Holy Crap I think I'm Pregnant!!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

I think as long as I don’t have pica and want to eat rocks I don’t mind whatever cravings might come up!

Having said that, I’ll probably start chewing on thumbtacks in 2 months now.

A friend is trying to get me to read Jenny McCarthy’s book, but I’m trying to find a way to tell her how much I abhor that woman without insulting her recommendation. She’s really insistent! But…ugh, Jenny McCarthy is a big NO.

I called the doc and I’ll probably be able to get to the lab for the blood test tonight or early tomorrow. I think my estimated due date is July 5th!

22

But you really have to hit the bottle hard and none of tha filtered crap either!

Congrats! Happy healthy thoughts going your way!

23

Holy crap! What are going to tell your parents!?

:wink:

24

I laughed my butt off at Jenna McCarthy’s first book about pregnancy. I read the other ones too but the first one was by far the best. The Girlfriend’s Guide to pregnancy wasn’t too bad either.

We also liked the books that were actually geared towards my husband, but I read it too. The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for Dads-to-Be. I think you can buy them as a set, like the expectant, and then new dad’s guide to the first year?

We also had one of those week by week pregnancy books.

Again ditto on the night feedings. Worked like a charm for DD1 (6 weeks) until about 9 months and there were a few hiccups. DD2 is a pretty good sleeper, but has/had? really bad eczema*. So she wakes up scratching all over. *Seems to be clearing up now that we’re weaning to formula - so I’m not sure if it was something in my diet from nursing (I know /boggle).

Good luck and congrats! /stickies!

25

Oh man, my mom will never stop crying!

:stuck_out_tongue:

26

I know. My mother smoked and drank while she was preggers with me [sup]1[/sup], and aside from that large piece of my brain that is missing[sup]2[/sup], I’m fine.[sup]3[/sup]

[1] It was the sixties, cigarettes were good for you then.

[2] No, really.

[3] Again - smoking and drinking more than one glass of red wine per week while pregnant is Very Very Bad [sup]TM[/sup]

27

That’s great! Congratulations!

28

Yippee!!!

I remember that first positive test… I’d had “a period” the week before, right on time, that was lighter than usual but hey, my cycles had always been sorta wonky and we’d been told we’d likely have trouble conceiving, so I thought nothing of it. Then a week or so later, I realized I still felt PMS-y (sore boobs), AND tireder than I thought I oughta. So with great trepidation, I bought a pregnancy test on the way home from work, went into the bathroom, and took the test. The one I had, everything turned color for a few seconds but you had to wait 4 minutes or whatever to read it. I saw the total color change and couldn’t look - had to close my eyes, still sitting there on the toilet.

Then 5 minutes later, I forced myself to look. POSITIVE. I remember going completely numb with shock - I mean, I could swear my heart stopped beating for a second.

Then my mind really spazzed out and I decided I had to Eat Something Healthy. Ran downstairs and for some reason, my mind said BRAN MUFFINS. Only, we didn’t have any baking powder. Typo Knig got home from work a few minutes later and I made the poor guy go out for some groceries, including baking powder. I didn’t tell him why, though! I finally broke the news to him a couple of days later.

29

Hey, congratulations! That’s awesome.

As far as advice goes, I’d second the gazillion glasses of water. You might have some persistent headaches as your body adjusts and starts producing all the extra fluid. Staying hydrated can really help that.

I would also recommend exercising lightly most days - take a walk for 20-30 minutes, swim, or do a modified version of whatever cardio workout you do now. If you need to, you can break it up into 3 10-minute mini-workouts. I didn’t work out consistently with my first kid, but with this one, I’ve worked out almost every day and it’s made a world of difference. I sleep well, even at 38 weeks, and it seems to cut down on heartburn, puffiness and most other discomfort.

I actually liked the What to Expect series (they have What to Expect up to toddler age), but I did find it occasionally over-cautious. I would just follow your own common sense: if something hurts, stop doing it; if you’re tired, sleep; don’t take up skydiving anytime soon and so on. Oh, and if you’re convinced something’s wrong, don’t wait to call your doctor to ask him or her about it. Don’t worry about feeling stupid - just call.

30

Congratulations.

:slight_smile:

Ignore everything ever penned by Jenny McCarthy. She’s an anti-vax moron.

Throw all books of hers out in the garbage.

31

The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy was great.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting – meh. Some good info. Don’t read the food chapter. They make it sound like one candy bar will make the baby come out with 3 eyes.

32

Congratulations!! LittleRuff 2.0 is currently kicking and elbowing his enthusiasm from within right now. (I’m 31 weeks into the same game.) Reproductive woes abound in my family–my sister has PCOS as well, my mom had endometriosis, my other sister didn’t ovulate–so while I’ve been spared their tragedies, I most certainly have seen some of what you’ve been through from close up. So, congrats!

First trimester with my first was uncomfortable, but not too bad. Oooh, my boobs were on FIRE thought at first–gah, I remember rolling over in bed was just torture. I slept in a sports bra for months. (Now, rolling over is a pain, but that’s because I have to navigate this giant medicine ball belly from one side to another. Thing is HEAVY!) This second time around, my boobs were sore but never so excruciatingly tender–already stretched out, perhaps? Heh. I did throw up about once a day for 6 weeks, including 2 days after the positive test. Ick. My main bit of advice should that problem rear its head is eat what you can, when you can. People will offer 291 different suggestions; just go with your gut (literally). Thankfully, the pukefest stopped at 12 weeks almost exactly.

Fatigue first trimester I think was worse than the nausea. Oh, man. I remember–vaguely–going to my 8wk appointment and being so out of it I could barely form sentences. Working was awful. So, sleep when and where you can.

And get used to, “That’s normal.” Some of the weirdest, seemingly unrelated things I was told were normal pregnancy signs. But don’t be afraid to call and ask your OB and/or nurse a million questions; like pediatricians, they’re used to it. :wink:

Books-wise, I’m another vote for What to Expect While You’re Expecting, but also Your Pregnancy Week By Week. I actually rarely touch the former book in this pregnancy, but read the latter every week. I also love the What to Expect Pregnancy Organizer–I have one for both of my pregnancies, and it’s interesting to look back and compare the two. Go to your local bookstore, grab a bunch of the pregnancy books, and see what appeals to you. And if you walk out with a library on the subject, it’s not a bad thing.

Congrats, girl! :slight_smile:

33

Congrats!! Is there something in the water here? Alot of doper pregnancies lately, including myself. As of tomorrow, I am 18 weeks along with my first baby, so I’m learning as I go.

My advice? Allow yourself to nap in the first trimester. I slept 13 hours one night and then 3 hours after I woke up I was tired enough to need a nap.
Best thing I found to fight nausea? Ginger flavored Altoids candies. They are hard to find. Not all stores carry them but if you spot them, grab a few tins.
If you feel uterine cramping like I did, drink lots of water. It helps. The cramping is not a bad thing, it’s just your uterus stretching and adjusting to the growing baby.
Make an OB doctor appointment pronto and get some prenatal vitamins.
I had a friend who had PCOS and currently has a healthy 4 year old boy.
I had my own fertility issues for a long time and somehow conceived this baby naturally.
Oh yeah, one more piece of advice: You’re going to worry about everything. Accept it. Expectant mothers and obsessive worry go together like rock stars and groupies.

34

Congrats to you too! I love hearing the stories of others who have had fertility problems and conceived and gave birth without problem. I know there’s a risk, but I’m going to stay optimistic and do everything I can to be healthy.

Of course, I’m still being anxious so I did another home test today. Positive, thankfully! I’ll get the blood test results by Monday and I’d like to my hormone levels, because I could be between 4 and 5 weeks depending. I just have no clue when it occurred.

As far as exercise, how much is too much? My prior routine was to do 25 mins of cardio 6 days a week, keeping my heart rate at about 125-135. I’m not trying to lose weight, but keeping my heart healthy is important, as well as trying to prevent GD due to being a bigger girl.

I definitely don’t want to work myself to the bone, or push my heart rate too high. What’s recommended?

Thanks for the book recommendations, too! I grabbed a copy of the Girlfriend’s Guide at the library today, it’s pretty fun!

35

You should ask your doctor, but I was told by my OB to do whatever felt comfortable. I was running regularly when I first got pregnant, and he told me I could continue as long as I was very careful to stay well hydrated and to stop if I got too tired or breathless. I stopped running around month 5 or 6. Since this is my second pregnancy, I just wasn’t as tight as I was the first time around, so it became incredibly inconvenient to have to pee every 10 minutes while running. Walking was much easier as a longer-term exercise, and I only started slowing down about 2 or 3 weeks ago.

The goal used to be to keep your heart rate under 140, but I think that it was finally recognized that, like pregnancy, everyone’s body reacts very differently to exercise, so that rule no longer a hard-and-fast one as long as you’re not killing yourself during a workout.

36

Congratulations!
I also have PCOS and tried for about seven years to have a baby with no luck, was told I probably wouldn’t be able to get pregnant then BAM! Surprise. :slight_smile:

37

Another PCOS [and endometriosis] person here, 3 pregnancies [no kids but please dont let that scare you]

Sticky thoughts!

38

The basic rule of thumb is don’t let your heart rate go above 140, and listen to your body. I don’t think 25min of cardio 6x/week is anything objectionable, but you may find you have to make it two 10min sessions instead.

This time around, I’ve been plagued with heart palpitations (one to mark in the “normal in pregnancy” column), and exercise has been very frustrating. Five minutes on my recumbant bike, and my heart’s at 140+. I try to just keep active and adapt as needed. My first pregnancy, I was able live a life of pretty similar activity level; hopefully that’ll be the same for you!

39

There’s a pretty good chance that at the start of the 22nd century, a 90-year-old will be telling people “When I was conceived, there was this thing called the World Wide Web, and people would write on it, and my mother…”

40

Congratulations!

My book recommendation is a breastfeeding book, “So That’s What They’re For” by Janet Tamaro. Covers the basics in a friendly, humorous, and accessible way.

My personal recommendation is that you should see as many movies as possible in the next 9 months, especially if you are not going to have excellent babysitting availability once the critter is born. Someone told me that when I was pregnant with Whatsit Jr., and I’ve always been glad I took it to heart. MrWhatsit and I were at the movies seriously three times a week in my last couple months of pregnancy. These days we’re lucky if we see two per year. I’m just sayin’!