Pregnant DIS'ers--check in here! :)

[ckmommy]

Good luck TOV. I know how much waiting you are doing right now. It seems endless, but James will be here very soon. Then you will be wondering why you wanted him out so much---the 1, 3, and 5 am feedings will make you question this everyday!! Right now enjoy the quiet and the fairly (potty breaks...) uninteruped sleep that are getting at this point. It is all about to change. Keep us posted with any news!

I have not checked in for some time. I still have a long time to go, but my dr. and I discussed when we are going to schedule the c-section. It will be between 37 and 38 weeks. He and I feel that I will not make it past 38 weeks (I have not made it that far with any of the others). I do not have a date yet, but maybe next week??

This pregnancy has been anything but typical. The dr. explained to me that because my other 3 pregnancy's were uncomplicated, it did not surprise him in the least that this one was so tough. We have gone through everything from a threatened miscarriage to fibroids to not gaining enough weight (isn't that good????....no not really). My last visit the ultrasound showed that somehow the fibroids had disappered??? I was told that contractions sometimes looked like fibroids, so I must have been contracting--ugh, OK. Not sure if I will be having another ultrasound next week. I hope that I can get a weight of the baby if I do have an u/s. I get to drink the yummy diabetes drink next week also. Should be a fun visit!

Good luck to everyone!

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Well good luck,ckmommy. I know you're going to need it. I am SO not looking forward to that last internal exam on Weds...I HATE those. It does seem endless and I know DH has to be the most patient man on the planet for listening to me whine "I don't wanna DO this anymore...it'd be easier just to stay pregnant forever..." or variations on that almost every day for the last week. He's been so great through all of this and deserves some sort of award or SOMETHING for putting up with all my crying jags, my irritability, my exhaustion and complaints about how fat I look and how I'll never be thin (not that I was thin really to begin with) again. He's rubbed my back, listened to my whines, made me dinner, helped me put on my socks and shoes (which is nearly impossible now) and helped me clean house a lot more than he used to. He brings me treats and flowers from the grocery store or work or whatever. I really wonder where I found a prince like this guy sometimes. He's been a real trooper throughout the whole thing and he's more excited than I am about having this kiddo. You should've seen him yesterday when he thought that the baby was going to come that night. He was calling EVERYBODY and their dog giving them updates as to what was going on, how many contractions I'd had and how long and how far apart they were, that kind of thing. I felt so bad last night that nothing happened. I told him I was sorry I let him down by not having the baby that day, but he said it was ok, James would come when he decided to show up.

One of our neighbors who we barely talk to gave us some really super cute clothes the other day, as well as a bath system thingie, their old Eddie Bauer bouncer (which their kid never liked anyway, from what they tell us) as well as a rocking bassinette. It was so nice of them because we barely know them, hardly ever see them (they are both in retail also, so of course we are never home at the same time to hang out) and didn't even expect it.


TOV

 

[Minnesota!]

You are getting close! James will be here before you know it!

I had my 24 week appt on Friday. All looks good - and BIG! Baby is measuring at 26 weeks. HR was 160 still. Very active. I go back in 4/16 for my glucose test. I am actually looking forward to it. Something new at an appt But, so she said it is looking more like June 20 - 25 rather than my July 9 date. Don't want to grow this one TOO big! My niece was 10'10 (last August). DH's family has a history of really big babies, and we want to stop that trend! 9 is just right for me!!

My feet have swollen quite a bit - OB said it's edema and just keep them up, and get them massaged 1x a day (DARN) to keep blood flowing. And sciatica (sp) is acting up. I cry when I have to roll over at night!!!

But, overall, I am so grateful to be where I am, and I will take every ache, pain, gripe, pound of fat, in order to have a healthy, happy baby. I have waited so long for this, I just love it!!!

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Good luck, Minnesota...ours was measuring longer than predicted also at our last ultrasound. I'm thinking we're gonna have a long, skinny kid instead of a cute, chubby one. Oh well...sounds like your kid is going to be HUGE! You won't have a baby...you'll have a TODDLER!

TOV

 

[ckmommy]

Oh Minnesota !

I am with you! When I was pregnant with # 2 I was so swollen. I had 4 --24 hr. urine tests to find out if something was more wrong--it wasn't. My feet were balloons. I literally could not find shoes to fit! My ankles were as big as my thighs. And they hurt! I thought it had to do with the weird hot humid weather that we (and you) have in the midwest, we were in WI at the time. But when I had the twins, we lived in TX, way way more humid and hot than the midwest ever thought of being--at least for more than one day. I had no swelling with the twins, NONE! Very weird.

It looks like you will be beating me to have your little one before me! Again with baby #2, I had the same problems with being a big baby. Three weeks before my due date, the dr. felt the baby was VERY large, so she sent me in for an u/s. The u/s confirmamed that the baby was large--about 12-13 lbs. But you have to remember that the u/s can be of by 20%+or-. When I had DS by c-section he was big but not as big as predicted--he was 9.5!! Good luck to you.

 

[JESW]

Not pregnant here, but having fun reading your comments and remembering..


Good luck to you all!!

I do have to say tho, that when I read the first line of ckmommy's post I read it quickly and thought she said - "When I was pregnant with #21"!!!!

Jill

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Hey...second or more time pregnant DIS'ers...is it normal to be so HOT all the time at the end of the pregnancy? I am burning up all the time, esp at work. On Sat, the A/C in the mall wasn't working properly either and I felt like I was going to just die because I was so danged hot and uncomfortable. Not that my boss was any help...if he caught me fiddling with my shirt or fanning myself with a quickie made paper fan or piece of cardboard, he'd get angry with me and take my fan away.


TOV

 

[Minnie824]

With DD #1, I was hot constantly, and she was born in Oct, so it was all summer which made it worse. People in the office would be wearing sweaters, and I'd be wearing sleeveless shirts, still warm. Now, about the last month or so, I've been hot again..sleeping in shorts and DH's tshirts (note its 30-40 degrees out here). Definitely something that happens.

 

[Kermit]

I was incredibly hot when I was late in my pregnancy with Jacob, and he was born on New Year's Day. It doesn't go away as soon as the baby is born, either. You'll sweat for a few weeks getting rid of all that extra fluid you're holding right now. In my case, Jacob was a preemie and couldn't stay warm, so we had to put an extra heater in our bedroom. YUCK! I think menopause will be more comfortable than that.

I go for my ultrasound on Wednesday to make sure everything is okay and to find out the sex if the baby cooperates. I'm really big. I'll be 19 weeks tomorrow, and my fundus is already over my bellybutton. I keep telling DH that we're having twins, but I don't really believe it.

 

[ckmommy]

Kemit,

Were you really sick this time around? Are you still feeling sick? I was so sick with my twins. I lived on fudgesicles! If you were having twins, I suspect that your dr. would have done an u/s before now. Although I have heard of not finding out until the first u/s! Good luck and keep us posted!

TOV,

Hot was not even a word to describe how I have felt in the last trimester of each pregnancy! Ceiling fans on high and a/c low didn't help me out. It will be over soon!

JESW,

That is so funny! Thank goodness it was not true! I just looked at the way it is typed, and have to agree that it does look like 21! No thank you!

Have a great week everyone!

 

[Duchie]

With baby #2 (my DD) I was hot towards the end, but not so with both of the boys. In fact, everything when I was pregnant with DD was different than it was with both of those pesky little boys.

TOV, your hubby sounds adorable! I think men feel so helpless during this time that they try just about anything to make themselves feel more useful. I know DH hated watching me in labor because there was not a darn thing he could do to make it go away. Well, I can think of something he could have NOT done about 9 months earlier........

 

[Kermit]

ckmommy,

I don't think I felt much worse this time than last time, although it was hard to tell since I was too busy with a baby to really pay attention to my morning sickness. I carried big with Jacob (but not really as much until the end of my pregnancy), and my mom carried big with me. It's always possible that I could be having twins, but I don't really think I am. My doctors haven't suggested it. But they don't really try to find out much. As soon as they find one heartbeat, they stop listening.

It's funny how much times have changed. When my mom was pregnant with me 28 years ago, her doctor wanted to send her for an x-ray to see if she was carrying twins. She had to pay extra to get an ultrasound. Can you imagine having an x-ray directly on your uterus while pregnant now?

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Ok...so now I know I'm not a freak for being so danged hot all the time. Thank goodness....

Also...does anyone know where I can find more specifics about the Family Medical Leave Act re: maternity leave? My boss asked me again today (for the millionth time) how much time I'm taking off. I told him if everything goes OK, 3-4 wks tops. If I have a C-section, probably more like 6 wks. He told me today he'll hold my job for me until May 5 and then after that I most likely would NOT have a job. Well..he didn't say he'd fire me, but that was the impression I got from him and I don't know enough about the FMLA to know if that's even legal.

TOV

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Is your Sonic Corporate owned or a Franchise?

In order to qualify for FMLA, the employer must employ at least 50 employees within a 75 mile radius.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Franchise and I know he employs at least 50 employees within a 75 mile radius because the store mgr at our store also manages one in Willowbend Mall in Plano.


TOV

 

[Duchie]

I can give you the basics on FMLA. The law basically states you can take up to 12 weeks off, and upon your return you must be given the same or equal position. It doesn't guarantee you'll get your same job back, but if it isn't the same one it should be equal to the one you left. If you were to have the baby today, I would think he would need to provide you with either the same or a comparable position until at least June 15 (12 weeks from today). If he's saying he'll only hold your job until May 5, I'd ask him why not the full 12 weeks. He must know something that I don't (which is entirely possible).

How much of your time off is paid or unpaid depends on your employer. My company gives 6 weeks paid (8 weeks for c-section), and then any additional time is either vacation time (if you have any) or unpaid. I was once able to justify a week of extra paid leave for one of my employees as recognition, which was cool (she really deserved it).

Here's the link to the official Department of Labor site: http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/ I haven't looked it over in detail, but if you want some help figuring it out PM me.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

There should be a poster of Worker's Rights somewhere in the break room or wherever that should state whether or not you are covered by FMLA. Generally however, you are required to give 30 days notice for forseeable events (such as a birth) that you want to have covered. If you haven't done so -- do it tomorrow.

Even if you are not covered under FMLA, there are other laws which make it illegal for an Employer to treat Pregnancy and Maternity Leave differently than other Short-Term disabilities. You might also want to check into that.

This is the Department of Labor website

http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I haven't seen any FMLA posters in the office or anything but I'll look again on Thurs when I go in. He's known for weeks that I was going to be taking off some time after the baby is born and I told him at least 2 weeks ago that my last day would be March 28. We get absolutely NO benefits whatsoever (no paid vac time, no health benefits, zip!) and so any leave I'll be taking will be unpaid, but DH and I are prepared for that. Thanks for the links, Duchie and TF. I'll check them out and I talked to DH about what my boss said today a little while ago. He said that if we are forced to sue because the Agent of Saddam (my nickname for my boss) fires me over this, then we'll sue. BUT....we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I won't worry about it until I have to. But it's nice to have the information beforehand and ready if needed.

TOV

 

[phamton]

TOV, Are you considered a fulltime employee (40 hours a week) or part-time? If you are part-time, the Family Leave act might not apply for you.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

He said that if we are forced to sue because the Agent of Saddam (my nickname for my boss) fires me over this, then we'll sue.

well, good luck. Unfortunately I think you are going to find however that Texas is very much an Employment at Will State. This means that you work in his establishment at his pleasure.

Even if he is required to give you unpaid leave, all he has to do is wait for you to come back into work when your leave is over and tell you that you are fired. He doesn't need to give a reason.

The good news however -- let him fire you. If he fires you for anything other than workplace misconduct then you qualify to collect unemployment benefits. That is better than an unpaid Maternity Leave any day.