Gentlemen May Want to Look Away... Pregnancy Advice

[AlmightyALT]

So... I thought I may put this here so both PawnPrincess Ardra and I can get some advice about our pregnancies since it seems we're both pregnant at the same time. :: at Ardra with a ::

I'm maybe... 5 or 6 weeks along. I don't know really, and I don't have a doc appt till the 28th. I'm naturally a very anxious person about my health and I thought since there are a lot of mothers on the board this may be a good place to get adivce without driving the poor nurse of my OB doc crazy.

So onto my first question: I woke up this morning with dull, superficial pain around the naval area. It kinda feels like I did lots of sit ups without stretching afterwards. Like I pulled the muscles. I've been feeling bloated since yesterday and I think it could be related to that, but I dunno if that's a 'normal' thing or not..... Advice?

Thank you in advance! You'll help keep my OB, his nurse, and my husband from going crazy as I fret over each minor itch, twitch, and urp for the next 8ish months!

Mods please move to where this may be more appropriate if it's not here.

[PawnPrincess Ardra]

!!!!

I've felt slightly bloated since about 2 or 3 weeks ago, doc told me it's normal. It should go away sometime after the birth I'm approximately 5 weeks along, and have had twinges and cramps, again he said that's normal.

I now have a sinus cold which isn't fun, 'cause he told me that in the 1st trimester you can't really take anything for it, but meh - I'll deal with it. Vicks vapo rub on the throat and a Tylenol here and there is getting me through the worst of it.

Overall, I'm just friggin' excited and scared. Probably the same as anyone else.

Good idea on the thread

[AlmightyALT]

Whew! Thanks! That's a relief. I just finished lunch and for the most part it went away; it's just hanging around in one area, but it's a lot less than before.

Hee.... When I took the first test, I was confused on the answer and had to wait till the next day to look it up online since I'd lost the pamphlet that came with the test. Found out and texted my husband that I needed to tell him something face to face. It was too important for over the phone or text. Freaked him out for a bit, but him being a smart guy he figured it out. Took off lunch and got me Chic fil A (NOM!) and met me at my work where I told him. He surprised me with roses! "I figured that was what it was. Here."

Lol! When I told my Mom she didn't quite get it. "That's nice dear. Zzzzzz..." She was coming off of anesthesia from a dental procedure lol! When I called her back and told her she was much more awake and very happy.

[kpzra]

You body is going to start expanding, some pain will be normal. Any sharp, stabbing pain or blood or both need to be checked out ASAP though. Your OB should have an after hours line, don't be afraid to call it if you think it's something serious though. The breast pain does eventually go away, that was the worse for me.

[Kogarashi]

What 24601 said. Go ahead and mention it at your doctor's appointment if you want, but you probably don't need to worry unless it becomes sharp pains or there's blood.

At 5-6 weeks, my biggest problem was morning sickness. Ugh.

[FuzzyKitten99]

*Ginger root capsules help with the nausea. Take two to jump start the dose, then maintain 1 capsule every 4 hours. This also helps with sea sickness.

*Eat LOTS of lean, low-sodium proteins---turkey and chicken are best. Preferably animal proteins, since enzymes and nutrients that are very beneficial to baby development in the first tri are best found in these sources.

*Try to stay away from soy products-including tofu. This messes with your thyroid and hormones, as well as may cause issues with development in the baby. It also may actually make your mood swings worse. Depends on the woman.

*Pre-natal vitamins often cause upset tummy because of the increased amount of iron included. Regular supplements will do the same thing and if you eat one piece of red meat weekly, that will supplement your iron intake just fine.

Those come to mind right now. I will probably add more as I think of them.

::

[AnaKhouri]

One thing no one ever tells you is that pregnancy HURTS. You will feel all kinds of interesting pains in all kinds of interesting places in the coming months. Some of them will be very sharp. If you're concerned, call your doctor/midwife but don't freak out too much about it. Your pelvic bones actually separate and move apart to allow your uterus to stretch so yeah...pain.

One crazy thing is that my nose ran constantly from the moment I conceived to the moment I gave birth. Something about hormones messing with my nasal lining. There's all kinds of bizarre things connected with pregnancy that no one thinks t tell you about.

[Midnight12]

as i am sure there is awesome advice here, wanted to help some saying that if no one else knows there is a forum that can answer questions like this when you have to wait for a doctors answer or are just curious

www.kellymom.com and http://forum.kellymom.net/ i still have my old name there

[Der Cute]

Morning sickness is really Whenever I Want to Annoy You Sickness. FFS I couldn't brush my teeth because just using the toothbrush made me gag. It's not scheduled barfing time, it's "oh. You ate something. You're wearing a nice shirt! Guess whaaaaaatttt..."
I was preggy. Hungry. Sat down and ate food. Second to last bite I could feel the rumbling. Hauled ass to the bathroom, and barely made it there. There is/was no schedule for my tummy.

All I've learned about being pregnant is this: A person gets pregnant. They cook/gestate 9 mos. They have a baby. First trimester is grow the heck out of everything, you're tired. Second trimester is let it simmer, you get some rest. Third trimester is How the Fuck Do I Move My Butt Over There. And awkward movements. The start, middle, end are pretty constant with all pregnancies. (the cook time may vary, but that's the set time). Anything else in between can go weird. You have your experiences, I have mine, someone has theirs - still a large variable in there.

Congrats...I will admit that during the pregnancy I was not a happy camper. I wanted him OUT by the 4th month, just...done! I can look back now and see some good things, but during the pregnancy, you're just going day by day.

[Kogarashi]

Enjoy the second trimester as much as possible, and get all the rest you can then. It really was the easiest trimester for me for all three of mine so far. The first trimester was spent feeling sick and stretching out and going to the bathroom at all hours of the night as my body adjusted, and the third was all sorts of uncomfortable as my belly got huge and, again, going to the bathroom at all hours of the night (thanks to a squashed-flat bladder). Not to mention the backache and, after the first, the lower belly ache on the C-section site. So enjoy that second trimester.

Morning sickness is really Whenever I Want to Annoy You Sickness. FFS I couldn't brush my teeth because just using the toothbrush made me gag. It's not scheduled barfing time, it's "oh. You ate something. You're wearing a nice shirt! Guess whaaaaaatttt..."

Oh, good heavens, YES. With my first, it was just in the morning, and there were two very specific triggers I knew to avoid. Namely, if I tried to brush my teeth before eating anything, and if I had an apple as my first food of the day. Eat something (anything) else before either of those? I was fine. With my third, however, I was sick all the time during the first trimester. I invested in a set of Sea Bands and they actually helped, thank goodness. I'm not looking forward to when I have another kid, because the morning sickness has gotten worse each time.

[Ellain]

What a crazy random happenstance- I found out at the beginning of this month that I am pregnant as well! My due date is February 2nd.

So far, I haven't had anything more than mild queasiness, thank god. Mild cramping, yup. Bloating and constipation, check. Sore boobs, oh yeah. But none of those are particularly bothersome. What is currently annoying me is that I always feel tired! Hopefully that will back off in a few weeks, though.


Congrats to AlmightAlt and PawnPrincess Ardra!

[AlmightyALT]

Grats Ellain! All three of us can whine together! So far I've followed all you have, except for the tiredness. I'm normal there.

Just saw the nurse today. Went over the financial costs of having the kid with my OB practice. Not bad, broken up into payments. Talked with the nurse after for a bit and got lots of phamplets, etc. Next week is the doc appointment.

Supposedly due in late Jan. We'll see.

[Ellain]

I had just moved to a new city 2 days before I found out- I had to find a new OB. No way was I going to drive an hour for appointments, lol. So far, I'm really happy with them. They're even willing to let me try for a home birth! Most places in my area won't even entertain the notion. It will likely cost me a bit more out of pocket, but I think it will be worth it not to have random people poking at me. My next appointment with them is in a couple of weeks, since I decided to skip the first (8 week) ultrasound.

I've only told a few people so far, our parents, my best friends, and my boss. Everyone (including my boss!) seems really happy.

[Kogarashi]

So far, I'm really happy with them. They're even willing to let me try for a home birth!

Best of luck with that! Thanks to my oldest, I don't think I'll ever be giving that a go if I can help it.

Which brings me to another bit of advice: hope for the best delivery, but try to get into a mindset where you won't be absolutely devastated if something doesn't quite go the way you plan. As long as you get a happy, healthy baby out of the ordeal, it's all worth it. My oldest should have been a no-fuss birth, but two days before I went into labor she turned a somersault in the womb and ended up breech. That, coupled with several other things, necessitated an emergency C-section. Luckily, I'd already decided that whatever happened, as long as the baby and I both came out of it okay, I'd go with it if it's what the doctors thought necessary. I think the nurse was freaking out about it more than me. She kept repeating, "Keep calm, it's okay, it's all right, you and your baby will be just fine," and sounding like she needed the convincing. I just thought, "Lady, I'm fine with this. You need to take a few deep breaths."

But here I am, three kids and two VBACs later, and everything's still just fine. But because of the Cesarian, I don't believe I'll be trying for a home birth at all in the future. Hospitals and epidurals for me, thanks.

[BlaqueKatt]

So onto my first question: I woke up this morning with dull, superficial pain around the naval area. It kinda feels like I did lots of sit ups without stretching afterwards. Like I pulled the muscles.

I am not a medical professional, however during my pregnancy I had round ligament pain.