all you pregnant Marchies! No this isn't an announcement or anything like that but I'm a planner and yes, I need to know even though we're not planning on having kids for another 5ish years. And if you don't believe I'm a planner here is a story for you just because: I was 2 years old and kept asking my mom what we were doing weeks in advance. My grandmother kept asking why I needed to know and my mom would reply that I'm a planner and need to know things way in advance otherwise I got really distraught.
So what are the good, bad, and ugly. I've lurked at some baby-related posts on other boards so I realize that L&D is definitely not as glorious as they show on TV... but I'm talking more pregnancy wise. I read that you can't eat cheese?!?! WTF! That is like one of my daily staples (no joke)... I told DH we'd never have kids of our own if I had to give up cheese. What are other things you didn't know before getting pregnant?!?!
Re: Tell me the good, bad, and ugly...
I'm just a newbe but...
Don't worry about the cheese. You only have to worry about unpasturized and raw cheeses. Most cheeses in the US are pasturized. There are a few at Trader Joe's that aren't, but looking at the ingredients if it says "pasturized milk" it's fine. Even then, it's usually only brie, goat, feta, etc. that are questionable.
So far, the worst part is keeping a secret. I'm a horrible liar and talking to my dad has been super hard without spilling the beans. We're planning to tell our parents this week, but man. These last two weeks have been tough.
And the nausea.
And the massive bloat. I feel like everyone can tell, but I know full well that people must just think I gained a few pounds.
All in all, it's pretty cool. Tomorrow we have an ultrasound and we are super excited.
We're on the same timeline haha! And I'm a planner too, I've already been lurking on the Bump a bit. I also read random things online about cloth diapering, breastfeeding, charting, baby wearing etc. Even though I have no intention of getitng pregnant anytime soon a lot of my friends/acquaintances have or are having kids and I like to be able to have some kind of knowledge base when chatting with them.
BFP #1 2/28/12- 3/3/12 CP at 4w3d
BFP #2 4/1/12- 5/7/12 Missed M/C at 8w4d (measuring 6w3d)
TTC on hold until December
Oh thank goodness! I seriously went downstairs this morning to see whether the shredded cheese I was eating with a spoon out of the container last night was pasturized or not.
I was doing that this past weekend. But there are too many crazies on there! Plus, the last thing I need is DH searching the recent sites I've been to and realizing what it is. That would be a rough one to try to explain why I was on there when we have no desire right now!
But I know there are more Marchies out there... what are things you didn't know before getting PG/your doctor has told you to avoid now?!?!
I'm not currently pg but I have a 10yo daughter.
There are baby boards out there that are much better than what you'll find on here - information wise. Babycenter is one of my big resources.
No cheese is what's already mentioned. Anything you buy pre-packed will be ok 9 out of 10x.
No sushi. Meat should be well done not med or undercooked.
Caffeine should be limited to a can of soda a day. That's the measurement my dr used.
There is debate about deli meat - I've read eating the real deal Like Boar's Head is ok. If you have anything else it should be heated to get rid of the bacteria.
The prenatal vitamin itself can make you sick to your stomach so take it at night ... and you should start taking them when you being TTC.
What to Expect When Your Expecting is a good resource but a book like Girlfriends Guide To Expecting gives you a more realistic view of pregnancy.
TMI's - One thing no one told me about was the burning sensation during a vaginal birth. OMG I wanted to die. But obviously it wasn't so bad looking back since I'm TTC now.
One thing I knew about but didn't expect was the bleeding. I guess I didn't expect it to be AS bad as it was.
My suggestion to everyone is to take what you can get at the hospital. The pads they had were much better than anything you would buy in a store. Plus they have these mesh panties that are great to wear in the shower once you are home. Kinda defeats the purpose of a shower if you can't wear a pad in, kwim?
oh yeah ... and take the squeeze bottle they'll give you. it comes in handy since wiping is an issue for a while.
I'm.done.
Haha you always make me laugh. Who knows what we can and can't eat in 5 years! It seems like the "rules" are always changing.
BFP #1 2/28/12- 3/3/12 CP at 4w3d
BFP #2 4/1/12- 5/7/12 Missed M/C at 8w4d (measuring 6w3d)
TTC on hold until December
The only thing about what foods you can eat is that different doctors will tell you different things. For example, my doc says lunch meat, as long as it's heated up, and sushi are fine as long as I eat them at a trusted place (I still eat cold lunch meat like at Subway or from the grocery store). The chance of getting listeria or some other infection is the same as if you aren't pregnant.
The ugly list is kind of long (lol) so I'll just mention the stuff that nobody ever warns you about:
But there are some great things that totally make it all worth it. Seeing the baby in the ultrasounds (even when munchkin is a blob you fall in love lol), feeling him/her kick for the first time and then moving all the time after that is hands down the most awesome part of being pregnant. Oh and people are extra nice to you when you have a belly.
This turned out longer than I meant to, but this is stuff people never told me about so I am all about giving both sides of the story. I have heard that once the baby is here, though, you forget about all of the crappy stuff.
ETA: Laurankieran is right about the Bump boards being pretty crazy.I mostly hang out there for the drama lol Babycenter has really good boards, but if you want to stick to TB, I suggest hanging out on your month board although you will have one or two crazies on there as well.
Things really do change from time to time ... like the only thing that was the same 11years ago when I was pg was the caff & cheese thing. I still wouldn't eat sushi when pg though, anything raw is not something I would mess with, but that's just me. If you get obsessed with it there are TONS of things you shouldn't eat/do. Let me just say that I'm not a total crappy eater but I'm not always the healthiest either and I've never eaten healthier than when I was pregnant. Your mind set totally changes when someone else is relying on you. And it never feels like an imposition.
As far as how you feel? Thats really something that varies from person to person. Unlike KeyRyn though my emotions were never totally out of wack, I was tired in the first tri-mester but never felt like I'd been run over. Was tired in the third tri b/c well anyone would be carrying around extra weight lol. Never gagged over anything but pickles and I do that normally lol. Never had morning sickness, just slight sicky feeling that lasted all of 10m. Only pains I had were towards the end when Hallie was running out of room & she'd put her heel up into my rib cage. But I know I was really lucky to have an easy pregnancy and a relatively easy labor.
Yeah, I should have said that not everyone will feel the way I felt. My morning sickness, thank God, was nausea that lasted until I had some tea or bread, while some women may have all day or all night sickness and need a prescription. The gagging, however, is what got me everyday. Ugh! Another thing I forgot to add is feeling like you are in someone else's body. It's really surreal and can be frustrating at times because you don't understand why the stuff you used to love now makes you sick and stuff you used to hate is suddenly delicious.
When/if you do decide to get pregnant, definitely get your hubbies a book on pregnancy like "The Expectant Father" or something along those lines. DH really likes that book because it's practical and it helps him understand what I was/am going through. It cut down on fights for those times when I was in the middle of a mood swing and would be super irritated with him for no reason at all. I yelled at him once for opening the door and looking outside when it was raining! lol
Also, if you are close with your moms, ask them how their pregnancies were. My mom's pregnancy with my brother was almost EXACTLY how mine is going with Preston.