And they blew the hell outta my vein when they poked me, too.
And didn’t even give me a sticker!
I’ve been waiting to post to this thread, I just haven’t had much time!
I’m in my 22nd week with my third child. We don’t know the sex yet; I asked the doctor last month and he said he couldn’t see anything, which makes me suspect its a girl. But I will have an ultrasound on 1st July, so I should find out then.
In the States, don’t you have ultrasounds at every checkup? They do here in Japan.
I have a son and a daughter already. With both of them, we didn’t want to know the sex because I wanted to have that surprise after all the pain. But we are REALLY stuck for names with this one, so we want to know what we’re having so we can narrow the field somewhat.
My due date is 30 October, but I’ll make sure I’m ready for anything by mid-October. I’m hoping this will be a quick labour (both my other kids were six hours, not long but I was counting on my second being quicker!).
I always have cravings in the first few months for hot chips, but that has abated somewhat now. I couldn’t drink coffee for a while, and even now I can only handle iced cafe au lait.
We cut meat from our diet just before I got pregnant, and so I lost four kilos before gaining again. Even so, I’ve only gained one of those four back, so my doc is very happy with me (I was a bit overweight to start with). I’m only just really starting to show.
This is my healthiest pregnancy so far. I think it helps that my older two are in school and kindergarten, so I’m busy all the time (I have to wake up on weekdays at 6.30!). But I’d forgotten how tired I get! Me, who can never nap, is ready to nod off at 3pm!
Interesting note about Japanese culture…
I will be in hospital for at least five days, even if there is nothing wrong with me and the baby. Then when I come home, I will be expected to do nothing except bond with the baby and rest for a further three weeks or so. My MIL will come over to make dinner and do basic chores. My husband will probably get the kids up and ready in the morning. Its a fantastic system, and I really think that’s one reason why we don’t hear much about post-natal depression over here; because women aren’t expected to overdo things until they’re ready to.
And my room at the hospital is a private room with a fridge, phone, cable TV and a DVD!
Tsubaki,
Congratulations! I had my daughter in Japan, at a WONDERFUL women’s clinic. I must say, it had the BEST Japanese food I’ve ever eaten!! All our visitors and guest would try to steal my meals. I stayed in for almost a week and it was brilliant. I had my daughter in the room with me, but if I’d chosen to, she could’ve stayed in the nursery as well.
The nursing staff were wonderful! They really helped in a non-obtrusive way. I still have the cards and presents they gave my daughter. I still have her hisono in a box and I’ll save it to show her boyfriends when she gets older. That’ll certainly scare them away!
I wish I could have our second one there. I’m not so sure about the French childbirth routines, but we’ll see. Good thing is that the Materinity Hospital where I’m having her only has 21 beds total and an average of 2 births a day, which is a nice size.
One other benefit is that it is 100% covered by social security. The only thing I’ll have to pay for is the phone, tv and about $20/night if I choose to get a private room. I’m going to try, since I really enjoyed having my first in the same room with me.
Gambatte!
Thanks, Anahita. BTW, was that the place where you broke your tailbone?
Still not sure if Mr. can be there for the birth. Most hospitals over here still have the no-husband policy. But he was there for our first two, so I’m just going to keep nagging my doctor!
I agree, pay extra for the private room! Its still a hell of a lot cheaper than the ones in Japan, right?!
Tsubaki
Yep, that was where it happened. The poor doctor must’ve just thought I was just a ‘hen’ ‘gaijin’. Actually, he did deliver quite a few foreign women’s children, but he was NOT the expat top choice. I liked him so much.
We got him a really nice bottle of Irish Whiskey when we were discharged. I really liked the entire nursing staff, it was all-around a great experience.
The French medical system is great, because it’s FREE, so I shouldn’t really complain. But I will. 
The really have very definate ideas about what should and should not happen. For example, they (doctors/nurses) encourage mothers to nurse only for three months, and to supplement with formula from day one. I just smile and carry on doing what I choose to do.
John was allowed to stay with me the entire labour, but it’s probably because it wasn’t in a hospital. I was just looking at Y’s Bochi-tetcho (I never could romanize properly) and being nostalgic yesterday.
Let us know how you go, ok?
I finished my childbirth classes last night! Yay! Now I have a certificate proving that Airman and I are qualified to have a baby.
What’s really cool is that I have choices about what I want in terms of my delivery. I can have drugs (or not, but I’ll be damned if I’m going thru this with no drugs), I can have Airman with me throughout the labor and delivery, and if I need a c-section, he can come in the OR with me. I’ve also got some control. Knowing this is a HUGE help.
Also, I started my maternity leave today. It’ll be nice to be able to sleep when I need to, instead of trying to do it all at night. And I can finish getting ready for the baby. There are still clothes to be folded and stuff to assemble!
Just another few weeks, then the real fun starts.
Robin
Robin, you are heading into the worst phase of pregnancy…the waiting phase.
Seriously, it seems like it will never end!
But it will, and comparitively quickly too. My six hour labours didn’t seem that long at all.
Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can!
I know. It already seems like I’ve been pregnant forever. And Aaron has decided it’s fun to beat his mom up. He’s been fairly active, and he is pretty strong.
The good thing is, I actually got a good night’s sleep last night.
Robin
I say that every day AFTER your due date is like a month of pregnancy extra tacked on to the end.
Keep your chin up, Robyn, and stay cool.
We’ve a bit of a dilemma as it’s possible that we’ll be moving to Ireland permanently some time during my pregnancy. That might not scare Americans, but in a country where there is socialized medicine, you can’t just turn up and expect to have a place in the hospital.
So, it seems I’ve got to book into a hospital both here (France) and in Ireland, so we’ve covered all our bases. I’m hoping they are agreeable to this (in Ireland) because otherwise, we’re scuppered.
Also, here are some things I have with this pregnancy that I didn’t have with my first:
My boobs are so sore. I feel like they are stuffed full of rocks and the nipples are so sensitive, even a bra hurts.
I am SO TIRED that I go to be about 8:30 every night. About 30 minutes after my 2 year old toddler.
I don’t really have any food cravings or aversions like I did the last time.
That’s about it. Hope you are all well!
Anahita
Hey guys
We have some bad news. I had a miscarriage on Saturday. I put it in this thread because this is the only place on the board I’d mentioned my pregnancy…don’t mean to bring the mood down or anything.
Anyway, we’re sad and disappointed, but we’ll be okay. There weren’t any complications and the doctor said we could try again in 3 months, which we’re going to do. We know that this is just my body’s way of saying things weren’t developing the way they should have been.
I wish you all the best of luck and happiness…I’ll let you know when we have good news again!
-C.
C3:
I am very sorry for your loss. I’m sending good thoughts your way. Good luck ttc.
I’m in early labor! The contractions are roughly 5-10 minutes apart, and I’m about 1 cm dilated. So, it looks like it’s going to be this weekend or thereabouts.
Airman’s coming down tomorrow, so it’ll be great to have him here.
Robin
Wow, busy thread!
C3, so sorry to hear about your loss. Give yourself time to grieve and get healthy again, both in body and spirit.
Robin, that’s so exciting! Keep us posted, ok?
Sending positive thoughts to BOTH of you!
I just found a great place to get maternity clothing. It’s pretty reasonably priced and not too froo-froo.
You can only order maternity stuff on line, unless you go to the SanFran or NYC shops. It seems pretty cheap to ship the stuff, though they don’t post abroad.
I’m planning on getting some stuff there this summer, but it’ll have to be winter season things, since I’m due in March.
Hope you’re all feeling better than I am. I just cannot kick this nausea. It kicks in about 2pm, the headache starts about 5pm and by 8:30pm, I’m ready for bed!
C3, I don’t know how but I somehow missed your post. All our deepest regards at this difficult time.
I’m hoping you’ll be back on this thread in a few short months with some good news!
On August 9th, while on a trip to the US, we had a routine ultrasound (11.5 weeks) that revealed that our baby didn’t have a heartbeat. We are still grieving this loss. We are unsure why this happened, though the doctor thinks it’s something chromosomal because we did see the baby’s heartbeat at 8 weeks.
I had to have a D&C the next day (self-pay, at least 5grand) to remove the baby. I’ve had some minor complications since the surgery and we’ll be going back to our own doctor in France today to see how everything is doing. I’m not sure when we’ll try again.
I wish you all the best of luck with your pregnancies.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Anahita}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
On a more positive note, most of y’all know that I delivered on August 1st. Aaron was 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20 inches long. He’s doing just fine. He’s the most alert, coordinated baby I’ve ever seen. Remarkably enough, I had the easiest labor in recorded history, which was good. Pix are in my sig.
Robin
I’m sorry to hear that, Anahita. Thank you for your thoughts (and everyone else’s, too) and be sure that I’m thinking about you, too. We’re still very sad, but we’re going to give it another go in January. I mentioned (I think?) we’re moving early in Jan., so we’re going to wait until after the plane flight (on the doctor’s recommendation).
Right now, I’m in training. I’ve dedicated myself to losing a little weight and getting in top shape. It’s something to focus on and it helps me keep working in a positive way.
Yay, MsRobyn! Congratulations!
My condolences, Anahita. Take care of yourself, ok?
As for me, only nine weeks to go…I wish it was over already. My two older kids are very eager to see this baby.
Hi, everyone. I lurk on this board pretty often, and I just found this thread.
I’m approximately nine weeks along, and keeping my fingers crossed that all will go well. This is a surprise baby-- and a welcome surprise at age 39, after having fertility problems in the past.
There is an 8 1/2 year gap in age between our oldest son and our youngest son. We started tying to have baby #2 when baby #1 was eighteen months old. No luck for years. Tried fertility drugs…nothing. We gave up completely, and lo and behold, we finally had baby #2. Giving up seemed to do the trick.
Now baby #2 is a busy two-year-old. Baby #1 is going to be eleven in September.
I have not been regular since baby #2. I sometimes go six weeks between periods. I started getting dizzy and sweaty several times a day about a month ago. Because of my age, I initially thought I might be starting early menopause. Then the cravings started.
I had an ultrasound two weeks ago to establish roughly how far along I am. All appears to be normal.
I’m getting some morning sickness, but not too bad. The worst nausea trigger for me is the aroma of cooking meat. Any kind of meat. Once meat is cooked completely, I can tolerate it (sort of)… but that warm, bloody smell it gives off in the first few minutes of cooking will send me running to the bathroom to retch every time.
Anahita and C3, I’m sorry for your loss. 