Hello,

Hubby & I are currently trying for our first baby! We've only been working on our little project since mid-July, but I'd love to hear your words of wisdom or tips for acheiving pregnancy! I will say first of all, that while most bandsters are supposed to wait a minimum of a year/attain goal weight before getting pregnant, I have special health issues that can no longer wait. I fully support and agree with the theory of waiting, but we have been told by Gyno and Band docs that we better start a family soon, or lose the chance.

So join me on my journey, and I'll keep you posted as well! I am SO EXCITED!

Thanks and congrats to Christina & GreenC for your "baby rabies" (that had me laughing out loud). Trying to conceive was a fun, stressful and humorous time for me, and I'm glad I didn't wait to get to goal because the timing was in the hands of God and I truly believe it will all work out.

YAY!

EJ...Im dying to know the sex of the baby:confused:. Today was the day and still no news:frown:!!! Hopefully you will post tomorrow with the details.

IT'S A BOY!!! (We think.) Ultrasound story:

Baby was being shy today during our ultrasound, even though it was over an hour of digging around my (now tender and sore) belly. His arms and upper body were moving around like crazy, he was touching his head, rubbing his face, twisting, etc. But his legs remained stubbornly closed.

The more stressful part was the heart-scan part of the ultrasound. The technician was having fun showing us head, skull bones, femur, etc and saying all looked fine. She got to the heart and was doing her scan/measuring/saving images thing. I said "Does it look ok?" to which the moron took a VERY long pause before saying "Well...." and trailing off. Off course that put me in an instant panic. She went on to say that all looked good, but it was just too early to tell...um what?!

Then the doc came in and did her thing. The tech was having issues finding the sex so she asked the doc to do the same and they both felt it was a boy but couldn't be sure. Then the doc spent 20 minutes checking the heart, trying to get baby to move or twist, zooming in on the heart, pausing the frame, etc. Finally she said that from what she could see, there were 4 chambers and all were doing fine, but since the baby was on his right side laying down, they couldn't see the left side of the heart, and would be checking me again in a month. This is also because she's never seen a bariatric surgery patient and wants to keep an eye on his growth...whatever. She seems to think I can't eat enough to have a normal baby..even tho his growth was right on track for his gestational age. So now I have to go to monthly ultrasounds until I deliver, meaning at least 3 more.

So generally, we got good vibes and had a good experience, but I'm concerned about the heart thing, even though they tried several times to tell us all was normal and they were just taking extra precautions.

I should point out that my insurance makes my 20 wk ultrasound go thru a clinic that is not my regular doc. He will be sent all the images and will look them over, but I know I'd feel better if I could just talk to him about this, especially needing monthly growth ultrasounds.

My general thoughts are this:

1. I am tired from not sleeping at all last night due to excitement over ultrasound. Being tired makes me more emotional and prone to over-reacting. I hope tomorrow I will be more happy and relaxed.

2. I think if the heart issue were a really serious deal, they wouldn't wait a month to re-scan me, so hopefully it's just a fluke. Have any of you had funky ultrasounds?

3. I get at least 1 more ultrasound, which will be fun and hopefully help us really be sure that our little boy is indeed that!

Sorry this is long, I needed to vent to my banded pals who are most likely to understand my fears.

. . . and here is the post I was looking for :0). Congratulations on your new little boy.

I was just asking about a sex update on a different thread.

I had the same issue with my 19 week ultrasound, only instead of the heart it was the brain. She was upside down with her head deep in my pelvis and they could not get good shots to tell that everything was normal. It wasn't an issue, it was just a matter of not being able to see everything clearly. They also repeated the shots of the heart as well during the next ultrasound and everything was perfect.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. They can't give you a 100% answer if they can't see clearly . . . and if they are going to wait another month, it just sounds like the standard wait and nothing of concern.

Just remember, they have to be really careful about what they say in case there is an issue, so they can't say anything unless they are really certain about it in today's malpractice world. Some practitioners are just a little better at saying we don't see a problem but we need a better look than others.

It was strange and I guess I was lucky. They were fairly certain it was a girl at the 19 week ultrasound. She said she is not allowed to say 100%, but she was pretty darn sure that is what it was. At the next ultrasound, she wasn't being cooperative and they could not tell for certain. If the ultrasounds would have been switched, I would have had to go an extra month not knowing . . . just think of how many good after christmas sales I would have missed, lol.

Oh, I forgot to mention about future ultrasounds. I am not slated for anymore unless their is a growth concern or health issue that pops up. I am also my doctors first bariatric patient.

I did discover that my baby is only in the 21st percentile for growth so she is definitely smaller than average. However, the doctor said that is no cause for concern, specially since my son was a small baby born at term.

Ej.....a boy, how sweet. I am so excited for you. Hopefully he will be more willing to show his stuff on the next ultrasound, just to be 100% sure. Sorry the ultrasound went a little rough.

I was wondering if they did a few additional u/s on band pts., since the amount we eat is so little. Looks like some do, some dont.

I am glad we finally know the sex. Keep us updated on the future ultrasounds.

Thanks all you guys for your support...it really truly is getting me thru. I have up and down moments. I am slowly starting to be able to tell myself that this is strictly precautionary and there are no problems, it was just a stressful ultrasound and I had high hopes. I think in one's first 5 months of pregnancy, sometimes its hard to feel pregnant, so that ultrasound is much-anticipated, relied upon. It's where you get that confirmation and visual source of the life inside you. When it introduces more concerns instead of alleviating them, it's awful.

Heather, THANK YOU for telling me all you did. I feel better knowing others have had similar issues or needed rechecking.

We are thrilled its a boy! I talk to my son alot now, telling him he has his whole life to be mysterious..come next ultrasound he BETTER be showing his plumbing and his chest nice and clear!

wooooohoooo for a little boy EJ i am soo excited for you :lunch:

as far as the u/s not being clear dont be worried....it happens... when i was 14 weeks they couldnt find the hb on the doppler and sent me for a u/s they just do these things to make sure and if they thought it was serious than you would have been sent for a 3d or 4d u/s with a peri doc who knows more....

i have one more u/s and i cant wait....we are going to find out just how big this little girl is before i have her :w00t: i cant believe in 2 weeks i am full term and she could come anytime :wub:

EJ your little boy is just fine (just to let you know sometimes boys can be girls LOL so just prepare yourself...the cord can be mistaken for a penis) i know we found out girl at 18 weeks and didnt have another u/s till 26 we were so worried they were going to tell us boy LOL but it was defintly a girl....girls are easier to figure out...and less likely to change to boy..but boys can be girls LOL just a little thing to remember...but i am sure your little man is a little man

HUGS!!! soo excited for you

My ultrasound technician said that too regarding error rates. A boy can later be determined to be a girl . . . but a girl never turns into a boy if they get a clear view. Mistakes tend to only go in one direction. I actually got print outs of her nether regions as evidence, lol.

I hope she is right because I already got a nursery decorated in butterflies and a closet full of pink and purply stuff. If I end up with a boy . . . he better like pink, lol.

LOL! From what I hear, if they say it's a boy-it's a boy..if they say it's a girl--it could be a boy.

My baby was active and proudly displaying his stuff on both ultrasounds. My insurance only pays for 2 ultrasounds, so I had to pay for the 28 week 4-d one;which of course is the only one where he didn't want to cooperate. They had me tilting, turning, jumbling my belly, turning me upside down, etc.. he would not get his head out of my uterus.. he was buried down in it (like a pillow). Oh well. But, today was an appt. for me and I am measuring 38cm and I am 34weeks (you're suppose to measure the week you're at +/- 2cm). So she is having me do an ultrasound (at insurance's pay!!) next week to check his size. Woohoo. I am very excited, he is so active and I'm so close to the finish line, I'll get to see him one more time. I pointed out today when she was talking about his height, my brother is nearly 7' and my dad is 6'5.. so the men in my family are BIG.. I'm even 6'0. Me & siblings were all born 21" which is bigger than the 'normal' baby height. So I think that's all it is, but I'm not going to say no to a free US!

Hi peeps,

Yesterday was my 1 year bandiversary! Crazy. If you had told me a year ago I would be happier, healthier, lighter in mind and body, I would have maybe believed you. If you had told me I would be all that PLUS 5 months pregnant, I would not have believed it.

Yesterday marked very little tummy rumblings or anything for me...no muscle or ligament pain, no gas/bubbles/baby movements, nada. It's continued today, which kinda makes me nervous. I'm only 21 wks, so I am assuming it is normal, but you know how it is.

How are all of you?

I am doing good. Definitely getting a bigger tummy which is rather nice . . . occasionally uncomfortable, lol.

I went to doc yesterday, I've already started dilating, and he's 6lb6oz according to ultrasound. Doc kept saying he still feels bigger than that. He had hiccups during the ultrasound so he was bouncing, but they didn't let us look at him much (they were just checking his size and looking for my pelvic kidney).

Someone from work, his wife was due same week as me and she had her son on Monday. So I'm jealous.

Other than that, I"m good :tt1:

My son is moving! Just 24 short hrs after posting that I hadn't felt any movement in days, he started giving me definite little tickles and it's wonderful! I feel pregnant! Not just fat and hormonally out of control. I'm up 10 lbs, ugh. Now that I've reached the 22 week mark, the books say it's normal to gain a lb every week until the end...dear Lord, please let that NOT happen, or I'll gain nearly 30 lbs!

I think it's been a great few days and I'm just really excited. Our follow-up ultrasound is on April 10th, so I'm trying to keep anxiety at bay about having to wait 2 more weeks and tell myself it's strictly precautionary. They just want a better look at face, heart, and genitals, so pray for me!

Awww, it only gets better from there.. I remember being so anxious about not feeling him till 23 weeks..then it slowly got better and better. Now I can feel him whenever I want.. all I gotta do is poke or make a loud noise.