mama's to be check-in 7/19/07

A

amybajamy

Cathlete
Good morning everyone!

I've been super busy at work and haven't been able to visit the forums for a few days. Thank you everyone from the last check-in for telling me I'm not old!:D

How is everyone feeling? I've actually had a few days of naseau this week. I'm 12 weeks and this is the first time I've had that problem. Hopefully it won't continue. I've also been battling depression, from the hormones I guess. Because I've been feeling down I haven't worked out since Sunday:( My eating hasn't been great either. I'm going riding today and then I want to do some Cathe workouts Fri, Sat, and Sun since those are my days off. I haven't planned which workouts yet.

Back to the being older, I have an appointment with a genetics counseler on Monday. My doctor suggested I see them because I'm older (I won't say old) to have some extra tests to make sure everything is okay. I'm a little nervous. Have any of you had to do this? They're even suggesting a possible amniocentesis.

Well I hope everyone is doing well. Good luck with all of your workouts!
 
Hi, Amy!

I'm glad you started this thread - I keep forgetting. Hah! Yet another sign of pregnancy . . .

I think it's a good thing that you're feeling sick even though that sounds weird. I was so sick my first trimester, but my doctor and friends all told me that it was a good sign because it meant that my body was producing all those good hormones to keep the baby healthy. So "morning" sickness is a blessing.

I have not had the extra tests done since I am just under 35. I have heard of people having those tests done (lots of my friends at work were over 35 and preggo). I'm sure everything will be fine, it's all just preventative, and I have heard that the amnio is common for women in this age group.

I think some of the popular baby sites describe these tests:

www.babyfit.com
www.babycenter.com (my favorite)

Chrissy
 
hi amy!

morning sickness is probably a good sign that things are progressing normally. i had it in my 1st trimester but it totally went away now in my 2nd and i feel really good. i do think working out will help ease your depression. so will shopping for baby stuff and cute maternity clothes :)

ok, so since i'm 36 i did have the genetics testing. what i did was the AFP test which is a blood test that measures levels of a hormone called alpha-fetoprotein. this protein is made in the liver of your unborn baby. the blood tests measure whether the protein level is too high which *could* indicate one of several genetic disorders like down syndrome, trisomy 18, spina bifida, and several other problems. it is not 100% accurate but it's pretty close. you can google AFP blood test or sometimes it's called the triple screen test for more info.

in my health insurance plan, before they send you straight away to amniocentisis, they do the AFP test to determine your risk for having a baby with one of these disorders. it's like a pre-amnio screen. fortuntately my test came back as low-risk so we are not going forward with amnio. some women choose to do amnio anyway. amnio makes me nervous as there is a slight risk of miscarriage. i really wanted to do the AFP first to get a baseline risk assessment.

best of luck to you, let us know how things go. oh yeah, and get your butt out there and do a workout lol, you will feel better!!! :)
 
Thanks Marnie! That's some good info. I will get my butt out there and do a workout, I know it will make me feel better.

Thanks for those websites Chrissy.
 
Hey Guys,
I was also referred to the genetics counseler during my last pregnanacy.They suggested possible amniocentesis, but I refused. I however, did the extra ultrasounds and everything was fine.I planned to do the same with this pregnancy.

Had my first dr appt yesterday,went well.I will schedule an US in another 2 wks to check dates.I feel ok,thank God :),because I have 2 other kids to chse around,and my DH is out of town this week.

My exercise routine has not changed. I have to motivate myself to exercise,but I feel so much better when I am done.I am planning on doing low max after I get off this computer (the kids are in bed:) Take care
Suzette
 
Hi ladies,

I am new, but have been reading your check-ins for the past couple weeks and thought it was time to join. My name is Leslie, I'm 28, and expecting my first on December 22d (so I am 18 weeks today!). DH and I moved to the UK in February - he got a job transfer. We had been in upstate NY prior to the move. I was an attorney in the States, and had been planning to take the necessary exams to get licensed here in the UK, but that was all de-railed when I got an unexpected BFP. Our plan is for me to be a SAHM, at least for the first couple years.

We have an U/S on August 2d and are hoping to find out the gender then. I had some pretty bad nausea from weeks 7-11, so basically didn't work out at all during those weeks, but since then have been feeling good and getting my workouts back on track. I do Cathe 3 times a week, and do pregnancy videos twice a week (I have The Perfect Pregnancy Workout, Pilates During Pregnancy, and Erin O'Brien's Pregnancy Fitness Fix). I've also been doing a good bit of walking since we've been traveling around with visiting family members. Even so, I think my weight gain is about 9 lbs at this point.

So anyway, sorry for such a long intro, and looking forward to being a part of the check-ins!

Leslie
 
Hi ladies. Congrats to all and I hope everyone is feeling well. :)

I am almost 35 weeks now and am really feeling this pregnancy more than my first. I am so huge now! I have gained nearly 30 pounds and feel like an elephant or something. Lol. I am ready for this to be over in some ways, but I suppose it would be best not to think that way. I have been having more and more Braxton Hicks-like contractions the past few days and sometimes I fear I am in preterm labor, as my lower back will start to ache, or I just feel plain uncomfortable. My cervix is about 3/4 cm dilated, but everything seems to be firm according to my recent check up. I was told to rest all day Friday, after trying to go into work and realizing I hadn't felt the baby kick in a few hours. I was placed on a monitor and heard the baby's heartbeat right away, which relieved my worrying. I then started feeling small contractions and the baby moving around, as it should. I think I just needed to lie down and rest. I am feeling more and more movements now, and I suspect it was stress that had me worried, or maybe the baby was just taking a long nap. I have not been working as much, per doctor's orders, but I have a very ill family member that is causing me a lot of stress. I am sure that contributed.

Whew! Sorry for unloading all of that. I guess I needed to vent. ;) Anyway, I am hopeful the baby will stay in for a couple more weeks, as my doctor wants me to make it until 37 weeks at least. I am on constant guard that she may put me on bed rest and keep praying that is not the case. I would not deal well with that at all.

Enough of the doom and gloom. I am feeling rather good despite all of the above. I feel like I am connecting with my little boy already and he seems to respond to me when I talk to him. And I love watching my 4 year old son talk to my belly and say "what are you doing in there, baby brother?" It's so cute.

I find I can't eat much at a time, and have heart burn quite a bit. How have you guys handled that, if you experienced it before? I also find my feet and legs hurt after lying down for awhile, and I am constantly changing position as I sleep at night. Something becomes uncomfortable, rather it be my legs or my tummy. Any tips on that as well?

As for my exercise routine, I definitely find I have way less energy than before. I can only do very low intensity aerobic routines and my weight training is down to 5 or 8 lbs at most. But at least I am still doing 5-6 workouts a week. I use the Preggie Bellies workout a lot, which I enjoy. I haven't done many Cathe workouts lately, as the intensity seems a bit too much for me now. Though I do still use LIC, HSC, PP and SS a lot.

Well, I think that is more than enough for now. Thanks for listening! And I hope everyone's pregnancy goes smoothly and healthy. Take care everyone!

Erin
 
Hi, Erin,

I am 33 weeks (almost 34), so I'm right there with you on some of those symptoms! As for the heartburn, I find that tums, milk and Zantac really work. Especially the Zantac. It was approved by my doc. I also sleep propped up with about 5 pillows at night so the acid rolls back into my stomach rather than my esophagus.

As for the uncomfortable sleeping, I also flip around a lot, but for the most part I'm getting sleep. I sleep propped like I said before until about 1-2 am (when I naturally wake up to go to the bathroom), and at that time, I throw all pillows except one for my head, one to hug around my chest and one to put between my legs as I sleep on my side (I flip from side to side when one hipe gets too uncomfortable).

I hope some of those help!

Chrissy
 
Hi Chrissy!

Thanks for the tips. I also sleep with a pillow between my legs and usually go from one side to the other throughout the night. I don't, however, sleep propped up. I will have to try that. I am not usually able to sleep propped up or sitting up, and have always preferred a very flat pillow, so that may be hard. I have used Tums for the heartburn, but not Zantac. I will give that a try, one I okay it with my MD. I am grateful to know that I am not alone.

Erin
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top