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[littlefred]

oh, don't be jealous. I am certain that now that I can eat I will be gaining weight. I am I will catch up for sure!  But, I lost weight those first 12-13 weeks because I couldn't eat much at all.  (I'm having the issue today as well)

A few bites every few hours. I made sure I tried to eat at least every 2 hours.... it didn't go down well, and I often didn't eat more than a few bites.

Like 1/3 of a baby bell cheese and a cracker. I also had a VERY hard time eating protein of any kind. That seems to be better, but I still struggle some days.

Although, I still can't eat chicken. At all. Can't even look at it in the store. I hold my breath as I hurry by, lest a whiff get to my olfactory receptors.

Pry: I feel that way! I think I mostly just look like I've gained weight. Someone would have to really look at me to guess it was pregnancy. The bump seems to be bigger this past week though... so maybe it'll push over that hump!

r-ista: What a nifty story! Poor hubby.... but its a good kind of off-balance!  I think I'd have kept quiet for a bit longer if I could... (I say that...) but then again, I lasted a mere 24 hours before I couldn't resist. Especially after all the months I *was so sure* and made him suffer with me through the 2ww, and testing*. he deserved to have the GOOD news soon too.

*I wish I had been able to do it with him, but honestly, we did that so many times in the beginning that the disapointment was too much. When I made him wait with me, it was his and my own compounded.... so I started testing on my own a long time ago. I had all these visions of keeping it a secret and doing something 'cutesy' to tell him:

 baby socks on his dinner plate, or on his car seat, or give him the test in a box (in a bag of course)... in the end, I just couldn't wait long enough to pull any of it off. {grin}

[docmama]

Congrats to everyone! I'm about 22 weeks along with number 2, so definitely into the maternity clothes. Target usually has something on clearance (I just got a basic black dress for 8 dollars). If you're short, Motherhood Maternity and Old Navy/Gap carry a pretty good selection of petite pants.
I'm well into the relatively comfortable second trimester, so I'll send good vibes that the nausea and exhaustion leave you soon.

[theatremom]

Just wanted to pop in to congratulate everyone who is expecting. I'm excited for all of you, even though I'm pretty happy that my baby days are well behind me. Now, if I can just survive the last bit of my kids' teenager-dom.....

Congratulations, one and all.

[monita]

Just stopping by to ask... has anyone here gone the midwife route instead of using an ob/gyn?  All the women in my family have followed a very medical model of childbirth (more-or-less elective C-sections, TONS of ultrasounds, the lot) and I'm sure I'll be hounded about pre-natal care as soon as we announce it. Right now I have an appointment with an ob. nurse in about a week, but I think it's just to do a blood test to confirm pregnancy and give me an estimated due date.  Does anyone know how pre-natal care differs between midwives and more standard practices? 

Thanks. :-)

[starrigyrl]

I went with a midwife for my first, and am doing so again for my second (I'm about 17 weeks right now). I loved it. The midwife practice that I attend is affiliated with our local birth center, and I really like that. I had a minor complication with my first and being a the birth center made it really easy to deal with; the midwife called in an OB just in case things got more complicated (they didn't), but she still directed my labor and took care of us. I also felt like I got a lot of individualized attention in the months prior, so I certainly can endorse the midwife option. 

I too am enjoying being (mostly) past the morning sickness phase. There are still a few foods that gross me out, and I still have queasy moments if I forget to eat, but overall its a lot better than before. I forgot how annoying it is not be able to sleep on my back though. I can't wait until this baby arrives, so I can sack out again.

[august_leo]

I'm too tired to comment much now, but:

I'm 12-13 weeks pregnant and the baby will also be an August Leo.

My pants are starting to be snug (I'm thin but had a bit of a belly since I was a teen, just my shape). I'm finding it very difficult to find affordable work maternity clothes in the UK. I'm also feeling a lot of round ligament pain this week.

We told virtually everyone last week/weekend (including department chair). We had the first ultrasound (saw, didn't hear heatbeat) last Tuesday. We didn't get to do that until week 12.

I was carsick twice visiting my dad (jerky driver) but otherwise, no morning sickness! I was very shocked. My husband (also an August Leo) and I think it's because I ate really well before (lots of fruit/veg, fish once a week, little red meat, but some) and I've been eating regularly. I've only gained about 3 pounds in trimester one. When I say I eat regularly, I mean: instead of eating my brown bag lunch in 30min (sandwich, banana, clementines, babybell cheese, nuts, yogurt) I'll have the sandwich at 11:30 then the banana at 12:15 then the clementines at 1:30, etc (not literally, but as I get hungry). I also have a snack before bed or if I get up in the night so I don't wake up hungry (it's a myth that you put on more calories if you eat before bed). The challenge for me is that I'm getting so sick of food/thinking so hard about what I'm eating (no real cravings or aversions). I'm also 33 and was on folic acid/trying-to-get-pregnant vitamins before, so maybe that's part of it.

[monita]

Your food scaffolding plan seems to be working for me, too, August.  I'm already nauseous (at probably 4+wks), but I expected it, since Mama was a puker with all of her pregnancies.  If I nibble fairly frequently, though, it's not too bad.

Thanks for the vote of confidence for midwifery, Starrigyrl.  I really want to go the midwife route (and I even like the idea of homebirth, but I'm not sure of that one yet).  Since that's so "weird" here, I'm not quite sure how it works.  I think I'm going to make an appointment with a midwife soon, just so I can ask her a zillion questions. :-)

[littlefred]

Hi AugustLeo! 

My little girl will be a June baby like me, which I Love, love. I hope she waits just a few days and shares my birthday.

There is a practice here that uses midwives, but it is not my OB practice. I would have investigated the midwife option, but I am considered high-risk. I have a chronic condition, managed with pain meds, a prior history of OB issues and surgery, and I'm 35. Got a lot against me!  So I would think that the medical route is the right one for me at this time.

Although, I always assumed I would be more on the natural end of this.... it just didn't work out that way


And, I am so severely jealous of you people.... I'm 19-20 weeks and STILL nauseas.  Its been bad again today. really bad. Even my tried-and-true tacos from Moe's only helped for about 2 hours.

Maybe I'll have to eat the other one in the fridge right now as a snack....

{heads off to fridge}

[concordancia]

Your food scaffolding plan seems to be working for me, too, August.  I'm already nauseous (at probably 4+wks), but I expected it, since Mama was a puker with all of her pregnancies.  If I nibble fairly frequently, though, it's not too bad.

Thanks for the vote of confidence for midwifery, Starrigyrl.  I really want to go the midwife route (and I even like the idea of homebirth, but I'm not sure of that one yet).  Since that's so "weird" here, I'm not quite sure how it works.  I think I'm going to make an appointment with a midwife soon, just so I can ask her a zillion questions. :-)

Monita, the experiences will vary widely, depending on the midwife herself, her beliefs about childbirth and her own training. Are you looking for a midwife or a nurse-midwife? You should check on a few of these things before you even make an appointment.

[macaroon]

Congratulations, everyone!

Thanks for the vote of confidence for midwifery, Starrigyrl.  I really want to go the midwife route (and I even like the idea of homebirth, but I'm not sure of that one yet).  Since that's so "weird" here, I'm not quite sure how it works.  I think I'm going to make an appointment with a midwife soon, just so I can ask her a zillion questions. :-)

I would have loved to "have" a midwife for my pregnancies. My first pregnancy, I had no choice because I had student health.  In the region where I lived for my second pregnancy, the only area midwives were associated with two ginormous OB/Gyn practices.  Several friends of mine had used them, and while they got "midwifery", they got very little personal attention and didn't often see the same midwives twice. 

Instead, I went with an OB/GYN with a solo practice.  I liked him, and when I was in L&D, the nurses there told me that he had way more unmedicated deliveries than any of the area midwives, and the lowest C-section rate in the hospital.

[gennimom]

In my state, midwives are not allowed to be connected with ob-gyns. I'm not sure what the issue is. It wasn't a problem for me as I knew there were likely to be complications. I messed up my pelvic girdle a few years before. Good thing, as the injury kept me from having Genni naturally.

As for maternity clothes, I received a lot of hand-me-downs and we went to a second-hand store. My niece runs one that only takes better quality stuff and I got some really nice clothes. I wasn't about to spend a lot for something I was only going to wear a few months. I found some really cute deals! I'll tell you though, I was heartily sick of them by the end of my pregnancy!

I'll refrain from mentioning how little weight I gained and how fast I lost it, but I did figure out one issue. I couldn't do chocolate or caffeine (therefore no Dr. Pepper) while I was pregnant. It was what gave me headaches. I was allowed to take sudafed and tylenol (I know, I know), and that kept the sinus issues under control. Maybe that will help someone with that problem?

[monita]

There are a few midwives in my area.  I've met two of them: one Certified Professional Midwife and one Lay Midwife.  The third is a Nurse Midwife, who works with an ob/gyn, and she would be my preference.  I'm going to look into working with the Nurse Midwife, but it's still VERY early.  I'm still just exploring options.

[relationalista]

In my area, midwifery is considered part of regulated health practice and is quite widely available. In fact (yay for Canadian health coverage!), in my region (though not in all) it's covered. Only one primary prenatal care practitioner is covered -- a midwife or\ an MD -- but midwives here are affiliated with particular hospitals and in the event of complications will liaise with OBs and see the process through even if surgery is needed. I like the idea of going with a midwife, but haven't met with any yet. I'm also still assessing whether I'm going to be considered a complicated/difficult pregnancy based on several tests that are just underway now and what that might mean for care throughout the pregnancy.

Among other things, midwives here offer the option of a home birth. Anyone have experience with those?

[monita]

Relationista, I've been attending a homebirth meetup group the last few months, so I've heard a lot about it but of course have no direct experience with it myself.  Some of the women there are hardcore (one of the midwives gave birth a couple of times completely unattended!), but in general it seems like a reasonable idea for a healthy pregnancy without major complications.   I like that a home birth lets you work on your own schedule, move around, eat, take a shower, whatever... it seems like a warm and peaceful way to welcome the little one to the world.  I don't know that I'll go that route because I don't know what kind of pregnancy I'm going to have, but it's something to consider.

If you're considering homebirth at all, the Ina Mae Gaskin book is a good read (Ina Mae's guide to Childbirth? something like that).

[starrigyrl]

I started with a midwife who was not affiliated with any O/B practice, but she recommended (due to my "advanced" age of 34) that I work with a nurse/midwife affiliated with our local Birth Center. Like I said upthread, that wound up working well for me. I had ruled out homebirth early on (seemed too messy, quite frankly)  I did get a lot of information from my midwife on the options, and I attempted natural early in my labor, but about 12 hours in requested the epidural. No-one even batted an eye, and felt totally supported in every decision my partner and I made during the course of labor. I think the key is to find someone- O/B, midwife, whatever- with whom you are comfortable, who will provide you with the right information, but not be judgy.