hi everyone! well, the power did go out again--just our luck! we were only out about 24 hours this time though, not days.

hello to anyone new who's shown up since my last post! i'm glad you've found us! i'm so glad i got on this page and asked a question cuz these ladies have been great to have around!

onestar--my dr also said that walking is very good for you, but also said i could continue water aerobics--really whatever i wanted just not to get my heartrate above 140 bpm. i haven't been back to water aerobics yet, but i'm planning on it. i've been being sort of careful due to some spotting after i went back to work. i was on 48 hour full pelvic rest, but i think it's turned into 2 week full pelvic rest! luckily we go to the dr thursday, so i'll feel better after that!

misa--don't worry about grossing me out--i've had kids throw up on me at daycare--nothing grosses me out anymore! i can't give any advice on non-gassy foods, but my friend suggested eating smaller meals more often during the day, like you'd do for morning sickness. i haven't tried it yet, but it might work.
i've been an irritable mess too. on sunday, i lost it! i'd spent saturday night home alone with no power and sunday rich was out working his other job. i went out to find him with the idea of getting some lunch. but when i found him, i don't know what happened to me. he wasn't as far along with his cleaning jobs as i'd thought he be and that irritated me. then i was yelling at him because the power was out, i was cold and bored, was hungry but felt like i was going to throw up and wanted the power back on. he said "well, first, i can't do anything about the power, and second, i think you should calm down." in his calm, cool and collected voice and i looked at him and said "oh.....shut up!" i never say shut up! boy, did i have some apologizing to do when i calmed down! i'm just blaming everything on my hormones. rich already said that excuse is not going to last for 7 more months, but i keep reading stuff in books about how my emotions are going to be crazy and pointing it out to him. really, what does he expect? i'm growing a person in here, for crying out loud!

tanya--i hope you stick around with us--you seem to be full of good advice!

hey, is anyone else excited about being able to use this now-- ? i am! also, where do you find the cute baby countdown tickers? i'm definitely adding one!

well, better run and get my last snack! talk to everyone soon, lori

Hi all,
I am feeling better now, not as much gas problems. I don't know what I did, but it seemed to work. I am eating something every few hours - pretzels, banana, etc. If I don't, I feel nauseous. Otherwise, I'm doing ok.

Ladies that are about 8 weeks: have you gained any weight? I have gained about 5 lbs. I am worried about this because I am only supposed to gain 15 lbs. and that doesn't leave me much more room! Right now I am 186 and I hope not to weigh more than 200 when I deliver. I think that is going to be nearly impossible.

Lori, your irritated scenario sounds just like what I have been going through! I feel so guilty after I blow up at my poor hubby and he is not one to take it easily. I hope that being aware of the increased irritability will help us to control it.

Good to hear from all the new people. I love hearing everyone's perspectives and advice. Thanks!!

Misa

Misa,
I wouldn't get to worked up about the weight gain. I didn't gain anything until I was almost 20weeks and then I gained 30lbs in the second have of my pregnancy. I was 196 when I got pregnant and the 30lbs came off fast. Since then I have lost an additional 32lbs, so I am down to 168. I know it is so hard to really enjoy it and relax, when you are worried about weight, but just make sure you eat when your hungry, and don't overdo it and you'll be fine. If you go over 200lb, those "easy" pounds will come off fast. Try is all you can do, but don't stress, just enjoy this time. There won't be any excuses after you deliver so, use them up while you have the chance and blame it on the baby, LOL.

misa--i haven't gained anything yet. in fact, i've lost a pound since last week. however, you are a lot lighter then i am, so i don't think i can give any good advice on the weight issue.

tomorrow is our first dr appointment finally!! i'm so excited! i can't wait for someone to finally say that there is really a baby in there! we decided to tell our parents this weekend, so i bought some little frames and baby stickers and we're going to frame one of the ultrasound pictures to give our parents. if we don't get any pictures for some reason, i'm not sure how we'll tell them, but it'll be exciting anyway. and will for sure seem more real once people know! so far the only people who know are you guys and my best friend and her husband. i can't wait to tell more people!

hope everyone is doing well--lori

Lori, I am so excited for you finally have your first prenatal apt today
Please let us know how it goes, Good Luck -T

hello! our first dr visit went great! i guess it was all routine stuff, nothing too exciting--lots of info, i have to go get some blood drawn and have a glucose test done, and an exam. we go in two weeks to have our first ultrasound. they do them around 10 weeks and we are 8 weeks 4 days today, so they wanted to wait. we told rich's parents and they were so excited! as soon as rich gets something to eat, we're calling my mom and his sister. yeah!! well, i'd better run, but wanted to let you all know things are looking good so far! i'm just glad someone in a white dr's jacket finally said, yes, you're pregnant! take care, lori

That's great news Lori! I had an ultrasound at 18 weeks, but they often do them earlier in some practices. 10 weeks is when they can hear the heartbeat, but in women who are overweight, it can be harder to hear so they sometimes wait longer, or do an ultrasound. You are lucky, it's so exciting and amazing to see that life right in front of you! I am really happy for you and your dh. BTW is his name Richard. My dh is a Richard too, Rick for short. OK off to bed.

TANYA: You are doing GREAT! Keep up the good work. I hope I can get down to 168 after I give birth next summer. Right now, I am stocking up on stretchy pants. Thanks for the encouragement about my weight. I am trying not to obsess about ANYTHING, but it is so hard, because I am still having trouble with my insurance coverage (no member # yet, so everything has to be paid in full). So I am trying not to worry.

LORI: I'm glad you went to the Dr.! I know how you feel about finally going and getting confirmation. I have told everyone I know and it is nice to get a congratulations every day at work (there are 275 people there, so someone finds out every day). I kind of hate that you have to wait 2 more weeks for the ultrasound, but that's what pregnancy is turning out to be - hurry up and wait! I have my second appt. Feb. 7 and they will do an ultrasound on my belly as opposed to the initial one which was decidedly more uncomfortable (I guess you avoided that one - lucky you - it was like a gynelogical exam). The one on Feb. 7 will be the first my husband goes to.

What symptoms are you still having? I am nauseated sometimes but it's tolerable. Apparently, I was overeating all the time before the pregnancy and didn't realize it. Now, when I overeat, I feel nauseated and uncomfortable. I am trying to learn not to overeat, but it is very difficult with the habit already well established. I am eating a lot of mild foods - grits (I'm in GA!), cereal, bananas, toast and sandwiches. Those have been my only cravings, except one day I was dying for ice cream.

I am still tired a lot, but am determined to keep working and wait till I get home to collapse. A lot of chores are being held off till the weekend. I am also cooking less, because all I want are the mild foods, so dh is left to his own devices for supper. I seem to be more nauseated at night than in the morning. I am cooking breakfast for myself every morning, but by supper time I am too tired/not wanting any normal supper foods. I bought a roast to cook last week and finally had to freeze it because it made me sick every time I thought about it. Red meat is definitely unappealing to me right now. I am having a hard time not eating too much cheese though!

I am interested in hearing about your day to day food habits. Have a great weekend!

Misa

hello! how's everyone doing? things here are ok--just got back from a nauseating trip to the grocery store. everything really smelled today and it made it hard to buy anything cuz nothing smelled good. then, it's supposed to storm tonight and it was crowded and hot and i had to wait in line to check out for 15 minutes. that'll teach me to wait until the last minute to do the shopping when a storm is coming.

tanya--yes, my husband is a richard, but rich for short. he's the second in his family and his dad wanted to know if we'd do a third if we have a boy. we said no way. it's always a hassle for rich, he doesn't want to do that to our baby. we get his dads phone calls, and even the bank messed up the accounts. when we were trying to buy our house we had to contact the credit bureaus too cuz they had my rich's stuff messed up with his dads. his dad agreed that it wasn't a good idea. besides, when rich was little people started calling his dad rich and my rich "little richie". some of his relatives still call him that and i don't like it. i'd hate it if they started calling our son that!

misa--i seem to have a lot of the same symptoms you do. nauseous a lot and feel bad if i eat too big of a meal. extremely tired at the end of the day and irritable. i'm just doing the best i can everyday to eat good food. during the week, i usually have a bran muffin and some fruit for breakfast, for lunch i eat my biggest meal--sandwiches, soups, salads, fruit or veggie, and try to have a glass of milk. i eat a snack in the afternoon, usually just whatever the boys are having (rice cakes, fruit, yogurt, cereal) and then whatever i can tolerate for dinner--sometimes just a bowl of cereal, sometimes a little of what i make the boys--usually a meat, carb and veggie or two. i usually can't eat much for dinner cuz i'm usually feeling sick by then. if i don't eat with the boys and don't feel sick, by the time i get home, i'm too tired to cook anything big. on the weekends, i do about the same things, but we usually go out to eat one meal one day (that's about the only time rich and i have to spend together, so we usually go out to do something). i just try to get a healthy meal--chicken and potatoes and veggies, or pasta or something. i'm also taking my prenatal vitamin and a fruit and veggie supplement to help with constipation, but also because i don't think i eat enough veggies. i think i'm doing ok. the midwife we saw on thursday said that they don't worry too much about you in the first trimester cuz that's when you feel the most sick, food tastes bad and it's just hard to eat. she did give us a guideline of what you're supposed to try to get, but she said for now just to do my best. i have to go get a glucose test done before our next appointment (feb. 5). diabetes runs in my family and since i'm overweight i'm at risk for gestational diabetes. she said if my sugar level is up at the glucose test, then they'll send me to a nutritionist right away.

you know, we're due aug. 26 so you and i are at about the same place! we have our ultrasound feb. 5. i think you said you have your next appointment on the 7th, so you'll have to let me know how it goes!

well, better run. everyone take care! lori

LORI: I love reading your entries because I feel like we are having much of the same experience. I am sitting here eating saltines and drinking Diet Ginger Ale, because of the nausea. I will say that it has gotten better in the past two weeks. I went out to eat with family last night and was able to enjoy and eat my whole meal without any nausea.

Sounds like you are eating pretty healthy - I'm impressed! A lot of cereals now are full of vitamins, so that can be good. I cut up a banana and put it over the bowls of cereal. I also have been eating this for a meal - two pieces of wheat toast spread with peanut butter, sliced bananas, and drizzled honey. Milk is great on the side.

I look forward to hearing how your ultrasound goes - I can't wait till mine.

Have a great week,
Misa

hello--i'm freaking out a little and am hoping posting will help me feel better. i am having a little spotting today and it scared me. i had some a few weeks ago and was on 48 hour full pelvic rest and it went away. it happened after i came back to work after the holiday and was running around and carrying heavy things up and down stairs at work. the dr thought it was probably just from the heavy lifting, etc. and wasn't a big deal. yesterday, i was outside shoveling for about an hour. i felt fine while i was out although my back was a little sore when i came in. now, it's been more then 24 hours since i shoveled, i just went to the bathroom and there was some blood on the tissue (sorry if too much info). i'm going to give it an hour or so and check again. i guess i'll call the dr if there is any more. hopefully, it will be done and won't be anything to worry about. we told our parents last week and rich's sister and i told my employer's this morning that we're pregnant. i feel like the more people we tell, the more chance we have of something going wrong. i was feeling so great after the dr visit last week--now i just wish they'd do an ultrasound and assure us that the baby is doing fine in there. well, i'm going to go sit down for awhile and relax. talk to you all later, lori

Well, the stick is now blue. Like my first pregnancy, I pretty much knew after a couple days, but just wanted to be sure. Time to call the OB.

Lori, how are you doing today?

Anne

Hey Lori,

I'm sorry that you are upset. I feel for you. I have been overly cautious about lifting anything or doing anything strenuous and haven't had any spotting. I think you should not do any of that. But I'm no doctor. I haven't exercised AT ALL and I know I'm supposed to. I keep planning on walking after work - a) when it gets warmer outside and the time changes and b) when I quit being so tired all the time. Pretty much all I do is sleep, eat, and watch TV. Not that I'm recommending that lifestyle.

I have read that spotting is very common and harmless though.

Also, I have told everyone I know that I am pregnant. My husband says that if we have a miscarriage, then we will just have that much more support. I think that if we miscarry, I will only have to tell my mom, his mom, and my boss and they will spread the word. There's no such thing as "jinxing", so don't worry about that. Too many real things to worry about!

Have you called your Dr. about this latest spotting? Call him, that's what you are paying him (A LOT) for! Maybe you could move your next OB appt. up, since you are having anxiety? It seems like he should acommodate you.

I will say a prayer for you and let me/us know how it's going.

Misa

P.S. Today, I had a new worry - I figured out that I had gone to the tanning bed several times when I was pregnant and didn't know it - we were getting ready for a cruise (we were in Grand Cayman when I found out I was pregnant - I was so sick during the whole time). I looked it up and don't think it's harmful to the baby. The website mostly just lectured me about tanning in the first place, which I normally don't do.

P.P.S. Check out www.babycenter.com - you can register for your due date and they send you a weekly email telling you how your baby is developing. It's pretty neat and I am going to start forwarding the email to my husband.

Hi Anne! Congratulations! Supposedly, if you can tell your pregnant pretty soon into it, you are very in touch with your body. I'm diabetic, so I am quite "in touch" and could tell something was different right away.

BTW, "Anne" and "Anna" are two of the names we are considering for our baby, if it's a girl. Do you like your name?

Misa

Thanks, Misa. My first symptom was that my running really started to break down, and then came the abdominal sensations, flatulence (!), dizziness, bouts of nausea, extreme clumsiness, using the bathroom every half hour, emotional outbursts, and finally extreme fatigue and sore breasts. I was either most definitely pregnant or a serious hypochondriac. A person wonders how all that can happen and not have enough HCG to turn the stick blue!

I like my name very much. But no one can spell it, if that is an issue for you. I get Ann a lot of course, but also Anna and Annie.

Anne