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@SweetiePie: Nope I tried for like an hour on 3 separate occasions and never found it. But I'm not freaking out about it. Kid could just be burrowed in there or just be moving around a lot I guess. I could barely find my own heartbeat so I think I just have a lot of padding. I'm sure I'll be able to use the doppler at some point.
My MS sorta came back yesterday, so maybe that's why I'm feeling Zen about the doppler thing. After I ate my Subway at work I dry heaved really hard for about 10 minutes with tears streaming down my face and then was gagging pretty badly last night. Today I felt nauseous all day and finally took a Zofran so now I am feeling a little better. The constipation was making me feel sick too, so I had to deal with that. Slept a ton today and thankful I have tomorrow off. DH never likes to see me sick, but he was like "well, I guess the baby is just fine then!"
We'll see the doctor on Tuesday so we can verify everything is moving along.
@SweetiePie: @Latte Love: I am sorta unsure about what to do with work at the moment too. I think I will have enough leave and what not accrued by the time we have the baby where I can take the rest of the year off, but then I'd have to go back to work in January during the crazy busy season again. I don't think I could deal with the work load, sleep deprivation, and a 3 month old baby at the same time. Ideally, I would just become a full-time SAHM, but we're still paying off our law school loans, so losing my income entirely isn't ideal. We could technically live on DH's income, but we wouldn't gain much ground on the loans.
I can take up to a year off unpaid and they would hold my job for me, so I guess we could try that out, but I think right now the most likely scenario is that I would go back to work half time and that way the busy seasons would be less stressful. By working half time, I can still accrue some paid time off, accrue overtime if I felt like working more, and work towards my pension and promotions (albeit at a slower pace). We have a lead on a good in-home daycare near our house with a max of 6 kids that our friends rave about and I guess is not that expensive. If we can get a part-time plan and maybe get a housecleaner, we might be able to juggle things ok. DH works from home a few days a week and I work about 20 minutes from home so we'd always be able to run over and grab the kid if something happened.
I am good at my job and I really don't have anything to complain about with regards to my employer. Its a government job, so the benefits are good and my bosses are great to me. That said, I don't feel passionately enough about my job where I would want to put my career ahead of my kids. Its more like its a great secure job for my family as long as we need the income, but I'd love to stay at home with my kids and we'd really love to homeschool. That said, we want to be debt free, so paying off our loans is part of that goal. If we stay focused, mine should be paid off sometime next year, although DH's will take a bit longer. He thinks if we pay off my loans, we should be able to swing it on a single income, but we'll see.
DH says he wont settle on anything until the baby gets here. He says if we have the baby and I just can't stand to leave him or her to go back to work, we'll do whatever it takes to make it happen. Sigh. I guess we'll keep praying about it and see what happens!
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@Boogs: I used to get migraines twice a month and since pregnancy I haven't had one! I'm sorry you're experiencing rough headaches. Usually what helps me is ice on my forehead or neck, lots of water and sleep.
@gingerbebe: @SweetiePie What I would give to take a year off even unpaid! Maybe it's an option and I just haven't heard about it. We could survive (I think) on one income for a period of time. We're trying it this month and putting my whole check into savings to see if we can manage.
My only hesitation about becoming SAHM is that I like my job, it's 4 miles away from home and it's relatively cushy (almost no late hours, low stress, decent benefits). If only I could leave for three years, have a couple babies, and then go right back to it!
I'm just worried about balancing doing my part to take care of the house, having people over weekly (husband is a pastor and hospitality is a big part of our lives), and feeling like I can be both a good mom and a good employee. Lots to think and pray about!
I don't make enough money to make that the primary factor to keep working. Childcare will be 2/3 to 3/4 of my take home pay.
My MS came back with a vengeance this morning. UGH. I was so happy for five days that it was over. Thanks for the reminder you're still hanging in there, kid. I've got the message loud and clear.
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@LatteLove: I work from home (run my own business) and it took me awhile to figure out the ropes, and feel like I was truly balanced. For me, that meant hiring help. I was struggling with juggling so much and felt like I wasn't putting 100% into anything. Hiring a caregiver so I could focus on work was a great decision! If I had worked outside of the home I think I'd have been in the same situation -- pulled in too many directions. Something needs to give!
@gingerbebe: hooray for your appt tomorrow!
on Saturday i forced myself to get out and go to my cousins bday party. DH stayed with Chloe so I got a night out! It was fun catching up. My other cousin & his wife were there, so she and I sat, gossiped and sipped our water
when I got home I realized I hadn't eaten since lunch, so we ordered a salad... Which I then threw up fabulous. But, I felt pretty good yesterday morning and we took major advantage of my energy & lack of nausea. Same today, though the nausea has come back this evening.
But my house is clean! Laundry is done! I'm caught up on work! I feel like this is a major victory.
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So I've been meaning to go get some maternity jeans for a couple weeks but have not had the energy to do it. I finally sucked it up last night and hallelujah, these things are amazing! I'll be 10 weeks tomorrow, and I definitely needed them. My other jeans were just getting way too uncomfortable! I ended up getting 3 pairs and 2 shirts. It is really hard for me to find jeans normally so I figured it would be awful, but all 3 pairs are really cute and surprisingly flattering! The only problem with them is that they embrace my bump/bloat, whereas my other jeans 'locked' it up. So it was tricky getting dressed this morning. I can't wait to announce so I don't have to hide any more!
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Just had my 2nd appointment, this time with the nurse practitioner. She just did general blood, urine, pap stuff plus discussed testing and next appointments with me. I got to hear the heartbeat though, and that was awesome
@lattelove she did mention lots of women are allergic to cocoa butter during pregnancy, so that seems to go with your itchy situation!
@littlebit I so need to get on the maternity clothes train. It is definitely getting harder to hide it, especially at work towards the end of the day when the bloat is in full effect.
@boogs I think headaches are a big sign of dehydration. I am hating water lately too, but maybe just try juice or anything you can tolerate for a bit. I'm personally obsessed with OJ.
@mrs. jump rope glad you are feeling better!!
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@Littlebit: where did you get them from? I just ordered a couple pairs of maternity pants for work from Gap and hoping they are comfortable! Never expected my pants to be so annoyingly tight so quickly.
@psw27: GLad to you got to hear the heartbeat
And thanks for sharing about the cocoa butter - so interesting! I stopped using it and two days later my belly is completely cleared up and no itching.Any other suggestions for moisturizing/avoiding stretch marks besides cocoa butter?
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@LatteLove: I didn't know you could avoid stretch marks! If that's true, it would have been nice to know about during my first pregnancy!
My MS hit me with a vengeance this morning. I knew it was too good to be true! I gagged doing laundry -- we use All detergent and the smell hit me like a ton of bricks.
My NT scan is tomorrow morning, bright and early. I'm excited for the scan, dreading leaving my house at 7am.
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@LatteLove: I've heard great things about coconut oil. I have a sensitivity to it, so I can't use it, but I loved it when I did before I knew I had a problem! Though for what it's worth (@Mrs. Jump Rope too) EVERYTHING I've read that was from actual studies, not anecdotes, says nothing you do will have any real impact on whether you get stretch marks. It's pretty much genetic/predetermined, and the people who swear by certain remedies just wouldn't have gotten them no matter what they did. That being said, I'll still be putting my almond oil on my belly and breasts. If nothing else, I've heard the stretching can make skin itchy, and it'll help that.
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@lattelove my friend is using something called yummy tummy? People also rave about Bio-Oil, which I almost bought but Target wanted $20 for it and its cheaper on amazon. My doc this AM basically said moisturize, moisturize, moisturize - she said not to get sucked into the fancy stuff.
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@psw27: glad u got to hear the heartbeat!
@LatteLove: I think anything with vitamin e? I can't recall what I used, some oil or something, I can see if my sil remembers the name, since she got it for me. Not sure if it helped, but i was HUMONGOUS carrying twins and I don't really have any stretch marks.
@Mrs. Jump Rope: good luck tomorrow! Mine is at 10am!
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@tequiero21: mine is at 7:50 but I have to be there by 7:30!
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@LatteLove: I used Gene's Vitamin E cream. It's the only thing that stopped the itching... I tried SO many! It's really good stuff. And I have no stretch marks, though I'm of the opinion that those are mostly genetic.
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@lattelove @mrs. jump rope the doc said the same thing - its mostly genetic if you get stretch marks but she said staying moisturized can't hurt, especially with the itchiness.
@mrs. jump rope & @tequiero21 good luck at your scans tomorrow! I had a 7:30 appt this morning and leaving the house at 6:40 was not fun! but it was better than waiting around all day long.
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@LatteLove: I got one pair from H&M, and two pairs from Destination Maternity.
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Hi all. Bored sitting here through my blood glucose test. Saw baby today, all is well. HB was 172 and even measured a day ahead. Really hungry tho bc I haven't had anything since 930am.
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yay @gingerbebe do you feel more relaxed/less worried now? great US pic! You need a snack... 9:30 am?! I'd be so sick.
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@gingerbebe: go eat! Awww your baby is so cute!
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Hi! Gosh my appointment today took forever. I had to see my NP, fill out mountains of paperwork, give 2 urine samples, waited around forever, get the ultrasound, meet with my prenatal clerk to schedule all my appointments until 20 weeks, go through the genetic testing information, and THEN they sent me downstairs for my glucose test. And then after that they drew like a million vials of blood. DH was pissed - he didn't understand why I couldn't take the glucose first and then get my appointments done in between. It was like 1:30pm by the time I sat down at the closest restaurant and I was so tired and nauseated from not eating and just faint in general from that glucose drink (they wouldn't let me drink water for the hour!) I ordered SO MUCH food and just gulped down whatever I could eat fastest. I left work at 10am and got back to 2:30pm! I should have just taken the day off! I could really use a nap too!
Yes, I feel so much better knowing the baby is okay! The NP was really nice, she'll be alternating between the Dr. to see me the rest of the pregnancy. My doctor was weirded out I had fired so many doctors before him and had asked me detailed questions at my last appointment about why I had been so unhappy with the other doctors, so I think they had "crazy lady who fired 4 OBGYNs" in my file. The NP was extremely attentive and let me talk about whatever I wanted and kept asking both of us if we had questions or needed anything. She printed out lots of pictures for us and took lots of angles and let us hear the HB and whatever else we wanted. I guess sometimes being the pain in the rear patient gets results.
DH was super excited about seeing the baby because it was the first time it actually looked like a person to him "instead of a worm." I think we'll use the photos from today to send belated Valentine's Day cards to our moms. (We already told them their presents were "delayed" because we wanted to wait until this appointment to double check.)
NT scan will happen on March 4th and I'm having my first set of genetic blood draws at the end of the week.
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nt was this morning & baby is perfect! It took FOREVER to get here because of traffic but I had a great scan, and my friend is a sonographer so she stopped in to say hi. That was nice!
Baby was wiggling & doing somersaults, just like Chloe did at my nt. Had her arm up by her head a lot & that's how big sis sleeps!
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: awesome appointment/ultrasound! How far along are you now?
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@Littlebit: 11.3
Oh! And my hemToma is gone!!!
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Hey ladies. Great to see the beautiful U/S pics! I've been experiencing some spotting when I wipe over the last several days. It's not every time, but of course has me worried. DH says to call my OB, but I have an appt next Friday and figure they can't do anything at this point in the pregnancy so am trying to stay calm and positive about it. Dr. Google tells me this is normal, and it is actually around the time that I would normally have a period, so that could be the cause. Otherwise, feeling fine, but just a tad nervous...
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: Yay, yay, yay!!! So excited for you!
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@gingerbebe that sounds like an incredibly long day... My office does the same with every other visit with OB or NP. I spoke with NP for like an hour yesterday then the blood and everything else... took forever but I didn't do the glucose test. The best thing about my office was when I said I'm starving when I was checking out and the receptionist pulled a huge basket of snacks out! I was shocked but I guess they know pregnant women need to eat!
@mrs. jump rope awesome visit! So happy the hematoma is gone!
@gksj try not to worry too much! totally normal!
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@gksj: yes, very normal! I would call for peace of mind though.
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Thought I would update the appointment list:
September Mamas
9/3 brownbear (#1)
9/3 tequiero21 (#3)
9/5 mrs.hawk71 (#1)
9/6 torchwood (#1)
9/7 mrs. jump rope (#2)
9/9 georgiegirl83 (#1)
9/11 psw27 (#1)
9/11 coprtopmom (#2)
9/12 lindy (#1)
9/13 gingerbebe (#1)
9/14 pancakes (#2)
9/17 farawayviolet (#1)
9/17 littlebit (#1)
9/19 Weagle (#2)
9/20 boogs (#2)
9/21 gksj (#1)
9/22 lattelove (#1)
9/26 sweetiepie (#1) Appointments 2/19 tequiero21 (nuchal scan)
2/25 SweetiePie (9w4d)
2/26 psw27 (NT scan)
2/28 gksj (10w5d)
2/29 Mrs. Jumprope (NT scan)
3/3 Mrs. Jumprope (13 week appointment)
3/7 LittleBit (appt)
3/10 LittleBit (NT ultrasound)
3/10 lattelove (12w)
3/24 psw27 (15w3d)
4/23 psw27 (anatomy scan)
4/25 psw27 (20w) -
1. Going into work late today bc I woke up with back spasms at 4am and could not go to sleep. Have taken Tylenol and napped a little. Will go in shortly.
2. Failed my glucose test!!! I have to go in for the 3hr test now.
3. Sent our belated Valentines Day cards to our families with yesterday's ultrasound photo. Have a few days of peace and quiet before my mom flips out!
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@psw27: @Mrs. Jump Rope: I don't know that you can avoid stretch marks with lotions or oils, but I have gotten advice from those who did avoid them, so I'm starting early JUST in case! I'm vain, haha. But that makes sense.
@Mrs. Jump Rope: Your sweet babe in that picture brought me to tears. It is amazing how much progress happens in the four weeks from a tiny bean-sized blob on the screen to a baby-looking creature! I can't wait to see that same sight on March 10!
@gingerbebe: Sorry it was such a long visit, but glad to hear baby is doing well! Thanks for sharing the pic - more baby like by the minute!
@gksj: totally understandable why that would freak you out! Thinking of you. Hope this next weeks speeds by and the spotting stops soon!
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Updating with my appointment! Midwife said this is the "get naked and check everything" appointment. Not really sure what that'll entail (she mentioned checking my uterus with her hand?), but glad for the warning. The ultrasound tech never turned on any sound for the heartbeat at mine, so I'm thinking this will be my first chance to actually *hear* the heartbeat too.
September Mamas
9/3 brownbear (#1)
9/3 tequiero21 (#3)
9/5 mrs.hawk71 (#1)
9/6 torchwood (#1)
9/7 mrs. jump rope (#2)
9/9 georgiegirl83 (#1)
9/11 psw27 (#1)
9/11 coprtopmom (#2)
9/12 lindy (#1)
9/13 gingerbebe (#1)
9/14 pancakes (#2)
9/17 farawayviolet (#1)
9/17 littlebit (#1)
9/19 Weagle (#2)
9/20 boogs (#2)
9/21 gksj (#1)
9/22 lattelove (#1)
9/26 sweetiepie (#1)
Appointments
2/19 tequiero21 (nuchal scan)
2/25 SweetiePie (9w4d)
2/26 psw27 (NT scan)
2/28 gksj (10w5d)
2/29 Mrs. Jumprope (NT scan)
3/3 Torchwood (13 week appointment)
3/3 Mrs. Jumprope (13 week appointment)
3/7 LittleBit (appt)
3/10 LittleBit (NT ultrasound)
3/10 lattelove (12w)
3/24 psw27 (15w3d)
4/23 psw27 (anatomy scan)
4/25 psw27 (20w)I got some more maternity clothes! We've got this cruise on Friday, and my husband's company trip to Orlando two weeks later, and I really needed something to wear. My weight tends to be at it's lowest in the summer, so my warm weather clothes are all on the small side. And if my winter clothes are getting tight already, that means no way I'll fit in my summer stuff. But I'm feeling a little more prepared now. I even found a dress for formal night. Not really formal enough, but for $50 I'll take it. It's not maternity, but honestly could not be more of a perfect cut for early pregnancy. Just the right amount of stretch and very flattering.
Though the jacket I got has no pockets, so it's going back. Not sure where they'd put pockets on a maternity jacket, so if this is standard I think I'll be sticking with my regular jackets and just not zipping them up. Oh well.
Sorry I'm not keeping up very well! Glad to hear most of you are doing well, and I love seeing the ultrasound pictures! @gksj, sending lots of sticky baby dust your way! Spotting when AF would have been is definitely not unheard of, so I hope you're able to continue to keep your spirits up!
Now, off to buy yarn for a blanket for LO! I have a yarn problem.
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@Torchwood: at my first prenatal I was surprised to see it was a get naked appointment, too. I don't recl having done that with Chloe!
I had my annual in December but my OB didn't do a pap. At my first prenatal they did a pap & internal exam, then felt my belly/uterus with her hands. Also did weight, blood pressure, and urine sample.
It was a more thorough exam than I remember having before!
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I'm so annoyed I failed the 1 hour glucose test. As if this pregnancy wasn't hard enough, now we're dealing with this. DH was really annoyed at the hospital because he felt it was unreasonable to have me eat breakfast at 7:15am and then take my glucose test at 12:15pm. I ate a handful of salted peanuts at like 9am-ish just in case the wait for the test was long, but other than that, I had nothing between my breakfast and lunch at 1:30pm. DH felt like my blood sugar was probably super low and then I got jacked up on the glucose and my body freaked out.
Now I have to go get the 3 hour test. I've heard a lot of women pass the 3 hour after failing the 1 hour, so I'm hoping I'm one of those folks. DH thinks if I eat clean and have the test done 2 hours after breakfast instead of 5 I should be okay. Let's hope so!
I am so tired today - I had the worst back spasms last night, right up in my shoulder blade. I was writhing in bed and had to wake up DH at like 4am to give me a backrub, which did nothing. I finally had to get up and eat a really early breakfast so I could take Tylenol and went back to sleep for a few hours. Its gonna be a looooong day.
How's everyone else doing?
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@gingerbebe: That really sucks about the failed test, and I agree that the timing was ridiculous. But fingers crossed that everything will go perfectly for the 3 hour!
I had thought the glucose test wasn't done this early. Definitely haven't heard it mentioned by any of my providers. Am I just totally off on when I was expecting it, or is your doctor doing things a little differently? Or is it something that varies pretty widely?
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@gingerbebe: Gah, that sounds rough. I am really dreading those glucose tests
Have you scheduled the 3 hour already?@Torchwood: Wohoo for maternity clothes! I need to return a couple things but I think I should be good until May-ish, when I'll have to buy some summer items. So jealous of your cruise!
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@Torchwood: I have diabetes on my mom's side and my dad's side. I do not have diabetes, but with my family history and my relative chunkitude, I think they wanted to test me early in case I have gestational diabetes. Better to catch it early and control it. I think normal ladies have it done around 20 weeks or so.
@littlebit: I haven't scheduled the 3 hour yet, but I think its just a matter of putting the order in with the lab. I think we'll go to a location where there's Saturday hours, time it well with my breakfast and do stuff between the hourly blood draws. I think walking around a little and being able to stretch my legs will help. Just sitting there is torture.
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@gingerbebe: That makes more sense! I feel like I'm fairly well educated on these things (mostly by the bees!), but then there's constantly some new question popping up!
@Littlebit: If it makes you any less jealous, we're going with the in-laws. They're great people, but I have NOTHING in common with them (DH liked me because I'm so different from his family; he's the odd one out there too), and I'm VERY socially awkward. So a week with them has me feeling pretty apprehensive. But DH has already said we're only hanging out with them basically for dinner. They're doing a bunch of excursions, and I'm not allowed because of being pregnant, so that helps.
Though DH's cousin is coming, and I'm really (pretty irrationally) nervous about that. She and her husband went through years of infertility. They finally got pregnant after spending thousands of dollars on IVF, only to find out that the baby was going to have so many issues that it absolutely could not live (I think the organs were growing on the outside?). She chose to carry to term anyway, and of course he died soon after birth. Then a few months later she found out she had cancer. She's fine now, but it hasn't been that long (not more than a year or two at most), and I'm worried that it'll be hard for her to be around me, with me being pregnant. I know it's not my problem, and all I can really do is not talk about it non-stop, but I just hate thinking I might cause her any pain. I've never even met her, so I don't have any idea where she is emotionally with all of it. Oh well. Hopefully she'll be fine.
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September Mamas
9/3 brownbear (#1)
9/3 tequiero21 (#3)
9/5 mrs.hawk71 (#1)
9/6 torchwood (#1)
9/7 mrs. jump rope (#2)
9/9 georgiegirl83 (#1)
9/11 psw27 (#1)
9/11 coprtopmom (#2)
9/12 lindy (#1)
9/13 gingerbebe (#1)
9/14 pancakes (#2)
9/17 farawayviolet (#1)
9/17 littlebit (#1)
9/19 Weagle (#2)
9/20 boogs (#2)
9/21 gksj (#1)
9/22 lattelove (#1)
9/26 sweetiepie (#1) Appointments
2/19 tequiero21 (nuchal scan)
2/25 SweetiePie (9w4d)
2/26 psw27 (NT scan)
2/28 gksj (10w5d)
2/29 Mrs. Jumprope (NT scan)
3/3 Torchwood (13 week appointment)
3/3 Mrs. Jumprope (13 week appointment)
3/4 Gingerbebe (NT scan)
3/7 LittleBit (appt)
3/10 LittleBit (NT ultrasound)
3/10 lattelove (12w)
3/24 psw27 (15w3d)
4/1 Gingerbebe (16 week appt)
4/23 psw27 (anatomy scan)
4/24 Gingerbebe (anatomy scan)
4/25 psw27 (20w) -
Also, does anyone else feel a little ridiculous buying maternity clothes so soon? I mean, I AM pregnant, but it's not even baby that's causing the belly right now, and compared to what's coming, I'm tiny. But I don't see any point in buying clothes that will only last the next month or two, and mine don't fit so... But I still feel silly.
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@Torchwood: dont! If you need them, you need them. I was so bloated by 10w with Chloe that I did have to buy maternity clothes. I wasn't visibly showing until close to 15ish weeks but I did feel so much more comfortable in stretchy pants!
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@gksj: Agree that its normal and not necessarily anything to freak about! But also agree with Mrs. Jump Rope that its good to call for peace of mind. They'll probably just tell you not to worry and that in itself would make me feel better (personally).
Also, if you had sex that can cause spotting! Sorry if that's too personal, but I know spotting after sex and even after the vaginal ultrasound is normal! -
@SweetiePie: chiming in to say that sex, straining during a bowel movement and overexertion can cause spotting.
Don't ask me how I know
when I got home I realized I hadn't eaten since lunch, so we ordered a salad... Which I then threw up fabulous. 
September Mamas 
Have you scheduled the 3 hour already?
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