TheLaser Member

I entered the third tri last week and it's so exciting to hear your birth story. I love how you continued to make really well-considered decisions throughout all the challenges and difficulties. I hope that I am able to follow in your footsteps should the need arise. I was also on the fence about a doula, but now I'm…

And my latest news is that I have/had a UTI (will find out the lab results today). Ugh. If that was any indication of how I'll be in labor, I'm pretty scared! I was moaning and miserable! It also seems like everything I am doing to cure myself of it causes heartburn, too: I am downing cranberry juice, which is instant…

Those look delicious! Thanks! Can't wait to try them.

I wasn't considering an elective c-section at all with this (my first) pregnancy, but after seeing the movie "The Business of Being Born" and reading the book _Pushed_, I am determined to avoid one and all the steps that could lead to one unless it is a genuine medical emergency. You might want to check out those resources.

My sleeping woes started recently, around week 27. My husband got me a Snoogle pillow (basically a body pillow) and that has definitely helped. Also, my prenatal yoga instructor who is also a doula recommended something like "RenewSleep" or "RenuSleep" (I haven't gotten it yet and am probably misremembering -but she said…

Hi All! I was just over at my friends' house for the weekend, and they are engineers from MIT who have two kids and developed a new system for pumping, storing, heating up, and feeding the baby breastmilk. They are really excited about how it is working with their new baby, so I thought I would share it. Being a first-time…

Weeks: 14: +14 20: +20 22: +24 24: +24 25: +24 27: +27 28: +27 Just entered the third tri, where they say you usually gain 10-11 lbs. Maybe I could just maintain, but I'm learning that whatever my body needs to gain, it will gain.

Hi May Mammas! I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day! Mine started out badly, but then my husband's gift improved it --a Snoogle pillow! I was really sleeping badly this week and felt miserable and exhausted, but this morning I woke up happy and refreshed after a totally comfortable night. Yay! Maybe the third…

I didn't log last week, so it's a +3 gain over two weeks. Apparently I enjoyed my in-laws' Italian cooking a little too much while on vacation! Weeks: 14: +14 20: +20 22: +24 24: +24 25: +24 27: +27

Thanks for all of the advice! What brand is your new body pillow, alibur? And Tara --what does your doctor say about water walking? I have started adding this into my pool workouts and I LOVE it! It's gentler on my joints than even regular walking and I feel like I can get a really great workout in. I take my swim hand…

Hello Fellow Mamas! Welcome to our newest members! It sounds like a number of us are starting to get big and a little uncomfortable from the effects --I know I am! I just got back from our "babymoon." It wasn't anywhere particularly exotic (like Fiji -I wish!), but it was exactly the right vacation for me at this stage,…

25 weeks today! I wish I had kept a consistent log of my weight gain, but it was basically a pound a week (due to nausea eating) until recently: Weeks: 14: +14 20: +20 22: +24 24: +24 25: +24 I started feeling better at week 22, when I began working out daily and counting calories. I guess it's paying off!

Some tips on swimming and water workouts for non-swimmers or people who don't/can't do laps: On the days when the lap lanes are full of inconsiderate swimmers (who don't know lane etiquette and thoughtlessly collide with other swimmers), I head over to the shallow area and run vigorously in the water in wide circles the…

What is your doctor smoking? Not a single book, not a single (reputable) online source I've ever looked at, and likely no one here would agree with that rigid guideline. Can you switch to an OB here who actually does care more about the baby? I'd be scared that your present one would be just as rigid during labor and…

Even if stretch marks can't be prevented, you can alleviate the itchy belly that sometimes results from stretching and expanding skin. My belly started itching fiercely at around 20 weeks, but it has not since I began using twice daily a Vitamin E gel that my mom gave me.

I'm happy someone started a thread about fitness, given that this is a "FIT, fabulous, & pregnant" group! It's interesting to hear what other people are doing and at what point you are having to alter or curtail your activities. As for myself, I had a VERY difficult first tri/early second tri with major nausea and…

Welcome to all new posters! Who would have thought we'd get so many more new members this deep into the second trimester?! So, my latest victories have been lots of swimming, pre-natal yoga, and yesterday... RUNNING! YAY! And the latest dilemma is the crib. I want to get a nontoxic crib; maybe I've been reading too much,…

24 lbs at 24 weeks. I was so afraid it would be more. Since I've started feeling better these last two weeks, I've been getting in more exercise and eating better and less, so I don't FEEL huge or uncomfortable. When I gained 14 lbs in the first tri due to nausea eating and the curtailing of previous levels of activity, I…

I don't think it would hurt to call the Dr.'s office and mention your concerns, asking specifically for his/her recommendations. Even if they won't see you, many times they will talk to you over the phone, or a nurse practitioner will be available to answer questions. On the other hand, even professional opinions on some…

I'm trying to meet other soon-to-be moms through prenatal yoga, although I can't say it has totally worked yet. But then again, I live in New England, where people can be a little standoff-ish until you spend a lot of time with them. I'm also learning that prenatal yoga can be an expensive way to (theoretically) get to…

NOT! Ha, ha! But you could totally make them work with dresses -knee highs with empire waist dresses are totally doable!…

Welcome to all the newcomers! The more the merrier here! it's great to hear updates and new stories of what's going on with everyone! mormonmamma: Thanks for the web prenatal yoga recommendation --I'd love to hear your feedback on how it works out for you. I'm scheming for when I have a good 2 week stretch to take full…

Ha ha, I have been taking off boots, pants, sweaters, and anything else that might weigh anything! Luckily the clinic's scale is in the bathroom, so there's enough privacy to do that! Call me crazy but I want my weight gain to be just baby + me, not all those pounds of winter clothes!

I'll be 23 weeks on Friday! I've gained 25 lbs, and I just started feeling good enough to eat normally again. I am embarrassed by my diary right now, but I was a model of good behavior before the pregnancy, so I'm hoping to get back my groove now that I'm feeling better. Feel free to add me!

Wow, that was so insensitive of him! I'm sorry you had to hear that, especially given your past. Does that doctor really think you don't already know that high sodium and snack foods are not good for one's weight? I'm almost at 23 weeks now, and I have put on close to 25 lbs -which is more than in your case! I called my…

I second _The Girlfriend's Guide_! Another thing to think about is what kind of setting you want for the birth. It seems like a long way off, but this decision will dictate your health care provider during your pregnancy, and that's something you will need to choose fairly soon. I initially didn't know about options beside…

First, congratulations! What I did when I found out I was pregnant was get out all of the books I thought could be useful for me and learn as much as I could. I do not support one poster's recommendation to constantly eat huge calorie counts, even if it is of good food. Your calorie count depends on how much you weigh when…

Hey all! I'm wondering if any of you are doing prenatal yoga, or if you regularly did yoga before the pregnancy. I have heard a lot of great things about prenatal yoga and how it can help with labor, so I did a lot of research on who were the best teachers around town. The problem is that those teachers NEVER seem to be…

Thanks for your thoughtful response, Rebecca! I got through the conference yesterday. The only person who saw me pregnant and it really mattered was the editor of the press I want to publish with, and I tried holding my coat up around my belly as we were talking. So I think it worked out. Everyone at my job knows, so it's…

Hi All, Welcome Jess! I just posted this over in the "how much have you gained" section, but I thought I'd repost here to hear your opinions since our group is closer-knit and more conversational. I'm getting pretty down about my weight. I'm 22 weeks today and weighed in at around 24-25 lbs. this morning. The midwife says…