# Ask the hugely pregnant chick **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489 "2011-03-04T15:59:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/41 "2011-03-05T17:56:45Z")
Has everyone who has bought you baby clothes bought them in newborn size? My best friend just became an aunt a couple of weeks ago, and I took my mom’s advice to _never_ buy newborn size clothes for a new baby - neither my just over 8lb self or my well over 10lb brother ever fit into any - and got 3 month sized stuff for the shower instead. Baby turned out to be 9lbs and I heard from the new mom how glad she was that I bought his outfits bigger since she got a fair amount of nb stuff. His auntie reports that he’s already worn some of the outfits I bought 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/42 "2011-03-05T18:57:54Z")
Have you had your baby shower yet? What’s the most useful thing you’ve gotten? The least? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/43 "2011-03-05T19:17:37Z")
I haven’t gotten a whole bunch of flyers, offers, etc. I registered at Target but they haven’t bugged me, and then I signed up for Amazon Mom but they haven’t bugged me either. I have been buying a steady stream of baby clothes from Old Navy, probably putting in orders more frequently than they’d send out flyers 😉 I’ve gotten a good range of baby clothes, actually, and only have maybe two newborn size sleepers. Probably MOST of what I’ve gotten is in the 6-12 month range. Most of the moms at my baby shower were boy-moms, so they were delighted to buy ruffly pink things, but understood that small sizes don’t last long. Yes, I’ve had my shower. As I said above, it was mostly boy-moms there, so I got a whole bunch of ruffly pink clothes that I didn’t register for… and almost nothing I did register for. We didn’t get any diapers or blankets at all. Since I don’t have the baby yet, I don’t know what’s going to be the most useful… but a longtime penpal of mine, who was very pregnant with a very sick baby (who needed open heart surgery at 5 days old) when I found out that I was pregnant too, got all shmoobly and sentimental and bought the crib for us. That was a major expense defrayed. The least useful thing we got was a baby toy that played obnoxious music… which I have already thrown away. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/44 "2011-03-05T20:26:58Z")
Can you still drive a car? My sister stopped driving her compact the last couple months. The steering wheel was so tight on her belly. She was worried about hard stops hurting the baby. ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/45 "2011-03-05T20:49:05Z")
Are you getting a doula? If you want to go epidural free I highly recommend one. I gave birth pain med free with back labor for most of it (she turned not long befrore pushing) and induced up the wazoo. A doula knows all sorts of ways to manage and help with the pain. She taught my husband certain ways to push on my hips that helped relieve pain, and all sorts of other really helpful stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/46 "2011-03-05T20:49:57Z")
No one has told me not to drive, but a couple of weeks ago I decided that I’d avoid it if at all possible. I’ve got my seat pushed as far back as I can and still reach the pedals, but my belly is only 3-4 inches from the wheel. That doesn’t seem quite safe. So, I am working from home and my husband drives me places on weekends, now. I only drive myself to prenatal appointments, which are in a local clinic just a mile or two from our house. ETA: No, not getting a doula. I briefly considered it, but I’m birthing with a hospital-associated midwife who will almost definitely be available to me throughout the labor, and I’m not a person who necessarily wants a lot of company when I’m in pain. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/47 "2011-03-06T03:58:53Z")
Do you have heartburn from the pressure on your stomach? Have you started getting migraines? Both were real problems for me, otherwise, pregnancy was a breeze. Really! I was in labor for less than 24 hours (hard painful labor for about 3 of those hours) and then they took me in for a C-section. Never was I so grateful for a great big needle in my back! Will you be devastated if they tell you they want to do a C-section? Congratulations, I hope you will LOVE having a daughter as much as I have. You are in for a major change in your lives - good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/48 "2011-03-06T04:08:17Z")
I’m getting a lot of reflux, but it isn’t causing me pain… I do LOVE chewable antacids. They’re better than conversation hearts. I’ve noticed it happening a lot more often in the past week than it did before. I figured out at around 14 weeks that my headaches (which are more tension-type than migraine) are triggered by a combination of high hormone levels and artificial sweeteners… which explains why I only got them around my period, before I got pregnant. I cut out chewing gum, diet drinks, and flavored yogurt, and haven’t had a headache since. I know lots of Dopers would like to get militant about the artificial sweetener thing being imagined, but it’s a 1-to-1 correspondence for me. Yes, I am very much looking forward to consuming them again after I have the baby. No, I won’t be devastated if I have a C-section. I just hope they don’t leave me lying prepped on the table forever… I was left prepped and awake for a mole removal for 45 minutes once, and that little thing put me in a dark psychological place. No way do I want to lie around anticipating abdominal surgery. I’m sure I’ll love having a daughter. I can’t wait to enjoy all the kid stuff all over again… and this time I’ll have a car and a checking account. Woohoo! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/49 "2011-03-06T18:58:29Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I am watching this thread with a great deal of interest, as I am slightly over seven weeks pregnant today. Hey me too! We’re pregnancy buddies! 😃 I’m October 20, you? ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/50 "2011-03-06T19:34:46Z")
During your pregnancy, have you had any of the stereotypical food cravings so often depicted on TV and at the movies? Cravings for something that you would otherwise never have cared for or even dreamed of creating? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/51 "2011-03-06T20:25:52Z")
Hmm. There was one point in the second trimester when I reasoned that because beans & rice is so tasty on top of green salad, maybe spaghetti with meat sauce would be good on top of salad too. I didn’t try it, though. In the first trimester all I wanted was fruit, dairy, and baked goods. Now at the end of the third trimester I crave orange juice, beef, and green vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/52 "2011-03-06T21:31:35Z")
Okay, but no ice cream sundaes with pickle relish and Colman’s Mustard Powder or such. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/53 "2011-03-06T22:43:29Z")
Nnnnnope. But judging by the grossed-out protests my spaghetti & salad idea garnered on Facebook, normal people find that prospect nearly as bad…? It’s been so long since I had a regularly functioning brain, I can’t tell. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/54 "2011-03-06T22:57:34Z")
> [@Little\_Bird](#): > > Hey me too! We’re pregnancy buddies! 😃 I’m October 20, you? October 18th, by the size at my first ultrasound. I am still pretty nervous at this stage about losing it, even though the odds are better and better each day and I’ve had no negative symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/55 "2011-03-06T23:11:33Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Nnnnnope. But judging by the grossed-out protests my spaghetti & salad idea garnered on Facebook, normal people find that prospect nearly as bad…? It’s been so long since I had a regularly functioning brain, I can’t tell. I dont see why not, I ate spaghetti sandwiches back in high school:confused: ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/56 "2011-03-06T23:22:16Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > I’m due on March 17. Have at it… > [@Sattua](#): > > It is a girl (yay pink!). We have a name, yes… Patricia, by any chance? 🙂 (I’ve met a couple "Pat"s, "Patrick"s and "Patricia"s born on that day, but also met several born on that day who have other names.) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/57 "2011-03-07T00:20:15Z")
Did you and your spouse do the picture thing? My wife and I took pictures of her belly growing every month during her pregnancy. They are in a shoebox around here somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/58 "2011-03-07T03:17:38Z")
No, not Patricia 🙂 . She’s our little leprechaun but we’re neither one of us big fans of Irish names. I have been taking bathroom-mirror shots of my belly every week since week 5. Another woman on a pregnancy message board I read did shots in front of the woodland view out her bedroom window, and you can see the seasons changing as she gets bigger… that was a lovely idea and I wish I’d done it. I started making a digital scrapbook with them, then got fed up with the tedium of the work. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/59 "2011-04-03T19:59:50Z")
Thought I’d check in and provide the ending to the story–my daughter Amelia was born on March 16 via “urgent” c-section under general anesthesia, after seven hours of labor (three of them without an epidural, at which point I was 8 centimeters dilated). She was sunny-side-up and wedged in, and my contractions were so strong they were giving her tachycardia. So out she came the easy way. Yes, recovering from a c-section is a doddle compared to the labor I had. Best thing about my labor experience: general anesthesia. Worst thing about my labor experience: the part that happened without anesthesia. Amelia has auburn hair and newborn slate-blue eyes. She smells like chocolate and vanilla and marshmallows and flowers. She twitters like a bird. She has stork bites on the back of her head, angel kisses on her eyelids, and a cafe-au-lait mark shaped like Texas on her bottom. When I kiss her face she opens her eyes and mouth wide and wriggles. She’s already getting long for her newborn sleepers. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489/60 "2011-04-03T20:08:02Z")
Congratulations! > [@Sattua](#): > > Amelia has auburn hair and newborn slate-blue eyes. She smells like chocolate and vanilla and marshmallows and flowers. She twitters like a bird. Social networking for newborns! > [@](#): > > She has stork bites on the back of her head, angel kisses on her eyelids, **and a cafe-au-lait mark shaped like Texas on her bottom**. Which could come in very handy if she moves to Oklahoma. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-hugely-pregnant-chick/573489.md?page=4)