Tell me about your pregnancies, dopers

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

I liked being pregnant, although I found it freaky just how many changes it wrought. I felt nauseous and out of sorts for 18 weeks, which was a big drag, but the rest of it went well. I worked right up until my due date.

I never read “What to Expect” because I heard so many bad things about that dumb “best odds” diet. I read lots of other pregnancy books, though. “Your Pregnancy Week by Week” is one to avoid, I’m afraid. The weekly drawings are fun, but the sadistic author cannot resist telling you about a new, rare, horrible pregnancy problem each and every week. Gee, thanks, doc, just want I needed.

22

Aloha;

I had two great pregnancies and deliveries. Everyone’s are different. I would definately suggest Lamaze just for the information you get and the coping techniques. I would also not rule out natural child birth at this point. You may just be one of those people who has easy births like I did.

I was in labor with my #1 son (now 24) for most of the afternoon, but it was not too bad. Sooooo at dinner time I ordered a large pizza with everything (cause everyone said you couldn’t eat pizza and nurse UNTRUE do not believe everyone) and ate the whole thing. I am also a major reader and had saved a "good’ no brainer book for labor. My husband kept saying “time to go to the hospital”. I kept saying “just one more chapter” Finally he said he was going without me so I got in the car. Bottom line we got to the hospital thru a snowstorm and #1 son was born 1 hr and 21 minutes after arrival. No drugs, no shaving, no hassle.
My suggestion: Learn as much as possible about the process and go with the flow of you and your baby. Sleep when you are tired, eat when you’re hungry (I gained 55 lbs with both my kids and lost it without dieting within 2 months) and ask your doctor lots of questions. Your body knows what to do.

23

The nine months of pregnancy and the moments of childbirth pain are as nothing compared with the 18 years of child support payments. Or could I be instigating a flame or two?

  • not PW :slight_smile:
24

Weird Spider, I think we had the same pregnancy!(:

I had no real side effects, my only craving was mustard (onhamburgers, not ice cream). I got a little nauseous wearing high heels or platforms (don’t ask why) and HATED when strangers would touch my baby.

Remember, this pregnancy is yours, not the communities. You have the right to say “Hands off!”

Also, when you get closer to the due date, nookie does work at bringing the baby fater, and have a back-up plan in case you have a quickie delivery like Spider and I.

Also, take advantage of the pampering and attention now!
Good Luck and Congrats!!

25

Well, it’s been a while. Kid, the Elder is seventeen and Kid, the Younger is fourteen.

I’m another one of the “No nausea, no bad mood swings, on my feet 'til the last minute, no more than six hours of labour” crowd.

I’ve got a couple of horror stories though, but I won’t go there right now.

Most of what’s been said, I agree with. Eat, excercise, and take classes. I really enjoyed Pre-Natal. For one thing, we met a dozen other couples who were in the same boat. It was great to have a chance to compare notes and cheer each other on.

Oh, and by the way? Body pillows are great to cuddle up to, but I don’t recomend substituting cats. During one pregnancy, we owned two part-Persians. They just loved to cuddle up to me at night. One would lay from my chin to my stomach and the other would take the hips to knees position. Forget rolling over, let alone actually getting out of bed! At least you can heave the pillow without a major feline guilt trip!

One last word of advice. When the baby is about a month old, you will be tempted. You will remember that in your dresser there is a pair of nice, tight, jeans that still fit until the fourth or fifth month.

DON’T GO THERE!

Instead, go to an inexpensive store, or better yet, Goodwill, and get a pair that fit right now. You’ll be in your regular stuff soon enough, but in the meantime you’re out of maternity clothes and actually getting something for you. You can always pass 'em along in a couple of months.

Oh yeah, and big , healthy, babies are good, but take my word for it ten pounds two ounces is just *excessive[i/]!

26

I’m at 18 wks right now, carrying twins, and I’m SO GLAD to hear all of you disputing that “Best Odds” diet from WTEWYE! I tried to follow it closely for a while & that just about made me nuts! I’d much rather follow the “Girlfriend’s” advice, I love that book.

I’ve felt like total crap most of the time - at first I was so nauseous and tired, now I’m just tired. And cranky. Pregzilla moments. Lots of pelvic/lower back pain. But I think I’m starting to feel movement. OTOH, my dear Hubby is becoming disenchanted with his field of work & is ready to jump ship ::trying not to worry::.

The good news is, my OB is thrilled with how things are going - all of my numbers look great, tests are terrific, I look healthy, weight gain right on target, etc. etc. They attributed it to the fact that I’m really listening to my body. I rest A LOT (with feet UP), drink TONS of water (esp. if you feel any kind of cramp), and I eat something about every 2 hours. I’ve been adding Slimfast powder to my milk to boost the protein/vitamins, plus eating lots of fresh fruit & as much protein as I can stand. Except when I had that pad thai craving earlier this week - yum! The mental shock has worn off & I’m getting more accustomed to the notion of motherhood - time is a wonderful thing. It’s not necessary to get all prepared in a month; some days I hardly think about it at all & just live my normal (albeit less strenuous) life.

Listen to your body and relax, don’t get stressed - odds are excellent that you’ll be fine & your baby will too. And call you OB if you have any questions or concerns!! They’ve heard it all & won’t mind yours, there’s no such thing as a dumb question!

Oh, but stay out of GD if you’re getting as addled as I’ve become! Terrible things happen to a woman’s arguing skills!

27

I am the same as SanguineSpider…

except it scared me!
This is my first baby and I am due in December. I have thus far had NOTHING!
no sickness, etc. It worried the daylights out of me. All the sonos showed she is doing well. It wasn’t until lately that I have been feeling little tiny kicks…and I do mean tiny. The doctor was asking me if she had kicked yet and I had no idea! It that the baby or gas? :slight_smile:

The only curse I have gotten is stretch marks. I used creams and stuff religiously and still, the invasion came. Oh well, it’s well worth it!

Best of luck to you!

28

oh. two more things.

Almost everything makes me cry. Unconsolably.Example: Mr baboon came home to see me in tears. Why? I saw my dog sleeping. I told him one day she will be dead. Keep in mind that she has a good 12 more years to go! :slight_smile: Ah, I feel sorry for Mr baboon. But what a trooper he has been!

the other thing is that since I have been pregnant, I have the oddest dreams. I usually never remember my dreams and now its every night I have some bizarre-o dream.

29

Yeah Yeah - I’ve had the weird dreams too.

One night, I dreamt that I’d had a daughter, who was now a toddler with dark curly hair, walking around. And the doctor decided she hadn’t been carried in utero long enough & decided it was time to stick her back in!

30

I’ve been saying the same thing ever since I learned I was preggos. I’ve told my husband probably a thousand times I want as many drugs as they can give me and maybe if he’s lucky, I’ll share and he can have some too. :wink:

I’m not too worried about stretch marks, which I had already due to some weight gain and then loss. I don’t wear anything where you can see my upper thighs/belly area anyway, so stretch marks don’t really bother me. Just another sign of motherhood and that I’ve gone from a slightly obese weight to a healthier one. :slight_smile:

That made me laugh until strawberry lemonade came out my nose. I have one cat that loves to snuggle with me and ‘biscuit’ on my poor tummy. I have to push her off because I don’t want her to hurt the baby and she always gets annoyed with me.

Next dr’s visit is Oct 15. :slight_smile:

MetalMaven

31

I don’t think your cat can hurt the baby by kneading on your tummy. I hope not, because I let mine do it all the time. If it doesn’t hurt, I don’t think it’s a problem. (I did discourage her when she started doing it on my poor tender breasts, and even bit a nipple! Of course, I’m sure I’ll be hardened to such things once the baby starts teething.)

32

My cat used to sleep on my tummy all the time. I think she liked the extra warmth!
I was one of the no sickness, no blood pressure issues etc. crowd, too. Tired all the time in the first trimester, enjoy the second, you have so much energy! I say yes to Lamaze, just for the info you get and just in case the drug thing doesn’t work out.
Yes, it hurts to give birth, but 2 seconds after the baby pops out, you forget all about it.

Don’t let the nurses guilt you into nursing. I nursed cause it turned out to be easy for me, and you should definitely do it for the first couple of days (antibodies, etc.), but if you don’t like it, don’t do it.
Eat what you want, when you want. Your body will twell you what it needs. Bananas are great, though, lots of potassium!
I think the coolest thing about my pregnancies was the first time I felt my girls move. Weirdest and nicest thing in the world!:smiley:

33

One of my kitties likes to sleep curled up on top of the body pillow, next to my stomach. Heck, when I heave the pillow, kitty goes flying off and rolls head over tail towards the end of the bed. It makes me giggle, even though I’m half asleep. And he always comes back.

18 weeks here, due Feb. 23. I have had a fairly easy pregnancy so far - tiredness in the first trimester and queasiness for about 3 weeks, but that’s it (and even then, I never actually threw up). I have to say, though, that so far I don’t really like being pregnant. I don’t like the feeling that my body is some sort of alien thing now*, I’m worried to death about the weight (I’m 35 and my metabolism is slowing down -I’d gained a bit of weight right before I got pregnant) No, I’m not dieting. I’m eating very healthy. But I’m still worried and scared. I hate that nothing fits and that I look bigger than I am in any maternity clothes (my figure used to be hourglass, so anything loose made me look big. Now that my waist is disapearing, it’s worse!). I hate the PMS moments I have nearly every day (I can and do cry at the drop of a hat) BLECCCHHH. And I’m generally scared about the whole thing. I just, no matter how I try, can’t imagine having a baby. It just isn’t real - even though I’ve heard the heartbeat and seen the pictures (even at 12 weeks, when the last set of pictures were taken, Mr. Cricket was convinced that our daughter has my nose!)

Geez, in reading that you’d never guess that this is a planned pregnancy, would you! I guess it’s just hormones talking.

*I can’t be the only one who keeps thinking of that one scene from the movie Alien, can I… :slight_smile: