Pregnancy Thread...Tuesday, 12/7

[metroames]

Teach2Live............David Morton..................Born 9/10/04
Shenandoah..........Surrogate Twins.............Born 9/20/04
babyblue26062.....Alexander Jude...............Born 9/29/04
Bozo......................Helen................... ...........Born 9/30/04
ThininMex..............Brianna Irish...................Born 10/05/04
little bear...............Aiden Xavier.................. Born 10/06/04
aphexacid..............Bethany Erin...................Born 10/08/04
lizzyd.....................Henry Stewart................Born 10/15/04
Mrs. Sarah.............Tanner Christian.............Born 11/12/04
ChristinaK..............Joshua Vincent...............Born 11/18/04
karatejen...............Murphy Archie................ Born 11/27/04

Surfdol.....................W38................12/22/04
GetNSlim..................W38................12/24/04......Boy
DesperateInFL.........W36................01/07/05......Girl
Kay&Lydia................W34................01/18/05
Viki...........................W33................ 01/22/05......Girl
Shandril105..............W33............... 01/23/05......Girl
Nyanchan.................W33................01/31/05......Girl
metroames...............W32................02/08/05......Boy
MadameX..................W32................02/09/05......Girl

AmyJuli.......................W27................0 3/10/05
JennPayton................W26................03/13/05......Girl
blueyedgrl..................W25................03/26/05
kimism........................W25................0 3/26/05......Girl
Heather123................W24................03/30/05.....Boy
shelly..........................W24............... .04/02/05
Marthad......................W22................04/11/05
Dar20..........................W21................ 04/16/05
Jefinner.......................W21................ 04/16/05
GoJackets....................W19...............05/03/05
mom2twoboys.............W19...............05/07/05
chels_hoff....................W18...............05/15/05
Denise85.....................W17...............05/22/05
tekla............................W17.............. .05/23/05
azktycat.......................W15...............0 5/30/05
michigangrad...............W15................06/01/05

Vixendrop....................W12................06/18/05
naerenaenae...............W12................06/18/05
ChristieJ.......................W12............... .06/19/05
jehcekah......................W12................0 6/22/05
gilbabe75.....................W11................0 6/25/05
Miss Gigl.......................W11................06/26/05
rooney..........................W11............... .06/30/05
AZparalegal..................W10................07/01/05
Acutepenguin................W9..................07/10/05
allibaba.........................W9............... ...07/12/05
Tbugs............................W7............... ...07/21/05
Mandyhoward...............W6..................07/30/05
SmileyAmy.....................W5.................. 08/08/05

Green12........................................... ...Trying!
2BFitHourglass.................................... Trying!
lil miss.............................................. ...Trying!
Nicole133......................................... ....Trying!
jeepifer.......................................... ......Trying!
StrawberryGirl.................................... ..Trying!
AnnieO............................................ .....Trying!
speckle........................................... ......Trying!
Alissaliz......................................... .......Trying!

[metroames]

Good morning ladies!

Not much going on here, so I guess there's not much to say.

I'll check back later!

Ames

[chels_hoff]

Well the 3D ultrasound was AMAZING !!
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And WE..................
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Are Having
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Wow i still cant belive it!! here are a few more, he has his daddys nose....LOL




Be back later today we had a power outage and just finish dealing with my salt water tank, i am pooped!!
xoxo Chelsea
*Pregnant with Our First*
It's a Boy!! Cant wait to meet you Payton Wayne !!


Baby's Web Page
Mom & Dad's Website

[BrattyChelle]

Chelsea.....CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Awesome pics!!!

[Marthad]

Hi everyone,

Another sunny albeit short day today. It actually feels like a regular NYC winter day, crisp & 45 degrees...wonder how long it will last?

Chels, Congrats!! Awesome pictures! Did you have any "feeling" about the sex? I feel like my little one is a boy, but who knows. Hopefully we will find out on Jan 18th.

Hi Amy and Michelle!

I can't believe I'm going home on Monday! I cannot wait to get back on US ground! And drink a real mocha! And shop!!! Not to mention be surrounded by Engllish speaking Americans, and seeing friends and family.

Here's a question for everyone: I'm trying to buy the big ticket items over Christmas in the US, prices are so much better and now with the weak dollar, they are downright cheap compared to here (less than 1/2 the price) Well, I'm planning to buy a car seat, but I won't be able to test it out in my car before buying. I have an Audi A4, and want to buy a Graco Snug Ride. I'm measuring the car, and have tried a Graco seat here in, but I think the model is slightly different than the Snug Ride. Is this a complete No-No, to save $100, or should I be OK? Additionally, the standards here are supposed to be high, but I'm just not sure, they do a lot of things with car seats that are big no-no's in the US.

Hi to all to come!

[allibaba]

Hi Ladies,

Great pictures . Congratulations on your little boy.
I've been feeling like doo doo LOL. As soon as I open my eyes I start thinking about how many hours it will be until I can close them again. I can also be full and within a half an hour I feel like I haven't eaten in two days!
Heading out for a few hours. Hope you all have a good day .
ALLI

[JennPayton]

Hi!

Chels - Congrats! The pics are truly amazing! We are having a 3D on Saturday. The wife of a coworker owns one of those ultrasound places - and offered to do one for free as a baby gift. She will tape the whole thing for us too! I am excited, but after seeing your pics, I am REALLY excited!

Metro - Hope DH is feeling better today!

Martha - Wish I could help you on the car seat. I hardly know whats good to have...which just reminds me how unprepared I am for this baby! If only love was enough... :-) How long will you be in the US?

Things are going OK with me. My eating has been terrible. I pretty much just eat whatever I want at the time - no good. I did however, drop 3 pounds over the last week, so I am thinking it was a combo of water retention and Thanksgiving overload. Plus, DH and I were so busy all weekend, I was actually "prepregnancy active", although I went to bed before 9pm both Saturday and Sunday nights! :-)

A big HI to everyone who checks in later!

[Alibarbar]

Hi everyone..

I am 12 weeks - due date 20/06/2004

Have basically been off and On atkins since getting married in the summer- am now up to 156lbs and want to try and eat healthy for the baby but don't want to get too fat and unhealthy myself - can anyone help me with some menu suggestions!??!

Also how many carbs should I have a day?
what foods should I avoid altogether ?
would it matter if I lost a few pounds - It's not as though I can't afford too!!?!?

[BrattyChelle]

Marthad....wish I could help also, I'd hate to say something then you end up wasting the money. We have a tiny car, VW Golf and the Graco SnugRide fits fine in it size wise. Safety issue wise, I guess you could research the car seats safety features offered in US packaging and see if it would meet your countries guidelines.

JennPayton....LOL don't you love losing 3 lbs. and not have a clue why??

Alibarbar.... and congrats (altho I think your lil one is due on 6/05 not 04...unless you know a trick we don't ) As for foods to avoid, I wonder if GoJackets can repost some info she has. Basically it's big fish, albacore tuna, blue/feta cheeses, deli meats not from a clean deli and more I'm sure I'm missing but she has a whole post about it. *whistles....GoJackets* As for "how many carbs"....most of us found we only craved/could keep down carbs the first trimester. You may have a leg up on us as I know a few who gained 10-20 lbs. the first few months due to adding carbs back in to our diets....whereas you have already been off Atkins for a few months, you may not see that gain. My advice would be to eat what you can stomach and worry about the weight gain after the baby's born. As we've all said before....we know how to lose it and we can again Priority is a healthy baby....but some of us have lost weight during pregnancy, either by trying or not. Enjoy your time here, and post often


Well I think I'm headed to lie down. My hips and shoulders are killing me and the lil one keeps poking me in the ribs at night so sleep has been difficult. Trust me, I'm counting down....16 more days!! Hmmm, guess I should consider packing my hospital bag eh?

Hope ya'll have a great day, I'll check back later!

[Alibarbar]

Thanks sooo much - it's my first child and I am really nervous about the whole thing - so am looking forward to having loads of swapping hiints and tips with you guy's as I haven't got the faintest idea what I am doing!!

[SmileyAmy]

Hi Amy! Hope you are doing okay...you have been quiet the last few days.

Chelsea ~ Congratulations on your little boy! How exciting to finally know what you are having. I think it makes planning much more fun when you know.

Martha ~ Sorry I can't help you with car seats...I haven't the slightest idea! I didn't know you were going home for a visit - I must have missed that. You are obviously very excited. Although I am not from Canada, my mom lives there and it crossed my mind that I won't be able to visit there next summer because I will have to save up all my vacation time for maternity leave. I guess I won't see my new nephew until he is like 16! LOL

Alli ~ Sorry you are feeling like poo poo. I can only imagine that all the symptoms are doubled when you are having twins. I guess I should feel lucky that I haven't felt like poo poo yet. But, I am sure my time will come.

Jenn ~ Glad you had a productive weekend. Me on the other hand - I did NOTHING!! And it was great! I guess those days are limited now.

Alibarbar ~ Welcome!!

Michelle ~ Uh, YES you should think about packing a bag! Hope you have a good rest.

Nothing much going on here...just another sucky day at work. Its rainy and dark - a perfect day to cuddle up under my blankets and sleep away the day. But, here I am at my dreary dest trying NOT to work. Oh well...only 7.5 more hours. *faint*

Talk to you all later!

[GetNSlim]

Good morning ladies. I just wanted to pop in a say hello before my doctor's appointment. I'm wondering if the contractions I've had pretty much all week have done anything to my cervix. I still have 17 days until my due date...but I am hoping I don't go that long!

Amy-How's hubby doing??

Chels-Congrats on the boy!! Are you excited? Was hubby in heaven?? Personally I think boys are easier than girls!!

Marthad-How long will you be staying in the US. I'm sorry I can't give you any info about the carseat, I think almost all carseats now have to have pretty much the same safety features. Does your car have the LATCH system??

Alibaba-I have a friend who had triplets. You shoulda seen her!! I know it is hard to get sleep with another little one, but try to get as much as you can!!! Don't feel bad about sleeping when he is napping!!

Jenn-I can only WISH I lost weight. There has only been 1 week that I lost a lb! It is wierd though to have that happen and not even try!!!

Alibarbar-Congratulations and Welcome!! They have some good info online about the about of carbs and such you should eat. But I agree with DIF, most of us in the beginning couldn't keep to low carb!! If you can, you go girl!!

DIF-I wish I knew for sure the day I would have my baby!!! That would make it so much easier! I hate waiting around and wondering, am I going to go into labor today...should I go to the store...what if my water breaks in the store?!?! I'm with you on the sleeping thing though, I've been having to sleep on the couch!

Smiley- You could always take a little nap on your lunch break!! Or go home sick!!

Hello to all who come in later!! I'll be back after my appointment!

[SmileyAmy]

Originally posted by GetNSlim
Smiley- You could always take a little nap on your lunch break!! Or go home sick!!

Good Idea! Actually, after just eating a bowl of cereal, I am not feeling very well. Maybe Raisin Bran doesn't agree with me?

And I am just in bad mood today. No reason why, just not happy today.

Anyway, good luck at your appointment...I hope you get some good news!!

[GoJackets]

With regard to weightloss during pregnancy, it is generally not encouraged but sometimes unavoidable with morning sickness. You probably don't want to take any chances with depriving your baby of nutrition. I think Michelle mentioned a lot of this....but some of us were only able to receive any comfort from morning sickness by eating carbs.....some popular items were potatoes and crackers.

Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
By Maureen Connolly for Your Baby Today

Eating for two doesn't mean you need to double your calories (you need only an additional 300 calories per day in the second and third trimesters), but you'll definitely want to double your efforts to avoid potentially harmful foods for you and your baby. "Everything you eat and drink you share with your baby, so it makes sense to be extra careful about the foods and drinks you choose during this time," says Bridget Swinney, M.S., R.D., author of Eating Expectantly: A Practical and Tasty Guide to Prenatal Nutrition (Meadowbrook, 1996).

Here's a rundown of certain eats you should stay away from if you're pregnant:

LARGE FISH
Shark, swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel all contain dangerously high levels of methyl mercury, a poison found in fresh and salt waters thanks to industrial pollution. At high levels, mercury can cause damage to the nervous system -- especially to children and unborn babies. Low amounts can also affect the central nervous system, creating things like learning deficits. Since mercury builds up in the body, it's also wise to stay away from these fish if you're planning to become pregnant or are nursing.

Depending on where you live, there may be other types of fish and seafood you'll want to avoid. For a listing by state, visit the Environmental Protection Agency's fish consumption advisory Web page at www.epa.gov/ost/fish. You can also check out "A Woman's Guide to Eating Fish and Seafood," at www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/womans-guide.htm.


IMPORTED SOFT CHEESES
These cheeses can contain a bacteria called Listeria which can cause miscarriage. Types to avoid include: brie, camembert, roquefort, feta, and gorgonzola, as well as Mexican-style cheese like queso blanco and queso fresco. Soft non-imported cheeses made with pasteurized milk are safe to eat.


DELI FARE
Cold-cuts and cold salads (like tuna and egg) from a deli can also be contaminated with listeria. Swinney advises reheating meats in a microwave to steaming to help kill any potential bacteria, or skipping them altogether.


UNDERCOOKED EGGS
Raw or undercooked eggs (such as poached, sunnyside up, and over-easy) don't reach high enough temperatures to kill off the harmful salmonella bacteria which can be found in egg yolk. A good rule of thumb is not to eat anything with a runny yolk. Alternatively, use egg substitutes, which are pasteurized. Also beware of souffles since they contain undercooked eggs, and traditional Caesar salad dressing made with raw eggs.


RAW OR UNDERCOOKED BEEF
To prevent the risk of E. coli bacteria poisoning or toxoplasmosis, which is harmful to a fetus, make sure meat reaches a temperature of 160 degrees. If you're ordering a burger out, ask for it be cooked well-done and check that there's no pink once it arrives; steaks are fine cooked to medium well (which means they may be a little pink in the center.)


HERBAL TEAS
"We just don't know enough about the effects of herbs during pregnancy, so it makes sense to play it safe and stick with decaf black tea or flavored teas," says Swinney.

From the Atkins website:

Can I follow the Atkins Nutritional Approach while I'm pregnant?

Weight loss is not recommended while you are pregnant or breastfeeding, so the Atkins Lifetime Maintenance phase is ideal during this time. As with all phases of Atkins, build your eating program around protein, including meat, poultry and seafood, and healthy natural fats such as olive and flaxseed oil and avocados. Eat plenty of vegetables and one serving of fruit such as strawberries, blueberries or grapefruit daily. Instead of hydrogenated oils, consume healthy fats, seeds and nuts. Cook meat well but don't burn it—heavily charred meats can be unhealthy. Be sure to drink plenty of water. Try to walk 30 minutes a day at a comfortable pace. Avoid getting overheated during exercise and be sure to get plenty of rest. And have fun, this is a very special time!

[GoJackets]

Hello to everyone else!

Love the pictures Chelsea....isn't amazing what they can see so soon? Congrats on the boy!!!

[Miss Gigl]

Hi Ladies,

Whew, am I moving in slow motion today or what?! Alarm went off at 6:15 and I got up and brushed my teeth then crawled back in bed until 8:30! Needless to say, I was a little late for work. We live in an antique log cabin with a tin roof and when there's the pitterpatter of rain and it's nice and warm under the down comforter there's just no getting up!

I feel pretty good otherwise though, nice to have gotten enough sleep for a change. I'm sure I'll be ready for a nap in a few hours though.

Tomorrow I head down to Houston until Friday night so I may be offline awhile. I'll be very happy when this meeting is over and I can finally get ready to go to France on the 18th.

Does anyone know if going through the security metal detector at the airport is ok, or should I ask to be patted down by hand?

Chelsea, Awesome pictures and congratulations on the boy!!

Alibarbar, welcome! We are due the same week!

Hi everyone else... I'll try to come back later for more personals. I need to get some work done!

Meg

[BrattyChelle]

Originally posted by GetNSlim

I wish I knew for sure the day I would have my baby!!! That would make it so much easier! I hate waiting around and wondering, am I going to go into labor today...should I go to the store...what if my water breaks in the store?!?!

OMG GetNSlim....you sound just like me with my first born!! My ex used to laugh at me because I'd joke about putting a jar of pickles in my cart at the store "just in case" my water broke so I could drop the pickles LOL. I was awful....would barely go anywhere because of that fear and not knowing when it would happen. Rest assured though, while it feels like a river, it really is a small amount of fluid. So even if it breaks in public, most you'll do is wet your panties...not be standing/sitting in a river.

GoJackets I knew you'd come through with that post!! You rock girl!!

[Marthad]

Hi again,

Meg, where in France are you going? I think the Cote D'azure is one of my favorite places--from Nice to Monoco. As far as I know, the metal detector is no problem, but from what I've been hearing, you can probably look forward to getting patted down too! Your cabin sounds so cozy and nice!

Hi Dena

GetNSlim, good luck at your appointment.

Alibaba, I hope youre feeling better soon.

Alibarbar, Congrats! Where in the UK are you? I'm in Sweden.

JennP, no LATCH in my car, it's a 98...My eating has been terrible too. I really need to get it under control, but its so difficult this time of year...

Hi Smiley, don't work too hard!

I know I am going to get Alibaba and Alibarbar confused! Well, I ventured out to the store this afternoon to try out the Swedish Graco car seat. I did manage to get it into my middle back seat, but wasn't sure if it was in tightly enough. I think I'm just going to go ahead and order the Snug Ride. Then I can take it to an inspectation place in the US and have someone show me how it should be installed properly. I tell you though, seeing the seat in my car made everything more real, and the baby has been moving a lot the past few days. It is real!!

I'll be in the US for about 3 1/2 weeks, starting with 3 days in Manhattan, then on to Michigan to spend the holidays with my parents.

[MadameX]

Hi Ladies!

Alibarbar!

Chels~ Yay! A boy! Congrats!

Martha~Can you check out the Consumer reports website? Maybe they list specifications. I would buy it if I were you...

Hi everyone else!

I am getting on a plane in a couple hours (probably my last flight this pregnancy), so I have to hurry.

DH and I went to our first birthing class last night...the focus is on self-hypnosis, but it's not "Hypnobirthing" as I thought, that is a trademarked version. I found much of the information redundant, since I research so much online anyway. Also, the techniques they use I cannot see my DH doing at all; it is just so unnatural for us and not reflective of our relationship...why would we change the way we talk to each other just for the 12 hours or so I am in labor? Don't get me wrong...I have used self hypnosis before (to overcome fear of flying) and it really works for me. I am determined to use it for my birth, but I just can't relate to this instructor's techniques. For example...DH is supposed to say, "Now go to your special place..." and then remind me of my favorite scents, textures, etc. We were laughing through class. Plus, he is supposed to ask permission to touch me "May I touch you now?" and practice this at home from now up until the birth. Again, not how our relationship works (for us personally). The instructor was a doula.

Some things I did not know, like how 85% of babies have their back toward your left hip, and then they rotate the extra 90 degrees just before entering the birth canal. They alway trun clockwise, so they have much farther to turn if facing the wrong way. She also recommended techniques to get the baby in the right position, much like the exercises on www.spinningbabies.com. We watched a video and passed around the baby in the pelvis model. We heard about birthing balls and bringing your own pillows. All this took three hours, and it could have taken one, IMO. Oh, well. I don't know if my DH will interrupt his travel schedule to go out of his way to come to future classes.

One thing: of the ten couples in class, nine are due on my due date or the day before!
Most of us at the same hospital, with only one really "good" room, according to the doula, which I guess we will all be fighting for!

Later ladies!

Kelley

[Marthad]

I know I'm not even close, but I actually had a discusion with DH about my water breaking. What if it happens in bed? Or on the couch, or some other place where upholstery could be damaged? He said maybe I'd have to get a Depends!

[MadameX]

Originally posted by Miss Gigl


Does anyone know if going through the security metal detector at the airport is ok, or should I ask to be patted down by hand?

Meg

Meg, it's fine. Usually if they do it "by hand", they tend to use the wand, which I think is worse. Just walk through quickly, take your shoes off, and anything metal that might beep.
When you fly to France (I'm jealous!), take your shoes off as soon as you get on the plane and put socks or slippers on. My feet swelled on our 5 hour Caribbean flight. Also, bring a big ol' bottle of water for you, and some fruit or something.

Bon Voyage!

Kelley

[vixendrop]

Originally posted by Miss Gigl
Does anyone know if going through the security metal detector at the airport is ok, or should I ask to be patted down by hand?

This same question came up on a pregnancy forum I'm on... here's what I found online about it:

Q:

I am six weeks pregnant. This is my first pregnancy. I travel for work every week and will continue to do so for the next several months. Due to the frequency of my travel, do I need to be concerned about the airport security screening? Should I request to be "hand scanned" every time I am at the airport?
A:

Let me allay your anxiety about the screening devices at the airport. There are three screening devices at the airport. One is an x-ray machine that looks at your luggage. That machine is well shielded and exposes no one to any significant x rays; neither the workers nor the passengers. The other apparatuses include the archway metal detecting device that is nonionizing electromagnetic "radiation." That exposure produces no reproductive effects that should concern you. The other electromagnetic device is the wand that is used to check your person if the archway signals that you are carrying something that appears to be metallic. There are no measurable effects of exposure to the embryo or fetus from these two devices. Of course I cannot remove your background risk of 15% miscarriage and 3% birth defects that all normal pregnant women face. Good luck with your first pregnancy.

Robert Brent MD, PhD

Q:

As a pregnant woman, does the act of passing through airport security pose a risk to my embryo/fetus?
A: Passing through an airport security portal does not pose a risk to a pregnant woman or her unborn child. The metal detector is not known to pose any health risk to individuals. The x-ray devices situated next to the portals for baggage inspection are very well shielded so that no individual (including security personnel who stand next to the baggage screening equipment for long periods) is exposed to measurable radiation.

Kenneth L. Mossman, Ph.D.
Professor of Health Physics
Director, Office of Radiation Safety
Arizona State University

The metal detecting gate used for security inspections works by using a magnetic field and not x-rays. The magnetic field employed by airport gates is weaker than that of shoplifting detectors in shops, for example. So expectant mothers need not worry about passing through the airport security gate.

Air passengers will be exposed to cosmic radiation which is stronger in the upper layers of the atmosphere. For example, a four hour air trip at ten kilometres’ altitude will incur a radiation dosage of about 0.020 millisieverts. Pregnant flight attendants cease flying before their dosage reaches 1 millisieverts, which in terms of flying hours means that a pregnant woman may fly safely for about 200 hours at a height of ten kilometres.

So, no worries... it's perfectly safe.

[Miss Gigl]

Thanks for all the great information about the metal detectors, that's great!

Kelley, I'm also a big fan of the Cote d'azur, in fact we are flying into Nice which is where my in-laws live and where Sebastien and I were married We won't be there long on this trip though, we're renting a car and driving up to his grandparents home in a little town called Luc-en-Diois which is in the Drome region, kind of near Valence and Die. It's definitely out there but it's a gorgeous drive in the foothills of the Alps. This will be our 3rd Christmas in Luc together with my DH's family. After a week or so up there we'll come back to Nice for a night or 2 so we can hit our favorite haunts & restaurants. Isn't it amazing how the South of France is so radically different than Paris?

I really love France but I'm slightly burned out on it still. In the past year I've made the trip about 6 times as we went through the immigration process and just so we could be together before we got married. I figure this is my last chance to go for another year or so. Alas, it's closer that visiting my family actually as they live in Hawaii.

Thanks for the reminder about the water and fruit! I called yesterday to make sure I was on an aisle not too far from the bathroom too.