Sooo....early Christmas present?

[MoonCat]

Congratulations! I know squat about pregnancy so I'll just say I hope you're happy and everything goes perfectly.

[wolfie]

Congratulations! Okay, first up - ask a pharmacist which supplements/medications are pregnancy-safe and it's best to avoid herbs and excess caffeine while pregnant. It's pretty important to take B group vitamins during pregnancy, especially folate.

It's not just pregnant women who need to be sure they're getting enough folic acid - it's ALL sexually-active women between puberty and menopause. Folic acid deficiency is nasty for a couple reasons:

1. Everything that can cause birth defects has a "window" where the stage of fetal development taking place is most vulnerable to its influence. For folic acid deficiency, that "window" is before the first missed period - i.e. before a woman even knows she's pregnant. If someone's deficient, and starts taking a supplement as soon as she misses her period, the damage has already been done.

2. Due to the small number of cells involved at such an early stage, most harmful conditions are "all or nothing" (either no effect, or enough damage to cause a spontaneous abortion, so no birth defect either way). Of conditions with a "window" before the first missed period, folic acid deficiency is pretty much the only one that will cause birth defects.

[Mishi]

Yes, see if you can go with a CNM team, they are wonderful. I had brilliant antenatal and postnatal care, as well as the deliveries, from some lovely ladies with both of my girls. Things are slightly different over here, which is why I mentioned the doctor. My GP (general practitioner/primary care physician) confirmed the pregnancies, sent me off for blood tests and an ultrasound and then referred me to a CNM team at my local hospital.

As for folate, I personally take it all year 'round because I am well aware of the risks - neural tube defects run in my family.

Hope you feel better soon, and that you have a very boring pregnancy!

[Sunshine]

Conga rats!!!!

[Mytical]

Conga rats!!!!

*does the Conga rats dance* What Sunshine said

[Marmalady]

*dances beside Mytical* Congratulations!

(And yes, ginger is your friend.....)

[Sarlon]

Black Tea and local honey mixed in, soothes the throat (for the coughing and drainage), A losange from a brand called Thieves, my friend highly recommends them, the taste is a little strong in my opinion but it really packs a punch. Its all natural essiental oils, I'll swear by them, since they took my deep hacking cough from sinus drainage, and killed it for 16 hours.

[Kheldarson]

Thanks for all the advice and congrats.


Bit of an update: Had first doctor's appointment finally and am put at 10 weeks with a due date around August 16.

Morning sickness is still a thing though Although the ginger root helps. As does Tums. And biscuits. Mmmm biscuits.

[ArcticChicken]

You can count me as one of those people who whole-heartedly support CNMs. I was delivered by one, and my mom IS one. (If possible, I intend to deliver my future kids at the birth center where I was born.)

DON'T HESITATE to call your doctor/CNM/whatever about any questions or worries you have. That's their job, and they're used to it.

[Caffienated_Caramel]

Get lots of crackers, anything with ginger and peppermints for the nausea. Not mint gum, there's a chemical that's not safe for babies.

How far along are you now? I'm 22.5 weeks.

Definitely take a prenatal vitamin along with a calcium supplement and fiber as you will get backed up if you're not careful. All can be taken in a gummy form (vitafusion ftw!) if you can't handle the pills yet.

If you're insurance allows it, get a check up from the dentist.

edit: oh ok, now I saw how far along you are. Cool in ten more weeks, you can find out the gender and that's when you'll start feeling stuff move around maybe. The best I can describe it as is when you hold a tadpole in your hands enclosed and you feel it wiggling around inside.

[Kheldarson]

Doctor puts us at 10 weeks, 3 days...which is making us go wut because that puts me right before my last period and in the middle of a dry spell

Doc gave me a prescription prenatal vitamin and told me to also pick up Expecta Lipil for the DHA.

Working on insurance right now; applying for the state medical card and waiting to hear back from them, and something went wrong with my work insurance (which has my dental) so hopefully that gets reinstated soon.

[fireheart]

Doctor puts us at 10 weeks, 3 days...which is making us go wut because that puts me right before my last period and in the middle of a dry spell

Doctors tend to calculate a bundle of due dates based on last menstrual period and other things, so the gestation date might be a little off.

[Kheldarson]

Another update: It's a boy!

Which cracked my dad up something fierce (I'm the only girl in my extended family).

I'm still on light duty because of the abruption, but it's healing and hasn't bothered the baby, so that's good.

And apparently, he's as stubborn as the rest of my family >.< I nearly had to reschedule this past appointment because he didn't want to wake up and uncurl for the doctor to look him over.

[fireheart]

Bit of an update: Had first doctor's appointment finally and am put at 10 weeks with a due date around August 16.

So he'll be born on my birthdate?



(as far as we were aware, I was on time, my sister was overdue)

[Kheldarson]

Possibly

But considering that nobody on my side of the family was born even close to their due dates (myself and two of my brothers were two weeks late, the last was two weeks early, my mom and dad were both premies...), I'm not holding my breath.

Actually, my mom's hoping I'm early because that's right when school starts