Two years ago, almost to the day, I was frantically taking pregnancy tests. My daughter, who’s father is 6’3" was 4lbs 12 oz.
Try the Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy. Whatever flavor of pregnancy your body is going to bestow on you, they cover it in a funny way.
Relax. Realize now that your body is not your own. Your body, who you have loved and trusted all your life will turn on you in a second. It will not fight for your right to have a bladder. It does not care about suffering from heartburn, it will gladly reposition every organ you have to accommodate a little peanut-come-lately. Become at one with it.
And know that there is absolutely no way you can prepare for what you are going to go through emotionally. it’s been nice knowing you, cause the you we knew? Done! To give you an idea, my plan was to stay in the hospital on all the drugs until my child turned 18. They handed my daughter to me and I looked at her little pointy head and said “I want 5 more just like her.”
And I still do.
All the best to you. Get some sleep, you’ll never get any again. (Yes, I’m posting this at 5am because the baby alarm went off)
Now don’t scare the poor girl! I’ve been in the process of “coming back” for several months now, with New and Improved Attributes. My twins will be 3 in two weeks.
Aunt’s absolutely right that your body is no longer your own, but your pregnancy IS. Some women have a very easy peasy breezy time, others do not; you’ll just have to find out for yourself.
(also, Vicki Iovine is the one who wrote the Girlfriend’s Guide series — hey Auntbeast, since we have similar taste, can I suggest one for you? Try Barbara Ames’ books, they’re quick reads and she really nails those challenging 1/2 years)
I’ll be the voice of dissent and say I HATED this book. I hated Vicki Iovine and all of her perfect little SAHM size 4 friends :dubious: . She annoyed the crap out of me.
(Yeah, that may have been the hormones…but I still don’t like her :D).
For straightforward info, I liked Your Pregnancy: Week by Week. For just a funny pregnancy experience, I liked Knocked Up by Rebecca Eckler. She’s a prime example of what NOT to do during pregnancy, but her book was funny as hell.
And just to set your mind at ease - my husband and I were both premature, both around 5 lbs at birth, neither of us are tall (I’m 5’2, he’s 5’9), and the kid I gave birth to? Born on his due date, almost 9 lbs, and he’s TALL. If he didn’t look exactly like his dad, I’d swear they gave me the wrong kid. Seriously, you never know what part genetics will play. I was convinced I’d have a small baby about two weeks early. [Nelson]Ha-ha![/Nelson]
Awwww! That’s so cute. I’ll have to find this book.
Like your SIL, I’m pretty sure this pregnancy was a one-good-shot. People tend to forget that an “average” is composed of a lot of different measurements and you could end up with any one of them.
Mouse_Spouse is being as logical as possible. Yesterday, it was snowing (again :rolleyes: ) when we left the house. Spouse was driving, and he went into a shallow skid. He was able to regain control, but looked shaken and very pale.
“Honey are you alright? Was it black ice? Did the breaks feel ok?” Little light bulb goes off in my head. “Are you freaked because your prego wife is in the car?”
Yay!
I have five children although I only gave birth to four of them.
Husband is 6ft and I’m 5’4 we had one small one at 8lbs and one at 10 1/2lbs.
Let us know when you are up for advice and horror stories.
Good luck and I hope everything is well!
Mouse_Maven is a Doper that has a special place in my heart because I remember from her posts that she grew up in Louisiana and also that she is pagan and does a yearly ritual of remembrance for the animals that she uses in her research, which I thought was the coolest thing.
To add to the pile on of “What to Expect” type books, may I suggest The Mother of All Pregnancy Books . It may be a bit geared to Canadians, but good, solid and fun advice. I found the Classic “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” preachy and trite. YMMV.
The author, Ann Douglas, has a whole bunch of other “Mother of All” Books out. Mother of All Baby Books, Toddler Books, etc.
My little guy just turned three and Im hoping to have another one in a year or two. (Depends on my divorce and subsequent remarriage. Long story. No hijacks here!)
Get lots of sleep. That “slight fatigue” they mention… well consider it accurate for very large values of slight!
Another book suggestion: Poo Bomb by Jeff Vogel (friend of the family).
It involves a lot of profanity, which Jeff says is necessary, at least muttered under the breath, to fully describe and lovingly embrace the experience of (one’s wife’s) pregnancy and a baby’s first year.
Congratulations, Mouse Maven! Did this have anything to do with that girlie outfit you put together?
I have no first-hand stories but I will say that my brother and I took about an hour to be born each, and slept through the night from birth. May you have such an experience
Just an update: I have an appointment with Retro Scary Doc this afternoon. (I’ve been considering doing a MPSIMS thread on RS Doc. He’s the best physician I’ve ever seen - very throrough, diagnosed my hypothyroidism. The down side is that he’s about 70 and has an “old fashioned” mind set.)
I don’t like the What to Expect books – I find them preachy and alarming. As in, if you don’t follow their diet to the bite, it might be your fault if there’s something wrong with your baby. :rolleyes:
My CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife), who I love, recommends any and all books by Patty Simkins (I think that’s the name). I haven’t got them yet, but I plan to. I enjoyed The Girlfriend’s Guide with a large grain of salt – if you can take what’s useful to you and leave the rest, I recommend it (Elza, I second you on her skinny little friends!).
Congrats! I hope you have NO morning sickness and an otherwise smooth pregnancy.
Oh yeah – our in-utero name for our little one is “mouse.” My in-laws got me a pregnancy countdown book (cute but so far doesn’t contain much that I didn’t already know), and every week it tells you how big your baby is. A few weeks ago, it was “a lentil with a tail” which, even though I know the tail isn’t long like a mouse’s tail, still said “mouse!” to me. I used to have pet mice and have a major soft spot. So, our fetbryo is Mouse for now.
I’m not a mom myself (yet…), but I’ve been an au pair and I have an absolutely perfect 15-month old God-son.
Kids are very challenging, but they are equally rewarding. Sometimes the reward even surpasses the challenge, and it’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever felt.
I’m anxious. My family background is Jerry Springer with a little Dickens thrown in - just for culture. Will I be a good mother? Will the baby be healthy? Will Mouse_Spouse and I be able to survive the parenthood transition?
MM: I’m worried. Can I be a mother and a lover?
MS: Wear lingerie.
MM: Won’t that freak out the kid?
MS: Nah.
Right now, I’ve got nausea! Feeling like this, its amazing that there are 6 billion people on the planet - but it does explain why there **aren’t ** 12 billion people.
If you have dedication, you will be great. It’s simple, but it’s not even the smallest bit easy.
As for healthy, of course there are things you can do, but past a certain point, you have to accept that it’s out of your hands.
But of course all of us will be praying, hoping, wishing for the best possible outcome.
I’ll have to find this book.
