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  #1  
Old 10-24-2003, 09:36 AM
hedra hedra is offline
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Pregnant doper checkin... updates anyone?

Time for me to join y'all. I'm 6.5 weeks preggers. So far, so good, and while I still have the daily 'am I miscarrying' reaction to a million little things (twice burned, more than twice shy), it appears to be sticking fine. Due appx June 12 or so. A looooooooong time from now, it seems.

Major symptom so far: SALIVATION. Random mouth-filling, can't lean forward for fear of drooling SALIVATION. Whee. But hey, no real nausea to speak of (bits now and then, but minor). Fingers crossed.

Anyone else? I know we've got a few on here... howzit goin?
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  #2  
Old 10-24-2003, 09:44 AM
fessie fessie is offline
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24 weeks and counting here - I had a few days of excessive salivation a couple of months ago. That was such a weird experience! Someone on a different message board mentioned that she carried an empty fast food drink & would spit her excess saliva into the straw, leaving everyone thinking that she was actually drinking.

I've been feeling my twins move a lot lately - my boy does somersaults & my girl dances & dances! Some spells I don't feel much, though. Next ultrasound is Monday; I always feel better after my checkups! I could make a long list of my aches & pains & complaints, but really since nothing major has happened I'm primarily just grateful. And staying hydrated!!
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  #3  
Old 10-24-2003, 10:20 AM
tanookie tanookie is offline
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Well I was scheduled to have the munchkin boy on the 28th but a very sudden case of preeclampsia brought him on the first. We're all home and fine now though so.......

CONGRATS HEDRA I know all the baby threads were making you want another and if anyone's ready for more babies - you are!

Good luck fessie too! Twins... enjoy them...
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  #4  
Old 10-24-2003, 10:24 AM
mcms_cricket mcms_cricket is offline
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Hey, I was just thinking about a thread like this! You read my mind, Hedra! Congratulations, welcome to the club. You DO know the secret handshake, right?

Fessie, I didn't realize we were so close in our pregnancies.

23 weeks here and doing well. I have not experienced any excess salivation at all. But I have realized a few truths:
  • All maternity clothes were designed by men
  • Picking a first name is easy compared to picking a middle name
  • Baby clothes really ARE that cute
  • All maternity clothes are designed by men who hate women
  • If my breasts get any bigger, I'm going to start walking all stooped over (I'm on my second new bra size)
  • Sleep is a thing of the past - and the 'Lil Cricket hasn't even been born yet. It's impossible to find a comfortable position
  • My cat, Oliver, is possessed of an infinite amount of patience (he likes to sleep cuddled up next to me on the body pillow. So every time I have to sit up to turn on my other side, he rolls off, waits a moment until I turn, then climbs back up again)
  • I really don't like being pregnant (although I really can't complain - I'm having a fairly easy pregnancy so far)
  • Since nothing fits right, and my body looks odd, I've become much more interested in makeup, shower and bath stuff (bath gels, body washes, etc) and hair products
  • I hate maternity clothes designers with the white-hot passion of a thousand burning suns
  • Even though I'm not THAT big yet, I have to consciously keep myself from adapting the "pregnancy waddle" and from grunting in an unlady-like manner every time I get up from the bed or a comfy chair
  • Perhaps I complain too much...
  • Mr. Cricket is even cuter and more adorable than usual when he sings or talks to my tummy
That is all.

Actually, I the only problem I'm really having at this point isreally bad back-aches. More from stress than anything else. That and the fact that my body REALLY doesn't like having only two positions to sleep in (left side or right side!).

I had an ultrasound at my last appointment on 10/2 - we were able to videotape this one which was pretty cool. We've now established that our daughter is a total wiggle-worm. She's never still. I feel flutters on and off all day long. I can't wait until she can move strongly enough for Mr. Cricket to feel it. He sometimes thinks he can, but it's not too strong yet.

My next appointment is next week. I plan to ask about post-partum depression as I'm worried I could be slightly at risk for a number of reasons.

I'm in the middle of the second trimester and am just beginning to feel that energy surge I keep hearing about. Rats. This means I will have no excuse to sit on the couch every night and watch multiple episodes of Buffy (I'm a recent convert and am working my way through the DVD's - I've just started season 4)
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  #5  
Old 10-24-2003, 10:41 AM
Intaglio Intaglio is offline
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About 7 or 8 weeks pregnant, and for a while I was hungry all the time, that has since diminished, I am eating, but I crave the stick to your ribs - home cooking that Mom used to make, that I got away from eating, and Water & Juices - mostly Fruit, but (especially Tomato - and I hate TJ).

I am feeling the peanut all the time, not ready for kicking, its just the feeling, I guess that is just my body letting me know that it is here. I am feeling nausea, but Thank God no praying at the Alter.

Trying to keep my clothes fitting until after the year, then proceed to elastic and bigger clothes, then graduating to maternity clothes.

First doctor's visit is Monday, I estimate the baby being due end of May, first of June.

Hedra and I are preggers together again, another set of Identical Cousins on the way.
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  #6  
Old 10-24-2003, 10:52 AM
Intaglio Intaglio is offline
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I forgot, I also crave Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches - Crunchy PB and Sugar-Free Blackberry or Strawberry Jam on Oat Bread.
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  #7  
Old 10-24-2003, 11:14 AM
hedra hedra is offline
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cricket, you might want to consider taking fish oil supplements (starting now), if PPD is a risk. The fish oil does not contain the heavy metals that fish sometimes does (no mercury poisoning - the metals bind to proteins, not fats)... there is strong evidence that a low DHA level is a prime contributor to PPD, and baby takes as much as it can from you during pregnancy, and continues to do so during lactation. Low DHA is tied to depression in general, and the fact that it is worse in pregnancy and postpartum (levels-wise) makes supplementing a first line of defense. Taking extra DHA will not increase how much baby gets (baby takes all it needs, regardless), but it will increase your personal stores so you have some left. (There are a few studies linking the DHA level in women in countries with high PPD levels and low PPD levels... the areas where DHA levels are highest have the lowest rates of PPD.)

I did notice a significant difference in the postpartum experience between my two boys - the second time, I was eating salmon at least twice a week, and my (admittedly mild) PPD was vastly milder, and my general 'get off my butt' ability was much higher. Wiped out the low-grade depression issues. Very useful.

The fish oil capsules do give fish burps, but they are milder if you freeze the capsules before you take them. And Consumer Reports tested them, and found that all the varieties had the amount of DHA listed on the label (or more), none were contaminated, and the cheap brands were as good as the expensive ones. If you are vegan or vegetarian, there is also a DHA oil available from plant sources (plankton or seaweed, can't remember which).

And yay, identical cousins. And this time, they get to start out local, too, instead of having to wait a year to meet.
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  #8  
Old 10-24-2003, 11:19 AM
hedra hedra is offline
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tanookie, I think I missed your birth announcement! Sigh. That's what I get for not poking my nose in every blessed day...

Hope it was a good experience, regardless. And yeah, I'm SOOO ready to be pregnant. Kinda weird that I don't really feel pregnant yet (it feels like I've been pregnant forever - in the last 2.5 weeks of actually knowing I am, and at the same time, I barely feel pregnant at all!).
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  #9  
Old 10-24-2003, 11:33 AM
tanookie tanookie is offline
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No worries! Parallax posted our announcement between running back and forth to the hospital and shuttling the munchkin.

2 kids and 2 emergency c sections. I went from a bp of 106/70 to 155/108 inside of 24 hours. That day was scary but we came through it fine. That week in the hospital was very surreal though - felt like a lot longer! Zachary came at 34 weeks and spent 2 weeks in the NICU but he's home now and doing all the things babies do.

To all you pregnant ladies ... my experiences are not typical! Don't fret... it is the renal disease that makes being pregnant suck for me.
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  #10  
Old 10-24-2003, 11:40 AM
hedra hedra is offline
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Yikes, but glad all is well. BP like that is a no-messing around deal.

How's the siblinghood thing? I love love love being a mommy of two. Three will hopefully be at least as great.
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  #11  
Old 10-24-2003, 11:42 AM
fessie fessie is offline
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Hedra thanks for the tip about the fish oil! I'm now frightened of salmon (actually I'm scared of everything - isn't that a fun experience!) And I've been concerned about PPD, too; I've read that being realistic in one's expectations can help a lot. But if good chemistry can make a difference, then sign me up!

tanookie glad to hear you sounding good!

cricket I can't sleep either! My hips are a misery! So I just grunt & groan constantly, and waddle a lot. I figure it's like buying all those bridal magazines - might as well go full-bore & have the whole experience.
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  #12  
Old 10-24-2003, 11:44 AM
fessie fessie is offline
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Intaglio you're so right - it's either comfort food or fruit for me, too!
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  #13  
Old 10-24-2003, 11:49 AM
NoClueBoy NoClueBoy is offline
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Congrats and well wishes to all of you!



I must admit, tho... The reason I opened this thread is because I thought it said "Pregnant Doper Chicken."

Now I'm all ashamed and quite hungry. KFC anyone?
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  #14  
Old 10-24-2003, 11:52 AM
tanookie tanookie is offline
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Siblinghood goes amazingly well... she's my little helper

She's a little clingier than normal and we've had to help her more with things she used to do fine on her own but that's already starting to wear off and he will only have been home 2 weeks Sunday.

She's fascinated by him really... she shows me his fingers and toes and holds the bottle with me when I feed him and watches intently when he is changed or bathed. She has even let him 'hold' her most prized possession - her pink bear - when he's been crying!

pictures abound if you click the www button
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  #15  
Old 10-24-2003, 12:13 PM
ENugent ENugent is offline
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Congratulations, hedra! Welcome to the club!

I'm 16 weeks as of Wednesday and feeling good. I've had very little morning sickness, but oddly, the little I've had hasn't gone away with the second trimester's arrival. I'm not as hungry as I was in the first trimester, but I do have to eat small meals more frequently, or I feel bloated and nasty.

My sovereign remedy for the salivation thing, and also for those random bouts of nausea - Altoids cinnamon breath strips (the transparent strips that you dissolve on your tongue). They are strong, but they seems to soak up all that extra saliva and stop the production for a few minutes. Give it a try and see if it works for you, too!

I had my first ultrasound a few weeks ago, to check nuchal translucency. Based on that and a blood test, they dropped my risk of Down Syndrome from 1 in 300 down to 1 in 2400, so I'm not going to get an amniocentesis. I do need a structural ultrasound around 18-20 weeks to check for spina bifida, though.

My third doctor's appointment is on Monday (my husband's birthday) - I'm looking forward to hearing the heartbeat again, and hopefully scheduling my next ultrasound.

I'm not really showing yet (this is my first), and I'm impatiently waiting for that, so people will stop thinking I've just been hitting the doughnuts too hard this fall. I hear I'll regret that feeling once I walk into a maternity store and look at the price tags, though. (Although my mom said that the maternity stuff in Target actually looked pretty nice - I'll have to check it out).

I'm dying to feel movement, too, but I guess it will be a few more weeks before that happens.
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  #16  
Old 10-24-2003, 03:12 PM
Ceejaytee Ceejaytee is online now
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I shouldn't even be doing this. I'm probably about 4 weeks pregnant. I'm at the "home pregnancy test positive, haven't even seen the doctor yet" stage. My first appointment is Wednesday. This is the second time hedra and I have been pregnant a couple of weeks apart. Spooky.

I've got no symptoms to speak of yet, and I'm paranoid about miscarriage, so no one but my husband and on-line people know yet.

Those of you with older kids--how far along in your pregnancy were you when you old them they had a little brother or sister on the way? I'm a little nervous about what Aaron's going to think about it.
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  #17  
Old 10-24-2003, 07:03 PM
ChocolateJesus ChocolateJesus is offline
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17 weeks and going strong here. We go back to the sonographer on the 4th of Nov for a sonogram to find out whether BabyJesus isaa James or a Rebecca.
(Italics are mine)
[quote]Originally posted by mcms_cricket
  • All maternity clothes were designed by men AND women with really long legs...I have short legs and finding a pair of pants that actually is the right length without rolling them up six or seven times first has been a pain in the neck.
  • Picking a first name is easy compared to picking a middle name True Dat, as my whigger brother would say. Picking out a middle name was such a pain.
  • Baby clothes really ARE that cute Especially when you're shopping at Baby Depot or Babies R Us
  • All maternity clothes are designed by men who hate womenLOL
  • If my breasts get any bigger, I'm going to start walking all stooped over (I'm on my second new bra size) I am actually dreading getting bigger as well. I was already fairly uh..well endowed..to begin with and now my chest is starting to look like something rather grostequely Pamela Anderson-like, IMO. Hubby LOVEs it though. Calls it a visit from the Titty Fairy.
  • Sleep is a thing of the past - and the 'Lil Cricket hasn't even been born yet. It's impossible to find a comfortable position I hear ya. Even sleeping with a body pillow, I cannot get comfortable .
  • My cat, Oliver, is possessed of an infinite amount of patience (he likes to sleep cuddled up next to me on the body pillow. So every time I have to sit up to turn on my other side, he rolls off, waits a moment until I turn, then climbs back up again) Goose is too, thank God. She loves curling up against me when I fall asleep on the couch and I swear she purposely pushes my shirt up with her nose so she can lick my belly.
  • I really don't like being pregnant (although I really can't complain - I'm having a fairly easy pregnancy so far) My OB/GYN said I am having the perfect pregnancy so far. Haven't gained too much weight and my blood pressure is fairly normal. We had a VERY strong heartbeat on the last c heck up about a week and a half ago, which she said was a great sign
  • I hate maternity clothes designers with the white-hot passion of a thousand burning suns Me too. Why is that all maternity clothes look like oversized tents or men's clothing?
  • Even though I'm not THAT big yet, I have to consciously keep myself from adapting the "pregnancy waddle" and from grunting in an unlady-like manner every time I get up from the bed or a comfy chair Get used to it. I grunt like a stuck pig getting up and I don't even apologize for it.


We had our first pictures taken on Sept 15 or thereabouts and it was kinda small then, too small to tell whether or not we had a boy or a girl. Since the next sonogram is around 20 wks, they told us we should be able to tell then what the gender of the baby is. MrJesus and I are extremely excited, but I think MIL is more excited than we are right now, which is wierd. She and FIL are more well off than we are, and so I think she's going to buy all the 'major' stuff ( swing, crib, etc) for us. Lucky us! w00t!

MrJesus also said the other day she called and asked my size now because she had stopped at a maternity resale shop and was buying me some 'fashionable' maternity clothes. w00t to that too. I feel so lucky to have a MIL like her. MIL has also agreed that post-birth, she wants to babysit a few times a week, so we don't have to spend $$$$ on daycare (which we investigated and discovered it would be more than our monthly mortgage payment. YIKES!).

I haven't been feeling anything I would call movement yet, but then again, I probably won't know movement if I feel it (esp this early) because this is my first child. When I get up in the mornings, or after taking a nap, I feel little twingies in that area, but nothing I'd call movement for sure.

Good luck on all the pregnancies ya'll. It's not easy, but we'll get through it together.

CJ
__________________
I don't care if rains or freezes, long as I got my Chocolate Jesus.

This reinforces my belief that people are WAY too fucked up about their bodies and sexuality.

It's a FUCKING SCROTUM!

It won't attack you. It doesn't have a separate sentient drive that will lead it to crawl towards you and spread it's scrotumy goodness on you.

-Mockingbird


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  #18  
Old 10-24-2003, 07:07 PM
ChocolateJesus ChocolateJesus is offline
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Oh and ENugent--Unless you actually LIKE being swaddled in velvet and velour (which seems to make up a LOT of their non-work clothes maternity gear this season) I would steer away from Target. I went in there and was so disgusted by their maternity collection I almost puked. Check Maternity Mall.com to see if there is a Motherhood store near you. Their prices are about as reasonable as Target and their stuff is WAY cuter. I have bought two shirts and a pair of khaki capris from them that are cute cute cute. Also, don't forget to hit Sears or JC Penny's maternity section. I found a totally awesome pair of jeans there for like 18 bucks on sale.

CJ
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  #19  
Old 10-25-2003, 05:26 AM
Wicked Blue Wicked Blue is offline
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22 weeks with twins (!!) checking in here.

I just went to the doctor yesterday because I was so dizzy I thought something was terribly wrong. The doc said it was because my huge belly was pressing on the vein that pumps the blood up from my lower half or something like that. He said my 22 week twin belly was equal to a 30 week singleton pregnancy. I just have to get up slowly, and not lay flat on my back. He also did a blood test to make sure I'm not developing gestational diabetes, just to be on the safe side.

I'm dying for another sonogram, my husband and I are anxious to find out if we're having one of each or two the same.

Hugs to all the other mommies!
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  #20  
Old 10-25-2003, 06:23 AM
fessie fessie is offline
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Hey Wicked - Another twins mom! I never understand what they mean about not lying on your back - what if you've got pillows under your knees & shoulders? Or is every woman on bed rest laying strictly on one side or the other? I've been wondering, too, if the extreme fatigue I've still got & the horrible nausea I had in the first 15 weeks was because of my carrying twins - was it that way for you? It could also be because I'm old - I'll be 39 when these two are born, which is the same age my Grandmother was when I was born! Are you going to have to go on bedrest? My Dr. says it's likely I will at 28 weeks or so, even though my BP & other numbers have been great so far.

Re: getting up slowly - personally I don't have a choice on that! It feels like I have to engage each muscle between my legs and pelvis individually as I change positions! Funny thing, being aware of muscles I never knew I had!
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  #21  
Old 10-25-2003, 08:28 AM
tanookie tanookie is offline
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Bedrest sucks. Get lots of stuff you can do with your hands like sewing, puzzles, books, move a tv into your room....

You can lay on your back pending doctor allowance but you need to be heavily propped up, almost in a sitting position. Laying on your back will put pressure on that vein and among other things exacerbate the evil hemmoroid!

Laying on your side, left in particular, is the preferred bedrest position. For some reason your circulation works most efficiently in this position. I spent a month + on bedrest with my daughter. I was allowed to get up only to use the bathroom and to take one quick shower every other day.

Any pregnant doper people in the MA area need a crib? I have a really nice baby italia one collecting dust. I also have some really comfy nursing pajamas that I would pop in the mail if someone wants those too. You can email me - email's in the profile.
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  #22  
Old 10-25-2003, 09:19 AM
Unauthorized Cinnamon Unauthorized Cinnamon is offline
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As I look back on my last post, I see that I wound up having the baby seven days later. Now she's three and a half months old!
Labor went well, though I had some complications for a couple months afterward. Still, we survived everything, and after being a needy lump of protoplasm, she has started to be tons of fun, smiling, laughing, cooing, and so on.

Good luck to all the preggo ladies, and if this is your first, try to enjoy your freedom and sleep while you can!

Obligatory Baby Pictures
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  #23  
Old 10-25-2003, 03:44 PM
ChocolateJesus ChocolateJesus is offline
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Aww...Chloe is the CUTEST thing, Aeryn.

Has anyone else ever struggled with a weight problem? I have always battled my weight (even though my highest wasn't that high...around 170ish on a 5 ft 5 inch medium build frame) and I know I don't have any choice but to gain weight here, but TBH, it scares the living crap outta me.

Doc okayed me walking 1/2 mile-1 mile per day as long as I stay on reasonably flat ground and don't jog. She also said I can do yoga if I feel like it, as long as it's reasonable. No wrapping my ankles around my earlobes, after all.

I'm eating as much as I should and trying my hardest NOT to gain any more weight than needed so I don't have to take it all back off again once BabyJesus shows up. I know however many pounds I put on, I'll have to take off and the longer it takes me to get them back off, the harder it'll be on me.

CJ
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  #24  
Old 10-25-2003, 05:33 PM
tanookie tanookie is offline
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I've always struggled with my weight... Unfortunately I gained about 90 pounds per kid... the 'good' part is it was mostly water weight.

Even if you gain a 'normal' amount of weight you may put it on in places you didn't expect... don't fret too much and remember it takes time to get your body back to normal after baby comes. So don't be discouraged when you leave the hospital with baby but still in maternity clothes.
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  #25  
Old 10-25-2003, 06:38 PM
ChocolateJesus ChocolateJesus is offline
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I gotta keep that in mind, Tanookie. That and my ever-handy Girlfriend's Guide says 9 mos up and 9 mos down with the weight. *sigh* Oh well...at least I'll have a purty baby to show for all the weight I put on.

CJ
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  #26  
Old 10-27-2003, 12:25 PM
hedra hedra is offline
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Staying on a low glycemic index/low glycemic load diet really REALLY helped the weight gain last time. (I weighed less the day after Bren was born than I did the day I got pregnant!) Check www.glycemicindex.com (the Univ of Sydney site) - you can do a database search on different foods, to see where they fall. I tried to stay below a 70% profile (the numbers are percentage match to a straight hit of glucose or a slice of plain white bread). Doing that kept my weight gain VERY low, while baby still got plenty of food (I didn't limit my calories at all, but I avoided the blood sugar spiking that creates the weight gain as your body converts the excess to fat).

As for the telling, we told Gabe when I started showing (when my lap started being 'shared'), IIRC. This time, we pretty much told them right away. Bren (2) knows that the baby is in my tummy, and he has allowed that the baby can have my left breast, but the right side is HIS. LOL! Gabe isn't excited much yet - he knows it won't be here until after school is out. That's way too long to bother with yet.
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