yesterday I finally broke it down by weeks and feel so much better!!
Sometime: Read birthing books
31 weeks Xmas Break: Work on maternity leave binder for sub
32 weeks Xmas Break: Re-organize house (9 tasks)
33 weeks BUY: Pumping supplies, freezer, baby registry completion
34 weeks Pack hospital bag
35 weeks Sign up for formula clubs (I plan to nurse as much as possible, but I love formula samples as a backup!)
36 weeks Prepare for 2 days of babysitting for LO1
37 weeks Make DETAILED 2-week lesson plans
38 weeks Set up house for baby (RnP, PnP, swing, car seats)
39 weeks BUY: Postpartum supplies -
@DesertDreams88: I have mine broken down by chunks of weeks. That way I don't feel as bad if I don't get it done in a certain week.
(some of it is from a suggested list. I'm not sure I'm ready to start baby proofing and cooking casseroles quite yet! oy)
It's also in a project management software so I can get the satisfaction of clicking things off as they get done.
28-32 weeks:
Babyproof
Start Fetal Kick counts
Prepare birth plan
Cook and freeze meals
Start Childbirth Class
Register with hospital? (take class and pick Ped first)
Confirm Maternity leave with HR
Go on hospital tour
Order Breast Pump
Write will
Update life insurance beneficiaries32-36 weeks:
Fill out baptism paperwork
Pediatrician Tour - Jan. 2 at 3:20 p.m.
Ask Fr. Jude to celebrate baptism
Take Baptism Class
Ask Godparents to be godparents
Set baptism date
Tawana's Shower - Jan. 6
Megan's shower - Jan 13
Send Thank you notes
Buy anything still needed
Prepare all first aid and emergency items
get car seat installed
pack hospital bag
Research newborn screenings at hospital
Group B strep test(week 35-37)
TDAP vaccine
Set up nursery -
@DesertDreams88: @MaryM: you guys are so organized! This is helpful and the motivation I need to get focused
I forgot about freezer meals but I need to add that to the list too!
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@bushelandapeck: It mostly comes from being "behind"
My old OB had me register with the hospital and look into birthing classes by 20 weeks. I've only just done that! When I was realizing how much stuff the lists were saying I should have done, I got overwhelmed and needed to create one that I could handle.
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@MaryM: that makes sense too. I'm sure I would feel more stressed if I hadn't been through it twice already, but I think that is what's making me lazy! Some of this stuff is really necessary (HR paperwork, car seats, etc) and I've been putting it off. Hopefully I'll get some motivation after the holidays!
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@DesertDreams88: Great news on your bloodwork! I can't imagine going into labor knowing an epi wasn't an option
Also, that's crazy taht you may have to apply for a leave of absence to get you to the summer if baby comes early. I don't get why a school administration would want you to come back for just 1-2 weeks, isn't that more disruptive to the students? I am really lucky that my school has super friendly policies regarding this. It's also cheaper for them to pay my long term sub during the unpaid portion of my leave (which will be about 6 weeks) than it would be for them to pay me to come back! Fingers crossed for you that baby comes right on time. I didn't do the 3 hour in its entirety last time, but I got sick after drinking the evil 3 hour potion, so I had to go back and start over again. I got sick again the second time but after an hour so they let me finish - and then I still had to test my blood sugar for two weeks because I was too close to failing. But HALLELUJAH not an issue this time because I passed my glucose test yesterday! I am so so relieved. This pregnancy has been so easy (except for my MS) compared to some of the issues that came up last time, I am so thankful.
@MaryM: @bushelandapeck: @DesertDreams88: My midwife brought up my delivery preferences at my first visit! I was like um this feels a little early to me! My OB hasn't really asked but the midwives seem to want to talk about it at every visit.
@bushelandapeck: I have also done basically nothing to get ready for this baby. I am really more worried about my older daughter and her adjustment than the logistics of taking care of a newborn. ETA: I don't mean for that to sound condescending to FTMs, just I am pretty certain it's going to be harder to take care of my older daughter than the newborn in the first couple weeks.
But ya'll have inspired me to make a list so here goes:
My to-do list:
Breast pump (need to get prescription, meant to do that yesterday but forgot)
Wash clothes
Order NB diapers / Set up diaper station in our room
Install carseat base
Buy items off registry w/completion discount (waiting til after holidays for budgeting purposes)
FMLA paperwork (which I got in the mail from my employer but now I don't know where I put it :shocked:)
Buy chest freezer, and oh have DH redo our kitchen, our new kitchen cabinets arrived yesterday.Also, yesterday I made all the appointments at my Dr up until my due date! And bought milk that expires in February!!
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@petitenoisette: That's funny about the milk!
I don't usually think i'm *that* far along...but someone posted to facebook yesterday that they're pregnant, and due in July! I was like, holy cow!!
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@petitenoisette: Yeah, not having an epi, and risking hemorrhage and general anesthesia for a C-Sec.... so fun, not. So I am pumped about these numbers! And doubly devoted to my iron supplements.
About the leave, I mean, it's understandable policy - just a hassle with paper and paying insurance premiums. I get 12 weeks of FMLA, no questions asked. I get one more week because of spring break. But any other "extra" time is considered a leave of absence, so that is separate paperwork, and I'll have to pay full premiums, at a prorated rate. I just think it will be weird if it ends up being a leave of absence for like, 3 days, haha. But I also don't want to arrange babysitting for a newborn for 3 days - I'm pretty protective and structured in those newborn days.
So glad to hear this pregnancy is easier than the last - it is amazing to look back and compare, for sure.
Like you I put all my tentative appointments on my calendar and scheduled 30 & 32 weeks with the dr!
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@DesertDreams88: Ah, gotcha, so we basically have the same system minus the extra paper work. I will also have to pay the insurance premiums, so that will be fun writing a checks TO our employers instead of the other way around. I agree it is worth it though to be home with your babe.
Also need to start crossing my fingers that we don't have (m)any snow days before my leave starts - each day is a day I end up not getting paid, and with LO1 we had an atrocious winter and all the snow days cost me like 4k.
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@petitenoisette: That's crazy that you don't get paid for snow days! I was mad that if there are snow days while I'm on leave, they still take my PTO to cover that day, but at least I get paid for the ones we have before I go on leave (if there are any)
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@MaryM: It’s because I’m a teacher so basically the amount I get paid on my mat leave depends on the total days I have worked out of the 180 in the school year (plus a max of 12 weeks paid). So any snow days get tacked onto the end of the year in June when I’ll still be out and add to the number of days I won’t have worked.
That sucks they still take your PTO if there’s a snow day; it might actually be the same for me, I’m not sure how that part works. Hopefully by March snow weather will mostly be over so it won’t impact us much.
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33w appointment today and all is well. I forgot to bring back my hospital paperwork but she said I can bring it next time. I’m scheduled for the Group B strep test at my next appt on 12/26 and we talked a bit about birth control options.
We scheduled appointments up until 1/23 and when I commented that my original due date was 2/2 she said we would be talking induction at that point.....which is something I’m pretty adamantly opposed to but chose not to get into that with her today. Hopefully it will be a non-issue and she will let him come when he’s ready but it did catch me off guard since she had said we wouldn’t need to do that when I asked previously. I’m still planning on a Feb baby!
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@MaryM: Glad you and DH had a talk and he is being more supportive. And kudos to you for shaving! I typically don't shave all winter long. I mean I know it's still fall but shorts weather is over so I haven't shaved in months. I did ask my DH to help me with some intimate grooming though. I mean we still haven't gotten around to it but it needs to happen ASAP, haha!
@DesertDreams88: That's really annoying and totally ridiculous! It doesn't really seem appropriate to have the students be around paint fumes all day either... right? Why wouldn't this be a task that they schedule for the summer??As for convos about birthing, my midwives and OB seem all about waiting, even though I'm having twins and they tend to come early. They said we'll talk birth plan around 35-36 weeks so... I guess we'll see. However I did have a very in depth conversation with my doula about what I want, who is more enthusiastically supportive of my desire for an unmedicated vaginal birth anyway.
@petitenoisette: Hope you enjoyed your day to yourself! What did you do? And congrats on passing the glucose test! That's great news.
I do still have a lot to do... but I'm happy to have some key things done. We bought a minivan and I've packed my and the babies' hospital bags. Car seat bases are installed and we're getting them safety-checked Monday morning. Cribs are coming along w/ my parents on Saturday so nursery should be set up in the next week or two. Fingers crossed someone buys the glider off my registry! That's the last big ticket item we still need. I'm assuming (hoping) everything else we need will be gifted to us at our showers. And if not, Christmas is coming up and DH and I both have January birthdays so I'm betting our families will get us what remains on the registry. If not we'll just buy it ourselves because it's really just smaller, inexpensive stuff that's left.
We have a bunch of stuff I *want* to do before the babies arrive but that isn't totally necessary. Just small home improvement and deep cleaning stuff. But I'm trying not to stress too much if we don't get to it before they are born.
On that note, been having some unusual feelings the last couple of days. Yesterday I was super nauseous out of no where, but did feel better after I ate. Been feeling more regular BH contractions - nothing really painful though. Some light cramping low in my abdomen. I'm hoping all of this is just my body continuing to adjust and not signs of pre-term labor. I tried to check my cervix this morning in the shower but - surprise! - I can't reach it. Haha.
Oh and sleeping is getting harder and harder. I can't believe I have two more months of this! Well 58 days until my ideal birthing date of 37+6 (just before they'll want to induce). I want these boys to bake as long as possible, but I'm really starting to be over being pregnant, just because of the immobility aspect. I can't imagine getting bigger than I already am. 30 weeks on Monday.
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Thoughts on video monitors? We registered for regular old audio monitors with two monitors - so we can have one upstairs and one downstairs. My sisters bought off-registry and got us two video monitors. Which is nice, and fancy, and expensive, but they really didn't need to do that. So I'm trying to decide if we keep the fancy monitors or return them and turn that money into something we really need. The hitch is that they didn't give us gift receipts and I don't know where they bought them - so I'd have to tip them off to the fact that I'm returning them.
They also bought us fancy ass Baby Bjorn high chairs even though we had more modest ones on our registry - and one had already been purchased and shipped to us and assembled by my husband (who wants to assemble every item the second we receive it bc he's so excited.)
What's with people buying off-registry without telling you first? We spent a lot of time researching what we wanted - it's not like we just threw stuff up there without thinking about it!
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@dominobee: Jumping over from the May group to say keep the video monitors! I cannot even imagine not having a video monitor. I love it so much. Its nice to be able to see what's going on in the crib without actually having to go in there and check. Return the high chairs!
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@dominobee: I'm a quarter sicilian. I can't not shave! Especially with all the doctors appointments and the risk of having to take my pants off... I have like, 10 times the body hair that DH does, and he's twice my size! lol
I was on the fence about video monitors. I don't even think my brother's family has monitors at all? Baby sleeps in their room for at least 6 months, then in a nursery attached to their room, so they just listen for them.
But I took a friend shopping with me when I registered and she told me what her husband chose after a lot of research...and I really trust their research. So I went ahead and registered for one. I figure it'll be easy to check on the baby without disturbing him.
It seems sort of ridiculous considering we live in a one story house though. If we don't get it at the shower, I don't think it'll be something I feel like I HAVE to pick up.
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@agold: Thanks for the insight. Can’t return the high chairs bc my sister’s friend works there and bought them on her (very generous) employee discount.
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@MaryM: Oh sister I’m Eastern European, I feel you
But I’m still too lazy to shave in the winter. And I haven’t shaved my armpits in years.
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Guess who got booze in the yankee swap at the christmas party? Boo!! (and not even booze I can drink. It's malted so it contains gluten)
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@dominobee: off registry really bugged me as well, like I did research to figure out what was the best for us and our life style and what I think is going to work best for us please just buy it. Thankfully most did except for my grandma but then at my showers she saw me receiving the things off my registry that she bought me off registry and offered to return it all and buy the dresser for the nursery.
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@MaryM: Wouldn’t someone trade w/ you?
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@snarkybiochemist: How’s Evelyn?
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@dominobee: I picked one of the highest numbers, so there was no real chance for someone to "steal" from me...and I don't think it was obvious it was non-gluten free.
Close to half the gifts this year were probably booze related, so my options were somewhat limited!
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@MaryM: Booo. Regift I guess haha.
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@dominobee: growing big, my low supply can almost keep up with her. how are you feeling?
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@snarkybiochemist: Large and tired. But trying to remember that my life is easier now than it will be in two months. I’m so excited to meet my little guys but starting to get anxious about the logistics of twin parenting, especially when they’re babies. But also I can’t wait!! Haha. So, mixed feelings.
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@dominobee: I would definitely keep the video monitors. Ours broke at some point when our first was a baby and I really regret not having gotten another bc it made sleep training way more difficult. It’s really helpful to know if they are crying but lying down and startingto settle vs. standing, etc.
We will be getting another for this baby. -
@dominobee: I would Lee the monitors too though I’m not sure why you need two. A second camera would’ve been cheaper. We have gone through two video monitors in 5 yesrs and I just bought another one for this baby. Our house is an odd configuration though so there’s no way I would be able to hear any of the kids from our bedroom. I do plan on keeping this baby in our room for several months but will start naps in his room relatively early and will use the monitor for that.
Unrelated....the pelvic pain has started over here. I feel like I have a bowling ball between my legs when I stand up too quickly and it’s making it harder and harder to get comfortable at night. Ugh.
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@dominobee: we lived in a two bedroom apartment for a while, and it was still nice to have a video monitor - you could see if baby was starting to settle, etc. And then with sleep-training, etc., I just like being able to see what’s going on without having to go in. So, not necessary, but they are helpful, I think.
I would try to return the high chairs, honestly. Do they carry them at Target? Maybe they’d take them if they do? We got the $25 ikea high chair and it’s the best - so easy to clean, cheap. You don’t need expensive high chairs!
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@bushelandapeck: ugh, it’s been hard for me to be comfortable at night too! And turning over to my other side is such a chore now. Haha. Sorry about the pelvic pain!
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@MaryM: bummer!! Does your husband drink? If it wasn’t something my husband would want, then I would just regift
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@dominobee: yea parenting brings it's own set of challenges that are just so different from pregnancy. I'm sure you will be great and at least with some parenting tasks your husband can help and it's not just on you.
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@bushelandapeck: I'm not 100% sure how it all works but *maybe* we can set it up to view both cameras with both monitors? I'll have to do some reading. But you all have convinced me to keep the video monitors and take the audio off the registry.
As for the high chairs, I think I'll just keep them to avoid family drama. DH already took the other high chair off the registry, and I'll either return the existing one or bring it to my parents' house.
And oh how I feel your pain (so to speak) on the pelvic pain! Mine comes and goes depending on my activity level, fortunately. It would be rough if it was all the time (though that could be coming down the pike as these babies get heavier).
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@dominobee: it’s definitey related to the amount of activity I do. I’ve been trying to still work out but overdid it on Sunday with weights/squats and then today probably a little too long on the cardio. I keep thinking I can just keep doing what I’ve always done but am realizing I probably need to scale it back a lot.
If this baby comes early, I'll have to apply for a leave of absence to link my mat leave with summer break.
Also, that's crazy taht you may have to apply for a leave of absence to get you to the summer if baby comes early. I don't get why a school administration would want you to come back for just 1-2 weeks, isn't that more disruptive to the students? I am really lucky that my school has super friendly policies regarding this. It's also cheaper for them to pay my long term sub during the unpaid portion of my leave (which will be about 6 weeks) than it would be for them to pay me to come back! Fingers crossed for you that baby comes right on time. 
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