I'm still here, still pregnant. Feeling pretty good these days, if you ignore heartburn and other digestive woes, irritability, and most recently, sciatica. I'm now at 19w and change. We got our amnio results back, and we are definitely having a boy, and by all indications, very healthy.

My weight is up about 18 pounds, which is about 8 pounds more than I was hoping, but I'm thinking things have turned a corner with the end of the holidays, and a return to more reasonable eating.

How is everyone doing?

Anne

Hi Anne! I'm still here. 36 weeks, 4 days now. Getting *very* anxious. I found out last week that my baby is breech, and I'm a little worried. I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow, we'll see what she says, but it looks like I'll need a c-section. Why did the little guy decide to turn?? He was head down until the last US and I was told he probably wouldn't turn anymore. Oh well.

Hi fellow preggos!

Anne already knows what's going on with me because I send her long rambly e-mails, but here goes:

I found out I'm 12 weeks along instead of a little over 10, like I thought, so I'm sharing the news with everyone now. I even plan to tell my students at school this week. I had my first ultrasound Friday and it was amazing. I didn't know I'd be able to see the baby so well this early. I'm gaining too much weight, I think, and I know I need to better control my eating but every day I kind of fail at that. I seem to be having an aversion to vegetables and a craving for starchy carbs, so that's not good. Sleep problems are starting, and I need to start figuring out when to switch over to maternity clothes now that my stomach is getting thicker.

clarabr, my DD was breech and I had a c-section. I was somewhat disappointed at the time, but now it seems like a fine way to have a baby. I'm actually rather happy to be left out of the labor horror story club. My OB said one last big turning time for the baby is when labor actually begins, so we elected to wait and do a last minute check, rather than scheduling the surgery ahead of time, since a vaginal birth is obviously preferable in an uncomplicated situation. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about it.

Hi Lisa! I never find maternity clothes fit well, especially pants, so I wear sized-up Land's End sport knit pants through most of my pregnancy, and try to dress up the shirt some. I have a couple dressier pants for when the occasion demands it, but I'm never comfortable.

The Boy is moving this morning!

Anne

Hi I'm 22 weeks pregnant with a boy. Had an ultrasound today and everything is perfect. Im starting to think that I will never look pregnant because im overweight. I googled images of 22 weeks pregnant and you can tell these ladies are pregnant, but not Me. I can't really feel the baby move, he moves a lot in the ultrasoud room. I now weight 236, only gained about 9 lbs. Does anyone here look pregnant?

Hi Crystal,

Oh, yeah. I look very pregnant. But this is my 2nd and I understand you look more pregnant more quickly after the first time. BTW: it has come on very suddenly in the last month or so. I've also gained way more than 9 lbs, so here's my congrats to you on a reasonable weight gain so far.

Anne

LisaMarie-
When the doctors calculate your "weeks pregnant", they do so by your last menstrual cycle in most cases. (Because many women don't know the day of conception.) If you knew the date, and thought you were about 10 weeks, then you were probably right.

A woman's pregnancy is calculated for 40 weeks, but the baby is actually only there around 38ish, give or take.

Thanks for the reassurance, Anne I saw my doctor yesterday and it seems that the baby might be turning again. He seemed to be sideways. She thought she could feel a shoulder down there. She said we should wait before making any decisions. I'm seeing her again next week.

Crystal, I look *very* pregnant, but I'm almost done

Aphil, I was dating it by what I thought was the first day of my last period (I have no idea as to the date of conception), but I wasn't sure about that date. I usually know, but of course this time I would have no clue. I'm still a bit surprised that I was off by that much, but it's fine with me, of course.

Hi Crystal -- I don't really look pregnant yet, though I tend to gain all my weight in my stomach anyway, and I'm only 12 weeks. When I was heavier, people often asked if I was pregnant, which was pretty annoying at the time. I've gained about 10 pounds already (part of that I would've gained anyway because of a great deal of holiday overindulgence).

I've told everyone now. As soon as I told a few students in my first class yesterday, the word started spreading. I think the whole school knows now. All my students want me to name the kid after them. Then they started coming up with names like Xerxes and Maximus.

I went to my VBAC class last night. I find I'm still undecided about the whole thing. Will talk to my OB next week about some of the questions that it raised for me.

I've had a kind of yucky cold, and passed a kidney stone this weekend. So I've been feeling sort of awful for a few days. I'm glad it is nothing serious though. The boy has been pretty quiet the last day or two, moving just enough so I don't worry.

How are you all doing? clarabr, you are at 37 weeks now? That is considered full term for delivery--you are getting close!

Anne

I hope that your little one finds a position and stays head down for ya. My little one this last time was breech. We thought she had turned ..did the whole chiro thing, etc. (And I think she did turn head down..but she managed to flip again without me noticing). Anyways.. imagine my suprise when I start to push and I hear the Dr. and nurses say she is BREECH. My Dr. had never attended a breech before but he felt okay having the birth procede since she had got into the birth canal at that point and I have a history of birthing large babies, (my 4th was 11 pounds). I was scared..it was all so sudden that I didn't have time to really digest the info.. but 1 push and she was here. 9 pounds, 11 ounces. This was also my first time having pain medication in labor, (I had an epidural and it worked just as intended) I think that the epidural allowed my body to labor slower and sort of work the baby down gently.. (my other labors were like 2 hours..this one was 8 hours). Other than a longer labor, I can't say the birth was any harder..the recovery was actually my best since the birth wasn't so rapid. I was very thankful to avoid a cesarean since I have 5 kids to take care of..recovery from normal birth takes long enough for me. If they would have known she was breech they would have wanted to do a cesarean.. I just got very, very lucky, I guess. I hope your little one turns. ((hugs))

Anne, passing a kidney stone on top of all the nice pregnancy symptoms?! Ouch! Poor you!

I'll be 38 weeks tomorrow Getting *really* anxious. Thanks for the vibes, guys. Snoopysgirl, my doctor will definitely suggest a c-section if he's still breech, and from what I've been reading, I think I'll gladly accept her suggestion! I'm happy to hear you had a successful natural birth even under those circumstances, but I'd be afraid. We'll see.

My husband and I are trying to baby #2. I had a c-section with my first because I couldn't dialate fast enough and I had been in labor for 3 days, 20 hours with my water broke. I am hoping to have a VBAC with my second one, if I can ever get pregnant. Vaginal births are a lot easier on the baby and it's a llot quicker of a recovery for the mother

Hi Navywife! What you say about VBAC is only partially in line with the best statistics I could find, which were confirmed by the doula at my class. VBAC is a lot easier on the mother (on average of course) with lower risk of death and quicker recovery. It is also much better for any subsequent children because it helps avoid complications due to scarring and adhesions. But for the current baby, scheduled C-section has lower risk of infant death; however those risks for either VBAC or C are very, very low. The risks of some complications for mother and child are higher in VBAC and other complications are higher in c-section, pick your poison.

So this being my last child, my rupture risks are slightly higher because I've had a uterine surgery in addition to the c, and I'm prone to certain complications that would be exacerbated by a vaginal birth that isn't a very easy one (TMI for the forum) and make my recovery long anyway, I'm really leaning toward the scheduled c-section. I still have to talk to my OB, and I have some time to think about it, but it comes down to whether having the labor and birth experience is important enough to me to take on the extra risks for my child and myself, even though the risks are small. I'm finding it a tough decision, but I'm pretty much at peace with DD's birth, and don't feel robbed of a vital experience in any way.

FWIW, the women in my VBAC class who've had both a vaginal birth and a c-section, were very much in favor of the vaginal birth, and that also sticks in my mind. This is also true for friends who have had both types as well.

I know this can be a controversial subject, and I'm not trying to start any debates on it. I'm just trying to work it out for myself. I do know it seems very hard to get reliable facts on it; doctors in general seem reluctant due to malpractice issues and convenience issues, and there seem to be a lot of sites out there that promote the other side of it as well, without many facts. I am glad I live in a time and location where I get to choose what I think is best for the baby and I, which may be different than what is best for someone else. We've gone through stages where "once a c always a c" swinging to mandated VBACs to cut HMO costs, and now back to position of choice, at least for those of us near major medical centers.

Anyway, I'm still fighting this cold, which isn't a major one, but is making me SOOOO tired. I could sleep for a week!

Hope you all are doing well. clarabr, if you don't check back in before the big day, here's wishing you turning vibes and best of luck with your delivery. Come back and let us know how it went.

Anne

Hey everyone, Im glad to see some activity on this part of the forum, its usually dead, So i stopped coming by. Im Christina, Im 23 and 19w6d pregnant with my first. I have no idea what I am having yet. My doctor said that he likes to wait to do an ultrasound between 24-28 weeks when the baby is pretty much fully developed so its less likely to be a mistake on the gender. So I got awhile until I get to find out, and its driving me absolutly crazy!!!! I actually haven't gained any weight yet, I have lost, the baby is growing and very healthy tho!!