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DH and I plan to migrate in July when LO would be about 2 months old. I'm really hoping things go according to plan so that I can be a SAHM.
Getting ready for my appointment and I've been a nervous bag of tears all morning. I do not feel ready for blood to be drawn.
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@Glitter: good luck today! Hope the blood draw is easier than expected...I will be looking forward to an update!
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@Mae: I grew up near Columbus, but then escaped! Small world!
With our first, we found daycare 5 months before we needed it but there were some openings for infants. Bit totally depends on your area. I will probably cut back to part time or stop completely after #2 but this will be due to both the cost of two in care and to DH's upcoming crazy schedule...
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@Glitter: You can do it! I mean really, it is ONE poke (that does not hurt bad at all! it's just a little pinch) and then you don't feel anything at all as they change out several vials. In under a minute, it's over. You'll be just fine
@MamaCate: lol, escaped! Where did you escape to? I grew up in the Cleveland suburbs and moved to cbus for school then never left. I thought I wanted to escape, then interned in DC for a while during law school and realized just how much I love my small city Columbus life. Now i never want to leave
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@Glitter: Good luck at your appointment today. I hope the blood draw goes ok! Just try to breathe through it, distract yourself by talking to your DH and remember that all the needle sticks are worth the little baby you get at the end of this! Will you have an ultrasound today too?
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@twodoghouse @mae- I live in DC, and it is hellishly competitive to get decent childcare. Even though we have not decided whether we want the live in nanny route or the daycare route, I wanted to make sure my options were open. Turns out even the live in nannies have to be preplanned well in advance.
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Crazy story from today. I walked to work (I live about eight blocks from work) in a nice leisurely walk. I get here and I swear I felt like I was choking. My bra strap was so tight. I went to the bathroom and released the snap thingie in the back. I swear my boobs got bigger in my 15 minute walk to work.
Guess who is going bra shopping today!
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@Coopersmama: So with you! My monster boobs snapped my underwire in half this weekend! I also need to go bra shopping but I'm not sure where to go because I already have(had?) big boobs. I was a 38D (sometimes DD). Who even carries sizes bigger than that?! lol. and I don't want to spend a ton because I'm guessing the boobs will keep growing and I'll need more new bras in a few months.
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What is the boobage option- just bigger bras with no underwire? Sports bras? What are the options ladies- do share.
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@Mae: @Coopersmama: I am pretty small chested. Last time I went from like a 32B to a 34C or D. I'm still wearing nursing bras now since I'm breastfeeding so I haven't even noticed any change yet. I bet you can go to a specialty bra store and they will measure you and find special size bras if you're already in the bigger sizes.
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@Coopersmama: Welcome! !!! Omg about daycare near you! I know in the closest major city to where I am the good ones have crazy waits like that, we searched in March for LO to start this Fall. Funny, I just left her there for the first time today (we did a half day this am) omg Momma's, it was awful on me......I cried so much in my car, she didn't even notice I left, lol.
@Glitter: Good luck today, and exciting about potential to be a SAHM!! I learned that I am definitely meant to be a working Momma, so bigtime kudos to you!
@Coopersmama: I can't remember what stage I got to (halfway, maybe?) with #1 and I was a sports bra every day kinda girl......I wish it could be like that all the time, lol.
The nausea today has been insane, and really bad dizziness too. Like to a point where I had to sit down, thankfully LO could have books read to her all day, we just snuggled up in her book nook and read!! She is down for nap now, I think I need one too!!
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@Coopersmama: I'm thinking I'm going to go to bigger bra with no underwire soon. Somewhere cheap, too (maybe Target) because I'm only 6.5 weeks - I know I'll need to get bigger ones as I get further along!
@Beebug: Aw, poor momma! I'm glad your LO seemed ok, but I'm sorry it was so rough on you! How old is your LO? Hope the nausea/dizziness lets up a little for you!
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@Mae: I moved away for school and have lived here and there but have been in AZ for the past several years. I complain about the cloudy weather every time I go back! But I am glad it is working out for you !
We may be moving next summer so I am trying to enjoy the sunshine while I can!
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@twodoghouse: She is 11m! She is the most fantastic little girl, and is definitely to blame for tricking us (lol, ha!) into two under two!
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@Coopersmama: no advice on bras right now as I didn't really pop until my milk cane in after delivery last time, so I never bought maternity bras. But I went bra shopping the day before my BFP and was fitted at a cup size bigger than usual. I was really surprised but now it makes sense!
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@MamaCate: I was the same way last time. No huge change until after delivery...and then wowza!!! Huge!!!
So I just had to tell my boss that I am pregnant. She wanted me to travel to the Middle East in February, and after going last time I was pregnant, there's no way I'm doing it again. Her answer was "I thought you might be pregnant because you were so slim when you came back to work and now you have gotten bigger". Haha oh man, do I ever feel great about myself now
I know she didn't mean anything mean by it, so I'm not too offended, but it definitely made me want to lay off the pancakes!
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@cookie_dough: do you feel like you are showing a lot earlier this time? I felt huge all weekend and like none of my pants fit and was despairing about keeping the lid on the news until I am ready to tell! But then yesterday and today have been a little better but I feel like it is only a matter of time. I lost the weight but still have a little pooch so I think that makes everything stretchier...sigh...
Anyway I am glad your boss took the news well and that you got out of the trip!
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@MamaCate: Oh, I'm totally wearing maternity pants already
But that's mostly because I was between sizes when I got pregnant and most of my regular work pants were too small, so instead of going out and buying new work pants, i just switched to my maternity wardrobe! But yes, I'm totally showing wayyyyyyyy earlier this time!
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@cookie_dough: @MamaCate: I can't waaaait for maternity pants!!!!! I need work ones, I was mostly pg Spring/Summer last time, so will need to go maternity pants soon! I should go down to my bins and start looking at what I can rotate in already!
First time Momma's, don't hesitate on going to get maternity clothes, I waited too long last time, and omg....they were/are amazing. I bought a better maternity wardrobe than my regular one, especially for work.
Do you find you are bigger in the pm? In the evening I look at myself in the mirror before my shower and think holy $&%# I look pregnant! During the day I am already thinking about busting out the bellaband again rather than squeezing into some stuff.
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I struggle with when I am going to crack and who I might tell first, I realize it should probably be my parents or DHs, but I have a feeling my boss may find out sooner, we plan so far ahead for some stuff, I may just have to drop that in there, ha! I've done the math on when I get my hours in.......haha insane.
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Today I heard the most beautiful sound... The sound of 140bpm
Thanks so much for your encouragement ladies! I had an awesome nurse who kept me laughing during the blood draw. It took two sticks and lots of fist flexing because my veins just would not cooperate.
EDD is May 12 and baby is now 1.01 cm long
Meet our baby!
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@Glitter: oh hooray! I am so thrilled to see your beautiful little bean and to hear you survived the blood draw! what a great day!
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Go @glitter!!! Awesome news. I hate my blood being drawn so I always ask for the best nurse who will get it right the first time. You are not pricking me twice!
@beebug- I was reluctant to start with maternity gear, but I am going to get started.
@cookiedough- good that your boss was understanding., insensitive, but understanding
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@Glitter: yay yay yay!! I love your post! I hope we can be EDD twins after my u/s, for now just LMP for me due date twins!
@Coopersmama: I didn't get time tonight, maybe this weekend, I really need to inventory my clothes and put some outfits together so I am not scrambling every morning before work! Wearing work clothes this am was so weird.
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ps. I did buy new bras. No underwire from Target. One of them even doubled an a nursing bra! No more 'choking bras'!
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@Beebug: I am definitely bigger in the evening, or at least I think I am! I am really thrifty so I didn't buy a lot of maternity stuff last time. Now my SIL has almost all of it! I gave it to her after my pregnancy #1 but now she is pregnant again and due on November! I think I have my Bella band still so I will have to look for it...
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So much to catch up on!! @twodoghouse Double congrats to you!! So excited to have a twin mama on the board.
@kentuckygirl I know you're just lurking here right now, but FX you join us officially on Friday!!
@glitter so proud of you for surviving, and jealous of that sweet picture! I go next Monday and I'm already so excited!
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Friends - a separate post about daycare / child care. I work for a child care resource and referral non-profit. These exist all over the country. Basically, you can call them and they will give you a list of daycare programs that meet your criteria, location, budget, etc.
You have to do this NOW. It's not just in DC that spots fill up. In Cincinnati, the highest quality places have the same problem. If you can't afford the very highest quality, the very good places just under them fill up just as quickly.
Infant care is a whole different ballgame than toddler care or preschool because of ratios. The best ratios are 3 infants to one caregiver; legal ratios vary from state to state but are usually around 6 infants to one caregiver. There just aren't a lot of infant spots - when you compare this to 18 preschoolers to one teacher.
So.... I know it's overwhelming and seems ridiculous to look into it because we're barely pregnant, but you need to do it NOW! If you need some information about the R&R service in your area, feel free to ask and I can track them down!
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@tarabonno: What is standard in terms of booking ahead of time and then canceling? My concern is that I don't even know if we want/need full time daycare.
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@tarabonno: Wow, I had no idea that resources like this exist. I am planning on SAH but it's still great to know about this in case things change! Thanks for sharing!
@Glitter: I'm so glad to hear your blood draw went well. And your ultrasound pic looks BEAUTIFUL!!
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@Mae: around here there is usually a small fee to hold your spot ($50 or so). When your chance comes up and you don't take it you just lose your deposit. I actually don't know of we will need it yet either (DH is going back to school) but if I want it as am option, have to act now!
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@tarabonno: okay so I looked and found one. It just seems so overwhelming because I don't even know what I'm searching for. It seems equally likely that we'd want a full time daycare or part time daycare or full time in home daycare or part time in home day care or maybe a nanny or a nanny share. No. Freaking. Clue.
I was talking to a friend about this last night. It just seems like it is going to be impossible for me to figure out what I need before I actually have the baby. I work at home 100% of the time and my job isn't *that* busy. So if I have a really good sleeper it seems totally possible that I could just have part time help and still get my work done. But if I have a colicky baby, or if I am just too overwhelmed caring for the baby, I'll need full time help. But I won't know until I have the baby and by then it's like... too late!
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@Mae: I would think budget would drive a big part of that decision for me, so it might be worth researching all those possibilities to see what makes sense. I WOH FT and have FT daycare at an NAEYC accredited center. When I first went back to work, I tried having one day be a short day so I could get LO early and hang out with her, but that ended up shifting my work to the evening when I was exhausted and felt really frustrated with the whole thing. For me, trying to work at home and pay attention to LO left me feeling like I couldn't give either the attention they needed...but that was me. You will have to figure out what makes sense for you...
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@Coopersmama: @Mae: I have tig ol' bitties (36G... yeah, I'm an Asian freak of nature) and I have to go to a specialty store or Amazon for my bras. I would suggest getting professionally fitted once (even Nordies does it) and then buying the right bras for you once you know your true size. I thought I was a 38DD up until I got measured a few years ago!
@Glitter: congrats on your appt/blood draw and seeing your wittle baby!!
@twodoghouse: HORRAY FOR TWINS!!!!
So my OB office has this weird orientation thing that I need to go to on Monday to pick up paperwork? I'm thinking it's the first trimester screen paperwork, but the last time my OB's office just gave it to me. I'm not happy about wasting 2 hours of my time during a work day. Ugh.
Oh! And I almost forgot. I have a UTI... wah. So I'm on day 3 of antibiotics and I'm a little apprehensive about nursing C because I don't want her to get thrush... so maybe this week will cause me to wean once and for all.
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@Habesbabe- you made me laugh with the 'asian freak of nature' comment. Wow.... 36G! Are they getting bigger with baby on the way.
@tarabonno- thanks for that resource. Right now I am trying to keep my options open. The place I put in my application has a 1 caretaker to two infants program. I am going to also very likely interview a nanny because I would like all the help I can get. I ran a small business, so no REAL maternity leave for me. I am going to try really hard not to work for the first month, and then to do only the 'necessary' for the next two. Likely back at work in three months. Good thing my office is pretty close to home/daycare.
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Good News Wednesday.
Got call from Ob's office. My blood tests, pap etc came in at perfect levels
I was worried because my last physical I had dangerously low iron, and I have not been taking my supplements are regularly as I should. (Until I got pregnant, now I am popping those multis and iron pills even though they are gross).Now just waiting on the genetic testing stuff..... 10 more days.
Motherhood is a serious test in patience. Oy vey!
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Thanks everyone!! I can't get over how awesome it was to hear life beating inside me. This feels even more real now.
Nausea is killing me today though. I feel so ready to vomit but it just won't surface. I couldn't deal with three hours of driving and lying on the bathroom floor at work so I called in sick. Oh the guilt.
@HabesBabe: sorry about your UTI
I hope it clears up soon and your LO is unaffected by the meds. @Coopersmama: I need new bras too! I have to lift my boobs when removing my bra now because after being squeezed all day, the pull of gravity on them is just too painful. I'm 36D so I'll probably have to go up to DD?
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@Coopersmama: yayyy for awesome results!! One thing to check off the worry list.
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@Coopersmama: Yeah, I'm pretty sure they were Hs when I was nursing C... but I wore the soft Medela nursing bras 90% of the time, so I'm not sure what size I was! Great news about the call from your OB's office, btw.
@Glitter: Thanks! Still 4 days left of antibiotics! I didn't have any symptoms (still don't), so I'm hoping everything clears up soon, too!
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I would second everyone's recommendations to at least start looking a daycare now. It is overwhelming, but I would recommend at least scheduling a visit at the places you are interested in. Daycare out here is crazy, but I was still surprised at how long I had to wait to even tour some places. I think in just going to see them, you will get a good feel for places you like or don't like. I found yelp and google to be pretty helpful for narrowing down the bigger centers, but the in-home daycares can be a little harder to find. Out here we have a lot of local mother/parent groups that you pay like $50 a year to join and they have a list-serve that you can post to. I had a lot of friends that had good luck posting a question there and asking for in-home daycare recommendations. They also seem to be good for finding full or part-time nannies as well.
Last time around I found these links on the web that Stanford provides for their students with families and the suggested questions/things to look for were really helpful b/c I had NO idea what I should be asking people. For those of you near a college or university it might be worth calling or poking around online to see if they have daycare suggestions for students with families as a place to at least start looking. Here is the link I mentioned:
I also thought these were helpful:
http://childcare.about.com/od/evaluations/tp/questions.htm
I know she didn't mean anything mean by it, so I'm not too offended, but it definitely made me want to lay off the pancakes!
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