Kyle's a big cooker... well, griller/bbq artist is a better description. Anyway - we're doing a cook-off (and by we i mean i go and pretty much stand there while he and his brother rock out and give me little things to do so i feel useful ; ) ) this weekend. It starts tonight, so I had to get the car packed up and all that stuff and I'm heading out in a few to pick him up from work and head down to SC to get this thang started...
Anyway - I was carrying one of the coolers out to the car and suddenly one of my neighbors starts yelling at me. She comes to the driveway ranting about 'what do you think you're doing missy, put that down right now!'. I'm all - 'what are you TALKING about, Roxanne?'. Then she tells me I'm not supposed to be lifting things.
Apparently - I am dense. I had no idea. How stupid am I? Is this something that everyone knows or... ?
Posts: 1355 | Registered: Jul 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
You can ask your doctor what they recommend for you.
For work I would routinely lift 50 lbs (that was how much my equipment weighed). My doctor said that since I was used to lifting it (meaning I knew how to lift correctly) I could keep doing it as long as I could still do so without difficulty. By the time I was about 7 months pregnant, my belly got in the way enough that I could no longer lift it to put it in my trunk (but I could take it out just fine), so I'd have someone else do it for me.
And yes, every time someone would freak out about me lifting things, I'd tell them that my doctor told me it was fine for me to do.
posted
Today is 37 weeks -- full term -- baby can come anytime now.
Unfortunately, I don't think the baby agrees. We had a little chat today as I set the co-sleeper bassinet up next to the bed. I explained that it would be very comfy and warm and close to mommy and that she'd love it there. She just rolled and kicked.
I'm starting to have very mild but fairly regular contractions just like I did with my son. They lasted about 3 weeks with him. At least that puts us on track to be on time. Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I am also having fairly frequent contractions, and I'm almost certain the baby has dropped. Of course, all that means is that I'll probably have a baby sometime in the next month.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
As for lifting, I was told no more than 30-35 lbs. with my first; my doctor said if I was used to lifting more the recommendation would be different, but it also depended on how awkward the item was to carry and how I carried it. And when I had spotting he bumped it down to no more than 15 lbs., even after my bedrest was done.
My husband took that very seriously, and was known to snatch 50 lb. bags of dog food away from one of the vets he worked with (who was pregnant at the time-- 2 or 3 months behind me) even though she was used to carrying them, and tell her to go sit down and rest.
She didn't seem to mind. She would go sit down and put her feet up and let him carry the dog food!
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yay for more new babies sometime in the next month!! I hope all your preparations are going smoothly and that you'll both be as comfortable as possible ( ) until they arrive!!
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
My heavy lifting at work is awkward heavy lifting. I have to put a centrifuge rotor into the centrifuge. I don't think it is possible to do it withot using back actually because you have to position it properly. So, I am not sure what the thing actually weighed, but it got really hard to do and awkward very quickly. When I came back to work after having the baby, the first time I lifted it, I was like, wow, this is what I was struggling with- it's not bad at all.
Posts: 2223 | Registered: Mar 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
My biggest problem right now is that I just can't concentrate. It started last week. I am SOOO close to having my second novel finished. If I could just sit and really work on it for 2 hours a day I could probably be done in the 3 weeks I have left but my brain is not cooperating. All I can think about is baby stuff. And cleaning the house. But mostly baby stuff.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Had the latest monthly appointment last Thursday - got to hear the heartbeat which was pretty cool. Last time he just showed it to me on the ultrasound... Everything's 'normal'. I also asked him about lifting things (among a few other questions) and he told me to stop reading What to Expect When You're Expecting... ; ) I've actually been reading a book called Your Pregnancy Week-by-Week more (which he said was a great book) but I laughed when he said it...
Tomorrow we're going to a different place to get do the neuchal (sp?) fold testing. It just seemed like a good idea, since they can screen for so many things without just going in there first... I think it'll be cool to see another ultrasound a little further along...
Also found out my uncle (who's actually just two years older than me - he's the youngest on my mom's side, where she's the oldest) is pregnant with twins. Well - not HIM exactly... ; ) They're due the same time as me, but will probably go early. It'll be really neat to have them all so close in age... ; )
Thanks to everyone for all the lifting links - and I'm thinking of all you who are going to be adding to your fam SOON! : )
Posts: 1355 | Registered: Jul 2006
| IP: Logged |
quote: Had the latest monthly appointment last Thursday - got to hear the heartbeat which was pretty cool. Last time he just showed it to me on the ultrasound... Everything's 'normal'. I also asked him about lifting things (among a few other questions) and he told me to stop reading What to Expect When You're Expecting...
Sounds very similar to what Rosemary's doctor said to her in Rosemary's Baby when she started asking too many questions. Posts: 2064 | Registered: Dec 2003
| IP: Logged |
Funny side-note - I've got a cousin who was born on a Friday the 13th... His Mom's name, you ask? Rosemary. ; )
Posts: 1355 | Registered: Jul 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
I had an u/s today because I'm measuring small. I expected to measure small. I did throughout my first pregnancy and my son came out smaller than average (25th percentile) but healthy.
The u/s didn't find any specific problem, but it did raise a red flag. This baby is measuring not just small, but truly small for gestational age, defined as under the 10th percentile.
She needed some encouragement to move, which kind of had me worried. She's been slowing down, possibly due to regular end of pregnancy things. I had some chocolate and then I had a non-stress test and the baby seems to be doing fine.
But the doctor came in afterward and asked if I wanted to induce this weekend. He said she was probably fine, but that they did get worried when babies were quite so small. He mentioned an increase risk of stillbirth. If I want to wait, he'll support the decision, but I'll need to come in twice a week from now on for a non stress test.
So I scheduled the induction for Saturday but asked if I could sleep on it and change my mind in the morning. They said sure.
If I don't induce Saturday, I can't induce for 2 weeks because there are just too many inductions scheduled already.
At this point, I think I'm leaning towards going ahead with it but I feel uneasy. I had really wanted to go to a natural start of childbirth this time around and part of me feels like a failure. In my heart I wanted an excuse to have the baby come early as I'm so eager to hold her in my arms but if she's not ready yet...
I think I need to sleep on it, but if anyone has an opinion, I'd love to hear it! Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
I just looked at the dates...you're at 39 weeks, right? Or close to it?
If I were in your shoes, I would go ahead with the induction. That's my personality, though...I worry. I am also an interventionist. For myself, I don't think I'd schedule an induction for my convenience, but I would have no qualms about scheduling it for the benefit of the baby. Also, I would trust my doctor not to recommend interventions that he didn't think were important for my health or that of the baby. (For example, my doctor offered me the choice of induction but recommended a C-section because they were having a hard time controlling my BP and I was not dilated or effaced at all. I went for the C-section with no hesitation but with some regrets.)
How will you feel if you cancel the induction tomorrow? Relieved? Or worried?
Posts: 834 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
((Christine)) I hope you're able to be happy and at ease with whatever decision you make!
I can understand feeling like a failure - I know I did when I needed a c-section, but my induction didn't bother me at all (I wanted her here so badly and was so sick of being pregnant). If I were in your situation, I'd go with the induction without a second thought, because I would worry way too much otherwise. I think Liz really hit it - would you feel relieved or worried if you canceled it?
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I hate inductions, but if I had to do it over with my first, I'd do the induction again. She was also small, and had a "prematurely aging placenta," as well as my fluid being low.
If the doctor thinks an induction is a good idea for the baby's sake, I would take the advice. You are paying for it. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
That's how far I was when I was induced with Maggie, further than I was with Bridey. And those inductions both went beautifully. So I'll hope for the same for you. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
While agreeing with everyone else to weigh how you feel about it, consider your doctor's advice, etc., I did want to say that I don't think:
quote:Originally posted by Christine: If I don't induce Saturday, I can't induce for 2 weeks because there are just too many inductions scheduled already.
is really a problem. If you decide to wait and go in for the non-stress tests and they find that the baby is in any trouble at all they are not going to make you wait 2 weeks.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
dkw -- you make a good point. I mean, if I skipped it and the nonstress test on Monday showed a problem is it c-section or nothing? That can't be right. I honestly don't know how it works, though. I mean, they won't schedule any inductions in those 2 weeks but they have a bed for me if I go into labor on my own so they obviously have so many inductions they'll take that is less than the # of beds. I'm just not sure how many or what criterion they use. It sounded like first come first serve, which puts someone like me -- wanting to go on my own but inducing due to a medical recommendation -- at a disadvantage.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I think they would bump people getting elective inductions (that actually happened to me - I was considered an elective induction and was bumped - but only about 4 hours). But yes, depending on what kind of "problems" are detected, they may go straight for a c-section.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
^ | What she said. At this point yours is still technically elective, since you're scheduling it a few days ahead. If later there was a medical reason to get that baby out now they would bump someone else and fit you in. Unless whatever the reason was required a c-section. You could talk to your doctor, though, and ask what his/her concerns are if the baby stays in longer and whether they would require a section if the concerns worsened.
Or just go ahead, since you're at 39 weeks anyway. Um . . . you are sure about the dates, right? It's not possible that the baby's measuring small because it's really only 36 weeks or something like that?
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
quote: if I skipped it and the nonstress test on Monday showed a problem is it c-section or nothing?
Boy, I doubt that! As others have said, I'm sure an elective induction would be bumped for a necessary induction. But ask your doctor--is it possible that if the NST showed a problem, that an induction wouldn't be possible simply because they might need to get the baby out sooner rather than wait through labor?
And again, ((Christine)). I'm sorry you even have to make this decision.
Posts: 834 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
One other thing to consider, though, is that they often "run the clock" faster on a medically necessary induction than an elective. Meaning, with an elective induction you usually have 24 hours from the time water breaks before they start pushing c-section. With a medically necessary, they're much more likely to say, "You're not progressing, and we're worried about the baby, and want to section now" before that.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
dkw -- Good question! But I am extremely positive about the due date this time around. I not only have an early u/s, but I was taking basal body temp readings and the two dates are just a day apart. (Technically by ovulation date, I'm one day less advanced.) With my son, I had no such confidence and might have wondered about the due date being wrong as a reason that the baby was small...I know that comes up a lot especially when they go with LMP dates. If I were going by my LMP, I'd be 40 weeks this weekend but luckily my doctor never even tried to use LMP to determine due date. There's no way in the world I'm 36 weeks or anything. That would have required a psychic pregnancy test, actually.
I love basal body temperature. It really makes me feel like I understand what's going on with my body.
KCQ -- that's good to know about elective vs emergency inductions. I'm definitely hoping to avoid c-section. I think tomorrow's induction will work out, though.
Thanks for the support, everyone! I'll give you the vital stats in a few days.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
(While I am not jealous of your situation and worries, I am a bit jealous that you'll be seeing your baby so soon. Two more weeks to my due date, and I'm getting sick of being pregnant.)
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
I had my u/s last Monday (only one baby - yay! DD 22/11/08) and went to the birth centre to meet my mid wife on Friday. Very happy. Posts: 4393 | Registered: Aug 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't know you very well but I did want to wish you luck. I understand the fears about induction. I was really scared when I had to be induced with my baby in April. I was induced for the opposite reason. I was 41 weeks and my Dr. was getting concerned that she was getting too big and not showing signs of getting ready to come on her own. In the end, I was really happy with the induction and would do it over again the same way. I did find that the pitocin made my contractions quite painful but nothing that the epidural didn't fix. And of course holding the your baby for the first time will make anything better Posts: 416 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I've asked my sister to be present at the birth, if possible. She's almost done with her nursing degree, her philosophy on birth is similar to mine, she knows me well, and she also knows the medical community well. I figured she'd be a great advocate for me if necessary on things like which position to push in and how to get through without an epidural. The problem is, she's in a class right now that has two "internship" portions: one for five days in rural Utah and one for a week in Washington, D.C. She gets back from the second one tonight, which means she can theoretically make the birth no matter when it happens.
Okay, baby. Now we're not waiting on anything. Any time now. Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
Thanks, y'all. I'm pretty scared. I went to my OB today. No UTI, my cervix is closed, and no bleeding. I got Rhogam (I had a little spotting last week) and I'm doing another round of antibiotics for the GBS colony. I'm also on progesterone until week 13. We'll know on Thursday how my level compare to today's and we can see if this is a normal pregnancy or not. We'll also have a clearer picture of how many are in there, though we won't know for sure until my first ultrasound, which will be in about 3 weeks.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
On another note, I do still follow your blog and Aerin is just getting more ridiculously adorable as she grows up. I am sure she will make a great big sister. Posts: 4393 | Registered: Aug 2003
| IP: Logged |
We're trying to decide if it makes sense for me to go to a work conference next week. On one hand I'm the chairperson of a board that has a million+ budget that will be voted on at this conference and I should be there to defend it. And I'm supposed to give an award and introduce a representative from another state.
On the other hand I will be 37 weeks pregnant by the end of the conference, John was born at 38 weeks exactly, and it's a three hour drive from here with a 2 hour stretch between major cities along the route.
posted
(Though, if you went into labor and were panting through contractions in between defending your budget, it might be a really good way to get it through... )
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I kinda have this fantasy of going to the microphone and requesting to be excused from the rest of the session (it's mandatory attendance) because I'm in labor. If it weren't so far to get home I'd totally hope that happened.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I always had that fantasy, except I would go into labor and force my husband to quit playing real-time strategy games with Finns.
I DID go into labor in a college class once.
It was a human biology class, and we were in a lab, studying the human reproductive system and watching a video of a woman giving birth. The baby in the movie came out, and *pop* went my water.
I should have gotten extra credit in that class...
DKW, how fast are your labors? If you usually progress really slowly...I would be tempted to do it, too...heh heh heh
Posts: 575 | Registered: Jan 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
If it were me, I wouldn't go, and then I'd kick myself when I didn't go into labor. So my advice is to do what I wouldn't do.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Congratulations, Mrs. M!!!!!! I am, by the way, still praying for your cervix.
dkw: hard decision. I'm definitely the stay-at-home-and-then-kick-self type, much like Brinestone.
So which would be worse: to miss the conference for "no" reason, or to deliver at a strange hospital possibly without Bob (I don't know if he'll be at the conference)?
Posts: 834 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Embarrassed]](redface.gif)
![[Hat]](graemlins/hat.gif)
