:thumbup:Hi guys! I know we have been keeping each other posted in various other threads, especially "Banded & Hoping to Get Preg", but since the title of that thread doesn't exactly give out the best info, I am starting a new one for all to post their fun pregnancy stuff, like how appointments go, how the baby is, when we find out the sex, due dates, etc etc!!

Here's my info for today!

We had our 13/14 wk appt today. I am very aware of my ovulation/menstrual cycle, so by my dates we are 13 weeks, however the docs say the baby is measuring 14 weeks. Whatever, it's gonna come when it's good and ready! We got to hear the baby's heartbeat today and it was good and solid, also fast. About 160 Beats per Minute, so there is a good chance the baby is a girl if you go off the heart rate literature. Lower rates like 120-145 BPM are often boys, higher rates from 150-180 BPM are often girls.

Other than that, all is well! I'm officially out of 1st trimester and had another lb lost, which is great as that means I technically didn't gain. The first few weeks I was starving so gained 4-6 lbs real fast, then the hunger tapered off and the band got kinda tempermental and tight on certain days, so I have lost what I gained...YIPPEE! Hearing the heartbeat was wonderful, it made it more real, just like our first ultrasound did.

I think you should hold off Heather on the pump, if you have no problems and want to do it on occasion a cheap manual is the way to go. If you do have problems, I'd say spend the $100 more than I did and get the hospital grade..

I am going to wait on the pump until after the baby is here. I actually had a surprise baby shower at work yesterday and ended up with a gift certificate to Baby's R Us for $185. I think all of some portion of that might just be the pump after she comes. :0)

CherryBlue . . . I feel your pain with the leg cramps. I had to drive an hour an MBA class yesterday night and I found that I was getting a horrible cramp in my foot by depressing the gas pedal. I actually had to use my cruise control. I get really bad leg/foot cramps now so I have been trying to eat more bananas (my mum always told me to do this) and using massage to try and work it out.

I noticed my rings are a little tight as well and I had another week with a huge gain (4 pounds or so). I think it might be Water weight but my blood pressure is normal so I am not too concerned.

Warning - maybe TMI

. . . I am pretty sure I lost my mucus plug on Monday while I was fishing with my husband. I wasnt sure until I spoke to my ob today but now I am sure that is what it was. I was confused because I thought it was supposed to be discolored with a tinge of blood but it wasn't like that, there was no blood at all.

My ob also told me today that I am 1 centimeter dialated. That allowed me to get really excited for all of 20-30 seconds before she then said that all it means is that my body is preparing for delivery . . . which could be this weekend or a couple of weeks from now.

Darn . . . I was hoping that it meant that this daily discomfort would be over really soon, lol. All it really means is that I will have a baby sometime over the next several weeks (which I already suspected to be the case, lol).

Also . . . have any of you noticed that people always tell you in the last bit of pregnancy to "enjoy your sleep while you can get it." What sleep are they referring to? (perhaps they have never been pregnant or have blissfully forgotten the experience)

--> Is it the continuous uncomfortable tossing and turning to find a position that is slighly less terrible than the last.

--> Or is it the waking up with an occasional unexpected but exceedingly painful leg cramp?

--> Or is it the waking up sooo hot because your husband has lovingly tucked the covers around you for the umpteenth time until you look like an eskimo (and it is almost June).

--> Or is it the 3rd, 5th or millionth time you got up to pee in the middle of the night?

Lol, I need this baby to come so I can get a little rest between feedings. It has to be better than what it is like now.

Heather, bananas and regular old Gatorade are excellent for warding off the leg cramps/ Charlie Horses that most preggos get. The elderly are very prone to these as well since our bodies don't process sodium and potassium as well when we're older. It is very common in nursing homes to give residents bananas and Gatorade together a few hours before bed. Try it and let me know? I had my first Charlie Horse the other night, and oh man did it hurt!

As far as the other news, that is amazing that you're so close and I hope that Memorial Day weekend is memorable to you for other reasons! Get that baby out! WOO!!

Hugs and hellos to everyone else, not much going on with me this week, gonna have another weekend of trying to get house stuff done, weeding and such! Blah...I find I am getting more hormonal and emotional lately, it's very easy to upset me and I get moody for longer stretches, very much like it was the first 11 wks or so...hmmm.

I have had my first really awful night in pregnancy. If you asked me yesterday I would have said I had a few bad nights . . . but this one blows the rest out of the Water.

I found out we were having company for the weekend unexpectedly first thing this morning late last night. Being this far along in pregnancy, my house is not up to par and needed a good cleaning everywhere. So I stayed up late and my husband and I cleaned from top to bottom and had to modify the babies room from less baby to more guest. He did all the floors and anything really manual while I dusted, wiped, rearranged, etc.

I couldn't get comfortable when I went to sleep eventhough it was 2AM and I was soo tired. I woke up at 3 AM and could hardly move. My lower back hurt soo bad, not like contractions but like sciatica but it was extreme. I swear I hobbled and groaned slowly to the bathroom (which is connected to our bedroom and all of 10 feet away). It was a real effort to get there.

I am still having trouble this morning. I had to hobble the million mile stretch to the bathroom in order to take a hot bath before I could even move enough to go downstairs. For the first time in my life, descending the stairs seemed the equivalent of scaling a mountain. I have found that if I sit for a while or lay for a while . . . I get really bad again. However, if I keep moving it is almost as if it keeps the juices flowing and keeps the pain to an ache instead of a roar.

I don't even know what the heck I did to put me in this position. I figure either I just overdid it last night or the baby is coming soon. I am really looking forward to a bath tonight, a massage, and some blessed sleep at the end of this looonnngggg day.

Yuck! That sucks, I'm sorry! You have less than 3 weeks to go, hopefully that kid is ready to pop out. I know its been a long stretch between pregnancies for you, but is this one reviving old memories or physical sensations from your last one?

Our friends are coming over tomorrow nite for a movie, I'm excited because we're gonna watch the old 80's classic Parenthood, with Steve Martin. They are currently about 5 months preg and we're almost 8 months, and this will be everyone's first kid, transistion from young married couples into moms and dads, so we thought we'd rent a silly movie to get excited for it!

I am at that stage where I live for the night every few days where I can ask hubby for a back, foot or neck rub, as long as I have given him a few days off....I think I get a backrub tonight too, thanks Lord!:thumbup:

I just wanted to pop in and say that my really horrible night was only a one night thing. I did much better over the weekend. Uncomfortable but only in the typical ways that a person is uncomfortable late in pregnancy along with being tired.

I honestly thought that I was on the verge of going into labor that night . . . but I am still thoroughly pregnant as of today, lol.

Don't watch Marley & Me right now!!! I watched it in my 7th or 8th month, makes you sad about having kids and it ruining the relationship..

It had me really paranoid and weepy some nights thinking the intimacy between DH & I would be over.. But, so far it has not been that way lol.

Well I just got back from the doctors and I have tested positive for group b Strep He said that 30% of women carry it during pregnancy and treatment is antibiotics during labor, he assures me the risk of my baby getting it are very small............but being 36 and a half weeks pregnant, I can't help it, I am worried.

My son developed a bacterial infection in his hip joint when he was 18 months old. The dr said it was probably a secondary infection from strep throat, He needed iv antibotics, surgery and he had to wear a hip cast for 6 months.

I know I am over reacting, but I can't help it. I am not sleeping at the moment, having bad leg cramps and just expecting the worst

Don't watch Marley & Me right now!!! I watched it in my 7th or 8th month, makes you sad about having kids and it ruining the relationship..

It had me really paranoid and weepy some nights thinking the intimacy between DH & I would be over.. But, so far it has not been that way lol.

Your right, Marley and Me does not make you have any warm and fuzzy feelings about bearing children. It was kind of depressing through the entire film and I thought it was supposed to be a feel good but later sad kind of film.

Well I just got back from the doctors and I have tested positive for group b Strep :thumbup: He said that 30% of women carry it during pregnancy and treatment is antibiotics during labor, he assures me the risk of my baby getting it are very small............but being 36 and a half weeks pregnant, I can't help it, I am worried.

I just got tested and got the results last week as well. I tested negative which made me happy because the OB said she would have to send it away for special testing if it was positive to see what kind of drugs to give me because I am really allergic to penicillin variants which are the most common form of treatment.

I was worried as well about it and talked with my OB in detail. She assured me that it was common and no big deal at all. A significant percentage of women have it, they are treated and the baby does not have an issue.

Try not to worry too much about it . . . all you can really do is take the meds and hope for the best, statistics are on your side that it is no big deal. Getting extra stressed isn't going to make the last little bit of pregnancy any easier. Of course, I also know that not worrying is easier said than done . . . it is hard not to worry about your little baby until they are lying safe and healthy in your arms (and even then you still worry a little). :0)

Hang in there!!!

I just got tested and got the results last week as well. I tested negative which made me happy because the OB said she would have to send it away for special testing if it was positive to see what kind of drugs to give me because I am really allergic to penicillin variants which are the most common form of treatment.

I was worried as well about it and talked with my OB in detail. She assured me that it was common and no big deal at all. A significant percentage of women have it, they are treated and the baby does not have an issue.

Try not to worry too much about it . . . all you can really do is take the meds and hope for the best, statistics are on your side that it is no big deal. Getting extra stressed isn't going to make the last little bit of pregnancy any easier. Of course, I also know that not worrying is easier said than done . . . it is hard not to worry about your little baby until they are lying safe and healthy in your arms (and even then you still worry a little). :0)

Hang in there!!!

Thanks Heather. I am glad you tested negative, as an allergy to penicillan would make it very hard to treat. Lucky for me I have no such allergy so all should be fine. My mind is just working over time. :thumbup:

Don't worry Cherry! Technology is so good these days; that's why they test. I was tested, but before results came in my doc said it's no big deal (and gave me a flyer, maybe you got it too?) it says if you do test positive they give you the IV when you're in labor and it's like HIGHLY effective.. somewhere in 90% I believe. So that's why they test, so baby won't have to worry about it, so you don't need to worry either :thumbup:

Hmmm, now you've all got me wondering if I've been tested or if/when I will be tested for it. It seems like something that happens in late pregnancy since you are all ahead of me, but my girlfriend who is about 17 wks along just told me she has it and will have to do the IV antibiotics during labor as well. She has been majorly sick this pregnancy with flu and cold symptoms, so maybe they tested her early because she had strep symptoms? Is it part of normal pregnancy testing, or do you have to exhibit strep symptoms?

I had a lot of bloodwork the past few visits because they found I'm deficient in B12, I lack the stomach chemicals necessary to absorb it, so it's called pernicious anemia and is probably something I've had my whole life, not caused by pregnancy. Usually they test your B12 levels when women have had a gastric bypass or other surgery that messes with the small bowel, because that is how you become deficient, the bowel gets slight damage during bypass surgery. Lap band doesn't go anywhere near the bowel, so it looks like I'm just one of the few that have a genetic issue absorbing B12...lovely. My doc was following gastric bypass guidelines and got lucky and tested me for it, but it's not something bandsters usually have an issue with, so I'm just considering it a happy coincidence that we caught it. So now I'm on a prescription supplement until after delivery, normal B12 from a vitamin store wouldn't work, I have to take the one infused with iron, folate, and something called intrinsic factor, which is the chemical my tummy is lacking that allows me to absorb B12.

The strep test is usually performed around 37 weeks and it is just a swab of the nether regions. It is definitely performed late in pregnancy.

Yeah mine was only 2 weeks before I was induced.

They do it close to time, because it can 'come and go'. So they don't care if you have it early on, it could be gone by time you're about to go into labor.

Not sure why your friend's doc did it at 17 weeks.. like the brochure had said, it comes and goes, so she should have to do it again closer to time and that's kind of a waste of a test.

Edited May 27, 200917 yr by FairyFacade